The '90s

[Banyo Bloods]

Very dark days the 90's as a Swans supporter early and then suddenly since the mid to late 90's it became the birth of a strong club. Hard to forget Plugger and Kelly through the 90's and watching the end of Ablett and Dunstall's fine careers and Carey tearing games apart. Good times.

 

[CrowsB4hoes]

I like the 90's. We won 20% of the premierships.

State of Origin was always good fun. Sticks. Platten. Bradley. Jarman x2. McDermott. Anderson. Hall.

 

[Paratus78]

How bloody good were these blokes!

Pulled their socks up too! Drank a beer after the game, didn't post stupid shit on social media (please ignore the fact that it didn't exist), didn't apologise after biffing someone....

 

[CrowsB4hoes]

View attachment 389472 How bloody good were these blokes!

Pulled their socks up too! Drank a beer after the game, didn't post stupid shit on social media (please ignore the fact that it didn't exist), didn't apologise after biffing someone....

There's about 3 teams worth of skin folds on Plugger and Dunstall there

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Music was way better too.

It sucked if we go by Gold FM.

 

[blue harvest]

Without people crying about "stop idealising the old days!", you can probably mount an argument that the footy was more attractive.

I think it basically came down to fitness. Players didn't / couldn't chase the ball around all day aerobically, they held their positions more. You had less players in a mob around the ball, more one on one contests at either end of the ground. Less players around the ball = less tackles, players had more space and time to execute and could beat opponents on their merits.

Also everybody in footy took themselves less seriously. That's changed, it's not anybody's fault, it's just the impact of professionalism.

Lol, good post Bunk, think that's the first time I've ever agreed with you. What shits me about footy today is you look down the other end and there's not a single player in that half of the ground. It's just all about winning the ball and who is best at running down to the other end. I wish a coach would have the balls to park someone in the goal square and another 2 on 50.

 

[gavaniacono]

I am a 70s advocate, and excluding tiges success to show no bias heres a brief glimpse.
Barrass - innovation at blues, Hollywood at Roos. He changed the game twice in a decade. People may not appreciate the glamour and ourageousness of north in that decade.
Tough - 1971, the epitome of no man standing footy.
Goals galore - blues in 70 and esp 72 went on a splurge. Most teams were attack and attack.
Hawks - North Blues - Piez Tigez - Bluez rivalries were intense.
1977 draw, piez rising from the spoon the year before to only be denied the flag by a Super Carmen faux pas.
Twiggy Dunnez pack mark to draw the scores emerging with ball in hand from a can of sardinez.
The Man's Moustache ruled, none if this poncey pencil thin pretender stuff.
KDs ans KOs: tuddy on macca, oops, cowboy on huddo, balme on everyone, the windy hill debate, Scott versus Crackers, etc.
Great Match day Commentary: so much better than today it is very sad.
Big ****ing crowds!!

 

[shaqsuns]

You realise people were saying equivalent things in every past era? People were saying "footy's just not as good today as it was in the 70s and 80s" during the 90s? I even remember people saying it in the 80s: "footy's just not as good as it was in the 60s and 70s." In 20 years from now, people will be saying "footy's just not as good as it was in the 2000s and 2010s", and the whole ridiculous thing just goes on and on and on....

Kids grew up with plugger, Gaz, Carey, Dunstall kicking bags of goals and were proud to don their number on their jumpers. These days kids are forced to watch a hybrid game of ice hockey soccer and rugby which is a tackle and handball athone. Do you think Little Johnny and little Sally want to wear Scott Selwood's number on their back because he got 16 tackles in a game??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Big_Birdy]

And in 20-30 years people will be saying how football from around 2010 was much better than it is in 2040...

The way football is heading, they would be correct....

 

[Macca81]

Everyone quickly forgets that every Grand Final in the 90s was a blow out. The only thing that made a lot of them memorable was the first flags for Eagles and Crows.

Some like 91, 92, 97 and 98 were close but the momentum was all with one team and you knew which way it was going to swing.

why am i not surprised that a Geelong fan doesnt have fond memories of Grand Finals in the 90's

 

[Blue1980]

There were good aspects and it's the first decade I remember all of clearly, I began following and watching games fairly regularly 88/89.

I miss the full forwards kicking bags, but it's true people bemoaned things not being as good as previous eras in the 90s. I remember guys from the 60s and earlier saying they missed the lack of drop kicks and stab passes and it was all boring drop punts.

If you watch full games from 20 years ago compared to now I don't think you could say it's worse today, it's often just nostalgia getting in the way

 

[pjcrows]

Can't believe people are mentioning Ablett, Lockett, Modra and Dunstall but ignoring Jurica.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

And in 20-30 years people will be saying how football from around 2010 was much better than it is in 2040...

It probably will be.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Part of the reason why I think the 90s stands out is because it was when the league made the transition from amateur to pro league. The addition of interstate teams here was obviously very important. You could tell that the quality of talent and everything about the sport was growing.

On that point, I loved the interstate rivalry that existed in the 90s, and I wish that passion returned. It arguably died with Teddy Whitten. These days it's kind of "My club is better than yours" or "My city is better than yours" and it's very bitter and petty in comparison.

That stuff was going to dissipate when West Coast and Adelaide went from state clubs to having local rivals. Today there wouldn't be anybody under the ages of at least 34 in WA and 30 in SA with memories of the WAFL or SANFL being a big deal. And, with respect to you and Ted Whitten, on the Victorian side of the border it was people who followed smaller/less successful clubs that cared more about State of Origin and so forth.

 

[kozi]

One on one contests all over the ground.
Free flowing open play.
Hardly any stoppages.
Hardly any umpire intervention.
Rules that actually made sense.
Low goal posts.
Goal umpires that weren't mutant robots who have the same exact goal signal down to the exact millimetre.

I do miss it.

 

[StillAtLarge]

For me, the 90s was a great decade because the players were becoming fitter, stronger and more skilful yet tactically the game wasn't evolving at the same pace.
I find it amazing that things like flooding, full ground pressing, using the interchange regularly and playing a proper zone defence for an entire game took so long to catch on. We really were a primitive sport until quite recently in a lot of ways.

Everyone quickly forgets that every Grand Final in the 90s was a blow out.

True, but the qualifying finals, semi finals and prelims were incredible!

 

[ZeroGlass]

I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never going to keep me down.

 

[footyboi1]

Rex hunt on the radio was pretty good

 

[Jibroni]

Rex hunt on the radio was pretty good

Footy was so much better despite the GF blowouts.

West Coast 94 was the best team of the decade IMO.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Rex hunt on the radio was pretty good

Are you being sarcastic?

 

[demondavey]

Earliest memory was the 1991 grand final. I remember liking the Eagles because of their colours and logo, and was introduced to them by a friend. I was always used to think Hawthorn were better than WC because of the 91 GF, and WC were better than Geelong because they beat them in the 92 & 94 GF. I had Eagles jumpers growing up but deflected to Melbourne in about 96-97 at 11 or 12. Just because of family.

 

[brucetiki]

There is a pig at full forward!



Also the last decade of the suburban grounds - Windy Hill, Moorabbin, Whitten Oval, Victoria Park, while Princes Park got the Legends Stand.

 

[demondavey]

Footy was so much better despite the GF blowouts.

West Coast 94 was the best team of the decade IMO.

Some very good teams that decade. Pity we didn't see the following;

1994 WC v North GF
1999 North v Ess GF

Geelong and Carlton making it respectively really made those GF pretty lackluster affairs.

 

[demondavey]

Without people crying about "stop idealising the old days!", you can probably mount an argument that the footy was more attractive.

I think it basically came down to fitness. Players didn't / couldn't chase the ball around all day aerobically, they held their positions more. You had less players in a mob around the ball, more one on one contests at either end of the ground. Less players around the ball = less tackles, players had more space and time to execute and could beat opponents on their merits.

Also everybody in footy took themselves less seriously. That's changed, it's not anybody's fault, it's just the impact of professionalism.

The one on one contests were the best

 

[Goggin Our Best]

I still enjoy the football today - however i thought the 90s was way better - as others have mentioned - the lack of mauling scrums and they had positional play

I watched the Freo v StKilda game last Sunday - like the ground was a bit wet - and its a long ground - pretty tiring conditions - but i thought the last qtr dead set resembled Rugby League - for the 1st 10 minutes StKilda locked the ball deep into attack - and Freo couldnt get it out - it was just one mauling pack after another . Then it was Freos turn - they finally got it up their end - and locked it in for several minutes - honestly they might as well start calling it - Yards gained and Territory

The thing which infuriates me the most - and again an example from that game - Michael Johnson gets the ball on the HBF - takes 2 steps forward - looks up - sees that their are no Freo players ahead of him - so he has got no other option but to kick the ball backwards or sideways - that pissses me off no end