The biggest "What could've been?"

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Monkey King

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Carlton were never gonna beat Richmond during 1980
And yet in round 19 they did just that. And Carlton beat the Tigers in every game of the bookend 79' & 81' seasons too. Who knows what may have happened had the club not faced the upheavals prior to the 1980 season.
 

Gydafud

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If 2007 hadn't happened the way it did for West Coast.

At the start of the season Judd was 23, Cousins was 28, Kerr was 23 and Cox was 25.

And the era was over at the end of the season :(
Wow, I never knew that was the case. Judd/Kerr were still in "development years". When the end comes, it comes quickly sometimes.
 

footyfan78

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Richmond flogged Carlton during the finals by 42
As I said this was the gap year with a clown as coach and why we were not ourselves that year.
We showed how much 1980 was an aberration in first round of 1981 when you lucky boys unfurled the flag and then we flogged you by 10 goals or more

with the clown Percy coach gone and someone who knew how to coach come in. Jezza does not leave at end of 79 I believe 79 to 82, 4 flags in a row was on the cards.
 

PerthBoy86

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Having Waverley as the main stadium is a terrible idea, why too isolated.

How common was it to fly entire teams across the country every week back in the 50s? Like the US is a similar size to Australia and the NBA, MLB and NFL were only truly national from the 60s I believe. Coaching it between Perth and Melbourne obviously wouldn't be feasible.
 

adammania9

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If Scarlett wasn't there to toepoke the ball to Ablett

The Saints had the extra number in the middle and would have likely won the footy and sent the ball forward to a Riewoldt/Kozi/Milne for a possible St Kilda premiership. Zac Dawson becomes a premiership hero instead of the ridiculed spud he became, 2010 might have been a lot brighter and could have seen back-to-back, Ross stays on at St Kilda which means Fremantle never would have made a grand final. Scott Watters or Alan Richardson could have ended up coaching Fremantle.
 

Rotayjay

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- With cousins kerr and judd, whose chronic OP benefits from the extra week of rest, west coast dismember north in the PF, and make a third successive grand final, where their experience on the big day easily accounts for untested Geelong on 29 September 2017.
Absolutely no way were Geelong losing the 2007 grand final
 

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HawkMongrel

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What if Moore kicked that shot or Hodge wasn't incorrectly awarded holding the ball in the 2014 prelim. No 3 peat, No 2 peat, Hawks discussed very differently and Port win a premiership as the only team outside the top 4 in the current system without a bye week.
Oh, hey, not awarding the HTB /= goal.

Just thought I'd let you know.
 

Gydafud

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Thread starter #241
The Saints had the extra number in the middle and would have likely won the footy and sent the ball forward to a Riewoldt/Kozi/Milne for a possible St Kilda premiership. Zac Dawson becomes a premiership hero instead of the ridiculed spud he became, 2010 might have been a lot brighter and could have seen back-to-back, Ross stays on at St Kilda which means Fremantle never would have made a grand final. Scott Watters or Alan Richardson could have ended up coaching Fremantle.
Rookes goal after the siren would have been for the win :p

Having Waverley as the main stadium is a terrible idea, why too isolated
Definitely would have changed the expansion plans. I doubt those were the thoughts back in the 50s though when the idea was originally pitched. IF it became a mecha in terms of sport (Not just AFL), I am would be sure that the Vic government would have done a lot more to support to infrastructure around the area.

Looking at http://1945.melbourne/ there wasn't much else out there at the time, and there might have been a reason to think there might have been a 2nd "city" out that way. Hindsight shows that it is not the case though.
 
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As I said this was the gap year with a clown as coach and why we were not ourselves that year.
We showed how much 1980 was an aberration in first round of 1981 when you lucky boys unfurled the flag and then we flogged you by 10 goals or more

with the clown Percy coach gone and someone who knew how to coach come in. Jezza does not leave at end of 79 I believe 79 to 82, 4 flags in a row was on the cards.
In 1981 Carlton had new coach David Parkin and your best and fairest Ken Hunter and leading goal kicker Peter Bosustow both who wern't there in 1980 Carlton were a different side in 81 than they were in 80
 
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And yet in round 19 they did just that. And Carlton beat the Tigers in every game of the bookend 79' & 81' seasons too. Who knows what may have happened had the club not faced the upheavals prior to the 1980 season.
Richmond flogged Carlton twice in 1980 by 53 points in round 8 and 42 in the finals after being up by 65 at 3 quarter time before taking the foot off Carlton weren't gonna beat Richmond come finals time
 

Belnakor

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If they had paid the free kick to Sampi in the dying seconds of the '05 GF. Kick after the siren to win the GF. Geez that would have been good.
 
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With Jezza there still I have no doubt they would have taken all before them again. Hence the whole point of "what could have been" had the sliding door thing not happened.
Talking about what could have been what if Richmond had kept Tom Hafey during that time Jezza might not have been a premiership coach at all now there is some sliding doors
 
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