The biggest "What could've been?"

[Captain_Bender]

Hafey coached against Jezza in 1979. He could not stop the Jezza magic that got us off the canvas from 1978 to the flag in 79. In fact the first match Jezza was coach he beat Hafey's Pies at Victoria Park. 4 in a row is what I will always see as the could of been of 79 to 82 if the shock of political turmoil had not lead to Jezza leaving at end of 79. Still biggest shock as a fan I have ever experienced. It rocked the club for a good year and a bit before we recovered.

Yeah but if Hafey stayed at Richmond he would have had a better list to coach and anyway Collingwood bet Carlton in 1978 during the finals and only lost to Carlton in 79 by 5 points that could have went either way

 

[schmuttt]

Imagine if Melbourne drafted Martin instead of Trengrove.

Wouldn't have become the player he is today if we did. He would have demanded a trade after a few years or gone off the rails in that 2012/2013 dark period.

What if Melbourne had beaten Collingwood in the last round of this season?

Would have taken the Bombers place in getting bitchslapped by the Swans.

 

[Wojcinski]

Matthew Egan
Dayle Garlett

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

If there had not been Umpire McLaren, history would be different.

 

[iluvparis]

Carlton were never gonna beat Richmond during 1980

I lol'd

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1980/031419800809.html

 

[footyfan1978]

Yeah but

That is it. What could have been revolves around Jezza leaving when we were rising and we took a year backwards as a result in 1980 with the shock and fallout in the player group.
Will always make me think what could have been for another flag in 1980 if our club had not put him in a position to need to leave. Nothing you say makes me wonder what could of been for us. Another flag I just feel we threw away because of what we did to ourselves for 12 months.

 

[Monkey King]

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

Firstly, my post responded to something you wrote that wasn't right given that Carlton did indeed beat the Tigers during the 1980 season. Secondly, the whole point was that 1980 was a potential missed opportunity for Carlton due to the turmoil the club had been through. Pointing to the results of that season doesn't do anything to dispell the idea when every other game played between the two sides in the year prior to and following was a Carlton victory. The fact they weren't on their game enough to beat the Tigers in the 80' finals was kinda the whole point.

 

[footyfan1978]

I lol'd

https://afltables.com/afl/stats/games/1980/031419800809.html

Yep, the fact we even were winning some games and still make top 4 even when we were off for a season only enhances my sense we threw away a flag in 1980 by what happened in off season.

 

[Captain_Bender]

Firstly, my post responded to something you wrote that wasn't right given that Carlton did indeed beat the Tigers during the 1980 season. Secondly, the whole point was that 1980 was a potential missed opportunity for Carlton due to the turmoil the club had been through. Pointing to the results of that season doesn't do anything to dispell the idea when every other game played between the two sides in the year prior to and following was a Carlton victory. The fact they weren't on their game enough to beat the Tigers in the 80' finals was kinda the whole point.

Still were never gonna beat Richmond during the finals of 1980 regardless of the coach no one was stopping Kevin Bartlett that year especially in the finals kicked 21 goals in 3 games

 

[Requiem]

Matthew Egan

I remember watching Matthew Egan's last game, Round 22 2007 Brisbane v Geelong at the Gabba.

In the first quarter Egan was all over Jonathan Brown like a wet blanket, giving Geelong the ascendancy.

IIRC Egan snap his Achilles early in the second quarter, I cheered thinking we might be a chance.

Browny then proceeded to give Scarlett a bath, booting 7 goals on him in 3 quarters, and ended up winning the Coleman medal

Unfortunately Egan never played again, many forget how dominate he was as a shut down CHB, IMO he would have been a perennial AA.

Since that day I have never cheered when a player got injured, no matter what the circumstance.

 

[radiojake]

What if...the current finals system existed in 1998?

In '98, Adelaide became premiers from 5th...despite losing their first final.

Adelaide were not the only team to benfit from finishing 5-8 and losing their first final -

Essendon 1996
Carlton 1999

Essendon made a prelim and Carlton the GF after losing their qualifying finals from 6th position - and both even got home semifinals against west coast even though in both seasons west coast finished higher and won their qualifying final

The only thing Adelaide did different was to take full advantage, and they weren't gifted a home final and ended up travelling 5 weeks in a row

Leigh Colbert paid the mark against Crows in week two.
Crows out.

Funny how Bickley's rushed behind that got called a Geelong goal is rarely mentioned when talking about that mark

 

[Monkey King]

Still were never gonna beat Richmond during the finals of 1980 regardless of the coach ...

So you say. The formline between the teams in the bookend seasons however, indicates that Carlton certainly had the talent to match the Tigers. So it was a fair point that footyfan78 ponders "what could've been" had Carlton not imploded after the 79' season, regardless of your assertion.

 

[Gydafud]

IIRC Egan snap his Achilles early in the second quarter, I cheered thinking we might be a chance.

Snapped the navicular bone in his foot. Tried to get surgery to get back for the GF but there was complications and I think he immediately re-injured it post surgery. Pretty much ruined the potential to ever heal correctly and the rest is history.

Having Egan would have meant we never picked up Taylor though. Or maybe we picked up Taylor and played him forward from the start as a replacement for Nathan Ablett instead.

 

[footyfan1978]

Adelaide were not the only team to benfit from finishing 5-8 and losing their first final -

Essendon 1996
Carlton 1999

Essendon made a prelim and Carlton the GF after losing their qualifying finals from 6th position - and both even got home semifinals against west coast even though in both seasons west coast finished higher and won their qualifying final

Just to correct you on a point about that. Much of what you wrote I got no problem with but Carlton did not get a home final in 1999. Our homeground in 1999 was Princes Park. We never got a home final then. We indeed did not have to travel interstate again as we did the week before to Gabba but certainly was not a homeground final like it was for Essendon whom was a tenant at MCG for most of the mid and late 90's.

As for the finals series though, it was a joke teams 5th and 6th could get a double chance in those years.
We actually got flogged up at Gabba in 99 in week one as 6th team and could not believe what a joke that version of final 8 was to not be eliminated at that point. Similarly I laughed when Crows got a double chance to reach a grand final in 1993 final 6 series despite doing nothing to be deserving it. Some really weird times back then.

 

[JackFlash]

If Greg Williams had stayed at Geelong they would've won the flag in 1989 by a mile. The year after he left the Cats at the end of 1985, the Cats recruited Paul Couch, Gary Hocking, Billy Brownless, Barry Stoneham with Mark Bairstow and Gavin Exell in 1987. A Midfield consisting of Williams, Couch, Hocking and Bairstow might've stopped the Eagles also? He left because the Cats couldn't find another 5K!!! What could've been indeed!

 

[footyfan1978]

If Greg Williams had stayed at Geelong they would've won the flag in 1989 by a mile. The year after he left the Cats at the end of 1985, What could've been indeed!

Cats lost Williams, Toohey , Bolton and Hafey to Sydney Swans after 1985 season to balance the financial books. Maybe they not even survive to 1989 if they had not let these people go to the money being thrown around at Swans for 1986.

 

[Requiem]

Snapped the navicular bone in his foot. Tried to get surgery to get back for the GF but there was complications and I think he immediately re-injured it post surgery. Pretty much ruined the potential to ever heal correctly and the rest is history.

Having Egan would have meant we never picked up Taylor though. Or maybe we picked up Taylor and played him forward from the start as a replacement for Nathan Ablett instead.

Your defensive unit in 2007 was one of the stingiest defences I've ever seen.

IIRC Egan conceeded something like 27 goals for the entire season.

Harley Scarlett Milburn
Mackie Egan Wojcinski

My god, good luck kicking a winning score against that unit.

 

[radiojake]

Just to correct you on a point about that. Much of what you wrote I got no problem with but Carlton did not get a home final in 1999. Our homeground in 1999 was Princes Park. We never got a home final then. We indeed did not have to travel interstate again as we did the week before to Gabba but certainly was not a homeground final like it was for Essendon whom was a tenant at MCG for most of the mid and late 90's.

As for the finals series though, it was a joke teams 5th and 6th could get a double chance in those years.
We actually got flogged up at Gabba in 99 in week one as 6th team and could not believe what a joke that version of final 8 was to not be eliminated at that point. Similarly I laughed when Crows got a double chance to reach a grand final in 1993 final 6 series despite doing nothing to be deserving it. Some really weird times back then.

I think you are being disingenuous by suggesting Carlton v West Coast at the MCG wouldn't be considering a 'home final'

Carlton played 9 MCG games in 1999 H&A season, and AFLtables has three of them listed as a the home team


.....

or is this a subtle dig at 2017 Geelong?

 

[JackFlash]

Cats lost Williams, Toohey , Bolton and Hafey to Sydney Swans after 1985 season to balance the financial books. Maybe they not even survive to 1989 if they had not let these people go to the money being thrown around at Swans for 1986.

Williams wanted to stay and when he told the club, "give me another 5k" they let him go! I don't think 5K was going to break the club....

 

[Tarkyn_24]

What if Sydney did not get CoLA, Ambassadorial Payments and a FIXture....

???

Collingwood win the 2012 Grand Final.

 

[Monkey King]

Williams wanted to stay and when he told the club, "give me another 5k" they let him go! I don't think 5K was going to break the club....

Billy Goggin to blame for that one I believe. Ridiculous decision in hindsight.

 

[footyfan1978]

Williams wanted to stay and when he told the club, "give me another 5k" they let him go! I don't think 5K was going to break the club....

You are missing the point. You lost 4 people to be financially better off, not one. Your club was obviously in a financial mess to give up so many important people including a big name coach.

 

[footyfan1978]

I think you are being disingenuous by suggesting Carlton v West Coast at the MCG wouldn't be considering a 'home final'

It is considered a 'home final' by the ignorant. Absolutely.
But for those of us that know our real homeground was Princes Park, know we never get true homeground advantage in finals. Apart from 1945 itself when World War Two was on and the grand final was actually played at our homeground at Princes Park.

 

[SterlingArcher]

What if the AFL invested squillions in a team from Tasmania instead of the dungheap at the Gold Coast?

Then the exodus of players and lack of ability to attract decent senior players seen at the GC would be magnified ten-fold and we'd be pouring money into a shitheap of a team that has a clear ceiling in terms of financial growth and support/membership.

That's the answer to the 'what if'.

 

[radiojake]

It is considered a 'home final' by the ignorant. Absolutely.
But for those of us that know our real homeground was Princes Park, know we never get true homeground advantage in finals. Apart from 1945 itself when World War Two was on and the grand final was actually played at our homeground at Princes Park.

You played 9 games at the MCG and 9 games at Princess Park in 1999

You played West Coast

That is all I need to say