The Future of Waverley Park

[Jimmy the Ghost]

Could things have turned out differently if St. Kilda wanted to keep Waverley as well? Or would we all have just had to acquiesce to Wacko Jacko's every demand?

The true baffling decision is Carltank giving up Price Fixer Park. Why they would do that, just to play in rented Colonial with a ridiculous break even figure, right in the middle of their most unsuccessful era, I have no idea.

IIRC, Ian Collins at Carlton signed up to Colonial and was subsequently employed by them not long after.

 

[Whats a Battle]

IIRC, Ian Collins at Carlton signed up to Colonial and was subsequently employed by them not long after.

You're not wrong, in one of the most blindingly obvious pieces of corruption the AFL has ever seen.

 

[Mercy Seat]

The last game at Waverley against the Swans stands out in my memory. I remember it being really hard to find a seat, climbing the rail that divided the undercover seated area from the open area to be able to watch the action.

Fond memories of running in the centre square at the end of the game and piles of dirt raining from sky as everyone somewhat inexplicably started tearing up the turf with their bare hands (including me) and throwing it as high as we could in the air. I also remember dudes carrying around sections of bench seats and sponsorship signs as if it were an absolute free for all. Good times.

 

[Mercy Seat]

91 GF, Dunstalls last game, 99 Ansett Cup win, Saints comeback, last ever game all wonderful memories that I’ll remember forever from Waverley.

 

[wahawk]

91 GF, Dunstalls last game, 99 Ansett Cup win, Saints comeback, last ever game all wonderful memories that I’ll remember forever from Waverley.

The carpark

Wonderful memories……now

 

[PorkPieHat]

Apart from winning the 1991 premiership at Waverley Park .... Which was very enjoyable...

All Hawthorn fans should remember this game at Waverley Park in 1999 against the Sainters.



So....cold....OMG. What a comeback.

Lol Barry Hall at 17:45 here. jfc.

Crawford and Harvey on another level, and how good were multiple tall forwards

Thanks for posting this.

 

[Whats a Battle]

Apart from winning the 1991 premiership at Waverley Park .... Which was very enjoyable...

All Hawthorn fans should remember this game at Waverley Park in 1999 against the Sainters.



So....cold....OMG. What a comeback.

Ahh the footy of my childhood. Loved every minute.

 

[Rushed_Behind]

Ahh the footy of my childhood. Loved every minute.

And the hot jam donuts.

I have an old hawks guernsey. The woollen ones. All autographed on the back.

Mum said don’t wear it to the game. I didn’t listen. Bit into a hot, hot Jam donut and spilt the jam on the top. To this day it still has the stain on the jumper.

 

[hardway]

Dunstall kicking 17 goals against the Tigers would be one of my favourite memories from Waverley.

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

Dunstall kicking 17 goals against the Tigers would be one of my favourite memories from Waverley.

I actually missed that game. How unlucky.

One of my fondest early childhood memories was watching the Hawks kick Collingwood's butt in the club's highest ever HA crowd of 93K at Waverley. Packed in like sardines.

I do recall the day was very un-Waverley-like with nice periods of sun. Master Matthews doing his normal damage and Plough just continually moving the ball forward.

Ah the memories.

 

[Flamin Joe]

Dunstall kicking 17 goals against the Tigers would be one of my favourite memories from Waverley.

I know I've probably said this a few times on this forum but my god do I miss the days of full forwards kicking bags every week.

Also it's crazy to look back at how high scoring games were back then even the team copping a belting would still manage to kick a decent score with Richmond on this ocassion scoring 93 points. These days that's enough to win!

 

[badgrill]

91 GF, Dunstalls last game, 99 Ansett Cup win, Saints comeback, last ever game all wonderful memories that I’ll remember forever from Waverley.

moved to Melbourne in '97 so missed the GF, but same for me!

 

[badgrill]

I was at the game and couldn't believe what I had witnessed by full time. I was sure we were going to get belted at half time. Witnessed many St.Kilda fans totally devastated after the match.

I got stuck on a bus stuck in traffic and didn't arrive til just after quarter time. If I hadn't spent so ****ing long getting to the ground and it wasn't pissing down, I would've probably turned around and gone home - stoked I didn't!

How good were Dutchy & Thommo in that game, and Crawf streaming down the wing, oh my - we were playing like a team possessed in that second half!

And who could forget that double 50 by Spida - RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

Last game at Waverley. The best one

 

[JZedd]

And the hot jam donuts.

I have an old hawks guernsey. The woollen ones. All autographed on the back.

Mum said don’t wear it to the game. I didn’t listen. Bit into a hot, hot Jam donut and spilt the jam on the top. To this day it still has the stain on the jumper.

No chest pains, dizziness?

 

[Steven Tyler]

I got stuck on a bus stuck in traffic and didn't arrive til just after quarter time. If I hadn't spent so ****ing long getting to the ground and it wasn't pissing down, I would've probably turned around and gone home - stoked I didn't!

How good were Dutchy & Thommo in that game, and Crawf streaming down the wing, oh my - we were playing like a team possessed in that second half!

And who could forget that double 50 by Spida - RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!

As a youngster I lived in the country
A trip to Waverley would take around 2.5 hours
I drove with my younger brother into the city, and tried to get onto the freeway to Waverley, but there were roadworks road closures and we had to find a different route
After being stuck in traffic for ages, and only a Melways to help navigate the changed route, we decided to turn around and head home
The only game I’ve ever abandoned because of traffic, and it had to be Dunstall’s greatest individual performance
Bloody shattered!

 

[WireHawk]

Dunstall kicking 17 goals against the Tigers would be one of my favourite memories from Waverley.

I went to this game with three Richmond supporters. Towards the end they were hoping Dunstall would break the
record almost as much as I was. The Richmond football club were a rabble for a long time. Very enjoyable long
journey home listening to the Tigers lamenting that one player could kick 17 goals against them.

 

[rdhopkins2]

I hope @everybody one day understands that the AFL did not make it easy for the Hawks with Waverley. Ian Dicker should have a statue! Absolute business visionary.

 

[Hawthorn1971]

".....But he could barely believe the once-proud but then financially bereft club was likely to become almost a subservient party to become the Melbourne Hawks."

Melbourne's treatment of us during this time is why they are up there with * and the scats as the most loathed for mine.

I post on this a bit, but get little traction with it. People have either forgotten, or worst of all, forgiven. I fkng hate The Pro-Merger Scum, and look down on their supporters whenever I have the misfortune to come across one.

Ian Dicker and Don Scott deserve very special recognition at the KCC.

 

[Hawthorn1971]

One of my favourite all time Hawk pics...

 

[kazzooka]

I know I've probably said this a few times on this forum but my god do I miss the days of full forwards kicking bags every week.

Also it's crazy to look back at how high scoring games were back then even the team copping a belting would still manage to kick a decent score with Richmond on this ocassion scoring 93 points. These days that's enough to win!

93 is a pretty good score in todays game and would beat most sides. But in Rd 7 1992 it wasn't enough to beat Jason.

Richmond 14.9.93 Dunstall 17.5.107

Also AFL tables has the attendance at 26,789 yet I could swear there was at least half a million there judging by the stories people tell.

 

[kazzooka]

Lol Barry Hall at 17:45 here. jfc.

Crawford and Harvey on another level, and how good were multiple tall forwards

Thanks for posting this.

I watched that game again recently and was stark how some players were just on a different level. There are many on both sides who wouldn't get much of a look in the state leagues these days. But then guys like Everitt, Crawford, Harvey, Salmon, Chick, Joel Smith and a few more that have the modern skills that were required in the 2000s and beyond.

 

[kazzooka]

".....But he could barely believe the once-proud but then financially bereft club was likely to become almost a subservient party to become the Melbourne Hawks."

Melbourne's treatment of us during this time is why they are up there with * and the scats as the most loathed for mine.

I post on this a bit, but get little traction with it. People have either forgotten, or worst of all, forgiven. I fkng hate The Pro-Merger Scum, and look down on their supporters whenever I have the misfortune to come across one.

Ian Dicker and Don Scott deserve very special recognition at the KCC.

And that whole merger episode was them trying to get a hold of Glenferrie oval as a home ground and base as they didn't have one.

Them, the AFL and some incompetent people on our board were trying to Gaslight hawthorn members into thinking it was impossible for the club to survive without a merger. Thankfully Don Scott got up their and read through our asset list and showed we actually had things Melbourne didn't and we were in a much better state than some other clubs. Not great but workable if the fans paid up and bought memberships and showed up to games, which they did.

Then our membership exploded in 1997-1999 and we grew a huge fanbase and attendances went up that we couldn't leave waverley. It was this pressure that meant that we didn't just roll over to the AFL and agree to move to Docklands and we went behind the AFLs back to cut a deal with the prospective buyers of Waverley. AFL couldn't get a good deal if Developers knew they'd have to fight to kick Hawthorn out of their lease and we demanded to keep playing there.

So we agreed to let go of that lease on the condition that we had the MCG as a home ground, and only having made the deal with Mirvac.

Melbourne still looking for a home ground, and only offering to pay less than 30% for a caulfield race course development. Compared to us paying 70%+ of our new home ground on our own land.

 

[Whats a Battle]

And that whole merger episode was them trying to get a hold of Glenferrie oval as a home ground and base as they didn't have one.

Them, the AFL and some incompetent people on our board were trying to Gaslight hawthorn members into thinking it was impossible for the club to survive without a merger. Thankfully Don Scott got up their and read through our asset list and showed we actually had things Melbourne didn't and we were in a much better state than some other clubs. Not great but workable if the fans paid up and bought memberships and showed up to games, which they did.

Then our membership exploded in 1997-1999 and we grew a huge fanbase and attendances went up that we couldn't leave waverley. It was this pressure that meant that we didn't just roll over to the AFL and agree to move to Docklands and we went behind the AFLs back to cut a deal with the prospective buyers of Waverley. AFL couldn't get a good deal if Developers knew they'd have to fight to kick Hawthorn out of their lease and we demanded to keep playing there.

So we agreed to let go of that lease on the condition that we had the MCG as a home ground, and only having made the deal with Mirvac.

Melbourne still looking for a home ground, and only offering to pay less than 30% for a caulfield race course development. Compared to us paying 70%+ of our new home ground on our own land.

How wonderful is it that we had forward thinking genius Ian Dicker rather than corrupt POS snake Ian Collins at the helm.

 

[peetoo]

Tom Morris needs to get his facts straight as he makes it sound like we bent over the AFL on this.

The AFL sold Waverly to Mirvac for $110m who in turn sold the ground to us for $1. There was no direct transfer from the AFL to Hawthorn.

The AFL are now buying it back for less than $20m which is a good deal considering how much they originally sold the land for and the fact they are getting ready to go facilities. I assume they will also be getting revenue from the retail space which is an added bonus.

HFC invested plenty in the facility

Just mentioned tiges may make use of it in punt road Reno’s.

Which wI’ll pay back all teams if more vfl vflw aflw games there than princes park with an MCG size oval