What is the most controversial event in AFL history?

[Partridge]

1924 Ess v Footscray - the match was alledgedly fixed! (I may have got the year wrong)

1924 Finals series isn't bad. Was insanely planned as a round robin so that Essendon lost their final game of the year to Richmond, and were then declared Premiers!

1916 was good, only 4 teams competed. Fitzroy won both the wooden spoon and the premiership in the same year. Fair effort.

 

[MarkT]

****, it was a huge issue. Craig Kimberley tried to mount a rearguard with Keep South At South. If you are talking controversy I don’t think it gets any bigger than targeting clubs for extinction and delivering. They missed out with the Dog’s but it aint over yet. There have been some good ones raised here already. A few more that I can recall:

Moorwood and Foschini to St Kilda outside the rules;
Collingwood allegedly paying clubs not to draft the great Garry Shaw;
Peter Eakins to Collingwood and the subsequent player strike threats;
Alves to North and poaching charges being upheld;
Brown paper bags used to recruit 10 year players by North in the 70’s;
Ricky Quade v Barry Round;
The 1980 night grand final (the night series was a lot more serious then);
John Burke getting 10 years for kicking and umpire
Phil Carmen getting 20 weeks for head butting an umpire
Phil Carmen in general

 

[Minkus_Swan]

Robbie Muir was a walking event everywhere he went.

 

[Chewy]

Shafting Fitzroy

Everything else is small potatoes

 

[RoosterLad]

I'd like to remind you that the topic says AFL history not crappy VFL crap. So only stuff from 1990 onwards.

Thank you for your time.

 

[MarkT]

double post

 

[MarkT]

I'd like to remind you that the topic says AFL history not crappy VFL crap. So only stuff from 1990 onwards.

Thank you for your time.

Check the books. VFL history is AFL history – unless you mean the former VFA.

Why are you so resentful of the pre name change history being relevant?

 

[crudbucket]

I'd like to remind you that the topic says AFL history not crappy VFL crap. So only stuff from 1990 onwards.

Thank you for your time.

Keeping in mind the previous comment, I think the admission in 1987 of West Coast & Brisbane would have to come close.
We already had South Melbourne running around in Sydney but they were still generally regarded as a Victorian team by most people in and around Melbourne.

But in 1987 no one could say that about the Eagles and Bears, Round 1 1987 was the genuine start of the modern era in Australian Football.

 

[Moss Rocket]

Great thread. Fantastic to see people acting maturely for once!!

1. Fitzroy.....If it were your club, how would you feel.
2. Barassi...to young to see it unfold, but my dad says it was massive
3. Harmes.... Two massive clubs, Collingwood must have just felt like thaey could never win one. God bless 90 for the suffering fans.

 

[dockers_bengals]

I agree with the shafting of fitzroy.The victorian teams being too stubborn to keep fitzroy in victoria,very sad for their fans.

 

[Judge Schmails]

The day the AFL has to decide if a player is linked to a club by the father son rule or via DNA that suggests his bio-logical father played for a completely different club. This day is coming sooner than you think!!!!!

 

[Alex_au]

1997 Essendon vs St Kilda when the lights went out

 

[metallichris]

Umpire Carey's (?) mark in the late 90s is up there.

The Nicky Winmar vs Collingwood incident as well (racism; infamous pic of Nicky holding his guernsey up and pointing to his skin colour).

Probably not the most controversial, but controversial nonetheless.

 

[nico]

John Pitura to Richmond from South in the 70's.

 

[Adrian Shelton]

'alleged' $50000 of the brown paper bag variety to get Darren Jarman to Hawthorn under the just born Crows noses

Sheedy deciding the interchange rules were for other people in 85 SOO

General Victorian dummy spit towards SA in 1990 re player retention scheme, no practice matches against SANFL clubs or SOO that year(and the 200 game f/s rule for SANFL players is related to this too!!)

Then of course the events in SA a few months later.....

Barry Mitchell avoiding suspension through the courts

 

[windyhill]

Fitzroy`s raping. Disgraceful.

 

[Diamond Twin]

the Wayne Carey incident is pretty hard to beat....

and what about the latest incident with the points sitch between Freo and Saints? Cant get much more controversial then that!

 

[spitlizard]

There's definately something about Freo and umpires. First they mark our kicks, then they ignore the siren and just let it "go"!!!

 

[Marklar_33]

1997 Essendon vs St Kilda when the lights went out

Haha, St Kilda have now been involved in the 3 longest matches in history

2006 lasted Sunday to Wednesday
the above match lasted from Saturday night to Tuesday night
the 1900 match lasted half a week also

 

[- PC -]

Bob Pratt having a milk truck aimed at him the day before the GF

Neville Crowe getting rubbed out

Justin Charles

 

[Ben's Cousin]

Fraser Gehrig and everything about him. From his head to his shorts. He's controversial, an incident and an event all at the same time. Televised Saint Kilda games should have an M or R rating when he's playing.

 

[gdmclean]

1916 was good, only 4 teams competed. Fitzroy won both the wooden spoon and the premiership in the same year. Fair effort.

farcical.
And to think some clubs brag about how many premierships theyve won when so many of them came cheaply.

 

[MOJOE]

1924 Finals series isn't bad. Was insanely planned as a round robin so that Essendon lost their final game of the year to Richmond, and were then declared Premiers!

He wasnt talking about the round robin finals series...

He was talking about the VFL v VFA match following the season - which ultimately forced the league's hand at inviting the Dogs into the league.

 

[scout]

Greg Williams suspended for 9 games for touching an umpire. The umpire didn't think it worthy of a report, but the AFL match reviewers took him to the tribunal.

Huge controversy.

Can remember the newspaper pictures of Williams at training, wearing a guernsey with No 9 on his back as a protest.

And blood smearing has to rate as a controversy.

 

[finders]

The sacking of Norm Smith perhaps.

HE didnt coach in the AFL Mate! It was the VFL then! Get your Facts right.