Your favourite Preliminary Final.

I would still like proof. (If i have, i will add it to the Mandela effect because i think most people remember it being an end of game moment).


Re the umpiring:

8.00: Lucas gets a very soft free kick in a marking contest. Result: one behind.
- 9.30: Alessio shoves Shaun Rehn fair in the middle of the back at a boundary throw-in. No whistle, goal to Alessio.
- 11.30: Paul Barnard manfully fills the shoes of absentee full forward Matthew Lloyd, taking a world class dive after minimal contact from Mark Graham. Behind.
- 16.50: Alessio fails to outmark Steven Greene, a full foot shorter. Greene recovers from the contest and is set to race away with the football. Whistle. Holding the man. Eh? Alessio goal.
- 20.40: Chris Heffernan dives on the football forty metres from goal. A couple of Hawks converge, and look the goods for a holding the ball decision. Except the umpire points the other way. In the back. Eh? Heffernan goal.
- 23.50: Luke McCabe effects a textbook one-on-one spoil on Dean Rioli, keeping pace with him all the way, reaching around the forward and punching clear. At one brief stage, McCabe held Rioli's jumper. Whistle. Free. Goal. In theory, this free kick was there. If this sort of "holding" warrants a free kick every time it occurs, then there would be 100 free kicks in the match.

By the time Rioli had kicked Essendon's fourth umpire assisted goal out of four, the Bombers were 14 points ahead. This lead was thoroughly, completely undeserved. Hawthorn dominated the balance of play in the first quarter, and but for some ordinary kicking for goal and the forlorn hope of a balanced umpiring display, would have been two or three goals up ourselves.
Just so we're clear we're expected to believe you can't remember the time of Croads miss but can remember each of those to the second? 😂😂

As for proof.
For 20 minutes of playing time, it's quite likely there would've been at least 6 minutes left on the clock:

 

hk89

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 12, 2009
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Just so we're clear we're expected to believe you can't remember the time of Croads miss but can remember each of those to the second? 😂😂

To be fair, I was at that game, and it seems the red haze of anger has dulled my memory of the entire event. Have trouble recalling any of it.

Do wonder what kind of pact Essendon made with the devil for the first quarter umpiring though. Have a feeling it went something like this:
"Please O' great BeelzeBub, father of lies, angel of the abyss, smile upon us this day, and we sacrifice unto you any hope of even making a prelim for another 20 years. We also offer up our favourite son, for you to do with as you wish." "Let it be done!" replied Satan with a chuckle, foreseeing what the future now held for Essendon.
 

Rowan18

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 20, 2018
7,281
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Bias: Port vs St Kilda 2004
Un-bias: Collingwood vs Hawthorn 2011

Although Hawthorn vs Geelong in 2013 was probably the biggest and most important game I’ve ever seen.
I knew if Geelong won then Freo would win their first flag against them the next week. I was dancing around the bar when Hawks came back!
 

crocsta

Club Legend
Oct 11, 2010
1,039
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1994 and 2007.

I was on top tier of the stand down the end where Snr took the mark on Martin. I first celebrated then got scared as the old concrete stand was shaking with all the celebrations.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Brad Goodman

His name isn't important
Oct 7, 2002
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I'll go with the 99 prelim.

I reckon it's more difficult to judge the quality of a game when you support one of the participants, this is also why I don't mind going to the grand final as an MCC member and seeing supporters of the competing clubs miss out.
 
I'll go with the 99 prelim.

I reckon it's more difficult to judge the quality of a game when you support one of the participants, this is also why I don't mind going to the grand final as an MCC member and seeing supporters of the competing clubs miss out.

Underrated post :thumbsu:
 

yyou

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 18, 2014
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Freo / Sydney 2013.
It just seemed surreal.
I nearly choked on all of the second hand smoke in the beer garden of the Great Northern Hotel, but it was an amazing night & the Freo boys were unbelievable early in the game to set the win up.
 
May 3, 2007
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Freo / Sydney 2013.
It just seemed surreal.
I nearly choked on all of the second hand smoke in the beer garden of the Great Northern Hotel, but it was an amazing night & the Freo boys were unbelievable early in the game to set the win up.
I savoured every minute of that game.

I didnt think for a moment freo were going to lose that game. We worked to hard in the QF win vs Geelong to earn that spot in the prelim.

It was epic when the siren sounded when freo won that game by 25 points. One of the happiest days in my life.
 

dean33

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 10, 2007
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2019 Richmond v Geelong
Cast your mind back, tigers hot favs but everything goes wrong for them in the first half with dusty and cotch hurt along with young jack graham doing his shoulder to see the cats take a 21 point lead into the main break and look likely winners.
From there the tigers led by big Tom lynch, houli and the human meatball get the tigers in front by 3/4 time and they run out eventual 19 point winners.
A courageous win full of heart and desperation. One to look back on fondly for many years to come.
 
Feb 5, 2018
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2019 Richmond v Geelong
Cast your mind back, tigers hot favs but everything goes wrong for them in the first half with dusty and cotch hurt along with young jack graham doing his shoulder to see the cats take a 21 point lead into the main break and look likely winners.
From there the tigers led by big Tom lynch, houli and the human meatball get the tigers in front by 3/4 time and they run out eventual 19 point winners.
A courageous win full of heart and desperation. One to look back on fondly for many years to come.


Last nights was good without being a classic for sure. Thankfully since the semi-finals started we've been treated to true finals footy. Would love to condemn that opening week straight to the history books and never think about it ever again.
 
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