Discussion 2019 General AFL Discussion

[Jughead77]

 

[Dr Spaceman]

View attachment 739133

He’s livin’ the dream

 

[Jughead77]

He’s livin’ the dream

Geez I had no idea there was so much drama here. Just had a quick flick through the autopsy thread, and i gotta say, im still none the wiser on what happened.

Since we don't have a replay function, and I've got so many questions, I've taken it upon myself to try and understand what actually transpired.

Using all the available info(remaining posts), and combining it with my 20 yr stint as a "Law and Order" viewer, i've managed to recreate, in striking detail, what I believe occurred on that fateful night.








Peace, fellas. And I hope BT comes back when he feels ready.

 

[BigPowerForward]

 

[mightymalaka]

Some interesting footage just shown on the front bar
With Malcolm Blight addressing his players at half time
During the 97 GF! I say interesting, it should have been depressing

As the Crows then kicked 14 straight( WTF? ) in the 2nd half to over run
The Saints in what is still my most devastating day at the footy!

Swear that sh!t could only happen to us!

 

[gringo2011]

Some interesting footage just shown on the front bar
With Malcolm Blight addressing his players at half time
During the 97 GF! I say interesting, it should have been depressing

As the Crows then kicked 14 straight( WTF? ) in the 2nd half to over run
The Saints in what is still my most devastating day at the footy!

Swear that sh!t could only happen to us!

I was there that day, I was honestly numb and silent for about a day. I remember the train home and that Crow's theme song sounding like some taunting horror movie soundtrack.

 

[BigPowerForward]

I was there that day, I was honestly numb and silent for about a day. I remember the train home and that Crow's theme song sounding like some taunting horror movie soundtrack.

I left before the final siren because I could not bear to watch the crows fans celebrating. That Crows theme sing will haunt me until the day I die.

 

[NarklesHelmet]

I was there that day, I was honestly numb and silent for about a day. I remember the train home and that Crow's theme song sounding like some taunting horror movie soundtrack.

A shocking day.

In the last quarter when the game was slipping away from us, Molly Meldrum, who was in a box straight above where I was sitting with a mate, was catatonic with rage, throwing stuff out of the box etc.....it was surreal that last quarter, I still can’t think about it and can’t believe it happened.

The mate I was at the game with was a Cats fan who had been through 4 losing Grand Finals recently and he literally dragged me out before the end saying “you don’t want to see this” and we just got smashed at a bar instead which was probably for the best.

Just thinking of that day gives me shudders. Considering it was just over a week after my favorite ever match (the prelim vs North) it just sums up the extreme highs and (mostly) extreme lows that come with following this side.

 

[gringo2011]

I left before the final siren because I could not bear to watch the crows fans celebrating. That Crows theme sing will haunt me until the day I die.

That was some year though, I'd really only gotten back into footy after about 94 or 95 after being trash for so long there seemed like proper momentum for the first time in my life. I was so into it in 97, I remember that final against the Roos where Brett Cook and Burkey snapped Mc Kernan's shoulder. The hints fans were cheering like crazed fans at a gladiators death match. Mc Kernan was crying and Saints fans were roaring like we'd just played a dragon.

My feet weren't touching the ground leaving the G. The GF was so promising early, Barry Hall was upend about and looked like he'd do a Plugger. Then the trauma.

 

[gringo2011]

A shocking day.

In the last quarter when the game was slipping away from us, Molly Meldrum, who was in a box straight above where I was sitting with a mate, was catatonic with rage, throwing stuff out of the box etc.....it was surreal that last quarter, I still can’t think about it and can’t believe it happened.

The mate I was at the game with was a Cats fan who had been through 4 losing Grand Finals recently and he literally dragged me out before he end saying “you don’t want to see this” and we just got smashed at a bar instead which was probably for the best.

Just thinking of that day gives me shudders. Considering it was just over a week after my favorite ever match (the prelim vs North) it just sums up the extreme highs and (mostly) extreme lows that come with following this side.

Snap, was just posting the same thing. That North game was magnificent, like a dam wall breaking. When Wool got us over the Lions years later it was similar but the '97 game was so much more of a release.

 

[BigPowerForward]

Snap, was just posting the same thing. That North game was magnificent, like a dam wall breaking. When Wool got us over the Lions years later it was similar but the '97 game was so much more of a release.

I've posted this before but my wife unexpectedly went into labour minutes after the Prelim final finished. A friend drove her to hospital and I walked from the MCG to St Vincents. That win over North and the birth of my 1st son the next day.... It was a magnificent 24 hours in my life!

 

[mightymalaka]

I've posted this before but my wife unexpectedly went into labour minutes after the Prelim final finished. A friend drove her to hospital and I walked from the MCG to St Vincents. That win over North and the birth of my 1st son the next day.... It was a magnificent 24 hours in my life!

Was feeling pretty sorry that i had brought that whole mess up
With all the trauma fellow Sainters also suffered on that last Sat!

But the memories of the prelim final win and the celebrations that
Went down that night, together with Big Balls heartwarming
Moment in the unveiling of Mini Balls makes me feel warm and fuzzy!

 

[Jughead77]

Was feeling pretty sorry that i had brought that whole mess up
With all the trauma fellow Sainters also suffered on that last Sat!

But the memories of the prelim final win and the celebrations that
Went down that night, together with Big Balls heartwarming
Moment in the unveiling of Mini Balls makes me feel warm and fuzzy!

Ahh MM, thx for bringing up that up. The day a young, hopeful, teen lost all his optimism and hope. Couldnt even watch Ellen for years after, cos id think of bloody Shane Ellen. Seriously, since that day ive never allowed myself to believe we're going to win the flag. Not once in 09, 10, during the season, or the gf, did i feel confident. I just felt something would happen and we'd lose. Probably my way of avoiding the trauma of 97. I reckon it worked too cos both emotions from 09/10 combined didnt come anywhere near what I felt in 97.

It's alright tho MM, I'm getting better these days. I'm not triggered by any crows players names anymore. And it helps to have a board like this with ppl who went thru the same freakin ordeal.

 

[austinnn]

Yep, 97 was my first proper year of supporting footy, I went to quite a few games, saw a lot of great moments. That final H&A game, knowing it was a different comp now, then losing Spida in the first week of finals was a massive reality call, then losing Lazar later, I was very nervous. But I was there for the prelim against North, such a great match, and at the end, all those long-suffering Saints fans at the MCG knowing we had made it to the Grand Final - wow! Very lucky for that to have been my intro.

Of course the next week was awesome, I'd seen for the previous 2 years how Melbourne changes in Grand Final week, and to have that include my club was such a proud moment. I proabably didn't appreciate how rare it was at the time, but I did know that it was a special moment for St Kilda. Hearing about Nicky's dad's passing at the end of that week, I felt the foreboding dread but even that was at least parried by the wave of positivity and optimism of the Saints making a grand final.

I watched the Grand Final alone at the St Kilda Cricket Club. I wanted to be in St Kilda at that moment, and it seemed like the best option. I'd taken a soccer ball with me for some reason, so at half time, I was calming down and stretching my legs by kicking it to myself in the park next to the club, while all around me people were playing kick to kick with each other. I felt a bit like a Nigel No Mates, but I wasn't really there to socialise anyway, and I had plenty of mates, just no one that was that into footy.

Watching the dream slip away and hearing the Crows club song repeated over and over again - well it was just such a hollow and sad moment. Getting the tram home afterwards was horrible, some pissed up Saints fan racially abusing an Asian lady and all the aggression and frustration in the air, I even remember having dinner at some restaurant with my girlfriend the same weekend and nearly being in tears; she knew the reason I was sad but was wondering why I was that sad!

If I'd known that that would be as good as it got for so many years, I probably would have cried. Still, such is the rich tapestry of life full of ups and downs.

 

[BigPowerForward]

Ahh MM, thx for bringing up that up. The day a young, hopeful, teen lost all his optimism and hope. Couldnt even watch Ellen for years after, cos id think of bloody Shane Ellen. Seriously, since that day ive never allowed myself to believe we're going to win the flag. Not once in 09, 10, during the season, or the gf, did i feel confident. I just felt something would happen and we'd lose. Probably my way of avoiding the trauma of 97. I reckon it worked too cos both emotions from 09/10 combined didnt come anywhere near what I felt in 97.

It's alright tho MM, I'm getting better these days. I'm not triggered by any crows players names anymore. And it helps to have a board like this with ppl who went thru the same freakin ordeal.

The meer mention of the names Jarman & Shanahan still cause my left eye to twitch uncontrollably!

 

[mightymalaka]

I just remember sometime in the 3rd qtr still i believe
That apparently i went into some sort of Army General
Meltdown and was still heard screaming at Rod Keogh hours well
After the game just bellowing repeatedly for him
To f@cking Knock someone out now! Do idiots Dooooo!

As if the result wasn't bad enough, twas one of the few days in my life
That i have no real recollection whatsoever of after a point in time.
Must have actually gone into shock! lol
It's all just one of those nasty blurs akin to anyone
Who may have ever experienced Rohypnol!

Edit Should have replaced few with Many! Sadly....Oops

 

[Drake Huggins]

The meer mention of the names Jarman & Shanahan still cause my left eye to twitch uncontrollably!

You're lucky only your left eye twitches. I remember leaving the prelim final wishing the Crows would roll the WBs. For some reason I thought we were a better chance to beat the interstaters than the locals. Next day, when the bullies got Jarmaned, I actually let myself believe we would win.

I remembered being at the '71 GF. I was just a little tacker, 9 years old. At three quarter time I was ecstatic. 20 points up in a low scoring, brutal game in the wet. Surely we couldn't lose. My dad warned me about going the early crow.

"A bit like us in WW2, he mused ."
(He fought in the Wehrmacht)

Then we got Keddied. I cried all the way home. I cried all night in my bedroom. Lucky I didn't die of dehydration.

Fast forward to 1997. Now a father of two, it had been 26 long years of mainly pain. My eldest son was 4 at the time, the same age I was in 1966. Surely an omen.

I went for a jog in the morning to try and calm the nerves. I was swooped by what was probably a raven, but looked for all the world like a farking crow! Omen indeed!

Everything went to plan until the 3rd quarter. I was front row of the Ponsford Stand, level one, so had a perfect view of the wave of Adelaide runners feeding their forwards.

Then the last. Jarman triggered me by doing an excellent imitation of Keddie al a '71. 14 straight after kicking 5.10 in the first half. The solitary behind was rushed. Triggered!

Every Crows' player seemed to join the goal fest. Then that god awful song. Too stunned to move, me, my mates and brother in law just sat there in silence. We'd done it again. My wife rang to commiserate. All I could say was that following St.Kilda meant you were used to disappointment.

2009. Same again. Lost the seemingly unlosable. At least I got to punch a hill billie scumbag who was manhandling a female saints' supporter at 3/4 time.

Luckily for me, in 2010, I was in hospital having open heart surgery at Monash in Clayton. I awoke to the news it was a draw.

I asked the surgeon how the operation had gone. "It was a success," he replied.
"One thing was a bit strange, though," he continued.
"We found multiple healed fractures on your heart."

*(I just made that last bit up. The bit about the fractures, but I suppose you already worked that out yourselves)

 

[Saintos The ITK]

You're lucky only your left eye twitches. I remember leaving the prelim final wishing the Crows would roll the WBs. For some reason I thought we were a better chance to beat the interstaters than the locals. Next day, when the bullies got Jarmaned, I actually let myself believe we would win.

I remembered being at the '71 GF. I was just a little tacker, 9 years old. At three quarter time I was ecstatic. 20 points up in a low scoring, brutal game in the wet. Surely we couldn't lose. My dad warned me about going the early crow.

"A bit like us in WW2, he mused ."
(He fought in the Wehrmacht)

Then we got Keddied. I cried all the way home. I cried all night in my bedroom. Lucky I didn't die of dehydration.

Fast forward to 1997. Now a father of two, it had been 26 long years of mainly pain. My eldest son was 4 at the time, the same age I was in 1966. Surely an omen.

I went for a jog in the morning to try and calm the nerves. I was swooped by what was probably a raven, but looked for all the world like a farking crow! Omen indeed!

Everything went to plan until the 3rd quarter. I was front row of the Ponsford Stand, level one, so had a perfect view of the wave of Adelaide runners feeding their forwards.

Then the last. Jarman triggered me by doing an excellent imitation of Keddie al a '71. 14 straight after kicking 5.10 in the first half. The solitary behind was rushed. Triggered!

Every Crows' player seemed to join the goal fest. Then that god awful song. Too stunned to move, me, my mates and brother in law just sat there in silence. We'd done it again. My wife rang to commiserate. All I could say was that following St.Kilda meant you were used to disappointment.

2009. Same again. Lost the seemingly unlosable. At least I got to punch a hill billie scumbag who was manhandling a female saints' supporter at 3/4 time.

Luckily for me, in 2010, I was in hospital having open heart surgery at Monash in Clayton. I awoke to the news it was a draw.

I asked the surgeon how the operation had gone. "It was a success," he replied.
"One thing was a bit strange, though," he continued.
"We found multiple healed fractures on your heart."

*(I just made that last bit up. The bit about the fractures, but I suppose you already worked that out yourselves)

I was hoping the Dogs would win because I was confident we would beat them.
I was worried it was the Crows.
How right I was. I cried.
And again.
And again.
Fortius Quo Fidelius

 

[dct66]

1997, 2009 and 2010 replay. I stayed and watched the Crows, the Cats and the Pies get presented with the cup. When the Saints players left the field, I left. I've watched some of 97 since but nothing substantial of 09 or 10.

After the 97 GF I went to St Kilda. There used to be a bar on the corner of Fitzroy St and Canterbury Rd called Saint. Their backboard outside that night summed it up in a single word. Four letters beginning with F and ending in K.

 

[L_W_P]

I sat in the lounge room after a big family BBQ to watch 97. Had my Aussie Jones footy card in a tight grip the whole way. Wasn't crushed when we lost (I was only 9) and had everyone telling me we were going to be awesome for a while.

2004 hurt a lot. Feels like we could have topped the Lions (or the Cats TBH) but we were peaking. Still had a chance or two left surely.

2005 really stung. We were the best team. Beating the Crows in Adelaide showed we could stop anyone. We would have smacked the Eagles by 10 goals I rekon. It just fell apart.

2009 had the least impact. Geelong were one of the best teams we had seen and had it all together. We were in a dog fight of a prelim and I think we psyched ourselves out of it. Ive watched the replay twice and we get a fair few lucky breaks go our way. Yeah the Hawkins poster is BS but do is Kosi getting a free kick in the goal square before the centre bounce.

2010 crushed me. We got monstered and if not for the Pies wasting a heap of chances early the game should have been over. I had no confidence going into the replay. Lyon was going to stick to his plan instead of the changes we made after half time. Felt like that it was the end for Roo n Co. Took a while to sink in but the rebuild came.

 

[StFly]

I was a tacker in '97 and 12 year olds are considered minors so stayed home and decked the house since my neighbour at the time was an elderly gent and also a Saints man, so we watched together as he'd share a tea with my mum. They looked during the song outside and basically see me running since in the process of nailing streamers I managed to piss off some bees, they gained a posse and I hightailed it out of there as quick as my little legs would carry me very thankful I was actually a decent sprinter. Little was I to know that a couple hours later I'd be tearing them down with tears in my eyes adamant that Adelaide was a shithole and they didn't deserve it. We was robbed.

2009 I was worried. Defensively we were great, and defensively we should account for many a team, but when it counts I had trepidation that we could score enough to win, and an older sister ribbing that we weren't going to. 1st quarter I clenched, we missed so much my worries surmounted and across the board I had a suspicion that something would happen and we would get screwed somehow, some way, because the AFL cannot handle us as a successful club. Then we lead at 3/4 time even after bullshit and I hoped to all hope that we held, that we emulated a wall and let nothing through and let nothing come between us and joy. Then bloody Chapman and that bullshit period of banning him playing what, 2 weeks after the granny an citing it's an illegal practice in competitive sport? Get #$%^ you bullshit piece of goddamn legislature and your delay and fix the #$%^ scoreline you flogs. Suffice to say, upon receiving a call from said sister about how that felt, I produced a hole in my door with my fist and I got angry at anything that liked pussy.

2010, I gave us no chance whatsoever, I mean eventually through weight of numbers the Pies had to win, they were better and we were lucky they shat the bed in front of the sticks, at the end of it I was wanting the extra time since by the end I felt that they were broken and the boys wanted it more then and there and it was only a matter of time. But the replay had to happen, it had to and I knew we were cactus. They have money, they have people, they have facilities, they have and we have not. We had given all and given in my solo experience I sat on the pine for 95% due to shit coach watching a losing granny happen before me, then sat in a room with peeps crying, punching things and blaming all and sundry where I just felt empty since I didn't do anything, literally, about it. They were broken men in that replay, they were empty of that heart the week before. Then my mother as a Pies supporter jumped up and down, got in my face waved her scarfe around and smacked me in the eye with it. So I cried anyway despite knowing it was an end very early on.

When RL then left, I had hope that we at least had an idea what it took to get there and we had pieces to try and maintain a tilt, a glimmer of hope. The younger sister got to taste success with the Tigers, and the old man is again looking at the Bombers.

And I am thankful that if I had to choose, it would be the sport I was better at personally, and it'd be cricket. Because I don't think I could handle another round, and I don't think anything living near me at the time would be appreciative if I was crushed again after leading at 3/4 time to some dire bullshit from an inept administration. As I now own a couple of sledge hammers and am adept at demo...

 

[PoppedCorn]

1997 sat on the couch
Shane Ellen fmd...shane ****ing ellen, and this pie eating fat campaigner


2009
Sat behind the point post that hawkins hit and called a goal
Sigh...

2010
Greatest game i have ever been to live
In a pies bay last row on floor but saints standing room behind me, so had saints right in my ear as well as earphones
Two things for me...
Lennys goal from 55
Bjs mark
brawshaw going off on the radio "BJ Goddard!!"
Me crying, pies dudes heads in hands
Just an unbelievable event

2010 second time
Left early
Couldnt do it again

I think we were duped in 09 and 10 but its all rumors

 

[austinnn]

Poor Rockcliff. For a while he was looking good at Port and I was thinking their top up strategy would win them finals, but alas not to be.

All that discussion about whether or not we should trade for him, but 3 shoulder recos in 2 years, I'd say that's one bullet dodged by us at least.

 

[austinnn]

AFL site worth a read today, seems like the Martin move is on

 

[Mowman]

If you can put on AFL 360 at Saints B&F