Best games and moments from the decade, 2000-2009

[TheGreatBambino]

Hawks v Ess... Line in the sand

 

[SJ]

Firstly great selection of games /players. Good effort to reduce bias to your own team.
Secondly I'm so pleased you put R22 2002 Port-Brisbane in, that was an all-time classic and at the ground you couldn't hear the siren for the crowd yelling (yes, we used to get crowds). It was also when Choco reinvented Chad Cornes as a defender and Choco's duels with Jonathan Brown began.
Thirdly I'd add R17 2001 Port-Essendon which was as fast and skillful as anything I've ever seen, and we won by 7 points. And I'd add about 2/3 of the Derbys that had Josh Carr in them. And there was a Geelong/Adelaide game in the rain at Kardinia Park when Garry Ayres still coached the Crows that had me enthralled. Mark Riccuito was a one man team that day.

That was against Carlton at Princes Park.

 

[sansian]

I'll never forget this one:

Still reckon there is a free kick in there. Not that I want there to be one.

 

[tribey]

^Ash Sampi goals to win a flag post-siren and how does his wasted career end up faring?

Ah, what-ifs.

 

[Super Hans]

For my team, the biggest memory was our run at The finals in 2005 and Tge heartbreak of The loss to Melbourne. And also the game in 2006 where Adam Cooney played one of the best individual games I have ever seen against the crows.

2010 grand final last quarter, beat quarter I've ever seen.

Goddards Grand final, Hayes' last quarter.

Buddys 2007 final against the crows.

 

[Prestigerrycomo]

For my team, the biggest memory was our run at The finals in 2005 and Tge heartbreak of The loss to Melbourne. And also the game in 2006 where Adam Cooney played one of the best individual games I have ever seen against the crows.

2010 grand final last quarter, beat quarter I've ever seen.

Goddards Grand final, Hayes' last quarter.

Buddys 2007 final against the crows.

I still can't rewatch it. I had my head in my hands for virtually the whole qtr.

2007 Prelim against Geelong is probably up there. Even though we lost I was so proud of that team. For once I think even Collingwood haters gave us "slight" sympathy.

No one has mentioned Troy Broadbridge yet?

 

[HolyWars]

[youtube]86NoZmzv-dY[/youtube]

 

[Powerstufff]

That was against Carlton at Princes Park.

Perhaps another game? I'm 96.38% sure it was Geelong at Kardinia Park because the crowd/Ayres were at loggerheads and one (?) guy was hammering on the window of the coaches box.

 

[SJ]

Perhaps another game? I'm 96.38% sure it was Geelong at Kardinia Park because the crowd/Ayres were at loggerheads and one (?) guy was hammering on the window of the coaches box.

Maybe. I thought you meant this one:

[YOUTUBE]e2hs7OtMfmE[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Boris the Contradiction]

Derek Kickett's goal in the legends game

2 great Norm Smith winning performances by great players and inspirational leaders in losing sides. These performances almost got their teams over the line for Grand Finals they otherwise wouldn't have gotten close to winning. (Buckley and Judd)

 

[Falchoon]

1st qualifying final 2005

34 year old Robert Harvey tears minor premiers Adelaide a new one.

[YOUTUBE]4t4t_obTJ14[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Powerstufff]

Maybe. I thought you meant this one:...

I can see why, it has a similar look - unless I'm actually mixing two games in my mind. With at least one of them being 10 years ago and not involving my team I'm going to go with the face-saving proposal that they were similar games.

 

[thequarry]

Thirdly I'd add R17 2001 Port-Essendon which was as fast and skillful as anything I've ever seen, and we won by 7 points.

That was a really great game. I really think the 2001 season gave us some amazing games and individual highlights. The Port-Hawthorn semi-final and the Essendon-Hawthorn preliminary final particularly I think were amazing games of football.

From a St Kilda perspective:

The 2002 Round 5 game between the Saints and Sydney - an amazing finish to probably the most ridiculous game of football ever: Darryn Creswell putting the Swans in front from outside 50m late in the game after they were 2.6 at three-quarter time, only for Daniel Wulf to run in and hit the post from point-blank and Nick Dal Santo's torp after the siren falling short to end the game in a draw at 8.8 apiece.

This:
[youtube]bJGeSRJ5MMQ[/youtube]

Milne's 11 goals in Round 22 of 2005...after the season (and the week, after the "Whispers in the Sky" game in Round 21) that the Saints had had, and to back it up the club's greatest winning margin the next week with arguably its best finals victory (bar the 1966 Grand Final)...it was certainly an amazing time to be a St Kilda supporter.

The 2005 and 2006 Grand Finals were amazing. Not necessarily amazing games per se, but the fact that two teams had given the football world such a rivalry with such close games on the biggest stage...

And the 2009 Grand Final. The 2009 Preliminary Final I'll always look at fondly, and as incredibly intense from the opening bounce as anything I'd seen. But the Grand Final was something else. Sitting behind the goals at the Punt Road end in the St Kilda section, as soon as Scarlett's toepoke found its target, and Ablett starting charging towards us, I knew something historic was about to happen. An amazing way to finish the decade.

 

[Johnson#26]

Perhaps another game? I'm 96.38% sure it was Geelong at Kardinia Park because the crowd/Ayres were at loggerheads and one (?) guy was hammering on the window of the coaches box.

This is the game in question: http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/games/2002/010920020728.html

Ayres gave two old Geelong fans the bird on the siren. From memory the Cats fans returned with both barrels.

Ricciuto ripped it up in this game, IIRC.

Up the road (a fair way) at Colonial, Libba had his nose broken in his last game, but returned to the field on time to finish the game off.

 

[UrLordLeper]

There have been some sensational games.

I gotta say that certain individual stories that have been great include Adam Ramanauskas' cancer scares and recovery, Ben Cousins' post-ban career/recovery, and Jim Stynes' presidency.

The '05 and 06 Swans v Eagles' GFs were amazing. It was so great to see that Swans' 76-year drought brokesn.
Also the '09 ANZAC Day game - Zaharakis' goal was spectacular.
The 2009 finals between St kilda and the Bulldogs and Collingwood and the Crows were also immensely engaging, neither of those four teams deserved to lose.
Also the Hawthorn v Essendon games. Not just Round 22, 2009, but quite a lot of them have been really hard-hitting encounters with real hostility between the teams.

 

[SJ]

This is the game in question: http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/games/2002/010920020728.html

Ayres gave two old Geelong fans the bird on the siren. From memory the Cats fans returned with both barrels.

Ricciuto ripped it up in this game, IIRC.

Up the road (a fair way) at Colonial, Libba had his nose broken in his last game, but returned to the field on time to finish the game off.

Ah yes, Geelong had won seven in a row and were unbackable favourites to win that one. To have 12 more shots at goal but lose was very disappointing.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

This goal:

[YOUTUBE]Bs1l1rN6aqs[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Bollox]

Swans Flag after 72yrs..and the intense rivalry and amazing sequence of win/loss close games with the weagles spanning the middle years of the decade. Weagles just managing to deny Sydney back to back flags by a solitary pt.

Hall decking Staker..maybe not a BEST moment in a true sense but a huge moment...and dont feel sorry for Staker coz at least he knows that in 25yrs time people will still remember his name... from trivia comps

Riewoldt's mark at the SCG 2004 i cant forget. In fact 2004 will mainly be remembered for Tredrea and Riewoldt's brilliant seasons confirming at the time that there's no chance a Brownlow could ever go to a KPP again.

Pick of the games is easy.
No matter who u support nothing compares with Rnd 14 2009. Been many build ups to big games but nothing that ridiculous..13 wins on the trot for both..unbeaten and both looked unbeatable. Most games seem to end in a let down after a big build up. This game was exactly how a massive game should go. Plenty of big names that couldnt back up the following week...and the result was never even going to matter except for bragging rights.

 

[Enviable Tradition]

From a Port perspective the 04 prelim vs the Saints was huge. Even the crowd at the Sydney pub I was at got into it.

The 04 GF was even bigger. First AFL flag for the only non-Victorian club based side in the AFL. The first GF between 2 non Victorian teams. A long history of success being converted to AFL success. The choking tag being lifted. The most dominant display I have seen from a group of indigenous players.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Buddy's 7th versus the Crows to win us the game, was pretty big.

GAblett's final game for the Cats was crazy, given all the speculation.

Geelong's 119 point demolition in a GF was something I thought I'd never see.

 

[Powerstufff]

This is the game in question: http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/games/2002/010920020728.html

Ayres gave two old Geelong fans the bird on the siren. From memory the Cats fans returned with both barrels.

Ricciuto ripped it up in this game, IIRC......

Thank you, that's the one. Given I'm almost allergic to anything +ve about the Crows the game had to be something special for me to tip my hat to them. But this one had everything except a gorgeous female streaker and a fly-past by the RAAF.

 

[mjr_42]

Just quickly, Farmer actually booted nine in the second half v Collingwood on Queens Birthday, 2000. An incredible display.

The Sydney-West Coast rivalry was something to behold as well.

 

[Glorious couch life]

I remember that Carey v Archer return bout.
Arch thought he was so tough, blustering up to him. Carey feints a right... Archer packed pebbles.

Do you even watch footy?

 

[cammo78]

This goal:

[YOUTUBE]Bs1l1rN6aqs[/YOUTUBE]

Occurred in 1999.

 

[pazza]

I thought the decade was about modern rivalries.

We can start with the local derby that became a top class derby at the start of the decade - the one between Essendon and North Melbourne. The modern footing of this rivalry started in 1998 and the final between the 2 sides - it grew dramatically in 1999 and for the first 3 years of the new decade, it seemed every match between the 2 had a fair bit of extra spice in it.

I think the aftermath of the 2001 comeback game (is anyone else in modern football capable enough of being 69 points down in a match and then able to win as Essendon did that day?) has been that North really does have the wood on Essendon now. In fact, North has won so many times since that day that some at the club would consider the matches are now a lock 4 points for North!