Lost footage of 1990 GF brawl re-emerges

[Bunk Moreland]

Pretty cool stuff here.

Historian Rhett Bartlett is digitising a bunch of old footy VHS tapes he was given by Rohan Connolly.

There’s all types of random stuff from up to 40 years ago.

His latest is a short video from the 7 News bulletin after the 1990 GF.

It’s one of the most infamous brawls in footy history, with players, coaches and club officials involved and some big suspensions handed out.

Most infamous of all was Terry Daniher, who suspended for 12 matches for striking Craig Starcevich and Gavin Brown. Brown was famously left prone in the middle of the brawl as trainers attempted to reach him.

Amazingly a heavily concussed Brown returned to the field in the second half, though he remembers nothing of the day. A sign of the times.

Daniher always claimed that his striking Brown was a hot-blooded retaliation after he saw Brown land a “very cheap” hit on Kieren Sporn.

While that was disputed by some, including reporting umpires, the news footage from a different angle has been recovered and clearly shows Brown’s hit on Sporn - the first time most will have seen it.

View attachment My Movie 12.mov

The hit occurs while most attention is focused on Derek Kickett and Shane Morwood.



It’s a pretty cool piece of uncovered history regarding one of the most infamous incidents in GF history.

(BTW this isn’t to argue for Daniher’s innocence or demonise Brown. The two of them kissed and made up long ago and worked together at Collingwood. All of Daniher, Brown and Sporn were suspended for their parts in the brawl. It’s just cool to see this history uncovered, it’s a bit like a shot from the grassy knowl).

 

[hawkman]

How many weeks did Brown get? That is as bad as it gets. Very Matthews on Bruns like

 

[Bunk Moreland]

TD: “I was geed up, it was a grand final. I saw Browny give Kieren Sporn a very cheap one, so I just charged at him and let go. I caught him flush and he went down. The Collingwood boys went nuts. They were all after me but I didn’t give a f---. The only one I was worried about was Millane. He’s the only one I was looking over my shoulder for. I’d seen him throw them before, and you didn’t want to be on the end of one of his.”

 

[Bunk Moreland]

How many weeks did Brown get? That is as bad as it get. Very Matthews on Bruns like

3 weeks. Probably seems low but it was a different time. The footage wouldn’t have been shown and nobody really saw it.

 

[Jascave]

Know it was a different time back then, but would the AFL Commission have charged the Collingwood and Essendon clubs with 'conduct unbecoming an AFL club' over the 1990 AFL Grand Final quarter time brawl which would include severe financial penalties and also being banned from the 1991, 1992 and the first round of the 1993 AFL National Drafts if it had its time again?

 

[Paul Kersey]

Wow at Brown. TD been made out as the bad guy forever.

 

[Thuggee_Cult]

Geez that was out of character for Rowdy, he was mostly a fair player back in the day.

Would be keen to see Daniher’s hit if it resurfaced and (I’m not condoning it) can understand now why he hit Brown.

Could also understand why Daniher was fearful of Millane retaliating, he was a fierce unit but the only reason Pants wasn’t prominent in the brawl was because he had been playing with a broken hand for the whole final series.

A lot of people bemoaned that this game wasn’t much of a spectacle skill
wise but that undersold how physical the game was.

Brawl aside, that first quarter is still to this day the most brutal and toughest quarter of football that I’ve ever seen. If you get a chance watch it.

 

[Paul Kersey]

Yeah might revisit the first quarter.

 

[piesaregreat]

Unfortunately now days we have AI creating misinformation
Kind of makes any recently found film questionable
Example Kane Cornes showing faked film of a GF with Harmes inside the boundary

Now most people are far smarter than Cornes but questions will be asked

I am NOT suggesting Rhett Butler has reported or created misinformation
Lets face it Butlers dog is smarter than Cornes but anything turning up after 40 years needs some questioning

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Geez that was out of character for Rowdy, he was mostly a fair player back in the day.

Would be keen to see Daniher’s hit if it resurfaced and (I’m not condoning it) can understand now why he hit Brown.

Could also understand why Daniher was fearful of Millane retaliating, he was a fierce unit but the only reason Pants wasn’t prominent in the brawl was because he had been playing with a broken hand for the whole final series.

A lot of people bemoaned that this game wasn’t much of a spectacle skill
wise but that undersold how physical the game was.

Brawl aside, that first quarter is still to this day the most brutal and toughest quarter of football that I’ve ever seen. If you get a chance watch it.

I think Collingwood set the tone at the opening bounce when what seemed like their whole backline ran straight at the contest and bowled a few over.

 

[Saints4ever]

Televised in front of a world wide audience of 80 million.

Really, surely not?

 

[seasonedsainter]

Pretty cool stuff here.

Historian Rhett Bartlett is digitising a bunch of old footy VHS tapes he was given by Rohan Connolly.

There’s all types of random stuff from up to 40 years ago.

His latest is a short video from the 7 News bulletin after the 1990 GF.

It’s one of the most infamous brawls in footy history, with players, coaches and club officials involved and some big suspensions handed out.

Most infamous of all was Terry Daniher, who suspended for 12 matches for striking Craig Starcevich and Gavin Brown. Brown was famously left prone in the middle of the brawl as trainers attempted to reach him.

Amazingly a heavily concussed Brown returned to the field in the second half, though he remembers nothing of the day. A sign of the times.

Daniher always claimed that his striking Brown was a hot-blooded retaliation after he saw Brown land a “very cheap” hit on Kieren Sporn.

While that was disputed by some, including reporting umpires, the news footage from a different angle has been recovered and clearly shows Brown’s hit on Sporn - the first time most will have seen it.

View attachment 2208097

The hit occurs while most attention is focused on Derek Kickett and Shane Morwood.



It’s a pretty cool piece of uncovered history regarding one of the most infamous incidents in GF history.

(BTW this isn’t to argue for Daniher’s innocence or demonise Brown. The two of them kissed and made up long ago and worked together at Collingwood. All of Daniher, Brown and Sporn were suspended for their parts in the brawl. It’s just cool to see this history uncovered, it’s a bit like a shot from the grassy knowl).

What a ****en DOG

 

[Hot Dogma]

Wow. Amazing how this footage has become forgotten considering how often this brawl is talked about. It's always been known Brown hit Sporn. Which in itself was retaliation for Sporn hitting Denis Banks in the head prior to this. Which was retaliation for Banks hitting Sporn...

 

[Dee Train]

Typical Collingwood scum act. I’d expect nothing less

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Wow. Amazing how this footage has become forgotten considering how often this brawl is talked about. It's always been known Brown hit Sporn. Which in itself was retaliation for Sporn hitting Denis Banks in the head prior to this. Which was retaliation for Banks hitting Sporn...

Yep, there weren’t any innocent parties out there.

 

[Jascave]

Wonder what would've been going through the mind of the then Chairman/CEO of the AFL Ross Oakley when he watched the 1990 AFL Grand Final quarter time brawl unfold before him?

On 5002X using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Osho]

Wow at Brown. TD been made out as the bad guy forever.

I never thought Terry was one to blatantly lie, good to see this the case with this incident.

 

[Paul Kersey]

I never thought Terry was one to blatantly lie, good to see this the case with this incident.

Ripping stand up bloke imo.

 

[Cyclops]

Never seen that angle before, and the players seem to be in familiar poses from the (much played) VHS I had. Strange TD isn't on Browns hammer, from memory he was trailing him down the ground but the vision cuts out. On the "official" replay they focus in on the Morwood/Kickett stand off just before the hit on Sporn.

Sad that Brown did such a blatant cowardly hit, he was usually the bravest player and completely at the ball.

Obviously very fired up, no excuse for smacking a tiny bloke doing nothing like that, and he should have got 6 like TD.

We started that brawl, from memory it was Kelly and either Millane or Banks who found themselves flanking Sporn in the pocket. the siren went (I think the ball had spilled over the boundary) and as they began walking in they were bullying him, whacking his ears and giving him heaps. blokes starting jogging in, then sprinting in.

I was in Bay 38 that day, and remember the crowd responding to Kickett leaping in (didn't actually hurt anyone but it looked spectacular) and then dancing with Morwood. We thought he had iced Brown.

 

[Listclogger]

Unfortunately now days we have AI creating misinformation
Kind of makes any recently found film questionable
Example Kane Cornes showing faked film of a GF with Harmes inside the boundary

Now most people are far smarter than Cornes but questions will be asked

I am NOT suggesting Rhett Butler has reported or created misinformation
Lets face it Butlers dog is smarter than Cornes but anything turning up after 40 years needs some questioning

No need to question Rhett Bartlett or this video. (Yes he is KB’s son)

Check out his YouTube channel - some fantastic old videos there that are being added to frequently.

 

[HairyO]

3 weeks. Probably seems low but it was a different time. The footage wouldn’t have been shown and nobody really saw it.

King hits would easily have been 6 weeks in that era. Its really the only act all players hate.