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Formally DEVO
- Sep 8, 2000
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Rohan Connolly calls it the greatest game ever played, I call it the most heartbreaking defeat in sporting history.
30 years later and I still haven't watched a replay, but I can still remember so many moments, both great and infuriating.
I can understand why Connolly thinks so highly of it, it was such an exciting match from the opening bounce, it was probably Carey's greatest performance, it was definitely the Umpires worst, Micky Martyn kept Ablett quiet for 120 minutes, but he popped up in the final 5 seconds to become the hero. I don't think I stayed seated the entire day until THAT mark, and then sat motionless staring into space for about 30 minutes. Worst day of my life.
So, apologies for inflicting the horror of the 1994 Prelim on those who lived through it, but perhaps the younger generation don't know a lot about one of the most unjust days in our club's history.
Anybody else still a little emotional when this game is brought up?
Cats, Kangas faced off in the greatest preliminary final ever
Sep 19, 2024, 09:00 AM
Perhaps no single statistic better illustrates just how consistently good Geelong has been in the AFL era than the fact Saturday's game against Brisbane will be the Cats' 18th preliminary final since 1990, an average of one every two years.
Yet from that large catalogue of memories, one of those playoffs for a grand final spot looms largest above all others. And this one wasn't even a prelude to a premiership.
Yes, it's a big happy 30th birthday on Saturday to the 1994 preliminary final between Geelong and North Melbourne, a game I will quite happily attest is not only the greatest preliminary final, but the single greatest game of VFL or AFL football I have ever seen.
In more than 50 years now watching, writing and talking about football, I've attended, at a rough estimate, about 1700 matches. There's been some incredible ones, record-breaking individual performances, too many nail-biting finishes to recall, even two grand final draws among the 51 'grannies' I've attended.
But from that catalogue, I still cannot think of a better game than the 1994 epic. It had far more than merely one of the most dramatic finishes to a big game we've seen.
It was tough, yet open. It was played at a relentless, cracking pace, the ball sweeping from end to end in seconds. It had controversy, via a staggeringly one-sided free kick count of 33-12 in favour of the Cats. And it featured one of the great individual finals performances, from North Melbourne's Wayne Carey.
The highlights came right from the start, Carey imposing himself in the first five minutes via a towering mark and goal, a dash away from opponent Tim McGrath then a beautiful snap for another, setting up a third to boot.
North held an 18-point lead at quarter-time, but Malcolm Blight's Geelong sides of the early '90s knew only one way to play - at full tilt - and were about to give one of their best demonstrations of it.
Gary Ablett takes a mark in the 1994 Preliminary Final. Fairfax Syndication
The Cats promptly slammed on the next seven goals in just 20 minutes. With centreman Paul Couch dominant, Geelong forwards Ablett, Billy Brownless and David Mensch booted five goals for the quarter between them.
It was breathtaking stuff to watch, but also far from loose and uncontested. At the first bounce, Couch had been collected in brutal but fair fashion by North's David King. Mensch would be later ironed out with a ruthless Carey shirtfront.
Geelong's fierce retort saw it lead by 30 points just after half-time. But now things went to an even higher level, the two teams going goal-for-goal, the sum total of third-quarter action five goals to the Cats and six to the Roos, four of those to Carey, the last of which gave him six for the afternoon on McGrath, finishing with 24 disposals and an amazing 14 marks.
Carey played a lot of amazing games. There were none finer than this. But I remember discussing the game with him some 20 years later, and even after that long, the pain of his team's eventual loss was still clearly there.
"It was an awesome game, although because we lost I obviously don't have fond memories of it," he said. "It was the ex-North guys who did a lot of the damage, too. Liam Pickering kicked a couple of goals and it was Leigh Tudor's kick that resulted in the winning goal that shattered our dreams of a grand final."
After 11 goals in the third term, the final quarter was a contrast again, with just four goals kicked. But if you might think that kept the action to as minimum, you couldn't be more incorrect. For this was a denouement with more highlights and drama than you could keep up with.
Adrian McAdam brought North within 13 points. Anthony Stevens, tireless all day for the Roos with 31 disposals, ran into an open goal and grazed the post from 20 metres out. Brett Allison missed.
Finally, after 15 goalless minutes, Allison again raced into goal to make the difference five points. From the next centre bounce, another clearance landed in John Longmire's arms in the goalsquare, the Roo spearhead putting his team in front again.
Even just the last 90 seconds of play served up more highlights than you might see in some entire games of football.
With scores level, Glenn Archer's bomb into the North Melbourne goalsquare produced a towering, match-saving mark from the Cats' John Barnes, teammate Peter Riccardi then setting off on a three-bounce run along the outer wing.
North's Wayne Schwass launched another attack, but turned the ball over to another star of the afternoon, Geelong's Ken Hinkley. You might have heard of him. A throw-in in the Cats' forward-pocket was hacked clear to Geelong's Leigh Colbert, 10 seconds remaining by the time he kicked.
The kick headed back into the same pocket, where Barnes, now at the other end, dropped a sitter, the chance of a win in normal time seemingly gone. Until Tudor swooped on the spills, his floating left-foot "mongrel" drifting agonisingly over the head of North Melbourne fullback Mick Martyn in the goalsquare and into Ablett's outstretched right hand.
Two seconds remained when Ablett grabbed the ball, the siren sounding as he walked back to take a kick that would be a formality, the Cats beside themselves with joy, a forlorn Martyn, who'd easily taken the points against the champion, on his haunches, his head in his hands in what has become an iconic image.
Those of us who were in the MCG press box that afternoon still struggle to recall two scenes of greater contrast than the Geelong and North Melbourne rooms after the game.
The Cats were ecstatic, not only into another grand final, but incredibly, having now won two of their three finals after the siren, Billy Brownless having kicked the matchwinner against Footscray two weeks earlier.
The North Melbourne rooms, meanwhile, were a mixture of complete devastation and white-hot anger about the free kick count.
As coach Denis Pagan gave his post-mortem among it all (no separate press conference room in those days), North chairman of selectors Mark Dawson turned to us and asked: "I'd like to ask you blokes the question. Thirty-three free kicks to 12. How in a game like this can that happen? I mean, that's another man. This club is not rewarded for being hard at the ball, for tackling. Ever. It's been penalised every time. It's gone on all year."
Geelong's euphoria would only last another six days. On the seventh, grand final day, the Cats were taken apart by a ruthless West Coast by a whopping 80 points. Former North Melbourne champion Anthony Stevens has thought about that game a bit, too, over the years.
"Sometimes I sit back and I watch the grand final the following week and wonder whether we could have put up a better contest than what Geelong did that day," he told the Geelong Advertiser in 2020. "It's always a memory that sticks out ... I've still got my jumper I wore in the game. It is a bit of a talking point because it was a classic game."
Like his teammates in that great era for the Roos, Stevens would have other days, though. And like all of us 80,121 people at the MCG there that afternoon, there is at least the satisfaction which comes from knowing you have witnessed first-hand the greatest game in the world played to an aesthetic peak which may never be reached again.
Happy 30th, 1994 prelim final. All these years later, you're still beautiful.
30 years later and I still haven't watched a replay, but I can still remember so many moments, both great and infuriating.
I can understand why Connolly thinks so highly of it, it was such an exciting match from the opening bounce, it was probably Carey's greatest performance, it was definitely the Umpires worst, Micky Martyn kept Ablett quiet for 120 minutes, but he popped up in the final 5 seconds to become the hero. I don't think I stayed seated the entire day until THAT mark, and then sat motionless staring into space for about 30 minutes. Worst day of my life.
So, apologies for inflicting the horror of the 1994 Prelim on those who lived through it, but perhaps the younger generation don't know a lot about one of the most unjust days in our club's history.
Anybody else still a little emotional when this game is brought up?
Cats, Kangas faced off in the greatest preliminary final ever
Remember when: Cats, Kangas faced off in the greatest preliminary final ever
Rohan ConnollySep 19, 2024, 09:00 AM
Perhaps no single statistic better illustrates just how consistently good Geelong has been in the AFL era than the fact Saturday's game against Brisbane will be the Cats' 18th preliminary final since 1990, an average of one every two years.
Yet from that large catalogue of memories, one of those playoffs for a grand final spot looms largest above all others. And this one wasn't even a prelude to a premiership.
Yes, it's a big happy 30th birthday on Saturday to the 1994 preliminary final between Geelong and North Melbourne, a game I will quite happily attest is not only the greatest preliminary final, but the single greatest game of VFL or AFL football I have ever seen.
In more than 50 years now watching, writing and talking about football, I've attended, at a rough estimate, about 1700 matches. There's been some incredible ones, record-breaking individual performances, too many nail-biting finishes to recall, even two grand final draws among the 51 'grannies' I've attended.
But from that catalogue, I still cannot think of a better game than the 1994 epic. It had far more than merely one of the most dramatic finishes to a big game we've seen.
It was tough, yet open. It was played at a relentless, cracking pace, the ball sweeping from end to end in seconds. It had controversy, via a staggeringly one-sided free kick count of 33-12 in favour of the Cats. And it featured one of the great individual finals performances, from North Melbourne's Wayne Carey.
The highlights came right from the start, Carey imposing himself in the first five minutes via a towering mark and goal, a dash away from opponent Tim McGrath then a beautiful snap for another, setting up a third to boot.
North held an 18-point lead at quarter-time, but Malcolm Blight's Geelong sides of the early '90s knew only one way to play - at full tilt - and were about to give one of their best demonstrations of it.
Gary Ablett takes a mark in the 1994 Preliminary Final. Fairfax Syndication
The Cats promptly slammed on the next seven goals in just 20 minutes. With centreman Paul Couch dominant, Geelong forwards Ablett, Billy Brownless and David Mensch booted five goals for the quarter between them.
It was breathtaking stuff to watch, but also far from loose and uncontested. At the first bounce, Couch had been collected in brutal but fair fashion by North's David King. Mensch would be later ironed out with a ruthless Carey shirtfront.
Geelong's fierce retort saw it lead by 30 points just after half-time. But now things went to an even higher level, the two teams going goal-for-goal, the sum total of third-quarter action five goals to the Cats and six to the Roos, four of those to Carey, the last of which gave him six for the afternoon on McGrath, finishing with 24 disposals and an amazing 14 marks.
Carey played a lot of amazing games. There were none finer than this. But I remember discussing the game with him some 20 years later, and even after that long, the pain of his team's eventual loss was still clearly there.
"It was an awesome game, although because we lost I obviously don't have fond memories of it," he said. "It was the ex-North guys who did a lot of the damage, too. Liam Pickering kicked a couple of goals and it was Leigh Tudor's kick that resulted in the winning goal that shattered our dreams of a grand final."
After 11 goals in the third term, the final quarter was a contrast again, with just four goals kicked. But if you might think that kept the action to as minimum, you couldn't be more incorrect. For this was a denouement with more highlights and drama than you could keep up with.
Adrian McAdam brought North within 13 points. Anthony Stevens, tireless all day for the Roos with 31 disposals, ran into an open goal and grazed the post from 20 metres out. Brett Allison missed.
Finally, after 15 goalless minutes, Allison again raced into goal to make the difference five points. From the next centre bounce, another clearance landed in John Longmire's arms in the goalsquare, the Roo spearhead putting his team in front again.
Even just the last 90 seconds of play served up more highlights than you might see in some entire games of football.
With scores level, Glenn Archer's bomb into the North Melbourne goalsquare produced a towering, match-saving mark from the Cats' John Barnes, teammate Peter Riccardi then setting off on a three-bounce run along the outer wing.
North's Wayne Schwass launched another attack, but turned the ball over to another star of the afternoon, Geelong's Ken Hinkley. You might have heard of him. A throw-in in the Cats' forward-pocket was hacked clear to Geelong's Leigh Colbert, 10 seconds remaining by the time he kicked.
The kick headed back into the same pocket, where Barnes, now at the other end, dropped a sitter, the chance of a win in normal time seemingly gone. Until Tudor swooped on the spills, his floating left-foot "mongrel" drifting agonisingly over the head of North Melbourne fullback Mick Martyn in the goalsquare and into Ablett's outstretched right hand.
Two seconds remained when Ablett grabbed the ball, the siren sounding as he walked back to take a kick that would be a formality, the Cats beside themselves with joy, a forlorn Martyn, who'd easily taken the points against the champion, on his haunches, his head in his hands in what has become an iconic image.
Those of us who were in the MCG press box that afternoon still struggle to recall two scenes of greater contrast than the Geelong and North Melbourne rooms after the game.
The Cats were ecstatic, not only into another grand final, but incredibly, having now won two of their three finals after the siren, Billy Brownless having kicked the matchwinner against Footscray two weeks earlier.
The North Melbourne rooms, meanwhile, were a mixture of complete devastation and white-hot anger about the free kick count.
As coach Denis Pagan gave his post-mortem among it all (no separate press conference room in those days), North chairman of selectors Mark Dawson turned to us and asked: "I'd like to ask you blokes the question. Thirty-three free kicks to 12. How in a game like this can that happen? I mean, that's another man. This club is not rewarded for being hard at the ball, for tackling. Ever. It's been penalised every time. It's gone on all year."
Geelong's euphoria would only last another six days. On the seventh, grand final day, the Cats were taken apart by a ruthless West Coast by a whopping 80 points. Former North Melbourne champion Anthony Stevens has thought about that game a bit, too, over the years.
"Sometimes I sit back and I watch the grand final the following week and wonder whether we could have put up a better contest than what Geelong did that day," he told the Geelong Advertiser in 2020. "It's always a memory that sticks out ... I've still got my jumper I wore in the game. It is a bit of a talking point because it was a classic game."
Like his teammates in that great era for the Roos, Stevens would have other days, though. And like all of us 80,121 people at the MCG there that afternoon, there is at least the satisfaction which comes from knowing you have witnessed first-hand the greatest game in the world played to an aesthetic peak which may never be reached again.
Happy 30th, 1994 prelim final. All these years later, you're still beautiful.
