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Click here for Part Two
The business end of the AFL season is upon us. After six months and more than 200 games of footy, the field of 18 has been narrowed down to four teams with a chance at claiming the ultimate prize. While the game that the clubs have been building towards, the Grand Final, is still over a week away, there are some among the footy-watching public for whom the best weekend of footy is just days away. The penultimate weekend of the season, Preliminary Final weekend, has a bit of a purist's feel about it. As evidenced by events of the last day or so, it is the weekend that fans can still have a realistic chance of attending a game. |
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Unlike what seems to be a majority of Grand Finals, Preliminary Finals are also often a lot closer. Perhaps this is because, for the winner, there is still another game the following week so the teams involved throw everything at it for as long as they're in the contest.
The joy at your team winning a Prelim is different to a Grand Final, too. A Grand Final win almost has an anti-climactic feel to it, as though you think to yourself, "Yes, we've won it! Now what do we do?" wheras a Preliminary Final win has the euphoric feeling of looking forward to a Grand Final all week.
Since the introduction of the Top Eight in 1994, we have been blessed with two Prelims every year, which helps add to the theatre of the week. Here now is a selection of some of the absolute classics played in that time.
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Geelong vs. North Melbourne, MCG, 1994 This game is remembered almost solely for a Gary Ablett kick after the siren that put his Cats into their third Grand Final in six years, but in its entirety it has to rank among the best games ever played in the AFL. Both teams had each already had a close encounter in this finals series. Geelong beat Footscray in their Qualifying Final with a post-siren Billy Brownless goal, while North overcame Hawthorn in the first ever period of extra time thanks to a dominant Wayne Carey in their corresponding game. |
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It was Carey again that looked to be the difference in the Prelim, as he inspired his side to a blistering start that saw the Roos go to the first change with a three goal lead. Meanwhile, at the other end of the ground, Mick Martyn managed to keep Ablett from even touching the ball for the entire first quarter.
With their Coleman Medal winning champion well held, Geelong were forced to look to other avenues towards goal and managed to do so in the second quarter. Thanks largely to 15 touches to Garry Hocking, the Cats kicked seven goals to the Roos' zero in the second quarter to establish a 24-point lead.
It was in the third quarter that Carey really stamped his authority on the game kicking four goals for the quarter to get his team back within striking distance. For the third and fourth quarters, the game was played largely on North's terms and if not for some wayward kicking for goal in the last they should've established a handy lead.
Unfortunately for Carey and Co., all they could manage was to draw even with the Cats in the dying minutes of the game. Enter Gary Ablett. Held to just four kicks and two goals for the game, Ablett was the recipient of a desperate Leigh Tudor kick just seconds before the siren. With scores level and the siren gone, Ablett calmly went back and put the ball straight through from the goal square. Geelong won 16.13.109 to 14.19.103.
With their Coleman Medal winning champion well held, Geelong were forced to look to other avenues towards goal and managed to do so in the second quarter. Thanks largely to 15 touches to Garry Hocking, the Cats kicked seven goals to the Roos' zero in the second quarter to establish a 24-point lead.
It was in the third quarter that Carey really stamped his authority on the game kicking four goals for the quarter to get his team back within striking distance. For the third and fourth quarters, the game was played largely on North's terms and if not for some wayward kicking for goal in the last they should've established a handy lead.
Unfortunately for Carey and Co., all they could manage was to draw even with the Cats in the dying minutes of the game. Enter Gary Ablett. Held to just four kicks and two goals for the game, Ablett was the recipient of a desperate Leigh Tudor kick just seconds before the siren. With scores level and the siren gone, Ablett calmly went back and put the ball straight through from the goal square. Geelong won 16.13.109 to 14.19.103.
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Sydney vs. Essendon, SCG, 1996 Sydney were the fairytale story of 1996. After years in the wilderness, the Swans went from a respectable season in 1995 under Ron Barassi to a top of the ladder season in 1996 under Rodney Eade. Sydney had their first finals win in 51 years with a six-point triumph over Hawthorn in the Qualifying Final, affording them the week off. Essendon, having finished sixth on the ladder, lost their first final by a point to Brisbane at the Gabba, but flogged West Coast the following week to make the Prelim. |
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The game was, to an extent, a battle between two Brownlow winners. Paul Kelly had won the previous year's Brownlow and led his team superbly with 26 touches and two goals. For Essendon it was James Hird, who was two days away from being named the 1996 Brownlow Medalist, that inspired his team with 25 touches and three goals.
The game was something of an arm wrestle. Essendon had the best of the first term, kicking four goals to one, while Sydney took back the momentum with five goals to two points in the second, giving them a 12-point lead at halftime. Thanks largely to Hird, the Dons drew within a point in the third quarter. The scores at the main change - 8.7.55 to the Swans, 8.6.54 to Essendon.
The Bombers continued on their way in the last quarter, keeping Sydney goalless for most of the term while adding two of their own. When Stuart Maxfield found Dale Lewis in the goal square, Sydney were two goals down with less than three minutes to go. Lewis slotted his third goal, while Daryn Cresswell did the same soon after to level the scores.
Tony Lockett came into the Preliminary Final with 114 goals for the year, but on this night he'd been kept relatively quiet by Dustin Fletcher. While he had been in the play here and there, he had just one goal to his name to three quarter time. With less than 20 seconds left on the clock Lockett took a leading mark right on the paint of the 50 metre line. The siren sounded with the ball in Lockett's hands and the scores tied at 69 apiece. From 55 metres out, Lockett kicked one of the most famous points in footy history and put the Swans into their first Grand Final since 1945. Final score Sydney 10.10.70 to Essendon 10.9.69.
The game was something of an arm wrestle. Essendon had the best of the first term, kicking four goals to one, while Sydney took back the momentum with five goals to two points in the second, giving them a 12-point lead at halftime. Thanks largely to Hird, the Dons drew within a point in the third quarter. The scores at the main change - 8.7.55 to the Swans, 8.6.54 to Essendon.
The Bombers continued on their way in the last quarter, keeping Sydney goalless for most of the term while adding two of their own. When Stuart Maxfield found Dale Lewis in the goal square, Sydney were two goals down with less than three minutes to go. Lewis slotted his third goal, while Daryn Cresswell did the same soon after to level the scores.
Tony Lockett came into the Preliminary Final with 114 goals for the year, but on this night he'd been kept relatively quiet by Dustin Fletcher. While he had been in the play here and there, he had just one goal to his name to three quarter time. With less than 20 seconds left on the clock Lockett took a leading mark right on the paint of the 50 metre line. The siren sounded with the ball in Lockett's hands and the scores tied at 69 apiece. From 55 metres out, Lockett kicked one of the most famous points in footy history and put the Swans into their first Grand Final since 1945. Final score Sydney 10.10.70 to Essendon 10.9.69.
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Essendon vs. Carlton, MCG, 1999 Two of the biggest upsets to occur in the state of Victoria both took place on September 18th, 1999. It was Election Day for state parliament that day, and the people of regional Victoria had decided they'd had quite enough of Jeff Kennett. His Liberal Party lost the election to largely unfancied Labor Party, led by Steve Bracks. Meanwhile, at the MCG, the contest that really mattered was proving to be something of a boilover as well. Carlton had burst out of the blocks and caught the Bombers on the back foot. |
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The Blues shouldn't have been any trouble at all for Essendon. In their previous two encounters that year Essendon had won by 76 points and 39 points. The Bombers had in fact been the dominant team of the year, finishing on top of the ladder with 18 wins, while Carlton never managed to reach higher than fifth. In the end Carlton finished the year in sixth spot and started their finals campaign with a 12 goal loss to Brisbane. Thanks to the vagaries of the finals system at the time, the Blues survived another week and were able to progress through the semi final and qualify for the Preliminary.
After a seven goal opening term the week before against West Coast, Carlton managed a similar feat against Essendon, kicking six goals to the Bombers' three. They continued their domination in the second quarter and went to the main break with a four goal lead.
The Dons switched back on in the third quarter, though, and thanks to a Gary Moorcroft goal early in the term they took the lead. From that point it looked as though Essendon may run away with it as they put the lead out to as much as three goals late in the third quarter, kicking 7.7 to Carlton's 2.2.
However, it wasn't enough to keep the Blues at bay. In what was something of a shootout in the last quarter, Anthony Koutoufides dragged his team back into the contest. "Kouta" took two decisive marks just metres from Carlton's goal in the first few minutes of the quarter, both of which led to majors. Meanwhile, Matthew Lloyd was doing the same for Essendon at the other end.
It was a Mark Johnson goal that levelled the scores late in the game, followed by a couple of behinds to Carlton. After a behind to Mark Mercuri, the ball eventually found it's way to Dean Wallis who famously tried to take on Fraser Brown, leading to the most memorable tackle of Brown's career. The game was effectively over and Carlton had somehow made the Grand Final, 16.8.104 to 14.19.103.
After a seven goal opening term the week before against West Coast, Carlton managed a similar feat against Essendon, kicking six goals to the Bombers' three. They continued their domination in the second quarter and went to the main break with a four goal lead.
The Dons switched back on in the third quarter, though, and thanks to a Gary Moorcroft goal early in the term they took the lead. From that point it looked as though Essendon may run away with it as they put the lead out to as much as three goals late in the third quarter, kicking 7.7 to Carlton's 2.2.
However, it wasn't enough to keep the Blues at bay. In what was something of a shootout in the last quarter, Anthony Koutoufides dragged his team back into the contest. "Kouta" took two decisive marks just metres from Carlton's goal in the first few minutes of the quarter, both of which led to majors. Meanwhile, Matthew Lloyd was doing the same for Essendon at the other end.
It was a Mark Johnson goal that levelled the scores late in the game, followed by a couple of behinds to Carlton. After a behind to Mark Mercuri, the ball eventually found it's way to Dean Wallis who famously tried to take on Fraser Brown, leading to the most memorable tackle of Brown's career. The game was effectively over and Carlton had somehow made the Grand Final, 16.8.104 to 14.19.103.
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