One day in September, we want to remember…
1970, Carlton 17.9 (111) def. Collingwood 14.17 (101)
This one had it all. The sport’s two biggest rivals. A record crowd of 121,696 fans. An epic comeback from the Blues after trailing by 44 points at halftime. It even had the Mark of the Century – “Jesaulenko, you beauty!” Can’t beat that. Rover Ted Hopkins was the unlikely hero for Carlton, scoring four second-half goals after starting on the bench.
1989, Hawthorn 21.18 (144) def. Geelong 21.12 (138)
The most brutal grand final we’ve ever seen, and it was from start to finish – the very start. At the first bounce, Geelong’s Mark Yeates made a beeline for Hawks star Dermott Brereton and did not miss, landing a vicious hit that broke Brereton’s ribs and bruised his kidney. The Kid somehow managed to play on. The Hawks’ Robert DiPierdomenico also suffered a punctured lung and Gary Ablett kicked nine goals, but the Cats still didn’t win.
2005, Sydney 8.10 (58) def. West Coast 7.12 (54)
Defender Leo Barry’s leap across a pack of Eagles to grab West Coast ruckman Dean Cox’s bomb into their forward line with seconds left on the clock has to be the most memorable AFL moment of the modern era. The victory ended a 72-year premiership drought for the Swans – the longest in VFL/AFL history. The Eagles would beat the Swans by a point in the GF a year later, adding yet another famous chapter to their remarkable rivalry.
2010, St Kilda 10.8 (68) drew Collingwood 9.14 (68)
Who says nobody likes a draw? Trailing by 24 points at halftime, St Kilda held the Pies goalless in the third term and led by six late in the fourth quarter. A Collingwood rushed behind was followed by a Travis Cloke major to give them a one-point buffer, before Norm Smith Medallist Lenny Hayes attempted to find Stephen Milne with a 60m kick in the dying seconds but it eluded him and went through for a point. Collingwood won the replay a week later by 56 points.
