Off season reminiscences for history heads

[liz]

The crowd and player pandanomium which followed, is the best ii've ever seen. Period. (with bias). I wished in hindsight that i'd also flew up for that game after doing so for the QF. Just wondering if anyone here attended that 96 PF?

Our 96 finals series is a bit underrated, overshadowed by the awesome 2005 finals series as we went one step further to claim our first flag in 72 years. I think Cressa may also be a bit underrated today, though he made the TOC.

I was at that 1996 PF (and the QF a fortnight earlier) (and the GF a week later). I didn't hear the siren go and it was all very confusing when the players started jumping on top of each other. I confess I don't recall the noise levels much for that game, but I remember earlier in the season when we stormed back to snatch a draw against Essendon after looking defeated. This was before I had a reserved seat and we were sitting in the Ladies Stand (where Swans members were allowed to sit back then). Wooden frame. Lots of stomping. I thought the stand was going to collapse.

And then I also recall the sound of the last quarter of the 2005 SF. I was over in the O'Reilly for that game, towards the pocket where Nick Davis was weaving his magic. It did literally feel like the roof was going to come off. We weren't able to see who kicked that last goal with all the bodies and a bit of a crooked angle of viewing. After we calmed down and took a breath it was "that couldn't have been Davis could it? Surely not!"

Fond memories.

I literally have no memory of the final quarter of the 2005 GF I was just sitting there like a zombie, waiting for it to be over. In contrast, I can still project myself back - visually and emotionally - to the 2012 GF with the roller coaster of emotions. Oh no, we were being handed a lesson. No, we've come back, we're killing this. We're going to win easily. etc etc And then finally that Malceski goal, which was far enough out from the final siren to allow us to actually enjoy the last few moments of the action, secure in the knowledge that we were PREMIERS!

[mcs]

I was at that 1996 PF (and the QF a fortnight earlier) (and the GF a week later). I didn't hear the siren go and it was all very confusing when the players started jumping on top of each other. I confess I don't recall the noise levels much for that game, but I remember earlier in the season when we stormed back to snatch a draw against Essendon after looking defeated. This was before I had a reserved seat and we were sitting in the Ladies Stand (where Swans members were allowed to sit back then). Wooden frame. Lots of stomping. I thought the stand was going to collapse.

And then I also recall the sound of the last quarter of the 2005 SF. I was over in the O'Reilly for that game, towards the pocket where Nick Davis was weaving his magic. It did literally feel like the roof was going to come off. We weren't able to see who kicked that last goal with all the bodies and a bit of a crooked angle of viewing. After we calmed down and took a breath it was "that couldn't have been Davis could it? Surely not!"

Fond memories.

I literally have no memory of the final quarter of the 2005 GF I was just sitting there like a zombie, waiting for it to be over. In contrast, I can still project myself back - visually and emotionally - to the 2012 GF with the roller coaster of emotions. Oh no, we were being handed a lesson. No, we've come back, we're killing this. We're going to win easily. etc etc And then finally that Malceski goal, which was far enough out from the final siren to allow us to actually enjoy the last few moments of the action, secure in the knowledge that we were PREMIERS!

That last minute or so after the Malceski goal through to the siren was one of the greatest feelings - as you say everyone knew that was game done and dusted, and the Swans energy in the MCG was something else in those moments! A truly glorious few moments, and then the elation of that final siren.

[Velour&Ruffles]

Without wanting to hijack the List Management thread further, which morphed from the midseason draft to Cressa.

IIRC, the last 2 goals of the 96 PF was kicked by Dale Lewis & Cressa, who ironically were our best midseason draft pickups, as previously mentioned in the other tthread. Soon after Wade Chapman calmly weighted that beautiful pass to Plugger, who kicked that famous after the siren point from outside 50 (with dodgy groins) & into our first GF in 51 years!

The crowd and player pandanomium which followed, is the best ii've ever seen. Period. (with bias). I wished in hindsight that i'd also flew up for that game after doing so for the QF. Just wondering if anyone here attended that 96 PF?

Our 96 finals series is a bit underrated, overshadowed by the awesome 2005 finals series as we went one step further to claim our first flag in 72 years. I think Cressa may also be a bit underrated today, though he made the TOC.

I still have my photos taken of the 96 QF & GF ( on print in photo album). Remember having to pinch myself & thinking i'm in a dream as i entered the MCG on GF day, as i thought i'd never see us play in a GF. It was only 3 years earlier in 93 that the club almost folded!!!

Wasn't expecting us to win & just happy to be there. But i remember when we opened up a 4 goal lead in the 2nd qtr, i suddenly felt so light headed as the prospect of us winning a flag seemed likely and i was like in some sort of shock. Then i recall that Paul Kelly pass which just fell short of Plugger, which would've put us 5 goals in front!.

It all changed quickly after that, being overrun in the 2nd half wilth Glenn Freeborn coming on & doing a Teddy Hopkins. The previous 2 hard contested finals had taken it's toll, as it was later revealed that many players had played sore carrying soft tissue injuries.

Recall going to the club wake after the match, at the Glass House (now Collingwood training centre). Troy Luff got the biggest cheer as each player were introduced, as this is probably where his cult status began?

Went home feeling gutted, which unfortunately i would experience many times again, being so lucky to have attended every GF since. Since 96, the club has been successful and looking back at my entire life as a Swans supporter from young as i can remember (in the 60's), the ledger is now falling on the positive side with a healthy percentage! GO BLOODS!!!!

So many vivid memories in this post. The 96 finals season was amazing - the Swans simply refusing to lose in finals against Hawthorn and Essendon despite being in seemingly impossible positions in both matches. I too found it surreal we'd made it to the GF after a lifetime of failure and disappointment, and felt I was floating as I walked through the parkland towards the ground that day.

I was hoping that the flaccid Kangas (non)inflatable in the pre-game entertainment was an omen, but it was not to be. The Paul Kelly missed pass to Plugger was perhaps the greatest Sliding Doors moment in my footy-watching life. We'd beaten North very convincingly earlier in the season out at Princes Park (by about 80 points IIRC), and they'd shown that although they were a talented team they were mentally a bit fragile and could sometimes basically crack the sads. If you caused them to doubt themselves they could collapse like a faulty deckchair. If that pass had hit Plugger's chest we were out to a 31 point lead and I think the doubts would really have set in for the Kangas .... but it missed, the ball rebounded and all of a sudden the Kangas were only 19 points down and believing in themselves. And that was that.

As for Luffy, he was great in that match - a bit of an LRT-type performance where he played out of his skin and to a standard nobody quite believed he could on the biggest stage. I'd long liked him, but after that I always admired him, just as with LRT. I love the underdogs who go to another level and shine under pressure, when more fancied players wilt (I'm talking about you Shannon Grant - you were PATHETIC in the 96 GF).

I think the contemporary equivalent would be Robbie Fox - largely unheralded by even his own supporters, let alone the broader footy community, yet has been one of our very best in two GFs while those around him choked and embarrassed themselves. I'll always have a special place for Luffy, LRT and Fox in my football heart.