OK getting something off my manb**bs
Got a message in FB stating that its 15 years today since the 99 prelim
Without a doubt it was one of the best days of my life. I went to the game, with much trepidation as to be honest because leading up to this game Essendon* were twice the team the Blues were. And yet we mugged those smug Bombres fans…it was so sweet!
I've revisted the match so many times that I can remember a bunch of Sandy Robertson's and the ex-field umpire's crap commentary.
For awhile during the Pagan era, watching this match was a balm that soothed an aching heart after the Blues got flogged on a painfully regular occurrence. Occasionally on this forum someone would mention the game and many would reminisce fondly of that great day and how we wrecked Essendon*’s season. And it was great!
Others would extort us to forget the damn game and stop living in the past and to face up to what was happening ‘now’. And I didn’t want to hear that – it was too much fun to watch that old game…but they were wise words.
Biut I think that match has more importance than just a glorious victory against the odds. Let’s have a look at it.
What did many see in that game – KOUTA dominating the final qtr and willing the Blues over the line. And some standout moments of brilliance.
What is worth seeing – a team that had rebounded into the finals after a couple of years out. A team made up of two all time greats (Silvagni and Bradley), some champions, some tough nuts, young tyros, and a few guys a bit lucky to be there. A team that got belted in the first week of the finals by about 80 points, but due to the quirks of that finals system (and ground contracts) got to play at the MCG the West Coast Eagles who won in their first week final. A team that played for most of the year a style of footy that was good enough to get them into the 8, but was ineffective against the best teams so it was switched for the West Coast match with some success and was continued for the Preliminary Final. And (of course) a team that had KOUTA, the wildcard who had promised so much over the years but up to that stage had not been a regular match winning player.
And who did we play – an Essendon* team who were premiership favourites and who had belted the Blues twice in the year. A team missing its best player (James Hird) ,and one of its best half dozen in Scott Lucas. A team that was cocky and was looking forward to belting the Kangaroos in the Grand Final, after wiping its feet on Carlton.
And so the beautiful 99 Prelim happened but we didn’t live happily ever after. Outclassed by North in the Grand Final. Oh well…we’ll be back next year!
2000 included an incredible stretch of footy by KOUTA! I dunno if anyone remembers it, but he was just amazing. The best way I could put it would be to imagine Buddy Franklin (at least a Buddy that had heaps of endurance) on the ball getting countless hard ball gets, whilst still being able to get forward and kick goals. Then he got injured and well that’s where it all went downhill.
With him in our side, we were legitimate challengers to the Essendon* juggernaut. Without him, we were the best of the rest. With injuries to Bradley and Silvagni, Carlton was merely a struggling finalist. We were out in the Prelims.
We haven’t been that good again. I’m not blaming poor Kouta. The loss of key players either through injury (Kouta again in 2001 Semi final, which meant missing muc of 2002 with most of the side injured as well), retirements of two all time champs in Bradley and Silvagni, a key young forward in Hamill leaving the Blues for big ca$h (hey you Saint Kilda bastards, that’s OUR trick), a tactically brilliant but inexperienced new coach (Wayne Brittain) and (most importantly) a short sighted recruitment policy, which meant our castle of talent was built on sand.
And did it go all garthp: in 2002! A wooden spoon for Carlton!! HERACY!!! Action needed to be taken. But what to do? We couldn’t just go and buy players like ‘the good old days’ and we were getting pounded by an incredibly harsh penalty for our salary cap breach (hard but perhaps fair ish…see what happened to the Demons a year or so earlier). We couldn’t just go and get the best player in the comp like we did at the end of 1991 with Greg Williams (we broke the rules then too) or just get three great South Australians and some other guns like we did back in 1986 (Bradley, Kernahan, Motley etc)
So we did the next best thing. Sack the COACH and get rid of the old administration. So we got in Dennis Pagan – the North Melbourne mastermind and Graham Smorgan as President…he should be good…he’s got the same surname as that rich guy at Footscray. That was the problem all along…a crap coach in Brittain and corruption with Big Jack.
Maybe with the list of 2000 Pagan may have gotten the Blues back in the game. But the poor blighter had little to work with. OK so maybe he wasn’t the most innovative coach at times, but you gotta admit when a team in relying on a motley crew of cast offs, lazy players, and younguns’ needing a few more seasons to get to their peak things take time…a long time. The savior had become the devil. And Kouta never reached the heights of 2000 again (tho he was still a very good player).
And the administration…yikes!! OK so we were debt ridden to the shizen and had no high draft picks. OK so let’s go the Docklands and leave our spiritual home at Princes Park. Fantastic idea! Come on though we need a savior. Hmmm these draft picked kids are pretty good but…no Buddy or Roughie tho…geez OK hmmm…we need significant cash…DICK PRATT! OUR MONEYED SAVIOUR! You beauty DICK pay off our debts! You beauty Dick get Juddy! JUDDY at the Blues!!! Premierships soon to follow for sure! (Sorry Dennis you don’t get him bye bye). RATTS, the champion back to coach for us…hmm Juddy is great…but we need another one…oh no Dick’s sick ok who’s taking over Sticks! The champ! Things will be OK…now we got the players…almost enough players…maybe the problem is our coach…Ratts well he is kinda dorky looking…was he really that good a player…oh damn so close in 2011, for sure 2012 will be our year…arrgghh!!!We suck again (never mind that we played most of the year without 6 or more of our best players)…hey we might still scrape in the finals…WTF LOSING TO THE GOLD COAST!! SACK THE COACH SACK THE COACH (if we beat the Gold Coast and St Kilda we still would have missed out…ahh who cares). MICK!!! MICK MALTHOUSE THE SAVIOUR. Wayne Hughes rectuiting ARRGH! Shane Rogers...who’s he….GRAHAM WRIGHT GET HIM OUR SAVIOUR…..Malthouse is past it. etc etc
So much of what I've heard and seen over the years amounts to - “Saviors! That’s all we need! Fat cash and a bunch of great players. “
But folks that was the old days. Sure we need good coaching, compentant administration and great recruiting. But is Graham Wright the answer? Has Shane Rogers done a poor job? Have Everitt, Thomas, Docherty been duds?
Have we got a great coach in Malthouse? He’s OK…
Have a bit of a think to the teams who have won flags in the past ten our so years. They were all GREAT teams. Not just one superstar and a bunch of OK players (though most of the teams had them). Some teams were overflowing with talent. All of the teams that stuck around the high echelon for awhile (Cats, Hawks, Swans) have had a stable administration and coaching relations. OK sure the Swans have tons more cash to splash…but bully to them for giving it a crack. And the Cats got what seemed like a billion Father/son picks but good on them. And the Hawks bottomed out in a glorious draft year in 2005 but Burgoyne, Dew, Lake, Hale etc etc were all astute pickups. The teams who weren’t that stable (or perhaps lacking cash/luck) haven’t had the glory run at the top (Port, West Coast, Magpies). And don;’t forget also-rans like St Kilda and the Bulldogs who were really good for a number of years yet just couldn’t quite nail their chances when they had them.
Think of those teams…and think of the Blues now. We’ve got some great players… but still we’ve got way too many holes and we have had this issue all along since our fall from grace in 2001. Judd’s time is near an end and I hate to say it, but when he goes we are gonna be even further away from success than closer to it. I am a naturally optimistic person, so I think finals are on the cards for 2015 if injuries aren’t too bad and we get some consistency from a number of players. Maybe we can go deep…who knows…but I think a finals appearance is a reasonable expectation, and one that would be satisfactory for Carlton.
What I really hope and urge is that we can’t look for ONE person to be the panacea for our ills. We need a team effort throughout the organisation. I really think the recruiting this year (of experienced players at least) was great and hopefully we can continue this in the upcoming draft season. If we don’t land a big fish, I hope we get some great young tiddlers who’ll mature to mighty marlins to destroy opposition in years to come with our then aging champs like Gibbs, Murphy and (hopefully) Thomas. Graham Wright would have been a great pickup. But would have that been the solution to all our ills?
I hope the administration can avoid some of the torpor of the past few years and become innovative and exciting – WITHOUT a billionaire on board!
I hope the players play the Malthouse way (whatever that is) and show the long- suffering supporters that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
If we don’t unite and continue to bicker well...I recommend watching a programme by Mike Sheahan on the 'lost years' of the Tigers 1983-2013. I watched this and whilst I chuckled at our hated enemy, I realized that their hubris was very similar to what Carlton has displayed over the years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0xBJHu7_N4We need to recognise that we have to unite and that includes our supporters. Sure, we need to ask questions. But I think we need to give our team and our administration time to get it right. We all want a meteoric rise to success but let’s face up to reality. That doesn’t happen often! If we go backwards in 2015 then I’ll probably be up the front yelling Sack SACK etc., but an improvement should be rewarded with a renewed contract for Mick. If we do get a new coach I hope we don't expect a flag within 3 years.
Enjoy the 15th year anniversary of the 99 prelim! And let’s hope in 15 or so years we are celebrating the 15 year anniversary of a Carlton flag.