I've been watching the thread on Channel Seven Two in the AFL forum (it's getting plenty of traffic), and for those that don't know about it, the channel is playing the '99 Preliminary Final next week.

It got me to thinking, is it time that we as fans of the Carlton Football Club moved a bit beyond this game? I am sure the club has moved beyond it, but what about the people in the outer here on TC?

There are arguments for and against.

Why '99 Should Matter:
We've had a pretty rough decade, we need to hang our hats on something
The G&D shown by the side on the day was immense
It's important to celebrate our success and winning culture
Has the club ever had a more glorious backs to the wall result?
Our coach was a member of the team, as well as some on our coaching staff

Why We Should Move On From '99:
If Carlton is about premierships, then we fell short in '99
Are we like Collingwood fans in that we're celebrating what didn't end up in ultimate success? Its starting to feel like we barrack for St Kilda or Footscray to me
Ten years is a long time ago. Footy is way different now
Essendon* won in 2000 anyway and have played in many finals series since (while we haven't)
Is celebrating a failure likely to breed a culture of failure?

At the end of it all, I am actually getting worried that we're becoming like Collingwood by continually holding this game up as such an immense result. Collingwood won in '58 to stop Melbourne equaling their 4 premierships in a row, and realistically they've almost celebrated medicority ever since (1990 was a weak year). On the other hand, a winning culture is important and maybe '99 is worthwhile as representative of the last time we realistically held this. But overall, I am tending to think that it's time to let go, move on, and watch our current side make history. By the end of 2010 I would love it if our young squad had achieved something which would pretty much write the '99 Preliminary Final off the map.

But I'm interested in the thoughts of the TC crew. Is it time to let go? Or is it important to hold on to the past?

No cause we stopped Essendon* from winning a flag that year.

No doubt they would have beaten North that year.

Yeah but isn't that a bit Collingwood Drewgirl? Like... we were the second best side in 66, 70, 77, 79, 81, 2002, and 2003 Collingwood thinking?

We stopped Essendon* winning, but then they went and did it in 2000 anyway (losing less games than we did in 95 in the process). So didn't they get the last laugh in a way?

All that's a bit devil's advocate, but I'm not convinced that we aren't turning a bit Collingwood.

Unless you consider 95 recent, what else have we had to hang our hat on in recent memory?

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It's always good to watch great games of footy.

Personally I was over this one the very next weekend. I hated those North teams back them. Full of cauliflower.

The prelim game in my eyes lifted the rivarly of the two clubs too another level. A level at least on par with the Collingwood and perhaps above. That smug bunch ran full page ads this year after they bet us in the home away season attacking the slogan.
When we win 1 premeirship in 50 years we will resemble Collingwood.

It was one of many great wins...

The premierships are greater, of course...

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There's so much I could say...

Yes it is time we won another flag and moved on from '99', but until we win that flag I doubt we'll be able to eclipse the memory of that effort as a highlight of recent times. Sad but true, it's been a sh*t decade.

I think we should move on from that and the first decade of the new millenium (boy was it sh!t!)

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C'mon Blueboys!

Good post Molly and I understand perfectly what you are saying with regards to our almost devout following of this game.

You also have to remember the time of that game, we were clearly making up the numbers in the Finals and for us to have knocked off the clear favourites for the Premiership, was clearly something to write home about.

Losing the following week, took the shine off that game for me.

Denying the Scum, what they felt was their rightful place in '99, made it all that more enjoyable.

As good as it was, the game against the Scum when they were up by 8 goals a few ago, was just as good.

We have seen too many dark days, which is why we have held on to that game for so long.

Now that the future is so much brighter, that game will go by way of other great wins as a great memory.

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“It is a state of mind, a system of belief, a way of seeing the world, a deep faith that, because you are Carlton, you belong to something great.” - Mike Fitzpatrick articulating what Out of the Blue means.

Good post Molly.

I agree with your sentiments.

The worst day of football for me was the 1993 Grand Final.

I can still remember the feeling after that match...so i guess inflicting even a bit of pain (but not nearly enough) back to Essendon* was a great moment.


The best day in last 20 years was the 1995 Grand Final.

To me- the 1995 g/f far eclipses the 99 prelim. Also the quality of the goals in the 1995 grand final are better - eg spalding's h.p to Harry goal, Spalding's smother goal etc.


but we have a way to go before we can climb that mountain again.

not until we beat Essendon* by 1 pt in the GF

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NG
S M C , S F L

Of course we should move on.

But until we win #17 I don't think we will.

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..definately time to move on, it's embarrassing to keep on holding onto this win, especially with how crap we've been since the end of 2001.. ..it's less colonwood like, and more tugger like i reckon..

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..if you can't be good, be good at it..

Understand what you're saying Molly, and if there was anything else to hang out hat on I'm sure we would have.

Until then though....its too much fun

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Good post.

The finals system was flawed that year...we should never have been there.

I enjoyed it though because it adds to the unpredictability of finals football. If you are good enough on the day then anything can happen...it bloody did happen and it was fantastic.

But IMO it pales in comparison to being the best.....so for me it doesn't get a decent run here at my house. I knew we'd lose to North so the big day was surreal and uneventful and that's not what i like to see from a Carlton team making the GF.

I've never held onto it...it has never been one of my most memorable moments....I have 95' for that and hopefully some more in the not too distant future.

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The problem will be made. for the solution to be sold, to your face before your eyes, tolerance is now the new danger

I will never move on from it.

The greatest AFL day of my life.

95 GF is on Sunday at 3:45am on the same channel.

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Moved on a long time ago from the win. Fully expected to beat North the next week and gutted we didn't. We should have.

However that said, I never hesitate to remind a Scum supporter mate of the loss whenever the oppotunity arises, hell, I just have to say "99 Prelim' at random to get a really good reaction

Otherwise it was done and dusted Monday the week of the GF.

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L.M 35-06

He, he, he,

of all the considered responses on this thread BlueMark, I think I like yours the best!

Just a suggestion here... but maybe if we need to move on to something in our more recent history we could look at this year's Geelong game. While it's not immediate premiership success, it was a great win against the eventual premiers with a side that will closely resemble the one we will take onto the park in 2010. I think it would be a good celebration of the present, rather than a celebration of what happened a decade ago.