Most ENJOYABLE season as a supporter (In my Lifetime!)

[Bulldog4life]

1985 was the one I voted for. Terrific season. I was only 10 year old at the time but what I can remember about 1961, playing off in the grand final and being there and seeing Teddy's flick pass live was up there too.

[Curly5]

While I remember the culmination of each of the earlier years, I don't really recall the seasons as a whole. I loved the Eade era, all the players were my favourites and we played great footy and got so close to the reward. I voted for 2015 because hope was being restored after four years of depression. Bevo and Bob were enthralling characters who I totally believed in.

[bornadog]

On the other hand… wasn’t that the season of a match v Eagles where we were absolutely killing them & playing a brand of footy that was completely exhilarating … and infamously collapsed?

We kicked 8.4 to 4 points in the first quarter and then they did the same in the 2nd quarter. We ended up losing by 13 points

[The bulldog tragician]

We kicked 8.4 to 4 points in the first quarter and then they did the same in the 2nd quarter. We ended up losing by 13 points

Yep. Bitterly disappointing. It feels like we have had more than our fair share of such collapses, but maybe with our history we just remember them more. If we’d gone on to win the flag in ‘98 maybe I’d barely remember the WC match or see it as some part of our evolution as a team. But we didn’t.

[bornadog]

I missed most of the games in the 90s as I was working overseas from 1991 to 1998. (Taiwan/Singapore)

Thanks to shortwave radio, and then Australia TV, plus mother in law taping winning games and sending them to me. I enjoyed from a far. 1997 was fantastic and unexpected after the shocker of 1996. I did see a few games live over that period on trips home, including the finals of 1998.

[angelopetraglia]

1997. What a ride. From basically bottom in 1996 with a percentage of 77% and only five wins to a whisker from a Grand Final (Fitzroy finished bottom but that was their last season.).

It was us against the world in 1997. Terry Wallace was in his element. Libba was tagging people into misery (i.e. Paul Kelly). We had absolute bona fide stars and some of the best characters in the game.

-The Wog Squad (Libba, Romero and Dimma)
-Danny Southern
-Chris Grant should have won the Brownlow
-A cheeky young Nathan Brown
-Four players who would go on to play 300 games for the club. Incredible when you think about it. West, Grant, Smith and Johnson. Also Libba who would play 283.
-Craig Ellis. The prettiest player in the game.

[D Mitchell]

Great post. Toss in Lloyd's mate Steve Kretiuk; which-foot-is-his-natural-foot Leon Cameron; Umpire-lover Todd Curley; pups Darce and Johnno; 2 (not 1) ex Carlton full forwards, neither of whom could mark overhead (Minton-Connell, Cook); great mates, West and Cox (I got away with that one); Crofty. A Pirate Ship. Alas, my image of 1997 was the after final siren in the Prelim image of Ernie Sigley's despair over my left shoulder.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

I was thinking 2015 even before I read '16 was excluded.
Loved that season and throughout I thought we are better than everyone else.

[ledge]

1985 for me because I was part of it in a sense.
But it was as also disappointing as we knew what we had and basically ****ed up.

[SonofScray]

08 and 15 for me.

It would have been 97, but for the nightmare it became.

[angelopetraglia]

1985 for me because I was part of it in a sense.
But it was as also disappointing as we knew what we had and basically ****ed up.

I was 10. But gee whiz I loved 1985. So many memorable games, but I especially loved when Beasley kicked big bags!

[Sedat]

08 and 15 for me.

It would have been 97, but for the nightmare it became.

This is why 1992 is my favourite season. All of 1985, 1997, 2008, 2009 and 2015 ended in very close, and in some cases heart-breaking, finals losses. In 1992 we had an amazing H&A run of 16-6, we then gave our best shot in the QF and had an awesome first 50 minutes before getting blown away by a better team, then we piled on the Saints agony and smashed them in a final with Granty dominating as a 19yo CHF, and then were smashed in the PF with no controversy or excuses. It was just wonderful to be in finals and winning finals again less than 3 years after folding as a club. 2006 comes very close to 1992 in terms of low expectation to actual output, enjoyment/style of play, winning a final against a despised opponent and getting beaten fair and square by a much better finals opponent with no heartache.

The other afore-mentioned seasons were arguably better but they weren't more enjoyable for mine - too much pain with how these seasons ended.

[SonofScray]

This is why 1992 is my favourite season. All of 1985, 1997, 2008, 2009 and 2015 ended in very close, and in some cases heart-breaking, finals losses. In 1992 we had an amazing H&A run of 16-6, we then gave our best shot in the QF and had an awesome first 50 minutes before getting blown away by a better team, then we piled on the Saints agony and smashed them in a final with Granty dominating as a 19yo CHF, and then were smashed in the PF with no controversy or excuses. It was just wonderful to be in finals and winning finals again less than 2 years after folding as a club. 2006 comes very close to 1992 in terms of low expectation to actual output, enjoyment/style of play, winning a final against a despised opponent and getting beaten fair and square by a much better finals opponent with no heartache.

The other afore-mentioned seasons were arguably better but they weren't more enjoyable for mine - too much pain with how these seasons ended.

You’ve made a case for 05/06 there too which had escaped my mind.

That late run towards finals in 05 was fun, as barnstorming a run you’ll see, who knows what could have happened if not for a Jeff White flop and a Cooney spray. That last few weeks of the season were really fun.

[bornadog]

This is why 1992 is my favourite season. All of 1985, 1997, 2008, 2009 and 2015 ended in very close, and in some cases heart-breaking, finals losses. In 1992 we had an amazing H&A run of 16-6, we then gave our best shot in the QF and had an awesome first 50 minutes before getting blown away by a better team, then we piled on the Saints agony and smashed them in a final with Granty dominating as a 19yo CHF, and then were smashed in the PF with no controversy or excuses. It was just wonderful to be in finals and winning finals again less than 3 years after folding as a club. 2006 comes very close to 1992 in terms of low expectation to actual output, enjoyment/style of play, winning a final against a despised opponent and getting beaten fair and square by a much better finals opponent with no heartache.

The other afore-mentioned seasons were arguably better but they weren't more enjoyable for mine - too much pain with how these seasons ended.

The only excuses for 1992 was the dirty act by Paul Dear on Foster to break his leg, and therefore robbing us a tall to play on Brownless. We also missed the brownlow medallist in the finals having to go in with Barry Stanfield as ruck. Whether those players would have made much a difference is always debatable, but we would have been more competitive against Geelong.

[Sedat]

The only excuses for 1992 was the dirty act by Paul Dear on Foster to break his leg, and therefore robbing us a tall to play on Brownless. We also missed the brownlow medallist in the finals having to go in with Barry Stanfield as ruck. Whether those players would have made much a difference is always debatable, but we would have been more competitive against Geelong.

Good call on Fossie. That incident really ruined the rest of his career.

Brownless was our kryptonite - he scored goals against us for fun, especially in finals. We needed a Garry Lyon style intervention to stop Billy from destroying us.