Remember 1998

[alwaysadog]

Remember 1998?#1

What a season… we played fast, exciting, adventurous football, interspersed with the occasional unexplainable poor performance but mostly it was just pure excitement. 15 games won, ladder leaders for 15 weeks, the other 7 spent in 2nd place. Any time we started to appear on the wane we turned it around with a sparkling performance.

Ladder Position Round By Round




We went close to finishing top for the first time in the club’s history, only missing by losing the last game to North by 5 points. The season’s theme “unfinished business” adopted to reflect our disappointment at narrowly losing the ’97 Prelim Final seemed about to be made redundant - full of hope we launched into the finals.


1998 AFL Ladder




Player List 1998



Certainly a great Home and Away effort, but how significant is it that almost the whole side played 20+ games? If you add others who were first choice selections when fit; Southern, Ellis, Liberatore and Dimattina we have more than a full side. Does this mean we were so good and stable, or that others were not pushing for places, or that talent was not deep on the list, or that others were not given opportunities?

Final Member Figures
Even the membership increased by over 33%, admittedly from a very low base.




The 1998 season figures as published in the Herald Sun

What were your favourite games and players? How did you enjoy the season? Were you part of the Euphoria? What teams/players were you most worried about?

[Dry Rot]

Brilliant summary. My first season of supporting the Dogs (and seriously following AFL) after watching Year of the Dogs.

For H&A games, was that our most consistent performance ever? ie either 1 or 2

[Twodogs]

Brilliant summary. My first season of supporting the Dogs (and seriously following AFL) after watching Year of the Dogs.

For H&A games, was that our most consistent performance ever? ie either 1 or 2

Statistically it was our best H&A season ever.

[mjp]

Two things I remember really clearly about 1998.

1/.The absolute confidence I felt going into the season.
I really felt some special things were going to happen, and I had a heap of confidence in Wallace and his 'find a way to win' mantra that he had going at the time. I think everyone forgets this, but we really did win a lot of games against teams with more (a lot more) talent than us during 1998 - and won well. I particularly recall that the uncertainty of 97 was gone (when I for one kept waiting for the bubble to burst, despite a mostly successful 1990's) however in 98 I expected us to win almost every week - and whenever we were behind I still thought we were a chance to come back.

2/.The preliminary final.
I felt bad all week leading into the game. My wife would have to confirm this, but I dont think I spoke for about a day after it. Just a devastating day, and one where our coach planned poorly and (to me) the players went out there with no faith in either the gameplan or their ability to execute it.

When I think of 1998 it was just a terrible year in so many ways. It is strange I feel this way, as I have such great memories of 1997 - an expectation thing really.

I was back playing suburban footy by 98, and this was the year of my second knee recon - the Dogs fell apart in the prelim, my footy team lost 8 in a row to finish the year (after winning the first 7) and I couldn't help...it was basically a miserable year...whenever I say this my wife belts me though as it was also the year child number 1 was born...

[Sockeye Salmon]

2/.The preliminary final.
I felt bad all week leading into the game. My wife would have to confirm this, but I dont think I spoke for about a day after it. Just a devastating day, and one where our coach planned poorly and (to me) the players went out there with no faith in either the gameplan or their ability to execute it.

I had a real bad feeling that week as well.

Mine was based on the fact the Minton-Conell kicked 5 v West Coast and SMC never put two good games together in his entire career (hell, he only put 1 good game in a row on about 3 occasions). By kicking 5 he was alwways going to hold his spot; equally he was never going to get a touch v Adelaide.

[bornadog]

I was still living in Singapore and missed the season but moved back in early September just in time for the finals. After the West Coast game I was so confident, but the prelim was shattering. During the year I saw alot of games through Satellite TV in Asia, mainly on two hour delay but it was great to watch the boys play supberb footy. The prelim really showed us up in the backline (once again) with no real CHB. We haven't had a CHB since Peter Foster, all the other guys have just been too short, or not strong enough to tackle the big CHF. Ellis was ok but not a CHB, @ 190cm he was always going to struggle. Of Course Chris could have been one of the all time great CHB's but we would have been robbing the forward line all those years. So in the end the prelim was a disaster.

What a shame to have been in the top two all year and not make the GF.

[westdog54]

I had a real bad feeling that week as well.

Mine was based on the fact the Minton-Conell kicked 5 v West Coast and SMC never put two good games together in his entire career (hell, he only put 1 good game in a row on about 3 occasions). By kicking 5 he was alwways going to hold his spot; equally he was never going to get a touch v Adelaide.

The only thing thing I've chosen to remember about that day is that my dad and uncle packed picnic chairs and an esky in the car so that we could go straight back to WO and queue for GF tickets. In all honesty, the rest of that day is just a blur.

[alwaysadog]

The only thing thing I've chosen to remember about that day is that my dad and uncle packed picnic chairs and an esky in the car so that we could go straight back to WO and queue for GF tickets. In all honesty, the rest of that day is just a blur.

There was certainly a feeling abroad that having beaten Adelaide comfortably at their home ground late in the season and having disposed of Sydney so easily that a Dogs v Saints GF was a formality. Taught me to never take anything for granted.

My memories of the day are ruined by an Adelaide Crow supporter middle aged, well dressed man who spent the first three quarters bagging at the top of his considerable voice all the Crow players who came from Victoria every time they went near the ball. Funny how quickly he shut up in the last 1/4.

The rest of the day after I got home is a blur, and the next day a bad headache set in.

[alwaysadog]

The preliminary final.
I felt bad all week leading into the game. My wife would have to confirm this, but I dont think I spoke for about a day after it. Just a devastating day, and one where our coach planned poorly and (to me) the players went out there with no faith in either the gameplan or their ability to execute it.

A really interesting perspective. I usually think that the first signs of the Wallywood message no longer working are apparent in 1999. You might well be right that it stems from this inept finals campaign. In fairness, we had little left in terms of player stocks to draw on.

[mjp]

In fairness, we had little left in terms of player stocks to draw on.

Maybe, but the whole Wallace era thing was 'finding ways to win'. There were a couple of wins in Perth during this era (basically the only games I got to attend) where this was basically the catch-cry of the post-game. Prelim final day was just a terrible time to run out of ideas...there is no doubt that we were grasping with a number of match-ups that day...

Arrrgh. I dont want to think about this anymore.

[Twodogs]

whenever I say this my wife belts me though as it was also the year child number 1 was born...

I'd been a new dad for all of a month or so when the '98 PF was played. I think I was delerious with exhaustion but I didnt take the defeat badly at all. No swearing, no threats, no violence at all. My dad sitting next to me on the other hand...


Two things I remember

-Pulling a piece of fluff off the the jumper I was wearing, I dont know why that sits in memory

-Pointing out to dad that when the players put their arms up to stand the mark, it looked just like the startle response baby's do when they are lying in their cot-I remember that mainly from the look dad gave me.