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

**Sedat** · 08-03-2023, 04:39 PM

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

1992 for mine. We ceased to exist as a club only a couple of years earlier, so came off an incredibly low base. I was at uni at the time and was lucky enough to see most of the games live. We won 16 games and finished equal top, which is still our best H&A season ever. We beat the Saints 3 times that year, including at Moorabbin (where they never lost in the early 90's) with a ton of key players out injured, and of course we smashed them in a final when they were red hot favourites (junk time goals from them in the last qtr notwithstanding). We genuinely reached our ceiling that year and were twice beaten fair and square by a far better team in finals without any heartbreak or controversy. And Del Re kicked 70 goals in the season. What's not to love?

**JanLorMill** · 08-03-2023, 04:44 PM

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

2015 no expectations

**hujsh** · 08-03-2023, 04:45 PM

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

2008 was very fun and is the correct answer

**GVGjr** · 08-03-2023, 04:49 PM

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

1985 was a fantastic season. Shame we choked against the Hawks.

I noticed Wheelers 1992 season was mentioned by MJP.
Bevo was talking to the supporters today and was mentioning Wheels.

**Bornadog** · 08-03-2023, 04:52 PM

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

1985 for me.

We had not played finals since 1976 and all of a sudden we built this team with recruiting 10 players from WA, SA and a few from Vic clubs on top of our list.

It was an exciting year with players like Beasley and Hardie as mentioned above, plus Lally Bamblett who kicked 50 as a small forward, Andrew Purser (Malthouse named him as the best ruckman he ever coached), and who can forget the Hawk, what a player.

Other notables were Rick Kennedy, a fearsome fullback, Magic McLean, Steve McPherson and brother Rod, Peter Foster, Steve Wallis, Jimmy Edmond, Brian Royal and many others

We really should have gone all the way that year but Leigh Matthews spoiled our fun in the prelim. (10 points). We had Essendon's measure so anything could have happened.

Some of the games at Western Oval (as it was called), were just incredible with a packed house. Almost 34,000 watched us smash the Premiers for the year by 41 points and the Dees by 120 points.

Beasley was incredible that year. Started the season with 9 goals v Carlton at Princes Park winning by 30 points.
During the year twice he kicked 12 goals in a game and finished the year with 105, kicking the 100th in the semi v North, and Bamblett kicking his 50th in that game.

Great memories.

**MrMahatma** · 08-03-2023, 05:37 PM

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

1997.

It's also the most nightmarish and...

SHEPHERD HUDDO!

FK!

**Jeanette54** · 08-03-2023, 05:45 PM

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

I voted 1985, although enjoyment was not quite the first word that would have come to mind on my way home from VFL Park THAT Saturday night.

Sadly, it all fell apart shortly after that. Jimmy Edmond was a huge loss to the club, as was Brad Hardie.

Keeping good sides together is an art we still are struggling to master.

Also 1985 was the most successful season the club had where I went to the footy regularly with my Grandfather.

**WBFC4FFC** · 08-03-2023, 08:31 PM

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

Originally posted by MrMahatma

1997.

It's also the most nightmarish and...

SHEPHERD HUDDO!

FK!

Goal Umpire giving a point to Libba's Goal had a big part to play in that.

**The bulldog tragician** · 08-03-2023, 08:43 PM

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

The years where you don’t expect much are always the best. I would definitely say 1997, bar the horror of that hideous quarter. We were fun to watch, had come from the clouds, and had survived another near death experience as a club. If we’d only had a “respectable” loss in that PF, but the memory of the season is tarnished by that implosion (which I reckon also affected our self belief as a club and was the reason we performed abysmally in the first finals in 08-10).

Anyway I voted 2015. The excitement of a young carefree group, playing with freedom. A coach who was open, refreshing, empathetic (I wish that guy would return sometimes). A captain who was offbeat and different. And yeah, we should have won that EF, but there was such a buzz in the air that night, so much electricity as we zinged the ball around, and I’ll never forget the Bonti chart in the third quarter.

**jeemak** · 08-03-2023, 08:44 PM

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

Irrespective of the preliminary final result 1997 was a fantastic ride, given I didn't think the club was going to be around or at least much chop after 1996.

I was in year 12 and at the peak of my football love. Chris Grant playing filthy good football, our tough and in your face midfield, and a coach who encouraged us to stand up.

What's not to love.....well at least for all but a couple of weeks of the year!

**GVGjr** · 08-03-2023, 09:03 PM

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

Originally posted by The bulldog tragician

The years where you don’t expect much are always the best. I would definitely say 1997, bar the horror of that hideous quarter. We were fun to watch, had come from the clouds, and had survived another near death experience as a club. If we’d only had a “respectable” loss in that PF, but the memory of the season is tarnished by that implosion (which I reckon also affected our self belief as a club and was the reason we performed abysmally in the first finals in 08-10).

Anyway I voted 2015. The excitement of a young carefree group, playing with freedom. A coach who was open, refreshing, empathetic (I wish that guy would return sometimes). A captain who was offbeat and different. And yeah, we should have won that EF, but there was such a buzz in the air that night, so much electricity as we zinged the ball around, and I’ll never forget the Bonti chart in the third quarter.

It was in 2015 that I really noticed improvement in the playing group and that we were capable of playing exhilarating football.
Who knows where we might have ended up if our plans were not leaked to Adelaide that year and if the game had have been played at Marvel.

**Happy Days** · 08-03-2023, 09:08 PM

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

2013 bit of a sleeper. We had pre crisis Griffen as a top 5 midfielder in the AFL, Will Minson somehow making an AA team, the Jarrad Grant revenge tour, Dahlhaus when he was still fun, and if the AFL had any idea of how to have a good time we would’ve been legislated into the finals when Essendon got kicked out.

Shame about the coach though.

**D Mitchell** · 08-03-2023, 09:59 PM

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

Accepting 2016 excluded. The Club 'risen from the grave, how could anyone go past 1990, especially Billy's goal around Wright ("that's as good as you'll ever see" Bruce McAvaney) to win the C'wood game at the G. Pass the tissues

**Hotdog60** · 09-03-2023, 07:05 AM

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

I went with 2006 and loved what Rocket brought to the club.
We were exciting to watch when we won it was regularly with a 3 digit score.
We had the likes of Cooney, Boyd, Cross, Gilbee, Grant, Griffen, Hahn, Johnson, Morris Murphy Smith and West.
We should have won a Grand final or two in that era but wasn't to be.
The Eade era was fun times.

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

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

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