Our jumper? Oh you know, whatever.
It’s Chris here, doing this week’s feud, as you probably realise since “hate” is a very un-Dugald-like word. I do indeed hate the Weagles and it goes back to their first game in 1987.
I was watching in a shabby flat in West Hobart with the reigning Fan of the Week, and a couple of Carlton fans. The Tiges had set up a 33 point lead at 3/4 time through vintage work from Maurice Rioli, and some impressive efforts from boom recruit Michael Mitchell in his first VFL game. Joe and I decided to use the last break to pop up to the Marquis of Hastings for a new slab of Pale to see us through the celebrations. We got back to hoots of derision from the others, as the Weagles were already in front. They kicked 9.4 to 1.5 in the last term and won by 14 points.
So you could say West Coast and I got off on the wrong foot. Since then, their players have fallen into two categories – a) the unspeakably annoying ones, and b) Dean Kemp. I admired Kemp enormously, but on the other side of the ledger were Karl Langdon, Cousins, Michael Gardiner, Chad Fletcher, Brett Heady, ex Tiger Peter Wilson. What a pack of ratbags.
Malthouse’s robots won the 92 premiership, which was deeply unsettling, not just to Victorians. I grew up believing in the 12-team VFL and making the ladder longer just seemed to mean Richmond were further from the top.
I could go on about Ben Cousins and my delight in his downfall but it makes me sound like an unfeeling monster; so let’s just leave that out.
I have honestly never got over that 1987 disappointment. The Eagles went on to win 11 games and finish 8th. The Tigers contined their miserable run, winning the Spoon and going down in history as the first team to finish 14th. Whereas if they had kicked straight while we were at the bottle shop …
Those are some shocking jumpers. Thanks for putting them in all of their lack-of-glory. I find the worst ones to be the blue-white-yellow vertical stripes with the bird besmirched upon it. I guess they’re compelled to do new designs as some kind of commercial incentive. But, really, do they have to be so ugly? I can’t help but think clubs should have to follow stricter guidelines on what a footy jumper should like like.
I remember Mark Williams, while coach of Port, once saying, ‘it is an insult to our jumper’ (ironically I think it was after a loss to the Tiges) – well the jumper they were wearing was an insult to footy fans. It was some kind of teal abomination with lightning strikes across it. My god it was horrid. As for the Tigers, well, they looked great in that 1987 jumper.