SANFL Grand Finals - Complete Set

[Ash59]

I was recalling the 22 Grand Finals I've been to since my first in 1971. I realised that with the exception of South Adelaide I have seen each of the other 8 curent clubs win the big prize. Can anyone lay claim to having a complete set - seeing all nine current clubs win a grand final?

For the record I've seen:
Port 7 (77,79,80,81,89,95,96)
Centrals 5 (03,04,05,07,08)
Sturt 2 (74,76)
Norwood 2 (75,78)
Glenelg 2 (73,85)
North 2 (71,72)
West 1 (83)
Eagles 1 (06)

[robranosgod]

Certainly can claim that.

Port 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 - 17
Sturt 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1976, 2002 - 8
Central 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 - 7
North 1960, 1971, 1972, 1987, 1991 - 5
Norwood 1975, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1997 - 5
Glenelg 1973, 1985, 1986 - 3
West 1961, 1983 - 2
Eagles 1993, 2006 - 2
South 1964 - 1

Until you posted it didn't occur to me that I had seen the last 50 Grand Finals

[Dogwatcher]

Well that was finished pretty quick wasn't it

[am Bays]

I'm envious of both blokes going to so many GFs. Boo living interstate for 17 years and being born in the 70s.

[Interceptor]

Which are the best/most memorable GFs from your lists Ash59 and robranosgod?
Close games are probably the obvious ones, but mention any of them...

[robranosgod]

Which are the best/most memorable GFs from your lists Ash59 and robranosgod?
Close games are probably the obvious ones, but mention any of them...

I was only very young but 1960 seemed to be a classic with North beating Norwood by 5 points after being 8 points down with about 10 minutes to go. 1962 was only 3 points. Of course South winning the flag pleased everyone bar Port supporters as did Sturt in 1966 given that they had experienced such a drought.

1970 was memorable for the conditions. The rain didn't stop from 9:00 a.m. in the morning until after the game finished. Sturt's skills in those conditions were awesome.

1971 and 1972 were simply the Barrie Robran shows. We all know about 1973 as a classic.

1975 was a surprise the Bays were red hot and Norwood had not won a flag for 25 years and had never been a contender for much of that time.

1976 was the biggest upset I have ever seen, and Rick Davies display had to be seen to be believed. 1978 seemed to me to be the greatest injustice I have ever seen. Port were awesome right through 1980, but Norwood really gave them a fright in the Grand Final.

1984 was vicious. It was the second fiercest Grand Final I have ever seen. If trial by video was around then, there would have been a lot of reports. It was a funny year, Port and Norwood played off with teams that weren't their strongest. Carey's report may have cost the Bays a premierhip. I thought that Port lost the Grand Final at the selection table.

They Bays were awesome in 1985, intimidated North in 1986 and North were awesome in 1987. There were a lot of incidents in those games too that would lead to heavy suspensions these days.

1989 was the biggest disappointment I have experienced. 1991 was the most vicious and fiercest Grand Final I have ever see. Actually North played sensationally that day, but the incidents are all that are remembered.

1994 was the biggest turnaround I have seen in a game. The Eagles had Port on toast but somehow Port clawed there way back into the game and then finished all over the red hot favourites.

Somehow the Grand Finals since then haven't been so memorable for me. Perhaps since the Crows flags in 1997 and 1998 the SANFL has certainly taken a back seat. I mean know disrespect to Central or any other premier, you can only beat the opposition that is available, but somehow Grand Finals in front of 25,000-35,000 just don't have the same impact as those in front of a packed house at Footy Park. Centrals 7 premierships in 9 years all seem to meld in to one. They do it comfortably and yet the two they have lost have also been comfortable margins.

[Ash59]

For me 1973 will always be the best game of football you could wish to see... there was just something about the whole day, knowing it was probably going to be the last at Adelaide Oval. 1977 and 1980 were also great games but perhaps I remember them more cause I have them on tape.

In 1976 I went with a few guys, a couple were Sturt supporters and a couple were Port supporters. At the end of the game the Port guys were crying. The Sturt blokes were ecstatic. Two years later I went with the same Sturt guys and they were crying at the end...

Strangely the 2003 Grand Final was the first final I ever saw Centrals win - I think I'd seen 14 losses in a row starting with the 1971 Preliminary Final... I enjoyed last years game against the Bays, I thought the atmosphere on the day was getting close to the sort of atmosphere I remember from my younger days.

Clearly the worst was 1989. The match was over before 1/4 time.

[FlyingHigh]

Somehow the Grand Finals since then haven't been so memorable for me. Perhaps since the Crows flags in 1997 and 1998 the SANFL has certainly taken a back seat. I mean know disrespect to Central or any other premier, you can only beat the opposition that is available, but somehow Grand Finals in front of 25,000-35,000 just don't have the same impact as those in front of a packed house at Footy Park. Centrals 7 premierships in 9 years all seem to meld in to one. They do it comfortably and yet the two they have lost have also been comfortable margins.

Unfortunately tend to agree. Perhaps it is because there have been so many GF's over the last ten years without one of the traditional "big 4" in them, combined with 25-30K, almost make them feel like Prelim finals, and there is one more big game to come.

ROG, how do you rate the 1999 GF? This is one I missed, but reckon it is overlooked as a classic.

FWIW, I have seen 21 in my 31 years.

[FlyingHigh]

[
1984 was vicious. It was the second fiercest Grand Final I have ever seen. If trial by video was around then, there would have been a lot of reports. It was a funny year, Port and Norwood played off with teams that weren't their strongest. Carey's report may have cost the Bays a premierhip. I thought that Port lost the Grand Final at the selection table.

They Bays were awesome in 1985, intimidated North in 1986 and North were awesome in 1987. There were a lot of incidents in those games too that would lead to heavy suspensions these days.

1989 was the biggest disappointment I have experienced. 1991 was the most vicious and fiercest Grand Final I have ever see. Actually North played sensationally that day, but the incidents are all that are remembered.

While the 1991 GF was over-the-top, the incidents and scraps in these other games certainly added to the day and adrenalin as a spectator, and I think this is something we miss that these days, both at AFL and SANFL level. Probably 2003 is the only GF I can recall over the last 10-12 years with a bit of niggle and physical stuff in it (apart from the last 2 minutes of '07)

[Adelaide Hawk]

1984 was vicious. It was the second fiercest Grand Final I have ever seen. If trial by video was around then, there would have been a lot of reports. It was a funny year, Port and Norwood played off with teams that weren't their strongest. Carey's report may have cost the Bays a premierhip. I thought that Port lost the Grand Final at the selection table.

Pure dribble.