Has there ever been a season like 1988?

[Interceptor]

Strewth Fair turnaround in that 19's game

Not wrong!
Must be a good story from that game -to be 7 goals down at half and then win by 10 (and kicking 12 in the last) is amazing.
Would be interesting to see who was playing that day.

[GWW]

I'll be honest. I've been scratching my head trying to come up with something I liked about the 1988 SANFL season, and I've drawn a zilch.

Woodville's only senior cup.

Woodville was awesome that night, especially Klug.

[am Bays]

I've heard stories about that game

the Glenelg team as I understand it included the likes of Reubenicht, Bartlett, Liptak, Jameson, Hele, McCully, Barton (I think), Phill McGuinness might have got a game, Thornborrow could have been there too.

Was a shattering experience for the boys, they couldn't believe they lost it

Do you reckon it had a lasting effect if you fast forward to the reserves finals series of 1990 when two weeks in a row we "blew" 10 goal leads to Port and Torrens when those blokes (except Bartlett and Liptak) were playing ressies...

Our final "success" of 93 and 94....

[Hondo]

After reading the write up of Sturt's 1 point win over Port on Full Points Footy, it was interesting to read that Sturt didn't win another game for the season (IIRC), including the Elim final v Glenelg.

Then Keane was sacked, players left for the AFL and other SANFL clubs (maybe just West Torrens), Rick Davies arrived; and Sturt sped to the bottom of the table and stayed there for 8 years or so. How may Sturt fans would have predicted such a bleak future when the siren sounded that day at Footy Park?

This is not a dig at Sturt BTW, just a comment on how fortunes change over time, and how quickly they can change.

[GWW]

Sturt basically had the guts ripped out of the side with D Smith, Popplestone and Schache leaving to play for WT. I wonder if the club knew they were likely to lose the players whether they would have still sacked Keane.

[Pseudo]

Strewth Fair turnaround in that 19's game

no kidding. Did the teams change jumpers at half time?

[spell_check]

Strewth Fair turnaround in that 19's game

From the games which I have quarter scores from in this grade, it's the third biggest turnaround from half to full time (101 points).
The biggest is this match:
Round 19 1974
Woodville 1.8 4.9 13.14 24.23 (167)
West 3.1 8.3 9.5 10.6 (66)

Representing a 119 point turnaround (18 point trailing margin to 101 point winning margin)

[therisingblues]

After reading the write up of Sturt's 1 point win over Port on Full Points Footy, it was interesting to read that Sturt didn't win another game for the season (IIRC), including the Elim final v Glenelg.

Then Keane was sacked, players left for the AFL and other SANFL clubs (maybe just West Torrens), Rick Davies arrived; and Sturt sped to the bottom of the table and stayed there for 8 years or so. How may Sturt fans would have predicted such a bleak future when the siren sounded that day at Footy Park?

This is not a dig at Sturt BTW, just a comment on how fortunes change over time, and how quickly they can change.

Not sure, but I think we had one more victory for the season, over West or Torrens I think. Perhaps Spelly can help out here?
I think it is a pretty moot point anyway, after we defeated Port we were in the top three, had defeated every other side and were looking the goods for a premiership and who knew what else after that.
None of us ever thought things would turn the way they did.

Sturt basically had the guts ripped out of the side with D Smith, Popplestone and Schache leaving to play for WT. I wonder if the club knew they were likely to lose the players whether they would have still sacked Keane.

D. Smith was a big supporter of Mervyn Keane, and was also a very big team man and popular with the supporters. He actually got sacked for being such an obvious supporter of the old coach, I guess the board felt he was potential trouble. Popplestone and Schache followed him over to Torrens.
Popplestone was a huge loss owing to his persona as well as him being an automatic selection in our starting 18. After some victories he'd get on the mike at presentations and have the clubrooms roaring with laughter. Usually it'd be his casual observation of some incident in the game or reference to something that happened on the sidelines. He had a real gift for telling a story. Either he or Smithy would come over to the cheersquad's table with three or four jugs of beer "Get stuck in to it boys!" It was a great place to be with those blokes around.
Schache of course had unbelievable hands, very mobile and good height for a key position. His value was best measured by his own performances on the field, at times he could singlehandedly lift the side or stop an opposition run on.
The loss of those three was obviously a big blow, but sacking Smith was clearly the catalyst IMO.

[spell_check]

Sturt did win another match in 1988:

Rd 20: Norwood 20.18 Sturt 10.17
Rd 21: Sturt 19.16 South 9.13
Rd 22: Glenelg 24.21 Sturt 10.15
EF: Glenelg 15.12 Sturt 4.19

[GWW]

1988, i think that was the year that South reached their lowest point, at least in the last 20 years or so.

Spelly, what details do you have on South's win/loss record for that year? I seem to recall they may upset a more fancied opponent once or twice..

[spell_check]

1 win and 21 losses, their only win coming against West Adelaide:

Round 4 1988
South 2.3 7.7 13.10 19.12 (126)
West 5.6 5.12 9.16 13.19 (97)
Adelaide, 2743

[Footy Chick]

1 win and 21 losses, their only win coming against West Adelaide:

Round 4 1988
South 2.3 7.7 13.10 19.12 (126)
West 5.6 5.12 9.16 13.19 (97)
Adelaide, 2743

Which then led to the SOS (save our south) campaign in 89 or 90....

Still have the Footy Times with the headline on front...

[Bluedemon]

I can remember that game at footy park when russell johnston lined up carl dilena and put him on a stretcher, dilena came back onto the game late in the 3rd qtr i think. johnston got done for 5 games and missed out on playing in the grand final.

[therisingblues]

I can remember that game at footy park when russell johnston lined up carl dilena and put him on a stretcher, dilena came back onto the game late in the 3rd qtr i think. johnston got done for 5 games and missed out on playing in the grand final.

Yes he definitely came back on, I can't say when exactly.
That was a very controversial incident at the time. Some Port fans swore till they were blue in the face that it was unintentional. I don't understand how they arrived at that conclusion as the tape clearly showed Dilena had eyes for nothing but the ball until the fraction of a second before he got elbowed in the head, his whole body had just gone through the motions of receiving that ball around chest height and there were no danger to Johnson that a simple hip and shoulder wouldn't have fixed. How on earth an "unintentional" elbow got in the equation is something only a Port supporter was ever able to answer.

[FlyingHigh]

I'll be honest. I've been scratching my head trying to come up with something I liked about the 1988 SANFL season, and I've drawn a zilch.

Woodville's only senior cup.

Woodville was awesome that night, especially Klug.

Woodville's '88 season was discussed on another thread - lost their first five games by reasonably small margins. At other times played some good footy, such as when they knocked North out in Round 22, when Nichols kicked his 100th.
Other memories included Woodville getting over-run by Torrens early in the year, Glenelg losing two games in a row after being around 5 goals up at 3/4 time (Port and West?), Centrals kicking a heap of points in the first quarter of 1st semi going with a gale and kept Bays in the match

[StrayDog]

...... Centrals kicking a heap of points in the first quarter of 1st semi going with a gale and kept Bays in the match

If memory serves the 'Dogs were about 1.11 by quarter time

I can remember that game at footy park when russell johnston lined up carl dilena and put him on a stretcher, dilena came back onto the game late in the 3rd qtr i think. johnston got done for 5 games and missed out on playing in the grand final.

Yes he definitely came back on, I can't say when exactly.
That was a very controversial incident at the time. Some Port fans swore till they were blue in the face that it was unintentional. ........ How on earth an "unintentional" elbow got in the equation is something only a Port supporter was ever able to answer.

His suspension served as a pretty powerful focal incentive (or propaganda tool, take your pick) as I recall, seemingly worked a charm.

[Goat Herder]

How on earth an "unintentional" elbow got in the equation is something only a Port supporter was ever able to answer.

Not unintentional. More like a momentary lapse of reason. One of the rare 'dirty' acts Johnno ever got embroiled in over his career. Did the 'time' though, in a big way, and justifiably so too. It was just as bad as the Bickley elbow on Wakelin, and ironically, received the same suspension as Bickley did some 14-15yrs later, although Dilena didn't have to have his face reconstructed.

By memory, I think Hodges injured a knee in the '88 Grand Final, came back on strapped up and limping and still kicked a few goals on (I think Chris Duthy). David Hynes had a big year in '88. Stephen Williams came back after his handful of games with the Brisbane Bears the year before, ushering Port into a spoilt decade of premiership glory. Mark Williams came back in the 1990 season. Greg Phillips was the 'rock' at CHB between 88-92. They were good days in the SANFL prior to the advent of the Crows.

My most vivid memory of the best game I have ever seen around that era was the Father's Day match against Port and North in '89, where both teams kicked 30 goals and North won by about 8pts in the end. The magic of D.Jarman was on display for all to see that day. Great match. Possibly the best I've ever seen.

[GWW]

Was it 88 or 90 when Hodges came off injured? I thought it was 90..

[Goat Herder]

Was it 88 or 90 when Hodges came off injured? I thought it was 90..

Could be right mate. I thought it was '88 and not his Magarey-winning year. I could be wrong. There's been a few braincells destroyed between then and now..

[GWW]

You're right there, those 88 and 90 games, all these years later, do blend into each other somewhat.