I have several of the North Melbourne v West Coast Eagles games from the 1990s tucked away on a hard drive. I am sure some of you have done the same with games you’ve always wanted to go back and watch.
I’ve plucked this one out at random to start with. There is no rhyme nor reason to it – it just is what it is. I sat back to enjoy this one without reading reports or stat sheets and, as I do for every game from the era before advanced stats, had a notebook beside me to take down some of the more important numbers that were not yet being captured.
For this game, I looked at intercept possessions, contested marks, clearances, Get out of Jail marks, and spoils- all of which were not counted in the early 90s.
The West Coast v North Melbourne games have always held a place in my heart. Firstly, you have the epic series between Wayne Carey and Glen Jakovich to occupy you. Then you have some of the best players to ever pull on a jumper for either side. Guy McKenna, Brett Heady, Peter Sumich, Chris Lewis, and Chris Mainwaring were just a few who made up the nucleus of the dominant Eagles teams of the first half of the 90s. On the other side, Glenn Archer, Mick Martyn, Anthony Stevens, David King, and John Longmire wore blue and white stripes.
On paper, it looked great – the two teams of the 90s going head to head. The Eagles were in the midst of their first golden era. North were about to embark on their own successful run. As always seems to be the case, there were wrinkles to this game I was not aware of until I sat down and genuinely concentrated.
So, if the mood takes you, the link to the game online is provided below, and the view of the game, using more of a modern take on things, is part of the Mongrel Time Machine Review.
Hope you enjoy.
Uh oh… the rest of this one is behind the Mongrel Paywall. Don’t you hate that? This is where I try to provide value to our Mongrel Members. They will receive access to five or so exclusive columns per week during the off-season detailing trades, free agency, player profiles, drafts, statistical analysis, classic games and rivalries, and then into the pre-season previews. Wanna join them and support the best damn independent footy site you’ll find?
