25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1984/85 CHAMPS

[BenDoolan]

I didn't go to this event, but I was able to sit in comfort infront of the PC and watch a live webcam of the entire function. Bloody fantastic seeing our glorious heroes re-live their magnificent achievements. Brought back so many euphoric memories.

Kevin Walsh looks better today than 25 years ago! Great to see champs like Leon Baker, Hawker, Neagle, Heard, Weston, Duckworth, Vander, Ezard etc, etc. I didn't recognise Frankie Dunell. Expected to see a bloke built like pretzel with a moustache. He's lost the porn mo and put on a few kilos. Few guys now have nude nuts like Hawker, Duckworth and Bradbury.

Sadly, one was missing - Nobby. They gave him a special mention - as you would expect.

Simon Madden did a fantastic job of singing about the boys of '84 & '85 to the tune of "I am, You Are, We Are Australian" with a song called "I Played, You Played, We Played For Essendon". Wish I could remember all the lyrics. Great stuff!

If anyone went, I would like to hear your stories of the night....

[rockhole]

I was lucky enough to get to the function on Saturday night.

It really was a great night and the club can be proud that it was the third biggest attendance for any function in the Palladium room at Crown.

The room was superbly set up with huge screens around he walls and plenty of memorable photos. The two premiership cups adorned the stage and the Watto, the Prince of MC's, ran the show.

Grassy will be pleased to know that the "49 Premiership Team was honoured and several members of the team were present and were given a generous round of applause. They included Jack Jones, Teddy Leehane, George Hassell and Harold Lambert.

There were several highlights to the night. Sheeds and Noel Judkins took us back to the early eighties and the challenges they faced. Sheeds really does have the "X" factor and helped us to relive the years leading up to the great wins.

Interviews with Dermie and Dipper were hilarious but the underlying them from both these guys was the respect they had for the Essendon teams of 84/85 even though they hated our guts.

Madden and Daniher are simply wonderful ambassadors for the club and I could listen to them all night. They preceded the introduction to the entire '84 team who were presented to the adoring crowd line by line.

It was a huge highlight for me to finally hear fabulous Leon actually speak and one priceless story he told about his reluctance to be interviewed was that he was working on a building site using someone else's ticket and was sh#t scared that someone from the union would recognise him if he appeared on TV. He also recalled a story whereby, after just joining the club, they went on an excursion down the coast somewhere. It was necessary on the way to stock up on tinnies, so they got as far as Cheltenham before replenishing supplies. I do not recall whereabouts they ended up, but it appears a lively pool game resulted up in a brawl with Leon looking on wondering what he had got into, especially and the coach was sitting back with a huge smile on his face.

It was wonderful to hear all those champions speak of those fantastic years. The stories flowed and each member was not hesitant in sending up his teammates.

They then brought out the 4 players who joined the squad for the '85 flag, namely, Fish, Bryan Wood, "Stan" Carey and Tony Elshaugh.

The "85 brawl was covered in detail by almost everyone, but Fish's story was priceless. Having witnessed the brawl from the forward line, he sprinted to the action which he considers took him 2 1/2 minutes!! His first decision was, being confronted with both Lethal and Russell Morris belting into one of our blokes, he decided to take on Morris. (howls of laughter!!) To his dismay, while tangling with Morris, his boyhood idol, David O'Halloran, sneaks up and belts him from behind!!!. Priceless!!!

Watson was not spared, especially when Simon brought out the acoustic guitar and sang a superb tribute to the era, with a more than passable voice.

Simon mentioned that Watson has a "Gold Pass' as he was the golden boy of the era. He gave examples of Watto's preferential treatment as when the squad would be ordered to do 6 laps of Windy Hill, "perhaps, Timmy, you could manage 1 or 2" or when returning from injury, rather than a couple of games in the twos, "perhaps you could let us know when you are ready to play in the seniors." It brought the house down!!!

A tribute to Nobby Clarke was gut wrenching but necessary and the memory which will stay with me was the entire playing list on stage with the Cups and all the supporting staff.

An auction for various gurnseys was quite frankly boring and Ray H should never be given a microphone, but these were minor hiccups in a fabulous night which ended with the video of the last quarter. (unfortunately the Ch. 7 version). When Leon kicked that goal the roar in the room was deafening!!!!

I left feeling really proud to be part of a club whose regard for tradition and heritage is so important. With such a massive turnout (1,700 people), I felt that the club was in pretty good shape and the kind of success we enjoyed in the eighties is again just around the corner.

[uptick]

Thanks for the review, great to hear about the night.

[spikefan]

I went to the function and it was bloody fantastic.

I hope all the current players and coaches learned something listening to the players and
watching the last quarter of the 84 GF.

Tim Watson is really an outstanding speaker.

Does anyone have a copy of Sheeds 3/4 time speech?

[BERT]

I also went along and it was a great night(Thanks Carla). I was 8 and 9 when we won those 2 flags so these guys are my heros. I loved all of them.

Rockhole has summed the night up really well. I liked when Tim was reading from the handout that Sheeds gave them before the 84 game. His summary on Dipper was gold. It finished with "and remember that there aren't many tough Italians"

All the players were fantastic with there time and signing things. It was great to see everyone there apart from Nobby and Harvs (who sent a video message) Also Nobbys wife and daughter were there.

It was a great night and makes you feel how lucky we are to follow this great club.

I would think we would be back there next year for the 10 year reunion of the 2000 side.

[billyduckworth]

Thanks for the summaries, guys.
It sounds fantastic. I would have loved to have been there.

[Windy_Hill]

Being overseas I couldnt make what sounds like a really fantastic night and I missed the webcast

However, I can go 2 better

I was in the MCG watching both flags in 1984 and 1985 - nothing will top that.

I wonder if the club will release a copy of the night - or perhaps replay the highlights off the website

[grassy1]

Cheers Rock,glad to hear that as the 1949/50 PREMIERSHIP TEAMS Helped Further the STRIVE for GLORY and FAME!They were a CLASS ACT and we MUST NEVER FORGET THAT.Make sure EVERY BOMBER YOUNGSTER KNOWS THAT and what even Now DICK REYNOLDS would expect from them in Representing ESSENDON.Don't have to play for us to Understand the Message he gave ROOKIES Every season.

Sounded like a GREAT NIGHT.Interesting DERMIE and BERTIE were there,but time heals many Wounds,25 years after many of us wanted to MURDER THEM.Just Curoius,was BARRY DAVIS the previous coach who made GOOD on his word of Resigning if we didn't make the Finals in 1980,there?SHEEDS was a great wrap for him and I often think back on BARRY'S Resignation as an lost opportunity for Football in General.Reckon he may have succeeded with us if he did make the Finals in 1980.All speculation of course,but interesting all the same.

[rockhole]

Didn't see Davis at the function, but there were a hell of a lot of ex players there so I really don't really know. Dermie and Dipper were present via video. I don't think either would have risked turning up in person!!!