Bombertalk

I feel a little nostalgic, so here goes…..(some may remember it a little differently)


The devastation of the 1983 Grand Final left many long suffering supporters gutted. It was a demolition and humiliation of gigantic proportions. At first, the lead up was a fairytale…..our 1st ever Elimination Final victory against Carlton. Then an unexpected Ist Semi Final win against the fancied Fitzroy. Then an amazing demolition job on North Melbourne in the Preliminary Final. A nervous week ahead for many supporters and players alike. We had defeated Hawthorn in R19 at Windy Hill by 46 points. Could we do it in the Grand Final? The fairytale soon turned into a nightmare in a matter of minutes. Watson was knocked out, and Hawthorn rammed home easy goals.…..all day long. We were overawed, and overwhelmed. Sheedy blasted the players at the after match function, and the redemption seeds were planted.

Enter 1984.

Essendon started their season well with a good win over the Saints with Salmon kicking 7 majors. The Grand Final replay occurred in R2, with another loss to Hawthorn, but only by 6 points. Salmon again kicked 7 big ones. A 63 point thrashing of Collingwood saw Salmon kicking 8 goals. All of a sudden, we had a sensation on our hands. It was obvious the towering full forward was going to be unstoppable. He could lead, kick long goals, or just stand there and out mark any full back in the comp. Footy articles were flooded with the Salmon phenomena. How do you stop him? If he wasn’t able to be in a position to mark the ball in a pack, he would cleverly leap, and simply palm the ball down to a crumbing rover into an open goal as if it were a boundary throw in. It was simply great to watch. Rain affected games were a problem for him, but he still contributed well. He bagged another 5 against Richmond, then another 8 against Fitzroy. He was every opposition coaches nightmare….they simply had no-one big enough to compete against him. The theory was to stop the supply, but with Tim Watson, Hawker, Neagle, Baker, Williams and Madden in the centre, it was easier said than done.

Salmon kicked a bag of 7 in R9 against Carlton and R11 against Sydney. He had managed to kick 60 goals after 12 rounds. He was well on the way to kicking the ton. The world was at his feet, and he was just the ingredient we needed to be a premiership team. The 6 ft 9in giant at full forward made everyone around him walk taller. And he was only 19!

Tragedy struck in R13 against Collingwood. He kicked 3 goals before Sheeds put him in the ruck. He grabbed the ball from the centre bounce and went to kick it forward when Geoff Raines dived to smother the ball. The motion of kicking and the weight of Raines diving on his leg caused him to damage his anterior cruciate ligament. The sight of him screaming in pain as he was stretchered off shattered evry Bomber supporter. The headlines were amazing. “SALMON OUT 12 MONTHS” covered the entire front page, just like when headlines read “BRADMAN OUT FOR 0”.

Could we cover the loss of Salmon? Steve Copping was just delisted two weeks prior to Salmon’s injury. Enter Mark Harvey to help fill the void. Our forward line was re-structured with the likes of Terry Daniher, Vander, Madden, Merrett and Harvey all chipping in with bags of goals.

The finals series began with an epic 2nd Semi Final against Hawthorn – that mongrel team that kept beating us. When the siren sounded Hawthorn were 2 points up. They kicked a goal after the siren to stretch it to 8 points. Our leading goal kicker was Leon Baker with 3. There was a teenage supporter who was shattered at that loss, and kept cursing Hawthorn all week. The Preliminary Final was another walk in the park with a lazy 133 point victory against Collingwood. Again, Leon Baker was our leading goal kicker with 6.

Déjà vu, Grand Final 1984. Essendon v Hawthorn. Early goals to Hawthorn…..NOT AGAIN!!!! Nothing seemed to work up forward, however, we seemed to hold our own around the ground. At 3Q time, I was a nervous wreck. With a scoreline of 5.15: 45, I couldn’t help but think of a 19 year old superstar on crutches watching in the stands. “What if…”

Then the best 30 odd minutes of my football supporting life occurred…sparked by that masterful genius, Leon Baker. We overran Hawthorn to win by 24 points with Baker leading the goal kicking (again) with 4.

Looking at the celebrations, one could really feel for that teary 6ft 9in superstar trying hard to be happy. He was robbed a deserved premiership medallion, but fortunately, his future turned out very bright after all….

Sensational and well done Benny.

I obviously wasnt old enough to witness first hand the '84 GF, but I remember Drew morphett said during the commentary that the margin at 3/4 time was 23 points, which was the margin after 9 minutes into the match, so it had been petty level.

I remember hearing Watsons account of the 3/4 time huddle. He said something like "Sheeds came into the huddle all excited. He sensed that hawthorn were struggling, they were tired. He pointed to them saying They have had it, their gone. We can win this, just need to kick straight"

I know watching the replay numerous times, and while you mention baker as the spark, dont under-estimate Daisy Williams efforts with the center bounce clearances and Madden who lifted in the final quarter also.

Roger Merret came on for Walsh after he was KO'd by Dipper and had a hand in 4 goals. One he kicked (mark in the goal square about 5 deep), another he handpassed to Harvey who set up Watson and another he simply put on a great shepherd so Watson could latch onto the ball and drive home a goal.

Terry Wallace said that the loudest roar he had heard in all his time was when Bomber Thompson kicked the goal to get us within 5 points. He said later in an interview that at the time, he thought "uh-oh, we have woken the dragon".

No disrespect to Billy, but after seeing the replay, it looked as though Daisy Williams or Leon Baker probably should have got the NSM.

And Nobby Clarke really did the number on Matthews after that early onslaught.

Rossoneri wrote:Sensational and well done Benny.

I obviously wasnt old enough to witness first hand the '84 GF, but I remember Drew morphett said during the commentary that the margin at 3/4 time was 23 points, which was the margin after 9 minutes into the match, so it had been petty level.

I remember hearing Watsons account of the 3/4 time huddle. He said something like "Sheeds came into the huddle all excited. He sensed that hawthorn were struggling, they were tired. He pointed to them saying They have had it, their gone. We can win this, just need to kick straight"

I know watching the replay numerous times, and while you mention baker as the spark, dont under-estimate Daisy Williams efforts with the center bounce clearances and Madden who lifted in the final quarter also.

Roger Merret came on for Walsh after he was KO'd by Dipper and had a hand in 4 goals. One he kicked (mark in the goal square about 5 deep), another he handpassed to Harvey who set up Watson and another he simply put on a great shepherd so Watson could latch onto the ball and drive home a goal.

Terry Wallace said that the loudest roar he had heard in all his time was when Bomber Thompson kicked the goal to get us within 5 points. He said later in an interview that at the time, he thought "uh-oh, we have woken the dragon".

No disrespect to Billy, but after seeing the replay, it looked as though Daisy Williams or Leon Baker probably should have got the NSM.

And Nobby Clarke really did the number on Matthews after that early onslaught.

Ah yes, no doubt the Madden/Williams combo was the catalyst....but the vital first goal of the quarter within a minute by Baker was the ignition we needed to get "pumped" for the onslaught. Bradbury kicked the next one and all of a sudden it was 11 points. Bomber Thompson (nervous as all shit) slammed home the next. But that magnificent Baker goal that put us in front was the moment I went completely berserk...I just went F****** nuts. We lost the lead - but regained it with a Merrett mark in the goal square......and that was that. Merrett was fantastic when he came on, and you are completely right with his influence.

Billy was good when we were struggling. Personally, I would have given the medal to Shane Heard. He was magnificent on Dipierdomenico. Dipper absolutely cut us to ribbons in the 2nd Semi Final - and was given an absolute bath in the Grand Final. The only thing he did was knock out Kevin Walsh. My top 5 players (in order) that day were Heard, Baker, Watson, Hawker, Duckworth. Nobby was always a quiet achiever, and hardly anyone noticed the excellent jobs he would get done. Foulds was similar.

To win the flag with the enormous loss of Salmon was amazing. It was the first time we'd beaten Hawthorn that year.

Beautiful stuff Ben

I still lived in Melbourne in those glorious days and went to every game in '84 (except the one in Sydney) after missing all of '83 as I was traveling through Europe. The highs as we steadily improved and won game after game, and the lows of losing the big fish and continuously losing to Hawthorn.

The 2nd semi-final is still to this day, the greatest game of football I have ever seen even though we lost. A week later and the fantastic sight of collingwood supporters streaming out of waverley at half time as the bombers led by 12 goals.

And then the GF itself...a mad rush to get tickets and having to work on the morning of the game, struggling to keep focused as the anticipation of my first GF grew. Getting to the ground all decked out in the red & black to join a sea of colour (in the days before football became too corporatised). The agony of the opening quarter, improvement in the second...but not enough to suggest we could win. Superstition kicked in and I was convinced that if I didn't utter a word for the rest of the game we would win.

I sat there for the entire second half and didn't make a sound...I didn't clap, I didn't cheer...I just sat there hoping against hope that it would work out.

More improvement in the third quarter...we were running them off their feet but we couldn't kick goals...hope was rising but we still needed something special.

And it came in the fourth quarter...all the doubts were blown away as we became an irresistable force that smashed the mighty hawthorn machine aside. And still I was silent as the bomber supporters around me went crazy.

Finally the siren sounded and all the pent up emotion was let out in a mighty scream of joy.

Another thread in here talks about what it means to us to support the best team in the world....there was a big guy sitting next to me who must have weighed over 150kg and he just sat there crying with joy as each player went up to get his medallion. That was the joy of being a bomber supporter.

Has there been a better day in sport...not in my memory

Geez nice passion there Benny and Swoods.

Re Salmon's knee - when did they 'invent' the knee reconstruction procedure? I know guys who blew their knees in the 50's usually ended up retiring because there was no way of fixing a torn ACL to stand up to the rigours of footy. I'm guessing the ACL reconstruction started becoming mainstream in footy about the mid-to-late 70's?

19 years between drinks deserved a few tears

The hype re: Hawkins earlier this year reminded of that 1984 start he had, but Hawkins still wasn't anywhere near Salmon. He was a phenomenom.

jimmyc1985 wrote:Geez nice passion there Benny and Swoods.

Re Salmon's knee - when did they 'invent' the knee reconstruction procedure? I know guys who blew their knees in the 50's usually ended up retiring because there was no way of fixing a torn ACL to stand up to the rigours of footy. I'm guessing the ACL reconstruction started becoming mainstream in footy about the mid-to-late 70's?

That's a very good question. Not sure to be honest. I cannot remember anyone doing their ACL and having sucessful reconstruction in the 70's at all (I was too young to notice that sort of thing). Neale Daniher done his in 1981 and his reco was a disaster. Might have to do a bit of research to find that out...

A very nice topic. '84 was before my time so it is good to read about all of it.

I remember where I was when Salmon did his knee. I was 8 and listening to the game on the radio when it happened. I was staying at my Aunties place and I was really upset.

I remember going to the 84 Gf. My Dad was going nuts. He was so happy. That last quarter was awesome. The entire side played perfect football. Kids like Harvey and Thompson stood up. Madden, Williams, Baker, Duckworth etc were so good. One of the greatest days in the clubs history.

I have the last quarter call from the ABC on my Ipod. Listen to it all the time.

BenDoolan wrote:

jimmyc1985 wrote:Geez nice passion there Benny and Swoods.

Re Salmon's knee - when did they 'invent' the knee reconstruction procedure? I know guys who blew their knees in the 50's usually ended up retiring because there was no way of fixing a torn ACL to stand up to the rigours of footy. I'm guessing the ACL reconstruction started becoming mainstream in footy about the mid-to-late 70's?

That's a very good question. Not sure to be honest. I cannot remember anyone doing their ACL and having sucessful reconstruction in the 70's at all (I was too young to notice that sort of thing). Neale Daniher done his in 1981 and his reco was a disaster. Might have to do a bit of research to find that out...

Agree with you there Ben re Neale being the first one I remember. All the knee injuries prior to that were usually cartiledge problems. Salmon is the first one I clearly remember coming back but I'm sure there would have been a few others around that time. The rehab was so different in those days...the whole leg would be put in plaster for up to 3 months and there was no such thing as trying to use it straight after the op like today.

A mate of mine did his playing rugby around the same time and I still remember him hobbling around on crutches nearly six months after the op.

swoodley wrote:
Agree with you there Ben re Neale being the first one I remember. All the knee injuries prior to that were usually cartiledge problems. Salmon is the first one I clearly remember coming back but I'm sure there would have been a few others around that time. The rehab was so different in those days...the whole leg would be put in plaster for up to 3 months and there was no such thing as trying to use it straight after the op like today.

A mate of mine did his playing rugby around the same time and I still remember him hobbling around on crutches nearly six months after the op.

ACL injuries were as rare as hen's teeth back in those days. I heard a theory from a fitness guru who did a presentation at my work a couple of years ago (he was a fitness adviser at Richmond at one stage), but I can't for life of me remember what it was that he thought caused more of these injuries.

What a great story... all except for the sensation having his career completely remodelled for him without his permission.

Could have gone on to anything had he been able to stay on the park for all of 1984. Still had a pretty decent career.

Thanks for the post, Benny. Still sends shivers down my spine thinking of that day. The first game of footy I ever remember is listening to the 1968 GF on the radio as a 7 year old and cursing Carlton for beating us (still hate them now).

I started going to the footy the following year (1969) only to see us go down the drain. Then, as a teenager, I endured the heartache of "eliminitis" (anyone remember that one?), when we kept getting to the Elimination Final and then no further. I have bad memories of Waverley!

Then I remember 1983. The thrill of finally winning some finals, only to be devastated by Hawthorn in the GF (still hate them too).

I was at Victoria Park (still hate that place too) when Salmon did his knee. I was at the MCG for the 2nd semi loss to Hawthorn - it felt like we could never beat those mongrels.

I was there at the GF when we stormed home to win. Baker's first goal of the last quarter was sensational. Billy was my favourite player (hence using his name now on BT) and so him winning the Norm Smith was just the icing on the cake.

I remember after the game taking the Broadmeadows line train back home. It was packed with Bombers supporters and we were all going beserk. It was like being drunk and yet we hadn't had a drink (yet - that was to come later!!!).

Supporters who didn't even know each other were hugging each other in delight. 19 years had been a VERY long drought.

Still my happiest memories ever of the footy.

Yeah Billy, that train road home was something special wasn't it. A Broadie Line train that you actually felt safe on...what a novelty.

billyduckworth wrote:Thanks for the post, Benny. Still sends shivers down my spine thinking of that day. The first game of footy I ever remember is listening to the 1968 GF on the radio as a 7 year old and cursing Carlton for beating us (still hate them now).

My cousin who's much older than me was a scarred individual after that '68 Grand Final loss. He was 11 years old, reckons we were robbed, and he locked himself away in his bedroom for two days (so he says). He has a deep seated hatred for Carlton that will remain with him for the rest of his life.

As for Eliminitis...yeah, sure do remember it. I bagan barracking for the Bombers in 1973 - the year we lost to the Saints in the Elim. I was too young to really remember the game etc...the same goes for '74. But 79, 81 & 82.......yeah, it was a bloody jinx.

I still have fond memories of the big party at Windy Hill the following day after the '84 Grand Final and getting autographs from our hero's.

Didnt we also lose the 1986 elimination final to Fitzroy? Was it Micky Conlan who kicked a goal just before the end of the match to win them the game? Hadnt had a kick all day?

My old man still bleeds about that one.

Oh well, we had the last laugh.
They dont exist anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rossoneri wrote:Didnt we also lose the 1986 elimination final to Fitzroy? Was it Micky Conlan who kicked a goal just before the end of the match to win them the game? Hadnt had a kick all day?

My old man still bleeds about that one.

Oh well, we had the last laugh.
They dont exist anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was a real shit of a day. Yeah, Conlan did FA and ended up the match winner. For memory, Hawker busted his guts trying to get us over the line but to no avail. It absolutely pissed down that day.

Rossoneri wrote:Didnt we also lose the 1986 elimination final to Fitzroy? Was it Micky Conlan who kicked a goal just before the end of the match to win them the game? Hadnt had a kick all day?

My old man still bleeds about that one.

was a shocking day at Waverley that day...



The Biggest Winners that day were Hawthorn...... Brereton said in an interview that the Hawks players were ecstatic when we lost because we were the only team they truly Feared. and when we lost they knew they could win the GF.

BenDoolan wrote: My cousin who's much older than me was a scarred individual after that '68 Grand Final loss. He was 11 years old, reckons we were robbed, and he locked himself away in his bedroom for two days (so he says). He has a deep seated hatred for Carlton that will remain with him for the rest of his life.

Didn't the umpire from that game say afterwards that he should have paid a free kick to an Essendon forward in the dying minutes?

BenDoolan wrote:

Rossoneri wrote:Didnt we also lose the 1986 elimination final to Fitzroy? Was it Micky Conlan who kicked a goal just before the end of the match to win them the game? Hadnt had a kick all day?

My old man still bleeds about that one.

Oh well, we had the last laugh.
They dont exist anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was a real shit of a day. Yeah, Conlan did FA and ended up the match winner. For memory, Hawker busted his guts trying to get us over the line but to no avail. It absolutely pissed down that day.

Not many of you will remember him but we had a guy playing for us at the time called Michael Thomson. He was a bit of a fringe player and was always in and out of the side. That day against Fitzroy he played probably his best game in Essendon colours playing on Conlan. As previously stated, Conlan did FA all day as Thomspn completely blanketed him....until the final minute of the game when Conlan kicked what turned out to be the winning goal...Thomson ended up at Richmond...football can be cruel.