Season 1998

[mk33]

Just a topic on season 1998 and some of the memories of the year.It was the third year in five that we finished ninth (ended being 4 in 7 years). It was the Giesch first full year as coach coming off the last 5 games in 1997 where we won 4 games in 5 and missed the finals that year by 2pts.

In 1998 we won 12 lost 10 with a percentage of 104.8.
We were in the 8 for 18 weeks but not the last 3.

This would have been good enough to make the eight in any other year between 1994-2001 (sorry have not got ladders for 2002-05), including being 5th in 1999.

The main reasons why we were unlucky not to make the eight are
1- We were the only side not too lose two games in a row for the year, admitely we did not win 3 in a row for the year
2 - We were the only side not to lose to the two grand finalists, we beat Adelaide in Adelaide and beat North at the G.

A summary of the year
R1 Beating Essendon at the G, great games, we were behind at 3 quarter time but kicked six goals to three winning by 14 pts.Ottens first game Knights, Daffy and Brodders among the best.

R2 lost to Geelong atGeelong by 19 pts, Richo back but rebroke his arm. Merenda 4 goals.Knights reported for striking Spinks and suspended for 2 weeks.

R3 Come from behind win against Hawks. Memorable for the Gale incident late in the match.Hawks opened with 7.0 to 1.2 still 23 pts up at half time, 11pts at 3/4 time. Holland 5 Harrison 4. Benny BOG

R4 A shocker, 45 pts loss to Pies who opened up with 7.1 to 0.3. Daffy 5 goals

R5 15 pts win over Eagles.Knights returning and Merenda taken a speccy over Guy McKenna and kicking 3 goals.

R6 A 35 loss in the rain to Brisbane (it was their first win for year). Rory Hilton first league game with Brisbane. Richo return for third time from broken arm.

R7 32 point win over Melbourne, Richo 3 goals.Debut of Lionel Proctor, Brodo got dropped!!! Knights BOG

R8 13 point win over in Adelaide against the reigning premiers. Known for Blight walking off at the 20m mark. We were two points behind at 3/4 time. Gale and Daffy best

R9 Hard fought 13pt loss to Bulldogs at Waverly. Bulldogs were on top and playing well. Richo 4 (3 in 1st quarter and Evans 3 goals. Thought we may be a chance that year even though we lost

R10 31pt win over Port but should have been more as missed easy shots kicking 13.19. Richo kicked 4.7. Knights and Campbell best

R11 Saints were third on ladder and we lost by 27pts. Bad loss as we were 8.6 to 3.2 at quarter time and still had 3pt win at 3/4 time.Richo 4 goals in 1st quarter but no more after that.

R12 35 point over Kangas who had Carey, beaten by the Gas.Richo 4 Powell and Brodders 3. Led by 5 goals nearly all day. Daffy, Gas and Broders best

R13 Lost by 11 points to Sydney in Sydney. Remeber Holland taking a mark in last quarter from 40 but ball taken off him and Sydney goaling. 2 goal turnaround. Richo 5 goals

R14 90 pt win over Dockers, Richo 7, Plapp 3 on debut 3 goals also to Holland and Ryan. Knights and Campbell best.

R15 62 point win over Blues, who were 6 goals to 1 in first quarter. Richo and Plapp 5 Daffy 4 and BOG
Happy Days.

R16 19pt loss to Essendon who celebrated Sheedy record breaking coach record at Dons.Richo 5, we wre pumped at half time after drawing level from an Evans 60m goal. This and the loss two weeks later were the two critical losses IMO.

R17 Justin Charles comeback where he kicked a goal with his first kick. Beat the Cats by 9 points in lacklustre match. *smile* went forward in 3rd quarter as we were behind and kicked 2 goals.

R18 Hawks were last with three wins, we wer 5th and needed to keep winning. Result 36pt loss at Waverly. Only 4 goals kicked, Richo kicked 3. Justin Charles last ever match

R19 Tigers 19pt over Pies but Richo fractures his cheekbone in a ruck contest with Monkhorst.Plapp 4 goals and 2 weeks suspended. Brodo and Bowden best

R20 39 point loss to Eagles. Greg Tivendale debut off rookie list. Knights best

R21 Fired up by Brisbane fighting us before the bounce we won by 77 points. In new look fwd line Merenda and Aaron James kicked 5 goals each Daffy 3. Daffy Nad Harrison best

R22 Needed to win to play finals, Melbourne were 5th and consolidated in finals with 4 wins in a row. You could tell straight away Melbourne were switched on and we were not. Farmer took mark of the year Lyon was pumped up after kicking first goal. Holland, Evans and Richo were back in from injuries. Holland missing last 6 Richo last 2 from cheekbone injury. Dees won by 76 points yet we were playing badly but only three goals behind at half time. Richo kicked 4 Merenda 3.

To me this was our unluckiest 9th as 1996 we had stronger % but were 11-11.

 

[Ready]

Let's be honest, we really should have made the eight that year. That was the year we won 11 from 11 in black shorts and one from 11 in white shorts (over Adelaide at Football Park). In the long run it was the insipid loss against Hawthorn at Waverley in Round 18 that really cost us.

Some other memories of that year:

Round 1, Damien Ryan's tackle on Darren Bewick in the last quarter when it looked like the Bombers were about to run over us.

Round 6 at the 'Gabba -- we were appalling that night. Katrina Pressley became the AFL's first female goal umpire and on debut copped a ferocious spray from Paul Bulluss for awarding a goal to Brisbane after the ball had been touched on the line.

Round 7 against Melbourne and Jim Stynes was coming back from a hand injury that had ended his record streak of consecutive games a few weeks before. Prior to the bounce he was chased around by Scotty Turner who wanted to play pattycake with him.  ;D

Round 9 and Justin Charles was being interviewed in the Waverley grandstand by, I think, Peter McKenna during the second quarter. He stopped in mid-sentence at one point and let out a cry of "BAAALLLL!"  :cutelaugh

Round 10 is still the last time we played Port Adelaide at the MCG.

Round 11 and there were 71,000 at Waverley as we took on the high-flying Saints on the Queen's Birthday Monday. Unfortunately they ran over the top of us in the last quarter.

After Round 19 we were on the back page. It was because of the ridiculous number of trainers, runners, water carriers and other officials on the ground.

Round 22 and we were still somehow in it at half-time. The moment I always remember is just after the resumption when Joel Bowden attempted to run and bounce through centre half back. Caught, turnover, goal, and we got slaughtered after that.

 

[Rosy]

Round 22 and we were still somehow in it at half-time. The moment I always remember is just after the resumption when Joel Bowden attempted to run and bounce through centre half back. Caught, turnover, goal, and we got slaughtered after that.

I'm pretty sure that's the game that's made me nervous ever since if the opposition have a cavalcade or pom pom girls before a game.

I remember it because of the extremely iontoxicated Tiger lady sitting behind us. She was bawling her eyes out and yelling out racist comments to Joe Gutnick and telling him to give Melb another diamond etc.

She was embarrassing herself and her family who dragged her out kicking and screaming long before the end of the game. When I went to get my stuff from under the seat after the game I saw they'd left bag of things from the Tiger Den behind in their rush to leave.

I tired to hand it to the staff at the ground but they told me to contact the Tiger Den. No one ever claimed it which is sad cos it had a polo top, a men's jacket and some other bits and pieces in it. A costly tantrum.

 

[pahoffm]

This was a crucial year for the Tiges.

It was this year that I begged both Jim Malone & Leon Daphne to recruit 2 or 3 genuine junior midfielders.

Tony Free was finished, Chris Bond had gone to Fremantle, and Chris Naish had gone to Port Adelaide. We clearly needed to replenish our stock of junior rovers.

Unfortunately they were of the opinion that Mark Chaffey, one player, was going to meet all our midfield responsibilities for the next half a dozen years.

I was so disappointed.

 

[RfC77]

the last game of the year against melbourne stands out in my mind for 1 reason.. 70-75 000 people at that game and id say easily 3/4 of the crowd were tigers supporters, ive never seen such a big pro richmond crowd before. Given the time of the year it was, perhaps all the melb supporters were at the snow knowing they were already in the finals. Also on that day i believe another record was set, the most amount of empty beer cups and whiskey bottles littered around standing bay M2 that i have ever seen in memory.

 

[mopsy fraser]

1998 showed what a massive supporter base we do have, we didn`t even make the finals yet we had 5 games of 70,000 plus crowds and pulled 1 million people through the gates for the year(again).

 

[thejinx]

That Melbourne game in Rnd22 was the first game I ever went to. (I went to other games as a toddler, but they don't count).

I was so excited to be at the G to watch my beloved Tigers, and I was amazed at the crowd that was there. Was just incredible.

But shortly after, I realised how bad we can be sometimes, and left for home with my Demon supporting mates giving me sh.t

That Farmer mark will forever be etched into my brain.

 

[Tiger Attack]

That first quarter by Melb was blindingly good. Lyon got a goal in the opening seconds and then Farmer soared to the heavens to mark.

It was bye bye finals after that.

 

[wagstaff]

As others have said this was a massive wasted opportunity. I think it was an inditement on Geischen as much as anybody else as we had a pretty good injury run apart from Richo (although he's rarely gone through a whole season uninjured) and the list was good enough to be a finals side.

Especially so with our good midfield wherewe had Knights, Campbell, Broderick and Daffy (his best season) all play 20 games at least. It was especially signifcant with Knights as his previous two seasons had been ruined by injury.

I suppose the weakness was in the backline, and the Richmond selectors/coach clearly agreed as they sacked one of its central figures, Paul Bulluss at season's end.

The two most costly losses was against Brisbane at the Gabba and Hawthorn at Waverley. We had an awful record in crunch games at Waverley in the late 1990s.