1968 - missed opportunity for Saints

[DazzlingDaryl]

As an older supporter, I often reminisce about previous eras.

In 1968, the Saints returned to their 1966 form after a disappointing 1967. In round 8 in the first quarter, they kicked 8 - 7 to nil against Essendon at Moorabbin. Herald football writer Alf Brown said this was the most amazing football he had ever seen. As I recall, the score was about 2-5 to 0-0 entering time on when Baldock et al went absolutely mad with 6 late goals! That is the ONLY time in nearly 50 years I have seen fans LEAVING at quarter time!!

In round 19 the return match was at Windy Hill. St Kilda jumped Ess and held sway in the first half and until late in time on. I can see in my mind's eye the hack Essendon ruckman Charlie Payne pulling down a mark in the goal square and subsequently scoring to draw the game 10 6 to 9 12 (66 each!)! Very unlucky not to have won at that partisan venue; it was a very gallant effort

Saints just had to win next week to stop a rampant Richmond making the 4. They played amazing football to down the Cats at Moorabbin by 51 points only to suffer a letdown and lose to the same team in the First Semi the next week in the real Dazzling Darrel's last sad game.

I often ponder what would have happened if the Windy Hill game had resulted in a win and Saints had still won in round 20.

St Kilda would have finished not 4th but SECOND and with a huge premiership chance!

They would play ESS in the Second Semi, a team they would have beaten twice during the season.

Carlton would be THIRD and no team ever won from third during 1931 - 1971 under the final 4 system

So who would have won in 1968??

1. ESS - beaten twice by Saints may have gone out in straight sets
2. CARL - may have made Grand Final?
3. GEELONG - had habit of finishing 4th and losing their only final in that era


It all points to a huge missed opportunity for St Kilda:
1. St Kilda's second flag in 1968
2. Immortality for Baldock and co
3. Start of a run of premierships and sustained success perhaps like Hawthorn since 1971?

[borderbarry]

Thanks for that DD. I never realised that 68 was such a good year, sandwiched in between 66 and 71. We have let a few opportunites slip over the years, have'nt we.

[borderbarry]

1965 was another one. We were the home and away champions, or minor premiers, which we were not in 1966.

[bergsone]

Big Carl had a great year in 68,was at the cats semi,but never looked like winning that day from memory

[Stephen Theodore]

My memory of that 1st semi v Geelong is winning toss and kicking against a howling wind in the first quarter. Geelong got the big lead, and we never looked like it.

To this day, it's always baffled me why we didn't kick with the wind. Presumably so we came home with the breeze, but we were so far down, was never going to happen.

[DazzlingDaryl]

Of course I was also at the semi final. My memory is that saints were never in the game. To top it all we had to catch the train back to geelong since we were holidaying on the bellarine coast.

Bill Ryan took a mark about 10 ft above the pack and it was all over in the first quarter

A very sad end for Baldock. The contrast with the fantastic send off for Milne, Kosi, and Blake is amazing

St Kilda should have been playing the second semi against Essendon in 1968


I was there in 1966 and and am still waiting for that second flag!!

[Jacks Back]

Don't even start about 1913!

[philtee]

Thanks for the terrific fan's insight DD. From your memory that Charlie Payne mark was crucial to our season, as was their straight kicking (10.6).
Please post more memories when they bubble to the surface !

[mcadam05]

Big Carl had a great year in 68,was at the cats semi,but never looked like winning that day from memory

Here's some Big Carl Goodness from 68

[Dave McNamara]

Thanks for this thread DD.

My only problem with the theory is... Carlscum. We never beat their dark forces last century.

I note that our two 1960's GFs were before they rose up from nearly two decades of being out of contention.

Once Carlscum were again a force, in the middle of the period we were both at the top in the late sixties early seventies, our one GF appearance (1971) was the one year that they missed the finals...

That highest ever scoring 1972 GF... we narrowly lost the PF to Carlscum, after having to wait two weeks with no footy following Carlscum and Tuggers playing a draw. I reckon if we'd gotten over Carlscum we could've beaten the Tuggers.

I think we could have easily won ten flags. Such a fine line... hence why I think you have to be there (the finals) as much as possible. Weight of numbers, c/f being reliant on everything going right.

[bergsone]

Don't even start about 1913!

You didn't enjoy your footy that year Jack ?

[Enrico_Misso]

In that topsy turvy 1978 season full of massive wins and gigantic losses,
if we hadn't drawn against Richmond despite more shots at goal.
We could have made the 5.

We beat both grand finalists (Hawth and North) during the H&A.

[DazzlingDaryl]

Dave Mac

You are correct - Saints could not beat Carlton during 1967 to 1973 when we were in contention and they were strong

I think 1968 finals would have gone like

1. STS def ESS; Carl def Geel
2. Carl def ESS (straight sets) in prelim
3. Carl def STK!

Carlton would have won from third, an impossible feat!

In my 'time' 1965 - 2013 I think Saints have missed 10 flag or Grand Final appearance chances

Consider that St Kilda (1965, 66, 71, 97, 09, 10, 10) has played the SAME NUMBER 7 of Grand Finals as Richmond (67,69,72,73,74,80,82) during 1965 - 2013!

Richmond won 5 flags; St Kilda one - and that by one point!

Richmond lost their 2 GFs to their nemesis Carlton but won all the others

[Sainternist]

Wish I was around to witness the Saints in the late '60s - early '70s.

Seems that bloody Essendon have a history of foiling us.

Round 20, 2009. Reckon if we didn't have the weakness in RL's press exposed that day by the Bummers we would have been better off in the finals and would have won the big one. Of course, it's all history now.

[I Love Peter Kiel]

Yes, I wasn't around for that '68 final against the Cats but apparently 'The Doc' just walked off at the end of the game. No fanfare.... A sad end to a great career.

Wasn't there in '72 either but Saints should have won that Prelim.

Was there at Footy Park in 2004 for the Prelim. A goal down, Peckitt interfered with. Can't help thinking that with the roles reversed he would've got a free kick.

[SaintPav]

Great read.

Some things never change. In 40 years time they'll be talking about the missed chances of 2004 to 2011.

[Enrico_Misso]

Don't even start about 1913!

Agree 1913 was a golden chance squandered.

Would suggest you also look at
1907 - finished third - won first 6 games of the season - lost only final
1908 - finished third - lost only final
1918 - finished fourth - lost only final
1929 - finished fourth - won 7 in a row leading up to loss in semi final
1939 - finished third - won 14 games including 8 in a row - lost Prelim
The more recent missed opportunities have been covered.

[magnifisaint]

Saints are the champions of losing

[Saints43]

Does anyone else think that Geelong laid down in the last round to keep '67 and '69 premiers Richmond out of the finals? And then smashed us the next week....

Or, why was there such a turnaround in two weeks?

[bergsone]

Does anyone else think that Geelong laid down in the last round to keep '67 and '69 premiers Richmond out of the finals? And then smashed us the next week....

Or, why was there such a turnaround in two weeks?

YES........But don't tell AD

[Trev from the Bush]

Agree with the tone of the topic. The Shadow was probably the most devastating player in the VFL in 1968. I have a video of us flogging the Tigers (the reigning premiers, remember) at Moorabbin and Big Carl collected something like 28 kicks. That single game should be put in a time capsule as an example of how the running, athletic big man evolved. Watch this game and you see Peter Moore, Anthony Koutafides and Wayne Carey rolled into one mean player, Army hair cut and all.

I saw every match that season, including our 11 goal hammering over the Cats in the last round. Unfortunately, the Cats did the same to us in near identical fashion the following week. We were as good as any team in 1968, though I agree with Dave McNamara in observing beating the Barassi-led Carlton was always going to be a big ask. Whatever, 4th was a very disappointing result.

Doc retiring was the catalyst for re-jigging the team. We would have been OK in '69 under Rossy Smith's leadership until he broke his arm. We desperately missed his class and had no worthwile rover. Anybody remember Jon Lillee (a specialist back-pocket) trying to pick up the slack?

[Vazelos]

In my time the following years were missed chances:

1991- Beat eventual Premiers Hawks by 11 goals at Princess Park with Plugger kicking his 100 that day.
Ended up 4th and due to a ridiculous Finals system play 3rd plac Geelong in an elimination final 1st week.
Ablett's thuggery knocks out Burke & Grant in the 1st half & we play the whole 2nd half with no bench just losing in the end.

1997- Vidovic & Everitt going down in Round 22 & 1st week of the finals put an end to our chances after winning the Minor Premiership.
Brett Cook as the Ruckman on the last day was never going to tackle Rehn and Pittman.

2004- Losing a relocated home game in Tasmania to the Hawks ( unbeatable at Etihad) cost us a home final & just lost to Port Power in Adelaide.
In Melbourne would have been a different story. Hamill out was a huge loss also. He was massive for our team back then.

2005- Worse injury run almost in the league with soft tissue injuries yet still make the Preliminary final. Hamill out again.
Hall belts Maguire & gets away with it & Swans take the game & Premiership the following week surprisingly with Hall getting off on the MRP.

2009- One of the greatest seasons in the history of the game destroyed by wayward kicking. Still cannot come to terms with losing this game & never will.

2010- The famous bounce with Milney.

Can I say I am not bitter... I would be lying!!!

[Sainternist]

In my time the following years were missed chances:

1991- Beat eventual Premiers Hawks by 11 goals at Princess Park with Plugger kicking his 100 that day.
Ended up 4th and due to a ridiculous Finals system play 3rd plac Geelong in an elimination final 1st week.
Ablett's thuggery knocks out Burke & Grant in the 1st half & we play the whole 2nd half with no bench just losing in the end.

That was actually 1992 when Plugger kicked his 100th against Hawthorn. The venue was Waverley.

However, we did beat Hawthorn during the home and away season at Princess Park in 1991. I think to the tune of about 6 goals.

I agree the AFL's finals schedule really set us back. Fancy having an Elimination Final between 3rd and 4th!

2004- Losing a relocated home game in Tasmania to the Hawks ( unbeatable at Etihad) cost us a home final & just lost to Port Power in Adelaide.
In Melbourne would have been a different story. Hamill out was a huge loss also. He was massive for our team back then.

Relocated game in Tassie against Hawthorn? I don't recall. They were a weak opposition back then and I'm sure we didn't lose to them that year. Or are you referring to the game we lost to in Tassie against Port? They really had our number back then.

[Vazelos]

Yes I stand corrected, Plugger's 100 against Hawthorn was in 1992 but the point was we beat the eventual Premiers in their home ground in 1991 & had a great team that year. The Finals system destroyed us that year along with Ablett's thuggery.

2004 we dropped a game in Tassie & again you may be right, it may have been Port. If we kept it at Etihad our chances for victory were huge.

[Enrico_Misso]

Yes it was losses like that one in Tassie to Port that spelled the end of the Tasmania experiment.
Had we played them at the House of Pain in Docklands we would have finished equal top of the ladder and would have had a home qualifying final instead of being bundled up to the Gabba where we always struggled.
I think that loss solidified GT's distaste for Tasmania and hastened our ultimate exit and the associated revenue stream loss which now sees us playing in NZ looking to get it back.