Good synopsis Rodc, I recall that Carlton game from 1976, listening at home on the radio, my father and the relatives were there. The euphoria at the end knowing that Footscray had just made the finals. Hopefully someone somewhere can "dig up" a video of that game well at least some action taken from either HSV 7 or ABC 2 from their replay shows? There is a 2 or 3 minutes from the ABC around on You Tube, but a game of that importance and quality deserves more airing than that. Footscray was on tv a fair bit in 1976- both Carlton games, the South Melbourne game from Round 3, Hawthorn from Waverley in Round 4, both Geelong matches, the Melbourne game from the Western Oval- these were some I recall. There would have been more.
As for Footscray favourites- I guess kicking the highest score in the competition in 1978 has got to be right up there. Perhaps that was the best, for what was done in the result, rather than the importance of the match.
Wins in the First Semi Final back in 1985 and 1992 are great because of their high ranking, in that regard they are higher that kicking 29.15.189 at Windy Hill in 1977 and then breaking that club record with the competition record as well in registering 33.15.213 in 1978.
In the era of "Western" well the Grand Final has to be the best surely and the Preliminary Final over the other Western is undoubtedly the clear 2nd best. As for the 3rd best- Hawthorn in the same final series and West Coast the week before that?
One game that is over glorified in my view- not because of the game iteslf, its more the over celebration of that victory. That was in the Olympic year (2000 not 1956) because it "stuffed up" the opponents. "We stopped them"- well to me the constant talk of it comes across as having an inferiority complex. Its a bit like (but only to a point) Collingwood in the 1958 Grand Final, being more important that say 1953 or 1935 etc, because they stopped Melbourne equalling their 4 in a row.
Yet the magpies got a flag out of for themselves by winning, other than the 4 points, we got sod all out of beating Essendon for ourselves! We lost the next 2 games and our season was over- straight out winning nothing.That was our last victory for season 2000. When non- Bombers fans go on about 'its been "x amount" of days since Essendon won a final', I find that chip on the shoulder stuff cringewrothy especially when its sprouted by "The Bulldogs" supporters. Thats why I don't indulge in it, I look upon cherishing wins as for what it does postively for us, not what a win over an opponent does negatively for them. Thta is what is being remembered.
That 1992 win you mentioned at Moorabbin was a ripper- good close game- which helped us to get the double chance at the end of the season. The final at Waverley was a good result- accurated kicking on a windy day 19.5.119- and some of the 5 behinds were actually gettable. Anyway winning the toss was a huge help, St Kilda were playing catch up footy, at times I thought they were getting it together (in the 3rd quarter), but we steadied with the breeze.
Other games that I really enjoyed was Melbourne in 1985- becasue it gave us OUR record winning margin- it was about us gaining something other than 4 Premiership Points.
1985 all round was a fine year because Footscray played some fine high scoring football. They were a great team to watch- Beasley, Bamblett, Edmond, S MacPherson, Royal & Buhagiar all kicked 36 or more in that season, that means that all 6 averaged at the least 1 & 1/2 goals a game.
As for Liberatore's "goal" against the Crows I was at the time in the standing room area of the Great Southern Stand, so a fair way from it, I thought it was a goal, but we all know what happened.
