20 - MOUNT PLEASANT 1997
Coach - Murray Collins
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Record - 17-1
Percentage - 236.6%
Average for - 148
Average against - 63
Points differential - +85
RESULTS:
def Broadford 166-77
def White Hills 192-31
def Colbinabbin 106-50
def North Bendigo 192-123
def Huntly 110-47
def Heathcote 220-37
lt Elmore 92-108
def Rushworth 193-10
def Broadford 136-100
def White Hills 144-48
def Colbinabbin 109-39
def North Bendigo 117-95
def Huntly 204-68
def Heathcote 114-78
def Elmore 119-83
def Rushworth 287-14
Second semi-final:
def Broadford 79-41
Grand final:
def Elmore 86-78
SUMMARY - Mount Pleasant entered the 1997 Heathcote District league season with one goal in mind - to win the premiership for Lippy and Cliffy.
Lippy and Cliffy being two much-loved Mount Pleasant figures - Peter White and his father, Cliff White.
The pair, along with Mark Bell, were tragically lost at sea after a boating accident at Port Campbell on November 2, 1996.
Their deaths further galvanised what was already a power club that going into 1997 had won three of the previous four premierships and played in six of the past seven HDFL grand finals.
With new coach Murray Collins at the helm, the Blues driven by the determination of honouring their lost mates stormed their way through the home and away season, with their sole blemish a 16-point loss to Elmore in round eight.
The Blues finished 10 points clear on top of the ladder, rounding out their home and away season with a 273-point walloping of Rushworth in what was the Tigers' last HDFL game.
Mount Pleasant kicked 44.23 (287) that day - the Blues' total and the 273-point victory still both the competition's highest score and biggest winning margin since 1990.
Having beaten Broadford by 38 points in the second semi-final the Blues were pitted against Elmore in the grand final a fortnight later.
In what was a torrid grand final, the Blues were pushed all the way by the gallant Bloods, who had fought from fourth position, before prevailing by eight points, 13.8 (86) to 11.12 (78).
"We had a lot of blokes come back to the club to play for Lippy and Cliff that year," Collins said in 2017 ahead of the 20-year flag reunion.
"We never spoke about just trying to win enough games to make the finals, we were all about winning the grand final that year.
"All the boys put a lot of pressure on themselves throughout that year as individuals. There were some players who had copped serious injuries early in the season that if it had been any other year probably would have packed it in."
THE TEAM - Murray Collins, David Eefting, Gray Forman, Peter Hunter, Bryan Dorrington, Chris Gee, John Craig, Darren Kulbars, Adam Tuohey, Rob Rojewski, Mick O'Shea, Andrew McDougall, David McNamara, Steve Campbell, Jamie Gee, Paul Nihill, Rick Pumpa, Justin Gee, Dean Reed, Dean White.
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19 - MOUNT PLEASANT 1993
Coach - Peter White
Record - 17-1
Percentage - 242.8%
Average for - 162
Average against - 67
Points differential - +95
RESULTS:
def Heathcote 195-77
def Elmore 162-99
def Huntly 170-57
def Stanhope 248-69
def Broadford 147-87
def White Hills 194-72
def Rushworth 207-55
def Colbinabbin 89-42
lt Heathcote 77-94
def Elmore 164-82
def Huntly 137-79
def Stanhope 271-26
def Broadford 185-47
def White Hills 167-73
def Rushworth 190-48
def Colbinabbin 64-42
Second semi-final:
def Heathcote 142-69
Grand final:
def Heathcote 100-80
SUMMARY - Mount Pleasant's 1993 premiership season was the first of a Blues' flag trifecta in which they beat rivals Heathcote in three-consecutive HDFL grand finals.
Coming off a grand final defeat to the Saints in 1992, the Blues instilled 22-year-old favourite son Peter White as coach for 1993.
White had won Mount Pleasant's senior best and fairest as a 16-year-old in 1986, played in the club's 1990 premiership and had a stint with Carlton, playing three senior games with the Blues in 1989 and 1991.
By the end of 1993, White was also a premiership coach, leading the Blues through a dominant 17-1 season that was kickstarted by a 118-point shellacking of Heathcote in the round one grand final rematch.
The demolition of the Saints was one of five wins by more than 100 points the Blues racked up in their first seven games, while their most dominant performance came in round 14 when they crushed Stanhope by 245 points, 41.25 (271) to 4.2 (26), which was followed by a 138-point thrashing of Broadford the week after.
The Blues' 1993 season culminated with a 20-point grand final win over Heathcote, 15.10 (100) to 11.14 (80), with their best players led by Dugald Aitkin, David McNamara, Matt Beddoe and Damien Wingrave.
Such was their superiority over the rest of the competition, Mount Pleasant (one) and Heathcote (two) had gone into their flag battle with just three losses between them for the year.
"We had a really good core of local players and I remember we had Dugald Aitkin, who had played at Melbourne, and Matt Bedoe was another one we got and they were both top players that we were fortunate to secure," Blues' 1993 president Barney Tuohey said this week.
As well as coaching the premiership - as he would the following year, too - White also won the Blues' 1993 best and fairest.
THE TEAM - Peter White, John Craig, Steve Kearney, Murray Collins, Alan Kennedy, David McNamara, David Eefting, Mick White, Matt Beddoe, Justin Gee, Peter Smith, Mick O'Shea, James Sexton, Noel Slattery, Darren Kulbars, Robert O'Connell, Damien Wingrave, Dugald Aitken, Graeme Rohde, Paul O'Dwyer.
THE LIST SO FAR
No. 22 & 21 - Bridgewater 2010; Bridgewater 2011
No. 24 & 23 - LBU 2011; Colbinabbin 1998
No. 26 & 25 - Gisborne 2003; LBU 2013
No. 28 & 27 - Gisborne 2002; Colbinabbin 1991
No. 30 & 29 - Maryborough 1998; Gisborne 2005
No. 32 & 31 - South Bendigo 1994; Golden Square 2009
No. 34 & 33 - Castlemaine 1992; South Bendigo 1990
No. 36 & 35 - Mitiamo 1999; Sandhurst 2016
No. 38 & 37 - North Bendigo 2019; Leitchville-Gunbower 2018
No. 40 & 39 - Bridgewater 1991; Calivil United 2017
No. 42 & 41 - Heathcote 1992, Sandhurst 2004
No. 44 & 43 - Eaglehawk 2008, Elmore 2007
No. 46 & 45 - Mount Pleasant 1990, Newbridge 2018
No. 48 & 47 - Gisborne 2006, Calivil United 1990
No. 50 & 49 - Calivil United 2003, Eaglehawk 2018
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