16 - COLBINABBIN 1999
Coach - Phil Morgan
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Record - 17-1
Percentage - 291.1%
Average for - 133
Average against - 46
Points differential - +87
RESULTS:
def North Bendigo 166-23
def Huntly 141-47
def Mount Pleasant 167-55
def Heathcote 161-73
def White Hills 166-36
def Broadford 168-28
def Elmore 51-23
def North Bendigo 97-29
def Huntly 120-66
lt Mount Pleasant 76-90
def Heathcote 176-22
def White Hills 187-20
def Broadford 151-49
def Elmore - 120-66
def Mount Pleasant 77-62
def Heathcote 198-28
Second semi-final:
def Mount Pleasant 115-73
Grand final:
def Mount Pleasant 50-30
SUMMARY - Colbinabbin's 1999 premiership season was the second of back-to-back Heathcote District league flags under coach Phil "Toot" Morgan.
Having finished 1998 with a 17-1 record and percentage of 210.2, the 1999 Grasshoppers upped the ante in their flag defence.
While they again produced a 17-1 record, their massive percentage leap to 291.1 highlighted a more ruthless disposing of their opposition.
Of the Grasshoppers' 17 wins, eight were by more than 100 points, including a string of three in a row between rounds 11 and 13 - vs Heathcote (154), White Hills (167) and Broadford (102).
Earlier in the year the Grasshoppers won four of their first six games by more than 100 points, starting with a 143-point smacking of North Bendigo in the grand final re-match.
"I don't think we had lost any players from the 1998 team the year before and we picked up Steve Black (who won the Cheatley Medal) in the ruck, who was a ripping player, and Bruce Hughes came back as well," Morgan said this week.
"We were confident from the start of the year that we were going to be thereabouts again and that it would need a good side to beat us."
The only team that knocked off the Grasshoppers during the year was Mount Pleasant, which won by 14 points in round 10.
The two sides later faced off in the grand final and in a flag battle played in trying conditions at Colbinabbin where just 11 goals were kicked for the game, the Grasshoppers prevailed 7.8 (50) to 4.6 (30).
"It was a terrible day weather-wise, but the boys got the job done... it poured rain and the wind blew all day, so it was tough going," Morgan said.
"In my time at Colbinabbin I'd say that's definitely the strongest side we had; it was a ripper."
Since 1980 in the HDFL Colbinabbin's season-ending percentage of 291.1 is clearly the highest, while its average score against of just 46 is the lowest.
Colbinabbin conceded five or less goals in nine of its 18 games.
THE TEAM - Justin McCarthy, Nathan East, Bill Ogden, Steve Black, Damien Ellis, Chris Pinniger, Guy Rathjen, Andrew McLean, Chris Bolton, Kristan Hill, Darren Kirkpatrick, Bruce Hughes, Bernard Ryan, Brendan Kelly, Matt Kelly, Phil Morgan, Ben Tuohey, Adrian Fidler, Andrew McTaggart.
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15 - MOUNT PLEASANT 1995
Coach - John Craig
Record - 18-1
Percentage - 186.5%
Average for - 122
Average against - 65
Points differential - +57
RESULTS:
def Heathcote 166-62
def White Hills 259-35
def Colbinabbin 142-81
def Elmore 116-64
def Huntly 144-72
def Rushworth 138-88
def Broadford 139-81
def Heathcote 84-38
def White Hills 213-31
def Colbinabbin 78-69
def Elmore 115-89
def Huntly 117-101
lt Rushworth 62-72
def Broadford 62-33
def Heathcote 75-35
def White Hills 72-17
def Colbinabbin 132-101
Second semi-final:
def Elmore 116-94
Grand final:
def Heathcote 82-77
SUMMARY - Mount Pleasant's 1995 season completed a premiership hat-trick for the Blues.
And just as they had done in the 1994 and 1993 HDFL grand finals, the Blues defeated Heathcote for the flag, although, there was a different coach at the helm, with John Craig having taken over from Peter White.
"Peter went over to play for Kyabram and Mounts was looking for a coach, so I thought I'd stick my hand up and have a crack and see what happens. I was probably on a bit of a hiding to nothing with the club having won two in a row," Craig said this week.
The change of coach didn't halt any of the Blues' momentum as they opened 1995 with a 104-point hammering of Heathcote in the grand final re-match, and then destroyed White Hills by 224 points.
The Blues won their first 12 games by an average of 75 points before suffering what would be their only loss of the year when beaten by Rushworth by 10 points.
In what was a 17-round season that year, the Blues finished four games clear of Elmore in top spot before defeating the Bloods by 22 points in the second semi to book their grand final berth.
After Heathcote beat Elmore in the preliminary final it set up what was the fourth-consecutive Blues-Saints showdown.
As well as Mount Pleasant beating Heathcote in both the 1994 and 1993 grand finals, the Saints had defeated the Blues in the 1992 decider.
Of their four grand final tussles in a row, 1995 was the tightest as the Blues edged out the Saints by five points, 11.16 (82) to 11.11 (77).
The Blues' best player in the thrilling grand final was Jamie Gee, who also won the club's best and fairest.
"It was a fantastic side that had a lot of guys who had played together for a long time and got along really well. The reserves won the flag that year as well, so we had a lot of depth," Craig said.
"It was a very happy place to be that was also well administered."
THE TEAM - John Craig, Gray Foreman, Paul Nihill, Mick O'Shea, Peter Smith, Wes White, David Eefting, James Sexton, Paul Tuohey, Andrew McDougall, Chris Gee, Steve Campbell, Adam Tuohey, Jamie Gee, Dean Reed, Dave Gequillana, David McNamara, Graeme Rohde, Peter Hunter, Alan Kennedy, Justin Gee.
THE LIST SO FAR
No. 18 & 17 - YCW 1997; Bridgewater 2015
No. 20 & 19 - Mount Pleasant 1997; Mount Pleasant 1993
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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