Another chapter in one of finals footy’s most incredible modern rivalries will be written on Saturday night when West Coast face Collingwood at Optus Stadium in the second qualifying final.
The two teams have clashed in six finals, including three of the most memorable contests of the AFL era – the drawn 1990 qualifying final, the thrilling 1994 qualifying final, which West Coast won by two points, and the drawn 2007 semi-final, which Collingwood won in extra time.
The 1994 contest is remembered for Collingwood’s Mick McGuane dropping a mark in front of goal seconds before the final siren sounded, and West Coast captain John Worsfold verbally abusing him shortly afterwards.
Nathan Buckley is tackled by Peter Matera during the 1994 qualifying final in Perth.
But Magpies coach Nathan Buckley, who was playing in his first final for Collingwood that day, has revealed to Fairfax Media that another controversial moment may have cost the eighth-placed Magpies a famous victory against the minor premiers.
“Peter Matera kicked a goal from about 60 (metres out) and I touched it,” Buckley said on Friday.
“Whether or not goal review would’ve picked that up or whether the umpires would’ve believed what I was saying, but it flicked my fingers and then went through. I’ve actually only just remembered that.
“At the time I was bellyaching because I knew that, really in reality, that was the difference in the game because it was two points, but that’s the way football always is – it’s a game of inches, it’s marginal and we would’ve played Carlton at the ‘G the next week.”
Instead, Collingwood were eliminated from the finals and Buckley’s personal devastation was complete when McGuane dropped that mark, because he believes McGuane would have nailed the set shot to give Collingwood the win.
“It (the kick) was a finger-breaker so it was just a kick, I think it was a ‘Perty’ (Gary Pert) special,” Buckley said.
“And Mick, you would’ve backed him to be able to kick it because he’s clutch and he lived for those moments, really.”
Champion West Coast forward Peter Sumich was down the other end when McGuane went up for the mark and he admitted that the Eagles were lucky to escape with the win in the end after almost squandering a 24-point lead at three-quarter-time.
“I thought, ‘Geez, we’re in trouble here,' ” Sumich said.
“Even though we were marginally in front, they just had all momentum … and he had his opportunity to take that mark and probably 99 out of 100 he’d take it, so we were fortunate enough to be on the one that he did drop.”
Thirteen years later, the Eagles and Magpies would play out another September classic in Perth, which the visitors won by 19 points in extra time.
The Magpies celebrate their extra-time victory over the Eagles in 2007.
Collingwood superstar Dane Swan played his best game to that point of his career that night, and he vividly remembers not only how ill-prepared his team was for just the second instance of extra time in VFL/AFL history, but also the chaotic moments that followed the final siren sounding with scores tied.
“If you look back on the vision, (Collingwood ruckman) Guy Richards puts his hands in the air like we’ve won and I’ve turned around and thought we were good for a second, but then it was just a weird feeling,” Swan said.
“You’ve put everything into the four quarters and then the siren goes and you have a second just to feel sorry for yourself or just go, ‘What a pain in the arse that we didn’t hold on’. But then all of a sudden it clearly turns to your leadership group getting you in and saying, ‘Righto, boys, we’re playing five minutes each way.’
“I’d be very surprised if any coach goes into a pre-match address and goes, ‘Righto guys, if we happen to draw this final, this is what we’re going to do.’ If they do and it’s a draw, they’re a genius.”
Swan admitted he was rapt that star West Coast trio Chris Judd, Ben Cousins and Daniel Kerr were all missing that night due to injury and he believed the Magpies had the mental edge heading into extra time. He was proven right as Collingwood kicked 3.3 to 0.2.
The 2011 Brownlow medallist, who had 38 disposals (a career-high at the time), described kicking the sealer at the end as an “amazing feeling”.
Did Peter Sumich’s late miss cost Essendon the 1990 premiership?
However, the game that started it all between West Coast and Collingwood was another drawn contest back in 1990. Sumich had the chance to win it for the Eagles, but famously missed a set shot from a sharp angle in the pocket at Waverley Park with seconds left.
“I knew it was pretty close and the siren was going to go so I was probably, if anything, playing more conservative,” he said.
“I knew we were only a point down so I didn’t want to do a checkside and sometimes those things don’t work and then the ball could’ve gone out on the full.
“I was pretty confident I could kick it with a normal drop punt and I reckon it was only less than half a metre on that one side of the goal post so it was very close, but I knew a point would draw it and if it was going to be a point of course we had an opportunity when they kick-in to maybe get it back straight away and have a re-entry and score again, but the siren went not long after that.
“I didn’t know about the drawn final in the sense that you come back the following week, that didn’t even cross my mind at the time.
“It was bizarre because I think that put Essendon in a situation, and it’s quite interesting every time I see (former Bombers coach) Kevin Sheedy he always has a go at me jokingly because they had a week off and then they had to have two weeks off and he reckons it put them out of kilter and that’s why they didn’t win the grand final.”
Source: Read Full Article