How AFL footy has changed since 1995
Herald Sun
July 24, 2015 12:51pm
POST-game beers, halftime brawls, mega mullets and Carlton winning games — footy has changed a lot in 20 years.
The Blues are embracing the retro theme for tonight’s clash against Hawthorn, encouraging fans to dress in 90s gear and cutting the price of beer, chips and pies to 1995 prices.
Three members of Carlton’s 1995 premiership team gathered this week to let today’s players know how different things were back then — Ang Christou, Justin Madden and Mil Hanna revealed they trained twice a week, had full-time jobs outside footy and weren’t afraid to let their hair down after a win. But they left out a few things.
So jump in the time machine to relive footy 1995-style where things were very different — for better or worse.
WINS WERE CELEBRATED PROPERLY
Today’s players follow strict diet rules as the coaches stick to the mantra that a “process” is more important than the ladder.
According to former Blue Mil Hanna: “We used to have a good drink on Saturday nights. We would have training on Sunday mornings, and (coach) David Parkin would have us playing soccer or volleyball for an hour. Then we would go upstairs and have pies and beer and we would end up staying until about 10 o’clock.
“Then we would go to the Castle Hotel and there would be a hard-core group of guys who would back it up again on a Monday night.”
We’re not sure how this drill helped Adelaide in 1995 but coach Robert Shaw had something in mind.
THEY DIDN’T TRAIN SO HARD
Today’s players are at the club every day from 8am-4.30pm.
“We wouldn’t have to get to training until about five o’clock on a Tuesday afternoon and the same on a Thursday. It would have a maximum of about six contact hours per week,” Hanna said.
Premiership teammate Justin Madden revealed his three training rules: “I wouldn’t say they were my rules. But the three rules of the time were 1): never set a time you cannot beat 2): never pass up an opportunity to cut corners and 3): never push yourself to the point of exhaustion.”
1995 Brownlow winner Paul Kelly.Blues skipper Stephen Kernahan was the mullet standard-bearer.
EVERYONE HAD A MULLET
Richmond’s Ivan Maric flies the flag in 2015 but in ’95 everyone was rocking a business at the front, party at the back look.
Carlton unveils its 1995 flag at Princes Park.
FOOTY WAS PLAYED IN THE ’BURBS
There was no Etihad Stadium and no debate about whether to play with the roof open. Collingwood played home games at Victoria Park, fans stood on concrete terraces to watch the Dogs at Whitten Oval, the Blues had a home ground called Optus Oval and blockbusters were played at Waverley Park.
Victoria's victorious 1995 State-of-Origin team led by Gary Ablett.
STATE-OF-ORIGIN WAS A THING
The Vics celebrate a 63-point thumping of South Australia at the MCG in front of 64,186 fans in 1995. Tony Lockett kicked seven goals and won the EJ Whitten Medal, Gary Ablett bagged four while Mark Ricciuto led South Australia’s goalkicking with two.
The concept died in 1999.
The Dockers run out for their first AFL game in Round 1, 1995 against Richmond.
FREMANTLE HAD A GREEN JUMPER
The Dockers joined the comp in 1995 wearing this, um, striking guernsey, becoming the competition’s 16th team. The Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants were mere twinkling’s in the AFL’s eye.
Freo ditched the anchor in 2010.
A one-game ticket was made of real cardboard too.
A PERSON HAD TO CLIP YOUR TICKET WITH A METAL HOLE-PUNCH
No scanners at the gates. No printing your ticket at home after buying it on the internet.
Graphic design was in its infancy 20 years ago.
CLUB LOGOS LOOKED LIKE THIS
And one of them was for a team called Fitzroy.
Eddie McGuire, Trevor Marmalade and Sam Newman on the set of The Footy Show.
THESE GUYS HOSTED THE FOOTY SHOW
And they wore very wide, colourful ties. Sam, and the show, is still going strong.
Essendon and Melbourne players go toe-to-toe. Picture: Wayne Ludbey
BRAWLS WERE THE HALFTIME ENTERTAINMENT
A stoush was almost a weekly occurrence and there was no match review panel to offer players a fine with an early plea. It was tribunal or nothing.
Before the game we had a crazy idea called the reserves to keep fans entertained. Obviously, the hovercraft was yet to be invented.
Lions star Chris Johnson and Brisbane’s Steve Lawrence tangle. They used to be different teams.
WHATEVER IS GOING ON HERE
Footy was more open with long kicks to packs a common feature. That doesn’t entirely explain this shot, however. Or the shorts.
CARLTON WAS A POWERHOUSE
The Blues lost just two games for the 1995 season and thumped Geelong by 61 points on Grand Final day.
Carlton played Hawthorn once that year — a 52-point win at Princes Park in Round 10 with Steve Kernahan, Brad Pearce and Mil Hanna all bagging five goals.
Can tonight’s team find some inspiration in that result against the same opponent? If they pull it off, John Barker might even let them have a beer to celebrate. And it will only cost them $5.
1995 AFL LADDER
1. Carlton 80 137.8%
2. Geelong 64 131.9%
3. Richmond 62 107.9%
4. Essendon 60 127.6%
5. West Coast 56 122.9%
6. North Melbourne 56 114.8%
7. Footscray 46 91.5%
8. Brisbane Bears 40 95.3%
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9. Melbourne 36 100.7%
10. Collingwood 36 96.8%
11. Adelaide 36 80.1%
12. Sydney 32 100.7%
13. Fremantle 32 92.8%
14. St Kilda 32 80.3%
15. Hawthorn 28 94%
16. Fitzroy 8 58.2%