Ten Bitter Rivalries

SUPERFOOTY

Glenn McFarlane looks at 10 of the game’s most bitter rivalries.

1. CARLTON-COLLINGWOOD
One of the originals and still clearly ranked as the best. For more than a century, Carlton and Collingwood fans have disliked each other almost from birth. No teams have played more games against each other and no teams have played in as heated or bitter finals matches. Just take the 1910 Grand Final brawl or the 1945 ‘bloodbath before the Bloodbath’ preliminary final, for example. Then there was the most famous game of all, when Carlton came from 44 points down at half-time to change football and win the 1970 flag. Not to mention Blues president George Harris’ immortal line after the 1979 Grand Final — “What’s better than beating Collingwood by 10 goals? Beating them by five points.” After a lull through the 1990s and early 2000s, the rivalry is back as big as ever, thanks to the rift between leading Magpie officials including Eddie McGuire and now Carlton coach Mick Malthouse. And now there’s Dale Thomas’ defection to Visy Park to stir it along further.

2. ESSENDON-HAWTHORN
This one runs a very narrow second because the enmity between the Bombers and the Hawks, albeit a fairly modern rivalry compared the one above, is almost as fierce as they come. Where do we start? Three bruising Grand Finals played from 1983-‘85; Kevin Sheedy asking police to investigate if Hawthorn might have been getting an unfair advantage when it turned out to be only eucalyptus oil; Dermott Brereton running through an Essendon huddle in 1988; the all-in brawl from 2004 which was the “Line In The Sand” game; the Matthew Lloyd-Brad Sewell incident in 2009 which left Campbell Brown and coach Alastair Clarkson incensed; and we might have a new chapter tomorrow night.

3. PORT ADELAIDE-ADELAIDE
Those of all not living in Adelaide probably cannot get a grasp on just how intense this rivalry is. It’s been a case of Port Adelaide versus the rest of the state for almost as long as Port has been playing. Then that bitter feud developed in the early 1990s when Port appeared to have secretly secured a licence into the AFL. It was exposed and didn’t happen, paving the way for the birth of the Crows. Some people have never forgiven. And these two teams — one manufactured but followed by most of the state and the other crafted out of the SANFL Magpies — have played some fierce Showdown encounters. Not all of the punches have been reserved for the field, with members of the Crows and the Power once coming to blows in the car park of the Ramsgate Hotel.

4. CARLTON-RICHMOND
Fourth spot was a toss-up between Carlton and Richmond and Carlton and Essendon. Both bitter rivalries, but with a slight preference to the Blues and Tigers’ battle. During the early 1970s, both sides — and more than a few of their fans — went at it hammer and tongs. By fair means and foul, the teams tried to stop the other. Fans who weren’t even born at the time have heard tales of Neil Balme’s punch on Geoff Southby; Laurie Fowler’s bruising bump on John Nicholls; and a host of other confrontations. You could see the passion ignited with these two sides when they met in last year’s elimination final before almost 95,000 fans. Those who at the MCG last September insists the boom from crowd was as big as they have ever heard. Standby for another chapter tonight.

5. CARLTON-ESSENDON
These two teams share bragging rights for the most VFL-AFL premierships (16) and that’s a bone of contention. Some Bombers — and other clubs for that matter — have questioned the Blues’ 1995 flag after salary cap infringements emerged after the fact. The two teams have fought out six Grand Finals — many of them closely fought games — with one of the most famous being 1993 when the Blues went in as favourites yet couldn’t withhold the Bombers onslaught. But the Blues had the last laugh in 1999 when Essendon went into the preliminary final as almost unbackable favourites before falling one point short. The tradition still continues.

6. GEELONG-HAWTHORN
This rivalry has been one that has grown over time and continues to push further up the rivalry ladder. The clubs have played in three Grand Finals — 1963, 1989 and 2008. 1989 was one of the greatest of all-time — a bitter, bruiser encounter that saw Hawthorn narrowly get over the line on a day Gary Ablett Sr. kicked nine goals. At the centre bounce in that game, Dermott Brereton was knocked off his feet by Mark Yeates, yet the Hawk forward managed to not only stay on, but he kicked a vital goal soon after. Then, the 2008 Grand Final saw Hawthorn overcome clear favourites Geelong in a memorable encounter that would later have president Jeff Kennett saying that his team had a mental edge over Geelong. The Cats would win 11 in a row before Hawthorn finally overcame them in last year’s preliminary final.

7. WEST COAST-FREMANTLE
It’s not as big as the Showdown in terms of its bitter feelings, but there is still plenty of angst in games between the Eagles and the Dockers — on and off the field. The Western Derby, as it is known, is an eagerly anticipated contest. Who could ever forget the brutal 2000 brawl between the two sides? Before that game, Docker Clive Waterhouse had predicted: “Blood might be spilled.” And, much to the AFL’s anger, it was. Dale Kickett copped a nine-week suspension, while a handful of others were either suspended or fined. There was more ill-feeling in a clash between Des Headland and Adam Selwood in 2007.

8. COLLINGWOOD-RICHMOND
This rivalry was born on a division in suburban boundaries and it lives today just as strongly. It goes back to just after the First World War when Collingwood’s returning war hero Dan Minogue made a shock decision to switch to Richmond, and all hell broke loose. Collingwood won the 1919 flag and Richmond beat then the year after. Then, from 1927-‘29, the Magpies won three Grand Finals in a row against the Tigers, with one of those wins coming after police were called to a fight between local residents on the night before the game. That intensity rose in the 1980s when the two teams started a poaching war with players such as David Cloke, Geoff Raines, Brian Taylor, Phillip Walsh and others switching sides, and almost bankrupting both clubs. The feelings still lingers.

9. COLLINGWOOD-ESSENDON
Perhaps not as bitter as some, there is still some ill-feeling between Collingwood and Essendon. It goes back many years, but moments such as the John Somerville incident in the 1965 preliminary final have struck a chord. Then, there was the quarter-time melee between the two teams in the 1990 Grand Final that spilled over to officials on the ground at the time. The traditional Anzac Day game is arguably the second biggest game of the season, but that’s more about respect than rivalry. Yet there is still some feeling between the Magpies and the Bombers whenever they meet.

10. COLLINGWOOD-SYDNEY
This one just nudges out the Sydney-West Coast encounters, which is a great on-field rivalry, but with plenty of respect between the teams. An old rivalry between Collingwood and South Melbourne — bitter and intense in the 1930s — has morphed into a modern one now with the Magpies and the Sydney Swans. Not a lot of love has been lost between Collingwood president Eddie McGuire and former Swans chairman Richard Colless (who once offered an obscene gesture to McGuire on TV). That has carried over into some big games in recent seasons, with another chapter to come tomorrow night. There was also the racial controversy last season, which increased the pressure on the two clubs and tested their relationship.