Almanac Footy: Finally the prize – North Melbourne’s perfect 1999 premiership season

 

Finally the prize: North Melbourne’s perfect 1999 premiership season by Philip Mendes

 

 

1999 was my third season as a North Melbourne supporter following Fitzroy’s demise. 1997 was a successful year on field, but it still felt slightly weird barracking at games as I awkwardly transitioned from yelling ‘carn the Roys’ to ‘carn the Roos’. [1]

 

By 1998, I was all in as a Roos fan, and but for a shocking second half of the Grand Final, would have happily saluted a North premiership.[2]

 

But finally in 1999 I got to celebrate my first VFL/AFL premiership after 30 years of barracking for Fitzroy and then North Melbourne. It was the first premiership I had celebrated since as an eight year old I saw my VFA team, the much loved Caulfield Bears, defeat Brunswick for the Second Division Premiership in September 1973.

 

This reflection on the 1999 season is based on the Kanga Kings video shared above, editions of the North Melbourne Roos News, the Roos 1999 Yearbook, newspaper reports, and my own imperfect memory. I attended most Melbourne-based matches that year including the three finals.

 

After the 1998 Grand Final loss, many commentators derided the Kangas as too old and too slow.[3] In the off-season, premiership players Darren Crocker (retired) and Anthony Rock (traded to Hawthorn) departed, whilst North recruited Shane Clayton from Brisbane and Gary Dhurrkay from Fremantle. They also drafted Shannon Motlop, Adam Lange, Brady Rawlings, Nick Lowther, and Tim Van Der Klooster. Clayton, Motlop and another 1999 debutant Cameron Mooney would be lucky enough to play in our premiership side. North agreed controversially to play four home games at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

 

We started the season poorly, losing three out of the first four, and a premiership looked unlikely. But North won the next ten, and eventually 19 out of 21 to secure the prize. The Roos were an exciting and incredibly successful team to watch, often coming back from large deficits to snatch victory:

https://www.nmfc.com.au/news/1576692/10-moments-that-delivered-the-1999-premiership.

 

Round One: 26 March 1999

 

North Melbourne 8.3, 15.5, 19.7, 21.9 (135)

Geelong                 5.0, 8.7, 14.8, 22.9 (141)

 

North started the season against Geelong at the MCG on a Friday night in front of 33,674. They led by 40 points at half time, and still by 29 points at three quarter time, but somehow managed to lose the game. Even worse, captain Carey injured his groin, and would miss five of the next six matches. King and Capuano also copped injuries. Not the start we had hoped for.

 

Best players: Stevens, McCartney, Blakey, Bell, Carey.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 4, McKernan 4, Welsh 4, Bell 3, Abraham 2, Harvey 2.

 

Round Two: 1 April 1999

 

North Melbourne 3.3, 10.9, 12.13, 15.16 (106)

Essendon              8.2, 14.5, 17.8, 22.9 (141)

 

North were shredded by a very slick Bombers team at the MCG on a Friday night in front of a large crowd of 48,363. Essendon jumped to top of the ladder, but the loss left the Roos 14^th on the ladder with a poor percentage of 85.

 

Best players: Stevens, Grant, Blakey, Bell, Pickett.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Sholl 4, McKernan 2, Abraham 2, Lange 2.

 

 

 

Round Three: 9 April 1999

 

North Melbourne 6.2, 8.2, 12.5, 15.10 (100)

Richmond             5.5, 9.11, 12.11, 13.12 (90)

 

A tense battle with 7^th placed Richmond in front of 46,173 at the MCG. North held a nine point lead for most of the final quarter. But Richmond drew within three points before Fremantle recruit Gary Dhurrkay snapped his third goal (the ball bounced three times before passing the goal line) to seal the game with only five minutes remaining. [4] Our narrow but valuable win lifted us to 11^th on the ladder. Dhurrkay sadly died in a car crash at the age of 31.

 

Best players: Pickett, Grant, Simpson, Dhurrkay, Martyn, Blakey, Bell, Stevens, McKernan.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Dhurkkay 3,Welsh 3, Mckernan 2, Abraham 2.

 

 

 

Round Four: 17 April 1999

 

North Melbourne 6.3, 9.7, 9.8, 10.10 (70)

Sydney Swans      1.3, 3.7, 7.9, 10.12 (72)

 

A shocking loss to bottom side Sydney after holding a 48 point lead at the SCG in front of 29,617. The Roos fell to 13^th on the ladder.

 

Best players: McCartney, Abraham, Clayton, Bell, Archer.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 2, Sholl 2.

 

 

Round Five: 24 April 1999

 

North Melbourne 4.1, 6.4, 12.6, 14.8 (92)

St Kilda                 4.2, 9.5, 10.9, 13.12 (90)

 

Inspired by a powerful second half by swingman Glenn Archer, North came back to narrowly defeat 10^th placed St Kilda in front of 11, 706 at their adopted home ground of the SCG. The victory lifted the Roos to 12^th on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Archer, Bell, Blakey.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Archer 3, Abraham 3, Blakey 2, Bell 2.

 

Round Six: 2 May 1999

 

North Melbourne 5.1, 12.4, 16.9, 21.11 (137)

Collingwood         0.4, 7.5, 11.9, 16.9 (105)

 

A comfortable win over bottom side Collingwood on the Sunday afternoon at the MCG in front of 38,245 fans. North sealed the game with a quick burst of three goals by Archer, Stevens and Harvey early in the third term that stretched the lead to 42 points. [5] The win progressed North into the eight for the first time all season, jumping to 7^th on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Simpson, Pickett, Abraham, Stevens, Grant, McKernan, Archer.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Blakey 3, Abraham 3, Dhurrkay 2, Simpson 2, Archer 2, Harvey 2.

 

 

Round Seven: 9 May 1999

 

North Melbourne 10.3, 15.4, 20.5, 22.9 (141)

Adelaide                2.2, 8.3,11.8, 12.13 (85)

 

North made a clear statement of intent, thrashing reigning premier 5^th placed Adelaide in front of 22,006 fans on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG. Peter Bell’s two early goals plus a further two goal assists sparked a ferocious 10 goal opening quarter that sealed the game. Veteran forward Craig Sholl was superb, nailing his 5^th goal by the 12 minute mark of the third quarter. [6] The victory took the Roos to 5^th on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Grant, Harvey, Sholl, Bell, Stevens, Blakey, Archer.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Sholl 6, Grant 2, Archer 2, Bell 2, Harvey 2, Abraham 2.

 

Round Eight: 24 April 1999

 

North Melbourne 2.4, 7.5, 12.8, 15.11 (101)

Hawthorn             2.3, 5.5, 6.4, 7.7 (49)

 

Carey finally returned from injury to dominate with seven goals as North eclipsed 11^th placed Hawthorn in front of 21,114 fans on a Saturday night at Waverley Park. North strong man Byron Pickett badly broke the nose of Hawthorn’s Brendan Krummel with what was then a legal bump.[7] Our 4^th win in a row lifted us to 3^rd on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Carey, Simpson, Stevens, Bell, Archer, Stevens, Harvey, Blakey, McCartney.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 7, Stevens 2, Harvey 2, Abraham 2.

 

 

Round Nine: 22 May 1999

 

North Melbourne 4.2, 8.4, 12.8, 17.14 (116)

Fremantle             0.4, 4.6, 8.12, 12.14 (86)

 

North led all night to win comfortably away against bottom side Fremantle in front of 24,218 fans. Peter Bell dominated against his old side with 32 possessions and four goals.[8] This 5^th win in a row kept North third on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Bell (Best on Ground), Grant, Simpson, Stevens, Pickett, Martyn.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Grant 5, Bell 4, Carey 2, Welsh 2.

 

 

Round Ten: 6 June 1999

 

North Melbourne 3.3, 9.7, 13.10, 20.13 (133)

Port Adelaide       5.5, 9.8, 14.14, 18.18 (126)

 

North just shaded 11^th placed Port Adelaide in front of 16,429 fans at the MCG on a Sunday afternoon. Port led by as much as 34 points in the second quarter before North mounted a comeback with five goals in a row. The lead changed seven times in the final quarter before Peter Bell’s snap from the boundary line with less than two minutes remaining gave North the lead. Debutant Kent Kingsley (recently restored to the list after previously being delisted) proved the matchwinner with six goals from 12 possessions as Carey was kept quiet. It was easily his best ever game for North.[9] This 6^th win in a row left North 4^th on the ladder just shaded by Essendon and St Kilda on percentage.

 

Best Players: Sholl, Kingsley, Stevens, Simpson, Archer.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Kingsley 6, Sholl 5, Carey 3, Harvey 2.

 

Round 11: 14 June 1999

 

North Melbourne 3.3, 7.6, 10.9, 12.12 (84)

West Coast           1.3, 3.4, 5.8, 9.10 (64)

 

North won their 7^th game in a row against top side West Coast in front of 15,230 fans at the SCG. [10] The victory lifted North to equal third, trailing West Coast and Essendon on percentage.

 

Best Players: Grant, Martyn, Pickett, Abraham, Stevens, Archer, McKernan.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Abraham 4, Grant 2, Sholl 2.

 

 

 

Round 12: 20 June 1999

 

North Melbourne 2.5, 5.8, 10.11, 12.21 (93)

Melbourne            1.3, 5.6, 11.7, 14.8 (92)

 

North just got home against 11^th placed Melbourne in front of 28,350 fans on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG. The last quarter was an extreme nailbiter. Melbourne took a 19 point lead which North reduced to six points at the 10 minute mark, and then missed eight shots in a row but still managed to win.[11] This 8^th victory in a row enabled North to stay third on the ladder, only percentage off top spot.

 

Best Players: Carey, McKernan (20 possessions and nine marks), Pickett, Harvey, King, Stevens, Archer.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 4, Harvey 2.

 

Round 13: 26 June 1999

 

North Melbourne 1.2, 5.6, 8.10, 13.11 (89)

Carlton                  5.1, 5.3, 6.4, 8.5 (53)

 

After another slow start conceding the opening five goals, the Roos destroyed 8^th placed Carlton in front of 36,558 fans on a Saturday night at the MCG. The media praised North’s physicality, referring particularly to Carey, Archer, Pickett, Bell, Stevens and Grant. [12] This 9^th win in a row kept us a solid third on the ladder trailing West Coast and Essendon only on percentage.

 

Best Players: Stevens, Grant, Bell, Archer.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Grant 3, Abraham 3, Dhurrkay 2.

 

 

Round 14: 3 July 1999

 

North Melbourne 4.4, 6.8, 11.11, 15.12 (102)

Brisbane               5.3, 11.4, 13.7, 15.10 (100)

 

Probably the best home and away game of the season. It needed a late set shot goal from vice captain Stevens from 50 minutes out (following a neat pass from Peter Bell) to get us home from a very talented 4^th placed Brisbane in front of 24,189 fans on a cold Saturday afternoon at the MCG. This was already the fourth game for the year where North had won after trailing at half time, and the fifth victory by under two goals.[13] Got to admit I enjoyed watching this match on TV in balmy Cairns, much warmer than braving the freeze of Melbourne in July.

 

Best Players: King, McCartney, McKernan, Stevens.

 

Leading Goalkickers: McKernan 4, Carey 3, Dhurrkay 2, Bell 2.

 

Round 15: 24 April 1999

 

North Melbourne 1.3, 5.6, 9.8, 16.12 (108)

Western Bulldogs 5.1, 13.5, 18.9, 23.12 (150)

 

We were never in the hunt against the 4^th placed Bulldogs in front of 44,683 fans on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG. Despite our first loss in 11 games, we remained 3^rd on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Simpson, Blakey, Longmire.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Dhurrkay 3,  Carey 2, Grant 2, Kingsley 2, McKernan 2.

 

Round 16: 17 July 1999

 

North Melbourne 6.3, 11.8, 16.11, 22.11 (143)

Geelong                 5.4, 9.4, 12.8, 13.10 (88)

 

An easy victory over 11^th placed Geelong in front of 10,676 fans in a home game at the SCG. Carey dominated with nine goals including seven in the first half.[14] North jumped to second on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Carey, Bell, Grant, Stevens, King, Scott.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 9, Scott 3, Dhurrkay 2, McKernan 2.

 

 

Round 17: 24 July 1999

 

North Melbourne 8.1, 10.4, 16.8, 20.12 (132)

Essendon              7.2, 14.7, 18.10, 24.14 (156)

 

Carey kicked 10 in one of the great individual performances of the decade including an amazing left foot snap from the pocket. But his brilliance was still not enough to defeat the top placed Bombers in front of 68,831 fans on a Saturday afternoon at the MCG. Opinions on the result varied. I thought North had not fired their best shot, and could potentially beat Essendon if drawn to play them in the Grand Final. Oddly, that much anticipated replay never happened.

 

Best Players: Carey, Bell, Blakey, McKernan, Stevens.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 10, Harvey 2, Abraham 2.

 

Round 18: 30 July 1999

 

North Melbourne 6.2, 8.9, 10.10, 15.11 (101)

Richmond             4.2, 6.7, 10.10, 11.13 (79)

 

After a close first three quarters, North steadied to hold off the 10^th placed Richmond in front of 38,196 fans on a Friday night at the MCG for Wayne Carey’s 200^th game. John Blakey had 10 possessions in a telling last quarter. Veteran Brett Allison kicked three in only his 4^th game for the year.[15]  The victory kept the Roos second on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Capuano, Stevens, Bell, Pickett, Blakey, Mckernan, Stevens, King.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Allison 3, Carey 2, McKernan 2.

 

Round 19: 7 August 1999

 

North Melbourne 4.4, 13.4, 14.6, 17.9 (111)

Sydney                  2.2, 8.4, 12.9, 15.11 (101)

 

A vital away victory over 9^th placed Sydney in front of 27,964 fans at the SCG. Vice captain Anthony Stevens played his 200^th game. North remained second on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Martyn, Stevens, Abraham.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 4, McKernan 3, Abraham 2, Allison 2.

 

Round 20: 14 August 1999

 

North Melbourne 4.3, 10.8, 14.12, 16.18 (114)

St Kilda                 1.3, 5.4, 12.7, 13.11 (89)

 

A comfortable victory over 8^th placed St Kilda in front of 26,261 fans at Waverley Park. Carey dominated with 25 possessions, 14 marks and five goals, and Brett Allison delivered the goal of the day. [16] North stayed a solid second on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Carey, Pickett, Bell, Blakey, Allison, Martyn, Abraham.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 5, Stevens 2,  Abraham 2, Motlop 2.

 

Round 21: 22 August 1999

 

North Melbourne 5.6, 8.13, 10.15, 16.17 (113)

Collingwood         5.2, 8.6, 13.9, 15.10 (100)

 

North struggled to beat bottom side Collingwood in front of 33,449 fans on a Sunday afternoon at the MCG. Collingwood led by 18 points late in the third quarter, but North finished stronger. Youngster Scott Welsh was decisive with two goals late in the final quarter.[17] The victory kept North second on the ladder.

 

Best Players: Martyn, Archer, Allison, Welsh, Sholl, Carey, Harvey, King, Simpson.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Welsh 4, Carey 3, Sholl 3, Grant 2.

 

 

Round 22: 29 August 1999

 

North Melbourne 8.4, 13.5, 17.7, 22.10 (142)

Adelaide                0.5, 3.12, 4.16, 8.18 (66)

 

North won their 5^th game in a row over 13^th placed Adelaide in front of 37,662 fans at Football Park. The Roos pounced early seizing a 70 point lead late in the second quarter. [18]

This victory enabled North to finish the home and away season second on the ladder with 68 points, 17 wins and five losses.

 

Best Players: Pickett, Grant, Archer, Sholl, Capuano, King, Bell, Carey.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 4, Grant 3, Sholl 3, Welsh 3, Bell 2, Allison 2.

 

 

FINALS FOOTBALL

 

Qualifying Final: 4 September 1999

 

North Melbourne 5.4, 8.5, 12.8, 15.10 (100)

Port Adelaide       1.2, 4.5, 7.6, 8.8 (56)

 

This was a comfortable win over 7^th placed Port Adelaide on a cold Saturday afternoon at the MCG in front of a surprisingly small crowd of 31,476. Port got within 12 points early in the third quarter, but then Carey iced the game with three contested marks and three goals in a 15 minute period.[19] We were through to the Preliminary Final for the 6^th year in succession. My two most vivid memories of this day were not of on-field action. One was the loud noise the Port Adelaide cheer squad made for at least one hour prior to the game, chanting ‘Port Power’. The other was (in an age before mobile phones and text messages) that my elderly parents, who were meant to meet me in the MCC members, didn’t show. Apparently, my ailing dad (who transitioned to supporting Adelaide after the demise of Fitzroy) had taken ill again, and he would pass away in December that year at the age of 71 years.

 

Best Players: Stevens (34 possessions), Carey, Bell, King, Grant, Simpson, Harvey, Martyn.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Carey 6, Harvey 3, Grant 2.

 

Preliminary Final: 17 September 1999

 

North Melbourne 5.2, 6.6, 11.7, 19.9 (123)

Brisbane               2.2, 7.4, 9.7, 11.12 (78)

 

The very talented young Brisbane side had finished a close third on the home and away ladder, and not surprisingly posed a real threat to North in front of 61,031 fans on a Friday night at the MCG. The match was far closer than the final score suggested, and it was only in the final 10 minutes that North nailed five goals to seal the game. Classy final quarter goals by Winston Abraham,  Shannon Grant and David King were vital.[20] There was much controversy after the game as key North defender Jason McCartney was suspended from the Grand Final for striking Brisbane ruckman Clark Keating late in the final quarter. Additionally, Mick Martyn was investigated but cleared for bumping and injuring Brisbane midfielder Simon Black, and Anthony Stevens had a fractured heel and badly sprained ankle that remarkably did not prevent him from playing in the Grand Final.

 

Best Players: McKernan, King, Simpson, Archer, Pickett, Martyn, Pike., McCartney, Blakey.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Grant 3, Carey 3, McKernan 3, Harvey 3, King 2.

 

In the lead up to the Grand Final, two massive upsets occurred on Saturday the 18^th of September. The first was that Carlton, which had finished a distant sixth on the home and away ladder, knocked out hot premiership favourite Essendon in the Preliminary Final at the MCG. To say that North was pleased to be playing Carlton rather than Essendon in the Grand Final was an understatement. The second upset was that the Labor Party won the Victorian state election that evening over the strongly favoured Liberal-National Coalition. In fact, I was handing out how to vote cards for the Labor candidate in the seat of Kew that afternoon when I heard the result of the Preliminary Final on a radio. It was definitely a day for welcome results.

 

Grand Final: 25 September 1999

 

North Melbourne 3.3, 9.4, 15.6, 19.10 (124)

Carlton                  1.3, 5.8, 7.11, 12.17 (89)

 

 

I was nervous before the game, particularly given North’s second half fade-out in the 1998 Grand Final. Also the loss of McCartney left us one tall defender short to cover Carlton key forwards Whitnall and Hamill. But I also kept reminding myself that we had easily dispatched Carlton in Round 13, and had far more stars. And so it proved. Shannon Grant got us going early with that famous snap from the left forward pocket. Carlton had one short purple patch early in the second quarter when they drilled three quick goals to seize a nine point lead. But then Corey McKernan turned the game with two giant marks and outstanding goals, one from more than 50 metres out inside the centre square, and the other from a tight angle near the point post. North never looked back from there, and the shrewd 10 minute move of Carey into the midfield in the third quarter seemed to snuff the energy out of Carlton. In the end, we cruised to victory for a much deserved fourth VFL/AFL premiership.[21] The Age named North as the ‘unofficial team of the decade’.[22]

 

Best Players: Grant (Norm Smith Medal), King, Bell (31 possessions), Pickett, Martyn, McKernan, Archer, Simpson.

 

Leading Goalkickers: Grant 4, Bell 4, McKernan 3, Abraham 2, Carey 2, Motlop 2.

 

Best and Fairest Top Six

 

Anthony Stevens (546 season disposals)

Peter Bell (622 season disposals)

Shannon Grant (491 season disposals)

Byron Pickett

Adam Simpson

Wayne Carey

 

Leading Brownlow Votes

 

Corey McKernan 13

Shannon Grant 12

Byron Pickett 11

Wayne Carey 11

Peter Bell 11

 

All Australians

 

Wayne Carey (Captain, centre half-forward, 6^th selection in team)

Byron Pickett (back pocket)

Peter Bell (interchange)

 

Goalkickers Top 10

 

Wayne Carey 76 (4^th overall in AFL)

Winston Abraham 37

Shannon Grant 37

Corey McKernan 34

Peter Bell 32

Craig Sholl 30

Scott Welsh 24

Brent Harvey 24

Gary Dhurrkay 15

Glenn Archer 14

 

Conclusion

 

After 30 years, I’d finally watched my VFL/AFL team win the big prize. It was a surreal feeling after so many years of watching Fitzroy sides struggling not only to win games, but even to survive as a club. Carey and McKernan were absolute stars, and not surprisingly the AFL Record judged Carey to be the second best player that year behind only Nathan Buckley.[23]

 

But North also had multiple other damaging players: Stevens, Archer, Bell, Grant, Abraham, Martyn, Pickett, Simpson and King. It felt like this side could potentially win one or two more flags, particularly after they snatched young Geelong captain Leigh Colbert in the trade period, and indeed four expert commentators predicted we would finish between first and third in 2000.[24]

 

But disappointingly, that did not happen. We struggled into fourth place in 2000, were smashed by Essendon in the first final, and barely made it past a raw Hawthorn side to enter the Preliminary Final where we were thrashed by Melbourne. Despite retaining most of our top liners in 2001, we finished a miserable 13^th on the ladder. The days of contending were over.

 

So why did North decline so rapidly after contesting seven consecutive preliminary finals plus three Grand Finals, and winning two premierships? There were arguably two major reasons. One was that Dennis Pagan’s low possession, long kicking game was outdated. From about 2000, the top clubs applied a revised game style that involved fast ball movement across the field including regular switches of play, precise delivery to leading forwards, and deploying defenders to double or triple team big forwards. North was not strong in any of these areas.

 

The second factor was that almost all North’s elite players had reached their peak performance. Carey’s brilliance was irreplaceable, and his fall from dominant player of the competition to ordinary contributor was dramatic. A chronic osteitis pubis condition revealed about two thirds into the 2000 season massively reduced his power and impact. The off-field scandal that forced his abrupt departure from North in March 2002 ironically obscured the fact that his final 20 or so games for North in 2000 and 2001 were highly average.

 

Winston Abraham was a devastating goal sneak who kicked a total of 77 goals in 1998 and 1999 combined,[25] but only played one further game after 2000 due to a chronic knee injury. Corey McKernan completely lost form and confidence, and was cleared to Carlton at the end of 2001. Veteran backman Mick Martyn ran out of puff, and Anthony Stevens and Glenn Archer were both restricted by serious injuries in their later years.

 

Another factor was that valuable players were cleared to other clubs. Young guns Scott Welsh and Cameron Mooney were traded to Adelaide and Geelong respectively at the end of 1999, and top rover and 2000 Best and Fairest winner Peter Bell returned to Fremantle at the end of that year where he would win three further best and fairests. Later, Byron Pickett was cleared to Port Adelaide at the end of 2002.

 

Shannon Grant, Adam Simpson and particularly Brent Harvey remained valuable long-term players, and were later joined by stars in Drew Petrie and Daniel Wells. But unfortunately, North’s glory years were behind them.

 

[1] Philip Mendes (2021) “Switching football loyalties: Transitioning from the Fitzroy Lions to the North Melbourne Kangaroos, 1997”, Footy Almanac, https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/switching-football-loyalties-transitioning-from-the-fitzroy-lions-to-the-north-melbourne-kangaroos-1997/.

 

[2] Philip Mendes (2022) “Close to a perfect season: North Melbourne Football Club’s outstanding 1998”, Footy Almanac, https://www.footyalmanac.com.au/almanac-footy-close-to-a-perfect-season-north-melbourne-football-clubs-outstanding-1998/.

 

[3] See, for example, Robert Walls (1998) “Pagan prepares for Roo culling”, The Age, 28 September.

 

[4] Greg Denham (1999) “Roos without Carey score their first win”, The Age, 10 April.

 

[5] Rohan Connolly (1999) “Wary Roos in for quick kill”, The Age, 3 May.

 

[6] Rohan Connolly (1999) “Wasting Crows instead of goals”, The Age, 10 May.

 

[7] Greg Denham and Emma Quayle (1999) “It’s Duck season again”, The Age, 16 May.

 

[8] Scott Coghlan (1999) “Bell blitzes as Roos hold off feisty Freo”, The Age, 23 May.

 

[9] Rohan Connolly (1999) “Roos win a battle royal”, The Age, 7 June.

 

[10] Jenny McAsey (1999) “Malthouse unfazed by loss”, The Australian, 15 June.

 

[11] Linda Pearce (1999) “It’s not all despair for Demons”, The Age, 21 June.

 

[12] James Weston (1999) “Rice reels from brutal force of Kangaroos”, The Australian, 28 June.

 

[13] Brendan Cormack (1999) “Kangaroos play Houdini act to a tee”, The Australian, 5 July.

 

[14] Paul Mulvey (1999) “Kangaroos Geelong”, The Age, 19 July.

 

[15] Dwayne Russell (1999) “Trying time for Tigers”, The Age, 31 July.

 

[16] Charles Happell (1999) “Saints tease, Roos do as they please”, The Age, 15 August.

 

[17] Karen Lyon (1999) “Gallant Pies outgunned”, The Age, 23 August.

 

[18] Alan Shiell (1999) “Roos go on, Crows think back”, The Age, 30 August.

 

[19] Greg Baum (1999) “All hail the king”, The Age, 5^th September.

 

[20] Martin Blake (1999) “A small step forward for Lions, great leap for Roos”, The Age, 18 September.

 

[21] Caroline Wilson (1999) “Pagan’s heroes”, The Age, 26 September.

 

[22] Karen Lyon (1999) “Team of the decade”, The Age, 26 September.

 

[23] Greg Hobbs (1999) “It was a close vote but Buckley the best”, AFL Record, 4 September, pp.18-21.

 

[24] Jake Niall (2000) “Kangaroos countdown to 2000”, The Age, 8 March.

 

[25] Peter Ryan (1999) “The making of Abraham”, AFL Record, 17 September, pp.34-35

 

 

More from Philip Mendes can be read Here

 

 

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