It’s an emotional time for Saints fans, but in a good way.
The St.Kilda Football club is back at their Moorabbin heartland with their new AFLW team calling it home and the boys taking on the Hawks in a Marsh Series match tonight.
Moorabbin isn’t remembered fondly by opposition supporters but for anyone who lives and breathes St.Kilda – it’s the heart and soul of the club.
It’s a different place these days – it isn’t muddy, the animal cage would have the anti-social behaviour hotline running overtime and the Saints disco is long gone.
But the spirit of Baldock, Cowboy Neale, Trevor Barker, Plugger and all the Saints heroes still live on on the now well kept and maintained green hallowed turf
With footy back in full-swing at the ground, it gives us the perfect excuse to go back in time and reflect on what the world was like when the Saints last marched in at Moorabbin.
It was Saturday, August 1st, Round 20, 1992 St Kilda v Fitzroy at Moorabbin. Dale Kickett, Gilbert McAdam and Nicky Winmar were on the cover of the Football Record.
The Footy Record was still a pocket-sized publication and its primary focus was to get the players names and keep tabs of the score.
The majority of AFL footy in Melbourne was still played on a Saturday Afternoon.
The other games that day included Collingwood v Melbourne at Victoria Park, Essendon v Hawthorn at the MCG and Footscray played North Melbourne at Waverley.
To keep up-to-date with the progress scores of the other games you either got them on the radio or looked at the scoreboard to see how “C” was going against the “D” as was specified in the Footy Record.
In case you were wondering the Saints v Roys game was E Vs. F
Not every game was covered on TV back then and Victorian viewers only saw Replay highlights of Saturday Footy.
Channel 7 didn’t cover the Saints v Roys game so you had no choice but to be at the ground to experience it.
However, this report from a young Eddie McGuire, who worked at Channel 10 at the time, captured the emotion of the last home and away men’s game at the ground.
St.Kilda was going to move its home games to Waverley Park and leaving Moorabbin broke the Saints faithful hearts.
Moorabbin was known for being muddy, known for the ferals in the animal-cage and more people looked forward to the Saints Disco than the match itself, but it was home for anyone who loved the Red, White and Black
Moving to Waverley just didn’t sit well with them, but it was a sign of the times ahead.
This was the St.Kilda theme song that was played at their Moorabbin home games back in the day.
Featuring inspiring lyrics like “We’re loyal to our mates, ’cause we’re the Saints.”
The Saints got the job done on the day beating Fitzroy by 18 points.
Plugger kicked six goals, which at the time was considered ordinary.
St.Kilda still had four home and away matches to play in the 1992 season and made the finals.
They broke their 21-year finals win drought by beating Collingwood by 8 poins in the Elimination Final at Waverley.
The Essendon team of today is every chance to beat St.Kilda’s finals drought record if trends persist.
The Saints still called Moorabbin it’s home base until 2011 when they moved to Seaford.
It destroyed their soul.
Seven years later, they moved back to a flashy new Moorabbin, but it still had its soul.
With the Saints fielding a team in the AFLW for the first time this year, the Saints Women call Moorabbin home and despite going down to the Western Bulldogs, it was a day that brought some joy to the St.Kilda faithful.
Tonight the Saints host the Hawks in a Panasonic/Fosters/Ansett/Wizard/NAB/JLT/Marsh Cup or series or whatever the pre-season is now called
It won’t be the same, the animal cage is now the Lawn, the Grandstands are gone, Moorabbin didn’t have lights for night matches but the joint will be packed and the Saints will be home.
Also, we couldn’t possibly do a listicle without taking note of the following…
“Hazard” by Richard Marx was top of the ARIA Charts.
The Barcelona Olympics were in full swing.
E-Street was dominating in the ratings.
The Late Show was on the air.
Paul Keating was the Prime Minister .
Back to the Footy Record from the game, if you’re able to get in the DeLorean and set the flux capacitor to January 30, 1993 you’ll be able to score yourself a FREE WHOPPER! HOW GOOD!
