ace wrote:I may be wrong but I think Hawthorn's home ground at that time was still the Sardine Can sometimes known as Glenferie Oval.plugger66 wrote:Three quarter time in the 1971 grand final and we lead by 20 points. One flag each and we are odds on to win our second. Game just about over in a low scoring game. Last quarter Asher Keddie's uncle kicks 3 and they win their second flag. 33 years later they win their 12 flag and we are stuck on one flag. I don't usually hate anyone but I do hate the footy gods. What happens if we win our second? Does Jeans go to the Hawks. Do we recruit better players. I don't even think the Hawks had a proper home ground then. Its sad, its devastating, its killing me.
But St Kilda had made a wise move in the 1960s to move to Moorabbin where they were welcomed by the Moorabbin City Council.
St Kilda took on a lot of debt to fund that move and the construction at Moorabin.
That was fine. Australia was well governed, the economy was stable and growing and interest rates low and stable.
Wise that was so long as we didn't have a squandering Labor government.
Sadly in 1972 the Australian people showed that it takes more than intelligence to elect good governments, intelligent people also need to use their intelligence wisely.
In a fit of gross stupidity the Australian people elected a bunch of economic lunatics to govern the country.
The first of 3 times they have made this mistake in the last 50 years.
The economic lunatics set about squandering money as if it was confetti.
The national debt launched into space and interest rates followed.
The subsequent Coalition government elected at the end of 1975 took way too long to bring the inflation rate and interest rates back under control.
St Kilda FC had borrowed in low interest rates and, like the Christopher Skase and Alan Bond later were burned by the Keating interest rate spike, so St Kilda was burned by the stupidity of the Whitlam Labor government.
St Kilda did not revert to fraud and crime to save the empire like Skase and Bond but came very close.
Instead they offered creditors a pittance for every dollar owed.
Lindsay Fox made it clear to coaches, players and businesses alike that they could choose between a pittance or nothing.
A lot of players and Alan Jeans lost a bundle owed.
St Kilda fell into a major decline during the 1980s as a consequence.
Hawthorn without the financial disaster of St Kilda enjoyed repeated premiership successes in the 1980s.
Later there were moves by the AFL to force Hawthorn into partnerships with other clubs but former Hawthorn great Don Scott rallied Hawthorn supporters to put the club back on the right financial track.
Hawthorn remained independent and has prospered.
St Kilda has never really recovered from the disaster of the Moorabbin move and the election of the economic lunatics of Whitlam Labor.
I like how Skase and Bondy were victims.