There are countless sliding door moments which have flipped the script on the fate of many football clubs.
To this day, fans are still wondering what life would be like if this happened, or if that happened or if the ball bounced just the right way (oh, we’ll get to that...).
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We were tempted to add in the Brayden Maynard block, but don’t worry Collingwood fans, we found something just as heartbreaking.
So, what if…?
1. ...Nathan Buckley stayed at Brisbane?
The legendary Collingwood captain – now coach – dominated his first season for the Brisbane Bears, winning the inaugural Rising Star in comprehensive fashion.
But Bucks was out the door by season's end.
One could not blame Buckley for wanting a move elsewhere.
Brisbane had never made the finals, were averaging less than 12,000 people per game and would eventually go on to merge with Fitzroy at the end of the 1996 season.
Their fortunes would quickly turn as the newly-formed Brisbane Lions went on to become one of the best teams all time, winning three consecutive premierships – two against Collingwood.
Buckley started his career alongside Michael Voss but would have played alongside the likes of Simon Black, Jason Akermanis and Jonathan Brown as well.
With Buckley in the side, Brisbane would have had four Brownlow Medal winners rotating through their midfield.
It’s difficult to say whether Brisbane would have been able to fit everyone in but who knows.
With Buckley, their flag run may not have stopped at three.
2. ...Tony Lockett went to Richmond?
“Richmond has won the war for Tony Lockett’s services.”
This was the opening line of every news bulletin at the end of 1994, with the Tigers and 'Plugger' agreeing to a three-year contract.
The deal was all but confirmed and Richmond would have entered the 1995 season with the best full-forward in Lockett alongside the emerging Matthew Richardson.
Lockett’s manager, Robert Hessian, told Channel Ten while the offer was not as financially attractive as other bids, the star forward was pleased he could “stay in Victoria and play on the MCG every second week".
Yes, it was looking rosy at Punt Road – until the AFL stepped in and forced a move to Sydney.
The Tigers would go on to make the preliminary finals in 1995 before returning to the bottom half of the eight until 2001.
With Lockett alongside Richo, the club may qualified for a few more finals series and saved the Tigers 20 years of torment.
3. ...The ball bounced into Milne’s hands?
This one’s quite simple.
The ball bounces into the arms of Stephen Milne – as it has a thousand times before – and St Kilda wins its second premiership.
Lenny Hayes' thumping ball inside 50 looked set to pop into the goalsneak's hands with a minute and a half left on the clock.
But in typical, unpredictable fashion, the footy diverted to the right and out of Milne's reach, with the ensuing behind levelling the scores.
With the 2010 Grand Final resulting in a draw, the Saints and Magpies were forced to go through it all again the following week, with the black and white securing its 15th premiership.
Had the Sherrin bobbled into Milne's hands, not only would the premiership count be considerably different, but the rule surrounding extra time in the event of a drawn Grand Final would likely be non-existent.
4. ...Mergers had gone through?
Before Fitzroy merged with the Brisbane Bears the rumour mill was filled with potential mergers.
Perhaps the two biggest and closest to happening were the Melbourne-Hawthorn and Footscray-Fitzroy mergers.
The Bulldogs have their supporters to thank for refusing to stand down in their club’s proposed merger with Fitzroy in 1989.
Both clubs struggled in the 1980s and their proposed unification was all but confirmed on October 3, 1989 with The Sun’s headline reading: ‘Death of the Bulldogs.’
The Bulldogs had even terminated their VFL license, but their fans did not rest and raised over $2 million and sought legal action, taking it all the way to the Supreme Court.
The fundraising earned enough to reinstate the license and thus remain as a stand-alone club.
Likewise, the Melbourne-Hawthorn merger was fought right until the very last.
They had confirmed everything to club colours, songs, insignia and agreed to name the new club the ‘Melbourne Hawks.’
The two even met in the final round of 1996, which saw Hawthorn emerge victorious by a point.
The merger vote went to the members and while Melbourne’s fans voted for the merger, it was an overwhelming no among the Hawks faithful.
This merger perhaps would have suited Melbourne, given Hawthorn’s success during the ‘80s and combining the two clubs’ supporter bases would have seen them rival Collingwood and Carlton as Victoria’s biggest club.
5. ... The Essendon drug scandal never happened?
The Essendon drug saga could not have happened at a worse time for the Bombers.
Despite all the controversy, the Bombers enjoyed a successful 2013, earning enough points to see them finishing seventh, setting up a massive elimination final against Collingwood – but you know the rest.
The following year the Bombers did finish seventh, but were knocked out by North Melbourne after holding a commanding lead.
The years that followed saw the Bombers miss the finals and maybe even their premiership window.
Essendon had the list capable of making several finals appearances but regardless of what they did, the club always had the controversy of the supplements scandal hanging over their heads.
More importantly however, the game would never have been thrown into such a state of disrepute, with the saga gripping the AFL world for a great many years.
6. ...North moved to Gold Coast?
Another example of a working-class team hanging in there and fighting right up until death-knock before ultimately succeeding in their mission.
North Melbourne were often involved in rumours about mergers and re-location, but a permanent move to the Gold Coast seemed like a real possibility in 2007.
Should the Kangaroos have become Queensland’s second AFL side, the Gold Coast Suns would never have formed.
The move would have ensured an established club entered the sporting black hole of the Gold Coast and may have galvinised support among the locals, given the side would have been more competitive than the Suns in their early years.
The 2011 draft would have certainly been interesting, considering all the top-end talent would have been drafted by several clubs rather than just the Suns.
Moreover, a big part of Richmond’s premiership success came from the recruitment of two Gold Coast Suns draftees….
7. ...Wayne Harmes' heroic tap was called out?
One of footy’s greatest debates.
It has since been proven Harmes had kept the ball in play, but what if the boundary umpire had called it out?
The television angle makes it almost impossible to tell, with the debate being settled by professors from universities in Melbourne and London.
Albeit had the ball been called out, the Blues don’t kick the match-winning goal then and there.
Now, who’s to say they wouldn’t have kicked a goal from the stoppage – but to appease Collingwood supporters, yes, the Magpies would have won the 1979 premiership had the ball been called out.
The most significant part of this fairytale would have been the brief end of the ‘Colliwobbles’, with Tom Hafey winning his first premiership as a Magpie.
At this point-in-time, the records would have Collingwood down for 16 premierships.
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