In 1989, Footscray Football Club was on its knees. Out of cash and nearly out of time, they survived extinction and merger - just. But three years on in 1992, the Bulldogs finished second on the ladder and were a game away from the grand final. 

For good reason, they thought 1993 would be the year - their first flag since ‘54. 
Sensing they might be nearing something special, Terry Wheeler, senior coach and innovator, invited Martin Flanagan, the prolific columnist for The Age, behind the curtain to write a book on the season from within the inner sanctum. What he produced from his time at the club – Southern Sky, Western Oval – was a classic, but sadly, the Doggies season wasn’t. 

Despite a fast start and an ability to knock off most serious contenders for the flag along the way, they were too inconsistent to feature in September. Outside of the club and away from the game, Martin, as always, was just as busy writing the untold or misunderstood stories of Australia. 

Not least, that meant promoting understanding and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australia. Back then, as it is now, his is a leading voice on this great 
unfinished business. Those themes intersected in 1993, the season when footy embraced Aboriginal culture in a way that it hadn’t before, laying the building blocks to what would become the league's groundbreaking racial and religious vilification policy two years on. 

So to talk about the sons of the west, and the journey of Australia’s first people in the world of top-flight footy, we welcome Martin Flanagan to The Greatest Season that Was, 1993. 

The Greatest Season That Was: 93 documents our contention that in 1993, footy was never better. Hosted by Adam Collins, Dan Brettig and Shannon Gill, this series is an in-depth exploration of one amazing season. 

The Greatest Season That Was: 93 is produced by Jay Mueller and edited by Thom Lion. Check out Bad Producer Productions for more podcasts. Thanks for listening. Please take a moment to leave a review at Apple Podcasts and be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.  What do you think? Let us know on our Facebook page here.

The Greatest Season That Was: 1993 uses YouTube audio from the following sources:
Various 1993 Channel 7 Football Broadcasts
Channel 7 That Was The Season That Was
Channel 7 Sportsworld
Channel 7 News
Channel 9 Sunday Footy Show
Channel 9 Sports Sunday
Channel 9 News  
Channel 10 News
ABC 7:30 Report.

 

<p>In 1989, Footscray Football Club was on its knees. Out of cash and nearly out of time, they&nbsp;survived extinction and merger - just.&nbsp;But three years on in 1992, the Bulldogs finished second on the ladder and were a game away&nbsp;from the grand final.&nbsp;</p>
<p>For good reason, they thought 1993 would be the year - their first flag since &lsquo;54.&nbsp;<br>Sensing they might be nearing something special, Terry Wheeler, senior coach and innovator,&nbsp;invited Martin Flanagan, the prolific columnist for The Age, behind the curtain to write a&nbsp;book on the season from within the inner sanctum.&nbsp;What he produced from his time at the club &ndash; Southern Sky, Western Oval &ndash; was a classic,&nbsp;but sadly, the Doggies season wasn&rsquo;t.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Despite a fast start and an ability to knock off most serious contenders for the flag along the&nbsp;way, they were too inconsistent to feature in September.&nbsp;Outside of the club and away from the game, Martin, as always, was just as busy writing the&nbsp;untold or misunderstood stories of Australia.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Not least, that meant promoting understanding and reconciliation between indigenous and&nbsp;non-indigenous Australia. Back then, as it is now, his is a leading voice on this great&nbsp;<br>unfinished business.&nbsp;Those themes intersected in 1993, the season when footy embraced Aboriginal culture in a&nbsp;way that it hadn&rsquo;t before, laying the building blocks to what would become the league's&nbsp;groundbreaking racial and religious vilification policy two years on.&nbsp;</p>
<p>So to talk about the sons of the west, and the journey of Australia&rsquo;s first people in the world&nbsp;of top-flight footy, we welcome Martin Flanagan to The Greatest Season that Was, 1993.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.twitter.com/TGSTW1993" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Greatest Season That Was: 93</a> documents our contention that in 1993, footy was never better. Hosted by <a href="https://www.twitter.com/collinsadam" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adam Collins</a>, <a href="https://www.twitter.com/danbrettig" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dan Brettig</a> and <a href="https://www.twitter.com/ShannonGill13" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shannon Gill</a>, this series is an in-depth exploration of one amazing season.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The Greatest Season That Was: 93 is produced by <a href="https://www.twitter.com/bad_producer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jay Mueller</a>&nbsp;and edited by <a href="https://www.twitter.com/thom_lion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thom Lion</a>. Check out <a href="https://www.badproducerproductions.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bad Producer Productions</a> for more podcasts.&nbsp;</p>
<div>Thanks for listening. Please take a moment to leave a review at Apple Podcasts and be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>What do you think? Let us know on our Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/The-Greatest-Season-That-Was-1993-1631129977006478/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</div>
<div>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The Greatest Season That Was: 1993 uses YouTube audio from the following sources:</p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Various 1993 Channel 7 Football Broadcasts</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Channel 7 That Was The Season That Was</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Channel 7 Sportsworld</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Channel 7 News</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Channel 9&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;Footy Show</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Channel 9 Sports&nbsp;Sunday</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Channel 9 News &nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Channel 10 News</li>
<li>ABC 7:30 Report.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

A new series from the team at The Greatest Season That Was Presents... US Revolution.

US Revolution features Mason, Shannon Gill and American broadcaster Ed Wyatt in an exploration of Australian Rules Football's US connections. The eight-part series will feature interviews with Paul Roos, Jason Holmes and former ESPN broadcaster Bob Ley. 

Follow The Greatest Season That Was on Twitter - @TGSTW_Presents.

The Greatest Season That Was is produced Jay Mueller and is part of the Bad Producer Podcast Network.

<p>A new series from the team at <a href="https://twitter.com/TGSTW_Presents">The Greatest Season That Was Presents</a>... US Revolution.</p>
<p>US Revolution features Mason, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonGill13">Shannon Gill</a> and American broadcaster <a href="https://twitter.com/edwyatt">Ed Wyatt</a> in an exploration of Australian Rules Football's US connections. The eight-part series will feature interviews with Paul Roos, Jason Holmes and former ESPN broadcaster <a href="https://twitter.com/BobLeyESPN">Bob Ley</a>.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Follow The Greatest Season That Was on Twitter - <a href="https://www.twitter.com/TGSTW_Presents">@TGSTW_Presents</a>.</p>
<p>The Greatest Season That Was is produced <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jaybillmueller">Jay Mueller</a> and is part of the <a href="https://www.badproducerproductions.com">Bad Producer Podcast Network.</a></p>

An in-depth look at the greatest seasons in world sport

The Greatest Season That Was Presents...

The first season explored Australian Football's greatest season: 1993. Season two made the case that the 1999 Cricket World Cup is Cricket's greatest season. Season three told the story of a failed footy merger that saw one club eventually fade away and the other reach the highest level of success. Season four told the story of Australia A. 

This season reveals the ties between AFL and the USA. 

Presented by Mason Cox, Shannon Gill and Ed Wyatt. Produced by Bad Producer Productions

<p>The first season explored Australian Football's greatest season: 1993. Season two made the case that the 1999 Cricket World Cup is Cricket's greatest season. Season three told the story of a failed footy merger that saw one club eventually fade away and the other reach the highest level of success. Season four told the story of Australia A.&nbsp;</p>
<p>This season reveals the ties between AFL and the USA.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Presented by Mason Cox, Shannon Gill and Ed Wyatt. Produced by <a href="https://www.badproducerproductions.com">Bad Producer Productions</a></p>

The Greatest Season That Was explores Footscray's role in the 1993 season

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