As Grand Final week descends upon the competition we take a look back at the club’s premiership glory of 1993.
The coach at the time Kevin Sheedy sums it up as the biggest steal of the last 20 years.
1993 was a season full of hope that ended in the club’s 15 premiership.
It is 21 years ago since the thrilling 44 point win over archrival Carlton at the MCG on the biggest day on the footballing calendar.
“To see it unfold was quiet exciting for everybody,” Sheedy said.
“It is probably the one premiership over the last twenty years that got away from all the top clubs of the time.”
Paul Salmon booted five goals on that day, eight years since his last premiership success in 1985.
“Bomber was captain and I was vice and I think as leaders we questioned what we wanted to get out of the year,” Salmon recalls.
“I don’t think at the start of the year there were great expectations on us, I think at the start of the year there was an element of the unknown”
“We didn’t want to be the next generation of the club that was remembered for mediocrity.”
The ‘Baby Bombers’ had names such as Hird, Long, Fletcher, Wanganeen and Mercuri in the early stages of their careers.
“We didn’t know just how good these young blokes that were coming through were and I think there was a bit of a consensus to give them a little bit of rope and let them enjoy their footy,” Salmon said.
With a number of senior Bombers retiring at the end of the 92 season Sheedy turned to club champion Tim Watson to add experience to the young side.
“We felt that we needed to get another experienced player so I got Tim Watson to a meeting which was one of the catalysts to get him out of retirement,” Sheedy said.
Watson did not have much of an impact on Grand Final day but he recalls witness the clubs talented youth excel on the big stage.
“There wasn’t really a great stand out team in 93 and by the half way mark I think we started to think we were as good as anybody in the competition,” Watson said.
“It is always a great day when you win a final,” Watson said.
“I spent a lot of day on the bench that do so I watched a lot of the game, it was just extraordinary how these young players just lapped up the pressure.”
