Toyota Memorable Moments
Encyclopedia
The Toyota Memorable Moments series is a series of television advertisements produced over several years for the Australian Football League
by its major sponsor, Toyota.
The advertisements feature comedians Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson
and a footballer re-enacting one or more famous incidents from that player's career. Curry plays the straight man to Lawson, while the demeanour of the player varies depending upon that player's personality.
The re-enactments take place on a suburban field, and humorous props and set-ups are used to allow the footballer, who is usually long retired, to emulate incidents which he is no longer athletic enough to carry out. It has been reported that the advertisements are largely unscripted; Curry and Lawson arrive with various props and gags in mind, but the players themselves are not told in advance what these props are going to be.
The series began with two advertisements, those of Wayne Harmes
and James Hird
, and proved to be extremely popular with television viewers. In the years that followed, new installments were produced and released one at a time, at a rate of one or two new advertisements in each football season.
In 2010, a new advertisement featured Wally Lewis
, a popular National Rugby League
identity. This was the first time the campaign sought and featured a different sports code.
Wayne Harmes
Re-enacts the game-winning goal from the 1979 Grand Final
, when Carlton's
Wayne Harmes dived to tap the ball from the boundary line into the goal square for Ken Sheldon. Harmes recreated the dive using a Slip 'n' Slide.
James Hird
Re-enacts the game-winning goal from Essendon's
Round 3, 2004
win against the West Coast Eagles
, where Hird scored the goal, then hugged a random teenage fan in the crowd. The fan is replaced with a confused-looking groundskeeper.
Peter Daicos
Re-enacts Daicos' tight-angle goal in the 1990 qualifying final
. Curry, Lawson and Daicos all don mullet wigs
reminiscent of Daicos' hair from the era.
Dermott Brereton
Re-enacts Brereton's heroics in the 1989 Grand Final
. Brereton was knocked unconscious by a heavy shirtfront Geelong's Mark Yeates
at the opening bounce. Severely winded and concussed, he was attended to by trainers then began to vomit before jogging back into the play. Only minutes later in the game, he marked and kicked an inspirational goal. He would finish with three goals in a game that Hawthorn would win by six points.
In the advertisement, Lawson plays the role of Yeates, and is implied to have hit Brereton with a large plank of wood. Brereton then regathers himself and spits out a mouthful of canned food to simulate the vomiting. They run in slow motion to simulate concussion, and Brereton kicks a goal to finish the advertisement.
Malcolm Blight
Primarily re-enacts Blight's 70m after-the-siren
game winning goal in Round 10, 1976
at Princes Park. Miniature posts are used to make the distance seem longer, and Lawson blows an airhorn at an unsuspecting Blight to represent the siren. Lawson also pokes fun at Blight for a separate incident where, running into an open goal, he confused the goal posts with the behind posts and kicked the wrong score.
Alex Jesaulenko
Re-enacts Jesaulenko's famous specky from the 1970 Grand Final
. Various methods, including a trampoline, piggy-back and eventually a crane, are used to provide Jesaulenko with the elevation, while Lawson says almost nothing throughout the advertisement except for variations on commentator Mike Williamson's famous call of "oh, Jesaulenko, you beauty!"
Tony Lockett
Re-enacts various incidents from Lockett's career, including the pig at full forward incident, the after-the-siren behind in the 1996 preliminary final
which put Sydney into its first Grand Final in more than fifty years (prompting Lawson to comment "what a huge behind!" to the heavily-built Lockett), and his 1300th goal, with a large crowd of people emerging from nowhere to recreate the pitch invasion.
Francis Bourke
Re-enacts Bourke's famous courageous display at Arden Street
in Round 21, 1980
. Bourke, after an accidental collision with a team-mate, was bleeding profusely, then moved to the forward line to score a goal to help Richmond to a narrow victory. The collision is represented as Lawson running Bourke over with a golf cart decorated in Richmond colours, the blood is replaced with tomato sauce, and the whole thing eventually degenerates into a big tomato sauce fight.
Bruce Doull
Re-enacts two incidents from Doull's career. Firstly, it focuses upon the time that Essendon's
Cameron Clayton
stole his headband and threw it into the Waverley Park crowd, almost the only time the usually docile Doull lost his temper during a game. Lawson plays the part of Clayton, and while Doull blocks his first attempt at stealing the headband, Lawson eventually prevails. He charges around shouting "Bruce Doull has gone berserk!" while Doull stands motionless.
The advertisement then focuses upon the 1982 Grand Final
, when he was accosted by streaker Helen d'Amico. d'Amico is also played by Lawson (in a pixellated female nude-suit), while d'Amico herself makes a Hitchcockian cameo as an onlooking dog-walker.
, won by Richmond by a then-record margin. Curry and Lawson try to teach Bartlett how to handpass
, poking fun at his tendency to always kick for goal instead of setting up team-mates, but this only results in Bartlett stealing the ball and kicking more goals. The advertisement also features Lawson shaving his head into Bartlett's familiar combover.
Peter Hudson
Primarily re-enacts Hudson's three-goal performance in the 1971 Grand Final
, and more specifically his failure to score a fourth which would have broken Bob Pratt
's record of 150 goals in a VFL season. It features Hudson being knocked out by Kevin "Cowboy" Neale
(represented by Lawson on a docile pony), simulates his concussion by fitting Hudson with thick glasses and spinning him in circles, and Hudson kicking his final attempt into man-on-the-mark Barry Lawrence
(represented by Lawson being hit in the groin with the ball). The advertisement also re-enacts Hudson's famous arrival by helicopter to VFL Park
in his only VFL game of 1973
.
Leigh Matthews
AFL Hall of Fame legend, Leigh Matthews relives the 1982, Hawks vs Bombers match at Windy Hill, where he famously collides and breaks the goal post, cementing his nickname "Lethal Leigh".
Wally Lewis
Re-enacts Lewis' Game 2 and Series winning try of the 1989 State of Origin series, where, with the injuries of Allan Langer
, Mal Meninga
and Paul Vautin
, the Queensland rugby league team
had only 12 men in their team. However, Wally scored a 40-meter try - a moment which has been described as Queensland's greatest performance.
, a segment on the BBC/ITV show Fantasy Football League
, which featured similar re-enactments of famous moments in English soccer.
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
by its major sponsor, Toyota.
The advertisements feature comedians Stephen Curry and Dave Lawson
Dave Lawson
Dave Lawson is an Australian comedian and TV and radio personality. He is currently participating in a talk back radio segment on the Nova 100 Australian commercial radio station, and is also a regular performer on the stand up comedy circuit...
and a footballer re-enacting one or more famous incidents from that player's career. Curry plays the straight man to Lawson, while the demeanour of the player varies depending upon that player's personality.
The re-enactments take place on a suburban field, and humorous props and set-ups are used to allow the footballer, who is usually long retired, to emulate incidents which he is no longer athletic enough to carry out. It has been reported that the advertisements are largely unscripted; Curry and Lawson arrive with various props and gags in mind, but the players themselves are not told in advance what these props are going to be.
The series began with two advertisements, those of Wayne Harmes
Wayne Harmes
Wayne Harmes is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.-Football career:Recruited from Oak Park, as a youngster Harmes was perceived to have a lot of talent, winning The Sun newspapers' "Sunkick" competition. Added to this was the fact he was a grandson of Len Smith...
and James Hird
James Hird
James Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
, and proved to be extremely popular with television viewers. In the years that followed, new installments were produced and released one at a time, at a rate of one or two new advertisements in each football season.
In 2010, a new advertisement featured Wally Lewis
Wally Lewis
Walter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
, a popular National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
identity. This was the first time the campaign sought and featured a different sports code.
Wayne HarmesWayne HarmesWayne Harmes is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.-Football career:Recruited from Oak Park, as a youngster Harmes was perceived to have a lot of talent, winning The Sun newspapers' "Sunkick" competition. Added to this was the fact he was a grandson of Len Smith...
Re-enacts the game-winning goal from the 1979 Grand Final1979 VFL Grand Final
The 1979 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 29 September 1979. It was the 83rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to...
, when Carlton's
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
Wayne Harmes dived to tap the ball from the boundary line into the goal square for Ken Sheldon. Harmes recreated the dive using a Slip 'n' Slide.
James HirdJames HirdJames Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
Re-enacts the game-winning goal from Essendon'sEssendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Round 3, 2004
2004 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 2004.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Wizard Home Loans Cup:The Wizard Home Loans Cup Final saw St...
win against the West Coast Eagles
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
, where Hird scored the goal, then hugged a random teenage fan in the crowd. The fan is replaced with a confused-looking groundskeeper.
Peter DaicosPeter DaicosPeter Daicos is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played his entire 250 game career with the Collingwood Football Club in the VFL/AFL....
Re-enacts Daicos' tight-angle goal in the 1990 qualifying final1990 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1990.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Ladder:All teams played 22 games during the home and away season, for a total of 154...
. Curry, Lawson and Daicos all don mullet wigs
Mullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...
reminiscent of Daicos' hair from the era.
Dermott BreretonDermott BreretonDermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules football player in the Australian Football League, regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. Of Irish descent , he is known for his aggressive style of play. Brereton kicked 464 goals and played in five Premierships for during...
Re-enacts Brereton's heroics in the 1989 Grand Final1989 VFL Grand Final
The 1989 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and the Geelong Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 30 September 1989. It was the 93rd annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
. Brereton was knocked unconscious by a heavy shirtfront Geelong's Mark Yeates
Mark Yeates (Australian rules footballer)
Mark Yeates is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the Victorian Football League during the 1980s....
at the opening bounce. Severely winded and concussed, he was attended to by trainers then began to vomit before jogging back into the play. Only minutes later in the game, he marked and kicked an inspirational goal. He would finish with three goals in a game that Hawthorn would win by six points.
In the advertisement, Lawson plays the role of Yeates, and is implied to have hit Brereton with a large plank of wood. Brereton then regathers himself and spits out a mouthful of canned food to simulate the vomiting. They run in slow motion to simulate concussion, and Brereton kicks a goal to finish the advertisement.
Malcolm BlightMalcolm BlightMalcolm Jack Blight AM is a former champion Australian rules football player and coach, and current television commentator. During the 1970s and 1980s Blight played for the Woodville Football Club in the South Australian National Football League and the North Melbourne Football Club in the...
Primarily re-enacts Blight's 70m after-the-sirenAfter the siren kicks in Australian rules football
In Australian rules football, if a player takes a mark or is awarded a free kick before or as the siren sounds, the player is allowed to take the kick...
game winning goal in Round 10, 1976
1976 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1976.-Premiership season:In 1976, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man...
at Princes Park. Miniature posts are used to make the distance seem longer, and Lawson blows an airhorn at an unsuspecting Blight to represent the siren. Lawson also pokes fun at Blight for a separate incident where, running into an open goal, he confused the goal posts with the behind posts and kicked the wrong score.
Alex JesaulenkoAlex JesaulenkoAlex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko MBE is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the game's greatest-ever players and is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame...
Re-enacts Jesaulenko's famous specky from the 1970 Grand Final1970 VFL Grand Final
The 1970 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and Collingwood Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 26 September 1970. It was the 74th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
. Various methods, including a trampoline, piggy-back and eventually a crane, are used to provide Jesaulenko with the elevation, while Lawson says almost nothing throughout the advertisement except for variations on commentator Mike Williamson's famous call of "oh, Jesaulenko, you beauty!"
Tony LockettTony LockettAnthony Howard "Tony" Lockett is a former Australian rules football player. Lockett is the highest goal scorer in the history of the VFL/AFL with 1,360 goals in a career of 281 games, that commenced in 1983 with the St Kilda Football Club, and finished in 2002 with the Sydney Swans...
Re-enacts various incidents from Lockett's career, including the pig at full forward incident, the after-the-siren behind in the 1996 preliminary final1996 AFL season
Results and statistics for the Australian Football League season of 1996.See List of Australian Football League premiers for a complete list.-Lighting Premiership:...
which put Sydney into its first Grand Final in more than fifty years (prompting Lawson to comment "what a huge behind!" to the heavily-built Lockett), and his 1300th goal, with a large crowd of people emerging from nowhere to recreate the pitch invasion.
Francis BourkeFrancis BourkeFrancis William Bourke is a former Australian rules football player who played in the Victorian Football League between 1967 and 1981 for the Richmond Football Club and coached the club between 1982 and 1983. One of the most respected Australian footballers of any era, Bourke was nicknamed "St...
Re-enacts Bourke's famous courageous display at Arden StreetArden Street Oval
Arden Street Oval is a sports oval based in Arden Street, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is currently the training base of Australian rules team North Melbourne Football Club and up to the end of the 1985 season it was used for elite-level VFL/AFL matches.-History:The North Melbourne...
in Round 21, 1980
1980 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1980.-Grand final:Richmond defeated Collingwood 23.21 to 9.24 , in front of a crowd of 113,461 people...
. Bourke, after an accidental collision with a team-mate, was bleeding profusely, then moved to the forward line to score a goal to help Richmond to a narrow victory. The collision is represented as Lawson running Bourke over with a golf cart decorated in Richmond colours, the blood is replaced with tomato sauce, and the whole thing eventually degenerates into a big tomato sauce fight.
Bruce DoullBruce DoullBruce Doull is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Carlton Football Club....
Re-enacts two incidents from Doull's career. Firstly, it focuses upon the time that Essendon'sEssendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Cameron Clayton
Cameron Clayton
Cameron Clayton is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond, Melbourne and Essendon in the Victorian Football League ....
stole his headband and threw it into the Waverley Park crowd, almost the only time the usually docile Doull lost his temper during a game. Lawson plays the part of Clayton, and while Doull blocks his first attempt at stealing the headband, Lawson eventually prevails. He charges around shouting "Bruce Doull has gone berserk!" while Doull stands motionless.
The advertisement then focuses upon the 1982 Grand Final
1982 VFL season
The 86th Victorian Football League Premiership season commenced on 20 March 1982 and concluded on 25 September 1982 with Carlton winning their second consecutive Premiership against Richmond...
, when he was accosted by streaker Helen d'Amico. d'Amico is also played by Lawson (in a pixellated female nude-suit), while d'Amico herself makes a Hitchcockian cameo as an onlooking dog-walker.
Kevin Bartlett
Re-enacts Bartlett's seven-goal performance in the 1980 Grand Final1980 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1980.-Grand final:Richmond defeated Collingwood 23.21 to 9.24 , in front of a crowd of 113,461 people...
, won by Richmond by a then-record margin. Curry and Lawson try to teach Bartlett how to handpass
Handball (Australian rules football)
Handball is a term in the sport of Australian rules football which describes a method of disposing of possession of the football by hand. It is the most frequently used alternative to kicking the ball...
, poking fun at his tendency to always kick for goal instead of setting up team-mates, but this only results in Bartlett stealing the ball and kicking more goals. The advertisement also features Lawson shaving his head into Bartlett's familiar combover.
Peter HudsonPeter HudsonPeter John Hudson AM is a former Australian Rules Football player, considered one of the greatest full-forwards in the game's history....
Primarily re-enacts Hudson's three-goal performance in the 1971 Grand Final1971 VFL Grand Final
The 1971 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Hawthorn Football Club and St Kilda Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 1971. It was the 75th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine...
, and more specifically his failure to score a fourth which would have broken Bob Pratt
Bob Pratt
Harold Robert "Bob" Pratt was a former Australian rules footballer from Mitcham, Victoria.Pratt played with South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League from 1930–1939 and again in 1946, and with the Coburg Football Club in the Victorian Football Association from 1940 to 1941...
's record of 150 goals in a VFL season. It features Hudson being knocked out by Kevin "Cowboy" Neale
Kevin Neale
Kevin "Cowboy" Neale is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League .-St Kilda :...
(represented by Lawson on a docile pony), simulates his concussion by fitting Hudson with thick glasses and spinning him in circles, and Hudson kicking his final attempt into man-on-the-mark Barry Lawrence
Barry Lawrence
Barry K. Lawrence is a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League. He played for St Kilda.Barry played as a forward for Longford in Tasmania, he had once signed the play with Hawthorn in 1967 but he decided to stay in Tasmania for two more years before jioning St Kilda. he...
(represented by Lawson being hit in the groin with the ball). The advertisement also re-enacts Hudson's famous arrival by helicopter to VFL Park
Waverley Park
Waverley Park was an Australian rules football stadium in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. For most of its history, its purpose was as a neutral venue and used by all Victorian based Victorian Football League/Australian Football League clubs. However, during the 1990s it became the home ground of...
in his only VFL game of 1973
1973 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1973.-Premiership season:In 1973, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus two substitute players, known as the 19th man and the 20th man...
.
Leigh MatthewsLeigh MatthewsLeigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...
AFL Hall of Fame legend, Leigh Matthews relives the 1982, Hawks vs Bombers match at Windy Hill, where he famously collides and breaks the goal post, cementing his nickname "Lethal Leigh". Wally LewisWally LewisWalter James "Wally" Lewis AM is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. Currently a commentator of the sport, he is widely regarded as the greatest rugby league player of all time...
Re-enacts Lewis' Game 2 and Series winning try of the 1989 State of Origin series, where, with the injuries of Allan LangerAllan Langer
Allan "Alfie" Langer AM is an Australian former multi-award-winning rugby league footballer of the 1980s, 90s and 2000s who works as an assistant coach for the Australian national team and Brisbane Broncos...
, Mal Meninga
Mal Meninga
Malcolm Norman Meninga AM is an Australian former rugby league test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century...
and Paul Vautin
Paul Vautin
Paul Vautin , is an Australian sports television personality and former rugby league footballer and coach. He currently hosts the NRL Footy Show and provides commentary for the Nine Network's coverage of rugby league matches...
, the Queensland rugby league team
Queensland rugby league team
The Queensland rugby league team have represented the Australian state of Queensland in rugby league football since the sport's beginnings there in 1908...
had only 12 men in their team. However, Wally scored a 40-meter try - a moment which has been described as Queensland's greatest performance.
See also
Phoenix from the FlamesPhoenix from the Flames
Phoenix from the Flames was a regular feature on the BBC/ITV show Fantasy Football League, which involved presenters David Baddiel and Frank Skinner recreating a famous moment from footballing history with one of the people involved at the time....
, a segment on the BBC/ITV show Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League
Fantasy Football League is a British television programme hosted by Frank Skinner and David Baddiel. The Programme began on BBC Radio 5 and was hosted by Dominik Diamond before transferring to BBC 2, with three series being broadcast from January 1994 to May 1996...
, which featured similar re-enactments of famous moments in English soccer.
External links
- http://www.toyota.com.au/afl/
- http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2005/toyota-afl-moments