IT WAS the year Germany was reunified, the first web server was created and Nelson Mandela was released from prison.

But if you ask someone from Casterton who was around in 1990, they’ll tell you only that it was the year of the Cat Attack and after pandemic restrictions cancelled celebrations in 2020 and 2021, there’ll be no stopping the town from re-living the event, this weekend.

The first Cats to bring home the cup in 21 years and the last, to date, the 1990 premiership side included locals Matt Murphy and Neil Shannon – the oldest and youngest players to take the field that day – and the pair is excited to be returning to their old stomping ground for the weekend’s celebrations.

“I had no idea then, just how big this was,” Murphy said.

“When they said they were going to have a street parade for the players … I thought ‘who’s going to turn up for that’ … and the street was packed!

“It really was just this whole town, whole community event, it wasn’t just about the players on the field, it was about the whole town doing something big.”

He said the enormity of the event fully hit, when coach, Glenn Carroll, addressed his players as they walked onto the ground.

“He said, have a look around, take one last look at the crowd, the people who were there to support us … then get on with the job,” Murphy said.

Shannon, who retired from football the following year but remains active at the club, assisting with preparing the ground for home matches said the mateship between the players was the key ingredient to its success.

“We were all mates, our families were all friends, when their was something on, didn’t matter whether you were a drinker or not, what the occasion, everyone was there, we all got along, all supported each other,” Shannon said.

Murphy said while the organising committee had sent invitations to all those committee members, players and club staff who could be found on 1990 lists, everyone was invited to head to Island Park this Saturday and the clubrooms at lunchtime, to catch up with the reunion crew.

“We had to sort through a lot of names and we know some were missing, but it’s not just about the lists … the whole town was part of the team and we’d love to have everyone join us to celebrate,” he said.

The 1990 premiership team will be in the clubrooms from 12 noon on Saturday, to watch the Cats take on South Gambier.