Gary Ablett senior's incredible 14.7 for Geelong in a losing side against Essendon in 1993 is one of the greatest individual performances of all time. I've always liked to take some small credit for it. But so has the guy that ran the milk bar across the road from where I worked.
It was this same round of football, Round 6, and on the day before it happened, a Friday afternoon, there was much excitement in the old building once occupied by The Age in Lonsdale Street as the man by then universally known as "God" entered our midst.
Notoriously media shy, Ablett had finally agreed to be a columnist for The Sunday Age, which I was to help him pen as his "ghost".
It was a major coup, and even the crustiest, most cynical hacks were whispering and pointing like little children as I accompanied him down the corridor.
For about five minutes, I was awestruck as well. Then reality set in. Because that's all it took to realise that, given Ablett's reluctance to talk about his own exploits, or even those of the Geelong teammates he didn't want to embarrass, we weren't going to have a lot of material.
In desperation, I suggested maybe we could talk about the Brisbane Bears, a young emerging team against whom Ablett had starred with eight goals the previous weekend up at the Gabba.
Problem being that Ablett was so good he'd never had to worry much about his opponents. Sure, there was fleeting acknowledgement when I mentioned the names of young Bears tyros Nathan Buckley and Michael Voss. But others drew a blank.
"What about Nathan Chapman?" I asked. "No, sorry mate, you've got me there. Which one is he?" Ablett said. "Well, actually, Gary, he's the guy you played on for the whole game."
Yep, it was like extracting teeth. But we got there in the end after a brief interlude, during which "Gazza" popped across the road to the milk bar for a salad sandwich (no cheese or tomato).
Perhaps his first faltering steps as an author had inspired him. Perhaps having to work with me for several hours had caused such pent-up frustration it had to be unleashed on the field of battle. Who knows? But less than 24 hours later, Ablett was on fire.
Geelong's game against Essendon at the MCG was simply amazing, one of the most breathtaking games of AFL football seen.
Bomber spearhead Paul Salmon booted 10 goals and incredibly still had his performance all but ignored as he and Ablett staged their own personal shootout, collectively booting 24 of the 42 goals scored, while a fantastic game of flowing football went on around them.
Ablett took a series of opponents apart, including a very young James Hird, Mark Harvey, Derek Kickett, and Chris Daniher, the pick of the catalogue of highlights an unbelievable checkside snap from the forward pocket that almost defied physics.
Even Salmon was awestruck by his opposite number. "I'm sure it would have been entertaining watching. It was from where I stood, although every goal he kicked hurt," he said.
But even more incredibly, after Essendon rattled on the last five goals of the game, the Cats still lost. Ablett's 14 remains the record for the most goals in a losing team.
"The most disappointing thing about today," said bemused Geelong coach Malcolm Blight after the match, "is that you've had a bloke who has played one of the great games of all time, and we haven't got the points. It's almost unfair."
As unfair, I pondered perhaps self-indulgently, as the added task I now had of extracting some more words from our own columnist after one of the greatest performances in history, the office having rung me several times in a lather of expectation.
Surely Gazza would have enough sense of occasion to reflect at length on it all? Yeah, right!
For about 20 minutes, with several stories to write on my plate and deadline ticking ever closer, I had to hover near the shower block in the Cats' rooms waiting for Ablett to emerge, desperate to grab some quotes.
"G'day Rohan," he said cheerfully when he was finally ready. I told him the office was on my back, and of what Blight had just said. "Gee, that's nice," he smiled. "Just say that I'm just really disappointed that we didn't win the game."
At least I had a story for the grandchildren, I thought, as I trudged back to the press box, pondering how this weekly column with Ablett was going to work out. And as you'd imagine, it proved to be pretty short-lived.
Geelong had their champion kick 14.7 and still lost the game. The Sunday Age got diddly squat from our much-heralded new star columnist. Essendon, powered by a batch of "Baby Bombers", kick-started its season and would go on to win a very unexpected premiership.
But the biggest winner that day might actually have been Lonsdale Steet milk bar owner Paul Rapisarda. The following week, you couldn't walk towards the Age office without noticing the "Ablett was here" sign now hanging proudly from the window. "On Saturday he kicked 14 goals. On Friday he bought his lunch here! WOW!"
So Gary, from both Paul and I, yep, you're welcome, happy to help.
You can read more of Rohan Connolly's work at Footyology.