With the first pair of episodes and my opening review now in our rearview mirror, instalments 3 and 4 of 'The Bombers: Stories of a Great Club' saw the clock hands shift forward through the 60s, 70s, and early 80s.

While the heroic deeds of shooting stars like Geoff Blethyn and Graham Moss were covered brilliantly on the Fox Sports documentary series, this period also represented a genuine lull for the league's equal most successful club.

But fear not Bomber fans, as a man named Sheedy was along to right the ship very shortly afterward.

As someone that has begun dedicating an hour each Tuesday to watching this stirring series, I was again left pondering by the time the screen faded to black.

So, before the next set of chapters are read out on Melbourne Cup Day, I sought to find answers to another series of queries that have sat on my mind.

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Would the result of the 1968 grand final have been different had Blethyn worn two contact lenses? 

While there have been some amazing backstories from contests on football’s biggest day, the fact that someone managed to kick four goals straight while wearing only one contact lens should rate higher amongst them.

Add in the fact that the 1968 decider against Carlton represented just the third time that then 17-year-old Geoff Blethyn had played league football, and this narrative begins to take on a Cinderella complexion.

However, with Ron Barrassi’s Blues departing the Melbourne Cricket Ground with the cup that day instead of Jack Clarke's Bombers, this possible fairytale had turned into a Greek tragedy by the sounding of the final siren.

Despite being marked by legendary Carlton fullback, Wes Lofts, Blethyn got the best of his senior opponent and finished with six kicks, four marks, and half of the Dons’ eight majors.

Still, if the last of the teenager’s kicks had flown through the sticks, another flag over Windy Hill probably would have as well.

Now, there is no way I am going to scold an optically challenged teenager in this revisionist history, but had Blethyn’s time-on torpedo from the Wayne Harmes pocket brought up his fifth goal for the day, the Essendon could have been the proud owners of 17 cups to Carlton’s 15.

Although the ultimate success eluded Blethyn during his days for his local club and then again at Claremont, a premiership with the Port Adelaide Magpies in his final professional game was enough to send the wiry forward out a winner.

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