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Your Top 5 Demons Players of All Time

Craig Drinker
Craig Drinker
in Melbourne Demons

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On 5/22/2009 at 3:38 PM, Freak said:

I loved Leoncelli.

Mr Gross Efficiency! Used the ball superbly. Not top five, but above the clouds.

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    Gawn

    Lyon

    Neitz

    Petracca

    Oliver

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    C. Bruce

    L. Jurrah

    D. Neitz

    A. Dave

    J. White

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    26 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

    1 Jakovich

    2 Farmer

    3 Schwarz

    4 Lyon

    5 KOZZIE!!! :lol:

     

    1. Flower

    2. Oliver (Will be better than Rob over the career)

    3. Gawn

    4. Stynes

    5. Petracca

     

    3 current day players is a great thing

     

    May, Kozzie, Jackson and potentially Rivers all with a bullet. Jackson is much much better than most seem to think. Extremely good tap ruckman with clever hands, space and time.

     

     

     

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    What about the following

    Barassi

    Spencer

    Tassie Johnson

    Hassa Mann

    Bob Johnson

    Beckwith

    in the 50's and 60's knowing you cannot compare players from a different era make this difficult.

    The above players did not play in the professional era

    In the 40's

    Percy Beams

    Alan Fontaine

    Jack Meuller

    Norm Smith

    Don Cordner

     

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    Robbie Flower

    Hassa Mann

    David Schwartz 

    Alan Jakovic

    Garry Lyon

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    Travis Johnstone - best kick I’ve seen in red and blue. Loved watching him stream up the wing of the G and hit Neitz with a laser on his chest. He copped a tag every week due to his impact and ability. Loved he was a big game player who always stood up in finals. Lead the league in kicks and score assists. Underrated despite never reaching his full potential.

    David Neitz - champion of the club and a great leader. Could perform well both as a forward or defender. Leading Melbourne goal kicker and games captained. Only 300 game player. Legend.

    David Schwarz - knee injuries stopped him becoming the best player in the league. His 1994 season was incredible. Loved his athleticism and marking as a kid. For a big guy he was freakish with his ability to evade and weave through traffic before slamming through goals. 

    Allen Jakovich - most exciting demon I’ve seen. Would kick bags and bags of goals and pull insane scores out of his [censored]. He was an old fashioned footballer. Back injuries robbed him of becoming a great of the game, as he was on track to being one of the greatest goal kickers of all time with huge average goals kicked. Fastest player to 50 and 100 goals ever. 

    Adem Yze - like Travis, a silky kick. He excelled off half back, midfield and up forward. Kicked some brilliant goals too, a real talent. It annoys me he’s often remembered for struggling at the end of his career and not being a gun throughout most of it.

    Oliver and Gawn close to entering my list, but will wait until post career to judge.

    Edited by Lord Travis

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    Flower, Jakovich, Jarrah, Oliver and Schwarz.

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    Flower, Schwarz, Warren Dean (briefly, until his knee played up), Barassi, Oliver and I have to add a sixth: Wight.

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    Been following since 1988

    Lyon

    Schwartz

    Neitz

    Farmer

    Yze

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    Started following in 1980 when our jumper was Royal blue, which is why I don't mind our current clash jumper.

    Seen a few glimpses of promise without getting the job done. In the early years Robbie Flower was my hero, Connolly came on the scene and I thought here we go but injury hit him. Viney snr was tough in and under no backward steps and we had Strawbs, Grinter who never took a backward step. Plenty of potential under Danners but we never had the backline or the ability to [censored] teams down when they got momentum. The current crop is very talented gives me hope

    1. T. Viney

    2. Flower

    3. Schwarter

    4. Stynes

    5. Clarrie

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    Hassa Mann

    Stan Alves 

    Robbie Flower

    ‘Wrecker’ Whelan

    Aaron Davey

    Shane Woewodin

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    1. Robbie. 

    2. Hardeman (so often the forgotten man of the MFC. He outmarked and outplayed the great full forwards of Hudson, Wade, McKenna etc... As a young kid, Melbourne were rarely on tv but the radio commentators used to love him)

    3. Brett Lovett. Looked like a plodder but was an absolute gun off half back. Reliable, attacking, incredible team player.

    4. Schwartz. Every skill, physically intimidating, great shot for goal, towering mark.  

    5. Farmer. 

    Next in line: Lyon, Davey, or Gawn.

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    Now this I like! 

    1) Max Gawn: This is the biggest update to my list. I got turned off football in general for reasons I won't go into here (and will probably have a few characters more than triggered if I do). I watched from afar, but there was an undercurrent that I was genuinely revolted by, hence I didn't want to fully embrace it again. But since my interest has been rekindled and subsequent events have revived my faith in the code, Max has grown in leaps and bounds in my estimation. 
    There was a school of thought that we'd be better off going with Jake Spencer at the time. I never quite understood why people thought that (with no malicious disrespect intended to Jake). I was never sure why, but it existed. For some reason, I always felt Max had a few more tricks up his sleeve (though if you saw his first game, when he shanked a 10 meter directly in front shot on goal against Essendon, you might have thought otherwise). I felt that the reason was that even in that first game, he seemed to be well ahead of Jake when he was wheeled out. 
    It turns out when Jimmy Stynes saw something special in Max, he wasn't wrong. He gets number one on my list as he is something we haven't really had since I've been a supporter: the league leader in his position and arguably, one of the top 5 players in the league. 4 time All Australian, 3 times B&F, club captain and recognized as the number one ruck in the league. While he does have some tricks as mentioned, he got to where he was by hard work (when we all know the tale of him smoking on the way to training and eating whole Dominos pizzas).
    I also admire Max as he isn't afraid of being who he is. He is a big, laid back, bohemian Kiwi. He marches to the beat of his own drum, but no one would EVER say that he isn't a competitive beast OR anything but a consumate professional (these days).
    2) Jimmy Stynes: Jimmy, as a human being, is an example I try to live up to. Not in the sense of his sporting achievements. More along the lines of just being a good, empathetic, compassionate and humane person. His example of perseverance as a player is also something I try to apply in my own life in what I try to do. I don't always succeed, but I try.
    I put Jimmy just below Max because I personally don't believe that the game came as naturally to Jimmy. But bloody hell, by the end, through sheer force of will, he became a VERY competent player. I started supporting in 1988 so I never got to see Robbie. But I can understand in some ways what the older generation felt when Robbie was giving them something to be proud of while the team was dirt. Jimmy was a bit like that for me during the years of '96 and '97 when we stunk on ice. Jimmy putting the jumper on during those two years raised my hopes. His sheer will to keep competing and representing himself was amazing to see. Plus, he was also adaptable. In '91, he was more of an extra midfielder who could ruck. Come '95 onwards, he was more a traditional ruckman and just as valuable.
    I tend to separate Jimmy the administrator from Jimmy the player and Jimmy the human being as I think what happened during that time was ultimately more destructive than constructive. It wasn't done intentionally and is a reminder that we are ultimately all human. As Ron Barassi said, 'he was a fine example of humanity and sports rolled into one.' I still think about how he is not longer with us
    3) Jeff Farmer: When this bloke turned it on, watch out. Older Demonlanders would know of the game against Collingwood in 2000, but what better example can I bring up? You could also bring up the Prelim again North, but that was a more 4 quarter performance (and probably more admirable). But the Collingwood game was like he flicked a switch. I felt sorry for Tarkyn Lockyer.
    I spoke of tricks before, but Wiz basically had all of them at Melbourne. He could take speccies, snap impossible goals and turn on a thrupenny bit. He was the type of player you went to a game expecting something magical from when you went to a game. He could be a bit up and down, but with hindsight, that was mostly because of the nature of the position he played (which I now realize). If your forwards weren't crashing the packs, the delivery was crap or you had a good lockdown defender on you, you could be highly inconspicuous. If the ball bounced the right way, Wiz was in his element however.
    It was disappointing to see him go to Freo. I get the feeling he thinks that he may have done things differently if he had his time again (I remember him admitting as much in an interview with Robbo on the website). I think he was never the player with the Dockers as he was us. I'm glad as well that he has reembraced us fully (as seen at the Geelong final when he was as excited as any punter in the stands).
    4) Allen Jakovich: When the Demonland podcast got him on in 2018, the nostalgia kick I got was like a pulse of warm but positive electricity running through me. I was also happy to see that Jaka was such a likable bloke as well. The lair and trash talker he was on field was not who he was off field (nor the [censored] Sam Newman made him out to be). It was also great to remember a time when footy was less complicated, and that year of 1991 when Jaka ran absolute riot. 
    Younger Demonlanders might not be able to appreciate how a 54 game player could stick in the memory so well. It was really one of those 'you wouldn't be able to understand unless you were there'. Jaka had a spunk and a strut about him that was so totally removed from what Melbourne players are supposed to see. If you want to understand what I'm talking about, look up his performance in '92 against Collingwood at Vic Park. 
    A lot of our players today would go into the foetal position if they were asked to go to that hive of scum and villainy. Jaka gave it back twice and more. He tore apart both our current CEO and Mick Gayfer while doing so, and got us a win in our last appearance there. Priceless.
    5) David Schwarz: Working out where I put Schwarz and Jaka really was a tough call. I tended to consider talent alongside games played and accolades accrued, and Ox played longer than Jaka. But, and this will sound strange, while Ox's comeback after knee surgery was highly admirable and warmed the heart of all Demon supporters, it kind of spoiled some of my memories of him. Anyone who saw him in 1994 turn it on against Sydney, Carlton and the Dogs saw someone who was Carey-esque. When he finally got back in 1997, he was more a Big Bad Leroy Brown bustling forward. Perhaps, that should get him higher up my list, but for some reason it puts him down it. 
    That being said, as passionate a Demon as you will see. That second act in his career won him a B&F, so what would I know? Silkily skilled, confident and could tear a game apart at his peak. Ox was magnificent. To also see how he has gone on to overcome his demons with gambling addiction and the circumstances of his early life shows a strength of character that few have. 
    Apologies to Garry Lyon and David Neitz. 

    Edited by Colin B. Flaubert

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    Flower

    Hardeman

    Schwartz

    Jakovic

    Farmer

    I will save my current players until the end of their careers, Trac, Clarry and Kozzie will be something special.

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    brilliant post @Colin B. Flaubert

    pretty much my thoughts in terms of my top 5 players since i started following the club in 85 or so, but in terms of ye apologies i'd swap gaddy out for oliver

    i personally think that oliver and trac will go into my top 5 if they can win a premiership or a dozen with the dees

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    My players are based on 1985 onwards. Prior to that I was a kid in Sydney watching the Roosters .

    There are several current players who could make this list one day.

     

    1. Schwartz -All round ability-An absolute freak -any position.

    2.Nietz- Most reliable,consistent performer ,best shot on goal.Mark it down anywhere within 60M.

    3.Flower-Elegant ,fast, super-skilled but fragile.

    4.Lyon -The total package-is as good an all round player as there has been.

    5.Farmer- Freak speed,mark,kick and for his size was actually one of the most feared men to wear the jumper.( had a temper).

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    • Like 2
    On 5/22/2009 at 2:34 PM, Craig Drinker said:

    Who did/do you enjoy watching play footy over your time as a Demon supporter?

    Here's my top 5 up to now:

    1. Robert Flower (A freak)

    2. Gary Hardeman (Tough,fair,consistent Big V player.Would have been a star in any team)

    3. David Neitz (Nothing better than watching Neita leading out from the square ,taking another great mark and converting.)

    4. Todd Viney ( Skills nothing flash , however one of the hardest ,most courageous in an under ball winners to wear the MFC jumper).

    5. Aaron Davey ( Exciting player , capable of anything )

    On pure talent alone:

    1. Robert Flower

    2. David Schwarz

    3. Allen Jakovich

    Others: Gary Hardeman (very under rated), David

                   Neitz, Garry Lyon, Travis Johnstone 

     

     

     

     

     

     

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