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 )

Robert Flower - champion on and off the ground

David Schwartz (Pre knee injuries) - Was as good as any CHF I've seen.

A.Jakovich - Geez, this guy was good, least amount of games to career 50 & 100 goals, easily the most skilled footballer I've seen

G.Lyon - Captain grumpy was an inspirational leader

J.Farmer - At his peak he was the best small forward in the modern era

Special mentions: G.Lovett, S.Tingay, T.Viney, A.Davey, J.Stynes

Edit: Forgot about Neitz, still not in my top 5 though, slide him in the 'special mention' section.

I loved Leoncelli.

  FairBump PlayOn 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 )

1. Cuthbertson

2.Prympkie

3. Chisholm

4.Carroll

5.Kowell

I have and always will regard Ron Barassi Jr. as the # 1 Melbourne player of my lifetime. He personified strength, courage, determination and leadership. He won games for us and with him in the side, we won premierships - lots of them. Forget Essendon (2000), Brisbane (2001-3) and Geelong (2007-), we were the best side in the history of the game, our reign lasted for a decade and RDB was the best of the best.

Robbie Flower was the most skillful player to wear the red and blue (I might be ancient but Ivor Warne-Smith was before my time). Slight of build, Robbie was graceful and time stopped when he was near the ball. He was a magnificent mark, would run, bounce and mesmerise the opposition and one of his runs from coast to coast via pockets, flanks and wings to score a goal at Windy Hill one day was the most sublime pieces of action this game has ever produced. It wasn't his fault that we only made the finals once in his entire career but it would have been unbearable going to the footy between 1972 and 1987 but for him.

My memories of Laurie Mithen are fading but I can't recall the dynamic centreman ever being beaten. He taught some of my friends who were students at Melbourne High School in the 60s and they used to call him a "bastard". That's how he played his football - like a real bastard and that's why Melbourne was so successful when he played in the middle.

Stan Alves played on the opposite wing to Robbie Flower and arrived at Melbourne at the wrong time - 1965, when the Melbourne show was closing down. He was a champion, a beautiful mover and a clever thinking footballer. Sadly, he left to achieve premiership success elsewhere. It always amazed me that Melbourne couldn't do better with Alves and Flower on the wings and Greg Wells in the middle. Shows how bad we were everywhere else on the field in those days.

Brian Dixon used to count his kicks in the days before statisticians took over the game. He was quite brilliant and although his kicking style wasn't the greatest, he was remarkably effective and contributed enormously to his team's successful era.

Strangely, I have picked three wingmen in my top five. They were always important on the wide, open spaces of the MCG. I couldn't fit in anybody from the modern era but the others would be Jimmy, Garry Lyon, Alan Johnson, Shane Woewodin (I'm assuming I can mention him now), Neita and Brian Wilson for a short period of time. Gerard Healy might have made it had he stuck around long enough instead of making a run for the money and The Ox would probably have rivalled Laurie Mithen for my third spot if not for the tragedy of his knees.

Of the current crop of players (and I don't want to put any pressure on prematurely but ...) I reckon our first three picks in the 2007 draft, Morton, Grimes and Maric all have the capacity to go places in this game. It's just a question of whether they have the will and the application to put in the enormous amount of work necessary.

In my life:

1. David Schwarz

2. David Neitz

3. Jeff Farmer

4. Adem Yze

5. Russell Robertson

From players i remember seeing:

Lyon

Viney

Stynes

Schwartz

Neitz

Jacko just didnt play enough unfortunately, but i have no doubts he would be top 2 injuries aside

Robbie Flower (silky, a gazelle)

Garry Lyon

Ron Barassi (too young to watch him live, but he broke my little heart when my uncle told me the news of his defection)

Alan Johnson

Jeff Farmer (my son's choice, along with GL, Neita, Jimmy Stynes & Robbo)

Only players i have seen play

1. Schwarz

2. Lyon

3. Stynes

4. Neitz

5. Flower

My most admired and therefore favourte 5 to watch, not necessarily top 5 skilled:

1. Stephen Tingay

2. Robbie Flower

3. Rod Grinter

4. Jimmy Stynes

5. David Schwarz

Special mentions to Graeme Yeats, Danny Hughes, Sean Wight, Garry Lyon, Ricky Jackson, Adem Yze, Jeff White, and Todd Viney.

1. Robert Flower

2. David Schwartz

3. Aaron Davey

4. Gary Hardeman

5. David Neitz

Ron Barassi

Robbie Flower

Aaron Davey

Jim Stynes

Stan Alves

If you mean one season as "in their prime" Then the list is very different from a regular "best players" list...

1: Alan Jackovich - his first 100 goals, he was arguably the most exciting forward going round. And the only time we had a player that could go with the Dunstalls, Abletts, and Pluggers.

2: Jeff farmer - circa 2000, sent shivers through the rest of the league, and got us to our only GF in my lifetime.

3: David Neitz - In his coleman year he was either the best, or second best FF going around. He's the chief reason I fell in love with footy again after a number of years off.

4: David Schwartz - If he had actually put together a whole season early on during his bad knee years he would have delivered, if only for 22 rounds, on his massive promise. As it is he was still an awesome force.

5: G. Lyon - You may not like him, but he was a gun player in anyones' book. My parents and many older fans say of him "he was always a champion." And I'm certain no-one else in my time following MFC rates like that.

Apologies to Jim Stynes who was more of an accumulator...

Yze and Johnston who were AA quality one year and very flashy but not top 5 material...

Davey, who I think hasn't yet had his best season. Give it another 13 rounds.

Lyon

Stynes

Schwarz

Flower

B.Wilson - THE entertainer. Saw him 'revive' an umpire when I was young, mum dad and I looked at each other and lost it! (Brownlow medalist too..)

In 5 yrs if Davey keeps going the way he is, he would make the top 5 definately.

Carrol

Funkle

Morcroft

Shanahan

Neitz

(maybe motlop, I couldnt decide)

Nathan Carroll

Lynden Dunn

Simon Godfrey

Ben Holland

Paul Johnson

"Nathan Carrol" - Could possibly be Team of the Century contender.

5 Best Players that i have seen in MFC jumper: (My Eyes)

Lyon

Schwarz

Neitz

Davey

Farmer

Could possibly be:

Davey

Watts

Morton

Grimes

Jurrah

and Go Dees..........

  FairBump PlayOn 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 )

Stephen Tingay. One of the toughest players i've seen. Also one of the most skillful. It took us 3 seasons to work out which was his preferred foot.

Ricky Jackson. Just loved him running our forward line under the feet of Warren Dean, Earl Spalding and Garry Lyon. Real fast too.

Rodney Grinter. People have to remember he was not just an enforcer, he was a very skillful utility as well. Who happened to break Terry Wallaces jaw.

David Schwarz. Could and would have been as good or better than Carey, if not for the 3 knee reco's. Only blemish was those stupid headbands in 94/95.

Stephen Newport. A bit left field, but one of my faves. Just an honest trier , who was probably one of the first taggers. I had his number on my jumper (34) for years. I got him to sign it once, and he was blown away that someone would even bother. That was in 1986 when I was 16. I ran into him years later at the Cox Plate, and he actually remembered me. He also told me that day about Melbourne trading Woewodin.

Flower - graceful , stylish , unmannable , skinny

Schwarz - guile , strength , heart , passion

Jakovic - genius , accurate , thrilling , tough

Parke - probably the best mark ever at the club ( in my lifetime )

Tingay - stylish , determined , exquisitely skilful

Flower

Schwarz

Stynes

Lyon

Neitz

Apologies to Greg Wells, A. Johnson, Alves, Viney, B. Lovett, Fowler, Farmer, ...

In reality, the above players highlight what a barren period it's been for the MFC. Not many 'stars' there.

Stinga

Flower

Lyon

Neita

I have those 4 then I struggle to pick the last spot out of Farmer, Woey, Jacka, Ox, Yze, Davey, Whelan, Powell, Stynes, Viney....oh and Hopegood ( )

The best I`ve seen in my life is

1. David Neitz

2. Adam Yze

3. Russell Robertson

4. Jeff Farmer

5. Aaron Davey

Tingay

Farmer

Lyon

Jakovic

Schwarz

  Dexter23 said:

"Nathan Carrol" - Could possibly be Team of the Century contender.

5 Best Players that i have seen in MFC jumper: (My Eyes)

Lyon

Schwarz

Neitz

Davey

Farmer

Could possibly be:

Davey

Watts

Morton

Grimes

Jurrah

and Go Dees..........

LOL HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HIM PLAY??

and this goes out to everyone else at demonland, how could you possibly pick a guy as being a potential melbourne great when you have probably never even seen him play. Everyone on this site rates him as a "future star" i have seen him play and at the moment he isn't even staring in Casey Reserves. He played a season at Old Xavierians and couldnt make the first team in the ametuers. Please get things into perspective.

I know most of us never saw him but I cant believe Ron jr has hardly had a mention. The game is about winning and Ronald Dale did that better than anyone, he s a legend of the game, maybe the only one we ve had on the field.

1RDB

2Lyon

3Flower

4Neitz

5Stynes