Another exercise to while away the nauseatingly dull post-season. Who are your all-time favourite Melbourne players? Put them in a top 10 with the only criteria that you must have personally seen them play. ie. I'm aware of how good Barassi was - I've seen the video footage - but he won't be in mine as he's not of my era.

And remember ... this is a top 10 of your favourite players to watch, not necessarily a top 10 of whom you considered the best players. They may have only been around for 40 games but captured your attention with the way they went about it. You may want to write a one sentence spiel for each player, or just type in their name only.

Please also include the span of years you've been watching the MFC. Here we go ...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Years watching: 1987 to 2011

Top 10 Favourite Players

1. Garry Lyon - Pure Class. Best player behind G.Ablett`Snr in the comp for a brief period in the early 90's. Great leader.

2. Allen Jakovich - A fat bummed, threshing machine of a goalkicker who must have been a nightmare to play on.

3. David Schwarz - Did things during the peak of his powers that were beyond even Carey.

4. Jeff Farmer - I think the most talented player I've seen in a red and blue guernsey. We so need an explosive player like him now.

5. Sean Wight - Desperation and courage in human form and dangerous at both ends of the ground.

6. Brett Lovett - Brilliant decision maker under pressure. Perfected the art of standing up in the tackle and giving off to advantage.

7. Jack Watts - His three or four sublime games this year have ignited my belief that we can win premierships this decade.

8. Rod Grinter - Underrated, un-Melbourne-like footballer who put fear into the opposition. Always first in to fly the flag.

9. Steven Stretch - The classic old school wingman. Silky skills, great high mark and a superb finisher on the run.

10. the Earl of Spalding - Ungainly but extremely effective KPP who epitomized the fighting spirit of the Northey era .

ok, in the spirit intended:

1. Hassa Mann mid 60's... although he played in three premierships before my time. He was the dominant performer in our sorrow period. shot through to W.A late 60's think he had glory there. won some memorable games with last gasp efforts.

2. Robbie Flower. dominated for victoria, dominated for melbourne. punched far above his weight. rose like a greek god in the '87 finals series.

3. John Townsend. for some reason this guy just kept my imagination alive when our team flat-lined.

4. Stan Alves. This guy was pure inspiration and refused to accept losing situations. Inspirational.

5. David Schwartz. Could have been a champion. was a champion.

6. Ricky Jackson. ran rings around the opposition in our false-dawn era (87-91)

7. Ray Biffen. Flew the flag in our could-have-been era, early 70's.

8. Greg Parke. Took many screaming pack marks and again, gave heart in the dark days.

9. Ross Dillon. Elite, copped lots of injuries. Same as Parke with his high marking excitement.

10. For some unknown reason i wore Paul Callery's 35 on my back for several seasons. a gutsy stalwart of the mfc.

only been around for a couple of decades so plenty of modern names here:

1. Jeff Farmer- Was at the G the day he kicked 9 in a half...has a legacy as the wiz but could've been so much more

2. Jordie Mckenzie- Love this kid!! Probably weighs about 50kg dripping wet but throws himself into every contest like a beast

3. Aaron Davey- Admittedly he struggled between the ears this year but still remember him WALKING between 2 bulldogs players

4/5. Daniel Ward/ Peter Walsh- Always think of these guys as a duo...both underrated grunts who did what needed to be done down back

6. Russel Robertson- By the end he was more interested in mark of the year than the game. Not the best attitude but was bloody entertaining

7. David Scwarz- Unfortunately by the time i was reading the little footy books of the mid 90's the Ox had already gone through his 2nd reco so i missed out on his brilliant '95, but the way he threw himself at the ball made his moniker more than appropriate

8. Jeremy Howe- For similair reasons to Robbo but he does the work at ground level too. he'll be on my list for the next 10years with a bit of luck

9.Jack Watts- The MFC and Demonland are crying out for a fleet footed crumbing forward. this guy ran down lewis jetta on the wing of the G and his skills below the knees is sublime...who says a small forward has to be under 190cm?

10. Liam Jurrah- High flyer with the skills at ground level. If he can build his engine he could become even more of a devastating force

Willing to admit that a couple in there seem to be favourite "memories" rather than players and the order will probably vary from hour to hour (already changed it 3 or 12 times) but it isn't tooooo bad an effort considering how many legends could've made this list since i started watchin mid 90's

1. Jim Stynes.....i say no more

2. David Schwarz.....pressured Carey's title as the best CHF untill injuries ruined him

3. Jeff Farmer.....simply electric when on

4. Gary Lyon.....Silky smooth, pity about his back injury

5. Stephen Tingay.....another ruined by injury

6. David Neitz.....i will never forget that bump on Mccabe

7. Robbie Flower.....only just caught the tail end of his career or else would have been higher

8. Jeff White.....was a joy to watch in the middle until that bloody circle got introduced

9. James Frawley.....can play on bigs or smalls, is crucial to our future

10. Shane Woewodin.....a sensational 2000

1- Jimmy

2- Hairy Gary

3- The Ox

4- Jacko

5- Stinga

6- Chippa

7- Nate Jones

8- Good Times Grimes

9- The Whiz

10- LJ

every one seems to be forgetting Mr X factor Alan Jakovich

just loved watching him when on song (and being frustrated when he got sucked in)

every one seems to be forgetting Mr X factor Alan Jakovich

just loved watching him when on song (and being frustrated when he got sucked in)

your right, i certainly forgot him

1. Jakovich - quite possibly the biggest waste of talent ever to play. When he was on he was absolutely unstoppable.

2. Gerard Healy - controversial this one, but he was a great player and he was on my duffle coat as a kid.

3. Danny Hughes - whole hearted, spirited, made his team mates stand taller and regularly tormented that [censored] Brian Taylor.

4. Bret Bailey - if only for the 1987 Night GF. Another player typical of the Northey ers.

5. Schwarta - superstar

6. Robbie Flower - what more needs to be said.

7.Warren Dean - a great first up season in 1987. A great finals series that year. Sadly that was pretty much it for him with his dodgy knee.

8. Jimma - the man never gave up, and still doesn't.

9. Jamie Duursma - loved his work on Kernahan

10. Balls Grinter - loved his work on Mew, Wallace and just about anyone else who got in (or out of) his way!

OK - here goes, in chronological order because rating them against each other is too hard:

Gary Hardeman. Still the best CHB I have seen, including Glen Jakovich. Strong, skilful and a great mark. Came 2nd in the Brownlow in 74 to Keith Greg. I went to bed crying.

Stan Alves. This bloke was an absolute gun. Skills, poise and never-say-die.

Robbie Flower. Every skill in an era when most players were single side players; untackle-able and could get round anyone, Glorious mark, courage to burn and the shining light during the horrible 1970's.

Garry Lyon. SUperstar and next to Fevola, the best long kick for goal I have seen. Inspirational leader.

Brett Lovett. Unsung stalwart who never lost his cool, was tough as badly cooked beef, had great vision, and was the launching pad of many forward thrusts in thre 80's.

Stephen Tingay. Oh, what could have been. Seriously could have bee anything. Injuries killed his career.

David Schwarz. Was the equal to Carey in many respects. Probably the most dominat Melbourne player in my memory. When he was on, no-one could stop him. Match winner, goal kicker, physically dominat, and mentally aggressive.

Allan Jakovich. Give this man half a brain and get him fit, and we would have won a GF in the early 90's. He was incredible.

Jeff Farmer. What do you say about this bloke? Absolutely scintillating, quick as lightening, a great mark with a touch of mongrel.

Jack Trengove. I put him in because the current list deserves one current player. You will notice in my list above the absence of midfielders. Trengove is class and skill and coud easily become a Melbourne great.

Hard to leave out Rod Grinter and Ray Biffin but there is only 10 spots.

.

1. Stinga

2. Flower

3. Lyon

4. Neitz

5. Whelan

6. Jakovich

7. Farmer

8. Ox

9. Yze

10. Trengove

Could easily say 1-10 Robbie Flower.

1. Jimma

2. Allen Jakovich - He may not have been around for long but for 4 seasons he was electric to watch

3. David Neitz - He was just a step below being a champion, but he was a rock for the Demons whether down back or up forward for 15 years

4. Stinga - We never quite saw the best of Tingay due to injuries but when he was on the field he gave his all

5. Glenn Lovett - See 4

6. Chippa Frawley - All-Australian at 21, best key back for the MFC in the past 20 years

7. Aaron Davey - Has been down for the past couple of years but from 2004 - 2009 I loved to watch him play, I just hope he can get back to that form

8. Jeff White - The definition of a flawed champion, he was in the best ruckmen in the league for almost 10 years but never quite had the right midfield around him.

9. Garry Lyon - A great player, great captain. He was the face of the club for 10 years

10. The Ox - Even after 3 knee reconstructions he gave the MFC all he could

Being an old fart 1. Bluey Adams 'cos he was my neighbour and would play kick to kick in the street with my mate and I.

2. Big Jim

3. Big Bob Johnson

4. Allen Jakovich

5. The Wiz

6. Robbie

7. The ox before he became the ox

8. Warren Dean

9. Rod Grinter

10. Sean Wight

Whelan, Grimes, Mckenzie, Trengove, Robertson, Woewodin, Neitz, Schwarz, Farmer, Frawley. Obviously weighted more heavily towards recent players and I could've chosen heaps more that I've enjoyed watching.

1. Jim Stynes

2. Neita

3. The Ox

4. Nathan Jones

5. Ooze

6. Luke Williams (14yo teenage girl obsession..)

7. Matthew Whelan

8. Simon Godfrey

9. Brent Moloney

10. Broady

Special mentions to the Wiz and Woey.

It's really hard

a. to only have 10

b. to put the 10 in order.

Jackovich

Schwartz

Farmer

Jurrah

This is too hard. These are the guys that get or got me off my seat whenever the ball went or goes near them.

Watts is heading that way...

1. Robbie Flower -Sublime

2. Alan Jakovich - Exciting

3. Ron Barassi. - The Best

4. Diamond Jim Tilbrook - hope

5. Brian. Wilson - Class

6. Rod Grinter. - determination

7. Neil Crompton - Winner

8 david Neitz - CHB - All Australin

9. Jeff Farmer - unbelievable

10. Travis Johnstone - Match Winner

Many more should be Top 20

OK, time for my highly subjective effort. I think there will be names on here that people strongly disagree with, but it's players I loved to watch. It's worth noting that I only really got to watch football after I went to Uni in the 90's due to a fairly anti-football family. Many of these are not even close to being the best players of their time, but I loved watching them play.

1. Robbo. I know plenty of people loved to bag him, but he was exciting and passionate about the game and loved his team. He also carried our forward line through some really lean times.

2. The Ox. He could have been anything if his knees had held up. In full flight he was amazing, and even after all the reco's he was able to produce moments of sheer magic.

3. Jeff White. Before they introduced the circle he was dominant. Should have had at least one All Australian to his name.

4. Jackovitch. Do I need to explain?

5. Lord Byron. He was a great pickup for the club. He had massive presence on the ground, scared the hell out of opponents and could do the freakish when we needed it.

6. LJ circa 2010. He seemed far less constrained in his approach than he did this year. Everything he did was magic. He flew for freak marks, took people on and looked as though he owned the MCG. One of the great debut seasons.

7. Sean Smith. Just the abandon with which he attacked the ball. He would fly for anything. He nearly killed himself diving on a contested ball under the feet of an opponent. What's not to love?

8. The Wizard. Played his best football with us (I like to think). He was spectacular and lethal. A true matchwinner.

9. Neitz. Powerful and tough as nails. He was a truly inspirational leader.

10. Junior. See above for much of this. He was the heart and soul of the club, someone the whole team looked up to. Gave his all every time he walked onto the ground.

An honourable mention to G Lyon. I know how good he was, but I missed many of his best matches. Hard to give him a spot when I hardly saw him play. Likewise Jimmy. A legend of the club, but I only really caught the last act and while he was consistently good, I rarely saw him shine the way the others on my list did.

My list of favourite players:

1. Robbie Flower;

2. Sean Wight;

3. Jimmy Stynes;

4. Rod Grinter;

5. Earl Spalding;

6. Gary Lyon;

7. David Neitz;

8. Adam Yze;

9. Darren Bennett; and

10. Mark “Jacko” Jackson.

1. David Neitz

2. Russell Robertson

3. Adam Yze

4. Aaron Davey

5. Brent Moloney

6. Brad Green

7. James Frawley

8. Liam Jurrah

9. Colin Sylvia

10. Travis Johnstone

1. Ron Barassi

2. John Townsend

3. Hassa Mann

4. Stan Alves

5. Ross Dillon

6. Tassie Johnson

7. Brian Dixon

8. Don Williams

9. John Lord

10. John Beckwith Ian Ridley and Bluey Adams..oops..thats more than 10!

Robbie

Alan Johnson

Gary Lyon

Jakovich

Danny Hughes

Jeff Farmer

Jim Stynes

Sean Wight

Carl Ditterich

Bluey Adams, Ron Barassi, Big Bob Johnson, Hassa Mann, Laurie Mithen, Gary Hardeman, Laurie Fowler, Robbie Flower,Jim Stynes,Gary Lyon.

Not in order...

Ricky Jackson

Andrew Obst

Gary Lyon

Andy Lovell

Stephen Tingay

Alan Jackovich

Jimma Stynes

Shane Woewodin

TJ

Col Sylvia

And for good measure. One player I never warmed to seeing line up in the red & blue...

Paul Hopgood - hit up the opposition by foot more often then he did his team mates.

Lyon

Stynes

Moloney

Oooze

Neita

Wiz

LJ

Robbo

Whelan

Wako Jako

Chunky Jones

special mention to Tom Scully