25th Anniversary of season 1987

[Demon_spurs 1,916]

It's interesting that the 25th Anniversary of Season 1987 comes up in 2012.

After finishing 2nd bottom in 1986 John Swooper Northey took the Dees to their best season in 23 years.

All those that are old enough would remember the euphoria of the final round when we snuck into the final five, after beating Footscray, and Hawthorn beating Geelong by 3pts.

I salvaged two posters from the front of a newsagency in Hawthorn after the first final when Melbourne destroyed North by 118pts (not sure but I think this is still a record). The news agent guy thought I was crazy, but I'm rapt to recently found them and have just finished framing them, they bring back great memories

I thought it might be a good time to share,

The poster displayed is from "The Sun", I also have The Age one from the same day. This is the only time I have ever collected this type memorabilia, I don't think they have them in the wire frames like they used to.

Lets hope in 2012 we can go just that one better.

[Sir Why You Little 37,298]

A mate at work had that "Day of the Demons" poster on his office door for ages!! I always enjoyed walking past it,

Thanks for the reminder....SUPERB DAYS.

[warren dean 193]

Good times!! It was a great year - the Night Granny, the late charge home, the first two finals. Wonderful memories. I still don't think Northey is fully appreciated by the broader footy community for the job he did at Melbourne. I know the Club has a requirement of 10 years service for life membership, but I really think Northey deserves this honour at the MFC. By far and away the best Melbourne coach in my lifetime, and certainly our best since Norm Smith.

[FarNorthernD 5,861]

Round 22 1987 is still my most favourite Demon memory. The pure joy of making the finals after all those lean years. I was born in 64 and went with my father to games throughout the disastrous 70's. At one stage I told him I had decided to barrack for Hawthorn. He said that was OK but I would only see them twice a year (when they played Melbourne). I stuck with Melbourne and for a couple of years we did have the leagues best centreline (Alves, Wells, Flower) but even that was soured when Keith Greig won 2 brownlows even though Robbie was, in my eyes, a far better player. Not much to hang your hat on in those days.

And then after the Footscray game, we had those two huge finals wins and it seemed everyone in Victoria was a Demon supporter. Tim Lane on the ABC was talking us up and said "Who is going to stop them?"

Unfortunately we found out the next week but for a short while, and for the first time in my life, my football club was an irresistible force and it felt fantastic.

[Deeoldfart 8,104]

Good times!! It was a great year - the Night Granny, the late charge home, the first two finals. Wonderful memories. I still don't think Northey is fully appreciated by the broader footy community for the job he did at Melbourne. I know the Club has a requirement of 10 years service for life membership, but I really think Northey deserves this honour at the MFC. By far and away the best Melbourne coach in my lifetime, and certainly our best since Norm Smith.

I totally agree warren. I note that your favourite players are all from that era, and 1987 was the first year of your namesake, Warren Dean, in Melbourne colours. What a good player he was, and what a pity his career was cut so short by injury.

[Deeoldfart 8,104]

Round 22 1987 is still my most favourite Demon memory. ......................... my football club was an irresistible force and it felt fantastic.

Great memories indeed! ........... and for some reason I can't help thinking there will be similarities between Northey's Demons and Neeld's Demons. Ludicrous I know, given that Neeld is yet to fire a shot, but wouldn't it be sensational?

[Outside fifty 967]

I totally agree warren. I note that your favourite players are all from that era, and 1987 was the first year of your namesake, Warren Dean, in Melbourne colours. What a good player he was, and what a pity his career was cut so short by injury.

Warren Dean could have been anything if not for his wonky Knees, still one of my personal favourites. As for swooper he was the spine of steel we so desperately needed. A tough straight talking coach who demanded absolute unwavering commitment, without doubt the best MFC coach in my lifetime.

[FarNorthernD 5,861]

"and for some reason I can't help thinking there will be similarities between Northey's Demons and Neeld's Demons. Ludicrous I know, given that Neeld is yet to fire a shot, but wouldn't it be sensational?"

Agree. As Neeld says he won't die wondering and neither did Northey's Demons side. The late 80s team also had a hard edge to them and were not intimidated. Something we are aiming for this season

Lets hope Neeld can take them that one step further than Swooper could.

[Sir Why You Little 37,298]

Swooper should have been knighted...to coach that well from the Junction Oval junkyard was a superb effort.

[Supermercado 2,802]

I'll try not to get excited if we're winning the Prelim with seconds to go...

[DEELIRIOUS 156]

I wasn't alive back in 1987 but from the sounds of it it was complete euphoria. I wish those days would happen now. I want everyone to hate us because we are so good, but I want them to admire us for playing good footy. Dammit, why can't the season start!

[waynewussell 6,884]

I'm old enough to remember Northey as a player for the Tiges. He was a clever half-forward who managed to kick match winning goals against the Demons in the early sixties. He also had the ability to kick multiple goals, drifting into the action from the flank, not unlike our own Barry Vagg from the same era. The 87 finals campaign (after the 4 point defeat of the Bombers in the night premiershp) was as good as it has been in my lifetime going to the footy (although I did listen to the 64 Grand on the radio). I attended all those matches... the last round at the Western Oval was electric! We danced on the ground after finding out we'd made the finals... thousands of us! The wins against the Kangas and Swans were exilarating. We had the Hawks by the short an curlies and, but for an over officious field umpire, we would have marched triumphantly into the Grand. We did a year later, only to be squashed by the same foe. LET'S NOT FORGET THE FLOGGINGS WE OWE HAWTHORN IN THE YEARS TO COME!!! Northey does deserve life membership for lifting us out of the dung. We should never have let him go elsewhere.

[Demon_spurs 1,916]

Looking back to 87 I can't remember having the same feeling of expectation that I having this year, in fact for the majority of the season we were just treading water, then we got a run on and hit September, confident and full of running. I believe there was 2 parts to this rise from the ashes.

1. Northey had installed an Us against Them mentality, he went on to do a similar thing at Richmond and got them to the finals too,

2. A group of players came through and grew up together, a lot has been said about Robbie playing but really he was almost a permanent forward and as history tells us it was his last season (although he had a brilliant finals series, the jury is out whether he would have got up for the Grand Final if we had made it), but it was a group of young blokes, Bailey, Yeats, Lovett, Rugolo , Eishold,O'Dwyer, along with Stynes & Wight, none of these guys were household names....It feels very similar this year

I just feel it in "me bones"

Edited February 5, 2012 by Demon_spurs

[TheOx05 1]

Such a brilliant day! Enjoy it all or if you are pressed for time, fast forward to 4 mins 40 secs.

Edited February 5, 2012 by TheOx05

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

The irony is that up to Rd 14 it was a pretty crud year where we were 6 and 8 and had just been beaten badly by an apparenrly weaker Fitzroy at Princes Park.

Then it started to change....and we won 7 of our last 8 games....Wow. Finals in Flowers last year.

[Maldonboy38 6,406]

On the afternnon of the last home and away round of '987 I was driving to Stawell from Maldon with my parents, who were about to meet my then girlfriends' parents for the first time. Mum is a mental Dees fan and remembers the glory days of the late forties through to sixties. We were going nuts inside the car listening to ABC radio, who were constantly crossing to the other grounds for scores. I almost drove off the road when we realised Hawthorn had won.

As for John Northey, totally agree. By far the best Dees coach in my living memory. If only the club had been more functional we could have been anything in hte late 80's. He introduced a new crop of players and he could get the best out of all comers. He could really give a spray and had a constant mongrel streak in everyhing he did. I like to think what he could have achieved with the 1994 team?

I went to the Dees v Swans final that year at the MCG and couldn't speak for three days after. Still the best footy day of my life.

Unfortunately, '87 also included a certain 15 metre penalty...

.

[Swooper 266]

What great memories. I remember being 9 yo and sitting in my bedroom listening on radio - the feeling when the Hawks got up and we won was like nothing else for a kid who had only known Melbourne as a struggling side. Going to school after those first two finals, when no one else barracked for Melbourne, was amazing. The pride I had wearing my jumper to school was like nothing else.

Agree, Swooper got our boys playing with a zest that can not be measured by scientific training principles. It was all pure heart and soul. Hopefully Neeldy instills a deep passion in the boys that manifests in a manic attack on the ball and contest like that 87 team.

[Swooper 266]

That 15m penalty was tragic and indeed I cried long and hard (incurring the wrath of my old boy who got into me for bad sportsmanship - he barracks for the handbaggers!), but I think Jimmy has more than made up for that!! To be honest I was just happy that we had a side that had a go, had guts and was a chance.

[Its Time for Another 4,301]

It hurts me to have to say that season is still the highlight of my Dees following which dates back to the early '60's, not that I remember that period, I was a bit young but started going every week from the early '70's . I went to the run of 6 wins leading up to the finals including a great win at Vic Park which I'd been invited to by a Member there. They all were laughing about how our run was going to come to an end. Then they all got ugly after the game saying we wouldn't go anywhere that year. The Doggies win is still my greatest memory and feeling like 3/4's of the crowds at the G each week were cheering for the D's during those first two finals.

Swooper was great, no doubt, but Barrassi never gets any credit for setting up that era. It was his clean out and 5 yr plan including bringing in Slug Jordan who trained all those boys through the U19's that set the foundations of that playing group. It ended up not happening under him but it is very reminiscent of the current group who are all coming through together.

I coach under age footy and I was teaching some boys the other day how to do a torpand was thinking about Warren Dean and how he used to drop the ball onto his foot to kick the most consistent beautiful torps I had seen for a long time and not since.

[Demon_spurs 1,916]

I agree with your comments re Slug Jordan, in 1984 0r 5 (its a bit hazy now) I had the pleasure to meet him and his wife, over numerous cups of tea, he told me story after story. One of the things that impressed me the most was Mrs Jordan said she had to go as she was off to watch Bailey, Lovett and co in the reserves, such was the feeling among that group, that she would go to see them play, I don't think she even followed Melbourne, but she told me they were "her boys" and something special.

[Its Time for Another 4,301]

I'll never forget being in the Members at the G one game watching the Reserves standing near the old coaches box and hearing some madman screaming abuse, swearing at the top of his voice in this high pitched rough as guts voice and thinking they should chuck that bloke out. I turned around and saw it was Jordan coaching. He was tough as nails on the players but got incredible results. They all used to love him when they spoke about him. Results spoke more than tough love.

[norwood_demon 196]

Please stop, you are bringing a tear to an old Demon's eyes! That '87 side contained our best player ever (Robert Flower), the best coach of my adult life time (John Northey), and the man who saved this football club (Jim Stynes). I saw all of the finals games in '87. Celebrated in the thrashings of North Melbourne & Sydney. Was at Waverley that fateful day when even God seemed on our side (for those too young or forgetful, the wind changed so we kicked with it for 3 quarters). Absolutely the best year for this old Demon. We never had a chance in the two subsequent GFs.

We now have a hard-nosed coach. We have a young team into which a lot of pre-planning has gone. There are similarities. I hope that the next few years could be even better. I am actually "eye-ing" another anniversary, 2014.

[gsmith12 491]

That 15m penalty was tragic and indeed I cried long and hard (incurring the wrath of my old boy who got into me for bad sportsmanship - he barracks for the handbaggers!), but I think Jimmy has more than made up for that!! To be honest I was just happy that we had a side that had a go, had guts and was a chance.

No shame in a few tears Swooper, one of my boys was also in tears after the game - so much expectation after so long in the wilderness.

Mind you we should not have blamed Jimmy for the loss as Yeats, Campbell and Eishold all missed sitters in the last quarter that would have sealed the game. Eishold's effort in particular was a disgrace from close in.

[gsmith12 491]

This thread got me thinking about what a magnificent year 1987 really was, many highs and just a few lows from my point of view.

The start was the night final when Brett Bailey kicked a right footer out of his backside from the pocket at Waverley to knock off Essendung.

We defeated the Filth twice in rounds 7 and 20 by 46 points and 55 points.

We knocked off Essendung by 22 points at Windy Hill.

We came home with a wet sail to beat the Dogs in the final round to scrape into the finals and then [censored] the Roos and the Swans in the Semi and Qualifying finals.

The lows for me were the loss to the Bears at Carrara in round 5 by 5 points and obviously the shattering prelim loss.

What might have been had we a fit Flower and a fit Lyon going into a GF.

[nutbean 8,838]

Swooper should have been knighted...to coach that well from the Junction Oval junkyard was a superb effort.

And with the cattle he had to play with !!! Not trying to poo-poo the team of the time but he got the best out of some average footballers. Makes his effort even better.