With the news that Robbie and Neita have terraces named in their honour and 'Big Bob' has been inducted to the hall of frame

It got me thinking about Bob Johnson, I can say I honestly dont remember him playing for the Dees. I do know about his achievements, and watching him play in the VFA - Oakliegh

I challenged my memory, the late 50s were a blur, I do remember bragging rights and loved nothing more than giving 'Filth' supporters 'what for' at school.

Here is your challenge, if you were stopped in the street, out of the blue, someone asked your earliest and most standout memories about MFC. No research allowed, straight off the top of your head.

here goes.

I am going to start of with my earliest in 'blocks' of years, as it standouts for me.

1960 - 1964

1: 2 premerships

2: Absolutely destroying Collingwood in the 1964 2nd SF

3: 'froggy' Cromptons Goal to win the '64 GF

1965

1: Barassi defected to Carlton (if someone asked me at the time, I had 2 choices, losing Barassi or my mother, It would have been line ball) ((Thats not a reflection on my relation with my mother))

2: Norm Smith sacked, (left me stunned) and the saga that followed that. Locally it rivalled the news Pres. Kennedy assassinated in '63. Huge news!

3: Playing St.Kilda at the 'G' (I went expecting a win, up til 1/2 time St.Kilda had our measure, I truly believed we would come out after 1/2 time and find another gear, I recall Ian Cooper (StK) taking a speccie on Hugh Brommel near the centre of the ground, that mark seemed to snuff out any chance we had winning.

1966 - 1970

No standouts for me here, just all the wheels had fallen off our wagon. I recall recruiting 2 gun fowards, and hoped we were back on track, but it wasnt to be. The 2 players were Ross Dillon and Greg Parke.

Started to regularly attend Games at the MCG, was in awe of the vastness of it. Loved watching the 2nds, to see who was most likely.

1971 - 1975

1: Robbie Flower starts in this era, and leaving games in awe of his skill, balance and sheer brilliance

2: The decision we made to change our jumper for colour TV. I still cringe.

1976 - 1980

1: More of the same, some prospects in the twos, a handful of good players.

1981 - 1985

1: Gerald Healy heading to Sydney (was dark on that)

1986 - 1990

1: Winning the Night GF

2: Travelelled out to the Western Oval had to win to make the finals. (what transpired that day, will stay with me forever)

3: The ;87 Prem lose to Hawthorn (shattered)

1991 - 1994

Jimmy Stynes winning the Brownlow.

1995 - 1999

Things on the up, good team. The merger talks.

2000 - 2004

1: Some amazing wins to get into the finals, then the wins in the finals. (awesome)

2: Got belted in the GF

3: Woewodin winning the Brownlow

2005 - 2008

1: The amazing comeback againgst Freo.

2009 - 2012

1: The lose of Jim Stynes,the memories he left and what he did for our club.

I could add more, but off the top of my head, the above were standouts, left out a lot. ie Jako robbo etc etc

We have a bye, not a lot happening game wise, would be interested to hear how others remember the years gone by.

On a personal level, what stands out ?

heres some more from my head...

1990 - 1995

- Lyon's 10 goals in a semi final against the Dogs

- Shwarz 8 goals against the Swans at the SGG

- Jako's monster bag against the Roos

- Cuthbertson bagging 7, 7 & 6 goals in his first 3 games

- Losing to the bombers at Windy Hill when Stephen Clarke failed with a shot at goal after the siren with what seemed like 50 horses and 10,000 people on the ground

- Shaun Smith's mark against the Bears

1995 - 1999

- Jeff White crossing from the Dockers

- Qualifying final win against the crows at the G

- Stephen Tingay's ongoing battle with injury

- Ditto, G Lyon, D Shwarz, G Lovett, S Charles many others...

2000 - 2005

- Robbo's bag and first Dees win at Kardinia park in a gazillion attempts

- Neitas Coleman Medal in 2002

- Neitas hit on Luke McCabe 2002

- Whelan the Wrekers hit on J Hird in an elim final

heres some more from my head...

1990 - 1995

- Lyon's 10 goals in a semi final against the Dogs

- Shwarz 8 goals against the Swans at the SGG

- Jako's monster bag against the Roos

Some gems in there, Amongst all the doom over the years, funny what sticks in your mind as standouts.

I recall Wilson being slammed into the fence at the G, its was a pre-season practice game against North, I think it was Briedis. The ball went over the boundary line, he hit Wilson with everything he had, Wilson hit the fence, broke his collarbone. There wasnt many at the game, it sounded like a cannon went off. I looked around, to see his GF at the time sitting with Steve Smiths GF looking in horror. Totally uncalled for.

Big Jeff White putting us in front against the dogs in either 05 or 06 rd 21

Earliest memory 1960 Premiership

Standouts in chornological order

Beating Geelong three times in 1963 even though they won the cup

listening to the 64 semi with Johnny Townsend kicking a bag

Froggy Cromptons goal and Barry Bourkes saving mark 1964 I've still got the abc audio tape

Norm Smith taking south Melbourne to the finals

he was still a Melbourne man as is Barass

Bit of a gap here

The night premierships and Robbie Flower playing in a final

The Hawthorn Melbourne merge match it was a loss but an awesome game of footy

Stynes playing the week after breaking ribs

Schwarz every time he played before the knees

The draw with Collingwood 2010

The crushing of GWS by us in two weeks

All collingwoods GF losses I'm still dirty on Milne for not kicking that goal

Deevoted "2: Absolutely destroying Collingwood in the 1964 2nd SF"

I remember well on that saturday, my dad and I went home to the country happy in the knowledge we were in the GF and would win easy in two weeks time.

Then needing Cromptons goal in the dieing seconds to win.

I really thought we were gone.

1986 - 1990

1: Winning the Night GF

2: Travelelled out to the Western Oval had to win to make the finals. (what expired that day, will stay with me forever)

3: The ;87 Prem lose to Hawthorn (shattered)

What "expired" that day, 29 August 1987, apart from Geelong's and Footscray's finals hopes, was Lee Marvin.

Trappers final in 02 against the Crows. ...even though we lost the 60 minutes he played in the 2nd & 3rd quarters was on another planet..

A few random standouts for me:

* Darren Bennett kicking a bag at Windy Hill one day as we came back from 34 points down midway through the final quarter to roll them by 8 points

* Garry's game-winning goal against WCE in the 88 Elimination Final

* Garry's massive torp two weeks later against the Blues in the Prelim. Well inside the centre square at Waverley, a ground considerably longer than the 'G

* Schwarz's hat-trick of magic in late '94, starting with 9.0 against the Swans at the SCG, followed up by the blind turn out of the ruck against the Blues in the first final, and then his swashbuckling game against the Dogs a week later, an effort bested only by Garry's 10-goal haul the same day.

* Jakovich's bag of 8 against the Dons in the Elimination Final out at Waverley

* For some reason I still remember Brent Heaver's (!) five-goal haul on debut against the Blues (pretty sure it was a public holiday...)

seeing Farmer and Barassi in 1963 at Kardinia Park - two best on the ground and absolute daylight to anyone else. Farmer got every hit-out and marked absolutyely everything anywhere near him, and Barassi sharked (it seemed like) every hit-out, and marked everything that went anywhere near him, as well as crashing every pack etc etc. I was awestruck, still am. They were giants. I once saw Barassi mark a powerful drop kick not ten metres from where it was kicked directly over his head. It would've gone 60 metres, but he leapt upwards and grabbed it. The ball poleaxed him like he'd been shot by a cannon - and he never let go even when he was slammed back into the turf. Flat out, arms above his head, still gripping the ball. Barassi always played like he really meant it, that's what I remember. Ferocious - and we'd call him "a little bugger" today - 5 foot 10and-a-half. Must be about 180cm.

I got lost at the MCG when I was 10, picking up match-box labels (remember the smokers' haze, which meant that from the Southern Stand you lost the other side in the blue cloud on a still day), and eventually I turned myself in to the police. They took me to the station and were cooking eggs and bacon for me when my dad turned up.

But, for me, Robbie's first game... By half time you could see, they just couldn't take the ball off him

Deevoted, this is a cracker of a post, and I will respond in kind. We lived in Gippsland in the 60's, and my father, a Yorkshireman hated Australian Rules so access to TV replays as a child was limited. My earliest memory of Melbourne was a segment on World Of Sport which replayed Ron Barassi allegedly hitting Roger Dean of Richmond late in the '63 season. It was claimed that Dean took a dive and Barassi was duly suspended for four matches, missing the '63 finals and possibly costing us a premiership. Early 1964, and my parents appear out of nowhere at my primary school with a brand new pair of Ron Barassi football boots. I think they had a printed signature on the ankle bone pads. I put them on straight away and wear them at school, complete with giant stops.

The next memory is the '64 second semi final; bizzarely I also remember a replayed moment on World Of Sport showing a Melbourne player handballing over the top of a collingwood player to John Lord in the square who put it through. The next memory is the Channel Two sportsupdate rolling screen which detailed the dying topsy-turvy moments of the '64 flag. Late in '64 must have been December our family was in melbourne and I swear I saw ron barassi crossing the street in a suit. 1965 we are travelling around the UK for several months and I still proudly wear my Melbourne jumper around. Back to Australia Jan '66 and I am shattered to discover that Melbourne have dropped down the ladder. Round 1, 1966 big build up for match of the Day, Melbourne v StKilda and we are absolutely smashed. This is the first game I listen to on radio.

Rest of '66; fill out my Ampol Footy Album results each week with Melbourne barely able to kick goals in the first half of the season. After that, a sense of recovery with new recruits including Dillon, Parke, George Lake and others... Scroll forward forty five years and I am lamenting Collingwood's easy goals in the last quarter last Saturday.

Hear, hear! Great topic.

- Whoever mentioned Trapper Johnstones game against the Crows in that Final in 2002, Bravo. Magnificent game but I was absolutely shattered when we lost that. I still have nightmares about Brian Beinke. 4 kicks, 2 goals, 2 daggers in my heart. Brian Beinke, Ken Mcgregor and Mark Stevens kicked 8 goals between them that night. Seriously! Could only happen to us.

What "expired" that day, 29 August 1987, apart from Geelong's and Footscray's finals hopes, was Lee Marvin.

Touche... was just checking you read it.

I got lost at the MCG when I was 10, picking up match-box labels (remember the smokers' haze, which meant that from the Southern Stand you lost the other side in the blue cloud on a still day), and eventually I turned myself in to the police. They took me to the station and were cooking eggs and bacon for me when my dad turned up.

Why hadnt I thought of doing that, a free feed, it had to be better than a four 'n' twenty. Now-a-days, they probably fine your old man for neglect

Robbie, Did your old man wait until the end of the game to come and get you?

oh yeah, the Ampol book, also the scanlens player cards, The Barassi boots, a must have back then. Although I had to go through torture for 2 years playing school footy, had to wear the old mans boots, they were about 20 sizes to big (I felt like 1 of those clowns at a circus), the tacks were poking through the inner soles, that you nailed in the 'studs ,causing the sole of my foot to bleed, that was with 3 pairs of socks. 2 pair to try and make them fit better, then the footy socks to ease the pain.Finally hit pay dirt, and got a Barassi pair, and never looked back.

Still gives goosebumps to watch this.

Lyon's matchwinning snap drew a roar from Melbourne fans that literally shook the support structures at Waverley.

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuoD-uf7pQ4

Great read. Will add my memories over the weekend.

Deevoted "2: Absolutely destroying Collingwood in the 1964 2nd SF"

I remember well on that saturday, my dad and I went home to the country happy in the knowledge we were in the GF and would win easy in two weeks time.

My cousin (same age as me) who lived a few blocks away, barracked for those scumbags,yet his 2 older brothers were die-hard demon supporters.

Did I let him know all about it after that massacre. Was a bit sheepish, after we won the GF.

Still gives goosebumps to watch this.

Lyon's matchwinning snap drew a roar from Melbourne fans that literally shook the support structures at Waverley.

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuoD-uf7pQ4

How the game has changed. 2 brutal hits to the head of players bending over the ball, one to our Williams and the other to McKenna of the Eagles. Both players very lucky not to be seriously hurt. Then when the free was paid to McKenna, Ian Robertson the commentator berated the umpire for what he believed to be good hard football.

Robbie, Did your old man wait until the end of the game to come and get you?

well after it. I thought he'd taken the train back to Ballarat. But the cops were fun

The Wizard sitting on some bloke's head in the first ten seconds of the 98 prelim. 70k on their feet.

Pity he missed the shot.

The Wizard sitting on some bloke's head in the first ten seconds of the 98 prelim. 70k on their feet.

Pity he missed the shot.

Yeah...i had forgotten that....started well that night.....

You guys are all fossils, haha.

You guys are all fossils, haha.

We follow an old club young fella!!

There is only one alternative to getting older....