I'm going to kick off Game Day early with a trip down memory lane to this exact day back 56 years ago to 21 July, 1956. I'm researching that season for a Demonland feature on the 1956 season which was a premiership year for the Melbourne Football Club. It was also the year of the Melbourne Olympics which were held after the footy season and, for me, it was the first year that I really got into football and my favourite team although I had been a fan since Christmas 1954 when I received a tie with a picture of a Melbourne footballer emblazoned on it. Anyway, that's another story.

The funny thing is that this game (Round 14 1956) is one of the first I can remember listening to on the radio and it was our first loss of the season:-

Melbourne vs Footscray 

Saturday, 21 July 

Venue: MCG 

Attendance: 47,956 

Melbourne 0.5.5 3.10.22 6.1450 7.17.59

Footscray 1.4.10 4.6.30 7.8.50 10.12.72

Goalkickers: Stuart Spencer 3, Peter Cook 1, Robert B Johnson 1, Ken Melville 1, Athol Webb 1

We lost another game two weeks later but finished with 16 wins 2 losses to finish on top and we beat Collingwood in the final round, the second semi and the grand final (in addition to an earlier round).

Fifty-six years later, we have the AFL, interstate clubs and Andrew Demetriou.

Melbourne long ago ceased to be the dominant club and tonight we play a home game in the Northern Territory partly because we need the money such a fixture generates.

We're playing Port Adelaide who used to be the Magpies in South Australia. We played them in an exhibition game in 1956 and beat them by 10 points.

Will history repeat tonight?

Thanks Jack....always enjoy the trips to memory lane

WJ do you really think we can ever rise to be a powerhouse again?

Back then we had it all... But we gave it all away.

I just can't see how we can challenge those rich interstate & victorian clubs.

This Darwin game win or lose will leave the team flat for 2-3 weeks.

We continue to chase our own tail rather than our opponents.

I also enjoy those trips, because we were good...

Maybe one day soon we will be again

On this day in 1991 at Windy Hill, the Dees toppled the Bombers 17.12.114 to 15.16. 108 after being 27 points down at 3/4 time.

Headlines in today's NT NEWS:

"FIRE AND ICE - record cold snap has Territorians reaching for the kindling"

For info, minimum tonight is forecast to be 15 degrees, maximum 29 - it's all relative I guess.

Staying with my brother who recommends I rug up tonight for the game "'cos it's gonna get cold Bro."

Played golf at Marrara last evening - was still 26 at 6.30.

I was here last year for the Dees v Port and recommend it as a cultural experience not to be missed.

WJ do you really think we can ever rise to be a powerhouse again?

Yes. I really think we can and it's possibly not as far away as you might think and I wouldn't take too much notice of what's happening this year as the new football regime takes stock of what we have and what we need. I suspect that our training levels will rise dramatically in the off season and we'll start seeing results in 2013 and 2014.

Of course, we need a lot of things to go right with our recruiting and player development over the next 2 or 3 years but it can happen.

Thanks Jack....always enjoy the trips to memory lane

That's all we seem to have left.

On this day in 1991 at Windy Hill, the Dees toppled the Bombers 17.12.114 to 15.16. 108 after being 27 points down at 3/4 time.

That was great, it was actually 1990 and I have the game on DVD. Loved Darren Bennett using "Van Der Haar as a step ladder" as Sandy Roberts (I think?) said. I think Essendon finished the game with only 16 or 17 fit players as well. Unfortunately I wasn't at the game that day as my dad decided not to go for some reason so I had to suffer through Richmond getting belted by Hawthorn at the G with my Richmond supporting cousin and uncle.

Team sheets should be in by about now yeah?

Any word on late changes/subs?

Well it's nearly time. As I live in Darwin and TIO is just across the road from me I better go watch the Dee's tonight, gave up my mates engagement party to go watch so they had better perform. I must admit this year I have to some extent lost some interest due to our poor skills, I have been getting too frustrated to watch them at times. Things are taking the right path off field but its the onfield that is of major worry to me.

Conditions are nice with a nice cool sea breeze at the moment the temp is 26.7'c @ 5:30.

For those who are interested here are the temps for last night around the same time we are playing tonight.

Yesterday at:

7:00PM - 23.6'c

8:00PM - 21.5'c

9:00PM - 20.6'c

10:00PM - 18.6'c.

Obviously a lot warmer than Melbourne this time of year but shouldnt really be too big an issue as there isnt much humidity.

Anyway I will report back later on as Im going with pad and paper to analyze everything!! might run out of ink....

Strauss is sub, young theirs, no changes

Strauss is sub, young theirs, no changes

That's a pretty big endorsement of Jetta's fitness. Good on him for keeping up his endurance during his time off. I'm really excited to see what he can do tonight.

Crowd only approx 1500 at the moment

Crowd only approx 1500 at the moment

...and this is what the afl call expansion.

What time does the game start on fox vic time

What time does the game start on fox vic time

10 mins of bs starting at 7:30. The actual game starts at 7:40.

It says 710, is Darwin time behind vic? I'm at my rsl

And I think I peaked to early. I dare someone to pick

On the mighty Dee's tonight

It says 710, is Darwin time behind vic? I'm at my rsl

And I think I peaked to early. I dare someone to pick

On the mighty Dee's tonight

7:10pm Darwin time is 7:40pm Melbourne time.

Come on dees.....

Well, the couch, the TV and the bottle of wine are all ready for this utterly irrelevant game.

This would be a great way to spend a Saturday night if I thought we'd win, or at lease thought it would matter if we didn't!

If anyone knows of any live streams, a PM would be greatly appreciated.

If it sounds like we played well I'll get it from the AFL site tomorrow.

I can't find it on fox footy : (

Lol. Melbourne get the first clearance and the ump immediately gives an off the ball free to Port. Port into 50 and a mark.