25 years ago today

[Grimes Times 1,278]

Whitten oval, greatest last round in VFL history

I was only 11 and wasnt there but remember listening to it all unfold on the radio. Was there at the finals the next few weeks and they are still some of my greatest/worst MFC memories to this day.

Note the crowd figures. Melb/Foot greater crowd than Coll/Ess????

Home team Home team score Away team Away team score Venue Crowd Date

Richmond 17.11 (113) Brisbane Bears 26.13 (169) MCG 12,079 28 August 1987

Geelong 17.21 (123) Hawthorn 19.12 (126) Kardinia Park (Stadium) 26,888 29 August 1987

Footscray 10.8 (68) Melbourne 12.11 (83) Western Oval 31,249 29 August 1987

Fitzroy 20.13 (133) Sydney 20.21 (141) Princes Park 11,636 29 August 1987

Carlton 20.9 (129) North Melbourne 19.11 (125) VFL Park 30,444 29 August 1987

West Coast 26.19 (175) St Kilda 13.9 (87) Subiaco Oval 17,617 30 August 1987

Collingwood 23.6 (144) Essendon 21.13 (139) MCG 28,887 30 August 1987

1987 VFL Ladder TEAM P W L D PF PA % PTS

1 Carlton (P) 22 18 4 0 2599 1883 138.02 72

2 Hawthorn 22 17 5 0 2781 1891 147.07 68

3 Sydney 22 15 7 0 2846 2197 129.54 60

4 North Melbourne 22 13 8 1 2402 2417 99.38 54

5 Melbourne 22 12 10 0 2189 2026 108.05 48

6 Geelong 22 11 10 1 2355 2348 100.30 46

7 Footscray 22 11 10 1 1959 2046 95.75 46

8 West Coast 22 11 11 0 2386 2438 97.87 44

9 Essendon 22 9 12 1 2075 2318 89.52 38

10 St Kilda 22 9 13 0 2150 2369 90.76 36

11 Fitzroy 22 8 14 0 2328 2544 91.51 32

12 Collingwood 22 7 15 0 1853 2425 76.41 28

13 Brisbane Bears 22 6 16 0 2113 2666 79.26 24

14 Richmond 22 5 17 0 2199 2667 82.45 20

Edited August 29, 2012 by Grimes Times

[Sir Why You Little 35,322]

Remember it like yesterday. Behind the outer goal. Got there early. The buzz was great.

[rjay 24,193]

What a great day at the footy waiting on the news from Geelong and when it came through all of our supporters cheering, most with tears in the eyes and many outright crying with relief and joy that we were at last playing finals football.

Spent the rest of the day and that night at a pub in Footscray after the game celebrating with mates until closing time.

[nutbean 8,837]

Sgt Pepper taught the band to play

[Sir Why You Little 35,322]

Rolling up to work on the monday my workmate had already put the "Day of the Demon" Poster on his door.

Bet he still has it too.

[nutbean 8,837]

I was hugging randoms in the street all the way back to my car.

My foggy memory tells me it was a tight first half and then Robbie lit it up in the beginning of the second half and gave us a comfortable buffer. Then we all had our ears glued to the radio listening to the Hawks and the Cats.

[dee-luded 2,958]

Remember it like yesterday. Behind the outer goal. Got there early. The buzz was great.

Outer goal, was that the Southern end WYL?

[Sir Why You Little 35,322]

Outer goal, was that the Southern end WYL?

Not sure mate. I remember the John Gent Stand on my right.

Robbie took the hanger about 10 ft from me. We all knew he was going to do it seconds before. The planets were with us.

[Deeoldfart 7,858]

The MFC membership blurb at the start of the season was something like: 'Give Robbie one last chance to play in a final' .... and we bloody well did! I go back to our glory years of the 50s and 60s, but that day will always be one of my fondest football memories (moist eyes as I type this). I still have a vcr tape of the game, but sadly its getting very worn. Thanks for the momories of better days Grimes Times!

ps. In a strange sort of way, what we are going through now reminds me of how the early 80s transpired into the late 80s for our Club. Still hoping and dreaming!

[Hannibal 5,814]

My favourite football memory. I was on the eastern wing with my Brother. The roar a few minutes after the match had finished when we heard on the radio that Hawthorn had won was unbelievable.

My second fondest memory came a week later when Todd kicked that goal from the boundary at the beginning of the match and I knew we were going to win.

[45HG 1,539]

If only I was much older than 5 months old at the time. I would've only been about 1500m away from it at the time as well.

Love hearing the stories.

[diesel 420]

After falling out with footy for a number of years this was the game that sealed the deal for me becoming a Melbourne supporter. So it looks like it's my 25th Anniversary! It also probably proves the point in my case that a club needs to back up postive aspirations and talking with on-field performance to capture supporters long term.

[Damo 3,041]

We had booked seats in the John Gent stand. We were on a mission for Robbie to play finals.. It was tight at 3/4 time and some jerk come on over the PA gee-ing up the Bulldogs crowd. But at last half there were Demons it seemed at the time. Genuine tears and hugs after. Dunstall kicked 9(?) down at the cattery to get us in and then the roll was on! Smashing the Swans and North before that other tear jerker out at VFL park. We had so many come out of the Woodwork that September. Loved it.

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,534]

And, apart from our game, look at those scores. No flooding and basically no defensive pressure resulted in lots of high scoring games.

[Macca 16,174]

Was on the outer wing as well with a couple of mates . Virtually underneath that old opposition coaches box . Probably in the vicinity of many current 'landers !

The excitement levels were fever pitch . Never forget it . The 2000 prelim final rivals it for sheer joy . There's a couple of youtube portions of the game available (2 x 8mins)

The bit that often gets forgotten is that Garry Lyon broke his leg that day . I wonder how we would have fared 3 weeks later if he had of played ...

[Macca 16,174]

Here's those 2 clips ...

[NorwoodDemon 20]

I was born the very next yr so I have missed pretty much all the Melbourne glory days except 2000 premiership run which is the closest thing to success I have witnessed. Was it still the top 8 back then or top 7 or whatever?

[nutbean 8,837]

Brett Lovett - probably the strongest player through the hips I have seen. Never ever went to ground and stood up in tackles and dished the ball off.

Greg Wells in the coaches box !

We could use Ricky Jackson about now.

Edited August 29, 2012 by nutbean

[warren dean 193]

I was born the very next yr so I have missed pretty much all the Melbourne glory days except 2000 premiership run which is the closest thing to success I have witnessed. Was it still the top 8 back then or top 7 or whatever?

Final 5. Demons had to win last 6 in a row to make it.

[Sir Why You Little 35,322]

"Cover yourself in glory son" Brian Wilson...What a great small forward he was. Ran the length of the ground to kick one of his goals.

Yes Ricky Jackson is badly needed!!

[La Dee-vina Comedia 16,534]

Brett Lovett - probably the strongest player through the hips I have seen. Never ever went to ground and stood up in tackles and dished the ball off.

Greg Wells in the coaches box !

We could use Ricky Jackson about now.

I think Leigh Matthews has him covered. And Gary Ablett Sr.

[pantaloons 2,019]

Glorious. My earliest football memory is listening to the end of that game as an eight year old with my friend who had converted me to the MFC two years earlier, and the two of us jumping on my bed like a trampoline after the hawthorn result came through. I put an 'IT'S THE DEMONS' poster from the newspaper on the wall in my room the next day, which stayed there for years. I listened to the elimination final on the radio and then attended the next two. I still rank the 1987 prelim as one of the worst moments of a pretty charmed life.

It was impossible not to get swept up in the romance of the final months of the 1987 season. I was always going to be hooked after that September.

[nutbean 8,837]

I think Leigh Matthews has him covered. And Gary Ablett Sr.

edit - Brett Lovett for an unheralded player was one of strongest players through the hips I have seen

[rjay 24,193]

edit - Brett Lovett for an unheralded player was one of strongest players through the hips I have seen

One of my favourites 'nutbean' and if you are to believe some current day commentators talking about how players these days lift their arms in a tackle to get the ball off to a team mate then well ahead of his time.

[Its Time for Another 4,058]

My favourite football memory. I was on the eastern wing with my Brother. The roar a few minutes after the match had finished when we heard on the radio that Hawthorn had won was unbelievable.

My second fondest memory came a week later when Todd kicked that goal from the boundary at the beginning of the match and I knew we were going to win.

My memory was that the Geelong v Hawks game finished with about 5 minutes to go in our game. The whole crowd went ballistic as the ball was rolling over the line around half back with no significance so everyone who wasn't listening to a radio was wondering what the hell was going on until it was explained. It was amazing Cats were up by about 3 goals going into time on, so looked like we were going to be stuffed even if we won. Then Dunstall exploded with I think 3 time on goals to win it for Hawks.

Sadly that game is still the highlight of my D's following career which goes all the way back to just after '64.

Look at all those massive scores in that round. Different era of footy. What's better, high scoring like that or the dower defensive game it has become nowadays?