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All time Favorite Backmen at MFC

Red N Blue Society
in Melbourne Demons

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Don Williams, Doc Roet, Tassie Johnson, Geoff Case, John Beckwith, Gary Hardeman, Bernie Massey, Barry Bourke (when he played down back in his later years), Denis Jones. A few from earlier times there. Showing my age! :)

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    Noel McMahon, Donny Williams, Tony Anderson great premiership players. Noel McMahon tough as old goats knees. Tassie Johnson my favourite however. Could kick it a mile ,great skills and duel premiership player. All fantastic though,

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    Gary Hardeman, Brett Lovett, Laurie Fowler, Rod Grinter, Anthony Ingerson, Tas Johnson and finally ....Paul Rowlands!

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    Seecamp. Violent madman and comic mastermind.

    Biffed his best mate, got suspended for it then went fishing with him at the end of the year.

    And let's not forget this...

    [media=]

    Apologies to Whelan, Frawley and even accounting for today's events Rivers.

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    The Wrecker by a street.

    I guess you're not referring to Brian 'Wrecker' Leahy, a very solid HB flanker for us in the first half of the 1960s.

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    Sean White

    Matthew Whelan

    Steven Icke

    Peter Giles

    Danny Hughes

    Brett Lovett

    Rod Grinter

    James Frawley

    Special mention: Jamie Dursma

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    #8 Tassie Bob Johnson. Fullback. Kickins - drop kicks - routinely reached near the centre circle. Never beaten. Dasher.

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    He was far from the best player, but I always had a real soft spot for Nathan Carroll. Yes, he was a bit of a [censored] and got himself into trouble a few too many times, but he was tough as nails, aggressive and punching well above his weight as a defender. I loved the way he went about it and his physicality on the ground. It's something the team really lost after he was moved on and we started trying to build a team of choirboys.

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    Seecamp. Violent madman and comic mastermind.

    Biffed his best mate, got suspended for it then went fishing with him at the end of the year.

    And let's not forget this...

    [media=]

    Apologies to Whelan, Frawley and even accounting for today's events Rivers.

    that video clip would make even an Italian soccer star flinch....what a soccer dive was that??
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    Hardeman, Frank Davis, Fowler, Biffin, A Johnson, Hughes, Wight, B Lovett, Grinter, Yeats , N Brown , Walsh and the Febey's - all good to very good .

    Hardeman the best . Great mark and was a dasher with a penetrating kick . Could play forward as well .

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    Tassie Johnson, Froggy Crompton and John Beckwith.

    Also Alan Johnson, Laurie Fowler, Sean Wight and the incomparable Biff

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    Tassie Johnson

    Gary Hardeman

    Don Williams

    Laurie Fowler

    Doc Roet

    Trevor Rollinson

    Alan Johnson

    Add Noel McMahen to this list. He was so,so tough. He and Donny Williams were unbeatable.

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    Never saw Hardeman but my old man tells me he was a star. I'm an 80s child and for me the most exciting backman was Seanus, but our best, by an absolute street, was Brett Lovett. Rarely if ever beaten, set play up beautifully with sweeping handballs, and was tough as teak when he needed to be. Clearly the best half back flanker in the comp for a few years on the trot from about 88-90.

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    Most of the names in this thread are too old for me. It's not often at nearly-30 that I feel like a baby, but Demonland makes a habit of doing it to me.

    We're just reminiscing about the 'good times' Nasher, and hoping to be around to see the next edition.

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    Tassie Johnson drop kicking to the centre circle

    Daylight

    Al Nicholson just to brighten up otherwise dreary days

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    Ingerson Biffen Fowler

    Hardeman Icke Sullivan

    Apologies

    Frank Davis.

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    Seecamp. Violent madman and comic mastermind.

    Biffed his best mate, got suspended for it then went fishing with him at the end of the year.

    And let's not forget this...

    Remember that day. We won by a couple of points, and a kick after the siren to Pearce would probably have altered the result. The day that Justin Murphy kicked a beauty from the boundary in the last (given a point) and Junior took a hanger in the dying moments over Schwartz to kick a long goal that many claimed was a point.

    Call this obsessive if you like, but so many tish days at PP, I remember the good ones.

    And on the main topic, Don Williams would seem to have been before his time as an athletic, fast, high marking, elite kicking, attacking defender. Only saw him in his second Demon iteration when he played upfield and demonstrated the stated characteristics.

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    Must acknowledge the following.

    Wight was freakish and din't think of him before penciled in Sullivan. AJ was my favourite Melbourne Defender and while was toooo young TAssie and RB in a stand off for best fullback.

    Sean Wight

    Alan Johnston

    Tassie Johnson

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    Number 25 Donny Williams was a champ and would be ideal even in today's so-called modern game. Not only a champion footballer, but an exceptional athlete.

    Another hero was Tassie Johnson, who was one of the few full backs to keep Peter Hudson goalless. Throw in Ray Groom, Wrecker Leahy, Doc Roet, and Frank Davis, with a special mention to Froggy Crompton. Oh what memories.

    Loved the way Gary Hardeman and Tony Sullivan went about it and they played for the big V, coming from what was then a very ordinary Melbourne footy team.

    Latter days, Brett Lovett, Anthony Ingerson, Matty Whelan and Peter Walsh for me

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