Robbie Flower on Chooseday Night footy tonight

[M_9 1,844]

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[Slartibartfast 16,152]

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Ripper, thanks.

[IvanBartul13 2,564]

Great opportunity for those not familiar with Steven Stretch's football to watch him in full flight

[Waltham33 429]

One of my fav all time games

[gsmith12 491]

Ripper, thanks.

Sensational game and memorable for more than one reason, not only was a win of that magnitude a complete shock but I felt great joy in seeing Greg shove it up Gerard, figuratively speaking.

[Hellaintabadplacetobe 4,166]

Gee what would u give for our current team to have a crack like this 1987 team. For all the youngsters out there, this us the year we defied the odds with a huge R22 come from behind win at western oval which has been well documented on this site regularly. We then faced North and were rank outsiders, nobody gave us a chance... We won by 20 goals and I think it is still an elimination final GWM !

Then it was the Swans turn and again, rank outsiders and we absolutely shocked the footy world.

The next week..... Nup, let's leave it there!

[ijbfossil 77]

Thanks - would not miss it for the world - Robbie Flower - ABSOLUTE CHAMPION - the greatest.

Would have won the Brownlows he deserved if he had played in a top team throughout his career - only have to remember he was nearly always BOG for Victoria with good players around him.

A lot of other terrific Dees players in 1987 as well - shame Robbie didn't have them with him earlier in his career at his peak - Or that we don't have them now.

[Toad33 57]

OH MY GOD!!

Just seeing those images and reading the first couple of paragraphs brings back some unbelievable emotions and memories for me as a 19 year old supporter experiencing his first finals campaign. I still get shivers when I recall listening to the final home and away round game against Footscray at their 'dung heap' (in the same game that our young 'bright light' Garry Lyon broke his leg) on my dodgy transistor radio in the shed at home....thankfully it was a radio broadcast game for that weekend (for those younger folk...many weren't...you had to either listen to the horse racing or another game and wait to get a 'cross' of score update during their broadcast........no internet or Foxtel back then kiddies!!

The next Monday I 'took a sickie' to line up and get tickets for the biggest game in my life......and got them!!

On game day my parents, brother and I got there early.....really early........well before the reserve's game had started...... and part way through the under 19's kicking the dew off the grass. We also had the 'nervous' pleasure of getting a confident nod and smile from John 'Swooper' Northey when he appeared behind us to smell the air and survey the atmosphere at half time of the reserves game.

My memories of that final's campaign.

• I have not seen Melbourne supporters as vocal as I did in that '87 Elimination Final..........admittedly there was a LOT to cheer about from the first goal at the 35 second mark onwards!!......BUT.....the standing ovation when the team walked off at half time was something to behold and still give me goose bumps when I think of it.
• For a team that literally FELL into the finals and was regarded as a team full of 'rejects' from other clubs, we showed the football world in the MOST emphatic fashion what the value of BELIEF and DETERMINATION are to a football team. (The only game I have seen since that remotely compares is the Geelong effort in the Grand Final where they passed the baton of GREATEST LOSING MARGIN onto Port Adelaide....thank you Geelong).
• Towelling the Swans by 77 points in week two and turning the football world on it's head......'What has POSESSED the Demons"?.
• Missing SO MANY opportunities to bury the Hawks in the first half to following week.
• Seeing Robert 'Dipper' DiPierdomenico in full flight at 93kg's 'fairly and squarely' hip and shoulder Robbie Flower (75kg). The result a broken Collar Bone from the impact. This was the first 'wrench in the guts' that told me 'Robbie' was not going to get what the football world wanted for him.....a crack at a Premiership.
• Jimmy running over the mark just before the final siren.........as much as it pains me to type it........I know he won't rest 'easy' until that next Premiership Flag is flying high at the MFC.
• Seeing Hawthorn limp into the GF and get SMASHED by a fresh and clinical Carlton outfit.........we may not have won but by gee we would have given a [censored] good yelp.

Go Dees

[bush demon 1,931]

Sensational game and memorable for more than one reason, not only was a win of that magnitude a complete shock but I felt great joy in seeing Greg shove it up Gerard, figuratively speaking.

Hadn't the Swans kicked thirty in each of their last two home and always?

[nutbean 8,837]

Wasn't Northey an absolute ripper. He could get some fairly ordinary footballers to crash through walls and play out of their skins.

[Moonshadow 16,659]

Is it possible to watch legally online somewhere without having Foxtel?

[picket fence 15,852]

I have two" Pristine" Broadcom video copies of the Dees vs North and Dees Vs Swans semi finals from that period!~ I have dubbed them onto DVD Format using ah "Old Technology" I also have the last half as televised by Channel 2 ABC 'The Winners" of our last game vs Footscray of the same period 1987!

Golden Golden Stuff!

[M_9 1,844]

I hope young Billy Stretch was allowed to stay up late and watch his old man, in his prime, play a blinder.

[Real Demon 232]

Just finished watching it then........how good was that, I was cheering every goal!

I was at that game and was around 14 at the time.........awesome memories, and great players.

Steven Stretch......what a game, Sean Wight an absolute star, and Brett Lovett......what a great player.

The Demon fans were out in force that day.

Smashing teams in finals again...........we can only dream!

[M_9 1,844]

I wouldn't go as far as to say we had a star-studded line-up, but we had a lot of players who played to the utmost of their ability.

I'm talking about Warren Dean, Earl Spalding, Ricky Jackson, Graeme Yeats et al

[picket fence 15,852]

I wouldn't go as far as to say we had a star-studded line-up, but we had a lot of players who played to the utmost of their ability.

I'm talking about Warren Dean, Earl Spalding, Ricky Jackson, Graeme Yeats et al

Those four mentioned would not only have got a game with us now AND STARED ! But also with nearly any other team currently going around IMO!

[rjay 24,203]

How good was that; the emotion was still there for me watching that after all this time and seeing Sean attacking the ball, big Jimmy in the ruck only added to it.

Apart from Robbie, who was an absolute champion Brett Lovett was always a favourite player of mine.

With some luck we could have Viney, Stretch & Lovett running around with us again in the next few years.

[Sir Why You Little 35,392]

I have the North Game on tape. The Swans game is a blur. It was surreal. I remember my dad nearly got into a big punch on as he was giving directions to the Swans supporters how to get to Tullamarine during the first half!!

[Slartibartfast 16,152]

Watching that game was a joy and reminded me of one of my favourite players in Steven Stretch. As a player he was seriously underrated because of the GF incident in 1988 but he showed no lack of courage in the game shown last night and it's sad so many have decided to brand him as they have for that one incident.

Great player, terrific bloke and I'd just love his son to have a good career at the MFC.

[Waltham33 429]

I wouldn't go as far as to say we had a star-studded line-up, but we had a lot of players who played to the utmost of their ability.

I'm talking about Warren Dean, Earl Spalding, Ricky Jackson, Graeme Yeats et al

and in 87 and 88 it was damn close to the flag. A good lesson for our current predicament.

[gsmith12 491]

Hadn't the Swans kicked thirty in each of their last two home and always?

G'day Bushie, the Swans had a purple patch in 3 consecutive SCG games from round 16 -18.

They amassed 30.21 v Eagles 36.20 v Essendon and 31.12 v Tigers followed by 3 losses to Blues, Hawks and Cats.

On the strength of their 6 goal win against us earlier in the season I guess they were entitled to be confident going in to the final.

Suck eggs Gerard.

[norwood_demon 196]

How good was that; the emotion was still there for me watching that after all this time and seeing Sean attacking the ball, big Jimmy in the ruck only added to it.

Apart from Robbie, who was an absolute champion Brett Lovett was always a favourite player of mine.

With some luck we could have Viney, Stretch & Lovett running around with us again in the next few years.

maybe we can snare another father/son from the opposition?