Still one of the most underrated star forwards to ever play the game.

He was an absolute GUN. Both feet, agility, strength, running patterns, the "Ox" had it all.

His off-field dramas have certainly tainted just how good he was on field. Not that it should, but people certainly forget just how bloody good he was on the park.

6 minutes ago, hemingway said:

Like many others, I was sitting with my boys in the Southern Stand pocket when David did his knee the second time. They were playing the Swans and if my memory is correct, the ball came down to centre half forward and Ox went to meet the ball and went to turn or twist toward goal in loose soil and his knee and body just buckled. There was a feeling of horror, a feeling of sickness in the pit of the stomach, and a feeling of devastation and gloom. It was the worst I ever have felt at a match watching a serious injury.

I was there in the Northern stand and felt nothing. No horror, no sickness ... just numbness. A refusal to accept what I was seeing. I kept telling myself it was his ankle, or his other knee ... or that he'd sit on the bench and come back on for the last quarter ...

Apart from the fact that it was against the Swans, I can't remember anything else about the game. My wife was there ... her first and last game of live AFL and all she remembers is that it was cold.

Dazzle if you can get your hands on a VHS called Demon Attack '94 (I think this was the title) do yourself a favour and get a copy. I haven't watched it for years but remember Schwarz features heavily. 

3 minutes ago, Ted Fidge said:

I was there in the Northern stand and felt nothing. No horror, no sickness ... just numbness. A refusal to accept what I was seeing. I kept telling myself it was his ankle, or his other knee ... or that he'd sit on the bench and come back on for the last quarter ...

Apart from the fact that it was against the Swans, I can't remember anything else about the game. My wife was there ... her first and last game of live AFL and all she remembers is that it was cold.

Yes. A very hollow victory that day. 

I was sitting in the Red Seats that day

not far from David's Mum

we all felt sick....

Schwatta at CHF, Nieta at CHB, I was only a youngster at the time & I really thought a flag with those 2 key pillars was only a matter of time..... That era still brings still brings a tear to my eye, we would've had half the all Australian team & won a few flags for sure. 

1 minute ago, thevil1 said:

Schwatta at CHF, Nieta at CHB, I was only a youngster at the time & I really thought a flag with those 2 key pillars was only a matter of time..... That era still brings still brings a tear to my eye, we would've had half the all Australian team & won a few flags for sure. 

Stop it Evil

it hurts too much....

1 minute ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Stop it Evil

it hurts too much....

Sorry. It really does for those of us who remember. 

Hogan, Viney, Gawn, Brayshaw, Petracca, Oliver, Salem, Gartlett, Tyson...... if T Mac could kick & Watts keep it up it could happen again. Pls God & Norm Smith, let this happen!!!! 

7 hours ago, Diamond said:

The orthopaedic surgeon who did the ridiculous patellar tendon knee repair which fell apart. That operation is never done now for footballers and was never any good.

May be totally wrong but didn't he come back early from one of them as well but that blew up?

That side in 94/95 was stacked, incredibly unlucky with injury to not win a flag. Stinger could have been anything as well before the drunken window. 

7 minutes ago, Cards13 said:

May be totally wrong but didn't he come back early from one of them as well but that blew up?

 

That side in 94/95 was stacked, incredibly unlucky with injury to not win a flag. Stinger could have been anything as well before the drunken window. 

The game we talked about above was the "comeback" game from the first knee. Nine weeks or something, fastest ever recovery from a knee ligament.

First game back, splat, knee blows out again.

2 hours ago, Wiseblood said:

This is all you need to know mate.  He was my favourite player before the Wiz took that mantle.  The bloke was almost unstoppable in 1994 and, while I might be biased, he could have been on par with Carey if his knees held up.  Unbelievable agility, great pair of hands, high footy IQ and a great kick for goal.  The bloke had it all.

Edit - Watch his goal from around the 4:35 mark.  It's vintage Ox.

Remember very fondly.  Was at the ground on the day Ox kicked 9. Great memory.

I was at Lavington Oval when he did it during the pre-season.
Couldn't believe the stupidity of it all actually.
He played in the curtain raiser (yes the seconds) came on after half time and was throwing himself around like his life depended on it.
Kicked 3 goals during the 3rd qr and popped it early in the 4th.
Can still feel the blood draining from my face when I realised what had happened.
Pretty sure that was the second time it went.

26 minutes ago, thevil1 said:

Sorry. It really does for those of us who remember. 

Hogan, Viney, Gawn, Brayshaw, Petracca, Oliver, Salem, Gartlett, Tyson...... if T Mac could kick & Watts keep it up it could happen again. Pls God & Norm Smith, let this happen!!!! 

PJ and Roosy are doing a mighty job

the confidence is returning...

Gee, that video brings back some childhood memories! 

Really, when you see that team, which included Jimmy, Garry Lyon, Schwarta, Stinger, the Lovetts, Todd Viney, the Febeys. They were certainly the glory days of supporting Melbourne for me.

Is it any wonder, when you watch how they played, why guys like Jimmy, Garry and The Ox get so facking frustrated at the shambles that we became? God, in the last 10 years, it is only a couple of those Bailey wins that even come close to the thrill of watching clips like that.

26 minutes ago, thevil1 said:

Sorry. It really does for those of us who remember. 

Hogan, Viney, Gawn, Brayshaw, Petracca, Oliver, Salem, Gartlett, Tyson...... if T Mac could kick & Watts keep it up it could happen again. Pls God & Norm Smith, let this happen!!!! 

PJ and Roosy are doing a mighty job

the confidence is returning...

I thought he was better than Carey. Who can forget the mark above the pack, the pirouette in mid air and landing in a run in that final against the doggies. And the 9 goals he kicked at the SCG a couple of weeks earlier.

Jako was freakier, but alongside the ox, the wiz, Robbie, RDB and twinkletoes, they were the most exciting players I've seen at the club.

David Schwarz came back from his first knee reconstruction far too early.  This should never have been allowed to happen - apparently he was in full training 4 weeks after the first surgery (he mentions this in the interview below).  Wouldn't happen under the management now.

 

5 hours ago, Grapeviney said:

Beat me to it Wise, those three weeks (and indeed his entire '94 season) were just exhilarating, took more marks than anyone else that year (including Carey) and finished with 60 goals from CHF. 

Also worth reading this article, which - like the YouTube clip - is the work of Age journalist and MFC supporter Jesse Hogan, who's fighting for his life in hospital after a stroke.

What I like about the article, and the short clip above it which features Jesse, is that he basically says he was a star-struck 6 y.o Demon fan in 1994 who thought Schwarz a superstar, and when he grew up and became a journo and checked with the experts they confirmed it was so. 

I've still got his number on my jumper. 

This was pretty much me as well. '94 was incredible and that Prelim against WC I was certain he was going to make it happen but they just shut him down. Each knee brought tears. He was a different player when he did come back after the third, which shows how gutsy he is that he fought back to make a contribution within forced limits.

The reason #5 is my number

The injuries in the mid nineties to all our best players pretty much was horrible, but none more so than the Ox.

My fav player and who ever inherits the great mans #5 gets my support ??

Neitz a AA CHB at 21, Ox tearing the comp up. He was as good as Carey, better at the X factor and agility side of things, same sort of courage, Carey would have had him for leadership I reckon and prob the constant ability to turn a game in five minutes. But the Ox was a special special player.

Don't think I've ever been as excited by a Melbourne side as I was by the team in '94. In Schwarz, we had a player who could have been one of, if not the best, in the game (at the time). His agility and athleticism was outstanding. Jumped on heads effortlessly.

Was also at the game v Sydney where he reinjured the knee and remember being devastated. I'd dragged my Roos supporting dad to the game just to see Schwarta play, and even though we won easily (remember Lyon kicking 7 and Shaun Smith kicking 5), I was in dumpsville.

Think not long after that moment Schwarz realised that if he came back, it wouldn't be as an agile, athletic threat, more the bullocking, physical forward. And the Ox was born.

Last night's Open Mike had Todd Viney as the guest and the issue of whether Schwarz might have been as great as Carey but for the three knee reconstructions was also raised. 

Of course, Carey was an absolute great of the game and we'll never know but it reminded me of an interesting chat I had with his coach Dennis Pagan at a book launch a few years ago. We talked about his coaching career and that was interesting of itself but he got really fired up when I had the temerity to suggest that Schwarz could have been in Carey's league but for the injuries. He naturally stood up for the player who was his main man in the premiership wins but I suggested as hypothetical that he considered how different the shape and face of football might have been if it was Carey who was injury prone and Schwarz who remained injury free. And that's not to mention long term injuries to Garry Lyon, Stephen Tingay, Jako, Paul Prymke and Glenn Lovett - key players of the time. Then there was Todd Viney's own little sojourn into the tennis fitness coaching of Mark Phillipousis. 

I know you can't rely on the injury excuse but our story of that era shoes that you need a healthy side for success. Ironically, North Melbourne in recent years has has that predominantly healthy side and in the last two seasons made preliminary finals on the back of it.

8 hours ago, Ted Fidge said:

The game we talked about above was the "comeback" game from the first knee. Nine weeks or something, fastest ever recovery from a knee ligament.

First game back, splat, knee blows out again.

Ridiculous to come back so soon. That era was just full of some much sparkle and sizzle for us but yet still unfulfilled.

 

I am glad no one has mentioned Ox's retirement speech...then I will start to tear up ( oh cr@p.. I just mentioned it)

Yes, opposition supporters are unlikely to acknowledge it, but he really was that good.

Before the injuries, sadly. After that he became a mere mortal.

I remember seeing the OX in a successful under 19's grand final and thinking who is this guy. He was sensational that day, it was a glimpse into the future and the future was bright. 1994 was a stellar year for the OX and I felt at the time that the best was still to come, sadly this was not to be. Despite his injuries he still managed a great career and to be honest I always thought he retired to early. I also was at the Sydney match when he did his knee for the second time. I was devastated. I've never wanted to belt  oppositions supporters more than I did that day when two Sydney clowns sitting in front of me clapped and laughed when he went down.To this day I still hate Sydney with an absolute passion.

If his knee stayed together we would have won a flag. He was that good.