21 hours ago, prymke19 said:

If anyone can remember the end to the 87 season, we won the last 5 games to sneak into 5th spot after 23 years of pain. We had to win the last game away to Footscray and relied on the Hawks to beat Cats at Kardinia.

Just drawing on the similarities to this year.

The point being when we did make finals we did damage. 

COME ON!!!

If anyone can remember?? Well I have to say, I will never ever forget these days as long as I live!

I  can remember the senior players making a pact with 8 rounds to go that whatever the cost they would devote extra days to training being together, whatever it took to have a Red hot crack at the finals. The belief in this senior group was unwavering in the opportunities as presented.

At that time John Northey was a master people person. Very much an us Vs them mentality which permeated into a feeling that if all players could dream and believe, The dream would become a reality!

And so I was privy to some very interesting behind the scenes player awareness and exposure to the way John Northey and Rob Flower created the mindset that ran along the lines of "If It is to be, it is up to me"

Can anyone else remember the spinetingling sensation where Ordinary supporters could go down into the rooms and watch the warm ups!? Before master tacticurn John Northey would call a halt to the warm up. Call a player over to the masses of demon faihful and say for example,,,

" Supporters this is Warren Dean, he has overcome some injuries and today, Today, he and the players behind him will give you the best efforts and integrity of the Melbourne football club today!! Now, we would appreciate you leaving the room so we can prepare thoroughly for the game ahead!"

SPINE TINGLING STUFF! A mighty cheer would go up and you could see players FEEDING of the rabid supporter base that lay in the bowels of the now defunct changerooms almost directly under the Robert Flower wing side! Today!

Ah Heady heady times!! Win after win after win the same process would ensue!

I remember after the Dogs win going back to Minnootz Restaurent I think it was, where some of the players had gathered! 

And it went on and on until the Preliminary Final which I  refuse to talk about !

This current team is young Raw and whilst not quite as hungry or experienced as the One in 87 IF IF the same set of variables ensue, some 29 years later and we somehow can make it into finals! Then

I will again be transported to that Mystical, Magical, transcendent time when The MFC was the most important part of the universe!!

Dare I dream??
 

14 minutes ago, picket fence said:

If anyone can remember?? Well I have to say, I will never ever forget these days as long as I live!

I  can remember the senior players making a pact with 8 rounds to go that whatever the cost they would devote extra days to training being together, whatever it took to have a Red hot crack at the finals. The belief in this senior group was unwavering in the opportunities as presented.

At that time John Northey was a master people person. Very much an us Vs them mentality which permeated into a feeling that if all players could dream and believe, The dream would become a reality!

And so I was privy to some very interesting behind the scenes player awareness and exposure to the way John Northey and Rob Flower created the mindset that ran along the lines of "If It is to be, it is up to me"

Can anyone else remember the spinetingling sensation where Ordinary supporters could go down into the rooms and watch the warm ups!? Before master tacticurn John Northey would call a halt to the warm up. Call a player over to the masses of demon faihful and say for example,,,

" Supporters this is Warren Dean, he has overcome some injuries and today, Today, he and the players behind him will give you the best efforts and integrity of the Melbourne football club today!! Now, we would appreciate you leaving the room so we can prepare thoroughly for the game ahead!"

SPINE TINGLING STUFF! A mighty cheer would go up and you could see players FEEDING of the rabid supporter base that lay in the bowels of the now defunct changerooms almost directly under the Robert Flower wing side! Today!

Ah Heady heady times!! Win after win after win the same process would ensue!

I remember after the Dogs win going back to Minnootz Restaurent I think it was, where some of the players had gathered! 

And it went on and on until the Preliminary Final which I  refuse to talk about !

This current team is young Raw and whilst not quite as hungry or experienced as the One in 87 IF IF the same set of variables ensue, some 29 years later and we somehow can make it into finals! Then

I will again be transported to that Mystical, Magical, transcendent time when The MFC was the most important part of the universe!!

Dare I dream??
 

Nice one PF. 

THE old cold MCG rooms

went there a few times as a kid

This smells like a loss to carlton

I don't know what I want to happen, because I am worried if they do make it for future years.

Hopefully some mental demons have been broken, but I am worried that if they do make finals, complacency could set in for 2017.

I feel like just missing out would be better for the team, especially when some close losses should have had us in the finals anyway.

1 minute ago, qarocks said:

I don't know what I want to happen, because I am worried if they do make it for future years.

Hopefully some mental demons have been broken, but I am worried that if they do make finals, complacency could set in for 2017.

I feel like just missing out would be better for the team, especially when some close losses should have had us in the finals anyway.

Are you [censored] serious???

"oh i don't want to play Finals...It's too hard..."

Thanks for that - those old clips are awesome - some of the same names as now popping up.  It looks like the skill level now has  gone up a few notches.

28 minutes ago, picket fence said:

Can anyone else remember the spinetingling sensation where Ordinary supporters could go down into the rooms and watch the warm ups!?

I certainly can .... the rooms both before and after a game welcomed one and all

It was so different to today

7 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Are you [censored] serious???

"oh i don't want to play Finals...It's too hard..."

It's not that it is too hard, it is that some players might think they are a lock for 2017 finals and then not play as well. Losing to Essendon is exhibit A, as well as umpteen loses to teams we should not lose too a week after a good win.

Hopefully this sort of mentality is on the way out though.

Has anyone been able to find that lid?

Dare to dream....Go Demons!

31 minutes ago, qarocks said:

It's not that it is too hard, it is that some players might think they are a lock for 2017 finals and then not play as well. Losing to Essendon is exhibit A, as well as umpteen loses to teams we should not lose too a week after a good win.

Hopefully this sort of mentality is on the way out though.

You play to make September

the End. 

1 hour ago, picket fence said:

Can anyone else remember the spinetingling sensation where Ordinary supporters could go down into the rooms and watch the warm ups!? Before master tacticurn John Northey would call a halt to the warm up. Call a player over to the masses of demon faihful and say for example,,,

" Supporters this is Warren Dean, he has overcome some injuries and today, Today, he and the players behind him will give you the best efforts and integrity of the Melbourne football club today!! Now, we would appreciate you leaving the room so we can prepare thoroughly for the game ahead!"

SPINE TINGLING STUFF! A mighty cheer would go up and you could see players FEEDING of the rabid supporter base that lay in the bowels of the now defunct changerooms almost directly under the Robert Flower wing side! Today!

Ah Heady heady times!! Win after win after win the same process would ensue!

I miss those days, as a kid, being able to go down into the changerooms beneath the old red seat members area to watch our heroes warm up before the big game. They were OUR changerooms too, Richmonds and Norths rooms were next door from memory (under the blue seats), the interlopers hadn't quite imposed themselves on our ground yet. Then afterwards heading up to grab one of those massive flags from the cheersquad to annoy all the people sitting around me for the day by accidentally waving it in their face.

We have momentum, the single greatest asset of any sporting team. Saturday night Port stood no chance because of it, the GC scrappy win coupled with the Hawks effort means we have it in spades. port had it in 2014, ours seems more sustainable, time will tell. Be great to make it, bugger off North.

It was, I think the game at Waverley versus Geelong, that I began to believe the miracle may be possible. I was teaching in Warrnambool at the time and I knew that one more loss would mean the end of the dream, so I made the three hour drive week after week, with the dream building its own momentum with each victory. The greatest days of my football supporting life - ending of course in the tragedy at Waverley (which I also refuse to discuss.)

When you went into the rooms before the game in the Swooper era you could always tell if the boys were "up". It was a great insight into how smart Northey was. A little bit later I remember Neil Balme and Allen Jakovich doing reverse bananas around the pylons in the old rooms, probably 20 minutes before game time. A true "match day experience" - certainly not something that the marketing clowns who run the game today would have any clue about.

2 hours ago, bingers said:

Has anyone been able to find that lid?

Lids are for jars. Weeks like this are what makes all the crap in the previous years worthwhile ...

Rohan Connolly article from The Age. 

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-2016-melbournes-memories-are-made-of-this-20160815-gqszf8.html

I will always remember walking down Dynon Road after the game and a car went past me and a guy hung out the window and just said 

"We are there..." 

We had another game of footy at The G

The Whiskeys in St. Kilda went down well that night

On 15 August 2016 at 0:02 AM, Chook said:

I hope Gawny doesn't run through the mark though….

These days you only have to get within 10m and there's a 50m penalty if the umps are awake to it...

Supported the Ds for 23 years. 

1976 -listened on Gold Coast to Robert Walls' miss against Footscray , that kept us out. 

1987 -in UK, trunk calls at 8.00 am and cross county dashes to Australia House in Strand. Devour air freighted AGE and Sunday Press. 

 

*Younger posters will have no concept. Pre internet. 

Actually had to "wait".

Just had a quick look at the 87 season. If we do it this time it will be a much tougher run with Hawthorn, Port away and Geelong away. In 87 our last 5 included the bottom three teams (Richmond, Collingwood and Brisbane) and West Coast who were around the middle and of course the doggies who were 5th when we played them I believe.

Smells like Dee Spirit.

14 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

You play to win flags

the End. 

EFA

12 minutes ago, radar said:

Supported the Ds for 23 years. 

1976 -listened on Gold Coast to Robert Walls' miss against Footscray , that kept us out. 

1987 -in UK, trunk calls at 8.00 am and cross county dashes to Australia House in Strand. Devour air freighted AGE and Sunday Press. 

 

*Younger posters will have no concept. Pre internet. 

Actually had to "wait".

Must be more than 23 years, Radar.....''76 was 37 yrs ago.

I remember the Coll. supporters near me at Victoria Park cheering when they knew we couldn't make the finals. I guess it was because we made them  win the spoon. I liked that because I hated Weideman(Then!), and he coached them to the spoon.

I've finally forgiven the Weed for'58, now his grandson is part of our resurgence.!

20 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Nothing can be like '87.

23 years in the wilderness ..........almost a whole city barracking for you..........having the wind for three quarters at Waverley and then that unbelievable end to the dream. After the siren the crowd was hushed. People wandered the car park trying to understand what had happened that day. It was very special.

No it's not '87 but it is a very good feeling.

I remember it like yesterday.  The crowd was definitely hushed, but for the muted sobs (literally) of many of the Melbourne faithful around me.  The anguish and disbelief on their faces (as shown on the front and back pages of the daily newspapers) is etched permanently into my red & blue heart.  But this is 2016, and over the next few years we are due to dim the 'hurt' of some of those memories!

27 minutes ago, Jumping Jack Clennett said:

Must be more than 23 years, Radar.....''76 was 37 yrs ago.

I remember the Coll. supporters near me at Victoria Park cheering when they knew we couldn't make the finals. I guess it was because we made them  win the spoon. I liked that because I hated Weideman(Then!), and he coached them to the spoon.

I've finally forgiven the Weed for'58, now his grandson is part of our resurgence.!

I was there. It was worse than that. I'll never forget the Collingwood players cheering at the end of the game when the Dogs v Blues draw came up on the scoreboard which meant Dogs got into finals and we missed out. Mongrels.