Your top 10 favourite MFC players

[Wrecker45 3,378]

Would have contributed earlier but I got banned for a month.

1) Whelan - the single greatest moment in my lifetime of supporting Melbourne was when he flattened Hird and TJ kicks impossible goal from the boundary line. The only time ever in my life I thought we were going to win the premiership. Whelan handballs it to him as well. Whelan was aslo the only fullback I can remember when I was happy with the kickouts.

2) Travis Johnstone - The number 1 draft pick before our tanking. We deserved it and TJ was the "Rolls Royce" of that draft. His foot skills were electric and would be better in the modern game. A pleasure to watch and when he was on he was on. He could cut teams up.

3) Stynes- revolutionized the way the ruck is played. Personified tough.

4) The Ox - what could have been. He was the one. Crippled by kneed injuries

5) Brad Green - Tougher than ever given credit for. Captain of the club and should have remained captain when Neild came on board. Never forget the 2000 GF. Brad Green got punched in the throat, Whelan missed though injury and Woey did a hammy. We were down 3 of our best players in generations, we just didn't know it at the time.

6) Tingay - I'll never forget his ferocious tackles. Had skills to burn.  But ran the other way when it wasn't as important as it is in the modern game. Could kick it 65m.

7) Alan Johnson - the first number I wore as a kid on my jumper. Was the most skillful player I can remember.

8 Farmer- The wiz. In 1998 we were in it to win it and it was on the back of Farmer. I've since met him at a pub and he said leaving Melbourne was the worst thing he ever did.

9) Strawbs O'Dwyer - Under Norther big Strawbs was a cult hero. Early days for me but I loved him.

10) Grinter ) - Every player in the league was scared of him. So were his neighbours but was gifted and skillful as well as scary.

11) Flower - I saw him play but can't remember much more. I went to school wanting to be Robbie Flower in the school yard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 10, 2017 by Wrecker45

[angrydee 842]

John Lord

Ron Barassi

Allen Jakovich 

Jim Stynes

Robbie Flower 

Frank Adams 

Max Gawn

Jeff Farmer

David Schwartz 

Big Bob Johnson

[Vogon Poetry 2,095]

I'm amazed that so many don't rate Neitz as a favourite.  He always struck me as someone you'd go into battle with.  But it is a favourites thread.  I'm just surprised.

[TeamPlayedFine39 8,495]

This thread is great, if for no other reason that some posters who you thought were bitter and twisted old men, are in fact revealed to be in their 20s - and others, who converse and carry on like children, were old enough to do Vic-Kick with your father.

 

 

 

(For the under 30s, VicKick=AusKick)

[daisycutter 29,610]

2 minutes ago, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

This thread is great, if for no other reason that some posters who you thought were bitter and twisted old men, are in fact revealed to be in their 20s - and others, who converse and carry on like children, were old enough to do Vic-Kick with your father.

 

 

 

(For the under 30s, VicKick=AusKick)

i thought vickkick was a south australian colloquialism 

[TeamPlayedFine39 8,495]

[Atholwebb 110]

Ron Barassi

Neil Crompton (think 1964!!)

Laurie Mithen

Hassa Mann

Robbie Flower

Stuart Spencer

Tassie Bob Johnson

John Lord

Dennis Cordner

Big Bob Johnson

 

 

 

[daisycutter 29,610]

2 hours ago, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

was just a play on words, tpf39

Quote

South Australia and Victoria[edit]

Much of the rivalry is played out in sport, and primarily Australian rules football. The very first interstate match was held between the two states in 1879. "Kick a Vic" became the later South Australian catchcry in State of Origin football. South Australians became bitter when the AFL canned the State of Origin series, which has increased with the reluctance to allow South Australia to once again compete.^[12] There are even some South Australians who dispute the Victorian origin of Australian Rules and claim that the game is a South Australian invention, pointing to an earliest recorded football match which was played in South Australia in 1840, nearly two decades before the first rules of the game were written, although historians later argued that this early match was instead the Irish game of caid

 

[Willmoy1947 4,085]

4 hours ago, angrydee said:

John Lord

Ron Barassi

Allen Jakovich 

Jim Stynes

Robbie Flower 

Frank Adams 

Max Gawn

Jeff Farmer

David Schwartz 

Big Bob Johnson

Yep, saw Bluey, Angry, but didn't remember enough to put him in. Had a great smile, nothing to do with how tough a player he was though. Recollect he was in and out injured a lot at that stage of career. I should have put Ron in too, but was too young again to appreciate how important he was. I just used to love how Don W did what he did.

[angrydee 842]

16 hours ago, willmoy said:

Yep, saw Bluey, Angry, but didn't remember enough to put him in. Had a great smile, nothing to do with how tough a player he was though. Recollect he was in and out injured a lot at that stage of career. I should have put Ron in too, but was too young again to appreciate how important he was. I just used to love how Don W did what he did.

Was an absolutely lovely man. Lived around the corner from me for a while and was prepared to have a kick in the street with what must have been an annoying young fan. 

[old55 23,519]

Alves, Flower, A.Johnson, Jakovich, Schwarz, Neitz - that's as far as I can get without going to another whole class - hoping to fill the last 4 spots with current players.

[picket fence 17,126]

1 Rob 

2 Alves

3 Wells

4 Hardeman

5 The OX

6 Jacovich

7 Byron/ Grinter ( couldnt split)

8 Tingay

9 Yze

10 Farmer

11 Nieta ( makes a cricket team) 

Alternative list  COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDAS, INJURY PRONE'S and others for whom one reason or another fortune never favoured, at least these players played at the highest level and many were unlucky not to have played more!

1 Trevor Rollinson

2 George Lakes

3 Tom Flower

4 Juice

5 Shane Mc Sperin

6 Ray Carr

7 Paul O Brien

8 Shane Mc Glashan

9 Warren Dean

10 John Tilbrook

Edited January 16, 2017 by picket fence

[parch_37 38]

Top 10 from when I remember supporting around 1999

Yze

Hogan

Neitz

Viney

White

Gawn

Farmer

Davey

Jones

Robertson

 

I think a few current players will probably start overtaking this lot fairly quickly

[DeeZee 7,372]

Flower 

Hassa Mann

Hardeman

Stan Alves

Ray Biffen

Garry Baker

The Ox

Farmer

Jakovich

Watts

[daisycutter 29,610]

2 hours ago, picket fence said:

1 Rob 

2 Alves

3 Wells

4 Hardeman

5 The OX

6 Jacovich

7 Byron/ Grinter ( couldnt split)

8 Tingay

9 Yze

10 Farmer

11 Nieta ( makes a cricket team) 

Alternative list  COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDAS, INJURY PRONE'S and others for whom one reason or another fortune never favoured, at least these players played at the highest level and many were unlucky not to have played more!

1 Trevor Rollinson

2 George Lakes

3 Tom Flower

4 Juice

5 Shane Mc Sperin

6 Ray Carr

7 Paul O Brien

8 Shane Mc Glashan

9 Warren Dean

10 John Tilbrook

byron? surely you jest, picket

[hemingway 7,625]

On 1/10/2017 at 5:18 PM, angrydee said:

John Lord

Ron Barassi

Allen Jakovich 

Jim Stynes

Robbie Flower 

Frank Adams 

Max Gawn

Jeff Farmer

David Schwartz 

Big Bob Johnson

A good list, as it includes some old names, and all were "excitement machines" in their own way. Even John Lord and Bob Johnson despite being slow, were clever and could pull down massive pack marks. Bluey Adams was an excitement machine that I still reckon was one of the fastest players of all time. Could bounce the ball 3 or 4 times without being caught. Brian Dixon was not an excitement machine but could turn a match because of possession count and ability to kick the ball in any contest. Tassie Johnson at his best was the toughest and best full back going around, and there was Donny Williams who was an excitement machine. Could run off half back like a Stawell Gift winner and take screamers over the pack and still have a smoke at 3/4 time. Barassi was in my view Mr Football and was the most dynamic footballer going around. No one beat Barassi in a contest. And Robbie was the most graceful and best wingman in the game.  Nice to reminisce.

 

[DemonLad5 1,642]

Haven't been around for too long to see Flower, Schwartz etc. so...

 

1 - Jurrah 

2- Robertson

3- Davey

4 - Jamar 

5 - Hogan

6 - Petracca 

7- Howe (only for the speckies)

8 - Bruce

9 - J.McDonald

10- Neitz

[Bobby McKenzie 2,385]

On 17/01/2017 at 9:55 AM, hemingway said:

A good list, as it includes some old names, and all were "excitement machines" in their own way. Even John Lord and Bob Johnson despite being slow, were clever and could pull down massive pack marks. Bluey Adams was an excitement machine that I still reckon was one of the fastest players of all time. Could bounce the ball 3 or 4 times without being caught. Brian Dixon was not an excitement machine but could turn a match because of possession count and ability to kick the ball in any contest. Tassie Johnson at his best was the toughest and best full back going around, and there was Donny Williams who was an excitement machine. Could run off half back like a Stawell Gift winner and take screamers over the pack and still have a smoke at 3/4 time. Barassi was in my view Mr Football and was the most dynamic footballer going around. No one beat Barassi in a contest. And Robbie was the most graceful and best wingman in the game.  Nice to reminisce.

 

Do you see a striking resemblance between Donny Williams and our latest dasher Jayden Hunt hemingway? I would agree with you on Bluey Adams. When he had the ball no one was going to catch him. Gee, he was quick.

[Dr. Mubutu 848]

I'm going to be obnoxiously obsequious and only pick players from after I became a member.

So, post-2007.....

1. Junior
2. Jones
3. Green
4. Gawn
5. McKenzie
6. Neitz
7. Garland
8. Harmes
9. Hogan
10. Tyson

[Demonator 93]

Farmer

Jakovich

Lyon

Flower

Neitz

Bennett

Tingay

Schwartz

Todd Viney

Woewodin

[nutbean 8,838]

My all time favourite  - Hugh Purse.

Captained the team in 1908 and of course - was recruited from Brighton. He could have been anything if only they could have got a full preseason into him.

Look at those knickerbockers - disproving the old adage  - you can make a Hugh Purse from a pigs ear 

 

[iv'a worn smith 1,979]

Geez, I am showing my age, but in no particular order:

Hassa Mann - had the 29 on my back as a kid

RDB

Stan Alves

Greg Wells

Robbie Flower

Gary Hardeman

Wrecker Leahy

Tassie Johnson

Donny Williams

Doc Roet

Barry Bourke

and here's one I thought would make it but never quite did

 

Shane McSpeerin.

 

[daisycutter 29,610]

1 hour ago, nutbean said:

My all time favourite  - Hugh Purse.

Captained the team in 1908 and of course - was recruited from Brighton. He could have been anything if only they could have got a full preseason into him.

Look at those knickerbockers - disproving the old adage  - you can make a Hugh Purse from a pigs ear 

 

i wonder if od remembers him playing?

[Bobby Clark 121]

Russell Robertson

David Neitz

Jeff Farmer 

Matthew Whelan

Aaron Davey

Liam Jurrah.. Such a waste but geez he was brilliant. 

Jack Watts

Nathan Jones

Jesse Hogan

Clayton Oliver

[Hampton 22 519]

On 03/01/2017 at 10:19 PM, ProDee said:

Sadly, I don't have "great" memories of too many.  Good, but not great.  How could I ?

I liked Ricky "Steamboat" Jackson, Obst, Icke, Ingerson, Green, Yze, Yeater and countless others.  What about Brett Lovett and those handballs ?  Not to mention Glenn 'hamstring" Lovett was a very good player who couldn't get his body right.  I saw Chopper Lovell train at the G when he was a 16 year old a year before he came over fron Tasmania.  He became good, but not great.  Adrian Battiston was a ripping bloke who I got to know.  

I had high hopes for Lally.  Sean Charles too.  How good could Warren Dean have been ?  What about Schwarz in '94 ?  Kevin Dyson's right leg and those 60 metre drop punts ?   The legacy Jacovich could have left.  Darren Bennett's last quarter heroics at Windy Hill.  Seddon was meant to be a star from Tasmania that every club was chasing.  What about Glen Swann, Darren Cuthbertson and their highlight games ?  Young potential stars in Reynolds, O'Brien and O'Sullivan ?  Vardy from Adelaide and the early days of Byron.  Jeff White for a while ?  And then there was big Carl.  But alas, it wasn't to be.

I pick Hogan, Petracca, and Oliver on hope as much as anything.  I'd throw in Viney, Brayshaw, and Hunt too, but it would look a bit silly; and it's just based on that word again, hope.

If we win a flag only Flower would remain from my original list.  

The rest will be premiership players.

 

Great that Warren Dean gets a mention. A superb, prodigiously talented player, who seemingly made time slow down when he had the ball. He could kick an incredible distance too. Robbie Flower and Travis Johnstone also seemed to have mastered that time slowing trick.