Which MFC player have you met personally?

[Return to Glory 7,797]

1 hour ago, binman said:

I met Gary a few times. Well, met is probably not accurate. 

He was the year above me at Melbourne High back in the day.

Old mate gaz waltzed around the school like he owned the joint and was more much more likely to push me down the stairs than say g'day.  

To be fair, the year above him (from memory) was Julian Knight

[Demonstone 19,706]

18 minutes ago, Engorged Onion said:

Greatest place on earth.... not enough footballers plucked from obscurity down that way (myself included)

There certainly haven't been a lot of players recruited from Portland over the years.  The best known would probably be big Ian "Bluey" Hampshire who played for Geelong then played for and coached Footscray plus Peter Hogan who played around 40 games for Richmond in the 1960s. 

Doug Wade spent a year or two at Portland High School before his family moved to Horsham, from where he was recruited by Geelong after failing to impress in some practice games for Melbourne.  Wade went on to kick over 1000 goals with Geelong and then North Melbourne.  ?

Of the current crop, St Kilda's Rowan Marshall grew up in Portland after being born in NZ and Jamaine Jones from up the road at Heywood was at Geelong and is now at West Coast.  Nathan Lovett-Murray was also a Heywood local.

I may have mentioned previously that my own football career was cruelly cut short by a tragic lack of talent and courage, despite doing a sterling job as 20th man in a West Portland Under 15s premiership (t.o.g. ten minutes).

[drysdale demon 4,227]

15 minutes ago, demonstone said:

Doug Wade spent a year or two at Portland High School before his family moved to Horsham, from where he was recruited by Geelong after failing to impress in some practice games for Melbourne.  Wade went on to kick over 1000 goals with Geelong and then North Melbourne.  ?

Wade kicked 5 goals for the MFC in one of those practice matches which impressed Bob Davis of Geelong who went to visit Doug's father and convinced him to get the young Doug to Geelong.

[KLV 1,686]

My Mum went to the same church service as Neale Daniher for many years during his coaching of the dees. They had met thru another connection, and she would have a quick chat with him about whatever was going down with the dees after mass each week. No peace for poor Neale, even when he was seeking out some spiritual time!

[binman 39,104]

5 hours ago, Return to Glory said:

To be fair, the year above him (from memory) was Julian Knight

Nup. Was in my year. In many of my same classes actually. I knew him pretty well. 

[Demon Jack 6,388]

I was working in retail a couple of years ago during Grand Final day (proudly wearing my Melbourne scarf even though we were thumped by West Coast in the prelim the week before) when I served two older gentlemen. One noticed my scarf and made mention that the other's son used to play for Melbourne some years back. Curiosity got the better of me and obviously, I couldn't help but ask who the player was.

The player's name was Troy Broadbridge. 

Rest in Peace Troy.

 

 

[Wrecker46 2,727]

I've met Weid, Melksham and Brent Grgic. I washed my hands after meeting each of them.

In all seriousness I have met all 3 of the above whipping boys and they were all top blokes.

I also went on the Daniher drive a few years a go and met lots of our greats from the Daniher era. On one of the mornings they had a kicking comp.i flukes a kick in thongs into a bin about 30 metres away and ended up in a kick off against Neitz, Brad Green, Yze and Cameron Bruce. I ended up coming 2nd to Neitz. I can live with the fact the greatest goal kicker in Melbourne's history fixed me up. Very surprised to finish ahead of Yze and Green but I thought I would have Cameron Bruce covered. True story.

[waverleyheartbreak 76]

Met David Cordner when he was looking for a job at a wine shop I was working at while he was starting at Melbourne. Didn’t get the job IIRC.  Nice bloke 

[Webber 10,181]

On 7/12/2021 at 8:29 AM, binman said:

When we win a flag, I'm sure my thoughts will turn to Robbie.

As will mine, binman. I was lucky enough to meet Robbie and his then wife Kim at his home in Nunawading in 1979. I was 14, visiting family in Melbourne from Auckland, one of whom set up a meeting with Robbie via a Sun newspaper journo. Me meeting my hero on a trip back from NZ was somehow worth a published story in those days (with photo of course). He was indeed a gentleman. The thing I remember most otherwise were his ‘coke bottle’ glasses and so obviously slender physique, and how remarkable it was  that he’d become, in my eyes at least, the best footballer going around, considering how much he must have been teased and underestimated during childhood. That meeting alone made up for the 5 years I was away from seeing any VFL footy. 

Of recent times, I met both Alex Neal-Bullen and Billy Stretch at a ‘football’ art exhibition in Glen Eira in which I had a couple of pieces. It was the week after our 2018 finals win over Geelong (happy times!) and they were there because Nibbler’s player sponsor had a piece in the show. (He and Billy were housemates). Lovely kids both, mature beyond their years. Had a lengthy chat with Billy, mostly as he was studying physiotherapy, and found him in contrast to so many early twenty-somethings remarkably engaged and interested. Almost old-fashioned. Smart too. I’m sad his football career wasn’t what it might have been.

Another memorably random encounter was seeing Jack Mueller as a patient (~1994/5, so he would have been 79/80). He was a big, quiet man, with a big presence and huge bucket hands, missing finger notwithstanding, which was very much on ‘show’. Or no-show as it was. My only reference to him otherwise was that famous photo….which remains one of my faves. 

[Webber 10,181]

17 hours ago, binman said:

I met Gary a few times. Well, met is probably not accurate. 

He was the year above me at Melbourne High back in the day.

Old mate gaz waltzed around the school like he owned the joint and was more much more likely to push me down the stairs than say g'day.  

I’m thinking Gary wasn’t at MHS for academic reasons? Cam Bruce was also MHS, no?

[Foopy on the telly 473]

Met Jake Lever at my work in Mt Eliza a few months ago. Turns out he lives down here, so will probably see him again soon somewhere.

[Return to Glory 7,797]

11 hours ago, binman said:

Nup. Was in my year. In many of my same classes actually. I knew him pretty well. 

Then I was the year above you

[Bring-Back-Powell 13,439]

19 hours ago, binman said:

Old mate gaz waltzed around the school like he owned the joint and was more much more likely to push me down the stairs than say g'day.  

Pretty consistent with other people’s interactions with Garry Lyon that you read about online.

[Fritta and Turner 3,841]

Does sitting behind Gary Hardeman in a fund raiser screening of They're a Weird Mob count?  (At the Classic in Elsternwick I think)

I met Garry Lyon at a book signing (would you believe) and I asked if Chris lamb was going to make it....his non response was very telling.

I used to go into the rooms after the game and remember Graham Osborne speaking to me - Get out of the way son.

 

[deegirl 1,337]

Not me, but at one of our games on the Gold Coast my dad ran into all the umpires in the foyer of the hotel.  Dad introduced himself and the umpires ended up gave him a ride to the ground in their mini bus ?

[binman 39,104]

2 hours ago, Return to Glory said:

Then I was the year above you

Honour the work.

[Ethan Tremblay 28,549]

23 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Not sure if you’re serious (?)

This one was 100% serious. 

[Supreme_Demon 3,020]

I have met David Neitz and David Schwarz way back in the late 1990s.  They were both great blokes. I have also met quite a few other Demons players at Family Days in the past too.

Sadly, Garry Lyon has always been grumpy one though.

[DubDee 21,315]

Had the pleasure of meeting the great man Jimmy in the mid 90's. He came to my school out in Ringwood, to talk about Reach. I plucked up the courage to have a chat with him after the session.  Asked him if he reckoned Viney was going to come back to us or stay on the circuit   

What a bloody legend Jimmy was. 

[DubDee 21,315]

1 hour ago, Ethan Trembley said:

This one was 100% serious. 

why did you need two large footballers to babysit you?

was the Ox literally sitting on you?

[Ethan Tremblay 28,549]

4 minutes ago, DubDee said:

why did you need two large footballers to babysit you?

was the Ox literally sitting on you?

Nuh but they squeezed my cousin between two couches and we all used his head as handball target practice.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Ethan Trembley

[Lord Travis 10,278]

I was born in the mid 80s and was fortunate that my father had close connections to the MFC during my childhood, especially the 90s. I used to get into the change rooms after matches as a kid and meet all the players.

I had an autograph book and got the entire 1994 teams signatures EXCEPT Gary Lyon. He was always a grumpy [censored], win or lose. He used to live around the corner from me and I saw him at the 7-11 a few times, was always grumpy and would never thank people for holding door open etc.

Jim Stynes was the opposite, always friendly and would handball with me and I vividly remember him putting me up on his shoulders. He was a wonderful man and I was so sad when he passed after his battle with cancer. Unfortunately dad doesn’t have many close ties at the MFC anymore, so I haven’t been into the rooms for years. Being able to experience that as a child though made me diehard MFC for life and I convert all those around me!

[Left Foot Snap 2,035]

2 hours ago, Jontee said:

Does sitting behind Gary Hardeman in a fund raiser screening of They're a Weird Mob count?  (At the Classic in Elsternwick I think)

 

Cracking movie.

[Return to Glory 7,797]

2 hours ago, binman said:

Honour the work.

Lou Barberis

[daisycutter 28,700]

7 minutes ago, Return to Glory said:

Lou Barberis

i was going to quote that other work quote but thought better of it ?