Shades of '87, albeit 31 years on

[Diamond_Jim 12,537]

3 minutes ago, FarNorthernD said:

I can still picture Tim Lane asking after we thrashed Nth and the Swans “who is going to stop them?” The best of days

I thought God was on our side at Waverley when the hot northerly turned and we kicked with the win for three quarters.

Alas we all know what happened in the end. An eerie silence with people wandering the car park talking in hushed whispering tones. '87 was something very special.

[spirit of norm smith 16,274]

Let’s fire up. Unleash hell

feel the energy. I think we are good enough to beat anyone anywhere anytime 

players need to have the intensity and the composure. 

Yeah baby. 

[At Least I Saw a Flag 5,222]

20 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

I thought God was on our side at Waverley when the hot northerly turned and we kicked with the win for three quarters.

Alas we all know what happened in the end. An eerie silence with people wandering the car park talking in hushed whispering tones. '87 was something very special.

I was there that day too. So sad. I woke up the next morning thinking it had been a nightmare.

Having said that, I think we have been slaughtered in the GF by Carlton the following week had we won. It was a brutal match.

[nosoupforme 3,085]

5 hours ago, Win4theAges said:

Gold.

You are a FAIR DINKUM  DEMON !

[Deeoldfart 8,005]

On 8/22/2018 at 10:40 PM, Diamond_Jim said:

I thought God was on our side at Waverley when the hot northerly turned and we kicked with the win for three quarters.

Alas we all know what happened in the end. An eerie silence with people wandering the car park talking in hushed whispering tones. '87 was something very special.

Different sort of tears that day DJ.

[layzie 33,752]

Gee this is a great post. Was too young to experience 87 but have tried to learn as much as possible about that team. My first experience of watching the events of that game was from hiring a Jim Stynes documentary video from the Sorrento video store in the mid 90s with Eddie McGuire narrating. Ah the days before Youtube!

Loved the comparisons between 87 current players. Really gives someone like myself some great insight! Good stuff!

 

[Deemania since 56 6,608]

Great to rekindle the memories that make one a true Demon supporter but go back into the 50s and then the lead-up to the 1964 GF!  Then we won the game of games. 

[MudDogs Gawn Win.. someday 499]

On 8/22/2018 at 1:02 PM, Deespicable said:

I suspect I'm not alone in thinking this year has the same feel about it as our 1987 experience.

Back then we were desperately trying to break our finals drought for Robbie Flower.

We had recruited well with three young guns in Todd Viney, Earl Spalding and Warren Dean giving us better depth than previous years.

But we lost Chris Connolly to a knee injury early (shades of Lever), then lost the dash of star wingman Alan Johnson (up stepped Graeme Yeats to fill that void a bit) and then on that fateful day at Whitten Oval in Rd 22, saw our star youngster Garry Lyon break his leg. But we managed to win that day. A ball heading for the boundary in the third term bounced at right angles and Robbie pounced to provide a bit of magic and turn the tide our way. Jason Dunstall helped us a bit down at Kardinia Park as well and hey presto we were in the finals again. 

Those who were around then will recall how our side suddenly developed faith and confidence and we played like champions in the finals against North and Tommy Hafey's Sydney the following week. It's fair to say that if our game goes up a notch on reaching the finals this year, then book your ticket now for the trip west to play West Coast in the prelim, because it will happen.

Then all we have to do is hope that the same ill-luck doesn't befall us as it did that day out at Waverley against the Hawks in 1987. 

Whilst our 1987 side had some absolute greats (Flower, Todd Viney and a couple of Brownlow medallists in Jimmy and Willo) and an outstanding back six, I reckon our current side is a tad better, although you'd hope so given the amount of time they work on their skills. 

Imagine if DL was around back then, it would have gone into overdrive with all the kicking errors!

For those of you of my vintage, let us know if my comparison stacks up. 

1987 PF team

B: B.Lovett Hughes Wight

HB: Stretch Spalding Grinter

? Yeats  Chiron Newport

HF: Flower Dean Bailey

F: Jackson Wilson Stynes

Ru: O’Dwyer T.Viney Greg Healy

Res: Eishold, Campbell

Back-ups: David Williams, Doug Koop

Injured: Lyon, Johnson, Connolly, Moore

Brett Lovett/Nev Jetta

Have a look at a video of the Rd 22 Footscray game and you’d realise how good Brett Lovett was. So disciplined, so clever. Nev has similar niftiness, but doesn’t get quite as involved in offence.

Danny Hughes/O.Mac

Our nominated full-backs.  Hughes in 1987 was up their with the best in the business back then. Both a tad slow, both thumping kicks capable of clearing the defensive 50. Hopefully Oscar’s confidence can continue to grow in the finals.

Sean Wight/Sam Frost

Hard not see the Wight resemblance in the way Frosty plays. Both gung-ho risk takers and excitement machines. Both capable of stunning turnovers as well, but even in today’s precise game, you sometimes have to take the good with the bad.

Stephen Stretch/Christian Salem

Salem has been our best defender this year. Stretch was our club champion in 1987. Stretch gave our defence amazing run launching us forward with his long- kicking,  Salem is not as quick, but his footskills are cleaner and he hits harder.

Rod Grinter/Michael Hibberd

Rodney provided the fear that all defences needed and evened up the score a little against the Hawks in the PF, sending Chris Mew to LaLa land. He also had a good leap and thumping kick. Hibberd has provided a great mix of aggression and run to our current side. Both would be among first picked each week by coach.

Dean Chiron/Jordy Lewis

Both came to us from other clubs and both played their role with distinction. Jordy has given us elite distribution skills, Chiron (highly unskilled by comparison to Jordy) was the fearless tagger in the days when clubs needed at least two or three nullifiers, bordering on dirty.

Earl Spalding/Tom Mc

One of three gun recruits that came to us that year. The WA started out as a CHB that year and was moved to CHF in 1988 because he was an amazing mark – possibly the best we’ve had. He wasn’t always so reliable with his kicking and Northey got jack of him in the early 90s. Carlton realised his worth and he was a key part of their ’95 flag.  T-Mac has already transformed into a gun forward and he is also a strong mark, judging ball flight better than just about anybody I’ve seen.  

Graeme Yeats/Angus Brayshaw

Yater had a career-best season in 1987 having been moved from the back-pocket to the wing. He provided great run, was a handy mark for his size, and apart from that PF miss, was generally a pretty reliable kick. He was a significant midfield upgrade that year. Angus has done the same this year but is bigger and classier.

Brett Bailey/ Jake Melksham

Bails was a tough mid who drifted forward and kicked a heap of goals that year. He was the glue in our 1987 side and was the hero of our night grand final win, kicking the winner. Melky has come of age this year and is the glue up forward with his bullet passes.

Simon Eishold/Alex Neal-Bullen

Eishold held his spot throughout the 1987 finals despite some dissenters.  He was a workhorse half forward whose kicking occasionally let him down, significantly the one from 10m out in the PF.  ANB is a prolific workhorse and also has his dissenters, but has a little more evasiveness about him and despite what some DLers say, has some neat kicking skills.

Stephen Newport/Dom Tyson

Newy came off the bench to replace Garry Lyon in the Footscray game and had what some will say was his best game that day on the wing with Dean shifted to CHF. He was a thumping kick (just like Dom), but didn’t have his inside skills.

Robbie Flower/Clayton Oliver

Hard to believe that he had to wait 270 games to play his first final. He was the player that kept fans believing throughout the dreadful 70s and 80s. And he stepped up big time in his first two finals before being sniped by Gary Ayres in the prelim. Olly hasn’t had to wait long for a final, but there is already a case being made that we are looking at similar genius.

Warren Dean/Mitch Hannan

Dean’s arrival as a wingman in 1987 with Todd and Earl helped turn us around. He was very clever with the give and a thumping kick and had to play CHF in the 1987 finals once Lyon went down. He injured his knee in 1988 and never really recovered. I sense with Mitch that after nearly two years of adjusting to AFL, this might be his time to shine like Dean did that September. He has the tools – the leap, the pace, the accurate long kick – he just needs to put it together more often.

Brian Wilson/CP5

Both have the hips that don’t lie and are showmen of the highest order. Willo won a Brownlow Medal in the middle and then became a mercurial baulking forward. Trac is just as mecurial.

Ricky Jackson/Charlie Spargo

We all loved tricky little Ricky and his pace caused mayhem back then. Charlie has the same cult following and whilst he’s not as quick, he has way more skill.

Tony Campbell/ Bayley Fritsch

Tony was used pretty much everywhere at the Dees, full-forward, wing and then as a key defender and on his day he was a pretty handy player.  I never really got over the fact he didn’t handball to Robbie in the goalsquare in time on against the Hawks. Bayley gives us the same flexibility and is a much more skilful player – almost Floweresque.

Jim Stynes/Sam Weideman

OK, in 1987 Jimmy was still a baby and was brought in mid-season from VFA side Prahran. But he gave us a glimpse of his ability that season and his mobility meant he could pretty much play anywhere and he kicked 15 goals that year.  Weid won’t be a Jimmy Stynes, but I was struggling to find a similar player from that year to marry him up with. To me, Weid has a bit of the TomaHawk about him, but let’s wait and see whether his game can go up a cog this final series.

Steve O’Dwyer/Max Gawn

Gawny would no doubt prefer the Stynes comparison, but Strawb was huge in 1987 (when not suspended) and gave us someone who could win the taps and dish it out to his opponent as well. Obviously Gawny has way more class about him and marks more like Jimmy.

Todd Viney/ James Harmes

Two young bulls. Todd, like Jack, was a  well-developed teenager in 1987 who loved charging  through packs and Harmes of the past few weeks has shown similar attributes. Harmesy is a better kick, but he has a long way to go to match Todd’s huge career. But I wouldn’t put it beyond him.

Greg Healy/Nathan Jones

Both are/were clever ball users and Sugar was already showing the leadership in 1987 that would see him replace Robbie as skip. Nathan’s career is nearing the end, although I’m expecting a final instalment as a defender to start next season.

David Williams/Aaron Vandenberg

Injury cost David his best years at the Dees, although he did kick nine one day. He wasn’t quite big enough to play FF, so often had to play as a half forward and I have a feeling he was dropped for the prelim, although maybe he was injured. Vanders has had similar luck with injury so far, but I’ll give you a tip – if we make the prelim, he won’t be dropped under any circumstances.

Doug Koop/Dean Kent

A talented player who Northey got plenty out of including a strong effort against the Dogs. Dropped for the prelim, he would have been the most likely inclusion for the injured Robbie or Willo had Jimmy not run over the mark and we had made the GF. We all got a reminder out west of what Kenty can do and hopefully he can keep bringing it for the next four games.

Absent five

Garry Lyon/Jesse Hogan

Our Gaz was still a teen but already a gun when he broke his leg in the Footscray game. There are a lot of what ifs in footy and I just reckon that if Alan Johnson and Lyon were playing, we might well have stolen the ’88 GF. Jesse is a different story, but like Gaz, integral to our forward line. Whether Weid can continue to replace him with such vigour remains to be seen. But at least he isn’t showing signs of grizzling about the umpiring.

Alan Johnson/Jack Viney

For a while it looked like Johnno was never going to be able to get his hamstrings right. Ditto Viney with his foot issues. But the best of Jonno came not as the wingman who won his first Bluey in 1983, but the running defender who altered the way footy was played from the back in 1988 and 1989. Perhaps a healthy Jack can do a similar reformation.

Chris Connolly /Jake Lever

Connells had become a mainstay down back as a small defender and did his knee in Rd 5 that year and never really got back to the same level. Lever showed in half a season that he’s a terrific mark and spoiler and let’s pray he gets back to that level next season.

Peter Moore/Joel Smith

Having turned 30, Moore had a few back issues and missed much of the season which ultimately helped because Strawb and Jimmy got goes. Smith’s season has gone the reverse. He finally got his chance when Lever went down and showed us all what he can do with his leap, speed and tackling ability. Will be interesting to see whom he replaces in coming weeks.

Peter Giles/Bernie Vince

As with Moore, Gilesy’s career as a gutsy defender who could occasionally be sent forward and turn games was coming to an end, although he played a key role in the night GF win in 87. Injury has seen Bernie miss his final shot at glory, but he has been a similarly revered asset in the rise of the club in his 100 games.

IS the 31 years on an Omen?

Also that game equalling 1964 is just creepy. But in the end means nothing.

[Deespicable 2,717]

Wrote this a few weeks ago and bit worried now that we are really back in 1987.

Thankfully this time we don't have a loveable mad Irishman to spoil things, although I suspect the umps will have a big bearing on the result.

 

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,778]

On 8/22/2018 at 10:40 PM, Diamond_Jim said:

I thought God was on our side at Waverley when the hot northerly turned and we kicked with the win for three quarters.

Alas we all know what happened in the end. An eerie silence with people wandering the car park talking in hushed whispering tones. '87 was something very special.

Hawthorn perpetuate that myth about the Demons kicking with a strong northerly for 3 quarters.

Don’t forget, Buckanara was kicking into that “ gale” after the siren, and still maintains he’d have made the distance easily BEFORE the 15 m penalty. His kick from 35 m went through post high.

Yes, the wind was on and off that day, but Hawthorn were just making excuses for their lucky win when they were short price favourites pre-match( just as North and Sydney were the 2 weeks before).

Hawthorn had a field day with the umps that day. Their experienced players knew how to manipulate the umps( eg the Buckanara dive in the Grinter tackle)

No Hawthorn supporter will acknowledge that Kennedy hit the post in Q4,and the( unsighted )goal ump gave a goal....despite advice from Jimmy. I have video proof of this fact.

As in all finals that year ,we’d have been rank outsiders in the GF v Carlton.

We beat Carlton 3 times the next year, including in the finals.

[DSP 1,488]

Excellent work mate. Loads of effort and love put into this.

To see the Dee's in a Grand Final and win would mean the world to a lot of us.

[hemingway 7,615]

The last two finals matches have been just like 87. 

In 87, we came with a run at the end of the season and then played superb footy against North and South. 

Most punters including Demon fans did not expect what would unfold in 87. A little like this year.

We slaughtered both sides. The game against North was simply unbelievable. Less anxiety in 87 than this year as we won so easily.

When you look at the 87 team line-up it was a helluva good side, with plenty of stars, together with a few journeymen playing a team role. 

Like this year, we made the finals after a long drought, and the jubilation of both wins in 87 was incredibly emotional and memorable. Particularly due to the late great Robbie Flower. When he was taken from the ground in the dying minutes against North, it was spine tingling to hear the collective noise of the Demon fans as he was given a standing ovation. 

In 1987, the Demon fans were out in force but has been bettered this season. The outpouring of emotion during both matches and post match has been incredible this year.

My personal elation is very similar to 87. 

It makes up for all all the despair and disappointment over the years. 

It also tells you that players and teams have to take their opportunities as they come along. And as supporters, we have to enjoy the here and now. 

  

[rjay 24,876]

I'll kick against the wind here.

I don't find anything too similar to '87 at all really apart from the fact that we played finals.

Nice to reminisce but that's as far as it goes for me.

I'm much more interested in what happens from here on in.

[loges 6,767]

1 hour ago, Deespicable said:

Wrote this a few weeks ago and bit worried now that we are really back in 1987.

Thankfully this time we don't have a loveable mad Irishman to spoil things, although I suspect the umps will have a big bearing on the result.

 

Best game of the year to have to go to Perth. Why, because the 6 umpires that officiate this weekend all want the grand final gig. Suspect any umpire who shows he can be influenced by the crowd will have a line put through his name.