http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cwiBma5WKg

 

Thank you to our resident Essendon fan.

Great memories.  Lyon was a wonderfully skilled and smart footballer.  His only achilles heel was not being a great pack mark, but one v one he was very good.

Like most Melbourne players there were often injury concerns, namely a debilitating back.

I'm not much of a fan of his media work, but a champion of the MFC.

Edited April 28, 20195 yr by ProDee

He was the total package.  Why cant we find and develop players like that anymore?

 

G Lyon is a grumpy old bugger on radio, but he could play footy when it was a tough game. 

A deadly beautiful kick, he could pick up the ball one handed and keep running. 

Imagine if todays players could achieve that!!!

Wonderful player. Exquisitely skilled. Comfortably sits in the top ten Demons over the past 50 years.

 

Edited April 28, 20195 yr by Matsuo Basho

He was a great player.  Started out as a mobile forward, became a great rebounding CHB and then in 1994 and 95 kicked 70 plus goals both seasons.  Then his back injury robbed him of a couple of seasons.  Had a solid 1998 when we reemerged in Daniher's first year as coach and then finished up early in 1999 when injury flared again.  One of Melbourne's best ever and should be in the hall of fame.

@Ash35 Surely among our best contributors to the forum, despite not being a Demon personally. Another round of applause (and no booing) for the living opposite of a troll.

1 hour ago, ProDee said:

Thank you to our resident Essendon fan.

Great memories.  Lyon was a wonderfully skilled and smart footballer.  His only achilles heel was not being a great pack mark, but one v one he was very good.

Like most Melbourne players there were often injury concerns, namely a debilitating back.

I'm not much of a fan of his media work, but a champion of the MFC.

There seemed to be an awful lot of pack marks in that package.

And couldn't he roost the ball!

Please show this to the Weid on a daily basis.

I can't stand him in the media so sometimes that clouds my memories of him as a player. 

He was sublime and highly skilled.  He was used all over the ground wherever the coach needed him, which meant he never truly made a single position his own.  This is probably the reason he does not get the credit or recognition in the broader public that he probably deserves.

3 x All Australian, 2 time BNF, Captain of Victoria and MFC Team of the Century.

Could play.

 

16 minutes ago, Neil Crompton said:

There seemed to be an awful lot of pack marks in that package.

No there wasn't. 

It doesn't surprise me that you have a poor memory of one of our better players.  It matches your current observations.

I started supporting melbourne in 1998 when i was 8 years old. Never saw him in his prime? If it wasn't for injuries exactly how good could he have been?

 

13 minutes ago, ProDee said:

No there wasn't. 

It doesn't surprise me that you have a poor memory of one of our better players.  It matches your current observations.

I'm honoured that you even bother to read the ramblings of such a lowly supporter. I can only aspire to be more knowledgeable like you one day.

2 hours ago, ProDee said:

Thank you to our resident Essendon fan.

Great memories.  Lyon was a wonderfully skilled and smart footballer.  His only achilles heel was not being a great pack mark, but one v one he was very good.

Like most Melbourne players there were often injury concerns, namely a debilitating back.

I'm not much of a fan of his media work, but a champion of the MFC.

Loved watching him play when I was a kid. One of my favourites, along with the Wiz.

Thanks for posting, @Ash35. It takes me back.

Even though he was a butcher, I wouldn't mind having Anthony McDonald's run and carry in the team either. We need a lot more of that. Something your mob, Ash, have plenty of.

21 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I started supporting melbourne in 1998 when i was 8 years old. Never saw him in his prime? If it wasn't for injuries exactly how good could he have been?

 

I think he’d probably passed his prime when the really bad back injury happened. He was All Australian 3 times alongside players like Ablett, Lockett, Dunstall and Modra, so he was a very good player.

Settled at Full Forward I’m 94 when Jakovich went down and played 2 excellent seasons there.  

1996 and 97 were virtual write-offs and you can see he’s carrying a lot more weight in those highlights as he was barely training.

Gave up the captaincy to Viney in 98 to focus on getting his body right.  Played well but was well and truly cooked by the time the finals came.  I remember watching him in the Prelim against North and seeing that he could barely run and certainly couldn’t turn.

20 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I started supporting melbourne in 1998 when i was 8 years old. Never saw him in his prime? If it wasn't for injuries exactly how good could he have been?

 

Even with the injuries he was a star.  Whilst probably not quite in the Flower class, he had many of Robbie's qualities - leadership, skill, fairness and plenty of courage.  He often played on much bigger opponents, both in defence and attack.  He got belted by Brereton and Ablett but was a genuine ball player.  He's probably the best Melbourne Captain in my lifetime.  A genuine match winner at both ends of the ground.  In my time watching footy - since the mid 70's only Ross Glendinning, Paul Roos, Terry Daniher and Lyon have been genuine match winning (or saving) KP utility players.  All 4 regularly kicked multiple goals forward and saved plenty when playing back.  I'd imagine all were coaches dreams.  A state captain and 3 AA's says it all really. Without the injuries he would have jhad a better record in terms of games and goals, but he was a great of this footy club regardless.

My understanding is that none of his 3 boys went on to playing much footy. Is that right?

My impression is that Lyons playing career doesn't get the credit it deserves. I cannot work out why he isn't in the AFL Hall of Fame. I think he was that good.

Courageous, tremendous leader. Good in the air, a brilliant one on one mark, but equally dangerous with the ball on the ground, which is an unbelievable trait considering the issues he faced with constant back injuries.

Had class to burn (IMHO second only to Robert Flower for pure class amongst the Melbourne players I've seen). A genuine match winner.

Had a good finals record, with the standouts being slotting the match winner vs WCE in 1988 Elimination Final, and I think his 10 goal performance against the Bulldogs in the 1994 Semi Final tends to be forgotten due to the heroics of David Schwarz that day.  

Captained the Vics, which a lot of the "young folk" perhaps don't understand how big of an honour that is.

Quite simply, was easily Melbournes best player during an era where Melbourne had a lot of good players and not only played finals, but won finals regularly.

A lasting memory for me was a game against the Brisbane Bears in 1995. Melbourne had started the season 0-6, and were playing an up and coming Bears team at the MCG. It was a must win game if ever there was one. The natives were restless in a low scoring game as the Bears looked like winners until Lyon went into the middle in the last quarter. Leading from the front, Lyon virtually single handed dragged Melbourne over the line. Again, from a guy who was essentially a key position player, had the ability and versatility to take the game by the scruff of the neck from the middle of the ground and get his team to victory when the game just had to be won.

He may have played better games in that season, but considering Melbourne missed finals by 1 game after starting the season at 0-6, Lyon must take a lot of the credit for getting the season up and going on that overcast Sunday afternoon.

 

 

That forward line in 1994 with Lyon Jakovich Neitz Sean Charles and the Ox. How did we not win a flag? 

Edited April 28, 20195 yr by Matsuo Basho

 

23 minutes ago, Ash35 said:

My impression is that Lyons playing career doesn't get the credit it deserves. I cannot work out why he isn't in the AFL Hall of Fame. I think he was that good.

Courageous, tremendous leader. Good in the air, a brilliant one on one mark, but equally dangerous with the ball on the ground, which is an unbelievable trait considering the issues he faced with constant back injuries.

Had class to burn (IMHO second only to Robert Flower for pure class amongst the Melbourne players I've seen). A genuine match winner.

Had a good finals record, with the standouts being slotting the match winner vs WCE in 1988 Elimination Final, and I think his 10 goal performance against the Bulldogs in the 1994 Semi Final tends to be forgotten due to the heroics of David Schwarz that day.  

Captained the Vics, which a lot of the "young folk" perhaps don't understand how big of an honour that is.

Quite simply, was easily Melbournes best player during an era where Melbourne had a lot of good players and not only played finals, but won finals regularly.

A lasting memory for me was a game against the Brisbane Bears in 1995. Melbourne had started the season 0-6, and were playing an up and coming Bears team at the MCG. It was a must win game if ever there was one. The natives were restless in a low scoring game as the Bears looked like winners until Lyon went into the middle in the last quarter. Leading from the front, Lyon virtually single handed dragged Melbourne over the line. Again, from a guy who was essentially a key position player, had the ability and versatility to take the game by the scruff of the neck from the middle of the ground and get his team to victory when the game just had to be won.

He may have played better games in that season, but considering Melbourne missed finals by 1 game after starting the season at 0-6, Lyon must take a lot of the credit for getting the season up and going on that overcast Sunday afternoon.

 

 

His goal on Half Time at Waverley in the 1988 Prelim went well over 60 metres post high

it’s in that package above...

1 hour ago, Matsuo Basho said:

That forward line in 1994 with Lyon Jakovich Neitz Sean Charles and the Ox. How did we not win a flag? 

Midfield, and defending.  We've never been great at keeping the lid on our opposition club's games.

When they lock us down in the big games (finals),  we have no tricks left.  This is what front running sides lack. 

10 minutes ago, DV8 said:

Midfield, and defending.  We've never been great at keeping the lid on our opposition club's games.

When they lock us down in the big games (finals),  we have no tricks left.  This is what front running sides lack. 

 West Coast were an exceptional team in ‘94.  I don’t think any other team in the league at their best wasn’t going to beat the eagles that year.

2 hours ago, Matsuo Basho said:

That forward line in 1994 with Lyon Jakovich Neitz Sean Charles and the Ox. How did we not win a flag? 

Who is in defence? Same question applies to the offensive firepower of our 2000 team.

Edited April 28, 20195 yr by John Demonic

3 hours ago, Matsuo Basho said:

That forward line in 1994 with Lyon Jakovich Neitz Sean Charles and the Ox. How did we not win a flag? 

Well we lost Jakovich for the last part of the season to injury.  He went out with a bang kicking 8 goals in his last ever game for the Demons.

Can only dream of what would have happened if we had him for the finals that year.

8 hours ago, Neil Crompton said:

Please show this to the Weid on a daily basis.

Twice, daily, just to get the message across.