Jump to content

MFC's Foreign Legion

Optimus D
Optimus D
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Posted

Since our last Premiership in 64 the Melbourne Football Club has brought in a long list of players from other clubs to bolster its team and in some cases hoping to lead us to that elusive cup. So with the help of some Melbourne tragics over a bottle or two of red we have put together a best of the lot list and called it the MFC Foreign Legion. (Why you may ask – well we have not got a selection of premierships on DVD to watch is one and after a bottle or two it seem a good idea)

By no means a team of the century, but perhaps a best of list that you can reminisce about and a list that made an impact in their time with us. We had a limited knowledge of player movements in the sixties and early seventies and I am sure we have missed some from this era and possibly players in recent times that should make the team.

The team was put together on the following basis:

Players had to have played at least 1 senior game with another VFL/AFL club before coming to Melbourne and could not be on MFC’s current list.

Each player is listed with the previous club they played for with the number of games played and goals in brackets along with MFC games and goals.

MFC's Foreign Legion

image.thumb.png.38215afdd0b94543aa33994d74080c06.png

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    • Thanks 2
     
    • Author
    33 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

    Crosswell an emergency?

    Did not see Crosswell play for the Red and Blue Mazer. Certainly has an impressive resume and assume that he played as a half forward for us. Did he have much of an impact with his time at the Dees?

  • Quote
    •  
    43 minutes ago, Optimus D said:

    Did not see Crosswell play for the Red and Blue Mazer. Certainly has an impressive resume and assume that he played as a half forward for us. Did he have much of an impact with his time at the Dees?

    I like the concept. I'd like it even more if we dreamt of what might have been if each of the players mentioned played their best football with us. If that were the case, Crosswell would be a certain starter. Conversely, if Crosswell isn't good enough to get a game based on his performance with us, I'm not sure Templeton is either.

  • Quote

    Wow great work Od especially in adding the games totals.

    Didn't realise Jeff White had so many games with us. Indeed many of the proportions were unexpected even from Ne involved in the preparation. The wine possibly clouded my considerations and yes surprising to see Crosswell only played 76 with North. His MP act seemed far greater than his 48 with us. I guess his Carlton time was also well publicised..

    it has raised even further discussion points I think. Will be happy to get together again and reprise this list. Hope we get some extra names from a larger Dland group.

    GO DEES

     

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    1 hour ago, Optimus D said:

    Did not see Crosswell play for the Red and Blue Mazer. Certainly has an impressive resume and assume that he played as a half forward for us. Did he have much of an impact with his time at the Dees?

    Past his best and in a very ordinary team that copped a lot of kickings. Was more of the "Jordan Lewis" teacher type than the Crosswell of old.

    The Crosswell of old ... imagine the versatility of Bontempelli and the brain of Nathan Fyfe. And a good pack mark.

    He was the model for Geoff Hayward in the "The Club". The awesomely talented boom recruit who played when he felt like it and was often off with the fairies.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    1 hour ago, Optimus D said:

    Did not see Crosswell play for the Red and Blue Mazer. Certainly has an impressive resume and assume that he played as a half forward for us. Did he have much of an impact with his time at the Dees?

    Crosswell was well and truly done by the time he got to the Demons. He was not the player at North that he was at Carlton, so by the time he got to Melbourne he was a liability. 

    At the Demons, he had lost all the things that had made him special.  Including his fitness and enthusiasm. Was intemperate and gave away frees. And was a poor kick.  I remember him down back giving away silly frees. A wasteful and disappointing trade.

    Ron got some things wrong. 

     

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    A very solid effort overall and an enjoyable read and walk down memory lane.

    However, I cannot give you an elephant stamp and would risk being ejected from Pedants Inc. for not pointing out the misspellings of Rohde, Pedersen, Bizzell, Bennett and Seecamp and, to a lesser extent, Alastair (Clarkson) and Stephen (Powell).?

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • Shocked 1

    25 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

    Big Carl not in the side?

    Sorry but that is not on

    I'm curious...would you play White and Ditterich in the same side or not play White? If you play both, would you do so as two ruckmen or have one play in a different position?

    For what it's worth, when they played with us, I think White was the better ruckman but could not play any other position. I can't recall Ditterich playing anywhere with us other than as a ruckman. I would only pick one ruckman, so I would choose White. Peter Moore can provide the back-up.

  • Quote

    Big Carl was captain/coach of the Dee’s in ‘79. I particularly remember his last game against Collingwood where he went about clobbering every opposition player in sight, very entertaining and something one doesn’t see these days.

     

  • Quote
    • Like 4
    • Haha 2

    Ha ha, I remember this.  It was glorious and Big Carl had a great time that day, the Magpie players less so.

    Teddy Fidge's last game was also against Collingwood  in 1988 when he snotted Magpie champ Darren Millane early on and put him out of the game, which we won.  Fidge got suspended for a few matches (justifiably, I might add) and that was the last we ever saw of him in red and blue.  If it was a plan, it worked!

  • Quote
    1 hour ago, Dee Dee said:

    Big Carl was captain/coach of the Dee’s in ‘79. I particularly remember his last game against Collingwood where he went about clobbering every opposition player in sight, very entertaining and something one doesn’t see these days.

     

    I also remember Big Carl throwing a wild back hander and collecting one of our own, Kelly O'Donnell

  • Quote

    1 hour ago, demonstone said:

    Ha ha, I remember this.  It was glorious and Big Carl had a great time that day, the Magpie players less so.

    Teddy Fidge's last game was also against Collingwood  in 1988 when he snotted Magpie champ Darren Millane early on and put him out of the game, which we won.  Fidge got suspended for a few matches (justifiably, I might add) and that was the last we ever saw of him in red and blue.  If it was a plan, it worked!

    Ted Fidge;  I have a memory vs Richmond, ball down Punt Rd end, Ted on the members wing (right in front of me), when a Richmond player pointed to his chin and asked Ted to have a go....gee there was alot of blood.

     

    Anyway back on topic what about Jamie Duursma...played on Dermot 2 weeks running and did the job, did a job on Kernahan in a final;  not a great player but played some great games

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    3 minutes ago, Neil Crompton said:

    What about Brian Wilson? Dogs to North then to us. And won a Brownlow with us.

    Would have thought he could have scraped into the side.

    he is there as rover

  • Quote

    Great thread Optimus D - it brings back memories, about one’s own life really. Some of those players mark the different chapters.

    Bernie Vince heads the list, but a few of those players are definitely amongst my favourite ever Demons.

     

    Edited by Ron Burgundy

  • Quote

    Needs more Tom Gillies

  • Quote

    Ran into Brian Wilson at the MCG 3 years ago.I lived next door to him for about 12 months in the 1980s.Had the occasional chat over the fence.At the G he told me not to give up on the Dees- keep supporting them as he was.Great stuff Willow!

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    Our current set of imports alone would have to be a considerable core to a team if all playing well etc caveat thing thing.

    Hibberd, Melksham, May, Tomlinson, Langdon, Kolodjasnij, Preuss, Lever and Mitch Brown now too. Possible Harley Bennel at any moment now.

    I almost included Hannan, from Footscray!

    And Gawn is literally foreign - New Zealander! Or possibly some as-yet unidentified planet. May have arrived with the Murchison meteorite.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • Haha 1
     
    6 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

    I'm curious...would you play White and Ditterich in the same side or not play White? If you play both, would you do so as two ruckmen or have one play in a different position?

    For what it's worth, when they played with us, I think White was the better ruckman but could not play any other position. I can't recall Ditterich playing anywhere with us other than as a ruckman. I would only pick one ruckman, so I would choose White. Peter Moore can provide the back-up.

    Big Carl was the Captain/Coach

    He Plays, alright...

  • Quote
    6 hours ago, Dee Dee said:

    Big Carl was captain/coach of the Dee’s in ‘79. I particularly remember his last game against Collingwood where he went about clobbering every opposition player in sight, very entertaining and something one doesn’t see these days.

     

    That’s why he plays :)

    Talked to Robbie Flower not long before he left us, he told me with great passion that he loved playing with Carl, and hated it when he went back to the Saints and loved him again as Captain/Coach!!

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • NON-MFC: Round 05

      Gather Round is here, kicking off with a Thursday night blockbuster as Adelaide faces Geelong. The Crows will be out for redemption after a controversial loss last week. Saturday starts with the Magpies taking on the Swans. Collingwood will be eager to cement their spot in the top eight, while Sydney is hot on their heels. In the Barossa Valley, two rising sides go head-to-head in a fascinating battle to prove they're the real deal. Later, Carlton and West Coast face off at Adelaide Oval, both desperate to notch their first win of the season. The action then shifts to Norwood, where the undefeated Lions will aim to keep their streak alive against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s games begin in the Barossa with Richmond up against Fremantle. In Norwood, the Saints will be looking to take a scalp when they come up against the Giants. The round concludes with a fiery rematch of last year's semi-final, as the Hawks seek revenge for their narrow loss to Port Adelaide. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

      • 10 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Geelong

      There was a time in the second quarter of the game at the Cattery on Friday afternoon when the Casey Demons threatened to take the game apart against the Cats. The Demons had been well on top early but were struggling to convert their ascendancy over the ground until Tom Fullarton’s burst of three goals in the space of eight minutes on the way to a five goal haul and his best game for the club since arriving from Brisbane at the end of 2023. He was leading, marking and otherwise giving his opponents a merry dance as Casey grabbed a three goal lead in the blink of an eye. Fullarton has now kicked ten goals in Casey’s three matches and, with Melbourne’s forward conversion woes, he is definitely in with a chance to get his first game with the club in next week’s Gather Round in Adelaide. Despite the tall forward’s efforts - he finished with 19 disposals and eight marks and had four hit outs as back up to Will Verrall in the second half - it wasn’t enough as Geelong reigned in the lead through persistent attacks and eventually clawed their way to the lead early in the last and held it till they achieved the end aim of victory.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Geelong

      I was disappointed to hear Goody say at his post match presser after the team’s 39 point defeat against Geelong that "we're getting high quality entry, just poor execution" because Melbourne’s problems extend far beyond that after its 0 - 4 start to the 2025 football season. There are clearly problems with poor execution, some of which were evident well before the current season and were in play when the Demons met the Cats in early May last year and beat them in a near top-of-the-table clash that saw both sides sitting comfortably in the top four after round eight. Since that game, the Demons’ performances have been positively Third World with only five wins in 19 games with a no longer majestic midfield and a dysfunctional forward line that has become too easy for opposing coaches to counter. This is an area of their game that is currently being played out as if they were all completely panic-stricken.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Essendon

      Facing the very real and daunting prospect of starting the season with five straight losses, the Demons head to South Australia for the annual Gather Round, where they’ll take on the Bombers in search of their first win of the year. Who comes in, and who comes out?

        • Sad
      • 212 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 04

      Round 4 kicks off with a blockbuster on Thursday night as traditional rivals Collingwood and Carlton clash at the MCG, with the Magpies looking to assert themselves as early-season contenders and the Blues seeking their first win of the season. Saturday opens with Gold Coast hosting Adelaide, a key test for the Suns as they aim to back up their big win last week, while the Crows will be looking to keep their perfect record intact. Reigning wooden spooners Richmond have the daunting task of facing reigning premiers Brisbane at the ‘G and the Lions will be eager to reaffirm their premiership credentials after a patchy start. Saturday night sees North Melbourne take on Sydney at Marvel Stadium, with the Swans looking to build on their first win of the season last week against a rebuilding Roos outfit. Sunday’s action begins with GWS hosting West Coast at ENGIE Stadium, a game that could get ugly very early for the visitors. Port Adelaide vs St Kilda at Adelaide Oval looms as a interesting clash, with both clubs form being very hard to read. The round wraps up with Fremantle taking on the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium in what could be a fierce contest between two sides with top-eight ambitions. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

      • 273 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: Geelong

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 7th April @ the all new time of 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect another Demons loss at Kardinia Park to the Cats in the Round 04. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 62 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All