What a great read. Many astute observations. Thanks for getting the conversation going Optimus D.

• Went to school with Jamie Duursma. He was a very ordinary player back then. So I have enormous respect for him as it must have taken a huge amount of work to play one VFL game . . . let alone carve out a very respectable career. BTW . . . I think he was the first player, and possibly the only one, to play for all three east coast capital city clubs. Quite an achievement indeed! 
• I remember watching Graham Gaunt as a teenager. He carved up the Royal Parade Cheats on the MCG one day in a brilliant display. 
• Overall though . . . our foreign legion has been more miss than hit it must be said.                                          

Edited September 4, 20204 yr by Queanbeyan Demon

3 hours ago, Queanbeyan Demon said:

What a great read. Many astute observations. Thanks for getting the conversation going Optimus D.

• Went to school with Jamie Duursma. He was a very ordinary player back then. So I have enormous respect for him as it must have taken a huge amount of work to play one VFL game . . . let alone carve out a very respectable career. BTW . . . I think he was the first player, and possibly the only one, to play for all three east coast capital city clubs. Quite an achievement indeed! 
• I remember watching Graham Gaunt as a teenager. He carved up the Royal Parade Cheats on the MCG one day in a brilliant display. 
• Overall though . . . our foreign legion has been more miss than hit it must be said.                                          

Yo there QD!

Jamie Duursma - a 1980's blast from the past.  Was regarded as the Oscar McD of his era, clumsy & unco - and yet in one of those years surprised us & played some terrific footy - recall he kept Kernahan quiet in one game.

And I fondly recall Gaunt - just a good ordinary player at Richmond played some super footy for us.

As for the foreign legion - its a bit mixed you can pick out plenty of successes & failures - not sure how you would objectively measure it.

On 1/14/2020 at 6:35 PM, Optimus D said:

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.

Hey Optimus.

I would like to see a comparison with an exported legion.

Played at MFC, and moved or was moved on to another club.

 I am not very good at surfing the net to find them.

Some of my favourites are ;

Greg Wells, Stan Alves, Ron Barasi, Greg Parke, Shane Woewodin, Jeff Farmer ,Scott Thompson, Darren Jolly 

Edited September 5, 20204 yr by kev martin

Indeed, Kev! In fact, seeing the names Wells, Alves, Thompson and Jolly, could a fair team be made of the exports who then tasted the premiership success we have missed? Throw in Chippa and the name-escapes-me fella who came to us with a Kangas flag and then got 3 with the Loyons. Well, maybe an AFLX team anyway? Who else?

Martin Pike

Even Steven Armstrong was able to win a flag after leaving us behind.

Depressing isn't it.

Indeed, Kev! In fact, seeing the names Wells, Alves, Thompson and Jolly, could a fair team be made of the exports who then tasted the premiership success we have missed? Throw in Chippa and the name-escapes-me fella who came to us with a Kangas flag and then got 3 with the Loyons. Well, maybe an AFLX team anyway? Who else?

p.s. I don't begrudge Stan Alves. That North premiership was just a little bit Melbourne for me in the dark 70s...