GAME 3: Demonland's Best/Favourite Demon 1988-2020 - Yze vs Johnstone

[Demonland 73,165]

Today sees Adem Yze take on Travis Johnstone.

You can either vote by going to our Facebook or Twitter pages or for convenience you can vote in the poll above.

I will create a new thread each day and will merge the threads together once the voting day is complete.

Adem Yze:
271 Games
234 Goals
2001 Keith Bluey Truscott Trophy
2002 All Australian

Travis Johnstone:
160 Games
111 Goals
2005 Keith Bluey Truscott Trophy

Tournament Fixture

[dl4e 5,851]

I put Johnstone becaause he was a heavily tagged player.  Yze was more cream on the pie.

[Diamond_Jim 12,628]

TJ wasmy vote.

He embodies Melbourne.... could have been anything but no

His third quarter against Adelaide was the best individual effort from a footballler I have ever witnessed

[Dee Zephyr 19,269]

Johnstone for me too. Both extremely talented but when on song TJ is probably my favourite ever Demon. 

FWIW, I attended a QLD Demons function back in 2012-13 prior to a Suns game and TJ turned up as a guest speaker. One comment I remember and found interesting from his speech was that in his opinion the team he played in back then would have won at least one flag with better facilities. 

[Cards13 9,117]

Yze easily for mine, he was a gun but also so consistent.

[Uncle Fester 2,848]

Yze for me. TJ had more talent, but Adem used his better

[jumbo returns 6,741]

TJ by a hundred yards

[Deemania since 56 6,719]

TJ was blindingly brilliant, at times, in close - out on his own - around packs - setting up plays or receiving good footballing. He did have super=effective taggers, every game, overcoming most with sheer skills and timing. 

Yze was a skills machine, pumping out high calibre models - often when most required. His long-term statistics indicate this over TJ's career highlights and longevity. However, Yze was an escape artist - he got the Dees out of trouble so often.

In comparison, TJ did the harder yards with more impact per yard; he left whole midfields and defence lines staggered with his skills to play on, to create a play and to feed teammates. These also got the Dees out of trouble quite frequently; these also set benchmarks for winning football matches with skills, determination and the acceptance of some very large challenges. 

TJ had a life outside of football matches and training that did not enable a truly lengthy career; TJ thus became one of those brilliantly skilled Demons at 100 mph that bust piston rings just as the warranty ran out. I think we can all remember those performances. TJ for me in terms of skill and effect and decline. Yze for me in terms of reliability over time. 

[binman 43,822]

Best and favourite are contradictory concepts.

In my view Johnstone had more tlaent (which is saying something as Yze was pretty talented) but yze had the better, more consistent career. So he is the better player.

But TJ is one of my favorites. Watts version one. So i chose him. 

 

 

[Demonstone 22,827]

I voted for Trapper, only because I reckon his very best was better than Yze's (who was more consistent).

Crikey, there's some tough matchups ahead of us.  It's like trying to choose your favourite child.

[tiers 2,843]

Trapper was the most skillful, instinctive and innovative player since Robbie. He could do things that no other player in the league could do.

Sadly the coaching panel at the time was unable to take advantage of his unique ability to improve our team. When he is quoted above as saying that we would have won a premiership with better facilities he also means better coaching. 1998 was a lost year.

Yze was brilliant but only because he was better at the same things that others could also do.

Trapper for me.

 

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by tiers

[Foopy on the telly 529]

4 hours ago, Dee Zephyr said:

Johnstone for me too. Both extremely talented but when on song TJ is probably my favourite ever Demon. 

FWIW, I attended a QLD Demons function back in 2012-13 prior to a Suns game and TJ turned up as a guest speaker. One comment I remember and found interesting from his speech was that in his opinion the team he played in back then would have won at least one flag with better facilities. 

Robertson said the exact same thing with the facilities

[daisycutter 29,743]

interesting, the ooze way out in front on votes yet big majority of those who comment say tj

[picket fence 17,541]

5 hours ago, jumbo returns said:

TJ by a hundred yards

YZE by a Zillion yards TJ a very very lazy footballer!!

[whatwhat say what 22,950]

Trapper had no Consistency

Yze should’ve been 3x all oz 

[TeamPlayedFine39 8,510]

Probably mirroring a few on here. 

Johnstone's best was incredible; he was a player of extremely rare talent who I honestly believe could have been amongst the best players in the afl.  Yze on the other-hand was a top-shelf player whose skills and poise could turn matches in minutes.  Yze's body of work over his career beats TJ's.

[Lord Travis 10,763]

Travis is my favorite player of all time, so he gets my vote. He’s still the best kick for a demon I can remember - used to stream down the wing and hit Neitz on the [censored]. Trapper also stood up in big games, usually amongst our best in finals matches. He got heavily tagged for majority of his career when tagging was less  prevalent, such was his impact on games when he was allowed to roam unchecked. When he got traded to Brisbane I was devastated.

Yze was also one of my favorites and had a better career than Trapper, but I liked Trapper more. Trapper and Yze when on song together in the early 2000s were a delight to watch. That period was the most enjoyable to watch as a demon supporter in my lifetime.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Lord Travis