The MCG on this day 56 years ago, stood silent as it is today. Back then, Melbourne’s season was also over but, as I’ve chronicled over the past five months, the difference is that the 1964 Demons had successfully completed another season - the sixth premiership in ten years while in this year, they failed by the narrowest of margins for the second time in four years to play in a finals series that now comprises twice the number of teams. 

Through the Melbourne Football Club’s golden era from 1954 to 1964 it was a joy to be a Demon fan. You would wake up on a Saturday morning fully believing that your team would win on the day and you would mostly be proven right, especially in the important games when the battle was tough and the winning mattered most. The club would always find a way - the best examples were the Round 17 game v Hawthorn and the Grand Final itself.

I call it “the winning feeling”.

Compare this to the Melbourne of 2020 - three games that had to be won - against the Bulldogs, Swans and Dockers - were all lost with barely a fight and with no sign of the ruthlessness that they say is needed for teams to succeed.

When the day comes that a coach can instill that ruthless streak into the Demons then perhaps they will once again experience “the winning feeling”.

[Article from Bush Demon’s 1964 scrap book - thanks BD]

Not 1964 but 16 years earlier ... Melbourne and Essendon played out an exciting grand final that required a rematch a week later.

1 hour ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Not 1964 but 16 years earlier ... Melbourne and Essendon played out an exciting grand final that required a rematch a week later.

Essendrug Full Forward 

1.13

Thought I'd share some Dire Straits. Prophetic, it turns out.

 

Some Facebook footage of Melbourne v Collingwood matches of the past.

https://www.facebook.com/1552983461627202/posts/2742151826043687/?vh=e&extid=0&d=n

By mid October 1964 the football season was well and truly over.

What a pity it is that we don’t have colour vision of this game in its entirety!

 

56 years in the wilderness. Not a sniff. We were no chance in 88 and 2000

Move on, take the Tassie deal, say thanks for the memories to the MCC old guard. 

11 games in Tassie

11 games in Melbourne

Give young supprters who follow the red and blu Demons a future.

7 minutes ago, Half forward flank said:

56 years in the wilderness. Not a sniff. We were no chance in 88 and 2000

Move on, take the Tassie deal, say thanks for the memories to the MCC old guard. 

11 games in Tassie

11 games in Melbourne

Give young supprters who follow the red and blu Demons a future.

I don’t think so.

4 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

I don’t think so.

No, let just keep the status quo. It has worked so well these last 56 years.

3 minutes ago, Half forward flank said:

No, let just keep the status quo. It has worked so well these last 56 years.

We’re a much different club playing in a much different competition than 10 years ago.

There’s no status quo and nobody’s going to let a club go to Tassie under your conditionsZ

1 minute ago, Elwood 3184 said:

We’re a much different club playing in a much different competition than 10 years ago.

There’s no status quo and nobody’s going to let a club go to Tassie under your conditionsZ

Glad you noticed the competition has changed. Brisbane/Fitzroy have remerged and like the Gold coast players and partners have realised it is a great lifestyle, as with Geelong/Surf coast. Hub life of sunshine and beaches has added to the attraction. So there is three destination Clubs we did not have 10 years ago. AFL will continue to drive success for the Sydney Clubs. Collingwood and Richmond are the Melbourne powerhouse clubs. The rest in Melbourne fight for relevance. 10 years ago, no place to call home, now no place to call home, a coach under pressure and star player rumoured to be looking elsewhere.  

The epilogue to the story of Melbourne’s premiership was the departure of its captain and 1964 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Trophy holder, Ronald Dale Barassi. The grand final marked his final appearance in club colours along with fellow six time premiership player, Frank “Bluey” Adams.

In the months after the grand final, Carlton’s new president George Harris, desperate to have Barassi at Princes Park, offered him a lucrative contract to cross to the Blues as captain-coach. When it was announced in December 1964 that Barassi had accepted the offer, the hearts of thousands of Demon fans, young and old alike were broken.

Worse was to come when the following season was a little more than half way over. After starting with eight wins on the trot, the Demons stumbled a little but were still poised to make the finals until it was announced that Norm Smith had been sacked as coach over a disagreement with the committee. The team lost their next game in the mud at Coburg against the Kangaroos under stand-in coach Checker Hughes. After a compromise was reached, Smith was reinstated but the team kept losing and slipped out of the finals for the first time in more than a decade. Since then, the quest for a premiership flag has proved elusive. 

20 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

The epilogue to the story of Melbourne’s premiership was the departure of its captain and 1964 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Trophy holder, Ronald Dale Barassi. The grand final marked his final appearance in club colours along with fellow six time premiership player, Frank “Bluey” Adams.

In the months after the grand final, Carlton’s new president George Harris, desperate to have Barassi at Princes Park, offered him a lucrative contract to cross to the Blues as captain-coach. When it was announced in December 1964 that Barassi had accepted the offer, the hearts of thousands of Demon fans, young and old alike were broken.

Worse was to come when the following season was a little more than half way over. After starting with eight wins on the trot, the Demons stumbled a little but were still poised to make the finals until it was announced that Norm Smith had been sacked as coach over a disagreement with the committee. The team lost their next game in the mud at Coburg against the Kangaroos under stand-in coach Checker Hughes. After a compromise was reached, Smith was reinstated but the team kept losing and slipped out of the finals for the first time in more than a decade. Since then, the quest for a premiership flag has proved elusive. 

sigh

The skies blazed in red and blue colours 57 years ago today … 

https://www.afl.com.au/ondemand/highlights/677626/grand-final-fever?episode=6/

 

On 10/17/2020 at 9:50 AM, Half forward flank said:

56 years in the wilderness. Not a sniff. We were no chance in 88 and 2000

Move on, take the Tassie deal, say thanks for the memories to the MCC old guard. 

11 games in Tassie

11 games in Melbourne

Give young supprters who follow the red and blu Demons a future.

What a rubbish post this is. 

On 10/17/2020 at 9:42 AM, Whispering_Jack said:

By mid October 1964 the football season was well and truly over.

What a pity it is that we don’t have colour vision of this game in its entirety!

 

I’d settle for black and white on its entirety. At least St Kilda have that (even though all their celebrations footage have them wearing Collingwood jumpers.)

Just curious is there ANYONE who attended 1964 that’s going Saturday?  

Edited September 18, 20214 yr by Cassiew

On 8/22/2020 at 2:01 AM, Whispering_Jack said:

It was a dark day for the Dees in the final home and away round of 1964 but the team still finished on top of the ladder.

Round 18 1964

Footscray vs Melbourne 
Saturday 22 August 
Venue: Western Oval 
Attendance: 20,553

B Crompton Massey Tas Johnson
HB McLean Williams Davis
C Dixon H Mann Adams
HF Vagg Foster Kenneally
F Jacobs Bourke Emselle
Foll Wise Barassi 
Rov Townsend 
19/20 Leitch Watson 

The Demons came into the final round with the double chance assured but they were hit by injuries and were forced to field a weakened side for the final home and away game against the eighth placed Bulldogs at the Western Oval. 

Footscray held sway early by dint of its accuracy in front of goal that helped it to a 19 point half time lead despite having one less shot on goal. After the break the Demons narrowed the gap, mainly through the persistence of their experienced wingmen Dixon and Adams who kept pushing the ball into attack but the forwards were off target. The result was a six point deficit at three-quarter time despite controlling the play for most of the term.

Skipper Ron Barassi was having a bad day while his nemesis Ted Whitten was on fire and with the Bulldogs cruising to a runaway 40 point victory, he was able to claim the title of “Mr Football”.  To make matters worse, it was the club’s lowest score since early in 1960 and the third time in the last four rounds that the team had failed to score 60 points. 

Footscray 3.0.18 6.1.37 7.1.43 12.6.78

Melbourne 1.4.10 2.6.18 4.13.37 4.14.38

Goals Townsend 2 Foster Jacobs 

Best Dixon Jacobs Townsend Adams H Mann P McLean

Melbourne held onto top spot by virtue of sixth placed upsetting Geelong, a result which pushed the Cats into fourth position and allowed Collingwood to steal the double chance going into the finals.

Reserves Melbourne 10.13.73 defeated Footscray 7.6.48 

Goals Robbie 3 Bartlett Wood 2 Unknown 3 

Best L Mann Robbie Miller

Under 19s Melbourne 14.15.99 defeated Footscray 10.3.63

Here’s footage of the game that saved us Hawthorn vs Melbourne. I find it sad that this footage is in better condition that the grand final one

 

On 9/19/2021 at 1:38 AM, A F said:

What a rubbish post this is. 

Want me to start going through your old posts. 

We were no chance in 88 or 2000. stand by it

Tassie deal will be a winner for whoever takes it.

Why are you dragging this up now?.

 

2 hours ago, Half forward flank said:

Want me to start going through your old posts. 

We were no chance in 88 or 2000. stand by it

Tassie deal will be a winner for whoever takes it.

Why are you dragging this up now?.

 

Yep, go back through my posts. You won't find me wanting my team to relocate. 

I drag it up now because the thread was brought up again and having read through it now your comment was still just as a foolish and defeatist as it was then.

At this time in 1964, this was the song that was top of the hit parade ~