Jump to content

John Northey on the Front Bar

Demonland
Demonland
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

 

Compulsory viewing.  Great bloke.  

He was the legend that got us back into the finals in 87. 
 

I’m sure they will show his anger with Stynes after he ran through the mark in the 87 prelim. 


We perhaps should have got a premiership in his years but somehow missed out.  

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    Our best coach since Norm Smith.

  • Quote
    • Like 7
    • Love 1
     

    John Northey  My favorite coach  for being down to earth  building great relationships  and getting the best out of his players.

    The facilities at the time when training at the junction oval were more than sub standard however he managed to get us into 5 consecutive  finals series with a Prelim in 87 and a Grand Final in 88.  

    Northey gave us some great memories.

  • Quote
    • Like 7

    Great times & heartache of 87 & 88... believed 1990 was our best chance as top 5 was very even, missing the double chance plus that drawn final pies v WC... He got the best out of the team!

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    • Love 1

    The man responsible for my greatest footy highlight - the late 1987 run that culminated in the magic day at the Western Oval when Robbie got his chance to finally play in a final!! I was in Year 12, about a month away from turning 18 and should have been focusing on my exams.  Alas, the next few weeks were an awesome ride until we ran into Buckenara.  33 years later and still waiting for the ultimate success.  Swooper Northey, the best Melbourne coach in my lifetime!

  • Quote
    • Like 14

    How could you not be inspired by the great man. One hell of a story teller to boot.

  • Quote
    •  

    His comments about Geoffrey Edelsten were hilarious. 

    His story about the pre season camp was gold. Could you imagine that taking place these days having someone dress up as a hillbilly and firing shots at you while you are running.  Lawsuits everywhere. 

    He sounds just as frustrated with melbourne as everyone else is. 

  • Quote
    • Like 5
    1 hour ago, Demonland said:

     

    Bahaha ? that was hilarious 

    champion bloke Swooper 

    had a few chats back in the day

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    After being totally deflated when the Barasssi return did not produce success, along comes Swooper. And bugger me if he didn't put a fire in the belly of every player on the list, and the fear of death into every opposition player who dared challenge the Dees. 

    I went to both of the finals versus Swans and North in 1987, and my abiding memory is of the crowd yelling in unison "Robiiieee" when Flower ran onto the ground against North for his first final. 

    Sometime in the preseason, give him 2 hours with our current list. Let them catch the fire!

  • Quote
    • Like 8
    • Thanks 1
    • Love 1

    Still sharp.

    Bring him back!

    Oh for the days when we could kick and tackle.

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    10 hours ago, Maldonboy38 said:

    After being totally deflated when the Barasssi return did not produce success, along comes Swooper. And bugger me if he didn't put a fire in the belly of every player on the list, and the fear of death into every opposition player who dared challenge the Dees. 

    I went to both of the finals versus Swans and North in 1987, and my abiding memory is of the crowd yelling in unison "Robiiieee" when Flower ran onto the ground against North for his first final. 

    Sometime in the preseason, give him 2 hours with our current list. Let them catch the fire!

    Barrassi helped set it up for him. A few good years of good coaching, motivational training and recruiting by Barass before Northey arrived.

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    Interesting when he said that not all the players seem invested in this current day team. Too much left to too few.

  • Quote
    • Like 4

    31 minutes ago, DeeZee said:

    Interesting when he said that not all the players seem invested in this current day team. Too much left to too few.

    I picked up on that comment as well. Would love to know who, in his opinion was not "Buying in"

    Meet him a few times during that magic season in 1987. I remember him being the first one in at the after match at the G and buying me a beer. His comment after taking a large gulp was "Gee I needed that, a beer always tastes better after a win"

    Top bloke and top coach. Would love to see what he would do with this current team.

    Edited by picket fence

  • Quote
    • Like 9

    John Northey  - bloody legend.

    Coached Dees for 7 years - 167 games  54.2% win rate. It’s probably the most successful coaching rate of any of our coaches in the last 56 years!! 


    Demons should welcome him back into the fold. 
     

    Great stories.  Great bloke to have a beer with. So real.  
     

    Yes Edelsten was a “goose” though I’m sure swooper would call him more expletives if he wasn’t on TV!!! 

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    Yes, did a terrific job at the helm for Melbourne when he was in charge. Players responded to him and was greatly respected. Was also a fine player for Richmond in his playing days (1963-1970). Official position was half forward flank, but seemed to play more like a winger with high work rate.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    7 hours ago, Bendigo Demon said:

    In Robbie Flower's book, he actually stated how unimpressed he was when Northey was appointed, and how wrong he was!!

    Barassi's a tough act to follow.

  • Quote

    Somewhat disappointed with this telecast on the FB with the great John Northey. The three 'hosts' were more concerned with earning 'jokestar' points amongst themselves than probing into the achievements of Northey. Adding irrelevance to the short minutes in which Northey could have been able to relate his experiences (particularly those experiences of football itself) was most annoying. The segments were clearly about Fatso and his beloved Richmond but Nothey's greatest contributions were with the MFC; sadly, little - or an inadequate amount of - focus on his brilliance were touched upon (and there was so much to be chewed over, so great were Northey's contributions and player transformations).

    Still, lovely to see him on TV, bright, alert, sharp. Still got it, no doubt. If the current hierarchy at the MFC had the humility, they should invite him back to the Club over the pre-season for 2021 - he'd quickly spot the problems ( as if he didn't already fully know what these were) and recommend remedial action to make the Club great again, onfield and off-field. Barassi's initial influence followed by Swooper's football nouse - what a contribution!

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     
    1 hour ago, Deemania since 56 said:

    Somewhat disappointed with this telecast on the FB with the great John Northey. The three 'hosts' were more concerned with earning 'jokestar' points amongst themselves than probing into the achievements of Northey. Adding irrelevance to the short minutes in which Northey could have been able to relate his experiences (particularly those experiences of football itself) was most annoying. The segments were clearly about Fatso and his beloved Richmond but Nothey's greatest contributions were with the MFC; sadly, little - or an inadequate amount of - focus on his brilliance were touched upon (and there was so much to be chewed over, so great were Northey's contributions and player transformations).

    Still, lovely to see him on TV, bright, alert, sharp. Still got it, no doubt. If the current hierarchy at the MFC had the humility, they should invite him back to the Club over the pre-season for 2021 - he'd quickly spot the problems ( as if he didn't already fully know what these were) and recommend remedial action to make the Club great again, onfield and off-field. Barassi's initial influence followed by Swooper's football nouse - what a contribution!

    I'm still unsure why John isn't a life member of the club.  He coached 7 seasons but coached more games than Brian Wilson played for the Demons in 9 seasons yet Willo is in (quite rightly) and John isn't.  His accomplishments as a coach at Melbourne are quite outstanding even if he couldn't land the elusive flag. 5 successive finals series, each time making at least the second week; one GF and a prelim. All up he coached us to 13 finals for 8 wins; 2 Night flags and a record against Hawthorn the envy of any club of that period.  In fact we stopped their run of consecutive grand final appearances in 1990.  There'd be few more deserving, and he clearly still loves the club.

  • Quote
    • Like 8
    • Love 2
    On 9/25/2020 at 9:48 AM, DeeZee said:

    Interesting when he said that not all the players seem invested in this current day team. Too much left to too few.

    Wonder which ones???

  • Quote

    • 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

    • PREVIEW: Essendon

      As the focus of the AFL moves exclusively to South Australia for Gather Round, the question is raised as to what are we going to get from the  Melbourne Football Club this weekend? Will it be a repeat of the slop fest of the last three weeks that have seen the team score a measly 174 points and concede 310 or will a return to the City of Churches and the scene where they performed at their best in 2024 act as a wakeup call and bring them out of their early season reverie?  Or will the sleepy Dees treat their fans to a reenactment of their lazy effort from the first Gather Round of two years ago when they allowed the Bombers to trample all over them on a soggy and wet Adelaide Oval? The two examples from above tell us how fickle form can be in football. Last year, a committed group of players turned up in Adelaide with a businesslike mindset. They had a plan, went in confidently and hard for the football and kicked winning scores against both home teams in a difficult environment for visitors. And they repeated that sort of effort later in the season when they played Essendon at the MCG.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 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?

        • Thanks
      • 489 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • 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?

        • Thanks
      • 186 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.

        • Like
      • 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.

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 0 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?

        • Thanks
      • 273 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All