Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
Demonland

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

2021 Fwd Line v 1988 & 2000

Cranky Franky
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

I have thought for a while that our "small" forwards are our achilles heel. We have options re our big key forwards but with the exception of Picket (sometimes) & Fritsch the cupboard is bare. Compare our other 4 fwds this year with the 4 fwds from our 88 & 2000 Grand Final sides.

2021 - Fritsch, Picket, Jordon, Neal Bullen

1988 - Lyon, Flintoff, Williams, R Jackson

2000 - Robertson, Green, Powell, Farmer

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    Forwardlines irrelevant - pressure, elite mids and defence win big games, people will switch on soon enough 

    Edited by adonski

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    56 minutes ago, adonski said:

    Forwardlines irrelevant - pressure, elite mids and defence win big games, people will switch on soon enough 

    Surely not irrelevant - goals still need to be kicked.  Unlike soccer we don't have nil all draws.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     
    1 hour ago, adonski said:

    Forwardlines irrelevant - pressure, elite mids and defence win big games, people will switch on soon enough 

    Agree with this.

    Also think our forward lines biggest weakness is with our talls. None of them are good in the contest. All look ok when leading into space but pretty much none of them take marks in contested situations, and most don't do a great job of even halving contests and bringing the ball down into dangerous spots.

    Unless we apply pressure up the ground and let our forwards work in space we have little chance of kicking big enough scores to win it all. This is also exacerbated by the fact that we don't get a lot of goals out of our mids (we do get quite a few points).

  • Quote
    • Author
    1 hour ago, adonski said:

    Forwardlines irrelevant - pressure, elite mids and defence win big games, people will switch on soon enough 

    So you take Reiwoldt & Lynch out of the Tigers flag sides or Kennedy & Darling from WC & it makes no difference ?   

  • Quote
    • Haha 1

    3 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

    I have thought for a while that our "small" forwards are our achilles heel. We have options re our big key forwards but with the exception of Picket (sometimes) & Fritsch the cupboard is bare. Compare our other 4 fwds this year with the 4 fwds from our 88 & 2000 Grand Final sides.

    2021 - Fritsch, Picket, Jordon, Neal Bullen

    1988 - Lyon, Flintoff, Williams, R Jackson

    2000 - Robertson, Green, Powell, Farmer

    1998- Neitz Lyon Schwartz Farmer

    Never seen a more potent forward line in my time. That finals system robbed us. How on earth you can belt the eventual premiers and not make a GF is mind baffling!

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    3 minutes ago, Cranky Franky said:

    So you take Reiwoldt & Lynch out of the Tigers flag sides or Kennedy & Darling from WC & it makes no difference ?   

    Kennedy and Darling still going strong and the eagles are [censored] house

  • Quote
    • Author
    7 hours ago, adonski said:

    Kennedy and Darling still going strong and the eagles are [censored] house

    You didn't answer the question.

  • Quote
    •  

     

    8 hours ago, Doug Reemer said:

    1998- Neitz Lyon Schwartz Farmer

    Never seen a more potent forward line in my time. That finals system robbed us. How on earth you can belt the eventual premiers and not make a GF is mind baffling!

    Because its the midfield... if they don't fire the ball doesn't get to the forwards....as for the GF, done by the final system of the time.   Missed opportunity 

  • Quote
    • Love 1
    16 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

    I have thought for a while that our "small" forwards are our achilles heel. We have options re our big key forwards but with the exception of Picket (sometimes) & Fritsch the cupboard is bare. Compare our other 4 fwds this year with the 4 fwds from our 88 & 2000 Grand Final sides.

    2021 - Fritsch, Picket, Jordon, Neal Bullen

    1988 - Lyon, Flintoff, Williams, R Jackson

    2000 - Robertson, Green, Powell, Farmer

    Spargo is more a forward than Jordon!

  • Quote

    16 hours ago, Doug Reemer said:

    1998- Neitz Lyon Schwartz Farmer

    Never seen a more potent forward line in my time. That finals system robbed us. How on earth you can belt the eventual premiers and not make a GF is mind baffling!

    The 1998 finals series did my head in too DR! Melbourne finished the home & away season 4th that year, beat Adelaide in the first final but didn't get to go straight to the Preliminary! 

    The McIntyre Final Eight System in use at the time really disadvantaged teams who were good enough to finish the home and away series in 3rd and 4th positions.  This article by Tim Lane in the Age: Eight A Lucky Number For AFL Plodders, finally explained to me the farcical changes made to the AFL finals series in the 90's as the competition expanded and added new teams. The AFL really struggled to find a fair finals system during this time...

    After much criticism, the McIntyre Final Eight System was replaced by the current AFL Finals System in 2000. IMV it provides the fairest reward for sides good enough to finish the home and away series in the top 4.

    Let's hope the Dee's make top 4 or even better top 2 this year and take full advantage of this simpler and fairer system. 

     

     

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    18 hours ago, Doug Reemer said:

    1998- Neitz Lyon Schwartz Farmer

    Never seen a more potent forward line in my time. That finals system robbed us. How on earth you can belt the eventual premiers and not make a GF is mind baffling!

    +1. In he air and on the ground the quartet would be the best I have seen in 60 years. On their day and at their best they were each capable of kicking bags of goals, if not necessarily all at the same time. They had ability, skills and footy smarts in abundance. And in that series they had Travis feeding them.

    1998 - we was robbed.

     

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    On 7/9/2021 at 8:18 AM, AC/DeeC said:

    The 1998 finals series did my head in too DR! Melbourne finished the home & away season 4th that year, beat Adelaide in the first final but didn't get to go straight to the Preliminary! 

    The McIntyre Final Eight System in use at the time really disadvantaged teams who were good enough to finish the home and away series in 3rd and 4th positions.  This article by Tim Lane in the Age: Eight A Lucky Number For AFL Plodders, finally explained to me the farcical changes made to the AFL finals series in the 90's as the competition expanded and added new teams. The AFL really struggled to find a fair finals system during this time...

    After much criticism, the McIntyre Final Eight System was replaced by the current AFL Finals System in 2000. IMV it provides the fairest reward for sides good enough to finish the home and away series in the top 4.

    Let's hope the Dee's make top 4 or even better top 2 this year and take full advantage of this simpler and fairer system. 

     

     

    Couldn't agree more. I was 12 in 98 and in 96 when I was 10 I had no idea how the finals system worked.. We lived in brisbane at the time and used to "follow" the bears mainly to go. I rememeber being adamant North were knocked out after week 2 ? When in reality they were straight to the Prelim.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    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...
    https://demonland.com/forums/topic/50608-2021-fwd-line-v-1988-2000/
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • TRAINING: Monday 10th November 2025

      Several Demonland Trackwatchers were on hand at Gosch’s Paddock to share their observations from the opening day of preseason training, featuring the club’s 1st to 4th year players along with a few veterans and some fresh faces.

      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • AFLW REPORT: Brisbane

      Melbourne returned to its city citadel, IKON Park, boasting a 10–2 home record and celebrating its 100th AFLW matchwith 3,711 fans creating a finals atmosphere. But in a repeat of Round 11, Brisbane proved too strong, too fit, and too relentless.  They brought their kicking boots: 9 goals, 2 points.

        • Thanks
      • 0 replies
      Demonland

    • AFLW PREVIEW: Brisbane

      Forget the haunting of Round 11 — we’ve got this. Melbourne returns to its inner-city fortress for its milestone 100th AFLW match, carrying a formidable 10–2 record at IKON Stadium. Brisbane’s record at the venue is more balanced: 4 wins, 4 losses and a draw. 

        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 11 replies
      Demonland

    • AFLW REPORT: Geelong

      Melbourne wrapped up the AFLW home and away season with a hard-fought 14-point win over Geelong at Kardinia Park. The result secured second place on the ladder with a 9–3 record and a home qualifying final against the Brisbane Lions next week.

        • Thanks
      • 2 replies
      Demonland

    • AFLW PREVIEW: Geelong

      It’s been a season of grit, growth, and glimpses of brilliance—mixed with a few tough interstate lessons. Now, with finals looming, the Dees head to Kardinia Park for one last tune-up before the real stuff begins.

        • Thanks
      • 3 replies
      Demonland

    • DRAFT: The Next Generation

      It was not long after the announcement that Melbourne's former number 1 draft pick Tom Scully was departing the club following 31 games and two relatively unremarkable seasons to join expansion team, the Greater Western Giants, on a six-year contract worth about $6 million, that a parody song based on Adele's hit "Someone Like You" surfaced on social media. The artist expressed lament over Scully's departure in song, culminating in the promise, "Never mind, we'll find someone like you," although I suspect that the undertone of bitterness in this version exceeded that of the original.

        • Clap
        • Thanks
        • Like
      • 9 replies
      Demonland
    View All

    Configure browser push notifications
    Chrome (Android)
    1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
    2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
    3. Adjust your preference.
    Chrome (Desktop)
    1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
    2. Select Site settings.
    3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.