Part 3 - Top 100 Demons of the past 50 years

[Deespicable 2,538]

Part 3 – Top 100 Demons of the past 50 years 41-60

It’s interesting thinking that our success this year came from a time when the majority of players were homegrown talents, nurtured and developed after being claimed via the draft – a big thank you to Paul Roos who installed some genuinely good assistants and started progressive training structures that Goody has continued to follow. 

In the past we had been guilty of trying to buy our flag, a similar process to the way Carlton continues today with its outlays for Williams and Saad and Cerra. 

While there is no coin comparison with today, we paid record fees for Diamond Jim Tilbrook (around $20,000 to Sturt plus $5000 a year in 1971), Big Carl Ditterich ($62,000 from the Saints in 1973) and our Brownlow-winning pair Peter Moore and Kelvin Templeton, the duo came across reputedly on a combined $1 million in 1983.

Of those players only one – Peter Moore - made my list and with just 77 games for us, he is hardly a club legend, although some of his games in 1984 were phenomenal. 

That’s why it’s so hard ranking players – how do we assess loyal servants who always chipped in for many years like James McDonald and Tony Sullivan against stars who shone brightly for short periods like Moore and Allen Jakovich. 

The other tricky conundrum is deciding where to rank players who still have many more years to go in their evolution – I ruled out our three youngsters Jackson, Kozzy and Rivers on a game infancy basis but others like Salem and Fritter and Lever still have key years ahead of them so may rise up my rankings in time.

Finally we all have memories of great games by the club and that colours our thinking. For me, given that I had a few best mates who barracked for Hawthorn, there was no greater game than our win over the Dawks at Princes Park in 1984 – a bit like our breakthrough win over them in 2016. I almost put Peter Tossol in my top 100 list, based on this game, but to be fair, without watching that game, he’d be lucky to be in our top 200 of the past 50 years. It was great finding a video of that game recently – well worth a watch for Demonlanders. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzmtCfS5X_Y

41 Peter Moore 83-87 77 games One of only six Brownlow Medallists in our history, Moore came to the club at the end of 1982 with fellow Charlie winner Kelvin Templeton as Barassi tried to evoke a similar scenario to the 10-year rule that helped North’s rise. But given Moore was captain of the Pies in 1981 and 82 it was huge and when he lined up against his old side in Rd 1 of 83, a banner in the crowd read “Moore Filth”. The Pies predictably won by 10 points that day, Weid’s dad Mark had possibly his best ever day kicking five goals. Moore’s hamstring issues seemed to abate at the Dees (we probably had a better medical team than them back then) and we started to again see the athleticism of the 198cm tall ruckman, who was really more of a mobile ruck-rover. With his confidence back, he regularly tallied 20 disposals or more in 1984 on top of a few marking hot spells where he’d drift in like his son Darcy does now and just read the flight so much better than everyone else. The issue I have with the Brownlow is that game against Hawthorn in 1984. He got three votes that day, yet was beaten badly by an inspired Michael Byrne, a former Dee. Watch the replay and tell me how Gerard Healy didn’t get three-votes. The following week we were mauled by Essendon at VFL Park and I always blamed Moore for not really standing up and getting physical as many ruckman did in those days. But really I think I’m being a bit unfair with that memory as Moore just wasn’t that type of player – he was a beautiful runner who went on to become a lawyer. He had back issues early in 1987, so missed our final series revival.

42 Ross Brewer 72-78 121 games 196 goals A lanky 188cm half-forward from our then zone in Bentleigh, he topped our goalkicking three times and had a day out kicking seven goals against the Dogs in 1978. I have been desperately trying to find which game he scored a memorable soccer goal on a fast break. It was bucketing rain and so instead of picking it up just past the outer wing, he chose to soccer it and run after it. He was then about 35m out and soccered it again and then with his opponents rushing after him he opted to kick it off the ground once more and it slid through the big sticks. With his size he was very handy as the third tall, and later on even played a bit as full-forward before a knee injury in 78 led to him being offered up for trade to the Pies for Phul Carman and Wayne Gordon. I suspect that his much older brother Ian, a 1958 Pies premiership player, had gotten in his ears. Once he was fit, he played some pretty handy games for the Pies as well as two grand final losses to Carlton.

43 Greg Parke 68-73 119 games, 169 goals My first Melbourne jumper had No.26 on it – the reason Greg Parke. Parke was our star centre half-forward in 1972 kicking 63 goals, but he should have kicked many more – he just wasn’t a reliable kick like Peter McKenna or Peter Hudson. But boy could he mark it – he took 24 in one game in 1970. He had the most amazing sticky fingers and with blonde locks, would have been a favourite with the ladies as well as nine-year-old boys like me. One of the first games I attended was against the Swans at the MCG and he took 14 marks. He kicked seven on John Scarlett down at Kardinia Park that year. I don’t really know why he left for Bulldogs in 1974, I imagine it had something to do with payment given that most Melbourne players back then got little more than their MCC membership paid for and Parke was a full-time policeman like Rex Hunt in those semi-professional days. Sadly he died on September 25, 2021 – the same day that we beat the Bulldogs.   

44 James Frawley 07-14 139 games Chipper was similar to his uncle Spud in lots of ways – I mean they both were hard to push off, they both were tough as nails and they both weren’t mega kicks. But there was one key difference for our Chip - he was pretty damn quick for a big bloke. That’s why after a rookie season playing mainly on the wing he was soon sent to defence and in 2010 was so effective that he took down Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola in a memorable win against Brisbane at the MCG. The All-Australian selectors were clearly impressed. Surprisingly though the 21-year-old didn’t go on to win any more AA gigs. Part of that was because of a serious pectoral muscle injury and part was caused by his disgust at looking the fool playing in the AFL worst defence for several seasons under Bailey and Neeld. As a result he was happy to switch to the Hawks in 2015 as a free agent – just in time for their final flag – a game in which he kept Josh Kennedy goalless in his prime.  

45 Glenn Lovett 87-99 127 games, 74 goals I remember thinking back in the late eighties that G.Lovett  might be the worst wingman we’d had in my time of watching the Dees. He just seemed so off the pace and error prone. But thankfully I was way wrong and the club was bang on the money giving him the No.6 as come 1991 he’d developed into a clever, strong tackling, precise kicking centreman who you wanted in the side. Given his dicky hamstrings (I reckon he had skins before anyone except Don Scott) he missed quite a few games, but when he played, we generally won – because he was ahead of his time in summing up a short kick to Schwarter or Lyon. His game in our semi-final win over the Dogs in 1994 was huge and he won our B&F in 1992.   

46 Neville Jetta 09-21 159 games There are two Nev Jetta’s that played for Melbourne. The first was an innocuous small forward who played for five largely forgettable seasons before being delisted. The second Nev Jetta was spotted by Paul Roos, reinstated, and sent to play down back at a time when his accurate short kicking and evasive skills was a godsend. For the next four years, Nev was an icon at Demonland and his battles with fellow indigenous star Eddie Betts were legendary. Such was his popularity that the calls for his elevation to All-Australian status came every week throughout 2017 and 18 as he majored in shutting down opponents, but he had to settle for being an All-Star, our only representative in the pre-season 2020 game. 

47 Greg Healy 84-93 141 games, 167 goals The younger, smaller brother of Gerard could match him with skills and looked destined for similar stardom when he began in 1984 and racked up six wins and 14 goals from his first seven games. But unfortunately, we copped Essendon at their meanest the next week and after an impressive first half by the teenager, Roger Merrett made sure he wasn’t a factor. Sugar also was caught up a bit in his brother Gerard’s departure to Sydney in 85, but he responded by winning the club B&F in 1986 – a year where he kicked 35 goals when resting in a pocket. He followed that up with a handy 1987, including a 40 disposal game in our loss to the Saints at Waverley – along with Robbie I suspect he was used by coach as an example of courage by Swooper, because that’s where our run to the 87 finals started. With Robbie retiring, he was made skipper in 1988 as a 22-year-old and his form started to peter out a bit with a dodgy Achilles not helping – even being dropped in 1990 before the decision was made to go with Dollars as skipper.  

48 Graeme Yeats 84 -95 182 games, 45 goals Yeater was a lively little back pocket that we picked up from Prahran who was in and out of the side for his first three seasons and one who loved the punt – I think there were rumours he spent more time listening to his tranny at halftime than to the coaches. But in 1987, with Allen Johnson out with hamstring issues, Northey moved him to the wing and it proved a coup with his tank as good as any and his defensive discipline top class. He drifted forward and snagged a couple of goals in our semi-final win over the Swans, but sadly is best remembered for being one of three players (Simon Eishold and Tony Campbell were the others) to run into open goal in the preliminary final and miss sealers from about 35m out. He did get some compensation at Springvale in 1996, kicking the winning goal in the VFA grand final. 

49 Bernie Vince 14-18 100 games Such was his popularity among fans in Adelaide, it’s said he was in tears when told he was being sent to Melbourne at the end of 2013. And if not for a bromance with Jack Watts, he may well have walked out after his first few training sessions. But Bernie, regarded as a bit of a lad in his early days at the Crows, quickly showed he was a great character and got down to business showing why they made a huge mistake. He regularly picked up 30 possessions (even a memorable 42 against the Pies in our 2016 QB win) but it was his duels with Patrick Dangerfield back in Adelaide that won over every Demon fan. I mean how good was he copping the local barrage and giving it his all to Danger. Roosy loved him and after a stellar 2015, he joined a very elite group having two B&F’s at two different clubs. His lack of pace and Olly’s rise, meant he was sent down back for much of his final two seasons under Goody, where his long-kicking made him ideal for our kick-ins, although he missed our 2018 final series with a shoulder injury which is a shame as he certainly deserved more reward for his efforts. 

50 Lynden Dunn 05-16 165 games, 97 goals You only had to attend a few of our training sessions to get an appreciation of how important Dunny was to our line-up. He had a booming boot, but it was his booming deep voice that stood out and the manliness of it was even more important under Roosy given our youth policy. He’d taken a while to warm into my heart and I’m sure yours as his early years saw him struggle as a forward and the occasional stint as a tagging midfielder. But under Roosy his value rose and he was fourth in our 2014 best and fairest and made vice-captain. He was always slow but he seemed unfairly punished and put in the naughty box after our loss to St Kilda at Etihad in 2016. And it only riled me more when his replacement Oscar Mac was possibly the slowest AFL player we’ve had since Spud Dullard. The Pies realised Dunny’s kicking skills were elite and offered him a lifeline and he’d probably have a flag at the Pies to his name if not for injury late in 2018.  

51 Jeremy Howe 11-15 100 games We were laughed at when we plucked him from Dodges Ferry in Tassie with pick 33, but like Robbo he became a human highlights reel and with our side so incompetent back then, the weekly Howey hanger watch became a must-do for Demon fans. He won our goalkicking in 2013 with 28, but Roosy wanted him more in the game and sent him to the wing and then half-back, and his papers were stamped “defender” where he turned on an intercept show in a shock win against Richmond that year. He spent five seasons with us before heading to the other side of the Olympic Park precinct, apparently to play forward under Bucks. But the Pies soon realised he was their best kick and only injuries have prevented him from becoming an AA defender.

52 Jesse Hogan 14-18 71 games, 152 goals There was something different about Jesse from the moment he walked through the door after being taken from Claremont as a 17yo in the 2012 mini-draft. He wasn’t allowed to play AFL that year but the hype built as he impressed in NAB Cup games and he won Casey’s best and fairest after kicking 39 goals in 15 games. Roosy arrived and suddenly had a wunderkind on his hands but bad luck in the form of a back injury meant we had to wait another year for Jesse’s debut. But when it finally came in 2015, it was worth the wait. He kicked 44 goals to win our goalkicking that year and his game on Anzac Eve against Alex Rance had to be seen to be believed. A four-gamer tearing apart a champion. With Angus also in action, it was exciting times even if we barely won. Jesse had that Allen Jakovich-style mystique too and walked around with the swagger of Wayne Carey. He was a beautiful mark, but he was never a great kick (barely making it 50m) and he was desperately unlucky in life with testicular cancer in 2017 on top of his father dying and then a navicular stress fracture ending his 2018 season early – a year in which he played some of his best footy early and was a key part of our six-game winning run that set up our finals breakthrough. With smoking issues and other off-field allegations, the club took a strong stance on what they perceived was a problem child and traded him to Fremantle. It turned out a smart move. 

53 Angus Brayshaw 15- 119 games It’s been an unusual journey for our BBQ onion chef. An amazingly popular winner of our best first-year player in 2015, it looked like his career was over by 2018 as every bump to his head sent him to the dark room. His mum must have driven Goody insane with all her texting. But after emerging OK from a collision with Koby Stevens in late 2017 and with an improved tackling style that reduced contact issues, he became a major player in our 2018 revival, starting off half-back, moving to a wing and then by finals, Angus the midfielder was in full stride. Such was his rise that he came third in the Brownlow that year. Since then it’s been a bit tricky with the debate on whether he’s a pure mid or a wingman only overshadowed by the number of times on Demonland it’s been suggested he be traded to Freo to join his brother. The turning point came in our win against the Dogs in Round 11 when he stopped their outside run on numerous occasions and he repeated it in the granny – that’s why so many of us had him in the Norm Smith pole position at three-quarter time.  

54 Brent Moloney 05-12 122 games A lot of Cat fans were devastated when Little Buddha departed for the Dees in 2005 as part of the Brad Ottens deal and it wasn’t hard to see why. A big-bodied midfielder he joined forces with Brock McLean and Col Sylvia to give us a tough, but youthful look that was tipped for greatness. Sadly he had shoulder and groin injuries in 2006 and missed our finals win against the Saints and by the time he returned, Neiter, Yze, White and Robbo were almost done. He continued to do a large part of the grunt work under Dean Bailey until that infamous trip down the highway in Rd 19 of 2011 turned things on their head. Beamer felt ill pre-game and did not play, a blessing of sorts given the 186-point loss. After winning the B&F and polling 17 Brownlow votes that year, he understandably would have thought captaincy of the club he supported as a kid was next. But Mark Neeld had other ideas, overlooking both he and Nathan Jones to go with generation next – Grimes and Trengove. But he did fire up on occasions in 2012 and I well recall the way he lifted us to one of our few good wins that year – against Essendon at the MCG. He was happy to join the Lions the next year. 

55 Tom McDonald 11- 193 games Ok, he’s about to become a 200-gamer and it’s fair to say that he might be ranked a tad low by me. I mean how many above him could snag goals from the boundary like he did against Richmond and Port Adelaide in 2021. He was highly regarded as a backman under Roosy before kicking 53 goals in 2018 when Goody sent him forward in desperation. And he is a dead-eye dick most of the time, even from around 50m. But there have been hiccups along the way. His low-skimming passes from defence gave all Dee fans the sh..s and once turf-toe cut out his fitness advantage in 2019, he suffered a shocking fall from grace by the end of 2020, being shopped around with ANB. Thankfully there were no takers and after working his butt off pre-season and aided by a couple of injuries to key forwards, he was back in the ones and firing on all cylinders. A back injury cruelled his finals campaign but he battled on and stuck to his role. But as with many key forwards, especially one that Jeremy Howe enjoys using as a stepladder, there are some serious doubts on his longevity. 

56 Ray Biffin 68-79 170 games 131 goals Everyone loved Biffo. Blessed with a beer gut, the Launy boy used to unflinchingly charge at the ball from full-back for almost a decade and every now and then would launch a torpedo from the kick-in goalsquare that would go 70m or out on the full. Then in 1976, Skilton sent him up the other end in desperation against the Saints and as a forward he proved a masterstroke – nailing 47 goals in the next 13 rounds as we suddenly looked like finalists. For the next three years injuries took hold, but when he played, he scored – even snagging five goals in his final game against the Pies in 1979.

57 Danny Hughes 84-90 124 games He was 20 when he came across from Port Adelaide in 1984 and is it too nasty to say he was a meat and potatoes footballer. Basically he was your typical tight-marking, give your opponent a clip over the ear type who could kick a pretty nice, long drop punt to clear the pressure down back. He played every game as our full-back in 1985, including a few spells in the ruck, and despite not cracking 20 disposals in any game won the best and fairest as the club unravelled under Barassi. Ask Gerard Healy, who averaged close to 25 touches every game that year why that happened? Anyway Hughes was mega dependable, albeit quite slow, and that’s why Swooper made what will go down in history as the most amazing tactical blunder in the 1988 GF, switching our man off Jason Dunstall pre-game and sending our lively wingman Steven Stretch back there. Danny ended up with just three kicks and two hitouts that day – I doubt he has watched the replay. He was back at full-back in 1989 and resolute for two more seasons before deciding to head home and be part of the new-born Crows side.   

58 Rod Grinter 85-95 134 games 57 goals He spent the first two years as a lanky half-forward before Swooper sent him to defence where he made his name in the 1987 final series. Blessed with a thumping kick, he was more noted for his thumping white line fever style, dished out via the bump (Chris Mew will attest to that) or the swinging arm (Terry Wallace still probably has his lawyers on to it). He was the tough edge that most sides had, but one that we’d been missing and I’m sure that’s why his rise coincided with a successful period, albeit one without a flag. 

59 Tony Sullivan 67-79 191 games If not for a goal against the Pies in 1970, the St Pat’s (Redan juniors) Ballarat recruit may have been in a rare 191-game goalless club. You can probably guess that he wasn’t a flashy, long-kicking half-back, but my childhood memories are that our No.4 was as reliable as they come, it’s just that it was mega hard to get his Scanlen’s footy card (I never really liked chewing gum anyway). Tony played for Victoria and was 188cm, which in those days made him ideal to play on the third tall. I think Big Carl, in his second stint, wasn’t a huge fan so he ended up playing in the VFA.

60 Andrew Obst 90-97 149 games The obstetrician took a couple of years of convincing before he left Port Adelaide, but when he came was just so professional in his tactics that he was quickly a fan favourite. He played every game in the shortened 1990 season and was one of our best in our memorable win over the Hawks in the final round. For the next seven years, he was always hard at it for a skinny bloke and was third in our 1996 B&F. A few nagging injuries saw him return home after ’97 and he won a couple of SANFL flags for Port in 98 and 99.  

[dieter 3,325]

6 hours ago, Deespicable said:

Part 3 – Top 100 Demons of the past 50 years 41-60

It’s interesting thinking that our success this year came from a time when the majority of players were homegrown talents, nurtured and developed after being claimed via the draft – a big thank you to Paul Roos who installed some genuinely good assistants and started progressive training structures that Goody has continued to follow. 

In the past we had been guilty of trying to buy our flag, a similar process to the way Carlton continues today with its outlays for Williams and Saad and Cerra. 

While there is no coin comparison with today, we paid record fees for Diamond Jim Tilbrook (around $20,000 to Sturt plus $5000 a year in 1971), Big Carl Ditterich ($62,000 from the Saints in 1973) and our Brownlow-winning pair Peter Moore and Kelvin Templeton, the duo came across reputedly on a combined $1 million in 1983.

Of those players only one – Peter Moore - made my list and with just 77 games for us, he is hardly a club legend, although some of his games in 1984 were phenomenal. 

That’s why it’s so hard ranking players – how do we assess loyal servants who always chipped in for many years like James McDonald and Tony Sullivan against stars who shone brightly for short periods like Moore and Allen Jakovich. 

The other tricky conundrum is deciding where to rank players who still have many more years to go in their evolution – I ruled out our three youngsters Jackson, Kozzy and Rivers on a game infancy basis but others like Salem and Fritter and Lever still have key years ahead of them so may rise up my rankings in time.

Finally we all have memories of great games by the club and that colours our thinking. For me, given that I had a few best mates who barracked for Hawthorn, there was no greater game than our win over the Dawks at Princes Park in 1984 – a bit like our breakthrough win over them in 2016. I almost put Peter Tossol in my top 100 list, based on this game, but to be fair, without watching that game, he’d be lucky to be in our top 200 of the past 50 years. It was great finding a video of that game recently – well worth a watch for Demonlanders. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzmtCfS5X_Y

41 Peter Moore 83-87 77 games One of only six Brownlow Medallists in our history, Moore came to the club at the end of 1982 with fellow Charlie winner Kelvin Templeton as Barassi tried to evoke a similar scenario to the 10-year rule that helped North’s rise. But given Moore was captain of the Pies in 1981 and 82 it was huge and when he lined up against his old side in Rd 1 of 83, a banner in the crowd read “Moore Filth”. The Pies predictably won by 10 points that day, Weid’s dad Mark had possibly his best ever day kicking five goals. Moore’s hamstring issues seemed to abate at the Dees (we probably had a better medical team than them back then) and we started to again see the athleticism of the 198cm tall ruckman, who was really more of a mobile ruck-rover. With his confidence back, he regularly tallied 20 disposals or more in 1984 on top of a few marking hot spells where he’d drift in like his son Darcy does now and just read the flight so much better than everyone else. The issue I have with the Brownlow is that game against Hawthorn in 1984. He got three votes that day, yet was beaten badly by an inspired Michael Byrne, a former Dee. Watch the replay and tell me how Gerard Healy didn’t get three-votes. The following week we were mauled by Essendon at VFL Park and I always blamed Moore for not really standing up and getting physical as many ruckman did in those days. But really I think I’m being a bit unfair with that memory as Moore just wasn’t that type of player – he was a beautiful runner who went on to become a lawyer. He had back issues early in 1987, so missed our final series revival.

42 Ross Brewer 72-78 121 games 196 goals A lanky 188cm half-forward from our then zone in Bentleigh, he topped our goalkicking three times and had a day out kicking seven goals against the Dogs in 1978. I have been desperately trying to find which game he scored a memorable soccer goal on a fast break. It was bucketing rain and so instead of picking it up just past the outer wing, he chose to soccer it and run after it. He was then about 35m out and soccered it again and then with his opponents rushing after him he opted to kick it off the ground once more and it slid through the big sticks. With his size he was very handy as the third tall, and later on even played a bit as full-forward before a knee injury in 78 led to him being offered up for trade to the Pies for Phul Carman and Wayne Gordon. I suspect that his much older brother Ian, a 1958 Pies premiership player, had gotten in his ears. Once he was fit, he played some pretty handy games for the Pies as well as two grand final losses to Carlton.

43 Greg Parke 68-73 119 games, 169 goals My first Melbourne jumper had No.26 on it – the reason Greg Parke. Parke was our star centre half-forward in 1972 kicking 63 goals, but he should have kicked many more – he just wasn’t a reliable kick like Peter McKenna or Peter Hudson. But boy could he mark it – he took 24 in one game in 1970. He had the most amazing sticky fingers and with blonde locks, would have been a favourite with the ladies as well as nine-year-old boys like me. One of the first games I attended was against the Swans at the MCG and he took 14 marks. He kicked seven on John Scarlett down at Kardinia Park that year. I don’t really know why he left for Bulldogs in 1974, I imagine it had something to do with payment given that most Melbourne players back then got little more than their MCC membership paid for and Parke was a full-time policeman like Rex Hunt in those semi-professional days. Sadly he died on September 25, 2021 – the same day that we beat the Bulldogs.   

44 James Frawley 07-14 139 games Chipper was similar to his uncle Spud in lots of ways – I mean they both were hard to push off, they both were tough as nails and they both weren’t mega kicks. But there was one key difference for our Chip - he was pretty damn quick for a big bloke. That’s why after a rookie season playing mainly on the wing he was soon sent to defence and in 2010 was so effective that he took down Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola in a memorable win against Brisbane at the MCG. The All-Australian selectors were clearly impressed. Surprisingly though the 21-year-old didn’t go on to win any more AA gigs. Part of that was because of a serious pectoral muscle injury and part was caused by his disgust at looking the fool playing in the AFL worst defence for several seasons under Bailey and Neeld. As a result he was happy to switch to the Hawks in 2015 as a free agent – just in time for their final flag – a game in which he kept Josh Kennedy goalless in his prime.  

45 Glenn Lovett 87-99 127 games, 74 goals I remember thinking back in the late eighties that G.Lovett  might be the worst wingman we’d had in my time of watching the Dees. He just seemed so off the pace and error prone. But thankfully I was way wrong and the club was bang on the money giving him the No.6 as come 1991 he’d developed into a clever, strong tackling, precise kicking centreman who you wanted in the side. Given his dicky hamstrings (I reckon he had skins before anyone except Don Scott) he missed quite a few games, but when he played, we generally won – because he was ahead of his time in summing up a short kick to Schwarter or Lyon. His game in our semi-final win over the Dogs in 1994 was huge and he won our B&F in 1992.   

46 Neville Jetta 09-21 159 games There are two Nev Jetta’s that played for Melbourne. The first was an innocuous small forward who played for five largely forgettable seasons before being delisted. The second Nev Jetta was spotted by Paul Roos, reinstated, and sent to play down back at a time when his accurate short kicking and evasive skills was a godsend. For the next four years, Nev was an icon at Demonland and his battles with fellow indigenous star Eddie Betts were legendary. Such was his popularity that the calls for his elevation to All-Australian status came every week throughout 2017 and 18 as he majored in shutting down opponents, but he had to settle for being an All-Star, our only representative in the pre-season 2020 game. 

47 Greg Healy 84-93 141 games, 167 goals The younger, smaller brother of Gerard could match him with skills and looked destined for similar stardom when he began in 1984 and racked up six wins and 14 goals from his first seven games. But unfortunately, we copped Essendon at their meanest the next week and after an impressive first half by the teenager, Roger Merrett made sure he wasn’t a factor. Sugar also was caught up a bit in his brother Gerard’s departure to Sydney in 85, but he responded by winning the club B&F in 1986 – a year where he kicked 35 goals when resting in a pocket. He followed that up with a handy 1987, including a 40 disposal game in our loss to the Saints at Waverley – along with Robbie I suspect he was used by coach as an example of courage by Swooper, because that’s where our run to the 87 finals started. With Robbie retiring, he was made skipper in 1988 as a 22-year-old and his form started to peter out a bit with a dodgy Achilles not helping – even being dropped in 1990 before the decision was made to go with Dollars as skipper.  

48 Graeme Yeats 84 -95 182 games, 45 goals Yeater was a lively little back pocket that we picked up from Prahran who was in and out of the side for his first three seasons and one who loved the punt – I think there were rumours he spent more time listening to his tranny at halftime than to the coaches. But in 1987, with Allen Johnson out with hamstring issues, Northey moved him to the wing and it proved a coup with his tank as good as any and his defensive discipline top class. He drifted forward and snagged a couple of goals in our semi-final win over the Swans, but sadly is best remembered for being one of three players (Simon Eishold and Tony Campbell were the others) to run into open goal in the preliminary final and miss sealers from about 35m out. He did get some compensation at Springvale in 1996, kicking the winning goal in the VFA grand final. 

49 Bernie Vince 14-18 100 games Such was his popularity among fans in Adelaide, it’s said he was in tears when told he was being sent to Melbourne at the end of 2013. And if not for a bromance with Jack Watts, he may well have walked out after his first few training sessions. But Bernie, regarded as a bit of a lad in his early days at the Crows, quickly showed he was a great character and got down to business showing why they made a huge mistake. He regularly picked up 30 possessions (even a memorable 42 against the Pies in our 2016 QB win) but it was his duels with Patrick Dangerfield back in Adelaide that won over every Demon fan. I mean how good was he copping the local barrage and giving it his all to Danger. Roosy loved him and after a stellar 2015, he joined a very elite group having two B&F’s at two different clubs. His lack of pace and Olly’s rise, meant he was sent down back for much of his final two seasons under Goody, where his long-kicking made him ideal for our kick-ins, although he missed our 2018 final series with a shoulder injury which is a shame as he certainly deserved more reward for his efforts. 

50 Lynden Dunn 05-16 165 games, 97 goals You only had to attend a few of our training sessions to get an appreciation of how important Dunny was to our line-up. He had a booming boot, but it was his booming deep voice that stood out and the manliness of it was even more important under Roosy given our youth policy. He’d taken a while to warm into my heart and I’m sure yours as his early years saw him struggle as a forward and the occasional stint as a tagging midfielder. But under Roosy his value rose and he was fourth in our 2014 best and fairest and made vice-captain. He was always slow but he seemed unfairly punished and put in the naughty box after our loss to St Kilda at Etihad in 2016. And it only riled me more when his replacement Oscar Mac was possibly the slowest AFL player we’ve had since Spud Dullard. The Pies realised Dunny’s kicking skills were elite and offered him a lifeline and he’d probably have a flag at the Pies to his name if not for injury late in 2018.  

51 Jeremy Howe 11-15 100 games We were laughed at when we plucked him from Dodges Ferry in Tassie with pick 33, but like Robbo he became a human highlights reel and with our side so incompetent back then, the weekly Howey hanger watch became a must-do for Demon fans. He won our goalkicking in 2013 with 28, but Roosy wanted him more in the game and sent him to the wing and then half-back, and his papers were stamped “defender” where he turned on an intercept show in a shock win against Richmond that year. He spent five seasons with us before heading to the other side of the Olympic Park precinct, apparently to play forward under Bucks. But the Pies soon realised he was their best kick and only injuries have prevented him from becoming an AA defender.

52 Jesse Hogan 14-18 71 games, 152 goals There was something different about Jesse from the moment he walked through the door after being taken from Claremont as a 17yo in the 2012 mini-draft. He wasn’t allowed to play AFL that year but the hype built as he impressed in NAB Cup games and he won Casey’s best and fairest after kicking 39 goals in 15 games. Roosy arrived and suddenly had a wunderkind on his hands but bad luck in the form of a back injury meant we had to wait another year for Jesse’s debut. But when it finally came in 2015, it was worth the wait. He kicked 44 goals to win our goalkicking that year and his game on Anzac Eve against Alex Rance had to be seen to be believed. A four-gamer tearing apart a champion. With Angus also in action, it was exciting times even if we barely won. Jesse had that Allen Jakovich-style mystique too and walked around with the swagger of Wayne Carey. He was a beautiful mark, but he was never a great kick (barely making it 50m) and he was desperately unlucky in life with testicular cancer in 2017 on top of his father dying and then a navicular stress fracture ending his 2018 season early – a year in which he played some of his best footy early and was a key part of our six-game winning run that set up our finals breakthrough. With smoking issues and other off-field allegations, the club took a strong stance on what they perceived was a problem child and traded him to Fremantle. It turned out a smart move. 

53 Angus Brayshaw 15- 119 games It’s been an unusual journey for our BBQ onion chef. An amazingly popular winner of our best first-year player in 2015, it looked like his career was over by 2018 as every bump to his head sent him to the dark room. His mum must have driven Goody insane with all her texting. But after emerging OK from a collision with Koby Stevens in late 2017 and with an improved tackling style that reduced contact issues, he became a major player in our 2018 revival, starting off half-back, moving to a wing and then by finals, Angus the midfielder was in full stride. Such was his rise that he came third in the Brownlow that year. Since then it’s been a bit tricky with the debate on whether he’s a pure mid or a wingman only overshadowed by the number of times on Demonland it’s been suggested he be traded to Freo to join his brother. The turning point came in our win against the Dogs in Round 11 when he stopped their outside run on numerous occasions and he repeated it in the granny – that’s why so many of us had him in the Norm Smith pole position at three-quarter time.  

54 Brent Moloney 05-12 122 games A lot of Cat fans were devastated when Little Buddha departed for the Dees in 2005 as part of the Brad Ottens deal and it wasn’t hard to see why. A big-bodied midfielder he joined forces with Brock McLean and Col Sylvia to give us a tough, but youthful look that was tipped for greatness. Sadly he had shoulder and groin injuries in 2006 and missed our finals win against the Saints and by the time he returned, Neiter, Yze, White and Robbo were almost done. He continued to do a large part of the grunt work under Dean Bailey until that infamous trip down the highway in Rd 19 of 2011 turned things on their head. Beamer felt ill pre-game and did not play, a blessing of sorts given the 186-point loss. After winning the B&F and polling 17 Brownlow votes that year, he understandably would have thought captaincy of the club he supported as a kid was next. But Mark Neeld had other ideas, overlooking both he and Nathan Jones to go with generation next – Grimes and Trengove. But he did fire up on occasions in 2012 and I well recall the way he lifted us to one of our few good wins that year – against Essendon at the MCG. He was happy to join the Lions the next year. 

55 Tom McDonald 11- 193 games Ok, he’s about to become a 200-gamer and it’s fair to say that he might be ranked a tad low by me. I mean how many above him could snag goals from the boundary like he did against Richmond and Port Adelaide in 2021. He was highly regarded as a backman under Roosy before kicking 53 goals in 2018 when Goody sent him forward in desperation. And he is a dead-eye dick most of the time, even from around 50m. But there have been hiccups along the way. His low-skimming passes from defence gave all Dee fans the sh..s and once turf-toe cut out his fitness advantage in 2019, he suffered a shocking fall from grace by the end of 2020, being shopped around with ANB. Thankfully there were no takers and after working his butt off pre-season and aided by a couple of injuries to key forwards, he was back in the ones and firing on all cylinders. A back injury cruelled his finals campaign but he battled on and stuck to his role. But as with many key forwards, especially one that Jeremy Howe enjoys using as a stepladder, there are some serious doubts on his longevity. 

56 Ray Biffin 68-79 170 games 131 goals Everyone loved Biffo. Blessed with a beer gut, the Launy boy used to unflinchingly charge at the ball from full-back for almost a decade and every now and then would launch a torpedo from the kick-in goalsquare that would go 70m or out on the full. Then in 1976, Skilton sent him up the other end in desperation against the Saints and as a forward he proved a masterstroke – nailing 47 goals in the next 13 rounds as we suddenly looked like finalists. For the next three years injuries took hold, but when he played, he scored – even snagging five goals in his final game against the Pies in 1979.

57 Danny Hughes 84-90 124 games He was 20 when he came across from Port Adelaide in 1984 and is it too nasty to say he was a meat and potatoes footballer. Basically he was your typical tight-marking, give your opponent a clip over the ear type who could kick a pretty nice, long drop punt to clear the pressure down back. He played every game as our full-back in 1985, including a few spells in the ruck, and despite not cracking 20 disposals in any game won the best and fairest as the club unravelled under Barassi. Ask Gerard Healy, who averaged close to 25 touches every game that year why that happened? Anyway Hughes was mega dependable, albeit quite slow, and that’s why Swooper made what will go down in history as the most amazing tactical blunder in the 1988 GF, switching our man off Jason Dunstall pre-game and sending our lively wingman Steven Stretch back there. Danny ended up with just three kicks and two hitouts that day – I doubt he has watched the replay. He was back at full-back in 1989 and resolute for two more seasons before deciding to head home and be part of the new-born Crows side.   

58 Rod Grinter 85-95 134 games 57 goals He spent the first two years as a lanky half-forward before Swooper sent him to defence where he made his name in the 1987 final series. Blessed with a thumping kick, he was more noted for his thumping white line fever style, dished out via the bump (Chris Mew will attest to that) or the swinging arm (Terry Wallace still probably has his lawyers on to it). He was the tough edge that most sides had, but one that we’d been missing and I’m sure that’s why his rise coincided with a successful period, albeit one without a flag. 

59 Tony Sullivan 67-79 191 games If not for a goal against the Pies in 1970, the St Pat’s (Redan juniors) Ballarat recruit may have been in a rare 191-game goalless club. You can probably guess that he wasn’t a flashy, long-kicking half-back, but my childhood memories are that our No.4 was as reliable as they come, it’s just that it was mega hard to get his Scanlen’s footy card (I never really liked chewing gum anyway). Tony played for Victoria and was 188cm, which in those days made him ideal to play on the third tall. I think Big Carl, in his second stint, wasn’t a huge fan so he ended up playing in the VFA.

60 Andrew Obst 90-97 149 games The obstetrician took a couple of years of convincing before he left Port Adelaide, but when he came was just so professional in his tactics that he was quickly a fan favourite. He played every game in the shortened 1990 season and was one of our best in our memorable win over the Hawks in the final round. For the next seven years, he was always hard at it for a skinny bloke and was third in our 1996 B&F. A few nagging injuries saw him return home after ’97 and he won a couple of SANFL flags for Port in 98 and 99.  

Good stuff.

With regard to D. Hughes, I recall he was sent into the ruck in the '88 GF because Steve O'Dwyer had been rubbed out, and we needed some grunt at Centre Bounces. And I recall Jackovich's game against him in Adelaide - I believe it was Jackovich's return after being banished to the Reserves after the West Coast thrashing in Round 1 - Danny was now playing for Adelaide and he did what he did best, I.E. clipped Jacko over the ears. Jackovich just ran at him and launched one straight back. Though we lost that day, I felt we had gained one in Jackovich.

[Demonstone 19,045]

Lovely work once more, Deespicable.    You've clearly put a lot of time and effort into this.

Looking forward to the Top 40.

 

[WERRIDEE 5,198]

Great stuff can't fault it. A lot of good players in there.

[mo64 5,208]

Great job once again Deespic. No controversial selections. 

But we did fork out some considerable draft capital and utilise salary cap space to acquire Lever and May. Without them, I doubt we finish as minor premiers let alone win a flag.

However I can't agree with your initial Paul Roos narrative, in particular his supposed progressive training structures. If you listen to podcasts with current players and Goody, they're not so generous in their praise of Roos. To say that Goody followed Roos' methods is selling him short. Watts and Hogan were poster boys under Roos, but Goody was quick to move them on. And the team was better for it.

 

 

[Fanatique Demon 2,364]

Thanks again, Deespic. I have been waiting not so patiently for this. Your knowledge of the players, games and even particular incidents within those games is just amazing. The links to videos are also very much appreciated.

To help those unfamiliar with nicknames, I wonder if you could please add the surnames of who you’re talking about. Eg, Dollars, Beamer. 

Already looking forward to the next instalment. Cheers!

[Demonstone 19,045]

"Dollars" is Garry Lyon and "Beamer" is Brent Moloney, I believe.

[Damo 2,969]

Ive always wondered if anyone called Garry "Dollars" to his face, Or if it was only said behind his back. 

[Wrecker46 2,650]

3 minutes ago, Damo said:

Ive always wondered if anyone called Garry "Dollars" to his face, Or if it was only said behind his back. 

I reckon it would have been used pretty commonly. As a kid I had a footy card that called him Garry 'dollars' Lyon.

[DeeZone 7,642]

I am loving this count down Deespicable, we have had a lot of very good players over the years, also keen to see our top 40.👍🤘

[dieter 3,325]

12 hours ago, mo64 said:

Great job once again Deespic. No controversial selections. 

But we did fork out some considerable draft capital and utilise salary cap space to acquire Lever and May. Without them, I doubt we finish as minor premiers let alone win a flag.

However I can't agree with your initial Paul Roos narrative, in particular his supposed progressive training structures. If you listen to podcasts with current players and Goody, they're not so generous in their praise of Roos. To say that Goody followed Roos' methods is selling him short. Watts and Hogan were poster boys under Roos, but Goody was quick to move them on. And the team was better for it.

 

 

If you watch Hogan and Watts play under Roos you'll understand why Roos was so important. He found a way to get the best from those two troubled gents - one of them 17 when he came here, injured his back and missed his next year and then suffered with cancer and the death of his father. I haven't picked up any antipathy towards Roos from current players. Can you give examples?

[Guest]

Enjoying this so far. However, some of the spelling requires work (I'm surprised @Demonstonehasn't jumped on this already).

Phul Carman must be Phil Carman's New Zealand based doppelganger. 

Plus anyone worth their salt on Demonland knows that you spell the eponymous fullback's name 'B-I-F-F-E-N'. 😉

Edited January 12, 2022 by Colin B. Flaubert

[mo64 5,208]

2 minutes ago, dieter said:

If you watch Hogan and Watts play under Roos you'll understand why Roos was so important. He found a way to get the best from those two troubled gents - one of them 17 when he came here, injured his back and missed his next year and then suffered with cancer and the death of his father. I haven't picked up any antipathy towards Roos from current players. Can you give examples?

I suggest you listen to Dylan Buckley's podcasts. He's interviewed quite a few Dees players, and I'm yet to hear one praise Roos. All have expressed their love for Goody.

His interview with Max goes for over an hour. Max goes through how the club was under each coach he's had. When it got to Roos, Max laughed. He said that the player loved Roos because under Neeld they were training 9-5. He goes on to say that Roos was a family man, so by one o'clock he'd leave and the players would be left standing around. Max then goes on to say that Goody changed the culture of the club.

Harmes said in his interview that when he arrived at the club (same year as Roos), the young players weren't given any direction as to where they fitted in the team. They just played for Casey and hoped to get picked. This was contrary to what the club is like now.

And if you think that Roos had an influence on our current team, have a look at the players we recruited from other clubs during his time. The list is embarrassing. The only current player is Melksham, and he came due to Goody. The best recruit was Vince, and he came because of Goody. The biggest fish Roos was able to attract was Lumumba. We traded Howe for Ben Kennedy. Goody attracted big names like Lever and May. Roos attracted zilch.

 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, mo64 said:

I suggest you listen to Dylan Buckley's podcasts. He's interviewed quite a few Dees players, and I'm yet to hear one praise Roos. All have expressed their love for Goody.

His interview with Max goes for over an hour. Max goes through how the club was under each coach he's had. When it got to Roos, Max laughed. He said that the player loved Roos because under Neeld they were training 9-5. He goes on to say that Roos was a family man, so by one o'clock he'd leave and the players would be left standing around. Max then goes on to say that Goody changed the culture of the club.

Harmes said in his interview that when he arrived at the club (same year as Roos), the young players weren't given any direction as to where they fitted in the team. They just played for Casey and hoped to get picked. This was contrary to what the club is like now.

And if you think that Roos had an influence on our current team, have a look at the players we recruited from other clubs during his time. The list is embarrassing. The only current player is Melksham, and he came due to Goody. The best recruit was Vince, and he came because of Goody. The biggest fish Roos was able to attract was Lumumba. We traded Howe for Ben Kennedy. Goody attracted big names like Lever and May. Roos attracted zilch.

 

Would we have won the premiership if Roos completely changed his mind and decided to become a long term coach (i.e. 5 years and beyond)? I don't think so. While he had a great football mind for his time, I'd say a lot of what he had to offer game plan wise would have been old hat.

Was Roos right about every utterance he made? Nope. I didn't agree with what he said re: the Jack Watts trade, and history has proven Goody unambiguously correct in making that call.

Did every player he recruit turn into an A-Grade champion? Not at all, though I would add that what he had to offer prospective recruits wasn't great back in 2014-15. It was more a case of finding diamonds in the rough like Crossy (and blokes who could play weekly but who had definite ceilings on how far they could go).

Would Goody have been able to have create the culture he has without Paul Roos' 3 years at the club (or Peter Jackson's 4 and a half)? I strongly doubt it. 

Plonk Goody into the hot seat in round 1, 2014 with the admin and culture that previously existed still in place, and any first year, inexperienced coach would have struggled.

He was eased beautifully into the role when the worst controversies surrounding the club involved perceived disconnect between potential and performance. When Roosy first walked into the club, he was confronted 2 weeks later with Terlich and Georgiou being snapped dressed up as Rolf Harris and a schoolgirl (just after Roosy had gotten the playing list to participate in the Reclaim the Night marches related to the death of Jill Meagher) . In isolation, that may not indicate a cultural rot, but it was indicative of a number of mind bogglingly obtuse decisions made by blokes on our playing list. I could give an exhaustive list (and can if you would like) but most on this board would be well familiar with the type of headlines we woke up to most mornings from 2011 through to 2013.

In short, he was allowed to mostly just focus on coaching and had none of the self inflicted fiascos we all know and 'love' to deal with. If that hadn't happened, I'd say he would have been a coach the caliber of Neale Daniher: a fantastic coach (have a look at a lot of where his assistants and senior players ended up in the coaching ranks if you don't believe me) but one who had to constantly deal with a lot of peripheral crap  which hindered what he could accomplish

I need to be clear that Roosy wasn't the only bloke to have helped clean this mess up. This isn't a binary discussion (i.e. Roosy good and Goody bad or vice versa). But to discount the role he played from 2014 onwards isn't historically accurate. He (or PJ) doesn't come in 2013, and I'm not sure we even have a club to talk about today.

P.S. Bernie came before Goody was even appointed. Goody was signed after the 2014 season had been completed. Bernie was traded for at the end of 2013.

 

 

[Deespicable 2,538]

34 minutes ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

Would we have won the premiership if Roos completely changed his mind and decided to become a long term coach (i.e. 5 years and beyond)? I don't think so. While he had a great football mind for his time, I'd say a lot of what he had to offer game plan wise would have been old hat.

Was Roos right about every utterance he made? Nope. I didn't agree with what he said re: the Jack Watts trade, and history has proven Goody unambiguously correct in making that call.

 

Love the detail from a committee perspective. Certainly in my initial pre-amble I was not suggesting Goody was less involved in the development process, merely suggesting that Roos oversaw (in tandem with Jackson and Mahoney and quite possibly Tammy) a  significant cultural change and at the same time he always banged on about getting quality non-football time outside the club which he felt was necessary. Not sure how that would have worked in the past two Covid years though.

What I personally noticed straight away on Roosy's arrival was that the length of most traning sessions jumped up to 150mins - in keeping with actual game time and the sessions were usually broken up into their three teams (defense/mids/forwards) with a mix of skills that changed regularly until most sessions finished with match simulation. There was way more structure put into training than in the days of Bailey and Neeld. I think the arrival of guys like Ben Matthews and Jade Rawlings helped improve the quality of these sessions - although you can well and truly argue that Yze and Chocco and Chaplin have taken to to the next level under Goody.

Goody, with Mahoney's help, made some exceptionally tough calls on Watts and Hogan and clearly they look even better decisions now.

I never get caught up in guys saying they love their coach - that's what they have to do if they want to stick around. For example I have a Richmond insider who insists that Trac and others absolutely hate Goody and I take that comment with a grain of salt as  all our top players have re-signed so they must like something about the club and I'm pretty sure they would all know that our facilities at Gosch's are among the worst in the AFL. 

So basically I prefer to think that Roosy started the process with some astute observations and Goody has enhanced it.

Doing my top 40 now. May v Sean Wight, Lever v Hardeman - I know my current answer but it may change in two more years.

[Ollie fan 2,113]

I am with those who say Roos was essential to the development of our club. He and Jackson inherited a shambles and turned it into a professional, focused organisation. The Club is forever in his debt.

[tiers 2,761]

Even if Roos did nothing special to improve the club and the playing list, he at least stopped the rot and lent his prestige and reputation to lift the club's profile if not its playing style and record of success. He also brought us Goody.

For this we are grateful.

[mo64 5,208]

26 minutes ago, tiers said:

Even if Roos did nothing special to improve the club and the playing list, he at least stopped the rot and lent his prestige and reputation to lift the club's profile if not its playing style and record of success. He also brought us Goody.

For this we are grateful.

He didn't bring us Goody. Roos wanted Stewie Dew as his successor, but the Swans wouldn't release him from his contract.

[mo64 5,208]

2 hours ago, Deespicable said:

Love the detail from a committee perspective. Certainly in my initial pre-amble I was not suggesting Goody was less involved in the development process, merely suggesting that Roos oversaw (in tandem with Jackson and Mahoney and quite possibly Tammy) a  significant cultural change and at the same time he always banged on about getting quality non-football time outside the club which he felt was necessary. Not sure how that would have worked in the past two Covid years though.

What I personally noticed straight away on Roosy's arrival was that the length of most traning sessions jumped up to 150mins - in keeping with actual game time and the sessions were usually broken up into their three teams (defense/mids/forwards) with a mix of skills that changed regularly until most sessions finished with match simulation. There was way more structure put into training than in the days of Bailey and Neeld. I think the arrival of guys like Ben Matthews and Jade Rawlings helped improve the quality of these sessions - although you can well and truly argue that Yze and Chocco and Chaplin have taken to to the next level under Goody.

Goody, with Mahoney's help, made some exceptionally tough calls on Watts and Hogan and clearly they look even better decisions now.

I never get caught up in guys saying they love their coach - that's what they have to do if they want to stick around. For example I have a Richmond insider who insists that Trac and others absolutely hate Goody and I take that comment with a grain of salt as  all our top players have re-signed so they must like something about the club and I'm pretty sure they would all know that our facilities at Gosch's are among the worst in the AFL. 

So basically I prefer to think that Roosy started the process with some astute observations and Goody has enhanced it.

Doing my top 40 now. May v Sean Wight, Lever v Hardeman - I know my current answer but it may change in two more years.

Looking forward to your Top 40 Deespic. So far, the only player I rated massively different was Tony Elshaug. He'd be in my top 60. 

[dl4e 5,578]

Again an interesting read. There were 4 players, all in a row that I would question especially in the 41 to 60 brigade. These were 49 to 52. Would definately have Grinter inmy top 30. He had the rough man attitude thrown at him but I thaught he was a sensational player as well.

[58er 5,568]

14 hours ago, mo64 said:

He didn't bring us Goody. Roos wanted Stewie Dew as his successor, but the Swans wouldn't release him from his contract.

But Goody was  the next choice and to say Roosy didn't recruit Goody is palpably wrong and disengenuos to Roos (and PJ. )

[IvanBartul13 2,564]

Finding the order and some of the players included in the 100 utterly bizarre but its a great read, effort and format!

[Diamond_Jim 11,670]

Lynden Dunn at 50 surprises me. A solid team player in the 10-15 ranking of a season's 22... 

50th best player over the last 50 years though ??

Great list though !

[Demon17 4,519]

On 1/12/2022 at 8:35 AM, Damo said:

Ive always wondered if anyone called Garry "Dollars" to his face, Or if it was only said behind his back. 

Lyon has said it wasn't widely used. His father Peter won the Soccer pools and Garry's teammates asumed he was getting a cut which he says didn't come his way.  I stood next to his dad at the 88 Gf. Lovely person and very proud of his then 21 yearold son. Wore a demons scarf depsite being an ex-hawk player.

On an earleir comment on Danny Huges in the 88 GF - he actually took the opening centre bounce, and generally was ineffective. He sure was in thta opneing contest, trying to run through Dear. against Greg Dear.   Jimmy was clear BOG for the Dees that day.

[4_Kent_Watts 846]

On 1/12/2022 at 8:41 AM, Wrecker46 said:

I reckon it would have been used pretty commonly. As a kid I had a footy card that called him Garry 'dollars' Lyon.

I think it was on the Front Bar this was talked about and Garry said it was used more of a [censored] stir than a serious nickname.