Jump to content

Featured Replies

Posted

Came across this video randomly, thought others might enjoy it also:

 

 
4 minutes ago, Winners at last said:

Robbie ... obviously.

Sadly he played at a time when the Demons were deplorable.

Even sadder was his premature death.

They had Ron Barrassi at number 1.

Hard to argue with his record and all.

Had really good things to say about Robbie though.

 
6 minutes ago, Winners at last said:

Robbie ... obviously.

Sadly he played at a time when the Demons were deplorable.

Even sadder was his premature death.

Flower is clearly the best I have seen. But I didn't see either Barassi play in his prime or Norm Smith play at all.  

I was only a kid but I remember RDB .... It was a vastly different game then.

For mine Robbie and Neitz were the greatest of former players but there are couple of today's Demons who may go on to top them for the 'greatest ever' accolade.

We should revisit this topic in a few years.


 
  • Author

I can only remember from the 90s onwards so my early favourites were Jakovic, Stynes and ... Darren Bennett. My earliest football memory from my first live game was him having a shot from 50 out and the ball landing/hitting on the top of the post.

Then it was Neitz, Schwartz and Farmer for the Daniher era. Special mention to Matty Whelan.

Watts and Jurrah during the dark years. So much potential just at the wrong time with no support or development pathway.

More recently the obvious ones like Trac, Clarry and Max are going to obviously be in the ballpark of greatest ever.  Fritta is also a favourite of this era.

If I have to choose one, it's probably recency bias but Gawn for everything he has done in helping turn the club around both onfield and off, and the only (men's) demon to hold up the premiership cup in my lifetime, would have to be the greatest for me.

Also special mention to Daisy Pearce - she is the clear leader for our women's team.

Edited by mpc


Had Robbie had the luxury of playing in the teams of RBD's era he would be just about the greatest.  Vividly recall David Parkin, after a 40 disposal game for Flower representing Victoria, stating that he was just about the best player he ever coached. RDB very good player but his leadership and toughness were his greatest qualities,  not his skill. 

23 minutes ago, Superunknown said:

Imagine if we had Flower now. Unstoppable, Gary!

 

Robbie.

We could even play him in position. How good would that be!

6 minutes ago, Deemist said:

We could even play him in position. How good would that be!

He played against Malcolm Blight at full back one day at the MCG!!

I saw Flower come on the ground @ Victoria Park as 19th /20th man in the Reserves. Comments made were " Lookit the Shiela" as he had "athletic glasses"    10 minutes later he got the ball , showed it to half the Collinwood side and the comments were "kill the shiela" My favourite moment. .........He was silk !!!

Barassi was brutal, but lifted sides through shear will,like nobody except for Maximus.


Robbie Flower.  He was special   

Could kick 50 metres plus on left and right foot 

Could run and bounce and handball and run past and evade two tackles and then kick a goal 

Could twist and turn and spin and weave through opponents whilst dodging elbows and knees trying to bring him down 

Could rise and lift and reach for a mark either on the wing or in the firward line to kick a team lifting goal 

Depends on your h criteria.  On pure skill and talent Flower.  No one has come close to him. 

Even older people (Knowledgable footballer) here I have spoken to were in awe of his skill when they watched him play for Victoria in WA.  He was a class above everyone else.  

More sadly was his early passing as he was such a great guy.  Used to like the chats with him by Peter Russel Clark on his show, when he was always visiting Robbie in his store.

As others have said, if you want sheer force of personality for success, RDB is the clear stand out, even better than anyone else that have led the Dees. 

 

Norm (10 flags as player/coach)

RDB

Robbie

Mueller (reading the book 125 year history of MFC Mueller was ranked by Hobbs/Palmer as 7th in a list of best 50 VFL players in last year's 1933-1983 - big game player who arguable won the 48 flag off his own boot)

La Fontaine

Chadwick

Warne-Smith

Neitz

Max

*Checker for his impact on the club though not as a player

Edited by Dr. Gonzo


RDB and Robbie are clearly at the head of the pack in my lifetime, although we are incredibly lucky to have CP5, Max and Clarry, all of whom may be in the conversation.

Can I mention David Schwarz, who if he had not been injured and have maintained his 1994 form would be right up there.

Reading this (thank you, everyone!) I just had the pleasant rush of imagining all of these playing together in some 'Bang!Bang!Bang!'-level-and-more-type passages.

Imagine that game's list of goal scorers...

Though that makes me also think: like the Brownlow, etc, no backs? Can this thread have a 'backliner sub-thread'?

I'll start with G. Hardeman. With recency bias providing S. May. And, from the pre-me vault, J. Beckwith.

 
19 hours ago, layzie said:

1. RDB

2. Tulip

3. Maxy

This seems a bit of the vibe for me, but a little hard to answer given how the game has changed and also due to the fact i was born in 84, so i don't really remember anything pre early 90s. 

3 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Though that makes me also think: like the Brownlow, etc, no backs? Can this thread have a 'backliner sub-thread'?

I'll start with G. Hardeman. With recency bias providing S. May. And, from the pre-me vault, J. Beckwith.

David Neitz was every bit as good a backman as he was a forward & I will always have a soft spot for Sean Wight. Could easily throw Steven Smith in there, too, though Neitz would be the only one of those who could even be mentioned in the "greatest Demon of all time" debate.

Edited by Checker Mate


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...

Featured Content

  • NON-MFC: Round 11

    Round 11, the second week of The Sir Doug Nicholls Round, kicks off on Thursday night with the Cats hosting the Bulldogs at Kardinia Park. Geelong will be looking to to continue their decade long dominance over the Bulldogs, while the Dogs aim to take another big scalp as they surge up the ladder. On Friday night it's he Dreamtime at the 'G clash between Essendon and Richmond. The Bombers will want to avoid another embarrassing performance against a lowly side whilst the Tigers will be keen to avenge a disappointing loss to the Kangaroos. Saturday footy kicks off as the Blues face the Giants in a pivotal clash for both clubs. Carlton need to turn around their up and down season while GWS will be eager to bounce back and reassert themselves as a September threat. At twilight sees the Hawks taking on the Lions at the G. Hawthorn need to cement themselves in the Top 4 but they’ll need to be at their best to challenge a Brisbane side eager to respond after last week’s crushing loss to the Dees on their home turf. The first of the Saturday night double headers opens with North Melbourne up against the high-flying Magpies. The Roos will need a near-perfect performance to trouble a Collingwood side sitting atop the ladder.

      • Thanks
    • 187 replies
    Demonland
  • PREVIEW: Sydney

    The two teams competing at the MCG on Sunday afternoon have each traversed a long and arduous path since their previous encounter on a sweltering March evening in Sydney a season and a half ago. Both experienced periods of success at various times last year. The Demons ran out of steam in midseason while the Swans went on to narrowly miss the ultimate prize in the sport. Now, they find themselves outside of finals contention as the season approaches the halfway mark. The winner this week will remain in contact with the leading pack, while the loser may well find itself on a precipice, staring into the abyss. The current season has presented numerous challenges for most clubs, particularly those positioned in the middle tier. The Essendon experience in suffering a significant 91-point loss to the Bulldogs, just one week after defeating the Swans, may not be typical, but it illustrates the unpredictability of outcomes under the league’s present set up. 

      • Clap
      • Love
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 3 replies
    Demonland
  • REPORT: Brisbane

    “Max Gawn has been the heart and soul of the Dees for years now, but this recent recovery from a terrible start has been driven by him. He was everywhere again, and with the game in the balance, he took several key marks to keep the ball in the Dees forward half.” - The Monday Knee Jerk Reaction: Round Ten Of course, it wasn’t the efforts of one man that caused this monumental upset, but rather the work of the coach and his assistants and the other 22 players who took the ground, notably the likes of Jake Melksham, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Kozzie Pickett but Max has been magnificent in taking ownership of his team and its welfare under the fire of a calamitous 0-5 start to the season. On Sunday, he provided the leadership that was needed to face up to the reigning premier and top of the ladder Brisbane Lions on their home turf and to prevail after a slow start, during which the hosts led by as much as 24 points in the second quarter. Titus O’Reily is normally comedic in his descriptions of the football but this time, he was being deadly serious. The Demons have come from a long way back and, although they still sit in the bottom third of the AFL pack, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel as they look to drive home the momentum inspired in the past four or five weeks by Max the Magnificent who was under such great pressure in those dark, early days of the season.

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • CASEY: Southport

    The Southport Sharks came to Casey. They saw and they conquered a team with 16 AFL-listed players who, for the most part, wasted their time on the ground and failed to earn their keep. For the first half, the Sharks were kept in the game by the Demons’ poor use of the football, it’s disposal getting worse the closer the team got to its own goal and moreover, it got worse as the game progressed. Make no mistake, Casey was far and away the better team in the first half, it was winning the ruck duels through Tom Campbell’s solid performance but it was the scoreboard that told the story.

      • Thanks
    • 3 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Sydney

    Just a game and percentage outside the Top 8, the Demons return to Melbourne to face the Sydney Swans at the MCG, with a golden opportunity to build on the momentum from toppling the reigning premiers on their own turf. Who comes in, and who makes way?

      • Thanks
    • 439 replies
    Demonland
  • PODCAST: Brisbane

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 12th May @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we analyse a famous victory by the Demons over the Lions at the Gabba.
    Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
    Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

      • Clap
      • Love
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 35 replies
    Demonland