dad and older brother went for the filth, mum for kangas, younger brother went for doggies, i went for the team i thought had the most exciting players the MIGHTY DEES. at least one family member grew brains

  redandbluethruandthru said:

dad and older brother went for the filth, mum for kangas, younger brother went for doggies, i went for the team i thought had the most exciting players the MIGHTY DEES. at least one family member grew brains

You're right. Your brother seems to be quite clever...

My Father was a Fitzroy supporter, but took both my brother and myself to the MCG regularly to watch the Dees once he became a MCC member in the late 1950s. This enabled me to see our last Premiership - although I don't remember the match. I have been a lifelong member and will always be.

i came down from QLD in the mid 80s and basically had a rugby background,then i moved in with a guy who played for essendon. i went one day to watch him play in the twos up at windy hill against the dees and decided to hang around for the seniors. during that game carl ditterich who for those who don t know, was a hard man who lead from the front.well he wacked a bloke named neil bersanko that day and had him carried off on a stretcher. i always enjoyed carls agression and no nonsense attitude and have followed the dees ever since

I've got Collingwood (great grand father), Hawthorn (grand father), Melbourne (father) and Essendon (brother) folk on my family tree.

But being the eldest I was given no option but to be a Demon, and I am the only second-generation-of-anything-supporter in my family.

My brother is currently the black sheep of the family......but we don't like to talk about that !!!

My cousin was a hawks supporter n tried to enlist me but in primary school, everyone asked me who i went for.

There was a girl i liked who went for mfc so i said demons.

P.S. Fiona if ur still hot, PM me.

My whole family were collingwood supporters. My uncle was the kind of guy who liked being with the winning club which at the time was Melbourne. My Dad being the youngest, idolised his brother and hence out of a family of Pies supporters emerged my uncle and Dad. Both my brother and I had no chioce. In fact my father pretended that my brother had top leave home at five when he wanted to follow the swans like his friends. We even packed his bags, unitl he started screaming he's a Melbourne supporter. My mother was a Hawthorne member until told by Dad he would not marry a supporter from another club. So we are all Demons now including my NSW born wife and two month old boy.

Indoctrination by my dad and an uncle from about age 3 and imprinted forever in 1987 as an 8 year old going to every game and seeing the devastation of demon supporters in Robbie Flower going into retirement without a premiership.

Was never gonna be any other team really... if it were, my old man would probably have disowned me! hahaha j/k...

But yeh, it was dad for me who really drove the Melbourne support home!

Thanks to this thread I've finally written Chapter 3 of Highway of Demons and it's all about how I became a Melbourne supporter - PITY THE POOR IMMIGRANT.

Shane McGrath who played for us in the 40s was my great uncle so I assume the ties started from there, apparently my mother's side also owned a pub where all the players would have drinks after the game.

I was courted to be a doggies supporter furiously as a toddler by my 3 uncles on my mothers side. Bribed with several gifts such as a beanie, scarf, mascot and jumper everyone was certain they had me signed sealed and delivered. However for whatever reason at about 4 years of age when surrounded by all the family (dressed in full doggies regalia) and asked to tell everyone which team I barracked for I sheepishly declared the Demons!

Dad followed the Demons although not really passionately, I guess he had my ear better than anyone at that age, as should be the case. I really don't know why i chose them, it was probably just the beginnings of me becoming the infuriatingly frustrating smartarse that I am today, always wanting to challenge conformity.

Having said that, although I would die before changing and disown football altogether before disowning the Demons, its safe to say the last 26 years have been somewhat frustrating as a supporter. But I wouldn't swap it for anything.

Now that I am coming to a stage in life where having kids of my own is a possibility I think I will have a different attitude to my Dad all those years ago. Where he felt slow and steady wins the race I will have a simple rule in my house. You don't have to be like dad and follow the Demons. But be aware that should you choose to follow another team you had best be prepared to find somewhere else to live.

Go DEES & keep these stories coming.

  DemonStorm said:

How did people become Demon fans?

A horrible, HORRIBLE, misdeed in a past-life i presume.

but mostly mum, hardcore dees fan. i say my kids will be able to chose any team they want to go for is ok with me, i just won't speak to them again, joking?

One of my dad's best friends was Robbie Flower.

It was in his second last year that I realised who he was and how good he was (I was only 6). He used to take me to games and in the change rooms after.

I used to get signed balls, guernseys etc.

When he retired he still used take me along when he was commentating. He used to let me in the box at the breaks.

Great memories.

my dad is a dees man. i assume thats why i am. if/when i have kids, they be dees kids too. or there will be no kids. take that.

I was a passionate Fitzroy supporter, and I just couldn't follow the Brisbane Lions as the club was located in 'Brisbane'.

Funnily enough one of my most memorable wins to watch was against Melbourne at Princes Park, around 1988, when Fitzroy were behind at half time, then Richard Osborne came out, kicked 10, and lead the Roy Boys to victory. Was anybody there too?

Following the merger, I didn't really follow a 'team', brother-in-law followed Melbourne so went to the occasional game with his family(2 or 3 a year), got to know the players, and seriously got on board 2 years ago, and now I love the Dees.

I spoke to Dappa Dan about this. I explained to him it's like getting a divorce, then falling in love again, and it took 10 years to find it.

Was a devout Roy Boy and could not consider cheering for an interstate team, ( In hindsight....ahh lets not go there) Dad was a Demon as he played for Dandenong and he loved the jumper. They became my second team during the late 80s going to all the finals and then come the "merge" it was the obvious choice.

Ok, mine is quite a funny one.

When I was four years old, my uncle (a deep melbourne supporter) threatened me a thorough beating if I didn't go for Melbourne, as I was only young I believed him. And here I am a DEEP melbourne supporter. I'm so glad that he did it, my whole family are melbourne supporters and If he didn't, well I don't really want to think about it. Thanks uncle.

Comrades.

I did not really want to respond to another thread which has bearing on this topic. Anyway, here is my story. My Uncle started to wear the number 8 jumper in 1971 under Tiger. My grandmother bought me a jumper inscribed with this very number, and I have been suffering ever since.

Now surely there are some people on this site who know whom I am referring to. I hear my cousin is turning out quite nicely as a young and developing footballer. Who knows what might happen with father/son.

Biffinator.

  Biffinator said:

I did not really want to respond to another thread which has bearing on this topic. Anyway, here is my story. My Uncle started to wear the number 8 jumper in 1971 under Tiger. My grandmother bought me a jumper inscribed with this very number, and I have been suffering ever since.

Now surely there are some people on this site who know whom I am referring to. I hear my cousin is turning out quite nicely as a young and developing footballer. Who knows what might happen with father/son.

well i reckon its one of this lot, who all made their debut in 1971

John Gallus

Bruce Brown

Gordon Lawrie

Shane McSpeerin

Mike John Collins

John Tilbrook

Henry Ritterman

Peter Williamson

Steve Kerley

  deanox said:

well i reckon its one of this lot, who all made their debut in 1971

John Gallus

Bruce Brown

Gordon Lawrie

Shane McSpeerin

Mike John Collins

John Tilbrook

Henry Ritterman

Peter Williamson

Steve Kerley

Good try Deanox, but you are missing a key name. He also played some games with North and Essendon before returning to the Dees.

Biffinator.

Crackers Keenan?

  deanox said:

Crackers Keenan?

Yip.

I am not actually quite sure how many games he played for the Dees, but it must have been over 100 - hence my comments about his younger son.

Biffinator.

  Biffinator said:

Yip.

I am not actually quite sure how many games he played for the Dees, but it must have been over 100 - hence my comments about his younger son.

Biffinator.

http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/k.htm#Peter...ne,%20Essendon)

"when he retired from league football in 1982 he had played 131 senior games for the Demons, and booted 88 goals."

my original mistake was that i thought he must've started in 1971...good bit of research though...