@Demonstone has made a welcome return to baffling us, with evident engagement resulting, so I thought I would, as the title suggests, give it a try myself.

What does this starting 18 of Dees, recent and distant, prominent and not so prominent, share?

B: Steven Smith Danny Hughes Don Williams

HB: Daniel Cross Daniel Turner Jeremy Howe

C: Alan Johnson Brock McLean Tony Anderson

HF: Michael Newton Norm Smith Sid Anderson

F: Tayla Harris Shaun Smith Graham Scott

Foll: Jeff White Bryan Martin Tony Quinn

I've given you one clue already. More await if (when?!) needed.

The now-well-established rule: answers by PM only, please.

16 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I've given you one clue already. More await if (when?!) needed.

howsabout now?

😜

Is Tony Quinn right ?

49 minutes ago, tilly18 said:

Is Tony Quinn right ?

I think so... 😬

PM me your thoughts, Tilly.

Meanwhile, @Demonstone has got there. Took him a set of 3, but get there he did. A spare trophy, minted in 2007, is on its way to him.

There's one other spare trophy, minted in 2009, awaiting our second-place-getter. And, for third, there's an opportunity to view a trophy minted this year, that'll be so close you could almost taste it.

2 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

howsabout now?

😜

I'm with you.. lol... I missed the first one 🤔🤷‍♂️🙄

49 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I think so... 😬

PM me your thoughts, Tilly.

@tilly18 has caught me out: I should have picked Billy, Jack or Tom Quinn. But don't dismiss Tony from your thoughts, folks!

19 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

I'm with you.. lol... I missed the first one 🤔🤷‍♂️🙄

Try harder.

1 hour ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Try harder.

Some might suggest Im more than trying enough as I am...

This one has beaten me - I reached the point of just staring at the screen hoping the words would unjumble.

Still, I liked my 'major figures of 18th century British history' theory.

3 hours ago, beelzebub said:

I'm with you.. lol... I missed the first one 🤔🤷‍♂️🙄

The first clue is in the OP. I think it’s in this line…

“What does this starting 18 of Dees, recent and distant, prominent and not so prominent, share?”

Time for some housekeeping for those invested - @beelzebub, @Ghostwriter, @Little Goffy, @tilly18. Others may yet come in on your slipstream, but you are the true believers!

I do wish it was something as high-minded as 18th century British history, Goffy, but, alas...

That OP clue, I should have reinforced with some emphasis in my reply to beelzebub: Try harder. Not Ghosty's punt.

I've since given you second and third clues in announcing @Demonstone's success: respectively what it took for him to get there, and the previously-unclaimed trophies for 1st and 2nd and the so-close one for 3rd.

And, now, my new fourth clue covers off a quiz perennial: Is it sport related or not? Well, it's the former.

I've got a next one ready, but let's see how you - and any newbies - go!

Edited October 26, 2025Oct 26 by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

I'm getting a few nibbles. Good on you, folks. You encourage another clue from me:

A little side quiz, then: What association do Prince, John Pearce, John Douglas Lord and Damian Barrett notably share?

29 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I'm getting a few nibbles. Good on you, folks. You encourage another clue from me:

A little side quiz, then: What association do Prince, John Pearce, John Douglas Lord and Damian Barrett notably share?

Now there's a sentence i never thought I'd encounter! 😂

1 hour ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I'm getting a few nibbles. Good on you, folks. You encourage another clue from me:

A little side quiz, then: What association do Prince, John Pearce, John Douglas Lord and Damian Barrett notably share?

Well, I got that one right away. Although there was a red herring with Prince and Damien Barrett both being able to [censored] [censored] [censored] themselves.

This is a hard one. I’ve got a crazy headache from looking at it. Has anyone got it yet?

5 minutes ago, 710 Asbury St said:

This is a hard one. I’ve got a crazy headache from looking at it. Has anyone got it yet?

Apparently..

I'm still trying ....

13 minutes ago, 710 Asbury St said:

This is a hard one. I’ve got a crazy headache from looking at it. Has anyone got it yet?

Sorry to do that to you, 710!

Yes, demonstone collected the '2007' trophy. The '2009', for 2nd, and the '2025', for 3rd, are still up for grabs.

A couple of contestants have got as far as the sport. Keep trying, and don't forget that mini-quiz clue from this morning!

13 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Apparently..

I'm still trying ....

Good man!

I've just opened a bottle; I may mellow enough for a cluier clue later this evening!🍷

Not at all related to the quiz and definitely not a clue, but the avatar of @710 Asbury St has reminded me of this.

Just now, Demonstone said:

Not at all related to the quiz and definitely not a clue, but the avatar of @710 Asbury St has reminded me of this.

Yep. My absolute favourite. Huge Deadhead. And 710 Asbury is the address of the Grateful Dead house in the Haight.

So, pitches by @3183 Dee and @710 Asbury St alert me to the possibility that those trophy dates might have limited focuses.

The period from 1999 to 2020 covers things (it was so close you could touch it that the period extended to this year).

🍷

I've realised a problem with being a quiz master: making people feel bad!

I was awful at running Pass The Parcel.

2 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I've realised a problem with being a quiz master: making people feel bad!

I was awful at running Pass The Parcel.

It’s not so much feeling “bad,” it’s feeling “dumb” 😅

OK, gather round (apologies for using that phrase).

I've remembered I awarded demonstone the 1st trophy with a tweak still to be made, so I'm jointly awarding tweak-needing @Ghostwriter and @3183 Dee the '2009' for 2nd. And in the same vein, I'm awarding @710 Asbury St the '2025' for 3rd.

@beelzebub nearly got there, and did get the Prince, etc, association, so an extra glass of purple fizzy for him. And per my post just before, Parcels go to @beelzebub and @Little Goffy for excellent participation.

@tilly18 gets an extra lolly bag for my mis-Quinn. And @Harvey Wallbanger earnt himself a free pass through to the second round of Musical Chairs for his early 'try'.

And I'm ignoring further messages received from trophy winners while I've been crafting this outcome! I'd hate to have to do a 2007 or 2009 on them!

The Dees players share surnames with Melbourne Storm players in winning grand finals. Four of those were consequently 'premierships' (1999, 2012, 2017, 2020) but two were not (2007, 2009, for the salary cap breaches) Note there were 3 different Smiths and 2 different Andersons in those teams.

The trophies for 1st and 2nd were 'available' cos the Storm couldn't take them. The photo OP for 3rd was with the so-close-you-could-touch-it 2025 outcome.

Thanks for playing everyone 👏👏👏