1987 Prelim Final...Team Spirit

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,629]

I was talking to my 22yr. old Demon-fan godson about past Demon performances.

I told him about what happened that day in Sept 87 in the prelim final at VFL Park, and he said he'd love to see it. I managed to find my old VHS copy and put it on DVD for him. I look forward to hearing his reaction.

I watched it again while transposing it! I was struck by the fiendish endeavour of the Melbourne players. They were running in waves, tackling like madmen, and chasing the ball with absolutely no thought of self-preservation. There were ordinary players in our side. Dean Chiron did well on Platten. Douggie Koop was out there, and so was Simon Eishold. We had three real tough guys....Grinter, Hughes and Spalding(who nearly busted Dipper's shoulder with a thunderous bump, as` did Grinter on Mew.) Hawthorn was full of champions. Though Dunstall was out injured, so was Lyon(and Connolly) for us, and Flower was badly injured in Q2. Given half ordinary luck, we'd have beaten one of the greatest teams of the century.( though Hawk supporters claim we kicked with the wind for 3 quarters, if you watch the game closely, it's clear the wind was variable, and long goals were kicked at both ends in each quarter.) Hawthorn were an experienced side, and knew how to "milk" frees, and, WOW, was this evident.

John Kennedy hit the post at the 11min. mark of the last quarter and it was paid a goal(provable on video replay). Eishold marked on the point of the goalsquare and was put on a ridiculously acute angle(though he should have done better!)Both of these events(and others) should have altered the final result by 5 points, meaning a grand-final post(and premiership)for us. John Northey obviously had the power to instil absolute passion into his men. He had some pretty special warriors in Flower, Stynes and Wight etc, but he knew how to extract wonders from them.

I'm hoping Bails has that skill. On that, I pin my hopes for our on-field success in the near future.....and I don't think it's impossible.

[demonsflag555657 3]

I was at that game and every mel supporter was crying.

I remmember going to the bar at waverley and everyone including dorcs were saying good on you we will see u next year.

Godd we didnt take our chanc unlike the filth of 00.

[beelzebub 22,308]

Anyone who was there will never forget that day. There was utter gut wrenching disbelief as that siren sounded !! *sigh *

As it happens I was directly behind the goals in line with where Eishold should have kicked.. it wasnt that bloody hard to tell the truth...well not on any other day.( I actually put my beer down as i ancticipated having to mark it !! lol)... But likely the moment didnt help...nor did a certain 'free' !! cest la vie !!

Time will tell if Bails has the knack !! I wonder whether some of the current (team) would have had the ticker for that game. It certainly wasnt for the feint hearted !!

[Guest melbman]

John Kennedy hit the post at the 11min. mark of the last quarter and it was paid a goal(provable on video replay).

I was at that end of the ground and many of us saw the ball deflect off the post (our screaming at the goal umpire didn't seem to change things much) but I never heard a word of it mentioned in the media. Twas a truly truly awful day out.

VFL park and I were never friends again after that day :angry:

But yes, we played like we were possessed that year

[warren dean 193]

Still the most emotional aftermath to a Demons game I have seen. You must have been somewhere near me 'bub. I was behind those same goals - scoreboard end! Didn't get a great view of the Buckenara free and subsequent 15 as it happened at the other end. What a ride that last 8 weeks of the season were - still the most exciting 2 months of footy I have seen a Melbourne side play. Only a truly great side could have beaten us that day - unfortunately for us, Hawthorn were a "Hall of Fame"! I was supposed to be studying for my Year 12 exams - couldn't event think about exams after that game!

[mo64 5,247]

John Kennedy hit the post at the 11min. mark of the last quarter and it was paid a goal(provable on video replay).

I was behind the goals at that end of the ground, but don't recall Kennedy's goal being disputed. And apart from Eishold's choke, what about the goals missed by Yeats, Campbell and Jackson. If any of those were kicked, we would have won the game. Having said that, I still think that with the injuries we copped, we would have lost the following week.

Everyone remembers Stynes running through the mark to give Buckanara a 15m penalty, but the reason he did it was because Dipper was on his own in the forward pocket. After the game, Northey should have been looking daggers at Dipper's man, not Stynes.

What made things worse was that we couldn't find our car after the game! Bl##dy Waverley!

The point you raise about team spirit is a good one. Under Northey, we had it in bucketloads. You can have all the wiz bang game plans you like, but if you don't play with passion and endeavour, you'll rarely win.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,629]

quote name='warren dean'

"Still the most emotional aftermath to a Demons game I have seen."

Do you remember the interview with Northey on ABC after the match!? He was a broken man! His face was white. All the bones were sticking out. He looked like a guy who'd just been told his family was wiped out. He could see no consolation in the fact that his boys had been so heroic. Northey put all his heart and soul into coaching, and it positively affected the players in their team spirit. He even got RICHMOND into the finals later on.

I'm praying that Bails might be able to produce something out of the ordinary. Team spirit is never going to be a factor in practice games. I think he's building up for an assault on 23/3 !!

[melbournefc 18]

Is this game available on DVD?

[Redleg 38,024]

I was behind the goals at that end of the ground, but don't recall Kennedy's goal being disputed. And apart from Eishold's choke, what about the goals missed by Yeats, Campbell and Jackson. If any of those were kicked, we would have won the game. Having said that, I still think that with the injuries we copped, we would have lost the following week.

Everyone remembers Stynes running through the mark to give Buckanara a 15m penalty, but the reason he did it was because Dipper was on his own in the forward pocket. After the game, Northey should have been looking daggers at Dipper's man, not Stynes.

I was there as well with my family. It was Greg "Sugar" Healy not Jackson for the third miss.

I didn't know about the Kennedy poster.

Stynes would not have been pinged if the umpire had heard the siren and blown time. That would have stopped everybody and Buckenara would have had to kick from 50 metres, which he had just failed to do a few minutes earlier.

Another major incident was as the ball was on its way to Buckenara, for that last kick, Steve Newport was blatantly grabbed around the neck in front of the umpire as he went to tackle the guy who was about to kick to Buckenara and no free. It is clearly there on the video.

I also feel we were stuffed and could not have won the flag the next week, however we may have the next year. Instead of playing our Grand Final in the Prelim the next year we may have been determined to make up for a Grand Final loss rather than simply making the Grand Final.

All in all the most disappointing feeling I have experienced at the football. It was simply gut wrenching.

[Demon16 69]

most hawk fans will tell you he would have kicked the goal had he not recieved the 15mtrs as it went through at goal post height but I'm sure most of you will also recall buckenara holding the ball for a torp before he got the 15 mtr penalty. he would have needed alot of luck.

i was thinking about the northey passion the other day, as i often do when we are playing without it, and still remember graham yeats starting fights on his wing before the bounce of almost every game. you knew they were on before the game even started.

[52k2 0]

it seems every MFC supporter was there that day, my family and I were there also but we were at the end right near the Grinter free. It was a free , but heres the thing I can never understand.

Jim Stynes ran across the mark , but that free then fell under the time wasting rule. My question is HOW CAN JIM STYNES WASTE TIME WHEN THE SIREN HAD GONE AND TIME WAS SUSPENDED WITH ONLY A KICK TO COME????????

How can you waste something that was not being counted???????

[CHAMP 347]

Is this game available on DVD?

Seems to be

[mo64 5,247]

it seems every MFC supporter was there that day, my family and I were there also but we were at the end right near the Grinter free. It was a free , but heres the thing I can never understand.

Jim Stynes ran across the mark , but that free then fell under the time wasting rule. My question is HOW CAN JIM STYNES WASTE TIME WHEN THE SIREN HAD GONE AND TIME WAS SUSPENDED WITH ONLY A KICK TO COME????????

How can you waste something that was not being counted???????

No use quibbling over the 15m penalty. It was legitimate. There was only a split second between when the siren went and Stynes running through the mark. And if there was anyone i'd want kicking for goal from 50m, it was Buckenara. We had 4 players miss from within 30 metres in the last quarter. That's where it was lost.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,629]

[quote name='mo64'

"That's where it was lost."

Handy having a poster called a goal,too.

[warren dean 193]

quote name='warren dean'

"Still the most emotional aftermath to a Demons game I have seen."

Do you remember the interview with Northey on ABC after the match!? He was a broken man! His face was white. All the bones were sticking out. He looked like a guy who'd just been told his family was wiped out. He could see no consolation in the fact that his boys had been so heroic. Northey put all his heart and soul into coaching, and it positively affected the players in their team spirit. He even got RICHMOND into the finals later on.

I'm praying that Bails might be able to produce something out of the ordinary. Team spirit is never going to be a factor in practice games. I think he's building up for an assault on 23/3 !!

I certainly do remember the interview! The silence in my old man's Mazda 1800 was deafening as we made our way from Waverley back home to Narre Warren. We got home in time to see the final stages on the ABC replay and then I saw the interview. I believe it was Peter Gee interviewing Northey. Gee did his best to put a positive spin on it all but Northey wasn't having a bar of it. I remember his line at the end of the interview, "It just feels as though we've let everybody down!" It was great that he wasn't throwing around platitudes - I thought this was exactly what the players needed to hear. In retrospect they did play their guts out and were a bit unlucky, but gee I loved the way the Northey teams played. He got the absolute best out of them for five years. I thought 1990 was probably our best chance - we finished equal second but fourth on percentage and beat the Hawks in the elimination final. We then got a week off courtesy of the Eagles draw with Collingwood and we had beaten Essendon (the top team ) twice in 1990, including the Bennett inspired victory at Windy Hill. Alas, the Eagles got us the next week and the rest is history!

[demonsflag555657 3]

1990 i think was the closest we have come to winning a flag but the finals system stufed us up

[Redleg 38,024]

it seems every MFC supporter was there that day, my family and I were there also but we were at the end right near the Grinter free. It was a free , but heres the thing I can never understand.

Jim Stynes ran across the mark , but that free then fell under the time wasting rule. My question is HOW CAN JIM STYNES WASTE TIME WHEN THE SIREN HAD GONE AND TIME WAS SUSPENDED WITH ONLY A KICK TO COME????????

How can you waste something that was not being counted???????

Because the umpire didn't hear the siren and didn't raise his hand to signal the end of the game until after the 15 metre penalty was awarded.

[Redleg 38,024]

No use quibbling over the 15m penalty. It was legitimate. There was only a split second between when the siren went and Stynes running through the mark.

Incorrect. Watch the replay if you can bear it, you will hear the siren go well before Jimmy runs across the mark.

It was also not awarded in the spirit of which it was intended either, Buckenara was looking down when jimmy ran across the mark. He didn't notice him do it and it didn't waste time or put him off. In the context of a tough Preliminary final it was pathetic that an umpire paid it and changed the game. Most people want to see their team win a game not an umpire influence the result.

[AlphaDee 17]

It is true that Northey did very well with us.

We had a core of excellent players such as Robbie, Lyon, Stynes, Spalding, Yeats, Bennet (from '89), than Jacovich. About half our side, however, would have struggled to get a game with another club.

The pattern of the team's results was remarkably similar to under ND. We would string together several wins, be close to the top of the ladder, then inexplicably lose form and lose several games in a row. In a couple of the Northey years we had to come back from the dead to sneak into the finals.

Still, the main difference was that we were capable of shutting down the opposition's play and grinding out a win when we had to. If ND's teams of '04, '05 and '06 could have done that, we would have got much closer to winning a flag and may even have done it!

[Deeoldfart 7,820]

Thoroughly enjoying the nostalgia in these posts. Thanks fellow Demonlanders.

I recall that '87 was the year that the Club's membership promotion read something like "Give Robbie (Flower) one last chance to play finals football" and by God, we gave it a red hot go. I think we won something like eight on end to scrape into the finals, and then we walloped the Roos and Swans in weeks one and two respectively, only to have our hearts broken in week three.

If Bails can instill that sort of passion and belief into the 2008 Dees, then we are definitely on the way up.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,629]

"I think we won something like eight on end to scrape into the finals"

It was 6 in a row, D.O.F., and it was a fantastic effort. With the sort of team spirit we had, it didn't matter that we didn't have a Carey, Ablett ,Brereton or Dunstall. All our players were like men possessed.

I argue that we'd have beaten Carlton the next week. They'd have arrogantly expected to kill us(as North, South and Hawthorn did), but would have been overwhelmed by our team play.

We beat Carlton three times the next year, including in the finals.

We would have been without Brian Wilson, but I heard from the Club Doctor, the week after the GF, that Flower would have been OK to play. Even half-fit, we'd have been lifted by his genius.We had "Dirty"Dave Williams to bring back into the side, and he was always worth 2 or 3 goals(should never have been omitted from the Prelim. side.)

How I hope Bails can inculcate that sort of determination and spirit. I reckon he has better "cattle".

[mo64 5,247]

Probably the best feeling I've had at a football game was the roar when we ran onto the ground in the elimination final against North Melbourne. The crowd was about 75k, and it seemed like 70k were barracking for us. Then we played 120 minutes of inspired football.

[Deeoldfart 7,820]

How I hope Bails can inculcate that sort of determination and spirit. I reckon he has better "cattle".

Definitely has more talented "cattle" .... I guess we'll find out whether or not they are better over the next few seasons. Lets keep on hoping JJC!!

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Some good but sad recollections of a disappointing day.

We did not lose it with Stynes running over the mark or three players missing goals they should have got.

We lost it after half time when MFC went into the mind set of trying to protect the lead rather than continue the way we were playing.

Jim Stynes said as much in his book about his football career. Peter Schwab and Russell Morris have confirmed the same thing.

The Hawks were energised and kept at it because they believed we has gone into protection mode and you could see the potential loss unfolding at the start of the last quarter.

It was a hard tough bruising game which had we won, we would not have done any better than the Hawks the next week. Both sides played their GF that day at Waverley and were easy meat for a primed Carlton side on a hot September afternoon.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,629]

[quote name='Rhino Richards'

"we would have been easy meat for a primed Carlton side on a hot September afternoon."

Perhaps, Rhino,but don't forget,absolutely no-one tipped us for any of those finals that year.

Admittedly, the game we should have won v. Haw. was a bruising slog, but those boys were on a high. I reckon they were capable of keeping it up, and raising it for one more week. Carlton weren't in the same class as a fit Hawthorn, but we knocked the stuffing out of them.

Useless to speculate on the distant past, you may say, but my point in raising this topic was the value of team spirit. I'm praying Bails can infuse into the Demons in the same way "Swooper"did.