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Better to be on the snow in Victoria than the ice in WA

Hi All, I'm a one eyed docker who will be going to the game on Saturday with my filthy eagles mates. We need to add some more red and blue to the stadium so I'm on the lookout for a Melbourne guernsey I can borrow for the day, will pick it up and drop it off to you in the perth metro area. I'm a mens size L let's raise hell!

Good news is you can only get pox once.

My highlight was the crowd. Years of beliitlement and pain all of a sudden now belief and pride.

I'll try and keep it short. I've been very fortunate to have seen the premierships from 55' onwards and we started the cheer squad in 1959 sitting by the old race before moving to the Punt Road end. Many meetings with JIm Cardwell who helped us with money to start making the banners. We used to cut up paper (had a paper mill near us) and dragged hessian bags full along to the first train and the banners. Loaded a lot of the paper in the Greysmith stand and the kids used to throw it down when the team ran out. In 1964 at 3/4 time of the prelim we marched outside and started queueing for "T" section (now the Ponsford stand end) and we slept there all week as the there were 3 rows of seats and the rest was standing room. Collingwood got the goal and we were just around from them. Was a bit nervous in the last quarter when Gablelich has his run and then Hassa man missed an easy goal from the pocket. Brian Dixon played so well that day and kept pushing the ball forward where "froggy" Crompton got onto a loose ball AND BANG. The roar from the members (totally Red & Blue those days) was enormous. Spoke to the goal umpire years later (Steve Stephens) and he said the goal was never in doubt but it was his moment and he slightly delayed putting the fingers up to enjoy the moment. And he did barrack for Melbourne. Was the Lord Mayor at Moorabbin later on I believe. After the game the club put on a barbeque/food and drinks outside the club rooms which was so packed so we sat on the ground after midnight just soaking it all in. Finally packed up and went home on Sunday afternoon. Many more funny stories but that's it for now.

The last 5 minutes was agony....we were gone. I was sitting right behind the Punt Rd goals up in the great Southern stand when Gabelich ran with the ball from about 40 -50 m out on the members flank/robbie flower side. He wanted to make it a cert so didn't go for the kick but ran and bounced towards the Punt rd goal. I was literally dying...this is 25 minute mark of the last qtr. The forward 50 was deserted...but Barassi was after him absolutely flat out! ....maybe Ronald Dale was 20 metres behind him...but gaining fast. Every bounce Gabelich took he only just managed to recover the ball. The crowd was going nuts. I was standing on my seat....screaming get him Ron!....but he kicks it from the square...its a goal and we are devastated. Nobody was seated at this point. Collingwood are now in front by something like one or two points. I was out of my mind at this point.....its the bloody grand final we are going to lose at the death.....everybody around me is half crazy as well....could only be two or three minutes left.....when out of the blue, maybe at the 27 minute mark , Frog kicks that beauty ..........I went from one kind of delerium to the other in a split second. If god had burst through the clouds accompanied by a chorus of angels I wouldn't have noticed........the next ...two minutes?...........It was like I was on acid...standing on the wooden seat yelling blow the siren! Blow the bloody siren! and..........there it goes...we win! From the death to being saved!!!!! It remains perhaps one of my most vivid memories.

I was around throughout of our 'Golden Era' and before, but 1964 holds the greatest memories of all for me. I was still at school, but I'll try to describe my highlight in a few sentences: The Dees were 4 points up late in the last quarter, when Ray Gabelich, Collingwood captain and a lumbering and uncoordinated ruckman, went on a long run towards goal. The ball was bouncing all over the place, but 'Gabbo' somehow managed to maintain some sort of control, while every Melbourne supporter at the 'G' was praying that he would kick it from a long way out. Despite our prayers, he kept going and dobbed a wobbly punt from close range. Collingwood 2 points up, with bugger-all time left on the clock. A minute or two later, Neil ('Froggy') Crompton, the Melbourne back pocket player, took the ball at half forward for the Dees, and kicked the match winning goal from 30 to 40 yards out. The Melbourne crowd went berserk, and moments later, the siren sounded to give Melbourne the Flag against the arch enemy. I'll never forget that moment! Footnote: In those days, it was unprecedented for a back pocket player to be in the forward half of the ground, and legend has it that our coach, the legendary Norm Smith, reprimanded 'Froggy' after the match, for being out of position. Surely if this did actually happen, it was 'tongue in cheek', but you never know! Interesting, 'Froggy' also represented Victoria in Sheffield Shield cricket. He combined his sporting activities with a full-time job as a school teacher. Gee, how times, and football, have changed in the last 54 years, and my love of the Dees has increased with every passing one of them. Now for the next Flag, while I'm still on earth to watch it please! ps. I must have been confident of a win, because I remember winning six pence on the double, Melbourne seniors and Under 19s both winning the Premiership. Very relieved when we won, because I didn't have a penny to my name, let alone sixpence!

Melksham. Melbourne through and through (Photo from the MFC site)

I was there in 64 and before that in 60. DOF has described it perfectly. I remember it as thought it was yesterday. The over powering memory I have driving home with my father to the country was that following the Redlegs ( no Dees in 64) was that this would go on forever. My father and I had standing room tickets and we were at the ground when the gates opened. Saw the under 19 game then the Seconds game and then the big dance. How wrong was I but still I have done what few on here have done and that is see two GF wins. We still have to get there but I have not enjoyed games like the last four for a very long time. Go Dees.

I was at the game and thought that we would win easily, we had beaten them on the final leading up to the GF quite by a big margin and to me it was just a matter of turning up. It was not as planned, however and as deoldfart described above we only just won. I had a standing room ticket and was by myself, when Gabbo kicked that goal, it was down my end of the ground, so I saw it coming, I was devestated and thought it was over and sat on the terrace. A short time later a woman standing near me said get up, Hassa Man has a kick 25 out, I stood and watched him miss, so I sat down again. Then Froggy kicked the goal to put us in front and I didn’t see it, I was still sitting down. I got up and shortly after the siren went and we’d won. It was an amazing game and we were so superior to Collingwood, we would have been unbackable You have to remember we were a super team throughout the 50’s and 60’s so you went to the ground expecting to win every week, it never entered my mind that we’d lose the 64 GF so it was just a normal week, to me at least. If someone had said to me, as I was leaving the ground, that we wouldn’t win another flag for over 50 years, I would have thought they were crazy.

Maxy's fantastic mark in defence at the end. I was a bit worried for his wrist upon his landing though. Hibberd's chase preventing a Hawk goal. If his hamstrings have been a problem they are not now. Oliver's chase to earn a holding the ball decision. Viney's weaving and brute strength to twist andwork his way through a congested pack to deliver a great pass to Brayshaw. What a game from this relentless competitor. Brayshaw's fantastic mark in a pack. Pure courage personified. Melksham's absolutely effortless left foot snap from over 50 metres to allow us some breathing space. He does this often, He is a very powerful kick. Spargo's football brain and clever, creative play. He is so cool. Watching all those pre bounce smiles from the arrogant Hawks players disappear as the game progressed. You could almost hear them saying 'This mob is a pushover'. It must be great for Viney and Vandenberg to get real reward from all the rehab they did for most of the season. Those two and Jonesy must be feeling so proud at the moment. May they become even prouder still.

I actually could help you here. Was thinking of wearing it myself, but I could don the polo instead.

What's with all these nuffies asking for barcodes? Go and buy a membership and support the club you cheapskates.

From herald sun Channel 7 boss Lewis Martin said work is underway to ensure that vision of passionate Demons fans gathered in Melbourne is shown to players during their preliminary final clash with the Eagles in an effort to boost their spirits in the cauldron of Perth Stadium. “If they all get together en masse, then we’ll make sure that that contribution from the Melbourne supporters here locally in Melbourne will have an impact on their 22 players,” he said. “Fans are playing a big role.” He said the fans could be the team’s “23rd man” and that the images would go “straight to the heart of the players”.

My memories of 1964. They start at Glenferrie Oval in round 17. Hassa Mann kicked a goal from the boundary, we won by 4 points and we secured top spot. A loss would have placed us in real jeopardy. The following week we lost badly to the dogs but it did not affect first place. In those days, the finals were civilised. One final each week for four weeks. First semi, second semi, prelim and grand final. I had bought the cheapest standing room series tickets (yes, all four matches) in the open stand under the old scoreboard (now I believe at Manuka Oval - much more interesting but couldn't handle instant score reviews or obnoxious ads and interviews). Catters beat bombers in first semi then dees thrashed filth by 89 points in second semi. Filth beat catters by 4 points in a low scoring match in prelim. Then it was our turn. Not unexpectedly, after a 89 point flogging, we were deserved favourites. Torrid, hard contest all game and we were behind by 2 points at half time. 2.3 to 0.2 in the third gave us an 11 point lead at 3QT. Up until then the match had been an non momentous blur. Gabbo's run changed that. Ray Gabelich was a man mountain (listed as 6 foot 3 1/2 inches and 18 stone 10 pounds which translate to 192 cm and 120 kg) who, in those days, could take a whole season to get match fit because of his size and the slower pace of the game,. Until this day he had never run more than to the toilet but, when he gathered the ball and took off with no one between him and the goals, the ground shook. Step by step, crooked bounce by crooked bounce, he ran to the goal square and kicked a goal. Tony Anderson ran his guts out to reach him but was too late. I became a despondent, depressed, despairing demon and couldn't watch. I cannot recall watching Hassa miss but I came alive when i saw the ball sailing through the goals to where I was standing. Neil Crompton, the average rover who became a sensation in the back pocket, will live forever. We had reclaimed our rightful position as premiers and so the excitement and celebration was muted. If I had known what was to come, I might have celebrated harder. The following year, we won the first eight games straight (albeit some by small margins) until the day the world changed on Queen';s Birthday v sainters. Alan Jeans, their then coach, made the move of the century and swapped Bob Murray to FB and Verdun Howell to FF. They were on the road to success, we had tasted almost too much and we were thrashed by, I think, 63 points. We had started our long losing streak and didn't see finals again until 1987. This year's outcome is still to be revealed but I am heartened by the quality of the boys who represent our club. I believe that they are as good as any group we have had in 54 years and still have enormous potential. 2020 is the year when they should emerge as the beat. Fifty years later, I had the great thrill to attend a lunch at the Bentleigh Club to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the premiership. In attendance that day were 14 of the 20 premiership heroes. The team: Crompton Massey Johnson Davis Roet Anderson Adams Williams Dixon Vagg Jacobs Kenneally Lord Bourke Townsend McLean Emselle Goalkickers: Townsend 3 Lord 2 Bourke Mann CROMPTON 1 Scores: Q1 2.6.18 2.5.17 Q2 5.7.37 5.9.39 Q3 7.10.52 5.11.41 Q4 8.16.64 8.12.60 Go dees.

Frosty's monster torpedo kick-in from the goal square early in the 1st quarter which precipitated a classic lightening passage of play resulting with the 1st Demon goal of the arvo and re-setting the tone of the game.

Maybe Gunston knew it was Jack moving in on him and he couldn't get his shot f or goal quick enough. Lucky he was wearing brown shorts.

Hibbo’s chase was incredible. We were looking directly at him and the look on his face won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Pure determination. Jack Viney’s chase on Gunston in the third. He was never going to catch him in a million years but the perceived pressure caused Gunston to rush the kick a bit in my opinion and hit the post. 20 seconds later Nibbler ran into an open goal. Waving off those arrogant Hawthorn fans after receiving grief all night. The Melbourne chant that went all around the G by the fans when the boys were standing in front of the race and waiting for Jones to finish his interview with Richo. Spine-tingling stuff.

Still waiting for Hibberd to miss last week's game vs. Hawthorn.

The stereotype is tedious and annoying but also so completely untrue there's no point caring. The true 'stereotype' is that the decades of disappointment have trimmed away all the fat, there are no 'soft' Demons supporters and the shared pain builds a bond. In the moment, you could even have Prodee and Binman and Dieter and myself all having a joint laugh and/or scream. Even though away from football we've be like 4 pins in a water-balloon full of p!ss tied to a celing fan. We're a mixed bunch unified only by the fact that we are proven to be the most passionate and commited supporter group in the AFL.

I just wish commentators would stop referring to Jetta as being underrated and just start rating him.

I booked flights and accommodation tonight. I'm taking my 11yo son, first time I've forked out a couple grand to go interstate to see them. My son lost faith after the St Kilda game. It took me until the Sydney game to give up hope of finals. But the last 5 weeks, wow. We've been the last 2 weeks and the joy it has brought to the whole family is amazing. Big thanks to the wife for urging me to go. Go Dees!!!

Sorry if I offend some people but i'm sick to bloody death of people asking for barcodes. Reason being, 90% of the people who are asking are NOT members and only want to jump on the dees train when we are winning. I have purchased a membership every year (minus 2009 due to health issues) since 2000 (I was 16). Why am I going to give up my barcode even if I can't make it to Perth to somebody who can't be arsed buying a membership and supporting the club thick and thin?

Congrats to those who are going to perth or buying up tickets!!! Go demons!!

Long time listener, first-time poster. I've just purchased two Cat 5 tickets so I could ensure there are 2 less Eagle supporters at the game. If anyone wants them PM me. Hesitant to post on Reddit or Big Footy in case they get into the hands of some Eagle supporters.

At last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got tickets. SECTION 125,ROW 21. @Lucifer's Hero - thanks to you there will be one more dees supporter there! Thanks so much ?

They are still mad about the fact they all had to sell their SS Commodore Utes and jet ski's after the mining money dried up and the state become largely irrelevant again.

There was a fair bit of time left after Froggie's goal. The ball went deep into their forward line. Magpie Ian Graham nearly marked, and could have been paid a free, but wasn't (times have changed....good on you, Ron Brophy!) Barry Bourke cleared it and the siren went. I'll never forget the joy! Like Dante, I expected us to keep winning premierships year after year. It's been pretty rough since then, and the many thousands of Demon faithful should be proud that they've stayed with the Demons so long, for so little reward. That's what's made the last month so good!

Yeah, without that big chase from Viney Gunston would've bounced and walked into open goal... Truely a 1%er that was game changing from our fearless leader!

The Viney chase wasn't just the chase of a man who knew it was right thing to do or was looking to add a speck of pressure. He was outright hunting Gunston down and locked onto his target - reminiscent of the gazelle tackle on Weller - and probably would have snapped him in half in a death-roll had he caught him at that speed. Started his run-down sprint from outside 50. Swoon.

One thing I’ve noticed in both the finals and it’s not something I picked up on during the year is that there is that there seems to be a deliberate effort among the players to give each other a pat on the back or a rub on the head after they’ve done something well or made a big effort. Also when a teammate is on the ground, someone always bends down grabs their jumper and helps them up. It’s a small thing but IMO it’s a great thing. Shows they genuinely care about each other and that there is obviously a great team spirit in the group. I didn’t notice the Cats or the Hawks players doing it as religiously as our players or at all. Great sign.

These muppets are on the radio now getting the west coast supporters frothing at the mouth off the back of Neil Mitchells comments on 3AW. Melbourne supporters are buying tickets just to not turn up to dilute the crowd Melbourne thru Mitchell are planning to have a dedicated group of fans that the broadcaster will refer to for the team and coach blah blah It's a laugh not to be missed. Usual barbs about the snow, rich melbourne supporters etc.. https://www.6pr.com.au/show/mornings-with-gareth-parker/

I’m not sure where the rich stereotype comes from. I asked my butler and he didn’t know either.

This man is a legend.

Nephew used my codes, and got tickets for 4 people, up behind the Dees cheer sqaud. Lucky he is with a couple of mates who can go a bit, as his mouth is Shrek sized when the Dees are playing. Hopefully we can get enough voices there to be heard.

I'm Level 3 section 333.....hopefully this forward flank/pocket is all Demons sections 333 and 334. These are category 1 tickets and about the best seat in the place. Bought them at Greensborough newsagency. Lined up with all the Collingwood and Richmond supporters. At 10.30 they announced all sold out! Some very unhappy people there then....and outside a whole mob lined up in the carpark for the 2pm public sale! As soon as the ferals were sold out we (me and the one other Melbourne supporter) waltzed down to the front of the line, after being cleared by the shopping centre security as real Melbourne members (no trackie dacks), and allowed to wait at the sale point for 11am to arrive. I was actually pleased that we were going to Perth...for the first time. As we were casually having the operator find the best seats for us at Optus stadium a ruckus erupts in the car park when the AFL announces the have suspended the 2pm public sale. We ran out of there!

Post game when the players on the ground and Goody was congratulating the players. He gave Hibberd a hug and after, Hibbo turned around with 2 fingers up, and you can see him say “two more”.

Word on Perth radio is that Lycett might not get up. Couldn't participate in their main session on the weekend.

I was 10 years old. Great uncle Bill was always able to get tickets in the days when you had to buy a series ticket. The pre game at the old MCG Hotel was the first time I'd ever sat in a front bar anywhere. As for the game itself, I'd always loved John Lord. It seemed unbelievable that a bloke as bald as grandpa was actually playing footy. And the revolting Gabelich clocked him - boo. Don Williams was a favourite though with the brycreemed, slick back hair and white ankle bandages. Sadly, the game is a mist. I remember celebrating but didn't that always happen? I mean Melbourne always won. So imagine how shocked I was 12 months later and they didn't make the four!

First VFL game I ever saw ... standing room in the southern near the scoreboard... I was 14... my old man and his brother Don quickly drank 6 cans each and reinserted them into the plastic rings for me to stand on ... Gabbos stumbling run seemed in slow motion but then a back pocket kicking a goal was insane that day..

I was there sat in the top deck of the old members stand with my mother while my father watched from the balcony in front of the old Annexe bar in the Members - being young I don't remember much but Barassi was huge - Gabbo's run and Cromptons goal - I also remember mum sitting quietly and then grabbing me ( I was standing ) and saying the siren had gone but they were still playing and I said the umps hadn't heard it - the noise was unbelievable and the loudest since was Jones goal against Geelong and then again with Hannans !

In 1964 we were living in Powlett St, East Melbourne opposite the MCG, I was 8 years old. The family moved from Collingwood earlier that year. I was already a Melbourne supporter and Barassi was my favourite player. We never went to the games as my dad had to work at the nearby brewery but listened on the radio. A highlight was most Saturday’s when there was a game on my brother and I used to sit on the fence and watch the crowd. I remember hordes of fans passing our front wrought iron fence with their coloured scarfs, beanies and floggers coming up from the Victoria St tram going to and and leaving the games. Richmond still played at Punt Road though so there were always a majority of Melbourne colours parading by most games. After the GF a delirious drunken Melbourne supporter in a suit and fedora hat gave us a two pound note which was small fortune for us then. That’s my memory of the game. A lifetime has gone by since then.

This. Plus the goal resulting from Frost's kick out from the goal square.

Hit the nail on the head so well with this post. They were very much the key moments. The Hibbo chase and behind was absolutely crucial, he was easily in the top 3 players for me. Viney, although a bit off Gunston no doubt had an impact with that chase and turned an open goal into a pressure kick. I’d also really like to add one: Melksham’s out-bodying of Sicily and mark and then kick to T-Mac for a clunker! It was right after Melksham’s goal which was great but I still felt momentum was with Hawthorn, this was the moment we wrestled it back in my opinion.

Then there were 2 massive chases in the game because I thought Hibberd's chase on Gunston to deny him the soccer goal earlier was a significant moment in the match.

I travelled down from Corowa (southern NSW) at the age of 17 on the morning of the GF. We had won 5 grand finals in my 10 years as a Dees supporter, so I was brashly confident. Not so confident late in the last quarter when Collingwood hit the front. A great trip back home - the three hours passed quickly. I'm now 71 and no way would I have ever thought that we'd be 54 years from our 1964 win and still without another premiership. I guess I'm blessed to have seen us win one. But I would love another!

To all those who wanted spargo rested, a pox on your house. To all those who didn't want Melksham 2 years ago, a pox on your house. To all those who thinks Oscar should be in the twos, a pox on your house. To all those who thinks ANB wasn't worth being in the firsts, a pox on your house. To all those who believe this club was no good, A POX ON YOUR HOUSE. GO DEES

He didn’t worry all of us. Some of us always saw the longer term plan, and that he had the essential qualities. Oscar has got where he is faster and younger than most were/are prepared to admit. The whipping boy treatment he got before probably the last half of this season has always been misplaced and ignorant.