dieter

And he was an absolutely lousey kick.

That anyone would leave Alan Johnson out of the top 20 List is beyond my comprehension. Ditto anyone who doesn't rate Brett Lovett. Now there were two very great players.

Pendlebury has Nicholson at Number 20 of the top players...

He was more than 'just reliable'. He and Roet and Leahy formed the best half back line in the competition. I recall a game against Geelong at Kardinia Park. The votes went 3,2 and 1 to those lads.

Yes, sorry bout that, chief...

Hardly elie, old boy, hardly elite at all....He was, like Luke Beveridge and Tom Hafey, just a player...

Brian Wilson.

He was a great man, Jim Stynes. Keep in mind that till not that long ago every indigenous player was racially abused by opposition players, supporters, a kind of reflection on how they had been treated since Mr Cook and Co brought on Philips' voyage.

MIchael Pickering, ex Richmond, some handy games 1992 and 1993.

Shane Grambeau, Alan Davis, both played good games for Melbourne, especially Davis in 1976 and 1977. BOth ex St KIlda..

Steven Pitt. 5 games. Another 'gift' from the E Coli Wobblers...

Who did?

1: Farmer 2: Whelan, Davey. 3: Lovell, Garlett, Jetta. 4: Jurrah, Charles. 5: Wonamieri, H.Bennell, Pickett. 6: Graham. 7: Bamblett, Kennedy Harris,. 8: Chisholm, Motlop, Barry. Francis. Unknown: May, Pickett, Bedford. I loved them all. I recall their highlights, really basked in the achievements of all of them. Hats off...

Gary Byers played two games, as I remember, both against Carlton. IN the last game of the season he gave John Nicholls a bath, they met again during a Semi Final the next week and Nicholls reversed the tables. Carlton won, Tunbridge dropped a mark twenty yards out, game over....

George Lakes. The first version of Jimmy Toumpas...

He was one of my favourite players: he had dash and courage and skill. One of THE great half back lines in the game's history: Anderson, Roet, Leahy.

I played in a social cricket match against Owen Zinko in 1972. I was at Victoria Park for his first game when he was smashed by Mr Weidemann. He told me it totally knocked the bejaysus out of him, that he never recovered. He was of Ukrainian stock, it takes a lot to knock the stuffing out of a Ukrainian...

Add Phil Egan's one and only game... Phil carman, John Gallus, Craig Ellis, Craig Turley, Nathan Bassett

Rod Owen played some great footy for Melbourne as well, albeit before injury, 19 goals from 9 games in 1991. Steven Clark, ex Essendon, played some bloody good footy in his 21 games, 18 of them in 1991.

He was a smoker. I recall a quarter time break in the Reserves at the Footscray oval on the day Brian Roet demolished Ray Baxter's claim to be the next Victorian Centre half Forward - I played cricket with Ray in the mid 1970's at Ewing in Central Park .It was probably Rowarth's his last year, 1963, and like a lot of players, he was lit up, sucking on a Craven A, maybe a Turf, maybe a Capstan, maybe a Rothmans....A bloke I went to school with in the 60's lived in Apollo Bay for years. He knew Alan Rowarth, always spoke highly of him.

I've written this before, how when I stayed at a motel in Mudgee I chatted with the manager. He was a W.A. lad, organising a local rugby match. I said, A W.A boy promoting rubgy. He replied, When in Mudgee you do Mudgee. He then said, Don't you worry, I'm an AFL man. My brother played full back in the first WA Premiership side. It was February, 2018, around the time Essendon was in the news. I mentioned it. He replied, Essendon got sprung. All clubs have a drug culture. He said it was rife at West Coast from Day one. He made mention of a certain player who apparently played in the side as well. He's still involved in the game at a high level, at, shall we say, a certain other club...

Regan, east of, parallel to Dorking Road...

I was standing on the corner of Whitehorse Road and Station Street. I smiled and said, Well I'll be. Then I said, You idiot , you should have stayed. Oh ye of little Faith.

I went to this game, the first game I'd attended since the 1987 Semi against the Swans. I left during the third quarter, my head shaking, wondering just why Melbourne players kept kicking the ball to GWS players. I walked to Richmond station, got off the train at Box Hill and checked on my phone to see how much we'd been beaten by...

Sure did, played them some Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Bach and Handel either from the radio or my cassettes.