Timothy Reddan-A'Blew

I'm definitely for this version! My 'civics' education shows this to be the years 1939 to 1941 and 1949 to 1966. Not so long ago, Macca? And the Dees collecting 10 of the 20 premierships contested (with an 11th as he was waiting on the bench for his second go!)

True from 1888, but it was only us, Geelong, Carlton and St Kilda in the VFA before then. Stay with us, Macca!

Particularly check out how our 3 pre-1877 'premierships' were 'won'! (very generous of Mr Carter to include them, though, considering Geelong did not compete!)

Yes, Rev. Spooner may have provided a loophole!

Further 'research': Before the 1877 formation of the 'roof body' VFA, 'In 1861 the first moves towards the establishment of a roof body were seen when the Athletic Sports Committee presented a Challenge Cup for the champion Senior team, which was donated by the Royal Caledionian Society of Melbourne. The result was disputed in 1869, with both Carlton and Melbourne claiming the Cup. In the following year, Melbourne and South Yarra both claimed champion status. In 1870, South Yarra put up a new Challenge Cup for competition. A few years after the Challenge Cup was first presented, Junior teams were able to compete for a Junior Challenge Cup.[20] Prior to the actual establishment of an official football-only roof body in 1877, there was still a great degree of organisation and cooperation between the various clubs. Regular meetings were held between the secretaries of the clubs at which, inter alia, the following matters were discussed: - changes and refinements to the rules; - fixtures for each season; - the naming of the Champion club at the end of each season.' Hard to claim 'premierships' in this period! I'd say the answer to the thread question is a fairly resounding NO.

?????????? Were there 'premierships' in some form between the 1870 referred to in the article and the 1877 starting point referred to below? 1877–1896: Victorian Football Association Melbourne side of 1879 In 1877, Melbourne became a founding member of the Victorian Football Association (VFA). During the same year the club took part in the first interstate football match involving a South Australian side, Victorian, defeating the home side 1–0.[14] Melbourne never won a VFA premiership, although they were consistently one of the stronger teams in the competition, finishing as runners-up four times, to Carlton in 1877, Geelong in 1878 and twice to Essendon in 1893 and 1894.

This is where this should have been:

Me, too, Luci! So my fried brain may mess with my response. Anyway - and sorry if this is an 'egg-sucking-lesson-for-your-granny' - they're cryptic clues of the crossword variety. Do you do cryptics? If so, you'll know there are several different types of clue, so one answer won't necessarily help you with the others. Maybe I'll go via my previous post and spell that out now. There are 23 clues: it's the size of an AFL team. So 'what we have here' is an AFL team (and what else but a Dees one?!), with a separate 24th member. And, being a team, i.e. of people, it's safe to assume the 24 clues are of names. Who might be seen as a 24th 'member' of an AFL team? To answer that, for this team, back to its clue: How might what happened on '25/9/21' be 'understated' in that person's name? (Hint: In true cryptic fashion, two words can be made one, and vice versa) Now, who is (was?) notionally the 23rd member of an AFL team? The medi-sub. Who has been a 'famous' ('singularly unfortunate'?) medi-sub, who is also 'number 23' in a second way? Here's how their clue works: Go back = back of 'go' = O / for = 'in place of' / a = A / biblical flower = biblical flow-er = biblical river = JORDAN; thus, 'O in place of A [in] JORDAN'. Keep going, Luci, but let's PM on any more help. I love spreading the 'joy' of cryptics but I'm conscious of clogging the boards. There's no prizes left to be had; Gold was shared by @Demonstone and @Mazer Rackham - Demonstone would possibly have had it on his own, but he did a 'Peter Landy' to potential 'Ron Clarkes', only this time he then failed to catch Mazer Clarke - and @mo64 took Bronze. @Jjrogan didn't place but gets a Rising Star nomination.

...thanks to this book:

Yeah, alright @old55... Brent Heaver, early on, was just too early for the start of something big, while, ironically, Paul Earley found himself in the thick of it! And how stiff was Michael Howard?!

I note Zero Hanger's question relates (just) to home and away wins. As the clichė has it, 'finals is a whole new season'. Mind you, ZH's home and away Dees pass mark would have us top 2 anyway, so I'm with @Diamond_Jim's take, but for @DubDee's time frame!

Fair call, Luci. Apologies. And thanks for the restraint in only saying 'complaining'! I'm afraid @Demonstone and @Mazer Rackham have fully answered now. As has @mo64, and @Jjrogan was well on the way last week, but I've neglected him(?) since, like I've neglected this puzzle. Oops. I suggest you count the number of clues, see if that suggests anything, have the biblical flower at number 23 (for a couple of reasons!) and also ask yourself how 25/9/21 might be referred to in an understated way. As demonstone says, the others might then start to fall in place? Ooh, I'm feeling a bit @old55ish! 😄

No need for this to wait 'til tomorrow...

Well, that didn't last long!... @old55, can we have some clues that aren't just more names, please, please, please? Or better still, how about THE ANSWER! From your earlier response to me, I take it from @Demonstone's and @Bombay Airconditioning's applause that it's got something to do with flags and possibly numbers, but that it is 'a topic of interest to (you)' I can't tally with those aspects, and that 'fact' is totally wasted on me anyway! Oh well, perhaps I step away again. Longer this time. Unless I get a PM from you in the meantime...

Here's the answer I got from adonski, @Fanatique Demon, to this and the feathered cap aspect.

Grief passes: We remember, W, and are pleased 😊

To self: 'Step away from the quiz...'

See my earlier post: YOU'RE NOT HELPING! That goes for you, too, @tilly18! (😄)

I was just about to post, 'Keep on turning up, BA; we'll eventually make one that suits' then I read 55's latest! *shakes fist*

Awwww, come ON!...

I hate clues that just add more names to link! 😄

I see I'm not the only one visiting your profile, clutching at straws, @old55! Not @Demonstone, though; I'm presuming he's been a long-time admirer?

What, getting her into music early? 😉

Looks like there's a few nibblers. Get on it!