Whispering_Jack

The MCG on this day 56 years ago, stood silent as it is today. Back then, Melbourne’s season was also over but, as I’ve chronicled over the past five months, the difference is that the 1964 Demons had successfully completed another season - the sixth premiership in ten years while in this year, they failed by the narrowest of margins for the second time in four years to play in a finals series that now comprises twice the number of teams. Through the Melbourne Football Club’s golden era from 1954 to 1964 it was a joy to be a Demon fan. You would wake up on a Saturday morning fully believing that your team would win on the day and you would mostly be proven right, especially in the important games when the battle was tough and the winning mattered most. The club would always find a way - the best examples were the Round 17 game v Hawthorn and the Grand Final itself. I call it “the winning feeling”. Compare this to the Melbourne of 2020 - three games that had to be won - against the Bulldogs, Swans and Dockers - were all lost with barely a fight and with no sign of the ruthlessness that they say is needed for teams to succeed. When the day comes that a coach can instill that ruthless streak into the Demons then perhaps they will once again experience “the winning feeling”. [Article from Bush Demon’s 1964 scrap book - thanks BD]

Loved that story about the hillbillies.

Order to end of Round 18 — Adelaide 1 8 20 31 44 48 60 Brisbane Lions 18 19 40 64 Carlton 7 27 45 Collingwood 12 35 39 68 Essendon 6 42 61 69 70 Fremantle 10 29 Geelong 11 15 16 34 Gold Coast Suns 5 24 36 72 GWS Giants 28 46 66 Hawthorn 4 21 41 43 59 67 Melbourne 23 47 62 63 North Melbourne 2 9 25 57 65 Port Adelaide 26 30 37 50 55 Richmond 17 32 53 71 St Kilda 14 58 73 Sydney 3 22 54 56 West Coast Eagles 33 51 52 Western Bulldogs 13 38 49

Nice distraction from the Harley Bennell, Petracca and Hunt fiascos.

September power rankings: South Australia’s 30 top AFL Draft prospects

Two pictures that explain why Melbourne missed out on making the finals and why the Western Bulldogs made it. Melbourne v Fremantle Round 16 at Cazaly’s Stadium MFC Disposal Efficiency 53% Fremantle v Western Bulldogs Round 18 at Cazaly’s Stadium WBFC Disposal Efficiency 80% Thoughts?

This may or may not be the final result ~ 175. Christian Petracca 137. Steven May 133. Clayton Oliver 111. Jack Viney 124. Max Gawn 87. Ed Langdon 55. Jake Lever 36. Michael Hibberd 33. Christian Salem 31. Angus Brayshaw 23. Trent Rivers 15. Jay Lockhart 13. Oscar McDonald Adam Tomlinson 10. Jake Melksham Sam Weideman 9. Bayley Fritsch 8. Kysaiah Pickett 7. James Harmes Jayden Hunt Luke Jackson 6. Mitch Hannan Charlie Spargo 5. Mitch Brown 4. Tom McDonald 2. Oskar Baker Aaron vandenBerg 1. Neville Jetta Braydon Preuss

The point has been made - and it’s a good one - that at least the equation now revolves around two simple matters:- • Melbourne winning and • Western Bulldogs losing. There’s no pressure on winning by 5 goals or 10 goals and the players have their focus on only one thing. Winning.

Thanks to bush demon for the colour footage of the grand final.

Grand Final, 1964 Melbourne vs Collingwood Saturday 19 September Venue: MCG Attendance: 102,471 B Neil Crompton Bernie Massey Tassie Johnson HB Tony Anderson Brian Roet Frank Davis C Brian Dixon Don Williams Frank Adams HF Barrie Vagg Graeme Jacobs Bryan Kenneally F John Lord Barry Bourke John Townsend Foll Graham Wise Ron Barassi (c) Rov Hassa Mann 19/20 Ken Emselle Peter McLean Coach Norm Smith Melbourne went into the Grand Final as red hot favourite against a wounded Collingwood but the game turned out to be nothing like the demolition job of two weeks earlier when it won by a massive 89 points. The Pies came out with a determined attitude and they kicked the first goal against a slight breeze before John Lord responded for the Demons. From there, it was an arm wrestle for the rest of the term with Melbourne forging ahead by a solitary point at the end of the opening quarter. Fortunes fluctuated in second quarter with the Demons on top early in the term but the Magpies steadied to kick three goals to take a narrow two point lead into the second half. Melbourne took control after the main break and dominated the third term booting two goals three behinds to a couple of points and, when the siren sounded for three quarter time, it held a lead of 11 points. The Dees remained in control in the early stages of the final quarter but wasted several scoring opportunities with three behinds in a row to extend their lead to 14 points. The persistency of the Magpies paid off with a goal to Tuddenham which was followed by two more behinds to Melbourne who were struggling to grasp the opportunities presented to seal the game. It was at this point that Collingwood’s giant ruckman Ray Gabelich struck a purple patch with two sensational goals to turn the game on its head. His first came at the 17 minute mark with a kick from a boundary throw in and moments later, the second put his team in front came after he took the ball and had four bounces as he carried his bulky frame towards the goals. Gabelich kicked truly after almost losing the ball during his run and suddenly the Magpies held a three point lead. Melbourne’s inaccuracy continued when the usually reliable Hassa Mann marked and missed from almost directly in front leaving his team two points in arrears. With the game in the balance, veteran winger Brian Dixon gathered the ball at half forward and booted it goalwards where it was thumped from the pack and spilled to the ground. Incredibly, it found itself in the hands of Demon back pocket Neil Crompton who made no mistake as he threw the ball on his boot to kick his only goal of the season. He had only gone forward because he followed his opponent upfield, a move that would normally not necessarily have pleased coach Norm Smith. Melbourne now led by four points as the game ticked into time on and, in the frenetic final moments, full forward Barry Bourke took a telling mark in defence to repel one of Collingwood’s final attacks. The siren sounded and players of both sides were strewn to the ground with exhaustion. The Demons had won the premiership. Best players for the Demons were veteran Brian Dixon , Hassa Mann and Brian Roet. Norm Smith was elated at the performance of his charges and described the final term as "the most agonising I have ever experienced in football". And spare a thought for 20th man Peter McLean who spent the entire match sitting on the bench. It was Melbourne’s sixth premiership in ten seasons but it was also the last game played by two champions in Ron Barassi and Frank “Bluey” Adams. It also marked the end of a long reign as the competition’s dominant team. Although the Demons did win their first eight matches of the following season they faltered in the last half of the year amid the controversy of Smith’s sacking and division within. They failed to make the finals for another two decades and the glory days of 1954 to 1964 have never returned. Melbourne 2.6.18 5.7.37 7.10.52 8.16.64 Collingwood 2.5.17 5.9.39 5.11.41 8.12.60 Goals Townsend 3 Lord 2 Bourke Crompton H Mann Best Dixon H Mann Roet Adams Tas Johnson Anderson 1964 Under 19s Grand Final Melbourne vs Collingwood Saturday 19 September Venue: MCG B Bird Millard Stewart HB Griffiths Brodie Adams C Reinholdt T Leahy Pritchard HF Minton-Connell Feldman Stone F Little McNab Jones Foll Russell McNamee Schultz 19/20 Rowarth Darcy Emerg: Coutts Lockwood J Osborne White The Demons began the day winning a premiership in the Under 19s, also against Collingwood using their superior pace and teamwork to beat the Magpies by 14 points after trailing by that margin at half time. Melbourne 2.3.15 5.9.39 9.13.67 12.16.88 Collingwood 3.4.22 8.5.53 9.6.60 11.8.74 Goals McNab 5 Schultz 3 Feldman Little Russell Stone

You can’t depend on others but at least do what has to be done that’s under your control.

Apparently there was a scratch match and the Melbourne team (with a couple of ring ins from other clubs) won. I didn’t catch much detail other than I understand Toby Bedford played well.

Footy and the farm: Younger Walsh sets his sights on an AFL career AFL Draft 2020: Top 12 prospects from Vic Country

Order to end of Round 17 — Adelaide 1 9 20 30 45 50 60 Brisbane Lions 18 19 41 64 Carlton 7 26 44 Collingwood 14 35 39 67 Essendon 6 42 61 69 70 Fremantle 8 29 Geelong 11 15 16 34 Gold Coast Suns 5 24 36 72 GWS Giants 28 46 68 Hawthorn 3 21 40 43 58 66 Melbourne 22 47 62 63 North Melbourne 2 10 25 57 65 Port Adelaide 27 32 37 49 55 Richmond 17 31 53 71 St Kilda 13 59 73 Sydney 4 23 54 56 West Coast Eagles 33 51 52 Western Bulldogs 12 38 48

1 PORT ADELAIDE Played 16, 52 pts, 136.4% NEXT ROUND: Collingwood 2 BRISBANE LIONS Played 16, 52 pts, 124.7% NEXT ROUND: Carlton 3 RICHMOND Played 16, 46pts, 125.8% NEXT ROUND: Adelaide 4 GEELONG Played 16, 44 pts, 138.9% NEXT ROUND: Sydney 5 WEST COAST Played 16, 44 pts, 116.0% NEXT ROUND: North Melbourne 6 COLLINGWOOD Played 16, 38 pts, 112.2% NEXT ROUND: Port Adelaide 7 ST KILDA Played 16, 36 pts, 111.4% NEXT ROUND: GWS Giants 8 W. BULLDOGS Played 16, 36 pts, 103.9% NEXT ROUND: Fremantle 9 MELBOURNE Played 16, 32 points, 106.2% NEXT ROUND: Essendon 10 GWS GIANTS Played 16, 32 points, 100.6% NEXT ROUND: St Kilda 11 FREMANTLE Played 16, 28 points, 96.7% NEXT ROUND: Western Bulldogs 12 CARLTON Played 16, 28 points, 95.6% NEXT ROUND: Brisbane Lions 13 ESSENDON Played 16, 26 points, 79.6% NEXT ROUND: Melbourne 14 GOLD COAST Played 16, 22 points, 94.8% NEXT ROUND: Hawthorn 15 SYDNEY Played 16, 20 points, 82.0% NEXT ROUND: Geelong 16 HAWTHORN Played 16, 16 points, 78.8% NEXT ROUND: Gold Coast 17 NORTH MELBOURNE Played 16, 12 points, 71.3% NEXT ROUND: West Coast 18 ADELAIDE Played 16, 12 points, 65.8% NEXT ROUND: Richmond

How interesting would it be if tonight’s game was a draw?

Those Queenslanders are appropriating everything - Qld public holiday for AFL grand final to be floated with Premier

Does anyone else think that this year’s Grand Final Eve Public Holiday is ridiculous? There’s no room for the usual grand final parade or festivities with the game being played in the Republic of Queensland. And besides that, Melbourne in the midst of its Covid-19 lockdown won’t be a place for celebration, especially if the 5k limit is still in place.

Long, long time ago ... MELBOURNE B Jay Lockhart Oscar McDonald Neville Jetta HB Josh Wagner Sam Frost Christian Salem C Jayden Hunt Clayton Oliver Nathan Jones HF James Harmes Sam Weideman Kade Kolodjashnij F Angus Brayshaw Tom McDonald Jake Melksham FOLL Max Gawn Christian Petracca Jack Viney I/C Bayley Fritsch Michael Hibberd Alex Neal-Bullen Corey Wagner EMG Harrison Petty Braydon Preuss Tom Sparrow Billy Stretch IN Corey Wagner Josh Wagner OUT Steven May (injured) Tom Sparrow (omitted) ESSENDON B Aaron Francis Patrick Ambrose Conor McKenna HB Kobe Mutch Michael Hurley Adam Saad C Orazio Fantasia Zach Merrett Andrew McGrath HF Jake Stringer Zac Clarke Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti F Devon Smith Shaun McKernan Mark Baguley FOL Tom Bellchambers David Zaharakis Dylan Shiel I/C Matt Guelfi Dyson Heppell David Myers Darcy Parish EMG Mitch Brown Sam Draper Kyle Langford Jordan Ridley IN Zac Clarke Kobe Mutch OUT Mitch Brown (omitted) Kyle Langford (omitted)

Tomorrow, I will be 100% behind Clarko and the Hawks to pull off the upset of the year.

The Cats led Magpies through the first half of the 1964 Preliminary Final and, but for their inaccuracy in front of goal, would have set up a grand final encounter with Demons. In the end, the scoreboard told the story and the season was over for the 1963 premiers - Collingwood 7.6.48 defeated Geelong 5.14.44. Earlier in the day, it was the Demons’ greater accuracy for goal that saw them into the Under 19s grand final with an 18 point win over the Tigers. 1964 Under 19s Preliminary Final Melbourne vs Richmond Saturday, 12 September Venue: MCG Attendance: 87,091 Melbourne 1.4.10 6.5.41 10.6.66 14.7.91 Richmond 4.4.28 7.7.49 8.11.59 10.13.73 B Bird Millard Stewart HB Adams Brodie Griffith C Rineholdt Feldman Pritchard HF Minton-Connell T Leahy Stone F Jones McNab, Little Foll Russell McNamee Schultz 19/20 Rowarth D'Arcy Emg J Osborne Coutts Lockwood Wight Goals Little 4 McNab Schultz 3 Russell 2, Feldman Jones Best Adams Little Feldman

Is it the end of the line or one more lurch forward to an unlikely redemption?

I have an idea. Why not pick a team as close as possible to the one that represented Melbourne the last time we played at the Gabba? It was against Collingwood and we beat them by 56 points. This was the team:- MELBOURNE FB Michael Hibberd Steven May Jay Lockhart HB Christian Salem Jake Lever Nathan Jones C Ed Langdon Clayton Oliver Adam Tomlinson HF Jake Melksham Tom McDonald Bayley Fritsch FF Christian Petracca Sam Weideman Kysaiah Pickett FOL Braydon Preuss Angus Brayshaw Jack Viney I/C James Harmes Charlie Spargo Tom Sparrow Aaron vandenBerg EMG Mitch Brown Mitch Hannan Jayden Hunt Joel Smith Only three players - Jones, Brayshaw and Harmes are unavailable through injury and I would have Max Gawn in the side instead of Braydon Preuss. The three to add would be Brown, Hannan and Rivers. That makes my changes for this week:- IN Brown Hannan Lockhart T McDonald Spargo Sparrow OUT Baker Bedford Hunt Neal-Bullen Preuss Smith It looks better to me on paper than the team we sent out against the Dockers. Let’s see how it goes on grass.

1 PORT ADELAIDE Played 15, 48 pts, 131.4% TO COME: Essendon Collingwood 2 BRISBANE LIONS Played 15, 48 pts, TO COME Sydney Carlton 122.1% 3 GEELONG Played 15, 44 pts, 145.1% TO COME Richmond Sydney 4 RICHMOND Played 15, 42 pts, 123.6% TO COME Geelong Adelaide 5 WEST COAST Played 15, 40 pts, 115.1% TO COME St Kilda North Melbourne 6 COLLINGWOOD Played 15, 34 pts, 110.1% TO COME Gold Coast Port Adelaide 7 ST KILDA Played 15, 36 pts, 113.9% TO COME West Coast GWS Giants 8 GWS GIANTS Played 15, 32 points, 101.2 TO COME Melbourne St Kilda 9 W. BULLDOGS Played 15, 32 points, 100.3% TO COME Hawthorn Fremantle 10 MELBOURNE Played 15, 28 points, 106.1 TO COME GWS Giants Essendon 11 CARLTON Played 15, 28 points, 97.0% TO COME Adelaide Brisbane Lions 12 ESSENDON Played 15, 26 points, 82.9% TO COME Port Adelaide Melbourne 13 FREMANTLE Played 15, 24 points, 88.7% TO COME North Melbourne Western Bulldogs 14 GOLD COAST Played 15, 22 points, 96.7% TO COME Collingwood Hawthorn 15 SYDNEY Played 15, 20 points, 84.1% TO COME Brisbane Lions Geelong 16 HAWTHORN Played 15, 16 points, 80.7% TO COME Western Bulldogs Gold Coast 17 NORTH MELBOURNE Played 15, 12 points, 74.6% TO COME Fremantle West Coast 18 ADELAIDE Played 15, 8 points, 62.7% TO COME Carlton Richmond