Demonwiki The history of the Melbourne Football Club

Established in 2009, Demonwiki draws on sources including newspapers, books, websites, interviews and personal memories to chronicle the history of the world's oldest professional sporting club. There are currently over 8550 articles and 6600 images in our database.

Demonwiki is an independent production, not affiliated with the Melbourne Football Club. If you have information to contribute please contact us .

The Last Hurrah

From the files of Demonwiki - The Last Hurrah looks at the story of the Melbourne Football Club’s 1964 premiership, and the fall from grace that left the club without a premiership for the next 57 years.

From the mid-1950s, Melbourne, led by the legendary Norm Smith, dominated the Victorian Football League like no club before or since. From 1954 to 1964, the Demons competed in 11 finals series, played in eight Grand Finals and won six. Year after year the club was able to recruit new stars, as others left or retired.

The Grand Final victory, achieved after a last-minute goal by back-pocket player Neil Crompton, turned out to be not only the end of this dominant era, but the beginning of a black hole of success for the club. In the next 56 years, Melbourne made just two Grand Finals, both thrashings. On sale in all good bookstores, or online.