Queen’s Birthday - A Modern Rivalry
THERE seems to be a myth that the rivalry between Melbourne and Collingwood is dormant, having peaked in the 1950s and been in descent since the Demons’ last premiership victory in 1964.
Since the revival of the Queen’s Birthday fixture as an annual event in 1999, the match-up has been an arm wrestle.
Click here to buy tickets for the Queen's Birthday Blockbuster- secure the best seats and avoid game day queues.
Head-to-head the Demons lead 6-5, with Collingwood failing to balance the ledger when the sides fought out a nail-biting draw last year.
Collingwood has had its moments in those 12 games - Chris Tarrant took mark of the year in 2001 and backed it up with seven goals the following year.
In 2003, Shane Woewodin made a victorious first appearance against the side he won a Brownlow Medal for just a few years earlier.
It was a bittersweet day when Jack Watts was picked to debut on the big stage in 2009, receiving an initiation of fire in front of more than 60,000 fans.
Could 2011 be the year that he or another one of the Demons up-and-comers makes a name for himself on the big stage?
The Demons have had the Pies’ measure in six Queen’s Birthday blockbusters. Let’s take a look at some of the best moments:
2000 - Jeff Farmer’s nine-goal second half
This game was played on a Saturday, but was on the Queen’s Birthday weekend before the fixture was moved permanently to the Monday in 2001. Going into half-time the highly fancied Demons led by just three points over a Collingwood side that had lost its previous eight games. Jeff Farmer was famously dragged by coach Neale Daniher after a fruitless first half. Only when forward Ben Beams left the field with a broken arm did the Wizard get a chance to return to the field. An hour later, he had kicked 9.1, entered the record books, and led the Demons to a 10-goal win.
2010 - Draw
In round 2, the Demons had almost caused one of the upsets of the season by getting within a point of Collingwood (after leading the Pies for most of the day). Eventual premiers Collingwood were once again hot favourites and came out of the blocks strongly with the first three goals. But its inaccurate kicking kept the Demons in the game. By half-time the margin was back to a point and the Demons had a sniff. A tense final quarter featured numerous lead changes but by the final siren, neither team held the lead and despite an epic effort by both teams, all 44 players left the field unsatisfied.
2007 - Robbo’s seven
This game would prove one of few highlights in a bleak year for the Demons and would be Neale Daniher’s last victory as Melbourne coach. Following a nine-game losing streak to start the season, the Demons had only recorded their first victory against Adelaide one week earlier. A six-goal to two opening term gave the Demons a handy buffer but the Pies kept pegging back to trail by just three points at three-quarter time. Robbo ended up with 7.3 in one of the finest displays of his career.
2006 - Demons at the top of their game
78,773 packed the ‘G to watch two top four contenders go head-to-head. The Demons led all day in one of their most impressive performances of the Daniher era and ended up winning by 47 points. The stars of that era - Cameron Bruce, Brad Green and Travis Johnstone in the midfield and David Neitz and Adem Yze up forward - all shone. The MCG was a happy hunting ground for Melbourne that year, winning 11 of 12 games on its traditional home ground. Collingwood ended the blockbuster as another victim.
What is your favourite Queen's Birthday memory? Join in the conversation on Twitter by following the #QBclash hashtag
THERE seems to be a myth that the rivalry between Melbourne and Collingwood is dormant, having peaked in the 1950s and been in descent since the Demons’ last premiership victory in 1964.
Since the revival of the Queen’s Birthday fixture as an annual event in 1999, the match-up has been an arm wrestle.
Click here to buy tickets for the Queen's Birthday Blockbuster- secure the best seats and avoid game day queues.
Head-to-head the Demons lead 6-5, with Collingwood failing to balance the ledger when the sides fought out a nail-biting draw last year.
Collingwood has had its moments in those 12 games - Chris Tarrant took mark of the year in 2001 and backed it up with seven goals the following year.
In 2003, Shane Woewodin made a victorious first appearance against the side he won a Brownlow Medal for just a few years earlier.
It was a bittersweet day when Jack Watts was picked to debut on the big stage in 2009, receiving an initiation of fire in front of more than 60,000 fans.
Could 2011 be the year that he or another one of the Demons up-and-comers makes a name for himself on the big stage?
The Demons have had the Pies’ measure in six Queen’s Birthday blockbusters. Let’s take a look at some of the best moments:
2000 - Jeff Farmer’s nine-goal second half
This game was played on a Saturday, but was on the Queen’s Birthday weekend before the fixture was moved permanently to the Monday in 2001. Going into half-time the highly fancied Demons led by just three points over a Collingwood side that had lost its previous eight games. Jeff Farmer was famously dragged by coach Neale Daniher after a fruitless first half. Only when forward Ben Beams left the field with a broken arm did the Wizard get a chance to return to the field. An hour later, he had kicked 9.1, entered the record books, and led the Demons to a 10-goal win.
2010 - Draw
In round 2, the Demons had almost caused one of the upsets of the season by getting within a point of Collingwood (after leading the Pies for most of the day). Eventual premiers Collingwood were once again hot favourites and came out of the blocks strongly with the first three goals. But its inaccurate kicking kept the Demons in the game. By half-time the margin was back to a point and the Demons had a sniff. A tense final quarter featured numerous lead changes but by the final siren, neither team held the lead and despite an epic effort by both teams, all 44 players left the field unsatisfied.
2007 - Robbo’s seven
This game would prove one of few highlights in a bleak year for the Demons and would be Neale Daniher’s last victory as Melbourne coach. Following a nine-game losing streak to start the season, the Demons had only recorded their first victory against Adelaide one week earlier. A six-goal to two opening term gave the Demons a handy buffer but the Pies kept pegging back to trail by just three points at three-quarter time. Robbo ended up with 7.3 in one of the finest displays of his career.
2006 - Demons at the top of their game
78,773 packed the ‘G to watch two top four contenders go head-to-head. The Demons led all day in one of their most impressive performances of the Daniher era and ended up winning by 47 points. The stars of that era - Cameron Bruce, Brad Green and Travis Johnstone in the midfield and David Neitz and Adem Yze up forward - all shone. The MCG was a happy hunting ground for Melbourne that year, winning 11 of 12 games on its traditional home ground. Collingwood ended the blockbuster as another victim.
What is your favourite Queen's Birthday memory? Join in the conversation on Twitter by following the #QBclash hashtag
