In a trend that is eerily reminiscent of the 1919 season, when 43 players were used - an unbelievable 28 of them new to the Club - in 1986, 46 players were used in 1986, eleven of them being debutants. In fact, Melbourne used the most players of any team in the then VFL in this season.
It was a harsh introduction for rookie coach John Northey, but an important step as he established himself in the role.
He was setting himself for the future, and while he had grand veterans such as Robert Flower on hand, a snapshot reveals what was to come. Greg Healy turned 21 in September, Danny Hughes was just 22, and Chris Connolly was relatively mature at the age of 23.
On the games statistics front, Melbourne struggled, with Greg Healy holding most of the respectability, including 36 disposals in a game against North Melbourne. Fittingly, he finished as Best and Fairest for the year, followed by Garry Lyon in second place and Alan Jarrott at third.
The only other real statistical redemption for Melbourne was in hitouts, with Peter Moore finishing ninth overall in the VFL, followed by Turner at eighteenth and Allday at nineteenth.
It was not all statistics, of course. In this first year of Stuart Spencer’s presidency, the red and royal blue was in its final season, soon to return to the much loved navy, signalling brighter days ahead. But first, 1986 had to be survived - on all fronts. As Spencer wrote at the end of the year, ‘1986 was also a year of enormous uncertainty and speculation, with mergers and co-operative ownership…being the major topic for many weeks.’
As Chris Connolly recalls, and as documentation of the day supports, Melbourne’s discussion was with Fitzroy. While both teams were interested, the concept fell through.
The alternative? Building for success, and as Connolly - equal fourth in the 1986 Best and Fairest despite playing just twelve games - remembers it, this is exactly what started happening with the advent of Northey. ‘We shifted our focus. Guys who were down the back came forward.’
This was all part of what captain of the day, Robert Flower, remembers as being part of Northey’s special qualities.
‘He gave flair and imagination to some guys.’ Funnily enough, Flower hadn’t agreed wholeheartedly with the appointment of Northey - as he said on retirement, and as he reiterates even now - ‘I knew very little about him’.
But, with exposure to the new man - so very different to Barassi, but with the same ambition for success - Flower soon came to appreciate the Northey style of an infinite variety of drills, giving players responsibility, and providing resources such as comprehensive scouting reports.
So, despite 1986 being a tough year, starting with two wins, followed by five losses, then a welcome and much needed victory against Footscray, before another five losses, one more win, another three losses, two wins, and a loss-win-loss sequence to complete the season, Flower and Connolly show the common sentiment of the group of the day.
As Flower states, ‘1986 was when we just started to get some consistency, and it was a great - and necessary - springboard for heading into success in 1987.’
It was certainly worth facing down the tough times. The young group was forging strong links for the future. Northey knew that, with seven wins to its credit - one more than 1985 - the scene was set ‘for further development in 1987’.
Hindsight shows that this was indeed the case, and that the tough times of 1986 - and seasons preceding - were worth the perseverance for better days ahead.
