Summary sheet of all merger/relocation options the Roys were involved in - can we create a timeline?

[CozzaD]

Hi all,
I am keen to explore the 1996 Fitzroy merger with Brisbane.

I seem to recall, when the deal went down, that a Channel 7 reporter, via a live cross said “Fitzroy are going to merge with North Melbourne” then 24 hours later, out of the blue, they announce/confirm that Fitzroy has merged with Brisbane.

I still think to this day that the deal stinks, and will use whatever means necessary to chase it up.

Happy if anyone can assist (paperwork, contacts, Financial statements, articles etc)

Thanks,
Cozza D

 

[Roylion]

Hi all,
I am keen to explore the 1996 Fitzroy merger with Brisbane

What do you mean by "explore"? What is there to explore? It's well known what happened and why.

 

[CozzaD]

What do you mean by "explore"? What is there to explore? It's well known what happened and why.

I'd like to look at it from a different set of eyes. 1996 was when mainstream internet was starting to kick in, there's still some paperwork to unearth on Fitzroy.

 

[Roylion]

I'd like to look at it from a different set of eyes. 1996 was when mainstream internet was starting to kick in, there's still some paperwork to unearth on Fitzroy.

Such as? What's the mystery?

 

[CozzaD]

Such as? What's the mystery?

That the deal stinks. Are you going to help me, or hinder me?

 

[Roylion]

That the deal stinks.

That has been known for a long time and has been well discussed on a number of boards here.

Are you going to help me, or hinder me?

I'll ask again. To do what exactly? I was / am a shareholder of the Fitzroy Football Club and have been since 1986. Most of what happened in 1996 and the duplicity of some of those involved in those actions is already in the public domain. What do you hope to offer that is new, that I should commit time in helping you?

 

[Roylion]

A couple of the published books that talk about the Brisbane Bears-Fitzroy merger of 1996.

 

[goalieboy82]

did melbourne and fitzroy ever write what the club song would be.

 

[Roylion]

did melbourne and fitzroy ever write what the club song would be.

Not to my knowledge.

Might have been one of the following

It’s a grand old flag
It’s a high flying flag
It’s the emblem for me and for you
It’s the emblem of the team we love
The team of Maroon and Blue
Ev’ry heart beats true
For the Maroon and the Blue
And we sing this song to you (What do we sing!)
Should old acquaintance be forgot
Keep your eye on the Maroon and the Blue

Or

We are the boys from old Melbourne
We wear the colours red, gold and blue,
We will always fight for victory,
We will always see it through,
Win or lose we do or die,
In defeat we'll always try,
Melbourne, Melbourne
The Club we hold so dear,
Premiers we'll be this year.

Pick one. I like the second one personally.

 

[killer]

the coodabeen bumper footy book
had a song for Stkilda Fitzroy Footascray NthMel and Richmond
merging as one team

 

[goalieboy82]

thanks

 

[Roylion]

the coodabeen bumper footy book
had a song for Stkilda Fitzroy Footascray NthMel and Richmond
merging as one team

North Footskildaroy wasn't it? Sung to the tune of 'The Road to Gundagai'?

 

[killer]

yes that's the one
the logo would have been a stick man riding a lion

 

[Roylion]

Came across this in an old scrapbook I'd kept from the nineties.

The below was an article written by Ashley Browne published in The Age speculating on how a Melbourne-Fitzroy merger in 1995, to be called the Melbourne Lions might have worked.

Thought it might be interesting to some.

The guernsey would have been Melbourne's existing jumper with a large gold Fitzroy Lion on the front. Same as the 1986 proposal.

The team that was nominated by Ashley Browne for Round 1 1996 was:

Backs: Steven Febey (Melb) Simon Hawking (Fitz) Trent Cummings (Fitz)
Half-Backs: Glenn Lovett (Melb), David Nietz ( Melb), Jeff Farmer (Melb)
Centres: Stephen Tingay (Melb), Simon Atkins (Fitz), Matthew Febey (Melb)
Half-Forwards: Jason Baldwin (Fitz), David Schwarz (Melb), Chris Johnson (Fitz)
Forwards: Jarrod Molloy (Fitz), Garry Lyon (Melb) , Sean Charles (Melb)
Followers: Jim Stynes (Melb), Brad Boyd (Melb), Andy Lovell (Melb)
Interchange: John Barker (Fitz), Rowan Warfe (Fitz), Matthew Dent (Fitz), Todd Viney (Melb)

Finalists?

The actual article

More than 60,000 fans bathed in the MCG sunshine yesterday as the AFL’s two newest clubs, the Melbourne Lions and the Port Adelaide Steelers, bounced the ball to start the 1996 season and the leagues centenary celebrations.

Despite a sizeable contingent of Port Adelaide fans – every bit as rabid as their counterparts from Collingwood – all eyes were on the Lions and how the players from the old Melbourne and Fitzroy clubs would meld.

That question was answered during a withering nine goal third quarter burst that broke the game open. Melbourne was outstanding.

Neil Balme, the unanimous coach of the new club has put together an outstanding side. Skipper Gary Lyon booted nine goals for the Lions, while David Schwarz showed no ill-effects from last year’s two knee reconstructions, pulling in eight marks from centre-half forward and booting five goals of his own.

But it was the on-ball brigade of that was the most impressive feature of the new side. Vice captain Brad Boyd amassed 34 possessions while shutting Steeler captain Craig Bradley out of the contest.

Boyd was always the class performer of the old Fitzroy midfield, but yesterday he combined superbly with with Andy Lovell and Stephen Tingay to mesmerise the Steelers. Simon Atkins another of the former Lions, gave great drive from the centre after half time.

By contrast it was a miserable homecoming for Andrew Obst, the sole top ten player the Demons were forced to offload under the rules of the merger. Obst has found happiness with Port Adelaide the club from which he was recruited to Melbourne in 1990, but he was thrashed yesterday by Glenn Lovett.
There was much speculation that the side would be dominated by former Demons. But the Fitzroy contigent, particularly full back Simon Hawking who kept Scott Hodges to one goal and Chris Johnson who has already struck an uncanny understanding with Schwarz and Lyon.

Off the field it was a grand day for the Lions. Marketing manager John Birt reported a brisk sale of membership ticket and estimated that the sales were already approaching 15,000, which means the club will not need to under-write its membership sales, as it would have if the Lions had sold 12,720. (20% more than the 10,500 the Demons sold last year).

"The TV campaign the AFL helped finance has captured our supporters attention. They understand that a membership ticket represents good value, particularly when ours are $20 cheaper than any other club's" said Birt who predicted that with 10 MCG home games still to come, the Lions membership could top 20,000. And he speaks from a position of strength, having handled Collingwood’s membership during the heady days following the 1990 premiership.

Club chairman Dyson Hore-Lacy was ecstatic after the match. “This is why we decided to resume those 1994 negotiations with Melbourne, rather than merge with Brisbane like some at the AFL would have preferred, “ he said.

“We’ve just won a huge game at our new home ground the MCG and the atmosphere was better than anything we experienced at the Western Oval and certainly better than watching it on TV from the Gabba.”

And with that he headed off to celebrate at 'Smithy’s', the new social club at the Junction Oval named after the late Norm Smith, who played for and coached both Melbourne and Fitzroy.

It was built for the Lions with a $700,000 handout from the AFL, which was to be used specifically for the creation of a social club."

-----------------------------

A possible Melbourne Lions List of 45 players, say if the clubs had merged at the start of 1996 and both individual clubs had already participated in the 1996 National Draft, might have read as follows.

Simon ATKINS, Jason BALDWIN, John BARKER, Brad BOYD, Nick CARTER, Brett CHANDLER, Sean CHARLES, Shane CLAYTON, Brett COOK, Trent CUMMINGS, Matthew DENT, Jeff FARMER, Matthew FEBEY, Steven FEBEY, Jeremy GUARD, Simon HAWKING, Jeff HILTON, Paul HOPGOOD, Chris JOHNSON, David KOWAL, Andy LOVELL, Brett LOVETT, Glenn LOVETT, Garry LYON, James MANSON, Anthony MELLINGTON, John McCARTHY, Jarrod MOLLOY, Danny MORTON, David NIETZ, Stephen PAXMAN, Martin PIKE, Matthew PRIMUS, Paul PRYMKE, Peter ROHDE, John ROMBOTIS, David SCHWARZ, Marcus SEECAMP, Shaun SMITH, Jim STYNES, Stephen TINGAY, Todd VINEY, Rowan WARFE, Graeme YEATS, and Mark ZANOTTI,

Via the draft from 1997 onwards ,the Melbourne Lions would have had access to Jonathon Brown, Jack Viney, Billy Stretch and Josh Clayton under the father-son rule.