THERE have been many great Demon goals over the years, but nothing beats the run, class and finish of Jeff Farmer’s 1998 major.

After four rounds of voting, Farmer’s effort has taken out the Haymes Paint Greatest Goal competition, with Melbourne fans deeming the beauty against Hawthorn the best goal of the past 30 years.

For Farmer, who kicked 483 goals throughout his career, it was one of his favourites.

Thinking back to the first quarter of the Round 11 clash at Waverley Park, in what was his fourth season at Melbourne, the former No.33 puts it down to one thing: luck.

“The ball was spoiled, and I was lucky enough to be in the right place,” Farmer told Melbourne Media.

“I swooped on the ball, passed it off to one of my teammates, I was then able to get the ball back, continued to run and I think I kicked it to Garry Lyon.

“He was nice enough to handpass it back, but I still had about 70-odd metres in front of me of clear, open space to run.

“I tried to back my pace against the Hawthorn defenders. I ended up having no more petrol in the tank and I just had to torp and hope that it was able to go long enough and straight enough.”

The kick just outside 50 was one for the ages.

In wet conditions, it dropped short in the goal square. But, with a bit more luck, the ball bounced through for the six points, sealing what was later deemed the 1998 Goal of the Year.

The play not only highlighted the masterclass of ‘the Wiz’, but also one of the great Demon combos in Farmer and Lyon.

Playing across five seasons together, the pair shared many big moments, with this one being pretty special to reminisce on.

“We worked in tandem – it was a great passage of play,” Farmer said.

“It was nice to finish off and obviously celebrate with Garry, who is one of the greatest Melbourne Football Club players, plus a champion of the AFL.

“It was certainly a privilege to be able to be up and about with him, and play as many games as I did with the great man.”

The 1998 season was a standout for both Farmer and the club.

The then 21-year-old Farmer finished as the Dees’ leading goalkicker (47 goals), represented Australia in the International Rules Series and got his first taste of finals footy.

And that was all down to one man – the great Neale Daniher.

“Neale came in at the end of 1997, which we had had a pretty disappointing year,” Farmer said.

“He came in and breathed a breath of fresh air within the club and within the players, and was able to get the very best out of everyone.

“We all contributed at certain times throughout the year, and that got us to top four [on the ladder] at the end of the year.

“We were lucky enough to be able to play finals and we were just unlucky to lose to North Melbourne in the Prelim.

“It was a wonderful experience, and a great opportunity as a young, little kid from Tambellup. It was certainly a great year, as was 2000, which I would say was another wonderful year that was had by the football club.”

Farmer, who played 118 games as a Demon before joining Fremantle at the end of 2001, remains a much-loved member of the Melbourne family.

His ability to bring excitement, pace and pure talent to every passage set him apart, while his highlights reel is in a league of its own.

And this recent recognition is a nice way to be reminded of that.

“I’m very humbled – it’s nice to be still thought about,” Farmer said.

“There are many highlights, not just from myself but many other players. In terms of marking, Shaun Smith took possibly Mark of the Century and Russell Robertson was a decent player and high-flyer as well.

“As for goals, Shane Woewodin also did a run from the backline, took on-comers on all by himself and finished off with a wonderful goal.

“There are many more highlights as a club, from many, many players, whether it’s kicking goals, or taking spectacular marks.

“It’s a wonderful football club and certainly a great privilege to have been a part of it.”