THE COACH AND THE DISCIPLE

by Whispering Jack

Luke Norman was drafted by the Melbourne Football Club as a 22 year old from Wangaratta at selection 68 in the 1994 National Draft. He made his debut (along with a 17 year old Jeff Farmer) in the opening round the following year at the MCG against Geelong at Kardinia Park in the first of six losses on the trot for the Demons.

Norman was a burly defender who was a real goer but he was always going to battle at the elite level after making a relatively late start at the age of 23. He played the first nine games of 1995, but after that, his career stalled and he struggled even to get a game in a team that was decimated by injuries to key players in David Schwartz, Garry Lyon, Stephen Tingay and Paul Prymke and the temporary defection to the tennis coaching circuit of Todd Viney. Norman played the last of his 16 games on what could have turned out a sad night for the Melbourne Football Club - the final round of the 1996 when the Demons took on the Hawks in what might have been the swansong for both of them had the merger not failed.

Nevertheless, it was the end for Luke Norman's brief stint in the AFL. He disappeared off our radar but has re-emerged as the coach of SANFL club Sturt where he has them in the finals in his first senior year. And like his former teammate Graeme Yeats, who coaches Tom Scully at the Dandenong Stingrays, one of Norman's charges is an exciting prospective early draft pick who might also be headed to the Demons via the national draft.

That player is Jack Trengove was skipper of SA in the recent Under 18 National Championships and was picked alongside Scully as an on baller in the Under 18 All Australian team.

Last year, Norman was reserves coach with the Double Blues and he guided them to a premiership. Trengove was in the team which won that flag, having been plucked out of the Under 17 team that tasted a grand final victory the week before.

Sturt won 14 games during the regular season this year but school and state duties kept Trengove out of the senior side until after the Under 18 championships. Since making his debut in July, the youngster has missed only one game (due to school duties at Prince Alfred College) and has averaged well over 20 disposals per game in the midfield and on a forward flank. He picked up the SANFL equivalent of a rising star nomination with a 30-possession effort in just his second game.

The Double Blues were unlucky in last week's qualifying final against Central District. With three time SANFL leading goal kicker Brant Chambers missing through injury, they led for most of the day and were locked together late into time on when a Bulldog forward kicked the winning goal.

Thanks to a friend from Adelaide I was able to view a tape of the game in which Trengove was a solid contributor all day and was named in his team's three best playing in the graveyard half forward flank position. The game was a dour struggle, tough and hard and was a great test for the young teenager. He wasn't as prolific a ball winner as his previous statistics suggested but he showed great composure under finals pressure and still managed to get the ball 15 times, displayed clean hands, crisp disposal and a cool head and booted two goals at vital stages of the game. Both of them were gems. He was right at home playing against the men and has the engine, the skills and the body to move straight into AFL next year.

Just to add a little to the Melbourne connection, one of Trengove's teammates was former Demon Jace Bode who played on a half back flank. Today, they will be back at AAMI Stadium playing in the first semi final against Norman's old side Woodville-West Torrens. For viewers who catch the game on SA's ABC1, one of the commentators will be former North Melbourne, Collingwood and Melbourne player Robert Pyman who had a season with the Demons in 1997.

Melbourne and Sturt have a little bit of history. In the late 1960's the Demons were reported to be chasing two Double Blues stars in ruckman Dean Ottens and speedy Aboriginal winger Michael Graham but, despite the time and effort put in by Melbourne Secretary Jim Cardwell, neither of them could be tempted across the border. The Demons did however, manage to snare a multiple Sturt premiership player of the sixties in John "Diamond Jim" Tilbrook in 1971 but his career was brief and unspectacular. Graham's cousin Colin played around 30 games for the club in the mid seventies and one of Ottens' sons Luke also had a short injury interrupted stint at the club in the late nineties. They could have drafted the other Ottens, Brad who will be playing for a second premiership with Geelong next Saturday, with first pick in 1997 but chose Travis Johnstone instead. The Demons even drafted a midfielder by the name of Judd from Sturt but unlike his namesake, Ben Judd who was drafted at 39 in the 1992 pre season draft, never played a single game of AFL football.

The Demons did manage to strike it lucky with the recruitment of midfielder Todd Viney who came across from Sturt in 1987 who played 233 games with the club, won the best and fairest in 1993 and 1998 and was skipper in 1998-9. His brother Jay, also from Sturt, joined him for a while in late eighties and early nineties.

Although one can't say with certainty at this stage whether Jack Trengove will join the list of Sturt players who have gone on to play for Melbourne, he must be a fair chance to be taken with the club's second pick in the national draft (I've already pencilled Scully in as #1 without consulting Barry Prendergast). However, I think it could be said without much fear of contradiction and with all due respect to his current coach, that this youngster's career at the elite level of the game will be longer and more successful in terms of team and personal achievement than that of his current mentor Luke Norman who battled through some of those dark days during his time at Melbourne.