MIDNIGHT AT THE LAST CHANCE SALOON

MIDNIGHT AT THE LAST CHANCE SALOON by the Oracle

The last big football event of the calendar year is the AFL's Rookie Draft which is very close to being the game's last chance saloon.

For many aspiring AFL players and a small group of those who were previously on lists but have, for one reason or another been cast off them, this is the final desperate chance to find a home and possible redemption at the elite level of the game.

The last roll of the dice.

Since the inception of the Rookie Draft in 1997 there have been many rookies chosen, some of who have gone on to have successful careers while most have languished in the reserves and VFL teams only to vanish back into local suburban competitions or into retirement and anonymity.

Certainly, the early rookie drafts were very much hit and miss but there were some very good hits there. The first rookie ever selected was Jason Dylan who was taken by Port Adelaide. Unlike his more famous namesake, he couldn't produce a single hit and he bowed out of the game without playing even one AFL game.

Melbourne struck a bonanza with its selections in that initial year. It took Nathan Bassett of SANFL club Norwood at number three and he turned into a star player who finished up with 210 games under his belt. Problem was that none of them were with the Demons. After showing some good form here in the reserves, Bassett was uplifted to the senior list but a broken sternum ended his season and he was traded back home to Adelaide, where he later staked his claim to fame.

But the club still managed to strike gold in the 1997 Rookie Draft. Daniel Ward was snapped up from the now defunct Fitzroy reserves and he played 136 games. The Demons also picked up a handy defender in Matthew Bishop (later traded to Port Adelaide), Russell Robertson (228 games), and a real gem in James McDonald at number 78 (251 games and still going in the badlands of Western Sydney). That was an excellent debut piece of rookie drafting and a forerunner for some successful recruiting by the club.

Of course, other clubs have also fared well out of the Rookie Draft over the years but the only name players coming out of the 90 possible selections in the draft of 1997 were Mal Michael who began his career at Collingwood, Mark Johnson an eventual 200 gamer at Essendon and Gary Moorcroft who started with the Bombers but also had a brief stint with the Demons.

Others who were picked as rookies and made it beyond the last chance saloon into football greatness include Dean Cox, Aaron Sandilands, Brett Kirk, Matthew Boyd, Ben Rutten, Nathan Bock, Brad Sewell, Stephen Milne, Tadhg Kennelly, Harry O'Brien and Nick Maxwell. There have been a host of others.

Melbourne's rookie history has also continued to produce some real gems as well as some of those handy "others".

The club had first pick in the 1998 Rookie Draft and chose Luke Williams from Oakleigh Chargers who worked his way to 51 games  from 1999 to 2005. Peter Walsh (139 games) and Tasmanian Ben Beams also came out of that draft. 

Jordie McKenzie was the club's other number one pick (2009 Rookie Draft) and, on current indications, could become one of Melbourne's best ever rookie picks.

The highlight selections beyond 1997 have been:-

1998 - the late Troy Broadbridge (40 games) was picked at number 12.

2001 - Darren Jolly was taken at pick 31 but due to limited chances in the ruck behind Jeff White, he was traded to the Swans where he played in their 2005 premiership team before heading off to Collingwood and another flag in 2010.

2002 - Mark Jamar, now the club's number one ruckman and All Australian last year.

2003 - Nathan Carroll played a few handy games in defence but his bad boy image eventually took its toll.

2004 - Aaron Davey snapped up at number three and now a leader at the club.

2005 - the Demons picked Sandringham's Matthew Warnock who had a couple of good seasons in defence but more lately struggled to hold a place in the team and was recently traded to Gold Coast.

2008 - Austin Wonaeamirri and Jake Spencer were taken with picks 19 and 35 respectively. Shane Valenti (49) had a brief stint at the club but was delisted and has since won successive J.J. Liston medals at Port Melbourne.

2009 - Jordie McKenzie picked at number one.

2011 - Dan Nicholson and Michael Evans have already started to make their marks at AFL level and Kelvin Lawrence is a promising young speedster who could fit the bill as a crumbing forward.

In recent years the AFL expanded the Rookie Draft eligibility rules to include mature age rookies and the instant success of Michael Barlow (Fremantle) and James Podsiadly (Geelong) has revived the interests of club scouts in this new area of recruiting.

Tuesday's Rookie Draft has inspired plenty of interest from the football world for a number of reasons. Names such as Fevola and Lovett appear to be off limits (even in the last chance saloon) while others with exotic names like Clutterbuck and Papertalk and those from remote parts like Zyrus Waynlen Manson have captured our collective imaginations.

We'll know more in a few days but, in the meantime, here are my top four Demon Rookies of all time:-

1. James "Junior" McDonald - a great story. Two of his brothers Alex (#1 in the 1988 National Draft and Anthony (who eventually ended up a Demon) played AFL but James looked a doubtful starter when he was struck with chronic fatigue syndrome in 1995 while playing for Old Xaverians in the VAFA. He came under the notice of the Demons but was lucky to be drafted in the first ever Rookie Draft when taken at number 78.

Whispering Jack paid tribute to Junior in Salute to an accidental hero and tells the story of Junior's selection as told to him by a former MFC Board Member, Mick Coglin. McDonald overcame a knee reconstruction which caused him to miss the 2000 Grand Final to become an All Australian (2006), a dual best and fairest winner (2006, 2007) and club captain before his "retirement" at the end of 2010. 

The story goes that he wanted to continue when the football department decided to "pull the pin" and, after spending this year back in the amateurs, he recently became the oldest player ever drafted (at age 35) when selected by Greater Western Sydney in the National Draft. He will also be an assistant coach at the Giants.

2. Aaron Davey. Despite injuries and a slump in form in 2011, the Flash remains one of the club's most inspired rookie draft selections. He's working his way back to fitness during the current pre season and all at Melbourne are looking forward to a return to his best and fairest winning form of 2009 that also saw him elevated to the leadership group.

Davey was an immediate success after being drafted as a rookie. He was promoted off the rookie list early and debuted in round 1, 2004 taking the football world by storm with his explosive pace that enabled him to run down opponents, win the ball and kick exciting goals. 

He was runner up in the Rising Star Award to teammate Jared Rivers in his debut season and, despite some nagging injuries continued to develop his game over the ensuing years when he successfully filled a number of roles in midfield and defence where his accurate penetrating kicking has been a highlight.

He has also played an important role as mentor to other indigenous players at the club and for the general Aboriginal community.

Demon fans look forward to an Aaron Davey, free from injury, playing a major role in his team's rise under the new coaching regime from 2012 onwards.

3eq - Mark Jamar. The big "Russian" (whose ancestry is actually Dutch) spent many years in the shadows of Jeff White and Darren Jolly learning the ruck trade in the VFL while earning the odd game with the Demons as an understudy. When the time came for him to take the number one ruck mantle, a foot injury held him back a year or two but he spent that time studying the best and was rewarded with a stellar 2010 and All Australian honours winning 643 hit outs for the year (second only to Sandilands). 

Jamar had some injury problems this year but should be back in business leading Melbourne's strong ruck line up in 2012.

3eq - Russell Robertson. I wasn't sure whether to include Robbo in this category because he was really recruited through the 1996 National Draft where he was taken from the Tassie Mariners Under 18s at number 68. However, not long after that, he was delisted before getting a chance to play a game. He was rookied at number 48 just months after he was originally drafted. 

The high flying forward soon established a place for himself in the forward line kicking goals and doing lots of things in his own spectacular fashion. He finished with 228 games and 418 goals in a 13 season career (1997–2009), was club leading goalkicker in 2001, 2005 and 2007 and won the "Bluey" Truscott Medal for best and fairest in 2003.

Robbo was a player with flair who was often criticised for not putting enough pressure on opponents but he always managed to kick the big goals and celebrate them well. He was a showman, a male model and even a musician who combined with celebrated singer Kate Ceberano as contestants on the television show It Takes Two. They finished runners up. 

I had to include Robbo in my top four rookies because he really does conjure up the picture in my mind of the desperado in a Wild West town with tumbleweeds blowing in the wind approaching the Last Chance Saloon and seeking redemption there.

Who knows what Tuesday will bring for the many hopefuls who have put their hands up for places on the various AFL lists?