Time Machine

[premiers in my lifetime? 30]

Found via time machine: 

By The Oracle

They don’t call me the Oracle for nothing. Last week I made the prediction “… we can assume that Mitchell Craig, Shannon O’Brien and Steven Pitt are most likely to go and Ben Beams’ hold on a spot is very fragile. Unless the club wants to opt out of the Pre Season Draft at least one more player will have to be delisted.”

I was 100% spot on but unfortunately, one cannot be modest here. I didn’t even have to put the magical crystal ball to work - the delisting of the four players was that predictable.

But what is really interesting is that reports suggest the club is unlikely to be involved in any further delistings and that means no participation in the Pre Season Draft unless the David Schwarz negotiations fall over and the Ox leaves the club. Both of these possibilities suggest that Melbourne remains under salary cap pressure despite failing to retain Jeff Farmer.

The net result of the week’s delistings is that eight players from the 2001 list have departed the scene – Anthony Ingerson (retired), Jeff Farmer, Brent Grgic and Troy Simmonds (traded) and Beams, Craig, O’Brien and Pitt (delisted). I wrote last week that, based on the form of the year 2001, Melbourne has lost little. The delistings have done nothing to change the situation. There remain some rumours that one of the following - Michael Clark, Ross Funcke, Nick Gill and Chris Lamb - might still go but I doubt it.

Let’s take a look at the delisted players -

Ben Beams – Beamer always appeared to be in the shadow of the Wizard. His career began as with the Melbourne Reserves after coming from Glenorchy in 1998. The following year he made it to the rookie list and, after showing some good form, he was promoted mid season to the senior list. He was a nippy midfielder/forward who bothered opposition defences and ironically, he was starting to look like a regular AFL player until that game against Collingwood when he broke his wrist. Remember - that was the day when the Wizard replaced the injured Beams and kicked 9 goals in less than 2 quarters (did I say that the Wiz was no loss?). Beamer recovered to play two grand finals in consecutive weeks with Sandringham and Melbourne but he just didn’t kick on this year. He played few senior matches but the writing was on the wall when he couldn’t snag a regular place in the absence of Jeff Farmer when the Wizard tore his hammy. I think he still has AFL prospects and he may be picked up in the Pre Season Draft. If not, I reckon we might see him next year representing Tassie against the Zebs.

Mitchell Craig – can’t say much about him because he spent all but about three games with Sandringham Reserves. A late pick in last year’s National Draft, Craig was touted as an athletic type who could develop but you have to wonder whether that is the way to go – even with late draft selections.

Shannon O'Brien – another development player who didn’t develop. O’Brien was drafted as a 17 year old from the Gippsland Power and I remember at the time viewing a tape of the 1999 TAC Cup grand final which the Power lost to the then Prahran Dragons. O’Brien did very little to indicate that he was going to make it to senior AFL ranks in that match. It took two seasons with the Zebras - most of the time in the reserves – to confirm that judgement.

Steven Pitt – you have to feel for this bloke. He first played at Collingwood in 1996 and then his police training in SA stopped a bid by the Western Bulldogs for him to join them in 1997. In 1999 he was named in the South Australian team of the year as a centre half back and was recruited to Melbourne in the Pre Season Draft at the end of that season. He managed to fit in 5 games for the club in two seasons but had very little game time when selected after opening in a blaze of glory with a couple of goals at FF against the Roos in his first game at Colonial. He was an emergency for Melbourne in the last five matches of 2000 including all three finals. His best game was probably his performance in last year’s VFL Grand Final when he spent most of the game on the ball. Suffered from injury late this season but by that time his AFL career was over.

It seems to me that there are a few matters that are raised here -

Why is the club under apparent salary cap pressure when there are no players on the list who are being paid the big numbers mentioned at other clubs? Is it due to the fact that the other clubs are cheating?

With Farmer, Beams and O’Brien gone where are the smalls? I’m talking about those crumbers who can go in and under and the speedy rovers who used to abound in the AFL. The shortest player on Melbourne’s list is now Matty Whelan at 180 cm. Is this a pointer to one of Melbourne’s early choices in next month’s draft? Shane (Brent’s brother) Harvey is a 175 cm pocket dynamo. Could he be the one?

The experience of Craig and O’Brien suggests that the club might be better served restricting development players to the rookie lists.

With Darren Jolly likely to be upgraded to the senior list Melbourne will have four selections in the National Draft, - 9, 25, 26 and 56. Further delistings can take place before the Pre Season Draft but I now regard that as being a remote possibility.

JOSEPH GUTNICK PRESS RELEASE

Speaking from San Diego, Mr Joseph Gutnick said today:

"I wish to put on record categorically that contrary to today's media reports, I did not approach Robert Flower in the last couple of months to be on my ticket for this election..

"In previous years I have sounded out Robbie about a possible involvement at board level but he stated that family, health and/or business reasons precluded him from doing so. I have understood and respected his response.

I stand by my public comments that the best thing for Melbourne Football Club Members would have been for Robbie and for our other past player heroes to have remained as independent statesmen during this election, helping to unite the club together for all supporters...

This election is not about past players, present players and/or the football department, which have my support. It is about the future culture, management and survival of the club. It is about the MFC being a membership-based club which embraces its members and welcomes their involvement in all the activities of the club.

I am disappointed that Robbie has been coerced to stand by the old establishment and power brokers of the MFC. These are the same people that have managed the affairs of the MFC for the past 37 years without success. They have failed to fully involve members in the affairs of the club and they stood back when the club was about to be merged out of existence.

So while I strongly disagree with Robbie Flower's decision, I continue to have the utmost respect for him and I hope that we will remain friends.

OUT OF CONTROL?

by Clyde the Clifton Hill Cabbie

I am having a great deal of trouble trying to make some sense out of what is happening at board level at the Melbourne Football Club. Since Mr. Szondy issued a fatwa that his board should not be seen and not be heard, certain board members seem to be working their butts off to ensure that they ARE seen and ARE heard. Barely a day goes by without us being insulted by the pathetic moaning of the peripatetic Mr. Guest in the morning tabloid and even the chairman was on TV tonight convincing us that he has no understanding of Joseph Gutnick’s views on the involvement of former players on club boards.

Mr. Szondy is a man who looks uncomfortable in his role – his minions cry foul to their mates in the media claiming they have been ambushed. Give me a break – everyone else knew that Joe was going to unveil his plans this week. Didn’t they have the foresight to see what was coming? Gabriel doesn’t need former players on his board: what he needs is a couple of brain surgeons!!!

The chairman appears to be losing control. Look at the way in which Messrs. Szondy and co. are behaving; they appear more and more like an opposition party that has somehow temporarily fallen into power – they seem negative, tired and waiting for the end to come. While Joseph Gutnick is out there telling the members about his vision for the club and his plans to improve membership numbers I see nothing from the board other than a growing number of increasingly desperate attempts to discredit a man whose money they had no hesitation in taking and who they now seek to denigrate. I’m sorry but the members aren’t that stupid. We’re looking for leadership, a positive approach and a blueprint for future success – you guys are nothing more than a bunch of whingers.

WRAPPING UP THE TRADES

by The Oracle

Now that seven days have elapsed since the end of trading period it’s time for me to reflect on the results of the week. More than ever, the AFL clubs, the player managers and many of the players themselves were exposed for their greed and lack of respect for the feelings of others (including the fans). The signs are there however, that the worm is turning and many will soon face retribution. Not in the form of an attack from bin Laden and his fundamentalist thugs (not directly anyway) but from the very thing that drives the process – the economic cycle.

For years we have seen a rising market and increased demand for players but now the market is showing signs of faltering and the salary cap squeeze is starting to bite hard. How else can you explain the phenomenon of a star player like Joe Misiti being on the market with so few takers hovering over him? But I fear that worse may be yet to come if economies all over the world slump and we begin to stare recession in the face. If sponsorship dollars are harder and harder to come by, then even the additional TV money can not assure the existence of one or two of the AFL clubs. Ansett are gone, the Cats are losing sponsors at the rate of one a week and Vodafone may look elsewhere and ditch the Bulldogs. Tough times ahead.

Many of the clubs laboured under the burden of salary cap pressure during trade week. Essendon (whose troubles aren’t over yet) and Richmond (wait till next when they renegotiate Ottens) struggled to keep together teams that were among the most successful in the competition this year. All clubs are wary of that salary cap bogey and there have even been murmurs from Brisbane that it might be having problems despite its privileged position with a higher salary cap to allow for its interstate players. Then of course there is Fremantle, which always had the inside running because it held the No. 1 and 4 National Draft picks, the No. 1. spot in the Pre season Draft and was without a salary cap care in the world. More of Fremantle later but this brings me to Melbourne’s trades. How did we perform?

Jeff Farmer – his loss was a devastating blow because until the very last moment we expected him to stay. Then, when he announced his decision to go, the club was expected to at least get reasonable compensation for a two time All Australian, goal kicking crumber who can take a grab, is an exciting and explosive footballer and pulls in the crowds. We were dudded there too. With Fremantle going after Croad and McPharlin and St. Kilda snaring Heath Black, it was clear that Schwab would never offer high picks in return for the Wizard - what he gave was small change. By the way, my spies at Hawthorn tell me that Cameron Schwab shouldn’t be so ecstatic about snaring young Croad - they don’t give away potential champions who can play in key positions without reason.

Given the above disappointments – Melbourne’s return from the trade week was still above average.

Based solely on the form of the year 2001, Melbourne lost little. Farmer had major hamstring problems early in the season and played only 14 games – a few of them at less than full pace as he struggled with those little twinges in the hamstring area. Occasionally, he would come off the ground for what looked like minor treatment and even late in the season I got the impression that he wasn’t fully recovered. For his sake (but not Freeo’s) I hope the words “Glenn” and “Lovett” don’t come back to haunt him. The Wizard polled only three times in the Bluey Truscott Trophy and scored less votes than Ross Funcke who played far fewer games. His departure therefore will not cause Melbourne’s on-field fortunes to slump in 2002 because he wasn’t much of a contributor in 2001.

I regard the losses of Brent Grgic and Troy Simmonds as positives for the club. I need say very little about Grgic – his story is one of shattered youthful promise. His career started going downhill when he tore his hamstring in the first half of the first game of 1999. He never regained form or confidence and I hope he can find something at Geelong.

The Snake is a reasonable tap ruckman but not up to AFL standard in most other facets of his game. I realised this when he was 20 metres in the clear at Optus Oval and fluffed it, when he spilled that sitter against Geelong late in the season, when he handballed to a Crow in the last quarter at the G and when he failed miserably in defence in many games – most notably in round 22. He’s a nice kid and I hope he does well at Fremantle but I can’t see much of a future there for him. I now understand why Danners played Simmonds in preference to Jolly late in the season. He wanted to give the Snake one last chance and/or he wanted another club to take the bait. Freeo did just that. With Simmonds gone, Darren Jolly is a certainty to be upgraded to permanent senior status.

Scoop Junior has already adequately covered the acquisitions – Bizzell, Ellis and Vardy. I regard them as “crossroads” players in mid career. Ellis was a Victorian representative in a key defence position in his early years with Bulldogs but has been stifled by injury of late. Bizzell is potentially brilliant but inconsistent while Vardy has not only been a naughty boy in the past but he is capable of being very hot or very cold. All three will test Neale Daniher’s mettle as a coach. If he can get them into gear and in top form on a consistent basis, Melbourne will be the big winner of trade week.

Another aspect of trade week is that, notwithstanding the shafting from Schwab, the Dees have slightly improved their draft position with picks 9, 25 and 26 in what promises to be a deep and even draft. This will give the club the opportunity of improving its list for next year. The one imponderable that I am unable to work out is whether Melbourne has the ability to go for one more big name in the pre season draft. With so many other clubs out of the running due to salary cap woes, I would like to think that one more gem could be picked up in December to give fans even further optimism for 2002.

As far as I'm aware there have been no delistings announced yet although we can assume that Mitchell Craig, Shannon O’Brien and Steven Pitt are most likely to go and Ben Beams’ hold on a spot is very fragile. Unless the club wants to opt out of the Pre Season Draft at least one more player will have to be delisted. With the exception of Jolly and Tom Marshall most of the other rookies will find it difficult to remain unless the rules require them to be retained on the rookie list because of their interstate/international origins.

The trading of Melbourne’s third round draft choice has put paid to the idea that Brad Flower will be selected under the father/son rule. I have spoken to people within the TAC system and, while they think he would be worth having on the rookie list, there is little support for listing him as a senior despite his family background. The best suggestion that I have heard is the one made on the Demonland message boards by Whispering Jack who sees him playing next year as a Sandringham player with the opportunity of father/son listing in 2003. Such a move requires the player’s blessing as well as that of the Box Hill Hawks to whom he is tied under VFL zoning rules. The suggestion has merit because it would take a lot of pressure off the kid in his first year at a senior level of football.

And now … back to the Wiz. I guess we can talk till we're blue in the face about the issue but the biggest disappointment of trade week for me was (a) Jeff Farmer's defection, (b) the involvement of his manager Ron Joseph who was appointed after Farmer had announced he wanted to stay, (c) the way Fremantle played the trade game and (d) Freeo’s invitation to Joseph to join the panel which is to appoint its next coach. Does anyone else feel there is something fishy about all this?

I am not suggesting that the above is evidence of wrongdoing but I smell a whiff of smoke and believe that the AFL has an obligation to determine whether there’s a fire here. An investigation would, at least, clear the air. The AFL has set a precedent that clubs who lose players to rule breakers will be compensated with an additional first round draft choice next year. Fremantle carried on for a couple of years after the Jeff White saga despite the fact that it was well compensated at the time. Now it’s our turn. I know that the current Demon President, has a rule about silence and doing things in back rooms. Fine by me. I suggest that he locates Wayne Jackson's backroom door, gently taps on it and delivers a complaint written in Braille.

THE SPONGE GOES DRAFTIN'

by The Suburban Sponge

The flags have been waved for the last time this year. Demon memberships will soon expire and become mementos of a season in which the mighty Demons drifted back into mediocrity. One would assume that we have entered the off-season; a period when the coaches and football department can relax and wait for another year to come around.

WRONG!

Trade week has finished and draft picks have been dealt around the clubs. The football department will now spend the next month feverishly trying to work out which players will be chosen to match their prized draft picks. People see the higher draft choices as being an instant magical cure for all the team's deficiencies and expect to be able to pick up the ideal player to suit their needs. Sometimes this is true, but first we have to look at the pool of talent before we can use our magic beans.

Overall, this year's draft is being touted as one of the most talented since the inception of the draft back in the late 1980s. However the talent is predominantly in the midfielder department. The first round of the draft will have a plethora of extremely talented midfielders, many of who will be able to play senior football next year. The depth of the midfield group is also great, with many quality midfielders likely to be selected throughout the draft. But with all the midfield talent, the pool of key position players doesn't look so full. In the junior competitions around the country it is common to see undersized players playing in key positions. This doesn't hold so well for Melbourne, which has already pointed out that a priority will be to redress its lack of height.

MY TOP 10 (INCLUDING MELBOURNE'S FIRST SELECTION)

Selection 1 [Hawthorn]

Luke Ball, Sandringham Dragons/Xavier College. 25.5.84 183 cm 74 kg.

A 17 year old midfielder who played most of the year in the APS with Xavier. A lot of hype surrounds him with Hawthorn almost certain to draft him with the first pick after trading Trent Croad for the privilege. Has a tremendous football brain and knows how to win and use the ball. All Australian this year and won the award for best player at under 16 level last year.

Selection 2 [St Kilda]

Chris Judd, Sandringham Dragons/Caulfield Grammar. 8.9.83 187 cm 81 kg.

Strong, fast and versatile utility who, like Ball, spent most of the year playing APS football. Plays most of his under 18 football as a tough, hard running midfielder. However he can play in key positions at both ends, as he did in schoolboy football. Played CHB on Graham Polak when captaining Vic Metro and nullified him completely. Should play senior footy next year.

Selection 3 [West Coast]

Graham Polak, East Fremantle. 16.6.84 192 cm 83 kg.

Had Fremantle not traded its number 1 selection Graham Polak would have been first picked in the 2001 National Draft. Now he will almost certainly go to West Coast. Young key forward who is already having a big impact in the seniors of his local WAFL club, East Fremantle. Good athlete and is exceptionally strong overhead. Had a horrible national carnival, but is still the best key position player available by a mile.

Selection 4 [Fremantle]

Ashley Sampi , South Fremantle. 12.1.84 178 cm 76 kg.

This midfielder/forward is a real excitement machine. Is a magician with the ball in his hands and capable of the unbelievable. Has a tendency to drift in and out of games but is a matchwinner. Took a huge screamer against Vic Metro and kicked the goal from 60 metres out, which shows his potential. Could be anything.

Selection 5 [St Kilda]

Luke Hodge, Geelong Falcons. 15.6.84 184 cm 82 kg.

Mercurial half forward/midfielder who is a goal kicker. Very skillful, especially on his preferred left side. Suffered from the dreaded osteitis pubis and missed the Under 18 National Championships because of it. Won the Ron Barassi medal for best player in the under 17 AIS/AFL Academy International Rules series against Ireland. Has that added bit of class that recruiters love.

Selection 6 [West Coast]

Steven Armstrong, Perth. 12.1.84 178 cm 77 kg.

Interesting selection this. Will West Coast go for the best player available or the best local talent? My feeling is that they will go for Armstrong. Won the Larke medal this year for best player in Division 1 in the National Championships. Strong, hard working midfielder who uses the ball very well in short but lacks a little penetration with his kicking. Should play AFL next year.

Selection 7 [Kangaroos]

Mark McGough, Murray Bushrangers. 22.6.84 186 cm 82 kg.

One of the standout performers in this year's TAC Cup competition, he was named in its Team of the Year. Is a tall midfielder who wins a lot of the ball and can play down back where he creates tremendous drive. He is fast, strong and good over head. Had a solid national championship where he was named All Australian.

Selection 8 [Geelong]

James Bartel, Geelong Falcons. 4.12.83 184 cm 81 kg.

Definite top 10 pick. Has won All Australian honours both this year and last year (when he was too young to be drafted). Has great footy smarts and can win the ball inside and outside the pack. Strongly built and uses the ball intelligently. Was also named in the TAC Cup Team of the Year. Likely to be picked up by the local club Geelong.

Selection 9 [Melbourne]

Nick Dal Santo, Bendigo Pioneers. 22.2.84 183 cm 74 kg.

One of the many midfielders who could be in the top 10, Dal Santo has enormous poise when in possession of the football. Very classy player and has precise skills and uncanny vision under pressure. A Vic Country representative this year, Dal Santo still has a lot of improvement left in him.

Selection 10 [Western Bulldogs]

Barry Brooks, Tassie Mariners. 24.12.83 198 cm 95 kg.

Brooks is a very mobile and smart ruckman who dominated the TAC Cup competition for the lowly Tassie Mariners. Was also an All Australian representing Tasmania in Division 2 of the National Championships. Could suit the Bulldogs who have a large gap between Luke Darcy and their second string ruckmen. Can also play in a key defensive position. Might be drafted earlier.

OTHER TOP 10 POSSIBLES

This is a difficult draft in which to select a top 10 as there are so many players with the ability to be picked early; such is the depth of the draft. Don't be surprised to see names like Sam Power, Richard Cole, Xavier Clarke, Rick Ladson, Ashley Watson and others in the mix for the top positions.

MELBOURNE'S SECOND AND THIRD SELECTIONS

Melbourne has picks 9, 25 and 26 as their first three picks. Because they come after the obvious first round picks have gone the selections 25 and 26 are crucial ones. Recruiting department head Craig Cameron will be looking for players of the type that we need with these selections and it is therefore likely that they will be used to pick up key position players.

Here is a shortlist candidates for key positions whose names might be crossing the selectors' minds when those draft choices come around.

Jordan Barham, Calder Cannons. 16.6.83 193 cm 77 kg.

Key forward who is raw, but has talent. Has a lot to learn about the game, however is quick, has a good leap and can take some strong grabs. His kicking needs refinement. Nephew of Ricky and son of Bill, he was best on ground for Calder in their win over Bendigo in the TAC Grand Final, kicking 6 goals.

Ryan Brown, Dandenong Stingrays. 4.2.84 190 cm 83 kg.

One of the most dangerous goalkickers in the TAC Cup competition, Brown is a key forward who takes contested marks in the forward 50. Played for Vic Metro this year, having to wear a wrist brace for a fracture that nearly kept him out.

Rod Crowe, Sandringham Dragons/Mentone Grammar. 29.7.83 190 cm 90 cm.

Solidly built key defender who missed a lot of the TAC Cup with school football commitments. Very athletic and also strong overhead. Can play up forward and have an impact on the game.

Tom Davidson, Geelong Falcons/Tasmania. 3.2.83 192 cm 80 kg.

A real enigma. Could be anything, but could just as easily be the next Brent Grgic. Overall had a disappointing TAC Cup season, but certainly made scouts take notice in the National Championships. Won the Harrison medal for best player in Division 2 (same medal Brad Green won in 1999) where he was the dominant key forward in the competition. When on song, his mobility, speed and strong hands make him hard to stop.

Ben Finnin, Northern Knights. 9.3.84 189 cm 75 kg.

Mobile forward/defender who is particularly strong overhead for his height. Scouts will hope he still has growth left in him, as he is not quite tall enough to play CHF/CHB. Does have the athleticism to play on a flank.

Quinten Lynch, West Perth. 21.1.83 191 cm 101 kg.

Big, strong key defender from West Perth who represented Western Australia in the National Championships this year, winning All Australian honors. Should be able to play AFL next year. Has shown enormous improvement this year in the WAFL.

Luke Molan, Geelong Falcons. 13.12.83 192 cm 90 cm.

I was very impressed when I saw him play for Vic country at CHB in the National Championships. Hard, tough key defender who can also go forward. Good leap and disciplined when playing in defence.

Aidan Parker, Subiaco. 25.1.83 192 cm 84 kg.

Parker is a full back who has represented WA in the National Championships for the past two years. Attended last year's draft camp where he shone in the endurance tests. Has been very consistent for his WAFL club Subiaco at full back. Skills need a little refinement.

Henry Playfair, NSW/ACT RAMS. 20.1.83 197 cm 88 kg.

Well-sized key forward who is very agile for his height. Very strong mark, but also surprisingly good hands below his feet for a guy nearly 6 foot 6.

Adam Winter, Calder Cannons. 9.8.83 192 cm 90 kg.

Strong, pack busting forward who was not invited to draft camp, but certainly has potential. His second efforts are a hallmark of his play and creates many opportunities for his team mates through his hard work. Very good at ground level for such a big guy.

These are just my opinions but nobody really knows what is going on inside the heads of recruiting officers. I hope this helps give you some insight into the prospects that are in the draft. We may even see a few of them pulling on the Red and the Blue next year.

[iv'a worn smith 1,979]

A wee bit hard to read.

[dazzledavey36 54,285]

Does anyone know what ever happened to Mitchell Craig and Shannon O Brien?? I remember reading about Craig that they did a private testing with him and were sold straight after seeing his athletic ability.

Did they end up playing suburban footy afterwards?

[Diamond_Jim 12,549]

so we took Armstrong instead of Dal Santo

Boy that reminded me of the lows after the relative highs of 2000 (GF excepted)

The lesson really is about how hard it is to get to the top and how much harder it is to stay there. One has to respect Hawthorn and Geelong not to mention Sydney for their recent dominance.

Meanwhile we can only dream of moving beyond mediocrity.

[Demonstone 22,316]

We took Luke Molan at pick 9.  Armstrong slipped through to pick 25.

[Diamond_Jim 12,549]

1 minute ago, demonstone said:

We took Luke Molan at pick 9.  Armstrong slipped through to pick 25.

Not sure if I wanted to hear that.

I remember watching Armstrong play a final for the Weagles. His job was to run with the fabulous midfield take a handball and give it off again. He has a premiership medallion which he would never have seen at Melbourne. Good on him !

[Whispering_Jack 29,805]

"Nick Dal Santo, Bendigo Pioneers. 22.2.84 183 cm 74 kg."

It may well be that we finally get the bloke who Mr Suburban Sponge suggested we should pick way back then.

 

 

[Chook 15,012]

Great Gawney's Beard! This post is the very definition of TLDR.

Edited September 8, 2016 by Chook

[Deemented Are Go! 3,677]

Um...yeah, ok..

[Ethan Tremblay 30,826]

[The heart beats true 18,110]

Can the Time Machine give me back the time it took to read, decipher, and then conclude I didn't need to read?

 

[Bluey's Dad 3,419]

16 hours ago, Chook said:

Great Gawney's Beard! This post is the very definition of TLDR.

I'm going to steal this and use it in normal conversation.