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Throwback- Wrecker Whelan

Bobby Clark
Bobby Clark
in Melbourne Demons

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Wrecker Whelan my all time favourite demon. Not the best player we've had but certainly one of the toughest and brutal player to don the red & blue. What is everyone's thoughts on wrecker?

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    Should have made the top 150 over some of the names that got in there. A great demon and a great bloke!

     

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    34 minutes ago, Stinga2 said:

    Should have made the top 150 over some of the names that got in there. A great demon and a great bloke!

     

    Certainly lived up to his nickname "wrecker"

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    As much as i love the above clip and it was the single greatest passage of play i have seen as a Melbourne supporter in my lifetime. 

    That wasn't the defining moment of his career.

    When he kicked out from full back you knew he would hit a target. He simply didn't miss and had a thumping kick on him.

    Whoever he played on before the days of zones would just have a quiet day. Without fail.

    His tackles were brutal and he attacked the ball with a wreckless regard for himself and or others.

     

     

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    16 minutes ago, Wrecker45 said:

    As much as i love the above clip and it was the single greatest passage of play i have seen as a Melbourne supporter in my lifetime. 

    That wasn't the defining moment of his career.

    When he kicked out from full back you knew he would hit a target. He simply didn't miss and had a thumping kick on him.

    Whoever he played on before the days of zones would just have a quiet day. Without fail.

    His tackles were brutal and he attacked the ball with a wreckless regard for himself and or others.

     

     

    Ahha love the username mate.

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    14 minutes ago, Bobby Clark said:

    Ahha love the username mate.

    I'd love to claim genius in picking a username almost 20 years ago that would stand the test of time. Alot of luck involved.

    Any one looking for one at the moment i'd be looking around Clayton or Oliver...

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    If Bernie got 1 week, He would get 10 weeks for that today......

     

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    3 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

    If Bernie got 1 week, He would get 10 weeks for that today......

     

    Wrecker would have got 20 weeks for that bump on hird these days.

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    There are not many players since our original team of the century that i can imagine making our next.

    Neitz, Jones and Whelan the exceptions.

    I wont go into the other two but if positions stay true in the next 80 years Whelan will be up for nomination. 

    Just hope we have a few premierships by then so he goes down the pecking order.

     

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    10 minutes ago, Bobby Clark said:

    Wrecker would have got 20 weeks for that bump on hird these days.

    It wasn't a Leigh Matthews, player of the century, snipe. Hird got in between Whelan and the football. Whelan braced but he was attacking the footy. Whelan also got up and handballed to TJ who kicks the goal.

    It was no cheap shot and it is a shame you can't attack the footy like that anymore.

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    1 hour ago, Wrecker45 said:

    There are not many players since our original team of the century that i can imagine making our next.

    Neitz, Jones and Whelan the exceptions.

    I wont go into the other two but if positions stay true in the next 80 years Whelan will be up for nomination. 

    Just hope we have a few premierships by then so he goes down the pecking order.

     

    Sadly he didn't even make the top 150 names in our 150th year. So I can't see him in a team of the century.

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    4 minutes ago, Stinga2 said:

    Sadly he didn't even make the top 150 names in our 150th year. So I can't see him in a team of the century.

    The large majority of those were eligible for the previous team of the century, which I have hanging on my office wall. Most didn't make it.

    The team of the century was announced in 2000. Only a handful of the top 150 played since that era and I stand by what I said. I don't want to bag a hero but Whelan clearly stands higher than Anthony Mcdonalnd, Hopgood or Guy Rigoni in the pecking order.

     

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    Great player and one of my favourites. His driving, rugby-like tackles were always a highlight. As tough and reliable as they come. 

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    3 hours ago, Stinga2 said:

    Should have made the top 150 over some of the names that got in there. A great demon and a great bloke!

     

    When i see Paul Hoogood named in that list and not Matthew Whelan you know its a big joke!

    Whelan is the first ever Aboriginal to reach 150 games and yet we couldn't sneak him in.

    Whelan was an absolute gun. Was tough as they come and played the game fair.

    Its so good to have him back at the club on a working capacity. He must really be proud of Nev Jetta who is pretty much a player clone of himself. 

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    Looked small but had a big impact and was tough.

    Even if he is remembered solely for the bump on James Tird ,what a memory.

    Great point about his kick ins, I'd nearly forgotten,and the rugby tackles.

    Very skilled backman and pretty quick from memory.

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    39 minutes ago, Biffen said:

    Looked small but had a big impact and was tough.

    Even if he is remembered solely for the bump on James Tird ,what a memory.

    Great point about his kick ins, I'd nearly forgotten,and the rugby tackles.

    Very skilled backman and pretty quick from memory.

    He wasn't slow by foot but I think he was one of those players who looked quicker because he could read where the ball was going before anyone else.

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    Never really knew him as wrecker back in the day, more so simply as Wheels, but Wrecker is pretty appropriate.

    Definitely up there in my favorite players of the era, but highly underated and forgoten by most outside the MFC supporter base.

    Toughness was in good supply at the MFC in those days, Nathan 'Doggy' Brown and Shaun Smith and even  Hoppy were all hard as nails, but I don't think any were quite in the same calibre of speed, toughness and steadfastness in defence as Matty Wheelan.

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    He was definitely a player well loved by the Melbourne faithful but probably not well recognised by the wider AFL community. He was rarely beaten and played a big role in mentoring Aaron Davey, I was felt if Flash was ever feeling the brunt of the opposition it would be Wheels who'd be the first there to defend him. 

    Anybody know what he's up to now?

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    Matty went to the same highschool as me,  played cricket with him, the legend goes that in a junior cricket GF matty made a70 with the bat with a broken arm

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    12 hours ago, Pates said:

    He was definitely a player well loved by the Melbourne faithful but probably not well recognised by the wider AFL community. He was rarely beaten and played a big role in mentoring Aaron Davey, I was felt if Flash was ever feeling the brunt of the opposition it would be Wheels who'd be the first there to defend him. 

    Anybody know what he's up to now?

    He's rejoined the club as Indigenous Project Officer: http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-02-17/whelan-rejoins-melbourne-in-new-role

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    Neville Jetta is filling the Wreckers role quite admirably now and not because he is also indigenous.They both play similar hard no nonsense small defender roles. 

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    For younger folk Whelan The Wreckers were the best known Melbourne demolition company. Went belly up late 80s/early 90s. Known for their 'WHELAN THE WRECKER WAS HERE' signs.

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    18 minutes ago, demoniac said:

    For younger folk Whelan The Wreckers were the best known Melbourne demolition company. Went belly up late 80s/early 90s. Known for their 'WHELAN THE WRECKER WAS HERE' signs.

    Yes. They just smashed sh!t up all over Melbourne. 

    Part of the scenery of our city

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