The MFC has had so many great indigenous players over the years, I'm rapped that there is a special Rd dedicated to celibrating them and their culture.  It hasn't always been a great story with respects to the inclusion and respect of indigenous people in modern Australia and there is still plenty of work to do in that regard, but in my lifetime, I've witnessed a precession of great indigenous players for the MFC that is well worth saluting for their talent, courage and character each year.

Lovell, Charles, Farmer, Wheelan, Davey, Picket, Wonaeamirri... Jurrah!  Loved watching these guys play, they always brought such great excitement to the game.  Even Liam with all his cultural challenges and troubled off field life was a pure excitement machine and extrodanary on field tallent, who's record in the short time he played in the AFL is up there with the greats.  Likewise wished that Aussie and Charles had have played longer at the MFC, because I think we only ever got glimpses of what they were and could have been.

Our current indigenous players led by Nev Jetta and Jeff Garlett are such inspirations for all Melbourne suporters and such credits and great examples for their communities.

Two words - love and respect.

To this day i still reckon Liam Jurrah was one of the most freakish players i have ever seen. Even in todays game you could say Franklin is one of a kind but if there was someone that could have challanged him it would be Jurrah.

Go watch some of his youtube clips and you can ser why.

To s man, they have all brought some absolutely sublime talents to the club. It's a credit to the league that we collectively take a round to recognise this.

11 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

To this day i still reckon Liam Jurrah was one of the most freakish players i have ever seen. Even in todays game you could say Franklin is one of a kind but if there was someone that could have challanged him it would be Jurrah.

Go watch some of his youtube clips and you can ser why.

Jurrah could have been the best. If he could have worked it out he would have become one of the most loved players in the game. Just a freak of nature.

20 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

To this day i still reckon Liam Jurrah was one of the most freakish players i have ever seen. Even in todays game you could say Franklin is one of a kind but if there was someone that could have challanged him it would be Jurrah.

Go watch some of his youtube clips and you can ser why.

I know where you are comming from Dazzle, but to say that he was freakish does somewhat discredit his abilities.  Jurrah did what he did with such repeatability that it was not fluke of luck.  He had such great football ability, was so 'in-tune' with the ball/his surrounds and seemingly played with an inhabittion for possible failure it was such a beautiful act to watch.

Should we start on his athleticism?

9 minutes ago, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

I know where you are comming from Dazzle, but to say that he was freakish does somewhat discredit his abilities.  Jurrah did what he did with such repeatability that it was not fluke of luck.  He had such great football ability, was so 'in-tune' with the ball/his surrounds and seemingly played with an inhabittion for possible failure it was such a beautiful act to watch.

Should we start on his athleticism?

Yes he was beautifully gifted athlete. From a supporter point of view he was seriously a freak. There were games where when his confidence was up you could feel that he could kick a bag of 8 or 10. 

Jeff Farmer was my childhood hero. Absolute machine when on his day was capable of tearing the game open. That night he kicked 8 goals in the preliminary final against North in 2000 was something special.

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Yes he was beautifully gifted athlete. From a supporter point of view he was seriously a freak. There were games where when his confidence was up you could feel that he could kick a bag of 8 or 10. 

Jeff Farmer was my childhood hero. Absolute machine when on his day was capable of tearing the game open. That night he kicked 8 goals in the preliminary final against North in 2000 was something special.

Yep, he was the Wizard all right.

Liam had footy smarts and was great to watch as was the Wizzard.

My son loved watching Jeff Farmer play,and soon had his number on the back of his jumper and his name in red letters, the ones you used to have to iron on.I still remember having to drive all over Melbourne to find them, it took me about 4 hours to find them in a sports shop in Preston. 

The year before Jeff went to the dockers the club had one of those meet some of the players in a room at the G; my son went up to Jeff and ask are going to be at the Dee's next year he looked at my son and said I'm not going any where and i will be at the Dee's next year.  Well we all knew what the out come was, my son was that broken up he said i don't want to go the footy any more, and true to his word he hasn't ever come back.

13 hours ago, Adzman said:

Jurrah could have been the best. If he could have worked it out he would have become one of the most loved players in the game. Just a freak of nature.

Jurrah would have put this club on the TV map not to mention the neutral supporters had he been successful. The way he played together with his background was a marketer's dream.

Alas it was not to be.

On a more relevant note the indigenous round papers over the treatment of Goodes in the last few years of his career by many opposition fans. The average footy fan has a long way to go.

Jurrah was the only reason I enjoyed the football at all during those years

You do know the Wiz is back living in Melbourne, attending the Dees games now and again and has a son who has the makings of a player, Club has had a look

Nice article on Jeffy:

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/how-melbourne-star-jeff-garlett-has-gone-from-carlton-reject-to-demons-leader/news-story/556dd3fd93094b2b191cb33290f7e765

He was interviewed by Fox after the game on the ground on Saturday, but didn't speak very well.  That's all right, his football speaks more than words ever could.  Great to see Jeffy back in form, up and about.

The article states all the players had their boots painted by an indigenous artist for Saturdays game again, like last year.  I didn't notice while watching the first time, but will keep an eye out watching the replay.  I do like this boot painting initiative that Jeffy started and the club has embraced.  Jeffy states he'd like broader Australia to learn more about and embrace indigenous culture in the same way the MFC has - you've got me brother.

On 5/27/2017 at 2:57 PM, Satyriconhome said:

You do know the Wiz is back living in Melbourne, attending the Dees games now and again and has a son who has the makings of a player, Club has had a look

I knew he had moved recently and was at the North game but didn't know it was Melbourne?

Any reason why he has moved bsck to Vic? I wonder if it has something to do with the Dees wanting to keep a more closer tab on young Wiz.

The Wizard and Jurrah are the two that come to mind when I think of indigenous round. Both were able to produce some great highlight reels. 

I'll never forget Jeffrey's 9 goals in one half again the Pies. He had an absolute mare of a first half but boy did he turn it on in the second. Everything he touched turned  to gold, was even better because it was against the Pies! He was also completely robbed of the mark of the year for his incredible leap against Richmond in 1998. But he did get goal of the year!

Liams short time at the club was a mix, the highs were oh so high, but the lows were as low as you can get. He was something special but he could've been more. I'll always look back on his time and think about what he could've become had he been able to absorb the pressures of the AFL world and his world back home. 

Had things worked out, I feel like he could have become one of the greats. 

I also want to mention Marty Whelan, I know there's a lot of love for Wheels on this forum but I sometimes feel like indigenous round gets dominated by the flashy small forwards. Not only was he a tough as nuts, reliable defender, but he was a great leader around the club. He was instrumental in helping Flash (another of my favourites) to settle into life at Melbourne and could not have been a better mentor. 

Aaron Davies (Flash) while recognised as a very good player does not perhaps get the credit he deserves.

As well as being a great field kick and a prolific goal kicker he redefined (invented) the role of the defensive forward. Until then backmen would stroll out of the backline with the big forward lumbering behind them. Flash used his blistering pace to run the backman down completely changing the pace of the game for backmen. Few players can be said to have that much of an impact on the way the game is played.

All that from an elevated rookie.

 

5 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

I knew he had moved recently and was at the North game but didn't know it was Melbourne?

Any reason why he has moved bsck to Vic? I wonder if it has something to do with the Dees wanting to keep a more closer tab on young Wiz.

If you want an idea of how much the Dees mean to him, his Instagram makes pleasant viewing @farmer6320  Nev put me onto it

I watched Auzzie Wonaeamirri play for the NT Thunder in the NEAFL at Southport last year.  He looked even less fit than the end of his time at Melbourne, but he impacted the game nicely with his skill and footy smarts.

Gee the MFC would have had to have endured one of the most rotten runs of luck over the last 10 odd years, Jimmy, Sean, Aussie's dad and now Jessie's dad.  That image of Aussie dad and Jimmy after that win is such an enduring powerful image.

Wonaeamarri was the full package imo. Had the personality and drive to be a captain of the club.

I remember hearing someone call him "Mother Mary" because they couldn't pronounce his name wrong. IMO he always had a brighter future than Jurrah.

 

 

25 minutes ago, praha said:

Wonaeamarri was the full package imo. Had the personality and drive to be a captain of the club.

I remember hearing someone call him "Mother Mary" because they couldn't pronounce his name wrong. IMO he always had a brighter future than Jurrah.

 

 

Interesting, I've always viewed Aussie's time at Melbourne with fondness but I feel like he wasn't going to endure at a player. Obviously there's no way of knowing now, losing both his father and Maurice Rioli was obviously very tough on him. 

On 5/29/2017 at 1:18 PM, Satyriconhome said:

If you want an idea of how much the Dees mean to him, his Instagram makes pleasant viewing @farmer6320  Nev put me onto it

I already follow him.

On 29/05/2017 at 8:33 AM, Diamond_Jim said:

Aaron Davies (Flash) while recognised as a very good player does not perhaps get the credit he deserves.

As well as being a great field kick and a prolific goal kicker he redefined (invented) the role of the defensive forward. Until then backmen would stroll out of the backline with the big forward lumbering behind them. Flash used his blistering pace to run the backman down completely changing the pace of the game for backmen. Few players can be said to have that much of an impact on the way the game is played.

All that from an elevated rookie.

 

IMO Aaron Davey pressured the defenders even more thsn Wiz. 

6 minutes ago, monoccular said:

IMO Aaron Davey pressured the defenders even more thsn Wiz. 

Definitely. I can vaguely remember a chase down he did (I think it was against Richmond) where he started his chase from our forward line, ran past TWO of our players who were giving half hearted chases and brought the guy down on our half back line. I think it was only his second game as well. 

I don't think his impact is underestimated by Demons fans but I'm sure it is in the wider footy community. He definitely changed the definition of forward pressure. 

Wonaeamirri and Jurrah are two of the biggest losses of talent (both because of completely different reasons) we suffered in the past decade.

 

The Wiz was a freak player.

Whelan and Flash were guns.

Aussie and Jurrah were let downs really and only showed brief glimpses of their talent.

Sean Charles was pretty decent for us.

Lovell was not Aboriginal to my knowledge.

We will be doing well to draft some father son talent from The Wiz,Flash,Jetta Garlett and Whelan .

6 minutes ago, Biffen said:

Aussie and Jurrah were let downs really and only showed brief glimpses of their talent.

Wonaeamirri's father was killed in a car accident so Austin wanted to go home to be close to his family, what a let down.