Jump to content

Anton Tohill

Whispering_Jack
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Posted

The 1989 AFL National Draft was never considered a great draft in terms of producing ā€œnameā€ footballers. Richmond kicked the draft off with its selection of Anthony Banik from Won Wron Woodside whoā€™s career fell just short of 50 games. The Eagles snared a winner at #4 in Peter Matera while North Melbourne plucked another Sandgroper in Mark Brayshaw at 6. He managed only 32 games but managed to father three young players on current AFL lists, two of who were top three draft picks.Ā 

For the Melbourne Football Club, that draft was a complete disaster with the selections drawing blanks across the board. However, one of the players selected at pick 85, a young Gaelic footballer from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland lasted a year and was cut at a time clubs had to reduce their list by 10 with the TAC Cup replacing the under-19s. He was Anthony Tohill, a versatile sportsman who went back home, became a Gaelic football champion, tried out for Manchester United at soccer at one stage and later became a star for his country in the Ā International Rules Series.

The late Jimmy Stynes called the clubā€™s decision to cut the 193cm Tohill as ā€œone of the biggest mistakes ever".

Now his son Anton is here trying his luck at the AFL Draft Combine which commenced today.

According to AFL Draft Guru, Kevin Sheahan,Ā the 198cmĀ Anton is a ā€œchip off the blockā€ who ā€œlooksĀ "so natural with his ball drop, runs 2.95 for 20m and has a lovely running gait.

"He's probably more a key-position option than a ruckman."

Given that the Demons have already signed two Category B Rookies and havenā€™t moved to re-embrace the Irish experiment, itā€™s unlikely that they will be able to snare the younger Tohill but with those attributes and the family history, itā€™s unlikely that heā€™ll be allowed off the leash as easily as his now famous father.

  • Quote
    • Like 13
    • Love 1
    Ā 
    51 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

    The 1989 AFL National Draft was never considered a great draft in terms of producing ā€œnameā€ footballers. Richmond kicked the draft off with its selection of Anthony Banik from Won Wron Woodside whoā€™s career fell just short of 50 games. The Eagles snared a winner at #4 in Peter Matera while North Melbourne plucked another Sandgroper in Mark Brayshaw at 6. He managed only 32 games but managed to father three young players on current AFL lists, two of who were top three draft picks.Ā 

    For the Melbourne Football Club, that draft was a complete disaster with the selections drawing blanks across the board. However, one of the players selected at pick 85, a young Gaelic footballer from County Londonderry, Northern Ireland lasted a year and was cut at a time clubs had to reduce their list by 10 with the TAC Cup replacing the under-19s. He was Anthony Tohill, a versatile sportsman who went back home, became a Gaelic football champion, tried out for Manchester United at soccer at one stage and later became a star for his country in the Ā International Rules Series.

    The late Jimmy Stynes called the clubā€™s decision to cut the 193cm Tohill as ā€œone of the biggest mistakes ever".

    Now his son Anton is here trying his luck at the AFL Draft Combine which commenced today.

    According to AFL Draft Guru, Kevin Sheahan,Ā the 198cmĀ Anton is a ā€œchip off the blockā€ who ā€œlooksĀ "so natural with his ball drop, runs 2.95 for 20m and has a lovely running gait.

    "He's probably more a key-position option than a ruckman."

    Given that the Demons have already signed two Category B Rookies and havenā€™t moved to re-embrace the Irish experiment, itā€™s unlikely that they will be able to snare the younger Tohill but with those attributes and the family history, itā€™s unlikely that heā€™ll be allowed off the leash as easily as his now famous father.

    It would be gr8 2 have another Irish player on our list.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    I remember living in Ireland in the early 90s and Anthony playing for Derry. He was a beast in the GAA and the main man when they won the All Ireland in 93

  • Quote

    What a great story this would be.

  • Quote

    As the son of Anthony and atĀ 198cm it's like making a tower out of a tohill.Ā 

    When does trade week start again?Ā 

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    1 hour ago, Skuit said:

    As the son of Anthony and atĀ 198cm it's like making a tower out of a tohill.Ā 

    When does trade week start again?Ā 

    Out: Skuit

    In: Stuie

    Ā 

  • Quote
    • Thanks 1
    Ā 

    I remember Sean White playing full back.

    Hell, he was very good and just the sort of man to nullify the best like Gary Ablett Snr.

  • Quote
    15 hours ago, Moonshadow said:

    So can he be signed by any club as a Cat 2 rookie or mustĀ he go in the draft?

    Cat 2 rookie (as long as he hasn't been playing afl for any junior clubs which he wouldn't have in Ireland)

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    As you can have 3 Cat B rookies you would think the club would take a chance on this kid unless they think he will not make it, or have someone else in mind.

  • Quote
    3 hours ago, Theo said:

    As you can have 3 Cat B rookies you would think the club would take a chance on this kid unless they think he will not make it, or have someone else in mind.

    Worth a punt. Would like us to have an Irish connection again.

  • Quote
    • 2 weeks later...

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • NON-MFC: Round 13

      Follow all the action from every Round 13 clash excluding the Dees as the 2025 AFL Premiership Season rolls on. With Melbourne playing in the final match of the round on King's Birthday, all eyes turn to the rest of the competition. Who are you tipping to win? And more importantly, which results best serve the Demonsā€™ finals aspirations? Join the discussion and keep track of the matches that could shape the ladder and impact our run to September.

        • Haha
      • 62 replies
      Demonland

    • PREVIEW: Collingwood

      Having convincingly defeated last yearā€™s premier and decisively outplayed the runner-up with 8.2 in the final quarter, nothing epitomized the Melbourne Football Clubā€™s performance more than its 1.12 final half, particularly the eight consecutive behinds in the last term, against a struggling St Kilda team in the midst of a dismal losing streak.Ā Just when stability and consistency were anticipated within the Demon ranks, they delivered a quintessential performance marked by instability and ill-conceived decisions, with the most striking aspect being their inaccuracy in kicking for goal, which suggested a lack of preparation (instead of sleeping in their hotel in Alice, were they having a night on the turps) rather than a well-rested team. Letā€™s face it - this kicking disease that makes them look like raw amateurs is becoming a millstone around the teamā€™s neck.

      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Sydney

      The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and ā€¦ it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution.

      • 1 reply
      Demonland

    • REPORT: St. Kilda

      Hands up if you thought, like me, at half-time in yesterdayā€™s game at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs that Melbourneā€™s disposal around the ground and, in particular, its kicking inaccuracy in front of the goals couldnā€™t get any worse. Well, it did. And whatā€™s even more damning for the Melbourne Football Club is that the game against St Kilda and its resurgence from the bottomless pit of its miserable start to the season wasnā€™t just lost through poor conversion for goal but rather in the 15 minutes when the entire team went into a slumber and was mugged by the out-of-form Saints. Their six goals two behinds (one goal less than the Demons managed for the whole game) weaved a path of destruction from which they were unable to recover. Ross Lyonā€™s astute use of pressure to contain the situation once they had asserted their grip on the game, and Melbourneā€™s self-destructive wastefulness, assured that outcome. The old adage about the insanity of repeatedly doing something and expecting a different result, was out there. Two years ago, the score line in Melbourneā€™s loss to the Giants at this same ground was 5 goals 15 behinds - a ratio of one goal per four scoring shots - was perfectly replicated with yesterdayā€™s 7 goals 21 behinds.Ā 
      This has been going on for a while and opens up a number of questions. Iā€™ll put forward a few that come to mind from this performance. The obvious first question is whether the club can find a suitable coach to instruct players on proper kicking techniques or is this a skill that can no longer be developed at this stage of the development of our playing group? Another concern is the team's ability to counter an opponent's dominance during a run on as exemplified by the Saints in the first quarter. Did the Demons underestimate their opponents, considering St Kilda's goals during this period were scored by relatively unknown forwards?Ā Furthermore, given the modest attendance of 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park and the team's poor past performances at this venue, is it prudent to prioritize financial gain over potentially sacrificing valuable premiership points by relinquishing home ground advantage, notwithstanding the cultural significance of the team's connection to the Red Centre?Ā 

      • 4 replies
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Collingwood

      After a disappointing loss in Alice Springs the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Magpies in the annual King's Birthday Big Freeze for MND game. Who comes in and who goes out?

        • Like
      • 302 replies
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: St. Kilda

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 2nd June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we have a chat with former Demon ruckman Jeff White about his YouTube channel First Use where he dissects ruck setups and contests. We'll then discuss the Dees disappointing loss to the Saints in Alice Springs.
      Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
      Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

        • Clap
        • Love
        • Like
      • 47 replies
      Demonland
    View All