Demonland

Melbourne’s selections during the 2017 AFL Trade Period and at the National Draft bear the imprimatur of Simon Goodwin and clearly demonstrate the direction in which the club’s head coach intends taking the club into the future. To be clear, the final decision as to which player was taken with any given selection was made on draft night by national recruiting manager Jason Taylor but the direction was laid out by the coach and his coaching panel. The emphasis is firstly on players with pace, good skills, especially in terms of disposal and decision-making and most importantly, on character and competitive instincts. And in the main, the club’s recruits are not the sort players who have been given an easy ride into the elite level of the sport or on a silver platter but rather, they’ve done it the hard way. Jake Lever spent his draft year recovering from ACL surgery and was forced to watch from the sidelines as his Calder Cannons and Vic Metro teammates went through an entire season in the hope of catching the eye of an AFL selector. It’s well documented how hard he worked on his rehabilitation and that he used that time to learn as much as he could about the game from being around his club. Harley Balic came out of the same TAC system but a serious wrist injury that required surgery followed by bouts of homesickness and a hamstring tear which soured his time with Fremantle but it’s clear that commitment to improving his game never wavered. Melbourne’s selections at Friday’s draft meeting in Sydney were - Round Two: 29 Melbourne – Charlie Spargo (Murray Bushrangers/Allies) 31 Melbourne – Bailey Fritsch (Casey Demons/VFL) 37 Melbourne – Harrison Petty (Norwood/South Adelaide) Round Three: 48 Melbourne – Oskar Baker (Aspley/Queensland) Twelve months ago, the diminutive Spargo who hails from a strong footballing and professional athletics background going all the way back to great-grandfather Bob Snr. appeared headed towards the Giants via their Academy but the AFL changed the GWS zone and he became available to all comers and would have been a top ten pick but for a shoulder injury that kept him from producing yet another consistent season in junior ranks. Fritsch was considered too slight of build to get into TAC Cup ranks but his perseverance with local club Coldstream finally earned him an invitation to play at Casey. After two injury-riddled seasons he had a standout 2017 to win the Fothergill-Round Medal - the VFL equivalent of the rising star award. Harrison Petty wasn't really on the radar as far as many SA judges were concerned earlier this year but a superb national championships saw him win All Australian status and an MVP for his state. Oskar Baker was dropped off the list at the Brisbane Lions Academy so he walked into NEAFL club Apsley where he was given a rookie position at the start of 2017. He took his opportunities there, made the senior team and starred kicking the goal of the year and producing some breathtaking football. The commmon thread among the four Demon recruits from this draft is hard work, competitiveness, pace and good disposal skills. It won't be easy for any of them to break into the AFL straight away but the fact that they have all come through the school of hard knocks should hold them in good stead.

SIMON GOODWIN’S SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS by Whispering Jack Melbourne’s selections during the 2017 AFL Trade Period and at the National Draft bear the imprimatur of Simon Goodwin and clearly demonstrate the direction in which the club’s head coach intends taking the club into the future. To be clear, the final decision as to which player was taken with any given selection was made on draft night by national recruiting manager Jason Taylor but the direction was laid out by the coach and his coaching panel. The emphasis is firstly on players with pace, good skills, especially in terms of disposal and decision-making and most importantly, on character and competitive instincts. And in the main, the club’s recruits are not the sort players who have been given an easy ride into the elite level of the sport or on a silver platter but rather, they’ve done it the hard way. Jake Lever spent his draft year recovering from ACL surgery and was forced to watch from the sidelines as his Calder Cannons and Vic Metro teammates went through an entire season in the hope of catching the eye of an AFL selector. It’s well documented how hard he worked on his rehabilitation and that he used that time to learn as much as he could about the game from being around his club. Harley Balic came out of the same TAC system but a serious wrist injury that required surgery followed by bouts of homesickness and a hamstring tear which soured his time with Fremantle but it’s clear that commitment to improving his game never wavered. Melbourne’s selections at Friday’s draft meeting in Sydney were - Round Two: 29 Melbourne – Charlie Spargo (Murray Bushrangers/Allies) 31 Melbourne – Bailey Fritsch (Casey Demons/VFL) 37 Melbourne – Harrison Petty (Norwood/South Adelaide) Round Three: 48 Melbourne – Oskar Baker (Aspley/Queensland) Twelve months ago, the diminutive Spargo who hails from a strong footballing and professional athletics background going all the way back to great-grandfather Bob Snr. appeared headed towards the Giants via their Academy but the AFL changed the GWS zone and he became available to all comers and would have been a top ten pick but for a shoulder injury that kept him from producing yet another consistent season in junior ranks. Fritsch was considered too slight of build to get into TAC Cup ranks but his perseverance with local club Coldstream finally earned him an invitation to play at Casey. After two injury-riddled seasons he had a standout 2017 to win the Fothergill-Round Medal - the VFL equivalent of the rising star award. Harrison Petty wasn't really on the radar as far as many SA judges were concerned earlier this year but a superb national championships saw him win All Australian status and an MVP for his state. Oskar Baker was dropped off the list at the Brisbane Lions Academy so he walked into NEAFL club Apsley where he was given a rookie position at the start of 2017. He took his opportunities there, made the senior team and starred kicking the goal of the year and producing some breathtaking football. The commmon thread among the four Demon recruits from this draft is hard work, competitiveness, pace and good disposal skills. It won't be easy for any of them to break into the AFL straight away but the fact that they have all come through the school of hard knocks should hold them in good stead.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/local-footy-sa/sanfl/boy-from-the-bush-harrison-petty-goes-from-unknown-to-hot-draft-property/news-story/534ede5c46e64d9f649286812a448d99

Harrison Petty – South Australia’s MVP for the carnival. The key defender reads the play well in defence and remains composed with ball in hand. Kept his feet and his positioning was good.

Tall defender who is strong overhead and provided strong rebound for South Australia in the NAB AFL U18 Championships. Won the South Australia MVP award as well as U18 All Australian honours. Player bio Former club: Norwood Age: 18 Height: 195cm Weight: 82kg Position: Defender 2017 U18 Stats Games: 4 Goals: - Avg Kicks: 6.3 Avg Marks: 4.3 Avg Hballs: 6

Graduate of the NAB AFL Academy who is a small forward/midfielder and real playmaker in the mould of Brent Harvey. Only played in one game for the Allies in the NAB AFL U18 Championships before a shoulder injury curtailed his season. Was formerly a member of the Greater Western Sydney academy zone before it was realigned and he became part of the open pool. Player bio Former club: Murray Bushrangers Age: 17 Height: 172cm Weight: 70kg Position: Midfielder 2017 U18 Stats Games: 1 Goals: - Avg Kicks: 11 Avg Marks: 4 Avg Hballs: 8

The stat is correct but it is for Current Players not All Time. Consecutive Games Kicking A Goal Games Player Teams Period Games Current Player Teams Period 121 Peter McKenna CW,CA 1968-1974 42 Josh Kennedy CA,WC 2016-2017 114 Tony Lockett SK,SY 1993-2002 38 Joe Daniher ES 2016-2017 98 Gordon Coventry CW 1932-1937 29 Jack Riewoldt RI 2016-2017 97 Dick Lee CW 1910-1918 25 Taylor Walker AD 2016-2017 90 Doug Wade GE,NM 1971-1975 14 Peter Wright GC 2017- 80 Bill Mohr SK 1933-1938 12 Charlie Dixon GC,PA 2017- 79 Mark Jackson ME,SK,GE 1981-1985 12 Jake Melksham ES,ME 2017- 78 Jack Moriarty ES,FI 1924-1929 11 Charlie Curnow CA 2017- 78 Kelvin Templeton FO,ME 1976-1981 10 Levi Casboult CA 2017- 77 Sel Murray NM,RI 1940-1948 10 Cale Hooker ES 2017- 75 Simon Beasley FO 1985-1989 10 Jesse White SY,CW 2016-2017 72 Jason Dunstall HW 1987-1990 9 Tim Membrey SY,SK 2017- 71 Lance Franklin HW,SY 2006-2009 8 Dayne Zorko BL 2017- 70 Matthew Lloyd ES 1999-2002 7 Jarrad Waite CA,NM 2017-

TERRY WALLACE’S MELBOURNE STARTING 18 B: Neville Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Michael Hibberd HB: Jayden Hunt, Jake Lever, Angus Brayshaw C: Bernie Vince, Nathan Jones, James Harmes HF: Mitch Hannan, Sam Weidemann, Christian Petracca F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Tom McDonald R: Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney

This is a forum about the Demons. Someone in the media is talking about the Dees on the radio. No matter what one might think about the person talking we're going to present it here for discussion because this is a forum where we discuss all things about the Dees. Here's a thought. If you don't like the topic don't open the thread.

Here is the real interview: https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode/?id=155981

I'm interstate so if anyone listens I'd love a summary. Thanks in advance.

Joel Smith's dad, Shaun, wore number 29 which is currently being written by Jayden Hunt. Word is Lever is 8, Maynard is 20 and Balic is 27. No word yet on any other changes.

I think that the lighting in that photo makes him look thinner. Once the levels in the photo have been adjusted it tells a different story. He does seem a little thinner but perhaps he is fitter.

The reports usually come at the end of the day. I was going to go today but I'm interstate.