Demonland

THE LIAM JURRAH STORY by Grapeviney It's the middle of 2009 and the struggling Demons are slated to play the Bombers at their Docklands lair. Melbourne are in an almighty funk; they will win just four matches for the season and will go on to take the wooden spoon that year. But into the midst of this bleakest of periods bursts a beacon of brilliance in the form of Liam Jurrah, a fully initiated Aboriginal from Yuendemu in the Tatami Desert who will become known as the 'Walpiri Warrior', or more simply, 'Jurrahcane'. It took Jurrah barely a minute to electrify the crowd in his debut against the Dons that day, scoring a point after dashing towards goal from half-forward just moments after coming on to the ground from the bench. In the next quarter he registered his first major, flying high for the ball in the goalsquare, outpointing two Essendon defenders and somehow grabbing the ball on the goal-line to slot it through as he lay prostate on the turf. Football had a freakish new talent in its ranks who seemed capable of anything and everything. As Bruce Hearn Mackinnon – who lurks on this forum as 'Rudeboy' - notes in his book The Liam Jurrah Story: From Yuendemu to the MCG, Jurrah's electrifying play quickly captured the imagination of the football world – respected commentator Brian Taylor said not long after Jurrah's exciting debut that “if he got wind that any of the coaches at Melbourne were starting to fill Liam's head with talk about structures and team rules, he'd head down there and personally berate them”. Fast forward two-and-a-half years and the Demons are well into their pre-season training for the 2012 year, under a new coach who has explicitly stated that he wants his charges to be regarded as the league's toughest team to oppose. Against this backdrop, a question mark hangs over Jurrah's head, if not among the vast array of new coaches at Melbourne then certainly among some of its supporters, who bemoaned his lack of defensive pressure in the season just passed, one which saw most successful clubs employ some form of forward press to keep the ball locked in their front half of the ground. How will Jurrah respond to the new regime at Melbourne? Is there room these days for a player who flies in the face of orthodoxy and bends the rules to suit his magical innate abilities? Time will tell, although some who criticise Jurrah's seeming unwillingness to chase his opponents have forgotten just how threateningly he did do that in the early part of his career. Regardless of what happens in the future, this book will stand out as one of the more unusual in the annals of football literature, if only for the fact that its subject had played barely two-dozen games at the highest level when it was released in the middle part of last year. Perhaps even more strange is the fact that its author, who writes with obvious affection for his charge, is not a native Demon, but rather a committed Collingwood man who, along with a group of friends and colleagues named the 'Industrial Magpies', first tried to land Jurrah down at Melbourne's old arch rivals. And therein lies the essence of this book, which tracks Jurrah's journey from the remotest parts of Australia to the spiritual home of its favourite sport, the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It's not a book of premierships and legends, like the biography of Norm Smith, nor is it one of heartache and single-handed heroism, as is the autobiography of Robbie Flower, but rather a tale of how one man came to defy the odds and merely make it to the starting line of an AFL career. That Jurrah is even on the cusp of what could be an exhilarating football career is due in large part to the efforts of the author, his family, and a small group of friends, who have never lost faith in their man and who have helped him over numerous hurdles along the way, all of which are recounted in this book. If there is one obvious omission, it is the lack of detail about what it actually means to be an “initiated” man in Walpiri culture, which would add a fascinating layer of insight into what the reader gleams about Liam Jurrah the person. As the author briefly explains, this is 'secret men's business' and cannot be imparted to the outside world. But anyone who thinks this book is but a shallow description of a man who is yet to really make his mark on the game is mistaken. Sure, the story may be simple and the writing straightforward, but in its pages we learn a lot about Liam, and get a brief glimpse into the fascinating culture of indigenous Australia. There are interesting anecdotes about family, community and friendship, insights into death and loss, and more than enough snippets about Jurrah's relationships with his team-mates – particularly his indigenous and Tiwi Island 'brothers' at the club - to carry the day and make this a worthwhile read. Demon fans will be hoping that there will be a second edition of this book to be published many years down the track, one which tells not only of Jurrah's journey from the red centre to the centre of the football world, but also recounts the story of how he came to kick hundreds of goals for the red and blue and helped propel the club to the ultimate success which has eluded it for so long. The Liam Jurrah Story Price: $22.99 at all good booksellers.

We conclude our series on Indigenous footballers with a review the book THE LIAM JURRAH STORY by Grapeviney It's the middle of 2009 and the struggling Demons are slated to play the Bombers at their Docklands lair. Melbourne are in an almighty funk; they will win just four matches for the season and will go on to take the wooden spoon that year. But into the midst of this bleakest of periods bursts a beacon of brilliance in the form of Liam Jurrah, a fully initiated Aboriginal from Yuendemu in the Tatami Desert who will become known as the 'Walpiri Warrior', or more simply, 'Jurrahcane'. It took Jurrah barely a minute to electrify the crowd in his debut against the Dons that day, scoring a point after dashing towards goal from half-forward just moments after coming on to the ground from the bench. In the next quarter he registered his first major, flying high for the ball in the goalsquare, outpointing two Essendon defenders and somehow grabbing the ball on the goal-line to slot it through as he lay prostate on the turf. Football had a freakish new talent in its ranks who seemed capable of anything and everything. As Bruce Hearn Mackinnon – who lurks on this forum as 'Rudeboy' - notes in his book The Liam Jurrah Story: From Yuendemu to the MCG, Jurrah's electrifying play quickly captured the imagination of the football world – respected commentator Brian Taylor said not long after Jurrah's exciting debut that “if he got wind that any of the coaches at Melbourne were starting to fill Liam's head with talk about structures and team rules, he'd head down there and personally berate them”. Fast forward two-and-a-half years and the Demons are well into their pre-season training for the 2012 year, under a new coach who has explicitly stated that he wants his charges to be regarded as the league's toughest team to oppose. Against this backdrop, a question mark hangs over Jurrah's head, if not among the vast array of new coaches at Melbourne then certainly among some of its supporters, who bemoaned his lack of defensive pressure in the season just passed, one which saw most successful clubs employ some form of forward press to keep the ball locked in their front half of the ground. How will Jurrah respond to the new regime at Melbourne? Is there room these days for a player who flies in the face of orthodoxy and bends the rules to suit his magical innate abilities? Time will tell, although some who criticise Jurrah's seeming unwillingness to chase his opponents have forgotten just how threateningly he did do that in the early part of his career. Regardless of what happens in the future, this book will stand out as one of the more unusual in the annals of football literature, if only for the fact that its subject had played barely two-dozen games at the highest level when it was released in the middle part of last year. Perhaps even more strange is the fact that its author, who writes with obvious affection for his charge, is not a native Demon, but rather a committed Collingwood man who, along with a group of friends and colleagues named the 'Industrial Magpies', first tried to land Jurrah down at Melbourne's old arch rivals. And therein lies the essence of this book, which tracks Jurrah's journey from the remotest parts of Australia to the spiritual home of its favourite sport, the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It's not a book of premierships and legends, like the biography of Norm Smith, nor is it one of heartache and single-handed heroism, as is the autobiography of Robbie Flower, but rather a tale of how one man came to defy the odds and merely make it to the starting line of an AFL career. That Jurrah is even on the cusp of what could be an exhilarating football career is due in large part to the efforts of the author, his family, and a small group of friends, who have never lost faith in their man and who have helped him over numerous hurdles along the way, all of which are recounted in this book. If there is one obvious omission, it is the lack of detail about what it actually means to be an “initiated” man in Walpiri culture, which would add a fascinating layer of insight into what the reader gleams about Liam Jurrah the person. As the author briefly explains, this is 'secret men's business' and cannot be imparted to the outside world. But anyone who thinks this book is but a shallow description of a man who is yet to really make his mark on the game is mistaken. Sure, the story may be simple and the writing straightforward, but in its pages we learn a lot about Liam, and get a brief glimpse into the fascinating culture of indigenous Australia. There are interesting anecdotes about family, community and friendship, insights into death and loss, and more than enough snippets about Jurrah's relationships with his team-mates – particularly his indigenous and Tiwi Island 'brothers' at the club - to carry the day and make this a worthwhile read. Demon fans will be hoping that there will be a second edition of this book to be published many years down the track, one which tells not only of Jurrah's journey from the red centre to the centre of the football world, but also recounts the story of how he came to kick hundreds of goals for the red and blue and helped propel the club to the ultimate success which has eluded it for so long. The Liam Jurrah Story Price: $22.99 at all good booksellers. This series was written in honour of the late Matthew Wonaeamirri, father of former Melbourne player Austin. Our hearts go out to all of the family.

CHANGES 2011 - HELLO by The Oracle Last week's 2011 AFL National Draft was, as expected, a showpiece for the AFL's new franchise, the Greater Western Sydney Giants. For those of us who viewed the event on Foxtel, our screens were awash with the unfamiliar charcoal and orange colours of the new club, Kevin Sheedy seemed not only to be everywhere but he was almost embarrassed by the excessive amount of exposure he was receiving. They even trotted out Israel Folau for an unnecessary interview. Unfortunately, I don't have a wide screen television receiver so I missed out on GWS's giant sized, expensive new recruiting guru but, given that I do attend the odd TAC Cup game or two, we'll no doubt bump into each other some time soon. I've even increased my private health cover for precisely that eventuality. At some stage in the transmission, viewers were let in on the well kept secret that there were another 17 AFL clubs that also had personnel in attendance with a mission to draft players for their teams and finally, thanks mainly to the information flashed at the bottom of our screens while the Foxtel panel persisted with their interminable interviews of pimply-faced GWS draftees, we learned that Melbourne selected Rory Taggert (pick 36), Josh Tynan (52) and James Sellar (54). None of the above were as well known or as fashionable in drafting circles as the young bucks being interviewed on our television sets. Indeed, the first reaction of my companion who was watching the draft unfold when Taggart was selected was, "Rory, who!" At least we knew something of strongly built former Crow, Sellar, who was considered a potential top three pick at one stage leading up to the 2006 AFL draft but slid to 14 after a bout of illness late that season. He was recently delisted by Adelaide after five disappointing seasons that yielded only 21 AFL games. For the edification of everyone, here are the Herald Sun AFL National Draft Profiles of Melbourne's selections:- The jigsaw puzzle will be completed in about ten day's time when the club will select four rookies to add to its lists which currently appear like this:- PRIMARY LIST: Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Mitch Clark Lucas Cook Aaron Davey Troy Davis Lynden Dunn Jack Fitzpatrick James Frawley Colin Garland Max Gawn Jack Grimes Jordan Gysberts Jeremy Howe Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Stefan Martin Tom McDonald Jordie McKenzie Brent Moloney Cale Morton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers James Sellar Jake Spencer James Strauss Colin Sylvia Rory Taggert Luke Tapscott Jack Trengove Josh Tynan Jack Watts VETERAN LIST: Brad Green ROOKIE LIST: Michael Evans Kelvin Lawrence Dan Nicholson plus four rookie draft selections

CHANGES 2011 - HELLO by The Oracle Last week's 2011 AFL National Draft was, as expected, a showpiece for the AFL's new franchise, the Greater Western Sydney Giants. For those of us who viewed the event on Foxtel, our screens were awash with the unfamiliar charcoal and orange colours of the new club, Kevin Sheedy seemed not only to be everywhere but he was almost embarrassed by the excessive amount of exposure he was receiving. They even trotted out Israel Folau for an unnecessary interview. Unfortunately, I don't have a wide screen television receiver so I missed out on GWS's giant sized, expensive new recruiting guru but, given that I do attend the odd TAC Cup game or two, we'll no doubt bump into each other some time soon. I've even increased my private health cover for precisely that eventuality. At some stage in the transmission, viewers were let in on the well kept secret that there were another 17 AFL clubs that also had personnel in attendance with a mission to draft players for their teams and finally, thanks mainly to the information flashed at the bottom of our screens while the Foxtel panel persisted with their interminable interviews of pimply-faced GWS draftees, we learned that Melbourne selected Rory Taggert (pick 36), Josh Tynan (52) and James Sellar (54). None of the above were as well known or as fashionable in drafting circles as the young bucks being interviewed on our television sets. Indeed, the first reaction of my companion who was watching the draft unfold when Taggart was selected was, "Rory, who!" At least we knew something of strongly built former Crow, Sellar, who was considered a potential top three pick at one stage leading up to the 2006 AFL draft but slid to 14 after a bout of illness late that season. He was recently delisted by Adelaide after five disappointing seasons that yielded only 21 AFL games. For the edification of everyone, here are the Herald Sun AFL National Draft Profiles of Melbourne's selections:- The jigsaw puzzle will be completed in about ten day's time when the club will select four rookies to add to its lists which currently appear like this:- PRIMARY LIST: Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Mitch Clark Lucas Cook Aaron Davey Troy Davis Lynden Dunn Jack Fitzpatrick James Frawley Colin Garland Max Gawn Jack Grimes Jordan Gysberts Jeremy Howe Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Stefan Martin Tom McDonald Jordie McKenzie Brent Moloney Cale Morton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers James Sellar Jake Spencer James Strauss Colin Sylvia Rory Taggert Luke Tapscott Jack Trengove Josh Tynan Jack Watts VETERAN LIST: Brad Green ROOKIE LIST: Michael Evans Kelvin Lawrence Dan Nicholson plus four rookie draft selections

Welcome to the Melbourne Football Club - JAMES SELLAR

Welcome to the Melbourne Football Club - JOSH TYNAN (after extra time)

Welcome to the Melbourne Football Club - RORY TAGGERT (North Ballarat) KEVIN SHEEHAN SAYS "(North Ballarat Rebels, Vic) 188, 87, 22/06/93 Versatile Vic Country rep, strong hands overhead and a good kick and decision-maker. Strong in his approach to the ball. From Horsham Saints FC."

About to be joined by three more new Demons!

CHANGES 2011 - GOODBYE AGAIN by The Oracle It's been a while since the last Melbourne player kicked a football in anger but in those two and a half months we've seen many changes at the club. A large number of those changes have been in the coaching area with an almost complete overhaul to the group. The playing list has also altered. Eight players have moved on and another arrived recently as a result of what was generally regarded as the biggest trade of the AFL's exchange period. The starting point was the club's lists as it stood throughout looked the 2011 season:- MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2011):- PRIMARY LIST: Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Lucas Cook Aaron Davey Troy Davis Lynden Dunn Jack Fitzpatrick James Frawley Colin Garland Max Gawn Jack Grimes Jordan Gysberts Jeremy Howe Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Addam Maric Stefan Martin Tom McDonald Jordie McKenzie Brent Moloney Cale Morton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Tom Scully Jake Spencer James Strauss Colin Sylvia Luke Tapscott Jack Trengove Matthew Warnock Jack Watts Austin Wonaeamirri VETERAN LIST: Brad Green ROOKIE LIST: Robert Campbell Michael Evans Cameron Johnston Kelvin Lawrence Tom McNamara Michael Newton Dan Nicholson Mitch Clark's recruitment to Melbourne from the Brisbane Lions certainly caused a stir drawing admiration and even some envy from certain quarters when the Demons finally snared the tall key position prospect it has sought for years. It remains to be seen what the 200cm ruckman/forward can achieve, but his arrival certainly gives new coach Mark Neeld several options with his forward and on ball set up. So far, Clark is the only addition to the list but he is soon to be joined by three "seniors" and four rookies. With the departures at the end of 2010 of captain James McDonald, another veteran in Cameron Bruce as well as Brad Miller, Melbourne's losses measured heavily in terms of experience. The same cannot be said of this year's departures. The classiest player to leave in terms of ability and potential was Tom Scully with 31 games to his credit but, due to injury, only 10 of these were in 2011 and most were below the standard one would expect from a number one draft pick. Perhaps Scully had other things on his mind but his second and last season at the club was a shadow of his first. Scully was uncontracted at the end of the season and accepted a massive contract with start up club, Greater Western Sydney after months of speculation, denial and much scepticism about his earlier pronouncements of loyalty to the club. Leaving aside mature aged rookie Robert Campbell who didn't get to play an AFL match with the Demons, key defender Matthew Warnock was the most experienced of the departing players. Warnock was traded to the Gold Coast Suns for a third round pick during trade week. The solid defender who turns 28 early next season will add solidity to the Suns' defence but has struggled to retain a key defensive post at Melbourne ahead of the likes of James Frawley, Jared Rivers and Colin Garland. The 194cm, 95kg Warnock was a local product from the Sandringham Dragons Under 18 TAC Cup team and spent a year on the Zebra's VFA list before he was taken at 26 in the 2005 Rookie Draft. He struggled for AFL games early but in 2008 and 2009 held a regular defensive position with the Demons and, in the latter year, finished fifth in the club's best and fairest. Although out of favour at Melbourne, he played several high quality games at full back with Casey in the following two seasons when he finished third and fourth respectively in the Scorpions' best and fairest award. He leaves the Demons after 55 games and is expected to add many more to that number with the young Gold Coast side. Addam Maric was drafted by the Demons as a small forward (177cm) from the Calder Cannons at 21 in the 2007 National Draft with a reputation as the most accurate kick in the TAC Cup competition. However, he struggled to cement a place in the Demons' line up and after 21 games and 15 goals in three seasons he asked to be traded. Negotiations were held with North Melbourne but the Kangaroos' interest appeared to drop off and Maric was recently delisted. He still holds hopes of finding a new AFL home in the coming month or so and is training with Richmond. Austin Wonaeamirri's career was covered in Whispering Jack's series on Indigenous footballers Indigene - Chapter Ten. The stocky small forward has, like Scully, played 31 games of AFL but leaves as a much loved player with many fond memories, most notably his breakout game in 2008 when he played a major role in his team's second half revival against Fremantle. Many will also recall with affection his game later that year against Brisbane and the sight of his late father Matthew hugging Jim Stynes as the team stormed to what had seemed an unlikely victory. Wonaeamirri's career was stalled by a string of injuries and then by the deaths in the short space of a little over a month of his father Matthew and mentor Maurice Rioli. He injured an ankle late in 2011 after returning from a sustained period of mourning and this required surgery. He failed to return to the club for the commencement of pre season training and was delisted as a result of the uncertainty surrounding his future. Rookies Tom McNamara and Cameron Johnston were also delisted along with Michael Newton who was at the club for seven years, the last two as a mature age rookie. Whispering Jack takes up Newton's story: Michael "Juice" Newton's unusual and in many ways unfulfilled AFL career began when the 17 year old youngster from the northern Victorian bush town of Whorouly was taken at pick 43 in the 2004 AFL Draft. He took time to mature with the club's then VFL affiliate Sandringham but by mid-2006 he was still struggling to break into the Zebra's senior side. I saw him carve up the Bendigo Bombers Reserves at Windy Hill one morning. Wearing flashy red boots, he was moved to full forward after half time and kicked 5.1 in the first 9 minutes of the third term mainly from strong marks and he finished with eight goals for the game. That effort gained him senior promotion but, with Nick Sautner ruling the roost in the seniors, he continued to struggle for game time. He played a memorable game at Casey Fields a few weeks later. After getting limited time early in the game, he showed out in the second half with a wonderful little cameo. His marking, decision-making and passing of the football were all exquisite that afternoon. He took three marks that could easily have featured as mark of the year including a ripping hanger in the final quarter and he finished with three goals, one from a near impossible shot on the boundary line. At the time, I thought we had a potential champion in the making on our hands. Apparently, coach Neale Daniher must have thought otherwise because, despite the fact that Juice kicked big bags of goals on a number of occasions in the VFL over the ensuing 12 months, it was not until Daniher's final game as coach (Round 13, 2007) that he finally made his AFL debut. After a nervous start, he kicked a goal in that first game and he then booted an impressive three goals against Carlton. Against North Melbourne, he took the 2007 Mark of the year, rising high above a pack and over skipper David Neitz's head. After that, injury and confidence issues took the sting out of his career. A knee injury early in 2008 derailed that season and he was in and out in 2009 managing just five games for six goals. He was then delisted but reselected as a rookie but played only four games in 2010. He was the designated rookie list senior player for 2011 and, after a promising start in the VFL gained promotion for three games before injury virtually put an end to his season (he came back for a couple of Casey games late in the year). He was delisted as a rookie after 28 games and 35 goals with many of us wondering what might have been. With today's second AFL list lodgment, all clubs have prepared their lists in anticipation of next week's national draft. While the newcomers from Greater Western Sydney will dominate proceedings, Melbourne has just three selections, the first coming at 36. The final draft order is:- Adelaide: 27, 41, 46, 64, 82 (PR), 89 (PR) Brisbane Lions: 8, 12, 30, 47, 69 (PR) Carlton: 22, 44, 62 (FS) Collingwood: 50, 65, 67 (SP) Essendon: 19, 31, 59, 75 (PR) Fremantle: 16, 20, 29, 58, 71, 72, 83 (PR) Geelong: 32, 34, 48, 66, 78, 86 (FS) Gold Coast: 24, 80 (PR), 88 (LT), 91 (LT) Greater Western Sydney: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 56, 79, 87, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 Hawthorn: 33, 38, 53, 77 (PR) Melbourne: 36, 52, 54 North Melbourne: 18, 40, 74 (PR), 84 (PR) Port Adelaide: 6, 45, 51, 81 Richmond: 15, 26, 55 St Kilda: 25, 35, 37, 42, 60, 68, 76 Sydney Swans: 21 (FS), 43, 61, 85 (PR) West Coast: 23, 28, 63 (PR) Western Bulldogs: 17, 39, 49, 57, 70 (PR), 73 (PR) (FS) Father/son Selection (PR) Promoted Rookie (SP) Scholarship Promotion So ... with the 2011 AFL National Draft not far off, the club's list looks like this:- PRIMARY LIST: Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Mitch Clark Lucas Cook Aaron Davey Troy Davis Lynden Dunn Jack Fitzpatrick James Frawley Colin Garland Max Gawn Jack Grimes Jordan Gysberts Jeremy Howe Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Stefan Martin Tom McDonald Jordie McKenzie Brent Moloney Cale Morton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Jake Spencer James Strauss Colin Sylvia Luke Tapscott Jack Trengove Jack Watts National Draft Picks 36 52 and 54 VETERAN LIST: Brad Green ROOKIE LIST: Michael Evans Kelvin Lawrence Dan Nicholson plus four rookie draft selections

CHANGES 2011 - GOODBYE AGAIN by The Oracle It's been a while since the last Melbourne player kicked a football in anger but in those two and a half months we've seen many changes at the club. A large number of those changes have been in the coaching area with an almost complete overhaul to the group. The playing list has also altered. Eight players have moved on and another arrived recently as a result of what was generally regarded as the biggest trade of the AFL's exchange period. The starting point was the club's lists as it stood throughout looked the 2011 season:- MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2011):- PRIMARY LIST: Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Lucas Cook Aaron Davey Troy Davis Lynden Dunn Jack Fitzpatrick James Frawley Colin Garland Max Gawn Jack Grimes Jordan Gysberts Jeremy Howe Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Addam Maric Stefan Martin Tom McDonald Jordie McKenzie Brent Moloney Cale Morton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Tom Scully Jake Spencer James Strauss Colin Sylvia Luke Tapscott Jack Trengove Matthew Warnock Jack Watts Austin Wonaeamirri VETERAN LIST: Brad Green ROOKIE LIST: Robert Campbell Michael Evans Cameron Johnston Kelvin Lawrence Tom McNamara Michael Newton Dan Nicholson Mitch Clark's recruitment to Melbourne from the Brisbane Lions certainly caused a stir drawing admiration and even some envy from certain quarters when the Demons finally snared the tall key position prospect it has sought for years. It remains to be seen what the 200cm ruckman/forward can achieve, but his arrival certainly gives new coach Mark Neeld several options with his forward and on ball set up. So far, Clark is the only addition to the list but he is soon to be joined by three "seniors" and four rookies. With the departures at the end of 2010 of captain James McDonald, another veteran in Cameron Bruce as well as Brad Miller, Melbourne's losses measured heavily in terms of experience. The same cannot be said of this year's departures. The classiest player to leave in terms of ability and potential was Tom Scully with 31 games to his credit but, due to injury, only 10 of these were in 2011 and most were below the standard one would expect from a number one draft pick. Perhaps Scully had other things on his mind but his second and last season at the club was a shadow of his first. Scully was uncontracted at the end of the season and accepted a massive contract with start up club, Greater Western Sydney after months of speculation, denial and much scepticism about his earlier pronouncements of loyalty to the club. Leaving aside mature aged rookie Robert Campbell who didn't get to play an AFL match with the Demons, key defender Matthew Warnock was the most experienced of the departing players. Warnock was traded to the Gold Coast Suns for a third round pick during trade week. The solid defender who turns 28 early next season will add solidity to the Suns' defence but has struggled to retain a key defensive post at Melbourne ahead of the likes of James Frawley, Jared Rivers and Colin Garland. The 194cm, 95kg Warnock was a local product from the Sandringham Dragons Under 18 TAC Cup team and spent a year on the Zebra's VFA list before he was taken at 26 in the 2005 Rookie Draft. He struggled for AFL games early but in 2008 and 2009 held a regular defensive position with the Demons and, in the latter year, finished fifth in the club's best and fairest. Although out of favour at Melbourne, he played several high quality games at full back with Casey in the following two seasons when he finished third and fourth respectively in the Scorpions' best and fairest award. He leaves the Demons after 55 games and is expected to add many more to that number with the young Gold Coast side. Addam Maric was drafted by the Demons as a small forward (177cm) from the Calder Cannons at 21 in the 2007 National Draft with a reputation as the most accurate kick in the TAC Cup competition. However, he struggled to cement a place in the Demons' line up and after 21 games and 15 goals in three seasons he asked to be traded. Negotiations were held with North Melbourne but the Kangaroos' interest appeared to drop off and Maric was recently delisted. He still holds hopes of finding a new AFL home in the coming month or so and is training with Richmond. Austin Wonaeamirri's career was covered in Whispering Jack's series on Indigenous footballers Indigene - Chapter Ten. The stocky small forward has, like Scully, played 31 games of AFL but leaves as a much loved player with many fond memories, most notably his breakout game in 2008 when he played a major role in his team's second half revival against Fremantle. Many will also recall with affection his game later that year against Brisbane and the sight of his late father Matthew hugging Jim Stynes as the team stormed to what had seemed an unlikely victory. Wonaeamirri's career was stalled by a string of injuries and then by the deaths in the short space of a little over a month of his father Matthew and mentor Maurice Rioli. He injured an ankle late in 2011 after returning from a sustained period of mourning and this required surgery. He failed to return to the club for the commencement of pre season training and was delisted as a result of the uncertainty surrounding his future. Rookies Tom McNamara and Cameron Johnston were also delisted along with Michael Newton who was at the club for seven years, the last two as a mature age rookie. Whispering Jack takes up Newton's story: Michael "Juice" Newton's unusual and in many ways unfulfilled AFL career began when the 17 year old youngster from the northern Victorian bush town of Whorouly was taken at pick 43 in the 2004 AFL Draft. He took time to mature with the club's then VFL affiliate Sandringham but by mid-2006 he was still struggling to break into the Zebra's senior side. I saw him carve up the Bendigo Bombers Reserves at Windy Hill one morning. Wearing flashy red boots, he was moved to full forward after half time and kicked 5.1 in the first 9 minutes of the third term mainly from strong marks and he finished with eight goals for the game. That effort gained him senior promotion but, with Nick Sautner ruling the roost in the seniors, he continued to struggle for game time. He played a memorable game at Casey Fields a few weeks later. After getting limited time early in the game, he showed out in the second half with a wonderful little cameo. His marking, decision-making and passing of the football were all exquisite that afternoon. He took three marks that could easily have featured as mark of the year including a ripping hanger in the final quarter and he finished with three goals, one from a near impossible shot on the boundary line. At the time, I thought we had a potential champion in the making on our hands. Apparently, coach Neale Daniher must have thought otherwise because, despite the fact that Juice kicked big bags of goals on a number of occasions in the VFL over the ensuing 12 months, it was not until Daniher's final game as coach (Round 13, 2007) that he finally made his AFL debut. After a nervous start, he kicked a goal in that first game and he then booted an impressive three goals against Carlton. Against North Melbourne, he took the 2007 Mark of the year, rising high above a pack and over skipper David Neitz's head. After that, injury and confidence issues took the sting out of his career. A knee injury early in 2008 derailed that season and he was in and out in 2009 managing just five games for six goals. He was then delisted but reselected as a rookie but played only four games in 2010. He was the designated rookie list senior player for 2011 and, after a promising start in the VFL gained promotion for three games before injury virtually put an end to his season (he came back for a couple of Casey games late in the year). He was delisted as a rookie after 28 games and 35 goals with many of us wondering what might have been. With today's second AFL list lodgment, all clubs have prepared their lists in anticipation of next week's national draft. While the newcomers from Greater Western Sydney will dominate proceedings, Melbourne has just three selections, the first coming at 36. The final draft order is:- Adelaide: 27, 41, 46, 64, 82 (PR), 89 (PR) Brisbane Lions: 8, 12, 30, 47, 69 (PR) Carlton: 22, 44, 62 (FS) Collingwood: 50, 65, 67 (SP) Essendon: 19, 31, 59, 75 (PR) Fremantle: 16, 20, 29, 58, 71, 72, 83 (PR) Geelong: 32, 34, 48, 66, 78, 86 (FS) Gold Coast: 24, 80 (PR), 88 (LT), 91 (LT) Greater Western Sydney: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 56, 79, 87, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 Hawthorn: 33, 38, 53, 77 (PR) Melbourne: 36, 52, 54 North Melbourne: 18, 40, 74 (PR), 84 (PR) Port Adelaide: 6, 45, 51, 81 Richmond: 15, 26, 55 St Kilda: 25, 35, 37, 42, 60, 68, 76 Sydney Swans: 21 (FS), 43, 61, 85 (PR) West Coast: 23, 28, 63 (PR) Western Bulldogs: 17, 39, 49, 57, 70 (PR), 73 (PR) (FS) Father/son Selection (PR) Promoted Rookie (SP) Scholarship Promotion So ... with the 2011 AFL National Draft not far off, the club's list looks like this:- PRIMARY LIST: Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Mitch Clark Lucas Cook Aaron Davey Troy Davis Lynden Dunn Jack Fitzpatrick James Frawley Colin Garland Max Gawn Jack Grimes Jordan Gysberts Jeremy Howe Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Stefan Martin Tom McDonald Jordie McKenzie Brent Moloney Cale Morton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Jake Spencer James Strauss Colin Sylvia Luke Tapscott Jack Trengove Jack Watts National Draft Picks 36 52 and 54 VETERAN LIST: Brad Green ROOKIE LIST: Michael Evans Kelvin Lawrence Dan Nicholson plus four rookie draft selections

2½ MONTHS by Whispering Jack Time flies. It's close to 2½ months since the 2011 season ended for the Demons and, for the fans, this period has been dominated by two major sets of stories, one negative and the other positive. The first has been the fallout from the disappointment of a season that went decidedly pear-shaped for the Melbourne Football Club. The team, with its young list was expected to continue its trend of improvement in 2011 and a finals appearance or two was not considered out of the question. That never happened. Instead, the club laboured under the strain of injuries, poor form, question marks over the game plan and the dark grey cloud of the Scully saga. Ultimately, Dean Bailey was sacked, the team limped into 13th place and Scully, as predicted by most in the football world, accepted a lucrative offer to join the AFL's new franchise, the Greater Western Giants. All of these issues have resurfaced in the past 2½ months. The MFC board's sacking of Bailey and the extension of CEO Cameron Schwab's contract continue to be questioned in some quarters from time to time and, in the case of the Scully saga, the young man's credibility over comments he made during his last season at the club was significantly damaged by further revelations including those surrounding his father's employment as a recruiter and the AFL's decision to include his remuneration as part of that club's salary cap. The state of Scully's injured knee which limited him to just ten games in 2011 also continues to come under scrutiny. Indeed, the Scully situation degenerated into farce with various media pieces including comments from the youngster, some of which contradicted statements made by him early in the year ("I know my future's here and I anticipate I'll be here for the rest of my career") while others, such as the Age article Courage under fire published on Remembrance Day, border on absurdity. The suggestion made on this of all days, that it took courage for a 20 year old to accept a playing contract that will reportedly see him collecting $2m next year while his father also gets paid between $100,000 and $200,000 is risible and an insult to the intelligence of readers. Still, life goes on, Scully is now the property of another club and that club continues to have major problems of its own as it prepares for its debut season in the AFL. On the other hand, the really big story of Melbourne's off season so far has been the seamless way in which Jim Stynes' reluctant deputy Garry Lyon has made every post a winner in restoring stability to the club after the firestorms of July and August. This has led to a total overhaul of many of the club's structures, in particular the troubled football department, the appointment of new coach Mark Neeld and a bevy of new assistants, new football department head Neil Craig (invaluable with his coaching experience and sports science background) and the club's head of strength and conditioning David Misson. Neeld set an instant example with his proactive role in securing Mitch Clark in the club's first major recruiting coup in over a decade. The way in which this was achieved demonstrates that Neeld is a man who gets things done. Neeld and Misson were both lured from Collingwood and St Kilda respectively - two clubs that have featured strongly in recent grand finals. They know what it takes to win premierships and, as this article by Mark Stevens in today's Herald Sun suggests - Mark Neeld's hardline approach to lift Dees out of the doldrums - they have literally hit the ground running in their quest to raise the standards of their young list to those required to achieve success in the elite form of the game. The same message appears in today's Melbourne Age article by Michael Gleeson entitled "Neeld's blank canvas". Neeld is giving the place a much-needed shake up and no player will be immune from his direct approach. He swiftly laid down the law with Colin Sylvia over that player's recent late night activities and has made it clear at a number of levels that past reputations mean very little to him as he sets about "challenging people, respectfully". This is the good story of the off season to date for the Melbourne Football Club and one which should pale thoughts of the departed Scully to the oblivion where they belong. The many young, talented players on the club's list are being challenged as they never have before and we can expect some major changes in both body shape and attitude from many of them. Some, like Rohan Bail and rookie Dan Nicholson who have hitherto been very much unheralded, are thriving at early pre season training sessions. Others are finding out just how tough life will become under the new regime. The Stevens article mentions that it will be imperative for Liam Jurrah to work "as hard defensively as when a goal is on offer". Neeld's stern advice to number one draft pick Jack Watts has also been noted - Lift your game Melbourne Mark Neeld tells Jack Watts. The player whose progress I will watch closely is Cale Morton, taken at No.4 in the 2007 draft, but whose development seems to have stalled in the past two seasons. The impression gained from watching him on the ground is that he lacks confidence although he clearly has talent and ability. When I met him at a dinner attended by some club supporters and a handful of young Demon players (including Scully) late in the season, I found him to be anything but the shy and reserved person I was expecting and, indeed, he came across as the most impressive young man of the group. I hope that he takes up his coach's challenge head on along with his many talented young team mates as Mark Neeld's canvas begins to take shape and colour. .

2½ MONTHS by Whispering Jack Time flies. It's close to 2½ months since the 2011 season ended for the Demons and, for the fans, this period has been dominated by two major sets of stories, one negative and the other positive. The first has been the fallout from the disappointment of a season that went decidedly pear-shaped for the Melbourne Football Club. The team, with its young list was expected to continue its trend of improvement in 2011 and a finals appearance or two was not considered out of the question. That never happened. Instead, the club laboured under the strain of injuries, poor form, question marks over the game plan and the dark grey cloud of the Scully saga. Ultimately, Dean Bailey was sacked, the team limped into 13th place and Scully, as predicted by most in the football world, accepted a lucrative offer to join the AFL's new franchise, the Greater Western Giants. All of these issues have resurfaced in the past 2½ months. The MFC board's sacking of Bailey and the extension of CEO Cameron Schwab's contract continue to be questioned in some quarters from time to time and, in the case of the Scully saga, the young man's credibility over comments he made during his last season at the club was significantly damaged by further revelations including those surrounding his father's employment as a recruiter and the AFL's decision to include his remuneration as part of that club's salary cap. The state of Scully's injured knee which limited him to just ten games in 2011 also continues to come under scrutiny. Indeed, the Scully situation degenerated into farce with various media pieces including comments from the youngster, some of which contradicted statements made by him early in the year ("I know my future's here and I anticipate I'll be here for the rest of my career") while others, such as the Age article Courage under fire published on Remembrance Day, border on absurdity. The suggestion made on this of all days, that it took courage for a 20 year old to accept a playing contract that will reportedly see him collecting $2m next year while his father also gets paid between $100,000 and $200,000 is risible and an insult to the intelligence of readers. Still, life goes on, Scully is now the property of another club and that club continues to have major problems of its own as it prepares for its debut season in the AFL. On the other hand, the really big story of Melbourne's off season so far has been the seamless way in which Jim Stynes' reluctant deputy Garry Lyon has made every post a winner in restoring stability to the club after the firestorms of July and August. This has led to a total overhaul of many of the club's structures, in particular the troubled football department, the appointment of new coach Mark Neeld and a bevy of new assistants, new football department head Neil Craig (invaluable with his coaching experience and sports science background) and the club's head of strength and conditioning David Misson. Neeld set an instant example with his proactive role in securing Mitch Clark in the club's first major recruiting coup in over a decade. The way in which this was achieved demonstrates that Neeld is a man who gets things done. Neeld and Misson were both lured from Collingwood and St Kilda respectively - two clubs that have featured strongly in recent grand finals. They know what it takes to win premierships and, as this article by Mark Stevens in today's Herald Sun suggests - Mark Neeld's hardline approach to lift Dees out of the doldrums - they have literally hit the ground running in their quest to raise the standards of their young list to those required to achieve success in the elite form of the game. The same message appears in today's Melbourne Age article by Michael Gleeson entitled "Neeld's blank canvas". Neeld is giving the place a much-needed shake up and no player will be immune from his direct approach. He swiftly laid down the law with Colin Sylvia over that player's recent late night activities and has made it clear at a number of levels that past reputations mean very little to him as he sets about "challenging people, respectfully". This is the good story of the off season to date for the Melbourne Football Club and one which should pale thoughts of the departed Scully to the oblivion where they belong. The many young, talented players on the club's list are being challenged as they never have before and we can expect some major changes in both body shape and attitude from many of them. Some, like Rohan Bail and rookie Dan Nicholson who have hitherto been very much unheralded, are thriving at early pre season training sessions. Others are finding out just how tough life will become under the new regime. The Stevens article mentions that it will be imperative for Liam Jurrah to work "as hard defensively as when a goal is on offer". Neeld's stern advice to number one draft pick Jack Watts has also been noted - Lift your game Melbourne Mark Neeld tells Jack Watts. The player whose progress I will watch closely is Cale Morton, taken at No.4 in the 2007 draft, but whose development seems to have stalled in the past two seasons. The impression gained from watching him on the ground is that he lacks confidence although he clearly has talent and ability. When I met him at a dinner attended by some club supporters and a handful of young Demon players (including Scully) late in the season, I found him to be anything but the shy and reserved person I was expecting and, indeed, he came across as the most impressive young man of the group. I hope that he takes up his coach's challenge head on along with his many talented young team mates as Mark Neeld's canvas begins to take shape and colour. .

Thanks to your contributions, here's our Demonland summary of Training Day One: TRAINING - 31 OCTOBER 2011 It was a tough first up training session for the Demons under new coach Mark Neeld but you came away feeling that it's going to get even tougher. This was more in the nature of a meet and greet with plenty of 400m runs, several faces missing for various reasons ranging from international duties, the Qantas strike and impending delistments. There was also a large rehab group doing limited work. Neeld has indicated that he is less than impressed at the general state of the players' fitness so tough times are looming for this playing list. Austin Wonaeamirri was a no show and by the end of the session, he was confirmed as a delisting after 31 games and 37 goals, to be joined later by rookie Michael Newton who tweeted from Calgary. For him, it was the big freeze - career seemingly over after seven years mainly of unfulfilled promise. Melbourne's 2011 skipper Brad Green, James Frawley and young gun Jack Trengove were on the Gold Coast preparing for Friday's international rules game v the Irish and Liam Jurrah was stuck somewhere between Alice Springs and Goschs Paddock courtesy of Quantas. The rehab group included Brisbane Lions recruit Mitch Clark. The others in this group whose work was limited were Lucas Cook, Aaron Davey, Michael Evans, Jack Grimes, Neville Jetta, Kelvin Lawrence, Jordie McKenzie, Ricky Petterd, Jake Spencer, James Strauss, Colin Sylvia and Luke Tapscott. For the more able bodied, the initial running was done in groups that appeared to be determined by aerobic capacity with the elite runners led by Nathan Jones, Rohan Bail and Clint Bartram. To the surprise of many, Jack Watts was in this group but Cale Morton (looking his usual thin self) was not. Future father/son Jack Viney looks every bit a part of the playing group although his 2012 season will be spent between school and the Scorpions. He is not tall but is well built for a 17 year old and didn't appear to skip a beat with the men. The big blokes were in the last lot of runners together with Jordan Gysberts and Sam Blease who trailed off badly and was first of the group to vomit in this pre season. He looks destined for a long, hard summer. The work continued under the myriad eyes of the expanded coaching and fitness group but now the players were divided according to what appeared as playing ranks:- Backs: Clint Bartram, Jamie Bennell, Troy Davis, Colin Garland, Joel Macdonald, Cale Morton and Jared Rivers. Midfielders: Rohan Bail, Matthew Bate, Max Gawn, Jordan Gysberts, Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Brent Moloney, Dan Nicholson and Jack Viney Forwards: Sam Blease, Lynden Dunn, Jack Fitzpatrick, Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Stefan Martin and Jack Watts. A few surprises there but it is early days and the session had no special feel as yet with plenty of water to flow under the bridge. It is obvious that the club's football operations department is undergoing a seismic change - one that is much needed after the turmoil of the latter days of the Bailey regime. Neeld spoke to the media after training and reiterated that it was too early for major changes in the group to be noticed. After all, it was like his first day at school. The entire leadership group is up for grabs and won't be finalised until March. A smaller group of players from Neeld's former club, Collingwood, was training next door. The 2011 Magpies were several classes above their Demon counterparts in most aspects of the way the game is played these days and, while it's true there were no major differences discernible among Neeld's charges yet and we were still in the same month as that in which the neighbour's lost their recent tilt at a premiership, there was a definite impression that before too long the gap would begin to narrow.

Thanks to your contributions, here's our Demonland summary of Training Day One: TRAINING - 31 OCTOBER 2011 It was a tough first up training session for the Demons under new coach Mark Neeld but you came away feeling that it's going to get even tougher. This was more in the nature of a meet and greet with plenty of 400m runs, several faces missing for various reasons ranging from international duties, the Qantas strike and impending delistments. There was also a large rehab group doing limited work. Neeld has indicated that he is less than impressed at the general state of the players' fitness so tough times are looming for this playing list. Austin Wonaeamirri was a no show and by the end of the session, he was confirmed as a delisting after 31 games and 37 goals, to be joined later by rookie Michael Newton who tweeted from Calgary. For him, it was the big freeze - career seemingly over after seven years mainly of unfulfilled promise. Melbourne's 2011 skipper Brad Green, James Frawley and young gun Jack Trengove were on the Gold Coast preparing for Friday's international rules game v the Irish and Liam Jurrah was stuck somewhere between Alice Springs and Goschs Paddock courtesy of Quantas. The rehab group included Brisbane Lions recruit Mitch Clark. The others in this group whose work was limited were Lucas Cook, Aaron Davey, Michael Evans, Jack Grimes, Neville Jetta, Kelvin Lawrence, Jordie McKenzie, Ricky Petterd, Jake Spencer, James Strauss, Colin Sylvia and Luke Tapscott. For the more able bodied, the initial running was done in groups that appeared to be determined by aerobic capacity with the elite runners led by Nathan Jones, Rohan Bail and Clint Bartram. To the surprise of many, Jack Watts was in this group but Cale Morton (looking his usual thin self) was not. Future father/son Jack Viney looks every bit a part of the playing group although his 2012 season will be spent between school and the Scorpions. He is not tall but is well built for a 17 year old and didn't appear to skip a beat with the men. The big blokes were in the last lot of runners together with Jordan Gysberts and Sam Blease who trailed off badly and was first of the group to vomit in this pre season. He looks destined for a long, hard summer. The work continued under the myriad eyes of the expanded coaching and fitness group but now the players were divided according to what appeared as playing ranks:- Backs: Clint Bartram, Jamie Bennell, Troy Davis, Colin Garland, Joel Macdonald, Cale Morton and Jared Rivers. Midfielders: Rohan Bail, Matthew Bate, Max Gawn, Jordan Gysberts, Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Brent Moloney, Dan Nicholson and Jack Viney Forwards: Sam Blease, Lynden Dunn, Jack Fitzpatrick, Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Stefan Martin and Jack Watts. A few surprises there but it is early days and the session had no special feel as yet with plenty of water to flow under the bridge. It is obvious that the club's football operations department is undergoing a seismic change - one that is much needed after the turmoil of the latter days of the Bailey regime. Neeld spoke to the media after training and reiterated that it was too early for major changes in the group to be noticed. After all, it was like his first day at school. The entire leadership group is up for grabs and won't be finalised until March. A smaller group of players from Neeld's former club, Collingwood, was training next door. The 2011 Magpies were several classes above their Demon counterparts in most aspects of the way the game is played these days and, while it's true there were no major differences discernible among Neeld's charges yet and we were still in the same month as that in which the neighbour's lost their recent tilt at a premiership, there was a definite impression that before too long the gap would begin to narrow.

Struggled to make an impact at the Scorpions where he finished with more reserves than seniors games and was delisted at the end of the season. Games CSFC 2011 6 Goals CSFC 2011 1 Games CSFC Reserves 2011 8 Goals CSFC Reserves 2011 0

Tweet from the club: "Pre-season training starts tomorrow. Boys will be on the track around 9:45am @ Gosch's Paddock. Plenty of hard work ahead." Your reports are most welcome and we will also try to put up a training summary on our articles board incorporating some of the best passages from the training reports. Also, don't expect our IR trio of Brad Green ©, James Frawley and Jack Trengove to feature at this week's training. Chippa just tweeted that he's arrived on the Gold Coast.

A strong running midfielder, Michael Evans came off the rookie list to play four games with the Demons. His debut against St. Kilda was extremely impressive but his season was hampered by a hip injury which eventually required surgery. Games MFC 2011 MFC 4 Total 4 Goals MFC 2011 0 MFC Total 0 Games CSFC 2011 10 Goals CSFC 2011 7

The young rookie from the amateurs impressed with his dash out of defence and should improve further with a second pre season under his belt. Games MFC 2011 9 MFC Total 9 Goals MFC 2011 2 MFC Total 2 Games CSFC 2011 10 Goals CSFC 2011 5

I'm sure the rest of the football world are quivering in their boots.

After two years on the club's senior list, the beanpole forward finally broke through for his first AFL game against Port Adelaide in Round 24 after a season severely marred by an ankle injury. Prior to that he had been slowly coming through the ranks and showing good signs of development as a pacy ruckman/forward who can take a nice grab. Games MFC 2011 MFC 1 Total 1 Goals MFC 2011 1 MFC Total 1 Games CSFC 2011 6 Goals CSFC 2011 7 Games CSFC Reserves 2011 6 Goals CSFC Reserves 2011 16

Was finally beginning to settle down in a defender's role when a sickening collision early in the game against the Blues left him with a broken leg and ended his season. Games MFC 2011 9 MFC Total 11 Goals MFC 2011 0 MFC Total 0 Games CSFC 2011 9 Goals CSFC 2011 5

Not to mention that the next trade week is about 11 and a half months away.

THANK YOU UMPIRES ... by Whispering Jack For the first time since the introduction of drafting, the Melbourne Football Club will not have a selection in the top 30 at next month's AFL National Draft meeting. The club's head of recruiting, Barry Prendergast will have to sit down and bide his time all the way to selection 36 while all but one of the 17 other AFL clubs nominate their first picks. The new boys from Greater Western Sydney will have a field day at the meeting. Their man will call out eleven names well before Prendergast gets half way through considering what to do with his first pick. A few other clubs will already be packing their bags and thinking of heading home by that time. The Giants need those eleven early selections. They're the new kid on the block and they're already feeling the heat. The Giants' recruiting to date has been a singular and gigantic failure as evidenced by the fact that not a single player in the prime of his career could be enticed into Sheedy's lair despite rules that were stacked in his favour. Throughout the past two or three months, I've found myself wondering where are the 25 year olds who can play the game and who have the hunger to cop huge coin to pioneer its development in the nether regions of Australia's largest city? Is there nobody at all in that age bracket with an old man who can boast an ability to become an overnight sensation at talent spotting? If only Setanta had a father with the necessary skill sets to take on the role of CEO over there at Blacktown, the lad would be a shoe in to win a charcoal and orange monstrosity of a uniform and on his way to a life of fame and ... yes ... fortune. But I digress. Meanwhile back at the draft table, only Collingwood will have its chance to name a future star after Melbourne, but the Pies have already snared three players during trade week and, given the state of their list, I don't think there are too many furrows on the brows of the Pies' recruiting staff as a result of their late entry into the fray. Of course, the Demons themselves scored nicely during the exchange period with that well documented recruiting coup that netted Brisbane tall forward Mitch Clark for draft pick 12 to the Lions. The irony is that while Melbourne lost its 2009 number one draft pick Tom Scully to a far superior financial offer by Greater Western Sydney, it managed to beat off Fremantle for his replacement and secured a 200cm tall player who most definitely should fill one of the major positional gaps in its line up - one the club has been crying out for so loudly for so long. Whether this becomes a win for the club will be determined in the fulness of time but the story of the recruiting coup against the odds and the manner of its execution was uplifting in the light of the club's dark end to its 2011 playing season. Even more ironical is the fact that the club should never have been in a superior bargaining position over the Dockers to secure their man in the first place - a fact directly related to the team's poor finish this year. If Melbourne had managed to win that last game - the Round 24 fixture against Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval - it would have finished in tenth place for which it would have been entitled to pick number 17 in the draft instead of 12 while Fremantle would have finished two places lower giving it 14. The altered draft positions would have given the Dockers the upper hand to secure Clark from Brisbane. The result could well have left the Dees with the higher selection and another trade week might have passed for the club with no big name signings. There could well have been no high profile power forward at the club and nothing to rejoice about in another year's wasted effort at the trade table. Instead, those who remember that game at the Adelaide Oval might well thank the umpires who appeared to give the home side an armchair ride on that Sunday afternoon. The free kick count was heavily slanted against the Demons and who could ever forget the daylight robbery perpetrated against Jeremy Howe, deprived of a mark of the year nomination dead in front of goal by one of many umpiring howlers on the day? The cynics among us might even suggest that there was an element of ... er, ahem, tanking with a depleted team that should never have gone close to losing against the lowly Power but whether it was the umpires or a touch of tanking deja vu, the game's outcome almost certainly helped in delivering Melbourne's first big name recruit in almost two decades. The absence of even one pick in the top 35 translates in a reduced level of interest towards what is widely regarded as a shallow draft and this means we will be looking at next month's draft differently this year. There will be a greater focus on the selections made by Barry Prendergast with what are now picks 36, 52 and 54 but it will be more of a case of looking at those games after the event because only a brave soul could really claim to predict who will be selected in advance of the meeting. All we can say is that if the Demons' recruiting guru manages to snaffle players of the quality of Howe, Davis and McDonald who were taken in 2010 at similar levels, then it will be a job well done.

THANK YOU UMPIRES ... by Whispering Jack For the first time since the introduction of drafting, the Melbourne Football Club will not have a selection in the top 30 at next month's AFL National Draft meeting. The club's head of recruiting, Barry Prendergast will have to sit down and bide his time all the way to selection 36 while all but one of the 17 other AFL clubs nominate their first picks. The new boys from Greater Western Sydney will have a field day at the meeting. Their man will call out eleven names well before Prendergast gets half way through considering what to do with his first pick. A few other clubs will already be packing their bags and thinking of heading home by that time. The Giants need those eleven early selections. They're the new kid on the block and they're already feeling the heat. The Giants' recruiting to date has been a singular and gigantic failure as evidenced by the fact that not a single player in the prime of his career could be enticed into Sheedy's lair despite rules that were stacked in his favour. Throughout the past two or three months, I've found myself wondering where are the 25 year olds who can play the game and who have the hunger to cop huge coin to pioneer its development in the nether regions of Australia's largest city? Is there nobody at all in that age bracket with an old man who can boast an ability to become an overnight sensation at talent spotting? If only Setanta had a father with the necessary skill sets to take on the role of CEO over there at Blacktown, the lad would be a shoe in to win a charcoal and orange monstrosity of a uniform and on his way to a life of fame and ... yes ... fortune. But I digress. Meanwhile back at the draft table, only Collingwood will have its chance to name a future star after Melbourne, but the Pies have already snared three players during trade week and, given the state of their list, I don't think there are too many furrows on the brows of the Pies' recruiting staff as a result of their late entry into the fray. Of course, the Demons themselves scored nicely during the exchange period with that well documented recruiting coup that netted Brisbane tall forward Mitch Clark for draft pick 12 to the Lions. The irony is that while Melbourne lost its 2009 number one draft pick Tom Scully to a far superior financial offer by Greater Western Sydney, it managed to beat off Fremantle for his replacement and secured a 200cm tall player who most definitely should fill one of the major positional gaps in its line up - one the club has been crying out for so loudly for so long. Whether this becomes a win for the club will be determined in the fulness of time but the story of the recruiting coup against the odds and the manner of its execution was uplifting in the light of the club's dark end to its 2011 playing season. Even more ironical is the fact that the club should never have been in a superior bargaining position over the Dockers to secure their man in the first place - a fact directly related to the team's poor finish this year. If Melbourne had managed to win that last game - the Round 24 fixture against Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval - it would have finished in tenth place for which it would have been entitled to pick number 17 in the draft instead of 12 while Fremantle would have finished two places lower giving it 14. The altered draft positions would have given the Dockers the upper hand to secure Clark from Brisbane. The result could well have left the Dees with the higher selection and another trade week might have passed for the club with no big name signings. There could well have been no high profile power forward at the club and nothing to rejoice about in another year's wasted effort at the trade table. Instead, those who remember that game at the Adelaide Oval might well thank the umpires who appeared to give the home side an armchair ride on that Sunday afternoon. The free kick count was heavily slanted against the Demons and who could ever forget the daylight robbery perpetrated against Jeremy Howe, deprived of a mark of the year nomination dead in front of goal by one of many umpiring howlers on the day? The cynics among us might even suggest that there was an element of ... er, ahem, tanking with a depleted team that should never have gone close to losing against the lowly Power but whether it was the umpires or a touch of tanking deja vu, the game's outcome almost certainly helped in delivering Melbourne's first big name recruit in almost two decades. The absence of even one pick in the top 35 translates in a reduced level of interest towards what is widely regarded as a shallow draft and this means we will be looking at next month's draft differently this year. There will be a greater focus on the selections made by Barry Prendergast with what are now picks 36, 52 and 54 but it will be more of a case of looking at those games after the event because only a brave soul could really claim to predict who will be selected in advance of the meeting. All we can say is that if the Demons' recruiting guru manages to snaffle players of the quality of Howe, Davis and McDonald who were taken in 2010 at similar levels, then it will be a job well done.

The long wait to see Blease in action at the top level was really worthwhile. He made a Clayton's start against the Bulldogs in round 15 when he came on late as the substitute but then went back to Casey. Blease persevered and eventually won a Rising Star nomination with his pace and brilliant footskills late in the season to stamp himself as player of the future. Games MFC 2011 5 MFC Total 5 Goals MFC 2011 0 MFC Total 0 Games CSFC 2011 13 Goals CSFC 2011 7