Demonland

Great. Just dobbed in my 7 week old. Also thought I'd be cheeky and dob in my 2 and 3/4 old as they had 2008 available in the drop down.

Just received a text from the club saying that my 2012 membership will be sent out in December. Who do you think will be on the membership card this year? Or do you think it will just be the logo.

I should have held off a few weeks on buying my newborn a membership.

The small forward produced a couple of handy performances but generally struggled for consistency at AFL level. He did show some promising form at Casey but ended the season with an injured foot. Maric is now of contract and has asked to be traded. Games MFC 2011 9 MFC Total 21 Goals MFC 2011 8 MFC Total 15 Games CSFC 2011 9 Goals CSFC 2011 8

THE TRADING CHRONICLES 2011 by The Oracle Part Three: PREDICTABLE There were no surprises when proceedings opened on the first day of the trade period. Fremantle indicated that it was prepared to take Tom Mitchell with a first round selection and, as a result, the Swans who were prepared to match the Dockers' bid, nominated their first pick at 21 and young Tom became their player. Another quality youngster was on his way to Sydney even if this time the player did not fall into the clutches of Kevin Sheedy's evil empire in the city's western badlands. Sydney coach John Longmire was grinning from ear to ear about snaring the hard at it inside midfielder who uses the ball well and has a strong work ethic. To be able to do so with a late first round pick under the father/son rule was a bonus. The two remaining father/son nominations failed to draw any bids so Jed Bews goes to Geelong and Dylan Buckley to Carlton at minimal cost. They can be selected with their respective last picks in the draft. The first completed trades were announced in mid afternoon and they too were as expected. West Adelaide's Steve Morris was taken by Richmond but not under the father/son rule for which he was eligible because he is the son of former Tiger Kevin Morris played 110 games for them in the 1970s. With Port Adelaide showing interest in the 22 year old, the Tigers would have been forced to use their second round draft on Morris so they sidestepped the father/son rules and did a deal with Sheedy's Giants whereby GWS swapped Morris and pick 15 in the draft for Richmond's first round selection of 14. The second trade of 2011 was no surprise either as it had been foreshadowed at the weekend. It allowed Collingwood to re-list Irishman Martin Clarke, take Murray Bushranger Jamie Elliot and GWS pick 67 for which the Pies gave up their first round draft selection at number 25. As things now stand, Collingwood will take its first pick in the national draft at 47, by which time one of its former players, "Gubby" Allen who now heads up GWS' recruiting will have called out a dozen names. What does surprise is the pronouncement by Allen that he remains strongly interested in collecting more draft picks at the expense of acquiring experienced players. The apparent obsession with youth even extends to planning a scheme whereby the GWS could exploit a loophole in the mini draft rules to allow it to secure 17 year old whiz kid Jaeger O'Meara. The rules governing players included in the mini draft were explained by the AFL earlier in the year in GWS mini-draft explained. The article stated that the " Giants must trade the picks and cannot, for example, decide to use one to select O'Meara for themselves." That was early in the year but now it seems to be a case of never mind the spirit of the rules or how they were intended to operate, the AFL's wunderkind can do as it pleases in its quest to assemble the next football play school at Rooty Hill. Everywhere else, things went as predicted on the trades front with several clubs denying players rumoured to be moving on were actually up for exchange. Others were among the growing list of players who have asked to be traded to give them greater playing opportunities or a chance to come home. From a Melbourne perspective, three players - Matthew Bate, Addam Maric and Matthew Warnock - have been mentioned in this regard with the latter's manager indicating that he's heading interstate. We have yet to hear of any players whose names are being linked to the Demons. Completed Trades after Day One: 1. Richmond get Steven Morris (West Adelaide) and first round draft selection (No. 15) GWS Giants get first round draft selection (No. 14). 2. Collingwood get Marin Clarke (ex-Collingwood), Jamie Elliot (Murray Bushrangers) and fourth round draft selection (No. 67) GWS GIANTS get first round draft selection (No. 25). The Oracle is a Demonland regular during trade week.

Despite kicking 37 goals for the season (second overall at the club), Green struggled with the weight of the captaincy and failed to reproduce his stellar form of 2010 which saw him come close to All Australian selection. Games MFC 2011 21 MFC Total 241 Goals MFC 2011 37 MFC Total 331 MFC Marks 106 (3rd), Contested Marks 29 (1st).

THE TRADING CHRONICLES 2011 by The Oracle Part Two: LOOKING FOR BLACK CAVIAR The story goes that Greater Western Sydney Giants coach Kevin Sheedy was at last week's Draft Combine watching the 20m sprints when he received a call from Peter Moody who trains the champion mare Black Caviar. "I'm just at the draft camp," Sheedy said. "We're looking for the next Black Caviar." Sheeds had every reason to be lording it up at Etihad Stadium for the Draft Combine testing as he currently holds most of the aces for the 2011 AFL Draft. His club has nine of the first fifteen selections which means he has a virtual smorgasbord of youthful football talent at his disposal but whether this year's offering can produce a Black Caviar equivalent remains questionable. The good judges argue that, while there might be some potential stars in the field, there are no world beaters of the Black Caviar variety. Moreover, the depth in this year's field is not all that strong. For the record, the best performers at Etihad Stadium last week are shown in the 2011 Draft Combine Results but, interestingly, some of the biggest names of the upcoming draft were "no shows" in testing because of injury. With the draft over a month away there's plenty of time to consider the merits of the prospective draftees and their Combine performances but, in the meantime, Sheedy continues to hold court in the shadows of tomorrow's AFL's trade week opening and the AFL's 18th club will be pulling the strings for the entire seven and a half days because the Giants are pivotal in respect of so many aspects of this trade week. Apart from the plethora of early draft picks awarded to them, there are two rules that give the Giants substantial bargaining power. The new franchise has the right to list or trade any player who has been on a club list or has been overlooked in previous drafts. Last year, this rule applied to the Gold Coast Suns who listed Andrew Krakouer and on-traded him and another player to Collingwood. A number of other trades were also completed in the same manner. According to this report in the Age, the rule is about to be used to enable the first trade of 2011 whereby Collingwood will give up its first draft choice (# 25) for its former player Martin Clarke from Ireland and Murray Bushrangers' over age player Jamie Elliott as well as a late pick. In a separate deal, Richmond will acquire Steve Morris, the son of Sheedy's former teammate at the Tigers in Kevin Morris via a swap of first-round picks with GWS getting pick No. 14 for it's number 15 selection. There will also be interest in whether the Giants will, under the same rule, list and retain or on-trade the likes of Casey's Tim Mohr and the Northern Bullants' Ahmed Saad who both stood out in testing at the Draft Combine. Saad's story is unusual. He played soccer in Egypt as a youngster and only took up our game when he was sixteen to help make up numbers in a local junior team. Much has already been said of the Mini Draft for 17 year olds which GWS will no doubt use to parlay into a combination of established players and future draft picks. It will also be interesting to see how much strength the clubs place on recruiting players who are ineligible to play for another 18 months and whether clubs will, for tactical reasons, delay their bidding until the last moment on Thursday. The timing of the Mini Draft could have the effect of stalling many of the exchanges until later in the week but there will always be one or two trades that will be done independently. We can expect some action with players like Brisbane's Mitch Clark and Eagle Brad Ebert who have asked to be traded to enable them to return home and others such as those mentioned in speculation and referred to in this trade talk article. Another feature of the trade week will be the father/son selections of which there are three nominations - Jed Bews, the son of former Geelong captain Andrew Bews, Dylan Buckley, son of former Carlton champion Jimmy Buckley and Tom Mitchell, son of Barry Mitchell, who could have been claimed by Carlton or Sydney but has opted for the latter and will, in all likelihood, cost the Swans their first pick in the national draft. What it all boils down to is that the essence of trade week is the incessant speculation, rumours and innuendo that attend it but the final result is mostly disappointing. A great deal of the hype surrounding the week will end up being of little or no substance and the odds are strong that we will not witness a Black Caviar changing colours over the course of the next eight days. The Oracle will be back from time to time over coming days to bring his spin on the unfolding events of trade week.

THE TRADING CHRONICLES 2011 by The Oracle Part Two: LOOKING FOR BLACK CAVIAR The story goes that Greater Western Sydney Giants coach Kevin Sheedy was at last week's Draft Combine watching the 20m sprints when he received a call from Peter Moody who trains the champion mare Black Caviar. "I'm just at the draft camp," Sheedy said. "We're looking for the next Black Caviar." Sheeds had every reason to be lording it up at Etihad Stadium for the Draft Combine testing as he currently holds most of the aces for the 2011 AFL Draft. His club has nine of the first fifteen selections which means he has a virtual smorgasbord of youthful football talent at his disposal but whether this year's offering can produce a Black Caviar equivalent remains questionable. The good judges argue that, while there might be some potential stars in the field, there are no world beaters of the Black Caviar variety. Moreover, the depth in this year's field is not all that strong. For the record, the best performers at Etihad Stadium last week are shown in the 2011 Draft Combine Results but, interestingly, some of the biggest names of the upcoming draft were "no shows" in testing because of injury. With the draft over a month away there's plenty of time to consider the merits of the prospective draftees and their Combine performances but, in the meantime, Sheedy continues to hold court in the shadows of tomorrow's AFL's trade week opening and the AFL's 18th club will be pulling the strings for the entire seven and a half days because the Giants are pivotal in respect of so many aspects of this trade week. Apart from the plethora of early draft picks awarded to them, there are two rules that give the Giants substantial bargaining power. The new franchise has the right to list or trade any player who has been on a club list or has been overlooked in previous drafts. Last year, this rule applied to the Gold Coast Suns who listed Andrew Krakouer and on-traded him and another player to Collingwood. A number of other trades were also completed in the same manner. According to this report in the Age, the rule is about to be used to enable the first trade of 2011 whereby Collingwood will give up its first draft choice (# 25) for its former player Martin Clarke from Ireland and Murray Bushrangers' over age player Jamie Elliott as well as a late pick. In a separate deal, Richmond will acquire Steve Morris, the son of Sheedy's former teammate at the Tigers in Kevin Morris via a swap of first-round picks with GWS getting pick No. 14 for it's number 15 selection. There will also be interest in whether the Giants will, under the same rule, list and retain or on-trade the likes of Casey's Tim Mohr and the Northern Bullants' Ahmed Saad who both stood out in testing at the Draft Combine. Saad's story is unusual. He played soccer in Egypt as a youngster and only took up our game when he was sixteen to help make up numbers in a local junior team. Much has already been said of the Mini Draft for 17 year olds which GWS will no doubt use to parlay into a combination of established players and future draft picks. It will also be interesting to see how much strength the clubs place on recruiting players who are ineligible to play for another 18 months and whether clubs will, for tactical reasons, delay their bidding until the last moment on Thursday. The timing of the Mini Draft could have the effect of stalling many of the exchanges until later in the week but there will always be one or two trades that will be done independently. We can expect some action with players like Brisbane's Mitch Clark and Eagle Brad Ebert who have asked to be traded to enable them to return home and others such as those mentioned in speculation and referred to in this trade talk article. Another feature of the trade week will be the father/son selections of which there are three nominations - Jed Bews, the son of former Geelong captain Andrew Bews, Dylan Buckley, son of former Carlton champion Jimmy Buckley and Tom Mitchell, son of Barry Mitchell, who could have been claimed by Carlton or Sydney but has opted for the latter and will, in all likelihood, cost the Swans their first pick in the national draft. What it all boils down to is that the essence of trade week is the incessant speculation, rumours and innuendo that attend it but the final result is mostly disappointing. A great deal of the hype surrounding the week will end up being of little or no substance and the odds are strong that we will not witness a Black Caviar changing colours over the course of the next eight days. The Oracle will be back from time to time over coming days to bring his spin on the unfolding events of trade week. This thread will merge with Trade Week Discussion at the end of Trade Week Day One.

INDIGINE - PART TEN by Whispering Jack Austin Wonaeamirri was born on 2 October, 1988 in the remote community of Snake Bay and Milikapiti, on Melville Islands, part of the Tiwi Islands to the north of Darwin which produced the legendary VFL/AFL Rioli family (to who he is closely related) and dual Essendon premiership player Michael Long. He lost his mother at the age of 12 and was brought up by his father, Matthew, who tragically passed away last year in a car accident. Young Austin graduated from the local competition to Northern Territory Football League club St Marys Football Club and from there was picked in the inaugural list of the Tiwi Bombers NTFL as one of its youngest stars. He was overlooked in the 2006 AFL Draft and moved to Adelaide to play for SANFL club Norwood in 2007. That year, he was voted as the Northern Territory's best player AFL National Under 18 Championships and, after being overlooked again in the national draft, he was snapped up three weeks later by Melbourne at number 19 in the rookie draft. Wonaeamirri wasted no time convincing selectors that his ballwinning ability and skills on both sides of the body and his pace and ability to apply forward line pressure were of value to the club and, when Jack Grimes was placed on the long term injury list, he made his debut in round 3, 2008 against Geelong as a small crumbing forward. He was soon among the goals and a highlight was his performance in Melbourne's stunning round 7 comeback from 51 points down against Fremantle at the MCG when he kicked four goals including three in the final quarter which earned him an AFL Rising Star Award nomination. He also gained instant fame and recognition for the enthusiastic celebration of his goals which made him an overnight cult figure. Who could forget the scenes later in the season against Brisbane when, in front of his father Matthew who was guest of new club chairman Jimmy Stynes, "Aussie" starred in another upset Demon victory? A loss of weight and a change of guernsey number 39 to 33 at the start of 2009 saw him star early with two goals for the Indigenous All-Stars but hamstring and knee injuries restricted his second season at the club. He was plagued again by hamstring injuries in 2010 but came back for the last six games before tragedy struck his life in the off season with the death of his father Matthew in a car accident followed a little over a month later by the passing of his mentor and cousin Maurice Rioli at the young age of 50 from a heart attack. Wonaeamirri struggled on his return to Melbourne and was granted a leave of absence to return to the Tiwi Islands to mourn and spend time in the solace of his home with his family hunting turtles and coming to terms with his losses. On his return through Casey, he injured his ankle and required an operation. It is hoped he will come back better than ever in 2012 and recapture the form of his early days as a Demon. The 176cm, 80kg forward has played 31 games and kicked 37 in his all too brief career to date and we await his return to centre stage with great anticipation. Melbourne drafted Bunbury teenage indigenous players Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta at the 2008 national draft with picks 35 and 51 respectively. The pair had played alongside each other since primary school and later for WAFL club Swan Districts. They debuted together for the Demons in the opening round of the 2009 AFL season. The 179cm, 73kg Bennell, was predominantly played across half back at Melbourne in his first season but was moved to attack where he showed promise as a pacy crumbing forward, booting four goals in one game against Port Adelaide in Darwin. He also earned nominations for both Mark of the Year and Goal of the Year in the Round 7 loss to the Western Bulldogs. This year he spent more time down back and struggled at times although he passed the 50 game mark late in the season. He was used as the Substitute three times and also spent some time with the Casey Scorpions in the VFL. A 180cm, 81kg small forward, Neville Jetta played the first five matches of the 2009 and fifteen in total for the season but was plagued by a groin injury early in the following season and played six games before a drop in form saw him back in the VFL where he injured his shoulder. In 2011 he struggled for consistency and played only nine games returning to his best in the last two matches of the year. He required further surgery on his shoulder at the end of the season and is looking forward to better things in 2012. Jetta's cousin Kelvin Lawrence is also at the club having been rookie listed from Western Australia at the end of the year. The clever young speedster impressed at times but is yet to make his AFL debut. TO BE CONTINUED This series is written in honour of the late Matthew Wonaeamirri, father of current Melbourne player Austin. Our hearts go out to all of the family.

INDIGINE - PART TEN by Whispering Jack Austin Wonaeamirri was born on 2 October, 1988 in the remote community of Snake Bay and Milikapiti, on Melville Islands, part of the Tiwi Islands to the north of Darwin which produced the legendary VFL/AFL Rioli family (to who he is closely related) and dual Essendon premiership player Michael Long. He lost his mother at the age of 12 and was brought up by his father, Matthew, who tragically passed away last year in a car accident. Young Austin graduated from the local competition to Northern Territory Football League club St Marys Football Club and from there was picked in the inaugural list of the Tiwi Bombers NTFL as one of its youngest stars. He was overlooked in the 2006 AFL Draft and moved to Adelaide to play for SANFL club Norwood in 2007. That year, he was voted as the Northern Territory's best player AFL National Under 18 Championships and, after being overlooked again in the national draft, he was snapped up three weeks later by Melbourne at number 19 in the rookie draft. Wonaeamirri wasted no time convincing selectors that his ballwinning ability and skills on both sides of the body and his pace and ability to apply forward line pressure were of value to the club and, when Jack Grimes was placed on the long term injury list, he made his debut in round 3, 2008 against Geelong as a small crumbing forward. He was soon among the goals and a highlight was his performance in Melbourne's stunning round 7 comeback from 51 points down against Fremantle at the MCG when he kicked four goals including three in the final quarter which earned him an AFL Rising Star Award nomination. He also gained instant fame and recognition for the enthusiastic celebration of his goals which made him an overnight cult figure. Who could forget the scenes later in the season against Brisbane when, in front of his father Matthew who was guest of new club chairman Jimmy Stynes, "Aussie" starred in another upset Demon victory? A loss of weight and a change of guernsey number 39 to 33 at the start of 2009 saw him star early with two goals for the Indigenous All-Stars but hamstring and knee injuries restricted his second season at the club. He was plagued again by hamstring injuries in 2010 but came back for the last six games before tragedy struck his life in the off season with the death of his father Matthew in a car accident followed a little over a month later by the passing of his mentor and cousin Maurice Rioli at the young age of 50 from a heart attack. Wonaeamirri struggled on his return to Melbourne and was granted a leave of absence to return to the Tiwi Islands to mourn and spend time in the solace of his home with his family hunting turtles and coming to terms with his losses. On his return through Casey, he injured his ankle and required an operation. It is hoped he will come back better than ever in 2012 and recapture the form of his early days as a Demon. The 176cm, 80kg forward has played 31 games and kicked 37 in his all too brief career to date and we await his return to centre stage with great anticipation. Melbourne drafted Bunbury teenage indigenous players Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta at the 2008 national draft with picks 35 and 51 respectively. The pair had played alongside each other since primary school and later for WAFL club Swan Districts. They debuted together for the Demons in the opening round of the 2009 AFL season. The 179cm, 73kg Bennell, was predominantly played across half back at Melbourne in his first season but was moved to attack where he showed promise as a pacy crumbing forward, booting four goals in one game against Port Adelaide in Darwin. He also earned nominations for both Mark of the Year and Goal of the Year in the Round 7 loss to the Western Bulldogs. This year he spent more time down back and struggled at times although he passed the 50 game mark late in the season. He was used as the Substitute three times and also spent some time with the Casey Scorpions in the VFL. A 180cm, 81kg small forward, Neville Jetta played the first five matches of the 2009 and fifteen in total for the season but was plagued by a groin injury early in the following season and played six games before a drop in form saw him back in the VFL where he injured his shoulder. In 2011 he struggled for consistency and played only nine games returning to his best in the last two matches of the year. He required further surgery on his shoulder at the end of the season and is looking forward to better things in 2012. Jetta's cousin Kelvin Lawrence is also at the club having been rookie listed from Western Australia at the end of the year. The clever young speedster impressed at times but is yet to make his AFL debut. TO BE CONTINUED This series is written in honour of the late Matthew Wonaeamirri, father of current Melbourne player Austin. Our hearts go out to all of the family.

Despite missing all but the first six games of the season with a foot injury, Jack Grimes was given the MFC leadership award which highlights the esteem in which he is held at the club. I think I speak for all Demon supporters when I express the hope that it’s all plain sailing and full fitness from now on for the young Demon. Games MFC 2011 6 MFC Total 32 Goals MFC 2011 1 Total 3

Came on as substitute in the final quarter of the opening round and starred but had a quiet patch and spent some time in the VFL before returning to play some productive football. Still has plenty of room for improvement. Games MFC 2011 15 MFC Total 50 Goals MFC 2011 18 MFC Total 55 Games CSFC 2011 5 Goals CSFC 2011 8

Dunn's season was mixed between some good performances and others that weren't up to scratch so he spent some time going up and down between the Demons and the Scorpions. Needs to do better to keep his AFL career on track. Games MFC 2011 11 MFC Total 81 Goals MFC 2011 16 MFC Total 78 Games CSFC 2011 9 Goals CSFC 2011 18

Melbourne's tackling machine missed several early season games because of groin problems, but made up for the late start with some fine performances once he was back in the team. Despite the late start, McKenzie finished in the club's top three for both handballs and tackles. Games MFC 2011 15 MFC Total 37 Goals MFC 2011 2 MFC Total 4 Games CSFC 2011 1 Goals CSFC 2011 0 Games CSFC Reserves 2011 Goals 1 CSFC Reserves 2011 1 MFC Handballs 217 (3rd), Tackles 100 (eq3rd).

Sylvia is a sublime but slightly erratic talent who, for one reason or another has never gotten the best out of himself in his time at the club. That is not to say that he is not one of the team's better players (he finished 10th in the best and fairest) but, as Brent Moloney pointed out in Bluey night, he should be aiming for the top. Games MFC 2011 19 MFC Total 121 Goals MFC 2011 25 MFC Total 105 Games CSFC 2011 1 Goals CSFC 2011 0 MFC Kicks 215 (5th), Handballs 165 (5th), Tackles 101 (2nd), Inside 50s 89 (2nd) Club Champion 143 votes (10th).

In his fourth season Morton, who came to the club as a high first round draft selection, disappointed with poor form and low confidence, struggling to find his place in the side. He is still highly regarded and is expected to improve under the coaching of Mark Neeld and his assistants. Games MFC 2011 14 MFC Total 64 Goals MFC 2011 5 MFC Total 31 Games CSFC 2011 4 Goals CSFC 2011 0

Much will depend on the FD's priorities and I think it would be a courageous effort to go all out for O'Meara without also making a play for players who would fill our other "gaps".

The talented midfielder showed great maturity and improvement in his second season. Missed three games in controversial circumstances after being cited for his tackle on Adelaide's Dangerfield. The future leader demonstrated his loyalty to the club late in the season by extending his contract till the end of 2015. Games MFC 2011 19 MFC Total 37 Goals MFC 2011 13 MFC Total 21 MFC Handballs 183 (4th) Tackles 100 (eq3rd) Inside 50s 57 (5th) Club Champion 170 votes (5th)

Frawley suffered a major setback when he tore a pectoral muscle during pre season training but recovered in time to make his return in Round 2 against Hawthorn and played in every match after that game. While he failed to emulate his All Australian form of 2011, the key defender was still a tower of strength in the backline, finished third in the Keith "Bluey" Truscott voting and continued to grow in stature as one of the game's emerging young defenders. Games MFC 2011 21 MFC Total 82 Goals MFC 2011 1 MFC Total 3 MFC Kicks 238 (3rd), Marks 109 (2nd), Rebounds from 50 110 (1st) Club Champion 178 votes (3rd).

That extra pick for Brisbane is apparently a priority pick but others say it's the compensation pick the Western Bulldogs received for losing Jarrod Harbrow to Gold Coast. The Dogs then traded that selection to the Lions in exchange for Justin Sherman.

Big things were predicted for Bennell after he completed a strong preseason but his form in 2011 was patchy. He was tried with moderate success in defence and up forward but failed to string together many successive good games. Games MFC 2011 16 MFC Total 51 Goals MFC 2011 5 MFC Total 20 Games CSFC 2011 16 Goals CSFC 2011 5

THE TRADING CHRONICLES 2011 by The Oracle Part One: THE MEATLOAF CONSPIRACY The official 2011 season came to an end a few days ago but that doesn't mean the football world goes into hibernation for the next six months. To the contrary, it's the Tuesday after the Grand Final and, while the victorious Geelong players are still sleeping off the effects of their premiership Mad Monday and hundreds of their counterparts are holidaying across the country and distant parts of the globe, 120 young hopefuls are kicking off the start of the next season at the AFL Draft Combine today at Etihad Stadium. The Combine is a new name (stolen shamelessly by the AFL from the Americans) to replace the old concept of the draft camp. They used to run it in Canberra but this year it's been hyped up a little and been brought to Melbourne - perhaps to compensate us for the fact that November's national draft will be conducted in Sydney. The foremost authority on all matters pertaining to the draft is Melbourne Age journalist Emma Quayle and she provides a brief rundown of what to expect over the next four days and the major draft prospects in High-flyers of the class of 2011. Quayle's article is good but frankly, it has me worried. In it, she lists the likely types to look out for in November's draft and I see only eleven names. But Melbourne's first pick in the draft is currently listed at twelve and this immediately heightens my level of paranoia. I'm not normally paranoid but, ever since the Tom Scully saga broke out in February, I've become convinced they're all out to get us. There's no way that the media could have guessed back then that the then Demon rookie and former number one draft pick was leaving for Greater Western Sydney on a six year $6m contract without it all being true. So now I see a combined CIA/KGB conspiracy behind anything that happens in the AFL. Having to endure the experience of another American import in Meatloaf mangling every song that he tried his hand at during what was laughingly described as the "pre match entertainment" on Grand Final Day was the last straw. Andrew Demetriou is a self confessed Meatloaf fan and he spent somewhere around 800 grand bringing Mr. Loaf to Australia. That money could have been used to help keep Scully at Melbourne and the change could have been used to put Barry Crocker or Kamahl out there on the stage for the punters. Then again, if anyone saw Hutchy's dramatic vision of the Scully family at Tullamarine on that fateful day when they flew north "just to have a look around", you might have noticed a definite resemblance between Loaf and Scully senior. So, that's how they got that deal across! I raise all these matters because I'm convinced that this year's draft is a thinly veiled AFL conspiracy to give GWS a monumental leg up for its introduction to the competition at the expense of clubs that have been around for over a century and had to work bloody hard to get where they are now. There was a time when an AFL club could strike it rich in the draft. Geelong did it one year when it picked up Jimmy Bartel, James Kelly, Steve Johnson and Gary Ablett Jnr all from the one draft. That won't happen with 17 of the clubs this year because, of Quayle's list of eleven leading draft hopefuls, seven of them (poor souls that they are) will most probably end up at Blacktown or Rooty Hill playing in front of capacity crowds of 4,652 at Skoda Stadium for peanuts and eating kebabs at the local diner while a handful of their more high profile teammates will be sipping piña coladas (make that Perrier soda water for Scully) and dining on beef wagu steaks at Sydney's most expensive eateries. When I see GWS, all I see is Meatloaf. Their has-been coach is the AFL equivalent of Meatloaf. Their system of take the money and run is the AFL equivalent of Meatloaf and their philosophy of giving the punters nothing for their money is the AFL equivalent of Meatloaf. Where does that leave us if the pick of the national draft and the players on show at the Draft Combine are heading towards Greater Western Sydney? Well, I reckon the AFL exchange period which starts next week will be busier than it has been for quite a while because if the rest of the competition has a reduced capacity to fill the gaps in their lists through the draft, then they have to do it by way of the trades.

Absolutely not.