Demonland

CHANGES 2009: PART THREE by the Oracle You'll find lots of red sand in the centre of our continent. Desert sand and a few isolated communities, mainly consisting of Indigenous Australians - people who have lived there since the Dreamtime. Yuendumu, in the desert county is situated 291 kilometres to the north west of Alice Springs and is one such community - it's a place where the entire population of 600 is proud of its football team (the Yuendumu Magpies) and the hero of that team is Liam Jurrah who was drafted last week by Melbourne at number 1 in the Pre Season Draft. So proud, that it's been reported that the whole town has converted from being staunch Magpies into Demons. There's a sort of symmetry between the Melbourne's first and last draft selections for senior list players. Like Jack Watts who was picked first in last month's national draft, Jurrah is also an exciting, tallish player at 193cm (a few centimetres shorter than Watts) who plays up forward. Their stories of course, are very different. Watts comes from a suburban bayside suburb in one of Australia's busiest cities while Jurrah is a man of the outback. According to the Age's Martin Flanagan in his excellent 2007 article Magpies spread their wings, Jurrah has a strong desire to play AFL which comes as somewhat of a surprise because of the difficulties which men of the desert have in acclimatising to the bustle and the cold of city life in the south: "The desert men find Melbourne hard to cope with. Too cold, too many buildings, can't see the sky." The Collingwood Magpies invited Jurrah to join their VFL team for 2008 and he arrived in time for round three. He was one of their stars on the day, booting three goals and was named their best. Three more exciting games followed but he had to return home for family reasons and played out the season with his local club starring in the grand final with six goals, a performance he repeated soon after with Nightcliff in the NTFL. As a result of a mix up, his draft papers weren't lodged in time and he was ineligible for last month's national draft but the AFL granted him special consideration and last Sunday, in front of Melbourne's head of recruiting Barry Prendergast and scouts from North Melbourne (which had invited him to Melbourne to train) and Richmond he kicked five for Nightcliff in an electrifying performance. Two days later, he became the fortieth player on Melbourne's senior list joining Jamie Bunnell and Neville Jetta as the club's new indigenous players on its new look and exciting young playing list. Unless you happen to be one of those unfortunate people who have been locked away at Guantanamo Bay or some other like institution, you would probably have heard more than enough by now about the Melbourne Football Club's number one draft pick Jack Watts. I therefore won't dwell on him here as he's already received good coverage in this series but before moving on to remaining nine young faces added to the club's list in this year of change I thought it must be said that I can see this young man thriving on the work that has to be done at Melbourne and that he will enjoy being the spearhead for a resurgence of the Demons. Prendergast used the first two national draft selections to draft two young 17 year olds as the club's main investment for the slightly longer term. Both Watts and Sam Blease, picked at 17 with the club's priority draft pick for winning less than four and a half games in 2008 will be completing their schooling next year. As young bodied footballers they will be looked after, nurtured and played sparingly with an eye to their development into regular AFL players in 2010 and beyond. Red headed Sam Blease, an outside midfielder from the Easter Ranges carries a slight 182 cm and 70kg frame. Like Watts and fellow early draftee James Strauss, he's fast, agile and delivers the ball with perfect efficiency. He is a player who can do freakish things on the football field as he showed in the final of the U18 championships at Telstra Dome in July. In one piece of play, he used his pace to run down a WA opponent, effect a magnificent tackle, recover to follow the ball up forward, receive a handball and zig zag around two opponents to kick a goal from 45 metres out. The commentators gushed with praise about him ticking every box in the one piece of action and it certainly wasn't his only highlight that day. Blease's story is not as joyful as that of his new team mate Jack Watts. He was watching Friday night football at home one evening with his father, who was his coach, when he suffered a heart attack and died. His dad was his coach and to this day he before a game, he will read the notes written by his dad on how to play the game. Blease is young and small physically so we shouldn't expect too much too soon but when he fills out and gets some game time in his legs, watch out for something special. James Strauss was used mainly as a small defender for Vic Metro during the national championships and was a good ball winner who showed that he had all of the necessary attributes to play midfield. The Scotch College First XVIII Vice Captain has good ball control and is a penetrating right foot kick who spots up his targets well and invariably hits them with centimetre perfection. His combination with Watts was a highlight of the under 18 national championships. Barry Prendergast pulled off his first surprise of the draft by calling out Jamie Bennell at selection 35. It certainly surprised West Coast who were getting ready to call out Bennell's number at pick 36. The Swan Districts midfielder who hails originally from Bunbury is small at 178cm and 68kg but has silky skills and has been compared with the Eagles' David Wirrapanda. He moves smoothly across the field, has good speed, is balanced and creative and uses the ball well. He tested impressively in the speed and agility tests at the WA NAB AFL state screening where he recorded 2.99sec for 20m and 8.34sec in the agility. Bennell and Neville Jetta, selected at number 51, have a lot in common as both come from Bunbury and both come into AFL football via the strong recruiting system at Swan Districts. A midfielder with goods skills, Jetta is 180 cm and 77kg and he has some aggression in him to match his good skills, creativity and excellent marking strength for one his size. The 18 year old represented WA U18's in 2008 and was brilliant in the Swan Districts Colts premiership win in September where he won the Mel Whinnen Medal for best on ground in the Grand Final . He's a distant cousin of Essendon's Leroy Jetta. A somewhat more mature aged Rohan Bail was the club's final choice at the national draft. A slightly built medium midfielder, Bail is an endurance athlete who can run all day. He chose not to go with the Gold Coast team but tried his luck in the draft after training with both St Kilda and Melbourne last year. The club also added three rookies Jordie McKenzie, Rhys Healey and Daniel Hughes who was on the club's rookie list in 2007 but sustained a long term injury and missed all of 2008. And so in an off season in which the news was dominated by a 30 year old fallen hero who eventually found a home at Tigerland, the Demons have stocked their cupboard with a wide and varied array of exciting young talent that seems well equipped to help their new club to adapt to football's changing landscape. It's a bold policy but even in the short term it seems to be paying off with record membership numbers for this time of the year. Time will tell how effective these changes will be on Melbourne's fortunes in the long run. POSTSCRIPT - HOW THE CHANGES HAVE TAKEN PLACE The changes at the club have been enormous since Dean Bailey took over its list from caretaker coach Mark Riley a little over twelve months ago. This is the squad that Neale Daniher and Riley had at their disposal in 2007 - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2007) SENIOR LIST Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Daniel Bell Clint Bizzell Nathan Brown Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley Nathan Carroll Aaron Davey Lynden Dunn Ryan Ferguson James Frawley Colin Garland Simon Godfrey Brad Green Ben Holland Mark Jamar Chris Johnson Paul Johnson Travis Johnstone Nathan Jones James McDonald Brock McLean Brad Miller Brent Moloney Heath Neville Michael Newton Ricky Petterd Byron Pickett Jared Rivers Russell Robertson Colin Sylvia Daniel Ward Matthew Warnock Isaac Weetra Paul Wheatley Matthew Whelan Jeff White VETERAN LIST David Neitz Adem Yze. ROOKIE LIST Jace Bode * Daniel Hayes Daniel Hughes Shane Neaves * upgraded from the rookie list to senior list during the 2007 season Bailey took this group into his first season as coach - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2008) SENIOR LIST Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Daniel Bell Jace Bode Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley Nathan Carroll Kyle Cheney Aaron Davey Lynden Dunn James Frawley Colin Garland Brad Green Jack Grimes Ben Holland Mark Jamar Chris Johnson Paul Johnson Nathan Jones James McDonald Brock McLean Tom McNamara Addam Maric Stefan Martin John Meesen Brad Miller Brent Moloney Cale Morton Michael Newton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Russell Robertson Colin Sylvia Matthew Warnock Isaac Weetra Paul Wheatley Matthew Whelan Jeff White VETERAN LIST David Neitz Adem Yze ROOKIE LIST Jake Spencer Shane Valenti* Austin Wonaeamirri* Trent Zomer * upgraded from the rookie list to senior list during the 2008 season Next year, Bailey will have one of the youngest lists ever assembled at the club - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2009) SENIOR LIST Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Daniel Bell Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley Kyle Cheney Aaron Davey Lynden Dunn James Frawley Colin Garland Brad Green Jack Grimes Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Paul Johnson Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Brock McLean Tom McNamara Addam Maric Stefan Martin John Meesen Brad Miller Brent Moloney Cale Morton Michael Newton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers James Strauss Colin Sylvia Matthew Warnock Jack Watts Paul Wheatley Matthew Whelan Austin Wonaeamirri VETERAN LIST James McDonald Russell Robertson ROOKIE LIST Rhys Healey Daniel Hughes Jordie McKenzie Jake Spencer Shane Valenti Trent Zomer

Rolling Stone, I suggest you keep that eye open and watch out for The Oracle's summation of the changes to our list and the club coming up in the next couple of days. Cheers

It's going to be a big year for Johnsons!

CHANGES 2009: PART TWO by Whispering Jack Ronald Dale Barassi, Junior, the greatest Demon of them all, was born in the central Victorian town of Castlemaine on 27 February 1936, the son of a Melbourne player who later gave his life for his country at Tobruk in 1941 during World War II. At the time of the birth another Demon great, "The Red Fox" - Norm Smith, was a team mate of Barassi's father and in the process of establishing himself as a key forward under the coaching of Frank "Checker" Hughes. Smith and his brother Len had been approached by Hughes and club secretary Percy Page to join the club in 1933. He made his senior debut in the red and the blue in 1935 wearing the number 4 jumper. Hughes and Page had recently crossed over from Richmond to Melbourne and they set about changing the club's image from the innocuous Fuschias to the feared Demons. A change of image for a club that was down on its haunches was seen by them as the best way forward for improvement. Smith soon found himself in the vanguard of this push for improvement. The club gathered momentum later in the decade and Smith went on to have a glorious career as a member of four premiership teams (1939, 1940, 1941 and 1948). After a brief time away from the club, Smith returned to gained a reputation as a clever and cunning coach – The Red Fox. Under his guidance, the Demons tasted premiership glory six times in the space of a decade (1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960 and 1964). Barassi Junior was with him all the way as a player and captained the club in the last two flag winning years. As a teenager, young Barassi was determined to follow in his father's footsteps at the club. Smith and his wife took him under their wings after his mother moved to Tasmania and they gave him accommodation in his backyard bungalow. Melbourne had already lobbied the VFL to introduce a father/son rule to enable Ron to play for his father's club and in 1952, he was picked up from Preston Scouts as the second player recruited under the rule. By 1953, Ron Junior played his first senior game. At the age of 20 he was a premiership player, a feat he repeated five more times before he turned 30. He then made a shock move to Carlton and coached the Blues to two flags before he moved on to North Melbourne where he helped them win their first two premierships. There was a return to his spiritual home for a barren coaching stint in terms of finals success but he did help pave the foundation for a more productive era (albeit without the much coveted premiership flag) that followed his term as coach. It was fitting therefore, that three quarters of a century after the Red Fox was recruited to the club, his protégé handed over the number four jumper to Jack Watts, one of the newest Demons and a player anointed to help carry the Melbourne Football Club into at least the next decade of what will hopefully be a period of sustained success. The symbolism of the handing over of the guernsey cannot be lost on any student of the club's great history and Watts himself alluded to it during his first interview as a Demon on SEN radio immediately after the AFL National Draft Meeting on Saturday 29 November 2008. The recruitment of this young man and others who joined him at the club is part of a new era for Melbourne, a period of immense change in many of the facets of the club and particularly in its playing list. The change has been taking place for a little while now, but like all change, it takes time to be felt. When Barassi handed the number four however, one could sense it was a moment for the club's history books. Watts is clearly no ordinary footballer. Even the calling of his name at the draft meeting had its drama - Andrew Demetriou: Round One. Selection One. Melbourne. Barry Prendergast: Player two zero, ... hang on, ... two zero eight double six zero. Jack Watts. Sandringham Dragons. Prendergast may have been suffering from nerves. After all, it was his first call as the head of the club's recruiting team but there were no nerves from Jack Watts. He handled his first interview as a Demon with all the aplomb of a veteran. According to SEN’s Andrew Maher he had even asked the Melbourne people if they wanted him to make mention of the club’s need for a major sponsor if that would help. This is how the interview with SEN’s Matty Thompson went - Matty Thompson: Well Jack Watts from the Dees. Pick number one. How about that? Jack Watts: Yes, sensational. The Dees are such a proud club with such a great history and with the new board and I think they're trying to bring that heritage back. It's such an exciting time. Matty Thompson: It’s a massive honour isn't it to be the number one pick. Do you look back at previous number one draft picks and see even how successful they’ve been early in their careers. It must just be kind of inspirational. Jack Watts: Yes, absolutely. They're amazing players and you grow up just absolutely idolising them and now it's become a reality for me it's just mind blowing so I'll just get in there and start working hard and do my best at the club. Matty Thompson: When were you sure in your mind that you were going to Melbourne? Jack Watts: It wasn't until last night when a few guys from the Dees came around informed me at about 6 o'clock last night that they were going to take me so it’s been a long wait but it's just sensational now. Matty Thompson: What were you having for dinner? Jack Watts: We had a family dinner, we got some Chinese so I got absolutely spoiled last night. Matty Thompson: Did you shout the Melbourne guys when they came in. Jack Watts: No, no, no. Matty Thompson: So they didn't get a feed? Jack Watts: No that was afterwards. Matty Thompson: How keen are you to play in year one? Jack Watts: Look, you can't say. I'm still 17, I'm a young kid and I've got a lot of learning to do in the game. I’m just coming off basketball and there's plenty of learning and improvement left in me so I’ll just be trying to get my body right next year and we'll go from there. Matty Thompson: Jack. Good luck and thanks for your time on SEN. Number one and that goes down in history. Jack Watts: Thanks a lot And so Jack Watts the 196cm, 85 kg tall mobile forward from Brighton Grammar enters this historic club. The same cleverness he exhibited in that interview can be seen in the style of his play. He has excellent skills, can read the play well, has great speed and agility for any player let alone one of his size. He can lead strongly, mark in packs and is a lovely long right foot kick of the football. He can kick the clutch goals as well, as demonstrated so clearly in the first game of the Under 18 national Championships when he kicked the winning goal on the siren. Even though Jack Watts might not play much football in 2009 due to final year secondary school studies, the 17 year old is set to make an impact on the oldest football club in the country. He has received the baton from the very best - our time is coming. With thanks to Alpha 33 for transcribing the SEN interview mentioned in the article. The Oracle will complete this series with the full wrap up of changes at the club as a result of the trade and drafting period in the lead up to season 2009.

by Whispering Jack Ronald Dale Barassi, Junior, the greatest Demon of them all, was born in the central Victorian town of Castlemaine on 27 February 1936, the son of a Melbourne player who later gave his life for his country at Tobruk in 1941 during World War II. At the time of the birth another Demon great, "The Red Fox" - Norm Smith, was a team mate of Barassi's father and in the process of establishing himself as a key forward under the coaching of Frank "Checker" Hughes. Smith and his brother Len had been approached by Hughes and club secretary Percy Page to join the club in 1933. He made his senior debut in the red and the blue in 1935 wearing the number 4 jumper. Hughes and Page had recently crossed over from Richmond to Melbourne and they set about changing the club's image from the innocuous Fuschias to the feared Demons. A change of image for a club that was down on its haunches was seen by them as the best way forward for improvement. Smith soon found himself in the vanguard of this push for improvement. The club gathered momentum later in the decade and Smith went on to have a glorious career as a member of four premiership teams (1939, 1940, 1941 and 1948). After a brief time away from the club, Smith returned to gained a reputation as a clever and cunning coach – The Red Fox. Under his guidance, the Demons tasted premiership glory six times in the space of a decade (1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960 and 1964). Barassi Junior was with him all the way as a player and captained the club in the last two flag winning years. As a teenager, young Barassi was determined to follow in his father's footsteps at the club. Smith and his wife took him under their wings after his mother moved to Tasmania and they gave him accommodation in his backyard bungalow. Melbourne had already lobbied the VFL to introduce a father/son rule to enable Ron to play for his father's club and in 1952, he was picked up from Preston Scouts as the second player recruited under the rule. By 1953, Ron Junior played his first senior game. At the age of 20 he was a premiership player, a feat he repeated five more times before he turned 30. He then made a shock move to Carlton and coached the Blues to two flags before he moved on to North Melbourne where he helped them win their first two premierships. There was a return to his spiritual home for a barren coaching stint in terms of finals success but he did help pave the foundation for a more productive era (albeit without the much coveted premiership flag) that followed his term as coach. It was fitting therefore, that three quarters of a century after the Red Fox was recruited to the club, his protégé handed over the number four jumper to Jack Watts, one of the newest Demons and a player anointed to help carry the Melbourne Football Club into at least the next decade of what will hopefully be a period of sustained success. The symbolism of the handing over of the guernsey cannot be lost on any student of the club's great history and Watts himself alluded to it during his first interview as a Demon on SEN radio immediately after the AFL National Draft Meeting on Saturday 29 November 2008. The recruitment of this young man and others who joined him at the club is part of a new era for Melbourne, a period of immense change in many of the facets of the club and particularly in its playing list. The change has been taking place for a little while now, but like all change, it takes time to be felt. When Barassi handed the number four however, one could sense it was a moment for the club's history books. Watts is clearly no ordinary footballer. Even the calling of his name at the draft meeting had its drama - Andrew Demetriou: Round One. Selection One. Melbourne. Barry Prendergast: Player two zero, ... hang on, ... two zero eight double six zero. Jack Watts. Sandringham Dragons. Prendergast may have been suffering from nerves. After all, it was his first call as the head of the club's recruiting team but there were no nerves from Jack Watts. He handled his first interview as a Demon with all the aplomb of a veteran. According to SEN’s Andrew Maher he had even asked the Melbourne people if they wanted him to make mention of the club’s need for a major sponsor if that would help. This is how the interview with SEN’s Matty Thompson went - Matty Thompson: Well Jack Watts from the Dees. Pick number one. How about that? Jack Watts: Yes, sensational. The Dees are such a proud club with such a great history and with the new board and I think they're trying to bring that heritage back. It's such an exciting time. Matty Thompson: It’s a massive honour isn't it to be the number one pick. Do you look back at previous number one draft picks and see even how successful they’ve been early in their careers. It must just be kind of inspirational. Jack Watts: Yes, absolutely. They're amazing players and you grow up just absolutely idolising them and now it's become a reality for me it's just mind blowing so I'll just get in there and start working hard and do my best at the club. Matty Thompson: When were you sure in your mind that you were going to Melbourne? Jack Watts: It wasn't until last night when a few guys from the Dees came around informed me at about 6 o'clock last night that they were going to take me so it’s been a long wait but it's just sensational now. Matty Thompson: What were you having for dinner? Jack Watts: We had a family dinner, we got some Chinese so I got absolutely spoiled last night. Matty Thompson: Did you shout the Melbourne guys when they came in. Jack Watts: No, no, no. Matty Thompson: So they didn't get a feed? Jack Watts: No that was afterwards. Matty Thompson: How keen are you to play in year one? Jack Watts: Look, you can't say. I'm still 17, I'm a young kid and I've got a lot of learning to do in the game. I'm just coming off basketball and there's plenty of learning and improvement left in me so I’ll just be trying to get my body right next year and we'll go from there. Matty Thompson: Jack. Good luck and thanks for your time on SEN. Number one and that goes down in history. Jack Watts: Thanks a lot And so Jack Watts the 196cm, 85 kg tall mobile forward from Brighton Grammar enters this historic club. The same cleverness he exhibited in that interview can be seen in the style of his play. He has excellent skills, can read the play well, has great speed and agility for any player let alone one of his size. He leads well, marks strongly in packs, is a lovely long right foot kick of the football and looks equally at home in a key position or in the midfield. And he kicks the clutch goals as well, as he demonstrated so clearly in the first game of the Under 18 national Championships when he kicked the winning goal on the siren. Even though Jack Watts might not play much football in 2009 due to final year secondary school studies, the 17 year old is set to make an impact on the oldest football club in the country. He has received the baton from the very best - our time is coming. With thanks to Alpha 33 for transcribing the SEN interview mentioned in the article. The Oracle will complete this series with the full wrap up of changes at the club as a result of the trade and drafting period in the lead up to season 2009.

FIXED!

Remember these photos were taken by someone who has hardly ever used a camera and obviously has never used the zoom function.

TRAINING 15/12/08 by Whispering Jack Casey Fields is a large sporting complex and while I was already aware of its size, the scope of the sporting facilities down there was emphasized when a few of us were fortunate to get a guided tour from Chris Connolly. Apparently, the curator is a Demon supporter and he's prepared some fine sporting surfaces out there including the MCG sized main arena that was being used today by the Melbourne Football Club. The other major user is the club's new VFL alignment partner, the Casey Scorpions. One of the first things that stands out is that the seats are coloured red and blue. Chris outlined the plans for future expansion of the ground with an additional stand and terraces on the outer side. Who knows? One day it might become a boutique stadium for AFL games involving some of the interstaters although, admittedly, that seems a long way off. The area also has grounds for the local Cranbourne club and its junior teams, a cricket ground used by Premier District Cricket Club Casey-South Melbourne (there's a Lindsay Hassett Pavilion there), soccer fields, a bike track used by the club for player rehab as well as the local bike club which was having some sort of event as we went past. They even have a lake for trout fishing! All of this is in one of the country's largest growth corridors, and to its east is land for 80,000-100,000 more people (in addition to the large number to come into the area's existing residential zones) under a newly released government growth plan. There are also plans to extend the Cranbourne rail line all the way to the ground with a possible future station at its doorsteps. A state of the art aquatic centre to be situated almost across the road is under construction. Next door to that is an existing indoor faciklity that includes tennis, basketball, netball and ten pin bowling, facilities that will be available to the club for wet weather training. The club will be making a great contribution in the form of contact with the local community and this was already in evidence as a class of schoolchildren were entertained later in the morning by Chris and other Melbourne people including Robbo who is still undergoing rehab for that snapped Achilles but who gladly joined the group when one of the kids said he was their favourite player. Connolly’s response was something to the effect that “he’s a good singer!” If the exercise was only to help develop a fan base for a club that has the least support in the country according to statistics, then the Casey prohject seems to already paying dividends. Down to the football training and my first impression after just a few minutes was the fact that most of the players were hitting targets far more regualrly than at training sessions from the equivalent times two and three years ago. Granted that there was far, far less pressure on today than they will have in an actual game situation, it’s clear that the focus of the club’s recruiting has been on players who can not only get the football but who have quality disposal skills by hand and by foot as well as being excellent decision makers. Takes James Strauss, take Jamie Bennell and take Rohan Bail – they all looked to have classy skills with the football. Sam Blease might be lightly built but he has clean hands, pace and skills and then there’s the young bloke who who has taken Benny Holland's old jumper. This will sound funny but he impressed me the most; he looked as if he loved being out there and was every inch a # 1 draft pick. I think even at that selection, he might prove to be a bargain if you get what I mean. That was the new blokes although there were a few others – PSD and rookie hopefuls but in the gloomy conditions I didn't really notice them very much. Former rookie lister Danny Hughes who has been dogged with injury was one I did recognise and he was not out of place. A couple of tall blokes in Stef Martin and Jake Spencer looked impressive with their size. The way Martin was being used in one of the drills suggested that he might be tried up forward this year and Michael Newton replete with white boots also looked impressive in front of the big sticks. Another of the young blokes who looked good was James Frawley (he's built up and looks much stronger) while Flash and Aussie were showing off their pace and skill. Of course, it's a different thing when players are tested under full match pressure but that's a long way off yet which is a good thing because there were a few blokes either not training or on a lighter load. I didn't see Brent Moloney while John Meesen, Colin Sylvia and Robbo were taking things easy and Simon Buckley was on the sidelines. So was Adam Maric who was jogging around the oval. Paul Johnson, Colin Garland, Brock McLean, James McDonald and Jared Rivers took part in limited training work. The boys are off to Mansfield later in the week and won't be back in full training until after the break. By that time they will be a little over a month away from the first NAB Cup game. Bring it on! The scene at training this morning. Hopefully, I'll be able to give Andy his camera back tomorrow and the films inside will be half decent

Yes.

I gave Whispering Jack my camera to take some snaps but won't have it back til tonight or at the latest tomorrow. The above photo was taken with his phone and emailed to me from Training. Will post the camera photos when I get the camera back.

TRAINING 15/12/08 by Whispering Jack Casey Fields is a large sporting complex and while I was already aware of its size, the scope of the sporting facilities down there was emphasized when a few of us were fortunate to get a guided tour from Chris Connolly. Apparently, the curator is a Demon supporter and he's prepared some fine sporting surfaces out there including the MCG sized main arena that was being used today by the Melbourne Football Club. The other major user is the club's new VFL alignment partner, the Casey Scorpions. One of the first things that stands out is that the seats are coloured red and blue. Chris outlined the plans for future expansion of the ground with an additional stand and terraces on the outer side. Who knows? One day it might become a boutique stadium for AFL games involving some of the interstaters although, admittedly, that seems a long way off. The area also has grounds for the local Cranbourne club and its junior teams, a cricket ground used by Premier District Cricket Club Casey-South Melbourne (there's a Lindsay Hassett Pavilion there), soccer fields, a bike track used by the club for player rehab as well as the local bike club which was having some sort of event as we went past. They even have a lake for trout fishing! All of this is in one of the country's largest growth corridors, and to its east is land for 80,000-100,000 more people (in addition to the large number to come into the area's existing residential zones) under a newly released government growth plan. There are also plans to extend the Cranbourne rail line all the way to the ground with a possible future station at its doorsteps. A state of the art aquatic centre to be situated almost across the road is under construction. Next door to that is an existing indoor faciklity that includes tennis, basketball, netball and ten pin bowling, facilities that will be available to the club for wet weather training. The club will be making a great contribution in the form of contact with the local community and this was already in evidence as a class of schoolchildren were entertained later in the morning by Chris and other Melbourne people including Robbo who is still undergoing rehab for that snapped Achilles but who gladly joined the group when one of the kids said he was their favourite player. Connolly’s response was something to the effect that “he’s a good singer!” If the exercise was only to help develop a fan base for a club that has the least support in the country according to statistics, then the Casey prohject seems to already paying dividends. Down to the football training and my first impression after just a few minutes was the fact that most of the players were hitting targets far more regualrly than at training sessions from the equivalent times two and three years ago. Granted that there was far, far less pressure on today than they will have in an actual game situation, it’s clear that the focus of the club’s recruiting has been on players who can not only get the football but who have quality disposal skills by hand and by foot as well as being excellent decision makers. Takes James Strauss, take Jamie Bennell and take Rohan Bail – they all looked to have classy skills with the football. Sam Blease might be lightly built but he has clean hands, pace and skills and then there’s the young bloke who who has taken Benny Holland's old jumper. This will sound funny but he impressed me the most; he looked as if he loved being out there and was every inch a # 1 draft pick. I think even at that selection, he might prove to be a bargain if you get what I mean. That was the new blokes although there were a few others – PSD and rookie hopefuls but in the gloomy conditions I didn't really notice them very much. Former rookie lister Danny Hughes who has been dogged with injury was on I did recognise and he was not out of place. A couple of tall blokes in Stef Martin and Jake Spencer looked impressive with their size. The way Martin was being used in one of the drills suggested that he might be tried up forward this year and Michael Newton replete with white boots also looked impressive in front of the big sticks. Another of the young blokes who looked good was James Frawley (he's built up and looks much stronger) while Flash and Aussie were showing off their pace and skill. Of course, it's a different thing when players are tested under full match pressure but that's a long way off yet which is a good thing because there were a few blokes either not training or on a lighter load. I didn't see Brent Moloney while John Meesen, Colin Sylvia and Robbo were taking things easy and Simon Buckley was on the sidelines. So was Adam Maric who was jogging around the oval. Paul Johnson, Colin Garland, Brock McLean, James McDonald and Jared Rivers took part in limited training work. The boys are off to Mansfield later in the week and won't be back in full training until after the break. By that time they will be a little over a month away from the first NAB Cup game. Bring it on! The scene at training this morning. Hopefully, I'll be able to give Andy his camera back tomorrow and the films inside will be half decent

I haven't seen any mention of this anywhere but is this move by Richmond designed to overcome salary cap issues in drafting Cousins? Polak on the LTI would still have his contract included in the TPP but not if he's a rookie.

The Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson also didn't lose any of his speed when he bulked up for the Olympics in 1988 :D!

CHANGES 2009: PART ONE by The Oracle "The world's spinning madly, it drifts in the dark Swings through a hollow of haze, A race around the stars, a journey through The universe ablaze with changes." From Changes by Phil Ochs The world simply doesn't stand still and the landscape will always change over time. It was only a handful of days ago that we welcomed in another summer with the promise of sunny days and warmer weather. Let's enjoy the beaches and the sunshine because before we know it, we'll be into autumn and we know what that brings. Another footy season, some more hope, a fair number of dreams of revival, some of which will be realised and others will be shattered. We've recently seen a number of changes to the Melbourne Football Club playing list with the departures of retirees and delisted players and more lately with the introduction of six new names at November's national Draft. One more senior player will be added at the Pre Season Draft on 16 December along with three more youngsters at the Rookie Draft to be held on the same day. The circle will then be completed and the real changes at the club will begin to take place as a new look list begins to take shape. The list of players that Dean Bailey takes into AFL season 2009 will be significantly different to that which he inherited from the Daniher/Reilly regime. Last year the club introduced eleven new faces through trading, the national, pre season and rookie drafts. Another ten new faces will have been added to the mix by the end of this year. Although this represents a substantial change to the club's list and presents Bailey and his coaching group with more raw materials with which to fashion the new look Melbourne Football Club, the mere fact that change is taking place is a start but is it enough to ensure significant improvement in the coming seasons? I've commented previously how former Carlton and Hawthorn premiership coach David Parkin always would aim to have at least five fresh faces in his team at the start of every new season - even with his premiership sides. He knew that changes must happen for teams to advance from year to year - whether the fans liked it or not! However, changing the personnel at a club is not the only factor in bringing about improvement in performance levels at a football club. New methods of training and physical conditioning will often have a significant effect on results while a change in attitude or focus on the part of the group will make a difference. Geelong's 2006 season could only be described as a disaster. The Cats were installed as flag favourites after winning the pre season NAB Cup and handing out some thrashings in the opening rounds. From there however, they struggled under the weight of injuries, a training regime that was highly criticised in a number of quarters and amid concerns at the attitude and off field conduct of some key players. What was supposed to be a highly talented list of individuals produced several disappointing performances and the Cats finished in 10th place. The club realised that change was required but, in its situation, it was not so much a change in personnel - either coaching or playing - that was required but a change in attitude and focus. These changes were reflected in a number of ways but in the main they involved a review of the club's operation that brought about changes in several areas. On the football side, there was change in the players' fitness and conditioning training and a new focus on commitment that reflected in both on and off field behaviour. The team that was at times a rabble in 2006 became a well-oiled destructive machine in 2007. A year after failing dismally and finishing in tenth place after a final round flogging at the hands of Richmond, virtually the same Geelong list of players was able to bring the premiership cup home to Corio Bay for the first time in 44 years after a record breaking 119 point win over Port Adelaide in the 2007 grand final. This year's premier team, Hawthorn, did things differently but with the same effect by building a team from the ground up and winning a flag in four years under Alastair Clarkson who adopted a policy of targeting specific young players in its recruiting. Dean Bailey is taking a similar path to that of the Hawks and he has a considerable list of talented youngsters at his disposal to work with. With many of the old guard now retired, the responsibility of leading the club falls on the experienced group led by the likes of James McDonald, Cameron Bruce and Brad Green with others like Brock McLean, Jared Rivers and Colin Sylvia becoming the "middle aged" players of the club. It's clear that this group will have the responsibility of helping the club find new focus, a hardened attitude and a resultant improvement in performance from our young group. Next week, I will conclude this year's look at changes by listing the new faces at the club for 2009 including next Tuesday's draftees.

by The Oracle "The world's spinning madly, it drifts in the dark Swings through a hollow of haze, A race around the stars, a journey through The universe ablaze with changes." From Changes by Phil Ochs The world simply doesn't stand still and the landscape will always change over time. It was only a handful of days ago that we welcomed in another summer with the promise of sunny days and warmer weather. Let's enjoy the beaches and the sunshine because before we know it, we'll be into autumn and we know what that brings. Another footy season, some more hope, a fair number of dreams of revival, some of which will be realised and others will be shattered. We've recently seen a number of changes to the Melbourne Football Club playing list with the departures of retirees and delisted players and more lately with the introduction of six new names at November's national Draft. One more senior player will be added at the Pre Season Draft on 16 December along with three more youngsters at the Rookie Draft to be held on the same day. The circle will then be completed and the real changes at the club will begin to take place as a new look list begins to take shape. The list of players that Dean Bailey takes into AFL season 2009 will be significantly different to that which he inherited from the Daniher/Reilly regime. Last year the club introduced eleven new faces through trading, the national, pre season and rookie drafts. Another ten new faces will have been added to the mix by the end of this year. Although this represents a substantial change to the club's list and presents Bailey and his coaching group with more raw materials with which to fashion the new look Melbourne Football Club, the mere fact that change is taking place is a start but is it enough to ensure significant improvement in the coming seasons? I've commented previously how former Carlton and Hawthorn premiership coach David Parkin always would aim to have at least five fresh faces in his team at the start of every new season - even with his premiership sides. He knew that changes must happen for teams to advance from year to year - whether the fans liked it or not! However, changing the personnel at a club is not the only factor in bringing about improvement in performance levels at a football club. New methods of training and physical conditioning will often have a significant effect on results while a change in attitude or focus on the part of the group will make a difference. Geelong's 2006 season could only be described as a disaster. The Cats were installed as flag favourites after winning the pre season NAB Cup and handing out some thrashings in the opening rounds. From there however, they struggled under the weight of injuries, a training regime that was highly criticised in a number of quarters and amid concerns at the attitude and off field conduct of some key players. What was supposed to be a highly talented list of individuals produced several disappointing performances and the Cats finished in 10th place. The club realised that change was required but, in its situation, it was not so much a change in personnel - either coaching or playing - that was required but a change in attitude and focus. These changes were reflected in a number of ways but in the main they involved a review of the club's operation that brought about changes in several areas. On the football side, there was change in the players' fitness and conditioning training and a new focus on commitment that reflected in both on and off field behaviour. The team that was at times a rabble in 2006 became a well-oiled destructive machine in 2007. A year after failing dismally and finishing in tenth place after a final round flogging at the hands of Richmond, virtually the same Geelong list of players was able to bring the premiership cup home to Corio Bay for the first time in 44 years after a record breaking 119 point win over Port Adelaide in the 2007 grand final. This year's premier team, Hawthorn, did things differently but with the same effect by building a team from the ground up and winning a flag in four years under Alastair Clarkson who adopted a policy of targeting specific young players in its recruiting. Dean Bailey is taking a similar path to that of the Hawks and he has a considerable list of talented youngsters at his disposal to work with. With many of the old guard now retired, the responsibility of leading the club falls on the experienced group led by the likes of James McDonald, Cameron Bruce and Brad Green with others like Brock McLean, Jared Rivers and Colin Sylvia becoming the "middle aged" players of the club. It's clear that this group will have the responsibility of helping the club find new focus, a hardened attitude and a resultant improvement in performance from our young group. Next week, I will conclude this year's look at changes by listing the new faces at the club including next Tuesday's draftees.

Please note that (despite the lack of an official announcement by the MFC ) our links section now links to the Casey Scorpions website rather than the Sandringham site as per the past 9 years.

We've gone through the papers and there are some notes that are very difficult to read or decipher. WJ will have a crack at editing them and having the exerpts ready during the week. It appears however, that young Tankanui managed to make shore safely and that he landed on the west coast of the island .

Wait for the PSD - Tuesday 16 December. Draft order:- 1. MELBOURNE 2. PORT ADELAIDE 3. ESSENDON 4. CARLTON 5. BRISBANE 6. RICHMOND

Welcome to Demonland - ROHAN BAIL http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cg...ews_task=DETAIL http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cg...sectionID=55257 http://southern-star.whereilive.com.au/spo...its-draft-pick/

Welcome to Demonland - NEVILLE JETTA 2008 WAFL stats - http://www.sportingpulse.com/team_info.cgi...ews_task=DETAIL AFL.com video - http://afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/2...px?newsId=62650 2008 Championship highlights #1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j8NhG-O2pM 2008 Championship highlights #2 - - WA Draft Profiles

Welcome to Demonland - JAMIE BENNELL - WA Draft Profiles

Welcome to Demonland - JAMES STRAUSS 2008 Championship highlights - Kevin Sheehan afl.com.au

Welcome to Demonland - SAM BLEASE Blease to prove he is worth the wait - http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tab...px?newsId=70210 2008 Championship highlights - Eastern Ranges Round 18 Sam Blease - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzyYI05stnA Eastern Ranges Round 17 Sam Blease - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bXwUIptd8g Eastern Ranges Round 3 Sam Blease - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ3T15zcwgE 2008 NAB AFL Draft prospect Sam Blease in action - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWVXBOSG1BM - Kevin Sheehan afl.com.au

Title has been edited to leave out the official part but we welcome Jack Watts who became a Demon (unoficially at least) anyway at about the same time that our little Jasmine Rose came into the world (and also became a Demon) I'm putting up welcome posts for our other draftees but, in the case of these selections, they will remain locked until their names are called out at the draft table.