Demonland

12. Colin Sylvia [186 cm 87 kg 11.08.85 – 70 games (18 in 2008) 47 goals (16 in 2008)] - an early indiscretion saw him earn the wrath of the leadership group and miss the opening game slaughter due to suspension but he came back to show his best form yet at the club. Many will say however, that what he showed was still below the level of expectation that had for this talented youngster drafted with pick # 3 in 2003. He was once considered a potential top line midfielder but was tried all over the ground this year and showed his best form up forward.

A story on Nat in the WA press - Big Nick keeps feet on ground Author of the article has the same name but is not the same person as a former great Demon rover of the 1960's.

11. Paul Johnson [199cm 108 kg 26.06.84 - 43 games (16 in 2008), 11 goals (7 in 2008)] – the club’s most improved player had a season that was far less interrupted by injury than in previous seasons although he did miss the last two games after undergoing hip surgery. Johnson took significant steps forward in his development in all facets of the game, particularly his marking and his ruck work and is set to establish himself either on the ball or in attack.

10. Cale Morton [191cm 78 kg 18.01.90 19 games 12 goals] – Melbourne’s first draft choice from 2007, Morton showed some of the ability and the poise that earned him All Australian honours and the Larke Medal at the AFL U18 Championships. Morton is still lightly built and needs to add some more aggression to his game and work on the quality of his delivery of the ball if he is to become a star in the future.

9. David Neitz [191 cm 100 kg 22.01.75 - 306 games (5 in 2008), 631 goals (3 in 2008)] - a constant neck injury and a broken disc in the back of his neck put an end to the old warhorse's career. Neita retired earlier this year after playing the first five games with limited output. The loyal Demon leaves the club as one of its greats, holding the club's records for most games, most goals, and longest-serving captain.

One of the great disappointments of the 2008 (and there have been many) was how we started off on the wrong foot with respect to recuperating players from last year. During the latter part of 2007 a number of players were packed off early for surgery and/or rehab and the general view was that this would result in us having a healthy list for the start of 2008 in much the same way as the Kangaroos used their off season the year before to get a kick start for what turned out to be an exceptional year for them. Instead, the opposite happened. We went into 2008 with a list full of crocks and guys who were half fit and quite a few never reached anything near their peak mentally or physically during the season. Fingers crossed that we will do things better this year and that those nasty off season injuries don't happen to us but rather afflict Carlton or someone else.

8. James Frawley [193 cm 82 kg 20.09.88 - 20 games (11 in 2008), 0 goals] - the tall young defender made slow but encouraging progress in 2008. Late in the season he was playing with more confidence and showing a lot of run out of defence. He has an awkward but effective kicking style and his defensive skills are improving all the time. The club recently showed its faith by signing him to a further two year contract.

Thanks. I've changed it to 96 kg as shown on the MFC website.

7. Brad Miller [194cm 96 kg 07.03.83 - 110 games (16 in 2008), 60 goals (26 in 2008)] - retirements and injuries to other key forwards at the club often meant that Miller was the last man left standing in this important part of a team's line up and he would often have to roam far and wide to fill the cracks in an ailing forward line. Miller stepped up to the plate in many games, lifted his performance under adversity and finished as leading goalkicker, albeit with only 26 goals. It would be good to see him take a few more inspirational pack marks like the one he took late in the game against the Brisbane Lions.

Thanks (although generally we've been opposed to mergers ). There's a resport on Dockerland which suggests that Warnock "would prefer a trade to Carlton, although he has family playing for Melbourne." - http://www.dockerland.com/latest/warnockin...ltons-door.html Money talks all languages and no doubt the Visy people need an ambassador for some other cause in addition to the green agenda being represented by a certain bald headed midfielder. Who knows, they might still be able to fit Kerr and Cousins in as well.

We had so many Robert Warnock threads that the system was about to explode so I've taken the liberty of merging them. I hope this doesn't cause as much confusion as having 4 5 threads about the same bloke was causing!

by Barry from Beach Road The signs were not good for the Sandy reserves even before the first ball was bounced in anger at TEAC Oval for their first semi final elimination match against Box Hill Hawks. The VFL gave the Hillmen permission to play Hawthorn pair Simon Taylor and Cameron Stokes in a reserves final under a ruling which operates when an affiliate's AFL team is in action on the same weekend (not withstanding that the Box Hill seniors were out of the finals). On top of that, Melbourne was unwilling to make its players available (to avoid potential costs that might be incurred in the event of injury) so Isaac Weetra, Trent Zomer as well as Jack Grimes and Tom McNamara (who was recovering from a hamstring injury) were ruled out. Despite the difficulties these bureaucratic issues presented, a reasonably strong team took the field and. although it had its opportunities to win the match, it could never really head Box Hill which recently managed to score an upset win over flag favourite Williamstown. Box Hill opened strongly and went to a 17 point lead at the first break and the margin stayed at around that level in an evenly fought second term. The Hawks, who were assisted by a solid display in the ruck from Taylor extended their lead to beyond five goals in the third quarter but Sandy kicked the final 3 goals of the term to have the margin back to 15 points at ¾ time. At this stage, all the momentum was well and truly with the Zebras and there were high hopes that lead could be pegged back but the bigger, stronger Box Hill prevailed and drew away to win by 34 points and put an end to Sandringham's season. Daniel Gribbin showed the benefit of some senior games this year and booted four goals. Rennie Gilchrist, Will Johnson and Scott Lockwood gave their all for the club which will be buoyed by the large numbers of new faces who came onto the scene and made an impact at both senior and reserves level this year. This augurs well for the future of the club as it takes up a new partnership with the St. Kilda Football Club later this year. Sandringham 2.4.16 5.6.36 10.10.70 13.16.94 Box Hill Hawks 5.3.33 8.5.53 13.7.85 19.14.128 Goals Sandringham Gribbin 4 Lockwood McConnell Summons 2 Gilchrist Gilder Gileno Box Hill Hawks Bayliss 4 Smithwick 3 Cross Hill Hoegel O'Sullivan 2 Angelopoulos Nye Shore Taylor Best Sandringham Johnson Cleeve Gribbin Williams Dean McConnell Box Hill Hawks Cross Warby Bull Hill Smithwick Bayliss

FINAL FLING by Barry from Beach Road The signs were not good for the Sandy reserves even before the first ball was bounced in anger at TEAC Oval for their first semi final elimination match against Box Hill Hawks. The VFL gave the Hillmen permission to play Hawthorn pair Simon Taylor and Cameron Stokes in a reserves final under a ruling which operates when an affiliate's AFL team is in action on the same weekend (not withstanding that the Box Hill seniors were out of the finals). On top of that, Melbourne was unwilling to make its players available (to avoid potential costs that might be incurred in the event of injury) so Isaac Weetra, Trent Zomer as well as Jack Grimes and Tom McNamara (who was recovering from a hamstring injury) were ruled out. Despite the difficulties these bureaucratic issues presented, a reasonably strong team took the field and. although it had its opportunities to win the match, it could never really head Box Hill which recently managed to score an upset win over flag favourite Williamstown. Box Hill opened strongly and went to a 17 point lead at the first break and the margin stayed at around that level in an evenly fought second term. The Hawks, who were assisted by a solid display in the ruck from Taylor extended their lead to beyond five goals in the third quarter but Sandy kicked the final 3 goals of the term to have the margin back to 15 points at ¾ time. At this stage, all the momentum was well and truly with the Zebras and there were high hopes that lead could be pegged back but the bigger, stronger Box Hill prevailed and drew away to win by 34 points and put an end to Sandringham's season. Daniel Gribbin showed the benefit of some senior games this year and booted four goals. Rennie Gilchrist, Will Johnson and Scott Lockwood gave their all for the club which will be buoyed by the large numbers of new faces who came onto the scene and made an impact at both senior and reserves level this year. This augurs well for the future of the club as it takes up a new partnership with the St. Kilda Football Club later this year. Sandringham 2.4.16 5.6.36 10.10.70 13.16.94 Box Hill Hawks 5.3.33 8.5.53 13.7.85 19.14.128 Goals Sandringham Gribbin 4 Lockwood McConnell Summons 2 Gilchrist Gilder Gileno Box Hill Hawks Bayliss 4 Smithwick 3 Cross Hill Hoegel O'Sullivan 2 Angelopoulos Nye Shore Taylor Best Sandringham Johnson Cleeve Gribbin Williams Dean McConnell Box Hill Hawks Cross Warby Bull Hill Smithwick Bayliss

6. Matthew Bate [192cm 90kg 24.05.87 - 48 games (15 in 2008), 40 goals (13 in 2008)] - a hamstring injury incurred in the final NAB Challenge match set back his start to the season. Bate finally came back in round seven and while he had an impact on some games, he generally lacked consistency throughout the year. Bate remains something of an enigma as a player in that he has shown out both in the midfield and up forward with his size and running ability, strong marking and long kicking but he also suffers some bad lapses in form. He needs to work on this area and continue to improve on his best efforts and produce them more regularly if he is to become a top line player.

The City of Casey has just issued its latest Planning & Development Policy and Project Update (September 2008) and included in the items covered are:- ... and ...

5. Brock McLean [184cm 86kg 03.11.86 - 75 games (14 in 2008), 32 goals (3 in 2008)] - the man upon whose shoulders rest the hopes of many at the club had a terrible start and end to his season. McLean lost his place in the leadership group after a number of off field indiscretions ranging from brawling while tripping through Europe, doing wheelies in the Trinity car park after training and speeding home from a NAB Challenge match. Then he busted an ankle and missed most of the last half of the season. In between, he was one of Melbourne's better players but only climbed to the true heights once or twice this season. Hopefully, the experience of sitting things out for such an extended period will bring greater maturity and see him playing consistent football of an elite standard from next year onward.

From Today's HUN - JACK WATTS SENDS DEES FINAL SALES PITCH

4. Ben Holland [197cm 100kg 05.10.77 - 191 games (2 in 2008), 179 goals (4 in 2008)] - once the dust settled and the decision was made that the emphasis was going to be on youth, youth and more youth, there wasn't much room for a slow 30 year old workhorse who was carrying injuries for a fair part of the season. His season was also marred with controversy. Firstly, over a pay dispute with his previous club Richmond, then over when and whether he would be fit enough to return to playing duty and finally, over an incident involving teammate Nathan Carroll which has left the latter's future up in the air. Retired at season's end.

WARNOCK TALKS ON CONTRACT NEAR END The West Australian

3. Clint Bartram [181cm 73kg 16.02.88 - 44 games (21 in 2008), 11 goals (5 in 2008)] - made a tentative comeback after suffering a season ending knee injury after round one of 2007 and managed 21 games but failed to fulfil the promise of his debut season. Question marks still exist over his disposal and decision making and next year will be important for him.

2. Nathan Jones [180cm 81kg 20.01.88 - 50 games (21 in 2008), 21 goals (9 in 2008)] - had a stellar 2007 season when he finished second in Melbourne's best and fairest and third in the NAB AFL Rising Star award but he couldn't match that this year. Jones was as always hard and tough at the clearances but unfortunately he was thrust completely onto centre stage as injuries to others in the midfield made him the main target of opposition taggers. As a result, his ball winning capacity and the efficiency of his disposal suffered.

1. Simon Buckley [189cm 87kg 18.04.87 - 20 games (14 in 2008), 3 goals (2 0n 2008)] - has pace and flair, runs through the lines, is excitable and exciting and he has a long penetrating kick. He has his flaws such as the odd error in the choices he makes and his disposal which is a bit iffy at times but if there's plenty of room for improvement and if he works on these areas he will be an asset for the club for many years to come.

ROUND 12 Melbourne 5.3.33 6.5.41 11.8.74 14.10.94 Richmond 3.6.24 11.13.79 13.15.93 16.20.116 Backs James McDonald Colin Garland Matthew Warnock Half backs Brad Green Paul Wheatley Cameron Bruce Centreline Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Lynden Dunn Half forwards Jace Bode James Frawley Clint Bartram Forwards Paul Johnson Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White Chris Johnson Nathan Jones Interchange Matthew Bate Aaron Davey Cale Morton Adem Yze Emergencies Nathan Carroll Mark Jamar Matthew Whelan In Aaron Davey James Frawley Chris Johnson Out Daniel Bell (omitted) Brent Moloney (shoulder) Jared Rivers (groin)

by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham’s 2008 campaign came to an end at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Sunday when it went down by 10 points to second placed North Ballarat in a dour, hard fought game played in bleak conditions, which saw a combination of cold, biting winds, rain and even hail. This dark and sombre scenario provided the perfect backdrop for the end of the Zebras' dismal season that saw them missing out on the September action for the first time since 2001. In truth, Sandy's season effectively ended just after midday on Saturday when eighth placed Frankston proved too strong for Geelong in the Skilled Stadium curtain raiser making it impossible for the Zebras to break into the VFL top eight but coach Andy Lovell pointed out that there was still some incentive for his charges to play well. "We still had a bit to play for, Chris Lamb's last game and the last game of the Sandringham-Melbourne alignment," Lovell told reporters after the game. Sandringham lined up without multiple Jim "Frosty" Miller Medallist (for top VFL goal kicker) Nick Sautner after he accepted a one match suspension arising from a report in the first quarter of last week's match at Frankston. Fortunately, his nearest rival for goal kicking honours, Werribee captain James Podsiadly, had fallen one goal short of his 74 for the season a day earlier giving Sautner his eighth "Frosty". However, without their spearhead, the Zebras were always going to find it difficult to score and they managed only a meagre seven goals for the day. As has often been the pattern this year, they allowed the visitors to get the jump on them early. There were plenty of stoppages and throw ins as a result of scrappy conditions and North Ballarat were able to adapt much better to the conditions to hold the early ascendency. David Gallagher managed to kick his team's first goal and he could easily have kicked another while Ezra Poyas missed one that he normally would have swallowed. Sandy lifted late in the term with skipper Peter Summers, Shane Valenti and Chad Liddell in everything but scoring was a difficult task and the Roosters held a commanding 20-point lead at the first break given the difficult conditions. The second quarter was a real arm wrestle with North Ballarat adding a couple of handy goals on the scoreboard while a couple of easy misses didn't help the Sandringham cause. Chad Liddell continued to win plenty of the ball while Matthew Bate started to get into the match in an effort to lift the team. Youngster Shane Tregear was lively up forward while second year player Rennie Gilchrist was playing his best senior game for the club. By half time, Sandringham had barely managed to peg back North Ballarat's lead and its prospects for the rest of the game were not looking good. The visitors had the scoring end in the third quarter but the difficult conditions worsened and it became even harder to score goals. Gallagher continued to work hard, Summers was still in and under at every opportunity and Lynden Dunn and Valenti increased their work rates. The deficit at the final break was now 25 points but the Zebras were determined to have a dip as their season was slowly slipping away. The final quarter in which the team scored 2 goals 7 was the story of Sandringham's disappointing year. The club has lost eight games by less than three goals and often, these defeats have been self-inflicted coming as a result of poor kicking for goal. It's been a case of close on many occasions without being able to snatch victory. When Dunn had the opportunity late in the game to narrow the margin to four points with a shot at goal from 35 metres out, he was off target and this typified the season for the hapless Zebras whose percentage of 118.46 at year's end was much better than that of fourth placed Werribee. Former captain Chad Liddell was great all day for his team as was David Gallagher who has played well since coming back from a serious knee injury. Bate put in a classy display in both midfield and in defence to finish with 27 touches and Tregear, Brett Liddell and Gilchrist gave fans a taste of what the club's young talent can produce in the future. And so (almost) ended the Zebras' successful and memorable era of affiliation with the Demons after nine years and four premierships and a great number of fond memories. Almost, because the Zebra reserves had a fantastic win over Frankston in the elimination final and will now play Box Hill at Port Melbourne on Sunday starting at 10.20am. Sandringham 2.2.14 4.5.29 5.6.36 7.13.55 North Ballarat 5.4.34 7.6.48 8.13.61 8.17.65 Goals Sandringham Newton Tregear 2 Bate Gallagher Gilchrist North Ballarat Grima Smith 2 Chester Greig Roach Wundke Best Sandringham C Liddell Gallagher Tregear Bate Gilchrist B Liddell North Ballarat Swallow Sharkey Moloney Searl Greig Chester Reserves: Sandringham 3.2.20 4.3.27 9.6.60 15.9.99 Frankston 3.4.22 6.5.41 7.8.50 11.10.76 Goals Sandringham Gileno 5 Eaton 3 Cleeve Gilder Hardiman Lyall Monaghan Summons Weetra Frankston Barker 3 Lloyd Murray 2 McCall Potts White Willis Best Sandringham Gilder Gileno Johnson M Johnston Williams Summons Frankston Willis Dunne Stone Gill Lloyd Drake Report Frankston Karl Lombardozzi for using abusive language towards an umpire Chris Oliver for tripping Jake Williams by foot.

END OF AN ERA by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham’s 2008 campaign came to an end at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Sunday when it went down by 10 points to second placed North Ballarat in a dour, hard fought game played in bleak conditions, which saw a combination of cold, biting winds, rain and even hail. This dark and sombre scenario provided the perfect backdrop for the end of the Zebras' dismal season that saw them missing out on the September action for the first time since 2001. In truth, Sandy's season effectively ended just after midday on Saturday when eighth placed Frankston proved too strong for Geelong in the Skilled Stadium curtain raiser making it impossible for the Zebras to break into the VFL top eight but coach Andy Lovell pointed out that there was still some incentive for his charges to play well. "We still had a bit to play for, Chris Lamb's last game and the last game of the Sandringham-Melbourne alignment," Lovell told reporters after the game. Sandringham lined up without multiple Jim "Frosty" Miller Medallist (for top VFL goal kicker) Nick Sautner after he accepted a one match suspension arising from a report in the first quarter of last week's match at Frankston. Fortunately, his nearest rival for goal kicking honours, Werribee captain James Podsiadly, had fallen one goal short of his 74 for the season a day earlier giving Sautner his eighth "Frosty". However, without their spearhead, the Zebras were always going to find it difficult to score and they managed only a meagre seven goals for the day. As has often been the pattern this year, they allowed the visitors to get the jump on them early. There were plenty of stoppages and throw ins as a result of scrappy conditions and North Ballarat were able to adapt much better to the conditions to hold the early ascendency. David Gallagher managed to kick his team's first goal and he could easily have kicked another while Ezra Poyas missed one that he normally would have swallowed. Sandy lifted late in the term with skipper Peter Summers, Shane Valenti and Chad Liddell in everything but scoring was a difficult task and the Roosters held a commanding 20-point lead at the first break given the difficult conditions. The second quarter was a real arm wrestle with North Ballarat adding a couple of handy goals on the scoreboard while a couple of easy misses didn't help the Sandringham cause. Chad Liddell continued to win plenty of the ball while Matthew Bate started to get into the match in an effort to lift the team. Youngster Shane Tregear was lively up forward while second year player Rennie Gilchrist was playing his best senior game for the club. By half time, Sandringham had barely managed to peg back North Ballarat's lead and its prospects for the rest of the game were not looking good. The visitors had the scoring end in the third quarter but the difficult conditions worsened and it became even harder to score goals. Gallagher continued to work hard, Summers was still in and under at every opportunity and Lynden Dunn and Valenti increased their work rates. The deficit at the final break was now 25 points but the Zebras were determined to have a dip as their season was slowly slipping away. The final quarter in which the team scored 2 goals 7 was the story of Sandringham's disappointing year. The club has lost eight games by less than three goals and often, these defeats have been self-inflicted coming as a result of poor kicking for goal. It's been a case of close on many occasions without being able to snatch victory. When Dunn had the opportunity late in the game to narrow the margin to four points with a shot at goal from 35 metres out, he was off target and this typified the season for the hapless Zebras whose percentage of 118.46 at year's end was much better than that of fourth placed Werribee. Former captain Chad Liddell was great all day for his team as was David Gallagher who has played well since coming back from a serious knee injury. Bate put in a classy display in both midfield and in defence to finish with 27 touches and Tregear, Brett Liddell and Gilchrist gave fans a taste of what the club's young talent can produce in the future. And so (almost) ended the Zebras' successful and memorable era of affiliation with the Demons after nine years and four premierships and a great number of fond memories. Almost, because the Zebra reserves had a fantastic win over Frankston in the elimination final and will now play Box Hill at Port Melbourne on Sunday starting at 10.20am. Sandringham 2.2.14 4.5.29 5.6.36 7.13.55 North Ballarat 5.4.34 7.6.48 8.13.61 8.17.65 Goals Sandringham Newton Tregear 2 Bate Gallagher Gilchrist North Ballarat Grima Smith 2 Chester Greig Roach Wundke Best Sandringham C Liddell Gallagher Tregear Bate Gilchrist B Liddell North Ballarat Swallow Sharkey Moloney Searl Greig Chester Reserves: Sandringham 3.2.20 4.3.27 9.6.60 15.9.99 Frankston 3.4.22 6.5.41 7.8.50 11.10.76 Goals Sandringham Gileno 5 Eaton 3 Cleeve Gilder Hardiman Lyall Monaghan Summons Weetra Frankston Barker 3 Lloyd Murray 2 McCall Potts White Willis Best Sandringham Gilder Gileno Johnson M Johnston Williams Summons Frankston Willis Dunne Stone Gill Lloyd Drake Report Frankston Karl Lombardozzi for using abusive language towards an umpire Chris Oliver for tripping Jake Williams by foot.