Demonland

Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of the tsunami that rocked the lands bordering on the Indian Ocean and killed hundreds of thousands. A number of Australians also perished that day including our own Troy Broadbridge. We ask Demonlanders to pass their respects to Troy on this day. Unless it's big news we prefer that new threads are not opened in this section except those in honour of Troy. Whispering Jack has written his personal tribute: BY THE RIVERS DARK by Whispering Jack It took only the blink of an eye for five years to pass. The warmth of the distant sun that left when Troy Broadbridge was taken by the ocean has returned, life has gone on and once or twice a year we remember. I always connect Troy's passing with that of Paul Hester, drummer for Crowded House. Hester was a Demon fan, who on 26 March, 2005 took his life in the same park in Elwood where my grandchildren play. I remember hearing the sad news just as we were driving by the Elwood Canal. We were on our way to the Troy Broadbridge Tribute Game at the MGC so, in the end, we celebrated two lives on the one night. It was just a game of footy but we were proud of our team that night. I still remember the elation and the emotion of the victory and, after that, the boys fought hard over the next year or two; they made the finals and occasionally looked the goods but then it all fell away. Today, I'm full of hope that the new decade and the club's young talent will bring about regeneration. The warmth of the distant sun returned after Troy's passing and the same will happen some day soon with the footy team of which he was so proud to be a part. From time to time, I still remember the little things about Troy. There was one night when still a rookie and he was working behind the bar at the Bentleigh Club while they were showing a big screen telecast of a game that Melbourne was playing interstate. Troy was smiling, serving the punters, some of them quite rude and others touching on the borderline of having one too many. We had a chat late in the evening when things had settled after the game was over (we lost). He told me how the experience working at the Bentleigh Club taught him the importance of responsible behaviour for those times when he was on the other side of the bar. I was reminded of that evening as I pondered about Carlton's horror boat cruise down the Yarra. You wonder why this boatload of idiots at the peak of their health and fitness, some of them senior team members, simply don't get it? But I guess that's someone else's problem. Who are we to argue or to judge? And so, as always, let us look to the future but not forget the past. May we long remember and toast Troy and may we also celebrate Paul's wonderful legacy, his music, both with a touch of kindness and some Auld Lang Syne...

Apparently, Lovett was too frightened to come to the phone.

As the year draws to a close, I would like to extend to all Demonlanders our best wishes for a joyous and peaceful season. Thanks to everyone for their contributions. Special thanks to Nasher for keeping us on the air without too many glitches (hardly any this year). He puts in a fantastic amount of work behind the scenes to keep us going and we can't thank him enough. To our writing team headed by Whispering Jack, thanks for keeping us at the top of the tree despite the difficulties our footy team has faced on and off the field over the past twelve months. And to the moderators who keep things level and on board thanks for all your work. Thanks to the coaches, the players, the Board People and the staff at the MFC. We're all looking forward to better and better things as we move forward into the next decade. And again to all contributors, thanks for sticking with us (even the few who we've banned and have come back ) Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a Safe New Year ... and Special Wishes to Jimmy and all others who are unwell ... we're with you all the way

A HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART SIX: A NEW DEALby The Professor The rigours of the Great Depression caused enormous pain and suffering in a world which had experienced a decade of prosperity after the First World War. Football was one pastime that was still within the reach of many but the Melbourne fans were clamouring for changes. Ironically, the changes came as a result of the introduction of two Richmond stalwarts. History was about to repeat itself in 1933. Melbourne's fortunes had been turned around years earlier with the appointment of former Tiger Andrew Manzie as club secretary. The club hierarchy was able to repeat this by convincing Percy Page to transfer from Richmond to take the secretarial post. Page brought with him F.V. Checker Hughes who was appointed coach for the 1933 season. Checker had played in two premierships at Richmond and later coached them after a stint in Tasmania. Together Page and Hughes set about changing Melbourne's lilywhite image from "Fuschias" to "Demons". In 1934 the club showed significant improvement to finish in sixth position as some famous Melbourne names such as Alan La Fontaine, Jack Mueller and Maurie Gibb made their V.F.L. debut. The further inclusion of Norm Smith, Ron Baggott, Ray Wartman and Wally Lock allowed the club to move back into the finals for third placings in 1936 and 1937 and after being strong contenders for a few seasons, Melbourne finally won their third flag in 1939. In that year, Alby Rodda, Roy Dowsing, Adrian Dullard, Shane McGrath, Harold Ball and Syd Anderson all made outstanding debuts for the club. The latter two were killed in the Second World War, as was Keith "Bluey" Truscott, who made a brief return to the club as its captain shortly prior to his death in an accident off the West Australian coast. The Grand Final win was a sweet one. The stars of the day Percy Beames and Alby Rodda who booted four goals each as the Demons drew away from arch rivals Collingwood after an even first half to win by 53 points. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1939 Melbourne 3.5.23 10.10.70 15.14.104 21.22.148 Collingwood 6.5.41 10.6.66 13.9.87 14.11.95 Goals Beames Rodda 4 L Jones Ball Mueller Truscott 2 Baggott La Fontaine Smith Wartman Best Roberts Beames Anderson Wartman Truscott Smith THE TEAM B Emselle Mueller Fischer HB Hingston G Jones Roberts C Wartman La Fontaine Anderson HF L Jones Baggott Truscott F Ball Smith Rodda R Furness Kimberley Beames 19 O'Keffe Melbourne recorded its second successive premiership with a 49 point victory over Richmond despite losing players to injury before the grand final. One of the team's heroes was ruckman O'Keefe who shadowed Richmond captain Jack Dyer all day and somewhat limited his effectiveness. Norm Smith booted a record goal tally of seven for a grand final in a dominant performance at full forward. The 19th man in the 1940 premiership team was Ron Barassi - yet another football to be later killed in action. Barassi's son Ron Barassi Jr. was to become "Mr. Football" in the 1950's and 60's and was selected captain of the Demon's team of the 20th Century. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1940 Melbourne 4.8.32 10.11.71 13.15.93 15.17.107 Richmond 6.5.41 10.6.66 5.4.34 10.8.68 Goals Smith 7 Baggott Beames O'Keefe Fanning Truscott Best Baggott Beames La Fontaine Mueller Ball Smith THE TEAM B Emselle Roberts Ball HB Hingston G Jones McLean C Wartman La Fontaine Anderson HF Gibb Baggott Truscott F Fanning Smith Rodda R Mueller O'Keefe Beames 19 Barassi Melbourne's domination of the competition continued in 1941 as the team made it a hat trick of grand old flags with a comfortable 29 point win over Essendon. Despite fielding a depleted side the Demons overcame hot weather and a blustery north wind as they bade farewell to coach Checker Hughes with an emphatic premiership victory. The team opened up with all guns blazing as they blitzed the Bombers to lead by 57 points at half time and then coasted to victory. Hughes' full forward Norm Smith, who was later to take over the coaching reins at the club in an even more successful era, topped the goal kicking for the year with 89 goals. Hughes was to return as coach twice again. Ironically, his last appearance in the role came many years later in 1965 when he replaced Smith who was sacked for one week in mid-season. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1941 Melbourne 6.6.42 11.9.75 14.11.95 19.13.127 Essendon 1.1.7 2.6.18 6.12.48 13.20.98 Goals Beames 6 Mueller Smith 3 Wartman 2 Anderson Daly Dullard Gibb O'Keefe Best Lock Heal Mueller Beames Dullard La Fontaine THE TEAM B Emselle, McGrath O'Keefe HB Lock E Cordner McLean C Heal La Fontaine Anderson HF Gibb Baggott Wartman F Dullard Smith Daly R Don Cordner Mueller Beames 19 Lewis

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsart...48/default.aspx Great News!

There was a time two years ago when Robbo was toying with an offer to cross to the Bulldogs but he stayed loyal and signed on for two more years at Melbourne. I don't know now whether this was a good move from the point of view of the club or the player.

No. 31 and No. 9 – Scully and Trengove http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/newsart...64/default.aspx

CHANGES 2009: TRADING AND DRAFTING by The Oracle Nothing ever stands still. In football, this applies to every aspect of the game and, in particular, to every team's playing list. The best of clubs needs to turn over players every year if they are to keep pace with an ever- changing game. Legendary coach David Parkin used to maintain that even after a premiership year, his aim was to introduce five good new players into his team for the first game of the following season. For a lowly club like Melbourne which has languished at or near the bottom for the past three seasons, the need for change has been self- evident. In fact, one could well say that the team's very mindset and its performances in 2009 were coloured by the need to secure a lion's share of the best young talent in the country. So the end result of a difficult year has been the arrival of many new players at the club, all of them going directly onto the senior list. The club had added seven fresh faces to its playing list with six of these coming via the National Draft where it was well placed to nab some of the country's most talented youngsters. The new arrivals are (in order of draft selection):- Tom Scully - Date of Birth: 15.05.91 Height: 182 cm Weight: 74 kg (Dandenong Stingrays, Vic) Left-footer and magnificent gut runner with lightning hands and a brilliant talent who led Vic Metro at the last Under 18 Championships. Twice All Australian at that level. 2 Jack Trengove - DOB: 02.09.91 Ht: 185 cm Wt: 82 kg (Sturt, SA) SA Under 18 captain who is superbly fit and has sublime skills. Matched it with the men in the SANFL finals and also made All Australian. 11 Jordan Gysberts - DOB: 11.06.91 Ht: 189 cm Wt: 83 kg (Eastern Ranges, Vic) AIS/AFL academy graduate who is a versatile and clever footballer. Represented Vic Metro at under 18 level in 2008 and 2009. 18 Luke Tapscott - DOB: 28.06.91 Ht: 180 cm Wt: 86 kg (North Adelaide, SA) Powerfully built on baller who can play back and forward and is a prodigious kick. Made All Australian this year and represented SA under 18s in 2008 and 2009. 34 Max Gawn - DOB 28.11.1991 Ht: 208 cm 104 kg (Sandringham Dragons, Vic) Ruck prospect whose 2009 season was interrupted by knee surgery. Still growing. 50 Jack Fitzpatrick - DOB 26.06.1991 Ht: 201 cm 85 kg (Western Jets, Vic) An agile tall forward/ruckman who is a good lead and strong mark. Also represented his state at under 18 level over the past two seasons. Chronic fatigue syndrome has held back his development but he now has it under control. And the club's Pre Season Draft Selection:- Joel Macdonald - DOB: 10.10.84 Ht: 188 cm Wt: 88 kg (Brisbane Lions, AFL) Defender who played almost a full season with the Lions in 2009 and looks ready to fit straight into the Melbourne line up. The incoming seven replace a number of delisted and retired players as well as one who asked to be traded elsewhere. These were the departures: Senior List - Simon Buckley (delisted) Brock McLean (traded to Carlton for National Draft selection #11) Russell Robertson (retired) Matthew Whelan (retired) Paul Wheatley (retired) Rookie List - Shane Valenti (delisted) Trent Zomer (delisted) A few famous names at the club have gone and while some will leave holes at the club, for one reason or another (mainly injury) none were significant contributors to the cause in 2009. Their experience will be missed but for the most part, it was time to move on. There was a bit of internal shuffling within the list. Cameron Bruce became a veteran (replacing Robertson on that list) and John Meesen and Michael Newton lost their places on the senior list but were redrafted as rookies. Rookies Jake Spencer and Jordie McKenzie should have been uplifted from the rookie list but showed great loyalty by remaining on as rookies to leave room on the club's primary list and to enable the drafting of additional young talent at the National Draft. Some of the manoevring of positions came as a result of changes in AFL draft rules such as the introduction of mature age rookies and the third year rookie rule. This brings me to the exception to the rule about nothing ever standing still. Almost thirty years ago, in the first incarnation of a draft at the then VFL, Melbourne selected a young full back named Danny Hughes from SANFL club Port Adelaide. He came over and had a solid career with the Demons and his namesake is still at the club and on its rookie list. Daniel Hughes, from the Sandringham Dragons and Sandringham VFL was first rookied at the end of 2005. He played a senior pre season game against the Bulldogs up in Darwin the following year but has yet to make a regular season appearance with the Demons thanks mainly to injuries. He was delisted at the end of 2007 but was back on the list a year later and is still there. The complete MFC list for 2010 reads as follows: MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2010) SENIOR LIST: Rohan Bail Clint Bartram Matthew Bate Daniel Bell Jamie Bennell Sam Blease Kyle Cheney Aaron Davey Lynden Dunn Jack Fitzpatrick James Frawley Colin Garland Max Gawn Brad Green Jack Grimes Jordan Gysberts Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Paul Johnson Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Tom McNamara Addam Maric Stefan Martin Brad Miller Brent Moloney Cale Morton Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Tom Scully James Strauss Colin Sylvia Luke Tapscott Jack Trengove Matthew Warnock Jack Watts Austin Wonaeamirri VETERAN LIST Cameron Bruce James McDonald ROOKIE LIST: Rhys Healey Daniel Hughes John Meesen Jordie McKenzie Michael Newton Jake Spencer The Melbourne Football Club last made the AFL finals series in 2006 when it eliminated St. Kilda before bowing out to Fremantle in a Semi Final at Subiaco. Since then, the club has been through a horror stretch of three barren seasons wracked by injuries and poor form that have produced an average of four victories per year. Below is the club's list at the beginning of that three year period. It serves to demonstrate how an AFL's team list can change over a short period of time: 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 It's still a while before we get the opportunity to sight any Melbourne players in action on a footy field. I'm not sure whether there will be a Darwin Indigenous All Stars game this year (if there is, then rest assured, you'll see some Demons on the field that night). Otherwise, the AFL action will take off soon after in February in the NAB Cup pre season series. One hopes that this year we'll see more of boys in the red and the blue in action and performing at a higher level than in recent times. Perhaps a change of luck and an appearance in September? Then who knows what other changes might take place over the ensuing two or three years? We might even end up witnessing the sight in this photograph allegedly taken by this time traveller who recently returned to earth: (courtesy of MFCnow) Now that certainly would mark a change!

THE ORACLE'S FEARLESS PREDICTIONS FOR 2010 ... AND BEYOND by The Oracle The last time I attempted an exercise in predicting the future, the whole thing ended in complete and utter disaster. That was three years ago, back at the end of 2006 when I was prevailed upon to make a prediction as to the shape of the AFL ladder for the following season. Three of my top four selections, Fremantle, Melbourne and West Coast immediately went into steep decline. The first two haven't looked like making the finals ever since. The Eagles limped into the 2007 finals, quickly limped out and then lost their best players and went through some horrific experiences in the interim. My other top four selection, Sydney, also fell of its perch. The Swans briefly saw finals action in 2007 and again in 2008 (before a miserable home crowd of less than 20,000). They headed further south in 2009 and could well be on their way down towards football's version of Antarctica in the coming years as they fight off the local challenge and the hype of a cashed up Kevin Sheedy led Greater West Sydney. As always, there's an excuse for my incompetence. My trusty crystal ball Stella was on the blink at the time as a result of the drought that swept the nation at the time. First, the snows inside her slowly melted away only to leave a dense smog to cloud her insides and thereby limiting severely my abilities to predict events accurately. Things got even worse during those recent sandstorms that enveloped the east coast so I decided to take the necessary action to restore my competitive edge over such agencies as gypsy fortunetellers, tarot card readers and of corse the weather bureau. After several expensive and largely unsuccessful visits to the crystal ball doctor, I decided to take matters into Using state of the art technology to cut the greenhouse gas emissions within Stella's glass environment I have managed to reverse the damaging effects of climate change inside the crystal sphere and voila! The snow is once again falling, Stella has been restored to full health and, for the first time in three years, the Oracle is able to predict the future. I have therefore not only been able to respond to the request to come up with my fearless predictions for the 2010 AFL season but I've also managed to look beyond that and gone five years into the future to uncover these wonderful sights: - Photos courtesy of MFCnow What follows is my final eight at the end of the home and away season plus other predictions. Since the warranty on Stella is for only six months, I can't quite extend the scenario through to the end of the finals series. 1. St. Kilda - If you think Ross Lyon looks like he's suffering from a bad case of haemorrhoids whenever you see him walking, just wait till next year. Despite getting a big fat zero for Luke Ball, the Saints have recruited well. They've managed to get the best out of other clubs' cast offs and Lovett and Peake fulfil important needs in their midfield. The pain of a premiership thrown away in 2000 should prove ample incentive to maintain the fire and the rage necessary to endure successfully another long campaign. 2. Geelong - possibly because they come from a sleepy country town environment, the Cats have this burning desire to be known as the greatest team ever. They threw one away in 2008 and then lucked it in this year when the Saints' small men missed too many easy shots at goal when the game was there to be won or lost. The Cats still have enough talent and enough of their nine lives available to maintain the dream. 3. Adelaide - I rate Neil Craig highly as a coach. He has worked wonders developing young players on his list and has done the job without the benefit of early draft picks. He has proved on more than one occasion that he's adaptable and tactically strong as a coach but I also reckon he knows that he squandered a perfect opportunity in last year's semi final against Collingwood when he failed to react to Malthouse's response to his team's first quarter blitz. The Pies should never have been allowed back into that game. With Goodwin, McLeod, Edwards, Burton and Lleyton Hewitt all reaching retirement age, this could be his last shot at glory. 4. Hawthorn - the Hawks imploded after their 2008 heroics and, with the off field exploits of Kennett, Clarkson and co, the injuries and the huge drop off in form, one got the impression that the lunatics were losing their control over the asylum at Waverley Park. Kennett's had a haircut and the Hawks have taken him off to the Kokoda Track. In a variation of their usual trip the Hawks are making their players walk around Jeff's mouth thereby adding a few extra kilometres to the normal journey. Still, I can't believe that a team with the talents of Franklin, Hodge, Roughhead and Mitchell plus new recruit Shane Burgoyne can't finish top four. They might however, be in for a shock in round one. 5. Western Bulldogs - would've, could've, should've made last year's grand final and from that point would've, could've, should've given it a big shake in the grannie. They didn't and they won't improve their dysfunctional forward line with an aging pug like Barry Hall who joins Dad's Army in the Bulldog forward line. 6. West Coast - one of my big improvers for 2010. I was impressed with the way they lifted after being humiliated by Melbourne in Round 14 at the MCG. Woosha's Eagles are slowly recovering from the disasters of the post Judd era and proved that they're going to be very tough to beat at Subiaco. They should pick up enough wins elsewhere to lift themselves into top eight calculations. 7. Collingwood - I don't like the bastards. I don't like the way they handled their coaching situation and the crystal ball tells of future tension between Malthouse and Buckley. The former has gambled heavily recruiting for the here and now rather than the future. Jolly is a good ruckman but not getting any younger and will simply replace one or both of the other Magpie ruckmen. Ball remains Mr. 46%, slow and can't kick further than 40 metres. They haven't solved their forward problems and have been given a more difficult playing programme than what they usually get. If injury strikes, Collingwood's lack of depth might become a problem. 8. Melbourne - it may come as a surprise to many of you who probably want a more logical explanation for this placing than my standard one which is that it's there in Stella's snowflake formations that the Demons will be playing off in the 2010 finals series. Then again, if you've read this far and expect some logic and reasoning then you must be completely delusional. As for the rest, I'm simply not impressed. Carlton without Fevola will slip but remain thereabouts thanks to their stellar midfield. However, they don't have a defence, forward line or ruck strength to go far in today's game. Brisbane with Fevola will also slip. I regard Michael Voss' recruiting as being nothing short of a diabolical attempt to move deckchairs around the Titanic and Stella tells me his abrasiveness might lose him some friends at the club during 2010. The same fate awaits Matty Knights who will rue the loss of experienced stalwarts in Lloyd and Lucas. Paul Roos will go out without a whimper and the remaining clubs, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, North Melbourne and Richmond are all facing a long, tough stretch. There will be no draft concessions on which to build a team as the free rides given to GC17 and GWS takes hold and the full ramifications of them are finally experienced in practice. It could be very, very ugly. Brownlow Medal - Colin Sylvia is ready at last to break out and fulfil his true destiny. Coleman Medal - Daniel Bradshaw. With plenty of games at the SCG and no other forwards in the team, Bradshaw could be a winner for the Swans. Season Highlight - six consecutive weeks of young Demon players winning the NAB Rising Star Award. Season Lowlight - a record number of sacked coaches. A strange thing you might see in the future - Sam Newman proposing marriage to Caroline Wilson on the set of The Footy Show. Good News Story of 2010 - Jimmy makes a complete recovery to full health. Finally, I repeat my promise to return during the season, to bring more exciting AFL predictions and to uphold the centuries-old family tradition of fearlessness, accuracy and foresight. See you in the future!

by The Oracle The last time I attempted an exercise in predicting the future, the whole thing ended in complete and utter disaster. That was three years ago, back at the end of 2006 when I was prevailed upon to make a prediction as to the shape of the AFL ladder for the following season. Three of my top four selections, Fremantle, Melbourne and West Coast immediately went into steep decline. The first two haven't looked like making the finals ever since. The Eagles limped into the 2007 finals, quickly limped out and then lost their best players and went through some horrific experiences in the interim. My other top four selection, Sydney, also fell of its perch. The Swans briefly saw finals action in 2007 and again in 2008 (before a miserable home crowd of less than 20,000). They headed further south in 2009 and could well be on their way down towards football's version of Antarctica in the coming years as they fight off the local challenge and the hype of a cashed up Kevin Sheedy led Greater West Sydney. As always, there's an excuse for my incompetence. My trusty crystal ball Stella was on the blink at the time as a result of the drought that swept the nation at the time. First, the snows inside her slowly melted away only to leave a dense smog to cloud her insides and thereby limiting severely my abilities to predict events accurately. Things got even worse during those recent sandstorms that enveloped the east coast so I decided to take the necessary action to restore my competitive edge over such agencies as gypsy fortunetellers, tarot card readers and of corse the weather bureau. After several expensive and largely unsuccessful visits to the crystal ball doctor, I decided to take matters into Using state of the art technology to cut the greenhouse gas emissions within Stella's glass environment I have managed to reverse the damaging effects of climate change inside the crystal sphere and voila! The snow is once again falling, Stella has been restored to full health and, for the first time in three years, the Oracle is able to predict the future. I have therefore not only been able to respond to the request to come up with my fearless predictions for the 2010 AFL season but I've also managed to look beyond that and gone five years into the future to uncover these wonderful sights: - Photos courtesy of MFCnow What follows is my final eight at the end of the home and away season plus other predictions. Since the warranty on Stella is for only six months, I can't quite extend the scenario through to the end of the finals series. 1. St. Kilda - If you think Ross Lyon looks like he's suffering from a bad case of haemorrhoids whenever you see him walking, just wait till next year. Despite getting a big fat zero for Luke Ball, the Saints have recruited well. They've managed to get the best out of other clubs' cast offs and Lovett and Peake fulfil important needs in their midfield. The pain of a premiership thrown away in 2000 should prove ample incentive to maintain the fire and the rage necessary to endure successfully another long campaign. 2. Geelong - possibly because they come from a sleepy country town environment, the Cats have this burning desire to be known as the greatest team ever. They threw one away in 2008 and then lucked it in this year when the Saints' small men missed too many easy shots at goal when the game was there to be won or lost. The Cats still have enough talent and enough of their nine lives available to maintain the dream. 3. Adelaide - I rate Neil Craig highly as a coach. He has worked wonders developing young players on his list and has done the job without the benefit of early draft picks. He has proved on more than one occasion that he's adaptable and tactically strong as a coach but I also reckon he knows that he squandered a perfect opportunity in last year's semi final against Collingwood when he failed to react to Malthouse's response to his team's first quarter blitz. The Pies should never have been allowed back into that game. With Goodwin, McLeod, Edwards, Burton and Lleyton Hewitt all reaching retirement age, this could be his last shot at glory. 4. Hawthorn - the Hawks imploded after their 2008 heroics and, with the off field exploits of Kennett, Clarkson and co, the injuries and the huge drop off in form, one got the impression that the lunatics were losing their control over the asylum at Waverley Park. Kennett's had a haircut and the Hawks have taken him off to the Kokoda Track. In a variation of their usual trip the Hawks are making their players walk around Jeff's mouth thereby adding a few extra kilometres to the normal journey. Still, I can't believe that a team with the talents of Franklin, Hodge, Roughhead and Mitchell plus new recruit Shane Burgoyne can't finish top four. They might however, be in for a shock in round one. 5. Western Bulldogs - would've, could've, should've made last year's grand final and from that point would've, could've, should've given it a big shake in the grannie. They didn't and they won't improve their dysfunctional forward line with an aging pug like Barry Hall who joins Dad's Army in the Bulldog forward line. 6. West Coast - one of my big improvers for 2010. I was impressed with the way they lifted after being humiliated by Melbourne in Round 14 at the MCG. Woosha's Eagles are slowly recovering from the disasters of the post Judd era and proved that they're going to be very tough to beat at Subiaco. They should pick up enough wins elsewhere to lift themselves into top eight calculations. 7. Collingwood - I don't like the bastards. I don't like the way they handled their coaching situation and the crystal ball tells of future tension between Malthouse and Buckley. The former has gambled heavily recruiting for the here and now rather than the future. Jolly is a good ruckman but not getting any younger and will simply replace one or both of the other Magpie ruckmen. Ball remains Mr. 46%, slow and can't kick further than 40 metres. They haven't solved their forward problems and have been given a more difficult playing programme than what they usually get. If injury strikes, Collingwood's lack of depth might become a problem. 8. Melbourne - it may come as a surprise to many of you who probably want a more logical explanation for this placing than my standard one which is that it's there in Stella's snowflake formations that the Demons will be playing off in the 2010 finals series. Then again, if you've read this far and expect some logic and reasoning then you must be completely delusional. As for the rest, I'm simply not impressed. Carlton without Fevola will slip but remain thereabouts thanks to their stellar midfield. However, they don't have a defence, forward line or ruck strength to go far in today's game. Brisbane with Fevola will also slip. I regard Michael Voss' recruiting as being nothing short of a diabolical attempt to move deckchairs around the Titanic and Stella tells me his abrasiveness might lose him some friends at the club during 2010. The same fate awaits Matty Knights who will rue the loss of experienced stalwarts in Lloyd and Lucas. Paul Roos will go out without a whimper and the remaining clubs, Port Adelaide, Fremantle, North Melbourne and Richmond are all facing a long, tough stretch. There will be no draft concessions on which to build a team as the free rides given to GC17 and GWS takes hold and the full ramifications of them are finally experienced in practice. It could be very, very ugly. Brownlow Medal - Colin Sylvia is ready at last to break out and fulfil his true destiny. Coleman Medal - Daniel Bradshaw. With plenty of games at the SCG and no other forwards in the team, Bradshaw could be a winner for the Swans. Season Highlight - six consecutive weeks of young Demon players winning the NAB Rising Star Award. Season Lowlight - a record number of sacked coaches. A strange thing you might see in the future - Sam Newman proposing marriage to Caroline Wilson on the set of The Footy Show. Good News Story of 2010 - Jimmy makes a complete recovery to full health. Finally, I repeat my promise to return during the season, to bring more exciting AFL predictions and to uphold the centuries-old family tradition of fearlessness, accuracy and foresight. See you in the future!

If reports of Meesen's injury are true and that he's going to miss most of the pre season, then the possibilty of him making it as a rookie elevation is a remote one. And if that's not a possibility why rookie list him. Surely, the club could pay out his contract or underwrite a fresh contract so that he can play for Casey and still gets paid out his contract?

A HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART FIVE: SECOND FLAG - THEN TIMES GET TOUGH by The Professor A different world was emerging in 1919 when the war to end all wars would draw to a conclusion. People were left with the task of observing the consequences of the hostilities and then trying to forget them. The Melbourne Football Club had lost a number of its playing members during The Great War and in 1919, when the team the field again after a break of three seasons, it lacked the experienced players to be competitive losing all of its matches. But 1920 saw the introduction of an intensive recruiting campaign. Albert Chadwick, a strong young ruckman made his debut in the opening round. Charlie Streeter, Hugh Dunbar, Dick Taylor, Colin Deane, "Bunny Wittman" and Ivor Warne-Smith soon joined him. As a consequence of this influx of talented youth, the club's fortunes improved gradually. By 1925 Melbourne reached the finals recording thirteen wins. It was the club's first finals series in a decade and Melbourne was headed only by Geelong and Collingwood in the new twelve team competition that had emerged as a result of the inclusion of Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne. The impetus of having played in a finals series and the recruiting of additional talent in Bob Johnson, a tall centre half forward and Herbie White, a rover enabled Melbourne to scoop the pool in 1926 under the guidance of captain coach Chadwick. In a memorable grand final which foreshadowed the great future rivalry of two famous football clubs, Melbourne ran away from Collingwood in the third quarter and went on to win by 57 points to record their second premiership. Vice captain Ivor Warne-Smith capped off a great season winning the Brownlow Medal with nine "first votes" and other highlights included the goalkicking performances of Moyes, Johnson and Davie (each kicking 50 goals or more) and the team's general high scoring throughout the year. Among the spectators at the eventful premiership win were Henry Harrison - one of the game's co-founders and Dick Wardill, captain of the 1900 side. The old club song "It's a grand old flag" was revived for this historic occasion. After the grand final, W.C. McClelland stepped down as chairman capping off a long career with the club. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1926 Melbourne 4.5.29 7.7.49 14.9.93 17.17.119 Collingwood 1.1.7 6.4.40 7.6.48 9.8.62 Goals: Johnson 6 Moyes Wittman 3 Duff 2 Deane Taylor Vine Best: Johnson Wittman Moyes Streeter Abernethy Warne-Smith THE TEAM B: Streeter Coy Abernethy HB: Timms H. Dunbar Thomas C: Taylor Warne-Smith Collins HF: Wittman Johnson Davidson F: Vine Duff Moyes R: Chadwick C. Deane White In 1927 Melbourne had a disappointing season due to illness and injuries to key players but came back to finish third in 1928 when Ivor Warne-Smith replaced Chadwick as captain and won his second Brownlow Medal. Chadwick remained as vice captain. But the club was to begin a downward spiral and sunk in much the same was as the stock markets and the world economy, which fell into the Great Depression. The strength of the team dissipated and even Warne-Smith's elevation to coach in 1932 could not save the club from sinking to ninth. During this period one of the few highlights was the goalkicking of diminutive full forward George Margitich but even his fine 73 goal tally in 1930 was far below the amount required to win the VFL goalkicking. It was time for a change...

Tom Scully's own story in the Berwick Gazette about how his lifelong dream of becoming an AFL footballer came another step closer after he "was fortunate enough to be drafted on Thursday night by the Melbourne Football Club." A DEMON AT LAST

HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART FOUR: HARD TIMES AND WAR CLOUDS by The Professor The Commonwealth of Australia was born at the turn of the Century. The fledgling nation was still one of the remotest outposts of the British Empire and the British Monarch remained the head of the country. At least in this respect little was to change for the nation over the next one hundred years. But in the early 1900's Australia was a nation in waiting. Little more than a decade of its existence was to pass by before it would be thrown into a bloody war that would shape its nationhood. In the State of Victoria, the citizens remained keen on sports as the cricket, football and horse racing all draw large crowds and maintained strong interest among all levels of the population. The game of football advanced in leaps and bounds and even managed to survive its first bribery scandal involving the Carlton Football Club which had emerged as a power during the first decade of the new century. But the Melbourne Football Club, which had won its initial premiership in 1900, was soon to fall on lean times. With the exception of seasons 1902 and 1915 (when the club achieved fourth placing) the club was disappointing. There were few honours to be attained this period apart from the efforts of A. V. Couttie in 1904 and H. Brereton in 1912 when they topped the V.F.L. goal kicking with 39 and 56 goals respectively. A downtrodden Melbourne was even forced to travel to Geelong by boat as a result of a rail strike in 1903. While success on the field was proving to be elusive, the Melbourne Football Club was able to celebrate its Jubilee in 1908 in fine style. The first interstate carnival (including representation from New Zealand) was organised as part of the celebrations. Richmond and University were admitted to the VFL in that year. The club slowly began to emerge from the doldrums in 1912 following the appointment of former captain W. C. McClelland as Chairman. Andrew Manzie (formerly of Richmond) was enlisted as club secretary and the importance of administration was highlighted by his hard work. When the University club disbanded at the end of 1914, Manzie was able to persuade several University players to cross over to Melbourne. With the addition of players such as "Dookie" McKenzie in 1915 the team was able to extend eventual premiers Carlton in a semi final but the promise of this performance could not be improved upon. The Great War had begun and Melbourne was not able to field a side again until 1919. At that time the club's great contribution towards the development of the game assisted it in gaining readmission to the VFL. When the club returned to the fold in 1919, it welcomed a future great in Ivor Warne-Smith who made his debut for Melbourne during that year. Like the rest of the world, it was a time of rebuilding for the Melbourne Football Club ...

Chris Connolly here at the MoM function has stuck his neck out and gone early with the tip of Jack Fitzpatrick at # 50!

Certainty to be picked at 34

Big tip for # 11

THE LAST DRAFT by Whispering Jack Later this week, the Melbourne Football Club will go into the AFL's National Draft meeting holding many of the aces. It has the first two selections (almost certainly Tom Scully and Jack Trengove) as a consequence of finishing last and winning not more than four games in the season recently concluded. It has four picks in the first eighteen and will choose two more players before passing on its final selection which will enable it to take the first player in December's Pre Season Draft who will most likely be former Brisbane Lion defender Joel Macdonald. The decisions that are about to be made are crucial. With a solid base of emerging young talent already at the club, the half dozen or so about to join the ranks are expected to bolster a reshaped Melbourne Football Club list that will lead it into a promising new future - a future that includes two brand new interstate clubs and a limited capacity to introduce fresh young blood for a number of years to come. In many ways, this is our club's last chance to get things right. One decision that the Melbourne Football Club needs to get right is whether it chooses disgruntled former Saint Luke Ball in this week's draft. The likelihood is that he will be available at pick 18 but there's a major dilemma about whether the club should take him. When the exchange period ended, Ball and his management had failed to secure a trade that would have seen him cross to his preferred club Collingwood. Many observers regarded this as a complete botch up on the part of all concerned. Ball was left in limbo and expressions of interest in the midfielder started flowing from a number of areas including the Melbourne camp. Here was someone who was a quality player who would not only add football skills, experience and great deal of know-how in the team's engine room as a hardnosed inside midfielder but he was also a leader of men. The complete package. Melbourne originally hoped to use its position as first cab off the rank in December's Pre Season Draft to snare the Saints midfielder but its hopes were dashed when it became clear that Ball didn't want to have a bar of the wooden spoon club of the AFL competition. Ball is a sensational footballer when at his best and, even at 75% capacity, he would fit nicely into most AFL teams so the Demons persisted. They waited for him to come back from his end of season overseas trip. And they waited ... and they waited ... and when Ball returned, he made himself scarce. In the end, he didn't even want to talk to the club although coach Dean Bailey made it clear that if he was told to his face that a player didn't want to come to the club, it would be a short conversation. All the while, there was a bizarre streak to Melbourne's courtship of a reluctant Ball because the former Saint is, in reality, not by any stretch of the imagination a perfect package at all. In recent seasons his body has been affected by osteitis pubis and a severe hamstring injury and, this year, question marks about his fitness saw him consigned to several games in the VFL. On his return for the finals Ball was tracking at around about 50% game time and even less than that in the grand final. A prolific possession winner in the wet conditions on that one day in September, the problem was that he moved at a snail's pace and couldn't kick over a jam tin. Even his staunchest supporters were conceding that the 25 year old's body was looking more like that of a 30 year old. Little wonder then, that Ball himself (and his bevy of advisers) considered it inadvisable to go to a club that might not be a finals contender in the short term. Ball's quality as a footballer is not in question. The concern is whether his body is capable of holding up in a game that requires ever- increasing degrees of fitness and pace. Given the right mix of rest and the appropriate training regimen, Ball's fitness might return to acceptable levels but we don't know for sure - he's not talking to anybody and isn't submitting for a medical. So is the wooden spooner in the middle of a youth-focussed rebuild prepared to take such a risk given its limited resources on a player who might again crumble physically when the heat is turned up? Where would he fit in Melbourne's game plan where speed, strength and precision kicking of the short and long variety were going to be essential? And what of the recruiting edict issued last year about shunning potential recruits with injury concerns? Does one make an exception for a wounded 25 year old whose best days might be behind him, just because he's supposed to be of good character? Demons' football manager Chris Connolly has no doubts that Ball is a likely candidate for either his club's third or fourth selection and is undeterred by Ball's clear preference to play elsewhere. He told the Sunday Age that Ball "is going to be strongly considered because he's just a class player and a class person and he'll be a great role model for our young players." On Ball's refusal to talk to the club Connolly is adamant that this was not even taken into the club's consideration. "We know if we choose him that he'll commit to play 100 per cent because that's his character. We're not even discussing that aspect of it," he said. Connolly would have been buoyed by the Channel Ten vision of Ball training alone on the tan late last week looking fit and rippled but it was, after all, a twenty second grab. And the cynics are claiming that it's all a ploy. A recruiting bluff to confuse all comers. Recruiting guru Colin Wisbey agrees with Connolly's views on drafting Ball, stating on the Extreme Black 'n' White website that in the Ball scenario, the "Demons would be making the professional decision". In his view, "when a player wants to go to a particular club, most other clubs respect the players' wishes during trade week" but after that, "a club should select on draft day whoever it thinks is the best player for them at each pick." Wisbey maintains that AFL clubs "have to be focussed on building the best lists they can. Part of that means drafting the best players available where possible. An AFL club is a business, not a benevolent philanthropist." He concludes that if a lowly club bowed to each player's wishes who wanted to play for a stronger club then "they would overlook a large chunk of the best prospects in the draft pool and be rightly ridiculed." Whilst agreeing with those sentiments, I'm not convinced on Ball for reason of the doubts listed earlier. My own personal opinion remains that the club should not become a repository for players from other clubs who are not quite right and I would therefore be looking elsewhere. Of course, the decision in this "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario rests with others. If the Demons' football department is prepared in its wisdom to make the call and take the risk, then Ball will be a Demon on Thursday night. Whatever the case, the AFL will almost certainly be forced to deal with the issues that the Ball dilemma has highlighted. This could well herald the approach of free agency and, with it will probably go the Pre Season Draft which has been emasculated as a result of changes in the rules regarding the eligibility of these players. So enjoy Thursday night's National Draft, Demon fans because it will be your night and probably the last opportunity for three or four years before there will be much for fans of the existing AFL teams to cheer about at draft time. Thanks to the introduction of the new expansion clubs and thanks to the botched Luke Ball trade deal, this will most likely be the last of the drafts as we know them. FOOTNOTE: The 2009 AFL National Draft can be viewed almost live on Fox Sports2 at 6:30pm on Thursday 26 November. There's also time to join your fellow Demon fans at the MELBOURNEfc 2009 Draft Event Presented by Mates of Melbourne at the G to find out who we select and to discover the fate of Luke Ball. Will he become a Demon, a Bomber, a Lion or a Magpie or will someone else select him? Jack Watts will be there to give his insights on life as the number 1 draft pick, and subject to AFL timing obligations, the number 1 and 2 picks will be presented after their selection. Mates of Melbourne need you to be there to welcome our young recruits into the Melbourne Football Club family, and show them what a great club they joining. Visit matesofmelbourne.com.au for more details.

THE LAST DRAFT by Whispering Jack Later this week, the Melbourne Football Club will go into the AFL's National Draft meeting holding many of the aces. It has the first two selections (almost certainly Tom Scully and Jack Trengove) as a consequence of finishing last and winning not more than four games in the season recently concluded. It has four picks in the first eighteen and will choose two more players before passing on its final selection which will enable it to take the first player in December's Pre Season Draft who will most likely be former Brisbane Lion defender Joel Macdonald. The decisions that are about to be made are crucial. With a solid base of emerging young talent already at the club, the half dozen or so about to join the ranks are expected to bolster a reshaped Melbourne Football Club list that will lead it into a promising new future - a future that includes two brand new interstate clubs and a limited capacity to introduce fresh young blood for a number of years to come. In many ways, this is our club's last chance to get things right. One decision that the Melbourne Football Club needs to get right is whether it chooses disgruntled former Saint Luke Ball in this week's draft. The likelihood is that he will be available at pick 18 but there's a major dilemma about whether the club should take him. When the exchange period ended, Ball and his management had failed to secure a trade that would have seen him cross to his preferred club Collingwood. Many observers regarded this as a complete botch up on the part of all concerned. Ball was left in limbo and expressions of interest in the midfielder started flowing from a number of areas including the Melbourne camp. Here was someone who was a quality player who would not only add football skills, experience and great deal of know-how in the team's engine room as a hardnosed inside midfielder but he was also a leader of men. The complete package. Melbourne originally hoped to use its position as first cab off the rank in December's Pre Season Draft to snare the Saints midfielder but its hopes were dashed when it became clear that Ball didn't want to have a bar of the wooden spoon club of the AFL competition. Ball is a sensational footballer when at his best and, even at 75% capacity, he would fit nicely into most AFL teams so the Demons persisted. They waited for him to come back from his end of season overseas trip. And they waited ... and they waited ... and when Ball returned, he made himself scarce. In the end, he didn't even want to talk to the club although coach Dean Bailey made it clear that if he was told to his face that a player didn't want to come to the club, it would be a short conversation. All the while, there was a bizarre streak to Melbourne's courtship of a reluctant Ball because the former Saint is, in reality, not by any stretch of the imagination a perfect package at all. In recent seasons his body has been affected by osteitis pubis and a severe hamstring injury and, this year, question marks about his fitness saw him consigned to several games in the VFL. On his return for the finals Ball was tracking at around about 50% game time and even less than that in the grand final. A prolific possession winner in the wet conditions on that one day in September, the problem was that he moved at a snail's pace and couldn't kick over a jam tin. Even his staunchest supporters were conceding that the 25 year old's body was looking more like that of a 30 year old. Little wonder then, that Ball himself (and his bevy of advisers) considered it inadvisable to go to a club that might not be a finals contender in the short term. Ball's quality as a footballer is not in question. The concern is whether his body is capable of holding up in a game that requires ever- increasing degrees of fitness and pace. Given the right mix of rest and the appropriate training regimen, Ball's fitness might return to acceptable levels but we don't know for sure - he's not talking to anybody and isn't submitting for a medical. So is the wooden spooner in the middle of a youth-focussed rebuild prepared to take such a risk given its limited resources on a player who might again crumble physically when the heat is turned up? Where would he fit in Melbourne's game plan where speed, strength and precision kicking of the short and long variety were going to be essential? And what of the recruiting edict issued last year about shunning potential recruits with injury concerns? Does one make an exception for a wounded 25 year old whose best days might be behind him, just because he's supposed to be of good character? Demons' football manager Chris Connolly has no doubts that Ball is a likely candidate for either his club's third or fourth selection and is undeterred by Ball's clear preference to play elsewhere. He told the Sunday Age that Ball "is going to be strongly considered because he's just a class player and a class person and he'll be a great role model for our young players." On Ball's refusal to talk to the club Connolly is adamant that this was not even taken into the club's consideration. "We know if we choose him that he'll commit to play 100 per cent because that's his character. We're not even discussing that aspect of it," he said. Connolly would have been buoyed by the Channel Ten vision of Ball training alone on the tan late last week looking fit and rippled but it was, after all, a twenty second grab. And the cynics are claiming that it's all a ploy. A recruiting bluff to confuse all comers. Recruiting guru Colin Wisbey agrees with Connolly's views on drafting Ball, stating on the Extreme Black 'n' White website that in the Ball scenario, the "Demons would be making the professional decision". In his view, "when a player wants to go to a particular club, most other clubs respect the players' wishes during trade week" but after that, "a club should select on draft day whoever it thinks is the best player for them at each pick." Wisbey maintains that AFL clubs "have to be focussed on building the best lists they can. Part of that means drafting the best players available where possible. An AFL club is a business, not a benevolent philanthropist." He concludes that if a lowly club bowed to each player's wishes who wanted to play for a stronger club then "they would overlook a large chunk of the best prospects in the draft pool and be rightly ridiculed." Whilst agreeing with those sentiments, I'm not convinced on Ball for reason of the doubts listed earlier. My own personal opinion remains that the club should not become a repository for players from other clubs who are not quite right and I would therefore be looking elsewhere. Of course, the decision in this "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario rests with others. If the Demons' football department is prepared in its wisdom to make the call and take the risk, then Ball will be a Demon on Thursday night. Whatever the case, the AFL will almost certainly be forced to deal with the issues that the Ball dilemma has highlighted. This could well herald the approach of free agency and, with it will probably go the Pre Season Draft which has been emasculated as a result of changes in the rules regarding the eligibility of these players. So enjoy Thursday night's National Draft, Demon fans because it will be your night and probably the last opportunity for three or four years before there will be much for fans of the existing AFL teams to cheer about at draft time. Thanks to the introduction of the new expansion clubs and thanks to the botched Luke Ball trade deal, this will most likely be the last of the drafts as we know them. FOOTNOTE: The 2009 AFL National Draft can be viewed almost live on Fox Sports2 at 6:30pm on Thursday 26 November. There's also time to join your fellow Demon fans at the MELBOURNEfc 2009 Draft Event Presented by Mates of Melbourne at the G to find out who we select and to discover the fate of Luke Ball. Will he become a Demon, a Bomber, a Lion or a Magpie or will someone else select him? Jack Watts will be there to give his insights on life as the number 1 draft pick, and subject to AFL timing obligations, the number 1 and 2 picks will be presented after their selection. Mates of Melbourne need you to be there to welcome our young recruits into the Melbourne Football Club family, and show them what a great club they joining. Visit matesofmelbourne.com.au for more details.

HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART THREE: FIRST PREMIERSHIP by the Professor As the 19th Century drew to a close and the formation of the Australian Commonwealth neared, major changes were becoming apparent in the life styles of the latter day colonials. Even in sport the new spirit of ruthless commercialism developed as the leading clubs tired of propping up the "outer city" teams. They formed the Victorian Football League in October 1896. At the inaugural meeting held in the rooms of Buxton's Art Gallery in Collins Street, six clubs were represented - Collingwood, Essendon, Fitzroy, Geelong, Melbourne and South Melbourne. By the start of competition in May the following year, Carlton and St. Kilda had been added to the list of those fighting for the first ever VFL premiership. Melbourne had an excellent introduction to League ranks with a win in its first match over South Melbourne - 6.8.44 to 2.4.16. The team went on to string together six successive victories before lowering its colours to eventual premier Essendon and finally finishing in fourth place. After a two-season lull, Melbourne was able to win its first ever VFL premiership on 22nd September 1900 with a grand final victory over Fitzroy 4.10.34 to 3.12.30. In an earlier final they had disposed of Essendon by 2 points. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1900 Melbourne 2.3.15 2.5.17 4.8.32 4.10.34 Fitzroy 1.4.10 2.7.19 2.7.19 3.12.30 Goals Geddes Leith Ryan Wardill Best McGinis Moodie Cumberland Wardill Purse Langley Parkin THE TEAM B Herring Scholl L Rippon HB Parkin Purse McClelland C C Gardiner Young H Hay HF Lewis Leith Langley F Wardill Geddes Ryan R Moodie Cumberland McGinis The captain of the side was Dick Wardill and its heroes included George Moodie, Fred McGinis and Vic Cumberland who made up a formidable ruck combination. The win was a shock defeat for Fitzroy who were aiming for a hat trick of premierships. Melbourne frustrated their opponents in the last half with the negative tactic of keeping the ball as close to the boundary line as possible. The premiership win was not followed by further success and Melbourne was to languish for a long time in the early years of the new nation - the Commonwealth of Australia which came into existence on 1st January, 1901. Within a month after that, the monarch after who the State of Victoria was named had died. A new era was about to be ushered in ...

Extreme Black and White's Colin Wisbey, whose views on drafting are well respected, suggests that in the Ball scenario, the "Demons would be making the professional decision":

Well, we're taking your suggestion on board although Jordan McMahon has become something of a cult hero around here. If we end up drafting Luke Ball he'll certainly come into the mix. There must be something about recycled players who have ended up at Richmond because Bomber Blitz have named their trade and draft board after Tom Hislop. I guess we're all paying homage to their former coach, the incomparable Terry Wallace who raised trading and drafting to an art form.

Emma Quayle has stressed that this is NOT a phantom draft, merely who she likes in rough order of "best". Her list is: 1. JACK TRENGOVE (18, Sturt, 185cm, 84kg) 2. TOM SCULLY (18, Dandenong Stingrays, 182cm, 77kg) 3. DUSTIN MARTIN (18, Bendigo Pioneers, 186cm, 88kg) 4. GARY ROHAN (18, Geelong Falcons, 188cm, 82kg) 5. JOHN BUTCHER (18, Gippsland Power, 197cm, 87kg) 6. JAKE MELKSHAM (18, Calder Cannons, 185cm, 75kg) 7. BEN CUNNINGTON (18, Geelong Falcons, 185cm, 84kg) 8. JASPER McMILLAN-PITTARD (18, Geelong Falcons, 186cm, 71kg) 9. ANTHONY MORABITO (18, Peel Thunder, 191cm, 97kg) 10. CALLUM BARTLETT (18, Geelong Falcons, 179cm, 75kg) 11. LEWIS JETTA (20, Swan Districts, 181cm, 69kg) 12. AARON BLACK (18, Peel Thunder, 192cm, 82kg) 13. DANIEL TALIA (18, Calder Cannons, 194kg, 90kg) 14. ANDREW MOORE (18, Eastern Ranges, 189cm, 86kg) 15. TROY TAYLOR (18, NT Thunder, 189cm, 77kg) 16. BRAD SHEPPARD (18, East Fremantle, 186cm, 81kg) . 17. RYAN BASTINAC (18, Dandenong Stingrays, 184cm, 77kg) 18. KANE LUCAS (18, East Fremantle, 187cm, 79kg) 19. KOBY STEVENS (18, Gippsland Power, 187cm, 84kg) 20. JORDAN GYSBERTS (18, Eastern Ranges, 189cm, 82kg) 21. BEN GRIFFITHS (18, Eastern Ranges, 199cm, 98kg) 22. NATHAN VARDY (18, Gippsland Power, 198cm, 94kg) 23. LUKE TAPSCOTT (18, North Adelaide, 180cm, 87kg) 24. JAKE CARLISLE (18, Calder Cannons, 197cm, 87kg) 25. SAM REID (18, Murray Bushrangers, 194cm, 87kg) She has also deliberately omitted Luke Ball because her purpose is to introduce the young players.

THE THIRD DRAFT: Continuing Stevo's guide to the last Thursday in November as told to Whispering Jack THE TALLS I have been asked why is it that, in terms of this year's national draft, the midfielders so dominate the talls in both quality and depth. Perhaps one way to respond is to look at the 2009 NAB AFL under 18 All-Australian team: B: Andrew Hooper (VC) Blayne Wilson (WA) Bradley Sheppard (WA) HB: Josh Toy (VM) Daniel Talia (VM) David Swallow (WA) C: Anthony Morabito (WA) Dustin Martin (VC) Mitchell Duncan (WA) HF: Kane Lucas (WA) Jack Darling (WA) Gary Rohan (VC) F: Brandon Matera (WA) Matthew Panos (SA) Ben Cunnington (VC) Foll: James Craig (SA) Jack Trengove (SA) Tom Scully (VM) IC: Luke Tapscott (SA) Ryan Harwood (TAS) Dylan McNeil (NSW/ACT) Travis Colyer (WA) From the team of 22, five are too young to be drafted this year by the AFL clubs and most are destined for the Gold Coast. Two of them - Blayne Wilson and Jack Darling are key position talls. Of the remaining 17 players judged to be the elite players from the 2009 National Under 18 championships, ruckman James Craig from South Australia is the tallest at 195cm. Centre half back Daniel Talia (at 194cm) and full forward Matthew Panos (192cm) are the only other players you would describe as a "tall" leaving a preponderance of medium and small players in this illustrious field. Then there's the spectre of injury. Many prime candidates among the taller brigade had their year clouded by injury problems. Two early season top 10 draft candidates in Maffra key forward John Butcher and Western Jets ruckman Jack Fitzpatrick have had injury interrupted seasons which have seen their stocks slide. Strongly built Eastern Ranges tall forward Ben Griffiths, probably the most injury prone of them all, has had a multitude of ailments over the past two seasons will soon undergo a shoulder reconstruction as a result of an injury in the early part of the TAC Cup finals series while versatile Jake Carlisle, considered a likely first-round choice from the Calder Cannons, is also in the wars with a back problem. All Australian Talia missed most of the second half of the season with hamstring issues. The tallest potential draftee is 207cm Sandringham Dragon ruckman sustained a knee injury before this year's under-18 championships and had little game time during the season. With many of the best talls confined to the infirmary, the medium sized players have dominated this year's draft discussions. That latter group has also gained much prominence in modern times because of the importance of the midfield in the modern game which has elevated medium sized on ballers in particular to the games loftiest heights. When you add this to the fact that this category of player develops sooner than its taller counterparts, then the advantages of drafting medium sized becomes clear. There have been many recruiting disasters among the taller group of players in recent times to make most recruiters wary. Only a special type of tall player is going to fight his way into top ten calculations these days. So I'm taking the plunge with my look at the better talls and, once again, will follow my views up with the comments of their coaches taken from Inside Football: - Paradoxically, I can only squeeze one tall into my top ten as one of Port Adelaide's consecutive selections although, in many ways, John Butcher makes it more on reputation than on 2009 performance. John Butcher (Gippsland Power, VIC) Height: 197cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 03.07.91 Tall forward Butcher has good height and last year stood out as an excellent contested mark who was good below the knees and, considering his size, above average in pace and endurance. This year he was injured (fractured hand and quad strain) and the attributes he showed as a bottom age player did not show out as much. His performances became inconsistent and his kicking for goal and general field kicking became very iffy. As a result, his stocks fell from a top five rating to top twelve. He remains the best credentialed key forward prospect in the forthcoming draft and a mid first round selection beckons. There are three other talls who I rate a little behind Butcher but who are likely go in the first round as double digit selections. One of these could easily end up a Demon selected at pick 11 in next week's draft. Daniel Talia (Calder Cannons, VIC) Height: 194cm, Weight: 89kg, DOB: 02.10.91 Tall back The All-Australian centre half-back at this year's under-18 championships but he is much more than just a high quality key defender. He takes a good mark, can also play forward and has such great all-round athletic qualities with good pace and endurance and excellent ball getting skills and reasonably good disposal that he can also play midfield for periods during games (as he did in the final championship game against South Australia at Etihad Stadium). A hamstring injury curtailed the latter part of his year Aaron Black (Peel Thunder, WA) Height: 193cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 29.11.90 Tall forward Aaron Black was a virtual unknown when many of the other draft contenders were battling it out in the national under 18 championships. He was a little over a month too old for inclusion in the carnival and was working away putting good performances on the board as a high marking, athletic key forward in the WA Colts for Peel Thunder. His star rose as the season went on and he gained selection at senior WAFL level where he again shone. Being a late starter, it is considered that he has plenty more development in him. Jake Carlisle (Calder Cannons, VIC) Height: 197cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 01.10.91 Tall forward Carlisle is another who grew in stature as the season wore on. Although he was noted as a tall forward, he was moved to the centre half back post when Talia was injured and excelled in that position thanks to his mobility, good aerial presence, clean marking and accurate disposal whether around the ground or near goals making him one of the very best key position prospects in this year's crop The next tier of tall players could sneak into the first round and in this group I include the player who I believe could easily be the first ruck prospect whose name is called out in the draft. Benjamin Griffiths (Eastern Ranges, VIC) Height: 198cm, Weight: 99kg, DOB: 17.09.91 Tall forward Griffiths is a big, strong key forward who has deceptively strong athletic ability for someone of his size – good pace, agility and leap with clean hands. His kicking on the right foot is prodigious and he is capable of kicking goals from 60 metres and his kicking is generally on target. There are some queries over his work rate but the big issue with him is the fact that he appears to be injury prone. A forthcoming shoulder reconstruction will not be particularly helpful but a club that is desperate for his type might consider drafting him early to be a gamble worth taking. Matthew Panos (Norwood, SA) Height: 192cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 25.01.91 Full Forward The All Australian full forward Was the leading goalkicker of the under 18 championships but appears to have slipped out of first round contention, perhaps simply because he is not a fashionable player. Panos is a genuine full forward who leads strongly, has clean hands and makes good decisions. Is good around goals and an excellent kick of the football. There is a query on his endurance which remains important even though he plays at one end of the ground. Nathan Vardy (Gippsland Power, VIC) Height: 198cm, Weight: 89kg, DOB: 25/06/91 Ruckman Vardy stands out as the best ruckman in a draft that is very light on for big men. What makes him stand out are his ruckwork and general all round football skills, a combination that is not common in many young big men. He's very strong overhead, kicks well and has the agility required of the modern breed of ruckman. There are other talls in the field but, as I've already pointed out, they're pretty thin on the ground. Of the remaining tall players worthy of consideration, I list the following: James Craig (North Adelaide, SA) Height: 195cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 18.04.91 Ruckman/defender Jack Fitzpatrick (Western Jets, VIC) Height: 201cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 26.06.91 Full Forward/Ruck Max Gawn (Sandringham Dragons, VIC) Height: 206cm, Weight: 97kg, DOB: 28.12.91 Ruckman Dylan Grimes (Northern Knights, VIC) Height: 192cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 16.07.91 Defender Dylan Roberton (Dandenong Stingrays, VIC) Height: 190cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 21.06.91 Defender Troy Taylor (NT Thunder, NT) Height: 188cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 12.09.91 Forward To sum up the talls in 2009, I would say that you shouldn't expect to get much value picking a tall player beyond about 25 (although a recycled Mitch Thorp taken late might turn out a good selection) but then again, it's just one of those drafts.

THE THIRD DRAFT: Continuing Stevo's guide to the last Thursday in November as told to Whispering Jack THE TALLS I have been asked why is it that, in terms of this year's national draft, the midfielders so dominate the talls in both quality and depth. Perhaps one way to respond is to look at the 2009 NAB AFL under 18 All-Australian team: B: Andrew Hooper (VC) Blayne Wilson (WA) Bradley Sheppard (WA) HB: Josh Toy (VM) Daniel Talia (VM) David Swallow (WA) C: Anthony Morabito (WA) Dustin Martin (VC) Mitchell Duncan (WA) HF: Kane Lucas (WA) Jack Darling (WA) Gary Rohan (VC) F: Brandon Matera (WA) Matthew Panos (SA) Ben Cunnington (VC) Foll: James Craig (SA) Jack Trengove (SA) Tom Scully (VM) IC: Luke Tapscott (SA) Ryan Harwood (TAS) Dylan McNeil (NSW/ACT) Travis Colyer (WA) From the team of 22, five are too young to be drafted this year by the AFL clubs and most are destined for the Gold Coast. Two of them - Blayne Wilson and Jack Darling are key position talls. Of the remaining 17 players judged to be the elite players from the 2009 National Under 18 championships, ruckman James Craig from South Australia is the tallest at 195cm. Centre half back Daniel Talia (at 194cm) and full forward Matthew Panos (192cm) are the only other players you would describe as a "tall" leaving a preponderance of medium and small players in this illustrious field. Then there's the spectre of injury. Many prime candidates among the taller brigade had their year clouded by injury problems. Two early season top 10 draft candidates in Maffra key forward John Butcher and Western Jets ruckman Jack Fitzpatrick have had injury interrupted seasons which have seen their stocks slide. Strongly built Eastern Ranges tall forward Ben Griffiths, probably the most injury prone of them all, has had a multitude of ailments over the past two seasons will soon undergo a shoulder reconstruction as a result of an injury in the early part of the TAC Cup finals series while versatile Jake Carlisle, considered a likely first-round choice from the Calder Cannons, is also in the wars with a back problem. All Australian Talia missed most of the second half of the season with hamstring issues. The tallest potential draftee is 207cm Sandringham Dragon ruckman sustained a knee injury before this year's under-18 championships and had little game time during the season. With many of the best talls confined to the infirmary, the medium sized players have dominated this year's draft discussions. That latter group has also gained much prominence in modern times because of the importance of the midfield in the modern game which has elevated medium sized on ballers in particular to the games loftiest heights. When you add this to the fact that this category of player develops sooner than its taller counterparts, then the advantages of drafting medium sized becomes clear. There have been many recruiting disasters among the taller group of players in recent times to make most recruiters wary. Only a special type of tall player is going to fight his way into top ten calculations these days. So I'm taking the plunge with my look at the better talls and, once again, will follow my views up with the comments of their coaches taken from Inside Football: - Paradoxically, I can only squeeze one tall into my top ten as one of Port Adelaide's consecutive selections although, in many ways, John Butcher makes it more on reputation than on 2009 performance. John Butcher (Gippsland Power, VIC) Height: 197cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 03.07.91 Tall forward Butcher has good height and last year stood out as an excellent contested mark who was good below the knees and, considering his size, above average in pace and endurance. This year he was injured (fractured hand and quad strain) and the attributes he showed as a bottom age player did not show out as much. His performances became inconsistent and his kicking for goal and general field kicking became very iffy. As a result, his stocks fell from a top five rating to top twelve. He remains the best credentialed key forward prospect in the forthcoming draft and a mid first round selection beckons. QUOTE IF: "John is a key forward who could play down back and in the ruck if he wanted to. Very agile and quick for his height. Had an injury interrupted pre-season but played very well for us and at national carnival level he copped a bit of scrutiny and didn't play as well as he would have liked. We think he's a super talent and he'll go on and be a very good AFL player. He's a superb contested mark. He was ranked very highly in the TAC Cup for contested marks. The way he moves is exceptional," - Gippsland Power coach Damian Carroll. Vic Country representative 2008/09. AIS-AFL academy graduate There are three other talls who I rate a little behind Butcher but who are likely go in the first round as double digit selections. One of these could easily end up a Demon selected at pick 11 in next week's draft. Daniel Talia (Calder Cannons, VIC) Height: 194cm, Weight: 89kg, DOB: 02.10.91 Tall back The All-Australian centre half-back at this year's under-18 championships but he is much more than just a high quality key defender. He takes a good mark, can also play forward and has such great all-round athletic qualities with good pace and endurance and excellent ball getting skills and reasonably good disposal that he can also play midfield for periods during games (as he did in the final championship game against South Australia at Etihad Stadium). A hamstring injury curtailed the latter part of his year QUOTE IF: "We played Daniel at centre half forward and he's an All Australian at centre half back, so he can play at either end, as well as midfield which he did at times for Vic Metro. He's a big unit and he wouldn't look out of place in an AFL team tomorrow. He's a genuine tall who I think will be very attractive to some clubs- Calder Cannons coach Martin Allison. Vic Metro representative 2009. All Australian 2009 Aaron Black (Peel Thunder, WA) Height: 193cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 29.11.90 Tall forward Aaron Black was a virtual unknown when many of the other draft contenders were battling it out in the national under 18 championships. He was a little over a month too old for inclusion in the carnival and was working away putting good performances on the board as a high marking, athletic key forward in the WA Colts for Peel Thunder. His star rose as the season went on and he gained selection at senior WAFL level where he again shone. Being a late starter, it is considered that he has plenty more development in him. QUOTE IF: "Aaron is a key forward who can also have a run in the ruck and has done some good jobs down back. He has good speed for his size, terrific hands (he came from a basketball background so is very good with his hands). Played Colts for most of the year and a couple of games of seniors towards the end of the year where he picked up some best and grounds, which was a pretty good effort. Really ready to go and I think he's going to do very well" - Peel Thunder Colts coach Michael Pratt Jake Carlisle (Calder Cannons, VIC) Height: 197cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 01.10.91 Tall forward Carlisle is another who grew in stature as the season wore on. Although he was noted as a tall forward, he was moved to the centre half back post when Talia was injured and excelled in that position thanks to his mobility, good aerial presence, clean marking and accurate disposal whether around the ground or near goals making him one of the very best key position prospects in this year's crop QUOTE IF: "Jake can play forward or back and I don't think he quite realises how good he can be. He's got enormous potential once he gets a bit of confidence in his own ability. His skills are good and particularly up to 40 metres his kicking is really good - somewhere up in the middle 70s in terms of efficiency. He's possibly a late first round or early second round selection," - Calder Cannons coach Martin Allison. Vic Metro representative 2009 The next tier of tall players could sneak into the first round and in this group I include the player who I believe could easily be the first ruck prospect whose name is called out in the draft. Benjamin Griffiths (Eastern Ranges, VIC) Height: 198cm, Weight: 99kg, DOB: 17.09.91 Tall forward Griffiths is a big, strong key forward who has deceptively strong athletic ability for someone of his size – good pace, agility and leap with clean hands. His kicking on the right foot is prodigious and he is capable of kicking goals from 60 metres and his kicking is generally on target. There are some queries over his work rate but the big issue with him is the fact that he appears to be injury prone. A forthcoming shoulder reconstruction will not be particularly helpful but a club that is desperate for his type might consider drafting him early to be a gamble worth taking. QUOTE IF: "Ben's a power forward who had some injury concerns during the year, but when he was fit and playing well he was really dangerous. He kicked six goals against the eventual premier (Calder Cannons) but he didn't do a lot at the draft camp because he had a crook shoulder. He played two games for Vic Metro and in one of them he kicked five goals in a half against NSW/ACT. The thing that will push him up is his mobility for his size. His speed over 20 metres is really good and his agility and clean ball at ground level is great. There aren't many like him in the draft and we hope he goes maybe late second or third round. We've had clubs tell us he will go late and others say he'll go really early." - Eastern Ranges region manager Anthony Parkin. Vic Metro representative 2009 Matthew Panos (Norwood, SA) Height: 192cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 25.01.91 Full Forward The All Australian full forward Was the leading goalkicker of the under 18 championships but appears to have slipped out of first round contention, perhaps simply because he is not a fashionable player. Panos is a genuine full forward who leads strongly, has clean hands and makes good decisions. Is good around goals and an excellent kick of the football. There is a query on his endurance which remains important even though he plays at one end of the ground. QUOTE "Matthew came out of the college system in 2008 and hasn't played a lot of footy - he's probably played for only the past two or so years. He comes from an indoor soccer background and he's a very good volleyball and tennis player. He played state indoor soccer so he's very nimble on his feet. This year he went to university and started our year in the Under 18s, went on and played state Under 18s and had a really good carnival and then ended the year by playing two games in the senior side. Plays key forward and is a magnificent kick and mark. Other than that, everything else is good without being super." - Norwood development manager David Oatey. SA representative 2009. All Australian 2009 Nathan Vardy (Gippsland Power, VIC) Height: 198cm, Weight: 89kg, DOB: 25/06/91 Ruckman Vardy stands out as the best ruckman in a draft that is very light on for big men. What makes him stand out are his ruckwork and general all round football skills, a combination that is not common in many young big men. He's very strong overhead, kicks well and has the agility required of the modern breed of ruckman. QUOTE "Nathan's a ruckman who I think was right up there with the best ruckmen in the TAC Cup. Very athletic, moves across the ground really well and has good skills for a big guy. He dominated some matches this season for us after having an injury interrupted 2008." - Gippsland Power coach Damian Carroll. Vic Country representative 2009 There are other talls in the field but, as I've already pointed out, they're pretty thin on the ground. Of the remaining tall players worthy of consideration, I list the following: James Craig (North Adelaide, SA) Height: 195cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 18.04.91 Ruckman/defender QUOTE "James has come through our system and he's a ruck-man with a beautiful tap. He's very athletic and given he's 196cm someone might look at him to play a key position role because he might be a bit small for a ruck in the AFL Did that at reserves level and did OK. Played two league games late in the year and did well. A great kid who really wants to learn." - North Adelaide football manager James Moore SA Representative 2009 Jack Fitzpatrick (Western Jets, VIC) Height: 201cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 26.06.91 Full Forward/Ruck QUOTE "Fitzy's up around the 200cm mark and he's very mobile for his size which was highlighted by the fact he ran under three seconds for 20 metres. He was No.1 at the draft camp for repeated sprints and did OK in the beep test. Worked really hard towards the end of the season on his fitness because for some reason he was a little down this year after having a really good 2008. He is yet to do a pre-season because he's had chronic fatigue syndrome which obviously has played a part in hindering his development. We played him forward and back and while we didn't play him much in the ruck he played there with Vic Metro. Skills aren't too bad, although he needs to keep working on his kicking, but he's a good contested mark and on a lead he's very hard to beat. I think he'll get drafted and when he gets into the AFL system I think he's got the attributes to take the next step." Western Jets coach Steve Kretiuk. Vic Metro representative 2009. AIS-AFL Academy graduate Max Gawn (Sandringham Dragons, VIC) Height: 206cm, Weight: 97kg, DOB: 28.12.91 Ruckman QUOTE "Max played only four games because he did his ACL in Round 5 against the Geelong Falcons. The games he played up to that point he certainly showed a lot of promise and being 206cm if he makes an AFL list he'd be the second tallest player in the AFL. He came into the system late last year and played a handful of games but he was still very raw. Misses the cut off as a top-age player by one day so he's yet to turn 18 but he's got another 12 months development in him again. Potentially he's got some outstanding attributes and the signs he displayed early in the year were very promising." Sandringham Dragons coach Dale Tapping Dylan Grimes (Northern Knights, VIC) Height: 192cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 16.07.91 Defender QUOTE "Dylan has probably been disadvantaged a little this year because he's had to play in a key defensive spot but he's better suited to a wing/half back. Flank. It's been tough for him because he hasn't got huge body strength but he's got all the requirements to play AFL football". Northern Knights coach Denis Pagan. Vic Metro representative 2009 Dylan Roberton (Dandenong Stingrays, VIC) Height: 190cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 21.06.91 Defender QUOTE "Dylan's a 190cm half-back flanker who has really jumped out of the ground as an 18-year-old this year. There was a fair bit to work on after his first year with us but he got a lot stronger, a lot fitter and a hell of a lot more competitive. He's quite en attacking defender, and while he is good defensively, he's very good at rebounding and kicks the ball well both sides of his body. He's got some good attributes and I can see him playing a bit of AFL" - Dandenong Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats. Troy Taylor (NT Thunder, NT) Height: 188cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 12.09.91 Forward QUOTE "The most publicised of the players from the NT given his chequered past (missed the 2008 season because he was in a juvenile detention centre). Has vowed to do everything right to make something of his life with football. He is a smooth moving medium forward who reads the ball well and is very agile when the ball hits the deck. Some scouts are calling him the next Michael O'Loughlin. Has a good defensive mindset and great ability to win contested ball. I'd expect a club to give him a chance early in the second round." - AFLNT talent and coaching manager Jarrod Chipperfield. NT representative 2009. To sum up the talls in 2009, I would say that you shouldn't expect to get much value picking a tall player beyond about 25 (although a recycled Mitch Thorp taken late might turn out a good selection) but then again, it's just one of those drafts.