Demonland

28. Isaac Weetra [184cm 83kg 27.02.89 - 2 games 0 goals] – made an inauspicious debut in the club's two opening game thrashings but then disappeared off the radar, finished the season in the Sandy reserves and has since been delisted.

27. Jared Rivers [192cm 90kg 18.10.84 - 70 games (6 in 2008) 4 goals (0 in 2008)] – one of the great tragedies for the club in recent years has been the lack of game time that the former Rising Star Award winner has been able to produce as a result of injury. A hip and abdominal injury put him out for the season at the half way mark of the season. His importance to the club was underlined by his magnificent leadership of the team's defence in its magnificent come from over 50 points behind victory against Fremantle in Round 7. Ironically, his injury flared again after that game and a brief attempt to come back a few weeks later failed.

26. John Meesen [200cm 97kg 20.06.86 - 0 games 0 goals] – The big ruckman brought into the club after two games in three seasons with Adelaide but he failed to fire any shots in 2008. He has another two years on his contract and many are wondering why he was given so much time to prove his worth.

As I said - "big weekend"!

29. Michael Newton [193cm 90kg 27.04.87 - 18 games (6 in 2008) 23 goals (9 in 2008)]– after an encouraging debut season in 2007, Newton's career headed south in 2008 due to a combination of injury, loss of form and what appeared to be a lack of confidence in his own ability. The tall forward has shown some glimpses of prodigious talent in the past but he needs to start producing the goods if he is to make it in AFL football.

25. Kyle Cheney [184cm 86kg 25.08.89 - 0 games 0 goals] - 2008 was a development year for the hard at it medium defender from North Ballarat Under 18's. Cheney started the season in the Sandy reserves and showed steady improvement despite some injury concerns. By late in the season, he was showing good form playing deep in defence for the Zebra seniors.

Like I said, big night! Anyway, as Mark Twain said, rumours of his demise are grossly exaggerated and the thread for # 23 is now up.

23. James McDonald [180cm 75kg 05.10.76 - 217 games (19 in 2008) 49 goals (1 in 2008)] – perhaps not as dynamic or as outstanding a player as he was in 2006-07 when he took out the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy double but 31 year old McDonald showed great determination and leadership this year when called upon to share the captaincy reins with Cam Bruce under difficult circumstances after Neita's neck injury caused his premature retirement. A regular club leader in the tackle count (a good indicator of the player’s tenacity), Junior has signed on for one more year.

Sorry Goose ... it had to be moved to the proper board and it had to be renamed so that it reflected the 2008 draft (to which you're alluding) and not the 2009 draft. Thank you.

Yeah thanks ... Too much Footy Marathon & not enough sleep!

24. Russell Robertson [187cm 91kg 24.11.78 - 215 games (10 in 2008) 399 goals (20 in 2008)] - before the seaon even started he was hitting more high notes singing duets on television than with his football. Robertson had a patchy start to the season often struggling in matches before kicking a lazy two or three in junk time and, despite leading the club's goalkicking at the time, was having very little impact when he suffered his season-ending Achilles injury in Round 10. Next year will almost certainly be his last.

22. Brent Moloney [182 cm 88 kg 28.01.84 - 69 games (8 in 2008) 16 goals (2 in 2008)] - Moloney's injury-plagued career must surely be at the crossroads as the club and he negotiate his new contract. Since his excellent debut season at Melbourne in 2005 after being traded by Geelong as part of the deal which snared premiership hero Brad Ottens, Moloney has had one ailment after another with groin, quadriceps and shoulder injuries restricting him to just 25 of a possible 67 games in three seasons. When fit, he's a hard at it, aggressive midfielder but the question now is whether he will ever be able to play out a full season again?

21. Daniel Bell [186cm 89 kg 13.04.85 – 63 games (18 in 2008) 1 goal (0 in 2008)] – after a solid season in 2007, Bell was never quite at the top of his form this season after battling against osteitis pubis and a hamstring injury. He has been at the club for six full seasons and really can't be said to have established a place for himself. Bell been mentioned in the media as possible trade bait for the fothcoming exchange period.

20. Colin Garland [191cm 84kg 24.04.88 – 19 games (17 in 2008) 2 goals] - was easily the club's most improved player in 2008. He was given some of the toughest jobs as a defender in AFL football 2008 and showed with his class and his pace that he was up to the task. He relished the role of manning Lance 'Buddy' Franklin and kept him to just 3 goals 1 behind in Round 9. Garland wasn't confined purely to defensive roles and showed also that there is an attacking side to his game as well. In time, he could be used up forward or even in the midfield.

19. Addam Maric [177cm 76 kg 18.04.90 - 5 games 2 goals] – the schoolboy small forward, picked at # 21 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, was eased into AFL football and made his debut late in the season after showing lots of promise and improvement over the year at Sandringham. Maric was not overawed when promoted to the big time and he showed out with some classy play, impressing with his attack on the ball and his top flight disposal of the football both in attack and also when given a few stints in the midfield. A player of the future.

A bit of decorum please. After all, it is Brownlow Night!

18. Brad Green [184cm 83 kg 13.03.81 - 186 games (20 in 2008) 227 goals (20 in 2008)] – the club’s best, most consistent and versatile performer over 2008 was called upon to fulfil a number of roles during the season. Missed out on selection in the initial leadership group, an error that was rectified in mid season. Would be one of the main candidates for the skipper’s role for next year.

melbournefc.com.au has announced details of the club's Keith Bluey Truscott Memorial Trophy Best and Fairest and Hall of Fame Dinner. Tickets on Sale NOW Join the who's who of the Club in the most celebrated night on the events calendar. Be there as the votes are counted, awards are announced, and be present for the Club's fourth Hall of Fame induction. Hear from Club President Jim Stynes and coach Dean Bailey. Don't miss out on this final opportunity to celebrate the Club's 150th year. Date: Thursday, 2 October 2008 Venue: Peninsula, Central Pier Docklands Gold Seating: $200* Silver Seating: $180* * Please note limited tickets are available in each seating category and will be sold on a first in, best dressed basis Tickets on sale NOW. To secure your table, contact Belinda Bowell on (03) 9652 1111 or via e-mail [email protected]. or to download the booking form click here, to download the flyer please click here

by Whispering Jack Since I regard myself as a bit of a football traditionalist, I was disappointed to find that there was no AFL game on the Saturday afternoon of Preliminary Final week. This left me with no choice but to set off for the home ground of football's underbelly to watch the penultimate finals games of the TAC Cup Under 18 series. Unfortunately the experience left me more disappointed than anything else. I've been going to these games for many years dating back to the competition's inception and, on what I saw yesterday, the decline in standards that I've noticed in recent years is still proceeding and, if anything, more rapidly than ever before. It was probably a combination of a number of things that led to my negativity. The weather was lousy – it was cold, a stiff breeze favoured the eastern end of the ground for most of the day and patches of rain dominated the odd glimpses of sunshine that made this a typical Melbourne day. The poor crowds and the decaying nature of the ground with its unkempt, dank and smelly stands were a bit of a turn off not to mention the ever-present insignia of the Melbourne Storm and the ominous reminders that the ground has a new name - Visy Park. To me, it's a bit of a turn off to name a venue after an organisation that managed to recently cop a national record penalty for corporate cheating but then again, when your very survival and most of your operations are being propped up by that self same mob, I guess it's a case of who cares and how high can we jump for them (as long as their share value stays at a reasonably comfortable level)? Oh, and since I came to have a look a some possible AFL draft prospects, I should add that the standard of football was pretty ordinary as well. First off, the Dandenong Stingrays who are coached by former Demon Graeme Yeats took on the Gippsland Power in a game that never hit the heights and was mainly a battle of the defences. The Dandy boys had the benefit of the breeze in the first quarter but almost blew it (sorry) by outscoring their opponents by a mere seven points and the Gippy boys fared slightly better to turn the tables at half time. Dandenong was in trouble until late in the third term when it kicked clear by a couple of goals but managed to hold firm under fire in the last thanks to appalling kicking for goal which robbed the country lads of an opportunity to play in a grand final. Only one player from each team has been invited to next month's National Draft Camp. For the losers, left footer Nicholas Heyne booted four goals (it could easily have been six) and he was impressive when going for marks and generally attacking the football. However, his chasing and accountability for his opponents was problematic. Dandenong's Ash Smith ran hard coming off a half back flank constantly sweeping the ball out of defence and he worked well with key defender Steven Gaertner who was probably best on ground. Gaertner who has been invited to the state screening camp (a second tier to the national draft camp) was considered a strong draft contender last year but missed out. He's strong, fast and athletic and should get the nod this year*. Gaertner spent a fair amount of the game on tall Gippsland youngster John Butcher who is being hailed as next year's number one draft pick but he was off his game a little yesterday. He took one or two strong marks but lived up to is name with his kicking. While promising, he still has a long way to go and will benefit from the extra year in Under 18 ranks. On the other hand, Dandenong youngster Tom Scully is the one who looks like challenging Butcher for the # 1 favourite spot next year. He showed out with some clever play on a half forward flank and will probably be a premier midfielder by the time he gets the call at the highest level. The second game saw title favourites Murray Bushrangers beat off the Oakleigh Chargers after the latter squandered several opportunities in a horror first term in which they kicked 2 goals 9 behinds to 3 goals 1 with the benefit of the strong breeze. Murray responded with a six goal second quarter and although the Chargers fought hard in the second half, the Bushies were always going to win from that point. The teams had a number of draft camp invitees in their ranks. Murray Bushrangers had Kade Klemke, Dylan McNeil, Riley Milne, Tom Rockliff, Steele Sidebottom, Caleb Tiller, Sam Wright and Jack Ziebell while Oakleigh Chargers had Dan Hannebery, Luke Shuey and James Strauss. The Bushies also had a number of others invited to the state screening camp; the Chargers also had a few (including Xavier Gotch whose father Brad was coaching Williamstown to a VFL preliminary final defeat a few kilometres away at Port Melbourne). Perhaps it was a case of collective stage fright but there were few outstanding prospects whose names I could pencil in as high draft picks. Rockliff was probably the outstanding player of the match with his four goals from a dynamic performance up forward. I had seem him previously in Under 18 championships games and I wasn't totally impressed; he had looked a bit slow, appeared a trifle lazy and possibly a one trick pony as a small forward. This was a much better effort and while it didn't answer all of the questions I had about his capacity to become a top flight footballer, I started warming to him as a prospect for the future. Sidebottom looks a classy midfielder who can take a nice mark and has good delivery with left and right foot and by hand. He worked his way into the game after quarter time and was one of his team's best. Ziebell is a really balanced footballer who worked constructively and had a hand in quite a few goals. He was reported and sent from the ground in the last quarter but there didn't appear to be much in the incident. He has been touted as a top ten draft pick so his absence in Friday's grand final would be a major blow to his team. Shuey was finding the ball early for the Chargers and finished with a couple of goals, while Strauss showed some good pace and excellent delivery at times. Both are outside chances for selection in the top twenty of the national draft. The major disappointment on the day was the fact that not a single ruckman stood out on the day. The conditions might have had something to do with this but I suspect that clubs looking for ruckmen in the forthcoming draft are going to have to look elsewhere. The draft experts in the media and elsewhere on the internet have deemed that the top three picks are already set in stone – Jack Watts, Daniel Rich and Nick Naitanui and in probably that order with 200cm tall Tyrone Vickery as an outsider to push his way into that group. Watts and Vickery play for the Sandringham Dragons which didn't even make the TAC Cup finals while Rich (Subiaco) and Naitanui (Swan Districts) will be slugging it out against men today in the WAFL Grand Final. Rich is playing in his second grand final at this level at the age of only 18 and, after yesterday, I remain unmoved in my conviction that he will be far and away the best player available when the national draft meeting opens in two month's time. Dandenong Stingrays 2.3 3.4 8.6 10.8 (68 ) Gippsland Power 1.2 4.5 6.6 8.13 (61) GOALS: Dandenong Stingrays: Pitt 3 Doria 3 Bastinac Purves Clark Hallahan Gippsland Power: Heyne 4 Blair Weston Donchi Lehman BEST: Dandenong Stingrays: Gaertner Wragg Gillies Heddles Doria Pitt Gippsland Power: Sing Blair McLinden Francis Heyne Butcher REPORTED PLAYERS: Dandenong Stingrays: Nil Gippsland Power: Nil 2008 TAC Cup Murray Bushrangers 3.1 9.5 9.8 14.12 (96) Oakleigh Chargers 2.9 4.10 7.14 7.16 (58 ) GOALS: Murray Bushrangers: Rockliff 4 Wright 2 Mangan 2 Sidebottom Browne Hamilton Martiniello Craven Ziebell Oakleigh Chargers: Burstin 2 Shuey 2 Gotch Van Unen Nicolopoulos BEST: Murray Bushrangers: Rockliff Mangan Sidebottom Birthisel Bryce Hamilton Oakleigh Chargers: Strauss Shuey Gotch Purcell Thompson Croft REPORTED PLAYERS: Murray Bushrangers: Jack Ziebell Oakleigh Chargers: Nil TAC CUP GRAND FINAL - Friday September 26 Murray Bushrangers v Dandenong Stingrays at Telstra Dome 4pm [The TAC Cup Final will be shown live on Fox Sports 1] * and just for the record I spent the early game in the company of members of Steve Gaertner's family. The did not influence my views on Steve's game and the best player list was issued by his club not me!

TAC OF THE TOWN by Whispering Jack Since I regard myself as a bit of a football traditionalist, I was disappointed to find that there was no AFL game on the Saturday afternoon of Preliminary Final week. This left me with no choice but to set off for the home ground of football's underbelly to watch the penultimate finals games of the TAC Cup Under 18 series. Unfortunately the experience left me more disappointed than anything else. I've been going to these games for many years dating back to the competition's inception and, on what I saw yesterday, the decline in standards that I've noticed in recent years is still proceeding and, if anything, more rapidly than ever before. It was probably a combination of a number of things that led to my negativity. The weather was lousy – it was cold, a stiff breeze favoured the eastern end of the ground for most of the day and patches of rain dominated the odd glimpses of sunshine that made this a typical Melbourne day. The poor crowds and the decaying nature of the ground with its unkempt, dank and smelly stands were a bit of a turn off not to mention the ever-present insignia of the Melbourne Storm and the ominous reminders that the ground has a new name - Visy Park. To me, it's a bit of a turn off to name a venue after an organisation that managed to recently cop a national record penalty for corporate cheating but then again, when your very survival and most of your operations are being propped up by that self same mob, I guess it's a case of who cares and how high can we jump for them (as long as their share value stays at a reasonably comfortable level)? Oh, and since I came to have a look a some possible AFL draft prospects, I should add that the standard of football was pretty ordinary as well. First off, the Dandenong Stingrays who are coached by former Demon Graeme Yeats took on the Gippsland Power in a game that never hit the heights and was mainly a battle of the defences. The Dandy boys had the benefit of the breeze in the first quarter but almost blew it (sorry) by outscoring their opponents by a mere seven points and the Gippy boys fared slightly better to turn the tables at half time. Dandenong was in trouble until late in the third term when it kicked clear by a couple of goals but managed to hold firm under fire in the last thanks to appalling kicking for goal which robbed the country lads of an opportunity to play in a grand final. Only one player from each team has been invited to next month's National Draft Camp. For the losers, left footer Nicholas Heyne booted four goals (it could easily have been six) and he was impressive when going for marks and generally attacking the football. However, his chasing and accountability for his opponents was problematic. Dandenong's Ash Smith ran hard coming off a half back flank constantly sweeping the ball out of defence and he worked well with key defender Steven Gaertner who was probably best on ground. Gaertner who has been invited to the state screening camp (a second tier to the national draft camp) was considered a strong draft contender last year but missed out. He's strong, fast and athletic and should get the nod this year*. Gaertner spent a fair amount of the game on tall Gippsland youngster John Butcher who is being hailed as next year's number one draft pick but he was off his game a little yesterday. He took one or two strong marks but lived up to is name with his kicking. While promising, he still has a long way to go and will benefit from the extra year in Under 18 ranks. On the other hand, Dandenong youngster Tom Scully is the one who looks like challenging Butcher for the # 1 favourite spot next year. He showed out with some clever play on a half forward flank and will probably be a premier midfielder by the time he gets the call at the highest level. The second game saw title favourites Murray Bushrangers beat off the Oakleigh Chargers after the latter squandered several opportunities in a horror first term in which they kicked 2 goals 9 behinds to 3 goals 1 with the benefit of the strong breeze. Murray responded with a six goal second quarter and although the Chargers fought hard in the second half, the Bushies were always going to win from that point. The teams had a number of draft camp invitees in their ranks. Murray Bushrangers had Kade Klemke, Dylan McNeil, Riley Milne, Tom Rockliff, Steele Sidebottom, Caleb Tiller, Sam Wright and Jack Ziebell while Oakleigh Chargers had Dan Hannebery, Luke Shuey and James Strauss. The Bushies also had a number of others invited to the state screening camp; the Chargers also had a few (including Xavier Gotch whose father Brad was coaching Williamstown to a VFL preliminary final defeat a few kilometres away at Port Melbourne). Perhaps it was a case of collective stage fright but there were few outstanding prospects whose names I could pencil in as high draft picks. Rockliff was probably the outstanding player of the match with his four goals from a dynamic performance up forward. I had seem him previously in Under 18 championships games and I wasn't totally impressed; he had looked a bit slow, appeared a trifle lazy and possibly a one trick pony as a small forward. This was a much better effort and while it didn't answer all of the questions I had about his capacity to become a top flight footballer, I started warming to him as a prospect for the future. Sidebottom looks a classy midfielder who can take a nice mark and has good delivery with left and right foot and by hand. He worked his way into the game after quarter time and was one of his team's best. Ziebell is a really balanced footballer who worked constructively and had a hand in quite a few goals. He was reported and sent from the ground in the last quarter but there didn't appear to be much in the incident. He has been touted as a top ten draft pick so his absence in Friday's grand final would be a major blow to his team. Shuey was finding the ball early for the Chargers and finished with a couple of goals, while Strauss showed some good pace and excellent delivery at times. Both are outside chances for selection in the top twenty of the national draft. The major disappointment on the day was the fact that not a single ruckman stood out on the day. The conditions might have had something to do with this but I suspect that clubs looking for ruckmen in the forthcoming draft are going to have to look elsewhere. The draft experts in the media and elsewhere on the internet have deemed that the top three picks are already set in stone – Jack Watts, Daniel Rich and Nick Naitanui and in probably that order with 200cm tall Tyrone Vickery as an outsider to push his way into that group. Watts and Vickery play for the Sandringham Dragons which didn't even make the TAC Cup finals while Rich (Subiaco) and Naitanui (Swan Districts) will be slugging it out against men today in the WAFL Grand Final. Rich is playing in his second grand final at this level at the age of only 18 and, after yesterday, I remain unmoved in my conviction that he will be far and away the best player available when the national draft meeting opens in two month's time. Dandenong Stingrays 2.3 3.4 8.6 10.8 (68 ) Gippsland Power 1.2 4.5 6.6 8.13 (61) GOALS: Dandenong Stingrays: Pitt 3 Doria 3 Bastinac Purves Clark Hallahan Gippsland Power: Heyne 4 Blair Weston Donchi Lehman BEST: Dandenong Stingrays: Gaertner Wragg Gillies Heddles Doria Pitt Gippsland Power: Sing Blair McLinden Francis Heyne Butcher REPORTED PLAYERS: Dandenong Stingrays: Nil Gippsland Power: Nil 2008 TAC Cup Murray Bushrangers 3.1 9.5 9.8 14.12 (96) Oakleigh Chargers 2.9 4.10 7.14 7.16 (58 ) GOALS: Murray Bushrangers: Rockliff 4 Wright 2 Mangan 2 Sidebottom Browne Hamilton Martiniello Craven Ziebell Oakleigh Chargers: Burstin 2 Shuey 2 Gotch Van Unen Nicolopoulos BEST: Murray Bushrangers: Rockliff Mangan Sidebottom Birthisel Bryce Hamilton Oakleigh Chargers: Strauss Shuey Gotch Purcell Thompson Croft REPORTED PLAYERS: Murray Bushrangers: Jack Ziebell Oakleigh Chargers: Nil TAC CUP GRAND FINAL - Friday September 26 Murray Bushrangers v Dandenong Stingrays at Telstra Dome 4pm [The TAC Cup Final will be shown live on Fox Sports 1] * and just for the record I spent the early game in the company of members of Steve Gaertner's family. The did not influence my views on Steve's game and the best player list was issued by his club not me!

Cale Morton would be most peoples' favourite. Who do you rate and why from this list - GRIMES, Jack MARIC, Addam MARTIN, Stefan MORTON, Cale VALENTI, Shane ® WEETRA, Isaac WONAEAMIRRI, Austin ®

17. Chris Johnson [188 cm 87 kg 25.01.86- 31 games (10 in 2008) 2 goals (2 in 2008)] – the son of former Demon great, Alan Johnson is finally starting to come of age after five seasons at the club. After a slow start to the season, he returned to the Demon side in mid season and started racking up good numbers including a career-best 33 disposals in the win over the Brisbane Lions before succumbing to a groin injury late in the year.

16. Jack Grimes [186 cm 81 kg 11.05.89 - 1 game 0 goals] - the former Northern Knights skipper missed the first half of the season with back and groin problems and was then nursed through several games with the Sandringham reserves before winning senior selection with the Zebras where he produced some impressive performances. After an outstanding game at Frankston, he made his AFL debut in Round 22. Looks a real midfield prospect.

15. Ricky Petterd [185 cm 78 kg 24.07.88 - 11 games (2 in 2008) 6 goals (0 in 2008)] - since suffering that life-threatening punctured lung in Round 14, 2007 against Carlton, he has played only two AFL games - the first in Round 1 of this year and the other in round 22 when he injured his hamstring. In between he has suffered from osteitis pubis and related ailments but managed to play some really good games at Sandringham and will be an asset to the club if he can get through the next pre season fit and ready for 2009.

14. Lynden Dunn [192cm 90 kg 14.05.87 - 39 games (16 in 2008) 28 goals (6 in 2008)] - hasn't quite made it as a tall forward so Dean Bailey gave him a number of tagging roles mainly in the midfield where he shut down some good opponents including Adam Goodes. The club will be hoping that he can progress futher not only in this latest role but also in producing some more attacking football in the future.