Demonland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome to Demonland - JAMIE BENNELL - WA Draft Profiles

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

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

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

Stevo's draft preview concludes with the Chaos Theory - ANOTHER YEAR OF DRAFTING DANGEROUSLY – PART FIVE by Stevo THE CHAOS THEORY They all started out as just names and most of them were unknown 12 months ago but the keen and growing interest in the national draft and in its importance to the nation's biggest sport (and indeed a major industry in these difficult times) has thrust these names into the minds of many who follow football with a little more intensity than the average punter. Over the past year, many of these names acquired faces and reputations and, a little after 10 o'clock this Saturday morning, they will start carrying the hopes for the future of many and diverse supporters of the game. The most prominent of the names have already been mentioned in this series. I stand by my top three of Jack Watts, Nick Naitanui and Daniel Rich as the players who are head and shoulders above all others in my estimation (no surprise after reading Burgo's Phantom Draft) even though they were actually not the first taken. Geelong Falcons ruckman Ayce Cordy had that honour when selected by the Western Bulldogs under the father/son rule costing them pick number 14. My other first rounders are (in no particular order), the "wild cards" Phil Davis, Stephen Hill, Steele Sidebottom, Tom Swift, Jackson Trengove and Chris Yarran who could go anywhere and whose stories make this draft so interesting and the solid citizens heading for top ten selection or thereabouts in Hamish Hartlett, Michael Hurley, Lewis Johnston, Shaun McKernan, Tyrone Vickery and Jack Ziebell. These are my sixteen first rounders. There are of course, many more names in the draft mix. Thanks mainly to the chaos theory of drafting, other names will inevitably creep into that first round of sixteen (I'm not infallible). The chaos theory works because the draft is the product of a number of different minds who have different views about the players and the needs of their clubs. If Fremantle decides to select Stephen Hill at # 3, it creates chaos further down the line with one club or another being forced to shuffle its preferences as a result of that one decision which might, like the butterfly flapping its wings in the valley of the Amazon, cause a cataclysm somewhere else on the face of the earth. Meanwhile, there are nine eligible All-Australians who missed my first round:- Matt Deboer, Kade Klemke, Jordan Lisle, Rhys O'Keefe Clancee Pearce, Mitch Robinson, Nick Suban, Michael Walters and David Zaharakis. Most of them would fit nicely into the top group and I have some favourites from this list (pen pictures from Inside Football):- JORDAN LISLE - tall forward, Oakleigh Chargers, Vic DOB: 12/7/90 Ht: 196cm Wt: 87kg "Jordy had a fantastic year combining school footy with TAC Cup footy. He's predominantly played as a tall marking forward and this year we pushed him back to centre half back, a role he also played for Vic Metro. For a guy his size, his skills and decision making are first class and he uses the ball very well. Has terrific hands and for a big bloke is good below his knees." - Oakleigh Chargers region manager Stephen Conole. Vic Metro rep 2008. All Australian 2008. From Carey Grammar. MICHAEL WALTERS - midfielder, Swan Districts, WA. DOB: 7/1/91 Ht: 177cm Ht: 75kg "Michael came off the state under-18s championships and went into our senior side and did very well late in the year. Finished the year in the Colts side and played in the premiership. Played virtually all year through the middle of the ground and across half forward and he's got one of the best football brains you could imagine. Unbelievable skills by foot" - Swan Districts football manager Matt Peach. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. WA rep 2008. From Midvale FC. DAVID ZAHARKIS - midfielder. Northern Knights, Vic DOB: 21/2/90 Ht: 180cm Wt: 73kg. "David played onball this year and he was a co-captain of Vic Metro. He's a very quick player with great agility who uses the ball very well. Apart from his footy David has great leadership skills and would bring great character to a footy club. An exciting prospect who unfortunately didn't participate in the draft camp because of about of glandular fever." - Northern Knights coach Paul Satterley. Vic Metro rep 2008. All Australian 2008. From Marcellin College. But that's not all as the say in the steak knife advertisement on late night television. There is another group of names who I describe as the best of the rest - names that didn't achieve AA honours for one reason or another but who are good enough to find their way into the first round of this draft. If they don't, they will likely find a new football home by the end of the second. They are: Dayne Beams, Sam Blease, Aaron Cornelius, Nick Heyne, Tom Lynch, Jordan Roughead, Ryan Schoenmakers and Ashley Smith. The same drill again with Inside Football pen pics:- SAM BLEASE - mid, Eastern Ranges, Vic DOB: 19/12/91 Ht: 183cm 72kg "Sam hasn't played a lot with the Ranges because of injury and school footy (Yarra Valley Grammar) but he's just got explosive speed and sensational skills. Just a super kick who plays generally on a wing, uses the ball well and makes good decisions. Suffered with osteitis pubis last summer and had a slight knee injury late 2008." - Eastern Ranges manager Ian Flack. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. Vic Metro rep 2008. TOM LYNCH - tall forward, Sandringham Dragons, Vic DOB: 15/9/90 Ht: 191 cm Wt: 84kg "Tom had a knee reconstruction as a 17- year -old and didn't play last year. Was the co-captain of Victoria, captained Haileybury College and was the best and fairest winner there. Got a lot of pedigree and is just a good player. Can play centre half forward or centre half back and is a very, very smart player." Sandringham Dragons region manager Wayne Oswald. Vic Metro rep- 2008. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. From Haileybury College. RYAN SCHOENMAKERS - medium forward, Norwood, SA. DOB: 8/11/90 Ht: 193cm Wt: 85kg "Ryan's a tall forward at 193cm who kicks beautifully off both feet - you can't tell whether he's a left or right footer. Got a good motor as well which enables him to leap and present up well Played all year for us in the reserves apart from me national carnival and was discussed-later in the year in the senior mix but didn't get a game. He won the repeated sprint test at the draft, which underlines his mobility, and. did a 2.9 secs for the 20-metre sprint." - Norwood development manager David Oatey SA rep 2008. From Tea Tree Gully FC. Melbourne would be doing well to draft one of the players highlighted above with picks 17 and 19. Blease and either Lisle or Lynch would make a good pair for the Demons but remember, once the first few selections are made, it could well be chaos out there! I won't hazard to go further but there is another element to the chaos theory that should start playing out a role late in the second round and that is the recycled player. A large list have registered for the draft in the hope that they might get a second or third chance at an AFL club but St. Kilda blew a big hole calculations by dropping out of the race for Ben Cousins who might have gone early. The rest of the recycled group will be up against the great depth of young talent in this draft and they might struggle competing with next tier of players likely to include Jarrad Blight, Mitch Brown, Matthew Broadbent, Paul Cahill, Steven Gaertner, Dan Hannebery, Jayden Post, Luke Shuey, Rory Sloan, James Strauss, Jarrad Redden and Tom Rockliff before we get down to the real draft smokeys at the tail end of the draft. Rest assured, this is a very good year for Melbourne to have so many selections in what will be remembered in years to come as a very solid draft meeting. Expect the Demons to aim for a ruckman and possibly some bottom aged players with their later picks. There is talent hidden deep there as well.

Stevo's draft preview concludes with the Chaos Theory - ANOTHER YEAR OF DRAFTING DANGEROUSLY – PART FIVE by Stevo THE CHAOS THEORY They all started out as just names and most of them were unknown 12 months ago but the keen and growing interest in the national draft and in its importance to the nation's biggest sport (and indeed a major industry in these difficult times) has thrust these names into the minds of many who follow football with a little more intensity than the average punter. Over the past year, many of these names acquired faces and reputations and, a little after 10 o'clock this Saturday morning, they will start carrying the hopes for the future of many and diverse supporters of the game. The most prominent of the names have already been mentioned in this series. I stand by my top three of Jack Watts, Nick Naitanui and Daniel Rich as the players who are head and shoulders above all others in my estimation (no surprise after reading Burgo's Phantom Draft) even though they were actually not the first taken. Geelong Falcons ruckman Ayce Cordy had that honour when selected by the Western Bulldogs under the father/son rule costing them pick number 14. My other first rounders are (in no particular order), the "wild cards" Phil Davis, Stephen Hill, Steele Sidebottom, Tom Swift, Jackson Trengove and Chris Yarran who could go anywhere and whose stories make this draft so interesting and the solid citizens heading for top ten selection or thereabouts in Hamish Hartlett, Michael Hurley, Lewis Johnston, Shaun McKernan, Tyrone Vickery and Jack Ziebell. These are my sixteen first rounders. There are of course, many more names in the draft mix. Thanks mainly to the chaos theory of drafting, other names will inevitably creep into that first round of sixteen (I'm not infallible). The chaos theory works because the draft is the product of a number of different minds who have different views about the players and the needs of their clubs. If Fremantle decides to select Stephen Hill at # 3, it creates chaos further down the line with one club or another being forced to shuffle its preferences as a result of that one decision which might, like the butterfly flapping its wings in the valley of the Amazon, cause a cataclysm somewhere else on the face of the earth. Meanwhile, there are nine eligible All-Australians who missed my first round:- Matt Deboer, Kade Klemke, Jordan Lisle, Rhys O'Keefe Clancee Pearce, Mitch Robinson, Nick Suban, Michael Walters and David Zaharakis. Most of them would fit nicely into the top group and I have some favourites from this list (pen pictures from Inside Football):- JORDAN LISLE - tall forward, Oakleigh Chargers, Vic DOB: 12/7/90 Ht: 196cm Wt: 87kg "Jordy had a fantastic year combining school footy with TAC Cup footy. He's predominantly played as a tall marking forward and this year we pushed him back to centre half back, a role he also played for Vic Metro. For a guy his size, his skills and decision making are first class and he uses the ball very well. Has terrific hands and for a big bloke is good below his knees." - Oakleigh Chargers region manager Stephen Conole. Vic Metro rep 2008. All Australian 2008. From Carey Grammar. MICHAEL WALTERS - midfielder, Swan Districts, WA. DOB: 7/1/91 Ht: 177cm Ht: 75kg "Michael came off the state under-18s championships and went into our senior side and did very well late in the year. Finished the year in the Colts side and played in the premiership. Played virtually all year through the middle of the ground and across half forward and he's got one of the best football brains you could imagine. Unbelievable skills by foot" - Swan Districts football manager Matt Peach. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. WA rep 2008. From Midvale FC. DAVID ZAHARKIS - midfielder. Northern Knights, Vic DOB: 21/2/90 Ht: 180cm Wt: 73kg. "David played onball this year and he was a co-captain of Vic Metro. He's a very quick player with great agility who uses the ball very well. Apart from his footy David has great leadership skills and would bring great character to a footy club. An exciting prospect who unfortunately didn't participate in the draft camp because of about of glandular fever." - Northern Knights coach Paul Satterley. Vic Metro rep 2008. All Australian 2008. From Marcellin College. But that's not all as the say in the steak knife advertisement on late night television. There is another group of names who I describe as the best of the rest - names that didn't achieve AA honours for one reason or another but who are good enough to find their way into the first round of this draft. If they don't, they will likely find a new football home by the end of the second. They are: Dayne Beams, Sam Blease, Aaron Cornelius, Nick Heyne, Tom Lynch, Jordan Roughead, Ryan Schoenmakers and Ashley Smith. The same drill again with Inside Football pen pics:- SAM BLEASE - mid, Eastern Ranges, Vic DOB: 19/12/91 Ht: 183cm 72kg "Sam hasn't played a lot with the Ranges because of injury and school footy (Yarra Valley Grammar) but he's just got explosive speed and sensational skills. Just a super kick who plays generally on a wing, uses the ball well and makes good decisions. Suffered with osteitis pubis last summer and had a slight knee injury late 2008." - Eastern Ranges manager Ian Flack. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. Vic Metro rep 2008. TOM LYNCH - tall forward, Sandringham Dragons, Vic DOB: 15/9/90 Ht: 191 cm Wt: 84kg "Tom had a knee reconstruction as a 17- year -old and didn't play last year. Was the co-captain of Victoria, captained Haileybury College and was the best and fairest winner there. Got a lot of pedigree and is just a good player. Can play centre half forward or centre half back and is a very, very smart player." Sandringham Dragons region manager Wayne Oswald. Vic Metro rep- 2008. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. From Haileybury College. RYAN SCHOENMAKERS - medium forward, Norwood, SA. DOB: 8/11/90 Ht: 193cm Wt: 85kg "Ryan's a tall forward at 193cm who kicks beautifully off both feet - you can't tell whether he's a left or right footer. Got a good motor as well which enables him to leap and present up well Played all year for us in the reserves apart from me national carnival and was discussed-later in the year in the senior mix but didn't get a game. He won the repeated sprint test at the draft, which underlines his mobility, and. did a 2.9 secs for the 20-metre sprint." - Norwood development manager David Oatey SA rep 2008. From Tea Tree Gully FC. Melbourne would be doing well to draft one of the players highlighted above with picks 17 and 19. Blease and either Lisle or Lynch would make a good pair for the Demons but remember, once the first few selections are made, it could well be chaos out there! I won't hazard to go further but there is another element to the chaos theory that should start playing out a role late in the second round and that is the recycled player. A large list have registered for the draft in the hope that they might get a second or third chance at an AFL club but St. Kilda blew a big hole calculations by dropping out of the race for Ben Cousins who might have gone early. The rest of the recycled group will be up against the great depth of young talent in this draft and they might struggle competing with next tier of players likely to include Jarrad Blight, Mitch Brown, Matthew Broadbent, Paul Cahill, Steven Gaertner, Dan Hannebery, Jayden Post, Luke Shuey, Rory Sloan, James Strauss, Jarrad Redden and Tom Rockliff before we get down to the real draft smokeys at the tail end of the draft. Rest assured, this is a very good year for Melbourne to have so many selections in what will be remembered in years to come as a very solid draft meeting. Expect the Demons to aim for a ruckman and possibly some bottom aged players with their later picks. There is talent hidden deep there as well.

Introducing our new Casey correspondent ... STEAMIN' AND A'ROLLIN' WITH CASEY by KC from Casey The worst kept secret of 2008 was unveiled with the following announcement on the Casey Scorpions Football Club website: - "The Scorpions have just signed a 10 year agreement with The Melbourne Football Club and are excited about building one of the best alignments in the VFL." The Casey Scorpions have been based at Casey Fields for only a short time – since 2006 when the 70-hectare site in Cranbourne East that includes 17 sports grounds opened. This development in Melbourne's south east happens to be part of one of Australia's fastest growing population centres. If you take the area extending from Dandenong, through the Casey municipality and across to the Shire of Cardinia which is centred on Pakenham in the east, you have a region that rivals western Sydney and the Gold Coast among the largest growth areas in the country. These regions now have another thing in common – all will soon have an AFL presence. While the Casey Scorpions is a new name in Australia's most popular sport, the club boasts a rich and successful 100-year history from the days when it began as the Springvale Football Club at a place on the bullock run from Melbourne to Dandenong. The name "Springvale" is said to be derived from the permanent natural springs in the area that provided water supplies for stock and travellers. There are records of a hotel along that route in the 1850's but development in the town really started to take pace when a primary school was built in 1867. Springvale Shire was proclaimed in 1873 and the first subdivision of land occurred close by a railway stopping point on the way to Gippsland at Springvale Road in 1886. The Wesleyan Church opened near the station in 1887, and the Sandown Park racecourse opened in 1891. The football club was formed just after the turn of century in the Springvale Hotel and began its existence in the Mulgrave Football Association wearing a red and white-hooped guernsey and playing on a ground behind the Springvale Post Office in the main street of town. There are different versions as to the founding date with some sources saying it was formed in 1903 while another puts it at 1906. Whatever the case, the club moved to the Berwick District Football Association in 1911 and it won its first premiership in its debut season in the competition. As the town grew, it was necessary to find a new ground and a group of local businessmen purchased land in Newcomen Road through the Springvale Recreation Ground Trust and the club moved there in 1915. Both the town and football club continued to flourish and Springvale established itself as the premier football team in the district with premierships in 1920, 1921, 1930, 1932 and 1933. The last of those premierships was won in the Dandenong District Football Association, an achievement repeated on the eve of the Second World War in 1939. In the interim, the club's relationship with the Springvale RSL gained it access to extra land and with support of local council the current grandstand was built on it in 1934. When the war was over, the town of Springvale again flourished with many young families settling in large number of War Service homes that were built there. The club was now competing in the Caulfield Oakleigh District Football League and it took out the 1956 premiership after beating Oakleigh Districts in a grand final replay after the first final ended in a draw. Following that success the club moved to the Federal Football League in 1957 and soon became a powerhouse of the competition winning four flags in a row between 1960 and 1963 and another in 1965. The City of Springvale had been proclaimed on 22 April 1961 and the area was growing in leaps and bounds as Melbourne's urban sprawl stretched onwards and outwards. The football club won more premierships in 1975 and 1976 and the area gained an upsurge in prestige when its football club moved across to the Victorian Football Association at the end of 1981 after dominating the Federal League for 25 years, a period in which it missed out on the finals only twice. It didn't take long for Springvale, now known as the Scorpions, and wearing red and blue colours with a white SFC monogram, to prove a force in the VFA’s Second Division. In only its second year it defeated one of the traditional long serving clubs of the competition in Brunswick to win the 1983 premiership thereby gaining entry into the First Division. The club embarked on a youth policy and developed many young players from the local south eastern suburbs around Springvale and it paid off when it recruited Phil Maylin from Footscray as captain/coach in 1987. He took the club to its first ever VFA First Division Premiership with a win over the powerful Port Melbourne. Springvale remained a strength in the VFA competition and was a regular finals contender over the next decade and a half reaching its height in the latter half of the 1990's when the side had developed into an outstanding combination that won four flags in five years. The Scorpions were the dominant side of 1995 winning all but one game and beating Sandringham comfortably in both the second semi final (by 45 points) and the grand final (by 43 points). They also snared the reserves premiership. Springvale made it back to back flags in 1996 beating Frankston in the grand final but missed out in 1997 losing an elimination final to Sandringham. The oldest competition in the country was falling on troubled times and, after it was taken over by the AFL, it was rebranded the Victorian Football League from 1997 and Springvale was able to repeat its back to back double in 1998 and 1999 to finish the millennium as the most outstanding football team in that competition. The new century brought new challenges to the Springvale Football Club with the introduction of AFL seconds teams into the competition in 2000. Some AFL clubs joined VFL clubs while others stood alone and Springvale took the latter option. The Scorpions managed to scrape into the finals but were eliminated in the first week by Geelong. The following year saw the club enter into a union with St. Kilda and the team finished in third place after a solid season. The Scorpions disappointed in 2002 to miss out on the finals but came back to finals football in 2003 before falling away badly for a wooden spoon in 2004 and another lowly finish in 2005. With the facilities at Springvale well below the standard required to house a team at this level of football, the move was made to the new development at Cranbourne East in the relatively new municipality of Casey which had been formed when Victoria's local government system was overhauled in 1994 with the merger of the City of Berwick with the majority of the City of Cranbourne and a small part of the City of Knox. For many centuries before European settlement, the Casey district formed part of the territory of the Bunurong people and included the boundary with the Wurundjeri people to the north. Early European settlement occurred in the late 1830's, at much the same time as development began in Melbourne itself. Pastoral activities remained the focus of the district's activity for many years, with the first community societies and associations being established in 1850's. District Road Boards, formed by landholders and householders, were proclaimed in Cranbourne in 1860 and in Berwick two years later. The first Cranbourne and Berwick Shires were created in 1868, two months apart. These areas came into their own in the 1970's and 1980's and they now form part of one of the country's key growth areas with hundreds of new households formed on a monthly basis. The Casey Scorpions moved into their new home at Casey Fields in 2006 their official guernsey was now navy blue with a white diamond and red Scorpion monogram, Casey lettering in red, navy blue back with white patch and navy blue numbers. The socks, navy blue with red and white tops, the shorts navy blue. By 2007, they were ready to play finals again but lost their elimination final game against Port Melbourne. In 2008, they went one better with a narrow win in the elimination final against Northern Bullants before going down to Werribee in the First Semi Final. By that time, the club’s eight-year alignment with St Kilda had come to an end. The past few seasons have seen Casey striving to develop a young side that will grow within the established culture of success achieved over the long and proud history of the organisation dating back to its spiritual roots in Springvale at the turn of the last century. The list of leading players from 2008 starts with a young skipper aged just 23 years:- 52 games Kyle Matthews (2008 - 16) 45 James Taylor (20) 41 Alex Silvagni (18) 39 James Wall (22) 37 Stefan Garrubba (19) 37 Steven O'Bryan (16) 33 Ben Fraser (5) 35 Chris Dunne (21) 28 Adam Parker (17) 18 Evan Panozza (12) The club has done well in recruiting a number of graduates from the TAC Cup team Gippsland Power Under 18 team in recent years including Dunne, Fraser, Patrick McGrath, O'Bryan and Beau Vernon. The club has also recruited from the Eastern Ranges Under 18’s with Andrew Campbell, Ryan Creed, Panozza, Parker and Daniel Unsworth. Leading players include Matthews, a livewire rover, Wall who was 2008 Gardner-Clark Medallist (best and fairest winner), a ruckman/defender who has been on the lists of St. Kilda and Sydney Swans, Garrubba formerly of Sydney via the Dandenong Stingrays and Silvagni, a 2008 draft hopeful and 192cm defender who is related to Carlton's footballing dynasty Serge and Stephen. At this year's club best and fairest night, Casey general manager Brian Woodman foreshadowed a new relationship with the Melbourne Football Club when he said. "In the coming years we hope to forge a strong relationship with the Gippsland Power, the Casey Scorpions and the Melbourne Football Club.'' Since then, Chris Connolly, Melbourne's General Manager, Football Operations addressed a meeting of new Scorpion recruits and Casey appointed Peter German as its new coach with a role that also involves development work with the Melbourne Football Club. "It's great to be able to grab an opportunity like this and I've got no doubt that what's going to be set up between Melbourne and Casey will be a long-term thing. "It's probably a dual role in that I'll be working for both the Melbourne footy club and the Casey Scorpions," German said. There are rumours that former Demon Nathan Brown will be crossing from West Adelaide to join the Scorpions for 2009 and the Casey website has another story about ace WAFL premiership player and former Sandringham star Mark Haynes joining the club from Subiaco as an assistant coach. There is an oustide chance that he may have a playing role as well. In a further twist of fate the Scorpions kick off their 2009 season with an intriguing clash against Sandringham at Trevor Barker Beach Oval in a game that will see a battle among the old alignments. The Demons have also been working painstakingly with the City of Casey on putting together an agreement that would that would lay the foundation for the club's long term presence within one of the nation's fasted growing regions, a move that was a precursor to revealing officially the new alignment between Melbourne and the Casey Scorpions. And since navy blue and red predominate the colours of both clubs, it's not hard to envision a successful blending of the two clubs. All that was needed to get it off the ground was the announcement.

STEAMIN' AND A'ROLLIN' WITH CASEY by KC from Casey The worst kept secret of 2008 was unveiled with the following announcement on the Casey Scorpions Football Club website: - "The Scorpions have just signed a 10 year agreement with The Melbourne Football Club and are excited about building one of the best alignments in the VFL." The Casey Scorpions have been based at Casey Fields for only a short time – since 2006 when the 70-hectare site in Cranbourne East that includes 17 sports grounds opened. This development in Melbourne's south east happens to be part of one of Australia's fastest growing population centres. If you take the area extending from Dandenong, through the Casey municipality and across to the Shire of Cardinia which is centred on Pakenham in the east, you have a region that rivals western Sydney and the Gold Coast among the largest growth areas in the country. These regions now have another thing in common – all will soon have an AFL presence. While the Casey Scorpions is a new name in Australia's most popular sport, the club boasts a rich and successful 100-year history from the days when it began as the Springvale Football Club at a place on the bullock run from Melbourne to Dandenong. The name "Springvale" is said to be derived from the permanent natural springs in the area that provided water supplies for stock and travellers. There are records of a hotel along that route in the 1850's but development in the town really started to take pace when a primary school was built in 1867. Springvale Shire was proclaimed in 1873 and the first subdivision of land occurred close by a railway stopping point on the way to Gippsland at Springvale Road in 1886. The Wesleyan Church opened near the station in 1887, and the Sandown Park racecourse opened in 1891. The football club was formed just after the turn of century in the Springvale Hotel and began its existence in the Mulgrave Football Association wearing a red and white-hooped guernsey and playing on a ground behind the Springvale Post Office in the main street of town. There are different versions as to the founding date with some sources saying it was formed in 1903 while another puts it at 1906. Whatever the case, the club moved to the Berwick District Football Association in 1911 and it won its first premiership in its debut season in the competition. As the town grew, it was necessary to find a new ground and a group of local businessmen purchased land in Newcomen Road through the Springvale Recreation Ground Trust and the club moved there in 1915. Both the town and football club continued to flourish and Springvale established itself as the premier football team in the district with premierships in 1920, 1921, 1930, 1932 and 1933. The last of those premierships was won in the Dandenong District Football Association, an achievement repeated on the eve of the Second World War in 1939. In the interim, the club's relationship with the Springvale RSL gained it access to extra land and with support of local council the current grandstand was built on it in 1934. When the war was over, the town of Springvale again flourished with many young families settling in large number of War Service homes that were built there. The club was now competing in the Caulfield Oakleigh District Football League and it took out the 1956 premiership after beating Oakleigh Districts in a grand final replay after the first final ended in a draw. Following that success the club moved to the Federal Football League in 1957 and soon became a powerhouse of the competition winning four flags in a row between 1960 and 1963 and another in 1965. The City of Springvale had been proclaimed on 22 April 1961 and the area was growing in leaps and bounds as Melbourne's urban sprawl stretched onwards and outwards. The football club won more premierships in 1975 and 1976 and the area gained an upsurge in prestige when its football club moved across to the Victorian Football Association at the end of 1981 after dominating the Federal League for 25 years, a period in which it missed out on the finals only twice. It didn't take long for Springvale, now known as the Scorpions, and wearing red and blue colours with a white SFC monogram, to prove a force in the VFA’s Second Division. In only its second year it defeated one of the traditional long serving clubs of the competition in Brunswick to win the 1983 premiership thereby gaining entry into the First Division. The club embarked on a youth policy and developed many young players from the local south eastern suburbs around Springvale and it paid off when it recruited Phil Maylin from Footscray as captain/coach in 1987. He took the club to its first ever VFA First Division Premiership with a win over the powerful Port Melbourne. Springvale remained a strength in the VFA competition and was a regular finals contender over the next decade and a half reaching its height in the latter half of the 1990's when the side had developed into an outstanding combination that won four flags in five years. The Scorpions were the dominant side of 1995 winning all but one game and beating Sandringham comfortably in both the second semi final (by 45 points) and the grand final (by 43 points). They also snared the reserves premiership. Springvale made it back to back flags in 1996 beating Frankston in the grand final but missed out in 1997 losing an elimination final to Sandringham. The oldest competition in the country was falling on troubled times and, after it was taken over by the AFL, it was rebranded the Victorian Football League from 1997 and Springvale was able to repeat its back to back double in 1998 and 1999 to finish the millennium as the most outstanding football team in that competition. The new century brought new challenges to the Springvale Football Club with the introduction of AFL seconds teams into the competition in 2000. Some AFL clubs joined VFL clubs while others stood alone and Springvale took the latter option. The Scorpions managed to scrape into the finals but were eliminated in the first week by Geelong. The following year saw the club enter into a union with St. Kilda and the team finished in third place after a solid season. The Scorpions disappointed in 2002 to miss out on the finals but came back to finals football in 2003 before falling away badly for a wooden spoon in 2004 and another lowly finish in 2005. With the facilities at Springvale well below the standard required to house a team at this level of football, the move was made to the new development at Cranbourne East in the relatively new municipality of Casey which had been formed when Victoria's local government system was overhauled in 1994 with the merger of the City of Berwick with the majority of the City of Cranbourne and a small part of the City of Knox. For many centuries before European settlement, the Casey district formed part of the territory of the Bunurong people and included the boundary with the Wurundjeri people to the north. Early European settlement occurred in the late 1830's, at much the same time as development began in Melbourne itself. Pastoral activities remained the focus of the district's activity for many years, with the first community societies and associations being established in 1850's. District Road Boards, formed by landholders and householders, were proclaimed in Cranbourne in 1860 and in Berwick two years later. The first Cranbourne and Berwick Shires were created in 1868, two months apart. These areas came into their own in the 1970's and 1980's and they now form part of one of the country's key growth areas with hundreds of new households formed on a monthly basis. The Casey Scorpions moved into their new home at Casey Fields in 2006 their official guernsey was now navy blue with a white diamond and red Scorpion monogram, Casey lettering in red, navy blue back with white patch and navy blue numbers. The socks, navy blue with red and white tops, the shorts navy blue. By 2007, they were ready to play finals again but lost their elimination final game against Port Melbourne. In 2008, they went one better with a narrow win in the elimination final against Northern Bullants before going down to Werribee in the First Semi Final. By that time, the club’s eight-year alignment with St Kilda had come to an end. The past few seasons have seen Casey striving to develop a young side that will grow within the established culture of success achieved over the long and proud history of the organisation dating back to its spiritual roots in Springvale at the turn of the last century. The list of leading players from 2008 starts with a young skipper aged just 23 years:- 52 games Kyle Matthews (2008 - 16) 45 James Taylor (20) 41 Alex Silvagni (18) 39 James Wall (22) 37 Stefan Garrubba (19) 37 Steven O'Bryan (16) 33 Ben Fraser (5) 35 Chris Dunne (21) 28 Adam Parker (17) 18 Evan Panozza (12) The club has done well in recruiting a number of graduates from the TAC Cup team Gippsland Power Under 18 team in recent years including Dunne, Fraser, Patrick McGrath, O'Bryan and Beau Vernon. The club has also recruited from the Eastern Ranges Under 18’s with Andrew Campbell, Ryan Creed, Panozza, Parker and Daniel Unsworth. Leading players include Matthews, a livewire rover, Wall who was 2008 Gardner-Clark Medallist (best and fairest winner), a ruckman/defender who has been on the lists of St. Kilda and Sydney Swans, Garrubba formerly of Sydney via the Dandenong Stingrays and Silvagni, a 2008 draft hopeful and 192cm defender who is related to Carlton's footballing dynasty Serge and Stephen. At this year's club best and fairest night, Casey general manager Brian Woodman foreshadowed a new relationship with the Melbourne Football Club when he said. "In the coming years we hope to forge a strong relationship with the Gippsland Power, the Casey Scorpions and the Melbourne Football Club.'' Since then, Chris Connolly, Melbourne's General Manager, Football Operations addressed a meeting of new Scorpion recruits and Casey appointed Peter German as its new coach with a role that also involves development work with the Melbourne Football Club. "It's great to be able to grab an opportunity like this and I've got no doubt that what's going to be set up between Melbourne and Casey will be a long-term thing. "It's probably a dual role in that I'll be working for both the Melbourne footy club and the Casey Scorpions, " German said. There are rumours that former Demon Nathan Brown will be crossing from West Adelaide to join the Scorpions for 2009 and the Casey website has another story about ace WAFL premiership player and former Sandringham star Mark Haynes joining the club from Subiaco as an assistant coach. There is an oustide chance that he may have a playing role as well. In a further twist of fate the Scorpions kick off their 2009 season with an intriguing clash against Sandringham at Trevor Barker Beach Oval in a game that will see a battle among the old alignments. The Demons have also been working painstakingly with the City of Casey on putting together an agreement that would that would lay the foundation for the club's long term presence within one of the nation's fasted growing regions, a move that was a precursor to revealing officially the new alignment between Melbourne and the Casey Scorpions. And since navy blue and red predominate the colours of both clubs, it's not hard to envision a successful blending of the two clubs. All that was needed to get it off the ground was the announcement.

Demonland presents the fourth in the series on the forthcoming drafts by "Stevo" as told to Whispering Jack ... ANOTHER YEAR OF DRAFTING DANGEROUSLY – PART FOUR by Stevo THE BEST OF THE BEST The best of the best at the AFL's national draft usually come from an elite football background. The system recognises the ability of these players very early so they get nurtured through national championships at Under 16 level, are refined further at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and reach prominence representing their states at the National Under 18 Championships. The best of the best then make the All-Australian team (usually announced after the championships) while the overall best and fairest in the first division of that competition wins the Larke Medal. Last year, the Melbourne Football Club selected three All-Australians at the national draft: Cale Morton (the Larke Medallist), Jack Grimes and Addam Maric. Tom McNamara, the youngest player overall in the 2007 draft, is also an AIS graduate. If, as predicted, the Demons select this year's Larke Medallist Jack Watts with their first pick, they will have a unique double in Morton and Watts - two best and fairest winners at the elite level of the sport. It's worthwhile looking at the 2008 All-Australians: ALL-AUSTRALIAN UNDER 18 TEAM 2008 Backs Nick Suban (179cm 82kg) * Michael Hurley (192cm 92kg) * Clancee Pearce (183cm 85kg) Half Backs Stephen Hill (182cm 72kg) Jordan Lisle (196cm 87kg) Rhyse O’Keefe (187cm 80kg) Centre Mitch Robinson (188cm 77kg) Matthew Deboer (187cm 85kg) David Zaharakis (180cm 73kg) Half forwards Hamish Hartlett (182cm 74kg) # Lewis Johnston (192cm 87kg) * Tom Scully (182cm 74kg) * Forwards Tyrone Vickery (200cm 86kg) # Jack Watts (194cm 85kg) * Michael Walters (177cm 75kg) * Followers Nick Naitanui (197cm 95kg) # Jack Ziebell (188cm 84 kg) * Ranga Ediriwickrama (178cm 79 kg) Interchange Daniel Rich (183cm 83kg) # Shaun McKernan (196cm 95kg) Steele Sidebottom (182cm 79kg) * Kade Klemke (180cm 78kg) * AA 2008 # AA 2007 [Hurley, Rich and Suban also made All-Australian in 2007] The elite players in this team will all come into contention at Saturday's draft meeting with the exception of Scully (ineligible due to age) and Ediriwickrama (already selected as a rookie by Geelong through the AFL's NSW scholarship scheme). The big three of Watts, Naitanui and Rich have already been covered in this series as have my "wild cards" Hill, Sidebottom and Yarran and a couple of others in Phil Davis, Tom Swift and Jackson Trengove who were injured during the championship and who, like Bulldog father/son pick Ayce Cordy, missed their chances of AA selection. I have pencilled in this next group (in alphabetic order) as my near certainties for first round selection with most, if not all, to be taken in the top ten (pen pictures are from the November edition of Inside Football): Hamish Hartlett is a highly regarded midfielder noted for his skills and ball handling who has already played senior football in SA and has good pace and awareness. HAMISH HARTLETT - midfielder. West Adelaide, SA DOB: 14/8/90 Ht: 182cm Wt: 74kg "Hamish is the younger brother of Adam at Carlton and he's an onball-cum-forward player who is fantastically skilled, with either foot Just a very classy player who started the year in the under 19s then ended up playing some senior footy towards the end of the year after having also played five or six games at the end of 2007. Had a shoulder operation late in the season and didn't do any of the testing at the draft camp. He's well sought after and just a quality footballer. That's the only way to describe him." - West Adelaide development manager Simon Hughes. SA rep 2008. All Australian 2008. From Edwardstown FC. Michael Hurley has been the outstanding key defender of the last two championships and has also been used up forward where he has kicked goals. Not overburdened with pace but makes up for it with football smarts, competitiveness and a good, long kick of the football. More a footballer than an athlete but will make an excellent acquisition for one of the clubs in the top half dozen at this year's draft. MICHAEL HURLEY - tall defender, Northern Knights, Vic. DOB: 1/6/90 Ht: 192cm Wt: 92kg "From where we sit, Michael is one of the best defenders, if not the best, in the TAC Cup. He's just a strongly built young man who is hard at the footy and boasts outstanding foot skills - can kick it 50-60 metres with accuracy on both sides. Very good player body-on-body and has the capacity to play either end. There were games where he went forward and kicked five and six goals. Came second in the best and fairest but could have won it, if not for state footy.'' - Northern Knights coach Paul Satterley Vic Metro rep 2008. AH Australian 2007,2008. From Macleod FC. Lewis Johnston is a tall, mobile, highly skilled and excelled in key forward posts with SA in the championships who has the athleticism to play in the midfield. LEWIS JOHNSTON - tall forward. North Adelaide, SA. DOB: 3/3/91 Ht: 192cm Wt: 87kg "Lewis played mainly under-17s for us as well as a few reserves games in the middle of the year after the under-18 championships. Had to travel long distances to train so he got very tired as the year . wore on. A very athletic player who plays mainly at. centre half forward. Ran 3.04 for a 20-metre sprint to underline his mobility and he's also got a good set of hands." - North Adelaide development manager Neil Sanders. SA rep 2008. All Australian 2008. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. From Port Bulldogs FC. Shaun McKernan is another athletic tall with a strong leap. I think he will probably be better suited up forward rather than in the ruck at AFL level although he could easily fulfil a role as a pinch hitter in that area as well. SHAUN McKERNAN - ruckman, Calder Cannons, Vic. DOB: 1/9/90 Ht: 196cm Wt: 95kg "Shaun is the younger brother of Corey and is a very similar player in a lot of ways. He's got massive hands, he's a prodigious kick, quick off the mark and he's one of those players who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Played a lot of good footy for us at centre halfback after the national carnival where he controlled the back line and rebounded well. Played in the ruck for Vic Metro and earned All-Australian honours, so he can play in a variety of spots. A very draftable player with all the attributes to have a long and distinguished AFL, career." - Calder Cannons region manager Martin Stillman. Vic Metro rep 2008. All Australian 2008. From Tullmarine FC. Tyrone Vickery is another athletic tall who overcame a serious knee injury and returned to prominence in 2008. Starred both in the ruck and up forward for Victoria Meto in the championships. TYRONE VICKERY - ruckman, Sandringham Dragons, Vic. DOB: 31/5/90 Ht: 200cm Wt: 86kg "He's exceptional. I'm sure Melbourne will have contemplated him as the No. 1 pick and if he doesn't go then, he'll go very high. Given what sides need, he could conceivably get through to Richmond but you never know what might happen. He's athletic, he's a good decision maker and he rarely turns the ball over. Right now I think he is a ruckman but that's not to say he can't be something else later on. He could well go forward and if he was a little taller then you could well be talking a Paul Salmon type." - Sandringham Dragons region manager Wayne Oswald. Vic Metro rep 2008. All Australian 2008. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. From Haileybury College. Jack Ziebell is a power athlete who is not overly fast but makes up for that with excellent skills on both sides of the body, long kicking and great decision-making. Injured a knee during the championships but played out the season. A strong mark who can play midfield or as a third tall up forward, he has apparently impressed new Brisbane coach Michael Voss. JACK ZIEBELL - midfielder, Murray Bushrangers, Vic. DOB: 28/2/91 Ht: 188cm Wt: 84kg "Jack's been a star since he was 14 or 15. He played the last six weeks of the year with a banged up knee (an injury sustained during the national carnival) so he hardly trained at all towards the end of the year but got through on class alone. A well balanced player who is a strong penetrating kick and can take a strong contested mark. Not super quick, not super athletic, hasn't got a super motor, but is very strong, loves the physicality of the game and doesn't mind crashing into blokes. Jack is the sort of kid that to me who will get reported a few times over his AFL career because he is so hard. He's not silly in terms of whacking blokes but he pushers the boundaries a bit, which will get him into strife now and then. In a year when our kids were starting to get a bit tired, Jack almost single handedly became our main focal point and got us over the line a few times with five and six goal efforts" - Murray Bushrangers coach Phil Bunn. Vic country rep 2008. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. From Wodonga FC. There is a chance, of course, that some of the players I have covered so far might still be available at selections 17 and 19 but if not, there are plenty of names still available from the best of the best to be selected late in the first round and early in the second and one or two of them might filter all the way down to the club's fourth selection overall at 35. Melbourne recruiting manager Barry Prendergast was hopeful when quoted in the Sunday Herald Sun: "You are just hoping that some good players will fall out at 17 and 19, because it is a good even draft," he said. "We fully expect to get three good players there. Even pick 35 is a handy one for us. "It is a strong position for any club and, hopefully, we can take advantage of that." Like all of us, Prendergast is looking forward to Saturday where a year's hard work from the Melbourne recruiting team will chrystallise into six or seven selections (the Demons also have picks 51, 64 and 76 - the last of which will probably be passed for the pre season draft). Despite the apparent wavering, I think Jack Watts' name is just about set in stone at Demonland for pick 1 but who will join him in the red and blue in 2009? Well, Prendergast might strike it lucky and pick up one of the gems that have been touted as first round selections and there are plenty of All-Australians in the best of the best who I still haven't covered. There are also some other handy players who could go within Melbourne's early second round range and we’ll look at them next time.

Demonland presents the fourth in the series on the forthcoming drafts by "Stevo" as told to Whispering Jack ... ANOTHER YEAR OF DRAFTING DANGEROUSLY – PART FOUR by Stevo THE BEST OF THE BEST The best of the best at the AFL's national draft usually come from an elite football background. The system recognises the ability of these players very early so they get nurtured through national championships at Under 16 level, are refined further at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and reach prominence representing their states at the National Under 18 Championships. The best of the best then make the All-Australian team (usually announced after the championships) while the overall best and fairest in the first division of that competition wins the Larke Medal. Last year, the Melbourne Football Club selected three All-Australians at the national draft: Cale Morton (the Larke Medallist), Jack Grimes and Addam Maric. Tom McNamara, the youngest player overall in the 2007 draft, is also an AIS graduate. If, as predicted, the Demons select this year's Larke Medallist Jack Watts with their first pick, they will have a unique double in Morton and Watts - two best and fairest winners at the elite level of the sport. It's worthwhile looking at the 2008 All-Australians: ALL-AUSTRALIAN UNDER 18 TEAM 2008 Backs Nick Suban (179cm 82kg) * Michael Hurley (192cm 92kg) * Clancee Pearce (183cm 85kg) Half Backs Stephen Hill (182cm 72kg) Jordan Lisle (196cm 87kg) Rhyse O’Keefe (187cm 80kg) Centre Mitch Robinson (188cm 77kg) Matthew Deboer (187cm 85kg) David Zaharakis (180cm 73kg) Half forwards Hamish Hartlett (182cm 74kg) # Lewis Johnston (192cm 87kg) * Tom Scully (182cm 74kg) * Forwards Tyrone Vickery (200cm 86kg) # Jack Watts (194cm 85kg) * Michael Walters (177cm 75kg) * Followers Nick Naitanui (197cm 95kg) # Jack Ziebell (188cm 84 kg) * Ranga Ediriwickrama (178cm 79 kg) Interchange Daniel Rich (183cm 83kg) # Shaun McKernan (196cm 95kg) Steele Sidebottom (182cm 79kg) * Kade Klemke (180cm 78kg) * AA 2008 # AA 2007 [Hurley, Rich and Suban also made All-Australian in 2007] The elite players in this team will all come into contention at Saturday's draft meeting with the exception of Scully (ineligible due to age) and Ediriwickrama (already selected as a rookie by Geelong through the AFL's NSW scholarship scheme). The big three of Watts, Naitanui and Rich have already been covered in this series as have my "wild cards" Hill, Sidebottom and Yarran and a couple of others in Phil Davis, Tom Swift and Jackson Trengove who were injured during the championship and who, like Bulldog father/son pick Ayce Cordy, missed their chances of AA selection. I have pencilled in this next group (in alphabetic order) as my near certainties for first round selection with most, if not all, to be taken in the top ten (pen pictures are from the November edition of Inside Football): Hamish Hartlett is a highly regarded midfielder noted for his skills and ball handling who has already played senior football in SA and has good pace and awareness. HAMISH HARTLETT - midfielder. West Adelaide, SA DOB: 14/8/90 Ht: 182cm Wt: 74kg "Hamish is the younger brother of Adam at Carlton and he's an onball-cum-forward player who is fantastically skilled, with either foot Just a very classy player who started the year in the under 19s then ended up playing some senior footy towards the end of the year after having also played five or six games at the end of 2007. Had a shoulder operation late in the season and didn't do any of the testing at the draft camp. He's well sought after and just a quality footballer. That's the only way to describe him." - West Adelaide development manager Simon Hughes. SA rep 2008. All Australian 2008. From Edwardstown FC. Michael Hurley has been the outstanding key defender of the last two championships and has also been used up forward where he has kicked goals. Not overburdened with pace but makes up for it with football smarts, competitiveness and a good, long kick of the football. More a footballer than an athlete but will make an excellent acquisition for one of the clubs in the top half dozen at this year's draft. MICHAEL HURLEY - tall defender, Northern Knights, Vic. DOB: 1/6/90 Ht: 192cm Wt: 92kg "From where we sit, Michael is one of the best defenders, if not the best, in the TAC Cup. He's just a strongly built young man who is hard at the footy and boasts outstanding foot skills - can kick it 50-60 metres with accuracy on both sides. Very good player body-on-body and has the capacity to play either end. There were games where he went forward and kicked five and six goals. Came second in the best and fairest but could have won it, if not for state footy.'' - Northern Knights coach Paul Satterley Vic Metro rep 2008. AH Australian 2007,2008. From Macleod FC. Lewis Johnston is a tall, mobile, highly skilled and excelled in key forward posts with SA in the championships who has the athleticism to play in the midfield. LEWIS JOHNSTON - tall forward. North Adelaide, SA. DOB: 3/3/91 Ht: 192cm Wt: 87kg "Lewis played mainly under-17s for us as well as a few reserves games in the middle of the year after the under-18 championships. Had to travel long distances to train so he got very tired as the year . wore on. A very athletic player who plays mainly at. centre half forward. Ran 3.04 for a 20-metre sprint to underline his mobility and he's also got a good set of hands." - North Adelaide development manager Neil Sanders. SA rep 2008. All Australian 2008. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. From Port Bulldogs FC. Shaun McKernan is another athletic tall with a strong leap. I think he will probably be better suited up forward rather than in the ruck at AFL level although he could easily fulfil a role as a pinch hitter in that area as well. SHAUN McKERNAN - ruckman, Calder Cannons, Vic. DOB: 1/9/90 Ht: 196cm Wt: 95kg "Shaun is the younger brother of Corey and is a very similar player in a lot of ways. He's got massive hands, he's a prodigious kick, quick off the mark and he's one of those players who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Played a lot of good footy for us at centre halfback after the national carnival where he controlled the back line and rebounded well. Played in the ruck for Vic Metro and earned All-Australian honours, so he can play in a variety of spots. A very draftable player with all the attributes to have a long and distinguished AFL, career." - Calder Cannons region manager Martin Stillman. Vic Metro rep 2008. All Australian 2008. From Tullmarine FC. Tyrone Vickery is another athletic tall who overcame a serious knee injury and returned to prominence in 2008. Starred both in the ruck and up forward for Victoria Meto in the championships. TYRONE VICKERY - ruckman, Sandringham Dragons, Vic. DOB: 31/5/90 Ht: 200cm Wt: 86kg "He's exceptional. I'm sure Melbourne will have contemplated him as the No. 1 pick and if he doesn't go then, he'll go very high. Given what sides need, he could conceivably get through to Richmond but you never know what might happen. He's athletic, he's a good decision maker and he rarely turns the ball over. Right now I think he is a ruckman but that's not to say he can't be something else later on. He could well go forward and if he was a little taller then you could well be talking a Paul Salmon type." - Sandringham Dragons region manager Wayne Oswald. Vic Metro rep 2008. All Australian 2008. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. From Haileybury College. Jack Ziebell is a power athlete who is not overly fast but makes up for that with excellent skills on both sides of the body, long kicking and great decision-making. Injured a knee during the championships but played out the season. A strong mark who can play midfield or as a third tall up forward, he has apparently impressed new Brisbane coach Michael Voss. JACK ZIEBELL - midfielder, Murray Bushrangers, Vic. DOB: 28/2/91 Ht: 188cm Wt: 84kg "Jack's been a star since he was 14 or 15. He played the last six weeks of the year with a banged up knee (an injury sustained during the national carnival) so he hardly trained at all towards the end of the year but got through on class alone. A well balanced player who is a strong penetrating kick and can take a strong contested mark. Not super quick, not super athletic, hasn't got a super motor, but is very strong, loves the physicality of the game and doesn't mind crashing into blokes. Jack is the sort of kid that to me who will get reported a few times over his AFL career because he is so hard. He's not silly in terms of whacking blokes but he pushers the boundaries a bit, which will get him into strife now and then. In a year when our kids were starting to get a bit tired, Jack almost single handedly became our main focal point and got us over the line a few times with five and six goal efforts" - Murray Bushrangers coach Phil Bunn. Vic country rep 2008. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. From Wodonga FC. There is a chance, of course, that some of the players I have covered so far might still be available at selections 17 and 19 but if not, there are plenty of names still available from the best of the best to be selected late in the first round and early in the second and one or two of them might filter all the way down to the club's fourth selection overall at 35. Melbourne recruiting manager Barry Prendergast was hopeful when quoted in the Sunday Herald Sun: "You are just hoping that some good players will fall out at 17 and 19, because it is a good even draft," he said. "We fully expect to get three good players there. Even pick 35 is a handy one for us. "It is a strong position for any club and, hopefully, we can take advantage of that." Like all of us, Prendergast is looking forward to Saturday where a year's hard work from the Melbourne recruiting team will chrystallise into six or seven selections (the Demons also have picks 51, 64 and 76 - the last of which will probably be passed for the pre season draft). Despite the apparent wavering, I think Jack Watts' name is just about set in stone at Demonland for pick 1 but who will join him in the red and blue in 2009? Well, Prendergast might strike it lucky and pick up one of the gems that have been touted as first round selections and there are plenty of All-Australians in the best of the best who I still haven't covered. There are also some other handy players who could go within Melbourne's early second round range and we’ll look at them next time.

Oops ... That's my real life cousins ... not Ben!

Expecting our first child on December 6 and would otherwise play. Cousins, Pringle and possibly 2 of his brothers to play!

So how did the morning go?