Demonland

Kerr is in for a busy week. Tonight he plays for the Weagles against the Dockers, Tuesday, he's in court facing a prior charge and then on Thursday he's back facing the one from last night. If he was at any other club, he'd also face some sort of disciplinary action from the board as well. I don't know if the Eagles are into that sort of thing or not!

by J.V.McKay No offence to the cricketers, tennis players, golfers, Archie and the soccer crowd, the athletes, the swimmers and the rest but I'm glad that most of them have packed up their kits and moved on. There’s only one place to be when the summer comes to an end (as it will in a few day’s time) and that’s at the football. And I mean the real thing - Aussie style. It started last night with an exciting interstate derby in Adelaide and a one sided affair on the Gold Coast between a committed Kangaroos side and a half-baked Magpie team that just didn’t look as if it was interested. And there's more coming up on the weekend culminating for me with the Nab Cup clash between the would be merger partners of a decade ago, Melbourne and Hawthorn, on Sunday night at the Telstra Dome. Just thinking about the Nab Cup gets me excited. Even the name of the sponsor gets me going. After all, where else in the world would you name a bank "The Nab"? Surely, with a name like that, the punters must have a fair idea as to what the bankers have in mind for their money? And speaking of punters, that’s where I'll start my review of the game. Despite the fact that the Demons were the top Victorian team in the AFL last year and their opponents finished down in the lower middle rung of the ladder, it's the Hawks who are opening up as reasonably firm favourites at $1.60 while the Demons are at $2.20. My old man once told me never to ignore the smart money and so I have to ask myself why are the Hawks so firm with the punters? The answer is that Hawthorn has made it clear from its team selection that it's going flat out to win the money. The Hawks are only three players away from their best possible squad with only the injured Trent Croad, Danny Jacobs and Joel Smith missing, On the other hand Melbourne will be without Clint Bartram, Aaron Davey, Travis Johnstone, Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Colin Sylvia, Paul Wheatley and Jeff White among the players you would expect to be regulars missing from the squad. Some of these players are injured or carrying little niggles while others are being rested. The situation reflects the differences in philosophy of the coaches. Former Demon Alistair Clarkson is desperate to develop a winning culture at Hawthorn and wants to instil this into the team at every opportunity. Neale Daniher doesn't mind winning either but he has said from the very early days of the pre-season that his primary objective for this competition was to use it as a preparation for round one of the premiership season. A look at the respective squads for the game however, tells me that the Melbourne team will still be highly competitive for Sunday's game and I don't expect it to be anything like the humiliating display of the sort that Collingwood put on last night in Carrara when the Magpies were deplorable in just about every facet of the game. The Demons still have a good balance of experience, youth and emerging talent and, with the competition red hot for places in the team for the premiership season opener, there are several players desperate to impress the coach and selectors. Prominent among this group will be Clint Bizzell who needs to re-stake a claim for a place in the team after a year out with injury and Brad Miller whose career took a backward step last year after an indiscretion at Subiaco ended in a two week suspension that was followed by injury problems and a lengthy stint in the VFL. In Miller's case, it ultimately cost him a place in the leadership group and despite a brilliant game at CHF in a losing semi final team, Miller has a lot to prove in the coming month. Others with something to prove will be the ruckmen Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson in a "mini battle" to decide who will be Jeff White's understudy, Ryan Ferguson who has been mentioned as possible trade bait over the past two seasons and Daniel Ward whose gambling problems have been well documented in the media. The pressure is on these players and they will all have something to prove at the Dome tomorrow night. Also of interest will be the form of a few up and comers in Daniel Bell, Lynden Dunn and Chris Johnson who have the opportunity to put their hands up high for regular places in the team. Although Neale Daniher said last week that he was "using the NAB Cup as an opportunity to prepare for round one and have a look at some … young blokes," there won't be too many of the club's 2007 recruits on show with James Frawley the only new recruit named in the 28-man squad. Simon Buckley who spent 2006 developing at Sandringham has impressed during the preseason and may also get his opportunity and Daniel Hughes, a rookie, who played in last year’s opener against the Bulldogs in Darwin is also in the squad. On the other hand, Hawthorn's team is full of young, promising players who will be keen to impress and I don't discount their capacity for great improvement over last year or the potential danger to Melbourne of young guns Hodge, Franklin, Lewis, Roughhead and Birchall. All in all however, I think that, despite missing a significant part of its starting midfield, the Demons have the all-important edge in experience and in depth and I'm therefore going to go against the bookmakers' odds and tipping a 12-point victory for Melbourne after a close and cracking contest which should ensure that the stadium's new "no pass-out" policy won't be tested on the night. A close result and a Melbourne victory in this brand of football will alone make the Telstra Dome a great place to be on Sunday night when we can celebrate the end of a long, hot summer with a dose of the best game on the face of this earth. The squads - MELBOURNE 1 Simon Buckley 2 Nathan Jones 3 Clint Bizzell 6 Matthew Bate 7 Brad Miller 8 James Frawley 9 David Neitz 10 Daniel Ward 11 Paul Johnson 13 Adem Yze 14 Lynden Dunn 17 Chris Johnson 18 Brad Green 21 Daniel Bell 23 James McDonald 24 Russell Robertson 25 Nathan Brown 27 Jared Rivers 30 Simon Godfrey 32 Cameron Bruce 33 Byron Pickett 35 Ryan Ferguson 37 Matthew Warnock 38 Daniel Hughes 39 Shane Neaves 40 Mark Jamar 41 Nathan Carroll 45 Matthew Whelan HAWTHORN 2 Jarryd Roughead 3 Jordan Lewis 4 Rick Ladson 5 Sam Mitchell 6 Mark Williams 9 Shane Crawford 10 Chance Bateman 12 Brad Sewell 13 Simon Taylor 14 Grant Birchall 15 Luke Hodge 16 Beau Dowler 17 Beau Muston 18 Brent Guerra 20 Tim Boyle 21 Richard Vandenberg 22 Ben McGlynn 23 Lance Franklin 25 Tim Clarke 26 Zac Dawson 27 Stephen Gilham 28 Matthew Little 30 Campbell Brown 33 Josh Thurgood 34 Brent Renouf 38 Travis Tuck 39 Robert Campbell 45 Clinton Young

A GREAT PLACE TO BE by J.V.McKay No offence to the cricketers, tennis players, golfers, Archie and the soccer crowd, the athletes, the swimmers and the rest but I'm glad that most of them have packed up their kits and moved on. There’s only one place to be when the summer comes to an end (as it will in a few day’s time) and that’s at the football. And I mean the real thing - Aussie style. It started last night with an exciting interstate derby in Adelaide and a one sided affair on the Gold Coast between a committed Kangaroos side and a half-baked Magpie team that just didn’t look as if it was interested. And there's more coming up on the weekend culminating for me with the Nab Cup clash between the would be merger partners of a decade ago, Melbourne and Hawthorn, on Sunday night at the Telstra Dome. Just thinking about the Nab Cup gets me excited. Even the name of the sponsor gets me going. After all, where else in the world would you name a bank "The Nab"? Surely, with a name like that, the punters must have a fair idea as to what the bankers have in mind for their money? And speaking of punters, that’s where I'll start my review of the game. Despite the fact that the Demons were the top Victorian team in the AFL last year and their opponents finished down in the lower middle rung of the ladder, it's the Hawks who are opening up as reasonably firm favourites at $1.60 while the Demons are at $2.20. My old man once told me never to ignore the smart money and so I have to ask myself why are the Hawks so firm with the punters? The answer is that Hawthorn has made it clear from its team selection that it's going flat out to win the money. The Hawks are only three players away from their best possible squad with only the injured Trent Croad, Danny Jacobs and Joel Smith missing, On the other hand Melbourne will be without Clint Bartram, Aaron Davey, Travis Johnstone, Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Colin Sylvia, Paul Wheatley and Jeff White among the players you would expect to be regulars missing from the squad. Some of these players are injured or carrying little niggles while others are being rested. The situation reflects the differences in philosophy of the coaches. Former Demon Alistair Clarkson is desperate to develop a winning culture at Hawthorn and wants to instil this into the team at every opportunity. Neale Daniher doesn't mind winning either but he has said from the very early days of the pre-season that his primary objective for this competition was to use it as a preparation for round one of the premiership season. A look at the respective squads for the game however, tells me that the Melbourne team will still be highly competitive for Sunday's game and I don't expect it to be anything like the humiliating display of the sort that Collingwood put on last night in Carrara when the Magpies were deplorable in just about every facet of the game. The Demons still have a good balance of experience, youth and emerging talent and, with the competition red hot for places in the team for the premiership season opener, there are several players desperate to impress the coach and selectors. Prominent among this group will be Clint Bizzell who needs to re-stake a claim for a place in the team after a year out with injury and Brad Miller whose career took a backward step last year after an indiscretion at Subiaco ended in a two week suspension that was followed by injury problems and a lengthy stint in the VFL. In Miller's case, it ultimately cost him a place in the leadership group and despite a brilliant game at CHF in a losing semi final team, Miller has a lot to prove in the coming month. Others with something to prove will be the ruckmen Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson in a "mini battle" to decide who will be Jeff White's understudy, Ryan Ferguson who has been mentioned as possible trade bait over the past two seasons and Daniel Ward whose gambling problems have been well documented in the media. The pressure is on these players and they will all have something to prove at the Dome tomorrow night. Also of interest will be the form of a few up and comers in Daniel Bell, Lynden Dunn and Chris Johnson who have the opportunity to put their hands up high for regular places in the team. Although Neale Daniher said last week that he was "using the NAB Cup as an opportunity to prepare for round one and have a look at some … young blokes," there won't be too many of the club's 2007 recruits on show with James Frawley the only new recruit named in the 28-man squad. Simon Buckley who spent 2006 developing at Sandringham has impressed during the preseason and may also get his opportunity and Daniel Hughes, a rookie, who played in last year’s opener against the Bulldogs in Darwin is also in the squad. On the other hand, Hawthorn's team is full of young, promising players who will be keen to impress and I don't discount their capacity for great improvement over last year or the potential danger to Melbourne of young guns Hodge, Franklin, Lewis, Roughhead and Birchall. All in all however, I think that, despite missing a significant part of its starting midfield, the Demons have the all-important edge in experience and in depth and I'm therefore going to go against the bookmakers' odds and tipping a 12-point victory for Melbourne after a close and cracking contest which should ensure that the stadium's new "no pass-out" policy won't be tested on the night. A close result and a Melbourne victory in this brand of football will alone make the Telstra Dome a great place to be on Sunday night when we can celebrate the end of a long, hot summer with a dose of the best game on the face of this earth. The squads - MELBOURNE 1 Simon Buckley 2 Nathan Jones 3 Clint Bizzell 6 Matthew Bate 7 Brad Miller 8 James Frawley 9 David Neitz 10 Daniel Ward 11 Paul Johnson 13 Adem Yze 14 Lynden Dunn 17 Chris Johnson 18 Brad Green 21 Daniel Bell 23 James McDonald 24 Russell Robertson 25 Nathan Brown 27 Jared Rivers 30 Simon Godfrey 32 Cameron Bruce 33 Byron Pickett 35 Ryan Ferguson 37 Matthew Warnock 38 Daniel Hughes 39 Shane Neaves 40 Mark Jamar 41 Nathan Carroll 45 Matthew Whelan HAWTHORN 2 Jarryd Roughead 3 Jordan Lewis 4 Rick Ladson 5 Sam Mitchell 6 Mark Williams 9 Shane Crawford 10 Chance Bateman 12 Brad Sewell 13 Simon Taylor 14 Grant Birchall 15 Luke Hodge 16 Beau Dowler 17 Beau Muston 18 Brent Guerra 20 Tim Boyle 21 Richard Vandenberg 22 Ben McGlynn 23 Lance Franklin 25 Tim Clarke 26 Zac Dawson 27 Stephen Gilham 28 Matthew Little 30 Campbell Brown 33 Josh Thurgood 34 Brent Renouf 38 Travis Tuck 39 Robert Campbell 45 Clinton Young

It will. Cheers, Andy

And the Demons have been a bit like the Sarge ever since as they keep going in and out of style .

TIME TO SEE THE SIGHTS

On Friday, the Morning Glory boys Ian, Billy and Tim interviewed Melbourne coach Neal Daniher. Billy Brownless introduced the Demon coach noting that this was his tenth year at the helm and pointing out that it's going to be a big year. Neale Daniher: Big year. They're all big Billy! Billy: I haven't heard you lately. A couple of years ago you were the Reverend. You were on your soapbox. Spruiking Melbourne. This and that. You've quietened down the last couple. Neale: Bad news sells Billy. That's why we've been very quiet because we’re just going along beautifully at the moment. You just tune in to the Blues and whoever else is in trouble. We're just going along nicely. Tim: How beautifully are you going Neale? Neale: As beautifully as you can go at this stage Tim. What you've got to be concerned about this time of the year is not having any injuries. We listen to a Nick Riewoldt do a hamstring and I guess over the next few weeks you’ve got your heart in your mouth. You start to do play some practice games, intraclub and you just have your fingers crossed that none of your stars or anyone gets injured over the next three or four weeks. Tim: Neale, we keep reading that everybody's training harder than they ever did before because they want to keep pace with the Adelaide Crows. Is this the new trend in the AFL is it? Neale: I wouldn't have thought so Tim. Some clubs I think may have re-adjusted from a power based programme. It does go in trends. The Brisbane Lions won three in a row and you recall the size of them and the power they had and the big bodies. Maybe clubs have toggled. I think the Kangaroos have adjusted and St. Kilda has adjusted. We haven't adjusted. But that's where that's come from Tim - when the Brisbane Lions got into four grand finals everyone may have thought that the speed/power was the way to go but it's still an endurance sport. Tim: What's been your concentration then, the key thing that you identify that you needed to improve with your group over the summer? Neale: Just our young players Tim. We think we've got some real exciting players like Bartram - he's only a year in. We've got a mini veteran like Brock McLean who’s only 20. We think that Bartam, Bate, Bell and Dunn, Jones who came into the side late last year with five games, McLean, Moloney, Sylvia - those sort of blokes - we think they're really going to improve us in the next year. That's been our focus. We're sort of fine-tuning our game. We've got to get better on the long grounds. We felt we weren't as competitive as we would have liked to be at Subi and AAMI. We'd like to adjust our game to run and carry a little bit more but most of our focus is on these younger players who have got a lot of improvement in them. Tim: So do you think you've been picking the wrong sides, that you've been taking the wrong personnel over to those big grounds or is just the game plan? Neale: I think two things. We've been very, very successful at the MCG where we've won 11 out of 12 or 12 out of 13 and then it's a combination of both personnel and game plan. Everyone in the inner sanctum of the AFL knows that we're predominantly a kicking team rather than a handball team and we've been working on having a number of game plans that we can turn to depending on what sort of ground we're on. Ian: You spoke about Brock McLean. Two questions. Is he a future captain and what's happening with the captaincy at the Dees? Neale: The answer is that Brock is definitely a future captain at some stage. We've got a five man leadership group which the players have had the major input into and the captain will come from that group which is David Neitz, Cameron Bruce, Brock McLean, Brad Green and James McDonald and that will be announced prior to the Nab pre Cup competition. Ian: I mean normally if you're going to stick to the incumbent you just let it roll on but with those sort of noises you're making is there a chance that there is a change in the guard at the Dees? Neale: Not bad Ian. Not bad, you're trying to get the announcement through this morning? Ian: I am yes. Neale: Good effort. I'll give you a B+ for that one. Well done. Ian: Well, that's better than I ever got at school. Billy: Neale, are you spying on any or all of the other clubs? Neale: No. We've got one of our guys just starting to have a look Billy but we haven't been focussing to much on what the other clubs have been doing. We're just focussing on what we’re doing and how we're going to get better. Tim: And are you going all out for the pre season competition Neale? How do you approach that? Neale: Our major priority is to have everyone up and going for the round one game, Tim. We'll go into the Nab Cup to win it but we also want to be able to have a look at a number of young players and give them opportunities. You know, Lynden Dunn and these sorts of boys need some game time. Mark Jamar finished the year injured, Paul Johnson is a ruckman we want to have a look at so it’s always a mixture Tim. We want to see which young players are ready to take the step up and help us in the home and away series. Ian: Question off the SMS. Brad Miller. How's he travelling at the moment Neale: Brad is travelling well. He had osteitis pubis this time last year and wasn't training because of it and we had a number of boys who had that complaint. Brent Moloney missed most of the year with it. Brad Miller's 100% and is training really well. Brent Moloney's progressing really well and he'll play in round 1 and will play during the Nab Cup. Tim: Just before we let you go we know you always head home to Ungarie for the Christmas game with the boys in the back yard for cricket. How did that go this summer? Neale: Not too bad Tim. We had the Danihers versus the town and very controversially the town got up this year. We've got some suspicion that the town supplied the scorers with more beer than what we did but we'll re-group and there is some word that Terry Daniher will be dropped for next year's game for poor performance but we’ll have a look at that and we'll make a big comeback next year. Ian: We appreciate your time. One last chance. No news on the man who's going to toss the coin? Neale: We'll make an announcement before the Nab Cup. Ian: Good luck on the Nab Cup and for season 2007. [Thanks to Alpha33 for transcribing the interview]

BECALMED by Whispering Jack Australia Day 2007. It's a beautiful, calm summer's morning as I make my way towards the Trinity Grammar playing fields to take in Melbourne's skills training session. A little more than four months have elapsed since the Dockers beat the Demons at Subiaco and I reflect on how the team has disappointingly bowed out of each its past three finals campaigns. Melbourne seems to have developed a habit of peaking a little after mid season, limping into the finals and then faltering without mounting any real challenge to the top AFL teams in September action. This story has by now been well documented. Which brings to mind an old adage in sport that you're only as good as your last game. I'm reminded of how Melbourne was playing with confidence and had Fremantle rattled and held a 15-point lead midway through the second quarter of the 2006 Semi Final. Then Chris Connolly made a few changes and the Dockers proceeded to turn the game by running the legs off their visitors who were becalmed and eventually wilted by the warm humid air drifting into Perth from the Indian Ocean. Freo's midfield had too much pace with Heath Black, Byron Schammer and the Carr brothers all winning plenty of quality possessions. With a few exceptions, the Demons appeared sad and slow and in the end lacked the necessary endurance to run out the full distance of a gruelling finals game. This applied not only to the on ball brigade but to the forwards and backs - they fought hard but for the most part were beaten mentally and physically all over the ground. That was our last game and it stands as a reality check as I cross the Eastern Freeway and approach the training venue. This is the time of year when the general feeling at every club is one of optimism looking forward to a new season. You will hear the same story everywhere - the injuries suffered in the previous year are healing, the players are looking fitter than ever, those who have previously been labelled as "potential" are starting to mature and there are a fair number out there who are, as they say in the classics, "training the house down." But I'm not here looking for the stars at training. What I want to see is something that might signal a change – that things are happening to address the problem of those end of season fadeouts; that Melbourne is taking steps to ensure that it has the physical and mental wherewithal to match it with the best throughout the long grind of an AFL season. This was the major factor that was lacking in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when the team peaked too early! I'm not particularly into describing training drills but I must say that a lot was going on by the time I arrived. Players in different coloured guernseys were running with their footballs up and down the length of the playing fields and one thing that was clear was the emphasis on running. The rule changes and the latest coaching tactics and strategies have demanded more and more athleticism. It's not enough to just be a footballer these days. Enter Melbourne's new fitness advisor Bohdan Babijczuk. Babijczuk has received plaudits as fitness coordinator at Hawthorn (where he was seen as a key component of the Hawks' push to the Preliminary Final of 2001) and with the national men's basketball team. His experience in athletics goes back three decades from competitor to high level coach and he has been used as a consultant at a number of different football clubs. At Hawthorn, he took Shane Crawford's 800m time down from the 2:20's to well under two minutes and Crawford went on to win a Brownlow Medal fortified by his added speed and endurance. More recently he took Western Jets youngster Bachar Houli under his wing and improved his 20m sprint time from 3.25 seconds to 2.96 seconds within a fortnight by the time of National Draft Camp. Houli was subsequently drafted by the Bombers in the recent National Draft and I understand has since significantly bettered that time at Essendon. The Babijczuk influence at the club is apparent immediately. Many of the players have significantly changed body shapes, the skinfolds are way down and a few look faster and stronger as well as sleeker. Nathan Jones and Brock McLean stand out. Jones has dropped 7kg to 80kg - a loss of almost 10% of his previous body weight. "He is a cut above the rest," Jones says of the man who is training footballers at the club to be fitter, faster and stronger than they have ever been. Daniel Bell, who has lost 3kg, talks of feeling much better and having the capacity to get through pre season training pain free under his regimen. Brent Moloney is training solidly and is definitely moving more freely as he relishes the absence of the osteitis pubis that put a premature end to his 2006 season. A few years ago I spoke with a Hawthorn player who was competing during the summer season at the Glenhuntly athletics track. He was suitably impressed by the fact that Babijczuk had tailored individual fitness regimes for every player at the club aimed at increasing the intensity once things got simple. The training regimen requires a fair degree of strong discipline from the players and that part is certainly showing out starting at the top. David Neitz is looking more like a rising colt in his mid-twenties than a veteran who has passed his 31st birthday. Babijczuk says that the player whose speed has improved the most is another post 30 year old in 2006 All Australian James McDonald and it looked that way as Junior zipped through a training drill aimed at moving the ball swiftly out of the clearances. The players flash past and it's difficult to recognise some of them as they sport different hair colourings; they change guernseys regularly and then there are those different body shapes. Nathan Carroll, who kept key Dockers forward Matthew Pavlich well held in that last game at Subiaco, seems to have undergone a complete personality change since he arrived at the club as an unknown rookie from Fremantle a few years ago. After a year in which he must have come tantalisingly close to being an All Australian, he knows now that he belongs in AFL circles. I expect that both he and Jared Rivers will gather further in stature with the benefit of this pre season. I could go on and on but I'd probably be charged with the same over optimism I complained about earlier and the point is that a football hasn't yet been bounced in true competitive anger. That will change in the next few weeks as the intra practice games start. Apparently the club is planning one at Moorabbin and another at Telstra Dome in the week before the Nab Cup matches to give the Channel 7 crew a bit of practice for the forthcoming season. There's no truth in the rumour that The Twelfth Man has been pirated away from Foxtel to do the voices of all of Seven's football commentary team as a cost saving measure (although he does do a very speshialllll Bruce McAvaney impression). If anyone fears that the intensity of athletic training might be harmful to the players, they should think again. Virtually the full squad was on hand at Trinity Grammar with Chris Johnson the only absentee - he was back in Perth to celebrate his 21st birthday. A small group is still in rehab, notably Colin Sylvia (shoulder and OP) and Clint Bartram (ankle) but they are apparently not far away from resuming training. A couple of others like Paul Wheatley and Matty Whelan sat out parts of training but on the whole things were looking good - even when I took off my rose coloured glasses. There's a lot of interest in the new blood at the club but none of them stood out at this training run. They're all still young and shy and have a way to go although there are some reports that James Frawley might get a run in the NAB Cup. Both he and Colin Garland certainly have awkward kicking styles that nevertheless don't appear to inhibit their accuracy. However, we'll wait and see what they're like under pressure in matches. Simon Buckley looks ready for a crack at the big time after a year with Sandringham, Shane Neaves has developed a six-pack and will be looked at with interest while Michael Newton will surely be tested in the Nab Cup. My early tip for big improver among the younger brigade is Lynden Dunn - another of Bohdan Babijczuk's projects. Ultimately however, the players are in the hands of Neale Daniher and his coaching panel. They now have under their control what is most certainly a more athletic group with greater pace and better endurance than that which left 2006 behind them at Subiaco. But there's a long way to go from a calm and balmy summer's day at Bulleen to what this group might achieve in the months to come when the springtime returns.

WJ's article is posted elsewhere. He did take some photos but hasn't caught on to how to work the zoom on his camera. There will be a few shots posted most notably of two canines named Belly and Brucey belonging to a board member.

Just to let you know that the 2006 version of the sponsorship was a great success with three functions during the season that really kept members of the sponsorship group informed about the way the club functions. I personally couldn't make it to the last session in December with Craig Cameron but those who went said it was worth its weight in gold. Participants saw vision of all new recruits and Craig outlined what he expected from them in the future. I highly recommend this sponsorship and I'm sure that others who were involved will post here on the subject.

As far as I can see the Eagles have remained silent on the issue to date. I think they would surely have to make a statement on this if only to deny the allegation, otherwise some people might start believing that it's more than just a rumour. Alternatively, maybe the Eagles don't read Melbourne newspapers?

Happy New Year and Thanks to all of our contributors during 2006. A special thanks to Whispering Jack, The Oracle and all our witers ... to our Moderators ... especially to Finks for keeping up our enthusiasm and to Nasher for all his technical assistance ... to all who post on our message boards (with the exception of the spammers who try to flog viagra etc) on our site and ... thanks to all at the Melbourne Football Club. Here's hoping that in 9 month's time we'll be giving our even bigger thanks to the latter... Happy New Year ... and stay safe in 2007 ...

December 26... Today is the day we remember the passing of Troy Broadbridge in the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. I found this tribute written by Whispeing Jack on this day twelve months ago. It still fits the memory ... ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Whispering Jack Three hundred and sixty-five days ago the earth moved, the seas split and a wave was sent across the ocean leaving a trail of devastation that took with it a quarter of a million lives across two continents. We were touched by the tragedy; we felt its sadness and then life went on. Soon after, we could have been forgiven for thinking that despite the enormity of the event, the world remained unchanged. Seemingly, nothing did change our world in 2005. People still died whether by natural causes, by natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and hurricanes, by epidemics such as AIDS or by man’s own hand everywhere on the planet but most notably in the deserts of Darfur, in the streets of Baghdad and even in the London Underground. "Nothing's gonna change my world" These are the words of the late John Lennon. Perhaps a single individual in a vast universe may feel that there is nothing he or she can do to change our world. But we are not totally helpless - we can make a difference. Trish Broadbridge, the Melbourne Football Club and friends proved this at Phi Phi Island - at the very place where their fallen husband and comrade Troy perished in the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. Their persistence and endeavour enabled the building of a school for the children of the devastated island - the finishing touches were applied with their own bare hands. That generations of young Thai children to come will benefit from their labour bears testament to the fact that all of us can make a difference. We can change the world.

We have two new articles on the Demonland Blog - The fourth in the Oracle's Changes Series and THE FAT KID, THE SKINNY KID AND THE HOCKEY PLAYER by Demon Dave. Thanks to all of our writers over 2006. We have more good stuff coming up and don't forget Tuesday is TROY BROADBRIDGE DAY. All tributes and contributions are welcome. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stay safe over the New Year period because 2007 is our year!!! CHANGES - PART FOUR: THE FINAL CHANGE by The Oracle The Melbourne Football Club playing list for 2007 has now been finalised after the Demons made their solitary selection in the 2006 Rookie Draft. The Club used pick 12 to take eighteen-year-old livewire left footer Daniel Hayes from the Easter Ranges Under 18's in the TAC Cup competition. Melbourne's General Manager of Recruiting and List Management, Craig Cameron describes Hayes as "a clever and very capable forward … with good all round skills." The 180cm Hayes, who originally hailed from Bairnsdale has been with the Ranges for the past two seasons and made the Victorian Metropolitan Under 18 team for the National Championships in 2005 as a bottom age player. Along with fellow Demon recruit Isaac Weetra, Hayes was a member of the Australian indigenous team which toured South Africa earlier this year and he was considered one of the stand out players in that group. However, his 2006 season was curtailed by injury and the need to return home for personal reasons causing him to fall off the radar of a number of recruiters. Hayes is settling down well at the Melbourne Football Club where he joins three other rookies - Jace Bode, Daniel Hughes and Shane Neaves with former rookie Matthew Warnock being elevated onto the senior list for the 2007 season. The number of changes to Melbourne's total list for 2007 is a relatively low five. The inclusions are National Draft Selections: - 12 James Frawley - Date of Birth: 20.09.88 Height: 192 cm Weight: 81 kg 30 Ricky Petterd - DOB: 24.07.88 Ht: 185 cm Wt: 76 kg 46 Colin Garland - DOB: 28.04.88 Ht: 191 cm Wt: 85 kg 62 Isack Weetra - DOB: 27.02.89 Ht: 184 cm Wt: 76 kg and Rookie Draft Selection:- 12 Daniel Hayes - DOB: 13.07.88 Ht: 180 cm Wt: 70 kg The players who have left the club from the 2006 senior list are Shannon Motlop (now back playing in Darwin), new MFC life member Alistair Nicholson (retired), Phil Read, Nick Smith (Box Hill Hawks) while Andre Gianfagna was delisted after an injury riddled season on the rookie list. The club's playing list for 2007 will be as follows: - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST: SENIOR LIST: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Cameron Bruce, Simon Buckley, Nathan Carroll, Aaron Davey, Lynden Dunn, Ryan Ferguson, James Frawley, Colin Garland, Simon Godfrey, Brad Green, Ben Holland, Mark Jamar, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, Travis Johnstone, Nathan Jones, James McDonald, Brock McLean, Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Heath Neville, Michael Newton, Ricky Petterd, Byron Pickett, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Matthew Warnock, Isack Weetra, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White VETERAN LIST: David Neitz, Adem Yze. ROOKIE LIST: Jace Bode, Daniel Hayes, Daniel Hughes, Shane Neaves The first sighting of any Demon player in action for 2007 will be in early February when an Indigenous All Stars team takes on Kevin Sheedy's Essendon in Darwin. The AFL action will take off soon after in the NAB Cup pre season series and hopefully, we'll see the Demons in action throught unit the very last day in September ...

AND LIKEWISE FROM ALL OF US AT DEMONLAND A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR TO ALL AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET THAT TUESDAY 26 DECEMBER 2006 IS TROY BROADBRIDGE DAY ... PLEASE POST YOUR TRIBUTES TO TROY ON THE SITE ON TUESDAY

by The Oracle The Melbourne Football Club playing list for 2007 has now been finalised after the Demons made their solitary selection in the 2006 Rookie Draft. The Club used pick 12 to take eighteen-year-old livewire left footer Daniel Hayes from the Easter Ranges Under 18's in the TAC Cup competition. Melbourne's General Manager of Recruiting and List Management, Craig Cameron describes Hayes as "a clever and very capable forward … with good all round skills." The 180cm Hayes, who originally hailed from Bairnsdale has been with the Ranges for the past two seasons and made the Victorian Metropolitan Under 18 team for the National Championships in 2005 as a bottom age player. Along with fellow Demon recruit Isaac Weetra, Hayes was a member of the Australian indigenous team which toured South Africa earlier this year and he was considered one of the stand out players in that group. However, his 2006 season was curtailed by injury and the need to return home for personal reasons causing him to fall off the radar of a number of recruiters. Hayes is settling down well at the Melbourne Football Club where he joins three other rookies - Jace Bode, Daniel Hughes and Shane Neaves with former rookie Matthew Warnock being elevated onto the senior list for the 2007 season. The number of changes to Melbourne's total list for 2007 is a relatively low five. The inclusions are National Draft Selections: - 12 James Frawley - Date of Birth: 20.09.88 Height: 192 cm Weight: 81 kg 30 Ricky Petterd - DOB: 24.07.88 Ht: 185 cm Wt: 76 kg 46 Colin Garland - DOB: 28.04.88 Ht: 191 cm Wt: 85 kg 62 Isack Weetra - DOB: 27.02.89 Ht: 184 cm Wt: 76 kg and Rookie Draft Selection:- 12 Daniel Hayes - DOB: 13.07.88 Ht: 180 cm Wt: 70 kg The players who have left the club from the 2006 senior list are Shannon Motlop (now back playing in Darwin), new MFC life member Alistair Nicholson (retired), Phil Read, Nick Smith (Box Hill Hawks) while Andre Gianfagna was delisted after an injury riddled season on the rookie list. The club's playing list for 2007 will be as follows: - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST: SENIOR LIST: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Cameron Bruce, Simon Buckley, Nathan Carroll, Aaron Davey, Lynden Dunn, Ryan Ferguson, James Frawley, Colin Garland, Simon Godfrey, Brad Green, Ben Holland, Mark Jamar, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, Travis Johnstone, Nathan Jones, James McDonald, Brock McLean, Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Heath Neville, Michael Newton, Ricky Petterd, Byron Pickett, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Matthew Warnock, Isack Weetra, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White VETERAN LIST: David Neitz, Adem Yze. ROOKIE LIST: Jace Bode, Daniel Hayes, Daniel Hughes, Shane Neaves The first sighting of any Demon player in action for 2007 will be in early February when an Indigenous All Stars team takes on Kevin Sheedy's Essendon in Darwin. The AFL action will take off soon after in the NAB Cup pre season series and hopefully, we'll see the Demons in action throught unit the very last day in September ...

by Demon Dave On Wednesday night, 20 December 2006, I went along to the Bentleigh Club and joined a small crowd of about 150 in attendance for what was a rather uneventful Melbourne Football Club Annual General Meeting. I use the word "uneventful" in comparison with those of recent years, especially given that there were no dramas at the club and not even a Members Information Night this year as had been in the past. The Info Night was always quite an entertaining occasion, highlighted by Neale Daniher and his power point slides and the famous (or infamous) "Premiership Clock". During question time on Wednesday night it was explained that increased communications to members this year via email and the dwindling numbers at the Info Night dictated that the function was off the agenda this year although there had been long hours of debate as to whether it should occur. Club Chairman Paul Gardner opened the night with the traditional welcome and he was followed by CEO Steve Harris who presented the financials, which look to be continuing the climb in a positive direction. The club is expecting an advance of $2 million next year from the $6 Million they get from the AFL as part of the TV and New Media rights, and this would go towards bringing their bank debt down to zero, which is very pleasing. Next year the club is budgeting to make $1 million dollars, which is the same amount budgeted for this year. The club fell $200K short of this figure in 2006 due to a number of factors such as the impact of the Commonwealth Games on early season receipts and sponsorships. The highlight of the night was the presentation of Life Memberships. Club Football Manager Chris Fagan noted that in the club’s 149-year history only 148 people had achieved the honour of Life Membership, so it is quite a difficult and prestigious thing to receive. First to receive this honour was James McDonald, who got probably the longest and loudest sustained applause of the night. He was introduced by Andrew Leoncelli, the much-loved ex-Demon who had formed a great partnership with Junior in the midfield in the early noughties. Chell's speech was enthusiastic, he spoke of the young skinny kid who first came to the club weighing 60kgs wringing wet, who was quiet and an exceptionally hard trainer and once you got to know him had a great sense of humour. James' older brother Anthony was also at the function which was good to see. James was very quietly spoken, but was very proud of the award he received. Next up was Russell Robertson, aka "the solid, fat kid from Penguin". Fagan gave the introductory speech and told how he was a newly appointed coach of the Tassie Mariners when he went up north on the island to check out the talent he could grab for his team. His first impressions of Robbo were of a fat kid with board shorts and LA Lakers shoes bobbing around at training. He liked the look of this kid, but the coach of the squad suggested Chris take another longhaired player who he described as "the best of this lot". Fages was doubtful, so he pitted them one on one and Robbo won hands down. After having a tape pinched from his offices of Robbo taking some hangers, Fages next saw the footage, as we all did, on the Footy Show's Almost Football Legends segment. Thus the Robbo legend was born. Drafted by Melbourne at the same time that Fages was recruited by the Dees as a coach, he was soon delisted but worked his way back onto the senior list and into the side to quickly earn himself a Rising Star nomination. A message was read out from an absent Adem Yze, stating all of Robbo's achievements which are I must say quite lengthy and impressive. Robbo gave a very emotional speech, thanking Fagan for his mentoring over the last 10 years, and saying it meant a lot to him. Big Alistair Nicholson, recently retired, was next to receive the award. David Neitz spoke in his honour remembering him as the big gangly hockey player with a shock of curly hair who came across from WA. Neita described the pre-season battles they had had from the goal square over the years, and also mentioned Matthew Richardson could breathe a little easier now he was retired. Nicho seemed a bit overwhelmed up there on stage and remembered his first senior game. It was a cold, wet day at Waverley in which he was stationed in a forward pocket and the last placed Demons were walloped by St Kilda to the tune of 86 points and he wondered if this AFL caper he'd gotten himself into was a bit overrated. Fagan also made an additional special presentation to Nicho of a large framed number 8 guernsey, stating just how many champions Nicho had taken on in "the cage" over his career – big brutes such as Lockett, Richardson, the talented Lloyd and many others. Last up for Life Membership was trainer Spike Harris, who has filled roles varying from team manager of the Under 19's to player sponsor and boarding players. Melbourne's doctor, Andrew Daff, noted how Harris came to the club as Under 19's Manager after his wife insisted he go for the job as he spent so much time talking about the Club he may as well work there. Eighteen years later, Harris is still giving his time to the club, and is "Mr Organised", ticking players off as they arrive in the rooms, at the door of the team bus and at the front of the check-in desk making sure everything runs smoothly. Harris noted that one of his best pre-season trips was down to Tasmania, a fact attested to by David Neitz who was in the Under 19 squad at the time. Then it was down to business as Board formalities and changes to the constitution were ratified. This is the boring but essential bit of the night - such banalities as changing the term "Chairman" to "Chairperson" in the constitution were all passed without issue. Question time was also rather uneventful, someone mentioned a new Archbishop was heading to Melbourne and had no football allegiances, so the President said he would send out an invite to a game. When a question was asked about the new recruits, Craig Cameron got up on stage with the new kids, and simply read out their names as they put up their hand. There was no background information on them, which was a little disappointing, but I suppose that's been well documented elsewhere including on Demonland. Reverend Daniher was not there. Chris Fagan let us all know he was on a boat floating down a river somewhere in Thailand on a well-earned break. After the meeting was called to a close I joined a few mates for a cold beer afterwards and we noticed Wheels wandering around the gaming area, so we asked him over and had a chat for a while. He said he had had heel spurs removed recently, as had Brad Green, Godders and one other but he was fair bit further behind those guys in terms of fitness. He then sauntered off to find Aaron Davey and Byron Pickett who were feeding coins into the machines at the back of the gaming room at the Bentleigh Club. With that, we returned to our beers, and our discussions about how excited we are for the new season. I can't wait! THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB BOARD The Melbourne Football Club Board consists of: - Paul Gardner (Chairman) - Beverley O’Connor (Vice Chairman) - Dr Michael Coglin - Dr Peter Dohrmann - Karen Hayes - John Phillips - Stephen Bickford - Tom Starkins - Charles Sitch - Sue Nattrass

From the Demonland Blog ... THE JIGSAW PUZZLE by Whispering Jack Friday, 8 December 2006: There are 113 days to go before the opening bounce of the season proper but who's counting? True, it's a long way to go before autumn sets in, but the scene before me on this idyllic early summer's day suggests that this group is focussed on what has to be done over the ensuing months in order for them to accomplish their mission ... The picture is something like a nearly completed jigsaw puzzle. In fact, forty-three of its forty-four pieces are there already. The group is made up of the thirty-eight senior list Demons, two veterans and three rookies while the remaining space in one small corner is reserved for another rookie and that last piece of the puzzle will be put into place on Tuesday morning. The Trevor Barker Oval is in reasonable condition given the drought conditions we're enduring in our region of the world. The sun's shining and there's not a cloud in the skies although a reddish tinge of smoke from the bushfires raging in the north east of the state lingers. You can smell a whiff of it in the air but the players seem oblivious to this. Pre-season training has changed a lot over the years. In the early days of the game, players used to turn up to training in March, often worse for the wear and carrying the extra pounds (or kilograms if you like) brought on by the excesses of the Christmas period. Then along came John Kennedy who introduced commando training at Hawthorn and things were never the same again. As the game became more professional, you came to expect something better from your players - higher levels of fitness, the youngsters bulking up and greater athleticism from the group. In the early 'nineties, players were expected to run 100 hundred metre sprints almost back to back as part of their fitness regime. Well, we've now reached an even higher plane in the evolution of the footballer/athlete. The players today are by and large presenting as super athletes with chiselled bodies and skin folds that barely register on the Richter scale (there is always an exception to every rule but more of that later). Training might still be intense but it's varied and concentrates on many different facets of a player's physical and mental make up. You sense that the team is being prepared for a long hard campaign with the aim of peaking at the business end. That's what it's all about - a professional approach to a sporting season that starts in February and ends in late September. We want consistency but we have to match it with the others when the pressure starts building in August and reaching a peak over the following month. With results of 7th, 8th and 5th in the last three seasons, Melbourne simply has to improve in this area if it wants the mission to succeed. Of course, you still have to put yourself into the race early (and not be 0-3 after round three as the Demons were in 2006) and the team looks in good shape at this stage. We still have a rehab group but it appears to be of a reasonably acceptable size for this time of year. Colin Sylvia's arm is in a sling, suggesting that his pre season proper will be delayed until well in the New Year. I can't even call him plain "Colin" any more because we have another one at the club (but again, more of that later). Clint Bartram is recovering from the ankle he injured in round 22 while Brent Moloney, whose season was wrecked by shoulder and groin problems, is on target to resume full training soon. Paul Johnson and rookie Daniel Hughes are also on the sidelines with Matty Whelan who is running slow laps. Recruit Ricky Petterd is recovering from a hamstring injury and is doing some restricted work. That said, the rest of the group looks to be in pretty good shape. Brad Green, who had a lot of niggling little problems during the year, is moving well, as is Adem Yze. Jeff White always looks good at this time of year and today is no exception. Nathan Carroll, who appeared to have been recruited to the club almost by default as a rookie a few years ago, continues to impress with his attitude. He now seems quite at home with his role as a footballer playing well at the highest level. However, the stand out from my point of view is Brock McLean whose physical appearance and approach to training justifies his elevation to the leadership group at the tender age of twenty years. He's a little lighter than in the past but he's still a strong and fearsome unit that's headed for stardom. Two other players to impress are Daniel Bell who I expect to kick on enormously in 2007 and Matthew Bate whose debut season was underestimated in many quarters. Bell appears lighter and leaner but still strong of body and having that important asset of good pace. Much the same can be said of Bate who works hard on the track and can only get better and better with time. And the Jones boy looks super fit! I haven't seen much evidence of massive bulking up from players like Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton but Simon Buckley is certainly much bigger in body than he was twelve months ago when he first arrived at the club and Ryan Ferguson, while no Adonis, is also no longer the stick figure he was a few years ago. As I said earlier, most players' skin folds are right down. However, Byron Pickett well and truly makes up for that all on his own. Sporting a beard, the Byronator looks like he's been in a reasonably good paddock of late and will need to do the hard work if he is to be a contributor again next year. He needs a good fitness base because, as we saw late this season, a few weeks' lay off with injury can prove disastrous in terms of his ability to fully see out a game. Also sporting a beard but with no apparent excess body weight is The Flash, who takes training in his stride. Nothing explosive is needed right now! All four National Draft selections are on hand and my first impression is that none of them are likely to make an impact in 2007. That is not to say I'm not impressed - it's simply a case of there being plenty of work to be done before they can reach the level of regular senior players both physically and with their skills. We didn't have any of picks 1 to 5 and we are in a position where we can wait for our youngsters to develop without any great pressure on them. James Frawley looks the closest to AFL standard although I would not expect him to occupy a key position for another year or two. His kicking looks awkward but is certainly not problematic, as some have suggested. Colin Garland is interesting in that he is of a height to be a key forward one day and has a lot of up side in his development. Another awkward looking kicker of the ball, but no problems with accuracy as he slots a couple of long shots through the big sticks at the Alf Beus Can Hill end of the ground. Isaac Weetra is another player who has plenty of development to go and I can't see him in the red and blue until at least 2008 bearing in mind that he was mainly an Under 17 with Port Adelaide Magpies this year. So who will be the 44th man - the person who will occupy that final piece of the jigsaw puzzle in that small corner of my picture? I can't say that I'm greatly impressed by any of the four invitees on show. Andrew Ericksen is 204cm tall but light as a feather and doesn't show a great deal of the aggression that you need from a ruckman at AFL level. The Swans invested three years in him but cut him adrift at the end of the current season without a game at AFL level. In that time, Sydney traded for Darren Jolly, Paul Chambers and Peter Everitt but they also drafted a young 200cm ruckman in Daniel Currie in November to replace Ericksen. Enough said. The Fanning name might be big at Melbourne but former Magpie giant David "Flaps" Fanning looks as if he's half a kilometre to the west of the TBO - all at sea. Stefan Martin from Old Hailybury is interesting. He has a good leap but, at 196 cm will struggle against the modern day ruck giants so unless he can play key position as well, he might find this level too big a big step up from VAFA Under 19's. Andre Gianfagna is the other invitee but, having been dropped from the rookie list just a couple of months ago, it would surprise if he were reinstated next week. Craig Cameron is watching proceedings and I hope he can pluck out one of his special smokies (perhaps that word might not be appropriate in view of the bushfires raging around the state) to fill the last piece of the puzzle next Tuesday. And by then, it will be 109 days to go but then ... who's counting? [THE PICTURES by Finks]

by Whispering Jack Friday, 8 December 2006: There are 113 days to go before the opening bounce of the season proper but who's counting? True, it's a long way to go before autumn sets in, but the scene before me on this idyllic early summer's day suggests that this group is focussed on what has to be done over the ensuing months in order for them to accomplish their mission ... The picture is something like a nearly completed jigsaw puzzle. In fact, forty-three of its forty-four pieces are there already. The group is made up of the thirty-eight senior list Demons, two veterans and three rookies while the remaining space in one small corner is reserved for another rookie and that last piece of the puzzle will be put into place on Tuesday morning. The Trevor Barker Oval is in reasonable condition given the drought conditions we're enduring in our region of the world. The sun's shining and there's not a cloud in the skies although a reddish tinge of smoke from the bushfires raging in the north east of the state lingers. You can smell a whiff of it in the air but the players seem oblivious to this. Pre-season training has changed a lot over the years. In the early days of the game, players used to turn up to training in March, often worse for the wear and carrying the extra pounds (or kilograms if you like) brought on by the excesses of the Christmas period. Then along came John Kennedy who introduced commando training at Hawthorn and things were never the same again. As the game became more professional, you came to expect something better from your players - higher levels of fitness, the youngsters bulking up and greater athleticism from the group. In the early 'nineties, players were expected to run 100 hundred metre sprints almost back to back as part of their fitness regime. Well, we've now reached an even higher plane in the evolution of the footballer/athlete. The players today are by and large presenting as super athletes with chiselled bodies and skin folds that barely register on the Richter scale (there is always an exception to every rule but more of that later). Training might still be intense but it's varied and concentrates on many different facets of a player's physical and mental make up. You sense that the team is being prepared for a long hard campaign with the aim of peaking at the business end. That's what it's all about - a professional approach to a sporting season that starts in February and ends in late September. We want consistency but we have to match it with the others when the pressure starts building in August and reaching a peak over the following month. With results of 7th, 8th and 5th in the last three seasons, Melbourne simply has to improve in this area if it wants the mission to succeed. Of course, you still have to put yourself into the race early (and not be 0-3 after round three as the Demons were in 2006) and the team looks in good shape at this stage. We still have a rehab group but it appears to be of a reasonably acceptable size for this time of year. Colin Sylvia's arm is in a sling, suggesting that his pre season proper will be delayed until well in the New Year. I can't even call him plain "Colin" any more because we have another one at the club (but again, more of that later). Clint Bartram is recovering from the ankle he injured in round 22 while Brent Moloney, whose season was wrecked by shoulder and groin problems, is on target to resume full training soon. Paul Johnson and rookie Daniel Hughes are also on the sidelines with Matty Whelan who is running slow laps. Recruit Ricky Petterd is recovering from a hamstring injury and is doing some restricted work. That said, the rest of the group looks to be in pretty good shape. Brad Green, who had a lot of niggling little problems during the year, is moving well, as is Adem Yze. Jeff White always looks good at this time of year and today is no exception. Nathan Carroll, who appeared to have been recruited to the club almost by default as a rookie a few years ago, continues to impress with his attitude. He now seems quite at home with his role as a footballer playing well at the highest level. However, the stand out from my point of view is Brock McLean whose physical appearance and approach to training justifies his elevation to the leadership group at the tender age of twenty years. He's a little lighter than in the past but he's still a strong and fearsome unit that's headed for stardom. Two other players to impress are Daniel Bell who I expect to kick on enormously in 2007 and Matthew Bate whose debut season was underestimated in many quarters. Bell appears lighter and leaner but still strong of body and having that important asset of good pace. Much the same can be said of Bate who works hard on the track and can only get better and better with time. And the Jones boy looks super fit! I haven't seen much evidence of massive bulking up from players like Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton but Simon Buckley is certainly much bigger in body than he was twelve months ago when he first arrived at the club and Ryan Ferguson, while no Adonis, is also no longer the stick figure he was a few years ago. As I said earlier, most players' skin folds are right down. However, Byron Pickett well and truly makes up for that all on his own. Sporting a beard, the Byronator looks like he's been in a reasonably good paddock of late and will need to do the hard work if he is to be a contributor again next year. He needs a good fitness base because, as we saw late this season, a few weeks' lay off with injury can prove disastrous in terms of his ability to fully see out a game. Also sporting a beard but with no apparent excess body weight is The Flash, who takes training in his stride. Nothing explosive is needed right now! All four National Draft selections are on hand and my first impression is that none of them are likely to make an impact in 2007. That is not to say I'm not impressed - it's simply a case of there being plenty of work to be done before they can reach the level of regular senior players both physically and with their skills. We didn't have any of picks 1 to 5 and we are in a position where we can wait for our youngsters to develop without any great pressure on them. James Frawley looks the closest to AFL standard although I would not expect him to occupy a key position for another year or two. His kicking looks awkward but is certainly not problematic, as some have suggested. Colin Garland is interesting in that he is of a height to be a key forward one day and has a lot of up side in his development. Another awkward looking kicker of the ball, but no problems with accuracy as he slots a couple of long shots through the big sticks at the Alf Beus Can Hill end of the ground. Isaac Weetra is another player who has plenty of development to go and I can't see him in the red and blue until at least 2008 bearing in mind that he was mainly an Under 17 with Port Adelaide Magpies this year. So who will be the 44th man - the person who will occupy that final piece of the jigsaw puzzle in that small corner of my picture? I can't say that I'm greatly impressed by any of the four invitees on show. Andrew Ericksen is 204cm tall but light as a feather and doesn't show a great deal of the aggression that you need from a ruckman at AFL level. The Swans invested three years in him but cut him adrift at the end of the current season without a game at AFL level. In that time, Sydney traded for Darren Jolly, Paul Chambers and Peter Everitt but they also drafted a young 200cm ruckman in Daniel Currie in November to replace Ericksen. Enough said. The Fanning name might be big at Melbourne but former Magpie giant David "Flaps" Fanning looks as if he's half a kilometre to the west of the TBO - all at sea. Stefan Martin from Old Hailybury is interesting. He has a good leap but, at 196 cm will struggle against the modern day ruck giants so unless he can play key position as well, he might find this level too big a big step up from VAFA Under 19's. Andre Gianfagna is the other invitee but, having been dropped from the rookie list just a couple of months ago, it would surprise if he were reinstated next week. Craig Cameron is watching proceedings and I hope he can pluck out one of his special smokies (perhaps that word might not be appropriate in view of the bushfires raging around the state) to fill the last piece of the puzzle next Tuesday. And by then, it will be 109 days to go but then ... who's counting? [THE PICTURES by Finks]

by The Oracle Today's National Draft saw four new faces added to the mix of players at the Melbourne Football Club. The club's recruiters were looking for mobile, versatile footballers among the outstanding array of talent available this year - and they came away pleased with the results of their endeavours given the choices available to them. MFC list manager Craig Cameron was certainly very happy to get James Frawley and Ricky Petterd who the club really rated highly. Frawley is the nephew of former St. Kilda footballer and Richmond coach Danny Frawley and like his famous uncle is a key defender. Petterd was the best and fairest player in Division Two at the national championships (an honour that went to Brad Green in 1999) and was made All-Australian after the carnival. Colin Garland is a fast rising youngster from Tasmania which has been a great recruiting ground for the club in the past. He played two games with the Tassie Devils VFL side late in the season and was among the best players in his team's demolition of Box Hill Hawks in the final round. Earlier in the year he booted ten goals at full forward in a club game. Isack Weetra who is a real smoky who, like Matthew Whelan, wasn't mentioned in despatches at all but who is already generating a lot of excitement among Demon fans in anticipation of his arrival from country SA which has produced rising star Jared Rivers and Daniel Bell in recent years. The club's four recruits come from four different states and all are capable of playing in a number of different positions on the ground. With pre season training well under way, it should not be long before we see the new crop of Demons in action. In the meantime, I've taken the following descriptions of the recruits from Inside Football's Draft Lift out (with the exception of Weetra whose profile comes from a Demonlander) followed by the Herald Sun's profile: - National Draft Selection 12 James Frawley - Tall Defender, North Ballarat, Vic DOB: 20/09/88 Ht: 192 cm Wt: 81kg "Very, very athletic tall. Had a great year for us and is one of those kids who has a great athletic base. He can play at either end of the ground, can play outside, can play inside ... he's a fair package," said North Ballarat coach Gerard FitzGerald. Vic Country Representative 2006. From East Ballarat FC. "Athletic defender who provides good run and is skilful. Nephew of former Saint and Tigers coach Danny." - Herald Sun National Draft Selection 30 Ricky Petterd - Medium Defender, Broadbeach, Qld DOB: 24/07/88 Ht: 185 cm Wt: 76kg "He has a fantastic carnival and dominated off half back and read the play very well. Good user of the ball, has exceptional courage and is a good size for a half back," said Queensland under-18 coach Craig McCrae. Qld Representative, All-Australian 2006. Won Harrison Medal for best player in Division Two national championships. AIS-AFL graduate 2005. "Classy and versatile player who won the Harrison Medal (best and fairest Div 2) in U18 championships. Injury prevented testing at the draft camp." - Herald Sun National Draft Selection 46 Colin Garland - Tall Forward, Tassie Mariners, Tas DOB: 28/04/88 Ht: 191 cm Wt: 85kg "Colin's a bit of a surprise packet because he hasn't played much under-18 footy and only a few VFL games. He came into the system late and was a bit reluctant to come but through encouragement through the North Hobart footy club he had a go at senior level and later for the Mariners in the under-18's. He plays forward, mostly at full forward but I see him as being a third forward type player at AFL level. As he matures he could develop into key position and we believe he has enormous upside given the limited football he's played," said Tassie Devils general manager Scott Wade. Tas Representative 2006. From North Hobart FC. Pacy, leading forward who broke into the Tassie Devils team late in the season." - Herald Sun National Draft Selection 62 Isack Weetra - Utility, Port Adelaide Magpies, SA DOB: 27/02/89 Ht: 184 cm Wt: 76kg "It's been a very busy year so far for Isaac. Having left family and friends in January to relocate to Adelaide to play with the Magpies and complete Year 12, he was on his way to South Africa in February for a 2 week tour with the AFL Indigenous program. A product of the 2005 PAMFC Country Football Academy, Isack is fast developing into a very creative running defender who can play on a tall or small forward. One of Isack's strengths is his ability to read the play and set up attacking thrusts from defence with rebound run and sound foot skills. Isack is working hard on his running endurance and with time, will be able to push into the midfield when needed, adding another dimension to his game," quote from Timmy on Demonland. Member of the Australian Indigenous Tour of South Africa 2006. From West Whyalla FC. "Well-grounded player who go forward or back. Toured South Africa with the Australian indigenous team this year." - Herald Sun Following the draft, the club's playing list currently stands as follows: - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST: SENIOR LIST: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Cameron Bruce, Simon Buckley, Nathan Carroll, Aaron Davey, Lynden Dunn, Ryan Ferguson, James Frawley, Colin Garland, Simon Godfrey, Brad Green, Ben Holland, Mark Jamar, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, Travis Johnstone, Nathan Jones, James McDonald, Brock McLean, Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Heath Neville, Michael Newton, Ricky Petterd, Byron Pickett, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Matthew Warnock, Isack Weetra, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White VETERAN LIST: David Neitz, Adem Yze. ROOKIE LIST: Jace Bode, Daniel Hughes, Shane Neaves [1 vacancy] As I mentioned in my earlier report, there is still an outside chance that another player might be delisted to make way for a Pre Season Draft choice but this appears highly unlikely.

Demonlander Melon 22 has been studying the pool of draft prospects throughout 2006. He's been to the National Under 18 Championships, watched countless TAC Cup games and viewed games from interstate to bring you - THE DRAFT TOP 50 by Melon 22 Firstly, I want to clarify that this is not a mock draft. I take no consideration for what club has which pick; the following is how I rank the players and is solely on my own opinion and not based on that I heard club A is interested in player B:- 1. Bryce GIBBS - SA/Glenelg Date of Birth 15/03/89 188cm 79kg The hype is well deserved for Gibbs; he has outstanding skills and his football smarts for someone his age is quite unbelievable. Could just about play anywhere on the ground, has spent quite a bit of time on the half back line for both Glenelg and SA at the U/18 championships. The only doubt on Bryce is the fact he has been playing SANFL for 2 years and has less development left compared to other prospects his age, but he is already an outstanding player. Bottom line: The most hyped draft prospect ever shouldn't disappoint. 2. Lachlan HANSEN - Vic C/Gippsland Power 17/08/88 195 92 Very mobile KPP with a big motor. Possesses tremendous speed and acceleration for someone of his size. Is a natural CHB who reads the play well and will zone off his direct opponent to be the third man up. Has immaculate timing on when to leave his opponents, when to punch or take a mark. He has a penetrating kick which is accurate as well as long. Decision making with the ball seems to be the area he needs to work on the most, tends to just blast away a bit too much. Bottom line: Has all the tools to become a dominant AFL KPP. 3. Matthew LEUENBURGER - WA/East Perth 07/06/88 203 92 The Premier ruckman of this draft, probably the best U/18 ruckman for a few years. Shows great ruck technique for someone so young, very agile and has great burst of speed. Debuted in the WAFL a few weeks after the U/18 championships and dominated against much more experienced ruckman. He is not afraid to get stuck into the contests around the ground, but prefers to handball than to kick. Bottom line: A very special ruck talent. 4. Mitchell THORP - TAS/Nth Bombers 25/12/88 195 85 A hard working CHF, who has the capacity to play in the midfield as a modern day ruck rover. Doesn't possess a lot of speed, but makes up for it as he seems to be willing run all day and run his opponents off their feet. Presents well at CHF and is a very good decision maker with the ball, has very good disposal. Bottom line: CHF who mixes a great work rate with class and poise. 5. Joel SELWOOD - Vic C/Bendigo Pioneers 26/05/88 184 80 Inside midfielder who has fantastic vision and awareness in the packs. Has great balance and uses his strength well to distribute by hand from tight quarters. Lacks leg speed but more than makes up for it with footy smarts. He is an accurate kick without much penetration in his kicking. A natural leader, he captained the U/17 Australian touring side to Ireland. Bottom line: Natural footballer with outstanding character. 6. Scott GUMBLETON - WA/Peel Thunder 03/08/88 197 92 Athletic CHB/CHF who possesses great marking ability and shows enormous courage in the marking contests. Doesn't have explosive pace off the mark, but does posses enough pace for someone his size to play KPP at AFL level and has very good endurance. It's his character and his work ethic that put him ahead of most. Bottom line: A player who does most things very well, safe early pick. 7. James SELLAR - SA/Glenelg 24/3/89 195 92 Bottom aged KPP who had a disappointing U/18 championships when apparently suffering from a virus. Played ruck/KPP in the SANFL, but may struggle to play ruck in the AFL as he is undersized for a true ruckman. Has a very good kick and uses his leap too good effect to take contested marks. Has had very good season with Glenelg in the SANFL where he has kicked a few goals from CHF. Bottom line: CHF/CHB possessing all the qualities to be a great AFL player. 8. Daniel CONNORS - Vic M/Bendigo Pioneers 22/09/88 184 74 Quick winger/HBF who loves to carry the ball and take on his opponents. Shows a real aggressive streak and doesn't mind putting his head over the ball. Has a spearing left foot which is usually very accurate but sometimes can slide off the boot. Has had temperate issue this year but his fire in the belly makes for an interesting type of player. Bottom line: Unique blend of outside midfielder who loves the rough stuff. 9. Albert PROUD - QLD/Mt. Gravatt 06/09/88 179 80 Speedy midfielder who mixes great skill with a real aggression at the ball. He has a great left foot and has a good awareness in close quarters. Disappointing results at the draft camp might see him slide down the order but has done enough to be a high selection. He also has some temperament issues which might affect where he goes in the draft. Bottom line: Great midfielder prospect who is comfortable in the packs as much as out. 10. Daniel O'KEEFE - Geelong Falcons 25/10/88 183 74 Fast and skillful midfielder who is capable of playing as rebounding defender. Really came on during the year and racked up the possessions playing off the half back line for the Falcons. Has a brilliant left foot which he is long and very accurate. Injured his knee in the TAC Cup finals series which didn't allow him to compete at draft camp. Bottom line: Midfielder/defender with one of the best kicks in this year's draft. 11. Tom HISLOP - TAS/Burnie 07/06/88 185 85 Solid Inside midfielder who is more than capable of kicking goals as a key forward. Possesses tremendous strength but has a lot of guile and skill as well as a fantastic leap. Plays with an air of confidence where he tries to run over players instead of going around them. Bottom line: Developed inside midfielder who is very aggressive at the ball. 12. Eric McKENZIE - WA/Claremont 28/07/88 195 91 Strong bodied FB/CHB who is able to shut down his direct opponent as well as helping the rest of the defense. His big kick usually finds its targets but he sometimes lacks a bit of composure with the ball. Not quick, but reads the play well enough to cover any shortfall in that area. Bottom line: Good FB/CHB prospect. 13. Ben REID - Vic C/Murray Bushrangers 29/04/89 193 79 KPP who is fast and agile with a great long kick. Only makes the draft by a few days and has a lot of development left in him. He also grown a few cms during the year making him true KPP size. Can be erratic with decision making, but over time should improve in this area. Recorded a 2.93s 20 metre sprint time which is elite. Could be one of the value picks of this draft. Bottom line: Bottom age KPP with a big upside to his game. 14. David ARMITAGE - QLD/Morningside 16/6/88 183 79 Inside midfielder who is as hard at the ball as they come. Had the best agility time at the draft had has decent pace and skills for an inside mid. Tends to bounce around the packs a bit which leaves him open to get injuries, this forced him to wear headgear in the U/18 carnival due to a head clash in a earlier lead up game. Bottom line: Inside midfielder who loves the hard contest. 15. Kurt TIPPETT - QLD/Southport 08/05/87 200 98 A 19 year old convert from basketball who has only been playing football for a year or so. Has great mobility for someone his size and surprisingly has very good football instincts for a late convert to football. Has the ability to be a ruckman who moves into the forward line as he is a very good contested mark and set shot at goal. Bottom line: Best Ruck/KPP combination player in the draft. 16. Brock O'BRIEN - WA/Peel 30/05/88 180 78 Quick small backman who loves to rebound from defense. His ability to shut down an opponent is questionable but is hard at the contest and gives great second efforts. Has a good kick and is at his most damaging streaming of a half back flank. Bottom line: Modern day attacking backman who looks suited to slot into AFL. 17. Clayton COLLARD - WA/South Fremantle 4/12/88 179 80 Quick and skillful outside midfielder/HFF who likes to take players on with his electric speed. Has a sense for the sublime moments and has a very good leap which he uses to take spectacular marks. Has very good kick and generally makes very good decisions with the ball in hand. Not overly physical and is very much an outside player. Bottom line: If teams are looking for pace and flair than Collard is hard to go past. 18. Bachar HOULI - Vic M/Western Jets 12/05/88 180 84 Small forward who has got a lot of media attention lately due to his religious beliefs. Has been starring in the TAC cup for three years as a full forward for Western, but has also moved into the midfield at times. He has a strong and accurate left foot, very good balance and some of the cleanest hands that go around. Produced very good beep test at draft camp which suggests he might be able to go into the midfield full time. Bottom line: Clean user of the football that can play both as a midfielder and forward. 19. Chris SCHMIDT - SA/West Adelaide 20/3/89 186 77 Rangy midfielder with good athletic ability and a great mark. Was a shining light in a very disappointing U/18 championship for SA this year where he racked up plenty of possessions. Very composed with the ball and has shown a lot of footy smarts to mix with his good disposal. Bottom line: Classy winger who knows how to find the ball. 20. Brent RENOUF - QLD/Southport 03/05/88 200 92 Agile ruckman that shows great ruck technique. Quick and very agile, adequate with his kicking and work rate is very good. Very competitive and tries to make body contact whenever he can. Played at CHB for Southport in the QAFL and showed enough to suggest that he could be used as a KPP at times. Bottom line: Mobile ruckman that plays with a fire in the belly. 21. Jarryd ALLEN - Calder Cannons 14/01/88 192 85 Top age CHF with strong hands and is quick on the lead. Passed on in last years draft, has come on in leaps and bounds this year and was a major reason for Calder Cannons making the TAC Cup grand final. Has a booming and accurate kick which he sometimes doesn't make the most of, decision making is still something that needs to improve. Bottom line: Strong KPP who can play at either end of the ground. 22. Leroy JETTA - WA/South Fremantle 06/07/88 176 73 A special talent, is super quick and has the best side step I have ever seen on a football field. Leroy has a sense of the magical and tries to do extraordinary things very often. He is very aggressive and is willing to crack into people despite his size, kicking is also very good but sometimes can be a little sloppy. Could also be touch much too handle for many clubs, he is not short of confidence in himself. Bottom line: Livewire that many clubs might not take the risk of taking him outside WA. 23. Clint BENJAMIN - WA/Claremont 27/07/88 188 80 Athletic wingman that shows a lot of natural talent which he hasn’t matched with footy smarts as of yet. Sometimes struggles to impact games as he tends to hang around the packs instead of attacking the ball. Has all the tools to become a very good AFL player, but the AFL club that does take will have to be patient as he has a bit of development left. Bottom line: Athlete who will take time to develop 24. Ricky PETTERD - QLD/Broadbeach 24/7/88 184 77 Good sized midfielder who show great balance and poise with the ball in hand. Capable of going back and doing defensive roles, very good in traffic and possesses a good leap. Bottom line: Solid pick, a player who does a lot of things well without being extraordinary. 25. Andrejs EVERITT - VicM/Dandenong 13/03/89 193 76 Bottom age athletic KPP prospect with a lot of development left in him. Very good kick and reads the play very well when the ball is coming into defense. Is still very thin and will need to put on weight before stepping up to the AFL, likes to use his leap in the contest rather use his body to compensate for the lack of strength. Bottom line: Athletic key defender who like to rebound out of defense 26. Nathan BROWN - Vic C/Nth Ballarat 17/12/88 193 88 Strong full back who produced some outstanding results at draft camp. Loves the physical nature of the game, very competitive and will always provide a contest. Disposal isn't great but is more than adequate for a full back, capable of playing forward as well as back but is more natural in the backline. Bottom line: Quick fullback with a competitive streak. 27. Travis BOAK - Vic C /Geelong Falcons 01/08/88 182 75 Classy inside midfielder who was struck down by injuries during the year, has clean hands and is tidy disposer of the football. Has a body shape that will suit AFL, strong in the hip which gives him great balance. Showed great speed at the draft camp by producing a 20 metre sprint time of 2.96s. Bottom line: Neat midfielder that shows speed and poise. 28. Jack RIEWOLDT - TAS/Clarence 31/10/88 193 84 Agile KPP with good awareness and good disposals. Plays a bit smaller than a true CHF, struggles against bigger bodied opponents. Tends to go missing in games quite a bit, needs to be a bit more imposing on the contests. Bottom line: Smart and agile KPP that needs to work on consistency and one on one contests. 29. Joseph ANDERSON - NT/Darwin 24/12/88 188 81 Quick and hard working midfielder/HBF who has a long and accurate kick while show poise and footy smarts. Reads the play very well and tends gather a lot of possessions, sometimes maybe doesn't go in as hard as he should. He also has won a B&F at senior level at the NTFL. He is a good size for the modern day midfielder and has a strong hands and a good leap which make him dangerous overhead. Bottom line: Athletic midfielder who is a strong mark and can play back. 30. Shane EDWARDS - SA/North Adelaide 25/10/88 180 69 Athletic FP/Midfielder who excelled at draft camp where he topped the vertical standing leap (69cm). Debuted in the SANFL this year where he made an instant impact and was very impressive in the SANFL finals. Has fantastic endurance (15.04 beep test) and is willing to work hard and attack the ball. Disposal isn't top notch, but has come on significantly in the second half of the year. Bottom line: Exciting mix of athletic ability, class and elite endurance. 31. James FRAWLEY - Vic C/Nth Ballarat 20/09/88 193 80 Tall Defender who can also has the capacity to play on a wing. Has a good engine and reads the play very well. Is a solid kick for a backman, needs to work on his strength in the one on one contests to be able to play in the AFL as a key defender. Bottom line: Developing key defender with good athletic ability. 32. Gavin URQUHART - QLD/Morningside 18/5/88 186 78 Hard nosed defender who shows good awareness and composure. Good disposal and likes to rebound off the half back line. Struggled a little bit with injuries this year which may have his seen draft stock drop. Bottom line: Aggressive defender who likes to run and create. 33. Daniel HAYES - Vic M/Eastern Ranges 13/07/88 180 70 Forward pocket with great speed and agility. Lovely left foot that has great power and accuracy, can use his leap to take spectacular marks. Sometimes can lose his head a little bit and get distracted in games. Loves to chase and tackle and really thrives on the contested side of the game. Bottom line: Forward pocket who loves to chase and tackle as much as kicking a goal. 34. Colin GARLAND - TAS/Nth Hobart 28/04/88 193 84 Another late convert to football, shows great athletic ability without much football nous. Isn't a strong contested mark and tends to hang around the packs instead of attacking the ball. Clubs might be attracted to the amount of development left in him. Bottom line: Agile KPP with a lot of potential. 35. Nathan DJUKERRA - NT/Wanderers 19/09/99 174 75 Small midfielder with a solid build, who has fantastic pace and oozes class. Played for Scotch College this year and dominated the Allied Vs TAC game where he really enhanced his reputation. A feature of his game is balance and low centre of gravity which makes him very hard to tackle and pin down. Bottom line: Has enough pace and skills to overcome size issues. 36. Jarryd MORTON - WA/Claremont 05/10/88 190 80 The brother of Mitch but is unable to go father and son and join Mitch at WCE due the AFL rules. An agile flanker who has classy disposal and is reasonable contested mark. Sometimes can go missing in games but has enough natural talent to get him drafted. Bottom line: Awkward size means he is hard to pin down where he fits into an AFL system. 37. Tom COLLIER - TAS/Lauderdale 25/3/89 192 86 Undersized KPP who shows great attack on the ball and possesses some good straight line speed. Not a great kick but is adequate for a defender. Bottom aged so some physical development might be left to get him a bit taller to true KPP size. Bottom line: Bottom age KPP who should be given time to develop 38. Tim HOULIHAN - Vic C/Nth Ballarat 10/02/89 189 74 Athlete who showed good promise in the second half of the year after a subdued performance at the U/18 championships. Has elite endurance, at draft camp finished in the top 2 in all the endurance tests. Outside midfielder with decent skills who likes to run into the spaces, needs to work on the strength side to the game as he is pushed off the ball too easily. Bottom line: Developing outside midfielder with elite endurance. 39. Todd GOLDSTEIN - Vic M/Oakleigh Chargers 01/07/88 200 102 Solid agile ruckman who didn't make his debut in the TAC cup till late in the season. Was one of the main reasons why Oakleigh came out of nowhere to win the TAC Cup. Raw in the ruck position but is more than handy around the ground, has okay disposal for a ruck prospect. Bottom line: Raw ruck prospect 40. Will SCHOFIELD - Vic C/Geelong 24/01/89 194 81 Athletic tall defender who has great endurance and is fairly quick for someone his size. Played on a wing at times for Geelong in the TAC Cup this year to show his versatility. Has decent disposal but is sometimes let down with decision making. Bottom line: Athletic key defender who shows promise. 41. Peter FAULKS - Vic M/Calder Cannons 24/04/06 193 72 Pencil thin key defender who has shown good athletic ability. Had a very good U/18 championships where he looked comfortable at CHB. Reads the play well and likes to be third man up in the marking contests. Reasonable disposal is let down by poor decision making when coming out of defense with the ball. Bottom line: Developing key back that needs to work on decision making. 42. Gary MOSS - WA/East Perth 05/07/88 178 68 Hard running small midfielder with great ball winning ability, reads the flow of the game very well. Shows grit and determination and a little bit of fire in the contests and has good footy smarts. His kicking is what lets him down though as he can sometimes be bit sloppy in his disposal and can turn the ball over. Made his debut in the WAFL during the year and stepped up very well and made big impacts in games. Bottom line: Ball winning midfielder with questionable disposal. 43. Shaun HAMPSON - QLD/Mt. Gravatt 22/06/88 202 93 Beanpole ruckman who got limited game time in the U/18 carnival due to his QLD team mates in Tippett and Renouf. The most underdeveloped ruckman in terms of football smarts and skills of this year's draft, has enough natural athletic ability to get teams very interested. Bottom line: Cliche developing Ruckman. 44. Nathan KRAKOUER - WA/Claremont 30/7/88 182 62 Pencil thin midfielder with blistering pace (2.83s for 20m) and above average skills. His size is an issue as he desperately needs to put on weight to play effectively at AFL level. Everything happens very quickly when he gets the ball and as a consequence he sometimes makes poor decisions. Bottom line: Athlete that will take time to develop. 45. Rhyce PRISMALL - Vic M/Western 06/04/89 188 88 Bottom aged medium forward who is strong overhead and good below his knees. Creative forward who always seems to know where the goals are, very good on the lead. Useful in the midfield where he delivers the ball with accuracy. Bottom line: Medium forward with good goal sense and marking ability. 46. James HAWKSLEY - WA/Peel 05/02/89 187 72 Flanker with decent pace, skills and has a good football brain. Has very good awareness and is a very good kick which he usually finds a target. No fuss style of player and sticks to his tasks well. Bottom line: Modern day footballer who can play anywhere. 47. Leigh ADAMS - Vic M/Eastern 06/04/88 176 83 Inside midfielder that can also be used for defensive roles and can pinch hit up forward. Fantastic balance where he can kick off both feet with equal power, rarely misses a target and usually takes the right options. Doesn't have a good AFL body shape and questions over size, pace and endurance might see Leigh passed over in this year's draft, but he is very good all round footballer. Bottom line: Pace the biggest drawback in neat midfielder. 48. Sam JACOBS - SA/Woodville West Torrens 10/4/88 199 101 Solid ruckman who stands out with his red hair. Convert from basketball, strong overhead and has questionable disposal. Stepped up to play SANFL footy this year. Bottom line: Middle of the road ruck prospect. 49. Robert GRAY - Vic M/Oakleigh Chargers 30/3/88 180 79 Small forward who attacks the contest and is strong on the lead. His aggression at the ball, great hands and his speed off the mark is the highlights of his game. Very good set shot and was the key forward for most of the year at the TAC Cup champions Oakleigh. Bottom Line: Aggressive small forward with good hands 50. Chris DAWES - Vic M/Sandringham 27/07/88 193 101 Solid CHF who suffered a season ending injury halfway through the year. Not very quick, but presents to the ball with aggression and has the strength to take contested marks. Questions over pace and agile are the main reasons Chris might miss out on draft day. Bottom line: Decent CHF who always gives a contest.

THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT by The Couch Potato (aka Whispering Jack) When the powers that be over at Foxtel announced a few months ago that they were committed to the public execution of the Fox Footy Channel, I thought the end of the world as we know it was coming. After all, what use were the other few dozen Foxtel channels without the footy? How could I while away the evening hours of a long hot summer (apart from the odd occasion when the Aussies were playing a day/nighter) without a footy replay or a repeat of Grumpy Old Men, On the Couch (my favourite) or some other FFC special programme? The first thing that came to mind was to start a protest movement. It wouldn't take much effort to muster up a crowd of demonstrators to picket the G20 forum and demand our rights to continue watching football 24/7. However, I simply wasn't able to reach the required level of indignation or the motivation necessary to organise such an effort. I was just too tied to the couch! Then I thought of placing a telephone call to Foxtel. I was going to order them to come over to my place, to collect their equipment and to shove it all where there sun doesn't shine. But being a couch potato of the highest order I never even got around to doing that! Things might well have been different had someone invented a remote control that would enable me to dial up the Foxtel Head Office while watching the programme guide. Instead I discovered by default that there were other things to watch on my relatively new digital system. Things like the Northern Territory Football League games from Darwin, the A League Soccer, wrestling as an entertainment form (once upon a time it was a real sport!), the myriads of Poker Tournaments that have mushroomed in popularity over the years and even - yes - the world championship of darts! So here I am. It's not even summertime yet but I have managed to discover other things to watch on my large, new plasma screen. And there's even enough time left before the next screening starts for me to describe my two current favourites - the poker and the NTFL. Once upon a time I used to play poker regularly. It was supposed to be a Friday night social occasion (this was before Friday night football came along) but it wasn't all that "social" because, shock, horror, we used to play the game for "money". Those who are old enough to have watched Sergeant Bilko in the good old days of monochrome television, would understand the subtlety of the use of that word in the context of a poker game. For the youngsters out there who don't understand, my only suggestion is not to try playing poker at home (or anywhere else for that matter!). One of my favourite books is "The Education of a Poker Player" by Herbert Yardley who was an interesting character; a World War I code breaker and an avid poker player. His book is less of a teaching manual about a card game than it is a lesson on life. There are many different types of people that play poker and, having read the book a long, long time ago, it has been fascinating to see it actually come to life by watching some of the remarkable characters who participate in these televised poker tournaments. Not that I would want to establish a personal acquaintanceship with any of them - they appear to be in the main a bunch of greedy, money grubbing desperadoes. However, for entertainment value, it's tops and there's less blood and gore around than in the wrestling which has become somewhat tiresome now that I know for sure that it's only entertainment and not for real. One thing that is for real is the football not from the end of the world but from the Top End. Thanks to ABC2, I've had the pleasure of being able to watch a number of games in the current NTFL season involving the newly admitted Bombers from the Tiwi Islands which produced such footballing greats as the Riolis and the Longs. The team has been admitted to play in the first seven rounds of competition and they've been a raging success winning their first five games on the trot by playing an exciting, running game in the heat and humidity of Darwin. Dean Rioli has been a star of those wins but it's doubtful that he'll turn out for them again this season because he's gone back to Melbourne. That still leaves one Rioli in the team - little Willie - and he's a ripper! The Tiwi Islanders might not be in AFL star class but they do play such an exciting, running game that it's often mind boggling. And what great cult heroes they're throwing up for the sparse audiences of this little known television station - names that roll off the commentators' tongues like Simon Munkara, Ephram Tipungwuti, Norman Pangirimini, Rupert Pupungameri, Thomas Simon and exciting youngsters Roy Farmer and Austin Wonaeamirra. It's all high scoring excitement where the goals flow all day. The last game I saw was a close high scoring affair against Wanderers who were in it until halfway through the third quarter of a game played in 32 degree heat and 70% humidity. That was when the Wanderers started frothing at the mouth and running up and down on the spot while the Bombers running brigade kept zipping around, continually playing on at all costs and pumping through goal after goal. It seemed so effortless that I was reminded of the old Harlem Globetrotters basketball exhibitions. The Bombers eventually won a 48-goal shootout 28.15.183 to 20.8.128 and the players made it look so easy - as if they were born to play. In reality, the game was taken to the Northern Territory during World War II by Brother John Pye, a Catholic priest who is apparently still alive today and about to turn 100. In the Tiwi Islands, it really is more than a game and more than entertainment. It is a way of life that gives the young men of these outlying communities not only a focus – it also gives them hope; the sport is arresting what has been a high suicide rate. And for those of us who have had the privilege of watching these magnificent young men play, it provides proof that the end of the world as we know it isn't coming at all!

by The Couch Potato (aka Whispering Jack) When the powers that be over at Foxtel announced a few months ago that they were committed to the public execution of the Fox Footy Channel, I thought the end of the world as we know it was coming. After all, what use were the other few dozen Foxtel channels without the footy? How could I while away the evening hours of a long hot summer (apart from the odd occasion when the Aussies were playing a day/nighter) without a footy replay or a repeat of Grumpy Old Men, On the Couch (my favourite) or some other FFC special programme? The first thing that came to mind was to start a protest movement. It wouldn't take much effort to muster up a crowd of demonstrators to picket the G20 forum and demand our rights to continue watching football 24/7. However, I simply wasn't able to reach the required level of indignation or the motivation necessary to organise such an effort. I was just too tied to the couch! Then I thought of placing a telephone call to Foxtel. I was going to order them to come over to my place, to collect their equipment and to shove it all where there sun doesn't shine. But being a couch potato of the highest order I never even got around to doing that! Things might well have been different had someone invented a remote control that would enable me to dial up the Foxtel Head Office while watching the programme guide. Instead I discovered by default that there were other things to watch on my relatively new digital system. Things like the Northern Territory Football League games from Darwin, the A League Soccer, wrestling as an entertainment form (once upon a time it was a real sport!), the myriads of Poker Tournaments that have mushroomed in popularity over the years and even - yes - the world championship of darts! So here I am. It's not even summertime yet but I have managed to discover other things to watch on my large, new plasma screen. And there's even enough time left before the next screening starts for me to describe my two current favourites - the poker and the NTFL. Once upon a time I used to play poker regularly. It was supposed to be a Friday night social occasion (this was before Friday night football came along) but it wasn't all that "social" because, shock, horror, we used to play the game for "money". Those who are old enough to have watched Sergeant Bilko in the good old days of monochrome television, would understand the subtlety of the use of that word in the context of a poker game. For the youngsters out there who don't understand, my only suggestion is not to try playing poker at home (or anywhere else for that matter!). One of my favourite books is "The Education of a Poker Player" by Herbert Yardley who was an interesting character; a World War I code breaker and an avid poker player. His book is less of a teaching manual about a card game than it is a lesson on life. There are many different types of people that play poker and, having read the book a long, long time ago, it has been fascinating to see it actually come to life by watching some of the remarkable characters who participate in these televised poker tournaments. Not that I would want to establish a personal acquaintanceship with any of them - they appear to be in the main a bunch of greedy, money grubbing desperadoes. However, for entertainment value, it's tops and there's less blood and gore around than in the wrestling which has become somewhat tiresome now that I know for sure that it's only entertainment and not for real. One thing that is for real is the football not from the end of the world but from the Top End. Thanks to ABC2, I've had the pleasure of being able to watch a number of games in the current NTFL season involving the newly admitted Bombers from the Tiwi Islands which produced such footballing greats as the Riolis and the Longs. The team has been admitted to play in the first seven rounds of competition and they've been a raging success winning their first five games on the trot by playing an exciting, running game in the heat and humidity of Darwin. Dean Rioli has been a star of those wins but it's doubtful that he'll turn out for them again this season because he's gone back to Melbourne. That still leaves one Rioli in the team - little Willie - and he's a ripper! The Tiwi Islanders might not be in AFL star class but they do play such an exciting, running game that it's often mind boggling. And what great cult heroes they're throwing up for the sparse audiences of this little known television station - names that roll off the commentators' tongues like Simon Munkara, Ephram Tipungwuti, Norman Pangirimini, Rupert Pupungameri, Thomas Simon and exciting youngsters Roy Farmer and Austin Wonaeamirra. It's all high scoring excitement where the goals flow all day. The last game I saw was a close high scoring affair against Wanderers who were in it until halfway through the third quarter of a game played in 32 degree heat and 70% humidity. That was when the Wanderers started frothing at the mouth and running up and down on the spot while the Bombers running brigade kept zipping around, continually playing on at all costs and pumping through goal after goal. It seemed so effortless that I was reminded of the old Harlem Globetrotters basketball exhibitions. The Bombers eventually won a 48-goal shootout 28.15.183 to 20.8.128 and the players made it look so easy - as if they were born to play. In reality, the game was taken to the Northern Territory during World War II by Brother John Pye, a Catholic priest who is apparently still alive today and about to turn 100. In the Tiwi Islands, it really is more than a game and more than entertainment. It is a way of life that gives the young men of these outlying communities not only a focus – it also gives them hope; the sport is arresting what has been a high suicide rate. And for those of us who have had the privilege of watching these magnificent young men play, it provides proof that the end of the world as we know it isn't coming at all!

by The Oracle The Melbourne Football Club has adopted a steady as she goes approach to recruiting into the lead up to next week's AFL National Draft. As we saw during the Trade Week there was very little on offer during trade week with most of the players who changed clubs opting for a change of scenery and traveling interstate. Again, most of those who found themselves in new locations were players who had question marks over their football careers; it was almost as if they were escaping from their past. The Melbourne Football Department took a reasonable course in steering clear of the names on offer and will rely on the draft(s) to top up its list. There is a sense that after three consecutive years of finishing between 5th and 8th on the ladder during which time some exciting new faces have been introduced into the fold, the club is ready to make its moved forward based on natural improvement within the existing list. The only "new" face on the senior list to date therefore is rookie Matthew Warnock who was permanently elevated from his rookie status. He takes Adem Yze's place with the Ooze being elevated to Veteran List status where he joins skipper David Neitz. In accordance with the "steady as she goes" approach, only three players were delisted in the first list lodgment at the end of last month - Shannon Motlop, Phil Read and Nick Smith - while Alistair Nicholson has retired. No players were delisted when the second delistment list was lodged yesterday. Only one rookie - Andre Gianfagna - was delisted. This leaves the club with four selections at next Saturday's National Draft - picks 12, 30, 46 and 62 - although the club could pass their last selection and take its luck in the Pre Season Draft. The club will have one selection only in the Rookie Draft. As a result, the club's playing list currently stands as follows: - MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST: SENIOR LIST: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Cameron Bruce, Simon Buckley, Nathan Carroll, Aaron Davey, Lynden Dunn, Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Brad Green, Ben Holland, Mark Jamar, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, Travis Johnstone, Nathan Jones, James McDonald, Brock McLean, Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Heath Neville, Michael Newton, Byron Pickett, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Matthew Warnock, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White [4 vacancies] VETERAN LIST: David Neitz, Adem Yze. ROOKIE LIST: Jace Bode, Daniel Hughes, Shane Neaves [1 vacancy] There is still an outside chance that another player might be delisted to make way for a Pre Season Draft choice but this appears highly unlikely at this stage. We now wait with bated breathe to see what gems Craig Cameron and his crew can dig up next week and we wish them the very best of luck! 2006 AFL NATIONAL DRAFT ORDER ROUND 1: 1 CARLTON 2 ESSENDON 3 KANGAROOS 4 BRISBANE 5 PORT ADELAIDE 6 HAWTHORN 7 GEELONG 8 COLLINGWOOD 9 ST. KILDA 10 COLLINGWOOD 11 W. BULLDOGS 12 MELBOURNE 13 RICHMOND 14 ADELAIDE 15 SYDNEY 16 WEST COAST PRIORITY ROUND: 17 CARLTON 18 ESSENDON ROUND 2: 19 CARLTON 20 ESSENDON 21 KANGAROOS 22 BRISBANE 23 PORT ADELAIDE 24 HAWTHORN 25 GEELONG 26 RICHMOND 27 ST. KILDA 28 COLLINGWOOD 29 WEST COAST 30 MELBOURNE 31 FREMANTLE 32 ADELAIDE 33 HAWTHORN 34 BRISBANE ROUND 3: 35 CARLTON 36 ESSENDON 37 KANGAROOS 38 BRISBANE 39 PORT ADELAIDE 40 HAWTHORN [F/S Josh Kennedy] 41 GEELONG [F/S Tom Hawkins] 42 ESSENDON 43 WEST COAST 44 COLLINGWOOD 45 W. BULLDOGS 46 MELBOURNE 47 ESSENDON 48 ADELAIDE 49 SYDNEY 50 WEST COAST ROUND 4: 51 CARLTON 52 FREMANTLE 53 KANGAROOS 54 BRISBANE 55 PORT ADELAIDE 56 HAWTHORN 57 GEELONG 58 RICHMOND 59 ST. KILDA 60 RICHMOND 61 W. BULLDOGS 62 MELBOURNE 63 COLLINGWOOD 64 ADELAIDE 65 SYDNEY 66 W. BULLDOGS ROUND 5: 67 CARLTON 68 ESSENDON 69 KANGAROOS 70 BRISBANE 71 PORT ADELAIDE 72 HAWTHORN 73 RICHMOND 74 ST. KILDA 75 COLLINGWOOD 76 W. BULLDOGS 77 FREMANTLE 78 ADELAIDE 79 SYDNEY 80 WEST COAST ROUND 6: 81 CARLTON 82 KANGAROOS 83 PORT ADELAIDE 84 RICHMOND 85 ST. KILDA ROUND 7: 86 PORT ADELAIDE 87 ST. KILDA ROUND 8: 88 PORT ADELAIDE 89 ST. KILDA

SOMETHING NOT QUITE RIGHT by the Oracle From well before the outset of exchange period on Monday, the club recruiting managers were unanimous about a couple of things. Their main objective in the trades was to bring about improvement to their team lists. They were also in general agreement that the forthcoming National Draft would be much deeper in quality than in recent years, at least in the top ten or so if not all the way through. Now that it's over, the question arises as to which clubs did best in trade week? As always, the proof will not be in the pudding but in the eating and we all must wait for time to be the superior judge. It would be safe to say however, from this vantage point, that nothing world shattering happened during the week so my question might even be a redundant one from the outset. For starters, six clubs, Adelaide, Carlton, Geelong, the Kangaroos, Melbourne and Port Adelaide completed no trades at all. Brisbane, Essendon, Hawthorn and West Coast offloaded players in return for draft selections only and that left only six clubs to welcome a total of nine new players to the fold as a result of trade week. When you consider all of the hype and the multitude of rumours surrounding the exchange period, the result appears quite measly. But it's even worse than measly because the actual trades themselves were so unspectacular. When you analyse the players who changed places, it becomes abundantly clear that every trade involved disaffected or problem players whose on field performances in 2006 were not anywhere near a standard that one would describe as "elite". And most had problems off the field as well. Of course, some of them are decent footballers - or should I say "were" decent footballers. We know Jason Akermanis and Peter Everitt are capable of producing brilliant form on the field but both are in the veteran stages of their careers and both have had their issues at previous clubs. Chris Tarrant has been a major disappointment and a problem child for the Magpies since winning All Australian honours three years ago while Michael Gardiner's recent performances both on and off the ground speak for themselves. He can consider himself very lucky to still be playing the game at this level. And fellow former high draft pick, Graham Polak, who has never reached great heights on the field, is probably in the same boat. A check of the 2006 Brownlow voting reveals that, of the nine players traded, only two of them polled votes - Akermanis 3 and Tarrant 2. Of course, many of the traded players saw limited game time in 2006 but that proves the point I've been making on an almost daily basis; this week is for the NQR's. And a good few of those NQR's, like Geelong's Steve Johnson, couldn't even be given away at bargain basement prices. The clubs that have recruited players are punting that they will come good at their second or third club. In some cases, it won't matter much because the cost in terms of draft picks given away hasn't been all that great - the only club which has given away a major role in the forthcoming superdraft is Fremantle whose first selection is now 31. The club that's in the most danger of being seen as the big loser of the trade period is one which did not trade at all. The Blues took a strong stand by refusing to even discuss any trades for young duo Bret Thornton and Jordan Russell whose careers now remain in limbo. The management of both players have indicted they could go elsewhere in the pre season draft but for the moment, they are faced with the prospect of remaining at the club against their wishes. They are out of contract and probably won't join in formal training when it starts in a few week's time. And unless they can be talked around in the next couple of months, Carlton will be looking further and further into the abyss. If they lose these players for nothing, they might have proven a point but the cost will have been a major offset against the advantage of having the number one pick and a priority selection in the National Draft. In the meantime, the football off-season, goes on and on. With the trades out of the way, many clubs will start culling their lists in advance of the drafts. Expect more pain to follow but on again, it will involve the lesser lights and the NQR's of the competition.