Demonland

by the Oracle There's a spring in my step as I walk to the bus stop on my way to work these days. No. I haven't fallen in love again - just that it's the right time of the year for a football tragic like me. The last tennis ball of the Australian Open has been volleyed away, the international cricket season is virtually done and dusted, the Winter Olympics is a non-event as far as I'm concerned (unless a miracle and all of the fancied competitors in the 1,000 metre short track speed skating crash into each other leaving another stunned Aussie to take the gold medal) and I don’t really give a rat’s about the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, let alone the Formula Grand Prix. The thing that's tickling my fancy again is the rapidly approaching commencement of the football season. In the blink of an eye, the first practice match will be upon us – this coming Friday if you count intraclub practice matches (as I do!). I love this time of year. Your footy team starts out on an even footing with all of the others. You're undefeated and, quite frankly if you happen to be beaten in any of the pre-season competition games, who really cares? After all, Carlton won the Wizard Cup last year and where did they finish in the Big Show? Stone motherless last! Come to think of it where's the Wizard Cup now? The 16 AFL clubs will be competing for a different prize in 2006 - the NAB Cup - and even the rules are going to be a bit different. Still, there's plenty to speculate about when push comes to shove during the pre-season. What the football tragic is looking for at this time of year are some changes taking place within a football club that will ultimately translate into improved team performance overall bringing hope for a better overall result in the forthcoming regular season. Some of those changes will be subtle, almost indiscernible while others will hit you right square in the middle of the face. So what can we look for in the coming weeks before the start of the regular season? Neale Daniher has already flagged the fact that, with his team's greater maturity and the club's slight financial improvement, this time of year will be used to give his younger charges some exposure. The veterans in David Neitz, Jeff White and Adem Yze are probably going to be held back while we get a chance to see how our younger brigade can handle things. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the likes of Nick Smith, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson (who have all seen a bit of senior AFL action) and the as yet untried Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn and Nathan Jones travel in the NAB Cup. Hopefully, one of them might step up to the plate as Jarrod Rivers and Aaron Davey did two years ago when their impressive early season form was a precursor to a 1-2 finish in the NAB Rising Star award. Then there are our Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Brent Moloney, Brock McLean, Colin Sylvia and Daniel Bell. Not wishing to put any pressure on these guys but they now have a bit of experience in their legs and should be ready to answer the big question we've been asking for the last couple of seasons. Can they continue their steady improvement to the point where their presence lifts our midfield to the rarified atmosphere level of the big boys? Our defence has come under criticism as being too brittle when the pressure's on. Many pointed their fingers at this area when the club went into freefall in midseason last year. We certainly need Rivers and Clint Bizzell back in form but will Nicho, Ferg and Nathan Carroll be good enough to hold the top forwards in the competition or are we going to be forced to bring Brad Miller back into defence to help them out? And if so, who takes his spot on the forward line? And what of our over-dependence on ruckman Jeff White in recent seasons? Can Mark Jamar come to his aid and kick on in this department? What about Liston Medal winner Paul Johnson? Have his suspect marking abilities improved to qualify for AFL tall standard or can he make do as a big man who really has the attributes of a midfielder in terms of pace and agility? And will Byron Pickett single handedly destroy the rest of the AFL without attracting the attention of the Tribunal or the faceless men with their calculators defining whether a strike was in play or out of it if the ball's 50 metres away? Or have they changed the rules and moved the goalposts again? I can't remember any more because it all seems to be made up as they go along. In any event, I think Byron might be one of those changes I alluded to above that hit you right square in the middle of the face but don’t get me wrong. I’m talking metaphorically here – not literally. The Reverend has promised us that the club won't change its attacking style of play despite Sydney's finals success playing its dour brand of football. That's fine as long as he has a few different plans in place just in case Plan A isn't working and the wheels start falling off as they invariably do from time to time even at the strongest of clubs. While we need to remain positive at all times, we need to be able to arrest the type of slumps the club has fallen into in the past two seasons just when the attainment of the Holy Grail was in sight. What about the changes in the rules and their interpretation? I hope that we can get our kick in strategies right – we haven’t looked totally comfortable in both defence of the opposition kick ins or in our own movement from the minor score. We have to get it right this year. I like the change in interpretation that requires umpires to be stricter on players who hold on to opponents going for the ball. If they're fair dinkum about this then Neita could become the first Demon to kick 100 goals in a season (leaving Kelvin Templeton aside because he got them playing for the Doggies). The disadvantage of all this is that in order to police this rule (and I bet there will be numerous complaints about inconsistency when it's applied) they will trial an extra field umpire and give goal and boundary umpires the power to make decisions. Great! That's all we need. Four, five or six white maggots or orange maggots or whatever to vent our spleens upon. Away from the Demons and the football field itself, possibly the biggest change we’re going to see will be in the media with the new TV rights having been issued to Seven and Ten and the situation with the Footy Show which will be without compere Eddie McGuire for the first time. This means that the programme might become suitable for viewers other than Collingwood fans. The announcement that Eddie is to become Nine’s head honcho has certainly made it a big week in football. From now on, every week is only going to get bigger. Bring it on!

A HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART EIGHT: WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD ... by the Professor In the aftermath of the Second World War mankind witnessed staggering technological developments in all fields of endeavour. Extensive progress was made in communication; trade and economic developments and the emergence of television, space flight and nuclear power attended an ever-changing world picture. But the explosive force generated by the detonation of a nuclear device would never match the impact of the Melbourne Football Club under Coach Norm Smith and Secretary Jim Cardwell. In 1952 - his first season as coach - Smith had a small nucleus players at his disposal with which to fashion a competitive combination. His better players were Denis Cordner, Stuart Spencer, Noel McMahen and John Beckwith. In 1953 Smith was able to add such young players as Ron Barassi Jnr., Frank "Bluey" Adams, Geoff Case, Peter Marquis and Don Williams. The following year Bob Johnson, Brian Dixon, Clyde Laidlaw and Ian Ridley got the chance to taste V.F.L. football. Melbourne improved greatly to finish fourth at the end of the home and away series and made the Grand Final only to be defeated by a strong Footscray side. This was the first of the Club's record seven consecutive premiership pay offs. At the beginning of 1955 Noel McMahen was appointed captain. The Demons won 15 of the 18 first round matches and accounted for Collingwood twice in the final series. The physically stronger Melbourne team harassed their opponents all day and while the Magpies were persistent the Demons kicked the last four goals of the match to win the Grand Final. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1955 Melbourne 2.3.15 3.10.28 4.13.37 8.16.64 Collingwood 2.2.14 2.5.17 4.6.30 5.6.36 Goals Clarke Ridley 3 Laidlaw McKenzie Best Cordner, Barassi Melville McLean McMahen Marquis THE TEAM B Beckwith Marquis Trev Johnson HB Williams McGivern McMahen C McLean Melville Case HF Mithen Laidlaw McKenzie F R Johnson Clarke Ridley R Denis Cordner Barassi Spencer 19 Adams 20 Gleeson Melbourne went from strength to strength in the Olympic year to finish on top of the ladder with 16 wins. The Magpies were again the main rivals for the Demons' crown but Melbourne again recorded a big premiership 73-point victory over Collingwood. A big crowd of 115,902 flocked to the MCG and paid a record gate to watch Spencer and Webb kick 5 goals each as the Demons routed the opposition. Melbourne also recorded 19 consecutive wins from mid-1955 and well into 1956. The team went on to defeat the premiers of South Australia and West Australia to achieve recognition as Australian champions. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1956 Melbourne 2.4.16 6.11.47 10.16.76 17.19.121 Collingwood 3.3.21 4.3.27 5.6.36 6.12.48 Goals Spencer Webb 5 Barassi R Johnson 3 Ridley Best Spencer Barassi Adams Cordner Beckwith Melville THE TEAM B Beckwith Marquis Trev Johnson HB Williams McMahen Carroll C Dixon Melville Adams HF Mithen Laidlaw Sandral F R Johnson Webb Ridley R Denis Cordner Barassi Spencer 19 Gleeson 20 Lane The loss of McMahen, Cordner, Spencer and Melville before the start of 1957 did not prevent the club's domination of V.F.L. competition as new blood in John Lord, Geoff Tunbridge, Ian Thorogood and Denis Jones emerged to replace them. John Beckwith was appointed captain and Ron Barassi his deputy. Melbourne was recognised as the team to beat with a dominant centre line of Dixon, Mithen and McLean, a dynamic ruck rover in Barassi, a solid ruckman in Bob Johnson and pacy rovers in Adams and Ridley. Despite this, the Demons received a scare when they lost to the Bombers in the second semi final. However, they bounced back with a ten goal plus victory against Hawthorn and then made it three flags in a row to end their centenary year with a grand final win against Essendon by 61 points. Barassi's ruck roving position had been moulded to perfection by coach Norm Smith and his best on ground display in the grand final was outstanding. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1957 Melbourne 6.2.38 9.9.47 12.11.83 17.14.116 Essendon 2.3.15 4.4.28 7.8.50 7.13.55 Goals Barassi 5 Ridley 4 Webb 3 R. Johnson Tunbridge 2 Case Best Barassi R Johnson Fenton-Smith Lord Williams Ridley THE TEAM B Beckwith Marquis Fenton-Smith HB Williams Lord Carroll C Dixon Mithen McLean HF Case Trev Johnson Tunbridge F Barassi Webb Ridley R R Johnson Wilson Adams 19 Brenchley 20 Throrogood Melbourne achieved top ladder position for the fourth year in a row in 1958 and another premiership seemed a formality for the Demons who were looking to equal Collingwood's record of four consecutive flags. However, the Magpies who had received a drubbing in the second semi had other thoughts and despite a great opening quarter the cocky Demons were battered into submission in a grand final that proved to be one of the great upsets of football history. The addition to the ranks of Bob "Tassie" Johnson and "Hassa" Mann in 1959 reinvigourated the Demons who were keen to prove that they were still the dominant football power. Barassi who was subdued in the 1958 final starred as did Dennis Jones whose career had been hampered by constant injuries. The Demons won the flag after a slow start with a 37-point victory over Essendon. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1959 Melbourne 1.4.10 8.5.53 11.10.76 17.13.115 Essendon 3.3.21 7.8.50 10.10.70 11.12.78 Goals Barassi Rowarth 4 Adams R Johnson 3 Mann Ridley Tunbridge Best Barassi McLean R. Johnson Dixon Jones Beckwith THE TEAM B Beckwith "Tas" Johnson Lord HB Case Jones Thorogood C Dixon Mithen McLean HF H Mann Laidlaw Tunbridge F Barassi Rowarth Ridley R R Johnson Fenton-Smith Adams 19 Crompton 20 Williams The club continued to go from strength to strength in 1960 as Ron Barassi took over the captaincy. Beckwith remained as his deputy. For the sixth successive year Melbourne topped the ladder and the team went on to destroy Collingwood in the grand final win of 8.14.62 to Collingwood's miserable 2.2.14 - the lowest ever grand final score. Melbourne's dominance was assisted by the continual unearthing of new stars. Bryan Kenneally and Brian Leahy were introduced to the club in 1960. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1960 Melbourne 4.3.27 5.5.35 7.12.54 8.14.62 Collingwood 0.0.0 1.0.6 2.0.12 2.2.14 Goals Adams 2 R Johnson H Mann 2 Tunbridge Rowarth. Best Lord Mithen L Mann Dixon R Johnson Tunbridge. THE TEAM B Beckwith "Tas" Johnson Trev Johnson HB Case Lord Thorogood C Dixon Mithen Kenneally HF H Mann Laidlaw Tunbridge F R. Johnson Rowarth Adams R L Mann Barassi Ridley 19 B Leahy 20 Nillson The next three seasons saw a weakening of the great combination but there was sufficient in store for two thirds and a fourth placing before a return to the top in 1964. The team could no longer boast the high standards of strength and brilliance it had achieved in the fifties but still commanded a share of luck. Freak goals by "Hassa" Mann (to win a late season game against Hawthorn and secure a finals berth) and Neil Crompton (to allow the Demons to steal a grand final victory over Collingwood) assisted in capturing the club's twelfth flag on 19th September 1964. Ron Barassi and Bluey Adams played their last games for Melbourne that day and celebrated their participation in six premiership teams ... RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1964 Melbourne 2.6.18 5.7.37 7.10.52 8.16.64 Collingwood 2.5.17 5.9.39 5.11.41 8.12.60 Goals Townsend 3 Lord 2 Bourke Crompton H Mann Best Adams Dixon Tas Johnson Wise H Mann Williams THE TEAM B Crompton Massey "Tas" Johnson HB Anderson Roet Davis C Dixon Williams Adams HF Kenneally Jacobs Vagg F Lord Bourke Townsend R Wise Barassi H Mann 19 Emselle 20 McLean

by Whispering Jack The Melbourne Football Club 2005 AGM was finally held seventeen days into 2006 at the Bentleigh Club and it was all very refined, matter of fact and businesslike. It could well have been the AGM of any other listed public corporation. Yes, it was that dull, colourless and boring! I used to love the AGM's of old when Melbourne was just a football club that was run on the smell of an oily rag (the late '60's through to the '70's). When you'd sit in the Long Room at the MCG and the same old codger would get up every year and ask long serving club secretary Jim Cardwell to give us a "run through on the recruitin' for next year". Jim would get up, smile and tell us how he's just come back from some dusty old bush town and that he'd just signed up this kid Bobby McDonald or Johnny Sparks (depending on the year) who happened to be the best thing since sliced bread and then we'd vote in favour of the treasurer's report (even though we couldn't make head nor tail of the figures presented in the glossy annual report), listen to a ten minute soliloquy from the coach about why next year was going to be different and then we'd hoe into a feast of party pies, sausage rolls, drinks (all free) and mingle with the players and committee members. We'd all be happy for the next three months as we waited to see Bobby or Johnny in action in a practice match. Sometimes, Bobby or Johnny never appeared but by then they were mostly forgotten. Jimmy Cardwell was one of football's all time greats as an administrator (he built our golden era team that won six flags in a decade) but by the mid '70's he was doing the job of four or five people at other clubs; just one example of why we were on such a downward slide as a football club. You couldn't help but be cynical about the hype that they used to dish up at AGM's. I remember one questioner asking a club chairman if the club would retain one of its controversial stars for the following season and the response was something like, "as long as I'm still here, we'll never clear the bloke." The following morning's Sun Newspaper carried a story about the bloke being cleared to another club. My AGM highlight was descending down the MCG lift on the way out from one of these events and finding myself in the illustrious company of a very merry club Chairman in Sir Billy Snedden. The club had just endured another ordinary season on the field and was selling assets to make ends meet off the field but Sir Billy was bundle of joy singing (I'm not sure that "singing" was quite the word for it) "It's a Grand Old Flag" all the way down to the ground floor. The atmosphere in the elevator was so charged that on the drive home I was stricken with concern that if I was stopped and put on a breathalyzer I might register in excess of .05 even though I'd only drunk lemonade. I wasn't sure whether "passive drinking" would be a sufficient defence in court. After Sir Billy's untimely departure we had two former players (Stuart Spencer and Ian Ridley) at the helm and the party atmosphere of AGM's continued until the merger debacle overtook us and we wound up having an altogether different character in Joe Gutnick as chairman. The AGM of 1996 was a memorable occasion for a club that had months earlier voted itself out of existence. It was held at the old Olympic Pool (ironically now the home of the mortal enemy and known as the "Lexus Centre"). I remember sitting up high in the gods and looking down at sweeping vista of the premises dressed up with palm plants and thinking "well, the club's gone and we're in heaven". I was brought back to earth by Joseph's opening line, "Welcome to the Melbourne Football Company!" I suppose that was it. We were now officially a football company rather than a football club and all would be well in Demonland. Well, we know now it wasn't and that we were in for lots more turmoil. The first signs of disgruntlement with the new regime came early with the bloodletting of the CEO, the coach and assorted others in 1997. A couple of years later when Joe was halfway through shelling out the $3m donation towards the club revival plan there was a weak and desperate challenge to his leadership but he shrugged it off. The plotters withdrew to the Bentleigh Club car park (I heard some of them on the way out sounding much like last month's Cronulla Beach crowd) and went underground in 2000 as the team made the grand final. The 2001 AGM marked the end of the Gutnick era. Joe finally bit off more than he could chew, was deposed at board level during the season and vowed to come back with his own team that was ultimately beaten at the polls by a well organized campaign that managed to convince the majority of members that their proxy votes would deliver stability to the club both on and off the field. The spin doctors had used a fog of innuendo and accusation to turn the saviour into an evil and disruptive hobgoblin and the members voted for a team vision that was, in fact, an empty mirage. The highlight of the night however, was the sight of the Gutnick team entering the hall, heads erect to a standing ovation from the Melbourne throng. Those who had voted for new chairman Gabriel Szondy were dining on their lobster mornay elsewhere. And that's where Szondy was two years later when the heat was on and it all hit the fan at the 2003 AGM – elsewhere! The club's debt had spiraled out of control, several millions were lost, unpaid tax bills sat wedged in office drawers and the club was at its lowest ebb ever. That was our saddest AGM. Which brings us to last week's AGM where the atmosphere had cleared, we're reducing our debt, making a $1,035,298 profit (albeit thanks to a generous AFL handout which can be justified) and the club's management appears to be in highly competent hands. Stability has finally come to the board, we're on budget and, in the words of chairman, Paul Gardner, we've made "a turnaround of $3.2m from 2003." The club is guaranteed at least $1m for the next three seasons from the AFL but the various clubs receive grants and benefits from the AFL for a number of reasons and we shouldn't regard it as a handout because the MFC doesn't get the inherent home ground and other fixturing benefits of some of the other clubs. Just by way of one example I'd say that Collingwood and Essendon get an enormous financial "handout" from the AFL thanks to their exclusive right to an MCG game on Anzac Day every year. This and many other benefits still apply to these clubs despite their current bottom four status. Melbourne, on the other hand, demonstrated its capacity to draw big attendances with three of the top ten crowds of the 2005 home and away season but still gets shafted when the fixture comes out (my words – not the club's). Gardner spoke about the inroads made by the club in achieving its aims on the 4 P’s – "progress, progressive, performance and partnership" and how he was proud that we were able to gain recognition in the community even though we didn't achieve ultimate success on the field. The way the club handled the tragedy of the loss of Troy Broadbridge, its embracing of cancer awareness with the Field of Pink evening, its stand on the illicit drug issue, involvement in Michael Long's walk and Russell Robertson's role in bringing to public notice the domestic violence problem were all examples of the club's part in highlighting social awareness to the community. Membership continues to grow strongly to a record of 24,508 AFL recognized members including a record number of MCC members while 2006 membership sales stood at 13,294 – up 8% on this time last year. In addition to outlining the club's improving financial position which sees our net asset deficiency clawed back to under $4m, CEO Steve Harris presented some exciting plans for the club's new administration and training base within the Melbourne and Olympic Park precinct where our players are expected to take part in their first training run in November 2007. Club Director John Phillips informed us that the club had adopted the ASX "Principles of Good Governance" and also outlined the way the Red and Blue Foundation would b the vehicle to assist the club in its aim of raising $8m by 2008 to help its transaction from the Spartan conditions at the Junction Oval to the state of the art development at OP. Later in the evening, Director Peter Dorhmann spoke of the club's ongoing process of constitutional reform and raised one new amendment concerning the expulsion of members. This was aimed specifically at a situation which had arisen where a member had been accused of stalking and sexually harassing staff members. One speaker made an impassioned plea with his concerns that the amendment might give the Board power to expel opponents and the Chairman noted this would be discussed at Board level. Gardner introduced new Board member Sue Nattrass, and recent Board appointees Karen Hughes and Charles Sitch (any relation to The Panel’s Rob Sitch?) - all very businesslike and appropriate to Company business but there were still some throwbacks to the good old days when we were just a footy club. Paul Gardner was happy that the club had made the finals back to back but I was a bit disappointed that no mention was made of our shocking slump after the mid season break. I know it's been addressed elsewhere by Neale Daniher but it was a blight that the club's football department must address if we are to match it with the big boys and achieve the ultimate in success. (OK - off my soapbox) Steve Harris announced that Cameron Bruce had become engaged to Julia Pietryk and Lleyton Hewitt had won his first round Australian Open clash in the fifth set (fat lot of good that did him). Garner handed out well earned presentations to two tireless volunteers in Diane Mountney and Ruth Fleming and then came the time for life memberships awards to Andrew Daff (club doctor since 1988) and Garry Marchant (long serving volunteer organiser and statistician). It was clear from their acceptance speeches that both recipients were clearly touched by their well deserved awards. Guy Rigoni was also given a special presentation on his retirement after 107 games (a first at the MFC for a player wearing the #43 jumper) to great applause. He spoke of the fact that he was already enjoying not having to go through the pre season training grind but still looked forward to helping the younger breed of Demons this year at Sandringham. By way of preparations for the club's forthcoming 150th anniversary celebrations, several retrospective life memberships were given to members of families of players and officials dating back to the late 19th century. Those whose family members accepted life memberships were Jack (Johnny) Leith who played in 1897-1903, 1905-08 and 1911-12, Bobby Monk 1907-14 (career shortened due to war service), George Moodie pre VFL to 1905, Charlie (Brum) Streeter 1920-28 (also club secretary in 1932), Arthur Mueller (Joe) Pearce 1904-13 (killed at Gallipolli and a relative of Jack Mueller), Charles Young pre VFL to 1904 and first Melbourne player to reach 100 games. The following awards were made but no relatives can currently be located – Ned Keyburn (over four decades of match day assistance - 1872-1912), Les Jones 1933-41 (career shortened due to war service), J. O. Smith 1886-1930’s (long service to the club and involved in coming up with the club song). It was a fascinating part of the evening to relive some of the club's history but I guess we're really about creating our own history now and Andrew Daff hit it on the head when he said there's a place on his desk for a photo of himself, some Demon players and a particularly large piece of silverware some time in the very near future. If that happens in 2006 then I'm hoping that the Melbourne Football Company will at least accommodate us long time AGM goers and put on a spread of party pies, sausage rolls and free drinks this time next year.

A HIGHWAY OF DEMONS by Whispering Jack CHAPTER ONE - MY BACK PAGES "Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now." - Bob Dylan [My Back Pages] If you live in a world that consists of just three dimensions then you may not appreciate or even understand my story. It began a long, long time ago and I'm not sure that it's over... On a crisp morning in the spring of '64 I was a bundle of nerves, the stress made no less bearable because of the thought that today I would not be at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where my team was about to fight it out for the Victorian Football League premiership against the most dreaded of all enemies - the evil black and white army of Magpies! You're in your teens. You don't have a ticket to the big game in town and your team is playing off in the grand final. Life can be tough for a young kid but sometimes you just luck it out. All you need is patience and a benefactor. Every Saturday morning at seven o'clock I would load milk bottles into the refrigerator of Mr. McShane's milk bar where I worked on weekends. My mother had played a major role in convincing him to give me the job as a store assistant. She had insisted to him that she was also a native of his old home city of Manchester although her broad Polish-Yiddish accent gave the lie to that tale. To my knowledge there was no Manchester in Poland. Only in England. By eight o'clock I had swept the floors, loaded the pie warmer, dusted the counter, cleaned the windows and prepared the ice cream canisters so that all would be in readiness for another busy morning. The customers would begin to stream in and every one of them would head, almost as if by remote control, in the direction of the stack of newspapers at the back of the store. Most of them would select the early morning edition of the Sun News Pictorial and invariably they would ignore the front page headlines and turn to the sports reports on the back page. Of course, the boss regarded such behaviour with contempt. He was one of the others - he listened to the ABC and he avidly followed the politics of a faraway world. Mr. McShane was a teenager when he fought at Gallipoli in a war he often described as a "useless exercise." I often worried about him because whenever he referred to his war experiences he would take on an agonised look. Often he would recite poetry. Much later, I discovered that someone from the other side, a Turkish poet, had written the words he favoured - "Stop, passer-by! The earth you have just unknowingly trodden is the spot where an era ended and where the heart of a nation beats." Now, half a century later, he tuned into the wireless for news of another war; one that was being fought somewhere in Indo-China. He agonised over the fact that so few knew or even cared about what was happening in the faraway jungles of Asia. Sometimes, he became agitated and blared out the warning that "if they listened to me we'd get out of that godforsaken place before it tears us apart." You didn't argue with Mr. McShane but you sometimes wondered why on earth he bothered with such things as politics - especially during the football season. Mr. McShane was disappointed this particular morning because even the ABC news was all about the VFL Grand Final between traditional rivals Melbourne and Collingwood. By exactly three minutes past eight o'clock, frustration had the better of him. He shook his head in resignation, sighed deeply, rolled his first cigarette of the day with those gnarled yellow-brown fingers and hands and went out to the back for a smoko leaving me to deal with the customers and with my own sense of heightened tension. The time for the game was slowly approaching. The moments lingered and I spent them listening to the newsreader as he moved on to the weather report. I almost lapsed into a dream when the news ended and merged into background music. There were still three months to go to Christmas but the tune they were playing was unmistakeable. "Silent Night" sung in sweet harmony by two males but with another deep American voice reading in the background, the volume slowly rising to a crescendo: "In Washington the atmosphere was tense today as a special subcommittee of the House Committee on Un-American activities continued its probe into anti-Viet Nam war protests. Demonstrators were forcibly evicted from the hearings when they began chanting anti-war slogans. Former Vice-President Richard Nixon says that unless there is a substantial increase in the present war effort in Viet Nam, the U.S. should look forward to five more years of war. In a speech before the Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in New York, Nixon also said opposition to the war in this country is the greatest single weapon working against the U.S. That's the 7 o'clock edition of the news, Goodnight." The front door buzzed and the man who would be my saviour entered the store. Charlie was the doorman at the nearby television studio, a regular customer who came in on cue at the same time every Saturday morning to purchase his newspaper and his three packets of Turf Filter Tipped. Today he noticed the forlorn look on the face of the kid decked out for work in a red and blue guernsey. Charlie knew at once that the sad countenance could only be the result of the lack of an entry ticket to the match of the year. "It's not the same as being there but if you come to the back door of the studio before the start, I'll let you in," he told me. "You can watch the live feed coming in from the outside broadcast van at the ground. "We show it every year for all the local old age pensioners and there'll be room for one more if you come along". The studio was near the picture theatre where I used to hang out with my mates on holidays. If you walked there from the shopping strip you passed the local police station and courthouse. We were once picked up and questioned by a young copper who claimed we were "jaywalkers". He never pressed charges against us; a fortunate circumstance that might have been a result of the fact that we gave him false names and addresses. I was Brian Dixon and my friend Frank Mills, who supported Essendon, called himself Johnny Birt. I always felt a trifle uncomfortable whenever I passed the local cop shop and on this day, as I marched towards the ABC studios, I had a particularly uneasy feeling even though the young constable was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, the street fell silent and I sensed a strange vibration accompanied by a high-pitched whine that lasted only seconds before everything was back to normal. In an instant, the birds twittered, a dog barked mournfully in the distance and even the old blue London bobby's police box outside the station glistened in the sunshine. A police box! I was wondering why I had never noticed it before and was about to dismiss it from my mind (after all, there were more important things happening today) when a grey haired old man jumped out of the doorway and nearly bowled me over in the process. He was clearly distressed. "Pardon me son but I'm here about the demons. You must take me to see them at once," he said. I noticed him brandishing a copy of the Sun newspaper with a preview on its back page of the day's grand final written by football writer Lou Richards. "Yeah. Sure," I replied. "Follow me". It was clear that this old man was not fully in control of his faculties. He claimed he was a doctor but he seemed nervous and was muttering about the urgency of his visit; repeating that it was all about the demons. He went on and on about losing his supersonic screwdriver and how he had been put off course on account of the high power transmission lines of the television studio. I did what had to be done. I delivered the old doctor into the safe arms of Charlie at Channel 2 and then sat down to relax and watch the footy in peace. The arrival of the visitor took Charlie by surprise but I was relieved to discover that the old man appeared to be known to our doorman. "Welcome Mr. Hartnell. I wasn't aware that you were visiting our city. I love the series. Look, why don't you sit yourself down here?" I noticed that Charlie hadn't called him "doctor". Inside the auditorium where the game was being screened there was very little sitting room available. Charlie gave my companion a seat next to mine, a decision that was to prove disastrous for a young football supporter who simply wanted to see his team playing off in the most important game of the year. The television monitors flickered in monocolour as they treated us to the first sight of our champions running onto the field before the start of the game. Streamers swayed gaily in the light breezes that circled the Melbourne Cricket Ground and, for those who supported one of the competing teams, the moment was one of high tension. Still, there was not a single person in the room who looked more nervous and agitated than the doctor. Without warning, he rose and shook me violently by the shoulders complaining that I was letting him down. I wasn't helping him to find the demons. He insisted we should be there in person searching for "them" instead of wasting our time in a room "full of old fogies" and, grabbing me by the arm with great strength, he led me outside. The captains were tossing the coin under puff-white clouds interspersed with sunshine. We stood by the sidewalk squinting in the sunlight as the doctor grappled about in his pockets in a desperate search for the key to the blue police box. I should have been worried. I was missing the opening moments of the grand final and I was with a delirious old man who had a mad fixation about finding the demons. But I wasn't nervous at all because, after all is said and done, a man with a key to a police box couldn't be a bad person. Could he? My disposition changed entirely when we entered what should have been a cramped little police box but the inside of this contraption was like ... well, some sort of space ship. Over time, I would come to understand that this was the TARDIS. Time and relative something in space smells sweet by any name but this was a quite weird spaceship. It could travel anywhere. In space. In time. In your imagination. Of course, I was unaware of all of this when I walked through its doors for what was the first time to see a large control room with screens, bright flashing lights, levers and pulleys. I was too stunned to think and I didn't really believe this could possibly be a vehicle capable of taking us half way across town to the football ground even as the doctor continued to insist it would. You can imagine my chagrin therefore when he took to the controls and announced that the search for the demons was not going to take us to the M.C.G after all. At least not yet. The autumnal equinox was a matter of a day or two away and we were off to Stonehenge! It was at this point in time, that I think I blacked out. [TO BE CONTINUED...]

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. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by John Lennon (sometime in the late 1960's) Words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup They slither while they pass They slip away across the universe Pools of sorrow waves of joy are drifting thorough my open mind Possessing and caressing me Jai guru deva om Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes That call me on and on across the universe Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box they tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe Jai guru deva om Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing through my open ears exciting and inviting me Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns It calls me on and on across the universe Jai guru deva om Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Nothing's gonna change my world Jai guru deva

A HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART SEVEN: WARTIME, RECOVERY AND REBUILDING FOR A GOLDEN ERA by the Professor With the ravages of war uppermost in the people's minds, interest in football declined dramatically by 1942. Every club was affected by the war but Melbourne was hit particularly hard. When the season began the list of players missing from the previous season included J. Atkins, H. Ball, R. Barassi, J. Furniss, G. Jones, J. Maher and K. Truscott. Fighter pilot ace Keith "Bluey" Truscott returned for one game against Richmond to unfurl the 1941 Pennant and received a remarkable reception from a large crowd. But he was to lose his life less than one year later in an air accident and former coach Checker Hughes later donated the Truscott Cup, in his memory for the best and fairest player at the club. The inaugural winner was champion ruckman Don Cordner in 1944. In the same year, Fred Fanning topped the V.F.L. goal kicking with 87 goals in only 14 games. Checker Hughes returned as coach in 1945 and set about rebuilding the side. The team made significant headway in 1946 when it finished in second position and ruckman Don Cordner, whose father had played for the club in the pre World War One years, won the Brownlow Medal with 20 votes. Although, 1947 was a disappointing season and the team missed out on the finals full forward Fred Fanning provided most of the highlights with his goal-kicking prowess. In the final game of the season Fanning booted 18 goals against St. Kilda - a record which still stands today. He kicked 97 goals for the season to head the V.F.L. goal kicking for a third time but retired after his record breaking goal feat. Hughes brought out the best of veterans Smith and Mueller in 1948. Together with the Cordner brothers Don and Denis and promising youngsters Bob McKenzie and Noel McMahen they were prominent in the first drawn grand final. Essendon's atrocious kicking cost them the game as they could only score 7.27.69 to Melbourne's 10.9.69. In the replay Melbourne easily defeated Essendon by 39 points and Checker Hughes stepped down as coach on a winning note once more. RESULTS - GRAND FINAL 1948 [THE REPLAY] Melbourne 6.2.38 9.3.57 11.6.72 13.11.89 Essendon 0.3.3 5.5.35 6.6.42 7.8.50 Goals Mueller 6 Arnold Rodda 2 Dullard McMahen Smith Best Smith Mueller McGrath Spittle Bickford Arnold THE TEAM B Deans McGrath Rule HB Collins Denis Cordner McLean C Dockett Bickford Spittle HF McMahen Arnold McKenzie F Mueller Smith Craddock R Don Cordner Dullard Rodda 19 Bowman 20 Jackson The club managed to reach the first semi final in 1950 before collapsing to take out the wooden spoon in 1951. Waiting in the wings and ready to coach his old club was Norm Smith who had been coaching Fitzroy after his retirement as a player three years previously. Under him, the team was about to undergo a massive rebuilding process that would reap a golden harvest ...

by The Oracle Youth was the byword of the Melbourne Football Club's recruiting push at the end of 2005. Apart from Byron Pickett, aged 28, who was came to the club in trade deal with Port Adelaide in October, the remaining eight newcomers are teenagers. Three of the four draftees in the 2005 National Draft are 17 year olds, the other (Simon Buckley) is aged 18. The club decided against picking up any recycled players through the Pre Season or Rookie drafts and went with three more 18 year old rookies plus Zebra Daniel Hughes who has only just turned 19 last week. Unlike last year when finances were tight, the Demons were able to select a full complement of rookies. They opted for Jace Bode from Sturt, Daniel Hughes from Sandringham Zebras, Shane Neaves from Calder Cannons, and Andre Gianfagna from the Northern Knights. They join Matthew Warnock who is serving his second year in rookie ranks. The selection of Bode was something of a coup in that he was an All Australian winger at the National Under 18 Championships in July. At the time, Kevin Sheehan commented about him as follows:- "Jace Bode (South Australia) - 17 years, 186cm, 84kg, Sturt/Kenilworth Medium midfielder who was South Australia's leading possession winner against Vic Country and Western Australia averaging 21 disposals. Works hard to win the ball and runs well to link up. Among his side's best few players in games against Vic Country and Western Australia." His drafting means that the club has picked up two current All Australian midfielders (the other is Nathan Jones) and that’s always handy given the Demons play their home games on the MCG. Inside Football magazine quoted Steve Rechner, Sturt's development manager as follows:- “Jace is a half back-wingman who is very strong, has a penetrating left foot and he's a bit quicker than people might think.� Bode had a great national carnival averaging 21 disposals in the three games. He spent most of 2005 in the SANFL reserves but broke through for a senior game late in the season. He was also an elite junior athlete. It seems that Melbourne did its level best to keep Daniel Hughes out of the limelight in the weeks leading up to the Rookie Draft. Hughes is a lightly built player who broke through for four games with the Zebra seniors in 2005. His coach, Mark Williams, described him in Inside Football: - Daniel Hughes (Sandringham) Height: 183cm Weight: 81kg DOB: 10-Dec 1986 "Daniel's a flanker-forward who is a strong mark, hard at the footy, has some pace and neat skills. He's doing a pre-season with Melbourne and won our reserves best and fairest." Another National Carnival representative to be rookied by the Demons was right footed ruckman Shane Neaves who fought a tough battle to overcome a fractured collarbone before cementing a place in the 2005 Victoria Metro side where he played all three games as a second string ruckman to Fremantle draftee Robert Warnock, brother of fellow Demon rookie Matthew. Shane Neaves (Calder Cannons) Height 198cm 97kg DOB: 11-May 1987 "Played in the ruck at the national carnival his size means he will create some interest. Has plenty of improvement to come." - Calder Cannons regional manager, Chris Gleeson in Inside Football. Neaves was a member of the Cannons' 2004 premiership team where he was a team mate of Lynden Dunn. He went to the 2004 Draft Camp but wasn't selected in the draft and returned to the Cannons for 2005. His 2005 TAC season was affected by that collarbone fracture suffered in Round 4. He has also represented his state in junior cricket ranks. Andre Gianfagna celebrated his 18th birthday on 4 December and less than a fortnight later was a Demon rookie. The left footer was regarded as the quickest player in the TAC Cup competition this year, was an AIS/AFL scholarship holder in 2003 and represented Australia against Ireland Under 17's in 2004 where he was a teammate of Richmond's Brett Deledio. He is a multi-talented sportsman having played cricket and competed in athletics at the elite junior level. The drafting of the four rookies closes the club's list for the 2006 season. For the final word on the rookie draft this is what MFC General Manager of Recruiting and List Management Craig Cameron said: - "We're happy with the players that we selected in today's draft and hopefully with some development and guidance they will prove to be good footballers. "Both Jace Bode and Andre Gianfagna are very quick players, with Jace already playing senior football at Sturt. We've seen Daniel (Hughes) play some very good football with the Sandringham Zebras and we know he's very clever. And big Shane Neaves is a great mark and has good skills. He will need some time to develop as they all will." MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2006): SENIOR LIST: Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bartram, 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, Shannon Motlop, Michael Newton, Heath Neville, Alistair Nicholson, Byron Pickett, Phil Read, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Nick Smith, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White, Adem Yze. VETERAN LIST: David Neitz. ROOKIE LIST: Jace Bode Andre Gianfagna Daniel Hughes Shane Neaves Matthew Warnock

by Whispering Jack Melbourne has seen nothing like it since the 1956 Olympics. There they were in the early Saturday morning gloom at the Trevor Barker Oval - a group of strong, fit, young athletes representing nations from the far-flung corners of the earth. There was Russia, The Philippines, Bolivia and South Africa and all of them were going at it hammer and tongs to win some sort of trophy that was on offer. I'm not sure what that prize was but the competitors, all 41 one of them members of the Melbourne Football Club senior and rookie lists, were going hard at it from 8 am as part of the club's varied pre season programme. The games were entitled "Conditioning Competition" and it was certainly as fiercely competitive and as impressive as any Olympic or Commonwealth Games competition. Well, perhaps I exaggerate a little here ... The minute I got out of my car in the TBO car park, I was assailed by a couple of the international groups as they flashed past me during their warm up but it was the Aussie accents that gave it all away. The familiar face of Travis Johnstone was prominent among them and he nodded a "g'day mate" in my direction as he whisked his team mates away in the direction of the embankment around the oval whose scoreboard still carries the scores of Sandringham's 2005 Premiership winning result. Some very clever person has devised a series of contests for the players involving running, crawling jumping and agility work with a points prize at the end for the winning "nation". It was highly competitive and I was immediately impressed with Johnstone. He seems to be attacking this pre season in a different manner than his approach in the past. Perhaps it’s simply that he’s matured and he now sees himself as a potential leader but he certainly has put his recent elbow operation behind him and he looks really fit. Travis was shouting out words of support for his team mates as if their team was playing for sheep stations or real Olympic gold medals. His enthusiasm was infectious because the others were soon following suit. The competitive work was on in earnest. The spirit of the group was terrific and Port Adelaide recruit Byron Pickett was in the thick of things. When I made it down to training a few weeks ago he had appeared to have put on a bit of condition since the Power bowed out of the finals but he was looking good this morning. He has settled in well and looks a popular addition to the group. The "Byronator" has a wry sense of humour as well because during one of the races he noticed that the club's General Manager of Football Operations Chris Fagan was jogging along the boundary and he yelled out an encouraging "go Fages!" as he went past the group. There were very few players missing from Melbourne's recently expanded list of 44 players. By my reckoning the absentees were Colin Sylvia and Heath Neville who are both managing the effects of osteitis pubis and Phil Read was missing but from what I've heard, he's been pretty full on at recent training sessions so there appears to be nothing to worry about on that score. James McDonald was there but appeared to have some minor problem and he didn't take part in all of the events. Skipper David Neitz looked terrific - trim and taut and raring to go as he begins the new assault in what will be an important year for him. Injuries have kept Neita out of the finals action for the past two seasons and his strength and leadership were sorely missed as the Demons were bundled out in the first week both times. He looks keen and determined and was setting a great example for the rest of the squad. Russell Robertson was another whose enthusiasm for the contest was infectious and, at one stage, he took the rivalry to the limit when he warned Adem Yze to do everything "by the book". Actually, I don't think there is such a thing as a "book" when it comes to games that involve players chasing a yellow ball on hands and knees but it was all good fun. Another who impressed me was Mark Jamar. I know that it's easy to get carried away with players at this time of the year and they weren't doing anything that remotely resembled football work (unless you're an advocate of the international game and you count the soccer match that was part of the programme) but the Russian is really looking good. When he first came to the club, he was a big lump of a lad who was probably carrying a bit too much "puppy" fat. The next year, he was clearly carrying some problem through his pre season. Over the last two years however, he has managed to change his body shape into something that better resembles the modern day ruckman and the subtle physical changes have seen a more confident and driven player. His pinpoint soccer goal saw him celebrate frenetically as practitioners of that sport are wont to do - he was the perfect ambassador for the Russian team in more than name only! Then there was Shannon Motlop who upstaged Jamar with a brilliant header goal that would even have put Ronaldinho to shame - and didn't he let everyone around know about it? It will be interesting to see how Motlop goes this year with a full pre season under his belt and with the spectre of Byron Pickett in the vicinity to intimidate the opposition. Matthew Bate is a player who seems to be coming on in leaps and bounds after his introductory season at the club. Both he and Lynden Dunn are looking more comfortable and at ease in the elite environment of AFL footballers this year. Speaking of elite, Jeff White is back and his face looks unscathed after its close encounter with Steven King’s boot in the elimination final. There was no sign however of new ruck coach John “Sammy� Newman but for all I know, Sam might have had another facelift and he could be totally unrecognisable these days. I suppose you're all wondering what my impressions are of the newcomers. I have to confess that the hardest part of the morning was to identify who was who but once the group started calling out names it wasn't all that hard to work out. Nathan Jones was an easy one but I'm not going to say all that much about him because I think the club wants to keep a lid on him so as to avoid the same sort of mass euphoria that surrounded Colin Sylvia's arrival two years ago (besides which I'm writing a separate piece on him in which I might break this rule anyway). Suffice to say that he's fitting in very nicely and was as competent, competitive and enthusiastic as anyone else on the Beach Road Oval. And he looks ready to go. Simon Buckley must think that all of his birthdays have come at once. According to the Sandringham Dragons’ website, the kid has always been an avid Demon fan and now he's training with his heroes and he looks good; taller than I thought and very athletic. Most of the other recruits are going to require time to develop. Calder Cannons ruckman Shane Neaves is a big lad but a bit reminiscent of the Russian when he started. Clint Bartram and Andre Gianfagna are young athletes straight out of Under 18 competition and will need to build themselves up before tackling the big guns of footy. I didn't see enough of Jace Bode and Daniel Hughes to be able to make much of an assessment – as I say it was hard enough working out who was who with forty plus footballers going about their work. As I left the ground I was reflecting on how vastly different the game is to when I first used to wander into pre season training in the "old" days. Just as I was thinking this I noticed veteran trainer and former club runner Sammy Allica going about his duties. I know that history is history and that we should be living in the present but what a great story it would be if this bloke - who was Norm Smith's runner when the Demons won their last flag in 1964 – can be part of another Melbourne premiership more than four decades later. Such a prize would be infinitely more satisfying to all of us than even an Olympic gold medal.

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

by Whispering Jack The Melbourne Football Club Members Information Night 2005 was held on Tuesday 6 December at the Camberwell Civic Centre with the whole of the playing group in attendance except for Jeff White who is on "long service leave" playing and watching some golf (he will be back on deck however, later in the week). While we had a chance to see almost the entire playing group, the attendance of members was disappointingly well down on previous years - perhaps because for the first time in a while there was no real controversy surrounding the end of the year. Those who did attend were taken through many aspects of the club's operations - particularly its core activity i.e. the football team. After a brief introduction from Club Chairman Paul Gardner, we heard from CEO Steve Harris and the football department people in Chris Fagan, Craig Cameron and of course the coach Neale Daniher who spoke almost exclusively about football this time which was a refreshing sign after having to spruik up other aspects of the club in past years due to our parlous financial state. Fortunately, things are improving in the fiscal area and the Reverend was able to concentrate on dealing with many of the issues that faced the club on the field in 2005 and with how he and his team intend to generate further improvement in the quest for ultimate success. Demonlanders will be pleased that the coach has high expectations for the popular Four Horsemen at the club in youngsters Brent Moloney, Brock McLean, Colin Sylvia and Daniel Bell who he expects to step up as midfielders in 2006. That's not to say that he doesn't also have expectations of improvement from the others but Daniher said that he will give the youngsters an opportunity in the pre season competition and we shouldn't expect Jeff White, David Neitz or Adem Yze to saddle up for the National Bank pre season competition opener in Darwin against the Western Bulldogs. What we can expect is the likes of Chris Johnson, Matthew Bate and possibly even newcomer Nathan Jones to get a run in the pre season games. Neale also gave a big wrap for rookie Matthew Warnock and of course, he reckons dual premiership player Byron Pickett will play a big role at the club as a mature age recruit. And of course, the clock was back in all its glory! I'll deal with the evening in a number of parts and begin my report with Paul Gardner's opening and Steve Harris' report. PAUL GARDNER - WE'RE IN THE MONEY WITH A MILLION BUCKS PROFIT Club Chairman Paul Gardner opened the night with a welcome to the members. He pointed out that this was the first time for many years that there were no internal issues at Board level and similarly the club had made a profit in successive years as well as making the finals in 2004 and now 2005. The profit figure was in excess of $1m but that needs to be looked at in the context of the AFL's handout of a similar sum. He also announced that the date of the AGM had been changed to 17 January 2006 due to a delay in posting the requisite notice to members. The club's new Board member elect Sue Natrass was in attendance, she will officially join the board at the AGM. The man she replaces, former Demon star Garry Hardeman was also thanked for the long years of service he has given to the club going back almost forty years to the mid 60's when he joined as a player. STEVE HARRIS - OLYMPIC PARK DREAM BECOMING A REALITY Melbourne CEO Steve Harris noted that 2005 was a good year in terms of profits, record membership, rising attendances particularly at the MCG, improved relations with the MCC and developments in securing our future home in the Olympic Park precinct. However, there is still a lot to be done in terms of achieving sustained success. The club is nearing its 150th anniversary in 2008 and negotiations are continuing with regard to the Olympic Park project which should be ready by that date. Some of the early plans are really exciting as they would give us the opportunity to have one place for training and administration and a place where supporters can celebrate after games. Our current facilities at the Junction Oval fall well short of those of the wealthier AFL clubs like the interstate powers, Collingwood and Essendon. The Olympic Park proposal is probably our last opportunity to have a home where we want it - close to the MCG (connected to it by a walkway), close to the City of Melbourne and with a training ground plus gym, pool and admin facilities all under one roof. The club is planning extensive fund raising to make this all happen - "Make it 8" referring to the $8m the club needs to raise. A number of initiatives will be involved in this regard, a bequests programme, a 150 Club whereby members will be asked to contribute a figure of over $12,000 over the next 3 years to raise $1.858m. Every member can make it happen in some way - e.g. If all supporters put in $1 a day, the club could raise over $11m in just 2 years. In excess of 8,000 members have already re-signed for 2006 memberships and Harris asked for members to find one other new member each to ensure they signed up and helped us achieve even better membership figures for next year. CHRIS FAGAN - YEAR IN REVIEW AND WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW Chris Fagan, General Manager – Football Operations took the floor and spoke about the club’s review of 2005 and its forecast of what was needed to put the club into the top 4 for 2006. After the team was pushed out of the finals in September, the club undertook a review of all aspects of the football department. This review process involved the valuable input of CEO Steve Harris, and two board members in John Phillips and Michael Coglan. Neale gave an overview of the team performance, Craig Cameron reported on the processes of his department, the assistant coaches reported on their respective areas e.g. defence, attack, midfield as well as giving a run down of their respective roles at the club. The review looked at team playing styles, time management and team leadership and they came away with a clear understanding of where the club stood – an across the board overall improvement of at least 5 to 10% is required to get the team into the top 4. In order to achieve this the following needs were identified (and some initiatives are already being implemented to cater for these needs): - # The need to continue to improve list by trading and drafting smartly, # The need to put more time and effort and resources in developing our current crop of players (we have12 staff in this area compared to the rich clubs which have double that number). Fortunately, the football department has been allocated an additional $425,000 whereas last year there was a reduction of over $200k. # The need to restructure the football department to enable a focus on individual and team development. In this regard the club has appointed former Eastern Ranges TAC Cup premiership coach Barry Prendergast as a full time opposition analyst. A full time IT Coordinator has been also been appointed (this year Mark Williams doubled this up with his job as Zebras coach - now he can fully concentrate on his role). Part time coaches Danny Frawley and Paul Broderick have been added to the staff along with three player mentors Garry Lyon, Robbie Flower and Phil Krakouer. There have also been changes in the physical education department. # The need to keep the list fit and healthy. An example was the purchase of GPS tracking devices to monitor player workloads, # The need to collect information about other teams (Barry Prendergast’s appointment as above as well as, for the first time, a new scout in Queensland, which is starting to produce some good footballers), # The need to identify and the most effective player owned team leadership model for the club, # The need to improve facilities and equipment such as new systems and computers, # The need to improve the ability of the whole team to defend, and # The need to draft a full compliment of rookies. The club has retained Matthew Warnock from last year’s rookie list and has the capacity to rookie list a further four players in next week’s rookie draft. The team is training well after the break and is striving to get better in 2006. Chris concluded by introducing Ralph Lawrie of the Ballarat Demons and Julie Lockhart of the Eastern Demons who raised funds to purchase two portable massage tables for use on away trips, an improvement on the trestle tables used previously. CRAIG CAMERON - NEW FACES Craig Cameron. General Manager, Recruiting & List Management spoke about the recruiting period which involved the trades and the national draft. Craig believes that ultimate team success requires sustained high performance. If you look at this year's premiers Sydney and Port Adelaide, Brisbane and Essendon before that, these clubs had a number of years in a row of consistently high performance prior to achieving a premiership. The club's aim in the trade period was to recruit the most talented player available and Craig believes that it achieved this in securing Byron Pickett, a dual premiership player with the pace and aggression and who can have an immediate impact. In the National Draft our ongoing philosophy is to bring in the best available young talent to put pressure on the older players and to take their places when they retire or leave. On the issue of passing over previously listed he referred to the 2001 draft when the recruiting team debated over the club’s last pick at 55 as to whether the club would go for a player with previous AFL experience who might be good for a few years at best or whether to go for a young player from Queensland. In the end the decision was made to recruit Brad Miller. There is a risk in this policy but if the untried player comes good then it's well worth it. Craig then introduced the club's 2005 National Draft selections: * Nathan Jones was our first pick at # 12, an All-Australian U18 player, clean, tough, nuggetty and a high-possession winner who had 36 possessions in the TAC Grand Final with the Dandenong Stingrays. He is a triathlete who has done a 15.4 beep test and has a big motor. * Simon Buckley was taken at # 53 from the Sandringham Dragons. He is tall, quick, versatile, with good skills and he showed plenty of improvement late in the season. In his last 5 TAC Cup games, he averaged 20 possessions and was his team’s best in an end of season game for Victoria against the Allies. * Clint Bartrum was pick 60. He was an AIS Academy member this year and has excellent speed, aggression and endurance. * Our last selection, Heath Neville was selection 68 who is quick, courageous and good overhead. He played at CHB in Tasmania for Clarence (TFL Seniors) and played in the Grand Final against men. With respect to the rookie list, the club has retained Matthew Warnock and has four available players for next week’s rookie draft. If we think the right players are there we will use all four selections. The overall philosophy in that draft will be to look for players with an upside in pace and athleticism. NEALE DANIHER - AIM FOR THE SKY AND WATCH THE CLOCK Coach Neale Daniher presented in his own inimitable style interspersing his discussion points with some player interviews. I'll deal with the interviews in a separate segment. His presentation looked at the MFC entering 2005, how the club went in 2005 and then going forward into 2006 - ENTERING 2005 The club's aims going into 2005 were: # We had to back up and play in the finals again to break the up and down cycle of odd and even years. # With the tragedy of the loss of Troy Broadbridge at Phi Phi in the Boxing Day tsunami we had to deal with the emotional aspect of his death which was always going to be difficult. This was handled well by the club and the players and we played in a manner that Troy would have been proud of. # Develop the last line of defence. Neale referred to those who "play in the cage" i.e. who rotate in the full back position. These players include Nathan Carroll, Ryan Ferguson, Alistair Nicholson and rookie player Matthew Warnock. Carroll was complimented for the way he played late in the year and the promise that he showed, Fergs also played some great games especially his performance in round 1 while Warnock was singled out for his development this year as a rookie with Sandringham. It was a big wrap for someone who is still on the rookie list and in the normal course will only play in the AFL team in exceptional circumstances. # Develop tough "inside" midfielders. The coach stated that after the disappointment of losing to Adelaide in the 2002 semi final, it had been decided that there had to be a change in the structure of the midfield. Three years later a new midfield is emerging - specifically in the form of four young players Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Colin Sylvia and Daniel Bell as the players who are being groomed to eventually assume midfield roles (adding that he expects recruit Nathan Jones to join this group). Interestingly, these are the players referred to by Demonlanders as "The 4 Horsemen" of the club's future tough midfield. He added that there were a few older players who also fit the mould of this group, namely Junior, Godders and Phil Read. # Develop a culture of big-bodied players who can win the hard ball. We need to be bigger and stronger as a team. # Continue to develop a multi-dimensional forward line. Neale sees the likes of David Neitz, Russell Robertson, Adem Yze, Brad Miller, Paul Johnson, Ben Holland, Nick Smith (only 21), Brad Green, Cam Bruce, Byron Pickett, Aaron Davey and Shannon Motlop. There's a lot of variety there. # We need to work on finishing off a season - we were just not fit (healthy) enough at the end of the year to compete effectively in finals. # Continue to play running football but also be able to win ‘ugly’ when necessary. We need to play a contested brand of football and sustain it through the year. # Develop and evolve our game style. # Continue to identify develop leaders – with players voting for the composition and members of the leadership team. In 2006, it has been decided to have a smaller leadership group. THE "ACTUALS" - How The Club Went in 2005 Daniher said that each club treats the pre season differently e.g. Carlton won the pre season competition last year. Where were Sydney? The MFC will be giving its younger players every chance this year. David Neitz, Jeff White and Adem Yze may not play. We started well winning the opening match of the season - The Tribute Match - and had a great win in round 3 against Geelong of which Neale said we haven’t played a better game of football under him. In many ways it had a lot to do with the respect the group has for Neita in his 250th AFL game, one in which he also kicked 500th AFL goal. It was important to win games on the road, which we did against Sydney and the Kangaroos and in the middle of the year, which we did against Richmond, the Kangaroos and Collingwood to go 9-4 after 13 rounds and hold second spot. Our challenge was to sustain this form but we fell away badly in rounds 14 to 19 starting with the game against the Eagles after a 5-day break and then performing badly on the road and when injuries hit in the game against St. Kilda. We showed great spirit to come back with fighting victories in rounds 20 to 22 to make the finals. We played exciting, gutsy football in those three games even if we weren’t playing great footy. Daniher credits the turn around to the leadership of the players when they went away to Queenscliff. A lot of the things that affected us during our downward spiral were all in the mind and now that we’ve had the experience, we’ll take the lessons with us into next year. The final against Geelong was disappointing but we were always struggling with Neita and Belly out and with players going down with injury during the game. Jeff White is on the mend and is looking OK. The competition is so even that we simply need to be healthy during the finals so that we can do better at that end of the season. THE CLOCK TICKS A Members Information Night wouldn't be complete without The Clock which came back in its full glory (after all, the members were demanding it now). Neale uses it to demonstrate the evolution of a premiership team. The clock indicates how very competitive things are at the AFL. You have Carlton and Hawthorn in the rebuilding phase in the early hours while Brisbane and Port Adelaide who won premierships from 2000 to 2004 are still hanging on just on midnight but still capable of winning a flag if things went their way. Out on its own and on the way up is Richmond which is like Melbourne was circa 1998 - still gathering experience. Then there is a group at about 7 to 8 o’clock including Essendon, The Kangaroos, Western Bulldogs, Fremantle and Collingwood. The main contenders for the top 8 (in alphabetical order) are Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne, St Kilda, Sydney and West Coast. What are the attributes a team needs to win a premiership? The MFC is gaining maturity and experience - starting to get the right mix. Three players with 200 games plus - David Neitz, Adem Yze and Jeff White, Five players over 150 games - Russell Robertson, Ben Holland, James McDonald, Clint Bizzell and now Byron Pickett, Eight players over 100 games - Brad Green, Travis Johnstone, Cameron Bruce, Nathan Brown, Alistair Nicholson, Matthew Whelan, Phil Read and Daniel Ward Four players with over 50 games - Paul Wheatley, Simon Godfrey, Shannon Motlop and Brad Miller. In other words the side is rapidly gaining the necessary experience for the attainment of success. To achieve premiership success, you need to: # Play in consecutive finals series, # Finish top 4 (to give yourself a realistic chance to go the next step), # Be ranked top 4 in defence and attack, # Have an "A" Grade goal to goal line, # Have a quality defence with a good range of options, # Have at least one "power" forward and a multi-faceted forward line, # Have three or four "A" Grade midfielders (the young players need to step up and Neale sees Matthew Bate fitting into the midfield group) # Have key ruckmen. He expects big things from Mark Jamar (uninjured and doing a good pre-season) and Paul Johnson should also lend support after a great year in the VFL, #Have three or four enforcers ENTERING 2006 Team Defence - this applies not just to the back six but everyone needs to be able to defend, Continue to develop inside midfielders Focus on winning more contested ball in the midfield and at stop plays Continue to develop multi-faceted forward line Implement multiple game styles Identify and develop "on-field leadership" Neale reported that the club was faring well so far as injuries were concerned at the moment and highlighted only three injured players: - Colin Sylvia - is over the shoulder but need to control and manage groin soreness (a hangover of osteitis pubis), Travis Johnstone - operation on an elbow ligament which he played with during 2005 and Matty Whelan - calf. Wheels is now back at training and going well. The main injury worry at the club is assistant coach Anthony Rock who has a broken leg but Neale thinks we can cover for him until he’s fully recovered. MEMBERS INFORMATION NIGHT INTERVIEWS During Neale Daniher’s presentation at the Camberwell Civic Centre, he interviewed some of the playing group. 1. Byron Pickett Daniher is beginning to rival his old mentor Kevin Sheedy in his appreciation of the sporting ability of our indigenous people and he welcomed Byron Pickett to the stage to what was probably the loudest applause of the night. He was clearly happy to have on board this 28-year-old dual premiership player of 170 games experience who can win the contested ball. They joked together about how well Pickett was coping in his new environment. Byron said he was getting to training with his new mate Matty Whelan and that he was getting along with most of the blokes including Aaron Davey but joked that he was keeping his distance from Shannon Motlop. He said the white blokes were OK too and that Wheats was a good bloke. Daniher then called up Nathan Brown who had been cleaned up by Pickett in a game at the MCG in 2003 and Doggie assured us that everything was now fine between them and that hopefully he would clean up someone from the opposition in the future. He was joking, wasn't he? When asked where he thought he played his best football these days, Byron nominated half forward flank or wing and said he didn't mind kicking goals - in fact he hopes he can kick more than Flash or Shannon. 2. Matthew Bate Twelve months ago Matthew Bate was the youngest player on any AFL list and he came across then as a shy, quietly spoken young man. He seems to have gained a bit of confidence after his twelve-month apprenticeship at the club playing mainly at senior level with Sandringham. Bate said that he really didn't know what to expect when he came down after playing Under 18's when he went straight into the VFL playing against men. It's a big jump and you have to work hard gaining experience and he said it took him a while to get used to the transition. Daniher noted the improvement in Bate by VFL finals time. The youngster has played in a number of positions from key forward to key back to wing, the flanks and midfield and he is looking to possibly play him in midfield in the pre season competition, which would be an asset for a player of his size. The coach said that both he and Chris Johnson, another young left footer will get their opportunities next year. 3. David Neitz The skipper spoke of the post season trip to Phi Phi and how the experience was necessary in a way to bring closure to the tragedy of Troy's loss. The group worked as a united group and put in a great effort to help complete the building of the school. He rated this as one of his major achievements in his involvement with the sport. He is now into his 15th pre season at the club and feels that the club is in a good position for the coming season. He spoke of his highs and his lows in 2005. The high being his 250th game when he played well against a top full back in Matty Scarlett when he kicked his 500th goal and the team was going well. The lows being the frustration of the finals and his injury for the second year in a row at that vital time of year. There is a need for the group to grasp their chances now, all players had to live up to their responsibilities and there are many potential leaders to help him at the club. 4. Travis Johnstone We rarely hear publicly from Travis Johnstone so it was perhaps significant that Neale called on Travis for an interview. Travis spoke of his recent elbow operation to repair a medial ligament that was half off the bone. He is now recovering well, his brace is off and he has rejoined training. He expects to be ready to go flat out in a couple of weeks time. He said he is trying a few things differently including Pilates and a new physiotherapy programme which is working well. 5. Nathan Jones Daniher stated that the club had been aiming to get as many tough inside midfielders as we could get and our first round draft choice Nathan Jones was in that category. The 17 year old looks the goods but wasn't going to do much talking - he looks the type who prefers to let his deed on the field do that! Nathan comes from the Mount Eliza football club where the senior coach is former Demon Paul Hopgood but he didn’t have much to do with Hoppy other than the odd session when he was with the Under 18’s. He has also spent the last three seasons with the Dandenong Stingrays under another former Demon defender Graeme Yeats who impressed on him the need to play hard footy. He has played mostly on the ball but was also played down back for Victoria Metro in Under 16 and Under 18 representative games. The Jones boy has already had a tough initiation in competitive work when Phil Read welcomed him in a tough skills session that left the youngster with a split eye. It looked like water off a duck’s back to a tough young man and I get the feeling that he will definitely see some AFL action in his debut season at the club. QUESTION TIME When question time comes around at functions such as the Members Information Night, one usually has half an eye on the exit door and half a mind on the food and drink to come. I was thinking of a nice cool, frothy Heineken myself but still found some of the questions and answers equally as refreshing. The first question was about the team's fall away in the midfield in 2005 compared to 2004 and Neale Daniher responded by saying that this was partly due to the new centre circle rule which saw Jeff White struggling with in the initial stages. This was particularly apparent early in the Hawthorn game when he was towelled up by Spida Everitt. Jeff worked hard with some specialist training and got better at it but the club still performed poorly at the clearances after the half way mark. We really need our young tyros to step up in the midfield. They were brilliant at times but they have to step up next year as must everyone in the midfield. The next questioner asked where does the club benchmark itself against the reigning premiers – the Sydney Swans. Neale Daniher said that when the club undertakes its internal review it benchmarks against the top 4 sides - this year including West Coast, Adelaide and St. Kilda as well as the Swans - to identify where our improvement can come. We need to improve team defence – we tend to concede too many points when the flow of the game goes against us. We need to match the top sides all over the ground but particularly the midfield at the contested balls and stop plays. Importantly, the top four sides have resilience – they don't fall away as we did in 2004 and 2005. The Swans in particular were able to cover their injuries going into the finals in 2005 but we shouldn't forget that when they played St. Kilda in the 2004 semi final, they lost a couple of players just before half time and they fell away as well. All of this does not necessarily mean that the club should emulate Sydney or any other club in its playing style. Neale believes that despite the toughness of the competition, we’re not that far away. Chris Fagan said the club was studying how the Swans kept their team fit and healthy in the latter part of the season. The club has acquired GPS tracking meters to monitor the workload of players as has been done by the Swans. A questioner remarked that there were more journalists covering the AFL than Federal Politics in Canberra and asked how, in the light of the media spotlight, the club deals with the many player management issues these days. Chris Fagan said that the AFL and the club has put several processes in place including a forum for education on issues such like drugs and sex. There are support structures in place for draftees but even before that the club does a lot of work in screening its recruits in terms of their character. We look for people who will not only be good footballers but also better people who have respect for others. Neale Daniher said that the players are professionals and have represented the club really well and is sure that they will continue to do so in the future. A question was asked about the managing the future with a key player like David Neitz in particular getting older. Daniher said that a succession plan has been in place for a while. Back in 2001 we drafted Brad Miller, in 2002 Jared Rivers, Nick Smith and Ryan Ferguson, and in 2004 we took three talls. These players are all maturing and will fill key roles but sometimes you might to have to trade to get the talls you want as well. The perennial question came up about whether Jeff White could be used in a forward role and Daniher said that this was a possibility. Paul Johnson might also be used up there. He was considering using Jeff in more of an Adam Goodes role at times next year. On a similar note, a question was asked about rotating David Neitz to preserve him and to win matches. Neale said he has already been trying this. There are times when we need to get him further up the ground and we have played different players in the full forward role – Robbo, Yze and Green. In response to a question about using Brad Miller in the ruck Daniher called out our tall guns like Mark Jamar, Paul Johnson and Nick Smith to stand next to Miller and Robbo and it was visually clear why we shouldn't expect Brad Miller to much ruck work at any time in the near future. Other questions related to the development of Team Melbourne i.e. some loose alignment with other sporting clubs carrying the Melbourne brand name and associated with the new Olympic Park Precinct and the possible threat of soccer to our game with the national team in the World Cup Finals next year. Chris Fagan does not see this as a threat but said we need to work hard at keeping our game in the forefront wherever it is played. The final question related to Guy Rigoni. The club will mark his retirement at the AGM and he has addressed the players on his retirement. Thanks were given to outgoing players Steven Armstrong, Chris Heffernan, Cam Hunter and Luke Williams. It was announced that Riggers will not be lost to us altogether as he has been appointed as a playing assistant to Mark Williams at Sandringham. (Mind you we heard about this on Demonland a while ago). FOOTNOTE: It seems the Zebras are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to make it a threepeat in 2006. Apparently, they have signed former Demon Chris Lamb who spent last year travelling the world. His last game was the 2004 grand final when he shared the premiership with his good mate, the late Troy Broadbridge. His last piece of play in that game was a matchwinning save that prevented a Port Melbourne game in the dying minutes.

by The Oracle "For every face that disappears from the club scene, another new one will emerge to replace it." I wrote those words a little while ago about Melbourne's list and now, following the trade period, the delistings and the National Draft, the Demons' Senior List for 2006 has been finalised with five new faces replacing four delistings and a retirement. Gone from the scene is Guy Rigoni who has retired while Steven Armstrong, Chris Heffernan, Cameron Hunter and Luke Williams have been delisted. Rigoni has not left the scene entirely as, in an excellent move by the Zebras, he has been picked up by to fill an assistant coaching role, which also involves playing for Sandringham in 2006 where, he can keep an eye on the young up and coming Demon midfielders. Of the others, Armstong, Heffernan and Hunter are still hopeful of AFL selection in the Pre Season Draft while Williams might also chose to continue with Sandy where he is already a triple premiership player (2000, 2004-5). Byron Pickett's fearsome shadow looms large among the new faces on the scene at Melbourne. The Demons gave up their second round draft pick and made a few adjustments to their later selections in order to secure the dual premiership player. Pickett is a big occasion footballer having won the Norm Smith Medal for his brilliant game for Port Adelaide in the 2004 grand final when he picked up 19 kicks 1 handball, 8 marks and kicked three goals from a half forward flank. Before that he was named in the best players in the Kangaroos premiership team of 1999 where he played on a defensive flank. In between and since, he has struck fear in the hearts of many an opponent and, if his training form is any guide, he is set to continue wreaking havoc for a good few years yet. Four youngsters plucked last weekend out of the NAB AFL National Draft by the club's list and recruiting manager Craig Cameron will join Pickett and it's no surprise in view of the departures that all four a medium sized. Speaking on radio SEN immediately before the draft meeting, Cameron had this to say about his club's needs in its coming draft selections: - "We need a range of things - we need to keep building up our midfield stocks, we need to keep bringing some tall defenders through to help guys like Jared Rivers and Ryan Ferguson and we probably need a developing ruckman somewhere along the line" It seems that his main wish was addressed given that all four of the selections have the capacity to fill a medium midfield although one or two may also get a defender's role somewhere and sometime along the way. The other requirements will hopefully be addressed in this month's rookie draft. Nathan Jones was the almost universal choice for Melbourne of the draft pundits and many Demon supporters (including yours truly). His appearance on the training track has confirmed the excitement and expectation felt for this extremely fit and tough inside midfielder who dominated both the National Under 18 Championships for Victoria Metro and the TAC Cup finals series for the Dandenong Stingrays. There's been a lot said and written about Jones but the best summary I can come up with is that of draft guru Colin Wisbey said in his profile of the youngster - "Indestructible, indefatigable self-made tank who runs hard all day, never gives up, is very clean, and drives the ball forward relentlessly. Ultra-consistent, running, inside ball magnet with great work rate. Routinely runs hard and smart to get, to link and to apply pressure. Hits the contest hard and with purpose and efficiency. What you are buying is not just a hard working genuine footballer with physical presence but an impact player - impacts for 4 quarters each and every week like clockwork. And a quality kid with leadership potential. " Just for the record, here is the profile from my pre draft article where I correctly tipped him as Melbourne's pick at 12):- Nathan Jones (Dandenong Stingrays) Height: 178.7cm Weight: 84.5kg DOB: 20-Jan-88 Position: Small Midfielder "A super fit hard it midfielder whose 36-possession game in the TAC Cup Grand Final for the Stingrays raised his stocks considerably. Before that however, he gained All Australian honours averaging 20 plus possessions in the three games including 27 for Vic Metro against WA. A player who is ready to go." And his coach's comments from Inside Football:- "Nathan ... had a massive impact at the national carnival. Possesses an enormous work ethic ... he's one of the hardest working kids I've ever seen and he's only 17." - Graeme Yeats, former Demon player, Sandringham premiership coach and now coach of Dandenong Stingrays. After the club's first selection of the draft meeting at 12, we had to sit through what seemed to be ages as another forty names were called out before Melbourne's next pick at 53 (Collingwood passed at 52). The three final names all pretty well represented what you would call "speculative" selections. Like Jones and like Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton from a year ago, two of them were bottom age players who had another year at TAC Cup level in front of them had they not been drafted. The other draftee, Simon Buckley, came good with a rush for the Sandringham Dragons late in the 2005 season and was best on ground for a Victorian side that played an Allies team in Grand Final week. He also remains in the speculative category because he has not shown the same consistently strong form in the TAC Cup of the higher selections. But despite this, there is a strong potential upside with such players and that makes them smart selections as late draft picks. Each and every one of the club's draftees is an athlete. And, as Bomber coach Kevin Sheedy said recently, the new rules are geared towards the more athletic types. Jones is a super fit triathlete, Buckley and Neville have pace to burn and Bartram held a 2005 AIS Scholarship. Here is a rundown of the Demons' selections 53, 60 and 68: - Simon Buckley (Sandringham Dragons) Height: 189cm Weight: 77kg DOB: 18-Apr-87 Position: Small Midfielder This natural right footer came on in leaps and bounds in the latter half of 2005 and picked up 9 votes in the TAC Cup Coaches Award: He averaged almost 17 possessions a game and was named in the best for the Victorian team against the Allies match during grand final week in September. "He played in the All Stars v Allies game and did very well. He's a wingman and a beautiful kick of the footy and is improving every time he plays." Sandringham Dragons Coach Gary Colling. in Inside Football. Clint Bartram (Geelong Falcons) Height: 182cm Weight: 73.5kg DOB: 16-Feb-88 Position: Medium Midfielder Another supremely fit youngster who travelled to Ireland with the AIS team, Bartram is a hard-working midfielder who still qualified for another year in the TAC Cup competition.. "Clint went to Ireland and despite having a lot of injuries this year he finished the year off very strongly. He's tough, courageous, quick and has a 15.8 beep test. Plays on ball and on the wing. His weakness is his kicking but the positives far outweigh the negatives. A great prospect as a run with player at AFL level." Geelong Falcons Regional Manager Michael Turner. in Inside Football. According to Neale Daniher he's "a good young player, only a young bloke but he'll add to our midfield and he's got the time to develop. He's going to be very good for us, he was on our high priority list and luckily he fell through to us." Heath Neville (Tassie Mariners) Height: 186cm Weight: 83kg DOB: 2-Feb-88 Position: Small Midfielder/Small Defender A player who was described on the SEN draft day broadcast as having "exceptional pace". According to an independent report from Tasmania he may have a touch of osteitis pubis. "A 17-year-old wingman-cum-defender who did some good jobs minding some big name players at the national championships. Trained for a week at St. Kilda as part of his TIS Scholarship this year." Hamish Ogilvie Tasmania U18 Coach in Inside Football The club now goes into the Rookie Draft on 13 December on the lookout for four more rookies to round off its playing list for 2006:- MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2006): SENIOR LIST: Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bartram, 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, Shannon Motlop, Michael Newton, Heath Neville, Alistair Nicholson, Byron Pickett, Phil Read, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Nick Smith, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White, Adem Yze. VETERAN LIST: David Neitz. ROOKIE LIST: Matthew Warnock plus four vacancies to be filled in the Rookie Draft.

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

by Whispering Jack (26 November 2005) I'm sitting here on a Saturday morning in an internet café on the Gold Coast. Strewn around me in the streets are the bodies of literally hundreds of creatures known in the outside world as "schoolies" - those wretched almost lifeless figures whose chemical composition at this point in time is made up of 100% proof alcohol. They are totally oblivious to the importance of this day and indeed, will almost certainly not regain their collective consciousnesses - let along their senses - until the morning's highly significant events have been well and truly written into the annals of history. It's the morning of the 2005 AFL National Draft. The choices that will be made today by men like Melbourne's Craig Cameron will most likely help to shape the destiny of their football clubs and with that, will play an enormous role in how we behave, how we feel and whether we can somehow experience and celebrate the attainment of the Holy Grail - the thing that is most scared in the lives of all of us football tragics. I wish CAC1963 and his team the best of luck this morning - even though I know that luck isn't a factor. Not today. Today is all about the culmination of a long period of hard work put in by each club's recruiting staff. Our club is not Collingwood, West Coast or Brisbane - we don't have the wealth of their resources to pump into our football operations but we do have a group of dedicated hard working people in all areas including recruiting. Those of us who were at the Demonland/Demonology Sponsors Day during the Under 18 National Championships in July have met them and can attest to this fact. Today is their day (and, of course, that of the players who get selected and their families). The luck comes tomorrow and the day after and then the days, months and years after that. As we've seen in the debates on past drafts, lady luck plays her part since we can't foresee injuries and personal tragedies among players. And naturally, there's a lot of hard work involved along with the luck. Thankfully, we are not lacking the highest qualities among our recruiters and even in the absence of a swathe of top 20 picks, it's good that we have faith in Craig's ability to choose wisely today. As the amount of internet time available to me dwindles down to seconds and the schoolie on the floor beside me begins to stir and commences to dry wretch (why is it that the female gender of this species finds it necessary to fight what in most cases is a desperately losing battle to emulate Paris Hilton in appearance?) I can only finish off by again saying to Craig and co - "Good luck and go Dees! ..." [Later that morning, Melbourne selected Nathan Jones, Simon Buckley, Clint Bartram and Heath Neville at the 2005 National AFL Draft]

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

by Alpha 33 I've finally managed to put together the transcript of the Cameron Bruce interview on 3AW from last Saturday and the delay was well worth it because the interview gives an interesting insight into Melbourne's pe season training on a group level and has become even more relevant in view of the story about Lance Whitnall coming back after the break 8kg overweight. I somehow think after hearing what Cameron Bruce had to say that Big Red might have eaten less Big Macs, french fries and souvlakis over the past month or so: Dwayne Russell: Welcome to the programme Cam. How are you? Cameron Bruce: G’day guys. Good, how are you going? DR: Yeah good. Did you have a day off today or is already noses to the grindstone? CB: No we’re getting flogged. We had a session this morning. It’s been six days this week and we get a rest tomorrow. DR: Is it getting tougher each year? CB: Well, this year’s definitely been the toughest start to a pre season that we’ve had. That I’ve had... Rohan Connolly: Well, hang on; we’ve got to finish the cliché here.Are you the fittest you’ve ever been? CB: No I said I’m feeling fit (laughs) but this is definitely the toughest pre season that we’ve started anyway. RC: And why do you think? CB: I’m not sure. I think they were pretty happy with the way we came back as a group. Our fitness levels – they put on a bit of a demand on us to come back with pretty good skin fold levels so we didn’t waste the first couple of weeks getting some of the guys back into some form of fitness to train well. So they've just basically come out all guns blazing and yeah, we’re getting flogged. Tony Shaw: Now Cam. Normally in pre season sides have a specific philosophy that they want to base their pre seaon on that goes into the next year when you’re going to play. Can you give us an inkling about which direction it’s taken with Melbourne? CB: Well, last year it was unfinished business that we were trying to rectify and I’m sure it’s just the same this year. We wanted to get into the finals and make an impact into the finals and we weren’t able to do that again. So it’s all about continuing to improve. We have got a list that has improved and can only get better with the average age of the group being pretty low. DR: Are you doing more competitive work than last year or not? CB: Personally or as a group? DR: As a group. CB: Definitely. The way the guys came back after the off season, I think they said our average skin folds is down by 10 or 12 mill on the previous year which is a fair result. I’m one who’s keeping the average a little bit high. It’s the one thing you don’t want to be above average but we are. RC: Cam, you guys would be a bit dirty on yourselves given the way you started last season. I mean for the first month of the season you guys were clearly the best team in the competition so you’ve shown you can match it with any team in the comp. Would you blokes look at yourselves as a group and concede that you haven’t been hard enough either physically or mentally? CB: I’m not too sure about the physical side of things but definitely the mentally we have to be a lot tougher. It wasn’t just last year but also the year before as well. We finished last year really poorly. That’s something we’re going to work on. When you look at the stats it’s evident that the reason we had that poor run is that we weren’t getting our hands on the ball. RC: My next question was going to be how do you improve your mental hardness? How do you go about doing it? CB: Well I suppose it comes with experience and maturity as a group and maturing as individual players. We’ve also obviously got to get fitter and tougher to be able to play out a full season. It’s all well and good being on top of the ladder 15 rounds in but it’s not going to win you finals, which obviously showed with our group. We’ve got to keep continuing to get physically tougher and fitter to be able to play out a full season and finals. DR: Cameron, thank you for joining us, thanks again.

by the Oracle In a little under a week's time the 16 AFL clubs will get together to take part in the National Australia Bank AFL Draft sponsored by the National Australia Bank. The hopes of all 16 clubs will be that a goodly number of the players they select, will by September 2006 have shown their wares in the National Australia Bank Cup during the pre season, made auspicious debuts in senior ranks, received National Australia Bank Rising Star Nominations (one of them probably will be crowned the winner of the National Australia Bank Rising Star Award sponsored by who else?) - and why not? Most of the players coming under consideration for the draft have already played in the National Australia Bank AFL Under 18 Championships, some made the National Australia Bank All-Australian team and the majority would have attended the National Australia Bank AFL Draft Camp. The players who do get nominated will become bankable commodities and some of them, even those not yet 18 years of age, will be laughing all the way to the bank. You can bank on that! There is a problem however, with the forthcoming draft. There simply aren't any real stand out players and most of those who look good are currently in the not quite right basket. Many of the pundits are been talking down the pool of players available for selection but one shouldn't conclude that it's a draft full of duds. As one respected drafting expert, Colin Wisbey said on the Magpies Extreme Bulletin Board, the "... 2005 draft has been talked down and I've been one of those doing so. However, no-one should read into that that there won't be many good players coming out of it." The Wiz believes that it's an even field but it's going to be tough identifying who the top 8 - 10 will be and in what order they will be drafted. "Plenty of kids who have shown a bit here and a bit there or who, if they can get fitter (or whatever) might have more to offer than they have shown." The "not quite right" aspect arises for a couple of reasons - some of the better prospects who otherwise would be definite top ten chances are carrying injuries while others have had question marks put against their names because of problems with attitude or availability for next season. The most highly publicized of the injuries was the situation of Eastern Ranges key position forward Beau Dowler who suffered three fractures to his pelvis as a result of a recent car accident. The most likely prospect for number one selection, Vic Metro captain Marc Murphy who also won the Larke Medal at the championships, has experienced slackness in a shoulder. Another highly regarded key position prospect, Josh Kennedy from East Fremantle recently underwent a shoulder reconstruction, fellow Sandgroper, Travis Varcoe has also had surgery to repair a serious foot injury. Another highly rated prospect, Beau Muston, a 189cm tall midfielder from the Murray Bushrangers had a knee reconstruction early this season and was recently told he needed further arthroscopic surgery which will put him out of action for at least a further six months. Queenslander Michael West is another highly ranked junior who required a knee reconstruction after being injured late in a lead up game to the Under 18 Championships after kicking 13 goals. The fact that players have had corrective surgery shouldn't prevent these players from having successful careers in the long run (Chris Judd had two shoulder reconstructions before he was drafted) but doubts about their short term health must surely be a consideration if a club is faced with deciding between two “best availables� otherwise considered to be about equal in ability. To add to the "not quite right" component in this year's draft is the fact that there have been suggestions that some of the more highly regarded draft prospects are tainted by certain flaws in their make up. There have been comments passed about some along the lines of "lazy", "skinny", "physical but can only play forward", "not very smart on the field", "likes to smoke and drink all day" and "more an athlete than a football player". There are stories around during every national under 18 carnival that certain players have "tanked" in order to put interstate clubs off the scent. These are far fetched and smack of conspiracy theory but they're out there and were again in 2005. I'm not naming names at this point but some of the above comments have been corroborated from a few different sources. A measure of how the clubs regard this draft is the fact that the trading period saw them trading early draft picks for very ordinary players without so much as a second's hesitation - a sign that there is not a great deal of faith among some clubs in the supposedly highly regarded top selections in this year's draft pool. I've put together a bit of a "mock" draft for the top twelve selections (which gets us to Melbourne's first round draft selection) but before I start, it should be noted that the Demons drafting last year of three of the four youngest players in the 2004 National Draft - Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton might yet prove to be a successful piece of speculative recruiting. It's arguable that had this trio not been drafted last year as bottom age players, they might have had spectacular carnivals for the respective Victorian teams and could well have been in line for top ten selection at the end of this month. The fact that Melbourne has put these players, "in the bank" so to speak, may well put the club in a very strong position with respect to this year's draft. THE ORACLE’S PHANTOM DRAFT Bearing in mind the comments I've made about the quality of players in the national draft pool, here’s my crack at how this year's draft will pan out. After the event, I'll probably end up with lots of egg on my face but, at least I don't have to explain where I've gone wrong. Spare a thought for the AFL club recruiters - if they choose poorly, then it's their job that might possibly be at stake! [i've also added quotes by coaches and /or managers from Inside Football’s excellent Draft Liftout] 1. Carlton - Marc Murphy (Oakleigh Chargers) Height: 179.1cm Weight: 74.7kg DOB: 19-Jul-87 Position: Small Midfielder. Murphy is the son of former Fitzroy great John Murphy who shunned the Brisbane Lions' overtures to join them under the father/son rule. The popular view is that a deal was done at the time with Carlton which has the first pick and this classy and creative rover with clean hands is therefore a near to certainty to be the number one selection this year. He has all the credentials having won the Larke Medal at the NAB AFL U18 Championships and also gained All-Australian honours. Performed well at the NAB AFL Draft Camp. "Gets heaps of the footy but is also very good defensively. He has good body size despite being relatively small height wise. I can see him playing senior footy this year." – Rohan Welsh – coach of Oakleigh Chargers... 2. Collingwood - Xavier Ellis (Gippsland Power) Height: 186.3cm Weight: 71.7kg DOB: 28-Feb-88 Position: Medium Defender A graduate of the AIS/AFL Academy in 2005 and an All-Australian at U18 level, Ellis is likely to spend most of 2006 playing schoolboy football at Melbourne Grammar while he completes Year 12 of his schooling. He is a superb reader of the play, is a superb natural athlete and finishes off well – usually with the left foot. "A left footer who is a very classy player. Reads the play very well whether its down back on the wing or half forward." – Peter Francis team manager of Gippsland Power. 3. Hawthorn - Patrick Ryder (East Fremantle) Height: 195.7cm Weight: 85.6kg DOB: 14-Mar-88 Position: Ruckman A strong mark who can play in the ruck or as a key position goalkicking forward who has already made his senior debut at WAFL level. Another All-Australian whose versatility makes him a certain candidate for early selection. "Patrick is a tall aboriginal boy who plays in the ruck but can play key position. He’s very athletic, a good mark and kick and has had a terrific year with us." – Andrew Lockyer coach of East Fremantle Colts. 4. Carlton - Josh Kennedy (East Fremantle) Height: 195.1cm Weight: 92.3kg DOB: 25-Aug-87 Position: Tall Forward This tall player from the West has impressed with is strength in marking contests and good reading of the play. Like Ryder, Kennedy has already played at senior WAFL level but his pre season will be limited as a result of a shoulder reconstruction. "A very athletic player who played both centre half forward and centre half back. Has very solid hands, is a really good kick and had a great national carnival." – Andrew Lockyer coach of East Fremantle Colts 5. Collingwood - Beau Dowler (Oakleigh Chargers) Height: 194.6cm Weight: 84kg DOB: 16-Dec-87 Position: Tall Forward Was favoured early as a possible # 1 choice but others jumped ahead in the queue during the season and the broken pelvis incurred in that car accident didn’t help his cause. Medical reports suggest he will make a full recovery and because he has all the attributes, the wait will be worthwhile for this tall forward who takes a big grab and is an accurate kick for goal. "A key forward who is a good mark and a really good kick for goal. His running capacity is spot on so you could play him anywhere." - Rohan Welsh coach of Oakleigh Chargers. 6. Hawthorn - Shannon Hurn (Central District) Height: 188cm Weight: 92kg DOB: 04-Sep-87 Position: Medium Defender This strongly built youngster is ready to go at AFL level having played in the last two premierships with SANFL club Central District. A booming kick for goal who has good hands, Hurn was also a top cricketer but selected football ahead of a possible Test career. "Shannon’s a long raking right foot who is a ready-made senior footballer." – Simon Arnott development assistant at Central District. 7. Essendon - Mitchell Clark (East Fremantle) Height: 198.1cm Weight: 91.3kg DOB: 19-Oct-87 Position: Tall Forward Yet another tall forward from East Fremantle, Clark was rated more highly than both Ryder and Kennedy in early draft discussions but a poor Under 18 Championships has seen him fall back in the rankings. He was a joint winner with Brett Deledio of the Sheehan Medal for best player at NAB AFL U16 Championships in 2003 and will be taken early. "Can play all key positions as well as in the ruck. Very athletic, can take a good mark and is a great kick when he gets it." – Andrew Lockyer coach of East Fremantle Colts 8. Richmond – Marcus Drum (Murray Bushrangers) Height: 189.7cm Weight: 79.7kg DOB: 01-May-87 Position: Medium Defender An accomplished and versatile young player with good disposal, Drum was an All-Australian as a bottom age player in 2004 but too young for last year's draft. Can play anywhere, has good pace and skills and is a dedicated player who prepares himself well. "Marcus is a consummate professional – the most professional player I have ever coached. Leaves no stone unturned, trains the house down, captained our side and was a great leader" – Xavier Tanner coach of Murray Bushrangers 9. Brisbane – Austin Lucy (Caloundra) Height: 193m Weight: 91kg DOB: 04-Sept-87 Position: Defender All Australian Under 18 key defender who attacks the ball strongly, is prepared to back his judgement and run with the ball and can kick it long. "Austin ... is a big, strong, hard player who played against men for the Suncoast Lions all year. Rarely gets beaten one-on-one and is a really attacking player who loves to run off and bomb the ball forward." – Craig McRae coach of Queensland Under 18’s. 10. Fremantle - Andrew Swallow (East Fremantle) 183cm Weight: 76.5kg DOB: 02-Jun-87 Position: Medium Midfielder A ball magnet who works hard and has pace and strong leadership credentials having captained WA at Under 16 and U18 level. Showed out with some excellent performances at the NAB Draft Camp and if there is a question mark about him, it is his delivery of the ball. "Andrew is a midfielder who can play defensively or offensively as an onballer. Very, very quick, very strong over the ball and has good hands. Might be a bit suspect with his kicking but that can be rectified and I reckon he’ll go top 10." – Andrew Lockyer – coach of East Fremantle Colts 11. Western Bulldogs - Cleve Hughes (Norwood) Height: 191.9cm Weight: 84.4kg DOB: 15-Jan-87 Position: Tall Forward Hughes is a strong marking mobile key forward who is an excellent kick and a strong mark. Won All Australian honours in 2005 and has played at reserves level in the SANFL. "A tall forward who is a good mover and a beautiful kick when he gets it." - David Oatey development manager at Norwood 12. Melbourne – Nathan Jones (Dandenong Stingrays) Height: 178.7cm Weight: 84.5kg DOB: 20-Jan-88 Position: Small Midfielder A super fit hard it midfielder whose 36 possession game in the TAC Cup Grand Final for the Stingrays raised his stocks considerably. Before that however, he gained All Australian honours averaging 20 plus possessions in the three games including 27 for Vic Metro against WA. A player who is ready to go. "Nathan ... had a massive impact at the national carnival. Possesses an enormous work ethic ... he's one of the hardest working kids I've ever seen and he’s only 17." – Graeme Yeats coach of Dandenong Stingrays I don't propose to go beyond pick 12 but would add that others who impress are Geelong Falcons midfielder Shaun Higgins, exciting Gippsland utility Dale Thomas and livewire aboriginals Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls of East Perth and Travis Varcoe. After that it's a long way to Melbourne's second and subsequent draft selections at 53, 60 and 68. Once you're in that territory, you're looking at the smokeys and recycled players who have been tried and often found wanting elsewhere. Recently delisted Magpie Brayden Shaw could be picked at this level and if there is a dark horse for a Demon selection, it could be young SA ruckman Hugh Minson who is a huge 200 cm plus and is said to possess every bit as much talent as brother and young Bulldog Will Minson. Although you can never ever bank on dark horses, I have a feeling we might see this kid in an AFL guernsey some time soon. Perhaps in next year's National Australia Bank Pre Season Competition? FOOTNOTE: This blog is not sponsored by a Bank.

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

A HIGHWAY OF DEMONS by Whispering Jack PRELUDE - Tardis Landing It started with a word. "Tardis" The Tardis landed back on earth last night, a return that revived many long-forgotten memories of a past life when the boys were young. Back then, the major domestic task entrusted to me was to pack them off to bed at night but not before a half hour's dose of The Doctor and friends, a ritual often followed by storytelling that ended when sleep captured and entangled both of them in dreams of far away planets set under the lights of many distant moons. The storytelling was difficult at first but I managed to get it right; the root of my success being the credibility of the story lines achieved by recalling events of a past in which I was always an integral part of every plot. My role was normally one of subservience to the great Time Lord, a wise being whose identity underwent dramatic changes from time to time. The spice of every tale was that we were always led down untrodden paths of distant worlds but the quest forever remained the same. A searching for The Holy Grail under the guidance of the Doctor with the assistance of an assorted group of humans, animals, alien beings and mechanical creatures some of which were part animal, part robot. The Holy Grail? There was only one thing this strange cast of individuals could conceivably be seeking in the distant reaches of the universe of my creation. This was a place where time moved in a mysterious and eternal circle into a dimension where the prize always went to the worthy and what could be more worthy than the winning of the Melbourne Football Club's 13th premiership? There were problems on the journey. My assumed personal acquaintanceship with The Doctor was put to test when the incumbent Time Lord turned up in town to appear before his adoring fans at the Southland Shopping Centre one Saturday morning. We went off to meet Tom Baker and discretely lined up in a queue for his autograph. The Doctor was here to save the earth but nobody was supposed to discover that I actually worked with him. Thankfully, as we closed in on the good Mr. Baker he winked in our direction. It was enough to convince the lads. I took a photograph, he signed their autograph books and we were soon out of there. Hush, hush. Our secret was kept intact. The same Doctor was also instrumental in shaping their musical tastes. Have you ever seen the cover of Dylan's Blonde on Blonde? There was just enough resemblance between Tom Baker and the Great Troubadour complete with scarf to convince them that they were one and the same person. Soon they were being serenaded off to bed with sounds of harmonicas wailing and an out of tune voice screeching "Ramona" deep in the background. This opened a fertile oasis of story lines as we moved from tales of the Rainy Day Women who triumphed over evil Daleks (with casings striped black and white and voices resembling twittering magpies) to the Tambourine Men who stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains in their vain attempt to save some distant planet from destruction. How did this tie in with the winning of a football premiership? Well, I admit I had some difficulty in establishing in their minds an understanding of what it meant to win a grand final. After all, it was the early 'eighties and these tackers barely knew what it meant to win a game let alone to savour a premiership victory. So the story had to start back in time. Before they were born when I really did travel with the Doctor on the Tardis ...

by Whispering Jack "Good evening listeners and welcome to Sportstalk2006. Our main story tonight is yesterday's AFL Grand Final and throughout the programme we'll be saluting the premiers and some of their long suffering supporters who have had to wait 42 years between drinks..." Hmmm. An imaginary radio programme a little under 12 months into the future. It's one of those things that we dedicated Demon supporters can only look forward to and dream about in hope as the weather warms and we approach yet another long, hot summer of cricket, tennis, horseracing, surfing and sailing. So what does it take for an AFL team to build itself up in order to become THE AFL power again? There's no doubt whatsoever that you need a talented list of footballers, a good coach, a supportive staff and a stable administration and these things are all within the control of the club. I really believe that in Melbourne's case we're slowly getting there but unfortunately, these things are not enough. The one thing that we've learned about modern day football is that you need a fair bit of the "L" factor when September comes around. "L" for LUCK! They say you make your own luck with a combination of talent, hard work, dedication and inspiration but if you want to make it to that laudatory radio programme at the end of a long hard season, then you also have to the breaks going your way. I recall listening to an American commentator describing the World Series victory of the Boston Red Sox earlier this year as having broken a long run of misfortunes on the part of that club running all the way back for almost a century. On listening to this, I had a vision in my heart of hearts that by the end of the year, my own football team – which also wears red socks – would have good fortune smiling down at it in order that it could put an end to its own long run in the wilderness. That you need to have luck flowing in your direction has been something inherent in most sports for a long time but since the start of "modern day football" – which I date at the start of this century – it has become an essential ingredient in the premiership winning formula. The Bombers of 2000 (the last year of the 20th century) were the dominant team of the year and I would suggest that every one of their players could have gone into the final series with one hand tied behind their backs and they would still have been a chance to take the flag. From then onwards however, it's been a case of which team got it all right at the business end of the season. Brisbane won three consecutive flags in 2001 to 2003 but not once did the Lions finish on top of the premiership table at the end of the home and away series. In 2001, the Bombers were still the top side. They destroyed Richmond in the qualifying final, just squeaked past the Hawks in the preliminary and went into the Grand Final carrying injured players. The Lions powered their way through with consecutive finals at the Gabba including an easy preliminary at night against the Tigers and simply ran over a tired looking Essendon outfit in the third quarter of a warm day to end the hopes of a Bomber dynasty. The Lions' run continued as they played Collingwood in the next two grand finals when the ladder leaders in each season, Port Adelaide, choked both times after recording imposing 18 to 4 win-loss ratios. In Brisbane's case it was certainly a case of getting the entire team together for the big day. Clark Keating became legendary for missing large slabs of the regular season with injury and then coming up cherry ripe and dominant when it mattered the most. The Magpies also had their share of luck with injuries as they fielded near full strength sides in both grand final seasons. However, their luck ran out at the Tribunal when they lost key players (Jason Cloke in 2002 and Anthony Rocca in 2003) for indiscretions on preliminary final day. When Collingwood's luck finally dissipated entirely and injuries struck in the following two seasons, their lack of depth was tried, tested and found wanting. They plummeted down the ladder. Meanwhile, the Power finally got their act together in 2004 and ended Brisbane's dream of a record-equalling fourth successive flag with a runaway 40 point victory. The week before, they got the breaks and snuck home against the Saints at AAMI Stadium by a single goal in a game where the result could have gone either way. And then there were the Swans of 2005. Before the season started, who would have given them a chance of taking out the AFL premiership? Not many, I’d bet. After six rounds Paul Roos' boys were sitting in 12th place with just two wins. Things would have been worse had they not managed to just pip the Bombers by a solitary goal up in Sydney. On top of that, the "experts" had written them off because their style of play was unattractive, boring, defensive and tedious. Even the AFL's head honcho broke with protocol and gave them an absolute bagging for the way they played the game. Ten rounds into the season and the Swans still weren't in the top eight. They didn't slip into the top four until round 16 and even after 19 rounds they had a tenuous hold on the double chance only by virtue of their superior percentage lead over the Kangaroos. Both clubs were on 12 wins and 7 defeats. By that stage however, things were starting to run the way of the Swans and they were not required to make any compulsory changes to their line up from that point onward. The only team change made in the last seven weeks of competition including the finals was the naming of Paul Bevan on the interchange instead of Luke Vogels. An extraordinary piece of good fortune which I doubt has ever occurred in the past or that it ever will happen again. Sydney came damn close to winning a final at Subiaco and, but for a couple of dubious umpiring decisions, they might have made it the easy way into a preliminary final. Perhaps they were lucky even on that score. History records however, that the good fortune meter certainly turned the way of the Swans after that game. They were three seconds away from oblivion in the semi final when a tiring Geelong defence allowed them to steal the winning goal. A week later, they overran a tired and injury riddled St. Kilda. Who knows what might have happened had Sydney beaten West Coast in the first final and come up against the ladder leading Crows in a preliminary final instead? Things continued to flow the way of the Swans when the AFL made a puzzling ruling which prevented a 2002 suspension against Barry Hall from counting against his record when calculating his demerit points in the Matty McGuire case. A few days later, the Tribunal came up with another beauty when it deemed that his strike on McGuire forty yards off the ball as being "in play". Hall belted the Guy in the guts. It hurt his opponent and he should have missed the grand final. But such things don't happen in "modern day football". Do they? The West Coast Eagles were nowhere near their full strength on grand final day. They couldn’t play Michael Braun or Peter Matera because of injury, Michael Gardiner and Travis Gasper were underdone and Brownlow Medal runner up, Daniel Kerr, injured his ankle in the opening minutes. The Eagles hit the post four times and the laissez faire style of umpiring also played into the Swans’ hands. Even before Leo Barry’s outstretched arms grabbed that fateful, final mark of the year, you could sense that fate was conspiring a way to ensure the ball would land in his safe hands. I wish them all the best - they waited a long time for the moment. So as fate would have it, my vision was partly right and partly wrong. The part about the players wearing the red socks drinking champagne from a premiership cup was right. It was just the team that was wrong and that left me with the hope and the vision that next year … "... long suffering supporters who have had to wait 42 years between drinks. It was indeed a magnificent performance from that young midfield led by Brent Moloney who had great support from Brock McLean and Colin Sylvia. And what a magnificent performance from Byron Pickett to play such an instrumental role in his third premiership – every one of them at a different club..."

HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART TWO - THE COLONIAL BOYS by The Professor Colonial Victoria had thrown off the shackles of its infancy by the late 1870's. Culturally, politically and economically it was becoming a major force among the handful of far-flung colonies that would, by the turn of the century, unite in Federation. In 1877 large tracts of land had been developed and settled; Ned Kelly and his band of bushrangers were making ready to cause havoc in the countryside and the first ever test cricket match was played on the Melbourne Cricket Ground between Australia and England. Within two months of that historic match, the other big sport achieved a major boost with the formation of a controlling body to administer Australian Rules in Victoria in May 1877. The Victorian Football Association had as its foundation members Albert Park (later South Melbourne), Carlton, East Melbourne, Essendon, Geelong, Hotham (North Melbourne), Melbourne and St. Kilda. The Melbourne Football Club played its first VFA match against Hotham on Saturday 2nd June 1877, a game that resulted in a draw. In the early seasons of the competition, the club was barred from using the MCG, as it was feared that the footballers would damage the ground. Melbourne maintained a position of strength without attaining premiership success finishing runners up to Carlton and Geelong respectively in 1877 and 1878 before dropping to fourth in the following season. In 1880 the Melbourne Football Club was finally allowed to use the ground for half the season and the first football night match was played there that year. The Melbourne Cricket Club was already beginning to notice the financial benefits that could be derived from football. The 1880's were not kind to the Melbourne Football Club. The team was still able to hold onto fourth position for three of the first four years of the decade before gradually slipping to rock bottom in the crisis year of 1889. Earlier, club finances had taken a severe jolt when the stand, which could hold 3000 people, was destroyed by fire in 1884. The year 1889 was crucial to the development of the Melbourne Football Club. Its financial and administrative situation was disastrous and its on field performances were lagging. At this point the Melbourne Cricket Club stepped in and took control of the football club - a move that was to save the Redlegs, as they were now known, from extinction. The takeover and the resultant strengthened administration brought significant improvement to the team's fortunes. The influence of the MCC helped recruit footballers who could find jobs on various grounds controlled by the Club. As the nation moved into a period of economic uncertainty, this was a boon to the young man who could play football and the club returned to the top echelon finishing fourth with ten wins in 1892 and then second to Essendon in both 1893 and 1894. One of Melbourne's stars of the late 1890's was Tasmanian Fred McGinis - a favourite of supporters and one of the first of a long line of champion players with the club. Melbourne remained strong with third and fourth place finishes in 1895 and 1896 respectively - performances that cemented a place for Melbourne in what was to emerge as the new major competition - the Victorian Football League ...

HISTORY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB: PART ONE - DREAMING by The Professor Men and women first walked here in the Dreamtime when life was simple. In those days they ran, hunted and chased. The first sport in this place was played by the First Australians. And when the new people came to begin the Port Phillip settlement the tradition continued as it does to this very day. Melbourne is known as the Sporting Capital of the World and its football club is not only the oldest but also the finest. The Colony of New South Wales was founded in 1788 around Sydney and gradually expanded to the north, the west and to the south into Port Phillip where John Batman landed at the mouth of the Yarra River in 1835. He set up camp near the site of Queens Bridge and declared "this will be the place for a village." The area came to be known as Melbourne. By 1837 the Melbourne township was surveyed, the first land sales were held and, as the young settlement began to flourish, so did its sports. They raced horses at Batman Hill and the Melbourne Cricket Club was formed in 1838. The population found its amusement in a variety of games. Melbourne had become a major administrative and commercial centre with a population of 23,000 by 1850. The new colony achieved separation from New South Wales in 1851 and immediately its development gained impetus with the discovery of gold in several outlying districts. The gold rush of the 1850's brought a booming economy and a rapidly expanding population that came from all parts of the globe to the fledgling colony. The Victorian landscape was changed for all time. There is no definitive answer to the question of where and how the Australian game of football truly originated. Was it from games played by our first Australians or was it based on a sport with Anglo-Saxon roots? Or perhaps it came from some gold digging Irish migrant who remembered the Gaelic form of game played at home? We do know however, that in 1858 the Honorary Secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club, Thomas Wentworth Wills conceived a football game to keep cricketers fit in the winter. On 7 August 1858 a match was arranged between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College. It was played on parkland by the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In the following year, the Melbourne Football Club formed - its rules drafted by Wills' cousin H. C. A. Harrison who was to become the captain of the team. Soon, other clubs followed - Geelong, South Yarra and Richmond. By 1864, a loose form of competition was under way including new clubs Carlton, South Melbourne and Royal Park. The dominant club remained Melbourne, which was known as the "Invincible Whites." The new game flourished with strong teams emerging in the gold field areas of Ballarat and Bendigo. Harrison remained a powerful figure as the game evolved and rules were established to govern the size of the field, the number of players, the distance of goalposts, reserve players and umpires. Harrison retired as captain and player of the Melbourne Football Club in 1872 but he continued to be influential as an administrator. The game was growing in stature and importance in the Colony of Victoria and by the late 1870's, it was ready for a more formalised competition to emerge ...

by the Oracle ZERO HOUR - THE TRADE GAME I can't believe it's on again and that it's already been a year since the last great football "great flesh market" took place. This morning the representatives of all 16 AFL clubs will meet in true Wild, Wild West style in order to distribute their trade lists, to haggle over horse flesh and to play a sophisticated game of chance during the annual gathering of football horse traders at the Optus Oval saloon. This game, in which the booty is a treasure chest of footballers and draft choices can only be described as a hybrid of test cricket, poker and basketball, a game that will end in frenetic and dramatic scenes more gripping than "High Noon", more deadly than "Straw Dogs" and, at times, more hilarious than "Forrest Gump" - it's the AFL Trade Game. If the now familiar pattern is followed, the day will be ushered in by a series of meetings in the old corporate boxes of Optus Oval involving recruiters from each club where they will discuss their wish lists and possible trades with their counterparts. This is the beginning of a five day ritual and hence the allusion to test cricket but it's not a hit, miss and giggle game like the one-day variety or the insufferable new fangled twenty-20 stuff and nonsense. No! This is a game of patience and reflection; it's a game that has its ebbs and flows and a game full of so many twists and turns that you really needs the assistance of someone like the master of suspense - Alfred Hitchcock - to help in its understanding and in the ultimate unravelling of the plot. The end game in this form of sport takes place not when the clock strikes at high noon but a little later - at exactly 2pm this coming Friday. The five day duration of the test match trade game means that it is unlikely any transactions will be finalised immediately. There's plenty of time for that later and besides, many deals are dependent upon clubs concluding separate trades over other players or draft picks. The clubs are wheeling and dealing, not just in current players but in futures as well because an integral part of the process is the capacity to deal in draft selections. Trading takes place on the basis of clubs swapping players and/or draft picks. The objective is of course, to recruit needed players to the club while maintaining the best possible position at the draft selection table. That's where the poker part comes into the game. There's an element of bluff involved in the flesh market of trading. As with most forms of gambling there are many unsavoury features of the trade game. Players receive telephone calls from their managers in the middle of the night and suddenly they discover they are packing their bags and being shunted off to far flung parts of the continent doomed to wear unfamiliar colours for the remainder of their playing days without a hint of consultation (never mind the fact that they sometimes end up with fatter contracts). The game has one thing in common with most sports. Before the event even starts, there's endless conjecture about what will occur once proceedings finally get under way. This year dozens of names have been bandied about in media speculation but if history is a guide, very few of the mooted trades will see the light of day. Often the clubs and managers are bluffing - playing cat and mouse with each other in order to complete the best contract available. Whatever the case, the number of deals that are actually done is minute in comparison to the number discussed in the scuttlebutt and speculation and we can expect that again this year. In fact, the activity might even be at a lower level than usual if a hunch of prominent player manager, Ricky Nixon is proved correct. He said on radio last week that his phones were not ringing as they had done in previous years and this might be an indication of a quiet trade week - either that or he's changed his number and forgotten to pass on the word. That brings us to the basketball part. I find that sport to be totally useless and boring except for the last two minutes where anything and everything can happen. Which is exactly what happens in the football trade game - everything is revealed in the very last scene - the final intense half hour of activity - that's when most of the real dealing gets done. It's going to be an interesting ride till we get there - especially for Melbourne fans. Going into the week, the Demons are linked with two of the big four names being bandied about in early trade calculations - Carlton's Lance Whitnall and Kangaroo forward Daniel Motlop. The others are Whitnall's teammate Brendan Fevola and Hawk defender Jonathan Hay. As the trade week poker gets under way with a pair of Blues close to the top of the deck, the question on everyone's lips is which way will the cards turn at the end of the week? DAY ONE - BUNFIGHT AT THE OO CORRAL I have in my mind's eye this picture of the scene inside one of the Optus Oval Corporate boxes at around midday. This is the room where the officials of the Demons and the Blues are meeting on the opening day of trade week. Seated at the table is an assortment of individuals, but all of the attention is on Melbourne's General Manager, Recruiting & List Management Craig Cameron and his opposite number whose name I fail to catch as he walks into the room filled with the acrid smell of cigar smoke. Standing against the wall are some ladies in their finest outfits. A buxom blonde sits on Cameron's knee, a brunette is perched on that of the wrangler from Carlton town. They are playing poker - five card stud - and you can see ripples of sweat pooling over the dealer's brow as he flicks the first card onto the table. It lands face up. A sudden gasp collectively emanates from the mouths of the bystanders. The picture on the card facing the men is of a bulky red headed man in a navy blue jumper. It's Lance Whitnall. Now, a hush falls on the room as Cameron lifts a card with Clint Bizzell's face grinning back towards him. The wrangler is unfazed. In a booming voice, he utters a single word - "Pass" Cameron, who has been silent up to now, looks steely-eyed into his opponent's face and declares, "I'll raise you pick number 28." The Carlton man nervously glances at Cameron's pistol holster. The tension in the room is reaching fever pitch and he looks straight faced at the man staring him down at the other end of the table. "Let's make a trade", he says. They nod, turn to each of the women perched on their knees and give them a signal. Without a word, the young floozies change places. A bell rings and by the time AFL man Adrian Anderson pokes his head into the doorway, the brunette is sitting on Cameron's knee. "Time gentlemen". The first trade has been done. DAY ONE - PLENTY OF NOTHIN' Player agent Ricky Nixon's prediction was correct. The silence of his telephones in the week before the official opening of the AFL trades was a good indicator that, at the very least, there were not going to be any early deals. Melbourne's Craig Cameron emerged from the OO corral and confirmed that the opening day of the trade period had been a non-event for the Demons and most of the others. None of the clubs were willing to show their hands and this was the "quietest day I can ever remember," Cameron said. I can vouch for the fact that things were certainly quiet in the Optus Oval precinct in the early afternoon. I completed a busy and successful September at work and, after filing some reports and attending the obligatory Monday morning sales meetings, I had the rest of the day off. I was heading in the general direction so I passed Carlton's old ground hoping to get a taste of the atmosphere of the trade event. I got plenty of nothin'. It seems that nothin' was plenty enough for the AFL scouts. I ended up at my favourite drinking hole and eating establishment (my previous favourite having been closed down by health authorities) and found myself in discussion with a mate whose knowledge and understanding of the draft and trades is limited but he is a big fan of the game. The conversation came around to the "big four" - the four players who have dominated trade talk in the lead up to the week - Carlton pair Brendan Fevola and Lance Whitnall, Hawthorn's Jonathan Hay and the Roos Daniel Motlop. His view was that if this was the best material that trade week could throw up, then the whole thing was a complete waste of time; the players in question was simply "not quite right" as far as he was concerned. On a good day each of them could play football but they all came with a certain amount of baggage. Fevola was a complete head case, Whitnall's weight problems were legend and he therefore carried a fair bit of internal excess baggage, Hay's form has been about average since his stellar year of 2001 and Motlop looks to be injury prone having missed the bulk of the 2005 season with multiple injuries. He also had some serious questions about a player who claims that he wants to move from Melbourne to Adelaide so his wife can be a little closer to the family in Darwin - couldn't really work that one out. I'm sure he would not have been impressed either with the revelation later in the day that Hay had dropped the bucket on the Hawks for involving his name in trade discussions while still a contracted player. "I am looking forward to playing in a successful team because I don't see Hawthorn having success in the next three or four years," declared Hay at the end of what appeared a long, hard, tiring and emotional day for him. Our drinking session lasted a lot longer than I would have liked and I also ended up tired and emotional but capable of coming to the conclusion that I was in heated agreement with my drinking partner. I walked home, watched the news on TV and received confirmation that nothin' much was happening so far as the trades were concerned. There was plenty of talk about the big four and the usual hubbub concerning a number of lesser lights but I was convinced at the end of day one that it was probably a good thing that it was all quiet on the trade front. DAY TWO - WATTS ON FIRST The first deal of the 2005 trade period was done when Adelaide's Fergus Watts came home to daddy in the form of Jim Watts who is also the St. Kilda Football Club Chief Executive. The deal has cost the Saints their first round selection - No.17 overall which is a hefty price to pay for someone who played just five matches for the Crows in his first AFL season and missed out completely last year. What price Chris Judd? The popular view is that the Crows will use their newly acquired draft pick to recruit a player in a further trade but that is currently in the realm of the speculation (Brisbane's Troy Selwood or Carlton's Trent Sporn perhaps?), which remains the locale of most trade discussion after the first two days of slow motion non-action. As I said earlier in the piece, we are in the middle of an intriguing poker game of test match proportions and the real action won't start until the two-minute buzzer sounds in the early afternoon of Friday. Even allowing for this however, things have been unbearably slow for the true aficionados of the trade game. This morning, I heard an interview on SEN radio that shed some light on why this year's trading action has been moving at such a snail's pace. Hawthorn list manager Chris Pelchen was discussing with Kevin Bartlett and Patrick Smith his club's response to accusations made by contracted defender Jonathan Hay of double-dealing and lying by the Hawks. Pelchen explained that in the week of the AFL Preliminary finals his club met 10 of the 15 other clubs for informal talks on possible trade deals. Those not involved were the four clubs remaining in the premiership race and Geelong which had just been knocked out of the finals in Sydney. You can bet on it that if such discussions are happening across the board, then most of the clubs will have met well before the proceedings opened yesterday at Optus Oval and on this basis, they might as well do away with the first three days of the trade period. A better idea would be to conduct the horse trading at some secluded location on a one weekend. Why not televise it all as reality TV in the Big Brother household and have Gretel interview the evictees one by one as they leave their old clubs on their way to a new future? Now, getting back to Jon Hay who appears to be the lynch pin of the largest deal brewing at the moment. It appears that Pelchen was approached by three AFL clubs - Fremantle, the Kangaroos and Melbourne as to Hay's availability and that the Hawks kept him and his management in the loop in respect of those enquiries. In the end, the Dockers and 'Roos came back but the Demons didn't. Fremantle's offer of draft selection No.10 for Hay has been rejected by Hawthorn and this has given rise to the possibility of the first blockbuster deal of the trade period - a convoluted exchange involving four clubs, four players - Hay, Daniel Motlop, Byron Pickett, Steven Armstrong - and enough picks to satisfy a bloodthirsty matador in a bullfight. The exact details are uncertain but it seems that ityyys all up to the Kangaroos who will start day three mulling over the release of Motlop to Port and draft picks to Hawthorn in exchange for Hay with Pickett going to the Demons in exchange for Armstrong and draft selection 28 which will be traded on to the Hawks. I'm always a tad sceptical when I hear of such complicated transactions and there's also enough in this deal to raise my cynicism metre to record high levels. Port Adelaide football operations manager Peter Rohde was still insisting today that there is no way in the world that Pickett, a Norm Smith Medallist would be traded. "Byron has told us he wants to stay and we want him to stay," Rhode said. On the other hand, the Crows who missed out on Motlop when the Kangaroo utility decided to throw in his lot with the Power sounding decidedly piqued. Their football operations manager John Reid said they dropped out of the running for a trade involving Motlop because there were "risk factors" involved. Motlop had a medical and interview with Adelaide coach Neil Craig last week. As for the remaining half of the "Big Four" there was little apparent movement at the station as the second day of trading came to an end. Instead, an even bigger name was being thrown up in the guise of Hawthorn's All-Australian ruckman Peter Everitt who is apparently set to seek a transfer to Sydney despite the fact that he has a year remaining on his contract. All parties involved are playing down the prospects of such a move - a sure sign that something will eventuate on this front in the next day or so ... FOOTNOTE: I've received a number of requests about the rules that the AFL has in place for the trade period, so here goes - ■ All Clubs must exercise at least three draft selections ■ A club may exchange a player or players on its primary list for a player or players on the primary list of another club ■ A club may exchange a player or players on its primary list for a single draft selection or multiple draft selections of another club ■ A club may exchange a player or players on its primary list for a combination of player, players, single draft selection or multiple draft selections of another club ■ Any exchange automatically applies to the 2005 NAB AFL Draft ■ Clubs may not exchange more than five players ■ Clubs may not exchange more than three players in any one transaction or series of related/interdependent transactions ■ Any exchange between two clubs only must include a player ■ Clubs may only exchange draft selections from that year's draft, and not for any future year ■ Clubs may not exchange a player received in any transaction, until the following year ■ For multiple club exchanges involving three or more clubs, it is not a requirement that each club involved make an exchange with each other. In this case, two clubs can exchange a draft selection for a draft selection only, provided the remaining exchanges include the transfer of a player or players ■ A club may exchange a draft selection it has received from another club, provided the selection is not traded directly back to that club ■ Clubs must exercise all draft selections received in any exchange with another club. ■ The full list of the order of selection for the November 26 National Draft prior to the trade period was - Priority 1 Carlton 2 Collingwood 3 Hawthorn Round 1 4 Carlton 5 Collingwood 6 Hawthorn 7 Essendon 8 Richmond 9 Brisbane Lions 10 Fremantle 11 Western Bulldogs 12 Melbourne 13 Kangaroos 14 Port Adelaide 15 Geelong16 Adelaide 17 St Kilda 18 West Coast 19 Sydney Round 2 20 Carlton 21 Collingwood 22 Hawthorn 23 Essendon 24 Richmond 25 Brisbane Lions 26 Fremantle 27 Western Bulldogs 28 Melbourne 29 Kangaroos 30 Port Adelaide 31 Geelong 32 Adelaide 33 St Kilda 34 West Coast 35 Sydney Round 3 * 36 Carlton 37 Collingwood 38 Hawthorn 39 Essendon 40 Richmond 41 Brisbane Lions 42 Fremantle 43 Western Bulldogs 44 Melbourne 45 Kangaroos 46 Port Adelaide 47 Geelong 48 Adelaide 49 St Kilda 50 West Coast 51 Sydney Round 4 52 Carlton 53 Collingwood 54 Hawthorn 55 Essendon 56 Richmond 57 Brisbane Lions 58 Fremantle 59 Western Bulldogs 60 Melbourne 61 Kangaroos 62 Port Adelaide 63 Geelong 64 Adelaide 65 St Kilda 66 West Coast 67 Sydney Round 5 68 Carlton 69 Collingwood 70 Hawthorn 71 Essendon 72 Richmond 73 Brisbane Lions 74 Fremantle 75 Western Bulldogs 76 Melbourne 77 Kangaroos 78 Port Adelaide 79 Geelong 80 Adelaide 81 St Kilda 82 West Coast 83 Sydney Round 6 84 Carlton 85 Collingwood 86 Hawthorn 87 Essendon 88 Richmond 89 Brisbane Lions 90 Fremantle 91 Western Bulldogs 92 Melbourne 93 Kangaroos 94 Port Adelaide 95 Geelong 96 Adelaide 97 St Kilda 98 West Coast 99 Sydney * father/son selections can be made in the third round. DAY THREE - AND THEN THERE WERE THREE When business closed at 5pm AEST on Day Three, the AFL announced that the following trade paperwork had been formally lodged: - 1. Adelaide exchanges Fergus Watts to St Kilda for its round one selection (number 17); 2. Geelong exchanges Paul Chambers to Sydney for its round two selection (number 35) and 3. Collingwood exchanges Richard Cole to Essendon for its round two selection (number 23). The Kangaroos are poised to pick up 19-year-old Daniel McConnell from West Coast in an exchange of first round selections (18 for 13) in what is likely to be the fourth transaction to be concluded although it might also become part of the notorious Jonathan Hay scenario which gets more and more complex and the week rolls on. But the big news of the day was that the "Big Four" suddenly and dramatically evaporated into a "Big Three" when Lance Whitnall re-signed with Carlton for a further two years after ending his contract dispute with the club. Insiders say that the new contract will allow the big redhead sufficient additional pocket money to fill the larder with enough meat pies, chocolates, pasta and other assorted goodies to last a lifetime. That signing and the fact that very few fish are biting for Brendan Fevola given that most potential suitors - including Richmond - lack the space in their salary caps to accommodate him, still leaves the Blues in a bind as they struggle to keep other experienced and disgruntled players, Scott Camporeale and Matthew Lappin. At least, they have Whitnall around whose large girth they can now build their future. The irony of the re-signing of Whitnall at such a high figure is that twelve months ago, the Blues were close to offloading him to St. Kilda but apparently, the sticking point was whether they were prepared to foot some of the bill for the remaining season of his contract. If Lance has an ordinary 2006, I wonder if Carlton will be forced to revisit the same scene at next year's trade week? I have to take back yesterday's suggestion that the powers that be should make an effort to truncate trade week into trade weekend. The Hay/Motlop/Pickett deal which struck a number of snags during the day is becoming so intricate that it now requires an entire weekend just to explain, let alone to get the details onto a fax bound for AFL house. The deal has morphed into a giant monster whose tentacles include a raft of draft picks, the above-mentioned McConnell trade and a new element - Hawthorn's Nathan Lonie who replaces Melbourne's Steven Armstrong. It seems that Armstrong has been gobbled up by the monster and is now out of the picture. Where that leaves Byron Pickett's possible move to the Demons is anyone's guess. And anyone's guess can be applied to the vast array of draft deals that are being concocted by the AFL recruiting and list management people as the trade week caravan rolls on. It's a pity however, that it's not only the recruiting people who are involved publicly in the action. Some of the coaches have entered the fray and, in my view, are not helping improve their own standing nor that of their clubs. Dean Laidley appeared decidedly uncomfortable and unconvincing in threatening Daniel Motlop with the pre-season draft stick after he refused to go to Brisbane in order to clear a path for the Kangaroos to pick up draft pick number 9 which could have been used to secured Hay. "If we land Jonathan Hay, through Brisbane or Melbourne or Port Adelaide, fantastic, and we land him for what we think is fair and reasonable, terrific. Daniel will get his wish. "But, if we don't, I will hang him out to dry," the 'Roos coach said. Kevin Sheedy was not to be outdone by all of this and he fired a warning that the Bombers would take Scott Camporeale in the pre-season draft if a deal could not be done with the Blues. I believe that it's unnecessary for coaches to come out publicly in this way. It does their image no good and their statements are sure to come back and bite them and their clubs on the backside at some time in the future. They should keep their posturing for the draft poker table - if at all. Another aspect of this week is that it has brought to light a story of failed friendships. According to one newspaper report Daniel Motlop "has fallen out with Roos teammates Daniel Wells and Eddie Sansbury and it is understood a friendship with Melbourne's Aaron Davey has also waned." Those who get their men and those who get their fat contracts might be happy campers but trade week is not a time of happiness for all. DAY FOUR - TOO MUCH NOTHING The fourth day of the trade period dawned bringing with it clear evidence that the drawn out horse trading process was in danger of rapidly sinking into oblivion - as a spectator sport anyway. The fact that Melbourne's tabloid newspaper, the Herald Sun, deigned to remove football from its back pages for the first time since the Swans annexed the 2005 AFL premiership on that one day in September was bad enough but did they have to replace it with three pages of reports about a Mickey Mouse game of international cricket? Let's face it. The AFL trade experience is not only overrated - it's bloody boring to boot! That's obvious when our premier sporting newspaper spends so much space trilling about Australia's crushing 93 run win over a hung over World XII in front of a half vacant Telstra Dome. There was plenty of premium space left over at the ground for more than the usual quota of theatregoers but there was even less of that commodity available for football in the HUN's sports pages where the scribes struggled to put an interesting slant on the previous day's exchanges. In any event, most of the trade proceedings were eminently forgettable. The reality is that even the so-called "Big Four" trade names (which had earlier been reduced to three and is now almost certainly down to two given the Tigers' apparent withdrawal from the race for the Fev) were flawed in the eyes of many beholders and the rest of the names being considered were getting down into the hack class. After three days of almost nothing, it was becoming too much for the ordinary punter with the majority of players coming under discussion being those who, during the 2005 season, struggled for regular AFL selection with the clubs that were offloading them. The first trade - cobbled together on day two - had set the tone. The fact that a player who was shunned by his team's selection panel for all 25 weeks of their season could still command a first round draft pick set an unbelievably high bench mark. It pushed the price of a decent footballer through the roof and into the stratosphere. The truth is that the well-administered clubs had planned ahead for this week knowing that it was fraught with danger if they allowed the best of their young talent to remain uncontracted by this time of the year. They ensured that the players they wanted to keep were safely under lock and key and left us with those who, in the main, either weren't going anywhere or those who spent most of the year running around in the VFL, WAFL, SANFL and their Brisbane and Sydney equivalents -the expendables. And that's what the trade week is all about. The expendables. As a result, the trading continued into the fourth day but nothing spectacular happened. An example of nothing spectacular was the fourth trade of the week: - 4. Essendon exchanges Ted Richards and its round four selection (number 55) to Sydney for its round one selection (number 19) and its round three selection (number 51). [A further trade is awaiting the mere formality of paperwork being lodged: 5. West Coast exchanges Daniel McConnell and its round one selection (number 18) to the Kangaroos for their round one selection (number 13) and its round two selection (number 29).] The premiers have now traded away their first three selections in the national draft and, as things currently stand, they won't come into contention on National Draft day until 55. That might well change on day five when the last minute feeding frenzy happens but it shows where the Swans believe they are at and what they think of this year's draft pool. More of nothing. Things will hot up today at just before 2pm when careers will be made and broken. Deals will either end up in the fax machine or the shredder. There are going to be some surprises and some heartache for supporters with familiar faces gone from their teams' lists and others added on. The speculation will continue to mount as the deadline approaches but, as always, a large percentage of the supposedly done deals of draft week will evaporate into thin air and turn into nothing. DAY FIVE - IT'S OVER And so it came to pass that on Friday, 7 October 2005, the long, hard week ended with a record low number of 13 exchanges completed between the AFL clubs. The following trade paperwork was lodged during the AFL's exchange period:- 1. Adelaide exchanges Fergus Watts to St Kilda for its Round One selection (number 17); 2. Geelong exchanges Paul Chambers to Sydney for its Round Two selection (number 35); 3. Collingwood exchanges Richard Cole to Essendon for its Round Two selection (number 23); 4. West Coast exchanges Daniel McDonnell and its Round One selection (number 18) to the Kangaroos for its Round One selection (number 13) and Round Two selection (number 29); 5. Essendon exchanges Ted Richards and its Round Four Selection (number 55) to Sydney for its Round One selection (number 19) and its Round Three selection (number 51); 6. Western Bulldogs exchange Patrick Bowden to Richmond for its Round Four selection (number 56); 7. Sydney exchanges Jason Saddington to Carlton for its Round Four selection (number 52); 8. Hawthorn exchanges Nathan Lonie and its Round Four selection (number 54) to Port Adelaide for its Round One selection (number 14); 9. Hawthorn exchanges Jonathan Hay to the Kangaroos for its Round One selection (number 18, on-traded); 10. Port Adelaide exchanges Byron Pickett and its Round Four selection (number 54, on traded) and its Round Four selection (number 62) to Melbourne for its Round Two selection (number 28), Round Three selection (number 44) and Round Four selection (number 60); 11. The Kangaroos exchange Daniel Motlop to Port Adelaide for its Round Two selection (number 28, on-traded) and Round Three selection (number 46); 12. The Western Bulldogs exchange Jade Rawlings and its Round Three selection (number 43) to the Kangaroos for its Round Three selection (number 46, on-traded) and 13. Sydney exchanges Mark Powell to the Kangaroos for its Round Four selection (number 61). On a club by club basis, this is the final wash up of the trade week activities:- Adelaide Received: Round One Selection (number 17) from St Kilda. Traded: Fergus Watts to St Kilda. Brisbane Lions Did Not Trade Carlton Received: Jason Saddington from Sydney. Traded: Round Four selection (number 52) to Sydney. Collingwood Received: Round Two selection (number 23) from Essendon. Traded: Richard Cole to Essendon. Essendon Received: Richard Cole from Collingwood, Round One selection (number 19) from Sydney and Round Three selection (number 51) from Sydney. Traded: Ted Richards to Sydney, Round Two selection (number 23) to Collingwood and Round Four selection (number 55) to Sydney. Fremantle Did Not Trade Geelong Received: Round Two selection (number 35) from Sydney. Traded: Paul Chambers to Sydney. Hawthorn Received: Round One selection (number 14) from Port Adelaide and Round One selection (number 18) from West Coast, via Kangaroos on-trade. Traded: Jonathan Hay to the Kangaroos, Nathan Lonie to Port Adelaide and Round Four selection (number 54) to Melbourne, via Port Adelaide on-trade. Kangaroos Received: Jonathan Hay from Hawthorn, Daniel McConnell from West Coast, Mark Powell from Sydney, Jade Rawlings from the Western Bulldogs, Round Two selection (number 28) from Melbourne, via Port Adelaide on-trade, Round Three selection (number 43) from the Western Bulldogs, Round One selection (number 18) from West Coast, then on-traded to Hawthorn and Round Three selection (number 46) from Port Adelaide, then on-traded to the Western Bulldogs. Traded: Daniel Motlop to Port Adelaide, Round One selection (number 13) to West Coast, Round One selection (number 18), from West Coast to Hawthorn, Round Two selection (number 29) to West Coast, Round Three selection (number 46), from Port Adelaide to the Western Bulldogs and Round Four selection (number 61) to Sydney. Melbourne Received: Byron Pickett from Port Adelaide, Round Four selection (number 54) from Hawthorn, via Port Adelaide on-trade and Round Four selection (number 62) from Port Adelaide. Traded: Round Two selection (number 28) to the Kangaroos, via Port Adelaide on-trade, Round Three selection (number 44) to Port Adelaide and Round Four selection (number 60) to Port Adelaide. Port Adelaide Received: Nathan Lonie from Hawthorn, Daniel Motlop from the Kangaroos, Round Three selection (number 44) from Melbourne, Round Four selection (number 60) from Melbourne, Round Two selection (number 28) from Melbourne, then on-traded to the Kangaroos and Round Four selection (number 54) from Hawthorn, then on-traded to Melbourne. Traded: Byron Pickett to Melbourne, Round One selection (number 14) to Hawthorn, Round Two selection (number 28) from Melbourne to the Kangaroos, Round Three selection (number 46) to the Western Bulldogs, via the Kangaroos, Round Four selection (number 54) from Hawthorn to Melbourne and Round Four selection (number 60) to Melbourne. Richmond Received: Patrick Bowden from the Western Bulldogs. Traded: Round Four selection (number 56) to the Western Bulldogs. St Kilda Received: Fergus Watts from Adelaide. Traded: Round One selection (number 17) to Adelaide. Sydney Received: Paul Chambers from Geelong, Ted Richards from Essendon, Round Four selection (number 52) from Carlton, Round Four selection (number 55) from Essendon and Round Four selection (number 61) from the Kangaroos. Traded: Jason Saddington to Carlton, Mark Powell to the Kangaroos, Round One selection (number 19) to Essendon, Round Two selection (number 35) to Geelong and Round Three selection (number 51) to Essendon. West Coast Received: Round One selection (number 13) from the Kangaroos and Round Two selection (number 29) from the Kangaroos. Traded: Daniel McConnell to the Kangaroos and Round One selection (number 18) to Hawthorn, via the Kangaroos. Western Bulldogs Received: Round Three selection (number 46) from Port Adelaide, via the Kangaroos and Round Four selection (number 56) from Richmond. Traded: Patrick Bowden to Richmond, Jade Rawlings to the Kangaroos and Round Three selection (number 43) to the Kangaroos. An indicative list of draft order at this stage is (subject to change when delistings take place) as follows :- Priority 1 Carlton 2 Collingwood 3 Hawthorn Round 1 4 Carlton 5 Collingwood 6 Hawthorn 7 Essendon 8 Richmond 9 Brisbane Lions 10 Fremantle 11 Western Bulldogs 12 Melbourne 13 West Coast 14 Hawthorn 15 Geelong 16 Adelaide 17 Adelaide 18 Hawthorn 19 Essendon Round 2 20 Carlton 21 Collingwood 22 Hawthorn 23 Collingwood 24 Richmond 25 Brisbane Lions 26 Fremantle 27 Western Bulldogs 28 Kangaroos 29 West Coast 30 Port Adelaide 31 Geelong 32 Adelaide 33 St Kilda 34 West Coast 35 Geelong Round 3 * 36 Carlton 37 Collingwood 38 Hawthorn 39 Essendon 40 Richmond 41 Brisbane Lions 42 Fremantle 43 Kangaroos 44 Port Adelaide 45 Kangaroos 46 Western Bulldogs 47 Geelong 48 Adelaide 49 St Kilda 50 West Coast 51 Essendon Round 4 52 Sydney 53 Collingwood 54 Melbourne 55 Sydney 56 Western Bulldogs 57 Brisbane Lions 58 Fremantle 59 Western Bulldogs 60 Port Adelaide 61 Sydney 62 Melbourne 63 Geelong 64 Adelaide 65 St Kilda 66 West Coast 67 Sydney Round 5 68 Carlton 69 Collingwood 70 Hawthorn 71 Essendon 72 Richmond 73 Brisbane Lions 74 Fremantle 75 Western Bulldogs 76 Melbourne 77 Kangaroos 78 Port Adelaide 79 Geelong 80 Adelaide 81 St Kilda 82 West Coast 83 Sydney Round 6 84 Carlton 85 Collingwood 86 Hawthorn 87 Essendon 88 Richmond 89 Brisbane Lions 90 Fremantle 91 Western Bulldogs 92 Melbourne 93 Kangaroos 94 Port Adelaide 95 Geelong 96 Adelaide 97 St Kilda 98 West Coast 99 Sydney * father/son selections can be made in the third round. DAY FIVE - PICKETT FENCES Shortly before the 2004 AFL National Draft, Jenny McAsey wrote an intriguing (and almost prophetic) article in The Australian newspaper outlining some of the recruiting and list management philosophies recently embraced by Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos. Like many other progressive sports coaches and administrators Roos has taken on board the radical views of Billy Beane, general manager of California's Oakland Athletics Major League baseball team, as portrayed in the US best selling book "Moneyball" by author Michael Lewis. Beane disdains the conventional wisdom that it is of paramount importance to build up large stocks of raw, young, untried talent in order to develop a winning team. He uses statistical data to back up the view that there are many of instances where players can add value to a team sport from outside the traditional national draft system. A major example is the concept of picking up late maturers. "The draft has never been anything but a f***ing crapshoot," Billy Beane had taken to saying. "We take 50 guys and we celebrate if two of them make it. In what other business is two for 50 a success? If you did that in the stock market you'd go broke." That's a quote from Lewis' book and Roos believes that this view applies with respect to the AFL Draft. Earlier in the week, I provided some data on the team Roos coached to the 2005 AFL premiership which demonstrated that there were very few early draft selections within the ranks - certainly nothing like their opponents on grand final day. The West Coast Eagles included choice early draft picks such as Chris Judd, Ashley Sampi, Michael Gardiner, Drew Banfield and David Wirrpunda - all of who were in the top five of their drafts (although Wirrpunda was picked up in a special draft for 16 year olds). Roos and his team carried out a study of draft selections over 13 drafts between 1989 and 2001 which showed that if you had selection 10 in a given draft, the prospect of that player developing into a "good to very good player" was around 40 per cent. On that basis, and because of Sydney's fifth placing in the 2004 season, Roos determined to sell his club's first round selection (number 15) for a mature ruckman, Melbourne's Darren Jolly, rather than to chance it in the draft with an untried novice which he considered a high risk way to build future success. The theory even questions the various tests that 17 and 18 year old hopefuls are put through at the National Draft Camp because research shows only two - reaction time and speed over 20 metres - bear any relation to a youngster's chances of being a good AFL player "What Billy Beane basically said was don't take high school kids because they are normally a bust, and that is exactly what we are doing in our draft. He is attacking our whole system, saying it doesn't work," Roos said. "My view is the draft age is too young because I don't think the guys are fully developed. That is why a lot of them don't go on and play much AFL football. They don't get bigger, they don't get quicker, they don't develop the way the clubs project they will. It is just crystal-balling." By adopting this standard into drafting practice Roos went into the 2004 National Draft with three selections 31, 47 and 61 and he used the later two on players with existing AFL experience - former Cat David Spriggs and a previously delisted Swan, Heath James. Neither of these choices proved to be particularly inspirational but what would they have uncovered had the Swans gone for teenagers at that level? Probably, players like Heath Grundy who they picked up in the rookie draft anyway. The success of Roos' approach underlines how difficult it is to assess the performance of the AFL clubs in trade weeks. The clubs that under performed in 2005 - Carlton, Collingwood and Hawthorn - went into the week with two selections each in the top six. These are the best of the draft choices, the ones where the chances of finding a "good to very good player" are scientifically a little over the 50% mark xxx even in an ordinary draft year which is exactly how the pundits look at the current draft pool. The very early draft choices are still valuable but once you get past the top ten, xxx worth looking at other options. Losing lower selections xxx particularly anything below 20 in this skinny draft is not a high-risk strategy if you believe in Billy Beane. The problem with the 2005 exchange period is that there were not that many mature age players of any quality available in the trades. Leaving aside names like Luke Power and Peter Everitt that were never in the serious discussion stages, only two of the "Big Four" names made it through the sale yard - Jonathan Hay and Daniel Motlop - and it can be argued that both were damaged goods in any event for both on and off field reasons. The majority of the others were expendables but the stand out traded player in my estimation is Port Adelaide's Byron Pickett who Melbourne gained in exchange for its second round draft pick (28) and a swap of later selections that were well outside the comfort zone of valued draft picks. Pickett has already played in two premiership teams and a little over twelve months ago was a Norm Smith Medallist in Port Adelaide's premiership side. He's a hard-bodied midfielder/forward who will add some much needed toughness into the Demons' line up. With respect to the Magpies and Hawks who accumulated additional draft selections, the proof of the pudding will not materialise until a long way into the future and will depend of the skills of their recruiting people. Carlton kept its selections intact but it also kept a worrisome player in Brendan Fevola and re-contracted Lance Whitnall at a much higher remuneration than what they would have preferred. Scott Camporeale and Matthew Lappin remain in limbo. Although these lowly clubs are being hailed for having courage in going for youth and building up a stockpile of early draft choices, they may well rue the fact that in doing so, they have ignored the science of drafting.

by Whispering Jack There was a fleeting moment in mid June when the fairy tale seemed at long last to be turning into reality for the Melbourne Football Club. The difficult summer had begun with the Indian Ocean tsunami and the loss of a Demon son. The rest of it was a bit of a daze as the Melbourne family came to grips with the tragedy but with autumn, things turned for the better. By early winter, the future looked promising. At least, that's how it seemed... The Demons were sitting in second place on the ladder with a win/loss ratio of 9 to 12 after soundly beating the old enemy Collingwood on the Queens Birthday in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season. They loomed as a genuine premiership threat with wins over a number of fellow finals contenders including the ultimate premier in Sydney and the end of season ladder leader Adelaide along with big victories over Geelong and the Kangaroos at Manuka. They had opened the season in style with a tasteful tribute to their fallen hero in the Troy Broadbridge Memorial Game against Essendon which they won by 46 points. They went from strength to strength until Cameron Bruce's injury and a rousing second half from St. Kilda saw them lose for the first time in round four but by mid season, the momentum was gathering despite some ominous signs in that loss and a poor showing against the lowly Hawks and an unexpected defeat in a home ground shoot-out with the Dockers. By the time they beat the Magpies in round twelve, the Demons were on a roll with four consecutive wins and a top of the ladder confrontation with the Eagles just five days away. And then it struck. The West Coast game saw a tired Melbourne fall in the end by a mere 15 points - a reasonable result given that the Eagles had a full three days extra to prepare and the Demons were without their skipper David Neitz. After that however, the Dees went into freefall and by the end of round 19 they had fallen into a deep, dark hole of despair with seven losses in a row and a catastrophic drop to 11th place on the ladder. Cinderella's glass slipper was being packed away when Melbourne trailed Geelong by 34 points close to half time of their round 20 encounter at Skilled Stadium. That was when thoughts of that much anticipated fairy tale ending were suddenly and unexpectedly revived. The Demons dug deep into the well that day and came back from the dead on two occasions to record their first win over the Cats at Skilled Stadium since 1988 in a one point thriller. The following week saw them come from behind again with the last four goals to secure the points against the Bulldogs and, in the final round of the season a bouncing goal from Russell Robertson saw them safely back in the finals. Unfortunately, by then injuries and emotion had taken their toll. The Demons were spent and they went out of the finals race without a whimper - eliminated in the first week of the business end for the second year in a row. There has been a lot said and written about Melbourne's seven-match black hole in the latter half of the season. There will be a lot of soul searching about what happened and why. Was it the coaching, fitness, skills, leadership, hardness at the ball or lack thereof, the club's culture or some deep psychological reason that defies explanation? Whatever the case, there is little doubt that every aspect of the club is under scrutiny - including, of course, the team list. One of last year's highlights was the advancement of the club's younger players. It was a fantastic achievement that the Demons managed to produce the first two place getters in the National Rising Star award in Jared Rivers and Aaron Davey. Brad Miller lifted several notches and started to gain recognition as one of the better centre half forwards in the competition and future young guns Brock McLean, Colin Sylvia and Daniel Bell all made their AFL debut. This year things were different. Chris Johnson, in his second season at the club, was the only player new to the AFL scene and he played only a handful of games. Brent Moloney from Geelong was a gem of a recruit in the midfield while the only other newcomer to get an AFL game was ruckman Paul Johnson who had limited game time but covered himself in glory at Sandringham where he gathered a premiership medallion and won the JJ Liston Trophy for the competition's best and fairest. First year draftees Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton were the youngest, second youngest and fourth youngest players drafted in the entire AFL competition last year. From the outset, they were going to spend their initial season developing at Sandringham. The club is clearly mindful of the need to initiate players into the system slowly and deliberately rather than follow the example of Josh Fraser at Collingwood who wasn't expected to play a senior game in first season but ended up playing most of the year. Many observers blame this on his recent serious injury problems of recent times. There was a dearth of big improvers at the club over 2005. Travis Johnstone and Russell Robertson were models of consistent, improved performance throughout the year. Brock McLean gained ground earlier in the year and Nathan Carroll came good with a rush late in the season. Two players who I had written off for their slow and lumbering performances in the 2004 Elimination Final - Alistair Nicholson and Ben Holland - surprised me with their form. I expected them both to make a minimal contribution to the cause this year. In fact, they were handy players for the club - especially when the chips were down. On the whole however, too many players failed to make the forward strides necessary to ensure that the club would progress further than last year. One of the players whose form slipped was Jeff White but despite that he remains Melbourne's most important and influential player on my list. Although his output declined (as a result of many factors including the centre circle rule) in 2005, he retained the number 1 placing - a fact that might be regarded as indicative of the club's problems. When I listed him first in 2004 I made the comment that I was "sure that there will be very few who would disagree with my ranking of him as number one although I hope that circumstances allow him to have more ruck support in 2005." Unfortunately, that assistance failed to materialise in 2005 but nevertheless, it still remains a major talking point in any consideration of the Melbourne playing list. Incidentally, as highly as I rate White, I don't consider him an "untouchable" in the trade talks for next week although the likelihood that he would be traded is remote. Such is the game these days that no player over the age of 23 at a club that has tasted so little success can avoid this tag (I'd even trade the fairy godmother if it could improve the list). But that's another story for another time... As for the other rankings, I have no doubt that there will be fierce debate about them, so here goes my usual word of warning about these Player Ratings - they are the personal opinion of one individual and I would never expect everybody to agree with them. And here are my end of 2005 player ratings - 1 Jeff White [1 in 2004] - the story of Melbourne in 2004 when he rucked tirelessly throughout most of the season before running out of steam at the end. This year the All Australian ruckman found life a lot harder with the centre circle rule and the fact that, at 195 cm and 28 years of age, it was becoming more and more difficult to cope with the Everitts and the Coxes. Despite all that, he was steady without being prolific throughout the season both as a ruckman and in the midfield before he really showed his true capabilities in those last three home and away games. A kick in the head from Geelong's Stephen King in the Elimination saw him exit the main stage. In a way, that was the story of Melbourne in 2005. [Number 34, Height 195cm, Weight 98kg, Date of Birth 19.02.77, Debut in AFL, 1995, From FREMANTLE (AFL), Games 2005 - 23, Total Games 207, Goals 2005 7, Total Goals 88] 2 Travis Johnstone [6] - it's been a long time coming but this gifted talent finally turned on the skills on a consistent basis from week to week and throughout whole games. He was the AFL's leading kick getter and the catalyst in many of the club's winning matches. To top it all off, he was also there plugging away when the team was losing, something that can't be said for everyone on the list. [16, 186, 85, 17.07.80, 1998, DANDENONG U18, 22, 123,15, 94] 3 Russell Robertson [9] - returned to his 2003 form when he was club champion. This time however, his game went up a notch because his kicking, once the subject of great despair as well as derision among Demon fans, improved out of sight. Finished with a career high 73 goals for the season and won a few games off his own boot. [24, 184, 90, 24.11.78, 1997, TASSIE U18, 23, 167, 73, 299] 4 Adem Yze [2] - opened the season in fine style but injuries curtailed him in the latter half of the season. He played in a forward pocket for most of the season and was not as prolific a ball winner as in previous seasons. Has managed to take his unbroken record of consecutive games played to over 200 and while most of them were pure quality, his game declined dramatically late in the season - probably under the weight of injury. Needs to come back refreshed and fit in 2006. [13, 187, 87, 21.09.77, 1995, MURRAY U18, 23, 233, 41, 195] 5 Cameron Bruce [3] - polled eight Brownlow votes in the opening three rounds and was being dubbed as the "next James Hird". All that came crashing down when a tackle from Brent Guerra in the first thirty seconds took him out for several weeks. He never recovered the early season magic and injured his knee in the return match against St. Kilda. Came back in the elimination final but it was far too early. [32, 190, 88, 30.09.79, 2000, MELBOURNE SUPP, 15, 122, 20, 152] 6 Brad Green [5] - I rated him below his 2004 season because he lacked the necessary consistency this year. When he was good, he was very good but he also had some quiet patches. [18, 184, 85, 13.03.81, 2000, TASSIE U18, 21, 125, 28, 183] 7 David Neitz [4] - had a horror year and was plagued by a number of injuries, which prevented him from having his normal impact both as a forward and as the team's skipper. In his own interests, permit me to repeat what I said about him last year - "Perhaps, the time has come for Neita to consider giving away the captaincy in order to concentrate more on his own game?" [9, 193, 100, 22.01.75, 1993, PARKMORE, 18, 265, 39, 534] 8 Nathan Brown [7] - struggled for consistency in 2005 but is a fearless competitor giving plenty of run and dash as usual. An important backman who likes to run through the lines and set up opportunities further afield. [25, 180, 81, 14.08.76, 1998, W. ADELAIDE (SA), 22, 118, 4, 30] 9 Brent Moloney [new] - Melbourne's big trade acquisition of the off-season is a player of considerable strength and talent. At 21 years of age, he showed great maturity as a hard nosed midfielder with a prodigious kick. He will be an asset to the club for many years to come. [22, 181, 88, 28.01.84, 2003, GEELONG (AFL), 21, 44, 2, 8] 10 Matthew Whelan [8] - was outstanding early and then was sorely missed when injured and out for several weeks. On return he soon recaptured his skill and form with some real gutsy performances but seemed to be affected after his involvement in the Nathan Brown's season ending injury against Richmond. A cool and determined defender with plenty of talent. [45, 180, 83, 13.11.79, 2000, W'VILLE-WT (SA), 16, 104, 1, 10] 11 Aaron Davey [16] - continued on from where he left off in his sensational debut season. His lightning quick pace, sure ball handling and strong defensive play was a highlight and he deserved the recognition he gained in his high placing in the club champion polling. [36, 177, 72, 10.06.83, 2004, PORT MELBOURNE (VFL), 23, 42, 0, 58] 12 Brad Miller [13] - added aggression to his repertoire but possibly went a little overboard and earned the wrath of the umpires and the match review panel. Worked hard as a key forward and was invaluable on occasion when called upon to go back into defence to take some big forward scalps. Strong leadership potential. [7, 192, 91, 06.07.83, 2002, MT. GRAVATT (Q), 18, 60, 6, 20] 13 James McDonald [12] - continued to play the role of the hard working unobtrusive midfielder who again didn't get enough credit for his efforts. However, he appeared to be carrying injuries and his effectiveness tapered off late in the season. [23, 180, 78, 05.10.76, 1997, OLD XAVERIANS, 21, 153, 2, 39] 14 Paul Wheatley [15] - his career is starting to finally blossom after a low patch a couple of years ago. He has size and pace and is a prodigious kick and he is sure to have more responsibility in the backline as his career continues to develop. [31, 189, 90, 12.04.81, 2000, PRESTON U18, 21, 92, 3, 26] 15 Brock McLean [19] - continued to show great maturity and was unaffected by the second year "jitters". A strong player who uses the ball well, McLean underlined his immense talent with nine Brownlow votes from three best on grounds and could have polled even better but for a nagging groin injury that hampered him in the second half of the season. Fourth in the National Bank Rising Star Award. [5, 184, 85, 11.03.86, 2004, CALDER U18, 20, 29, 6, 11] 16 Alistair Nicholson [20] - injury curtailed his pre-season and he looked finished as an AFL footballer after some dreadful form in his early games. To his credit, he came back strongly to collect some notable scalps in Fevola and Tarrant as the team's tallest defender. He has convinced the coach but many others remain sceptical about his ability to hold down a key defensive position against all comers. [8, 197, 102, 04.03.78, 1997, CLAREMONT (WA), 14, 110, 0, 3] 17 Jared Rivers [11] - came down to earth after a stellar 2004 when he was the winner of the National Bank Rising Star award. He still showed courage, skill and maturity but he had a few bad days and a broken wrist against the Dockers at Subiaco ruined his season. [27, 192, 85, 18.10.84, 2003, N. ADELAIDE (SA), 14, 39, 0, 0] 18 Clint Bizzell [10] - the former "general" of the club's backline was at his best a few years ago when he occupied a key defensive position and took on much taller opponents on a weekly basis. He was disappointing in the latter part of the season as a floating defender and was dropped before the finals. On that basis, the decision to award him a three-year contract at the end of 2004 was not one of the club's best. [188, 89, 28.06.76, 1996, GEELONG (AFL), 20, 153, 0, 79] 19 Daniel Bell [24] - advanced his career and is now on the verge of becoming a regular in the best 22. He is a player who seems to always get crunched but shows great courage in getting up and going on with it. A solid defender, Bell has plenty of pace and hardness and he might earn a midfield role in the next season or two. [21, 186, 83, 13.04.85, 2004, GLENELG (SA), 13, 16, 0, 0] 20 Nathan Carroll [34] - surprised by emerging out of the doldrums in the VFL to put in some strong, courageous performances at full back deep into the season. Shows just what a new haircut and a bottle of peroxide can do for your image! [41, 191, 91, 20.10.80, 2003, CLAREMONT (WA), 6, 17, 0, 0] 21 Mark Jamar [25] - was used sparingly by the Demons as back up ruckman but performed strongly at Sandringham. The club has patience bearing in mind the slow development of most big men and he is certain to gain more game time in 2006. [40, 198, 98, 09.08.83, 2003, N. ADELAIDE (SA), 8, 20, 1, 3] 22 Ben Holland [31] - after a truly dreadful elimination final at the end of 2004, Holland picked himself up and worked his way back into the senior team. He showed a lot of endeavour and grit to show that he was more than a tall, marking option on the forward line who could pinch-hit as a ruckman. Despite that, his awkward lumbering style and average standard kicking still raises some question marks about his future. [4, 198, 101, 10.05.77, 1996, RICHMOND (AFL) 17, 163, 18, 163] 23 Colin Sylvia [29] - injuries in his first two seasons at the club have hampered his development but, he showed on a number of occasions during the year that he is a prodigious talent. The pressure will be on him to produce in 2006. [12, 184, 85, 08.11.85, 2004, BENDIGO U18, 16, 19, 8, 9] 24 Ryan Ferguson [32] - came back well after his 2004 season was ruined by a shoulder injury. Shows courage and coolness in defence but is competing against a number of players for a key backline position. [35, 195, 87, 29.09.81, 2003, FRANKSTON (VFL), 19, 36, 3, 4] 25 Guy Rigoni [33] - despite his aging legs, Riggers effectively used his experience and football smarts to work his way back into the Demons' side after a hot and cold season and was an effective player coming off the bench and into the midfield late in the year. [43, 181, 85, 17.07.74, 1998, MYRTLEFORD, 11, 107, 4, 35] 26 Shannon Motlop [new] - plucked out of the Northern Territory summer football competition as a list replacement for Troy Broadbridge, Motlop had no pre season and needed time to get himself right for the AFL after a gap of two or three years. In the circumstances, he adapted well although hampered by some nagging hamstring problems. Showed flashes of brilliance and will no doubt be better with a full pre season under his belt next year. [44,182, 88, 18.08.78, 1999, N. ADELAIDE (SA), 7, 61, 5, 36] 27 Paul Johnson [new] - didn't set the world on fire in his debut season with Melbourne when he was used mainly as a relief ruckman for Jeff White. At VFL level, he won the JJ Liston Trophy and made great strides as a developing ruckman. Needs to work over summer to build up his strength and marking. [11, 199, 106, 26.06.84, 2004, WEST COAST (AFL), 8, 9, 0, 0] 28 Simon Godfrey [30] - a hard nut who gives 100% effort every time he takes the field but his lack of skill, particularly in delivery of the football and decision making, and his failure to make significant improvement in these areas has severely limited his potential at AFL level. [30, 184, 86, 18.10.80, 2000, MELBOURNE SUPP, 12, 72, 4, 12] 29 Chris Heffernan [17] - his form was inconsistent and an injury late in the season didn't help. Despite a fabulous finals series for Sandringham, looks to be on his way out. [1, 186, 85, 29.01.79, 1997, ESSENDON (AFL), 9, 144, 1, 48] 30 Phil Read [18] - constantly broke down with a number of hamstring injuries during the year and failed to produce much in his rare appearances with the Demons. [28, 180, 80, 20.10.79, 1998, WEST COAST (AFL), 8, 103, 3, 31] 31 Daniel Ward [21] - a shoulder injury during the pre season curtailed his year and Ward was restricted to a handful of games. With the younger brigade putting their hands up for opportunities in defence, he finished the year at Sandringham where he showed with a spectacular finals series that he still has something to offer. [10, 185, 84, 09.07.77, 1998, FITZROY (SUPP.), 4, 101, 0, 25] 32 Steven Armstrong [26] - the talented young midfielder who was injured in the Bali bombing of October 2002 after an encouraging debut season has failed to step up to regular AFL status despite some good form in the VFL. His pace has always been suspect and it appears that he will continue his career elsewhere in 2006. [2, 180, 81, 12.01.84, 2002, PERTH (WA), 6, 43, 2, 21] 33 Chris Johnson [39] - had his share of injuries in 2004 and worked hard to make his debut against the Hawks at the MCG. His debut game wasn't much to write home about - he was reported and narrowly missed suspension - but he made rapid improvement as the season went on and won himself a few more games. A definite prospect. [17, 189, 79, 25.01.86, 2005, E. F'MANTLE (WA), 4, 4, 0, 0] 34 Luke Williams [37] - played a handful of games with Melbourne and spent the majority of the year at Sandringham. Unfortunately, seemed stuck in that intermediate world between VFL and AFL and his career at Melbourne was in doubt by the end of the year. [26, 185, 85, 29.12.79, 1999, OAKLEIGH U18, 3, 51, 0, 10] 35 Matthew Bate [new] - showed great promise at Sandringham without settling the world on fire. Melbourne would be happy with his progress and his versatility. As a defender, he shut down Collingwood's Rusling and Geelong's N. Ablett but he was also used as an on baller and a forward. [6, 191, 88, 24.05.87, *, EASTERN U18, 0, 0, 0, 0] 36 Nick Smith [35] - an injured wrist destroyed his pre season and kept him out of the game early. Then a knee injury wrecked almost all of what was left of the season. If he retains his spot on the list, Smith faces a make or break year in 2006. [15, 196, 97, 27.08.84, 2003, NORWOOD (SA), 0, 3, 0, 0] 37 Matthew Warnock (rookie) [new] - drafted from Sandringham, Warnock is a tall, rangy defender who showed real improvement at the Trevor Barker Oval and played a vital full back role in the finals where he beat all comers including the VFL's leading goalkicker. Another strong season could see his promotion off the rookie list. [37, 192, 88, 03.04.84, *, SANDRINGHAM (VFL) 0, 0, 0, 0] 38 Lynden Dunn [new] - tall and athletic, Dunn fluctuated between the interchange for Sandy seniors and the reserves. He was very good at the latter level (kicking 9 goals at FF and CHF in one game) but struggled for game time when promoted. As the objective of his year was development, I don't see that as being problematic at this stage of his career. More importantly, he has grown a few centimetres since being drafted and he has learned a lot by training with the Demons' squad. [14, 192, 90, 14.05.87, *, CALDER U18, 0, 0, 0, 0] 39 Michael Newton [new] - injury impeded his progress and he never advanced beyond the Sandringham reserves where he showed out on occasion. [29, 193, 88, 27.04.87, *, MURRAY U18, 0, 0, 0, 0] 40 Cameron Hunter [40] - went backwards in 2005 and played in just one final with the Zebra seniors. Almost certain to be traded or delisted. [33, 186, 71, 30.03.84, 2003, CALDER U18, 0, 2, 0, 0] 41 Brendan Van Schaik (rookie) [new] - the young beanpole rookie had one senior game with the Zebras down in Tassie early in the season and impressed with his ruckwork. Injuries prevented him from playing much of a role and, being a big man, is still in the early phase of his football development. [38, 203, 98, 02.07.86, *, MURRAY U18, 0, 0, 0, 0] * yet to make his AFL debut FOOTNOTE: When I look back at the list of rankings and compare it with what might be a similar list at the top four clubs, the one thing that stands out clearly to me is that Melbourne needs more tough, hard players - particularly midfielders - to step into the top ten rankings at the club. Some of that talent is already there but still in the development phase - players like Moloney, McLean, Sylvia, Bell and Bate. Perhaps a few more players of this ilk gained through the trades and the draft might bring the elusive fairy tale a few steps closer to reality in the near future.

by The Oracle "The world's spinning madly, it drifts in the dark Swings through a hollow of haze, A race around the stars, a journey through The universe ablaze with changes." From "Changes" by Phil Ochs A couple of years ago I wrote about how I really love this time of year. There's a distinct change in seasons as we drift from winter into spring and suddenly we're into sunny days and warm weather. In the blink of an eye, it's summer time and the living is easy. It's easy for most us but not for those in charge of managing an AFL playing list. You need only look around at the frenzy in the media, around offices and workplaces, in pubs and bars and on the internet surrounding the myriad of trade and draft stories that abound at this time of year. There is so much argy bargy allegedly going on that if you believed all the rumours, then every AFL football manager would be going bonkers just trying to keep pace with his own club's player movements. It's a good thing however, that those with their fingers on the pulse (i.e. the football club managers) only need to deal in fact and not fiction because for every trade fact that emerges at this time of the year, there are dozens of tales that are no more than unsubstantiated rumours with little or no chance of coming to fruition. Most of them are figments of mischievous imaginations or, as Confucius once said, "Man who think too much about player trades, get warts on hands." Amen. Still, there have been a few interesting trade possibilities to emerge over the past month or so and these are the ones that seem to have a basis of fact in them. Players mentioned as being on the move are Luke Power (Brisbane Lions), Daniel Motlop (Kangaroos), Jimmy Bartel (Geelong), Lance Whitnall (Carlton), Byron Pickett (Port Adelaide), Jonathan Hay (Hawthorn), Brendan Fevola (Carlton), Graham Polak (Fremantle), Shannon Grant (Kangaroos), Paul Medhurst (Fremantle) and Nathan Eagleton (Western Bulldogs). They are players who are either out of contract or have asked or been asked to move on and appear set to move elsewhere. Then there is the Melbourne contingent... I'm one of those who doesn't like it when I hear claims made that one of our favoured sons is about to pack his bags and head off to some other club. We have the highly publicised situation involving Adem Yze whose contract is being renegotiated as we speak; a club champion who some believe should be offered as trade bait in order to snare a much needed big name, perhaps a hard inside midfielder or a tough key position player. Clint Bizzell and Daniel Ward are in contract but are also said to be in the trade mix while the club has already agreed to part ways with Steven Armstrong. And other names are certain to be added to the list of those who will soon depart. One interesting name being bandied about is that of Shane Woewodin who left the club in controversial circumstances in late 2002 - a victim of the club's then salary cap woes. Now they say he could be back. Stranger things have happened in football. I'm not frightened of the possibility that one or more Demon stars may be playing elsewhere in 2006 and beyond. In fact, change has become such an inevitable fact of life in football that sometimes I wonder why it still manages to frighten people. Former Carlton and Hawthorn premiership coach David Parkin always used to say that he aimed to have at least five fresh faces in his team at the start of every new season - even with his premiership sides. He knew that changes must happen for teams to advance from year to year - whether the fans liked it or not! For every face that disappears from the club scene, another new one will emerge to replace it. Following the Nick Stevens and Jade Rawlings sagas of 2003, clubs have come to realise that if you want to get quality, you have to give away some quality. Trading is no longer about one club screwing the other and that's how it should be. After yet another disappointing year full of false hope, our football department has the obligation to ensure that the result of changes through trading and drafting will be a stronger list than the one that represented the Demons in 2005; that the deficiencies of the season are covered either by natural improvement of the existing players or by the introduction of new recruits. The club can't afford another fade out like the ones that haunted it at the end of the last two playing seasons. This is the time to make decisions that will influence the club's future and that means changes to the playing list, possibly to the coaching mix and certainly changes in the style of game the team plays. Inevitably, that means we need new faces and the need to offload some of the old ones. It is no accident that Sydney, West Coast, Adelaide and St. Kilda comprised the top four in 2005. The Swans' premiership team included some handy players picked up over the years in trades, Jason Ball, Paul Williams, Craig Bolton, Barry Hall, Nick Davis and, of course, Darren Jolly for who they gave up a first round draft pick twelve months ago. The Eagles and the Crows also bolstered their lists over the summer to catapult them to the top at the end of the home and away rounds. A couple of years ago, St. Kilda lost Peter Everitt and Barry Hall who might have been considered indispensable by some supporters at the time but their trading ultimately resulted in a stronger St. Kilda. Another reason why we shouldn't fear change is that there are a lot of hidden gems out there in draft territory while others are out there waiting for a change of scenery to achieve personal improvement in their game. So the next weeks and months promise to be fascinating and this is how it all will unfold:- This coming week, the various club scouts have gathered for the AFL draft camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra to assess the young hopefuls in anticipation of the National Draft. Next week, the real trade frenzy begins with a weeklong exchange period when players (and draft selection positions) will be bought and sold in the trade market. It will be a nerve-wracking time for some and there is little doubt that we will see some of our old favourites moved on in the process. More change. And the exchange period will pave the way for the 26 November draft lottery in which Melbourne's first choice currently sits at pick 12. We won't know the final order of the draft until after the exchange period. And after that, mid December will bring the Pre-Season and Rookie Drafts, where lists can be further topped up with recycled or previously rejected players and some trainee youngsters. This is the list that Neale Daniher currently has at his disposal but you can be sure that by the end of December there will be changes:- MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB - PLAYING LIST (SEASON 2005): SENIOR LIST: Steven Armstrong, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Clint Bizzell, Nathan Brown, Cameron Bruce, Nathan Carroll, Aaron Davey, Lynden Dunn, Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Brad Green, Chris Heffernan, Ben Holland, Cameron Hunter, Mark Jamar, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson, Travis Johnstone, James McDonald, Brock McLean Brad Miller, Brent Moloney, Shannon Motlop*, Michael Newton, Alistair Nicholson, Phil Read, Guy Rigoni, Jared Rivers, Russell Robertson, Nick Smith, Colin Sylvia, Daniel Ward, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Jeff White, Luke Williams, Adem Yze. VETERAN LIST: David Neitz. ROOKIE LIST: Brendan Van Shaik, Matthew Warnock. * replaced Troy Broadbridge (deceased) CENTRE STAGE - THE AFL NATIONAL DRAFT CAMP PART ONE The big time footballers are now off centre stage for a few months. Many are enjoying well-earned rests after a long, hard season of sweat and toil. The winners (Sydney) are grinning and the rest are, well, you know what the rest do, don't you? For the next two or three months football's centre stage will be occupied by the club's football departments, list managers and recruiters - the people in charge of deciding which new faces are to be introduced into the fold by way or trades and the drafts. These people also fulfil the role of the grim reapers of football in that they must decide which footballers are surplus to their clubs' requirements and then tell them that their time there has come to an end. A few of those players might claw their way back onto the scene through trading, a small number get back in the drafts but the majority are left on the football scrap heap. Their days are over. They must leave centre stage for good to make way for youth. The spring and the early summer are devoted in the main to the young and the football action moves to Canberra today where the seventy-three of the very best young footballers from around Australia will attend the 2005 AFL Draft Camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. The purpose of the camp is to assess the elite of the country's under 18 age footballers ahead of the National Draft, which will be held this year on 26 November. A further 112 players will also be tested early next month at half-day screening camps held in each capital city. The players who earned their invitations have, of course, been under the scrutiny of the AFL scouts for years, in most cases from their very early teens. The majority have played in under age competitions like the TAC Cup in Victoria or junior age teams in the other states. A few, particularly in South and Western Australia have already played at senior level. Most of the elite footballers were on display representing their states in the National Under 18 Championships and some have already attracted the attention of recruiting scouts and discerning club supporters on the lookout for the next "big thing". What they're all looking for are players who will go on and play the game at the highest level, at the highest standard and for a long time. The 200 game plus player. What are the attributes of these elusive youngsters? Prior to the national titles, a Herald Sun article set out the 14 key performance indicators that AFL talent scouts use to rank players. I'll reproduce it here as a guide to the many factors used as benchmarks in assessing young players - 1. Kicking ability - Nathan Buckley, Nigel Lappin 2. Marking ability - Jonathan Brown, Warren Tredrea 3. Handpassing/vision-awareness - Simon Black, Scott West 4. Clean hands - Andrew McLeod, Luke Power 5. Ball-winning ability - James Hird, Nick Riewoldt 6. Pace - Jason Akermanis, Chris Judd 7. Endurance - Shane Crawford, Cameron Ling 8. Recovery and agility - Matthew Scarlett, Chris Johnson 9. Durability - Jared Crouch, Adam Simpson 10. Leadership and self-discipline - James Hird, Nathan Buckley 11. Aggression, intensity and second efforts - Glenn Archer, Mark Ricciuto 12. Football character - Robert Harvey, Matthew Lloyd 13. Competitiveness - Barry Hall, Aaron Hamill 14. Football smarts - Brent Harvey, Paul Hasleby The article went on to point out the things that the talent scouts are not looking for and they are players who - 1. Turn the ball over through poor kicking 2. Lack sufficient pace 3. Have off-field issues that will hold them back 4. Don't always keep their head over the ball 5. Don't play a specific position The top division of the National Championships was won again this year by the Victorian Metropolitan side and its captain Marc Murphy was the dominant player of the week and his three outstanding games won him the Larke Medal for best and fairest player in the series. WA skipper Andrew Swallow was the runner-up in the medal. They occupied the main on ball positions in the Under-18 All-Australian Team announced after the carnival: B: Xavier Ellis (Vic Country), Austin Lucy (Queensland), Shannon Hurn (South Australia) HB: Darren Pfeiffer (South Australia), Paul Bower (Western Australia), Joel Selwood (Vic Country) C: Jace Bode (South Australia), Andrew Swallow (Western Australia), Grant Birchall (Tasmania) HF: Beau Dowler (Vic Country), Cleve Hughes (South Australia), Dale Thomas (Vic Country) F: Leroy Jetta (Western Australia), Ben McKinley (Vic Metro), Josh Kennedy (Western Australia) FOLL: Patrick Ryder (Western Australia), Marc Murphy (Vic Metro), Nathan Jones (Vic Metro) I/C: Todd Grima (Tasmania), Sam Lonergan (Tasmania), Wayde Mills (Queensland), Gavin Urquhart (Queensland) Coach: David Dickson (Vic Metro) Assistant Coach: Hamish Ogilvie (Tasmania) Kevin Sheehan, the AFL's National Talent Manager has provided the following pen pictures on the AFL's website of the All Australians, most of who are certain to figure prominently in draft talk over the coming months. It's worth dwelling on these names - Grant Birchall (Tasmania) - 18 years, 191cm, 80kg, Devonport Tall midfielder/defender who is a long left-foot kick and high possession winner. Averaged 22 possessions over the three games, excelling in last quarter of deciding match against Queensland, helping his team to the title. AIS-AFL Academy in 2005. Jace Bode (South Australia) - 17 years, 186cm, 84kg, Sturt/Kenilworth Medium midfielder who was South Australia's leading possession winner against Vic Country and Western Australia averaging 21 disposals. Works hard to win the ball and runs well to link up. Among his side's best few players in games against Vic Country and Western Australia. Paul Bower (Western Australia) - 17 years, 192cm, 87kg, Peel Thunder/North Mandurah Tall defender who is extremely mobile and provided great run from defence during the championships. Leading possession winner for his team in win against South Australia and again among Western Australia's best in impressive victory over Vic Country. Beau Dowler (Vic Metro) - 17 years, 192cm, 82kg, Oakleigh Chargers/Noble Park Tall forward who is an excellent mark on the lead and accurate kick at goal. Excelled against Western Australia, taking four contested marks and kicked four goals. AIS-AFL Academy graduate. Xavier Ellis (Vic Country) - 17 years, 187cm, 73kg, Gippsland Power/Lakes Entrance Medium midfielder/defender who played mostly on the wing. Carries the ball well, good finisher, who averaged 22 possessions. Accurate left foot kick and excellent decision-maker. AIS-AFL Academy graduate who was named Australia's best under-17 player in the three test series against Ireland this year. Attends Melbourne Grammar. Todd Grima (Tasmania) - 18 years, 193cm, 88kg, Northern Bombers/Tassie Mariners Tall forward who kicked 14 goals for the championships - including 10 goals against Northern Territory in game one - showing great skills on both feet. Had limited preparation due to ankle injury but provided important target for his team up forward. Cleve Hughes (South Australia) - 18 years, 193cm, 85kg, Norwood/Loberthal Tall forward with terrific natural talent, clean hands and a good kick at goal. Was impressive with three goals in South Australia's 51-point win over Vic Country and among team's best players when defeated by Western Australia in game two. Shannon Hurn (South Australia) - 17 years, 188cm, 92kg, Central District/Angaston Medium defender/midfielder with terrific hands, penetrating kick and fine leader. Member of South Australian Redbacks cricket squad. Played very well in final match against Vic Metro with 24 possessions and 10 marks. AIS-AFL Academy in 2004. Leroy Jetta (Western Australia) - 16 years, 176cm, 76kg, South Fremantle Small forward with electrifying pace and agility and clever near goal. Tackles well, keeping the ball in the forward line for his team. AIS-AFL Academy graduate this year. [Not eligible for the 2005 Draft] Nathan Jones (Vic Metro) - 17 years, 178cm, 83kg, Dandenong Stingrays/Mt Eliza Small inside midfielder with great running capacity, attack on the ball and depth in his kicking. Prolific ball-winner, averaging 20-plus for the three games - including game high 27 possessions in Vic Metro's 27-point win over Western Australia. Josh Kennedy (Western Australia) -17 years, 193cm, 93kg, East Fremantle/Northhampton Tall forward with excellent work rate and contested marking ability. Reads game well and presents well up forward. AIS-AFL Academy in 2004. Austin Lucy (Queensland) - 17 years, 193cm, 91kg, Caloundra Tall defender who shows terrific dash from defence. Super competitive player with rugby union background. Excellent in high standard final match against Tasmania. Averaged 14 possessions per match from full-back. Sam Lonergan (Tasmania) - 18 years, 181cm, 78kg, Lauderdale/Tassie Mariners Medium inside midfielder who is excellent at stoppages and in heavy traffic. Captained Tasmania to division two title and excelled in final game against Queensland with 27 disposals and nine clearances. Ben McKinley (Vic Metro) - 18 years, 184cm, 80kg, Northern Knights/Old Ivanhoe Medium forward with outstanding hands and very accurate kick for goal. Had outstanding championships kicking six goals against South Australia and five goals against Vic Country, winning Vic Metro most valuable player award. Wayde Mills (Queensland) - 17 years, 194cm, 88kg, Southport Tall defender who led his team extremely well with strong physical presence and strong attack on the ball. Moved from Lennox Heads in northern New South Wales to live in a caravan in Brisbane to further his football. Marc Murphy (Vic Metro) - 17 years, 178cm, 75kg, Oakleigh Chargers/Doncaster Small midfielder/forward who is super competitive and creative and smart around goals. Captained the Vic Metro team successfully, winning best on ground honours against Western Australia in game one and averaged 21 disposals in the championships. AIS-AFL Academy graduate this year. Son of John Murphy, ex-Fitzroy, Swans and Kangaroos star player. Darren Pfeiffer (South Australia) - 17 years, 183cm, 78kg, Norwood/Birdwood Medium defender who is a high possession winner and covers a terrific amount of ground. Strong marking player who debuted at senior level with Norwood this year. South Australia's best player against Western Australia and had 21 possessions in the convincing win over Vic Country in game one. Patrick Ryder (Western Australia) - 17 years, 194cm, 89kg, East Fremantle/Rovers Tall forward/ruckman with agility and strong hands. Excellent at stoppages and a dangerous forward. AIS-AFL Academy program this year, coming from Geraldton in country Western Australia. Joel Selwood (Vic Country) - 17 years, 181cm, 73kg, Bendigo Pioneers/Sandhurst Medium midfielder/defender who is outstanding in contested situations and is a fine leader. Had game high 26 disposals in Vic Country loss to Vic Metro. Won Ron Barassi Medal as Australia's best player against Ireland at under-17 level earlier this year when he captained Australia. [Not eligible for the 2005 Draft] Andrew Swallow (Western Australia) - 18 years, 183cm, 75kg, East Fremantle/Rossmoyne Medium midfielder with terrific work rate and attack on the ball. Captained Western Australia to championship success in NAB AFL under 16 championships in 2003. He was Western Australia's under-18 captain in this year's championships. Was in team's best few players against Vic Metro and South Australia - leading from the front. AIS-AFL Academy graduate in 2004. Dale Thomas (Vic Country) - 18 years, 182cm, 76kg, Gippsland Power/Drouin Medium forward who can go midfield or back. Creative, courageous player who had 19 disposals against Western Australia in game three, putting him among his team's best. Gavin Urquhart (Queensland) - 17 years, 181cm, 80kg, Morningside Medium midfielder/defender who is a long penetrating kick and hard at the football. Carries the ball very well and is versatile. Spent time developing his football in Toowoomba and Rockhampton before moving to Brisbane. High possession winner. [Not eligible for the 2005 Draft] The majority of these players will be in Canberra this week for the draft camp which involves not only physical and psychological testing in several different areas but also interviews with club recruiting managers. Traditionalists might argue that the worth of a player should be determined by what he does on the football field but past history shows that the way the players prepare themselves and perform at the draft camp will have a major bearing in the ultimate decision making process that leads to the drafts. PART TWO The general consensus among those "in the know" is that this year's crop of young talent is nowhere near as strong as it has been in the really big draft years such as 2001 when Luke Hodge, Luke Ball, and Chris Judd, Graham Polak, Xavier Clarke and Ashley Sampi went 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, Jimmy Bartel was taken at 8, Nick Dal Santo at 13, Lewis Roberts-Thompson at 27, Ashley Hansen at 38, Brad Miller and Paul Medhurst at 55 and 56 respectively and Adam Schneider was taken by the Swans at 60. A handy youngster by the name of Gary Ablett Junior was snaffled up in this draft as a father son selection. There are good drafts and there are bad drafts and, as we can see from the example of 2001, not all of the cream is at the top of the draft. One only has to look at the 2005 premiership team to discern this as fact. Before this season, Sydney has been at around middle of the road for some time so it hasn't really had many early selections. To find those in Sydney's record, you have to go right back to the 1998 National Draft when the Swans picked Nic Fosdike at 3 and Jude Bolton at 8. A year earlier, they picked a gem at number 43 in Adam Goodes who went on to win a Brownlow Medal in 2003. In 1999 Ryan O'Keeffe was selected at 56 while they picked up Luke Ablett and Amon Buchanan in 2000 at numbers 24 and 52 respectively. The following year the Swans again did well with mid to low range picks when they snared Lewis Roberts-Thomson (29) and Adam Schneider (60). Sean Dempster was a father son selection in 2002 with pick number 34. But it wasn't only in the draft where the Swans recruited well; they did some very nice things in their dealings with other clubs. The team last Saturday contained six players who were picked up from other clubs, five of them - Jason Ball (1999), Paul Williams (2000), Barry Hall (2001), Nick Davis (2002) and Darren Jolly (2004) - in trading as well as Craig Bolton who was picked up from the Lions in the pre-season draft of 2003. Injured former skipper Stuart Maxfield who has now retired was also recruited in this manner from Richmond. But that's not all. The premiership side contained three former rookies in Brett Kirk, Tadhg Kennelly and Paul Bevan with Kennelly being an international rookie selection from Ireland. The reward for the Swans' success in terms of the drat is that their first pick before trading is the last selection in the first round at number 19 sitting behind the three clubs - Carlton, Collingwood and Hawthorn - that have priority picks 1, 2 and 3 and then the first round selections begin in reverse order to ladder position. Based on their recent recruiting record and the perceived shallowness of this year's draft pool, this might not worry the Swans at all. This year, it appears that while the top four or five picks are virtually given as being of reasonably high quality, the next group could be picked from any one of up to thirty players. If the perceived strength of the draft is weak, this will have an impact on the way clubs trade during next week's trade week because they will be more inclined to trade earlyish selections in order to find the player who meets their specific needs. The AFL scouts will nevertheless look closely at what happens during the draft camp because they have the opportunity to look at players close up under testing conditions. The 73 attendees arrived yesterday for the 12th national draft camp so there is a growing data bank available for them to be able to make observations on how the players at this camp compare with those who have gone before them. The various types of testing can be seen from the draft camp programme - Wednesday 28 September 9am-12pm - Fitness Assessment No. 1 (Group One) Height/Weight, Sit & Reach, Skinfolds, Arm Length, Handspan 9am-12pm - Medical and Visual Screens (Group Two) Players move through 4 checkpoints Players visually screened 1.15pm - 5pm - Psychomotor Tests (Group Two) Reaction time, decision making, peripheral awareness Dr Noel Blundell 1.15pm - 5pm - Medical and Visual Screens (Group One) Players move through 4 checkpoints Players visually screened 6.30pm-10pm - AFL Club Informal Interviews with Club Recruiting Managers Thursday 29 September 9.15am-11.30am - Fitness Assessment No. 2 (Position Groupings - all players) Sprint Agility Vertical Jump 1.30pm-4.30pm - Fitness Assessment No. 1 (Group Two) Height/Weight, Sit & Reach, Skinfolds, Arm Length, Handspan Psychomotor Tests (Group One) Reaction time, decision making, peripheral awareness Dr Noel Blundell 5pm Fitness Assessment No. 3 Shuttle Run Recovery in Pool Complex 7.30pm-10pm AFL Club Informal Interviews with Club Recruiting Managers Friday 30 September 9.30am-11am Skills Session - Manuka Oval 2.30pm - Fitness Assessment No. 4 - 3km Time Trials And then there are the players themselves. The AFL has produced the following details of the attendees based on a breakdown of the most likely position for each of the players - 2005 NAB AFL DRAFT CAMP Name, height (cm), weight (kg), Club, State Medium Forwards Dzufer Daniel 189 80 Suncoast Lions QLD Dempsey Courtney 186 70 Morningside QLD Grant Grae 184 74 Perth WA Seal Matthew 183 74 East Perth WA Crook Marcus 185 78 Geelong Falcons VIC Thomas Dale 182 76 Gippsland Power VIC McKinley Ben 184 80 Northern Knights VIC Kelleher Brad 188 82 Eastern Ranges VIC Pfeiffer Darren 183 78 Norwood SA Owen Stephen 187 81 Nth Ballarat VIC Jackson Ryan 188 80 Northern Knights VIC Medium Defenders Hurn Shannon 188 92 Central Districts SA Lower Ed 186 85 Norwood SA Ibbotson Garrick 185 78 East Fremantle WA Riggio Matt 188 82 Peel Thunder WA Toovey Alan 188 79 Claremont WA Stanley Danny 186 87 Geelong Falcons VIC Ellis Xavier 187 73 Gippsland Power VIC Looby Tim 186 91 Murray Bushrangers VIC Thomas Matthew 185 80 Sandringham Dragons VIC Douglas Richard 180 70 Calder Cannons VIC Small/Medium Midfielders Kiel Haydyn 178 76 Southport QLD Hooper Rhan 177 71 Mt Gravatt QLD Varcoe Travis 179 72 Central Districts SA Murphy Marc 178 75 Oakleigh Chargers VIC Jones Nathan 178 83 Dandenong Stingrays VIC Addison Dylan 183 75 St George NSW Elliott Sam 181 74 South Adelaide SA Iles Sam 181 80 Clarence TAS Swallow Andrew 183 75 East Fremantle WA Simpkin Jonothan 181 78 Geelong Falcons VIC Eddy Robert 182 82 Gippsland Power VIC Medium Midfielders Gamble Ryan 185 72 Glenelg SA Bode Jace 186 84 Sturt SA Lower Nick 187 86 Norwood SA Oakley-Nicholls Jarrad 186 74 East Perth WA Casserley Travis 184 76 Swan Districts WA Pendlebury Scott 188 82 Gippsland Power VIC Grigg Shaun 187 77 Nth Ballarat Rebels VIC Thornton Kristin 185 71 Peel Thunder WA Muston Beau 188 71 Murray Bushrangers VIC Laidlaw Matthew 184 78 Oakleigh Chargers VIC Higgins Shaun 184 76 Geelong Falcons VIC Ruckmen White Jessie 196 96 Southport QLD McEntee Luke 197 89 North Adelaide SA Ryder Patrick 194 89 East Fremantle WA West Trent 198 90 Gippsland Power VIC Warnock Robert 204 80 Sandringham Dragons VIC Graham Angus 198 92 Calder Cannons/Tas TAS Bailey Max 205 85 West Perth WA Wall James 198 82 Calder Cannons VIC Banjamin Andrew 200 83 Geelong Falcons VIC Tall Forwards West Michael 194 85 Redlands QLD Hughes Cleve 193 85 Norwood SA Rischbieth Tom 190 84 Sturt SA Grima Todd 193 88 Northern Bombers TAS Kennedy Josh 193 93 East Fremantle WA Clark Mitchell 197 90 East Fremantle WA Dowler Beau 192 82 Oakleigh Chargers VIC Roffey Nate 193 82 Mt Gravatt QLD Ainger Andrew 194 83 Oakleigh Chargers VIC Cheetham Jon 192 83 North Adelaide SA Tall Defenders Lucy Austin 193 91 Suncoast Lions QLD Mills Wayde 196 88 Southport QLD Obst Alan 192 82 Central Districts SA Birchall Grant 192 80 Devonport TAS Bower Paul 192 87 Peel Thunder WA Taggert Ben 192 82 East Fremantle WA Drum Marcus 190 82 Murray Bushrangers VIC Tyler Matthew 194 80 North Ballarat VIC Spangher Matthew 193 84 Eastern Ranges VIC Gilbert Sam 192 84 Southport QLD Carlile Alipate 191 99 Murray Bushrangers VIC The majority of these youngsters are in for a nervous few days. Some of them have already been pencilled in for selection. Most will be picked up in the national or the rookie drafts. Some are young enough to go back to the drawing boards and try again next year. A few who miss out, will go into their state competitions where a small number might get another chance in the future and some will never make it to centre stage. PART THREE Two large groups converged on Canberra this week to take part in the AFL's annual three day draft camp. The first group comprised the 73 players invited to take part in the testing with a view to becoming AFL draft choices either at the November National Draft or in the December Pre season and Rookie Drafts. The other group was even larger - estimated at around 100 and this is the group representing the sixteen AFL clubs. There is no question about it; this week is critical to most of the youngsters invited to the draft camp. Those 100 people from the AFL clubs includes most of the coaches and recruiting managers and the event will give them an opportunity to crystallise their views on many of the players coming under consideration for the drafts. As Kevin Sheehan, the AFL's National Talent Manager, recently pointed out to the media, some of the potential early draft picks have already been determined. "Some of the names people are talking about include Patrick Ryder from East Fremantle, a youngster called Travis Varcoe from South Australia, from Central Districts, Victorian Marc Murphy from the Oakley Chargers and one from country Victoria, Xavier Ellis - they're some of the leading candidates," he said. Of course, you don't have to wait for the AFL National Draft to involve yourself in the AFL National Draft speculation. The excellent footydraft site (footydraft) has been running a mock 2005 AFL Draft for some time and this is its latest version*: - 1. Carlton - Murphy Marc 178 cm 75 kg Oakleigh Chargers VIC (Small/Medium Midfielder)2. Collingwood - Ellis Xavier 187 73 Gippsland Power VIC (Medium Defender) 3. Hawthorn - Ryder Patrick 194 89 East Fremantle WA (Ruckman) 4. Carlton - Hurn Shannon 188 92 Central Districts SA (Medium Defender) 5. Collingwood - Clark Mitchell 197 90 East Fremantle WA (Tall Forward) 6. Hawthorn - Kennedy Josh 193 93 East Fremantle WA (Tall Forward) 7. Essendon - Birchall Grant 192 80 Devonport TAS (Tall Defender) 8. Richmond - Dowler Beau 192 82 Oakleigh Chargers VIC (Tall Forward) 9. Brisbane - Drum Marcus 190 82 Murray Bushrangers VIC (Tall Defender) 10. Fremantle - Swallow Andrew 183 75 East Fremantle WA (Small/Medium Midfielder)11. Bulldogs - Hughes Cleve 193 85 Norwood SA (Tall Forward) 12. Melbourne - Oakley-Nicholls Jarrad 186 74 East Perth WA (Medium Midfielder) 13. Kangaroos - Thomas Dale 182 76 Gippsland Power VIC (Medium Forward) 14. Port Adelaide - Pfeiffer Darren 183 78 Norwood SA (Medium Forward) 15. Geelong - Douglas Richard 180 70 Calder Cannons VIC (Medium Defender) 16. Adelaide - Higgins Shaun 184 76 Geelong Falcons VIC (Medium Midfielder) 17. St. Kilda - West Trent 198 90 Gippsland Power VIC (Ruckman) 18. West Coast - Muston Beau 188 71 Murray Bushrangers VIC (Medium Midfielder) 19. Sydney - McKinley Ben 184 80 Northern Knights VIC (Medium Forward) 20. Carlton - Lucy Austin 193 91 Suncoast Lions QLD (Tall Defender) 21. Collingwood - Jones Nathan 178 83 Dandenong Stingrays VIC (Small/Medium Midfielder) 22. Hawthorn - Varcoe Travis 179 72 Central Districts SA (Small/Medium Midfielder) 23. Essendon - Neaves Shane 197 91 Calder VIC (Ruckman) 24. Richmond - Stanley Danny 186 87 Geelong Falcons VIC (Medium Defender) 25. Brisbane - Lonergan Sam 181 80 Lauderdale TAS (Small/Medium Midfielder) 26. Fremantle - Spangher Matthew 193 84 Eastern Ranges VIC (Tall Defender) 27. Bulldogs - Toovey Alan 188 79 Claremont WA (Medium Defender) 28. Melbourne - Paul Bower 192 87 (Peel Thunder) WA (Tall Defender) 29. Kangaroos - Grima Todd 193 88 Northern Bombers TAS (Tall Forward) 30. Port Adelaide - Obst Alan 192 82 Central Districts SA (Tall Defender) 31. Geelong - Warnock Robert 204 80 Sandringham Dragons VIC (Ruckman) 32. Adelaide - Pendlebury Scott 188 82 Gippsland Power VIC (Medium Midfielder) 33. St. Kilda - Looby Tim 186 91 Murray Bushrangers VIC (Medium Defender) 34. West Coast - McGuane Jacob 189 87 Geelong Falcons VIC Medium Forward) 35. Sydney - Grant Grae 184 74 Perth WA (Medium Forward) 36. Carlton - White Jessie 196 96 Southport QLD (Ruckman) 37. Collingwood - Grigg Shaun 187 77 Nth Ballarat Rebels VIC (Medium Midfielder) 38. Hawthorn - Gilbert Sam 192 84 Southport QLD (Tall Defender) 39. Essendon - Jackson Ryan 188 80 Northern Knights VIC (Medium Forward) 40. Richmond - Dempsey Courtney 186 70 Morningside QLD (Medium Forward) 41. Brisbane - Dzufer Daniel 189 80 Suncoast Lions QLD (Medium Forward) 42. Fremantle - Elliott Sam 181 74 South Adelaide SA (Small/Medium Midfielder) 43. Bulldogs - West Michael 194 85 Redlands QLD (Tall Forward) 44. Melbourne - Kelleher Brad 188 82 Eastern Ranges VIC (Medium Forward) 45. Kangaroos - Iles Sam 181 80 Clarence TAS (Small/Medium Midfielder) 46. Port Adelaide - Laidlaw Matthew 184 78 Oakleigh Chargers VIC (Medium Midfielder) 47. Geelong - Mills Wayde 196 88 Southport QLD (Tall Defender) 48. Adelaide - Riggio Matt 188 82 Peel Thunder WA (Medium Defender) 49. St Kilda - Graham Angus 198 92 Calder Cannons/Tas TAS (Ruckman) 50. West Coast - Seal Matthew 183 74 East Perth WA (Medium Forward) 51. Sydney - White Matt 178 74 Calder Cannons VIC (Small/Medium Midfielder) 52. Carlton - Thomas Matthew 185 80 Sandringham Dragons VIC (Medium Defender) 53. Collingwood - Cheetham Jonathon 192 83 North Adelaide SA (Tall Forward) 54. Hawthorn - Redden Thomas 190 74 Glenelg SA (Medium Defender) 55. Essendon - Heise Cameron 179 79 Subiaco WA (Small/Medium Midfielder) 56. Richmond - Tyler Matthew 194 80 North Ballarat VIC (Tall Defender) 57. Brisbane - Eddy Robert 182 82 Gippsland Power VIC (Small/Medium Midfielder) 58. Fremantle - Carlile Alipate 191 99 Murray Bushrangers VIC (Tall Defender) 59. Bulldogs - Kiel Haydyn 178 76 Southport QLD /Medium Midfielder) 60. Melbourne - Bode Jace 186 84 Sturt SA (Medium Midfielder) [* I have matched the names up with the official player information issued by the AFL] If you follow the above link to the FootyDraft site you'll get some excellent pen pictures of the hopefuls. The mock draft is not set in stone and will be reviewed a few times before the November Draft with the next one due on October 11. PART FOUR The AIS at Canberra is emptying out for the weekend as the AFL scouts and seventy footballers head back home at the conclusion of the 12th National Draft Camp. Over the past four days, the hopefuls have been put through the hoops and undergone an interesting series of tests to determine their physical attributes and mental capabilities with an eye to determining whether they have the makings of elite footballers. In the old days, you just used to ask whether a bloke could get the ball and if so, how good was his disposal but today we're looking for athletes who can play a bit of football so things are a little different. Actually, that's not entirely true because many of the tests that the players have undergone really do indicate a lot about each individual - aspects such as speed, agility, reflexes, strength and endurance. You have to have all of these in differing proportions if you want to make it to the big stage in the sport. They even test height and weight and the interesting part is that the official results often indicate different personal statistical data for many players than those published in the competition records. Colin Wisbey has noted elsewhere that he is highly sceptical of some of the height and weight details of some players. The draft camp tests will set the record straight. The tallest participant in the 2005 camp was Sandgroper Max Bailey who stands at close to 206 cm. while Queenslander Jesse White had the biggest impact on the scales at 98.5 kg. The AFL produces a list of the top 10 -12 in each testing category but it's damn hard finding out how the lesser performers went in each of them. I suppose they don't want to embarrass some of the youngsters who haven't performed as well as they should. Apparently, one participant a few camps ago produced such dismal results that he fell right out of consideration and, as a consequence went from being a top 20 draft chance to the point where he missed out altogether. The camp tests players for their aerobic and anaerobic capacities. Those who excel in the latter group are usually the speedsters while the former are the endurance athletes - the stayers. Occasionally, an athlete is strong in both areas but such people are a rare breed. The outstanding youngsters in the speed stakes were Matt Laidlaw of the Oakleigh Chargers and East Perth's Jarred Oakley-Nicholls who sizzled through the 20 metre sprint and also performed well in at least one other category. The outstanding endurance athlete was Sturt's Tom Rischbieth who excelled in breaking the camp record for the infamous beep test and then demolished the previous 3km time trial record by over half a minute. As a consequence the footydraft experts lifted the South Australian Under 18 vice captain into their revised mock draft rankings to number 26 with a red bullet. Laidlaw's ranking was also up in today's revision. Dandenong Stingrays on baller Nathan Jones enjoyed a marked rise in the mock draft up to number 7 but that had little to do with the draft camp and more related to his slashing 38-possession performance in the TAC Cup Grand Final. Jones finished sixth in the time trial, a minute behind Rischbieth. The shock of the camp was on Friday when the Canberra weather cleared to a fine day and they brought out the footballs. Suddenly, the prospective draftees were going through the paces doing some training drills and most of the prospective early choices stood out including Marc Murphy and Xavier Ellis who are tipped to go 1, 2 in the national draft. Neither had been outstanding in the other testing (Murphy is nursing a minor knee problem) but they looked good out there on the ground. Melbourne football manager Craig Cameron came on radio and nominated his top five draftees - Murphy, Ellis and East Fremantle trio Josh Kennedy, Patrick Ryder and Mitchell Clark, all of who measure in excess of 195 cm. They will be challenged by one of the no shows of the camp in Central Districts' Shannon Hurn who is otherwise engaged at the weekend in the SANFL Grand Final. The other important phase of the draft camp process is the player interviews. Many a draft choice has turned on the impression a particular player has given under these conditions. Clubs place a high priority on the character of youngsters coming into the system. You just can't afford to draft ratbags these days. Mind you, the entire development system usually weeds them out well before any invitations are sent for events as prestigious as the draft camps. At week's end, the various club scouts will consult together with their football departments and coaches. They will have a good idea of the direction they anticipate will be taken in the draft and, in many cases, will make decisions to seek better draft choices or offload them in the trade period. It's just one of those aspects that makes the trade week so very interesting. 12th National AFL Draft Camp Results Height Max Bailey (West Perth) - 205.8cm Robert Warnock (Sandringham) - 204.5cm Angus Graham (Calder Cannons) - 200.3cm Andrew Banjamin (Geelong Falcons) - 200.0cm James Wall (Calder Cannons) - 198.5cm Trent West (Gippsland Power) - 198.2cm Mitchell Clark (East Fremantle) - 198.1cm Patrick Ryder (East Fremantle) - 195.7cm Andrew Ainger (Oakleigh Chargers) - 195.7cm Wayde Mills (Southport) - 195.1cm Josh Kennedy (East Fremantle) - 195.1cm Michael West (Redlands) - 195.1cm Mass Jesse White (Southport) - 98.5kg Max Bailey (West Perth) - 93.0kg Alipate Carlile (Murray Bushrangers) - 92.9kg Angus Graham (Calder Cannons) - 92.6kg Josh Kennedy (East Fremantle) - 92.3kg Mitchell Clark (East Fremantle) - 91.3kg Trent West (Gippsland Power) - 89.8kg Austin Lucy (Suncoast Lions) - 89.7kg Daniel Stanley (Geelong Falcons) - 89.5kg Tim Looby (Murray Bushrangers) - 88.8kg Agility Jarred Oakley-Nicholls (East Perth) - 7.97 Courtney Dempsey (Morningside) - 7.99 Stephen Owen (North Ballarat) - 8.02 Todd Grima (Northern Bombers) - 8.11 Andrew Swallow (East Fremantle) - 8.12 Richard Douglas (Calder Cannons) - 8.17 Matt Riggio (Peel Thunder) - 8.18 Rhan Hooper (Mt Gravatt) - 8.19 Marc Murphy (Oakleigh Chargers) - 8.21 Nick Lower (Norwood) - 8.23 Vertical Jump - standing Darren Pfeiffer (Norwood) - 72cm Matt Laidlaw (Oakleigh Chargers) - 70cm Wayde Mills (Southport) - 70cm Garrick Ibbotson (East Fremantle) - 68cm Nate Roffey (Mt Gravatt) - 68cm Brad Kelleher (Eastern Ranges) - 67cm Andrew Swallow (East Fremantle) - 66cm Daniel Stanley (Geelong Falcons) - 66cm Dale Thomas (Gippsland Power) - 66cm Alan Toovey (Claremont) - 65cm Austin Lucy (Suncoast Lions) - 65cm Angus Graham (Calder Cannons) - 65cm 20-metre Sprint Matt Laidlaw (Oakleigh Chargers) - 2.83sec Jarred Oakley-Nicholls (East Perth) - 2.85sec Nate Roffey (Mt Gravatt) - 2.92sec Andrew Swallow (East Fremantle) - 2.92sec Grant Birchall (Devonport) - 2.93sec Nick Lower (Norwood) - 2.93sec Dale Thomas (Gippsland Power) - 2.93sec Sam Elliott (South Adelaide) - 2.94sec Austin Lucy (Suncoast Lions) - 2.94sec Alan Toovey (Claremont) - 2.94sec Shuttle Run (Beep Test) Tom Rischbieth (Sturt) - Level 15.8 Travis Casserley (Swan Districts) - 15.2 Robert Eddy (Gippsland Power) - 14.9 Sam Iles (Clarence) - 14.6 Kristin Thornton (Peel Thunder) - 14.6 Matt Riggio (Peel Thunder) - 14.6 Alan Toovey (Claremont) - 14.6 Ryan Jackson (Northern Knights) - 14.5 Wayde Mills (Southport) - 14.3 James Wall (Calder Cannons) - 14.3 3km time-trial Tom Rischbieth (Sturt) - 9:30 Daniel Dzufer (Suncoast Lions) - 10:06 Wayde Mills (Southport) - 10:12 Robert Eddy (Gippsland Power) - 10:19 Matthew Thomas (Sandringham) - 10:22 Nathan Jones (Dandenong) - 10:31 Travis Casserley (Swan Districts) - 10:22 Ryan Jackson (Northern Knights) - 10:34 Haydyn Kiel (Southport) - 10:41 Sam Iles (Clarence) - 10:42

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