Demonland

Who are your 10?

Buh Bye

Are the alternate commentaries only available on Blu Ray?

This thread is locked because people can’t keep politics out of a footy forum

Made up for a slow start after recovering from injury with a solid back end of the season from Round 17 when he combined well in the Demons’ attack with Tom McDonald to finish with 25 goals. Date of Birth: 20 November, 1992 Height: 200cm Weight: 100kg Games MFC 2021: 13 Career Total: 143 Goals MFC 2021: 25 Career Total: 312 Games CDFC 2021: 5 Goals CDFC 2021: 12 Premiership Player

The Category B rookie player in the ruck and key defensive positions at Casey in 2021 but was delisted after three seasons without seeing AFL action. Date of Birth: 27 May, 2000 Height: 204cm Weight: 91kg Games CDFC 2021: 9 Goals CDFC 2021: 1

The agile high flyer spent most of the season biding his time in the VFL waiting for an opportunity to show his wares at the elite level. He finally got his chance after Jayden Hunt rolled an ankle but his tenure at AFL level was short lived and he was back on the injury list with a hamstring injury just as the finals were getting under way. Date of Birth: 25 February 1996 Height: 191cm Weight: 88kg Games MFC 2021: 3 Career Total: 21 Goals MFC 2021: 0 Career Total: 1 Games CDFC 2021: 4 Goals CDFC 2021: 0

A late selection in this year’s mid-season draft, the key defender is seen as an exciting prospect for the future with his good placement and strong intercept marking. Date of Birth: 28 January, 2002 Height: 192cm Weight: 80kg Games CDFC 2021: 4 Goals CDFC 2021: 0

Jay Lockhart joined Melbourne through the 2018 Pre-season supplemental selection period after originally crossing from North Launceston to join the Casey Demons. He made his senior debut against Geelong in the second round of 2019 and played 22 games as both a small forward or defender but failed to play a senior game this year. Has been delisted. Date of Birth: 3 February, 1996 Height: 177cm Weight: 73kg Games MFC 2021: 0 Career Total: 22 Goals MFC 2021: 0 Career Total: 9 Games CDFC 2021: 7 Goals CDFC 2021: 0

Showed some fine form as a tall winger at Casey after his mid-season draft selection from Werribee in June. Delisted in late October. Date of Birth: 15 October, 1996 Height: 195cm Weight: 85kg Games CDFC 2021: 4 Goals CDFC 2021: 2

Neville Jetta has called time on his career after playing 159 games over 13 years. Drafted from Bunbury, WA as a 17-year-old in 2008, he made his debut in the opening round of the following year and his career has been characterised by hard work and dedication. Jetta was delisted by the club in 2013 but was undeterred by the setback and earned a second chance as a Rookie, taking up the challenge to become a reliable defender over the several years that followed. He informed the playing group of his decision to retire on the Monday after Melbourne’s premiership victory:- “Having the chance to be able to witness and be part of the ultimate success at this great club is something I’m incredibly proud of,” said Jetta, the ultimate competitor and a champion to the very end. Date of Birth: 12 February, 1990 Height: 180cm Weight: 80kg Games MFC 2021: 5 Career Total: 159 Goals MFC 2021: 0 Career Total: 24 Games CDFC 2021: 8 Goals CDFC 2021: 1

The back up forward featured only once at AFL level when he kicked two goals against the Hawks and has played only six senior games in his two seasons since arriving from Essendon. The club does have faith in his ability to carry out that forward role when called upon to do so and extended his contract at the end of the season. Date of Birth: 28 August, 1990 Height: 196cm Weight: 91kg Games MFC 2021: 1 Career Total: 76 Goals MFC 2021: 2 Career Total: 72 Games CDFC 2021: 3 Goals CDFC 2021: 6

The small pressure forward spent much of the season on the fringes of the senior team. He gained selection as the non-playing medical substitute and was in the starting 22 only once - in Round 9. Has been recontracted until 2023. Date of Birth: 13 January, 2000 Height: 175cm Weight: 76kg Games MFC 2021: 5 Career Total: 6 Goals MFC 2021: 0 Career Total: 0 Games CDFC 2021: 6 Goals CDFC 2021: 6

There was plenty of pace and excitement about Kysaiah Pickett during 2021. He was always dangerous near goal, in packs and even flying for marks and often applied enormous pressure forcing opposition turnovers. Date of Birth: 2 June, 2001 Height: 170cm Weight: 67kg Games MFC 2021: 25 Career Total: 39 Goals MFC 2021: 40 Career Total: 47 Brownlow Medal Votes 2021: 2 Premiership Player

Blame @Whispering_Jack He's the record keeper and he sent me the player reviews.

After a disappointing 2020 which he sat through on the sidelines due to a debilitating groin injury, he blossomed when given the opportunity to play essentially as that third tall in defence which he grasped with both hands. Date of Birth: 12 November 1999 Height: 197cm Weight: 89kg Games MFC 2021: 11 Career Total: 19 Goals MFC 2021: 0 Career Total: 6 Games CDFC 2021: 1 Goals CDFC 2021: 0

Part 2: A house in order The Melbourne Football Club hasn’t just spent the month of October celebrating its 13th premiership flag. It has also been doing other things in terms of list management including getting its house in order by signing previously uncontracted team members while dealing with the difficult decision involved in making two further delistings. Some players were signed on for extended lengths of time at the club but the Demons also bade farewell to unlucky defender Marty Hore after three seasons at the club and to rookie Kye Declase who had a much shorter stay. Hore joined Melbourne as a mature-age defender from Collingwood VFL in the 2018 National Draft with pick 56 and played all of his 14 games in 2019 after making his debut in the team’s opening round loss to Port Adelaide at the MCG. His only goal for the club leveled the scores late in the game against the Suns at Metricon Stadium Stadium which ended in a win for the Demons when Tom McDonald kicked a point seconds before the siren. Hore’s last two years were blighted by injury - in 2020 it was a broken toe followed by a quad issue and then, early this year he tore his ACL at training. Utility player Declase joined the club in this year’s Mid-Season Rookie Draft. The 24-year-old was limited to just 4 games with the Casey Demons as a consequence of the early closure due to Covid19 of the VFL competition. The result of this month’s changes leave the club with the following lists — PRIMARY LIST: — Oskar Baker Toby Bedford Jake Bowey Angus Brayshaw Ben Brown Luke Dunstan Bayley Fritsch Max Gawn James Harmes Michael Hibberd Jayden Hunt Luke Jackson Ed Langdon Bailey Laurie Jake Lever Tom McDonald Steven May Jake Melksham Alex Neal-Bullen Clayton Oliver Christian Petracca Harrison Petty Kysaiah Kropinyeri Pickett Trent Rivers Fraser Rosman Christian Salem Charlie Spargo Joel Smith Tom Sparrow Adam Tomlinson Jack Viney Sam Weideman ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A Mitch Brown Kade Chandler Majak Daw James Jordon Deakyn Smith Daniel Turner ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B Nil 2021 AFL NATIONAL DRAFT PICKS: 17 37 49 57 94 The month of November sees AFL clubs moving toward the National, Pre Season and Rookie Drafts. The club’s grand final medical sub James Jordon appears a certain upgrade to the Primary List. The club also holds options to secure players through its Next Generation Academy (NGA) and a Father-Son (F-S) selection. They are — • Mac Andrew 18, 200cm, 80kg Ruckman (Dandenong Stingrays - NGA) I wouldn’t be holding my breath about Andrew remaining affiliated with the Demons beyond the National Draft following widespread speculation that at least one club from outside of Victoria is interested in drafting the long term ruck prospect inside the top ten (under new rules, clubs are unable to match any NGA bids coming in the first 20 selections). This is despite the fact that his body of work (albeit limited throughout the Covid19 period) has been unspectacular. He finished 13th in this year’s Stingrays B & F, was unsighted for three quarters playing for the AFL Academy v Geelong VFL and reports of his game for Vic Country vs Metro in a challenge match when only lightly used in the ruck are mixed. Yet an Age reporter claims he’s had a “head-turning” season. Andrew has an exciting highlights package and, as the AFL website’s Cal Twomey notes, this year’s draft will be unique with spending and travel limited during the pandemic limiting recruiters. "They'll be drafting some players who they actually haven't seen live". With no Victorian participation in the national championships or a draft combine, there remain huge risks involved with speculative choices like Andrew who is expected to take years to develop as a ruckman or key position player. • Andy Moniz-Wakefield 18, 180cm, 73kg Midfielder (Nightcliff, NT - NGA) Probably sits at the other end of the scale to Andrew in that there’s been little interest in him and he’s unlikely to attract a bid at the draft which would allow Melbourne to place him on its Category B Rookie list. Moniz-Wakefield who has played for NT Thunder and the Allies, is said to possess breakaway speed, good agility and ball use. • Taj Woewodin 18, 182cm, 77kg Midfielder (East Fremantle, WAFL - FS) The son of former Demon star and 2000 Brownlow Medallist Shane will realise his AFL dream in November’s National Draft if selected by the club. He was captain of the East Fremantle’s Colts team and also did well for WA in the limited National Under 19 championships. He models his game on Collingwood champion Steele Sidebottom and Geelong star Mitch Duncan and recently put in the fastest time for the 20m sprint (2.89secs) at the WA Draft Combine. He nominated Melbourne as a father-son prospect in the upcoming National Draft yesterday and is expected to be picked up in the 40s. In terms of recruitment, it should be noted that of the players already on the lists set out above, the following have yet to play an AFL game for Melbourne Luke Dunstan, Bailey Laurie, Fraser Rosman, Majak Daw, Deakyn Smith and Daniel Turner while Adam Tomlinson will return after a long lay off after ACL surgery. There’s scope there for plenty of potential new faces introduced to the team even before the draft. I have always been a big believer in the idea that the draft is for the best player available and this one looks very much an even draft with a number of handy midfield types of which there should be some very good options at the club’s current first selection at number 17 (which will draft out to 19 after Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy are picked as father-son selections). The club could use a developing key position player but they’re thin on the ground and I’m told that there will be some outstanding talls available in next year’s batch including some genuine ruck types. In the final wash up, I see Melbourne taking no more than two or three players in the national draft which fits in with the view of a club that has its house well and truly in order and primed to remain a force again in 2022.