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.
