Whispering_Jack

Good food for a start.

One word first impression of the group who chose him. Passionate! Staff are warm and welcoming and that's nice but it's not what I want.

Two players on crutches Austin Wonaeamirri and Lucas Cook. Of course, if a certain former player who departed a couple of weeks ago was here, then I reckon there's a chance he might need them as well. OK, let's move on! The new coach is about to make his first public appearance. "It's been a big week in my life." "I'm going to keep doing things my way".

Thanks to Finks for the loan of his iPhone. Mine has no reception. Good to see the Hawks have their beaks in front at the other place - it's downhill all the way now they've lost their midfield coach. Finks is chatting up a woman twice his age BTW.

Vice-president Don McLardy addresses the 950 Demon faithful. It's been a tough year with a lot of challenges. He takes a shot at Scully - we dealt with the situation with professionalism and integrity (implying GWS and those associated with Scully didn't). Don says Jim won't stand down as long as he can stand up. He's not the type to surrender. And with that, he introduces Jim to the stunned fans. Jimmy simply continues to be inspirational.

We've finally made it to Crown and it's a full house. Great atmosphere and a lot of spirit and noise. Still, wish we were playing at the G tonight instead. David Bridie kicking it off with his unique version of It's a Grand Old Flag. Players coming in now ...

Crouch's Under 18 coach describes him as the "complete package" and my information is that he will become an elite midfielder - North Ballarat midfielder Brad Crouch one of the stars to watch. I have a feeling about this kid despite the following which might be off-putting for some:- Mind you, that should keep the predators from Carlton away from him !

Time and again and even against the weaker teams we win in the ruck but we fail to turn that advantage into superior numbers in terms of clearances at the stoppages. Further, even when we do win those stoppages, we fail to produce the efficiency necessary to build winning scores, especially against the stronger clubs. Clearly, this is a major area that needs to be addressed in terms of both personnel and technique. We have a new midfield coach and I think this is a start. Choko never seemed comfortable looking after the backs and I believe will be much better in his new role. A couple of genuine midfielders who are good at extracting the ball out of the middle would not go astray in helping him do his job.

The link to links doesn't link. Is it the missing link?

Oops, my bad. I'll correct it as soon as I get the chance. O'Meara's apparently just as good as Coniglio so that's the level of esteem in which he's held.

LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT CAT by Whispering Jack Will Ralston's cruel Tom Scully parody based on the song by Adele, "Someone Like You" has become a You Tube anthem for Demon fans in the post Scully era. There is karma; deep, hurtful bruising followed by healing and closure to a distasteful piece of the club's history. Tanking is dead, the different cat whose arrival promised salvation but delivered nothing is gone, taking the poisoned chalice and his thirty pieces of silver with him to Blacktown and leaving us with two highly inadequate compensation picks given what they cost us. But catharsis has come. We live, we breath, the air is clean again and we can look for the next different cat without the burdens of the moral dilemmas which we imposed upon ourselves in those dark times as children bawled "their eyes out when Jordan McMahon kicked Richmond's winning goal after the siren while their fathers wore grins from ear to ear." Suddenly, less than a week after we waved farewell to young Tom, there is a breath of fresh air rushing through the Melbourne Football Club. The newly appointed coach, Mark Neeld warns that his Demons will be hard to play against and promises to assign his recruiters with the mission of plugging the gaps in the team's requirements. The club will, of necessity, become more involved in the trades than in previous years, a change mandated by the perceived weakness in the draft pool, the compromised nature of the draft, the selections currently available, the situation of the list and the fact that Scully's departure has left the club with spending money for new players. All of the elements are there for the Demons to become more involved in the trades than they have for years. The targets are likely to include one of the under 17 mini draft players, a mature, quality midfielder with the ability to win the ball at stoppages and some leadership capability and a tall marking forward. To achieve this you need both a positive approach and good intelligence. There are some clubs that might need to free up salary cap space, others might have needs where Melbourne has a surplus. Some sacrifices might have to be made because fairytale trades don't just happen. They have to be win/win deals for both sides and this might mean some pain and some angst among supporters. Neeld comes from Collingwood which has been one of the more daring clubs at trade time. The Demons are not at the same point the Pies were at two years ago but they did well getting Jolly and Ball in the 2009 trades leaving themselves with a first pick in that year's national draft in the 60s. Given that the AFL has given a free rein of this year's draft to Greater Western Sydney and the lack of depth of the pool, a strategy of filling the gaps through trading would appear to be the most productive way to go about things at the present time. With less than a month left before the trade period which incorporates the mini draft for 17 year olds, it's worth looking at the prime candidates among this young group. There are two of them and the main one is 182cm 75 kg Jaegar O'Meara from Perth who recently booted four goals on debut for his WAFL club. The AFL national talent manager Kevin Sheehan said of him on the AFL site: "He is a gifted medium midfielder with breakaway pace and elite endurance. He has averaged 20.6 possessions at 71 per cent efficiency in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, winning All Australian honours. He was part of the 14th intake in the AIS-AFL Academy." O'Meara is all the rage and he seems to be everyone's favourite but my mail is that, if the main target is a quality player to win the ball out of the midfield, then the club would do well to focus on a youngster from closer to home in Brad Crouch who hails from North Ballarat which has become a fertile recruiting ground in recent times. The 184cm, 83kg on baller would feel right at home joining Tom McDonald and Lucas Cook who were drafted from that part of the world last year. Sheehan says: "He had an outstanding year in the TAC Cup and NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, winning All Australian Honours. Excels with his ball-winning across half back or midfield and makes good decisions with the footy. He was selected in the AIS-AFL Academy 15th intake which comes together this month." Melbourne already has a leading 17 year old prospect in father/son nominee Jack Viney coming on board in 2013. Viney is known for his tough uncompromising style very much in the image of his old man. If the Demons can also snare a 17 year old through the GWS mini draft, they will have two very likely looking young additions to the playing list who fit the bill in the quest to find that Someone Like You. Knowing that they have at least one and possibly two young and different cats in the bag, it will also be easier for them to spurn the draft pool to an extent and to enter the exchange period in a very aggressive frame of mind. The focus this weekend might be on the AFL's two great preliminary finals but there is also another game in town on Sunday - the TAC Cup Grand Final between the Sandringham Dragons and the Oakleigh Chargers. The Chargers team will have a definite Melbourne flavour with the sons of two football department members on display. Whispering Jack will be there to report on the game.

LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT CAT by Whispering Jack Will Ralston's cruel Tom Scully parody based on the song by Adele, "Someone Like You" has become a You Tube anthem for Demon fans in the post Scully era. There is karma; deep, hurtful bruising followed by healing and closure to a distasteful piece of the club's history. Tanking is dead, the different cat whose arrival promised salvation but delivered nothing is gone, taking the poisoned chalice and his thirty pieces of silver to Blacktown with him and leaving us with two highly inadequate compensation picks given what they cost us. But catharsis has come. We live, we breath, the air is clean again and we can look for the next different cat without the burdens of the moral dilemmas which we imposed upon ourselves in those dark times as children bawled "their eyes out when Jordan McMahon kicked Richmond's winning goal after the siren while their fathers wore grins from ear to ear." Suddenly, less than a week after we waved farewell to young Tom, there is a breath of fresh air rushing through the Melbourne Football Club. The newly appointed coach, Mark Neeld warns that his Demons will be hard to play against and promises to assign his recruiters with the mission of plugging the gaps in the team's requirements. The club will, of necessity, become more involved in the trades than in previous years, a change mandated by the perceived weakness in the draft pool, the compromised nature of the draft, the selections currently available, the situation of the list and the fact that Scully's departure has left the club with spending money for new players. All of the elements are there for the Demons to become more involved in the trades than they have for years. The targets are likely to include one of the under 17 mini draft players, a mature, quality midfielder with the ability to win the ball at stoppages and some leadership capability and a tall marking forward. To achieve this you need both a positive approach and good intelligence. There are some clubs that might need to free up salary cap space, others might have needs where Melbourne has a surplus. Some sacrifices might have to be made because fairytale trades don't just happen. They have to be win/win deals for both sides and this might mean some pain and some angst among supporters. Neeld comes from Collingwood which has been one of the more daring clubs at trade time. The Demons are not at the same point the Pies were at two years ago but they did well getting Jolly and Ball in the 2009 trades leaving themselves with a first pick in that year's national draft in the 60s. Given that the AFL has given a free rein of this year's draft to Greater Western Sydney and the lack of depth of the pool, a strategy of filling the gaps through trading would appear to be the most productive way to go about things at the present time. With less than a month left before the trade period which incorporates the mini draft for 17 year olds, it's worth looking at the prime candidates among this young group. There are two of them and the main one is 182cm 75 kg Jaegar O'Meara from Perth who recently booted four goals on debut for his WAFL club. The AFL national talent manager Kevin Sheehan said of him on the AFL site: "He is a gifted medium midfielder with breakaway pace and elite endurance. He has averaged 20.6 possessions at 71 per cent efficiency in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, winning All Australian honours. He was part of the 14th intake in the AIS-AFL Academy." O'Meara is all the rage and he seems to be everyone's favourite but my mail is that, if the main target is a quality player to win the ball out of the midfield, then the club would do well to focus on a youngster from closer to home in Brad Crouch who hails from North Ballarat which has become a fertile recruiting ground in recent times. The 184cm, 83kg on baller would feel right at home joining Tom McDonald and Lucas Cook who were drafted from that part of the world last year. Sheehan says: "He had an outstanding year in the TAC Cup and NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, winning All Australian Honours. Excels with his ball-winning across half back or midfield and makes good decisions with the footy. He was selected in the AIS-AFL Academy 15th intake which comes together this month." Melbourne already has a leading 17 year old prospect in father/son nominee Jack Viney coming on board in 2013. Viney is known for his tough uncompromising style very much in the image of his old man. If the Demons can also snare a 17 year old through the GWS mini draft, they will have two very likely looking young additions to the playing list who fit the bill in the quest to find that Someone Like You. Knowing that they have at least one and possibly two young and different cats in the bag, it will also be easier for them to spurn the draft pool to an extent and to enter the exchange period in a very aggressive frame of mind. The focus this weekend might be on the AFL's two great preliminary finals but there is also another game in town on Sunday - the TAC Cup Grand Final between the Sandringham Dragons and the Oakleigh Chargers. The Chargers team will have a definite Melbourne flavour with the sons of two football department members on display. Whispering Jack will be there to report on the game.

GWS recruiter Steven Silvagni might have been red faced at the AA Awards when he incorrectly read out the names of Robert Harvey instead of Robert Murphy and Sam Reid instead of his brother Ben but there was a sense of shock at Giants HQ yesterday when someone found one of SOS' recruiting dossiers floating in the Paramatta River. The confidential file marked "Tom Scully' contained photos of Jack Trengove giving credence to the belief that the recruiting staff had confused the two young Demons and offered the wrong player the big bucks. The mystery of why a grinning Kevin Sheedy has been been greeting the youngster with the words "g'day Jack" at training seems to have also been solved.

We should be saying "WOW" if true. This bloke is THE fitness guru. Old man was a decent fast bowler way back when.

How do you get your avatar back?

I seem to have lost the "reply" button when I'm on the iPhone. How can I quote someone's earlier post?

The Spirit of '64.

... and did you notice that the poor bloke who wears # 31 missed out on selection in the senior team?

What did he have to say?

Glue factory, I think.

The big buzz in the recruiting world of late has been the emergence of the mature age recruit. We've seen the JPod working wonders at the Cats and what about Paul Puopolo who came to Hawthorn this year after starring for SANFL team Norwood in last year's finals? Podsiadly and Puopolo are weird names so I decided to look for a mature age recruit with an unusual name and I've come up with Freddie Clutterbuck. Fabulous Freddie turns 22 years of age in a few days' time. Last year he was skipper of the East Perths reserves side which made the Grand Final. He is a midfielder who according to reports has come on well this year. DOB: 22nd September 1990 Debut: 2010 From: Noranda JFC Height: 182 Weight: 80

INDIGINE - PART NINE by Whispering Jack "Well it seems like the sun comes up each mornin' Sets me up and takes it all away For the dreaming by the light Of the camp fire at night Ends with the burning light of day". - Hugh McDonald (Diamantina Drover) Like many of Melbourne players, Aaron Davey's 2011 was not his best season with the club. He languished with lack of form, an injury that ultimately cost him many games and he laboured on his return, physically incapable of performing at his best. In the end, the frustrations spilled over and he earned a suspension for an indiscretion in a late season game against Richmond. Davey was clearly in need of some rest followed by the hard work of a pre season to get him back into the shape required to enable him to continue with his leadership role and as a mentor to the indigenous players within his club. The 177cm 74kg Davey burst onto the AFL scene in 2004 after some sensational pre-season Wizard Cup games as an exciting young rookie with immense pace and silky kicking skills and finished the year as runner-up to team mate Jared Rivers for the year's AFL Rising Star and winner of the AFLPA Best First Year Player award. Selected in the previous year's rookie draft, Davey was elevated in time for the first game of the 2004 season to become a cult figure at the Melbourne Football Club. His blistering acceleration, evasive footwork and goal sense were outstanding as was his ability to effortlessly run down and tackle opponents in the space of a few strides. The youngster's stellar debut season was interrupted by a hamstring injury in round 16 against the Western Bulldogs at the Telstra Dome but he managed to return for the club's brief finals campaign. The career of the man they called "Flash" flourished in the following years. He played every game of 2005 including a final, finished third in the club best and fairest behind Travis Johnstone and Russell Robertson and was included in the International Rules squad under Kevin Sheedy. Davey won the AFL Players Association Marn Grook Award for Best Emerging Indigenous Player. The arrival of Byron Pickett in 2006 and some added bulk had a positive effect on Davey. He became a versatile player and coach Neale Daniher used him more in the midfield and even in defence. He still ventured forward and earned three goal of the week nominations with his uncanny knack of kicking seemingly impossible goals. It was a much more mature and confident Davey who turned out for the Indigenous All-Stars in a 2007 pre-season game against Essendon, where he re-injured his hamstring but he was back to his best form early in the season, starred against the Western Bulldogs, collecting 29 disposals and kicking three goals, in Round 7. However, his increasing aggression saw him suspended for two games for striking at The Gabba in round 15 but by this time, the wheels had fallen off the Demons' season and Daniher was gone. Davey's first season under Dean Bailey in 2008 was hampered by injuries. The team slumped to rock bottom. He grew in stature in 2009 as he resurrected himself as a player. He starred for the Indigenous All-Stars against Adelaide in the pre-season game and started the year strongly in the midfield with more stints as a defender who could run through lines and deliver the ball with impeccable accuracy. Despite the club's continuing poor performances, Davey was a shining light and he won the Keith "Bluey" Truscott Medal for the club's Best and Fairest player. Now, a leader of the club, Davey's form was instrumental in its improvement during 2010. He finished fourth in the Best and Fairest and was equal leading vote-getter, with Colin Sylvia in the Brownlow Medal voting. Davey's tribal ancestry can be traced to the Kokatha in South Australia. Davey was born on 10 June, 1983. His father Alwyn passed away when he was nine years old and he has often praised his mother Lizzie who raised him and his brother Essendon's Alwyn Junior in Darwin. He came under notice as a forward pocket for the Palmerston Football Club and moved to Melbourne to play for VFL side Port Melbourne Football where he was awarded the Fothergill-Round Medal for the competition's most promising youngster. He has been an impressive ambassador for his people and has been active in promoting sport, health and education among indigenous communities. The Flash certainly experienced a down year in 2011 but he has shown resilience and the ability to recover in the past. As sure as he recovered from the disappointment of injury in 2008 to win the Bluey in 2009, the Demon community looks forward to a fresh and revitalised Davey turning things around in 2012 as the burning light comes of a brand new day for the Demons. TO BE CONTINUED This series is written in honour of the late Matthew Wonaeamirri, father of current Melbourne player Austin. Our hearts go out to all of the family.

INDIGINE - PART NINE by Whispering Jack "Well it seems like the sun comes up each mornin' Sets me up and takes it all away For the dreaming by the light Of the camp fire at night Ends with the burning light of day". - Hugh McDonald (Diamantina Drover) Like many of Melbourne players, Aaron Davey's 2011 was not his best season with the club. He languished with lack of form, an injury that ultimately cost him many games and he laboured on his return, physically incapable of performing at his best. In the end, the frustrations spilled over and he earned a suspension for an indiscretion in a late season game against Richmond. Davey was clearly in need of some rest followed by the hard work of a pre season to get him back into the shape required to enable him to continue with his leadership role and as a mentor to the indigenous players within his club. The 177cm 74kg Davey burst onto the AFL scene in 2004 after some sensational pre-season Wizard Cup games as an exciting young rookie with immense pace and silky kicking skills and finished the year as runner-up to team mate Jared Rivers for the year's AFL Rising Star and winner of the AFLPA Best First Year Player award. Selected in the previous year's rookie draft, Davey was elevated in time for the first game of the 2004 season to become a cult figure at the Melbourne Football Club. His blistering acceleration, evasive footwork and goal sense were outstanding as was his ability to effortlessly run down and tackle opponents in the space of a few strides. The youngster's stellar debut season was interrupted by a hamstring injury in round 16 against the Western Bulldogs at the Telstra Dome but he managed to return for the club's brief finals campaign. The career of the man they called "Flash" flourished in the following years. He played every game of 2005 including a final, finished third in the club best and fairest behind Travis Johnstone and Russell Robertson and was included in the International Rules squad under Kevin Sheedy. Davey won the AFL Players Association Marn Grook Award for Best Emerging Indigenous Player. The arrival of Byron Pickett in 2006 and some added bulk had a positive effect on Davey. He became a versatile player and coach Neale Daniher used him more in the midfield and even in defence. He still ventured forward and earned three goal of the week nominations with his uncanny knack of kicking seemingly impossible goals. It was a much more mature and confident Davey who turned out for the Indigenous All-Stars in a 2007 pre-season game against Essendon, where he re-injured his hamstring but he was back to his best form early in the season, starred against the Western Bulldogs, collecting 29 disposals and kicking three goals, in Round 7. However, his increasing aggression saw him suspended for two games for striking at The Gabba in round 15 but by this time, the wheels had fallen off the Demons' season and Daniher was gone. Davey's first season under Dean Bailey in 2008 was hampered by injuries. The team slumped to rock bottom. He grew in stature in 2009 as he resurrected himself as a player. He starred for the Indigenous All-Stars against Adelaide in the pre-season game and started the year strongly in the midfield with more stints as a defender who could run through lines and deliver the ball with impeccable accuracy. Despite the club's continuing poor performances, Davey was a shining light and he won the Keith "Bluey" Truscott Medal for the club's Best and Fairest player. Now, a leader of the club, Davey's form was instrumental in its improvement during 2010. He finished fourth in the Best and Fairest and was equal leading vote-getter, with Colin Sylvia in the Brownlow Medal voting. Davey's tribal ancestry can be traced to the Kokatha in South Australia. Davey was born on 10 June, 1983. His father Alwyn passed away when he was nine years old and he has often praised his mother Lizzie who raised him and his brother Essendon's Alwyn Junior in Darwin. He came under notice as a forward pocket for the Palmerston Football Club and moved to Melbourne to play for VFL side Port Melbourne Football where he was awarded the Fothergill-Round Medal for the competition's most promising youngster. He has been an impressive ambassador for his people and has been active in promoting sport, health and education among indigenous communities. The Flash certainly experienced a down year in 2011 but he has shown resilience and the ability to recover in the past. As sure as he recovered from the disappointment of injury in 2008 to win the Bluey in 2009, the Demon community looks forward to a fresh and revitalised Davey turning things around in 2012 as the burning light comes of a brand new day for the Demons. TO BE CONTINUED This series is written in honour of the late Matthew Wonaeamirri, father of current Melbourne player Austin. Our hearts go out to all of the family.

We can now reveal exclusively in keeping with the new coach's desire to produce a hard team in the future that the new Melbourne Football Club sponsor for the front of its shorts is Viagra.

Leaving aside the emotional issue of disliking Carlton, I have to admit that the standard of the umpiring was appalling. It's funny how the number of frees seems so lopsided in some of these interstate fixtures but it doesn't happen that way with games in Melbourne. I still can't get over some of the umpiring in the Port Adelaide game.