Whispering_Jack

This is the story of two losses suffered by the Melbourne Football Club that were separated in time by a full decade. The first was a defeat that hung heavily over the club for years and saw careers and friendships ended, harsh words uttered, tears shed and the unfolding of tragedy. The coach was sacked and not long after, he died. A player became enmeshed in tribal affairs that led to violence and his imprisonment. Another’s life later ended in a devastating car crash. The wreckage from the club’s Round 19, 2011 trip to take on Geelong at Corio Bay became known simply as “186” in recognition of the magnitude of the loss in points. But it was far more extensive in terms of the scars it left on the club. Only a very few involved in that game managed to keep their careers intact after the train wreck. A number found refuge elsewhere but in most instances, the remainders of their careers were short-lived. Only a few managed to revive their careers. James Frawley played in a premiership at Hawthorn and after a brief retirement reappeared even more briefly at St Kilda, the club where his troubled uncle Danny made his name as one of football’s all-time great defenders. Two others played in grand finals and are still on AFL club lists. High flying Jeremy Howe who took flight for a better life at Collingwood was a matter of minutes away from the holy grail in 2018 and is still today the Magpies’ vice-captain. Stefan Martin was traded in 2012 to the Lions before moving to the Western Bulldogs at the end of last year. Ironically, he was the only 186 participant who took part in this year’s Grand Final at Optus Stadium in Perth. His ruck opponent that evening, Max Gawn, and Demons forward Tom McDonald were both youngsters in 2011 and missed out on making the senior team for Round 19 that year. Gawn and McDonald made it to the Big Dance of 2021 but time ran out for two other members of the 2011 side who remained at the club through the lean years and the slow rise to glory that followed. So strong was the Demon team on the day/night that club legends in Nathan Jones and Neville Jetta who were instrumental in holding the team together over the years were denied the opportunity to cross over to the Promised Land. Both retired at the end of the season. It’s ten years after 186 and now on to Round 19, 2021. There’s a game on at the MCG against the Western Bulldogs but it wasn’t originally supposed to happen that way - the pandemic caused a late change to the fixture and there was no long trip away from home as there had been in 2011. The years in between saw rebuilding, development and renewal under new leadership. Peter Jackson, Paul Roos, Simon Goodwin and more lately Gary Pert and Kate Roffey led a revival built upon a change in the club’s culture and values. Vast empty stands and the evening’s drizzly skies awaited them that night. They weren’t quite in the right space yet and they kicked poorly to succumb to the Bulldogs and their skipper Marcus Bontempelli but there were lessons learned and the team never lost a game from that time on. In the following week, they traveled north but the game against the Gold Coast Suns was moved back to Melbourne. They flew back and forth across the country, avenged 186 on Corio Bay and eventually landed in Perth where they crushed the Cats again for good measure before fulfilling their quest for the Holy Grail.

Has to be an error but, as already pointed out, the NGA program (for the non northern clubs) is now only there for clubs to pick up the players on the fringe who they might hope to develop over time.

2022 AFL Pre-Season Scratch Match North Melbourne v Melbourne TBC 2022 AFL Pre-Season Game Carlton v Melbourne Venue: Marvel Stadium Date: Thursday 3 March Time: 7:20pm

He was in fact consistently good but because he was so good, we expected more of him than others. If he were in a better team, I think he might have polled better in those days. There were too many games in which we weren't competitive and, as a result, the 3, 2, 1 all went to the opposition.

More Robbie … a blind turn

The ones to watch: Future bright for multicultural stars Victoria’s most promising young talent was on display late last month as around 45 multicultural and Indigenous footballers turned out at AFL Victoria’s ‘All Nations and Kickstart Development Day’ at LaTrobe University in Bundoora. Included among them was Andrew Samawi from Beaconsfield Junior Football Club who is “tied” to the Melbourne NGA program (yes … we have another NGA called “Andrew”!). He is described as a “tall midfielder with clean hands who can also play in defence”. I use the word “tied” very loosely because, as from next year, other than in the case of the northern states clubs’ NGAs, clubs will not be able to match draft bids for their own NGA players inside the top 40 picks.

Please keep your comments respectful.

Would have been a typical windy shocker out there at Casey. I would take it the game finished before the change came and turned the wind into a cooler southerly which happened where I am at just after noon.

Why change something that’s proved a success?

Earlier this week, the Essendon Football Club unveiled their five-year blueprint to deliver a breakthrough premiership and boost membership to 125,000. They outlined their five strategic pillars starting with premierships and then focusing their attention on such concepts as “people, heartland, national footprint and commercial strength”. But had the framers of this plan — and there’s nothing novel about it because we’ve heard it all before from a number of clubs including our own — attended last night’s Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy presentation, they might have realised that premierships don’t simply materialize out of thin air or merely through the introduction into a club of bells and whistles. The common thread of nearly everything that was said throughout the evening, from President Kate Roffey, to Hall of Fame inductee Neale Daniher, to retiring heroes Neville Jetta and Nathan Jones, to coach Simon Goodwin, skipper Max Gawn and the award winning players and all of it was spontaneous, not contrived, was that it’s not just about winning premierships or acquiring 125,000 members. It’s about bringing the right people together to the club through a lot of hard effort and once you do that, then the final by product might bring you a premiership. It’s all about developing a culture first.

And the winner of the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy is … Clayton Oliver

Syd Anderson Memorial Trophy - 2nd B & F Christian Petracca

Ron Barassi Snr Memorial Trophy - 3rd B & F Max Gawn

Ivor Warne-Smith Memorial Trophy - 4th B & F Christian Salem

Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy - 5th B & F Jake Lever

Clarrie leading after the home and away series

The Norm Smith Memorial Trophy is a coach’s award and this year the winner was Alex Neal-Bullen.

The Ron Barassi Junior Trophy for leadership - Max Gawn

The Harold Ball Memorial Trophy - Kozzie!

Toby Bedford took the Troy Broadbridge Trophy earlier this evening. Steven May gets the James McDonald Trophy and a tie for the Ian Ridley Memorial Trophy to Neville Jetta and Ben Brown.

11 unlisted players confirmed to train with AFL clubs over summer Melbourne’s Primary and Category A Rookie lists are locked in for 2022 but the following is the list of players training at various AFL clubs with the aim of being selected in March:- Carlton Joshua Cripps - East Fremantle WA Tyreece Lieu - Eastern Ranges Essendon 
Dylan Clarke - Essendon AFL Ronald Fejo jnr - West Adelaide SA Nicholas Martin* - Subiaco WA Gold Coast 
Nathan Freeman - Frankston VFL North Melbourne 
Marty Hore - Melbourne AFL St Kilda 
Jack Hayes - Woodville West Torrens SA Sydney Swans 
Patrick McCartin - Sydney Swans VFL West Coast Kade Dittmar - East Perth WA Luke Strnadica - East Fremantle WA

This is to bookmark for the future but it currently reflects the indicative 2022 draft order if all teams finish in the same places next year as they did this year (a proposition which I would be happy to accept). ROUND ONE 1. North Melbourne 2. Collingwood 3. Gold Coast Suns 4. Adelaide 5. Hawthorn 6. Carlton 7. Richmond 8. Fremantle 9. St Kilda 10. West Coast Eagles 11. Essendon 12. GWS Giants 13. Sydney Swans 14. Western Bulldogs 15. Brisbane Lions 16. Geelong 17. Port Adelaide 18. Sydney Swans ROUND TWO 19. Richmond 20. Gold Coast Suns 21. Gold Coast Suns 22. Adelaide 23. Hawthorn 24. Carlton 25. Richmond 26. Gold Coast Suns 27. St Kilda 28. West Coast Eagles 29. Essendon 30. GWS Giants 31. Sydney Swans 32. Western Bulldogs 33. Brisbane Lions 34. Geelong 35. West Coast Eagles 36. Melbourne ROUND THREE 37. Western Bulldogs 38. Gold Coast Suns 39. Gold Coast Suns 40. Melbourne 41. Collingwood 42. Geelong 43. Collingwood 44. Hawthorn 45. St Kilda 46. West Coast Eagles 47. Essendon 48. GWS Giants 49. Port Adelaide 50. Collingwood 51. Geelong 52. Geelong 53. Brisbane Lions 54. Melbourne ROUND FOUR 55. North Melbourne 56. Gold Coast Suns 57. Hawthorn 58. GWS Giants 59. Geelong 60. Carlton 61. North Melbourne 62. Gold Coast Suns 63. Melbourne 64. Port Adelaide 65. Essendon 66. GWS Giants 67. Sydney Swans 68. Western Bulldogs 69. Brisbane Lions 70. Fremantle 71. Carlton 72. Melbourne ROUND FIVE 73. North Melbourne 74. Collingwood 75. Gold Coast Suns 76. Adelaide 77. Hawthorn 78. Carlton 79. Richmond 80. Fremantle 81. St Kilda 82. West Coast Eagles 83. Essendon 84. GWS Giants 85. Sydney Swans 86. Western Bulldogs 87. Brisbane Lions 88. Geelong 89. Port Adelaide 90. Melbourne

More misery inflicted on the Bulldogs by the Demons in yesterday's Premier Cricket clash at the Merv Hughes Oval. With one ball left, the Dogs needed one run to tie and two to win but watch Sam Harper's throw to win the game. The Dogs finished at 9/253 in reply to the Dees' 8/254. IMG_5732.MOV

The experts are saying that next year’s draft will be a good one for key position talks and ruckmen. There are a few in the frame for top ten status including Jackson Broadbent, a 202cm big man from Peel Thunder. AFL draft 2022: Son of gun, Next Generation Academy talents, Dean Cox-like ruck make WA under-18s summer squad "Jackson gets around the ground, racks up possessions and uses the ball really well, a bit like a Dean Cox." There’s a 200cm prospect in Will Elliott from the Oakleigh Chargers who is also a goal kicking forward while there are a few prospects in South Australia. Harry Lemmey is a 199cm 93kg key-forward from West Adelaide where they’re breeding some real talls. There’s Harry Barnett at 202cm, 93kg and … wait for it … Tom Scully, a bit thinner at 202cm, 83kg and both of them are goal kickers who stretch opposition defenders. And those changes to the NGA rules appear certain to see history repeated, this time robbing the Crows of potential ruck/forward Isaac Keeler of North Adelaide - AFL’s changes to Next Generation Academy draft rules could see Adelaide miss out on ruck prospect “The impact of an AFL draft change will be laid bare to Adelaide next year if it loses access to a promising prospect considered one of SA’s top 2022 talents. “North Adelaide forward/ruckman Isaac Keeler is viewed as a chance to be taken in the opening two rounds and is in the Crows’ Next Generation Academy, but he will be up for grabs inside the first 40 selections.”

I’m taking one of the MFC flags from outside our house down in the next few days but only to wash it and take it with us on our holiday north where it will sit on the window of our apartment for all and sundry to see below.