Almanac Footy: The Melbourne Football Club – Recollections and Reflections (Part 3)

 

The Melbourne Football Club – Recollections and Reflections (Part 3)

 

 

The first incarnation of the draft was introduced by the VFL back in 1981 as an equalisation strategy in response to increasing transfer fees and player salaries which in combination with falling attendances threatened the future viability of the league. In addition, the allocation of metropolitan and country zones had led to systematic inequality.

 

At the 1981 VFL Draft Melbourne had the first selection and picked a talented wingman from Western Australia in Alan Johnson. He was a marvelous player. He played 135 games for the Demons and was a dual Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott medalist and an inductee in the Melbourne Hall of Fame. With its second selection it picked the bullocking full back from SANFL Club Port Adelaide in Danny Hughes. Both Johnson and Hughes were to become wonderful servants of the club.

 

Other players selected in the historic first draft were Mark Naley, Neil Craig, Tony McGuiness by Geelong, John Platten and Chris McDermott by Fitzroy. The SANFL had a Player Retention Scheme in place which was basically a form of financial inducement to retain SA talent in the SANFL rather than being lured by clubs to the VFL. So many SA players stayed at home.

 

At the 1986 draft Melbourne Recruiting Manager Cameron Schwab selected a fellow from North Adelaide –  Darren Jarman with pick No 55. Pick 55! What an inspired selection. The Demons had selected Steven Febey, Matthew Febey, Craig Walker, and Andy Lovell with its earlier picks. D. Jarman remained at North Adelaide rather than come to the ‘big time’ despite all efforts from the club to lure him to the MCG. By the time I arrived at Melbourne the three-year hold on drafted players was about to expire. We had to secure Jarman or risk losing him to another club or perhaps he might hold out until the pending entry of a South Australian based team into the VFL.

 

Halfway through my first year at the club General Manager, Tony King called me into his office and told me I was to go to Adelaide to have a look at the form of Darren Jarman – a fresh pair of eyes. The club had to decide on what type of money it was to offer in one last attempt to finally lure him to the club.

 

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in the City of Churches I ventured to Prospect Oval to check out one D. Jarman. I sat in the old wooden stand on the wing position and having perused the player numbers in the Football Budget with a Villi’s pie, I waited with great anticipation for the arrival of the Roosters and Darren Jarman. The North Adelaide side eventually made is way onto the ground but as the players filed out, I couldn’t find Jarman. Then languishing behind the rest of the group came a somewhat portly looking fellow with what appeared to be in footy recruiting terms ‘a fat arse’. As he sauntered onto the field, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I discovered the player in question was Melbourne’s potential saviour Darren Jarman.

 

I studied his warmup. He was at less than half pace with his run throughs, end-to-end handballing and kicking drills. He waddled through his pre-game routine as if he was totally disinterested in the impending combat against the Norwood Redlegs. I was starting to think my first interstate recruiting mission was going to be a complete waste of time and that I might look at getting an early flight back to Melbourne.

 

But Garry McIntosh for Norwood was playing that day. I had heard  much about the tough, hard edged midfielder but to this point had not seen him play. Darren Jarman and Garry McIntosh should provide some good entertainment I thought. McIntosh was drafted to North Melbourne in the 1982 draft. But like others remained in Adelaide. So I settled in for the afternoon.

 

Jarman lined up on a half forward flank and as the ball bounced my eyes darted between following the ball and the immediate contest and the movement and anticipation of Jarman. It didn’t take long for the ball to come within his vicinity and like a flash he gathered the footy with one hand, baulked an opponent and on the left foot slotted one through from about 55 metres out. Wow-that’s not bad!

 

Then the ball came down again. A bouncing ground ball at his boot laces. Under pressure from his opponent, he coolly gathered the ball, evaded a tackle, bounced the ball with his left hand then booted his second for the term this time on his right foot. Bloody hell!

 

Darren Jarman kicked six goals that day and basically made his opponent look stupid. His deft foot skills, clean ball handling, anticipation and goal kicking was simply impeccable. Yes, he was slightly overweight and yes, his defensive skills were virtually non-existent but how can you defend when you continually have the ball yourself?

 

I returned to Tony King’s office the following Monday morning. “How did he go?” Tony asked.

 

“Superstar Tony. Not very fit, bit fat in the arse, didn’t apply much pressure but he has extraordinary talent and is exactly what Melbourne needs to bolster its forward line,” I replied.

 

“How much should we offer him,” Tony responded.

 

“However much he wants,” was my emphatic response.

 

“By the way if Garry McIntosh ever becomes available we should have a big crack at him!” I suggested to boot.

 

History shows that despite all efforts to secure the signature of Darren Jarman and grace the MCG he elected to remain at North Adelaide and wait for the impending entry of the Adelaide Crows into the competition.

 

Our hold on him expired and the Brisbane Bears claimed him with a concessional draft pick in 1989. Again, Jarman elected to stay in his home state. In 1990 the frenetic creation of the Adelaide Crows caused Jarman to reassess his career and together with some friction between he and Football Manager Neil Kerley he headed to Hawthorn after the Bears traded pick 10 in the 1990 draft.

 

Darren Jarman debuted for the Hawks in 1991 and played 144 games and booted 122 goals. He was traded to the Adelaide Crows at the end of the 1995 season and played 121 games for the Crows between 1996 and 2001 booting 264 goals for a career total of 622. He was a three-time Premiership player, three time All-Australian and an Australian Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2007.

 

From the portly, undeniably talented half forward from North Adelaide to the AFL  Darren Jarman was a true superstar of our game.

 

And as for Garry McIntosh he remained a loyal servant of the Norwood FC and amassed 336 games, was a two time Premiership player, twice Norwood’s best and fairest, two time Magarey Medal winner, five time Australian representative in games versus Ireland, a Norwood Hall of Fame legend, South Australia Football Hall of Fame inductee and a member of the Norwood Team of the Century.

 

In 2021 he was officially nominated for induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame but he declined the honour because “he did not play the game for personal honours.” Fiercely loyal, uncompromisingly tough Garry McIntosh shunned personal glory to play purely for the love of his club and teammates. How things have changed.

 

 

Read part 2 HERE

 

Read more from Richard Griffiths HERE

 

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