WHEN James McDonald announced he was finishing up with Melbourne on Thursday, an email from former board member Mick Coglin was sent to chief executive Cameron Schwab.
It was a timely reminder of how McDonald came to the club and the part Schwab played in Junior’s recruitment. Coglin’s note was written following McDonald’s inclusion in the 2006 All-Australian side.
Here is the note and the fascinating story behind McDonald’s arrival at Melbourne.
Mick Coglin’s note from 2006
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE of sitting alongside James McDonald at last night's All-Australian dinner and presentation and was told the following ripper story, which is too good to keep to myself.
Craig Cameron ("CAC") joined the MFC from Fremantle as a very green recruiting manager at the start of season 1997. Cameron Schwab was the football manager and Hassa Mann was CEO.
Things started to hot up for CAC at season’s end with the approach of the National Draft and the newfangled Rookie Draft, which was a first time AFL innovation.
Many of the clubs - most notably St Kilda and Brisbane (both of whom chose not to participate) - viewed the Rookie Draft as a waste of time and effort.
A contrary view was taken by CAC and Cameron Schwab who saw it as an opportunity to top up our ageing list at low cost and low risk.
The Rookie Draft also presented an opportunity to draft Shane Woewodin, Robert Pyman and Leigh Newton through the 1997 Pre-Season Draft.
The way this worked was that Russell Robertson and Duncan O'Toole, who had been taken in the 1996 National Draft were delisted (making room for Woewodin etc), but were promised redrafting through the new Rookie Draft, ensuring that their careers at the club would continue.
In the months and weeks leading up to draft season, loads of information crossed CAC's desk, including a recommendation from Old Xaverians coach Barry Richardson (arguably the author of the Irish experiment, which gave us Jim Stynes and Sean Wight) concerning a skinny (he weighed 65kg wringing wet) kid from Ballarat.
Craig looked at some videos and had perhaps six conversations with the young player in question.
The lad was concerned about whether he was good enough, and to make matters worse, his employment as a stock agent, which had been arranged through Old Xavs would be in jeopardy were he to join the Demons.
All these issues were worked through and when the day of the inaugural Rookie Draft dawned, he was well and truly in CAC's mix.
He was not alone. In addition to the promised redrafting of Robbo and O'Toole, CAC was keen on Nathan Bassett, Matthew Bishop and Daniel Ward.
Disconcertingly, on the day of the draft Hassa had told CAC and Schwabby that they were to pick a maximum of five rookies, each of whom represented an outlay of [an estimated] $10k.
As they sat down in the room at the MCG, where the draft was to be held, CAC leaned across to Schwab and asked him what he should do, if he had used the five picks approved by Hassa (in order - Bassett, Ward, Bishop, Robbo and O'Toole) and the skinny kid was still available.
Schwab told him that he would distract Hassa at the psychological moment, when our turn had come around and CAC should call the kid's name out.
The first Hassa realised what had happened was when he broke from his conversation with Schwab and looked across to see the kid's name being written up on the whiteboard.
His was the 42nd of 45 names called, coming after the 103 players taken in the 1997 Pre-Season and National Drafts.
And so it came to pass that, notwithstanding chronic fatigue syndrome and a knee reconstruction that cost him a 2000 grand final appearance, that modest, skinny kid took his place on the stage last night amongst Australia's finest - as deserving an All-Australian as has ever donned the red and blue.
All hail James McDonald!
As a footnote, it was a half fair day's work for CAC.
On current tallies, on that one day when two clubs didn't even turn up, he snagged:
Bassett - 173 games - All-Australian
Ward - 117 games
Bishop - 150 games
Roberson - 189 games
Junior - 176 games - All-Australian
