Show Me the Money doco: Why TLA refused to take part
The excitement is palpable for the documentary that goes behind the scenes of the AFL’s trade period. But there is one noticeable absentee.
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The AFL’s biggest management stable, TLA, has explained why it turned down the chance to take part in footy’s new trade period documentary.
‘Show Me The Money’ takes viewers behind the scenes on the big deals and unsuccessful negotiations in last year’s exchange period which saw Adam Cerra (ex-Fremantle) and George Hewett (Sydney) join Carlton and Bobby Hill (GWS) and Rory Lobb (Fremantle) fail to find new homes.
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While the documentary involves major agents from Paul Connors Sports, Hemisphere, Players Ink, and Corporate Sports Australia, and lifts the lid on some of the tense talks with club officials, Craig Kelly’s TLA was absent from the show.
TLA AFL general manager Tom Petroro said the stable – which looks after more than 180 AFL players – did not want the filming to compromise its players’ welfare or any of its deals in the annual transfer window.
“Respectfully, we said no because it’s not how we operate,” Petroro said.
“It can be a stressful time, for the managers and the club personnel and most importantly the players and their families.
“We didn’t want to put more pressure on them than there already is as they make big decisions on their futures.
“In that respect, we like to operate in the background. So we did not want the cameras or the editing of the documentary to affect the relationships we have with our clients, their family and the clubs.
“We think the players are the stars, not the managers.”
The documentary, which is to be shown on Stan, films new Demon Luke Dunstan as he reveals he would rather work as a carpenter than stay at St Kilda where he felt the coaching staff had lost faith in him.
“I said that in my exit interview. I said to be honest I would rather get a job and move on. It’s just the stress I’ve had over the last 12 months going in there,” Dunstan says.
“It feels good knowing I don’t have to go back and put up with it, so it’s good.”
During the filming, Hill seeks to start a new chapter at Essendon at the end of last year but his surprise request is knocked back by Greater Western Sydney where he is contracted.
Hemisphere agent David Trotter also opens up on the circumstances which sees Giants’ forward Jeremy Finlayson move to Port Adelaide.
Trotter says it is a family decision, as his partner gave birth towards the end of last season.
“His partner Kellie is an amazing girl and Kel’s from Port Lincoln, so all of her family – or most of them – are back in South Australia,” Trotter says.
“That really appealed to them. Jez and Kelly have come off a really tough year.”
The documentary also profiles last year’s draft, and top prospects including North Melbourne’s Jason Horne-Francis and Collingwood’s Nick Daicos.
Williams, from Players Ink, says North Melbourne’s Horne-Francis is a special talent.
“You just saw this freak of nature who was a great player. It’s pretty rare to not have a chink in your armour at the age of 15. Multi-skilled, fast, competitive, tough.”
Gawn eyes forgotten forward to break out in 2022
Melbourne captain Max Gawn has laid down the challenge to his brilliant midfield brigade to unleash its full firepower more regularly in games this season.
The Demons’ stormed home to drought-breaking premiership last year when midfield dynamos Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver blew their Western Bulldogs counterparts away in the second half with some breathtaking clearance work.
Gawn, who said he remained as hungry as ever to go back-to-back, admitted he was annoyed to lose to Carlton in the pre-season game last week after a strong pre-season.
Asked where the biggest improvement will come from this year, Gawn said the talented midfield crew, including Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw and Ed Langdon, wasn’t always at its best last season, and could clearly go to another level in 2022.
“We would love to do what we did in the midfield (in the Grand Final) more often, that’s our biggest inconsistency at times,” Gawn said.
“Our back line is strong, our forward line has now got some tall targets down there that look strong, but we would really love our midfield to perform at their best all the time, that’s our goal.”
It is a warning for the rest of the competition as premiership rivals Geelong, Bulldogs and Brisbane among others plot to try and combat the Demons’ power and dynamic run in the middle.
Melbourne ranked first for total hit-outs, contested possessions and intercept possessions, but rated fifth for clearances in 2021, and have ex-Saint Luke Dunstan in reserve, as well as youngsters Tom Sparrow and James Jordan.
Gawn said there was no chance of complacency setting in as the Demons attempt to maintain their position at the top of the table, after a long stint at the bottom.
He said the chance to try and shoot for more silverware in front of the club’s Melbourne-based fans was a huge motivator.
“One of the hardest things, as a professional athlete, is to reset goals. How do you rest a goal that has taken you 22 years to tick off?” he said.
“I’ve gone through some stuff (over summer) and been able to realise why I love playing football and it is to bring joy to the people closest to me. My family and friends. The fans, too.
“I’ve brought them joy, but perhaps not in enough in terms of winning it in front of them (at the MCG), so that is something I really want to do.”
Gawn appeared frustrated when the cameras zoomed in on him at the final siren of their pre-season loss to Carlton last week, and Gawn said it was disappointing performance, marred by ill-discipline.
“I was annoyed, I don’t like losing. If I don’t have a full crack (in games) I’m in ‘Goody’s’ office that next week the whole day, so it’s hell for leather (even in the pre-season),” he said.
“There’s people trying to get in (to the side) such as Adam Tomlinson, Joel Smith, Sam Weideman, Jayden Hunt. It’s hot (for spots).
“We tried our best to win the game and we didn’t win. We gave away eight 50m penalties, there was some really disappointing actions in the back half, so I was flat post game.”
The inspirational skipper said defensive pair Steve May and Jake Lever would take on the Bulldogs in the season-opener, but Michael Hibberd is racing the clock.
He nominated Weideman as the one to watch at Melbourne this year.
“I reckon he’s hungry, and he wants in,” he said.
“He wants a taste of what we have been doing and, he’s had a really big pre-season.”
Dees doco: Viney doesn’t miss teammates with ‘selfish’ bake
—Jon Ralph
Former Melbourne captain Nathan Jones believes premiership skipper Max Gawn could end his career as the greatest figure in Demons club history.
The lofty prediction from Jones comes after Gawn’s role dragging the Demons from disgrace to premiership glory in a new Fox Footy documentary Every Heart Beats True.
The 90-minute documentary charts the club’s extraordinary rise from rock bottom to the 2021 premiership through the eyes of the club’s flag heroes and the Demons luminaries who got close to breaking a 57-year drought.
Jones missed the Grand Final to return for the birth of twins instead of taking his spot as an emergency but credits Gawn with setting the standard for the current side.
“He could well go down as the greatest. That is a massive call with the likes of Ron (Barassi). But the impact Max has had as far as galvanising the club and the progression I have helped and witnessed with him growing into the role right now, he’s only going to get better.”
Club legend Garry Lyon makes the claim Gawn is now the AFL’s best leader given his unique brand of leadership in helping break a 57-year premiership drought.
“Max is going to be remembered as one of the All time Melbourne players and leaders,” he tells Every Heart Beats True.
“Max is a captain for the age of footy right now, the era we are in. He is slightly left of centre, he is embracing of everyone‘s personalities, he understands the hardship after his knee reconstructions, he did it hard early in the piece and he wasn’t a walk up start and now he’s the most influential leader in AFL footy. It’s an unbelievable story.”
Demons vice-captain Jack Viney, son of beloved Demons midfielder Todd, tells the documentary he told teammates they were “selfish” in only his second AFL game.
The Demons had walked off the MCG to boos from fans after a 148-point loss to Essendon in Round 2, 2013 and he believed it was not too early to make a personal stand.
“There was a booing sound and I remember telling one of my teammate I didn’t think the umpiring was that bad and we got closer to the race and I realised the supporters were actually booing us and we were getting scarfs and memberships thrown at us and I won’t say his name but I sat down next to one of my teammates and he was crying.
“I told some people that we were selfish, that we were only playing for ourselves and until we start trusting our teammates we would continue to be a poor footy club
“I named names and I remember straight after I was a naive 18-year-old and I felt if someone said that to me I would understand where they were coming from. This is a performance industry, we get on with it.
“But I hurt a few feelings that day and a couple of players stormed out of the meeting and it took a couple of weeks of trying to chat to them to get back on good terms.”
Demons Team of the Century member Todd Viney, interviewed alongside his son, was the Melbourne list manager and says the club turned it around by finding players not prepared to accept mediocrity.
“As an 18-year-old to do that was probably ballsy and Jack probably felt the brunt of that for more than a couple of weeks,” he said.
“From a recruiting and list management point of view we discussed how we were going to get better and we needed to bring players into the group that were prepared to stand up and change how we were going.”
Fox Footy special — Every Heart Beats True
90-minute Demons documentary
8.30pm on Tuesday after AFL 360
Fox Footy, channel 504 on Foxtel
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