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2000

Coach: Neale Daniher
Captain: David Neitz
Finishing Position: 2nd
Best and Fairest: Shane Woewodin
Leading Goalkicker: Jeff Farmer (76)
Best First Year Player: Matthew Whelan
Major Sponsor: LG Electronics
Members: 18,227
Financial result: +$105,539

Matches Ladder Playing List Best and Fairest VFL
Image


Reacting to their disasterous 1999 campaign Melbourne got the jump on the competition by starting pre-season training first on October 25.

Former Footscray rover Brian Royal was appointed as an assistant coach, and both Todd Viney and Jim Stynes also joined the coaching staff. Garry Lyon also joined in a support role.

David Neitz was appointed captain. David Schwarz was named vice-captain, and other members of the leadership group were Shane Woewodin and Andrew Leoncelli.

In February, it was reported that Melbourne was meeting with the Tasmanian government with the intention of transferring Docklands or pre-season games to the Apple Isle in the future. In July they instead signed to play a home game in Brisbane each year for the next five years. The match would give a financial benefit equal to a 70,000 strong crowd at the MCG.

Before the Round 4 clash against the Saints Joseph Gutnick gave a speech attacking the AFL for perceived untrustworthy, discriminatory and bullying tactics. Throughout the season he would continue to be outspoken about the league's commission. Writing in the Herald Sun the next week he said "Given the atmosphere of secrecy and the suspicions that some clubs are treated more favourably than others, it is not surprising that clubs will explore all opportunities available to them to ensure their future." He attacked the commission again at the Round 9 presidents lunch.

The open warfare between the controversial president and the league over AFL Commissioner Ron Evans' perceived conflicts of interest as CEO of Spotless Catering - caterer to Docklands Stadium - continued with Gutnick calling a meeting of league presidents in June. The club blamed a massive drop-off in membership numbers (1500 less than the year before) on the three home games the club were forced to play at the new stadium.

Despite the animosity with the league Melbourne signed a deal during the year with the AFL and MCC to relocate the club offices to the Great Southern Stand.

A Round 1 loss seemed to indicate that it was going to be business as usual, and 3-3 at Round 6 hardly pointed to great things happening. When Carlton dealt out a near 100 point hammering in Round 13 which caused the Demons to lose 8% and drop to equal points with four three other sides on the edge of the eight it seemed like the Demons were finished, but a blockbusting win against Collingwood the next week, with Jeff Farmer's 9 goal second half, set up a streak that would carry the side all the way to the Grand Final.

3rd place on the ladder was their best finish since 1964 and Jeff Farmer was named forward pocket of the All-Australian side. North Melbourne's shock loss to also-rans Collingwood in Round 21 opened the door for the Demons to avoid playing Essendon in the first week of the finals, a fate that the Roos ended up suffering and receiving a record 20 goal defeat for their troubles.

Melbourne were instead pitched into a final against Carlton and overhauled a five goal deficit at three-quarter time, led by rookies Cameron Bruce and Brad Green to book a week off and a trip straight to the Preliminary Final to take on the Kangaroos who they beat comfortably thanks to Jeff Farmer starring with eight goals. Thrown into their first Grand Final since 1988, the Demons were tasked with the near impossible challenge of beating an Essendon side who had only lost one game all season. They failed to take early chances and the Bombers went on to take the premiership with a comfortable victory.

The Demons lost their second and third round draft picks as a result of previous salary cap rorts.

At the December AGM it was revealed that the club made a profit of $105,539, up from a loss of almost $1.5m in 1999. Joseph Gutnick was 're-elected' as president for a further two years but a court judgement later declared that the election was not valid.

In August 2001 the club were fined $5000 for salary cap breaches during the 2000 season. CEO John Anderson explained that the club auditors were 12 days late in lodging player payment documents.

Practice Matches

OppositionResultScore
Brisbane LOSS69-89

Ansett Australia Cup

RoundOppositionResultScore
1 Adelaide WIN125-107
2 St. Kilda WIN92-66
3 Geelong LOSS82-114
SF Essendon LOSS105-131

Premiership Season

RoundOppositionResultScore
1 Richmond LOSS92-94
2 Kangaroos WIN145-120
3 Sydney LOSS114-126
4 St. Kilda WIN165-75
5 Fremantle WIN106-75
6 Geelong LOSS84-109
7 West Coast WIN138-77
8 Port Adelaide WIN111-86
9 Essendon LOSS93-106
10 Brisbane WIN102-84
11 Adelaide LOSS70-105
12 Western Bulldogs LOSS83-108
13 Carlton LOSS61-159
14 Collingwood WIN143-78
15 Hawthorn WIN141-72
16 Richmond WIN110-100
17 Kangaroos LOSS102-103
18 Sydney WIN125-99
19 St. KildaWIN116-98
20 Fremantle WIN160-77
21 Geelong WIN126-108
22 West Coast WIN170-100
QF Carlton WIN96-87
PF North Melbourne WIN156-106
GF Essendon LOSS75-135

Ladder

WDL%P
Essendon2101159.184
Carlton1606134.864
Melbourne1408118.456
Kangaroos1408106.256
Geelong121996.950
Brisbane12010117.148
Western Bulldogs12010103.648
Hawthorn1201097.48
Richmond1101193.144
Sydney10012101.640
Adelaide901396.136
Fremantle801472.032
West Coast711492.430
Port Adelaide711484.030
Collingwood701585.928
St. Kilda211970.510

Exhibition Match

OppositionResultScore
Adelaide WIN40-21

Playing List

NumberPlayerGamesGoals
4 Brent Grgic 22 9
5 David Schwarz 2531
7 Stephen Powell 2532
8 James Cook 38
9 David Neitz 2124
10 Marcus Seecamp 41
13 Adem Yze 2537
14 Steven Pitt 32
15 Paul Hopgood 10
16 Travis Johnstone 1415
18 Brad Green 2028
19 Scott Chisholm 10
20 Matthew Febey 20
21 Steven Febey 212
22 Shane Woewodin 2520
23 James McDonald 177
24 Russell Robertson 2544
25 Nathan Brown 90
26 Daniel Ward 70
27 Anthony Ingerson 250
28 Matthew Collins 141
30 Simon Godfrey 20
31 Paul Wheatley 124
32 Cameron Bruce 1922
33 Jeff Farmer 2376
34 Jeff White 2416
35 Anthony McDonald 2511
36 Andrew Leoncelli 2415
42 Peter Walsh 247
43 Guy Rigoni 258
44 Alistair Nicholson 160
45 Matthew Whelan 160
46 Troy Simmonds 223
47 Ben Beams 74
49 Luke Williams 20

Best and Fairest

Five members of the match committee select the best five players each week and rate them out of 10.

Player
1 Shane Woewodin 341.5
2 Jeff White 328
3 Adem Yze 277
4 Stephen Powell 262
5 Andrew Leoncelli 201.5
6 Jeff Farmer 190
7 Peter Walsh 168
7 Guy Rigoni 168
9 David Neitz 160.5
10 Anthony Ingerson 154
11 Steven Febey 141
12 Anthony McDonald 123
13 Alistair Nicholson 111.5
14 Russell Robertson 105.5
15 Matthew Whelan 98.5
16 Cameron Bruce 94
17 Daniel Ward 92
18 David Schwarz 75.5
19 James McDonald 58.5
20 Brad Green 56
21 Troy Simmonds 39.5
22 Matthew Collins 27
23 Marcus Seecamp 26
24 Travis Johnstone 23
25 James Cook 18
26 Brent Grgic 12
27 Nathan Brown 6

Other Awards
Best Clubman - Shane Woewodin
Best Team Player - David Neitz
Most Consistent - Stephen Powell
Most Improved - Peter Walsh
Inspirational Performance - Jeff Farmer
Tribunal

RoundPlayerChargeSanction
Ansett Cup Match 3 Matthew Collins Wrestling $1200 fine
Ansett Cup SF David Schwarz Kicking Withdrawn
Round 1 Anthony McDonald Wrestling $1200 fine
Round 16 Matthew Whelan Wrestling $1200 fine
Round 17 Jeff Farmer Striking Not Guilty
Round 21 David Neitz Melee $3500 fine
Round 21 Jeff White Melee $3000 fine
Round 21 Travis Johnstone Melee $2500 fine
Round 21 Adem Yze Melee $3500 fine
Round 21 Russell Robertson Melee $3000 fine
Round 21 Shane Woewodin Melee Not Guilty
Round 21 Jeff Farmer Melee Not Guilty
Grand Final Brent Grgic Striking 2 matches
Grand Final Daniel Ward Melee $3500 fine
Grand Final David Schwarz Melee$3500 fine

Coaching Staff

Brian Royal - Assistant Coach
Chris Fagan - Assistant Coach
Garry Lyon - Assistant Coach
Jim Stynes - Assistant Coach
Todd Viney - Assistant Coach

VFL

Sandringham Zebras 2000 season

Video

Media
Age - 15/02/2000
Age - 10/03/2000
Age - 31/03/2000

Created by Supermercado. Last Modification: Saturday 30 September 2023 19:40:19 AEST by Supermercado. (Version 42)

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