Master Monfries, top of the class
By Stephen Rielly
April 1, 2005
Angus Monfries has always had his eyes on the prize - a successful career in the AFL.
Essendon's star debutant was an early starter in marketing.
Two years ago, a then eight-year-old South Melbourne Districts footballer who was, and thankfully remains, likely to have a glorious career with Essendon, asked his father how Kevin Sheedy would know where to find him when the inevitable call from Windy Hill had to be placed.
Unable to dismiss the prospect of Sheedy still coaching the Dons in 2012 or thereabouts, when delivery of the dream is due, the boy's father replied: "Do your best and Sheeds will know where you are."
Four years earlier, a 12-year-old South Australian boy with those very same stars in his eyes asked himself a similar question - how will the game find me?
This child, about to finish primary school, didn't wait for an answer. He produced his own. He ran off 16 copies of his impressive year 7 school reports from Pembroke School, attached them to a letter of introduction and an outline of his sporting achievements, match statistics and interests and posted them out to every AFL club.
The letter of introduction told of how the young author wanted to play AFL football and ended with a final paragraph that read: "Mum and Dad know that I want to play football at the highest level I can achieve, but they are also keen for me to get the best education I can.
"I look forward to your earliest reply and would appreciate any feedback you could give me to achieve my goals."
It was signed: "Yours sincerely, Angus Monfries."
Track forward through time, to last Saturday night, and the boy who penned that paragraph lest he be overlooked signed off on another statement - a wonderfully assured debut for Essendon.
On an otherwise forgettable occasion for the red and blacks, who looked a tired and thoughtless outfit by the second half against Melbourne, Monfries' performance, coupled with that of 19-year-old Kepler Bradley at centre half-back, was worth remembering. It was a nerveless display from an 18-year-old who, it is not a cliche to say, had prepared for his moment for a very long time.
"I wanted to introduce myself, just in case people were interested," Monfries explained this week. "I didn't know whether they were watching me or not."
When Sheedy was told of the resumes Monfries sent off six years ago, the coach was not surprised.
"That's how professional this kid is," he explained.
"He reminds me of Mark Williams. Not because he's a similar type of player - he's not - but he's as focused, and Mark Williams was the most focused person I ever met during my career.
"While I was playing, I did a clinic in the late 1970s at Port Adelaide when Mark was starting. I couldn't believe how driven he was. He was waiting at every witch's hat almost before I had them out.
"From an enthusiasm point of view, Mark Williams was always going to achieve what he set out to do. He wanted to play AFL. He did. He wanted to captain his team. He did. He got the arse from Glenelg as coach and he said, 'I'll be back'. He was. And now he has done something not even his father did, which is win an AFL premiership. A tremendous effort like that needs a lot of willpower.
"I'm not saying Angus is going to do that but he's a very focused young man."
Monfries, a first-year journalism student at La Trobe University, says that the thought of wasting an opportunity has always annoyed him and it is clear that he will never wish that he had been more faithful or attentive to those who taught him.
"I just don't want to look back and think I could have done better. I've always tried to do as well as I can," he said.
That much was said of Monfries by his teachers who described him in those year 7 reports as an exceedingly dedicated student - "highly motivated" and "diligent".
It would therefore come as no surprise to them, either, that their former pupil negotiated his first pre-season by committing himself to early evenings, or that he was on the training track 45 minutes before training began on Wednesday to practise, among other things, the improbably tight-angled Daicos shot he put into the goal post in the second quarter against Melbourne.
"I thought it was good off the boot but it looped a little wide. I want to make the next one," he said.
Monfries was Sheedy's first booking on Tuesday morning for the personalised tape review the coach conducts with each player after a match.
When a massage meant he couldn't honour the appointment, he was back at Sheedy's door before the coach was done with the player, Mark Alvey, who had replaced him in the schedule. "You've got to love a kid like that," Sheedy said.
By Stephen Rielly
April 1, 2005
Angus Monfries has always had his eyes on the prize - a successful career in the AFL.
Essendon's star debutant was an early starter in marketing.
Two years ago, a then eight-year-old South Melbourne Districts footballer who was, and thankfully remains, likely to have a glorious career with Essendon, asked his father how Kevin Sheedy would know where to find him when the inevitable call from Windy Hill had to be placed.
Unable to dismiss the prospect of Sheedy still coaching the Dons in 2012 or thereabouts, when delivery of the dream is due, the boy's father replied: "Do your best and Sheeds will know where you are."
Four years earlier, a 12-year-old South Australian boy with those very same stars in his eyes asked himself a similar question - how will the game find me?
This child, about to finish primary school, didn't wait for an answer. He produced his own. He ran off 16 copies of his impressive year 7 school reports from Pembroke School, attached them to a letter of introduction and an outline of his sporting achievements, match statistics and interests and posted them out to every AFL club.
The letter of introduction told of how the young author wanted to play AFL football and ended with a final paragraph that read: "Mum and Dad know that I want to play football at the highest level I can achieve, but they are also keen for me to get the best education I can.
"I look forward to your earliest reply and would appreciate any feedback you could give me to achieve my goals."
It was signed: "Yours sincerely, Angus Monfries."
Track forward through time, to last Saturday night, and the boy who penned that paragraph lest he be overlooked signed off on another statement - a wonderfully assured debut for Essendon.
On an otherwise forgettable occasion for the red and blacks, who looked a tired and thoughtless outfit by the second half against Melbourne, Monfries' performance, coupled with that of 19-year-old Kepler Bradley at centre half-back, was worth remembering. It was a nerveless display from an 18-year-old who, it is not a cliche to say, had prepared for his moment for a very long time.
"I wanted to introduce myself, just in case people were interested," Monfries explained this week. "I didn't know whether they were watching me or not."
When Sheedy was told of the resumes Monfries sent off six years ago, the coach was not surprised.
"That's how professional this kid is," he explained.
"He reminds me of Mark Williams. Not because he's a similar type of player - he's not - but he's as focused, and Mark Williams was the most focused person I ever met during my career.
"While I was playing, I did a clinic in the late 1970s at Port Adelaide when Mark was starting. I couldn't believe how driven he was. He was waiting at every witch's hat almost before I had them out.
"From an enthusiasm point of view, Mark Williams was always going to achieve what he set out to do. He wanted to play AFL. He did. He wanted to captain his team. He did. He got the arse from Glenelg as coach and he said, 'I'll be back'. He was. And now he has done something not even his father did, which is win an AFL premiership. A tremendous effort like that needs a lot of willpower.
"I'm not saying Angus is going to do that but he's a very focused young man."
Monfries, a first-year journalism student at La Trobe University, says that the thought of wasting an opportunity has always annoyed him and it is clear that he will never wish that he had been more faithful or attentive to those who taught him.
"I just don't want to look back and think I could have done better. I've always tried to do as well as I can," he said.
That much was said of Monfries by his teachers who described him in those year 7 reports as an exceedingly dedicated student - "highly motivated" and "diligent".
It would therefore come as no surprise to them, either, that their former pupil negotiated his first pre-season by committing himself to early evenings, or that he was on the training track 45 minutes before training began on Wednesday to practise, among other things, the improbably tight-angled Daicos shot he put into the goal post in the second quarter against Melbourne.
"I thought it was good off the boot but it looped a little wide. I want to make the next one," he said.
Monfries was Sheedy's first booking on Tuesday morning for the personalised tape review the coach conducts with each player after a match.
When a massage meant he couldn't honour the appointment, he was back at Sheedy's door before the coach was done with the player, Mark Alvey, who had replaced him in the schedule. "You've got to love a kid like that," Sheedy said.
