One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: one-eyed on January 08, 2008, 04:42:28 AM
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MARK MERENDA
(http://oneeyed-richmond.com/images/swapcards/bulluss/mark_merenda_1997.jpg)
Guernsey No: 8 (also 39 and 28 in his first 2 years)
D.O.B.: 29-10-1975
Height: 181 cm
Weight: 81 kg
RFC Games: 75
RFC Goals: 62
Position: HFF, Wing
Best returns:
5 goals & 21 disposals, R7 1996 vs Footscray
35 disposals, R20 1996 vs Geelong
29 disposals & 1 goal, R16 1996 vs Essendon
20+ disposals consecutively from round 2 to 7 in 1996.
4 goals & 18 disposals, R21 1997 vs Port
4 goals & 16 disposals, R2 1998 vs Geelong
5 goals & 20 disposals, R21 1998 vs Brisbane
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/stats/players/M/Mark_Merenda.html
Recruited from: West Perth (WAFL). Pick 50 in the 1993 National draft.
Debut: 1994. R12 vs Collingwood.
Departed RFC: End of 2000. Traded to West Coast for pick 57 (Steven Sziller)
Honours:
15 Brownlow votes in 1996 (winners Hird and Voss got 21 votes)
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Unfortunately for Choco he was cut down just as he was starting to show his best.
I think he would have been a gun, very classy and had the ability to win a game and do something out of the ordinary.
Another player who was unable to show us absolute best.
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Another player who started well but ended up disappointing.
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he is a wog just like me so i love him..hahaha
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Remember some supporters in his last few years with us thinking he was playing on his back injury because they thought he no longer wanted to play for Richmond.
On his day Merenda could be a matchwinner but we only saw it a handful of times before injury stuffed his body up.
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Will confess to not being a fan
He was like Daffy - lots of kicks but they usually went to the opposition. I remember game at the MCG he had about 25 odd kicks and I reckon 4 went to teammates the rest went eithe rdirectly to an opponent or he kicked it a one on 2-3 contest which resulted in a turnover.
Even allowing for the back injury which was unfortunate I wasn't sorry to see him traded
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well mate have a look at our team's leaders now. Sugar and raines and co.
nothing has changed. if u think daff and choco were bad what are your thoughts on our current captain.
6 of 1 in my book
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I think the fact that he got 15 votes in 96 shows he had ability.
He probably did have the same bad habit as Daffy in that they often went onto their left foot when it wasnt required, thus creating more turnovers.
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I think the fact that he got 15 votes in 96 shows he had ability.
He probably did have the same bad habit as Daffy in that they often went onto their left foot when it wasnt required, thus creating more turnovers.
I thought he got 18 votes in 1996. Justin Charles and Richo also polled well.
Anyway I thought he was a reasonable player that had some polish but overall lacked consistency and then unfortunantely his body gave up. I remember a game against Geelong rd 20 1996 at the MCG he got 16 possessions in the first quarter. That might be the game WP was referring to.
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Good player, champion bloke.
:thumbsup
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I think the fact that he got 15 votes in 96 shows he had ability.
He probably did have the same bad habit as Daffy in that they often went onto their left foot when it wasnt required, thus creating more turnovers.
I thought he got 18 votes in 1996. Justin Charles and Richo also polled well.
Anyway I thought he was a reasonable player that had some polish but overall lacked consistency and then unfortunantely his body gave up. I remember a game against Geelong rd 20 1996 at the MCG he got 16 possessions in the first quarter. That might be the game WP was referring to.
21 Michael Voss, James Hird, Corey McKernan (ineligible)
20 Nathan Burke, Chris Grant
19 Garry Hocking
18 Paul Salmon
17 Justin Charles, Robert Harvey, Stewart Loewe, Guy McKenna
15 Mark Merenda, John Platten, Wayne Carey
Richo got 13 votes and Brodders 11.
Despite finishing 9th :P we had the 5th most votes collectively as a team. One more than the premiers North.
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/brownlow/brownlow1996.html
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I thought he got 18 votes in 1996. Justin Charles and Richo also polled well.
Anyway I thought he was a reasonable player that had some polish but overall lacked consistency and then unfortunantely his body gave up. I remember a game against Geelong rd 20 1996 at the MCG he got 16 possessions in the first quarter. That might be the game WP was referring to.
Yeah it could be that game HT74 - don't remeber the opponent. Just remember I was about to jump from the GS stand to throttel him because of his poor disposal.
Possessions = it about quality not quantity :thumbsup
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I think the fact that he got 15 votes in 96 shows he had ability.
He probably did have the same bad habit as Daffy in that they often went onto their left foot when it wasnt required, thus creating more turnovers.
I thought he got 18 votes in 1996. Justin Charles and Richo also polled well.
Anyway I thought he was a reasonable player that had some polish but overall lacked consistency and then unfortunantely his body gave up. I remember a game against Geelong rd 20 1996 at the MCG he got 16 possessions in the first quarter. That might be the game WP was referring to.
21 Michael Voss, James Hird, Corey McKernan (ineligible)
20 Nathan Burke, Chris Grant
19 Garry Hocking
18 Paul Salmon
17 Justin Charles, Robert Harvey, Stewart Loewe, Guy McKenna
15 Mark Merenda, John Platten, Wayne Carey
Richo got 13 votes and Brodders 11.
Despite finishing 9th :P we had the 5th most votes collectively as a team. One more than the premiers North.
http://stats.rleague.com/afl/brownlow/brownlow1996.html
There you go I for the life of me thought he got 18. I gave him one best on ground to many.
Thanks for clearing that up One Eyed :thumbsup. Sorry on cutting your lunch Tigers For Life. :cheers
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i didn't know he polled that well in 1996 ???
didn't know that !!!
good player ... 6/10
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Wouldnt think there would be many players who have polled 15 or more votes at Punt Road in the past 20 years
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Wouldnt think there would be many players who have polled 15 or more votes at Punt Road in the past 20 years
True .. but Nathan Foley is a bloody good player and he hardly polled a vote in 2007.
So Brownlow votes can be decieving - does Woewodin ring a bell - one stand out season but no consistency and gone within what 4-5 years of winning the thing
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Woewodins year was a standout, beat players like Buckley, Kouta, West ,McLeod who all had great year in 2000
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15 votes in 1996 and 2 votes in 1998. That was it for his career. Summed it all up really. Very, very much like Daffy - got a fair bit of it on an inconsistent basis, loved a goal, poor disposal, had a career 'purple patch' that inflated people's perception of his worth. Wasn't sorry to see him go and we didn't miss him.
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poor bloke couldnt even bend down to take his boots off in 1997 and after,his back was shot.
bit harsh some posters on here
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poor bloke couldnt even bend down to take his boots off in 1997 and after,his back was shot.
bit harsh some posters on here
Didn't stop him validating all the rumours by going home and trying out with a side that just happened to be a lot more promising of success (and in his home state) than the one he left. Only trouble with his plan was that he wasn't up to it - whether injury or ability drove that who knows.
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Can tell you Mark was very comfortbale living in Melbourne.
Medically he was told not to play football although he wanted to.
The agreement with RFC was that he went back to WA with there best wishes.
His back issue was bad.
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Wouldnt think there would be many players who have polled 15 or more votes at Punt Road in the past 20 years
Matty Knights had got the most in the past 20 years with 18 votes in 1998.
Richo 6 (2007)
Simmo 11 (2006)
Cogs 10 (2005)
Richo 10 (2004)
Cogs 16 (2003)
Richo 12 (2002)
Cameron 11 (2001)
Knights 9 (2000)
Richo 16 (1999)
Knights 18 (1998)
Gaspar 12 (1997)
Charles 17 (1996)
Knights 16 (1995)
Brodders 10 (1994)
Knights 13 (1993)
Maxfield 6 (1992)
Knights 17 (1991), David Cloke got 16.
Nichols 10 (1990)
McKellar 10 (1989)
Mitchell 12 (1988)
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mark was the best sicilian player going around and had what most at rfc never had, balls and skills
its a shame his back ruined his career, would have been a gem if it werent for injuries
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lol
For a sicilian,his wife sure had him by the testicoli !
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bit harsh some posters on here
Another gem from you right there Little Jackie :rollin
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bit harsh some posters on here
Another gem from you right there Little Jackie :rollin
I am only harsh on one thing
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Wouldnt think there would be many players who have polled 15 or more votes at Punt Road in the past 20 years
Matty Knights had got the most in the past 20 years with 18 votes in 1998.
Richo 6 (2007)
Simmo 11 (2006)
Cogs 10 (2005)
Richo 10 (2004)
Cogs 16 (2003)
Richo 12 (2002)
Cameron 11 (2001)
Knights 9 (2000)
Richo 16 (1999)
Knights 18 (1998)
Gaspar 12 (1997)
Charles 17 (1996)
Knights 16 (1995)
Brodders 10 (1994)
Knights 13 (1993)
Maxfield 6 (1992)
Knights 17 (1991), David Cloke got 16.
Nichols 10 (1990)
McKellar 10 (1989)
Mitchell 12 (1988)
Knighter 5, Cambo 0. The umps sure loved Cambo.
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lol
For a sicilian,his wife sure had him by the testicoli !
LUCKY for him, cos she had a great mouth!
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bit harsh some posters on here
Another gem from you right there Little Jackie :rollin
I am only harsh on one thing
I know you are ... the entire RFC :rollin ;) :rollin :jump
:eyebrow
:thumbsup
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I am only harsh on one thing
I know you are ... the entire RFC :rollin ;) :rollin :jump
:eyebrow
:thumbsup
:thatsgold :rollin
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bit harsh some posters on here
Another gem from you right there Little Jackie :rollin
I am only harsh on one thing
I know you are ... the entire RFC :rollin ;) :rollin :jump
:eyebrow
:thumbsup
TOTALLY incorrect
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merenda had more heart than chumps like daffy ever did
was one of my fav players growing up early days as a tiger fan, was sad that it ended so very quickly and we didnt get to see more of him
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Really only had one good season of football (1996).
The rest was chump change.
He was a bit unlucky with injury sure but he's really overrated by some here.
Unfortunately many of the Tigers over the last 25 years are in the same boat.
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16 votes in a brownlow isnt overrating.
You never lose your ability
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16 votes in a brownlow isnt overrating.
You never lose your ability
For a short period you can certainly play well above your 'true' ability. It could be influenced by any number of tangible or intangible factors but sports history in general is rife with otherwise average players who have had their 5 minutes in the sun. Whatever they were, all of Merenda's planets lined up in 1996 and he had a good season. I am very happy to continue debating his consistency and output over his career as I stand by what I said. Here are some stats from his career (he was 19 years old in 1994):
Year Games Disp AveDisp Goals Tack Games>10Disp Games>1Goal
1994 2 3 1.5 1 0 0 0 Richmond
1995 20 107 5.3 4 16 2 1 Richmond
1996 22 414 18.8 21 26 18 3 Richmond
1997 16 188 11.7 18 18 9 6 Richmond
1998 10 117 11.7 16 16 6 4 Richmond
1999 3 12 4 2 3 0 0 Richmond
2000 2 12 6 0 2 0 0 Richmond
2001 19 221 11.6 21 48 11 5 West Coast
2002 7 69 9.8 5 12 4 1 West Coast
From this you can see that his 1996 season stood out head and shoulders above his output from any other season. Interesting to note his performance in his first year at West Coast after leaving Richmond because of 'terminal' injury problems. His output went straight back to what it was in his other full seasons except for '96. For a goal kicking forward/midfielder he didn't get enough of the ball or kick enough goals to be classed as great in any of these roles, again except for '96. There were heaps of rumours around in 2000 that he was using injury as an excuse to get out of the club and return home. I don't have any credible information as to the truth or otherwise of this but the figures above paint a damning story. I agree that injury most likely curtailed his ability and (eventually) career but I don't believe he was as good as many made out. Flashy and inconsistent.
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16 votes in a brownlow isnt overrating.
You never lose your ability
Shane Woewodin board ;)
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There were heaps of rumours around in 2000 that he was using injury as an excuse to get out of the club and return home. I don't have any credible information as to the truth or otherwise of this but the figures above paint a damning story.
Like a couple of posters here, 2000 was the first year I started using forums like this (the long defunct Roarpower forum) and Merenda was probably the most maligned Tiger at that time because of those rumours about him using his back injury as an excuse to leave and play for the Eagles back in WA. Not too many supporters were sorry to see him go when he was finally traded. West Coast were totally crap in 2001 (the only year we've beaten them at Subi) and that's how they got their hands on Judd. So although Merenda didn't have too bad a first year for the Eagles, it was much easier for him to get a game.
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16 votes in a brownlow isnt overrating.
You never lose your ability
Shane Woewodin board ;)
As I said, you never lose your ability.
Woewodin was an extremely good footballer. gifted actually.
Although you might find he never fitted into a team enviroment. ;)
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16 votes in a brownlow isnt overrating.
You never lose your ability
Shane Woewodin board ;)
As I said, you never lose your ability.
Woewodin was an extremely good footballer. gifted actually.
Although you might find he never fitted into a team enviroment. ;)
But he will always be remembered as a one year wonder because he never reached to the same heights after 2000 and was exposed as footy got much quicker.
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b
16 votes in a brownlow isnt overrating.
You never lose your ability
Shane Woewodin board ;)
As I said, you never lose your ability.
Woewodin was an extremely good footballer. gifted actually.
Although you might find he never fitted into a team enviroment. ;)
But he will always be remembered as a one year wonder because he never reached to the same heights after 2000 and was exposed as footy got much quicker.
Libber was another one. Probably the WORST PLAYER to win the Brownlow and the game had well and truly passed him by, by the time he used scragging scratching kinghitting behind play squirrel gripping and any other WWF manoeves to keep his opponent to a minimum. Lamentably for him people in general but those connected with this forum and our club will remember him for the round 2 2001 incident with Knighter. For this poster personally I thought his later career was an indictment on the game and his earlier career was just average at best.Just got lucky very early on in his career and lived off the royalties that come with winning the Brownlow especially at a club like Footscray who have had virtually no on field success.
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Off the field, Libba is one of the nicest blokes you will ever meet
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bit harsh some posters on here
Another gem from you right there Little Jackie :rollin
I am only harsh on one thing
I know you are ... the entire RFC :rollin ;) :rollin :jump
:eyebrow
:thumbsup
TOTALLY incorrect
Smile Jackie - just having some fun ;D
Woewodin was an extremely good footballer. gifted actually.
He had 1 good year - got rewarded handsomely for it and failed to delvier anything after it.
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Off the field, Libba is one of the nicest blokes you will ever meet
I'm sure he is as are most other blokes who have or are involved in AFL footy Lil' Jackie.
I heard from alot that Spud was a nice bloke as well outside of footy but unfortunantely we are talking about these blokes in a football capacity not from a personal sense.
I am not questioning their social credentialls just trying to give an opinionated responce on someone on their AFL career. I know you are a good person Lil Jackie :thumbsup
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Spud, terrific bloke, problem were the people he had around him.
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Spud, terrific bloke, problem were the people he had around him.
He was senior coach. The responsibility rested with him. So having gameplan A and no B, C or D, drafting one KPP in 5 years, missing out on the best young talent trading away good picks topping up with HFF duds even though in 2001 it was our midfield that let us down in the end, etc... was someone else's fault. Sure others at the Club like Brayshaw and Beck were just as hopeless but please our list was a disaster zone by the time Spud was finished it.
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Like Daffy, one of those infuriating players that never handballed to a person in better position and always chose to kick the ball, largely indiscriminately. Wasn't bad on his day, but his day was a rare day.
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Like Daffy, one of those infuriating players that never handballed to a person in better position and always chose to kick the ball, largely indiscriminately. Wasn't bad on his day, but his day was a rare day.
:clapping :clapping :clapping :clapping
JohnF - the voice of reason ;) ;D