THE 2009 NAB AFL DRAFT was an important time for the Melbourne Football Club.

After recruiting Jack Watts with the first pick the previous year, the Demons snared Tom Scully and Jack Trengove with the first two selections of a particularly strong draft pool.

In the same draft we were able to secure Jordan Gysberts, Luke Tapscott and Max Gawn, all of whom have made an impact on the ground this season.

But it is the often forgotten Rookie Draft nestled between the 2008 and 2009 National Drafts which deserves a little more focus. This is the draft which brought us Jordie McKenzie, our first rookie pick in that year.

Some solid players have come out of that rookie draft along with Jordie. The likes of Jeff Garlett, Matthew DeBoer, Liam Picken and Greg Broughton have all been promoted to the senior list and player over 40 games for their sides.

As Jordie celebrates his 21^st birthday this week, it’s a good time to reflect on the impact of his first 27 matches, in particular his important role in the Demons’ win over the Dockers last weekend.

Many wondered whether Jordie’s two kicks and 26 handballs last Sunday was some kind of record - even the players gave him a fair bit of friendly stick over his reluctance to get the ball on the boot in Round 13.

Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?), the record for most handballs in a match is still pretty safe. Gary Ablett managed 33 (along with 13 kicks) against the Crows in Round 4, 2009.

Matt Priddis, Daniel Cross and Brad Sewell have also managed 30 handballs in a match over the past few seasons.

But despite the rather odd discrepancy between his kicks and handballs, Jordie’s contribution to the win was enormous. He was the leading contested possession player on the ground with 13, including a game-high eight hard ball gets, and managed to get the ball out to the running players with 5 clearances to go with his 26 handballs.

Since his return from injury in Round 9, Jordie leads the league for handballs and is second only to Brent Moloney at the Demons for contested possessions, tackles and clearances in that time.

His 19 matches in 2010 saw him lead the club in tackles with 128 for the season, ahead of captain and renowned tackler James McDonald. His average of 6.7 per game had him ranked 7^th overall across the competition.

Many would argue that Jordie has been stiff not to have been nominated for the NAB Rising Star award at some stage along the way, and it’s a shame that he is now ineligible.

Interestingly, the Demons are third on the list for total Rising Star nominations with 31, behind only the West Coast Eagles (33) and Essendon (32). And many of our nominees are still emerging young players currently on our list.

So now our focus turns to the Tigers in the first Saturday afternoon match at the MCG since Round 4. With both sides developing along a similar path, it will be a big test for the Demons as we aim to win two in a row for the first time this season.

Keep an eye out for the battle of the young midfields during the game. At one stage last week the Demons had Martin, Scully, Trengove and McKenzie contesting the centre bounce, giving us a glimpse of the future.

And the Tigers have thrown Trent Cotchin and Dustin Martin into the middle this year with great effect.

Whichever team can win that battle will be well placed to win the match, especially considering that every time Melbourne has been in front in scoring from stoppages, they have won the game.

The only exception was the St.Kilda match, where a couple of goals late in the final term saw the Dees sneak over the line in stoppage scores.

Looking forward to a big game this week. See you all there.

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