MANY - particularly Melbourne supporters - consider Jamie Shanahan more a Demon than a Saint, and when he thinks about it, Shanahan confesses that it’s a nice feeling.

‘Sometimes I get asked how many games I played for Melbourne, and when I tell them it was 37, it always feels like I was there for more!’

From 1992 to 1997, Shanahan played 125 games for St Kilda, finishing off with a Grand Final appearance. Unfortunately, in the wake of the Saints’ loss, he ‘copped flak’, and the dawning of 1998 saw him heading off to Melbourne and the No. 1 guernsey.

‘It was an interesting time’, he says. ‘At the end of 1997, St Kilda was at the top, and Melbourne was at the bottom, then the two sides ended up playing each other in the 1998 finals, and Melbourne won. It shows how quickly things change.’

Shanahan, indeed, was a valuable part of that change.

‘It was a bit daunting’, he says now of the shift.

‘But I got a great reception from the Club, and it made it easy to settle in.’

In cultural terms, he knew what he was heading into, with the modern history of Melbourne and St Kilda being quite similar, tied up in their most recent, 1960s based premierships. 

‘Any sort of success was - and is - pretty well received - that was the case at both clubs.’

Shanahan was excited to be part of a defensive lineup at the beginning of a new coaching reign in 1998.

‘It was Neale Daniher’s first year and there were quite a few player changes. Whitey (Jeff White) came along, Travis [Johnstone] was recruited, and there was quite a change of the list.’

Down in the back line, he and his cohorts held strong, all embracing Melbourne after coming from other clubs.

As well as Shanahan, there was Anthony Ingerson from Adelaide, Marcus Seecamp from Fitzroy, and ‘sometimes Matty Collins came down there as well’ - another former Adelaide player finished off the theme.

Looking back at his pair of seasons with the Demons, Shanahan is reflective as to the comparisons between the two.

‘It’s hard to put 1998 and 1999 together’, he says.

‘The two seasons were really chalk and cheese. But everything added up. For example, in 1998, we got good impact out of Stinga (Stephen Tingay) and [Garry] Lyon, then we missed them in 1999. Everyone was up and going in 1998, but it was the reverse in 1999, and we struggled for confidence. You really underestimate how much it changes from year to year.’

The two seasons were changeable for Shanahan, as well. From playing 22 games and making a major contribution in 1998, suspension and injury saw him drop to 15 games in 1999.

Nonetheless, at the end of the latter season, ‘a strong pre-season’ was forecast for him by the Club heading into 2000.

‘Neale had a talk to a few guys who were towards the end of their career.  He told us that the focus was on youth, and that we would have to be 100 per cent.  I knew it was my last year.’

Shanahan was prepared to put the hard work in, but the football gods had other plans for him.

‘I had a crack at the pre-season, and I was as fit as I’d ever been. Then, five minutes into our first practice match in Adelaide, I tore my hamstring off the bone.’

It was a devastating blow, and with all the rehabilitation required, it was the end for Jamie Shanahan’s AFL career.

‘I didn’t get the nice milestones I’d hoped for - 50 games with the Club, 200 career games. But, my last game was a premiership with Sandringham in the VFL, with quite a few of the Melbourne guys involved, so that was pretty special.’

Shanahan’s positive attitude and love of the game have since seen him maintain an involvement ever since.

From a stint as captain-coach at Canberra powerhouse Ainslie, to assistant coaching alongside Mark Williams at Sandringham, and time at Old Haileybury, Shanahan is now assisting former St Kilda teammate Mick Dwyer at St Bedes Mentone.

‘I also coached my son for three of his junior years, which was great’, says Shanahan, who freely admits that he simply loves being around the football environment and finds it hard to break the habit of a lifetime.

‘Sometimes I need a break, so I take one year off, and then I need to get back.  It’s a good, exciting environment, and I miss it.’

Outside the football arena, Shanahan has been involved with Skylift Cranes for around eight years.

‘The business is owned by a friend, and I manage it.’

In the current economic climate, where the absence of cranes on the horizon is often a primary sign of tough times, Shanahan applies many of the lessons learned through his time in football.

‘It’s been a hard few years, we‘re just ticking over and through, but it has slowed up a bit. I apply a lot of what I learned in footy, how to manage yourself, and how to be effective in a team environment.’

His is a demanding role, but there is no doubt that Shanahan is more than capable of dealing with any number of challenges.

As for his role as a former Demon, Shanahan is once again reflective.

‘It’s nice that I’m so Melbourne Football Club. It’s always felt like I’d been there a lot longer, and I really was able to fit into that group.

‘Catching up with his former teammates is sometimes difficult - ‘I keep in contact with Ingo (Anthony Ingerson), but sometimes it’s hard to keep contact - it depends on your stage in life.’

As for following the Saints or the Demons, Shanahan is all embracing.

‘I find myself stuck in the middle, sometimes, caught between both clubs. I’m a supporter of both clubs!’ However, the red and blue claims his affection for ‘the good network’, which keeps him connected to Melbourne more often than not.

What is clear is that Jamie Shanahan - for all his relatively brief stay - is a true Demon, albeit one who comes complete with a Saints halo.