Damian Monkhorst

Last updated

Damian Monkhorst
Damian Monkhorst.jpg
Monkhorst in April 2017
Personal information
Original team(s) Woori Yallock
Height 202 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Weight 116 kg (256 lb)
Position(s) Ruckman
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
1988–1999 Collingwood 205 (45)
2000 St Kilda 010 0(0)
Total215 (45)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2000.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Damian Monkhorst is a former Australian rules football player who played with the Collingwood Football Club and St Kilda Football Club.

Contents

Playing career

During his playing career with Collingwood, Monkhorst was known as one of the league's best and toughest ruckmen to play against. [1]

'Monkey' came to Collingwood from Woori Yallock and made his debut in 1988. The 202 cm, 116 kg big man was classed as a no.1 ruckman as soon as he got to Victoria Park, and his early career headed him to become a premiership ruckman in 1990. Monkhorst said that he was lucky to be playing in the Grand Final after fellow big man James Manson had a brilliant finals campaign, but Monkhorst dominated experienced performer Simon Madden after spending most of the first quarter on the bench.

Monkhorst developed well, and performed at his peak in years 1992–1994, where he finished third in the best and fairest in each of the seasons. Monkhorst proved as a tough man, but in 1994 he was involved in a controversial incident which then introduced the melee rule, as he had started a melee after running through Essendon's huddle at the start of a match.

In 1995 during the drawn Anzac Day match at the MCG in front of 95,000 spectators, Monkhorst was involved in an incident that would bring enduring social change to the AFL when he was accused of racially vilifying Essendon's Aboriginal wingman Michael Long. Monkhorst was required to attend a mediation session with Long and although Long was not happy with the outcome at the time, the handshake at the end of the session has since paved the way for very few racial taunts on the field, with less than half-a-dozen reported since. [2]

1996 took a turn on Monkhorst's career where he was outed several times with hamstring and back injuries. In 1997 he came back but had put on weight after a foot injury plagued him. He played some decent matches and went past a 10-year mark with the Magpies before playing game 200. At the end of 1999 he was traded to St Kilda where he played only one season with the club, which finished wooden spooner.

Post VFL/AFL career

Following his retirement from the AFL, Monkhorst returned to the Woori Yallock club to play. He maintained a strong friendship with Dermott Brereton formed during the time at Collingwood, which resulted in Brereton playing for the same club after retirement.

He has made several appearances in AFL Legends Matches.

At the start of the 2010 pre-season, Monkhorst was appointed head ruck coach of the Hawthorn Football Club, to help impart his ruck knowledge onto their ruckmen.

Monkhorst is currently (September 2023) the rucks coach at North Melbourne.

Personal life

Monkhorst's eldest son, Brent, was in an induced coma in the Alfred Hospital in 2007, due to a virus that required a heart transplant, [3] He later made a full recovery. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Long (footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1969

Michael Long is a former Australian rules footballer of Aboriginal descent who became a spokesperson for Indigenous rights and against racism in sport in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff White (Australian footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1977

Jeffrey Newman "Jeff" White is an Australian rules footballer who had a distinguished career in the Australian Football League (AFL) spanning 14 years. He played most recently and notably for the Melbourne Football Club, following a move from the Fremantle Dockers at the end of 1997. He was Melbourne's first-choice ruckman for a decade, relying on his key attributes of athleticism and durability. He was an All-Australian in 2004, and was selected for Victoria several times. He was an important member of the Melbourne sides which made the 2000 AFL Grand Final and qualified for six finals series from 1998 to 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1899 VFL season</span> Third season of the Victorian Football League (VFL)

The 1899 VFL season was the third season of the Victorian Football League (VFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Victoria. The season featured eight clubs, ran from 13 May until 16 September, and comprised a 14-game home-and-away season followed by a finals series featuring all eight clubs.

Dermott Hugh Brereton is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club, Sydney Swans and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Born of Irish migrants, Brereton is regarded as one of key members of Hawthorn's era of dominance in the 1980s. A centre half-forward with strong marking skills and a reliable kick for goal, Brereton was renowned for his flamboyant style and rugged on-field conduct, which resulted in frequent visits to the Tribunal. For all his physicality, Brereton was as courageous as he was aggressive and his ability to play through debilitating injuries was remarkable, although inevitably this would impact him severely in later years. He also represented Victoria in State of Origin matches, and both played for and coached Australia in the International Rules Series.
Brereton was recognized for his on-field achievements when he was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1999. He has since become a respected member of the football media, working for various TV and radio stations in Melbourne covering the AFL as a commentator and analyst.

Steven Alessio, is a former Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club. He played 184 games for Essendon between 1992 and 2003. Of Italian descent and named in the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century in 2007. Alessio was named as the starting ruckman for Essendon's 'Best of the AFL era' (post-1990) team, named in 2015.

In Australian rules football, the followers are the players in the following three positions: ruckman, ruck-rover, and rover. These three players are known as followers because they have traditionally been used as players that follow the ball all around the ground, as opposed to playing in a set position. In recent years, there has been a decreased emphasis on set positions in Australian football. Followers still cover more ground than any other player on the field.

Peter "Spida" Everitt is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club, Hawthorn Football Club and Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for St Kilda from 1993 to 2002, Hawthorn from 2003 to 2006, and Sydney in 2007 and 2008. He finished his career having played 291 games in the AFL. Since retiring from football he has worked in the media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Foote</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1924

Leslie Roy Foote was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Gardiner</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1979

Michael Strickland Gardiner is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from Albany, Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Clarke (Australian footballer)</span> Australian rules footballer, born 1973

Matthew Clarke is a former professional Australian rules football player and current coach who is the head coach of Adelaide in the AFL Women's. Prior to coaching, he played in the Australian Football League (AFL), his career spanning four clubs and a total of 258 games between 1993 and 2007. He was known as one of the most effective tap ruckmen of his era.

Cameron Cloke is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club, Carlton Football Club and Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is the son of former Richmond and Collingwood player, David Cloke and the brother of Jason and Travis Cloke.

John Barnes is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.

Rivalries in the Australian Football League exist between many teams, most of which typically draw large crowds and interest regardless of both teams' positions on the ladder. The AFL encourages the building of such rivalries, as a method of increasing publicity for the league, to the point of designating one round each year as "Rivalry Round" when many of these match-ups are held on the one weekend. Whilst some rivalries, such as between teams from adjacent areas, are still strong, the designation of an entire round of fixtures as a Rivalry Round is often criticised due to some arbitrary match-ups, or ignoring stronger and more recent rivalries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paddy Ryder</span> Australian rules footballer

Patrick Ryder is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon, Port Adelaide and St Kilda Football Clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Ryder was noted for his speed, agility and leap for someone of his size and it was these attributes that had his first AFL coach in Kevin Sheedy comparing him to Indigenous Australian rules football star Graham "Polly" Farmer. Ryder's father, Revis Ryder, played football for East Fremantle.

Cameron Wood is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Lions, Collingwood Football Club and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Hudson</span> Australian rules footballer

Ben Hudson is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club, Western Bulldogs, Brisbane Lions and Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as the defensive skills, ruck and forwards coach at the Brisbane Lions since September 2014. He was also the ruck coach for Collingwood after being selected as a mature age rookie player in the 2012 rookie draft.

Steve McKee is a former Australian rules footballer for both Richmond (1998–1999) and Collingwood (2000–2004) in the Australian Football League. An effective ruckman, McKee is best remembered for his four-year stint with Collingwood, where he represented the team in the 2002 AFL Grand Final.

Matthew Rendell was an Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League and South Australian National Football League (SANFL).

Gareth John is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Hickey (footballer, born 1991)</span> Australian rules footballer

Tom Hickey is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Gold Coast Suns, the St Kilda Football Club, and the West Coast Eagles.

References

  1. ↑ "Coaches". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "Michael Long and Damian Monkhorst look back on AFL racism incident 20 years on". ABC News (Australia) . 29 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Pies star's son fights for life". Herald Sun. news.com.au. 8 April 2007. Archived from the original on 10 April 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  4. ↑ "Mt Arapiles death leads to 'knee-jerk reaction': Calls to ban rock-climbing dismissed". The Wimmera Mail-Times. 13 November 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.