Last week Melbourne won their 13th premiership, breaking a 57-year drought.
It was decades of pain for Demons fans, with the lowest point arguably being 2011, more specifically their Round 19 loss to Geelong.
Geelong, the eventual premiers, smashed the Demons by 186-points, the second-biggest margin in football history. Melbourne also holds the record for the biggest loss, which came in a 190-point deficit to Fitzroy in 1979.
This loss also saw coach Dean Bailey out of the job the very next day.
10 years on, we take a look back at the current premier's team on that fateful day in 2011, and ponder the question, 'where are they now?'
Currently Playing
Only four players from the team were still playing at AFL level in 2021, with two of them recently hanging up the boots.
Jeremy Howe was traded to Collingwood in 2015, where he is currently vice-captain of the Magpies.
Stefan Martin was traded to Brisbane in 2012, and moved to a third club, Western Bulldogs, at the end of 2020. Martin was part of the Dogs' team that lost to Melbourne in the Grand Final.
The two recent retirees are James Frawley and Nathan Jones.
Frawley left Melbourne in 2014 as a free agent and joined Hawthorn, where he won a premiership in 2015. He retired in 2020 but backflipped on the decision and joined St Kilda for season 2021. After managing just two games this year, Frawley retired.
Nathan Jones, the heart and soul of the Melbourne Football Club, was there through thick and thin. The former captain missed most of this season and flew back home before the Grand Final to be with his wife for the birth of their twins. He retires after 302 games, four short of the club's record.
Our heart + soul, who gave it his all. ❤
Nathan Jones is hanging up the boots after 16 seasons in the red + blue.
📝: https://t.co/PdxYuQKA6O | #ThanksJonesy pic.twitter.com/F4Zx0WNYkX
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) September 15, 2021
No Longer Playing
Matthew Bate
One of six Melbourne goal scorers that day, Matthew Bate was a key part of the Demons team since his debut in 2006. The following year in 2012, Bate was delisted after 102 games and subsequently joined Essendon's VFL team.
Following football, Bate graduated from the University of Natural Health with a Bachelor and Masters of Science in Holistic Nutrition and was a certified Sports Nutrition Practitioner.
In 2015, Bate released a book titled 365 Days of Wholeness, about living a healthier life.
He is a world recognised health guru and coach, and uses his experience playing footy at the highest level in his teachings.
Colin Garland
A regular in the red and blue, Colin Garland played the rest of his career at Melbourne, retiring in 2017 after 141 games.
His entire career came during a dark time for the club, having retired before the club's 2018 surge up the ladder.
He returned home to Tasmania following his AFL tenure to play in the Tasmanian State League.
More recently, Garland trained with fellow Tasmanian Ben Brown prior to the latter's first season as a Demon. He was also there for Brown's guernsey presentation.
A special moment for our debutant. ✨
Ben Brown is presented his red + blue guernsey by family + Colin Garland. #FiredUp pic.twitter.com/Sah7oI0rTN
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) May 2, 2021
In a recent interview with AAP, Garland revealed Simon Goodwin reached out to all past players prior the prelim, wishing they could all be there.
He also shared his thoughts on the current success, saying he isn't envious but happy for them.
"The club means a lot to me. I was there from age 18 to 30," he said.
"After your time, you just become a supporter.
"And it's just like anything in life. When you see close friends, who are good people, achieve success in whatever field - that's a really good thing."
Brad Green
The captain in 2011, Brad Green played 254 games and kicked 350 goals before retiring the following year.
A fan favourite, Green was the club's leading goalkicker and best and fairest winner in 2010.
Following his playing career, Green moved into a coaching role and was an assistant coach at both Carlton and North Melbourne.
In 2016, Green earned his Masters in Management at La Trobe University, having earned a diploma at Victoria University during his playing days.
From 2017 to 2018 he worked as a consultant at Modern Group Australia, and today is a managing director at GMH Fire & Safety Australia.
Green returned to the footy club, where he is now on the board as a director.
Jordan Gysberts
Jordan Gysberts had a very short career, playing just 19 games and lasting only four seasons, the last in which he played no games.
Debuting in 2010, Gysberts had a promising start, earning Rising Star nominations that year and in 2011.
In 2012, he was traded to North Melbourne, where he was delisted after one season and no games.
Following footy, Gysberts went into project management, working for a number of companies. Today he is a project manager at Technik Construction.
Mark Jamar
Melbourne's number one ruckman Mark Jamar had a fairly even battle with Geelong ruck Brad Ottens on that day in 2011.
The year before he had a career-best season, earning All-Australian honours.
In his 14th season, Jamar was not offered another contract at Melbourne, ending his 155 game career at the Demons.
The following year, Jamar joined Essendon as a top-up player due to the supplements saga. He played a further five AFL games with the Bombers.
After his playing days were over, Jamar went into coaching and served as Essendon's ruck coach before moving to Collingwood in 2021.
Jamar is also a director at Shutters Australia, having been there since 2014.
Liam Jurrah
A fairly short AFL career, but a memorable one at that, Liam Jurrah played 36 games in four seasons and kicked 81 majors.
He became a shining light for the Demons fans as the club struggled on-field.
Jurrah won the 2010 Mark of the Year and was the club's leading goalkicker in 2011, kicking almost half of his career goals that year.
He was delisted in 2012 amid legal troubles at home in the Northern Territory.
In 2011, a book documenting his life was published titled 'The Liam Jurrah Story: From Yuendumu to the MCG'.
Since his AFL career, Jurrah has had several stints in jail, but he recently shared that his life was back on track.
Jurrah spoke with The Age a week prior to Melbourne's premiership triumph, sharing his mixed feelings.
"I just can't believe they're in the Grand Final. All those years, those ups and downs. I just can't believe it," he said.
Jurrah said he was in contact with Max Gawn and Nathan Jones prior to the Grand Final.
He also acknowledged his career had ended too soon, due to tribal conflict back home.
"I just look back and regret it," he said.
"I loved the moments when I was at the club for a couple of years.
"All my family's saying ‘you should have been there playing in a grand final'. I regret it."
Jurrah has been playing footy alongside his soon to be 16-year-old son, and hopes to see him make the AFL one day.
Addam Maric
Addam Maric only managed 21 games in four seasons for the Demons, struggling to string together consecutive appearances. He was delisted by the end of 2011.
The loss to Geelong was also Maric's final game for Melbourne.
Maric was picked up by Richmond but only managed 10 games at Punt Road before once again being delisted.
Today Addam Maric is running around in the Essendon District Football League, but injury and lockdowns have hampered his playing time.
Jordie McKenzie
Considered the future of the club alongside a few other young names, Jordie McKenzie's career didn't quite reach the heights Melbourne thought it would. He was delisted in 2015 after 79 games.
After the AFL, McKenzie joined North Adelaide in the SANFL, where he played two seasons while also working as a personal trainer.
In 2019, he graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Banking and Finance, working as a banker at Westpac during his education.
He has since made a move to cricket joining Brighton District in 2020.
Brent Moloney
Starting the game against the Cats ill, Brent Moloney was replaced at the start of the third quarter by Matthew Bate, after failing to record a possession.
This, and being dropped sporadically during the season didn't stop Moloney from winning the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal as the Demons' best and fairest.
Despite that, Moloney became the first free agent in AFL, leaving the Demons in 2012 to join his third club Brisbane.
He first played for Geelong before being traded to Melbourne.
Following an Achilles tendon injury in 2014, Moloney retired with 166 games (122 at Melbourne).
After footy Moloney moved into coaching, having coached at One on One Football, a private AFL coaching organisation, as well as Wilston Grange Football Club in the Queensland Australian Football League.
He is also an ambassador for Queensland Cricketers' Club.
Daniel Nicholson
The massive loss to Geelong came in Daniel Nicholson's first season in AFL, a bad start to a career that ended up being short-lived.
Nicholson didn't have a good crack at senior footy, playing only 32 games in four seasons, including only one in his last campaign before being delisted.
His life after footy includes studying sports therapy and injury prevention at university as well as coaching the Port Fairy Seagulls in the Hampden Football Netball League.
Ricky Petterd
Ricky Petterd never had a real good run due to injury, managing 54 games in six seasons.
He then joined Richmond in 2013 as a rookie, playing another 30 games in three years before retiring.
Following his playing career Petterd stayed in football as an assistant coach for Coburg and Box Hill in the VFL.
He then moved to Adelaide to be a recruiter for the club.
During this time, Petterd also worked in the construction industry at various places.
Today he is site foreman at Cobild, based in Cremorne, Victoria.
Jared Rivers
A consistent name in the Melbourne squad, Jared Rivers played 150 games for the Demons between 2003 and 2012.
After three games in his debut season, Rivers earned his place in the team and starred regularly, with 2006 and 2007 being the only outliers - playing only nine games total due to injury.
In 2012, just like his teammate Moloney, Rivers left Melbourne as a free agent and joined Geelong.
He played 44 games in three seasons before retiring in 2015.
After football, Rivers started his own business, taking care of people's day-to-day business while they play golf.
While doing this, he spent four years at Collingwood, coaching the VFL side for three seasons. He then joined North Melbourne in 2019 as defensive coach under Rhyce Shaw, but was let go due to COVID cutting costs.
Since then, Rivers is now the head coach at Collegians Football Club in the VAFA, while also working as a maintenance and operations coordinator at Eastern Property Services.
James Strauss
As a top 20 pick in the 2008 draft, Melbourne would have had high hopes for James Strauss. In the end, he was another name on the long list of Demon's drafting failures.
Strauss didn't play a senior game in his first season due to injury, and 2011 was his most "successful" season, managing nine games.
His final season mirrored his first as he failed to break into the team. He was delisted in 2014 after only 24 games in six seasons.
After AFL, Strauss played in the VAFA and outside of football started his own company.
Alongside teammates Joel Macdonald and Rowan Bail, Strauss launched Liquorun, an alcohol delivery service.
The business seems to be closed for the foreseeable future however.
Colin Sylvia
Another regular who played over 150 games for Melbourne was Colin Sylvia.
Sylvia was drafted at number three in the 2003 National Draft and was one of the best in red and blue during his time at the club.
In 2013, Sylvia left Melbourne and joined Fremantle as an unrestricted free agent, but only managed six games in his first season.
Prior the the 2015 season, he was dropped to the WAFL and therefore announced his immediate retirement.
Sylvia sadly passed away in a car crash three years ago.
Luke Tapscott
Yet another top 20 pick whose career didn't eventuate the way as planned, Luke Tapscott's career started off in the wrong way, playing no games mostly due to injury.
Tapscott played 48 games in five seasons before being delisted in 2014.
In 2015, Tapscott was appointed senior coach of Sorrento in the MPNFL, a job he has kept until June of this year, when he was stood down.
While coaching, he has worked as a carpenter for Layton Builders and is an ambassador for ByDyzyne.
Jack Trengove
The number two pick in the 2009 National Draft, Jack Trengove is possibly Melbourne's most unfortunate story.
Trengove was the youngest captain in V/AFL history at 20 years of age and had played 79 games in his first four seasons. He was surely going to be a star.
Then, a serious foot injury riddled his career.
In his final four seasons at Melbourne, Trengove only managed seven games, missing nearly two years of footy.
He was delisted in 2017 before joining Port Adelaide, but only played a further three games.
In 2014, Trengove actually nearly joined Richmond, and was set to become a Tiger before it was revealed that screws in his foot were cracked. He had to start the whole recovery procedure again.
RELATED: Former Demons skipper opens up on near move to Victorian club
Today Trengove is an equities analyst at Lanyon Asset Management while also playing footy in the Adelaide Footy League.
This year, Trengove won the Keith Sims OAM medal, the league's highest individual honour.
It was great to get the opportunity to speak with Chris about Champion Iron. A company benefiting from the transition to a greener/cleaner way of producing steel. Net cash, +200% growth in production, commencing the payment of a dividend, and further growth optionality. https://t.co/OWyJAMHY1m
— Jack Trengove (@jtren9) September 1, 2021
Jack Watts
A familiar story with this one. Jack Watts was picked at number one in the 2008 draft (yes, Melbourne have had a lot of top draft picks), but arguably didn't live up to standard.
His first game was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Coach Dean Bailey promoted Watts' debut in the annual Queens Birthday match against Collingwood.
He implored fans to come along and said they "will look back at this time in three, four or five years to see where it all began and to be able to say I was there the day Jack Watts made his debut."
The Demons were belted, as was Watts.
His first touch was greeted with a gang tackle by three Pies players.
Watts eventually had a semi-decent career at Melbourne, playing 152 games, but not without criticism of both himself and the club for mishandling him.
Watts was traded to Port Adelaide in 2017, playing 21 games before retiring in 2020.
Off-field incidents were well documented, in 2018 he was involved in a text scandal where his messages were leaked online.
Post football, Watts has recently had legal trouble, pleading guilty to a hit and run car crash.
As for work, Watts started his own clothing line Skwosh alongside two friends, and has spent time working with charities like Cancer Council Australia.
