Joe Misiti

Joe Misiti (born 9 November 1974) is a former Australian rules football player who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Joe Misiti
Personal information
Date of birth (1974-11-09) 9 November 1974
Original team(s) Keilor Park Football Club
Debut Round 23, 1992, Essendon
vs. North Melbourne, at the MCG
Height 186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 89 kg (196 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1992–2004 Essendon 236 (94)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2004.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Originally from Keilor Park and of Italian descent, he made his AFL debut in 1992 and retired at the end of the 2004 premiership season with 236 games to his credit. Described as a "ball-magnet", Misiti was primarily a mid-fielder who was known for his quick handball and his ability to find space in tight situations. After being part of Essendon's 1993 premiership side, Misiti struggled to keep his place in the side in the next two years. However, he regained form and fitness in 1996 and came second in the team's best and fairest in 1997. Misiti was also part of Essendon's 2000 premiership side, and after retirement, he became a member of the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century in 2007.

Biography

Misiti grew up in East Keilor and attended Keilor Heights Primary School and Keilor Heights High School. Misiti grew up being an Essendon supporter and often got his father and uncle to take him to watch the team play. "They built me a little stool to stand on so I could watch from behind the cheer squad. They would sneak off for a couple of quiet ones and then come back and get me at the end of the day and we would have a kick on the ground," Misiti said.[1] Noel Judkins, Essendon's then recruiting manager, witnessed Misiti playing in an Under–15 team as a centre half-back. Although Judkins was impressed with what he saw, Misiti was "a bit slack at training."[1] Nevertheless, he continued to perform, playing for the Essendon Under–19s in the next season, and also won the best and fairest in the process. However, the under-age team was abolished in 1991, with Essendon's senior club list cut back to 45. "We kept 11 guys who were eligible for what would have been the under–19s," said Judkins. "Joey was probably the last guy we kept, because we were worried about his attitude. He had to convince [coach] Kevin Sheedy and the match committee that he was fair dinkum," something he managed to do.[1]

It did not take long for Misiti to make his senior debut, named in the Essendon line-up in late 1992. In the same season, Misiti played in the reserves premiership, before being a part in Essendon's 1993 premiership winning team. Over the following seasons, Misiti—along with a few other teammates—lost fitness. "I thought I could carry a couple of extra kilos and that it wouldn't matter," Misiti said. "So in 1995 I had a good look at myself."[1] His performances in 1996 and 1997 improved, coming in the top five of the best and fairest in both seasons. However, his form dipped to a new low in 1998, forcing his omission for the qualifying final. After a lean few years, Essendon became an AFL powerhouse in 1999, 2000 and 2001, winning the 2000 premiership, while they lost the preliminary final by a point in 1999, along with losing the 2001 Grand Final to Brisbane.[1] He retired at the end of the 2004 season, after playing in 236 games.

In 2005 he played in the Essendon District Football League (EDFL) for Keilor Park and became a member of the VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century, named in 2007.[2]

Statistics
[3]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1992 Essendon 522012029491100.00.510.014.524.55.50.0
1993† Essendon 2423121335021256290230.50.615.29.224.43.91.0
1994 Essendon 24166319912632548160.40.212.47.920.33.01.0
1995 Essendon 242291128420749188150.40.512.99.422.34.00.7
1996 Essendon 242291129220749956300.40.513.39.422.72.51.4
1997 Essendon 24184423820344169250.20.213.211.324.53.81.4
1998 Essendon 24196421417939364290.30.211.39.420.73.41.5
1999 Essendon 24188424619143764270.40.213.710.624.33.61.5
2000† Essendon 242514931231362592610.60.412.512.525.03.72.4
2001 Essendon 24168320616637258260.50.212.910.423.33.61.6
2002 Essendon 24156518916835780410.40.312.611.223.85.32.7
2003 Essendon 24216418516034556370.30.28.87.616.42.71.8
2004 Essendon 24196315311526852320.30.28.16.114.12.71.7
Career 236 94 75 2888 2276 5164 828 362 0.4 0.3 12.2 9.6 21.9 3.5 1.5

Notes
  1. Matthews (2002), p. 197.
  2. "The Final Team". Italian Team of the Century. Archived from the original on 15 February 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  3. Joe Misiti's player profile at AFL Tables

References
  • Simon Matthews (2002). Champions of Essendon: ranking the 60 greatest Bombers of all time. Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 1740640810.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.