Todd Viney | Demonwiki (original) (raw)

DOB: 30 March <1966>

Debut: Round 1, 1987 against at
Last Game: Round 22, 1999 against at

From: Sturt

Number: 12 (1987-1999)

Honours:
Captain - <1998> - <1999>
Best and Fairest - <1993>, <1998>
Grand Final team - 1988
Night Premiership player - <1987>, <1989>
All Australian - <1998>
South Australia state player - <1991>, <1994>, <1995>, <1997>, <1999>
Australian International Rules team - <1998>, <1999>
Life Member - <1996>
MFC Hall of Fame inductee - <2008>

Games: 233
Goals: 92
Career Statistics

Statistical categories led
Most games in jumper 12

After abandoning football aged 13 to concentrate on tennis, Viney rose as high as the number two junior player in Australia before making a snap decision to return to football during a tour of Europe. He played an Under 19s game for Sturt the day after returning to Australia, and was an senior player a year later, winning the <1985> South Australian rookie of the year award.

Pursued by both and Melbourne, Viney played another season in South Australia then signed a two year contract to join the Demons in <1987>. After an impressive first season soured only by nine weeks missed with a knee injury, the 21-year-old was elevated to Deputy Vice-Captain for <1988>. That year he lost form towards the end of the season as he battled injuries, and was dropped for the Preliminary Final after not registering a stat in the Semi. Viney was handed a reprieve when Steve O'Dwyer was suspended for the Grand Final but registered just five touches during Melbourne's record loss.

Viney was restricted to nine games in <1989> due to a pair of hamstring injuries, but was a regular the next year until a season-ending knee injury in Round 18. He played 24 games in <1991>, including two finals. That year he was involved in one of the biggest controversies of the year when Chris Lewis of West Coast was suspended for biting him in Round 16. At the end of that season he signed a three year contract extension.

<1993> was Viney's best campaign to date, playing 20 games and winning his first Best and Fairest. <1994> was another great season, playing 25 of 26 matches as Melbourne made a Preliminary Final. He missed the last three games of <1995> with a broken arm, and retired before <1996> to join the coaching staff of tennis player Mark Philippoussis on a reported salary of $200,000. Melbourne retained him on their senior list, and after what was supposed to be a short stint with Melbourne at the start of the season he returned full time after relations with the Philippoussis camp soured. At the end of that year, his name was floated as a potential trade to the new Port Adelaide team but he stayed with Melbourne.

Melbourne crashed to the bottom of the ladder in <1997> but Viney played every game. He was appointed captain for <1998> when Garry Lyon stepped down, and had a magnificent year leading a team that unexpectedly returned to finals. Before Round 20, 1999 Viney announced that he would retire at the end of the season. He had suffered sciatic nerve problems which had affected his hamstrings, and he'd required a mid-season epidural to get him through the end of the year. A degenerative knee condition troubled him as well.

Viney's brother Jay briefly played for the Demons in the early 1990s. Their youngest brother Ryan trained with the Demons at the end of the <2000> season but was not drafted. His son Jack announced in November <2010> that he would sign with the Demons, and was picked by the club at the 2012 National Draft.

Year Games Goals Brownlow ((1987 1693<1988>

12

1

0

<1989>

9

6

0

<1990>

15

12

1

<1991>

24

13

7

<1992>

22

7

1

<1993>

20

6

2

<1994>

25

3

2

<1995>

17

4

3

<1996>

12

1

2

<1997>

22

7

9

<1998>

22

15

20

<1999>

17

8

5

Tribunal Record

Coaching

First game as coach: Round 20, 2011 vs at
Last game as coach: Round 24, 2011 vs Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval

Turning back an offer to become an assistant at , Viney joined Melbourne as a midfield coach in <2000> and sat on the match committee while spending a season as a Channel Seven analyst. In <2001> he worked as a player agent, then coached Moama in <2003>, before being recruited by former teammate Alastair Clarkson as an assistant at in <2005>. He worked with the Hawks during their <2008> Premiership season before moving to Adelaide in <2009>. At the end of the <2010> season, Viney returned to Melbourne as General Manager of Player Development and filled in as coach for the last five games after Dean Bailey was sacked.

Viney initially said he had no interest in the job, but hinted after his first win in Round 23 that he was considering applying. A loss to Port Adelaide in the last round ended his claims. He became General Manager of Player Personnel and Strategy in <2012>, which also involved recruiting duties. One of his first acts was to draft his son. He served in the role until <2019>, before joining North Melbourne as General Manager of Football in <2023>.

Video

Lists


Interstate recruits
Interstate representatives

Media
Inside Football - 04/09/1986
Age - 02/10/1986
Age - 24/06/1987
Age - 25/08/1987
Age - 06/04/1989
Canberra Times - 05/08/1990
Age - 10/01/1992
Age - 28/01/1996
Age - 31/01/1996
Age - 04/02/1996
Age - 08/03/1996
Age - 09/10/1996
Age - 15/09/1999
Herald Sun - 02/02/2001
Riverine Herald - 07/10/2002
melbournefc.com.au - 12/10/2010

Links
Australian Rules Football profile
Australian Rules Football Wiki profile
Wikipedia profile