The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

Jesse Hogan showing Ox-like stature for the Demons

Roar Pro
26th May, 2015
6

The Melbourne Football Club have had a hit and miss start to season 2015.

Wins against the Suns, Tigers and Bulldogs have been mirrored by losses to the Dockers, Swans and Hawks, and have left Demons fans wondering what sort of team they are going to be at the end of 2015.

When Christian Petracca went down with a season-ending injury it looked as if it was going to be a case of same story different year. Jesse Hogan has proven that may not be the case, however.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that Hogan is the best recruit Melbourne have had this century. The excitement around Jack Watts, Jack Trengove and Tom Scully was high, but Hogan has always been something else.

Hogan spent 2013 in the VFL, and as excited as Demons faithful were to see him in the red and blue, the results of his time in the VFL were key in his development. Thirty-nine goals in 15 games before suffering a knee injury was a strong snapshot of what he was capable of.

While he only appeared once for Casey in 2014, it was enough to whet the appetite. His debut against the Gold Coast in Round 1 of this year was a game to remember, not only because of the result, but the collective relief that Hogan was named in the side.

Fourteen goals in seven games is something seldom achieved by a Demons player, so rightfully, seeing it from a 20-year-old offers a sense of optimism for the future.

Not since David Neitz have the Demons had an out-and-out goalscorer with this level of potential. Not since David Schwarz have the Demons had so much excitement for one man.

Advertisement

When Schwarz came across from Sunbury in 1991, there was a great hope he would add stability to a team that was only a few short years removed from a grand final walloping.

While injury plagued him throughout his career, ‘The Ox’ was always a central figure. Finals in 1991, ’94 and ’98 and a grand final in 2000 (all seasons where he played 20-plus games) rank alongside his Bluey Truscott Medal in 1999 as the highlights of his career.

Hogan’s figure, his athleticism and his intuition for the game (see that handball against the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon) draw obvious comparisons to Schwarz. More importantly, Hogan is already showing himself as a leader of the team and it would be a brave man who bets against him one day being captain.

He’s shown himself against players who experts believe are some of the biggest names in the competition. His domination of Alex Rance on a Friday night (two goals and should have had more) shows us that he is ready for the limelight.

The Ox had three seasons where he kicked more than thirty goals (60 in 1994, 38 in 1999 and 31 in 2000). Hogan will be hoping to stroll past those numbers and Dees fans should note the success of the club in two of those three seasons.

Chris Dawes led the Dees with 20 goals last season, and there is no doubt that Hogan and others are going to pass that mark in 2015, potentially before the season even reaches its halfway point.

Will Hogan kick 632 career goals to pass the great David Neitz? Nothing would make me happier (with the possible exception of a flag to go with it). Never say never, don’t forget the media have been happy to compare him to Brisbane Lions triple premiership winner Jonathan Brown, who kicked 594 goals in an injury-shortened career.

Advertisement

The key to this is obviously Hogan’s health. Thirteen years removed from the retirement of Schwarz and Demons fans are still wondering what might have been if he stayed healthy his whole career.

Let’s hope in 25 years we’re not asking the same questions about Hogan.

close