Shane Fitzsimmons

Recruited from Kyabram in the Goulburn Valley, Shane Fitzsimmons broke into the Melbourne side as a 17-year-old prodigy in 1973. A creative half-forward flanker, he showed early promise but struggled to cement a permanent spot in the senior lineup for much of his time at the Demons, often drifting between the ones and the reserves. He appeared to turn a corner in 1978, playing a career-high 17 games and finishing sixth in the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medal count, only to be controversially cut from the list just two rounds into the 1979 season. A lifeline from St Kilda was thwarted when the Saints could not meet Melbourne's steep $20,000 transfer fee, effectively forcing him out of the VFL. Fitzsimmons subsequently moved to the WAFL to play for West Perth, where he reinvented himself as a dashing half-back and won the club's Best and Fairest award in 1980.