Michael Newton played 28 matches at the highest level and in a flag with SANFL powerhouse Norwood before joining Wangaratta in 2016. Widely regarded as the O&M's premier player, Newton has won a flag, Did Simpson medal and Doug Strang medal. And while it seems he has accomplished most things in football, the chance of another flag is what keeps the Magpies star motivated. Newton spoke to The Border Mail's BRENT GODDE this week.
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BRENT GODDE: One of your biggest claims to fame is taking the 2007 Mark of the Year when you sat on David Neitz's head. Talk us through it?
MICK NEWTON: I guess it was just one of those things. There was a scrappy bit of play before it and I got the chance to get a good run and jump at the ball. The funny thing is I nearly slipped over before I took it. We were playing at Etihad Stadium and the surface at the time was fairly average. I launched at the ball and the mark stuck. Neitz was a good step ladder because it gave me a fairly solid base to launch from.
BG: Have you taken any better marks during your career?
MN: I have taken a few but not many lately because I can't jump as high as I used to. But I used to get up there a few times when I was younger. But I still regard my Mark of the Year the best because of the circumstances and the level of footy that it was at.
BG: You are a beautiful kick of the football. Is that something you had to work hard on or does it come naturally?
MN: I think a bit of both. I sort of had a fairly natural kicking style throughout my junior career. So it wasn't like I had any major flaws it was just the little things that I needed to work at. I have got a routine that I stick to. When I was at Melbourne it wasn't uncommon to have 200 shots at goal during the week. I think there was a stage there where I put too much thought into my kicking but now I just concentrate as much as I can without over thinking it.
BG: You quickly became a fan favourite with the Demons with your high-marking a real highlight. The Melbourne faithful used to shout out "Juice" everytime you went near the ball. It must have been an awesome feeling?
MN: I guess it was nice but it was nothing like the days when Adam Yze was playing and the whole crowd yelling out "Oooozzzeee". Then when Liam Jarrah came along he took over as the crowd favourite.
BG: You spent seven years on the Demons' list for 28 matches and 35 goals with knee and soft tissue injuries plaguing you career. Was it simply a case of your body not being able to handle the rigours of AFL football?
MN: It seemed my body always let me down at the wrong time. I would just get myself playing some good footy and then I would get injured which would set me back a little bit. So it was injury and form as well, I'm not going to blame it solely on injury.
BG: How do you look back on your AFL career?
MN: It's an experience that you dream of as a kid and I feel fortunate to be have given the opportunity to play for Melbourne. It's a club with a rich history, looking back I may have done a few things differently but there is certain parts that I take away and cherish forever.
BG: You joined Norwood in the SANFL in 2012. You played eight games before doing your ACL. At 25 years of age were did you contemplate retirement after so many injuries?
MN: Definitely not. It was just one of those unfortunate things that happened. The thing that probably hurt most was that Norwood won the flag that year and again the following year and I missed both.
BG: You made a successful comeback from your ACL and played in the Redlegs' 2014 flag against Port Adelaide. It must have been an awesome feeling with a crowd of around 40,000.
MN: Yeah it was an awesome feeling and the first grand final at the Adelaide Oval after the redevelopments. Norwood playing Port Adelaide, the rivalry is massive. It was the first year Port Adelaide had a stand alone side in the SANFL and their side was stacked with talent. So we were massive underdogs and everyone had written us off. So to be able to get up and win was amazing.
BG: You decided to head home to the family farm in Whorouly in 2016. Obviously your phone would have been running hot with offers?
MN: Yeah it was, there was about four or five O&M clubs that were keen and it was a very tough decision at the time.
BG: I think most people thought you would head to Wangaratta Rovers after your father, Rod, played 49 matches with the Hawks. How did Wangaratta slip under the arch rivals' guard?
MN: The decision to join Wangaratta didn't come easy considering dad's history with Rovers, my sister was at Rovers as well as two of my cousins who I work with. But I just felt the way Rovers went about recruiting me could have been a little bit better. The way they went about recruiting me, they thought that they had me. I probably initially was going to go there .After a couple of conversations with close school friends Ben Douthie and Daine Porter I started to think Wangaratta was my preferred option. Ben was playing down in Melbourne and we decided we would both go to the same club. There was certain other aspects at the time, like Rovers didn't have a coach and I guess it was difficult for them to recruit when you don't have a coach. The professionalism between the two clubs was miles apart and I guess that has shown in the results over the last couple of years as well.
BG: It wasn't a promising start to your career with the Magpies when you did your hamstring early on in your first derby?
MN: It was a bit unfortunate and that first year I ended up playing about eight games for the season with soft tissue injuries hampering me. There was a few comments from the crowd when I was coming off and they gave me a couple of nicknames in the Rovers' change rooms. "Two minute noodles" was one but I don't let that sort of stuff get to me.
BG: Obviously you would have fond memories of stunning Albury in the 2017 grand final. Did you give Wangaratta any hope of knocking off Albury who was a red-hot favourite to win a fourth successive flag?
MN: Internally we had unbelievable belief that Albury was ripe for the picking and we were good enough to beat them. The first time we played them that year was at Albury and we got spanked by 68 points. The few times we played after that we just thought we were getting closer and closer. We knew we only had to beat them once. We were very confident on grand final day and as a group knew we were good enough to beat them.
BG: You missed the second semi-final and preliminary final with a hamstring. Were you close to not playing in the grand final?
MN: There were some question marks. I was going to play in the preliminary final but hurt my hamstring again on the Thursday night beforehand. I was pretty sore early on in the week of the grand final but I was confident I was going to be right. I was doing everything possible to ensure that I would be right. I went to a few different people doing all sorts of treatment, like salt baths in Albury, massage, dry needling and there was all sorts of stuff going on. The medical bill that week was fairly high but worth it in the end.
BG: You were awesome in the first-quarter, marking everything and slotting four goals on your way to an eight goal haul and the Did Simpson medal. You must have been pumped to be in such good touch considering your lead-up?
MN: I was bit lucky and got hit lace out early from Daniel Boyle and went back and kicked the goal. That gave me plenty of confidence. I remember going for the mark and then when kicking for goal, the hamstring was still in the back of my mind. To get four in the first-quarter was unreal but the boys played extremely well in that first-quarter.
BG: Did you actually do your hamstring again late in the decider?
MN: Yes I did early in the last quarter. I could still run and kick with it and it was definitely painful but I was able to press on. By the end of the game it was pretty sore. It's a grand final so you don't want to come off and be sitting on the bench.
BG: Do you think the footy gods smiled on Wangaratta that year with injuries to key Tigers Daniel Cross, Joel Mackie and Luke Packer in the lead-up?
MN: You could say yes or no. But as I said before, we were confident regardless of who or who they didn't have playing. We would have liked Albury to have been a full-strength and beat them at full-strength. But that wasn't the case. We played four finals in a row and certainly had our fair share of blokes who were carrying injuries and sore spots, so it evens it out to a fair degree.
BG: You were involved in saving Barry Grant's life who suffered a heart attack during the celebrations of the 2017 flag? Does he send you a Christmas card or a slab every Christmas?
MN: Ha ha, I get nothing at Christmas but he does send a text every now and then with an update on how he is tracking. Or he will give you a call and is up for a chat. He is forever grateful that we were in the situation to save his life at the time.
BG: Do you feel last year was a lost opportunity after Wangaratta kicked poorly with the wind in the first quarter?
MN: Our poor start with the breeze definitely hurt us. We knew they were going to come out seeking revenge and played extremely well in that first quarter. We missed a few opportunities in the first and third quarters but we fought it out to the end. But we definitely let a golden opportunity slip.
MORE OVENS AND MURRAY NEWS:
BG: Who do you rate as the best defender?
MN: Michael Thompson is probably the best, Nick Meredith is quick and athletic but I suppose it all depends on the quality of delivery you are getting.
BG: Is it hard to get motivated to play the bottom sides given the lop-sided nature of the Ovens and Murray competition?
MN: Not really. I approach every game just being grateful that I'm still out there playing at a good level and performing at a good level.