Joe Misiti (born 9 November 1974) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

player who played for the

Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed the Bombers or colloquially the Dons, is a professional Australian rules football club that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the game's premier competition. The club was formed by the McCrac ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). Originally from Keilor Park and of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

descent, he made his AFL debut in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

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 midfielder 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 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and came second in the team's

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

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 The Victorian Football League-Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) Italian Team of the Century was announced in June 2007. It recognises the role of Italian Australian players in the sport. Players and/or at least one of the player's parents or ...

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.Matthews (2002), p. 197. 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." 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 oach Kevin Sheedy and the match committee that he was fair dinkum," something he managed to do. 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." His performances in 1996 and 1997 improved, coming in the top five of the

in both seasons. However, his form dipped to a new low in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, forcing his omission for the qualifying final. After a lean few years, Essendon became an AFL powerhouse in

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

and

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, winning the 2000 premiership, while they lost the preliminary final by a point in 1999 along with losing the 2001 Grand Final to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

. He retired at the end of the 2004 season after playing in 236 games. In 2005, he played in the

Essendon District Football League The Essendon District Football League (EDFL) is a semi-professional Australian rules football league competition based in Essendon, Victoria, consisting of teams based in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne. Founded in 1930, the men's competi ...

(EDFL) for Keilor Park and became a member of the VFL/AFL

Italian Team of the Century The Victorian Football League-Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) Italian Team of the Century was announced in June 2007. It recognises the role of Italian Australian players in the sport. Players and/or at least one of the player's parents or ...

, named in 2007.

Statistics

:Joe Misiti's player profile at AFL Tables
/ref> , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 52 , , 2 , , 0 , , 1 , , 20 , , 29 , , 49 , , 11 , , 0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 10.0 , , 14.5 , , 24.5 , , 5.5 , , 0.0 , - , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;",

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

† , style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 23 , , 12 , , 13 , , 350 , , 212 , , 562 , , 90 , , 23 , , 0.5 , , 0.6 , , 15.2 , , 9.2 , , 24.4 , , 3.9 , , 1.0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 16 , , 6 , , 3 , , 199 , , 126 , , 325 , , 48 , , 16 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 12.4 , , 7.9 , , 20.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 22 , , 9 , , 11 , , 284 , , 207 , , 491 , , 88 , , 15 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 12.9 , , 9.4 , , 22.3 , , 4.0 , , 0.7 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 22 , , 9 , , 11 , , 292 , , 207 , , 499 , , 56 , , 30 , , 0.4 , , 0.5 , , 13.3 , , 9.4 , , 22.7 , , 2.5 , , 1.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 18 , , 4 , , 4 , , 238 , , 203 , , 441 , , 69 , , 25 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 13.2 , , 11.3 , , 24.5 , , 3.8 , , 1.4 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 19 , , 6 , , 4 , , 214 , , 179 , , 393 , , 64 , , 29 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 11.3 , , 9.4 , , 20.7 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 18 , , 8 , , 4 , , 246 , , 191 , , 437 , , 64 , , 27 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 13.7 , , 10.6 , , 24.3 , , 3.6 , , 1.5 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;",

† , style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 25 , , 14 , , 9 , , 312 , , 313 , , 625 , , 92 , , 61 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 12.5 , , 12.5 , , 25.0 , , 3.7 , , 2.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 16 , , 8 , , 3 , , 206 , , 166 , , 372 , , 58 , , 26 , , 0.5 , , 0.2 , , 12.9 , , 10.4 , , 23.3 , , 3.6 , , 1.6 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 15 , , 6 , , 5 , , 189 , , 168 , , 357 , , 80 , , 41 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 12.6 , , 11.2 , , 23.8 , , 5.3 , , 2.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 21 , , 6 , , 4 , , 185 , , 160 , , 345 , , 56 , , 37 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 8.8 , , 7.6 , , 16.4 , , 2.7 , , 1.8 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 24 , , 19 , , 6 , , 3 , , 153 , , 115 , , 268 , , 52 , , 32 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 8.1 , , 6.1 , , 14.1 , , 2.7 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 236 ! 94 ! 75 ! 2888 ! 2276 ! 5164 ! 828 ! 362 ! 0.4 ! 0.3 ! 12.2 ! 9.6 ! 21.9 ! 3.5 ! 1.5

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Misiti, Joe 1974 births Living people Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Essendon Football Club players Essendon Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players People from Keilor East, Victoria