Stan Alves

DOB: 22 May, 1946
Debut: Round 7, 1965 against Footscray at Western Oval
Last MFC Game: Round 21, 1976 against Geelong at MCG

Games: 226 (266 total)
Goals: 160 (174 total)
Career Statistics

From: Edithvale-Aspendale

Number: 15 1965-1976

Honors:
Captain: 1973 - 1976
Best and Fairest: 1972 - 1974
Victorian state representative - 1968, 1972, 1975 (4 games)
Life Member
Team of the Century emergency
150 Heroes selection

Signed two weeks before the 1964 Grand Final, Neil Stanley Alves was initially considered too lightweight to play VFL football by Norm Smith, who sent him home from his first training session for acting "like a chook with its head chopped off". He had been signed and sacked within an hour. Having already been rejected by Collingwood, St. Kilda and Richmond, Alves persisted - showing up uninvited to training the next night - and Smith set him the task of putting on a stone before the start of pre-season training. He succeeded, kept his spot on the list and early the next season broke into the side.

One of the best on ground in his debut, Alves went on to play 13 games in his rookie season. The side bombed out in 1966 and finished second last with just four wins but their rapidly emerging winger was one of only four players to play all twenty games for the year.

By now one of the Demons most famous names, Alves finished second in the 1967 Best and Fairest, won the Outstanding Service Trophy for 1968 and was appointed vice-captain in 1969 - another wooden spoon campaign.

He won his second Outstanding Service Trophy in 1970, and was chosen by Football Life magazine along with Keith Greig as their wingers of the 70's. It was an amazing achievement for a player in a side that hadn't even had a sniff of finals for nearly five years.

Alves won his first Best and Fairest award in 1972 and was appointed captain the next year. He added another "Bluey" to his collection in 1974, and was beaten to the Brownlow Medal by just one vote in 1975

Robbie Flower later named Alves on the wing of his greatest ever side. He said his teammate "was elusive, skilled and clever - and had a decent measure of rat cunning to boot".

Numerous awards, and four seasons as captain were a fitting tribute to his persistence and to Smith's decision to persevere with the youngster and put him on a special gym program to build his slender body.

During a 1976 season where the Demons had come within a point of the finals (a Footscray/Carlton Round 22 draw tipped them out), Alves had fought a running battle with coach Bob Skilton. In his autobiography he claims that the club sacked him at the end of the year before trying to trade him to Carlton for Robert Walls. He walked out of the club in disgust and announced he would never play for the Demons again. At one point he even spoke of retirement.

In the newspapers of the day Alves cited a personal matter as the between himself and the club and was quoted as saying "I can no longer play with Melbourne on principle, and if it means I don't play football, well that's that".

Melbourne kept some hope of retaining Alves, and as forces at boardroom level argued his release, the Demons refused him a clearance. Melbourne initially rejected North's offer of a substantial cash payment and a swap of a choice of senior players, including Sam Kekovich and future Brisbane Bears coach Paul Feltham, demanding that the deal involve Keith Grieg, Wayne Schimmelbusch or David Dench. Eventually North got Alves for free, save a $2000 fine from the league for breaking anti-poaching rules. The Demons had demanded $40,000.

Alves joined the Kangaroos just in time to not only play finals, but to win a premiership. After playing in the '77 flag, Alves remained at North Melbourne as a runner under Ron Barassi. In 1980 he was assistant coach of the ACT team that played, and beaten, a Victorian B team.

When Barassi returned to the Demons in 1981, Alves joined him as an assistant coach and remained in the position in the late 80's, eventually moving into the media and working in radio before spending four years as a specialist coach at St. Kilda. He was promoted to the senior role to replace Ken Sheldon and led his side to a losing Grand Final in 1997. The next year he was sacked later after a losing finals effort against the Dees. He resisted an offer from an group opposed to Joseph Gutnick to return to the club and run for preseident against Gutnick in 2001.

Alves is currently a special comments man with 774 ABC Melbourne's football coverage. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2008.

His brother Mark also played for the Demons.

Lists
Family
North Melbourne
The Ex Files

Media
"I Won't Play - Alves" - The Age 03/11/1976
"Operation Alves" - The Age 20/01/1977
"Demons reject 6 Roos" - The Age 21/01/1977
"Demon greats weigh in" - The Age 29/05/2001

Links
Personal website
Wikipedia profile