Misiti was ranked 42nd in the Champions of Essendon in 2002. Following is Misiti’s chapter taken from Champions of Essendon – the book.
Joe Misiti is one of the reasons Bomber fans buy the Sunday paper. You just can’t wait to flip to the Essendon match report to check out the statistics and see how many touches ‘Smokin’ Joe’ picked up.
More often than not, Misiti’s numbers will startle you, for he has an uncanny knack of finding the football. He is a ball-magnet who regularly accumulates 30 touches or more in a game, his trademarks being creative handball and his ability to get the ball clear in tight situations. Misiti’s high-possession game has been the key to the Bombers’ midfield for almost a decade, and he has two Premiership medals to show for his efforts.
Great midfielders have to be able to negotiate heavy traffic and Misiti does it better than most. He finds a way through where there isn’t one, and his slick hands set his teammates free to charge forward. When Misiti is going, so are the Bombers, and his teammates know it. ""Joey’s very smart and reads the play exceptionally well,"" Mark Mercuri said. ""He’s always there in the right spot and his possession tally speaks for itself.""
Misiti grew up in Keilor and he was always a Bomber supporter. ""My father and my uncle took me to the footy. 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. ""I love it.""
It wasn’t long before Misiti showed he had the talent to one day join his heroes in the red and black. Essendon’s then recruiting manager, Noel Judkins, first saw Misiti playing in the North-West Under-15 team in 1989 – as a centre half back! ""We did like him but he was a bit slack at training,"" Judkins said.
""He played in the Essendon under-19s the following season and won the best and fairest. But the under-19s were abolished at the end of 1991 and club lists had to be cut back to 45. The Bombers had some difficult decisions to make. ""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 they were worried about his attitude. He had to convince Kevin Sheedy and the match committee that he was fair dinkum. He convinced them, dedicated himself to football and became a very good player.""
Misiti made his debut late in 1992. He played in the reserves’ Premiership that year and the following season returned to the MCG as part of the senior side that collected the flag. It all happened quickly for Misiti – maybe too quickly. Like a few of his ‘Baby Bomber’ teammates, his standards slipped over the next two seasons.
""I thought I could carry an extra couple of kilos and that it wouldn’t matter,"" Misiti said. ""So in 1995 I had a good look at myself."" A fitter Misiti enjoyed solid seasons in 1996 and 1997, finishing in the top five in the best and fairest in both years. But 1998 saw his form drop away again, culminating in his omission from the qualifying final side. It didn’t feel like it at the time, but Misiti now concedes it was one of the best things that ever happened to him. He returned to football super-fit in 1999 and hasn’t looked back since.
Teammates and Bomber fans love him – and even opposition supporters have a soft spot for him. He is friendly and gregarious, with a dash of cheek, and loves both a beer and a laugh. ""He is just a great character to have around a football club. Everyone likes to be around him,"" said teammate Mark Johnson. Misiti himself admitted: ""I like to see the funnier side of the game. I see a lot of players being too serious. I see blokes kicking the ground and I yell at them to relax.""
It’s this ‘life’s-too-short’ approach that endears him to people, and which has been the key to him bouncing back from some footballing lows. He simply keeps on laughing – and keeps on getting the footy.
Joe Misiti:
DOB: 9/11/1974
Height: 186cm
Weight: 90kg
AFL debut: 1992
AFL games: 236
Total goals: 94
Previous clubs: Keilor Park
Recruited from: Essendon Under019s
Club Honours: Under-19 best and fairest 1990, Vice-captain 2002 – 2003, runner-up best and fairest 1997 and 1999, reserves best and fairest 1992, best in finals 2000, Premiership 1993 and 2000 and Night Premiership 1993, 1994 and 2000.
Other Honours: AFL Rising Star nominee 1993, Victorian Team of the Year 2000.
