Jack Viney Biography

Jack Viney wins his second 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial trophy as Melbourne's best and fairest for 2024.

Jack Viney signs a new three year contract extension to stay at Melbourne, putting to bed any speculation about his future.

"I'm a Demon for life – I always have been, and always will be," Viney said.

"I love my teammates, my coaches, the staff and the passionate Dees fans. I have created some incredibly special memories and relationships over the past decade, and I couldn't see myself wearing anything but the red and blue."

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson confirms the club will attempt to lure Melbourne stalwart Jack Viney and other experienced stars to Arden Street.

"We want anyone that's going to help us in that space," Clarkson told SEN radio on Friday.

"All the guys that we actually want are probably contracted because they're required for a reason.

"It's just, can you extract one (or) two of them out who feel like they're either not going to get the same opportunities as what they had before, or they feel like their club is going in a different direction?

"We're just hoping we can extract one or two of those. Jack (Viney) is part of that."

Alastair Clarkson will resume as head coach of North Melbourne ahead of the round 21 match against Melbourne.

Clarkson had been easing back into the role for about a month, while Brett Ratten continued in the caretaker role.

"I think he was just mindful coming (back) into the environment for the first time and then didn't want to be seen to be bulldozing his way through," North football boss Todd Viney said of Clarkson's return.

"It's always been pencilled in (the return date). We caught up (on Tuesday) night with the key stakeholders in this decision and about 6.30 (pm) we put it in pen and here we are."

Max Gawn and Jack Viney will continue in their roles as captain and vice-captain of Melbourne in 2022.

It is the same two-man leadership structure as 2021, which took the Demons to a drought-breaking flag.

Max Gawn will continue as Melbourne captain in 2021 with Jack Viney serving as his deputy.

Jack Viney will likely remain a one-club player after signing a new five-year with Melbourne to remain at the club until the end of 2025.

"By signing a long-term deal, Jack has shown belief in his teammates, his coaches and the club, which is exciting for everyone," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"Jack is a passionate Melbourne person and player and has been since day one. He is a man of great integrity, who really drives standards among the playing group."

Christian Petracca's wins the 'Bluey' Truscott Trophy as the Melbourne's best and fairest for 2020.

Petracca (385 votes) claimed the award for the first time ahead of Steven May (362) and Jack Viney (311).

Max Gawn will lead Melbourne in 2020 after being voted in as the Demons' sole captain, with the club choosing to go down the path of abolishing the notion of an official leadership group.

"We wanted a real collective approach to our leadership, we wanted to refine it. When you sit down as a club, you look at what's best for your club right at this moment," Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin explained.

Instead of heading up a leadership team, Gawn will be supported by just vice-captain Jack Viney who served as co-captain of the club with Nathan Jones in 2019.

Goodwin admitted Viney, 25, was naturally "disappointed" with the fact he won't captain for a fourth season, but he remained as dedicated to the club as ever.

"He's a very passionate man, Jack, and he takes his leadership very seriously. It's a great honour to be a captain of a footy club, but you don't know Jack Viney if you don't understand where he comes from," Goodwin said.

"His one thing since the moment he's walked through these doors is to make this club great and be a part of something special."

Jack Viney is ruled out for a fortnight after suffering a sprain to his AC joint following a bump from Tigers youngster Sydney Stack.

Jack Viney says intermittent fasting has helped him shed weight to address a history of painful stress fractures.

Viney discovered the practice after a conversation with rugby league superstar Cooper Cronk.

"It's not that there's anything necessarily magical about intermittent fasting, but for a lot of people it adds some structure to their day and they only eat during that short, eight-hour period," Viney said.

"A lot of people feel good doing it. Whether it's the fact it stops them from over-eating, or that when they're on some sort of diet and they have a goal, they consciously tend to eat less and make better food choices."

Neville Jetta has been elevated to the club's leadership group, with the Demons deciding to retain their co-captaincy model for 2019.

Jetta, 29, replaces veteran defender Jordan Lewis in the group, while Max Gawn will serve as a key leadership group member again.

Midfielders Nathan Jones and Jack Viney will continue as a co-skippers, a role they have held since 2017, in the four-man leadership team.

"I have been fortunate to see Neville's growth as a player and role model first hand over the last 10 years," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"He represents all of the characteristics that we want in a Melbourne person and we are glad that he has been recognised in this way."

Jack Viney says he is far more advanced in his rehab from a troublesome foot injury compared to this time in 2018 as he continues to string consistent sessions together at training.

"I'm still in rehab but I'm starting to put consistent 8km sessions together, which is really good. I don't think I was even running at this point last year," he said.

"I'm now coming up to a month of having a good solid training block which is exactly what my body needs."

Jack Viney is focussed on playing his role in the Demons' elimination final against Geelong this week and says he will worry about his foot issues at the end of the season.

"I'm not stressing about it too hard," Viney said.

"Come the post-season, we'll do a bit of a look into it. We'll really dig deep and see if there's anything we can come up with.

"But for the short-term, I'm pretty confident with it. I'm really happy with how it's feeling and tracking."

Jack Viney will miss at least a month of football as he looks to recover from a foot injury that has worryingly flared for the second time in 2018.

The 24-year-old said this injury was far less severe than the one that kept him sidelined for the first two months of this season.

"I've been here before, but we're at a much earlier stage, which is good. I had a full stress fracture in the pre-season and this is just a hot spot, and this is the early signs of bone stress," Viney said.

Jack Viney is expected to miss weeks after scans revealed signs of stress in the bone towards the toes on his right foot, but fortunately no break.

"There were some early signs of stress on that toe and really we didn't want to push him," Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said.

"We don't want to get to a stage where he can't play. We need to de-load him. We grabbed it early and didn't want to take a risk with it."

Jack Viney has come through his first match of 2018 unscathed after recovering from a foot injury.

In his first hit-out since round 21 last year, the Melbourne co-captain picked up 18 touches for Casey in their 39-point win over Box Hill at Casey Fields.

"I can say with full confidence that I felt 100 per cent today," Viney said.

"It didn’t bother me or hinder me, didn’t come into my head at all and I’ve pulled up from the game feeling the same."

Jack Viney will make his return from a foot injury via the VFL this week.

"It's obviously a slightly cautious approach for us. We want to make sure we finish off his rehab and his ability to get back to playing AFL right," Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said.

"We think the best form of doing that is at VFL level."

Injured Melbourne co-captain Jack Viney says his loud barracking has led to his exile from the coach's box during games.

"It is pretty hard watching from the sidelines, I do barrack a bit. I think I've been kicked out of the coach's box this week and into the stats box so 'Goody' can't hear me," Viney said.

Jack Viney's return is delayed after the Demons co-captain suffered a setback with his troublesome foot.

"His big toe got a little bit sore and we’re very conscious that he’s had some soreness around that foot," Demons elite performance manager Dave Misson said.

"It's his big toe, which isn’t significant, but again, it warrants us unloading him for a week to 10 days and then reloading him again."

Jack Viney has been ruled out for round one as he recovers from a persistent foot injury that required surgery last year and has continued to trouble him this pre-season.

Max Gawn and Jordan Lewis have been elevated to the vice-captaincy in a streamlined Melbourne leadership group for 2018.

Nathan Jones and Jack Viney will lead the club as co-captains for a second-straight season.

Jack Viney is ruled out for up to six weeks after undergoing foot surgery.

"Jack had an operation this afternoon to release his plantar fascia," Demons football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"This has been an injury that has been carrying for the majority of the season.

"We expect his recovery from this operation to be approximately 4-6 weeks, based on how quickly his foot can be reloaded post-operation."

Jack Viney sits out the second half of the Melbourne's round 15 defeat to the Swans at the MCG after succumbing to a plantar fascia injury.

He told the Seven Network he had been managing the foot issue throughout the year and it had flared up during the game.

Coach Simon Goodwin said Viney would undergo scans over the weekend but admitted the initial prognosis wasn't positive.

"Clearly it's not looking great for him," Goodwin said.

"We'll get a clearer picture tomorrow when our medical team have a really good look at him and he gets scans."

Melbourne has elevates Jack Viney to co-captain alongside Nathan Jones for the 2017 season.

Former Hawk Jordan Lewis has been voted straight into the Demons' six-man leadership group.

Veteran Colin Garland has made way, while Tom McDonald, Max Gawn and Bernie Vince make up the rest of the group.

Jack Viney says he is elated to be named co-captain of the Demons for 2017.

"I'm so proud to be co-captain of a footy club that has such great history. With my old man as well, there's a bit of sentimental value," Viney said.

"Dad was obviously pretty proud and so was Mum."

Jack Viney says he wants to captain Melbourne one day, but is happy to bide his time as he learns his craft.

"I want to be seen as someone who lives the trademarks and the values our club upholds," he said.

"For my peers to see me as someone who does that would be very humbling ... it means a lot to me.

"But I still feel like I'm learning about leadership, what makes a great leader, and I feel like I'm getting better at that.

"I'm just on the journey at the moment and really enjoying it."

Jack Viney and Tom McDonald will not be in full training with the Demons until after Christmas, following operations at the end of the season.

Viney has had an operation on his hip, while McDonald went under the knife to fix a shoulder problem that he carried through much of the 2016 season.

Jack Viney has claimed his first Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy, taking out the prestigious award ahead of senior teammates Nathan Jones and Max Gawn at Crown Palladium.

Viney's win comes 18 years after his father Todd Viney, a former Demons skipper, won the second of his Melbourne best and fairest awards in 1998. Viney senior also won the award in 1993.

"This award might mean a little bit more to me than it does to others, due to family history," Viney said in his acceptance speech.

"The old man constantly reminds me that he's won a couple of these (trophies) and I'm sure he'll be the first to remind me when I sit down at my table that he's still got one more on me."

Jack Viney has been named to make a shock return in Melbourne's Queen's Birthday clash against Collingwood just two weeks after suffering a fractured knuckle.

Viney, who had been expected to miss up to four matches, returns after just one game on the sidelines and is expected to play in a protective glove on his injured left hand.

Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney has been handed a one-match ban for a flurry of punches to the face of Port Adelaide onballer Brad Ebert.

Jack Viney will miss at least three weeks after having surgery on a fractured knucklebone in his hand.

“Early in the first quarter on the weekend, Jack injured his hand and scans today (Monday) have shown he has a fracture in his knucklebone,” Demons football manager Jack Mahoney said.

“This requires surgery and he will be having surgery this afternoon. At this stage we expect him to miss approximately three to four weeks of football.”

Jack Viney, already contracted to the Demons until the end of 2017, signs a new deal with the club that will take through to the end of 2020.

"I just believe the club is going in a terrific direction and the playing group and coaching group we have at the club is something I'm super excited about," Viney said.

"Obviously I'm very passionate and excited about the direction that the club?s going and to know that I'll be here for a few more years is very exciting as well.

"It was a very simple decision, an easy decision for myself."

Melbourne has overhauled its leadership group with captain Nathan Jones the only survivor from last year.

Vice-captain Lynden Dunn, former co-captain Jack Grimes, key forward Chris Dawes and Heritier Lumumba have all been axed from the 2015 group, while Daniel Cross has already retired.

The new group features reigning best and fairest winner Bernie Vince, veteran Colin Garland, defender Tom McDonald and emerging stars Jack Viney and Max Gawn.

Todd Viney joins Melbourne's leadership group after a breakout 2015 season where he stormed home to finish just one vote behind Vince in the Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy despite missing six games.

"It's really exciting to be recognised by the players and other coaches to be one of the main leaders in the playing group," Viney said.

"It's a great achievement and I'm fairly proud."

He follows in the footsteps of his father, Todd Viney, who was appointed deputy vice-captain at the same age in 1988.

"It's something I'm very proud of - my family history at the club," he said.

"I think my old man got a bit carried away after his second year. He got a bit complacent, so I'll be making sure I don't do the same thing."

Tom McDonald says he has made up with Jack Viney following their heated exchange at training that was the result of an aggressive tackle by Viney on McDonald.

"We try not to hurt each other at training and I had a bit of a sore shoulder, so I didn't want to jeopardise the start of the season by hurting it [seriously]," McDonald said.

"I was just a bit frustrated with Jack, but I don't want him to lose the way he plays his footy.

"It's a fine line – we want guys to go hard but we don't want them to hurt each other."

Jack Viney and Tom McDonald engage in a push and shove and an exchange of words in a spirited training session for the Demons at Gosch's Paddock.

The session, which included an hour of match simulation, ran at a high intensity and the players were charged up throughout, emphasised by the incident between Viney and McDonald.

McDonald took umbrage at Viney's dumping tackle during an earlier drill and the pair had to be separated after things became heated.

Melbourne coach Paul Roos says Jack Viney has become the Demons' most trusted and coachable player.

"He's transformed his game and he became our most coachable player and our best listener," Roos said.

"[He's] probably become the most trusted player in the team in 2015. If he keeps that attitude, which I'm sure he will, he's going to be a very good player."

Bernie Vince has ended Nathan Jones' three-year best and fairest streak, claiming his maiden Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy at Crown Palladium on Friday night.

Vince, who polled 328 votes, edged out emerging onballer Jack Viney by just one vote in a thrilling count, to add to the best and fairest award he won at Adelaide in 2009.

Tom McDonald's outstanding start to the season, which saw him feature in the All Australian discussion, was enough to steer the key defender (300 votes) into third place.

Vince, 29, made special mention of coach-in-waiting Simon Goodwin, who will take the reins in 2017, revealing he was the one who first taught him the standards he needed to abide by during their time at the Crows.

"Since I first set foot inside the Adelaide Football Club I always looked up to him but he didn't always look on me that well for the first couple of years," Vince said.

"He took me under his wing in 2007 and he taught me how to train and taught me how to play at the elite level and I never thought I was an elite level player until he told me that.

"I thank him so much for this year – he's been fantastic for me."

Jack Viney is set to miss at least four weeks after scans revealed he had a small fracture of his right fibula.

He hurt the leg late in the loss to Greater Western Sydney on Saturday with scans revealing the extent of the injury.

"This injury does not require surgery, it will be treated symptomatically and once the bone has healed he will return to play," Melbourne's football manager Josh Mahoney said.

"Jack is a very professional player and he will do everything possible to return from this injury as quick as possible."

Jack Viney signs a new two-year contract extension with the Demons that will tie him to the club until the end of 2017.

"I'm really happy with the direction of the club at the moment and to get Simon Goodwin on board as the successor of Roosy – I think it's a really good time to be at the club and I think we're going to be playing some pretty successful footy in future years," Viney said.

"The security of having three years is really, really good and it just gives you a peace of mind of where you're going to be playing your footy at."

Jack Viney has urged Paul Roos to continue as Demons coach beyond 2015.

"I think it would be a massive benefit for the club if he signed on," Viney said.

"He's shown this year that he's a fantastic coach.

"He's definitely taken the club in the right direction and for him to stay on would be huge for the club, and the players certainly have got a lot of confidence in Roosy."

Jack Viney remained coy as to the exact advice Geelong skipper Joel Selwood offered him after the Cats demolished the Demons at the MCG on Saturday.

All he would offer in relation to the exchange was that Selwood had given him "a few pointers, a bit of advice I guess."

The up-and-coming Demon butted heads with the established hard nut as he tried to lift his team during the third quarter.

"We had a bit of a tussle. It was a good battle," Viney said.

"[He's] obviously someone I look up to as a player and [it's] good to experience how he goes about it around the ground."

The AFL Appeals Board has released its justification for revoking Jack Viney's two-game suspension, saying the Melbourne midfielder should have been given the benefit of the doubt in his rough conduct hearing.

"In that circumstance there should be a necessary doubt in the Tribunal deciding that issue … (and) in that situation the alleged offender should have the benefit of that doubt," the Appeals Board wrote.

"For that reason alone the Board finds that the ground of appeal has been established."

Melbourne co-captain Jack Grimes says Jack Viney's successful appeal against a rough conduct charge has vindicated Viney's hard style of play.

"To see him get off, it's restored a lot of people's faith as to where the game is heading," Grimes said.

"Viney plays hard, he plays tough and that's the way footy should be."

Adelaide legend Mark Ricciuto says players should strike in protest of Jack Viney's two-game suspension for his bump on Tom Lynch.

"This ruling on Jack Viney needs to be overturned … and the actual rule itself needs to be re-written so that they're not getting suspended and I reckon they've got until the end of the week to do it," Ricciuto said.

"Our game is a contact sport, accidents happen, we don't want elbows, we don't want king hits, we don't want general thuggery – what we want is fair players attacking the ball as hard as they can … we don't want blokes having to pull out of contests for fear of getting suspended.

"It's a disgrace and it needs to change."

Melbourne is vindicated for challenging Jack Viney's two-game suspension after the young midfielder was cleared of his rough conduct charge, which resulted in a broken jaw to Tom Lynch, by the Appeals Board.

"The support's just been so overwhelming," Viney said.

"Not only for myself but for the game in general, it's been a good result.

"People putting themselves in contested situations, it's not what you want to see going out of the game.

Melbourne are likely to challenge Jack Viney's two-week suspension for his bump on Adelaide's Tom Lynch.

"Obviously I'm disappointed with the decision and disappointed I won't be able to run out with the guys on Saturday night," Viney said about the Tribunal's verdict.

"The club's looking at appealing it, so there's actually not much I can say right now."

AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou admits bump rule may have gone too far after Melbourne's Jack Viney was suspended for two matches for a bump on Adelaide's Tom Lynch.

"He's very unlucky, there's no doubt about that," Demetriou said.

"It's a legitimate issue to say he didn't have much choice but given it's going before an appeal we'll wait and see the outcome of that."

Following the controversy surrounding Jack Viney's two-game suspension for his bump on Tom Lynch, leading sports lawyer Paul Horvath says the AFL would be at risk of a class action if its rules didn't protect players from head injuries.

"I think that the AFL has a legal obligation to make these sorts of rule changes for a few reasons," Horvath said.

"In the NFL the concussion injury class action has sought a settlement of $765 million and if they're throwing around those sorts of figures it means the potential is there for that in Australian sport too."

Melbourne coach Paul Roos says he is flabbergasted by Jack Viney's two-game ban for his bump on Crow Tom Lynch.

"He tends to go through a contest with his head, and we've actually been coaching him … to turn his body and brace for contact when he's actually going for the ball," Roos said about Viney's playing style.

"I guess from purely a coaching point of view, I'm at a bit of a loss. Because it's something that (midfield coach) Benny Matthews has been working really hard with him.

"It is confusing, it is hard to know what to say to a Jack Viney because what we're trying to do is protect Jack as well."

Jack Viney will be sidelined for two matches after the Tribunal found him guilty of rough conduct in what was described as a landmark hearing..

In a controversial case that saw Adelaide forward Tom Lynch suffer a broken jaw, Viney was found to have bumped in a three-way collision when he had other options.

"I felt like I had a reasonable opportunity to win the football (and) there was a point in time where the ball could have bounced my way," Viney told thee Tribunal.

"Not at any stage was I trying to bump - I was purely trying to brace myself for impact.

"It happened in a very short space of time. There was about half a second where the ball could have bounced either way."

Jack Viney will have to face the Tribunal after he was charged with rough conduct for the bump that left Adelaide's Tom Lynch with a broken jaw.

The Match Review Panel elected against handing down a finding on the case, choosing instead to send it straight to the Tribunal.

Melbourne coach Paul Roos promised his club would vigorously defend Viney in Tuesday's hearing.

"Given it's a tribunal matter I don't think I can say anything, but we'll defend it vigorously," Roos said.

"We've had a really good look at it. We believe Jack is actually bracing for contact because there's two guys coming the other way."

After a solid season in a struggling side, Jack Viney finally scores a Rising Star nomination in round 21 after tallying 28 disposals and a goal against Fremantle.

"Jack has a fiercely competitive mindset ... Jack has a thirst for wanting to be the best player he could possibly be," Melbourne interim coach Neil Craig said.

"The element that has really impressed me about Jack is that he really cares about wearing the Melbourne jumper; playing for Melbourne is more than just playing AFL football and he has great passion to change the perceptions of the Melbourne Football Club."

Jack Viney is likely to miss the next two to three weeks after scans revealed the early signs of a hot spot in his sore foot.

"The good news is that there was no fracture in his toe so we got on to it early," Melbourne football manager Josh Mahoney said.

Jack Viney makes his AFL debut for Melbourne at the MCG with 22 disposals (16 kicks and 6 handballs), 4 marks, 2 tackles and a goal in a 79-point loss to Port Adelaide.

Despite only playing his first game, Jack Viney took it upon himself to speak to the Melbourne playing group after an embarrassing 79-point loss to Port Adelaide in the opening round of 2013.

"Jack spoke to the players. He's got a mature head on his shoulders and he acquitted himself well on his AFL debut," Melbourne coach Mark Neeld said.

"He is - if it's possible when you play your first game - he's probably been a Melbourne person for longer than anyone else in that room. He just spoke about that, which is from his heart."

Viney finished with 22 disposals, 6 clearances and a goal on debut.

Nathan Jones says the club must take its time in developing young guns Jimmy Toumpas and Jack Viney.

"You can't expect guys who are 17 or 18 to come in and dominate midfields, particularly with how the competition is now," Jones said.

"There are a lot of big bodies, and those younger boys need to develop themselves to cope with the rigours and pressures of the game."

Melbourne coach Mark Neeld says the club will take its time in developing prized recruits Jimmy Toumpas and Jack Viney.

"Our plan is not to play those boys every game, be it NAB Cup games or the home and away season," Neeld said.

"We get lots of information and among that the workload increases every week and every season. It's hard for an 18-year-old to come in and make an impact on every game.

"We want them to be long term players for the football club, so we don't want to kill them early."

Nathan Jones says the Demons' midfield will improve considerably with the injection of young talent including draftees Jimmy Toumpas, Jack Viney and Dean Kent.

"They are going to come in and add some real class," Jones said.

"They will eventually catch up in dealing with the rigours of the game and eventually will be the staple of the midfield."

Known for his ferocious attack on the ball and the opposition ball carrier, Demon father-son draftee Jack Viney says he needs to harness his aggression in the AFL in a more effective manner.

"At the moment it is a bit all over the shop, probably inefficient, so if I can really focus that aggression on specific parts of the game than I will be a better player for it," Viney said.

"The way I play will be more efficient and I will save more energy."