View source for Joe Misiti

{{short description|Australian rules footballer, born 1974}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Joe Misiti
| image = 
| fullname = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|11|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = 
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| originalteam = [[Keilor Park Football Club]]
| position = 
| statsend = 2004
| careerhighlights = * AFL Premiership Player [[1993 AFL Grand Final|1993]], [[2000 AFL Grand Final|2000]]
*[[VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century]]
*[[AFL Rising Star]] nominee: [[1993 AFL Rising Star|1993]]
| debutdate = Round 23, 1992
| debutteam = [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]]
| debutopponent = [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]]
| debutstadium = the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground|MCG]]
| height = 186 cm
| weight = 89 kg
| years1 = 1992–2004
| club1 = [[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]]
| games_goals1 = 236 (94)
}}
'''Joe Misiti''' (born 9 November 1974) is a former [[Australian rules football]] player who played for the [[Essendon Football Club]] in the [[Australian Football League]] (AFL). 

Originally from [[Keilor Park]] and of [[Italians|Italian]] descent, he made his AFL debut in [[1992 AFL season|1992]] and retired at the end of the [[2004 AFL season|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 AFL Grand Final|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 AFL season|1996]] and came second in the team's [[W. S. Crichton Medal|best and fairest]] in 1997. Misiti was also part of Essendon's [[2000 AFL Grand Final|2000 premiership]] side; and,  after retirement, he became a member of the [[VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century]] 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.<ref name="Matthews:197">Matthews (2002), p. 197.</ref> 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."<ref name="Matthews:197"/> 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 [coach] [[Kevin Sheedy (Australian footballer)|Kevin Sheedy]] and the match committee that he was fair dinkum," something he managed to do.<ref name="Matthews:197"/>

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."<ref name="Matthews:197"/> His performances in 1996 and 1997 improved, coming in the top five of the [[W. S. Crichton Medal|best and fairest]] in both seasons. However, his form dipped to a new low in [[1998 AFL season|1998]], forcing his omission for the qualifying final. After a lean few years, Essendon became an AFL powerhouse in [[1999 AFL season|1999]], [[2000 AFL season|2000]] and [[2001 AFL season|2001]], winning the [[2000 AFL Grand Final|2000 premiership]], while they lost the [[1999 AFL First Preliminary Final|preliminary final by a point in 1999]] along with losing the [[2001 AFL Grand Final|2001 Grand Final]] to [[Brisbane Lions|Brisbane]].<ref name="Matthews:197"/> He retired at the end of the [[2004 AFL season|2004 season]] after playing in 236 games.

In 2005, he played in the [[Essendon District Football League]] (EDFL) for [[Keilor Park, Victoria|Keilor Park]] and became a member of the VFL/AFL [[Italian Team of the Century]], named in 2007.<ref name="The Final Team ">{{cite web|url=http://www.italianteamofthecentury.com.au/final-team.php|title=''The Final Team''|work=Italian Team of the Century|access-date=30 January 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215203149/http://www.italianteamofthecentury.com.au/final-team.php|archive-date=15 February 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Statistics==
:<ref>[http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/J/Joe_Misiti.html Joe Misiti's player profile at AFL Tables]</ref>
{{AFL player statistics legend}}
{{AFL player statistics start}}
|- style="background-color: #EAEAEA"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | [[1992 AFL season|1992]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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 AFL season|1993]]†
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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 AFL season|1994]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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 AFL season|1995]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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" | [[1996 AFL season|1996]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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 AFL season|1997]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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" | [[1998 AFL season|1998]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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" | [[1999 AFL season|1999]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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;"|[[2000 AFL season|2000]]†
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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" | [[2001 AFL season|2001]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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 AFL season|2002]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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 AFL season|2003]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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 AFL season|2004]]
|style="text-align:center;"|{{AFL Ess}}
| 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==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{Cite book |title=Champions of Essendon: ranking the 60 greatest Bombers of all time |author=Simon Matthews |publisher=Hardie Grant Books |year=2002 |isbn=1740640810}}

{{1993 Essendon premiership players}}
{{2000 Essendon premiership players}}
{{1993 AFL Rising Star nominees}}
{{AFL Italian Team of the Century}}

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