| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth | 29 January 1987 |
| Recruited from | Sandringham Dragons/Sandringham Zebras |
| Height and weight | 176 cm / 80 kg |
| Playing career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 8, 2008, Melbourne v. Adelaide, at AAMI Stadium |
| Team(s) |
Melbourne (2008–2009)
|
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2009 season | |
| Career highlights | |
|
|
Shane Valenti (born 29 January 1987) is an Australian rules footballer, who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL) and currently plays for Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Valenti was selected with the 51st selection in the 2007 NAB AFL Rookie Draft, which was Melbourne's final draft selection for that season. He made his mark in the Victorian Football League, playing with Melbourne's VFL-affiliate Sandringham, as a tough, in and under midfielder, and won the Fothergill-Round Medal as the league's most outstanding young player.
Valenti made his senior debut for the Demons in round 8 against Adelaide in the 2008 season, he played a total of nine games for the year. The 2009 season saw Valenti only manage six senior games for Melbourne, spending majority of the season as a consistent performer in the VFL, with Melbourne's new affiliate team Casey and finishing fifth in Casey's best and fairest.
At the end of the 2009 season, Valenti was delisted by the Demons.[1]
In 2010, Valenti moved to the Port Melbourne Borough in the VFL. He had an outstanding second half of the season, and was joint winner of the J. J. Liston Trophy, tying on 20 votes with North Ballarat's Steve Clifton. He became the first player in league history to win both the Fothergill-Round Medal and the Liston Trophy.[2] He was also named in the VFL team of the year.
In 2011, Valenti won his second consecutive J. J. Liston Trophy, becoming the third player in VFA/VFL history to win the award back-to-back. With his win, there was speculation that he may be recruited by new AFL side. Greater Western Sydney.[3] More recent reports however indicate that he may be drafted by the Essendon Football Club.[4]