Taken at #16 in the 1994 National AFL Draft, and debuting in 1995 with Melbourne, he was a near-permanent fixture with the club throughout his career. He remained remarkably consistent in this time, moving from half-back to the midfield and towards the end of his playing career moving between half-forward and half-back. Yze led the league for kicks in 2001, 2002 and 2004, while coming third behind Scott Camporeale and Nathan Buckley in 2000.[6]
In 2007, Yze struggled with his form during the pre-season. After a disappointing performance against St Kilda in Round 1, his streak of 226 consecutive AFL appearances was put to an end, with Melbourne deciding to drop him for the Round 2 game against Hawthorn.[7] Yze was then selected for Melbourne's Round 4 match against Fremantle and picked up a career-high 38-possessions[2] and kicked one goal, being named as one of the best on ground for the day. Despite seeing very little first-team action in 2008—the last year of his contract at Melbourne—Yze declared his intention to continue playing football, even if that meant he entered the draft or played at VFL level. At 30, Yze felt he could play on for another two or three years.[8]
Due to Melbourne's youth policy introduced at the end of the 2008 season, Adem was delisted after only six senior appearances for the year, in which he kicked five goals. Yze expressed his desire to play on at another AFL club in 2009, declaring he would apply for the pre-season draft, yet he conceded he had "stuff all" chances of being picked up by another club.[9]
Yze played for Melbourne from 1995 until 2008 for a total of 271 games and kicked a total of 234 goals.[6]
Other leagues
However, Yze declared he would play on regardless in 2009, even if it was at a suburban club, such as East Burwood, where his brother Damian played. Yze played with the Box Hill Hawks and joined the Shepparton Swans a year later.[10]
Yze was known for his straight kicks and ability to kick goals from seemingly impossible angles. He kicked five goals in a game on five occasions.[11] He is also noted for being one of few Muslims to play Australian rules professionally, although he does not actively practise his faith.[12]
Coaching career
Hawthorn Football Club assistant coach (2012–2020)
In January 2012, Yze joined Hawthorn as a part-time assistant coach under senior coach Alastair Clarkson .[13]
On 14 November 2014, Yze replaced Luke Beveridge as Hawthorn's backline coach under senior coach Alastair Clarkson, after previously working with the Hawks as a specialist goal-kicking and development coach for the past three seasons. Yze was credited for playing a key role in harnessing the Hawthorn players' elite kicking skills as they developed into the AFL's deadliest team in front of goal over the past two seasons, with the team's accuracy increasing from 48 per cent to 57.1 per cent during his tenure as goalkicking coach.[14]
Melbourne Football Club assistant coach (2021–2023)
After six seasons as a Hawthorn assistant coach, Yze was appointed assistant coach at Melbourne under senior coach Simon Goodwin for the 2021 season.[15] The Demons would have an outstanding 2021 season in which they finished on top of the ladder and were a dominant team throughout the regular season and the finals series which was capped off with a commanding victory over the Western Bulldogs to win the 2021 premiership. Yze was a key architect in creating their league best defence that was a key factor in their historic premiership win. In the 2022 season Melbourne would continue their dominant ways extending the winning streak to 17 games, until the second half of the year in which momentum was halted and they struggled with consistency. Yze continued his role as midfield coach overseeing arguably the best midfield in the competition while their team defence still remained elite and one of the top in the competition. Near the end of the season Yze was heavily linked to the vacant GWS and Essendon senior coaching roles,[16] however the roles were eventually awarded to then Richmond assistant coach Adam Kingsley and Brad Scott respectively.[17] Yze left the Melbourne Football Club at the end of the 2023 season.[18]
Richmond Football Club senior coach (2024–present)
In Yze's first season as Richmond senior coach, the club won only two matches for the year, finishing with the wooden spoon for the first time since 2007 as they underwent a significant rebuild of its playing list.[25]
^Woods, Rodney (2 August 2021). "Sports Hall of Fame – Adem Yze". Shepparton News. Retrieved 12 December 2021. "As one of the first footballers of Albanian heritage to take their skills to AFL level, Adem Yze"
