Jump to content

Discussion on recent allegations about the use of illicit drugs in football is forbidden
  • IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

    Posting unsubstantiated rumours on this website is strictly forbidden.

    Demonland has made the difficult decision to not permit this platform to be used to discuss & debate the off-field issues relating to the Melbourne Football Club including matters currently being litigated between the Club & former Board members, board elections, the issue of illicit drugs in footy, the culture at the club & the personal issues & allegations against some of our players & officials ...

    We do not take these issues & this decision lightly & of course we believe that these serious matters affecting the club we love & are so passionate about are worthy of discussion & debate & I wish we could provide a place where these matters can be discussed in a civil & respectful manner.

    However these discussions unfortunately invariably devolve into areas that may be defamatory, libelous, spread unsubstantiated rumours & can effect the mental health of those involved. Even discussion & debate of known facts or media reports can lead to finger pointing, blame & personal attacks.

    The repercussion is that these discussions can open this website, it’s owners & it’s users to legal action & may result in this website being forced to shutdown.

    Our moderating team are all volunteers & cannot moderate the forum 24/7 & as a consequence problematic content that contravenes our rules & standards may go unnoticed for some time before it can be removed.

    We reserve the right to delete posts that offend against our above policy & indeed, to ban posters who are repeat offenders or who breach our code of conduct.

    WE HAVE BUILT A FANTASTIC ONLINE COMMUNITY AT DEMONLAND OVER THE PAST 23 YEARS & WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE CLUB WE LOVE & ARE SO PASSIONATE ABOUT.

    Thank you for your continued support & understanding. Go Dees.


Gawn Set to Be Named Sole Captain


The Chief

Recommended Posts

4 hours ago, rjay said:

This doesn't surprise me...

A bit of looking from the outside but also a little inside info.

Jack is a very focussed individual, he might lack a bit of empathy and understanding.

Wholistic leadership may not be a strong suit...

Also about to become a father for the first time, this year.? I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Lets be honest, not surprising at all. Only reason why he was captain was the likes of McCartney and Goodwin who elevated him straight away. 

Now that the players have been given the opportunity to vote, this shows who they respect and look to as their leader. 

Never have rated Viney as a leader. I look at Lever, May and Gawn and they stand for everything you need in a leader. Commendable and respected. Viney is not that.

This comes across as quite pompous and naive. 

Viney had a bad year last year coming back from injury. He is a Demon through and through. Just like all of us here. This, along with the toughness that very few have, is surely enough to have you and anyone else show respect. The boy is one of us. He just gets to live our dreams as opposed to post about it. Don't bag him ffs. Look after and be proud of him. 

  • Like 9
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The world is a very different place and the expectations of 18-30 year olds is poles apart from what it used to be.

There is a place for “watch me do this tough thing” leadership, like Viney has, but you don’t need a title to be that person. Any teammate can inspire that way.

The majority of today’s player generation need much more rounded leadership and want to feel listened to and supported.

From interacting briefly with Jack personally and watching him talk in the media he just isn’t that rounded leader and he doesn’t have warmth or immediate connection to others. He projects as not that bright and super focussed on what he is doing. I’m guessing with no direct evidence he would be the sort of leader who may berate a teammate for a mistake rather than encourage them to keep going - a very dangerous approach unless you are 100% infallible yourself.

I’ve had some brief interactions personally with Gawn, one sticks out from 2015 family day before he had his now massive profile where he was immediately engaging and great with my then seven year old daughter who had no idea who he was. Gawn from how he talks clearly has much broader perspective, genuine humour (which generally makes people like you), can give inspiring speeches, and while not a MENSA candidate has Viney covered there. Plus by the nature of being a ruck his onfield role has the advantage of heavily being focussed on bringing his teammates into the game with his hit outs or giving them a chop out by drifting back to help in the backline. Similar to my guess on Viney as I don’t have direct evidence, Gawn strikes me as one who would set high standards but also is engaging enough to build enough rapport that teammates would be OK taking criticism from him, and he would also support teammates to get better and keep their confidence up when they inevitably make a mistake.

To me Gawn as captain vs. Viney is a no brainer.

  • Like 13
  • Thanks 1
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, phuket demon said:

This comes across as quite pompous and naive. 

Viney had a bad year last year coming back from injury. He is a Demon through and through. Just like all of us here. This, along with the toughness that very few have, is surely enough to have you and anyone else show respect. The boy is one of us. He just gets to live our dreams as opposed to post about it. Don't bag him ffs. Look after and be proud of him. 

You absolutely missed the point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack is an extremely selfish player. How often does he try to be the macho man and bust tackles, when the sensible thing would have been to dish it off? Countless. He also does not have a great connection with teammates. While captaincy should not be a popularity contest, they usually are popular with the group. From what I know, Jack is respected, but not a particularly popular figure amongst players. 

  • Like 3
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


Jack can be a game winner, made for finals, it’s crazy people here question his value.

I’ve no doubt Gawn will make an incredible captain, but I hope Goodwin etal are smart on managing how he leads on field.

There were (far too many) games last year where Gawn fought hopelessly to the end. As captain he could likely go too far, be too proud and be injured.

Selwood and Hodge are surely the captains everyone looks at. Both know when to step into the game. Gawn has been playing at 100% and as captain could go 110%.

The burden of captain is real, too many of our brightest players have been damaged recently. Only Jones was improved by the role, Roos knew how to assign the role.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, TGR said:

OK

Typical Melbourne.

Viney too tough and hard to be capt of the club.

Never seen Viney shirk a contest; from Wojo to Stack.  Same can’t be said for Gawn round 1 2019.

Is this about a popularity contest within the club?  Is this about Viney setting the bar too high and being too honest?  Is this about the club trying to wipe the slate clean in relation to 2019?  Is this more about PR and media?  Is this our answer to the Grundy 7 year deal?

Seriously!!

You should be ashamed for accusing Max of shirking an issue. He was in hospital all week with sepsis, prior to round 1 and should not have played. Can you site any other time Max has taken a short step? Just because Viney likes to bump bodies does not make him captain material. How did the bump on Stack work out? The kid fixed Viney up and cost him 2 weeks. There is a fine line between courage and stupidity.

Max is a leader, articulate and has the playing group behind him. Max is just as driven and trains harder than anyone else at the club. He leads by example in all facets of the game. I have no complaint with Viney but he is too one dimensional in his leadership which may come with time.

No, it isn't a popularity contest but a reflection on the role Jones played filling in the areas of captaincy where Jack was lacking. Not having Jones as co-captain is another factor in the change. As for honesty I quote the great Leigh Mathews who is a great corporate speaker when he warns "Brutal honesty leaves scars and isn't always the best avenue to set standards or achieve your goal".

Don't question how high Max sets the bar or his courage!

  • Like 3
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Demonland said:

 

Wow! I’m sorry for Jack, he’s put his heart and soul into the role, but, it might be time to focus on becoming the player he is destined to be, rather than forcing a hand that wasn’t as strong. Max will be a breath of fresh air and hopefully the beginning of a new era. Go Dees. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thrilled with Gawn solo! 

Gawn has it all:

 - gun on field

 - total professional off field 

 - approachable by all team mates 

 - respect of the comp 

 - a fantastic media speaker 

 - fans love him. 

Ticks all the boxes, and leaves me with absolutely no doubt about our leadership. Excited to back him in! 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Max Gawn will make a great captain no doubt and will lead by example. However some of us are quick to kick Viney in the guts by saying that they never liked him as captain because of his demeanor. Viney gives his all although he had problems with his foot he battled through it and managed to help us win some vital games in 2018. In the finals he gave his all and lead from the front.

Viney outpointed Selwood in the finals which was great to watch and went a long way in us winning.. A real Melbourne boy that burns in his guts.

Gawn or Viney or both as captain it wouldn't matter. They lead on and off the ground by example. .

  • Like 13
  • Love 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, nosoupforme said:

Max Gawn will make a great captain no doubt and will lead by example. However some of us are quick to kick Viney in the guts by saying that they never liked him as captain because of his demeanor. Viney gives his all although he had problems with his foot he battled through it and managed to help us win some vital games in 2018. In the finals he gave his all and lead from the front.

Viney outpointed Selwood in the finals which was great to watch and went a long way in us winning.. A real Melbourne boy that burns in his guts.

Gawn or Viney or both as captain it wouldn't matter. They lead on and off the ground by example. .

I agree with pretty much everything you have stated above.

I see a lot of Viney and Jones leadership (or apparent lack there of, which I don't personally buy into) being made scape goats for our entire 2019, which is pretty unfair really.

Similarly, I don't like the idea of the captaincy being shopped around every year as a popularity contest as the most popular guy at the club isn't alway the best leader.

I love Max as a character and a player and I think he has matured into a great leader.  However, he does also have his flaws in this regard and now watch every dummy spit and bit of bad body language or some other weakness get put under the microscope.

I think it's too fickle to be continuously chopping and changing captain just because they have a bad year or one flaw or another to their leadership style and I don't see why Max couldn't remain an unofficial leader and support Viney and our team in this respect.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites


I’ll be happy with Max going solo duties on captaincy. Viney had an average year last year but still managed 3rd in the B&F, his game has to go up a level though, he can’t just rely on doing tough things. Still I rate him and I think he’ll be looking to prove a lot of doubters wrong. Particularly not having to worry about the role of captain. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't agree with this.

I think Viney deserved another year at full fitness to keep his role.  He was an overwhelmingly popular choice for captain initially (especially on Demonland), is a Best and Fairest winner and has been playing on one leg for two years.  Reading through the old threads, the majority were calling for him to be sole captain not so long ago. I think we've forgotten how good a player he is when fully fit and his performance in the Geelong final was exceptional.

Gawn will make a fine captain and has developed into an excellent leader.  However, dropping a captain is a very big deal and would have to have a massive impact on Viney, who essentially hasn't done anything wrong, asides from carrying injury.  I have no issues with co-captains; I don't think it signals anything outside of sharing the workload, especially the huge time demands outside of playing and training.

  • Like 2
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not Viney's fault, he was chucked in the deep end too quickly instead of being able to grow into the role. He is a "jump on my back and follow me" leader (witness his game vs WCE 2017 the TMac winning goal one) but needs to develop his emotional intelligence or whatever you might want to call it. Gawn as captain with Viney as vice captain is a great combo and Viney should regain the captaincy down the track I would have thought.

Also channel 7 can get stuffed, instead of "Gawn appointed captain" being the headline it's "Viney loses captaincy" - always looking to create a crisis.

Edited by Dr. Gonzo
  • Like 5
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Leadership is all about connecting with a variety of people with different triggers to motivate them for their individual and collective best. 

Some people would be motivated by Viney’s bull at a gate and I suspect blunt ”do it like me” attitude. 

Most would be motivated by the attitude of Gawn on track, his inspiration on field and his every man persona. 

Whilst it should not matter, the value of “brand Max” to officially head us in media and sponsorship is a no brainer from a commercial view.

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My concern with this is that it places an even greater load on Max.

We expect him to ruck most of the game   Go back and take a defensive mark when the [censored] is hitting the fan. And maybe sneak forward when no one else can score us a goal.

I don't begrudge  Max the honour but load sharing is one of the advantages of a dual captaincy model.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, big_red_fire_engine said:

Leadership is all about connecting with a variety of people with different triggers to motivate them for their individual and collective best. 

Some people would be motivated by Viney’s bull at a gate and I suspect blunt ”do it like me” attitude. 

Most would be motivated by the attitude of Gawn on track, his inspiration on field and his every man persona. 

Whilst it should not matter, the value of “brand Max” to officially head us in media and sponsorship is a no brainer from a commercial view.

 

 

Actually, I think it matters a lot and it's one aspect of the job (ie, fronting the media, etc) that neither Jones or Viney appeared comfortable with.

Edited by La Dee-vina Comedia
typo
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Demonland Forums  

  • Match Previews, Reports & Articles  

    DEPTH CHARGE by Whispering Jack

    The jubilation on the coach’s face as he danced a celebratory jig by the playing bench after the final siren sounded to record his team’s four-point victory over the Demons when the teams last met, said it all.    On that rainy Friday night at the Adelaide Oval, Ken Hinkley’s young midfield secured much more than four points on offer. The victory over one of the big dogs of the competition after a succession of wins over some of its lesser lights gave his team respect and validation fo

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 5

    TRAINING: Monday 25th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers Demon Dynasty & Kev Martin were trackside at Gosch's Paddock today to bring you their observations from training. DEMON DYNASTY'S TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Kade Chandler's left knee heavily strapped. BBB, Spargs & Jake Lever also in rehab group. Jake Bowey solo running separate kicking/sprint/agility drills. Super fine morning / early arvo at Gosch's for the boys to blow out some cobwebs. Choco initially had the light duties / rehab group

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    HIBERNATING by KC from Casey

    When they locked up the rooms for summer at the end of last year’s football season, the rooms gathered cobwebs, the atmosphere became dense and the place developed a sleepy feel. They opened up the rooms to let Casey out to play on Sunday but the team was still hibernating and they missed the bulk of the opening quarter. By the time they worked out it was game on, their opponents from Box Hill had accumulated five goals and, if the game wasn’t over, it might as well have been. For a se

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Casey Articles

    A FORK IN THE HAWK by George on the Outer

    For too long in the past, Demon fans became habitually sick and tired of watching the Hawks hand out thrashings to their side. But Melbourne’s empahtic 55-point win at the MCG on Saturday has truly put a fork in the Hawk and turned that history well and truly on its head. The Demons have now won nine of their last ten encounters with the other result, a draw.     And like a fork, it was the multi-pronged options that Melbourne had all across the ground.  It certainly helped that Hawthorn

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports 8

    PREGAME: Rd 03 vs Port Adelaide

    The Demons head on the road for the next 2 weeks as they travel to Adelaide to play Port on Saturday and then have a 5 Day break before facing the Crows in the Gather Round. With injuries to May and Lever who comes in and who goes out?

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 262

    PODCAST: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 25th March @ 8:30pm. Join George, Binman & I as we analyse the Demons victory at the MCG against the Hawks in the Round 02. You questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human. Listen & Chat

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 46

    VOTES: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    Last week Steven May took the lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Award from Jack Viney. Clayton Oliver & Max Gawn round out the Top 4. Your votes for the win/loss against/to the Hawks. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 50

    POSTGAME: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The Demons cruised to an easy 55 point win over the Hawks at the MCG but but paid a heavy toll on the injury front with Steven May & Jake Lever possibly sidelined for a number of weeks.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 357

    GAMEDAY: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    It's Game Day and after mixed results in the first two weeks of the season the Demons have the opportunity to capitalise on their good form last week when they take on the Hawks at the MCG today.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 437
  • Tell a friend

    Love Demonland? Tell a friend!

  • Podcast 

  • Podcast 

  • Podcast Stream 


    Open Stream in
    New Window
        TuneIn    Opens in New Tab
  • Support Demonland  



  • 2021 Premiership  

  • Social Media 

  • Non MFC Games  

    NON-MFC: Round 03

    Discussion of all the other games that don't involve the Demons in Round 03 ... READ MORE

    Demonland | Round 03

  • Match Preview      

    DEPTH CHARGE by Whispering Jack

    The jubilation on the coach’s face as he danced a celebratory jig by the playing bench after the final siren sounded to record his team’s four-point victory over the Demons when the teams last met, said it all ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 27

  • Latest Podcast      

    PODCAST: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The boys dissected the clinical thrashing of Hawks praising the immense performance of Christian Petracca whilst lamenting the injury toll to our defensive unit ... LISTEN

    Demonland | March 26

  • Training  

    Monday, 25th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers Demon Dynasty & Kev Martin were trackside at Gosch's Paddock today to bring you their observations from training ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 25

  • Casey Report      

    HIBERNATING by KC from Casey

    When they locked up the rooms for summer at the end of last year’s football season, the rooms gathered cobwebs, the atmosphere became dense and the place developed a sleepy feel. They opened up the rooms to let Casey out to play on Sunday but the team was still hibernating and they missed the bulk of the opening quarter ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 25

  • PreGame      

    PREGAME: Rd 03 vs Port Adelaide

    The Demons head out on the road for the next 2 weeks as they travel to Adelaide to play Port on Saturday and then have a 5 Day break before facing the Crows in Gather Round. With injuries to May and Lever who comes in and who goes out? ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 28

  • Match Report      

    A FORK IN THE HAWK by George on the Outer

    For too long in the past, Demon fans became habitually sick and tired of watching the Hawks hand out thrashings to their side. But Melbourne’s empahtic 55-point win at the MCG on Saturday has truly put a fork in the Hawk and turned that history well and truly on its head ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 23

  • Post Game      

    POSTGAME: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The Demons cruised to an easy 55 point win over the Hawks at the MCG but but paid a heavy toll on the injury front with Steven May & Jake Lever possibly sidelined for a number of weeks ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 23

  • Votes      

    VOTES: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    Last week Steven May took the lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Award from Jack Viney. Clayton Oliver & Max Gawn round out the Top 4. Your votes for the win/loss against/to the Hawks. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 23

  • Game Day      

    GAMEDAY: Round 02 vs Hawthorn

    It's Game Day and after mixed results in the first two weeks of the season the Demons have the opportunity to capitalise on their good form last week when they take on the Hawks at the MCG today ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 23

  • Training  

    Friday, 22nd March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatcher Kev Martin and I attended the Captain's Run at Gosch's Paddock on this lovely sunny morning to bring you the following observations from the training session ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 22

  • Training  

    Tuesday, 19th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers Kev Martin & Walking Civil War attended Tuesday morning's training session at Gosch's Paddock to bring you the following observations ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 19

  • Training  

    Saturday, 16th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatchers Kev Martin and Dee Zephyr wandered down to Gosch's Paddock on Saturday morning to bring you their observations from the Captain's Run in the lead up to Sunday's Round One match against the Bulldogs ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 16

  • Farewell  

    Angus Brayshaw Retires

    After 167 games including the drought breaking Premiership Angus Brayshaw has made the heart breaking decision to medically retire from football as a result of a series of serious head knocks over his nearly decade of footy. We wish Gus all the best and he'll always be a hero at Demonland ... READ MORE

    Demonland | February 22

  • Latest Podcast  

    PODCAST: Koltyn Tholstrup Interview

    I interview the Melbourne Football Club’s newest recruit Koltyn Tholstrup to have a chat about his journey from the farm to the Demons, his first few weeks of preseason training, which Dees have impressed him on the track and his aspirations of playing Round 1 ... LISTEN

    Demonland | December 14

  • Latest Podcast  

    PODCAST: Jason Taylor Interview

    I interview the Melbourne Football Club's National Recruitment Manager Jason Taylor to have a chat about our Trade and Draft period, our newest recruits, our recent recruits who have yet to debut as well as those father son prospects on the horizon ... LISTEN

    Demonland | November 27

  • Next Match 

    .

    Round 03

       vs   

    Saturday 30th March 2024
    @ 07:30pm (AO)

  • MFC Forum  

  • Match Previews & Reports  

  • Training Forum  

  • AFLW Forum  

  • 2024 Player Sponsorship

  • Topics

  • Injury List  


      PLAYER INJURY LENGTH
    Jake Lever Knee Test
    Clayton Oliver Hand Test
    Oliver Sestan Concussion Test
    Steven May Ribs 1 Week
    Lachie Hunter Calf 1 Week
    Daniel Turner Hip 2-3 Weeks
    Charlie Spargo Achilles 2-4 Weeks
    Shane McAdam Hamstring 3-5 Weeks
    Jake Bowey Shoulder 7 Weeks
    Jake Melksham ACL 12-14 Weeks
    Joel Smith Suspension TBA

  • Player of the Year  


        PLAYER VOTES
    1 Christian Petracca 27
    2 Steven May 25
    3 Max Gawn 21
    4 Jack Viney 20
    5 Bayley Fritsch 19
    6 Clayton Oliver 18
    7 Christian Salem 12
    8 Blake Howes 11
    9 Jack Billings 10
    9 Alex Neal-Bullen 10

        FULL TABLE
  • Demonland Interviews 



  • Upcoming Events 

×
×
  • Create New...