Jump to content

SLIDING DOORS MOMENT

Deespicable
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Posted

Dees pay high price for victory over Crows 

Herald Sun, August 5 

MELBOURNE got the 'W' last night with a 26-point win against the Crows at Adelaide Oval, but the win came at a cost.

The Demons are likely to be without captain Max Gawn for the next month, while star midfielder Christian Petracca came off late with soreness after a 24-disposal, three-goal best-on-ground display.

Gawn pulled up tight in the hamstring early in the first term and will now miss games against North Melbourne and Collingwood and key match-ups against fellow ruck stars Todd Goldstein and Brodie Grundy.

"It's a big blow for us," coach Simon Goodwin said. "We didn't see that coming. He was fine playing cards with Angus (Brayshaw) on the flight over here."

Asked why he had risked the AFL's No.1 ranked ruckman against the Crows, who have now lost their first 10 games, Goodwin said the shorter time frame between games was not an issue.

"Gawny said he was fine after training yesterday and we have a policy where we play our best team each week, regardless of how close the games are. It is what it is," he said.

Petracca had again played 90 per cent game time, resting up forward rather than the bench, as Goodwin looked for him to ice the game.

"He's a bit ginger and he'll miss the Roos game as well, but he should be right for the Pies," Goodwin said.

or:

Dees depth too good for Crows 

Herald Sun, August 5 

MELBOURNE got the 'W' last night with a 26-point win against the Crows at Adelaide Oval and must now find room for Max Gawn and two of its midfield stars for its clash with the Roos on Sunday .

The Dees decided to leave their skipper behind in Maroochydore, rather than risk him for the game against the winless Crows.

Young ruckman Luke Jackson shared the ruck duties with Adam Tomlinson and while the pair were beaten for hitouts by Reilly O'Brien, they combined for 8 clearances to offset the absence of Gawn. 

The Demons also opted to rest Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw against the Crows, but coach Simon Goodwin said the pair, who watched the game from the coaches box, will both return for the Roos clash.

Christian Petracca will firm in Brownlow betting after a 24-disposal, three goal game, while Aaron vandenBerg (12 tackles) and Nathan Jones (21 disposals) enjoyed time in the middle and helped set the win up.

The Demons also rotated forwards Bayley Fritsch and Jake Melksham through the middle. 

Petracca's efforts were all the more impressive given he was rested for the entire last quarter,

"After our bad loss on a four-day turnaround against Port we realised we had to rest players in these unusual times and hopefully having our core midfield fresh for the game against North will help us in the long run," coach Simon Goodwin said.

"Gawny, Olly and Angus all wanted to play, but we just felt that we had to look at the big picture."

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    I wouldn't rest both Brayshaw and Oliver. Rest one, give the other that additional responsibility.

  • Quote
    4 minutes ago, deanox said:

    I wouldn't rest both Brayshaw and Oliver. Rest one, give the other that additional responsibility.

    I thought they all had a rest last week - WTF

  • Quote
    • Like 2
     

    So you think it's even remotely possible that an under siege coach would choose to rest Gawn and Oliver at the risk of losing his job, for the long term benefit of a team that almost certainly wont make finals anyway?

     

    Hmmmmm.

  • Quote
    42 minutes ago, Deespicable said:

    Dees pay high price for victory over Crows 

    Herald Sun, August 5 

    MELBOURNE got the 'W' last night with a 26-point win against the Crows at Adelaide Oval, but the win came at a cost.

    The Demons are likely to be without captain Max Gawn for the next month, while star midfielder Christian Petracca came off late with soreness after a 24-disposal, three-goal best-on-ground display.

    Gawn pulled up tight in the hamstring early in the first term and will now miss games against North Melbourne and Collingwood and key match-ups against fellow ruck stars Todd Goldstein and Brodie Grundy.

    "It's a big blow for us," coach Simon Goodwin said. "We didn't see that coming. He was fine playing cards with Angus (Brayshaw) on the flight over here."

    Asked why he had risked the AFL's No.1 ranked ruckman against the Crows, who have now lost their first 10 games, Goodwin said the shorter time frame between games was not an issue.

    "Gawny said he was fine after training yesterday and we have a policy where we play our best team each week, regardless of how close the games are. It is what it is," he said.

    Petracca had again played 90 per cent game time, resting up forward rather than the bench, as Goodwin looked for him to ice the game.

    "He's a bit ginger and he'll miss the Roos game as well, but he should be right for the Pies," Goodwin said.

    or:

    Dees depth too good for Crows 

    Herald Sun, August 5 

    MELBOURNE got the 'W' last night with a 26-point win against the Crows at Adelaide Oval and must now find room for Max Gawn and two of its midfield stars for its clash with the Roos on Sunday .

    The Dees decided to leave their skipper behind in Maroochydore, rather than risk him for the game against the winless Crows.

    Young ruckman Luke Jackson shared the ruck duties with Adam Tomlinson and while the pair were beaten for hitouts by Reilly O'Brien, they combined for 8 clearances to offset the absence of Gawn. 

    The Demons also opted to rest Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw against the Crows, but coach Simon Goodwin said the pair, who watched the game from the coaches box, will both return for the Roos clash.

    Christian Petracca will firm in Brownlow betting after a 24-disposal, three goal game, while Aaron vandenBerg (12 tackles) and Nathan Jones (21 disposals) enjoyed time in the middle and helped set the win up.

    The Demons also rotated forwards Bayley Fritsch and Jake Melksham through the middle. 

    Petracca's efforts were all the more impressive given he was rested for the entire last quarter,

    "After our bad loss on a four-day turnaround against Port we realised we had to rest players in these unusual times and hopefully having our core midfield fresh for the game against North will help us in the long run," coach Simon Goodwin said.

    "Gawny, Olly and Angus all wanted to play, but we just felt that we had to look at the big picture."

    Whatever you had for lunch please stop it is really upsetting your powers of reason.

  • Quote

    • Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • PREVIEW: Carlton

      Good evening, Demon fans and welcome back to the Demonland Podcast ... it’s time to discuss this week’s game against the Blues. Will the Demons celebrate Clayton Oliver’s 200th game with a victory? We have a number of callers waiting on line … Leopold Bloom: Carlton and Melbourne are both out of finals contention with six wins and eleven losses, and are undoubtedly the two most underwhelming and disappointing teams of 2025. Both had high expectations at the start of participating and advancing deep into the finals, but instead, they have consistently underperformed and disappointed themselves and their supporters throughout the year. However, I am inclined to give the Demons the benefit of the doubt, as they have made some progress in addressing their issues after a disastrous start. In contrast, the Blues are struggling across the board and do not appear to be making any notable improvements. They are regressing, and a significant loss is looming on Saturday night. Max Gawn in the ruck will be huge and the Demon midfield have a point to prove after lowering their colours in so many close calls.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland

    • REPORT: North Melbourne

      I suppose that I should apologise for the title of this piece, but the temptation to go with it was far too great. The memory of how North Melbourne tore Melbourne apart at the seams earlier in the season and the way in which it set the scene for the club’s demise so early in the piece has been weighing heavily upon all of us. This game was a must-win from the club’s perspective, and the team’s response was overwhelming. The 36 point win over Alastair Clarkson’s Kangaroos at the MCG on Sunday was indeed — roovenge of the highest order!

      • 4 replies
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Werribee

      The Casey Demons remain in contention for a VFL finals berth following a comprehensive 76-point victory over the Werribee Tigers at Whitten Oval last night. The caveat to the performance is that the once mighty Tigers have been raided of many key players and are now a shadow of the premiership-winning team from last season. The team suffered a blow before the game when veteran Tom McDonald was withdrawn for senior duty to cover for Steven May who is ill.  However, after conceding the first goal of the game, Casey was dominant from ten minutes in until the very end and despite some early errors and inaccuracy, they managed to warm to the task of dismantling the Tigers with precision, particularly after half time when the nominally home side provided them with minimal resistance.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Carlton

      The Demons return to the MCG as the the visiting team on Saturday night to take on the Blues who are under siege after 4 straight losses. Who comes in and who goes out?

        • Like
      • 222 replies
      Demonland

    • PODCAST: North Melbourne

      The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th July @ 8:00pm. Join Binman & I as we dissect the Dees glorious win over the Kangaroos at the MCG.
      Your 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.
      Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

      • 29 replies
      Demonland

    • POSTGAME: North Melbourne

      The Demons are finally back at the MCG and finally back on the winners list as they continually chipped away at a spirited Kangaroos side eventually breaking their backs and opening the floodgates to run out winners by 6 goals.

        • Haha
        • Like
      • 255 replies
      Demonland
    View All