Jump to content

Posting Unsubstantiated Rumours on this Website is Strictly Forbidden
  • IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

    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 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.


DUCKING A PLUCKING by George On The Outer


Demonland

Recommended Posts

With seven consecutive wins for 2021 behind it, and not having played well in its previous game,  Melbourne was ripe for the picking (or plucking) by the Sydney Swans.

However, in the end, it was the Ducks who found themselves plucked by a Demons side that continues its relentless successful roll for the Season.

Or did the Demons narrowly duck a plucking themselves?

Sydney brought its usual game style to the M.C.G.  Get in front and then shut down the game, scrap and refuse to move the ball forward, just to deny the opposition possession.  It worked so well for the Swans is against Richmond earlier this year so why not try again? 

Two early goals saw them institute their typical scenario, but it doesn’t make for enjoyable football from the spectators perspective.

But Melbourne is not Richmond and it pulled back the lead to only two points come the bell to end the first term.

In the drizzling rain, that blighted the match Melbourne then pressed hard in the second quarter, but one farcical error after another saw it fail to capitalize on the scoreboard.  A certain goal to Bayley Fritsch was already marked down, all he had to do was get his foot to the ball in the empty goal-square, but he couldn’t pick up the footy and fumbled it through for a minor score. 

Fritsch wasn’t alone, and the normally efficient Demons squandered numerous chances and managed only 2.5 for the quarter.  Still they had opened the margin to nearly two goals, and again unfortunately for the spectators the score was to revolve around this mark for the rest of the game. Sydney would close the gap, only for Melbourne to widen it again.  

In the final quarter, a Sydney goal brought the margin back to merely four points and the ever present MFCSS was starting to boil, if not already overflowing ...

A sharp snap from Charlie Spargo gave the fans some breathing space, but again the Swans replied.  Then Tom McDonald took a spectacular pack mark on the edge of the goal square to open the game to a ten point margin with about seven minutes on the clock.

Further scraps took place with Sydney threatening to score again, but two game saving tackles from Spargo and then Jordon, ensured the Demons had plucked the Ducks before the final siren sounded.

Make no mistake, this was a game in which Melbourne did not play well.  Around the ground players were well below their best, and the Swans, despite their abysmal playing method were sitting fourth on the ladder prior to the game.

This game style also denied Melbourne their modus operandi that comes from an intercepting back-line.  When they refuse to enter the 50m zone and chip it around until a shorter target is reached, it means Lever, May and the other defenders cannot zone and intercept. 

But the defence still held strong, and May in particular put Franklin to the sword with his strength.

Franklin is a shadow of his best, and cannot run or kick as once before, now depending on out muscling his opponent.  Not against Steven.  Franklin often found himself on the ground instead having been beaten in the strength contest, and could only finish the game with six touches and no score!

The mids were beaten comprehensively.  The addition of James Harmes was questionable, for although he finished with plenty of touches, he failed to shut down the Sydney mids, and it resulted in clearance differential of 17 to 4.  We really could have used the second and third efforts that Viney would have provided in the engine room. 

This was further compounded by Max Gawn’s drop off in output, as Tom Hickey had six clearances despite losing the tapouts.  We have become accustomed to Max’s marking around the ground, but he managed only three of those for the game.  Without Clayton Oliver’s 35 touches in the middle and around the ground, the Demons would have been in real trouble. 

James Jordan is proving his worth in this season, and had 11 touches in the 1st quarter, 17 to half time, but dropped off in the second half. 

As mentioned his game saving tackle in the final minutes denied Sydney that last roll of the dice, emphasizing the importance of never giving up.

The forwards provided a mixed bag.  Brown and McDonald were fantastic and provided the targets we needed, especially and critical times in the game.  Between them they put seven goals of the team’s total of ten on the board.  Charlie Spargo was the spark and threat around the packs, but Pickett went missing this week. 

Melksham was horrible, and once again his commitment has to be questioned as he allows his opponents to influence the game. He failed to follow Lloyd into the 50m arc in the third quarter, that ensured an easy goal instead of a kick from outside. In a game where they only managed eight goals this becomes critical.

Fritsch had a “mare” of a game and couldn’t get into the action, even when presented with gimme opportunities.  Fortunately, the slack was taken up by TMac and BBB.  That also put paid to any suggestions of a role for Sam Weidemann next week, especially since the Casey game was postponed due to Covid restrictions.

Another win puts the Demons in top spot with eight wins in 2021. With the two wins to close off the 2020 season, this means the club has won ten in succession! 

However, unless a good number of players can lift their output in the next game against Carlton, (which will turn out to be a goal-scoring fest), then it will be the Demons who might find themselves ripe for the plucking ...

MELBOURNE 3.1.19 5.6.36 8.6.54 10.7.67

SYDNEY SWANS 3.3.21 3.7.25 6.8.44 8.10.58

GOALS

Melbourne T McDonald 4 Brown 3 Melksham Petracca Spargo

Sydney Swans Hayward 2 Hickey Lloyd McInerney Mills Papley Sinclair

BEST

Melbourne Oliver McDonald Petracca Harmes Salem Jordon

Sydney Swans Parker Rampe Mills Lloyd Rowbottom Hickey  

INJURIES

Melbourne Nil

Sydney Swans Nil

REPORTS

Melbourne Nil

Sydney Swans Nil

SUBSTITUTES

Melbourne Kade Chandler (unused)

Sydney Swans Nick Blakey (unused) 

Umpires Jeff Dalgleish Curtis Deboy Brendan Hosking

Crowd 35,567 at the MCG

ReportRd082021.png

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

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Demonland Forums  

  • Match Previews, Reports & Articles  

    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. KEV MARTIN'S TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Windy, even the Yarra has waves, warm and humid. They are doing plenty of warm ups, then a game of soccer, now run throughs. I think keeping it simple. May, ANB, Hore, Max. TMac, Billings, Sestan, on modified programs.  BBB, Spargs, Turner, McAdam (own program, talking to Whe

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    DEE-RUBBING by George on the Outer

    For the second week in a row, the Demons had to endure some particularly oppressive match conditions — this time, playing in 30 degree temperatures at the MCG, following the humid sticky Sydney atmosphere of last week.   The warmer conditions didn’t seem to worry the Dee’s since the ball was so much easier to handle, and handle it with surety they did in handing out a 45 point drubbing to the much fancied Western Bulldogs.   After a slow start that saw the Dogs out to

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports

    PREGAME: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The Demons will return to the MCG next week to face the Hawks before 2 weeks on the road in Adelaide in the lead up to Gather Round. Who comes in and who goes out?

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 145

    PODCAST: Rd 01 vs Western Bulldogs

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 18th March @ 8:30pm. Join George, Binman & I as we analyse the Demons victory at the MCG over the Bulldogs in the Round 01. 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 65

    POSTGAME: Rd 01 vs Western Bulldogs

    The Demons finally open their account in the 2024 Premiership Season with a 45 point win over the Western Bulldogs at the Home of Football the MCG.   

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 444

    VOTES: Rd 01 vs Western Bulldogs

    Last week Jack Viney polled the maximum number of votes to lead the Demonland Player of the Year Award. Steven May and rookie Blake Howes are equal second. Your votes for the win over the Bulldogs. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 75

    GAMEDAY: Rd 01 vs Western Bulldogs

    On the back of a disappointing Opening Round loss to the Swans in Sydney the Demons return to the MCG today to take on the the Western Bulldogs in a bid to even the ledger early in the 2024 season.

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Melbourne Demons 467

    TRAINING: Saturday 16th March 2023

    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. KEV MARTIN'S CAPTAIN'S RUN OBSERVATIONS Rehab  is out early. A beautiful Saturday morning, though plenty of dew on the paddock  Verrall doing hard sprints along the boundary.  McAdam individual program and has started, ball work, change of direction drills,

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Training Reports

    CROSSING THE PICKETT LINE by The Oracle

    Melbourne’s performance in losing its Round Zero contest in Sydney has certainly caused the club, the coach and the players to come firmly under the watchful eye of the football world and exposed all of its aspects to a microscopic lens.   Much of the commentary surrounding them has been less than complimentary and, while some might argue that this is unfair after only one round, leaving aside some of the scuttlebutt that surrounds a lot of the discussion around the game, a fair amoun

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Previews
  • 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 02

    Discussion of all the other games that don't involve the Demons in Round 02 ... READ MORE

    Demonland | Round 02

  • 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

  • Latest Podcast      

    PODCAST: Rd 01 vs Western Bulldogs

    The boys analysed the dismantling of the Western Bulldogs praising the masterful performance of Clayton Oliver, the dominance of Max Gawn and the defence and rebound of Steven May ... LISTEN

    Demonland | March 19

  • Match Report      

    DEE-RUBBING by George on the Outer

    For the second week in a row, the Demons had to endure some particularly oppressive match conditions — this time, playing in 30 degree temperatures at the MCG, following the humid sticky Sydney atmosphere of last week ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 17

  • Post Game      

    POSTGAME: Round 01 vs Western Bulldogs

    TThe Demons finally open their account in the 2024 Premiership Season with a 45 point win over the Western Bulldogs at the Home of Football the MCG ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 17

  • Votes      

    VOTES: Round 01 vs Western Bulldogs

    Last week Jack Viney polled the maximum number of votes to lead the Demonland Player of the Year Award. Steven May and rookie Blake Howes are equal second. Your votes for the win over the Bulldogs. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 17

  • PreGame      

    PREGAME: Rd 02 vs Hawthorn

    The Demons will return to the MCG next week to face the Hawks before 2 weeks on the road in Adelaide in the lead up to Gather Round. Who comes in and who goes out? ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 19

  • Game Day      

    GAMEDAY: Round 01 vs Western Bulldogs

    On the back of a disappointing Opening Round loss to the Swans in Sydney the Demons return to the MCG today to take on the the Western Bulldogs in a bid to even the ledger early in the 2024 season ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 17

  • 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

  • Match Preview      

    CROSSING THE PICKETT LINE by The Oracle

    Melbourne’s performance in losing its Round Zero contest in Sydney has certainly caused the club, the coach and the players to come firmly under the watchful eye of the football world and exposed all of its aspects to a microscopic lens ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 14

  • Training  

    Monday, 11th March 2024

    Demonland Trackwatcher Kev Martin braved the scorching heat on a public holiday to bring you the following observations from Training ...READ MORE

    Demonland | March 11

  • Preseason Training  

    Saturday, 2nd March 2024

    On the eve of the 2024 Season I ventured down to Gosch's Paddock for one of the final preseason training session before we head up to Sydney to take on the Swans. Here are my observations from the training session ... READ MORE

    Demonland | March 02

  • Special Feature  

    SCRUTINY & RESILIENCE by Whispering Jack

    If the week when preseason training melds into scratch matches with other clubs, is the first marker for the beginning of a new season, then this has certainly been a torrid opener for the Melbourne Football Club in its campaign to remain a leading AFL premiership contender in 2024 ... READ MORE

    Demonland | February 24

  • 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 02

       vs   

    Saturday 23rd March 2024
    @ 04:35pm (MCG)

  • MFC Forum  

  • Match Previews & Reports  

  • Training Forum  

  • AFLW Forum  

  • 2024 Player Sponsorship

  • Topics

  • Injury List  


      PLAYER INJURY LENGTH
    Oliver Sestan Concussion 1 Week
    Lachie Hunter Calf 2 Weeks
    Daniel Turner Hip 5-6 Weeks
    Jake Bowey Shoulder 8 Weeks
    Shane McAdam Hamstring TBC
    Jake Melksham ACL TBC
    Charlie Spargo Achilles TBC
    Joel Smith Suspension TBA

  • Player of the Year  


        PLAYER VOTES
    1 Steven May 25
    2 Jack Viney 20
    3 Clayton Oliver 18
    4 Max Gawn 11
    5 Jack Billings 10
    5 Blake Howes 10
    7 Christian Petracca 9
    7 Christian Salem 9
    9 Bayley Fritsch 4
    9 Judd McVee 4

        FULL TABLE
  • Demonland Interviews 



  • Upcoming Events 

×
×
  • Create New...