Sunday 11th of October

5.05pm AEDT

Fremantle Oval

The Dees are looking for their first interstate win of the season.

I say no change to this week's team. They are playing some great football, hopefully they can fix up thier last quarters.

No Heater or Mackin ☹️

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On 06/10/2025 at 17:18, Dees_In_October said:

Sunday 11th of October

5.05pm AEDT

Fremantle Oval

The Dees are looking for their first interstate win of the season.

Going to change your user name in few weeks to keep up to date?

This is a danger game.

Freo will not be easy to beat over there at all.

We'll have to bring the same intensity as we displayed against Essendon

Okay, so, will McVee be at this game?

Supporting his girlfriend or his club?

Hard times.

Denby time. She debuted for the Red and Blue in the Freo away game last season. Showcased her speed and neat skills. Give her a run Mick.

17 minutes ago, Meggs said:

Denby time. She debuted for the Red and Blue in the Freo away game last season. Showcased her speed and neat skills. Give her a run Mick.

I agree she should replace Heath but who's gonna replace her role?

B: Colvin, Gillard

HB: Chaplin, O'Hehir, Goldrick

C: McNamara, Hanks, Paxman

HF: Bannan, Harris, Wotherspoon

F: Gall, Zanker

FOLL: Pearce, Hore, Fitzsimon

IC: Pisano, D.Taylor, Ebert, Mahony, Johnson

Edited October 7, 2025Oct 7 by WERRIDEE

11 hours ago, Meggs said:

Denby time. She debuted for the Red and Blue in the Freo away game last season. Showcased her speed and neat skills. Give her a run Mick.

Definitely.

Anyone who’s attending this match and would like to enquire about being involved in the guard of honour etc., feel free to email the Demon Army:

The Demon Army

The Demon Army

The Demon Army - The Official Cheer Squad of the Melbourne Football Club

For prematch meetups etc. the Western Demons usually plan something; not sure if they are on this occasion.

With Heath out, I wonder if they'll think about bringing in Dethridge.

11 minutes ago, The Taciturn Demon said:

With Heath out, I wonder if they'll think about bringing in Dethridge.

Good thought. It would be awesome for Milly to debut. She is really strong, aerobic, and has tagged well at VFLW.

Looking at the extended bench, only Milly and Maggie would be considered 'mids' but not direct replacements for Heater. Who is?

Dingo is the probably the safe option together with a mids reshuffle. Mick could send Chappy into the centre to create some havoc.

Edited October 10, 2025Oct 10 by Meggs
typos

On 07/10/2025 at 19:15, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

Going to change your user name in few weeks to keep up to date?

Imagine if I did that every month! The original meaning behind it doesn't really make sense since it was pre-AFLW or at least summer AFLW: to be thinking positively of the Dees in October rather than clutching hopelessly at straws in trade & draft (see other board 😅 ). The Dees W have solved that yucky October feeling nicely, most of the time!

2 hours ago, Meggs said:

Good thought. It would be awesome for Milly to debut. She is really strong, aerobic, and has tagged well at VFLW.

Looking at the extended bench, only Milly and Maggie would be considered 'mids' but not direct replacements for Heater. Who is?

Dingo is the probably the safe option together with a mids reshuffle. Mick could send Chappy into the centre to create some havoc.

I'll be happy if it's Dingo but also excited if it's Dethridge, just to have had every active player play! "Really strong" is obviously what we need...

Well, we were all wrong! Fresh legs.

FREMANTLE

In: S.Verrier, A.Tighe
Out: G.O'Sullivan (foot), H.Ifould (omitted)

MELBOURNE

In: J.Rigoni, D.Taylor, G.Campbell
Out: S.Heath (finger), A.Pisano (omitted), M.Mahony (managed)

Avg. games experience of teams as selected:

Melb: 45.0

Freo: 44.3

2025 Top 5 tacklers (total):

Melb: Fitzsimon 66, Heath 51, Hanks 46, Hore 46, McNamara 43, Chaplin 37

Freo: Bowers 95, Newton 54, M.Strom 49, McCarthy 42, Kauffman 32

2025 Tackles i50 avg.

Melb: 18.6 (1st)

Freo: 14.4 (3rd)

🌈 And a happy Pride Round to all! 🌈

It's interesting Essendon got smashed by the Dogs last night. Last week, the tackling and physicality of Mick Stinear's team against the Bombers was the toughest I've seen from our women's team, ever. And this progression needed to happen as last season the tackling and physicality of the Roos and Lions was at a much higher level than our Dees.

So after last week's game, I wondered what the impact would be on Essendon this week. Well, that was answered last night. The Bombers were beaten by almost 10 goals.

Equally, it will be interesting to see how our Dees turn up tomorrow after last week's physical encounter.

2 minutes ago, Dee in a Kilt said:

It's interesting Essendon got smashed by the Dogs last night. Last week, the tackling and physicality of Mick Stinear's team against the Bombers was the toughest I've seen from our women's team, ever. And this progression needed to happen as last season the tackling and physicality of the Roos and Lions was at a much higher level than our Dees.

So after last week's game, I wondered what the impact would be on Essendon this week. Well, that was answered last night. The Bombers were beaten by almost 10 goals.

Equally, it will be interesting to see how our Dees turn up tomorrow after last week's physical encounter.

Great point, DiaK. I think last week’s match won’t impact us as it did Essendon last night given we were the tacklers and not the tacklees, if you will.

Last night’s match was a hard watch. Essendon looked slow and worn out and only got worse in this respect as the game went on. I mean, I hate Essendon as much as the next person but I actually felt sorry for them*

Yesterday’s training session said Fear not, Dees devotees, we’ve pulled up just fine

*for about five minutes then I went back to hating them having come my senses.

Does anyone else wish the AFLW Dees had a distinctive name?

If we refer to the 'Dees', is it the men's or women's team? It's cumbersome.

I read an inspiring article about Matilda Kyra Cooney-Cross. It had me thinking each of the national sporting teams has a distinctive name so we immediately know the sporting code and gender.

I asked my buddy Claude.io for some suggestions, following:

• Banshees - - These supernatural female spirits are known for their powerful presence and haunting calls. It keeps the supernatural theme and has great potential for chants and supporter culture

• Furies - Drawing from Greek mythology, the Furies were fierce female spirits of vengeance. It maintains the mythological/demonic theme while being distinctly feminine and intimidating

• Valkyries - Norse mythology's choosers of the slain - fierce female warriors. Maintains mythological roots while being unmistakably strong and independent

• Demonesses - A direct, powerful feminine form that maintains the club's demon heritage while asserting their own identity

• Pioneers - Direct and powerful, celebrating their groundbreaking role in both competitions

• Trailblazers - Dynamic and forward-looking, emphasizing they're carving the path for others to follow

• Amazons - Perhaps the strongest option. Wonder Woman's warrior race represents strength, skill, and sisterhood. The term has mythological roots but strong superhero associations, and "Amazon" is synonymous with fierce female warriors

Thoughts?

6 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Great point, DiaK. I think last week’s match won’t impact us as it did Essendon last night given we were the tacklers and not the tacklees, if you will.

Last night’s match was a hard watch. Essendon looked slow and worn out and only got worse in this respect as the game went on. I mean, I hate Essendon as much as the next person but I actually felt sorry for them*

Yesterday’s training session said Fear not, Dees devotees, we’ve pulled up just fine

*for about five minutes then I went back to hating them having come my senses.

Oh Ghosty, you have such a beautiful heart. I wish Demonlanders had the opportunity to get to know you personally, as I. It's little wonder the players open up to you, giving Demonland constant pearls and insights.

Fabulous to hear the women have pulled up well.

3 hours ago, Dee in a Kilt said:

Does anyone else wish the AFLW Dees had a distinctive name?

An interesting idea.

I can't speak for others but if I had to guess, I'd say for the vast majority of Melbourne fans, they don't need to make a distinction because they're primarily fans of one team or the other, heavily weighted towards the men, obviously.

In my household, we follow both equally, but there have been surprisingly few instances where there's been confusion. Even in the weeks where the seasons overlap (more of an issue if the men's make finals!), it's usually pretty clear from context to which team someone is referring. It's habitual just to add "in the W" or "in the men's" if needed.

I can see an argument for "just for fun" or "to carve out a different identity" though.

Personally, I actually love all the teams being the Demons, for the "one club" of it all. It's interesting, because although I love the W team as its own unique thing, with some different traditions, I also really like the consistent "branding" of the teams, for a sense of unity and, symbolically, equal value.

That's just me though. It might be a funny one for @Ghostwriter to poll the players. I reckon asking "Would you prefer to be the 'Demonesses'?" might get some good mixed reactions 🤣

46 minutes ago, Dees_In_October said:

That's just me though. It might be a funny one for @Ghostwriter to poll the players. I reckon asking "Would you prefer to be the 'Demonesses'?" might get some good mixed reactions 🤣

This is right up my alley! I’ll be at a player-sponsor function this Tuesday with all W players attending. My goal will be to get around to at least half of them, and the remaining players I’ll poll at training 😁

4 hours ago, Dee in a Kilt said:

Does anyone else wish the AFLW Dees had a distinctive name?

If we refer to the 'Dees', is it the men's or women's team? It's cumbersome.

I read an inspiring article about Matilda Kyra Cooney-Cross. It had me thinking each of the national sporting teams has a distinctive name so we immediately know the sporting code and gender.

I asked my buddy Claude.io for some suggestions, following:

• Banshees - - These supernatural female spirits are known for their powerful presence and haunting calls. It keeps the supernatural theme and has great potential for chants and supporter culture

• Furies - Drawing from Greek mythology, the Furies were fierce female spirits of vengeance. It maintains the mythological/demonic theme while being distinctly feminine and intimidating

• Valkyries - Norse mythology's choosers of the slain - fierce female warriors. Maintains mythological roots while being unmistakably strong and independent

• Demonesses - A direct, powerful feminine form that maintains the club's demon heritage while asserting their own identity

• Pioneers - Direct and powerful, celebrating their groundbreaking role in both competitions

• Trailblazers - Dynamic and forward-looking, emphasizing they're carving the path for others to follow

• Amazons - Perhaps the strongest option. Wonder Woman's warrior race represents strength, skill, and sisterhood. The term has mythological roots but strong superhero associations, and "Amazon" is synonymous with fierce female warriors

Thoughts?

I’ve always liked Harpies because I thought they were cool (head of a woman on the body of a bird, and I’m an ornithophile). But I just wiki’d Harpies and while some aspects of them aren’t palatable but can pass muster (just) this one is a dealbreaker…

I vote for the Banshees, and then they could give a screeching wail when they win.

5 minutes ago, Demon_spurs said:

I vote for the Banshees, and then they could give a screeching wail when they win.

Yes! And Siouxsie Sioux can be our mascot! 😃