Leaderboard

Beautiful morning. Joy all round, they look like they wanted to be there. 21 in the squad. Looks like the leadership group is TMac, Viney Chandler and Petty. They have slimmed down, especially the top half. Perhaps less upper-body work in the gym. Viney's thigh are huge. Nathan Jones brought the exuberance to many in his interactions. Chaplin was stamping his method into the forward work. Three across the line, the flankers staying wide, though with some synchronising as they turn and run. The delivery, then getting a flanker to be front and centre, as the other stays wide. Appears he wants them to turn quickly and make angles or direct/sharp runs at the ball carrier. Bassett going about it quietly, working on getting the outside run happening at the stoppages. Gus (the training assistant), led the Remembrance (lest we forget) ceremony for the minutes silence. Teared up as the RAAF jets overflew us on there way to the shrine, good timing. The squad was doing the basics well. In a few of the drills barely a ball hit the ground. I was impressed with the camaraderie, vocal noise and connection, we have a good lot of youngsters. Jed Adams looks like a leader, learnt some lessons from the Lever in the shape of being vocal. TMac was in boots, that's the first time in ages I have not seen him start the pre-season in runners. Foot problems are well behind him. The only one who looked little rusty was, Windsor. Jefferson is my tip as a big improver. Often led the running group he was in. Some of his handballing was great, with the ball being delivered 10 meters out, with precision to running players Sestan has slimmed down and looking good. Turner and Howes are getting bigger, and as was pointed out by another tracky, so is Verrall. None of the new players, Campbell or Sharp were there. There were 6 technicians lining around the computer screens. Seemed like many of the Administrators and powers that be, turned up (No Green). When they did some contact drills, both Tholstrup and Bowey disengaged from the group. The main effort in tackling drills, was as Choco called out, 'drive them low and keep going at the arms'. Salem and Fritsch were running laps. Fritta was looking fantastic as he out did Salo, who was straining at times. Goody was watching them very carefully, I had the impression he liked what he saw, as did I.

I made my way down from Wodonga to watch training for the first time since 21' and brought my wife along with me which she enjoyed. Fritta and Salo were there well before the rest of the boys had turned up and had worked up a real sweat. They finished their training with some goal kicking games trying to out do one another. The boys were aiming to hit each of the 4 posts and whoever hit it, won the game. They followed that with some drop punt kicks from the boundary where Chocco came over and offered some guidance he said "kick the ball high up in the air" which they both did and totally shanked the kick. They were quite animated about and I could hear them laughing away at each other so it was good to see them in high spirits. The rest of the boys started making their way to the track around 10am about 25 all up in attendance and I saw Tom Campbell doing his rehab in front of me. He didn't look to be in any discomfort, I think he just has some catching up to do. Tom is waiting to get a new training kit, which won't come out for a while yet so that's why he's unfortunately stuck in his casual gym clothes. Sestan, Spargo, Howes, Lever and Windsor on occasion also in the rehab group doing individual routines. Spargo had mentioned how bored he was with his rehab as he was limited in what training he could do, so I felt for him. TMac on the boundary watching on. I met the lovely Walking Civil War and her friend Ros, which was an absolute delight. We were so engaged in conversation that I missed a fair bit of the drills the players were doing, but I'm sure others will be able to report on it. Some observations I did notice were that the players are still sprinting to the boundary line for a drink and taking a minute rest break. Viney had called everyone in to chat about one of their drills and he was talking about how well the players in the white bibs were performing and that everyone else had to work harder to cover ground and defend better. Bowey spoke up also showing his leadership qualities followed by McVee. I was impressed with Turner during some of the sims, you can see him improving each time and even did a fancy double spin to evade two tackles but then got pinned on the ground by McVee. Some of the hits were pretty physical this early in the pre-season which was good to see. Jeffo is filling out nicely, he's a confidence player so I hope he can learn from JVR how to be an aggressive forward but he'll come good this year I believe. Sestan and Laurie looking leaner now so I expect them to get a few games this year. Kentfield has a really nice size about him but just needs to working on his fitness/conditioning. Verrall a good size also. Important to note that Petty was in everything today and in really good shape. He was even in the second best running group when they were doing half ground 80% pace running on the boundary towards the end of the session. He's in for a big year if he stays injury free! I also heard Oliver is in a really good space and his hand is the best it's been in years so he is fit and firing to go. Anyway I'm on my way back to sunny Wodonga now. I'm backing us in to have a big year in 2025 and playing finals. Let's Go Demons!

Clarry in the house!!

Welcome back Juice Newton.

Report from Ghostwriter went to Gosch’s this morning and sent me this report… 1st - 4th year players today. Some seniors chose to attend: Viney, Salo, Fritta, Tmac, HP35. The vibe was amazing. The sunshine and lack of wind made it even better. They all look great; trim and toned and not one of them is out of shape. You thought Vines couldn’t possibly get any musclier? Think again. Good luck trying to tackle him, oppo chumps, see you in the broken bones ward at the Royal Melbourne! Nathan Basset already commanding much respect from the boys as well as Goody and Chocco. Very professional. Troy Chaplin confident and decisive when addressing his charges. Idk if Tom Campbell is any good at footying but believe me, he’s a lovely person. It’s no wonder he and BBB are besties, carbon copy right there. Chin Chandler rocking a dramatic buzzcut. First reaction: WTF?! Immediately followed by It actually looks good. No easing into training this preseason. No siree Bob. Straight into serious, physical drills. A lot of practice at baulking a couple of players while running into open goal. Leb puts the “Win” in “Windsor.” He absolutely nailed it. Woey junior super impressive when tackling, the boy simply does not let up. Brings one to ground, springs back up and takes down another one. So good to see. Jed Adams was wearing #19 (shack attack’s body isn’t even cold yet) but it’s probably only because he didn’t have a clean #26. Ollie Sestan looks great. Clearly hasn’t missed a single day in the gym. Seems super confident when talking about a potential debut in the offing. Jeffo also appears way more confident compared to last season. Not afraid to go in hard. Seems more agile as well. Still needs to straighten tf up but the Quasimodo is no longer as prominent. A slightly deranged regular was there. She gave Goody a big ‘ol bear hug and told him she’s so happy now that all that shhiitt is behind him after years of having to listen to the nasty allegations and that she’s even happier that he’s still our coach. He genuinely appreciated her sentiment then went on to praise the Demon Army. Love that guy. Chocco the complete opposite. He showed the slightly deranged one a video he took at Ikon during the last W H&A match. He took it from above and behind the cheer squad and said the CS is too noisy and raucous and extremely annoying, in particular the slightly deranged one and that next time he’s gonna bring a bottle of water to tip on her head. She told him to GAGF. 🤣 ‘Til next time, Kat. Lotsa love, your friend xxx

24 in the squad today. Fritsch doing his own program. He has put on a fair bit of upper-body muscle. The Sparrow and Rivers have turned up. Sparrow has very little fat, his skin folds must be near zero. Riv's has also filled out, looking strong. Unsure about Jed Adams, pulled out of the squad to do some work with the trainer, could be calf/Achilles awareness. Windsor, Tholstrup and Bowey, were pulled from the contact craft sessions. All participated in everything else. Bassett was much more vocal this time. Jones was animated and giving plenty of directions, it was Chaplin who was doing most of the work as Goody again sat back and observed. Troy was really active in making sure the forwards lead and make space. He was also instructive in the outside 50 area, making sure they get the right patterns and delivery. Petty (unhindered, body is in good shape) in the backline, as was TMac (focused on outside run). Forwards included Kentfield, JVR, Jefferson, Verrall and Sestan in the sims. AMW, has impressed me, gained plenty of confidence, side stepping them all, and tackling/pressurising well. JVR a bit rusty. Jefferson was marking well in the wet, unlike a couple of the others. Brown looks like he is only in second gear untill he gets the ball. Sestan is difficult to tackle. In the drill, a little hip swivel and a tight body turn, they fall off him, including Viney who had surprise all over his face, like grasping for the wet soap. Got a feeling they will rotate McVee through the mids.

Just wanted to share with everyone that my mum went to a luncheon last week at the Australian club where Jason Taylor was the guest speaker. Jason informed everyone in the room that Melbourne will be drafting midfielders this year. So I doubt we’ll see Harry Armstrong in the red and blue next year.

Last day of annual leave so made it down for the entire session. Just a couple of impressions Clarry - Engaged and connected. Very playful with teammates, knocking ball out of Roo's hands & laughing, Volunteered to act as key forward, chat and a hug with Goody. Any thought of him not wanting to be here was put to rest in my mind. Roo - Looked a class above in contested situations. Great use of body. Good hands and found space. AMW - Clean skills and a touch of class. In 1:1 drill with Chin, beat him 5 times in a row. Disposal good all session. Jeffo - Looked smooth. Led well, made good position and was dangerous in contested situations. Also a couple of great shots at goal including one in general play from about 60 meters out. On todays session I would have Roo, Disco & Jeffo as my key three forwards. Petty also had great body positioning playing in defence (as previously mentioned). He came to the fore in 1:1 contents. Kentfield - Was very impressed with his general play, leading and kicking. Looks a great size and has talent. Struggled a bit when the running started. A good prospect. Verrall - More skilled than I had previously thought. Showed some ability forward and as a link in play. Bowey - Lethal by foot, kicking darts.

Brad's achievements in a few short months. Seamless and bloodless transition to lead the Board Drove the FD and Board reviews (and will oversee their implementation) Negotiated the departure of our CEO Facilitated the arrival of Steve Smith (pending voting) and succession plan to be the next Board leader Ended the off-field legal dramas taking the unwarranted heat of our coach and our club. In a few short months he has neutralised the topics creating negative media attention. 👏👏👏 I will confess I was a bit 'meh' when he joined the Board and thought replacing Roffey was just window dressing. I was very very wrong! If he does nothing else he has been incredibly successful in laying the foundations for our stability, growth and success. Change management is one of the hardest things for any organisation to undertake and Brad hasn't put a foot wrong.

I managed to stop in for a little look, but i am not great at training reports so i will do my best. Everyone looked in really good shape from a fitness perspective, the players look lean, are running really well and i think it's really encouraging for the young guys to look this fit and ready to go before pre-season even starts. Jacob Van Rooyen looked noticeably stronger to me, i'd be shocked if he doesn't take a really big step this year, I agree with other posters thoughts on Jefferson and Windsor, both stood out, Jefferson looks like he's done an enormous amount of work. One thing that really stood out for me was the impact of Nathan Jones, the entire group looked like they got a real lift from him being there, and you could see right away he is going to settle in really well to coaching life. It looks as though a lot of players have been given homework around their running, which probably reflects the change in game plan Goody looks like the absolute weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders, it seems the break and release of some pressure has done him an enormous amount of good. I know it's very early but the entire vibe of the club felt much more lighthearted, fun and energetic than i can remember it being since maybe 2021

The MFC and our former President Glen Bartlett have buried the hatchet! Not specifically part of the review but a great step forward demons-settle-with-glen-bartlett-apologise-to-simon-goodwin The Joint Statement: The Board of the Melbourne Football Club, Mr GB and Ms VS, are pleased to announce that all proceedings between them have been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. A confidential settlement has been entered into between the parties to avoid the costs of litigation for all. Individual recollections and perspectives can differ and lead to many feeling aggrieved. The parties recognise that the last three years of dispute have been a difficult and stressful time for all and acknowledge that the matter could have been handled differently. All parties are sorry for the hurt that has been caused. The Board acknowledges and thanks Glen for the important role he played as President, having overseen the resurgence in the Club’s fortunes. Glen focused on cultural change including the development of the Club values, now known as “TRUE”, of Trust, Respect, Unity and Excellence which are reflective of values based leadership. Glen is proud of the improvements he introduced to the Club as President. During the period in which GB was the Club’s President, serious allegations about Simon Goodwin’s use of illicit drugs were passed onto and duly investigated by the Club. It was found that the allegations were false and had no basis in fact. These allegations have caused enormous hurt and pain for Simon and his family for which all parties are deeply sorry. This brings these matters to an end for all time. Simon Goodwin is a highly regarded and respected Demons premiership coach. The Board and GB agree that focussing on the future of the Club and particularly the welfare of its people is the most important priority. The Board and Glen look forward to the future including the continued success of the club. (names to show only initials). Huge kudos to Brad Green and Co to achieve what seems a major breakthrough. The club can now move forward with a truly fresh start off the field without distractions. 2025 - a year to let our football to do the talking!

Ghostwriter Report: Observations: We have a new member of staff: a strength and conditioning coach named Tom Couch who’s the son of (the late) Paul Couch. Seems many thought he was Harry Sharp despite being significantly older. Tom Campbell was on the track very early, one-on-one with a trainer. He’s “a little behind the rest of the boys” in terms of training. Mitch Cleary received a tweet telling him Clarrie was here so he hotfooted it down. He was flustered and asked the slightly deranged regular if Clarrie was out on the field yet. She told him yeah. He said isn’t it great to see Clarrie back? She replied “Yes and even better that he’s in great spirits, he’s fit and firing and can’t wait for the season to start.” Mitch said, “Oh, then I suppose there’s no need for me to be here” and he turned and pretended to walk back from whence he came. He laughed and said “Just kidding, just kidding!” This goes to show you even the media know the media suck. The boys were running laps in small groups. Sesto wasn’t participating. Nothing to worry about though. It’s just that he felt something in his hammy. On one of the drinks breaks, after a particularly strenuous drill some of the young guys were sitting on their haunches, namely Pup, Howesy, and AMW. Tommy Sparrow approached them and said, “Come on boys. Body language, remember? Get up, get up, get up!” They promptly stood up. The young brigade are training at AAMI Park early tomorrow morning. The older guys have the weekend off. Selwyn asked Clarrie if he had plans for the weekend. Clarrie said, “Yeah I’m hittin’ the [censored] hard for two days. Yourself?” LOLS all round. Lucky Cleary wasn’t there to hear it. 🙄 Kolt’s girlfriend plays for the Hawks. He’ll be at Ikon tomorrow night and was pleased to hear that a few of us from the DA will be there to cheer on the Hawks (Loveya Westy and Casey). Leb spent a lot of time running around the boundary. Nothing to worry about. Tom Couch has had input there, he likes to “mix it up.” AMW was wearing #34 but only because his own jumper was ripped during training on Wednesday. They’re training at Gosch’s on Monday morning, they leave to attend the camp in Bright the following Monday and at this stage (because of the draft next week) there won’t be any sessions for the remainder of next week. Ghostwriter out 👋

Got down to Gosch's for an hour before the rain set in. Kev has offered some excellent observations so only a few things I can add. I'm usually very positive in general about all things MFC, so excuse me if I note a few negatives on the way through. I was looking for improvement. On that scale, I was impressed with Jefferson's movement, pace and marking up forward. Roo looked good, but regularly ran to a spot on the spread (which was a focus of forward patterns) that was ignored by the incoming ball carrier. Verrall looked good in the ball movement exercises from the backline, agile and clean by hand and foot. Key backs were McDonald (who looked fit and sharp), Howes (who gathered cleanly and created change of direction), Hore (injury free and fit), Judd (Rolls Royce, who was also used further up ground), AMW (I have him in my starting 23 in 2025) & Verrall (on occasions). Woewodin looks fit and balanced with ball movement. Things that disappointed (because they were evident during 2024 season) Tholstrup occasionally gets into trouble with a fumble that allows defender to close him down and tackle. Brown sometimes holds on to it for too long, kicks under pressure and misses targets. Bowey seems in two minds with the ball, slows down flow and misses target enough to put the receiver under unnecessary pressure. Set shots, when taken, were still 50/50 proposition. Things that excited... Windsor continued on his merry way Rivers looked composed and strong (at one point he ran down Viney and tackled him to the ground in a face plant. No 7 was surprised but not impressed!). Sparrow is trim and looks to have added a little speed to his movement.

The reason we have only won one flag in the last 60 years is soft supporters like you.

Wish him well. Delivered 21. Made slight progress on facilities. Financials are strong. Culture is not and that’s sword any organisation lives or dies on.

Moving up in the draft to take Oliver Taking a small underrrated forward well before he was anticipated to be picked Kozzie Taking a punt on an athletic hybrid in Jackson Not offloading Goodwin after 2019/2020 Not panicking when 42 points down at Kardinya Park in Rd 22 2021 How utterly Melbourne people see what they want to see and we clearly know what you want but hey you played u19s and coached

Surreal.

"Now is the right time for me and the right time for the club." Well played Gary Pert on your achievements at the club and in the gracious way in which you are handling your departure given the circumstances. You steered the club through potentially treacherous waters to win our first AFL/VFL premiership in 57 years, our first AFLW premiership a McClelland Trophy, two further top four finishes, record memberships and unprecedented financial strength. We look forward to your seeing us through to the conclusion of negotiations to secure a state-of-the-art training and administration base at Caulfield Racecourse Reserve. Thanks to you for all of your efforts for the betterment of the club.

I am here at Caulfield but cannot find the training ground. Lots of horse manure but not much else. Am I at the right spot?

In his exit interview he raised that he’d like to one day captain the club.

The parties have come to agreement. Former President Glen Bartlett’s contribution over his long period of service to the club and it’s revival has been acknowledged and recognized and allegations regarding our premiership coach Simon Goodwin have rightfully been discredited. Let's move on and support the Demons as they rise to the task of winning the 2025 premiership.

From the ghostwriter: Mornin’ Kitty Kat! Today’s observations… The boys were out on the park early today. No Clarrie. No Riv. Ricky Lever was there, as was Salo. Tmac was there but didn’t train. He stood on the sidelines drinking coffee. Spargz was also there but of course he wasn’t training with the others. He’s been told he’ll be training with them post-Xmas. It’s been a long recovery but they don’t wanna rush him back. He hasn’t lost any of the muscle definition he was rocking last preseason. He chews gum and walks around like he couldn’t possibly be any more relaxed. He said that’s because he’s “bored sch!tless” walking/running in straight lines which he’s been doing solidly every day for the last six months and is looking forward to being able to run and turn in different directions. #AchillesWoes Andy is back in #45 and is very happy about that, his permanent number. Kolt was again wearing #12. He chose #39 last year but likes #12 so it’ll be no surprise when he’s given #12 later this month when jumper numbers are revealed. Tom Campbell was in civvies again because they still haven’t got his kit ready. He thinks they’ll wait until numbers are assigned before giving him his kit. He’s looking forward to “helping Max.” Personally I think they’ll work really well together because there’ll be no clash of egos the likes of which can bring a ruck combo undone. Tom knows his place, so to speak. IMHO A lot of goal-kicking practice. Fritta and Salo were actually competing to see who could kick the most posters.😁Fritta won. Luker was at the W final on Saturday night with Kolt (Kolt’s girlfriend plays for Hawthorn). Kolt came down after the match (wearing a Hawks scarf 🫣) to say hello but Luker wasn’t with him, he’d gone home right on the final siren. Why? Because he goes to bed at 8pm every night. 😳 He’s 19 going on 90. He doesn’t deny this and after training was delighted to be going home for a nap. Bless him. Sesto didn’t train with the main group because of hammy awareness but reiterated that there’s no concern. They’re just being super careful with him. He was running with no apparent issue. Tommy Sparrow applies sunscreen to his ears only. Training is at Gosch’s this Wednesday and Friday at 10am. Will send a report to you again on Wednesday Kat, but likely not on Friday because 37 degrees says no. 👋 XXX

Managed to make it down to training as well, beautiful day for it. Not a huge amount to report but here are a few of my observations: – No players appeared to be in rehab, although Bowey did appear to spend a bit of time away from the main group during the bigger drills (if I recall correctly). – Jefferson certainly looks a bit stronger, nothing too dramatic but just looks to have filled out a bit across the shoulders and arms. Reckon he'd measure about 2 inches taller if he wasn't so hunched. – The running drills were in groups with the first and fastest featuring only Chandler, McVee and Windsor. – The tall players were all in the last 2 groups and while they were only doing 200m sprints no one really looked too off the pace which was pleasing. Kentfield, Verrall, Adams, Jefferson etc all keeping up. – Was great to see Jonesy back out there, this time in the sky blue coaches t-shirt. He was high-fiving and getting around all the players like he was still one of them. – Great to see the older heads of TMac and Viney out there leading the way. – Fox News was down with their cameras so might have been wanting to catch a glimpse of Trac or Clarry if they had turned up. – Personally I hoped to see McAdam as I'm keen to see a fit version of him pre-Xmas but hopefully he'll appear in the next few sessions. – McVee, Windsor and Turner probably the players that caught my eye the most.

Please don't take your fights/arguments from one thread into others. Enough with the personal attack on posters. Last warning.

This sort of rubbish is what I was talking about saty. Why the angst? Was a perfectly reasonable question. And a reasonable response is tom didn't make it as a player, but not because of effort. He was extremely well regarded at the dees in terms of his commitment to training and preparation and was extremely fit. Also was respected for his attitude and made a positive impact on culture. A great get to have him back at the club.

Got down for a quick look. Had a tennis game to go to so only got a glimpse. One particular drill involved a keepings off via kicks. They were looking for space and accuracy. One of Choco's gems was "see the space before you get the ball, so you know where to move to" Saw some sims. They players love it. Once into the bibs and no bibs, I could see the joy on their faces (let's get into it kinda joy). The backline passed it around until a lead up field was "on". Goody was hanging in this area. Then they were getting a flood going. Often finding another pass or an outside run. Bowey was doing some beautiful passes. Looks like he has really matured in his execution, good vision and decision making. The ball went quickly into the forwards. There were three of them and doing hard leads in all directions, though with the pattern that Chaplin wants. I get the impression that they may resort to getting as many mids around the contest as possible and having a very high forwrad set up. Petty is strong, healthy and having plenty of involvement. Rivers has filled out, looking big and fit. JVR is working on creating separation, seems to be getting off the blind area of defenders, as he makes leads towards the goal from a high up field position. I thought Tholstrup's kicking is improving. His greatest assets are the intensity, the leadership and support. When Kentfield had a error he was the first and only one to get over to him with reassurance. Laurie is moving and executing those disposal well, AMW is the same. Woey is playing very sturdy footy. K.Brown has lots of upside, speed and a natural footy brain. Unsure about Sestan. Good skill set but is he going to be able to get to the ball and perform when the speed increases from VFL to AFL. He was getting rushed. Would really like to him develop some explosive 5/ 10 meters runs. I've only seen the one gear. Going to be lots of pressure for spots, as I reckon the the second tier of players are looking great.

Sorry about the autocorrect, not a good start by Slarti. The session went for around 90 minutes and as far as I could see all 1 to 4 year players were there with Woey in 12 and Jed Adams in 19. It was pretty much a non contact session with the normal handball drills, lots of running and a little bit of field ball movement stuff. Good to see none of these boys in any sort of rehab group. Of the oldies Tmac, Viney, Chin, Marty Hore, Petts and Bowser did the full session with the young blokes and Salo and Fritta did a lot of lap running and a bit of kicking away from the group. It's really not possible to take much out of the session but Duke, Kolt and Disco sort of stood out but others would have picked others. Kentfield was there and he is one big unit. I was a bit disappointed Trac and Clarrie weren't there as it would have made a bit of a statement but it probably means nothing.

An article attributed to Michael Warner in today’s Herald Sun, entitled “END OF THE LINE FOR TROUBLED DEE” contains the following paragraph:- “In a statement handed to federal MP Andrew Wilkie earlier this year – assessed by SIA – former Demons doctor Zeeshan Arain estimated two thirds of the club’s squad were either “frequent” drug users or “occasionally” used illicit drugs.” There is no further explanation of the claim made by Dr Arain and the article does not refer to the fact that the doctor was sacked by the club and was subsequently involved in an acrimonious legal wrangle with the club. Warner should know because he wrote about the situation in an article appearing in Code Sports on February 16, 2022 “Melbourne crisis: Former club doctor issues legal letter to Demons”. In that article, Warner mentioned an email in which Melbourne CEO Gary Pert questioned Arian’s credibility. I am quoting directly from Warner’s article:- "Pert wrote: When dealing with Zee on issues, he consistently changed his stories when I challenged him on details and his stories rarely matched up to other people involved ... He also described Dr Arain's evidence as "full of inaccuracies, misrepresentations and a rewriting of history, which was a frustration to all he was accusing". Today’s Warner article refers to the club’s off-field scandals and cultural issues but fails to mention that when the issue was raised in Parliament by independent MP Andrew Wilkie (using parliamentary privilege), Wilkie said Arain alleged it wasn't a Melbourne problem but an "AFL problem" with a number of players arriving at the club with pre-existing cocaine dependencies. However, the most glaring omission from Warner’s article today (and the reason why I feel it necessary to raise this point here now) is his failure to provide the full story which is the Melbourne Football Club’s version which appeared in his own newspaper written by his colleague Jay Clark who, followed the process of allowing the other side to be heard. This is an excerpt from “Melbourne deny ex-club doctor Zeeshan Arain's extraordinary claims of player illicit drug use” - March 31, 2024 “The Demons told the Herald Sun on Saturday Dr Arain did not report a single concern to the club's audit and risk sub-committee on any issues regarding player illicit drug use during his tenure. "Dr Arain was the head doctor of the Melbourne Football Club between 2014 and the start of 2020," the statement said. "During this time, he was required to report annually to the club's audit and risk subcommittee on any issues or concerns regarding the entire medical program. "At no time throughout his tenure did Dr Arain ever raise any concerns about players' illicit drug use to this sub-committee. "Like all clubs within the competition the Melbourne Football Club continue to invest heavily in education and support systems, including the IDP (illicit drugs policy) to help reduce the prevalence of illicit substance abuse within the club and the game."

You’re all a bunch of bloody negative sad sacks.

Please tell ghostwriter that her reports are greatly appreciated by virtually everyone still on DL. Hope she is doing well.

Clayton looks trim!

I was lucky enough to attend a function last week re the draft and the scouting report on the kid was exceptional. The club that was hosting the function had: O’Sullivan & Ashcroft grouped. Langford & Smith the next 2. Draper, Lalor & Lombard. Travaglia, Tauru, Lindsay & Kako They said Langford is the meanest player in the draft. Super competitive, good skills, great hands, very clean with the ball but by far the best quote was when they said he’d rip the arms off his opponent to get the footy back. Bit like Megatron ripping Jazz to pieces (awful film). They would’ve picked him at 2. Didn’t have a lot to say about Lindsay other than he was very evasive, highly skilled, deceptively tough and took ground when in possession.

Both Patrick Cripps and Marcus Bontempelli had similar 20m sprint time to Langford at their draft camp. He'll be fine.

Ghostwriter report - Hey Katness, Some tidbits… Tom Campbell finally has his kit. Doesn’t know his jumper number yet. Incidentally, he’s 6ft7 (204cm)!!! Selwyn takes perverse pleasure in making the boys run… A LOT (his words not mine, and said with a smile and a wink as in joking but at the same time totally not joking). Tmac didn’t train on Monday because he was sick as a dog. He became unwell on Friday and was put on antibiotics. He was much improved by Monday but they advised against training because he’d lost a significant amount of weight. He weighed himself before and after today’s session as ordered by Peter, the head physio, who needs to insure he’s re-gained what he lost. Tmac’s baby girl is due around Xmas time but he’s sure she’ll come earlier than that because she’s “tracking well ahead of time.” Such a footy player way to put it. 😁 Goody said Jeffo to definitely debut early in the season. Sesto still a while off since he’s not quite ready yet, but is close. Sesto’s hammy nothing to worry about, they’re just being super cautious. Roo likes being described as having a bit of mongrel but he doesn’t think he has and hopes to develop it. Despite being listed as 195cm on the MFC website, Jeffo is actually 197cm. All-time favourite songs: Jeffo- Thunderstruck, AC/DC Bill Laurie- Californication, RHCP Marty Hore- You Were Right, Rufus Roo- (needs more time to think but for now) Black Betty Pup Brown- any and everything Drake Will V- Back In Black, AC/DC Future training (at this stage)… This Friday Gosch’s 10am-midday Next week Mansfield The following week beginning Monday 2nd December Gosch’s on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the final session on Weds 18th December. Post-Xmas training begins on either the 7th or the 14th of January (yet to be announced). Note: no training at Casey Fields for now because the surface is being worked on. That is all 👍🏽

C'mon mate that's a bit harsh. I DID do a google and didn't find a heap. Some posters seemed to think he's a great addition and if I'm asking the question then maybe some others on here would also benefit from knowing a bit more about him. Isn't that what Demonland is for?

Neale Daniher has been awarded the honour of being Victoria's nomination for Australian Of The Year. MND has an average time frame of 27 months, but here's Neale still fighting eleven years after his diagnosis. Onya Danners. I reckon all Melbourne fans and the greater footballing community supports your work and is proud of you. Neale Daniher named Victoria’s Australian of the Year

Some individual observations. Due to some of the drills being on the other side of the ground I didn't get to eyeball everyone for the whole session. JVR - Great set of hands. Gets into good position for one on one marking drills and uses his body well. Uses the ball well in general play. A bit more vocal every preseason. Judd McVee - just oozes class with ball in hand. Trains like he plays. Very professional. Kid is a gem. Windsor - Classy, evasive, fast Viney - First one on the track, last one to leave. Hard nut. Tackles hard. Hard to tackle. Leads by example. Doesn't need to be there yet. Wouldn't be anywhere else. Lever - obviously getting over a niggle. Not far off returning to full training once the full squad is back. Otherwise looks in good nick. Spargo - heard that they are being cautious with his return but doesn't look like it will be before Christmas but that is just a guess. Didn't do anything other than stationary warmup stuff with the footy. Not running at the moment. Oliver - Physically in much better condition than in the preseason last season. Has trimmed down. Looks to be in good spirits and doesn't appear to be in discomfort with ball in hand or with tackling which seemed to be a problem during the season this year. Looks to be back to some of his best work in gathering and dishing off the footy. Good signs. Laurie - like every preseason I barely notice him so there is nothing much I can report on at this stage. Bowey - the best user of the ball in the team at the moment. After a disappointing season with injury and form I am very bullish about Jake for season 2025. Jefferson - does appear to have filled out a little bit. Has a good pair of hands and uses the ball well. Can find the big sticks. Will be interesting to see what he can do this year. Could be anything. Howes - also seems to have filled out a little bit. Is currently in the rehab group with a little niggle but doesn't seem far off from returning to the main group. In previous sessions this preseason before rehab he was one of the standouts. Should return to the seniors this year. Rivers - Great to see him out on the track from day one with the 1st to 4th years. Future leader of the club. TMac - Also good to see TMac out with the rookies. First preseason I can remember that he is out on the park in boots. Still has more to give the club in what could be his last season. Looks fit and is moving well. Adams - Like others I often confuse him with Petty. The resemblance is uncanny. Not sure how close he is to a debut but spots in a defence are scarce and he is good depth to have. Hore - will not die wondering whether he gave it his all. Looks in good nick. Petty - has been training with the defenders but as I mused the other day I am not sure whether it is due to lack of senior defenders at this early stage of the preseason. We will get a better picture in the new year. Looks in good nick and is not rehabing. Was in a moon boot at this stage last season I think so it will be great for him to get a full preseason under his belt. Tholstrup - Very vocal, hard as nails. Looks like he is loving being out there. Good user of the footy. Looks like he will be wearing #12 this season. Woey & Brown - Like Laurie I didn't really notice either of them. Like what I see from both of them but I'm not overly bullish on either of them as more than depth. Happy to be very wrong. Turner - one of the standouts of this preseason for mine. Excellent pair of hands. Has definitely filled out. Attacks the ball with ferocity and uses it well. Looking forward to him taking his game to the next level. Kentfield - A big unit. Needs to work on his fitness but this is his first full preseason at the level. Will be a fixture at Casey so hopefully he hones his craft there. Is a long way off at the moment. AMW - Another stand out. Attacks the ball and the man fiercely. Tackles hard and rarely looses a one on one when the ball hits the deck. Should be a more permanent fixture in the ones this season.

Is he training with the forwards or backs?

From my exclusive Ghostwriter: Despite the weather there were a few regular trackies there today. Training sessions have been cancelled due to the rain, so it was awesome that they not only went ahead today but didn’t modify the session. Again, it was a serious affair, no holding back. Gotta admit I didn’t see a lot of the session (folks insisted on goddamn earbashing me the entire time 🤥😁). What I can tell you is that pretty much every player now has runner’s legs, especially their calves. I took pics of such, Kat; hopefully you have enough pic allowance to post them. Another sign that an emphasis has been put on running is that they all seem much faster and have more stamina, unlike last year’s first couple of preseason sessions where there was much sucking in of air following running. Kolt was wearing #12 but I doubt it’s permanent since he chose #39 for a reason. Again no SM23 in attendance. JA26 ran laps the entire time. Seemed to be moving perfectly fine though. Fritta hit the track earlier than everyone else, as did Tmac and Vines. Pup Brown can run! And run and run and run. Blink and you miss him. Same players today as were there on Monday with the addition of Riv and Spaz. Luker is definitely bigger now as has already been mentioned, but up close… geez Louise! He’s muscle upon muscle and he’s grown in height. He’s still settling into life in Melbourne, is happy living at Geoff Porz’s along with Kolt. I told him he clearly does gym every day. He said, “I have to.” I said, “But you like it, right?” He said, “Yeah.” I said, “Be honest.” He said, “Yeah nah.” 😅 ‘Til next time, Kat 👋 xxx

Brad has never led a major business/organistion and may be wondering (or have wondered) "...what do I know about chairing a footy club - or anything else..?" Rest assured Brad your'e doing just fine and are a credit to yourself and your playing reputation. Lucky to have him as one of us.

imv Pert's contribution to the 2021 premiership was the the 2020 restructure of the FD, moving Mahoney out of the FD, recruiting Yze and supporting other coaching changes. I wasn't and still am not enamoured with the Richardson 'promotion' to FD GM but that aside Pert nailed the early years of his tenure. He put his own job on the line in supporting Goodwin early in 2021 when members of Board had doubts. He set up the environment for the coach and the players to be the best they could be. Without the above I doubt we would have won that precious flag,

Gary falls on his sword. I thank him for his time and efforts through the last 6 or so years at MFC and helping us break that 57 year year drought. Hopefully this is the best decision for everyone and the football club going forward.

If we’re not taking the Viking at 5, we have to make out like we are. That way, if North want him, they can’t trade with Richmond, and have to take him at 2. This leaves us with an extra top 5 ranked player to pick from, probably another gun mid.

Played footy with a bloke currently a trainer with gippy power. And I quote "Going to be a star! Great player, better person."

I attended some of the training today. Richo spoke to me and said not to believe what is in the media, as we will good this year. Jefferson and Kentfield looked big and strong. Petty was doing all the training. Adams looked like he was in rehab.

Clarry had only 1 Month of training last year He now has the opportunity to have a 4 MONTH preseason (especially after returning a week and a half early) Could make a huge difference!

Leaving the politics out of it, dumping and trying to bury all this stuff at once is the best thing to do after a year of bad headlines. The alternative is that each story receives maximum coverage and drags on for as long as possible .. and then just when the air clears, another stink bomb drops. Much prefer to get it all over and done with at once, rather than trickling out one at a time and prolonging the agony.

Gee wiz I'll be sitting there at approx. 3:08am on night 2 of the draft in excitement now (unfortunately I'm being serious)