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Pies will be good this year. I don't understand why people don't rate them.

Just trying one on.

Yes. Yes it does.

Suits him...

Wait, is it October already?

Me ! Mindless boozing. Biffen _ Mindless drugs. dc - shagging greyrinsers. old dee - drinking free pinot. redleg - watching redtube. SWYL - Dreaming of the phillipines . W Jack - probably trying to cash in on the Mafia slayings. Dr. John - leading some sort of sexually charged pagan festival in Hopping Dicks. Moonie - jacking off for sure. 'luded - strange bastard - doing some alien [censored]. Moonie - in case you missed it - jacking off for sure. Earl Hood - inspecting hairstyles - FMD that is weird. What a bunch of sickos. By any logic the whole site should be closed down.

Ridiculous. Not to mention wrong. From the post match thread: Farmer, I'll tell you what's tedious. Posters like yourself who carry this mindset of anyone who is critical of a player being a "hater", and if said player has a good game, that it should be rubbed in that poster's face as you and others choose to do. Everyone can see Tommy's potential, which is what makes the simple errors all the more frustrating. He's an elite defender who has to work very hard on some basic elements of his game, which no doubt he is doing. Sunday's game is the bar for Tommy. He is good enough for that to be the standard. We as supporters are going to get frustrated at times, and we are going to hold our "better" players to a higher standard. Get used to it.

Excellent. They look great and I've ordered a tshirt. Everybody get on board! i look forward to people recognising me at games so that I can deliver witty comments in person and imitate GIFs as required.

Only if you personalise it with your username on the back.

Just watching the Melbourne round table discussion on Fox Footy. Quite a lot of positivity around the attacking game plan shown in the NAB Challenge getting up to 100 points etc massive improvement on prior years, they want to see that continue. David King still banging on that Goodwin should have the match day keys now and keep up the new game plan and Roosy take the club shaping role. A lot of love for Jesse and Oliver too. The concensus was 9 wins but they saw moreso that the improvement will be reflected more in the style of play and the excitement for the fans and players enjoying their footy. Jason Dunstall was relaxed about Hoges fixing his kicking style and said he would be the first player you'd go after if you were building a team. King excited by Petracca said he's a freak like Robbie Gray just a bit taller Cam Mooney said we're no longer a basketcase, and people are going to be standing back this year and saying how good is this, they're exciting Brad Johnson's a Viney fan. Overall not really any negatives, but they wanted to see that NAB Challenge game style continue during the season

I don't like selling home games and I want us to build this club up to the point where we don't need to sell home games. Unfortunately, we're not there yet. Until then, I will deal with the Darwin game (the Alice Springs game is nothing terrible IMO). I don't like it, I'd rather us find somewhere else to sell the game instead of Darwin, but if the NT government keeps paying and the AFL encourages it, let's just suck it up and focus on winning football anywhere, any time.

Great idea. Just shnazzed it up a bit.

How does that happen when we finish 13th?

MelbourneDemonsFooty has been kind enough to upload the final quarter of our Round 14, 2009 match against West Coast that we won by 20pts. While the overall standard is pretty low, one player that caught my eye (and received lots of praise from the commentators) is Jack Grimes. His last quarter was just about as good as you'll see from a half back flanker. He took a tonne of marks, his kicking was precise, he ran to support his teammates, he took the game on, and he just had an air of confidence about him. His final stat line for the game included 16 marks, 29 disposals at 79.3% efficiency and 0 clangers. He also received a Rising Star nomination and 3 Brownlow votes for his performance. These stats are made more remarkable when you consider that it was only his 9th game of footy. Watching this game got me thinking that 2009 Jack Grimes is exactly the type of player that our backline needs. So what's happened with Grimes since then, and what does the future hold for him? It seems that 2016 could be the most important year of his career, and many on here have written him off already. This game is evidence that he has the ability to be a gun, but after watching him over the past few years his form has continued to dip and his skills have become a liability. Are his issues solely rooted in a lack of confidence in his own abilities? I think it's undisputed that the captaincy placed an unreasonable burden on Grimes at a time in his career when he should have been focusing on improving his own game rather than leading his teammates. I think it's also undisputed that he has gone from being one of our most promising young players to someone that is at risk of not being on the list at the end of the season. I'm of the view that his game has deteriorated as a result of him not focusing enough on his own game in key developmental years and the best chance he has to resurrect his career would be to start playing some footy without having any pressure put on him. I'd like to see Grimes go back to Casey for the first half of the season and play in his natural HBF position. He needs to rebuild his confidence, and I think the best way for him to do this is to play a decent stretch of games in an environment where there isn't the same level of pressure to perform as there is in the seniors. If he can manage to regain the form that he showed early in his career it will go a long way towards making us become a successful side.

If we're going to debate this properly, we need to recognise that only one game a year is played in a hot, distant location. The other game is played in Alice Springs which is cool in winter and not as far away as Perth.

Hardwick was summed up for me when I watched him on the bench in there last NAB game when he was pulling players off. Things weren't going well for his team and he was all frustrated, angry and waving his hands around. If thats a reflection of him in the box when things dont go well Richmond can have him for the next 3 years.

I thought they missed the obvious marketing opportunity to set up a goal kicking shoot out between Hoges and The Ox at the G or at Gosch's after training for the TV news and in time for today's membership drive. I am sure the Ox would have been up for a bit of fun and attention.

It would be wrong for people to expect Jack to come back and make an immediate impact given the length of time he's missed. I'm just simply going to be happy for him to be out on a footy field again and let him get his groove back. I'm hoping he can become a cog in our ever improving machine.

I reckon that's spot on. He's a footy player and loves the game, it's what he knows and what he can talk about. If you stick me in front of a bunch of cameras and reporters asking me about how I'm going to ask my boss for a raise or go somewhere else and I'd be a bit nervous too. He's what, 21? And looks uncomfortable talking on camera about the possibility of earning millions of dollars. Shocking.

Strength of schedule is something that can only be viewed in hindsight. We may appear to have the 4th hardest draw now based on last years placings but by the end of this year things could be a lot different, especially if the Saints, Pies and Suns have poor years which I'm half expecting them to.

It's not a crew. It's one man with a decent well founded opinion....who also spends a lot of his time as a cricket writer and researcher. He justified it easily with the statement that there are a lot of good teams, and it's a perfectly fair point. The top 12 were well clear of us last year and so many of them (Coll, GWS, Geel) had strong off seasons. Simply there are good teams with more experienced talent than we have. We need the 1st to 3rd year young players to come on, and they are good and I think they will. But even more we need Jones, Vince, Dunn, Garland, Garlett, Jetta, Lumumba, Dawes/Pedo, Matt Jones/Grimes to give us their best, which they likely will. We know what we'll get from that lot, both the good and the bad. But our season might rest upon the 22-25 year old types in Gawn, McDonald, Watts, Ben Ken, Vanders, Tyson and Viney. If the experienced guys do a job and those guys make the step up to regular performers then we have a backbone of the side. Fools gold to think kids without 50 games or fully grown bodies, no matter how talented, will be able to suddenly lift us much higher than last years ladder position and more than 1 or 2 more wins.

This must come as a major disappointment for those who have been crying out about half of those cited above hating the Dees and never having a good thing to say about the club.

Can I give a view from a PR perspective. I think it was quite smart of the club to trot JH out at this stage. 1. he had a poor last NAB cup game and needed to "clear the air"; 2. he had been under attack from one of the club's all time great forwards, appropriately, with considerable wit, defended himself and if anything added to his attractiveness as a footballer; and 3. speculation continues as to his future, and he managed not only to clarify his thinking, but at the same time declare his excitement about the club and his commitment to it. Well handled by the club and Hogan I would say.

Finally Demonland Swag! This is just a test. I have created a very limited amount of stock of Demonland T-Shirts and Polo shirts with the Demonland Logo on it. I have no idea whether these will be sought after items or not but I thought I would give it a shot. Obviously the Merchandise is priced in a way that it is also a donation to support the site with the added benefit of getting something you can wear. If you are a Lifetime Subscription member you get $5 off the price. The T-Shirts are $35: The Polos are $45: Stickers are coming soon. So if you want to support this site and get something back in return then these items are for you. Click here: http://demonland.com/forums/store/category/3-merchandise/ Remember stock is very very limited and if there is interest I will have more made up. If the item and size you want has sold out then post here so that I know there is interest and I will order more in. Let me know what you think.

Since there have been a few comparisons to Richmond, I'll throw in my thoughts. List-turnover shmist-turnover! In five seasons, going as far back as 2011, only 20 players have featured in the top 10 of the Jack Dyer Medal. All but four of those 20 are still on the Richmond list in 2016. Nathan Foley, Shane Tuck, Daniel Jackson, and Robin Nahas, who each only featured once in that time. But the really stark figure is how many players have featured repeatedly in the top-10 at Richmond since 2011; 5 out of 5 - Cotchin, Martin, Deledio, Riewoldt, Houli, Rance 4 out of 5 - Grigg (injured for half season in 2014) 3 out of 5 - Morris (not yet playing in 2011, injured for half season in 2015) Everyone else combined - 11 appearances. To sum up - Richmond are completely defined by just eight players, who between all of them them have suffered approximately 30 games out due to injuries in total, in five years. They've been remarkably lucky, and it's no wonder they wilt under the whole-team pressure of finals. When I started looking at this, I knew I'd find results along these lines, but the extent is even shocking me. Far from having a high list turnover and renewal, it looks like since 2011 Richmond have had the most stable top-end list of any club. And their ages are now 28, 27, 27, 27, 27, 26, 25, 24. Suddenly it clicks why Hardwick has been given the extra couple of years. That's about how long they have before they fall off a cliff. (In my head I call this kind of list situation "Levitating Potato". It is up, it is staying there, but it wont be going any higher and deep down you know that there's nothing really holding it up and physics will take over again eventually. Melbourne did it in 2004-6. Carlton from 2009-2013. Richmond since 2013. And of course North Melbourne are the modern masters of it)

I love your passion Picket and optimism towards our youth however I feel you are being a little harsh on Jack. If you remove the roll players in say Dunn, McDonald, Hogan, Garlett, Pedo and Gawn the rest of the team is filled with flankers & mids similar to Jack who at his best was better than them all. Personally, I think he is cooked and can't see him getting back to his best. But, in the chance he does get back to where he was before the "Neeld years", and gets back to the performances in his first year in 2010 or second in 2011 he stacks up better than all of them who have played so far and sets a decent bar for those who are yet to play. We all of crushes on Jetta, Bugg, Kent, Kennedy, Brayshaw, Salem, Vanders etc for certain reasons but Jack was well above them all earlier on in his career. He would be picked above all of them if he was back at his best while they would be playing twos 'developing.' We can only hope Oliver and Petracca start there careers as successfully as Jack with the knowledge we now have the support around them that they can take the next step which he never got the opportunity to take.

This may have been posted by others, but geez I'd be bloody thrilled if this guy could get back on the park and find a way to perform at his peak. It's a long shot obviously, but the character of the bloke and for all he's been through (and been put through) I'd be happier seeing his return than any other I can recall. Good luck Jack!

Let's hope it happens in Jonesey's playing career. Would be a great way to go out.

I think Richmond will regret being manipulated/pushed into giving Hardwick a contract extension and wouldn't be surprised to see pressure rising on them to sack him by the end of this season, contract or not. I don't think he is a good AFL level coach by a long way and possibly the worst match day coach in the game. I think he can build good player relationships but is blinded by loyalty to them, it's the only reason I can see that he hasn't made changes to his list after continued poor finals performances. We will be moving up now whilst the Tiges move back in the pack and it wouldn't surprise me to see us pass them this season. They have no midfield depth and of their guns in this area, Kotchin doesn't hurt, Martin is a better forward and Delidio a better floater which is also what Ellis is. They have one quality key forward and one quality key back...they lose either of those and it's season over.

Not sure what games you are watching but Grimes still plays like you explained 5 years ago. Id say he would be the first player id expect to be putting himself in the way of danger on our list. Yes he misses targets but no more than half our team, but its just not highlighted the way it is for him around this place.

I get it now........Jack Grimes has now taken over from Jack Watts as the new Demonland Whipping boy Well played.....Carry on....

I think Grimes was okay in the NAB challenge. His kicking has improved for mine, and his tackling and marking is solid. Links up well and has a bit of a run when he gets the ball so it's half back for him I believe. Needs to find more form but I think he's getting there. It's a long way back for him after injuries and the trauma of captaining the worst side in history.

I share your blind spot regarding North. I look at their team and I think we could beat them if they were wearing any other team's colours. But for some reason the fact that they're North always seems to come up trumps. We are their bunnies and I have no idea why.

And some people think nab is not important. Has created a lot of positivity and confidence heading into round 1 go Dees!!!

approx 32,500!!! Roos just said on SEN that there was a ring around last night! So we have already beaten the pre round 1 record. We will certainly break last years figure of approx 37,000 and the 40,000 will be in sight. As always Ox’s passion for the MFC shone brightly this morning when he called for Melbourne people to buy memberships. Edit 1 : Viney was just on and said we have 32,643. He said all players and staff were part of the ring around last night and Garlett won the award for signing up the most members. Gold pass tickets on the line! He also said that prospective members reactions to the calls were excitement about the club whereas in previous years he gets the 'don't waste my time' line. Edit 2: Changed Garland to Garlett as the player/staffer who signed up the most members last night. Thanks dd36.

While at face value adding $20/year to the cost of memberships doesn't seem like much, I'm sure a great deal of research has gone into it to find what the tipping point for most people is. We've been a struggling club on and off the field for many years, and while it seems that the tide is beginning to turn, increasing the cost of memberships so significantly is something that I doubt we can afford to do at the moment. We're trying to attract more supporters and members, and increasing the price of memberships would not only cause many to not sign up, but I'm sure it would also drive some current members away. When we become a successful club this is something that we will probably consider, but at this stage I don't think it's worthwhile. On a similar note, it would be interesting to know how many people from the NT are MFC members, and how many of them had signed up due to our deal with them.

He's around 175, small forward/wingman but for an indigenous bloke has an unbelievable tank. He's very quick and agile. His kicking hurts him and they're working on it atm. Roosy knows all about him, he was one of Roosy's former top Sydney Swans Academy pupils. They even caught up when Roosy visited Casey training sessions. The times he is running are closing in on AFL standard now. I know some people that do a lot of work with him and they've got high hopes he'll be a rookie shot by seasons end. Plan with Casey was for him to play half a season in Development footy and work into senior footy. But he has blown expectations out of the water with his training/intra performances and backed it up against Williamstown. I'm real keen to see how he goes against Port Melbourne in the seniors now. EDIT: Also mate, they brought him up from the Wodonga Raiders last season (he was there for a year, wanted a better shot at AFL, and Casey was the perfect fit). He hadn't played a whole lot since starring for the Swans Academy/Swans Reserves back in 2013/2014. He did a few good things at Wodonga while adjusting back into footy, they reckon if he can kick 20 goals in the seniors and show the ruthless defensive game up forward he'll be every chance at a rookie shot. I hope so!

I'm an MCC/MFC member and the problem with the MFC for too many years is that it has pandered to a financial elite and that's it. We need to diversify our fan base, not alienate people. $20 is not a lot, but if you look at it in the context of multiple people (families), on top of multiple expenses, they all add up. It shows a really ignorant attitude towards, well, living really if you fail to see that.

Gotta wonder if the Cotchin figurine is the first to go missing.

I had no info at the time, but Mark Harvey has told a good source that Melbourne are right into Hurley. Now I know a lot of clubs would be, but Melbourne was specifically mentioned. The only club mentioned. Who knows ? He'll probably stay, but he might want a fresh start and at 24-25 he might not see a flag at Essendon. Plenty of his mates have moved on, including Melksham. And he'll also be familiar with Goodwin. I hope we go hard. Hogan up front, Hurley down back with that developing midfield could be very exciting. I'm sure the Hawks and Pies, etc. will be just as keen.

Sounds like what I do on the dunny upon waking up after a big night

OK, Jesse's had his say and good for him but that should be it. I hope the club now ensures that he allows his football to do the the talking for him.

I assume you mean when I ask, actually most of them give me good information, apart from Petracca who usually winds me up, I don't share a lot of the information I glean because I don't think some posters on here deserve it

So Earl noticed there was something wrong with his hand, he's had scans and wasn't in the main group, but because he didn't tell you about it there's no problem?

Poor Jesse ? I think he'll survive. He doesn't live in the microcosm of Demonland. Btw, he's lauded and hasn't suffered 1% of the treatment Watts has.

The Martin figurine is actually marketing genius. Checkout staff have been instructed to ask "would you like chopsticks with that?" when customers purchase.

Seriously, a Heppell figurine?