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Confessions of a bandwagoner... I'm a born and bred Western Australian. I was never a big AFL fan, but obviously growing up in this state you can't help but have some interest or background knowledge of the sport as it dominates the news cycle. My wife is a proud Victorian, a lifelong supporter of the Melbourne Football Club. The year was 2014 and after a couple beers with a mate, I took it upon myself to adopt a club and try get a bit more interested in the sport of AFL. I had just heard that Paul Roos had become coach of the MFC and given the natural link through my wife, I decided that I would adopt the Dees as my club and jokingly at the time call myself a Dees bandwagon supporter. I had heard of the dark years, and the big 100+ point losses that lifelong, diehard MFC fans have had to endure over the years. I definitely copped my fair share of flak about signing up to support a club with such a dark history, but I didn't care. I spent the first two years taking a crash course in the clubs history, learning the club song, trying to remember all the players names on the list and watching as many Dees games as I could on TV from the West. By 2016 I was so hooked I signed up for an MFC membership, now into my second year as a member. On Saturday night at Domain Stadium, I attended my first ever Dees match. I was well aware of the drought in Perth, the past results, and went into the game with extremely low expectations. Nevertheless, I was there proudly sporting the red and the blue amongst a vast sea of yellow and blue. Cheering and screaming for the boys amongst the evil stares and curious glances of the local faithful, but that didn't faze me. Come the last quarter, Tom McDonald slotting a miracle goal to put us ahead, I jumped out of my chair screaming and yelling at the top of my voice in the background of dead silence and doom around me. Then the full time siren went, I've never belted out the team song with as much gusto as I did that night. The sheer buzz and exhilaration of the win, the complete strangers in red and blue celebrating together was an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life. Not bad for the first live MFC game. Fair to say, this bandwagoner is now a MFC fan for life.

I love it everytime and whats even better is that it annoys other supporters aswell! He's also picking the Dees this friday night as he has an emotional attachment still. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/sydney/paul-roos-says-more-afl-clubs-should-look-at-coaching-succession-plans/news-story/9cf348d7c2b963491e604ff5b0868b70 Can't love the bloke even more! I hope when we win the flag he is up their with celebrating hard with his demon scarve. Love Roosy and will be forever greatful for him and Peter Jackson saving this now proud strong club.

Now that we've come good, I quite often here the old 'yeah so you should be with all your draft picks' yet let's look at the 22 we had on the weekend. B: Hibberd (pick 30*) McDonald (pick 53) Jetta (pick 51) HB: Lewis (pick 48*) Frost (pick 23*) Bugg (pick 43*) C: Melksham (pick 31*) Oliver (pick 4) Salem (pick 9) HF: Stretch (pick 42) Pedersen (pick 63*) Petracca (pick 2) F: Hannan (pick 46) McDonald (pick 53) Garrett (pick 61*) Followers: Viney (pick 26) Gawn (pick 34) Vince (pick 23*) Bench : Tyson (pick 2*) Harmes (rookie pick 2) Neale-Bullen (pick 40) Hunt (pick 57) Note * is what we gave up in trade and not their original pick number. I count that as only 4 first rounders that played on the weekend. Make no mistake we are being coached and developed properly to go with some excellent trading.

It disturbs me that people are more concerned with how a victim acted as opposed to what the perpetrator did.

Yeah, as I said in an earlier post - this is what is wrong with Australian culture: why are you making a thing of it? 'He only hit her once...' 'He only called you a monkey, he didn't know what it meant...' 'That happened 20 years ago, aren't you over it...' Why are you making a thing of it? I can't stand it. Blaming the victim. Exonerating the perpetrator.

Quote: "...Friday night will be like Roos watching his sons, Dylan and Tyler, playing against each other...When you go to any footy club you make emotional attachments,” Roos said. ... Now I’m very attached to Melbourne. The lack of success is part of it and I’m sympathetic to their plight. It’s exciting for Melbourne, they’ve been kicked for so long. I’m happy for Jack Watts and Nathan Jones and Max Gawn. I’m going for the Demons.” I think he bleeds red and blue!

Schofield gets 2 down to 1. Deemed intentional. The right call IMV. So rubbish to all the media who tried to make it a Clayton story!

The old free kick in the half time break trick.

Give your workmate a copy of the MRP outcome showing Clarry didnt stage . Then give him a summary of the WADA hearing. Then hand him a Syringe Then laugh in his face.

Exactly right. What a pathetic and disgusting reaction from the public. A player got hit, deliberately and not in play, and people are saying he is soft and staging. Gees I bet everyone would react exactly the same if it was them, or someone they knew personally getting hit. Disgraceful reflection of our society, and why apparently so many 'blokes' think it's ok to hit women, kids, random strangers. Get a grip!

I reckon there's a bit of "tall poppy syndrome" happening with Clayton Oliver. This kid is statistically one of the best under 20 year-old's of all time, so opposition supporters and the media are latching on to anything they can to drag him down. Just do your thing mate. Serious rewards await you and the MFC if you do.

It seems our doctors may have come to the party! http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/richmond-defender-bachar-houli-referred-directly-to-the-tribunal-for-jed-lamb-hit-20170626-gwyqyy.html "...vision of Schofield making contact with Oliver's jaw, combined with the strong medical report from the Demons, led the MRP to deem the strike as intentional with low impact to the head... The decision to sanction Schofield by definition rules out any possibility for the MRP to claim that Oliver was staging." At last the MRP see sense!

You want Bugg Out?? You must be joking??! He adds the Rod Grinter/ Byron Picket effect to our footy club! Tough, hard as a cats head and can play. Ok misses a few goals but he is one of the reasons we are combining so well as a team. He stays as long as he keeps the same intensity! A big like for me!

To put this into perspective - he turns 20 today... His upside is absolutely huge.

Well we're [censored] now!

I find this sort of stuff so frustrating. It is all over social media (and frequently demonland) and is now common in the media where news and commentary gets mixed up. The two dot points above ARE NOT FACTS. They are your opinion, pure and simple. And mixing them up with actual FACTS is a very common approach these days, where alternative facts have become the norm. The only FACTS we can be certain of is that Schofield hit Oliver's jaw with his elbow and that Oliver said himself he did not stage and fell because he was surprised. Both FACTs are irrefutable. In terms of the second it is possible that Oliver is lying (though it remains a fact that he said he didn't stage). I for one choose to take him at his word. Others can do as they please.

The media are on and off bandwagons remember st kilda. Let's just grind out a few wins. We have a hard road ahead.

Again: who cares if we'd been saying it was a stage if the roles were reversed. It is not our job to be consistent or measured - but it is our job to support our player when there is significant room for benefit of the doubt. That argument is totally irrelevant. I don't understand why Melbourne supporters would choose the worst position when other ones are credibly on offer. And +1 for the complaints that this whole conversation is around the actions of the victim and not those of the perpetrator.

Anyone recall the prelim final '97, Adel v Dogs. Goodwin's first season in the AFL. All I remember about that game was the Dogs strolling it in, 4 goals up with 10 to play or something, and the Crows hauled it in. They just didn't give up. Ran, ran, ran. At them and at them and at them. I imagine that would have had a big impact on a young player. I was thinking about that when I posted last week about how we "swarmed" all over the Dogs. It was a lot like that. (In my memory at least.) Sat nite, we did it. Just didn't give up. At them and at them and at them. Is this a hallmark of Goodwin's style. I think it must be. We've seen it in parts in most games this year. We saw it in its purest form in the Dogs game. We saw in against C'wood. They don't have any game plan but to be "intense" and "hard at it" and they brought it that day. It wasn't enough. WCE threw it all at us, thinking we would break. Do a Melbourne and give up a 4 or 5 goal lead in the first, game over. We did a Melbourne all right. New Melbourne. Goodwin Melbourne. I reckon this will work very well for us. Reputation counts for a lot. All the clubs are watching. Future opponents, if/when they can't break us, will fold. Because they know what's coming. And a good thing too. We can't go 110% for 4 quarters every match and still put a fit 22 on the field. Lots of players are carrying injuries. Hopefully this is a phase where we establish ourselves and can use the threat of being Goodwin Melbourne to win, rather than having to actually do it for 120 minutes. (Interesting that every week we are putting a different 22 out there because of injury and still manage an effective combo. The dark days of gifting games to NQRs because we had no one else suddenly seems light years away.) We will see a different mindset from the oppo now. They know they have to lift to play us and win. The shoe is on the other foot. We're not trying to beat them so much as they're trying to beat us. Beating Goodwin Melbourne turns out to be a difficult thing. GO DEMONS!!!

Mitch White outstanding for Casey. Ball use elite. Seems to have found a yard and trimmed down somewhat.

Dees, pay no attention to OTC, maintain your balance, keep your emotions in check and and let the results do the talking. I have no doubt that you have as much idea as anyone on OTC. Trust your own instincts.

Misson says Jesse is 'a sneaky chance' to return in Friday nights blockbuster vs Swans. Misson says Jesse is a 'sneaky chance' to return in Friday nights blockbuster vs Swans.

wow - the mrp actually rubbed out someone for hitting a melbourne player. gobsmacked (npi)

Viney's incident was looked at, but thrown out as he had both arms outstretched and was competing for the ball.

The interesting angle in all this is that the Umpire was standing right next to both players... a report was made.

Opposition supporters aren't going to understand the Prendergast effect and the fact that our 2008-2012 era drafting has been flushed down the toilet. They're not going to understand that this has not been one continuous, long rebuild. Roos-Goodwin-Taylor-Viney-Mahoney-PJ started again completely from scratch. Everything that happened before 2013 is irrelevant. Opposition supporters don't understand the anguish that we supporters, and long term players like Nathan Jones have endured to get to this point. And opposition fans don't care about any of that. All they want to do is rain on our parade now that we're climbing out of the quagmire. Try and educate them if you've got the energy. I don't, so my strategy is to just ignore it. They don't know, and don't want to know. We know, so let's just enjoy the ride together. Let everyone else cry their salty tears.

I really don't care though. As long as we're winning the tears of opposition supporters just make it sweeter. Every successful team has people trying to bring them down. Sydney with COLA, Cats with father sons, Hawks with priority picks and free agents etc etc

Yeh exactly right. Granted we've got Jones, Hogan (traded in) and Watts to come back in, I think our original point still stands. We're hardly GWS and I think our coaching staff and co should be applauded

But let us give credit to him, because he gave everything he had for the Club. He and Jack Trengrove are quality people and we need people like that.

Check out Clarry's new Twitter profile picture: I know, angles and all that, but if it's not 1000 words, it's close!

Wow, what a game! What a difference three years makes. Some posters might recall a long post of mine after we were flogged by the Eagles in 2014 and how my son spent the whole walk back to the car and half the car trip home in inconsolable tears. Fast forward to last night and the little fella (now 9) finally gets to see his beloved Demons get the choccies over here in the west. First win I've seen over here since the last round in 2000 when we were on a hot winning streak towards a GF berth. What a win! To come back from where we were late in the 4th was inspirational. Hats off to all of them but especially Tommy, big Max, and captain Jack. Loved ANB's game and Bernie's, and Nev's... loved them all. Was seated in amongst the Melbourne allocation behind the goals at the opposite end to where Tommy kicked that goal and the reaction among our fans when it went through... We'll that's why people go to the footy. It was pure unadulterated joy and jubilation, a type of group ecstacy the likes of which I've never before experienced. Strangers bound together by their love and passion for a football club hugging each other, high fiving, screaming for joy at the final siren and then belting out a rousing rendition of Grand Old Flag. It's a night that i hope I'll never forget. A memory that I will always cherish, thank you MFC!! Just wanted to give a shout out to the bloke who was sat next to us who had flown across the country to attend the game. Had a great time spending a couple of hours talking footy and barracking for the Dees with ya mate. Hope to catch you around the forum some time.

Looks like Eagles may appeal the 1 week for Schofield. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-06-26/eagles-consider-challenging-schofield-ban That is their right but I don't like these comments from Simpson. "I just hope Clayton's OK. I hope he made the flight back," a tongue-in-cheek Simpson told 6PR". "We can't dispute the medical report. Also, I'm one of the people who can't comment on it either, so we'll let it run its course and we'll get on with it. Is he doubting the mfc doctor's report? He also said: "All the commentary around it, you sort of accept it from media outlets, but when players get involved it's probably another issue that we've got to look into". Have any current players commented on Oliver reaction? Or is Simpson grandstanding a bit. I think it is one thing for commentators to say Oliver embellished the impact but it is another thing to not accept his post game explanation, effectively saying he lied. This is becoming quite unpleasant. More so when the coach takes up the narrative instead.

No wonder we're so let down and emotional when we lose...

All this, and Carlton in two weeks... Here it comes... heeeere it coooooomes....

Should have just put a little elbow on his chin and seen what his reaction was!

Viney cleared

Oh, lack of force as proven by the fact that Oliver is a diver I suppose. What a load of crud. Looks like the MRP finally makes a right call and then I read that.

Gotta love the AFL community. One player elbows another in the face, after the siren, and all the talk is about how the victim reacted. Just wondering where the line is here. Should Jed Lamb have stayed upright after Houli's cowardly act? How hard do you have to be hit before it is okay to lose your feet? Schofield can have two weeks off, Houli can have six, and maybe the AFL will start to get serious about cleaning up the game.

Hang on, one was pushed in the chest with an open hand and the other copped an elbow to the face. An umpire in the elbow incident standing close by, reported the offender immediately for striking. Pretty different incidents you would think.

seem to remember hollywood garry did a bit of staging himself during his career

Let's not overlook the input of one P Roos who was instrumental in selecting AFL capable footballers

If anyone does windge about any of the concessions we have had, then tell them that their team is welcome to have the last ten years that we have had and they can have all the concessions they [Censored]ing well want - see howhat many takers you get.

Viney and Stretch probably would have gone lower were they not father sons, but we aren't the only club in that situation either. No club can match the gargantuan gifts of GWS in terms of draft picks/recruiting concessions. Given we have found so many dimonds in the rough, an undervalued concession that GWS had for a number of years was to have access to an expanded list, which allowed them to have their cake and eat it too. Doesn't matter so much in the end though, what GWS have got in terms of consessions and top end tallent has made them arrogant, with a sense of entitlement. We have done it tough and struggled for many years and that adversity makes us stronger and as much as Viney's athletic attributes and footy skill set make him a good player, it's his passion and love of the club which make him an unstoppable bull of a player.

Judging by that, almost as good as Tom McDonald.

I didn't like the idea of Jack being made Co Captain, didn't think he was ready. I was wrong and am happy to fatten up with lots of pie mmmmmm i still don't partcularly like Co Captaincy but that has nothing to do with his Leadership Qualities. Jack actually became a far better player with Jones not there!!

Get stuffed then Gary, 2nd year player who has never taken a dive once AND there was definite impact! There was no reason for him to dive, no chance of a free, no chance of a 50, I think at worst he overreacted to the contact and he bloody well got him. Lyon's credibility is rating below Hutchy, Barrett, and Slobbo. After his year away he's trying to gain relevance again, big target taking on a 19 year old.

He's forming a handy habit of creating goals in key moments of games. Obviously he was instrumental in the Watts goal on QB, then this week he caused a goal where no goal was to be had with his run down the wing and kick to ANB in space. It was just a great option that was well executed - there were a squillion ways that play could have gone wrong. He's a good mark for his size too. No doubt he's foot soldier class, but I think his game is developing nicely. If he ends up having to make way as our injury list reduces, he'll be very stiff in my opinion.

Viney will play unless he gets run over by a steamroller this week

Reckon garland will struggle to keep his spot. Only heard his name once, early in the first quarter...