Leaderboard

Cheers for the report, but this seems a rather callous and needless comment.

I prefer this format. I won’t be watching the season proper. See you all for a weekend next year!

Hi everyone! Although a bit blustery, It was a beautiful sunny morning at Gosch's. When I arrived at around 10:00 (apologises to those who live off of the warm up reports of 'kicking the ball around') there were three main training groups: forwards, midfielders and defenders. The group closest to me were the forwards. One notable participant in this group was Clayton Oliver. I honestly wouldn't mind Clarry occasionally resting forward (ala Dangerfield) as he's a fantastic one-on-one player and a lovely kick. Melksham was another player who caught my eye. It looks like he's put on a bit of size during the off-season. While this was happening Viney and Weideman ran laps with the former showing no signs of discomfort. The first drill I saw was the forwards fending off their opponents and snapping for goal. Dion Johnstone an early standout with some sharp twists and turns. Pedders also had a great moment when he was wrapped up by Bayley Fristch and was somehow able to drop the ball to his boot Mitch Hannan style and dribble it into the open goal. I then walked over to the midfielders who were practicing 20-30m passes. I noticed future cult hero Oskar Baker was training in this group. By the way, he's a lovely kick and a good size. I think we'll see him in the side at some point this season. Joel Smith (who doesn't look too far off being a key position player) was another who caught the eye with some bullet passes. When I made it to the defenders, they were in the middle of practicing some one on one drills. Not too much too report here except for the one time Lever (who won 80% of his one on ones) vs Jetta match up. Unsurprisingly, Neville was somehow able to break even against the larger opposition. Nev also took a few moments between drills showing Wagner some tackling tips. Great leadership. Back to the forwards, and they had just started a two vs two keepings off style drill. TMac was a stand out here by being able to chase down Bayley Fristch and directing his partner (I think it was Spargo) where to stand in preparation for a quick opposition handpass. The drill then evolved into one that had more of an emphasis on first beating your man and kicking to the loose player 20m out. Bugg (who by all reports, has had a fantastic pre-season) was a highlight here. I can't remember him losing a contest against his opponent or missing a kick to the clear player. It'll be interesting to see if there's a spot in the team for him as I believe we played our best football last year when he was niggling opposition as a forward. Meanwhile there's some four vs four match simulation style drills with the midfield group. Kudos on Clarry for bursting into clear space, receiving the hand ball and unleashing a 60m torpedo that landed right between the big sticks. All the players then gathered in the middle started prepping a good old fashioned blue team vs white team match simulation with an emphasis on transitioning from the backline to the forward line (play started from the kick in). There was a great moment in the opening 30 seconds with a fantastic contested mark by Lever. This was shortly followed by a brilliant Petracca moment (who largely trained with the midfield group) when he punched the incoming ball straight into the arms of a teammate. Oscar McDonald stood out with his kicking....yes you read correctly and Charlie Spargo popped up inside 50 once or twice where he somehow found the space to take an uncontested mark. One from a beautiful kick from Mitch Hannan. Max Gawn was also in vintage contested marking touch today. At the same time, Smith was in the middle of competing against Cross (who still looks like he could compete for a spot in the round 1 side if he really wanted to) in some one on one drills. A large group of players along with myself then left, leaving what I assume is the AFLX squad to run through some more drills. Feel free to ask any questions regarding some details I may've missed. I'll do my best to fill in the blanks

Apologies for the late comment but busy day yesterday. Just expanding to what Demon Jack said, the most pleasing thing for me at training yesterday was watching Jack Viney do a large portion of the session with the remedial group - Sam Weideman and Dean Kent. Jack took part in some less vigorous tackling drills and was re-strapped around ankle straight afterwards. But after that he emerged again and did several kicking drills, jumped for marks confidently and then finished with a few lengthy run throughs. There was no signs of him whimpering in pain - he's hardly likely to show that anyway - and as with last year he looked a tad on the Naim Sulemanglou side in his run-throughs, but when weights and Alter-G are all you've been allowed to do, then that is fair enough. I imagine the key now for him is not pulling up sore post-session, but at least he does still exist and whilst Rd 1 might be a stretch, you can understand why he is hopeful of returning by that date. Other comments: Weids looks more athletic than last year, but the key for him is whether he can develop the agility required at top level. Bayley Fritsch is an exquisite talent (yes, exquisite is a Robbie Flower permitted word). He's still really light and he got schooled a bit in tackling sessions, but he's our new Jack Watts, minus the No.1 pick investment which means he doesn't have to carry the weight of our expectations. Injuries permitting, he'll play AFL at some stage this year. Tom Bugg and Melky both worked hard and looked good, but I'm sorry I'm an ANB fan - I think he's our Robbie Gray in the making. But Buggy may end up being our full-forward for a lot of this season - who knows how many games Jesse the Drama Queen will play this year. Frosty the go man looked good again - gees it's going to be a hard task for Goody deciding which two of Lever, O.Mac and Frosty play Rd 1, although he may end up going all three bigs down back, especially if Cats go tall. And our other big defender back-up, Bill Keilty looks to have grown in confidence at this level. The two key players missing again were Dom Tyson and Vanders. I think all the rest were involved in some capacity.

Hi all! For those who don't know, I edit together Melbourne highlight reels and upload them to YouTube. I'm happy to say that Mitch Hannan was next on my list! I simply couldn't get enough of that blink and you'll miss it ball to boot action that snared him many of his goals this season. Enjoy! On the topic of shamless plugs, be sure to like The Mighty Demons Facebook page for more bits and pieces that I'll upload in the lead up to round 1: https://www.facebook.com/TheMightyDemons/

Those comments are by a fool, if jesse was a drama Queen he would of asked for a trade back home, he is tough inside and out, very resilient

Bored.

Can someone tell me how I'm supposed to feel about this? I'm conflicted - it's either garbage or complete shite, I just can't decide which one it is yet.

FFS! Get over your petty Jesse squabbling Given the obstacles Jesse's had, be grateful a player of his ilk wants to play for us. Short memories.

AFLX - the X is for Xcruciating.

Yeah this isnt good.

Put the right contract in front of him and 2013 is just a memory... if the MFC wants Wines, we should chase him hard

surely the poster was just referring to the way he sometimes behaves on the field when things don't go his way, not the dramas in his life. I doubt if it was meant offensively at all.

Are you inferring that Jesse somehow faked his father's death, testicular cancer & the broken collar bone? Thanks for the report but malicious comments like that should be kept to yourself.

We couldn't offer Port anything worth while unless we dump Hogan. I accepted a while ago that Hogan was going to head home and then he went and signed a new deal, i think we should repay that loyalty and not force him out so we can get a new shiny player. I'd also rather save cap space so we can secure the guns we got already. If Petracca and Oliver continue to develop everyone in the comp will be throwing big money at them, so we need to be prepared. Finally, Tyson isn't an A grade midfielder, but he does work and seems commited to the club. You can't have 22 great players and i am quite happy with his contribution (Maybe he could kick a bit better) and i think he is in our best 22 everyday of the week.

Loved the stadium commentary and the flashing goal posts. If only they'd add soem clowns and trapeze artists and a few lions and elephants I'd forget normal AFL, this is unmissable.

Re Jack Watts. Players can be leaders in many different ways and not all of them are obvious or measured by being the best player or the most determined or the most courageous or the most personable and expressive. There are leadership skills that can lift the morale and spirit in a team without there being any overt act by the leader. There were many times in the past where Jack showed another form of on-field leadership. He was "papa bear" who would hand out pats on the back or on the head of, especially, younger players who had made a valuable contribution to the team such as coring or defending. The same players would often run to him for his acknowledgement of a valuable act. I recall David Schwarz filling the same role even when David Neitz was captain. The immediate recognition from a senior player can often be more important than kudos at breaks. Let's be kind to Jack - he might not have been the player that we expected (fairly or unfairly) but he made a major contribution to our team with his understated on-field leadership. I wish both Jacks (Watts and Trengove) personal (not team) success at PA.

The worst thing about AFLX is that it takes resources away from and competes directly with AFLW.

I hear some regimes pay China to send supporters to sporting events. Not that I would equate the AFL with North Korea. One is a totalitarian regime with a terrifying propaganda arm run by a madman, and the other is a totalitarian regime with a terrifying propaganda arm run by a FAT madman.

Maybe the umpires will now be able to summons enough strength to bounce the ball? Here's hoping.

The Demon Army are hosting our very own Season Launch next Thursday. We have a special guest attending - everyone’s favourite, Max Gawn. When: Thursday 22nd February Time: from 6.30pm Where: Function Room, Sporting Globe, Richmond Cost: $30/person (includes main meal, drinks at bar prices) Bring some change for our raffle! Bookings: www.trybooking.com/UEUO Enquiries: Ryan Ph:0434 286 37 Max will stop by to chat with Russell Robertson about the year ahead, along with shedding some inside information on the lighter side of football and his teammates. Book now! All welcome - including the non-believers. We love converting friends & neighbours to the red & blue!

Nice pick Macca. Im struggling to find anything yet, but ill keep looking. I dont really know a lot of horses at Randwick and Flemington this weekend.

If you hate tackling and contested marking, this is the sport for you. No wonder Watts was captain.

As a spectator sport it doesn't have much to recommend - but could work well as an alternative format where there are fewer players, reduced ground size, etc. I get to see footy similar to this fairly often (in Europe), and it makes a lot more sense when everything is slowed down because skills and fitness are reduced. Not to mention, perfect as a social game.

Yep I’m one of them.

Most are bagging it, but 90% of the posters here will watch it tomorrow night.

Thats it for me. I can see this working as a indoor cricket alternative style game, but as a televised game its boring as hell. Big no from me.

Slow, uncoordinated, with no awareness? This style of game certainly does not feel like the "footy is back"

Buckley's gone.

Cassie here. Lifelong Demon supporter. Inherited it from Dad who was a fan in the 1950’s. Yup he got the premierships and I got the crumbs. Don’t worry, my older and younger brother are stuck too. Not one of those defeatist supporters and refuses to let the self-deprecative humour dominate. We must not let ourselves accept ridicule and do it ourselves. Never accept merging or relocation. There is more about following a football team than just premierships. Also, I don’t believe in this so called “Norm Smith curse.” Never heard anything about it until some idiot on Wikipedia put it on there as a poor excuse for poor performances and the public just accepted it as fact. Try to go to games when I can. Have Foxtel purely so I don’t miss a game. Recently became a member again in 2016 because I can see that our team is really trying now. Been aware of this site for a while, but had to post to share my opinions on things. I hope to do a lot more of this in the future. Look forward to meeting all of you. Any demon supporter is a friend of mine!

I'm more concerned that things from the 90s are now considered "retro".

Can't agree. In my opinion it's still the most entertaining game in the world. I've been following the game for over 50 years, and contrary to the views of the doomsayers, the standard today is higher than it's ever been.

But he used it in reference to how many games he would play. He never missed a game for being a drama queen

Like everyone around here, I'm very keen to see all of them, but I nominated Spargs, simply because he was our first pick in the draft. I'm loving the snippets I'm reading on all of them in the media and in training reports etc. Our list seems to be in excellent shape right now (depth, spread, age and ability) and I can't wait for the real stuff to start, when we'll find out with a bit more certainty.

Nah sounds more like he was just very disappointed that his lad didnt go to MFC. He really did want us to pick Ollie. Our fault, not his i think.

I don't even know how to say it ... is it AFL ex? AFL cross? AFL ten? AFL multiplied by?

Sounds like the AFL are going to be doing a bit of reverse scalping. Standing outside the gates paying people to csome in.

I’d put the “falling off a cliff” down to the impact of repeated 6-day breaks on a largely young group playing a high intensity game style.

Base wage this year is 80k for players drafted 40+, 90k for players drafted 1-20. With $4000 match payments and $3000 bonus for ever 5 games played. So pretty much it's close to 200k if you play every game. 3rd, 4th and pretty much until a player establishes themselves are probably the hardest players to know what kind of deal they are on. Minimum is 105k with 4,300 match payment but you'd think clubs would go well above minimum for anyone who's played a few games in the first 2 years. Salary cap is 12.5 million. Which fits with the average wage of just over 300k. Given there's a lot of depth and youth at most clubs who make less than the average I think teams can squeeze in a few big contracts ie. 750k+ and can have a lot of solid players making 400-500. I think where the media reporting and guess work goes wrong is for the players who are allegedly signing deals worth 550, 600, 700 etc. My guess is a lot of those deals are very incentive based and they work out a lot lower than reported.

I haven’t been following along as much as previous preseasons, but this is yet to be announced as far as I’m aware. Anyone know who’s in? Normally announced after Maroochydoore. If not, thoughts? Viney, Jones captains, Jetta, Gawn, McDonald leadership group. Lewis should be in there because he is a leader, but I like small groups and these guys are as Melbourne as any of us.

I've literally never heard of this guy. Isn't Dave Misson our "fitness guru"?

WTF brought this topic back from the dead? It's been gone over again and again and again and again and ............ It's more productive to argue about whether we should have drafted Ollie Wines. It's more productive to propose that with a good pre-season, Sylvia might finally fulfill his potential. We have a gun list who are on the cusp of kicking major backside. We should concentrate on that. Look forward, not back.

Agreed. Bugg's best football of the year coincided with the team's best football of the year between rounds 8 and 14, where he managed 16 scoring shots (7.9) over 6 games, as well as being an effective pest. I doubt he'd be in too many people's best 22 around here, but he was in Goodwin's best 22 when we were up and about last year.

Im going with the old man, got free tickets, thought may as well check it out.

Viney, Wines, Oliver, Petracca..... my lord, we would absolutely crush teams around the ball. It would be a bloodbath

Yeah, we really need a sarcasm button

I'm not as negative on this as others. I think it's a bit of fun to see some of the guys have a hit out and I think we've named the right kind of squad. I'm keen to see Petracca playing midfield in a shorten version of the game and Tom McDonald up forward. Otherwise I'd like to see the 3 draftees and DJ. It's a televised competitive training exercise before the shortened preseason of 2 games which is the right number.

Is he does decide to leave we will be into this up to our proverbial. With the Vineys, close family friends, no doubt discussions will be had.

I’d rather keep the second rounder and maybe throw in Dom Barry as the sweetener.

I'm struggling to get excited about the proper season, never mind AFLX. Really hope that changes as we get closer to Round 1.