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Man kick ball, other man Mark. Some good, some bad, all okay. Hows that?

Not sure if this has been written elsewhere but I read a line that warmed the heart re Roos. "This is my fourth year back in Melbourne, I grew up in Melbourne, I barrack for Melbourne, go to Melbourne games with a Melbourne scarf on when I’m not working....."

G'day all! It's your resident Demon highlight guy here with a little something to whet the appetite in the lead up to 2018! So without any further ado, here's Tommy Mac kicking his 23 majors from 2017. Fingers crossed he's good to go for round 1! Plenty more to come during the season! Also happy to accept requests if there's a highlight reel you'd like to see!

Nibbler, Lewis, Jones, Keilty, Oliver and Balic running laps. OMac doing one on one skill work with the coaches, haven't spotted TMac or Viney. Rest currently in position groups doing skill work.

No Mackie No Lonergan No Henderson No Scott Selwood No Stanley No Dangerfield No Cockatoo Possibly no Ablett I'm coming over for this game and stuff me, if we don't smash these front running arse clowns I'll be fuming.

Fritsch<>Brad Green - both left footers - both strong overhead - both mercurial around goals - both have meticulously groomed hair

Went to a club lunch today and Jake Lever was one of the guests from the club, he was interviewed by Robbo and he is absolutely stoked to be a Demon. Toddy and Jason Taylor were in touch with him constantly in his draft year and as we all know we would have drafted him but just didn't have the pick to do so. He loves the club, the playing group and the coaches, he said they are a really tight knit bunch of guys and friends who want to win a flag (or two). He said he was really impressed with the intensity of the playing group last year and this year it has lifted a notch, he said training has been great. He is a really impressive person, vey level headed and really keen for success. Toddy was asked about AVB and said he's running at 100% on the special treadmill and will play football this year, maybe not till mid year though. There is a rumour about TommyMc but he said he thinks he'll play first round, hmmm! Jake said he's happy Tommy is playing forward because he gets a bit grumpy down back. The club are exploring several options for a new facility but nothing to announce at the moment.

I'll talk about this tonight on the Podcast @ 8:30pm - Listen and chat LIVE: http://demonland.com/podcast I have no problem with it. I knew in advance that the club was doing their own podcast. This site was born nearly 20 years ago out of the fact that there was very little official Demons content on the web and what little content there was there certainly wasn't any official channels where you could discuss the Dees with other Dees supporters. Demonology started at around the same time as did Big Footy. It wasn't until the past 5 to 8 years that the official site started producing more and more content and having a bigger budget and obviously more access to players that content got better and better. Where Demonland has always been better is having more avenues for discussion and debate. The club never went down the route of having a traditional message board and I guess with social media they have that now too. I was surprised that they went down the avenue of having a podcast because given that they have the access to the players and the huge social media audience they can just film an interview and post it to social. Having a podcast seems redundant. Having said that I have no problem with more Demons content on the net. I'm not trying to compete with the club. In my eyes the club always comes first. Their podcast is hosted by Clint Stanaway who is a media professional and there is no way I could compete with that. I'm a complete amateur when it comes to interviewing and broadcasting and I'm certainly no expert when it comes to footy and I just do it for fun as I have always done with this site. I am happy that the club will still be providing us with players occasionally for our podcast and we will keep doing what we do. The more the better I say. Go Dees.

Heading down today, going to keep an eye on the rehab group in particular

Doing 3 word comparisons now, joeboy?

Showed up late for training this morning. The main squad was split into blues vs yellows doing a 3/4 ground ball movement drill, kicking the ball to a free player to get a set hot on goal, then reset from the backline and repeat. Emphasis on precision kicking and switching across the ground. About 22 players involved. The Casey boys had not arrived as yet. Oliver & OMac running laps together, Lever running on his own and later joined the main group, Lewis in rehab with Cross and 2 others who I did not identify, one must have been Viney, but the rehab group left before I could get over to look. Jones walking the boundary. Did not see T McDonald, ANB, AVB, Petracca. What is the go with TMac? They then split into 3 groups for some more lightly contested drills that indicated who is in the mix for round1 and where they might play Mids were Max, Tyson, Salem, Stretch, Harmes, Angus, Maynard Forward group - Hogan, Pedo, Melcham, Jeffy, Bugg, Fritsch, Backs - Frost, Lever, Jetta, Hibberd, Vince, J Smith, Wagner, Hunt. That is 21 players plus add Jones, OMac, Oliver, Trac, that is 25 Do we assume that Viney and T Mac and ANB aren’t starters for round 1 and maybe Lewis? Frost, Fiitsch, Billy, J Smith all looked impressive at times. Vince the whole time I was watching.

Missing finals last season was a failure. Missing this season would be a catastrophe.

Like getting a foot in the Friday night TV market we're going to have to put runs on the board for people to take us seriously and that includes fans. Speaking from experience it's hard to get young ones on board to go to the footy when you've had a decade like we've had. I still buy my little ones a membership because I can afford it but I'm sure that there are many who can't or won't buy a membership for a kid that won't go to the footy. Hopefully some sustained success will rebuild the membership but the results have to happen first.

Bought my membership at the family day. I'm a 25 year veteran this year.

Certainly not defending the useless finish to 2017 but I suspect they are referring to the fact this list is virtually turned over from when Roos took over... Rd 1 2014 Best 22 approx Nathan Jones Jones Bernie Vince Vince Dom Tyson Tyson Jake Spencer Jetta Rohan Bail Hibberd Jack Watts Neal-Bullen Jack Trengove Hunt Daniel Cross Lever Jack Grimes Viney Lynden Dunn Oliver James Frawley Salem Matt Jones Petracca Jimmy Toumpas Hogan Viv Michie Melksham Shannon Byrnes Garlett Cameron Pedersen Pedersen Dean Terlich Hannan Alex Georgiou Brayshaw Tom McDonald Tom Mac Jeremy Howe Fritsch Jay Kennedy-Harris Harmes Jack Fitzpatrick Gawn 5 players the same......Wow. That's a massive change.

I was expecting a feature article on Fritsch, and what I read was a bunch of dribble about the Watts trade with a few anecdotes about Fritsch. The quality of journalism in the AFL is pus.

Pfft let’s see them get Jakovich on their show.

Must say I am impressed with the club's marketing. I hadn't payed my renewal yet. Just got a membership card in the mail today with instructions on how to activate it. What a great idea. Then an hour later I get the membership drive call from Oscar McDonald and I signed up on the spot. He reckons he is in for a better year than Tom as well

He's actually quite insightful when he wants to be. I prefer that over the bombastic nature of Russell, Taylor, Zempilas and the other boofheads that pass for commentators these days.

Paul Roos turned our club around in his three years, from a permanent cellar dweller to a side that can realistically challenge for the flag, he will be a big part of our history in years to come.and that's why i trust his judgement in picking Goodwin as his successor. He cut most of the players on the list and eradicated the poor attitude that permeated through the club, from one generation of players to the next, we now have something that resembles a side capable of beating any other club in the competition What an unlikely duo to have played such a big part in our resurgence, PJ and Roos, both should have a special place in the hearts of Melbourne supporters..

The reason I spend too much time scrolling through the pages of Demonland are for reports like these. Thank you Dante

How good would it be to win the flag while Neale is still with us. Make it happen Demons.

Any player who gives us a moment like this, is immortally loved... Ps Bayley should be a ripper too...

I'm staggered by this. There are actually two people named La Comedia who support Melbourne? What are the odds?

How in the hell does closing a car park stop vehicular terrorist attacks when the crowd is inside the stadium? Time to shut down Moomba, the Grand Final parade, the car park at Flemington or even Punt road most mornings since there are too many cars parked on it.

You beat me to it, I have stated this I don't know how many times, any twinge/tweak/tightness/ache is reported, course of action decided, Clarry may just have a bit of soreness I am jealous, haven't made last few trainings, stocking up on money for season, made up for it by buying a bit of Bayley Fritsch in a sponsorship syndicate

Just because they are in rehab doesn’t mean they are injured. Might have just got a knock in last weeks game and taking it easy.

Surprisingly we've had worse.

why bother? he'll just straight bat everything. not complaining, just don't see the point of the exercise..

He’s officially the first person to take until Wednesday for basic hammy scan results. I’m surprised someone with James Brown’s cape didn’t come and drape it over Dramafield’s shoulders and lift him off the ground outside the clinic.

When she was 5, my niece 'wrote a book' about going to the football with me. The only thing I say in the book is "Oh no, oh no, oh no" over and over again on every page, which is pretty much what you'd get if I was calling the game.

Nibbler was with Viney and Lewis doing some work with Crossy early in the session over near the music box on the Punt Road side. IIRC they seemed to be moving OK, in a rehab group kind of way. Joel Smith kept bobbing up with some nice touches in the main drill, and looks raring to go. Good to see!

If any demonland members are looking for accommodation; then contact me, and I'll get my travel agency to quote you cost prices. The more melbourne supporters at the ground the better.

Ran into Neale at Kooyong a few weeks back. thought he was doing far better than at last years QBD game. He was very positive about the Dees for this coming year.

Stephen Hawking had a similar ailment, there is no cure yet 2018 is the year of the Demon ”Do it for Danners”

There are a number of posters on this board who provide insightful, worthwhile and interesting training reports and photos, and it's incredibly disrespectful to say that we rely on 'one poster' to get them. I, for one, appreciate what the others are able to bring to the table over the summer and we should be thankful we get them. So, thanks to the others who go along, give us a huge training report and answer all questions without bias. It's always appreciated.

I haven't seen any tentativeness to get the ball or lay a tackle but at the same time that kind of stuff isn't only natural ability but it takes training and team work as well as the right mindset. It's certainly going to make selection difficult and it will be interesting to see how the forward pressure works in round 1. Apparently Gold Coast's small forwards have a club where the player who gets the least tackles buys breakfast or coffees or some such thing. I'd steal that idea for sure!

It's a very important game, because the reality is we're unlikely to beat them down at Kardinia Park later in the year. I don't want this mob beating us twice this year.

The Carlton relationship with the AFL reminds me of the Kennedys and J Edgar Hoover. Each had something on the other which they used for their own protection. I wonder what Carlton has which makes the AFL bend over backwards to help them? (J Edgar Hoover had an audio recording made by the FBI of Bobby Kennedy being successfully seduced by Marilyn Monroe; the Kennedys had a photo of J Edgar Hoover with Clyde Tolson in a "compromising position". Side note: Bobby Kennedy was seduced the day he visited Marilyn to tell her she couldn't see JFK any more. It's all much more interesting than Stormy Daniels and Trump.)

Great! Danger is out. Absolutely no chance anyone comes back earlier than 3 weeks for a hammy. especially not the best player in the league in round 1. I usually dont worry too much about who is playing for the opposition but there is no bigger one-man team than geelong

I think the Bulldogs premiership got them an additional 20% or around 8k members. If we managed that we would move up one rung perhaps and challenge Carlton. Would be interesting to see what flags 2 and 3 do but I would think the improvement is incremental. Would love to see some age group analysis done of the supporter bases as I fear our demographic may be edging towards the Tobin Brothers end of the field. The Blues are obviously a problem for the AFL as they are in danger of being the repeat of Melbourne in the '70's and slipping into irrelevancy. It is so obvious that the Friday night games are all about reversing this trend but of course it comes at the cost of the less powerful clubs such as ourselves.

My kids got scared of the Max Gawn height chart that came last year, which has now been banished to the wardrobe. This club has challenges everywhere. A decade of mediocrity and now our most marketable player is Lurch.

The worse read like this: Man kick ball, other man drop mark. None good, some bad, all okay.

Hang on a minute... Goodwin can only answer the same mundane line of questions the DH journo's continually trot out each time he's interviewed. His repetition is in line with the values the club is currently trying to instil in the playing group so wavering from those just because he has an external interview would be sending mixed messages. His post match interviews are some of the best and most insightful out of all coaches in my opinion. Roos was boring as bat shyte. Neeld was nauseating. I don't know what some people expect but it's clearly too much.

Spot on Rocky. I think 'straight bat' has become Goodwin's om - not necessarily a bad thing but it gets a bit boring touting out the same sort of stuff. Here is an article which rehashes major events of last 6 months. http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-03-14/day-from-hell-spurs-goodwin-to-greater-heights Interestingly, about round 23 he says: "Goodwin describes the brutal end to the season as this group of Demons' first footy heartache..." WOW! I can think of a few 'footy heartaches' for success starved supporters with this group of players! Have to wonder what makes the guys tick when they miss finals in 2016, then in 2017 lose to bottom teams (Freo, North x 2), let games slip from their grasp (Geelong, Richmond, Hawthorn) and not feel 'footy heartache'. Goodwin: "It's what you actually do. As a playing group, and as a coach, that's what we want to go and do. We don't want to talk too much." Couldn't agree more - talking time is over! It is time to deliver!

Seriously, you could not make this crap up. First, an ambit claim to sue the AFL on behalf of Essendon, for "deceptive and misleading conduct". Must have had a serious irony bypass to even contemplate that. Second, the claimants seem to be getting legal advice of the same quality as James Hird ("Tiny chance of success, even if everything goes our way --- so what are we waiting for?"). Third, the AFL's conduct, including lack of support for ASADA and the laughably stupid verdict delivered by the AFL Tribunal (which ASADA appealed against to WADA, and won), was one of the major reasons that there was no smoking gun found at Tullamarine (although there was something that looked like a smoking gun, and smelt like a smoking gun, and felt like a smoking gun, but that everyone in the room swore was actually an elephant, because there was a sticky label on it that said "Elephant"). Fourth, the AFL are dumb enough to threaten splitting from ASADA (as if!) if certain documents come to light, which makes it apparent to Blind Freddy's dead cat that the AFL have something to hide. Surely that same dead cat could work out that the smart thing to do is to keep quiet and let the nongs who brought the case eventually come to the startling conclusion that this is a grand waste of time, energy and (lots of) money. Sounds like there is an opera or two in that lot, or perhaps a mini-series. Pass the popcorn, and whose shout is it anyway?

And that’s what made Watts extra frustrating, he does. Looking forward to seeing Fritsch play round 1.

Funny you should say that....that's the same thing Roos said about Watts

The interesting part for me, and it may have already been said, was that we paid a small percentage of Jack's contract to ensure we got Pick 31 and not Pick 47, which was originally being offered. West Coast were very keen on Fritsch and, with Pick 31, it allowed us to get in ahead of them.