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Hopefully working on a secret tactic of playing 4 quarters

Lyon says melbourne "needs to explain"... err no they dont. And the last time you got involved in the club dipstick you helped set us back 8 years.

I'm sure we'll get a report from Satyricon. He went in disguise...

As with Gawn, Tmac, and Omac, Wagner is playing in a high pressure position, and takes time to develop. The way people have carried on about OMac has been embarrassing, and now they're eating their words...but have redirected their whip onto poor ol' Wags. It's been a consistent theme with blokes like Wagner: they have the smarts and the awareness, but are ultimately scrutinised to the highest level because they play in a position where good things are subtle contributions and rarely acknowledged, but a single mistake can lead to a bad turnover or cost a goal. Undoubtedly does far more good than bad, but people hyperventilate whenever he gets beaten in a 1v1, or sprays a kick. Yeah, there is less margin for error in the backline than anywhere else on the ground, but Wagner and the rest of his fellow young backmen play with levep heads that you'd expect from 150-gamers. They never seem intimidated, they never stop defending. We have three beasts down back in Omac, Wagner and Frost, and some supporters are too dense and broken to realise it. We are building towards an Essendon 2000-esque defense. Wagner is such an important component to our growth and rise as a team.

Slightly off topic, but what about this? "Brayshaw’s teammate Oscar McDonald has had a tough start to the season in defence with Ben Brown kicking four goals on him last week, but Lyon backs the 22-year-old to find form." That is utter garbage.

I think Wagner is a good representation, for me anyway, with the frustrated thoughts of a footy tragic. Of which I am definitely one. Wagner wasn't a high draft pick, he doesn't have super skills or pace or size or anything really. Seems like a very vanilla footballer (which is incredibly rich coming from a bloke who couldn't crack a senior game in the beer league ?). Yet not only does he keep getting picked, it sounds like he is one of the first picked. Football isn't just about skill anymore. It's a science, it's measured with precision. The guys can't even go to a gym session without a GPS on according to an interview with Jesse Hogan. Wagner must follow every instruction perfectly, not only game day which is the 2 hours the majority of the football public is worried about (unless these poor young men put one toe out of line) but through the week as well. We are building a dedicated disciplined culture which will hold sustained success and expect the highest level of professionalism 24/7. IMHO

Just goes to show maybe the coaches know a bit more about football than some people typing on a keyboard

Hi all! For those who don't know, I edit together Demon highlight compilations. In this week's highlight reel, we're featuring Bomber turned Demon, Jake Melksham! A move to the forward line midway through the season proved to be beneficial for Melksham who kicked 21 goals in the last 12 games of the season! Just for an additional plug, be sure to LIKE The Mighty Demons Facebook page for more Demon related videos!: https://www.facebook.com/TheMightyDemons/ Coming Next Week: Something very, very exciting! A highlight reel featuring one of Melbourne's most thrilling players.

Ridiculous comment. Viney is a beast Wines is a beast Martin is a beast Wagner? Oscar? pfffffffttt

Yep crazy choice...considering he has been off our list for over 5 years!

Last time, with Gawn out, O’Brien took about 84 marks from kick ins or that get out kick between half back and half forward. (It was also a frustrating trend in all games with Gawn out). So hopefully that doesn’t happen again. I too, am worried about the cheapies out the back to their smalls. But that’s really my only main worry, along with Isaac Smith who’s the type that kills us. But it’s all upstairs. I watched round 1 with my Collingwood supporter mate, and they just didn’t take them on. Too much respect. This isn’t the Hawthorn we think of when we hear the word Hawthorn. They still have the footskills, but that’s their main weapon. They’re not as organised, they don’t have all those great leaders controlling the game, and they don’t bat deep through the middle. Just take them on. I’m going to predict we’ll lose because I’m a superstitious idiot that thinks if I say we’ll win, we’ll lose. Go us.

Wouldn’t pay too much attention to Eddie’s 20min advertising session for the Andrews government.

I like Brayshaw and I'm sure he'll become a regular and prove any doubters wrong, but Lyon is irrelevant as a supporter these days. There are posters here with far more than a clue about the current Dees.

I think most fans, myself at least would like to know the reason why a former number 3 pick is toiling away in the 2's. Seemed to have done the majority of the pre-season, played in AFLX and both JLT games so this talk about him not playing enough footy or having a limited pre-season is rubbish. He's fantastic in the contest, great tackler with a tidy kick on both sides that makes our team better.

Good post 'jnrmac', I particularly like the dipstick comment. To me Lyon is highly overrated as a so called football expert. Comments like this only enhance that view. Brayshaw’s teammate Oscar McDonald has had a tough start to the season in defence with Ben Brown kicking four goals on him last week, but Lyon backs the 22-year-old to find form. To me Oscar has been going along pretty well and if his teammates didn't gift Brown some goals then his stats would look better...but all is good in the world, Lyon is backing him to find form.

IMO has been steady since half time against the Cats. Has done very little wrong in the last 10 quarters of footy and should hold his position.

I've always rated him. He is just so fierce at thw ball and ball carrier and reas the play super well. As i noted before round 1 he is every chance of cementing his spot and if he does (which he almost has) his confidence will grow and we will see a big improvement in his kicking. I think his kicking will become a real weapon. Another example of a player that many fans don't see how good they are/will be that the coaching staff clearly rate as evidenced by the fact they are regularly selected.

Onya Waggers, keep proving people wrong. Expect 22 games plus from you this year and you’ll only get better

Some absolute garbage written in this thread. I don’t know what people are watching. Kid who has struggled to string blocks of footy together, for numerous reasons, hasn’t found consistency yet, isn’t that shocking? Anyway, his hit on Majak after Majak nearly knocked Lewis’ wig off made me smile. Onwards and upwards for Salem

Dee for so early in his career Fritsch is a bloody good finisher/disposer of the pill and a lovely left foot. Reads the play like a veteran already when it's in motion. Great vision also and DOESN'T panic. Assesses and delivers beautifully most of the time by both hand and foot. His ability to read play and judge the ball so well allows him time and space that others don't often have in general play, even this early! One on one in a marking contest he obviously isn't going to win too often given his size so we give up some gains on that side for sure. But I would take 15 or so disposals from Fritsch over the equivalent from a few of the other fringe forwards right now. Super young and inexperienced, will probably need a break in coming weeks/months. He is raw, young and easily pushed off the ball, but for all that, he is also all class in all other aspects and knows how to finish in front of goals! A rare commodity up forward at Demonland....keep him in unless he puts in a horror FCS!

Fritsch averaged 12 disposals and a bit over 2 goals per game for Casey last year. He was robbed of 12 disposals and 2 goals last weekend. Those expecting much different this year don't understand the player or what his contribution will be at AFL in 2018. If he keeps his pressure up and keeps taking contested marks, hitting the scoreboard, and showing flashes of brilliance he'll get regular games. He's a special talent that's wasted at VFL level.

Nah i knew already about the off site, this week is about freshening up the players both mentally and physically hence the Botanic Gardens and today How didvyou know I had bought myself a new bowler hat?

You can't downplay 40 possessions a game - but i would still rather Oliver's 25-30 possessions than Mitchell's 35-40 possessions.

All players to be issued with sandpaper

I’d have had Brayshaw in the side over ANB, Melksham and Tyson for any of the rounds so far. Cearly there’s something more than ‘form’ that we’re not privy to. ANB and Melksham have been seriously underwhelming to date. And Tyson hasn’t been much better imo. Yet none of them have been dropped.

Indeed. 100% was done so Media and others couldn't try and figure out what our midfield strategy will be for this weekend.

Quality not quantity applies here

There’s only one Max Gawn!!

OMEN by The Oracle Melbourne takes on Hawthorn in a crucial match up on Sunday afternoon at the MCG. Both teams are sitting on a 2/1 record so, even at this early stage of the season, a win is crucial because the victor gets a little separation from the main pack challenging for a berth in the competition’s top echelon. The Demons, who have in the past year or so, made an art form out of letting opportunity slip from their grasp, badly need the win because it has an appointment with reigning premier Richmond coming up on Anzac Eve. Win both games and they are in a rarefied atmosphere for this football the club and off to their best start since 2005. And, in a similar vein to last week when Melbourne broke a long-standing losing streak against North Melbourne, the club is aiming to overturn a huge disparity between wins and losses in its recent history against Hawthorn. The Hawks have won 14 out of 15 against the Demons, the only exception being their Round 20, 2016 contest when they were top of the ladder and went down in a surprise loss that sent them hurtling from premiership favouritism for what would have been a fourth consecutive flag. Hawthorn bottomed out remarkably quickly last year and seem to be on the up and up just as quickly off the back mainly of their master stroke in the recruiting of midfielders Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara but Melbourne’s midfield is more multifaceted and adaptable including a wide range of players with varying degrees of size and experience. One of those midfielders is in form Christian Petracca to who I look for both inspiration and an omen in this game. The omen is drawn from Petracca’s former basketballing teammate Philadelphia 76ers rookie Ben Simmons who has been creating a storm in NBA circles. The 76ers were a struggling team until Simmons made his debut late last year. They began their season slowly but suddenly moved into play off contention and now, after their 15th consecutive win yesterday, they are nicely placed in third place on the Eastern Conference ladder. Their latest victim? The Atlanta Hawks. THE GAME Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Sunday 15 April 2018 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Hawthorn 86 wins Melbourne 75 wins At MCG Hawthorn 45 wins Melbourne 36 wins Last 5 meetings Hawthorn 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches Clarkson 1 win Goodwin 0 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports3, Seven Mate live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE LAST TIME THEY MET Hawthorn 14.10.94 defeated Melbourne 14.7.91 in Round 7, 2017 at the MCG The Hawks skipped away to an early lead and were never headed although the Demons made a desperate lunge in the latter stages of the game. After Jeff Garlett’s third goal close to the three quarter time reduced the margin to 1 point, the teams traded goals until Jordan Lewis goaled with less than a minute remaining to reduce the margin to 3 points, but it was all too late. THE TEAMS The Hawks caused an upset when these two teams met but, in a way, it was on the cards. In the absence of injured big men Max Gawn and Jake Spencer and before Simon Goodwin could work on his ruck plan B, Ben McEvoy dominated the ruck with 53 hit-outs and gave his onballers an armchair ride. Even back then, Tom Mitchell was starring as a midfielder and with Jarryd Roughead, on the comeback trail from his illness, able to flush out every ounce of sympathy available from the umpires, the Hawks opened up an early lead that was a smidgeon beyond the Demons’ comeback challenge. Things are different this time on two major fronts. Firstly, there’s the Max Factor. The Melbourne big man is not only back but he’s showing the same, if not better, standard of mastery of his craft that won him All-Australian honours two years ago. Then there’s Jesse Hogan who took place in the equivalent game last year but was in the wrong space, recovery from the recent loss of his father and about to receive a cancer diagnosis. He’s in a much better place this time around and I suspect that he will prove a difficult opponent to overcome for whoever draws the short straw to oppose him. And that Hawk midfield might be leading the field in terms of centre clearances at 16.7 (a tremendous achievement given their opposition this year has included the Cats’ triumvirate and the reigning premiers’ on ball combinations) but the Demons are not that far behind at 16.0 with their multifaceforted engine room that includes the experience of Nathan Jones and Dom Tyson and the rapidly coming on Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca who are both in great early-season touch. Around the ground, I think the Demons will be too solid for the Hawks who will be missing Shaun Burgoyne (hamstring) as well as a couple of other handy defenders. The result is that Hawks will lower the colours to the Dees for only the second time in a dozen years. Melbourne by 29 points.

I blame Misson

It’s a disgrace that the government use tax payers money to provide money to the richest sporting clubs in the country.

I really rate Tyson and he was excellent in 2016 when we rolled a top of the table Hawthorn. While I think Brayshaw will be a very good player, he’s not at Tyson’s level yet, so this inclusion is a net loss for me. Hannan’s inclusion is interesting and seeing his name along side Fritsch on the extended bench is going to be a common problem for the match committee. I predict just the one change though.

Skiting time. I cannot recall a time where any team has had three highly talented players like Jesse, Clarry and Tracca who could rotate through the midfield or play as a key position forward. Let's hope that the FD can base a game plan to take maximum advantage of their versatility. Gees I am glad that I posted this on Tuesday in the Hogans Engine thread and that the boys have responded so quickly. It's good to know that they read Demonland.

Yes, just absurd Behind Alex Pearce for Freo, O Mac is the form key defender in the competition

I've always liked Wagner, he's got poise under pressure and sticks to the game plan better than most when the wheels are wobbling and we're under siege (usually due to issues in the midfield). When he's rolling his pace and awareness coming out of our backline, for some reason, reminds me of Chris Langford at the Hawks... which can't be bad.

ANZAC Eve and QB are massive for us for sponsorship and as a destination club moving forward. Any player considering returning to Victoria or moving clubs would seriously give consideration to the opportunity to play regularly at the G and in 2 blockbusters a season playing in front of 85-90+k on ANZAC Eve and 65-75k on QB. Make finals and put together a couple of good finals campaigns and we set ourselves right up

The team is going to be a little awesome to overcome once Melk and ANB return to their impressive, competitive streaks, with Brayshaw coming up in the same good form. Most of the 'links' will be strong again - and then TMac and Viney hit the park, as well. That would be intimidating to any opponent.

What I don't get is how often you see defenders mark the long ball uncontested. Why don't we just get our forwards to play like defenders?

we'll see if he's there in 12-18 mths mate. i'm not convinced. he's an honest player, but has clear limitations

But speaking on Inside Melbourne, Chaplin said Wagner had been the player to impress him the most this pre-season. “Wags has been very, very good this year,” he said. “A lot of people probably don’t realise what he does, because it doesn’t always come down to stats, but he’s probably been the most consistent defender across the three games so far. “The way we want to play and the system – he hasn’t let us down at all. His best two games have been the Kangaroos and Geelong game. He was a standout for us and it’s been recognised internally, but probably not externally at the moment.”

We have reached the 40,000 mark!! Must have taken the club a few days to process the weekend membership signings. As of this evening the tally is: 40,012 Almost a month ahead of last year. We reached 40,083 on May 7, 2017.

I don't condone violence in any shape or form. Except where it concerns a five-foot football recruit in their first outing for our club and then it makes me smile.

I wouldn't tag O'Meara. 1) he's overrated. 2) we should back in our own mids. 3) we can't tag two of their mids and play our own game.

I think he’s due back in the next week or so. Hutchins’ hike from Coast to Casey

Just had a wander over to the Hawks Big Footy forum. Came back very annoyed. Very confident of a win over there, one poster even said Jesse Hogan and Sam Frost aren't great forwards and should be covered easily by Frawly and Stratton. Really knows his stuff that bloke. Also found this gem: "Melbourne a due for a bad loss so I hope we can dish it out. They’re a limited team that’s had a very soft start to the season. They are exactly the kind of team that we need to beat to jump above that logjam of sides trying to improve." Only one poster out of 10+ pages was concerned about the degree of underestimation going on over there. Not sure if it's because of the number of smug Hawthorn supporting friends I have, but I can't stand the Hawks. Really hope we turn up and win this one. Didn't mind the side last week. Hoping we play a defensive forward on Sicily, not sure I could emotionally handle him tearing us up. Cyril is another one that causes us headaches, hoping Nev isn't injured and can go with him, otherwise bring Hunt back.