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Here’s my take on the Melbourne listed players. 3 Votes – Pederson: Was the dominant player on the ground. Kicked 6.1 and took at least 8 big contested marks. He looked unstoppable. And boy did the frankston locals give it to him! 2 Votes – Bugg: After a quiet first half managed to work his way into the game and finish up with 6 goals. Got on the end of a cheap one or two but also dished off a couple to teammates which he could have easily kicked himself. 1 Vote – Baker: Found plenty of ball and has some aggressive run & carry. Kicked a nice goal too in the last quarter to seal off a good game. Seems like a handy prospect. … Wagner: found enough of it but disposal still lets him down. Set up some nice set plays but also had a couple of poor turnovers by foot. Hunt: Similar to Wagner, gave us some good drive off half back but had a couple of bad turnovers that these blokes shouldn’t make against opposition like this. Although probably first in line for a call up out of all of the defenders today. Frost: Took some good strong marks but again the knock on him was some poor skill errors. Wont be forcing his way back in the team on todays performance. Smith: Ball wasn’t deep in defence much but he took a couple of strong marks and made the most of his opportunities. Petty: Took a couple of nice marks and looks like an impressive prospect in defence. Quite a big lad for a kid. Garlett: Very ordinary from Jeffy. Kicked a junk time goal in the last but found no where near enough of the ball. When he did he looked quick and a cut above but these moments were rare. Stretch: Didn’t do a great deal either which was disappointing. JKH: Just going through the motions. Seems a long way off all those 30+ possession VFL games that he had last year. Don’t think we’ll see him in the red & blue again. Balic: A lot to like here. Wasn’t dominant but made the most of his opportunities. Was strong around the ball and he has clean skills. Also took a couple of nice marks. Will be interesting to watch his progress over the next half of the season. Could be a chance for a game towards the end of the year. Keilty: Couple of nice contested marks but unfortunately didn’t finish the game due to concusion. Filipovic: Actually didn’t mind the work of the young ruckman. Gets into some good spots and contested well in the air. A good game Johnstone: As mentioned before, a last ditch effort to reinvent him as a small defender but unfortunately he doesn’t look like he’ll make it. Pretty quiet from him again today.

Shortly we will be migrating to an upgraded plan for the hosting of Demonland. We are hoping that this will alleviate the instances where Demonland has crashed alot recently. I won't bore you with the specifics but the change will of course take Demonland offline for a little bit. Hopefully it is only for a short time but I am not certain when it will be done or how long it will take. Hopefully it does not impact discussion of this weeks match. Unfortunately this is going to more than double what we already pay to get Demonland online so if you are keen to help us out (and it's certainly not mandatory that you do) you can do so in the following ways. Take out a Demonland Subscription - not only are you helping Demonland out but all the advertisements that a littered throughout the site will disappear. Donate to Demonland - If you already subscribe to Demonland and want to contribute something extra you can help us out this way. Purchase some Demonland Merchandise - look cool and help Demonland out in the process. I don't like having to put my hand out and I and the site will survive if you don't but if you enjoy Demonland and want to (and can) contribute those are the way you can do it. Hopefully this will solve the constant issues that we have been having and you can continue enjoying this site without further interruption. As always all funds will go towards paying for the hosting & the annual forum software fees and if there is anything left over I always like to pay it forward to Nasher whose help is invaluable. Go Dees. Andy

We need to get Neeld into Richmond somehow.

Much better 2nd qtr. 7 goals to none. One of the great moments in the frankston outer (getting a bit of local culture) was some nuff nuff getting stuck into pederson. He then drilled a beauty from the boundary and mrs pederson in front of us let old mate know

When we welcome Tim Smith back to AFL football after an hiatus of more than a full year (he was injured in the Anzac Eve clash against the Tigers in 2017), we’re going to see a fully different player to the one who made his debut in Round 3 last year off the back of Jesse Hogan’s suspension against the Blues. Smith has been around for a while, having joined the then Casey Scorpions in 2012 season as a part time footballer. I’m not sure that he was fully motivated at the time but he changed over the years and by 2016, he was made vice-captain and was the club’s leading goal kicker for the season. Since he was drafted as a mature age rookie at 25 before the start of last year, he’s suffered his share of injuries but it’s been noticeable to me that he’s been a fitter and far more mobile player than ever before on his return at Casey. In line with the Melbourne set up, he’s not simply a key position forward but he can do things around the ground wherever he’s placed. As such, he could be a real surprise packet for the club - something right out of left field.

Warms my heart. Should be in the AFL team.

Lose this game and we will see the biggest melt in demonland history

There is a lot of commentary on the game and I wasn't going to add my bit but it's interesting the way different people see things differently. Firstly we need to keep in mind that Casey was chock full of AFL list players and Frankston are chock full of players not good enough to get on an AFL list. It was a complete mismatch. It's not surprising that the mature near quality AFL players had a picnic. Pedo and Bugg were very good today and just too good for the opposition. Had Tim Smith been there he to would have been too good for the opposition. Pedo's marking was terrific, really good, but let's not pretend he'd get the sort of run at it and delivery he got today in AFL footy. I recognize that you can only beat what you're playing against but my advice is don't get excited by what the mature heads showed today. We've seen almost 100 times what these two do at AFL level and today doesn't change that. Secondly, there were a couple of players that I thought did show something. Joel Smith was good. He didn't have a lot to do because the ball spent the majority of the time (after the first 20 minutes) at the other end of the ground but for the second week in a row, against a vastly different opposition, he was almost faultless. Harrison Petty also played a really solid game taking a couple of really nice contested marks and kicking the ball really well. Both these guys showed AFL attributes today and I enjoy that because I watch Casey to see who has and who hasn't got those sort of attributes. Garlett played a lot in the midfield and struggled to get into the game until the last quarter when it was party time. He did Jeffy things but not nearly often enough for mine. Spargo would have to play a shocker not to go to Alice. I was really pleased for Jayden Hunt. He was pretty ordinary in the first half and then in a 15 minute burst in the third found his mojo. He must have taken 4 or 5 marks and he had a lot of general play involvement which he has really struggled with. I'm pleased for him because we all know what he offers and when he can produce it again at AFL level we'll be better for it. It was a good step forward for a kid that was bereft of confidence last week. Flipper struggled today I thought. I was disappointed he didn't hold some marks he should have. It wasn't one or two, it would have been upward of half a dozen. He would have had a much better game if he'd held these. I thought JKH also came right into the game in the second half but again it's hard to see where he gets a chance. Billy Stretch struggled which was disappointing after a great game last week but where he differs from Bugg and Pedo is that he's young with upside. But it would have been nice to see another dominant performance against disappointing opposition.

Just came back from the game. One way traffic but a couple of observations. Oskar Baker made several poor decisions and this was a little disappointing. Needs to inject himself into the game a bit more. And get rid of that shite haircut. If you're playing badly don't bring attention to it. I made a point of watching his game and there's clearly potential but I left unconvinced about his footy smarts (this coming from someone who was a really dumb player) Jayden Hunt played ok but chip kicks aren't his go. Good voice out on the field. JKH is too smart a footballer for this level but is probably unlucky to be at Melbourne given our number of mids. Pedo was outstanding. Bugg has presence and, to his credit, he was very good today.

Yes. IIRC, Vince has said he would play at Casey and be a back up and do it for less money so he can stay connected to the afl. A handy in if we got lots of injuries.

quid pro quad?

Bloody door knocker. Just threw a pineapple your way. Thanks to everyone involved in keeping the site running.

Both Curnows out. Karma for violently attacking those poor umpires.

Got yo speak to Jawlings, Plapp and Goody before the game. That was pretty cool

The lawyers wouldn’t agree with you that the fees were wasted. And so, I advise. That will cost 1,000 Guineas for my time, thank you.

This just belies all evidence. He hasn’t missed a game; not a bad effort for someone supposedly no longer good enough for a spot on the list.

After a slow start (the first 15 minutes) in which the Dolphins were on top all over the ground but only managed 6 points (lucky not to be 3 or four goals down) Casey became increasingly dominant.. Light breeze to the Casey end in the second quarter saw them kick 7 goals to nil. Why... the midfield got on top... no one player in particular but just pressure at the ball. Pedersen started taking some marks and we went from there. Third quarter was the Tomas Bugg show with Pedersen delivering some wonderful cameo high flying marks and goals. I watched Oskar reasonably closely and he was just ok without impressing. Jeff G may have done something but I didn't sight him really until the last quarter. Certainly was not in his usual deep forward position. Pedersen rucked for quite a while. Didn't seem to win many ruck competitions but then again he was by no means thrashed. All in all a very enjoyable game with Pedersen the stand out star. By the way the ground is lovely, Old stands, grass terraces, sea view.. the local supporters are very vocal but watching from the relative safety of the other side it added to the atmosphere.

Thanks KC and all posters, who send us your reports.

That's all folks - after the final siren goal to Dolphins. 21.13 to4.9 Pedo & Bugg - 6 each

Yeh a chase down for holding the ball and a snap goal Is also in our top 5 for forward 50 tackles behind Pedders, Clarry, Jeffy, and Harmes

One of the signs of a good club.

Selectors have woken the bear

I think I’ve been there. It must be close to Moonee Valley and is the only place their truck hasn’t gotten bogged yet.

Front runner my arse. Do you even watch footy or does your quest to expose northern stand conspiracy theories chew up all your time Here's me disagreeing with Hemingway who put forth the view that Garlett was inconsistent (don't know how to quote from another thread) Garlett has been in the game for 10 years and over that period has been one of the most consistent small forwards around. Including his time at Carlton. His 2014 was a complete bomb but I was informed by someone at the the Blues that this was mainly due to off-field family issues. Then Malthouse had his fire sale. No doubt his form was off for 2 weeks. Perhaps form, desire, our crap forward setup & entries - who knows. Conditions perhaps ? When he was young I recall him being good in the wet (I always feared him when we played Carlton) but recently he's been the worst wet tracker since Let's Elope I hope he finds touch real quick. With the forward line we could have, I would love to see Charlie and Jeffy creating havoc amongst it Lies, damned lies & statistics. Nonetheless, here are some Garlett stats. Make of 'em what you will Year Games Goals Avge Gls Tackles Avge Tackles 2009 10 12 1.2 23 2.3 2010 20 39 2.0 73 3.7 2011 24 48 2.0 96 4.0 2012 22 29 1.3 72 3.3 2013 22 43 2.0 76 3.5 2014 9 12 1.3 23 2.6 2015 22 40 1.8 90 4.1 2016 17 29 1.7 54 3.2 2017 21 42 2.0 74 3.5 2018 5 9 1.8 15 3.0 172 303 1.8 596 3.5 That is not the career of a front runner. We were lucky to get him for minimum chips and has been one of the best value investments we've made. And now that he's out of form you apply Revisionism 101 and declare him a front runner. FMD, You type some absolute shite mate and this is just the thin edge of the wedge. I've never used the ignore function but you've got me considering it

Yes .. he keeps playing until someone better at VFL level forces him out. His spot is there to be taken ...just like Lewis... up to those playing at Casey to grab it.

He’s had no trouble at all retaining his place in the side and he hasn’t had any injury woes. I’d say he’s playing better now than he did last year as well. At this stage I’d anticipate him still being on the list next year, but there’s still a lot of season to go yet. He’ll be the last player they offer a contract to and it will depend on what happens with everyone else, and he will understand that. I love Bernie still. He instantly made us better in the Roos era, and while he’s not the dynamic player he was then, he still plays a tough brand of footy and still adds to the side. Looking forward to seeing him clock up his 100th MFC game later in the year.

When does he 100 games for the Dees? I'd like to se him clock that up. I'm with Gorgoroth. If he's playing well and is happy to be a depth player, all good. It would depend on draft considerations etc

What, 4 years ago or whenever it was? He’s been an incredibly good value pick up for us and Carlton were incredibly stupid to let him go for the price we paid. He’s out of form currently but that doesn’t suddenly mean Malthouse knew what he was doing. He needs to get his workrate and defensive pressure back up to where we know they can be. I don’t expect Spargo to hold his spot all year so when Garlett gets his chance I want to see gut-running, chasing, tackling and harrassing. Goals wil flow from that.

Basically identical. I expect a comfortable victory. I'm also expecting to hear on the replay "this young Carlton team" with no mention of Melbourne's makeup. Average Attributes Carlton Attribute Melbourne 187.0cm Height 187.4cm 84.9kg Weight 88.7kg 24yr 11mth Age 24yr 10mth 87.7 Games 87.9 Total Players By Games Carlton Games Melbourne 9 Less than 50 9 7 50 to 99 6 2 100 to 149 4 4 150 or more 3

Tyson - Joeboy finally vindicated

Any chance the team will be celebrating at this salubrious Thai Restaurant in Malvern East tonight?

Watch Pies make a big play for Sam Weideman. Pies will offer 1st round pick. Pick 8-9 (pies 1st round) for Weid and our pick 26-27 (2nd round). F-orf is my reply. We have invested and he is ready to rock in 2019. Could be our Hogan-Weideman-Tommymcd forward era.

Pedo unlucky that Bull got promoted. With Weid out, I thought Pedo would be the obvious choice and can play backup ruck minutes.

Pedersen has been unreal today. Really making the coaches guess the Smith inclusion. Bull better play well tomorrow

Very underwhelming first qtr. Pedo with 2 goals. Baker has seen a bit of it but of all the AFL listed players we have, Munro looks to be showing them up. Was able to get to the casey huddle at qtr time. 3 big crosses on the board. X - dees footy X - oppo footy X - forward momentum

take him off and play him tomorrow ? ?

Nice! Now do all the other numbers so we can see which one has the best team.

While he does seem to go through a dip in form at some point in the season, he has kicked 40+ goals in multiple seasons for both us and Carlton. Need to have a fair bit of consitancy to do that. Per above point, Malthouse was a fool to let him go to us for what he did. Someone here made the claim that Jeffy is a front runner, which I would vigorously dispute. For most of his early years at the MFC, we were a team that struggled to be compeditive, yet he was a shining light within our team. I'd also dispute that he isn't physical or defencive enough. He lays some great run down tackles and is a great body on body mark. I would agree that he is somewhat of a confidence player (though most players are when it comes down to it). In this regard, as much as I'm a Jeffy fan, I'm also ok for him to go back down to Casey to find some form and confidence again when he seems to loose his way a bit. I actually think his latest drop off in form had more to do with how the team was playing. I'd hate to be a forward the way were bringing the ball in and delivering into our forward line against the Hawks and Tigers.

Are we asking who’s had the better career? Better peak? I voted Yze. The fact he is a distant third is strange. He clearly had the best career of the lot. Durable, versatile, elite kick and decision maker, All Australian, key component of multiple finals tilts. He struggled towards the end, and maybe others remember him purely from the end of his career? He was brilliant. Jakovich was flash in the pan. A few seasons of utter mercurial brilliance, but ultimately more of a what could have been. Clarry is less than 50 games in and should’ve be spoken about with these two yet. By the end of his career he will be the best barring injury.

I'd keep him on for another year contract but on a lower salary in order to have room for some younger guns. Still getting a game and still in best 25 at the moment. Edit: obviously wait until end of year for final decision. No need to rush a signing now.

That's like asking which of my children I like better. I can't not say Allen Jakovich for obvious reasons.

As an interstate member, Demonland is my football 'lifeblood'. Thanks Andy and crew for your great work. More than happy to donate.

As a Frankston boy I've always barracked for the mighty Dolphins in the VFL, but obviously have split loyalties on this one now! That Casey side is ridiculously strong for a VFL team especially compared to a team that went out of existence recently and doesn't have an AFL affiliate.....huge mismatch will be a smashing. Man I used to hate Springvale back in the day too....

Last year he played while missing a toenail which impacted his ability to kick. Still a very handy player and lile another poster said he is prepared to play at Casey to stay on the list. Also agree we shouldnt lose someone like Hunt to keep him.

No worries with 'Jeffy'. If your lagging we have a depth of good players. I want him to be playing well for sure, but rotation is a good thing anyway. There's no shame in playing in the two's, it's our club as well. Strong second team, strong first team. Go the Dee's!!

My issue with this is that it’s ok to criticise a player, but running a monotonous campaign is boring. You form an opinion, you let everyone know what it and leave it at that, it’s ok to throw a few punches every now and then, if it gets worse, but to harp on and on about it is just tedious. We are seeing the same now with Tyson and Weideman, ok you don’t think Tyson can kick and you don’t think Weid can play, ok, opinion noted. Maybe there’s a player that’s doing everything right, let’s talk about him for a while.

Melbourne's structure has completely changed over the last 4 weeks. It bears no resemblance to the first few rounds. Against Hawthorn the only tall in the forward-line was Hogan. The last few weeks it's been Hogan, McDonald, Weideman and Gawn on rotation. It's no surprise with this new structure Gawn has kicked goals each of the last 3 weeks. He had no chopout against Hawthorn. Unless you consider Harmes and Petracca a chop out. The back six have also individually hit form. Previously Oscar was the only one who could hold his head high. Brayshaw to the middle has been important. And Salem played his best game last week going back to a back flank. When referencing our season I'm surprised how some supporters don't recognise what has been a quantum shift in so many areas. We are a very different proposition compared to the early rounds. That said, I get that the noise won't change until we beat top eight teams.

He'll be back. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Okay, let's get this straight. He is 25 years old, turning 26 next month. And if you rate him on par with ANB or Harmes then I'd challenge your comment of "watching a little bit of the Eagles." If ANB or Harmes turn out to be as good as Gaff I'd be very, very surprised.

I'd take Clarry in a heartbeat, but Cripps is a terrific player in his own right who has to carry a far heavier load than Clarry does.