Leaderboard

Sitting in a beachside cafe after a long walk on the Chrissy break, wearing a Demons cap to avoid the blistering sun. Passer-by chimes in with "go dees". My wife, who has little interest in football turns to me and says " It's just like a secret handshake with your mob isn't it?"

Just helping the brother-in-law load a second hand clothesline at a property in Thurgoona (Albury) when the postie stopped with the mail - a bloke in his late fifties I reckon with tatts everywhere. I was wearing my MFC cap and he commented “a Demons man hey?” I replied “yeah mate, what about you?” ”Bloody oath” as he stretched his hi-vis polo down his chest to expose a dirty great MFC logo tattooed on his right pec.

2018 was the best ride we have had since 2000. It ended poorly yes, but from Kenty’s Goal at Domain to our run in September, it was as sweet as I hoped it would be (especially enjoying it with 60000 and 50000 long suffering Dees supporters at the EF & SF respectively). Success is never guaranteed, nor should we ever foolishly believe it to just happen expectedly. But our best shot at a flag for 55+ years is upon us and I just need to witness one in my lifetime. It may not happen next year, but I am the most optimistic I have ever been in my 25 years of following this club that the next few years will bring us what we all crave. All aboard!!!

Hope everyone enjoyed the festivities and Happy New Year Demonland, this year is tattoo season.

Is that you Krausey??

THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS - 2018 by Whispering Jack Melbourne atoned for the heartbreak of its frustrating finish to the 2017 season by, at long last, making the finals and then disposed of two highly credentialed and experienced teams in Geelong and Hawthorn before it capitulated meekly to eventual premier West Coast in the Preliminary Final in Perth. The club’s progression has been forward and upward since it finished 2013 with two wins and appointed Paul Roos as coach. The number has increased to four, seven, 10, 12, and now 14 games. The Demons made the finals for the first time in a dozen years and are now tracking for their first premiership in five and a half decades. In the women’s game, the club’s second season of AFLW competition was dogged throughout by inaccuracy in front of goal causing it to again just miss out on grand final honours finishing third after losing 4.7.31 to 5.3.33 to rivals and eventual premiers, the Western Bulldogs in the final round. The Demons were well led by Daisy Pearce and had a star player in Karen Paxman. They will miss their skipper Pearce, who will be out of the forthcoming season on maternity leave - a first for the womens competition. The Demons started their men’s campaign with a win in their section of the novelty AFLX competition, then won their two JLT Community Series games against North Melbourne in Hobart and St Kilda at Casey Fields, the latter in unconvincing fashion after building a big lead early. The opening round AFL match against Geelong resulted in a disappointing loss after a missed shot from Max Gawn in the final thirty seconds ceded a 3 point loss. The club won its next two matches, again unconvincingly although their round 3 win against North Melbourne broke a long run of defeats going back over more than a decade. A poor game against Hawthorn and a final term collapse on Anzac Day Eve against the Tigers had Melbourne down with a 2 - 3 record. The revival began against Essendon and continued over the ensuing weeks as the Demons stretched their winning run to six games culminating with big wins against Carlton and Adelaide at Alice Springs and a solid victory over the Bulldogs. At the halfway mark of the season they were challenging for a top four spot on 8 wins and 3 defeats. The improvement had come from the return of injured pair Tom McDonald and Angus Brayshaw, the dominance of Max Gawn in the ruck and the strong form of Clayton Oliver and the young midfield. Jesse Hogan was consistently in the goals. Jake Lever who had taken a while to get his bearings but was solid during the six game winning spree sustained an ACL injury in round 11 and it took a while for the defence to recover from his loss, regroup and consolidate. In the interim, the experimentation in this area was partly the reason for a poor month that saw a three-game losing streak including a disappointing loss to lowly St. Kilda. Earlier defeats to Collingwood on Queens Birthday and away to Port Adelaide might have been expected but the loss to the Saints hit hard and possibly cost the team the coveted double chance. Melbourne might have lost its star recruit, Lever, in midseason but the club did unearth two young players in Bailey Fritsch and Charlie Spargo who were both drafted in the 30s and established themselves as regulars for much of the year although they understandably ran out of steam a little at the end of the season. The Demons regrouped after the slump. The back line steadied when Sam Frost returned to help the improving Oscar McDonald in a key defensive role but, after returning to the winning list against the Dockers in Darwin and the Bulldogs at the MCG, they suffered some disappointing losses involving an after-the-siren goal to Zach Tuohy in the return game against Geelong and a home upset against Sydney after some shocking inaccuracy in the first quarter and a half kept the Swans in the game. The injuries were mounting and the loss of Hogan at that point in time appeared devastating to a team that had yet to record a win against a top eight side. All that changed dramatically over the next four games starting with the Eagles in Perth and followed with a big win over the Giants that saw Melbourne finish in fifth place with a percentage of 131%. Then followed the emotion of a return to finals football and sound victories against seasoned playoff teams in Geelong and Hawthorn in front of crowds that gave majority support to the perennial underdog buoyed by the return from injury of co-skipper Jack Viney and the emergence at last of young key forward Sam Weideman who more than amply filled Hogan’s shoes. Not for the first time in the modern history of the club, the wall was hit out west. The Demons looked spent in the early moments of their preliminary final in Perth against West Coast and much like last year’s lapse at the final hurdle against Collingwood, this one game is likely to inhabit the players’ collective memory over the summer and into the new season. Many players excelled and grew in 2018 and the depth of the club revealed itself when injuries struck. Max Gawn won the ‘Bluey’ Truscott’ medal and led an emerging midfield including the co-skippers Nathan Jones and Viney, a resurgent Angus Brayshaw (3rd in the Brownlow), Christian Petracca and Christian Salem and the incredibly improved James Harmes who stepped up several levels in the course of a season. The forward line was the best in the competition as many avenues were opened up to goals, breaking down only in that last final. The disappointment of that performance will surely act as a spur for even further improvement in 2019. That improvement is expected to come from a defence bolstered by the recruitment of former Gold Coast skipper Steven May and the expected return of Jake Lever in the first month or so of the season. They join some solid performers in defence including Michael Hibberd and the indefatigable Neville Jetta - a star both on and off the field. The Demons also picked up a handy defender from the Suns in Kade Kolodjashnij and a big ruck back up for All-Australian ruckman Gawn in Braydon Preuss. The club drafted a bevy of youngsters who will all take time to develop at Casey. Melbourne farewelled Jesse Hogan, Dom Tyson and Dean Kent to other clubs via trades and Tom Bugg found a new home through the draft. Former club champion Bernie Vince retired late in the season after a meritorious 100 game career at his second club. Vince will not be entirely lost to the Demons as he has returned to the club in a part-time leadership and ambassadorial role for 2019. The loss that will hurt deeply is that of retiring CEO Peter Jackson who has overseen the six year progression from a team that won only two games in 2013 to become a preliminary finalist in 2018. Gary Pert has stepped into the breach to finish the task of leading the club to the promised land and a premiership.

Saw Jason Taylor at the Rosebud Bunnings today, he saw me do a double take. I almost wept at his feet like he was Jesus. In my defence, he was wearing thongs so almost the same.

Mine arrived in Brisbane today. First year as a member so it's very exciting. I like the scarf and the Neville Jetta membership card. Go Dees!

They are now officially known as Greater Western Carlton.

My last ever post on this ....... If you reckon Smith is a better forward than Pedersen I'm pretty much speechless. I suppose if he improves on his 4 senior games & racks up 80 odd matches like Pedo did you will be proved right. Anyhow at Casey in 2018 Smith played 15 games for 12 goals while Pedersen had 17 games for 32 goals.

2018 was the most enjoyment I've had from being a MFC supporter in a long time. Let's hope 2019 is even better.

I was on a diving trip in West Papua a few weeks ago and we made a stop at a remote island called Banda Island. I have been there before and always take along a bag of school supplies for the kids. To my shock and delight there were two mischievous little boys at the port in Melbourne Demon T-shirts. Admittedly they were pretty well worn and had seen better days and I asked one of them if he knew what the emblem was. He looked at me like I was stupid and said ‘Go Dees’. He didn’t know where the T-shirts had come from and they looked as though they had been handed down several times. I was so chuffed as most of the other passengers on the boat were from Perth and WCE supporters. Didn’t see any of their T-shirts. Made a mental note to bring along half a dozen next year when I go back.

I know this is a retro topic but I still haven't got over how they delisted Pedersen but kept Tim Smith on the list. Pedo was a serial scapegoat & was the first dropped whenever the firsts had a bad game however in every Casey game that I saw Pedo outperformed Smith by a long, long way. Pedo is also more versatile than Smith. In the finals Smith looked like someone playing schoolyard footy as he kept trying to take hangers. His kicking for goal was woeful & he is pretty hopeless in the ruck. Anyhow its all over now but I reckon it was a shocking decision.

While in Amsterdam recently I had two extremely random MFC encounters. 1. My walking tour guide, who was an Amsterdam local, asked us who we followed in the footy after he heard we were from Melbourne. Before answering I asked him how he even knew about footy, and it was because his roomate was a diehard Melbourne supporter. Funnily, he knew all about Essendon's drug saga and compared it to FIFA corruption. 2. The next night, we did an awesome canal tour (Dam Boat Guys if anyone is after an awesome canal tour with some, erm, smoking flexibility). The guide was an Aussie that had been living in Amsterdam for a few years. While he was driving the boat at a blistering 5kmh, he was showing me highlights from the final vs Geelong and was almost in tears talking about how much he wished he was there. It was so random to find myself talking about the Dees on the other side of the world, twice, within 24 hours. What are your random MFC experiences while traveling? (NOTE: I asked the boat tour guide if he was the roommate of the walking tour guide, and he wasn't)

sitting by the pool only 2 weeks ago in Fiji with a Dee's Cap on , i hear go Dee's as a Richmond supporter walks past had a few drinks and talked AFL for days to the upset of the kids !!

They did, you just can’t see them.

He was a rubbish player who was soft in the contest, had horrible disposal, and made poor decisions. Don't confuse mouthy as being hard.

The Mongrel Pre-Season Player Power Rankings 20-11 AFL Season 2019 15 – ANGUS BRAYSHAW (MELBOURNE) Surprise again! With the Dees improving to become a top team in 2018, I got to watch plenty of their games, and one thing kept jumping out at me – when was someone going to go and stand next to Angus Bloody Brayshaw at centre bounces? With Jack Viney on the sidelines, and Clayton Oliver often the target of negating mids, Max Gawn continually tapped the ball straight down Brayshaw’s throat. I don’t often yell at the TV (OK, sometimes when the remote isn’t working, or a game won’t load, I get a little [censored] at it) but a couple of times I looked across at whomever was unlucky enough to be close by and would ask “Why won’t someone man him up?” Sadly, my missus didn’t know what I was talking about, and would largely ignore my question, so I’d repeat it and direct it at the TV. 2018 was Brayshaw’s fourth year in the game, and the leap he made was significant. He was +7.09 in disposals, averaging 26.09 for the season, and jumped to 4.27 clearances per game. That’s +2.87 from 2017. In one stretch, he had 6+ clearances in eight out of nine games. We’re catching a star in the making, here – a young man who hasn’t sat back and waited for opportunity; he created one and has made the most out of it. As he enters year five of his AFL career, Brayshaw has already shown the ability to capture the attention of the umpires. He took home third place in the 2018 Brownlow, with 21 votes. Was it a surprise? I’d say it was, since he wasn’t even in attendance. I’d also say that the AFL won’t make that mistake again. In their Preliminary Final loss to West Coast, Brayshaw was one of the few to truly stand up. He collected 29 touches to be the most effective Demon on the ground – a great sign as he continues to develop. So much of what Melbourne is, and will be in 2019, relies on Max Gawn, but the development of players like Brayshaw, Oliver, Petracca (maybe) and Viney in the middle is paramount to the Demon surge toward a flag. Where do we see the ceiling for Brayshaw? Whilst a fit Viney takes a lot of the heat in the guts, and Oliver’s presence will continue to draw a lot of attention, Brayshaw as a third midfielder is an absolute luxury, and as a result could see him get off the chain again in 2019. An improvement on his 26 touches per game may be enough to elevate him into the conversation for All-Australian selection in 2019, and could a better result in the Brownlow be a reality? Author : HB Meyers Let's hope what ever is holding his training back doesn't impact his 2019 performance.

Thanks Macca, Would be interested in how the winning tally stacked up against previous seasons. Seems this year more than any a lot of short priced favourites got rolled, knocking us all for six. Was pretty slow going for all until the back end of the season. Can't believe how quickly this one has gone !

Scum

This will probably go down as one of the most meaningless debates in Demonland history. And look I am not suggesting Pedersen was any more than a journeyman battler who was approaching the end of the line. Its just that by any objective measurement, statistics, form, influence of games, goals, ability to play different roles at Casey & at Melbourne Pedo was about a 7 & Smith a 5. I watched them both closely in the Casey finals & Pederson was solid while Smith was poor so I was stunned when he was kept on the list.

Hunt is highly regarded by Goodwin and co. - how do I know this? (Considering this isn’t coming from a board member I ‘know’ nor talking to staff at training...) Because they played him against Sydney after being out for an extended period. They rushed him in because he’s a point of difference or just better than similar players we have. He will earn his games this year that’s for sure. The wing/HBF will have some pretty handy players fighting for spots; Lewis, Jones, Stretch, Fritsch, KK, Salem, and Smith with Hore and Wagner behind those above. Some will have to find a place elsewhere or stay at Casey.

and from the club website......... have the tissues handy The best bits of 2018

Happy New Year to all.

Happy 2019, 2020 and 2021. When it rains it pours. We’re going a threepeat.

There’s one yellow and blue umbrella and everything else in that photo is red and blue. Tunnel vision. Happy new year to all ‘landers. Lets hope it’s the year of the Dees.

"Because I do" is pretty lame evidence. At least I can point to the stats that show Pedo ran rings around Smith at Casey - maybe you should check them out.

Happy new year to everyone and happy premiership 2019 to all!

Hunt is a conundrum. He does have genuine AFL attributes. He's like a cricketer who needs to hone his game and remove the errors. It's a coaching and development challenge, but I like what Hunt offers and can see him still being an important part of the team. There's no reason he still can't improve.

How on earth would you value Smith higher than Pedersen as a forward ?? Pedersen played lots of solid games at Melbourne as a forward while Smith did nothing in his couple of appearances. And last season Pedersen was outstanding at Casey while Smith did very little and was poor in the finals.

Anybody who thinks Hunt is a poor kick has nfi about football. He can kick 70m torpedos with short legs.

Went through the draw again and noticed we only have 5 Sunday games (not including the Round 23 lottery) Surely this has to be the least amount of games on this day we have had in years? I for one cannot stand Sunday games so this is a good development. Paging @Supermercado...

Congrats on your great news Maxy & partner. (don't know name) Have a fantastic time.

MELBOURNE As it stands: 30,891 2018 haul: 44,275 (record) If you weren’t already excited by what Melbourne achieved in 2018, then their work during the trade period should have provided another boost. They added star defender Steven May to a backline that will include Jake Lever at some point next year, along with 2013 Pick 5 Kade Kolodjashnij and ruck security in Braydon Preuss. And then they have one of, if not the best engine rooms in the AFL.

I don't have an issue with this but then don't do a club article that brings attention to it.

For all the improvements the club has made, I've got to say that this is still an issue for me (and other supporters). It's odd enough that there's been no word from the club regarding Gus given he's missed multiple weeks of full training. But what's even more baffling as big red pointed out is that the MFC publish a full article regarding Brayshaw's unique training program on Christmas day, only to end it by saying he won't be completing it this year with absolutely no word on why. Amazing that things go seemingly unnoticed by the MFC. [censored] me off to no end.

IMO it was no coincidence that for years we almost always lost when Peder was not playing, yet so often won when he was playing! Not a big star but he did things people don’t notice, and he had as good a “team first” attitude as anyone ever, which is contagous so really helps the scoreboard. IMHO Peder should have always been our #1 CHF ahead of that very nice and intelligent chap reputed to have concrete hands. Peder seems to have been underapreciated and underused yet had a lovely attitude throughout so one can easily feel gratitude and many best wishes for his future. Thanks man.

It was really more the recruitment of Preuss that sealed Pedo's fate. His value was as a backup fwd/ruck. I loved watching The Bear play, his willingness to run in straight lines and crunch packs in the air and on the ground was a pleasure to watch, a point of difference from many currently on our list and the size of his frame was an asset in this regard. His goal kicking was generally pretty much good, but not quite T Mac level great. His ball use whether by foot or a clever knock to position was somewhat underrated at times. There were games (paticularly during 2016) when I thought he should have played over Weid based on actual performance and capability at the time, but that is now water under the bridge and perhaps in retrospect the selection committee were right to get the Weid the exposure at senior level. On ballance, in retrospect as much as I thought there were big games when Pedo rose to the occasion, I'll accept there were also those where he went missing for too much of the game. I don't think it was a competition with T Smith, who I think plays a slightly different role. Though I have found T Smith somewhat underwhelming, I think he does compete hard and as Spencer somewhat points out he plays a role the coaches ask of him when he plays. I am somewhat surprised that someone like Gold Coast didn't chase the Bear, because I thought he could have been of value to them for a year, but I guess it might not have suited Pedo at this point in his life to be moving half way across the country on a short term prospect either and I heard that GC were chasing local boy big Jake 'Pencil' Spencer for ruck depth (don't know how that worked out). In the end as a fringe player, I think age became Pedersen's enemy at the MFC, but I think he seemed to accept his predicament with great grace and I wish him all the best for the future.

Good on him. Please pass on best wishes should you speak with him

OP - you’ve gotta update your username, too!

I can imagine he was very good at collecting drinks for everyone but when he went to pass it to you, did it miss you by some distance?

I hope he is now in a better place

Well...he was an individual !!

not a consistent player, Darren but when he was "on" he was a beautiful player to watch. Fast and highly skilled.

I had a work xmas lunch at the Stokehouse about 8 years ago. Andrew Leonchelli was with another group. I introduced myself to him, then told him that I was a Demons supporter. He put his arm around my shoulder and said "you poor man". I then told him that I had been telling my female colleagues that he had kicked the winning goal against Adelaide a few years earlier. Without further ado, he marched over to our table, took out his mobile and showed the ladies himself kicking the winning goal. He had clip on his phone!!! I sent him an email a few years later reminding him of that meeting. (I think it was when Melbourne pulled off an upset against Adelaide") He replied ... "Yes, I remember. I think I'd had too much to drink". Top bloke Very friendly.

Treated poorly by the Brains Trust. The Lynden Dunn of 2018. Dropped early on then unlike JKH, Garlett & others never given a second opportunity. Could have been tried as a tagger, defender or wing. Unlucky for mine & a better player than some still at the Club.

Theres a difference mate and its pretty simple, Garlett and Maynard are contracted and Bugg is not. Cant see why he'd be miffed at that.

Also some dark blue and white... some red and white... and some red white and blue... in that pic. Cats and Swans rounding out finalists numbers with doggies ? nah couldn't be... Has to be Pies & Eagles, maybe Cats, Bombers ? Hawks ? Roos, Its difficult to remember all the 2018 finalists.