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Great gesture by Max on his 100th

Tyson. Was not noticed

Boy oh boy. We were smashed in uncontested possessions and clearly beaten for workrate and pace. There are a few ways that can occur but the most obvious one is that we had a poor pre-season. This is nothing to do with making finals and starting a month later, this is the players who had surgeries or missed periods or started later than the main group. Copping 30+ degrees and humidity when you're not 100% is a recipe for disaster. But that's not where it ends. Gawn was belted in the ruck and around the ground. Without him dominating in the ruck, we were beaten in contested possessions (which only happened twice last year) and didn't dominate clearances. If I were an opposition coach I'd be planning to play two ruckmen and/or to just instruct them to get physical - Lycett's done this twice in a row, we saw Naismith do it well in our game vs Sydney last year, Rhys Stanley did it last year too. Gawn needs support, so I expect to see Presuss play as soon as he's fit. We need to try it. If we're not on top in CPs and clearances, we're not a good football side - our losses last year showed this, and today showed this. That might make us a one-dimensional side overall, but our best last year shows we can afford to be one-dimensional if we work hard and our key players perform. Our forward line is slow and pathetic defensively. If Garlett can't get back into this side then that says more about Garlett than it does about our forward line. Spargo is too slow to play his low-impact role. Sparrow looked OK but doesn't strike me as anything special. We clearly lacked a third marking option and TMac/Weideman were wholly out of sync. Petracca looks too big (both too much muscle and, dare I say it, not perfectly conditioned). He's too slow by foot and isn't affecting the game enough. The time is going to come, soon I think, where we will see him at Casey. Viney isn't fit and if he's a true captain he'll admit it and get fit before playing again. Jones' fitness might have been an issue but the dropped mark in the fourth was just poor football (he turned his head to see if there was someone in the goalsquare before he'd marked it). That drop led to a Westhoff goal and killed the game. But, of all the things to be disappointed by, somehow I'm most disappointed in Frost and Oscar. When we brought in May, they knew that they'd be fighting for one spot (possibly no spots once Lever comes back, but anyway). They should have been motivated to work super hard on their weaknesses to ensure they were the one who got selected in Round 1. Instead, Frost's weaknesses remain the exact same (his push in the back on Ryder in the second quarter when the ball was clearly out on the full was bad, his decision to run into a wall of Port players then kick it after being blatantly caught holding the ball was worse), and so do Oscar's (he was being out-muscled by midfielders FFS). Can't decide which one I want to drop more for next week. A shout out to Salem, who was incredible all day, as well as Harmes, Melksham and Hibberd. Hopefully Hunt gets some confidence, too.

It'll be interesting to see how we recover next week. Dreading the trip down to General Admin at the Cattery. I reckon it might just be a maulling. With our pre season, we were always in a bit of trouble. The JLT was enlightening and anyone who wasn't disturbed by how easily we conceded inside50s and scores doesn't understand football. That trend continued today with a clearly underdone Jack Viney (a real lack of leadership to declare himself fit when he so clearly isn't - I saw him limping around during the warm up on Instagram - the guy can hardly move) and Melksham seemed to be sore too, hence many miskicks and not wanting to take basic shots on goal. Our midfield is such a one way running midfield. I thought we'd got past this, but it seems to be a combination of fitness and desire. The heat today didn't help either, but Port seemed fine. The other aspect that was unacceptable was that Tom McDonald (who did the same thing during the JLT) and Gawn, each went for multiple marks one-handed. Gawn seemed to be in self-preservation mode for much of the game. He refused to go back with the flight at one point too. Not to mention, he was thoroughly outplayed by Ryder and Lycett. The positives were few and far between, but Corey Wagner and Tom Sparrow did nothing to harm their selection for Round 2. Brayshaw was good in the clinches but was run off his feet on the rebound, as were Clarry and Harmes. Salem was probably our best, but not much to take away from today other than that we are so overhyped it's ridiculous. List wise we don't have many holes, but there has to be a question mark over our tall forwards and whether they can deliver and our lack of pressure forwards is notable when you look at Collingwood and Richmond. We're not even close to their pressure. We had absolutely no system today and the way to beat us in 2018 is still how to beat us in 2019. Get it on the outside and you run us off our feet. We have no answer and can't generate anything without Max dominating in the ruck. How we bounce back next week will tell us everything about whether or not we're a premiership threat. I have a feeling we're nowhere near it.

The inspiration for today’s game is persistence and dedication. 100 games to Max Gawn - a terrific achievement after undergoing so much hardship with injury in his early years at the club. Debut matches at the club for Marty Hore and Corey Wagner who had to do it the hard way to get their chances today. Bring it on! .Countdown Round One Melbourne v Port Adelaide Saturday, March 23, 1.45pm AEDT MCG 11.30am: MCC Reserve 12.00pm: AFL Reserve 12.00pm: General public This week's match will be Melbourne's annual Welcome Game - an inclusive event that promotes a message of welcoming everyone to Australian Rules football, the MCG and the Melbourne Football Club. Here's what will be happening around the MCG and nearby during the day: Scarf drive Following the success of the Melbourne Scarf Drive at the 2018 Welcome Game, Melbourne is pleased to be bringing back the initiative for this year’s game. By donating old membership scarves, existing fans can play a key role in welcoming new audiences to the club. Members and supporters can donate pre-loved scarves to new fans on the day by dropping them in the donation box located in Yarra Park, outside Gate 3. Victorian Multicultural Festival at Federation Square Experience the Victorian Multicultural Festival at Fed Square pre-game from 12.00pm before heading to the MCG. The festival is a vibrant and joyous showcase of Victoria's rich cultural traditions in a free one-day program featuring music, performance, food and art for all ages! Read more about the Multicultural Festival and Culture Waves here. Culture Waves 2019 Post-match, make sure to visit Culture Waves 2019 which will be held at Federation Square after the Multicultural Festival. Culture Waves is a special music event planned featuring some of Victoria’s most acclaimed young artists. This free evening of incredible music celebrates how cultural diversity is influencing Victoria’s local music scene. Members You can use your Memberships to gain access to the game. If you’re an unrenewed member who received their card in the mail, visit a membership tent to activate the card. If you’re a new member and sign up at the ground, you will receive a ticket to gain entry. General Public Tickets to the game can be purchased via Ticketek. General admission seating Ponsford Stand Level 1 M28-M32 M33 rows DD-NN M34-M36 Level 4 Q29-Q36 Olympic Stand Level 1 M53 & M54 rows A-W M55-M57 Level 4 Q49-Q57 Southern Stand Level 1 M1 rows A-Y M2 (Demon Heartland – DRY) M3-M12 M13 rows A-Z (DRY) Level 4 Q1-Q15½ Cheer squad allocations Melbourne: M3 Rows A–T Port Adelaide: M33 Rows A-S Public reserved seating Public reserved seat sales available at all Public Gates, as well as at the Ticketek box office at Gate 3. Arrive early Security measures such as bag checks and patron scanning will again be in place as fans make their way into the stadium. This process will take time, so please be patient - and limit the number of bags you bring. Each bag will be inspected, so the more bags you bring the longer it will take. It is recommended that fans arrive early, as those who arrive later may miss the teams run out and/or the start of the match. Public transport Buses will be replacing trains on the Mernda, Frankston, Sandringham, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines this Saturday. See more info on travel disruptions on Victoria's Big Build website. Use the MCG Journey Planner to find your best way to get to the game. The MCG is serviced by multiple tram lines from the city and is in close proximity to Richmond and Jolimont Stations. Car parking Car parking capacity in Yarra Park will be limited. We encourage fans to take public transport to the match or park in the CBD. Gate 3: 9.00am Gate 5: 11.30am Gate 6: 10.30am Gate 7: CLOSED For the latest parking information, please visit the MCG website. Rod Laver Arena footbridge closure The footbridge linking Rod Laver Arena and the MCG will be closed for development until 2023. Fans are encouraged to use alternative pathways such as the Edwin Flack Bridge and William Barak Bridge to get to the MCG. Our Membership team will be set up around the ground on Saturday from 11.00am for Membership purchases queries and scarf collections. You can find them at: Gate 2 - inside and outside Gate 3 - outside Gate 5 - outside To find out which Membership is best for you, view our packages HERE. The Demon Shop will be open from 10.30am until half an after the game and is located on Brunton Avenue next to carpark Entrance E. All 2019 Members will receive 10% off full priced merchandise on presentation of their Membership card. Can't make it to the store? Browse the whole range online HERE. If you're at the game early, make sure to take part in our Match Predictor competition, exclusively in the Melbourne FC mobile app. At each MCG home game, we'll pit you with five questions - such as how many goals Melbourne will score, which players will get the most touches and how many hit-outs Max Gawn could rack up. Your challenge will be to select the most correct outcomes before the bounce, with a $75 New Balance voucher on offer for the person who guesses the most correct outcomes first. To take part make sure you're at the MCG between 1.05pm - 1.35pm, with location settings enabled in your copy of the app. To play: Download the Melbourne FC app to your iOS or Android device. Ensure your location services are turned on to take part - if you have them turned off, head to the Settings section to enable location settings. Open up the Match Predictor on the main menu. Enter your details and make your predictions for the match ahead. TV times Melbourne: Fox Footy - 1.30pm Sydney: Fox Footy - 1.30pm Brisbane: Fox Footy - 12.30pm Adelaide: Channel 7 + Fox Footy - 1.00pm Perth: Fox Footy - 10.30am Tasmania: Fox Footy - 1.30pm Darwin: Fox Footy - 12.00pm For all other regions and radio info, refer to the AFL Broadcast Guide. Mobile app Live scores, stats and match highlights are available at the tap of a finger in the club's mobile app. Download it for iOS or Android. Social media Match hashtag: #AFLDeesPower Follow the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live match coverage and a behind-the-scenes insight into match day.

Well, that didn't go to plan. Or maybe it did, when you consider our off season as a whole. We started later than most, had more off season surgeries than any other team and have had to bring players back late into the run of practice games. We were shown up brutally today after the first 15 minutes. The fact that we couldn't score in the last term is evidence of that. We just didn't have it in us, but disappointingly, I don't think we pushed ourselves hard enough either. We didn't have the legs to work hard enough and, when we got a sniff, we couldn't stop them from kicking a few or we mucked something up. You could almost smell the rust coming off the players. Not to mention that Gawn and Oliver were pretty quiet and they took us right out of the contest. Outside of a few, like Salem and Melksham, pretty much everyone was down on their normal output and it cost us the game. I don't think it's a matter of leg speed or even the gameplan. We just didn't have the willingness to run hard enough around the ground, while Port had the youth and the fitness to run us off our feet time and time again. We'll be better for the run. Some players, like Viney (who put in his worst performance in a Melbourne jumper), will have a game under their belt, while we will at the very least get Steven May back next weekend. There is plenty to work on, but is the season over? Of course not. We lost in Round 1 last year as well. Yep, the performance today was worse than that one last year, but my point still stands. I also think Sparrow and Corey Wagner did okay today as well.

McQueen is in the big smoke and he is pumped. Pow pow ? ????

I don’t know if you’re able to be banned for comments like that, but you should be. Probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen in a post-match thread.

Thankfully, we didn't have an interrupted preseason.

You’re making excuses mate. Today was worrying.

Cop out

Not being able to score will prove a challenge. Scoring often contributes to winning the game.

Spargo - has a brain - but it’s too close to the ground

They ran and spread like maniacs. We spread like butter that's been left in the freezer for a couple of months.

despite the opportunity for a sleep in after a [censored] of a week - no chance. Up with the kids at 5.45 , butterflies, excitement. Domestic distractions/duties this morning. We just moved house and as such, our local big shopping centre is Norflands . Gonna rock my 1994 Dees jumper down to Bunnings and KMart. It seems Filth/Bummers/Carlscum territory round these parts, but IDGAF , MFC REPRESENT!! Then hop a Mernda train down to Jolimont to our hallowed turf.. So freakin pumped LETS DO THIS ✊???

Top 8 spot on the line.

Guys, I can let you know that Tom Sparrow will debut tomorrow as Jorda Lewis won’t play. Good luck Tom

As the off-season comes to a close I wanted to say thankyou to all who have been active on Demonland in the off season. As always, it's been informative, entertaining and sometimes maddening. And it's been a decent time-waster, too. Particular thanks to all those who posted training reports which helped us appreciate the work being done as we head into what we all hope will be a successful 2019. Similarly, thanks to the site administrators and moderators who keep this wonderful form of social media going. Go Dees.

Did you find a good pre game venue for a drink? Im still looking for one. Hope you get back to Perth ok. I would be [censored] to, if i crossed the country to go and watch that.

Footy’s back! And it looks like those ‘funny old days’ are back with it. Lets just start with this, the Sky is not falling in. Not yet anyway. I thought we started very well and our midfield was on top. Clearances galore and the work rate and willingness to get physical was on display. We fell into a bit of a lull, that was ok, until it lasted 25 minutes then it was not ok. This is the key thing I’m concerned about, I know teams don’t perform 100% for 100% of the game but it’s about making sure those periods are as short as possible. To see us no-where near it for that long is pretty concerning. Max was worked over, I expected it. But he looked drunk out there today. I know he copped a knock early on but he looked at tomes like he’d lost hand-eye coordination! Lycett has the blueprint and I’m sure others will follow. To be fair even when we were quiet I felt out defensive structures were pretty good and there were still good defensive efforts being made to keep us in it. Eventually though these all died away (esepecially in the 2nd half when we were REALLY stuffed). We then looked like a team that didn’t have a clue. Jack Viney must have spent at least 40% of the game off. Has no lateral movement at all and looks useless. Yeah underdone etc but come on man. The defence was average but they were under siege, Oscar had a shocker and Frost looked dumb, Jayden Hunt showed glimpses of what he was and at least worked hard. Salem was a great contributor, used it nearly every time when others couldn’t. We’re one dimensional, if we don’t get them with our 1 Wood we don’t get them. Break even with contested ball and .. yeah you know. The one thing I’ll say about defending in transition is that at least we aren’t giving up the switch every single time now, but we still stink at it. Really have no answer for that other than just don’t lose a 50-50 ball in midfield. We were knackered late and just totally clocked off. There’s never a good time to lose like this but I guess if there is ever even close to a good time it’s now. I think decision making was probably the big thing that killed us. First 20 mins we were playing with intent, going first option and just going with the gut, after this it was too much thinking about it and looking sideways and that’s where we just go into a state of flux. Need to just back ourself in more. Sparrow looked a goer, Marty Hore was in the headlights, Spargo had a honker, Wagner looks like a slightly quicker version of Josh. Jack Watts is not back, don’t buy into it. He played a reasonable game as he always does in Rd 1. And don’t waste energy wondering ‘why he couldn’t do it for us’ just keep walking. Disappointing day, especially with the great RDB sitting a few rows back from us. Onward to next week, which I don’t feel great about but it’s another game. See you soon.

However, whilst Port did have a bunch of debutants, they also had this: Westhoff (249 games), Boak (244), Ebert (236), Ryder (227), Gray (200), Rockliff (173), Watts (173), Motlop (157), Jonas (122). What did we have? Jones (265), Melksham (157), TMac (147), Jetta (142), Hibberd (124), Gawn (100). That's five 200+ game players to one, eight 150+ game players to two, and nine 100+ game players to six. Other than Motlop, their 100+ game players were their best. Other than Melksham and, to an extent, Hibberd, our 100+ game players were poor. It's only worth a little bit in the overall melting pot of issues, but we have to keep in mind that the core of our side, the players we demand lift us each week, are at a completely different level - Viney (99), Salem (71), Harmes (70), Lever (67), Petracca (64), Oliver (61), ANB (60), Brayshaw (59), Fritsch (24), Weideman (21).

The season has started. There are no excuses. 4 points now is worth the same as 4 points in 6 months time. We coughed up a routine bankable home March win against an inferior team today. Unacceptable.

Could see this loss coming a mile away. Not surprised one bit. Also, paging @stevethemanjordan who has been attacking people all week for daring to suggest we could lose.

Well I mean, it is only round 1. We're missing two key backmen. Viney is badly underdone. We lacked experience in the defensive 50. We were younger overall vs them. Eagles were average round 1 last year. We all know how that turned out. Pies were making similarly mindboggling mistakes last night. Richmond hardly blew people away on Thursday. You gotta take the bad with the good. We were very average but reality is we have 21 games to make amends. It was a poor performance. Oliver Viney Gawn Brayshaw Mcdonald had little to no impact. We only lost by 23 points. Would have been closer if Jones wasn't such a spud. Let's get real hear. Two of the aforementioned have decent games and it's game on, we potentially win. And that's with three defensive generals missing. you just can't kill yourself over a round 1 loss. Would you rather this loss now, or leading into finals?

No excuses, just completely outplayed, didn't deserve to win

Get rid of Oscar and Frost. They were both diabolical! May and Petty/Keilty comes in. Both of them are just plain shithouse and add nothing to side. Hore is meh.

Perhaps we should’ve reviewed the West Coast prelim after all...

Spargo has good footy smarts and I thought he tried today and did some good things. As usual, when the whole team Plays poorly, it’s easy to signal out individuals but Spargo was okay for mine. Just needs to remain in the game at times.

Agree, but I thought Salem was very good, and did about as much as he could. Wagner was decent, but that might just be in comparison.

Watts was good

We looked slow, were beaten in close by youngsters, killed on the spread, didn't have a plan B for Gawn. Today was a bad day. On the upside, we have May coming back in and Lever also at some point. It's hard to really say what we need. Salem was an absolute standout today and I thought Spargo tried hard with his constant pressure.

Our previous game.

Would love AVB out there tackling with intensity and tackling to hurt.

It’s a beautiful day at the G! Beer’s good. Perving excellent And .... surprise surprise... the footy record is still $5. .... including a free bag of nuts!! LG!’

A beautiful day for some footy.

This is a bigger out than many are suggesting. Lewis might run like he has concrete boots on, but he is a good user by foot and is a handy general down back. I would be lying if I said I knew anything about Tom Sparrow. I wish him the best of luck on debut and hope he can get the job done for us.

Fox Footy apprentice at it again.

I'm pumped! Dropped the girl at gymnastics. Dropped the dead fridge and two out of date gas cylinders at the waste recycle centre so I feel I've done stuff. One of the non-dead fridges is full of home brew and I am ready to start working on the footy season a.s.s. groove on the couch...bring it!

This should really be re-posted here.

Do tbey all play the same position? Team balence.

Before he got injured last year I thought he was on the up. I wouldn’t be writing him off

I think teams have worked us out already and West Coast showed them the way. Just get it on the outside as quick as possible as we have no run. Game over everytime

I know it's only the first game but geez we looked slow and unfit amd even disinterested. No score kicked in the last either. Great start fellas (bathwater drink drink). Not having Preus in the side was a stroke of genius.

Should have played Pruess if not just to belt them.

Might need a gold star next to goowindees’ profile for future reference- shared this long before the media caught wind of it. Well played.

A lovesick kiwi?

Better it happens in the last preseason session than 5 minutes into the first game of the season. Good luck to Tom Sparrow. It’s a great achievement to be breaking into the team this early in the season.

Yeah I will head down for a look.

I’m shocking with 1st goal scorers I remember couple years ago I had some $$ on hogan for 1st goal he took mark in goal square so I turned to celebrate with mates and while I was doing that he handballs to a team mate who kicks a goal

Not a popular viewpoint but I felt a touch of sadness for the pies last night. They fought the good fight. Nice cameo from Jeremy Howe. His game ending score assist was a lovely moment for many a dees fan.