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No we haven’t won the premiership or have another Brownlow winner but minor premiers, 5 in AA, nab rising star, 3 players in the under 22s and coaches award. We are finally back for real. After that smashing against Geelong 2011 I seriously thought will we survive as a club. we where in such a deep hole I honestly questioned if we’d make it. but ten years later look at us now! Thank you all for sticking with the club also, for believing we could turn it all around. We have our mighty dees back! Now let’s get down to business. LETS GO DEES!!

Hi all! What a season its been so far! In the lead to our first final, here's a cheeky retrospective of Melbourne's 2021 AFL Season to date that I've just finished clipping together. Enjoy! Feel free to share any other retrospective/pump up/hype videos that you come across here. Go Dees!

All this speculation about Gunston’s back surgeries just highlights to me how speculation is so often used to fit a preferred narrative. There are a number of reasons to have back surgery, some will have the legacy of significant functional limitation, some won’t, but need extended time in rehabilitation, 6-12 months kind of time. If Gunston is up for more football, it’s because he’s in the latter category. How many ACL reconstructions has Max Gawn had? How many shoulder surgeries for Clarry? Tracc ruptured his ACL in his first season at MFC. Harry Petty missed an entire season with groin issues, having missed 2/3 of the previous season. Jack Viney has his feet, but where is he sitting now? Jayden Hunt’s season was ‘done’ based on ignorant speculation 3 weeks ago. He could very well be back next week. All the issues these players have had have been assuredly confirmed on here (at various times) as being liabilities to their future playing success. If we don’t know, and we don’t, then I’d suggest a calmer, less certain approach to the speculation.

The greatest Demon A HIGHWAY OF DEMONS by Whispering Jack CHAPTER SIXTEEN - RETURN TO NEVERLAND I have a six year old grandson who recently took up the family tradition of following the Demons. He had his first taste of the game a few years ago when he went to the “G” with his parents to watch the 107-point massacre of Carlton and he went to another game in the following season which was also a W for the Dees. But his appetite for the club has grown exponentially this year and when I last saw him before lockdown, he was running up and down our hallway, kicking a football and pretending he was Max Gawn. Still, it wasn’t until our daughter sent us two text messages with separate video clips on Saturday night that I realised how much of a football tragic he had become. He’s much like his grandfather was at the same age back in 1955 but my hallway hero was the great Ronald Dale Barassi. The first piece of SMS vision was from half time when the Demons trailed the Cats by 39 points. He was in mid-tantrum, tears welling in his eyes, bellowing something about waiting for the game since 8 o’clock in the morning and it just wasn’t fair! The second clip was taken an hour later with the television flickering in the background as Max lined up for the fateful goal that led to Melbourne’s first top of the table finish since my hero of old led them there 57 years earlier. It was all happiness and joy. Football does that to you. Always has and always will if you’re a winner, but if you’re a loser then a great amount of stoicism tends to flow under the bridge over time. And you almost become inured to a fate that consigns the dreams of childhood to some unattainable Neverland to which you can never return. The great Ronald Dale Barassi was every boy’s hero back in the day. I became a fan by chance at Christmas 1954 when I went with my mother and cousin to see the Disney movie “Peter Pan”. Afterwards, we took a detour into Myers and I met Santa who gave each of us a shiny blue tie with a picture of a Demon footballer. Soon enough, I was smitten by Ron. Barassi didn’t have the smooth and silky skills of Robbie Flower who came to the fore a generation later but what he had was sheer power backed up by a fierce determination to win. That was what took him and the Melbourne Football Club to six premierships in the decade that was to follow. I even got to meet my hero in the studios of Channel 7 on The Happy Show around 1960 when I won a novelty competition that snared me a pair of Barassi footy boots . I wore them throughout the winter and into the following season until I outgrew them. Not only did I wear the number 31 on the back of my jumper but my sons wore it as well — from their young ages right through to their amateur Under 19s and senior football days. RDB, as he came to be called, was not only our hero and our Mister Football, he was also a great role model for the community. He proved that time and again even well beyond his career in the game. In his mid-seventies, he was assaulted in St Kilda when he went to the aid of a young woman he saw being punched to the ground after a dinner party. As they say in the classics, “all good things come to an end”. In the dying days of 1964, exactly ten years after I became a convert, the announcement came that Barassi, who had led the Demons to the top of the home and away season ladder and held premiership cup aloft that year, was joining Carlton as its captain/coach for 1965. The news hit us like a thunderbolt. Writing in the book "The Coach", John Powers described the move as one that "… shattered many people's beliefs in the traditional concepts of sportsmanship and loyalty. Letters of protest poured into the papers and the Melbourne Football Club. Small boys wept." Needless to say, I was one of the shattered generation of young Demon tragics who woke up on 23 December, 1964 to the bad news. I’ve come across the vision below which accurately sums up how we all felt at the time, although the story teller (whom I call “Peter Pan” because he typifies our experiences of long ago), is a week or so out because he recalls the event as happening in 1965. That’s no big deal. We’ve waited long enough and it will be even less of a big deal if the class of 2021 can emulate the deeds of our hero of bygone days and return us to the Neverland of our dreams. I’m hoping that all of the little kids who, like my grandson, wear the red and blue and the older kids like me can revel in that taste in the month ahead.

I’m not sure why the angst. He would cost us literally peanuts and would replace a Mitch Brown. It’s a win win even if it’s not.

Why were they booing Dangerfield? He was massive for Port tonight

Gary Rohan carving it up again in the finals I see

Chris Scott combing his hair with the phone is freaking disgusting.

If Clarry doesn't win it, being rated 15% better than anyone else in the league by all the coaches, then it's just another example of the umpires having NFI and reinforces why I yell at them for poor decisions every week.

Demonland in 2 weeks …

Mate there's three games of football left. Powder dry until the prize.

I’ve said all season Geelong play horrible football. Solid defensively, but with the ball it’s a pale and boring imitation of prime Hawks. Baffles me how they almost finished top. The last 3 weeks they’ve come up against good teams that wouldn’t accept that boring chippy [censored] and it’s shown them up beautifully.

A 6-day break to play Port on their home deck is really not the ideal finals draw. Chris Scott wanted to downplay the importance of our game last week but for an old side like Geelong, they surely would have wanted the extra day off and the chance to avoid Port.

There’s a reason I don’t gamble.

This doesn't look like the Port we beat. They have gone up a gear.

Not sure where to put this. But today the boys said their goodbyes to their wives and girlfriends which means they could be away from their families for a number of weeks. Gary Pert sent a bunch of flowers to all the players partners today as a recognition of support and to say thank you. Well done Gary Pert and the Melbourne Football Club.

For those who are undecided who to barrack against tonight, consider the following .... Hawkins Selwood Rohan Scott Surely it's not a difficult decision !!!

Great stuff! And seeing Jack Viney kick a goal reminds me that, indeed, anything is possible.

Razor has been good to us, if your reading Ray.....have a great game on Saturday Night and good luck. :)

Man I sick of seeing Geelong in finals - 15 bloody years. I hope Danger never wins a flag and I hope Selwood doesn't win one as captain and I hope Scott doesnt win his first real flag (the canteen lady could have coached them in 2011). Glad I'm not being too emotional or childish about this. In summary, I don't like the Cats

I was in the mid west of WA, by the camp fire, on my own listening on the ABC and it was Wonderful. I loved how quickly the Grand Old Flag came on it was a stunning confirmation, I reckon the ball had barely landed in the grandstand!

To hear Oliver give such massive credit to Goody was great to hear. Sounds like he has been a real mentor and guide for Clarry. he has the talent but you don’t put a season in like that without help. Goody is the quiet achiever. The boys love him.

Following are various commentaries from different radio stations together with the vision of the winning goal from Max Gawn starting with the original -

To be fair though, Geelong did dominate last week... except for the first 1.5 quarters and the 2nd half. The remaining 10 minutes they were on top of us.

not as bad as their pre-game sing-a-long

Unusual to see Guthrie kick out on the full in dying minutes

Port's club song is terrible

The whole medical sub thing is an absolute crock. Fantasia basically saying "I could have played but we had a fresh guy there." It's not what the medisub is for, and the AFL shouldn't be putting players in the uncomfortable position of trying to justify why they took no further part in the game.

How important was Maxys goal?! huge

I really feel Scott overestimated Geelong’s performance last Saturday night. You heard it through his post match comments, his coaches votes (he definitely gave 2 to Stanley after I heard him mention how good he thought he played against Gawn), and other commentary through the week. The fact is they played 10 good minutes for the game and Melbourne absolutely bashed them in the second half (in particular the last qtr).

At least on his 300th he picked one winner

Only Melbourne could come back from here.....

Looking forward to Chris Scott’s press conference.

DOGHOUSE AND ROHAN laughably SOFT and perenial under achievers in key games! Oh and another SABOD Isaac Smith u backed the wromg horse old hack loser

11 frees to Geelong away from home in one Q maybe 5 were there. Maybe i hope port smash them

My plan to send Covid to every state via Australia Post is coming to fruition… I got your back Melbourne fam 😂

The year is 1988. We scraped into the finals, beat WCE by a bee's proverbial, then comfortably won our way to the GF. Who's there waiting for us? One of the great teams of the era. The powerful Hawks. Carlton had upset them the year before ... maybe this year an upset is on the cards? No such luck. They drummed us into the ground and kept drumming. Game over at 1/4 time. Disaster. The year is 2000. Nice high finish on the ladder ... no scraping in this time. The historic comeback against Carlton, who really should have had no problem dispatching us comfortably. On to the grand final. Who's there waiting for us? One of the great teams of the era. The powerful Bombers. Dogs beat them in a freakish upset near season's end. Maybe we can too? No such luck. EFC then proceeded to take us apart the same way they'd done to sides all year. Game over at 1/4 time. Disaster. Each time it felt like boys versus men. And we suffered the likely outcome. The year is 2021. The Mighty MFC is the best team for the H/A season, having beaten all the top sides. This time it's different. This time we're in the box seat. Our team is settled, our style is solid, our boys are confident. We have genuine stars on every line. This is the year.

Great to see Taj named on the wing after his initial selection was deemed to be last man in. Following up on 26 disposal, 2 goals and 5 tackles to be named Best on Ground vs Subiaco last round.

Leppitsch says she's the one he listens too. I reckon that's pretty good praise.

I think they may see Part II and Part III in the next couple of weeks…

I was on a WhatsApp group exchange with 3 die hard Geelong fans during the game. Lot of goading and ribbing during the game going on. In the morning I received another message saying they couldn't believe they'd lost. I followed up saying I couldn't believe it either. I said I keep replaying the final sequence but the results don't change. Told them the best part was the reaction of the Geelong players.Such an enjoyable experience and they should watch it again too.

So many great things about the Jack Watts goal but, for me, the look of exhaustion and relief after he slots it, as he puts that rather infamous QB debut (and the ridiculing by Pies fans throughout his career) finally to rest.

"i told jess i've been planning to be a premiership player a lot longer than i have to be a dad, so the premiership takes priority"

She’s just a ripper. I remember in the inaugural draft she said to Gill Mclachlan “if you make me play for any team that isn’t the Dees, then I’m not playing” I love that she’s ours.

The ABC -