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The club now have, unsurprisingly, made a private commitment to Taj that he will become a Melbourne player at the draft 👏

Twenty years ago I thought I had plenty of time to see a Premiership. However, in recent years I was beginning to think that it would not happen in my lifetime and that I would not have the joy of sharing the experience with my adult boys. And the thought that their loyalty and enjoyment may be extinguished. At the start of the game I remember thinking, if not this year, when ? It is ridiculous to place so much importance on footy. It defies logic because it is so emotional. However, what a difference the win has made to my mood. It has reinforced in my mind that we should always maintain faith and hope, and, even expectation. To think that miracles do happen (but not the kind that our PM believes in). To never again to have to put up with hearing and reading all the derogatory comments about something you love. To not have to suffer the looks of pity and the words “long suffering Demon supporters”. To watch and read of the joy of the players, the coach, club officials and all the other Demon supporters. Can it be that important? You betcha! The win and post match celebrations are to be savoured and never forgotten. A dream come true for all of us. A feeling that all that agony, heartache and disappointment has been for a reason. It has made the joy of winning that much more significant and meaningful. Thank you Melbourne Football Club.

Time for a shout out to the Club for the fantastic stuff they are putting on the MFC site at the moment. And a special shout out to Jack, Tom and Max who have been front and centre of so many thrashings and so much pain as we bottomed and then rebuilt. What a mighty effort to stay the distance when it would have been so much easier to just take easier options. Jack's bit on the MFC site is a huge insight into the frustrations and hurt the players endured and make the "the players don't care" comments just so inappropriate. And of course to JT, to hear his comments on the strain of watching your picks run around and wondering if you'll have a job in future just as telling. Of course that applies to all the FD staff. What a brutal business.

I have not posted really at all since The Win. I have re watched the game more than a few times and I am astounded at the quality of play that was achieved by individual players and by the team as a whole. According to the AFL player stats for the game the bottom 6 players for the Demons were, from the sixth lowest to the lowest, McDonald, who scored a couple of goals, Rivers, who had a strong defensive game and attacked when the chance presented, Spargo, a goal and a good forward 50 defensive game, Petty strong defense with a 6 disposal game for 95% TOG, Hibberd, who played an excellent defensive game and Pickett, whose pressure in the forward 50 lead to goals. For a bottom six that is as strong as it gets and was one of the critical reasons why we won and won so well. Add to that Tom Sparrow who was just above Tom McDonald and you get a clear idea of the level of play we achieved across the team. I rate Sparrow very highly and believe he will mature into a top class mid for us. Excuse me I have to go off and have a look at the replay of our most recent premiership.

The thing I don't really understand, in the past a player with similar attributes to Mac would be seen as a riskier pick and likely fall in the 20-40 range. He has shown some great skills and attributes in his highlights reel, but that's the thing, it is only highlights. In 6 NAB league games Mac has the following averages: 12.7 disposals 2.7 marks 1.7 tackles 1.5 inside 50s 12.7 hitouts 0.3 goals In comparison in the 2019 colts season Luke Jackson had the following from 8 games: 18.6 disposals 3.1 marks 2.3 tackles Inside 50s - unknown 32.6 hitouts 1 goal There's a fairly large difference between the two and they are saying Mac is a top 10 pick. I'm definitely not saying he will be a dud, I'm just pointing out that I think if he goes inside the top 10 it will be a reach from a club and probably due to panic that because of what Jackson has done teams want to rush out to find a ruck/forward.

Need to add winner of Coaches Award to the list of honours.

Superstar of the competition and if Matty Lloyd says he is the number 1 player in the AFL then thats good enough for me. Halfway to Greatness if he's not there already , Had a STELLAR year and an unbelievable finals series.😁🤩

A consistent star in the team’s midfield, his work ethic, his class and his sublime skills showed out with his 31 vote third placing in the Brownlow Count and his three outstanding finals performances that played a major role in the winning of the premiership cup. Date of Birth: 22 July, 1997 Height: 187 cm Weight: 85 kg Games MFC 2021: 25 Career Total: 124 Goals MFC 2021: 11 Career Total: 40 Brownlow Medal Votes 2021: 31 All Australian Premiership Player

Seeing the joy on players faces, that an impossible dream has been realised. And seeing their love for the club. To see their mateship. Their bond. That our champions don’t want to go elsewhere to have the premiership winning experience. To have a club that players want to play for rather than leave. To have young guns like Tommy Sparrow and Kade Chandler re-sign overnight. For Sam Weideman to state that he loves the club and wants to be part of its future. For Luke Dunstan to want to accept the challenge of trying to break into a champion team. To have only good things being said about our once down trodden club. To enjoy all the positive comments and feelings. To not have to put up with negativity. To look back with pride and look forward to the future. Gee it feels good. It feels so good.

What an absolute phenom Clarry is. Has the quickest and cleanest hands in tight that I've ever seen, has powerful acceleration out of the contest and now can add a pretty good kick to his arsenal. Set shots are pretty much the only area he can improve on. Puts up absolute video-game numbers week after week and forms the most deadly 1-2 punch in the league with Trac, as seen in the finals series to devastating effect. The centre clearance stuff he can do makes other teams look second-rate. I hope the club can sign him to a similarly long-term deal as his mates Trac and Salo, he is a dead-set superstar and will continue to be for years.

In today's 'Road to the Draft', Cal Twomey suggests we will take him and he will go in the back end of the draft.

Best player I've seen wear a Melbourne jumper. Freak.

My inexplicable grudging acceptance that the one or two thousand Demon supporters that make it to our one H & A game at Optus each year in the past will be no more. Its going to be VERY interesting to see how the premiership has influenced our supporter base here in the west.

Schadenfreude directed at other battling clubs seems cheap now. I'm saving all mine for the Geelong cliff.

Number 22 is vacant with Vanders leaving, maybe it’s fate?

For me, it's meeting iike minded supporters going about their business: in the car park, at the shops, at my local dentist and greeting them with a heartfelt "Go Dees" and who have thought there was so many?. It's walking around my neighbourhood and seeing all the red and blue banners, still flying three weeks later, puts a pep in my step and a smile on my face, and still getting emotional when watching the replay for the "umpteenth" time as Clarrie puts through the last goal of the 3rd quarter, still makes the tears well up

To see these years listed is counter to every intuition I have. Kinda alternative reality. Supporter since 1965

G'day all! I'm currently in the process of editing and uploading Grand Final highlight reels for every player that took to the ground during that fateful day (sorry James Jordon, we still love you!) I'll post them here in this thread as they're released. To kick things off, here's Steven May's Grand Final highlights!

Winning the Premiership is the ultimate AFL joy for supporters. But along with that biggest thrill, there are little things to savour. For me, it is this. I'm old enough to remember football in the late 60s onwards and in those days, like so many others I supported Melbourne and anyone who was playing Collingwood. Given we were so awful then, the best to be hoped for was an annual dose of Colliwobbles as Collingwood regularly made finals, and often Grand Finals, only to fail at the end. In my lifetime (born between the 57 and 58 seasons), and before this season, both Melbourne and Collingwood had won three Premierships. The little thing that pleases me most with the 2021 win is overtaking the number of Premierships won by Collingwood in that time. What little thing has added to your enjoyment of this new Grand Old Flag?

Just got another one of my orders arrive today after getting onto aus post 2 days ago after having no updates to the parcel for a couple weeks now just waiting on one of the big flags and the premiers guernsey

Has there been better at MFC ? Petracca an equal perhaps, however, Oliver adds to the Petracca glamour. Both do things that other footballers can’t.

I've only just realised that this will be our first Premiership cup with the words "Australian Football League" engraved at the top. All the rest will say "Victorian Football League". There's no real reason for it, but that realisation is in itself an additional pleasure.

Had an incredible year did big Maxy Gawn. He has to go down as one of the greatest Demons of all time to be a 5 time All Australian. Not only that but also one of the game's greatest Ruckmen. His Preliminary Final match against Geelong with 5 goals (kicking them from everywhere!) was one of the most dominant performances I had ever seen by a Demons player. He was a freak of nature in some of things he was doing! Now he is a Premiership Captain for the Melbourne Football Club. Hope he continues to have an amazing career with many more Premierships for the Demons and ends up playing 250+ games for the Melbourne Football Club.

Max is an outright champion of the game, he set the standards, helped blend the young into the team no petty jealousies with this champion player / leader and no recriminations. His after game interviews and acceptance speech elevated Max to Elder Statesman of MFC and AFL. Our premiership captain ticked all the boxes on ground and off. Thank you Max Gawn.💕❤️💙

Seeing the sad and hurt looks on the opposition supporters faces and knowing for once it's not me, I've done that too many times.

so the club has guaranteed we don't travel round 1 play a team with similar preparation as us to start the season a packed MCG to unfurl the flag, possibly 90K+ and they get the $$$ in early just in case covid rears its ugly head again later in the season

We have had a dream season but we still don’t beat teams we are certain to beat often enough. Better a tough game with players fired up by the occasion and opposition.

I love when friends and family say "are you watching the 3rd quarter AGAIN?" I love the gushing bulldust here on Demonland - and the smug feelings I get reading it. Loving it. I love speaking to the Blues, Pies and Bombers fans from my past, and telling them they are all [censored], and we are the champions. I have been waiting a LOOONNGG time for this. I probably shouldn't be enjoying it so much, but I really, really am. I love the time spent on the internet looking for that perfect piece of memorabilia. I love the way long-suffering past players have been welcomed back into club life with genuine warmth.

The umpires were too mesmerised by the torrential storm of goals to notice the bulldogs antics, let alone interrupt such a spectacular show...

Pickett also tackled and dispossessed Weightman to enable Bowey to get the turnover and pass it to Brayshaw for his lead changing goal. He also harassed the Bulldog players to force a turnover for Spargo’s goal.Three very important efforts that directly turned into goals. Never got much ball himself but was always in the thick of the forward line action.

James Harmes gets the highlight reel treatment today! I know many talk about his steal and pass to Fritsch in the third, but check out his pass to Max Gawn in the second. Every bit as good despite the behind that followed. Some chap who wears the #5 called Petracca is coming up tomorrow. Don't recall hearing his name much during Grand Final day. Might be a short video.

To have Woeys son at the Dees would be an extra bit of cream on our Granny cake and with our FD development team the sky is the limit for all our draftees. How good would it be to have Taj running around in the Red & Blue.💕❤️💙

Of the last 3 premierships we've won this is the only one I haven't seen live, but by far the most enjoyable.

SURELY NOT ANOTHER ONE

Thanks LH, Sam Wedeman and Luke Dunstan will both be FA in 2023.

Woey is a cert to the Dees.

Here's Salem's turn in the spotlight! Was definitely in our best 4-5 players on the day. Don't think I'll ever get tired of watching him with ball in hand. Surgeon like precision with nearly every disposal.

My better half has been leaving jewellery brochures scattered around the house. Never let it be said that I can't take a hint. I'm going to buy her a nice magazine rack for Christmas.

5x AA (including 2021 captain), premiership captain. Max is now one of the greatest Demos ever. I think his leadership style also helped the team gel and really buy into the team-first nature, while he is a bit of a different cat I think his approach to leadership was a big plus this year, here's to Maxy becoming a 2x premiership skipper next year 🤞

Updates for delisting of Hore and Declase and Hibberd one year contract. We have no more players OOC. A few points: I've corrected the Allowed A Rookie numbers to be: 1 - 6. Jordon has been shown as a senior all year so I left him there for the sake of consistency. He is contracted until 2023 so a late pick will be used (94 or 112) to make that official. Chandler has been assumed to be an A rookie, pending further clarification. If he is promoted to the senior list a late pick will be used to make it official (94 or 112). In summary, we have 38 senior and A rookie players giving us 4 overall list spots. Based on Jordon/Chandler assumptions herein that is 3-4 senior spots and 0 -1 A rookie spots. (Plus two 'B rookie spots). The classification of A Rookie vs Senior is a bit academic regarding list numbers and eligibility to play. The benefit is that being a rookie helps manage the sal cap as a portion (I think the first $80,000) isn't include so their is an incentive to max the rookies. As @Turnercorrectly noted if Andy Moniz-Wakefield gets thru the draft we can take him as a 'B' rookie. Some forthcoming dates may clarify our list intentions: List Lodgements, NGA and F/S nominations. Refer to this thread: . Re our draft picks: Collingwood and Bulldogs currently have 10 draft picks between our 37 and 57 and will use them for their respective F/S, and/or trade/consolidate them. This means our picks 49 and 57 will come in a long way. My current estimate is that 49 will be in the low 40's and 57 will be high 40's. I won't make it too exact as it will change with more pick trades. The next update will be after the Draft, unless their are significant changes to our draft position.

This year I haven't even given one iota of thought to trading or draft picks.

Relief. Gratitude. And with modern media there are so many ways to relive the moment.

The words "it's coming home" from our captain will resonate with me until they close the lid.

There was a lot of talk about how badly Tom McDonald’s form tapered off in the last month or so. Did it though? Football is a team game, not an individual one. It’s not a coincidence that Brown’s apparent influence grew in the same time that McDonald’s diminished. Every time that Brown took a mark or had space to lead into, if McDonald and his man were nowhere to be seen, that’s not an accident. These are the sacrifices that key forwards make for each other. Does Bayley Fritsch have the finals series he does, and is he able to cut the angles to find space like he does, if McDonald is cutting off his leading lanes or being close enough for his opponent to go third man up? McDonald will have been feted beyond belief internally for putting the team above himself. Old mate earned the extension.

Yep now the we’ve won the premiership I see no reason to mock the Saints decision. They needed/desperately wanted a forward and Paddy had good reason to be picked at number one, much the same that we picked Watts at number one. Glad the saints went down that path, sucks for them it didn’t work out. I know that there are a few on this site that would happily watch the saints drought go for a while but they can be next to end their pain (after we’ve had our dynasty 😜). Hawks, Cats, Essendon, Carlton, Collingwood can have a drought now. I’d say 50+ years in the wilderness is about right.

He can help collect the footies at training. Someone holds up a big bag, and bam, from anywhere Nathan drills it right in there. Will save a lot of time. Relax. Collingwood's stellar list management had the president's finger prints all over it. We will need someone to polish our trophies though. I think he's free weekdays, up to 5PM.

Picked up this fabulous print from Joeboy today. The pictures & framing is fantastic. Great price too. Very easy purchasing process & quick turn around. Thanks Joeboy.

Mark Neeld may want them?

What you suggested is what i've come up with in my proposal earlier in the thread. Must admit a bit disappointed that the Gosch's Paddock isn't being fully developed (like in the Master Plan i came up with below) but something is better than nothing i guess.

For me it will be hanging up my own framed Herald Sun premiership poster on the wall. I've been working from home since 2018, and the whole time above my desk there has been the 2017 Tigers poster hanging over me, put there by my missus. When the framed version of the 2021 poster arrives, it will take its place next to the Tigers one and I can't wait to have my own poster sitting proudly next to the filthy 2017 one.