Leaderboard

I'm guessing there's probably an AVB farewell thread somewhere else as well, but will take this oppertunity to thank Vanders as a supporter for standing up and giving us hope as supporter when the team was still on the rise back to competitiveness. Really admire that someone who didn't come through the elite junior ranks was able to elevate himself to play AFL footy at the top level and make a real impact (physically and metaphorically speaking). Had not his body let him down, I think AVB could have been a premership player for the MFC. Loved his strong marking, bulldozing bursts out of packs, through players and his bone crunching takes and body on body work were something to behold. His contribution to our 2018 finals rebirth was probably the pinicle of his career and I think his presence in that series contributed immensely to the belief the team built out of making and performing well in finals as an important stepping stone towards the premiership glory of 2021. Hope AVB looks back fondly and with great pride of his time at the mighty MFC. Thanks Vanders, you were a ripper!!

If we're complaining about the JJ non-free, we should also be complaining about the Scache non-free when Brayshaw collected him in the back. Swings and roundabouts. Though the GF was pretty well officiated.

I was bemused to read the commentary about Richmond selecting Mac Andrew with pick 9 because they “they need to get another forward/ruck on the list”. They already have Toby Nankervis, Ivan Soldo and Ben Miller and although they recently delisted Bigoa Nyuon, they’re committed to re-listing him as a rookie. I say “bemused” because a workmate’s son played NAB Cup with Nyuon and his is remarkably familiar in comparison with Andrew’s story. Both are sons of South Sudanese migrants, both played with the Dandenong Stingrays, both are/were members of AFL NGA Academies (Nyuon was with St Kilda’s), both are managed by Julian Petracca of Hemisphere Management, both have strengths listed as speed, versatility, athleticism, vertical leap and have a long term upside. Both are raw and lack endurance and physical strength. Despite being in the Saints’ NGA, Bigoa ended up with the Tigers who took him with pick 54 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft. He wasn’t exactly in everyone’s consideration for top 20 selection like Andrew but 2019 was a much different time for the NAB League before COVID-19. After two years in the AFL system, he’s still a long way off. The Tigers had Mabior Chol and let him go this month after six years. They know exactly what timeline they’re looking at and I don’t see them risking the investment of pick 9 in the draft for such a long term prospect.

Promised myself….and it’s done.

A little steadying with the hands before the knees go firmly on the numbers which pushes Bowey forward as JJ elevates fairly acutely upwards. That's a great mark. If you want that as a free kick I think you're out to ruin one of the great parts of the game. The first 2 marks in this Robbo highlights video do similar. No way would I want these paid as in the back.

Well actually that's not true. He used his hands to climb and push him forward and away from the contest. It was a free clearly, but WE WON THE FLAG.

l wouldn't be too stressed about a grand final replay, I've already seen it 10 times and we always win by 74 points ...

The debate about draft smokies was supposed to have ended some time ago. Back in the early days of the draft some thirty plus years ago, it sometimes happened that players were hidden from the sight of other clubs enabling them to be snapped up deep into the draft — they were the smokeys who’s selection left club recruiting officers grinning with excitement. Some examples of smokies - • Hawthorn recruiter John Turnbull used his close contacts in Western Australia to draft East Fremantle’s Luke McPharlin in the first round with pick number 10 in 1999. McPharlin had played only a handful of games with the Sharks’ Colts team. • Legendary St Kilda recruiting officer John Beveridge (father of Luke) was so desperate to draft Noble Park’s James Gwilt that he didn’t sleep the night before the 2004 National Draft out of concerns that other clubs might have been aware of him. Gwilt was taken with pick 63. • Jayden Hunt was better known as a schoolboy sprinter than a footballer and had missed a great deal of football due to injuries while undergoing a growth spurt. When drafted by the Demons at 57 in the 2013 National Draft, he was the only player in the draft to not play any football at under 18 level. Herald Sun journalist, Sam Landsberger, labeled him a “draft smokey”, noting he was "plucked from relative obscurity". Over time however, with more sophisticated recruiting methods and clubs throwing more money and staff into the arena, it became progressively much more difficult to hide away that special player from the rest of the world. About seven years ago, long-time AFL list manager Chris Pelchen declared that there was “no such thing as a draft smokey”. “While players may sometimes slip under the radar of various clubs, the extensive recruiting networks operating in 2014 make it extremely unlikely that any player is known to only one team. Obviously, a player's ranking will vary from club-to-club in each year but the need for players to nominate for the draft, combined with full-time AFL staff managing the talent pathway throughout Australia, means that the likelihood of a "smokey" in the draft has all but disappeared. You just can't hide talented players any more!” Thar was before Covid19 came along. Over the past two seasons, the entire football scene has been dumped on its head. While Western Australia and South Australia have been able to weather the storm, it’s been a different story in Victoria, the sport’s heartland which normally provides more than half of the nation’s draftees in the National Draft. This year, we saw a limited number of games in the NAB Boys League level and a couple of practice matches at Country vs Metro level this year. There’s every chance that recruiting scouts might have missed on seeing some players with future AFL potential. I wonder whether we might see one or two of them picked as smokies that are truly rare hidden gems in a month or so’s time?

Given the horrible effort of the umps last time we played the dogs with the 25 to 11 count on a wet night and the dogs free kick differential plus the dogs throwing that doesnt get pinged I was concerned the umps would get too involved. I think they did a very good job and while I still dont understand why the dogs get so many frees, Im very happy the unmps didnt make this the case. well done you maggots,

The interesting thing about the JJ mark was that Max immediately set up to block an easy run into goal. Bowey on the other hand was walking away from JJ and Max to appeal the umpire. The kid will learn. In a similar 50/50 situation a few games earlier Rivers was appealing a decision with the umpire when Lever slapped him on the chest and yelled: 'Focus'. The kid will earn. Even JV has been 'tamed' (an oxymoron concept, I know) when it comes to appealing umpire decisions. McCrae rammed his head into Jack's legs and was paid a free for 'high'. Jack just stood the mark and shook his head. Those antics just make Jack tackle harder! While our players are showing respect to umpire decisions, more importantly they stay focussed.

I find it really hard to fully understand this young fella's part in our flag. I didn't follow Casey as much as I have in other seasons so I knew very little about his qualities or form. He was a total revelation. Composure under pressure and high-efficiency, high-effectiveness kicking at 18 years old!! Unfair to be honest. I can't see his position under threat at all because he plays a role lots of players begin in - half back flank - but his kicking skills give him an edge over all other contenders. To think how rubbish we were by foot for so long, and now we have Salem, May and this bloke. Definitely see him in the midfield rotations at some point, but Sparrow and Jordon are a long way ahead of him. Probable 200 game player. One of my favourite GF moment - in the 4th quarter I think - Bowey gets chased down from behind, he gets a quick handball forward - sprints forward to retrieve his own ball leaving the lazy Bulldogs player in his wake - and delivers inside 50. Brilliant.

“ When the stars line up And you catch a break People think you're lucky But you know its grace It can happen so fast Or a little bit late Timing is everything “

We were hard done by in 2020 but we needed that extra 12 months for that younger group who underpinned our success to mature.

Would rather the GF be under umpired rather than over umpired. Thought the worst decision was the non free kick to Kozzie, all in all they did a good job.

Mordor came after 186. One does not simply go into Mordor and win. Not with 10,000 men could you do this; it is folly. But after 2021:

Not sure why you'd be disappointed at Collingwood getting the raw end of the deal, was great umpiring! Rioli had the right to contest with his opponent though in case the ball got over the back and Maynard sold the push out a lot. Wasn't a clear cut block. It's a free kick, but where was Sheed's opponent? As for the JJ mark do you really want that to be a free kick to Bowey? Really? Some contact with his on the back has been allowed for a speccy for years, it's part of what makes the game great. He's simply used his hands for a little balance before a great leap and mark, I'd hate to take that out of the game. I think the umpires should establish the rules during the home and away season, then in finals the best teams will be more disciplined and won't give away as many free kicks to begin with. The Dogs success with the umpires has a lot to do with them being very well coached and their game style. Similarly we were great this year at not giving away dumb free kicks. Then in finals I think it's fair to expect the umpires to pay whatever they see but not to go diving deep in to the rule books for the more 'administrative' free kicks like extra 50m penalties etc. I think there's a balance between protecting players, fairly officiating the game but not having the umpires become too big a part of the contest. Apart from the non mark paid to May late in the 2nd and the Hunter cheating I thought the grand final was umpired really well and with the right balance between paying free kicks that were there and letting the players take centre stage.

Add another one to the collection!

After many years we finally had a bit of luck this year . Our best 22 played most of the year due to lack of injury and drop in form . Some players just bloomed (Fritch jacko, kossie , anb ,)and others just clicked with there team mates ( petty stepping up in the defence after losing Tommo) While others sacrificed their supercoach numbers for the team like Gus . Maxxys kick after siren not only gave us top spot , we got the advantage of choosing venues playing in adelaide vs lions . Doggies losing last 3 games forced them to do the Leyland brothers in finals.By finishing top we also had choice of Perth hotel and did not have to move out. All good for team stability . Also some sides we were expecting to play in finals never got there . Tigers losing martin was pivotal . He is a game changer .

Couldn’t seal the deal in 2018 because we had too many accumulaters and nobody outside. Now we have 2 of the best ready to attack or defend as needed. His gut run goal was a thing of beauty. Anyone could be forgiven for jogging at that point in the game but he busted a gut and burnt off whoever was meant to be on him

Jeez the days of easily getting a drink at the bar are long gone...

Scene: an inner suburban house in Melbourne, late at night. Two men are drinking beer. One of them, JORDAN DE GOEY, holds a cattle prod to the other one's genitals. There is a loud CRACK. Jordan de Goey's brother in law: OW!!! That [censored] hurt! They both laugh and scull another beer. JDGBIL: My turn. He takes the cattle prod and holds it to JDG's genitals. There is a loud CRACK. JDG: OW!!!! [censored]!!!! They both laugh and scull another beer. JDG: My turn. He takes the cattle prod and holds it to JDGBIL's genitals. There is a loud CRACK. JDGBIL: OW!!! That hurt! No more! I give up! JDG: I win. Awright then ... ya gotta ... lemme think ... ya gotta be me manager for a year. JDGBIL: Awright. What's a manager gotta do? JDG: I dunno. I think it means ya gotta keep me out of fights an that. JDGBIL: OUT of fights? No punch ons? JDG: Yeah. Like if I'm in a nightclub or sumthin', and there's a punch on-- JDGBIL: You [censored]' beauty! Where? Let's go boys! JDG: No mate. There's no punch on. I'm just sayin', IF there's a punch on-- JDGBIL: There's no punch on? JDG: No mate. JDGBIL: I thought you said there's a punch on? JDG: I'll give yez a [censored]' punch on if ya don't shuddup an listen. JDGBIL: I'll [censored]' shut up you up ya [censored]! They start to fight. JDGBIL: Wait! Wait! Wait! They stop fighting. JDGBIL sculls a beer. JDGBIL: Awright. Let's go. They resume fighting. JDG: *thinks* Maybe this manager thing isn't such a good idea. Ah, [censored] it. She'll be right. JDG: Wait! Wait! Wait! They stop fighting. JDG sculls a beer. JDG: Awright. Let's go. They resume fighting. (fade ...)

GF WB - 74 points . WB biggest loss for year PF GEE - 83 points. Gee biggest loss for year Semi - BRIS - 33 points. Bris biggest loss for year

Melbourne’s good luck charm who, playing the role of the small defender with deadly accurate disposal, rose in his debut season from the Casey Demons to consolidate a place in Melbourne’s premiership team. He played in the club’s last seven matches including the winning grand final - all were winning games. Date of Birth: 12 September, 2002 Height: 176cm Weight: 69kg Games MFC 2021: 7 Career Total: 7 Goals MFC 2021: 0 Career Total: 0 Games CDFC 2021: 8 Goals CDFC 2021: 0 Premiership Player

I’ve always believed 2020 was a bit of an outside opportunity lost in a season dominated by Covid19. After a couple of wins in the pre-season, the Demons looked fit and primed for a good year but along came the pandemic to temporarily scupper the season only hours before our opening game in Perth. Several weeks later, when hostilities resumed and, playing 20% less game time, the Dees staved off a late rush from Carlton before their third round match was postponed due to a positive case in the opposition Bomber ranks. Some “honourable“ defeats followed at the hands of the ultimate grand finalists before we moved into our first northern hub and started seeing some signs of the forward pressure that was to become synonymous with Melbourne 2021 against the Suns and the Hawks at Giants Stadium. Then it was up to the Maroochydore hub for the rest of the season and a difficult stint against leading teams Brisbane at Metricon and Port Adelaide at the Gabba. The first of these games was a narrow defeat but there was no energy in the side after a four day break and the inevitable thumping led to an intemperate blast from the club chairman. From then on, the team won six of their last nine games to miss out on the finals by half a game. Close results in several games, some not involving the club could have made the difference but it wasn’t helped by a heavy schedule brought about by the need to navigate the “frenzy” without respite due to having to make up the lost game from Round 3. Without the bye which all other clubs (bar Essendon) had, Melbourne was forced to travel in short time from Alice Springs to Maroochydore for an early wake up, hours of travel to Cairns and a same day game in high humidity vs Sydney and then four days later vs a rested Fremantle. The decision by the AFL to send us to Cairns and to play such a schedule proved disastrous with the Demons’ pressure gauge running on almost empty in both games. We now know that it was pressure, pressure and more pressure that was synonymous with the premiership team twelve months later. It’s all water under the bridge - we have our first AFL flag and there’s no need for excuse-making. However, it’s an interesting exercise to consider the sliding doors moment had we played the Swans game at the Gabba instead of in Cairns. A different outcome could have seen us in the finals and we know that when the home and away season ends, a whole new season begins to decide the premiership team. Last year, teams in the finals had a week’s bye to refresh after a heavily packed in schedule of matches. Both grand finalists had to play through all four weeks of the finals due to them losing their qualifying final matches. How well were the Demons equipped to take on the other teams had they played in a final series in October 2020?

happy four week anniversary everyone.

He was always one of my favourite players. Never shirked, gave everything he had, terrible luck with injuries.

Thanks for writing that comment.Could not agree more.Vanders is a loss.

Sorry that this video relates to the prelim but its just so funny. Bloke starts off trying to present a balanced analysis of his clubs efforts and then keeps just slamming them, Not too dissimilar to some Dees fans of old.

My romantic view is that it was in the humidity of Cairns that the curse was actually lifted. Something happened in this environment, as far removed spiritually from footy at the G as you could be, that broke the curse. From those two games in four days we won the next twelve straight, and ultimately went 23-4-1. Something happened in Cairns, in my view.

This^^ Certainly drove the TEAM to all push harder i heard about the meeting that was had by the players preseason and was very proud and impressed that they all stuck to it 100% Taking all players to Perth said it all to me. they had made a commitment. i hope the same standard is exhibited in ‘22

Replay was just on this morning, I’ll never tire of watching it! Especially the third quarter! 😄

2020 was an underachievement but it was something required to drive the players to do more this year I feel. I also concur with the OP that we got a rough deal throughout the season, had we got the run the the Saints had we would’ve played finals. Instead the Essendon game getting postponed meant we were forever chasing our tails, then the Cairns trip really messed us up. Missing finals definitely made the fire burn harder for this year I reckon.

I remember in last years draft JT gave Bowey the biggest wrap because of his toughness, skill and footy IQ. I can now see why but I believe that his rise has even surprised our FD team. Great effort Jake Bowey, keep it up young man and you might get the chance to play in another in your 32nd game.💕👌❤️💙

Only 3 real clunkers for me. 1. Max’s ‘non-goal’, 2. May’s ‘non-mark’, 3. the inconsistency between Lachie Hunter’s free kick for ‘too high’, but Kozzie not awarded for the same. All three could have affected the result, but we won by a lot, so blah blah. Johannisen’s elevator hands not a problem. A legitimate speccy every day.

His elite disposal, coolness and decision making pushed Hunt out. Bowey and Salem across half back makes our transition play rock solid on either side of the ground.

2019 was definitely a blip, in retrospect one that setup the 2021 GF. We have discussed it at length in other threads but the massive number of preseason surgeries combined with the 666 rule change led to a team that was completely under prepared. The poor start killed our confidence and we never got back on track. i don’t think we were ever going to get the cup in 2020 but we laid the foundations. We probably should have played a final or two. Burgo had set the fitness base that we needed but the shortened quarters didn’t let us capitalise on that. And as stated in the OP the many 4 day brakes sapped the team. Even though the game style was starting to become recognisable, we didn’t have the consistency and composure we developed in 2021. Dogga needed that preseason with his personal trainer to get ripped and deal with the physicality of the game. Kossie needed to improve his fitness base. Fritsch needed to get his confidence back and get rid of the yips. TMac needed to change his body shape and in the process put Australian cattle at risk of extinction. Maybe it just needed to be that way. If we had played a final Goody would not have been under so much pressure and so would not have done the soul searching that led to his improvement as a coach. We may not have brought in choco or Yze. The team might not have been pushed to that realisation that nothing was going to happen for them if they didn’t let go of their need to be individual stars rather than team first. With the benefit of hindsight it all looks preordained. I’m hoping we’ll be reflecting in 2030 about how all of the above fed into the decade of absolute dominance that turned the Dees back into the powerhouse of the competition that it was in the 50s and 60s

Our premiership drought is now FOUR WEEKS old. There are kids out there who have never seen a Melbourne premiership!!! Will it ever end?

Q) How well were the Demons equipped to take on the other teams had they played in a final series in October 2020? A) 2021 should have been our second in a row.

Can I make a suggestion as I’m unlikely to get a tatt… if anyone is short of ideas, how about a grave headstone done in the style of the old Tales From the Crypt comics (with a skeletal hand reaching out from the grave, holding a Sherin), with the inscription “Norm Smith Curse 1964 - 2021” Either above or below (or even on the Sherin), could be the Melbourne Demons Premiers 2021 line.

His running in the GF was amazing, would have to be one of the fittest men in the AFL. A Gun.

Congratulations to Easton Wood on his career. There are only two Bulldog's premiership captains, Charlie Sutton and him. Although I think his decision may have been prompted by finding himself five metres behind Bayley Fritsch on a number of occasions! (It wasn't a free kick to Schache. Brayshaw's action actually punched the ball.)

Me too actually. Not a huge fan of night games. Hard to get a park around the G! And public transport is a touch more feral at 11:30pm on a Friday night than Sunday lunchtime

Darren Burgess legacy on this club has been enormous despite only being around a short time. he's legitimately unlocked the list. shown them the level that the very best players train at and now Selwyn will keep them there, if we have a dynasty over the next 5-8 years and win multiple flags, Burgo will have been a significant key in that.

Will play round 1 Bookmark it

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

So he’s negative about it?

I cant see them getting too many night time games. The retirement village locks the doors 8.00pm sharp.

Maybe give him #2 so he can set his own path, but having seen him play he’s got the work rate and desire of his father, which Chunk also displayed