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It's been too good, too much of a relief to have broken the drought, with too much spectacular finals football to revel in to indulge in schadenfreude. Until now. Yesterday I felt just the slightest twinge of guilty pleasure at the plight of the Magpies, with JdG in strife yet again and possibly to be axed sometime next year, when I thought of Jeremy Howe. As a Demon, I loved the spectacular feats he produced, and I was genuinely disappointed - and told him so in person - when he talked himself out of the place by believing his manager's BS about how much he was worth. That's the truth. He made it impossible to keep him even though, as well all know he ended up in the same role at Pie Park that he had with us, and for much the same dough. I say that acknowledging that his disposal was problematic although no worse than Nat Jones and correctible, had he stayed, by Mark Williams. Instead he finds himself at an ailing club, full of its own BS, with its premiership window slammed shut and the pain of a 13 possession 6-point Grand Final loss for consolation. And he can look on his former teammates with the big medals around their necks. Those who played alongside him include Salem (22 times), Harmes (8 times), Viney (49 times), TMac (82 times), Brayshaw (21 times), Gawn (49 times), Neal-Bullen (11 times). Others on the list this year who were teammates with Howe but without the premiership medal include Jones, Jetta, Van den Berg and Hunt. Petracca did not debut until after he had left, but was a training mate in his last season, 2015. I know this is small minded of me but it's nice to remember that slur he threw at us when Covid locked fans out of stadiums. He knew what it was like to play to empty terraces because "I used to play at Melbourne". Maybe if he had not said that I would not have posted this but I did think he was graceless and unappreciative of the club that plucked him from the obscurity of Dodges Ferry. His win loss record with us was 22 wins and 78 losses from 100 games, which goes some way to explaining why he might have wanted to go. But TMac at the same time had 18 wins and 64 losses from 82 games and stuck fat. Ditto Viney, 10 wins and 39 losses from 49 games while Howe was with us. All around the 20%-22% mark. I guess some of his old teammates would not hold it against him but it's the fans job to hold on to grievances. So Jeremy, in the quiet times, when it's late at night and you are alone, ponder what might have been.

From an Explain Pain (and Fatigue) perspective - the body wears in, it doesn't wear out. Not only was Burgess/Gooodwin/et al. exposing the body physically to distress, but emotionally to the discomfort as well - both are forms of exposure therapy and imperative in managing the experience of pain . Which dovetails in to the anecdotal experience of what @tiers has mentioned above.Here is one of the coolest video's I have ever seen on explaining the science behind pain, as well as been amusing, it takes very complex understandings and makes it digestible. Without boring people about one of my favourite topics -(pain and psychology) - what influences the pain (and fatigue) experience is 'meaning'. What I mean is the meaning behind the experience, will amplify the 'felt' experience. Take Dermott in the 89' grand final - he wasnt superhuman - his brain was sufficiently able to experience the discomfort in service of what mattered - as it was a grand final (the meaning) - this would not have happened in round 18. What does this mean for Burgess and the playing group - well, clearly there are thesholds that the tissues being used can sustain before its over its tipping point... but what Burgess and Co have done, is slowly increase the baseline of that threshold....and the lived experience is that the players can cope - both physcially and emotionally - and this is ALSO what plays out in the final quarters of matches - its belief - and I mean genuine belief that the players can 'run out' games - as its based on lived experience, which means that they are less stressed (which impacts on fatigue experiences --> disposal efficency) etc... I would presume the athletes will also now be MORE willing to continue to train in a similar manner, and push the envelop - due to the rewards that have come in 2021. (Like Pavlov's dogs - linking success to earlier discomfort in service of something important).

Well boys and girls, I just had a VERY SPECIAL visitor to my house…..the Premiership cup presented to the players on the night!! A moment I will never forgot! I couldn’t put it down! (Except for this photo)

i always knew it would come and understood the emotion connected to number 13 would be like nothing i have ever experienced. My hopes and dreams were high. But i have to say that 6 weeks after the fact, the feeling of greatness by far and outweighs my expectations. It is the moment that you think back to the Bailey Smiths [censored] up to Tommys nail in the coffin. It is the anecdote to fulfillment that very few things can provide. No other club has done it as hard as us and our win is better and more special than any others because of the collective loyalty and the sick state of the city. We needed it and our boys provided it. This really is the best of the 13 and we rode it gloriously.

My champion Premiership coach from 21 years ago recalled I was a staunch Demons supporter and went out of his way. Legend.

Agree Wiz I was alive and barracked for the Dees in 1958,59 60 and 64 but as a 10 year old to 16 we went as a family to most games at the G starting in 1959. Our first memberships were in 1965 and by far the most emotional and consequential event in the 63 years was that afternoon at the Western Oval when we made the Finals in 1987 and those matches like in 2018 were amazing for their red and blue support and atmosphere snd us winning the 2 Finals games. I moved to Brisbane in 1993 and still purchase an Adult Membership and have for 56 consecutive years. I and fellow supporters in their 60's and 70's agreed that our time was running out in our lifetime even though in retrospect 2018 now was not a glitch but a promise of the prospect that we could in the next few years maybe break our curse or drought. 2019 was very disappointing and the injury toll and lack of a solid pre season of about half the list was crucial. 2020 in my opinion was not a wasted year as our defence was starting to emerge as a tight unit and May snd Lever showed glimpses of their class and why we used those draft picks. The biggest improvement was in 2020 that Christian Petracca went from a good B grader to a class A + grader on his best days. Along with him was Gawny Clarry Langers and on occasions Viney and Salem (near the end of the season) were all impacting our form and results but for our largely dysfunctional forward line. Cairns also showed our weaknesses mentally and in difficult conditions but a platform on our fitness by Burgo had been started and our % was over 100% (107% in fact up from 78% in 2019. The JT and his team plus the FDepts recent years of drafting and recruiting were starting to bear fruit. I contributed at least a dozen posts indicating my optimism about our list and its potential to take a step or two to the Final 8 or even Top 4 if we succeeded in a number of facets of the game in 2021. Paramount to this was the following : 1. Positive run with injuries to key players and low overall total numbers as well. 2. Potential immediate improvement in 2019 draftees Jackson Kossie and Rivers. 3. Players like Fritsch Spargo Brayshaw ANB Harmes show regular and consistent improvement in their individual and team contributions to kick more goals raise their tacking level and develop a hard edge approach. 4. All our A or potential A graders emerge and lead the way on and off the field. Gawn Trac Clarry Vines Langers Maysie Jake L and Salem were a very good start in this group. 5. Tommy Mac rediscover his 2018 form or kick say 30-50 goals this season. 6. BBB our new recruit and/or Sam Weid become forwards that took the oppositions best defenders and still beat them enough times to impact and connect our attack to a new level. 7. That our 2/3 year recruits Sparrow Chandler and Jordon plus others fulfil much of their potential in breakout years to back up our mids in depth. 8. Very Importantly a stronger game plan be introduced and the Club learn from the Tigers Hawks and Cats that team footy is the secret to sustained form and importance to a successful season no matter what ability you possess on your list. 9. I was extremely bullish about our new coaching panel giving us an edge in our midfield and running patterns and improving the game plan overall. 10 From that first JTL win over the Tigers I reckoned that form was true and achievable and our team was gelling together in a positive snd measured manner. Solid team orientated and honest players seemed to know more about their role in the team and the team looked as though they enjoyed each other's company and on field success. Our disastrous under strength JLT performance to lose vs the Doggies at Marvel was a complete glitch and did not seem to harm us mentally in hindsight. From Round 1 we were a bit scratchy but still strong and solid with some real individual brilliance emerging in the team as the season progressed. Anzac Eve was a great lesson in our growth only we recognised as the footy world had to eventually. By Finals time we had laid the base and in the last minutes st the Cattery tied up the Minor Premiership to give real belief that we would be up for the Finsks Challenges. To say it was a juggernaut from then on is not overstating our excellence snd performance yo gain our 13 Th and best modern flag this century.

Sounds like the Hawthorn members said far Kew.

Was hoping he'd stick around a while longer.

I’ve always tried to imagine what it’d be like to win one and this is a googolplex times better than anything I could envision. But what has caught me unawares more than anything is how LONG this feeling lasts. Fair dinkum, the pure joy and overwhelming feeling of relief and the feeling of pride to almost bursting point has not diminished one iota. In fact, some days I think it’s even stronger! Besides that, the fact that it doesn’t feel as though it’s fully sunk in yet is amazing. It’s still unbelievable! You simply could not put a price on this feeling. Even if Jeff Bezoz and Elon Musk and Richard Branson et al pooled their $$$ it wouldn’t come anywhere near the worth of the MIGHTY DEES winning a PREMIERSHIP!!!!!

The signed jumpers are now being shipped earlier than expected, mine just arrived and very happy with the $2k investment

How do you think Dangerfield feels, he's achieved everything in footy except a flag & must look at bowey & sparrow & shake his head. It gives me a laugh that they are premiership players & danger isn't.

Do people find the more they watch it the more you just can't believe that we actually did it and won a premiership?

No surprise to see that Ed and ANB were our top runners in 2021. Loved watching ANB running off after his GF goal. He was running so strongly and looking like he was just starting the game.. Also looking pretty pleased with himself and his mates. ( And so he should.) He and Langers certainly are super fit boys. Christian Salem surprised a bit. He seems to cover territory inconspicuously. It was great too to see that our baby Jake Bowey has a tank at the tender age of 19. Augers well for his future and ours.

I hear you fork! My sons routinely accuse me of loving the Dees more than I love them (which by the way isn’t true… I love them equally 🙃) Anyways my middle son once said to me “if Max Gawn and I were both unconscious in a burning building and you could only save one of us, what would you do?” I says, “well, while piggybacking Maxy out, I’d use my free hand to call 000 for you.” He wasn’t impressed, but nor was he surprised. The whole fam know how passionate I am about my awesome Demons. ❤️💙

More fine work from AFL Media. Look at the date at the bottom left of the photo.

The goal kicking heroics were a sight to behold, but I think most of all I loved that run-down tackle on the boundary. That's captain stuff, especially from a ruck.

I reckon they'd be seething. If he did this 3 months ago, they'd still have Clarkson. I'm sure he felt his life was complete once he got rid of Clarkson. Either that or the board has had enough of him.

Will never go away. Go dees.

I watched a few quarters of it again the other day. Your right, it's hard to get that same rush from it, but worth watching from the perspective of being impressed about just how under control we had the game for most of the time and what a complete and dominant finals series it was that we played. Couldn't have scripted our finals series better if I tried. Over all, we were just so impressive and dominant that we basically crushed the life out of every side we played, even though a few of them challenged and pushes us for parts of each respective game. Also evident what awsome finals series both Freitch and Patracca had, probably closely followed by Oliver and Gawn. Fritta kicked bags of 4, 2 & 6, including some crucial momentum shifting ones and similarly, Trac was dominant out of the middle and also kicked a couple of crucial goals against the Lions to seal the game.

#$%^&*(@!!!! I was so hoping he would drive them out of existence or at the least force them to become the Tassie Hawks.

No wo-rries.

As many of you fellow Victorians would attest to, over the past week we have endured some of the strongest winds I've ever seen in my life other than sitting through a category 3 cyclone 20 years ago in Cairns. Houses have wilted, multiple massive shipping containers have collapsed on each other , 100+ yr old trees destroyed, towns without power for days. My Dees scarves, tied only by the tassels at each end to my flimsy tree in the front yard have not moved an inch .

The latest one is always the best WoK. 2 years ago I went to the funeral of Frank Adams. The 64 cup was there. John Lord gave a speech. At the end he said that cup is the second best one short pause then the next one is the best. Says it all for me. But enjoy this one. They are not easy to win in the 21st century.

Must be all the drills... (Sorry, Bobby; just can't help myself😬)

It's our very own sharpshooter, Bayley Fritsch who gets his highlight reel today!

Charlie Cameron moderated the loss for Brisbane somewhat with his superb solo effort of 5 goals. Still they never had a realistic chance of overtaking us.

If you live in Melbz It’d be worth your while to PM @joeboy since he offers a discount to Demonlanders. Your poster is a special one so it’s probs wiser to have it professionally framed. I have some framed posters from Joeboy. The quality is superb and the prices are more than reasonable. 😁😁 end of advertisement 😁😁 And no, I don’t get a cut. It’s just that I believe in giving credit where it’s very much due. 🙂

Great, had a feeling Ben would work with the Dees AFLW sooner or later, especially after watching this interview below. He's probably one of the most prominent current male players in his support of women's footy and he speaks very eloquently about it. Good for everyone involved. Interesting to hear a bit more about his family background and journey to footy as well: https://www.womens.afl/video/66833/cutting-oranges-ep7-ben-brown

Coincidentally WCW I watched the PF as a warm up prior to watching that Magical last 40 minutes of the GF again and Maxy was right out of the tree in the PF. It was the perfect Captains game by some margin whereas the GF everyone was out of the tree at the same time. I have tried to watch the QF but just can’t get the same adrenaline rush.😀❤️💙

Rn I’m watching the second half of the prelim again coz… why not? I was just thinking about how the word ‘legend’ gets bandied around a lot. So much so that it’s kind of lost its potency. But… Maxy Gawn. I mean seriously, from the winner after the siren in Rd 23 through the prelim with his five goal haul and on to captain the Mighty Dees to an historic Premiership victory. This is the stuff of folklore. MINSTRELS WILL WRITE SONGS ABOUT HIM! 🏆❤️💙😁❤️💙🏆

It was a great night. Was one of my uncles last happy moments. So glad he got to see this before he passed away. I guess it must have been fate

True 100%

It's an interesting theory and delicate balance handling slightly injured or sore players. Firstly you need a head of performance to have the backing of the coach and FD to make potentially risky calls without fear of being blamed. It seems players training through niggles or slight injuries is more beneficial (at times) to giving them a rest even in January to build resilience. If you rest the player until they are not sore then sometimes that injury or soreness may just come back when stressed again. Burgess certainly found a wonderful balance over the past 2 years. Good to hear he has 12 months of mentoring the new bloke that should keep us in good nick.

Being a footy tragic as I am and total demon it’s not hard too say that the forty odd minutes of the granny we dominated WAS the best team football I HAVE EVER SEEN, bias, totally, and the scary thing about that is the team is so young. We have set a new bench mark that only we can match, at the moment! Others teams are surely gunna come for us but when we switch too beast (Demons)mode, I haven’t seen anything from other teams that will match us for a full game, sure they may get a run on, like the dogs did, but as Daisy said we don’t have an off switch until it’s game ova. I’m certainly not one to get ahead of myself, one game at a time, and I’m finding it very hard that game ain’t this week. 🔴🔵🟥🟦

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1028967/speed-star-hunt-fastest-demon-for-2021 Top five fastest Melbourne players in 2021 Jayden Hunt 35.24km/h Kysaiah Pickett 34.56 Alex Neal-Bullen 33.95 Ed Langdon 33.91 Christian Salem 33.80 Top ten fastest players in 2021 Nick Hind 36.07km/h Oleg Markov 35.89 Adam Saad 35.75 Tim Membrey 35.60 Jason Castagna 35.46 Travis Colyer 35.39 Griffin Logue 35.35 Jayden Hunt 35.24 Aiden Bonar 35.23 Bobby Hill 35.14

I love what BB brings culturally. Definitely cut from a different cloth to most footballers but I'm sure he brings a lot of new, progressive perspectives to his teammates that you probably wouldn't otherwise get in a football club

Sparrow was bio-engineered in a laboratory by football scientists for the express purpose of playing finals football. Tough, fearless, and enough skill to successfully navigate finals pressure. See ball get ball, but in a ruthless, not mindless, way.

Awesome BBB, the womans game is a real pathway to grow the game and support for clubs in a mew generation of people. Very proud of the Dees being at the forefront of AFLW.

Loved the way he spoke and how supportive he was of the women's game. When we looked at bringing him to the Club the character of the man would have had an enormous part to play. The culture of our Club is being built on an ethos that is not about individuals but about acceptance, character and belief in things that the De Goeys of the world cannot fathom. Good luck to other Clubs trying to "copy" that.

I never enjoyed seeing a our captains over the years posing with a cup they never looked like getting near either. You gotta earn that right IMO.

Eagle has landed baby!

I just received some of my mfc order and noticed a lot of things: scarf, mouse pad, stubbie holders, had the following on them: MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB 21.14 140 DEF WESTERN BULLDOGS 10.6 66 To roughly that scale and the final score very prominent. Not sure if it is typical of GF memorabilia but I reckon it is a bit cheeky displaying the scores! Think what fun it will be using a stubbie holder with whatever drinks one fancies, when there are doggie supporters around! Not to mention the smile on my face every time I use my mouse which is constant!

Definitely a hard luck story if he didn't get injured he would be a premiership player ahead of Hibberd. I'm backing him to get his spot back.