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Saw this walking past Whitten Oval today....

I think this was the sign that was erected during the 3rd quarter at Optus Stadium

We raised this on our flagstaff at our bowls club last Saturday. It makes it all the more real for me and I love it.

Demons with faces…..

Will rotate with Luke Donston.

We’ve had a number of guys really improve their kicking game in the last 12 months (Oliver & Langdon come to mind), I really think we’re providing a great environment for players to develop their skills. Am comfortable that Williams & co will help Howes clean up deficiencies in technique, he already seems to make good decisions with ball in hand, which is often half the trouble.

I totally agree @Action Jackson and @FarNorthernD Langdon was an absolute steal. I do still wish people would stop evaluating individual trades though. There is no silverware available for the best individual deal. We trade to put together a list which, in its entirety, will win a flag. Individual trades like Lever or Langdon may look like overs or unders on their own but it absolutely doesn’t matter if it contributes to building a team that wins a flag. i understand, when there is no silverware in the cabinet that supporters will evaluate the trades as though they are an end in themselves but now that we have at least one flag from all that trading I think we can look at the work in its entirety and evaluate the list that is currently in place, It’s cost is irrelevant. Every team spends as close as possible to its TPP. Every team uses all its picks every year (and sometimes more). There is no prize for saving $100k or moving up or down the order if it doesn’t get you another piece in the premiership team puzzle.

100% agree. Langdon was just shrewd recruiting. Paying top dollar is what the Saints gave for Brad Hill to run around having 10 touches a game.

This is why the system can be dangerous for clubs. Both the dogs and Pies burnt so many picks for one player and then have not a whole lot else. Personally I prefer having Van Rooyen and Howes as opposed to Mac Andrew and then Woewodin.

Stewie Dew appears very accomplished in such matters

Petracca had the highest ball drop I have ever seen and in the grand final they were comparing him to Daicos. It can be fixed.

This was a great 'highlights' reel of BH. It made him look very coachable, very ready to develop to the big-time level, very innovative and 'sharing' with the ball and in getting the ball.

Maybe: Dr. No longer waiting for a flag (1962) From Melbourne with Love (1963) Red and blue finger (1964) Football (1965) You Only Win Flags Twice - or three times, or more (1967) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Demons Are Forever (1971) Live and Let Die (1973) Fritter - The Man with the Golden Boot (1974) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) Muckraker (1979 - Sam McClure is the villian) For Your Eyes Only (1981) Octodemon (1983) A View to a Kill of the cats and dogs (1985) Beating the The Living Daylights out of the cats and dogs (1987) License to Kill the of the cats and dogs (1989) GoldenBoot (1995) Hope Never Dies (1997) One Flag Is Not Enough (1999) Win More Flags Another Day (2002) Crown Casino (2006) Quantum of Solace for the of the cats and dogs (2008) Tiger's Freefall (2012) Spectre of a dynasty (2015) No Time to Die (2021) Burswood Casino (1967) Never Say Never Again (1983)

Finally picked up a blue-ray edition of the 2021 Grand Final. After at least 4 weeks of not watching the grand final, it was so refreshing to watch it again. My better half was amazed that after so long that a yelp (or two) and the odd fist pump were on display. I haven't bothered to trawl through the pages of discussion since i last visited this topic and I'm sure it has been discussed to death, but wanted to share a few things that were apparent to me this time around. 1. Alex Neal-Bullen had such an impressive game. The big-time players have all been well documented (Trac, Oliver, Brayshaw, Fritsch, Salem and LJ) But ANB had 25+ disposals and just seemed to be everywhere, with his gut running, score involvements and defensive pressure. I for one commend him as i would have been leading the pack to have him dispelled a few years back. Happy to swallow my pride on that one and am so glad he is playing for us. Most happy with his decision making inside 50. 2. Umpiring. Whilst i will caveat this with the fact that we had the upper hand in umpiring decisions, and that in general the umpiring was good, there were several decisions (or non-decisions) that, in the moment could have had a major impact on the game. The four that were most apparent and during the most critical points in the game that I noticed were: a. Gawns point (looked a goal) b. Hunters ducking free (resulted in a Doggies Goal) c. Harmes & Kozzy high contact inside 20m in front of our goal - non decision d. Johannison push in the back on Doggies goal line (resulted in Doggies goal) 3. First time i watched the post game celebrations with attention to detail and can confirm Basil is an absolute a-grade [censored].

If we compare a player who has not played a game as yet to players with over 200 AFL games then we do the recruit a disservice. He is at the start of career whilst the 200 game player has retired. It is like recruiters compare the player they pick to past players which puts undue pressure on an 18 year old with potential but no record to backup the claims, what a player does at U18 level has no bearing on how he will perform at the highest level. Training habits are good but you can train the house down but when it comes to the crunch be intimidated by the bigger bodies of your opponents. There are players like Jake Bowey who are small in stature and fearless which makes him the exception. Bowey's previous coaches probably told him during his pre-AFL he was too small and light framed but he was determined to prove them wrong. Not every player recruited from the U18's will play at the highest level whether they are drafted to the main list or rookie list but those that do and play over 100 games should be applauded for their determination and willingness to train hard. In the article about Max Gawn he believed that if he was not 208 cm ruckman he would have been cut from the list several times for his training habits, indiscretions and injuries. Good luck to all our recruits in their endeavours to play their first game and have the long successful careers at the MFC.

I must admit I am impressed with your scale. We could make a killing out of this. How about a scale for moral fibre (De Goey being 0 and Stynes being 10), I am sure there could be many more.

While we're at it, I thought Oliver's handball to Sparrow could have been a bit flatter.

Ooh sorry. I didn't realise it was sacrilegious to suggest trac is not perfect. I'm really glad I didn't mention his disposal efficiency for the season was 62% - placing him at 6 on tbe Frost Salem scale.

Umm. Where to begin? The guy has just played one of the all-time great GF games - replete with superlative kicks, from the penetrating to the precise - and people are debating the dodgy height of his ball drop (so to speak). You couldn't invent it.

This is an issue that young George Gawn will be facing within the next year.

As I remember, CP5, the reigning Norm Smith medalist, was seen to have a very high ball drop when he started, but has been corrected

I would say sensible not simplistic.

“The Demons handed over picks No.22, 79 and a future second-round selection for the 23-year-old, while the Dockers gave up Langdon, pick No.26 and a future fourth-round selection”. So to get Langdon we paid a future second rounder (pick 38 2020 - James Rowe?) and dropped 4 spots from 22 to 26 which got us Rivers (after dropping back a few more spots) In summary we got an out and out bargain

In the timeless classic movie 'Kung Fu Panda', Po the panda is training to be the Kung Fu Dragon Master. His final challenge is to earn the right to read the "Dragon Scroll" which will give him the final knowledge he needs to reach his goal. When he finally does so and opens the scroll it has no secret formula written on it but only shows his reflection. It confuses him for awhile until it dawns on him that he is already the Dragon Master and only needs to believe so. Well this years finals series and Premiership was our Dragon Scroll and I believe as good as this season was we're gonna go to another level again. The players now know they are the "Dragon Masters" and from now on they'll play with a freedom and confidence that knowledge brings. Reckon we're gonna be scary good and rip the competition apart at will.

I watched a lot of Casey this year and this couldn't be more more further to your statement I'm still bemused at people like yourself who are so quick to write off kids straight away after their first year in the system. Not only was Rosman's development this year stifled by Covid but he like many other kids in their first year barely had any continuity. James Jordon is a perfect example why you don't just write off first year players. JJ show much in his first year in the VFL and some were quick to question his worth as a future AFL player. He proved many wrong this year and matched it with the best midfielders in the game. Rosman played exactly how I expect a raw tall athletic player would after missing a whole year of footy due to Covid. He played the first 6 games this year with Casey and he grew confident with each game and was starting to hit some find. After round 6 the season was put on hold until they resumed back again at round 11. He played only 3 games after before it was called off again. How on earth can a kid gain any momentum or form through that? it was a unfair on many young kids starting out in the AFL. Though, i am not surprised that you're once again finding ways to be extremely negative towards the club and how they're handling the list. This is you to the Tee. Here I was thinking a premiership would give many people on here clarification that the club has pretty much gotten it right on field and off.

great result; he'll be homesick in two years

Interesting when they were speaking about grown men brought to tears, this is me. When I was in the queue to meet the cup yesterday and turned the corner and there it was. When I gave it a hug. Every time I watch the replay (even the third quarter of the prelim). When I hear our coach talk about getting some feedback from champions of different industries on what it takes to back it up and win again. Bang. Bang bang bang. I'm a bloody mess, but a happy one.

I did, I'll have to do it again, I'll get someone who knows how to do it for me, it shows up in my post as just the photo.. That better?

The way the Demons have handled winning as a club, it puts us in a great position to have a ripping crack again in 2022!

Howes kick doesn’t look too bad here: Maybe not as fluid an action as the top end kicks, but decent touch and can get good distance. I think McVee is the best kick of our 2021 draft crop. His foot skills look very, very good.

Go on . . . Actually, on second thoughts, don't. What was intended as a jokey lend of the concept of a bunch of footy-heads sitting around listening to musicals has somehow morphed into me smashing a scared cow with a baseball bat. Please everyone stop quoting me. I'm sorry I deeply upset some of you with my post. This place use to be way funnier when the MFC was a hot mess at risk of folding. But as penance I will now adopt the song as my personal affirmation. I've highlighted the lyrics below which have particular resonance in my journey to be a better version of me. I am not a stranger to the dark Hide away, they say 'Cause we don't want your broken parts I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars Run away, they say No one'll love you as you are But I won't let them break me down to dust I know that there's a place for us For we are glorious When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown 'em out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum I'm not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh Another round of bullets hits my skin Well, fire away 'cause today, I won't let the shame sink in We are bursting through the barricades and Reaching for the sun (we are warriors) Yeah, that's what we've become (yeah, that's what we've become) I won't let them break me down to dust I know that there's a place for us For we are glorious When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown 'em out I am brave, I am bruised I am who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come And I'm marching on to the beat I drum I'm not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh This is me And I know that I deserve your love (Oh-oh-oh-oh) There's nothing I'm not worthy of (Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh) When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown 'em out This is brave, this is bruised This is who I'm meant to be, this is me Look out 'cause here I come (look out 'cause here I come) And I'm marching on to the beat I drum (marching on, marching, marching on) I'm not scared to be seen I make no apologies, this is me When the sharpest words wanna cut me down I'm gonna send a flood, gonna drown 'em out I'm gonna send a flood Gonna drown 'em out Oh This is me

When do we get to see an interview with JVR and when are the three boys due in from WA. I am seriously looking forward to seeing our 5 youngsters as well as Luke Dunstan out on the track in our colours.!!💕❤️💙

Not sure where to put this, so here is as good as anywhere. A question to anyone who has seen more of our new draftees than their highlights tape - how good are each boy's kicking skills on the Frost - Salem scale (Frost being 1 and Salem being 10)?

I agree. Under the old rules, would Melbourne have matched a bid at 5? It would have taken 19, 39 & pushed our 43 back to 50. That's not entirely accurate as no doubt we would have traded picks for 19 pre-draft to improve our points situation, but the point remains would Melbourne have rated Andrew Pick 5 less 20% (the equivalent of a combined Pick 8/9). I am glad though that he didn't go at Pick 18. I think we all would have been totally [censored]-off! My understanding is that under COVID the AFL is now picking up the NGA costs formerly borne by the clubs which is an argument for pushing the eligibility back to 21+, but it seems to me that to allow the Bulldogs to benefit from it one year for Ugle-Hagen and then push it back so far is extremely unfair. What about the multiple years of work put in by Melbourne and other clubs over many years pre-2020 developing these players.

Melbourne could easily have taken Woewodin as a Rookie which was widely-reported pre-draft as a possibility (not sure at that stage whether Melbourne had that pick set aside for Judd McVee). Instead they drafted him at 65 so he gets better pay and a 2-year contract which surely says something. 99% of draftees get the standard contract, whether they go at 1 or 101. Melbourne traded away picks 43 & 51 for future picks. If Woewodin wasn't father-son, who knows? We might have taken him at 43. Melbourne knew they would get him at 65 (if some other club picked him ahead of that we would still have used 65 plus change). I guess what I'm trying to say is that the fact he was the last pick on Draft Night 2 shouldn't be seen as a negative. He starts equal with all other non-rookie drafts.

I agree entirely. He was never going to be a high draft pick, late second round at best, and another club would be fairly courageous (especially a Victorian club, given he lives in WA) to pick him knowing that he wanted to go to Melbourne and Melbourne would likely match the bid. It's not just that. Clubs, especially for lower draft picks, don't research every available player and will only pick the players they have researched. Probably a bit different for higher draft picks but even Daicos slipped to 4 because clubs knew he was going to Collingwood regardless.

For your info Mickey and many others I was in touch with the Demon Shop about a week ago and my order has been delayed in sending because of the Premiership Beanie. Jack who answered the phone about 4.55 pm on that day said the Beanies had just arrived at the warehouse and my complete order would be with me in 7-10 days. Hopefully this week ! Hope this helps Dees fans.

20.5 Hands

I think Howes will play games next year, maybe wing H/F, he looks like a very accomplished player to me. Nice to see he was stoked to be at Melbourne, it wasn't that long ago that recruits would have been praying that we didn't pick them up. I'm proud of what this club has finally achieved, destination club, Hell Yeah.

birthdays! pfffffttt, you get one every year, common as muck now a premiership 🏆 you waited 57 years (well some of us)......that's really something special

Why do people immediately assume that a new variant is more potent and more importantly more deadly. A successful virus does not kill its host. If you imagine an airbourne virus that kills immediately then that virus will die out as it does not have opportunity to spread. The most successful virus does not kill and it may not have symptoms. Perhaps what we need is a less deadly Covid that we all can catch and get on with life. Edit. It is a simplistic view I know, but perhaps an alternative to the chicken littles.

Judd McVee was named on the interchange for WA for this game which I watched as it was streamed live. I was mainly interested in two players - Taj Woewodin who I knew was going to be a Demon and for JVR who was close to best on ground and who I hoped would become a Demon. I didn’t notice McVee all that much but welcome to the club JMcV! To get three players from a state side in these times is a great effort.

Spoke to two people in different AFL footy departments today and both said to me unprompted that they where looking at Blake seriously for picks they had before we got him. One ended up drafting based on "needs" he was filthy as he wanted him but got overruled. Said he was a beauty and would've gone higher if he played more this year.

Managing the risk has been a real problem so far. 1st world countries have been told that there will be a major issue if they don't get 3rd world countries vaccinated. ...and here it is. Our answer has been to close down manufacture of the Astra vax...instead we could have used excess production to push it out to 3rd world countries and help in some small way to manage the risk.

Oh no..... is there a photo of JVR smiling yet? I've seen this play out before.

They would want to have plenty of stock on hand for December 5. They will make a killing. All frustrations aside the Premiership is a huge windfall for the club.

I was wrong in believing he wouldn't be an early selection. I agree with your post and am stunned that of all the clubs, the Suns took him, a club that needs urgent and immediate success, to keep its star players and maintain membership and financial support, let alone to ease the pressure on the Coach.

No, it wasn't. In one of the earlier finals Goodwin was asked at one of the qtr breaks, his advice to the players. His response: Be yourself. He was saying to his players bring the best version of yourself. 'This is Me' meant something different to each player. It was the trigger to help them find that best version during the year. It is worth listening to the song again. Inspirational for anyone who has self doubt or wants to bring out the best in themselves. .