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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…..

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.

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.

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.

Stewie Dew appears very accomplished in such matters

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.

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.

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

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.

great result; he'll be homesick in two years

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.

It's got me thinking . . . Jeelong: No Cats under 30 Horethorn: No cheques under $1,000,000 Colinwood: No calculators in board room Essendrugs: No shady vitamin dealers Adelaide: Taylor Walker's no dikkhed GCS: No free riding here GWS: Toby Green's no wanca Carltank: No delusions of grandeur South: No special treatment

The task would have been so much easier if it were Jason Bourne movies The MelBourne Identity The MelBourne Legacy The MelBourne Supremacy (my personal favourite) etc

Just happy to welcoming more mullets into the club....

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

Let's hope his opinion is how it plays out. There is alot of misinformation out there and alot of guessing. I'd back a grandma who backs horses on numbers or names over a modeller. I read somewhere (I think in the Lancet Journal) amongst the thousands of articles I have read about Covid that once you catch it and recover you are 26 times more immune from it than someone who is vaxicinated. Even if that is correct it is still a great reason to get vaxxed because it doesn't seem to stop the spread but you have a much greater chance of mild symptoms and not getting it again.

Agreed he has stepped up to another level all year. I used to wonder why he got games last year at times and cringed at his kicking on goal. Now a fully fledged premiership player and gives 100 percent. His passion for the club is evident. As for the umpiring I think we had a good run in the first half. Ironically in the 3rd q when we turned things around I thought the umps were below average. Other than that I didn't really notice them which in a granny is a good thing. Enjoy your blue ray.

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 would say sensible not simplistic.

It’ll be well worth the wait for the Premiers beanie. I’m awaiting one I ordered from the Demon shop, but I bought one from the AFL shop at the ‘G on the Cup Tour day. Merino wool with a soft, warm lining… perfect. As a matter of fact, I’m wearing it right now. 😊

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.

“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.

If he was at Melbourne he would have been given time to develop and would have had a much better chance to become the best player he could be, I doubt that will happen at the Gold Coast. Good luck at GC and remember we will always welcome you back in the future.

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!

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.

20.5 Hands

Yes, when Harmesy grabs that ball, the MCG is going to erupt. 40,000 Demons will rock the Foundations

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.

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.

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.

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. .