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This is why the whole round 1 “rematch” with the Bulldogs is perplexing. It has been set up as some sort of grudge match as if the Bulldogs actually had a chance in the Grand Final and didn’t lose by 74 points.

I don't have that image. Will this one do?

While I share the sentiment that we are far superior as a team; the bulldogs were only a goal down with 1 minute left in the third qtr. The game was over in the next minute - but up until that point it was a pretty good GF…

"Without Gawn barely a top 8 side " Gold It's about time we were so good that they started saying stuff like that. I think we might have them rattled

Bont = Petracca Oliver >Macrae Viney>Libba Langdon >Hunter Harmes > Treloar Brayshaw > Smith Gawn > Martin Jackson > English

My true belief that we were going to be premiers was when ANB put us 7 goals up. I thought then even lesser Melbourne teams of the past wouldn't let this one get away. Something that remains entrenched in my memory was Trac's look of steely determination after he kicked his magical dribbler. (Bloody hell it even went over the exact centre mark on the goal line! ) I have never seen a footballer looking so focussed and determined. The look on the guy in the crowd after this goal never fails to move me also. He looks like a lot of us were thinking. "Are we going to be premiers at last." So proud of this team, they really play for each other. The chemistry is good. Roll on 2022.

Minor premiers. Only team to be in the top four all season. Started the season with nine straight wins and ended the season with seven straight wins. Fewest points against in home and away season. Five All-Australians including the captain plus the coach (most of any team). Total losing margin across all games of 47 points (Geelong’s in 2007 was 45). AFLCA Award Winner (Oliver). Rising Star winner (Jackson). Average finals winning margin of over 10 goals without playing a single home final at our home ground. Won the Grand Final by 74 points. There’s probably a heap more but but I can certainly see why some people weren’t convinced.

Dunno man. Losing Oliver would hurt equally ..... IMO. Might not be as flashy as Petracca but during this season and we we're under the pump it was Oliver who got us rolling. Just a competitive beast that hates to lose. And I love him for it.

I love this thread! I love it for the same reason I love DL. I mean, where else can one go to indulge in the immense joy that comes with a premiership, 11 weeks after the fact?! The fam humoured me for a couple of weeks after the GF but it’s worn thin since then. The other night I was watching the grannie and my youngest son - a person less interested in footy you’d struggle to meet - walked into the room. I says, “hey, great timing!” Accompanied with a huge sigh and a full 360 degree eye-roll, he says, “yes Mum, I know, ‘surely not another one’ and the red-headed guy kicks another goal.” 😁

Whilst the Doggies probably edge us out in their midfield depth (Bont, Macrae, Libba, Dunkley, Treloar, Hunter, Smith), they lack a major weapon in the ruck department and we have two of them in Max and LJ. So overall, the Demons probably have the better total midfield setup. THE DOGGIES DONT EDGE US OUT IN THE MIDFIELD AT ALL. WE ARE AND HAVE THE BEST MIDS GOING AROUND.

what a load of gallimaufry let's just keep winning and not give a stuff what's being said winning talks

If the Brisbane Lions lost Voss, Simon Black and Akka they wouldn't still be talked about as one of the best sides ever.

I love when supporters say stuff like, oh if the Dees lost Petracca, Oliver and Gawn they would miss the finals. Wow thanks for that amazing insight. If we take the best 3 sides out of any side they are going to struggle big time, there aren't many players of their calibre going around. I still actually think if Gawn went down we would be ok with Jacko rucking and then another as the back up anyway.

Obviously they missed the bit when Gawn was benched and said” keep the kid in there” Three goals in thirty seconds

Whenever I meet a person I know is an Australian football fan but not a Melbourne or Dogs supporter, I ask them whether they thought it was a good Grand Final. We all think it was great, but does a final margin of 74 points mean it was good game to watch for everyone else? Everyone I have asked has said it was great because it was close for three quarters and then just extraordinary to watch from the last minute of the 3rd quarter onwards. Some of them, have even watched it more than once purely for the enjoyment of watching such entertaining football.

One of my favorites threads each week during the season was the opposition supporters thread before each game. always worth a read. From my recollection there was almost universal acclaim for Gawny. As well as being the best ruck he's the most popular player in the league by a long way.

I humbly advise you to give up all other petty pursuits picket and go into the highly unpaid profession of writing training reports full time. I will consider offering you a Manor quality shiraz as recompense. ( it will energise your taste buds far and beyond the cheap booze you currently favour)

My guess is that after the PF the Dogs put a heap of work into how to curb the influence of Gawn, and basically forgot about Jackson. Well, suffice it to say that they probably learnt their lesson. Max Gawn is really good at getting absolutely pumped by sh*t rucks. It feels like Draper is still a season away from putting it all together - before he could start to challenge the likes of Gawn (which I think he can do). There is no denying that if Melbourne lose any one of Gawn, Oliver & Petracca for an extended period and they will likely drop out of the 8. Outside of Gawn which top 8 side has a genuinely good ruckman? Max Gawn - Hawthorn players love playing kick-to-kick with the giant sasquatch. Gawn won the coaches votes award in 2018. No ruckman has been recognised as the best player in the league on a general public consensus, Jackson has potential to be not just the best ruckman but the best player. Obviously you'd love either he or Oliver but for me Petracca gives your team the X Factor and the hard work ethic as well. The way he is now I think he'd stand out in any team but having Gawn as well is what really allows them to find that extra gear when they're under the pump. It is worth pondering what Bont could do if roving to Gawn or NicNat. As Gawn just keeps getting better and better, we need to find our answer in the ruck instead of hoping ours can at least compete if he has his best ever game. He (Luke Nankervis) has Max Gawn vibes, even looks a bit like him. Gawn would have to get at least one more AA and captain another flag then I'd probably have him over Cox. I don't think I've seen a ruckman do what Gawn did in the preliminary final before. Gawn is their lynch pin. Jackson had a good GF, no question, but he's a 21yo, undersized ruck (198cm?) - as talented as he is. One injury to Gawn and the Dees are barely a top 8 side. Greg Stafford wasn't exactly Polly Farmer and he turned Max Gawn into the best ruck in the league.

I think the goal he kicked after the siren against Geelong, in the final round of the year, will go down as one of the most important in our clubs history. He misses that kick and it changes the whole complexion of the finals. He is a legend and perhaps a bigger legend that a lot of us imagine.

Gawn is clearly a great of the club and one of the best rucks of the decade. At the same time he’s certainly an enigma. I don’t always agree with his leadership style. If he mentions private schools or the smoking story one more time I might lose the plot. But I can’t deny the results of a captain who is himself and encourages the playing group to do the same. On field he is a bit of a flopper at times but also gets very little from the umps. He should lead the league in free kicks. His intercept marking is just phenomenal. Only McGovern is in the same league and it’s a bit easier at half back than covering the full ground. His work rate is incredible, both covering space and to pressure, chase and tackle in tighter against mids 30cm shorter than him. Apart from premiership captain and a prelim for the ages it will be his marking and tireless effort that defines his greatness. His centre bounce ruck work suffers because he doesn’t jump. That’s where the Jacko 1-2 punch is most helpful to Max. We completely change our mix when they swap. And yeah - he does have the habit of playing mediocre games against young rucks he hasn’t faced much. I think that shows he’s such a scholar and does so much homework against rivals the trickiest thing for him is when he gets someone with limited exposure. Anyway, he’s a legend who’s done it all his own way with quirks and brilliance. No doubt he gets opposition supporters feeling all kinds of ways watching him.

After almost 70 years closely following the VFL / AFL, and putting aside my Melbourne bias, that was without doubt the most exhilarating minute of football that I’ve ever had the good fortune to see. Any team, any era, it wins hands down!

Alright. Here's the first installment. I have work to do you know! O gather round ye people be rich or be poor And hear the lay with which I now ye bore The tale of a man bearded, tall and lank And of another constantly running the flank And of yet another e'er under the pack And yet of one more holding down the back I sing of a man both painted and hairless And of some other weird-haired and fearless And so many more of whose tale I sing And yet I forerun this tale I bring Forebear me my friends to start at the start And list to the saga of which I will chart The tale I tell is one of great gladness Yet borne of long years of many a sadness Of years of tanking and losses and death And how the great club near took its last breath I sing of long years under shadow of dark Of Flower and Wells and Alves and Parke When glory was ever a long way far And club was learning of failure and scar I sing of the coaches, Swooper and Neale Who made dreams of glory appear almost real And yet this same glory was proved to be wrong The team failed September, many a year long I sing of the years of a man named Bailey When teams of the demons were made to play fraily The rumours of tanking were wild and rife These sorry tales cost Dean his life I sing of the tragedy of hundred eight six Of Schwab and of Szondy and sad politics I sing of the years of a man name of Neeld When weekly the teams of the demons would yield But lo, all my lay is not sorrow and drear For man name of Jackson did sudden appear And soon thereafter the man known as Roos Who 'gainst all good reason the Demons did choose This saviour shored up our leaky defence And brought some degree of respect and hence The start of a sense of belief was born When down at the Cats emerged the Gawn Then in year sixteen the Hawthorns were downed To end their fourpeat, Dees were back in the town Then Paul turned over the team to Simon Who sent the demons the ladder a-climbin' Yet stumbles appeared in our rise up the ladder To make the top eight was proved to be harder A saviour appeared in the man named Hogan Who sadly turned out to be but a bogan Then on the Queen’s birthday in year seventeen The Demons with Watts arrived on the scene The party got started the following year The Demons in finals announced we were here The Cats were demolished in very short fashion And next week the Hawks were trounced with no compassion At this point the party was halted so sadly And next year the Demons performed rather badly In twenty the fortunes did barely arisen With no sign of what was just over horizon

The Dogs list is deep with talent but it’s not balanced. They have a lot of very good ball winners in the middle but they have a poor backline, no good ruck and their forwardline is suspect without Bruce taking away a tall. The issue with the Dogs midfield is they are us in 2018. Bees to the honeypot. Too many players doing the same thing. It’s why we were able to get so many center clearance goals in the granny. Nobody defended. They all tried winning the stoppage.

Finally arrived and it looks awesome. Sorry for the angle but there was some reflection going on. Also got the poster with it too. Don’t think I have looked more forward to another season in my lifetime.. Bring on 22. Go Dees

Petrracca owes this guy a beer. Salem should’ve won the Anzac eve medal given he kept us afloat in the first qtr and could not have played a better game in the GF, but his mate took both medals. He’s in the peak years now and has come a long way from suiting up with Casey in 2017.

I think like Us they are struggling to comprehend what actually happened in those last 35 minutes of the Granny. I doubt that we will ever see a repeat of that magical effort.💕❤️❤️

What he said! Man up Picket.

Re: training this week Demonlanders, I have a few things on and cant attend till Friday, happy if others can assist to provide reports from Casey Fields. Cheers P.F😎

The preliminary final... my god.

ALERT! LATEST SIGNPOSTING SEEN AT CASEY FIELDS "WARM RIDE WARRRM RIDE BABY THATS THE WAY YOU ARE" Graham Bonnet Why did I bring this "Classic"song up ?? Because training today was as smooth and as sublime as the song! This didn't look like a preseason knockup more a purring machine that has just been fitted with a turbo charger Weather great just perfect for training, bit of breeze but nothing out of the ordinary, Ground is in fantastic condition as well Players missing Dogga, didnt see Jake lever either and I did see Jayden Hunt doing some exercises away from main group SKILLS, DRILLS AND MANOEVERS. WARM UPS Consisted of short precise ball movement drills, around close contests and choosing correct options, small group work followed before a surprising match simulation game/drill where some very interesting simulations occured key points were as follows 1 Portable goal posts were moved 20 meters in from permanent ones 2 The game was played in a rectangle type field with narrowed boundaries 3 All starts were from the Casey Dressing rooms side with a boundary throw in The skills, touch, finese, fitness and audible crunching tackles and some at times dazzling ball movement was as evident as the last minute and a half of the 3rd quarter of the grand final. To me it looks like every single player has arrived back lean , hungry and fit. There was no sign of lethargy or any semblence of Premiership hangover that I could see. The other thing that struck me was the obvious enjoyment that comes with the mateship element which build a culture of excellence. PLAYER WATCH As usual Clarry, Salem, Viney, Max Langdon and BOWEY that set the standard but others who were prominent included a clearly fit Stephen May, Adam Tomlinson, Tom Mc Donald and a very good Joel Smith. Majak Daw provided plenty of excitment and a work out for Max in the ruck and others to shown form were ANB, Trac and BB Weeds did a few things but got pushed under the ball a few times. Tom Sparrow also showed something OTHER ASPECTS After Match simulations players were put threw some gruelling run throughs and then finally other small drills in groups designed for quick evasions, and picking right option in pressure situations. If this is a sign of what is to come them 2022 should yield as much success and excitment as 2021 Overheard at nearby shops at Santa Stall, Santa says to little tike in Melbourne Jumper "What do you want for Christmas?? Little tike "Another Melbourne Flag next year" !😁 Final thoughts, After seeing Jake Bowey lay a tackle on Kossie doing his acrobatic routine which befuddles everyone. How good is this Kid!?

Harsh but fair. Apart from Bont who is a champion and hurts the opposition with finishing, Petracca, Oliver and Viney hurt you both in setting up plays and delivery. Well ahead of Treloar, Libba and McCrae. Largely accumultors. Libba has been dealt with 2 of the 3 times we met this year. Bailey Smith has yet to really prove himself in a match consistently apart from cameos. Watch Brayshaw's mastercalss in this regard in the GF. Contest after contest after contest.... Bailey Smith on the other hand is looking around to find out who's on who, as Langdon runs away with the ball (as 1 example)

I rate him very highly. I would love to have Bailey Smith on the list. I don't think he will ever be the mid who continually pushes back into defence. He does his best work mid and fwd and he would be wasted if he didn't play to these strengths. He didn't have the best grand final but is still young. Gus had an epic grand final. I will love him forever for that game alone.

Yea, I thought Luke J would kinda sneak in under the doggies radar. And given that Max had kicked five in the prelim I think they could be excused. I've heard a few commentators state that the Dogs top ten were better than ours I dont agree, the real issue was that our team bats strongly all the way through. From the Norm smith medalist to our youngest in Bowey we are a club that is simply too talented. If they had paid attention they would have realised that Jackson was going from strength to strength . But I guess there wasn't much the doggies could do to really nullify our ruck duo and it showed.

Every dingbat knows that to win premierships you need your best players on the field. If you don't you'll struggle.

I’m just watching the ANZAC eve match vs Richmond, holy cow he is just such a ridiculously cool customer. I know he was the same (if not better) in the Grand Final but he was so damn good, could’ve been as good a choice for the BOG medal as Petracca. The thing that makes him stand out above just about everybody is that he sums things up so quickly, he does these deft little taps and handballs that he knows he’s likely to cop a hit at the same time. His footy intelligence is just about the highest I’ve ever seen at the club.

One of the best things about Jackson is that he is going to add at least 1-2 more years of quality football for Gawn. Bit by bit Max will hand over over ruck duties, maybe even be rested occasionally, because Jackson has proven he can handle the pressure of being the man in the ruck. Max will probably go down as a modern day great for his achievements already let alone what he could be capable of for the rest of his career. As for the chatter about player X (Gawn, Trac, Oliver) going down and we drop out of the 8. All three go down, well clearly that is the key components the engine going down so let’s see how any side goes with that. But I think if we lose one then there are others ready to step up. (IMO Trac would hurt the most)

The last 10 mins of the third quarter brings me the same amount of joy as having my kids. I pretty much watch the replay daily from the point Daniel dumps Maxy. It will never get old.

The Fridge looks so much better now…

Sensational year. First half especially was very good. Composure Skill Toughness Hits targets ALL AUSTRALIAN SQUAD His finals campaign was excellent. His Grand Final was awesome. In the first half, he was our best player. Clearly a key part of the team. Simply his best year and so hope it’s recognized in B&F. I think Demonlanders had him 3rd behind Trac and Clarry. PS. Tyson + Salem. V. Josh Kelly I’d say it’s evens or we are now slightly ahead !!!

Definitely wouldn’t disagree with you, I think each of them bring something different and equally important to the table. That moment in the GF that Oliver was being tackled by three doggies players and still managed to get a kick out of the congestion was absolute insanity and next level beast mode from him.

Even if u are NOT a dingbat, You still know it!!🤪

This ones the best. Any chance of one with pic of Tom Hawkins face when Max marked in front of goal in round 23?

Many of us related to the guy in the stand. He has been spoken of so often. So clearly a Dee supporter and I have wondered if he lives there or was able to travel. Brilliant image for OUR club.

Said to my daughter after Browns goal "This is it .... Game on from here." 7 and a half minutes later it was over. At 3/4 time time I declared "Another couple quick ones and it'll be party time." Last qtr starts ..... 2 in 2mins. Couldn't have asked for more.

At the time I was just wild with disbelief and awe and adrenaline. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing and there was no time to put anything into words. I think I was just muttering intensely, "We can do this". I actually think I was still in shock from it to some extent that whole final quarter (maybe still now?). Couldn't stop thinking about it, which is a weird thing DURING a grand final! I wasn't sure in terms of victory, but sort of felt like there couldn't be another twist. Felt a lot surer when BBB nailed the first. After that it was just a blur, a beautiful blissful blur. What a gift. It can never be taken away from us.

I think due to Picket's report I think not only will we win this years flag we will win the next 5 flaqs. Keep it up Picket you have become my favorite poster due to these reports.

I’ve had diehard Collingwood and Essendon fans and even Geelong fans (friends) say that that last minute of the third is hands down THE best football they’ve ever seen, by any team, at any time, ever. Ever. ❤️💙

I'm sure it will go down in club history and probably AFL legend as the best minute of footy ever.

Thank you to my sister for this birthday present.