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Just a side praise of Brayshaw. Pre-match I was keeping an eye on Weiderman and Brayshaw was almost always with him, he was pumping him up, giving him hugs and keeping him chipper. Then after the game he game he was full of praise for Sam when being interviewed. Gus is the perfect example of a clubman, so much love for the bloke.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned and was the absolute highlight for me. Tom Sparrow's game saving tackle on Jake Stringer in the centre. Essendon had momentum and Sparrow stopped him right on his tracks.

Jeepers this thread is the Demonland of old. We have five best 22 players out, including four from the backline. We had A-grade players down on form (Gawn, Trac, May). We were horribly inaccurate early. We were off a six day break from a humid GC game. But we scored 99 and won by 5 goals. That’s a remarkable win IMO. We are supposed to be dropping games right now with our outs - remember Richmond in one of their flag years lost a stack of games early when they had injuries but rallied late? Essendon flooded back and dragged us down to their level. Teams are going to do that and when we’re not perfect we won’t blow teams away each week. @praha’s got this 100% right. Oliver outstanding, Brayshaw fantastic whilst being played out of position. Loved Jordon’s run, and Weideman surely pushes TMac out next week. Problems of course - the Hunt, Tomlinson, Smith trio are no good in the same backline and all three at times struggled tonight. Pickett’s struggling to get involved on offence, but his defence is still there. Spargo is sort of everywhere and nowhere. And Gawn’s badly out of form IMO. But honestly, we’re 3-0, already knocked off two of last year’s finalists and a 2022 finals contender, and we have seriously good cavalry to come back. This is happy days, not sad.

Always a great result beating Essendon, no matter the score line you just want the win! First off, the Bombers brought some heat. They had been smashed in the centre first couple of weeks, and hadn’t brought a lot of pressure, but they brought all of that. In years gone by we would’ve wilted, or even been scared. But this group ups the ante when other teams bring pressure. They go to level 3, we go the level 4, they go level 5, we go level 6. There just always seems to be an extra gear that we can go to. My thoughts on the players: Gus was BOG for me, very harsh on my next player but IMO Gus played such a massive role for us last night. 20 marks for a midfielder is insane and he used it really well ALL NIGHT. Clarry second BOG, on a night where Trac is quiet you simply can’t imagine Clarry not having a big one. He was a midfield machine, clearance and after clearance, and while he wasn’t as clean with his kicking as Gus he was just so crucial at the important moments. Wied….ah Weid!!!! How good was that!? First game back in the team for ages, let’s also be honest he hasn’t had great form of late in practice matches and VFL (to be fair it annoyed me they didn’t give him one full pre-season match at FF). I don’t know any Melbourne fan who would’ve back him in to have 7 shots at 4.3. How amazing would it be if it’s clicked for him? Honourable mentions for Smith, Jackson, Bowser (what a gem!), and Viney (for his first half). I also have to say Langdon’s goal was absolutely ludicrous, his reaction reminded me of Akermanis when he couldn’t believe his goal had gone through. Call it reward for tireless effort. I would say we’re going at about 70% at the moment and putting on the burners when needed. While ideally I would love us to be putting teams away earlier, this has a very familiar feeling to last season. Just keep banking the 4 points and doing what needs to be done.

If two years ago someone told you we’d be 3-0 to start 2022 after winning the flag in 2021, coming off 9 straight wins and not being in great form, missing Lever, Salem and some tall guy we got from North, you’d smack them in the face and tell them to get off the crack. Appreciate what you have in this team please!

Rank Player (Country) Career Mat Inns 🦆 1 Joel Selwood (Geelong) 2007–2022* 335 335 1359 2 Courtney Walsh (West Indies) 1984–2001 337 264 54 3 Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) 1989–2011 586 651 53 4 Glenn McGrath (Australia) 1993–2007 376 207 49 5 Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) 1997–2015 652 725 47 6 Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) 1997–2015 442 383 46 7 Wasim Akram (Pakistan) 1984–2003 460 427 45 8 Zaheer Khan (India) 2000–2014 309 232 44 Shane Warne (Australia) 1992–2007 339 306 44 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) 1996–2018 524 508 44

Harmes was very solid AGAIN tonight. He has some tank and is always buttering up / presenting when the chips are down. While maybe not THE most talented player in the team, the bloke has amazing grit and character and never takes a backward step. Don't underestimate the hurt factor either. He hits & tackles hard and other players know he's about. Hard as a cats head & built like a tank.

He had a double pressure smother that then went down the other end when the game was there to be grabbed. He is not missing, mate, you’re not looking at the right things.

Face palms for anyone that suggests dropping Joel Smith

Just move Gold Coast down there. They can adjust their name to Cold Coast.

Imagine how good he’ll be when he hits puberty

Don't want to get to far but gee if Daisy could hold that cup up after max got to do it & I hope the girls are so motivated to win it not only for themselves but for Daisy it would just be so good.

Anyone who was at the ground yesterday could see how aggressively Essendon was flooding our forward half. Their strategy was clear, stop us scoring so they stay in the game long enough to maybe attack and win the game. To their credit it worked, and our pathetic goal kicking certainly helped. They opened up the play in the second half and got some good clearances, which coincided with Gawn going into the middle. That helped them isolate Wright 1-1 who is not only hard to stop but who is a very good kick. May was doing really well in the first half when the game was a defensive slog, but when you let opposition waltz out the front of the clearance you can’t stop their big forwards from marking. Overall you could see we are a class above. We played in small patches and just destroyed them with ball use. If we kick straight the game is done at 1/4 time. But because we are conserving energy we powered ourselves on for small patches to secure the win and take the wind out of their sails just when they thought they had a sniff. We are not at our best and clearly nowhere near the same fitness level as this time last year. But professional quality sides make things happen and we keep making wins happen.

I'm not exactly sure what you want our small forwards to do. Ten tackles between them. Put opposition defences under enormous pressure. Huge part of our game plan along with ANB. If you have to replace them then Bedford and Chandler are next cabs off the rank. I'm not convinced either of them can do what Kozzie or Charlie could.

Some of you are absolutely cooked. I'm sorry but that was a fantastic game. Professional. Composed. Never gave in to the Essendon pizazz. They kept nibbling at us all game and we just went to another level each time. Great teams always win those type of games by 5-7 goals. Essendon isn't terrible. They'll steal some wins. That was the type of wins that great teams steal. Never in doubt. How many times have we been in Essendon's position? Good but not good enough? That was a great win. Change my mind.

We played a tough game in really hard conditions 6 days ago and have most of our backline out, the players deserve a bit more credit We won by 5 goals

Goodwin just said Lever and Brown to play next week.

Brayshaw - prolific and clean Oliver - best on ground Langdon - back to best Gawn - great second half Petracca - good not great Harmes - some isolated highlights Bowey - continues to excel Rivers - was generally safe Weideman - took his chances May - met his match Viney - some important connections Jordon - impressive first half Fritsch - quiet until last Jackson - held his own Hunt - good and evil Spargo - had limited involvement Sparrow - was rarely sighted Smith - limited but impressive Pickett - pressure was important Tomlinson - quiet but safe McDonald - needed more involvement Neal-Bullen - quiet until last

Selwood praised for breathing air

To a certain extent, just winning consistently by the modest, but comfortable 20 - 30 point margins we do builds a healthy %, particularly when we restrict the oppositions scoring to such low levels, but agree it's much more important to be walking away with the 4 points every week and solidifying out spot towards the top of the ladder. The systematic, almost clinical way we have developed over the last season or so to bank the wins has been somewhat of a revolution for me in my time watching the might Melbourne Demons.

Loved this analogy 😅 Very apt. Gonna repeat it to the Essendon fools I know this week. Caught 'em early and made them look 3rd rate.(If only we could've kicked straight) Whenever they made a run and thought they had a chance we'd lift, say "nope" and kick a couple for breathing room. Got to the business end of the game and we just went chomp, chomp , chomp to snuff 'em out. Will admit I got anxious during the 3rd but that was my MFCSS kicking in. I can accept we'll lose a game here and there but not to Essendon god dammit. They've been the source of much disappointment over the years. After last years finals series the boys set the bar very high and I just want us to flogg every-one every week. Still getting used to us being good .... Really good. I'm a work in progress.

I think it's an easy call? You drop the bloke that's been completely out of form since the Hawthorn game last year.

Oliver out of this world Outstanding game. We would have been lost without him

Great call. Kicked a ripping set shot in the second quarter as well when we were struggling to convert in front of goal.

I know it was an ugly win but we all wake up tomorrow morning knowing we beat Essendon & that's a good start to the weekend

Love demonland after a win. Some are very hard to please. Let’s not forget where we were for a very very long time. We are winning ugly but I will take that over losing any day.

IN: Brown, Lever OUT: McDonald, Hunt

Just finished the latest Demonland podcast, which was excellent as always from @Demonland, @george_on_the_outer, and @binman(presumably all Demonlanders who podcast are loyal listeners, and if not, shame on you), and wanted to put my two cents in on the subject of injury timelines. The first thing, maybe obvious but easily forgotten, is that no injury has certainty in respect to return time. It’s a highly imperfect science. As an example, take Steven May’s PF hamstring tear last year. ‘Industry rule’ is that there’s no such thing as a ‘less than 3 week hamstring’. May had a big tear… 6 cm I think was quoted, but uncomplicated. That he returned in 2 weeks is exceptional (as were the circumstances of course), and that he didn’t worsen the tear in the game (statistically a much higher risk) also exceptional. Another situation could just as easily present a 3cm uncomplicated tear that doesn’t allow a return inside 5 weeks. That would be unexpected, but not outside normal variability. Think too about what we (the world, INCLUDING Steven May) were told, which was effectively nothing other than that he would undergo a fitness test pre-GF. Was it back-related, muscular, neuropathic, who knew? Only a select few, and nobody outside the club. It served the club and Maysie very well. This speaks to two things…..the unknowns and variables contributing to full recovery, and the need to nuance expectations. In this case it was not letting the player, his teammates, the media (can you imagine the circus?), the supporters (imagine too the meltdown) and the opposition know what he was dealing with. Again, served the club brilliantly. From a rehab professional’s perspective, the path to full recovery is rarely completely linear - in obedience to expectations and thus predicted timelines. Accurate predictions happen, and we love those situations obviously, but we’re always only working from a pool of ‘like’ injuries and outcomes. On a long enough timeline, injuries/pathologies/surgical interventions fall into patterns, but their behaviours thereafter adhere only to an inevitable bell curve, regardless of expertise in treating and managing the recovery. Sad to say, but when the club says the dreaded 4-6 weeks, they really mean 3-10 (or more) to encompass the ends of the bell curve, and that’s without unexpected but possible associated complications that can arise from the initiation injuring - think a calf tear changing the weight-bearing biomechanical chain that could create a back problem. Even the most objectively definable injuries (a simple transverse fracture, let’s say mid-radius - forearm bone - which follows a 4 week bony ‘union’ and 8 week ‘consolidation’ (actually it’s not even that simple) are prone to variability and complication. That said, we love ACL reconstructions (which again are not linear) because 95% are game ready by 12 months - it’s a long timeline that allows resolution of various issues that often crop up during rehab. The biggest issues, and the ones I think where @binman is asking for improvement (on the podcast), are transparency in respect to diagnosis (read reason/injury), progress, and then ‘honest’ expectations of weeks to game ready. The last issue I’ve talked about. It’s essentially unknown, and there can only be a running prediction based on relative progress. This is why the club tell us when there’s a ‘test’…..means they’re getting very close. Diagnosis is tricky, particularly when it’s not simple. Initially, how much do you want to know, and do you promise to not consult Dr. Google or go reciting so-and-so who had the ‘same’ diagnosis and was a) out for the season, b) never played again, or c) was game ready earlier than the club is saying for player X? Helps nobody. All injuries are essentially unique at source, and subject to differences along the journey to recovery. It helps nobody when media/fans are scrutinising expectations and progress based on no knowledge of that player’s day to day changes (or morning to arvo changes!). It’s hard enough managing player expectations (‘indestructible’ twenty-somethings whose livelihood is being threatened) let alone the larger football world. Harry Petty had a calf corky. I’ve explained in another thread what the complication to this might have been. If you want the club to explain this in detail, and why his recovery is more protracted, then expect it to be a very fluid day to day process. Should the club provide daily updates, even when they can’t be more accurate about likely game readiness? Or should they give the best info they have about likely game return without delving into details that don’t change anything, not forgetting there are issues of privacy and a tactical need to keep some things close to their chest? I suspect there’s a tendency firstly to resort to feelings that sometimes the club doesn’t respect the supporters enough to offer comprehensive explanations, even when it doesn’t change the ‘4-6’ prognosis, secondly that they’re hiding some sinister weirdness about the player’s injury (wouldn’t be like supporters/media to catastrophise of course). Worse still, I’ve often read people suggesting the medicos, physios, conditioning staff must ‘not know what they’re doing’ - mostly when we’re not winning premierships 😜. In summary, there are mostly excellent, ordinary reasons for opacity around injury/return timeframes. Otherwise, put simply, you can’t please all the people all the time - even with depth and detail of information.

They're not even GWS supporters. The fire alarm went off in a nearby high rise apartment block and the designated muster point is Giants Stadium.

Well done ladies. Can't say the same for the umps. They were putrid. Shelley Heath fantastic

Was already mentioned I think but looking back at the highlights, the two goals by Harmesy when everyone else seemingly couldnt convert were pivotal. The wingers club had an absolute night out, what a game from gus and lingers!!

You can’t cover the loss of players like Jackson. He’s a generational talent.

Sometimes Brayshaw's value to the team gets questioned, because he's been squeezed out of an elite midfield and could have become a bit of a third wheel. When we are winning well, he is often quiet stats wise, which reinforces that. But the way he has embraced his new role and the team first attitude he embodies are second to none. Further when the chips are down and we're under fire, I find it's when he seems to most rise to the challenge, dig deep and keep us in the game. Lingers Langdon is similar in this respects. Core part of the team and great to see him getting the recognition he deserves for his hard work. Doesn't play second fiddle to Clarry, Trac and Viney at all, just plays diferntly and plays a different role.

I liked this one the best. Melbourne’s wings make everyone’s half backs look stupid. They close down space really well

Surprised to see that Jordon finished with only the 16 touches. Seemed to be around the ball a lot and generally used it well. Really liked his game tonight.

No way mate. You’ve just forgotten what losses feel like.

SOOOOO happy for Weids!!!!!! You could FEEL his confidence growing as the game went on. ❤️💙

Those posters who called an end to Weid’s career in the Casey thread last week, the floor is yours.

I've got no problem with them being called the Devils. I think it's by far the most natural and logical thing for them to be called and one that their population down there could all rally behind, which is important, because as a lover of the game more broadly, I think Aussie Rules needs Tassie to have a team and for it to succeed as a club. If the league is big enough to have Crows, Magpies, Eagles and Hawks, Lions, Tigers, Cats and Dogs, then I think it would be fine to have Demons and Devils. In fact I'd look forward to having an evil battle of the underworld against a potential Tassie team.

Over the journey, Goodwin has talked about our high level of i50 and playing in our front half. When we do that, and minimise the opps i50 we win regardless of our goal kicking accuracy. He coaches to win not so much for %'age.

It’s more than an I think, I suggest the mass of strapping around his knee is the give away. Clearly not moving tonight with his standard power and step through the stoppage. I would not be surprised if he is rested on a short turnaround unless its something that improves with time rather than rest. I am curious to see if any VFL players are not played today due to the short turnaround.

Forward pressure creates goals for others (midfielders + tall targets). It's all about the sacrifice. Kozzie kicked a couple of nice goals last week and Spargs a good goal on the run tonight. They're contributing.

I wish the whole team would adopt BBB's set shot routine. Ive tried it down the park and it works a treat. Besides it'd be hilarious.

Kudos to some of the younger boys Jordon, Bowey and Rivers barely put a foot wrong all night.

Goody: Lever back next week Petty VFL next week or the week after

Smith quietly becoming one of our best in the back 6 Very consistent start to the year

Massive shout out to Harmes' 2 third quarter goals. Very important.

20 marks for Gus!!! Wow…