Leaderboard

It surprises me a bit* that Melbourne supporters, who watch us play every week, struggle with the concept that Melksham and Dunstan aren’t competing for the same spot in the team. *not at all

Technically the ump should have reversed the free for dissent 😅

That's a huge loss considering how good of a form he is. If Weideman doesn't perform then makes you wonder if it'll ever click for him at AFL level. That's now Langdon, Salem, Harmes, McDonald and Hibberd missing from our premiership side. This will be a mighty win if we get up.

Very harsh. Weideman played well against Essendon and Richmond and was serviceable against GWS and Hawthorn. He is a good player who is struggling to break into a champion team.

7 years in the system for 56 games drafted in the same year as Charlie Curnow, Eric Hipwood and Harry McKay. The fact he's still battling it out at VFL and can't seem to overtake Tom McDonald (realistically that has to be the ideal scenario for us) is imo a concern for his own career. So far this year he hasn't fully grabbed his opportunity ( already been dropped) and now with Jacob Van Rooyen breathing down his neck I would think he needs to grab his opportunity this weekend because Tom McDonald is clearly ahead of him at this stage with his current form. His consistency this year hasn't been up to the standard I had hoped this year.

I think out ins and outs are all system based, as in Viney back = Dunstan out Harmes out = Melksham stays in. if Harmes was recovered and back it would have been Melky out.

Well actually no. The 50 is given for time wasting, running off the mark, dissent or a further infringement against the team with the free kick. None of those existed. There is no time wasting, as the siren went and he gets his kick no matter. If it happened in the game yes of course, but no time was wasted. As the umpire said it was a commonsense decision. Also, to get the look on Reiwoldt's face it was absolutely the correct decision.

Warner kicked it away into the crowd after prestia had a shot to take. I struggle to see any other call than a 50m penalty

Andrew Gaze gets it because he's played at the higher level and knows what it takes. Andrew Maher on the other hand is an absolute dead set plonker.

Not hugely surprising, which we've come to expect these days. Baker, sadly, has never shown enough form at even VFL level to suggest he's ready to become a consistent AFL player, and his AFL opportunities, although limited, have never really been good enough. Well done to Melksham on 200. I'm not sure how many more there will be once Salem, Langdon and Harmes get fit, but here's hoping he puts in a stunner for his milestone.

And the Stand rule relies completely on hearing the umpire was a 50 every day of the week hilarious!

Suck on a fat one Tigers!!! That was 100% a 50. Would be paid at any other point in the game. Massive choke from the umps

Gil should [censored] off now and take Scott with him. Seriously, the umpiring is making this sport hard to watch, that prohibitive contact against Rioli is a joke, not seen anything like the last two rounds. That is Scott and Gil’s handiwork, clowns should go

Ash Barty first slider announced tonight on 7 at half time. Thats awesome.

T Mac offers so much more than Weid, so it's not a like-for-like replacement.

I'd argue the contrary - the fact that a number of sides have gotten close shows the leads can be reined in. Most of those games could have gone either way. It would be a different story if teams were falling 4-5 goals short. Having opposition teams storming home against you every second week is no way to be winning games of football. Our 3-4 goals leads are infinitely safer than Carlton's 6-7 goal leads right now.

Your analysis of the Demons is better than 98% of the so called experts. A few obvious reasons why: 1. Intelligence to follow the original & best football team!!😃 2. Dedication to analysing the Demons, other than MFC FD you spend a lot of time on our Demons, much more than most of the experts spreading their time across 18 teams! 3. Intellect and analytical capabilities of the highest order! Light years beyond Brereton, King, Corne, Riewoldt etc. Also very funny to see some of the analysts who don’t like Melbourne, still can’t admit after one of the most dominant finals & flag winner season, it’s Melbourne then a huge gap. 4. Craig Jennings last year and Buckley this year both see Demons huge advantage over other teams, starting with team defence, then actual backline, transition once again a team activity, and offense locking it in so repeat opportunity to score while opposition stuck defending, as you mentioned above. Thanks Binman for your time, effort and commitment to the cause, you add enjoyment to my following of the Demons! Honourable mentions to Andy & George!! To all those who love talking up the threats from the rest, focus on the following: - read Binmans analysis - rewatch last years finals and the GF - look at the ladder - finals is what matters (getting into ladder position 1 or 2 helps) - remember Blues, Lions and all the other pretenders haven’t done what Melbourne did last years final series. - Lions are a very good team as they were last year, we beat them by 33 points, 4 goals 9 points , 13 more shots, should have been 10 goals in the finals, and are still well ahead of them. In fact Hunt playing small lockdown role do well, puts them further behind. - Blues have some star power, But are 47% behind us, it is huge. Re practice match, that was lovely for their delusional supporters, see how they go in finals. Demons have nothing to prove, we are reigning premiers, 10-0 on top of ladder, some absolute guns in our team, good depth, players commit to role and way of playing selflessly for the team, everyone else is playing catch up! Generally on commentators, they know their audience don’t want to hear, Demons are 5 goals better than the rest, and only way we don’t win flag is a bad day in September, like Tigers in 2018 prelim, but that’s the reality! After 50 pretty crap years, some exceptionally crap, sit back enjoy the ride, even when we only win by a couple of goals, can’t play great every week! Go Demons, crush those Dockers, but the four points and any margin is still a great day!!

And yet we gave away x8 50m penalties. Would have won comfortably otherwise, with a makeshift backline. I think that game is being overplayed. Petty didn't play either.

I think they are underselling some players... Salem is most definitely underrated...out of sight out of mind.

It’s ok - tomorrow morning Auskickers can smack a 9 year old twice in the head

I tell you who’s about to get robbed after that. Me and everyone else that needs Prestia for 25+ possessions in a multi, they still haven’t added his kick after the siren onto his stats.

When is ANY player ever given the benefit of the doubt that they didn’t hear the whistle?? hilarious incompetence!

Ageing well this one BA

Absolutely agree

This is going to be a very tough game now. Tmac has a knack of getting himself back into good form and then getting injured.

Seems a bit of a harsh call to judge him on one game as a late replacement coming off a bye...

This is a wish list not a tipping list. 😄 But yes I agree.

Sydney - Help keep Richmond out of finals Giants - Protects our top 2 spot Crows - Help keep Cats out of top 4 Demons - Cement our top two spot Eagles - Help keep Bulldogs out of finals GCS - Like what they are building Roos - Help keep Saints out of top 4 Coll - Help keep Blues out of top 4 Port - Loathe Ess OK - I know someone teams need to make the top but the harder it is the better.

Lol. I love a posting click bait threads but even I wouldn't post this. 😜 PS: Not accusing you of click baiting just that there is no way we are in any way connected to this. Surely Tex could not leave the Crows given the song and dance he did about loyalty when Lever left them.

100% agree. Goody has been banging on about the three phases of footy (defence, transition and offence/forward) and the need for us to be in good shape across all three phases So many pundits just focus on our defensive system and its effectiveness. And totally ignore how effective our forward line is and how damaging our scoring power is. Earlier in the season i heard Jake Niall question the dog's chances this season becuase they rely on their forward line and don't have a strong defence. Which is true. In making that case he said the template for success now is the sort of system the tigers developed and the Dees have implemented. But in making that case he argued the dees, unlike the dogs, have an average forward line with no real stars because our focus was on recruiting star defenders like May and Lever (suggesting the dogs needed to have done the same). And last night on 360 Nick Riewoldt argued that a 'chink' in our amour was our relative inefficiency in terms of converting inside 50s to scores, noting we were mid table. Both arguments are nonsense. From round 17 last season to the end of the season, inclusive of finals, we averaged something like 107 points. And in Fritter we had the player who kicked the most goals for the full season. More than Hawkins who only played one less game. We are averaging close to 100 points a game this season, and in addition to Fritter we have Brown who has been a runner up in the Coleman twice and Kozzie who is averaging 2 goals per game across his career as a small forward. Throw in Jackson, a resting Gawn, Tmac, Spargs and Nibbler. And Trac sometimes rest forward. By any measure that is an impressive forward line. On Riewoldt's point if we get more efficient we will be even more impossible to contain. But his point ignores, unsurprisingly because he is yet another ill informed football 'analyst', the key driver of a mid table conversion of forward entries (which by the by is not that bad - and is roughly the same as last season) - which is that we are a forward half territory team who looks to overwhelm the opposition with the sheer number of inside 50 entries. And if we don't score a goal, keep it trapped in our half of the ground. Many fans find it frustrating, but our go to tactic of kicking it deep to the pockets is part of this strategy. Again, you only need to actually listen to Goody - he has made the point any number of times this season that we are not looking for perfection. We want the game to look like the Melbourne way, which in regard to forward entries involves prioritizing getting it in there over surgical passes. If those passes are on, sure hit them if possible. But if not just get it inside as quickly and as deep as possible and as Goody has also said a number of times let our smalls go to work. No other team, not even Carlton, will beat us in a shootout. And if we are anywhere near close to being on, even the best teams will struggle to score more than 75 points against us. Which means that to have any chance of beating us, opposition teams have to keep us to a minimum of 75 points. Unless the blues improve their defence dramatically, which is very hard to do in season, they have pretty low chances of holding us to 75 points. In fact the only team who i think does have the defensive system to do so is Freo, which is why i rate them a bigger threat than the blues (though the problem for freo is the opposite of the blues - they struggle to score heavily). The other big issue for the blues is that they are not fit enough. And these days fitness is one of the biggest factor in how effective defensive systems are because of the huge amount of running involved to keep zones in shape, zoning off to impact contests and to cover outlet kicks. Another issue the blues face when playing us is their weapon is their forward line, and in particular their ability to take contested marks inside 50. As we have shown against Naughton and King this year, no other team is better at shutting down opposition tall forwards (we are number one for fewest opposition marks inside 50). Their other big weapon is their terrific midfield and how physically strong they all are. They have been smashing teams at the contest and are number one i think for score from stoppages. But at the very least we can neutralize that advantage because in Trac, Oliver, Gawn and Viney (and solid back ups in Sparrow and Harmes) we also have a beast of midfield that can match it for power and strength with any team.

Nobody can tell me that Richmond’s list was better than ours when they were winning flags. Dusty is a stand out beyond most players ever seen in the AFL for his pure ability to dominate finals. But aside from him we are a better balanced side with more A graders.

LOL very few dynasty teams had more than 5 champions. We have 5 champions and another 10 A graders who would walk into every single side in the competition. Ridiculous discussion.

The work experience kid responsible for SEN's social media needs to improve their basic promotional techniques. Assuming of course this tag line in the tweet promoting the audio clip was actually trying to encourage people to listen to the clip (maybe they were trying to protect people and wanted to discourage anyone to press play lest their brain explode - if so that stregy certainly worked for me): What makes this @melbournefc so good? @HawthornFC great Dermott Brereton gives his analysis

Glad I read the comments before listening to the audio! Saved me from enduring 3 of my least favourite commentators.

Its both. You need a good system, but you then need players that can implement that system consistently. That is both talent and attitude. At the moment we have all three and it shows. Other teams have had it (Hawks, Tigers, cats), but we see when over time when talent gets older its harder to maintain the system. So ongoing development and refreshing the list is important.

An excellent system/game plan with loads of talent is a sure-fire way to success But our all-over defence cannot be understated ... without that all over the ground method, there would be gaps for the opposition to exploit So we've got all the key elements for September football. The other good teams don't have all the attributes And Salem will add a lot when he returns ... but without him we're 10-0!! Should have been All-Australian last year as he ticked every box and had an A+ year (in a Premiership team)

Bedford is a ripper. Smart player, good skills, good decision maker and is super fit And has one key attribute that makes him AFL ready - genuine speed.and an ability to maintain that speed over distance.

Ridiculous comment. Chances are earned, not given. All of those players have had times where they've had to earn another chance. Sparrow's first couple of years were very similar to Baker's, with almost the exact same number of games ('chances'). Do you honestly think their different trajectories since then is due to purely being given opportunities? Rubbish. Jordon's were even tougher due to injury but he earned chances and took them. Spargo's 2nd and 3rd years he had to do the hard yards, Harmes struggled early too. 'Given games'... Please.

The week after the bye is never easy and the local derby against an improving Frankston will be a challenge for the undefeated Demons. VFL: Local Derby for Demons Our VFL side takes on Frankston in round 10 of the Smithy’s VFL season. The Dolphins would be the closest VFL club only 30 minutes down the road and have won their past two games on the trot to turn their season around. The last time we faced off against the Dolphins was back in 2019 when we prevailed in the wet by 5-points in the last game of the season over an improving Frankston outfit. The action starts at 2:05 pm, Sunday 29th May; Gate 1 for GA will open from 12:00 pm. MATCH DETAILS 
VFL
 Frankston V Casey Demons
Date: Sunday 29th May 
Time: 2:05 pm (AEST)
Location: Skybus Stadium TICKETING 
Purchase Tickets Here: https://www.intix.com.au/events/round7-frankstonfcvcaseyfc

He is about 30 isn't he ? It would have to be geelong.

0 chance it's us. Would be out of Freo and Saints IMO.

While I doubt it's us, he would add potency in an area where we can appear to need new options... i.e. tall forward. And on his day is a genuine gun.

I doubt Melksham would be playing if it wasn't his 200th game. However, as we did with Jones, the club has shown respect to our senior citizens and assisted them to reach significant milestones. With Hames, Langdon and Salem all due to return soon, Melksham might not get another chance to get to his milestone match. So, it's a smart selection at this time. It's not like he's keeping out an obvious choice instead.

When I saw Dermott & analysis in the same sentence I should have known not to bother. Seriously one of the dumbest commentators in football. Uses long winded monologues to cover but how does the old saying go about opening your mouth & proving it…ah yes this is the one. Mark Twain

I think they have a hard time accepting that we are this good. Further to that would be last year was not a fluke I admit that I do at times as well because, to be really candid, most people alive on the planet today have only known us to be an utterly terrible team.

Well that's 9 mins I'll never get back. Andy Maher thinking he's come up with something profound when blind Freddy has been saying for 15 years the game isn't one on one anymore. The only thing that matters is premierships. How good we are compared to other teams comes down to how many flags we win.

Not sure where you got your info from LN... Baker only played one match last year against Norf. The other two matches unused sub. His stats in the Norf game... 10 effectives & 66.7%, one 1 percenter, 2 clearances, 1 rebound 50, 6 inside 50s, 4 tackles, 4 score involvements, 2 intercepts, 315 meters gained & 3 turnovers. His only significant season (non-covid regular) was 2019 where, as i think you may have correctly pointed out (or someone did), he played 9 matches. 5 of those consecutive from Rnds 9 to 13. Another block of 3 games from Rnds 19 to 21. His statistical averages from those 9 matches indicate a pretty sub par outcome for the season backing up those who are suggesting he was given a number of chances but didn't cut the mustard (at AFL level). 3 other consecutive matches in 2020 from Rnds 16 to 18. Again pretty sub par statistically but he had plenty of mates that season!

Looks like some people arent watching the Grand Final often enough. Gus was enourmous.

No idea. I am just watching the Games Angus has been Top Shelf this year and a large part of last year

Gus is on Par with Jake Lever