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It's been another great season for Demon fans and Demonland. We didn't make it to the AFL Big Dance although we finished in the top two after the home and away but we're still regarded as an AFL powerhouse and right up there in the premiership window with a real chance in 2023! On top of that our Melbourne AFLW and Casey Demons teams did us proud by holding aloft their respective premiership cups. Taking the opportunity to thank all of you our contributors for your participation in this difficult year for the Melbourne Football Club. In particular, I would like to thank Nasher once again for keeping the site together and to our feature writers @george_on_the_outer , @Whispering_Jack, @The Oracle , @KC from Casey, @Meggs and all of our other contributors for keeping Demonland going throughout season 2022 (in the case of AFLW seasons 2022). And how could I forget our podcast co-commentator @binmanwho does such a great job along with @george_on_the_outerduring the season and sometimes off season too! Also a big thank you to @Whispering_Jack, @Grapevineyand @george_on_the_outer on their tireless and often thankless efforts as Moderators. And a big thank you to @george_on_the_outer & @binman and all of our listeners and callers on the Demonland Podcast. And now, we can look forward to the future. Bring on 2023! Go Dees!!!

A wintery morning, coldish and windy. Great morning for the time trials, headwinds on one side and a tail on the punt rd side. Clarry smashed it. Goody was over the moon, they embraced several times. He is set for a ripper. Looking thin, nearly wirey. He is also showing some leadership qualities. Others out front were Adam Tomlinson, he was in a different group to Clayton but gee, beat Tmac by at least 25 metres. ANB caught the front group. Some bad news, Hibbo was having difficulty with his Achilles, left training. Petracca was the only one missing. So many new players out there. Here are some new numbers, 6 Grundy, 12 Hunter, 19 Schache, 26 Jed Adams, 28 Verral, 33, 38, 39, 43 (Burgoyne?), 45, 46 Sestan, 47 Jefferson and 47 Farris-white. Plenty of train ons. Clarry has the hair bun. Langdon has crewed. Salem white. After the time trials, they got into their boots, and it began. Competitive right from the start. Into two stations, two players competing for position as the ball is thrown in the air, the other was soft tackling as the front player picks up a ground ball. Moved into three stations, short kicks, and the other two I can't remember. They transitioned to handball games with 6 on two in bibs. They then went to two stations, a sim with minimal tackling, (Hunter caught my eye with great outside run and kicks to advantage, Kossie and Sparrow as well). The other was a hard tackling handball game in restricted space. The tackler was not brought to the ground, but was expected to break and get the handball (plenty of noise as they prove to each other their shimmy and ability to stand up). They went to their lines. Looks like TMac is with the back-line, as is Woewodin, and Salem stay there as well. Tomlinson doing some work with the rucks and the back-line. Forwards bringing the ball to ground and snapping. Some mids and forwards kicking down an alley, with a camera under the supervision of Williams for goal. They then got their runners on again and hit up 10, 150 metre, in under 20 sec sprints. Deakin Smith, and Moniz-wakefield, Verral, and Adams on a modified program. Grundy and BBB working together in their individual program. They have moved a gym under the shed where Joel Smith and Angus Brayshaw did light duties and were joined with some of the new players. There may have been some drills I missed, it was a long session and with so many players out, there it was hard to follow. Addit, had a good look at Farris-white kicking when on the run and it was ok, hit lots of his targets. @Tim

A few other random observations, BBB looked to be moving untroubled by his knee, although it was lightly taped. At one stage he was doing a lot of one on one twisting and turning with a trainer. The funniest thing I saw was a drill that Grundy was supposed to be involved in but he was off with the fairies and Clarry had to yell at him and then take him through the drill he was supposed to do. It would have made him feel better a short time later when Choco introduced a couple of drills that were obviously new and everyone struggled. The drills were all about quick and sure ball movement and as soon as they all had got the idea Choco just started barking at them "faster, faster, faster" On the injury front; Joel Smith appeared to be feeling his groin a lot but I've never watched him that close so maybe he has a habit. Clarry had to get the Ventolin puffer out at one stage so him leading his group in the trial is even more impressive. Clarry also left the drills at one stage and was having some discomfort around the wrist and thumb area (hope that's not from the break last year). He got it taped and went back out so should be good. Disco came off and had his left boot off and looked to have tape high on his heel but was more than likely for a blister. Of more concern to me was the the tape down the side of his foot and supporting his big toe. The trainer was manipulating the toe and asking him how it was but he did go back out. Finally, I'm not 100% sure that Pigs issue was the achillies as I saw him pointing to his calf. Could be both. Regardless he has a bit of time before the season start. All in all I was pretty happy with what I saw for the first session back. For those of us who have been observing training for 20yrs, some of us would remember us not looking this good at the start of round one. I almost forgot, during one of the avoiding/breaking tackle drills Melky tried to side step Grundy and Grundy rag dolled him. He put him down gently but it was great to see.

You don't think the coaching staff know what they are getting after 7 years? You think the extra month of early pre-season training is going to give them some sort wonderful new insight into him that the previous 7 pre-seasons have not provided? He hasn't been gifted 2 years, the football department have decided that they want him on the list for the next 2 years because he's better than any alternative that they could have drafted.

A big thankyou right back Andy and to all the hands that make things happen at Demonland. Make sure you rest up over the Xmas period and be raring to go in 2023 the year of the Dee!

There's something wrong with my Demonland. The thanks are flowing in the wrong direction. They should be directed from us, the posters, back to the Demonland admin team. Demonland is a treasured resource. And unlike a lot of social media, it's wholesome, generally truthful and a lot of fun. I bestow my many thanks on Andy and all those who make Demonland what it is.

Also FS prospect Kynan Brown was training and did quite well in the running drills.

Why, Why Why!

Way too early reaction: Adams - big forearms, he’ll end up a solid lad Sestan - 5 days and 1 training session in and he’s already looking leaner and more like an afl player Jefferson - not quite big buckets but he gets a lot of purchase with his fingers around that footy, good size mits Verrall - decent shoulders, probably the most developed of the young talls

First time I've ever seen it. I thought about 10 players participated in kicking down the alley and being filmed. Gets them to really square the hips and shoulders to the goals, and makes for a very straight run up. At one stage they were kicking very accurately and Williams put them another 10 metres out. Be interesting to see if they continue with this, and if others do the program. Looks like another Williams creation.

Right..... so Gosh's next MONDAY for a PF Training report, looks very very likely I can be there!🤩

Height check on Will Verrall

At this rate, by Wednesday, he'll be more ripped than Trac.

Excellent stuff just what I needed Thanks Kev

I hope it doesn't effect his performance.

Officially signed with the Bulldogs. nd

I'll be chatting with Jason Taylor today and playing the interview at 8:30pm on Thursday 8/12. After the interview I hope to be joined by @george_on_the_outer & @binman (if they're available) to have an informal discussion about the draft and of course our wonderful inaugural AFLW Premiership. We'll also take any calls if you have comments or questions you want to contribute. Listen & Chat LIVE: https://demonland.com/podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

I still don't know how that wasn't a 50 against Zorko

Petty trained with the backs. Just on Jefferson, he's a mile off. That's not a knock on him as he looks to have some nice attributes but he needs a couple of pre seasons to add some size.

Backs, there is nothing to suggest he'll be a forward this season from what I've observed

With the added bonus of grammar lessons, the occasional delve into English literature, music of eclectic taste and a bit of history. And some fun quizzes.

Wonder if there will be a report that doesn’t have to follow the name Joel Smith with the words ‘light duties’ or ‘rehab group’? Drafted in 2016 next season will be his 7th AFL season for 28 games. Hope the poor bugger is luckier in love that he is with injuries.

I know I'd screamed myself hoarse by 3/4 time! There was definitely plenty of Demon Spirit at the grand final, loved it! Even the humid weather was enjoyable!

.What annoys me the most is the lack of comment from the club. We are all grown ups. Tell us what is happening or lack of it. Because of lack of info I get the feeling that they don't want to tell us the bad news which is that it is decade off if ever. Why the secrecy? I just don't get it.

Top Row is Jed Adam and Oliver Sestan, Bottom Row is Matthew Jefferson and Will Verrall

Any idea who they are?

Love it. Lots of years growing up at suburban footy grounds. You gotta let em know we're with them when they're dead on their feet in the last QTR of the granny Hey!

CLICK HERE FOR Kev Martin's TRAINING REPORT

I'm sure others have said, but it was extremely loud through the TV as well (helped along by the fact that the Brisbane fans had been silenced and having much of the play down the Dees cheer squad end in the last). It actually reminded me of a comment I'd read on here about the 2021 men's GF, that mid-way through the 3rd someone in the cheer squad said something like, "Next goal, we have to go crazy and not stop til the end of the game, this is it" and well, we all know what happened then. Along similar lines, our players definitely felt that passionate support when it was really needed, against the odds. So happy for those that got up to see it live! I don't even care if this is true, I'm choosing to believe it. (Although apparently Brisbane were always happy to have it at Marvel, so who knows?) I liked how Kate Roffey addressed this at Gosch's the other day - she didn't sugar-coat it at all, describing what happened when the players tried to bounce it on the Saturday (nothing) and that the game plan had to shift in response. I might be misremembering her exact words but she basically said the turf was awful. Luckily for us, it all becomes part of the story now in a positive way. Other favourite parts from Saturday: - The spontaneous applause when the players started to arrive and how everyone (fans and players) was at the same level of excitement. - L.Pearce's apologies for not being able to attend and then her attendance anyway! - One of the twins (was at the back and couldn't see) asking for face painting during Daisy's speech. - The way Kate Roffey always speaks in the down-to-earth manner of a suburban pie night yet still with appropriate gravitas to whatever the situation - she really knows how to make people feel like they're part of the club and even instill a bit of "us and against the world" to it all.

Good luck Sauce. He’s a quality young bloke that was behind too many good players. Simply too good for VFL and needs a chance.

Dear @Demonland, Wot @layzie, @La Dee-vina Comedia, @WalkingCivilWar, @The Third Eye and @DeeZone said! And what so many other fellow tragics (though recently not so tragic!) would say! 🙏

For total number of players used in a season, click here and sort by number of players used (3rd column). West Coast used the most last season with 47; Melbourne the least with 33; AFL average was 38. For number of debutants, click here (not sure how reliable the data is). West Coast had the most with 10; Melbourne the least with 1. For games missed through injury, the AFL usually publishes an annual injury report in May of the following year

Thanks LD-vic, summed up my feelings about Demonland perfectly, the content provided by Demonland and platform facilitate so much informative, humorous and varied opinions that I find myself drawn to this site far more than my better half would like. Anything worth knowing about the Dees and footy in general I find here. Thanks Demonland.!!!

Geez he looked good didn't he, I was up close to that sim and couldn't be more impressed. He's got a bit of a strut going already JVR.

Harris came to Melbourne on the base wage scale. She didn't care how much she was being paid, she just wanted to play football. I do think she deserves to be on a higher tier than that, though!

Demon Army project, WCW? Get Brodie to de-bun and band up?

Both of my daughters are devastated

Maybe if they pick him it would help convince Kozzie that the MFC is the place to be for his future.

Trent Burgoyne training with us in hope to pick up a rookie spot.

They're the new recruits.

Amen to that!

But their hearts were beating true and their Demon Spirit alive and well and that grit enabled us to out tough the Lions. Great win Dees Premiers AFLW S7

Superstitious nonsense. In fact believing in superstitions always brings bad luck 🙄

Part Three - Comparing apples with pomegranates by The Oracle One of the truly pointless exercises after each year’s draft is the game over which club “won” the period in question. The reality is that there is no winner or loser at the time and it’s only years further down the track when a full assessment of how the picks turn out can be made, that the winning hand is revealed. And the draft results cannot be considered in isolation; you need to look at where each club stood before the trades including their original hands, how they traded and drafted and where they stood in the end. It wasn’t so long ago that one so-called “expert” gave Melbourne a C rating for its 2019 draft haul of Luke Jackson, Kysaiah Pickett and Trent Rivers. Less than two years later the trio were all part premiership team. With this in mind, I return to the changes in the make up of Melbourne’s 2022 list in the fortnight after this year’s grand final. The club had failed in its recent finals campaign and then lost exciting young ruckman Jackson who sought to return home to Perth. In the trading period, the Demons acquired three new names in two-time All Australian 203cm tall ruckman and Copeland Trophy winner Brodie Grundy, premiership Bulldog wingman Lachie Hunter (also a past best and fairest for the Western Bulldogs) and his teammate in Josh Schache, a former Larke Medallist and the number two national draftee of 2015. On top of that, the Demons improved their draft position. They now held a current first round pick and two future first and second rounders for 2023. That outcome wasn’t enough to impress all of the pundits but to many, including yours truly, it was nevertheless a satisfactory outcome. In the month before the draft, Melbourne added young basketballer Kyah Farris-White as a Category B rookie on a one year contract brokered by his American agent who initially contacted Jason Taylor via Linkedin. The 206cm beanstalk was tested by Mark Williams who liked what he saw and the youngster will now gain tuition in ruckwork within a system containing two of the game’s best ruck practitioners. With the draft fast approaching, there was speculation that the Demons were preparing to deal aggressively with their future picks to improve their hand but that all came to nought. Perhaps the Demon recruiters are fans of the US musical Hamilton because they decided to use the national draft to select a pair who carry the names of two early American Presidents, Jefferson and Adams. High flying forward Matthew Jefferson from the Oakleigh Chargers has been associated with the Demons ever since they collected a first round selection (which turned out to be 15) in the Jackson trade. The connection was clear and present. One of the club’s needs was a key forward to team up with 2021 draftee Jacob Van Rooyen as Ben Brown and Tom McDonald neared their twilight years. The Under 18 All Australian Jefferson who booted 14 goals in the recent national carnival including a haul of seven against WA was the obvious choice at that point on the first night of the draft meeting. He was also the full forward in the NAB League Team Of The Year. Late in the second round of the following evening, Melbourne snared a Jefferson bookend, Jed Adams, a 196cm key defender from Western Australia. Despite some injury concerns in 2022, Adams is considered a cool and steady customer who could fill Steven May’s shoes when the great man decides to step down. There was no third selection in the national draft. As expected, the club promoted Kade Chandler off the rookie list — a fitting reward for the young midfielder/forward’s patience and perseverance during the Covid pandemic when he played an understudy role at a premiership club, biding his time for opportunities that were hard to come by. The critics provided no universal accolades for the Demons’ drafting exercise. Rather, it was considered as a solid effort. There were no raised eyebrows. Pulses never ran hot. There were no apples to compare with the fruit of the other clubs. So when the rookie draft came a day later, Melbourne did pull a couple of surprises. It bucked the trend of reloading with previously delisted players and continued to go young and tall by selecting an impressive South Australian ruckman who has established some great credentials in his young career. Standing at close to 200cm, Will Verrall is not that far away from accompanying one of the two big guns in the ruck or up forward at AFL level should the need arise. If not, he will develop in their shadows at Casey. Then came the bombshell selection of the smoky of the draft. Strong bodied Xavier College student Oliver Sestan happened to be at the place (Gosch’s Paddock) at the right time when the Paul Connors management team showed off its draft stable to league recruiters late last month. It has been said that Sestan matched it that day with now North Melbourne recruit George Wardlaw. Days later the prolific 186cm goalkicker in junior ranks at Mansfield was a Demon. The experts all asked “who” and I guess we’ll find out some time sooner or later as to whether the speculative selection can play. But that’s not all. The selectors left one place open to be filled during the preseason supplemental selection period or further down the track in next year’s mid season draft. And beyond that, the Demons have two first and two second round draft picks awaiting them when the 2023 trades and draft take place. In the meantime, the lists read like this — PRIMARY LIST: Jed Adams Jake Bowey Angus Brayshaw Ben Brown Kade Chandler Luke Dunstan Bayley Fritsch Max Gawn Brodie Grundy James Harmes Michael Hibberd Blake Howes Lachie Hunter Matthew Jefferson James Jordon Ed Langdon Bailey Laurie Jake Lever Tom McDonald Steven May Jake Melksham Alex Neal-Bullen Clayton Oliver Christian Petracca Harrison Petty Kysaiah Kropinyeri Pickett Trent Rivers Christian Salem Josh Schache Joel Smith Charlie Spargo Tom Sparrow Adam Tomlinson Jacob Van Rooyen Jack Viney Taj Woewodin ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A Judd McVee Oliver Sestan Deakyn Smith Daniel Turner Will Verrell ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B Kyah Farris-White Andy Moniz-Wakefield