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I really think people are being very harsh on Grundy‘s performance. He did drop a couple of marks and this was his first game since Round 6 and it was in 33 degree heat. He did a couple of really nice things and that goal was great.

Great way to spend sat morning with the kids. Stocked up on merch (polo shirt, guernsey for my daughter, baseball caps, beer stubby holders etc.), saw Benny (quality human being) get the hair shorn and heard from Daisy and Goody My boy reckoned the best part of the day was the free ice cream! I made him promise to come to at least 3 games with me this year. Unprompted he said he would definitely come to the grand final with me. I'm taking that as a good omen. Daisy spoke very eloquently as usual. Other highlight was Goody saying the team had unfinished business and wanted to win it at the G for us. You could tell he meant it rather than playing to the gallery. And he said Gawn and Grundy are known as the Tap Brothers! Libby Birch reckoned there was 3,000 people there. I reckon that was about right. Well done MFC. Very enjoyable day. The queues were too long but I don't think that could be helped. Just means the team are popular. Go Dees

I'll also add that I thought Jake Bowey was superb off half back. Didn't realise he was so strong overhead and took a couple of good intercept marks. Bit scratchy at the start but as the game wore on he got better and his ball use and drive off half back was excellent. He's best 22 now. 3rd year now and I expect him to make big strides in his game. Watching Riv go through the midfield is salivating. Powerful 188cm 88kg type with speed and and a booming kick who could really change the dynamic of our midfield set up. Looks fit and ready to go.

Not sure what game people are watching that say we were horrible up forward, 16.9. not only did we kick straight we kicked 100 points without our leading goal kicker for the past 2 seasons. Grundy was fine and if you watch the game closely his presence opens up a lot of other opportunities in our fwd line which is why he floats around the 50m arc and pushing up creating space behind him. with those extra tall targets the likes of ANB, Sparrow, Kossie and Chandler look so much more dangerous with more crumbing opportunities. BBB was good up fwd and T-Mac working hard around the ground and taking fwd 50 ruck which allows both Gawn and Grundy to set up a kick behind play means we will see a lot of opposition turnover leaving our D50 either from kicking to those two or skill errors trying to avoid them. All in all its as much as we could ask for in our first hit out against AFL opposition

I had the Saints as bottom 4 this year and that performance did not change my opinions. The Ross the boss marriage isn't going to work for them sorry to say saints fans. It was a solid hitout. Game was more designed to blow the rust out and get out game plan into gear. Alot of positives to take out the game. The Gawn Grundy combo worked as well as I thought for a first hiout. Grundy still finding some touch after missing majority of last season with a serious ankle injury. He'll be cherry ripe for round 1. Chandler is best 23 for me. Thought he was zippy at times. Loved his work. Hunter. It's easy to get caught up in the whole Petracca/Oliver dominance but I thought Hunter was BOG for me. His ability to find space and keep his length was very impressive. Not only that his left foot got him out of trouble a fair few times. So excited for his inclusion. Honestly could be the recruit of the year. McVee was very impressive. At one stage he outmarked Higgins and beat a two on one which he was the one. On today's performance he's almost a lock for round 1. Can't believe his rapid rise. Good to also see Benny Brown and Tom McDonald move well. They both just need more practice and should be ripe for round 1. Kozzie just did kozzie things. Surpreme talent. On a negative. Not entirely sure where James Harmes is at. Thought he was poor and gave away a few free kicks. He looks like a guy that knows he's slowly sliding down the pecking order to the point where's he over thinking things when he's out there. Do wonder if taking that Essendon would have been more beneficial for his career. All in all a pretty solid performance. Saints were going all out while we were just cruising. Get another solid out against the tiges and I think we'll go into Round 1 looking fit and ready to go.

I was standing in in the shady pocket at the southern end (wind was blowing towards me). My observations were: Hunter's disposal is going to be very valuable this year - he had some fantastic F50 entries, as well as some kicks into the corridor off half back that setup shots on goal. Max's ruck work was amazing at times Him and Grundy cover a lot of ground for big guys Ball movement was lightning quick at times, with a lot of quick hands There was some rusty moments, and brain fades as is expected for the first game of the year Lever looked in great form while he was playing JVR ensures he rarely loses a marking contest Our two way running was immense, especially in the heat We looked to have a 'slow it down' mode when the Saints built momentum McVee has great acceleration, lateral movement, and composure to go with good skills The Demon Army were in great voice, standing in the sun all game - @WalkingCivilWar you must all be pretty beat! Saw Tracc and Clarry leave the facility when we left in the 6th - I didn't expect them to drive out in a RAV4 and BT-50 with a taped on front guard 😄

Humour works best when you don't faucet.

Good summary Dazzle. There's a lot to like - injured players now fit including TMac and BBB; Hunter and Grundy are significant upgrades on Hunt and Jackson; players are showing significant natural improvement including Rivers, McVee, Chandler and AMW; players showing promise including Verrall, Jefferson and KFW; and no injuries.

Ran into the boys as we were leaving the venue. They just completed a 30 minute running session on the square oval next to the main car park. Took a couple of snaps of my son with a few of his favourite players. He was star struck ! As was I 😂

The following is not necessarily particular to yesterday's game (but some instances pertaining did occur) Bombing it deep when we're outnumbered deep often leads to uncontested marks to the opposition. And when our forwards get to the contest from those long bombs we rarely take marks anyway. As a percentage play, it doesn't work consistently enough Far more thinking is required with our forward 50 entries. And all our forwards need to be on the move too in order to create multiple options. Playing in front and/or creating separation is a must It's really not all that complicated ... lowering the eyes should be a prerequisite for our midfielders Hate to say it but we could learn a bit by how the Pies go about it So we get the first bit right ... a midfield that gets an abundance of the ball thus creating lots of forward 50 entries If we want to win another flag we need to be far more efficient heading into the forward line

I popped in for a little while. Seemed to be well organised, and a very pleasant atmosphere. No sign of Max, Angus, Trac, Viney and a few other A graders when I was there. Perhaps they turned up later? I had short chats with Kozzy & Langers ... both really nice. I asked Kozzy if he was signing on for next year. He said yes. I asked if I could record that ... he said no!! I asked Langers about his rib injury from last year. Supposedly 'bruised'. He said that he had broken ribs ... x 4 !! Which is obviously why his form dropped off so much.

The sausage and bread always reliable and those cupcakes were delicious. Great job Demon Army.

First photo of a shorn BBB!

Hibberd on his last legs? Yeah nah. Was a gun in the second half of last season when we bought him into the seniors. Thought he was by far our best defender and close to best on ground in the second hit-out. A class above. In my mind, if he's fit, he plays ones. Brings so much hardness, toughness, never sat die and just a ripping player and defender. If we're cruising I think it would be something of a luxury to have him play seconds to mentor the next crop of defenders, but back end of last season, he was definitely a required commodity in the senior side. I did like the look of McVee though. Thought Rivers and Bowey were also good, so there is going to be tough competition for spots. Disco was good in the second game and that was a great screamer he pulled down.

Are you upset that footy isn’t played like it’s 1994 any more or did you miss the number of times BBB and Tommy were hit or attempted to be hit on the lead inside 50? Hunter had 3 or 4 himself. Teams defend with all 18 and can’t leave someone in the square. They lead back in to that space on quick transition. It’s still a lead to the hot spot it just comes in reverse. With Grundy’s first game and no Fritsch I thought the hit up leads were fine. The lack of pressure after long kicks concerned me more.

100% agree on all three. It looks like Mcvee has Salem's spot for now. Nice kicking action and finds targets. The team really got around him early when he hit up a forward with a sweet hit that set up a [censored] on goal. Hunter's kicking inside 50 is exactly what we need. In addition to setting up scores, he creates a problem for oppos trying to bypass Langdon. I love that both have shaved heads. I think a key factior in how much Grundy improves us will be how well he and maxy combine. It might take the first handful of games to build their chemistry. If/when they click they will be a formidable combo given their size, ruck craft and incredible fitness. That combo is an improvement on maxy and Jackson. So that's a win right there.

I’m excited to see Brown looking more mobile and threatening but the clear issue IMO is maintaining that. He looked great this time last year and Round 1 was arguably his best game for the season. Very keen to know if the tweaks to his pre-season will pay off. Will change us demonstrably if he’s closer to his best.

Pretty excited to see Riv getting more midfield time. He has the build that could see him really excel. Hunter is going to be an important pick up on that evidence. Not sure if he missed a single target. Hoping that was a sign of things to come from BBB. He was solid. Love JVR’s follow up when the ball hits the ground. You can tell he has a great attitude.

I don’t think it’s entirely fair to compare with a side like the Pies who are an all out attacking force. They hit up quality inside 50’s because they stream from half back and through the corridor. Do that and you’ll get open spaces to lead in to. Whilst we are clearly encouraging more risk and speed of ball movement from half back it’s not entirely how we want to pay. We’re happy to have slower build ups, to use the boundary more and to then attack in to a more crowded 50 that allows us to lock it in. I thought we showed an appropriate level of rebound and run from half back for the first game out. If we keep building on that we’ll get attacking looks inside 50

As bad as the Saints were, and I can't see them doing too much this year, Ross Lyon is too good a coach to tolerate mediocrity. Also, he comes out of the Paul Roos camp, where pre season games are for practicing and trying things, not winning. Unfortunately, I think Spargo and Chandler might be fighting for the same spot. As good as Chandler was, some of Spargo's field kicking and tackling was off-the-charts brilliant. His goal assist work is vital to our attack so would still give him the nod. Sparrow and Harmes look to also be fighting for the same spot. At this stage, Sparrow looks the goods but Harmes can also play the lock down role, and when if he finds his best, his work rate and kicking help us arrest momentum from opposition. He often helps win those 50/50 balls around the ground. I can't wait for JVR to debut, but seeing TMac and BBB fit and firing was great to witness. Put Fritsch in there with all three of them fully fit, our forward line looks strong, multi-faceted and dangerous. I reckon next week against the Tigers will clarify so much more.

I have to say it was impossible watching at the ground to work out what sort of game plan Lyon is running with. And they looked pretty bloody average.

McVee played on Higgins most of the time. When Higgins was a high half-forward he followed him and beat him one on one, and also did the zoning where he covered two players (competed well when he had to go the ball), he also followed Higgins around the goal square area. Had great acceleration, stepped, shimmied, ran at good angles, competed in the air and hit targets that got the ball moving. He also pressed high up to just outside the forward 50 arc.

Thanks Ethan, a number of interesting and important issues here. However, I shall make no comment because I cannot stand Rita Panahi - a sanctimonious, headline hunting, self righteous excuse for a journalist whose carping adds little to any serious debate and whose sole raison d'être appears to be promulgating the views of her political masters.

That’s true. But they’re still not a great measure of who we will be competing against in finals. I am much more interested to see how we go against Richmond next weekend.

Both Gus and Vines were dependable as they usually are.

100% bowey is in our best 22. For one thing he is one of of only a handful if elite kicks we have. And he has footy smarts and plays that critical half back distributor role super well. Though needs someone on the other side. Would/will be salem. Suspect it will be mcvee round one (which would make for 2 young half back flankers). His dropping last year felt like a development thing to me, perhaps to temind him AFL is not all about rocking up and winning.

Positives from seconds game were Ferris White will be a gun . Can't teach height and he is up there wth Max. His first hit out with a flip ovr the back was a beauty. Runs well and can take a grab. The other was Verrell - more a key position player than a ruck and seems to have footy smarts. Give them both a couple of years to grow their bodies, but maybe earlier.

After yesterday’s handy efforts in the match sim i thought I’d highlight what Tony Bamford, the South Australian U18 coach had to say about Will ”Because at his best, Will Verrall is as good as (Harry) Barnett. So (AFL) clubs are doing some work on Will Verrall now based on what he did as a 17-year-old, knowing it was at a really high level.” The Harry Barnett that he is talking about was considered the best ruck prospect in the draft and who went to West Coast at pick 23. Also interesting to note that when asked to describe himself in one word Will answered with ‘mobile’. A young, mobile, 200cm interstater. Sounds vaguely familiar ….. Edit Draft Combine results Running vertical jump: Equal 3rd (90cm) 20m sprint: 3.05 seconds

He looks a great get for us. Runs all day like Ed, but a better user of the ball. He really improves us.

Chaplain interview on MFC site sounds like it will be Trac and Koz Mid/Forward > Forward/Mid and they will send Koz in for a couple of bursts. I reckon Koz time will be something like 60:25:15 FWD/MID/INT.

B: Lever, May, Bowey HB: Hibberd, Petty, McVee C: Langdon, Oliver, Hunter HF: Spargo, McDonald, Neal-Bullen F: Fritsch, Brown, Pickett FOLL: Gawn, Viney, Petracca IC: Rivers, Brayshaw, Chandler, Grundy SUB: Harmes (or Sparrow) Based on preseason feedback and that performance, McVee will be close to impossible to keep out of the round 1 side. With Bowey and McVee this can allow for Brayshaw to rotate mid (ahead of Harmes and Sparrow who were limited) and Rivers in spurts to change it up. With Pickett playing some mid minutes and Spargo/ANB playing the high half forward we need to give Chandler a good run at it. Has the tools to bring what we need to the forward line and should be given a good run at it early in the season. Im not convinced in having all Brown, TMac and Gawn/Grundy all forward but suggest we will go that way early to give it every opportunity of working particularly on dry tracks early in the year.

Cleanest and most consistent marking I can remember from BBB. Promising, since at the end of 2022 some here would not have been surprised not to see him again (including me). Bowey looked good apart from a couple of uncharacteristic disposal errors. Obviously Trac awesome (does he never stop going 100%?) and Oliver and Hunter looked good. Others have noted the new Mac who was incredibly impressive and Kozzie looked hot also. Petty always good and May set for a ripper year. Much to like. If I were a Saints' fan I'd be thinking about missing players and hoping for the best but fearing the worst.

It didn’t help that they were missing King & Membrey.

I watched most of it. But was also doing things so was in and out a bit. And I’m taking about he first 4 quarters. I was impressed. It’s a first hit out on a hot day. I thought we moved the ball well generally and skills were good considering we’re blowing out the cobwebs. was impressed with the usual suspects in the middle with Clarry Trac and co. Thought Gawn was great. Grundy was decent and remember he hasn’t played for a while. And first game with us. Hunter will be great. Hunter and Langdon on opposite wings will be a weapon. Pickett looks exciting. Could break Thames open from the middle this year. McVee impressed. Look like he’ll be right to go. I thought BBB played well considering a few weeks ago they were saying he won’t play round one. Bowey stood out for me. Excellent one on one and you want the footy in his hands.

There are career opportunities at The Manor for "servers".

It was a great turnout we had an enjoyable time and tried the Demon Army sausages and bread x5 very yummy. As mentioned earlier the queue’s were long which limited the number of player autographs but the kids managed to get all the young guns as they were all located in the one area along with JJ, Tommo and Michael Hibberd. How good is Benny Brown he raised $63,000 plus for the cause.! The last time we attended was 2019 it was a smaller event and players were much more accessible but that is the price of success.!!!

I think this was the best attended of all the family days I’ve been to: it was good fun and the vibe was more low-key. Ben Brown is a quality human: it’s an admirable thing to see somebody so comfortable in themselves.

Disagree. He was best 22 everyday of the week from about 2018-2020. The premiership is coming up 2 years ago. We need to stop this whole narrative of always going back to that moment in justifying a players position in our current team. History will tell you that. There are players that are putting pressure on spots and right now I don't know if Harmes is exactly best 22. The likes of Laurie, Howes, Woewodin, AMW, Chandler will be putting huge pressure on Harmes to perform. I saw more exciting things from the likes of Chandler, Woewodin and AMW then I did from Harmes yesterday.

If he gets more than a fine then there are some incidents I’ve seen over the past few years that the assailant should have gone to prison.

He had a lot of the footy, he’s honest and reliable, same as when he plays in the senior side. He looks a bit thicker in the hips/legs this year. I watched a little sporadically but my main thoughts probably echo a lot that’s already been said: McVee was a surprise - he looks a little more classy and smoother moving than our regular HBF’s. I thought last year Salem might be starting to get found out with his leg speed, he’s now gotta be 100% fit to get in this side with Bowey, McVee, Riv and Hibbo fighting for the medium/smaller defenders roles Chandler added some genuine zip and unpredictably to our forward mix. It was exciting having him up and about even if things didn’t click 100%. He’s an attacking player which is refreshing when we’ve used that spot as a defensive one for so many years with ANB. Bowser is a ripper. He’d be one of my first blokes picked each week, very assured for his age. Love the idea of rotating a few new guys through the midfield, which we haven’t seen in a long time. Kozzie, Riv and even ANB offer something different to the standard Trac/Viney/Clarry mix. This is essential in modern footy. Riv for one could really open games up with his long kicking and power. I’m intrigued to see what our actual gameplay through the season looks like because all preseason we’ve been hearing how quick and direct we’ve been going - this game was certainly not as far in that direction as I’d hoped.

In that brief period of the 3rd where they pinched a couple of goals back they were borrowing from the slingshot from halfback style Clarkson used to slice us up a couple of years back, and actually looked like they were playing to a template for beating us, but it was not sustained and the Dees reasserted control. Other than that, I agree.

The Demons ventured onto Moorabbin’s RSEA Park on Friday afternoon for their match simulation exercise against St Kilda and predictably managed to comprehensively thrash their undermanned opposition over the four serious periods of play by 16.9.105 to 6.10.46. Back in the day when they used to call these preseason affairs “practice matches”, it was commonly accepted that you took no notice of the result and instead hoped that the team made a good fist of things while avoiding injury to players. It was a bonus if you uncovered one or two new recruits who can play a bit. To that end, it was almost mission accomplished, the exception being a scare involving star defender Jake Lever who might have a recurrence of the injury that kept him in rehab for a few weeks when training resumed after Christmas. Otherwise, Melbourne dominated play for most of the game, flexing its midfield muscle with its dominant midfield led by Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney strengthened by the addition of Bulldogs recruit Lachie Hunter who looks like being the yin on the wing to the yang of Ed Langdon. And then there was the irresistible ruck pairing of Collingwood’s two-time All-Australian Brodie Grundy with six-time All-Australian Max Gawn that will no doubt play havoc with the minds of opposition coaches in 2023. The added bonus was young defender Judd McVee from Western Australia who appears to have moved forward in leaps and bounds in the off season and will certainly make a claim for a place in the Demons strong back half this year. Tom McDonald is back after his injury woes of last year and Ben Brown looked fit and keen up forward in what will be a stronger attacking combination once Bayley Fritsch returns to the mix. At first sight, the forward connection that went missing late in the last season seems to be back. McDonald showed his versatility going into defence to cover for Lever after the first main break. Another danger sign is the extra arrow to Kysaiah Pickett’s bow with a move for more minutes in the midfield. He was his usual hard to pin down self in that role and also produced some blistering runs with the ball that left his opponents gasping for air in the thirty plus degree heat inferno and scored a couple of classy goals as well. When the first four periods of match simulation came to an end, the main players made their exit off stage and the fans interested enough to stay at the ground were treated to three more periods of junk time by teams comprised of the remainder of the respective lists and a helping of VFL players. Those periods were won by the Saints who had more of their seasoned players on the ground and ended in farcical circumstances four minutes early with fill ins doing the umpiring because the real ones called it a day after the sixth period. They should have played a separate VFL game altogether if they were really serious about giving their reserves a fair dinkum hit out. MELBOURNE 3.3.21 8.6.54 10.7.67 16.9.105 ST KILDA 2.1.13 2.3.15 5.8.38 6.10.46 Goals Petracca 3 Brown Gawn Pickett 2 Chandler Grundy Hunter Langdon McDonald Neal-Bullen Rivers Best Hunter Petracca Oliver Viney Pickett Rivers Full scores including the extra three periods with the balance of team lists and VFL top ups:- MELBOURNE 3.3.21 8.6.54 10.7.67 16.9.105 17.13.115 19.14.128 20.16.136 ST KILDA 2.1.13 2.3.15 5.8.38 6.10.46 9.12.66 12.14.86 15.17.107 Statistics (from Lampers at bigfooty.com) Jake Bowey 14 kicks 2 handballs 7 marks 1 score assist Angus Brayshaw 13 kicks 3 handballs 9 marks 2 score assists Ben Brown 7 kicks 2 handballs 6 marks 2 goals Kade Chandler 8 kicks 5 handballs 5 marks 1 goal 1 behind 2 score assists Max Gawn 10 kicks 6 handballs 7 marks 15 hit outs 2 goals 1 behind, 1 score assist Brodie Grundy 4 kicks 4 handballs 2 marks 20 hit outs 1 goal James Harmes 3 kicks 3 handballs Lachie Hunter 17 kicks 10 handballs 9 marks 1 goal 3 score assists Ed Langdon 10 kicks 5 handballs 6 marks 1 goal 1 score assist Jake Lever 6 kicks 3 handballs 4 marks Tom McDonald 4 kicks 3 handballs 2 marks 2 hit outs 1 goal 2 behinds Judd McVee 12 kicks 4 handballs 6 marks Steven May 19 kicks 2 handballs 5 marks Alex Neal-Bullen 11 kicks 4 handballs 5 marks 1 goal 1 behind Clayton Oliver 10 kicks 16 handballs 3 marks 2 score assists Christian Petracca 14 kicks 8 handballs 5 marks 3 goals 1 behind 5 score assists Harry Petty 7 kicks 2 handballs 5 marks Kysiaih Pickett 15 kicks 2 handballs 7 marks 2 goals 1 behind Trent Rivers 11 kicks 8 handballs 9 marks 1 goal Charlie Spargo 4 kicks 3 handballs 4 marks 3 score assists Tom Sparrow 6 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 2 behinds Jacob van Rooyen 1 kick 2 handballs Jack Viney 9 kicks 10 handballs 5 marks 1 score assist

I mentioned just how impressed I was with him in my last training reports. EXCELLENT PICKUP🤩

About what i and most people expected today, great hitout by the lads today. Hunter on the other wing is a game changer for us. Teams will find it hard to combat both he and Langers on the outer. Thought back six operated well, Midfield was hard running and slick, entry into the F50 was an improvement on last years levels and the forward line was and improved mix. Only Pre Season, but good signs none the less. Onto next next week we go. 👍🇱🇮

He was out doing running with the others from the later game as twilight set in, so probably cramp.

Looked like cramp to me, think I saw him keep jogging to the bench. Sat next to Goody who gave him a pat on the back that looked more like good effort than bad luck.

I think everyone needs to remember it was 33 degrees out there in the sweltering sun.

Agree with much others have written. McVee looked good, but the Saints were horrible, and it looked like he was playing on skinny kids most of the time. I think he is still a bit light and will be shown up badly by mature players with more size. As good as he played, not sure he is a lock for round 1. More reasons not to read too much generally into result today It was a preseason game It was very, very hot and very, very windy. Lots of balls going inside F50 dropping short, going over heads, and hooking left and right. You could see players from both sides holding back on pressure at times to save from injury Generally speaking we looked strong and able.

I was there at Moorabin today and Grundy was impressive. In one particular passage of play, he unselfishly dished off a clever handball to a fellow Demon when he could have had a shot at goal, but it resulted in a string of play resulting in a goal. I thought it deserved praise so I yelled out "Onya Reg!". The crowd in my immediate vicinity found the comment amusing and there was significant communal giggling. Perhaps the nickname will stick...

Woey - played on ball, bursts forward whenever he gets it and used it safely. Tough++ Hibbo - too strong and smart for this level, but the legs don’t drive on rebound like they used to JVR - kicked a couple, didn’t dominate but solid after playing a half for the senior side AMW - looks fitter, stronger and really dangerous in traffic. If he’s even remotely fit enough for afl he’s good enough JJ - prolific on ball but not overly dangerous Disco - took some good marks, but didn’t use it as well as he can. Had an ankle checked at one stage, not sure he’s playing entirely to his best Verrell and KFW - both very promising, Verrell more ready as he times his leaps and has more ground ball skill. But KFW follows up and isn’t afraid of getting involved. Schache - moments of class but outbodied too often by Highmore and others Jeffo - just getting started but be clunked a couple and had a couple of nearly moments, didn’t find any easy kicks Laurie and Howes - both good and bad. Nice to see Laurie on ball. A lot of almost moments from Howes D Smith - didn’t see him much and didn’t think he did much with it either Sestan and K Turner - just getting stated