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And to think that I almost passed on going to the game. A bad case of MFCSS and a very low mood all week. Encouraged to go by son and wife who both predicted a win. What got me over the line was when my son said, “Dad imagine how bad you will feel after they win”. When I walked into the ground, saw the colours and the expectant excited Dees supporters I felt good and my cyclonic depression lifted. It was as if the Dees fans willed that win. And let’s face it, the boys looked pumped. They had come to win and not just compete. By quarter time I knew I had made the right decision and thanked wife and son. And learnt a lesson in having a positive attitude. Despite all the TV coverage and commentary, there is nothing like being at the game and absorbing all the raw emotion and excitement. We were up and about and the Dees fans noise and fist pumping incredible. And for 120 minutes we forgot our own worries and the worries of the world. The sun was shining on our beloved Demons.

Bigfooty A post from late last week!! That didn’t age well 🙃 Post Game, Thread Title: Done by the Demons by 50 points They were quite gracious. Not sure where the smart alecs in the preview thread are hiding. Quite fair commentary of their performance with little maligning of their players. First quarter Melbourne rebounded out the fat side at will with pace and were happy to concede clearance. Hit up the right targets and refused to kick long. 5 goals up in a flash. Well played Dees they were inspired and executed their instructions Not alarm bells but ******* cranky that we lack the hard yakka Better side won and deserved to win take nothing away Not panic stations yet. We are a good side who had a bad day and unfortunately came up against a good side who were on fire today. How often does a side get done after an easy win the week before? There's something about beating up on a weaker opponent that breeds complacency. Melbourne seemed to disproportionately take their chances. Every time we had a tiny skill error, they made us pay. Little worrying that if we are to be a top side you probably should’ve be getting touch ups on the big stage. We are spooked I reckon and could be some mental scars. Our rucks have a nasty habit of getting involved in possession chains and it either slows us down or they stuff it up They had no Gawn and Pickett also . Pretty embarrassing Odd game, didn't feel like a 50 point battering but here we are. Rolled over to at the end I’m not sure they have the mental edge either...soft unit Melbourne mids were back to their premiership best imo. Read the plays to perfection all day long. Dunno how Brisbane beat them. It’s a funny game. The Dees were so slick today. First game back there and our first real test this year...Failed big time...Maybe not a top 4 team Two players who I'm really disappointed in are Mills & Parker... While Oliver & Petracca had 15 & 16 disposals respectively by half time, Mills and Parker had 8 each. To Melbourne's credit, they were amazing. They adapted to every single thing we tried to do. We won clearances, so they pressured to force our clearances into turnovers. We started getting our defensive 50 transition game going, so they set up to shut it down... Heeney in the finals last year was pretty ordinary...Struggles a little with the main stage Beaten up by a better team and 4 cheats Omg those photos of Horse spraying Heeney at 3QT. **** me Anyone who thinks we are a realistic chance at a premiership is kidding themselves. We were found out today just like in GF and again let down by poor coaching. How we were not primed for today, after 2 soft kills, is nothing short of poor preparation but the coach, and not for the first time. Broke our back in the last. 11 goals is insane, pretty much only them and Collingwood could do that much damage in a last quarter. I sometimes wonder why I follow footy, a loss is always so deflating haha. Even when we got thumped in the grand final they never kick more than 6 in a quarter. 11 blows the game out of proportion. My Favourites: Several contenders After witnessing the Port autopsy thread, I’ve come to appreciate what a measured, philosophical bunch we are in responding to loss. I think I'll go and watch a murder documentary because I definitely want to commit one after that lol

Easter Monday blockbuster Geelong v Hawthorn - 18th vs 17th.

That was great to watch! I'll never hang [censored] on Viney or T-Mac or Brown like many do. I just can't do it. T-mac shoving that Bulldog off the goal line for I think what was Sparrows 50m goal in the 21 flag - almost my favourite part of that game. He is a servant. A club legend. Forever. Viney has never been the most skilled ever. But he is a beast. Premiership player. Bugger it. I'm not ever throwing shade on any of our premiership players. No matter how they dip in form. The years of pain, oh the years of pain. hahaha. Carn the might dees.!

I couldn’t watch the game because unfortunately I’m cruising through the Mediterranean, currently floating off the coast of Sorrento. Can’t wait to see the replay. There’s not really any point to this story. Just gloating.

I watched Kade Chandler closely quite a bit yesterday. It seemed to me Kade did a fair bit more of the arc to arc running yesterday (which is one of Nibbler's key roles), and i think Nibbler did less (certainly on the GPS numbers ANB's numbers were well below his normal output), allowing him to play a more true half forward flanker role. Which means, if that is indeed the case, Nibbler is less gassed, less often and more able to convert goal scoring opportunities, like his brilliant set shot - because he is not spending 30 seconds just trying to get his breath back before taking the kick. I think that sort of running helps Kade stay in the team.

Spargo out WTF

Let it go. Weid plays for another club now. We can all move on

What ? Spargo & ANB we’re great today. Pickett for Brown

Kossi in, no one out. Play with 24. Meth Coke can't count anyway.

If they drop Chandler then I will be as mad as hell.

4 cheats = 4 umpires. Clearly a one-sided view of the umpiring. Even Longmire commented in his post game press conf that we got 2 goals from 50m and 3 from free kicks. Paraphrasing: "Handed them 5 goals on a platter". I thought poor form on his part even to mention that and also to not acknowledge how many they got and some of theirs were very dubious! Sour grapes!

Here's a quick lil' edit I made of Rooey's debut!

Super enjoyable day at the G yesterday. I agree with so much that has already been mentioned and I've got a sore finger liking all the posts in this thread. My main thought is Sydney were actually very good yesterday, which makes the 50 point win even more satifying. They harassed with a very effective swarming pressure that had us going backwards several times yesterday and they read our possesions very well, heading straight to where handpasses were going and getting there to put the receiving player under immediate pressure. They also moved the ball very well and had the uncanny ability to continually find a mark at true CHF, which had me very worried in the 3rd quarter. Easily the best oppisition performance I've seen live in the last few years and are a lock for top 4 in my opinion. So we were playing at a very high level yesterday to get away with a 50 point win. I loved the significance of the contributions of our emerging players. McVee, Rivers, Bowey, Chandler, Jordon, and JVR as well as more established youngsters like Petty, Spargo and Sparrow show that if all goes well, we are in for many more years at the top end.

You can’t drop Judd after his first 3 weeks of excellent play. Why bother at all if you drop him now.

Ahhhh just sayin that Matt Jefferson has played two very good games for Casey last 2 and kicked 4 goals today AND has verrrry sticky one grab hands.... Next gen warming up very very nicely!!!

Giving them credit. While looking for updates I came across this banter: Removing myself from the desire to absolutely thrash Melbourne this week for a moment, congratulations to Clayton Oliver, who is playing game 150 this weekend. Very few players can say they're a great of the game before they've even played their 150th game. One of my favourite non-Swans and an absolute freak. Hope it's a shocker for him. Hopefully spends most of the game chasing our mids. For me he is just about the best player in the game. An absolute monster in the contest and nearly impossible to stop. Love the match up in this game.. the two current "kings" of the mids in oliver and tracc vs imo the fastest rising stars of the mids in the game in errol and chad IMO he would be the best player in the game, and the only challenger would be his own teammate in Gawn. I suppose over the next 4-6 weeks we'll now find out how much one has to do with the other. Not often Oliver gets praise from opp fans. Good to see some Sydney fans honour him for his 150th. But now that I've given them credit, i hope he burns their midfield, has his best game ever and leads us to victory. Couldn't be a better way to celebrate his 150th than against a team that has the wood over us.

In just a few years we've gone from having a desperate need of every kind of forwards to having the best medium sized forward, the best small forward, multiple really effective team-oriented small/medium forwards, a key defender who is showing to be a credible swingman, and a big kid throwing himself into contests on debut. And Fritsch is the only one over 24. Two key forwards who were absolutely crucial in a premiership team are now honestly debatable inclusions even though our big ruck captain isn't available to sit forward. And we're the No 1 scoring team. Whaaaaaat is goooiiing oooooon?

You could probably write a book about your wonderful experience on Sunday, Mr. Hemingway. Suggested title: "The Old Man And The G".

Oliver’s handball smother on Ladhams was incredible. His head is always in the game and to have that awareness was just awe-inspiring. His whole third qtr was very influential, but that moment was special when it set up a goal. We’re so lucky to be able to watch this generational talent run around.

McVee had 18 at 88% efficiency yesterday. No way we are dropping him.

Much to like, in no particular order! Coaching....Often playing Sydney, games are lost within the coaching box. It was nice to see Goodwin/Yze making some wholesale changes. Sydney usually just sweat on us to win clearances (Like Brisbane did most of last week). We let them win the ball, and sweated on them instead. We start adding these layers and we are going to be fearful to play against. Players are in better positions when we man the outside too. It is a subtle shift we needed to make. We have been beaten in the same manner many times. Hunters>Hunted! Petty and JVR were both huge for us in the forward half. Most kicks in their vicinity were brought to ground, our smaller guys relished this and our forward line looked better than it has in a long time. Nearly every team has a CHB type like Mccartin...Petty could be huge in this role as it stops a lot of the rebound they get from taking intercept marks all day. Chandler was exceptional all over the ground, so much to like about his game...his best so far! McVee is amazing, he just glides through traffic. Stunned how quickly he is coming on! Spargo. Probably the most impactful 6 possession game i ever seen. The bunny hop contender for mark of the year, could not stop laughing! JVR, take a bow kid! First minute injected into the game and he lays a massive bump. Competes all day, brought ball to ground regularly, tackled and looked a nice kick. Great debut! JJ played a great game. Was creative, hit targets and even showed some flair. If he plays like this on the regular, Harmes is going to find it impossible to get back into the team as a mid. Grundy & Hunter their best games for the Dees so far. Both building and fitting in nicely. All of our regular guns played well enough, but i thought our bottom 6 today were suberb. If Viney is your weakest link you have sooooooo much to be bullish about! It seems to contend this year, going to need to kick big scores. There are not too many that could kick 11 in the last quarter. Both Melbourne and Collingwood are going to blow some teams away in short periods. So glad we have shifted away from defensive style to a much more dynamic and inspiring style where players get to show their skills. So much to build on and get excited about! Go Demons!!!

Cannot believe how comfortable I felt from the outset at the game today, a rare feeling. The entire team busted their asses and I could throw a blanket over votes. Unbelievably rare against a team like the Swans who are traditionally relentless across the park against us. JVR is the first ‘true’ pack hitting forward we’ve had since Neitz and it’s a beautiful thing. Lever clearly fit this year and even better with May at his side. McVee compliments Bowey beautifully with ball use off half back and huge props to Grundy, Clarry and Tracc for wrestling back the stoppage issues in the second half. Couldn’t pin point a bad contributor. One of the best recent wins I can remember seeing live.

According to we currently lead the league in goal kicking accuracy after three rounds. It felt like we missed so many easy set shots last year, shooting ourselves in the foot. It’s fantastic to see this has turned around!

Just adding to the comments on Chandler’s game, doubt it was shown on the TV coverage, but for his goal around the middle of the third quarter, he was in the backline when we gained possession and then he sprinted from half back down the Warne Stand side to half forward Punt Rd end but his lead got ignored, so he continued to sprint to the half forward spot on the Members side to take that mark resulting in his goal. Tremendous effort, got the reward and if he keeps doing those sort of things, he’ll be getting plenty of games this year.

Rooey is the final piece of the puzzle We now have all bases covered Best Backline in the comp. Two of the best wingman, All Australian Rucks and on ballers Elite crumbers and magic in Kozzie, Spargo and Chandler Very consistent , opportunistic and classy medium tall in Fritter. The final piece being the genuine power forward in JVR

I love this guy's analysis! My hat goes off to people who see the game in this detail, meanwhile I am busy shouting ball and getting excited when we score a goal!!

Shirley, you can't be serious. A good win? We beat one of last year's gf teams by 9 goals. By the by we had a pretty good big boy out too. No disrespect to Reid, who was their only big out, maxy he ain't. We had a pretty good small out too - not to mention a handy half back flanker.

And ... wouldn't it be a thing of beauty... if Hawthorn wins it !

Clarry Oliver is going to be the best Melbourne player to ever play the game. Really? I thought that Petty added defensive mongrel to prevent the easy clearances and uncontested marks we saw so often in the second half or 2022.

At least there was no panic in our game day thread in the 2nd and 3rd quarter ...

Good morning Moore Park. How you like them...

I saw enough blood baths at subi to last a lifetime. I'd love to see us absolutely humiliate them on their home deck.

Great moment for Chandler. He missed an absolute giveme against the dogs when we were already well in control, but I felt for him a bit, because of the pressure he would be under to make an impact and numbers against the goals column in his position count. But today he kicked at least a couple of really good goals from set shots and snaps when the team really needed to kick goals to get, the keep the game on our terms. That on top of his great tackle pressure, hard running, creativity and involvement in other chains that resulted in MFC goals. Also find him really selfless in the way I've seen him repeatedly dish off to others in better positions when he could have taken a shot himself. Everything that's valued by our team. Really important game today for Chandler, when he really established his credentials. He's been building, but I thought today he was huge. So happy for the guy.

100 MFC games mean we get dibs on his sperm.

Sydney is a very good team and they played well yesterday. They had our measure in the clearances in the first half, and they transitioned quite easily out of the back half on many occasions. They are an exceptionally well drilled side, with a lot of high quality players. This was by far our most formidable opponent thus far, and we beat them comprehensively. I still do not rate the Dogs or the Lions. I have a suspicion that something went wrong pre-game against the Lions, and then the Gawn injury caused further disruption. If we play the Lions another 10 times, I think we beat them 9 times with a fit side.

Yesterday was the perfect response to our poor effort against Brisbane. Swans fought hard in many parts of the game until they broke even in the third quarter which would have seen us capitulate last season. Great to see exciting new talent like McVee, JVR and Chandler stepping up and older hands who were a little fragile back to good form. Recruiting Grundy is looking like a master stroke. JVR made an impressive debut. Impressively tough, competitive, composed kicking and marking presence for a first game player.

Handy day to be wearing red and blue Melbourne AFL beat Sydney 134-84 Melbourne VFL beat Sydney 88-47 Melbourne VFLW beat Darebin 130-8

Im tipping Olivers ball steal off Ladhams and Fritichs subsequent goal as video of the week.

A very big thank you to East Fremantle which produced two players from today’s winning team against the Sydney Swans:- • Trent Rivers and • Judd McVee and to Claremont for giving us • Jacob van Rooyen Also up and coming Taj Woewodin who is yet to debut but would be close but for the fact that he has an injured finger. Luke Jackson was also a Shark! Thanks to Jason Taylor and his team for their astute recruiting.

On this big day for our footballers, the Demons have some more silverware. Melbourne beat Carlton today in the grand final of Premier District Cricket. Congratulations lads and let’s make it a premiership double by taking the AFL silverware in late September!!!

Salem struggled with injury all year. Once he is back they need to give Salem a solid training block, plus 3-4 games at Casey before he is up for selection in my view. A fully fit and firing Salem is in our best side still.

Easily our best all round performance since 2021 finals and a great response to the dross served up the previous week. Not really a poor player and isn't it great to see young talent perform McVee, Chandler and Roo.

After Clarrie streamed through the middle to kick his first goal a guy in the crowd near me stood up and did the Clarrie finger point around the crowd. Classic!

The free to Rooey in the last was dodgy. The Swan had no prior opportunity...but they paid several against us that way as well.

The views from the new grandstand at Kardinia Park are incredible.

As a Melbournian who nowadays finds themselves in the strange land of Sydney... I've picked out an outfit in red and blue to show up in to the office tomorrow 😁 Scarf as the finishing touch, of course

Take a speccy.

Yeah you want to beat their best side, not a cobbled together seconds, which is probably what it will be. You can dislike the club (as I do) but no one takes any pleasure in seeing these blokes who give their all get injured.