Leaderboard

We’ve just beaten a team we’ve struggled to beat in the last decade by 50 points. Of course JJ is stiff, but that’s where we’re at as a club. Embrace it.

Pickett and TMac in. Brown and Melksham Out. Jordon unlucky and will be sub (also means Melksham is unlucky too). Put your house on it! (Unless some of you have some different mail than me and Hibbo is injured) Demons love how ANB, Spargo and Chandler are playing (despite some people on here doubting what they all respecvitely may bring) as a GROUP. And having all of them playing then allows kozzie to go in the midfield more regularly. They are also very happy with the spread through the midfield with more going in there (sparrow, jordon, rivers, ANB etc.) as Trac, Carry and Viney were dead last year having played so much time on ball for the season. Coaching staff showing a lot of sense and judgement this year. From a personal point of view, i hope we do start to rotate players in the middle third of the season, if we have enough wins on the board. Also very pleased to see players being played differently and having more than one setup and plan, such as petty forward last week. I have faith we are right in the mix for a great year - as long as we get a good run with injuries

I am not sure who should go out but James Jordon is not the one, he was fantastic last week and earnt another game rotate the Sub role between the 12-23 players.!!! actually Jordon, Chandler and Judd McVee should be locks this week.!!!

God, we have some overblown nonsense in this thread. Its hard for good young players to keep a spot in this midfield unless you are special. Deal with it.

Sunday Bloody Sunday feels way too far away, on Easter Friday! All this reflection time! Anyway few thoughts on the new guys: - fantastic to see Chandler getting some games and playing like he belongs, tackling pressure and that fantastic mark and goal against Swans! - Hunter passer of above Chandler goal is all class and added to his wing brother in Langdon gives us the best wing combo in the league. - McVee just looks like he has that bit of time, clean skills, he is a keeper. - Grundy, so different to Maxy more a follower than a ruck, but when you add him in the middle to Clarrie, Trac & Viney he is icing on the cake! Max going down just highlights excellent list management. - JVR looks like he is going to be another excitement machine and competitive beast, look after him this year and we have our CHF for next decade! You have to hand it to the recruitment team and list management to get two best & fairest winners aged 27/28 into our team for pick 26 & 3rd rounder next year, not to mention Pies paying for the privilege, it is just an exceptional piece of recruitment and draft craft! Go you mighty Demons!!

What a red banner this weekend should be sunday morning watch kids finding eggs masters in background hopefully with jday or Scott or smiff chasing green jackets Easter bike ride watch the dees hopefully win by 200 red wine paris roubaix Sleep (or stay awake) masters cafe breakfast at home with kids laugh at west coast’s ineptitude epic this may not age well

Jordon probably the sub and might end up on the ground before half time anyway (for any sort of reason including resting a player who might have a niggle) I'd be surprised if Melksham is the sub before Jordon

re: Sparrow vs Jordon. I'd be wagering the football department have some insight and know what they are doing and for what purpose, be it for 2023 or beyond.

2018 Round 9, MCG: Melbourne 25.9.159 defeated Carlton 7.8.50 Melbourne won by 109 points! I was there with my daughter - it was FANTASTIC!

Goody is big on respecting the competition and our opposition, but I hope he’s also big on ensuring we send a message to the league that we’re ruthless and will stand on the throats of weakened opposition. Bring your absolute best against us or fear the consequences.

Yep try and get themselves a good third round pick

The Eagles are the most obnoxious supporter base in the league. They have no redeeming features. We should pile as much misery on this lot, as we can on Sunday. We have to prepare properly, have the right attitude etc. i'm taking nothing for granted, but a 100+ win over there would be sweet as. And I'd love to see the camera pan across the crowd to see the Eagles fans lose their collective minds as we pants them. that would be icing on the cake.

I came across this in the WCE threads: Did Fremantle sign the giant West Australian because he aided their flag push, or did their vision of unicorns and a desire to keep him from becoming Nic Naitanui’s successor cloud their pursuit of a maiden premiership? Interesting article. I think it's a bit early to write Jackson off but my key takeaway was: "But instead, they have dished up two uninspiring losses to sides who didn’t make finals last season, including the wooden spooners, and took three and half quarters to break an Eagles side with no bench and injured players forced to play on. It’s nice to win, but it shouldn’t dampen the purple army’s alarm bells." A good summary, imv. This train has a long way to go, no need to jump off at this stage. Freo have a tough fixture with double up games vs Brisbane, Geelong, Hawthorn, Sydney, West Coast, Western Bulldogs and all bar WCE yet to be played. imv Freo is already out of top 4 contention and I still think they will struggle to make the 8.

there is a lot of that nowadays... I reckon we need more umpires on the field to catch such situations...4 isn't enough. I reckon we go for 36 umpires they all just follow 1 player each, personalised umpiring.

It's only round 4. Plenty to play out this season so let's not jump the gun re Jordon leaving. You'd have to have faith in our FD and also recognise we have more than 22 worthy senior players on the list.

I don’t get it… For me he leaves at the end of the year and I don’t blame him. Definitely deserved his spot this week

As they've done for decades, all teams are announced on Thursday but for Sunday games extended squads are named. The final 22 is trimmed on Friday, and the sub named on game-day as usual. Turner isn't named in the squad. If Hibberd is going to be withdrawn, it will be Tomlinson.

You have a great memory for umpiring injustices against the Demons, but I’m trying to forget that decade for the Demons! Now if you show the Crows deliberate OOB handball from 2021 that’s okay, because that was a great Demon year!

A nasty lot at Reddit, eh? That is why they are on my 'dance on grave' list. I recall when they beat us in 2019 the players sang their song with a nasty insult to us at the start. Its one thing for fans to be nasty but the players... They deserve all that they are going thru. It is looking like they were satisfied with their premiership and it has all gone downhill since. From bigfooy:

It’s time that we had a dedicated thread where we can discuss the people in the football media. First cab off the rank is this man who already has his eyes on the supporters’ Media Fool of the Year. Ch7 commentator Brian Taylor goes too far, is complete laughing stock

Channel 7 talking up the HUGE Easter Monday BLOCKBUSTER! Hawks vs Cats 17th vs 18th 😁

Just to be clear, there is no draw and there is no ‘fairness’. The fixture is entirely engineered to obtain maximum ratings and attendance, constrained only minimally by the ladder position of a team. We have not historically drawn big crowds, so unfortunately we have no leverage to get games where we want them. If we keep being successful and grow our following we will start to get a better fixture. Until then we will play the cats at GMHBA and west coast at Optus where the stadiums will likely fill. It may seem unfair, but like I say, it is not about fairness, it is about the afl making money.

Norf getting more crucified than Jesus today

A bit of hysterics happening here, I clearly remember him getting bagged by a lot of posters last year blaming him for continually slowing down our ball movement.

And me on the wing, level 3, enjoying that misery. Hopefully I'll be enjoying it on behalf of everyone else stuck over east! :D

Got it from me dad, but his story is he emigrated here in '62 – times were still good for the red and the blue, and he saw a guy named Ron Barassi on a kids footy show of a Saturday morning and the deal was done. Later in his work life he got to meet Ron and compare codes – AFL and opera – and Ron apparently commented on the athleticism of the latter, being a fan, apparently. As a dees fan I've always felt we were somewhat the outsiders wherever we were based (though maybe not in the inner south-east, which is a part of town I've never really had a lot to do with). A mate of mine was spotted in a photo at a game wearing dees colours and someone commented something like OMG I never knew! His response: "That's because I'm a classic Melbourne supporter." To this day my car is the only one I've seen in Germany sporting a Dees sticker. Not a heartland. 'cept at my place. Been grateful to get to the two home games this year whilst back in Oz, my little one was disappointed not to get Maxy's hand at the race in round 1, but I told her "s'alright, I got him". Then I got Maysie's Round 3 so the kid in me is satisfied. Hot tip, bring a kid so you don't look like a dork at the race, plus you'll have the longest arm.

My thoughts exactly. On top of no ruck, the pies also, as you point out, kicked for goal really poorly. eg nick daicos hits the post from direct in front 15 m on the run. Elliot kicks 3 behinds all of which he normally nails. If I was a pie Id be feeling pretty confident of the match up if it happens again. I also see no blueprint there of how to beat the pies. In fact watching that game, and how undermanned they were, only makes me feel even more wary of them than I was before that game.

I can't work out what can be taken from that game. you'd like to think there is a blueprint against the Pies but they blew a lot of chances. i suspect the slippery, dewy conditions at the Gabba at night have been an adjustment for the Dees and Pies

All things considered, Brisbane have lucked out in both of their home games this year. Round 2 - Max goes down in the opening minutes giving them the ruck advantage as well as playing against a disorganized Melbourne lineup for most of the night. Round 4 - No Collingwood rucks at all. Could easily be 0 and 4.

We have a mid season draft. A club can put a player on the Long-term injury list to create a list spot. Can't see the need to have mid season player trades as well. Also, as Beveridge says an AFL season is like a war of attrition and lists need to be managed accordingly.

Not a lot new to add from bigfooty: Yeo to be named on the extended bench to keep Melbourne guessing for a day, but to play WAFL It'll probably be a 10 to 15 goal hiding so I don't think there's any point rushing older blokes back in… These young blokes need to see first hand a hardened and seriously fit team go at it. Naitanui to be a surprise inclusion this week. You heard it here first. If only just to stand there and help avoid giving away 6/6/6 free kicks There is a positive, this season will be impacted but for the long term we can focus on list building and testing players. Common sense says I should be thoroughly [censored] off with our turn of fortune on the weekend but surprisingly, I'm not. Our young fellas show promise and there's still a bunch yet to debut, so the future looks bright. For those piling s*it on the medical and S and C staff, grow up and and channel your anger and disappointment in some other manner. Take off your poo-coloured glasses and take solace in the fact that we would have beaten the Dockers last Sunday if we hadn't lucked out. Bring on Melbourne and hope for a good showing, it ain't gonna be easy but that's the way it should be! Ginbey on some loser called Viney Jesus christ, Viney weighs as much most big bodied midfielders and yet +10cm shorter than em Have an advert keep popping up on Facebook, video from the eagles advertising upcoming game, featuring, all the blokes who won’t be playing 😕 think we can win this one now Brown is out. I don't mind the look of the team other than the HFF. We're going to need our tall forwards to kick us to victory. Yep, Brown the only thing holding WCE back from defeating Melbourne. My favourite: Hawks may have some competition for #1 pick in the draft: Tanktical™ Match Committee We will win!

Again with Judd out. You would have to be the only person on here surely? You been watching him play?

Sheezel is a star

How does Jobe have the special comments gig? He's terrible.

The umpires are missing so many blatant North free kicks - right in front of them. The club has to make an official complaint. And the umpires should be umpiring in the Maryborough-Castlemaine League U15s. I have never raged at a TV screen for a non-Dees game as much as I have today.

Had Jordon in my votes last week. Cannot believe he’s been omitted. Tough to find anyone to drop, but I don’t agree with this decision.

The article makes a very good point. I watched the game last night and listening to Taylor, I really thought that Collingwood won the game.

Backflips really are cursed!

Frederick out injured 😂

Speaking of theme songs I'm a little surprised that the French Government haven't made noises about the use of their national anthem as a footy club tune. The French are usually a little touchy over such things... Camembert anyone ??

I think he deserves a full game ahead of Sparrow but I’m also aware that the club really loves and rates Sparrow highly. I just don’t want to keep losing talented young players because they aren’t being given fair opportunities when they’re clearly earning it. We lost Bedford. We almost lost Chandler and I reckon we will lose JJ if this continues.

If this is the case and Jordon is the sub and Sparrow gets another free ride then I'm genuinely perplexed.

And this is why he will leave. How can he constantly be the unlucky one? Just ridiculous.

We can ask but it is a bit early for Santa...😢 Yes, very sad that we hold the dubious honour of the two biggest losing margins... This week I wish for a good game, bank the 4 points and have no injuries.

Let's not get too sanctimonious. We have Hunter, Spargo and Kozzie who love to play for frees.

https://www.zerohanger.com/afl/afl-draft-order-2023 I find this interface a little more friendly ^

Does she play for Casey or Frankston?

Provisional 2023 Draft Order - picks each side currently owns Bigfooty > Trade & Draft Hub > 2023 Provisional Draft Order