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Trent Rivers take a bloody bow also. Took the game on and got things going!

I AM DECEASED

Good to see Peter Jackson in the clubrooms post game.

Thr Melksham goal was great but the mark was genuine clutch.

Viney kicked goal of the year talk about willing your team across the line wow

The Joel Smith difference. Melksham you star.

Young woey’s first goal for the club was a beauty

We’re into our 6th ‘Grand old Flag’ on the train home. It’s packed. Song stops, it’s quiet(ish) after 10 seconds of cheering, then all of a sudden………....Iiiiiiiiittttttttt’ssssss a…………. Make that our 10th verse and for some reason no one is hopping off the train 🤪

May was next to Melksham with his arm around him when singing the team song. I think that says a lot.

Rivers huge in some final moments there. Thought it was ANBs best game this year despite some of his moments. Smith slotted in nicely in defence. He may have found a permanent spot as our sub with his versatility. Viney a beast. Petracca a star.

He’s just a born leader and warrior, never gives up. That goal was purely wanting it more than his opponents

Disagree. My take is, much like the Pies match, this is a target game for us. Meaning we will have freshened up, and even with a six day break, will be running over the ground better than we have since the Pies game. There are only three other contenders, the Lions are one of them. Beat them on the g to create more doubt in their heads about their chances come finals And on top of that there is real enmity between the two teams. I don't think this group of dees players will ever forgive or forget the sledging of Petty by Zorko. And then there is the fact they beat us in the finals last year. We will be looking to make a statement. I'm predicting it will be high scoring game, with us doing most of it. And unlike the Pies game, i think we will be looking to push the pace, go fast on transition from the back half, and be more daring with our ball movement, with more use of the corridor and aggressive lane changes. Against the Pies it made perfect sense to play slow, protect the corridor and force them down the line because doing so blunted their advantages over us - their leg speed and kicking skills. But we match up much better against the Lions because their strengths are contested ball and stoppages, and we more than match them in both areas. In fact we smash them in contested possessions. We are AFL #1 for CP (just ahead of the Saints)and they are mid table (AFL #10), barely above league average. The last thing we want is a low scoring maul because that plays into the Lions' strengths and mitigates their key weakness. Very much opposite to the Pies, the Lions' biggest weakness is their lack of leg speed, which i think is the reason they struggle at the G. I think we will look to exploit that weakness with fast ball movement, keeping the ball in motion and if sufficiently fresh, running in waves to create free plays ahead of the ball and inside 50. I suspect one of the drivers of brodie's (who is not quick at the best of times and looked like he had concrete in his boots against the saints) omission is looking to inject more speed and run. Last year's round 15 mauling of the Lions (37 scoring shots to 18!) will be the template. A key will be stopping Andrews intercepting as he is as important to them as May and Lever in terms of connecting defence and offence. The other key will limiting the impact of their medium forwards - Cameron, McCarthy, Raynor, and when he pushes forward Bailey. Dunkley is not at Oliver's level, but a case could be made for Dunkley being at least as important to the Lions as Oliver is to us. So i think Dunkley not getting up is massive. Dees by 43 points. By the by, contradicting my confidence, the Lions have continued to shorten in the betting and the game is now close to a 50 50 toss up betting wise (we are 1.85 and they are 1.92).

I'm feeling good vibes about Kozzie tonight. Performs well against the Lions, in fact he's kicked more goals on them than any other team.

Down from NSW for my fourth interstate trip. currently on 2 wins and 1 loss, hoping to add to the win column.

The Demons made a massive statement for the rest of the competition tonight and silenced the doubters defeating the Brisbane Lions by 1 point in a Top 4 clash in a blockbuster match at the MCG.

Trac was harassed all night, often illegally, but he stood up and took them on. What a star. What a game.

The only team to have beaten both Collingwood and Brisbane this year! ❤️💙

When the siren went I automatically looked at Goody's reaction & he and the players the bench were all in a group hug then goody ran out and hugged everyone. You can't deny the players just love him as a coach. By the way kudos to Joel Smith. Took some crucial marks and looked good down back

This guy?

They are keeping Clarry out so that Trac can get the Brownlow votes every week. 😁

The big boys against the big boys: Port 2-1 Collingwood 2-2 Brisbane 2-2 Melbourne 2-2 We’re in this thing ladies and gents!

Only 39k but at the ground the dees fans were brilliant and super loud in the last quarter. I have zero doubt it was a big factor. Good work dees fans.

Zorko still a [censored] head

That win is absolutely incredible. How about our leaders?! Petracca, Gawn especially, but Viney goal and then MELKSHAM! SO MUCH TO UNPACK That win is so huge. WOW

Jake Melsham makes the haters look silly

If we are to win this tonight...then the following: Max needs to turn back the clock. Give us first use ...Can he ? Kossie has to find that other side to his game...the one with dare and flair...his defensive game is fine....but thats not hurting the scoreboard...he needs to hurt Sparrow... needs one for the books... He's building... Trac...just be Trac.....but its the TWO big sticks....just sayin' Viney....just be Viney.... maul a Lion or two ( or three..or four ) May.....the force be with you.. Lever.....direct that force Ed....find that yard you've lost Hunter.....be just that.....hunt ! James...play it again...( like last week ) Woey...find your place...channel Dad ;) Benny Benny Benny..... make them kick it to you !! Fumbles Neal Bullen.....find the Alex........no dropsies tonight please Petty...wear Joe like a glove...he wont like it....cheers The likes of Angus, Rivers, McVee Bowey Spargo... tonight is NOT a night to cough up the pill...be dilligent Milky....tonight was made for the likes of you...let it rip RooBoy...you're back...have a night out ! Christian...make this a Salems lot (for felines ) oh...and the game starts at 7:50...not 8...ok !! Go Dees

What a game this will be. Brisvegas are looking to gain street cred at The G and we must win to solidify a top four spot. Our defence must restrict them. A repeat of last week's form from May would be handy and we must keep a leash on Charley. I reckon Petracca will spend more time at centre bounces and tonight's finals like game will draw the best from Viney. Our forward line is the question mark. Someone must lead the way with a four goal haul. It's a huge test for JVR but hopefully BBB will snag one early and drag the heat. A return to form from Kozzie and we're certainties! Friday night games make for a very painful trek from The Manor. Could someone please confirm whether or not Dynon Road is fully functional? The Manor's in house diviner has predicted Dees by 19.

Just got home from the ground. My parents are both in their 70’s and travelled a couple of hours to come stay with me and go to the game. The Demons give us a reason to be together and a common passion. To see my mum and dad hugging strangers after the siren was the best thing I’ve seen all year. And then to walk out of the ground as supporters kept singing the song was magical. It’s only a game, except when it’s not. Thanks Dees. I’ll never forget that. I owe you one.

The Demons have a fantastic opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the competition in a Friday Night 3rd vs 4th Blockbuster at the MCG by defeating a contender in the Brisbane Lions and creating a buffer for themselves in the Top 4.

Jack Viney is our spiritual leader who never says die and will do anything to get us over the line

The way Rivers took the game on in the end was so important, he broke it open. Also, May kicking long down the middle from a kick in and it resulting in a goal, more of that please.

how was that contest at the end by Rivers?! beat 3 had the guts to play on and kick long

I’d vote for Spargo for the entertainment factor, and to watch Picket Fence have an absolute melt down.

The strategy of replacing Grundy with an additional Max Gawn worked wonders. Another two Brownlow votes for Petracca. We saw a Full Melksham tonight. The ultimate football compliment is when you out-body your opponent so well the umpire just assumes you've pushed illegally and pays a free. Also, a full evening of Joe Daniher doing Joe Daniher things is always entertaining in a 'never again, please' way. And I swear, if they ever put Jake Lever into one of those kids football ads, they won't need to get a kid in, they can just use tonight's footage of him bouncing around yelling 'Did you see me, Mum?' after the siren. 😁 It is not a small coincidence that when Rivers was up we were up and when Rivers was stagnant we were stagnant.

I'm in such a great mood I'm watching 'roaming Brian' and actually enjoying it...

to the goodwin haters, the melksham haters and the general naysayers. time to have a good hard look at yourselves. Go dees!

Think you owe Jake Melksham an apology @picket fence

Been real good as a ruckman. Not sure what you are watching

Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but the DeeBrief podcast has just done an interview with Aden Yze - I think it’s only on the Premium version. He was pretty candid with his info - some of the key take outs: - They definitely had a loading period over the past few rounds, with Yze likening it to a mini pre-season. He said they had targeted the consecutive 10 day breaks to put the load into players. - They are going to play Trac almost exclusively in the forward line, with Brayshaw coming up to midfield. He said that they trust Viney and Brayshaw to lead the midfield. They will also give Kozzie some centre bounces to get his hands on the ball. Apparently Kozzie had been sick after Alice Springs and so had not trained fully up to the Saints game. He was also tagged heavily during last week’s game. - The aim is to finish Top 4 every year, whilst we have this list. He described it as having a chance to knock on the door and whatever happens after that, happens. He explained that this was a theme that Clarko used at the Hawks. Yze also said that he thinks our finals series of 2021 was unbelievable and doubts whether it will ever be repeated (as in the total dominance of our opponents). - He also made mention of the fitness and medical team, saying that they are fantastic. He used the example of Salem being able to return to AFL level without having to come back through Casey.

🥳🥳🥳 GAMEDAY! 🥳🥳🥳 Us by lots

No place for Yze spin here please. We all know: loading only exists in Binmans head kozzie is not interested since signing his contract Goodwin poor coaching and tactics are the only thing holding this team back from playing like the 2021 prelim and grand final every week hawthorn were on top of the latter for about 4 straight years and didn’t lose a game

Men with guns came running I was screaming so loud, (they thought they had an active shooter inside the wire) here in Baidoa, Somalia. We are 4-4 against top 4. Media commentators GAGF, nothing being taken for granted by Melbourne players, we were cooked more than a Chiko roll in a Frankston Fish&Chip shop and did not give up. I am sorry Jake. Can the haters say sorry to Goodwin, he’s changed things, tried things, and obviously has more of clue than the numb nuts on this forum. We are a team, two of the best mids in club history come out of the center, in goes Angus, Jordan, Pickett, and Sparrow to get the job done. People need to acknowledge that our club trains kids well and is lead by a first class coach. Viney is my personal Jesus, Oscar 206cm, 110kg stripped by Jack 178cm, 84kg, another entry for the JV made me cry. Trac, OMG, boomshakalaka, finding ways to will himself back into the game. Joel Smith is the sub. Still Woewodin, looks like he belongs. …loving Jonathan Brown crack it on FNF. Also my comments would have been the same had we lost by 1-18pts, the effort was there. Brisbane should have won, they lost their heads and started going down the line instead of taking the game on. Which was the way we smashed them early. McVee was silk again. More to say, after a rewatch.

Also the argument that Gawn isn’t a generational ruckman and the best in the game needs to end. He is a giant of a man and tonight he showed us why he is the best ruckman in the competition hands down.

Posted the below on the game day thread and it’s directed towards a few who have already posted on here Been saying it forever some of you so called supporters are a disgrace and need to have a good look at yourself Maxy take a bow Trac likewise Melk good defensive forward effort Boys showed a lot of courage tonight Took the game on and yes at times they got burned on the rebound but it is a coaching (yes coached) directive we really stood up in the last quarter thought we may have blown it with those early last quarter misses, but a fantastic win

The mishandling of Petty both positionally and through injury has summed up the year.

That kid is arguably harder at the ball, than just about everyone in the AFL currently. His bravery is through the roof. So glad he plays for us.

Tonight would also be the perfect time for @picket fence 's favourite player - "Spargypants" - to bob up and snag 2 or 3!

Confidence is low, but optimism is high. I love and hate Friday night games for this reason. Win and the weekend is set up. Lose and you'll be annoyed for the rest of the weekend.