Leaderboard

The reason we lost the SF to Carlton was because we kicked 5 behinds in a row when we owned the game in the last quarter, not because we didn't replace TMac with Schache or play Grundy. 9.17 in a tight competition will generally kill you.

Critics of our leadership have a much better case in the QF loss to Collingwood. We lost that in the first quarter because we didn't come out "switched on". Collingwood were and we weren't. The tone was clearly set at the opening bounce when Cox jumped early, put his knees in Max's head, knocked Max over and then palmed the ball to De Goey when he came back down to the ground. It was patently obvious Cox would attack Max as he has done repeatedly in the past - we should have been ready for this and it would have been ideal if Max had aggressively attacked Cox at the opening bounce to set the tone, even if he gave away a free kick - tunneling him would have been far better than falling over. I love Max and think he's the best captain we've had in my lifetime but that was a major failure. And so it went on right up to Maynard's "statement" attack on Brayshaw. Only our magnificent and resolute defence prevented us from being 5 or 6 goals down at quarter time. We owned that match from then on but couldn't bridge the gap. Our failure to realise the importance of the moment at the start of the match was a major failure of leadership from the coaching panel and the leadership group and IMHO cost us the 2023 flag.

this whole 'goodwin is inflexible' narrative is clearly incorrect since the premiership year he has: had to try multiple different forward structures with our injuries / loss of players including playing the game's premium ruckman and inspirational skipper max gawn as a deep forward adjusted our midfield mix due to injury to one of the best midfielders ever seen in red and blue rotated brayshaw from wing to half back to midfield rotated pickett from being our best and most defensive small forward into an occasional midfielder rotated rivers our best running half-back flanker into an occasional midfielder rotated petracca our best inside / out midfielder forward to try and get our 'connection' working dropped a two-time all-australian ruckman because his role wasn't working in our side in the year in which he was recruited simmon stubborn? myth!

Kornes and Edmund rate Edmund? SEN even more self referential than I thought possible

The simple reason being is usually the top talent is taken by the bottom teams. All of our premierships in the last 60 years have included a first year draftee. You can twist these sorts of stats to suit any argument. David King taught me that. 😉

This you don't know at all...and it's one thing I don't like on this forum. People saying Goody is this, Goody is that...he's stuck in his ways. When we win it's because of the assistants, when we lose it's Goody's fault. It's all BS, we don't know the mind of the coach, we don't know what goes on at selection and we don't know the machinations on match day. We're all guessing and opining. Now for my opinion. I have said this before also. I would have made the change, I don't think Tommy was giving us much at all. Would it have changed the result? We will never know, but probably not. Schache had shown us nothing in previous games to make us believe he would have taken marks and kicked goals. Particularly in a big final. I think he was only there as coverage for Max if he went down. ...and we were well in the game, why take the chance with Schache. It could have backfired. The other thing we don't know is whether Tom was fulfilling a particular role they didn't believe Josh could do. ...but from the outside looking in, I would have made the change.

I'm interested to know why saying one is sick of a topic clearly shows that person doesn't understand sport. And show me where she denigrated Schache? She just cheekily pointed out the apparent contradiction between those who were desperate for him to be subbed -in and those who say he is sub-standard or worse. BTW, I am also a sport ignoramous because I too think this discussion is going round in circles and anyway, it is out of place in a training thread.

may as well throw in me, when i was 13 and dreamt i kicked the winning goal in the vfl grand final 😁

This is correct. Kick 3-4 of those and we win comfortably.

You reckon that Windsor rates Edmund? Dunno about that ...

The other night I had pizza and then dreamt I was thirsty and nothing could quench it. I woke up and I was really thirsty. So dreams do come true!

He most definitely did. I get bagged on occasion for blindly defending our players and coaches (which I unashamedly do) so I’m hardly gonna denigrate one of them, especially Josh who cops enough sch!tt from many as it is.

Perhaps getting in some practice for this Thursday’s 2024 Coterie Golf Day at Heritage Golf and Country Club in Chirnside Park. At $325 per person you can expect not a lot of regular people signing up. Similarly the 2024 Coterie MFC Season Launch will take place on February 22nd and is $300 a head. I’m at a point now where if an event has the word ‘coterie’ in the title I don’t read any further. 😆

Monday morning quarterback.

When the dust settled on 2023, the Melbourne Football Club coach Simon Goodwin lamented that the club knew it needed to score more to land a second premiership in the current era. He opined that an average of one more goal per game would have had his charges in football’s stratosphere. Goodwin was right and, based on his team’s scoring opportunities, that extra goal (and more) was well within its grasp if only they had better converted their shots at goal. Take the side’s last six defeats (mainly in the second half of the season) for season 2023:- Rd 11 - Fremantle 12.7.79 defeated Melbourne 10.12.72 Rd 15 - Geelong 11.12.78 defeated Melbourne 8.15.63 Rd 16 - GWS 7.5.47 defeated Melbourne 5.15.45 Rd 22 - Carlton 9.6.60 defeated Melbourne 8.8.56 Qualifying Final - Collingwood 9.6.60 defeated Melbourne 7.11.53 Semi Final Carlton 11.7.73 defeated Melbourne 9.17.71 Incredibly, the Demons amassed 125 scoring shots to 102 in those six losses to net a total score of 47.78.360 against 59.43.397. The figures don’t lie - given a touch more accuracy in front of goal and you’re looking at a premiership but instead, for the second year in a row, it was out of the finals in straight sets. In 2023, the team was by far fitter in body than the one that limped out of 2022. It’s biggest loss was an outlier by 27 points in the Gather Round vs Essendon in Adelaide and the rest were all close losses, many by less than a goal. As a measure of how close Melbourne was to a possible flag in terms of the team’s strength was that in its two matches against the premiers it scored a total of to 15.29.119 to 18.14.122. Let that sink in! Things were different for much of the first half of the season. The Demons were in scintillating form during their two practice/simulation matches with the combination of Max Gawn and Brodie Grundy looking a treat as they dominated in the ruck as well as scoring goals when rested. The club appeared to be in good shape all over the ground as the season approached. The midfield led by Jack Viney, Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver was in electrifying form! The optimism seemed vindicated in Round 1 with a massive 50-point thumping of the Western Bulldogs at the MCG. Ben Brown and Kysaiah Pickett booted four goals apiece but the celebrations were marred by the latter’s two week suspension over his high bump on Bailey Smith. Pickett went on to score 37 goals for the season but was rarely in that electric form displayed in the opening round. Brown scored another four in the team’s loss to Brisbane in the following round but injuries cut him down to a total of only seven games and three more goals for the season. Things went awry in Brisbane when skipper Gawn went down early with what at first appeared to be a season threatening knee injury. His stunned teammates looked dazed in the moments after their leader left the field and it was only after a long delay later in the game, occasioned by the failure of the Gabba lights, that they were stung into action; a flurry of goals left them 11 points away from what would have been a remarkable victory. Gawn’s injury was not as severe as first thought and was well covered by Grundy over most of the following rounds of his absence with one glaring exception in that Gather Round game in the wet at Adelaide against the Bombers when defender Steven May was also sorely missed. Aside from that defeat, the team coasted through most of the first half of the season, putting away some of the competition’s lesser lights until it returned to Adelaide in Round 10 to play in the wet again, this time as Naarm in the Indigenous Round against Port Adelaide. Disaster struck. The home team controlled the first half but the midfield trio of Oliver, Petracca and Viney restored life and clearance dominance to the team which surged with seven goals from a game-high deficit of 25 points to a 17 point lead late in the third quarter. Lachie Hunter was involved in a controversial report which resulted in an after the siren goal to Port which overcame the Demons by four points in the driving rain. It was later revealed that Oliver had badly damaged his hamstring in the final term, possibly a factor in this loss and certainly, a major blow for the team’s 2023 campaign as his absence lingered over the following months interspersed with hospital visits for foot blisters and other ailments as he struggled to regain fitness. The cloud of darkness hovered over him for the remainder of the year and while he did well on his comeback late in the season to be among Melbourne’s best in the finals, it wasn’t the same old Clarry. Suddenly, coach Goodwin was confronted with a series of dilemmas which were spread through the middle and into the run towards the finals. In the first instance, he did well to cover the absence of his champion midfielder. He was fortunate to have Christian Petracca, already in starring form and Jack Viney stepped up to the plate in stunning fashion. The defence was well led by key position stars Steven May and Jake Lever and buttressed by Angus Brayshaw and novice Judd McVee who comfortably took over and remained in the role of a medium defender in the temporary absence of Christian Salem. The forward line however, was just managing although it had found a player of the future in young key forward Jacob van Rooyen. Kade Chandler finally began to make an impact and was kicking goals and Alex Neal-Bullen was quietly and continuously adding energy and grunt to the prime endeavour of keeping the ball in the forward line through the application of pressure. Despite the looming problems with scoring goals, Melbourne brought down the rampant eventual premiers Collingwood in the Kings Birthday match, ending their long run of victories stretching back to Round 4. The result was close but it was comprehensive. After Bayley Fritsch went down with a foot injury in the game against GWS in Alice Springs, Goodwin gave Jake Melksham the opportunity to not just revive his career but also, to turn himself into an important fixture in the forward line. Petracca spent more minutes up forward and Brayshaw moved into the middle for cover. Tom Sparrow was given more responsibility in the midfield and Trent Rivers and Kysaiah Pickett went there at times as well. Some important victories were to follow against potential finals opponents in St Kilda and Brisbane. The Gawn/Grundy connection was sagging and the coach took the difficult decision to omit the dual All-Australian ruckman recruited from Collingwood and leave the ruckwork mainly to his skipper who was starting to put in some Herculean solo efforts. Goodwin also cemented the move of Harry Petty from defence to attack. With the finals a little over a month away, the dream was seemingly about to come true for Demon fans as the team found its forward connection and demolished the Tigers on a Sunday at the MCG in late July. The strong marking Petty kicked six goals from his six shots at goal, while Melksham and van Rooyen booted four goals each without a miss. That’s 14 goals straight from a team that had a reputation of failing to hit the proverbial barn door. It appeared that things were looking up. But … (why is there always a “but”) A week later, Goodwin’s forward line plans were thrown into disarray when his team overcame cellar dwellers North Melbourne after an insipid first half in which they lost Harrison Petty for the remainder of the season with a foot injury. Fortunately, Joel Smith succeeded in partially covering the situation when moved up forward to add two goals in a display that secured him the spot vacated by Petty (and before him, other injured forwards in Tom McDonald and Ben Brown). However, the die was being cast as far as the forward line was concerned. When the team played out its last game in the finals, that entire trio of dead eye forwards who had kicked 14 goals straight against the Tigers was missing and the results were there for all to see. Melbourne stumbled early in its game against Carlton but regrouped to dominate the last half and was arguably robbed of victory when a long bomb from Petracca was controversially called touched by the goal umpire. The subsequent goal review was inconclusive and the umpire’s decision stood. Ironically, the Blues were also the beneficiaries of victory in the semi final after an Alex Neal-Bullen snap was adjudged a goal by the goal umpire was overturned on replay. Such is life. After overcoming an arm wrestle against Hawthorn, Melbourne put on the afterburners in Sydney to smash the Swans but lost Jake Melksham to a torn ACL on a day when Bayley Fritsch marked his return with five goals despite coming off the field in distress during the game. The club’s accuracy woes in the final series referred to above and well documented elsewhere came back to haunt it in September. Things weren’t helped by the hammer blow delivered to Angus Brayshaw by Collingwood’s Brayden Maynard who controversially avoided suspension at the AFL tribunal. Nevertheless, the AFL subsequently sought to make Maynard’s “legal” action “illegal” by amending the rules concerning what is meant by a reasonable attempt to smother, a change that may well make no difference in practice. Nor is this any consolation to either Brayshaw or the club which could easily claim that the hit cost it victory in this game and, along with the defeat, a chance to win the premiership. The club made an unfortunate second consecutive straight sets exit from the finals when it kicked its way out of the semi final against Carlton, a situation compounded by some poorly uncharacteristic defensive play at the death knock. It was season over on a Friday night but the news of the passing of club icon and arguably its greatest ever, Ronald Dale Barassi placed all of us under a dark cloud. The man who was hero to a whole generation of young Demon fans and whose name is synonymous with courage, resilience and integrity and above all, success, had left us forever. Tearfully, we mourned the loss of a true legend. As mentioned above, one of the highlights of the season was the seamless introduction of the talented Judd McVee into the Demons’ defence. He was there throughout the season and blossomed with every passing week. Much the same can be said of fellow Sandgroper Jacob van Rooyen who kicked 28 goals for the year in his 20 games after calls for his debut were answered in Round 3. The youngster fitted in comfortably as a key forward with an occasional run in the ruck with just the right amount of aggression at the ball. It sometimes got him into trouble and he overcame a trying week when exonerated after a marathon hearing of an appeal against a striking suspension incurred as he was attempting to spoil Gold Coast’s Charlie Ballard in Round 8. Van Rooyen was sorely missed due to suspension when the Demons lost their semi final to the Blues. Others to gain AFL experience and show promise were Bailey Laurie and father/son prospect Taj Woewodin while 2021 midseason draftee Daniel Turner looked a key defender prospect for the future at Casey and in his limited appearances with Melbourne. After making a solid start to their VFL premiership defence with wins in their first four matches, the Casey Demons stumbled slightly but remained contenders for a top four finish until the last month of home and away matches. A few close defeats and the same yips in front of goal that were encountered by their senior counterparts left them in the position where they had to beat North Melbourne in a wild card game in order to compete in the finals proper. That was achieved easily but the elimination final against Footscray turned into an embarrassing 79-point loss after the non-selection of several otherwise eligible players just in case they were needed for the AFL finals. The AFLW team also failed in their premiership defence after a solid first half of the season. They were led brilliantly by new skipper Kate Hore but faltered late when the going got rough and injuries and illness hit the group. The Demons still finished second with eight wins and a percentage of 222.9, the ‘points for’ of 653 being the highest in AFLW competition history. Forward stars Hore and Eden Zanker jointly shared the AFLW Goalkicking Award with a record 20 goals for the home and away seasons. Zanker kicked three goals in the final against Geelong to finish with 23 for the season, another league record (equal with Brisbane’s Dakota Davidson). The team’s luck ran out in the finals with losses to North Melbourne and Geelong (narrowly in the end) ending the season in disappointing fashion. Tyla Hanks and Kate Hore tied for the best and fairest with Lauren Pearce in third place ahead of another tie for fourth between Sinead Goldrick and Olivia Purcell. Hore was named as the All Australian captain in her first year as leader taking over from Daisy Pearce. Zanker was named All Australian for the first time. The disappointment of straight sets exits by both the men and women was somewhat offset by a $1 million dollar windfall in becoming the One Club - McLelland Trophy Winners which earned praise from MFC Chair Kate Roffey who noted that the real value of the prize was the “extraordinary commitment it takes across the entire Club to field and support two extremely high performing teams each weekend”. After the disappointing finish to the men’s AFL competition, attention turned to the trade and draft period. Brodie Grundy was traded to the Sydney Swans after the failure of the Gawn/Grundy experiment left him on the outer with one AFL appearance in the run into the business end of the season. That he missed out on playing in a final against his old club Collingwood and again in the semi against Carlton when the club was down in talent, was baffling given that the tactical substitute, Josh Schache was kept off the field completely in the latter game. Many observers felt that the handling of the situation provided poor optics for the club and devalued his trade worth. The Swans took him as cheap bargain for a dual All-Australian and they cashed in on another money ball deal picking up free agent James Jordon for nothing. Michael Hibberd retired with a premiership and several years of solid service under his belt. Luke Dunstan who tore his ACL at Casey late in the season, also retired. Jake Melksham was delisted but redrafted as a rookie while loyal servant James Harmes was traded to the Western Bulldogs. Former NGA recruit Deaykin Smith, who was Casey’s 2023 best and fairest but delisted, found his way to North Melbourne. The Demons traded for needs and picked up former high draft pick Jack Billings from St Kilda, high flying excitement machine Shane McAdam from Adelaide and Brisbane Lions’ ruckman/forward Tom Fullarton (who is now on the injured list). They later redrafted former player Marty Hore, back from Williamstown. In the draft, the club used two first round picks to secure Caleb Windsor (Eastern Ranges) and Koltyn Tholstrup (Subiaco WA) and took father/son prospect Kynan Brown (Oakleigh Chargers) as a rookie. Christian Petracca capped off his finest individual season with a second 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy as Melbourne's club champion, polling 602 votes to finish 75 votes clear of runner-up Jack Viney, with key defender Jake Lever third on 456 votes. Angus Brayshaw (453) and Steven May (451) rounded out a closely fought top five. Conspicuously missing from that list was four-time 'Bluey' winner Oliver who missed a significant part of the season with a torn hamstring and foot blisters and had post season knee surgery amid some controversy about his recovery from those issues. Soon after the grand final, it was even claimed that the club had put him on the trade table and not long after, he was hospitalised following a seizure that resulted in a head injury. There were also issues with a case of driving while unlicensed. All of this was grist for the media mill. It was becoming clear that Oliver was struggling with mental issues and in late December, he headed home from the Demons’ training camp in Lorne as he continued to deal with ongoing health challenges. He was left to heal and maintain his fitness away from the playing group and rejoined them a month later looking in reasonably good nick and hopeful of a full return to the fold in the last month of the 2024 preseason. Oliver retained the unwavering support of the playing group and the supporters throughout his ordeal and it’s worth reflecting how the club still performed strongly in his absence for most of the last half of 2023. Though he showed some good form on return, it was not reflective of the devastating 40 plus possession performances that he is capable of peeling off with regularity. However, in his absence, others stepped up and those extra midfield minutes of experience not only contributed to Melbourne comfortably finishing in the top four, but the benefits should carry through and hold the club in good stead in the AFL competition in 2024 and beyond. More so, with Clarry’s full return to health in mind and body. We can’t wait! Another controversy erupted in the early post season when forward Joel Smith tested positive for cocaine. Smith was suspended from the Demons' football program while Sport Integrity Australia investigated the circumstances of a positive test after the Demons' win over Hawthorn in Round 23. The matter is still ongoing. There was no shortage of off-field controversy with litigation ongoing in the courts between former president Glen Bartlett and Melbourne Football Club Board members. It was recently reported that mediation talks aimed at ending the long-running dispute had broken down while a separate dispute over the fairness and transparency of the Board’s election process also appears headed for court. Watch these spaces*. On a more positive note, another off-field development that occurred after season’s end was the long-awaited announcement of a feasibility study to identify a location for the Club’s long term home base at a redeveloped Caulfield Racecourse. The $570 million redevelopment would see its in-field, which is Crown land and about 10 times the size of the MCG, opened up as a community precinct, to be known as the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve. It is expected that the Demons would be a key tenant along with local sporting and community organisations and groups. The Melbourne Football Club sits in the premiership window with great playing depth, a healthy culture and excellent leadership both on and off the field. It remains a strong contender as 2023 ends and we look forward to a resurgence in 2024 with a team that has a reputation as one of the hardest to beat in the competition and simply awaits the return of its straight shooters. Bring it on! * in keeping with current Demonland policy, we will not accept discussion on matters being litigated in the courts or on sensitive matters relating to the mental health of our club’s playing group or derogatory comments and language about players and coaching staff. We ask that you please understand that this is partly a result of both medical and legal advice received and that you respect our decision. We are here to support our great club and its players. THANK YOU We take this opportunity to thank the many people who continue to keep Demonland running starting with all of you who contribute to our forums. A special mention to Nasher who is our IT guru and physically looks after the running of the site and to contributors Whispering Jack, George on the Outer, The Oracle, KC from Casey and Meggs as well as Binman who joins George and me on our Demonland podcast. Thanks to anyone I’ve forgotten (please forgive me) and to our great team of footballers and the club and its staff who make it all happen. Go Dees in 2024 - Andy

In that instance, it was a serious reply; a simple response to a simple statement. Your above reply says more about you than it does me.

Could be a lot more if you do a head count dc!

In 2021 the sub was for injury replacement only. We didn't suffer any injuries during that game, although Harmes offered to come off to give JJ a run. Can't blame Simon for that.

We've had a 2 ruck policy for at least the last 4 years but Schache was not deemed to be best 22. And I believe we went with the 22 (and all the rotations) with Schache as the reserve 2nd ruck (if needed) And we've got history as James Jordon didn't get any minutes at all in the 2021 GF Schache wasn't going to make much of a difference anyway if his previous form was any indication But as a reserve ruckman if Gawn broke down, that's a smart play It's one sub, you make it sound like the sub was going to be some sort of difference maker where in actuality, they are not good enough for the best 22 We had our chances to win but with a decimated forward line and the kicking yips, we fell short So get over it, we lost but we live to fight another day

Hugely under-rated is Stan. He probably is under recognised by Demon fans because of the bitter manner of his departure but he was absolutely outstanding. The sight of his dashes along the northern wing was all that kept me going to the G during the early 70s.

Throw in Dustin Fletcher in 1993. He was still at school.

gw$ and crom either matched or said that they would match for cameron and dangerfield, both who wanted to go to the cats, and forced trades

Yep, totally agree, however I think we are also starting to see more participants across a lot of sports coming from these migrant societies too, which is pretty exciting too.

Yep, it's almost identical to Geelong, and the business case for the team focused on a similar model to Geelong, also the Green Bay Packers in the US. Whilst the move to the GC hasn't been a successful one in terms of playing finals etc, the talent pathways, junior development etc looks to have been exceptionally strong. I don't know about Sydney so much. Tassie is a football heartland, but it's been left to fend for itself for a long time, I have no doubt the talent is here, it's about getting pathways built so that the team isn't seen to be draining talent from outside of its pathways. Plus a restructuring of the competitions that feed the AFL/AFLW team It's still very useful to see how the Jack Jumpers have been successful here in Tassie, since their inception, 43% increase in club participation, you cannot get tickets for home games (three seasons in, every home game is completely sold out.) There is also a noted shortage of courts available to meet the needs of all of the competitions across the state. In terms of pathway development Tassie has 3 of the highest-rated players at the national under20s this year in Jacob Furphy, Lachlan Brewer, and Kye Savage.) Once the NIMBY's in Tasmania who are still opposed to a stadium, and the building of a high-performance centre get silenced, hopefully, Tas will be able to show that it can compete, but more importantly, can produce talent pathways that make it sustainable. The Tassie Devils were the minor premiers in the Coates league last year, and there were a respectable number of players drafted, including 3 in the first round of the draft. Figures for the AFLW are not dissimilar I don't believe.

I'm going to assume you mean Windsor?

… yet he gets bagged by so many on here. It’s a curious contradiction. But yeah, he must be very important since he’s getting mentioned every [censored] five minutes, and not in relation to how fit he is or how hard he’s training nor anything else other than he was an used sub. People need to get tf over it, let it go and move on ffs.

Nobody is "happily frustrated" at BB's situation. However, a kid that no club considered worth drafting and is clearly nowhere close to being ready for AFL senior action is not a viable replacement for him in 2024.

That's not an equal comparison. In 2021 you couldn't make a sub unless there was an injury. Sure they could have taken May off late but the sub rule was not the same in 2021 as it was last year. They could have subbed Schache on for TMac in the SF and no one would have batted an eyelid even if he didn't get a possession.

Decent highlight package. The Knot looks the goods.

I no longer trust Wikipedia!

Early debuts are not that unusual, especially for players picked before #10. These players all debuted in round 1 after their draft. Oliver McVee Viney Brayshaw Fritsch Sparrow Pickett Billings (for StK) Tomlinson (for GWS) Petracca probably would have if not for an ACL recovery. In addition Rivers debuted in round 2 (delayed due to Covid), Salem and Spargo debuted in round 6. Melksham debuted in round 3 for Essendon, May in round 6 for Gold Coast and Lever in round 6 for Adelaide.

If you are saying that the chances of winning a premiership this year are lessoned by having him in the side, then can I suggest we seriously consider dropping him for the grand final. Simples.

If I read this correctly, you just have to have the last word on this matter because you don't value other people's thoughts as being valuable contributions on this thread? Gonna be really curious to see if you have to respond to this or not 🤐

i think you mean plagiarise that.

How original Woweee somebody really went to town on artistic input

Haystack Calhoun's little brother.

You'd face a dilemma if the AFL ever accepts a new team from Rio de Janeiro.

It really doesn’t.

2018. Anticipation builds after the disappointment at the end of 2017. After 2 years of inaction in the trade period Melbourne get serious. Jake Lever is the main target and arrives from Adelaide along with pick 35 and Adelaide's 2018 3rd rounder for Pick 10 and 2018 first and fourrth round picks. Harley Balic arrives from Freo for pick 31. Melbourne is shaping as a destination club. Jack Trengove is delisted after never properly recovering from a serious foot injury. Liam Hulett, Ben Kennedy Jake Spencer and Mitch White are also delisted. Colin Garland and Heritier Lumumba retire. The National draft sees Charlie Spargo (29), Bailey Fritsch (31), Harrison Petty (37) and Oskar Baker (48) added to the list Joel Smith is elevated from the rookie list. No one is selected in the rookie draft. The list is now starting to gain momentum. Charlie Spargo, Bailey Fritsch and Harrison Petty are added to the list of men still standing along with Jack, T.Mac, the skipper, Salem, Christian Petracca, Angus Brayshaw, Alex Neal-Bullen, Clayton Oliver, Jake Melksham and Joel Smith. After an up and down season Melbourne miss the top 4 by 1 game with a far superior percentage to 4th placed Hawthorn. Melbourne eliminates both Geelong and Hawthorn in the first 2 weeks of the finals in front of massive crowds at the G. They head to Perth with an air of anticipation. From the first bounce of the preliminary final, Melbourne is well and truly outclassed by the eventual premiers West Coast. The stage is set for 2019. Enjoy. 2018 - The Force Awakens 4K ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-2dW9dw/i-P9snV5M/A 2018 - The Force Awakens Mbl ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-2dW9dw/i-4WcbKNz/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2017 - Independance Day 4K ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-ZFSdQC/i-jSKLzqj/A 2017 - Independance Day Mbl ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-ZFSdQC/i-SJT93rr/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2016 - Starman mbl ==>https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-Pm7mRh/i-LdCJFFV/A 2016 - Starman 4K ==>https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MhQnCP/i-nzqkvQm/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015 - Foundation ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MhQnCP/i-VLMSNqD/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2014 – New Hope ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MhQnCP/i-Wkj43BD/A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2013 – Annus Horribilis ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-MhQnCP/i-bWkHdxp/A

We rate Cornes now?

There are very few built like Jack though 55!

Great summary but I feel the Injury tally has been undervalued. I know I have been on about this before, but considering the injuries to Gawn and Oliver during the season, the simple fact is that the Demons did remarkably well considering the loss of Brown, McDonald, Petty, Fritsch and Melksham - all key forwards at various stages and seasons for us. The fact that the two finals which we lost by a total of - was it 9 points - is a minor miracle considering the critical absence of key forwards in the finals. Yes, McDonald and Fritsch played but neither were at their best due to the nature of their injuries, and if you add the loss of Brayshaw in the opening minutes, and the irony that Van Rooyen cops a week and Maynard is declared 'innocent', add that to the fact that, yes, they kicked poorly for goal, points to the simple fact that had the Injury Gods been kinder they surely would have achieved more. That they lost, in my estimation, was almost inevitable considering the need to turn injury-bred dysfunction on an almost weekly basis. That they nearly won both finals, had they kicked straight, was almost miraculous. The horizon is bright, as I see it. Billings and McAdam are potentially great gains, as are the youngsters we chose in the Draft. Add the discernable improvement of Laurie and Woewodin, the regained strength and fitness of Tomlinson, the hints Shache has given that he has maybe turned the corner, the pressure for selection from Howes and Turner, the hoped for return of a fit Petty and Oliver, and it's off to the 2024 Finals we go. May the Injury Gods be kind.

I'm just going to add to the Windsor love in, I've been on long service leave so I've been able to attend most sessions and he's just got better and better as each week goes by. The confidence he has to take on the game is great to see, he's an exciting prospect.

In fairness to Tom he just returned to the main group after a couple of weeks in rehab. It might take some time to hit his stride.

I headed down to Casey for a few hours this morning whilst I was “out seeing a client” 😉. It was hard to tell who was who on occasion as a lot of them didn't have numbers on the jumpers and were wearing caps. So go easy if I botch a few things here. I’ll do my best to share my observations. I arrived around 9.40 and the drills were underway. Clarry was running at a solid pace for most of the session and according to the man himself he thinks he is a “couple of weeks away” from joining the main group. Will Verrall did quite a solid amount of running along the boundary with Clarry and didn’t look far off. Viney wasn’t participating in the drills when I first arrived but joined shortly after and played through the entire match sim later in the session. Whatever he limped off with the other day clearly is no issue. Fullarton also jogged for about an hour and didn’t seem to be uncomfortable but was at minimal pace. Salem was hanging around near the interchange bench for a while during match sim, but he did not train at all to my knowledge. I didn’t see Petty, Bowey, BB, Hunter, Melky, or Smith at all. They may have been on the far side of the ground from me or inside on the bikes, but as far as I can tell none of them participated today. Jefferson participated in a few drills, but I didn’t notice him after the first 20 minutes. There were about 30 mins or so of ball movement drills before the good stuff started! Match Sim was made up of 3, 20 minutes “quarters” and there was AFL Umpires there to officiate. The teams started off with what seemed to be a mix of the best 22 and depth players on both sides, with the starting backs lined up on the starting fwds. Having said that the blue team was clearly stronger through the middle, even with Gawny and a few others on team white. After the first 2 “quarters” there was a changeup in teams and the blue team was stacked with our likely best 22. Interestingly ANB, Billings and Thommo all lined up in for the white team. Some interesting inclusions on team blue included Windsor on the wing and Howes and Macca playing down back. Macca looks fit and held his own today. Thommo and Disco might be stuck in Casey for a while longer it seems, although both did some nice things. Our key defensive depth looks great…. The key forwards on the other hand look very thin. Roo was quiet today but is a great focal point when moving the ball forward. However as good as he is as a target, we really need another Key Fwd to step up or it might be much of the same in 2024. There seemed to be a focus on scoring quickly and coming from behind in this period, The white team were given a 30 odd point lead for the blues to hunt down, which they did comfortably. At one point during match sim Laurie received the ball during a center square stoppage and blasted it forward in a hurry. Chappy then yelled out, “Connect Bill, Connect!” I liked this as it shows they are working on a major issue we have had for the past 2 seasons. A work in progress but at least a sign they are addressing it. I was pleasantly surprised with our game style today, I thought the ball movement looked much faster then previous years and they used the corridor quite often too, this had mixed results but that's to be expected. Although Blue dominated the session, I must say there were some good signs from our younger brigade and depth players. All the draftees took part in the match Sim and showed signs of what they could become. Really liked Kolts energy and attitude, a future leader in the making IMO. Kynan had some very nice moments and looks like an absolute work horse, just goes, and goes. And Windsor…. Ill get back to this lad. Taj lined up in quite a few CBAs and did some nice things when faced up against our starting Mids, He really stood out to me today, as did Laurie. Positive signs aside, Gawn, Track, Viney & Gus were our starring 4 for blue at this point, and they looked levels above the opposition. Overall, the standard was to good watch and I left with optimism for the season and our future with our youngins all showing a bit. Just some notes on individuals: ANB - Undoubtably starting 22, he was BOG for white by a country mile IMO. Great player for our young players to watch and learn from. Kosi – Everything he touches turns to gold. He really stands out with everything he does. He does stuff that no one else on the list can. Track - looks to be in extremely good nick and was just a powerful beast all day. Viney - Seemed completely unhindered to me and at times untouchable. Kicked a very nice goal during match Sim. Gus – Looks to be fine after his big knock. Played a mix of halfback and midfield. I really like the look of him in the guts and should stay there until Clarry is back IMO. Track, Oliver, Viney, Gus should be our priority mids in 2024. Elite! Windsor – I will be shocked if he doesn’t play round 1. It’s the first time I have seen him play live in any form and he looks like a ripper. Used the ball well, ran hard to give and receive, competed better than expected in the contest and just looked like he belongs. I may have just caught him on a good day and his consistency might not be there yet, but I am a fan already. A shoe in to take Hunter’s role, just a matter of when. Sparrow – I know some on here are big Tommy fans, but from what I saw today he is in danger of losing his spot to one of the young and hungry up and comers if he doesn’t improve. He just seems to have stagnated. Taj, Kynan, Kolt, Lauire could all push him out if he is not careful. Schache – Never been a fan of this bloke, however I must admit he impressed me today. Got bullied a tad in the ruck Vs Gawn but that’s to be expected. He shouldn’t have to go up against many starting rucks at AFL level and from what I saw today he may well be our backup ruck/fwd this year. He had a great moment when he competed in the ruck with Gawn, smothered an attempted clearance kick then followed up with a big tackle locking it in. The boys and coaches loved it! Laurie – Thought he was a mile off the pace in his AFL games last year but looks to have stepped it up bigtime. He found a lot of the ball and looked clean, calm, and effective. Howes – Not sure if he will play down back in the AFL but during the drills and match sim he had moments that made you take notice. The kid can play, just not sure how he gets a look in. McAdam – Took a few BIG marks, one on poor old Gawnys back. He must be getting sick of that! McAdam will add to our forward line potency for sure. He didn’t get a huge amount of it but he was impactful. Looks the goods. Spargo – Looks super fit and was his creative self. Big fan! Lever – Loved his voice and leadership, I still think he will be our captain one day. Gawn – Dominated the ruck and was never out marked as expected. Today did highlight how badly we need to ruck depth ASAP though. Anyhow, it was a great morning, and I am excited for the season to start! I’ll do my best to answer Any questions you lot may have! GO DEES!

If Hunter misses and Windsor were to play round zero, I could see Brayshaw (thanks to his versatility) and Windsor sharing/rotating on one of the wings. When Windsor's on the wing, Brayshaw spends time in the centre or on the bench. I would imagine Windsor would get low minutes and then be subbed off if he isn't dominating. I couldn't see Windsor having a full game on the wing based on what I saw last Friday, and probably not a game full stop. Having said that, Laurie played the final praccy game against Richmond, looked miles off the pace, but was selected for round 1 last year. Billings could also be an option to play minutes on Hunter's vacant wing.

This can only end one way. Buffering and a scrolling wheel of death.