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We’re already a month into the MFC preseason (if you started counting when the younger players in the group began the campaign along with some of the more keen older heads) and in less than a few hours’ time, most of the list will be hitting the track for another grueling session at Gosch’s Paddock. If you haven’t been following our training threads, today’s Herald Sun article Demons ponder big man reshuffle to fix forward funk by Jay Clark has a crack at bringing you up to speed with the goings on at the club. In the hard paper edition the article is on page 63 and it’s entitled “Dees go for Petty change”. Clark writes that “Melbourne could make footy’s first big positional switch of the summer and return Harrison Petty to a key defensive role next season”. This is not an official call for Petty who struggled to have an impact up forward last year - Clark says he will be trialled in both forward and defensive roles over summer. He adds that this opens up some scope for “marking targets Daniel Turner, 2022 first round pick Matthew Jefferson and VFL recruit Aidan Johnson to partner ace goal kickers Jacob van Rooyen and Bayley Fritsch”. Clark also points out that it’s a crucial year for the club in fighting off possible poaching efforts for Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver after they explored moves to leave during the trade period but he confirms the gun midfielders “have put those issues behind them”. Accompanying the article which also mentioned the team-building exercises at last week’s camp in Victoria’s high country are the following pointers to highlight some of the preseason moves at the club:- “Harry Sharp on the wing With running dynamo Alex Neal-Bullen heading to Adelaide, the Dees recruited Brisbane grand final emergency Harry Sharp to add run to an ageing midfield. The 21-year-old showed his aerobic prowess on Monday when he decimated his new teammates in a 2km time trial and he is likely to be given first dibs on the opposite wing to Ed Langdon. Caleb Windsor to defence With Sharp and potentially No.11 pick Xavier Lindsay joining the Dees’ wing stocks, second-year Windsor is likely to move to a running half-back role used to great effect by Fremantle’s Jordan Clark. The club is aware that with Steven May and Tom McDonald both on the wrong side of 30 and Jake Lever often copping knee niggles, having pace around them is essential. Midfield reboot It’s not just the arrival of No.6 pick Harvey Langford that has the Dees excited. Both Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver set tongues wagging at Gosch’s Paddock on Monday. After a horror 2024, Oliver seems to be keen to re-establish himself as one of the league’s best tacklers, while Petracca looked fully engaged instructing the first-year players.” Well … that’s your history lesson about the preseason so far. Of course, most of the above has already been covered in our own preseason training threads. Now it’s over to our track watchers to fill us in on today’s action …

Can't abide McVee leaving - not just because he is my fave 🥰! Did some checking around. He loves the club and the coach. Working on a deal to be announced in the coming month(s). 👏 So relax folks.

Being given #10 came as a big surprise to Disco, totally unexpected. This is because there was talk of one of the new boys getting it (probs Harvey) and he thought it had been decided. He’s humble and very grateful to be wearing the number of a much-loved Club champion. There was consultation with Gus before the decision was made.

Folks really ought to have faith in Shane. He’s in fantastic shape, he’s been training for as long as everyone else and at the top level (Selwyn said the same). He’s in the best headspace, very buoyant and confident, it’s so nice to see. Again, he said he’ll be there in Round One. I said yeah coz Koz (see what I did there), he said that’s exactly right.

Once again a very pleasant day watching the training with a full squad in attendance. It took me ages to find Jed Adams until the boys started yelling Jed Jed Jed (dead give away) and i realised he was in a No number Jumper. No Kalani White but Toby Sinnema was there. Lever, Spargo, McAdam, Lindsay and Fritter in rehab ie not taking part in all the drills. They did a separate drill and then on the bikes and running the boundary. Don't know whats wrong with Fritta but it aint running. Lever dragged the bike to the boundary line and yelled encouragement, and you better be encouraged ok!!!! AMW did a great block on the Kolt and a fantastic tackle on Viney. Maysie gives instructions to the backs with a flick of a hand and guess what, seems to position well and find space. Langford has a first and 2nd effort and seems to instinctively know where the ball is in a contest. He also looks like Turner but with curls. AJ ready to go and is strong at it. Kynan shows plenty of run and dash. Hore wacked his knee cap on the ground, a minor cut, and had some strapping as a precaution. Tracca had the cap with a 'sun shade' on the back. (Reminds me of the cartoons I watched years ago). Moving well. Sharpie looked er sharp and got lots of vocal support from his team mates. Campbell looks like he is enjoying it. Max and Clarrie were gassed at time. Clarrie did not participate in the match sim at the end. I think Kynan pulled out early. Not many track watchers as last time but the number grew to 60+.

He is not going to get anywhere doing that

I watched the group on the Punt Road boundary where Clarrie was involved. It was a run and handball, with little goal posts at each end. It was non-stop with attacking team v defending team. Seemed like even numbers. It was played in a 50-metre section of the wing, quite congested, but the non-stop run by ball carriers was impressive. Clarrie showed trademark burst and lightning handball on occasions. He brushed some opponents aside, but the very next play he ran into Kossie, who trapped him in vice-like arms and bought him to ground, hard! Immediately after this, Clarrie took himself to the side line and sucked in the big ones on all fours. Soon after this he slowly walked the perimeter... I think this must have been just before he threw in the towel. I add that he was pushing himself to the limit everytime he had the ball in all the activities I watched. The speed of Sharp was very evident in this same activity. He bounced off tacklers and spun around on-coming defenders to speed away and deliver to teammates. He then ran on at blistering pace to start a new chain from the backline... think, "beep beep"! Langford's poise by hand and foot was on show in end-to-end exercises on that same wing!

I was introduced to Toby this morning. He’s 16yo and lives in Hampton Park. His mum is Chinese, his dad is Dutch. He’s hoping to be picked up by us in next year’s draft. He loves training with the boys, they’ve made him feel really welcome and he loves how far the coaches push them during training. He’ll be training again this Friday and again “a week after the holidays” which might mean on the 9th of January when they all resume or maybe he means the week following that one. He’s a well-spoken, friendly and polite kid.

Sharp to the wing? Can't see that personally. The more likely role I would have thought is a direct replacement for nibbla. The wing role is very similar in terms of arc to arc running, but is much more offensive, particularly the opposite wing to Langdon, who has been more defensive than most wingers. If Sharp went to the wing he'd be replacing Windsor, who was much more offensive than langers and was an important element in our attacking transition and how we entered our 50 Does Sharp have the right set of skills to replace Windsor? And if there's any thought of XL going to the wing when he eventually comes into the side it doesn't make much sense for Sharp to warm his spot. Better for him to play HHF from the get go and make the role his own. I suspect, given Bowser told me at training that he might get some wing time, he's a more likely candidate to play on the wing in the first third of the season.

Would have gone with Spreadsheet

Ricky Lever is on a stationary bike on the boundary absolutely barking at the top of his voice at the boys. He’s even scaring me 😅 Nicknames: Aidan is AJ, Xavier is X, Shane Mc is Shano. Someone was up all night thinking up those creative masterpieces 😂 Clarrie’s body… his words: “nah I’m not in good shape, I’m a fat [censored]”

A few observations. Coaches are working hard. Plenty of instructions, and a variety of new drills that are making them use different skills. Bounces and run, more focus on having opponents, handballs with the players getting in the way of opposition, and opponents (Jones) getting in the way of runners. They are happy and training with skill and high standards McAdams with boots on and kicking goals. Spargo getting closer. Langford likes a goal and can kick them on the run and from a long way out. Fritta doing some training drills and extra running. Salem has already dropped a few kilos. Melky in an orange bib during sims (the only one), and connecting through the middle and then hitting up with some beautiful kicks. Tackling in handball game was ferocious, I worried about them at times. Bowey was in with the backs when in their lines but matched up against Windsor on the wing in the sims. The other wing side had Billings and Langdon. Tracc playing with some flair, his field kicking has also improved. Oliver was trying to dance around opponents but got caught a few times.

I saw Clarrie earlier having a few puffs of an asthma puffer, plus what I assumed to be a couple of hits with a nasal spray. I suspect that probably has a lot do do with his early departure.

Enjoy.

McAdams is still on light duties. Gawn is getting more involved with the leadership role, He is in cruise mode. Oliver is trying hard. Viney is excelling and isbest by a far distance, also, atending every session so far. Billings is looking very good. Running hard, getting plenty of ball and with good disposals. Back to the club in great shape.

Thanks WJ, WayneWussell, Fritta and Turner Ghost Writer, Kev Martin and all posters for their great reports special comments and posts. Sounds like another great training day for the boys, would have been warm and humid out on the track.😁👍

Melbourne are prepared to offer Judd a deal to 2029 like they did with JVR. They’ll be happy to accomodate another 2 years though if that’s all he wants. He’s very happy at the club and also has a partner who plays in AFLW side.

Thanks to all you lucky training reporters, best media on Dee’s is really amongst ourselves. The positivity of this and Monday’s threads is very refreshing, well done everybody, I luv ya’s all fellow Dee’s supporters.

Until his actions prove it *unfortunately for him* there will be a lot of scepticism and doubt.

They’ve discovered the meaning of life… this can only be a good thing!

Looks like Goody ordered a number 5 and number 9 too

I made it down there yesterday but was flat out heading back Nth to write before now. I was planning a big one but there are so many excellent track reporters nowadays most of it's been covered. But here's a few comments. Poor old Jason Taylor had the misfortune of being identified by me. He was standing a bit away from the coaching section. So much for a nice quiet uninterrupted observation of training. I'm afraid I wasn't going to let Demonland down by letting him get away with that. In summary he laughed when I said it must be a bit like watching his babies run out on the field and strange so soon after just picking them. I asked him what expectations were there about when Lindsay might play. He said Oh well he's coming off a PCL and won't join in full training till mid Jan so it will be a while. I mentioned that Johnson seemed to be doing incredibly well at keeping up with the running especially as he's just come in. He said Yeh, he loves running and is a really good runner. Amazing for me given how most players who have come over from other clubs haven't been able to get close to the MFC running when they start in pre season and this guy's come in from only one season of VFL and is way more up to speed than any of them. He looks particularly agile and quick off his feet. Firstly I haven't managed to get to training since before Covid. The first thing I noticed is how much bigger they are now than I have seen in the past. A few years ago they had a real emphasis on running over strength and the squad had collectively trimmed down. It is noticeable they have bulked up again but I would say with more refined training practices nowadays they are probably running better than they did then. Secondly Viney's leadership really stood out. It's interesting that others picked up that Max was taking a bit of a back seat. But it's been interesting that Vines has turned up from day one of the 1st to 3rd years and has led them all the way. Today he was very noticeably leading all over the ground. When his group finished their 2km's he stayed on his feet when everyone else was collapsed and he walked around to every player in the group and patted them and gave them words of encouragement. His fitness was also right up there in the running. Thirdly. Clarry. I noticed in photos I've seen since they've started back that he's still got that bulkiness he had last year. Then in the 2km he was lagging off the back of his group. I was thinking this really isn't looking that great. But near the end of the session they did multiple 120m run throughs and he led his group in everyone of them and that's at the end of a very tough session. Sigh of relief. Don't worry about Clarry he's clearly done the work in the off season. Fourthly, I don't know why I'm numbering these points. Pointless. Oh well. Kossie blitzed his 2km group. He's really done the work this off season and I get the feeling he's realised he needs to make the most of his god given talent. I'm picking him to have a special season. Fourthly, others have mentioned Harry Sharp. His running was extraordinary. It wasn't just that he blitzed the group with his endurance but he's that very rare combination of speed and endurance. I have no doubt he will replace ANB's role and end up being an upgrade with better pace and skills. There's a lot to learn to get up to ANB's contribution though. I thought he was leading the B & F earlier in the season. Fifthly Jefferson has really bulked up since last season. He has a mature AFL footballers body now. A lot rests on him making it as a viable key forward. It's been such a long time since we've been able to develop one from the draft other than JVR. Windsor was surprisingly lagging back in the 2km but then again he's coming back from a long term injury but I thought he would have been up to speed by now. I can't believe he will be played anywhere than the wing. So few players know now to play that role and he's walked in from day one nailing it. No doubt in the off season players get moved around to play different positions to learn them. Wingers often play deep in defence and off half back in transition so it makes sense for him to be doing that. The role nowadays is all about transition now anyway. Kentfield took me a while to pick up. He didn't stand out so much in height and build. He's a very strange build. He's huge around the hips and [censored] and it's almost like his body which is much skinnier sits on top of his hips. It was interesting to see Selwyn Griffith walking around the boundary doing menial things like placing posts in the ground. It just shows you how they run on such short staffing nowadays. Its just appalling the AFL haven't lifted the coaching soft cap back up by now. Go Dees. I have to say that this time last year I was supper flat and pessimistic about the coming season. Mind you there was a lot of turmoil then. I feel very different this preseason. There's minimal injuries. There's clearly articulated recognition of the failings in the gameplan that is being addressed with changes in the coaching staff which didn't happen last season. I have a gut feeling that Jefferson is going to start performing in 2025. I'm picking Tholstrop to be a big improver. Kossie looks like he's done a power of work over the break. He had a pretty ordinary 2024 so hopefully he goes to next level. We have Maxy back up next year in Campbell. Langford will at the very least add desperately needed depth to the midfield that we didn't have this year. Onwards and upwards Dees.

Fritsch is recovering from post season knee surgery.

Not leather poisoning

I asked one of the assistants how Shane’s fitness compares today compared to last season, and he said “ he’s got no hammies or calves,so he is better “. I didn’t pursue it and walked away. Shano was running all morning - short sprints and then laps.Looked good to me.

He’s one on one with Keith, a physio. Running laps. Now he’s practicing set shots. Just spoke with Shane. He’s on the stationary bike now. He’s on an individual program which focuses on fitness. Purely and simply, fitness. Building his tank.

According to Richo Roy can’t train with us because the paperwork which was expected to be completed by today isn’t as yet. Also we in fact DON’T have any list spots remaining. The only way Roy can play for us is if someone gets injured. The ‘paperwork’ actually is signing up for Casey, necessary for him to train with us. Richo said some clubs have two picks, some have one, some might wanna try to pick him up in the midyear draft. We are “very keen” to sign him.

I'd wager Sharp plays high half forward similar to Nibbler in previous years. Has the running capacity and pace to do damage in that role. We'll rotate a few through the wings this year.

I’m old enough to remember when Robbie Flower burst on the scene as a spindly bespectacled 17-year-old from Murrumbeena in 1973. His spectacular 272 game career with the Demons is a well documented one. We lost him 10 years ago, all too young at 59 years of age. There was some excitement in the early 2000’s when his son Brad appeared on the scene with the Oakleigh Chargers but he lacked the height and size to make it to the big time and only got as far as the odd game at Sandringham VFA, mainly with their reserves (circa 2002). Now, the grandson Jett Flower has been picked up at Coates Talent League level. Unfortunately, there’s no grandfather/grandson rule but we wish him luck!

Meggs' Review of Melbourne's AFLW Season 9 ... Congratulations first off to the North Melbourne Kangaroos on winning the 2024 AFLW Premiership. Roos Coach Darren Crocker has assembled a team chock-full of competitive and highly skilful players who outclassed the Brisbane Lions in the Grand Final to remain undefeated throughout Season 9. A huge achievement in what was a dominant season by North. For Melbourne fans, the season was unfortunately one of frustration and disappointment but there were some positives to celebrate. A tough draw, a slew of injuries to key players, an exodus of quality, battle-hardened teammates, and a bevy of young recruits conscripted prematurely, culminated in a lowly percentage (87.9%), and missing finals, finishing ninth. The best of the rest. One positive of the season was the exposure of young players to the real thing. Georgias Gall and Campbell, Ry Wotherspoon and Alyssia Pisano all garnered valuable match day experience. While recruits Grace Beasley and Denby Taylor looked promising and well-suited in the red and blue. Other positives to celebrate were the cohort of rising stars who had personal-best seasons (see below) and foundation coach Mick Stinear’s contract extension to 2025. The following are some reflections on Season 9, 2024. Offseason trades and 2023 draft A significant cull by stalwart Demon recruiter Todd Paterson jettisoned eight players as part of a list refresh. A raft of higher draft picks was yielded in the exchanges. The jury remains sequestered on whether it was a successful trading period. While two retired, six other players went on to play a total of 62 games for rival clubs in 2024. This was quite an experience drain, especially in midfield and defence. Melbourne went to the draft with 5 picks (5, 12, 24, 29, 55). Todd chose Alyssia Pisano, a small forward (8 games), Ry Wotherspoon a forward utility (10), Jac Hose, a ruck recovering from an ACL (0), Jemma Rigoni a father/daughter selection (0), and Delany Madigan a defender (1) who has been delisted after one season. Interestingly Melbourne did not select available defenders Lucy Cronin (Pies) or Mikayla Williamson (Hawks) who both excelled in defence in 2024 and earned rising star nominations. Young Dog Elaine Grigg at pick 6 was another who excelled in her first year. The Demons off-season recruits included US College Basketball star Grace Beasley (3), ex-Port Adelaide small utility Lily Johnson (5) along with injury replacement players Grace Hill (8) for Hose and Denby Taylor (7) for A Mackin. The newbies played a total of 42 games. Ex-Dees making their mark in rival colours To recap: Eliza West and Casey Sherriff were traded to Hawthorn, Maddi Gay to Essendon, Libby Birch to North, Charlotte Wilson to Gold Coast and Jordie Ivey to Collingwood VFLW. Westy took the competition by storm, averaging 22 disposals and 8 tackles in her 13 games. She was instrumental in her new team’s rise to second position on the ladder alongside the deputy Sherriff. Birch is now a 3-time premiership player. The regularly injured Maddie Gay (while a Demon) suddenly played every game for the finals-bound Bombers this year and became their key defensive architect. Wilson and Ivey were solid defenders for their teams. The ‘fixed-ya’ When AFLW published its 2024 fixture in May 2024 it was obvious that the handicapper had given MFC a really tough draw. It ended up even harder as the teams we played did better than expected and teams we didn’t play did worse A post-season article by AFL media confirmed that the Demons had the hardest fixture: It was a kind of fixed-ya fixture. Thank you, AFL. The Nadir Practice match losses to lowly Carlton and an improving Port Power, the aforementioned ‘tough draw’ and long-term injuries to Aimee Mackin (season) and Liv Purcell had lowered our confidence meter for the season opener at Sleepy Hollow. Equally, the Cats practice match form was patchy. On game day, Kate Hore was the clear standout and starred along with Blaithin Mackin for a nail-biting 2-point win. Sadly, a Tayla Harris shoulder injury ended her season. Thence came reality checks at Casey against the reigning premiers and the eventual premiers. Then came long term injuries to Lauren Pearce (broken wrist) and Paxy (foot). More bad news ensued with Grace Beasley doing her ACL at training to be out for the season. Smarting from the Kangaroo hiding, Mick fired up his troops for the clash at Fremantle Oval and we led by 3 goals at ¾ time. Sadly, we could not sustain it and went goalless as the Dockers piled on 4 goals and to add insult to injury, Blaithin Mackin hurt her calf and Eden Zanker her knee. Cursed! Round 5 was a Bomber dee-capitulation. Our worst loss in history, 65 points. A busted nose for Lize Mac and plenty of bruises and hurt feelings to go around. A dismal display to witness. The Demons had lost 7 of their past 8 games and Mick Stinear’s win loss record was taking a battering. Return from the Void Where to from now? Mick and his coaches huddled and emerged with a simplified game plan and agreed to place individual players in their optimum position. Maeve Chaplin in a post-season interview confirmed there was a change of game plan. It was a good move as the Dees slowly roared back to life with four straight wins over Giants, Crows, Saints and Tigers with Alyssa Bannan looking dangerous around goals. The penultimate game was the must-win match in Cairns against the high-flying Hawks. Of course, the injury curse struck yet again with Kate Hore, a late withdrawal with a sore quad. Tyla Hanks brilliantly led the team as we battled hard in hot and humid conditions. We lost by 6 points and with it the chance to secure a finals place. A 47-point drubbing of Collingwood next week made us feel better, but it was not the finish to the season we were hoping for. Maevo named in the AA squad Melbourne FC had one inclusion in the AFLW All-Australia 42 player squad. Maeve Chaplin, who put together a career-best season in 2024. In 11 matches Maeve averaged 13.6 disposals at 78.7% efficiency (team-high), 4 rebound 50s, 6.7 intercepts (10th in the league) and 2 intercept marks per match. A unique journey, Maeve was overlooked in two drafts and then was signed as a replacement player only to be delisted and then drafted again in that same year 2022. Don’t forget she was a S7 2022 premiership defender. We love Maevo and what she brings every week. Player movements 2024 The Trade Period opens on Thursday 5 December 2024 and closes 11 December. AFLW is reporting that superstar Tayla Harris is Collingwood or Hawthorn bound. The Hawks pick 14 would be tempting. A high-quality draft awaits. Heart and soul warrior Lily Mithen is said to be considering a tempting offer to move to Gold Coast in a deal which could land the Dees pick 2. GCS have No. 1 draft pick Havana Brown in their academy. The 2024 Draft (AFLW’s first fully national draft) is being held on Monday 16 December 2024. The calibre of players available is the strongest on record and the Demons will, by the sounds of it, have some high picks. Todd, please recruit some skilful contested footy mids with strong bodies and footy nous. Zippy Fish from East Fremantle is one impressive player (in name at least) and who knows who else Todd has in mind for the early pick. There are several excellent midfielders available. For a later pick we could consider 2-km time trial dynamo Oakleigh Chargers’ Sarah Poustie. Meggs wrote about Charlotte Brewer who impressed in a game with Casey VFLW. She has Demon connections via her grandfather Ross and current Casey VFLW coach Matt. Choose wisely Todd! Personal-best seasons Several players had their best ever seasons at Melbourne which is worth celebrating. We congratulate Maeve Chaplin on her AA nomination. Maevo started brilliantly in the practice matches and assumed the Demon defensive ‘generalissima’ for the entire season. Libby who? Eliza McNamara is an endurance queen who was able add four-quarter contested footy to her game in 2024, racking up career-best possession numbers (22.2 per game) and averaging 392 metres gained. Sinead Goldrick has always been a pleasure to watch but in 2024 she was crucial in everything she did both in defence and midfield and kicked 3 goals to boot. In last year’s season Demonland review, Meggs argued that ‘Fitzy (should) be played on the ball where she has done well in VFLW. You want the ball in her hands because she has good skills and makes good decisions.’ Well in 2024 Mick sent Fitzy into the middle and she recorded career-best possession numbers (13.6 per game, up from 7.8). Her one-percenters are a feature. It would have been a good coaches review for her for sure. Best and Fairest In the AFLW Best and Fairest, Demons scored 32 votes (2023:46). Kate Hore earned 12 votes (2023:12), Tyla Hanks 8, Blaithin Mackin 4 (first ever votes), Alyssa Bannan 3, Liv Purcell 2, Eliza McNamara 1 (first ever votes), Paxy Paxman 1, and Eden Zanker 1. The Demons Best and Fairest will be held on 9 December 2024 with Meggs tipping our talisman captain Kate Hore to win the B&F once again. Expect Goldie and Maevo who both played outstanding footy in both halves of the season to be thereabouts, with Hanksy and Eliza Mac to complete the top five. Melbourne FC has written a piece on some of the top-performing Demons of the season and is copied here: Alyssa Bannan A fan-favourite Demon, Bannan was back to her brilliant best this year. The 22-year-old’s speed and infectious energy inside 50 was a spectacle to enjoy throughout 2024. She finished as the team’s leading goal-kicker for the season, kicking 12 majors across her 11 games including a four-goal haul during Week 8. Blaithin Mackin Mackin started the season as one of the top performers across the league before injury halted her rise. Her ability to take on the contest and bring the ball forward was an important part of her game. Minus the match in which she was injured, Mackin averaged 17 disposals, and 371 metres gained. Could her early impact be enough to push her high in the count? Eliza McNamara 2024 was a season that put McNamara’s name on the map. Lining up for Melbourne along the wing, the 22-year-old produced career-best numbers and made regular impact during games with a relentless attitude at the contest. She averaged 22 disposals, seven intercepts and five marks. Kate Hore As expected, the Melbourne skipper embraced her second season at the helm. With a dual role, lining up in the midfield and forward line, Hore influenced in many ways. From performances that saw her lead the charge inside 50 to displays of strength in the contest, she continued to be a consistent contributor for the red and blue. Maeve Chaplin In a breakout year for the Demon, Maeve Chaplin well and truly made her mark in Melbourne’s defence. The young defender was a powerful strength coming out of the backline. She averaged 6.7 intercepts (10th in the league) and 13.6 disposals, with a disposal efficiency of 78.7% (a team high). Sinead Goldrick This season, fans got to see even more of Goldrick’s explosive and exciting talent, spending time in various positions across the ground. Her speed and aggressive attack went from strength-to-strength this year as she averaged 16 disposals and six intercepts, also taking her opportunities inside 50, kicking three goals. Tahlia Gillard Gillard’s 2024 saw her, once again, lead Melbourne’s backline at just 20 years old. The tall Demon has become an unstoppable force with another year of experience under her belt, now cemented as one of the best lockdown defenders in the league. This season saw her average six intercepts and a league-high six spoils. Tyla Hanks A dependable Demon since her first season at the club back in 2019, Hanks provided a level of stability in Melbourne’s midfield this year. The hard-working and crafty Demon led by example as the club’s vice-captain, averaging 18 disposals, five tackles and four clearances. Thank you, readers, Well, that’s all for Season 9. It has been such a pleasure writing about this wonderful team and if you’ve got this far, thank you so much for reading. Meggs wishes everyone all the best for the festive season. Lots to get excited about in 2025 with both our men’s and women’s footy teams. Go Dees! MEGGS

You know how you sometimes "read ahead" but get it wrong? That is, you think what you know what's going to be written there, only to find you've jumped the gun? I thought you were going to say "Sharpie looked er sharp" followed by "Campbell looks er camp".

Yes I do know what’s going on with him but understandably I can’t discuss it unless one of the staff talks about it in which case I could quote them.

👏 and 🥈, all reporters! Has there ever been a pre-season attract this much interest and enthusiasm? A silver lining of the Year of Grief?

McAdam, Spargo & Lindsay

You can't post a statement like that on Demonland without any other context.

Well Demonlanders " Guess who's coming to dinner" great movie but come Next Wednesday... I'm looking likely to be able to venture to Gosshville to deliver an incisive P.F TRAINING REPORT!😇😂🤩 And if not Wed will be Friday!

Thanks to all for the track report s. Breakfast is great. Well worth reading, read it all twice, go Dee's

After believing he was tied to us, then being told otherwise that he wasn’t (should’ve verified that info better) have just been told that Toby Sinnema is indeed tied to us and we will have priority/access to match a bid on him if he’s good enough in the 2025 draft👍🏼

As the boys came off after training they were met with a camera on a tripod above which was a note that said “What’s on your Xmas wish-list?” Expect some frivolity on the MFC website, I suppose.

Straight swap for Harley Reid

That doesn't make me feel any better.

Jolly well posited; it shows, despite the recurring argy-bargy from some contributors, the serious track watchers and amateur journalists have been doing a phabulous job for DL participants so far this pre-season. Thanks, guys for your efforts of which so many of us are eternally grateful.

Gawn and Melksham first out, closely followed by Tholstrup

Pre training discussion??? First time EVER! It's like what snake repellant to choose before venturing out to Casey Wilderness!!

I see Roy George was with Kozzie yesterday doing a boxing and cardio session according to his insta. Sharp to a wing isn't all that big of a surprise. It's clear Goodwin rates the wing position and to play that role, you obviously need greater running capacity to grind up and down all day long. Shape has this in spades. The only thing I will question this is whether Sharp has the football intelligence of Langdon in being able to execute the role as good as he does.

Yep, agree. Though his technique is not text book - he has a bit of the tracc high ball drop. But he is often kicking when running flat out, which makes it harder to nail kicks. Very coachable and driven, so I agree he'll improve. Kid is a total gun. Aside from gis obvious talent, he has something else about him too -at the risk of sounding wanky, he has an elite mindset. He will make the most of his talent and improve his game year on year. There was an example of his focus, and the standards he sets for himself in a game at the g, i can't recall which. He missed a set shot with a shank. He had another opportunity from a similar spot and was really deliberate in his set up. Nailed it. The club deserves massive kudos for a rebuild whilst noone was watching. At some point early next season top end draft talent from the last two drafts in the Duke, Kolt, Langford and XL will play together. The last time we had that sort of young talent playing together was tracc (but not 'till his second year because of his acl), clarry, viney and gus a decade ago when we were cellar dwellers. And unlike those four, the new fantastic four are coming into a side that boasts premiership players, players with mutiple AA blazers and a raft of 21 -23 year old guns like koz, jvr, mcvee and Turner (who is my tip for our break out player). Exciting times.

Gary moorcroft

Always good content. Not quite as riveting as the 2019 one but getting JT's detailed analysis of why these two guys will be guns is music to the ears. It would be interesting to know where we rated Langford overall. The video is edited a bit. JT mentions Langford being "the next preferred midfielder" so I'm guessing he's referring to Ashcroft or maybe we had Jagga Smith or FOS ahead of him. Anyone else distracted by Goody's fried rice? Like FFS mate just eat it after the cameraman has gone. LOL