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Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but I loved Melksham pulling down the Jacko freo jumper at the start of the game. Not sure whether to interpret it as maintaining respect for the club, or respecting the fact that Jacko is still a Dees player or just outright not copping shït from freo fans, but loved that from the milkshake. I could also just be massively reading into something that has no merit, either way I'm pumped with the win and stoked with how Melbourne like that performance was.

The dribble from the commentary box tonight was atrocious. 5 minutes on LJ and 3 minutes on stucko. Call the game! Pearls of wisdom such as… Taylor: “wow the ball spun and bounced backwards. If that bounced over the line if would have been deliberate. What do you make of that? Brayshaw: “I guess it’s the oval shape of the ball…” Enoughs enough. Get rid of these idiots.

What are you talking about? Brayshaw was great tonight ... on his left a lot as that's where the space was Opposition players are drawn to his right side kicking and are then caught out Time and time again And then Brayshaw kicked deep to advantage or safety. He was a driving force all night How about giving credit where credit is due

How good was it seeing Melksham pull that jumper down last night? Arrogant supporters acting like it’s a done deal. If he has to go I hope he goes to the Eagles now, and plays a blinder in every Derby.

It was right in front of where we were sitting and I don’t think the footage does how hard he went at the ball the justice it deserves…it was reckless! Viney has taken his game to another level this year. He might be up there in the Bluey imo. I love the bloke

WTF? Sparrow was in many Demonlanders votes tonight. His harassment, tackling etc tonight was magnificent.

Still Wowoden 🔴🔵

Vineys spin out of a tackle at full pace on that far wing which led to a goal was just beautiful. God he's great to watch at the moment.

He is not getting huge numbers but Tommy Sparrow is bringing some serious physicality to the team. Great signs for him! Another young bloke JJ just seems to make the right decision and play such high percentage football. I am a big fan of both!

I must say melks brings a bit of arrogance and toughness into our game. He is happy to get stuck into oppo players and our boys seem to be doing it more since he’s been back in the team.

How good has Hibberd been since he’s come back into the side!! Give the pig another year

We're back !!! Let's get that straight ! We exposed Freo as pretenders - that's the end of them. We'll dispose of the filth next - no doubt about that. If the Geelong geriatrics were still awake and watching this game they'll know it's all over for them also. Can't wait for the GF which we'll win. I'm happy!!!!

He was good tonight I thought.

As regulars readers of Demonland know, I believe the biggest factor in our form over the last two months is loading. Not the only factor. But by far the most impactful factor. Regulars reader will also know how frustrating i find the media analysis of our great game. There is a thread asking if people have enjoyed this season. I was reflecting on that question and realized that last season i lapped up every media mention of the dees, whereas as this year i can barely watch anything, such is my frustration with the pathetic level of analysis and how completely wrong it usually is. Demonstone made the reasonable point sometime back that if i get so wound up by David King, then i should just stop watching or listening to him. And i have largely taken that advice. But my issue is how analysis that is just so wrong shapes fans' perception and opinions. Both of these things (loading and rubbish analysis) came crashing together when i watched David King on the 'watchlist' segment on 360 on Wednesday night. I am amazed how few comments there has been on Demonland about the segment, and as far i have seen, not one person pushing back or critising David King. I am still livid. Why? Because David King insulted our players. Insulted our leaders. Insulted our team. Insulted Trac. Insulted Clarry. Insulted Max. Said there was 'no investment there in your teammate. It's every man for himself '. I am ropeable. And on his analysis he is so so wrong. In short his thesis is that teams are 'switching against the demons more than anyone else' in the last 6-8 weeks and that they are able to do so because we are not invested, we are not working hard enough, we are complacent, we have lost our hunger. To make his case he showed a clip from the 2021 round 8 game against the Swans where with our incredible all team defence we completely covered the corridor kick and the switch, forcing the Swans down the line to an aerial contest. He is right in saying that is our method. He is also right in saying that we have not been doing that in the last 8 matches. And to demonstrate that latter point he also showed a clip from the dogs game last weekend where, after a free to the dogs deep in their defence, we had time to set up our grid but didn't and allowed the ball to exit our forward line with relative ease. But he is completely wrong as to why that is the case. If King had chosen any other game we played between round 11 and round 19 instead of that Swans game he literally could have chosen dozens of similar examples of us not covering the switch or failing to get the game looking how we want it to look. Hell, he could have chosen the exact corresponding round 19 game from last year against the same side, where the dogs won because we could not stop them switching or force them down the line. I freely admit that there is fair dose of confirmation bias here, but the three players he highlighted, Trac, Clarry and Sparrow all looked completely exhausted to me. Sparrow was gassed, and bent over sucking in the big ones. Again, i'm not looking for debate, so please don't worry about rebutting me, but we have been fatigued because of loading in EVERY game since round 11 (with the exception of the lions game - which came after the bye and the enforced break). That is why we have been overrun in the second half in EVERY game since round 11 (except the lions game). And that is why we are not stopping teams switch as well as we normally do. Only the Tigers and Freo have an all team defensive system anywhere near as aerobically taxing as ours. Fatigue renders our system sub optimal at best, dysfunctional at worst. And all parts of our method have the defensive system as their foundation. Take that defensive spread away and we are a completely different team. As we all saw between rounds 11 and 19 LAST season. And as we have seen again between rounds 11 and 19 THIS season. And as we will see between rounds 11 and 19 NEXT season (assuming we are top 4 contenders next year). So, King is wrong. Dead wrong. But Joe the average footy fan doesn't know that. Joe the average footy fan laps up the [censored] narrative about the complacent premiers, full of leaders who are not 'invested'. And when we smash Freo tonight, will lap up next weeks equally [censored] narrative about the dees flicking a switch, rediscovering their hunger yada, yada yada. And the pow wow? I have no idea what he was referencing, but he reckons we had a pow wow and that was evidence of our lack of investment (ie because we had to come together to address this issue). I immediately checked Demonland because i had not heard of any such meeting. And there was, and has not been since, anything on here about any 'pow wow'. Perhaps we did have some such meeting. But if not, i am assuming he was referring to our intense training session that got quite a bit of attention. If so, again he is way, way off the mark. As 3183 noted in another thread, we did exactly same thing ahead of our round 20 clash last year, and super intense, match like training sessions were standard for the rest of the season. So, all part of the program, not some line in the sand palaver. I'm not looking for a debate. I understand that many people don't agree with my position on how impactful loading has been on our game. I simply wanted to put this out there before it all gets lost in this next, exciting phase we are about to enjoy. I'm not sure about others, but i for one won't cop our club and our players coping such pathetic, ill informed nonsense. I don't have the technical skills to put the clip on here. Andy will add the clip at a later date, but if someone else has the skills to do that would be great. The date of the show is 27 July and the time stamp is 46.48 to 46.48

He is playing a very disciplined role…respect! If he keeps playing his role he will stay in the team. I’m pleased for him

I thought Hunt was OK

Confirmed culture ruined.

As much as I am a huge fan of Sparrow, I have been one of his critics this year. A lot of clumsy football and poor disposal. But he was much better last night. He maintained his physical edge but made better decisions once he was in a place to deliver. Kudos to him - onward and upward for him now I hope. Even though I was disappointed when Hunt was dropped, I understood why. But it was great to see him doing his thing last night. In patches I thought he was super. He will always have a few "Frosty" mind fades or mistakes but his line breaking is invaluable. You gotta love Hibbo - he reminds me of a 1980's footballer. Socks down, unkempt, untidy but simply a natural footballer with a great brain and a great kick. I will never forget his run with the Premiership cup in hand. Absolute shockers from Weid, ANB and Jackson (he had a few patches of good footy). I used to quote the phrase "OK boys, spread out" whenever Fritsch was kicking for goal. His reliability was atrocious. Not now. One of the classiest players we have produced in along long time. A very good mark, a wonderful kick, a better tackler than you would think with his slight build, and cat like reflexes at ground level. Nowhere in the same stratosphere, but he is classy in the way Robbie Flower was. I love Demonland after a win!!

It’s not just opposition supporters, who think Spargo is no good. @picket fence has been on his case for years. Had a few slices of humble pie last season during the finals series. However when we went through a downward trend this season he was on him again The kid can really play, he has great footy IQ and awareness of what is happening around him. He makes good decisions with ball in hand. At one point last night Freo had set up to force us down the line on the southern wing of the ground. Spargo hits a dart pass off the outside of his right boot on the 45 and picks a Dee (possibly Melk) lace out , which opens up the ground and leaves Freo defenders all exposed on the wrong side of their opponent

Again… GEELONG! Bulldogs aren’t a threat to us. Geelong are. Try to put your intense hate for the Bulldogs aside just for one night. I did it late last year when an Essendon win (against I can’t remember who) was beneficial to us. I barracked for Essendon. ESSENDON! At one stage I heard myself saying ‘come on Jake’ (Stringer. STRINGER!). Now, if I can do that, you can too. I have faith in you, Ang. You got this!!

Jake Melksham continuing his surprise resurgence. Chased hard and provided a solid target on the lead. Probably should've finished with 2-3 goals Liking his game at the moment. Adds a different element to our forward line.

Viney

Trac letting Darcy know that next year he’ll be Freo’s number 2 Ruckman to a guy who has more flags than the entire Freo list combined.

I just want to provide a slightly alternative view to what you have been hearing from the club in the last week or so. The way to maximise the result of physical stress is to improve your mental application. Loading and the effect of fatigue is not overcome only with your body, you largely overcome it with your mind - mental toughness. If you sit around telling your players that everything is going to be fine when we drop the loads, you kill better than half the benefit of loading. The way to maximise the benefit is to get players to focus on and improve the things that they can control even while they are desperately fatigued. Because of this, it is absolutely to the clubs advantage to apply the loads and then talk only about ruthlessness, selflessness and application. This is getting the players to focus on what they can control. If they do that, not only do they increase their physical endurance, they increase their mental endurance at the same time. So what we’re are hearing from the players and the coaches is not a lie, it is what they need to believe to get the maximum benefit from the loading.

In his interview yesterday Richardson said if we make the GF the team will be different to last year. I guess that means changes before then to settle the team and to gain cohesion. I listened to some of the post game interviews: Petracca said they were prepared for the Oliver tag and Oliver sacrificed his game by positioning himself in a way that gave Viney more space. We saw the result!. Viney made the most of his attacking role while Oliver was effectively the defensive mid. Usually, if Oliver is tagged we unleash Petracca. A clever change of roles to unleash Viney instead. Unlikely teams would have prepare for that. Gus said they had planned for him to go into the midfield a while back but needed to wait until a spot was available (paraphrasing). He added it was coincidence it was this week post contract, against his brother. While I don't believe everything that is said by players and other club staff I have no reason to doubt Gus. I guess Harmes being out and expecting Oliver to be tagged, opened up the space for Gus in the midfield. Freo looked lost in the midfield. Aish's tagging role worked well but he didn't have much impact. The others looked confused with our ability (Viney and Gus) to find so much space to attack. We 'surprised' them with Oliver going defensive and they didn't know what to do. At this time of year the teams that have been top 4-5 all year will be level pegging on fitness and readied to finish the season strongly so not a lot to differentiate them. It is contest and ruthlessness that set us apart last night and will continue to do so. And it is the 'surprises' and tactics that coaches bring to the game that will help make a difference. I reckon we have a few more surprises up our sleeve.

Lobbe always has rollerskating to fall back on

They were worried that in his concussed state he might start singing "Freo, way to go".

@binman You must have been chuckling and feeling very, very correct during some parts of our third quarter. There was a stretch there which may actually be the best three or four minutes of continuous team and zone defence I've ever seen. Freo switched the ball three times, went backwards, tried anything, and it just kept getting snuffed out. It was an absolute masterclass.

Viney’s played some inspirational games in Perth. In 2017 he got 40 touches in a BOG performance against WC (the game T Mac kicked the winner) The grand final and obviously last night.

So today he was bad, but not significantly worse than last week..... which means he was bad then as well but worse today. I have never seen a bar set quite so low. Lets hope his surname inspires Collingwood to do something stupid like offering us a late second rounder for him, because thats the best we can hope for. He might be a fantastic person, but he aint a key forwards bootlace.

Spot on about both. JJ, in addition to his decision making, has the knack of being where the ball is. Doesn't look the most athletic, but plays tall and is just a natural footballer. Love Sparrow's grunt.

Sam Weideman’s contributions are keeping my aspirations of one day getting a game for the Dees alive.

Was at the game. Our system was absolutely perfect. I was looking for more pressure ‘effort’ but honestly it wasn’t even needed. Every player on the ground worked in unison in plugging the gaps, peeling off and getting into space. We completely shut them down and they couldn’t get into the game at all. Very glad I came over!

That was some effort getting the emergency’s back from Perth and they all played good games, top effort boys.!!!

What would Leigh Montagna know about winning a Flag anyway?? He was involved in 2 failed Premiership Campaigns

There was a Premiership Cup at the end of this rainbow

Have always thought Sparrow was fantastic my favourite little moment last night was in maybe the third quarter he got into a bit of a scrap and was holding two blokes by the jumper at arms length, one in each hand. He’s only a little fella and when you meet him and chat to him he seems like he’s about 12, but gee he’s a tough kid and really cracks in. As for BT grouping him as a player ‘pressing for his spot’, how laughable.

IMO his on field leadership has surpassed Max’s. I still think Max is the correct choice as skipper (seeing how he brings all the players’ together off-field), but Viney just stamps his influence on games like a man possessed. He is the one out the front willing to take all the hits and lead by example. You don’t have to be captain to lead. Take us to the promised land, Jack.

6 more wins

More goals than Lobb and Taberner combined 🤣🤣

Congratulations, not that it counts for anything but this is the first facepalm I’ve given out on DL. Did Gus cut you off in traffic or something? The bashing is ridiculous .

We basically don’t lose when May/Lever/Petty are all in and doing their bit. Petty is becoming an incredible player.

This thread is the best after we open the round with a mighty victory.

@binman

Max Gawn: I really want that game. - in reference to next weeks game against Collingwood. (Pavlich’s interview with Max on Fox footy, post game)

Nothing takes the gloss off a win quite like a 10 minute Joel Selwood montage. Thanks Fox.