Demonland

Before Sunday, the last time the Brisbane Lions had walked onto the turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, they celebrated the pinnacle of the sport - an AFL premiership secured in emphatic fashion for the second consecutive year. In stark contrast, the Melbourne Football Club entered the same timeframe as a smouldering ruin, a club in turmoil. A disappointing 14th-place finish, the dismissal of their coach, and widely reported cultural issues had left the club searching for direction. Incoming president Steven Smith was candid in his assessment, describing standards and behaviours as “not good,” with internal discord and off-field concerns compounding the crisis. The appointment of coach Steven King signalled a decisive break from the past. In a bold and controversial move, established stars including Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca and Steven May were moved on as part of a sweeping cultural reset. King made no grand promises of immediate success, but he was unequivocal about his intent: Melbourne would adopt a fast, daring style of play - one that ensured the team would leave no one to die wondering. Against this backdrop, Melbourne welcomed Brisbane back to the MCG in a Round 6 milestone match for champion Lion Lachie Neale, who was playing his 300th game. What followed was a dramatic and high-quality contest. After squaring the opening term an falling behind late in the second, the Demons produced some scintillating form after the main interval, piling on 11 goals to secure a hard-fought two-point victory, a margin that scarcely reflected some periods of dominance in the latter half of the game, but one that underscored both the potency and risk inherent in their attacking approach. Key moments defined the closing stages of the match. Jacob van Rooyen proved pivotal with some crucial goals and his strong marking presence, while captain Max Gawn delivered a decisive late tackle close to the end aided by Jack Steele on dual Norm Smith Medallist Will Ashcroft to steady his side. The final siren sparked jubilant scenes, fitting on a day that also honoured the club’s legendary ruckman Jim Stynes - and added another memorable chapter to the leadership of its current champion ruckman in Max Gawn. Melbourne’s performance was underpinned by contributions across the ground. The quick movement by hand was outstanding despite some inevitable errors. Ed Langdon’s run was superhuman. Bayley Fritsch showed his versatility in an excellent coaching move that saw him playing further from his customary forward line spot. Kysaiah Pickett and Kade Chandler provided moments of sheer brilliance, while recruit Jack Steele impressed with his composure and resilience. Brodie Mihocek offered a strong presence in attack, Tom Sparrow continued his steady development, and Koltyn Tholstrup delivered a breakout performance. Debutants Max Heath and Xavier Taylor also showed encouraging signs, Latrelle Pickett played his best game yet and demonstrated an impressive tank, while a standout display from young wingman Harvey Langford, who only recently turned 20, highlighted his and the club’s promising future. To Brisbane’s credit, the reigning premiers were relentless. They refused to concede, applying pressure until the final moments and nearly stealing the match, aided in part by a late defensive error from a clearly unwell Harrison Petty. Ultimately, however, this was a defining victory for Melbourne - not just in result, but in significance. It marked an early vindication of King’s bold vision and demonstrated a newfound resilience and identity, forged against one of the competition’s benchmark teams. MELBOURNE 4.1.25 5.6.36 11.8.74 16.8.104 BRISBANE 4.1.25 8.4.52 10.8.68 15.12.102 GOALS MELBOURNE Chandler Langford van Rooyen 3 Fritsch Mihocek Sharp 2 Steele BRISBANE Cameron Morris 3 Rayner 2 Allen W Ashcroft Draper Fletcher Lohmann McCarthy McCluggage BEST MELBOURNE Langford K Pickett Steele Tholstrup Chandler Gawn BRISBANE Neale W Ashcroft Andrews Reville Wilmont Morris Neale LATE CHANGES MELBOURNE Nil BRISBANE Darcy Fort (illness) replaced in selected side by Zane Zakostelsky INJURIES MELBOURNE Harrison Petty (head) BRISBANE Noah Answerth (concussion) Jarrod Berry (calf) UMPIRES Cameron Dore Robert O'Gorman Andrew Stephens Andrew Adair CROWD 41,629 at the MCG

Max is still well ahead in the leading trio but some extra names entered the picture this week. Progressive voting ... 82. Max Gawn 64. Kysaiah Pickett 58. Jack Steele 24. Harvey Langford 19. Tom Sparrow 17. Ed Langdon Jake Lever Jacob van Rooyen 14. Kade Chandler Christian Salem 11. Bayley Fritsch Koltyn Tholstrup 8. Jai Culley 7. Brody Mihocek 5. Jake Melksham Trent Rivers 3. Daniel Turner 1. Harrison Petty Harry Sharp

OUT-BUSTLED by KC from Casey From the outset, the Casey Demons lacked any spring in their steps. They were out-hustled and out-bustled and finally outplayed by the Brisbane Lions by 38 points on their home turf in perfect conditions at Casey Fields. It was never going to be easy for the Demons, who are a young and inexperienced combination left with very little in the way of big-man strength in the absence of Max Heath, promoted to the AFL, and Tom Campbell, out injured. Similarly, their key forward stocks were diminished with Matt Jefferson playing at Melbourne, Aidan Johnson on the injury list, and Luker Kentfield seconded into a raw, makeshift, and undersized ruck after Nate Pipicelli’s late withdrawal. The result was virtually inevitable against the Brisbane Lions, a power of the competition in recent seasons but who had lost their two opening matches in their home state. They opened the game with great vigor. They made space ran with the ball kicked accurately both around the ground and in front of goal while the Demons, beaten at the stoppages were sloppy and forced into error. The Lions opened up a five goal lead by time while the home team remained goalless. There was a brief period of revival early in the second term after Luker Kentfield opened with a goal within seconds, to which the Lions immediately responded. Then came a Casey purple patch with two quick goals from Luke Cheffers followed up by two more youngsters in Jobe Scapin and the lively Tom Matthews chipping in for opportunist goals and suddenly there was hope. The deficit had been narrowed to 15 points in the space of a few minutes. It was the Lion machine that revved itself up and blew the game apart with four unanswered goals to go into the sheds at the major interval with a solid 37-point lead. From there it was a procession until the sting went off the game and Casey clawed back a little dignity at the end of the game. For the most part, the Lions played with greater intensity and in doing so, they made the play. The Demons left too many opponents unguarded so that even when they made an error and miskicked, there was always someone else to gather the football. When the ball went forward for Casey, the visitors always seemed to have a defender in position to cut off the ball movement. Casey’s problems were not helped by the fact that Paddy Cross had to leave at half time to take up emergency duty at the MCG after a reasonable stint working hard with some strong tackling. With his departure, the Demons were left with ten mostly inexperienced foot soldiers, the exception being Tom McDonald who played his heart out, as he always does, picking up 23 possessions and taking eight marks. Jack Henderson, with 26 disposals, seven tackles and seven clearances, Andy Moniz-Wakefield had 23 touches, and Ricky Mentha Junior 19 possessions coming out of defence were impressive. Mentha Jnr was particularly strong early while Tom Matthews was lively and courageous, taking a few hits along the way. Kentfield who is being touted as the club’s potential next AFL debutant managed 16 hitouts but, apart from his goal did little damage. He was assisted in the ruck by lightly built Kalani White who looked like he was being carefully managed on return from a bout of glandular fever. Jed Adams, Oscar Berry and Riley Onley had tough assignments in defence with Adams taking some strong saving marks. Skipper Riley Bonner was again the top possession winner with 29 disposals, capably backed up by Ethan Stanley, Jesse Craven and two up a coming youngsters in Toby SInnema and Luke Cheffers who finished with three goals. Last minute inclusion Tairon Ah-Mu contested hard up forward and in the ruck and was also rewarded with three goals. The Casey contingent is young and will improve with time as they acclimatize to the tempo of the game. The Demons sit uncomfortably near the foot of the table and will be desperate for an infusion of experience into its ruck and midfield stocks if it is to play a meaningful role in this season’s VFL action. Their next opponents are Richmond’s VFL side at Casey Fields on Anzac Day. CASEY DEMONS 0.4.4 4.7.31 9.7.61 13.9.87 BRISBANE LIONS 5.2.32 11.2.68 17.4.106 20.5.125 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Ah-Mu Cheffers 3 Craven Kentfield Hodder Hoghton Matthews Scapin Stanley BRISBANE LIONS McKenna McLachlan 4 Abberley Fazldeen Torrent 2 Beecken Curtin Dunkley Hayes McCarthy Moore BEST CASEY DEMONS Bonner McDonald Henderson Moniz-Wakefield Cheffers Adams BRISBANE LIONS Joyce Marshall Torrent McLachlan Beecken McKenna

I’m still away but get your questions in for @binman & @george_on_the_outer

Who comes in and who goes out?

Reigning Champion and Captain Max Gawn already has a healthly lead just 5 rounds in to the Demonland Player of the Year Award vote count. He leads from Kozzy Pickett, Jack Steele, Tom Sparrow & Jacob van Rooyen. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

MCG magic strikes again as the Demons unleash a devastating second-half surge to edge Brisbane in a thrilling two-point statement win. Never in doubt 🍀🔴🔵😈

It's Game Day and the Demons return to the MCG after a dismal performance in Gather Round to face the reigning dual Premiers Brisbane. What do expect to see from the Dees today?

Binman presents his Long Form Stats Files Preview of the upcoming match against the Brisbane Lions. I'm still traveling and didn't have time to put together an Intro/Outro for the show so you get a raw and unfiltered Binman this week. After the match on Sunday you can also post your questions and comments for Binman and George for the Review podcast here. Go Demons.

CHANGES MELBOURNE IN M. Heath, J. Henderson,M. Jefferson, L. Kentfield, B. Laurie, X. Taylor OUT T. McDonald (omitted), J.Melksham (ankle), C. Salem (foot) BRISBANE IN N. Answerth, S. Brain, J. Tunstill, Z.Zakostelsky OUT D. Zorko (calf)

They really had me fooled when I picked them with great confidence to beat the Bombers at Gather Round last week. I should have recognised that nothing is more quintessentially Melbourne than defeating the undefeated early premiership favourite one week and losing to a winless cellar dweller on its way to establishing a record losing streak the next. It was entirely predictable, yet I failed to anticipate the possibility of the team failing to show up altogether after half time. The redeeming feature of this all is that it is also quintessentially Melbourne for the club to come back after a disastrous performance to win when winning isn’t expected. The prime example is from 1979, when the team, then coached by the legendary ruckman Carl Ditterich, lost to Fitzroy by a record 190 points but won their following week against Essendon at the MCG by 29 points. Earlier this season, under the coaching of another former ruckman, Steven King, the Demons came back from an eight-goal loss to the Dockers and a seven-goal deficit against the Blues early in the third term to kick 14 second-half goals to win that game by 23 points, and followed up with that win against the Suns. In much the same way, they followed up their 2023 Gather Round loss with four wins in a row and last year’s debacle against the Bombers with four of the next five, including immediately the victory over the finals-bound Dockers and a month or so later, the reigning premier and runner-up in successive matches. That’s the history, and we know also that it’s possible to provide plenty of evidence to the contrary but we’ve seen enough over time to know that one poor performance doesn’t signal a collapse. Yes, last week’s showing fell well short of the high-octane, fast-paced game style envisioned by Coach Steven King, but a single lapse doesn’t undo the broader shift toward a more dynamic brand of football. Nor are the Brisbane Lions without their own faults. They opened their season with consecutive losses and were far from convincing in their narrow escape against the North Melbourne Kangaroos last week. This is a side Melbourne has matched up well against in recent times, and back on home turf, the Demons have every reason to believe they can be competitive. That said, much hinges on team selection and execution. Melbourne’s defence looked top-heavy last week, while the forward line struggled for impact after halftime. The injuries of key contributors like Christian Salem and Jake Melksham who were unseen in the second half were telling and both are now sidelined for several weeks. The continued unavailability of Trent Rivers only adds to the challenge. We can expect adjustments aimed at injecting much-needed speed and balance into the lineup. An infusion of young and new blood. The midfield battle shapes as the defining contest. Melbourne will look to its emerging trio of Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett, and clearance specialist Jack Steele to take it up to a seasoned Brisbane unit led by Lachie Neale, alongside the Ashcroft brothers and a supporting cast rich in big-game experience. In the end, Brisbane’s depth and polish may prove decisive, but Melbourne should be far more competitive than last week’s performance suggests. Prediction: Brisbane Lions by 11 points. THE GAME Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions at The MCG, Sunday 19 April 2026 at 3.15pm HEAD TO HEAD * Overall Melbourne 31 wins Brisbane Lions 26 wins At The MCG Melbourne 16 wins Brisbane 5 wins Last Five Meetings Melbourne 2 wins Brisbane Lions 3 wins The Coaches King 0 wins Fagan 0 wins * does not include Brisbane Bears or Fitzroy games LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 14.15.99 defeated Brisbane Lions 13.10.88 at The Gabba, Round 16 2025 Melbourne rose to the occasion and shocked not only the football world but itself with a rousing come-from-behind finish against the reigning premiers who were also four months away from a back-to-back flag. Max Gawn was in enormous form with 46 hit outs and 22 possessions at 86% efficiency. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B D. Turner, J. Lever, B. Howes HB T. Sparrow, H. Petty, C. Windsor C K. Tholstrup, J. Steele, J. Culley HF K. Chandler, J. van Rooyen, M. Jefferson F B. Fritsch, B. Mihocek, K. Pickett FOLL M. Gawn, H. Langford, E. Langdon I/C M. Heath, B. Laurie, L. Pickett, H. Sharp, X. Taylor EMG P. Cross, J. Henderson, L. Kentfield IN M. Heath, M. Jefferson, B. Laurie, X. Taylor OUT X. Lindsay (omitted), T. McDonald (omitted), J.Melksham (ankle), C. Salem (foot) BRISBANE LIONS B K. Coleman, H. Andrews, R. Lester HB D. Wilmot, J. Fletcher, N. Answerth C B. Reville, W. Ashcroft, J. Berry HF C. Cameron, O. Allen, L. Ashcroft F L. Morris, C. Rayner, T. Gallop FOLL S. Draper, J. Dunkley, L. Neale I/C Z. Bailey, K. Lohmann, L. McCarthy, H. McCluggage, Z. Zakostelsky EMG S. Brain, J. Tunstill IN N. Answorth, Z. Zakostelsky OUT D. Fort (ill), D. Zorko (calf) You can join in the Irish festivities on Sunday at the G. Injury List: Round 6 Changkuoth Jiath — calf / 1-2 weeks Jake Bowey — foot / 2-3 weeks Patrick Cross — thumb / 2-3 weeks Shane McAdam — Achilles / 2-3 weeks Jake Melksham — ankle / 3 - 4 weeks Christian Salem — foot / 4-6 weeks Tom Campbell — neck / TBC Trent Rivers — knee / TBC Jack Viney — Achilles / TBC

Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?