Demonland

Do they really need the music tonight?

Hopefully the traffic to Demonland tonight doesn't crash the website. 😱

Nothing v Northing to lose The AFLW’s best four teams of 2025 — North Melbourne, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Carlton — are here for the preliminaries. And this one’s a blockbuster. First versus Second. A place in the Grand Final on the line. North Melbourne hasn’t lost since the 2023 Grand Final — a staggering 25-game winning streak. Their average winning margin this season? 49 points. Closest challenger? Brisbane, still 29 points short. They even smashed Fremantle by 100 points in Round 3. Pure dominance. Melbourne enters as the underdog, but confidence is high after producing their best half of footy last week. With Eden Zanker and Maeve Chaplin set to return, and superstars Kate Hore and Tyla Hanks, the Dees have the weapons to test the Roos. Saturday isn’t just a prelim — it’s a chance to make history and break the streak. Weather: Cloudy, 23 degrees, light breeze. Perfect conditions for skill and speed. Match Ups • Kate Hore v North’s Irish Wall – Expect O’Shea or Wall to go to Hore. Kate’s at the peak of her powers and her leadership and finishing will be vital. • Tyla Hanks v the Tag – Hanksy looked gassed last week but she’s rested and primed. She’ll need to be as will likely cop a hard tag from Amy Smith or Ruby Tripodi. • Zanker v North’s Backline –Zanker’s return stretches North’s defence. Kearney and Ferguson are elite, but Shannon and Birch can be exposed. Let’s face it, North’s backline has been in cruise mode all year. They haven’t been tested like this all season. • Midfield Battle – Garner and Riddell are the heartbeat of North. Heater has gone to both before—will Mick roll that dice again? Fitzsimon will be important. • Tall Targets – Emma King and Shierlaw loom large, with goal threats Alice O’Loughlin, Bella Eddey, and Irish duo Bogue and Wall buzzing around. Saraid Taylor and Tahlia Gillard take the talls; Lampard and D Taylor mind the smalls. Huge challenge for our defensive group. The key to victory for Melbourne will be: • Win contested ball early — deny Riddell and Garner clean supply. • Apply relentless forward pressure — force North’s defenders into mistakes. • Eden Zanker’s impact — stretch their defensive structures and create scoring chances. • Keep ball movement fast — avoid stoppage grind where North dominates. • Team defence — limit their tall targets The Dees have certainly evolved since their 2024 Round 3 trouncing at Casey. The recent tough run of games has provided the team with precise knowledge about what is required to win. The battle of wits in the coach’s boxes between Mick Stinear and Darren Crocker will be fascinating. Selection This Week No new injuries from last week, so the full 21 plus squad options are available: Zanker, Colvin, Rigoni, Beasley, Pisano, Dethridge, Johnson, Chaplin (fingers crossed). • Ins: Zanker, almost certainly. Chaplin in, if fit, Ebert out. • If Zanker comes in, Meggs thinks for team balance a tall should go out—Gall, Campbell, or maybe Bannan (goalless in 6 of last 10 but offers speed). Big call. • North will test Mia King’s knee; Eilish Sheerin possible return. Meggs’ musings Northing to lose, right? The bookies have Melbourne at $9.50, North $1.05. Nobody expects us to win. But pressure builds — even on the unbeaten. We have the weapons and confidence from last week. Once they’ve been poisoned by Demon doubt, anything can happen. Bring the pressure, bring the Demon dare, don’t be too friendly to Libby, and bring the noise #DeeArmy. Don’t let this be our last week — make it ours. Tip: Melbourne by 2 points in a boilover. Heart over head. Meggs will be there — see you cheering on the Mighty Dees to a momentous win. THE GAME Preliminary Final: Melbourne v North Melbourne Saturday 22 November 2025 at 3:05pm (AEDT) at IKON Stadium, Melbourne | Wurundjeri HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 6 wins | North Melbourne 3 wins At Princes Park: Melbourne 2 wins | North Melbourne 1 win (all finals matches) Coaches: Stinear 5 wins | Crocker 2 wins MEDIA COVERAGE Seven, 7 Plus, Foxtel, Kayo, Binge AFL Live Official Listen App THE LAST TIME THEY MET Season 9, Round 3 – 15 September 2024 at Casey Fields MELBOURNE 2.1.13 2.1.13 2.2.14 3.3.21 NORTH MELBOURNE 2.1.13 6.1.37 8.2.50 11.5.71 GOALS MELBOURNE Beasley, Fitzsimon, McNamara NORTH MELBOURNE Shierlaw 5 Bruton, O'Loughlin, Riddell 2 BEST MELBOURNE Paxman, Mithen, Goldrick, Fitzsimon NORTH MELBOURNE Riddell, Shierlaw, M.King, Garner, E.King, Kearney CROWD 2,023 at Casey Fields The Kangaroos dominated contested ball and clearances, forcing turnovers that led to a record 71-point score against the Demons. The 50-point defeat was Melbourne’s k NORTH MELBOURNE B L. Birch J. Ferguson HB E. Kearney E. Shannon E. O'Shea C A. Smith R. Tripodi T. Gatt HF A. O'Lou... B. Bogue J. Bruton F T. Randall E. King FOLL K. Rennie A. Riddell J. Garner I/C T. Craven B. Eddey E. Sheerin K. Shierlaw V. Wall EMG T. Boyd A. Gavin Mangan A. Hetherington IN E. Sheerin OUT T. Boyd (omitted) Injury List: Preliminary Final Melbourne Eden Zanker — concussion / Test Maeve Chaplin — hamstring / TBC Olivia Purcell — knee / Season Jacinta Hose — knee / Inactive Aimee Mackin — knee / Inactive North Melbourne Nicole Bresnehan — knee / Season Mia King — knee / Season Sarah Wright — personal / TBC

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Photos from the session courtesy of @Six6Six Today's training Gallery ==> https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-36sgtV Also link to Vid ==> https://youtu.be/_yMInIOEik0

Interview with Latrelle Pickett on SEN on 19th November 2025 after he was drafted.

Interview with Xavier Taylor on SEN on 19th November 2025 after being drafted.

Interview with Xavier Taylor on Gettable from 19th of November 2025

Interview with Xavier Taylor from the 13th of November 2025