Demonland

This weeks Stats Files (and the next couple of weeks) packaged in the main podcast while I'm away.

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The inspirational Max Gawn had built up a decent lead at this early stage of the season. Progressive votes after Round Four - 66. Max Gawn 40. Kysaiah Pickett Jack Steele 16. Jacob van Rooyen 15. Tom Sparrow 14. Christian Salem 9. Bayley Fritsch Jake Lever Koltyn Tholstrup 8. Jai Culley Ed Langdon 5. Jake Melksham Trent Rivers 4. Brody Mihocek 2. Kade Chandler 1. Harrison Petty Harry Sharp

COMING OF AGE by Whispering Jack "The players (are) thinking what would I actually like to do, not what I'd be afraid to get told off to do." — Jimmy Bartel Steven King astutely identified the issues that had plagued the Melbourne Football Club over the past two and a half seasons when he auditioned for the newly created coaching role. The side that had claimed the 2021 premiership had become stodgy, slow-paced, and hesitant to take the initiative. More concerning was a fractured playing group, divided into distinct cultures, including a small significant faction that proved impossible to appease and who appeared to be giving less than 100% for the cause. Ultimately, those players were moved on, the group unified and playing the style of game to suit the day: a game involving an entertaining brand of fast-paced football played with freedom. The early returns have been encouraging. After four games, Melbourne sits at three wins and one loss - all against teams that finished above it in 2025. The resurgence peaked on Easter Sunday with another statement victory: a commanding 16.13.109 to 14.5.89 victory over the ladder leading Gold Coast Suns at the MCG. King’s coming of age brand of football is not one that mandates a team rebuild. The Demons still have a core of their premiership list and they have been joined by a combination of young and old gleaned from the trade and the draft. Still standing strong, head and shoulders above the rest is skipper Max Gawn who dominated a highly competent opponent in Jarrod Witts to the point where he won the hitouts 32 to 21 and Melbourne won the clearance count by 39 to 28 against one of the competition’s strongest on ball divisions. To fill a void, a natural leader in Jack Steele was recruited into the Demon middle where his solid play is the perfect yin to Kozzy Pickett’s newly introduced chaotic yang. Pickett is emerging as one of the AFL’s best and easily most exciting performers. His run out of defence and pass to cousin Latrelle that ultimately set up a goal was electrifying. Jake Melksham didn’t play in the Demons premiership and many would have had him pensioned off after his ACL injury late 2023. Yet here he was kicking four goals and taking hangers backed up by another veteran forward in Brody Mihocek whose two goals and selfless acts of support up forward left many wondering why the Magpies let him go so easily. Christian Salem and key defenders Jake Lever and Tom McDonald all in the veteran category were steady influences against the Suns’ bevy of tall forwards. Special mention needs to be made of Tom Sparrow who has come from out of the shadows of the club’s former elite on ball division and lifted his own game a couple of notches this season. The same can be said of Kade Chandler who chases and harasses - the type of plays that applied the sort of pressure which the Suns have not been accustomed to so far in 2026. Melbourne was also well served by its emerging brigade. Players like Daniel Turner, Jacob van Rooyen, Blake Howes, Jai Culley and Harry Sharp thriving under the freedom to play fearless, attacking football remain poised to establish themselves in the game. The club's savvy drafting has injected fresh energy, with three consecutive years of first-round picks fuelling the type of enthusiasm and confidence required to mix it with the best teams in the competition as it did with the Suns. This isn't just a team on the rise – it's a club reborn, with a coach cultivating a culture of fearlessness and freedom. The journey's far from over, and the ride won't always be smooth, but the Demons are crafting a compelling narrative that is breathing new life into the club. MELBOURNE 2.6.18 8.8.56 13.12.90 16.13.109 GOLD COAST SUNS 4.1.25 8.2.50 12.4.76 14.5.89 GOALS MELBOURNE Melksham 4 Langford Mihocek 2 Gawn Lindsay K Pickett L Pickett Salem Sharp Tholstrup van Rooyen GOLD COAST SUNS King Read 3 Z Uwland Walter 2 Graham Gulbin Jeffrey Powell BEST MELBOURNE Gawn K Pickett Steele Salem Sparrow Melksham Sharp GOLD COAST SUNS Z Uwland Anderson Gulbin Graham B Uwland Noble INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil GOLD COAST SUNS Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil GOLD COAST SUNS Nil UMPIRES Alex Whetton Nathan Williamson Nathan Toner Brent Wallace CROWD 24,287 at the MCG

The Casey Demons secured their first win of the season by the narrow margin of four points against the Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields on Easter Sunday morning. It was the first win for the club’s newly appointed VFL Senior Coach Rhett McLennan and his strategy of focusing on local recruitment in the Gippsland region, where he has previously been instrumental in developing players through the Coates Talent League program. It was a thrilling game marked momentum shifts and a dramatic finish with the result in doubt until the final seconds when Casey’s ruckman Max Heath took a game saving pack mark in defence late in the match with Box Hill making a final surge for victory. The Hawks started brightly to hold a 15 point lead at quarter time with key forward Aidan Schubert scoring four out of their five goals. They held Casey goalless until deep into time on when Matt Jefferson and Aidan Johnson hit the target with successive goals in the space of a minute. At this stage Casey had few winners with the exception of Heath who had a stand out game dominating in the ruck. He was to continue in that vein all day winning a total of 42 hitouts, three clearances, 20 disposals and six marks The first half of the second term saw the teams trading goal for goal until Nate Pipicelli scored a rare double goal after some undisciplined play by a Box Hill defender resulted in a free kick for a push after the Casey recruit had scored a goal. The result was a dramatic change of the lead with the Demons holding sway until a late two goal surge by the Hawks saw them regain the lead by four points at the main break. Box Hill came out full of confidence in the third quarter with three early goals to give them a game high 22 point lead before the momentum swung again. Casey fought back to regain a narrow one point lead at three quarter time. They extended their advantage in a frenetic final term with the Hawks fighting back to be outlasted by the home side. Melbourne youngster Tom Matthews who had a relatively quiet day scored a significant goal late in the day when he bored in hard for a free and converted from close in after a 50 metre penalty. A pleasing aspect of the win was the work of Casey’s three key prongs in attack, Johnson (12 disposals, five marks, four goals), Luker Kentfield (four goals from just seven touches and four marks) and Jefferson (16 disposals, five marks, three goals) who, between them kicked 11 goals on the day. Xavier Taylor got among the action with 14 disposals and six marks and improved as the game progressed and while Andy Moniz-Wakefield was also solid in defence, he was not as prolific a ball winner as in the opening round. Jack Henderson who spent most of the pre-season managing a stress fracture to his sacrum amassed 14 possessions till half time when he was taken off to head up the highway to the MCG for AFL emergency duty. The Casey-listed contingent played a prominent role in the victory with skipper Riley Bonner heading the way with 33 touches including ten in the opening term when the team was under enormous pressure from the outset. Bonner received strongly support from a couple of newcomers playing against their old club Ethan Stanley and Luis D'Angelo, the latter a product of Traralgon and the Gippsland Power coached by McLennan. Toby SInnema showed some of his class and composure and was prominent in a number of attacking moves during those periods when the momentum was swinging his team’s way. Jarrod Gatt, Jobe Scapin and Luke Cheffers all had their moments, the latter featuring in a crucial piece of play late in the third quarter when he effected a smoother to steal the ball off a defender’s boot and score a goal to restore Casey’s lead. As much as the momentum swings of the game worked to the benefit of Casey, it’s season momentum comes to another stop next weekend throughout the competition as a result of the interstate match between the VFL and SANFL in Adelaide in conjunction with the Gather Round. CASEY DEMONS 2.4.16 9.6.60 14.6.90 17.8.110 BOX HILL HAWKS 5.3.33 10.4.64 14.5.89 16.10.106 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Johnson Kentfield 4 Jefferson 3 Pipicelli 2 Cheffers Craven Laplanche Matthews BOX HILL HAWKS Schubert 5 McLoughlin 4 Hill Nairn 2 Dear Farrer McCabe BEST CASEY DEMONS Heath Johnson Bonner Kentfield D'Angelo SInnema BOX HILL HAWKS Horner Maginness Declase Ryan Schubert McLaughlin

We owe this mob.

MOMENTUM SWINGS by KC from Casey The Casey Demons secured their first win of the season by the narrow margin of four points against the Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields on Easter Sunday morning. It was the first win for the club’s newly appointed VFL Senior Coach Rhett McLennan and his strategy of focusing on local recruitment in the Gippsland region, where he has previously been instrumental in developing players through the Coates Talent League program. It was a thrilling game marked momentum shifts and a dramatic finish with the result in doubt until the final seconds when Casey’s ruckman Max Heath took a game saving pack mark in defence late in the match with Box Hill making a final surge for victory. The Hawks started brightly to hold a 15 point lead at quarter time with key forward Aidan Schubert scoring four out of their five goals. They held Casey goalless until deep into time on when Matt Jefferson and Aidan Johnson hit the target with successive goals in the space of a minute. At this stage Casey had few winners with the exception of Heath who had a stand out game dominating in the ruck. He was to continue in that vein all day winning a total of 42 hitouts, three clearances, 20 disposals and six marks The first half of the second term saw the teams trading goal for goal until Nate Pipicelli scored a rare double goal after some undisciplined play by a Box Hill defender resulted in a free kick for a push after the Casey recruit had scored a goal. The result was a dramatic change of the lead with the Demons holding sway until a late two goal surge by the Hawks saw them regain the lead by four points at the main break. Box Hill came out full of confidence in the third quarter with three early goals to give them a game high 22 point lead before the momentum swung again. Casey fought back to regain a narrow one point lead at three quarter time. They extended their advantage in a frenetic final term with the Hawks fighting back to be outlasted by the home side. Melbourne youngster Tom Matthews who had a relatively quiet day scored a significant goal late in the day when he bored in hard for a free and converted from close in after a 50 metre penalty. A pleasing aspect of the win was the work of Casey’s three key prongs in attack, Johnson (12 disposals, five marks, four goals), Luker Kentfield (four goals from just seven touches and four marks) and Jefferson (16 disposals, five marks, three goals) who, between them kicked 11 goals on the day. Xavier Taylor got among the action with 14 disposals and six marks and improved as the game progressed and while Andy Moniz-Wakefield was also solid in defence, he was not as prolific a ball winner as in the opening round. Jack Henderson who spent most of the pre-season managing a stress fracture to his sacrum amassed 14 possessions till half time when he was taken off to head up the highway to the MCG for AFL emergency duty. The Casey-listed contingent played a prominent role in the victory with skipper Riley Bonner heading the way with 33 touches including ten in the opening term when the team was under enormous pressure from the outset. Bonner received strongly support from a couple of newcomers playing against their old club Ethan Stanley and Luis D'Angelo, the latter a product of Traralgon and the Gippsland Power coached by McLennan. Toby SInnema showed some of his class and composure and was prominent in a number of attacking moves during those periods when the momentum was swinging his team’s way. Jarrod Gatt, Jobe Scapin and Luke Cheffers all had their moments, the latter featuring in a crucial piece of play late in the third quarter when he effected a smoother to steal the ball off a defender’s boot and score a goal to restore Casey’s lead. As much as the momentum swings of the game worked to the benefit of Casey, it’s season momentum comes to another stop next weekend throughout the competition as a result of the interstate match between the VFL and SANFL in Adelaide in conjunction with the Gather Round. CASEY DEMONS 2.4.16 9.6.60 14.6.90 17.8.110 BOX HILL HAWKS 5.3.33 10.4.64 14.5.89 16.10.106 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Johnson Kentfield 4 Jefferson 3 Pipicelli 2 Cheffers Craven Laplanche Matthews BOX HILL HAWKS Schubert 5 McLoughlin 4 Hill Nairn 2 Dear Farrer McCabe BEST CASEY DEMONS Heath Johnson Bonner Kentfield D'Angelo SInnema BOX HILL HAWKS Horner Maginness Declase Ryan Schubert McLaughlin

I’ll be away for the next few weeks, so Binman will be holding the fort for our podcasts covering the Suns, Bombers and Lions matches. As a result, there will be no live podcasts during this period, and we won’t be taking calls or voicemails. Binman will still be dipping into this thread to select a few questions to answer, while also combining the long-form Stats Files podcast with the Demonland Podcast for these shows. Your questions and comments are a huge part of what makes the podcast work, so please post anything you’d like to ask or say below and we’ll do our best to give you a shout-out on the show. Please try to keep each post focused on one specific topic or player to make podcast preparation a little easier. If you have multiple topics you’d like to raise, please put them in separate posts.

Gather Round; who comes in and who goes out?

Dual Reigning Champion Max Gawn has an early lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Award. He leads new recruit Jack Steele, forward Jacob van Rooyen and veteran Christian Salem. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, & 1.

The Demons put four quarters of hard contested, fast running and high pressure football to knock off the ladder leaders and early premiership contenders the Gold Suns by 20 points at the MCG on Easter Sunday.

It's Game Day and the Demons are back at the MCG and have a massive challenge ahead of them as they take on Premiership contender the Gold Coast Suns. What do you want to see from the Dees today?