Demonland

On a similar theme to you I went down the rabbit hole of Carlton fan YouTube channel reactions. All the nuffies around me left too quickly while I was basking in the glory at the G for me to soak in their reactions in realtime at the ground so it was cathartic for me to lap up in their "sack the lot of them" emotions after the fact.

There's something familiar happening right at the top of the progressive leader board:- 49. Max Gawn 27. Jack Steele 25. Kysaiah Pickett 16. Jacob van Rooyen 11. Christian Salem 9. Bayley Fritsch Jake Lever Koltyn Tholstrup 8. Jai Culley Ed Langdon 7. Tom Sparrow 5. Trent Rivers 4. Brody Mihocek 1. Kade Chandler Harrison Petty

I could listen to Blues Radio every time they choke.

Just a reminder that the Podcast will air LIVE tomorrow night (Tuesday) and not tonight.

The text messages started flooding in shortly after quarter time. One read: “Is Melbourne even at the ground?” Moments later, as Carlton’s Elijah Hollands kicked the first goal of the second term, the Blues held a commanding 43-point lead. By then, the Demons’ only score was a behind kicked by Brody Mihocek nearly five minutes into the game. Ironically, Mihocek would also register the last minor score of the day after the game took a dramatic turnaround. Melbourne kept the lead for just another three and a half minutes before third-game player Jagga Smith kicked the first goal in a 21-minute flurry of seven unanswered Carlton goals, capped off by Hollands’ first of two majors on the day. However, by the time he kicked his second, the shape of the contest had shifted as drastically as the texts appearing on my phone screen. In that opening quarter, the Blues were as dominant as any team I’ve seen against the Demons in the past two decades - evoking memories of a humiliating day at the Cattery in 2011, when Geelong handed Melbourne a 186-point drubbing, with the quarter time score a staggering 8.3.51 to 0.3.3. Back then, Max Gawn and Tom McDonald were rookies, watching from the stands as the Demons were torn apart. Now, both men were celebrating their 250th games, forlornly hoping to turn the tide. Carlton’s first-quarter pressure was relentless, while Melbourne’s errors were equally glaring. The game was largely played in Carlton’s forward half, reflected in the Blues’ commanding 22-5 edge in inside 50s. The Demons’ ruck dominance through Gawn was being nullified by Carlton’s midfield, which was handsomely winning the clearance battle. Meanwhile, turnovers and poor disposal efficiency plagued Melbourne’s ball movement. After the deluge, the Demons set about clawing their way back, but progress was slow. Their first goal of the day didn’t come until the 26-minute mark of the second term, courtesy of Harvey Langford’s six-pointer. It was hard to believe that, just an hour and 20 minutes later, Melbourne would be coasting to a famous 23-point victory over a spent and despondent opponent. The recovery gathered steam in the third term. Despite trailing by 34 points at half-time, Melbourne had noticed Carlton’s previous struggles after that interval and backed themselves to surge in the second half. Demon forward Bayley Fritsch, who played a pivotal role in the comeback with four second-half goals, summed it up on ABC: “It’s no lie that they’ve struggled in second halves this season. We knew that if we could string a couple of goals together, they’d start to feel the pressure.” Carlton’s fragility was mental as much as physical. It was playing with their heads and they gradually lost their grip on the game. Max Gawn asserted himself around the ground, and the attacking charge was led by the brilliant Kozzie Pickett, whose 19-disposal, five-clearance second half was capped by a key goal. Jack Steele, Tom Sparrow, and Caleb Windsor all played critical roles in Melbourne’s resurgence. On a day when my phone buzzed with a non-stop stream of texts, there was one I never received: an apology from the St Kilda fan who had scoffed in the off-season, claiming that the career of his team’s former captain was over. He was a spent force. Wrong. When the game was at its most desperate, Steele’s defensive intensity and leadership shone. His 15 tackles were pivotal, and his tireless pressure, along with Sparrow’s hard work, started to undermine Carlton’s composure. In the background, Caleb Windsor (24 disposals, 447 metres gained) was quietly having coming of age. Carlton’s last flicker of resistance came in the form of a brief two goal burst which got them back to a 20 point lead but now it was Melbourne’s turn to pile on the goals at the city end of the ground. Coach Steven King promised the fans were in for an exciting ride and his team delivered. His Demons doubled their score in the final quarter and a triumphant Max Gawn came off the ground with 55 hit outs and 23 touches to celebrate his 250th match with his mate Tom McDonald who had done his bit for the team cause with 18 disposals in defence. When I looked at my phone after the game ended, I heard another ping and there was a deluge of SMS messages filled with admiration for their performance. MELBOURNE 0.1.1 1.6.12 7.8.50 15.10.100 CARLTON 6.2.38 7.4.46 9.8.62 11.11.77 GOALS MELBOURNE Fritsch 4 Chandler Langdon Langford 2 Cross Mihocek K Pickett Sharp Sparrow CARLTON McGovern 3 E Hollands 2 Ainsworth Byrne Carroll Cripps McKay Smith BEST MELBOURNE K Pickett Mihocek Fritsch Gawn Steele Windsor CARLTON Weitering Smith Dean Pittonet E Hollands Walsh INJURIES MELBOURNE Changkuoth Jiath (calf) CARLTON Harry Dean (shoulder) Zac Williams (ribs) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil CARLTON Nil

I'm proposing a merger.

The Geelong one was special too because we took out the Minor Premiership and it set us up for the flag run.

The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on TUESDAY, 31st March @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Dees miraculous 66 point turnaround win against the Blues at the G. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. CALL THE SHOW LIVE OR LEAVE US A VOICEMAIL: 0486 387 929 PLEASE TRY TO KEEP THE QUESTIONS/COMMENTS TO ONE SPECIFIC TOPIC/PLAYER IN ORDER TO MAKE THE PREPARATION FOR THE PODCAST EASIER. If you would like to discuss additional topics then please create a separate thread. Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

Who comes in and who goes out?

The Milestone Man Max Gawn is currently leading the Demonland Player of the Year Award from Jack Steele, Jacob van Rooyen & Christian Salem. Your votes please for the Demons come from way behind win against the Blues. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, & 1.

The Demons snatched Victory form the Jaws of Defeat as they clawed their way back from 43 points down to win by 23 points in Max Gawn and Tom McDonald's 250th matches at the MCG. Never in Doubt!!!