Demonland

Just wondering which theme everyone prefers the most; Light or Dark? The results may help me decide which theme to make as the default. At the moment the Light theme is the default so most people will be using that one and many may not even be aware that there is now a Dark Mode of Demonland. To switch to the Dark Mode (or back to the Light Mode) navigate to the bottom of the page. Towards the left hand side there is an icon of a Crescent Moon. Click that to switch to Dark Mode. Click the Light Bulb next to it to switch back to Light Mode. So which one do you prefer?

No, it used to look like this (see below). I had to code this widget from scratch because the default “out of the box” option provided by the software didn’t suit my needs. By default, the widget displays the last X number of posts on the forum. So, if it’s set to show the latest 15 posts and they all happen to be from the same thread, that’s all it will show—15 posts from that one thread. But since this is on the homepage, I want users to see a variety of current discussions, not just activity from one thread. There’s another option that displays the last X number of threads that have been posted in, which is closer to what I want—even if one of those threads has had 15 recent replies. The issue with this mode is that it shows the profile picture and name of the thread starter, not the most recent poster. That’s a problem because some threads run for months or even years, and the original poster might not be active anymore. I want the homepage to reflect current activity, so I think the last poster should be featured instead. On the old version of the software, I bought a custom widget and made a few tweaks to get it looking and working the way I liked. Unfortunately, that custom code wasn’t compatible with the new software. That's where ChatGPT came in. It understands the structure of this platform and helped me rebuild the widget from the ground up. After a lot of trial and error, I now have a working version that does exactly what I want. Say what you will about AI, but it's been invaluable for customizing the site beyond the limitations of “out of the box” tools. I have a working knowledge of coding—I can usually understand what code is doing and make tweaks if I know what the end result should look like—but AI has taken things to a whole new level. Tasks that used to take me hours, days, or even months (and sometimes years) now take minutes (seconds actually). It’s capable of doing things I never thought possible. I can just describe what I want, feed in the code, and it quickly delivers a solution. If it doesn’t work or look quite right, I tweak and try again—and it never gets frustrated or impatient, which makes the process much easier. I am always very polite to my AI because I don't want it to kill me when it takes over the world. Here is what the widget (that's what they're called) looked like in the old version of the software. Originally it had the persons name in the coding but it added an extra line which I thought was a waste of screen real estate and as it already featured the poster's profile picture I thought it was redundant. The version with the name never made it to the live site.

True but in the latest iPhone software update from 17 to 18 they stuffed around with the mail app providing tabs for different categories and I was missing invoices that I had received and it was always defaulting to the Promotions tab which were emails I was definitely not interested in. At least they gave the option of switching back to the old way that the mail was displayed. It was change for changes sake. I am all for improving things but sometimes they drop the ball and no I am not talking about our football team now even though they are constantly dropping the ball.

The new software update must have re-sorted the emoji reactions. I can’t recall though which way they were before.

Updated PLAYER VOTES 1 Max Gawn 25 =2 Christian Petracca 22 =2 Clayton Oliver 22 4 Kade Chandler 20 5 Jack Bowey 18 6 Christian Salem 17 =7 Ed Langdon 15 =7 Harvey Langford 15 9 Xavier Lindsay 13 10 Jack Viney 7 11 Daniel Turner 4 12 Tom Sparrow 3 =13 Jack Henderson 1 =13 Tom McDonald 1 15 Meghan Markle -1

Anyone having trouble posting (that is getting into the posting Too late. We had the podcast the other night and the chat was back. Everyone was very polite.

What is the actual problem? The order of them? The amount? The type? Do I need to get rid of a few? On a PC they open up horizontally but on mobile they open up vertically and sometimes you have to scroll up. Perhaps there are too many reactions.

I'm not responsible if you don't like the new features or have trouble adapting to changes in your phone's software. Upgrade at your own risk. It’s helpful to know that version 16.2 doesn’t work. All the test phones I had access to were either up-to-date or running something close to the latest iOS and worked fine. Others were below version 16 (and didn’t work), but could be upgraded to 18 and then worked. And then there were the ancient ones—clearly unsupported and unable to upgrade at all. I didn’t have a device running a mid-16 version to test, so I couldn’t say which versions of 16 (if any) actually worked. This issue turned out to be an unintended and previously unknown side effect of upgrading Demonland’s software. That said, the upgrade still had to happen—we’ve got to keep up with the times and adapt to how things evolve. Just like our footy team. Too soon?

I will add that on older versions of iPhone and presumably other brands of phone with older not up to date software will let you view and read the website but if it is below a certain version it will not let you post. You click on the posting area and it just displays a white box with a circle. Many old devices that won't update software will not just affect you posting on Demonland but eventually you will not be able to use many apps including banking and streaming services.

Go to Settings > General > About and let me know what iOS software version you have. If it is below 16 you need to upgrade the software on your phone. You should probably do that anyway. If it doesn't offer an update, it should if it's only 2 years old, then the phone is considered at End of Life by Apple and the software is too old to work on this website. The current software version should be 18 something. First things first though let me know what software version your phone has.

PLAYER VOTES 1 Max Gawn 25 =2 Christian Petracca 22 =2 Clayton Oliver 22 4 Kade Chandler 20 5 Jack Bowey 18 6 Christian Salem 17 =7 Ed Langdon 15 =7 Harvey Langford 15 9 Xavier Lindsay 13 10 Jack Viney 7 11 Daniel Turner 4 12 Tom Sparrow 3 =13 Jack Henderson 1 =13 Tom McDonald 1

"It's officially time for some alarm bells. I'm concerned about the lack of impact from their best players." This comment about one of the teams contesting this Friday night’s game came earlier in the week from a so-called expert radio commentator by the name of Kane Cornes. He wasn’t referring to the Melbourne Football Club but rather, this week’s home side, Geelong. The Cats are purring along with 1 win and 2 defeats and a percentage of 126.2 (courtesy of a big win at GMHBA Stadium in Round 1 vs Fremantle) which is one win more than Melbourne and double the percentage so I guess that, in the case of the Demons, its not just alarm bells, but distress signals. But don’t rely on me. Listen to Cornes who said this week about Melbourne:- “They can’t run. If you can’t run at speed and get out of the contest then you’re in trouble. “(Christian) Petracca can’t run, he’s amazing in the phone box, in the contest Nat Fyfe style, around the ball unbeatable. (Clayton) Oliver cannot run, to see him exposed as he has been the first few weeks of the season. If you can’t run, you can’t play.” “Some of the body language was awful, Steven May’s was awful.” “I was adamant they should have traded Oliver, if you can get off that contract then get off it … give a pick with it. Take that contract and that problem that is Clayton Oliver off my hands.” “The salary cap implications with that deal for Oliver and everything else that comes with it, you just cut your losses.” “Giving (Jack) Viney an extension he probably didn’t warrant. All these mismanagement decisions that they have made that’s pretty hard to get out of now.” “They’ve worn this guy (Gawn) into the ground with no help and it’s starting to show on him.” “Harrison Petty, the biggest miss of any club ever, that they didn’t trade him for what Adelaide were offering was unbelievable. It would have been a top 10 pick they were offering.” It’s true that the Demons were outplayed by the Suns, finishing -16 for clearances, -18 for contested possessions and -25 for inside 50s but I find it staggering that the same team Cornes was picking to pieces above, came within 57 seconds of beating one of the flag favourites less than a month ago. Cornes isn’t the only one in the media pile on and if the team can’t put this sort of thing to bed straight away, this wearing of the club down by stealth will become a weekly occurrence. It’s well on the way already with speculation abounding on a number of different levels. Club President Brad Green is clear where he stands when he says, “Our ambition is still to play finals. When you look at the side we picked (in round 1) with six different players, we are different to where we are to where we are going to get to, but we are always looking to play finals every year.” The team that runs out on Friday night at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night, will not be all that different to the one that beat the then undefeated Cats on the MCG less than twelve months ago but where are the players’ heads at? For the last two games, the Demons have been playing like rabbits in the headlights. Can they become Demons again or is it really over? There will most certainly be some changes this week and those changes will almost certainly be in the very places where Melbourne has been found wanting in its last two matches. First and foremost — the return of Kozzie Pickett who has pace, good ball handling and disposal skills and who, during earlier match simulation and practice matches sessions was effective in the centre square and around the goals. His return will be like manna from heaven, especially if Caleb Windsor, another speedster with pace, elite decision-making and accurate disposal also makes it back into the side. There are a couple of potential bonuses to go along with these inclusions. One is that with the nomination of Rising Star, Harvey Langford gaining recognition and the confidence that goes with it, we are looking at a different set up in the centre of the ground with the benefit of a different mix of the club’s stoppage champions to throw around in either the same or different positions around the park. The other bonus might well be that skipper Max Gawn will get more support from the midfield that he’s been carrying on his shoulders for the past couple of seasons. He always plays well at GMHBA Stadium which is the place where he announced his arrival as a quality ruckman and where he kicked off Melbourne’s campaign for the 2021 premiership with that scintillating goal after the siren that sunk the Cats. Secondly, a little bit of stability among the club’s tall timber would be welcome such as the combination of a fit Steven May and a fit Jake Lever together in defence at the same time. Same goes for key forwards like Daniel Turner and Jacob van Rooyen. The Demons are simply due for a day or night when they can keep key position players on the ground together and be able to use the sub rule for tactical purposes rather than for covering the loss of players due to early injuries and being exposed in the latter stages of games. But all the changes in team positions, tactics and strategy will amount to nought if the players bring the same lack of commitment and desire that they took into their last two matches. Some of those players won’t get a second chance this week and will be chasing kicks in the magoos instead. Others are running out of chances and time, so it’s very much up to them. Geelong’s past two games haven’t been great so the question is whether Melbourne really wants this? If yes - I think the Demons will get home by one point in a Friday night boilover. If no - distress signals! THE GAME Geelong vs Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium on Friday April 4 2025 at 7.30pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Geelong 134 wins Melbourne 89 wins 2 draws At the GMHBA Stadium Geelong 42 Melbourne 19 wins 1 draw The last five meetings Geelong 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches Scott 7 wins Goodwin 5 wins LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 10.14.74 defeated Geelong 9.12.66 at the MCG in Round 8 2024 One of the best and most exciting games of the Demons’ season with Bayley Fritsch kicking one of the goals of the year to seal the game. Harry Petty was a tower of strength in his best game for the year. THE TEAMS (to be loaded when available) GEELONG MELBOURNE Injury List: Round 4 Caleb Windsor — foot / available Jai Culley — foot / available Jake Lever — ankle / test Charlie Spargo — concussion / test Matt Jefferson — hand / test Luker Kentfield — illness / 1 week Koltyn Tholstrup — back / 1 week Xavier Lindsay — knee / 1 - 2 weeks Judd McVee — hamstring / 2 weeks Marty Hore — calf / 5 - 7 weeks Shane McAdam — Achilles / next season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / next season

Round 4 kicks off with a blockbuster on Thursday night as traditional rivals Collingwood and Carlton clash at the MCG, with the Magpies looking to assert themselves as early-season contenders and the Blues seeking their first win of the season. Saturday opens with Gold Coast hosting Adelaide, a key test for the Suns as they aim to back up their big win last week, while the Crows will be looking to keep their perfect record intact. Reigning wooden spooners Richmond have the daunting task of facing reigning premiers Brisbane at the ‘G and the Lions will be eager to reaffirm their premiership credentials after a patchy start. Saturday night sees North Melbourne take on Sydney at Marvel Stadium, with the Swans looking to build on their first win of the season last week against a rebuilding Roos outfit. Sunday’s action begins with GWS hosting West Coast at ENGIE Stadium, a game that could get ugly very early for the visitors. Port Adelaide vs St Kilda at Adelaide Oval looms as a interesting clash, with both clubs form being very hard to read. The round wraps up with Fremantle taking on the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium in what could be a fierce contest between two sides with top-eight ambitions. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

Also it just shows the number of signed up members. Who knows how many lurkers are online reading in the shadows. Non-registered members probably make up 80 to 90% of our users. People love to read the temperature of the room.

It's been there for a couple of days but was a green colour. The colour and in particular the text colour wasn't great on the dark theme so I changed it late last night.

What's today's new feature?

Let’s see who this thread goes. 🫣

I’ll have to look into the emoji order thing. I didn’t change it but perhaps the software did something.

Injury Report | Windsor set for return

melbournefc.com.auInjury Report | Windsor set for returnCheck out Melbourne’s latest injury news ahead of Round 4

Yeah it's possible. I'll just have to have a play around with it. I have a few different ideas. Skype really dropped the ball during COVID letting Zoom swoop in.

Definitely. About to play it once we talk about Fritta