Demonland

As the Demons head into their Bye Round, it's time to turn our attention to the other matches being played. Which teams are you tipping this week? And which results would be most favourable for the Demons if we can manage to turn our season around? Follow all the non-Melbourne games here and join the conversation as the ladder continues to take shape.

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Melbourne has switched sites for its in the latest twist to its decade-long search for a new home. The Herald Sun can reveal the Demons have binned plans to construct a facility on the south-western wedge of the Caulfield precinct in favour of a new area in the south-eastern corner of the reserve. Artists' impression of the Melbourne Football Club plans for new headquarters at Caulfield racecourse. The club is desperate for a new headquarters to help restore its reputation as a destination club for new recruits amid increasing frustrations about the shared arrangement between AAMI Park, the MCG and Casey Fields which splits up club staff, players and coaches. In September last year, Melbourne publicly released designs for a new training and administration facility on the south-western side alongside Booran Rd which would be connected to two ovals on the inside of the track as well as community sporting facilities. But those plans have been secretly pushed aside after the club was surprised by the potential $195 million sale of a parcel of adjoining land to Mt Scopus Memorial College which has complicated matters. In recent months, Melbourne has since quietly set its sights on a new area and new plans in the south-eastern corner of the precinct close to Neerim Road and Queens Ave. The club would not comment on the site switch on Monday as it strives to maintain support from key stakeholders for the major project which remains about four or five years away at best. The club is hopeful the new site will deliver a bigger and better result for the Demons, but the overall project still hinges on receiving significant financial support from the cash-strapped State Government. Melbourne’s new facility is tipped to cost between $80 – $100 million which could be split 50-50 between the club’s own cash reserves (and donor pledges), and government money. Artists' impression of the Melbourne Football Club plans for new headquarters at Caulfield racecourse. But it remains a difficult time to secure funds for sporting projects, leaving the Demons at risk of being left behind by rivals across the country who have undergone significant upgrades in recent times. Melbourne officials are firm in the belief they currently have the AFL’s worst facilities, but still overcame any disadvantage winning the 2021 premiership. Club bosses remain confident the project will be ticked-off with strong AFL support in-line with rival club’s new facilities such as Hawthorn’s new home at Dingley and Western Bulldogs’ $78 million redevelopment at Whitten Oval. Former chief executive Gary Pert, who remains as a consultant to the project, said last year a new “magnificent, state of the art” high performance centre was a much-needed development. “We’re acknowledged at a government level and by the AFL that we’re clearly on the bottom of the ladder for facilities,” Pert said. “If I was to talk to anyone at the AFL and say, ‘I’ll meet you tomorrow at the Melbourne footy club,’ basically you wouldn’t know what I’m talking about because we’re in three, four, five different locations.” Melbourne training at Gosch’s Paddock. Picture: David Caird Melbourne is hopeful its business case on the new site will be complete by the end of the year amid what the club says is broad support from local residents for the project. However, Melbourne Racing Club chairman John Kanga last year said some locals were against it due to the impact on a dog walking area. “They (Demons) are also looking at using the inside (track) area for professional sporting fields … (but) we need to also remember and be conscious that it is a public reserve for the residents,” Kanga said. “We, and me, personally use that dog park, and it is a very, very important aspect of community life. “They don’t want to see it taken away, and neither do I.” Melbourne is adamant there will be no impact to dog walking areas and will only improve community sporting facilities for residents.

Of course, it’s not the backline, you might argue and you would probably be right. It’s the boot studder (do they still have them?), the midfield, the recruiting staff, the forward line, the kicking coach, the Board, the interchange bench, the supporters, the folk at Casey, the head coach, the fitness guy and the club psychologist It’s all of them and all of us for having expectations that were sufficiently high to have believed three weeks ago that a restoration of the Melbourne team to a position where we might still be in contention for a finals berth when the time for the midseason bye arrived. Now let’s look at what happened over the period of time since Melbourne overwhelmed the Sydney Swans at the MCG in late May when it kicked 8.2 to 5.3 in the final quarter (and that was after scoring 3.8 to two straight goals in the second term). In the three games since the club went 5-6, it has scored a total of 26 goals 46 behinds for and conceded 39 goals 22 behinds against. That result came from 165 forays inside the 50 metre arc against 133. One of the takeaways from this is that it’s not just a random thing or a case of Melbourne’s poor kicking for goal that’s the problem but it’s also an inability to pressure the opposition when it comes to defending the goals that is a cause for concern. If you include the Sydney game, its opponents are converting 65% of their shots for goal compared to 42%. There’s the difference between winning zero and winning three games right there but it’s not just on the forwards, it’s also on the players further afield including the defence for allowing an easier passage to goal for opponents. And the coaches for not recognizing the issue or doing enough to turn it around. This week, it was dejavu all over again. A good start which might have been better had the right targets been hit and had more attention been given to Mitch Georgiades who was apparently unstoppable. The only marking forward in the vicinity of the Adelaide Oval and the Demons gave him free rein and access to the football. When he didn’t mark, he was infringed upon at the most inconvenient of times. Add that to the club’s other bad habit next to its ineffective disposal, its bad manning up and its poor decision-making is the propensity to lose concentration at the end of quarters just so that the vital goals and momentum are given away at the crucial point of the game. We all love the skipper. He’s been far and away the best player all year - he’s all heart and soul as is Jack Viney. But for blokes in their 30s, surely they would have learned how to kick by now? Max’s misses from not far out early in the third quarter were heartbreaking. Although I remain the eternal optimist, it’s evident that a finals appearance is no longer a viable option. One hopes that the remainder of 2025 will be dedicated to addressing some of the ever-prevalent issues within this team. The question remains as to where remedial work should begin - in the forward line, the midfield or in the backline … stupid. MELBOURNE 3.4.22 5.6.36 8.11.59 9.14.68 PORT ADELAIDE 4.4.28 9.6.60 10.8.68 14.9.93 GOALS MELBOURNE Pickett 3 Fritsch van Rooyen 2 Petty Turner PORT ADELAIDE Georgiades 7 Byrne-Jones 2 Bergman Burgoyne Horne-Francis Powell-Pepper Rioli BEST MELBOURNE Gawn Fritsch Petracca Oliver Pickett Bowey PORT ADELAIDE Georgiades Horne-Francis Butters Rozee Ratugolea Bergman INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil PORT ADELAIDE Aliir (TBC) Horne-Francis (shoulder) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil PORT ADELAIDE Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Xavier Lindsay (replaced Trent Rivers at three-quarter time) PORT ADELAIDE Hugh Jackson (replaced Aliir Aliir at three-quarter time) UMPIRES Nicholas Brown Rrendan Hoskina Peter Bailes Jordan Fry CROWD 30,982 at the Adelaide Oval

Cutting questions off here. Thanks for contributing. Sick as a dog but surprisingly not from watching the footy although it didn't help. I'll still do the show because I need this Bye more than the team.

Casey’s unbeaten run was extended for at least another fortnight after the Demons overran a persistent Essendon line up by 29 points at ETU Stadium in Port Melbourne last night. After conceding the first goal of the evening, Casey went on a scoring spree from about ten minutes in, with five unanswered majors with its fleet of midsized runners headed by the much improved Paddy Cross who kicked two in quick succession and livewire Ricky Mentha who also kicked an early goal. Leading the charge was recruit of the year, Riley Bonner while Bailey Laurie continued his impressive vein of form. With Tom Campbell missing from the lineup, Will Verrall stepped up to the plate demonstrating his improvement under the veteran ruckman’s tutelage. The Demons were looking comfortable for much of the second quarter and held a 25-point lead until the Bombers struck back with two goals in the shadows of half time. On the other side of the main break their revival continued with first three goals of the half. Harry Sharp, who had been quiet scrambled in the Demons’ first score of the third term to bring the margin back to a single point at the 17 minute mark and the game became an arm-wrestle for the remainder of the quarter and into the final moments of the last. For the second time in the evening, it was Cross with two quick goals who broke the game open and broke the Bombers’ hearts. The team stormed home with a seven goal final stanza to sit in the top six, at least temporarily, overnight. The 200cm tall, teenage father-son draft prospect Kalani White, the son of former Demons ruck star Jeff, had been quiet until just before the final break announced himself with a fine 30 minutes at the end to finish with two goals from 10 disposals in his VFL debut. He is also tied to Gold Coast through its Academy but looked really at home in the red and blue, albeit with the number 50 last worn at the club by Ben Brown and not dad’s 34 which some say has already been reserved for him. In any event, his fine showing which also Included 11 hit outs in the ruck, certainly brightened a cold night for the fans in the crowd. It really was an evening for father-sons with solid contributions from Kynan Brown (18 possessions, eight tackles) and Taj Woewodin (17 disposals, eight tackles, one goal). Bonner was best on the ground after accumulating 33 disposals while Laurie was not far behind with 26 touches, eight tackles, seven clearances and a goal. Verrall had a breakout evening with the added responsibility of leading in the ruck and amassed 44 hitouts to go with his 21 touches, nine clearances and three tackles. Jack Billings was also busy, particularly early, and finished with 22 possessions and four clearances. Mitch Hardie (two goals) and Riley Baldi were both solid contributors. Another rising tall was Matthew Jefferson who has really emerged from his shell recently. After two five goal hauls, he added two goals this time but he showed out further afield as well with 16 disposals, 8 marks and 4 tackles on the night. The team’s next outing will be in much warmer conditions when it visits the Gold Coast after next week’s bye. CASEY DEMONS 5.2.32 7.7.49 10.8.68 17.10.112 ESSENDON VFL 1.3.9 5.7.37 10.10.70 12.11.83 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Cross 4 Hardie Jefferson White 2 Bonner Craven Henderson Laurie Mentha Sharp Woewodin ESSENDON VFL McMahon 4 Eckersley Shiel 2 Menzie Monteath Sweid Unwin BEST CASEY DEMONS Bonner Verrall Laurie Brown Jefferson Woewodin ESSENDON VFL Monteath McMahon O’Neill Shiel Tsatas Brodie

The Demons have the Bye next week but then are on the road once again when they come up against the Gold Coast Suns on the Gold Coast in what could be a last ditch effort to salvage their season. Who comes in and who comes out?

The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 16th June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Dees disappointing loss to the Power. 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. Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

Max Gawn has an insurmountable lead in the Demonland Player of the Year ahead of Jake Bowey, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Kozzy Pickett. Your votes please; 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

The Demons simply did not take their opportunities when they presented themselves and ultimately when down by 25 points effectively ending their finals chances. Goal kicking practice during the Bye?

A goal on every siren.

Why do we not have any penetration in our snaps?

Such bad decision making from zero pressure