Demonland

Friday night sees two clubs of which a great deal was expected in 2019, facing off in the battle of the slow starting tortoises. Both have had calamitous starts to the season and are sitting at 0-2. One of them will, by the end of the evening, be seeing their season slipping away from their grasp. Both clubs are playing without confidence and without purpose. The Demons, who had the best-performed attack of all clubs last year, managed to convert 73 entries inside their forward 50 metre arc into just six goals at the Cattery on Saturday night. Their opponents who managed 25 less inside 50s scored six goals or more in the first, third and last quarters. That is as damning a statement of the team’s ineptitude as you can get. Leaving aside the first 11 minutes of the season when it scored three goals to zip against Port Adelaide, Melbourne’s scoring has completely dried up and is a definite cause for concern for coach Simon Goodwin along with the decline of many team members who were in sparkling form last year. But the Bombers have been in a similar place in their two games, barely giving a whimper against Greater Western Sydney and lowering their colours to an injury-hit St Kilda in their two matches. With so little form to go by, it’s almost impossible to predict a result in this game so the only thing I can go on is history. Melbourne is playing at home on a Friday night. Its last two encounters on that day and at that time were electrifying finals victories in front of large enthusiastic crowds that marvelled over the team's hardness and endeavour. The Demons haven’t had an MCG home game against the Bombers since 2010 so they should relish the reminder of how they played just four or five games ago in AFL terms. Although neither side has many aces up their sleeves, the Demons can take heart from the fact Max Gawn returned to form last week in the ruck and Clayton Oliver was sensational in a losing team and in a midfield that came close to matching a very strong Geelong engine room. Their presence will, in my view, tip the scales in favour of the home side and hopefully, end a slump as the team has done in the past two years when facing Essendon. Last year's win started a six game winning streak that ultimately led the team into the finals and a top four berth. There's not much to go on but if one of these sides is going to play the hare to the other’s tortoise this week then it had better be us. Melbourne by 4 points. THE GAME Essendon v Melbourne at the MCG Friday, 5 April, 2019 at 7.50pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins Essendon 129 wins 2 draws At MCG Melbourne 45 wins Essendon 66 wins 1 draw The last five meetings Melbourne 3 wins Essendon 2 wins The Coaches Goodwin 2 wins Worsfold 0 wins MEDIA TV – Fox Footy Channel Channel 7 Live at 7.30pm RADIO - THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 16.12.108 defeated Essendon 10.12.72 at Etihad Stadium, Round 6, 2018 Melbourne started slowly but gradually took control and dominated the second half. Gawn dominated the rucks while Salem, Hibberd and Jones got plenty of the football. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B Jay Lockhart Oscar McDonald Neville Jetta HB Josh Wagner Sam Frost Christian Salem C Jayden Hunt Clayton Oliver Nathan Jones HF James Harmes Sam Weideman Kade Kolodjashnij F Angus Brayshaw Tom McDonald Jake Melksham FOLL Max Gawn Christian Petracca Jack Viney I/C Bayley Fritsch Michael Hibberd Alex Neal-Bullen Corey Wagner EMG Harrison Petty Braydon Preuss Tom Sparrow Billy Stretch IN Corey Wagner Josh Wagner OUT Steven May (injured) Tom Sparrow (omitted) ESSENDON B Aaron Francis Patrick Ambrose Conor McKenna HB Kobe Mutch Michael Hurley Adam Saad C Orazio Fantasia Zach Merrett Andrew McGrath HF Jake Stringer Zac Clarke Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti F Devon Smith Shaun McKernan Mark Baguley FOL Tom Bellchambers David Zaharakis Dylan Shiel I/C Matt Guelfi Dyson Heppell David Myers Darcy Parish EMG Mitch Brown Sam Draper Kyle Langford Jordan Ridley IN Zac Clarke Kobe Mutch OUT Mitch Brown (omitted) Kyle Langford (omitted) Round 3 injury list: Jeff Garlett (shoulder) – available Charlie Spargo (jaw) – 1 week Steven May (groin) – TBC Jordan Lewis (hamstring) – 1-2 weeks Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – 3-5 weeks Joel Smith (groin) – TBA Mitch Hannan (knee) – 6-8 weeks Jake Lever (knee) – 6-8 weeks Jay Kennedy Harris (knee) – 10-12 weeks Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season

Join @Grapeviney & I as we break down the loss in Geelong and break down in tears LIVE Tonight @ 8:30pm. Listen & Chat: http://demonland.com/podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

? | https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/04/01/no-more-excuses-wallace's-stern-message-to-winless-demons/ Dees Talk from 21:08

I have no life and a forgiving boss.

Re: Jeffy

I guarantee you they won't be forced to wear a clash strip making a mockery of us having being forced to wear a clash strip against them.

The big question is who will be forced to wear the clash strip?

Round Three Melbourne v Essendon Friday, April 5, 7.50pm AEDT MCG 5.30pm: MCC Reserve 5.30pm: AFL Reserve 5.30pm: Public gates open Members You can use your Memberships to gain access to the game. If you’re an unrenewed member who received their card in the mail, visit a membership tent to activate the card. If you’re a new member and sign up at the ground, you will receive a ticket to gain entry. General Public Tickets to the game can be purchased via Ticketek. Public transport Train The MCG is located within close proximity of Jolimont and Richmond stations. With intermittent construction works occuring in the first week of April, fans are advised to visit ptv.vic.gov.au to check details of potential disruptions and plan their journey to and from the MCG. Tram You can get to the MCG via tram on the 48 and 75 which services Wellington Parade, along with the 70 which stops nearby Melbourne Arena. Car parking Limited car parking will be available in Yarra Park on Friday night: Gate 3: 2.00pm Gate 5: 5.30pm Gate 6: 4.30pm Gate 7: CLOSED For the latest parking information, please visit the MCG website. TV times Melbourne: Channel 7 - 7.30pm + Fox Footy - 7.30pm Sydney: 7mate - 7.30pm + Fox Footy - 7.30pm Brisbane: 7mate - 6.30pm + Fox Footy - 6.30pm Adelaide: Channel 7 - 7.00pm + Fox Footy - 7.00pm Perth: 7mate - 4.30pm + Fox Footy - 4.30pm Tasmania: Channel 7 - 7.30pm + Fox Footy - 7.30pm Canberra: 7mate - 7.30pm + Fox Footy - 7.30pm Darwin: Channel 7 - 6.00pm + Fox Footy - 6.00pm For all other regions and radio info, refer to the AFL Broadcast Guide. Mobile app Live scores, stats and match highlights are available at the tap of a finger in the club's mobile app. Download it for iOS or Android. Social media Match hashtag: #AFLDeesDons Follow the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live match coverage and a behind-the-scenes insight into match day. VFL Round 1 Box Hill Hawks v Casey | Sunday April 7, 11.40am | Box Hill City Oval Casey will begin the season away this Sunday at Box Hill City Oval against the Hawks.

Back in the good ol days ... THE TEAMS ESSENDON B: Brendon Goddard, Michael Hurley, Adam Saad HB: Patrick Ambrose, Cale Hooker, Dyson Heppell C Matt Guelfi, Jayden Laverde, Kobe Mutch HF: Ben McNiece, Jake Stringer, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti F: David Zaharakis, Joe Daniher, Mark Baguley Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Devon Smith, Jackson Merrett I/C: Darcy Parish, Andrew McGrath, Zach Merrett, James Stewart, Emg: Dylan Clarke, Kyle Langford, Shaun McKernan, Jordan Ridley In: Patrick Ambrose, Jayden Laverde, Matthew Leuenberger, Ben McNiece, Kobe Mutch Out: Josh Begley (injured), Tom Bellchambers (rested), Josh Green (injured), Michael Hartley (rested), David Myers (rested) MELBOURNE B: Jake Lever, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Bernie Vince, Michael Hibberd, Jayden Hunt C Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones, Christian Salem HF: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham F: Alex Neal-Bullen, Sam Weideman, James Harmes Foll: Max Gawn, Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver I/C: Bayley Fritsch, Mitch Hannan, Tom McDonald, Charlie Spargo Emg: Jeff Garlett, Joel Smith, Timothy Smith, Josh Wagner In: Bayley Fritsch, Mitch Hannan, Jordan Lewis, Tom McDonald, Charlie Spargo Out: Jeff Garlett (omitted), Dean Kent (hamstring), Christian Petracca (finger), Billy Stretch (omitted), Josh Wagner (omitted) New: Charlie Spargo

Waiting on scan results for length of time on the sidelines.

From @WERRIDEE re: Casey's most recent practice match in 2019. From @Drunkn167 re: Casey's first practice match in 2019

? | https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/04/01/king-don't-be-panicked-about-melbourne/ Dees talk from 6:48.

? | https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/03/31/lyon-questions-petraccas-development-he-is-not-a-great-player Talk about the Dees from 14:27

? | https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/03/30/goodwin-provides-injury-update-on-may-following-80-point-loss/

Obviously some can't play by the rules. Closed until there is actual news.

We now have a worse percentage.

I have no idea what this is in relation to but please no wild defamatory guesses until it is announced/broken by the mainstream media.

Two rounds in and we have a few early contenders... 23. Angus Brayshaw 21. Clayton Oliver 20. Christian Salem 16. Jake Melksham 12. James Harmes Jack Viney 7. Max Gawn 4. Sam Frost Michael Hibberd 3. Corey Wagner 2. Alex Neal-Bullen 1. Neville Jetta Jay Lockhart

THE CAT RUN by George on the Outer It truly became a “Cat Run” with an 80 point win to the home side, an outcome that had us wondering what happened to the Demons of 2018 when they got to a Preliminary final on the basis of their “brand” of contested football? Well that part hasn’t changed any, since the likes of Clayton Oliver can win the ball 44 times in a game including 15 clearances, Angus Brayshaw racks up 33 touches with Jack Viney chipping in for 27 of this own. In the ruck Max Gawn had 53 hitouts on the night, and yet on a wet and continuously raining night the team get beaten by 80 points! The Demons went inside their forward line 25 more times than the Cats for the game, this should have been a comprehensive Melbourne victory, based on these overwhelming statistics. But to lose instead by 13 goals means that something else is seriously, seriously out of whack! There is no doubt the forward line is completely dysfunctional. For the second week in a row Melbourne robbed the forwards of a tall to replace Gawn in the ruck to give him a rest. For the second week in a row it failed, and failed big time. Geelong didn’t have two rucks, they just used Hawkins in the forward line, Blicavs in the backline and Ratugolea as backups. This gave Stanley free reign to run Max around and into the ground. Unless Gawn can run the whole game, and around the whole ground at full pace, then perhaps the selectors could try bringing a second ruckman in to the side on selection night. And a forward line with the likes of Sparrow, Fritsch, ANB, first gamer Lockhart, even Melksham and Hunt simply isn’t going to match it for height against Taylor, Stewart and Blicavs. The constant bombing inside by Melbourne just meant Geelong were able to spoil or outmark their Melbourne opponents since it had only Weideman and Tom McDonald as talls, (when they weren’t dragged into the ruck). One spare Geelong tall all the time, or even more when Ratugolea or Stanley dropped back as well. Small wonder Melbourne wasn’t able to score, with yet another goal-less quarter (this time the third) which is too often now becoming part of “the Brand”. The other troubling re-emergence is the inability to stop an opposition teams “run on”. In the first quarter, the Cats kicked 5 unanswered goals in a 13 minute period and it was effectively game over in the wet. But they followed it up with a six goal unanswered period in the third and a 4 goal run in the last. This was emblematic of the worst of Melbourne sides prior to the arrival of Paul Roos. The mids were fantastic as seen by the simply enormous touches, contested possessions and simply drive they provided. The backs did their job well as evidenced by Hawkins only producing two goals for the night in a team which kicked 10 times as much. And the backline coaches have to stop the ridiculous habit we are developing of kicking short from the point-kick-ins. Clearing the danger zone should be critical. Again, that was a hallmark of Roos, which seems to have disappeared. The loss was simply the lack of pressure coming from too many around the ground, and the lack of scoreboard pressure caused by the forwards. The selectors have got to stop putting debutants into the side and expecting more. They have got to provide assistance to Gawn with another ruck or tall who can double as a forward. Losing the first two games, and not being competitive in either is a troubling sign. Can it be turned around? First step is the selection table, or we will face another blow-up against the hapless Bombers next game. Melbourne 2.2.14 3.4.22 3.9.27 6.10.46 Geelong 6.1.37 7.4.46 13.4.82 20.6.126 Goals Melbourne Melksham 2 Brayshaw Lockhart Viney Weideman Geelong Rohan 3 Dahlhaus Dangerfield Hawkins Selwood 2 Clark Constable Duncan Kelly Menegola Miers O'Connor Parfitt Ratugolea Best Melbourne Oliver Gawn Brayshaw Viney Geelong Dangerfield Selwood Kelly Stewart Dahlhaus Taylor Hawkins Constable Injuries Melbourne May (groin) Geelong Henry (hamstring) Reports Nil Umpires McInerney, Williamson, Wallace Official crowd at GMHBA Stadium Too many Cats sycophants to count so the figure has yet to be released

It truly became a “Cat Run” with an 80 point win to the home side, an outcome that had us wondering what happened to the Demons of 2018 when they got to a Preliminary final on the basis of their “brand” of contested football? Well that part hasn’t changed any, since the likes of Clayton Oliver can win the ball 44 times in a game including 15 clearances, Angus Brayshaw racks up 33 touches with Jack Viney chipping in for 27 of this own. In the ruck Max Gawn had 53 hitouts on the night, and yet on a wet and continuously raining night the team get beaten by 80 points! The Demons went inside their forward line 25 more times than the Cats for the game, this should have been a comprehensive Melbourne victory, based on these overwhelming statistics. But to lose instead by 13 goals means that something else is seriously, seriously out of whack! There is no doubt the forward line is completely dysfunctional. For the second week in a row Melbourne robbed the forwards of a tall to replace Gawn in the ruck to give him a rest. For the second week in a row it failed, and failed big time. Geelong didn’t have two rucks, they just used Hawkins in the forward line, Blicavs in the backline and Ratugolea as backups. This gave Stanley free reign to run Max around and into the ground. Unless Gawn can run the whole game, and around the whole ground at full pace, then perhaps the selectors could try bringing a second ruckman in to the side on selection night. And a forward line with the likes of Sparrow, Fritsch, ANB, first gamer Lockhart, even Melksham and Hunt simply isn’t going to match it for height against Taylor, Stewart and Blicavs. The constant bombing inside by Melbourne just meant Geelong were able to spoil or outmark their Melbourne opponents since it had only Weideman and Tom McDonald as talls, (when they weren’t dragged into the ruck). One spare Geelong tall all the time, or even more when Ratugolea or Stanley dropped back as well. Small wonder Melbourne wasn’t able to score, with yet another goal-less quarter (this time the third) which is too often now becoming part of “the Brand”. The other troubling re-emergence is the inability to stop an opposition teams “run on”. In the first quarter, the Cats kicked 5 unanswered goals in a 13 minute period and it was effectively game over in the wet. But they followed it up with a six goal unanswered period in the third and a 4 goal run in the last. This was emblematic of the worst of Melbourne sides prior to the arrival of Paul Roos. The mids were fantastic as seen by the simply enormous touches, contested possessions and simply drive they provided. The backs did their job well as evidenced by Hawkins only producing two goals for the night in a team which kicked 10 times as much. And the backline coaches have to stop the ridiculous habit we are developing of kicking short from the point-kick-ins. Clearing the danger zone should be critical. Again, that was a hallmark of Roos, which seems to have disappeared. The loss was simply the lack of pressure coming from too many around the ground, and the lack of scoreboard pressure caused by the forwards. The selectors have got to stop putting debutants into the side and expecting more. They have got to provide assistance to Gawn with another ruck or tall who can double as a forward. Losing the first two games, and not being competitive in either is a troubling sign. Can it be turned around? First step is the selection table, or we will face another blow-up against the hapless Bombers next game. Melbourne 2.2.14 3.4.22 3.9.27 6.10.46 Geelong 6.1.37 7.4.46 13.4.82 20.6.126 Goals Melbourne Melksham 2 Brayshaw Lockhart Viney Weideman Geelong Rohan 3 Dahlhaus Dangerfield Hawkins Selwood 2 Clark Constable Duncan Kelly Menegola Miers O'Connor Parfitt Ratugolea Best Melbourne Oliver Gawn Brayshaw Viney Geelong Dangerfield Selwood Kelly Stewart Dahlhaus Taylor Hawkins Constable Injuries Melbourne May (groin) Geelong Henry (hamstring) Reports Nil Umpires McInerney, Williamson, Wallace Official crowd at GMHBA Stadium Too many Cats sycophants to count so the figure has yet to be released

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