Demonland

What did you think of Tommy Bugg's Instagram story directed at JJ?

Going early I know but ... so are the Doggies' supporters ?

Your votes please - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Maybe Taylor Adams can convince Trac to come to a successful club.

Lyon this morning on SEN. LEWIS WON’T SEE OUT DEAL: LYON AFL great Garry Lyon believes Jordan Lewis will struggle to see out his three year contract at Melbourne. Lewis is in the first year of a new deal after leaving Hawthorn in the off-season. Lyon said Lewis was having a “good, solid season” but questioned whether the four time premiership player will be able to keep up with the pace of the game in the years to come. “I’d be surprised if he plays the whole three years,” Lyon said on SEN radio. “He has influenced games more than Sam (Mitchell). He has been enormous on occasions, behind the footy, throwing himself behind the ball, controlling, dictating, his ball use is superb still. All those things have been great. “There will be moments where Goody (coach Simon Goodwin) will look at it and think, this is too quick for Jordan. We need to get him off or deploy him somewhere else.” Lyon highlighted the Queen’s Birthday clash against Collingwood as a prime example of Lewis struggling with the pace. “That game on Monday was lightning quick in the first half. Jordan had two possessions half way through the second quarter. “The game was too quick for him. As the pace came off and the heat came out…he started to have more impact. “That was great because he is a smart ball user.”

BEST ON SHOW by the Oracle Once the dramatic events of the AFL's sensational Round 12 were done and dusted, all the talk of the town was about the dogs. The question as to whether the Western Bulldogs were experiencing a premiership hangover was one of the biggest discussion points in football. The young side that captured the hearts and the imagination of the football public with their fantastic exploits in 2016 were said to no longer be as hungry or as ruthless as they were back then. Some even suggested they were in danger of possibility dropping out of the top eight altogether. Which inevitably makes the encounter between Melbourne and the Bullies at Etihad Stadium this weekend a truly intriguing contest. For starters, despite the close scrutiny and the handwringing over some of their recent displays, Luke Beveridge's charges are starting as strong favourite, perhaps largely due to the gravitas generated from being the reigning premier or simply because of the expected return from injury of a trio of stars from last year's finals campaign - Tom Boyd, Dale Morris and Clay Smith along with the likely promotion of Tom Liberatore who starred when the teams met last year. For the Demons' part, they're coming into this game on a high after the pulsating come from behind victory over the Magpies, a win that was remarkable because they managed to overcome the fact that they lost the hit out count by a massive 14 to 65 and were out marked by 62 to 112. That sort of discrepancy suggests in simple terms that in order to win the game a massive effort was required at ground level and this in turn, creates another dilemma for coach Simon Goodwin who potentially has both of his twin 200cm towers available for selection. Will he change what has been an effective structure over the past few weeks to bring in one of those big men and what will he do to cater for the string of six day breaks and interstate trips coming up in the immediate future? In a season of topsy turvy results and unpredictability, it's hard to discern what team from either club will be on show at the weekend, or even from quarter to quarter within the match. Will the Demons continue the momentum of their push up the ladder, will the Bulldogs bite as they did last September or merely bark without impacting the result of the game. Which team will put its best on show? THE GAME Western Bulldogs v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, Sunday 18 June, 2017 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Western Bulldogs 76 wins Melbourne 85 wins 1 draw At Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 9 wins Melbourne 6 wins Last Five Meetings: Western Bulldogs 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches: Beveridge 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel live at 3.00pm Radio - Triple M, 3AW, SEN, ABC, ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Western Bulldogs $1.50 to win Melbourne $2.60 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Western Bulldogs 17.12.114 defeated Melbourne 12.10.82 at Etihad Stadium, Round 8, 2016 The Bulldogs were at the top of their game while the young Demons were coming off a 73 point win away from home against the Suns and were momentarily in the top eight. However, they failed to match the relentless tackling of their opponents with the currently unloved Bulldog, Tom Liberatore, ironically leading the tackle count with 19. Jack Viney was the Demons' best. THE TEAMS WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Dale Morris, Zaine Cordy, Jason Johannisen HB: Shane Biggs, Easton Wood, Matthew Suckling C: Lachie Hunter, Jack Macrae, Tory Dickson HF: Caleb Daniel, Tom Boyd, Toby McLean F: Lin Jong, Jake Stringer, Liam Picken FOLL: Jordan Roughead, Marcus Bontempelli, Mitch Wallis I/C: Luke Dahlhaus, Bailey Dale, Mitch Honeychurch, Tom Liberatore EMG: Tom Campbell, Lukas Webb, Bailey Williams IN: Tom Boyd, Zaine Cordy, Mitch Honeychurch, Tom Liberatore, Dale Morris OUT: Marcus Adams (foot), Matthew Boyd (omitted), Travis Cloke (soreness), Tim English (omitted) Fletcher Roberts (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Oscar McDonald, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Jayden Hunt, Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones HF: Clayton Oliver, Jack Watts, Mitch Hannan F: Tom Bugg, Christian Petracca, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Cam Pedersen, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C: James Harmes, Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen, Christian Salem EMG: Ben Kennedy, Jake Spencer, Sam Weideman NO CHANGE There's one thing you can't rely upon these days when trying to predict the outcome of AFL games and that's current form. If you could, then Melbourne would be an odds on favourite, having lost only once in the last month and a half while the Western Bulldogs have won only once since round 8 and are coming off a 46-point loss against Sydney. Their lacklustre form, an unsettled line up and their inability to match the pressure and intensity of 2016 are certainly worrying for their coach and supporters and yet, they remain well fancied to win this match against the Demons who go into the game with an unchanged team from Monday's Queens Birthday blockbuster win. Melbourne is seemingly on the up and up while the Dogs are likely to drop out of the top eight after this round if they lose this game - an extraordinary state of affairs for a reigning premier. The factor that turns everything on its head is ironically the one that is often used as a pointer to why a given team will lose and that's team stability. The Bulldogs go into the game with five changes which many suggest is counterproductive to winning especially against a team with "no change" posted against its name following team selection. However, in the unstable football climate of 2017, this doesn't quite stand up. Former skipper and 290 gamer, Matthew Boyd may well be the eighth Bulldog premiership player to be dropped this year, but they have some handy players coming back and primed to add the intensity the team's performances have been lacking during the past month or so. Young Libba was their match winner when the teams last met and the other inclusions add solidity to the side. And their young stars like Bontempelli, Stringer and McCrae are all due for big games. The Demons won't be easy to beat - they are a tough proposition this year - ranked in the top four for contested possessions and tackles and seventh for clearances. They do however, have a tendency towards inconsistency both during and between games and their slow starts are a worry. One theory concerning this trend is the lack of a tall ruckman which has hounded the club after early-season injuries to Max Gawn and Jake Spencer but the decision to shun the latter now that he's fit and available, suggests the Melbourne selectors disagree. They will be banking on the no ruck policy but I'm not sure that strategy works often enough in these unpredictable times. Western Bulldogs by 3 points.

Once the dramatic events of the AFL's sensational Round 12 were done and dusted, all the talk of the town was about the dogs. The question as to whether the Western Bulldogs were experiencing a premiership hangover was one of the biggest discussion points in football. The young side that captured the hearts and the imagination of the football public with their fantastic exploits in 2016 were said to no longer be as hungry or as ruthless as they were back then. Some even suggested they were in danger of possibility dropping out of the top eight altogether. Which inevitably makes the encounter between Melbourne and the Bullies at Etihad Stadium this weekend a truly intriguing contest. For starters, despite the close scrutiny and the handwringing over some of their recent displays, Luke Beveridge's charges are starting as strong favourite, perhaps largely due to the gravitas generated from being the reigning premier or simply because of the expected return from injury of a trio of stars from last year's finals campaign - Tom Boyd, Dale Morris and Clay Smith along with the likely promotion of Tom Liberatore who starred when the teams met last year. For the Demons' part, they're coming into this game on a high after the pulsating come from behind victory over the Magpies, a win that was remarkable because they managed to overcome the fact that they lost the hit out count by a massive 14 to 65 and were out marked by 62 to 112. That sort of discrepancy suggests in simple terms that in order to win the game a massive effort was required at ground level and this in turn, creates another dilemma for coach Simon Goodwin who potentially has both of his twin 200cm towers available for selection. Will he change what has been an effective structure over the past few weeks to bring in one of those big men and what will he do to cater for the string of six day breaks and interstate trips coming up in the immediate future? In a season of topsy turvy results and unpredictability, it's hard to discern what team from either club will be on show at the weekend, or even from quarter to quarter within the match. Will the Demons continue the momentum of their push up the ladder, will the Bulldogs bite as they did last September or merely bark without impacting the result of the game. Which team will put its best on show? THE GAME Western Bulldogs v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, Sunday 18 June, 2017 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Western Bulldogs 76 wins Melbourne 85 wins 1 draw At Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 9 wins Melbourne 6 wins Last Five Meetings: Western Bulldogs 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches: Beveridge 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel live at 3.00pm Radio - Triple M, 3AW, SEN, ABC, ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Western Bulldogs $1.50 to win Melbourne $2.60 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Western Bulldogs 17.12.114 defeated Melbourne 12.10.82 at Etihad Stadium, Round 8, 2016 The Bulldogs were at the top of their game while the young Demons were coming off a 73 point win away from home against the Suns and were momentarily in the top eight. However, they failed to match the relentless tackling of their opponents with the currently unloved Bulldog, Tom Liberatore, ironically leading the tackle count with 19. Jack Viney was the Demons' best. THE TEAMS WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Dale Morris, Zaine Cordy, Jason Johannisen HB: Shane Biggs, Easton Wood, Matthew Suckling C: Lachie Hunter, Jack Macrae, Tory Dickson HF: Caleb Daniel, Tom Boyd, Toby McLean F: Lin Jong, Jake Stringer, Liam Picken FOLL: Jordan Roughead, Marcus Bontempelli, Mitch Wallis I/C: Luke Dahlhaus, Bailey Dale, Mitch Honeychurch, Tom Liberatore EMG: Tom Campbell, Lukas Webb, Bailey Williams IN: Tom Boyd, Zaine Cordy, Mitch Honeychurch, Tom Liberatore, Dale Morris OUT: Marcus Adams (foot), Matthew Boyd (omitted), Travis Cloke (soreness), Tim English (omitted) Fletcher Roberts (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Oscar McDonald, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Jayden Hunt, Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones HF: Clayton Oliver, Jack Watts, Mitch Hannan F: Tom Bugg, Christian Petracca, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Cam Pedersen, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C: James Harmes, Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen, Christian Salem EMG: Ben Kennedy, Jake Spencer, Sam Weideman NO CHANGE There's one thing you can't rely upon these days when trying to predict the outcome of AFL games and that's current form. If you could, then Melbourne would be an odds on favourite, having lost only once in the last month and a half while the Western Bulldogs have won only once since round 8 and are coming off a 46-point loss against Sydney. Their lacklustre form, an unsettled line up and their inability to match the pressure and intensity of 2016 are certainly worrying for their coach and supporters and yet, they remain well fancied to win this match against the Demons who go into the game with an unchanged team from Monday's Queens Birthday blockbuster win. Melbourne is seemingly on the up and up while the Dogs are likely to drop out of the top eight after this round if they lose this game - an extraordinary state of affairs for a reigning premier. The factor that turns everything on its head is ironically the one that is often used as a pointer to why a given team will lose and that's team stability. The Bulldogs go into the game with five changes which many suggest is counterproductive to winning especially against a team with "no change" posted against its name following team selection. However, in the unstable football climate of 2017, this doesn't quite stand up. Former skipper and 290 gamer, Matthew Boyd may well be the eighth Bulldog premiership player to be dropped this year, but they have some handy players coming back and primed to add the intensity the team's performances have been lacking during the past month or so. Young Libba was their match winner when the teams last met and the other inclusions add solidity to the side. And their young stars like Bontempelli, Stringer and McCrae are all due for big games. The Demons won't be easy to beat - they are a tough proposition this year - ranked in the top four for contested possessions and tackles and seventh for clearances. They do however, have a tendency towards inconsistency both during and between games and their slow starts are a worry. One theory concerning this trend is the lack of a tall ruckman which has hounded the club after early-season injuries to Max Gawn and Jake Spencer but the decision to shun the latter now that he's fit and available, suggests the Melbourne selectors disagree. They will be banking on the no ruck policy but I'm not sure that strategy works often enough in these unpredictable times. Western Bulldogs by 3 points.

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The poll is for how many games we will have won by years end. By picking 6 you are picking that we will not win another game for the rest of the year.

Nomination for Misleading Headline of the Year. Actual article: http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-06-14/midseason-shift-as-betts-joins-the-demons

Petracca, Jones and Viney in round's best 22. Watts stiff to miss out? http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-06-14/petracca-jones-and-viney-in-rounds-best-22

I almost wasn't going to include it as an answer.

We are sitting on 6 wins and 5 losses. We have 11 matches to go in the Home and Away season. How many wins do you think we'll end up with?

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2017-06-13/did-a-giant-crumble-under-pressure No need to fast forward to the Demons stuff. The first 3:20 is all about us.

Nathan Jones is making a run at Clarrie's lead. 108. Clayton Oliver 92. Nathan Jones 63. Jack Watts 61. Michael Hibberd 44. Jack Viney 40. Jeff Garlett 39. Christian Petracca 37. Jayden Hunt 23. Jordan Lewis 21. Dom Tyson 18. Sam Frost 17. Tom McDonald Christian Salem 15. Neville Jetta Cam Pedersen 14. Mitch Hannan 11. Max Gawn 9. Bernie Vince 7. Jake Melksham Alex Neal-Bullen 6. Jesse Hogan 5. Dean Kent Oscar McDonald Billy Stretch 1. James Harmes

On the Queen's Birthday (or rather, King George V’s) it is customary to hand out the honours to those most deserving members of the community for their achievements in life. Since Melbourne was playing Collingwood on the day that commemorates the royal birthday, there could not be a more deserving recipient of the honours than Melbourne. Collingwood deserve and get nothing. With the season at the half-way mark and the Demons on 5 wins and 5 losses, the second half of the year really depended on a successful outcome of this game - a win would move them into sixth place but a loss would be a disaster for it meant dropping to 11th position on the ladder and more importantly, a game outside the top eight. And therefore, when called upon to perform, the Demons delivered. In doing so they have now put themselves into a realistic position to play finals. With the 9th, 10th and 11th teams all facing difficult opposition in their next-up games Melbourne has the opportunity to go eight points clear IF they can beat the Western Bulldogs in six day's time. Now to the match at hand. The Demons finished the first quarter slightly ahead after a pretty even thirty minutes which was encouraging because, for the first time in ages, they actually turned up to play and weren’t four goals down at the break ... of course, they saved that for the second quarter! Collingwood kicked six unanswered goals in that second term which saw the Demons playing some abysmal football. All of their worst was on display, yet again, with dinky too smart kicks, stupid handball overuse, and players simply not putting in; the game looked as good as over at half-time. Fortunately, Simon Goodwin was there to right the ship and he once again instituted some critical changes. Tom McDonald into ruck (he simply cannot play forward which he did in the first half). Jake Melksham out of the middle where he had been tagging Pendelbury - the coaches realised Pendelbury was doing little, and so by keeping Melksham in the middle it was like virtually playing with a man down. A move for him to the forward line yielded a goal, but little else and he will surely be left out for next week in favour of Josh Wagner. Oscar McDonald put in a shocker in the first half, and then played a blinder in the second …go figure! Completely all at sea he was going at half pace and turning the ball over with monotonous regularity. Then he came out and spoilt everything in the air and took a truly telling mark in the third which would otherwise have resulted in a certain opposition goal. With Pedersen and Tom McDonald holding Grundy to the status of hitout king but to little or no advantage to their mids and the stronger Melbourne mids slowly took over. Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones and Jack Viney began to get their hands on the ball and for the first time in the game started kicking it forward. This exposed the Collingwood backline, and Melbourne piled on six goals to two in the third to once again lead by the narrowest of margin at the final break. It then came down to an arm wrestle with both sides within a couple of points of each other, until the Demons managed to find Jack Watts on his own 50 meter line out on the flank. He then slowly and deliberately moved toward goal and split the majors sending the final dagger into the heart of Collingwood's hopes. While they dragged one back in the dying seconds, it was the Demons in the end by four points. The injury room at the end wouldn’t fill us with confidence as Jayden Hunt had extended treatment for an ankle, Watts for his back in addition to a previous ankle injury, and Sam Frost spent and inordinate time off the field in the third. We won’t see Jesse Hogan for another two weeks at least and Max Gawn is positively not ready yet. However, the Demons have now shown they can match it with anyone, that it can win close games and are becoming the comeback kings. The club must stop these quarters of football where the team seems to go to sleep and lapse into appalling habits. Against the Bulldogs with their ferocious attack style of play that would be a recipe for disaster. Melbourne took the honours today by a bare margin. It now must learn to take the honours emphatically and without assuming that they will be handed out without the difficult inputs that hallmark successful sides. Melbourne 4.3.27 6.6.42 12.9.81 15.14.104 Collingwood 3.2.20 10.5.65 12.8.80 15.10.100 Goals Melbourne Petracca Watts 3 Bugg Garlett 2 Hannan Harmes T McDonald Melksham Pedersen Collingwood De Goey Fasolo Greenwood Moore Phillips Sidebottom 2 Aish Crocker Treloar Best Melbourne Petracca Jones Viney Hibberd Watts Hunt Garlett Collingwood Sidebottom Grundy Treloar Howe Maynard Broomhead Changes Melbourne Nil Collingwood Nil Injuries Melbourne Jack Watts (back) Collingwood Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Collingwood Nil Umpires Rosebury, Stephens, Ryan, Mollison Official Crowd 70,926 at the MCG

TAKING THE HONOURS by George on the Outer On the Queen's Birthday (or rather, King George V’s) it is customary to hand out the honours to those most deserving members of the community for their achievements in life. Since Melbourne was playing Collingwood on the day that commemorates the royal birthday, there could not be a more deserving recipient of the honours than Melbourne. Collingwood deserve and get nothing. With the season at the half-way mark and the Demons on 5 wins and 5 losses, the second half of the year really depended on a successful outcome of this game - a win would move them into sixth place but a loss would be a disaster for it meant dropping to 11th position on the ladder and more importantly, a game outside the top eight. And therefore, when called upon to perform, the Demons delivered. In doing so they have now put themselves into a realistic position to play finals. With the 9th, 10th and 11th teams all facing difficult opposition in their next-up games Melbourne has the opportunity to go eight points clear IF they can beat the Western Bulldogs in six day's time. Now to the match at hand. The Demons finished the first quarter slightly ahead after a pretty even thirty minutes which was encouraging because, for the first time in ages, they actually turned up to play and weren’t four goals down at the break ... of course, they saved that for the second quarter! Collingwood kicked six unanswered goals in that second term which saw the Demons playing some abysmal football. All of their worst was on display, yet again, with dinky too smart kicks, stupid handball overuse, and players simply not putting in; the game looked as good as over at half-time. Fortunately, Simon Goodwin was there to right the ship and he once again instituted some critical changes. Tom McDonald into ruck (he simply cannot play forward which he did in the first half). Jake Melksham out of the middle where he had been tagging Pendelbury - the coaches realised Pendelbury was doing little, and so by keeping Melksham in the middle it was like virtually playing with a man down. A move for him to the forward line yielded a goal, but little else and he will surely be left out for next week in favour of Josh Wagner. Oscar McDonald put in a shocker in the first half, and then played a blinder in the second …go figure! Completely all at sea he was going at half pace and turning the ball over with monotonous regularity. Then he came out and spoilt everything in the air and took a truly telling mark in the third which would otherwise have resulted in a certain opposition goal. With Pedersen and Tom McDonald holding Grundy to the status of hitout king but to little or no advantage to their mids and the stronger Melbourne mids slowly took over. Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones and Jack Viney began to get their hands on the ball and for the first time in the game started kicking it forward. This exposed the Collingwood backline, and Melbourne piled on six goals to two in the third to once again lead by the narrowest of margin at the final break. It then came down to an arm wrestle with both sides within a couple of points of each other, until the Demons managed to find Jack Watts on his own 50 meter line out on the flank. He then slowly and deliberately moved toward goal and split the majors sending the final dagger into the heart of Collingwood's hopes. While they dragged one back in the dying seconds, it was the Demons in the end by four points. The injury room at the end wouldn’t fill us with confidence as Jayden Hunt had extended treatment for an ankle, Watts for his back in addition to a previous ankle injury, and Sam Frost spent and inordinate time off the field in the third. We won’t see Jesse Hogan for another two weeks at least and Max Gawn is positively not ready yet. However, the Demons have now shown they can match it with anyone, that it can win close games and are becoming the comeback kings. The club must stop these quarters of football where the team seems to go to sleep and lapse into appalling habits. Against the Bulldogs with their ferocious attack style of play that would be a recipe for disaster. Melbourne took the honours today by a bare margin. It now must learn to take the honours emphatically and without assuming that they will be handed out without the difficult inputs that hallmark successful sides. Melbourne 4.3.27 6.6.42 12.9.81 15.14.104 Collingwood 3.2.20 10.5.65 12.8.80 15.10.100 Goals Melbourne Petracca Watts 3 Bugg Garlett 2 Hannan Harmes T McDonald Melksham Pedersen Collingwood De Goey Fasolo Greenwood Moore Phillips Sidebottom 2 Aish Crocker Treloar Best Melbourne Petracca Jones Viney Hibberd Watts Hunt Garlett Collingwood Sidebottom Grundy Treloar Howe Maynard Broomhead Changes Melbourne Nil Collingwood Nil Injuries Melbourne Jack Watts (back) Collingwood Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Collingwood Nil Umpires Rosebury, Stephens, Ryan, Mollison Official Crowd 70,926 at the MCG

It was in Round 8 last year and they got hold of us early to lead by three goals at quarter time and we simply couldn't get back up. This year, it's changed! MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Josh Wagner, Colin Garland, Jayden Hunt C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Jeff Garlett F: James Harmes, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Viv Michie, Christian Petracca, Christian Salem, Billy Stretch EMG: Jack Grimes, Oscar McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen IN: Christian Salem OUT: Dean Kent (back) WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Matthew Boyd, Fletcher Roberts, Dale Morris HB: Shane Biggs, Easton Wood, Jed Adcock C: Lachie Hunter, Thomas Liberatore, Tory Dickson HF: Liam Picken, Tom Campbell, Jack Stringer F: Luke Dahlhaus, Jack Redpath, Mitch Wallis FOLL: Jordan Roughead, Jackson Macrae, Marcus Bontempelli I/C: Bailey Dale, Caleb Daniel, Toby McLean, Bailey Williams EMG: Josh Dunkley, Mitch Honeychurch, Lin Jong, IN: Bailey Williams OUT: Marcus Adams (finger)

You know what to do ...

Never in ...

Literally just got back in town from Canberra. Why was JKH having set shots?

The Casey Demons have landed in the Peter Jackson VFL top eight for the first time this year after a strong performance against Collingwood VFL at Casey Fields. The team made a shaky start to a scrappy game in which both sides displayed some poor skills, particularly with their disposal although the visitors' accuracy for goal made the game a much closer contest than it should have been. The Demons welcomed back Jake Spencer in the ruck and, although he looked understandably rusty, his 35 hit outs aided by some good work from Declan Keilty were a highlight in a team that has so far this year been consistently beaten in the ruck department. The winning ruck gave it many opportunities to open up play and run the ball forward and this resulted in a dominating 55 to 36 advantage in the inside 50 count. The teams are close competitors in the finals race and the Magpies made Casey rue some early missed chances in front of goal when they hit the lead with the opening two goals of the second term. However, from that point onward, the Demons took control with a six goal spree that stretched into the second half. Collingwood attempted a comeback with three goals on the run but Casey settled and was well in control even though it conceded some late goals in the end. Defenders Josh Wagner (27 disposals, 1 goal) and Mitch White (18 touches) were superb in defence and James Munro played a great stopping role getting into the face of Magpie forward Kayle Kirby who was a match winner last week with six goals. VFL interstate representative Bayley Fritsch underlined his talent with three first half goals and he looks eminently draftable. Ed Morris was another VFL-listed player who stood out. One of the highlights for Melbourne people would have been the form of key forward Sam Weideman who overcame a slow start to finish full of running kicking two games in a game in which he could easily have finished with five. With another preseason including more strength and conditioning work, he should become a regular fixture as an AFL key forward who can add further value by helping out in the ruck. Other Demons who showed out were Ben Kennedy, Billy Stretch, Jack Trengove, Dean Kent and Jay Kennedy-Harris who called it a day at half time in order to stay fresh in the event of being required as an emergency for Monday. Corey Maynard continues to do well after his recent enforced two week lay off from concussion. The win was a big improvement on the equivalent game from last year when the Casey side was kept to a mere two goals on a bog heap. This time the ground was in good nick and the Demons who have now won three games in a row, took the points because they had a clear skill advantage over their rivals. They return to Casey Fields next Saturday night for a replay of last year's grand final against Footscray VFL although at least half of the team that took part in the disappointment of that loss will not be out there on the field this time around. A win is needed to keep them in the finals race. Peter Jackson VFL 2017 Casey Demons 4.4.28 8.8.56 13.11.89 15.12.102 Collingwood VFL 3.1.19 5.4.34 8.5.53 13.5.83 Goals Casey Demons Fritsch 3 Kent Stretch Weideman 2 Johnstone Lewis-Smith Maynard T Smith Trengove Wagner Collingwood VFL Mayne 4 Cox Kirby 2 Daicos Hellier Keeffe Lane Sier Best Casey Demons Wagner Kennedy Stretch White Weideman Munro Collingwood VFL Blair Keeffe Ramsay Hellier Mayne Cox Statistics Liam Hulett 3 kicks 2 handballs 5 disposals 1 marks 2 tackles 2 hit outs 24 dream team points Dion Johnstone 1 goals 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 8 tackles 74 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 behind 4 kicks 5 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 15 hit outs 72 dream team points Ben Kennedy 15 kicks 13 handballs 28 disposals 3 marks 6 tackles 100 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 1 marks 6 tackles dream 61 team points Dean Kent 2 goals 1 behind 13 kicks 9 handballs 22 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 1 hit out 102 dream team points Corey Maynard 1 goal 3 behinds 9 kicks 13 handballs 22 disposals 3 marks 8 tackles 94 dream team points Tim Smith 1 goal 1 behind 4 kicks 5 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 50 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 behind 3 kicks 5 handballs 8 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 35 hit outs 68 dream team points Billy Stretch 2 goals 6 kicks 18 handballs 24 disposals 1 mark 6 tackles 90 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 goal 7 kicks 12 handballs 19 disposals 3 marks 6 tackles 82 dream team points Josh Wagner 1 goal 12 kicks 15 handballs 27 disposals 6 marks 1 tackles 88 dream team points Sam Weideman 2 goals 3 behinds 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 8 marks 4 hit outs 99 dream team points Mitch White 16 kicks 2 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 71 dream team points Speaking of grand final replays, it was an 189 point turnaround for Casey against the 2016 Development League premier Box Hill in the early game with Mitch King starring in the ruck after a week out with illness and Nathan Gardiner and Corey Machaya kicking five goals each. AFL Vic Development League 2017 Casey Demons 4.3.27 9.7.61 15.10.100 21.16.142 Box Hill Hawks 4.1.25 5.2.32 8.4.52 9.4.58 Goals Casey Demons Gardiner Machaya 5 Ferreira Foote 2 Ambler Cox Di Pasquale Dwyer Johnston King Lok Box Hill Hawks Davies Hehir 3 Codd-Miller Dimasi Maloney Best Casey Demons King Dwyer Briggs Giobbi Gardiner Cox Box Hill Hawks Maloney Hehir O'Sullivan Horner Haynes Fisher

THE RACE by KC from Casey The Casey Demons have landed in the Peter Jackson VFL top eight for the first time this year after a strong performance against Collingwood VFL at Casey Fields. The team made a shaky start to a scrappy game in which both sides displayed some poor skills, particularly with their disposal although the visitors' accuracy for goal made the game a much closer contest than it should have been. The Demons welcomed back Jake Spencer in the ruck and, although he looked understandably rusty, his 35 hit outs aided by some good work from Declan Keilty were a highlight in a team that has so far this year been consistently beaten in the ruck department. The winning ruck gave it many opportunities to open up play and run the ball forward and this resulted in a dominating 55 to 36 advantage in the inside 50 count. The teams are close competitors in the finals race and the Magpies made Casey rue some early missed chances in front of goal when they hit the lead with the opening two goals of the second term. However, from that point onward, the Demons took control with a six goal spree that stretched into the second half. Collingwood attempted a comeback with three goals on the run but Casey settled and was well in control even though it conceded some late goals in the end. Defenders Josh Wagner (27 disposals, 1 goal) and Mitch White (18 touches) were superb in defence and James Munro played a great stopping role getting into the face of Magpie forward Kayle Kirby who was a match winner last week with six goals. VFL interstate representative Bayley Fritsch underlined his talent with three first half goals and he looks eminently draftable. Ed Morris was another VFL-listed player who stood out. One of the highlights for Melbourne people would have been the form of key forward Sam Weideman who overcame a slow start to finish full of running kicking two games in a game in which he could easily have finished with five. With another preseason including more strength and conditioning work, he should become a regular fixture as an AFL key forward who can add further value by helping out in the ruck. Other Demons who showed out were Ben Kennedy, Billy Stretch, Jack Trengove, Dean Kent and Jay Kennedy-Harris who called it a day at half time in order to stay fresh in the event of being required as an emergency for Monday. Corey Maynard continues to do well after his recent enforced two week lay off from concussion. The win was a big improvement on the equivalent game from last year when the Casey side was kept to a mere two goals on a bog heap. This time the ground was in good nick and the Demons who have now won three games in a row, took the points because they had a clear skill advantage over their rivals. They return to Casey Fields next Saturday night for a replay of last year's grand final against Footscray VFL although at least half of the team that took part in the disappointment of that loss will not be out there on the field this time around. A win is needed to keep them in the finals race. Peter Jackson VFL 2017 Casey Demons 4.4.28 8.8.56 13.11.89 15.12.102 Collingwood VFL 3.1.19 5.4.34 8.5.53 13.5.83 Goals Casey Demons Fritsch 3 Kent Stretch Weideman 2 Johnstone Lewis-Smith Maynard T Smith Trengove Wagner Collingwood VFL Mayne 4 Cox Kirby 2 Daicos Hellier Keeffe Lane Sier Best Casey Demons Wagner Kennedy Stretch White Weideman Munro Collingwood VFL Blair Keeffe Ramsay Hellier Mayne Cox Statistics Liam Hulett 3 kicks 2 handballs 5 disposals 1 marks 2 tackles 2 hit outs 24 dream team points Dion Johnstone 1 goals 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 8 tackles 74 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 behind 4 kicks 5 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 15 hit outs 72 dream team points Ben Kennedy 15 kicks 13 handballs 28 disposals 3 marks 6 tackles 100 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 1 marks 6 tackles dream 61 team points Dean Kent 2 goals 1 behind 13 kicks 9 handballs 22 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 1 hit out 102 dream team points Corey Maynard 1 goal 3 behinds 9 kicks 13 handballs 22 disposals 3 marks 8 tackles 94 dream team points Tim Smith 1 goal 1 behind 4 kicks 5 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 50 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 behind 3 kicks 5 handballs 8 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 35 hit outs 68 dream team points Billy Stretch 2 goals 6 kicks 18 handballs 24 disposals 1 mark 6 tackles 90 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 goal 7 kicks 12 handballs 19 disposals 3 marks 6 tackles 82 dream team points Josh Wagner 1 goal 12 kicks 15 handballs 27 disposals 6 marks 1 tackles 88 dream team points Sam Weideman 2 goals 3 behinds 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 8 marks 4 hit outs 99 dream team points Mitch White 16 kicks 2 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 71 dream team points Speaking of grand final replays, it was an 189 point turnaround for Casey against the 2016 Development League premier Box Hill in the early game with Mitch King starring in the ruck after a week out with illness and Nathan Gardiner and Corey Machaya kicking five goals each. AFL Vic Development League 2017 Casey Demons 4.3.27 9.7.61 15.10.100 21.16.142 Box Hill Hawks 4.1.25 5.2.32 8.4.52 9.4.58 Goals Casey Demons Gardiner Machaya 5 Ferreira Foote 2 Ambler Cox Di Pasquale Dwyer Johnston King Lok Box Hill Hawks Davies Hehir 3 Codd-Miller Dimasi Maloney Best Casey Demons King Dwyer Briggs Giobbi Gardiner Cox Box Hill Hawks Maloney Hehir O'Sullivan Horner Haynes Fisher

Spencer has been ruled out. Will start at Casey - look for him on Channel 7 on Saturday.