Demonland

FINDING A WAY ... AGAIN by George on the Outer In his losing press conference last week Simon Goodwin said that good teams manage to find a way to win, and Melbourne needed to do that. Despite the further loss of players to injury and absence of Jesse Hogan following the death of his father, the Demons DID indeed find a way to put Essendon away with an emphatic 38 point win at their once hoodoo ground of Etihad Stadium. The first half of the game was as scrappy and as un-skilled encounter as one could witness at an AFL match. Spectators could be forgiven thinking that there was a howling wind and wet sloppy conditions given the unforced errors from both sides. By half time in the perfect environment inside an enclosed stadium, both sides could only manage 4 goals each. Essendon's woes were compounded by Joe “the goose” Daniher unable to kick straight recording a solitary goal for the match despite 8 shots. This was in sharp contrast to when the two teams met a couple of years ago when he seemed unable to miss the big sticks. That game they won, and this one they didn’t. It was the second half of the game where it all turned around. Suddenly the Demons found that way that the coach had spoken about the week before, and piled on eight goals in the third quarter and a further five in the last. Despite this being only his sixth AFL game as coach, we are starting to see that Goodwin is able to nut out what is going wrong and make the changes necessary to get the job done. In this game one of the big moves was getting Bernie Vince out of the backline, where he was nothing short of a liability with his poor decision-making and lack of nous when playing as a spare man in defence. Into the middle he goes, and a different player emerges with 25 touches, 4 clearances and 8 contested possessions. Christian Salem moves back to replace him and suddenly the kick-ins are no longer a heart in mouth situation. This then enabled Frost to towel up Daniher, and Tom McDonald to move further up the ground as a more attacking player, picking up 26 touches including 6 contested. Michael Hibberd continued to impress and provide drive and strength with 24 touches of his own. Suddenly, the backline was as solid as it could possibly be and the mids kept getting their hands on the ball. The return of Cam Pedersen to the side as a replacement ruck worked really well, for while he may have lost the hit-out stats to Tom Bellchambers, it was he who racked up 19 possessions to Bellchambers' miserable 9. Best of all was that he relieved the necessity for Jack Watts to ruck, which resulted in Watts kicking 4 goals when up forward. How we could have used that scenario in the final quarter last week! The other thing that became obvious in the second half was the change in disposal ratios. An overuse of handball in close was costing the Demons dearly with turnovers. They were getting the hands on the ball courtesy of Jones, Viney and Oliver, but it simply wasn’t being used efficiently. In the second half, we saw Tyson and Oliver using their feet to push the ball forward and opportunities started to happen in the forward line. Mitch Hannan and Jeff Garlett chimed in for three goals each and the Dons simply had no answer to the forward pressure of the Demons - particularly Christian Petracca who dobbed four of his own, while playing predominantly in front of goal, and simply bullocking his way to contested possession and marking. Finally it was comforting to see Jordan Lewis back again with his calming influence. In his absence, Melbourne seemed to manage to cough up goals in the last minutes of quarters but today he stood as a final guard against that happening and provided that surety with foot when playing behind the ball. If there were 44K at Etihad Stadium today, I will eat my hat. With a capacity of barely 50K the number of vacant seats was obvious to all and sundry, both at the ground and on television. This compares to when the Demons played the Saints in the first round when an attendance of 36K was quoted and barely a seat available in the house. One would be forgiven for thinking that this smacks of manipulation of attendance figures for a club that is being looked after well by the AFL. Are they trying to make Essendon look good and garner more TV games for them? Melbourne 2.4.16 4.6.30 12.9.81 17.10.112 Essendon 2.2.14 4.8.32 6.12.48 10.14.74 Goals Melbourne Petracca Watts 4 Garlett Hannan 3 Lewis T McDonald Pedersen Essendon Fantasia Hooker 2 Bellchambers Colyer Daniher, McDonald-Tipungwuti McGrath Parish Best Melbourne T McDonald Petracca Lewis Oliver Hibberd Pedersen Frost Essendon Goddard Hurley Merrett McGrath Gleeson Changes Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Essendon Brown (ankle) Reports Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Umpires Haussen, Nicholls, Hay Official crowd 44,040 at Etihad Stadium

In his losing press conference last week Simon Goodwin said that good teams manage to find a way to win, and Melbourne needed to do that. Despite the further loss of players to injury and absence of Jesse Hogan following the death of his father, the Demons DID indeed find a way to put Essendon away with an emphatic 38 point win at their once hoodoo ground of Etihad Stadium. The first half of the game was as scrappy and as un-skilled encounter as one could witness at an AFL match. Spectators could be forgiven thinking that there was a howling wind and wet sloppy conditions given the unforced errors from both sides. By half time in the perfect environment inside an enclosed stadium, both sides could only manage 4 goals each. Essendon's woes were compounded by Joe “the goose” Daniher unable to kick straight recording a solitary goal for the match despite 8 shots. This was in sharp contrast to when the two teams met a couple of years ago when he seemed unable to miss the big sticks. That game they won, and this one they didn’t. It was the second half of the game where it all turned around. Suddenly the Demons found that way that the coach had spoken about the week before, and piled on eight goals in the third quarter and a further five in the last. Despite this being only his sixth AFL game as coach, we are starting to see that Goodwin is able to nut out what is going wrong and make the changes necessary to get the job done. In this game one of the big moves was getting Bernie Vince out of the backline, where he was nothing short of a liability with his poor decision-making and lack of nous when playing as a spare man in defence. Into the middle he goes, and a different player emerges with 25 touches, 4 clearances and 8 contested possessions. Christian Salem moves back to replace him and suddenly the kick-ins are no longer a heart in mouth situation. This then enabled Frost to towel up Daniher, and Tom McDonald to move further up the ground as a more attacking player, picking up 26 touches including 6 contested. Michael Hibberd continued to impress and provide drive and strength with 24 touches of his own. Suddenly, the backline was as solid as it could possibly be and the mids kept getting their hands on the ball. The return of Cam Pedersen to the side as a replacement ruck worked really well, for while he may have lost the hit-out stats to Tom Bellchambers, it was he who racked up 19 possessions to Bellchambers' miserable 9. Best of all was that he relieved the necessity for Jack Watts to ruck, which resulted in Watts kicking 4 goals when up forward. How we could have used that scenario in the final quarter last week! The other thing that became obvious in the second half was the change in disposal ratios. An overuse of handball in close was costing the Demons dearly with turnovers. They were getting the hands on the ball courtesy of Jones, Viney and Oliver, but it simply wasn’t being used efficiently. In the second half, we saw Tyson and Oliver using their feet to push the ball forward and opportunities started to happen in the forward line. Mitch Hannan and Jeff Garlett chimed in for three goals each and the Dons simply had no answer to the forward pressure of the Demons - particularly Christian Petracca who dobbed four of his own, while playing predominantly in front of goal, and simply bullocking his way to contested possession and marking. Finally it was comforting to see Jordan Lewis back again with his calming influence. In his absence, Melbourne seemed to manage to cough up goals in the last minutes of quarters but today he stood as a final guard against that happening and provided that surety with foot when playing behind the ball. If there were 44K at Etihad Stadium today, I will eat my hat. With a capacity of barely 50K the number of vacant seats was obvious to all and sundry, both at the ground and on television. This compares to when the Demons played the Saints in the first round when an attendance of 36K was quoted and barely a seat available in the house. One would be forgiven for thinking that this smacks of manipulation of attendance figures for a club that is being looked after well by the AFL. Are they trying to make Essendon look good and garner more TV games for them? Melbourne 2.4.16 4.6.30 12.9.81 17.10.112 Essendon 2.2.14 4.8.32 6.12.48 10.14.74 Goals Melbourne Petracca Watts 4 Garlett Hannan 3 Lewis T McDonald Pedersen Essendon Fantasia Hooker 2 Bellchambers Colyer Daniher, McDonald-Tipungwuti McGrath Parish Best Melbourne T McDonald Petracca Lewis Oliver Hibberd Pedersen Frost Essendon Goddard Hurley Merrett McGrath Gleeson Changes Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Essendon Brown (ankle) Reports Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Umpires Haussen, Nicholls, Hay Official crowd 44,040 at Etihad Stadium

Cast those votes please folks ...

Back on track!!!

ADVENTUROUS by Whispering Jack No sooner had the battle-wearied Demons stopped to rest and lick their wounds from the Anzac Day eve clash with the Tigers, than it was time to select the team to take on Essendon which grabbed their spot in the top eight with their triumphant win over Collingwood on Tuesday. Melbourne has certainly been through the wringer in the past month, particularly so after the events of the Carlton game in round 2. At that time, the headlines were about the loss to suspension of Jesse Hogan and Jordan Lewis but in the interim injuries in mid-game in rounds 3 and 5 to tall ruckmen Max Gawn and Jake Spencer interspersed with other injuries and calamities such as poor kicking for goal and poor decision-making at crucial times in matches have all taken their toll. So much so that what looked like being a bright start to a new era of success and likely finals appearances is unravelling before our very eyes. While Hogan and Lewis are now both free of their suspensions, the Demons have a crisis on their hands - they need to dramatically recast their side after three consecutive losses. This challenge is something that doesn't necessarily have to be looked at from a position of despair or loathing. Melbourne remains strong in the midfield and continues to be build up its stocks in this area with the return of a Lewis determined to atone for the sin of his three week suspension. Everyone agrees that Simon Goodwin needs to be adventurous to come up with a plan to overcome the current crisis, and if he succeeds, then it will strengthen his team in the long run and make it more formidable when his big men eventually do return. The main task at hand is to reshape the ruck lineup while ensuring that the forward line structure can also operate efficiently. In recent weeks, when the team's ruckmen have gone down in mid game or had to be rested, their replacements have come almost exclusively from tall forwards resulting in a depletion of their ranks causing scoring to dry up. With the shortage of tall ruckmen likely to be an ongoing issue for two months, the way that coach Simon Goodwin and his team respond to this crisis and the tactics and strategies they come up with to solve the problem could well determine the course of the club throughout the season and beyond. THE GAME Essendon v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday, 30 April, 2017 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Essendon 129 wins Melbourne 81 wins 2 draws At Etihad Stadium Essendon 3 wins Melbourne 1 win The last five meetings Essendon 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Worsfold 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV – Fox Footy Channel - Live at 1;00pm RADIO - THE BETTING Essendon $1.92 to win Melbourne $1.92 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Essendon 11.14.80 defeated Melbourne 10.7.67 at the MCG, Round 2, 2016 One of Melbourne's low points during the Paul Roos years was its loss at the hands of the depleted but determined Bombers at the MCG a week after they beat the highly fancied Giants. The Demons had been notable for producing massive form swings when expected to perform well but this one took the cake. THE TEAMS ESSENDON B: Patrick Ambrose, Michael Hurley, Martin Gleeson HB: Mark Baguley, Mitch Brown, Ben McNiece C: Travis Colyer, Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath HF: Orazio Fantasia, Cale Hooker, David Zaharakis F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Joe Daniher, Brendon Goddard FOLL: Tom Bellchambers, Ben Howlett, Dyson Heppell I/C: Josh Green, Conor McKenna, Darcy Parish, Jobe Watson EMG: Kyle Langford,Brent Stanton, James Stewart IN: Tom Bellchambers, Martin Gleeson, Ben Howlett, Kyle Langford, Conor McKenna, James Stewart OUT: Aaron Francis (rested), James Kelly (rested), Matt Leuenberger (rested),Brent Stanton (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jordan Lewis, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Jayden Hunt, Nathan Jones, Jake Melksham HF: Christian Petracca, Jack Watts, Alex Neal-Bullen F: Jay Kennedy-Harris, Mitch Hannan, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Cameron Pedersen, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney I/C: Tomas Bugg, Oscar McDonald, Christian Salem, Dom Tyson EMG: James Harmes, Billy Stretch, Sam Weideman IN: Tomas Bugg, Mitch Hannan, Jordan Lewis, Oscar McDonald, Cameron Pedersen OUT: James Harmes (omitted), Jesse Hogan (family bereavement), Jake Spencer (shoulder), Timothy Smith (lung), Billy Stretch (omitted) GIVE US A REST PLEASE My how the worm has turned. This time last year, the Bombers were so light on in their playing stocks that they had to turn to the AFL for the right to supplement their list with additional top ups coming mostly from suburban competitions and retirees. Notwithstanding that they had half a dozen hacks in their line up, they were too good for the Demons in their round 2 match at the MCG. The Dees were just too arrogant - they thought all they had to do to win was to just turn up. Fast forward a little over 12 months and we see an Essendon brimming full of confidence following their famous ANZAC Day victory over Collingwood resting Aaron Francis, Josh Kelly and Matt Leuenberger for their match up against an injury-depleted Melbourne at their nemesis ground Etihad Stadium. The sheer arrogance of it? Knowing that the Demons are heading into Sunday's match up without their two leading ruckmen in Max Gawn and Jake Spencer, the Bombers have decided that the 201 cm, 108 kg Tom Bellchambers who hasn't seen duty in the AFL for almost two years will be good enough to do the job against a 193 cm Cam Pedersen who is now apparently several kgs lighter than his "official" weight of 99 kg recorded prior to his off season shoulder surgery. The Bombers can talk about resting players because of the short break but their supporters are thinking this time around that all their team has to do to win is just turn up. All the Demons will be hoping for is that Pedersen can stand up for more than the half a game of football their ruck personnel are currently lasting for these days in order that the team can get an even break at the stoppages. Whilst it's true that Melbourne has struggled to put together four quarters of consistency with key players going down in mid-game in recent weeks, I have a feeling that things might not be as bad as they look. After all, they managed to stay in the game against the Tigers until time on in the last quarter despite having virtually no rotations available. And they have Jordan Lewis back with the mission of atoning for his sins and actually giving the team something back for those barren three weeks of his absence. The Demons need to improve their efficiency inside fifty metres, particularly early in games. They had the opportunity in each of their last three matches to put away the opposition in the opening half and but for their failure to do so, could well have been sitting on 5 - 0 instead of a 2 - 3 win/loss ratio. There's a lot of coulda, shoulda and woulda in there but Simon Goodwin has promised to be adventurous and sooner or later, fortune will favour the brave. Melbourne has the midfield talent to overcome the apparent ruck disadvantage and besides, I think it's time for a turn of good fortune. If nothing else, the supporters deserve a rest after a month of things going horribly wrong. They're bound to go right very soon. Melbourne by 12 points

Not many people interested in reading about this fiasco?

No sooner had the battle-wearied Demons stopped to rest and lick their wounds from the Anzac Day eve clash with the Tigers, than it was time to select the team to take on Essendon which grabbed their spot in the top eight with their triumphant win over Collingwood on Tuesday. Melbourne has certainly been through the wringer in the past month, particularly so after the events of the Carlton game in round 2. At that time, the headlines were about the loss to suspension of Jesse Hogan and Jordan Lewis but in the interim injuries in mid-game in rounds 3 and 5 to tall ruckmen Max Gawn and Jake Spencer interspersed with other injuries and calamities such as poor kicking for goal and poor decision-making at crucial times in matches have all taken their toll. So much so that what looked like being a bright start to a new era of success and likely finals appearances is unravelling before our very eyes. While Hogan and Lewis are now both free of their suspensions, the Demons have a crisis on their hands - they need to dramatically recast their side after three consecutive losses. This challenge is something that doesn't necessarily have to be looked at from a position of despair or loathing. Melbourne remains strong in the midfield and continues to be build up its stocks in this area with the return of a Lewis determined to atone for the sin of his three week suspension. Everyone agrees that Simon Goodwin needs to be adventurous to come up with a plan to overcome the current crisis, and if he succeeds, then it will strengthen his team in the long run and make it more formidable when his big men eventually do return. The main task at hand is to reshape the ruck lineup while ensuring that the forward line structure can also operate efficiently. In recent weeks, when the team's ruckmen have gone down in mid game or had to be rested, their replacements have come almost exclusively from tall forwards resulting in a depletion of their ranks causing scoring to dry up. With the shortage of tall ruckmen likely to be an ongoing issue for two months, the way that coach Simon Goodwin and his team respond to this crisis and the tactics and strategies they come up with to solve the problem could well determine the course of the club throughout the season and beyond. THE GAME Essendon v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday, 30 April, 2017 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Essendon 129 wins Melbourne 81 wins 2 draws At Etihad Stadium Essendon 3 wins Melbourne 1 win The last five meetings Essendon 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Worsfold 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV – Fox Footy Channel - Live at 1;00pm RADIO - THE BETTING Essendon $1.92 to win Melbourne $1.92 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Essendon 11.14.80 defeated Melbourne 10.7.67 at the MCG, Round 2, 2016 One of Melbourne's low points during the Paul Roos years was its loss at the hands of the depleted but determined Bombers at the MCG a week after they beat the highly fancied Giants. The Demons had been notable for producing massive form swings when expected to perform well but this one took the cake. THE TEAMS ESSENDON B: Patrick Ambrose, Michael Hurley, Martin Gleeson HB: Mark Baguley, Mitch Brown, Ben McNiece C: Travis Colyer, Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath HF: Orazio Fantasia, Cale Hooker, David Zaharakis F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Joe Daniher, Brendon Goddard FOLL: Tom Bellchambers, Ben Howlett, Dyson Heppell I/C: Josh Green, Conor McKenna, Darcy Parish, Jobe Watson EMG: Kyle Langford,Brent Stanton, James Stewart IN: Tom Bellchambers, Martin Gleeson, Ben Howlett, Kyle Langford, Conor McKenna, James Stewart OUT: Aaron Francis (rested), James Kelly (rested), Matt Leuenberger (rested),Brent Stanton (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jordan Lewis, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Jayden Hunt, Nathan Jones, Jake Melksham HF: Christian Petracca, Jack Watts, Alex Neal-Bullen F: Jay Kennedy-Harris, Mitch Hannan, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Cameron Pedersen, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney I/C: Tomas Bugg, Oscar McDonald, Christian Salem, Dom Tyson EMG: James Harmes, Billy Stretch, Sam Weideman IN: Tomas Bugg, Mitch Hannan, Jordan Lewis, Oscar McDonald, Cameron Pedersen OUT: James Harmes (omitted), Jesse Hogan (family bereavement), Jake Spencer (shoulder), Timothy Smith (lung), Billy Stretch (omitted) GIVE US A REST PLEASE My how the worm has turned. This time last year, the Bombers were so light on in their playing stocks that they had to turn to the AFL for the right to supplement their list with additional top ups coming mostly from suburban competitions and retirees. Notwithstanding that they had half a dozen hacks in their line up, they were too good for the Demons in their round 2 match at the MCG. The Dees were just too arrogant - they thought all they had to do to win was to just turn up. Fast forward a little over 12 months and we see an Essendon brimming full of confidence following their famous ANZAC Day victory over Collingwood resting Aaron Francis, Josh Kelly and Matt Leuenberger for their match up against an injury-depleted Melbourne at their nemesis ground Etihad Stadium. The sheer arrogance of it? Knowing that the Demons are heading into Sunday's match up without their two leading ruckmen in Max Gawn and Jake Spencer, the Bombers have decided that the 201 cm, 108 kg Tom Bellchambers who hasn't seen duty in the AFL for almost two years will be good enough to do the job against a 193 cm Cam Pedersen who is now apparently several kgs lighter than his "official" weight of 99 kg recorded prior to his off season shoulder surgery. The Bombers can talk about resting players because of the short break but their supporters are thinking this time around that all their team has to do to win is just turn up. All the Demons will be hoping for is that Pedersen can stand up for more than the half a game of football their ruck personnel are currently lasting for these days in order that the team can get an even break at the stoppages. Whilst it's true that Melbourne has struggled to put together four quarters of consistency with key players going down in mid-game in recent weeks, I have a feeling that things might not be as bad as they look. After all, they managed to stay in the game against the Tigers until time on in the last quarter despite having virtually no rotations available. And they have Jordan Lewis back with the mission of atoning for his sins and actually giving the team something back for those barren three weeks of his absence. The Demons need to improve their efficiency inside fifty metres, particularly early in games. They had the opportunity in each of their last three matches to put away the opposition in the opening half and but for their failure to do so, could well have been sitting on 5 - 0 instead of a 2 - 3 win/loss ratio. There's a lot of coulda, shoulda and woulda in there but Simon Goodwin has promised to be adventurous and sooner or later, fortune will favour the brave. Melbourne has the midfield talent to overcome the apparent ruck disadvantage and besides, I think it's time for a turn of good fortune. If nothing else, the supporters deserve a rest after a month of things going horribly wrong. They're bound to go right very soon. Melbourne by 12 points

The latest episode can be streamed or downloaded here: If you prefer to get your podcasts through a podcast app you can subscribe to it here: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/demonland-podcast/id1220844996?mt=2

The interview with Mel Hickey will be posted shortly. Thanks for listening tonight guys. We consistently had between 50 and 80 listeners throughout the entire 1 hour and 40 plus minutes.

The chatroom is LIVE. http://demonland.com/podcast The podcast will begin at 8:30pm. Mel will be joining us after 8:40pm. Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

I needed a new poll for the homepage so this thread has a new poll at the top. Please vote. I did not include the option for a draw because .... well I'd actually take a draw at the moment.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/melbourne/max-gawns-beard-up-for-sale-in-a-charity-auction/news-story/dccb97d589304264af5752535fdfc7a9 At the time of this post the current bid is $530. You can bid on Max's Beard here: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/201903535191

The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE Tonight @ 8:30pm with Special Guest Mel Hickey. Listen and chat: http://demonland.com/Podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

Michael Hibberd's terrific debut was rewarded with plenty of points but Clayton Oliver was very good too and he increases his lead on the progressive points table. 57. Clayton Oliver 42. Jack Watts 41. Nathan Jones 28. Jayden Hunt 23. Jeff Garlett 16. Michael Hibberd Christian Salem 13. Christian Petracca 11. Max Gawn Dom Tyson 7. Alex Neal-Bullen 6. Jordan Lewis Bernie Vince 5. Dean Kent Tom McDonald Billy Stretch 4. Jesse Hogan Neville Jetta 2. Jake Melksham

While there really should never be any comparisons between what happens in a football match and what soldiers have to endure in battle, the Melbourne team at the end of their ANZAC Day eve match against the Tigers looked very much like they had just been through the wars. Before the half-time break, the Demons had lost their replacement ruck in Jake Spencer to a shoulder injury, forward Tim Smith to a rib injury and then had Christian Petracca and co-captain Jack Viney sidelined for long periods with what were reported as knee complaints. Yet despite these setbacks, Melbourne outplayed Richmond in all facets of the game to lead by 20 points at ¾ time. With only two bench rotations but effectively none because Petracca and Viney had to be parked away from the action, it was inevitable that the Demons would eventually run out of steam. They held on until the last few minutes but were exhausted and fell by 13 points. Many would only look at the scoreline and the final quarter capitulation to criticise the Demons. After all, they had only two (both of them points) of the last 15 scoring shots. However, when you have to conscript Jack Watts yet again, to ruck for virtually the whole game, this instantly leaves you with one less capable player in the forward line but with Tim Smith also gone, Jesse Hogan playing his first game in three weeks was left as the solitary forward target. And the coach probably would have like to put him in the middle, as he has done before, to get his hands on the ball, but that would have left him with absolutely nothing up front. Small wonder the Demons could only manage 4 goals after ½ time and none in the final term. Without the opportunity for reasonable interchange rotations, the mids just stopped being able to get to contests or cover the Richmond on-ball team in the latter stages of the match. There were numerous occasions in that critical last quarter when the ball just popped outside to see the likes of Cotchin and Martin alone and with free movement. It hadn’t happened previously. but the Demon legs were just shot. While the battle was lost there were plenty of small victories. Clayton Oliver was magnificent again with 32 touches, and we need to keep reminding ourselves that he is only 19 and has played less than 20 games. Jayden Hunt set the ground alight multiple times, and is also brave beyond his slightly built frame. Michael Hibberd was a rock in defence, and with a left foot that is like a missile when used. In this, his first game for the Demons he racked up 27 touches and will provide that long term stability down back that has been missing for too long. The loss puts Melbourne in a difficult position now. The season is in dire risk of slipping away. The injuries to the two ruckmen in Gawn and Spencer are devastating, not only because of the lack of drive that comes from the middle, but the imbalance that it causes across the rest of the side. The ANZACS faced such horrors, bloodshed and conditions that were indescribable to those that weren’t there. It is for their heroism and sacrifice in battle that we remember them on this day. We have lost this battle, another that was within the grasp of victory. How the team can regroup to face up again next week, and whether they can make a stand to keep the ultimate objectives in focus remains to be seen. The new coach is facing conditions that he probably never expected. Can he marshall his troops? Can he find the troops to fill the gaps now appearing in his list? Can he find a way where there may not be one that is obvious? The Demons are now, without a doubt a competitive unit. That is what we fans have longed for. What is needed in the coming weeks are positive results, when the resources are at their lowest. Losing battles happens, we cannot lose the war. Melbourne 3.4.22 7.6.48 11.7.73 11.9.75 Richmond 3.1.19 6.6.42 7.11.53 12.16.88 Goals Melbourne Hogan 3 Garlett 2, Hibberd, Hunt T McDonald, Petracca, Salem Watts Richmond Riewoldt 6 Butler Caddy Castagna, Grigg Martin Rioli Best Richmond Riewoldt Nankervis Martin Houli Grigg Caddy Cotchin Melbourne Oliver Hibberd Hunt Watts Jones Frost Petracca Changes Melbourne Nil Richmond Nil Injuries Melbourne Petracca (left knee) Spencer (right shoulder/right knee) T Smith (ribs) Viney (right knee) Richmond Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Richmond Nil Umpires Donlon Fisher Stevic Official crowd 85,657 at the MCG

We couldn't beat them when they had half a side and we had an All Australian ruckman ESSENDON B: Matt Dea, Mitch Brown, Mark Baguley HB: James Gwilt, Michael Hartley, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti C: Brendon Goddard, David Zaharakis, Jackson Merrett HF: Zach Merrett, Patrick Ambrose, Kyle Langford F: Mathew Stokes, Joe Daniher, Nick Kommer R: Matthew Leuenberger, Ryan Crowley, Darcy Parish I: Martin Gleeson, Orazio Fantasia, Adam Cooney, James Kelly IN: Nick Kommer, Michael Hartley (debut), Orazio Fantasia OUT: Craig Bird (omit.), Jonathan Simpkin (omit.), Shaun McKernan (omit.) MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Heritier Lumumba HB: Matt Jones, Colin Garland, Christian Salem C: Bernie Vince, Jack Viney, Aaron vandenBerg HF: Jack Watts, Cam Pedersen, James Harmes F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver, Tom Bugg, Ben Kennedy Emg: Lynden Dunn, Billy Stretch, Sam Frost In: Lumumba, Brayshaw Out: Oscar McDonald (ankle), Sam Frost

There is an emergency DEMONLAND Podcast now. http://demonland.com/Podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

Over and out ...

DEMON BATTLES by George on the Outer While there really should never be any comparisons between what happens in a football match and what soldiers have to endure in battle, the Melbourne team at the end of their ANZAC Day eve match against the Tigers looked very much like they had just been through the wars. Before the half-time break, the Demons had lost their replacement ruck in Jake Spencer to a shoulder injury, forward Tim Smith to a rib injury and then had Christian Petracca and co-captain Jack Viney sidelined for long periods with what were reported as knee complaints. Yet despite these setbacks, Melbourne outplayed Richmond in all facets of the game to lead by 20 points at ¾ time. With only two bench rotations but effectively none because Petracca and Viney had to be parked away from the action, it was inevitable that the Demons would eventually run out of steam. They held on until the last few minutes but were exhausted and fell by 13 points. Many would only look at the scoreline and the final quarter capitulation to criticise the Demons. After all, they had only two (both of them points) of the last 15 scoring shots. However, when you have to conscript Jack Watts yet again, to ruck for virtually the whole game, this instantly leaves you with one less capable player in the forward line but with Tim Smith also gone, Jesse Hogan playing his first game in three weeks was left as the solitary forward target. And the coach probably would have like to put him in the middle, as he has done before, to get his hands on the ball, but that would have left him with absolutely nothing up front. Small wonder the Demons could only manage 4 goals after ½ time and none in the final term. Without the opportunity for reasonable interchange rotations, the mids just stopped being able to get to contests or cover the Richmond on-ball team in the latter stages of the match. There were numerous occasions in that critical last quarter when the ball just popped outside to see the likes of Cotchin and Martin alone and with free movement. It hadn’t happened previously. but the Demon legs were just shot. While the battle was lost there were plenty of small victories. Clayton Oliver was magnificent again with 32 touches, and we need to keep reminding ourselves that he is only 19 and has played less than 20 games. Jayden Hunt set the ground alight multiple times, and is also brave beyond his slightly built frame. Michael Hibberd was a rock in defence, and with a left foot that is like a missile when used. In this, his first game for the Demons he racked up 27 touches and will provide that long term stability down back that has been missing for too long. The loss puts Melbourne in a difficult position now. The season is in dire risk of slipping away. The injuries to the two ruckmen in Gawn and Spencer are devastating, not only because of the lack of drive that comes from the middle, but the imbalance that it causes across the rest of the side. The ANZACS faced such horrors, bloodshed and conditions that were indescribable to those that weren’t there. It is for their heroism and sacrifice in battle that we remember them on this day. We have lost this battle, another that was within the grasp of victory. How the team can regroup to face up again next week, and whether they can make a stand to keep the ultimate objectives in focus remains to be seen. The new coach is facing conditions that he probably never expected. Can he marshall his troops? Can he find the troops to fill the gaps now appearing in his list? Can he find a way where there may not be one that is obvious? The Demons are now, without a doubt a competitive unit. That is what we fans have longed for. What is needed in the coming weeks are positive results, when the resources are at their lowest. Losing battles happens, we cannot lose the war. Melbourne 3.4.22 7.6.48 11.7.73 11.9.75 Richmond 3.1.19 6.6.42 7.11.53 12.16.88 Goals Melbourne Hogan 3 Garlett 2, Hibberd, Hunt T McDonald, Petracca, Salem Watts Richmond Riewoldt 6 Butler Caddy Castagna, Grigg Martin Rioli Best Richmond Riewoldt Nankervis Martin Houli Grigg Caddy Cotchin Melbourne Oliver Hibberd Hunt Watts Jones Frost Petracca Changes Melbourne Nil Richmond Nil Injuries Melbourne Petracca (left knee) Spencer (right shoulder/right knee) T Smith (ribs) Viney (right knee) Richmond Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Richmond Nil Umpires Donlon Fisher Stevic Official crowd 85,657 at the MCG

Cast those votes please folks ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

The Sparrow was only a stop on the way to this (http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-confidential-max-gawn-shaves-off-famous-beard-the-demon-interested-in-the-bachelorette/news-story/1fd63d40fd1a4b1d71f05e234fac16eb):

They are currently on special in the Demonland Store: http://demonland.com/forums/store/category/3-merchandise/

So did the Sparrow or the French Fork win?

Given this post I guess I'll be pulling double duty.