Demonland

ODDS ON by KC from Casey The Casey Demons won their first VFL game under their new brand name with a 46 point victory over the North Ballarat Roosters who last week suffered the debacle of a 30 goal defeat at the hands of Richmond. The win was a not altogether convincing one in light of the fact that the Demons entered the game at odds on - the shortest price in my memory of $1.001 which means that you would have to bet $1,000.00 to win a dollar. And very early in the piece, even that single dollar was in question in the slippery conditions under a lights at Casey Fields as the much-improved North Ballarat stood tall against the Demons when but for some inaccuracy in front of goal they might have held the lead at the first break. The Roosters whose stocks were boosted by several key players including veteran Lachie George from suspension for his 150th VFL game, rebounded well and even when the Demons hit their straps to kick four consecutive goals in the first half of the second quarter, they were able to counterpunch with consecutive goals before the dominance of Tom Bugg and breakout forward Bayley Fritsch gave the Demons a near five goal buffer at half time. When the Demons again threatened to blow the game apart in the third quarter, they were thwarted by three goals from newcomer in Jacob Cooke-Harrison so that they had barely increased their lead by the final break. Tom Bugg continued to imprint his name on the game and finished with an impressive 32 disposal, five goal game that was also highlighted by eight tackles. He was assisted by a significant contribution from the VFL listed Demons led by Ed Morris, the fast-improving Aloysio Ferreira and Fritsch who finished with four goals. Mitch White was solid in defence and the experience of Cam Pedersen and Jack Trengove were important. The loss of Angus Brayshaw to another head knock put a dampener on the team's 46 point win. Coach Justin Plapp would have been pleased by the efforts of some of his younger brigade. Young ruckman Mitch King did well on return from an ACL injury suffered in the opening round of 2016 while Dion Johnston was lively up forward and tackled strongly. His only blemish was his kicking for goal - his return for the day was three points. Goy Lok who missed some easy shots last week finally hit the target with a goal and was also nippy around the forward line. The Demons travel to Skilled Stadium for next week's televised game against the Cats. Casey Demons 3.1.19 9.5.59 14.8.92 19.13.127 North Ballarat 2.5.17 4.7.31 9.8.62 12.9.81 Goals Casey Demons Bugg 5, Fritsch 4 Keilty Pedersen 2 Briggs Ferreira Kent Lok Maynard Scott North Ballarat Cooke-Harrison Hooper 3 Cassidy Johnston Lockyer Payne Thoolen Walters Best Casey Demons Bugg Ferreira Pedersen Trengove Fritsch White North Ballarat George Hooper Simpson Cooke-Harrison Walters Johnston Statistics Angus Brayshaw 3 kicks 6 handballs 9disposals 2 tackles 27 dream team points [injured] Tomas Bugg 5 goals 1 behinds 23 kicks 9 handballs 32 disposals 6 marks 8 tackles 168 dream team points Liam Hulett 6 kicks 5 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 35 dream team points Dion Johnstone 3 behinds 9 kicks 11 handballs 20 disposals 1 marks 7 tackles 75 dream team points Declan Keilty 2 goals 1 behinds 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 3 marks 8 tackles 12 hit outs 86 dream team points Ben Kennedy 1 behind 15 kicks 6 handballs disposals 9 marks 6 tackles 97 dream team points Dean Kent 1 goals 1 behind 10 kicks 4 handballs 14 disposals 1 marks 3 tackles 57 dream team points Mitch King 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles 26 hit outs 59 dream team points Oscar McDonald 8 kicks 8 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 38 dream team points Corey Maynard 1 goal 9 kicks 14 handballs 23 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 92 dream team points Cameron Pedersen 2 goals 1 behinds 7 kicks 9 handballs 16 disposals 6 marks 8 tackles 10 hit outs 110 dream team points Jack Trengove 9 kicks 9 handballs 18 disposals 5 marks 8 tackles 85 dream team points Mitchell White 21 kicks 4 handballs 25 disposals 8 marks 4 tackles 108 dream team points

The Casey Demons won their first VFL game under their new brand name with a 46 point victory over the North Ballarat Roosters who last week suffered the debacle of a 30 goal defeat at the hands of Richmond. The win was a not altogether convincing one in light of the fact that the Demons entered the game at odds on - the shortest price in my memory of $1.001 which means that you would have to bet $1,000.00 to win a dollar. And very early in the piece, even that single dollar was in question in the slippery conditions under a lights at Casey Fields as the much-improved North Ballarat stood tall against the Demons when but for some inaccuracy in front of goal they might have held the lead at the first break. The Roosters whose stocks were boosted by several key players including veteran Lachie George from suspension for his 150th VFL game, rebounded well and even when the Demons hit their straps to kick four consecutive goals in the first half of the second quarter, they were able to counterpunch with consecutive goals before the dominance of Tom Bugg and breakout forward Bayley Fritsch gave the Demons a near five goal buffer at half time. When the Demons again threatened to blow the game apart in the third quarter, they were thwarted by three goals from newcomer in Jacob Cooke-Harrison so that they had barely increased their lead by the final break. Tom Bugg continued to imprint his name on the game and finished with an impressive 32 disposal, five goal game that was also highlighted by eight tackles. He was assisted by a significant contribution from the VFL listed Demons led by Ed Morris, the fast-improving Aloysio Ferreira and Fritsch who finished with four goals. Mitch White was solid in defence and the experience of Cam Pedersen and Jack Trengove were important. The loss of Angus Brayshaw to another head knock put a dampener on the team's 46 point win. Coach Justin Plapp would have been pleased by the efforts of some of his younger brigade. Young ruckman Mitch King did well on return from an ACL injury suffered in the opening round of 2016 while Dion Johnston was lively up forward and tackled strongly. His only blemish was his kicking for goal - his return for the day was three points. Goy Lok who missed some easy shots last week finally hit the target with a goal and was also nippy around the forward line. The Demons travel to Skilled Stadium for next week's televised game against the Cats. Casey Demons 3.1.19 9.5.59 14.8.92 19.13.127 North Ballarat 2.5.17 4.7.31 9.8.62 12.9.81 Goals Casey Demons Bugg 5, Fritsch 4 Keilty Pedersen 2 Briggs Ferreira Kent Lok Maynard Scott North Ballarat Cooke-Harrison Hooper 3 Cassidy Johnston Lockyer Payne Thoolen Walters Best Casey Demons Bugg Ferreira Pedersen Trengove Fritsch White North Ballarat George Hooper Simpson Cooke-Harrison Walters Johnston Statistics Angus Brayshaw 3 kicks 6 handballs 9disposals 2 tackles 27 dream team points [injured] Tomas Bugg 5 goals 1 behinds 23 kicks 9 handballs 32 disposals 6 marks 8 tackles 168 dream team points Liam Hulett 6 kicks 5 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 35 dream team points Dion Johnstone 3 behinds 9 kicks 11 handballs 20 disposals 1 marks 7 tackles 75 dream team points Declan Keilty 2 goals 1 behinds 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 3 marks 8 tackles 12 hit outs 86 dream team points Ben Kennedy 1 behind 15 kicks 6 handballs disposals 9 marks 6 tackles 97 dream team points Dean Kent 1 goals 1 behind 10 kicks 4 handballs 14 disposals 1 marks 3 tackles 57 dream team points Mitch King 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles 26 hit outs 59 dream team points Oscar McDonald 8 kicks 8 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 38 dream team points Corey Maynard 1 goal 9 kicks 14 handballs 23 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 92 dream team points Cameron Pedersen 2 goals 1 behinds 7 kicks 9 handballs 16 disposals 6 marks 8 tackles 10 hit outs 110 dream team points Jack Trengove 9 kicks 9 handballs 18 disposals 5 marks 8 tackles 85 dream team points Mitchell White 21 kicks 4 handballs 25 disposals 8 marks 4 tackles 108 dream team points

Thanks for the feedback. We really would welcome calls and the phone lines are open the entire show. We want to hear from fellow Demonlanders as it's important to get other perspectives. I also like having the chat room and we try to incorporate as many of the things brought up as a way to get audience participation in the show. I like the structure that we are beginning to form. Discussion about the last weeks game, changes for the next week, discussion of the injury list, discussion of popular topics and issues from the forum during the week and of course a preview of the next game. It is a long show but both Grapeviney and I could talk about this subject all day and night. The beauty about podcast is that you can listen for a bit and come back to it later. If you subscribe via iTunes podcast app you can easily pick up where you left off at any time. Thanks for listening and please call in. We'd love to hear from you.

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ANZAC EVE - THE SPIRIT by The Oracle The nine day break between Melbourne's unexpected loss at the hands of the Fremantle Dockers and this week's ANZAC Eve blockbuster against Richmond couldn't have come at a better time. The result of last week's game raised a number of questions about the team's ability to withstand the sort of pressure it can expect from the stronger clubs in the competition and, make no mistake about it, the Tigers have proven so far this year to be considered just that - a strong club. They have taken on and beaten every foe they've faced to date, their stars are playing at the top of their game and they're brimful of confidence. One can only hope that the extra day or two between games is used to reflect on this and to learn the lessons of a game in which Melbourne played like millionaires and threw away the four points on offer as if they weren't worth a single cent. You can hardly say the Demons deserve to be over-confident despite what some might describe as gallant performances with a number of key players missing through suspension and injuries. They have failed this year to produce consistent form throughout games, often inexplicably wavering between brilliance to sheer incompetence seemingly at the drop of a hat. The Melbourne that stormed to a 27 point lead late in the second quarter last week could barely be recognised as the same team that conceded goal after goal and barely troubled the scorers in the third. Then, after making a brilliant run to hit the lead late in the game, those final two and a half error-riddled minutes were just awful. The Demons have had the wood on the Tigers since the ANZAC Eve game became a fixture on the AFL's calendar but this time, they go into the game as the underdogs and rightly so. One hopes that they can summon up some true grit and ANZAC spirit because a loss will send their 2017 hopes spiralling. I think they can do it, and once the teams are selected, I will come back and tell you how and why. THE GAME Richmond v Melbourne on Monday 24 April 2017 at 7.25pm at the MCG HEAD TO HEAD Overall Richmond 103 wins Melbourne 75 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Richmond 68 wins Melbourne 63 wins Drawn 1 Past five meetings Richmond 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches Hardwick 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Channel 7 live at 7.25pm Radio - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Richmond to win - $1.71 Melbourne to win - $2.15 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 20.9.129 defeated Richmond 14.12.96 in Round 5, 2016 at the MCG The Demons led from the start and were clearly the superior team on a stellar night for the club. Leaving aside the Hawthorn victory later in the season, many believed this to be the club's finest performance for the year. Max Gawn starred with 47 hit outs and seven marks while Jack Viney was brilliant with 37 touches and some heroics in the last quarter. THE TEAMS RICHMOND B: Alex Rance, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes HB: Reece Conca, Bachar Houli, Brandon. Ellis C: Kamdyn McIntosh, Dion Prestia, Trent Cotchin HF: Dustin Martin, Daniel Rioli, Jason Castagna F: Jack Riewoldt, Todd Elton, Daniel Butler FOLL: Toby Nankervis, Shaun Grigg, Josh Caddy I/C: Kane Lambert, Olen Markov, Conor Menadue, Jayden Short EMG: Sam Lloyd, Anthony Miles, Jacob Townsend IN: Oleg Markov OUT: Nick Vlastuin (concussion) MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Jake Melksham HB: Jayden Hunt, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Billy Stretch, Nathan Jones, Christian Salem HF: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Alex Neal-Bullen F: James Harmes, Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Jake Spencer, Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver I/C: I/C: Michael Hibberd, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Tim Smith, Dom Tyson EMG: Tom Bugg, Mitch Hannan, Oscar McDonald IN: Michael Hibberd, Jesse Hogan, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Tim Smith OUT: Tom Bugg, Dean Kent, Mitch Hannan, Sam Weideman CROSSROADS The 2017 season is one month old and the Demons are already at the crossroads. After the opening round promise shown by their big victory over the Saints at Etihad Stadium, they seem to have moved from one accident to another. It all started in that game when Bernie Vince incurred the wrath of the MRP thus missing the round two match where the team managed to get of gaol with the four points over the lowly Blues but lost two more key players through suspension. Against the Cats, it was poor kicking and another accident that will eventually cause the club the loss of All Australian ruckman Max Gawn. All of these individual accidents conspired to cause an all mighty smash at the hands of Fremantle at home by two points a week ago when a lack of concentration and fumbling under pressure caused their second successive defeat. Meanwhile, the normally accident prone Tigers have navigated their start to the season without a hitch, beating all and sundry thanks to an outstanding month from Dustin Martin, their team leadership and their star recruits. Everything has gone right for them from the very beginning and they sit comfortably in the top four, undefeated and with a percentage of 141.5%. The cynics would ask, "but who have they played?", to which I would answer that they have beaten teams better than Fremantle who Melbourne were guilty of succumbing to on the back of a single quarter in which the Dockers booted 7.4.46 to 0.3.3. That is the gist of the problem. Without those three key players and a few subordinates, Melbourne simply has demonstrated an inability to string together four quarters of football and worse still, its poor quarters are simply woeful. To turn that around, the Demons need their leaders to stand up and be counted which is something we have yet to see from the club's leadership which has been stung by a drop off of form, injuries and suspension. Nathan Jones has been a great leader for the club and I will give him credit for trying last week and the fact that he suffered from a bad knock. I'm not sure whether others noticed but in those crucial moments late in the game last week, he came off the ground, a clear sign that all was not well with him. Jack Viney is miles off the player who won last year's club championship. So it's the leadership to who Melbourne will be looking to turn things around in this crossroads game - and to "Smokin" Jesse Hogan - who also owes his club and teammates a major debt after missing those last two matches. We've already seen some major turnarounds in the past few weeks. It's time for the Demons to do it this week and to make a positive move that will lead them away from those dangerous crossroads where accidents happen. Melbourne by 20 points.

ANZAC EVE - THE SPIRIT by The Oracle The nine day break between Melbourne's unexpected loss at the hands of the Fremantle Dockers and this week's ANZAC Eve blockbuster against Richmond couldn't have come at a better time. The result of last week's game raised a number of questions about the team's ability to withstand the sort of pressure it can expect from the stronger clubs in the competition and, make no mistake about it, the Tigers have proven so far this year to be considered just that - a strong club. They have taken on and beaten every foe they've faced to date, their stars are playing at the top of their game and they're brimful of confidence. One can only hope that the extra day or two between games is used to reflect on this and to learn the lessons of a game in which Melbourne played like millionaires and threw away the four points on offer as if they weren't worth a single cent. You can hardly say the Demons deserve to be over-confident despite what some might describe as gallant performances with a number of key players missing through suspension and injuries. They have failed this year to produce consistent form throughout games, often inexplicably wavering between brilliance to sheer incompetence seemingly at the drop of a hat. The Melbourne that stormed to a 27 point lead late in the second quarter last week could barely be recognised as the same team that conceded goal after goal and barely troubled the scorers in the third. Then, after making a brilliant run to hit the lead late in the game, those final two and a half error-riddled minutes were just awful. The Demons have had the wood on the Tigers since the ANZAC Eve game became a fixture on the AFL's calendar but this time, they go into the game as the underdogs and rightly so. One hopes that they can summon up some true grit and ANZAC spirit because a loss will send their 2017 hopes spiralling. I think they can do it, and once the teams are selected, I will come back and tell you how and why. THE GAME Richmond v Melbourne on Monday 24 April 2017 at 7.25pm at the MCG HEAD TO HEAD Overall Richmond 103 wins Melbourne 75 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Richmond 68 wins Melbourne 63 wins Drawn 1 Past five meetings Richmond 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches Hardwick 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Channel 7 live at 7.25pm Radio - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Richmond to win - $1.71 Melbourne to win - $2.15 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 20.9.129 defeated Richmond 14.12.96 in Round 5, 2016 at the MCG The Demons led from the start and were clearly the superior team on a stellar night for the club. Leaving aside the Hawthorn victory later in the season, many believed this to be the club's finest performance for the year. Max Gawn starred with 47 hit outs and seven marks while Jack Viney was brilliant with 37 touches and some heroics in the last quarter. THE TEAMS RICHMOND B: Alex Rance, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes HB: Reece Conca, Bachar Houli, Brandon. Ellis C: Kamdyn McIntosh, Dion Prestia, Trent Cotchin HF: Dustin Martin, Daniel Rioli, Jason Castagna F: Jack Riewoldt, Todd Elton, Daniel Butler FOLL: Toby Nankervis, Shaun Grigg, Josh Caddy I/C: Kane Lambert, Olen Markov, Conor Menadue, Jayden Short EMG: Sam Lloyd, Anthony Miles, Jacob Townsend IN: Oleg Markov OUT: Nick Vlastuin (concussion) MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Jake Melksham HB: Jayden Hunt, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Billy Stretch, Nathan Jones, Christian Salem HF: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Alex Neal-Bullen F: James Harmes, Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Jake Spencer, Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver I/C: I/C: Michael Hibberd, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Tim Smith, Dom Tyson EMG: Tom Bugg, Mitch Hannan, Oscar McDonald IN: Michael Hibberd, Jesse Hogan, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Tim Smith OUT: Tom Bugg, Dean Kent, Mitch Hannan, Sam Weideman CROSSROADS The 2017 season is one month old and the Demons are already at the crossroads. After the opening round promise shown by their big victory over the Saints at Etihad Stadium, they seem to have moved from one accident to another. It all started in that game when Bernie Vince incurred the wrath of the MRP thus missing the round two match where the team managed to get of gaol with the four points over the lowly Blues but lost two more key players through suspension. Against the Cats, it was poor kicking and another accident that will eventually cause the club the loss of All Australian ruckman Max Gawn. All of these individual accidents conspired to cause an all mighty smash at the hands of Fremantle at home by two points a week ago when a lack of concentration and fumbling under pressure caused their second successive defeat. Meanwhile, the normally accident prone Tigers have navigated their start to the season without a hitch, beating all and sundry thanks to an outstanding month from Dustin Martin, their team leadership and their star recruits. Everything has gone right for them from the very beginning and they sit comfortably in the top four, undefeated and with a percentage of 141.5%. The cynics would ask, "but who have they played?", to which I would answer that they have beaten teams better than Fremantle who Melbourne were guilty of succumbing to on the back of a single quarter in which the Dockers booted 7.4.46 to 0.3.3. That is the gist of the problem. Without those three key players and a few subordinates, Melbourne simply has demonstrated an inability to string together four quarters of football and worse still, its poor quarters are simply woeful. To turn that around, the Demons need their leaders to stand up and be counted which is something we have yet to see from the club's leadership which has been stung by a drop off of form, injuries and suspension. Nathan Jones has been a great leader for the club and I will give him credit for trying last week and the fact that he suffered from a bad knock. I'm not sure whether others noticed but in those crucial moments late in the game last week, he came off the ground, a clear sign that all was not well with him. Jack Viney is miles off the player who won last year's club championship. So it's the leadership to who Melbourne will be looking to turn things around in this crossroads game - and to "Smokin" Jesse Hogan - who also owes his club and teammates a major debt after missing those last two matches. We've already seen some major turnarounds in the past few weeks. It's time for the Demons to do it this week and to make a positive move that will lead them away from those dangerous crossroads where accidents happen. Melbourne by 20 points.

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Mel is our special guest next week.

We'll be LIVE in 15 minutes. Join us and listen LIVE and Chat in the chatroom @ http://demonland.com/Podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

I was attempting to converse in a language that BBO might understand. Perhaps smoke signals is more his forte.

I'll open up the chat room now so feel free to join us at http://demonland.com/Podcast

I have faith in you BBO. At least record a pre-taped message that we can play on the air. PG of course.

I understand that but now no one (MFC or sponsor) makes anything.

I had about $500 of MFC gear ready to go too but then read the fine print and the voucher is not valid for MFC gear.

Latest Injury List: Melbourne injury list: round five Colin Garland (knee) – season Max Gawn (hamstring) – 12 weeks Jesse Hogan (suspension) – available Liam Hulett (hip) – available Jordan Lewis (suspension) – 1 week Mitch King (knee) – available Pat McKenna (hamstring) – 6-8 weeks Joel Smith (shoulder) – 12 weeks Aaron vandenBerg (heel) – 6-8 weeks Josh Wagner (shoulder) – 12 weeks http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-04-19/hibberd-makes-strong-return

Just a reminder that the Demonland Podcast will be airing LIVE tonight at 8:30pm. You can listen and chat LIVE with us at http://demonland.com/Podcast You can also call or Skype the show. Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

WILLY NILLY by KC from Casey In their first outing in their new colours and under their new name, the Casey Demons failed to bring home the points against Williamstown at Burbank Oval on Easter Monday despite a bright start. The new look Casey combination was a far cry from the team that topped the VFL ladder in 2016 and came within a game of winning the premiership and the 23-point loss was probably flattering given their mistake-riddled efforts on the day. The performance came just a few weeks after the Demons demolished the Seagulls in a practice match with a withering seven goal to one final quarter at Casey Fields. The difference was that back then they had Jake Spencer dominating the ruck, and Dom Tyson and Dean Kent doing as they pleased around the ground supported by a dozen other AFL listed players. This time around, it was a different story with Melbourne's injury toll and a couple of suspensions conspiring to limit the team to 12 AFL Demons including a few rookies and players with limited experience at the top level. They started strongly but like the Demons on Saturday were unable to assert their early dominance on the scoreboard. With Williamstown's experienced ruckman Nick Meese dominating with 63 hit-outs for the day against Casey's undersized rucks in Cam Pedersen and Declan Keilty, the Seagulls took over in the engine room and dominated centre clearances allowing them to grab the lead early in the second term and hold the ascendency with a well earned eight point lead at the main break. The Demons were not let down by Angus Scott whose terrier-like play contributed three valuable first half goals (he finished with four for the day. After half time, the Demons decided to channel their AFL counterparts with an insipid third quarter effort which failed to yield a single goal. Much of this was self-inflicted but in saying that, one shouldn't take anything away from the relentless pressure and tackling of the Seagulls who coasted to a match-winning 31 point lead at the final break. Casey had little focus and failed to judge the conditions at the ground. While they reduced the margin at the end, they were never really in the hunt from 10 minutes into the second term. Apart from Scott, the team's major contributors were the experienced Jack Trengove (33 touches) and Michael Hibberd (25), the latter a strong possibility for immediate promotion to the Melbourne side and the former, not without his own chances. Others to feature were Angus Brayshaw, Ben Kennedy and Pedersen. A shining light for the future would have to be Category B rookie and ex-NBL basketballer Corey Maynard who picked up 25 disposals on debut for the club. Of the VFL contingent, Scott was the stand out and Ed Morris was dependable as usual but the remainder were overwhelmed by the occasion. One who did display something was ex-Sandringham Dragon youngster Goy Lok who showed some pace and skill but missed two easy chances to goal from close in during the game. He should be able to improve on that to become a handy footballer. The Demons should be able to do likewise at home on Saturday night when they take on the hapless North Ballarat Roosters who looked out of their depth when demolished by Richmond to the tune of 30 goals last week. Casey Demons 4.4.28 6.6.42 6.10.46 8.12.60 Williamstown 3.3.21 7.8.50 11.11.77 12.11.83 Goals Casey Demons Scott 4 Brayshaw Fritsch Pedersen Trengove Williamstown Currie Gibbons Masters 2 Cavarra Cordy Dorgan Dunell Marcon Siposs Best Casey Demons Hibberd Trengove Kennedy Smith Brayshaw Williamstown Marcon Meese Fahey Masters Wheeler Greiser Statistics Angus Brayshaw 1 goal 7 kicks 17 handballs 24 disposals 3 marks 7 tackles 95 dream team points Michael Hibberd 20 kicks 7 handballs 27 disposals 7 marks 1 tackle 97 dream team points Dion Johnstone 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 5 tackles 36 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 behind 4 kicks 7 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 7 hit outs 49 dream team points Ben Kennedy 11 kicks 19 handballs 30 disposals disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 90 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 1 behind 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 79 dream team points Oscar McDonald 11 kicks 8 handballs 19 disposals 8 marks 70 dream team points Corey Maynard 1 behind 9 kicks 18 handballs 27 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 85 dream team points Cameron Pedersen 1 goal 1 behind 16 kicks 16 handballs 32 disposals 10 marks 2 tackles 9 hit outs 132 dream team points Timothy Smith 2 behinds 15 kicks 7 handballs 22 disposals 5 marks 11 tackles 1 hit out 116 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 goal 18 kicks 13 handballs 31 disposals 9 marks 5 tackles 133 dream team points Mitchell White 13 kicks 5 handballs 18 disposals 9 marks 1 tackle 77 dream team points The Development League team fared better but only after conceding a six goal lead in the final term before they were saved by two late goals. Casey Demons 5.7.37 6.8.44 10.9.69 12.10.82 Williamstown 1.1.7 3.7.25 4.9.33 10.11.71 Goals Casey Demons Cotte 4 Di Pasquale Rout 2 Allsop Collis Dwyer Kingi Williamstown Goetz 2 Bult Carter Gray McMahon Owen Pongracic Schultz Best Casey Demons Vander Haar Lewis-Smith Cotte Kingi Hiscock Gains Williamstown Schultz Gray Pongracic Carter Owen McMahon

In their first outing in their new colours and under their new name, the Casey Demons failed to bring home the points against Williamstown at Burbank Oval on Easter Monday despite a bright start. The new look Casey combination was a far cry from the team that topped the VFL ladder in 2016 and came within a game of winning the premiership and the 23-point loss was probably flattering given their mistake-riddled efforts on the day. The performance came just a few weeks after the Demons demolished the Seagulls in a practice match with a withering seven goal to one final quarter at Casey Fields. The difference was that back then they had Jake Spencer dominating the ruck, and Dom Tyson and Dean Kent doing as they pleased around the ground supported by a dozen other AFL listed players. This time around, it was a different story with Melbourne's injury toll and a couple of suspensions conspiring to limit the team to 12 AFL Demons including a few rookies and players with limited experience at the top level. They started strongly but like the Demons on Saturday were unable to assert their early dominance on the scoreboard. With Williamstown's experienced ruckman Nick Meese dominating with 63 hit-outs for the day against Casey's undersized rucks in Cam Pedersen and Declan Keilty, the Seagulls took over in the engine room and dominated centre clearances allowing them to grab the lead early in the second term and hold the ascendency with a well earned eight point lead at the main break. The Demons were not let down by Angus Scott whose terrier-like play contributed three valuable first half goals (he finished with four for the day. After half time, the Demons decided to channel their AFL counterparts with an insipid third quarter effort which failed to yield a single goal. Much of this was self-inflicted but in saying that, one shouldn't take anything away from the relentless pressure and tackling of the Seagulls who coasted to a match-winning 31 point lead at the final break. Casey had little focus and failed to judge the conditions at the ground. While they reduced the margin at the end, they were never really in the hunt from 10 minutes into the second term. Apart from Scott, the team's major contributors were the experienced Jack Trengove (33 touches) and Michael Hibberd (25), the latter a strong possibility for immediate promotion to the Melbourne side and the former, not without his own chances. Others to feature were Angus Brayshaw, Ben Kennedy and Pedersen. A shining light for the future would have to be Category B rookie and ex-NBL basketballer Corey Maynard who picked up 25 disposals on debut for the club. Of the VFL contingent, Scott was the stand out and Ed Morris was dependable as usual but the remainder were overwhelmed by the occasion. One who did display something was ex-Sandringham Dragon youngster Goy Lok who showed some pace and skill but missed two easy chances to goal from close in during the game. He should be able to improve on that to become a handy footballer. The Demons should be able to do likewise at home on Saturday night when they take on the hapless North Ballarat Roosters who looked out of their depth when demolished by Richmond to the tune of 30 goals last week. Casey Demons 4.4.28 6.6.42 6.10.46 8.12.60 Williamstown 3.3.21 7.8.50 11.11.77 12.11.83 Goals Casey Demons Scott 4 Brayshaw Fritsch Pedersen Trengove Williamstown Currie Gibbons Masters 2 Cavarra Cordy Dorgan Dunell Marcon Siposs Best Casey Demons Hibberd Trengove Kennedy Smith Brayshaw Williamstown Marcon Meese Fahey Masters Wheeler Greiser Statistics Angus Brayshaw 1 goal 7 kicks 17 handballs 24 disposals 3 marks 7 tackles 95 dream team points Michael Hibberd 20 kicks 7 handballs 27 disposals 7 marks 1 tackle 97 dream team points Dion Johnstone 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 5 tackles 36 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 behind 4 kicks 7 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 7 hit outs 49 dream team points Ben Kennedy 11 kicks 19 handballs 30 disposals disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 90 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 1 behind 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 79 dream team points Oscar McDonald 11 kicks 8 handballs 19 disposals 8 marks 70 dream team points Corey Maynard 1 behind 9 kicks 18 handballs 27 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 85 dream team points Cameron Pedersen 1 goal 1 behind 16 kicks 16 handballs 32 disposals 10 marks 2 tackles 9 hit outs 132 dream team points Timothy Smith 2 behinds 15 kicks 7 handballs 22 disposals 5 marks 11 tackles 1 hit out 116 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 goal 18 kicks 13 handballs 31 disposals 9 marks 5 tackles 133 dream team points Mitchell White 13 kicks 5 handballs 18 disposals 9 marks 1 tackle 77 dream team points The Development League team fared better but only after conceding a six goal lead in the final term before they were saved by two late goals. Casey Demons 5.7.37 6.8.44 10.9.69 12.10.82 Williamstown 1.1.7 3.7.25 4.9.33 10.11.71 Goals Casey Demons Cotte 4 Di Pasquale Rout 2 Allsop Collis Dwyer Kingi Williamstown Goetz 2 Bult Carter Gray McMahon Owen Pongracic Schultz Best Casey Demons Vander Haar Lewis-Smith Cotte Kingi Hiscock Gains Williamstown Schultz Gray Pongracic Carter Owen McMahon

The next Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Wednesday 19th April @ 8:30pm http://demonland.com/Podcast

Ok. Time for some comic relief after the last 2 frustrating weeks. What should Maxy do? Help the big fella out. Perhaps the next Demonland poll can cover this most important of issues.

Ok for this week's poll I'm going to phrase the question like this. Prior to the season would you have been happy with a 2 and 2 start? Forget the circumstances of the last two games and that we could have won both of them and been 4-0. Try to look at it through the lens of late last year/early this year. Would you have been happy with a 2-2 start?

MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Lynden Dunn, Heritier Lumumba, Christian Salem C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, Josh Wagner HF: Jack Watts, Sam Frost, James Harmes F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jeff Garlett, Jayden Hunt, Ben Kennedy, Cameron Pedersen EMG: Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen Christian Petracca IN: Jeff Garlett, Bernie Vince OUT: Matt Jones (soreness) Clayton Oliver (rested) RICHMOND B: David Astbury, Alex Rance, Brett Deledio HB: Corey Ellis, Bachar Houli, Kamdyn McIntosh C: Brandon Ellis, Shaun Grigg, Daniel Rioli HF: Kane Lambert, Dustin Martin, Ty Vickery F: Jack Riewoldt, Sam Lloyd, Connor Menadue FOLL: Ivan Maric, Shane Edwards, Trent Cotchin I/C: Jake Batchelor, Troy Chaplin, Anthony Miles, Steven Morris EMG: Taylor Hunt, Ben Lennon, Jacob Townsend IN: Jake Batchelor, Brett Deledio, Ivan Maric, Anthony Miles, Steven Morris OUT: Shaun Hampson (leg), Taylor Hunt (omitted), Ben Lennon (omitted), Andrew Moore (omitted), Nick Vlastuin (leg)