Demonland

Lynden Dunn found himself on the outer with the selectors who preferred their younger tall defenders. By season's end, his future at the club was in doubt. Games MFC 2016 4 Career Total 165 Goals MFC 2016 1 Career Total 97 Games CSFC 2016 14 Goals CSFC 2016 1 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 7 votes

It was obvious from his first game that the hardnosed Oliver was a player of genuine class. He picked up 2 Brownlow votes and the Rising Star nomination for the opening round. Mindful of the need to build up his capacity to play out a full game, the Demons nursed him through the season but in years to come this powerful inside footballer will become a real weapon. Games MFC 2016 13 Career Total 13 Goals MFC 2016 6 Career Total 6 Games CSFC 2016 9 Goals CSFC 2016 2 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 127 votes Brownlow Medal 3 votes

After a frustrating and inconsistent 2015, Tyson returned to the form he showed he was capable of in his first season with the club and added quality to the Demon midfield. As an added bonus, his contract was recently extended. Games MFC 2016 21 Career Total 71 (58 MFC) Goals MFC 2016 11 Career Total 37 (33 MFC) Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 357 votes (Fourth club champion Ivor Warne Smith Memorial Trophy) Brownlow Medal 6 votes

At the start of the season, Max Gawn said he aspired to be among the top echelon of ruckmen in the AFL competition. He delivered on that promise ... and more with his selection as All Australian ruckman. He finished with the most hit outs with 928 and averaged 42.2 per game and also broke the record for the most hit-outs to advantage in a season with 314. Gawn made a significant contribution to his team's rise up the ladder in 2016 and was recognised by the club at the end of the year with the Norm Smith Memorial Trophy (coaches award) and James McDonald Trophy (heart and spirit award). Not to mention the fact that he’s become a cult figure at the club … Games MFC 2016 22 Career Total 61 Goals MFC 2016 16 Career Total 34 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 374 votes (Third club champion Ron Barassi Senior Memorial Trophy) Brownlow Medal 16 votes All Australian ruckman Equal fourth AFLPA MVP

It took the first five seconds of the opening match of the NAB Challenge to define Brayshaw's 2016 season when he injured his knee in the first play of the day after a tackle from Port Adelaide midfielder, Hamish Hartlett. The injury forced him to miss the rest of the preseason and he was clearly not ready to return when he played in the club's embarrassing thirteen point loss against Essendon. After missing a week, he struggled with his form and when dropped again to the VFL, he sustained concussions in his next two games forcing him to be placed on the sidelines for an "extended period of time". He returned after missing a month and was month and understandably displayed only moderate form interlaced glimpses of brilliance. Some hard work over the preseason should bring a restoration of the form that saw him secure a top five finish in last year's AFL Rising Star award. Games MFC 2016 10 Career Total 31 Goals MFC 2016 7 Career Total 12 Games CSFC 2016 5 Goals CSFC 2016 4 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 101 votes

Jack Trengove overcame great adversity to return to AFL football after almost two and a half years in the football wilderness with a broken navicular bone. Although he was unable to hold his place in the team after three games, he completed a return to good health with some solid performances with the Casey Scorpions and was given an extra year on his contract which affords the former co-captain the opportunity to re-establish himself as a regular in 2017. Games MFC 2016 3 Career Total 84 Goals MFC 2016 1 Career Total 39 Games CSFC 2016 17 Goals CSFC 2016 9 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 6 votes

Never in doubt ... let's move on ...

Lumumba had a poor season that was curtailed as a result of repeat concussions which forced a prolonged period out of the game. If he can regain his touch over the coming pre-season, he still has a great deal of experience to offer this young team. Games MFC 2016 5 Career Total 223 (24 MFC) Goals MFC 2016 0 Career Total 30 (2 MFC) Games CSFC 2016 Goals CSFC 2016 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 65 votes

Viney followed up his outstanding 2015 and went one better by winning the club champion trophy, a fine testament to an excellent season in which he showed great courage, strength and skill who just keeps on going and going .... Missed only one game and that was through suspension. Games MFC 2016 21 Career Total 70 Goals MFC 2016 8 Career Total 19 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 407 votes (Club champion Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy) Brownlow Medal 14 votes Robert Rose Most Courageous Player Award (5th place) AFL Players’ Association 22Under22 team for 2016

Calf injuries and inconsistent form marred his season to the point where he had very limited impact. Games MFC 2016 6 Career Total 121 (50 MFC) Goals MFC 2016 4 Career Total 130 (47) Games CSFC 2016 4 Goals CSFC 2016 10 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 30 votes

After missing all of 2015 due to an ACL injury and then breaking a toe in the off season, Petracca made his long awaited arrival on the AFL scene in Round 6 against St Kilda. It was a muted start with glimpses of potential but he earned an AFL Rising Star nomination by his fourth game and he showed enough during his 17 game debut season to suggest he is poised for a long and successful career. Games MFC 2016 17 Career Total 17 Goals MFC 2016 12 Career Total 12 Games CSFC 2016 3 Goals CSFC 2016 3 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 171 votes AFL Players’ Association 22Under22 team for 2016 AFL Rising Star nomination 2016

It's that time of year again when we thank all those who have contributed to Demonland during the past season and all those who post here or simply visit and read without posting. We value your contributions and ongoing support - especially to Nasher who keeps us going on the technical side, to our moderators whose task is often thankless. Surprisingly, even when our team improves as it has this year, their job is still no more easy. Special thanks to our regular contributors, Whispering Jack, George on The Outer, The Oracle, JVM, KC from Casey and all others who have provided us with material and articles. We hope the Bulldogs' great win yesterday will prove an inspiration top our young team and that 2017 will be the year that we finally break through that ceiling and experience a taste of finals football. As the Doggies proved, once you're there, anything can happen. We also look forward to the inaugural women's competition and hope a finals appearance there will be a prelude for later in the year. As always, we are on the look out for new contributors who have something to say about the mighty Demons. If you have the talent or simply want something to say about the club in articlae form, please contact me via PM. Cheers, thanks again and keep your eye on the red and the blue. Andy

One of the features of Melbourne's improvement in 2016 was the way in which Watts stepped up and began to fulfil the promise he showed when he was drafted with the number one pick in the 2008 AFL draft. He started the 2016 AFL season with a great performance in the opening round against Greater Western Sydney with 18 disposals (10 marks) booting a goal and set up a couple of others. He went on to play a major role up forward with improved aggression at the ball and his superior disposal and his 196cm came in handy when used as a pinch-hitter in the ruck. Games MFC 2016 22 Career Total 137 Goals MFC 2016 38 Career Total 121 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 308 votes (Fifth club champion Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy) Brownlow Medal 5 votes

Salem's 2015 was marred by hamstring injuries and in 2016, the recurrence of a thyroid problem cruelled yet another season for the talented defender with the deadly accurate kicking style. He managed to return through the VFL and showed his great potential when he made the in team's best amid the disappointment at Geelong. He is expected to move into the midfield in the future and needs to wok hard over the summer months. Games MFC 2016 8 Career Total 30 Goals MFC 2016 1 Career Total 8 Games CSFC 2016 6 Goals CSFC 2016 4 Games CSFC DL 2016 1 Goals CSFC DL 2016 1 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 77 votes

The tough club leader returned from neck surgery at the end of last season to play in every game this year and record a career high 617 disposals. He has been rock steady for over a decade and with the club poised for bigger and better things, some finals success over the coming seasons will be a most deserving way to cap off a great career for one of the club's most loyal sons. Games MFC 2016 22 Career Total 223 Goals MFC 2016 10 Career Total 105 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 399 votes (Runner up club champion Sid Anderson Memorial Trophy) Brownlow Medal 11 votes

After a stellar AFL debut in the 2015 season when he won the Ron Evans Medal as the AFL Rising Star award, Hogan was again solid in 2016 as the club's leading goal kicker and gained selection as the centre half-forward in the AFL's 22under22 team for the second consecutive year. Against St Kilda, he booted a career high seven goals in a losing team. Nevertheless, he drew criticism for his goal kicking technique and in some quarters for his "poor body language" and, despite being contracted until the end of 2017, there has been much controversy about negotiations for a future contract in light of his family residing in Western Australia. He missed only one game - the club's win over Hawthorn from which he was a late withdrawal due to knee bruising. He had a disappointing return of only two goals (and nine behinds) for the last six weeks of the season but this partially was belied by the fact that he does so much work further afield and away from the goals. Games MFC 2016 21 Career Total 41 Goals MFC 2016 41 Career Total 85 Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy 261 votes (Eighth) Brownlow Medal 6 votes AFL Players’ Association 22Under22 team for 2016

They were somehow a goal up at the main break although they weren't playing all that well so we thought that Casey would come out after half time and do what they had done for most of the season in these circumstances - they would pull a few rabbits out of a hat, turn things around and win comfortably as they did in the qualifying final three weeks ago. Unfortunately, on this occasion and in the most important game of the year, it was out of the question. The Bulldogs were on a high and on a ground that suited their running style to perfection and in what has become the premiership quarter. They squeezed the life out of the Scorpions to keep them scoreless while they surged and surged and surged to record 18 more inside-50s and kick eight goals four behinds. Now, to outscore an opponent by 50 points in one quarter of any game is really something but in a grand final it's sensational. The Scorpions looked sluggish from the start and were well and truly out pointed in the first quarter but the Doggies simply couldn't get enough goals on the board so that when Casey counter attacked in the second, mainly through the on ball brilliance of Clayton Oliver and the strength and marking ability of Tim Smith and Sam Weideman, it looked as if a big Scorpion second half and a predictable finish to a glorious season was on the cards. It was not be. One of the hallmarks of the team over the past two seasons has been ruck dominance which has given the on ball division an armchair ride. For the most part of this game, that was missing. Jake Spencer and young Oscar McInerney were well beaten by the Bulldogs' big men, both in the ruck contests and around the ground in marking duels. In a game of percentages, that led to a far reduced impact from the Casey midfield in terms of both number and quality of possessions. Some of the usually steady players who racked up big numbers during the season for Casey were down and under pressure. They were run off their feet and in that third quarter, even the strong defence gave way and crumbled. There were no rabbits to pull out of the hat. Peter Jackson VFL 2016 Casey Scorpions 2.1.13 6.3.39 6.3.39 10.6.66 Footscray Bulldogs 2.7.19 4.9.33 12.13.85 13.19.97 Goals Casey Scorpions T Smith 3 Weideman 2 Hulett Newton Scott Trengove White Footscray Bulldogs Jamieson 3 Campbell Long 2 Dale Hannan Lynch Nash Tashevski-Beckwith Williams Best Casey Scorpions Oliver T Smith Dunn J Smith Kennedy Newton Footscray Bulldogs Jong, Stevens Russell Campbell, Webb Barry Statistics Lynden Dunn 21 disposals 18 kicks 3 handballs 7 marks 5 tackles 101 dream team points Colin Garland 15 disposals 10 kicks 5 handballs 5 marks 3 tackles 67 dream team points Jack Grimes 24 disposals 11 kicks 13 handballs 3 marks 5 tackles 88 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 goal 2 behinds 9 disposals 6 kicks 3 handballs 3 marks 41 dream team points Matt Jones 27 disposals 16 kicks 11 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 93 dream team points Ben Kennedy 24 disposals 16 kicks 8 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 80 dream team points Viv Michie 21 disposals 10 kicks 11 handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 71 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 22 disposals 14 kicks 8 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 92 dream team points Ben Newton 17 disposals 9 kicks 8 handballs 6 marks 6 tackles 79 dream team points Clayton Oliver 31 disposals 12 kicks 19 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 1 hit out 105 dream team points Joel Smith 18 disposals 7 kicks 11 handballs 2 marks 2 tackles 57 dream team points Jake Spencer 4 disposals 1 kicks 3 handballs 5 tackles 23 hit outs 46 dream team points Dean Terlich 12 disposals 9 kicks 3 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 40 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 goal 20 disposals 11 kicks 9 handballs 5 marks 2 tackles 3 hit outs 84 dream team points Sam Weideman 2 goals 2 behinds 12 disposals 6 kicks 6 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 71 dream team points Mitch White 1 goal 14 disposals 8 kicks 6 handballs 2 marks 5 tackles 68 dream team points

RABBITS OUT OF A HAT by KC from Casey They were somehow a goal up at the main break although they weren't playing all that well so we thought that Casey would come out after half time and do what they had done for most of the season in these circumstances - they would pull a few rabbits out of a hat, turn things around and win comfortably as they did in the qualifying final three weeks ago. Unfortunately, on this occasion and in the most important game of the year, it was out of the question. The Bulldogs were on a high and on a ground that suited their running style to perfection and in what has become the premiership quarter. They squeezed the life out of the Scorpions to keep them scoreless while they surged and surged and surged to record 18 more inside-50s and kick eight goals four behinds. Now, to outscore an opponent by 50 points in one quarter of any game is really something but in a grand final it's sensational. The Scorpions looked sluggish from the start and were well and truly out pointed in the first quarter but the Doggies simply couldn't get enough goals on the board so that when Casey counter attacked in the second, mainly through the on ball brilliance of Clayton Oliver and the strength and marking ability of Tim Smith and Sam Weideman, it looked as if a big Scorpion second half and a predictable finish to a glorious season was on the cards. It was not be. One of the hallmarks of the team over the past two seasons has been ruck dominance which has given the on ball division an armchair ride. For the most part of this game, that was missing. Jake Spencer and young Oscar McInerney were well beaten by the Bulldogs' big men, both in the ruck contests and around the ground in marking duels. In a game of percentages, that led to a far reduced impact from the Casey midfield in terms of both number and quality of possessions. Some of the usually steady players who racked up big numbers during the season for Casey were down and under pressure. They were run off their feet and in that third quarter, even the strong defence gave way and crumbled. There were no rabbits to pull out of the hat. Peter Jackson VFL 2016 Casey Scorpions 2.1.13 6.3.39 6.3.39 10.6.66 Footscray Bulldogs 2.7.19 4.9.33 12.13.85 13.19.97 Goals Casey Scorpions T Smith 3 Weideman 2 Hulett Newton Scott Trengove White Footscray Bulldogs Jamieson 3 Campbell Long 2 Dale Hannan Lynch Nash Tashevski-Beckwith Williams Best Casey Scorpions Oliver T Smith Dunn J Smith Kennedy Newton Footscray Bulldogs Jong, Stevens Russell Campbell, Webb Barry Statistics Lynden Dunn 21 disposals 18 kicks 3 handballs 7 marks 5 tackles 101 dream team points Colin Garland 15 disposals 10 kicks 5 handballs 5 marks 3 tackles 67 dream team points Jack Grimes 24 disposals 11 kicks 13 handballs 3 marks 5 tackles 88 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 goal 2 behinds 9 disposals 6 kicks 3 handballs 3 marks 41 dream team points Matt Jones 27 disposals 16 kicks 11 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 93 dream team points Ben Kennedy 24 disposals 16 kicks 8 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 80 dream team points Viv Michie 21 disposals 10 kicks 11 handballs 3 marks 3 tackles 71 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 22 disposals 14 kicks 8 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 92 dream team points Ben Newton 17 disposals 9 kicks 8 handballs 6 marks 6 tackles 79 dream team points Clayton Oliver 31 disposals 12 kicks 19 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 1 hit out 105 dream team points Joel Smith 18 disposals 7 kicks 11 handballs 2 marks 2 tackles 57 dream team points Jake Spencer 4 disposals 1 kicks 3 handballs 5 tackles 23 hit outs 46 dream team points Dean Terlich 12 disposals 9 kicks 3 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 40 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 goal 20 disposals 11 kicks 9 handballs 5 marks 2 tackles 3 hit outs 84 dream team points Sam Weideman 2 goals 2 behinds 12 disposals 6 kicks 6 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 71 dream team points Mitch White 1 goal 14 disposals 8 kicks 6 handballs 2 marks 5 tackles 68 dream team points

Whispering Jack on what was once the centre of his universe ... A HIGHWAY OF DEMONS by Whispering Jack CHAPTER FOURTEEN - CATCH THE WIND Our world was defined by boundaries. The beach to the west, the railway line to the east and Dandenong Road, the northern-most point except when we went to school. Princes Park, where we played kick to kick footy in the winter, cricket in the summer and took girls there until the small grandstand burnt down, was the centre of our universe. We played the Beatles, argued whether the Stones were better, discovered Dylan and the beauty of Joan Baez and her voice. And we were always trying to catch the wind. Then one day (it must have been fifty years ago) he died, his parents' only son and just sixteen years old. I still remember his face in faded monochrome; his sad eyes and mine confronting our mortality. The first-time vision of a small black chair sitting low to the floor. Life moved on. I saw little of his parents after that and, in time, the memory of Alex dimmed although I heard they had given birth to another son. That might have been the end of it if not for the emergence years later of two skillful indigenous footballers from Mount Barker WA who became champions with North Melbourne. The fact that they coincidentally bore almost the same surname restored the old memories. Then some five or six years ago, I read of a young junior footballer at AJAX and wondered if this might be a relative of my long-forgotten friend. Today, along with my firstborn son and his oldest boy - a school friend of that young junior's sister- we are going on a journey beyond the boundaries of my old world to Etihad Stadium to watch him play for the Dragons in the TAC Cup Grand Final. The connections are endless. My son was in the inaugural Dragons squad in 1992 until his shoulder dislocated. The club's headquarters and that of the AJAX juniors where my sons trained and played and my grandson now (and I hope more of my grandkids in the future) plays is located at Princes Park, the local ground that once was the centre of our universe. And there is so much more to this story that bubbles under the surface. Sometimes on a warm summer day I go back to Princes Park and when I close my eyes I can still hear the crack of a ball hitting the willow of his bat, hooked high into the air. I run wildly in the direction of its whirring sound but when my eyes open, the only thing for me to catch is the wind.

Whispering Jack on what was once the centre of his universe ... A HIGHWAY OF DEMONS by Whispering Jack CHAPTER FOURTEEN - CATCH THE WIND Our world was defined by boundaries. The beach to the west, the railway line to the east and Dandenong Road, the northern-most point except when we went to school. Princes Park, where we played kick to kick footy in the winter, cricket in the summer and took girls there until the small grandstand burnt down, was the centre of our universe. We played the Beatles, argued whether the Stones were better, discovered Dylan and the beauty of Joan Baez and her voice. And we were always trying to catch the wind. Then one day (it must have been fifty years ago) he died, his parents' only son and just sixteen years old. I still remember his face in faded monochrome; his sad eyes and mine confronting our mortality. The first-time vision of a small black chair sitting low to the floor. Life moved on. I saw little of his parents after that and, in time, the memory of Alex dimmed although I heard they had given birth to another son. That might have been the end of it if not for the emergence years later of two skillful indigenous footballers from Mount Barker WA who became champions with North Melbourne. The fact that they coincidentally bore almost the same surname restored the old memories. Then some five or six years ago, I read of a young junior footballer at AJAX and wondered if this might be a relative of my long-forgotten friend. Today, along with my firstborn son and his oldest boy - a school friend of that young junior's sister- we are going on a journey beyond the boundaries of my old world to Etihad Stadium to watch him play for the Dragons in the TAC Cup Grand Final. The connections are endless. My son was in the inaugural Dragons squad in 1992 until his shoulder dislocated. The club's headquarters and that of the AJAX juniors where my sons trained and played and my grandson now (and I hope more of my grandkids in the future) plays is located at Princes Park, the local ground that once was the centre of our universe. And there is so much more to this story that bubbles under the surface. Sometimes on a warm summer day I go back to Princes Park and when I close my eyes I can still hear the crack of a ball hitting the willow of his bat, hooked high into the air. I run wildly in the direction of its whirring sound but when my eyes open, the only thing for me to catch is the wind.

AFL HANDOUTS by George on The Outer Are some more equal than others? Between the clubs themselves and AFL House, it is difficult to get a true appreciation of the financial well-being of individual clubs. The annual reports take well into the New Year in some cases and the AFL doesn’t produce its own report until May the following year! Even then, it seems to be un-published for months afterward. Perhaps it is planned that way, in the middle of the new football season, when no-one cares what happened last year. Regardless, it is interesting to extract the information from all these data-bases and put them together. It is worth noting the absolute financial support that the AFL is providing to the Northern state clubs, outside of draft picks, additional salary cap space and cost of living allowances. Here are the results for the 2015 Year: 2015 Base Bonus Additional Total Profit/Loss GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY GIANTS 7,890,840 1,200,000 11,490,642 20,581,482 -529,000 GOLD COAST 7,890,840 1,200,000 8,854,524 17,945,364 -300,000 ST KILDA 7,890,840 1,200,000 8,337,466 17,428,306 -848,000 BRISBANE LIONS 7,890,840 1,200,000 7,349,619 16,440,459 -681,000 WESTERN BULLDOGS 7,890,840 1,200,000 6,640,343 15,731,183 388,000 NORTH MELBOURNE 7,890,840 1,200,000 5,492,480 14,583,320 530,000 MELBOURNE 7,890,840 1,200,000 4,909,031 13,999,871 562,000 PORT ADELAIDE 7,890,840 1,200,000 3,795,418 12,886,258 211,000 RICHMOND 7,890,840 1,200,000 3,416,500 12,507,340 459,000 HAWTHORN 7,890,840 1,200,000 3,267,685 12,358,525 3,300,000 SYDNEY SWANS 7,890,840 1,200,000 3,144,805 12,235,645 300,000 ESSENDON 7,890,840 1,200,000 2,737,272 11,828,112 -1,300,000 FREMANTLE 7,890,840 1,200,000 2,570,346 11,661,186 763,000 CARLTON 7,890,840 1,200,000 2,495,684 11,586,524 -2,700,000 WEST COAST EAGLES 7,890,840 1,200,000 2,386,781 11,477,621 5,500,000 COLLINGWOOD 7,890,840 1,200,000 1,904,152 10,994,992 850,000 ADELAIDE CROWS 7,890,840 1,200,000 1,542,653 10,633,493 1,400,000 Some of the outcomes are explainable, such as Geelongs loss resulting from a building programme at Kardinia Park. Others such as Carlton seem to have arisen purely from spending more than they earn, particularly when the on-field results continue to be mediocre. What is truly amazing is the extent of support provided to St.Kilda and the Western Bulldogs, when compared to clubs like our own. Similar membership bases, similar fixtures, similar ladder positions and yet St.Kilda were gifted an addition $3.5 million dollars more than Melbourne. The Bulldogs were given an extra $1.5M. Worrying signs for the AFL is that despite all this additional money thrown their way, the Saints still lost nearly $850,000. Not all that can be as a result of a lousy fixture, Etihad stadium or a lowly finishing position. The other point to note is despite these individual anomalies, the extent of support from the AFL is probably about right. Take away the outliers and 12 of the teams receive monies within a $4 million range. What is galling for a many fans is that the likes of Richmond, Essendon, Carlton and Collingwood are receiving nearly as much support financially. Yet these same clubs demand priority in fixturing and TV slots. These are the clubs who claim others are held up by their largesse. As Julius Sumner Miller used to say “Why is it so?” Perhaps it’s because some clubs are more equal than others, in the socialist Animal Farm known as the AFL.

AFL HANDOUTS by George on The Outer Are some more equal than others? Between the clubs themselves and AFL House, it is difficult to get a true appreciation of the financial well-being of individual clubs. The annual reports take well into the New Year in some cases and the AFL doesn’t produce its own report until May the following year! Even then, it seems to be un-published for months afterward. Perhaps it is planned that way, in the middle of the new football season, when no-one cares what happened last year. Regardless, it is interesting to extract the information from all these data-bases and put them together. It is worth noting the absolute financial support that the AFL is providing to the Northern state clubs, outside of draft picks, additional salary cap space and cost of living allowances. Here are the results for the 2015 Year: 2015 Base Bonus Additional Total Profit/Loss GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY GIANTS 7,890,840 1,200,000 11,490,642 20,581,482 -529,000 GOLD COAST 7,890,840 1,200,000 8,854,524 17,945,364 -300,000 ST KILDA 7,890,840 1,200,000 8,337,466 17,428,306 -848,000 BRISBANE LIONS 7,890,840 1,200,000 7,349,619 16,440,459 -681,000 WESTERN BULLDOGS 7,890,840 1,200,000 6,640,343 15,731,183 388,000 NORTH MELBOURNE 7,890,840 1,200,000 5,492,480 14,583,320 530,000 MELBOURNE 7,890,840 1,200,000 4,909,031 13,999,871 562,000 PORT ADELAIDE 7,890,840 1,200,000 3,795,418 12,886,258 211,000 RICHMOND 7,890,840 1,200,000 3,416,500 12,507,340 459,000 HAWTHORN 7,890,840 1,200,000 3,267,685 12,358,525 3,300,000 SYDNEY SWANS 7,890,840 1,200,000 3,144,805 12,235,645 300,000 ESSENDON 7,890,840 1,200,000 2,737,272 11,828,112 -1,300,000 FREMANTLE 7,890,840 1,200,000 2,570,346 11,661,186 763,000 CARLTON 7,890,840 1,200,000 2,495,684 11,586,524 -2,700,000 WEST COAST EAGLES 7,890,840 1,200,000 2,386,781 11,477,621 5,500,000 COLLINGWOOD 7,890,840 1,200,000 1,904,152 10,994,992 850,000 ADELAIDE CROWS 7,890,840 1,200,000 1,542,653 10,633,493 1,400,000 Some of the outcomes are explainable, such as Geelongs loss resulting from a building programme at Kardinia Park. Others such as Carlton seem to have arisen purely from spending more than they earn, particularly when the on-field results continue to be mediocre. What is truly amazing is the extent of support provided to St.Kilda and the Western Bulldogs, when compared to clubs like our own. Similar membership bases, similar fixtures, similar ladder positions and yet St.Kilda were gifted an addition $3.5 million dollars more than Melbourne. The Bulldogs were given an extra $1.5M. Worrying signs for the AFL is that despite all this additional money thrown their way, the Saints still lost nearly $850,000. Not all that can be as a result of a lousy fixture, Etihad stadium or a lowly finishing position. The other point to note is despite these individual anomalies, the extent of support from the AFL is probably about right. Take away the outliers and 12 of the teams receive monies within a $4 million range. What is galling for a many fans is that the likes of Richmond, Essendon, Carlton and Collingwood are receiving nearly as much support financially. Yet these same clubs demand priority in fixturing and TV slots. These are the clubs who claim others are held up by their largesse. As Julius Sumner Miller used to say “Why is it so?” Perhaps it’s because some clubs are more equal than others, in the socialist Animal Farm known as the AFL.

SCOUTING NOTES: TAC CUP PRELIMINARY FINALS

The Casey Scorpions have made to the 2016 VFL grand final by way of a resounding seven-goal victory over stand alone club Williamstown at North Port Oval on Sunday turning around their 44 point loss to the Seagulls from early in the season. While the Scorpions benefitted by the obvious advantage of having 14 Demons in their side, they achieved the victory thanks to an outstanding mix of players which involved a massive contribution of Casey's VFL listed players. Casey had to leave out Jack Grimes who has been an outstanding contributor over the past couple of months as well as leading goalkicker Liam Hulett, both due to illness during the week and this caused the side to be recast giving Tim Smith and Declan Keilty extra responsibility as talls on the forward line. The Scorpions jumped out at the start booting four goals to nil and held a 4.6.30 to 0.1.1 lead at quarter time with Smith booting a couple and Keilty one to go with the goal scored by defender Lynden Dunn (his first for the season) when he made his foray into attack. Category B rookie Joel Smith displayed his skill garnered from an early basketball career and was causing Willy lots of discomfort. The Seagulls lifted early in the second term but the resistance was soon snuffed out with the likes of Christian Salem, Clayton Oliver, Alex Neal-Bullen and the effervescent 23rd player Aloysio Ferrera getting right into the thick of things, the Scorps surged ahead to a near six goal lead, the only dampener being a concussion injury to Salem in the shadows of half time. Having established the ascendency, the Scorpions simply locked Willy out with tight defence which crushed the life out of the opposition. The backline led by skipper Jack Hutchins, the evergreen Lynden Dunn, Colin Garland, James Munro and Mitch White was virtually impassable. While Jake Spencer and Williamstown's premiership ruckman Nick Meese battling it out in the ruck, young ruckman Oscar McInerney booted two second half goals as the game otherwise came to a standstill in the end. It was an impressive display of hard work, skill and power by the Scorpions who will go into the grand final with plenty of confidence having overrun their opponent in Footscray only a fortnight earlier. The team is likely to lose Salem for the grand final against the Bulldogs but will regain Dean Terlich returning from suspension, Grimes and Hulett. The overall team performance and its evenness all over the ground is a tribute to Justin Plapp's coaching and the way he has melded the team together. It was only a couple of seasons ago that Casey was the lowest rated team in the competition after the untimely departure of Bendigo Gold. On Sunday, the Scorpions will be playing for its ultimate prize. Casey Scorpions 4.6.30 8.7.55 11.11.77 12.13.85 Williamstown 0.2.2 2.8.20 4.10.34 5.13.43 Goals Casey Scorpions Smith 3 Keilty McInerney 2 Dunn M Jones Morris Oliver Scott Williamstown Carr Dunell Meese Jolley Schultz Best Casey Scorpions Oliver Dunn Neal-Bullen J Smith T Smith Hutchins Williamstown Wheeler Fahey Bese Carr Greiser Hislop Statistics Lynden Dunn 1 goal 24 disposals 22 kicks 2 handballs 12 marks 3 tackles 128 dream team points Colin Garland 13 disposals 7 kicks 6 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 45 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goals 1 behinds 16 disposals 11 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 6 tackles 84 dream team points Ben Kennedy 2 behinds 9 disposals 7 kicks 2 handballs 0 marks 2 tackles 33 dream team points Viv Michie 18 disposals 16 kicks 2 handballs 5 marks 13 tackles 120 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 30 disposals 18 kicks 12 handballs 3 marks 8 tackles 118 dream team points Ben Newton 16 disposals 12 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 64 dream team points Clayton Oliver 1 goal 24 disposals 10 kicks 14 handballs 1 mark 17 tackles 5 hit outs 127 dream team points Christian Salem 15 disposals 11 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 1 tackles 54 dream team points [injured before half time] Joel Smith 20 disposals 11 kicks 9 handballs 7 marks 4 tackles 79 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 behind 9 disposals 8 kicks 1 handball 3 marks 7 tackles 22 hit outs 78 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 behind 15 disposals 7 kicks 8 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 2 hit outs 72 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 behinds 3 disposals 1 kicks 2 handballs 1 mark 11 dream team points Mitch White 13 disposals 9 kicks 4 handballs 5 marks 2 tackles 59 dream team points The Development League team faced the rampant Box Hill Hawks for the third time in a month and once again, the result was something of a disaster for Casey. They lost by 105 points. AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 4.4.28 5.5.35 10.7.67 Box Hill Hawks 7.3.45 14.7.91 21.11.137 26.16.172 Goals Casey Scorpions Max King 2 J Anderson Cox Freeman Hillard Hulett Vander Haar Wilson Wyatt Box Hill Hawks Brolic 6 Traynor 5 Langford Summers Switkowski 2 Dimasi Fisher Gibson Glass Gordon Kennedy Kidd McIntyre Walker Best Casey Scorpions Moncrieff Rutherford Fritsch Cox Wilson Di Pasquale Box Hill Hawks Murphy Brolic Traynor Evans Switkowski O'Donnell

THE TURNAROUND by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions have made to the 2016 VFL grand final by way of a resounding seven-goal victory over stand alone club Williamstown at North Port Oval on Sunday turning around their 44 point loss to the Seagulls from early in the season. While the Scorpions benefitted by the obvious advantage of having 14 Demons in their side, they achieved the victory thanks to an outstanding mix of players which involved a massive contribution of Casey's VFL listed players. Casey had to leave out Jack Grimes who has been an outstanding contributor over the past couple of months as well as leading goalkicker Liam Hulett, both due to illness during the week and this caused the side to be recast giving Tim Smith and Declan Keilty extra responsibility as talls on the forward line. The Scorpions jumped out at the start booting four goals to nil and held a 4.6.30 to 0.1.1 lead at quarter time with Smith booting a couple and Keilty one to go with the goal scored by defender Lynden Dunn (his first for the season) when he made his foray into attack. Category B rookie Joel Smith displayed his skill garnered from an early basketball career and was causing Willy lots of discomfort. The Seagulls lifted early in the second term but the resistance was soon snuffed out with the likes of Christian Salem, Clayton Oliver, Alex Neal-Bullen and the effervescent 23rd player Aloysio Ferrera getting right into the thick of things, the Scorps surged ahead to a near six goal lead, the only dampener being a concussion injury to Salem in the shadows of half time. Having established the ascendency, the Scorpions simply locked Willy out with tight defence which crushed the life out of the opposition. The backline led by skipper Jack Hutchins, the evergreen Lynden Dunn, Colin Garland, James Munro and Mitch White was virtually impassable. While Jake Spencer and Williamstown's premiership ruckman Nick Meese battling it out in the ruck, young ruckman Oscar McInerney booted two second half goals as the game otherwise came to a standstill in the end. It was an impressive display of hard work, skill and power by the Scorpions who will go into the grand final with plenty of confidence having overrun their opponent in Footscray only a fortnight earlier. The team is likely to lose Salem for the grand final against the Bulldogs but will regain Dean Terlich returning from suspension, Grimes and Hulett. The overall team performance and its evenness all over the ground is a tribute to Justin Plapp's coaching and the way he has melded the team together. It was only a couple of seasons ago that Casey was the lowest rated team in the competition after the untimely departure of Bendigo Gold. On Sunday, the Scorpions will be playing for its ultimate prize. Casey Scorpions 4.6.30 8.7.55 11.11.77 12.13.85 Williamstown 0.2.2 2.8.20 4.10.34 5.13.43 Goals Casey Scorpions Smith 3 Keilty McInerney 2 Dunn M Jones Morris Oliver Scott Williamstown Carr Dunell Meese Jolley Schultz Best Casey Scorpions Oliver Dunn Neal-Bullen J Smith T Smith Hutchins Williamstown Wheeler Fahey Bese Carr Greiser Hislop Statistics Lynden Dunn 1 goal 24 disposals 22 kicks 2 handballs 12 marks 3 tackles 128 dream team points Colin Garland 13 disposals 7 kicks 6 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 45 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goals 1 behinds 16 disposals 11 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 6 tackles 84 dream team points Ben Kennedy 2 behinds 9 disposals 7 kicks 2 handballs 0 marks 2 tackles 33 dream team points Viv Michie 18 disposals 16 kicks 2 handballs 5 marks 13 tackles 120 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 30 disposals 18 kicks 12 handballs 3 marks 8 tackles 118 dream team points Ben Newton 16 disposals 12 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 64 dream team points Clayton Oliver 1 goal 24 disposals 10 kicks 14 handballs 1 mark 17 tackles 5 hit outs 127 dream team points Christian Salem 15 disposals 11 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 1 tackles 54 dream team points [injured before half time] Joel Smith 20 disposals 11 kicks 9 handballs 7 marks 4 tackles 79 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 behind 9 disposals 8 kicks 1 handball 3 marks 7 tackles 22 hit outs 78 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 behind 15 disposals 7 kicks 8 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 2 hit outs 72 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 behinds 3 disposals 1 kicks 2 handballs 1 mark 11 dream team points Mitch White 13 disposals 9 kicks 4 handballs 5 marks 2 tackles 59 dream team points The Development League team faced the rampant Box Hill Hawks for the third time in a month and once again, the result was something of a disaster for Casey. They lost by 105 points. AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 4.4.28 5.5.35 10.7.67 Box Hill Hawks 7.3.45 14.7.91 21.11.137 26.16.172 Goals Casey Scorpions Max King 2 J Anderson Cox Freeman Hillard Hulett Vander Haar Wilson Wyatt Box Hill Hawks Brolic 6 Traynor 5 Langford Summers Switkowski 2 Dimasi Fisher Gibson Glass Gordon Kennedy Kidd McIntyre Walker Best Casey Scorpions Moncrieff Rutherford Fritsch Cox Wilson Di Pasquale Box Hill Hawks Murphy Brolic Traynor Evans Switkowski O'Donnell