Demonland

JVR off to the rooms to get what looks like his bottom lip stitched up.

McAdam on the rower. Viney, Matthews & Henderson on the bikes

Bowser running laps.

Sun is back out and the ball and field is drying. So much for that wet weather footy practice.

Broken up into 4 smaller groups for some warm up drills. Ball dribble out by assistants to 3 players. One collects the ground ball handballs quickly to the next guy who handball quickly to the other guy. 4 on 4 close quarters keepings off handball 7 on 3 ball movement up the wing. 3 defenders constantly swapping each time. Goal kicking practice.

White is very tall and skinny but moves like an athlete.

Onley is a big boy. As tall as Lever and built much bigger.

Lindsay, White, Berry & Heath don’t have numbers on their guernseys. Steele still in 46.

Rain is starting to come down so it’s a great opportunity to work on that wet weather footy

Present: May, JVR, Salem, Langford, Lindsay, Windsor, Lever, Steele, Turner, Gawn, Tholstrup, Culley, CH, Langdon, Laurie, Melksham, Taylor, Jefferson, Howes, Rivers, McDonald, Heath, Campbell, Sharp, Fritsch, Sparrow, L Pickett, Petty, K Pickett, Chandler, Berry, Mentha, Johnson, Kentfield, Onley & White Rehab: Viney, McAdam, Bowey, AMW, Henderson, Mihocek & Matthews

The team is back from their Community Training Camp and it is the first time that the whole squad is together at Gosch’s Paddock. I will bring you my observations from this mornings session. 📆 Monday, December 1 ⏰ 10am - 11:30am 📍 Gosch's Paddock 🏃‍♂️ Session type: Pre-season training 📆 Wednesday, December 3 ⏰ 10am - 11:30am 📍 Gosch's Paddock 🏃‍♂️ Session type: Pre-season training 📆 Friday, December 5 ⏰ 10am - 12pm 📍 Gosch's Paddock 🏃‍♂️ Session type: Pre-season training

“Somebody connect their phone!” Kysaiah Pickett wants to lift the energy level in a team minibus rumbling its way up towards the top of Mount Porepunkah on Friday morning. For about 10 minutes, the van has been tailing two Demons players on mountain bikes as they tackle one of the toughest climbs in the Victorian High Country. The pair of players have to give “maximum effort” for three minutes before they hand off their bikes to the next duo and jump back inside the van. It’s the gruelling final episode of Melbourne’s pre-season camp, which began with school clinics and community activities in the Alpine region before high performance boss Selwyn Griffith was given command for the final two days on Thursday and Friday. The main theme for the trip is “connection”, and while it was a word uttered countless times by Melbourne officials last year, it’s been recast for different reasons ahead of 2026. With a first-time senior coach and a monumental shift in the playing group after Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver’s departures, the camp was viewed as an important first step to build relationships. The Herald Sun was invited to stay with the club in Bright to observe the final two days of the Demons’ camp. “Here, Kozzy,” says Jack Steele as he leans forward from the second row of seats to fiddle with the Bluetooth settings. Pickett is sprawled out in the back seat next to his riding partner Andy Moniz-Wakefield after a tough first set on the bikes. It doesn’t take long for his phone to strike a connection with the van, and the Demons superstar’s pick for the first track of the climb is Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Some light tapping on the steering wheel suggests the introduction of music has been welcomed by new coach Steven King, who is driving this van and directing most of his focus towards not running over the current cyclists on duty – Jake Melksham and strength coach Tommy Turner. The set timer rolls over and the former St Kilda captain Steele is on the clock next, faced with the difficult task of keeping up with his roommate for the week, Harry Sharp. Sharp, a former junior national champion steeplechaser, has been in his element over the last two days of the Demons’ camp. “I kept yelling out to (Sharp), telling him not to make me look stupid,” Steele says after his spell on the bike. “He’s a freak runner, it turns out he’s pretty good on the bike too.” Steele manages to keep Sharp within a kick’s distance for the full three minutes and sets the tone for the pair of big-bodied midfielders to follow him – Harvey Langford and Riley Onley. There are a few reasons big-bodied midfielders are not commonly found in pelotons during the Tour de France, and this pair’s job is made tougher with a particularly steep incline ahead of them. With the benefit of a pre-season already under his belt, Langford opens an early gap on his new teammate, but Onley digs in with some encouragement from the support van. Melksham rolls back the door to call out to the draftee, and Pickett also pokes his head out. “C’mon Onley-Fans,” Pickett yells. MELBOURNE'S 'CONNECTION' CAMPIt has been a whirlwind week for Onley, who was on the hook for three nights before he became the fifth and final draftee to join the Dees with pick No. 3 in the rookie draft. The 18-year-old Murray Bushrangers recruit was pushed to his limits during a post-training session 6km run through the Mount Buffalo National Park. The first three kilometres on the uneven surface were entirely uphill and a handful of players had to call it quits – but not Onley, who stormed home with a big grin on his face. “I saw Jesus today,” he told King afterwards. Pickett and Moniz-Wakefield put in another three-minute effort on the bike climb before there is momentary confusion as the van misses a turn and the next riders start descending the other side of the mountain. Moniz-Wakefield, who looks in good nick after a season ruined by an ACL injury, is outraged as Melksham gets to cash in on a downhill segment. The veteran forward descends so aggressively that it takes more than a minute for him to return to the van’s sights after the end of his set. “Where’s Melky?” King asks as the players on the left-hand side of the van peer nervously down the embankment on the side of the road. Once Melksham is safely back on board, King turns the van around and finds the path to the summit, where they are the last group of Demons to arrive. It marks the end of a physically and mentally challenging two days for his new side, and it builds nicely into his aspirational first theme for the group. “You had to buy in and throw yourselves into it. From a coaching perspective, you’ve taken care of footy, but more importantly you’ve thrown yourselves into any work that we’ve done,” King says. “I haven’t heard anyone whinging or moaning, you’ve just been like, ‘What’s next? Get after it’. “I think this can be a foundation for us, moving forward. And especially where we are right now … there’s going to be some hiccups along the way, but we’re looking to get the top of the mountain.” King poses for a photo on the mountaintop with Melbourne skipper Max Gawn after the ride. “Four metres of leadership,” King jokes. Gawn is first to admit he would not be near the front of the group during running drills on an oval, but he powered up the daunting climb during the Mount Buffalo run on Thursday and then led all-comers when they were then made to hike 10km to a lookout near the peak. “This is my type of stuff,” he says to photographer Michael Klein at the end of the hike. As well as the captain, key forwards Luker Kentfield and Jacob van Rooyen were among the most impressive on the Thursday run, which Harry Sharp won by a significant margin. Exhausted but pleased with his run, van Rooyen plonked himself down near the finish line – only to find he was on top of a bullant nest. “Aw, just keep moving mate,” King said with genuine concern as the 22-year-old jolted upright clutching at his backside. Friday began at a slightly more gentle pace for the Dees as they paired up in inflatable kayaks to travel down the Ovens River from Bright. Stephen Smith, in his first week as Melbourne president after taking over from Brad Green, joined Shane McAdam in a kayak.

Essendon are cursed

NOVEMBER 28 — SUPERSTAR RECEIVES ‘SPECIAL’ ORIGIN SELECTION EXEMPTION Melbourne superstar Kysaiah Pickett has been granted a special exemption from AFL Origin selection criteria, allowing him to play for Western Australia against Victoria next February. The league’s rules dictate Pickett would only be eligible to suit up for South Australia, given he originated from SANFL club Woodville-West Torrens. But according to Nine’s Paddy Sweeney, Pickett — who spent a considerable portion of his childhood in Quairading — has been allowed a “special privilege” to play for the state he has longstanding ties to. “The AFL (has given) the Melbourne superstar the green light to pull on the black and gold, with Pickett identifying as a West Australian and a proud Noongar man,” Sweeney said on 9News Perth. “AFL rules stipulate players represent the state they’re drafted from … but the 24-year-old requested the league to allow him a special privilege due to his close WA ties. “Pickett spent the majority of his childhood in Quairading, in WA’s Wheatbelt, and returns every year to see his mother. The league today (ticked) off on Pickett’s petition, granting him the blessing to play against Victoria on February 14.” The development means Pickett will join confirmed West Australian starters Tom Barrass, Shai Bolton, Patrick Cripps, Aaron Naughton and Chad Warner, with the remainder of the squad to be announced. It’s understood more than 40,000 tickets have already been sold for the anticipated exhibition fixture.

Demonland Trackwatcher Where Demons Dare was our man on the spot at the Demon's Community Training Camp Open Training to bring you his observations from the Session. WHERE DEMONS DARE'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONSWe arrived in the quaint little town of Myrtleford at 9am with a small crowd of primary school kids and roughly 15-20 onlookers. The boys were already into their drills with two different groups on either side of the wings, roughly 15 - 20 players either side. Rehab: Viney, Matthews, Henderson, AMW, McAdam, Jefferson and later Bowey who looked quite ginger (pun intended). Viney and Matthews doing repeat walking up and down a flight of stairs with some black devices in their mouths. Not sure of its purpose but it could possibly be to ensure they breathe through their nose? They then followed up with hand and eye coordination and reflex drills (juggling, ball tossing to one another in rapid fire) at which point Henderson joined them. After that finished the 3 of them spent the rest of the session doing weight training. The other rehabbers in AMW, McAdam and Jefferson were all doing repeat 100m boundary runs for the majority of the session followed by some touch work (reflexes) where a trainer would bullet kick to Hendo or McAdam who were standing 1 meter in front of each other and they had to trick each other into marking or letting it go so the guy behind him marked it, if the ball dropped the guy in-front won. It was amusing to watch. Hendo got the better of McAdam. Jefferson integrated into the main group with some drills. Main training: I was mainly focusing on the big group in-front of us, where they would use just the arcs from back 50 to fwd 50 working on ball movement. In this drill it was a 5 v 7 match up with the bigger group attacking and the smaller defending transition. The bigger group would use either corridor or wing, there was no real preference. I was paying attention to the new kids on these drills and was really impressed with Onley, he's a great size and so agile. Taylor was a bit disappointing with his kicking, he shanked quite a few kicks. The next drill was 5 v 3 using 3/4 ground ball movement drills, taking the ball from the back 50 to a forward marking close to goal. Mihocek, Tmac, Adams and Campbell doing 1v1 marking/spoil drills on each other while a trainer kicked in a high ball deep in the fwd 50. The next drill had the boys doing quick handball movement where it was a 2 v 3 match-up with the trainers acting as the defenders and there were 3 attacking players who had to get past them within a 25m coned off area. Once the attackers had reached the end of the cones the next 3 were straight into play. It was non stop and the boys were pretty gassed by the end of it. Culley, Langford, Pickett and Windsor were the best in these drills. The boys then went on to do 9 v 9 full ground ball drills trying to score end to end. There was a passage where CJ took on Kosi through the corridor thinking he could break away but was quickly taken down by Kosi. CJ was filthy with himself. The boys laid some crunching tackles during these plays. I saw JVR take down May and then quickly get up to pressure the loose ball in play and take down the next player. I was impressed with JVR's repeat efforts. The boys were absolutely gassed from these drills at it's the closest to match sim they could replicate. A lot of the boys were on their haunches sucking in the big ones trying to recover. I don't think I've ever seen Kosi so gassed he and many of the boys took a full minute to get back up. The players then broke into their lines with their respective coaches (fwds, mids, defenders) I was paying close attention to who was in each group. Mentha and Laurie was in the fwds group and Chandler gave Laurie a big hug saying "welcome back, we missed you". Sharp, White and Latrelle also in the forward line. Rivers, Taylor and Turner in defence. Tholstrup and Culley with the mids. As the training was drawing to a close, the entire main group would do 80m - 90m repeat sprints that they had to complete in 10/11 seconds and rest about 20-30 seconds before going again. They did about 10 of these repeat sprints. Now that training was finished, Kingy brought the group in for a quick chat and then sent the players off to sign autographs and to some meet and greets with the locals. Observations: Draftees - Onley looked really impressive, I thought he moved very well and was so agile for a big mid. His kicking was a bit hit and miss. One definitely to watch. Taylor still very green, but he did some great tackles and pressure during ball movement drills. Kicking was a bit iffy today. Latrelle integrated well with the group, he moves well and has great pressure, he looks the most likely of our first draftee to break into the team. White was really good, he already seems like a regular player. I think doing the pre season last year with Melbourne has helped him to fit in right away with the team. Matthews was obviously doing rehab but is a good size and didn't look that much smaller than Hendo or Viney. He'll be good for us. Berry looks to be a medium defender in size and build. He'll need a bit of time to catch up to the AFL standard fitness levels, but I'm hopeful he'll strengthen our backline in time to come. Has leadership qualities. That's about all I can think of for now. I hope you guys enjoy the report.

Part 6: Plus Ça Change You might've heard the French phrase "plus ça change" – it's often used to say that despite changes, some things remain the same. The full phrase, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose," translates to "the more things change, the more they stay the same." When the Melbourne Football Club recruiters set out to rework their list following the disappointment of the recently concluded 2025 season, in which they secured only seven wins despite having 16 premiership players at their disposal, their objective was not to implement change for its own sake, but rather to significantly enhance the team in areas where improvement was necessary. They certainly were active in the trade and draft period, a time in which ten new faces were introduced while eleven players departed as follows:- IN Oscar Berry (Category B rookie), Max Heath (St Kilda), Changkuoth Jiath (Hawthorn), Thomas Matthews (Gippsland Power VIC), Brody Mihocek (Collingwood), Riley Onley (Murray Bushrangers VIC), Latrelle Pickett (Glenelg SA), Jack Steele (St Kilda), Xavier Taylor (Eastern Ranges VIC), Kalani White (Gold Coast Suns Academy QLD) OUT Jack Billings (free agent), Kynan Brown (delisted), Tom Fullarton (delisted), Marty Hore (delisted), Judd McVee (Fremantle), Clayton Oliver (GWS Giants), Christian Petracca (Gold Coast Suns), Oliver Sestan (delisted), Charlie Spargo (North Melbourne), Will Verrall (delisted), Taj Woewodin (delisted) The “outs” are substantial in that they include two iconic premiership stars, Petracca and Oliver, plus Spargo, who was a major contributor in 2021, and the promising McVee, who went home to Perth. When Steven King was appointed head coach in September, he told the media that he would “take pride in helping Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver return to the top of their game,” but within a month they were unwanted and gone. As you would expect, the “ins” include plenty of untried young talent and a smattering of experience from other clubs, but not with the same aura of star quality as the two superstars who left the building during the trade period. A cynical view of this would be to resort to "plus ça change" and to suggest that the team's underlying issues persist. In reality, it’s going to be a while before we get to know whether the strategy behind the changes has been effective in making the club better and in improving its performance on the field. The cynical view fails to take into account the intangibles that change can bring about with a new coach. King brought with him fresh eyes, new ideas, and a new crew of assistants. The Demons were stuck in a rut of inconsistency and poor performance that called for a shake-up. The game plan had become stale, and the ongoing issues in ball movement and forward connectivity remained to be resolved. And it’s not just about tactics — King had his sights set on fixing a bigger problem: that of team culture, the X-factor that can make or break a club. Tough decisions had to be made for the club to move forward. The promise of “a contemporary game plan from a successful program” and greater freedom and creativity is what King now brings with him. The hope of a new coach bounce in 2026 will depend on how he and his support team perform in the task of maintaining and managing fitness, improving the club’s promising younger generation of players, restoring the health of the injured players who have had an interrupted season, revitalising the remaining thirteen premiership heroes getting the best out of the incoming squad of ten newcomers who are (in their guernsey number orders):- 9. Jack Steele — what you get with Steele is a quality individual possessing exceptional leadership skills (he captained the Saints from 2021 to 2025) and a midfielder who has earned club best and fairest awards and All-Australian honours. 14. Changkuoth Jiath — a dashing defender with a distinctive and impressive skillset; Jiath is strong in the air, and with his athleticism and explosiveness, will provide some excellent run for the Demons off half back. 19. Xavier Taylor— Taylor's draft prospects significantly improved during his national championships campaign for Vic Metro, culminating in a best-on-ground performance in the Coates Talent League's Grand Final, where he dominated aerially, accumulating 25 disposals, 15 marks (four intercept marks), and two spoils. Additionally, the 192cm defender impressed at the national draft combine in October. Taylor was named in the competition's Team of the Year, recognised for his exceptional marking, intercept work, and aggressive offensive game. 20. Thomas Matthews — quick, tough, and relentless, Matthews is a small forward who achieves results through hard effort. His 2025 campaign was cut short by a PCL injury, and he will require time to regain full fitness. 27. Max Heath — coming in at a whopping 204cm, Heath provides physicality both in the air and at ground level with his growing endurance and is set to be the skipper’s ruck apprentice. 28. Brody Mihocek — a five-time leading goal-kicker at Collingwood, Mihocek was one of that club's most consistent players since arriving there in 2018 and will be an asset in the Demons' attack and a great mentor for the club's young tall forwards. 33. Latrelle Sumner-Pickett — cousin of Melbourne livewire Kysaiah Pickett, Sumner-Pickett shares many of the same traits, having a high impact per possession and the ability to tear a game open with lower disposal numbers. The 19-year-old spent most of the season in the SANFL Reserves, but finished the season with a few senior games and a four-goal debut with Glenelg that had most clubs interested in his services as a small forward, thanks to his speed and innate goal sense. 34. Kalani White — 201cm plus, a high leaping but lightly built work in progress for the future. 38. Oscar Berry — a mature age Category B recruit who has moved back to football after a US collegiate career in basketball, the 196cm Berry has impressed with his athleticism and skills. 40. Riley Onley — standing at 195cm, Onley, a tall midfielder, was selected in the Rookie Draft, having had a strong performance at the National Championship Carnival and earning All Australian honours before suffering a hamstring injury, which impacted his draft ranking. The changes leave me with more optimism than cynicism at the end of a process which has the club’s playing list looking like this:- PRIMARY LIST: — Jed Adams Jake Bowey Tom Campbell Kade Chandler Bayley Fritsch Max Gawn Max Heath Blake Howes Matthew Jefferson Changkuoth Jiath Aidan Johnson Ed Langdon Harvey Langford Bailey Laurie Jake Lever Xavier Lindsay Tom McDonald Shane McAdam Steven May Thomas Matthews Jake Melksham Brody Mihocek Harrison Petty Kysaiah Kropinyeri Pickett Trent Rivers Christian Salem Harry Sharp Tom Sparrow Latrelle Sumner-Pickett Jack Steele Xavier Taylor Koltyn Tholstrup Daniel Turner Jacob van Rooyen Jack Viney Caleb Windsor ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A Jai Culley Jack Henderson Luker Kentfield Andy Moniz-Wakefield Riley Onley Kalani White ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B Oscar Berry Ricky Mentha Jnr

Only 1 Demon on the list. 50. Jagga Smith – CARLTON 49. Finn O’Sullivan – NORTH MELBOURNE 48. Mitch Owens – ST KILDA 47. Marcus Windhager – ST KILDA 46. Lawson Humphries – GEELONG 45. Judd McVee – FREMANTLE 44. Ned Long – COLLINGWOOD 43. Max Michalanney – ADELAIDE 42. Connor O’Sullivan – GEELONG 41. Massimo D’Ambrosio – HAWTHORN 40. Seth Campbell – RICHMOND 39. Sam Lalor – RICHMOND 38. George Wardlaw – NORTH MELBOURNE 37. Jye Amiss – FREMANTLE 36. Josh Ward – HAWTHORN 35. Bodhi Uwland – GOLD COAST 34. Calsher Dear – HAWTHORN 33. Connor Macdonald – HAWTHORN 32. Archie Roberts – ESSENDON 31. Kai Lohmann – BRISBANE LIONS 30. Nate Caddy – ESSENDON 29. Josh Rachele – ADELAIDE 28. Reuben Ginbey – WEST COAST 27. Patrick Voss – FREMANTLE 26. Harvey Langford – MELBOURNE 25. Levi Ashcroft – BRISBANE LIONS 24. Jake Soligo – ADELAIDE 23. Mac Andrew – GOLD COAST 22. Jack Ginnivan – HAWTHORN 21. Dan Curtin – ADELAIDE 20. Colby McKercher – NORTH MELBOURNE 19. Murphy Reid – FREMANTLE 18. Joel Freijah – WESTERN BULLDOGS 17. Aaron Cadman – GWS GIANTS 16. Josh Weddle – HAWTHORN 15. Paul Curtis – NORTH MELBOURNE 14. Nick Watson – HAWTHORN 13. Bailey Humphrey – GOLD COAST 12. Harley Reid – WEST COAST 11. Logan Morris – BRISBANE LIONS 10. Ollie Dempsey – GEELONG 9. Jason Horne-Francis – PORT ADELAIDE 8. Jaspa Fletcher – BRISBANE LIONS 7. Darcy Wilmot – BRISBANE LIONS 6. Finn Callaghan – GWS GIANTS 5. Harry Sheezel – NORTH MELBOURNE 4. Will Ashcroft – BRISBANE LIONS 3. Sam Darcy – WESTERN BULLDOGS 2. Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera – ST KILDA 1. Nick Daicos – COLLINGWOOD STIFF TO MISSOllie Hollands, Isaac Kako, Ethan Read, Mattaes Phillipou, Taj Hotton, Caleb Windsor, Matt Roberts, Ryley Sanders, Brady Hough, Sam Banks, Sam Marshall, Ty Gallop, Sid Draper, Tom Brown, Matt Carroll, Xavier Lindsay