Demonland

SURRENDER FOOTBALL by The Oracle Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser who passed away yesterday on the same day as the Melbourne Football Club's pre season crashed in an embarrassing heap, once won a Federal election using the slogan "Turn on the Lights". The Demons lost their NAB Challenge game yesterday by turning them off and playing like blind men in pitch darkness. Losing to a half strength Bomber side was bad enough given that the Demons came into the game boasting of having a "settled side" but the error-filled exhibition which the team put on for the small crowd in attendance at Etihad Stadium would have been a complete fiasco but for the performances of the club's recruits - Heritier Lumumba (Collingwood), Jeff Garlett (Carlton), Sam Frost (GWS), Ben Newton (Port Adelaide) and mature age Canberran Aaron vandenBerg who should become the club's first rookie elevation in a fortnight's time. Dom Tyson and Nathan Jones worked hard in the middle and Christian Salem and Jesse Hogan produced some promising signs, there were the odd brief cameos from others but generally, it really was a case of Melbourne showing little respect for the opposition and paying the price accordingly. The Demons looked one paced, hesitant and lethargic and were shown up by the speed and enthusiasm of the Bomber youngsters eager to cement a place in the side. One thing is for certain - Melbourne's depth is miserable. The bottom four players (and I'm not even including sub Jordie McKenzie who didn't get a run at all) were not of AFL standard and contributed far less than Essendon's four "top up" players. Perhaps it was an error not to include two players, Cam Pedersen and Angus Brayshaw who from all accounts starred for Casey last weekend, especially in view of last week's fade out against the Bulldogs? The fiasco for the Demons began before the opening siren when Jay Kennedy-Harris was injured in the pre game warm up and ended a couple of hours when a Jack Viney short pass in the goal square area was intercepted, conceding the game. That error could have been explained or even overlooked if not for the fact that it was one of several as the team employed the style of game it has come to be renowned for over the past few years - one that plays entirely into an opposition's hands. I call it "surrender football". MELBOURNE 0.2.4 0.5.7 0.9.8 0.11.9 (75) ESSENDON 0.2.1 0.6.1 0.9.8 0.11.11 (77) SUPERGOALS Melbourne: Nil Essendon: Nil GOALS Melbourne: Garlett 4, vandenBerg 2, Dawes 2, Watts 2, Viney Essendon: Daniher 3, Fantasia 2, Dalgleish 2, Merrett, Langford, Zaharakis, Edwards BEST Melbourne: Lumumba, Tyson, Garlett, Salem, N. Jones, vandenBerg Essendon: Cooney, Goddard, Chapman, Gwilt, Ashby, Daniher INJURIES Melbourne: Newton (leg) Essendon: Laverde (knee) SUBSTITUTES Melbourne: Max Gawn replaced Mark Jamar at three-quarter time, Jordie McKenzie (unused) Essendon: Shaun McKernan replaced Jonathan GIles at half-time, Marcus Marigliani replaced James Gwilt at three-quarter time. Reports: Nil Umpires: Ryan, Schmitt, McInerney Official crowd: TBC at Etihad Stadium

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser who passed away yesterday on the same day as the Melbourne Football Club's pre season crashed in an embarrassing heap, once won a Federal election using the slogan "Turn on the Lights". The Demons lost their NAB Challenge game yesterday by turning them off and playing like blind men in pitch darkness. Losing to a half strength Bomber side was bad enough given that the Demons came into the game boasting of having a "settled side" but the error-filled exhibition which the team put on for the small crowd in attendance at Etihad Stadium would have been a complete fiasco but for the performances of the club's recruits - Heritier Lumumba (Collingwood), Jeff Garlett (Carlton), Sam Frost (GWS), Ben Newton (Port Adelaide) and mature age Canberran Aaron vandenBerg who should become the club's first rookie elevation in a fortnight's time. Dom Tyson and Nathan Jones worked hard in the middle and Christian Salem and Jesse Hogan produced some promising signs, there were the odd brief cameos from others but generally, it really was a case of Melbourne showing little respect for the opposition and paying the price accordingly. The Demons looked one paced, hesitant and lethargic and were shown up by the speed and enthusiasm of the Bomber youngsters eager to cement a place in the side. One thing is for certain - Melbourne's depth is miserable. The bottom four players (and I'm not even including sub Jordie McKenzie who didn't get a run at all) were not of AFL standard and contributed far less than Essendon's four "top up" players. Perhaps it was an error not to include two players, Cam Pedersen and Angus Brayshaw who from all accounts starred for Casey last weekend, especially in view of last week's fade out against the Bulldogs? The fiasco for the Demons began before the opening siren when Jay Kennedy-Harris was injured in the pre game warm up and ended a couple of hours when a Jack Viney short pass in the goal square area was intercepted, conceding the game. That error could have been explained or even overlooked if not for the fact that it was one of several as the team employed the style of game it has come to be renowned for over the past few years - one that plays entirely into an opposition's hands. I call it "surrender football". MELBOURNE 0.2.4 0.5.7 0.9.8 0.11.9 (75) ESSENDON 0.2.1 0.6.1 0.9.8 0.11.11 (77) SUPERGOALS Melbourne: Nil Essendon: Nil GOALS Melbourne: Garlett 4, vandenBerg 2, Dawes 2, Watts 2, Viney Essendon: Daniher 3, Fantasia 2, Dalgleish 2, Merrett, Langford, Zaharakis, Edwards BEST Melbourne: Lumumba, Tyson, Garlett, Salem, N. Jones, vandenBerg Essendon: Cooney, Goddard, Chapman, Gwilt, Ashby, Daniher INJURIES Melbourne: Newton (leg) Essendon: Laverde (knee) SUBSTITUTES Melbourne: Max Gawn replaced Mark Jamar at three-quarter time, Jordie McKenzie (unused) Essendon: Shaun McKernan replaced Jonathan GIles at half-time, Marcus Marigliani replaced James Gwilt at three-quarter time. Reports: Nil Umpires: Ryan, Schmitt, McInerney Official crowd: TBC at Etihad Stadium

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Moving the discussion now to our post match thread here. Thanks.

BACK AND FORWARD by Whispering Jack It's a pity in many ways that the NAB Challenge game against the Western Bulldogs couldn't be played backwards because that might satisfy many of the Melbourne supporters who were disgruntled by the outcome of a game which their team actually won and give them some perspective. If you really could play the game backwards then the deficit at half time would have been 38 points making Melbourne's fightback to pull the game out of the fire look heroic. Given that such things are such a valuable commodity but have been rare in recent times, I would prefer the heroics to be kept for events that have a little more meaning than this little romp in the goldfield town of Ballarat. The reality was that this was a practice match and the result was as irrelevant as it will be next Friday evening when the Demons face up to a truncated Bomber line up at Etihad Stadium in front of however many fans bother to front up to the ground or watch on Foxtel (strange how that mob still get all of their games televised even if half the side are unlisted ring ins). The reality is that Melbourne disposed of an undermanned opposition in the first half of the game so comprehensively that the second half was used for its proper purpose - experimentation. In the event, the Bulldogs came out with some added purpose and managed to outscore the Demons in the third quarter with the aid of the wind and continued to surge against a much different midfield set up and an altered defensive mindset in changed conditions with a swirly wind gusting all over the place. This did not alter the fact that the focus should be on the style of play that we saw in the first half which is going to be more the hallmark of the Melbourne Football Club's on field efforts in 2015. As Paul Roos put it after the game, "omething we've been working really hard on is getting the ball moving with a bit more speed." This was highlighted by the showings of the club's four 2015 recruits from other clubs in Heritier Lumumba (running defender and midfield), Jeff Garlett (goal sneak), Sam Frost (a big man with pace who can play forward or back) and Ben Newton (midfield). There was also a lot to like in the games of Christian Salem, Jay Kennedy-Harris and Jimmy Toumpas and the little we were allowed to see of Jesse Hogan whose season was crippled by the injury he suffered in the corresponding game last year. There is also evidence of other players playing different roles as the club's rejuvenation continues, albeit not at the same revolutionary pace that many would prefer. Nathan Jones and Dom Tyson dominated the first half stoppages but were used sparingly in the engine room in the second half and these were among many of the changes rung in by the coaching group, the consequences of which were stunningly obvious but lost on some of the fans who turned on their team expecting it to go for the jugular when there was another game even more meaningless in terms of result only six days away. When that day comes, the match conditions will be changed further to the traditional 22 man team format and two weeks beyond that, the real stuff starts. You can rest assured that by then, the team's focus and its line up will be different again and it will be some time after, that we will really be able to discern whether or not the team has moved forward. MELBOURNE 0.2.2 0.8.4 0.9.6 0.10.9 (69) WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.0.1 0.1.1 0.4.4 0.9.8 (62) GOALS Melbourne: Garlett Kennedy-Harris 2 Cross Dawes Frost Hogan N Jones Watts Western Bulldogs: A Cordy 2 Bontempelli Boyd Goodes Grant Jong Minson Stringer SUPERGOALS Melbourne: Nil Western Bulldogs: Nil BEST Melbourne: Salem T McDonald Tyson Dunn N Jones Jetta Kennedy-Harris Western Bulldogs: Honeychurch M Boyd Grant Jong Daniel A Cordy INJURIES Melbourne: vandenBerg (cut head) Western Bulldogs: Nil SUBSTITUTES Melbourne: Western Bulldogs: Reports: Nil Umpires: Chris Donlon Scott Jeffery Brendan Hosking, Curtis Deboy Official crowd: 5000 approx. at Eureka Stadium, Ballarat.

It's a pity in many ways that the NAB Challenge game against the Western Bulldogs couldn't be played backwards because that might satisfy many of the Melbourne supporters who were disgruntled by the outcome of a game which their team actually won and give them some perspective. If you really could play the game backwards then the deficit at half time would have been 38 points making Melbourne's fightback to pull the game out of the fire look heroic. Given that such things are such a valuable commodity but have been rare in recent times, I would prefer the heroics to be kept for events that have a little more meaning than this little romp in the goldfield town of Ballarat. The reality was that this was a practice match and the result was as irrelevant as it will be next Friday evening when the Demons face up to a truncated Bomber line up at Etihad Stadium in front of however many fans bother to front up to the ground or watch on Foxtel (strange how that mob still get all of their games televised even if half the side are unlisted ring ins). The reality is that Melbourne disposed of an undermanned opposition in the first half of the game so comprehensively that the second half was used for its proper purpose - experimentation. In the event, the Bulldogs came out with some added purpose and managed to outscore the Demons in the third quarter with the aid of the wind and continued to surge against a much different midfield set up and an altered defensive mindset in changed conditions with a swirly wind gusting all over the place. This did not alter the fact that the focus should be on the style of play that we saw in the first half which is going to be more the hallmark of the Melbourne Football Club's on field efforts in 2015. As Paul Roos put it after the game, "omething we've been working really hard on is getting the ball moving with a bit more speed." This was highlighted by the showings of the club's four 2015 recruits from other clubs in Heritier Lumumba (running defender and midfield), Jeff Garlett (goal sneak), Sam Frost (a big man with pace who can play forward or back) and Ben Newton (midfield). There was also a lot to like in the games of Christian Salem, Jay Kennedy-Harris and Jimmy Toumpas and the little we were allowed to see of Jesse Hogan whose season was crippled by the injury he suffered in the corresponding game last year. There is also evidence of other players playing different roles as the club's rejuvenation continues, albeit not at the same revolutionary pace that many would prefer. Nathan Jones and Dom Tyson dominated the first half stoppages but were used sparingly in the engine room in the second half and these were among many of the changes rung in by the coaching group, the consequences of which were stunningly obvious but lost on some of the fans who turned on their team expecting it to go for the jugular when there was another game even more meaningless in terms of result only six days away. When that day comes, the match conditions will be changed further to the traditional 22 man team format and two weeks beyond that, the real stuff starts. You can rest assured that by then, the team's focus and its line up will be different again and it will be some time after, that we will really be able to discern whether or not the team has moved forward. MELBOURNE 0.2.2 0.8.4 0.9.6 0.10.9 (69) WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.0.1 0.1.1 0.4.4 0.9.8 (62) GOALS Melbourne: Garlett Kennedy-Harris 2 Cross Dawes Frost Hogan N Jones Watts Western Bulldogs: A Cordy 2 Bontempelli Boyd Goodes Grant Jong Minson Stringer SUPERGOALS Melbourne: Nil Western Bulldogs: Nil BEST Melbourne: Salem T McDonald Tyson Dunn N Jones Jetta Kennedy-Harris Western Bulldogs: Honeychurch M Boyd Grant Jong Daniel A Cordy INJURIES Melbourne: vandenBerg (cut head) Western Bulldogs: Nil SUBSTITUTES Melbourne: Western Bulldogs: Reports: Nil Umpires: Chris Donlon Scott Jeffery Brendan Hosking Curtis Deboy Official crowd: 5000 approx. at Eureka Stadium, Ballarat.

There seems little doubt that the Casey Scorpions of 2015 will be a far different proposition to the side that limped through much of last season to finish second last, ahead only of the now defunct Bendigo Gold. On that performance, the club would be ranked last among the remaining VFL clubs but, after a shaky opening few minutes, the team settled down well against one of the competition's power house combinations and maintained control for much of the game. Their accuracy in front of goal was a stand out. Gone were the hesitancy and poor decision making of a team that was often undermanned, inexperienced and outclassed side playing poor directionless football and in its place were bigger bodies and a new style of more direct purposeful football under new coach Justin Plapp. They held on against the wind to win well by 20 points - 10.2.62 to 5.12.42. There was only a small contingent of AFL listed players with rejuvenated big man Cam Pedersen relishing the game against his old VFL club and dominating all over the ground, particularly up forward where he was in fine marking form and got among the goals. Angus Brayshaw was the most impressive of the young recruits. Playing in the middle, he showed class and balance and dominated the centre clearances with great effect. His second term was outstanding. He has clean hands and delivered the ball well given the gusty conditions and relished playing under Plapp, his 2014 coach at the Sandringham Dragons. James Harmes was effective coming out of defence and Oscar McDonald, playing mainly up forward moved well and kicked a goal early. Billy Stretch on a wing was quiet but had a few good runs and looms as a future outside player who will no doubt be groomed to emulate the Lewis Jetta/Isaac Smith type of player in the future. Jake Spencer rucked strongly, assisted by Jack Fitzpatrick who filled in up forward for short periods. Skipper Evan Panozza played his usual workmanlike role in defence with occasional stints up forwards. Mitch Gent, who was sidelined by injury last year, was in good form and Tim Smith took a couple of his trademark hangers. Ed Morris and Bryce Rutherford look to be kicking on from their break out seasons of last year. Lucas Walmsley was the stand out among the recruits. He has pace and poise, kicked the first goal and showed out and with his shock of blond dreadlocked hair is sure to become a crowd favourite. Other recruits who caught the eye were Jack Hutchins ex Gold Coast, returning Gippsland Power player Tom Muir who spent last year in Adelaide, James Munro from Sandringham and Luke Hannon who skippered Eastern Ranges last year and was a teammate of injured Demon recruit Christian Petracca. Jordan Moncrieff, the son of ex-Hawthorn forward Michael, is a likely type at 197cm. The side was missing experienced Shannon Byrnes and Will Petropoulos and will have much greater depth in 2015 but the main difference between the Scorps of last year and this year is the purpose and spirit of the players. They have a greater desire to succeed. At the final break, Plapp called upon them to maintain their intensity and show the opposition no respite and they managed to do that against a very strong side. They mastered the conditions, kicked well for goal and deserved the result.

If you have an iPhone or iPad and an Apple tv you can use airplay to watch on your tv.

a354b2d2c7959f9562a365af5c0bb27c " data-width="466"> Post by Melbourne Football Club. Squad: Rohan Bail, Daniel Cross, Chris Dawes, Lynden Dunn, Jack Fitzpatrick, Sam Frost, Colin Garland, Jeff Garlett, Max Gawn, Jack Grimes, Jesse Hogan, Mark Jamar, Neville Jetta, Matt Jones, Nathan Jones, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Heritier Lumumba, Tom McDonald, Jordie McKenzie, Viv Michie, Ben Newton, Cameron Pedersen, Christian Salem, Billy Stretch, Jimmy Toumpas, Dom Tyson, Aaron vandenBerg, Jack Viney and Jack Watts

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I received the following from the club to pass on to everyone: The Club wishes to apologise for the training time error on Monday 9 March. The Club was eager to create a Public Holiday training session for our members and supporters to enjoy. Communication staff believed training was to commence at 12noon as per the time listed in the Club’s training calendar. Staff however overlooked the fact that the start time in the training calendar allowed for an hour of pre training preparation. This was an error on our behalf and we unreservedly apologise for that and for the inconvenience caused to those who arrived at the advertised time. A football staff member noticed the promoted time at approximately 10am and notified communication staff that the players would not actually hit the track until at least 1pm. At this time, all communication channels (Twitter, Facebook, instagram) were updated to reflect the actual start time were updated. In addition, Club staff contacted the Demon Army, who planned to attend in large numbers, to advise them of the change. Today, Club staff will seek to contact all those who contacted the Club about the communication error, especially those with kids, to provide them with another opportunity to engage with the club. I would like to reinforce how sorry the Club is to have put our members and supporters out. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, Jennifer Watt – General Manager, Marketing and Communications | Membership Number 10305049

I wouldn't shed a single tear if that club folded.

How the media saw the game: Star Dockers succumb to injury in win over Dees NAB Challenge: Fremantle defeats Melbourne at Fremantle Oval, Matthew Pavlich and Matt Taberner star Young forwards give fans a glimpse of the future

Apart from the hope of a win to start the 2015 season, was there anything to be gained or learned from the match against the Dockers? The Demons were playing against a team with a home ground advantage, in fact a home training ground advantage, who had finished 4th in 2014. The Demons, remember, finished a lowly 17th with a meagre 4 wins. Surely, a one-sided contest could have been expected? Well, it was a NAB Practice match and while the stifling conditions and the missing players from each side make it nearly impossible to assess if there is something better to hope for in 2015 for the Demon fans, the answer must be that there is. The 18 point margin in the end could have so easily been in the Demons favour, could they have been able to execute some really simple tasks. Twenty metre kicks that missed targets by ten, three set shots at goal from inside thirty in the final quarter that failed to produce a solitary score, a single point from the whole second term, these were the things which let them down in the end. By way of contrast, Fremantle made the most of its opportunities when it had them, and made a habit of hitting targets when most needed. In the end it produced the scoreboard results to win the game. But it was not all doom and gloom. Although Fremantle must be questioning the value of these events, when injuries to Barlow, Mundy and Duffield have compromised the start of their season. For the Demons, there were too many players who simply did not contribute at all during the game, yet others lifted beyond expectations to show their tardy team-mates the amount of effort required to play at AFL level. Heritier Lumumba showed he will be a positive live-wire in the back line and up the ground. Sam Frost, likewise was a force to be reckoned with for his first outing in the red and the blue (or in this case, the red, white and the blue. Dom Tyson was superb and Nathan Jones was his usual self showing the way. Aaron vandenBerg, coming off the rookie list can see an early elevation if he performs like this again in his next match, and Ben Newton showed more than enough until taken from the ground injured. Paul Roos played a lot with positioning in the first half, which didnt always play to the team's strengths, but these games are the only chance to do exactly that without consequences. Jeff Garlett in the middle, Frost up forward, Lumumba all around the place were all experiments to see what alternatives could be used during the season proper. When he returned to a more stable structure, the game started to swing Melbourne's way, kicking 3.4 to 1 point in the third term. The finishing let them down in the end and must be worked upon and while a win would have been good, the team remained competitive and was never blown away as we have seen all too often in recent times. Bring on the next game! MELBOURNE 0.3.1 0.3.2 0.6.6 0.6.7 (43) FREMANTLE 0.3.2 0.7.4 0.7.5 0.9.7 (61) GOALS Melbourne: Dawes, Hogan, N Jones, Kent, Newton, vandenBerg Fremantle: Pavlich, Taberner 3, Crozier, Mayne, Walters SUPERGOALS Melbourne: Nil Fremantle: Nil BEST Melbourne: N Jones, Lumumba, Tyson, Cross, T McDonald, Newton Fremantle: Hill, Taberner, Neale, Pavlich, Mzungu, Sutcliffe INJURIES Melbourne: Newton (cut head) Fremantle: Barlow (right ankle), Mundy (ankle), Duffield (left shoulder) SUBSTITUTES Melbourne: McKenzie replaced Newton at half-time; vanderBerg replaced Jetta at half-time Fremantle: Blakely replaced Barlow at three-quarter time; Smith replaced Mundy in the fourth quarter Reports: Nil Umpires: Farmer, Dalgleish, Stephens, Edwards Official crowd: 8000 approx. at Fremantle Oval

Well, the first game's over and the cobwebs are being removed - now discuss the fallout on the match review page - NET GAIN IN THE WEST

NET GAIN IN THE WEST by George on the Outer Apart from the hope of a win to start the 2015 season, was there anything to be gained or learned from the match against the Dockers? The Demons were playing against a team with a home ground advantage, in fact a home training ground advantage, who had finished 4th in 2014. The Demons, remember, finished a lowly 17th with a meagre 4 wins. Surely, a one-sided contest could have been expected? Well, it was a NAB Practice match and while the stifling conditions and the missing players from each side make it nearly impossible to assess if there is something better to hope for in 2015 for the Demon fans, the answer must be that there is. The 18 point margin in the end could have so easily been in the Demons favour, could they have been able to execute some really simple tasks. Twenty metre kicks that missed targets by ten, three set shots at goal from inside thirty in the final quarter that failed to produce a solitary score, a single point from the whole second term, these were the things which let them down in the end. By way of contrast, Fremantle made the most of its opportunities when it had them, and made a habit of hitting targets when most needed. In the end it produced the scoreboard results to win the game. But it was not all doom and gloom. Although Fremantle must be questioning the value of these events, when injuries to Barlow, Mundy and Duffield have compromised the start of their season. For the Demons, there were too many players who simply did not contribute at all during the game, yet others lifted beyond expectations to show their tardy team-mates the amount of effort required to play at AFL level. Heritier Lumumba showed he will be a positive live-wire in the back line and up the ground. Sam Frost, likewise was a force to be reckoned with for his first outing in the red and the blue (or in this case, the red, white and the blue. Dom Tyson was superb and Nathan Jones was his usual self showing the way. Aaron vandenBerg, coming off the rookie list can see an early elevation if he performs like this again in his next match, and Ben Newton showed more than enough until taken from the ground injured. Paul Roos played a lot with positioning in the first half, which didnt always play to the team's strengths, but these games are the only chance to do exactly that without consequences. Jeff Garlett in the middle, Frost up forward, Lumumba all around the place were all experiments to see what alternatives could be used during the season proper. When he returned to a more stable structure, the game started to swing Melbourne's way, kicking 3.4 to 1 point in the third term. The finishing let them down in the end and must be worked upon and while a win would have been good, the team remained competitive and was never blown away as we have seen all too often in recent times. Bring on the next game! MELBOURNE 0.3.1 0.3.2 0.6.6 0.6.7 (43) FREMANTLE 0.3.2 0.7.4 0.7.5 0.9.7 (61) GOALS Melbourne: Dawes, Hogan, N Jones, Kent, Newton, vandenBerg Fremantle: Pavlich, Taberner 3, Crozier, Mayne, Walters SUPERGOALS Melbourne: Nil Fremantle: Nil BEST Melbourne: N Jones, Lumumba, Tyson, Cross, T McDonald, Newton Fremantle: Hill, Taberner, Neale, Pavlich, Mzungu, Sutcliffe INJURIES Melbourne: Newton (cut head) Fremantle: Barlow (right ankle), Mundy (ankle), Duffield (left shoulder) SUBSTITUTES Melbourne: McKenzie replaced Newton at half-time; vanderBerg replaced Jetta at half-time Fremantle: Blakely replaced Barlow at three-quarter time; Smith replaced Mundy in the fourth quarter Reports: Nil Umpires: Farmer, Dalgleish, Stephens, Edwards Official crowd: 8000 approx. at Fremantle Oval

You're killing me here. Now they'll argue over Ascending or Descending.

I'm surprised that no one with OCD has complained that they are not in number order.

This is also not a democracy so I can do whatever the hell I like.

No one has to earn their place on the banner. Who am I to be judge and jury? This is a fan site.

When you post racist things they tend to get deleted. Funny that.