Demonland

We’re the Masters of the hospital hand pass

Can someone please tell Kozzy not to do those dinky kicks ever again. He can’t execute them.

The ladder:-

The Demons return to Casey Fields (aka the Field of Dreams) this Saturday to host the Saints in Round 2. If you’re feeling lucky, head down the Monash for some family-friendly footy—you might even walk away a winner. The first 5,000 adults through the gate will receive an entry into the $10,000 helicopter ball drop. With Casey’s infamous wind, what could possibly go wrong? Closest ball to the pin wins. So spread the word, get down there—and good luck! The Match-up On the field, expect a fierce contest. St Kilda stunned the competition last week with a commanding win over Adelaide. Nick Dal Santo has the Saints playing fast, confident footy, and they’ve added serious depth. Giorgia Patrikios and Tyanna Smith were dominant in the midfield, while recruits Amber Clarke (ex-Essendon) and Charlotte Baskaran (ex-Hawthorn) have slotted in seamlessly. Over at the Dees, it was no surprise that our midfield depth and forward craft proved too strong for the Bulldogs last Saturday night, resulting in an eight-goal ‘demon-lition’. The form guide leans towards Melbourne, but Meggs reckons this one will be a slog. Selection this week The forward line gets a significant boost with Georgia Gall returning from an ankle injury and Tayla Harris cleared to play after an eye poke. Dynamic Irishwoman Sinead Goldrick also plays her first match of 2025 after raising the championship cup for Dublin just weeks ago—her fourth All-Ireland medal. Hopefully a sign of things to come? Making way are Lily Johnson and Alyssia Pisano. St Kilda have named experienced midfielder Nicola Barr (ex-Giants), who will debut in tri-colours. Meggs’ view Expect the Saints to make it a tough and physical game. They’ve got plenty of talent and experience that could undo our gameplan if we turn up unprepared. Jessie Wardlaw can be unstoppable, so in the absence of Tahlia Gillard, Saraid Taylor will have her hands full. Nick Dal Santo will be desperate to break his duck against the Dees—he’s never coached a winning side against us. The recent margins have been narrowing: 41, 26, 14 points. Nevertheless, Melbourne’s midfield is shaping up beautifully, with so many players in form—Hanks, Purcell, Hore, McNamara, Heath, and Paxman. The new kids on the block—O’Hehir, Mahony and Ebert —add plenty of excitement, and our gameplan is a joy to watch when we get it right. We’re top of the table after Week 1. Let’s keep winning. Go Dees! Melbourne by 12 points THE GAME Round 2: Melbourne v St Kilda Saturday 23 August 2025 at 3:05pm (Melbourne time) Casey Fields, Melbourne – Wurundjeri/ Boon Wurrung HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 4 wins St Kilda 1 win At Casey Fields Melbourne 2 wins St Kilda 0 wins The Coaches Stinear 3 wins Dal Santo 0 wins MEDIA TV – 7, 7Plus, FOXTEL, Kayo. Mobile – AFL Live Official App THE LAST TIME THEY MET - 2024 Season 9 Round 7 ST KILDA 0.0 2.0 4.0 5.0 (30) MELBOURNE 2.0 4.2 5.4 6.8 (44) GOALS St Kilda: Wardlaw 3, Guttridge, Richards Melbourne: Zanker 2, Bannan, Campbell, Goldrick, Purcell BEST St Kilda: Wardlaw, Watson, Trudgeon, Smith, Jakobsson Melbourne: Hanks, McNamara, Hore, Purcell, Zanker Crowd: 3,073 at RSEA Park It was a hard-fought win to make it 3 on the trot in our 2024 revival. Tyla Hanks (22 disposals, 12 clearances, 8 coaches votes) and Kate Hore (21 disposals, 11 tackles, 8 votes) led from the middle and were sensational. Eliza McNamara had a PB 31 possessions and earned 6 coaches votes. Liv Purcell, dressed up like a superhero in her custom-fitted face mask, was typically fearless with 15 possessions, 4 tackles and a goal. Dal Santo noted Melbourne’s dominance in clearances and contested ball as the difference. Melbourne 6.8 (44) defeated by St Kilda 5.0 (30) at Moorabbin Oval, 13 October 2024 THIS WEEK’S TEAMS MELBOURNE FB [19] Laela Ebert [28] Saraid Taylor HB [30] Shelley Heath [8] Sarah Lampard [13] Maeve Chaplin C [22] Eliza McNamara [5] Tyla Hanks [4] Paxy Paxman HF [24] Megan Fitzsimon [6] Alyssa Bannan [7] Tayla Harris FF [29] Eden Zanker [9] Georgia Gall FOL [15] Lauren Pearce [2] Olivia Purcell [10] Kate Hore I/C [23] Sinead Goldrick [11] Molly O'Hehir [1] Georgia Campbell [31] Blaithin Mackin [20] Maggie Mahony EMG [12] Ryleigh Wotherspoon [3] Alyssia Pisano [33] Lily Johnson IN Gall, Goldrick OUT Johnson, Pisano (omitted) ST KILDA FB [14] Hannah Priest [2] Nicola Stevens HB [15] Kyla Forbes [10] Paige Trudgeon [12] Serene Watson C [1] Molly McDonald [9] Jaimee Lambert [5] Darcy Guttridge HF [16] Ella Friend [30] Jesse Wardlaw [21] Georgia Patrikios FF [11] Zoe Besanko [22] Ashleigh Richards FOL [20] Rebecca Ott [7] J'Noemi Anderson [6] Tyanna Smith I/C [3] Alice Burke [17] Nicola Barr [25] Amber Clarke [26] Charlotte Baskaran [34] Arianna Clarke EMG [8] Bianca Jakobsson [19] Rene Caris [32] Natalie Plane IN Barr OUT Plane (omitted) Injury List: Round 2 Melbourne Sinéad Goldrick — personal / available Georgia Gall — ankle / available Tayla Harris — eye / TBC Gab Colvin — knee / 3 - 4 weeks Denby Taylor foot — / 4 - 5 weeks Tahlia Gillard — knee / 7 - 9 weeks Grace Beasley — knee / 9 - 10 weeks Jacinta Hose — knee / Inactive St Kilda Nicola Barr foot — / Test Hannah Stuart hamstring — / 1 - 2 weeks Olivia Vesely hip — / 1 - 2 weeks Charlotte Simpson back — / 1 - 3 weeks Nicola Xenos foot — / 5 - 7 weeks Alana Gee — knee / 7 - 9 weeks Emmelie Fiedler — knee / season

In 1925, the City of Melbourne remained the seat of government for the Commonwealth of Australia, a role it had maintained since Federation. The country's conservative Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce, who led the Nationalist Party and shared the middle name "Melbourne" with the staid capital of his country which presented a stark contrast to its bustling rival metropolis, Sydney, on the east coast. Under Bruce's administration, Australia experienced a period of relative prosperity, during which he oversaw the relocation of government to the new capital city of Canberra, an event that was two years away. Even then, sports played a pivotal role in Australian society, and the country's popular indigenous game was expanding rapidly with the introduction of new clubs at its elite level. Meanwhile, its oldest club was experiencing a resurgence after many years in the football wilderness. On the first day of August 1925, the Melbourne Football Club virtually guaranteed its first finals appearance in a decade when, with the conclusion of two-thirds of the home-and-away season, it secured a crucial 19-point win over St Kilda at the Junction Oval. The Redlegs thereby significantly diminished the Saints' finals aspirations and, at the same time, established a two-and-a-half-win buffer over fifth-placed Fitzroy. Round 12, 1925 St. Kilda vs Melbourne Saturday 1 August Venue: Junction Oval Attendance: 20,000 MELBOURNE 5.3.33 9.5.59 9.9.63 10.10.70 ST. KILDA 1.1.7 4.4.28 5.9.39 7.9.51 Goalkickers: Colin Deane 3, Gerry Donnelly 3, Percy Tulloh 2, Harry Davie 1, Ivor Warne-Smith 1 The faster, stronger Redlegs secured the victory with a dominant first half, scoring nine goals to four and establishing a substantial 31-point halftime lead over their error-prone opposition. The Saints regained momentum in the third term, holding Melbourne scoreless while adding a single goal of their own in a fiercely contested yet fair encounter. Undeterred, St Kilda scored the opening goal of the final quarter, but subsequently lapsed into subpar form, allowing the Redlegs to maintain a comfortable advantage in the end. The drama continued after the game when St Kilda protested the result on the grounds that Melbourne had played an ineligible player, Gerald Donnelly who was virtually unknown when he was signed by the club. It was found that the Redlegs had been mistakenly granted a permit for him to play when he was residentially bound to play for North Melbourne but they were allowed to keep the points. The club was however, forced to transfer Donnelly, who kicked three goals and was one of the team's best players, to North immediately after the game. Other good players for the Redlegs on the day were Deane and Dunbar. Seconds (played 4 July) Melbourne 11.11.77 d. St Kilda 7.6.48 The Redlegs were now second on the ladder but faced further controversy surrounding playing permits a week later, prior to their match against third placed Collingwood at the MCG. The Magpies were questioning the status of Harry Davie, who was in his second year with the club. Rumours suggested Davie was tied to Richmond, but ultimately Collingwood refrained from lodging a protest, allowing the match to proceed as scheduled with the player in the Redlegs’ team. He booted three goals but it made no difference to the result as the Magpies took second place to ladder-leaders Geelong, winning a close encounter by 13 points. Round 13, 1925 Melbourne vs Collingwood Saturday 8 August Venue: MCG Attendance: 33,462 MELBOURNE 2.1.13 4.2.26 6.9.45 7.10.52 COLLINGWOOD 1.1.7 5.4.34 7.5.47 9.11.65 Goalkickers: Harry Davie 3, Jack Cannan 1, Jimmy Davidson 1, Col Deane 1, Stan Wittman 1 The loss of Donnelly to North Melbourne disrupted team placement and Melbourne were forced to reshuffle its side and with Warne-Smith required in defence their attack suffered. The Magpies went in with a full-strength side and forced their opponents into error with their fast style of game. Despite this, the Redlegs took the early lead in the first quarter with the use of the breeze but, after a brief scare, Collingwood asserted control despite ending the game with three disabled players. Their strong defence enabled them to move to an eight point advantage at half time. The Redlegs narrowed the gap to two points at the final break, after which the Magpies kicked away with the breeze at their backs. Deane, Corbett and Warne-Smith were Melbourne's best. It was Hugh Dunbar’s 50th game for the club. Seconds: Collingwood 19.14.128 d. Melbourne 6.9.45 Best: Ewing, Jorgensen, Jones On a wet Saturday afternoon in August, 7,000 fans attended Princes Park to witness an exceptional display of forward play from Redleg forward Harry Davie, who scored 13.5, a record for goals in a game at Princes Park that stood until the ground closed to AFL football in 2005. It was also Melbourne’s best individual goal tally until Fred Fanning’s 18 goals against the Saints in 1947 which stands as the competition’s best to this day. Davie's remarkable goal-kicking achievement occurred just two weeks after speculation emerged suggesting he might be lost to the club due to claims of residential ties to Richmond, but this did not deter the player or the club, as they exacted a heavy toll on a side experiencing difficult times. The forward's impressive goal tally included eight goals in the final term and fell just one short of the then league record of 14 goals in a match. It also contributed significantly to what was then Melbourne's largest victory over Carlton. Most of Davie's goals originated from distances of 40 to 60 yards, and at the conclusion of the game, he was carried off the ground by his teammates amidst the applause of supporters from both teams. Round 14, 1925 Carlton vs Melbourne Saturday 22 August Venue: Princes Park Attendance: 7000 MELBOURNE 2.0.12 6.7.43 9.10.64 18.14.122 CARLTON 3.1.19 3.3.21 6.7.43 6.9.45 Goalkickers: Harry Davie 13, Harry Moyes 3, Hugh Dunbar 1, Ivor Warne-Smith 1 Following a week-long hiatus for a state game, Melbourne rebounded from its disappointing loss to Collingwood a fortnight earlier with a percentage-boosting 77-point victory over the Blues, overcoming a seven-point deficit to the home side, which had commenced with the advantage of a strong breeze in the first quarter. The Redlegs, who had closed the game down with congested play in its early phase, slowly worked their way into the lead when their turn came to kick with the wind, although poor kicking for goal kept their lead down to 22 points at the main break. By this time, Davie had four of his team’s six goals. Carlton once again failed to capitalise on the breeze to its advantage in the third quarter and was subsequently punished heavily by a rampant Melbourne goal kicking spree, spearheaded by Davie in the last. The fact that neither the injured Chadwick nor Mollision could play at 100% proved inconsequential as the Redlegs added 9.4 to two behinds in the final quarter avalanche. Melbourne's final score fell just three points short of its all-time historical record, set against St Kilda in 1901. Davie was outstanding alongside Lilley and Taylor as the team looked ahead to the coming weeks still sitting in third position with the finals series looming. Seconds: Melbourne 12.17.89 d. Carlton 7.8.50 Goals: Dunin 2, Crossin 2, Jones 1, Ewer 1, Hazel 1 To be continued …

Exactly 100 years ago today, Melbourne smashed Carlton at Princes Park by 77 points with forward Harry Davie booting a then club record of 13 goals …

Bucks Wielding the Axe

Who are tipping this week?

It’s always a cat and mouse game between us to break the news from Twitter. 🤣😜

No Langford

Just a reminder that all Trade and Draft topics have moved here: https://demonland.com/forums/forum/38-trade-draft-free-agency/

The progressive voting after Round 1 17. Tyla Hanks 15. Olivia Purcell 13. Shelley Heath 6. Maeve Chaplin 5. Elizabeth McNamara 4. Kate Hore 2. Maggie Mahony 1. Alyssa Bannan

“Overture, curtains, lights This is it, the night of nights No more rehearsing and nursing a part We know every part by heart “Overture, curtains, lights This is it, you'll hit the heights And oh what heights we’ll hit On with the show this is it” Yes folks. This is it - the culmination of the season. The final act. Way back in March we contemplated the possibility of a Demon resurgence after Simon Goodwin’s summer of love. Many issues at the club had seemingly been addressed, key players were returning from injury and a brand new day was about to dawn. We imagined the coach pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The team would roar up the charts, push aside every opponent and make its way to a Grand Final ending in ultimate triumph with Goody and Max holding the premiership cup aloft under a shower of red and blue ticker tape. Now, all we have is Friday night, our Grand Final against an old enemy. Two teams that are on the ropes, but only one has the ability to get off the canvas and live to fight another day. And that’s the crux of the issue. Since they lost the opening game of the season to the Giants in a cliffhanger finish that could have gone either way, the Demons have lacked direction and purpose. The season was always going to end in a not so grand final, destined for one final failure. And who else but the Magpies, rising from the floor like a bloodied Rocky Balboa to deliver the final blow? Those familiar with my work would be aware that I am typically an optimist, but this week, a struggling Melbourne has nothing to play for - not even pride, a measure that fell by the wayside after Hawthorn comfortably demolished it last week with hardly a whimper in response except for a final-minute yelp. On the other hand, Collingwood might well be stuttering its way into the finals with five losses and a solitary unconvincing victory over wooden spooners Richmond in its past six outings, but don’t be fooled. They still have an outside chance of securing an unlikely top-two finish and must win to maintain the double chance, so they will be fighting vigorously to not only win but also to do so by the largest margin possible. Their problem last week was one familiar to Demon fans: a lack of forward connection. The narrow three-point loss against Adelaide came after generating 71 inside 50s to the Crows’ 37! The problem is that Melbourne’s once much vaunted defence is no longer what it used to be in the absence of Jake Lever and with the slowing down of Steven May who has been hampered by injuries this season. With the Daicos brothers usually unstoppable in situations such as the one facing them on Saturday night, that Demon defence will be under pressure from the very start with only the expected ruck domination to be garnered by their captain Max Gawn standing in the way. Melbourne has been Collingwood’s bunny in recent seasons with four consecutive losses. Yes, they did come within one point of the Magpies on Kings Birthday and, in hindsight, the outcome could have cost the Pies a top four and possibly finals finish but that sort of opportunity doesn’t come all that often and the team blew it. Back then, the Demons were on the MCG stage, Simon Goodwin was coaching them to be positive and attacking and their flickering dream of a late season revival was still alive. The curtain has rapidly fallen on that scene. Collingwood by 38 points. THE GAME Collingwood v Melbourne at the MCG Friday 22 August 2025 at 7.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Collingwood 157 wins Melbourne 85 wins 5 drawn At the MCG Collingwood 89 wins Melbourne 64 wins 3 drawn Last five meetings Collingwood 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches McCrae 0 wins Chaplin 0 wins LAST TIME THEY MET Collingwood 11.6.72 defeated Melbourne 10.11.71 at the MCG in Round 13 2025 Max Gawn was outstanding in the ruck and Bayley Fritsch and Kysaiah Pickett kicked three goals each in a close encounter won by the more accurate Magpies who fell across the line by the narrowest of margins. THE TEAMS COLLINGWOOD B B. Maynard, D. Moore, J. Howe HB H. Perryman, J. Daicos, I. Quaynor C S. Sidebottom, J. Crisp, R. Steele HF J. De Goey, T. Membrey, L. Schultz F J. Elliott, D. McStay, B. McCreery FOLL D. Cameron, N. Long, N. Daicos I/C B. Frampton, D. Houston, P. Lipinski, B. Mihocek, S. Pendlebury EMG W. Parker, E. Allan, M. Cox IN J. Howe, R. Steele OUT E. Allan (omitted), W. Parker (omitted) MELBOURNE B D. Turner, S. May, C. Salem HB J. McVee, T. McDonald, J. Bowey C E. Langdon, C. Petracca, H. Langford HF J. Culley, B. Fritsch, K. Chandler F K. Pickett, J. Van Rooyen, T. Sparrow FOLL M. Gawn, C. Oliver, J. Viney I/C B. Howes, J. Melksham, H. Petty, T. Rivers, H. Sharp EMG B. Laurie, T. Campbell, A. Johnson NO CHANGE Injury List: Round 24 Oliver Sestan — face / available Jack Henderson — groin / TBC Matt Jefferson — toe / TBC Marty Hore — knee, shoulder / season Jake Lever — ankle/ season Xavier Lindsay — hamstring / season Shane McAdam — Achilles / season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / season Caleb Windsor — hamstring / season

Officially Official

McClure has spoken so that means we won’t get Bucks and Oliver stays and Trac goes.

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