Demonland

The Demons started strongly but after holding a 27-point quarter time lead, were just three points in front at half time. After a third term armwrestle, the Giants took the ascendancy through the straight kicking and strong marking of former Dee Jesse Hogan who kicked 4.0 and they looked home halfway through the final term when they led by 27 points. Melbourne finished strongly with four goals but the final siren held them up with GWS up by two points at the end. Trent Rivers and Jack Viney worked hard all game for the Demons. MELBOURNE 5.5.35 6.7.43 8.9.57 12.11.83 GWS GIANTS 1.2.8 6.4.40 9.6.60 13.7.85 GOALS MELBOURNE Chandler Fritsch 2 Gawn Langdon Melksham Neale-Bullen Petty Pickett van Rooyen Viney GWS GIANTS Hogan 4 Greene 3 Daniels 2 Bedford Green McMullin Ward BEST MELBOURNE Rivers Viney Lever May Oliver Langdon GWS GIANTS Green Greene Hogan Daniels Callaghan Whitfield THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B Tom McDonald, S. May, J. McVee HB J. Bowey, J. Lever, A. Moniz-Wakefield C E. Langdon, C. Oliver, C. Windsor HF K. Pickett, J. van Rooyen, J. Melksham F K. Chandler, B. Fritsch, H. Petty FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, T. Rivers I/C J. Billings, B. Laurie, A. Neal-Bullen, D. Turner, T. Woewodin EMG K. Brown, B. Howes, T. Sparrow IN M. Gawn, B. Laurie, T. Woewodin OUT C. Salem (hamstring), T. Sparrow (omitted), K. Tholstrup (concussion) GWS GIANTS B C. Idun, J. Buckley, H. Himmelberg
 HB L. Whitfield, S. Taylor, H. Perryman
 C C. Ward, T. Green, T. McMullin
 HF B. Daniels, Jake Riccardi, T. Bedford
 F T. Greene, J. Hogan, D. Jones
 FOLL K. Briggs, F. Callaghan, J. Peatling
 I/C L. Ash A. Cadman, J. Fonti, X. O’Halloran, H. Thomas
 EMG N. Haynes, L. Keeffe, C. Stone 
IN S. Taylor 
OUT I. Cummings (hamstring)

Demonland Trackwatcher RedLeg23 journeyed to Casey Fields to provide firsthand insights from behind the fence at Saturday's match simulation. REDLEG23'S MATCH SIM OBSERVATIONS A stunning morning here @ Casey Fields & the vibes are well & truly up! Rehab Running laps … laps & more laps - Hore, Kentfield, Kolt, McVee & Melk The intraclub match sim is underway! [played in two periods] PERIOD 1: • Viney grubs one forward from the centre, Fritsch collects a bouncing ball in 50, hands off to Trac who hits Chandler lace out to the RHS pocket - converts from the set shot. • Lever vocal barking directions down back • Beautiful passage from Sharpy - Sestan across half back to Sharp who gets & runs. Couple bounces then hits Mentha top of the 50. Hands back to a running sharp who streams inside F50 for the whites first. • Nice clunk in defence from Petty • Trac looking focussed & composed with everything he does - just slots a set shot bomb from 50. • Viney to Caleb to Trac to Oliver. Clarry kicks to the RHS pocket to Chandler who found space again - misses the shot • Chandler involved in just about every forward entry so far - another set shot from the same RHS pocket. This time he converts! • Lovely swoop & collect of a lose ball from Bowey deep in defence who then hits Langdon in the back pocket. • Windsor with the run and carry streaming forward, kicks … misses. • Kozzy getting busy. One-two through the middle then a long bomb who hits AJ mid stride into the open goal. • Stoppage half forward 50 - lose ball ends up with Max who hits it sweet from 40. Goal to the skip. • Viney with the centre clearance hacks it inside 50. Chin gathers another lose ball who hits Rivers in space. Converts from 35. A quick drinks break & score update:- Blue 5.3.33 White 2.0.12 • Hendo finds space across half forward 50, back in board to Spargo who kicks in a loonggg ball (35mt) to Campbell marks deep in forward pocket. Misses the set shot • Who’s chuck? Dark, curly hair & built like a brick @ghostwriter • Another contested mark in the LHS forward pocket from Campbell against Petty - this time he converts • Laurie looking the more composed from the Whites - gives off to Kozz who streams through the middle who hits up a leading Campbell again! Then chips to a free Fullarton who converts from 30 • Menth’s a smooth mover, evasive • Kozzy with Pace thru the middle who pumps one forward. AJ contests deep against two, gathers the ground ball out the back who goals on the line - 5 goal apiece now, Whites with the last 3. Half time Scores:- Blue 5. 4. 34 White 5. 1. 31 Period 1 Stand outs: Trac, Clarry, Chandler, Kozz, Bowey, Windsor, Gawn, Campbell Roo, Turner & Jeffo barely sited up forward atm. PERIOD 2: • Charlie Spargo looking nice for the whites. Confidence is growing • Beautiful transition work through the middle from Spaz on a couple of occasions. Hits up Roo who then chips one to Fritta 30m out who slots it • Kozz & Spargo prominent for whites • Turner looks down on confidence atm - great body work deep in F50 but then drops a sitter. Opportunity missed. • Not a lot of leading or movement from our forwards, plenty of pointing though. Another quick drinks break & score update:- Blue 6.5.41 White 5.2.32 • Our key F50 posts are still very young up forward aren’t we - Jefferson, Turner & Roo • Lindsay kicks the ball with lovely touch & makes the right decisions • Long ball in F50 - beautiful contested mark from Roo against many … misses from 35. But better. • Hendo clean below his knees & with some dash & skill. Looks likely • Fritta with another set shot now. Better. At times getting be ball across the HB line & using it well. • McDonald v Roo is a great match up right now - on queue Roo with another contested mark leading in front of Tmac - converts from 35. He’s rolling now & no signs of any back concerns • Pup converts the set shot from close range • Great tackle from Clarry on Kozzy - holding the ball • Jeffo nowhere near it atm - up against Adams Full Time scores:- Blue 9.8.62 White 7.3.45 PERIOD 2 Standouts: JVR! And that’s a wrap. Teams branched off for more running & drills.

Updated fixture for this week.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred has wreaked havoc on AFL Round 0 having caused the cancellation of two of the round’s four matches which stand directly in its path as it slowly meanders its way towards the SE Queensland coast. The season opener is now taking place in Sydney tomorrow night at 7:40pm - The second match of the truncated opening round will take place on Sunday afternoon at 3:20pm at a venue called Engie Stadium. How will the AFL respond with the quandary created by the postponement of the Brisbane Lions vs Geelong and Gold Coast Suns vs Essendon games without causing major disruptions to the fixture?

I initially considered removing this post and issuing you a private warning about your aggressive or overly passive-aggressive tone, particularly towards new posters. However, I believe a public reminder is more appropriate. Pull your head in. Goes as a general warning to others too. We all barrack for the same team

My enthrallment with that achievement has no hold over me anymore.

You were expecting a good naming convention from the organisation that gave us this?

I don't understand the hostility toward the Opening Round concept, especially with people using the cyclone as supposed evidence against it.

Demonland Footy Tipping Returns for 2025! 🏆🔴🔵 The Demonland Footy Tipping competition is back for the 2025 AFL season! Think you can out-tip your fellow Demonlanders? Now’s your chance to prove it! How to Join: 1️⃣ Head over to footytips.com.au. 2️⃣ Sign up by creating an account (if you don’t already have one). 3️⃣ Join the Demonland competition by following this link: Demonland Footy Tipping 4️⃣ Alternatively, you can search for Demonland in the competitions and enter the password: demons. Returning Tipsters: If you were part of the Demonland Footy Tipping competition last year, you’re automatically enrolled for 2025! Just make sure your login details are correct and don’t forget to submit your tips before the first bounce. Get involved, have some fun, and let’s see who can take out tipping glory this season! Go Dees! 🔴🔵

This comment from Dwayne makes zero sense unless JVR was out for the year. “The issue with Melbourne is as good as they looked on the weekend, they still haven't fixed their forward line problem,” Russell said. “It's been a problem for 3 years. We've been told for three years it's going to be fixed. Van Rooyen, we have been told is going to be the fix. “But they don't appear to have fixed it for mine"

Can take Dwayne off the bullish list. We've now slid to 9th after the Freo practice match. Dwayne Russell has made one change to his top eight after the AAMI Community Series wrapped up. Before the official pre-season kicked off, Russell ranked all of the teams from 1 to 18, with Melbourne his very early eighth side to play in September. While Russell still has the Dees rising in 2025, he has replaced them in his top eight with Carlton after the Blues beat GWS by 58 points at Manuka Oval on Friday. “Seven of my top eight were already locked in pretty much prior to the weekend of footy we just had,” Russell told SEN Afternoons. “But I actually loved what Carlton showed me. I loved the progression of Tom De Koning as the number one ruck, and he might end up being a contender for the All-Australian ruck spot this year. “He showed me something on the weekend that I really wanted to see, and that was a guy who looks like he's about to take the next step, a bit like Sam Darcy has been showing us for quite a while. “There were a couple of issues with the backline that I had in my mind that weren't necessarily looking like they were going to be fixed by Carlton, but I liked the addition of Jack Silvagni. “The fact that Carlton don't have to rely on Lewis Young as their second key defender has encouraged me to think that they might have evolved to the point that they've got a backline that can hold up.” With Melbourne sliding from eighth to ninth in his rankings, Russell thinks the main thing that’s holding the Dees back from being a top-eight lock in his eyes is their tall forwards situation. “The issue with Melbourne is as good as they looked on the weekend, they still haven't fixed their forward line problem,” Russell said. “It's been a problem for 3 years. We've been told for three years it's going to be fixed. Van Rooyen, we have been told is going to be the fix. “But they don't appear to have fixed it for mine to the point that I’d put Melbourne in the eight ahead of Carlton. “So, Melbourne, I have at ninth.” Dwayne Russell’s updated top eight for 2025 1 – GWS 2 – Hawthorn 3 – Geelong 4 – Fremantle 5 – Brisbane 6 – Sydney 7 – Collingwood 8 – Carlton

It rolls over every year so if you previously were in the competition at Footytips.com.au then you are still in the competition. Just make sure you remember your username and password for that site and submit your tips before the first game. If you would like to join then click this link: https://www.footytips.com.au/comps/Demonland?p=demons

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The AFL believes there are two realistic options to reschedule the Gold Coast vs Essendon game… 1) Move existing Suns & Dons matches a day or two either way so it can squeeze in the middle. This is clearly more of an option around byes. (Rds 2 & 14 for GC - Rds 4 & 16 for Ess) 2) Work with other clubs to shift their matches around so GC v Ess can slot in. The backstop option is to play it after Round 24, in the week before finals. It’s complex, particularly given there is travel involved for the Dons.