Demonland

Hawthorn and Melbourne. Two teams with impressive form from last week but with seasons that are travelling on different trajectories meet in Saturday’s twilight game for what could well be the most intriguing contest of the AFL’s penultimate round. Sadly, the game has been relegated to that unappealing time slot in the weekend when Melburnians are typically preoccupied with activities other than football. It falls between the morning's shopping, afternoon sport and recreation, and Saturday night fever. A time usually reserved for relatively insignificant events but this one is not a nothingburger for either of the clubs or their fans. The Hawks have every incentive to win this game, as their season hangs precariously in the balance. With only two games remaining, one misstep could result in the finals door closing on them. In contrast, the Demons have minimal motivation to win, and some argue that losing would be beneficial, securing a bottom-four finish and potentially gaining advantages from the AFL's supposed equalisation process. Incidentally, that system is flawed because Hawthorn, who finished in the top six last year, will end up with fewer regular season games against this year’s finalists than Melbourne, which finished in the bottom six. The reality for the Demons therefore is that even in the absence of a tangible reward for the win, they must persevere, not merely for pride, but also for the future of every player who dons the jumper. The eyes of any prospective new coach will be focused on every member of the 23 making up the team, and for many, their future at the club and in the sport will be on the line. This expectation should be implicit in professional sports, yet Melbourne's recent history renders it a stark reality. And with that, I expect the game to reach a similar high standard to that which we saw in its game against the Bulldogs. It’s worth reiterating that, as is the case with any game involving the Melbourne Football Club these days, the team's fortunes are largely contingent upon the performance of its All-Australian bound captain, Max Gawn, who consistently delivers outstanding results. Last week, he once again led by example, producing a best-on-ground performance that included 23 disposals at 73% efficiency, 42 hit-outs, and a goal. His opponent this week Lloyd Meek, had a standout game in the Hawks' decisive victory over the Magpies, with 32 hit-outs, seven marks, and three important goals. Meek has always performed well against Gawn so this contest will be crucial. That said, the rest of the team also needs to stand up and demonstrate that it’s not reliant on the efforts of one player. There’s plenty of talent still at Melbourne. The team is not nearly as old as the side that Hawthorn brushed aside last week and with many of its more experienced brigade needing to demonstrate their relevance for next year, the game should go down to the wire. Failing this, we can expect one or two names associated with that 2021 premiership to been elsewhere in 2026 in much the same way as the Hawks bit the bullet when Sam Mitchell turned up to first coach and set the team up to become a finalist in a short span of time. Melbourne looked great at times last week when they got going, particularly in the third quarter when they instigated fast movement forward, often starting at half back. The improvement obvious from the change of style from contested play was somewhat blunted when the Bulldogs place pressure on the backline which held up well against their keys but in the end, something had to give and Bontempelli and Richards were too good. I expect the Hawks to apply similar pressure on the Demons defence which should be bolstered by the return of Steven May. Melbourne will also need to augment its arsenal of faster players after Caleb Windsor’s hamstring injury, accentuated by the continued absence of Xavier Lindsay. I expect Melbourne to put up a good fight but, with the Hawks desperate for the four points to stay in the finals race and maintain a charge for a final four chance, they should just prevail in football’s twilight zone. Hawthorn by 14 points. THE GAME Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 16 August 2025 at 4.15pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Hawthorn 88 wins Melbourne 83 wins 1 draw At the MCG Hawthorn 47 wins Melbourne 43 wins 1 draw Last 5 meetings Hawthorn 1 win Melbourne 4 wins 1 The Coaches Mitchell 0 wins Chaplin 0 wins THE LAST TIME THEY MET Hawthorn 13.13.91 defeated Melbourne 7.14.56 at The MCG in Round 9 2025 Melbourne fought tenaciously for three quarters and remained competitive until Hawthorn accelerated and finished strongly. The game was marred by poor umpiring, exemplified by the failure to award an obvious free kick to Kozzy Pickett, who was tripped in the goal square. The Hawks were buoyed by the lucky break and went on to win by a comfortable 35 points. THE TEAMS HAWTHORN B J. Battle, T. Barrass, B. Hardwick HB J. Impey, J. Sicily, J. Scrimshaw C K. Amon, C. Nash, C. MacDonald HF M. D'Ambrosio, C. Dear, N. Watson F J. Gunston, M. Lewis, D. Moore FOLL L. Meek, J. Newcombe, J. Worpel I/C C. Jiath, J. Ward, M. Chol, J. Ginnivan, L. Breust EMG B. MacDonald, C. Mackenzie, J. Serong NO CHANGE MELBOURNE B T. McDonald, S. May, T. Rivers HB J. McVee, D. Turner, C. Salem C J. Culley, C. Petracca, H. Langford HF K. Pickett, B. Fritsch, K. Chandler F J. Melksham, J. Van Rooyen, T. Sparrow FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, E. Langdon I/C J. Bowey, B. Howes, C. Oliver, H. Petty, H. Sharp EMG J. Adams, J. Billings, A. Johnson IN S. May, H. Sharp OUT J. Adams (omitted), C. Windsor (hamstring) Injury List: Round 23 Xavier Lindsay — groin / 1 week Oliver Sestan — face / 1 week Marty Hore — knee, shoulder / season Jake Lever — ankle/ season Shane McAdam — Achilles / season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / season Caleb Windsor — hamstring / season

I don't think we're in a position to be dictating to a potential big signing to settle down. And I don't think saying the prospect is "compelling" and that he'd "take a call" can be seen as a couch jump moment.

2 journos rushing to break it in a tie breaker tells me it was "leaked" at the same time to at least two journos.

Old?

Exclusive footage from inside the meeting with Bucks.

Well that's all we've seen.

You must be watching and listening to different interviews or shows than I am. He has not exactly been doing a Tom Cruise on Oprah, nor has he been coy and then declared no interest like Simpson and Longmire. I assume he is our preference and I will concede that he has shown more than a mild interest, but I will not be surprised if in the coming weeks he were to come out and say he is not ready to begin coaching again. Putting aside the financial feasibility that will satisfy him and meet any hurdles within our soft cap, there are definitely many cons that could turn him away. These include perceived board or club instability, the lack of a home base, the unattractiveness of Casey’s location, and any other perceived problems associated with the club. No doubt there will be pros that appeal to him, but we should not be naive about all the noise, whether genuine or not, that could potentially scare him away. A lot of these issues, whether perceived or real, might not be a problem for a highly touted assistant who is craving a crack at the big time.

I would imagine that it is more likely that he pulls out of the race for (insert any reason) before "not getting the gig". You'd have to assume that if he wants the gig he will get it.

For those who were having trouble accessing this via Facebook or not wanting Meta access to their brain.

I guess this one goes here rather than the new coach thread.

Ten seasons. Eighteen teams. With the young talent pathway finally fully connected, Women’s Australian Rules football is building momentum and Season 2025 promises to be the best yet. In advance of Season 10, the AFL leadership has engaged in candid discussions with all clubs regarding strategies to boost attendance and expand fan bases. Concerningly, average attendances in 2024 were 2,660 fans per match, with the women’s game incurring an annual loss of approximately $50 million. The AFL is looking for improvements such as: • scheduling more fan-friendly timeslots, consolidated at selected suburban venues. • holding the Grand Final every year in the last weekend of November. • enhancing the ‘on-field’ product with clubs instructed to transition the defensive tackle-fest and focus on fast-flowing outside game plans. A handful of teams are already primed for this, including the Mighty Demons. Season Format & Fixture Shake-Up • 12 rounds over 12 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of finals. • Season kicks off Thursday, August 14 with Carlton vs Collingwood at Ikon Park—a throwback to the inaugural lockout game. • The AFLW opening rounds overlap with rounds 23 and 24 of the AFL men’s season, with fixtures staggered to avoid clashes. Five Key Things to Monitor in 2025 1. Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs – R1 Hampson–Hardeman Cup under lights 2. Razor Ray returns to AFLW umpiring bringing his trademark flair and quirkiness 3. Fremantle vs North Melbourne – R3 will the Kangaroos make it 15 wins on the trot to break Melbourne’s existing 14 game winning streak (R5 2022-R5 2023)? 4. 50 Game Milestoners – #24 Megan Fitzsimon (45 games) #22 Eliza McNamara (44) will hopefully join the 50-game club in rounds 5 and 6 respectively. 5. Geelong vs Melbourne – R12 two top teams tuning up for finals at GMHBA Stadium Team Spotlight: Melbourne FC Demons Fixture Highlights: After last year’s ‘fixed-ya’ fixture and finishing 9th, the AFL has given Melbourne an easier draw. The Demons have not been drawn to play home and away games against three of the leading contenders: • reigning premiers North Melbourne, • heavyweight Adelaide, and • 2024 finalists Hawthorn. We play our first ever games for premiership points against Port (R5) and Sydney (R10) and travel interstate for the Port Adelaide, Fremantle and Brisbane matches. With five games at Casey Fields (the Field of Dreams) and one game at Ikon, it is a friendly fixture and won’t harm our prospects for a top 4 finish. List Changes • Outs: Lily Mithen (Gold Coast), Delany Madigan (delisted), Grace Hill (delisted). • Ins: Molly O’Hehir (speedy tall halfback), Maggie Mahony (competitive small mid), Milly Dethridge (promising hockey cross-coder), Laela Ebert (skillful defender). Injury Watch • Tahlia ‘Jules’ Gillard (MCL) – out for half the season and will be sorely missed. Given our early-season opponents, we may hopefully be able to cover her absence. • Grace Beasley (ACL) - recovering well and expected to return during 2025 • Gaby Colvin (MCL) - out for the beginning of the season. • Jacinta Hose (back) - out for the season (replacement: Laela Ebert) • Aimee Mackin (ACL) - out for the season (replacement: Denby Taylor) Meggs’ Season 10 Predictions • Premiers: North Melbourne – the first team to go back-to-back. • Top 4: North Melbourne, Brisbane, Melbourne, Geelong. • Leading Goal Kicker: Kate Hore (again), closing in on 100 career goals (currently 78). • League B&F: Jasmine Garner (finally the year?) • Smokey: Sydney – stars return and bounce back to finals. • Flopper: Despite the best efforts of boom recruit Lily Mithen, the Suns to struggle in 2025. • Dees_In_October to change her name to Dees_In_November Meggs’ Final Word Having watched a bit of VFLW and the AFLW practice matches this year, you can see that our core group of best players are set for a great season. While we have several injured and recovering players, our team list is deep and strong so there should be no excuses from our inspirational coach Mick Stinear. Mick has coached 87 career games (with an impressive 71% win-rate). With 12 home and away games, just one finals match would see him reach the ton. Wouldn’t we all love to see that! Meggs will be back with a preview of Melbourne’s Round 1 clash under lights at Mission Whitten Oval. Until then—get excited as the Dees are primed and ready to deliver in 2025 and keep the #demonspirit alive.

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Doing the Podcast at the moment. Anyone got some bullet points? Thanks in advance.