Demonland

We just cannot kick straight in last quarters

Good to see the umps policing the protected area.

Commentators were judge, jury and executioner for Melksham but with rookie Eagle the poor boy didn’t mean it.

Love it when the commentators are barracking for the opposition.

Panic merchants

We are our own worst enemy

Our best players are our worst kicks for goal

Someone run past Max

Kolt having a mare

It's Game Day and the Demons have a chance to notch up their third consecutive win — something they haven’t done since Round 5, 2024. But to do it, they’ll need to exorcise the Demons of last year’s disastrous trip out West. Can the Dees continue their momentum, right the wrongs of that fateful clash, and take another step up the ladder on the road to redemption?

A hundred years ago today, on 2 May 1925, Melbourne kicked off the new season with a 47 point victory over St Kilda to take top place on the VFL ladder after the opening round of the new season. Top place was a relatively unknown position for the team then known as the “Fuchsias.” They had finished last in 1923 and rose by only one place in the following year although the final home and away round heralded a promise of things to come when they surprised the eventual premiers Essendon. That victory set the stage for more improvement and it came rapidly. In this series, I will tell the story of how the 1925 season unfolded for the Melbourne Football Club and how it made the VFL finals for the first time in a decade on the way to the ultimate triumph a year later. 1925 The world was in between its great wars, economies were strengthening globally and extreme political movements both on the right and the left were gaining momentum. On 1 January 1925, American astronomer Edwin Hubble made a groundbreaking announcement revealing the existence of galaxies outside the Milky Way to fundamentally transform humanity's understanding of the universe. Scott Fitzgerald's seminal novel “The Great Gatsby” was published and went on to become a classic of 20th-century literature. John T. Scopes was formally indicted for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, setting the stage for the famous Scopes Trial that would challenge legal restrictions on scientific education. “The Jazz Singer” opened on Broadway, featuring George Jessel in the lead role. George Bernard Shaw received the Nobel Prize in Literature. In Australia, the Prime Minister of the day was Stanley Melbourne Bruce, leader of the Nationalist Party. 1925 was the year of birth of famous Aussies, Chief Justice of the High Court Anthony Mason, Test cricket match umpire Lou Rowan, actor Ruth Cracknell, athlete Shirley Strickland and politicians Don Chipp and Jim Killen. Windbag won the Melbourne Cup, South Sydney went through the NSWRL season undefeated and Geelong won the premiership in the VFL’s expanded twelve team competition, augmented by the introduction of three clubs promoted from the VFA, Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne. THE CAPTAIN-COACH Albert Chadwick, a tough centre half back who ran ran hard and straight, played 141 games (45 goals) for Melbourne from 1920 to 1928 after he was recruited from VFA club Prahran. Chadwick was runner up by a vote to Geelong’s “Carli” Greeves for the first ever Brownlow Medal in 1924. After the 1928 season he was appointed as captain-coach of Hawthorn where he played a further 17 games (8 goals) but by then he had tasted a premiership in the red and blue. Chadwick was appointed captain-coach of the Fuchsias in 1925 and held the position until the end of the 1927 by which time he had coached the team for 42 wins and a draw in 58 games including the 1926 premiership, the club’s second overall and its first since 1900. When his playing career ended, he rose to the position of Chairman of the Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria, was, the Melbourne Football Club president from 1950 to 1962 and the Melbourne Cricket Club president from 1965 to 1979. He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1995. The highly successful businessperson was appointed a Companion in the Order of St Michael and St George in 1967 and was knighted on 1 January 1974. He passed away in 1983, aged 85, and is remembered as one of the most prominent personalities in the history of the Melbourne Football Club. THE SEASON OPENER Round 1 Melbourne vs St. Kilda Saturday 2 May 1925 Venue: MCG Attendance: 15,267 MELBOURNE 2.5.17 5.12.42 7.16.58 9.19.73 ST. KILDA 0.1.1 0.3.3 1.5.11 3.8.26 Goals: Stan Wittman 4, Harry Davie, Percy Tulloh 2, Derek Mollison 1 Chadwick replaced Gordon Rattray as captain-coach and George Haines was vice-captain. They were joined by star recruit Ivor Warne-Smith who returned to the club for the first time since 1919 when he played eight games after returning from World War One having served at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. He had transferred to Tasmania where he played and coached for five years before coming back to Melbourne. The 27 year old Chadwick was only able to play in the opening round at the last minute when his clearance from Tasmania arrived at 11.50 on the morning of the game against the Saints. As it transpired, he chipped his collarbone in the first 10 minutes but played out the game. Three fresh players debuted with Warne-Smith for the Round One match, two of them with league experience, Frank Jorgensen (ex-Geelong) and Bill Tymms while Gerry Donnelly came from senior football in Western Australia. The Fuchsias were wasteful in the opening term, kicking only two goals with the aid slight breeze but they managed to restrict the Saints to a single behind. They made up for it with a dominant second quarter when kicking against the wind, keeping an undisciplined St Kilda goalless while adding three goals of their own to lead by 39 points at half time. The Saints regained their composure after the break to score their first goal of the day midway through the third term but they still fell further in arrears to trail by 47 points at three quarter time, which was also the final margin as the teams broke even in a hard fought final stanza which saw a visiting player reported for striking Stan Wittman. During the last break, spectators were treated to a rare display of fighting spirit from the Saints but it came from their fans when a brawl erupted in the crowd on the railway wing. Centreman Dick Taylor was Melbourne’s best player while Wittman, who ended the game with a swollen ankle booted four goals in an impressive display up forward. The defence of Thomas, Chadwick, Corbett, Streeter, Coy were praised as being well-nigh impassable. Early in the game, the first free kick was paid under the new “out of bounds” rule but from the reaction of the crowd it was clear that many didn't know that the law had been amended. Nothing much has changed in the hundred years since. In the seconds, it was a different story as St Kilda 17.25.127 defeated Melbourne 4.7.31. For the time being, it was the Melbourne Football Club that reigned on top of the Victorian Football League senior ladder for the first time in many a year. (To be continued)

INS – Melksham, Turner OUTS – Oliver (personal), Fullarton (omitted)

Happy for people to discuss how we cover Clarry’s absence on the field, but please respect his privacy when it comes to his mental health. Let’s wish him well and leave it there.

Enough with the politics talk.

You can purchase them here: https://shop.melbournefc.com.au/narrm/

Either on mobile or your computer go to the Top Right Hand corner and click on your profile picture. A drop down box will appear and one of the options should be "Mark All Content as Read".

Round 08 of the 2025 AFL Season kicks off on Thursday with a must-win game for the Bombers to stay in touch with the top eight, while the struggling Roos seek a morale-boosting upset. Friday sees the Saints desperate for a win as well if they are to stay in finals contention and their opponents the Dockers will be eager to crack in to the Top 8 with a win on the road. Saturday kicks off with a pivotal clash for both sides as the Bulldogs look to solidify their top-eight spot, while Port seeks to shake their pretender tag. Then the Crows will be looking to steady their topsy turvy season against a resurgent Blues looking to make it 4 wins on the trot. On Election Night a Blockbuster will see the ladder-leading Pies take on the Cats, who are keen to bounce back after a narrow loss. On Sunday the Sydney Derby promises fireworks as the Giants aim to cement their top-eight status, while the Swans fight to keep their season alive. The Hawks, celebrating their centenary, will be looking to easily account for the Tigers who are desperate to halt their slide. The Round concludes on Sunday Night with a top end of the table QClash with significant ladder implications; both Queensland teams are in scintillating form. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

Saturday’s election night game in Perth between the West Coast Eagles and Melbourne represents 18th vs 15th which makes it a tough decision as to which party to favour. The Eagles have yet to break the ice under their new coach in Andrew McQualter who is the second understudy in a row to confront Demon Coach Simon Goodwin who was also winless until a fortnight ago. On that basis, many punters might be considering to go with the donkey vote but I’ve been assigned with the task of helping readers to come to a considered opinion on this matter of vital importance across the nation. It was almost a year ago that I wrote a preview here of the Demons’ away game against the Eagles (under the name William from Waalitj because it was Indigenous Round). I issued a warning that it was a danger game, based on my local knowledge that the home team were no longer easybeats and that they possessed a wunderkind generational player in Harley Reid who was capable of producing stellar performances playing among men a decade and more older than he. At the time, the Eagles already had two wins off the back of a couple of the young man’s masterclasses and they had recently given the Bombers a scare straight after their Anzac Day blockbuster draw against the then reigning premiers. I also questioned the Demons for their slow starts and inability to put together four quarters of winning football. I still tipped them to win narrowly but I was scoffed at for my warning that they had a tough battle ahead of them. The result of the game turned out to be not only an utter humiliation for a team that looked sluggish and beaten for pace to lose by 35 points but it was a portent of things to come for a Melbourne that became a haunted football club for much of the remainder of season 2024 … and beyond. It should be noted that when the team arrived in WA for the equivalent game last year it was sitting in the top eight, with every reason to be confident of achieving a fourth consecutive top four finish. But in the interim, it fell from grace, ended up in the bottom six and lost the first five games of 2025. Although the Demons are on a two game winning streak, this is not the time for complacency and my warning from last year bears repeating for this clash. Goody and the club’s brains trust have learned the lessons of their Round 10 visit from last year and their mission on Saturday night is to not only ensure that this match up doesn’t turn into a repeat performance, but also that his team can exorcise the demons of that experience. They are playing with greater confidence and with more fluidity in their ball movement coming out of defence and becoming less predictable in their attacking moves. They are well led by example from skipper Max Gawn who in recent weeks has reclaimed his crown as the best ruckman in the game right through to the experienced midfielders, up and comers like Trent Rivers and Jake Bowey and young guns like Caleb Windsor and two AFL Rising Star nominees over the first six weeks of the season in Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay. The return from suspension of Kozzy Pickett has been icing on the cake. Meanwhile, the West Coast Eagles remain something of an enigma as a side that lacks experienced heads and that its younger players, like Reid, have been inconsistent and unreliable and only occasionally provide them with a glimmer of hope. While the Eagles are an outfit that should not be taken lightly on their home turf, Melbourne has enough members remaining from the team that tasted it’s moment of crowning glory at Optus Stadium in 2021, to bring home the four points. On Saturday night, I’m voting: “One - Melbourne by 15 points”. THE GAME West Coast Eagles vs Melbourne at Optus Stadium, Saturday 3 May 2025 at 7.35pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall West Coast Eagles 38 wins Melbourne 21 wins At Optus Stadium West Coast Eagles 4 wins Melbourne 4 wins Past five meetings West Coast Eagles 1 win Melbourne 4 wins The Coaches McQualter 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.10.112 defeated West Coast Eagles 8.10.58 at The MCG in Round 17, 2024 Melbourne came to the MCG with the intent of obliterating the embarrassment of their earlier defeat at the hands of West Coast at Optus Stadium and accomplished its mission with a great start, kicking seven first goal quarters to one and scoring a big nine goal win. Jacob van Rooyen starred with four goals which could have been a lot more but for the extra ruck duties due to an injury to Max Gawn. Trent Rivers and Caleb Windsor were major contributors. THE TEAMS WEST COAST EAGLES B R. Maric, J. McGovern, L. Baker HB L. Duggan, O. Allen, J. Hunt C B Hough, T. Kelly, B. Allen HF M. Owies, J. Waterman, J. Graham F J. Cripps, A. Reid, L. Ryan FOLL M. Flynn, J. Hutchinson, H. Reid I/C T. Brockman, R. Ginbey, E. Hewitt, J. Williams SUB T. Cole EMG H. Davis, T. Gross, J. Williams IN B.Allan, T.Brockman, T. Kelly OUT H. Davis (omitted), T. Dewar (omitted), N. Long (omitted) MELBOURNE B J. Bowey, S. May, T. Rivers HB J. McVee, T. McDonald, C. Windsor C T. Sparrow, J. Viney, X. Lindsay HF K. Tholstrup, J. Melksham, E. Langdon F K. Chandler, B. Fritsch, K. Pickett FOLL M. Gawn, C. Petracca, H. Langford I/C H. Petty, C. Salem, C Spargo, D. Turner SUB H. Sharp EMG B. Howes, B. Laurie, J. van Rooyen IN: J. Melksham, D. Turner OUT: T. Fullarton (omitted), C. Oliver (personal) Injury List: Round 8 Jake Melksham — leg / available Daniel Turner — concussion / test Marty Hore — calf / 3 weeks Jake Lever — ankle / 4 - 5 weeks Shane McAdam — Achilles / next season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / next season