Demonland

Surprised my post wasn’t posted by you.

Melbourne’s slow starts have been a troubling theme for a while. Against the Suns, they started slowly in both of their games, they trailed by 5.7.37 to 0.1.1 at quarter time at Peoples First Stadium in Round 16. This season, the story has remained the same and if the Demons fail to shake off this issue against the unbeaten Gold Coast Suns, they will be in serious danger of capitulating once again in their Easter Sunday showdown. There will be no room for a spiritual or physical resurgence or redemption in such circumstances with no dramatic comebacks and no last-minute heroics. If the Suns are allowed off the leash early, the Demons will be in world of pain. The last thing we need to see is the faithful heading for the exits early. We saw how demoralizing things can get when old familiar patterns are followed. Look at the way Carlton fans reacted last week when Kozzy Pickett’s goal put Melbourne two kicks ahead, despite ample time for the Blues to reverse the momentum. The Suns are flying high, sitting atop the ladder, undefeated, and boasting an impressive percentage nearing 200. Their dominance has been nothing short of a juggernaut, but I’m going to stick my neck out and predict that both of the trends outlined above - the Demons’ slow starts and the Suns’ rampant form - are about to change. Melbourne coach Steven King demonstrated last week that he can turn a game around with clever in-game adjustments. Now, he needs to find a way to get his charges firing from the opening of proceedings. To do this, they must replicate the fierce attack on the football and smarter play they exhibited in the last three quarters against Carlton, while also countering Gold Coast’s lethal attacking threat from the outset. One factor that could play into the Demons’ hands is the Suns’ recent bye week, a potential momentum breaker. Momentum is crucial for maintaining peak performance in AFL, and after three strong victories against the underprepared Cats in steamy energy-sapping conditions up north, followed by comfortable wins over regular cellar dwellers the Eagles and Tigers, Gold Coast may have yet to face the kind of pressure seen in a high-stakes AFL contest. Melbourne, led by the formidable Max Gawn and electrifying Kozzy Pickett, will look to fire up the MCG crowd early in the game. With the absence of key players like Christian Petracca and Bailey Humphrey - both crucial in Gold Coast’s early victories - the Demons have an opportunity to exploit some vulnerability within the ranks of the Suns. However, it’s important to note that this won’t be an easy task. Gold Coast remains a dangerous, high-powered team, and Melbourne will need to be at their best to challenge them. That said, the Demons continue to entertain, playing an exciting brand of fast, running football. The youngsters and their newly recruited players are rapidly improving, strengthening the team’s cohesion with each passing week. While it will undoubtedly be a difficult test, I believe Melbourne has the potential to make this a closely contested encounter, with the possibility of shocking the Suns and breaking their momentum. It will be close. Prediction: A challenging match, with Melbourne coming close to pulling off an upset, particularly if they can take control early and stifle Gold Coast’s attacking threats. Gold Coast by two points. THE GAME Gold Coast Suns vs Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday 5 April 2026 at 3.15pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Melbourne 15 wins Gold Coast Suns 5 wins At the MCG - Melbourne 5 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins Past five matches - Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins The Coaches - Steven King 0 wins Damien Hardwick 0 wins THE LAST TIME THEY MET Gold Coast Suns 15.14.104 defeated Melbourne 12.13.75 at Peoples First Stadium, Round 16 2025 The Suns jumped a sluggish Demons outfit who fumbled and stumbled their way through an embarrassing half hour of inept football to trail by six goals at the first break. They took until 12 minute mark to score their opening goal through Jake Melksham and slowly clawed their way back but, despite that player’s heroics and five goals, the Demons were always going to fall short and some undisciplined acts added to their pain. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B H. Petty, J. Lever, B. Howes HB X. Lindsay, T. McDonald C. Salem C H. Sharp, J. Steele, C. Windsor HF L. Pickett, J. van Rooyen, E. Langdon F B. Laurie, B. Mihocek, K. Pickett FOLL M. Gawn, T. Sparrow, J. Culley I/C K. Chandler, H. Langford, J. Melksham, K. Tholstrup, D. Turner EMG M. Heath, J. Henderson, L. Kentfield IN B. Laurie, J. Melksham, D. Turner OUT P. Cross (thumb), B. Fritsch (foot), C. Jiath (calf) GOLD COAST B C. Ballard, S. Collins, M. Andrew HB J. Noble, B. Uwland, D. Rioli C L. Weller, W. Powell, S. Clohesy HF B. Long, T. Miller, W. Graham F E. Read, B. King, L. Lombard FOLL J. Witts, N. Anderson, M. Rowell I/C L. Gulbin, J. Jeffrey, J. Rogers, Z. Uwland, J. Walter EMG O. Adams, A. Davies, J. Farrar IN L. Gulbin, M. Rowell, J. Walter OUT A. Davies (omitted), B. Humphrey (suspension), C. Petracca (hamstring) Injury List: Round 4 Aidan Johnson — knee / available Matthew Jefferson — foot / available Luker Kentfield — knee / available Daniel Turner — hand / Test Bayley Fritsch — foot / TBC Trent Rivers — knee / TBC Kalani White — glandular fever / 1 week Shane McAdam — Achilles / 2-3 weeks Changkuoth Jiath — calf / 3-4 weeks Patrick Cross — thumb / 4-5 weeks Jake Bowey — foot / 5-7 weeks Tom Campbell — neck / TBC Jack Viney — Achilles / TBC

Hearing that a big name is out this week (and for about 5 more). I won't reveal as it will come out today and no need to give the oppo a heads up. Brace yourselves.

Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Dees Finals chances? 😜

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Everything was pushed back one day this week. Apologies.

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Working on a technical issue. Be LIVE soon,

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Ed Langdon variant ....

Wow. 90s 15 year old me needs this.

Cutting off the questions here. Thanks for the input. See you tonight at 8pm!!! LISTEN: https://demonland.com

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On a similar theme to you I went down the rabbit hole of Carlton fan YouTube channel reactions. All the nuffies around me left too quickly while I was basking in the glory at the G for me to soak in their reactions in realtime at the ground so it was cathartic for me to lap up in their "sack the lot of them" emotions after the fact.

There's something familiar happening right at the top of the progressive leader board:- 49. Max Gawn 27. Jack Steele 25. Kysaiah Pickett 16. Jacob van Rooyen 11. Christian Salem 9. Bayley Fritsch Jake Lever Koltyn Tholstrup 8. Jai Culley Ed Langdon 7. Tom Sparrow 5. Trent Rivers 4. Brody Mihocek 1. Kade Chandler Harrison Petty

I could listen to Blues Radio every time they choke.

Just a reminder that the Podcast will air LIVE tomorrow night (Tuesday) and not tonight.

The text messages started flooding in shortly after quarter time. One read: “Is Melbourne even at the ground?” Moments later, as Carlton’s Elijah Hollands kicked the first goal of the second term, the Blues held a commanding 43-point lead. By then, the Demons’ only score was a behind kicked by Brody Mihocek nearly five minutes into the game. Ironically, Mihocek would also register the last minor score of the day after the game took a dramatic turnaround. Melbourne kept the lead for just another three and a half minutes before third-game player Jagga Smith kicked the first goal in a 21-minute flurry of seven unanswered Carlton goals, capped off by Hollands’ first of two majors on the day. However, by the time he kicked his second, the shape of the contest had shifted as drastically as the texts appearing on my phone screen. In that opening quarter, the Blues were as dominant as any team I’ve seen against the Demons in the past two decades - evoking memories of a humiliating day at the Cattery in 2011, when Geelong handed Melbourne a 186-point drubbing, with the quarter time score a staggering 8.3.51 to 0.3.3. Back then, Max Gawn and Tom McDonald were rookies, watching from the stands as the Demons were torn apart. Now, both men were celebrating their 250th games, forlornly hoping to turn the tide. Carlton’s first-quarter pressure was relentless, while Melbourne’s errors were equally glaring. The game was largely played in Carlton’s forward half, reflected in the Blues’ commanding 22-5 edge in inside 50s. The Demons’ ruck dominance through Gawn was being nullified by Carlton’s midfield, which was handsomely winning the clearance battle. Meanwhile, turnovers and poor disposal efficiency plagued Melbourne’s ball movement. After the deluge, the Demons set about clawing their way back, but progress was slow. Their first goal of the day didn’t come until the 26-minute mark of the second term, courtesy of Harvey Langford’s six-pointer. It was hard to believe that, just an hour and 20 minutes later, Melbourne would be coasting to a famous 23-point victory over a spent and despondent opponent. The recovery gathered steam in the third term. Despite trailing by 34 points at half-time, Melbourne had noticed Carlton’s previous struggles after that interval and backed themselves to surge in the second half. Demon forward Bayley Fritsch, who played a pivotal role in the comeback with four second-half goals, summed it up on ABC: “It’s no lie that they’ve struggled in second halves this season. We knew that if we could string a couple of goals together, they’d start to feel the pressure.” Carlton’s fragility was mental as much as physical. It was playing with their heads and they gradually lost their grip on the game. Max Gawn asserted himself around the ground, and the attacking charge was led by the brilliant Kozzie Pickett, whose 19-disposal, five-clearance second half was capped by a key goal. Jack Steele, Tom Sparrow, and Caleb Windsor all played critical roles in Melbourne’s resurgence. On a day when my phone buzzed with a non-stop stream of texts, there was one I never received: an apology from the St Kilda fan who had scoffed in the off-season, claiming that the career of his team’s former captain was over. He was a spent force. Wrong. When the game was at its most desperate, Steele’s defensive intensity and leadership shone. His 15 tackles were pivotal, and his tireless pressure, along with Sparrow’s hard work, started to undermine Carlton’s composure. In the background, Caleb Windsor (24 disposals, 447 metres gained) was quietly having coming of age. Carlton’s last flicker of resistance came in the form of a brief two goal burst which got them back to a 20 point lead but now it was Melbourne’s turn to pile on the goals at the city end of the ground. Coach Steven King promised the fans were in for an exciting ride and his team delivered. His Demons doubled their score in the final quarter and a triumphant Max Gawn came off the ground with 55 hit outs and 23 touches to celebrate his 250th match with his mate Tom McDonald who had done his bit for the team cause with 18 disposals in defence. When I looked at my phone after the game ended, I heard another ping and there was a deluge of SMS messages filled with admiration for their performance. MELBOURNE 0.1.1 1.6.12 7.8.50 15.10.100 CARLTON 6.2.38 7.4.46 9.8.62 11.11.77 GOALS MELBOURNE Fritsch 4 Chandler Langdon Langford 2 Cross Mihocek K Pickett Sharp Sparrow CARLTON McGovern 3 E Hollands 2 Ainsworth Byrne Carroll Cripps McKay Smith BEST MELBOURNE K Pickett Mihocek Fritsch Gawn Steele Windsor CARLTON Weitering Smith Dean Pittonet E Hollands Walsh INJURIES MELBOURNE Changkuoth Jiath (calf) CARLTON Harry Dean (shoulder) Zac Williams (ribs) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil CARLTON Nil

I'm proposing a merger.

The Geelong one was special too because we took out the Minor Premiership and it set us up for the flag run.