Demonland

Good evening, Demon fans and welcome back to the Demonland Podcast ... it’s time to discuss this week’s game against the Blues. Will the Demons celebrate Clayton Oliver’s 200th game with a victory? We have a number of callers waiting on line … Leopold Bloom: Carlton and Melbourne are both out of finals contention with six wins and eleven losses, and are undoubtedly the two most underwhelming and disappointing teams of 2025. Both had high expectations at the start of participating and advancing deep into the finals, but instead, they have consistently underperformed and disappointed themselves and their supporters throughout the year. However, I am inclined to give the Demons the benefit of the doubt, as they have made some progress in addressing their issues after a disastrous start. In contrast, the Blues are struggling across the board and do not appear to be making any notable improvements. They are regressing, and a significant loss is looming on Saturday night. Max Gawn in the ruck will be huge and the Demon midfield have a point to prove after lowering their colours in so many close calls. Kev: With Carlton transitioning through what Melbourne experienced last year, as the media speculate about their elite players, and staff, moving on. It comes as MFC are in a better emotional state (went through it last season), than the Blues, who appear to have not hit rock bottom yet. Both clubs have the players, the processes, and structure, when they are on, to hurt any team. It will be a battle of the underachievers, with a fair bit of arm wrestling as they fight to get the upper-hand. Melbourne have been playing a very competitive game, using effort and some flair. The older mids are being rotated at stoppages with some young ones getting a look in, and doing well as they balance their attacking brand, with a defensive structure. Goody continues to adjust his system, controlling tempo and ball movement. They look for boundary line outlets and set the forwards high up the ground, creating forward one on ones as they run hard into the 50. Some more of those long raking kicks to advantage from Langford will impress. Kozzie to continue being an untouchable speedster no matter what they try to do to him, running circles around them. Melky to hit them from their blindside, and Max to mark everything coming his way. Carlton will use the main pillars of, mids gaining clearances, the defensive intercept and slings, and the forwards taking contested marks. Voss continues to hope for centralised corridors for fast ball movement so as to create open areas in the forward line. Expect Melbourne to stay within striking range, slowly getting their noses in front and holding the lead. Neither team will dominate as the game ebbs and flow between the two contestants. Sydney Pennski Melbourne fans are well known for their pessimistic outlook, and my expectation from this game is that the roof is about to fall in. With the exception of Kozzie, the Dees finally found their kicking boots last week with 18.11. I highly doubt that this performance will be repeated this week. Meanwhile, dual Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow, who has recently struggled with his kicking, posting 0.9 in his last four games, will kick five straight as the Blues fall in by a point in controversial circumstances after Adam Cerra accidentally bumps into a field umpire preventing him from paying a free kick to Bayley Fritsch right in front of goal as the siren sounds. Little Goffy There are two deep reasons Melbourne should be expected to defeat Carlton this Saturday night at the MCG. Firstly, there's nothing at stake. For a generation, and even at their lowest ebb, Carlton found a way to ruin seasons for Melbourne. Ranging from 2006, when the Blues managed two wins over the Demons and only one more for the rest of the season and in the process cost Melbourne a top-4 spot in a wide open premiership chase, to 2023 when the Demon's coughed up a semi final to the Blues in a manner which marked the start of a serious stumble. Not that it did the Blues any good. At a most elementary level Carlton are currently relying on too few to do too much, with determined but exhausted Cripps symbolising the crisis whenever he is thrown to the ruck. Many of Carlton's more capable players are somewhat one-dimensional, meaning that when holes are created by injury or form problems, there is little to provide a patch up. With each passing week the sensation grows that Carlton as a club is fully aware of the oncoming storm and chooses to sail without urgency or alarm directly into it, with the Blues' famously contentious factions all imagining they will be able to seize control of the wreckage. The second reason is named Sam. A 55cm project player with a powerful kick and an uncanny ability to escape traffic, Sam has quickly begun accumulating disposables despite currently playing mostly from the bench and is expected to progress to more of a flank position in the near future. His leadership qualities are already showing through, with a 100% win rate since being promoted from the In Utero league on Friday. Demons to win a game which will have more than a passing resemblance to whack-a-mole as each team tries to exploit or cover their holes, with perhaps the most interesting contest-within-the-contest being whether Max Gawn can decisively put to rest the AA contention of Tom DeKoning, who has gradually faded since his potent early season form. After Xerri embarrassed himself with the kind of undisciplined moments that you'd normally only expect to see from someone poorly self-regulating their emotions following a head injury the previous week (ahem) the list of real rivals to Gawn is growing thinner. Freddy Fuschia The traditional rivalry between Melbourne and Carlton has yielded some captivating contests at the MCG in recent seasons, when both teams were either vying for a finals berth or already participating and competing to advance further into the finals. On each of the last three occasions, the Blues have had the luck on their side winning close encounters through greater accuracy in front of goals. This Saturday night, the narrative will be a different one as both clubs are no longer in contention for the finals. Despite this, they will be eager to make a positive impression, given that their fans have been deprived of the satisfaction of winning and their coaches need to plan for the future, assuming that said coaches have a future with the team. It is likely that Simon Goodwin’s tenure is secure for the remainder of his current coaching contract, given his premiership achievement and apparent strong support and respect from his playing group, who consistently speak highly of him in interviews. Moreover, he is in the process of implementing a new game plan and deserves the opportunity to see this work in progress through another pre season and into next year. Michael Voss, on the other hand, is under considerable pressure. Carlton supporters are known for their high expectations and are exhibiting signs of restlessness and discontent. A loss on Saturday night could potentially lead to significant repercussions and even some bloodletting. The question therefore is how the Carlton playing group will respond, particularly if Melbourne applies pressure on them from the outset (and kicks straight for goal). With the Demons' midfield, spearheaded by Max Gawn, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney, and now Kozzie Pickett, having found the confidence that winning form brings with it, I anticipate further challenges ahead for the struggling Blues. Demonland Consensus - Melbourne wins by 18 points THE GAME Carlton v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 19 July 2024 at 7.35pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 120 wins Melbourne 97 wins Drawn 2 At The MCG Carlton 53 wins Melbourne 56 wins Past five meetings Carlton 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Voss 3 wins Goodwin 2 wins THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 12.5.77 defeated Melbourne 11.10.76 in Round 9 2024 Following a scoreless initial quarter, Melbourne nearly overcame a 36-point deficit against Carlton, ultimately falling short by a single point. This defeat marked the club's third consecutive loss to the Blues, with an aggregate losing margin of merely 7 points. Notably, on each of these occasions, the Demons recorded more scoring shots than their opponents, totaling 28 goals and 35 behinds against 32 goals and 18 behinds. THE TEAMS CARLTON B N. Haynes, J. Weitering, A. Saad HB L. Cowan, H. O'Farrell, S. Docherty C A. Moir, P. Cripps, A. Cerra HF F. Young, C. Curnow, L. Fogarty F J. Motlop, T. De Koning, Z. Williams FOLL M. Pittonet, G. Hewett, O. Hollands I/C M. Carroll, C. Durdin, F. Evans, C. Lord, W. White EMG B. Acres, J. Boyd, H. O Keeffe IN F. Evans, A. Saad, W. White OUT A. Cincotta (managed), O. Fantasia (hamstring), M. McGovern (hamstring) MELBOURNE B J. Bowey, S. May, J. McVee HB C. Salem, T. McDonald, D. Turner C X. Lindsay, C. Petracca, H. Langford HF J. Viney, M. Jefferson, E. Langdon F J. Melksham, J. Van Rooyen, K. Pickett FOLL M. Gawn, C. Oliver, T. Rivers I/C K. Chandler, B. Fritsch, H. Sharp, H. Sharp, K. Tholstrup, C. Windsor EMG T. Campbell, B. Howes, H. Petty IN S. May, H. Sharp OUT Jake Lever (ankle), Tom Sparrow (concussion) Injury List: Round 19 Oliver Sestan — hamstring / Available Aidan Johnson — ankle / Test Harry Petty — concussion / Test Tom Sparrow —concussion / 1 - 2 weeks Jake Lever — ankle/ TBC Marty Hore — knee, shoulder / season Shane McAdam — Achilles / season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / seas

Earlier in the year a mate of mine who has been on the money on a number of occasions said he heard the Bombers were into him. Mate is not affiliated with the Bombers but has an acquaintance who is. Take with a grain of salt.

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No LIVE show this week. The Podcast will be released shortly.

The match information to be included at the end of the Match Preview article - THE GAME Carlton v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 19 July 2024 at 7.35pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 120 wins Melbourne 97 wins Drawn 2 At The MCG Carlton 53 wins Melbourne 56 wins Past five meetings Carlton 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Voss 3 wins Goodwin 2 wins THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 12.5.77 defeated Melbourne 11.10.76 in Round 9 2024 Following a scoreless initial quarter, Melbourne nearly overcame a 36-point deficit against Carlton, ultimately falling short by a single point. This defeat marked the club's third consecutive loss to the Blues, with an aggregate losing margin of merely 7 points. Notably, on each of these occasions, the Demons recorded more scoring shots than their opponents, totaling 28 goals and 35 behinds against 32 goals and 18 behinds. THE TEAMS (to be loaded when available) CARLTON MELBOURNE Injury List: Round 19 Oliver Sestan — hamstring / Available Aidan Johnson — ankle / Test Harry Petty — concussion / Test Tom Sparrow —concussion / 1 - 2 weeks Jake Lever — ankle/ TBC Marty Hore — knee, shoulder / season Shane McAdam — Achilles / season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / season

There is not going to be a LIVE show tonight. George is unavailable and Binman is on holidays. Binman and I will record the podcast and it will be released as normal on your favourite podcast app.

Once a year, we ask the Demonland Crew to take on the task of previewing the upcoming Melbourne match. Here’s your chance to write up your preview of the Carlton vs Melbourne game. The Blues have won the last three games against the Demons but by narrow margins of less than a goal in each instance. Can the Dees win this one? Go for it Demonlanders!

Following a scoreless initial quarter, Melbourne nearly overcame a 36-point deficit against Carlton, ultimately falling short by a single point. This defeat marked the club's third consecutive loss to the Blues, with an aggregate losing margin of merely 7 points. Notably, on each of these occasions, the Demons recorded more scoring shots than their opponents, totaling 28 goals and 35 behinds against 32 goals and 18 behinds. MELBOURNE 0.0.0 3.1.19 7.6.48 11.10.76 CARLTON 5.0.30 8.2.50 11.4.70 12.5.77 GOALS MELBOURNE Petracca 5 Fritsch Gawn Pickett Turner van Rooyen Windsor CARLTON Owies 3 Curnow 2 Cripps De Koning Hewett McKay Martin Pittonet Walsh BEST MELBOURNE Petracca May Neal-Bullen Viney Gawn Langdon CARLTON Cripps Walsh Weitering Kennedy O Hollands Curnow THE TEAMS CARLTON B B. Kemp, J. Weitering, L. Cowan HB A. Cincotta, M. McGovern, N. Newman C O. Hollands, P. Cripps, B. Acres HF J. Martin, H. McKay, E. Hollands F M. Owies, C. Curnow, T. De Koning FOLL M, Pittonet, S. Walsh, M. Kennedy I/C J. Boyd, A. Cerra, M. Cottrell, C. Durdin SUB G. Hewett EMG D. Cuningham, O. Fantasia, L. Young IN B. Kemp, O. Hollands, M. McGovern, J. Martin OUT D. Cuningham (omitted), O. Fantasia (omitted), Z. Williams (glute soreness), L. Young (omitted) MELBOURNE B B. Howes, S. May, T. Rivers HB J. McVee, J. Lever, T. McDonald C J. Billings, C. Oliver, C. Windsor HF E. Langdon, H. Petty, K Pickett JF J. van Rooyen, B. Fritsch, D. Turner FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, C. Petracca I/C J. Bowey, K. Chandler, A. Neal-Bullen, T. Sparrow SUB T. Woewodin EMG B. Brown M. Hore, B. Laurie IN J. Bowey OUT B. Laurie (omitted)

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I suppose that I should apologise for the title of this piece, but the temptation to go with it was far too great. The memory of how North Melbourne tore Melbourne apart at the seams earlier in the season and the way in which it set the scene for the club’s demise so early in the piece has been weighing heavily upon all of us. This game was a must-win from the club’s perspective, and the team’s response was overwhelming. The 36 point win over Alastair Clarkson’s Kangaroos at the MCG on Sunday was indeed — roovenge of the highest order! The game was full of individual contests, but the standout was the duel of the giants, which was spiced up for extra interest as a consequence of the fallout from the last engagement between the clubs, when Max Gawn, was outplayed by North’s Tristan Xerri, who finished with 20 disposals and one goal and even shaded the Demons' skipper in the hit out total. The media highlighted post-match comments by Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, suggesting that personal issues may have contributed to his decline in form, with SEN's David King labeling it a "balls up". It was inevitable therefore, that the press would frame yesterday’s meeting between the two as a battle Royal and a contest for All-Australian honours and in this context, Gawn decisively gained retribution, dominating the hit-out and possession count and facilitating his team’s victory. Roovenge. However, that merely scratched the surface of the 95-point reversal in fortunes between the two teams. Since their last encounter, the Melbourne brains trust has been diligently reconfiguring the team's strategy, achieving moderate success thus far, albeit hindered by subpar conversion in front of goal. Yesterday, things worked well thanks to the attacking skills of Jake Melksham (5 goals) and Bayley Fritsch (3) and a different input of sorts from young talls in Jacob van Rooyen and Matthew Jefferson who are combining to show some good signs for the future. And while Kozzy Pickett missed a couple of sitters in the second term, his presence was always a dangerous factor in the Demon attack. All in all, the forwards are starting to gel with more caring and sharing. In their last encounter, the young Kangaroos outran the Demons midfield bulls when the game was in the balance in the third quarter, enabling a goal deluge in the last, but this time it was the experience of Christian Petracca, Jack Viney, and Clayton Oliver that stood out. Petracca’s game was special. Youngster Harvey Langford is fitting into that group nicely. The defence while under constant pressure at times also performed admirably. With half a dozen games to go and no prospect of finals, the emphasis will remain on improving and preparing for the future but looking to next week’s meeting with Carlton, the idea of some bluevenge is certainly on the table. MELBOURNE 3.3.21 6.5.41 11.9.75 18.11.119 NORTH MELBOURNE 4.2.26 5.6.36 8.11.59 12.11.83 GOALS MELBOURNE Melksham 5 Fritsch 3 Chandler 2 Gawn Jefferson Langdon Petracca Pickett Sparrow Tholstrup van Rooyen NORTH MELBOURNE Harvey 4 Darling Zurhaar 3 Curtis 2 BEST MELBOURNE Fritsch Melksham Petracca Salem Gawn Viney NORTH MELBOURNE McKercher Zurhaar Sheezel Harvey Parker LATE CHANGES MELBOURNE Tom McDonald replaced Steven May (illness) NORTH MELBOURNE Nil INJURIES MELBOURNE Tom Sparrow (concussion) NORTH MELBOURNE Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil NORTH MELBOURNE Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Caleb Windsor replaced Xavier Lindsay (tactical) in the third quarter NORTH MELBOURNE Bailey Scott replaced Finnbar Maley (tactical) in the third quarter UMPIRES Jeff Dalgleish Jack Howard Alex Whetton Peter Bailes CROWD 35,844 at The MCG

The Casey Demons remain in contention for a VFL finals berth following a comprehensive 76-point victory over the Werribee Tigers at Whitten Oval last night. The caveat to the performance is that the once mighty Tigers have been raided of many key players and are now a shadow of the premiership-winning team from last season. The team suffered a blow before the game when veteran Tom McDonald was withdrawn for senior duty to cover for Steven May who is ill. However, after conceding the first goal of the game, Casey was dominant from ten minutes in until the very end and despite some early errors and inaccuracy, they managed to warm to the task of dismantling the Tigers with precision, particularly after half time when the nominally home side provided them with minimal resistance. The experienced Jack Billings was in everything from the start to produce the stand out performance for his team as he amassed 30 disposals, seven marks, four clearances, also hitting the scoreboard with two goals. Likewise, former Brisbane Lion Harry Sharp booted two as he reacted to his omission from the Demons’ senior side with 23 touches, six tackles and six marks. While Charlie Spargo and Bailey Laurie contributed to the team effort, the most pleasing aspect the perspective of the Melbourne-Casey partnership, was the form displayed by some of the younger players vying for senior positions. Blake Howes made an outstanding return from the concussion he suffered on the Gold Coast a fortnight ago showing out with his athleticism on his way to a 26 disposal, 9 mark and 7 rebound 50s game. Jai Culley (26 touches, five tackles and five clearances) played possibly his best game since coming back from WA putting on a classy display in the midfield. In the absence of Tom Campbell who was on standby for senior duty Will Verrall (19 disposals, 31 hitouts, eight clearances and a goal) underscored his improvement in the ruck while Kynan Brown and Taj Woewodin had 22 and 18 touches respectively. A few other youngsters in Jed Adams, Luker Kentfield and Ricky Mentha jnr, while not as prominent also came under notice for their future potential. The livewire Mentha is coming along nicely and his three goals indicated that he will prove a real handful at senior level when his time comes. For the second week in a row Mitch Hardie took on a starring role kicking four goals in the absence of the tall keys up forward. It could have been more but for a few misses but he kept the Tigers’ defenders on their toes for the whole night. Riley Bonner was his usual reliable self picking up 22 disposals and Noah Yze had some good moments although his kicking for goal was off target. He finished with just one goal from his four scoring attempts. The team returns to Casey Fields next week for what could be a season defining game against Carlton VFL. CASEY DEMONS 2.4.16 5.5.35 11.11.77 16.15.111 WERRIBEE 2.0.12 3.1.19 4.3.27 5.5.35 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Hardie 4 Mentha 3 Billings Sharp 2 Ireland Kentfield Laurie Verrall Yze WERRIBEE Wright 2 Dahlhaus GaronI Grintell BEST CASEY DEMONS Billings Hardie Verrall Sharp Culley Howes WERRIBEE Brew Jeka Pinnuck Andrews Grintel Malual

The Demons return to the MCG as the the visiting team on Saturday night to take on the Blues who are under siege after 4 straight losses. Who comes in and who goes out?

The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th July @ 8:00pm. Join Binman & I as we dissect the Dees glorious win over the Kangaroos at the MCG. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

Max Gawn has an almost unassailable lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Award followed by Jake Bowey, Christian Petracca, Kozzy Pickett & Clayton Oliver. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1

The Demons are finally back at the MCG and finally back on the winners list as they continually chipped away at a spirited Kangaroos side eventually breaking their backs and opening the floodgates to run out winners by 6 goals.

STILL CONTENDERS by KC from Casey The Casey Demons remain in contention for a VFL finals berth following a comprehensive 76-point victory over the Werribee Tigers at Whitten Oval last night. The caveat to the performance is that the once mighty Tigers have been raided of many key players and are now a shadow of the premiership-winning team from last season. The team suffered a blow before the game when veteran Tom McDonald was withdrawn for senior duty to cover for Steven May who is ill. However, after conceding the first goal of the game, Casey was dominant from ten minutes in until the very end and despite some early errors and inaccuracy, they managed to warm to the task of dismantling the Tigers with precision, particularly after half time when the nominally home side provided them with minimal resistance. The experienced Jack Billings was in everything from the start to produce the stand out performance for his team as he amassed 30 disposals, seven marks, four clearances, also hitting the scoreboard with two goals. Likewise, former Brisbane Lion Harry Sharp booted two as he reacted to his omission from the Demons’ senior side with 23 touches, six tackles and six marks. While Charlie Spargo and Bailey Laurie contributed to the team effort, the most pleasing aspect the perspective of the Melbourne-Casey partnership, was the form displayed by some of the younger players vying for senior positions. Blake Howes made an outstanding return from the concussion he suffered on the Gold Coast a fortnight ago showing out with his athleticism on his way to a 26 disposal, 9 mark and 7 rebound 50s game. Jai Culley (26 touches, five tackles and five clearances) played possibly his best game since coming back from WA putting on a classy display in the midfield. In the absence of Tom Campbell who was on standby for senior duty Will Verrall (19 disposals, 31 hitouts, eight clearances and a goal) underscored his improvement in the ruck while Kynan Brown and Taj Woewodin had 22 and 18 touches respectively. A few other youngsters in Jed Adams, Luker Kentfield and Ricky Mentha jnr, while not as prominent also came under notice for their future potential. The livewire Mentha is coming along nicely and his three goals indicated that he will prove a real handful at senior level when his time comes. For the second week in a row Mitch Hardie took on a starring role kicking four goals in the absence of the tall keys up forward. It could have been more but for a few misses but he kept the Tigers’ defenders on their toes for the whole night. Riley Bonner was his usual reliable self picking up 22 disposals and Noah Yze had some good moments although his kicking for goal was off target. He finished with just one goal from his four scoring attempts. The team returns to Casey Fields next week for what could be a season defining game against Carlton VFL. CASEY DEMONS 2.4.16 5.5.35 11.11.77 16.15.111 WERRIBEE 2.0.12 3.1.19 4.3.27 5.5.35 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Hardie 4 Mentha 3 Billings Sharp 2 Ireland Kentfield Laurie Verrall Yze WERRIBEE Wright 2 Dahlhaus GaronI Grintell BEST CASEY DEMONS Billings Hardie Verrall Sharp Culley Howes WERRIBEE Brew Jeka Pinnuck Andrews Grintel Malual

It's Game Day. What could go wrong?

Paging @Jaded No More

Most young boys harbour dreams of a moment when their heroes enter the reality of their lives. For me, it first happened when I came face to face with Melbourne great and six time premiership player Ronald Dale Barassi Jnr. on a children’s television programme at a time when he was at the height of his career. I won the prize and took home a pair of black Barassi footy boots that were several sizes too large and by the time my feet were big enough to wear them, he had shattered my dreams by skipping away to become captain coach of Carlton. Over the years, I successfully pursued other dreams in life, but it took a further two and a half decades for my next football dream to be fulfilled – my Brian Dixon moment. It was sometime in the late 1980s, and I had entered the great Murrumbeena Fun Run. By coincidence, I found myself at the starting line of an admittedly rather minor athletic event alongside another giant of Melbourne’s golden era of the fifties and sixties, Brian Dixon, who sadly passed away last week at the age of 89. Needless to say Dicko as they called him, who played 252 games for the club from 1954 to 1968 including five premierships, was one of my all time heroes. He wore the number 9 and owned the wing position at Melbourne. He was the epitome of consistency throughout his career but was at his peak in the early 1960s, winning the club’s Best and Fairest in 1960, the Tassie Medal for best player at the 1961 Australian Championships and named an All Australian at the end of that year’s National Carnival. He made the Australian Football Hall of Fame and the Melbourne Team of the 20th Century. Dicko was the last remaining survivor of the club's most illustrious era and one of the most exceptional wingers the game has produced. His long and sometimes wobbly left foot kicks set up many goals and many victories over the long years when he roamed the wide open spaces of the MCG and we sat near the boundary, almost close enough to touch him as he soared past. Legend has it that he meticulously counted each kick, handball, mark, and tackle as he played. I recall him being interviewed after a game that Melbourne won against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval in July 1965. He had delivered a standout performance and substantiated it with his statistics - 29 kicks, 2 handballs, and 18 marks. The club experienced a significant downturn two weeks after that game when Norm Smith was suddenly sacked as coach. After a week or so of high drama, Smith was reinstated as coach but the club never really recovered from the political shenanigans of the time. Dixon played on until 1968 and became the first player in club history to reach the 250-game milestone, a record that was later surpassed by another great wingman in Robert Flower and one that is now held by former key position player David Neitz who also wore the number 9 and who played 306 games with the Demons. Melbourne never quite recovered from the fallout of the Smith sacking but years later, Dixon played a crucial role in saving the club by assisting Joseph Gutnick in fighting the ill-fated merger with Hawthorn. Fortunately, he lived to witness the club's next premiership, albeit from a distance in Perth in 2021. Prior to his retirement from football, Dixon had already commenced his political career, representing the Victorian electorate of St Kilda as a Liberal from 1964 to 1982, including serving as a Minister in the Hamer Government. He played a pivotal role in many health initiatives, such as the 'Life Be in It' program. Which brings me back to my Brian Dixon moment at the starting line of a fun run on a sunny spring morning in suburban Murrumbeena. I knew several fellow runners in our group. Among them were players from the local junior football competition, including those who played alongside and against my two sons. One such individual was Sean, a young Indigenous boy with a cheeky demeanour, who played for the Carnegie Demons, which donned the same colours as Melbourne. He was undoubtedly one of the standout performers in the competition. I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Dixon, express my gratitude for the entertainment he provided to me as a player, and gestured towards Sean, remarking, “Observe this young man to my right; he is destined to play on the wing at the MCG, just like you did.” Dixon smiled, the starter’s gun sounded, and we all ran like mad. A few years later, when the boys were at the under-15 level, they were invited to participate in some trial games for St. Kilda. We resided in the Saints' zone, but I was aware that Sean was zoned to the Demons, so I made a discreet call and he subsequently found himself at Melbourne. In Round 10 of 1992, Sean Charles made his debut, wearing number 44 against North Melbourne (who Melbourne play against tomorrow and who Dixon once coached), just a few days after turning 17. North kicked 8 straight goals in the first quarter, but we overtook them and finished up winning by 36 points, with Sean booting five goals in a sensational debut match. He truly demonstrated his class in the 1994 finals, while still a teenager, but suffered a severe wrist injury soon after and never lived up to his enormous potential. He transferred to Carlton, where he broke a leg in his first game, and ironically, ended his career at St. Kilda. We never had the opportunity to discover Sean's perspective on his brief time among the elite of the sport, but he did get that rare opportunity of playing inside the boundary line on the field of every young boy’s football dream. He was also an integral part of the moment when we all stood side by side and I took the opportunity to express my gratitude to one of my childhood heroes, a man who brought immense joy to thousands of fans throughout his storied career. My sincere condolences to Brian’s family. Brian Dixon 252 games Melbourne 1954-68, 41 goals Best and Fairest 1960 Premierships 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964 All Australian 1961 Tassie Medal 1961 Melbourne Team of the Century (Wing) North Melbourne coach 1971-72 Australian Football Hall of Fame