Demonland

Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca has given teammates a pep talk, expressing to them his strong belief that the Demons are capable of a major resurgence in 2025. Petracca made his private comments to the Melbourne players back in November, at a training camp in Bright, when skipper Max Gawn also had what were described as “heart-to-heart” discussions with the players, according to three sources, speaking anonymously, who were either present or familiar with events at the camp. Petracca was “very bullish” about what the Demons could achieve in 2025, addressing how they could get better, while also speaking of the role he could play this year within the team, after a terrible 2024 in which a badly injured Petracca expressed unhappiness with the club’s direction, star teammate Clayton Oliver seriously explored a trade to Geelong and the Demons fell down the ladder and embarrassingly short of finals. The Bright speech to the players was the second occasion that Petracca has addressed the players in a matter of months, the midfielder having spoken to the group about the trauma he had endured – he suffered a lacerated spleen, punctured lung and four broken ribs on King’s Birthdayagainst Collingwood and missed the remainder of the season – after his return to the club late in the 2024 season. But the critical difference in the speeches to the group was that on the first occasion, Petracca was explaining his own traumas – the serious nature of the injuries and how he coped. Petracca was also signalling then that he was back in the fold. In the second speech in Bright, at a camp to reset the Demons for 2025, Petracca’s focus was on the team, and what could be achieved if they dedicated themselves in 2025. According to one source, Petracca made plain that the group simply had to do better, in what was described as a motivational address. In this second speech, Petracca did not discuss the events that led to him questioning the club’s direction following his King’s Birthday incident, in which he was sent back on to the field briefly with what the player later discovered were broken ribs, a lacerated spleen and a punctured lung – injuries that took a significant emotional toll on the champion. Petracca’s speech at Bright was part of a process, led by leadership consultant Ben Crowe – best known for his role as mind coach/mentor for tennis champion Ash Barty – in which coach Simon Goodwin told the players that there was no point putting their runners on for a time trial until all involved in the team had an opportunity to say their piece. That Petracca was willing to stand up and speak – and to express optimism about the Demons’ prospects of surging back up the ladder, having contended for the flag in 2021 (premiers), 2022 and 2023 (failing to win a final in 2022-23) – could be read as a sign that he had put his disgruntlement with aspects of the club firmly in the past. Petracca has been in recovery from a broken rib suffered at training – in the same rib area that was badly hurt in the King’s Birthday game when Darcy Moore collided with him in a marking contest. He is about a week away from full contact training, according to a club source, and has been completing much of the training with the group. Melbourne’s leaders, headed by Gawn, had been examining themselves after the disappointing 2024, irrespective of the club-wide review that followed the season of tumult, in which Oliver’s troubled pre-season and absence saw him subsequently struggle for form and to explore a trade to Geelong. The Demons’ difficulties saw president Kate Roffey step down, along with chief executive Gary Pert, with new president Brad Green and his designated successor and fellow former player Steven Smith driving the search for the new CEO.

Demonland Trackwatcher Gator ventured down the freeway to bring you his observations from Friday morning's Match Simulation out at Casey Fields. Rehab: Jake Lever and Charlie Spargo running laps. Lever was running short distances at a fast click as well as having kick to kick with a trainer. He seems unimpeded. Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler, Shane McAdam and Tom Fullarton doing non-contact kicking and handball drills on the adjacent oval. All moving freely at pace. I didn’t notice Caleb Windsor, Jake Melksham, Will Verrall, Koltyn Tholstrup or Luker Kentfield, but it could have just been an oversight by me. Match Simulation: Today’s main session comprised of 3 x 20 minute quarters of contested match simulation under the guidance of two AFL umpires (no boundary umpires). And it was very much a probables vs possibles for round one, which is why Kysaiah Pickett was with the possibles. So when you’re trying to drift off to sleep at night while picking your best team from the backline to the forwards keep the following in mind. Probables – Blue: May, Petty, Howes, Salem, Bowey, and McVee in defence; Gawn, Oliver, Rivers, Viney, Langford, Langdon, Sharp, Billings, Sparrow, and Lindsay rotating in the mids, and van Rooyen, Turner, Jefferson, Fritsch as the main forwards. Ed Langdon, Xavier Lindsay and Jack Billings all spent time on the wing. Langdon and Billings also occasionally rotated through a half-forward flank, while I noted Langdon attended a lot of CBAs. Lindsay was predominantly just wing. Along with Ed Langdon, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney, Trent Rivers and Langford had the bulk of the CBAs. It was quite noticeable that Blue had a heap of left footers: Viney, Langford, Lindsay, Billings, Christian Salem, Steven May, Bayley Fritsch. Just need to get Chandler and Kynan Brown into the team. • I’m saying Ed Langdon, because a lot of posters are saying Langdon when they mean Langford Possibles – White: McDonald, Pickett, Brown, Adams, Laurie, Woewodin, Mentha, Campbell, Hore, Moniz-Wakefield, Johnson, Sestan, George, Yze, Culley, plus a few other Casey players White got off to a flyer with the first 3 goals. Roy George kicked 2 (one lead and mark and the other a good crumbing goal) and Ricky Mentha Jr one on the run from about 40 metres. Gradually Blue wrestled control and ran out 38 point winners (10 11 71 to 5 3 33). I don’t believe there were any injuries, although Viney copped a high one, which set him back in his tracks. I think he was fine. Lots of switching with short and long kicks before trying to spot up forward leads if possible, or long kicks when necessary. The game was a bit scrappy with some skill errors, including dropped chest marks (my pet hate), intermingled with some quality ball movement. Max Gawn and Tom Campbell nullified each other. Gawn wasn’t able to take his trademark contested marks, but I never expect ruckmen to be marking at their best in early February. Ed Langdon was prolific. He was constantly an option and seemed to be relishing a bit more freedom through the midfield. I was surprised by how many centre bounces he attended. Lindsay didn’t get a lot of it and made a couple of errors but generally used it well. Harvey Langford was busy and contested as you’d expect. Took a nice mark and kicked a goal from a left foot snap 35 metres out. Billings was one of the busiest. He’s finding the footy with ease and was used a lot. Salem is also finding plenty of it. Jake Bowey also got a heap of it. May was his intercepting self and uses Salem and Bowey as the outlet kick. Judd McVee was also busy. Blake Howes was good. He links up well with his fellow defenders. He seems to be having a very good preseason. Harry Petty did what he had to do, which wasn’t much. Rivers and Oliver were the best mids for Blue. It’s great to see Oliver looking like he’s back to his best and Rivers looks a natural mid to me. Harry Sharp was neat. Did a great spoli which became a mark deep in defence and 30 seconds later was hitting Jacob van Rooyen lace out in the forward pocket. The tall forwards were pretty quiet. Matt Jefferson took a double grabber 35 metres out and converted. He also kicked one off the ground in the last. I thought he competed well. Van Rooyen kicked a nice goal from a difficult angle, and he also went up against Aidan Johnson in the ruck for a while. Daniel Turner was quiet. Fritsch was the most lively of Blue’s forwards. He also got on the scoreboard. I liked the look of Jai Culley. A very tall mid, but looked good. Kicked a goal for White. Lastly, a special mention to the brothers. Pickett was fantastic despite getting caught by Langford. He played 90% in the midfield and was just so clean, quick and creative. His delivery was very good. He teamed up well with Mentha and George, who both looked likely. He’s got a touch of class Mentha and the more nuggety George also looks like he could belong at AFL level. They were up against it with a strong Blue backline and White had no key talls to crumb off, but both looked dangerous and had multiple shots at goal.

Demonland Trackwatchers were out in force as the Demons returned to Gosch's Paddock for preseason training on Wednesday morning. GHOSTWRITER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Kozzie a no show. Tommy Sparrow was here last week in civvies and wearing sunnies. He didn’t train. Today he’s training but he’s wearing goggles so he’s likely got an eye injury. There’s a drill where Selwyn literally lies on top of Tracc, a trainer dribbles the ball towards them and Tracc has to get up and out from under “the pack” to get the ball. Taj absent today because he was “feeling crook” this morning. Nothing serious. He’ll be at training on Friday. Spaz wearing goggles while training coz he doesn’t want dirt to get in his eye. His eyelid was split during training last week when an unnamed teammate accidentally stood on his face. He’s had plastic surgery (you can’t even tell) and is mindful of keeping it clean. DEESPENCER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Backs: May, Petty, Howes, Windsor, Salo Mids: Gawn, Riv, Viney, Sparrow, Billings, Lindsay Fwd: Disco, JVR, Fritsch, Sharp, Langford, Langdon Sharp busy, Langford found good space for 2 snags, Fritsch a class above, Disco with a nice grab. Salo with a lot of the best patches of ball movement with some Windsor moments too. White backline: T Mc, Adams, Hore, Bowey, Sesto, AMW were under the pump. Jeffo juggled contested mark on the wing, in to Andy, picks out the Yze lead to the picket who nails a tight shot under plenty of Viney sledging. I don’t think the Jeffo, Aj, Yze, Ricky Mentha, Roy George forward line will get a run at Afl level but they’ll be fun at Casey. Spargo and McAdam doing laps with Conca. Fullarton, Tracc, Chandler doing another stuff. McVee, Lever, Verrall and Kossie unsighted. Plus Kolt and Luker. Shuffled the teams and pulled a few out so it’s opened right up. Clarry prolific, Langford still finding the ball. May has dominated defensively in both drills really. Ollie Sestan is a lovely user at half back, not sure if the rest of his game will stack up but his kicking is lovely. Jeffo (I’m watching closely) with a beautiful turn of pace, run through a couple of tackles and corridor kick. Tall backs and Forwards did some marking work Mids some rough stoppage on the wing stuff. Laurie copped a nice one from Rivers in a tackle and went off with a blood nose Some different running, sprints for some, longer runs for others. Lindsay dropped by Bowey and Howes in a longer run. Judd McVee is out there, did I completely miss him? Tracc’s doing set shots. Yze, Culley, Roy and Mitch KS were the fill in players today. Right now, I think the likelihood that Tracc starts forward and the emergence of Langford means they’ll go small. And without Kossie I think we’ll see Langdon in a forward and possibly even a fraction on ball. Sharp looks the favourite to start in the defensive forward role. C: Lindsay Rivers Billings HF: Sharp JVR Langdon FF: Fritsch Turner Tracc Foll: Gawn Oliver Viney Int: Langford, Chandler, McAdam Sub: Sparrow/Kynan Brown Assuming Tracc, McAdam and Chandler are right to go, but we could see Langdon or Sharp slide back to the wing to open another forward spot and we could go tall to spread the load on the big guys. DITCHA'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS I attended some of the training session this morning. During match sim, I was very impressed by Fritsch, Windsor, Langford, and Billings. Trac still training on sidelines, but looks close to returning to main training. Meltsham was running laps in rehab due to hamstring injury. Spare and McAdam running laps. HARVEY WALLBANGER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Absent: Tholstrup, Verrall, Kosi, Woewodin and Kentfield. Intel - Kosi having family time. Rehab: Petracca, Lever, Spargo, Melksham, McAdam, Fullarton, Chandler Also present: Train-ons Jai Culley and Roy George plus two young academy/father/sons (sworn to secrecy re the latter) Activities of Chandler and Trac suggest they are very close to resuming full training - both wore the yellow caps when doing drills (no match sim for them). McAdam indicated to one of his teammates that it may be hamstring again - but he did a lot of full speed running, so perhaps precautionary today. Lever to'ed and fro'ed back to AAMI. Didn't do much at all! Spargs still doing straight lie running but indications of a little more movement than in the last two months. Melksham just lots of medium pace running. Low-key session with a bit of match sim in the middle. Petty and TMac still training back. Draftees continue to impress, i.e. Langdon and Lindsay, and don't forget AJ Johnson. Very involved in a lot of the action. Surely all three play against North on the 22nd. A lot of switching in the simulation - fascinated to see who joins Langdon and Windsor, with Sharp, Billings and Lindsay all playing wide roles on the switch. Hopefully the absentee numbers and rehabbers reduce over the next few weeks such that Spargo and Thosltrup are the only "medium-termers" with a question mark over Kentfield of course, due to his pneumonia. Oh and Jed Adams got a huge group clap at one stage - we speculated that it may be a training award of some description? FRITTA AND TURNER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Another lovely day at the track with a good collection of track watchers. Kossie, Verrall, Kentfield, Kolt, Woey not in attendance. Lever, Spargo, Melky, Chin, McAdam, Fullarton, Trac in rehab or a modified program. Lever went back to the 'sheds' for awhile then came back to ride the bike next to melky. Chin much better since last I saw but still feeling shoulder. Trac had the trainer lying on top of him, then got up, win the ball and do some dodging and weaving. Campbell gives Max a real contest in the ruck. TCs body looking more AFL and Max was moving the best i have seen this preseason Fritta and Turner looked magnificent, naturally. Our talls, Roo and jeffo looking good. Roo seems to have his mojo back. Billings really stood out, with his run and linkage play. Langford should play round 1. Clarry puts on half a litre of sunscreen at every opportunity. And always doing something with his boots. Jai Culley looked good, got the appaluse of his team mates. Had a slight problem with a blister. Noah Yze was also there with another unknown. Noah has reasonably broad shoulders but skinny arms. No sausages. KEV MARTIN'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Beautiful morning at the paddock. The full field drill was skilful and done with plenty of vocal support. One drill was a completive one on two contest, defender double tackles, was encouraged. The sims started with Goody going slowly through the intention and set up. Then they competed in 3 or was it 4, 6 minute sets. Tackling was a lot more gentle than previous hit outs. May looking very fit, and getting intercepts and fists to many of the opposition's forward pushes. Tmac covering the ground well and vocal in the backline as was Petty. Max is running very hard and creating mismatches in the forward area. Langford found space on the lead and twice finished nicely. They played the boundaries, out of the backline, when looking central only half came off. Chaplin working on the forwards defensive setup. Mids separated to drills. Under the guidance of Radford, Whitford and Jones, they worked with Gawn and Campbell, most of the plays ended with a contested scramble. Forwards and back tall's, worked mainly with one on one or off the bag for marks and the follow-up groundball. Running was emphasised, as they develop match fitness. Those that didn't do the k's in sims, ran extra sprints. Some backs and forwards had more running sets. My impression is that there is so much pressure for spots, and they are getting competitive.

Whichever way you look at it, the Melbourne Football Club’s 2024 season can only be characterized as the year of its fall from grace. Whispering Jack looks back at the season from hell that was. After its 2021 benchmark premiership triumph, the men’s team still managed top four finishes in the next two seasons but straight sets finals losses consigned them to sixth place in both years. The big fall came in 2024 with a collapse into the bottom six and a 14th placing. At Casey, the 2022 VFL premier which lost an elimination final in 2023 plummeted to 17th with just five wins. Similarly, the 2022 AFLW premiership Demons which had also followed up their flag with a straight sets finals exit, missed out finishing in ninth place. The signs for the club were not good from early on. The Joel Smith suspension fiasco continued as the Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) investigation lingered and was eventually resolved with his outing from the sport after season’s end. Clayton Oliver’s battle with his physical and mental demons continued through the off season and he was barely ready when he returned for the start of play for 2024. Indeed, there were some raised eyebrows at his selection for the opening game. Both club and player persisted even as Oliver collected further injury concerns during the season and despite displaying glimpses of brilliance (sometimes in heroic fashion), his overall performance was well below par for the four-time club best and fairest winner. The fallout from the controversial Brayden Maynard “legal” head high hit on Angus Brayshaw in the Qualifying Final lingered until the eve of the second with the Demons’ premiership champion abruptly retiring from the game on medical grounds after courageously battling concussion issues throughout his illustrious career. A number of players were already sitting out the preseason with injury concerns, most notably Jake Melksham who was recovering from ACL surgery at the end of 2023, Harrison Petty who had made a promising move to the forward line, Charlie Spargo nursing an Achilles which kept him out for all bar the season opener, Lachie Hunter (calf), Shane McAdam (hamstring) and Daniel Turner (hip) while Ben Brown’s knee was to prove a week to week proposition throughout. Kysaiah Pickett was missing for the season opener against the Swans with a week’s suspension incurred in the 2023 semi-final. In the game up in Sydney, Jake Bowey broke his collarbone, an injury that out him for two months. Coach Simon Goodwin is not one to use injuries as an excuse and his team overcame a shaky Round Zero start in steamy conditions at the SCG against eventual grand finalists, the Swans, and went about staking a claim with four consecutive victories, three of them against teams that made the 2024 finals. The Demons easily disposed of the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn at the MCG before beating Port and then the Crows at Adelaide Oval in the Gather Round. The weight of successive games off short breaks proved too much when they met their match against the slow starting Lions who were on their way to a premiership flag. The bye in Round 6 was handy and Melbourne easily dispatched Richmond after a scrappy first half on Anzac Eve and followed that up with a sterling performance against an undefeated Geelong at the MCG, easily its best win of the season. So far, so good. They were a third of the way into the season and riding high. Max Gawn was at his peak in the ruck, Christian Petracca and Jack Viney were starring in the midfield, Bayley Fritsch was regularly kicking goals and the defence was solid as a rock. Alex Neal-Bullen was quietly building a reputation at high half forward, recruit Caleb Windsor was proving a real find, Judd McVee in defence and Jacob van Rooyen up forward were continuing on an upward trajectory and Daniel Turner was at last looking comfortable, this time as a potential key forward. To top it all off, the injury list was suddenly looking manageable. What could go wrong? The reality was that the team was on the edge of the precipice. After the heroics of the win over Geelong, Melbourne took forty minutes to register its first score against Carlton which led early by six straight goals to nothing in their Round 9 match up. Christian Petracca was moved forward and a blistering five goal display left them one point short against the accurate Blues. Worse was to come a week later when the Demons capitulated to the lowly Eagles in Perth and lost Jake Lever to a knee injury early in that game. The knee was an issue for Lever until the end of the season when he had surgery on it. Confidence was restored a little with a routine win against the Saints that saw the team run away at the end, but a storm was brewing on the horizon. Off the field, the club awaited the SIA verdict amid speculation that other players had been dragged into the now long drawn-out investigation. From time to time, parts of the media revived the story and reminded the world that the ongoing litigation was proceeding, also apparently at snail’s pace. All of these distractions were slowly wearing the club down. Melbourne was finally able to fill its vacant list position and chose a young Western Australian tall, Luker Kentfield from Subiaco. He accepted a rookie spot on the list. On the field, the club’s painful decline accelerated. After the devastation of a 92-point hammering by Fremantle at Alice Springs. the season close to effectively was over by Kings Birthday with Christian Petracca’s calamitous rib and spleen injury after Collingwood’s skipper collided with his back in a marking duel. The inaccurate Demons went down in defeat, heads bowed, bodies bruised and minds dazed. The bye could not have come soon enough. The rest of the season was a roller coaster ride for the Demons, mostly heading in a downward direction. They almost blew a big lead with a poor final quarter against the rising Kangaroos, then they did capitulate late by five points at the Gabba after a brilliant second term against the Lions. They extracted their revenge against the Eagles at home as Jake Melksham returned after 310 days on the sidelines. He kicked two goals while Jacob van Rooyen put on a show and would have finished with a bigger bag than his four goals but for some near missed shots and the extra ruckwork necessitated by Max Gawn’s broken ankle. In the skipper’s absence, they produced an heroic effort against Essendon on a Saturday night at the MCG. Trent Rivers was starting to excel in his conversion to the midfield, Ed Langdon was prolific, Alex Neal-Bullen strong. Despite carrying more than one injury, Oliver was beyond heroic in his efforts to pummel the Bombers and dent their finals hopes. On that subject, a finals appearance was still possible for Melbourne but it was a horror stretch home starting with Fremantle at Optus Stadium. The Dockers’ ruck and midfield power was too much for the Demons and they dominated them with a 50-point win. The Demons looked back on track and at home with a strong start that was wasted against the accurate GWS Giants who took control in the third term and withstood a strong finish to prevail by two points. An ailing Melbourne was thrashed by the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium before another two-point defeat to a finals contender — this time Port Adelaide at the G, the team’s fourth loss on the trot. The season was virtually over when the team made the trip north to the Gold Coast. The Suns 2024 record at People First Stadium was impressive. They had beaten all comers from outside Queensland, their only defeat there was by 28 points to the eventual premiers in Round 20. The wounded Demons went in without superstar midfielders Oliver and Petracca, key defender Steven May, its rising star in Windsor and with skipper Gawn still hampered by his ankle injury. They still managed to smash the home side by nine goals in a stellar display. Langdon, Viney and Rivers starred, the key forwards Turner with four goals and van Rooyen and Petty were on target. Was this a portent of the future? The letdown came in the rain interrupted final round game against Collingwood when a further depleted Melbourne lost without so much as a whimper to finish in 14th place to complete the fall from grace. Pickett was unlucky to suspended for the first three games of 2025 for a hit on Darcy Moore’s head as the Magpie skipper slipped to the ground. All that remained was the count for the Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy which resulted in a narrow win to Viney ahead of Gawn and the departing Neal-Bullen who had earlier announced he was heading home to Adelaide. The immediate post season period was tension filled as off-season controversial dramas swirled around the futures of Petracca, Oliver and Pickett who all appeared set to leave at one stage. In the end, a disastrous interview with commentator Gerard Whateley cost Kate Roffey her role as club chair and an under pressure Gary Pert announced he was quitting soon after. Former skipper Brad Green replaced Roffey on a temporary basis. The long running litigation involving former President Glen Bartlett ended with a statement that all matters were settled and premiership coach Simon Goodwin was cleared of any wrongdoing. The long-awaited result of the Joel Smith investigation saw the player retire from the game after he was suspended for four years and three months for anti-doping rule violations. No other player was named. The drama was by no means over: a review of the club’s activity was conducted, new elections came and went, unhappy and unsettled players stayed and the club lived to fight another day. The Casey Demons never recovered from a shaky start during which they lost key VFL listed signings in Campbell Hustwaite and Leo Connolly through injury in the opening weeks of the season. On top of the retirement of hard man James Munro at the end of 2023, the cupboard was bare and the team muddled its way through the season with a mere five wins — a far cry from its famous premiership season two years earlier. The final blow was the retirement of intrepid leader Mitch White at the end of the season. White comfortably won the best and fairest ahead of Roan Steele and Matt Jefferson who also booted 29 goals to top the goal kicking. The VFL affiliate went to work immediately embarking on a recruiting spree which at this stage looks promising for season 2025. The AFLW Demons also missed the finals. Their fate was partially sealed when the 2024 fixture was released in May. It was a tough draw that ended up even harder as the teams Melbourne played did better than expected and teams it didn’t play, did worse. A slew of injuries to key players, an exodus of quality, battle-hardened teammates, resulting in playing young recruits prematurely, culminated the team winning six games with a lowly percentage (87.9%), and finishing ninth. After winning first up against Geelong, injuries and near misses had them virtually out of the race before a late surge saw them fail by half a game. How much did they rue that after-the-siren defeat against the Dockers at Fremantle Oval and the last-minute withdrawal through injury of skipper Kate Hore in the decisive late season game against the Hawks? The team was again led brilliantly by Hore who won a third successive Daisy Pearce Trophy winner, edging out vice-captain Tyla Hanks by two votes. Maeve Chaplin, put together a career-best season and was named in the All-Australian squad. Eliza McNamara and Sinead Goldrick also stood out. As things stood, the club faced the imperatives of bringing the players together and raising the standard and depth of its playing lists. One of the steps toward achieving the first aim in the preseason was utilising mindset master Ben Crowe who had been involved in the club review. Prior to Christmas a player's camp at Bright, which focused heavily on their connection, perspective and communication, has hopefully laid the foundation for a team revival in 2025. The club's trade and free agency period was mainly uneventful with the club picking up athletic Brisbane Lion Harry Sharp and a backup ruckman in Tom Campbell from St Kilda but it had an excellent draft, securing elite talent in the form of Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay with its early picks and a “smokey” in Werribee mature aged forward Aidan Johnson to go with promising NGA rookie Ricky Mentha Jnr. The Casey Demons have also recruited strongly and coach Taylor Whitford will be looking forward to an influx of quality player into his squad. The AFLW team lost long time favourite Lily Mithen but retained Tayla Harris who was sidelined with injury for what was basically the whole of the season. The club was happy with the draft as it welcomed WA star Molly O’Hehir with selection 3, Maggie Mahony from the Oakleigh Chargers and its own “smokey” in cross-code athlete Amelia Dethridge. After a year in which the club suffered its fall from grace, expectations are high for better things to come in 2025.

Here's where Kingy thinks our list is at. From about 2 mins in. David King has grouped each AFL list into tiers ahead of the 2025 season. Taking a Stawell Gift approach, King has handicapped the best 23s of the 18 AFL clubs as if they’re in a race - Off Scratch, Off 3 Metres, Off 5 Metres, Off 8 Metres and then two clubs not even in the conversation. “Just lists, not about how they’ll perform or whether you like them or dislike them,” King said on SEN Breakfast. “This is like the old Stawell Gift style, off scratch. “It’s the best 23 that the coach has to work with on a weekly basis.” Off Scratch Top tier Fremantle Brisbane GWS Giants “Then I feel there’s a little gap.” Off 3 Metres Down a rung Hawthorn Collingwood Carlton Geelong Melbourne Off 5 Metres Good average list Sydney Gold Coast Essendon Adelaide Western Bulldogs Off 8 Metres Two rungs below AFL average St Kilda North Melbourne Port Adelaide Not in the conversation Richmond West Coast

Veteran Demonland Trackwatcher Picket Fence ventured down to Casey Fields to bring you his observations from Friday's Match Simulation. Greetings Demonlanders, beautiful Day at training and the boys were hard at it, here is my report. NO SHOWS: Luker Kentfield (recovering from pneumonia in WA), also not sure I noticed Melky (Hamstring) or Will Verrall?? MODIFIED DUTIES (No Contact): Sparrow, McVee (foot), Tracc (ribs), Chandler, (AC Joint), Fullarton Noticeable events (I’ll skip training Drills and get right into match sims) A) PLAYERS Max was back to full Match Simulations and although a little rusty looked very fit and ready for action. In fact, the ruck duels between him and Tom Campbell were very intriguing! Max got plenty of it and marked around the ground, but I was very impressed with Tom and he might well be looked at to support Max in Games. Sestan played down back and didn’t look all that comfortable. Aiden Johnson played forward and took one very strong mark and was involved in some passages of play but did little else. Shane McAdam might have kicked a goal but did little else that I saw. Harry Petty returned to the backline and looked very comfortable. Rick Lever also joined in match sims and as he always does finds himself the ball and linked in very well. Marty Hore plays taller than he looks and competes very well. Jacob van Rooyen TOOK the mark of the day and converted truly and contested very well as he always does. Harry Sharp was lively and his movement up and down the ground was seamless. THE GENERAL Steven May did as he usually does and looks like having a great year. B) MATCH SIMS PLAY STYLE Another poster was correct in his impressions of skills. However, a few things stood out for me. 1. Because players know the game style well and are drilled extensively in defending the footy when you haven’t got it, they automatically revert to a ‘HUNT IN PACKS ‘Mentality. Today if you tried to finesse too much you got caught and tackled MERCILESSLY. 2. The corridor was not used as much as I have previously seen in match sims and so little sideways kicks featured prominently. 3. Skills were a little hit and miss on occasions but given the intensity of match play this replicated REAL match conditions which should hold us in great stead for the year. 4. Our boys look SUPER FIT, No one gasping for air and everyone showing pace run and carry. C) DEDICATED PLAYER WATCH 1. WHO THE HELL WAS THE PLAYER WITH NO NUMBER AND WORE A WHITE ZINC CREAM ACROSS HIS NOSE??? Whoever he was he was fantastic … took several strong marks and kicked 2 goals 1 (missed a sitter) PLAYED like a souped up Fritta! but is right footed !!! Admin Edit: Most likely ex-Eagle Jai Culley 2. JACK BILLINGS Was phenomenal today, was in everything, tackled hard disposed of the pill well and set up some goals and kicked a few himself I thought he was sensational. 3. THE DYNAMIC DUO….. CLARRY and JACK VINEY Clarry is almost back to his best looks super fit and really is in “Beast” Mode. DITTO J.V just does not know when and how to give in. Clarry’s disposal was occasionally off radar but generally very very sound. 4. BILL LAURIE As Gomer Pyle would say SURRPRISE SURPRISE SUUUURPRISE, looks a lot more composed, got plenty of it and used it well. 5. ED LANGDON Say no more the fluid running machine and glue that binds a lot of our fortunes together! 6. KOSSY, RICKY, ROY GEORGE AND AMW Kozzy is a FREAK, his feet are quicker than Rudolph Nureyev and yes he occasionally tries to do too much but BOY can he play,. Ricky Mentha and Roy have more tricks than a contortionist after being inspired by watching “The Road Runner” BEEP BEEP. AMW??? Boy do I love his run and carry out of the backline, Just exhilarating when it all comes together 7. JEFFO Hmm well he kicked 2 goals 3 (the 3 were difficult shots with one hitting the post on the run. Look he just looks a natural player and yes, he laid some good tackles was instrumental in creating two goals and took a couple of strong contested grabs. 8. HARVEY LANGFORD Boy HE is a JET ... WILL PLAY ROUND 1 Superstar in the making just has awareness, space , toughness , run and SKILLS Finally, I would like to dedicate this training report to Australian of the Year Neale “The Reverend” Daniher and also to Hardtack. Hope you get better soon pal.

How good is Harvey Langford.

Actual vision from Today's match simulation.

This is what ChatGPT had to say about todays session. On Friday, January 31, 2025, the Melbourne Football Club conducted a pre-season training session at Casey Fields, with a focus on match simulation and skill refinement. The session was well-attended by both players and coaching staff, all demonstrating a high level of commitment as the season's commencement approaches. Training Activities: Match Simulation: The team engaged in extensive match simulation drills, emphasizing strategic plays and in-game decision-making. This allowed players to practice under game-like conditions, enhancing their readiness for the upcoming season. Skill Development: Players participated in drills aimed at improving ball handling, kicking accuracy, and defensive maneuvers. These exercises are crucial for maintaining and elevating the team's overall performance standards. Player Updates: Max Gawn: The team captain, recovering from a fractured larynx sustained in December, continued his rehabilitation. He is currently in a non-contact training phase and is expected to rejoin full training in the coming weeks. Jake Lever: The defender, who underwent knee and shoulder surgeries in the off-season, has been focusing on running exercises and shoulder mobility. He is anticipated to return to full contact training by the end of January. Charlie Spargo: After being sidelined for most of 2024 due to an Achilles injury, Spargo has been reintegrating into skills training with the group. He is on track to participate fully in training sessions post-Christmas Coaching Remarks: The coaching staff expressed satisfaction with the players' efforts and progress during the session. They highlighted the importance of these pre-season activities in building team cohesion and fine-tuning strategies ahead of the competitive season. Next Steps: The team will continue its rigorous training schedule, with upcoming sessions focusing on tactical drills and physical conditioning. The coaching staff plans to monitor player workloads to ensure optimal performance and injury prevention as the season approaches. Overall, the Melbourne Football Club's pre-season preparations are progressing well, with players demonstrating dedication and a strong work ethic in anticipation of a successful 2025 season.

A number of Demonland Trackwatchers swooped on Gosch's Paddock to bring you their observations from this morning's Preseason Training Session. DEMON JACK'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Beautiful morning at Gosch's Paddock. Very healthy crowd so far. REHAB: Fullerton, Spargo, Tholstrup, McVee Viney running laps. EDIT: JV looks to be back with the main group. Trac, Sparrow, Chandler and Verrell also training away from the main group. Currently kicking to each other inside the 50 before attempting a running shot for goal. Trac with a couple of absolute bullets that sounded amazing off the boot! The main group has now split into two. The group closest to us have also split in half and look to be practicing transition from defence to the forward line. Trac is fully participating in this drill. Lever very vocal in defense and competing well against Jefferson and Turner. Laurie has been a standout so far with his give, receive then forward 50 entries. JVR with a nice bit of forward craft. Lost Petty and led to the beautiful pass of Sharp. He then converted beautifully from 50m. The boys are now in a new drill focusing on short kicks around the 50. Kalani White is here and participating. First time I've seen AJ in person. Imposing presence and looks a likely type. Easy to see why he's being mooted for a round 1 spot. Laurie again lowers his eyes and nails a pass to JVR who takes a strong mark. Rinse and repeat one minute later only for TMac to intercept with a late spoil. We're now in a high paced handball/keepings off drill. Melksham showcasing all of his years of experience as he twists and turns through traffic. Turner and Petty also surprisingly agile and skillful for big men. Blake Howes and AJ take turns in wrapping up Kozzy (not an easy thing to do!) who pivots and divots but can't quite break away from traffic. We're now in some good old fashioned match sim that is taking place in one half of the ground. Tom Campbell has great touch for a big man. Harvey Langford showing his strength by shaking off a tackle and nailing a pass to the player on the wing. Roo marking absolutely everything. Jeffo not so much. Full oval match sim now. Rivers showing great run and carry in the middle but has flubbed a few easy kicks. Clarry cleverly intercepts a Kozzy handball and nicely delivers the ball inside 50. He is looking fit. Salem has his kicking boots on today. Nails a pass to Jeffo in the pocket who snaps truly. JVR very vocal inside 50. JVR with a huge specky to the delight of the members standing around the boundary! Windsor doesn't run, he glides. Love watching him move around the ground. He'll be an asset no matter where we decide to play him this year. McAdam showing fantastic dash. Harvey Langford looks the goods on traffic. Footy IQ seems high. As I type that, Langford nails Riv in a brutal tackle that can be heard around the ground. Salem takes a courageous intercept mark going back with the flight. His kick falls short of AJ inside 50 who recovers beautifully before turning around nailing a short pass to Clarry. Langford out bodies Kozzy and takes a strong mark in the centre. Jeffo out bodies TMac nicely but just can't get them to stick (probably would've received a free kick anyway because of a chopping of the arms). Roy George (I think) nails a sizzling pass inside 50 to Kozzy. A nice bit of run and carry from Sestan (who's looked good today) leads to Langdon marking inside 50. Jeffo finds himself with the ball on the midfield and takes a bit too long to get rid of it. Absolutely dumped in a tackle by Clarry. TMac training with the forwards at the moment. As is Kynan Brown. Looks like that's a wrap! CLANIKO'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Now split into two groups on opposite wings working the ball about 30 metres using only handpasses. White shirts vs reds with tackling. Kozzy a tackling beast as expected. Trac, Chandler and sparrow were in the no touch fluro hats earlier but now are doing some kicking work with light pushing in the contest. Full ground match sim I believe 13v13 with one player in a bib playing for the attacking team. JvR looking good as deepest forward playing on McDonald, tmac copped a big knee in the back with JVR taking a mark on him. Jed Adams ignored Lever calling for an easy short kick inside and opted to go the long kick down the line that got intercepted, copped a bit of a spray from lever for it. Midfield seemed pretty mixed. I think it was A backline vs A forward line at one end and B backline vs B forwards at other end. A end was JVR, Jeffo and Turner lining up against May and TMax. This split would have Lever in the B team though so tough to tell. DITCHA'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS I attended some of the training session this morning. I as very impressed with some of Bill Laurie's efforts. Jvr was marking everything including a great mark over Tmac. Trac is looking in good condition, and ready to go. Clayton Oliver looks very fit, and is in everything. Jack Billings looks very fit, and very keen to have a big season. KEV MARTIN'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Rehab on the paddock as I approach. Sparrow and Chandler in the yellow no contact cap, Tracc, and Verral, plenty of ball handling and running. Viney doing his own program. McVee and Fullarton running laps. Tholstrup in his own program. Spargo still on his own program, looking leaner than early on in preseason. No Kentfield again. They main group of about 40 players, gathered, looked at the board and half of them turned their jersey's inside out, creating light and coloured groups. In the warm up kicks, Williams took Langford aside and put pressure on him to get his left foot working with precision. Good to see Lever, Lindsay and Woey in full training. A bit of wind around, they handled it well. The warm-up drills were done with plenty of skill and voices. The score board was up and running. They started a competitive kicking, then handball game in small areas. The rehabbers, Sparrow, Chandler, and Tracc, stepped into the kicking (no contact) game and separated from the handball one as it was contact. The sims began 4 Quarters of about 7, 8 minutes each. Lights well ahead, then got over run by colours, who evened it up with the wind advantage and continued to against the wind. The backline of Tmac, and Windsor piercing the centre corridor got them dominating. McAdam has found his mojo, running offensively and defensively (I think he is trusting his body), He is very quick, involved, and skilful. Lindsay playing wing against Woewodin, was heavily involved. He has a good tank, in the with the backs, then to the forward area. Closer down quickly, wants to get the ball, wants to stop the opposition. Works well as an outside runner. Langdon played in the centre, alongside Clarry and Langford (could be an ANB substitute), got plenty of forward possessions. Laurie in the centre mids, moving well, getting plenty and using good skills. JVR, getting some good looks at it in Central positions Fritta playing wide and high. Finding it difficult to get them kicking it to him. Melksham looking good with leadership qualities. Petty got some mongrel going, even with own players. When they set up for the sims, Windsor starts off the half-back. They are really pushing high up the ground as forwards or backs. Meaning Caleb is forward of centre as they compact the contested area. The backs had TMac as the last man in one set up I saw, with May on his right side. The forwards had JVR as the last man who was loose on regular occasions, with the backs pushing past the 50 arc. The wings had, Billings, Sharp, Woewodin and Lindsay most of the time. Langdon was in with the centre mids. Brown was set as a half-forward, as they started the sim, then often working like a winger as Windsor did. Though not matched up with a player, so outnumbering the opposition's wingman. I think Caleb is playing out of the backline. I haven't seen him starting on the wing in the sims yet. I was impressed with Lindsay in the wing position. Sharp definitely has the tank and speed. My worry is, does he get enough of the ball and can he use it well. A few off kicks/turnovers today. Then there is Billings, Woewodin, Sparrow, Brown, even Bowey and Rivers. Our set ups are going to be interesting. Many options, and pressure for positions, especially with Melky, Salem and McAdam doing well in preseason. Mentha is improving, then there is AMW, Laurie and Hore, Johnson and Campbell. Sestan, Jefferson, Adam and Howes also in the mix. I haven't been able to leave many out of the possibilities. We have good depth this year. HARVEY WALLBANGER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS All in attendance today except Luker Kentfield - hasn't been seen for a while? Roy George, Mitch Hardie and (I think) Jai Culley "train-on" players. McVee, Trac, Spargo, Tholstrup, Sparrow, Fullarton, Chandler in rehab. Verrall seemed to be in and out of it. Viney threw his strapping away and joined the main group early. Petty continued to train down back, Disco up forward - interestingly they seem to be trying Sestan down back (and he looked OK). As per other comments, Clayton, Rivers and Windsor looking great through the mid-field in match sim. McAdam (very lively again), Johnson and JVR normally deepest with Fritter playing a lot more upfield - maybe just to get more work into him. Max back to full training and Campbell was making him work. Campbell looking like he will be a capable (if not like-for-like) replacement should he be needed. Still no sign of JVR or Johnson doing any secondary ruck-work (who will it be?). Lever back into the main group and he and May doing their usual thing - TMac also down back - does he fit in with Petty also back? Other random observations - Howes continues to look good, Adams seems to have discovered a bit of spark. Salem used a lot in the yellow vest (overlap) player in the match sim. WAYNE WUSSELL'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Teams very competitive in competitive skills training. Lots of encouragement from players on the boundary line waiting to rotate. Many physical exchanges throughout. Tackling was fierce. disposal skills were mostly very good. I didn't see AMW or Kentfield Hore has developed a defender's 'mean-streak'. He put Melksham and one other very close to the fence with aggro nudges across the boundary line. Ricky Mentha is finding a lot of ball and delivering at pace in match sims. May has lost none of his physical aggression but still is a little wayward with some passes. If Billings is competing with Sharp for a spot on the wing, I have Billings ahead on training form. I asked Kilani if he was coming, he responded with, "How you going"... maybe he didn't hear me clearly, it was very windy! Fritsch continues to play further up the field and he seems up for the challenge. Cool in traffic, constantly on the move. Spargo was running the boundary at a hot pace and seemingly unhindered. Max took part in match sims and competitive drills. Showed his strengths! Langdon is in superb touch. Langford is looking like a round 1 starter these days. Maintaining the pre-season excellence -> Rivers, Oliver, Salem, Windsor & McDonald Woewodin is developing. He puts body into every contest (courageously), tackles well and has stamina. Only a shade behind Sparrow in a similar position... might be the 'Nibbler' type. If I was picking a round one team based on today's session (and on who looks 100% available) it would be this, B: McVie, May, McDonald HB: Salem, Lever, Windsor C: Billings, Viney, Langdon HF: Fritsch, Turner, Petracca F: McAdam, Van Rooyen, Chandler R: Gawn, Oliver, Rivers Int: Petty, Laurie, Melksham, Langford, Howes SCOOP JUNIOR'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS I also went down to training this morning. Didn't see Kentfield or AMW. McVee and Fullarton ran a lot of laps and didn't look overly hindered. Spargo was in a singlet (not the training jumper the players wear) doing his own thing - would seem to be a while away. When I got there they were doing two groups of a short kicking game. Looked like the aim was to practice hitting up precise kicks through a zone (picking the right option and executing) while for the defending team it was to get in the right position and then try chop off the kicks. There was no tackling and ball movement was pretty much by foot only. Trac, Sparrow and Chin participated in this wearing the yellow hats. Jake Melksham landed a few lovely weighted passes that somehow bypassed the zoning players. They then moved into a handball game, working on moving the ball by hand in tight, defending the ball movement by hand and constantly running up and back. This was with tackling and the yellow-hatters stepped out of this drill. Max and Lever participated and looked to be back in full training. They then moved into match sim. It wasn't an intra-club or anything like that, it seemed more about full ground ball movement. There was tackling and contact but it didn't appear to me to be at practice match / intra-club type ferocity. Also, there weren't any stoppages around the ground. I thought the ball movement was pretty slick and fast for the most part, but hey, it's far from the pressures of a game against genuine opposition. Positionally, Petty was in defence. Fritsch played further up the ground (half forward). One would question why you wouldn't want a player with Fritsch's nous and goal kicking ability as close to goal as possible, but seeing him roll onto the left and lace out some lovely passes into leading forwards probably answers that question. I thought Adams made a few good desperate spoils. JVR leapt well at the ball and took a nice hanger on TMac from a long Rivers kick that sat up perfectly for him. Speaking of Rivers, he did seem to use that long leg on most occasions, driving the ball deep inside 50. They then went back into the handball game before then going back to more of the ball movement match sim. The yellow-hatters didn't do the match sim, Trac ran some laps and just looks in ripping shape. At one stage Oliver really put on the after-burners to chase down a player and I thought to myself, why go so hard, you could nick a hammy (MFCSS). After the chase he went to ground and started stretching his leg and then walked off the ground and I thought, that's why! But he came back on a few minutes later and resumed playing in the match sim and seemed to play it out. That would suggest it was likely cramp although I do remember him playing out the game after his hammy against Port (more MFCSS). Just finally, it's hard to stand out in the way you run/move when out there with 35 other professional athletes, but gee two players for me just looked on a different level with how they cover the ground. The first was Kozzie with his lateral movement. It's nothing we don't know, but his ability to twist and turn and sidestep is quite remarkable - they just couldn't tackle him. The second was Windsor. He is one of those runners that looks like they are skiing down a mountain. He just eats up the ground and is so effortless in his running style. SLARTIBARTFAST'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Sestan worked very well off half back, he's a very good kick. McAdam was a star in a lot of the drills. If he stays fit we have something. At one stage Windsor had the ball running to goal. Lingers decided to run him down. Did manage it despite Duke going at 85%. Windsor and Kossie, as Scoop said, stand out with their physical attributes. Roy George continues to impress. Does some special things. I was on his bandwagon at the end of last season but I am now. He's got some special attributes. I disagree with WW. The match sims are not all that physical. It's tackle with care and little contact in the air but Tmac might have a word with JvR. Addition: had a long chat with Kingy, was really approachable and happy to talk. He's a big fan of Windsor going back "because you don't get enough of the ball on the wing". He thought as a team we had the greatest highest and lowest variance. He had a long chat to Trac, I love to know what he thinks now.

Melbourne skipper Max Gawn has declared his club won’t “start in the negative” this year, claiming a mindset change and critical pre-season camp had set the foundation for the team flip its fortunes. After three consecutive top-four finishes – including the 2021 flag – the Demons were one of the shock 2024 sliders, finishing in 14th spot on the ladder – albeit with an 11-12 record and percentage of 98.5. It came amid serious questions over the club’s culture and trade speculation surrounding superstar duo Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca, who ultimately opted to remain at the club. But the Demons this summer have placed an emphasis on player connection, with leadership coach Ben Crowe brought in to help facilitate the mindset approach. “The fact we had someone external and we went away to Bright, which made it more unique being in a different place. We got some really good people who got up and told some good home truths and some good stories … the stuff off the field is really exciting,” Gawn told The Age. “To be able to start (the year) on an even playing field and even potentially with a positive, given what we have delved into in this space would put us ahead of some groups in this space, then our footy can do the talking. “We don’t have to start in the negative and clean up what is happening off the field while trying to play competitive footy against sides better than us both (on and off the field).” Fellow Demons leader Jack Viney told the Herald Sun coach Simon Goodwin declared completing a 2km time trial at the start of the Bright camp “probably wasn’t what we needed as a group”, instead bringing in Crowe to help the playing group focus on perspective and communication. “Typically, you come back day one of pre-season and you can be straight into time trials and that sort of stuff, but I think it is why ‘Goody’ is such a good coach,” Viney told the Herald Sun. “I think over the course of history, if you looked, all of the successful teams – you see the connection and the bond created. Melbourne players Jack Viney, Christian Salem and Max Gawn promote the club's new jumper sponsor with Grill’d. Picture: Melbourne FC.Source: Supplied “It is almost the number one thing. Without that there is not much point in doing too much else.” Viney said there were “robust” but healthy discussions held among Demons players at the camp that had given the group “optimism about what we are able to achieve”. “I’m really thankful we had these conversations which, at the time, can be challenging but I think when you come out the other end of it, you come away optimistic and really excited about the future of the footy club,” he said. Gawn suggested Goodwin, who comes out of contract at the end of 2026, had returned to training with a noticeable “edge”. “He’s (Goodwin been open to feedback. He has given us some feedback. He’s got married and since his wedding – he must have had some time to think in Bali – he has come back with a bit of an edge,” Gawn said. “He has got his competitive voice back, and he’s back into training and he’s yelling. It’s good.”