Demonland

Max Gawn has a massive lead in the Demonland Player of the Year award ahead of Jake Bowey, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Kysaiah Pickett. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

The Demons did not come to play from the opening bounce and let the Gold Coast kick the first 5 goals of the match. They then outscored the Suns for the next 3 quarters but it was too little too late and their season is now effectively over.

With their season all over bar the shouting the Demons head back on the road for the third week in a row as they return to Adelaide to take on the Crows. Who comes in and who goes out?

It's Game Day and the Demons are back on the road again and this may be the last roll of the dice to get their 2025 season back on track as they take on the Gold Coast Suns at People First Stadium.

Who are you tipping?

The Gold Coast Suns find themselves outside of the top eight for the first time since Round 1 with pressure is mounting on the entire organisation. Their coach Damien Hardwick expressed his frustration at his team’s condition last week by making a middle-finger gesture on television that earned him a fine for his troubles. He showed his desperation by claiming that Fox should pick up the tab. There’s little doubt the Suns have shown improvement in 2025, and their position on the ladder is influenced to some extent by having played fewer games than their rivals for a playoff role at the end of the season, courtesy of the disruption caused by Cyclone Alfred in March. However, they are following the same trajectory that hindered the club in past years whenever they appeared to be nearing their potential. As a consequence, that Hardwick gesture should be considered as more than a mere behavioral lapse. It’s a distress signal that does not bode well for the Queenslanders. While the Suns are eager to remain in contention with the top eight, Melbourne faces its own crisis, which is similarly deep-seated but in a much different way. After recovering from a disappointing start to the season and nearing a return to respectability among its peer clubs, the Demons have experienced a decline in status, driven by the fact that while their form has been reasonable (see their performance against the ladder leader in the Kings Birthday match), their conversion in front of goal is poor enough to rank last in the competition. Furthermore, their opponents find them exceptionally easy to score against. As a result, they have effectively eliminated themselves from the finals race and are again positioned to finish in the bottom half of the ladder. The Demons have not experienced victory for a month, and this encounter at People First Stadium, the home of the Gold Coast Suns, appears to be beyond their reach. However, it’s worth recalling they have a good record against the Suns at this venue. Their achievement of a significantly weaker side there less than twelve months ago was outstanding. In the absence of key players, they successfully gained control of the midfield, maintained a solid defence, and with Jack Viney and Ed Langdon starring and the young tall key forwards finding some connection, they ultimately overwhelmed the Suns scoring 18 goals and 9 behinds to secure a 9-goal victory. Although such a glam scoreline is unprecedented for the Demons in 2025, it will undoubtedly trouble Hardwick and is likely to increase his anxiety as the game approaches. The question is whether the Demons possess the resilience to overcome the memory of their most recent performance against Port Adelaide, where they squandered numerous opportunities to close the gap with the home side, as well as their earlier encounter against the Suns, where they were eviscerated to the tune of 58 points at the MCG after kicking 2.9 in the first half. The big issue, we were told, earlier in the season was that the players were still getting used to a new game plan. They’ve had plenty of time to adjust and improve, they’ve shown some good progress but the old problem of forward connection continues to rear its ugly head. The mission is to overcome some prolific midfielders like Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller, take control of the engine room which they are certainly capable of and move the ball directly into the forward line and convert truly. They’ve been seething over the consequences of recent failures for two weeks and watched while teams like the Blues and the Bombers have copped all of the media flak. The Demons need to perform this week to avoid getting the middle finger from the press. I watched the Suns game closely because I had little else to do over the last weekend. I saw how the GWS Giants twice conceded an early lead and then easily reeled them in to take the lead and win. There was panic in their eyes and weakness in their hearts of the Suns. They are definitely vulnerable. The Demons must get themselves on target sooner rather than later and there’s no better time to do so on what is forecast as a wet, soggy day at Carrara. Bring it on. Melbourne by 37 points. THE GAME Gold Coast Suns vs Melbourne at Peoples First Stadium on Saturday 29 June 2025 at 1.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Gold Coast Suns 4 wins Melbourne 15 wins At Peoples First Stadium - Gold Coast Suns 1 win Melbourne 5 wins Past five matches - Gold Coast Suns 1 win Melbourne 4 wins The Coaches - Hardwick 1 win Goodwin 1 win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Gold Coast Suns 18.12.120 defeated Melbourne 8.14.62 at The MCG, Round 3 2025 It was inevitable that the accident-prone Demons were going to get blown away in the end. They kicked 2.9 in a first half (as if we need reminding) which was otherwise tightly contested. The game then went according to the Dees’ 2025 script as the Suns went on a 13.4 scoring spree in the second half to record a big victory. Langdon, Oliver and the skipper stood out but it was a sad performance overall. THE TEAMS GOLD COAST SUNS B B. Uwland, M. Andrew, S. Collins HB J. Noble, W. Powell, D. Rioli C L. Weller, M. Rowell, B. Fiorini HF B. Ainsworth, S. Flanders, B. Humphrey F B. Long, J. Walter, B. King FOLL J. Witts, T. Miller, N. Anderson I/C C. Budarick, S. Clohesy, J. Jeffrey, E. Read, A. Sexton EMG A. Davies, N. Holman, N. Moyle IN A. Sexton OUT N. Holman (omitted) MELBOURNE B J. Bowey, S. May, C. Salem HB J. McVee, D. Turner, B. Howes C E. Langdon, C. Petracca, H. Langford HF B. Fritsch, M. Jefferson, K. Chandler F J. Melksham, H. Petty, K. Pickett FOLL M. Gawn, C. Oliver, J. Viney I/C X. Lindsay, T. Rivers, H. Sharp, T. Sparrow, K. Tholstrup EMG J. Van Rooyen, J. Lever, T. Woewodin IN M. Jefferson, H. Sharp, K. Tholstrup OUT J. Lever (omitted), J. Van Rooyen (omitted), C. Windsor (omitted) Injury List: Round 16 Charlie Spargo — Scapula / 1 - 2 weeks Oliver Sestan — hamstring / TBC Aidan Johnson — ankle / 4 - 6 weeks Shane McAdam — Achilles / season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / season

It was a humiliating defeat for Melbourne highlighted by its usual wayward kicking at goals, loose defence and lack of pressure conceding easy goals. Nothing we haven’t seen before or since. MELBOURNE 1.4.10 2.9.21 6.12.48 8.14.62 GOLD COAST SUNS 4.5.29 5.8.38 12.10.82 18.12.120 GOALS MELBOURNE Sharp 2 Bowey Chandler Langford Melksham Petracca van Rooyen GOLD COAST SUNS King 4 Miller 3 Graham 2 Anderson Flanders Humphrey Long Noble Read Walter Weller Witts BEST MELBOURNE Langdon Langford Bowey Oliver Gawn Rivers GOLD COAST SUNS Rowell Anderson Collins Miller King Noble THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B B. Howes, S. May, C. Salem HB T. Rivers, H. Petty, J. Bowey C E. Langdon, C. Oliver, X. Lindsay HF J. Henderson, A. Johnson, H. Sharp F B. Fritsch, J. van Rooyen, T. Sparrow FOLL M. Gawn, C. Petracca, J. Viney I/C J. Billings, K. Chandler, H. Langford, T. McDonald SUB J. Melksham EMG R. Mentha Jr, O. Sestan, D. Turner IN J. Billings, A. Johnson, H. Langford, S. May, J. Melksham OUT M. Jefferson (hand), J. Lever (ankle), C. Spargo (concussion), D. Turner (omitted), T. Woewodin (omitted) GOLD COAST SUNS B M. Andrew, W. Powell, S. Collins HB J. Noble, B. Uwland, D. Rioli C L. Weller, M. Rowell, S. Clohesy HF W. Graham, J. Walter, T. Miller F B. King, S. Flanders, E. Read FOLL J. Witts, B. Humphrey, N. Anderson I/C C. Budarick, N. Holman, B. Long, J. Jeffrey SUB J. Rogers EMG A. Sexton, N. Moyle, C. Graham IN M. Andrew, S. Flanders, J. Walter OUT B. Ainsworth (quad), C. Ballard (knee), A. Sexton (omitted)

As the Demons head into their Bye Round, it's time to turn our attention to the other matches being played. Which teams are you tipping this week? And which results would be most favourable for the Demons if we can manage to turn our season around? Follow all the non-Melbourne games here and join the conversation as the ladder continues to take shape.

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Judd free

Melbourne has switched sites for its in the latest twist to its decade-long search for a new home. The Herald Sun can reveal the Demons have binned plans to construct a facility on the south-western wedge of the Caulfield precinct in favour of a new area in the south-eastern corner of the reserve. Artists' impression of the Melbourne Football Club plans for new headquarters at Caulfield racecourse. The club is desperate for a new headquarters to help restore its reputation as a destination club for new recruits amid increasing frustrations about the shared arrangement between AAMI Park, the MCG and Casey Fields which splits up club staff, players and coaches. In September last year, Melbourne publicly released designs for a new training and administration facility on the south-western side alongside Booran Rd which would be connected to two ovals on the inside of the track as well as community sporting facilities. But those plans have been secretly pushed aside after the club was surprised by the potential $195 million sale of a parcel of adjoining land to Mt Scopus Memorial College which has complicated matters. In recent months, Melbourne has since quietly set its sights on a new area and new plans in the south-eastern corner of the precinct close to Neerim Road and Queens Ave. The club would not comment on the site switch on Monday as it strives to maintain support from key stakeholders for the major project which remains about four or five years away at best. The club is hopeful the new site will deliver a bigger and better result for the Demons, but the overall project still hinges on receiving significant financial support from the cash-strapped State Government. Melbourne’s new facility is tipped to cost between $80 – $100 million which could be split 50-50 between the club’s own cash reserves (and donor pledges), and government money. Artists' impression of the Melbourne Football Club plans for new headquarters at Caulfield racecourse. But it remains a difficult time to secure funds for sporting projects, leaving the Demons at risk of being left behind by rivals across the country who have undergone significant upgrades in recent times. Melbourne officials are firm in the belief they currently have the AFL’s worst facilities, but still overcame any disadvantage winning the 2021 premiership. Club bosses remain confident the project will be ticked-off with strong AFL support in-line with rival club’s new facilities such as Hawthorn’s new home at Dingley and Western Bulldogs’ $78 million redevelopment at Whitten Oval. Former chief executive Gary Pert, who remains as a consultant to the project, said last year a new “magnificent, state of the art” high performance centre was a much-needed development. “We’re acknowledged at a government level and by the AFL that we’re clearly on the bottom of the ladder for facilities,” Pert said. “If I was to talk to anyone at the AFL and say, ‘I’ll meet you tomorrow at the Melbourne footy club,’ basically you wouldn’t know what I’m talking about because we’re in three, four, five different locations.” Melbourne training at Gosch’s Paddock. Picture: David Caird Melbourne is hopeful its business case on the new site will be complete by the end of the year amid what the club says is broad support from local residents for the project. However, Melbourne Racing Club chairman John Kanga last year said some locals were against it due to the impact on a dog walking area. “They (Demons) are also looking at using the inside (track) area for professional sporting fields … (but) we need to also remember and be conscious that it is a public reserve for the residents,” Kanga said. “We, and me, personally use that dog park, and it is a very, very important aspect of community life. “They don’t want to see it taken away, and neither do I.” Melbourne is adamant there will be no impact to dog walking areas and will only improve community sporting facilities for residents.

Of course, it’s not the backline, you might argue and you would probably be right. It’s the boot studder (do they still have them?), the midfield, the recruiting staff, the forward line, the kicking coach, the Board, the interchange bench, the supporters, the folk at Casey, the head coach, the fitness guy and the club psychologist It’s all of them and all of us for having expectations that were sufficiently high to have believed three weeks ago that a restoration of the Melbourne team to a position where we might still be in contention for a finals berth when the time for the midseason bye arrived. Now let’s look at what happened over the period of time since Melbourne overwhelmed the Sydney Swans at the MCG in late May when it kicked 8.2 to 5.3 in the final quarter (and that was after scoring 3.8 to two straight goals in the second term). In the three games since the club went 5-6, it has scored a total of 26 goals 46 behinds for and conceded 39 goals 22 behinds against. That result came from 165 forays inside the 50 metre arc against 133. One of the takeaways from this is that it’s not just a random thing or a case of Melbourne’s poor kicking for goal that’s the problem but it’s also an inability to pressure the opposition when it comes to defending the goals that is a cause for concern. If you include the Sydney game, its opponents are converting 65% of their shots for goal compared to 42%. There’s the difference between winning zero and winning three games right there but it’s not just on the forwards, it’s also on the players further afield including the defence for allowing an easier passage to goal for opponents. And the coaches for not recognizing the issue or doing enough to turn it around. This week, it was dejavu all over again. A good start which might have been better had the right targets been hit and had more attention been given to Mitch Georgiades who was apparently unstoppable. The only marking forward in the vicinity of the Adelaide Oval and the Demons gave him free rein and access to the football. When he didn’t mark, he was infringed upon at the most inconvenient of times. Add that to the club’s other bad habit next to its ineffective disposal, its bad manning up and its poor decision-making is the propensity to lose concentration at the end of quarters just so that the vital goals and momentum are given away at the crucial point of the game. We all love the skipper. He’s been far and away the best player all year - he’s all heart and soul as is Jack Viney. But for blokes in their 30s, surely they would have learned how to kick by now? Max’s misses from not far out early in the third quarter were heartbreaking. Although I remain the eternal optimist, it’s evident that a finals appearance is no longer a viable option. One hopes that the remainder of 2025 will be dedicated to addressing some of the ever-prevalent issues within this team. The question remains as to where remedial work should begin - in the forward line, the midfield or in the backline … stupid. MELBOURNE 3.4.22 5.6.36 8.11.59 9.14.68 PORT ADELAIDE 4.4.28 9.6.60 10.8.68 14.9.93 GOALS MELBOURNE Pickett 3 Fritsch van Rooyen 2 Petty Turner PORT ADELAIDE Georgiades 7 Byrne-Jones 2 Bergman Burgoyne Horne-Francis Powell-Pepper Rioli BEST MELBOURNE Gawn Fritsch Petracca Oliver Pickett Bowey PORT ADELAIDE Georgiades Horne-Francis Butters Rozee Ratugolea Bergman INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil PORT ADELAIDE Aliir (TBC) Horne-Francis (shoulder) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil PORT ADELAIDE Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Xavier Lindsay (replaced Trent Rivers at three-quarter time) PORT ADELAIDE Hugh Jackson (replaced Aliir Aliir at three-quarter time) UMPIRES Nicholas Brown Rrendan Hoskina Peter Bailes Jordan Fry CROWD 30,982 at the Adelaide Oval