Demonland

https://x.com/ClarkyHeraldSun/status/1866636825282089400https://x.com/ClarkyHeraldSun/status/1866636825282089400 Aidan Johnson spoke with his construction boss the night of the AFL national draft with a euphoric message. He wouldn’t be coming into work at the ABN Group the next day. The former plumber and bush footy star from the Ovens & Murray and Hume leagues had officially become Melbourne’s newest wrecking ball forward when the Demons selected him with pick 68 last month. It was the shock of the second night of the draft. One from the clouds. Only a few years earlier, Johnson was on the tools, kicking bags of goals in the country, and eating sausage rolls for lunch without really considering if he could ever make it to the AFL. But the Demons’ recruiters saw something in the hard-at-it goal kicker this year for Werribee in the VFL. It was his trademark hard edge. His desperation at the footy. The extreme effort at every contest. And a new-found dedication to the game off the field. The penny dropped for Johnson at the end of 2023 when the bruising big man overcame a patella tendon injury and dropped 13kg with the help of Werribee premiership captain Dom Brew and his meat-only diet. There were ice baths every morning and saunas every night to help get into shape. But at a time when AFL clubs are mining the bulk of their teenage talent from Melbourne’s elite private schools, the mature-age Johnson offers something very different. Simply, the 24-year-old is a brute at the ball. Johnson is a man who can help shake-up Melbourne’s forward line and add a distinctly new dynamic because of his athletic and aggressive edge. Recruiters say when the 193cm Johnson launches at the Sherrin and tackles opponents, he throws the kitchen sink at every contest. And he is unafraid to help out in the ruck, which will be music to Max Gawn’s ears. The new Demon knows his robust attack on the ball is his one wood. “I play an aggressive style of footy,” Johnson said. “I like to say I play on the line, or on the verge. “So I just compete. Never stop competing.” When coach Simon Goodwin walked up Johnson’s driveway and rang his doorbell on the night of the draft to welcome him to the Demons, he asked for more of the same in red and blue. Approaching a big year for Melbourne, the bargain-basement pick-up offers Melbourne something it arguably hasn’t got. Jacob Van Rooyen needs some key forward help and the race between Johnson, Daniel Turner and Matthew Jefferson is on. And Johnson is already ready to go for round 1 next season. Across three years playing country footy, Johnson starred for the Brock/Burrum Saints and Lavington Panthers before Covid-19 hit in 2020, shutting the game down in regional areas. But when Cats’ livewire Shaun Mannagh left the Panthers to give his AFL dream a shot at Werribee, he urged Johnson to do the same. So Johnson moved to Melbourne, only to be grounded by knee troubles in 2023 which left him unable to climb up stairs let alone take hangers. He was struggling to walk and hard days working as a plumber wasn’t doing his footy any favours. But through the setbacks and frustrations, he showed reliance and an enormous amount of persistence in the hope of becoming the AFL’s latest mature-age success story. “I was on the tools at the time and I would be walking in the trenches or whatever and my knee would just buckle and collapse,” Johnson said. “I was just always falling over walking around on job sites because my knee was that sore. “That was the darkest time. “I had moved my whole life down to Werribee but I just couldn’t get my knee sorted and I legit thought I wasn’t going to be able to run again because I was just always in this excruciating pain.” In his toughest moments, on the phone calls to his parents and his sister, they urged him to stick at it, even when the knee pain was unbearable. But then he met one of Melbourne’s physios, who shed new light on the patella problem, and with a new training program, the pain began to ease in preparation for the 2024 season. That is when Johnson buddied-up with Brew, the ultra-professional ballwinner currently on trial for a list spot at the Western Bulldogs. So meat pies were out and cans of tinned tuna were in. Every meal was lean meat. He also moved into an office role at work as a construction manager which gave his knee more of a rest. And after shedding 13kg, Johnson starred in the VFL as an aggressive and mobile forward despite rupturing his bicep mid-season. Johnson said meeting Brew and adopting his off-field approach – which included the meticulous diet – was the difference. “That was probably the biggest thing, just seeing how professional he (Brew) is and how he goes about it, and his eating habits,” Johnson said. “I had the typical tradie diet, eating pies and going to takeaway stores for lunch and he is eating tins of tuna and meat kind of thing. “So adopting that sort of lifestyle was the biggest thing that helped me. “So it was ice baths in the morning and saunas at night, the whole kit and caboodle. “I didn’t get offered a contract at Werribee or anything like that. They said you have got to work for it and get your body right and that kicked me into place. “Dom was a bit of a mentor and dropping 13kg helped hugely along with getting off the tools. “So we would go food shopping at the South Melbourne markets together, eating full meat, mince, making bone broth. “It just all happened at once.” This week at Melbourne training Johnson was already making an impression, desperately diving and scrapping for the footy as if his life depended on it. And then after training he has been heading out to car yards looking for some new wheels because he is still driving his boss’s ute. “I owe him a few beers, definitely,” Johnson said. But his circle of friends are ecstatic for the former country footy goal kicker who is ready to ramp up the hard work as practice matches loom next month. As far as he has come, Johnson said he is basically starting his footy journey all over again at Melbourne, with no real expectations on himself to play straight away. But his teammates already know, be careful getting in his way. “I just want to get in and work hard and learn the system,” he said. “I’m not pinpointing anything beyond that, or putting a ceiling on what I can do. “I just want to give it everything and see where things take me.” WHO IS AIDAN JOHNSON? Age: 24 Draft history: Chosen at pick 68 by Melbourne in the 2024 AFL national draft. Height: 193cm Position: Key forward/ruckman From: Werribee, Lavington Panthers, Brock/Burrum Saints 2024 season (VFL) Club: Werribee Games: 20. Goals: 17 2024 VFL premiership player

I’ve spoken with the guy and he posts the photos from the MFC website. He never claimed to have taken them himself.

Melbourne CEO Gary Pert has welcomed the announcement of Mount Scopus Memorial College’s intention to develop a new campus. “We welcome the announcement that Mount Scopus Memorial College intend to be our neighbour, building a new campus adjacent to Caulfield Racecourse,” Pert said. “It’s important to clarify that the club and Mount Scopus sites are separate parcels of land, that may result in us being neighbours in the future. “The Melbourne Football Club are currently preparing a business plan that is based on our facility and our two training ovals all being built on the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust land. “We see incredible potential in working alongside the community and community based organisations, including Mount Scopus, to create meaningful synergies and mutual benefits for both communities and to enhance the Glen Eira area.”

The Dees will also play the Kangaroos in a Scratch Match a week or two prior to the Community Series match against the Dockers. The Dees will travel to Rushton Oval in Western Australia to face Fremantle as part of the league’s formal practice matches prior to the 2025 AFL season. The 3:10pm (local) game will consist of four quarters of 20 minutes plus time on, as per the regular home-and-away season. The AAMI Community Series games will be ticketed events, with on-sales scheduled for Wednesday 5 February. Club members with 2025 AFL Premiership Season entry entitlements will have access to free general admission tickets, subject to availability. Sign up now to become a Dees member ahead of 2025. In addition to their official practice match, the Dees will also face North Melbourne prior to their game against Fremantle in an in-formal match simulation. Details of this are still to be confirmed with date, time and location to be determined by the two clubs involved. The match sim will be required to take place between Saturday 15 February and Saturday 22 February.

Perth club recruiters in the outer eyeing our WA talent.

Off to WA ...

I'm pretty sure he takes them from Getty Images.

I don’t believe the sites overlap. Someone close to the school project sent me this.

Once again Demonland Trackwatchers were in attendance at the first preseason training session for the week at Gosch's Paddock to bring you their observations. WAYNE WUSSELL'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Looks like very close to 100% attendance. Kelani is back. Same group in rehab. REHAB: Spargo, Lever, Lindsay, Brown & McAdam. Haven’t laid eyes on Fritsch or AMW yet. Fritsch sighted. One unknown mature standing with Goody. Noticing Nathan Bassett much more today. He is taking the main, full group ball movement activity, with Goody looking on. Bassett barking instructions constantly. Obvious from watching training these early days; we are very fit and transferring the ball with speed (and often, but not always, precision). However, until they start real, full ground match sim, it's a bit like dancing with your sister! Apart from communicating who is not there, and who is in rehab, and who may have picked up a niggle, it's now difficult to be enlightening about projections regarding our progress in 2025. All I can say is that Langford plays round 1 and he improves us. Johnson is putting pressure on key Talls (forwards) with his intensity and athleticism. Tracc is back bigger than before, Clayton is on course to burst back into eye-catching, high disposal, mid-dominance. McDonald is fitter than he has been for a couple of years and Campbell is a legit, road-tested Max-back-up option! DEESPENCER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Match sim. Lovely mark on the lead by Dees CHF Harry Petty. (they’re playing with a backline of Judd and Windsor most of the key backs are rolling through a forward line). Jed Adams nice run and receive on the next piece of play. Bad Harry Sharp turnover kicking to Bowser. Clarry and Tracc racking them up. Bowser and Salo the 2 man backline now. Moving fast with lots of diagonal stuff which is good to see. Not always connecting to the forwards - nice Kalani intercept and spoil there - but Riv, Viney, Koss have all run the ball through the middle. Kolt, Kalani and the new boys jogging laps. Main group just doing end to end lane work with 2 vests v 3 cones at each end and a 2v1 defenders in the middle to link up. Really simple but fundamental running and decision making. Now with 2 footies so it’s getting all multi ball. DITCHA'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS I attended some of the training session. Very impressed with with the quick balling moving drill conducted by Choco. Choco was saying keep your eyes open at all times. Petty was training with forwards today, which suggests that he may be a swing man. DISTRACTION JACKSON'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS When I first got there they were completing a drill in a diamond shape using the whole ground and running in twos. They were all running incredibly hard and really pushing each other, plus Choco really getting vocal. Seem to be Incorporating match day type running as opposed to just running laps to build fitness. Milkshake running laps and looks to be in some discomfort. Ended up on the bike so must have some type of niggle. Hand balling drill focused on shutting down ball movement once the whistle goes. Lots of celebration when it gets shutdown Watching Trac’s power from 10m away is incredible. He burst through three potential tacklers and gave a big cheer once through. Windsor grabbed at his calf after one of the drills…. Made me panic but seems ok and finished the rest of training. Lindsay just keeps running and running. Looks a highly likely type and can’t wait until he’s in full training mode. Kynan Brown also moved into running about halfway through and he just motored along at a decent click for ages. Langford is an absolute beast of a boy, but didn't get to see too much of him unfortunately. Bailey Laurie’s kicking is elite. Hoping he can have a breakout year… Petty playing as a forward in the match sim to start. Adams runs hard to get a handball from May and then hits his 30m kick. I am holding out hope he will eventually take over form May as a key defender. May get a game this year if desperately needed, but I think 2026 will be when he really starts to ramp up. Kozzy turns it over and Chappy was not happy. Chappy also giving some pretty stern words to Ricky Mentha. Chappy is very vocal and looked to be getting a bit [censored] off at times. Assuming the new game plan he is trying to implement is taking some time as would be expected. Scrappy kick from Langford and petty picks it off his bootlaces and snaps a goal. It’s pretty willing in the match sim. Some genuine slaps of the body happening out there. Skills have been so-so, would’ve liked a bit better but the defensive intensity is really good. Again, hard for me to tell given I don't get down very often. Kalani White showed great courage in getting across to make a spoil. Can imagine it would be intimidating for a 17 year old! He also slotted a few nice goals and looks really athletic. Don’t think Bowey missed a kick the whole session. Think he is ready for a big year. Good thing it’s a pretty full list out there. Really just Lever, Spargo, Lindsay, McAdam and Melk not in full training. Kolt finished training early… hopefully nothing too serious but he was walking back to AAMI park with a trainer as I was leaving. Trac was smiling a lot and very vocal ... SIDESHOW BOB'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Spent about 45 mins there for the first time in many a season. Very impressed with the quality of training and ball movement - picking a starting 22 is going to be tough work on the selection committee Was surprised about the size of Lindsay - he is definitely bigger than I was expecting - ripped and should slot straight in. KEV MARTIN'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Basset, and Jones (Goody observing) had a sim/structural drill going, tackling included, going in at about 60% commitment. It seemed to be about getting the ball out from a stoppage in the backline with kick, when the ball gets locked in by congestion. The other side of the field had Chaplin and, I think Whitford, doing something similar, with the emphasis being locking the ball in. Basset was very vocal, he emphasised that the corridor was sacrosanct, 'give them the boundary'. Langford struggled with the shorts kicks, and decision-making a couple of times. His long kicks were more successful. Campbell moved and handled the ball fairly well for a big man. Good fun watching Viney and Tracc compete against each other. They had some stoppages for the mids, taken by Jones. Two mids on one opposition, crumbing off the rucks, Gawn, Verrall and Campbell. One mid would block, as the other gets a free run to collect the tap. I am yet to see the tall forwards do any ruck work. The forwards all practised set kicking from about 45 metres out, taken by Choco. The backs, with Bassett, practised the basic releases. The full sims were done with plenty of skill, fast ball movement, and a sparse forward line. They had an extensive, intensive session, building well. Jefferson is going well! Has put on bulk around the hips. Looks taller than last season. Getting involved in the sims. Listening to and executing the instructions. This morning he was working hard, getting off the blindside of defenders, and in constant movement. Didn't get many passes to him, continued to offer options. His handball and field kicking have also improved, has great hands. Has a reliable set shot. The tackling effort is still lacking, or it maybe that he cannot read defensiveness well. Starts a step behind and doesn't straight line with gusto, though can zone defend reasonably well. During drills he is as clean as anyone. Looking happy. Must be a chance to get a start this year. They have been simming and drilling in very congested areas. A marked change from early last season. When they structure up with a crowded forward line, the instructions I have heard have been, 'look and kick it to where the leading forwrd wants it'. A few of the sims when crowded had them putting the ball infront of JVR who wanted it above the pack for a strong specky attempt, hit the pack, and have a front and centre ready. Big change is that the crumbers are being drilled, working together, and making sure that someone is there at the crumb (hard running). Chandler reads it well. Kossie's snaps are a beautiful thing to see, so very consistent. They haven't given up on the kind of bomb it in theory.

The Melbourne Racing Club has agreed to sell a $195 million parcel of land at Caulfield Racecourse to Mount Scopus Memorial College for the Jewish private school to build a new campus. The MRC’s decision to sell the 7.5-hectare site will clear the racing club of its $165 million debt, and could have implications for the Melbourne Football Club’s proposal to build a $100 million training and administration base at the racecourse. The tract of land being sold to Mount Scopus runs the length of the western precinct of the racecourse – from Station Street along Kambrook and Booran roads to Glen Eira College. The land was previously used for stables and training facilities, but has remained largely unused since horse training stopped at Caulfield in 2021. MRC chairman John Kanga said the club had been negotiating with the college, which intended to build a new campus on the site, for more than 12 months and had engaged consultant Ernst & Young as part of a review process. He said the deal, expected to be settled within two years, had bipartisan support. “It will benefit not only the school and its students, but also have a positive impact on local residents and the broader community,” he said. The 75-year-old Mount Scopus Memorial College operates three campuses – in Burwood, Caulfield South and St Kilda – but has been searching for a new super-site closer to the city’s Jewish heartland. In June, The Age reported the school was looking to strike a land-swap deal with the state government to relocate its three campuses to the Caulfield Hospital site. The school transports about 1000 students from the Caulfield area to Burwood each day, costing parents thousands of dollars each year. A source familiar with the land deal, but not authorised to speak about the school’s plans, said the racecourse deal would eliminate the college’s need for the hospital site. Kanga said the MRC’s ability to clear its debt was not only a win for the club but also the racing industry, which was suffering from a significant downturn in wagering turnover. “As everyone is aware, I have only been club chairman since October and have been highly critical of the $165 million debt incurred by the former committee and executive team,” Kanga said. “This sale will completely clear that debt, reducing risk and stabilising the club’s financial position.” Kanga said the new MRC committee would reverse the policies of the previous committee by continuing to race at Sandown, shelving a costly, and what he considers “unnecessary”, plan to build a new Caulfield grandstand, and moving the Caulfield mounting yard back to what he sees as its “rightful position” in front of the grandstand. Two sources with knowledge of the Mount Scopus agreement, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said the school campus project would complicate Melbourne Football Club’s plan to build their long-awaited home base at Caulfield. The AFL club would require state government and Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust approval to proceed, because the training ovals would be built on Crown land inside the track. This masthead reported in October that the Demons would need to raise $70 million from governments, the Melbourne Cricket Club and private investors to bridge a funding gap for the project, which would end a 20-year search for a central, purpose-built headquarters. The Demons would also use cash reserves from profits and launch a fundraising campaign, although they would not draw on their future fund. Melbourne Football Club’s contested election will be decided on December 17, when the club hopes former MCC chairman Steven Smith will be elected to the board and take over as president at the end of next year. CEO Gary Pert, who will finish in that role at Christmas, is continuing as a consultant on the Caulfield Racecourse project while the business case is being prepared. Mount Scopus Memorial College’s 2023 financial report revealed it had $51 million in property, plant and equipment. The MRC’s plans to wipe its debt comes as the Victoria Racing Club, which runs Flemington, reels from losing $70 million across the past four years. The club that hosts the Melbourne Cup last week axed up to 40 jobs as it moves to rein in years of spiralling debt. It borrowed heavily to open a $128 million grandstand in October 2018. Moonee Valley is pushing on with plans to reshape its track and build a new grandstand after next year’s Cox Plate, which would form part of a total project cost between $200 million and $250 million. The Valley posted a $12.4 million loss in the past financial year, but poured money into construction of its Moonee Valley Park project – an investment that was expected to reap greater dividends when completed properties were sold in following years.

For those not regular patrons to the training threads I assume the rehab group is as follows: REHAB: Spargo, Lever, Lindsay & McAdam

Koltyn Tholstrup and Kalani White arrived a little later.

MCG Car Park. The short training session featured run throughs of about 150m up a steep hill.

Players not in attendance: Max, TMac, Melksham, Lever, May, Salem, Petty, Bowey, Tholstrup, McAdam, Hore, Lindsay.

Some veteran Demonland Trackwatchers ventured down to Gosch's Paddock to bring you the following observations from another Preseason Training Session. WAYNE WUSSELL'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Rehab: Lever, Spargo, McAdam, Lindsay, Brown Sinnema is excellent by foot and has a decent vertical leap. Windsor is training with the Defenders. Windsor's run won't be lost playing off half back. In 19 games in 2024 he kicked 8 goals as a winger. I see him getting shots at goal from HB by being involved in a chain. Houston kicked 7 goals in 2024, Zorko kicked 9. I don't think we lose much in goals by playing Windsor off HB. Just had a short chat with Browny, who is running 200 at a fair clip. He said his break from main group was “awareness”. Main group now in competitive 3/4 ground match sim (of sorts). Tracc hemmed in and tackled in forward pocket, quick handball to Clayton, snapped goal! McAdam now in various runs around boundary. He looks fit and is running freely. Sharp skirting in front as Riv is spoilt from marking. Sharp passes wide to Woey who slots a nice goal from 45. Fritsch just kicked a Fritsch goal in traffic/snap from 15. Tracc turns it over with a scrubber low pass which is intercepted. Very good chain through the middle, Bill long low pass to Max, handball to Kossie, kick to Mentha, finds a deep forward. Ball movement is quick, non-stop, disposal is mostly sharp with limited pressure on ball carrier. Fritta just chased Ed and Howes from behind wing to inside 50. "Bill" Laurie continues to nail long passes to leading players in corridor. Bad kick by AMW from back pocket lands with Kossie intercept, who sends it back in to a leading Fritsch. AMW meets him head on and brings him to ground earning a coaches free kick. Whole group now doing sprints from 50 to 50 arcs. Only a couple, then sprint to drinks. McAdam still running. Brown still running! Players broken into several groups now for contested work. The competitive, 1 on 1 marking with the talls was great to watch. Disco out pointed Maysie with his regulation sticky fingers. McDonald got the better of Max. Jeffo also competed well. Jefferson now looks at home among the big boys. He is stronger and able to jostle for position without being shoved aside. He is enjoying the work and has good goal sense, with crafty snaps and some length when required. I get the feeling he now knows he belongs. Lever is certainly doing a power of running through and over obstacles, building up leg/foot strength and flexibility. It's reassuring to have McDonald and Petty in peak fitness at this stage. Have to head off now. I look forward to other’s more detailed observations to come. DANNYZ'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Woey's physique is seriously impressive. As big an off-season change as I can remember seeing. Not that he was in poor shape to begin with, however, impressive gains! A lot more hand balling and lateral movement through the middle. Less kick in hope and reliance on territory only. Windsor with the backs. Adds class to our ball transition. Radford involvement has increased. Seems to have a lot of say in game plan/tactics. Kentfield & Fullerton focus areas are their one touch with marking. Jonesy brings the group in between 25-33 closer together. I believe there is a spot for Sharp on the wing. He will be fighting with Bowey, XL & Woey for that role. Jed Adams for mine probably isn't quite at the level and I was surprised the club re-contracted him so early. Happy to be proven wrong. Tholstrup would be an on-field starter in the 18. Everything he does is with intent. His defensive efforts in the front 50 are infectious. Second ruck will be Aidan Johnson. DEESPICABLE'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Ok, I went down to training and after writing a lengthy report for you on Monday was going to quietly avoid putting fingers to the laptop. But then, the shot that was heard around the world happened and I thought you'd enjoy knowing about it. Ok, what shot. Well here's a test guess which player I am talking about from this detail. The ball heads long to the wing and Roo looks set to mark but in comes this strong looking Dee with hunger and nudges Roo aside and takes a really strong mark. He then goes back to kick with his left foot and seeing Roo overcommit on the mark, beautifully baulks him and charges down field, get his balance and sees a player 65m away hoping for an over the back in the goal square. He balances after the baulk and then thumps his left footer over the top to his waiting teammate. It was by far the play of the morning and given I was standing on the far side of the ground, I had to check my glasses weren't fogging up. Could it be No.26. Surely not. I looked again as he made his way back and yep it was No.26 - Jed Adams. The same Jed Adams who only minutes earlier before match sim had completely fumbled and left the ball behind in a drill. The same Jed Adams who I, like many of you, had put down as one of Jason Taylor's handful of misses. The same Jed Adams who later on in the one-on-one forward drills looked confident enough to outpoint anyone. Yep, there are signs that in his third season since being taken with pick 38, that the 20yo is finally making headway. He's not about to push out Steven May or T-Mac for rd 1, but there's no doubt he's starting to show enough to get an AFL game at some stage if we get injuries. With Tommo gone, the queue for key backs isn't quite as long and even with Petty looking likely to play there, he's only two hammy twings or twangs from being named. While Adams had that 'moment', there were three clear stars on the track that you couldn't help but notice on a regular basis. The first was Clayton. Yep i know how frustrated we were with him the last two seasons, but right now he is back having fun and looking like a Brownlow Medal runner-up again. He kicked goals, he gave one off to tricky Ricky Mentha and he intercepted passes, made strong leads etc etc. He's probably 100-1 for the Brownlow right now, but given our draw, he might go close. The second was Kossie. He may not be playing until round 4, but watching him weave and turn his way out of trouble was mega exciting. On what we are seeing so far, he may end up playing quite a bit in the middle as he is mega fit. The third and most important of all is the positional switch that is going to make us exciting again. And I'm not talking Petty back to defence. In match sim, there's probably just 15 a side and so there are only five defenders. No prizes for guessing T-Mac and May with Petty, who may well be just there until Jake Lever is back over his knee soreness. Judd McVee and his precise kicking is also there again after a late (somewhat baffling) dabble in the midfield last season. And the other small down there is our No.6 Caleb Windsor. Those of you who are Robbie fans will recall that Barass even sent Tulip down to full-back so Goody's move is only somewhat revolutionary. Caleb waltzed off half-back like he was doing cone drills and at one point he flew across in front of Roo for a nice mark. Caleb has more height than Bowser and Salem and he has more pace and he's also a damn good kick like them. he also seemed happy to switch the ball - was it just me, but I reckon our defence switched way more often than last year - another positional adjustment for those of you looking for what we are doing differently. Well there were quite a few other things that happened and yes I saw some improvement from Luker Kentfield and I reckon Woey looks quite a bit faster than last year and Aidan Johnson looks strong and promising and Disco Turner is up there with Olly for passion to win the footy. And I could go on all day, but I walked away from training second guessing one thing and I had to go back and ask a fellow track watcher one thing. 'Did you see Jed Adams take that mark over Roo on the wing?' I said. 'Yep' said my colleague. 'That was No.26.' KEV MARTIN’S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Coaches are micromanaging, here are a couple of examples. For delivery of ball to Turner, 'look for where he wants it kicked'. To Sestan, 'Ollie keep moving, get to the next contest, that is your strength'. Gawn and Cambell were rucking for the mids when they separated into their lines. I would assume Tom will be the back-up ruck if Max goes down. I doubt he will be the second ruck. Lever and McAdam were running with gusto as they did laps. Both started the session in boots. Charlie who is not in a training jersey, has to be closer to getting down with the squad. Goody and Whitford took the backs for drills. I think Basset had the session off. Each defender had a mannequin as an opponent, 8 of them. They moved around it and kicked with precision to the next player. Sinnemar was very clean. I sense the players appreciate that, a new young one that doesn't hold the drills up. The sims. Turnovers make it easy for the other to find space and go direct to for goal. Something I think we will need to work on. Kossie was looking for Mentha. They were keen for the contest, hard hits occurred and high marking attempts that hit through packs. JVR has his spark, he hit some packs, nearly marking it, bringing the ball to the front. Wings included, Sharp, Billings (who is looking good), Langers and Woey.

A couple of intrepid Demonland Trackwatchers headed down to Gosch's Paddock for the midweek Preseason Training Session to bring you the following observations. Demonland's own Whispering Jack was not in attendance but he kicked off proceedings with the following summary of all the Preseason Training action to date. We’re already a month into the MFC preseason (if you started counting when the younger players in the group began the campaign along with some of the more keen older heads) and in less than a few hours’ time, most of the list will be hitting the track for another grueling session at Gosch’s Paddock. If you haven’t been following our training threads, today’s Herald Sun article Demons ponder big man reshuffle to fix forward funk by Jay Clark has a crack at bringing you up to speed with the goings on at the club. In the hard paper edition the article is on page 63 and it’s entitled “Dees go for Petty change”. Clark writes that “Melbourne could make footy’s first big positional switch of the summer and return Harrison Petty to a key defensive role next season”. This is not an official call for Petty who struggled to have an impact up forward last year - Clark says he will be trialled in both forward and defensive roles over summer. He adds that this opens up some scope for “marking targets Daniel Turner, 2022 first round pick Matthew Jefferson and VFL recruit Aidan Johnson to partner ace goal kickers Jacob van Rooyen and Bayley Fritsch”. Clark also points out that it’s a crucial year for the club in fighting off possible poaching efforts for Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver after they explored moves to leave during the trade period but he confirms the gun midfielders “have put those issues behind them”. Accompanying the article which also mentioned the team-building exercises at last week’s camp in Victoria’s high country are the following pointers to highlight some of the preseason moves at the club:- “Harry Sharp on the wing With running dynamo Alex Neal-Bullen heading to Adelaide, the Dees recruited Brisbane grand final emergency Harry Sharp to add run to an ageing midfield. The 21-year-old showed his aerobic prowess on Monday when he decimated his new teammates in a 2km time trial and he is likely to be given first dibs on the opposite wing to Ed Langdon. Caleb Windsor to defence With Sharp and potentially No.11 pick Xavier Lindsay joining the Dees’ wing stocks, second-year Windsor is likely to move to a running half-back role used to great effect by Fremantle’s Jordan Clark. The club is aware that with Steven May and Tom McDonald both on the wrong side of 30 and Jake Lever often copping knee niggles, having pace around them is essential. Midfield reboot It’s not just the arrival of No.6 pick Harvey Langford that has the Dees excited. Both Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver set tongues wagging at Gosch’s Paddock on Monday. After a horror 2024, Oliver seems to be keen to re-establish himself as one of the league’s best tacklers, while Petracca looked fully engaged instructing the first-year players.” Well … that’s your history lesson about the preseason so far. Of course, most of the above has already been covered in our own preseason training threads. Now it’s over to our track watchers to fill us in on today’s action … WAYNE WUSSELL'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Gawn and Melksham first out, closely followed by Tholstrup. I’ve counted 42 out there at the moment. Haven’t seen Roy "Boy" George this morning. Fritsch is not kicking in the short pass to lead activity. Salem is running with him and he hands it off. Campbell has a slow, loopy pass. REHAB GROUP: Lever, McAdam, Spargo & Lindsay A little late on this, but haven’t seen K White. McAdam now having shots at goal by himself. Verrall = lackadaisical. Ollie trailing in on the sprint to drinks. Fritta now running the boundary at good pace. Lindsay now running the boundary. Clarrie has left the training field. I watched the group on the Punt Road boundary where Clarrie was involved. It was a run and handball, with little goal posts at each end. It was non-stop with attacking team v defending team. Seemed like even numbers. It was played in a 50-metre section of the wing, quite congested, but the non-stop run by ball carriers was impressive. Clarrie showed trademark burst and lightning handball on occasions. He brushed some opponents aside, but the very next play he ran into Kossie, who trapped him in vice-like arms and bought him to ground, hard! Immediately after this, Clarrie took himself to the side line and sucked in the big ones on all fours. Soon after this he slowly walked the perimeter... I think this must have been just before he threw in the towel. I add that he was pushing himself to the limit everytime he had the ball in all the activities I watched. The speed of Sharp was very evident in this same activity. He bounced off tacklers and spun around on-coming defenders to speed away and deliver to teammates. He then ran on at blistering pace to start a new chain from the backline... think, "beep beep"! Langford's poise by hand and foot was on show in end-to-end exercises on that same wing! NO. 41'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS I saw Clarrie earlier having a few puffs of an asthma puffer, plus what I assumed to be a couple of hits with a nasal spray. I suspect that probably has a lot do do with his early departure. DITCHA'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS I attended some of the training. Very impressed with how fit everyone looks. During one exercise Luker Kentfield failed to take his time when kicking for goal, and missed. Choco told him to take his time, and kick the goal. Clayton Oliver left training early with physio, but seemed OK. FRITTA AND TURNER'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Once again a very pleasant day watching the training with a full squad in attendance. It took me ages to find Jed Adams until the boys started yelling Jed Jed Jed (dead give away) and i realised he was in a No number Jumper. No Kalani White but Toby Sinnema was there. Lever, Spargo, McAdam, Lindsay and Fritter in rehab ie not taking part in all the drills. They did a separate drill and then on the bikes and running the boundary. Don't know whats wrong with Fritta but it aint running. Lever dragged the bike to the boundary line and yelled encouragement, and you better be encouraged ok!!!! AMW did a great block on the Kolt and a fantastic tackle on Viney. Maysie gives instructions to the backs with a flick of a hand and guess what, seems to position well and find space. Langford has a first and 2nd effort and seems to instinctively know where the ball is in a contest. He also looks like Turner but with curls. AJ ready to go and is strong at it. Kynan shows plenty of run and dash. Hore wacked his knee cap on the ground, a minor cut, and had some strapping as a precaution. Tracca had the cap with a 'sun shade' on the back. (Reminds me of the cartoons I watched years ago). Moving well. Sharpie looked er sharp and got lots of vocal support from his team mates. Campbell looks like he is enjoying it. Max and Clarrie were gassed at time. Clarrie did not participate in the match sim at the end. I think Kynan pulled out early. Not many track watchers as last time but the number grew to 60+. KEV MARTIN'S PRESEASON TRAINING OBSERVATIONS Coaches are working hard. Plenty of instructions, and a variety of new drills that are making them use different skills. Bounces and run, more focus on having opponents, handballs with the players getting in the way of opposition, and opponents (Jones) getting in the way of runners. They are happy and training with skill and high standards McAdams with boots on and kicking goals. Spargo getting closer. Langford likes a goal and can kick them on the run and from a long way out. Fritta doing some training drills and extra running. Salem has already dropped a few kilos. Melky in an orange bib during sims (the only one), and connecting through the middle and then hitting up with some beautiful kicks. Tackling in handball game was ferocious, I worried about them at times. Bowey was in with the backs when in their lines but matched up against Windsor on the wing in the sims. The other wing side had Billings and Langdon. Tracc playing with some flair, his field kicking has also improved. Oliver was trying to dance around opponents but got caught a few times. When Clarry was boundary running with Campbell, he was belching . Perhaps he had an upset stomach. Wasn't the temperature in the low 20's. I was in the shade most of the time, and comfortable. McAdams is still on light duties. Gawn is getting more involved with the leadership role, He is in cruise mode. Oliver is trying hard. Viney is excelling and isbest by a far distance, also, atending every session so far. Billings is looking very good. Running hard, getting plenty of ball and with good disposals. Back to the club in great shape. Harry Sharp has looked good from day 1. Glides around the field, comfortable with ball in hand, he is not disturbing the pecking order as he is keeping a humble and happy disposition. Howes started preseason with the occasional fumble and misskick. I feel a few may have jumped above him. Today he had a good run at it. Hoping he is finding some confidence from it. His body is looking taller and stronger.

Meggs' Review of Melbourne's AFLW Season 9 ... Congratulations first off to the North Melbourne Kangaroos on winning the 2024 AFLW Premiership. Roos Coach Darren Crocker has assembled a team chock-full of competitive and highly skilful players who outclassed the Brisbane Lions in the Grand Final to remain undefeated throughout Season 9. A huge achievement in what was a dominant season by North. For Melbourne fans, the season was unfortunately one of frustration and disappointment but there were some positives to celebrate. A tough draw, a slew of injuries to key players, an exodus of quality, battle-hardened teammates, and a bevy of young recruits conscripted prematurely, culminated in a lowly percentage (87.9%), and missing finals, finishing ninth. The best of the rest. One positive of the season was the exposure of young players to the real thing. Georgias Gall and Campbell, Ry Wotherspoon and Alyssia Pisano all garnered valuable match day experience. While recruits Grace Beasley and Denby Taylor looked promising and well-suited in the red and blue. Other positives to celebrate were the cohort of rising stars who had personal-best seasons (see below) and foundation coach Mick Stinear’s contract extension to 2025. The following are some reflections on Season 9, 2024. Offseason trades and 2023 draft A significant cull by stalwart Demon recruiter Todd Paterson jettisoned eight players as part of a list refresh. A raft of higher draft picks was yielded in the exchanges. The jury remains sequestered on whether it was a successful trading period. While two retired, six other players went on to play a total of 62 games for rival clubs in 2024. This was quite an experience drain, especially in midfield and defence. Melbourne went to the draft with 5 picks (5, 12, 24, 29, 55). Todd chose Alyssia Pisano, a small forward (8 games), Ry Wotherspoon a forward utility (10), Jac Hose, a ruck recovering from an ACL (0), Jemma Rigoni a father/daughter selection (0), and Delany Madigan a defender (1) who has been delisted after one season. Interestingly Melbourne did not select available defenders Lucy Cronin (Pies) or Mikayla Williamson (Hawks) who both excelled in defence in 2024 and earned rising star nominations. Young Dog Elaine Grigg at pick 6 was another who excelled in her first year. The Demons off-season recruits included US College Basketball star Grace Beasley (3), ex-Port Adelaide small utility Lily Johnson (5) along with injury replacement players Grace Hill (8) for Hose and Denby Taylor (7) for A Mackin. The newbies played a total of 42 games. Ex-Dees making their mark in rival colours To recap: Eliza West and Casey Sherriff were traded to Hawthorn, Maddi Gay to Essendon, Libby Birch to North, Charlotte Wilson to Gold Coast and Jordie Ivey to Collingwood VFLW. Westy took the competition by storm, averaging 22 disposals and 8 tackles in her 13 games. She was instrumental in her new team’s rise to second position on the ladder alongside the deputy Sherriff. Birch is now a 3-time premiership player. The regularly injured Maddie Gay (while a Demon) suddenly played every game for the finals-bound Bombers this year and became their key defensive architect. Wilson and Ivey were solid defenders for their teams. The ‘fixed-ya’ When AFLW published its 2024 fixture in May 2024 it was obvious that the handicapper had given MFC a really tough draw. It ended up even harder as the teams we played did better than expected and teams we didn’t play did worse A post-season article by AFL media confirmed that the Demons had the hardest fixture: It was a kind of fixed-ya fixture. Thank you, AFL. The Nadir Practice match losses to lowly Carlton and an improving Port Power, the aforementioned ‘tough draw’ and long-term injuries to Aimee Mackin (season) and Liv Purcell had lowered our confidence meter for the season opener at Sleepy Hollow. Equally, the Cats practice match form was patchy. On game day, Kate Hore was the clear standout and starred along with Blaithin Mackin for a nail-biting 2-point win. Sadly, a Tayla Harris shoulder injury ended her season. Thence came reality checks at Casey against the reigning premiers and the eventual premiers. Then came long term injuries to Lauren Pearce (broken wrist) and Paxy (foot). More bad news ensued with Grace Beasley doing her ACL at training to be out for the season. Smarting from the Kangaroo hiding, Mick fired up his troops for the clash at Fremantle Oval and we led by 3 goals at ¾ time. Sadly, we could not sustain it and went goalless as the Dockers piled on 4 goals and to add insult to injury, Blaithin Mackin hurt her calf and Eden Zanker her knee. Cursed! Round 5 was a Bomber dee-capitulation. Our worst loss in history, 65 points. A busted nose for Lize Mac and plenty of bruises and hurt feelings to go around. A dismal display to witness. The Demons had lost 7 of their past 8 games and Mick Stinear’s win loss record was taking a battering. Return from the Void Where to from now? Mick and his coaches huddled and emerged with a simplified game plan and agreed to place individual players in their optimum position. Maeve Chaplin in a post-season interview confirmed there was a change of game plan. It was a good move as the Dees slowly roared back to life with four straight wins over Giants, Crows, Saints and Tigers with Alyssa Bannan looking dangerous around goals. The penultimate game was the must-win match in Cairns against the high-flying Hawks. Of course, the injury curse struck yet again with Kate Hore, a late withdrawal with a sore quad. Tyla Hanks brilliantly led the team as we battled hard in hot and humid conditions. We lost by 6 points and with it the chance to secure a finals place. A 47-point drubbing of Collingwood next week made us feel better, but it was not the finish to the season we were hoping for. Maevo named in the AA squad Melbourne FC had one inclusion in the AFLW All-Australia 42 player squad. Maeve Chaplin, who put together a career-best season in 2024. In 11 matches Maeve averaged 13.6 disposals at 78.7% efficiency (team-high), 4 rebound 50s, 6.7 intercepts (10th in the league) and 2 intercept marks per match. A unique journey, Maeve was overlooked in two drafts and then was signed as a replacement player only to be delisted and then drafted again in that same year 2022. Don’t forget she was a S7 2022 premiership defender. We love Maevo and what she brings every week. Player movements 2024 The Trade Period opens on Thursday 5 December 2024 and closes 11 December. AFLW is reporting that superstar Tayla Harris is Collingwood or Hawthorn bound. The Hawks pick 14 would be tempting. A high-quality draft awaits. Heart and soul warrior Lily Mithen is said to be considering a tempting offer to move to Gold Coast in a deal which could land the Dees pick 2. GCS have No. 1 draft pick Havana Brown in their academy. The 2024 Draft (AFLW’s first fully national draft) is being held on Monday 16 December 2024. The calibre of players available is the strongest on record and the Demons will, by the sounds of it, have some high picks. Todd, please recruit some skilful contested footy mids with strong bodies and footy nous. Zippy Fish from East Fremantle is one impressive player (in name at least) and who knows who else Todd has in mind for the early pick. There are several excellent midfielders available. For a later pick we could consider 2-km time trial dynamo Oakleigh Chargers’ Sarah Poustie. Meggs wrote about Charlotte Brewer who impressed in a game with Casey VFLW. She has Demon connections via her grandfather Ross and current Casey VFLW coach Matt. Choose wisely Todd! Personal-best seasons Several players had their best ever seasons at Melbourne which is worth celebrating. We congratulate Maeve Chaplin on her AA nomination. Maevo started brilliantly in the practice matches and assumed the Demon defensive ‘generalissima’ for the entire season. Libby who? Eliza McNamara is an endurance queen who was able add four-quarter contested footy to her game in 2024, racking up career-best possession numbers (22.2 per game) and averaging 392 metres gained. Sinead Goldrick has always been a pleasure to watch but in 2024 she was crucial in everything she did both in defence and midfield and kicked 3 goals to boot. In last year’s season Demonland review, Meggs argued that ‘Fitzy (should) be played on the ball where she has done well in VFLW. You want the ball in her hands because she has good skills and makes good decisions.’ Well in 2024 Mick sent Fitzy into the middle and she recorded career-best possession numbers (13.6 per game, up from 7.8). Her one-percenters are a feature. It would have been a good coaches review for her for sure. Best and Fairest In the AFLW Best and Fairest, Demons scored 32 votes (2023:46). Kate Hore earned 12 votes (2023:12), Tyla Hanks 8, Blaithin Mackin 4 (first ever votes), Alyssa Bannan 3, Liv Purcell 2, Eliza McNamara 1 (first ever votes), Paxy Paxman 1, and Eden Zanker 1. The Demons Best and Fairest will be held on 9 December 2024 with Meggs tipping our talisman captain Kate Hore to win the B&F once again. Expect Goldie and Maevo who both played outstanding footy in both halves of the season to be thereabouts, with Hanksy and Eliza Mac to complete the top five. Melbourne FC has written a piece on some of the top-performing Demons of the season and is copied here: Alyssa Bannan A fan-favourite Demon, Bannan was back to her brilliant best this year. The 22-year-old’s speed and infectious energy inside 50 was a spectacle to enjoy throughout 2024. She finished as the team’s leading goal-kicker for the season, kicking 12 majors across her 11 games including a four-goal haul during Week 8. Blaithin Mackin Mackin started the season as one of the top performers across the league before injury halted her rise. Her ability to take on the contest and bring the ball forward was an important part of her game. Minus the match in which she was injured, Mackin averaged 17 disposals, and 371 metres gained. Could her early impact be enough to push her high in the count? Eliza McNamara 2024 was a season that put McNamara’s name on the map. Lining up for Melbourne along the wing, the 22-year-old produced career-best numbers and made regular impact during games with a relentless attitude at the contest. She averaged 22 disposals, seven intercepts and five marks. Kate Hore As expected, the Melbourne skipper embraced her second season at the helm. With a dual role, lining up in the midfield and forward line, Hore influenced in many ways. From performances that saw her lead the charge inside 50 to displays of strength in the contest, she continued to be a consistent contributor for the red and blue. Maeve Chaplin In a breakout year for the Demon, Maeve Chaplin well and truly made her mark in Melbourne’s defence. The young defender was a powerful strength coming out of the backline. She averaged 6.7 intercepts (10th in the league) and 13.6 disposals, with a disposal efficiency of 78.7% (a team high). Sinead Goldrick This season, fans got to see even more of Goldrick’s explosive and exciting talent, spending time in various positions across the ground. Her speed and aggressive attack went from strength-to-strength this year as she averaged 16 disposals and six intercepts, also taking her opportunities inside 50, kicking three goals. Tahlia Gillard Gillard’s 2024 saw her, once again, lead Melbourne’s backline at just 20 years old. The tall Demon has become an unstoppable force with another year of experience under her belt, now cemented as one of the best lockdown defenders in the league. This season saw her average six intercepts and a league-high six spoils. Tyla Hanks A dependable Demon since her first season at the club back in 2019, Hanks provided a level of stability in Melbourne’s midfield this year. The hard-working and crafty Demon led by example as the club’s vice-captain, averaging 18 disposals, five tackles and four clearances. Thank you, readers, Well, that’s all for Season 9. It has been such a pleasure writing about this wonderful team and if you’ve got this far, thank you so much for reading. Meggs wishes everyone all the best for the festive season. Lots to get excited about in 2025 with both our men’s and women’s footy teams. Go Dees! MEGGS

That doesn't make me feel any better.

You can't post a statement like that on Demonland without any other context.

Interesting that Fritsch isn't in the rehab group. He didn't do the time trial the other day (neither did Max or Campbell) and isn't doing everything in the main sessions. Wonder what the situation is here? @Ghostwriter any insight?