Demonland

It’s only a matter of time.

DEMONLAND - Good evening, Demon fans and welcome back to the Demonland 2024 Grand Final Podcast ... before we took that last phone call from a Demonlander, we were discussing how the club overcame it’s midseason slump, the season-ending injury to Christian Petracca and the loss for a brief period of skipper Max Gawn due to a crack to the base of his right fibula, to slowly surge up the ladder turning our detractors into believers and how it ended the year triumphant in the finals with our captain holding aloft the premiership cup on the MCG for the first time in six decades. Oops... um, I'm not supposed to reveal that part of the script yet so … it’s back into our DMC DeLorean as we return to the present where it's your turn to make your feelings known about how the game will pan out. The Third Eye - It’s true that Melbourne is faced with a monumental challenge but it’s not about turning around a negative 15½ goal outcome against Fremantle which is where it finished in Alice Springs early last month. It’s all about winning a game where both sides start with the score at 0.0.0 each, play under different conditions, on a different ground in a different city (albeit the home of the Dockers), with different players and with many of the same players of differing stages of physical freshness and mental attitude. There’s been an outcry and a lot of tears about the fact that the Demons were forced to soldier on without two AFL top liners in Max Gawn (possibly) and Christian Petracca but when you compare the makeup of the Melbourne team of round 12 with the team of round 18, there are some significant changes for the better even if you can never replace Max and Christian. These are the changes between the two games - Out Max Gawn, Lachie Hunter, Christian Petracca, Shane McAdam, Adam Tomlinson In Jake Lever, Jake Melksham, Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Koltyn Tholstrup, Jacob van Rooyen. That’s a mixed bag of players coming in which includes two experienced players in Lever and Melksham. One adds cohesion to the defence, the other adds steel to the attack which was not functioning properly on 2 June 2024 when Melbourne flopped badly to the purple people. The other three are JvR who is in massive form as a forward and relief ruckman, and the two youngsters playing with great enthusiasm. They replace McAdam who was held scoreless, Hunter who was ineffective before he was subbed off at half time with a calf injury and Adam Tomlinson who worked hard but can compare with Lever’s impact of the entire defensive structure of the team. There are a number of Melbourne players who have lifted several notches including wingers Ed Langdon and Caleb Windsor. Their current form is uplifting and their attacking mindset is setting a different tone to the team’s performance. The last time they met, it was said that the Dockers were switched on and primed to the max beat the Demons. They had an extra two days to prepare themselves for the game but this time it’s different as they are coming off a shattering loss to Hawthorn. Certainly, Freo will have an advantage in the ruck if Max isn’t ruled fit to play but in every other respect, the goalposts have been removed 180 degrees over the past six or seven weeks. Even Optus Stadium is Melbourne’s home away from home. Ollie Fan - I don't know what was going on at Alice Springs but that is NOT the benchmark to start from. We can win because our backs are better than their forwards, and our forward line is starting to work- thanks to Kozzie, Melksham and hard work by the others. whatwhat say what - it's going to be a pretty different team so the main thing is to bring the right attitude to the contest, attack via defence and get a bit of scoreboard momentum early. At the end of the match, Melbourne will either be in a better position in the eight or three games from second. It’s a funny ol' season and there's a lot to play out still. MO FINE - I think it should be mentioned that since that terrible day at Alice Springs, the coach has benefited from some “learnings” and he is managing the players so much better. An example is the way Clarry is being managed to get the best out of him in light of his highly interrupted preseason which limited his performance from time to time. On Saturday, he spent time on the bench early in the first quarter and was limited to just one disposal. He got into the thick of things as soon as the second quarter started and added 10 possessions to his belt by half time and finished with 25 disposals. It was telling that Goody went to him soon after the final siren and looked so pleased with Clarry and his contribution on the night. OhMyDees - In 2022, I was at a wet Optus Stadium watching us dismantle the Dockers. We did this by keeping a strong zoned defence and forcing them to the wing instead of the corridor. They just couldn’t move the ball quickly in the wet, couldn’t switch it and this played into our strengths. Our game plan if executed with vigour should stack up well against Fremantle. The conditions will be wet which again suits us given how well we adapted last week. Pinball Wizard - is ruck domination overrated? I heard an interesting statistic on one of the football shows on tv last night. The match winning percentage of teams that win the hit outs is 49%. We don’t necessarily have to win the hit outs to win the game. Goodwin should be spending much of his time this week watching vision of the Dockers to get an insight on how they turned his team into a bumbling rabble on that fateful day in Alice Springs. He will notice that their midfield destroyed us. Players like Serong, Brayshaw, Young, O’Meara, Fyfe and Clark helped them win the clearance count by more than double, 48 to 23. This was despite the fact that thanks to Max, the Dees won the hit outs by 35 to 32. The Fremantle defence was impressive that day and didn’t let the wind get through let alone any of the Melbourne forwards. The lesson from the day was to be switched on, more desperate and get your hands on the pill first. That’s the tale in a nutshell. That could be easier said than done but it might also be worthwhile for Goody to cast an eye over the tape of Freo’s game on Saturday in Tassie where the young Hawks plugged away and got the W in the end. Roger Mellie - Goodwin said at the start of the season that in 2023 we started like a train and limped home. The “learnings” from that, were that the team would be primed to finish the season strongly rather than start. The way we are playing at the moment it looks like it's going to plan - e.g. Caleb Windsor looked cooked a few weeks ago and now is playing brilliant footy. The players, with few exceptions, look fit and fresh. Only one team has won a premiership at that ground too! DEMONLAND – it sounds like the fitness people might have been doing some “loading” back in June. I wonder if that had something to do with it? binman - As a generalisation, the form of teams in the weeks leading into their bye, and in the one or two weeks after their bye should be ignored. As a footy punter it is a treacherous period and I tread warily. But it does throw up some real value as many punters think of form in terms of week to week performances or blocks of two games. So Port Adelaide were great value against the Bulldogs because in their previous two games they got absolutely thrashed by the Lions and scraped in against the Saints. This made them terrific value at the line at home against the dogs, who had been in good form. Port thrashed the Dogs, so people jumped off them making them great value at the line against the Blues. But Melbourne has now passed that phase and form is now more trustworthy. The way to think about this game is not how they played last time against the Dockers but what its best football looks like versus their best football. The same can be applied to all matches from here on in. The first 6-7 rounds give the best guide, injuries notwithstanding. I don't bet on Dees games, but if I did I would launched into us at the line against the Bombers because their best football is better than that of the Bombers. Leave it to Deever - I wonder how difficult it is for coaching staff to get that into the player's mindset? With fixtures these days allowing for teams to play one another twice without a significant amount of time since previous encounters, it doesn't help. That was a humiliating loss for Melbourne but it wasn't isolated. They were playing some good football and some shocking football. They were all over the place and in the game against the Blues, the Dees’ inconsistent play was evident from quarter to quarter. Going in this time Melbourne seems a lot more stable. I just hope that the last loss to them hasn't left any deep scar tissue. Perhaps it will work for the Demons with the Dockers being overconfident. In any event it's a massive game for the club. A chance to take a big scalp. Freo, for me are above the Blues and second favourite to win a flag . Win this one and the Demons will definitely be playing finals. Quite possibly a real chance to finish top four. No pressure … 😀 buck_nekkid - Back to the future, We return to Optus Stadium - the site of a terrible loss to West Coast - to face Freemantle - who put us to the sword by nearly 100 points. Seems like we should be shaking in our boots. We are now also without Gawn and Trac, yet after the victory over the Bombers, we have sky-rocketed into the eight. So, how are we going to go? Only a Nostradamus could know! At our best, we will control the contest and the ground ball, Our defence will be all strangling and hold them to under 72 points whilst our slick hands and smart plays will open our front 50 for a number of our forwards to cash in. Provided we play four quarters (which we have not done for a while but we’re building up to it), we have this. At our worst, we will lose the momentum early and never get it back. We will mind grass and watch them sail away to the win. The difference between these teams is really small. They are about the same place on the ladder as us, they have excellence in the midfield and a few good sorts around the ground, and we could be anything! With my hopes running high, i say Dees by 22 points THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Sunday 2 June 2024 at 1.00pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Fremantle 26 wins Melbourne 18 wins At Optus Stadium Fremantle 0 wins Melbourne 1 win Last five meetings Fremantle 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Longmuir 4 wins Goodwin 2 win LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 22.9.141 defeated Melbourne 7.7.49 at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs, Round 12, 2024 Maxie - an interesting stat or a boomer with too much time on his hands? The Demons have played Freo and lost in three games at almost the exact time of the season in the past three seasons - Round 11 in 2022 & 2023 at the G and round 12 this year at Tregear Park. I remember going to those MCG games and noted how cooked we seemed. Round 12 at the Alice was like watching a team with concrete in their boots but, as has been said above, this is a different time and a different place. Binman’s loading theory looking sound. TEAMS MELBOURNE B T. McDonald, S. May, J. McVee HB C. Salem, J. Lever, A. Moniz-Wakefield C E. Langdon, C. Oliver, T. Sparrow HF K. Pickett, J van Rooyen, K. Chandler F A. Neal-Bullen, B. Fritsch, J. Melksham FOLL H. Petty, J. Viney, T. Rivers I/C J. Billings, J. Bowey, K. Tholstrup, D. Turner, C. Windsor EMG T. Fullarton, B. Laurie, A. Tomlinson IN J. Billings OUT T. Woewodin (managed) FREMANTLE B H. Chapman, A. Pearce, B. Cox HB C. Wagner, L. Ryan, J. Clarke C J. Sharp, N. Fyfe, H. Young HF B. Banfield, S. Switkowski, M. Frederick F J. Treacy, J. Amiss, L. Jackson FOLL S. Darcy, C. Serong, A. Brayshaw I/C J. Aish, J. O'Meara, S. Sturt, B. Walker, M. Walters SUB W. Brodie, P. Voss, K. Worner IN S. Darcy, A. Pearce, B. Walker OUT J. Draper (omitted), M. Johnson (injured), P. Voss (omitted) Injury List: Round 19 Max Gawn — ankle / test Lachie Hunter — calf / 1 week Charlie Spargo — Achilles / season Christian Petracca — spleen / indefinite

And that’s all folks. Thanks for your contributions - we have lots of material for our Demonland Crew preview. Thanks again.

A big thank you to @binman for stepping up to the plate whilst I galavant on the other side of the world. Our regularly schedule programming will resume next week.

Wet, slippery conditions and threatening rainfalls greeted the VFL Bombers at the end of their long journey southeast of the big city on Sunday. The threatening weather combined with the fact that neither side had realistic prospects of advancing to action in September, meant that spectators gathered at a cold Casey Fields weren’t expecting a classic exhibition of football. Nor did they get one. Instead they were presented with a dour struggle that never reached great heights. It was a game dominated by the home team that had its engines revved up early while the visitors stalled, spluttered and stuttered from the start. The result was that the early bird Casey Demons had a dominant opening quarter and held a lead of 27 points at the first break against a goalless Bomber outfit. This was enough to allow them to stave off an Essendon comeback in the final term and to finish with the game’s last three goals so that in the end, it was a relatively comfortable 22-point victory on the day which the club set aside for the very worthy breast cancer awareness campaign. In between, it was a game that resembled an old fashioned tug of war with the Bombers taking up the attack and the Demons responding with a change of momentum and neither side being able to put its imprint of the second and third quarter. The game highlighted Essendon’s surplus of tall timber and ruck talent with 203cm Nick Bryan who has been in dominant form at VFL level without getting much of a run in the AFL, amassing 53 hit outs in a team total of 69 (against 19) but losing the contest at ground level to Tom Fullarton who managed 20 disposals and six clearances and a goal but won only 4 hit outs while Bryan got only eight touches. The other Casey ruckman in Will Verrall’s tally of 13 hit outs was also overshadowed by the Bomber big man. Also at ground level, both sides had players who accumulated the football but the most effective on the day was Bailey Laurie whose game in the midfield grew throughout the day. He kicked goals when they were needed, amassed 29 disposals and seven clearances but his eight tackles were a highlight and earned him the best on the ground. Jack Billings’ haul for the day was almost as impressive. He also got his hands on the ball 29 times, executed six tackles and kicked two important goals to secure the match near the end. The goals came not long after he was caught on the wrong foot and kicked out of bounds on the full so it was a case of all’s well that ends well. Ollie Sestan worked hard in the shadows of the more experienced midfielders and showed his strength. Although he managed only 13 disposals, his six clearances and four tackles were more than handy for the Casey team effort. Ben Brown was in excellent marking form and presented well as he roamed the forward area. His haul might have only been a single goal but his presence was important. In defence, Blake Howes, Adam Tomlinson and Marty Hore all stood out in the tough conditions. Taj Woewodin who was the substitute for Melbourne on Saturday night, played a half after young key forward Matt Jefferson was ruled out with illness. Lachie Hunter also had limited time on the ground. Although it’s understood that the VFL is a training ground for “parent” AFL clubs, it makes it difficult for those who coach and manage VFL teams who also strive for success on the field. This makes it difficult to judge their success but we can be mindful that a number of players who played in the red and blue at the MCG on Saturday night have spent time with Casey over the last couple of seasons. VFL listers in Tyler Edwards, Roan Steele and Charlie Peters (two goals) were solid throughout while youngster teenager Noah Yze, although not prolific on debut, highlighted some emerging talent and participated in a nice piece of play that resulted in one of Billings’ goals. This all makes for an interesting game ahead next Saturday afternoon at Kinetic Stadium in the local derby against Frankston which will no doubt be keen to retain its current hold on tenth place and a finals berth for the first time in several years. Casey won its first game for the season at that venue against a wondering Port Melbourne team when ETU Stadium was unavailable. CASEY DEMONS 4.4.28 7.5.47 10.11.71 13.12.90 ESSENDON VFL 0.1.1 4.4.28 7.6.48 10.8.68 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Billings Laurie Peters 2 B Brown Edwards Fullarton Hunter McAdam Sestan Verrall ESSENDON VFL J Davey Menzie 3 A Davey Jedwab Toma Visentini BEST CASEY DEMONS Laurie Billings Hore Howes B Brown Sestan ESSENDON VFL Toma Hobbs O'Neill Hayes Roberts Tsatas Statistics Jed Adams 3 kicks 4 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 32 dream team points Jack Billings 2 goals 1 behind 19 kicks 10 handballs 29 disposals 9 marks 2 tackles 126 dream team points Ben Brown 1 goal 1 behind 11 kicks 2 handballs 13 disposals 7 marks 1 hitout 65 dream team points Kynan Brown 6 kicks 7 handballs 13 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 46 dream team points Tyler Edwards 1 goal 8 kicks 4 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 74 dream team points Tom Fullarton 1 goal 1 behinds 13 kicks 7 handballs 20 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 4 hitouts 79 dream team points Max Gregory 1 kick 4 handballs 5 disposals 1 mark 14 dream team points Marty Hore 11 kicks 1 handball 12 disposals 7 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Blake Howes 15 kicks 9 handballs 24 disposals 9 marks 2 tackles 98 dream team points Lachie Hunter 1 goal 5 kicks 1 handball 6 disposals 3 marks 32 dream team points Luker Kentfield 5 kicks 5 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 29 dream team points Bailey Laurie 2 goals 1 behind 23 kicks 6 handballs 29 disposals 5 marks 8 tackles 139 dream team points Shane McAdam 1 goal 9 kicks 5 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 60 dream team points Charlie Peters 2 goals 1 behind 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 51 dream team points Josh Schache 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 33 dream team points Ollie Sestan 1 goal 2 behinds 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 1 marks 4 tackles 64 dream team points Roan Steele 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 56 dream team points Adam Tomlinson 16 kicks 7 handballs 23 disposals 6 marks 82 dream team points Wil Verrall 1 goal 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 4 marks 13 hitouts 52 dream team points Mitch White 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 63 dream team points Kai Windsor 1 behind 7 kicks 5 handballs 12 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 40 dream team points Taj Woewodin 7 kicks 2 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles 37 dream team points Noah Yze 4 kicks 1 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 1 hitout 30 dream team points

To help our budding contributors, here’s our game information section. If you like, you can contribute a summary of the last time they met. THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at on Sunday 2 June 2024 at 1.00pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Fremantle 26 wins Melbourne 18 wins At Optus Stadium Fremantle 0 wins Melbourne 1 win Last five meetings Fremantle 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Longmuir 4 wins Goodwin 2 wins LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 22.9.141 defeated Melbourne 7.7.49 at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs, Round 12, 2024 TEAMS (to be loaded when available) MELBOURNE FREMANTLE Injury List: Round 19

This week Melbourne is faced with a monumental challenge. The task is to overcome a 92 point loss incurred at the beginning of last month without two of the club's best players - in other words, achieve a 15½ goal turn around. Clubs have done it before (Essendon did it earlier this year against the Giants) but we want you to tell us if it's possible and if so, how. This is your chance to be part of our match preview for the game vs Fremantle. Tell us in your own words, who will win and why? It can be short or long and the best entries make it into our match preview * We will also consider including posts in the pre-game thread. Give it a try - who knows, Goody might stumble upon your preview and you could even influence the result? * subject to editing if necessary PLEASE POST YOUR REVIEWS (SHORT OR LONG) BELOW ...

A little more than a month has elapsed since a small crowd of 6,109 attended TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs to witness a horroble Melbourne performance in which two its better players were Max Gawn and Christian Petracca. Those two won't be on display this Sunday afternoon when the teams meet again at Optus Stadium. MELBOURNE 2.3.15 3.3.21 5.4.34 7.7.49 FREMANTLE 5.2.32 11.5.71 18.7.115 22.9.141 The team was - MELBOURNE B J. Bowey, S. May, T. Rivers HB C Salem, A. Tomlinson, T. McDonald C E. Langdon C. Oliver, C. Windsor HF S. McAdam, B. Fritsch, K. Chandler F K. Pickett, H. Petty A. Neal-Bullen FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, C. Petracca I/C L. Hunter, J. McVee, T. Sparrow, D. Turner, T. Woewodin EMG J. Billings, B.Brown, B. Laurie IN D. Turner OUT J. van Rooyen (adductor) FREMANTLE B H. Chapman, A. Pearce, J. Draper HB J. Aish, L. Ryan, J. Clark C J. Sharp, A. Brayshaw, H. Young HF J. O'Meara, S. Switkowski, M. Frederick F J. Treacy, J. Amiss, L. Jackson FOLL S. Darcy, C. Serong, N. Fyfe I/C B. Banfield, S. Sturt, C. Wagner, B. Walker, M. Walters EMG T. Emmett, N. Erasmus, M. Johnson IN M. Frederick, S. Sturt OUT T. Emmett (omitted), M. Johnson (managed)

EARLY BIRDS by KC from Casey Wet, slippery conditions and threatening rainfalls greeted the VFL Bombers at the end of their long journey southeast of the big city on Sunday. The threatening weather combined with the fact that neither side had realistic prospects of advancing to action in September, meant that spectators gathered at a cold Casey Fields weren’t expecting a classic exhibition of football. Nor did they get one. Instead they were presented with a dour struggle that never reached great heights. It was a game dominated by the home team that had its engines revved up early while the visitors stalled, spluttered and stuttered from the start. The result was that the early bird Casey Demons had a dominant opening quarter and held a lead of 27 points at the first break against a goalless Bomber outfit. This was enough to allow them to stave off an Essendon comeback in the final term and to finish with the game’s last three goals so that in the end, it was a relatively comfortable 22-point victory on the day which the club set aside for the very worthy breast cancer awareness campaign. In between, it was a game that resembled an old fashioned tug of war with the Bombers taking up the attack and the Demons responding with a change of momentum and neither side being able to put its imprint of the second and third quarter. The game highlighted Essendon’s surplus of tall timber and ruck talent with 203cm Nick Bryan who has been in dominant form at VFL level without getting much of a run in the AFL, amassing 53 hit outs in a team total of 69 (against 19) but losing the contest at ground level to Tom Fullarton who managed 20 disposals and six clearances and a goal but won only 4 hit outs while Bryan got only eight touches. The other Casey ruckman in Will Verrall’s tally of 13 hit outs was also overshadowed by the Bomber big man. Also at ground level, both sides had players who accumulated the football but the most effective on the day was Bailey Laurie whose game in the midfield grew throughout the day. He kicked goals when they were needed, amassed 29 disposals and seven clearances but his eight tackles were a highlight and earned him the best on the ground. Jack Billings’ haul for the day was almost as impressive. He also got his hands on the ball 29 times, executed six tackles and kicked two important goals to secure the match near the end. The goals came not long after he was caught on the wrong foot and kicked out of bounds on the full so it was a case of all’s well that ends well. Ollie Sestan worked hard in the shadows of the more experienced midfielders and showed his strength. Although he managed only 13 disposals, his six clearances and four tackles were more than handy for the Casey team effort. Ben Brown was in excellent marking form and presented well as he roamed the forward area. His haul might have only been a single goal but his presence was important. In defence, Blake Howes, Adam Tomlinson and Marty Hore all stood out in the tough conditions. Taj Woewodin who was the substitute for Melbourne on Saturday night, played a half after young key forward Matt Jefferson was ruled out with illness. Lachie Hunter also had limited time on the ground. Although it’s understood that the VFL is a training ground for “parent” AFL clubs, it makes it difficult for those who coach and manage VFL teams who also strive for success on the field. This makes it difficult to judge their success but we can be mindful that a number of players who played in the red and blue at the MCG on Saturday night have spent time with Casey over the last couple of seasons. VFL listers in Tyler Edwards, Roan Steele and Charlie Peters (two goals) were solid throughout while youngster teenager Noah Yze, although not prolific on debut, highlighted some emerging talent and participated in a nice piece of play that resulted in one of Billings’ goals. This all makes for an interesting game ahead next Saturday afternoon at Kinetic Stadium in the local derby against Frankston which will no doubt be keen to retain its current hold on tenth place and a finals berth for the first time in several years. Casey won its first game for the season at that venue against a wondering Port Melbourne team when ETU Stadium was unavailable. CASEY DEMONS 4.4.28 7.5.47 10.11.71 13.12.90 ESSENDON VFL 0.1.1 4.4.28 7.6.48 10.8.68 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Billings Laurie Peters 2 B Brown Edwards Fullarton Hunter McAdam Sestan Verrall ESSENDON VFL J Davey Menzie 3 A Davey Jedwab Toma Visentini BEST CASEY DEMONS Laurie Billings Hore Howes B Brown Sestan ESSENDON VFL Toma Hobbs O'Neill Hayes Roberts Tsatas Statistics Jed Adams 3 kicks 4 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 32 dream team points Jack Billings 2 goals 1 behind 19 kicks 10 handballs 29 disposals 9 marks 2 tackles 126 dream team points Ben Brown 1 goal 1 behind 11 kicks 2 handballs 13 disposals 7 marks 1 hitout 65 dream team points Kynan Brown 6 kicks 7 handballs 13 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 46 dream team points Tyler Edwards 1 goal 8 kicks 4 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 74 dream team points Tom Fullarton 1 goal 1 behinds 13 kicks 7 handballs 20 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 4 hitouts 79 dream team points Max Gregory 1 kick 4 handballs 5 disposals 1 mark 14 dream team points Marty Hore 11 kicks 1 handball 12 disposals 7 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Blake Howes 15 kicks 9 handballs 24 disposals 9 marks 2 tackles 98 dream team points Lachie Hunter 1 goal 5 kicks 1 handball 6 disposals 3 marks 32 dream team points Luker Kentfield 5 kicks 5 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 29 dream team points Bailey Laurie 2 goals 1 behind 23 kicks 6 handballs 29 disposals 5 marks 8 tackles 139 dream team points Shane McAdam 1 goal 9 kicks 5 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 60 dream team points Charlie Peters 2 goals 1 behind 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 51 dream team points Josh Schache 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 33 dream team points Ollie Sestan 1 goal 2 behinds 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 1 marks 4 tackles 64 dream team points Roan Steele 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 56 dream team points Adam Tomlinson 16 kicks 7 handballs 23 disposals 6 marks 82 dream team points Wil Verrall 1 goal 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 4 marks 13 hitouts 52 dream team points Mitch White 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 63 dream team points Kai Windsor 1 behind 7 kicks 5 handballs 12 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 40 dream team points Taj Woewodin 7 kicks 2 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles 37 dream team points Noah Yze 4 kicks 1 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 1 hitout 30 dream team points

Blame the AFL

Who said the football gods and scoreboard attendants at the MCG don’t have a sense of humour? The gods spent a whole week teasing Demon and Bomber fans alike about Saturday night’s game. About how the entire match would be dominated by the hulking, brooding figures of 205cm Sam Draper and his 2IC Peter Wright lapping it up in the absence of Melbourne skipper and the club's No.1, No 2, No 3 and No 4 ruckman Max Gawn in the wake of that ankle injury. They painted pictures of Simon Goodwin nervously sending a bevy of undersized makeshift ruckmen out into a gunfight with a defective Swiss Army knife. The end result in this scenario would be painful for the ailing Demons already without another superstar in Christian Petracca and with Clayton Oliver well down on form while the Bombers’ own newfound midfield gods were propelling them into the stratosphere of a potential top two finish. For Demon fans, the script provided for more doom and gloom in an already derailed season that spelled an end to its mini “dynasty” of one flag, the hopes of seeing more premiership success on their beloved home of football at any time soon. But the gods were about to have their laugh by moving the goalposts somewhat. The MCG scoreboard attendants were in on the joke. They put it up there on the big screens for all to see in the form of Australian band when they played the 1983 hit of legendary Antipodean rock band Dragon, simply titled “Rain”. It was already coming down in buckets before the game started and Bayley Fritsch managed to allay some early fears when he spun around for the first goal but it didn’t take long for Draper to stamp his dominance in the ruck. This soon became panic stations when Melbourne’s defensive structures fell down and Essendon began to pick free targets at will to kick three goals in quick succession. The doomsday script was seemingly on track. It took two goals late in the term to all but even things out at the first break … and then the gods and Goodwin had their laugh. The heavens opened again. It teemed down and the Demons teamed up, playing good old fashioned contested football with acting skipper Jack Viney, Trent Rivers (who was already having a good game), Clayton Oliver (coming out of his shell) and Alex Neal-Bullen going in heads down, bum up winning the clearances and rattling opponents while Harry Petty and Jacob van Rooyen nullified the Bombers’ height advantage to the point where Brad Scott was forced to dispense with Two Metre Peter altogether in the third term as he was becoming a liability. You can’t underestimate the value provided by van Rooyen in the heat of the battle. Nor the work rate of Ed Langdon (31 disposals and a goal) and Caleb Windsor who was not as prolific as his team mate on the other wing but he was so polished. Then there was Kozzy Pickett in his 100th game who shone out in the difficult conditions with some sublime passages of brilliance which put the fear of god whenever he was thereabouts. Melbourne kept its two to three goal buffer throughout the third term, adding marginally to its lead and then went on a scoring spree in the first half of the last quarter when it jumped out to a 41-point lead on the back of some goal kicking accuracy and heroics from Jake Melksham, Fritsch and Turner. Whether it was the six-day break, the younger bodies or a surge of umpiring decisions that went against them, it’s hard to tell but once again they leaked goals at the end, losing valuable percentage in what will remain a tough race to make the final eight. Until that late Bomber surge, the Melbourne defence was virtually impenetrable with its key players Steven May, Jake Lever and Tom McDonald holding sway and Judd McVee acting ever so coolly as the smiling assassin of the Bombers attack. In the end, the big figure was Melbourne’s +12 advantage in clearances and not the -16 deficit in hit outs. It remains a mystery as to how the final margin was so close but even this was probably the result of some Demons up in the heavens having a laugh. MELBOURNE 3.2.20 6.6.43 8.6.54 13.6.84 ESSENDON 3.3.21 4.5.29 5.7.37 10.7.67 GOALS MELBOURNE Fritsch Turner 3 Melksham Pickett 2 Chandler Langdon Windsor ESSENDON Martin 4 Duursma Langford 2 Durham Jones BEST MELBOURNE Rivers Oliver Langdon Melksham Windsor Pickett ESSENDON Ridley Martin Merrett McKay Shiel INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil ESSENDON Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil ESSENDON Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Taj Woewodin (replaced Andy Moniz-Wakefield in the fourth quarter) ESSENDON Nick Hind (replaced Peter Wright in the third quarter) UMPIRES Nick Foot Andrew Stephens Nathan Williamson Cameron Dore CROWD 52,866 at The MCG

You are always welcome on the Podcast.

This could become a regular segment.

The Dees head on the road for the sixth time this season to play for the second time on the holy site of their drought breaking Premiership glory as they take on the Dockers. Who comes in and who goes out?

The Demonland Podcast will not be LIVE again this week. Binman will do his regular stats files segment for the game against the Bombers and will also preview the upcoming match against the Dockers. He will not be taking any questions. I will post the show here once I receive Binman's stats files. You can also find it wherever you get your podcasts from. We will return in our regular format once I return after the Dockers match.

The injured Max Gawn has a considerable lead over the injured reigning champion Christian Petracca in the Demonland Player of the Year Award. Steven May, Jack Viney & Alex Neal-Bullen make up the Top 5. Your votes for the loss against the Kangaroos. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

For 3 quarters the Demons ground out a lead against the Bombers in tough wet conditions at the MCG before putting foot down early in the last quarter eventually winning by 17 points and putting them firmly back in the hunt for September action.

It’s game day and the Demons face a massive test which may determine whether they have what it takes to play finals this season. The task has been made all the more difficult without their Premiership Captain Max Gawn.

Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

The crack in the captain’s ankle might be very small but the repercussions of the injury are enormous. The aftershock of the news that Max Gawn will sit on the sidelines for the next two or three weeks has provided Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin with a giant headache, not unlike the one he faced after the Kings Birthday when another Demon superstar Christian Petracca suffered his season-ending injury. That headache is magnified by the fact that Goodwin is facing a month of tough encounters against other finals contenders at a time when his team’s fate hangs in the balance. First cab off the rank is Essendon which few would have predicted would be sitting inside the top four at this stage in proceedings after such an abysmal end to its 2023 campaign. This year, the Bombers’ favourable draw and some narrow wins against lowly sides have them in the top four with a percentage below 100. However, with a number of players in career best form, they present problems for Goodwin and his team. Notable among them is Bomber skipper, Zach Merrett who has been the catalyst for the Bomber revival, but he hasn’t been alone among a playing list that spells danger for the Demons. Their defence has tightened up and is stronger with the return of Ridley who joins Ben McKay in career-best form. They have a bevy of players like Jye Caldwell, Nic Martin, Sam Durham, Jake Stringer and Dylan Shiel who are standing up to be counted. Last week Merrett and Caldwell each notched up 30 disposals to throttle Collingwood's premiership midfield. Their influence must be curtailed. Then there are their talls like ruckman Sam Draper who has managed to avoid a direct confrontation with Gawny for the second time in as many years. Two Metre Peter will also stretch the Demons’ defence. Which brings us back to Melbourne’s giant ruck headache, exacerbated when the club agreed to part company with Brodie Grundy at the end of last year. The club chose Brisbane’s 200cm Tom Fullarton to replace the former Magpie, but he is designated on the club’s website as a “key forward” and hasn’t played an AFL game since the 2022 semi final against Melbourne when he managed just four hit outs. As the club’s General Manager of AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson said during the week: "While Max is the calibre of player that can't be replaced easily, it provides an exciting opportunity for others to come in and play their role in our side." It remains to be seen what rabbit the Demon selectors pull out of their hat but that has been the story of their season so far. Just as the loss through the premature retirement of Angus Brayshaw, the well documented off-season problems of Clayton Oliver and the seemingly never-ending investigation into Joel Smith have all caused grief, the club has soldiered on without complaint. The coach moves players around like chess pieces, changes tactics and strategies, and all the while he manages to keep the club’s finals prospects alive as it moves deeper into the season. Each turn of an unfriendly card presents a challenge that must be confronted. The mother of invention has caused a major upheaval at Melbourne during 2024. The previously rock solid midfield foundation stone of Petracca, Oliver, Viney and Brayshaw has been split. That midfield no longer dominates the clearances at the feet of Gawn as it did in the past when it overwhelmed the opposition with offensive momentum smashing the inside fifty count. We now have something different; the excitement of new, young faces and names making their mark over all parts of the ground, a mix that might not make them immediate flag contenders but they’re always a chance to win on any given day. Trent Rivers in the middle is one example of change, Jacob van Rooyen up forward and pinch hitting in the ruck another and Judd McVee down back a third … and then there’s Caleb Windsor and there’s more. As some might despair the absence for a few weeks of a six time All Australian heading for a seventh, one or more of the personnel within the team are expected to step up and help repay Gawn for his outstanding contribution as captain over 100 games. The three aspects of his absence that demand attention are leadership, ruck craft and marking, especially down back where Gawn would drop in to intercept when the key defenders needed a chop out. Suffice to say on the leadership score, there’s captain Jack Viney standing at the ready with Steven May, Jake Lever and a rejuvenated Tom McDonald down back and how timely is Jake Melksham’s return to the forward line after his ACL injury to add experience in the air, on the ground and around the goals? The merchants of gloom and doom have short memories. Last year, when the teams met in Adelaide, the Bombers were rank outsiders but they approached the game with ferocity and intent against a complacent opponent and they surprised with a win. The Demons have upped their intensity over recent weeks and that mix of youthful enthusiasm together with their list of experienced big game players can be infectious and promote winning momentum. I think it will be just enough to surprise the Bombers by a small margin, say four points. This would honour the current wearer of the club’s #11 guernsey in a game to support the Reach Foundation co-founded by its previous owner, the late, great Jim Stynes. THE GAME Melbourne v Essendon at the MCG Saturday 13 July 2024 at 7.30pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 86 wins Essendon 131 wins 2 draws At the MCG Melbourne 48 wins Essendon 67 wins 1 draw The last five meetings Melbourne 3 wins Essendon 2 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Scott 1 win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Essendon 15.14.104 defeated Melbourne 11.11.77 at the Adelaide Oval Round 6, 2023 In a shock result, Essendon dominated the Melbourne on a wet Adelaide day in the inaugural Gather Round. The Bombers’ big men took advantage of Max Gawn’s absence in a game where things were not helped by the absence defence of Jake Lever and the late withdrawal of Ben Brown in attack. They maintained the pressure all day and it was quite an achievement to exceed 100 points in the wet and woolly conditions. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B T. McDonald, S. May, J. McVee HB T. Rivers, J. Lever, J. Bowey C E. Langdon, C. Oliver, A. Neal-Bullen HF K. Pickett, J. van Rooyen, T. Sparrow F K. Chandler, B. Fritsch, J. Melksham FOLL H. Petty, J. Viney, C. Salem I/C A. Moniz-Wakefield, K. Tholstrup, D. Turner, C. Windsor SUB T. Woewodin EMG T. Fullarton, B. Laurie, A. Tomlinson IN H. Petty OUT M. Gawn (ankle) ESSENDON B J. Ridley, B. McKay, D. Heppell HB N. Martin, M. Redman, A. McGrath C X. Duursma, S. Durham, A. Perkins HF M. Guelfi, H. Jones, N. Caddy F J. Stringer, P. Wright, K. Langford FOLL S. Draper, J. Caldwell, Z. Merrett I/C N. Cox, J. Gresham, J. Kelly, D. Shiel SUB N. Hind EMG T. Goldstein, J. Laverde, W. Setterfield IN D. Heppell OUT J. Laverde (omitted) Injury List: Round 18 Ben Brown — knee / test Harrison Petty — hamstring / test Max Gawn — ankle / 2 - 3 weeks Charlie Spargo — Achilles / TBC Christian Petracca — ribs, spleen, appendix / indefinite