Demonland

Well, that was a full-blown emotional rollercoaster in three acts, confusion, outrage, relief, followed by the bonus twist of triggering residual annoyance about buying footy tickets. I laughed, I cried, I questioned my ability to read Ticketek emails. Glad it was just a false alarm… classic Ticketek, giving everyone a free anxiety attack with their tickets!

MELBOURNE’S Jack Viney has undergone surgery on a fracture to his hand. The club’s AFL High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith provided an update on the midfielder on Tuesday. “Jack was completing a training session in Alice Springs as part of his return from concussion,” Griffith told Melbourne Media. “During that session, he slipped over and unfortunately, follow-up imaging showed that he had sustained a fracture to one of the bones in his hand. “After consulting with a specialist, Jack has undergone surgery and is currently recovering. “The plan is to assess his availability once the wound is cleared, and we’ve followed up with the surgeon.”

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End of season. Nothing to play for so they didn’t come to play. They were beaten comprehensively by the Daicos brothers alone. To add insult to injury, Kozzy copped a three game suspension which probably affected Melbourne’s 2025 fortunes as well. MELBOURNE 1.1.7 4.4.28 7.5.47 8.9.57 COLLINGWOOD 5.4.34 8.5.53 12.8.80 15.13.103 GOALS MELBOURNE Pickett Tholstrup 2 Billings Chandler Turner van Rooyen COLLINGWOOD Cameron N Daicos Hill Lipinski 2 Allen Crisp Elliott Hoskin-Elliott Parker Richards Sidebottom BEST MELBOURNE McDonald Gawn Chandler Pickett Billings Rivers COLLINGWOOD N Daicos J Daicos Lipinski Allan Hill Sidebottom THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B M. Hore, T. McDonald, J. McVee HB J. Bowey, A. Tomlinson, B. Howes C E. Langdon, J. Viney, C. Salem HF K. Chandler, H. Petty, J. Billings F K. Pickett, J. Van Rooyen, B. Fritsch FOLL M. Gawn, A. Neal-Bullen, T. Rivers I/C B. Howes, J. Melksham, K. Tholstrup, D. Turner T. Woewodin SUB B. Laurie EMG K. Brown, M. Jefferson IN B. Laurie, T. Woewodin OUT J. Lever (illness), T. Sparrow (ankle) COLLINGWOOD B C. Dean, D. Moore, B. Maynard HB W. Hoskin-Elliott, J. Howe, I. Quaynor C S. Sidebottom, J. Crisp, J. Daicos HF B. Hill, L. Schultz, J. Elliott F B. McCreery, M. Cox, P. Lipinski FOLL D. Cameron, N. Daicos, S. Pendlebury I/C E. Allan, J. Noble, W. Parker, J. Richards SUB F. MacRae EMG B. Frampton, N. Long, J. Ryan IN E. Allan, C. Dean, F. Macrae, J. Richards OUT J.Bytel (omitted), B.Frampton (omitted), N. Long (omitted), D. McStay (managed)

Hands up if you thought, like me, at half-time in yesterday’s game at TIO Traeger Park, Alice Springs that Melbourne’s disposal around the ground and, in particular, its kicking inaccuracy in front of the goals couldn’t get any worse. Well, it did. And what’s even more damning for the Melbourne Football Club is that the game against St Kilda and its resurgence from the bottomless pit of its miserable start to the season wasn’t just lost through poor conversion for goal but rather in the 15 minutes when the entire team went into a slumber and was mugged by the out-of-form Saints. Their six goals two behinds (one goal less than the Demons managed for the whole game) weaved a path of destruction from which they were unable to recover. In short, they blew it. Ross Lyon’s astute use of pressure to contain the situation once they had asserted their grip on the game, and Melbourne’s self-destructive wastefulness, assured that outcome. The old adage about the insanity of repeatedly doing something and expecting a different result, was out there. Two years ago, the score line in Melbourne’s loss to the Giants at this same ground was 5 goals 15 behinds - a ratio of one goal per four scoring shots - was perfectly replicated with yesterday’s 7 goals 21 behinds. This has been going on for a while and opens up a number of questions. I’ll put forward a few that come to mind from this performance. The obvious first question is whether the club can find a suitable coach to instruct players on proper kicking techniques or is this a skill that can no longer be developed at this stage of the development of our playing group? Another concern is the team's ability to counter an opponent's dominance during a run on as exemplified by the Saints in the first quarter. Did the Demons underestimate their opponents, considering St Kilda's goals during this period were scored by relatively unknown forwards? Furthermore, given the modest attendance of 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park and the team's poor past performances at this venue, is it prudent to prioritize financial gain over potentially sacrificing valuable premiership points by relinquishing home ground advantage, notwithstanding the cultural significance of the team's connection to the Red Centre? Melbourne started off as if on cue with a dominating opening ten minutes but managed only a solitary goal. The momentum turned when Kozzy Pickett’s shot for a second goal was taken on the line, and the Saints made their move with their opening goal and the torrent that followed until the shadows of quarter-time when the Demons responded with their second. Then it was the Demons’ turn to take control of the play, but their 4 goals 7 behinds wasn’t enough to translate into what could have been a half-time lead. Despite some outstanding work in the ruck of Max Gawn and Christian Petracca on the ball, they were let down with some diabolical misses when it came to scoring goals. Some of the notable examples were those of Kade Chandler from inside 40 metres, Gawn himself from closer still, and Xavier Lindsay hitting the post late in the term, again from in close. And, as indicated above, it only got worse as the time progressed so that well before the final siren, most Demon fans had put their hands up in resignation and despair. MELBOURNE 2.2.14 6.9.45 7.13.55 7.21.63 ST KILDA 6.2.38 9.4.58 11.6.72 14.7.91 GOALS MELBOURNE Petracca 2 Chandler Fritsch Johnson Melksham Petty ST KILDA Butler 4 Keeler 3 Hall 2 Clark Higgins Hill Owens Travaglia BEST MELBOURNE Gawn May McVee Petracca Bowey Turner ST KILDA Wanganeen-Milera Wilkie Windhager Sinclair Butler Hill INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil ST KILDA Phillipou (calf) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil ST KILDA Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Bailey Laurie (replaced Aidan Johnson in the fourth quarter) ST KILDA Jack Carroll (replaced Mattaes Phillipou in the first quarter) UMPIRES Robert O'Gorman, Nathan Williamson Cameron Dore, Jordan Fry CROWD 6,721 at TIO Traeger Park

Going to cut the questions off here. We might have to do a very limited question and answer segment this week as we have Jeff White for 30 to 45 minutes at the top of the show.

https://x.com/sammy__edmund/status/1929347798421381287?s=46&t=4yiPa6LJbgt-ACIG0WMIuA

After a disappointing loss in Alice Springs the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Magpies in the annual King's Birthday Big Freeze for MND game. Who comes in and who goes out?

The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 2nd June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we have a chat with former Demon ruckman Jeff White about his YouTube channel First Use where he dissects ruck setups and contests. We'll then discuss the Dees disappointing loss to the Saints in Alice Springs. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

Max Gawn still has a massive lead in the Demonland Player of the Year award as Christian Petracca, Jake Bowey, Clayton Oliver & Kozzy Pickett round out the Top 5. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1

After kicking the first goal of the match the Demons were always playing catch up against the Saints in Alice Spring and could never make the most of their inside 50 entries to wrestle back the lead.

My kingdom for a goal kicking coach.

We look slow and lethargic

Why do we always get commentators that barrack for the opposition?

Goal kicking coach has to be the highest priority at this club.

Shades of the Freo game

We are our own worst enemy

The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and … it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution. It’s not hard to win against lowly teams but this was ridiculously sublime. Huge credit has to be given to the VFL-listed contingent who have been consistent in lifting the team after last year’s disappointments. Hardnut Riley Baldi, Mitch Hardie and Riley Bonner were solid contributors throughout while Paddy Cross chipped in with three of those eleven final quarter goals. Noah Yze overcame the disappointment of missing out on the Mid Season Draft with a couple of nice goals, Tyson Sruk was not as prolific as last week but was still full of endeavour in a hardworking display. Deakyn Smith led from the front. Of the AFL contingent (Casey had the edge over Sydney by 15 to 11), Jack Billings was the best with an indispensable four quarter display that netted him 32 disposals. His former teammate at the Saints in Tom Campbell dominated the rucks with his 34 hitouts, six clearances and a couple of goals with capable understudy Will Verrall again providing solid back up. The key forwards in Matthew Jefferson and Jacob van Rooyen were important in the early stages of the game with their goal kicking which netted seven goals between them to three quarter time. Both are now in intense competition for senior key position berths should a vacancy arise. The former would be edging slightly in front given his second consecutive five goal haul, but remember it’s an achievement over the VFL’s two bottom sides with one win between them. Other good performances were recorded by Jai Culley, Blake Howes, Oliver Sestan, Koltyn Tholstrup and Taj Woewodin who are all playing a waiting game for senior call ups that remain hard to come by in light of the club’s senior resurgence. Next up is the big Kings Birthday challenge against Collingwood to be played on Saturday night at, of all places, Mission Whitten Oval in Footscray. No doubt, the powers that be in the inner sanctum of the VFL have a logical explanation for this unusual and sublimely ridiculous fixture. CASEY DEMONS 5.4.34 8.5.53 13.9.87 24.11.165 SYDNEY SWANS 3.2.20 7.2.44 9.5.59 9.7.61 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Jefferson 5 Cross 3 Campbell Culley Mentha van Rooyen Yze 2 Baldi Craven Fullarton Hardie Howes Tholstrup SYDNEY SWANS Dattoli Hanily Kluske 3 BEST CASEY DEMONS Billings Jefferson Culley Baldi Hardie Sestan SYDNEY SWANS Florent Hanily Hanrahan Dattoli Shipley Edwards

RIDICULOUSLY SUBLIME by KC from Casey The Casey Demons were always expected to emerge victorious in their matchup against the lowly-ranked Sydney Swans at picturesque Tramway Oval, situated in the shadows of the SCG in Moore Park. They dominated the proceedings in the opening two and a half quarters of the game but had little to show for it. This was primarily due to their own sloppy errors in a low-standard game that produced a number of crowded mauls reminiscent of the rugby game popular in old Sydney Town. However, when the Swans tired, as teams often do when they turn games into ugly defensive contests, Casey lifted the standard of its own play and … it was off to the races. Not to nearby Randwick but to a different race with an objective of piling on goal after goal on the way to a mammoth victory. At the 25-minute mark of the third quarter, the Demons held a slender 14-point lead over the Swans, who are ahead on the ladder of only the previous week's opposition, the ailing Bullants. Forty minutes later, they had more than fully compensated for the sloppiness of their earlier play with a decisive 94-point victory, that culminated in a rousing finish which yielded thirteen unanswered goals. Kicks hit their targets, the ball found itself going through the middle and every player made a contribution. It’s not hard to win against lowly teams but this was ridiculously sublime. Huge credit has to be given to the VFL-listed contingent who have been consistent in lifting the team after last year’s disappointments. Hardnut Riley Baldi, Mitch Hardie and Riley Bonner were solid contributors throughout while Paddy Cross chipped in with three of those eleven final quarter goals. Noah Yze overcame the disappointment of missing out on the Mid Season Draft with a couple of nice goals, Tyson Sruk was not as prolific as last week but was still full of endeavour in a hardworking display. Deakyn Smith led from the front. Of the AFL contingent (Casey had the edge over Sydney by 15 to 11), Jack Billings was the best with an indispensable four quarter display that netted him 32 disposals. His former teammate at the Saints in Tom Campbell dominated the rucks with his 34 hitouts, six clearances and a couple of goals with capable understudy Will Verrall again providing solid back up. The key forwards in Matthew Jefferson and Jacob van Rooyen were important in the early stages of the game with their goal kicking which netted seven goals between them to three quarter time. Both are now in intense competition for senior key position berths should a vacancy arise. The former would be edging slightly in front given his second consecutive five goal haul, but remember it’s an achievement over the VFL’s two bottom sides with one win between them. Other good performances were recorded by Jai Culley, Blake Howes, Oliver Sestan, Koltyn Tholstrup and Taj Woewodin who are all playing a waiting game for senior call ups that remain hard to come by in light of the club’s senior resurgence. Next up is the big Kings Birthday challenge against Collingwood to be played on Saturday night at, of all places, Mission Whitten Oval in Footscray. No doubt, the powers that be in the inner sanctum of the VFL have a logical explanation for this unusual and sublimely ridiculous fixture. CASEY DEMONS 5.4.34 8.5.53 13.9.87 24.11.165 SYDNEY SWANS 3.2.20 7.2.44 9.5.59 9.7.61 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Jefferson 5 Cross 3 Campbell Culley Mentha van Rooyen Yze 2 Baldi Craven Fullarton Hardie Howes Tholstrup SYDNEY SWANS Dattoli Hanily Kluske 3 BEST CASEY DEMONS Billings Jefferson Culley Baldi Hardie Sestan SYDNEY SWANS Florent Hanily Hanrahan Dattoli Shipley Edwards

It's Game Day and the Demons have traveled to Alice Springs to take on the Saints and they have a massive opportunity to build on the momentum of two big wins in a row and keep their finals hopes well and truly alive.

With the opening round win under their belts, the Redlegs had a much tougher assignment in the second match of the season against Collingwood in hostile territory at Victoria Park. Round 2 Collingwood vs Melbourne Saturday 9 May Venue: Victoria Park Attendance: 15,000 MELBOURNE 0.3.3 2.7.19 3.10.28 7.12.54 COLLINGWOOD 2.2.14 5.6.35 6.10.46 10.11.71 Goalkickers: Richard Taylor 2, Harry Davie 1, Hugh Dunbar 1, Percy Tulloh 1, Bill Tymms 1, Stan Wittman 1 As it turned out, Melbourne put up on a tremendous performance but fell short in a fast paced match in which they missed the influence of skipper Bert Chadwick who was out with influenza. The superior Collingwood defence gave it the initial impetus on the wet ground by holding Melbourne goalless in the first term and holding it to just three goals by three quarter time. The game opened up in the final term with the Redlegs narrowing the margin to 11 points late in the game when Stan Wittman marked in front of goal but lost the ball attempting to run around the man on the mark. The opportunity to cut the margin to under a goal was lost. Collingwood surged to kick another goal and the game was lost. Melbourne’s best were Taylor, Mollison and Coy. Seconds - Collingwood 13.20 d. Melbourne 8.12.60 Goals - Alberry 5, Parker 2, Duff 1 Best Parker, Fergens, Anderson Round 3 Melbourne vs Carlton Saturday 16 May Venue: MCG Attendance: 16,570 MELBOURNE 2.2.14 3.7.25 6.10.46 12.12.84 CARLTON 1.1.7 3.8.26 3.11.29 4.14.38 Goalkickers: Harry Davie 5, Jack Cannan 3, Jimmy Davidson 1, Derek Mollison 1, Richard Taylor 1, Ivor Warne-Smith 1 The lowly Blues were struggling but, despite their inaccuracy in front of goal, managed to put up a fight and lead by a point at half time but collapsed after the long break. Carlton’s poor kicking in front of the goals persisted in the first five minutes of the third quarter scoring three behinds and from then onwards, the rest of the game belonged to the faster and more systematic Melbourne which added 9.5.59 to bring them a percentage building 46 point victory. The Redleg fans had been expecting the debut of champion Tasmanian player, Col Deane in the number 33 but were confused when it was actually "Snowy" Cannan from Bendigo because Deane was unable to play due to illness (he would debut the following week). Meanwhile, Cannan played the game of his brief career and kicked three goals. Best players were Taylor, Chadwick and Davie but the big news of the day was the resignation of Carlton coach Pat O'Brien, an outcome prompted by the game’s poor performance. Seconds Carlton 20.18.138 d. Melbourne 11.12.78 Goals Cameron 4 Round 4, Footscray vs Melbourne Saturday 23 May Venue: Western Oval Attendance: 12,000 MELBOURNE 1.3.9 7.8.50 8.12.60 9.16.70 FOOTSCRAY 1.3.9 5.4.34 6.5.41 6.6.42 Goalkickers: Col Deane 3, Harry Davie 2, Stan Wittman 2, Jimmy Davidson 1, Ivor Warne-Smith The fourth round marked Melbourne's first VFL game against the newly admitted Footscray Football Club. It was the first meeting between the two sides since August 1896 and the Redlegs continued their good start to the season by once again being victorious. When the teams gathered in the middle of the ground before the match to cheer for each other, Col Deane took his place and thrilled supporters by emulating Cannan's performance from the week before. He steered his first kick for sixty years, right through the goals and also finished three goals. A talented big man, Deane was fast for his size, a beautiful kick and a strong mark. He had been educated at Launceston Grammar where he was a fine athlete and a champion rower and became one of the best ruckmen in the competition. Deane was inducted into the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame in 2014. Colin Deane Player Inductee -Launceston/New Town/Melbourne/St Kilda, Follower, 1919-33 • 82 games, 53 goals for Melbourne, 1925-30 • 3 games for St Kilda, 1933 • Around 40 games for Launceston, 1919-21 • Around 40 games for New Town, 1922-24 • St Kilda coach, 1933 • Melbourne VFL premiership, 1926 • Tasmanian National Carnival representative, 1924 (Hobart) • Victorian interstate representative, 1925, 1929 • NTFA representative, 1919-21 It was the first wet day of the season and rain fell during the game but before it came Melbourne was the superior team, marking and kicking with precision. After an even opening term, during which play became heavily congested, Melbourne nullified Footscray's tough bullocking play and kicked six goals to four in the second term to set up their win. The game became a slog when the rain came and the Redlegs managed a goal in each of the two final terms with Wittman's goal sealing the game. The atmosphere was convivial and the hosts provided a barrel of beer for their visitors in the rooms after the game. Best were Wittman, Warne-Smith and the newcomer, Deane. Seconds Footscray 6.6.42 vs Melbourne 3.4.22 (1/2 time score) Round 5 Melbourne vs North Melbourne Saturday 30 May Venue: MCG Attendance: 11,954 MELBOURNE 5.2.32 9.7.61 10.10.70 12.13.85 NORTH MELBOURNE 2.4.16 3.4.22 8.4.52 10.5.65 Goalkickers: Harry Davie 5, Col Deane 3, Jack Cannan 2, Derek Mollison 2 Melbourne's first ever match against North in the VFL saw them earn their second victory in a fortnight over one of the league's new boys after taking care of Footscray a week earlier. In an exciting, high standard game it looked as if Melbourne had the match won when they opened up a six goal lead at half time. They were dominant in the first quarter, always first to the ball and playing with a better system. In the circumstances the 16 point lead could have been larger, but the second term they kicked away to a 39 point lead. The first goal of the third quarter extended the margin to over 30 points, before North stormed back with five goals in a row to cut the margin to just 18 points at the last change. The lead was down to 13 points in the last quarter, but North had left themselves too much work to do and fell short. Best were Warne-Smith, Chadwick and Mollison.