Demonland

Join @george_on_the_outer, @binman & I on the Demonland Podcast tonight LIVE @ 8:30pm for breakdown of the Round 3 match against the Bombers. Listen & Chat LIVE: https://demonland.com/podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

There was nervous expectation and plenty of joy in the air as a line of spectators snaked around the MCG, ready for the first AFLW match at the game’s most famous venue. For Melbourne fans, the beloved stadium is a second home, where stories become legends etched into our club’s folklore, so this was a moment to savour. As I took my seat at the MCG for the second day in a row, the overriding feeling was, “We aren’t at Casey Fields anymore, Dorothy.” Special mention, of course, to Karen Paxman, who reached her 50-game milestone in a big-time game befitting of her contribution to our foundation years. She’ll always be the first to play 50 games in the red and blue. FIRST QUARTER The game kicked off under light drizzle that soon set in, unfamiliar after a blistering summer season. Brisbane builds their game around contest and pressure—with one-percenters being a point of pride in their 2021 premiership—so the first aim was to match them. Hanks had tough Lions stopper Svarc as company, while L Pearce made her presence felt with an unrewarded tackle, the start of an ongoing theme. Yet for all the poor umpiring in the game, perhaps the most impactful non-decision went against Brisbane early, right in front of goal, with Goldrick having so much of Bodey’s jumper she may as well have hung it in her wardrobe. The kick-in saw Melbourne transition neatly to the wing before the ball got caught for much of the quarter in a vigorous tug-of-war between the arcs. All signs flashed “DANGER” as Wardlaw broke away into an open fifty with five minutes remaining, but Heath made up significant territory to stop her in her tracks. The rest of the backline was equally committed as the Lions pressed late. As such, the quarter-time margin of one point after Davidson’s post-siren shot fell short was a good outcome. Nerves were settled, rain adjustments made, everyone had resigned themselves to the lottery-style umpiring and our team had plenty of scope to improve. SECOND QUARTER The quarter got off to an inauspicious start with L Pearce infringing clumsily on Wardlaw in a ruck contest metres from Brisbane’s goal. Luckily, Wardlaw’s kick was ill-directed, but it was soon all hands on deck as the Lions mounted repeated attacks and built the wall outside fifty. A big spoil from Paxman opened up the far wing, and after a one-two with Scott, she booted it into fifty where Bannan was denied a trademark dash by an unlucky bounce. Still, the ball was at the right end, and a lightning re-entry via Paxman delivered it to the hotspot, where Bannan crumbed and snapped truly. First AFLW player to kick a goal on the MCG? Alyssa Bannan of the Melbourne Demons! The Lions’ Smith soon added her name to the list, via a quick transition from a run-down tackle on Lampard, indecisive as she weighed up attacking fifty options. In the last five minutes, neither team able to gain much ground. Notable were Goldrick’s kamikaze attack on the footy (rewarded for a foot to the face), a timely spoil by Lampard, Daisy’s telling kicking penetration, body on the line stuff by Gay (briefly winded) and a textbook tackle by Colvin (unrewarded). Less enthusing was Scott being repeatedly outpointed by Tahau and Brisbane’s ability to find unpressured kicks going forward. As the clock wound down, Colvin had another big moment, leaving her opponent to gather cleanly from her bootlaces. That led to a Bannan mark on fifty with seventeen seconds to go. She went to the hotspot, but there was seemingly nothing doing. Enter McNamara, who put in the hard yards to tackle and win an after-the-siren shot. The result was a let-off, and scores were level. THIRD QUARTER Bodey of the Lions had the first good look forward, courtesy of a run-down tackle on Goldrick. Birch spoiled Wardlaw’s marking attempt, but the Lions persisted, and Davidson executed a classy finish to put Brisbane a goal up. Things looked shaky as Brisbane powered through the next centre clearance, but again Birch stood up, while those around her stayed calm when several efforts to clear failed. A strong mark to Scott provided the right avenue. Then Hanks put the ball towards Daisy, who spoiled, gathered and left a would-be tackler cold before placing the footy where every Dees fan wanted it: out in front of Bannan. She accelerated, arched her back and made sure of it. Harris’s suggestion to her teenage teammate to check out the replay on the scoreboard was a one-percenter of a different kind. All eyes were on the crumbers at the next forward stoppage, but L Pearce was having none of that. She cleverly identified the space ahead of the stoppage and authoritatively slammed one through straight out of the ruck; a bearded fellow in the MFC players’ box surely looked on with appreciation. The two goals in a minute turned a six-point deficit into a six-point lead. After a short stalemate, the Dees again trapped it forward, with Heath, Gay and Zanker all chopping off exit attempts. Their kicks forward left a bit to be desired, and eventually Brisbane cleared through a mark to Wardlaw who went to space. Melbourne was suddenly in a desperate defensive scenario, and it was game of inches stuff as they battled to prevent a major, with Heath again pivotal. Daisy read the D50 exit like a book to get the ball up the wing where Bannan, momentarily beaten, put in a massive second effort that freed up Zanker. Upfield, Scott put her body on the line and a hard-running Bannan linked up with Fitzsimon forty metres out. She didn’t have the distance and knew it. A vibe of trepidation turned to jubilation as McNamara stole a Lion handpass from the resultant contest and craftily tumbled home an evasive dribbler that had a little bit of destiny about it. The Dees lasted out the quarter, with Mithen standing bravely under the footy to win a free and deny Brisbane any last-second opportunities. FOURTH QUARTER If there’s one thing this team loves, it’s getting out to a not-quite-comfortable lead and then spending the last quarter defending it just well enough to snare the win. Two minutes in, though, everything looked bright under dry skies. The ball spilled out of a crunching contest, and crucially, all Demons involved kept their feet and reacted quickly, with Bannan the obvious frontrunner to receive Fitzsimon’s hurried kick. Sensing Bannan’s pole position, Daisy and Harris focused on the chasing Lions, ready to pick off any speedsters in pursuit. Of course, Bannan was already off to the races, and kicked her third. Melbourne, hungry for more, soon threatened again, running in waves through the midfield in a glimpse of the dominant overlap that was a feature of their rampaging Optum Stadium outing. To their credit, the reigning premiers upped their pressure and controlled possession in the next phase of the game. Midway through the quarter, Daisy’s shift back signalled a refocus towards negation rather than attack. The Lions finally got something to show for their efforts, somewhat ironically via Daisy’s opponent in Campbell. The margin was now ten points with six minutes remaining. A magnificent lunging smother from Scott, another ruck goal attempt by L Pearce and Heath standing tall to take a grab from the subsequent kick-in had me feeling confident as arms flapped all around in the universal gesture for “calm it down.” Calm it down they did not, however, with risky play and dubious decision-making abounding, including Heath opting to go quickly to a Lion-infested forward line, Mithen choosing a far-too-central kick from half-back and Hore’s attempt for down-the-line safety falling short, directly into the hands of Davidson. Consequently, Bodey got on the board with thirty-six seconds to go, finally taking her last-gasp opportunity after missing two prior after-the-siren attempts against the Demons. The jittery expressions of the Melbourne fans shown on the broadcast mirrored my own at the ground. My nerves soon turned to bewilderment as I saw Daisy gesticulating wildly to the umpire. Turns out, a captain’s job never done, she was appealing for enforcement of a five-six-five free kick, the Lions having been warned earlier. In a nightmarish turn, that absolute gift was turned to dust when L Pearce, trying to hit up a stress-free pass to a Demon on the wing, was bamboozled by Lampard drifting across her kick. The Lions edged the ball inside 50, but desperation all round saw Melbourne prevail by four points. And with that, we booked our first AFLW Grand Final and added another entry into the MFC’s MCG history. STATS & STAND-OUTS The showing was even across disposals and disposal efficiency, reflecting two fairly evenly matched teams. It wasn’t a day for marks inside 50 or set shots, so the savvy ground-level goal-sense of Melbourne’s goalkickers was crucial to capitalise on their inside-50s (31 to 35). The Lions won the contested possessions and tackles (131 to Melbourne’s 123; and 99 to 73, respectively) but weren’t able to turn this into effective attack. The hit-outs were a one-sided affair, with Brisbane claiming 39 to 14 (including 33 to Hickie), but Melbourne were more impactful where it mattered, benefiting from 30 clearances to Brisbane’s 21. Bannan once again put her name in lights with three remarkable goals. L Pearce had 9 clearances, plus 15 disposals, some timely marks and that handy ruck goal. Paxman marked her milestone with a prolific performance, quelling the influence of O’Dwyer and sharing the #1 disposal ranking with league Best & Fairest favourite Bates. Mithen gave a typically steady contribution with 14 disposals and 5 tackles, while McNamara was back to her energetic self, combining underrated toughness with dynamic footy smarts, her goal sealing her win in a tightly fought contest with Conway. Daisy had several moments of pure class, notching up 14 disposals. Hanks (13 disposals, 3 tackles, 2 clearances) was right amongst it when the match was there for the taking, Gay had 10 tackles and 4 clearances, often running with Bates, while Purcell was solid with 7 tackles and 4 clearances. Zanker reverted to the second ruck role and was solid without being outstanding in the first half before gaining steam in the second. Heath continued her impressive form, again denying the electric Hodder and having an impact of her own. Meanwhile, Goldrick did the hard stuff, and shined with her intensity. For the Lions, Davidson looked the most likely marking target on the field. Dawes and Anderson contributed strongly, with 15 and 14 disposals apiece, and C Svarc put in a pile of work to rack up 17 tackles. Brisbane’s main success was cutting Harris out of the game, haunted no doubt by her contested marks fest last time. Yet despite many contributors, the Lions never mustered their lively, free-wheeling best, in large part due to the defensive efforts of Melbourne’s mids and backs, in tenacious one-on-ones and through well-organised structure, marshalled by leaders Lampard and Birch. The latter was also instrumental in keeping Wardlaw accountable. Special credit to the leadership group and coaching staff who managed the team over three weeks of delays and uncertainty to have the right energy and attitude for preliminary final success. MELBOURNE 0.0.0 1.2.8 4.2.26 5.3.33 BRISBANE LIONS 0.1.1 1.2.8 2.3.15 4.5.29 GOALS MELBOURNE Bannan 3 L Pearce McNamara BRISBANE LIONS Bodey Campbell Davidson Smith BEST MELBOURNE Paxman Bannan McNamara Colvin Lampard Mithen L Pearce D Pearce BRISBANE LIONS Conway Anderson Dawes Bates Monahan Grider C Svarc Tahau Ellenger INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil BRISBANE LIONS Pullar (concussion) CROWD 6,436 at The MCG NEXT - GRAND FINAL Two-time premiers Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval, 12.30 AEST, Saturday April 9. THE LAST WORD Keep your eye on the red and the blue!

The Casey Demons showed great resilience as they withstood a late challenge from Essendon VFL to maintain their undefeated record after a dour struggle in gloomy conditions at Casey Fields on Saturday. Following the withdrawal of Sam Weideman to the Melbourne side for Friday night’s AFL game, the Demons’ had their key position forward stocks further depleted with the loss of youngster Jacob Van Rooyen before the start and an injury to Mitch Brown early in the second term. However, they managed to find a way to overcome the sudden and unexpected lack of tall timber up forward with a combination of their running forwards and smalls and a solid three goal contribution from the veteran, Mitch White. It was a sluggish start for the home team which, despite kicking with the breeze, conceded the first two goals before Brown scored their first with a snap across his body after youngster Bryce Milford laid a strong tackle to set up the play followed by the leveller from Kade Chandler soon after. The Bombers soon regained the ascendency with two goals before Melbourne recruit Blake Howes’ exciting response. Casey was in a spot of bother as it trailed by a goal at the first break with Essendon kicking with the advantage of the breeze in the second. The Demons’ concerns were alleviated when Toby Bedford’s early goal in the made it all square again and from there, they showed their resilience, gradually getting on top in the middle and holding the lead from that point onward despite being hotly challenged a few times during the afternoon as well as having to find new avenues to goal after Brown’s unfortunate departure. They were aided with some strong marking and conversion up forward from White and a promising debut from local product Roan Steele who kicked two for the day when they were badly needed. The Demons seemed to have the Bombers’ measure throughout the third term and established a handy 17- point lead at the final break. Fans would have been impressed with the class of Howes and the steadiness in defence of the likes of Deakyn Smith, Oscar Baker and Fraser Rosman, Oskar Baker. They held together well when the chips were down as Essendon made its final comeback. Jimmy Munro was solid as usual throughout the day and provided great strength in the nerve-wracking final term. Corey Ellison was also a force in defence as the Demons held firm in the final moments and vigorously protected their undefeated record. Casey’s next encounter will take place at Point Gellibrand when it takes on Williamstown on Saturday night. CASEY DEMONS 3.4.22 7.9.51 11.12.7813.13.91 ESSENDON VFL 4.4.28 5.6.36 9.7.61 13.10.88 GOALS CASEY DEMONS White 3 Chandler Howes Steele 2 Bedford M Brown Dunstan Grey ESSENDON VFL Waterman 3 Golds McDonald-Tipungwuti Weightman 2 Baldwin Hobbs Sutton Voss BEST CASEY DEMONS White Baker Chandler Munro Howes Rosman Ellison Howes Daw ESSENDON VFL Zerk-Thatcher Waterman Hobbs Atley Bryan Conforti Statistics Oskar Baker 16 kicks 8 handballs 24 disposals 1 marks 2 tackles 72 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 goals 4 kicks 8 handballs 12 disposals 6 tackles 55 dream team points Jake Bell 1 behind 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 13 hit outs 53 dream team points Mitch Brown 1 goals 3 kicks 3 disposals 2 marks 21 dream team points [injured] Kade Chandler 2 goals 1 behind 13 kicks 9 handballs 22 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 97 dream team points Majak Daw 3 behinds 13 kicks 13 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 26 hit outs 81 dream team points Luke Dunstan 1 goals 1 behinds 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 58 dream team points Corey Ellison 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 23 dream team points Tom Freeman 10 kicks 1 handballs 11 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 56 dream team points Luca Goonan 1 kicks 3 handballs 4 disposals 3 tackles 22 dream team points George Grey 1 goals 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 39 dream team points Blake Howes 2 goals 1 behind 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 1 marks 5 tackles 63 dream team points Bailey Laurie 6 kicks 5 handballs 11 disposals 6 tackles 44 dream team points Judd McVee 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 33 dream team points Jake Melksham 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 3 tackles 39 dream team points Bryce Milford 2 kicks 3 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 24 dream team points Andy Moniz-Wakefield 1 behind 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 27 dream team points James Munro 1 behind 9 kicks 14 handballs 23 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 1 hit out 79 dream team points Fraser Rosman 10 kicks 4 handballs 14 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 52 dream team points Deakyn Smith 4 kicks 5 handballs 9 disposals 1 marks 2 tackles 30 dream team points Roan Steele 2 goals 2 behinds 9 kicks 4 handballs 13 disposals 3 marks 59 dream team points Mitch White 3 goals 1 behinds 12 kicks 2 handballs 14 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 82 dream team points Taj Woewodin 8 kicks 1 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 39 dream team points

13 is what he was on last week.

In a game that best be described as lacklustre, the Demons took their time but finally asserted their superior skills to down the Bombers and record a 3-0 start to season 2022. The now makes it a 10 game winning streak for the club, a match for the career record of Jake Bowey who has never been in a losing side. The game really should have been well and truly over in the first quarter as Melbourne scored 3.5.23 to 0.4.4 but yet again, the wayward kicking in front of goal from set shots nearly came back to bite them. Unfortunately, this is becoming all too regular an occurrence, and with the game today highlighted by swings in momentum, it is important to put the scoreboard pressure on when the going is good. Fortunately, Essendon simply lacked the polish necessary to put the Demons away, and while they managed three majors for the second quarter, they still they remained behind at the major break. The other aspect was the poor quality of general play, and when two sides can only score seven goals between them to half time, it wasn’t what’s expected with a Friday night marquee game. Well, something was in the Gatorade at half time, as both sides lifted considerably, and 12 goals were posted in the 3rdquarter alone, but still the Demons held onto their lead, even by the fact they kicked more behinds than Essendon, to continue their inaccuracy in front of goal. The Demon fans should now be familiar with the game-style employed by the coaches and a 13-point ¾ time lead could almost be guaranteed to be the margin at the final bell, plus or minus a goal. And it was to be. So make sure those defibrillators are fully charged during the remainder of the matches this year, because this is what it will be like … Peter Wright had the opportunity to bring the margin back to a single kick with about 15 minutes to play, but fortunately was unable to kick straight for the very first time on the night. Then Ed Langdon put the result beyond doubt with a mongrel reverse swing kick from the pocket that would have done a Pakistani bowler proud, when it found the middle of the big sticks. The Demons finally ran out 29-point winners and sent the Bombers to their rightful place near the bottom of the Premiership table at 0-3 result, a first since 1967. Ain’t it beautiful! Make no mistake, this was a lethargic performance by the Demons. They looked like they were coming off a six day break after playing in humid conditions. They simply could not execute, and fortunately the job of lifting them up fell to Clayton Oliver, Angus Brayshaw and Ed Langdon. Clarrie had to cover for Petracca, who came into the game with a heavily bandaged knee and simply wasn’t his usual powerful self. His 38 touches, 18 contested, 666 metres gained and 15 inside 50’s led the way. Ed Langdon racked up 31 touches and an equally incredible 490 metres gained on one wing, while his partner in the Wingers club, Brayshaw posted 518 metres and an equally incredible 20 marks from his 34 disposals. With the loss of BBB pre-game due to Covid health and safety restrictions, Sam Weideman stepped up with four goals, and while that is all that could be expected of a full forward, he had ample opportunity to improve on that, especially in the first half. Too often he was out bodied, and may not be the answer long term in front of goal. Other players had extraordinarily quiet games, Fritsch until the last quarter, Pickett, ANB with a paltry 10 disposals, TMac with 6, although he does a power of work bringing the ball to ground and providing linking up the ground. Down back the Smith-Tomlinson-May brick wall held true again, and while some may criticize, the opposition only scored 70 points, most of which was courtesy of Wright, who like BBB is almost impossible to stop with his leap. Next week its off to Adelaide to face Port, who are managing to turn 2022 into a nightmare, having lost to Adelaide despite leading easily with minutes to play. They also are dwelling at the bottom of the table, and with the coach’s job on the line, expect them to come out firing . MELBOURNE 3.5.23 4.8.32 9.12.66 14.15.99 ESSENDON 0.4.4 3.5.23 8.5.53 10.10.70 MELBOURNE Weideman 4 Fritsch Harmes 2 Langdon McDonald Petracca Spargo Sparrow Viney ESSENDON Wright 4 Stringer 2 Cutler McGrath Perkins Wanganeen BEST MELBOURNE Oliver Brayshaw Weideman Langdon Harmes May ESSENDON Shiel Parish Wright Ridley Heppell INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil ESSENDON Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil ESSENDON Nil SUBSTITUTES MELBOURNE Toby Bedford (unused) ESSENDON Devon Smith (unused) UMPIRES Nick Foot Andrew Stephens Alex Whetton CROWD 44,503 at The MCG

RESILIENCE by KC from Casey The Casey Demons showed great resilience as they withstood a late challenge from Essendon VFL to maintain their undefeated record after a dour struggle in gloomy conditions at Casey Fields on Saturday. Following the withdrawal of Sam Weideman to the Melbourne side for Friday night’s AFL game, the Demons’ had their key position forward stocks further depleted with the loss of youngster Jacob Van Rooyen before the start and an injury to Mitch Brown early in the second term. However, they managed to find a way to overcome the sudden and unexpected lack of tall timber up forward with a combination of their running forwards and smalls and a solid three goal contribution from the veteran, Mitch White. It was a sluggish start for the home team which, despite kicking with the breeze, conceded the first two goals before Brown scored their first with a snap across his body after youngster Bryce Milford laid a strong tackle to set up the play followed by the leveller from Kade Chandler soon after. The Bombers soon regained the ascendency with two goals before Melbourne recruit Blake Howes’ exciting response. Casey was in a spot of bother as it trailed by a goal at the first break with Essendon kicking with the advantage of the breeze in the second. The Demons’ concerns were alleviated when Toby Bedford’s early goal in the made it all square again and from there, they showed their resilience, gradually getting on top in the middle and holding the lead from that point onward despite being hotly challenged a few times during the afternoon as well as having to find new avenues to goal after Brown’s unfortunate departure. They were aided with some strong marking and conversion up forward from White and a promising debut from local product Roan Steele who kicked two for the day when they were badly needed. The Demons seemed to have the Bombers’ measure throughout the third term and established a handy 17- point lead at the final break. Fans would have been impressed with the class of Howes and the steadiness in defence of the likes of Deakyn Smith, Oscar Baker and Fraser Rosman, Oskar Baker. They held together well when the chips were down as Essendon made its final comeback. Jimmy Munro was solid as usual throughout the day and provided great strength in the nerve-wracking final term. Corey Ellison was also a force in defence as the Demons held firm in the final moments and vigorously protected their undefeated record. Casey’s next encounter will take place at Point Gellibrand when it takes on Williamstown on Saturday night. CASEY DEMONS 3.4.22 7.9.51 11.12.7813.13.91 ESSENDON VFL 4.4.28 5.6.36 9.7.61 13.10.88 GOALS CASEY DEMONS White 3 Chandler Howes Steele 2 Bedford M Brown Dunstan Grey ESSENDON VFL Waterman 3 Golds McDonald-Tipungwuti Weightman 2 Baldwin Hobbs Sutton Voss BEST CASEY DEMONS White Baker Chandler Munro Howes Rosman Ellison Howes Daw ESSENDON VFL Zerk-Thatcher Waterman Hobbs Atley Bryan Conforti Statistics Oskar Baker 16 kicks 8 handballs 24 disposals 1 marks 2 tackles 72 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 goals 4 kicks 8 handballs 12 disposals 6 tackles 55 dream team points Jake Bell 1 behind 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 13 hit outs 53 dream team points Mitch Brown 1 goals 3 kicks 3 disposals 2 marks 21 dream team points [injured] Kade Chandler 2 goals 1 behind 13 kicks 9 handballs 22 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 97 dream team points Majak Daw 3 behinds 13 kicks 13 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 26 hit outs 81 dream team points Luke Dunstan 1 goals 1 behinds 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 58 dream team points Corey Ellison 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 23 dream team points Tom Freeman 10 kicks 1 handballs 11 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 56 dream team points Luca Goonan 1 kicks 3 handballs 4 disposals 3 tackles 22 dream team points George Grey 1 goals 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 39 dream team points Blake Howes 2 goals 1 behind 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 1 marks 5 tackles 63 dream team points Bailey Laurie 6 kicks 5 handballs 11 disposals 6 tackles 44 dream team points Judd McVee 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 33 dream team points Jake Melksham 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 3 tackles 39 dream team points Bryce Milford 2 kicks 3 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 24 dream team points Andy Moniz-Wakefield 1 behind 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 27 dream team points James Munro 1 behind 9 kicks 14 handballs 23 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 1 hit out 79 dream team points Fraser Rosman 10 kicks 4 handballs 14 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 52 dream team points Deakyn Smith 4 kicks 5 handballs 9 disposals 1 marks 2 tackles 30 dream team points Roan Steele 2 goals 2 behinds 9 kicks 4 handballs 13 disposals 3 marks 59 dream team points Mitch White 3 goals 1 behinds 12 kicks 2 handballs 14 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 82 dream team points Taj Woewodin 8 kicks 1 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 39 dream team points

Clarrie mounting the early challenge … 36. Christian Petracca 34. Clayton Oliver 17. Jake Bowey Angus Brayshaw 16. Luke Jackson 15. Ed Langdon 13. Steven May 10. Ben Brown 9. Alex Neal-Bullen 6. James Harmes Jack Viney Sam Weideman 3 Joel Smith 1. James Jordon

Who comes in and who comes out for our Grand Final against the Crows?

It was a season defining game for both sides. Both were to eventually go on to play deep into the finals with divergent outcomes for the two clubs. THE TEAMS PORT ADELAIDE B: T. Clurey 17 T. McKenzie 12 A. Aliir 21 HB: R. Burton 3 T. Jonas 1 D. Byrne-Jones 33 C: M. Bergman 14 O. Wines 16 K. Amon 15 HF: C. Rozee 20 T. Marshall 4 S. Motlop 6 F: M. Georgiades 19 C. Dixon 22 Z. Butters 18 Foll: S. Lycett 29 T. Boak 10 W. Drew 28 I/C: Powell-Pepper 2 D. Houston 5 J. Lienert 40 S. Mayes 32 Sub: M. Frederick 45 Emerg: J. Garner 27 P. Ladhams 38 B. Woodcock 36 In: Z. Butters T. Clurey Out: R. Bonner (omitted) K. Farrell (ACL) MELBOURNE B: M. Hibberd 14 S. May 1 J. Lever 8 HB: J. Hunt 29 H. Petty 35 C. Salem 3 C: A. Brayshaw 10 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF: A. Neal-Bullen 30 T. McDonald 25 J. Harmes 4 F: L. Jackson 6 B. Brown 50 B. Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 C. Oliver 13 J. Viney 7 I/C: J. Jordon 23 K. Pickett 36 T. Rivers 24 C. Spargo 9 Sub: T. Sparrow 32 Emerg: J. Melksham 18 J. Smith 44 A. vandenBerg 22 In: B. Brown Out: A. vandenBerg (omitted)

Who comes in and who goes out?

It’s over … so let’s move on to the postgame stuff!!!

Your votes please - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …

Would assume Weideman being named an emergency is because he can cover the forward role, ruck (has been training as relief ruck) and if a backman goes out TMac can go down back and Weid takes his spot. I prefer Mitch as a forward and on form but Weid does cover multiple roles.

If Brown is out today (Friday) on Health and Safety Protocols does that rule him out for next Thursday’s match?

The problem with the short, medium, long, indeterminate model is that it can also fall prey to the 4-6 issue where a short becomes medium or medium becomes long. It's the how long is a piece of string conundrum for some injuries. Time heals all wounds except some wounds heal slower than others.

I agree with this and would put Petty in the indeterminate category. He was 3-4 after he had his calf operation and was still 3-4 last week. He’s come down to 2-3 but I’ll bet my right pinky that he’ll be 2-3 next week too.

Bulldogs 25 frees to 8