Demonland

In years to come, the old timers will talk in wonderment about the “Avalon Avalanche” that hit Werribee’s Avalon Airport Oval on a mild winter’s afternoon at about ten minutes after the halfway mark of the game between the local Tigers and their cross town rivals, the Demons from Casey. At that moment in time, the game was poised as if on a knifepoint. Up until the main interval, it had been the visiting team which had maintained the lead from the start but it had struggled to entirely assert its dominance in field play on the scoreboard. The Werribee tactic had been to close down play and crowd the Casey forward line preventing the highly talented Demons from opening up a big break in the game. They had one effective forward in Sam Weideman with two goals to thank for their 17 point lead at that stage, one that should have been a lot more. The standard of the game had been poor, the pace at times was barely pedestrian. Then, when play resumed after half time, the home side was ready to strike. It opened up the play, ran into space and for ten minutes took over the proceedings. But for their inaccuracy in front of goal — they kicked 2.4 from several forays into the forward line punctuated by Weideman’s third goal in the middle of their run — they would have been able to snatch away the ascendency in the game and grab a nice lead. As it was, they were down by just seven points but you could sense alarm bells ringing in the Demon camp. Then the avalanche struck. In the space of seven minutes, the Demons ran the Tigers ragged with their superior pace and ball movement into attack with five different players scoring goals to catapult them into an unassailable position. One of the goalkickers was newcomer Kye Declase who was recently plucked away from Werribee per medium of the the Midseason Draft and who has a future in the game. The other was a surprise packet playing just his fourth game. His goal at the 17 minute mark of the third term was his first in the VFL and made up one of the stories of the day. Corey Ellison is a local product from Cranbourne who spent a couple of years on the fringes at the Dandenong Stingrays and missed out on playing alongside teammate Toby Bedford in their 2018 premiership. (Ironically, it was Bedford who kicked the first of those five avalanche goals after some exciting play from Jake Bowey turned defence into devastating attack). After committing to Casey last year, Ellison took to the gym and built himself up during the lockdown and did his preseason with the Demons but the presence of Ben Brown and Weideman meant he was consigned more into defence. He was selected there for this game but, as fate would have it, he was up forward in the third term. Late in the quarter, he managed two quick goals and with the game free and open at last, he added another three in the final term to make it six for the game to match his six goal haul for Cranbourne on Anzac Eve which gained the high flyer his VFL debut on a Thursday night against North Melbourne back at the end of April. Earlier in the day, Bowey had shown his class and composure and signaled that his elevation to the big time was not far away. Weideman was in his element as a key forward who at times roamed far and wide to generate some attacking spark for the team. The experience of Aaron vandenBerg and Jake Melksham shone out in the second half and Tom Sparrow had some big moments before injuring himself late in the game. The two midseason draftees Declase and Kye Turner are coming on nicely. Apart from Ellison, the Casey listed contingent was well led by Mitch White and the tackling machine that is Jimmy Munro. George Grey also showed some flashes of pace and brilliance. With another percentage boosting win to give it a 7-1 record, it is believed that a finals berth beckons in the magical mystery competition that is the VFL in 2021. But all of that depends on a bigger landscape as we await the next avalanche. CASEY DEMONS 3.0.18 5.5.35 13.8.86 17.14.116 WERRIBEE TIGERS 1.2.8 2.6.18 5.10.40 7.15.57 GOALS Casey Demons Ellison 6 Weideman 3 Chandler 2 Bedford Declase Grey Melksham Munro Sparrow Werribee Tigers Kemp Thar 2 Buzza Malual Pinnuck BEST Casey Demons vandenBerg Ellison Lockhart Melksham Weideman Declase Werribee Tigers Sodomaco Garoni Thar Pinnuck Gribble Hayes Statistics Oskar Baker 11 kicks 4 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 71 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 goal 1 behind 7 kicks 7 handballs 14 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Jake Bowey 1 behind 15 kicks 4 handballs 19 disposals 7 marks 3 tackles 87 dream team points Aaron Bradtke 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 6 marks 44 dream team points Kade Chandler 2 goals 2 behinds 9 kicks 1 handballs 10 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 60 dream team points Majak Daw 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 33 hit outs 90 dream team points Kye Declase 1 goal 1 behind 12 kicks 7 handballs 19 disposals 7 marks 1 tackle 83 dream team points Corey Ellison 6 goals 1 behind 10 kicks 1 handballs 11 disposals 6 marks 4 tackles 2 hit outs 106 dream team points Zac Foot 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 7 tackles 83 dream team points George Grey 1 goal 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 1 mark 5 tackles 57 dream team points Neville Jetta 11 kicks 6 handballs 17 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 62 dream team points Jay Lockhart 20 kicks 4 handballs 24 disposals 8 marks 1 tackle 96 dream team points Jake Melksham 1 goal 1 behind 13 kicks 7 handballs 20 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 86 dream team points James Munro 1 goal 1 behind 9 kicks 10 handballs 19 disposals 1 mark 10 tackles 86 dream team points Fraser Rosman 1 tackle 4 dream team points [injured] Miles Shepherd 7 kicks 2 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 1 tackle 38 dream team points Joel Smith 14 kicks 4 handballs 18 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 68 dream team points Tom Sparrow 1 goal 10 kicks 10 handballs 20 disposals 4 marks 7 tackles 96 dream team points Daniel Turner 11 kicks 3 handballs 14 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 58 dream team points Aaron vandenBerg 3 behinds 14 kicks 7 handballs 21 disposals 10 tackles 101 dream team points Sam Weideman 3 goals 10 kicks 8 handballs 18 disposals 7 marks 3 tackles 4 hit outs 101 dream team points Mitch White 1 behind 10 kicks 5 handballs 15 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 55 dream team points

Absolutely. Did about 20 of them 2 weeks ago and none of them have panned out just 2 weeks in.

All the games that the Bulldogs have lost this year have shown that they do not have a plan B.

28 frees to 14

Swans could be whittling the Bulldogs percentage down for us if not for their inaccuracy.

26 frees to 14

Bont threw the ball and got a free for too high.

Front on contact that Buddy didn’t get a few minutes earlier.

Bulldogs must have an unlimited free kick card

23 frees to 13

Bulldogs have 3 extra players on the field.

Swans wayward kicking could cost us top spot.

You can’t touch the Bulldogs.

Swans missing some gettable ones.

Even when he messes up you’d think he’s just won a Brownlow by the way they’re carrying on.

Bulldogs blessed by the umpires. They had just under 30 more free kicks to their advantage than any other club going into this round.

Surprise surprise.

We have a contest! 151. Clayton Oliver 141. Christian Petracca 111. Christian Salem 87. Jake Lever 84. Max Gawn 69. Steven May 66. Tom McDonald 63. Ed Langdon 43. Luke Jackson 35. James Harmes 31. Kysiah Pickett 28. Bayley Fritsch 24. James Jordon 15. Angus Brayshaw 14. Jayden Hunt 10. Jack Viney 8. Harry Petty 7. Michael Hibberd Trent Rivers 6. Charlie Spargo 2. Alex Neal-Bullen 1. Adam Tomlinson

Sure. I've put in a request with the team. We'll get back to you within 3 to 5 working days.

South Australians should be well familiar with the damage that storms can do to the power supply. But Port Power forgot those lessons on Thursday night football as they watched the Melbourne storm descend upon them from across the border and ruin their hopes of a top four placing. Just as equally, the win to the Demons cemented their spot in the top two and sent out the message that a team who had been going around in circles for the past couple of weeks, has in fact, turned into a cyclone. The first quarter of the game was emblematic of a grand final match, such was the intensity. It wasn’t just two top sides playing each other, but two sides who had a lot at stake. Melbourne could drop to fifth spot with a failure, and Port was eyeing a potential top two placing. This was the intensity not seen in Melbourne for the past month, but they brought their best to the contest, with player after player throwing themselves in, when the need arose. Neither side took a backward step and the result of the game would not necessarily be who blinked first, but rather who could impose themselves on the other. Melbourne led by a goal at the first change, and the fight continued in the second. It was Melbourne who exerted the most pressure kicking five goals for quarter, and even with a Charlie Dixon goal after the siren, they still held a 19 point break at half-time. The second half of the game was similar, with Melbourne just too good, and progressively putting the foot on the throat of Port to deny them chances, and equally to capitalise on their own opportunities. The game was fundamentally a match of the mids, and what a contest! Wines had 33 touches, but he was harassed and punished by Jack Viney who had 10 tackles, most of them on his old mate Ollie. Christian Petracca was simply superb, with 33 touches of his own, and he blew the game away at critical times as he moved forward finishing with three goals. Clayton Oliver was just as emphatic with 31 touches while Max Gawn took progressively Lycett apart in the ruck. Once again, the Demons lost the centre clearances, but overwhelmed Port at the around the ground stoppages. Even if the ball came out of the middle, the usual stoppers in the back-line of Steven May, Jack Lever and now Harry Petty and Michael Hibberd just kept intercepting any Port attacks. May 6 intercepts, Lever 7 and Petty and Hibberd 8 each. Importantly, while Port tried to take down Lever and his influence, it was Petty and Hibberd who filled the gap. They simply took apart the likes of Rozee and Marshall, who normally account for a good number of goals. But then May also unpicked Dixon who didn’t manage a major during normal play, but kicked two after the half and full time sirens. Up forward, what a difference a Ben Brown makes! He didn’t trouble the goal umpire, but he cleared out space, brought the ball to ground and forced Port to play their best defender on him. He completely ruined their defence as Jonas and then Aliir were forced to cover his height and leap, which kept them away from the other Melbourne forwards. Tom McDonald especially, who was able to lead into space without the best defender on his shoulder, and was rewarded with three goals. Likewise Kozzy Pickett returned to form with the crumbing opportunities not there in previous weeks and finished with 3 majors, while Bayley Fritsch and Charlie Spargo picked up a couple of singles. All of a sudden the Melbourne forwards look lethal, especially when the Demons only entered the forward 50 just 45 times, yet posted one of their biggest winning margins for the season. The difference between last week and this was … Ben Brown! The other telling “learning” to be had from this game is to have players who are suited to their role. Port only had Lycett as ruck, and had to use Aliir and Dixon as stop-gaps, even at centre bounces. Like Melbourne in previous weeks, this takes away the skill set these players possess from their specialist area, and exposes the side. Dixon was forced up the ground, and this only left May on his own to marshall the defence in Dixons absence. Aliir left Tommy Mac to do what he wanted. It is one thing to have players who can “float” forward or back, but it is another thing to expect them to play those roles for long periods in the game. Port Power were unplugged from the main grid, by the Melbourne Cyclone. With 7 rounds to go, will the strength of the cyclone remain and push aside all in its way? It certainly will if the players can see what results when you play in a certain way. It is the style that wins finals and the ultimate prize. MELBOURNE 3.2.20 8.4.52 10.9.69 12.14.86 PORT ADELAIDE 2.2.14 5.3.33 7.5.47 GOALS Melbourne McDonald Petracca Pickett 3 Fritsch Jackson Spargo Port Adelaide Dixon Georgiadis 2 Amon McKenzie Rozee Wines BEST Melbourne Petracca McDonald Oliver Salem Gawn May Port Adelaide Boak Amon Wines Georgiades Aliir INJURIES Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Butters (knee) REPORTS Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil SUBSTITUTES Melbourne Tom Sparrow (unused) Port Adelaide Martin Frederick (replaced Butters) UMPIRES Simon Meredith Andre Gianfagna Jacob Mollison Official Crowd 30,908 at Adelaide Oval

The circumstances were a little unusual last Saturday night as KC from Casey was unavailable to report on the Casey Dees due to work commitments. On the ground things were somewhat unusual as well given that, although there was a game to be won on the night, preparations were also being made for the forthcoming Thursday night clash against Port Adelaide with Ben Brown rested for large slabs of the evening. It turned out perhaps, to be a stroke of genius for Melbourne with Brown making a strong contribution to that victory but for the Casey Dees, it meant that they were to lose their first game for the season by 1 point in a real boilover. Here is the link to the Melbourne Football Club website report on the game - Casey handed first VFL loss by Giants Casey Demons 3.2.20 5.4.34 7.9.51 7.12.54 UWS Giants 1.1.7 4.4.28 5.6.36 8.7.55 Goals Casey Demons Weideman 3 Grey Melksham Munro White UWS Giants Kelly Riccardi 2 De Boer Grintell Peatling Sproule Best Casey Demons Weideman vandenBerg Jetta Munro Bowey Declase UWS Giants De Boer O'Halloran Fleeton Pestling Coniglio Riccardi Statistics Oskar Baker 11 kicks 5 handballs 16 disposals 4 marks 1 tackles 59 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 behind 5 kicks 10 handballs 15 disposals 1 mark 6 tackles 58 dream team points Jake Bowey 15 kicks 12 handballs 27 disposals 8 marks 4 tackle 110 dream team points Aaron Bradtke 6 kicks 6 disposals 5 marks 27 dream team points Ben Brown 2 kicks 1 handballs 3 disposals 1 tackle 1 hit out 7 dream team points Kade Chandler 7 kicks 5 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 1 tackles 28 dream team points Majak Daw 1 behind 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 4 marks 36 hit outs 76 dream team points Kye Declase 16 kicks 6 handballs 22 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 77 dream team points Zac Foot 1 behind 7 kicks 8 handballs 15 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 62 dream team points George Grey 1 goal 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 5 tackles 55 dream team points Neville Jetta 13 kicks 6 handballs 19 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles 74 dream team points Jay Lockhart 14 kicks 6 handballs 20 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 71 dream team points Jake Melksham 1 goal 1 behind 6 kicks 7 handballs 13 disposals 1 marks 5 tackles 60 dream team points James Munro 1 goal 2 behinds 8 kicks 12 handballs 20 disposals 2 marks 12 tackles 109 dream team points Fraser Rosman 3 kicks 3 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 10 dream team points Deakyn Smith 6 kicks 6 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 47 dream team points Joel Smith 6 kicks 11 handballs 17 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 63 dream team points Ryan Sparkes 1 behind 4 kicks 7 handballs 11 disposals 4 tackles 45 dream team points Daniel Turner 6 kicks 2 handballs 8 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles 44 dream team points Aaron vandenBerg 1 behind 12 kicks 7 handballs 19 disposals 1 mark 8 tackles 74 dream team points Sam Weideman 3 goals 2 behinds 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 9 hit outs 118 dream team points Mitch White 1 goal 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 4 marks 1 tackles 47 dream team points

In the post game interview Maxy sounds like he's got a bit of a cough. ?

Who comes in and who goes out for our match against the Hawks?