Demonland

Email from Gary Pert: This Sunday we finally have the opportunity to come together as a club to celebrate the 2021 Premiership. This event will be an incredibly special occasion and I encourage all Melbourne supporters to get along to the MCG for an experience they will never forget. This event will be the first time our players and coaches officially come together following their post-premiership leave period and I know how excited they are by the prospect of finally celebrating this Premiership with our Victorian supporters, at our home, the MCG. While the chance to sit back, relax and enjoy the game with a stadium full of Melbourne supporters is an exciting prospect, Sunday’s celebration is about much more than this. It is an opportunity to recreate many of the special moments we were unable to share with our Victorian supporters and to hold an event that brings together our entire club, past and present. Club greats Neale Daniher and David Neitz will have official roles on the day, with Neale to present Simon Goodwin the Jock McHale Medal and David to present the Norm Smith Medal to Christian Petracca. These will be iconic Melbourne moments, and ones that we can’t wait to share with you all. Those in attendance will also witness past players from the 40s onwards participate in a very special Premiership Cup procession, culminating in the 2021 Premiership Cup being held aloft in its rightful home for the first time ever, the mighty MCG. We will finally hear from Goody who will get the chance to deliver his much-anticipated Grand Final speech to Dees fans, as well as hearing from our Captain, Max Gawn and Norm Smith medallist, Christian Petracca. A huge highlight of the day will be a chance for supporters to farewell two greats of our club in Nathan Jones and Neville Jetta. Both players have been superstars and have made outstanding contributions to our football club. Supporters will get to hear from both players on Sunday and get the opportunity to show their appreciation for their years of loyal service. We will hear from Russell Robertson and his band at half-time, see the players re-presented their medals on stage at the conclusion of the game and have the chance to sing the theme song with the entire red and blue family. Supporters will also have the chance to get a photograph of all Melbourne’s 13 Premiership Cups, which will be on display for the first time ever, free of charge from 8:00am to 11:00am outside Gate 3. Food outlets, bars and cafes will be open and there will be concourse entertainment including buskers and partner giveaways. The club is determined to put together an event that supporters will remember for the rest of their lives. An event where we can share moments we have talked about and dreamed about and now these moments have become real. Tickets are free for all to attend however, for Covid-compliance and contact tracing purposes, all attendees will need to pre-book a reserved seat ticket to the event via Ticketek. We have already seen an amazing uptake from supporters but there are still plenty more seats available for those of you who are yet to secure your seats. I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday and coming together to celebrate and create life-long memories.

My beanie & scarf finally arrived 🙌

You need to put MFC in front of your membership barcode. I made this error.

That was always going to be the case with 30,000 people wanting a photo with the holy grail. Imagine the line for that. It would be impossible to accommodate everyone who wanted one and then imagine the disappointment of those still waiting when the event ended To be fair the club has provided ample opportunity for Victorians to get a photo with the cup.

Event Details Date: Sunday 5 December Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Time: Gates 1, 2 and 3 will open at 10:30am, with event proceedings beginning at 11:00am. Free Tickets The event is set to be a memorable day on the Demon calendar, with 31,000 fans already registering attendance. Registrations are still available with free tickets accessible via Ticketek. The Premiership Cup Fans will be given the opportunity to get a photo of the 2021 AFL Premiership Cup on the day of the event. The cup will be on display near gate 3 from 8:00am – 11:00am, with supporters encouraged to arrive early to ensure they see the cup ahead of event proceedings. Please note, that you will not be able to get a photo standing next to the cup on the day due to capacity reasons. If you wish to have a photo with the trophy, make sure you head along to one of the remaining stops on the Cup Tour listed here. Members Hub There will be a Melbourne Members Hub where supporters will be able to sign up for their 2022 membership alongside a giveaway of the 2021 premiership team poster. The hub will be located near gate 3. Zurich Flag Giveaway The celebration’s official partner, Zurich Australia, will be giving members and supporters a free Melbourne flag to show their support for the red and blue on the day. This is available while stocks last. Merchandise A number of pop-up shops will be open for fans to purchase grand final merchandise and memorabilia, including: Mark Knight 2021 Premiers posters will be sold between gates 2 and 3 The club’s official grand final memorabilia will also be available for purchase between gates 2 and 3. Entertainment To make for an enjoyable event, celebrating Melbourne and its drought-breaking premiership, the club has organised a full day of Demon activities and entertainment, including: A replay of the 2021 AFL Grand Final will kick off proceedings. Past players will participate in a ‘Kicking for Cash’ competition at quarter time. Russel Robertson and Bigfoot will perform at the half time break. The 2021 Grand Final team will be presented with their premiership medallions and the premiership cup.

I would have thought it would be a 50/50 proposition at this stage however the club just posted this.

Are you sure it wasn't on SEN?

AFL Draft 2021: Demons thrilled as they secure their two main targets

Part 3: A minor dream for the premier team Coming from a position where Melbourne’s initial first pick in the 2021 AFL National Draft was at #33, the club has managed its first post-premiership trade and draft period quite nicely. The year ended with the 23 playing representatives in the premiership match and a number of close contenders for places within that group intact and at the club — a number of them came out with extended contracts. That should be an impressive enough outcome but so is the number of players on its lists who have yet to make AFL debuts for Melbourne: — They are Primary listers in Luke Dunstan, Blake Howes, Bailey Laurie, Fraser Rosman, Jacob Van Rooyen and Taj Woewodin and Rookies, Majak Daw, Judd McVee, Deakyn Smith and Daniel Turner (Category A) and Andy Moniz-Wakefield (Category B). These players constitute 25% of the list at various stages of their careers who add to the team’s depth and development potential. . The club’s list improvement gained early momentum with the addition of free agent Luke Dunstan from the Saints, fresh off an 11 Brownlow vote season. The drafts that followed turned out a minor dream. The Demons turned picks 17, 37, 49 and 57 into the selection of versatile key position player Jacob Van Rooyen (#19) who already has 5 games at senior WAFL level with Claremont under his belt, tall running forward Blake Howes (#39) and father-son prospect Taj Woewodin (#65) who finished off the season impressively in the WA Colts, for his State and at the Draft Combine. For good measure, the club added two rookies, WA junior state representative Judd McVee (Category A) who the club has been eyeing since an outstanding national championships two years ago in the pre Covid era and exciting NGA from NT, Andy Moniz-Wakefield (Category B). The club traded a couple of late draft selections for future picks which could come in very handy next year as some opposition will need them in the drafting process to secure father-son selections. The reigning premiers will head into 2022 defending their new found prized status as league front runners with the following lists. PRIMARY LIST: — Oskar Baker Toby Bedford Jake Bowey Angus Brayshaw Ben Brown Luke Dunstan Bayley Fritsch Max Gawn James Harmes Michael Hibberd Blake Howes Jayden Hunt Luke Jackson James Jordon Ed Langdon Bailey Laurie Jake Lever Tom McDonald Steven May Jake Melksham Alex Neal-Bullen Clayton Oliver Christian Petracca Harrison Petty Kysaiah Kropinyeri Pickett Trent Rivers Fraser Rosman Christian Salem Charlie Spargo Joel Smith Tom Sparrow Adam Tomlinson Jacob Van Rooyen Jack Viney Sam Weideman Taj Woewodin ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A Mitch Brown Kade Chandler Majak Daw Judd McVee Deakyn Smith Daniel Turner ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B Andy Moniz-Wakefield

I think this was the sign that was erected during the 3rd quarter at Optus Stadium

Enter ...

Heard this exact story a few times and if true it worries me greatly.