Demonland

After Round 19

Apologies for anyone wanting to listen LIVE and when we can on the stream we were 25 mins in to the show. The streaming service changed the stream address on me and I didn't realise that we weren't on the stream until 20 mins in and then I had to remember how to change the address in the streaming software. Lucky for Binman's stats files I had time to work it out on the fly.

I've reopened the thread but we're not taking anymore questions. See you at 7:30pm

We're LIVE at our NEW TIME TONIGHT @ 7:30pm Listen & Chat LIVE: https://demonland.com/podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

Going to cut the questions off here. Thank you to all the Posters who contributed with Questions and Comments. It forms an integral part of the show and as the podcast is essentially an audio version of Demonland. See you tonight.

Melbourne’s worst fears about the absence of Max Gawn were realised when it received a shellacking from Fremantle’s ruckmen Sean Darcy and Luke Jackson who dominated the hit out tally in their game at Optus Stadium on Sunday by a massive 47 to 19. As a result, the 50-point deficit at the end of the game proved to be a loss that was long foreseen that was two years in the making and demonstrated a complete lack of hindsight and planning from the club. To add insult to injury, Jackson was a Demon ruckman two years ago and the club had plenty of time to find a backup ruckman for its skipper when he departed. The first attempt to do so netted Brodie Grundy and that was a failure. The club knew well before the end of the 2023 season that Grundy would not be playing for it this year but its attempt to supply with a big man capable of providing a contest in the ruck against one competent ruckman, let alone two, was another abject failure. Without the teeming rain of the previous Saturday night to give a helping hand, it sent two key forwards in Harrison Petty and Jacob van Rooyen. who might be a decent size for that role but not when the task is to curb two influential big ruckmen with size and skills. The result was predictable and what made it worse was that by moving two strong key forwards to other duties impaired the operation of the forward line which failed to function with any effect. Again, we saw a goalless quarter – this time in the first. Melbourne was thrashed in the very area where from which play starts, conceding the worst first half clearance figures since the statistic was first recorded late last century. Fremantle led clearances 24-3 at the main break with both Caleb Serong and Hayden Young having five by that time. This, on the same ground that the Demons had that many in a three-minute patch late in the third term of a grand final not so long ago. By game’s end, the Dockers mids had the upper hand in clearances by 47-15, 13 more forward entries and significant victory at a crucial time when a top four and finals eight appearance was on the line. As coach Simon Goodwin said: “There was a lot more to the game than just hit outs. Our midfield’s ability to win the ball, defend contest areas with the right method, stop allowing the ball to get to the outside – there are things that we’ll look at. True, they were well beaten in contests and when the opposition win 40 more than you do, then it’s game, set and match but it’s made immeasurably worse when, on the occasions, you get your hands on the footy, you can’t hit your targets. It doesn’t help when premiership midfielders Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney are in struggle mode because your younger brigade relies heavily upon them for inspiration . Trent Rivers was the best of a beaten midfield. Despite being well beaten in the ruck, Jacob van Rooyen worked hard and was the Demons best player in his home State. Steven May was strong in a losing defence and Judd McVee, another local did his best under strong enemy fire. A special mention to Jack Billings who has copped a bit off flack in recent times. He returned as a sub and made such a difference when he came on in the third term that I named him in the best players for his team although on this week, that’s not such a big deal. However, it is a big deal on limited game time to finish with 18 touches and a goal, seven marks, most inside fifties and third in metres gained. More from the coach: “We’ve got six days playing the Giants at home, we just get back to work, and work on our game, and get our contests game back. That’s the first thing that needs to come back and come back really quickly.” He’s not kidding because unless they come back quickly, the worst of our fears will be realised. MELBOURNE 0.2.2 3.3.21 6.5.41 10.6.66 FREMANTLE 3.5.23 7.9.51 11.11.77 17.14.116 GOALS MELBOURNE Chandler van Rooyen 2 Billings Langdon Melksham Petty Turner Windsor FREMANTLE Amiss Walters 4 Sturt Treacy 3 Clark Jackson Serong BEST MELBOURNE van Rooyen May McVee Rivers Billings Petty FREMANTLE Brayshaw Treacy Serong Darcy Young Walters Clark INJURIES MELBOURNE Salem (tight hamstring) FREMANTLE Jackson (corked calf) Pearce (arm) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil FREMANTLE Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Jack Billings (replaced Koltyn Tholstrup in the third quarter) FREMANTLE James Aish (replaced Alex Pearce in the third quarter) UMPIRES Brendan Hosking Simon Meredith Nathan Toner Andre Gianfagna CROWD 42,215 at Optus Stadium

Did anyone say Alice Springs? MELBOURNE 1.5.11 2.9.21 4.12.36 5.15.45 GWS GIANTS 1.0.6 3.3.21 6.4.40 7.5.47 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B J. McVee S. May C. Salem HB T. Sparrow J. Lever T. Rivers C L. Hunter J. Viney E. Langdon HF C. Petracca B. Fritsch J. Smith F A. Neal-Bullen B. Grundy K. Chandler FOLL M. Gawn A. Brayshaw J. Harmes I/C J. Bowey B. Brown H. Petty K. Pickett SUB J. Melksham EMG J. van Rooyen C. Spargo A. Tomlinson IN J. Bowey B. Brown J. Harmes J. Melksham OUT M. Hibberd (kidney) James Jordon (omitted) C. Spargo (omitted) J. van Rooyen GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY GIANTS B J. Buckley S. Taylor C. Idun HF L. Ash H. Himmelberg N. Haynes C J. Kelly C. Ward F. Callaghan HF D. Lloyd J. Riccardi T. Bedford F X. O'Halloran J. Hogan T. Greene FOLL K. Briggs S. Coniglio T. Green I/C C. M. Brown I. Cumming L. Keefe H. Perryman SUB R. Angwin EMG A. Cadman J. Fahey M. Flynn IN R. Angwin I. Cumming J. Hogan OUT A. Cadman (omitted) J. Fahey (omitted) L. Whitfield (suspension)

This could be the first round in the history of the Demonland Player of the Year where nobody registers a vote

The Demons return to the MCG in Round 20 to take on the GWS Giants and will be hoping the injured Captain Max Gawn is fit to return to his role in the ruck as their season is slipping away. Who comes in and who comes out?

The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 22nd July @ 7:30pm. Join George, Binman & I as we analyse the Demonsl oss at Optus Stadium against the Dockers in the Round 19. You 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. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human. Listen & Chat LIVE: https://demonland.com/podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

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

The Demons were once again outclassed, outplayed and outcoached by the Fremantle Dockers in 2024 ultimately going down by 50 points at Optus Stadium in Perth as they plummet to tenth on the ladder.

How is that a high tackle to a player who wasn’t involved in the play?

The Frankston Dolphins broke a run of six straight losses against their neighbours, the Casey Demons and kept their hopes for a long-awaited return to the VFL finals alive with a 27 point victory over at Kinetic Stadium. Casey was welcomed to the Peninsula by grey skies, heavy rain and angry seas with threatening white-capped waves whipped up by gale force winds. After a slow start in the opening term when they failed to take advantage of the breeze, it appeared that the Demons had decided to take a rain check on participation in the fray in the next stanza. They were duly blown out of the game by a powerful Dolphin surge that netted seven goals to a single major and they never recovered from the onslaught that saw them 27 points down at the main break. To their credit however, the visitors did manage to claw back a couple of points in a fairly dull and colourless second half of football but a full comeback to challenge Frankston’s lead was out of the question. Casey was always going to be under the pump from the moment its team selection revealed that five AFL listed players of various levels of experience were out of the side from last week’s win against Essendon. The late withdrawal of two more in Ben Brown and Taj Woewodin to be replaced by one emergency only leaving the bench one player short was a major blow. It was a major advantage for the Dolphins to have an extra on the bench when running into the wind with mud and slush under foot can be so energy slashing. Statistically, the teams were fairly even apart from the all-important conversion rate in front of goals but this belied the fact that Frankston was a far more even in its makeup and, with a possible finals appearance beckoning, was more intense in its approach to the game in wet, blustery and bitterly cold conditions. In any event, the statistics in the conditions that prevailed on Saturday saw different numbers than those which apply under what you would describe as “normal” playing conditions. There are less marks taken, more tackles and stoppages and many more ruck contests. The standout on the day was Melbourne rookie Kynan Brown who announced himself as a true mudlark. He took on the contest fearlessly and racked up some big numbers, gathering 27 disposals, 11 clearances and a goal and a club season high 24 tackles. This should assure him of a senior role, if not next up, then at least the next time Simon Goodwin is handed an adverse weather report for an upcoming game. Goodwin might also be comforted by the performance of Brown’s fellow rookie Will Verrall who had a great duel with his Dolphin counterpart in the ruck to pick up 45 hit outs, but won comfortably around the ground with 14 kicks 4 handballs and seven clearances. Defenders Marty Hore (10 marks) and Blake Howes (six tackles) each amassed 21 touches and were backed up by Josh Schache who picked up 18 disposals in a move to defence. Shane McAdam’s forte of his marking and kicking were affected by the conditions but he persisted with a strong performance in laying 12 tackles. Young forwards Matt Jefferson and Ollie Sestan weren’t suited to the heavy going but persisted throughout. Casey Demons coach Taylor Whitford did all that he could in the circumstances and the list he was given. He could well have done with a couple more VFL hardened bodies like his indefatigable skipper Mitch White who toiled hard all day for his 24 disposals and 13 tackles. He had strong backing from Roan Steele, Tyler Edwards and Mitch SzybkowskI who had a point to prove against his old club. Jack Bell also provided good support as second ruckman and his two goals were invaluable. One wonders why Melbourne looked far and wide to find a back up ruckman for Max Gawn when they had a player of this calibre on their doorstep. The Demons next start is an early one, next Saturday morning when they take on the UWS Giants at 11:35am back at Casey Fields. CASEY DEMONS 2.1.13 3.3.21 4.9.33 5.11.41 FRANKSTON 1.0.6 8.2.50 9.4.58 10.8.68 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Bell 2 K Brown Kentfield Peters FRANKSTON Johnson 4 Murphy 2 Burke Gown Newnes Quirk BEST CASEY DEMONS K Brown White Hore Steele Verrall SzybkowskI FRANKSTON Murphy Quirk Johnson Voss Grant Barlow Statistics Jed Adams 2 kicks 2 disposals 1 tackle 10 dream team points Jack Behnk 3 kicks 2 handballs 5 disposals 4 tackles 26 dream team points Jack Bell 2 goals 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 12 hit outs 68 dream team points Kynan Brown 1 goal 16 kicks 11 handballs 27 disposals 24 tackles 175 dream team points Tyler Edwards 18 kicks 5 handballs 23 disposals 1 mark 5 tackles 85 dream team points Roy George 1 behind 5 kicks 8 handballs 13 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 40 dream team points Max Gregory 2 kicks 4 handballs 6 disposals 7 tackles 42 dream team points Blake Howes 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 5 marks 6 tackles 89 dream team points Marty Hore 20 kicks 1 handball 21 disposals 10 marks 1 tackles 97 dream team points Matt Jefferson 1 behind 6 kicks 8 handballs 14 disposals 1 mark 1 tackles 43 dream team points Luker Kentfield 1 goal 1 kick 2 handballs 3 disposals 2 tackles 12 dream team points Brayden Laplanche 5 kicks 5 disposals 2 tackles 23 dream team points Shane McAdam 3 behinds 9 kicks 5 handballs 14 disposals 2 marks 12 tackles 95 dream team points Nick Moodie 7 kicks 2 handballs 9 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 31 dream team points Charlie Peters 1 goal 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 8 tackles 70 dream team points Josh Schache 14 kicks 4 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 72 dream team points Ollie Sestan 2 behinds 13 kicks 5 handballs 18 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 55 dream team points Roan Steele 1 behind 19 kicks 4 handballs 23 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 87 dream team points Mitch Szybkowski 11 kicks 6 handballs 17 disposals 1 mark 7 tackles 76 dream team points Will Verrall 14 kicks 4 handballs 18 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 45 hitouts 107 dream team points Mitch White 20 kicks 4 handballs 24 disposals 2 marks 13 tackles 120 dream team points Kai Windsor 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 8 tackles 63 dream team points

RAIN CHECK by Whispering Jack The Frankston Dolphins broke a run of six straight losses against their neighbours, the Casey Demons and kept their hopes for a long-awaited return to the VFL finals alive with a 27 point victory over at Kinetic Stadium. Casey was welcomed to the Peninsula by grey skies, heavy rain and angry seas with threatening white-capped waves whipped up by gale force winds. After a slow start in the opening term when they failed to take advantage of the breeze, it appeared that the Demons had decided to take a rain check on participation in the fray in the next stanza. They were duly blown out of the game by a powerful Dolphin surge that netted seven goals to a single major and they never recovered from the onslaught that saw them 27 points down at the main break. To their credit however, the visitors did manage to claw back a couple of points in a fairly dull and colourless second half of football but a full comeback to challenge Frankston’s lead was out of the question. Casey was always going to be under the pump from the moment its team selection revealed that five AFL listed players of various levels of experience were out of the side from last week’s win against Essendon. The late withdrawal of two more in Ben Brown and Taj Woewodin to be replaced by one emergency only leaving the bench one player short was a major blow. It was a major advantage for the Dolphins to have an extra on the bench when running into the wind with mud and slush under foot can be so energy slashing. Statistically, the teams were fairly even apart from the all-important conversion rate in front of goals but this belied the fact that Frankston was a far more even in its makeup and, with a possible finals appearance beckoning, was more intense in its approach to the game in wet, blustery and bitterly cold conditions. In any event, the statistics in the conditions that prevailed on Saturday saw different numbers than those which apply under what you would describe as “normal” playing conditions. There are less marks taken, more tackles and stoppages and many more ruck contests. The standout on the day was Melbourne rookie Kynan Brown who announced himself as a true mudlark. He took on the contest fearlessly and racked up some big numbers, gathering 27 disposals, 11 clearances and a goal and a club season high 24 tackles. This should assure him of a senior role, if not next up, then at least the next time Simon Goodwin is handed an adverse weather report for an upcoming game. Goodwin might also be comforted by the performance of Brown’s fellow rookie Will Verrall who had a great duel with his Dolphin counterpart in the ruck to pick up 45 hit outs, but won comfortably around the ground with 14 kicks 4 handballs and seven clearances. Defenders Marty Hore (10 marks) and Blake Howes (six tackles) each amassed 21 touches and were backed up by Josh Schache who picked up 18 disposals in a move to defence. Shane McAdam’s forte of his marking and kicking were affected by the conditions but he persisted with a strong performance in laying 12 tackles. Young forwards Matt Jefferson and Ollie Sestan weren’t suited to the heavy going but persisted throughout. Casey Demons coach Taylor Whitford did all that he could in the circumstances and the list he was given. He could well have done with a couple more VFL hardened bodies like his indefatigable skipper Mitch White who toiled hard all day for his 24 disposals and 13 tackles. He had strong backing from Roan Steele, Tyler Edwards and Mitch SzybkowskI who had a point to prove against his old club. Jack Bell also provided good support as second ruckman and his two goals were invaluable. One wonders why Melbourne looked far and wide to find a back up ruckman for Max Gawn when they had a player of this calibre on their doorstep. The Demons next start is an early one, next Saturday morning when they take on the UWS Giants at 11:35am back at Casey Fields. CASEY DEMONS 2.1.13 3.3.21 4.9.33 5.11.41 FRANKSTON 1.0.6 8.2.50 9.4.58 10.8.68 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Bell 2 K Brown Kentfield Peters FRANKSTON Johnson 4 Murphy 2 Burke Gown Newnes Quirk BEST CASEY DEMONS K Brown White Hore Steele Verrall SzybkowskI FRANKSTON Murphy Quirk Johnson Voss Grant Barlow Statistics Jed Adams 2 kicks 2 disposals 1 tackle 10 dream team points Jack Behnk 3 kicks 2 handballs 5 disposals 4 tackles 26 dream team points Jack Bell 2 goals 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 12 hit outs 68 dream team points Kynan Brown 1 goal 16 kicks 11 handballs 27 disposals 24 tackles 175 dream team points Tyler Edwards 18 kicks 5 handballs 23 disposals 1 mark 5 tackles 85 dream team points Roy George 1 behind 5 kicks 8 handballs 13 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 40 dream team points Max Gregory 2 kicks 4 handballs 6 disposals 7 tackles 42 dream team points Blake Howes 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 5 marks 6 tackles 89 dream team points Marty Hore 20 kicks 1 handball 21 disposals 10 marks 1 tackles 97 dream team points Matt Jefferson 1 behind 6 kicks 8 handballs 14 disposals 1 mark 1 tackles 43 dream team points Luker Kentfield 1 goal 1 kick 2 handballs 3 disposals 2 tackles 12 dream team points Brayden Laplanche 5 kicks 5 disposals 2 tackles 23 dream team points Shane McAdam 3 behinds 9 kicks 5 handballs 14 disposals 2 marks 12 tackles 95 dream team points Nick Moodie 7 kicks 2 handballs 9 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 31 dream team points Charlie Peters 1 goal 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 8 tackles 70 dream team points Josh Schache 14 kicks 4 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 72 dream team points Ollie Sestan 2 behinds 13 kicks 5 handballs 18 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 55 dream team points Roan Steele 1 behind 19 kicks 4 handballs 23 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 87 dream team points Mitch Szybkowski 11 kicks 6 handballs 17 disposals 1 mark 7 tackles 76 dream team points Will Verrall 14 kicks 4 handballs 18 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 45 hitouts 107 dream team points Mitch White 20 kicks 4 handballs 24 disposals 2 marks 13 tackles 120 dream team points Kai Windsor 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 8 tackles 63 dream team points

It's Game Day and the Demons have a golden opportunity to stamp their 2024 finals credentials as well as make amends for their disastrous first meeting against the Dockers earlier in the season when they take on Fremantle at Optus Stadium.

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.