Demonland

We have lost all 3 games that we've played at Bellerive Oval aka Blunstone Arena North Melbourne have won 16 and lost 6 against their opponents at that ground. https://afltables.com/afl/venues/bellerive_oval.html

Exactly. I have no problem with a clash strip. I actually like our current clash strip. The AFL needs to have a strict policy that applies to all teams.

Agreed. Yet we’re forced to wear the disco jumper against some teams when there is no clash.

The skipper leads but he has some midfielders breathing down his neck. 60. Max Gawn 54. Christian Petracca 53. Clayton Oliver 46. Jake Lever 38. Christian Salem 32. Ed Langdon 18. Steven May 16. Tom McDonald 12. Jayden Hunt Kysiah Pickett 10. Jack Viney 7. Michael Hibberd 4. Luke Jackson 3. Angus Brayshaw 2. Charlie Spargo 1. Bayley Fritsch James Jordon Alex Neal-Bullen Adam Tomlinson

So much for us worrying about the accuracy of our opposition.

Who is the exemption from? The Victorian Government? The AFL? The Tasmanian Government? Sure Vic and the AFL might say it's ok but Tassie very well may not and that will be where the final decision lies.

They also couldn’t help themselves disrespecting Nathan Jones by labeling the 300 gamer a perennial loser.

After another slow start when they conceded 2.3.15 to nothing in a handball-happy opening 15 minutes, the unflappable Demons delivered a warning sign of major proportions to the rest of the competition with their 34-point win over the reigning premiers in their Anzac Eve contest. And what made things even more ominous is that they did it without two elephants in the room - key forwards Ben Brown and Sam Weideman who have been amassing goals at VFL level while coming back from injuries that interrupted their starts to the 2021 while meanwhile, Melbourne has collected six straight wins in its best start to a season since 1965. The Tigers’ embarrassment was brought about by a number of factors but none was more important than the Demons’ defensive efforts underpinned by the complete blanketing of Dustin Martin by Michael Hibberd, the dominance of Steven May and Jake Lever aided by Adam Tomlinson and the breathtaking steadiness of Christian Salem (39 disposals) who has taken his game to new levels in 2021. Martin was ultimately forced from the field with concussion but he was well and truly spent as a force in the game by the time he left the field of play. The master’s humbling was made complete by another best on ground performance (38 possessions) from Christian Petracca who is swiftly shaking off his tag of “apprentice” to the Tiger star. It was fitting that he took out the F. V “Checker” Hughes Medallion for the game’s best player named after the old warhorse coach of both competing clubs though there were a few teammates who pushed him for that award. It was after that first 15 minutes when the Demons were held scoreless and the Tigers had nine of the first ten inside-50 entries that the midfield showed its might and muscle. The twin tower rucking combination of Max Gawn and the very up-and-coming Luke Jackson led a dominant on ball brigade of Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney with Ed Langdon and Angus Brayshaw holding court on the wings. We also saw Tom McDonald now emerging out of a two year hiatus, running hither and thither amassing 18 touches and kicking three goals, sending a warning to the two elephants that they might be waiting in the wings a little longer if they want to take his spot in the side. With the likes of Bayley Fritsch, Alex Neal-Bullen, Charlie Spargo and Kysaiah Pickett buzzing around and causing havoc near goal, the Tigers languished and fell to three games behind the emerging Dees with the Bulldogs sitting in waiting for them next week. The win was the icing on the cake for 300 game Demon hero Nathan Jones who was there at the toss of the coin and held his own with his characteristic courage and toughness, playing a major role in intimidating and taming the Tigers. Little wonder that he was cheered every time he touched the footy - well played, champ! MELBOURNE 2.2.14 6.6.42 10.8.68 12.10.82 RICHMOND 3.3.21 3.7.25 5.8.38 6.12.48 GOALS Melbourne McDonald 3 Fritsch Jackson Neal-Bullen 2 Petracca Pickett Salem Richmond Edwards Riewoldt 2 Aarts Bolton BEST Melbourne Petracca Salem Lever Oliver Gawn Langdon May Richmond Bolton Nankervis Edwards Baker Short INJURIES Melbourne Nil Richmond Lambert (calf) Martin (concussion) REPORTS Melbourne Nil Richmond Nil SUBSTITUTES Melbourne Kade Chandler (unused) Richmond Jack Ross (replaced Kane Lambert in the third quarter) Umpires Andrew Stephens Jeff Dalgleish Nathan Williamson CROWD 56,418 at the MCG

I'm a man of my word @Cal7B. Welcome to our newest Life Member. Enjoy your Ad Free Demonland Experience.

Who comes in and who goes out for our first danger game of the year?

Game over

Whatever

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

Just saw the free kick stats. 33-12 in our favour. What's going on there?

If so then it is unacceptable that our home game against them is at Marvel. Surely they can't play 2 home games against us in a year. If so then next year we should play them twice at the G.

Gus seems to have been forgotten in the Jones 300th & ANZAC Eve occasion.

Can any Sydney based Demonlanders help out?

Welcome

On Saturday night at the ANZAC Day Eve game between Melbourne and Richmond, we will give recognition to the achievements of two great Demons who made significant contributions to the Melbourne Football Club over substantially different time spans. The first is the late Frank V “Checker” Hughes who was born on 26 February 1894 and began his career as a Richmond player in 1915. Shortly after, Hughes was called on to serve his country when he went to war during WW1. He returned from battle and had a celebrated career as both a player (2 flags) and then as a coach (1 premiership) with the Tigers before taking on the coaching role in 1933 at Melbourne, then a lowly club known as “the Fuchsias”. One of his first acts in undertaking to convert the club into a power was to change the nickname to “the Demons”. At the same time he sacked 13 players as part of his design to instill in the club a new ethic of toughness and discipline through his coaching. The struggling side rose off the floor and a rejuvenated Melbourne swept all before it with three successive premierships between 1939 and 1941. After a break during WW2, he returned to the club to coach in 1945 and added a fourth flag in 1948. “Checker” is a member of the Melbourne, Richmond and Australian Football Halls of Fame. He remained active with the club after his retirement and in 1965 was called upon to coach the team for one game after the dramatic sacking of Norm Smith. He passed on 23 January, 1978. At the conclusion of Saturday night’s game between Melbourne and Richmond, the inaugural Frank ‘Checker’ Hughes medal will be presented to the best player on the ground a fitting tribute to a digger from wartime who also gave great service to both participants and who turned our club into Demons. On the note of courage, strength and discipline at play or in war, if ever there was someone on the AFL scene who you had to spend time with in the trenches then I can’t think of anyone better than Nathan Jones. Born on 20 January, 1988 he was drafted to the Demons with their first selection and the 12th overall in the 2005 national draft and made his debut against the Western Bulldogs in Round 17, 2006 at the MCG. He played the remaining eight games of his first season which included an Elimination Final win against St Kilda and a loss to Fremantle in the Semi Final before going back to Sandringham to play in the then Melbourne VFL affiliate’s premiership team. He earned AFL Rising Star nominations in each of his first two seasons and finished third for the award in 2007 and was runner up in the Demons’ best and fairest award. He cemented his place in the side, won three consecutive Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medals (2012, 2013 and 2014) and became captain in 2014, a position he held until 2019. The thing that really eluded Jones over his long period of time at the club was team success. He managed another finals campaign in 2018 that began so well with MCG victories over Geelong and Hawthorn but all that came crashing down in the Preliminary Final. Through thick and mainly thin, the tough nuggety midfielder remained loyal to the cause and the club has returned that loyalty. The measure of the club’s debt to Nathan Jones is limitless. I would like to think that one of the factors that may have determined recent re-signings by Clayton Oliver and Christian Salem at such an early stage in the current season is the example of loyalty set by and between Jones and the Demons. Congratulations to a true Demon hero on achieving a milestone of 300 games that only one man has achieved before in the long history of the Melbourne Football Club.