Demonland

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“Fee-fi-fo-fum, without a Full Forward the Premiership can’t be won!” So said the GWS Giants, as they exposed Melbourne’s fatal deficiency with a nine point win at the MCG. In past weeks Melbourne has been barely able to gloss over the lack of a serious target in front of goal, while others were able to contribute. But in a near repeat of the game from the previous week, players running up the ground simply had no-one to kick the ball to, when all that was needed was that one tall target. It didn’t help that Melbourne could not kick straight, by making 35% of their shots at goal, and a good number of them ordinarily easily converted. Kick just two of the easy misses and the game result would have been very different. However, not a single tall playing in the forward line, Tom McDonald, Luke Jackson or Max Gawn was able to trouble the goal umpire for the match. This simply cannot continue and the concept of resting rucks in the goal-square has been an abject failure. They are ruckmen and do not know or indeed have been trained to play as the leading full-forward. In the middle of the ground the story was similarly an abject failure. The Giants simply overwhelmed the Melbourne mids with centre clearances 11 to 6. Normally, this is not a problem, but the quality of clearances was telling. James Harmes was given the job in the centre, yet failed to tag Hopper, Kelly, Ward or Taranto. He certainly didn’t add anything in terms of attack, as his turnovers and fumbles at critical times cost the side dearly. Likewise, for his limited game time of 62%, Jack Viney was barely sighted. He is either carrying injury or is significantly unfit, because this wasn’t the Jack Viney that we have come to know. Thank goodness for the backline, who held strong throughout the game. After all, the opposition only scored nine goals. Jake Lever, Steven May and Harry Petty did their jobs, and Christian Salem and Trent Rivers were there when needed. Salem back to his best with 31 touches, and Lever and May combining for 24 intercepts and Rivers 7. Still we were pantsed by Toby Greene early on who had 3 goals out of their side’s first 5. Fortunately, Michael Hibberd shut him down after that, but the damage had been done, given the final margin. It wasn’t until the last quarter that the Demons showed any fire and desire, but needing three goals to drag the margin back was a big ask when they had only kicked five leading into the final break. Jayden Hunt failed three times as he tried to run the ball down the field, but while fans bemoaned his lack of vision, without a target he simply had to keep running. Bayley Fritsch gave the side a sniff and contributed well with his three goals, often at critical times in the game, but he can’t do it all on his own. He needs help. Same as McDonald. He can’t do all the leading up the ground, gaining 10 marks, 3 of which were contested, and then be expected to be the FF as well. Kossy Pickett was unsighted with only 4 touches for the game, despite a couple of stints in the middle. He looked tired, and perhaps some time away for a refresh is needed. He was taken from the ground for the whole of the final quarter, but is his form just another sign of not having a suitable 2nd tall to be able to feed off. Charlie Spargo fared better with 11 touches, but again with no crumbing opportunities his output was well below his best. Melbourne have now lost three of their past 6 games. With upcoming games against Port, Bulldogs, Eagles and Geelong, there is a real chance not only of losing that valuable top 2 spot, but dropping out of top four. The change needs to be made now. The team is desperate for a structure up forward which matches the reliability of that which it has down back. If Ben Brown is not fit, then that should no longer be a consideration. He is a 200cm target which we currently don’t have. And with finals closing in, now is the time to stop experiments and put in place the structure which will see the side through to the end. If not it will be “Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of the Demon!” MELBOURNE 1.3.9 3.6.24 5.9.39 7.13.55 GWS GIANTS 2.2.14 6.6.42 8.8.56 9.10.64 GOALS Melbourne Fritsch 3 Neal-Bullen Pickett Salem Sparrow GWS Giants Greene 3 Himmelberg Kelly Reid Taranto Ward Whitfield BEST Melbourne Salem Petracca Fritsch Langdon Rivers Gawn GWS Giants Kelly Ward Taranto Greene Perryman Hopper Whitfield INJURIES Melbourne Nil GWS Giants Buckley (knee) REPORTS Melbourne Nil GWS Giants Nil SUBSTITUTES Melbourne: vandenBerg (unused) GWS Giants: Reid (replaced Buckley) UMPIRES Dean Margetts Curtis Deboy Andrew Heffernan Official Crowd 16,963 at the MCG

We played a shocker off a 4 day break THE TEAMS MELBOURNE FB Jay Lockhart Oscar McDonald Jake Lever HB Christian Salem Steven May Michael Hibberd C Ed Langdon Clayton Oliver Tom Sparrow HF Jake Melksham Sam Weideman Angus Brayshaw FF Kysaiah Pickett Mitch Hannan Tom McDonald FOL Max Gawn Christian Petracca Jack Viney I/C Bayley Fritsch Luke Jackson Nathan Jones James Harmes, EM Neville Jetta Alex Neal-Bullen Charlie Spargo Adam Tomlinson IN Tom McDonald Tom Sparrow OUT Harley Bennell (managed) Neville Jetta (omitted) PORT ADELAIDE FB Sam Mayes Tom Clurey Jarrod Lienert HB Hamish Hartlett Tom Jonas Darcy Byrne-Jones C Xavier Duursma Ollie Wines Karl Amon HF Sam Powell-Pepper Brad Ebert Connor Rozee FF Zak Butters Charlie Dixon Robbie Gray FOL Peter Ladhams Dan Houston Travis Boak I/C Kane Farrell Mitch Georgiades Tom Rockliff Justin Westhoff EM Riley Bonner Willem Drew Joel Garner Boyd Woodcock IN Jarrod Lienert Tom Rockliff OUT Riley Bonner (soreness) Todd Marshall (broken thumb)

Progressive 140. Clayton Oliver 123. Christian Petracca 104. Christian Salem 87. Jake Lever 82. Max Gawn 64. Steven May 63. Ed Langdon 55. Tom McDonald 43. Luke Jackson 35. James Harmes 30. Kysiah Pickett 28. Bayley Fritsch 24. James Jordon 15. Angus Brayshaw 14. Jayden Hunt 10. Jack Viney 7. Michael Hibberd Trent Rivers 6. Charlie Spargo 2. Alex Neal-Bullen 1. Adam Tomlinson

Oh well …

Please vote - 6,5,4,3,2,1

Let's face it. We Melbourne supporters are a demanding lot. Here we are with our team on top of the ladder with a record of 12 wins and 2 losses, a decent percentage and a fair run home for a team with finals credentials. We have a fit list with lots of in form players, many of who are in contention for All Australian and other high honours, the team’s playing with purpose and cohesion and its VFL affiliate is undefeated and going gangbusters. Still, we're all walking around with concerned looks on our faces, carrying feelings of concern and apprehension about what lies ahead. What’s the fuss all about - is there a problem or is a case of “much ado about nothing”? Well, possibly there is a problem … we have a powerful defence and a good few A graders in the midfield but there seems to be an issue with the forward line. It's not that they're failing to kick winning scores because they usually manage to do exactly that. What appears to upset us however, is that they're not kicking big scores and, as a result, they’re not destroying opponents. While everyone should strive to get better, it’s hard to do that when you already have a 12/2 win, loss record but the last couple of weeks have seen some poor conversion for goal combined with a decline in pressure applied by the club’s forwards. A number of them are just not scoring goals. In recent games, I’ve noticed that this is particularly so at the pointy end of games. Since the win against the Swans, the Dees have conceded at least the last goal of every match to their opponents, often it’s been the last two or three at the precise time when a top side should be asserting its dominance in attack rather than falling away leaving supporters feeling that they’d just witnessed a “nothing game”. Perhaps it’s not surprising therefore that the club’s website sought out forward coach Greg Stafford to discuss his charges in this week’s episode of “The Talking Point”. Stafford apparently prefers to describe “small forwards” as “speed forwards” while “tall forwards” are “power forwards”. On that basis, I’m not sure where that leaves the likes of Jake Melksham who is currently on the outer or Bayley Fritsch who is on the inner or why Ben Brown can’t get a look in after his five-goal haul at Casey. In any event, team selection in the coming few weeks will be interesting if the intention is to ramp up scoring power. In the case of Saturday’s game v GWS Giants, it might well have been the weather report pointing to coolish conditions and a high percentage chance of rain on game day. Then there’s the opposition. Melbourne rolled an injury riddled GWS combination after a slow start in their last encounter and the Giants’ form in recent weeks has been flaky to say the least against lowly ranked opposition. They drew with North, lost to Hawthorn and beat an insipid Carlton by six goals of the back of some straight kicking for goal. The loss to the Hawks when a top eight spot was in the offing would have been heartbreaking for the few fans who follow them. Chances are that in the uncertainty of the present in a semi hub situation with Covid19 bearing down on them and playing at the unfamiliar MCG in front of thousands of fussy Demon fans who will be demanding a gold standard performance rather than a “nothing” game, things are not going to get better for them. Melbourne to win by 32 points. THE GAME Melbourne v GWS Giants at the MCG, Saturday 3 July, 2021 at 1:45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall – Melbourne 8 wins GWS Giants 6 wins At The MCG – GWS Giants 0 wins Melbourne 0 wins Past five meetings – Melbourne 3 wins GWS Giants 2 wins The Coaches – Goodwin 3 wins Cameron 2 wins THE MEDIA TV live and on demand on Kayo and live on Foxtel. Check your local guides. Radio - check your local guides. THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 15.12.102 defeated GWS Giants 11.2.68 at Manuka Oval, Round 3, 2021 Greater Western Sydney had the early lead thanks to its accuracy in front of goal but the superior Demons took the advantage of the Giants’ injury woes and powered ahead to a fine 34 point victory. Max Gawn was dominant in the ruck and around the ground with Christian Petracca and Jack Viney taking the full benefit of their power games. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: J. Hunt 29 S. May 1 J. Lever 8 HB: M. Hibberd 14 H. Petty 35 C. Salem 3 C: J. Jordon 23 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF: J. Viney 7 T. McDonald 25 C. Spargo 9 F: A. Neal-Bullen L. Jackson 6 B. Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 C. Oliver 13 K. Pickett 36 I/C: A. Brayshaw 10 J. Harmes 4 T. Rivers 24 T. Sparrow 32 Sub: A. vandenBerg 22 Emerg: J. Bowey 17 B. Brown 50 K. Chandler 37 In: A. vandenBerg Out: N. Jones (calf) GWS GIANTS B: J. Buckley 44 P. Davis 1 L. Ash 7 HB: H. Perryman 36 N. Haynes 19 I. Cumming 13 C: J. Kelly 22 C. Ward 8 L. Whitfield 6 HF: B. Daniels 16 H. Himmelberg 27 B. Hill 37 F: T. Greene 4 J. Finlayson 31 D. Lloyd 38 Foll: S. Mumford 41 T. Taranto 14 J. Hopper 2 I/C: M. Flynn T. Green 12 30 C. Idun 39 A. Kennedy 40 Sub: S. Reid 50 Emerg: K. Briggs 32 M. de Boer 24 X. O'Halloran 33 In: T. Green S. Mumford Out: K. Briggs (omitted) M. de Boer (omitted) Round 16: Injury List Marty Hore (knee) — 8 to 10 Weeks Aaron Nietschke (knee) — Season Adam Tomlinson (knee) — Season

I guess that means we'll be playing in Adelaide too. * * Unless there are more cases in SA or in Vic and the season is derailed.

Sorry I was a bit late setting this thread up.

IN: - OUT: Jones (inj.)

The ladder for the stereotypical Melbourne Supporter.

We'll probably have to play Port in Geelong.

The Demonland Podcast is LIVE Tonight 29/6 @ 8:30pm Listen & Chat LIVE: https://demonland.com/podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

After their five week Covid19 lockdown hiatus, the Casey Demons were fairly scratchy against Essendon VFL for the best part of 2½ quarters on Sunday afternoon but they finally settled down to motor away to a 48 point victory. With 20 AFL affiliated players on the team sheet, the Casey line up looked the strongest team ever put together since linking up with the Demons but the team struggled to score in the early going and managed its first goal to Aaron vandenBerg late in the first term. The teams were on level pegging at the quarter time break with veteran Nathan Jones in everything and Jake Melksham providing great back up. The teams remained virtually locked together for the first half of the term until an inspirational goal from Jones from a long way out on the boundary was followed by another from Mitch White after a chain of possession started deep in defence by that man Jones. They went into the sheds at half time with the home side 15 points ahead. After the break it was the Bombers who were reinvigorated and three quick goals were the result of some strong running through the lines that caught the Casey defence by surprise. The Demons regrouped however, and were steadied by two goals from Ben Brown, one from a strong mark, the other from a nice pick up in the goal square. By the final break, the three goal buffer was restored and the goals flowed in the final term with Casey recording a big win. Ben Brown recorded a five goal haul to underscore his case for AFL promotion while his rival for a return to the Melbourne team, Sam Weideman, was also impressive but in a different role which required his involvement further down the ground with the odd run in the ruck. Both men were overshadowed by Jones who demonstrated that his days at the top are not yet over. 2020 draftee Jake Bowey impressed with his composure and excellent disposal by foot and hand. Melksham and vandenBerg also showed their class. The two players recruited in the recent Mid Season Draft - Kye Declase and Daniel Turner - both had impressive debuts and look to have senior potential but will need to bide their time and establish their credentials. Mitch Brown went off early with a heel injury. The game gave Melbourne Football Club selectors plenty of food for thought as the game and the country travel again into the unknown with Covid19 outbreaks affecting several states. VFL Mens Casey Demons 1.2.8 4.7.31 7.11.53 13.14.92 Essendon VFL 1.2.8 2.4.16 5.4.34 6.8.44 GOALS Casey Demons B. Brown 5 Melksham White 2 Jetta Jones vandenBerg Weideman Essendon VFL Cahill 2 Brown Hird Johnson McBride BEST Casey Demons Jones Bowey B Brown Weideman vandenBerg Smith Essendon VFL O’Kearney Cahill Cutler Gleeson Hird Bryan Statistics Oskar Baker 15 kicks 3 handballs 18 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 78 dream team points Toby Bedford 4 kicks 4 handballs 8 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 35 dream team points Jake Bowey 19 kicks 8 handballs 27 disposals 7 marks 4 tackles 111 dream team points Aaron Bradtke 3 kicks 4 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 27 dream team points Kade Chandler 1 behind 9 kicks 5 handballs 14 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 67 dream team points Ben Brown 5 goals 2 behinds 14 kicks 14 disposals 8 marks 1 tackle 3 hit outs 106 dream team points Mitch Brown 1 behind 1 kick 1 disposal 1 mark 7 dream team points [injured] Majak Daw 3 kicks 7 handballs 10 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 22 hit outs 63 dream team points Kye Declase 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 55 dream team points Neville Jetta 1 goal 1 behind 12 kicks 4 handballs 16 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 86 dream team points Nathan Jones 1 goal 1 behind 19 kicks 16 handballs 35 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 128 dream team points Bailey Laurie 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 51 dream team points Jay Lockhart 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 3 marks 5 tackles 66 dream team points Jake Melksham 2 goals 1 behind 16 kicks 6 handballs 22 disposals 6 marks 4 tackles 107 dream team points James Munro 6 kicks 9 handballs 15 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 43 dream team points Fraser Rosman 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 41 dream team points Deakyn Smith 4 kicks 4 handballs 8 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 37 dream team points Joel Smith 7 kicks 2 handballs 9 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 43 dream team points Daniel Turner 5 kicks 11 handballs 16 disposals 5 marks 53 dream team points Aaron vandenBerg 1 goal 16 kicks 12 handballs 28 disposals 6 marks 5 tackles 107 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 3 behinds 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 11 marks 2 tackles 10 hit outs 113 dream team points Mitch White 2 goals 2 behinds 9 kicks 4 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 68 dream team points