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The match information to be included at the end of the Match Preview article - THE GAME Carlton v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 19 July 2024 at 7.35pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 120 wins Melbourne 97 wins Drawn 2 At The MCG Carlton 53 wins Melbourne 56 wins Past five meetings Carlton 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Voss 3 wins Goodwin 2 wins THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 12.5.77 defeated Melbourne 11.10.76 in Round 9 2024 Following a scoreless initial quarter, Melbourne nearly overcame a 36-point deficit against Carlton, ultimately falling short by a single point. This defeat marked the club's third consecutive loss to the Blues, with an aggregate losing margin of merely 7 points. Notably, on each of these occasions, the Demons recorded more scoring shots than their opponents, totaling 28 goals and 35 behinds against 32 goals and 18 behinds. THE TEAMS (to be loaded when available) CARLTON MELBOURNE Injury List: Round 19 Oliver Sestan — hamstring / Available Aidan Johnson — ankle / Test Harry Petty — concussion / Test Tom Sparrow —concussion / 1 - 2 weeks Jake Lever — ankle/ TBC Marty Hore — knee, shoulder / season Shane McAdam — Achilles / season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / season

There is not going to be a LIVE show tonight. George is unavailable and Binman is on holidays. Binman and I will record the podcast and it will be released as normal on your favourite podcast app.

Once a year, we ask the Demonland Crew to take on the task of previewing the upcoming Melbourne match. Here’s your chance to write up your preview of the Carlton vs Melbourne game. The Blues have won the last three games against the Demons but by narrow margins of less than a goal in each instance. Can the Dees win this one? Go for it Demonlanders!

Following a scoreless initial quarter, Melbourne nearly overcame a 36-point deficit against Carlton, ultimately falling short by a single point. This defeat marked the club's third consecutive loss to the Blues, with an aggregate losing margin of merely 7 points. Notably, on each of these occasions, the Demons recorded more scoring shots than their opponents, totaling 28 goals and 35 behinds against 32 goals and 18 behinds. MELBOURNE 0.0.0 3.1.19 7.6.48 11.10.76 CARLTON 5.0.30 8.2.50 11.4.70 12.5.77 GOALS MELBOURNE Petracca 5 Fritsch Gawn Pickett Turner van Rooyen Windsor CARLTON Owies 3 Curnow 2 Cripps De Koning Hewett McKay Martin Pittonet Walsh BEST MELBOURNE Petracca May Neal-Bullen Viney Gawn Langdon CARLTON Cripps Walsh Weitering Kennedy O Hollands Curnow THE TEAMS CARLTON B B. Kemp, J. Weitering, L. Cowan HB A. Cincotta, M. McGovern, N. Newman C O. Hollands, P. Cripps, B. Acres HF J. Martin, H. McKay, E. Hollands F M. Owies, C. Curnow, T. De Koning FOLL M, Pittonet, S. Walsh, M. Kennedy I/C J. Boyd, A. Cerra, M. Cottrell, C. Durdin SUB G. Hewett EMG D. Cuningham, O. Fantasia, L. Young IN B. Kemp, O. Hollands, M. McGovern, J. Martin OUT D. Cuningham (omitted), O. Fantasia (omitted), Z. Williams (glute soreness), L. Young (omitted) MELBOURNE B B. Howes, S. May, T. Rivers HB J. McVee, J. Lever, T. McDonald C J. Billings, C. Oliver, C. Windsor HF E. Langdon, H. Petty, K Pickett JF J. van Rooyen, B. Fritsch, D. Turner FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, C. Petracca I/C J. Bowey, K. Chandler, A. Neal-Bullen, T. Sparrow SUB T. Woewodin EMG B. Brown M. Hore, B. Laurie IN J. Bowey OUT B. Laurie (omitted)

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I suppose that I should apologise for the title of this piece, but the temptation to go with it was far too great. The memory of how North Melbourne tore Melbourne apart at the seams earlier in the season and the way in which it set the scene for the club’s demise so early in the piece has been weighing heavily upon all of us. This game was a must-win from the club’s perspective, and the team’s response was overwhelming. The 36 point win over Alastair Clarkson’s Kangaroos at the MCG on Sunday was indeed — roovenge of the highest order! The game was full of individual contests, but the standout was the duel of the giants, which was spiced up for extra interest as a consequence of the fallout from the last engagement between the clubs, when Max Gawn, was outplayed by North’s Tristan Xerri, who finished with 20 disposals and one goal and even shaded the Demons' skipper in the hit out total. The media highlighted post-match comments by Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin, suggesting that personal issues may have contributed to his decline in form, with SEN's David King labeling it a "balls up". It was inevitable therefore, that the press would frame yesterday’s meeting between the two as a battle Royal and a contest for All-Australian honours and in this context, Gawn decisively gained retribution, dominating the hit-out and possession count and facilitating his team’s victory. Roovenge. However, that merely scratched the surface of the 95-point reversal in fortunes between the two teams. Since their last encounter, the Melbourne brains trust has been diligently reconfiguring the team's strategy, achieving moderate success thus far, albeit hindered by subpar conversion in front of goal. Yesterday, things worked well thanks to the attacking skills of Jake Melksham (5 goals) and Bayley Fritsch (3) and a different input of sorts from young talls in Jacob van Rooyen and Matthew Jefferson who are combining to show some good signs for the future. And while Kozzy Pickett missed a couple of sitters in the second term, his presence was always a dangerous factor in the Demon attack. All in all, the forwards are starting to gel with more caring and sharing. In their last encounter, the young Kangaroos outran the Demons midfield bulls when the game was in the balance in the third quarter, enabling a goal deluge in the last, but this time it was the experience of Christian Petracca, Jack Viney, and Clayton Oliver that stood out. Petracca’s game was special. Youngster Harvey Langford is fitting into that group nicely. The defence while under constant pressure at times also performed admirably. With half a dozen games to go and no prospect of finals, the emphasis will remain on improving and preparing for the future but looking to next week’s meeting with Carlton, the idea of some bluevenge is certainly on the table. MELBOURNE 3.3.21 6.5.41 11.9.75 18.11.119 NORTH MELBOURNE 4.2.26 5.6.36 8.11.59 12.11.83 GOALS MELBOURNE Melksham 5 Fritsch 3 Chandler 2 Gawn Jefferson Langdon Petracca Pickett Sparrow Tholstrup van Rooyen NORTH MELBOURNE Harvey 4 Darling Zurhaar 3 Curtis 2 BEST MELBOURNE Fritsch Melksham Petracca Salem Gawn Viney NORTH MELBOURNE McKercher Zurhaar Sheezel Harvey Parker LATE CHANGES MELBOURNE Tom McDonald replaced Steven May (illness) NORTH MELBOURNE Nil INJURIES MELBOURNE Tom Sparrow (concussion) NORTH MELBOURNE Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil NORTH MELBOURNE Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Caleb Windsor replaced Xavier Lindsay (tactical) in the third quarter NORTH MELBOURNE Bailey Scott replaced Finnbar Maley (tactical) in the third quarter UMPIRES Jeff Dalgleish Jack Howard Alex Whetton Peter Bailes CROWD 35,844 at The MCG

The Casey Demons remain in contention for a VFL finals berth following a comprehensive 76-point victory over the Werribee Tigers at Whitten Oval last night. The caveat to the performance is that the once mighty Tigers have been raided of many key players and are now a shadow of the premiership-winning team from last season. The team suffered a blow before the game when veteran Tom McDonald was withdrawn for senior duty to cover for Steven May who is ill. However, after conceding the first goal of the game, Casey was dominant from ten minutes in until the very end and despite some early errors and inaccuracy, they managed to warm to the task of dismantling the Tigers with precision, particularly after half time when the nominally home side provided them with minimal resistance. The experienced Jack Billings was in everything from the start to produce the stand out performance for his team as he amassed 30 disposals, seven marks, four clearances, also hitting the scoreboard with two goals. Likewise, former Brisbane Lion Harry Sharp booted two as he reacted to his omission from the Demons’ senior side with 23 touches, six tackles and six marks. While Charlie Spargo and Bailey Laurie contributed to the team effort, the most pleasing aspect the perspective of the Melbourne-Casey partnership, was the form displayed by some of the younger players vying for senior positions. Blake Howes made an outstanding return from the concussion he suffered on the Gold Coast a fortnight ago showing out with his athleticism on his way to a 26 disposal, 9 mark and 7 rebound 50s game. Jai Culley (26 touches, five tackles and five clearances) played possibly his best game since coming back from WA putting on a classy display in the midfield. In the absence of Tom Campbell who was on standby for senior duty Will Verrall (19 disposals, 31 hitouts, eight clearances and a goal) underscored his improvement in the ruck while Kynan Brown and Taj Woewodin had 22 and 18 touches respectively. A few other youngsters in Jed Adams, Luker Kentfield and Ricky Mentha jnr, while not as prominent also came under notice for their future potential. The livewire Mentha is coming along nicely and his three goals indicated that he will prove a real handful at senior level when his time comes. For the second week in a row Mitch Hardie took on a starring role kicking four goals in the absence of the tall keys up forward. It could have been more but for a few misses but he kept the Tigers’ defenders on their toes for the whole night. Riley Bonner was his usual reliable self picking up 22 disposals and Noah Yze had some good moments although his kicking for goal was off target. He finished with just one goal from his four scoring attempts. The team returns to Casey Fields next week for what could be a season defining game against Carlton VFL. CASEY DEMONS 2.4.16 5.5.35 11.11.77 16.15.111 WERRIBEE 2.0.12 3.1.19 4.3.27 5.5.35 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Hardie 4 Mentha 3 Billings Sharp 2 Ireland Kentfield Laurie Verrall Yze WERRIBEE Wright 2 Dahlhaus GaronI Grintell BEST CASEY DEMONS Billings Hardie Verrall Sharp Culley Howes WERRIBEE Brew Jeka Pinnuck Andrews Grintel Malual

The Demons return to the MCG as the the visiting team on Saturday night to take on the Blues who are under siege after 4 straight losses. Who comes in and who goes out?

The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 14th July @ 8:00pm. Join Binman & I as we dissect the Dees glorious win over the Kangaroos at the MCG. Your 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. Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

Max Gawn has an almost unassailable lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Award followed by Jake Bowey, Christian Petracca, Kozzy Pickett & Clayton Oliver. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1

The Demons are finally back at the MCG and finally back on the winners list as they continually chipped away at a spirited Kangaroos side eventually breaking their backs and opening the floodgates to run out winners by 6 goals.

STILL CONTENDERS by KC from Casey The Casey Demons remain in contention for a VFL finals berth following a comprehensive 76-point victory over the Werribee Tigers at Whitten Oval last night. The caveat to the performance is that the once mighty Tigers have been raided of many key players and are now a shadow of the premiership-winning team from last season. The team suffered a blow before the game when veteran Tom McDonald was withdrawn for senior duty to cover for Steven May who is ill. However, after conceding the first goal of the game, Casey was dominant from ten minutes in until the very end and despite some early errors and inaccuracy, they managed to warm to the task of dismantling the Tigers with precision, particularly after half time when the nominally home side provided them with minimal resistance. The experienced Jack Billings was in everything from the start to produce the stand out performance for his team as he amassed 30 disposals, seven marks, four clearances, also hitting the scoreboard with two goals. Likewise, former Brisbane Lion Harry Sharp booted two as he reacted to his omission from the Demons’ senior side with 23 touches, six tackles and six marks. While Charlie Spargo and Bailey Laurie contributed to the team effort, the most pleasing aspect the perspective of the Melbourne-Casey partnership, was the form displayed by some of the younger players vying for senior positions. Blake Howes made an outstanding return from the concussion he suffered on the Gold Coast a fortnight ago showing out with his athleticism on his way to a 26 disposal, 9 mark and 7 rebound 50s game. Jai Culley (26 touches, five tackles and five clearances) played possibly his best game since coming back from WA putting on a classy display in the midfield. In the absence of Tom Campbell who was on standby for senior duty Will Verrall (19 disposals, 31 hitouts, eight clearances and a goal) underscored his improvement in the ruck while Kynan Brown and Taj Woewodin had 22 and 18 touches respectively. A few other youngsters in Jed Adams, Luker Kentfield and Ricky Mentha jnr, while not as prominent also came under notice for their future potential. The livewire Mentha is coming along nicely and his three goals indicated that he will prove a real handful at senior level when his time comes. For the second week in a row Mitch Hardie took on a starring role kicking four goals in the absence of the tall keys up forward. It could have been more but for a few misses but he kept the Tigers’ defenders on their toes for the whole night. Riley Bonner was his usual reliable self picking up 22 disposals and Noah Yze had some good moments although his kicking for goal was off target. He finished with just one goal from his four scoring attempts. The team returns to Casey Fields next week for what could be a season defining game against Carlton VFL. CASEY DEMONS 2.4.16 5.5.35 11.11.77 16.15.111 WERRIBEE 2.0.12 3.1.19 4.3.27 5.5.35 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Hardie 4 Mentha 3 Billings Sharp 2 Ireland Kentfield Laurie Verrall Yze WERRIBEE Wright 2 Dahlhaus GaronI Grintell BEST CASEY DEMONS Billings Hardie Verrall Sharp Culley Howes WERRIBEE Brew Jeka Pinnuck Andrews Grintel Malual

It's Game Day. What could go wrong?

Paging @Jaded No More

Most young boys harbour dreams of a moment when their heroes enter the reality of their lives. For me, it first happened when I came face to face with Melbourne great and six time premiership player Ronald Dale Barassi Jnr. on a children’s television programme at a time when he was at the height of his career. I won the prize and took home a pair of black Barassi footy boots that were several sizes too large and by the time my feet were big enough to wear them, he had shattered my dreams by skipping away to become captain coach of Carlton. Over the years, I successfully pursued other dreams in life, but it took a further two and a half decades for my next football dream to be fulfilled – my Brian Dixon moment. It was sometime in the late 1980s, and I had entered the great Murrumbeena Fun Run. By coincidence, I found myself at the starting line of an admittedly rather minor athletic event alongside another giant of Melbourne’s golden era of the fifties and sixties, Brian Dixon, who sadly passed away last week at the age of 89. Needless to say Dicko as they called him, who played 252 games for the club from 1954 to 1968 including five premierships, was one of my all time heroes. He wore the number 9 and owned the wing position at Melbourne. He was the epitome of consistency throughout his career but was at his peak in the early 1960s, winning the club’s Best and Fairest in 1960, the Tassie Medal for best player at the 1961 Australian Championships and named an All Australian at the end of that year’s National Carnival. He made the Australian Football Hall of Fame and the Melbourne Team of the 20th Century. Dicko was the last remaining survivor of the club's most illustrious era and one of the most exceptional wingers the game has produced. His long and sometimes wobbly left foot kicks set up many goals and many victories over the long years when he roamed the wide open spaces of the MCG and we sat near the boundary, almost close enough to touch him as he soared past. Legend has it that he meticulously counted each kick, handball, mark, and tackle as he played. I recall him being interviewed after a game that Melbourne won against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval in July 1965. He had delivered a standout performance and substantiated it with his statistics - 29 kicks, 2 handballs, and 18 marks. The club experienced a significant downturn two weeks after that game when Norm Smith was suddenly sacked as coach. After a week or so of high drama, Smith was reinstated as coach but the club never really recovered from the political shenanigans of the time. Dixon played on until 1968 and became the first player in club history to reach the 250-game milestone, a record that was later surpassed by another great wingman in Robert Flower and one that is now held by former key position player David Neitz who also wore the number 9 and who played 306 games with the Demons. Melbourne never quite recovered from the fallout of the Smith sacking but years later, Dixon played a crucial role in saving the club by assisting Joseph Gutnick in fighting the ill-fated merger with Hawthorn. Fortunately, he lived to witness the club's next premiership, albeit from a distance in Perth in 2021. Prior to his retirement from football, Dixon had already commenced his political career, representing the Victorian electorate of St Kilda as a Liberal from 1964 to 1982, including serving as a Minister in the Hamer Government. He played a pivotal role in many health initiatives, such as the 'Life Be in It' program. Which brings me back to my Brian Dixon moment at the starting line of a fun run on a sunny spring morning in suburban Murrumbeena. I knew several fellow runners in our group. Among them were players from the local junior football competition, including those who played alongside and against my two sons. One such individual was Sean, a young Indigenous boy with a cheeky demeanour, who played for the Carnegie Demons, which donned the same colours as Melbourne. He was undoubtedly one of the standout performers in the competition. I took the opportunity to introduce myself to Dixon, express my gratitude for the entertainment he provided to me as a player, and gestured towards Sean, remarking, “Observe this young man to my right; he is destined to play on the wing at the MCG, just like you did.” Dixon smiled, the starter’s gun sounded, and we all ran like mad. A few years later, when the boys were at the under-15 level, they were invited to participate in some trial games for St. Kilda. We resided in the Saints' zone, but I was aware that Sean was zoned to the Demons, so I made a discreet call and he subsequently found himself at Melbourne. In Round 10 of 1992, Sean Charles made his debut, wearing number 44 against North Melbourne (who Melbourne play against tomorrow and who Dixon once coached), just a few days after turning 17. North kicked 8 straight goals in the first quarter, but we overtook them and finished up winning by 36 points, with Sean booting five goals in a sensational debut match. He truly demonstrated his class in the 1994 finals, while still a teenager, but suffered a severe wrist injury soon after and never lived up to his enormous potential. He transferred to Carlton, where he broke a leg in his first game, and ironically, ended his career at St. Kilda. We never had the opportunity to discover Sean's perspective on his brief time among the elite of the sport, but he did get that rare opportunity of playing inside the boundary line on the field of every young boy’s football dream. He was also an integral part of the moment when we all stood side by side and I took the opportunity to express my gratitude to one of my childhood heroes, a man who brought immense joy to thousands of fans throughout his storied career. My sincere condolences to Brian’s family. Brian Dixon 252 games Melbourne 1954-68, 41 goals Best and Fairest 1960 Premierships 1956, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1964 All Australian 1961 Tassie Medal 1961 Melbourne Team of the Century (Wing) North Melbourne coach 1971-72 Australian Football Hall of Fame

Can you believe it? After a long period of years over which Melbourne has dominated in matches against North Melbourne, the Demons are looking down the barrel at two defeats at the hands of the Kangaroos in the same season. And if that eventuates, it will come hot on the heels of an identical result against the Gold Coast Suns. How have the might fallen? There is a slight difference in that North Melbourne are not yet in the same place as Gold Coast. Like Melbourne, they are currently situated in the lower half of the ladder and though they did achieve a significant upset when the teams met earlier in the season, their subsequent form has been equally unimpressive and inconsistent. When two teams meet at a later stage of the season with little at stake other than pride, the outcome is likely to be unpredictable. That is precisely the scenario the Demons will be facing as the game begins to unfold at the graveyard time slot of 1:10pm on Sunday at the MCG. How can you reconcile the Melbourne that meandered pedestrian-like through the first quarter at Carrara a fortnight ago with the one that marched all over Crows for the first forty-five minutes of play a week later at Adelaide Oval but then disappeared from sight for a similar period immediately afterwards? The same can be said of the Kangaroos who beat the Blues at the MCG and then were systematically demolished a week later by the Hawks? I’m almost tempted to predict a draw between the two adversaries but I suspect that one will come out punching and ready to play and the other will fall into a stupor given the meaninglessness of the game at hand. Melbourne has key forward Jake Melksham in form after bagging five and four goals in consecutive matches, giving the club a rare look at a multiple goal kicker who twice in a row has helped his team to come close without bringing home the proverbial cigar. For the Kangaroos, key forward Nick Larkey kicked five goals in the team's defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs, continuing his excellent season but he’s out this week with an injury and has been replaced by veteran Jack Darling. The question of who wins might be decided on who brings some effective connection from further downfield into its anttack and who has the capacity to stop a key forward at the top of his game. Earlier this season, it was the Kangaroos who proved successful at holding the Demons at bay at the stoppages and winning the key contests. They held them up consistently with strong intercept marking in defence. It might well come down to a case of whether Melbourne has learned from this experience and whether coaching inventiveness can do the trick and turn things around. I’m going for the latter in an even money contest because, apart from everything else, the Demons have one player back who was sorely missing last time but is in great form right at the moment - Kozzy Pickett who was cooling his heels in Round 2 while serving a suspension incurred at the end of 2024. Melbourne by 3 points. THE GAME Melbourne v North Melbourne on Sunday 13 July 2025 at the MCG at 1:10pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 90 wins North Melbourne 78 wins 1 draw At the MCG Melbourne 57 wins North Melbourne 37 wins Last five times Melbourne 4 wins North Melbourne 1 win The coaches Goodwin 3 wins Clarkson 1 win THE LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 19.11.125 defeated Melbourne 9.12.66 at Marvel Stadium, Round 2, 2025 Following a closely contested opening quarter, when Melbourne held a six-point advantage, North Melbourne dominated the subsequent two terms and yet, the game remained balanced at the final break. However, the Demons were outplayed and eventually humiliated at the end and succumbed to a 59-point defeat, foreshadowing a challenging year ahead for the team. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B J. Bowey, T. McDonald, C. Salem HB J. McVee, J. Lever, X. Lindsay C K. Chandler, C. Petracca, T. Sparrow HF J. Viney, B. Fritsch, E. Langdon F J. Melksham, J. Van Rooyen, K. Pickett FOLL M. Gawn, C. Oliver, T. Rivers I/C M. Jefferson, H. Langford, K. Tholstrup, D. Turner, C. Windsor EMG T. Campbell, J. Henderson, B. Howes IN T. McDonald, C. Windsor OUT S. May, H. Sharp (omitted) NORTH MELBOURNE B W. Dawson, T. Pink, G. Logue HB R. Hardeman, C. Daniel, F. O'Sullivan C D. Stephens, L. Parker, J. Simpkin HF P. Curtis, C. Zurhaar, C. McKercher F J. Konstanty, J. Darling, F. Maley FOLL T. Xerri, I. Powell, H. Sheezel I/C C. Comben, R. Hansen Jr, C. Harvey, W. Phillips, B. Scott EMG C. Coleman-Jones, Z. Duursma, Z. Fisher IN C. Comben, J. Darling, L. Parker OUT L. Davies-Uniacke (concussion), Z. Duursma (omitted) N. Larkey (knee) Injury List: Round 18 Blake Howes — concussion / Test Aidan Johnson — ankle / 1 week Harry Petty — concussion / 1 week Oliver Sestan — hamstring / 1 week Marty Hore — knee, shoulder / season Shane McAdam — Achilles / season Andy Moniz-Wakefield — knee / season

Who are you tipping this week?

Walking it back?