Demonland

2020 Player Reviews: #9 Charlie Spargo The little forward line battler was in and out of the side but showed some glimpses of the form he showed in his debut season. Proved how dangerous he can be with three goals in a quarter against Collingwood and needs to produce that sort of game throughout games and on a weekly basis. Date of Birth: 25 November, 1999 Height: 173cm Weight: 71kg Games MFC 2020: 8 Career Total: 34 Goals MFC 2020: 8 Career Total: 24 Votes 2020 Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy: 80

2020 Player Reviews: #10 Angus Brayshaw Played some important games in the midfield but was unable to put it all together with same consistency he produced in 2018 and missed the latter part of the season with a foot injury. Date of Birth: 9 January, 1996 Height: 187cm Weight: 87kg Games MFC 2020: 14 Career Total: 94 Goals MFC 2020: 5 Career Total: 42 Votes 2020 Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy: 186 Votes 2020 Brownlow Medal: 1

2020 Player Reviews: #11 Max Gawn The skipper and premier ruckman of the competition was heading for a top five Brownlow finish before missing vital games through injury in mid-season. He battled on through the latter part of the season and led his team admirably right through to the end that saw them narrowly miss the finals. Date of Birth: 30 December, 1991 Height: 208cm Weight: 109kg Games MFC 2020: 14 Career Total: 134 Goals MFC 2020: 1 Career Total: 59 Votes 2020 Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy: 234 (sixth) season

I first saw Ben Brown on a cold Tuesday night in May, 2013 playing for the Werribee Tigers against Queanbeyan in a televised Foxtel Cup game before a sparse crowd at Etihad Stadium. His teammate and former Demon Jordan Gysberts was the star of the side’s 85-point belting of the hapless ACT club but the then 20 year old, 200cm Brown was also a stand out. Earlier that year, the athletic big man had left his native Tasmania in an effort to make the grade after being overlooked in three drafts. The man with the mop of unruly hair, the bearing of a high jumper and the number 50 on his back, read the play well out of defence that night and went forward to kick three goals. When his team was knocked out in a low scoring semi final by East Fremantle a month or so later, Brown was named the side’s best player. The Tasmanian Tiger was destined for bigger things — North Melbourne picked him with its third selection in the AFL Draft later in the year and he was soon impressing the football world with his high marking and distinctive run up for goal. After breaking into the side in mid 2014, Brown made the full forward position his home and he won the goal kicking at North Melbourne four times (2016-9), booting more than 60 goals and featuring in Coleman Medal calculations in each of the last three of those seasons. The journalism student was also an impressive performer in the media and starred in an edition of Foxtel’s Open Mike turning the tables on compere Mike Sheahan. A knee injury curtailed his output this year and, after 130 games and 287 goals with North, he was traded to Melbourne earlier this month. Brown has great football bloodlines. His grandfather Jim Manson was a top line player who won the best and fairest at Glenorchy and is Tasmanian Hall of Famer. Brown’s uncle James Manson played in Collingwood’s 1990 premiership team. The young Ben Brown represented his state in the Tassie Mariners Under 18 team and then played with Glenorchy before moving across Bass Strait to play with Werribee. The Demons are hoping that Brown will have an immediate impact by straightening up its forward line which has lacked potency since the departure of Jesse Hogan at the end of 2018. Melbourne GM of Football Josh Mahoney said of him last week, “What we’re excited about with Ben Brown is not only what he can bring, but what he can do to help the development of Sam Weideman and Luke Jackson.” The Tasmanian has worn the number 50 guernsey throughout his years in Melbourne and he’s put his hand up for the number again at his new club. Demon fans will be hoping that it won’t be too long before they can put the pandemic behind them and return to watch the bearer of the distinctive number 50 rise above a pack in the forward line, pluck the Sherrin out of the air with his vice-like grip and welcome the return of football to the MCG.

THE TASMANIAN TIGER by Whispering Jack I first saw Ben Brown on a cold Tuesday night in May, 2013 playing for the Werribee Tigers against Queanbeyan in a televised Foxtel Cup game before a sparse crowd at Etihad Stadium. His teammate and former Demon Jordan Gysberts was the star of the side’s 85-point belting of the hapless ACT club but the then 20 year old, 200cm Brown was also a stand out. Earlier that year, the athletic big man had left his native Tasmania in an effort to make the grade after being overlooked in three drafts. The man with the mop of unruly hair, the bearing of a high jumper and the number 50 on his back, read the play well out of defence that night and went forward to kick three goals. When his team was knocked out in a low scoring semi final by East Fremantle a month or so later, Brown was named the side’s best player. The Tasmanian Tiger was destined for bigger things — North Melbourne picked him with its third selection in the AFL Draft later in the year and he was soon impressing the football world with his high marking and distinctive run up for goal. After breaking into the side in mid 2014, Brown made the full forward position his home and he won the goal kicking at North Melbourne four times (2016-9), booting more than 60 goals and featuring in Coleman Medal calculations in each of the last three of those seasons. The journalism student was also an impressive performer in the media and starred in an edition of Foxtel’s Open Mike turning the tables on compere Mike Sheahan. A knee injury curtailed his output this year and, after 130 games and 287 goals with North, he was traded to Melbourne earlier this month. Brown has great football bloodlines. His grandfather Jim Manson was a top line player who won the best and fairest at Glenorchy and is Tasmanian Hall of Famer. Brown’s uncle James Manson played in Collingwood’s 1990 premiership team. The young Ben Brown represented his state in the Tassie Mariners Under 18 team and then played with Glenorchy before moving across Bass Strait to play with Werribee. The Demons are hoping that Brown will have an immediate impact by straightening up its forward line which has lacked potency since the departure of Jesse Hogan at the end of 2018. Melbourne GM of Football Josh Mahoney said of him last week, “What we’re excited about with Ben Brown is not only what he can bring, but what he can do to help the development of Sam Weideman and Luke Jackson.” The Tasmanian has worn the number 50 guernsey throughout his years in Melbourne and he’s put his hand up for the number again at his new club. Demon fans will be hoping that it won’t be too long before they can put the pandemic behind them and return to watch the bearer of the distinctive number 50 rise above a pack in the forward line, pluck the Sherrin out of the air with his vice-like grip and welcome the return of football to the MCG.

Please keep any rumours directly related to rumours about footy/trades. No need for gutter journalism. Rumours about the personal lives of players, coaches & officials should not be pedaled here.

2020 Player Reviews: #12 Toby Bedford It was a tough initiation for the small forward who made his debut in Perth in Round 1 and played only one other game for the season. Date of Birth: 27 May, 2000 Height: 178cm Weight: 69kg Games MFC 2020: 2 Career Total: 2 Goals MFC 2020: 0 Career Total: 0

2020 Player Reviews: #13 Clayton Oliver The classy midfielder’s top 10 finish in the Brownlow Medal count was testament to his ability and hard work ethic in a season in which he was challenged to go more by foot than to use his quick hands to dispose of the football. Finished top 5 in the club's Best and Fairest. Date of Birth: 22 July, 1997 Height: 187 cm Weight: 85 kg Games MFC 2020: 17 Career Total: 99 Goals MFC 2020: 3 Career Total: 29 Votes 2020 Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy: 291 (Dick Taylor Memorial Trophy - 5th) Votes 2020 Brownlow Medal: 14 (Equal 9th)

2020 Player Reviews: #14 Michael Hibberd The hard working defender conceded just 10 goals in his 14 games for the team and ranked third for intercept possessions this year. He polled ninth in the club's Best and Fairest count and received a contract extension for 2021. Date of Birth: 3 January, 1990 Height: 186cm Weight: 90kg Games MFC 2020: 14 Career Total: 156 Goals MFC 2020: 1 Career Total: 14 Votes 2020 Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Memorial Trophy: 179 (ninth)

" .... league is weighing up whether to drop the interchange cap by 15 per-game, down to 75 rotations. Sources with knowledge of conversations at AFL HQ say there is a chance it could be cut by a further 15, down to 60, for the 2022 season in an effort to ease congestion." "The league’s football operations department – led by Steve Hocking – is also considering bringing the man on the mark back by an extra five metres at kick-ins."

Mike has retired.

That’s awesome. You should email [email protected]

I'd be interested to hear about other unique items people have stashed away.

You'll have to email the club. [email protected]

Part Two: The Bucky Horror Show As the AFL’s free agency and trade period lurched its way to an end, it became apparent that the virus that has plagued the world throughout 2020 hasn’t spared our list managers from the heartbreak of this dark age. With the leader of the free world otherwise engaged with his own troubles, some of the competition’s power houses struggled to come to grips with the art of the deal leading to one of the most shambolic trade periods on record. The lowlight was Collingwood which telegraphed its salary cap woes early, clumsily grappled with them and managed to alienate its fans, loyal players, the media and the football public all at once. When the dust settled, Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson had been forcibly moved elsewhere, Tom Phillips was whisked away in the night and Joffa’s young stepson Atu Bosenavulagi shunted out as steak knives. They went for the price of stale peanuts in the light of their recent achievements at the club. The bitterness and recrimination leveled at some of the club’s leading lights and played out in public was embarrassing. The spin doctoring at the end put the club in a place of derision and scorn. The ominous aspect is the warning that this sends to other clubs to act not just for now but to plan well ahead. Essendon’s Adrian Dodoro’s antics continued. He has the knack of managing to stretch out every trade to ensure that he achieves what he thinks is best for his club but he almost perennially ends up with one or two deals undone thanks to his obstinance. The failure to finalise a deal for Josh Dunkley when he had his fish hooked speaks volumes about the way he operates and the frustration of Bomber fans at this particular time of year. Still, he managed to come out with picks 6, 7 and 8 giving him a strong hand at the draft. Meanwhile, everyone is hailing the Bulldogs for their genius at acquiring Treloar and retaining Dunkley which gives Luke Beveridge what appears on the face of it, a very potent midfield. But that department was already a strength, albeit with one or two cultural issues attached to it and is now compounded with the need to satisfy Dunkley while fitting in Treloar at the same time. And while the Bulldogs’ main areas of deficiency haven’t really been addressed, Port Adelaide and Carlton appear to have done well in covering specific requirements, leaving their fans reasonably happy with their outcomes. What of Melbourne? The highlight was the addition of Ben Brown, the only player added to the list. For what is effectively a pick around mid second round, the Demons gained a key forward who kicked 60+ goals in each year from 2017 and 2019 and was pretty resilient until a knee injury curtailed his 2020 season. Brown’s arrival and the return of the promising Harry Petty should shore up the club’s key position stocks and if Tom McDonald can also drop a few kilos and return to his 2017-8 form either up forward or down back, it would be a bonus. The vagaries of the draft were clearly demonstrated by the cost of Brown to the club as compared with that of Jeremy Cameron to Geelong. Their respective goal tallies for the five years 2016-20 were virtually identical but the latter cost the Cats three first round draft picks. The departures of Mitch Hannan and Braydon Preuss were hardly consequential given that both were outside best 22. The latter case makes sense in light of the emergence and expected development of 2019 draft pick 3 Luke Jackson. The pick exchanges in what is considered a speculative draft still represent possible unfinished business given that trading of draft picks will continue right through to the selection meet. Who knows what Jason Taylor has in mind for that? Most likely a fast skillful outside mid like Isaac Smith for who the club was underbidder against the Cats. The final wash up for Melbourne was:- In: Ben Brown, picks 18, 19, 28, 50 and Brisbane 2021 2nd round pick, Western Bulldogs 2021 3rd round pick, North Melbourne 2021 4th round pick Out: Mitch Hannan, Braydon Preuss, picks 26, 53, 68, 69 and Melbourne's 2021 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th round picks 2020 draft picks: 18, 19, 28, 50, 89 This week’s trades:- • Peter Wright went to Essendon for a future fourth-round pick to the Suns • The Crows traded their No.33 selection and 50 to the Demons this year for Melbourne's future second-round and future fourth-round selection • Melbourne has traded Mitch Hannan to the Western Bulldogs for its future third round draft pick. • Melbourne has traded Braydon Preuss to GWS Giants for pick 31 • In a 3 way deal, Stefan Martin was traded to the Western Bulldogs and Lachie Young ended up at North Melbourne. Brisbane traded Pick 70 to North Melbourne, which gave Pick 63 to the Lions. • Carlton received Adam Saad and picks 48 and 78 from Essendon in exchange for picks 8 and 87. • Geelong sent Lachlan Fogarty and pick 38 to Carlton for picks 30 and 51 • Geelong traded Nakia Cockatoo to Brisbane for a future 3rd round selection. North Melbourne transferred Shaun Higgins to Geelong for pick 30. • Port Adelaide Power received Aliir Aliir from the Swans in exchange for a future second-round pick. • West Coast Eagles sent Tom Hickey, picks 34 and 60 to Sydney in return for picks 58, 62 and a future second-round and future third-round pick. • Richmond's Jack Higgins was traded to St Kilda along with pick 21 and a future fourth-rounder. The Tigers got pick 17 and a future second-rounder. • Ben Brown was traded from North Melbourne to Melbourne. North traded Brown, pick 28 and a future fourth-round pick to Melbourne for 26, 33 and a future fourth-rounder tied to Brisbane. • Brisbane’s Alex Witherden and pick 86 were traded to the West Coast Eagles in exchange for pick 58 and a future third-round pick. • Sydney traded pick 25 for Melbourne's 31 and 43. • Collingwood traded Jaidyn Stephenson, Atu Bosenavulagi and pick 39 to North Melbourne for 26, 33 and 70. • Collingwood traded Tom Phillips to Hawthorn for pick 65. • Essendon traded Orazio Fantasia and pick 73 to Port Adelaide for pick 29 and a future third-round selection • Brisbane traded 18, 19 and a future second-rounder to Melbourne for a future first-rounder, and 25, 68 and 69. • Greater Western Sydney traded Jeremy Cameron and two future second-round picks (one tied to Essendon) to Geelong for 13, 15 and 20. • Greater Western Sydney traded Jye Caldwell, pick 44 and 74 to Essendon for pick 29 and a future second-round pick. • St Kilda traded Nick Hind and pick 77 to Essendon for 67 and 74. • Collingwood traded Adam Treloar and 26, 33 and 42 to the Western Bulldogs for 14 and a future second-round selection.

Part Two: The Bucky Horror Show As the AFL’s free agency and trade period lurched its way to an end, it became apparent that the virus that has plagued the world throughout 2020 hasn’t spared our list managers from the heartbreak of this dark age. With the leader of the free world otherwise engaged with his own troubles, some of the competition’s power houses struggled to come to grips with the art of the deal leading to one of the most shambolic trade periods on record. The lowlight was Collingwood which telegraphed its salary cap woes early, clumsily grappled with them and managed to alienate its fans, loyal players, the media and the football public all at once. When the dust settled, Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson had been forcibly moved elsewhere, Tom Phillips was whisked away in the night and Joffa’s young stepson Atu Bosenavulagi shunted out as steak knives. They went for the price of stale peanuts in the light of their recent achievements at the club. The bitterness and recrimination leveled at some of the club’s leading lights and played out in public was embarrassing. The spin doctoring at the end put the club in a place of derision and scorn. The ominous aspect is the warning that this sends to other clubs to act not just for now but to plan well ahead. Essendon’s Adrian Dodoro’s antics continued. He has the knack of managing to stretch out every trade to ensure that he achieves what he thinks is best for his club but he almost perennially ends up with one or two deals undone thanks to his obstinance. The failure to finalise a deal for Josh Dunkley when he had his fish hooked speaks volumes about the way he operates and the frustration of Bomber fans at this particular time of year. Still, he managed to come out with picks 6, 7 and 8 giving him a strong hand at the draft. Meanwhile, everyone is hailing the Bulldogs for their genius at acquiring Treloar and retaining Dunkley which gives Luke Beveridge what appears on the face of it, a very potent midfield. But that department was already a strength, albeit with one or two cultural issues attached to it and is now compounded with the need to satisfy Dunkley while fitting in Treloar at the same time. And while the Bulldogs’ main areas of deficiency haven’t really been addressed, Port Adelaide and Carlton appear to have done well in covering specific requirements, leaving their fans reasonably happy with their outcomes. What of Melbourne? The highlight was the addition of Ben Brown, the only player added to the list. For what is effectively a pick around mid second round, the Demons gained a key forward who kicked 60+ goals in each year from 2017 and 2019 and was pretty resilient until a knee injury curtailed his 2020 season. Brown’s arrival and the return of the promising Harry Petty should shore up the club’s key position stocks and if Tom McDonald can also drop a few kilos and return to his 2017-8 form either up forward or down back, it would be a bonus. The vagaries of the draft were clearly demonstrated by the cost of Brown to the club as compared with that of Jeremy Cameron to Geelong. Their respective goal tallies for the five years 2016-20 were virtually identical but the latter cost the Cats three first round draft picks. The departures of Mitch Hannan and Braydon Preuss were hardly consequential given that both were outside best 22. The latter case makes sense in light of the emergence and expected development of 2019 draft pick 3 Luke Jackson. The pick exchanges in what is considered a speculative draft still represent possible unfinished business given that trading of draft picks will continue right through to the selection meet. Who knows what Jason Taylor has in mind for that? Most likely a fast skillful outside mid like Isaac Smith for who the club was underbidder against the Cats. The final wash up for Melbourne was:- In: Ben Brown, picks 18, 19, 28, 50 and Brisbane 2021 2nd round pick, Western Bulldogs 2021 3rd round pick, North Melbourne 2021 4th round pick Out: Mitch Hannan, Braydon Preuss, picks 26, 53, 68, 69 and Melbourne's 2021 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th round picks 2020 draft picks: 18, 19, 28, 50, 89 This week’s trades:- • Peter Wright went to Essendon for a future fourth-round pick to the Suns • The Crows traded their No.33 selection and 50 to the Demons this year for Melbourne's future second-round and future fourth-round selection • Melbourne has traded Mitch Hannan to the Western Bulldogs for its future third round draft pick. • Melbourne has traded Braydon Preuss to GWS Giants for pick 31 • In a 3 way deal, Stefan Martin was traded to the Western Bulldogs and Lachie Young ended up at North Melbourne. Brisbane traded Pick 70 to North Melbourne, which gave Pick 63 to the Lions. • Carlton received Adam Saad and picks 48 and 78 from Essendon in exchange for picks 8 and 87. • Geelong sent Lachlan Fogarty and pick 38 to Carlton for picks 30 and 51 • Geelong traded Nakia Cockatoo to Brisbane for a future 3rd round selection. North Melbourne transferred Shaun Higgins to Geelong for pick 30. • Port Adelaide Power received Aliir Aliir from the Swans in exchange for a future second-round pick. • West Coast Eagles sent Tom Hickey, picks 34 and 60 to Sydney in return for picks 58, 62 and a future second-round and future third-round pick. • Richmond's Jack Higgins was traded to St Kilda along with pick 21 and a future fourth-rounder. The Tigers got pick 17 and a future second-rounder. • Ben Brown was traded from North Melbourne to Melbourne. North traded Brown, pick 28 and a future fourth-round pick to Melbourne for 26, 33 and a future fourth-rounder tied to Brisbane. • Brisbane’s Alex Witherden and pick 86 were traded to the West Coast Eagles in exchange for pick 58 and a future third-round pick. • Sydney traded pick 25 for Melbourne's 31 and 43. • Collingwood traded Jaidyn Stephenson, Atu Bosenavulagi and pick 39 to North Melbourne for 26, 33 and 70. • Collingwood traded Tom Phillips to Hawthorn for pick 65. • Essendon traded Orazio Fantasia and pick 73 to Port Adelaide for pick 29 and a future third-round selection • Brisbane traded 18, 19 and a future second-rounder to Melbourne for a future first-rounder, and 25, 68 and 69. • Greater Western Sydney traded Jeremy Cameron and two future second-round picks (one tied to Essendon) to Geelong for 13, 15 and 20. • Greater Western Sydney traded Jye Caldwell, pick 44 and 74 to Essendon for pick 29 and a future second-round pick. • St Kilda traded Nick Hind and pick 77 to Essendon for 67 and 74. • Collingwood traded Adam Treloar and 26, 33 and 42 to the Western Bulldogs for 14 and a future second-round selection.

2020 Player Reviews: #15 Ed Langdon Was a revelation on the wing in his first season with the club after crossing from Fremantle. Finished a well deserved fourth in the club's Best and Fairest count. Date of Birth: 1 February, 1996 Height: 182cm Weight: 78kg Games MFC 2020: 17 Career Total: 85 Goals MFC 2020: 2 Career Total: 35

2020 Player Reviews: #16 Kade Kolodjashnij Continuing concussion issues ruled out any play for the unlucky Kolodjashnij and it’s likely that his career is over as a result. Date of birth: 9 August 1995 Height: 190cm Weight: 85kg Games MFC 2020: 0 Career Total: 80 Goals MFC 2020: 0 Career Total: 14

2020 Player Reviews: #17 Harley Bennell Put in a tremendous effort just to get on the field and play five games after overcoming recurring calf issues and he was on the verge of receiving a contract offer for next year when he left the club’s hub in breach of Covid19 rules and consequently was delisted. Date of Birth: 2 October, 1992 Height: 185cm Weight: 74kg Games MFC 2020: 5 Career Total: 88 Goals MFC 2020: 3 Career Total: 98