Demonland

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 The team suffered a blow before the game when veteran Tom McDonald was withdrawn for senior duty to cover for Steven May who is ill.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?

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The atmosphere at the Melbourne Football Club at the beginning of the season was aspirational following an injury-plagued year in 2024. Coach Simon Goodwin had lofty expectations with the return of key players, the anticipated improvement from a maturing group with a few years of experience under their belts, and some exceptional young talent also joining the ranks. All of that went by the wayside as the team failed to click into action early on. It rallied briefly with a new strategy but has fallen again with five more consecutive defeats. The team has followed certain patterns that we’ve come to expect as being part of the team’s nature as it develops into nothing better than a good ordinary side. Sunday’s game against the more highly fancied Adelaide commenced in line with expectations, evolved into a surprising display of dominance (and a 28 point lead) against a highly rated opponent on its home turf at Adelaide Oval, and then deteriorated with twenty minutes of adversity. They maintained a glimmer of hope and played out the final quarter at a frustrating level that threatened a comeback but it never fully materialized. However, the outcome would have been significantly better had the Demons capitalized on their dominance in the first quarter, rather than succumbing to routine kicking errors inside 50. The Demons held a strategic advantage in key defensive positions, with Steven May, Jake Lever, and Daniel Turner exerting considerable influence throughout the game, intercepting nearly every entry into the Crows' attacking half. A couple of lapses in defence late in the term resulted in the lead being relinquished to the Crows by the first break. Christian Petracca's post-siren miss further compounded the frustration after 30 minutes, with a return of 1 goal 6 behinds with two other gettable shots sailing out of bounds. The opening of the second quarter saw a dramatic and powerful turnaround in the team’s fortunes. Everything clicked for a magical ten minutes when the Demons suddenly couldn’t miss as they piled on five goals to have the Crows on the ropes. During this period they had total control of the football with Kozzie Pickett and Jacob van Rooyen booting two goals each. Youngsters Xavier Lindsay and Harvey Langford added to the enthusiasm of the moment. However, Adelaide slowly regained its composure, the Melbourne midfield made a few fumbly mistakes and Izak Rankine turned on his own piece of magic. At half time, the lead had been eroded to just five points and with Rankine continuing to dominate (and the Demons too slow to react), the Crows turned the game to their advantage after the break. The Demon cause was not assisted by some temporary injury concerns to Max Gawn and Jake Lever at different stages in Adelaide’s comeback. Perhaps it might be time to give the club’s veteran skipper a week’s management after several interstate outings. Tom Campbell handled himself against North’s Tristan Xerri during the preseason and next week’s game is not exactly a big deal in the scheme of things. To its credit, Melbourne demonstrated resilience and never gave up. The defenders continued to perform admirably, Jake Melksham delivered a four-goal effort to complement his five from last week, and together with Jack Viney's hard nosed work ethic, they came close to securing a comeback. Some goal reviews did not favor them, and they could have had more opportunities from Petracca and Clayton Oliver, but the resultant 13-point loss was consistent with expectations for a good ordinary side. MELBOURNE 1.6.12 6.7.43 8.8.56 11.11.77 ADELAIDE 2.3.15 5.8.38 10.11.71 13.12.90 GOALS MELBOURNE Melksham 4 Pickett van Rooyen 2 Fritsch Rivers Sparrow ADELAIDE Rankine 5 Fogarty Keays Walker 2 Curtin Taylor BEST MELBOURNE May Turner Pickett Melksham Viney ADELAIDE Rankine Dawson Keays Laird Soligo Peatling LATE CHANGES MELBOURNE Nil ADELAIDE Wayne Milera (personal reasons) replaced in selected side by Lachlan Murphy INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil ADELAIDE Rachele (knee) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil ADELAIDE Nil SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Harry Sharp (replaced Koltyn Tholstrup in the fourth quarter) ADELAIDE Lachlan Murphy (replaced Josh Rachele at half-time) UMPIRES Nick Jankovskis Craig Fleer Cameron Dore Andrew Adair CROWD 43,306 at Adelaide Oval

After an even first quarter when Melbourne led by six points, North Melbourne held sway for the next two quarters but the game was still in the balance at the final break. However, the Demons were smashed all over the ground in that last half hour to go down by 59 points, prefacing a tough year ahead for the team. MELBOURNE 4.5.29 6.9.45 8.10.58 9.12.66 NORTH MELBOURNE 3.5.23 8.9.57 11.10.76 19.11.125 GOALS MELBOURNE Chandler 3 Fritsch Henderson Oliver Petracca Turner Van Rooyen NORTH MELBOURNE Zurhaar 4 Curtis Larkey 3 Darling 2 Konstanty McKercher Parker Powell Scott Simpkin Xerri BEST MELBOURNE Oliver Chandler Petracca Gawn Lindsay Viney NORTH MELBOURNE Xerri Powell Zurhaar Curtis Daniel Comben THE TEAMS NORTH MELBOURNE B C. Comben, A. Corr, L. McDonald HB B. Scott, C. Daniel, C. McKercher C F. O'Sullivan, L. Davies-Uniacke, J. Simpkin HF H. Sheezel, N. Larkey, R. Hansen Jr F P. Curtis, J. Darling, C. Zurhaar FOLL T. Xerri, T. Powell, L. Parker I/C M. Bergman, J. Konstanty, F. Maley, W. Phillips T. Pink SUB D. Stephens EMG M. Bergman, F. Maley, B. Teakle IN T. Pink, D. Stephens OUT A. Archer (suspended), G. Logue (hamstring) MELBOURNE B J. Lever, T. McDonald, C. Salem HB B. Howes, H. Petty, J. Bowey C E. Langdon, C. Oliver, X. Lindsay HF T. Sparrow, M. Jefferson, J. Henderson F B. Fritsch, J. Van Rooyen, K. Chandler FOLL M. Gawn, C. Petracca, J. Viney I/C T. Rivers, H. Sharp, C. Spargo, D. Turner SUB T. Woewodin EMG J. Adams, H. Langford, B. Laurie IN C. Spargo, D. Turner, T. Woewodin OUT A. Johnson (suspended), H. Langford (omitted), C. Windsor (foot)

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The Casey Demons returned to their home ground which was once a graveyard for opposing teams but they managed to gift the four points on offer to Coburg with yet another of their trademark displays of inaccuracy in front of goals and some undisciplined football that earned the displeasure of the umpires late in the game. The home team was welcomed by a small crowd at Casey Fields and looked right at home as it dominated the first three quarters and led for all bar the last five minutes of the game. In the end, they came away with nothing, despite winning everywhere but on the scoreboard and the free kick count. The Demons dominated in the ruck through Tom Campbell who finished with a massive 40 hit outs and his understudy Will Verrall was next with 10. They gave their team a great run at the football in the early proceedings and virtually whitewashed Coburg in the first half. I appreciate the old saying about “would have, could have etc” but the half time lead should have been 50 points and not 20 so badly did they butcher some of their shots on goal. Their only reliable player in front of goals was Mitch Hardie who kicked three in the first half and had four of the team’s 5 goals 16 at the final break. There’s another saying that “bad kicking is bad football” and that applied to the remaining 22 in the side. It all came home to roost in the third term when the visitors found their feet and started to reel in a 27 point deficit from about ten minutes into the second half. The Lions were insipid up to that point in the game but the Demons had opened the door for them and, as often happens, they rallied to boot four unanswered goals and by the final break were only three points in arrears. The final quarter saw a seesaw battle in which the Demons discovered their kicking boots for four goals with two coming from strong play from young key forward Luker Kentfield who had been one of the culprits in the first half with four behinds. When he clunked a mark and converted to give Casey a 9 point lead at the 25 minute mark the game appeared safe but the gods were smiling on the Lions who took the advantage of the umpiring and showed why an accurate shot on goal which is worth six times a lesser effort can be of supreme importance in our game. Riley Bonner and the goal kicking Hardie were again impressive for the Demons and veteran defender Tom McDonald joined another veteran in Campbell among his team’s best. Apart from Kentfield, there was little for Demon fans to enthuse about in such a disappointing result. CASEY DEMONS 2.6.18 4.11.35 5.16.46 9.17.71 COBURG 1.1.7 2.3.15 6.7.43 11.8.74 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Hardie 4 Kentfield 2 Baldi Cross Fullarton COBURG Johnston Weightman 3 Andrew D'Intinosante Podhajski Thompson Trudgeon BEST CASEY DEMONS Campbell Bonner Hardie McDonald Woewodin Kentfield COBURG Trudgeon Toohey D’Intinosante Kennedy Gillard Bella

OLD SAYINGS by KC from Casey The Casey Demons returned to their home ground which was once a graveyard for opposing teams but they managed to gift the four points on offer to Coburg with yet another of their trademark displays of inaccuracy in front of goals and some undisciplined football that earned the displeasure of the umpires late in the game. The home team was welcomed by a small crowd at Casey Fields and looked right at home as it dominated the first three quarters and led for all bar the last five minutes of the game. In the end, they came away with nothing, despite winning everywhere but on the scoreboard and the free kick count. The Demons dominated in the ruck through Tom Campbell who finished with a massive 40 hit outs and his understudy Will Verrall was next with 10. They gave their team a great run at the football in the early proceedings and virtually whitewashed Coburg in the first half. I appreciate the old saying about “would have, could have etc” but the half time lead should have been 50 points and not 20 so badly did they butcher some of their shots on goal. Their only reliable player in front of goals was Mitch Hardie who kicked three in the first half and had four of the team’s 5 goals 16 at the final break. There’s another saying that “bad kicking is bad football” and that applied to the remaining 22 in the side. It all came home to roost in the third term when the visitors found their feet and started to reel in a 27 point deficit from about ten minutes into the second half. The Lions were insipid up to that point in the game but the Demons had opened the door for them and, as often happens, they rallied to boot four unanswered goals and by the final break were only three points in arrears. The final quarter saw a seesaw battle in which the Demons discovered their kicking boots for four goals with two coming from strong play from young key forward Luker Kentfield who had been one of the culprits in the first half with four behinds. When he clunked a mark and converted to give Casey a 9 point lead at the 25 minute mark the game appeared safe but the gods were smiling on the Lions who took the advantage of the umpiring and showed why an accurate shot on goal which is worth six times a lesser effort can be of supreme importance in our game. Riley Bonner and the goal kicking Hardie were again impressive for the Demons and veteran defender Tom McDonald joined another veteran in Campbell among his team’s best. Apart from Kentfield, there was little for Demon fans to enthuse about in such a disappointing result. CASEY DEMONS 2.6.18 4.11.35 5.16.46 9.17.71 COBURG 1.1.7 2.3.15 6.7.43 11.8.74 GOALS CASEY DEMONS Hardie 4 Kentfield 2 Baldi Cross Fullarton COBURG Johnston Weightman 3 Andrew D'Intinosante Podhajski Thompson Trudgeon BEST CASEY DEMONS Campbell Bonner Hardie McDonald Woewodin Kentfield COBURG Trudgeon Toohey D’Intinosante Kennedy Gillard Bella

After four weeks on the road the Demons make their long awaited return to the MCG next Sunday to play in a classic late season dead rubber against the North Melbourne Kangaroos. Who comes in and who comes out?

The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 7th July @ 8:00pm. Join Binman & I as we dissect the Dees disappointing loss to the Crows. 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 a massive lead in the Demonland Player of the Year award ahead of Jake Bowey, Christian Petracca, Kysaiah Pickett and Clayton Oliver. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

The Demons were wasteful early before putting the foot down early in the 2nd quarter but they chased tail for the remainder of the match. They could not get their first use of the footy after half time and when they did poor skills, execution and decision making let them down.