Demonland

Well, that was a shock. The Demons 4-game unbeaten run came to a grinding halt in a tense, scrappy affair at the sunny, windy Alberton Oval, with the Power holding on for a 2-point win. The Dees had their chances—plenty of them—but couldn't convert when it mattered most. Port’s tackling pressure rattled the Dees, triggering a fumble frenzy and surprising lack of composure from seasoned players. Lauren Arnell certainly challenged Mick Stinear in the coach’s box, winning matchups and nullifying Melbourne’s run-and-carry game plan. A solid win from her for sure. The match It was a low scoring arm-wrestle from the outset. Port's pressure was relentless, and the Dees looked switched off—fumbles, missed targets, and a lack of connection up forward. Port’s Gemma Houghton and Indy Tahau (3 goals) causes headaches, while Ella Boag opened proceedings with the game's first goal. Demon sharpshooters Zanker, Gall and Bannan all missed gettable first quarter opportunities while Paxy, Hore and Bannan (again) kicked points before finally Captain Kate steadied the ship before half-time with a centre clearance which evolved into a brilliant running goal. The Dees dominated the possessions stats but were outplayed in tackles (Port 85, Melbourne 69) and clearances. Port ruck Matilda Scholz was excellent all day and forced Mick Stinear to move Tayla Harris into the ruck as both Lauren Pearce and milestoner GC were well beaten on the day. Port mids Ash Woodland (20 disposals, 420 metres gained) and Abby Dowrick (19 disposals, 13 tackles, 496 metres gained) set the tone while young gun Shineah Goody was, well, very good. Melbourne’s midfield struggled to break free with only Hore (27 disposals, 10 tackles, 7 clearances, 3 goals) and Tyla Hanks (27 disposals) getting any clean disposals. Defensive leader Maeve Chaplin (23 disposals, 635 metres gained) continued her fine season. Eliza McNamara, Paxy Paxman, Shelley Heath, Eden Zanker and Megan Fitzsimon got their hands on the footy but Port’s contested game kept the Dees on the back foot. Rising above the caterwauling was our number 10 who scored timely goals and almost single-handedly won us the match. Kate Hore. Clutch. Class. Captain. A solid fightback from a game-high 23 points but no team song was sung this week. Match moments Down 3 points with 1 minute to go, Fitzy had the chance in heavy traffic to snap a winner on her right foot from twenty metres out but missed. Maybe the left was the go? And with the clock ticking in the last quarter, we’ll never get back the lost precious seconds when Alberton locals sent a search party to find the footy. Milestones Plenty celebrated this week. Kate Hore now leads the all-time games played for the mighty Demons (83 games) and is the AFLW competition’s all-time leading goal scorer with 91 (adding 3 more goals this week). Hopefully, no nervous nineties. Tayla Harris played her 75th AFLW match, while Megan Fitzsimon played her 50th game and Georgia Campbell her 25th. Meggs’ musings One loss doesn’t define us—but it reminds us how hard this comp is. Goody was good but Katey was insanely good. She can’t do it all, others will need to step up. We looked top heavy in the windy conditions. The rehab bad juju might be breaking — Goldie and Gillard are nearly good to go, and selection pressure is about to get real. Coaches and Next Week Mick Stinear said, ‘we weren’t good enough and we left it too late’. A good crack in the last quarter but couldn’t find our rhythm. Composure and skill execution was down on the day. All credit to Port Adelaide. Lauren Arnell felt the pressure was the best her team has shown all season. A statement win. Bold in the contest and learned valuable lessons from being overrun last week against the Eagles. Next week: West Coast Eagles at Casey Fields, Saturday 1:05pm. Let’s switch back on, Dees. The Field of Dreams awaits. See you there! MELBOURNE 0.4.4 1.8.14 2.8.20 5.11.41 PORT ADELAIDE 1.3.9 3.5.23 5.7.37 6.7.43 GOALS MELBOURNE Hore 3 Harris Wotherspoon PORT ADELAIDE Tahau 3 Boag Gaunt Houghton BEST MELBOURNE Hore Hanks Chaplin Harris McNamara Fitzsimon PORT ADELAIDE Dowrick Tahau Woodland Scholz Goody Heads INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil PORT ADELAIDE Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil PORT ADELAIDE Nil CROWD 2,736 at Alberton Oval

Newly-appointed Melbourne Football Club coach Steven King is determined to bring a new sense of freedom to the club. The 46-year-old former Geelong and St Kilda ruckman was unveiled in an official press conference on Monday morning after he was announced as the new Demons coach last week. King, one of Chris Scott’s current assistants at the Cats, has spent time as an assistant at the Saints, Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast where he was also interim senior coach after Stuart Dew’s exit. He says the time is now right to take up a senior gig with a proud club. “I’d just like to take this time to say what a wonderful privilege it is to be given this opportunity,” said King. “I’m extremely humbled and really, really grateful, but super excited to get started. “I feel privileged to sit here today. I understand what a privilege it is, but also a wonderful opportunity. Going through the process I became more and more sure that I was the right fit for the job. “I feel like I bring a skillset, and I've had a wonderful experience in some great organisations, with some terrific cultures and environments, and I'm sure my idea around how I want the game to be played, give our players some freedom to express themselves with ball in hand and to be really aggressive in every phase of the game. “It’s an honour to be here today. I'd also just like to thank my family that are sitting here with me. I wouldn't be here without you guys and, the support you guys have given me really means a lot. “Hopefully, you're as proud of me as I am with you guys, so thank you.” King insists he was purely himself during the selection process and that is what the Demons were attracted to. He wants to see his players play with freedom and really “get after the game” as he looks to inject some buzz into the club with a unique outlook and game style. “Speaking to some people, I probably had the chance to really reflect on my journey and get greater clarity about myself,” he said of the selection process. “I thought throughout the process I'm just going to be authentically me, and the more I was the more it became clear that that's what the Melbourne Footy Club needed as well. “Without sounding full of myself or anything like that, I just feel like I bring a unique experience and skillset that people want to be around. “I want my players to drive to work every day with a massive smile on their face knowing they're going to be stimulated, have a lot of fun, and could be challenged as well. “I honestly believe I want to play a brand of footy that's uniquely Melbourne, and I feel like I can adapt that to the skillset that our players have got. “I want to tap into their premiership experience that some of the players have already and create something that's really unique to us that gets after the competition.” King felt the full brunt of the Demons’ force when he was Bulldogs assistant in the 2021 Grand Final so he knows what his new club is truly capable of. “I really admire what this club's done in the past,” he said further. “I’ve been on the receiving end in that ’21 Grand Final as a midfield coach, so I know the force that's there. I know the physicality, the aggression that the players have. “I just want them to probably play a bit more freedom with ball in hand. I think we need to challenge teams in attack a little bit more. As you see now in today's footy, teams put scores on the board, so I want our players to have freedom to get after the game, attack it, give our forwards a bit more of a look, faster with even numbers, and get after the game. “So without going into too much detail, I feel really privileged, I walk into a club that has a terrific foundation, but the way they compete at the contest, their stoppage structure, and the way they defend - I just want to probably give players a bit more ownership to play with freedom, take what the game gives them and really get after it.”

Bit of a choice between projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/new-melbourne-coach-steven-king-has-christian-petracca-and-clayton-oliver-in-his-ideal-side-for-2026/news-story/a0ce25cd7ecef0cf8e8c8a4169c4c25e?giftid=ScFmKPHEi1

'We got our man': Dees CEO reveals why Steven King was ch...Demons CEO Paul Guerra joined 3AW Football to discuss the overall process and spoke about what impressed him and the selection panel the most about King's pitch.

'We got our man': Dees CEO reveals why Steven King was ch...Demons CEO Paul Guerra joined 3AW Football to discuss the overall process and spoke about what impressed him and the selection panel the most about King's pitch.

From Whispering Jack on FB It’s been another big week in football, and the Melbourne Football Club’s process of appointing a new senior coach has been as captivating as any top-shelf suspense thriller, with the unexpected twist being the appointment of Steven King over Nathan Buckley, who had been the apparent front-runner for the position. At least we put Bucks out of his misery. You could write a book about the years ahead for King. They bring the promise of different seasons and redemption for the club and a big future for the man who once famously kicked Demon ruckman Jeff White in the head in an AFL final but next year will be coaching White’s son. To Steven King - be strong and of good courage. That’s my advice from a Jack to a King. ELVIS PRESLEY - FROM A JACK TO A KING

22nd November but will be celebrated on 8th June in 2026.

The headlines are going to write themselves: Steven King's Misery Steven King's Horror Show Steven King's Stand Steven King's Salem's Lot

Melbourne's inaugural match against Port Adelaide The undefeated Demons venture across the continent to the spiritual home of the Port Adelaide Football Club on Saturday afternoon for the inaugural match for premiership points between these long-historied clubs. Alberton Oval will however, be a ground familiar to our players following a practice match there last year. We lost both the game and Liv Purcell, who missed 7 home and away matches after suffering facial fractures in the dying moments of the game. Demons coach Mick Stinear will test his wits against Port’s Lauren Arnell this week. Lauren has an impressive women’s CV. She was the first former AFLW player to become a senior coach and won nine premierships playing during the incredibly successful Darebin Falcons era. With 36 games of AFLW, her last game a Brisbane premiership, so we can expect her to challenge the Demons brains trust. Ideal footy conditions are forecast —17 degrees, overcast skies, and a light breeze—expect a brutal, physical game. So long as we switch on and match their intensity, our ruthlessly efficient and tall timbered forward line will severely test the defensive capabilities of Port Adelaide at their home. The Match-up The Demons have four straight wins and sit second on the ladder, and while the Power have been competitive, their only win was against the struggling Suns. Port players to watch include their talented ruck Matilda Scholz, secret-weapon half-back Molly Brooksby and genuine young gun Shineah Goody. Throw in tough cookies Abby Dowrick and Kirsty Lamb and forward craft talent in Gemma Houghton and ex-Dee Ash Woodland and expect this is to be a hard-hitting away encounter. Melbourne starts favourites ($1.20) but there’s no room for complacency. Selection this week News that Goldrick and Gillard are 1-2 weeks away is heartwarming. Could it be that the rehab bad juju is finally lifting? No changes this week other than our name. Port has made one forced change, bringing back the experienced Kirsty Lamb from injury. Meggs’ musings As predicted, last week the all-conquering North Melbourne has broken Melbourne’s longest winning streak (14 games, R5 2022-R5 2023) to have 15 wins on the trot since R3 2024 and still going. Which team will be the first to defeat the Kangas? This week Kate Hore surpasses Lily Mithen’s record for most games in the Red and Blue (82), noting the perennial Paxy Paxman trails Kate by just one game. Our skipper is having a stellar season, has been a matchwinner and leads the competition all-time goalkicking with 88 goals. Running out of superlatives. Vice-captain Tyla Hanks is starring this season too with 32 AFLWPA Coaches Award votes, to sit equal second, 3 votes shy of North’s ball-magnet Ash Riddell. Apart from Hore’s expected games tally record, three Demons will reach their own games milestones on Saturday. Tayla Harris will be playing her 75th game overall while Megan Fitzsimon celebrates 50 games and father/daughter Georgia Campbell will reach 25 games played. Congratulations all and yet another reason why Meggs is looking forward to switching on the telly to watch the Dees win from the couch 😊. C’mon Dees! Tip: Melbourne by 16. Expect a hard-fought win in hostile territory. THE GAME Round 5: Melbourne v Port Adelaide on Saturday 13 September 2025 at 3:05pm (AEST) at Alberton Oval, Adelaide – Kaurna HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 0 wins | Port Adelaide 0 wins At Alberton Oval: Melbourne 0 wins | Port Adelaide 0 wins Coaches: Stinear 0 wins | Arnell 0 wins MEDIA COVERAGE Foxtel, Kayo AFL Live Official App THIS WEEK’S TEAMS MELBOURNE FB [28] Saraid Taylor [32] Gabrielle Colvin HB [11] Molly O'Hehir [19] Laela Ebert [13] Maeve Chaplin C [22] Eliza McNamara [5] Tyla Hanks [4] Paxy Paxman HF [24] Megan Fitzsimon [6] Alyssa Bannan [7] Tayla Harris FF [29] Eden Zanker [9] Georgia Gall FOL [15] Lauren Pearce [10] Kate Hore [30] Shelley Heath I/C [1] Georgia Campbell [12] Ryleigh Wotherspoon [20] Maggie Mahony [33] Lily Johnson [43] Jemma Rigoni EMG [3] Alyssia Pisano [14] Amelia Dethridge [35] Mekah Morrissy* NO CHANGE *Top-up player PORT ADELAIDE FB [20] Sachi Syme [21] Amelia Borg HB [12] Ella Heads [30] Teagan Germech [6] Molly Brooksby C [16] Shineah Goody [5] Abby Dowrick [17] Ella Boag HF [1] Justine Mules-Robinson [32] Jasmin Sowden [27] Gemma Houghton FF [8] Ashleigh Woodland [10] Indy Tahu FOL [29] Matilda Scholz [35] Kirsty Lamb [9] Maria Moloney I/C [2] Ebony O’Dea [3] Jasmine Evans [31] Chloe Gaunt [44] Katelyn Pope [23] Alissa Brook EMG [7] Lily Paterson [13] Jasmin Stewart [19] Coby Morgan IN Jasmine Evans, Kirsty Lamb OUT Lily Paterson (omitted), Cheyenne Hammond (injured) Injury List: Round 5 Melbourne Tahlia Gillard — knee / 1 - 2 weeks Sinéad Goldrick — shoulder / 1 - 2 weeks Denby Taylor foot — foot / 2 - 3 weeks Sarah Lampard — calf / 3 - 4 weeks Grace Beasley — knee / 5 - 7 weeks Blaithin Mackin — knee / 6 - 8 weeks Olivia Purcell — knee / Season Jacinta Hose — knee / Inactive Aimee Mackin — knee / Inactive Port Adelaide Jemima Charity — knee / TBC Lauren Young — concussion / 1 week Janelle Cuthbertson — foot / 1-3 weeks Piper Window — ankle / 1-3 weeks Julia Teakle — foot / 2-4 weeks Cheyenne Hammond — finger / 3-5 weeks Caitlin Wendland — knee /Season

IF ...I've always rated the footy smarts of Charlie Spargo ... THEN ...I still don't believe that his exit as an unrestricted free agent to North Melbourne would be worthy of any compensation. Let's see the secret herbs and spices that go into this one.

Interesting that Sammy Edmund says that Buckley is still favourite "should he continue in the process .. I don't know if that is an absolute given at the moment".

From 13:15 mins

Check the Trac thread: https://demonland.com/forums/topic/61260-petracca-oliver-at-the-dees-in-2026/page/77/#findComment-2694920 Trying to make something out of nothing or is it where there is smoke there is fire. Anyway don't discuss here. Click the thread to read and discuss the tea leaves there.