Demonland

I'm assuming this is the interview between Tom McDonald and Kane Cornes that @Terrance Langley was talking about on the Podcast.

Windsor on the radio today.

Who are you tipping this week? Who do you actually want to win? What are the best results for the Demons?

In days of old, this week’s Thursday night AFL match up between the Demons and the Blues would be framed on the basis of the need to redress the fact that Carlton “stole” last year’s semi final away from Melbourne and with it, their hopes for the premiership. A hot gospelling coach might point out to his charges that they were the better team on the night in all facets and that poor kicking for goal and a couple of lapses at the death cost them what was rightfully theirs. Moreover, now was the time for revenge. Those days are over and cooler heads will prevail. What happened last September is history and besides, it’s actually a different team with some new faces, a team that’s travelling nicely with five players having less than 10 AFL games under their belts. It’s time to take care of business in a raw, unemotional way, much the same as how the club has been going about things since the beginning of the year. Just as it did on its recent business trip to Adelaide when the assignment was to win two matches against the local clubs on the same ground and with only five days separating the games. In Adelaide, much ado was made about the belief that by the end of the second game, the Demons would be sapped of energy and that this factor could cost them the win. In the end, the tempo of the game slowed down and their pressure levels were lower but the win was never in doubt. The club’s fitness levels were modified by less intense training in the lead up to the game to ensure that fatigue was kept to a minimum. The Blues will also be looking at their own training schedule in their approach to the week and their second six day break on end is also not ideal. Melbourne has other advantages in the lead up to Thursday night. It has the momentum of two consecutive wins, albeit that neither of them was pretty but one of them at least was against the then form team of the competition, the undefeated Cats. Moreover, they were able to select an unchanged line up for that encounter and suffered no new injuries. At this point in time, the Demons’ selectors have the benefit of picking the best team for the job at hand from a group of in form players. This is in distinct contrast to their opponents in Carlton. While the Blues started the 2024 season in ripping form, they have lost the past two games and three of their last four. Coming up against stronger sides, they have wilted and reverted to a one-dimensional style which depends on their twin towers firing on all cylinders. Their problem is that, as good as they are, Curnow and McKay are coming up against the best of the best defences in the competition. As strong as their midfield might be, the Demons have the wherewithal in the middle to counter them plus plenty of outside run with Ed Langdon and this week’s rising star Caleb Windsor taking care of business in that department. And let’s not forget that it’s a department headed by the player acclaimed as the best ruckman in the business. So much so, that he only needs to be called by his first name — Max! There have been questions raised about Melbourne’s attack in the past, and rightly so. However, as demonstrated to the football world as late as last week in its game against Geelong, Bayley Fritsch and Kysaiah Pickett are two of the competition’s most dangerous forwards. And while Harry Petty and Jacob van Rooyen are not at the same level as the Carlton pairing, they have shown a capacity to get among the goals while Alex Neal-Bullen is also very capable and regarded as the epitome of the high half forward of football. So, there’s no need to get up in arms and enraged about losing those contests last year or to lose our heads over the revenge factor. The Melbourne Business Plan will take care of things. Demons by 19 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG Thursday 9 May 2024 at 7.30pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 119 wins Melbourne 97 wins Drawn 2 At the MCG Carlton 52 wins Melbourne 56 wins Past five meetings Carlton 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches Voss 2 wins Goodwin 2 wins THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 11.7.73 defeated Melbourne 9.17.71 at the MCG Semi Final 2024 The Demons dominated the general play for most of the night but their inability to trouble the scoreboard and some panicky decision making in the game’s final moments proved fatal to their chances of advancing to the preliminary final stage of the season. It was truly the stuff of frustration and dare we say it, very unbusinesslike! 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) Injury List: Round 9
 Jake Bowey — shoulder / Available Josh Schache — Achilles/ Test Christian Salem — hamstring / 1 - 2 weeks 
Charlie Spargo — Achilles / 2 - 3 weeks
Jake Melksham — knee / 5 - 7 weeks

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AFL Expected Score ladder (after Round 8) 1. Sydney Swans (7-0-1, 130.3%) [Real ladder: 1st, 7-1, 147%] 2. Port Adelaide (7-1, 133.7%) [Real ladder: 7th, 5-3, 113.1%] 3. Collingwood (5-2-1, 108.5%) [Real ladder: 9th, 4-3-1, 99%] 4. Fremantle (5-3, 115.8%) [Real ladder: 6th, 5-3, 120.6%] 5. GWS Giants (5-3, 115.3%) [Real ladder: 3rd, 6-2, 126.3%] 6. Western Bulldogs (5-3, 110.6%) [Real ladder: 11th, 3-5, 111.5%] 7. Geelong (5-3, 109.9%) [Real ladder: 2nd, 7-1, 129.5%] 8. Melbourne (5-3, 101%) [Real ladder: 4th, 6-2, 124.3%] 9. Carlton (4-1-3, 111.4%) [Real ladder: 8th, 5-3, 109.8%] 10. Brisbane Lions (4-4, 127%) [Real ladder: 13th, 3-5, 100.3%] 11. Gold Coast Suns (4-4, 100%) [Real ladder: 10th, 4-4, 95.8%] 12. St Kilda (4-4, 98.9%) [Real ladder: 14th, 3-5, 96.4%] 13. Adelaide Crows (3-5, 97.9%) [Real ladder: 12th, 3-5, 101.8%] 14. Hawthorn (3-5, 94.8%) [Real ladder: 16th, 2-6, 74.4%] 15. West Coast Eagles (3-5, 85.2%) [Real ladder: 15th, 2-6, 75.9%] 16. Essendon (1-7, 86%) [Real ladder: 5th, 5-2-1, 95.2%] 17. Richmond (0-7-1, 68.3%) [Real ladder: 17th, 1-7, 71.7%] 18. North Melbourne (0-8, 52.3%) [Real ladder: 18th, 0-8, 57.9%] Expected Score - Luckiest Team

What are the odds Scott gave his boys the 5 and 4? Votes Player (Club) 8 Max Holmes (GEEL) 6 Zach Guthrie (GEEL) 5 Jake Lever (MELB) 4 Kysaiah Pickett (MELB) 3 Max Gawn (MELB) 3 Steven May (MELB) 1 Harrison Petty (MELB) Leaderboard Votes Player Club 55 Isaac Heeney SYD 47 Zach Merrett ESS 40 Caleb Serong FRE 36 Max Gawn MELB 33 Errol Gulden SYD 32 Jeremy Cameron GEEL 31 Tom Green GWS 30 Zak Butters PORT 30 Nick Daicos COLL 29 Marcus Bontempelli WB 28 Matt Rowell GCFC 27 Noah Anderson GCFC 27 Patrick Cripps CARL 27 Harry McKay CARL 27 Gryan Miers GEEL 27 Elliot Yeo WCE 25 Max Holmes GEEL 25 Christian Petracca MELB 24 Connor Rozee PORT 24 Hayden Young FRE

The Casey Demons have been left languishing near the bottom of the VFL table after suffering a 32-point defeat at the hands of stand alone club Williamstown at Casey Fields on Sunday. The Demons suffered a major setback before the game even started when AFL listed players Ben Brown, Marty Hore and Josh Schache were withdrawn from the selected side. Only Schache was confirmed as an injury replacement, the other two held over as possible injury replacements for Melbourne’s Thursday night fixture against Carlton. The replacements didn’t end there as forward Shane McAdam left the field early with concussion. Lachie Hunter, who was quiet up to half time, saw no further action after the main break, suggesting that he was also being held back. With the continuing absence of injured centreman Campbell Hustwaite and the resting (management) of defender Leo Connolly, the home side was almost bereft of strong bodies with experienced heads. Against ladder heavyweights Williamstown, Casey was left flat footed. They managed the opening goal from Harvey Neocleous in the first minute or so of the game but then struggled to score when slightly favoured by a cross wind for the remainder of the term and their next goal took a while coming. By that time the Seagulls were in command. Adam Tomlinson was getting plenty of touches in the early going but one or two errors proved costly and his influence waned after a dominant opening term. The second quarter saw Willy quickly skip away to a 23 point lead, at which time a sudden and unexpected change came over the game. Enter Roy George, unheralded debutant and former Peel Thunder player who kicked the first of his three goals to stem the tide in mid term and contributed to another by chipping the ball to Kynan Brown before the buzzer to see the team only 15 points adrift at half time. Fans around the ground were asking “who is this effervescent small forward Roy George?” The answer is that the 179cm tall, 87kg journeyman originally named as an emergency who got his call up when Melbourne withdrew three of its players from the team before the game, hails from Bunbury WA. He has played for Peel Thunder in the WAFL and over the past couple of years, his name has bobbed up in country Victoria and in the Northern Territory in the off season. George remained in the thick of things in the third quarter, kicking two quick goals and assisting in others. Against the odds, Casey was now back in the game thanks to his brilliance coupled with the strong defensive play of Andy Moniz-Wakefield who finished with a game-high 30 disposals and seven marks. The team’s younger guns Matt Jefferson, Koltyn Tholstrup and Ollie Sestan all contributed to the team’s sudden reversal of fortunes. Jefferson in particular, had a strong second half after a quiet start and was another who led a third quarter charge that saw Casey incredibly holding a six point lead at the final break. The Seagulls still had the ace card as they had the advantage of the wind at their backs in the final term but when Jefferson goaled five minutes into the quarter, an upset seemed a possibility. Not to be deterred, Willy plugged away and fought back to again wrest the lead in mid quarter. Casey’s cause was not helped by the fact that two of their Melbourne listers were off for all of the second half. George’s influence faded at the end, as did one or two others who had carried a heavy load through the game’s difficult conditions. Once Williamstown got their noses in front, the floodgates opened. With experienced, ex GWS Giant 203cm ruckman Tom Downie, dominant and ex Casey player Corey Ellison booting four goals, the visitors romped home with six of the last seven majors of the game. Although beaten in the ruck, Will Verrall had 17 disposals and 23 hitouts while Kynan Brown finished with 15 touches, 10 tackles and a goal. Mitch White (21 disposals) and Tyler Edwards (20 possessions) battled hard all day for Casey. The Casey Demons are now a shadow of the team that won the flag less than two years ago and will remain under the pump as long as the VFL fixture makes it difficult for the club to play its strongest team with players held back to potentially remain fresh to face off against opponents on short breaks. Their next game is against Carlton at Ikon Park on Friday. CASEY DEMONS 1.0.6 3.3.21 8.6.54 10.8.68 WILLIAMSTOWN 1.4.10 5.6.36 7.6.54 15.10.100 GOALS CASEY DEMONS George Jefferson 3 Brown Edwards Neocleous White WILLIAMSTOWN Ellison 4 McLoughlin Petric 3 Brown Ebinger Gadsby Henderson Toner BEST CASEY DEMONS Moniz-Wakefield White Edwards Verrall George Tomlinson Brown WILLIAMSTOWN Downie Ellison Toner McLaughlin Fitzgerald Triffett Disposals Jed Adams 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 4 marks 36 dream team points Jake Bell 1 behind 3 kicks 2 handballs 5 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 34 dream team points Kynan Brown 1 goal 6 kicks 9 handballs 15 disposals 2 marks 10 tackles 88 dream team points Tyler Edwards 1 goal 16 kicks 4 handballs 20 disposals 6 marks 4 tackles 100 dream team points Tom Freeman 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 50 dream team points Tom Fullarton 1 behind 9 kicks 2 handballs 11 disposals 3 marks 10 hitouts 51 dream team points Roy George 3 goals 7 kicks 5 handballs 12 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 64 dream team points Max Gregory 3 kicks 6 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 24 dream team points Lachie Hunter 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 3 marks 17 dream team points Matt Jefferson 3 goals 2 behinds 6 kicks 6 handballs 12 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 74 dream team points Brayden Laplanche 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 34 dream team points Shane McAdam 1 kicks 2 handballs 3 disposals 1 mark 10 dream team points Andy Moniz-Wakefield 23 kicks 7 handballs 30 disposals 7 marks 3 tackles 114 dream team points Ned Moodie 6 kicks 10 handballs 16 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 49 dream team points Harvey Neocleous 1 goal 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 22 dream team points Ollie Sestan 1 behind 11 kicks 3 handballs 14 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 59 dream team points Roan Steele 5 kicks 1 handballs 6 disposals 2 tackles 22 dream team points Mitch Szybkowski 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 42 dream team points Koltyn Tholstrup 7 kicks 5 handballs 12 disposals 3 marks 6 tackles 66 dream team points Adam Tomlinson 16 kicks 4 handballs 20 disposals 8 marks 3 tackles 86 dream team points Will Verrall 8 kicks 9 handballs 17 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 23 hitouts 92 dream team points Mitch White 1 goal 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 3 marks 7 tackles 98 dream team points Kai Windsor 2 kicks 2 handballs 4 disposals 1 mark 10 dream team points

I think we will leave the questions there. We should have enough content for the show. I will close the thread now and reopen it just before air time.

Ask and you shall receive.

LEADERBOARD 97. Max Gawn 60. Christian Petracca 54. Steven May 40. Jake Lever 28. Clayton Oliver Jack Viney. 27. Alex Neal-Bullen 21. Bayley Fritsch 20. Trent Rivers 15. Ed Langdon Judd McVee 14. Kade Chandler 12. Tom McDonald Christian Salem 11. Blake Howes Daniel Turner 10. Jack Billings Kysaiah Pickett 9. Tom Sparrow 5. Caleb Windsor 2. Harry Petty Adam Tomlinson 1. Jake Bowey

The one that got away. MELBOURNE 3.3.21 4.7.31 7.11.53 9.17.71 CARLTON 2.2.14 5.3.33 7.5.47 11.7.73 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B J. Lever A. Tomlinson J. Bowey HB J. McVee S. May C. Salem C L. Hunter C. Oliver E. Langdon HF J. Jordon B. Fritsch C. Petracca F T. Sparrow McDonald A. Neal-Bullen FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, K. Pickett I/C K. Chandler T. Rivers J. Smith C. Spargo SUB J. Schache EMG B. Grundy M. Hibberd B. Laurie IN J. Jordon J. Schache C. Spargo A. Tomlinson OUT A. Brayshaw (concussion) M. Hibberd (omitted) B. Laurie (omitted) J. van Rooyen (suspended) CARLTON B B. Kemp J. Weitering N. Newman HB A. Cincotta M. McGovern A. Saad C B. Acres P. Cripps M. Cottrell HF S. Docherty T. De Koning M. Owies F L. Fogarty C. Curnow J. Motlop FOLL M. Pittonet A. Cerra S. Walsh I/C D. Cunningham G. Hewett M. Kennedy C. Marchbank SUB O. Hollands EMG P. Dow S. Durdin Z. Fisher IN O. Hollands M. Kennedy OUT H. McKay (hamstring) J. Martin (suspended)

UNDER THE PUMP by KC from Casey The Casey Demons have been left languishing near the bottom of the VFL table after suffering a 32-point defeat at the hands of stand alone club Williamstown at Casey Fields on Sunday. The Demons suffered a major setback before the game even started when AFL listed players Ben Brown, Marty Hore and Josh Schache were withdrawn from the selected side. Only Schache was confirmed as an injury replacement, the other two held over as possible injury replacements for Melbourne’s Thursday night fixture against Carlton. The replacements didn’t end there as forward Shane McAdam left the field early with concussion. Lachie Hunter, who was quiet up to half time, saw no further action after the main break, suggesting that he was also being held back. With the continuing absence of injured centreman Campbell Hustwaite and the resting (management) of defender Leo Connolly, the home side was almost bereft of strong bodies with experienced heads. Against ladder heavyweights Williamstown, Casey was left flat footed. They managed the opening goal from Harvey Neocleous in the first minute or so of the game but then struggled to score when slightly favoured by a cross wind for the remainder of the term and their next goal took a while coming. By that time the Seagulls were in command. Adam Tomlinson was getting plenty of touches in the early going but one or two errors proved costly and his influence waned after a dominant opening term. The second quarter saw Willy quickly skip away to a 23 point lead, at which time a sudden and unexpected change came over the game. Enter Roy George, unheralded debutant and former Peel Thunder player who kicked the first of his three goals to stem the tide in mid term and contributed to another by chipping the ball to Kynan Brown before the buzzer to see the team only 15 points adrift at half time. Fans around the ground were asking “who is this effervescent small forward Roy George?” The answer is that the 179cm tall, 87kg journeyman originally named as an emergency who got his call up when Melbourne withdrew three of its players from the team before the game, hails from Bunbury WA. He has played for Peel Thunder in the WAFL and over the past couple of years, his name has bobbed up in country Victoria and in the Northern Territory in the off season. George remained in the thick of things in the third quarter, kicking two quick goals and assisting in others. Against the odds, Casey was now back in the game thanks to his brilliance coupled with the strong defensive play of Andy Moniz-Wakefield who finished with a game-high 30 disposals and seven marks. The team’s younger guns Matt Jefferson, Koltyn Tholstrup and Ollie Sestan all contributed to the team’s sudden reversal of fortunes. Jefferson in particular, had a strong second half after a quiet start and was another who led a third quarter charge that saw Casey incredibly holding a six point lead at the final break. The Seagulls still had the ace card as they had the advantage of the wind at their backs in the final term but when Jefferson goaled five minutes into the quarter, an upset seemed a possibility. Not to be deterred, Willy plugged away and fought back to again wrest the lead in mid quarter. Casey’s cause was not helped by the fact that two of their Melbourne listers were off for all of the second half. George’s influence faded at the end, as did one or two others who had carried a heavy load through the game’s difficult conditions. Once Williamstown got their noses in front, the floodgates opened. With experienced, ex GWS Giant 203cm ruckman Tom Downie, dominant and ex Casey player Corey Ellison booting four goals, the visitors romped home with six of the last seven majors of the game. Although beaten in the ruck, Will Verrall had 17 disposals and 23 hitouts while Kynan Brown finished with 15 touches, 10 tackles and a goal. Mitch White (21 disposals) and Tyler Edwards (20 possessions) battled hard all day for Casey. The Casey Demons are now a shadow of the team that won the flag less than two years ago and will remain under the pump as long as the VFL fixture makes it difficult for the club to play its strongest team with players held back to potentially remain fresh to face off against opponents on short breaks. Their next game is against Carlton at Ikon Park on Friday. CASEY DEMONS 1.0.6 3.3.21 8.6.54 10.8.68 WILLIAMSTOWN 1.4.10 5.6.36 7.6.54 15.10.100 GOALS CASEY DEMONS George Jefferson 3 Brown Edwards Neocleous White WILLIAMSTOWN Ellison 4 McLoughlin Petric 3 Brown Ebinger Gadsby Henderson Toner BEST CASEY DEMONS Moniz-Wakefield White Edwards Verrall George Tomlinson Brown WILLIAMSTOWN Downie Ellison Toner McLaughlin Fitzgerald Triffett Disposals Jed Adams 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 4 marks 36 dream team points Jake Bell 1 behind 3 kicks 2 handballs 5 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 34 dream team points Kynan Brown 1 goal 6 kicks 9 handballs 15 disposals 2 marks 10 tackles 88 dream team points Tyler Edwards 1 goal 16 kicks 4 handballs 20 disposals 6 marks 4 tackles 100 dream team points Tom Freeman 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 50 dream team points Tom Fullarton 1 behind 9 kicks 2 handballs 11 disposals 3 marks 10 hitouts 51 dream team points Roy George 3 goals 7 kicks 5 handballs 12 disposals 3 marks 1 tackles 64 dream team points Max Gregory 3 kicks 6 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 24 dream team points Lachie Hunter 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 3 marks 17 dream team points Matt Jefferson 3 goals 2 behinds 6 kicks 6 handballs 12 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 74 dream team points Brayden Laplanche 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 34 dream team points Shane McAdam 1 kicks 2 handballs 3 disposals 1 mark 10 dream team points Andy Moniz-Wakefield 23 kicks 7 handballs 30 disposals 7 marks 3 tackles 114 dream team points Ned Moodie 6 kicks 10 handballs 16 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 49 dream team points Harvey Neocleous 1 goal 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 22 dream team points Ollie Sestan 1 behind 11 kicks 3 handballs 14 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 59 dream team points Roan Steele 5 kicks 1 handballs 6 disposals 2 tackles 22 dream team points Mitch Szybkowski 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 42 dream team points Koltyn Tholstrup 7 kicks 5 handballs 12 disposals 3 marks 6 tackles 66 dream team points Adam Tomlinson 16 kicks 4 handballs 20 disposals 8 marks 3 tackles 86 dream team points Will Verrall 8 kicks 9 handballs 17 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 23 hitouts 92 dream team points Mitch White 1 goal 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 3 marks 7 tackles 98 dream team points Kai Windsor 2 kicks 2 handballs 4 disposals 1 mark 10 dream team points