Demonland

Our disposal is amateurish.

Double the amount of frees. 14 to 7

Rightly so. Not worth $6.50 at the moment.

Not sure Weid is a player. Kills me to say it.

You can't touch a Richmond player but you do whatever you like to a Dees player.

We cannot buy a free.

2019 Demons are back.

Once again being murdered by the umps. Weid needs to watch Tim Smith take a mark.

THE BRIGHT SIDE by Whispering Jack I don’t often agree with Dermott Brereton but he came close to the mark last week when he labelled Melbourne a “team of downhill skiers” that works much harder offensively than it does defensively. And he was looking at the bright side of the team’s game plan. That proposition has been clear since before the season started. It was obvious from the first JLT game against Richmond when the team leaked multiple goals in a short space of time as players gave metres away to opposition forwards. The same thing applied when the team went forward - there were no desperate acts to keep the ball in the forward regions. This has been a feature of Melbourne’s game ever since. And nothing was more emblematic of that style of play (or embarrassing) than the way the Demons finished off their game last Saturday against the Saints. With 1 minute and 10 seconds left on the clock, the St Kilda was leading by 28 points. The ball was kicked into the Saints’ forward pocket where the two tallest Demons, Max Gawn and Braydon Preuss, were standing among a group of half a dozen as the ball descended on the waiting pack. Now, the game was all but over and the four premiership points were already in St Kilda’s pocket but that doesn’t mean that the defence suddenly had the licence to be the bystanders as Tim Membrey marked without the pressure of the two tall Demons, one punching from behind and the other moving across to force a contest. But it didn’t happen and what made it worse was the lapses in the following minute that enabled a mark on the siren and another goal to Jack Billings. That was the difference between Melbourne and St Kilda - the lack of concentration and application for the full 100 minutes. It also marked the difference between the team Friday night performances last September and what is the shell of that side today. It was hard to watch the Easter Sunday game between Geelong and Hawthorn and to realise that what is virtually the same team personnel wise, eliminated both of them from the finals last year. Despite all this, the result of this game is not cut and dried. The Tigers only beat the Swans by 22 points at Marvel Stadium which was also Melbourne’s winning margin against the same team on their dung heap. Miracles have been know to happen at this time but only to those who look on the bright side and make them happen. In Melbourne’s case that might be the case if every player reverted to their 2018 mindset and worked harder defensively when the ball is in both halves of the ground. THE GAME Richmond v Melbourne on Wednesday 24 April 2019 at 7.35pm at the MCG HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 75 wins Richmond 105 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Melbourne 63 wins Richmond 70 wins Drawn 1 Past five meetings Melbourne 2 wins Richmond 3 wins The Coaches Hardwick 2 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel Seven Mate Fox Sports Live at 7.00pm Radio - TBA THE LAST TIME THEY MET Richmond 15.12.102 defeated Melbourne 8.8.56 in Round 5, 2018 at the MCG The Tigers played with the Demons for three quarters and then turned on the afterburners in a matter of moments to win by 46 points. THE TEAMS RICHMOND B Nathan Broad David Astbury Dylan Grimes HB Nick Vlastuin Shane Edwards Bachar Houli C Brandon Ellis Dion Prestia Kamdyn McIntosh HF Daniel Rioli Jack Ross Jason Castagna F Jack Riewoldt Tom J Lynch Dustin Martin FOLL Toby Nankervis Josh Caddy Kane Lambert I/C Liam Baker Noah Balta Jack Higgins Sydney Stack EMG Shai Bolton Jack Graham Connor Menadue Ivan Soldo IN Jack Riewoldt OUT Shai Bolton (Omitted) MELBOURNE B Marty Hore Sam Frost Jordan Lewis HB Bayley Fritsch Michael Hibberd Christian Salem C Nathan Jones Jack Viney Jayden Hunt HF James Harmes Sam Weideman Christian Petracca F Alex Neal-Bullen Tom McDonald Jake Melksham FOLL Max Gawn Clayton Oliver Angus Brayshaw I/C Jeff Garlett Jay Lockhart Tim Smith Billy Stretch EMG Declan Keilty Oscar McDonald Tom Sparrow Corey Wagner IN Jeff Garlett Jay Lockhart Alex Neal-Bullen Tim Smith Billy Stretch OUT Neville Jetta (knee) Braydon Preuss (shoulder) Charlie Spargo (omitted) Corey Wagner (omitted) Josh Wagner (omitted) Injury List: Round 6 Braydon Pr euss (shoulder) – 1 week Steven May (groin) – 4 weeks Mitch Hannan (knee) – 4-5 weeks Jake Lever (knee) – 4-5 weeks Jay Kennedy Harris (knee) – 4-6 weeks Joel Smith (groin) – 4-6 weeks Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – 4-6 weeks Neville Jetta (knee) – 10-12 Kade Kolodjashnij (concussion) – TBA Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinit e Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season

I don’t often agree with Dermott Brereton but he came close to the mark last week when he labelled Melbourne a “team of downhill skiers” that works much harder offensively than it does defensively. And he was looking at the bright side of the team’s game plan. That proposition has been clear since before the season started. It was obvious from the first JLT game against Richmond when the team leaked multiple goals in a short space of time as players gave metres away to opposition forwards. The same thing applied when the team went forward - there were no desperate acts to keep the ball in the forward regions. This has been a feature of Melbourne’s game ever since. And nothing was more emblematic of that style of play (or embarrassing) than the way the Demons finished off their game last Saturday against the Saints. With 1 minute and 10 seconds left on the clock, the St Kilda was leading by 28 points. The ball was kicked into the Saints’ forward pocket where the two tallest Demons, Max Gawn and Braydon Preuss, were standing among a group of half a dozen as the ball descended on the waiting pack. Now, the game was all but over and the four premiership points were already in St Kilda’s pocket but that doesn’t mean that the defence suddenly had the licence to be the bystanders as Tim Membrey marked without the pressure of the two tall Demons, one punching from behind and the other moving across to force a contest. But it didn’t happen and what made it worse was the lapses in the following minute that enabled a mark on the siren and another goal to Jack Billings. That was the difference between Melbourne and St Kilda - the lack of concentration and application for the full 100 minutes. It also marked the difference between the team Friday night performances last September and what is the shell of that side today. It was hard to watch the Easter Sunday game between Geelong and Hawthorn and to realise that what is virtually the same team personnel wise, eliminated both of them from the finals last year. Despite all this, the result of this game is not cut and dried. The Tigers only beat the Swans by 22 points at Marvel Stadium which was also Melbourne’s winning margin against the same team on their dung heap. Miracles have been know to happen at this time but only to those who look on the bright side and make them happen. In Melbourne’s case that might be the case if every player reverted to their 2018 mindset and worked harder defensively when the ball is in both halves of the ground. THE GAME Richmond v Melbourne on Wednesday 24 April 2019 at 7.35pm at the MCG HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 75 wins Richmond 105 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Melbourne 63 wins Richmond 70 wins Drawn 1 Past five meetings Melbourne 2 wins Richmond 3 wins The Coaches Hardwick 2 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel Seven Mate Fox Sports Live at 7.00pm Radio - TBA THE LAST TIME THEY MET Richmond 15.12.102 defeated Melbourne 8.8.56 in Round 5, 2018 at the MCG The Tigers played with the Demons for three quarters and then turned on the afterburners in a matter of moments to win by 46 points. THE TEAMS RICHMOND B Nathan Broad David Astbury Dylan Grimes HB Nick Vlastuin Shane Edwards Bachar Houli C Brandon Ellis Dion Prestia Kamdyn McIntosh HF Daniel Rioli Jack Ross Jason Castagna F Jack Riewoldt Tom J Lynch Dustin Martin FOLL Toby Nankervis Josh Caddy Kane Lambert I/C Liam Baker Noah Balta Jack Higgins Sydney Stack EMG Shai Bolton Jack Graham Connor Menadue Ivan Soldo IN Jack Riewoldt OUT Shai Bolton (Omitted) MELBOURNE B Marty Hore Sam Frost Jordan Lewis HB Bayley Fritsch Michael Hibberd Christian Salem C Nathan Jones Jack Viney Jayden Hunt HF James Harmes Sam Weideman Christian Petracca F Alex Neal-Bullen Tom McDonald Jake Melksham FOLL Max Gawn Clayton Oliver Angus Brayshaw I/C Jeff Garlett Jay Lockhart Tim Smith Billy Stretch EMG Declan Keilty Oscar McDonald Tom Sparrow Corey Wagner IN Jeff Garlett Jay Lockhart Alex Neal-Bullen Tim Smith Billy Stretch OUT Neville Jetta (knee) Braydon Preuss (shoulder) Charlie Spargo (omitted) Corey Wagner (omitted) Josh Wagner (omitted) Injury List: Round 6 Braydon Preuss (shoulder) – 1 week Steven May (groin) – 4 weeks Mitch Hannan (knee) – 4-5 weeks Jake Lever (knee) – 4-5 weeks Jay Kennedy Harris (knee) – 4-6 weeks Joel Smith (groin) – 4-6 weeks Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – 4-6 weeks Neville Jetta (knee) – 10-12 Kade Kolodjashnij (concussion) – TBA Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season

I'm interstate. Thanks for starting the thread.

The Casey Demons played an exhibition match against an Australian Under 19 team at the MCG on Easter Saturday but the game was played with more than half an eye on the fact that whilst their senior counterpart was taking part in their AFL Round 5 game against St Kilda later that afternoon, they also had an assignment just four days later against Richmond. The team, with 10 AFL Demons, opened strongly and dominated the first half to lead by four goals at the main break before taking most of their Melbourne players off and leaving the highly talented youngsters to use their skills to take over and run away to a comfortable 23 point win. Billy Stretch was outstanding in the first half with 15 possessions, Jeff Garlett was busy around goal and Oscar McDonald was strong in defence. Declan Keilty was powerful in his few moments in the first half. Once they went off, Casey was left with few players with any AFL experience to speak of other than Alex Neal-Bullen who shone with 26 disposals. Mykelti Lefau who came on at half time booted three goals against the tide. Casey Demons 3.1.19 7. 4.46 8.6.54 11.8.74 Australia 2.2.14 3.4.22 8.5.53 15.7.97 Goals Lefau 3 M Lewis 2 J Briggs Garlett Keilty Neal-Bullen T Smith White

CASEY TAKES ON THE AUSSIES by KC from Casey The Casey Demons played an exhibition match against an Australian Under 19 team at the MCG on Easter Saturday but the game was played with more than half an eye on the fact that whilst their senior counterpart was taking part in their AFL Round 5 game against St Kilda later that afternoon, they also had an assignment just four days later against Richmond. The team, with 10 AFL Demons, opened strongly and dominated the first half to lead by four goals at the main break before taking most of their Melbourne players off and leaving the highly talented youngsters to use their skills to take over and run away to a comfortable 23 point win. Billy Stretch was outstanding in the first half with 15 possessions, Jeff Garlett was busy around goal and Oscar McDonald was strong in defence. Declan Keilty was powerful in his few moments in the first half. Once they went off, Casey was left with few players with any AFL experience to speak of other than Alex Neal-Bullen who shone with 26 disposals. Mykelti Lefau who came on at half time booted three goals against the tide. Casey Demons 3.1.19 7. 4.46 8.6.54 11.8.74 Australia 2.2.14 3.4.22 8.5.53 15.7.97 Goals Lefau 3 M Lewis 2 J Briggs Garlett Keilty Neal-Bullen T Smith White

It’s the same players every week ... 51. Angus Brayshaw 47. Clayton Oliver 41. Max Gawn 36. James Harmes 34. Christian Salem 17. Sam Frost 16. Jake Melksham 15. Nathan Jones Jack Viney 12. Jayden Hunt 9. Marty Hore 4. Bayley Fritsch Michael Hibberd Braydon Preuss 3. Corey Wagner 2. Jay Lockhart Alex Neal-Bullen Christian Petracca 1. Neville Jetta

EASTER BUNNIES by George on the Outer Easter is supposed to be an occasion of hope, revival and ultimately celebration. But for the Demon supporters it was none of these as yet again their team was made Easter Bunnies by the Saints. With the exception of Christian Salem, there was not a single winner on the ground. The danger for the Demons was giving the Saints their own hope and enthusiasm by conceding early goals. That is exactly what happened in the first quarter, although with some ridiculous frees from the umpires close to goal. Nevertheless, the opportunity still stood before the Melbourne players, all they had to do was stay in the game, and all the efforts would come to fruition ... surely ... surely? On just about every statistic the Demons outclassed the Saints, yet the scoreboard showed no genuine improvement. Simple fact is that the forward line is completely and utterly dysfunctional. Aside from early goals (yet again) from Braydon Preuss, the rest of the designated forwards contributed nothing of value for the game (yet again). Jake Melksham with two goals and Christian Petracca with a single out of a total of seven majors for the game says it all. Once again Tom McDonald and Sam Weideman failed to bother the goal umpires. We are missing Jesse Hogan more than most would admit, and the plans to cover his loss have been shown to be worthless. A single goal in the second quarter, followed by another goal-less third quarter, as the Saints piled on eight unanswered goals to have the match all sewn up by ¾ time. Too many only look at the defenders and blame them for when the opposition walk the ball into goal, seemingly without a Melbourne player nearby. The truth is the problem lies further up the ground, particularly with those non-performing forwards, and some will not like to hear this, but also the mids. For the third time this season we have been absolutely cut to ribbons by the small outside runners. Where do they come from? Just look a little upfield to see where the likes of Lonie, Billings, Steven and Steele start their runs from. Who are their opponents? They are usually easy to find as they are 30 metres behind. And sadly, their opponents are some of the highest possession getters for the Melbourne side. Not much point getting the hands on the ball when your opponents are busy waltzing down the field and kicking goals ... The situation is not aided when the coaching staff put Jones and Lewis on the wings. That might have been something done in 2018, but wings are now needed and used (by winning sides) to cover a far greater depth of the ground. And Melbourne players on those wings and even flanks continue to just meander toward the contest. It was a sharp contrast to St.Kilda players who ran toward the middle to either cover defensively, or provide an outside option. The other standout was the team positioning in general play by St.Kilda. They were well drilled at the outside fringe and moved almost ballet like together as they kept their Melbourne opponents inside by a metre or so. Should they win the ball, they have that metre start, but not just one of them, all of them. It was why the Melbourne players were so far behind as the Saints linked up down the field. In sharp contrast the Demon players gave their opponents five metres and have fallen into the old defensive zone trap of “guarding grass”. This type of zone works on a basketball court where the space is limited. On a football field it leaves holes everywhere. To apply it to a football field, it is essential to concede the minimum space, but keep the opponent within striking range. Back to the forwards. Tom Mac cannot run at the moment - he has not recovered from his foot injury and so cannot lead. Weideman needs serious coaching in forward work. His leads are non-existent and as a result the only time he is seen competing is in the air, contests he will not win until he adds strength to his body. He also needs coaching on when to jump, as he runs under the flight of the ball too often. Importantly, ALL the forwards need to apply some pressure on their opponents. Remember, Tom can’t run, but Petracca, Melksham, Weidemannn and even Hunt were nowhere to be seen. Between them they could only manage 7 tackles for the game! That’s the same number as Jack Viney. This is where the opposition start their attacks, especially when the same players are unable to mark the ball to keep it in the forward 50m. Melbourne certainly didn’t come home with the chocolates at Easter. Those failings that have re-surfaced again and again since the start of the season will surely standout even more when facing a Richmond side which uses forward manic pressure and slingshot manoeuvres to score more than any other side. Is there any hope? Probably not, for coming into an ANZAC eve match without ammunition or reserves is something not even those brave souls at Gallipoli faced. Demon fans are calling for various players to be replaced, but the options at Casey have either been tried and failed, or are simply not up to the task. We desperately do need a player or 2 in the forward line who can run and chase or who can mark the ball. Losing one of the current batch in front of goal will not change the scoreline, given their output this season. The season is now over for the Demons. In 2018, even in losing games, the side was competitive. Failings could be sheeted home to youth and inexperience. Not so this year. We have returned to the stage where opposition get runs of unanswered goals, and we have no answer. We have too many unfit, injured players unable to make a meaningful contribution, with little prospect of replacements to fill the gaps. And unlike the Christian faith, there is little prospect of resurrection in three days. Melbourne 3.3.21 4.5.29 4.8.32 7.13.55 St Kilda 4.1.25 7.2.44 12.5.77 15.5.95 Goals Melbourne Melksham Preuss 2 Brayshaw Harmes Preuss St Kilda Membrey 4 Kent 3 Billings Bruce 2 Acres Lonie Long Parker Best Melbourne Brayshaw Oliver Gawn Harmes Salem Hore St Kilda Billings Kent Membrey Newnes Acres Steele Geary Injuries Melbourne Nil St Kilda Long (corked thigh) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Chamberlain Whetton Harris Official crowd 35,558 at the MCG

Easter is supposed to be an occasion of hope, revival and ultimately celebration. But for the Demon supporters it was none of these as yet again their team was made Easter Bunnies by the Saints. With the exception of Christian Salem, there was not a single winner on the ground. The danger for the Demons was giving the Saints their own hope and enthusiasm by conceding early goals. That is exactly what happened in the first quarter, although with some ridiculous frees from the umpires close to goal. Nevertheless, the opportunity still stood before the Melbourne players, all they had to do was stay in the game, and all the efforts would come to fruition ... surely ... surely? On just about every statistic the Demons outclassed the Saints, yet the scoreboard showed no genuine improvement. Simple fact is that the forward line is completely and utterly dysfunctional. Aside from early goals (yet again) from Braydon Preuss, the rest of the designated forwards contributed nothing of value for the game (yet again). Jake Melksham with two goals and Christian Petracca with a single out of a total of seven majors for the game says it all. Once again Tom McDonald and Sam Weideman failed to bother the goal umpires. We are missing Jesse Hogan more than most would admit, and the plans to cover his loss have been shown to be worthless. A single goal in the second quarter, followed by another goal-less third quarter, as the Saints piled on eight unanswered goals to have the match all sewn up by ¾ time. Too many only look at the defenders and blame them for when the opposition walk the ball into goal, seemingly without a Melbourne player nearby. The truth is the problem lies further up the ground, particularly with those non-performing forwards, and some will not like to hear this, but also the mids. For the third time this season we have been absolutely cut to ribbons by the small outside runners. Where do they come from? Just look a little upfield to see where the likes of Lonie, Billings, Steven and Steele start their runs from. Who are their opponents? They are usually easy to find as they are 30 metres behind. And sadly, their opponents are some of the highest possession getters for the Melbourne side. Not much point getting the hands on the ball when your opponents are busy waltzing down the field and kicking goals ... The situation is not aided when the coaching staff put Jones and Lewis on the wings. That might have been something done in 2018, but wings are now needed and used (by winning sides) to cover a far greater depth of the ground. And Melbourne players on those wings and even flanks continue to just meander toward the contest. It was a sharp contrast to St.Kilda players who ran toward the middle to either cover defensively, or provide an outside option. The other standout was the team positioning in general play by St.Kilda. They were well drilled at the outside fringe and moved almost ballet like together as they kept their Melbourne opponents inside by a metre or so. Should they win the ball, they have that metre start, but not just one of them, all of them. It was why the Melbourne players were so far behind as the Saints linked up down the field. In sharp contrast the Demon players gave their opponents five metres and have fallen into the old defensive zone trap of “guarding grass”. This type of zone works on a basketball court where the space is limited. On a football field it leaves holes everywhere. To apply it to a football field, it is essential to concede the minimum space, but keep the opponent within striking range. Back to the forwards. Tom Mac cannot run at the moment - he has not recovered from his foot injury and so cannot lead. Weideman needs serious coaching in forward work. His leads are non-existent and as a result the only time he is seen competing is in the air, contests he will not win until he adds strength to his body. He also needs coaching on when to jump, as he runs under the flight of the ball too often. Importantly, ALL the forwards need to apply some pressure on their opponents. Remember, Tom can’t run, but Petracca, Melksham, Weidemannn and even Hunt were nowhere to be seen. Between them they could only manage 7 tackles for the game! That’s the same number as Jack Viney. This is where the opposition start their attacks, especially when the same players are unable to mark the ball to keep it in the forward 50m. Melbourne certainly didn’t come home with the chocolates at Easter. Those failings that have re-surfaced again and again since the start of the season will surely standout even more when facing a Richmond side which uses forward manic pressure and slingshot manoeuvres to score more than any other side. Is there any hope? Probably not, for coming into an ANZAC eve match without ammunition or reserves is something not even those brave souls at Gallipoli faced. Demon fans are calling for various players to be replaced, but the options at Casey have either been tried and failed, or are simply not up to the task. We desperately do need a player or 2 in the forward line who can run and chase or who can mark the ball. Losing one of the current batch in front of goal will not change the scoreline, given their output this season. The season is now over for the Demons. In 2018, even in losing games, the side was competitive. Failings could be sheeted home to youth and inexperience. Not so this year. We have returned to the stage where opposition get runs of unanswered goals, and we have no answer. We have too many unfit, injured players unable to make a meaningful contribution, with little prospect of replacements to fill the gaps. And unlike the Christian faith, there is little prospect of resurrection in three days. Melbourne 3.3.21 4.5.29 4.8.32 7.13.55 St Kilda 4.1.25 7.2.44 12.5.77 15.5.95 Goals Melbourne Melksham Preuss 2 Brayshaw Harmes Preuss St Kilda Membrey 4 Kent 3 Billings Bruce 2 Acres Lonie Long Parker Best Melbourne Brayshaw Oliver Gawn Harmes Salem Hore St Kilda Billings Kent Membrey Newnes Acres Steele Geary Injuries Melbourne Nil St Kilda Long (corked thigh) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Chamberlain Whetton Harris Official crowd 35,558 at the MCG

The Tigers were at their best 12 months ago. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Josh Wagner, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Jake Lever, Bernie Vince ? James Harmes, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson HF: Alex Neal-Bullen, Sam Weideman, Christian Petracca F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham Foll: Max Gawn, Christian Salem, Clayton Oliver I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Jeff Garlett, Jayden Hunt, Billy Stretch Emg: Bayley Fritsch, Mitch Hannan, Harry Petty, Tim Smith In: Billy Stretch, Dom Tyson, Jayden Hunt, Sam Weideman Out: Jordan Lewis (hand), Sam Frost, Bayley Fritsch, Tom Bugg RICHMOND B: Alex Rance, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes HB: Bachar Houli, Nathan Broad, Jayden Short ? Shaun Grigg, Trent Cotchin, Kamdyn McIntosh HF: Jason Castagna, Sam Lloyd, Jacob Townsend F: Shane Edwards, Jack Riewoldt, Dan Butler Foll: Toby Nankervis, Kane Lambert, Dustin Martin I/C: Reece Conca, Brandon Ellis, Jack Higgins, Dion Prestia Emg: Corey Ellis, Anthony Miles, Ivan Soldo, Tyson Stengle In: Nathan Broad, Jack Higgins, Sam Lloyd Out: Josh Caddy (hamstring), Jack Graham (suspended), Nick Vlastuin (calf)

Oh ... dear

Your votes please 6,5,4,3,2,1 ...

I thought this guy was Lockhart.

Initially I thought he was in there but looks like it's not him.

All emergencies look accounted for.

Brown has cried wolf so many times that when there's a genuine free he doesn't get it.