Demonland

The Norwegian Expressionist artist Edvard Munch painted a number of versions of his famous work “Scream” and, every time my mind goes back to last year’s Preliminary Final at Optus Stadium between Melbourne and the West Coast Eagles, each and every one of them reverberates through my mind as if my head is being pummeled by a sledgehammer. When I think of that half time scoreboard from that match showing West Coast at 10.9.69 to Melbourne 0.6.6, I feel like the man standing by the railing, hands cupping his ears in horror at the disaster unfolding at the place where, only a matter of weeks earlier, the Demons had sealed a place in their first finals series for a dozen seasons against the very same opposition. After the game, I thought time would heal the wounds and the Demons would take the result both as a character-building lesson and a stepping stone to bigger and brighter things. They were, after all, the competition’s highest-scoring team for the season with plenty of attacking targets fed by a potent midfield and underpinned by an adequate and improving defence that had recruited a top notch key defender in Steven May and was expecting the early return from injury of another in Jake Lever? What could possibly go wrong? Well, you could fill the pages of the Encyclopedia Brittanica with the answer to that question and the various solutions that have been posited by all and sundry to restore the confidence of the Demon faithful and to end the nightmares endured since the 2019 season began. Not even the last two matches with their come-from-behind, get out of gaol free, nail biting wins against Hawthorn and the Gold Coast Suns have put an end to the screaming fits. The most common attempt to explain the reversal from last season to now, has been centred on the team’s decline in attacking strength from one that averaged almost 105 points a game in the home and away season to this year’s output of less than 70 - a startling statistic, especially in light of the fact that week after week, they are still getting the ball inside the 50 metre arc many more times than their opponents. So far nobody, least of all, Simon Goodwin has been able to explain the club’s impotence in attack. Perhaps there is a light on the horizon after last week with Tom McDonald getting his biggest return for the season (3 goals) or perhaps they can take heart from the fact that in the space of 40 seconds at the end of last week’s game, they scored more than 10% of their entire score? But even that will need to be augmented by a lot more work on the defensive side. For much of the season, the Demons have been leaking goals too easily and the following statistic shows up the fact that they have been unable to impose sufficient pressure on opposition forwards. Since the opening round against Port Adelaide when they fell victim to sheer fatigue, the Demons have conceded 31 goals and only 9 behinds. In three of their last four games, the opposition have been deadly straight in these final quarters – St Kilda managed three straight and Hawthorn and the Gold Coast Suns kicked four. In between, Richmond kicked 5.4, while earlier the Cats scored 7.3 (after 6.0 in the third), Essendon 6.1 and Sydney 2.1. In other words, the pattern shows Melbourne struggling to kick goals while, at the other end, its opponents rarely miss. If Goodwin can overcome this phenomenon, made all the more difficult by the fact that the club is ravaged by injury at the moment, he will be entitled to the tag of “genius”. The fact that the club has been hit by those injuries might in fact help because he has no option but to make changes to his line up this week. Hopefully, he will find a way to ensure that, we the fans, will be screaming with delight on Friday night. However and unfortunately, I can’t see that happening this week. West Coast by 27 points. THE GAME West Coast v Melbourne at Optus Stadium Friday 17 May 2019 at 8.10pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall West Coast 34 wins Melbourne 17 wins At Optus Stadium West Coast 1 win Melbourne 1 win Past five meetings West Coast 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Simpson 1 win Goodwin 2 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel Live at 8.00pm RADIO - 3AW Triple M ABC SEN THE LAST TIME THEY MET West Coast 18.13.121 defeated Melbourne 7.13.55 defeated Melbourne in the Preliminary Final, 2018 at Optus Stadium In a sad end to their 2018 campaign, the Demons were humiliated in this game, failing to score a goal for the entire first half. Angus Brayshaw and Clayton Oliver never gave up. Injury List: Round 9 Jake Lever (knee) – test Jordan Lewis (ankle) – test Corey Maynard (hip) – test Charlie Spargo (foot) – test Sam Weideman (hip) – test Mitch Hannan (knee) – 1 week Jay Kennedy Harris (knee) – 1 week Michael Hibberd (collarbone) – 2 weeks Steven May (groin) – 2-3 weeks Jake Melksham (foot) – 4-5 weeks Joel Smith (groin) – 4-6 weeks Kade Kolodjashnij (concussion) – TBA Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – TBA Neville Jetta (knee) – 8-10 weeks Guy Walker (shoulder) – Indefinite Aaron Nietschke (knee) – Season THE TEAMS

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Was the Weid training?

Just a reminder that we will be interviewing Jayden Hunt on the Demonland Podcast tonight. I will be joined by @Grapeviney & @Supermercado to discuss the thrilling last minute of the game, the other 119 minutes and much more. Listen and Chat LIVE: https://demonland.com/podcast We love hearing from Demonlanders so call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

PLAYER INJURY LENGTH Jordan Lewis Ankle Test Charlie Spargo Foot Test Sam Weideman Hip Test Mitch Hannan Knee 1-2 Weeks Jake Lever Knee 1-2 Weeks Jay Kennedy-Harris Leg 2 Weeks Corey Maynard Hip 2 Weeks Steven May Groin 2-3 Weeks Michael Hibberd Collarbone 2-4 Weeks Jake Melksham Foot 4-6 Weeks Joel Smith Groin 6-8 Weeks Neville Jetta Knee 10 Weeks Kade Kolodjashnij Concussion TBC Aaron vandenBerg Ankle TBC Guy Walker Shoulder Indefinite Aaron Nietschke Knee Season

I think it has backfired in terms of lower scoring. It has also hurt our game and we haven't adjusted. Having said that we would not have won the game this week if we were in the same position a goal down and 54 seconds to go.

Ablett cleared.

The 2018 Preliminary Final with its back to back goalless opening quarters was more or less a prelude to how Melbourne has been going this year. THE TEAMS WEST COAST EAGLES B: Shannon Hurn, Tom Barrass, Will Schofield HB: Thomas Cole, Jeremy McGovern, Lewis Jetta ? Dom Sheed, Luke Shuey, Chris Masten HF: Mark LeCras, Jack Darling, Mark Hutchings F: Willie Rioli, Josh J. Kennedy, Jamie Cripps Foll: Scott Lycett, Elliot Yeo, Jack Redden I/C: Liam Duggan, Liam Ryan, Nathan Vardy, Daniel Venables Emg: Brayden Ainsworth, Brendon Ah Chee, Oscar Allen, Jackson Nelson In: Will Schofield Out: Brad Sheppard (hamstring) MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis HB: Christian Salem, Sam Frost, Michael Hibberd ? Mitch Hannan, Nathan Jones, Angus Brayshaw HF: Jake Melksham, Tom McDonald, James Harmes F: Aaron vandenBerg, Sam Weideman, Alex Neal-Bullen Foll: Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney I/C: Christian Petracca, Joel Smith, Charlie Spargo, Dom Tyson Emg: Bayley Fritsch, Jay Kennedy Harris, Jayden Hunt, Tim Smith In: Joel Smith Out: Bayley Fritsch (omitted)

Reminder that we will be chatting with Jayden Hunt on the Demonland Podcast tomorrow night (Tuesday 14/5) @ 8:30pm. Listen & Chat: http://demonland.com/podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

Dusty in trouble for this?

You might recall a regular segment that once featured on the MFC website entitled, “Gawn in 60 Seconds”, in which Maxy would ask the hard questions of his teammates. However, there was no harder question asked than the one asked collectively of the whole team in the last 60 seconds of Saturday’s game against the Gold Coast Suns. It was either follow me and my example or the Demons’ season, already hanging flimsily by huuua thread, would be truly “Gorn”. It was at that stage when those who really wanted the win put their hands up. Max Gawn was magnificent in the middle to win the critical clearances, then helped out by Jack Viney, Clayton Oliver and in particular Jayden Hunt, they managed come from the clouds and a goal down with a mere 18 seconds remaining. All Demon fans must simply watch and watch again this video of the final two minutes, to see Marty Hore put the scores back to level. Then in almost a repeat of the previous miracle, Gawn to Viney to Hunt, then to Harmes and finally to Tom McDonald, who despite dropping an almost certain mark recovered to put his foot to the ball and while he kicked it into the post, the point scored won the game, as the siren sounded straight away. Exciting though the result was, and it managed to keep those slim season hopes alive, the game itself prior to those final minutes was as bad a show of AFL football as could be witnessed. Some may claim the ground was “dewy”, but it sure wasn’t wet. That alone could not explain the appalling kicking, simple fumbles and opportunities squandered by over-using handball. In the first quarter in particular, Melbourne had the chance to completely blow the game away, but no-one seemed to want to take on the responsibility of kicking the goal. The chances were easy ones and instead of being four to five goals in front at the first bell, the difference was a mere 7 points. This unwillingness to kick the ball at the sticks was to badly re-appear in those final minutes when just kicking a point from long range would have put the game beyond reach. But either the players have been instructed not to go for the long bomb or they have lost all confidence in themselves. If Christian Salem isn’t leading the “Bluey” Truscott count at this point in the season, then the judges would need to be swabbed. Yet again he saved the side and stopped opposition goals and then mounted counter attacks with his accurate kicking and vision. He should have enough already in the bag to actually win it without playing another game; he is so much better and more skilled than anyone else on the ground. Melbourne’s injuries are costing them doubly. In this match Michael Hibberd broke a collar bone, Jordan Lewis damaged his ankle and Jake Melksham injured his foot. Hibberd was a great loss, and he has run into some good form in the past two weeks, but Lewis will not be missed in any way shape or form. The game has gone past him and if there was even a credible defender available at Casey then they would be selected ahead of him. Sadly, it is not just defenders needed, and even more so now with the loss of Hibberd, but Jeff Garlett continues to run around without getting a sniff of the ball with only 9 touches this week, fairly much the same as last week. His style of play is not suited to the 2019 game and, in fact, wasn’t in 2018 as well. Getting behind the defence just doesn’t happen anymore, and the small forward has to provide much needed pressure and tackling. Swallow, Lockhart and Spargo are looking more likely, especially for the long term. Clayton Oliver is returning to his best had 38 touches, but like many in the mid-field still has to tighten up on his defensive side. For the Suns, Swallow had 35 of his own, so it was practically a draw in and around the packs with clearances only just favouring the Demons by one. It is up forward that the Demons are really struggling. Melbourne had 66 inside 50s to 42 and won the contested possession count by 15 and clearances by 14. This normally translates into a very comfortable win but week after week, we simply don’t have a target, nor are the smalls doing their jobs. Fifty per cent more opportunities should have resulted in 50% more shots, but with players not willing to take them and lack of cohesion among the forwards, all that could be managed was a one point win. Our cup is truly dry now. At least two more players are injured, with not much to show at Casey that thrills. In the coming weeks, with games against the AFL’s big birds, the Eagles, Giants, Crows and the Magpies, the immediate future looks particularly bleak in the absence of a major reversal. The future is not as bleak as the Suns. One would hope that the people who tallied the attendance figure for the match (9,765) will not be counting the election ballots next week, or else Clive Palmer has a real chance of being our next PM! There didn’t seem to be any more than 5k people at that match! They are obviously counting the members area as being full (similar to the Medallion club at Marvel), but it was deserted. The supporters were almost, if not, outnumbered by the Demon fans and if it wasn’t for tickets handed out to school-kids, it would be doubtful that most adults would have attended. It is very, very strange to attend a football match and be offered a free copy of the local paper (The Gold Coast Bulletin) upon entering. Who thought up that idea? Probably the same person who thought fairy floss would be a seller ... or toy trains running around the interior of the stadium. It’s just another Queensland theme park, but not it doesn’t feel like a football ground or that the game is AFL. The AFL is wasting their money on this enterprise as it will go the same way as all the other codes (Union, League and Basketball) with their failed ventures on the Gold Coast. Melbourne 3.2.20 3.5.23 5.9.39 8.13.61 Gold Coast Suns 2.1.13 3.3.21 5.6.36 9.6.60 Goals Melbourne T McDonald 3 Harmes Hore Hunt Melksham Petracca Gold Coast Suns Ainsworth Holman 2 Corbett Lemmens MacPherson Powell Wright Best Melbourne Oliver Jones Melksham Salem Harmes Frost Melksham Gold Coast Suns Swallow Macpherson Holman Ainsworth Hanley Witts Injuries Melbourne Hibberd (collarbone) Lewis (ankle) Melksham (foot) Gold Coast Suns Lemmens (ankle) Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Umpires Haussen, O'Gorman, Chamberlain Official crowd 9,765 at Metricon Stadium

The Casey Demons caused the boilover of the season to date when they took on and beat the undefeated ladder leaders Essendon VFL by 41 points at Windy Hill. The stunning result which was achieved with a season low of eight AFL-listed players, will surely kickstart the Demons’ ailing season after they lost their last two matches as a result of some poor third quarter fade outs against quality opposition. Casey got off to a great start with a mid-air soccer volley goal from Jimmy Munro about three minutes into the opening term. Playing strong contested football with a winning ruck and with the wind at their backs, the Demons had the bulk of the play and scored the game’s first three goals before the Bombers struck back with a late goal with a minute to go before the siren ended the quarter. The crowd was expecting Essendon to assert itself with the breeze but it was Tim Smith who struck a devastating blow with two goals in the the first five minutes of the second term. A couple of turnovers and a fifty metre penalty temporarily turned the tide but a late goal just before half time to Braydon Preuss, his second for the afternoon, had the Demons in front by 16 points. Casey’s expected third term fade out did not materialise but, to the contrary, it became the “premiership quarter for the team. After a slow start in which scoring was at a premium and skipper Mitch White scored his team’s only goal in almost 20 minutes of play, the floodgates opened. Smith took a strong mark to goal and added another a minute or so later. By quarter’s end, the margin was 46 points. The Demons retained their total dominance well into the final term and relaxed in the later stages of the game to allow the home side a few junk time goals to run home 41 point winners. It was Preuss, and to a lesser extent, his partner in crime Liam Wale-Buxton, who were the catalysts for the Demons’ turnaround such was their dominance in the ruck throughout the game. This division has been Casey’s Achilles Heel since Jake Spencer left at the end of 2017 but it was its strong point against the Bombers. Preuss had 40 hit outs to go with his 16 disposals and two goals and between the two talls, they gave their midfielders an armchair ride. The beneficiaries were Jimmy Munro, Tom Sparrow, Corey Wagner and Oskar Baker who is starting to return to his pre-injury form of last year. Skipper White and Smith gave the team a focus in front of goals while youngster Tom Freeman also continues to develop nicely. James Jordon and Kade Chandler were also good contributors on the day and Harry Petty continues to develop as a key defender. The Demons return to Casey Fields next Saturday for another tough assignment - this time against stand alone Port Melbourne. 2019 Hard Yakka / Totally Workwear VFL Casey Demons 3.2.20 6.2.38 11.4.70 15.6.96 Essendon VFL 1.2.8 3.4.22 3.6.24 7.7.49 Goals Casey Demons T Smith 4 White 3 Baker Munro Preuss 2 Chandler Essendon VFL Ridley 2 Begley Fennel Gown Hocking Langford Younan Best Casey Demons Preuss Smith Petty Baker T Freeman Munro Essendon VFL Dea Langford Clarke Hocking McNiece Hartley Statistics Oskar Baker 2 goals 1 behind kicks handballs disposals marks tackles 82 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 behind 2 kicks 2 handballs 4 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 19 dream team points Jaxon Briggs 5 kicks 2 handballs 7 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 33 dream team points Kade Chandler 1 goal 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 3 marks 1 tackle 40 dream team points Jake Di Pasquale 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 63 dream team points Tom Freeman 15 kicks 1 handball 16 disposals 12 marks 4 tackles 100 dream team points Mitch Gent 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 60 dream team points Jack Hutchins 10 kicks 2 handballs 12 disposals 8 marks 1 tackle 59 dream team points James Jordon 15 kicks 2 handballs 17 disposals 6 marks 68 dream team points Mykelti Lefau 1 goals 3 kicks 3 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 26 dream team points Mitchell Lewis 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 4 marks 41 dream team points Nick Lowden 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 6 marks 48 dream team points Tom McCaffrey 6 kicks 2 handballs 8 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 47 dream team points James Munro 2 goals 9 kicks 9 handballs 18 disposals 2 marks 8 tackles 92 dream team points Harrison Petty 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 63 dream team points Braydon Preuss 2 goals 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 40 hit outs 113 dream team points Aidan Quigley 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 21 dream team points Tim Smith 4 goals 1 behinds 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 5 tackles 1 hit out 86 dream team points Tom Sparrow 12 kicks 3 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 69 dream team points Cory Stockdale 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 22 dream team points Corey Wagner 10 kicks 5 handballs 15 disposals 3 marks 9 tackles 83 dream team points Liam Wale-Buxton 1 kick 5 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 30 hit outs 59 dream team points Mitchell White 3 goals 1 behind 11 kicks 11 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 74 dream team points

BOILOVER by KC from Casey The Casey Demons caused the boilover of the season to date when they took on and beat the undefeated ladder leaders Essendon VFL by 41 points at Windy Hill. The stunning result which was achieved with a season low of eight AFL-listed players, will surely kickstart the Demons’ ailing season after they lost their last two matches as a result of some poor third quarter fade outs against quality opposition. Casey got off to a great start with a mid-air soccer volley goal from Jimmy Munro about three minutes into the opening term. Playing strong contested football with a winning ruck and with the wind at their backs, the Demons had the bulk of the play and scored the game’s first three goals before the Bombers struck back with a late goal with a minute to go before the siren ended the quarter. The crowd was expecting Essendon to assert itself with the breeze but it was Tim Smith who struck a devastating blow with two goals in the the first five minutes of the second term. A couple of turnovers and a fifty metre penalty temporarily turned the tide but a late goal just before half time to Braydon Preuss, his second for the afternoon, had the Demons in front by 16 points. Casey’s expected third term fade out did not materialise but, to the contrary, it became the “premiership quarter for the team. After a slow start in which scoring was at a premium and skipper Mitch White scored his team’s only goal in almost 20 minutes of play, the floodgates opened. Smith took a strong mark to goal and added another a minute or so later. By quarter’s end, the margin was 46 points. The Demons retained their total dominance well into the final term and relaxed in the later stages of the game to allow the home side a few junk time goals to run home 41 point winners. It was Preuss, and to a lesser extent, his partner in crime Liam Wale-Buxton, who were the catalysts for the Demons’ turnaround such was their dominance in the ruck throughout the game. This division has been Casey’s Achilles Heel since Jake Spencer left at the end of 2017 but it was its strong point against the Bombers. Preuss had 40 hit outs to go with his 16 disposals and two goals and between the two talls, they gave their midfielders an armchair ride. The beneficiaries were Jimmy Munro, Tom Sparrow, Corey Wagner and Oskar Baker who is starting to return to his pre-injury form of last year. Skipper White and Smith gave the team a focus in front of goals while youngster Tom Freeman also continues to develop nicely. James Jordon and Kade Chandler were also good contributors on the day and Harry Petty continues to develop as a key defender. The Demons return to Casey Fields next Saturday for another tough assignment - this time against stand alone Port Melbourne. 2019 Hard Yakka / Totally Workwear VFL Casey Demons 3.2.20 6.2.38 11.4.70 15.6.96 Essendon VFL 1.2.8 3.4.22 3.6.24 7.7.49 Goals Casey Demons T Smith 4 White 3 Baker Munro Preuss 2 Chandler Essendon VFL Ridley 2 Begley Fennel Gown Hocking Langford Younan Best Casey Demons Preuss Smith Petty Baker T Freeman Munro Essendon VF L Dea Langford Clarke Hocking McNiece Hartley Statistics Oskar Baker 2 goals 1 behind kicks handballs disposals marks tackles 82 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 behind 2 kicks 2 handballs 4 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 19 dream team points Jaxon Briggs 5 kic ks 2 handballs 7 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 33 dream tea m points Kade Chandler 1 goal 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 3 marks 1 tackle 40 dream team points Jake Di Pasquale 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 63 dream team points Tom Freeman 15 kicks 1 handball 16 disposals 12 marks 4 tackles 100 dream team points Mitch Gent 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 60 dream team points Jack Hutchins 10 kicks 2 handballs 12 disposals 8 marks 1 tackle 59 dream team points James Jordon 15 kicks 2 handballs 17 disposals 6 marks 68 dream team points Mykelti Lefau 1 goals 3 kicks 3 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 26 dream team points Mitchell Lewis 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 4 marks 41 dream team points Nick Lowden 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 6 marks 48 dream team points Tom McCaffrey 6 kicks 2 handballs 8 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 47 dream team points James Munro 2 goals 9 kicks 9 handballs 18 disposals 2 marks 8 tackles 92 dream team points Harrison Petty 10 kicks 3 handballs 13 disposals 6 marks 2 tackles 63 dream team points Braydon Preuss 2 goals 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 6 marks 1 tackle 40 hit outs 113 dream team points Aidan Quigley 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 21 dream team points Tim Smith 4 goals 1 behinds 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 5 tackles 1 hit out 86 dream team points Tom Sparrow 12 kicks 3 handballs 15 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 69 dream team points Cory Stockdale 3 kicks 1 handballs 4 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 22 dream team points Corey Wagner 10 kicks 5 handballs 15 disposals 3 marks 9 tackles 83 dream team points Liam Wale-Buxton 1 kick 5 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 30 hit outs 59 dream team points Mitchell White 3 goals 1 behind 11 kicks 11 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 74 dream team points

The lead seesaws again - Progressive 77. Clayton Oliver 72. Max Gawn Christian Salem 58. James Harmes 57. Angus Brayshaw 31. Jake Melksham 29. Nathan Jones 26. Sam Frost 18. Marty Hore 15. Jack Viney 12. Jayden Hunt 10. Michael Hibberd 6. Jay Lockhart 4. Bayley Fritsch Tom McDonald Braydon Preuss 3. Corey Wagner 2. Alex Neal-Bullen Christian Petracca 1. Neville Jetta Billy Stretch

Does it even matter?

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. If you can find that many.