The Sailing Demon

I was watching on my phone whilst out on the beers with a couple Melbourne supporters up here in Sydney and we were all impressed by the fact that at not one stage throughout the game did we look like we would lose. The way we attacked the play was really exciting andthe Simon Goodwin is really looking to take effect. Wicked to see Spencil was on form and looks to be a really good partner to big Maxy, They'll provide a few headaches this year for opposition teams with weak ruck stocks. Hoges looked matured, not better or worse, he obviously had an impact on the game but he just looks so settled with his footy now that all this contract talk is behind him, it's great to see. Fast footy, that's what we were playing, and most the time it payed off. Clarry is going to explode this year, In my humble opinion, this year he will prove to be the best performer out of the 2016 draft class. Looking forward to seeing Hibberd, Tyson, Jetts, Watts, Pedro, in the coming weeks. I remember saying on the Melbourne Demons News facebook group around 18 months ago that I thought Oscar McDonald would surpass his brother and was getting ready to eat my words at the start of last year but I am glad the coaching staff had seens omething we didn't because he is quietly becoming a very handy defender and I am really looking forward to his 2017.

Would love to see Jack Watts play with a chip on his shoulder. I think he will have a really good year.

I am astounded (albeit not surprised) that there are Demonlanders who are turning their noses up at a 40+ posession getter who kicks goals. When was the last time a Demon got that many posessions? (Note* In a team who managed 3 wins for an entire season) All because of "Attitude"??? We have all worked in a toxic working environment which we hated...It is pretty hard to be positive and happy when you are put in that situation. And when we moved on from that bad working environment we improved our attitudes and our workflow and life flourished. I can only speak from personal experience.

As much as I enjoy everyones conversation and discussion topics here, we haven't had anyone (Or I havent seen) anyone do some really nice Hans Christian Andersen work and engineer a story here about how it is advantageous to us Demons... I'll start...I think Jordan Lewis will come to us in a similar deal.

Love this. As we have all states, he is a solid mark, consistently competitive, strong. And an all round top bloke, the kind of guy that will help you build a fence but then cook a roast for his mum on a Sunday. Salt of the earth.

Take him in a heart beat. Would be a great fit for out squad and would flourish in a young energetic side with Goodwin at the helm.

This is great news. 2 years is good for all. Really looking forward to the future now. You know what I am really looking forward to? Our supporter base under the age of 14 being able to go to school with their Demons lunch boxes, footy's, etc. all out there and proud. Really happy for the club but also keen to see the school kids share the same love for the Demons as I have from when I fell in love with the club at a very young age. When I was 8 it was "Neitz!, Schwartz!, YYYYYYZZZEEEEEEEE, Green, Robertsen!, Jeff White, Brock McLean, Matthew Whelan, Cameron Bruce, Bizzell, and I could keep going. Now the kids get to have posters of Petracca, Hogan, Viney, Brayshaw, Hunt, Gawn (The king of the kids himself) and more on their walls...(Not to mention some members hers )

THANK YOU! I swear to God, we could get Nat Fyfe and people on this forum would find something to complain about and call him a spud. I would take Motlop any day of the week.

As I said man, I really don't know, and I am hoping that other clubs see more value for these guys thank we do.

Which leaves guys like; Dunn, Michie, Garland and JKH up for possible trades come trade week. Will be interesting to see what happens with these 4. Not too many "Demons of old" players remaining on the list now... Wonder if we will trade Dunn to Bris for their second rounder, then offload that second rounder to the Dons for Hibberd. Send off Garland and Michie for 3rd-4th round picks...I don't know. And sent JKH off to Carlton for their second round. I don't really know, I am hoping that other clubs pay over a little for our guys and see value in them that we don't quite see. This will be the most interesting trade period of recent years for me due to the fact that we really don't have to hold on to any of the old 2010-2014 players for depth anymore. In Good we trust.

I have started to come to terms with whatever Hogan may do, as my name suggests, I am in the Navy, living in Sydney, but from Melbourne. I grew up in Melbourne, left for the Navy in 2008 at the age of 17 and am now 25, I have been away from Melbourne now for 8 years but you know what? I am taking a $26,000 p.a pay cut in 15 months to come back home to Melbourne because you can take the boy from home but you can't take home from the boy. I have friends, memories, girlfriend, a dog here in Sydney but always looked at my time in Sydney as a temporary thing (albeit a 9 year temporary thing come next year.) So life story aside, I completely agree as to why the bloke will be torn between home and career but the majority of the time home wins, especially when Hoges is so close to his family family and is staring down the barrell of a $1.5M+ deal. I think he will stay but either way, I won't crucify the kid if he decides to go back home.

Grimes will be a Tiger next year Trenners will be given one more pre-season...probably a 1 year extension. This is just me spit balling though. Interestingly enough though, remember 2 years back when Trenners was almost traded to the tigers prior to him doing his foot agian? and it just fell through? I suspect that Richmond may still have that in the back of their minds and may still be up for a trade.

In what world will we lose by 186 this weekend? We haven't lost by over 55 this season. We have a list far superior to that awful day back in 2011.

And he is also one of the best looking players on our list. And that stuff counts.

I love seeing other teams lists disintegrate. Boomer is usually the difference in our games so this is good for us. Awful timing to be honest, and just 4 weeks ago the club was celebrating their favourite son...funny how fickle this sport can be.

Sorry mate, i'll do my best to get my memory serviced...I was about 10-12 when I remember him playing for us so please forgive my faulty memory

I loved Heffernan when he played for us, he was a very servicable player

I guess what I meant was gone in terms of Melbourne playing future. They can play for Casey all they want, I don't particularly care for any of those players, they are relics of a dark and mentally fragile generation.

Michie - Gone. Dawes - Gone Dunn - Gone Lumumba - Gone Grimes - Gone Trengrove - Gone Garland - Gone ANB - Perhaps trade bait (I have always liked him but I think the writing may be on the wall) Again proved that we are a better team with Pedo in. Hogan - Slashing thousands off his contract with each week that goes by...No idea what the hell is going on with his goal kicking as a KPF not being able to slot it with confidence from 40+ is disgusting. I don't mind losing (I still hate it and it upsets me) when we should lose, we can always take something from that...but when we lose to a team that has lost 9 on the trot with so much to play for is so bloody typical of this club it isn't funny. I said yesterday that I didn't feel good about today and was proven right, just like both saints games, the first port game, and the Essendon game this stuff will always be sewn into the fabric of the club, it's just something that we have to accept in being a mediocre team. I don't want to be the next Richmond, I want to be the next Hawthorn, Geelong, Swans. This season is a success to me, I said 10 wins at the start of the year was a pass and we have achieved that, lets not let today dampen our triumphs this season over GWS, Hawks, port at home and another top 4 team being GWS.

3 Goals is nothing really. We should get our free kick count up this half, Roosy should get a rocket up them, throw a hard tag on Gibbs. We are a better team with more run and fitness, our leaders need to stand up and we need to come out really attacking the footy this half, we can blow a team like Carlton away within a quarter, I have faith.

This was always going to happen after the comotion caused this week. Everyone looking towards round 23 instead of the Blues this week.

Ah excellent? what as? who you served on? Things are different now as to when you probably did your trips... (Assuming 1991ish?)

Boys boys! No disrespect or offence taken. I have done my Middle East time and it's all good. Ive been in for over 8 years now so seen and done it all, not much makes me nervous these days. I do appreciate the defence of me and the care from you boys though. does mean a lot as a serviceman. I get more worked up over Demons games than anything I have ever done in the Navy haha...My girlfriend has asked me the same questions too as to why I get nervous etc. but I am in control of my own fate here at sea but the Demons is completley out of my hands which is why I get edgy. I am actually on my way back from the worlds biggest military exercise up in Hawaii so I am so far from stress when it comes to work right now it's not funny. Just keen to come back home in 5 days, see the girlfriend, have a beer, watch footy with my dog (The missus doesn't like being around when I watch the footy)

After having a day or so to look at the changes and mull it over, I am happy with them. Pedo out, I love Pedo, rated him for the last 2 years, but I think this could be a master stroke from the selection board... Having Pedo out frees up CHF and a big body around the square therefore Hogan can go from FF to CHF and patrol the square enforcing himself around the ground. To me this looks like it will leave Weideman and Watts free to use their clean hands and fluid kicking at FF/FP without over crowding the forward line. Meanwhile as we will have Hogan up the grouns we will really be stretching their defence when we get on the reboud with the Carlton players struggling to figure out who to man up on. Garlett out for injury and bringing ANB in as a quick FP will be good too, ANB has been playing good and sems to be playing with confidence which will be great coming into the game tomorrow. Harmes (Love him) has been plagued by poor descisions and inefficiency along half back which is the worst place to be poor in your decision making so rewarding Michie with his rich vein of VFL form would be a good decision. (I am well aware that this is Michies last roll of the dice when it comes to playing in red and blue also) If we can come out and attack the game as we did in the first half against the Power and the entire game against the Hawks we will run off as 10+ goal winners. I saw what we were capable of doing when I travelled to the Gold Coast mid way through the year when we blew them away in a single quarter and I am comfortable with the fact that we are strong enough as a team to annihalate a team in 2 quarters of footy (Fremantle, Port, GCS) let alone a genuine 4 quarter effort. I hope the coaching staff and the senior players step up this week and understand that complacency in a week like this will undo ALL the seasons work and will be absolutley humiliating. The entire AFL is behind us, Good players are mentioning that their destination club is Melbourne, we are winning races for highly rated class B rookies, and talking about genuine finals chances in round 22, I have done nothing but read positive articles and read positive comments about the demons for the last fortnight. Tomorrow is the most important game of the season to me and the playing group should know this too. I am excited, I am scared, I am anxious, I am happy.

I don't dare to think what the outcome on here will be mate. If we lose tomorrow I will be so depressed. I have been away from home with the Navy for 3 months and get home on Thursday just in time for the potential finals making showdown against the Cats. The sheer thought of our season being over tomorrow really scares me...And I just can't shake the nerves about tomorrow. Haven't been this nervous about a game in God knows how long.