Fritta and Turner

Does wearing the colours to bed count? I wear the cap when out but in FNQ it is just too hot...

White Hot

I have a memory of Schwarta getting the ball just after the half time siren went, threw it onto his boot in disgust and it sailed through from 50m out. Against the Blues i think. Tom Sparrows goal, not only because he was 50m out and had 4 doggies coming at him, but the theatre of TMc pushing his opponent over the line, as if he was going for a TRY.

I am keeping my powder dry so I have only spent in the 100s at the moment, at this stage all through the Demon shop. Should i get a cheese board? Can someone post when they receive their order through the mail? It seems AP in Vic is on the point of collapse.

Yes

3rd quarter when the Bont went to the bench. The Dogs needed someone else of his stature, which they dont have.

He said he was going to the Crows

After kicking 19 and 21 goals in the last 2 games probably have....

Ethan, I hope you have made the most of our win and bought a T Shirt. 🙂

And to think we bid for Rhylee West. Tom always looked like a footballer and with a baby face and what appears to be genuine excitement at playing footy, I can not but add him to my favourites. And I get to say 'Go Yung Sparra'.

I remember back in the 90's North complained that the extra costs involved in playing finals (players, coaches, staff, functions) was not covered by the modest prize money, and not having a large supporter base to buy merchandise were lucky to break even. I dont think we will have that problem.

Thats generous

30 years old and 3 games shy of 200. 12 games and 8 goals this year, no second effort any more. Good for a team role as in 'take McGovern with you and go and sit in the stand'. Hope he gets a go somewhere as I like players to get to a milestone.

We certainly did crunch McCrae early. And they say when you play against your old side you quickly find out who didn't like you. Hello Mitch Hannan.

The Saints always prided themselves on being better than us. And to think they could have picked Trac. And the Crows; when leaving the ground after the 98? GF I over heard a Crows supporter say 'How easy is this'. Arrogant refuse. And they said we paid 'overs' for Lever - see premiership cup.

One of my favourites. Good luck Nev.

Bont - small fine Daniel - free kick

Finds space, protects the drop of the ball, keeps his feet and kicks well.....when I first saw him at Casey I thought he was a prospect but never this.

Well done to the boys in red and blue. From the bottom of my heart, thankyou.

Starting to cry

Feeling sicker

Feeling sick

and to think I had to sit through Meatloaf..... GO DEES

first goal: spargo norm smith: clarry most goals: fritta margin: 27

ALL Melbourne’s big guns were there. Coach Simon Goodwin, co-captains Jack Viney and Nathan Jones, the man who would eventually succeed them, Max Gawn, as well as Jake Lever, the star recruit from a year earlier. They were gathering for a good reason. The Dees were trying to convince Gold Coast’s Steven May – another co-captain – to join them as the final piece of their defensive master plan. The opportunity presented when prolific spearhead Jesse Hogan requested a trade home to play for Fremantle. That decision coincided with Sam Weideman’s breakout finals series in Hogan’s injury absence and Tom McDonald becoming a 50-goal forward. Lever and May share the same agent, Hemisphere Management Group’s Alex McDonald, whose brothers, James and Anthony, played for Melbourne. McDonald helped orchestrate the blockbuster deal for Lever to cross to the Demons at the end of 2017, in a package that saw them boldly give up two first-round draft picks. After years of mediocrity, Melbourne was eyeing success. But May had a major choice to make. His fellow Suns skipper, Tom Lynch, had already revealed he was exercising his free agency rights to join powerhouse club Richmond, whereas May was contracted for 2019. Lever had a similar dilemma about whether to leave Adelaide, but became enamoured with the Demons’ emerging group, including Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw from his draft class. The pitch to May was the same as the one made to Lever. In short, Melbourne felt it had transformed a once-pained club’s culture, established great camaraderie between the players and was building something special. Lever had only been there for one season but was already making his mark. He was the Demons’ trump card and the enticement for what May could achieve in red and blue. Fast-forward three years – and plenty of water flowing under the bridge – and they are both All-Australians and backline linchpins for grand final-bound Melbourne. In between, critics questioned why the Demons used the pick six on May that it gained from the Dockers for Hogan and traded to Gold Coast rather than drafting Ben King. That external debate is long over despite King’s vast promise. Winning silences everything, as Melbourne and Goodwin know all too well. “I could see Steve was very passionate about the culture side of things,” Lever told the Herald Sun. “Then when we spoke about myself and him coming together, he was as rapt as I was. When the trade got done, it was obviously very satisfying for both of us.” The idea was the yin-and-yang defensive couple would complement each other’s strengths, which have seen them become the faces of the AFL’s stingiest defence – but it’s not just them. Harry Petty’s stepped in wonderfully for the sidelined Adam Tomlinson to be the third key defender, Christian Salem had an All-Australian-calibre season and others such as Trent Rivers, Jake Bowey, Michael Hibberd and Joel Smith have contributed. “Steve’s such a great one-on-one defender and that’s something I’ve worked towards, because in the modern game you’ll have to do it at some stage every game,” Lever said. “He helps me so much with that side of the game, then my strength is probably reading the footy and knowing where it’s going to go and intercepting off that. “To Steve’s credit this year, that’s what he’s worked really hard at. We watch a lot of vision together, along with Harrison Petty, Adam Tomlinson, Marty Hore and Joel Smith.” HOW THE DEMONS EMERGED FROM HELL Hiring Jason Taylor The decision to poach Taylor from Collingwood in December 2012 has proven a masterstroke. Ex-Demons coach and Magpies assistant Mark Neeld was the connection in the switch of clubs. Taylor’s now arguably the game’s No.1 recruiter, selecting the likes of Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Christian Salem, Angus Brayshaw, Luke Jackson and Kozzy Pickett. The Oliver and Jackson selections were his boldest and finest. Sweet-kicking Jake Bowey can probably be tacked on that list of first-round prizes, too. Melbourne could once never be trusted no matter how many draft picks it boasted, but in the Taylor era it finds stars at the top and bargains down the order. None of Tom Sparrow (pick 27), Charlie Spargo (29), Bayley Fritsch (31), Trent Rivers (32), James Jordon (33), Harry Petty (37), Alex Neal-Bullen (40), Jayden Hunt (57) or James Harmes and Joel Smith (rookies) were top prospects. Demon-turned-Bulldog Mitch Hannan (46) was another clever choice. Taylor once said: “In my job, ideally you don’t want to be going to a club after they’ve won a premiership. You want to be going to Melbourne, who hasn’t won one (since 1964) – it’s a challenge you’re seeking to show your competitive spirit.” Aggressive trading Tim Lamb succeeded Todd Viney as Melbourne’s list manager in early 2018, when Viney firstly became more involved in football operations then departed after the 2019 season. Viney is credited with playing an integral role in the Demons’ list transformation but the lower-profile Lamb deserves plenty of plaudits. He’s filled holes in Melbourne’s playing list and employed aggressive trading tactics that have pretty much all been a raging success. Under Lamb’s direction, the Demons rarely haggle too long over value and are happy to pay a fair price if they believe in what’s coming in. That includes giving up two first-round selections as part of the Jake Lever deal, and the 2019 pick swap with North Melbourne, where Melbourne gave up picks 26, 50 and a future first-round selection for pick eight. A subsequent trade with Fremantle saw the Dees slide back a couple of spots in the first round – all with the view of nabbing Kozzy Pickett, after securing ruckman Luke Jackson. A clear, undeviating strategy Not only has Melbourne used second-round selections wisely at the draft but it’s also consistently and successfully dangled them in front of rivals to bring in mature talent. The Demons recruited Ed Langdon, Ben Brown, Michael Hibberd, Jake Melksham and even current Hawk Sam Frost and the retired Bernie Vince for the equivalent of second-round picks. That’s good business however you look at it. The other part of Melbourne’s list strategy was to use the advent of future pick trading to its advantage. The Kangaroos deal two years ago, which saw them add Kozzy Pickett to Luke Jackson, was only the second example. The Demons also sent a 2016 first-round selection to Gold Coast to have two top-10 picks in 2015, which they used on Clayton Oliver and Sam Weideman.