The Taciturn Demon

Campbell seems like a trustworthy battler - someone you can rely on to keep contesting. I like that we went and got him. But I also think the FD hate the idea of playing two pure rucks in the same team (which makes Grundy acquisition seem completely deranged). We all hoped Max would be dangerous as a resting forward and he just isn't. Campbell has gone at half a goal a game as a career average at both AFL and VFL level. I have to admit I really liked the idea of Fullarton when we got him and while I understand players sometimes don't turn out how you'd like, I'm amazed by how far down the pecking order he seems to be.

I thought the same. They gave us chance after chance. Goodwin spoke about them in the press conference like they'd played a near-perfect game. They certainly went hard and didn't relent, but they were so sloppy.

Fullarton is such an interesting one. Clearly the FD think he's extremely suspect in the ruck, but he only needs to be at centre bounces for 20% of the game. He was recruited in part because he kicked goals at VFL level at Brisbane. His average has fallen at Casey, but Casey were awful in 2024. I didn't mind what I saw of Johnson against GWS, so no problems bringing him back in. I also understand if he's simply not up to it - but so are several others in the senior team at the moment. Are they seriously going to let Fullarton go a full two years without a game and then (presumably) delist him?

Yep. Those who thought we would finish top 4 (and there seemed to be a lot of them in the prediction thread) were always setting themselves up for major disappointment. At the start of the year I thought sneaking into the eight was extremely optimistic. Ninth to fourteenth more likely. But 10 goals against North surprised even me.

I'm pretty confident Turner will end up as a defender. And I think he may need to return there sooner than many of us expect. But probably not in the next few weeks. Van Rooyen? No. The list management team need to go tall crazy in the coming drafts.

I don't think there's any getting around this. Kozzie suddenly seems like the most important player in the team. I'd expect Langford to be back in the side very quickly now.

I agree. The manic intensity doesn't seem to be there anymore and the kicking is a huge problem. Not a convincing combination, but I thought Chandler into the middle was well worth a try. I thought persisting with Langdon for so long was truly bizarre. I have absolutely no idea why anyone at the club thinks he's a CBA midfielder.

Very Chris Scott.

Good call. Although, in fairness to the Lions, they played some really nice precision-kicking footy in that GF... and the one before it.

...Then they came for the Demonland website. And I did not speak out. Because I am not a Melbourne supporter.

I agree. It was a bit of fun and the crowd got into it as it went on. On the whole, I like Melbourne going for daggy entertainment rather than doing the cringeworthy "let's speak to the kids" straight-from-America garbage (the word "activation" brings bile to my throat) you see St Kilda and the Dogs do at Marvel. But as a celebration of Ireland it was one step away from leprauchans and people saying "twiddly diddly dee". As a celebration of Stynes it was an absolute mile off. I will say, I think the way Max Gawn talks about Jim Stynes (especially stories about Jim encouraging young Max to defy convention and certain expectations as a reflection of how he spoke with young people in general) is underrated. That short presentation from Max on the screen at half time (?) was really good. Yes, I've heard it before, but I think it's a story worth repeating. I'd have liked to see more of that - how Jim's words and deeds affected others (or changed their lives for the better). Alongside a fun celebration of Ireland? Sure - but as you said, Ghostwriter, with a bit more thought and effort.

*sigh* Sadly, entirely true.

If you buy a GA ticket to The [censored], can you sit on the top level?

Forwards needs to be able to bend down. I'm going with no.

I'm not a big fan of using stats to make solid determinations about gamea, but if I was going to mention one it would be Max yet again absolutely dominating the taps and Melbourne once again getting comfortably beaten in clearances. I thought the centre square stuff was mostly good - better than a lot of last year from what I saw. The rest wasn't.

Booo! I wanted him to go full Jayson Daniels.

Yep. Thought the same. Worth a try as a final roll of the dice. (If I'm being really harsh, I think Caleb Windsor would have been a better choice than Ed Langdon, who in his 11th season of AFL football is finding a way to get comprehensively outmarked by Darcy Jones.)

He was so good, wasn't he? I still think Ricky Petterd's is the best debut game I've seen from a Melbourne player, but Lindsay's was very close.

This is me when people talk about Billings and Melksham.

I agree. It was fun to watch us go forward with hands in a way we really haven't for a long while. I'd have loved to see Windsor get onto the end of a couple more chains. I honestly expected them to beat us comfortably and probably carve us up in the same way they went past Collingwood last week (I know this is precisely how they kicked the winning goal, but we seemed knackered). Kicking 11 was pretty good. Keeping them to 11 was excellent.

How many were you expecting?

Kozzy is obviously a major out, and it seemed like AMW was having a good pre-season, but who else? I like these inclusions, but I think they're a clear sign that our existing depth wasn't cutting it.

The forward handball absolutely tore Carlton apart.

Nah, nothing woo woo about the law of attraction.

Good LORD! I had no idea he was that high.