Whispering_Jack

The draw means that we’re in the finals frame after Round 1.

Ah well, seven days after missing out by less than a goal against a premiership favourite, we’re done and dusted.

I think we’ve got this. Will win by 25 points.

Good news for Carlton at last. They don’t have to play Richmond again this year!

Please tell me you haven’t lost my match report from the game vs Port Adelaide in 2003.

Preseason Q&A: Kalani White (Suns Academy)

UPDATE COACH: Taylor Whitford (third season) STAYING: Casey Demons: Jack Behnk, Paddy Cross, Tyler Edwards, Tom Freeman, Roy George, Andrew Green, Max Gregory, Brayden Laplanche, Caleb Lewis, Charlie Peters, Kobe Shipp, Kai Windsor; Melbourne: Jed Adams, Jack Billings, Jake Bowey, Kynan Brown, Kade Chandler, Bayley Fritsch, Tom Fullarton, Max Gawn, Marty Hore, Blake Howes, Matt Jefferson, Luker Kentfield, Ed Langdon, Bailey Laurie, Jake Lever, Steven May, Shane McAdam, Tom McDonald, Judd McVee, Jake Melksham, Andy Moniz-Wakefield, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Harrison Petty, Kysaiah Pickett, Trent Rivers, Christian Salem, Oliver Sestan, Charlie Spargo, Tom Sparrow, Koltyn Tholstrup, Dan Turner, Jacob van Rooyen, Will Verrall, Jack Viney, Caleb Windsor, Taj Woewodin ARRIVING: Casey Demons: Riley Baldi (Moe), Riley Bonner (St Kilda), Lachlan Bryce (Frankston YCW), Jesse Craven (Tooradin-Dalmore), Chance Doultree (Footscray Bulldogs), Jack Ferraro (St Bedes/Mentone Tigers), Jarrod Gatt (Pines), Jenson Garnham (Leongatha), Oliver Green (Parkdale Vultures), Mitch Hardie (Geelong Cats), Patrick Ireland (Buln Buln), Mitch Kirkwood-Scott (Old Haileybury/Sandringham Dragons), Wardell Lual (Werribee), Max Roney (North Launceston), Deakyn Smith (North Melbourne VFL), Tyson Sruk (Carlton VFL), Noah Yze (Oakleigh Chargers); Melbourne: Tom Campbell (St Kilda), Jai Culley (West Coast Eagles), Jack Henderson (Werribee) Aidan Johnson (Werribee), Harvey Langford (Mt Martha/Dandenong Stingrays/Richmond VFL), Xavier Lindsay (Inverloch-Kongwak/Gippsland Power), Ricky Mentha (Palmerston/Gippsland Power/Morwell), Harry Sharp (Brisbane Lions) DEPARTING: Casey Demons: Riak Andrew (Sydney Swans), Jack Bell (Old Haileybury), Leo Connolly (Aspley), Max Coughlin, Campbell Hustwaite (Rosebud), Eddie King, Ned Moodie (Frankston), Charlie Muley, Harvey Neocleous, Tom Sheridan (South Croydon), Roan Steele (West Perth), Mitch Szybkowski (GWS Giants VFL), Ziggy Toledo-Glasman (knee), Ryan Valentine (Coburg), Mitch White (Rosebud); Melbourne: Angus Brayshaw (retired), Ben Brown (retired), Kyah Farris-White (delisted), Lachie Hunter (retired – Spotswood), Alex Neal-Bullen (Adelaide), Josh Schache (delisted – Doncaster East), Joel Smith (delisted), Adam Tomlinson (North Melbourne VFL)

An interesting name on the list is Wardell Lual, a 26-year-old 191cm defender from Werribee who was listed with Casey at one point last year but returned to Werribee. He played in the Tigers’ 2023 Grand Final side but I didn’t follow them much in 2024. Anyway, he’s back now and joins former teammates Aidan Johnson and Jack Henderson as a Demon in 2025.

Rescheduled Opening Round matches The AFL has announced that Brisbane and Geelong will play in Round 3 on Saturday, March 29 at 6:35pm (local time) at the Gabba. The Gold Coast Suns and Essendon will play an additional game as part of a “floating” Round 24 fixture. This isn’t going to be a particularly satisfactory way for the Suns and Bombers to approach the finals if they’re still in the running. And if they’re not in the race, then playing two meaningless games in the last round of the season would be a complete drag. A better option would have been to move Geelong vs Essendon from Round 14 to Round 16. That would have opened up the space for Gold Coast Suns vs Essendon in Round 14, a far more logical and less disruptive outcome but logic and the AFL don’t necessarily always go hand in hand. Swans and Collingwood for me this weekend.

The Sydney Swans are back on top of the ladder. The Demons made the top 8 (just) ... Sydney Swans 2 0 0 209 131 159.54 8 West Coast Eagles 2 0 0 133 95 140.00 8 Essendon 2 0 0 181 141 128.37 8 Adelaide 2 0 0 200 173 115.61 8 Indigenous All Stars 1 0 0 108 65 166.15 4 Collingwood 1 1 0 190 138 137.68 4 Carlton 1 1 0 182 135 134.81 4 Melbourne 1 1 0 207 179 115.64 4 Port Adelaide 1 1 0 172 152 113.16 4 Gold Coast Suns 1 1 0 160 153 104.58 4 Geelong 1 1 0 189 190 99.47 4 Western Bulldogs 1 1 0 135 143 94.41 4 Fremantle 1 1 0 174 198 87.88 4 St Kilda 1 1 0 118 151 78.15 4 Brisbane ½ 1 ½ 0 170 170 100.00 2 Hawthorn 0 2 0 152 183 83.06 0 North Melbourne 0 2 0 139 188 73.94 0 GWS Giants 0 2 0 134 249 53.82 0 Richmond 0 2 0 75 194 38.66 0

The Herald Sun “experts” are less than impressed. They have us remaining static in 14th place. It’s worth bookmarking this …

Whoever is in charge of this fixture should immediately come to the attention of Elon Musk and his DOGE team. Apart from the fact that it makes no sense to play one team twice and not play against three others once, how is it that Casey plays distant Gold Coast twice but does not play it’s closest opponent and long time rival, Frankston at all. That is sheer madness.

Not necessarily. If he’s an emergency then he could have been played sparingly at Casey and flown over after the game. Where are the Perth Demon fans stalking the incoming flights from Melbourne updating us on arrivals there?