Whispering_Jack
-
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Whispering_Jack
-
-
-
Summary of Harrison Borthwick’s Herald Sun Track Watch article - JAI FIRMS FOR DEES’ OPENER
Jai Culley produced another stunning performance in a match simulation as his impressive summer on the track continues. He was a ball magnet at training on Wednesday, rolling through the midfield and pushing forward to set up attacking thrusts. He is firming for a Round 1 spot with the Demons.
Koltyn Tholstrup also impressed in a more prominent midfield role.
On the fresh faces:
Changkuoth Jiath was electric off half-back, using his leap to intercept marks from long down-the-line kicks. His role in defence will be vital as Jake Bowey will be out for much of the season with a foot injury.
Max Heath rotated forward, offering a target deep in attack and plucking a number of marks.
Latrelle Pickett showed class with a dancing effort that evaded three tackling attempts before hitting forward Aidan Johnson on the lead.
Jack Steele lined up on Harvey Langford in match sim and beat his younger teammate convincingly – leading Langford around the park and keeping the second-year player quiet.
Forwards - the forward line still appears to be a work in progress as the key targets failed to fire in the match sim.
Apart from taking a strong contested mark on Lever, which led to a goal, Jacob van Rooyen otherwise struggled to impose himself.
Matthew Jefferson also failed to make an impact.
Bayley Fritsch was crafty up forward and hit the scoreboard.
Brody Mihocek (foot) has been limited this summer, and while he failed to have an influence the former Pie took part in match sim.
Kysaiah Pickett appears set for a prominent midfield role, but he did push forward to kick two goals in the 40-minute match sim.
Taking it slow - Max Gawn took part in warm-up drills, but is still protective of his broken finger which is in a brace. He watched on as his teammates competed in match sim.
Christian Salem, Jake Melksham, and Shane McAdam ran laps. Steven May was limited to a modified program, and Jack Viney still seems some time away as he recovers from his achilles soreness. Tom Campbell is still in a neck brace recovering from a torn ligament, while Andy Moniz-Wakefield started with the main group but eventually completed light drills and did not participate in the match sim.
-
Today’s Herald Sun on the most likely prospects for an AFL debut:-
MELBOURNE
Yet to make debut: Xavier Taylor, Latrelle Pickett, Thomas Matthews, Riley Onley, Kalani White, Luker Kentfield, Ricky Mentha.
Xavier Taylor, and potentially Latrelle Pickett, will feature early in 2026. Pickett has been especially impressive since arriving at the club in the first round of the draft. Luker Kentfield had a strong 2025 VFL campaign and will push for an early debut if the key forward stocks start to deplete.
Best Chance: Latrelle Pickett.
-
2
-
-
On 27/01/2026 at 11:26, GawnOfTheDead said: Assuming White is low on your list due to needing to beef up, and Matthews re injury?
How’s Heath going? I have seen some really positive posts saying he may be the 5th bench player. Is there someone you could compare him to, ie: Jackson (ground work and follow up)?
Haven’t seen much of his gameplay so curious if he’s a rough and tough ruck, or follows up, or gets around the ground a lot like Gawn - I assume with his body type he’s more a rough and tough ruck..
No hurry with either Matthews or White but I forgot to include two players who were already on the list, so I added them below:-
Steele
Sumner-Pickett
Taylor
Mihocek
Jiath
Kentfield
Onley
Heath
Mentha Jnr
White
Berry
Matthews
-
2
-
Hi @Supermercado - it seems the Demonwiki site has been overtaken by some weird Demons again.
Are you able to exorcise them?
-
1
-
-
In order of favouritism for a gig in Round 1
Steele
Pickett
Taylor
Mihocek
Jiath
Onley
Heath
White
Berry
Matthews
-
6
-
1
-
-
Thanks Timothy …
When a team's season ends in upheaval with a forced coaching change, uncertainty always surrounds the direction of the team. Many pundits predict a period of decline for Melbourne, while others, such as Kane Cornes on SEN, remain uncertain. Nobody expects us to win a flag.
According to Cornes: "In 2025, Carlton (11th), St Kilda (12th), and Melbourne (14th) were among the mid-table teams that neither challenged for finals nor struggled at the bottom."
I’m inclined towards optimism, believing that Melbourne underperformed significantly last year. A slight improvement in performance, driven by a new and distinct coach approach, could rapidly propel the team up the rankings.
At their best, Melbourne defeated the reigning premier on their home turf and presented a formidable challenge to a number of finalists. Consequently, they may not be as far from success as some might think.
-
2
-
2
-
4
-
-
On 23/01/2026 at 23:48, Go Ds said: Have there been Irish players on our list after Stynes retired in 1998?!!! (The rest of this conversation is irrelevant.)
Melbourne rookie listed Nicholas Walsh in 2000 and Kevin Devine in 2001 but neither played a senior game.
According to Demonwiki which is an excellent resource for all things Melbourne and run by @Supermercado:-
Nicholas Walsh (#12)
“Irish recruit who captained his country's Under 17 international rules team against Australia, and was sponsored by the Demons to complete his studies at St. Kevin's College. In his first year there he won the school Best and Fairest and was drafted by the Demons soon after.
“He played two senior games for Sandringham over two seasons, but suffered a wretched run with injury before being delisted”.
The reference to Sandringham is to the VFL Zebras who were Melbourne’s affiliate team at the time.
Kevin Devine (#48)
“The lightly framed Dubliner was recruited during the AFL's second wave of Irish imports. He almost ended up at the Western Bulldogs, but with the two clubs unable to decide between Devine and fellow Irishman Bernie Collins they tossed a coin and the Demons ended up with the younger Devine. Neither played an AFL game.
“On arriving at Melbourne, Devine was put on a fitness program to improve his strength, adding five kilograms in his first months at the club. Despite being groomed as a future half-back flanker, winger or half-forward flanker her never made it past the Sandringham seconds, where he played 14 games, and returned to Ireland at the end of the 2001 season”.
In the same year in which Devine was recruited, the Sydney Swans drafted Tadgh Kenneally who played 197 games including the 2005 premiership.
I suppose that it would be fair to say that after our initial success with Jim Stynes and Sean Wight, our second wave of Irish recruiting was a monumental failure. If only our recruiters had some divine inspiration and found Tadgh instead!
-
1
-
4
-
1
-
-
I must have been a touch psychic this morning because the great story below from Paul Amy has appeared on the Leader Newspapers site. We already knew about some of them - Amy names ten Gippslanders joining him at Casey along with a cousin of a Melbourne AFL lister:-
Gippsland players to power Casey Demons in VFL by Paul Amy (Leader Newspapers)
New Casey Demons coach Rhett McLennan has a good handle on the VFL club's recruits for 2026. He coached most of them at Gippsland Power in the Talent League.
The Casey Demons lost a rugged midfielder from Gippsland when Riley Baldi switched to the SANFL after last season.
But in Traralgon's Luis D'Angelo the Demons are expected to gain a similarly robust player from the same league.
D'Angelo, 23, is yet to apply pen to paper but will be offered a contract and will be happy to sign it.
The runner-up in Gippsland Power's 2021 best and fairest, D'Angelo played for Box Hill Hawks in 2022 and was on their list the following year, but did not manage a game.
For the past three years he has been a leading player for the Gippsland league Maroons, figuring in their 2024 flag.
He has also been named in the past two Gippy league teams of the year.
"He's been awesome for Traralgon," former senior coach Troy Hamilton told CODE Sports.
"He's a heart-and-soul midfielder, very creative by hand and gutsy."
D'Angelo, a physiotherapist, was runner-up in the Traralgon best and fairest in 2023, '24 and again last year.
He said he was enjoyed training with Casey and was up for the challenge of resuming in the VFL.
His Traralgon teammate Joel Scholtes is also headed for the Demons.
Like D'Angelo, Scholtes went through Gippy Power under new Casey coach Rhett McLennan and is a prominent Gippsland league player.
"Left-footer, a bit of an intercepting half-back and very fit," was the word from Hamilton.
The Demons are also going with two players from West Gippsland league premier Nar Nar Goon.
Top tall Nate Pipicelli and Clancy Pope will step up to the VFL after featuring in their club's 2024 and '25 grand final wins.
Flanker Pope, who turned 19 this week, first played senior football with the Goon at age 15.
Pipicelli, 195cm left-footer, has played as a key forward and in the ruck since graduating from Gippsland Power in 2022.
Last year he ran second in the best and fairest to club champion Trent Armour.
The Demons will have a strong Gippsland connection this year, with recruits Harry Tatterson (Heyfield), Jonah Walker (Bairnsdale), Jehi Esler (Tooradin-Dalmore), Jobe Scapin (Inverloch-Kongwak), Luke Cheffers (Moe) and Sam Hoghton (Officer) all having gone through the Power.
"We'd like to represent the area as best we can," McLennan, who coached the Power for six years, said.
"There are plenty of football clubs around - I think I counted 78 in Gippsland and the outer east."
But Xavier Hampton is far from local: a cousin of Melbourne-lister Ricky Mentha, he's joined Casey from West Adelaide in the SANFL.
Traralgon star Luis D'Angelo is heading to Casey in the VFL.
D'Angelo claims Leongatha star Dyson Heppell, more recently known for his performance on reality TV show I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!. Pictures: Yuri Kouzmin
-
3
-
-
According to the AFL website, North Melbourne's match simulation today has been cancelled due to gastro outbreak.
Meanwhile, Melbourne’s closed training session at Casey Fields is still going ahead today although officials are keeping an eye open for any snakes in the area. If you’re in the area and can assist with any updates, please let us know.
-
1
-
7
-
1
-
-
20 hours ago, Tarax Club said: Cheers Kasey, a comprehensive ‘state of play’. Quite a turnover of players on the Casey AFL and VFL lists. Pleased to read many of those moving on from Casey Fields will continue to play. Appears birds of a feather stick together. Kynan joins Noah and Mitch K-S bayside at Trevor Barker Oval. Will Verrall back home at the Sth Adelaide Panthers to be joined there by Deakyn Smith. Taj Woewodin reprises Dad moving to Collingwood VFL.
Rhett McLennan’s connections with Gippsland junior footy appear to have influenced recruiting to the Casey VFL list. Am l correct in assuming Tom Freedman having acquired an additional “d” is now entering his post Casey playing days?
Interesting future watch, to see if any of those listed including Toby Sinnema and Tairon Ah-Mu get a second 'bite of the cherry' by being listed on an AFL list. Riley Bonner would have to be odds-on for captain.
Actually, given that the coach comes directly from Gippsland Power which made last year’s Preliminary Final, we have yet to see a great influx of players from the 2025 team (only Walker so far).
I also was in touch with a South Adelaide person during the week and he couldn’t confirm that Deakyn Smith was playing with them this season.
Obviously, the lists are to be finalized but we can expect a very different looking Casey Demons this year with a number of regulars going elsewhere.
PS Tom Freeman typo fixed.
-
4
-
-
And it’s great to see that after all the kerfuffle, Tairon Ah Mu gets his chance to wear the red and blue, albeit only as a Casey Demon. Here’s his Rookie Me Central profile from last year:
Tairon Ah Mu Height 198cm DOB 06.06.2007
SNAPSHOT: “A beast of a prospect whose sheer size and physicality make him a difficult matchup up forward or in the ruck.” – Michael Alvaro
It’s hard to miss Tairon Ah-Mu when he’s playing football at his best. The hulking key position prospect is a man mountain capable of monstering his opponents, which he has done frequently over the years. He represented Vic Country at Under 16, 17, and 18 level, while making his debut for Dandenong Stingrays back in 2023. That year, he also helped Haileybury College take out the APS First XVIII flag.
Much of Ah-Mu’s tutelage has come under Essendon great Matthew Lloyd at Haileybury. Together, they helped put together another undefeated season to take out the 2025 title, and Ah-Mu has made great strides in refining his craft. He has also been part of the Melbourne Next Generation Academy, but the AFL’s current eligibility criteria means the Dees won’t have priority access to him come draft time.
Ah-Mu has also been a central figure for Dandenong between his school and representative commitments. He booted 22 goals in 11 games as a bottom-ager last year, before going on to kick 15 in eight appearances this year. Not once was Ah-Mu kept goalless as a top-ager in the Coates Talent League. He translated that form to the National Championships to slot seven majors in the Big V guernsey. That came after a six-goal trial match which ended up being one of the forward’s best games all season.
-
1
-
5
-
-
-
Today we remember Don Cordner on what would have been his 104th birthday.
Don Cordner (21 January 1922 – 13 May 2009)
Career highlights
2× VFL premierships: 1941, 1948
Brownlow Medallist: 1946
Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medallist: 1943
Melbourne captain: 1948–1949
Melbourne Team of the Century–back pocket
Melbourne Hall of Fame–Legend status
2× Sporting Life team of the year: 1947, 1949
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com
The Cordners are one of the great football dynasties of the Melbourne Football club spanning three generations.
-
1
-
1
-
4
-
2
-
-
I’m fairly confident that he’s not related to the club’s Picketts but, on name alone, I’m interested.
-
1
-
-
6 minutes ago, Chelly said: A lengthy injury list for the time of year
Pre-season update | Demons sidelined
Jack Viney - Achilles / expected to return to full training in the next few weeks
Max Gawn - broken finger / in a splint for three weeks
Bailey Laurie - broken hand / expected back with the main group in the next couple weeks
Jake Bowey - foot injury/ long-term
Tom Matthews - meniscus / rehab
Brody Mihocek - toe / rehab
Shane McAdam - Achilles / rehab
Tom Campbell - torn ligament in neck/ in a neck brace for a month
Harry Sharp - hamstring/ expected to return to full training in the next few weeks.
Jack Henderson - stress fracture to the sacrum / expected to return to main training at the end of February
Andy Moniz-Wakefield - ACL / rehab
That might not be all. Jake Melksham seems to be doing his own tailor made pre season which doesn’t involve joining in general training yet. CJ and one or two others might also have a lighter load.
-
1
-
-
Another hero from my childhood days. Athol Webb was a vital component in the very strong Melbourne side of the late 50s playing a “decoy” full forward role. He wasn’t tall (180cm) but he managed to bag plenty of goals and kicked five of them in the 1956 premiership. He was top goal kicker and was in another flag winning team in 1957.
All told, Webb played 74 games for 146 goals.
Condolences to his family and friends.
-
6
-
2
-
10
-
-
Happy New Year to Demonlanders …
I bring you an omen in the form of this vision of the sky over Mount Fuji in Japan literally split in two for the first sunrise of 2026.
That dark path is Fuji casting a massive shadow against the glowing atmosphere, producing its own red and blue energy for the 2026.
-
2
-
6
-
-
-
1
-
2
-
-
Twenty-one years ago today a massive earthquake off Indonesia triggered the Asian Tsunami, a pivotal moment that united the world in grief and solidarity. The tsunami devastated communities along the coasts of the Indian Ocean, claiming an estimated 227,898 lives in 14 countries, especially in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand, where many Australian tourists were holidaying. Today we remember all of the victims of this horrific tragedy which took 26 Australian lives including Melbourne footballer Troy Broadbridge, who was on his honeymoon with his wife Trish who survived him. 💦
Broadbridge was drafted by the Melbourne Football Club at the commencement of the 2001 AFL season. He received the club's Most Improved Player award in 2001, and became a regular in the side, playing a total of 40 games over his three seasons. His first and last AFL games were both against Essendon - he made his debut in Round 8, 2001, in the teams' first meeting since the 2000 Grand Final, while his last league game was also against Essendon, in the 2004 elimination final.
-
17
-
-
22 minutes ago, Coolx2 said: On my post dated 1st December 2025, there is a word at the beginning of my post Apoplexia. Did not know what it meant so I looked it up on 22Dec at 5.30 pm. I have a witness to state that I didn't use this word.
I posted something about Ox's fear for the Dees in 26 , somehow it didn't make it to air. Where can I find a list of what I cannot post on this site?
There’s a thread above with our CODE OF CONDUCT
-
1
-
-
Cameron Pedersen was a late developer and not the most highly skilled in the game but he gave his all every time he took the field. After a couple of seasons at North Melbourne for 16 games (20 goals), the 193cm utility who could play a bit in the ruck switched to Melbourne and played another 64 games for 50 goals. He retired at the end of 2018 and my lasting memory of him is the vision of him battling manfully as a relief ruckman matching it with guys who towered over him.
More recently he’s been starring with Phillip Island in the West Gippsland Football League and in one game this season, Pedersen gathered a whopping 51 disposals, 37 hit outs and 17 clearances.
Tonight the 38-year-old is running around for the Darwin Buffaloes against Waratah in the Northern Territory Football League.
If there’s someone out there who follow NT football and can let us know how he went, it would be greatly appreciated.
-
12
-
2
-
8
-
1
-
-
8 hours ago, Ghostwriter said: The vibe is great! Everyone: players, coaches and trainers are happy about today because immediately after this session they’re on holidays. 🥳
But…
Jadams just told me they’ve been told this session will be gruelling. Absolutely brutal. Regular sessions are brutal so if Kingy has said it’s gonna be brutal… it’s gonna be apocalyptic.
There are some Casey boys here as well as a couple of umpires so a match is on the cards.
There’s a lovely Casey boy named Jarrod Gatt. I’m sure @Whispering_Jack knows all about this kid.
Jarrod Gatt was on the Casey list this year but I think he only played one game in the first half of the season.
-
3
-
3
-
Season Preview - The Mongrel Punt
in Melbourne Demons
This is from The Mongrel Punt -
https://themongrelpunt.com/afl-season-2026/2026/01/29/2026-melbourne-season-preview-the-big-questions/
It asks a number of questions about the club’s 2026 season. Only five are visible behind the firewall so if anyone can summarize the rest of the story, it would be much appreciated.