Whispering_Jack

The team: R.Baldi, M.Buntine, T.Burgoyne, P.Cross, K.Farris-White, T.Freeman, L.Goonan, G.Grey, M.Hibberd, B.Howes, M.Jefferson, J.Jordan, A.Moniz-Wakefield, J.Munro, J.Schache, O.Sestan, D.Smith, R.Steele, A.Tomlinson, D.Turner, K.Turner, J.van Rooyen, T.Sheridan, R. Valentine, W.Verrell

Death, taxes and Western Bulldogs leading the free kick count by 23 to 12 in Round 1 vs Melbourne.

My major criticism of the merger of the Casey Scorpions into the property of the Melbourne Football Club was the destruction of the club that was once a separate entity with a heart and soul of its own. If the Casey Demons was still a club that treasured its community involvement in the local area and its wider catchment, there would be so many additional benefits accruing. One of those things would be the fact that there would be no shortage of supporters coming to games and telling the world how their local team was traveling and which of their players was doing well and which was having a bad day - even in practice matches. Instead, we get nothing.

AFL news: Max Gawn on playing injured in finals, Brodie Grundy and what Lachie Hunter will add to Melbourne Article in today’s Herald Sun tells the story of how Max Gawn was initially ruled out of last year’s semi final vs Brisbane due to a painful hip injury – only to win a last-minute reprieve. A couple of scans on the day before the game earned him a reprieve just as Jacob Van Rooyen was poised to make a shock finals debut against the Lions in his place. After feeling good and playing well in the first half (the Dees led by 22 points at the main break), it all “came caving in during the second half” and Max struggled to see out the game. “It was certainly in my head space as the game wore on. But I tried to stay in the moment as much as I could,” Gawn said. “I was doing quite well to stay in the moment in that game to make sure our team didn’t know there was anything wrong. We had five or six guys in the same position that game.” We knew that the Demons were in dire straits on the night and it’s been debated and discussed before but we knew we were going into a cut throat final at way under full rat power. We rolled the dice and lost.

Basically, the now 21 year old made the seniors at South Croydon as a 19 year old in a season affected by Covid lockdowns but 2022 was his breakthrough year kicking 45 goals for the club. During one of the finals attended by Max Gawn who came to watch former teammate Matt Jones, he left a lasting impression on the Demon skipper who alerted the club’s scouts and, as a result he’s secured a contract with the Casey Demons.

Max had a hand in getting Tom Sheridan to Casey - EFNL 2023: South Croydon’s Tom Sheridan earns VFL contract with Casey

State of play before tonight:-

Not sure as to the cause but most likely sports related (bowler at cricket and played footy).

Diagnosed with suprascapular neuropathy which ended his sports career, left him with maximum 50 per cent of shoulder movement for the rest of your life and around three years of health coverage. Covid19 made access to health carers problematic. He was not able to work and his situation with care was becoming more and more difficult. Ultimately, contacted by former Dees teammate Kade Kolodjashnij, who had himself been forced into premature retirement because of concussion effects. He put him onto an insurance expert who reviewed his situation and now has more full insurance and access to specialists. He is hopeful of securing better treatment for a better outcome for himself.

The story of Guy Walker, a serious cricketer, who was drafted as a rookie a few years ago but unfortunately spent his time as a Demon on the injured list. Former AFL and Big Bash League player Guy Walker opens up on life-changing disability claim

I think we should protest to the AFL for abandoning the 8th period of Friday’s SIM when we would have had the wind advantage. Cost us valuable percentage.

It appears from postings on social media that after today’s photo shoot there was some training at Gosch’s Paddock.

The Herald Sun is reporting that Steven May is expected to be free to play Western Bulldogs in the Round 1 blockbuster. “May was involved in a late hit on Saint Dan Butler on Friday night but the umpires and St Kilda are not expected to refer the incident for match officer review.”

To the generation of Demon fans who grew up supporting the club in the golden era of the 50s - 60s, Ronald Dale Barassi remains the greatest!

Schache’s on the list Dee Spencer posted but not in your version.

Once again, a great read and there should be much, much more of the same. So much better researched and done than Colin Carter’s book on recognizing some real ancient “premierships” before the VFL/AFL competition began.

It’s not as if the AFL, through the various pathways to the elite level of the sport, doesn’t spend significant resources in education on the subject of recreational drug use, is it? The great majority of players who get onto senior lists are responsible and mature about this and a whole raft of subjects that has an effect on their lives but there’s always a small minority for who the learning slips through cracks. It’s a case of dealing with it properly. I think Gold Coast probably got it right with the case of Mac Andrew driving under the influence. It obviously needs the personal follow up to prevent it from getting out of hand and destroying the individual and his career.

I recall reading at the time when Melbourne drafted Judd McVee as a rookie at the end of 2021, that the recruiters were relying in part on the initial impression he made when he was part of WA’s midfield mix two years earlier in the state's Under 16 National Championships campaign in 2019. It was back then that McVee’s class came to the fore. He was regarded as a clean ball handler, an efficient disposer of the football who had a cool head. His stocks fell during the Covid19 years and he barely held on to his state spot but managed to take a place across half back for WA in what were regarded as the U19 Nationals of 2021. It’s still a way to go but hopefully, the long memory and/or faith paid in him by a Demon recruiter plus his own hard work and development will pay off in spades.

Thanks Picket Fence and Gator - what a sterling job to brave the heat and head down into the wilderness area in outer south east Melbourne. More importantly, great to read that we have players putting their hands up for a game with the season just five weeks away.

I’ve always been fascinated by the history of our sport and, over the years have amassed a fair collection of books about Aussie footy. I embarked up the Carter book with an open mind but started to run aground at about pages 50-60 where I found it becoming a bit too repetitive in its advocacy of adding premierships won from 1870 through to the commencement of the VFA in 1877 to the VFL/AFL count from 1897 onwards. I’ve stopped reading it for the time being but am a long way off supporting a change to the status quo. I’m inclined to favour the argument that the game didn’t really reach the stage where it had premier status until 1896 with the formation of the VFL and I think we should stick with the way we look back at our game these days. We can still acknowledge the old SANFL, VFA, WAFL records for what they were and we can recognize the pre VFA “competition” as it was but, after more than 100 years of VFL/AFL competition, I don’t think we should change things now for the sake of giving mainly Victorian teams further recognition over and above what they have now.

Now that the lists for 2023 are sorted out these are the candidates for making a debut with Melbourne during the season:- PRIMARY LIST Jed Adams, Brodie Grundy, Blake Howes, Lachie Hunter, Matthew Jefferson, Bailey Laurie, Josh Schache, Jacob van Rooyen, Taj Woewodin ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A Judd McVee, Oliver Sestan, Deakyn Smith, Kye Turner, Will Verrell ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B Kyah Farris-White, Andy Moniz-Wakefield That is certainly a treasure trove of young talent - we have a lot to look forward to.

He’s an Old Haileyburyian like a certain former No 1 draft pick who isn’t well thought of among many MFC fans. Perhaps, he can have a stellar career and atone for the other bloke’s sin of walking out after being lured by treasure from up north. Kye Turns Heads to Become A Demon

And with that the list is settled … PRIMARY LIST: — Jed Adams Jake Bowey Angus Brayshaw Ben Brown Kade Chandler Luke Dunstan Bayley Fritsch Max Gawn Brodie Grundy James Harmes Michael Hibberd Blake Howes Lachie Hunter Matthew Jefferson James Jordon Ed Langdon Bailey Laurie Jake Lever Tom McDonald Steven May Jake Melksham Alex Neal-Bullen Clayton Oliver Christian Petracca Harrison Petty Kysaiah Kropinyeri Pickett Trent Rivers Christian Salem Josh Schache Joel Smith Charlie Spargo Tom Sparrow Adam Tomlinson Jacob van Rooyen Jack Viney Taj Woewodin ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY A Judd McVee Oliver Sestan Deakyn Smith Daniel Turner Kye Turner Will Verrell ROOKIE LIST: CATEGORY B Kyah Farris-White Andy Moniz-Wakefield

They’re saying he’s been offered a place at Casey after missing out on the SSP. Good luck and thanks Trent.

And Kye has it … great story and well done!!!