Whispering_Jack
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The Herald Sun’s Josh Barnes has posted an article on Code Sports entitled “Track Watch: Christian Petracca trains days after cracking ribs at Melbourne training”. Summary - • Christian Petracca was on light duties but showed no signs of discomfort from his cracked ribs at Melbourne training. • there’s no plan in place to return the Norm Smith medallist to full training but he will be able to keep his fitness up as his ribs recover. • the club didn’t hesitate in getting into contact today, stepping into physical centre bounce and defensive set up drills involving heavy tackling. • other players in the non-contact group were skipper Max Gawn, defender Jake Lever and Taj Woewodin. • players who impressed were:- * Kysaiah Pickett – was impressive in bursting out of the middle of the ground in a centre bounce drill. * Tom Campbell – with Max on the sidelines, he showed his deft ruckwork in the centre. * Shane McAdam – was hampered physically to start this pre-season but he showed a flash of his goalkicking ability with a nice dribble goal from deep in a pocket. • Christian Salem limped off the track at one point, pointing to his lower right leg and seeking attention from the medical staff.
Better late than never … and quite frankly, there’s very little to report other than that training took place at Casey Fields this morning, that Tracc was there nursing his rib injury and that some photographs are on the club’s social media including this one of Clarrie in Raging Bull stance that gives rise for confidence ~ The other news is that the club has a new train on player in 185cm Dandenong Stingrays midfielder Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves (love the hyphenated name which is just so fitting for the MFC). The 2025 draft prospects training at your club this week H-H has been with the Stingrays program for a couple of seasons and was a regular them last year. He should feel at home training with former teammate Harvey Langford. As far as I know, he’s not tied to the club in any way and if that’s the case, he’s available to all clubs in this year’s national draft.
I would not be averse to him playing in that role anyway, notwithstanding the current rib issue. A great weapon to have there in the post ANB period and it would give our younger mids starting with Trent Rivers the opportunity to blossom in a new look midfield.
Welcome back to Demonland for those like me who have been on vacation. I’m posting this with some trepidation because of a certain amount of uncertainty surrounding the return of preseason training in 2025 after a flurry of weddings including those of our coach, one of our superstar players and a former premiership champion player and bloke, not to mention the recent mysterious incident that occurred on the Mornington Peninsula. I believe that the team reassembles this morning at Casey Fields (fitting because it’s the closest training facility to Sorrento). At least that’s what I was led to believe from despatches in late 2024, although the fog of the festive season and new year celebrations might be playing tricks on me. To add to my trepidation is this ominous piece of information gleaned from the MFC website:- “Some sessions in the new year are returning to Casey Fields and due to the nature of the facility those sessions will be closed to the public, unless otherwise advertised below.” Since I couldn’t locate any relevant information below, I can only assume that we won’t be receiving many reports from training if indeed, it proceeds today, especially given that this is the time of year when the snakes of Casey Fields come out of hibernation to congregate outside the fences of that facility. One of our regular correspondents has used the break to make a tree disguise but I believe it has yet to be tested as snake proof. So, in case there are no reports forthcoming on today’s activities, here is a picture taken in Bali to remind you all of what some of our players look like these days. Welcome to 2025!!!
Sorry, I’m on vacation and watching cricket. The only thing I can say at the moment is that I expect Clarry to get his five fer this year.
It took until right at the end of Robbie’s career for him to appear in a finals series and he never played in a grand final. In 1987, his last year at the club, the club made a late run for the finals and the theme at the time was for the club to “do it for Robbie”. The scenes at Whitten Oval at the end of Round 22 when we finally knew we had made it, were euphoric. But I have confess that we could have done it a lot earlier and better, but for a couple of odd coincidences - Odd Spot (1): Coincidentally, one of the other panelists on Episode 1 of the Legacy Series program was a client for who I acted in connection with a business transaction about a year and a half after I started my legal practice. I won’t name any names for professional reasons but he played in a drawn match in the final round of the 1975 season which resulted in his team keeping Melbourne and Robbie out of the finals (the Demons beat the Magpies in the same round). On the Monday following the game, the client attended my office and broke the news to me that he saved the game when he “touched” a shot at goal from a Carlton player in the tricky wind in the last minute of the game. He said he thought he might have been lucky to get the benefit of the decision which of course, kept us out of the finals for another 12 years! Odd Spot (2): Fast forward another three years and I’m now acting for a young footballer from Prahran who just played in their VFA premiership team where he kicked 4 goals in the Grand Final. He wants to play for Melbourne (I can’t mention the name for professional reasons but he became a football great who was a dominator in finals matches). He’s been knocked back after two preseasons with the Blues and wants to go to the club that his Prahran teammates John Townsend and Ken Emselle suggested he give a try. Carlton are bargaining for a trade - they want Tom Flower who kicked 5 goals in the final match of the 1978 season against Collingwood. It’s no deal. My client has to do the preseason with the Blues and kicks four goals in a quarter in an intraclub practice match that he was told was his last chance to impress the coach. His opponent in that fateful quarter was the club’s newly appointed captain-coach, A. Jesaulenko. The young player went on to play in four Carlton premiership sides including 1987. How different would things have turned out had he gone to Melbourne and played in the same team as Robbie all those years ago? Sorry Robbie and the Demon fans of that generation - I feel like I let you down.
Oops. I think you’re correct. Apologies to the producer.
Firstly, Robbie played 272 games from 1973 to 1987 while Tom played 26 games from 1977 to 1979. [This part has been corrected] Secondly, a personal reflection. I started my legal practice in April 1974 in Murrumbeena Road, Murrumbeena and the first person to knock on my office door was Jim Flower (the third brother) who was collecting donations for the Murrumbeena Football Club. As he was explaining the purpose of his visit, in comes Greg Wells who was a sign writer, ready to paint my office signs. So we spent the better part of the next hour chatting about the Demons and Jim’s bother Robert of who he was mightily proud. Soon after, I got to meet Robbie and he was, of course, every bit as great a footballer as he is depicted in the program and, on top of that, a wonderful bloke. Sadly, the team rarely tasted success in his time and that of Greg Wells and, in the final quarter of his career, he was robbed by injury and circumstance of the opportunity to play in a Grand Final and possibly a Premiership. It would have been a fitting end to his career just as it would also have been wonderful had he been fortunate enough to have lived to see the glory of 2021. I still look back fondly on my first day of practice in my new office even though my bank balance after Day 1 was lighter by the cost of the sign writing and the $10.00 donation made to the Murrumbeena Football Club. This discussion has reminded me of a couple of odd circumstances that happened over the ensuing years which I will come back to later. But for now, bring on the tributes for one of our all time great heroes.
Many years ago, before we all became more health and diet conscious, it used to be a treat to get a Chiko Roll from one of the stands outside the G. Now, the humble Chiko has found its way to the Tipping Point:-
How many of you can answer this question?
The Herald Sun’s take on where 2025 will take the Melbourne Football Club. Predictions, best 23: Rebound or rebuild? Dees’ writing on the wall Melbourne’s best 23 according to Callum Dick FB: Petty, May, Salem HB: Windsor, Lever, Rivers C: Sharp, Oliver, Langdon HF: Pickett, Fritsch, Chandler FF: Tholstrup, Van Rooyen, Johnson FOLL: Gawn, Petracca, Viney INT: McDonald, Bowey, Harvey Langford, McVee, Sparrow
On the VFL Rewind Radio Program (I found this on Facebook) The Bayley Fritsch story is a pretty amazing story of perseverance and hard work to firstly get to a VFL list, then onto an AFL list and then climbing Everest and winning a AFL premiership medal. Bayley Fritsch was never picked to play TAC Cup but in 2014 he was playing senior footy at Coldstream FNC in the Eastern Football Netball League as a 18 year old and also having a kick in the clubs under 19’s team. Bayley accepted a offer to join Casey Demons in 2015. Back then VFL lists could sign 68 players meaning Bayley got a opportunity and VFL clubs could take more of a chance on some players. However, he hardly played at all in 2015 & 2016 due to injuries but Casey Demons kept their faith in Bayley and gave him another year. Bayley had a breakout year in 2017 and played 19 games and kicked 42 goals at VFL level. In the AFL draft of 2017 Melbourne footy club drafted him with pick 31. In his first year at AFL level he played 23 games and between 2018-present he has missed only AFL 20 games. The 2021 AFL grand final is the biggest moment to date in Bayley’s career. He kicked 6 goals and had 13 disposals as he went on to become a AFL premiership player. It’s a great story of never giving up and chasing your AFL dream. From local senior footy to the bright lights of the AFL grand final. The Bayley Fritsch story is a very good football story.
Christian Petracca marries partner Bella in stunning ceremony Congratulations to Christian Petracca and Bella Beischer who tied the knot yesterday in a stunning ceremony at the Royal Botanic Gardens. There were plenty of Demon teammates on hand enjoying the ceremony. The couple drove off in a vintage Mercedes with a beaming Beischer wearing a beautiful white strapless gown and clutching white flowers ending a dramatic six month period for them after that sickening on-field clash in June. Congratulations and looking forward to a better year ahead, some more flags and Norm Smiths and plenty of father/son and father/daughter player in the future.
I went to my first MFC AGM some time in the 1960s and I can tell you that nothing's changed. You always had a few people eager to get on their soapbox and some were even inebriated before the post function drinks, sandwiches, party pies and sausage rolls were trotted out. And it wasn't confined to supporters because I remember one club president was blind shicker when he left the meeting (in our elevator). If you think this was ever just a Melbourne Football Club thing, I have friends at Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon who used to tell me the same stories about their AGMs and from their descriptions of recent such events, nothing's changed either. My favourite person from club AGMs was the bloke who got up every year during the period late in Jim Cardwell’s reign as club secretary and who was obviously from the bush and outfitted by R. M. Williams complete with boots and driza-bone and a leather face to match. I used to call him Clancy. Clancy would ask Jim the same question every year – “can yer give us a run down on recruitin’”. Jim would rattle off the names of prospective players including one or two who he guaranteed might become champions, we would note down the names and come March when pre-season started, we would wonder what happened to most of the names who never came to the club. That was long before the internet when AGMs were fun. These days I don't attend but I might have a look at the proceedings during the summer break.
The good thing is that today's date is 20 December 2024 and they play the Grand Final on 27 September 2025. If I remember correctly, we weren't great at any phase of the game on 20 December 2020 either.
We kick off the 2025 thread with a round up from this pre-Christmas update from Melbourne’s AFL High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith - Performance Update | Dees on track for 2025 Max Gawn - fractured larynx sustained at training. No exercise for two weeks and no contact training for an additional four weeks. Xavier Lindsay - PCL injury sustained late in the Coates Talent League season to be integrated into the main group and will go into the Christmas break on the draftee program (unrestricted). Christian Salem and Bayley Fritsch - both had arthroscopes at the end of the season and entered into rehab alongside one another. They have now integrated into full training. Jake Lever - underwent a knee arthroscope and shoulder surgery in the off-season, is tracking well and is entering into his final month of rehab. He will be in a modified environment after the Christmas break and is expected to be in full training by the end of January. Charlie Spargo - was sidelined for most of 2024 with an Achilles injury but is now integrated into skills with the group and is building his conditioning volume. The aim is to integrate him into an individualised Christmas program, with the plan for him to return to full training post-Christmas. Melbourne’s AFL program will return from the Christmas break on Thursday 9th January 2025, their first day of 2025 at Casey Fields.
Here is a recap of every selection from the 2024 AFLW Draft:- Pick 1 | Collingwood Ash Centra (Gippsland Power / Vic Country) Pick 2 | Gold Coast (BID MATCHED) Havana Harris (Gold Coast Suns Academy / Queensland) Pick 3 | Melbourne Molly O’Hehir (South Fremantle / Western Australia) Pick 4 | GWS Sara Howley (Geelong Falcons / Vic Country) Pick 5 | Sydney Zippy Fish (South Fremantle / Western Australia) Pick 6 | Carlton Poppy Scholz (Glenelg / South Australia) Pick 7 | West Coast Lou Painter (Bendigo Pioneers / Vic Country) Pick 8 | Western Bulldogs Emma McDonald (Oakleigh Chargers / Vic Metro) Pick 9 | Essendon Grace Belloni (Eastern Ranges / Vic Metro) Pick 10 | Geelong Lexi Gregor (Bendigo Pioneers / Vic Country) Pick 11 | Richmond Sierra Grieves (Western Jets / Vic Metro) Pick 12 | Essendon Holly Ridewood (Northern Knights / Vic Metro) Pick 13 | Adelaide India Rasheed (Sturt / South Australia) Pick 14 | Fremantle Georgie Brisbane (Eastern Ranges / Vic Metro) Pick 15 | Hawthorn Lavinia Cox (Bendigo Pioneers / Vic Metro) Pick 16 | Brisbane Claudia Wright (Claremont / Western Australia) Pick 17 | Carlton (BID MATCHED) Sophie McKay (Sandringham Dragons / Vic Metro) Pick 18 | Geelong Sienna Tallariti (Oakleigh Chargers / Vic Metro) Pick 19 | Port Adelaide Lily Paterson (Swan Districts / Western Australia) Pick 20 | Richmond Zoe Hargreaves (Northern Knights / Vic Metro) Pick 21 | Melbourne Maggie Mahony (Oakleigh Chargers / Vic Metro) Pick 22 | GWS Grace Martin (WWT Eagles / South Australia) Pick 23 | Hawthorn Daisy Flockart (Sandringham Dragons / Vic Metro) Pick 24 | West Coast Charlotte Riggs (Central District / South Australia) Pick 25 | Western Bulldogs Sarah Poustie (Oakleigh Chargers / Vic Metro) Pick 26 | Collingwood Georgia Knight (Eastern Ranges / Vic Metro) Pick 27 | Gold Coast Heidi Talbot (Gold Coast Suns Academy / Queensland) Pick 28 | Hawthorn Grace Baba (Eastern Ranges / Vic Metro) Pick 29 | Gold Coast (BID MATCHED) Mia Salisbury (Gold Coast Suns Academy / Queensland) Pick 30 | Essendon Taya Chambers (East Fremantle / Western Australia) Pick 31 | Richmond Paige Scott (Essendon AFLW) Pick 32 | St Kilda Zoe Besanko (Dandenong Stingrays / Vic Country) Pick 33 | Port Adelaide Jasmine Evans (Central District / South Australia) Pick 34 | Fremantle Holly Egan (Murray Bushrangers / Vic Country) Pick 35 | Essendon Sophie Strong (Tasmania Devils / Tasmania) Pick 36 | North Melbourne Claire Mahony (GWV Rebels / Vic Country) Pick 37 | Geelong Piper Dunlop (Geelong VFLW / Victoria) Pick 38 | Fremantle Evie Parker (Eastern Ranges / Vic Metro) Pick 39 | Brisbane Lilly Baker (Brisbane Lions Academy / Queensland) Pick 40 | Port Adelaide Jemma Charity (North Adelaide / South Australia) Pick 41 | Gold Coast Nyalli Milne (Gold Coast Suns Academy / Queensland) Pick 42 | Collingwood (BID MATCHED) Violet Patterson (Glenelg / South Australia) Pick 43 | North Melbourne Amy Gavin Mangan (Offaly LGFA) Pick 44 | Adelaide Georgia McKee (Central District / South Australia) Pick 45 | Hawthorn Elli Symonds (Dandenong Stingrays / Vic Country) Pick 46 | Carlton Lou-Lou Field (Western Jets / Vic Metro) Pick 47 | Gold Coast Tara Harrington (Gold Coast Suns Academy / Queensland) Pick 48 | Port Adelaide Chloe Gaunt (Brisbane Lions Academy / Queensland) Pick 49 | Western Bulldogs Keeley Hardingham (Western Bulldogs VFLW / Victoria) Pick 50 | Hawthorn Rebecca Clottey (Geelong Falcons / Vic Country) Pick 51 | Fremantle Indi Strom (South Fremantle / Western Australia) Pick 52 | Port Adelaide Jasmine Sowden (Gippsland Power / Vic Country) Pick 53 | West Coast Lucy Boyd (West Adelaide / South Australia) Pick 54 | St Kilda Kyla Forbes (Calder Cannons / Vic Metro) Pick 55 | Sydney Amelia Martin (Sydney Swans Academy / NSW/ACT) Pick 56 | West Coast Kayla Dalgleish (Dandenong Stingrays / Vic Country) Pick 57 | St Kilda Alana Gee (Gold Coast AFLW / Queensland) Pick 58 | Sydney Caitlin Reid (East Coast Eagles / NSW/ACT) Pick 59 | Sydney Sarah Steele-Park (North Adelaide / South Australia) Pick 60 | Melbourne Amelia Dethridge (Crosscoder)
AFLW Draft | No.63 | Amelia Dethridge “Dethridge comes to the Dees with a plethora of accolades in the hockey, cross-country and swimming worlds. “She has been named in the Victorian hockey team on 11 occasions since U12s, secured National qualifications for swimming across three years and was among the National cross-country champions in 2019 and 2020. “The 18-year-old grew up playing football through Auskick and U8s for the East Brighton Vampires, before returning to the sport during year 10, 11 and 12 through school competitions.” Melbourne AFLW List Manager Todd Patterson: “She's a powerful athlete and a great endurance runner.” “She also has skills for someone who hasn't played the game, which gives us a really good foundation to work.”
AFLW Draft | No.21 | Maggie Mahony
AFLW Draft | No.3 | Molly O’Hehir
An indoor hockey player from Lauriston Girls School. The last pick of the night and a real smokey.
From the Oakleigh Chargers - another midfielder. A real ball magnet. “A competitive onballer who thrives on the inside with a high running capacity and elite defensive pressure, while being able to go forward and impact the scoreboard.”
