Whispering_Jack

Damn good question Mr. Stone. While watching this morning’s session with some very astute observers on the boundary line, we were pondering over exactly where the 2025 list stands by way of comparison to the great 2021 premiership team. Here’s the team that beat the Western Bulldogs in the Grand Final at Optus Stadium in Perth, Western Australia, on Saturday 25 September 2021:- The players who are no longer at the club are Michael Hibberd, Angus Brayshaw, Alex Neal-Bullen, Ben Brown, James Harms, Luke Jackson and James Jordon (sub who didn’t get on the ground). There were also a few good depth players who for one reason or another didn’t make the cut, notably Nathan Jones, Neville Jetta, Jayden Hunt, Jake Melksham, Sam Weideman, Aaron vandenBerg and Toby Bedford. A few of those were on their way out. Daniel Turner had just been drafted in the mid-season draft. Adam Tomlinson was on a long spell out with an ACL. Kade Chandler and Joel Smith were thereabouts. Are we better now? It’s hard to replace some of those premiership stars (Brayshaw, Brown, Hibberd and Jackson were instrumental), there are some question marks about some of the key midfielders from 2021; only time will tell whether the team remains as fit and healthy as it was back then. I did see room for optimism on today’s showing at Gosch’s Paddock. Kozzy was outstanding today but he’s out suspended for the first three games. Trent Rivers is maturing into an important piece in the side. They look to be the big improvers over the intervening time. You would have to be happy with the progress of Clarry and Tracc - they displayed an attitude today that augured well for their return to “normalcy” within the team. There seems to be a nice infusion of high level elite young talent from the last two drafts in Windsor, Tholstrop, Langford and Lindsay are all blue sky. Judd McVee is emerging as a quality defender. Then there were the young key forwards Jacob van Rooyen, Turner, Matt Jefferson and newcomer Aidan Johnson held their marks and moved around the ground with flair, noting that their cause was aided by the absence of Steven May and the fact that Jake Lever was running laps around the boundary. The jury’s out but I’m optimistic for a return to the finals.

The 191cm, Johnny Weissmuller comes from another sport (swimming) so I would contend, he could be recruited as a Category B rookie. His age could be a problem.

Don’t forget …

There should be a big upsurge of interest in the Casey Demons this year as we see a huge improvement in quality of the club’s VFL list. On top of that, with occasional appearances permitted for father/son and NGA players, we can also expect to see Kalani White and Toby SInnema in the colours as well. So forgive me for going early, but hopefully, the Casey team will get the full support of the senior club in 2025 - we’ve seen the benefits in the past of having both the AFL and VFL squads simultaneously competing in finals.

The 2025 Victorian summer hub squads have been released - see here. They include three MFC NGAs - Toby SInnema, Marcus Prasad (2026 draft) and our “Clayton’s NGA”, Tairon Ah-Mu who we don’t have access to under current rules.

There’s still some time to come but before too long - The Next Davey: Demons tracking 14-year-old Marley’s rise

Excerpt from today’s Melbourne Age article seem to suggest that the MFC project is proceeding - Inside the private school super-campus slated for part of Caulfield Racecourse Melbourne Football Club is working with Development Victoria to develop a business case, and the state government is yet to receive any funding proposal to consider in relation to the project. The club is estimated to require $70 million funding from outside its coffers to fulfil its plans, which include two new ovals. The Demons made it clear through the feasibility process that the club would need access to the ovals for only 17 hours a week, and the remainder of the time they would be available for the community. The club would also be responsible for oval maintenance. Scopus plans to build its own oval on the 7.5-hectare site, which is on the western perimeter of the racecourse and does not include the infield. Melbourne Football Club chief executive Gary Pert said Scopus’ news was a positive step for the club’s hopes of realising its vision in Caulfield. "We welcome the announcement that Mount Scopus Memorial College intend to be our neighbour, building a new campus adjacent to Caulfield Racecourse," Pert said in a statement. "It's important to clarify that the club and Mount Scopus sites are separate parcels of land that may result in us being neighbours in the future. "The Melbourne Football Club are currently preparing a business plan that is based on our facility and our two training ovals all being built on the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust land. “We see incredible potential in working alongside the community and community-based organisations, including Mount Scopus, to create meaningful synergies and mutual benefits for both communities and to enhance the Glen Eira area.” Pert is leaving the club at the end of the year but will continue to consult on the Caulfield project. The Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust said the Mount Scopus and Demons developments could coexist.

That would be the Scopus that produced a player who has achieved the following in the last two years after being drafted at # 3 in the 2022 National Draft - • AFL Rising Star: 2023 • Syd Barker Medal: 2023 • AFLPA Best First Year Player: 2023 • AFLCA Best Young Player: 2024 • 2x 22under22 team: 2023, 2024.

It’s been reported that among other things, the purchase will be funded in part from the sale of its three campuses around Melbourne including a substantial site adjacent to Deakin University.

The Caulfield Bears moved elsewhere6 or 7 years ago and Old Haileybury were given the lease of Princes Park on an annual basis with Ajax Juniors playing there on Sundays. Some people associated with Old Haileybury have voiced their concerns about the size of the ground and distance from their own heartland.

All Melbourne supporters and not only those who follow the Casey Demons, should be delighted with that recruiting haul. The extra depth will enable the VFL team to be far more competitive in 2025 than it was this year which will also have the benefit of helping the development of the younger MFC-listed players. Some more information on the mature aged midfielder, Hardie who is aged 27 and is 185cm tall, in this article - Delisted Cat certain he has more to offer amid reported interest from rival clubs

Herald Sun

I understand that both have been several years in the making as there was interest in another site where the Caulfield Hospital is at present going back to around 2020 while government authorities have been investigating the purchase of the school’s Burwood campus to incorporate that into Deakin University. The hospital option ended in the too hard basket and rightly so because of the crisis we are experiencing in this state with health care in general. My understanding is that there has been a substantial amount of activity in the background involving a number of participants ranging from government, the local council, the racing club and interested community groups, all involving consultation and, as you can imagine, plenty of politics and the usual argy bargy. In the end, it will be very worthwhile for all concerned, including the Melbourne Football Club if we get a foothold there.

You could hardly call it “PRESEASON TRAINING” but it was about a half an hour of running uphill sprints in Yarra Park to the south of Vale Street, East Melbourne with gentle run downs and repeats with varying rates of intensity. Hard to believe it but a few hours later, they would all be upstaged by a 16-years-old track and field athlete who later in the day and 1,400km to the north, broke a 56 year record for 200 metres held by the late Peter Norman, a Demon fan and Mexico Olympics silver medalist in what was one of the most famous sprint races of all time. But the athletics theme was evident back at Yarra Park where recruit and former steeplechaser Harry Sharp who holds the draft combine 2km time trial record of 5:28m (anything under 6:00m is considered elite for AFL) held court. Kozzy Pickett was also looking very sharp himself and anything but homesick (I say that for the benefit of those in the media desperate to recycle yet another baseless “scoop” this week) and he will be an asset once April comes around and he’s served his three weeks for that accidental glancing blow that Darcy Moore fell into in Round 24. Nobody can really replace Kozzy in the first few weeks of next year and the speculation in the crowd of sponsors and coterie members was inconclusive. Maybe, it will be a different type of player like Sharp or impressive tall youngster Harvey Langford who looked right at home with the men including fellow midfielders Jack Viney, Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver - all building up to restore the midfield to the top of the tree again. Trent Rivers also looked mighty impressive as well. Though there were no footballs out, apart from the ones held by eager kids waiting for photos with their favourite players, I got the feeling that there is a major sea change coming up among the club’s key forward line up. With Harry Petty going back, JvR and Disco (both looking fit and impressive) will have competition from powerful looking newcomer Aidan Johnson and yet-to-be capped first round draft pick from 2022, Matt Jefferson. I’m tipping JvR will continue to rise in the ranks of AFL KPPs with far less emphasis in him taking on the relief ruckwork. Someone should do a remeasure of his height because he looks taller than his advertised 193cm on the club’s website. Back on the athletics theme, Kalani White, an accomplished high jumper who possibly should have been competing up north because he can cover the vertical 200cm jump which is his actual height, turned up with the Kolt. Kalani needs time in the gym plus several courses of that pasta recipe of Tracc’s nonna and in short time, he will be the next Sam Darcy, Jordan Croft or even better. The good news is that White and the Kolt had just emerged straight out of the greatest stadium on the planet - the MCG. The Gold Coast Suns play their games at a third rate bush track where it’s a struggle to get decent tucker at half time. There’s no comparison and it’s a no brainer for Kalani who needs to forget the GCS Academy. The famous #34 awaits in the locker room across Swan Street (or possibly at the magnificent Caulfield Racecourse a little further down the track). That’s where the future lies! Anyway, we escaped from Yarra Park and the flies after a taste of the Demon Army’s hot dogs and a fantastic cafe latte early and missed some of the club’s veterans. Sorry Max. For the players, it’s back to Gosch’s tomorrow for the last week of 2024 training and then onwards and upwards to 2025 and our restoration to finals glory.

Boys are on a run this morning at a sponsor/coterie member’s function.

Not to mention the fact that from the same playbook, last year they got the Duke with pick No.7 in the National Draft .

You might get your wish.

“Unlike fellow indigenous talent and Demons newcomer Ricky Mentha, he is not eligible to join Melbourne as a Category B rookie. “The Demons do not have a vacancy on their list so officially they are not auditioning him as summer rookie despite his obvious ability.” Pickett’s uncle to train with Dees amid AFL interest

PROFILED | 2025 AFL Academy squad

More good news ~ No.11 pick on track after PCL injury, star Dees nearing full fitness

I’m old enough to remember when Robbie Flower burst on the scene as a spindly bespectacled 17-year-old from Murrumbeena in 1973. His spectacular 272 game career with the Demons is a well documented one. We lost him 10 years ago, all too young at 59 years of age. There was some excitement in the early 2000’s when his son Brad appeared on the scene with the Oakleigh Chargers but he lacked the height and size to make it to the big time and only got as far as the odd game at Sandringham VFA, mainly with their reserves (circa 2002). Now, the grandson Jett Flower has been picked up at Coates Talent League level. Unfortunately, there’s no grandfather/grandson rule but we wish him luck!

The AFLW trade period is set to kick off on Thursday, with the official pre-trade draft order for the first four rounds:- ROUND ONE 1 Collingwood 2 Gold Coast Suns 3 GWS Giants 4 Sydney Swans 5 Carlton 6 West Coast Eagles 7 Western Bulldogs 8 St Kilda 9 Geelong 10 Melbourne 11 Essendon 12 Richmond 13 Fremantle 14 Hawthorn 15 Port Adelaide 16 Adelaide 17 Brisbane Lions 18 North Melbourne ROUND TWO 19 Collingwood 20 Gold Coast Suns 21 GWS Giants 22 Sydney Swans 23 Carlton 24 West Coast Eagles 25 Western Bulldogs 26 St Kilda 27 Geelong 28 Melbourne 29 Essendon 30 Richmond 31 Fremantle 32 Hawthorn 33 Port Adelaide 34 Adelaide 35 Brisbane Lions 36 North Melbourne ROUND THREE 37 Collingwood 38 Gold Coast Suns 39 GWS Giants 40 Sydney Swans 41 Carlton 42 West Coast Eagles 43 Western Bulldogs 44 St Kilda 45 Geelong 49 Melbourne 47 Essendon 48 Richmond 49 Fremantle 50 Hawthorn 51 Port Adelaide 52 Adelaide 53 Brisbane Lions 54 North Melbourne ROUND FOUR 55 Collingwood 56 Gold Coast Suns 57 GWS Giants 58 Sydney Swans 59 Carlton 60 West Coast Eagles 61 Western Bulldogs 62 St Kilda 63 Geelong 64 Melbourne 65 Essendon 66 Richmond 67 Fremantle 68 Hawthorn 69 Port Adelaide 70 Adelaide 71 Brisbane Lions 72 North Melbourne

Great work Meggs ... not just the review above but for all your hard work throughout Season 9. Hate making excuses but fixed-ya is the word that best covers the season for us. What a stitch up. And still, we came close to participating in the finals. 2025 is looking good for both our Mens and Womens teams.