Demonised

A lot is going to depend on a complete, organised VFA/Seconds competition where players like Sam can: 1. Play regularly 2. Show his goods 3. Practise/polish weaknesses. The last two years have been diabolical for players like him trying to stake a claim.

An observation. I didn't truly appreciate how fast Petracca and Oliver are. Time and time again they simply ran away from Dogs players. Bontempelli and Liberatore couldn't catch them.

What a great player to have ready to step up when injuries hit!

Anyone noticed how he's now pretty adept on his non-preferred foot these days, hoofing it forward? Great stuff for a ruckman when most have enough trouble with their preferred foot!

With everything that's happening in the world, I'm really looking forward to 2022. When we can start the year as Reigning Premiers.

ANB also worked hard on his left foot, becoming very reliable on that side as well, gave him an extra string to his bow.

No more will they be able to say, 'Oh, the Queen's Birthday is their Grand Final' or 'Anzac Eve is their Grand Final'. The Grand Final is our Grand Final.

After decades of being a long-suffering Demons supporter, I had a shell, the standard protection that a supporter of a perennially losing team adopts. You know, the Monday morning wry smile, the shake of the head when opposition supporters zero in on another Melbourne loss or - worse - give you a sympathetic pat on the back where the condescension is laid on thick. It's the attitude that lets us endure, somewhat, another loss, whether it was a shellacking or a noble defeat. It's repeating to oneself 'Be gracious in defeat, noble in victory' but rarely knowing the latter part of this mantra. This state of mind looks forward to the trade and draft period now that the home and away games are done, the finals being an irrelevancy, obviously. It's the defence that means you pore over every detail of a recruit's background, looking for hope. Likewise with wins in practice matches. If a co-worker says your team looks like March Champions, you accept it with pride knowing, deep down, that it won't last. As of September 25, that's ended. I've shucked my shell. I don't know how to behave as a supporter of a dominant team, the ultimate victors, the titleholders, the reigning premiers - but I'm more than willing to learn. And I'm loving it.

I've been going back through the topics and threads on Demonland and still finding great stuff I haven't seen yet. Wonderful reading.

For this legend, they started after Trac's dribble goal.

My book 'Gap Year in Ghost Town' was released in 2017. At the end, in the acknowledgements I thanked 'the Melbourne Football Club, which, over the years, has demonstrated the pain and the triumph that is at the heart of great stories.' And now they've written another chapter in theirs.

I stand corrected!

Mark Maclure will probably find something to carp on about. He's never had a good word for the Dees.

All last week I didn't like hearing people say, 'All I want to see is a good game.' You know what? They were right. I think we saw a very, very good game.

I started barracking for Melbourne in 1964 and was looking forward to their next premiership. It took longer than I expected.

Let's keep a lid on it. Too early to talk about a hat trick just yet.

I'm having trouble coming to terms with the fact that we might, just possibly, be good I'm simply not used to it.

"O Captain! My Captain!"

I was seven. On TV, I saw the team holding up the cup and doing a lap of honour and thought, 'Obviously this is the team to follow to ensure years of satisfying success.' Narrator: it was not the team to follow to ensure years of satisfying success.

Many thanks, again, to Dan Andrews. No way we would have got that last 50 metre penalty with a Geelong crowd in the ground!

We need to get back to things like this, noted in the Australasian Sketcher, September 1881 - 'Members of the theatrical profession in Melbourne taking part in a charity match on behalf of the family of the late Marcus Clarke; held on the East Melbourne Cricket Club ground; opera house employees against the remaining theatres; all the players are in theatrical costumes'.

You're right. And hardly anybody bothered to attend, either.