Supreme_Demon

We have given Sam Weideman a few weeks to try and cement a spot in the Demons side and he has failed to do so. It is now time to give Benny Brown a chance to play in the forward line for a few weeks. Benny Brown is a proven goal-kicker and just needs a good run and have players delivering the ball to him and he will do the rest. At least Benny Brown can take a mark! The most frustrating thing about Sam Weideman over the last few weeks has been his inability to do the fundamentals of football right and actually mark the ball. As harsh as it sounds if you are an AFL level forward then you need to be able to mark the ball otherwise you are just not going to make it! This is Benny Brown's time to shine and prove he is over his injuries and ready to kick some goals for the Demons!

Taking the first option is definitely a factor. Decision making is another thing. We have been pretty good at decision making most of this season so far but it was poor against Collingwood. After a few days off with the bye and perhaps a good hard look at themselves I hope the Demons players will respond. We definitely did not play "the Melbourne way" against Collingwood and I hope we learn from that. Playing at the SCG was a mistake in hindsight as we couldn't play the way we would regularly play and zone off on a larger ground. Collingwood was certainly fired up with the emotion of their coach Nathan Buckley resigning and that definitely worked in their favour too. It will be a tough challenge against an improving Essendon side. No more drinking our own bath water if we wish to have a top 2 finish!

In: Benny Brown and Jack Viney Out: Sam Weideman and Tom Sparrow Medical Substitute: Nathan Jones

Losing games we are expected to win just isn't good enough! No, I won't trust them until the Demons are holding up that Premiership cup.

Benny Brown will be back in after the Bye. Sam Weideman was barely sighted and needs to be dropped. Was an embarrassing effort by him.

Absolutely disgraceful! We definitely drunk our own bath water before this game! The Demons need to take a good hard look at themselves if we want to be serious Premiership contenders. You don't lose games like this! Collingwood definitely wanted to see Nathan Buckley off with a win for his last game. Mostly disappointed we couldn't win the game for Neale Daniher. The players should be ashamed of themselves putting in such a flat passionless effort.

HAHAHAHAHA! ? How times have changed! I can't imagine Ron Barassi when he was coach back in the early 1980s doing this with any Demons players.

Former Port Power player and radio shock-jock Kane Cornes has suggested that Collingwood attempt to poach Mark "Choco" Williams from us here at Melbourne to team up with Hawthorn assistant coach Sam Mitchell as his apprentice. I am not happy about this at all! Here is the link to the news story: https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/afl/radical-two-man-pies-plan-to-replace-buckley/ar-AAKT4oZ?ocid=mailsignout&li=AAgfLCP I hope that Mark "Choco" Williams stays at the Demons and I assume he has a contract with us? Especially as he has said that he has no desire to be a senior AFL coach anymore and is enjoying the role of being Head of Development coach here at the Melbourne Football Club. Mark "Choco" Williams has been fantastic here at the Demons and I would be incredibly upset if he (or Adem Yze) was to leave after only 1 season. I am going to have to say go and get stuffed Kane! Shut your mouth!

That's ok. All good! I listened and thought it was a great podcast as usual!

This definitely makes it a "danger" game for the Demons. We need to withstand any onslaught from the Magpies as they will be emotionally charged for this game. Hopefully our players will be focused and just worry about playing well and aim to do what they need to do and play their roles so that we get the win. It is important that we don't underestimate a wounded Magpie!

Glad to see that there has been a tiny bit more progress on this front about the Melbourne Football Club's Home Training Base. Besides the men's team breaking our Premiership drought the number one priority of the Melbourne Football Club Board needs to be getting this Home Base done! I am also not against the concept of a 3rd elite training base, for AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW and NGA as well as a member's social club for the Melbourne Football Club at Caulfield Racecourse. This would also be ideal right in the middle of the Demon's traditional heartland. Nevertheless, let's worry about getting something done within the shadows of the MCG first and foremost.

I have 7 questions. 1) Will the new Melbourne Football Club President Kate Roffey be interviewed soon for the Demonland podcast perhaps later this season? 2) Is there a possibility of getting an interview with Head of Development Coach Mark "Choco" Williams on the Demonland podcast maybe during the bye? 3) What is the status on our new Home Ground situation? Are there any further updates? 4) How do we get Sam Weideman to take more marks and kick goals? Perhap this is a new challenge for Mark "Choco" Williams as Head of Development Coach? 5) How do the Demons players remain focused and "not drink their own bath water" for the 2nd half of the season? 6) When do we let Jake "Bluey" Bowey debut for the Demons? Should it be against Collingwood? 7) Is there still a chance of Nathan Jones breaking David Neitz's games record this year?

Credit needs to go to all the MFC coaches at the moment. However, we are only half way through the AFL season at the moment and still have a long, long way to go! Loving the work done by Mark "Choco" Williams in particular. I am glad that the Demons players have responded well to him especially as he is known for his eccentricity. Nevertheless, Mark "Choco" Williams is a quality football person and to have him at the Melbourne Football Club is brilliant. Incidentally, I found this great interview that Mark "Choco" Williams did last year with Corey McKernan on his 'Fork In The Road' YouTube channel. Well worth watching if you have some spare time to do so. Here is the link: I am a bit biased but I hope we can keep Mark "Choco" Williams at the Demons for many, many years to come. He is an amazing coach and mentor and it is wonderful to have someone of his calibre assisting Simon Goodwin, Adem Yze, Troy Chaplin and the other coaching staff as well as all the Demons players.

I hope we don't underestimate Collingwood. They did make the finals last year and we didn't. Jamie Elliott is back in the side and in form after kicking a bag of goals for the Magpies. Playing at the SCG will be tricky as well as it is such a small ground. Anyway, I hope that our players are focused and ready for this game. We need to continue to "re-set" for every new game and fully be ready for anything Collingwood might throw at us. Trying to beat the Magpies must be our primary focus this week and not start thinking about anything beyond that. The Demons need to remember that every new game is a challenge and we cannot take ANY opponents lightly.

It goes to show how important winning is. You win and your membership numbers increase! It is that simple! I am over the moon with 50,000+ Melbourne Demons members!

Still remaining humble. I am taking it one game at a time. I am greatly impressed that we are playing so well as a team! The win against the Lions was wonderful. That is what excites me the most about the Demons this year. The fact that we ARE playing as a team! Nevertheless, we still should not get ahead of ourselves. I want to really test ourselves against a full strength Geelong, a full strength Western Bulldogs, a full strength Richmond and against Port Adelaide. I also think we should never underestimate any team. I will be a lot more confident once we beat more full strength sides. The Demons players need to not start drinking their own bath water. We haven't won the flag yet and still have a VERY long way to go. As Russell Robertson said we are still just "babes in the woods" as mentioned in 'The Age' article. Finals will be a totally different ball game. Having said all that...I am genuinely excited. If the Demons break their Premiership drought I will cry tears of joy.

A poor first half. But the second half was brilliant. A Melbourne side a few years ago would have fallen apart due to the pressure. However, not this team of Demons. I am still taking it one game at a time. As I don't want the players drinking their own bath water. Nevertheless, I dare to dream! GO YOU DEMONS!!!

Seeing as the COVID-19 lockdown looks to being extended for at least one extra week I think we need to look at alternatives besides the MCG. Especially if we are not going to be able to have a crowd to watch the Queen's Birthday Game between Melbourne and Collingwood. It would also be such a travesty for the "Big Freeze" MND event that is held if there is no crowd! My suggestions are the following: 1) Play the game at Adelaide Oval in South Australia. Especially, if Collingwood are going to be over there anyway. 2) Play the game down in Tasmania at Blundstone Arena in Hobart. It would also do Tasmania's chances of eventually having their own AFL team boosted if they were to assist. 3) Play the game over in Western Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth. At least there would be a strong likelihood of a large crowd. At the very least all 3 of these options would ideally mean there would be a crowd that can be there to watch the event.

I am not against playing this game at Giants Stadium or at the SCG. At least both are neutral grounds. To play against the currently red hot Brisbane Lions at the GABBA would be a distinct disadvantage to us and we should not take such a risk.

I am not against this predictable tactic of where Steven May kicks the ball. However, I would suggest an occasional "set play" of kicking it to the centre of the ground with a massive torpedo and having both Jayden Hunt or Kozzi Pickett waiting to run off with the ball and use their pace to kick into an open goal. You would only be able to get away with this once or twice in a game though. I just think it would be fun to watch as a supporter though! Especially if we are already a few goals up!

While it is disappointing we cannot play this game at Alice Springs, I don't have too much of an issue of playing at the SCG which will be a "neutral" ground for both us and the Brisbane Lions. This is a real danger game for us as the Brisbane Lions are in red hot form and brimming with confidence. To suggest we should play this game at the GABBA is just plain stupid. It was bad enough when we sold games to the Brisbane Lions in the early 2000's when they were dominant during their three-peat premiership era. I do hope though that the AFL compensates us for losing over $700,000 for not being able to play this match in the Northern Territory though. I think that would be a reasonable request for loss of revenue. However, I won't hold my breath when it comes to the AFL.

The fact that this matter hasn't been rectified in over 30 years is unacceptable. Besides winning Premierships, financial stability and growing membership the main priority of the Melbourne Football Club board should be to rectify this issue and to build a home base for training, administration and a social club. It needs to be either within the MCG precinct (ideally), the Caulfield Racecourse, Fishermen's Bend, South Yarra, Elsternwick or where ever. We as Melbourne Demons supporters need to continue to press this issue until it is finally resolved and we have a proper home.

Without doubt, the best Indigenous guernsey so far! It looks fantastic! I love the theme of community too uniting everyone who is proud to be a Demon!

The main question to ask new Melbourne Football Club President Kate Roffey has to be the progress of our home base (including administration, training, and a social club) in the MCG precinct area. I would also ask her thoughts about how to make the club stronger? What are we doing to increase our membership to 70,000+ in a few years time? How are we looking to grow in the Casey area and possibly look to building a social club at Casey Fields? What are the long term plans to make the Melbourne Football Club financially sustainable so that we don't have money issues ever again? Are we looking to ask the AFL to increase the soft-cap for football departments again? Or are we happy with where it currently is? I know that the Demons coach Simon Goodwin mentioned in an interview that it should be increased to pre-COVID (2020) levels again. Are the Demons going to consider lobbying the AFL to keep our Next Generation Academy (NGA) players for this year seeing as Mac Andrew may be a top 20 draft pick and it is unfair that the Western Bulldogs got their NGA player as the the number 1# draft pick last year and yet the system will not all the Demons to benefit from having the NGA this year? And the last question needs to be what are we doing to continually strive for success so that both our men's and women's team have the best opportunity to win AFL and AFLW Premierships?

I have faith that the new MFC President Kate Roffey and MFC CEO Gary Pert are handling this matter of the home base for the Demons. The MCG will always be our spiritual home and where we came from. Our history and our heritage will always belong there. The MCC should probably be more grateful towards us for helping turn the MCG into a sporting Mecca in the 1950s and early 1960s with our Premiership success at the time, but it would be silly for us to take all the credit. I am still not going to rule out the option (never say never) of something built near Jolimont Station. I feel like the residents of East Melbourne are a bit short-sighted and selfish in not wanting to have a community hub, a social club and training ground built there. However, I don't know all the details and I don't live in that area. In the end, if this MCG precinct situation cannot be resolved we will need to look at continuing to grow at Casey Fields (ideally building a social club there) and then the option of having a new home base (both training, administration and a social club) at the Caulfield Racecourse which is being re-developed (in a few years time) into a sporting hub and is also in our traditional heart land of inner South-Eastern Melbourne (Caulfield, Malvern, Bentleigh, Ormond etc).