Supreme_Demon

Hello all, Just thought I should post this link for those who haven't seen it yet. It is the first interview that I have seen of the new (and first female) Melbourne Football Club President Kate Roffey. Here is the link on the Melbourne Football Club official website: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/929744/meet-kate-roffey?videoId=929744&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1620363557001 I definitely enjoyed hearing about her passion for the Demons and how she believes that we all have a role to play to help make our club great. She is keen to see success with AFL and AFLW Premiership flags for both our men's and women's teams. Her pathway to becoming a Melbourne Demons supporter was also a bit different as she originated from country northern New South Wales before settling in Melbourne. One small amount of constructive criticism (primarily for the interviewer) is that Kate Roffey wasn't asked about the progress of our new home training and administration base. Perhaps there is no current news, but I am keen to hear Kate's thoughts on the Demons finally having a proper home (ideally close to the MCG). Please find us a home Kate! Nevertheless, it is great to know we have someone who has red and blue blood pumping in her veins and is just as excited about hopefully being able to finally end our Premiership drought(s) for both the men's and women's teams. I think I mentioned this in another post but I think these should be Kate's 4 objectives as President of the Melbourne Football Club. 1) Finding a home training and administration base for the Demons close to the MCG. 2) Having team success with the men's and women's teams winning AFL and AFLW Premierships. 3) Hopefully increasing our membership numbers to over 70,000. 4) Making the Melbourne Football Club financially strong and self sufficient with no more money issues. I believe this can all be done but it will take a lot of effort and determination. GO DEMONS!!!

Great news to hear that Christian Petracca has signed on for 7 years to make him a Demon for life! Being a one club player is important and it shows loyalty and commitment and means that he can see a positive future with our team. The big challenge now will be driving success and hopefully Christian Petracca has the leadership ability to possibly be a Captain of the Melbourne Football Club too. GO DEMONS!!!

I don't normally do this....but I thought I should give my possible line up against the Sydney Swans. Left Back Pocket Full Back Right Back Pocket Michael Hibberd 14 Steven May 1 Harry Petty 35 Left Half Back Flank Centre Half Back Right Half Back Flank Christian Salem 3 Jake Lever 8 Jayden Hunt 29 Left Wing Centre Right Wing Ed Langdon 15 Clayton Oliver 13 Tom McDonald 25 Left Half Forward Flank Centre Half Forward Right Half Forward Flank Kysaiah Pickett 36 Sam Weideman 26 Jake Melksham 18 Left Forward Pocket Full Forward Right Forward Pocket Bayley Fritsch 31 Ben Brown 50 Charlie Spargo 9 Ruck Ruck Rover Rover Max Gawn 11 Christian Petracca 5 Angus Brayshaw 10 Interchange Nathan Jones 2 Luke Jackson 6 Trent Rivers 24 James Jordon 23 Medical Substitute Tom Sparrow 32 or Alex Neal-Bullen 30 Ins: Sam Weideman, Harry Petty and Tom Sparrow (medical substitute) Outs: Adam Tomlinson, Jack Viney (injured) and Oskar Baker (omitted) My reasoning for the tall forward line is because the Sydney Swans will be stretched for height in defense. We can also play Tom McDonald (who should have the fitness to do it) on the wing and he can help out in defense or drift forward. I also think that Harry Petty should get the first shot at Lance "Buddy" Franklin but if he can't handle him then Steven May can move onto him.

Not getting too ahead of ourselves are we!? I can't even remember the last time the Demons were on top of the ladder! I am keeping a lid on it. We haven't even beaten the Kangaroos yet! It will still be a tough game down in Hobart where we have never won. I have been disappointed so many times before that I cannot bring myself to be overly confident for any game. I am hopeful that the Demons win...but I also hope the players aren't getting enamoured with their own hubris. Be humble and take it one game at a time Demons!

Wonderful stuff! I hope it's a good atmosphere with lots of other Demons supporters at the Sporting Globe in Richmond! I was originally going to go there with a mate but he has to work I am now just going to watch it at a local pub with my Dad close to where my Parent's live. All the best though and GO DEMONS!!!

Would be happy seeing Big Benny Brown or "Brenny" as Angus Bradshaw calls him kick 3 or 4 goals. I will admit....seeing "Brenny" kick a big bag of 7 or more goals would be extremely enjoyable though! I am sure he will want to prove the Kangaroos wrong for wanting to get rid of him! Nevertheless, getting the win against the Kangaroos is far more important. I hope the Demons players remain focused and don't get too ahead of themselves and start drinking their own bath water. Just gotta play one quarter at a time and be humble and respect our opponents no matter where they sit on the ladder.

I saw in "The Age" newspaper today that the Western Bulldogs are obtaining another training ground at Skinner Reserve in Braybrook. Well done to them I guess. It definitely helps when the Mayor of Maribyrnong Council is a Western Bulldogs supporter (as you can see by his tie in the photo shown in the article)! Here is the link to the article: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/a-huge-opportunity-western-bulldogs-find-second-home-at-skinner-reserve-20210420-p57kof.html I hope that the new MFC President Kate Roffey is paying attention to this and is working hard behind the scenes to sort out our new training base close to the MCG. I do admit I like the idea of another training base and perhaps a social club at the Caulfield Racecourse. But I don't think we could be lucky enough to be able to have 3 training bases! Let's sort out what is going to happen at the MCG precinct first. It's just a shame the East Melbourne Cricket Ground was never relocated next to Jolimont Train Station back in the 1920s.

I doubt he would want to come back. Would rather take Jesse Hogan back to be perfectly honest.

Would love to listen to Mark "Choco" Williams on the Demonland Podcast in the future. That's only a suggestion though.

This was definitely one of his best games ANB has played. That goal in the wet from the boundary line against Richmond was quite brilliant.

Apparently Dale "Daisy" Thomas (the former Collingwood and Carlton player) made a "joke" on social media in a video calling up ski resorts to ask if any Demons supporters have cancelled their bookings to the snow for this year. All very lame and the typical stereotype against us. I have only every been to the snow 2 or 3 times in my life. I am also just a regular working class Melbourne supporter. Sadly, we won't be able to stop this joke and ridicule about us until we finally end our Premiership drought. Winning flags is the only way to shut up those who hate us and make fun of us.

This is a bit of a danger game. We need to respect every opposition we play against and not underestimate the Kangaroos. Having said that, I remember some heavy and close losses that we have had to North Melbourne over the years. I hope that the players remember those disappointing losses....especially the one only a few years ago by over 100 points. We need a bit of pay back for that. As long as the Demons players haven't started drinking their own bath water then I am hopeful of a win against the Kangaroos either down in Hobart, Tasmania or at Marvel Stadium in the Docklands. Let's just take it one game at a time....

Agreed! Sign Mark "Choco" Williams to a long term contract. I am glad the players are getting a long well with him too and learning a lot from all his experience. To be a successful football club you need good quality football people. Recruiting Mark "Choco" Williams has been a fantastic result for the Melbourne Football Club and let us hope it pays off in the long run! Well done Mark "Choco" Williams! Keep up the good work! Go Demons!

Is she hugging Mark "Choco" Williams there? Great to see! Gotta love Mark "Choco" Williams! Not sure if people read the article in the Herald Sun on Sunday about Demons wingman Ed Langdon singing the praises of Mark "Choco" Williams and how he has helped Ed Langdon to be more calm with his kicking and improve his kicking skills. Brilliant stuff!

Equity is all well and good. But if she wants to have a successful legacy as first female President of the Melbourne Football Club then she should focus more on the following priorities: 1) Helping the men's team break it's VFL/AFL premiership drought that has been going on since 1964. 2) Helping the women's team win it's first AFLW premiership. 3) Finding and building a new home base and social club for the Melbourne Football Club within the MCG precinct. 4) Making the Melbourne Football Club strong both on and off the field with increased membership over 70k and being financially sustainable for many decades to come. It doesn't matter if they are a man or a woman as long as they can do a great job making the Demons great again!

As long as the Demons just take it one quarter at a time and one game at a time we should hopefully see continued improvement. Winning is all that matters...and we haven't done much of that since 1964! Nevertheless, as long as the Demons don't look in the changeroom mirrors admiring ourselves too much (as Mick Malthouse said!) or drink our own bath water then we should go ok. Either way, I am just taking it one week at a time very slowly because there is no point getting ahead ourselves.

Mark "Choco" Williams should be helping them here. Particularly when it comes to goal kicking execution. It is good to see the red or yellow tape on the footballs to help those players who need to improve their kicking skills. Adem Yze who was always a great kick for goal and should be helping those players who wish to get better at goal kicking too. AFL players get paid alot of money compared to us regular people with our regular jobs. If an AFL player can't volunteer an extra 30 minutes to 1 hour to practice their goal kicking before or after training then they will never improve their goal kicking or become the great player they wish to be. It can't be that hard? Just get a bag of footballs and practice kicking goals from various angles for 30 minutes to 1 hour every training session. Apparently, even Mark "Whacko Jacko" Jackson used to do it and would kick a 100 footballs at goal to improve his kicking accuracy. In the end practice makes perfect.

I would definitely ask Gary Pert about our home base in the MCG precinct. I am also curious to see if we could re-try the Jolimont station option? I understand the East Melbourne residents want to walk their dogs but you would think a nearby football oval and a community centre with health and fitness facilities close by would be to their benefit? I would also ask if further arrangements are being made to try and get more support from the MCC? We basically helped make the MCG not just a cricket hub but a sporting hub. The MCC has grown very wealthy from VFL and AFL football and the MFC got thrown scraps. Why not help us become successful again? Both the MCC and the MFC would benefit from us becoming successful again. Plus, it would be nice to have a bit more support come our way and perhaps even get to train on the MCG more regularly again during winter?

Very excited to have Mark "Choco" Williams on board at the Demons as head of development. His brief interview was super impressive! You can tell he is incredibly passionate about football and loves teaching younger players. Looking forward to the impact he will begin to have on our younger players this year and beyond. A wonderful recruit for the Demons to obtain!

For those who don't know, a "Creed" is something that can be a formal doctrine or set of beliefs or philosophy that an organisation can encapsulate what they stand for. The development of a "Creed" is something which can also help with driving the standards and culture of an organisation. A good example of a "Creed" is one that our new MFC Head of Development, Mark "Choco" Williams' Father, the late and great Fos Williams created for the Port Adelaide Football Club in 1962. Here is a link to it for those who haven't read it before: https://www.portadelaidefc.com.au/club/history/the-creed The Port Adelaide "Creed" was recently brought to my attention with the celebrations of the 150th Anniversary of the Port Adelaide Football Club and I thought it would be a good idea to try and emulate something similar. Now obviously, we don't wish to plagiarise what Port Adelaide has done. But I would like to put forward the suggestion that the Melbourne Demons Football Club creates its very own and unique "Creed". Something that I hope will assist with shaping the long term culture of the Demons. Nevertheless, this is something that we as Melbourne Demons members and supporters can only suggest. But I think it is worthwhile pursuing this idea. However, it is crucial that this is driven by the Demons players, the captain Max Gawn, the coach Simon Goodwin, the CEO Gary Pert, the President Glen Bartlett and all other stakeholders of the Melbourne Football Club. Mark "Choco" Williams having input would also be invaluable. This is something the Demons players and coaching staff could develop as an activity while on their Pre-Season camp perhaps? Anyway, I am interested in hearing other Demonlanders opinions on this possible suggestion of developing a "Creed" for the Melbourne Football Club and ideally helping to develop our culture.

As previously mentioned I am incredibly excited about the Demons recruiting Mark "Choco" Williams. He may be a bit eccentric but he is a brilliant coach and teacher. To have him as head of development will be fantastic. For those those who have some spare time over the Christmas holidays I highly recommend checking out Mark's "winning teams" YouTube channel found here: https://youtube.com/channel/UCdqLn6TslJwdR70ojbTXAUQ Having Mark teach players like Max Gawn, Angus Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver, Bayley Fritsch, and of course, Christian Petracca how to kick correctly in play and for goal will do massive wonders for the Demons. This won't be a quick change, but given time, say over 18 months, we should see the results of Mark "Choco" Williams helping to develop the kicking abilities of our players at the Melbourne Football Club. I highly recommend any Melbourne supporters, who get a chance to, go down to Demons training at Casey Fields (or Gosch's Paddock) and say a friendly welcome to Mark "Choco" Williams. I will try and do so myself when training resumes. Welcome to the Melbourne Football Club Mark "Choco" Williams! ?

I hope Kobe Farmer trains well and is doing extra skills and running during his Christmas holidays. If he does well enough he will earn a spot on our list. I definitely would like the son of "the wizard" Jeff Farmer running around playing for the Demons again. Jeff was an excitement machine and I always felt we missed our opportunity to win a Premiership when he left the Demons. Losing Jeff was a far bigger loss than we expected at the time. His son needs to be talented enough though.

I am a bit late to this discussion but I thought I should give my 2 cents worth. This is something that needs to certainly be pursued by us as Demons supporters. We cannot let this fall down the memory hole of the AFL. It is vital that Melbourne Football Club Chairman Glen Bartlett follows up on this in relation to the Demons getting compensation for any loss of our NT Academy zone. Especially as this gives the Gold Coast Suns an unfair advantage obtaining the Darwin Indigenous zone. Outgoing Magpies President Eddie McGuire (love him or hate him) would be screaming blue murder if Collingwood lost any of their recruiting zones! We at the Demons need to do the same. Personally I would like the Demons to be given a recruiting zone in North-West Tasmania around Burnie where Russell Robertson used to come from but I am unsure how likely that is. As far as I know Tasmania is currently spilt up between the Kangaroos and the Hawks. Either way, the Demons should definitely make sure if we are losing a recruitment zone in Northern Territory that we are given an ideal recruitment zone for compensation.

This is a great initiative to get Jonathan Brown who was a champion player at the Brisbane Lions to impart his wisdom and teach Sam Weideman how to play properly as an AFL forward for the Demons. I think one of Sam's biggest deficiencies has been lack of confidence. He needs to jump more for his marks no matter what is in his way and really focus on his goal kicking. Jonathan Brown will hopefully be a fine teacher for Sam and also teach him to toughen up a bit more.

I unfortunately can't make it. Still super busy with work commitments. I have 2 questions and 1 statement. Question 1 - What is happening when the home training base? When will it be announced? Where will it exactly be? How much will it cost? Statement 1 - Congratulations on appointing Mark "Choco" Williams as Head of Development. We are over the moon about it and we are looking forward to him working closely with our Demons players and helping them develop. Question 2 - This is merely a suggestion but would it be possible to get the Demons players to look to creating a "Creed" for the Melbourne Football Club? Something similar to what Fos Williams (Mark's Father) did at the Port Adelaide Football Club? I think it would be something beneficial to implement as long as it had player and coaching staff contributions and also be something to help with developing a stronger culture at the Demons. That's my 2 cents that I would like for someone on my behalf to please ask at the Melbourne Demons Members Forum. Thank you.