binman

1 hour ago, KozzyCan said:

It was easily a top 5 career performance from Petracca and probably the best team performance from the suns ever. Of course they were getting praised.

Did I say they didn't deserve praise?

24 minutes ago, Ted Lasso said:

Really happy for him. He wanted and needed a fresh start. So did we. It’s a win win.

We got 3 first round picks and a massive amount of cap space to help us reshape the list in the next 2-3 years

Not sure I'd say really happy for him, perhaps happy. But otherwise reflects my thoughts exactly.

One thing I will say, i couldn't get kayo working ans so watched Chanel 7.

Good lord the praise for Tracc was way over the too- you'd think wes watched the greatest match played by an individual ever.

And Blimey, also over the top praise for Suns too.

45 minutes ago, Demonland said:

Career high disposal efficiency 🤦‍♂️

You can only laugh.

Real, of course it happened to the Dees vibe.

4 hours ago, 3183 Dee said:

Will the boys from the @Demonland podcast be there to get an exclusive? When are you lads back on air?

4 hours ago, jane02 said:

Yes - when is the podcast back?

Next Tuesday night.

Go Redleggers.

6 hours ago, layzie said:

I'm going to write a book of standard lines to post when a key player signs a long term deal. All your favourites such as:

"Fantastic news. Well done lad!"

" Important to lock down this key piece for the future. This has made my day!"

" Wow!"

"Yessssss"

And many more..

lSLM

(layzie's Small Language Model)

4 hours ago, Demonland said:

We’re pleased to announce that in 2026 we will be sponsoring Kalani White as part of the Melbourne Football Club’s Platinum Tier Sponsorship, and Koltyn Tholstrup as part of the club’s Gold Tier Sponsorship.

As many of you know, Kalani is the son of former Demon great Jeff White and was selected by Melbourne as a father-son pick in the 2025 AFL National Draft. We’re excited to support Kalani in his first year at the club and look forward to the day he makes his debut at the MCG, following in his father’s footsteps. Many on Demonland have been following the rise of Kalani for many years so it is only fitting that this community continues it's support of the young player.

This year also marks our third season sponsoring Koltyn Tholstrup. We’re looking forward to seeing Koltyn continue his development in whatever role he is given this year, whether that be across half-forward, on the wing, or in his emerging role across half-back.

We’re proud to be supporting two exciting young players and hope to continue sponsoring them for many years to come.

Go Demons.

I hope Kalani gets taller.

On 02/03/2026 at 15:47, Greg Schneider said:

Id be banking on Twomey to be the one that’s right

Sadly, thought exactly the same thing.

3 hours ago, godees said:

The good thing about an isolated MCL injury is that you can get back to straight line running relatively early in your rehab.

I had a grade 2 MCL injury a few years ago and they heal up well (good blood supply).

Being able to run is key for player's rehabbing in maintaining their aerobic base - given he's had a pretty solid preseason he should keep his fitness level up ok if he can be running say after a month

And he'll be able to do upper body work whilst in a boot, which as a key forward won't hurt.

Just now, The Jackson FIX said:

I know nothing about this guy. Who does he play like? How old? Etc

Not sure.

But I know they've got their April/Easter photo for the MFC calendar sorted - a picture of an oiled up Paddy flexing his biceps.

The tag line will read:

Hot Cross Guns!

3 minutes ago, FTB said:

No ACL, no surgery - that's a terrific outcome.

Of course a month in a knee brace, and maybe two months of rehab, is not great but the alternative was 12-15 months out of the game.

7 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

I have always noticed that when two corridor teams play each other scores are often low due to turnovers and crowding of the corridor.

Under Goodwin we remained a boundary team. It will be interesting to see if under the new coach we become a diagonal team a la Collingwood or a corridor team such as Adelaide.

Diagonal.

20 minutes ago, Lil_red_fire_engine said:

I don't. Aside from 2 goals he has been disappointing both weeks. Culley they will want in the side asap and he has been able to run and participate in drills without contact. Toss up between Laurie and Kolt for last spot and if Culley not there Kolt plays.

I'm still holding my Kolt shares - for now.

Hes got to get super fit and strong, the latter because he's a power player.

And he really needto lock into a position. I'm not convinced he'll make ir as a defender, and atm he's not likely to play mid.

Meaning hia bedt shot is a half forward who gets up and down the ground, gets one or two goals a game an kick the sort of goal he did on Friday - be a spor up option neat the arc and convert from 50.

Wherever he plays

7 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

I have always noticed that when two corridor teams play each other scores are often low due to turnovers and crowding of the corridor.

Under Goodwin we remained a boundary team. It will be interesting to see if under the new coach we become a diagonal team a la Collingwood or a corridor team such as Adelaide.

Diagonal.

I don't know where we'll finish, but from what ive seen of the community series it will be above the Roos, Eagles, Tigers and bombers.

All look woeful, particularly the first three - which must be a big worry for the AFL as the Roos, Eagles and Tigers all should be on the climb at this stage of their respective rebuilds.

11 hours ago, Little Goffy said:

I think I may have developed a really personal vendetta against whoever invented foot stress injuries.

An awful injury that seems to always find awful timing.

Agree - foot injuries really are our achilles heel.

2 hours ago, DeeSpencer said:

Tom Stewart had a Lisfranc in mid August 2021, recovered in 3 months , did a full preseason and played every game he wasn’t suspended for in 2022 and was All Australian.

There’s no reason Bowser with an early December lisfranc can’t be back training in April, ready to go in May if not June and play half the season. Good for half the season.

Thats not optimism, thats a realistic injury time line.

Perhaps. But everything has to go right - tricky injury.

2 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:

Max will ruck 80% of the time so it's really only the other 20% you need worry about. Heath was very good at centre bounces against NM but just ordinary around the ground and at boundary throw ins. Kentfield offers so much more around the ground and is a genuine threat up forward. I think Kentfield is quite capable of neutralising most rucks. The overall impact of Kentfield is more than Heath so he's my first choice. And when he isn't rucking he rotates with JVR and Mihocek as a genuine forward threat. Heath can't do that and will only get perhaps 40% game time. Kentfield will get 70%.

Kentfield for me.

It's also perhaps a guide to Kings thinking about whether to run two rucks or go with Max, with Roo and/or Kentfield providing a chop out - that's to say he might well be using this game as dry run for the season proper, which would not surprise given last Friday was anything but (ie we used 28 players, had players only playing a half, etc etc).

If tomorrow is dress rehearsal for the season proper, i'd be a tad worried if i was Jeffo.

11 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

Dwyane Russell... that's your source? 😄

It never ceases to amaze me the stock people put on the 'eye test', and the extent to which they'll ignore contrary statistical evidence (or poo poo it). And it drives me buts when so called 'experts', who really should know better, like Derwayne, do this.

It goes without saying that looking at stats alone gives an inaccurate picture of say game style. It's equally inaccurate to base such assessments on observation alone.

Which is why of course coaches, and anyone seriously trying to understand the game, do neither - they use data AND observation

Coincidentally, back in mid Jan i responded to a similar conversation (ie we were a bomb it long team last season) thusly:

Agree with much of the above, except for the notion that our players would often bomb it long. We def turned it over a lot but we were not a bomb it long team.

There are plenty of stats that can be misleading - one such oft cited example is disposal efficiency (eg inside mids dispose of the ball under more pressure than say a half back flanker who get the opportunity to chip kick the ball around the back half under little pressure).

But some stats are less misleading, one being metres gained from kicks.

If in 2025 we were a team that often resorted to long bombs, you'd expect to see that reflected in the data - we'd be near the top of the table for metres gained per kick.

But we're not - in fact we were 12th in the AFL for metres gained per kick (26.2 metres gained per kick).

By way of contrast teams there are number of teams above us on that table that many would imagine don't bomb it long (eg Freo is second for most metres gained per kick, the Pies 5th, the Hawks 6th and the Crows 7th).

The premiers were 17th for metres gained per kick (25 metres - only 1.2 less metres gained per kick than us).

Interestingly, i think I'm right in saying that last season the average metres gained per kicks increased across the board from 2024 as teams started kicking longer to get over the top of zones, look to win the contest head of the ball and mitigate the impact of turnovers (ie better to turn it over in your forward half than miss a short kick at HB) - so perhaps we needed to bomb it long more often!

4 hours ago, Whispering_Jack said:

On whether King is introducing a diametrically different game plan to the one Simon Goodwin tried to implement last year:

I agree that Goodwin attempted to shift the team’s method from the slower, stoppage-heavy approach that was falling out of vogue toward a faster style built on cleaner exits, greater overlap handball, and earlier involvement of outside runners. That became particularly evident after the disastrous 0–5 start.

The transition ultimately fell short. Not everyone was either fully committed to, or capable of, executing the change. The midfield core in particular appeared entrenched in its established habits and arguably lacked the fitness profile, physical attributes and kicking skills required to sustain the higher-tempo style.

That struggle was reflected in the season’s trajectory. A brief resurgence between Rounds 6 and 11 gave way to inconsistency across the second half of the year. The team rarely sustained ascendancy across four quarters. There were quarters of near scorelessness contrasted with bursts of high-quality football — for example, the first quarter against Gold Coast in Round 16 and the final quarter capitulation against St Kilda in Round 20. At other times, inefficiency in front of goal, such as against St Kilda in Round 12, cost them dearly. Not all of the players seemed to be on board.

This year, the difference appears to lie in the conditions surrounding the way in which the game plan is executed. The playing group seems aligned with the direction, and the preseason has been structured around embedding the faster method. The system itself may be an evolution rather than a revolution but the buy-in, preparation, and capacity to sustain it look materially stronger and has a better chance of success in the longer run without some of the stars who would not or could not adapt to the new system.

Agree with all of the above WJ, particularly the notion that there is a big difference between trying to implement a new game plan and successfully doing so.

6 hours ago, Demonland said:

2025 ladder position: 14th (7 wins, 16 losses)

2025 best-and-fairest: Max Gawn

Senior coach: Steven King

A rearguard effort to restore continuity that eventually became a definitive turning of the page of Melbourne’s most successful modern era. Simon Goodwin went into the season bullish that a revamped game plan – more on the specifics below – could revitalise a list beginning to show the ill effects of age and discontent. His stated belief that his side could still contend if he pushed the right buttons looked naive after a 0-5 start that made everything else academic. You can’t lose by 10 goals to North Melbourne and expect things to stay the same. The season wasn’t without highlights – a win at the Gabba! – and the Dees were desperately unlucky on the numbers. But it didn’t change the fundamental fact: this cycle had run its course, and the club’s board believed Goodwin wasn’t the right man to start the new one.

Not many coaches have been sacked three days after winning a game by 83 points. But then, not many coaches had a reign quite like Goodwin’s: an astonishingly dominant flag year followed by two seasons that yielded zero finals wins and a string of off-field headlines. It’s not possible to succinctly capture how Melbourne fans felt: relief, mingled with gratitude at what Goodwin had delivered and regret that there wasn’t more of it. Troy Chaplin assumed the reins on an interim basis, and on September 12th, Steven King (not the horror writer) was appointed as Melbourne’s new Senior Coach. His appointment reflected a decisive break with the past: the club sanctioned the departures of club legends Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, failed to keep hold of Judd McVee, delisted seven players, and brought in 10. The king is dead; long live the King.

For most of the Simon Goodwin era, the Demons played with one of the clearest identities in the AFL: win contests, own territory, overwhelm opponents with volume. The fullest expression of that was the final 45 minutes of the 2021 Grand Final – 45 minutes of the most destructive footy played this decade. But by 2024 (it still worked in the 2023 finals series! Sometimes the ball just doesn’t bounce the right way), that system was beginning to fray. Some of it was opponents getting better at absorbing what Melbourne threw at them. But just as much, probably more, was personnel-based: Angus Brayshaw’s retirement, Clayton Oliver’s personal drama, Steven May’s physical decline (and personal drama). The model grew increasingly dependent on episodic individual brilliance to offset systemic wear.

Goodwin’s late-era – last-gasp – response was to try and adapt instead of doubling down. Before the beginning of the 2025 season, Melbourne signalled a desire to move away from brawn and towards brains: cleaner exits, more overlap handball, earlier involvement of outside runners. In theory, that evolution made sense. But in practice, it proved destabilising. Last season, the Demons were still one of the league’s strongest contested sides. But the clearance strength that had powered their dominance had degraded due to the combination of personnel decline and structural change. The Demons suddenly became leaky in the middle and lost their ability to close space quickly enough to constrict opposition transition. They won enough of the ball, but retention didn’t translate into control or damage.

The problem was that Goodwin believed that the old Premiership core, overlaid onto this new game plan, was capable of taking Melbourne back to the summit. The club’s hierarchy believed differently – and decided to go in a different direction. King’s early influence has been decisive. The club’s moves during the trade and draft period, as well as early pre-season games, point to further steps in the direction Goodwin was trying to go: away from clearance-centric football toward a faster, more networked system built around speed and transition.

Early patterns have (wisely) funnelled play through Kysaiah Pickett, not as a static forward target but as a mobile forward-half connector who receives on the move, gains territory via carries, and links via handball chains. Instead of relying on repeat inside 50s and contested marking to grind opponents down, Melbourne are positioning themselves to score more frequently from turnover and secondary transition. A renewed emphasis on speed and two-way running is designed to restore the integrity of the defensive layer. The caveats are clear: it’s early and no serious footy has been played yet. But it represents a decisive break with the Premiership identity and towards something faster, more exciting – and, perhaps, more dangerous.

In: 

• Xavier Taylor (2025 National Draft, Pick #11)

• Latrelle Pickett (2025 National Draft, Pick #12)

• Thomas Matthews (2025 National Draft, Pick #30)

• Changkuoth Jiath (trade – Hawthorn)

• Brody Mihocek (trade – Collingwood)

• Jack Steele (trade – St Kilda)

• Max Heath (trade – St Kilda)

• Riley Onley (Rookie Draft)

• Kalani White (Category A Rookie, father/son)

• Oscar Berry (Category B rookie)

Out:

• Clayton Oliver (trade – Greater Western Sydney)

• Christian Petracca (trade – Gold Coast)

• Judd McVee (trade – Fremantle)

• Charlie Spargo (free agent – North Melbourne)

• Jack Billings (delisted)

• Kynan Brown (delisted)

• Tom Fullarton (delisted)

• Marty Hore (delisted)

• Oliver Sestan (delisted)

• Will Verrall (delisted)

• Taj Woewodin (delisted)

Number of top-10 draft picks: four (T-13th)

Average age at Opening Round: 25.6 (3rd)

Average number of games played: 80.8 (4th)

Melbourne’s off-season had two clear themes: to move on from the Goodwin Era and to recruit for speed. It’s not often you trade out two players who, between them, have seven All-Australian nominations, two Coaches Association Player of the Year awards, and a Norm Smith. It’s rarer still that doing so is the right decision. Petracca and Oliver will forever be heroes of the Melbourne Football Club. But enough baggage had accumulated that a reset felt necessary. Petracca fetched a significant return: Picks 7, 8 and 37 in the 2025 draft (used on Xavier Taylor, Latrelle Pickett and Thomas Matthews), plus the Suns’ 2026 first-rounder. Oliver garnered only a future third-round pick from GWS – a blunt reflection of his diminished standing.

Those departures were the beginning rather than the end of Melbourne’s list recalibration. Brody Mihocek arrived from Collingwood to mentor the younger talls and manufacture ground ball opportunities for smalls. Jack Steele adds leadership and a mature body to a midfield that suddenly looks short on both. The compensation pick for Charlie Spargo became Changkuoth Jiath. On draft night, the Dees targeted pace and rebound in Taylor and – to some surprise – Glenelg small forward Latrelle Pickett. Judd McVee, who had agitated for midfield time, departed for Fremantle, where he is unlikely to get any. Seven delistings underlined the appetite for renovation. Taken together, these moves prioritise experience, speed and flexibility over star power – a profile that makes more sense in the context of Steven King’s likely preference for overlap, width and transition rather than contest dominance.

The biggest defensive question surrounds Steven May. He was integral to Melbourne’s early-decade success, but he may no longer fit the club’s strategic direction, and the off-field noise now clearly outweighs the on-field value. To me, the answer looks clear: see what it looks like without him. Melbourne aren’t short of key defenders – Jake Lever, Tom McDonald (is he still doing that all-meat diet?), Harrison Petty (surely back where he belongs), Daniel Turner and Jed Adams can probably form a workable rotation. Even if they can’t, that’s valuable information in a year designed for recalibration. Jake Bowey remains the preferred distributor. Beyond him, the small and medium mix is unsettled: Andy Moniz-Wakefield is returning from an ACL, King might want to see Jiath on a wing, and Christian Salem’s skills remain exquisite but, at 30, the club may decide it’s time to see a younger face in his role.

Across two seasons, Melbourne’s midfield has shifted from the league’s most recognisable to one defined by transition. There is still talent. Max Gawn remains the best ruck in the game. Kysaiah Pickett is now a bona fide – and very good – midfielder. Steele offsets some of what was lost, even if he can’t replicate it. Jack Viney is the last of the old guard, but concussion interruptions and a serious achilles injury make it difficult to see him returning to his peak. Trent Rivers shapes as a more permanent midfield piece after a 2025 season in which he attended the majority of centre bounces in the games Viney missed with a concussion and almost none for the rest of the season. Melbourne fans, however, will be most excited to see Caleb Windsor and Harvey Langford. Langford’s debut season was impressive and further physical development should take him to the next level. Windsor’s second year was disrupted by injury and a switch to half-back that made some sense on paper but never really did on grass. He has looked sharp this pre-season. The wing roles, meanwhile, appear genuinely open – Ed Langdon (probably running laps of the MCG as I type), Xavier Lindsay, Jiath, Jai Culley (post-injury) and Harry Sharp all in the frame.

An average forward line worked well enough when Melbourne overwhelmed opponents with volume. That equation probably no longer holds. But a new method might produce greater efficiency. Kozzie Pickett will be Melbourne’s best forward when stationed inside 50 and their best midfielder when rotated on-ball. His cousin Latrelle will add speed and flair. Bayley Fritsch remains a reliable medium target; Kade Chandler is a clever and underrated small. Beyond that core lie many unresolved questions. Does Mihocek have two more strong seasons left? Is Jacob van Rooyen trending toward genuine second/third tall quality or plateauing as serviceable? Is there hope left for Matt Jefferson? Can King extract anything from Shane McAdam? Is it time to phase out Jake Melksham? What exactly is Koltyn Tholstrup? The virtue of Melbourne’s current phase is that they can afford the patience required to find out.

Defence: Average

Midfield: Average

Forward: Average

Ruck: Elite

The disappointment of seeing a once-great side not quite fulfil its awesome potential before fading into irrelevance and acrimony might linger. But in 2026, another set of more positive emotions should begin competing for space in the hearts of Dees fans: curiosity about what the next great Melbourne side could look like, excitement about a faster, more attacking style, and hope that the club’s – perhaps belated – recognition of its predicament augurs well for its ability to keep doing the same in the future.

Style is not a trivial matter. Attritional footy is easy to accept if it delivers success. It’s rather harder to swallow if it produces a 14th-placed finish. This isn’t an argument against developing effective defensive structures. It’s recognition of the fact that there are many supporters who evaluate their relationship with their team – or at least the choice to spend their hard-earned to go to the footy on a freezing night – based on the endeavour of the stuff that’s served up. Melbourne shifting to a more exciting brand is something to look forward to.

There is cause for significant optimism, too, about several of the club’s recent draftees. There is lots of excited chatter about Caleb Windsor this pre-season. Harvey Langford looked excellent in his debut season. Both now have fewer players between them and meaningful midfield roles. Xavier Lindsay’s first year wasn’t as attention-grabbing as Langford’s, but he still looks like he could be an important piece of the next generation. There’s still hope for players like Koltyn Tholstrup. Jacob Van Rooyen should benefit from the presence of Brody Mihocek. It’s too early to say anything definitive about Xavier Taylor or Latrelle Pickett – perhaps beyond the fact that both make for good media interviews – but there’s also nothing wrong with getting excited about the prospect of Latrelle and Kysaiah linking up for the next decade. Not every draftee becomes a star. But extrapolating based on promising early glimpses is a core part of the footy fan experience. Long may it reign.

The cherry on top is that, despite Melbourne’s manifest frailties last season, they were a better team than their win-loss record showed. Based on expected scores, they should have won four more games than they did – the same number as Carlton and only 1.5 behind Greater Western Sydney. It’s interesting to consider what choice the club hierarchy would have made about Goodwin had those expected wins materialised into real ones. They might have been more open to his claims that last season’s list could still contend. Obviously, many of the players who contributed to the side in 2025 won’t be there in 2026. But some of them will be. If they perform, and the pendulum swings the other way, that may already be enough to put the Dees in the play-in conversation.

The first steps of any rebuild are especially treacherous because, in addition to the high stakes riding on every high-end draft pick, there’s a fundamental tension: coaches are motivated to seek wins to consolidate their job security, even if it might ultimately undermine the long-term objectives of the build. That’s why it’s so important that the board and CEO give the coach genuine permission to lose now in order to win later. Well-run clubs have a strong alignment between what the CEO and Board expect, and what the coach is trying to do. Melbourne have not been an obviously well-run club for many of the past few seasons. Supporters ought to be heartened by the early moves of the Brad Green/Steven Smith era, especially their steadfastness in sacking Simon Goodwin. But their resolve hasn’t been tested by on-field results not meeting off-field expectations. There is risk there.

Clubs undertake rebuilds because they recognise that their list can no longer compete at the pointy end of the ladder. Lists that can no longer compete at the pointy end typically lack two important things: enough star players and a coherent distribution of AFL-level talent. Those issues overlap but aren’t the same. In Kysaiah Pickett, the Demons have one of the brightest stars in footy. Until further notice, Max Gawn is still the best at what he does. The departures of Petracca and Oliver and decline of Steven May mean that’s probably where it ends (for now). The distribution of AFL-level players is lumpy – contributors at the top end, but holes created by players not yet living up to their draft position. There are multiple ways to interpret Melbourne’s choice to bring in Brody Mihocek. The most benign is that he’s there to provide structure, physical support, and experience to a callow crop of tall forwards. The least benign is that the club is concerned about the development of said tall forwards. Either way, importing short-term solutions to solve long-term development problems at the beginning of a rebuild is risky.

There are similar questions to be asked of the key defensive posts. Melbourne tried hard to make Steven May another club’s problem during the Trade Period. They did not succeed. The situation is far from ideal: a Premiership hero whose persistent off-field issues appear to have broken containment. The football solution is clear. The off-field solution is less clear; unresolved culture problems can metastasise.

To an extent, bad lists are self-correcting: they tend to finish lower down the ladder and have more opportunities to select better talent to drive improvement. But the impending entrance of Tasmania into the AFL landscape makes the next few years a more dangerous time to be rebuilding. The Demons have a productive Next Generation Academy (as Melbourne fans know, there’s a world, very similar to this one, where Mac Andrew wears red and blue) but that looks like rather small beer next to the Northern Academies. The AFL’s equalisation mechanisms are under stress. Dees fans know what it’s like to be stuck at the bottom for so long that you re-evaluate your relationship with footy. It shouldn’t be this bad this time. There is still top-end talent, a decent mid-career core, draftees that have shown great promise, and a capacity to develop talent. But they are still taking the first steps down a very long road. Not everyone gets to the end.

Harvey Langford finished fourth in last year’s Rising Star award. He impressed all who watched him (a shrinking audience, given how quickly Melbourne’s season went south). And yet it was clear that one was watching a player only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. The disposal skill and quality of decision-making are already apparent. The next step is more meat on the bones. When Langford develops the strength to move inside and reliably shrug opposition tackles, his game should ascend to the next level.

Kysaiah Pickett’s status as Melbourne’s most important player for the rest of the decade and beyond was cemented on June 12th last year, when he quashed persistent chat about his future to sign a contract until the end of 2034. His move into the midfield – only Max Gawn and Clayton Oliver attended more centre bounces! – elevated him into the game’s very top bracket as both a clearance winner and goal-kicker. Kozzie is a delight to watch. And for as long as he’s a Demons player (now almost certainly the rest of his playing days), there will be optimism.

Throughout this preview, I’ve largely accepted the premise that Melbourne is embarking on a rebuild. There is strong circumstantial evidence this is the case: a new coach, with a new plan, and many new players. But it’s not quite definitive. There could be an element within the club which believes that a good season from key players, faster-than-expected development from emerging talent, and better luck could result in a return to finals. Given that, the decisions that King and his selection committee make about players like Steven May, Jack Viney (when they’re available) will probably reveal their preference: build, with the pain that implies, or hedge?

When the Melbourne board made the decision to sack Simon Goodwin and trade out Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver, it implicitly agreed to the proposition that the win-loss record and ladder position should rank low on Melbourne’s list of performance indicators for 2026. It also committed to the idea that progress in 2026 is better measured by how successfully a new coach can embed a new game plan, how much younger players develop, and how much information is gained about which areas of the list need most attention. And, ideally, that process would also be rewarded with another couple of high-end draft picks.

This time last year, Melbourne fans were debating whether to stick with the core and the coach that had delivered a drought-breaking Premiership or twist. That question was definitively answered. 2026 will be the dawn of a new era. There’ll be bad days. But, unlike the last two years, it might actually be fun.

An excellent article. Balanced, informative and I think it nails the key issues and ponderables.

And unlike almost every other preview I've read or heard does not perpetuate any #Goodwin myths.

(pro tip - discount any analysis that has as a starting point King introducing a diametrically different game plan to the one Goody tried to implement in 2025).

On 19/02/2026 at 16:37, Ethan Tremblay said:

I really want him to succeed. But I think he lacks the mongrel required, seems a bit too nice. Prove me wrong, prove.me.wrong.

That's exactly where i stand - i really hope he makes it and have certainly not written him off (yet) but as a betting man i wouldn't be putting any of my hard earned on him to make it (unless of course i got some juicy odds!)

I know what you mean by not enough mongrel, and agree, but what worries me most is his second efforts are not instinctive and it feels like he lacks the hyper competitive, won't lose this contest energy of say JVR or Kentfield (who probably doesn't have the raw talent of Jeffo, but I'm more confident he'll make it as he 100% has the competitive instincts).

All that said, i also really want him to succeed and he has the talent to do so. We'll soon see if he has the necessary drive and determination because if he can't become a best 23 player this year i think he'll go the way of the Weed at years end.

19 hours ago, Fanatique Demon said:

Hi Binman. When can we expect a podcast? I’m keen to hear what you three think.

G'day @Fanatique Demon the first pod of the King era (which follows the brief Chaplin interregnum) will be coming very soon, possibly next week.

23 hours ago, binman said:

• Our defensive line often pushed up high last season, but they look to be pushing even higher now

• Apart from aggressively pushing up the ground, I haven't really been able to work out what our defensive system will look like - but leg speed in defence will be critical as defenders will need to sprint back when we turn the ball over- even if May was not having off field issues and an interrupted preseason, I honestly think he's too slow for our method (and was last year too for that matter ) and i worry Lever and Tmac are in the same boat (I can't see both in the team when Petty gets back)

I watched the game again and focused on the defensive system. To argue against myself, on second viewing, i could get a sense what they are trying to do defensively, or at the least what some of the key elements of that system are likely to be.

In addition to our defensive unit pushing up aggressively, and the resulting need for players with leg speed to get back on turnover, i reckon some other key elements of our defensive system under King are:

• As noted by Harriet Cordner (one of the two commentators) a couple of times, we were creating a spare in defence

• Related to the above, when our defenders pushed up the ground to compress the ground, and ideally trap the ball in our forward half, Cordner noted a couple of times we were keeping a defender in our back half, which provides some protection for when we turn it over and the oppo get it past/over our defensive line

• Creating spare and leaving a defender in our back half when we push up (ironically, two strategies Goody employed between 2020 and 2023) both put pressure on the rest of the team to provide defensive cover and support, which in turns means lots of all team gut running and effort

• They are clearly looking to 'ping' of half back quickly and get it out of defensive half as quickly as possible

• Trading in CJ was an obvious tell in terms of the above point - he's obviously going to be given freedom to play on ASAP and run and carry out of the back half

• As i noted earlier in this thread, ditto a number of other posters, we are going to be looking to be aggressive with our kicks out of defence - not only will we go fast, but we'll be taking on more high risks kicks into the corridor and/or across lanes on the 45

• XT was selected in large part because of his ability to move the ball quickly aggressively out of the half back, and take on high risk/high reward kicks that have become so important in footy to beat zone defences, get behind oppo defences and set up high quality scoring opportunities

• I really liked Howes game, and with his good pace, ability to read the play, make good decisions with ball in hand and hit targets by foot he looked right at home with the new defensive system - and his height gives us terrific flexibility in terms of his ability to play on medium forwards, and at pinch taller forwards

20 minutes ago, dice said:

Tholstrup and Kozzy kicked goals from the centre square too. Questionable 50m arc

True - though neither were off one step.

Speaking of kicking goals, one other other changes I've noted accross the intra-club and practice matches is it appears players have been encouraged to have a ping at goals when in range rather than always look for a pass option.

Assuming that's the case, im a big fan of that change - of course if someone is free closer to goal and/or on a better amgle and the kick is not hard, the percentage play is a pass, but otherwise pin your ears back boys and have a shot.

32 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

Hopefully.

But it'll be interesting to see if Richmond can pressure our mids better.

Ball use under little pressure is always better.

Yep. In many ways Friday's game was not great in terms of giving our game plan and system a decent test, particularly our defensive system- even with little pressure our kicking was often poor yet they didn't hurt us at all on turnover.

With more pressure, we'll turn it over more and better teams will make us pay.

38 minutes ago, Adam The God said:

I find it hard to track when I'm not at the ground, but going by CBAs, Steele was playing a disciplined defensive/extractors role and around him we had speed (Windsor and Kozzy) and spatial awareness (Langford).

But the big improvement seemed to be just having better ball users at the coal face. Steele is very solid. Langford is a beautiful kick, but the really impressive guy in the midfield mix outside of Steele was Sparrow. I thought he was an important link up player as well as providing good pressure around the stoppages.

Otherwise, not enough of a sample size for me.

I also think we'll probably hold our tricks back for the real stuff.

I know bang on about it, but for all the talk about game plan etc, our single biggest weakness in the last 5 years has been our kicking - which has coincided with good kicking becoming ever more important.

Its important all over the ground of course, but having mids who can hit targets after winning a centre and/or around the ground clearance is just so so important in footy now.

If our mids are better by foot this season, we'll see an immediate improvement in our capacity to score from stoppages, and more importantly we'll turn the ball over less often.

Speaking of kicking after winning a clearance, how many players in the AFL could kick a goal from the centre square uner pressute and of (barely) one step the way The Bison slotted that goal on Friday - wow.

On a less positive note, as much I think Windsor will be a star, his kicking worries me.