spirit of norm smith

1st quarter xx Spargo and Laurie horrible and soft Xx kicking efficiency horrible Xx goalkicking 1-6. Spargo Fritsch missed sitters 🤡🤡Petracca handball to players under pressure - hit a target 👏Gawn. Tomlinson. Viney 👏 !!!

SPARGO !!

1st quarter xx Spargo and Laurie horrible Xx kicking efficiency horrible Xx goalkicking Spargo Fritsch 🤡🤡Petracca handball to players under pressure 👏Gawn. Tomlinson. Viney. Only !!!

Damien the rat Barrett will be salivating over the Dees demise. Lets prove that him and the negative media are wrong !!

Great news. 👏👏👏👏👏 Tom Sparrow 💙❤️💙❤️ premiership player we love ya Tommy 👏👏👏👏👏

Agree @Older demon a smart pickup. I think he’s one to watch this year. Played juniors at Sandy Dragons and was impressive. Key defender who also can go forward and kick goals. Had 2 years at amateur level and building up his frame.

Great news. 👏👏👏Really hope he shines on debut. Definitely a talented youngster. I like his skill and footy smarts. Has now added hard work to his CV.

Prediction. No prediction to get half of the predictions correct.

Jon Ralph. 🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿🪿 Goose of the Day award.

AFL WEBSITE Prediction from Nathan “Chook” 🐔 Nathan Schmook Premier: Brisbane Runner-up: Greater Western Sydney Wooden spoon: West Coast Moving up: Fremantle Set to fall: Melbourne Club under the most pressure (and why): Melbourne. The Demons haven't taken full advantage of their prime years. Ending two seasons of straight-sets exits will be a challenge after their pre-season setbacks. Will the Suns finally make finals?: No Brownlow Medal: Errol Gulden Coleman Medal: Charlie Curnow AFL Rising Star: Colby McKercher Recruit of the year: Brodie Grundy Surprise All-Australian: Jordan Clark Who should headline the Grand Final entertainment?: Foo Fighters Headline you'll see: Freo zeroes in on forward target with draft kitty Headline you won't see: Club pushes the line with matchday concussion management Big call: Like the Brownlow Medal in 2023, youth will be the big storyline in the Coleman Medal race (around Charlie Curnow) as Max King, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Nick Larkey push the superstar Blue with top-five finishes. Schmook's ladder prediction 1. Brisbane 2. Greater Western Sydney 3. Collingwood 4. Sydney 5. Carlton 6. Fremantle 7. Adelaide 8. Port Adelaide 9. St Kilda 10. Western Bulldogs 11. Melbourne 12. Gold Coast 13. Geelong 14. Essendon 15. Hawthorn 16. Richmond 17. North Melbourne 18. West Coast

Updated: February 22 Melbourne injury list Name Injury Estimated Return Ben Brown Knee TBC Clayton Oliver Personal TBC Tom Fullarton Hamstring Early season Lachie Hunter Calf Test for Round 1 Jake Melksham Knee 2025 Joel Smith Misconduct TBC Kysaiah Pickett Suspension Round 2 Oliver is back training but faces a race against time to be fit for the season A calf injury sees Hunter be in doubt for Round 1

Misding from our 23 finals team are brayshaw Hibbo Jordon unavailable 10- Pickett(susp) smith (susp) Hunter (inj)tmcd (inj) Bbb (inj) Melksham (inj) Turner (inj) McAdam (inj) Fullerton(inj) Brayshaw (retired) Hoping for a fit Oliver 🤞 and Petty 🤞 B McVee May Lever HB Salem Tomlinson Rivers C Langdon Viney Windsor (debut) HF Billings JVR ANB F Fritsch Petty Spargo Fol Gawn Oliver Petracca Int Bowey Laurie Sparrow Chandler Woewodin (Sub) emerg. Hore Schache Howes dev. AMW, KFW, Jefferson, Adams, Verrell, Kolt, Sestan, KBrown squad 44

Dees now with $$$ available after Brayshaw medical retirement? I’m still liking Florent as a free agent to come home to Melbourne. See his pace and skill being into our midfield mix.

We are now querying ruck depth, forward options and now the midfield. Recent article ranked our core group of 24yrs and under as “15th”. No young midfielder coming through in this group. PLAYERS UNDER 24: Tom Sparrow (23), Kysaiah Pickett (22), Trent Rivers (22), Jake Bowey (21), Bailey Laurie (21), Daniel Turner (21), Jacob Van Rooyen (20), Blake Howes (20), Judd McVee (20), Andy Moniz-Wakefield (20), Taj Woewodin (20), Jed Adams (19), Will Verrall (19), Oliver Sestan (19) Matthew Jefferson (19), Kynan Brown (18), Koltyn Tholstrup (18), Caleb Windsor (18) TOP 5: Kysaiah Pickett, Jacob Van Rooyen, Trent Rivers, Tom Sparrow, Jake Bowey. The Demons are covered across all lines with this group but there doesn’t appear a standout player that is going to lead Melbourne to its next premiership. Kysaiah Pickett can still be anything, as can Jacob Van Rooyen. But aside from the draftees from the past two years, there feels a ceiling on most others, although several are certainly best 22 players. Trent Rivers, Jake Bowey and Judd McVee are all examples of players in Melbourne’s best side for the next decade if they want to be, but how much they can continue to improve is the big question. League ranking: 15th —————————————————— So now for the good news. I think about 12-13 youngsters in this years 1st round draft will be midfielders. A strong quality group. Outside the top 6-7 midfielders likely as top 10 draftees, players like Tom Gross, Zac Johnson, Sam Lalor, Kade Herbert, Nash King and Harvey Langford present great young midfield types. They should be around the pick 12-20 mark. Dees would need one of these youngsters coming in for next year.

Dees are being written off in 2024. Too many issues and key injuries. Tough times. But we have talent. Too much talent to be discarded. We can rise up and show we’re stronger than the outside world thinks. Time for support. Time for strength. Go Dees.

I am shattered. Devastating to lose such a great player. A great Demon. He was a heart and soul player. Skills and courage. Absolutely had to put his future life as a priority. Thank you Gus. A great career. 👏👏👏

Excellent pickup back at Casey. Was very good for Werribee especially in 2023. The 25yo is ready to go as a mature player across Casey defence. With Daniel Turner having extended absence due to injury, he will slot into 3rd defender role behind Hore and Adams.

I’m not sure we can carry Ben Brown. I am hopeful he can make a difference in 2024. He’s an accurate kick and good on the lead. But his degenerative knee is causing him serious ongoing issues.

Howes is much better as a wing or half forward. I’d prefer him at half forward when he gets a chance. He can kick a lovely goal, mark and do something special. Mercurial is a word.

And this from the Age’s footy writer Jon Pierik Melbourne Improve goalkicking accuracy The Demons are desperate to atone for successive finals flame outs. Christian Petracca says the Demons have tinkered with their gameplan. One area in need of attention is connection in the forward half, as well as accuracy. The Demons produced the worst shot at goal accuracy (31.4 per cent) during the finals of any finalist since the measure was first recorded in 2002. Petracca’s shot at goal accuracy of just 32.2 per cent was a case in point.

Ok lock this in the time capsule - a bold call

A few weeks still to go. Fingers crossed on availability and health of the list.

Dislike - bombs into the forward line. FFS. Still !!!!

9 players are likely to be unavailable: l.hunter, c.oliver, j.melksham, t.mcd, d.turner, j.smith h.petty, BBB. suspension. K.pickett Round Zero (27) B: McVee May Tomlinson HB: Rivers Lever Salem C: Langdon Sparrow Windsor HF: Neal-Bullen Schache Billings F: Fritsch van Rooyen McAdam Foll: Gawn Petracca Viney I/c: Spargo Brayshaw Bowey Laurie Sub: Woewodin Emerg: Howes Hore Chandler Fullerton development. (8) Verrell. Adams. Tholstrup. KBrown. Jefferson. ANW. Sestan. Farris-White.

I was confident then. And confident for 2024. Get the goalkicking right and hit a target inside forward 50. We can win it. 2024 is our year.