Demon Jack

Rhys Palmer is playing his first game with the Blues after being traded from GWS with pick 135. He'll kick 6 today.

Pre-season or not, I rested easy last night knowing that we don't have to deal with Cripps in the centre today.

Joel looked very much at home last Saturday against the Bulldogs. As much as would like to see Mitch out on the track again, it's a great opportunity for someone like Joel who could be in round 1 calculations.

Brave innings from Renshaw. Hard to believe he's still only 20 (about to turn 21). Cracking innings from Mitchell Starc as well. Doing more with the bat and ball than Mitch Marsh, our preferred all-rounder.

Caps off a brilliant 12 month of key signings. The club has done brilliantly here.

Would love to see our outs last weekend in Trengove and Johnstone have a run before the season starts. I'd also like to see Gawn and Spencer play together again.

Could this be real? Yes, very much so. Do I believe it? Not until Jack Watts is officially named by the club to miss Round 1. Wouldn't be the first time a journalist has circled Demonland for the latest MFC news and rumours.

Just finished watching the game for the first time. Jones looks great playing as a half back. He looks set for another massive season. Also, a quick side note, if Jones plays at least 14 games this year, he'll move into 9th on the most games played lost with the MFC. Still only 29 as well. Speaking of massive seasons, Hogan looks set for a 60 goal season. Looks like he wants to prove a point. Contested marking and his improved set shot routine were highlights. Our other key forward in Weideman did some good things as well. I'd still prefer Pederson to play in the early stages of the season but I think the coaches are determined to get games into Weideman. I wouldnt complain at all if Spencer is in the round one team. If it means more of Gawn playing forward then yes please! More Salem in the midfield please. He has a natural ball winning ability. If you combine that with his disposal, then he'll be a serious threat this year. The rest of the young midfield brigade in Brayshaw, Oliver, and of course captain Viney did everything right to reaffirm themselves as one of the leagues most exciting centre bounce lineups. While he's no means a round 1 lock, Garlett still seems the most likely contender to be our small forward. Kicked an important goal and was involved in about four others. Looked back in 2015 form. Lewis will be worth every penny. He arguably won us the game with his spoil in the final couple of minutes. Melksham looked understandably rusty, but was involved in a couple of handy plays. Bugg surprised me. Looks in great nick and bobbed up for a couple shots a goal. Could be one to surprise this year. Both of the McDonald bros looked steady. (No terrible turnovers aside from one from Oscar) Cloke looked set to dominate but was fairly well held after half time. I would prefer Frost in the side to deal with the more 'gorilla' forwards of the league. While on the topic of our defence, Hibberd and Jetta will provide a massive boost next week providing they're both selected. Overall, a great first hit-out. Yes, the Bulldogs had a few significant players out (Wood, Bontempelli, etc), but the key spine of their premiership team was still intact. JLT or not, an important win going forward. EDIT: I can't believe I forgot to mention Joel Smith. He was absolutely everywhere in the second quarter. I counted about five or so instances in the space of seven/eight minutes where he was instrumental in the back half.

Here we go...2017

Very excited to see Joel Smith out on the park. Looked very encouraging in the VFL last year. Disappointing that Dion and Trenners aren't getting a game today. Maybe next week.

Great to hear that JKH is firing on all cylinders this pre-season. Garlett is by no means a lock in our starting 22 so there's definitely opportunities for him. Could be a Hunt like season coming up for JKH if the coaches give him the tick of approval.

Congratulations to Lily Mithen for being the recipient of Melbourne's first ever AFLW Rising Star nomination! http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-02-14/demon-scoops-aflw-rising-star-and-uni-placement-inside-30-minutes

Well this has snuck up quickly. I'm not too sure what to expect from this game. Hopefully our players blow the cobwebs out after a long pre-season and we see young and inexperienced players like Weideman, Oliver and that young up and comer Jordan Lewis have a crack for a starting 22 position. Provided he plays this weekend, I'm looking forward to watching Hibberd out in the red and blue for the first time. He's my early smoky for a top 5 Best and Fairest placing.

O'Dea is a very good player. She has cleared everything in this quarter.

Simon Goodwin

Personally, I would've preferred if Jones had at least another two years as sole captain before passing the reigns to Viney, who still has a lot to learn about the game considering he's still incredibly young. Obviously, Viney must of really made a substantial impression on the coaches and playing group over the pre-season. Saying that, good luck Jack! Captain number 46 of the MFC.

The Saints have a good side this year. Although, If they want to give the finals series a shake, this is the year they need to do it. Riewoldt, Montagna, Gilbert and Dempster could all be playing their final season. Their young players are good, but I'm not sure if they're at the level to potentially cover the loss of around 1000 games of experience. Happy to be proven wrong though, they play some exciting football when they're "on".

I remember going to quite a few of these when I was a kid. Built up a nice collection of signatures and photos over the years. Most of them were held at the MCG and it was always a great day out. I was never really taken by the club's decision to host them at Luna Park a few years ago. But really, as Biffen said, it's all about brainwashing and manipulating the next generation while they're still young!

Depth!

Great opening round of the Women's AFL in terms of attendance and promotion. I know the league is incredibly young but it was a bit of another story in terms of performance.

And scoring department.

http://www.afl.com.au/womens/matches/match-centre?matchid=100640104&competitionid=10064

Did this in five minutes. I'm sure there are numouous players that I've forgotten about FB: Jetta OMac Frost HB: Hibberd TMac Hunt C: Salem Tyson Lewis HF: Petracca Hogan Watts FF: Garlett Pederson/Weideman Kent R: Gawn Viney Jones INT: Stretch Oliver Brayshaw Vince EMG: Harmes AVB Melksham

The only change I would maybe make to the banner is Tyson over Petracca. Everything else gets the tick of approval.