Season 2023 - Melbourne

Melbourne

Coach – Simon Goodwin

2022 –

Points For – 6th
Points Against – 1st

Top 5 Best and Fairest

1 – Clayton Oliver
2 – Christian Petracca
3 – Steven May
4 – Jack Viney
5 – Angus Brayshaw

2022 Rising Star Noms

Jake Bowey (Round 2)

Ins – Brodie Grundy, Josh Schache, Lachie Hunter, Matt Jefferson, Jed Adams, Will Verrall, Oliver Sestan

Outs – Majak Daw, Fraser Rosman, Mitch Brown, Jayden Hunt, Toby Bedford, Luke Jackson, Sam Weideman, Oskar Baker

My Prediction

I had to double check that the Dees came second last year. For large parts of the season they didn’t quite seem like it was happening and they didn’t feel like a premiership threat despite arguably having the best list. They have so much top end talent that they would have expected to be there at the end of the year. Hard to see finishing second as a failure but it was.

The backline is best practice, they have stoppers, intercepters and run from the backline. They know what each other is doing and structure themselves so well that they are the hardest team to score on in the AFL. May looked a chance to be a bust for them early on but has shown his value over the past two seasons (maybe not so much off field). Lever has the body right and showed why they paid overs for him as well. They have Petty for backup (they will be hoping they don’t need him too much). Hibberd and Salem give good run and last year Brayshaw was solid of half back as well.

The midfield is rock solid. Oliver is still the best inside mid in the game and Petracca is the most explosive. Viney really stepped up last year and was back to his dangerous best. Will be curious to see if Hunter can break into the midfield. Langdon was tagged out a lot last year and struggled when held accountable.

The forward line has never been the best but it just gets its job done. They have recruited to change it up slightly this year with letting Weideman and Brown go but bringing in Grundy and Schache. It feels like everyone thinks they can turn Schache into a quality footballer. With Grundy and Gawn in the same team, you would have to assume they are going to have one sit up forward. I think Gawn may spend more time up forward with Grundy covering the ground more but we will wait and see. Small forwards in Pickett and Neal-Bullen along with medium forward in Fritsch gives them lots of avenues to goal.

The rucks are the best in the AFL. They may actually be the two best rucks in the AFL playing in the same team. The only question is how they make this work, in a time when a lot of teams are reducing their reliance on rucks, it is interesting to that the Demons are looking to buck that trend. The coach has a premiership and has the team generally playing good football. I don’t see any real pressure on him barring a disaster.

The Demons have a top two list, they seemed to maybe lack some motivation last year and whether it was a premiership hangover or whether it was injuries and fitness, we will find out this year. I expect them to finish in the top two again and this year I think they should make the grand final

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The dees will be fascinating this year, particularly their use of Gawn/Grundy. The forward line still seems to be an issue unless they can make a drifting Gawn or Grundy work for them.

I get “Dogs 2016” vibes from this team. I’m just not sure they have a balanced side that can beat the best when they’re not playing lights out like they were in 2021.

I’m not ruling them out from contending, especially if they have a young forward emerge, but I have other teams ahead of them that I’m more confident in. 6th.

I actually think they’ll drop down a bit, finish around 6th. I see other clubs improving past them and them remaining stagnant. Their key players lost a few % of hunger as the season wore on.

Started the year 10-0 but went 6-8 afterwards, including a lucky last second win over Carlton. Went out in straight sets. I think they’ve done well with injuries too.

You look to where the improvement will come from to win a premiership. Oliver, Petrecca, Gawn and Viney all performed more or less near their high standards so I don’t see much there. I think their backline has kept their entire structure together and their midfield remains strong. They be hoping Salem can return soon.

So where does it come from? Grundy perhaps, he’s class, but he nor Gawn are good enough forwards to change things and neither have had to deal with top defenders. I don’t see a huge overall net benefit as Gawn was handling ruck duties well so unless he or Grundy develop forward craft.

Their forwardline has been atrocious as they source most their goals from Fritsch and their smaller players and a higher reliance on midfield goals. Fritsch is clearly their best. Pickett had massive form issues last year and struggled with consistency, but he was still hot every game in four, but that’s not enough in itself to win a flag. Neal-Bullen is serviceable as a compliment to Fritsch. After that it breaks down. Brown was a shadow of his North days and struggled to take a contested mark and they badly lacked a focal point. Maybe Gawn can provide one or Schache?

I just don’t see enough improvement from what I saw in the second half of the year to see them winning a premiership. I see them sitting outside the top 4, in the 5-6th range.

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Fox Footy Best 22

B: Harrison Petty, Steven May, Michael Hibberd
HB: Angus Brayshaw, Jake Lever, Christian Salem
C: Ed Langdon, Jack Viney, Lachie Hunter
HF: Alex Neal-Bullen, Tom McDonald, Kysaiah Pickett
F: Jacob Van Rooyen, Max Gawn, Bayley Fritsch
FOLL: Brodie Grundy, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca

I/C: James Jordon, Charlie Spargo, Tom Sparrow, Trent Rivers

Interesting Setup - Gawn Forward, split more time with Grundy as ruck. will it work out, they should have good first use of the ball more times than not.
As long as Hunter stays out of trouble he can improve them on the wings. Allowing Brayshaw to be the steady head in defence.
Van Rooyen could stand out as the young rooster now with Jackson gone, and likely to get the third key defender. He had decent draft write ups.

Solid midfield and defence, all depends if the new set up can kick a score, and is it a worry having Gawn and Brown both up forward, thats where having Pickett is very handy to keep the pressure on. I would have Ben Brown in ahead of McDonald who is a decent backup.

I think overall Demons have gone forward. Still have young talent that may improve them, and getting the last few years from their veterans.

Schache is just cover. replaces the likes of Brown/Daw/Weideman

I think Demons will be there abouts again
Prediction 1-4

Will be around the mark again. The Gawn/Grundy ruck tandem is probably the best combo of rucks at or near their peak we’ve seen in the AFL for at least 30 years. Usually you have a master and an apprentice, as with Cox and Nic Nat at West Coast, not 2 that are aged within a couple of years of one another. Both are top 5 in the comp. Going to be fascinating to see how that gels together on field.

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Before last year’s season, I thought rucks were becoming irrelevant. Now, because of Gawn and Grundy, and Jackson and Darcy, two rucks are going to be more common this year, imo.

All they need to make the grand final is a solid season from their key forwards. If Brown and McDonald can deliver that, they should be a lock for the grand final with Brisbane.

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They’ll win the whole thing.

Van Rooyen has apparently torn up the track and has been flagged by track watchers to lead their forward line.

Former Melbourne president Glen Bartlett claims there was a “malicious” campaign to drive him out of the Melbourne Football Club.

In an explosive interview with News Corp’s Mark Robinson, Bartlett said there were behavioural issues involving senior coach Simon Goodwin, and raised them with AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder.

He says he told Goyder in January 2021 that he had been made aware of “serious behaviour issues at a senior level” within the club.

“You need to get (AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan) to a meeting because he’s been dealing with (Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert) for 18 months about it,” came the reply from Goyder.

“This was news to me,” Bartlett said.

The Herald Sun reported February last year that Melbourne had considered sacking the premiership coach amid allegations of drinking and gambling with players, as well as workplace bullying.

McLachlan had passed on information to Demons chief executive Gary Pert in late 2020 relating to the allegations.

“I know for a fact your coach is out drinking with players at the Sorrento pub - are you crazy? That doesn’t work,” McLachlan said.

Former Melbourne president Glen Bartlett claims there was a “malicious” campaign to drive him out of the Melbourne Football Club.

In an explosive interview with News Corp’s Mark Robinson, Bartlett said there were behavioural issues involving senior coach Simon Goodwin, and raised them with AFL Commission chairman Richard Goyder.

He says he told Goyder in January 2021 that he had been made aware of “serious behaviour issues at a senior level” within the club.

“You need to get (AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan) to a meeting because he’s been dealing with (Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert) for 18 months about it,” came the reply from Goyder.

“This was news to me,” Bartlett said.

The Herald Sun reported in February last year that Melbourne had considered sacking the premiership coach amid allegations of drinking and gambling with players, as well as workplace bullying.

Gil McLachlan, Glen Bartlett, John Worsfold and Andrew Embley at the 2021 grand final in Perth at Optus Stadium.

Gil McLachlan, Glen Bartlett, John Worsfold and Andrew Embley at the 2021 grand final in Perth at Optus Stadium.

McLachlan had passed on information to Demons chief executive Gary Pert in late 2020 relating to the allegations.

“I know for a fact your coach is out drinking with players at the Sorrento pub - are you crazy? That doesn’t work,” McLachlan said.

“Hanging out with his players, drinking and betting - just the wrong behaviour.

“You can’t be doing that s**t.”

Amid concerns about the workplace culture at Melbourne, Bartlett, a workplace lawyer by trade, had pushed for hair testing for all employees, which would have been a first in Australian sport.

Bartlett claims this is why he was driven out of the organisation, despite having been appointed recently by the club’s nominations and recommendations committee for a three-year extension from 2021 as president.

Soon after the crisis talks, Bartlett claims he had productive conversations with leaders at Melbourne around the possibility of drug testing, but that he “had in mind a stronger policy (than for the players) — a two-strike policy, first strike some education and welfare, and do another test and if you test positive you’re out”.

“I spoke to Goyder, and Goyder’s first thing was ‘I think that’s a really sensible idea, Glen, I’ll just run it past Gill and get back to you’, he said.

“Gill was talking to people around me.

“Clearly the AFL endorsed this change. Why? The only thing that changed was me going hard on the hair testing. That was the only thing.

“There’s been so much bulls**t spun about why I stepped down.

“I’m not a dumb guy, I’m not a precious guy, but why do you think I’m suing? It’s not because I’m not president.”

Bartlett also detailed the toll the saga took on his personal life, creating “serious health issues” for himself and fiancee Victoria.

Victoria had an attempt on her life, while the night of the 2021 preliminary final, Bartlett spent the night in hospital after an incident with Pert and Goyder, he says.

“Vicki made an attempt on her life and I luckily was there and was able to intervene.

“She’s lodged formal complaints and I know there is stuff sitting in Goyder and Gill’s emails which haven’t been dealt with, that involves serious mental health and suicide attempts.

“Richard (Goyder) and Gill have done nothing. :angry:

“They got a defamation lawyer to ring up Vicki’s support person to say there’s nothing to see there.

“Does someone have to commit suicide before they pull their finger out and have a cup of coffee with you?”

Bartlett has launched legal action against Melbourne president Kate Roffey and three club directors, Channel Nine, The Age, as well as Nine reporters Caroline Wilson and Jake Niall, citing “malicious attack after malicious attack in the media”.

Melbourne’s former medical officer doctor Zeeshan Arain, now an assistant doctor with the Melbourne Storm, also raised “unreasonable and repeated behaviour” from the Melbourne head coach as a concern, with legal documents revealing that Goodwin allegedly lashed out at Dr Arain in 2020 over the doctor’s advice to rest Angus Brayshaw on the basis of concussion symptoms.

“Are we f***en fair dinkum,” Goodwin allegedly said to Dr Arain.

“Why the f*** would you change the plan when we agreed he could push through his comfort zone?

“Fing (player) was at Chadstone with his mates last Thursday but is fen concussed today.”

Letters from Dr Arain’s legal representatives as part of the doctor’s unlawful dismissal dispute said Goodwin “continued to swear and talk over (Dr Arain), suggesting that the player was exaggerating his symptoms and (Dr Arain) was not managing him properly.”

Brayshaw has spoken publicly about his ongoing struggles with concussion, revealing in 2019 that he considered stepping away from the game because of them.

“(Dr Arain) informed you (Pert) among other matters that the culture within the club was a risk to the health and safety of everyone involved,” the letter said.

The Melbourne Football Club engaged top law firm Ashurst upon being hit with the unfair dismissal claim, which saw Dr Arain receive a payout as part of a settlement that required him to co-operate with a board investigation into the bullying claims.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, it was Bartlett and Arain that lost their jobs, with Bartlett forced out of the club in April 2022, while Arain was sacked days after raising his concerns in October 2020.

Despite the settlement containing a non-disparagement agreement, Pert blasted Dr Arain in correspondence to board members in December 2020.

“(Dr Arain’s claim was) full of inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and a rewriting of history, which was a frustration to all he was accusing.”

The Herald Sun reported that Bartlett confronted Goodwin about his behaviour at Casey Fields in February 2022, but the coach did not accept that there was a problem.

The Melbourne Football Club engaged top law firm Ashurst upon being hit with the unfair dismissal claim, which saw Dr Arain receive a payout as part of a settlement that required him to co-operate with a board investigation into the bullying claims.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, it was Bartlett and Arain that lost their jobs, with Bartlett forced out of the club in April 2022, while Arain was sacked days after raising his concerns in October 2020.

Despite the settlement containing a non-disparagement agreement, Pert blasted Dr Arain in correspondence to board members in December 2020.

“(Dr Arain’s claim was) full of inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and a rewriting of history, which was a frustration to all he was accusing.”

The Herald Sun reported that Bartlett confronted Goodwin about his behaviour at Casey Fields in February 2022, but the coach did not accept that there was a problem.

Bartlett stepped down as president in April 2022 after serving since 2014.

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Fair to say Angus Brayshaw might have a case for suing Melbourne with how they treated his concussions

Good stuff Goodwin being shown to be what all Essendon supporters already knew years ago

Fold and die melbourne

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With any luck, this will be the end of SWMNBN.
More likely not a lot will happen and the players will barely feel a ripple. If they do suddenly lose form it will be an indication of the impact this kerfuffle is having. I am expecting no such loss of form.

Gee John Worsfold looks a lot happier than any day he was at Efc.

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It was all the learnings that held back John’s smile

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I thought there was a Melksham thread but I can’t find it. This is Wild
4,755 likes, 45 comments - Melbourne Football Club (@melbournefc) on Instagram: "Melky Madness. 😲 How is that even possible... @jakemelksham take a bow. 🤯#DemonSpirit"

4,784 likes, 45 comments - Melbourne Football Club (@melbournefc) on Instagram: "Melky Madness. 😲 How is that even possible... @jakemelksham take a bow. 🤯#DemonSpirit"

Don’t know why these links are breaking, check out Melbourne’s insta

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That’s incredible. Shame it was in the 2’s.

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The reaction of his teammates is gold

I assume you meant to post this. I believe he kicked five goals in this game.

Instagram links are hard here.

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It was OK.

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