Latest news with #Demons
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
‘Master of his craft': New trend sweeping AFL
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin lauded superstar skipper Max Gawn as a 'master of his craft' and, as one of the AFL's best players at age 33, said the shift was on towards helping the aged elite play for as long as possible. As 36-year-old Brisbane Lions gun Dayne Zorko prepares to rack up a 50th consecutive match against Essendon at the Gabba on Thursday night, Collingwood recalled 37-year-old Scott Pendlebury and 34-year-old Steele Sidebottom for a blockbuster Friday clash with Hawthorn. The importance of all three veteran stars to their premiership-contending teams cannot be understated and the remarkable form of ruckman Gawn has helped propel the Demons to six straight wins and put them back in finals contention. Scott Pendlebury is still killing it for the Magpies. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia As a raft of older players were taken by clubs in Wednesday night's mid-season rookie draft, Goodwin said the old adage that players would be on the decline after they turned 30 was no longer relevant. He pointed to 33-year-old Jake Melksham as another veteran Demon who was getting better 'the older he gets' and said the reliability of older players was becoming more than just an asset but a weapon. 'I think you have already seen that shift taking place. Clearly, players are playing for a little bit longer,' Goodwin said. 'Back in the day when you got to 30 you were starting to think about the end of your career and clubs were similar in terms of how they looked at players. 'Right now it comes down to an individualised thing and you are seeing right across the competition … a whole range of different guys who are mid 30 and playing exceptional footy and clubs are taking note of that. 'Jake Melksham for us, he seems to be getting better the old he gets and that experience, you just can't buy.' Gawn is on track for what would an eighth all-Australian blazer. At the MCG last Sunday, he destroyed former protege Brody Grundy in a huge Demons win over Sydney and Goodwin couldn't sing his captain's praises any higher. 'What you are seeing is someone who is the master of his craft,' he said. 'He has worked for 13 years on being a great ruckman and has really focused on what that looks like, both from a ruck perspective but also from an aerial perspective. What we are seeing is a guy who is incredibly professional. 'He looks after himself incredibly well and is playing to a really high level.'
West Australian
3 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Pushing the best players to keep going regardless of age is helping AFL teams boost premiership chances
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin lauded superstar skipper Max Gawn as a 'master of his craft' and, as one of the AFL's best players at age 33, said the shift was on towards helping the aged elite play for as long as possible. As 36-year-old Brisbane Lions gun Dayne Zorko prepares to rack up a 50th consecutive match against Essendon at the Gabba on Thursday night, Collingwood recalled 37-year-old Scott Pendlebury and 34-year-old Steele Sidebottom for a blockbuster Friday clash with Hawthorn. The importance of all three veteran stars to their premiership-contending teams cannot be understated and the remarkable form of ruckman Gawn has helped propel the Demons to six straight wins and put them back in finals contention. As a raft of older players were taken by clubs in Wednesday night's mid-season rookie draft, Goodwin said the old adage that players would be on the decline after they turned 30 was no longer relevant. He pointed to 33-year-old Jake Melksham as another veteran Demon who was getting better 'the older he gets' and said the reliability of older players was becoming more than just an asset but a weapon. 'I think you have already seen that shift taking place. Clearly, players are playing for a little bit longer,' Goodwin said. 'Back in the day when you got to 30 you were starting to think about the end of your career and clubs were similar in terms of how they looked at players. 'Right now it comes down to an individualised thing and you are seeing right across the competition … a whole range of different guys who are mid 30 and playing exceptional footy and clubs are taking note of that. 'Jake Melksham for us, he seems to be getting better the old he gets and that experience, you just can't buy.' Gawn is on track for what would an eighth all-Australian blazer. At the MCG last Sunday, he destroyed former protege Brody Grundy in a huge Demons win over Sydney and Goodwin couldn't sing his captain's praises any higher. 'What you are seeing is someone who is the master of his craft,' he said. 'He has worked for 13 years on being a great ruckman and has really focused on what that looks like, both from a ruck perspective but also from an aerial perspective. What we are seeing is a guy who is incredibly professional. 'He looks after himself incredibly well and is playing to a really high level.'
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Melbourne's muscular missile Kozzie Pickett ensures Demons' revival continues
Kozzie Pickett's dad Kevin is an artist, a sculptor and perhaps incongruously, a stand-up comedian. He also designed the Demons' Indigenous guernsey. His son sculpted the game to his will on Sunday, booting five goals, having a hand in many more and playing a major role in a 53-point trouncing of Sydney. The little missile of muscle began to impose himself on the game at the MCG early in the second term – a burst out of a stoppage here, a rundown tackle there. Alan Jeans once said that Gary Ayres was 'a good driver in heavy traffic' and the same could be said of Pickett, albeit in a completely different way. Ayres navigated traffic with minimum fuss, eyes in the back of his head and an imperious air. Pickett is more like a dragster in the way he explodes out of heavy congestion. In the third term in particular, he scudded in and out of bodies in the middle of the ground. But he inflicted most of his damage further afield. His five goals came in a variety of ways – lurking out the back, spearing from a stoppage, dobbing from long range and an acute angle, and one of those opportunistic snaps while everyone dithers over whether advantage will be paid. Some of his best work didn't even result in goals, including the consummate crumb off the pack at full speed in the final term, which he then dribbled into the post. When the Dees – rebranded Narrm for the weekend's Sir Doug Nicholls Round – were in their rut earlier in the season, Pickett's absence through suspension was sorely felt. It was obvious in the Fremantle win – one of the best games he's played – just how much he means to this team, and what a point of difference he is. He had a few high-profile mates on Sunday. When Christian Petracca led the Dees out for his 200th game, he was poked in the face by a little kid with a flag. When he took his first mark, he received a generous round of applause. When he kicked his first goal, they played That's Amore over the loudspeaker. I still get mild PTSD from the song, as I picture Vito cooking for Johnny Cakes in The Sopranos. Perracca has had his own trauma to contend with, after he broke four ribs, lacerated his spleen and punctured his lung just under a year ago. But he was excellent on Sunday – adept on both plains of his body and, like Pickett, at full horse-power . He was criticised earlier this year for showing too much emotion, and his explanation this week was a ripper. 'I express emotion. I'm Italian. I wear my heart on my sleeve. The way we talk is with expression and emotion. I feel everything deeply. I was frustrated after a loss, but what competitor isn't?' Sydney could have done with a bit of that Italian emotion. They were lifeless. There was no spark, no run, no appetite for risk and not a lot of skill. The same could be said of their last two ventures to the MCG – one on a hazy Sunday against Richmond and the other as favourites on grand final day. They'd occasionally try and pick off the challenging kick through the middle of the ground, but the Dees had cordoned it off with red and blue witches hats. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion 'It'll turn,' coach Simon Goodwin said following the Essendon loss in Gather Round. It was a hard sell at that precise moment but he's since been proved right. Michael Voss is saying similar things at Carlton. Everything about the Blues' game is laboured right now, and a lot of that labour is in vain. They loom and fade. They're a team that gives the impression – even if it can seem a little forced and constructed – that they're out there to have fun, that they're focussed on lightening the load. And that's fine. But there's an anxiety and a heaviness that creeps into their game when things get tight. Afterwards, the coach speaks with an equanimity that's at odds with how they play, and what we see. To finish with, it's worth wheeling back to the opening game of the round. Initially, it was marketed around Bailey Smith. Then, as Luke Beveridge stalked the boundary line, he made eye contact with a man whose eyes and opinions are impossible to avoid if you follow this sport. Bevo not a man to cross at the best of times, let alone five minutes before one of the most important games of the season. He was coiled and Kane Cornes was stirring. If you can be bothered – and all credit to you if you can't – look at Cornes' body language – gently edging towards him, just being mildly provocative enough, the posture of a man saying 'aren't I entitled to a hello?' It's a shame, because it detracted from what was a crackerjack of a game. Sometimes we give too much credit to high scoring contests, and indeed to the high scoring eras of the game, but this showcased some of the best of the sport. As well as the Bulldogs played, and as unlucky as they were, they still have their flaws, especially in close games. Somehow, they have the same number of wins as Essendon, which says a lot about the vagaries of the fixture and the redundancy of the ladder.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Melbourne's muscular missile Kozzie Pickett ensures Demons' revival continues
Kozzie Pickett's dad Kevin is an artist, a sculptor and perhaps incongruously, a stand-up comedian. He also designed the Demons' Indigenous guernsey. His son sculpted the game to his will on Sunday, booting five goals, having a hand in many more and playing a major role in a 53-point trouncing of Sydney. Related: AFL urged to go beyond mental health round with player voices to tackle stigma Advertisement The little missile of muscle began to impose himself on the game at the MCG early in the second term – a burst out of a stoppage here, a rundown tackle there. Alan Jeans once said that Gary Ayres was 'a good driver in heavy traffic' and the same could be said of Pickett, albeit in a completely different way. Ayres navigated traffic with minimum fuss, eyes in the back of his head and an imperious air. Pickett is more like a dragster in the way he explodes out of heavy congestion. In the third term in particular, he scudded in and out of bodies in the middle of the ground. But he inflicted most of his damage further afield. His five goals came in a variety of ways – lurking out the back, spearing from a stoppage, dobbing from long range and an acute angle, and one of those opportunistic snaps while everyone dithers over whether advantage will be paid. Some of his best work didn't even result in goals, including the consummate crumb off the pack at full speed in the final term, which he then dribbled into the post. When the Dees – rebranded Narrm for the weekend's Sir Doug Nicholls Round – were in their rut earlier in the season, Pickett's absence through suspension was sorely felt. It was obvious in the Fremantle win – one of the best games he's played – just how much he means to this team, and what a point of difference he is. He had a few high-profile mates on Sunday. When Christian Petracca led the Dees out for his 200th game, he was poked in the face by a little kid with a flag. When he took his first mark, he received a generous round of applause. When he kicked his first goal, they played That's Amore over the loudspeaker. I still get mild PTSD from the song, as I picture Vito cooking for Johnny Cakes in The Sopranos. Advertisement Perracca has had his own trauma to contend with, after he broke four ribs, lacerated his spleen and punctured his lung just under a year ago. But he was excellent on Sunday – adept on both plains of his body and, like Pickett, at full horse-power . He was criticised earlier this year for showing too much emotion, and his explanation this week was a ripper. 'I express emotion. I'm Italian. I wear my heart on my sleeve. The way we talk is with expression and emotion. I feel everything deeply. I was frustrated after a loss, but what competitor isn't?' Sydney could have done with a bit of that Italian emotion. They were lifeless. There was no spark, no run, no appetite for risk and not a lot of skill. The same could be said of their last two ventures to the MCG – one on a hazy Sunday against Richmond and the other as favourites on grand final day. They'd occasionally try and pick off the challenging kick through the middle of the ground, but the Dees had cordoned it off with red and blue witches hats. 'It'll turn,' coach Simon Goodwin said following the Essendon loss in Gather Round. It was a hard sell at that precise moment but he's since been proved right. Michael Voss is saying similar things at Carlton. Everything about the Blues' game is laboured right now, and a lot of that labour is in vain. They loom and fade. They're a team that gives the impression – even if it can seem a little forced and constructed – that they're out there to have fun, that they're focussed on lightening the load. And that's fine. But there's an anxiety and a heaviness that creeps into their game when things get tight. Afterwards, the coach speaks with an equanimity that's at odds with how they play, and what we see. To finish with, it's worth wheeling back to the opening game of the round. Initially, it was marketed around Bailey Smith. Then, as Luke Beveridge stalked the boundary line, he made eye contact with a man whose eyes and opinions are impossible to avoid if you follow this sport. Bevo not a man to cross at the best of times, let alone five minutes before one of the most important games of the season. He was coiled and Kane Cornes was stirring. If you can be bothered – and all credit to you if you can't – look at Cornes' body language – gently edging towards him, just being mildly provocative enough, the posture of a man saying 'aren't I entitled to a hello?' It's a shame, because it detracted from what was a crackerjack of a game. Sometimes we give too much credit to high scoring contests, and indeed to the high scoring eras of the game, but this showcased some of the best of the sport. As well as the Bulldogs played, and as unlucky as they were, they still have their flaws, especially in close games. Somehow, they have the same number of wins as Essendon, which says a lot about the vagaries of the fixture and the redundancy of the ladder.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Demons revival continues thumping Swans
AFL: The Melbourne Demons have celebrated their star midfielder Christian Petracca's 200th game in style, thrashing the Swans to continue the club's revival from a horrid start to the season.
