Demons ‘hangover-free’
MELBOURNE standardbearer Jack Viney says he has not witnessed any signs the reigning premier is suffering from a premiership hangover.
Viney revealed in the Every Heart Beats True documentary on the Demons’ droughtbusting flag triumph last year that he labelled unnamed teammates “selfish” in only his second AFL game.
The 27-year-old midfielder, who will again serve as Max Gawn’s vice-captain, has never minced his words since, but
said on Monday he hadn’t delivered any reality check-type statements this pre-season.
“That’s the worry coming into an off-season and a preseason where you’ve achieved the ultimate – are we complacent?” Viney said.
“I haven’t seen anything to suggest that this pre-season.
“I’ve been really happy with the training standards and the amount of work we’ve put in, so I’m really excited to give it a crack on Wednesday night.”
Melbourne starts its premiership defence with a grand final rematch against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG, with the AFL anticipating a crowd of 80,000-plus.
“The grand final rematch is the way to kick things off – the two best teams of last season going back at it again,” Viney said.
“It’s going to be heated, no doubt. The Doggies have been training super hard and probably want to get a good win on us early and then vice versa.
“We want to continue the strong form, so there’s no better way to kick off the season.”
The Demons will unfurl their premiership flag in front of their footy-starved Melbourne fans who were not able to watch their team end a 57year drought in person – the grand final was played in Perth due to Covid restrictions in Victoria.
That part of the night is something Viney is particularly keen to experience.
“It’s going to be really exciting to get all our fans back to the ‘G’, having achieved what we did last year,” he said.
“It’s probably the first time they can watch us play (in a long time), so there’s going to be a lot of excitement from Dees and Doggies fans about the contest – and unfurling the flag to our supporters is going to be super exciting.
“Apparently, there’s some big fireworks display at halftime as well, so it’ll be pretty spectacular to watch. It’s going to be a great night and I’m looking forward to being part of it.”
Bulldogs star Tom Liberatore said it would be tough watching Melbourne unfurl its flag after the Demons stormed to a 74-point win on the back of 12 straight second-half goals in last year’s decider in Perth.
“We’ll pay respect to Melbourne unveiling their flag and deservedly so, but it’s just exciting to play in front of a big crowd and see everyone back at the footy,” Liberatore said.
“It was a pretty hard second half last year.”