Demons bury horrors of the past

MELBOURNE star Clayton Oliver says it is a testament to the Demons that they didn’t let the 2018 preliminary final horror show define them as a group.

The Demons finally ended their long wait for a premiership on Saturday night against the Western Bulldogs.

It comes after the Demons spent two years out of the finals, after making a prelim in 2018.

That trashing at the hands of West Coast had the potential to truly scar the Demons playing group with Melbourne finishing 17th in 2019 and then ninth last year.

Oliver said it showed the strength and connection of the group that they were able to bounce back.

“It’s been a long couple of years with ups and downs at our football club so it is pretty nice to get it done,” he said.

“We had that 2018 year where we thought we were going alright and then we got a reality check in 2019, and 2020 was so close.

“At the start of the year we sat down and spoke about what we wanted to achieve and our values and we stuck to them throughout the year.”

Demons president Kate Roffey has declared the drought-breaker should give birth to a new dynasty.

Of the Dees’ stars only Max Gawn is soon to hit 30.