The great Norm Smith might be having one last laugh at the behest of the Melbourne Football Club, the club he coached to six premierships before being kicked to the curb in shabby circumstances.
Over the past two years, with the Demons triumphing in a historic premiership in the first AFL grand final played in Perth and then securing a first women’s flag in Brisbane last November, it seemed the “curse of the red fox” that hung over the club for nearly six decades had been punctured in emphatic fashion. With champions like Max Gawn and Christian Petracca running rampant, further flags seemed within reach for the Demons, while Daisy Pearce ended her playing career holding the AFLW premiership cup.
