THE RAT'S CLACKER CUP by JVM

[Demonland 64,398]

Jack Trengove was almost effusive about his team's first half against the Eagles last week repeatedly saying things to the effect that it was "some of the most enjoyable footy I've played in years". And really, apart from a few lapses at the end of each of the first two quarters, their play was a thing to behold except for the fact that they were still ten points in arrears at the main break. The fans liked it too because they applauded the team off the ground.

Perhaps they should have kept the applause for later in the day because after half time, their team was monstered by bigger and much stronger bodied opponents and it reverted to type. The team was pressured into making error upon error as the West Coast Eagles piled in goal after goal outscoring the hapless Demons by 14 goals in one half of football. The coaches had no idea as to how to stem the bleeding and, for the third week in a row, Melbourne was utterly destroyed.

This week, the pressure hits Mark Neeld and his young charges tenfold. Playing at home against the fledgling GWS Giants, they have little to gain and everything to lose. A loss of any sort against this bunch of mainly pimply faced teenagers missing a handful of their bigger bodied players like Patton (injured) and Brogan (suspended) is unacceptable. A win against this new franchise is unlikely to mean a great deal. The result of the game is therefore irrelevant and in that respect, not many people really give a rat's clacker about the outcome.

What matters for Melbourne is the way in which the team approaches this game. After a poor debut season under coach Mark Neeld, the fans were entitled to expect substantial improvement this year. The players should have been fitter, stronger, more skilled and playing with greater confidence. None of that has been evident in the three games to date which have seen their average losing margin skyrocket to 107 points.

And nothing short of a spectacular turnaround in form and attitude will save heads from rolling.

THE GAME

Melbourne v. GWS Giants at the MCG Sunday 21 April 2013 at 1.10pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 2 wins GWS Giants 0 wins

At the MCG Melbourne 1 win GWS Giants 0 wins

Since 2000 Melbourne 2 wins GWS Giants 0 wins

The Coaches Neeld 2 wins Sheedy 0 wins

MEDIA

TV - Channel 7 & Fox Footy Channel, 1:00pm live.

RADIO -

THE BETTING

Melbourne to win $1.58 to GWS Giants to win $2.40 [Note: Inside Football's Robert Shaw has GWS as his safe bet of the week]

LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 11.18.84 defeated GWS Giants 9.5.59 in Round at Manuka

Melbourne was by far the superior team in size and skill but did the Giants field their best possible team and were they concentrating on other prizes like Lauchie Whitfield? The AFL, which had already launched a tanking inquisition against the Demons weren't taking any notice.

Once the Giants had the game well and truly lost, they made a spirited fightback and even Tom Scully looked half good, kicking a goal in the last quarter. Nobody really cared.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs Jack Watts James Frawley Dean Terlich

Half backs Neville Jetta Tom McDonald Colin Garland

Centreline Jack Trengove Jack Grimes Jack Viney

Half forwards Aaron Davey Mitch Clark Jeremy Howe

Forwards Luke Tapscott Max Gawn Shannon Byrnes

Followers Mark Jamar Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones

Interchange (from) Rohan Bail Michael Evans Matt Jones Cam Pedersen

Emergencies James Sellar Jake Spencer Jimmy Toumpas

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

Backs Adam Kennedy Tim Mohr Phil Davis

Half backs Thomas Bugg Stephen Gilham Nick Haynes

Centreline Tom Scully Callan Ward Rhys Palmer

Half Forwards Jacob Townsend Jeremy Cameron Sam Reid

Forwards Liam Summer Setanta O'hAilpin Sam Frost

Followers Jonathan Giles Adam Treloar Dylan Shiel

Interchange Stephen Coniglio Toby Greene Anthony Miles Lachie Whitfield

Emergencies Tim Golds Lachie Plowman Adam Tomlinson

In Sam Frost Nick Haynes Anthony Miles Setanta O'hAilpin Rhys Palmer Jacob Townsend

Out Dean Brogan (suspended) Curtly Hampton Will Hoskin-Elliott Jonathon Patton (knee) Lachie Plowman Devon Smith (suspended)

THE COACH KILLERS by JVM

Last year's wooden spooners aren't much chop. Their buffoon of a coach who passed his use bye date a decade ago gets his thrills from denigrating the opposition in order to drum some enthusiasm up in an area that was once heavily into rugby league but which has fast become a world football stronghold thanks to the success story that is the Western Sydney Wanderers FC.

In comparison, Sheedy's mob have been nothing short of abject failures, led by their red nosed clown of a coach and their highly paid boy wonder whose old man's pay cheque is included in the club's bloated salary cap. The only major triumph in their short history to date is that they managed to send Port Adelaide's Matthew Primus into the football wilderness after his side lost to the Giants' in round 19 last year. Mark Neeld's Demons will almost certainly make their coach Sheedy's second scalp on the space of less than half a season if they fail tomorrow.

And because the smell of failure has followed Melbourne around both on and off the field for well over half a decade now, its on the cards that the kids from western Sydney could write the final epitaph to the Demon coach's brief, unspectacular and troubled AFL coaching career.

The big question is how will the Melbourne players react to yet another week in which their club has been in the news again and for all the wrong reasons. We've seen the Bombers respond with some scintillating football that's done great things to hearten and lift the spirits of their supporters. By contrast, Melbourne has shown little other than a bit of fight for most of their first half against the Eagles before capitulating in disastrous fashion in the second half. The Demons have otherwise failed in every test of character they've faced so far this season.

We know that players like Colin Sylvia, James Frawley, Jack Watts, Colin Garland and Mark Jamar are just so much better than what they've served up so far. If they can't improve on that against the young Giants who this week lost a couple of their real giants in Patton and Brogan then they will have given Sheedy a rare victory, lost the faith of their team's supporters and killed their coach.

I don't think they're that bad so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt about whether they really give a dead rat's clacker.

Melbourne by 10 points.

Demons' plan 'working perfectly': Neeld

[Whispering_Jack 27,918]

Interesting to see who Robert Shaw picks as his certainty this week.