OUT OF THE RUCK

[Demonland 73,140]

by Whispering Jack

The encounter between Melbourne and North Melbourne proved that, in Australian football the reports of the demise of the ruckman, are in exactly the same boat as those of the death of American novelist Mark Twain.

Exaggerated.

The Kangaroos' big man Hamish McIntosh, who was nominated by his coach Dean Laidley for the AFL meat market in last October's trade week, was one of the main differences between the two sides as they fought a gripping for three quarters before his team finally delivered the last rites in the final stanza.

You rarely see the dominance by one player of the type exerted by McIntosh on this game. He finished with 20 possessions, 25 hit outs and 9 marks and kicked a game high three goals in a devastating display that left the Demons reeling in his wake.

In most other respects, an improved Melbourne took this game right up to North which has played off in the last two final series. The first half in particular, was an even contest and the Demons could easily have held sway at the main break but for one or two missed opportunities like James McDonald's fluffed shot for goal just before quarter time.

After a poor opening ten minutes of the second half when the Shinboners took the ascendency and the Dees struggled to handle the football, they regrouped and fought back until the coming of the game's turning point.

After Brad Miller's shot that could have put his team within two points, Colin Garland marked in midfield and had what seemed an acre of space between himself and the goals. Not for the first time in this game a Kangaroo smother turned the game around. Harding managed to get the ball for a Simpson goal from outside fifty and the 12-point turnaround was virtually the difference at the final break. The final quarter was not exactly a blow out but Melbourne's resistance had been stemmed.

A 34 point win to North Melbourne.

The good news is that the Demons now occupy their highest ladder position (13th) since round 22 of 2006 (and are only a game outside the 8!) but the bad news is that their 10.7.67 left them with the lowest number of scoring shots of all clubs in the competition for the weekend - a reflection of an almost non-existent forward line and some poor delivery into attack by those further downfield.

The team lacked even a single key forward with goal kicking capacity and there were no crumbers available to score goals or to maintain enough pressure to keep the ball in its attacking zone. Ricky Petterd was almost a lone hand up there with some assistance from Brad Green.

The midfield was a mixed bag with Brent Moloney and Nathan Jones hot while for the most part, Brock McLean, Cale Morton and Aaron Davey were not!

The team's jewel in the crown at the moment is its defence. Every one of its members worked his butt off and did his job for the day and considering the inexperience of this division, it was a credit to defensive coach Sean Wellman. From first gamers Kyle Cheney and Jamie Bennell to Matthew Warnock and the improving James Frawley to the comeback kid Jared Rivers, they all played their part. Clint Bartram didn't get too many possessions but he kept Brent Harvey (who was awarded 3 Brownlow votes each time the teams met last year) down to a possession count of manageable proportions.

Tactically, the coaching department could also claim that it was even on points with that of the opposition up to half time but after the main break, North's set ups and structures and the positioning of their players gave them a clear edge. But then, it's a big advantage to have the cattle with the superior disposal skills and decision-making ability as a tough game wears on.

I also wonder about the prolific use of the interchange and the timing of some of those changes. Brad Green was taken off after both of his goals and the team immediately lost imortant momentum. One or twice, our interchanging seemed to assist North in creating loose men and to help themselves to easy scoring opportunities. And if all this is supposed to keep players frsh, then why did Melbourne fade so badly at the end?

Melbourne's lack of experience was a clear factor. There were four first gamers, Cheney Bennell, Neville Jetta and Jake Spencer and a total of ten players whose games tally amounted to a season's worth or less. The Demons should take heart from the fact that this list does not include any of its first three picks in last year's national draft, its first pick in the pre season draft or two of its first three picks in the draft from the year before. That makes a lot of games that need to be put into the legs of the club's youth before it can realistically challenge the top sides. When you add the fact that Rivers, McLean, Moloney and Davey were playing their first games after missing many games in the last half of 2008 and others like Petterd just making their way back from long injury spells and you have to conclude that the end result wasn't too bad.

Of the first gamers Cheney was all class and deserves strong consideration first up for the Rising Star award and Bennell and Jetta were both lively and showed flashes of magical skills. Despite that, both may struggle to hold their places as the selectors recast the side for Saturday's game against Collingwood. Jake Spencer, who came off the rookie list to play yesterday's game, had a tough baptism of fire. He worked hard but it was always going to be a tough ask in his first game against an opponent who was on fire. He will need to work hard on his kicking and decision making skills. The contrast with McIntosh in that area alone was probably another example of the difference between Melbourne and North Melbourne. Like many of his team, Spencer will develop and get better over time.

And the Demons need plenty of time to get out of the ruck.

Melbourne 3.3.21 6.5.41 9.6.60 10.7.67

North Melbourne 3.3.21 7.6.48 11.8.74 15.11.101

Goals

Melbourne B Green R Petterd 2 M Bate A Davey N Jetta P Johnson B Moloney C Morton

North Melbourne H McIntosh 3 M Campbell D Petrie L Thomas 2 M Firrito D Hale L Harding B Harvey S McMahon A Simpson

Best

Melbourne Moloney Cheney Jones Frawley Green Petterd Warnock

North Melbourne McIntosh Harding Simpson Thomas Campbell Power Swallow

Injuries

Melbourne Nil

North Nil

Umpires Jacob Mollison Stefan Grun Shane McInerney

Reports Nil

Changes Nil

Crowd 28,707 at MCG