LUCKY?

[Demonland 73,140]

by Westender

Please spare a thought for those of us who are avid Melbourne supporters and who reside in the City of Churches (that's Adelaide for the benefit of any Collingwood or Port Adelaide fans who might have strayed in here).

It's an absolute nightmare!

Not just because the city is a "piss ant town" as correctly described by Adelaide United soccer team coach Aurelio Vidmar after his team lost the A League major semi final a couple of months ago to Melbourne Victory but because its piss ant AFL teams always seem to massacre the Demons when they come over here.

This dominance must all be luck thanks to the fact that Melbourne just can't perform well at AAMI Stadium. They last won a game there in Round 2, 2001 when Andrew Leoncelli pounced on a ball that was tapped in his path from a boundary line throw in by David Schwarz and goaled 30 seconds from the end to give them a famous victory by three points but you have to go back a year further to Round 8 of 2000 to find a record of a Melbourne win against Port Adelaide at what was then Football Park.

Last year, Melbourne ventured over to Adelaide twice and on both occasions it was after the team had feasted on the rare taste of victory. Supporters of the club had reason to be confident after the Dees came back from a deficit of more than 50 points to beat Fremantle in the preceding game. We were on a bit of a roll and our hopes were high that we could give the Crows a bit of a touch up.

No way Jose!

On the graveyard we know as AAMI Stadium, Adelaide simply blew us away to the tune of 76 points. Could there be anything worse?

Yes there could.

Later in the year when both sides were playing for nothing but pride and Melbourne was coming off a win against the Eagles at the G, Port Adelaide carried out a clinical demolition of a dismal, dispirited and injury plagued Demon team by 78 points giving them a combined losing margin in their two matches over here in 2008 of more than 25 goals.

So please don't ask me if I'm going to go to Sunday's game confident of a Melbourne victory. With our young developing team I'm not expecting them to travel well and I'll be happy if they just perform up to coach Dean Bailey's expectations and be competitive all afternoon - and not only for the first quarter and a half.

A footnote to this story is that our AAMI anguish may not last much longer.

Our young kids will get better as they get more games in their legs and that's fine if you have a lot patience at your disposal. But there's another way to break the AAMI hoodoo.

It's been reported in our media that the AFL is contemplating fixturing some games at Adelaide Oval, which is undergoing a $90m facelift so perhaps the Demons could apply to play their Adelaide games at the famous cricket ground.

Andrew Demetriou ignored the request I made last year when I unselfishly called for Melbourne to host both the Crows and Port in 2009 and not make the club play any games at AAMI. On Sunday, the Dees and the Power meet for the 19^th time of which 13 of those encounters will have been at AAMI Stadium. That's absolutely ridiculous!

So Andrew, if you must make the Demons play games in this piss ant town, then let them do it at the Adelaide Oval. After all, they are a section of the Melbourne Cricket Club (the biggest sporting organisation in the country) and it's just not cricket for them to play at that other ground.

On top of that, they're just not lucky when they're with AAMI.

THE GAME

Port Adelaide v Melbourne at AAMI Stadium Sunday 12 April 2009 at 1.10pm AEST

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 8 wins

At AAMI Stadium Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 2 wins

Since 2000 Port Adelaide 8 wins Melbourne 5 wins

The Coaches Williams 1 win Bailey 0 wins

MEDIA

TV Fox Sports 1 at 1pm (live)

Radio ABC774 SEN

THE BETTING Port Adelaide to win $1.15 Melbourne to win $5.00

LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 18.21.129 defeated Melbourne 7.9.51 Round 21 2008 at AAMI Stadium

Frankly, the game was a bit of a blur. I remember the teams running out onto the ground that Brad Miller kicked a couple of goals while Colin Sylvia and Simon Buckley played well for the Dees but, other than that, it was all black, white and teal. At the end of the game, coach Dean Bailey was said to be gutted by his team's performance. So was I.

TEAMS

PORT ADELAIDE

Backs Michael Pettigrew Alipate Carlile Jacob Surjan

Half backs Nathan Krakouer Troy Chaplin Domenic Cassisi

Centreline Shaun Burgoyne Chad Cornes Steven Salopek

Half forwards Robbie Gray Warren Tredrea Peter Burgoyne

Forwards Brendon Lade Daniel Motlop Brett Ebert

Followers Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Danyle Pearce

Interchange Travis Boak Josh Carr Matt Thomas Wade Thompson

Emergencies Tom Logan Toby Thurstans Matthew Westhoff

In Dean Brogan Matt Thomas Wade Thompson

Out David Rodan (omitted) Toby Thurstans (omitted) Justin Westhoff (foot)

New Wade Thompson (North Adelaide)

MELBOURNE

Backs Lynden Dunn Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers

Half backs James Frawley Stefan Martin Brock McLean

Centreline Jamie Bennell Aaron Davey Clint Bartram

Half forwards Matthew Bate Colin Sylvia Cale Morton

Forwards Brad Miller Ricky Petterd Brent Moloney

Followers Paul Johnson Cameron Bruce Brad Green

Interchange Kyle Cheney Neville Jetta Nathan Jones John Meesen

Emergencies Addam Maric Michael Newton Jake Spencer

In Lynden Dunn John Meesen

Out James McDonald (hamstring) Jake Spencer (omitted)

New John Meesen (Norwood)

WHO'LL WIN?

If games are won and lost in the midfield then all you need to do is cast your eyes over the respective teams' midfield line ups and you can see what's about to come down. Port has Dean Brogan back after a week's rest courtesy of the AFL's judicial system and the talk of the town in Adelaide is that he's out for blood. He has a quality back up in Brendan Lade against the Demon rucks but probably won't need his help.

The game breakers in both of Melbourne's games so far have been the opposition ruckmen so I'd be backing Brogan to wrack up the points in all those fantasy footy competitions.

And around Brogan you'll find the Cornes brothers, Pearce, S. Burgoyne and Salopek who should have far too much class and skill for their Demon counterparts.

I'm not all that convinced about the rest of the Port Adelaide team and they must be mentally fragile after their thrashing at the hands of West Coast last week.

For its part Melbourne has an emerging back line but there are too many of its first choice players missing for my liking even if those players aren't champions. If you're a visiting team over here then you need to have close to your full list available. Melbourne's inexperience, lack of depth and the fact that too many players are still trying to find their feet after injury and form lapses will be a telling factor.

I expect a much better effort than 2008 and seeing as how it's been a big week in football for chickens, I reckon "Chook" McLean might have a good one at last if we're lucky.

Unfortunately, even luck won't be enough and it will still be Port Adelaide by 49 points.

[H_T 3,049]

Does anyone think that Sylvia will start at centre half forward??