A SIMPLE TWIST OF FAITH

[Demonland 66,417]

by Whispering Jack

It certainly has been hard yakka for Melbourne supporters trying to keep the faith over the course of yet another wretched season. This year we endured the early defeats and poor form, the mounting injuries to our heroes, the glimmers of hope followed by despair when the team lost its way completely for a few weeks and then more recently, we were forced to watch on as the club dealt with a hellish moral dilemma about principles of honesty and fair play in circumstances where losing games might actually be of more benefit than winning.

The last matter came to a head yesterday at the Docklands when the bare bones of what was left standing on Melbourne's playing list took on North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in a dull, lifeless game played at a place that lacked atmosphere. At the first bounce you sensed that the noise of the crowd was at a minimum. There was no excitement, no cheering, no entertainment and no buzz.

The end result was that Melbourne fell in battle by 62 points giving caretaker Kangaroo coach Darren Crocker his first win. The losers can almost certainly now claim for themselves the coveted prize of a priority selection at this year's national player draft because, later in the evening, their only other danger won convincingly at Subiaco.

The 16,594 fans at Etihad Stadium were treated to a mistake riddled contest that was close for little more than the first quarter. Perhaps it should have been closer for a lot longer but a decimated Melbourne line up, with a 20 man injury list which rose to 21 when first gamer Rohan Bail corked his thigh, was always going to struggle.

Nevertheless, the Demons had more of the play in the opening term but their forwards simply couldn't convert. Conversely, the Kangaroos were far more efficient when in attack and managed to score on most occasions when they entered the fifty metre arc. This was not surprising when one considers that an already weakened defence lost Matthew Warnock, Jared Rivers and Jack Grimes in the short space of a week.

North gradually consolidated in the second quarter mainly because the hapless Demon forwards were so completely ineffectual. The midfield that included Neville Jetta and Shane Valenti along with skipper James McDonald, Brent Moloney and occasionally Nathan Jones (who also went forward) were winning the ball at the clearances and Matty Bate and Colin Sylvia were busy driving the ball goalward but the forwards simply struggled to lay clean hands on the ball and when they did manage to gain possession they were indecisive and usually missed targets. So ineffective were the Demon forwards that, at one stage late in the second quarter, Melbourne led the inside 50 count by 30-20 but trailed by almost four goals on the scoreboard.

The Kangaroos took complete control of the game from the opening bounce of the second half with their big men in control and dominating the marking contests in their forward line. Between them Goldstein. Hanson and Petrie kicked a combined total of 11 goals against a makeshift undersized defence but it's doubtful they will come up against such meagre opposition again any time soon. James Frawley was the pick of the defenders but he really needed the assistance of Stef Martin who was filling in elsewhere. Tom McNamara showed some good signs on debut but, at 190cm, he was really thrown to the wolves against bigger opposition. Melbourne's rucks struggled and, while he showed the odd signs of some raw talent, Jake Spencer has a long way to go. His first port of call would surely have to be back to the club's kicking coach!

And so the game meandered from meaningless to nothingness. The scoreboard at the end putting the Kangaroos ahead by a lot. Their supporters sang the song and, if my lip reading was up to scratch, the small number of Demon fans in attendance were mouthing the words "Coming soon. Tom Scully". On what was shown yesterday they will need a lot more than that to make significant progress up the ladder next year.

While the priority draft pick and first selection in the pre season draft are not yet in the bag, the result substantially increases its likelihood given that Melbourne's last two games are against certain finalists in Carlton and undefeated ladder leader St. Kilda. The Blues of course, are no strangers to the situation faced by the Demons and their coaches. Two years ago they weathered the tanking storm without any signs of conscience or struggle with any moral dilemma despite the obvious signs that they were rorting the system for all it was worth. The AFL should have acted then.

The question that will linger for a while is whether the strange events that led us to this situation were worth it all in the end. It seems to have worked for the Blues and only time will tell if the chosen players help the club in its quest to become a power.

The basic moral issues thrown up by the situation aren't new and have challenged mankind through the ages. In the biblical story, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son despite the fact that this was contrary to everything in which he believed. When it was over and Abraham's commitment had been tested, the sacrifice of the boy proved unnecessary but father and son had been made to endure a period of apprehension, unspeakable fear and even pain.

It might be considered a stretch to apply the biblical message about faith to the game of football but each club's supporter group is made up of a wide variety of people including young kids. I've heard stories of children bawling their eyes out when Jordan McMahon kicked Richmond's winning goal after the siren while their fathers wore grins from ear to ear.

I'm not suggesting any wrongdoing on the part of the club. The rules are there to be exploited. Unfortunately, the rules are bad and as long as the AFL fails to recognise this, we must question the merits of forcing clubs and their supporters to go through such agonising challenges. Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen said it all in Story of Isaac:

"You who build these altars now

To sacrifice these children,

You must not do it anymore.

A scheme is not a vision

And you never have been tempted

By a demon or a god.

You who stand above them now,

Your hatchets blunt and bloody,

You were not there before,

When I lay upon a mountain

And my father's hand was trembling

With the beauty of the word."

Cohen was looking at the situation, not from the perspective of the father but rather from that of the son. Abraham came down from the mountain, kept his son and was rewarded but it's not so easy for us mere mortals to keep the faith in tough circumstances. And even if we get them, the rewards might well prove illusory. The system must be changed because, regardless, there's a bad smell coming from the altar.

Melbourne 3.3.21 3.7.25 7.10.52 8.13.61

North Melbourne 4.1.25 7.5.47 14.8.92 19.9.123

Goals

Melbourne Jones Martin Newton 2 Miller Morton

North Melbourne Goldstein 5 Hansen Petrie 3 Swallow 2 Firrito Harris Harvey Jones Rawlings Thomas

Best

Melbourne Bate Dunn Sylvia Jones Valenti Petterd McDonald

North Melbourne Petrie Thompson Firrito Harvey Goldstein Rawlings

Injuries

Melbourne Bail (thigh) Bruce (wrist)

North Melbourne - Nil

Changes

Melbourne Johnson replaced Rivers (Groin) in the selected side

North Melbourne - Nil

Umpires Donlon Pannell James

Crowd 16,594 at Etihad Stadium