THE ROSE by Whispering Jack

History has already recorded that in the final home and away round of season 2010, the AFL's minor premiers stormed home over the top of the bottom side to win by 47 points. The final score was St. Kilda 17.12.114 to Melbourne 10.7.67.

The result of the game was not needed to confirm the Saints as winners of football's biggest prize outside the finals - the McClelland Trophy for the team that occupies top perch on the ladder after 22 rounds. The Saints had already secured that award some weeks ago. However, the outcome of the match did determine what one commentator described during the week as football's second biggest trophy - the priority draft pick which Melbourne secured by losing the game, finishing last and not winning any more than four matches for the season. The reward for that is not only the first two selections in this year's national draft but also first pick in the pre season draft which carries with it the right to take an uncontracted player in December and therefore gives the recipient some extra leverage in player trading.

Aside from that and the somewhat surreal atmosphere that existed at a cold and windy MCG in late August, you could hardly detect the fact that the gulf between the two combatants was as wide as that which signifies the two extremities of the competition. With spring and the fragrant smell of new flowers and freshly cut grass just days away, the Saints were battling their way through a form slump probably occasioned by playing too many meaningless fixtures as they waited for the finals to arrive. The Demons were just mucking around waiting for it all to end. They were highly competitive in the first half (as they were earlier in the season when the two teams met at Carrara), remained in touch until midway through the final term and finally, the expected happened and they were blown off the park in the game's last fifteen minutes.

The one thing about this game that resonated for me was that it was summed up so well by a dinner I attended earlier in the week as a guest of the convener of the Devil's Advocates - group of lawyers who raise funds for the club. It was an unofficial gathering with four of the club's senior list in attendance and, of course only one of the four played in yesterday's game. Two of the others are injured, the fourth footballing member of our party was an emergency. While two of this small group of four players were missing through injury at the weekend, another AFL team in Collingwood had one lone player on its injury list. And that player is an unknown outside the precincts of the Lexus Centre. The fact remains that it's not easy for teams to perform when half of the list is simply unavailable.

Another curiosity of that evening was that, by co- incidence, at another table and just out of earshot sat former Hawthorn President Ian Dicker. Ironically, had events turned out a little differently 13 years ago, he might have been at the table with us and dining with his fellow Dawks. Perish the thought although I suppose that I would have copped the premiership last year!

But I digress. There will be plenty of time during the off season for trivial chit chat. Let's get back to the game.

In the beginning it was Melbourne which gained the upper hand with first blood to Brad Miller followed by an absolute pearler to last year's number one pre season draft pick Liam Jurrah who somehow manoeuvred a kick over his head through the goals much to the astonishment of everyone at the ground. If ever the Saints needed a wakeup call this was it. The way they were negotiating the early going was suggestive of the fact that they had arrived at the ground firmly of the understanding that their opponents were so desperate to lose that they would simply lay down and die. They were as bland as their predominantly pale white attire and the script wasn't panning out the way it was planned.

With Colin Sylvia and Cale Morton dominating, the Demons remained in control, led by the margin of two goals at quarter time and stretched it to three by midterm in the second. As usual, there were some Demon supporters claiming that "the umpires are killing us" but this time it was because they were handing "us" too many frees! The order of things needed changing!

The inevitable swing came in the latter part of the second term when Saints skipper who had been held well in check by young Demon defender James Frawley shook off his lethargy and his recent goal kicking yips and raised his team back to life with three goals (one from a dodgy free kick - thank you umpires). His mark and goal on the siren put his team in front for the first time in the game and ended the possibility of the only half time deadlock of the season thus far. As with Carlton's Brendan Fevola a week earlier, the forward's goal kicking spree took part in the absence of Frawley but let's face it - even key defenders need a break sometimes!

The complexion of the game changed for the worst ( or better depending on your viewpoint) with Riewoldt booting a fourth and with midfielders Dal Santo and Hayes now firmly in control and tagger Jones (theirs, not ours) doing the job on Aaron Davey, the Saints jumped out to a lead in excess of four goals. The prize was almost in our hands.

Once again, it was Jurrah who thought otherwise and he turned on another magical cameo of two goals that had the hearts of fans on both sides fluttering. There still wasn't much in the game as the teams changed ends for the last time.

There was one remaining act to play out and that was to bid farewell to three great servants of the club. To paraphrase the old children’s' song, Demons live forever but not so little boys. If you're going to adopt a policy of youth then something has to give way and the tough decision was made that Russell Robertson, Paul Wheatley and Matthew Whelan - all of them stalwarts with aging bodies and injury problems in recent times - were the ones who would have to make way. Fittingly, Robbo ran in for his final hurrah and Wheaters, playing just his third game for the season, banged through his last long bomb from outside fifty. Wheels was never a goal kicker and was nursing his tired aching body through game number 150 but surely, he took great vicarious pleasure from the four magnificent goals kicked by fellow Territorian Liam Jurrah.

The game was still in the balance as the clock ticked towards the halfway mark of the final term but, with the heroics of the retirees behind them, the Demons fell into mission accomplished mode and the Saints started practicing for their finals campaign. This was, after all, their first appearance for the year on the hallowed turf of the MCG. They finished with all guns blazing and turned what was an otherwise close and interesting encounter into yet another rout.

The Demons may have collected their second successive wooden spoon but they have plenty to look forward to in the coming months and years. The ongoing rebuilding phase is about to gather momentum and, with spring only a day away, I am reminded and inspired by the words of Amanda McBroom who wrote:

"Just remember in the winter

far beneath the bitter snows

lies the seed

that with the sun's love

in the spring

becomes the rose"

Those words must surely encapsulate what these past two or three years have been all about for the Melbourne Football Club.

Melbourne 4.2.26 6.5.41 8.6.54 10.7.67

St Kilda 2.2.14 7.5.47 10.10.70 17.12.114

Goals

Melbourne Jurrah 4 Jamar Miller Moloney Robertson Sylvia Wheatley

St Kilda Riewoldt 6 Koschitzke Milne 2 Dal Santo Dempster Gilbert Gram McQualter Montagna Schneider

Best

Melbourne Jurrah Sylvia Morton Jones Moloney Dunn

St Kilda Dal Santo Riewoldt Hayes Jones Gilbert Goddard Gram

Injuries

Melbourne Spencer (jarred hip)

St Kilda Nil

Changes

Melbourne Nil

St Kilda Nil

Reports Nil

Umpires Donlon Kamolins Mollison

Crowd 36,748 at MCG

It was great being at the game today and watching the boys have a real crack at the league leaders. Despite 'positional testing' we were only 16 points down at the 20 minute at the last quarter! Great crowd of over 37,000 too.

The boys gave us lots of memorable moments - Jurrahs 1 handed mark, Jurrahs over the head goal and Robbo's last ever goal for the Demons to mention a few. Sad to see the 3 boys go - thanks Robbo, Wheels & Wheats! Great gesture by the Saints boys to wait 15 minutes to be in the guard of honour too!

My favourite moment of the day was watching Milne play on from a 40m set, straight in front, set shot - duffed the kick and scored a point. This was in in front of our cheer squad and a large amount of demons supporters. The chant of 'Milne is a W@nker' was brilliant! LOL

I look forward to seeing what 2010 brings after a solid 6 months of 'pre-season' training and the inclusion of the new No. 1 & 2 draft picks.

I intend to re-new my membership immediately and hope the rest of you do too (and not wait till after round 1 - show the club we love them and do it early!)

Go Dee's.

It was great being at the game today and watching the boys have a real crack at the league leaders. Despite 'positional testing' we were only 16 points down at the 20 minute at the last quarter! Great crowd of over 37,000 too.

The boys gave us lots of memorable moments - Jurrahs 1 handed mark, Jurrahs over the head goal and Robbo's last ever goal for the Demons to mention a few. Sad to see the 3 boys go - thanks Robbo, Wheels & Wheats! Great gesture by the Saints boys to wait 15 minutes to be in the guard of honour too!

My favourite moment of the day was watching Milne play on from a 40m set, straight in front, set shot - duffed the kick and scored a point. This was in in front of our cheer squad and a large amount of demons supporters. The chant of 'Milne is a W@nker' was brilliant! LOL

I look forward to seeing what 2010 brings after a solid 6 months of 'pre-season' training and the inclusion of the new No. 1 & 2 draft picks.

I intend to re-new my membership immediately and hope the rest of you do too (and not wait till after round 1 - show the club we love them and do it early!)

Go Dee's.

Hahaha, that was hilarious. I was talking to a mate (Saints supporter) about Milne....he's just about my most hated player in the league, I was telling him that he was selfish and arrogant. He denied it...and then Milne the show pony comes out and screws that kick up after a simpel set shot!! What a jackass :D

Funny that the Melbourne song was played three times...more than the Saints'!!. And their players had to wait for ages to do their lap...

Memorable moments....Robbo's goal and obvious joy and relief, what a champion, you can tell how much the club means to him.

And then Wheater's goal from 60m...brought back some memories there.

Really positive day.

It was great being at the game today and watching the boys have a real crack at the league leaders. Despite 'positional testing' we were only 16 points down at the 20 minute at the last quarter!

And how many soft frees did the premiership favourites need to get themselves 16 points up (not to mention the obvious ones to us that weren't paid)? We weren't that far away from knocking them off with half our list still injured.

Great finish to the season. And great OP all-round, Mr M.

The future might look great but it's also a long way off when you think that Kosi and Reiwoldt both debuted in 2001.

How was the armchair ride that the 'champion' riewoldt received... if robbo received treatment like that he would have kicked a thousand....

seriously umpire 32, would be lucky to get another game one would have thought.....

exciting times - sylvia had a brilliant season and well, he could be anything.. an excellent base to build on...

liam jurrah - wow!!

nathan jones - massive steps this year. hard in and under and has helped having beamer...

brent moloney - we have always known his importance but seriously, he had a cracking season and is without doubt one of the players a club like melbourne needs. passionate about the jumper and also a leader...

mark jamar - again, dominated the ruck and think that when he has played we have played well...

frawley - huge future ahead for this young tyro... he is super competitive, has great speed, has improved his ball skills and has a 10 year future ahead of him.

very very exciting days ahead!!

It was the best of times..it was the worst of times..

A tale of two cities ?? No, just one and two of its teams, strangely not as far apart as some seem to think. On a Sunday afternoon with clouds occasionally threatening to remind me why I should have remembered the wet gear ol' Bub and his turncoat daughter ventured to the G for the annual Dady/Daughter Dees- Saints fest. All the way in I was reminded of our lowly status on the ladder, of how it was going to be a painful afternoon of how the Saints were going to go marching in.

Well at quarter time the daughter wasnt saying a lot, Dad was worried and the bookies must be licking their lips at all the money thrown at the Sainters for a flag !! Is this the mighty Saints I asked her ?? Here we had two teams playing for two very different outcomes. But someone must have swapped their scripts because it certainly wasnt going to anyones plan.

Any newcomer to the city watching their first game would have been mightly confused had they been told it was actually the Demons who were the bottom side as they were making a mockery of the Saints claim to the minor premiership. The two teams and indeed their respective followers will have left the ground with possibly quite diferent views to their teams as compared to that which they might have held prior to the game.

Melbourne is full of promise and StKilda is full of questions. The Halo boys will have thought their date with destiny was all but booked this September but coming away from yesterdays game they might be checking travel bargains instead. It was a very unconvincing display from them. But for some late game junk goals there was nothing to get excited about.

The Demons on the other hand had a day of opposing emotions. It was farewell, au revoir,auf wiedersehn goodbye... to three great champs of the club. Each had moment in the sun ( what there was of it ) . Wheels turned the clock back a little and who will forget the rousing cheers as Wheats banged his boot from the goal square sending the Sherrin towards the middle...or Brocky's handball to Robbo giving him the open goal. !! You had to be there.

If that was a little taste of what was then we had more than a sample of what is to come. Morton ruled that ground for a lot of the game, someone must have forgotten to tell him that Melbourne were 16th. Liam Jurrah., i'm laughing trying to find words. Was it the nonchalent kick over the shoulder, was it the 'hand of god" mark was it the defensive pressure or was it the rousing congratualtions as he came to the pine ?This guy is X Y and Z factors all rolled into one and I firmly believe we havent seen anything really yet, he's just warming up. Give him some support up forward and we are potent.

It wasnt all plain sailing. There were some silly mistakes, a lot of over-handling at times. But if I were to ever tend to the cynical was some of this simply 'insurance' Did somewhere at some moments little switches flick and remind players of what was at stake ?. We could have won that game and any scouting observer would have been returning to his/her respective lairs with valuable intel, the Sainters are stuggling. I believe Copperfield consults Bailey these days

Im not sure how many times the "Grand Ol' Flag" played but Im not complaining. Funny I predicted we'd lose by 7-8 goals

cant wait for 2010

Edited August 30, 200916 yr by belzebub59

seriously umpire 32, would be lucky to get another game one would have thought.....

Jacob Mollison is his name - a complete [censored] and another example of being the worst team means you get the worst umpires.

Totally a fraud - his work cost us two clear goal scoring opps and handed several to the aints.

David Parkin said on 774 that none of the umpires at our game yesterday would be seen again this year!

very very exciting days ahead!!

You could say that we were probably a Grimes and a Warnock away from knocking off the premiership favourites!

I disagree with the statement that none of the umpires at our game yesterday will be seen again this year. Mollison is a hack, but Chris Donlon (1) is respected and has had a pretty good year - he will do finals.

The standard of umpiring is only going to get worse over the next few years - 4 field umpires will be introduced either next year or 2011 and the VFL (which feeds the AFL with umpires) is very short on talent. Have previously focussed on recruiting 'athletes' rather than 'umpires' with match management skills. Just look at the blokes who have come up from the VFL over the last 3 or 4 years. They are always the ones who pay dodgy 50m penalties because they lose control and didn't stamp authority on the game in the first 5 minutes. Anyone who has ever umpired at any level is told from the get-go that you set the tone in the first passage of play, and the players will adjust accordingly.

Smells good to me!

Good writing. Sums up the feelings as well as anything I've seen.