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

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

Think Bet Middler might have sung this one as well...

Thanks for the report. Go Dees..