KILLING TWO BIRDS

KILLING TWO BIRDS by JVM

The Demons are out on a mission this weekend. They fly to the City of Churches where they have not won a game for the best part of a decade, ready to break barriers and to put an end to their long running win drought in that part of the world.

Indeed, Melbourne's record outside its home state has been as deplorable and as disgraceful as Football Manager Chris Connolly suggested earlier this week. Aside from the club's one point victory in Darwin over Port Adelaide earlier this year (and that was notionally a "home" game and played on neutral territory) it has not won outside of Victoria in four seasons. The last win in South Australia was way back in Round 2 of 2001 when David Schwartz and Andrew Leoncelli combined for a goal in the dying seconds of a desperate clash against the Crows. Since 2003 Melbourne's average losing margin at AAMI Stadium against the Crows and the Power has been 56 points over the course of thirteen matches. The losses have happened in the club's good years and it's bad years. When Neil Craig took over from Gary Ayres as coach of Adelaide in the middle of one of its most dismal seasons, his team beat top four aspirants Melbourne by a neat 12 goals.

The Demons' record elsewhere outside of their home State is not much better. Wins in Sydney and Brisbane are becoming distant memories while the last time we saw a victorious Melbourne team returning home from Perth was way back when Brock McLean was a relative speedster in his early days in the game against Fremantle when the heaven's opened up at Subiaco.

The mission for Melbourne this week is therefore simple - to win a game away from the familiarity of home but one suspects that, in order to kill that bird, it will need to deal with another of its regular hang ups - the slow start syndrome.

Figures released in the Herald Sun this week show that the Demons are as poor in the first 10 to 15 minutes of each of their games as they are when they step away from their home turf. We often see opposing teams draw away to an early three goal lead before Melbourne wakens from that pre game slumber.

A few weeks ago, it conceded the first five to Carlton and then spent the best part of two quarters clawing its way back playing catch up football before finally collapsing under the weight of the hard work required to get so close by three quarter time.

In its last game, the Demons were already down by 21 points after ten minutes before fighting tooth and nail to get back into the game - a task that would have been much easier and a game that could have been won but for softly conceding so much so early. On Queens Birthday Collingwood raced to three goals in the blink of an eye but managed nine for the entire game. That is the nature of the second bird that needs to be killed for the Demons to achieve a turnaround in their fortunes away from home.

THE GAME

Adelaide v Melbourne at the AAMI Stadium 27 June 2010 at 3.10pm (AEST)

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne Adelaide 18 wins Melbourne 10 wins

At AAMI Stadium Adelaide 11 wins Melbourne 3 wins

Since 2000 Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 5 wins

The Coaches Craig 2 wins Bailey 1 win

MEDIA

TV Fox Sports 1 3.00pm (AEST) live

RADIO ABC 774 SEN Triple M 3AW

THE BETTING Adelaide to win $1.60 Melbourne to win $2.35

LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 7.15.57 defeated Adelaide 5.11.41, Round 3, 2010, at MCG

The slow starting Demons managed just one goal for the entire first half of a dreary game at the MCG but managed to take control as Crows players fell by the wayside leaving the team with no bench. James McDonald was outstanding with his leadership.

THE TEAMS

ADELAIDE

Backs Graham Johncock Ben Rutten Scott Stevens

Half backs Michael Doughty Phil Davis Matthew Jaensch

Centreline Brad Symes Simon Goodwin David Mackay

Half forwards Scott Thompson Kurt Tippett Nathan van Berlo

Forwards Richard Douglas Taylor Walker Ricky Henderson

Followers Ivan Maric Patrick Dangerfield Brent Reilly

Interchange Tony Armstrong Jonathon Griffin Rory Sloane Bernie Vince

Emergencies Jared Petrenko Jason Porplyzia James Sellar

In Phil Davis Matthew Jaensch Bernie Vince

Out Nathan Bock (groin) Jared Petrenko Jason Porplyzia

MELBOURNE

Backs Clint Bartram Matthew Warnock James Frawley

Half backs Colin Garland Jared Rivers Jack Grimes

Centreline Brad Green Jack Trengove Cameron Bruce

Half forwards Cale Morton Matthew Bate Tom Scully

Forwards Neville Jetta Brad Miller Aaron Davey

Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Nathan Jones

Interchange Lynden Dunn Joel Macdonald Jordie McKenzie Jack Watts

Emergencies Jamie Bennell Kyle Cheney Lynden Jake Spencer

In Joel Macdonald

Out Jordan Gysberts

THE DAY OF THE RANGA

Is it politically correct now to call them "rangas" now that we have one of them as

our Prime Minister. Julia Gillard is probably better known as a Western Bulldog fan and an Adam Cooney look alike but in the week of her ascension to the highest office in the land it's the Melbourne Football Club with Matthew Bate, Jordie McKenzie and possibly Kyle Cheney leading the way in the nation's new fashion stakes. It's now cool to have red hair - the new status symbol and Melbourne's secret weapon in unravelling that dreaded hoodoo for visiting Demon teams.

Leaving the matter of hair colour aside, there is also a scientific reason to believe that now is the time that we can break through and overcome past failings in foreign territory. This Melbourne team is different to that which has gone before it. The infusion of new young talent, the emergence of the Jamar/Moloney combination and a new outlook within the group, means that we are entitled to expect something better when the team steps out onto the turf at AAMI Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

There is also a recent historical precedent to aid the Demons. Back in the preseason days of the NAB Challenge, Melbourne flew around and inside an electrical storm taking twice as long as normal to get to Adelaide and on a poor preparation, they lost Daniel Bell and Liam Jurrah, kicked poorly for goal when the game was there to be won and lost on the last kick of the day at Elizabeth.

Sunday's team is a lot stronger and the Demons will start better this week and finish well in front of the Crows.

Melbourne by 27 points.