CROUCHING TIGERS, HIDDEN DEMONS

CROUCHING TIGERS, HIDDEN DEMONS by The Oracle

In days of yore when the biggest footy competition in the land was called the VFL, games were played between twelve clubs and the home and away season lasted 18 rounds. Originally, only the top four teams on the ladder contested the finals and you therefore usually needed to win somewhere between 11 to 13 games to play off for the coveted premiership.

These days however, things are very different with a final eight and 22 rounds and that is why some Melbourne supporters are talking finals even though their team has won a ridiculously low seven and a half games and lost well over half of their 18 matches to date.

The fact that a team that was fighting it out in the bottom four just a month ago can now be even considered as a possible finals contender reflects the evenness of the competition below the top five or six teams in the competition but there's something surreal about this scenario. Let's face it; while Melbourne's young list is developing along very nicely and has shown some good form lately, all of this talk is a distraction from the main aim which is to ensure that the club will become a football power and remain so for many years moving forward into the future. In other words, we're all getting ahead of ourselves.

I'm not suggesting that it's a crime to aim high but by focussing on what might happen in four week's time, we're forgetting what lies immediately ahead in the form of the crouching Tigers who lie in wait and ready to pounce on the Demons for who the immediate aim of tackling this week head on seems to have been hidden from view.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick must be grinning from ear to ear with all of this talk of Melbourne making the finals by winning most, if not all, of its remaining four games. After all, his own Tigers have an even better form line in more recent times. One television football programme displayed a form ladder for the last seven rounds which had Richmond on five wins in fourth spot behind Collingwood, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs as well ahead of the ninth placed Melbourne on three and a half wins. Yes, there was an aberration when they were crushed by the Pies a fortnight ago but they are much like the Demons - a young team that can and will produce inconsistent performances. Fact is that if anyone takes the Tigers lightly, does so at his own peril.

The moral of the story is that Melbourne supporters should, for the time being, forget all of the talk of finals and whether they can beat the Hawks or win a game at last in Adelaide. Instead, we should follow the eternal football wisdom of taking things one week at a time and concentrate wholly and solely on the task of taming those crouching Tigers who are ready to take another victim if given the opportunity.

I'm sure that's the message that Dean Bailey will be doing his best to get across to his players.

THE GAME Melbourne v Richmond at MCG - Sunday 8 August 2010 at 2.10pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 77 wins Richmond 99 wins 2 draws

At the MCG Melbourne 58 wins Richmond 65 wins 1 draw

Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins Richmond 10 wins

The Coaches Bailey 1 win Hardwick 0 wins

MEDIA

TV Channel 7 at 3:00pm (delayed telecast)

Radio TripleM 3AW

THE BETTING Melbourne to win $1.50 Richmond to win $2.50

LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 20.13.133 defeated Richmond 11.12.78 in Round 4, 2010 at the MCG

Richmond fielded a weakened team after a number of players decided to spend a night on the tiles after their defeat the previous week against the Sydney Swans. Despite this and the fact that the Tigers had a couple of first gamers in the side, they started full of spirit but the Demons reined them back in by quarter time but ran cold in the second term to hold a slim half time lead. After that, the Melbourne forwards ran riot with Colin Sylvia, on return from his broken jaw finishing with five goals. Brad Green kicked four and Matthew Bate three. Sylvia was easily the best on ground as Melbourne cruised to a comfortable 55 point win.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs Colin Garland Jared Rivers Clint Bartram

Half backs Rohan Bail James Frawley Joel Macdonald

Centreline Brent Moloney James McDonald Jordie McKenzie

Half forwards Liam Jurrah Jack Watts Tom Scully

Forwards Jamie Bennell Lynden Dunn Brad Green

Followers Mark Jamar Colin Sylvia Aaron Davey

Interchange Cameron Bruce Paul Johnson Jack Trengove Austin Wonaeamirri

Emergencies Nathan Jones Brad Miller Cale Morton

In Brent Moloney Jack Trengove

Out Nathan Jones Cale Morton

RICHMOND

Backs Chris Newman Will Thursfield David Astbury

Half backs Brett Deledio Kelvin Moore Daniel Connors

Centreline Mitch Morton Dustin Martin Shane Edwards

Half forwards Ben Nason Mitch Farmer Jake King

Forwards Matt White Jack Riewoldt Ben Cousins

Followers Angus Graham Shane Tuck Daniel Jackson

Interchange Andrew Browne Robbie Hicks Luke McGuane Jeromey Webberley

Emergencies Andrew Collins Alex Rance Tyrone Vickery

No change

PRESSURE

There's one thing the young Demon team hasn't experienced very much of in recent years and that's the pressure to win games. When you're down in the dumps and not expected to perform all that well then you generally focus on other things like improving individual performance, doing the team things, becoming competitive and preparing yourselves for the day when the focus will be fully on the task of winning matches, making the finals and ultimately ... dare I say it, taking out the premiership flag. With every step you take along the road, the pressure builds. Ironically, Melbourne suddenly is set to encounter the most intense pressure it has faced since it was a finallist back in 2006 when it takes on Richmond at the MCG this week. This is the battle of the improvers. A fight between two of the best young teams in the competition.

The pressure is on both clubs to show their fans and the football public how far they've developed in the months since they each commenced their respective seasons with morale shattering 56 point defeats in Round 1.

It was Melbourne which showed the first signs of advancement with some vastly improved form over the ensuing weeks when it stretched Collingwood and then won three in a row, including that 55 point win over the Tigers in Round 4 (which almost ruled out the margin from the opening round disaster against the Hawks) before falling into a trough with some inconsistent form. Since its move out of the Junction Oval to the plush new facility in the Olympic Park the club has flourished with three wins in its last four matches.

Richmond has come a long way over the past two months after languishing winless over the first nine rounds of the season. By that time the bookies had written them off as certain wooden-spooners but they seem to have a thing about interstate clubs beating them all over their past nine games bringing their season's tally to six. The Tigers have a particular penchant against beating up South Australian teams in foul conditions starting with their first win over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium and ending with their big victory over Adelaide in the hail at the MCG last weekend. Their achievement has been testimony to the fighting spirit coach Damien Hardwick has instilled into his team.

The result of the upsurge in fortunes of both clubs has lifted the profile of Sunday's game immensely. Unlike their near farcical clash last year when both teams appeared to be intent upon snatching defeat from the jaws of defeat (if you get my drift), this one should be an absolute ripper.

Many of us are hoping to see a fantastic duel between two young players drafted one position apart in the first round of the national draft of 2006. Over the course of the year, Jack Riewoldt and James Frawley have both stamped themselves as candidates for All Australian honours and the outcome of their tussle could well decide this game if they are indeed pitted against each other.

Both clubs also have young emerging midfields but, with the return this week of Brent Moloney and Jack Trengove and with Colin Sylvia playing his 100th game and in dominant form, I think the Demons might just hold sway in this department, particularly in view of the absence of Trent Cotchin (suspended) and Nathan Foley for the Tigers. If there's any doubt left about who will win in this department, then it should be determined by Mark Jamar's ruck and around the ground dominance.

The Demons need to work on their consistency throughout their games. Against the Dockers a few weeks back, they were dreadful in the first half and brilliant in the second. Lat week it was the other way around in Brisbane. In between, they played a near perfect game at home against the Swans. They might be under greater pressure this week but, with the memory of the Swans game still fresh, I expect them to get up against the persistent and improving Tigers in front of what should be a bumper crowd to round off what has been a fantastic week for the game's oldest club.

Melbourne to win by 18 points