THE LAST DANCE

THE LAST DANCE by The Oracle

The very last game of the 2010 home and away season brings together two young up and coming sides that have every reason to look forward to the future with a large dose of optimism. Melbourne and North Melbourne are two clubs that have, in recent years overcome financial difficulties and lifted themselves this year out of the bottom four of the AFL ladder and into the next quartile. In other words, they are making inroads by neither of them is quite there yet.

The two sides meet in a twilight game on the last Sunday before the finals in what is effectively their very own final. There's not much at stake but pride and some bragging rights before the curtain is effectively brought down for the season.

And apart from the odd farewell to one or two individual players, this battle and its outcome is virtually meaningless. It's the last dance before we all pack up and go home to contemplate the season that's just ended and to plan for the battles that lie ahead.

Last week both clubs travelled interstate and celebrated major milestones for their leaders - both of them champion players. North Melbourne went across the continent and gave Brent Harvey a memorable 300th game. Melbourne ventured across to its horror hoodoo ground, AAMI Stadium, where it hasn't won a game in almost a decade and failed once more to come home victorious for skipper James McDonald's 250th game. The loss to Port Adelaide after dominating much of the opening quarter was indicative of how much further the club needs to travel before it can talk of completing a truly successful season.

I can't speak for North Melbourne although that club seems to have accomplished a great deal more than most expected, but for Melbourne, the outcome has been just "satisfactory". There have been some successes, a great deal of improvement in a number of areas but there's still a way to go.

Young players have been blooded and the club appears to be very much on the up and up after a couple of horror seasons. The year saw Mark Jamar blossom as a ruckman to the point where he is close to All Australian status. The defence has continued to grow into a strong and cohesive unit and the midfield, though still well short of the standard of the elite clubs is moving forward with the infusion of youth. There's work to be done up forward and the recruiters will no doubt be focussing on introducing at least another key forward to help the exciting young talent already at the club.

All things considered, the club has overcome another year of above average injury numbers, developed greater depth and has shown far more grunt and endeavour to give its fans much hope and expectation for the future.

Things are reasonably on track, and though the result of Sunday's last dance will be of no great moment in the game's history books, Melbourne needs a good result against a team of North Melbourne's level to add more fuel to the expectation of a better future.

THE GAME

North Melbourne v Melbourne on Sunday 29 August 2010 at The MCG at 4.40 pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 83 wins North Melbourne 66 wins 1 draw

At MCG Melbourne 54 wins North Melbourne 33 wins

Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins North Melbourne 10 wins

The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Scott 1 win

MEDIA

Fox Sports1 - live from 4.30pm

RADIO - ABC774 SEN Triple M 3AW

THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.05 North Melbourne to win $1.78

LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 15.14.104 defeated Melbourne 12.6.78 at Etihad Stadium in Round 6 2010

The Demons were riding on the crest of a wave of three successive wins when they met the Kangaroos at Etihad Stadium but they were jumped by a determined Kangaroos outfit that, at one stage in the second quarter had opened up a lead of almost eight goals. Melbourne mounted a comeback and clawed its way back to a little over two kicks by three quarter time but they fizzled out in the final term and were beaten by a comfortable margin of 26 points.

It was up to veterans like Brad Green (4 goals) and Cameron Bruce (32 disposals) to hold up the flag.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Colin Garland

Half backs Tom Scully James Frawley Cale Morton

Centreline Cameron Bruce Nathan Jones Liam Jurrah

Half forwards Colin Sylvia Matthew Bate Lynden Dunn

Forwards Austin Wonaeamirri Brad Green Jack Watts

Followers Mark Jamar James McDonald Brent Moloney

Interchange (from) Rohan Bail Paul Johnson Joel Macdonald Jordie McKenzie Michael Newton Jack Trengove Matthew Warnock

In Matthew Bate Paul Johnson Joel Macdonald Colin Sylvia

Out Jamie Bennell

NORTH MELBOURNE

Backs Michael Firrito Scott Thompson Brady Rawlings

Half backs Daniel Pratt Nathan Grima Scott McMahon

Centreline Cruize Garlett Brent Harvey Sam Wright

Half forwards Ryan Bastinac Corey Jones Daniel Wells

Forwards Ben Cunnington Aaron Edwards Ben Warren

Followers Hamish McIntosh Andrew Swallow Levi Greenwood

Interchange (from) Matt Campbell Todd Goldstein David Hale Leigh Harding Jamie Macmillan Robbie Tarrant Marcus White

In Matt Campbell Todd Goldstein Corey Jones Jamie Macmillan Robbie Tarrant

Out Leigh Adams (concussion) Lachlan Hansen (hamstring)

KANGAROO COURT

If AAMI Stadium is a hoodoo venue for the Melbourne Football Club after fifteen consecutive losses against both Adelaide and Port Adelaide, then North Melbourne must be its hoodoo club.

Although the Roos have by no means been a dominant power in the AFL competition, they have dominated the Demons in their recent contests, winning their last seven on the trot.

Earlier in the season when the Shinboners were struggling and Melbourne was on a high, they caught the Demons napping early. North broke away to a formidable early lead and thoroughly deserved its comprehensive 26 point victory. Tactically superior, the Roos applied great pressure and forced the Dees into error, denied them the ability to play a flow on game and dented their ability to score going into attack through the corridor. They blunted the Melbourne comeback when it came in the third quarter and maintained control to the end.

So will things be different this week at the MCG and can the Demons break their losing streak against the Kangaroos?

Melbourne certainly has the incentive to win. The players owe their retiring skipper a big one after the disappointment of last week and they really need to atone for their recent losses to Hawthorn and Port Adelaide.

In recent seasons North Melbourne has had the edge over Melbourne at the stoppages where its ruck dominance and superior midfielders have given it the edge. Whilst the Demon on ballers have looked a bit jaded in recent weeks they know that after this week they can look forward to a break before resuming training in the preseason.

At the tail end of a long, hard campaign it's often the stronger bodies in a midfield that are the most influential in terms of winning matches. Melbourne has missed the influence of Brent Moloney for several weeks and he was a bit rusty on his return last week. The late withdrawal of Colin Sulvia not only robbed the Demon midfield of some further class and potency but added to the pressure on its impressive young guns in Tom Scully, Jack Trengove and Jordie McKenzie. This week they will relish being back on home turf and they should be primed to fire in front of what will hopefully be a crowd made up of a majority of supportive Demon fans.

Will that be enough to get them across the line?

I think so but only just ... Melbourne by 5 points.