THE PEOPLE SPEAK - MATCH PREVIEW

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THE PEOPLE SPEAK - MATCH PREVIEW by the Demonland Crew

About bloody time ... we've endured the longest pre-season ever, with the most twists and turns in AFL history - first off there was the St. Kilda schoolgirl, then the Fev, then something else from the St Kilda schoolgirl, Tom Scully to GWS followed by Pendles, Thomas and Swan to GWS, more gold from the St Kilda schoolgirl, this time with Ricky Nixon, Tom Scully says no to GWS, more gold from Fev, this time involving the Dee's and Casey, Palmer to GWS, sorry now no Palmer to GWS, the substitute fiasco, a silly lightning premiership style preseason tournament AND add to that some non-footy related news - floods, cyclones, earthquakes, Tsunami's, nuclear reactors, Royal visits, War in Libya, uprising in Bahrain, uprising in Egypt, some pretty bloody awful cricket by the Australians, another NFL title to Green Bay, an encouraging second for the Socceroos in Asia ...

NO bloody wonder we can't wait for the footy to start!!

Dees to follow last year's smashing of the Swanette's by right royally demolishing them on the 'G - JAKO13

Finally after some five months since the Filth hoisted the Cup aloft it's back!

Seventeen clubs have had their 'best pre seasons ever' and every list is fitter stronger and faster than last year. Members and supporters alike enter this week with great hope and even greater expectations. And finally all the soap opera stuff from the summer disappears and we focus on the real stuff.

So after a haphazard pre season what will Sunday afternoon bring for the Demons?

Firstly, expect a much closer game than last year.

The Swans have long memories and are still smarting from that performance as attested to in a recent Herald Sun article.

We can expect to see a fiercer Sydney attacking the contest, and Game plan A will definitely be to block the corridor and put the Melbourne defence under pressure with the now famous press.

They have a few players missing in Bradshaw, Kennealy, Roberts-Thompson and Craig Bolton (retired) but they still have one A. Goodes. He is the key and the one Melboune must stop.

Unfortunately with Melbourne missing James Frawley and Cale Morton, the immediate tagging options look thin.

With Jordie McKenzie also out and Lynden Dunn and Jack Trengove only 50/50 chances to play, the Demons have concerns of their own and may look to youngsters Neville Jetta, Addam Maric and Luke Tapscott to step up. Stef Martin will probably get his chance also.

If Goodes goes forward expect Colin Garland to have first crack. If he goes middle, expect Nathan Jones to wear him like a glove.

Melbourne's trump card may just be forward of the centre with Brad Green, Liam Jurrah, Ricky Petterd, Maric, Colin Sylvia and Jack Watts all very potent and great users of the footy.

But I think it will come down to just two things that will determine the outcome of the game ... ferocity at the contest and Inside 50's. Melbourne have more, they WILL win. If not then they are in strife.

I'm backing the Demons to prevail by 14 points - GRANDSON OF A GUN

THE GAME

Melbourne v Sydney at the MCG 27 March at 2.10pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney 106 wins 1 draw

At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney 39 wins

Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins Sydney 12 wins

The Coaches Bailey 0 Longmire 0

MEDIA

TV Channel 7 - delayed telecast at 3.00pm.

RADIO 3AW Triple M

THE BETTING

Melbourne to win $1.79 Sydney to win $2.22

LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 22.10.142 defeated Sydney Swans 10.9.69 in Round 17, 2010

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Joel Macdonald

Half backs Jack Grimes Colin Garland Jamie Bennell

Centreline Nathan Jones Brent Moloney Luke Tapscott

Half forwards Rohan Bail Colin Sylvia Liam Jurrah

Forwards Jack Watts Brad Green Addam Maric

Followers Mark Jamar Lynden Dunn Aaron Davey

Interchange Neville Jetta Stefan Martin Ricky Petterd Jack Trengove

Emergencies Jake Spencer James Strauss Matthew Warnock

New Luke Tapscott (North Adelaide SA)

SYDNEY

Backs Paul Bevan Ted Richards Martin Mattner

Half backs Rhys Shaw Heath Grundy Andrejs Everitt

Centreline Daniel Hannebery Kieren Jack Nick Smith

Half forwards Lewis Jetta Adam Goodes Ben McGlynn

Forwards Ryan O'Keefe Sam Reid Jesse White

Followers Shane Mumford Josh Kennedy Jarrod McVeigh

Interchange Jude Bolton Gary Rohan Mark Seaby Byron Sumner

Emergencies Craig Bird Jed Lamb Brett Meredith

New Andrejs Everitt (Western Bulldogs) Byron Sumner (Woodville-West Torrens)

Coming into the 2011 season Melbourne fans had every reason to salivating over a round one match against Sydney, a team they comfortably beat at home in 2010.

However, some ordinary NAB cup performances and some untimely injuries have tempered expectations a little since then. Still, the Dees are in decent enough shape with even the talented but injury prone Jack Grimes and Liam Jurrah both able to complete full pre seasons, and key players like Mark Jamar, Aaron Davey and Colin Sylvia set to be certain starters for the round one clash.

The exact make up of the round one team is still somewhat unclear, with the forward line especially seeming to have many options.

Will Bailey and the football department have a place for all three smalls of Neville Jetta, Addam Maric and Jamie Bennell in the one side - their pre season form suggests they deserve it.

Will they opt for a taller forward set up on the back of the injury ravaged Sydney backline?

Time will tell.

As usual both teams will be doing everything they can to take the points and set the tone for their respective seasons. Sydney has a new coach and often playing groups respond positively to a new man in the coaches box.

This game is set to be a great contest. Can the Dee's bounce back from a disappointing finish to their preseason campaign and give their talented forward line enough opportunities to kick a winning score?

Can dual Brownlow medalist Adam Goodes carry his team to victory?

Who will win the battle of the midfields?

I think the midfields will be matched quite evenly, but I'm backing the dees forwards to do more damage than the swans; too many key backmen out for Sydney. Dees by 17 points

Key Matchups:

Jamar v Mumford

Jamar and Mumford were arguably the two best ruck men in the competition after Sandilands. With both backlines missing their key players the centre clearances will be all important.

Goodes v ?

I'm tipping Bailey to back Jones with the tagging role on the Swans' ace.

Goodes will kick four goals and have 28 disposals. Jones will get 15 largely ineffective disposals and later tweet that it was a tough day at the office but how he learent so much from playing on a champion. DEMONWA

Round one has so much invested in it. Fans hanging out for that first bounce. I suspect some of us Demons are a little less circumspect after some less than impressive displays against Brisbane and Hawthorn. Twitter does seem to be the new media so I'll take those match reports as gospel!!

Besides this being Round one, I think there is much at stake in this first fixture. If we allow ourselves to crystal ball a little one might hope that we could beat Gold Coast and Brisbane, (creating history to be the first team to beat both sides from the Northern state perhaps?) even allowing for a loss to Hawforn, a 3-1 record would hold us in good stead.

2-2 would not be too shabby at all, but 3-1 gives much more hope. Sydney will be burning from the 12 goal loss we dished out last year and if we can achieve another win this week it will be a huge positive - Demon Hill

It's an interesting one.

Sydney's back-line is definitely looking shaky, but then again so is ours without Chip. As always, this game is going to come down to the midfield.

If we can get the ball into our fifty often enough, with half decent delivery, surely Jurrah, Watts, Petterd, Green and Maric will have a field day against their undermanned backline.

Jamar and Mumford should be an interesting battle.

I'm looking at Sylvia to have a big game.

Dee's by 12 MALLEE BULL

Without Kirk there to direct the midfield and lead by his example, I feel they are going to be somewhat directionless and that, coupled with the fact that they now have to get used to a new coaching style and possibly game plan, I'm not sure it is all going to come together for them this early in the season. With players like Grimes, Rivers, Garland, Bartram and possibly Bennell to run the ball out of defence, I get the feeling their midfield will be caught off guard and the Dees defenders should be able to give the mids, and consequently forwards, good service.

As Malceski is out for a few weeks (10?) with a knee injury, Jones won't be required to cover him, meaning that he could be used on Goodes at a pinch... but I tend to agree that someone like Martin would be better suited to that task. Alternatively (and I know I'll be howled down for this) Bartram is someone who could give Goodes the kind of niggle that will get his blood boiling, and while some players lift when given that kind of treatment, Goodes tends to implode. I would rather see Jones doing his usual job of diving in where no sane person should go.

Overall, I believe that if our defenders can do their job with quick clearances, we should have too much speed through the middle and too much class up forward for the Swannies to counter over a prolonged period of time. So far this preseason we have beaten our AAMI hoodoo, we have managed to show we can get off to a fast start against the Hawks, and now we need to step up and show we can get off to a fast start in the finals race by winning the first game of the season. Footy's a confidence game, and what better way to build confidence than by winning the first game of the year without your best 22 on the park. Dees by 23 HARDTAK

Thanks to all who participated and Go Dees 2011.