EVERY DAY

[Demonland 65,696]

EVERY DAY by The Oracle

The late Buddy Holly used to sing about it getting closer every day - going faster than a roller coaster.

That's how it feels being a Demon fan as this young team crashes from the highs to the depths in the space of six days. From an 88 point smashing at the hands of Collingwood on Monday to an 89 point demolition of Fremantle the following Sunday. Who knows what to expect next?

Melbourne opened this game at a frenetic pace with Tom Scully dynamic in the middle and getting seven touches in the first six or seven minutes while Brad Green returned to form up forward without a heavy tag. He was in the goals early and had four by half time. Had he not missed a couple of simple set shots it might have been a record breaking day for the skipper.

The Demons kicked the first five goals of the match and were only troubled when the Dockers mounted a challenge in the second term after Jack Watts kicked the early goal. Michael Johnson booted three goals during this period – a time when the Freo midfield got on top and dominated the clearances for a while allowing the lead to be clawed back to 25 points at the half.

The second half of the game was reminiscent of the encounter against Adelaide with the home side dominating a team as insipid as the white away colours they were wearing. Watts was in sublime form all over the ground opening proceedings again and the team took the ascendency all over the ground taking back full control. The lead was seven goals at the three quarter time siren with the Dockers having scored only a single goal for the term. They looked spent.

Things only got better for Melbourne in the final stanza. Fremantle has become notorious recently for its poor final quarters and this was no exception. With two players off injured and a couple of others noticeably tiring, an eight goal to one final term ensued, spurred on again by the almost obligatory first goal of the quarter from Watts who finished with 24 disposals, six marks and three goals.

The victory erased last week's disappointing 88-point defeat at the hands of the rampant Magpies by a single point. With very few close results since the opening round draw against the Swans, at least Demon fans are unlikely to suffer heart attacks through following their team this year but the ups and the downs are hardly bewildering. When the midfield is doing well and the forward structure is working, Melbourne looks so much better. Yesterday, apart from Green with his five goals, the Demons had Stef Martin spending more time up forward and kicking three goals, Max Gawn was up there competing and final scored his maiden goal in AFL and Jeremy Howe got two as well. It's a forward structure that gives many options when it works and against the Dockers, it worked!

The statistics clearly show the disparity between Melbourne's best and its worst. After its brilliant victory over the Dockers - its second against a sitting top eight team in three weeks - the club has an average winning margin of 63 points which tops the competition. The problem is that the average losing margin of 49 points is the second worst of the AFL, a figure that is only bettered (if that's an apt word to use in these circumstances) by the new Gold Coast team.

You would put that down to the youth and inexperience of the group with the current 22 missing some of its leaders and more mature players through injury which places it around the level of the Suns in terms of football immaturity. So you expect the harshness of inconsistency knowing that things are going to get better and that a string of good performances are not that far away.

Every day it's getting closer.

Melbourne 6.5.41 10.7.67 14.12.96 22.17.149

Fremantle 1.4.10 6.6.42 7.10.52 8.12.60

Goals

Melbourne Green 5 Watts 3 Martin 3 Howe Jurrah 2 Frawley Gawn Jones Nicholson Petterd Sylvia Trengove

Fremantle Johnson 3 Mayne 2 McPharlin Pavlich Pearce

Best

Melbourne McKenzie Watts Scully Green Martin Howe Moloney

Fremantle Barlow Fyfe Ibbotson Mzungu Duffield Griffin

Injuries

Melbourne Garland (ankle)

Fremantle Grover (groin) Crowley (back)

Changes

Melbourne Nicholson in for Gysberts (soreness)

Fremantle Van Berlo in for Bradley (knee)

Reports

Melbourne Petterd for striking Crowley in first quarter

Fremantle Nil

Umpires Kennedy Leppard Wenn

Crowd 19,092 at the MCG.