ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT by The Oracle

The season is wearing heavily on the Melbourne Football Club. So much so that it was reduced to almost rabble status by Richmond in the first half of their Round 22 game at the MCG and even a spirited third quarter fight back was insufficient to help it win what was in many respects a meaningless fixture.

The game was lost before it started, first at selection when players who are hopelessly out of form and confidence were selected to play. Whatever the problem is with Aaron Davey, it was clear last week against West Coast that his head is not in the right space to be playing the game at the moment. He has endured a poor season, had a lengthy lay off with a knee injury and clearly came back way too soon. It's possible now that the AFL's Match Review Panel will give him the rest he needs for the remainder of the season that the selectors did not afford him. One possession in the first half is not what a player of his stature deserves to celebrate his 150th game.

Then there was the matter of the captain and the decision to hand him the green substitute's vest. This was pure folly. If he was unable to see through a game of 100 minutes then he had no business being in the selected side. Earlier this year, Jack Grimes was substituted off after 4 minutes when he suffered his foot injury. Green might have been called upon to play for 96 minutes in those circumstances had someone suffered a similar injury against the Tigers.

The move did advertise to the world was how critical the club's leadership crisis has been in its demise over the past month or so and how that weak attitude permeates the club.

The game started with Richmond showing greater intensity, tackling harder and winning the contested possessions, particularly out of the stoppages despite the fact that Mark Jamar was getting the hit outs. The opening contest was indicative of how most of the first half went for the two teams. A Demon possession smothered, a pack, a scrimmage and a holding the ball decision against the player at the base of the pack. Fifty metre penalty (a real one where the Tiger player took his kick fifty metres from where the initial infringement occurred). Goal in 1:02. Five minutes later, Richmond had three goals on the board, two from free kicks, at which point some of the Melbourne players decided that it might be a good idea to start the game.

And so it was that they regathered their composure and fought back, inspired by Colin Sylvia to get to within five points after Liam Jurrah kicked his third at the halfway mark of the second term.

Things could have been even better if one of the field umpires would have managed to get his measurements right on a fifty metre penalty awarded to Clint Bartram. If that was more than twenty metres then I'll bare the proverbial in Bourke Street. Put it in the "it can only happen to Melbourne category" and weep.

A travesty like that can only be followed by more disappointment and, right on cue, we were subjected to another fifteen minutes of shambolic football, poor disposal and weak decision making that saw the Tigers back on top with a well deserved 26-point lead by half time.

However, the game was far from over as Melbourne came out fired up to ram home seven goals to one in the third quarter to turn the game on its head and take an eight-point lead into the last quarter. The main question now was whether the team had spent its petrol tickets just getting into that position.

The Demons had their chances to take firm control early in the final quarter but their accuracy in front of goal which had kept them in the game for three quarters deserted them in the last. As they did in the second term, the Tigers grabbed the ascendancy at the midpoint in the quarter and kicked the goals that counted finishing the last stanza with 6.3 to 3.6 to run out winners by seven points.

Melbourne was well served by Nathan Jones who burrowed in and never stopped trying. He might not be the most skilled but he did show endeavour and leadership throughout the game. Colin Garland, James Frawley and Jared Rivers were good down back despite the Tiger onslaught and, of course, Sylvia was the star.

Shame about the rough conduct charge although one hopes that, in considering this, the AFL Match Review Panel remembers that even when West Coast's Josh Kennedy broke Sylvia's jaw last year, it was insufficient to sustain a charge against that player. At least Sylvia has learned his lesson after earning heavy criticism for selfish play last week. His 29 possessions and 5.0 surely earned him best on ground status.

Sam Blease was again a shining light, Jordie McKenzie worked his butt off and Jack Trengove continued to impress but too many players put in subdued performances. All Australian ruckman Jamar was good in the ruck but he failed to take a mark.

The lack of marking in contested situations by the tall timber has been a lowlight for much of the season. When there are no consistently safe marking targets up forward either in the air or on a lead, the groundwork is laid for indecisiveness and an unreliable short game and turnovers.

What the club needs now is a quality coach to instill tactics and strategies that work rather than what has been served up as passing for a game plan this year. In the meantime, the team's development has not only slowed down - it's been totally arrested!

Melbourne 4.0.24 7.1.43 14.2.86 17.8.110

Richmond 6.2.38 10.9.69 11.12.78 17.15.117

Goals

Melbourne Sylvia 5 Jones Jurrah 3 Trengove 2 Bennell Green Petterd Watts

Richmond Martin Miller 3 Foley Riewoldt 2 Cotchin Edwards Graham Jackson King Nahas Webberley

Best

Melbourne Jones Sylvia Garland Frawley Jamar McKenzie.

Richmond Foley Martin Deledio Grigg Tuck Vickery

Injuries

Melbourne Nil

Richmond Nil

Changes

Melbourne Nil

Richmond Nil

Reports

Melbourne Sylvia for high contact on Post in first quarter

Richmond Nil

Umpires McBurney Ryan Hay

Crowd 36,321 at the MCG