WHAT'S NEW?

WHAT'S NEW by JVM

The picturesque Adelaide Oval has witnessed many gripping test and international cricket matches over the years along with some local football, rugby and soccer. It has also hosted athletics, baseball, cycling, hockey and tennis as well as archery, highland games and even quoits. Some famous musical acts have performed there as well. KISS played there in 1980, Michael Jackson in 1996, Elton John in 1998 and more lately, Pearl Jam, AC/DC and Wolfmother. The Foo Fighters will be on stage in December.

The ground's current capacity is not all that flash but there are plans to redevelop the ground and to drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st Century but, in the meantime, the AFL has selected the venue to host its first AFL contest with Port Adelaide to meet Melbourne in the deadest of dead rubbers of what can only be described as an underwhelming season for both clubs.

The home side is broke and relying mainly on a massive injection of funds from the AFL to keep the wheels turning in future seasons. The hope is that the move of the two local AFL clubs to the Adelaide Oval will bring them salvation but for the Power, the concessions to the new expansion franchises stand in the way of any immediate on field progress. They showed glimmers of improved form last week against Essendon at Etihad when they led by 34 points seven minutes into the final term only to concede 7.5 in the ensuing 23 minutes.

The ray of hope for Port is young key position forward John Butcher but he happens to be out of contract and homesick. If the Power loses on Sunday and finishes with the wooden spoon, it's first national draft pick will be number four; it's second in the twenties. A win means that it starts at selection number six. Hardly, the stuff that you would tank in the last game for but, there's barely any incentive for winning either.

Melbourne remains a club fractured and hurt by the events surrounding the departure of coach Dean Bailey. The wounds it sustained are deep but can be healed by a wise selection of coach and the infusion of the right personnel both on and off the field. The Demons will also benefit by the impending resolution, one way or the other, of the situation concerning Tom Scully. The club has a fundamentally sound young list waiting for the right person to come along and fashion it into a winning combination. Next year ...

So two teams both focussed on the future meet in a round 24 game that holds very little meaning in terms of 2011.

What's new?

THE GAME

Port Adelaide v Melbourne Sunday 4 September 2011 at the Adelaide Oval 3.10pm AEST

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Port Adelaide 12 wins Melbourne 11 wins

At Adelaide Oval Port Adelaide 0 wins Melbourne 0 wins

Since 2000 Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 8 wins

The Coaches Primus 0 wins Viney 0 wins

MEDIA

TV - Channel 7 Live from 3.00 pm.

Radio - 3AW TripleM

THE BETTING

Port Adelaide to win $2.50 Melbourne to win $1.53

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 17.11.113 defeated Port Adelaide 14.8.92 Round 17, 2011 at TIO Stadium, Darwin

Melbourne hit the ground running and took a good early lead in the the tropical heat of Darwin. The enthusiastic Demons maintained the ascendency for much of the game but slowed appreciably in the final term when they allowed Port Adelaide to peg them back by a few goals but the result was never really in doubt. Liam Jurrah was in graet form early and he finished with three goals as did Addam Maric and Ricky Petterd.

THE TEAMS

PORT ADELAIDE

Backs Troy Chaplin Alipate Carlile Tom Logan

Half backs Jacob Surjan Jackson Trengove Cameron O'Shea

Centreline Steven Salopek Travis Boak Danyle Pearce

Half forwards Brett Ebert John Butcher Robert Gray

Forwards Daniel Motlop Jay Schulz Justin Westhoff

Followers Matthew Lobbe Domenic Cassisi David Rodan

Interchange (from) Mitchell Banner Matthew Broadbent Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Thomas Jonas Matt Thomas Aaron Young

In Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Aaron Young

Out

New Aaron Young (Eastern Ranges)

MELBOURNE

Backs Tom McDonald James Frawley Sam Blease

Half backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Colin Garland

Centreline Jamie Bennell Jordie McKenzie Nathan Jones

Half forwards Jack Trengove Jack Watts Brad Green

Forwards Rohan Bail Stefan Martin Neville Jetta

Followers Mark Jamar Cale Morton Brent Moloney

Interchange Matthew Bate Jack Fitzpatrick Jeremy Howe Luke Tapscott

Emergencies Joel Macdonald Tom McNamara Daniel Nicholson

In Rohan Bail Matthew Bate Jack Fitzpatrick

Out Liam Jurrah (wrist) Tom McNamara Tom McNamara

New Jack Fitzpatrick (Western Jets)

Leaving aside the Mickey Mouse opening round of this year’s NAB Cup, it's been a long while since Melbourne, last won a game in Adelaide. Indeed, a number of the youngsters on the current Demons’ list were still a year or two away from their teens when their team accomplished a real victory for four premiership points in the City of Churches.

This game won’t quite be the same for Melbourne because, after all, the first-ever AFL match at Adelaide Oval, will be played kilometres away from AAMI Stadium. In any event, the Power haven’t been travelling well either at home or away this year. They have recorded only two wins for the season and the victory over Adelaide in Round 4 was their only home win this year. They have lost eleven games on end and yet, there are some who believe that Port Power are back in town on the strength of last week’s defeat at the hands of Essendon after leading by 34 points well into the final term.

If you believe that’s a welcome return to form, then Melbourne’s five goal win over Gold Coast last Sunday to break a losing streak of five goals would also be regarded as one of the most miraculous turnarounds in the history of the game.

Well, not really although it was good to see Brad Green returning to a semblance of form and it’s a timely return as well because the Demons will be relying on their skipper to score enough goals to provide them with a winning score. Remember, the three players who each kicked three goals when Melbourne beat Port Adelaide in Darwin earlier this year, Liam Jurrah, Addam Maric and Ricky Petterd will all be missing on Sunday.

If the Demons can take advantage of their ruck strength and convert that into clearances from stoppages and clean forward moves, then perhaps they will find Green and co enough times to win their ninth game for the season and give themselves bragging rights as an improver on paper for 2011.

We all know that this is a deceptive viewpoint in the light of the horrors of Melbourne’s past month but perhaps it will presage a real turnaround next year.

Melbourne by 8 points.