THE LEAN AND HUNGRY LOOK by The Oracle

"Let me have men about me that are fat,

Sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights.

Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look,

He thinks too much; such men are dangerous."

William Sheakespeare -

Julius Caesar: Act 1, scene 2, 190–195

It was a strange game of football at Etihad Stadium. While it ebbed and flowed as all good games do, the ascendency was held, surprisingly, by the team that finished off 2011 like a ship without a rudder. Not the one that came into last year's grand final as the warm favourite.

At half time, when the Magpies had just managed to snatch the lead for the first time with a Nick Maxwell goal after the siren, they decided to make a sporting declaration by removing half a dozen of their A team and replaced them with youngsters and overseas imports. 

The Demons responded with some changes of their own and proceeded to apply the same disciplines using the same structures that gave them a moral victory in the first half. The result was not simply a victory on the scoreboard but an early moment of pleasure for the coach and supporters. A breakthrough for Melbourne at the Docklands and the dawn of a new era for the club. 

After so long, the lean and hungry look has returned to the Melbourne Football Club and we welcome it back with open arms even if it comes in a NAB Cup game that everybody says noddingly in agreement that it means nothing. Especially when they lose.

We've heard about and discussed Mark Neeld's game plan whereby his team hustles and grinds the opposition, works hard defensively to eke out errors, kicks long to position and performs with discipline. But this is also the result of hard work on the track and in the gym over many months. Strength, endurance, bodies changing and taking shape. We saw some good signs; the rejuvenation of players, some in rebirth and some new faces. Brad Green is back in town. Nathan Jones and Matthew Bate are changed for the better and a couple of hard nuts in James Magner and Tom Couch have been found.

And there's more to come.

Melbourne 0.2.6.18 0.3.9.27 0.7.11.53 0.11.13.79         

 

Collingwood 0.2.3.15 0.4.4.28 1.6.5.50 1.9.7.70

Goals 

Melbourne Dunn Jones Martin Petterd 2 Green Howe Sylvia

Collingwood Shaw (supergoal) Rounds Thomas 2 Ball Ceglar Cloke Maxwell Paine

Best

Melbourne Garland Petterd Magner Jones Sellar Green

Injuries

Melbourne Nil.

Collingwood Nil.

Reports

Melbourne Nil.

Collingwood Nil.

Umpires Stevic Armstrong Kronk

 

Official crowd 12,954 at Etihad Stadium

Now they talk about our new game plan being the next thing on SEN as if it were new.

Kick long and direct in attack, win contested ball, kick long and wide out of defence. It's all common sense. The switch/possession game is flawed against a committed "man up " approach. We have the talls and the grunt now. Kicking short and across goal makes me ill.

Ban it!