THE HEAT IS ON by the Oracle

The forecast for the coming days in Melbourne is that the place is warming up. Friday will be hot and sunny and likewise for Saturday with a maximum temperature predicted of 29 degrees with a possible late shower.

Not only that but the heat is well and truly on at the Melbourne Football Club because nothing else will be acceptable for this week's season opener and the coaching debut of Mark Neeld than a big win over the Brisbane Lions.

The Demons had a lacklustre 2011 after promising so much late the year before and they failed to deliver. Instead, they fell in a disappointing heap during the last couple of months of the home and away season as things turned ugly with the sacking of coach Dean Bailey attended by rumours of internal divisions.

However, there was one area where the team excelled during the year and that was in MCG home matches against clubs from interstate. They drew their opening encounter against the Swans, beat the Lions a fortnight later and had some monster victories against the likes of Adelaide and Fremantle at the home of football.

Consequently, it must be considered a bonanza for the Melbourne Football Club to be handed a round 1 home game against Brisbane who finished 15th last year and who start without the services of their forward line playmaker in Jonathan Brown against the club that managed to steal the Lions' other key forward Mitch Clark from under their noses during the off season.

In turn, Clark will have a pivotal role in his first game for his adopted club. Having been presented with Jimmy Stynes' famous number 11, Clark will undoubtedly feel the sense of occasion wearing the champion Demon's guernsey into battle on an emotional afternoon in which the fans will have the opportunity to applaud their fallen hero's exploits in the week following his funeral.

And after that, they will be hoping to applaud the new generation of heroes in the cauldron of their home ground.

Why not?

The Demons have had a tough pre-season with the fallout from the departure of Tom Scully, the reconstruction of the football department with a new coach and a number of new assistants and other key personnel, the changes of leadership at the top both on and off the field, injuries, the Liam Jurrah saga, the controversy over the development of Jack Watts and the passing of the great Jimmy Stynes.

These Demons must be used to the heat by now!

THE GAME Melbourne v Brisbane at The MCG - Saturday, 31 March 2011 at 1.45pm.

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 19 wins Brisbane 10 wins

MCG Melbourne 5 Brisbane 2 wins

Since 2000 Melbourne 8 wins Brisbane 7 wins

The Coaches Neeld 0 wins Voss 0 win

MEDIA

TV Fox Footy (live at 1:30pm AEST)

RADIO SEN ABC774 3AW Triple M

THE BETTING Melbourne $1.42 Brisbane $3.00

THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 12.10.82 defeated Brisbane 11.5.71 at The MCG Round 3, 2011

The Lions got the jump on the Demons and looked set for a big win when they led by five goals into the second term but the home side fought back thanks to the midfield dominance of Brent Moloney and the magic of Liam Jurrah who was at his best and booted five goals.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs Joel Macdonald James Frawley Clint Bartram

Half backs Rohan Bail Jared Rivers Colin Garland

Centreline Jack Watts Jack Grimes Nathan Jones

Half forwards Jack Trengove Brad Green Jeremy Howe

Forwards Aaron Davey Mitch Clark Stef Martin

Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney James Magner

Interchange Matthew Bate Sam Blease Jordie McKenzie Josh Tynan

Emergencies Tom Couch Lynden Dunn James Sellar

New Mitch Clark (Brisbane) James Magner (Sandringham) Josh Tynan (Gippsland Power)

BRISBANE

Backs Niall McKeever Daniel Merrett Ashley  McGrath

Half backs Mitch Golby Matt Maguire Daniel Rich 

Centreline Tom Rockliff Jed Adcock  Pearce Hanley 

Half forwards Jared Polec Joel Patfull Todd Banfield 

Forwards James Polkinghorne Matthew Leuenberger Ryan Lester

Followers Ben Hudson Simon Black  Jack Redden 

Interchange  Claye Beams Rohan Bewick Sam Sheldon Cheynee Stiller

Emergencies Ryan Harwood Billy Longer Jesse O’Brien 

New Ben Hudson (Western Bulldogs)

THE HARDEST TEAM TO BEAT

Rookie coach Mark Neeld has been working over the summer in an attempt to make Melbourne a harder team to play against and the reason is obvious.

The feeling in the football fraternity is that the Demons are fragile and this was borne out in 2011 when they gave supporters a roller coaster ride lurching from massive victories to pathetic losses from one week to another. Inconsistency in performance is not only infuriating, it's a sign that a team has some deep seated problems. When the chips were down this team awful as it was on that fateful day in July last year when it meekly succumbed to the eventual premiers Geelong without so much of a whimper to Geelong at Skilled Park or Simmonds Stadium (whatever they’re calling it these days – we all know where it is).

Several months down the track and the entire group is well aware that this performance needs to be erased from the memory banks and that it can only be atoned for on the field by a major improvement in standard and endeavour right across the ground. Many of us thought we were getting there when the team beat Collingwood in NAB Cup Week 2 despite it being a pre season game against a weakened Magpie line up. But it took less than a week for that to unravel with a weak effort against Hawthorn and then again a week later in Adelaide.

The excuse that these aberrations occurred in Mickey Mouse matches played in March was proffered but only partly accepted.The fact is that Melbourne has not finished higher than 12th since 2006 and the team building excuse is wearing off. What is needed are some visible signs of progress and Saturday can't come soon enough.

So what will we be looking to see with the Demons?

The way is see it, Melbourne looks the better side on paper in most of the positions around the ground but the big question mark is how will its revamped midfield perform? What can it do against an up and coming Brisbane group that includes the likes of Rich, Rockliff, Redden and the irrepressible Simon Black. Melbourne has a good array of hard workers who have been winning the contested ball but falling down with the (in)efficiency of their disposal and some poor decision-making. Neeld has worked them hard in the off season and there's more grunt there so if his team can win in this department and get the ball to Clark and co on the forward line, I expect the Dees will get off to a good start.

Melbourne by 33 points.

how wrong we all were...