RIPE FOR THE PICKING? by JVM

I spent the better part of Sunday between fighting off a self-inflicted headache from the previous late night's celebrations (which included watching a replay of the game) and fending off congratulatory phone calls from friends and acquaintances who have been giving me a hell of a bagging during what has truly been an annus horribilus for Demon fans. The majority of the callers were Bomber fans and this left me wondering whether they were being nice and magnanimous or alternatively, were they getting in first to avoid an almighty ribbing.

The Collingwood fans in my circle were noticeably absent from my list of callers. I suspect they were too busy preparing for the twilight game at the G that evening against Gary Ablett and his team of schoolboys where they would witness the only team in the competition to go 0 and 10. Strangely enough, that lot have managed to go through a half season of abject failure with very little media scrutiny and their coach was even re-appointed without an obligatory visit to the psychiatrist's couch.

And nobody even said, "boo"?

But I digress. The Bomber fans were totally stunned by the resolute nature of the Demon defence and the intensity and resolve of the group. A few came up with lame excuses citing the fact that the Bombers were ordinary in the game before against GWS and they were heading for a fall - ripe for the picking.

Now, Melbourne comes up against the traditional enemy in Collingwood which brushed off the Suns like little insects providing nothing more than a minor irritation. It's leader who wears as many hats as he has chins was, as is customary, spending the days following that win talking up problematic issues within a rival club in a clear attempt to destabilise the coach and his team. No problem there but would he be commenting in similar fashion if it was Nathan Buckley who was under the pump?

Buckley is fairly safe for the time being because the Magpies have won the last seven games on the trot, are playing with a confidence that borders on arrogance and have established themselves as premiership favourites. They have reached this point despite some serious injury woes with their champion midfielder, Scott Pendlebury, the latest in a long line of victims.

So are they ripe for the picking too?

THE GAME

Melbourne v. Collingwood at the MCG – Monday 13 June 2011 at 3.15pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 79 wins Collingwood 142 wins 5 draws

At the MCG Melbourne 59 wins Collingwood 75 wins 3 draws

Since 2000 Melbourne 5 wins Collingwood 9 wins 1 draw

The Coaches Neeld 0 wins Buckley 0 wins

MEDIA

TV - Channel 7 & Fox Footy Channel live at 3.00pm.

RADIO - SEN ABC774 3AW Triple M

THE BETTING

Melbourne to win $8.00 Collingwood to win $1.08

LAST TIME THEY MET

Collingwood 19.15.129 defeated Melbourne 6.5.41 Round 12 at the MCG

The Demons were fresh off a big Friday night win over the Bombers and, given their excellent record against the Pies in both of their matches in the 2010 season, their was a fair amount of enthusiasm for the contest in the days leading up to the game. This dissipated early in the piece when the Magpie Machine applied the press and the Dees wilted. The last quarter was a procession of goals all going the way of Collingwood who recorded their biggest win over Melbourne in fourteen years.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs James Sellar Jared Rivers Tom McDonald

Half backs Daniel Nicholson Jack Watts James Frawley

Centreline Jack Grimes James Magner Cale Morton

Half forwards Nathan Jones Colin Garland Colin Sylvia

Forwards Jack Trengove Mitch Clark Jeremy Howe

Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Jordie McKenzie

Interchange Sam Blease Lynden Dunn Brad Green Luke Tapscott

Emergencies Matthew Bate Aaron Davey Joel Macdonald

In James Frawley

Out Joel Macdonald

COLLINGWOOD

Backs Chris Tarrant Nathan Brown Heritier O'Brien

Half backs Martin Clarke Nick Maxwell Marley Williams

Centreline Jarryd Blair Dale Thomas Simon Buckley

Half forwards Ben Sinclair Chris Dawes Alex Fasolo

Forwards Tyson Goldsack Travis Cloke Dayne Beams

Interchange Alan Didak Jamie Elliot Sharrod Wellingham Tom Young

Emergencies Paul Seedsman Kirk Ugle Cameron Wood

In Darren Jolly Dane Swan Chris Tarrant

Out Scott Pendlebury (leg) Kirk Ugle Cameron Wood

Umpires M.Stevic (9) M.Nicholls (15) J.Bannister (33) B.Hosking (16)

UNLEASHING THE GENIE by JVM

Has Mark Neeld been playing around with our heads?

The thought came to me when I studied the replay of last Saturday night’s triumphal victory over Essendon and I noticed such a stark difference between the way the team played the game in comparison to its early season performances.

Back in round one against Brisbane, they played it hard in the first half and were only a bee’s diaphragm short behind the Lions at the main break. A great deal of the play was being directed towards the flanks and the team was rather one-dimensional in its forward movement. If it didn’t hit the big bloke (Clark) who was often being double teamed in the marking duels, the ball would be repulsed easily. After half time in particular, the Brisbane midfield, led by a rampant Simon Black took control in the heat of the afternoon while their counterparts virtually waved the white flag. They seemingly were unable to run and spread to combat the effectiveness of their opponents. The result was a disaster.

In between round one and ten a lot of bad things happened but in the past couple of games there has been a discernible lift in the intent of the players and suddenly, against Essendon, they won the possession count and played with confidence and flair for four quarters. The result was a victory over a team that would otherwise be sitting on top of the AFL ladder. It was as if someone had unleashed the genie from the bottle - a triumph.

Of course Bomber fans will tell you that they lost because they were awful, they were sloppy, the conditions were bad and they kicked badly but that doesn’t give enough credit to the strength of Melbourne’s defensive play or the fact that, for the first time this year, they had more than a single effective attacking target. We don’t know yet whether they’ve completely turned the corner but a win is a win is a win.

The question now is whether they can repeat the dose against the Magpies and no doubt many would simply laugh at this suggestion. Collingwood is coming off seven successive wins and is, along with the Eagles, the form team of the competition at the moment. And they might be without Scott Pendlebury who has a cracked tibia but they welcome back a handy replacement in Brownlow Medallist Dane Swan – available after a hamstring injury - as well as Chris Tarrant and Darren Jolly. You might recall that the Pies were so cocky about the equivalent fixture last year that the sent Swan off for a couple of week’s R and R in Arizona before he came back and destroyed all before him to win the Charlie.

One advantage that Melbourne has is that Mark Neeld should have full knowledge of the workings of the Collingwood midfield. The big question mark is whether he knows how to shut them down because many others have tried and failed in that task. Guy McKenna couldn’t come close even with one midfielder who equalled the world possession record of 53 so the Demons have their work cut out for them.

In any event, I don’t think the Demons are ready yet for the back to back stuff and most of us will be happy to see another gritty, determined performance that sees them finish within five goals of the traditional enemy.

Collingwood by 29 points.

many people doing the walk to the g on monday?

Well.. we are often accused of rising to the occasion of this game and then falling away. Tbh, i'd be fine and happy should we get up on Monday only to dissolve after. Its Collingwood. I love to beat Collingwood. I stil rate us as "THE" rivalry of this code. maybe im just old !! lol

Have we forgotten that lets alone a game of two old foes its a game of the debutant-coaches...that is prodige 1 v prodige 2

This could be a very watchable and enjoyable game. We have nothing really to lose unless you call a winning streak of 1 worthy.

Then again....

Go Dees

It's funny, I'm strangely, uncomfortably confident about this one. Yeah, I know one win is no reason to think we've turned the corner, and that's why I'm uncomfortable. My head tells me not to be stupid but something else is stirring deep inside me that sees great things ahead. I'm not sure what to do about it. $8 for the win seems like reasonable value but I would have expected more. Maybe the bookies suspect an upset. I wonder how much the odds are on a 50 point margin. Can someone sit me down and talk some sense into me - please - I'm scared I'm going to put the house on it.

many people doing the walk to the g on monday?

Ill have to forego this game unfortunately...( bugger )as will be helping bro-inlaw reclain his caravan park in Bairnsdale. What makes it worse is hes a bloody Collingwood supporter ( as is wife and all her filthy tribe )

Shall be listening intently though

If our endeavour is like last week you just never know what might happen.

And if we kick straight it would assist us greatly also as we will drop heads quickly against a good side.

Rise for another win Demons!

The win against the bombers last week was great, but we MUST back it up with a similar effort this week or it will be simply seen as an anomaly.

I'm not saying win or it's nothing, but I want the pies to come off the ground and know they've played us.

Round 11 Melbourne team

Backs James Sellar Jared Rivers Tom McDonald

Half backs Daniel Nicholson Jack Watts James Frawley

Centreline Jack Grimes James Magner Joel Macdonald

Half forwards Nathan Jones Colin Garland Colin Sylvia

Forwards Jack Trengove Mitch Clark Jeremy Howe

Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Jordie McKenzie

Interchange (from) Rohan Bail Matthew Bate Sam Blease Lynden Dunn Brad Green Cale Morton Luke Tapscott

In Rohan Bail Matthew Bate James Frawley

Out

On that bench, it's gotta be in: Frawley, out: Green.

Decent preview from a Pies fan available here (sans one typo):

http://sportsmatt.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/afl-round-11-collingwood-vs-melbourne-match-preview/

On that bench, it's gotta be in: Frawley, out: Green.

Morton should be out for Bail.

Morton should be out for Bail.

I wouldn't make that swap.

Decent preview from a Pies fan available here (sans one typo):

http://sportsmatt.wo...-match-preview/

Great read, thanks for the link!

Hope Blease gets up for the game

I wouldn't make that swap.

Nor would i.

Decent preview from a Pies fan available here (sans one typo):

http://sportsmatt.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/afl-round-11-collingwood-vs-melbourne-match-preview/

Excellent run down. Hope it is a lot closer though!!

Think the bench will be Bail, Morton, Dunn and Tappy.

Blease injured? Green not up to it anymore, unfortunately. Bate needs to dominate at Casey for many weeks before consideration.

Hoping Couch gets the nod sometime in the second half of the year.

Excellent run down. Hope it is a lot closer though!!

Yes, couldn't fault that preview apart from the fact he had Bartram as an in instead of Bail. Very well thought out and well balanced piece of writing.

I notice that Bard Green gets a game again for the Dees: "For sure I got a knee in the guts, it surely beats a kick in the nuts".

I notice that Bard Green gets a game again for the Dees: "For sure I got a knee in the guts, it surely beats a kick in the nuts".

Bard Green?!!!

Heard him say he wasn't sure of his of his future beyond 2012...

To be a Dee, or not to be a Dee. That is the question.

Decent preview from a Pies fan available here (sans one typo):

http://sportsmatt.wo...-match-preview/

Pretty fair for mine. Id like a better scoreline and we may well get one but even as such I wouldnt bleed too much at 46 ( this year )

Obviously Frawley will come in.

I reckon if Blease is fit that might be the only change and you find Bail is first emergency.

I'm taking my best mate into the MCC as a guest for the first time. Unfortunately he is a Filth supporter. He'd be a great bloke otherwise. Might let him loose in the Frank Grey or Sir Berny bars as we watch an historic upset- the Demons costing two teams in two weeks the top spot on the ladder.

Then i saw the Pies ins and suddenly me not so confident.

But like when Mark Thompson went to Essendon last year and they dismantled Geelong when no-one thought they would, i too am hoping Neeld will be able to dismantle the Pies and we see another rip snorting game of footy!

I can see a pretty solid line up there, a bit of every thing across the lines, it looks well balanced to me , bit o strength, skill, pace, and afta seeing what was produced last week from pretty well the same bunch, I've been uplifted by our mob's effort and feel confident going into this game, and it's been a long time since that has happened.....go DEE's

Bard Green?!!!

To play...or not to play.

Whether tis nobler to suffer the pack marks or go to town against an enemy .....

sorry

I wouldn't make that swap.

Me either Moreton is really doing much more Bail is perhaps less of a player

Cale needs confidence and should be rewarded for a good effort last week

I'm not a big Morton fan and would prefer Bail over Morton every week of the year, but Morton played really well last week and I hope he doesn't get dropped.