OPPORTUNITY LOST by Mean Gene

Football as a game is all about making the most out of your opportunities. When you fail to do that then its likely that you'll fail in your objective of winning and Melbourne certainly proved that in front of a meagre crowd of 6,714 at TIO Stadium for its encounter with Port Adelaide.

Among those in attendance for the Top End game were some bemused looking US marines who picked an unusual venue for a spot of R 'n' R from their battles in Afghanistan. Their opponents from Al Quaeda were smarter. They gave the game a miss which was the right move because it turned into one that was well deserving of the AFL's smallest crowd of the year.

A depleted Melbourne side came out of the blocks looking bound for a winning result for the second week in a row, this time against a fellow cellar dweller. And for the second week in a row, they blew their chances.

Brad Green was in fine marking form in the early going as the Dees made a promising start in the mild to warm conditions. Stef Martin was handling the rucking duties in concert with Jake Spencer and when he went forward, booted an inspirational goal. The defence was working hard and forcing the Power forwards into error. 

They held a handy 13-point lead at quarter time but the momentum of the game turned dramatically in the second term when their scoreboard advantage was soon reeled in by a Port Adelaide that showed far more desperation for the win and for the football. Meanwhile, Melbourne continued to do what it has been doing best - hugging the boundary lines, making the wrong decisions with the football and breaking down up forward.

Port Adelaide was not much better but, by going down the corridor, it was able to at least score. The result was that the Power had taken a firm grip on the game by half time even if the lead was only 9 points. With Green covered and Martin, who looked had looked dangerous when he went forward early in the proceedings now nowhere to be seen, the Demon forward line had gone missing. It was clear that they lacked the scoring power to win the game.

From that point on, the Demons seemed to do most of the attacking but failed to make very much of their opportunities while their opponents managed to score goals when they went into attack. Strangely enough, it was Melbourne who finished with far more inside 50s (55 to 45) than Port yet this advantage was turned into a deficit of 16 to 24 in scoring shots and after quarter time, they converted only 3 out of 11 into goals.

Of course, there was no Mitch Clark or Liam Jurrah up on the forward line or anyone else apart from Green early and a couple of goals from Jared Rivers in the last half but let's face it, the latter is a good defender playing a makeshift role up forward. The forward line selected for this match was never going to be likely to win a game like this with an ineffectual midfield providing sub standard delivery. 

Melbourne was not even able to gain inspiration from the hanger which Jeremy Howe took - he was one of the offenders when it came to converting opportunities to score goals. 

Perhaps it was the steamy conditions of tropical Darwin or the fact that there's nothing to play for (although for quite a few their futures in the game were on the line) but there weren't many four quarter performances on the night. Captain Jack Grimes was one of them , Tom McDonald was the best of the defenders  and one or two others put in some effort but this was a game that could have been won had the team not failed to grasp its opportunities.

Melbourne 5.0.30 5.1.31 7.5.47 8.8.56

Port Adelaide 2.5.17 5.10.40 8.10.58 12.12.84

Goals

Melbourne Green Rivers 2 Blease Jones Martin Sylvia

Port Adelaide P Stewart 5 Boak Broadbent Brett Ebert Lobbe D Stewart   Wingard Young

Best

Melbourne Grimes Jones McDonald Nicholson Sylvia Macdonald

  

Port Adelaide Boak P Stewart Cassisi Brett Ebert Pearce Cornes

Injuries

Melbourne Nil.

Port Adelaide Pittard (ribs)

Changes

Melbourne Nil.

Port Adelaide Nil.

Reports

Melbourne Nil.

Port Adelaide Nil.

Umpires Dalgleish Kamolins Hosking

Crowd 6,714 at TIO Stadium.

Please let this season end.

Gold coasts form is picking up, Dees could be ripe for the picking. Beamer must come back into the side next week. Not looking forward to North, seem to beat up on us

IT WAS SHITE.

No accountability on or off the ground.

Mark Neeld has a hell of a lot to answer for, and our list seems to be a lot worse than anyone could foresee after years of rebuilding.

Beamer must come back into the side next week.

Only if his form warrants it.

Accountability. Player and coach apologists, don't even set foot in here.

The Dean Bailey era absolutely ruined our forward structure and we're still recovering. The old "press up the ground and then run back towards goal" strategy absolutely destroyed our players' ability to play as part of a standard forward structure.

Thank god for F1 qualifying, Le tour time trial and British open round 3 to watch - gotta be some sort of good performance to watch after that garbage

Does anyone think this [censored] will ever end?

I'm all for sticking with the team but geez it would be nice to see consistent improvement over 5 years rather than going backwards.

If Neeld comments on any postives out of this match I will vomit.

I wonder what its like to support a successful team?

One of the worst displays I've seen.

Inept ball movement. They had no idea what they were doing.

Zero structure. Poor coaching. Bombing long to a small forward line. It requires a Howe hanger to get a mark inside 50.

Why Jetta?

Cant question the effort but foot skills are confidence and we are devoid of it

Can't believe our disposal efficiency was higher than Port's.

Can't believe a nobody kicked 5 on us.

Can't believe we nearly doubled their tackle count and lost by nearly 5 goals.

Back to Etihad.

Awesome.

No accountability on or off the ground.

Mark Neeld has a hell of a lot to answer for, and our list seems to be a lot worse than anyone could foresee after years of rebuilding.

I dare say his predecessor's have a lot to answer for. Then there is the recruiting.

The list was already evident.

I wonder what its like to support a successful team?

Probably expensive, what with all the memorabilia and replica Premiership Cups you buy.

Put Clark, Jurrah, Jamar, Watts and Davey in and we'd still be terrible because we have no midfield, but we wouldn't be THAT terrible.

Is the club still having those crisis meetings with members? I think they might need to hold a few more if this keeps us. Not a lot to look forward to I'm afraid.

The Dean Bailey era absolutely ruined our forward structure and we're still recovering. The old "press up the ground and then run back towards goal" strategy absolutely destroyed our players' ability to play as part of a standard forward structure.

Well said. That sort of gameplan was officially broken after that Hawthorn game at the start of last year. The team hasn't recovered since that match. It's the same problems.

This playing list was rated very highly (for a young list) before Neeld arrived - playing lists do NOT change dramatically in one year at any club.

Neeld and co. out, and advertise and recruit replacements.

I found it as excrutiating as everyone who watched. I would like to comfort myself by making a few observations that aren't new, simply confirmed.

Spencer doesn't give us much

Petterd is a spent force

Howe is slipping in output

Martin didn't follow up on last weeks good game

Frawley continues to be middle of the road in 2012

Sylvia busted a gut trying to lift us

Lack of poise/confidence across the list (the losing culture)

Green was very good in 1st, faded and it's time!

McDonald is our best backman these days

Bail kept coming

Blease is a one trick pony, but its a good trick!

Jones is in struggle town, worn down to previous mistakes

Magner is making too many mistakes for a man who was on a mission

Couch faded badly

We are going to be a bottom four side for a few years yet

I dare say his predecessor's have a lot to answer for. Then there is the recruiting.

The list was already evident.

His predecessor won more games in his first season, with arguably a worse list, than I reckon Neeld will.

His predecessor also got 8 wins out of the same list last year, including over Port in Darwin.

We can keep blaming Bailey, and our recruiting til the cows come home, or the people in charge now can try to show us something positive to hold onto. Because right now we have done nothing but go backwards. We are no more defensive, but we certainly seem to have lost our ability to attack. We are back to ground zero.

I'd like to see what Neeld's legacy will be. I desperately hope it's a good one, but my hope is not based on anything I've seen thus far. It is just a reason to keep holding on.

obviously a lot of people were wrong in how this team was rated

We are a club without a "team". Great facilities, 10+ coaches, no debt............but no team.

We will struggle against GWS in Sydney & GC in Qld.

Bottom is not beyond us.

A new low point for the Demons. I'm looking forward to reading RPFC, Nasher and whatever alias Enforcer is using trying to shout down discussion on this game. Surely even they can not spin this one.

Boring game, predictable result. Not fussed by the result at all, it's the same crud we've served up all year so I'm pretty used to it now.

I have never been a fan of Brian Royal. Last year defence coach,they were rubbish!! This year mid field! Are total garbage!!!

Boring game, predictable result. Not fussed by the result at all, it's the same crud we've served up all year so I'm pretty used to it now.

And.............