PLAYING TEAMS INTO FORM by The Oracle

Melbourne has made it a habit of late to play its opponents into form. The Brisbane Lions are a case in point.

I watched most of their game last week against North Melbourne and they were pathetic. They looked sluggish, ran to the wrong places when they did run and were outplayed by superior opposition. By a strange quirk of the draw they sit ahead of the Kangaroos on the AFL ladder today but I doubt whether that will last.

But enough of that game. Back home at the Gabba they weathered Melbourne's efforts in the first quarter when the teams were on equal terms at the first break and were only a goal in front by half time but they were never going to lose. By then, it was clear that they had worked their way back into form by a team that simply appeared unable or unwilling enough to put in the hard work and the hard yards necessary to get on top in a game.

Brisbane was leading the game significantly in most of the key indicators and in particular the disposal count where it was led by former Demon best and fairest Brent Moloney who put into the game significantly more effort than he had appeared to do at any time under coach Mark Neeld last year when he was at Melbourne. At least he was able to momentarily recapture the old combination of the Russian tapping the ball to Beamer in the middle although it wasn't to the effect intended back in the good old days when they dominated every second week. With Nathan Jones pretty well covered in the midfield, Melbourne struggled while the Lions prospered even without Simon Black and Daniel Rich.

When things are going bad, they really go bad and things went pear shaped in the third quarter when the Lions inevitably got on top and the hapless Demons committed coach killing errors to let the home side effortlessly stride to a five goal buffer which they kept to the end.

The sad part from my point of view is that, although the mature age newcomers like Matt Jones and Dean Terlich are being persevered with and doing well, there seems to be little improvement from the early twenty somethings and not much of an inclination to go with a youth policy. Injuries to Clark and Dawes don't help either as the club lurches into a never land of long term failure to improve.

Melbourne 5.3.33 7.5.47 10.7.67 14.10.94

Brisbane 5.3.33 7.11.53 13.14.92 17.20.122

Goals

Melbourne Gawn Howe Watts 2 Bail Davey Jamar Jones McKenzie Pedersen Rodan Tapscott

Brisbane Brown Leuenberger Zorko 3 Cornelius 2 Adcock Bewick Paparone Polkinghorne Redden Rockliff

Best

MelbourneB yrnes Sylvia Terlich Watts Garland Gawn

Brisbane Moloney Mayes Polkinghorne Leuenberger Zorko Rockliff

Injuries

Melbourne Nil

Brisbane Nil

Changes

Melbourne Nil

Brisbane Nil

Reports

Melbourne Nil

Brisbane Polkinghorne (Brisbane) for tripping Byrnes in the second quarter

Umpires McBurney Leppard Bannister

Crowd 19,018 at Gabba