It was a misty night in early September, 2006 when Melbourne last beat St. Kilda before 67,528 people who came to the MCG for an elimination final. The rain began to fall as half time began and those hearts that beat true for the Demons were downcast as their team, in arrears by 20 points (it could have been worse had they not scored the last goal of the second quarter), trudged slowly into the rooms. It would take a champion effort to turn things around.

The effort came in the form of a sensational last half by the team led by youngster Brock McLean (in his 46th AFL game) who played the game of his short football lifetime up to that point. The deficit was reduced to nine points by the final change and a devastating last term saw Melbourne home by three goals. They lost ruckman Mark Jamar with a broken foot and Matthew Whelan to a shoulder injury and lost the Semi Final in Perth the following week but still finished in a higher position in 2006 than any of the other Victorian clubs.

Since then the teams have met eight times and the result has always been the same - comprehensive victories for the Saints (the best effort was an 18 point margin last year) before ever dwindling numbers and an ever increasingly gloomy outlook for both clubs; in Melbourne's case it has touched on despair.

It is not for the first or even the second time since that finals encounter - but the third - that Melbourne has found it necessary to play out a season with a caretaker coach. It is the fourth occasion in that time that the team has reached the halfway mark of the season with but a single victory to its name.

Most at the club have had enough of this but the question still hangs in the air. Is there anything that can be done to turn things around?

THE GAME

St. Kilda v Melbourne at MCG Saturday 22nd June, 2013 at 4:40pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall St. Kilda 85 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn

At MCG St. Kilda 33 wins Melbourne 58 wins

Since 2000 St. Kilda 10 wins Melbourne 9 wins

The Coaches Watters 0 wins Craig 0 wins

MEDIA

TV Fox Footy Channel Live at 4.30pm

RADIO ABC K Rock

THE BETTING

St. Kilda to win $1.13 Melbourne to win $6.00

THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 16.11.107 defeated Melbourne 12.10.82, Round 20, 2012 at the MCG

Sam Blease had a stand out game with five goals and helped the Demons come from a long way behind to give the Saints a minor scare before emerging winners by 25 points.

There was some doubt earlier in the week as to whether Saints' small forward Stephen Milne would play because of alleged homophobic comments towards Heritier O'Brien of Collingwood. He made it and played but he's not so lucky this time around.

THE TEAMS

ST. KILDA

Backs Rhys Stanley James Gwilt Dylan Roberton
Half backs Jarryn Geary Sam Fisher Jack Newnes
Centreline David Armitage Sean Dempster Terry Milera
Half forwards Nick Dal Santo Justin Koschitzke Clint Jones
Forwards Trent Dennis-Lane Nick Riewoldt Jack Steven
Followers Ben McEvoy Leigh Montagna Farren Ray
Interchange Sam Dunell Seb Ross Tom Simpkin Jimmy Webster
Emergencies Brodie Murdoch Ahmed Saad Arryn Siposs

In Sam Fisher Justin Koschitzke Terry Milera Tom Simpkin

Out Beau Maister (hamstring) Stephen Milne Ahmed Saad Josh Saunders

MELBOURNE

Backs Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Dean Terlich
Half backs Tom McDonald Cam Pedersen Mitch Clisby
Centreline Jeremy Howe Jack Trengove Matt Jones
Half forwards Aaron Davey Chris Dawes Sam Blease
Forwards Shannon Byrnes Colin Sylvia David Rodan
Followers Jake Spencer Jack Watts Nathan Jones
Interchange Jack Fitzpatrick Dean Kent Daniel Nicholson Jimmy Toumpas
Emergencies Max Gawn James Magner James Sellar

In Shannon Byrnes Mitch Clisby Dan Nicholson Jake Spencer

Out Michael Evans (foot) Mark Jamar (toe) Jordie McKenzie (elbow) Luke Tapscott

New Mitch Clisby (23, North Adelaide)

TWILIGHT ZONE

There's a game this Saturday scheduled to take place in a time nestled between day and night usually reserved for fixtures that aren't quite right. Like most matches between 16 and 17th placed teams it deserves its placement outside the normal hours for the game and indeed, until the events of last week, it would have attracted minor interest from those outside the group of avid fans of the respective clubs. The strange case of Stephen Milne and the charges of rape from nine years ago and the equally strange (on a different plane) case of Mark Neeld's dismissal have combined to ensure that there will be a substantial amount of public interest in this game. After all, the media ghouls have been feasting on the two stories for the entire week.

The back story from the Milne affair is the alleged player revolt at St. Kilda in support of their teammate and the question marks against the entire culture of a club whose history of extracurricular party boy activities precedes it and has become the stuff of legend. How will they respond this week?

There are a myriad of questions about Melbourne in the wake of Neeld's departure, mine being about the confidence of the playing group and whether the changes that are taking place both on and off the field under a quasi AFL regime will have a positive effect to their mindset. Do the players trust the people in charge?

Selecting the winner remains easy on paper. You only have to look at each team's most recent performance. The Saints were genuinely unlucky not to bring home the four points against the Eagles in a pressure cooker game while the Demons could only maintain one quarter of pressure before the Magpies swamped them.

While St. Kilda is missing personnel who have hurt Melbourne in the past - Hayes, Milne (always seems to kick the opening goal in these games), Meister etc. - the missing Demons are so important in terms of the strength and team depth that are so crucial in young, inexperienced sides.

Ultimately, the difference between the two might be determined at the top of the class in terms of the two Saints celebrating their 250th games for they personify two of the main ingredients that the Demons lack. Nick Riewodlt is a true champion of the game, a key position player with a great engine and plenty of courage and Nick dal Santo is a clever and classy midfielder. Both can turn the course of games but their team won't need to change anything this week. I expect them to be far too strong.

St. Kilda by 37 points.

You know how I feel. It's a new dawn. It's a new day. It's a new life. For me. And I' m feeling good

I can't believe that they have dropped Maister; he always kills us.

The game will come down to Tom McDonald's start on Nick Riewoldt, if he can keep him out of the game early then I feel like we can be competitive with them for a majority of the game.

At the end of the day, they should win the midfield battle and I feel that Spencer and Fitzpatrick playing ruck and rotating ruck will be comprehensively beaten by McEvoy and Kosi but i dont think they have a forwardline that is capable of scoring a large score and i think our defense should be able to match up on them alright.

Also, my sneaky tip for this week is that Fitzpatrick will chase down Rhys Stanley at one stage while the commentators talk about how fast Stanley is as he tries to break the lines and that Fitzy will kick 3 goals and play a solid game.

THE TURN by Whispering Jack

............................................................................................................................

St. Kilda by 37 points.

Two points out. I expect better from you Jack!

Two points out. I expect better from you Jack!

He knows...Jack !!!

THE TURN by Whispering Jack

It was a misty night in early September, 2006 when Melbourne last beat St. Kilda before 67,528 people who came to the MCG for an elimination final. The rain began to fall as half time began and those hearts that beat true for the Demons were downcast as their team, in arrears by 20 points (it could have been worse had they not scored the last goal of the second quarter), trudged slowly into the rooms. It would take a champion effort to turn things around.

The effort came in the form of a sensational last half by the team led by youngster Brock McLean (in his 46th AFL game) who played the game of his short football lifetime up to that point. The deficit was reduced to nine points by the final change and a devastating last term saw Melbourne home by three goals. They lost ruckman Mark Jamar with a broken foot and Matthew Whelan to a shoulder injury and lost the Semi Final in Perth the following week but still finished in a higher position in 2006 than any of the other Victorian clubs.

Since then the teams have met eight times and the result has always been the same - comprehensive victories for the Saints (the best effort was an 18 point margin last year) before ever dwindling numbers and an ever increasingly gloomy outlook for both clubs; in Melbourne's case it has touched on despair.

It is not for the first or even the second time since that finals encounter - but the third - that Melbourne has found it necessary to play out a season with a caretaker coach. It is the fourth occasion in that time that the team has reached the halfway mark of the season with but a single victory to its name.

Most at the club have had enough of this but the question still hangs in the air. Is there anything that can be done to turn things around?THE GAME

St. Kilda v Melbourne at MCG Saturday 22nd June, 2013 at 4:40pmHEAD TO HEAD

Overall St. Kilda 85 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn

At MCG St. Kilda 33 wins Melbourne 58 wins

Since 2000 St. Kilda 10 wins Melbourne 9 wins

The Coaches Watters 0 wins Craig 0 winsMEDIA

TV Fox Footy Channel Live at 4.30pm

RADIO ABC K RockTHE BETTING

St. Kilda to win $1.13 Melbourne to win $6.00THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 16.11.107 defeated Melbourne 12.10.82, Round 20, 2012 at the MCG

Sam Blease had a stand out game with five goals and helped the Demons come from a long way behind to give the Saints a minor scare before emerging winners by 25 points.

There was some doubt earlier in the week as to whether Saints' small forward Stephen Milne would play because of alleged homophobic comments towards Heritier O'Brien of Collingwood. He made it and played but he's not so lucky this time around.THE TEAMS

ST. KILDA

Backs Rhys Stanley James Gwilt Dylan Roberton

Half backs Jarryn Geary Sam Fisher Jack Newnes

Centreline David Armitage Sean Dempster Terry Milera

Half forwards Nick Dal Santo Justin Koschitzke Clint Jones

Forwards Trent Dennis-Lane Nick Riewoldt Jack Steven

Followers Ben McEvoy Leigh Montagna Farren Ray

Interchange Sam Dunell Seb Ross Tom Simpkin Jimmy Webster

Emergencies Brodie Murdoch Ahmed Saad Arryn Siposs

In Sam Fisher Justin Koschitzke Terry Milera Tom Simpkin

Out Beau Maister (hamstring) Stephen Milne Ahmed Saad Josh SaundersMELBOURNE

Backs Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Dean Terlich

Half backs Tom McDonald Cam Pedersen Mitch Clisby

Centreline Jeremy Howe Jack Trengove Matt Jones

Half forwards Aaron Davey Chris Dawes Sam Blease

Forwards Shannon Byrnes Colin Sylvia David Rodan

Followers Jake Spencer Jack Watts Nathan Jones

Interchange Jack Fitzpatrick Dean Kent Daniel Nicholson Jimmy Toumpas

Emergencies Max Gawn James Magner James Sellar

In Shannon Byrnes Mitch Clisby Dan Nicholson Jake Spencer

Out Michael Evans (foot) Mark Jamar (toe) Jordie McKenzie (elbow) Luke Tapscott

New Mitch Clisby (23, North Adelaide)TWILIGHT ZONE

There's a game this Saturday scheduled to take place in a time nestled between day and night usually reserved for fixtures that aren't quite right. Like most matches between 16 and 17th placed teams it deserves its placement outside the normal hours for the game and indeed, until the events of last week, it would have attracted minor interest from those outside the group of avid fans of the respective clubs. The strange case of Stephen Milne and the charges of rape from nine years ago and the equally strange (on a different plane) case of Mark Neeld's dismissal have combined to ensure that there will be a substantial amount of public interest in this game. After all, the media ghouls have been feasting on the two stories for the entire week.

The back story from the Milne affair is the alleged player revolt at St. Kilda in support of their teammate and the question marks against the entire culture of a club whose history of extracurricular party boy activities precedes it and has become the stuff of legend. How will they respond this week?

There are a myriad of questions about Melbourne in the wake of Neeld's departure, mine being about the confidence of the playing group and whether the changes that are taking place both on and off the field under a quasi AFL regime will have a positive effect to their mindset. Do the players trust the people in charge?

Selecting the winner remains easy on paper. You only have to look at each team's most recent performance. The Saints were genuinely unlucky not to bring home the four points against the Eagles in a pressure cooker game while the Demons could only maintain one quarter of pressure before the Magpies swamped them.

While St. Kilda is missing personnel who have hurt Melbourne in the past - Hayes, Milne (always seems to kick the opening goal in these games), Meister etc. - the missing Demons are so important in terms of the strength and team depth that are so crucial in young, inexperienced sides.

Ultimately, the difference between the two might be determined at the top of the class in terms of the two Saints celebrating their 250th games for they personify two of the main ingredients that the Demons lack. Nick Riewodlt is a true champion of the game, a key position player with a great engine and plenty of courage and Nick dal Santo is a clever and classy midfielder. Both can turn the course of games but their team won't need to change anything this week. I expect them to be far too strong.

St. Kilda by 37 points.

Jack, I also think of a great match a season or two earlier when Rivers went onto Riewoldt before half time, after the Roo kicked 6 from memory on Alastair Nicholson. This was before Rivers' serious injury which clearly cost him speed and mobility. he kept Riewoldt to 1 more goal. We won a great contest.

The reason I mention it is because McDonald's game on Riewoldt yesterday was similarly first rate. I thought it perhaps his best game, certainly his best this year. But for 2 frees, one of which was gained in the midfield by another player, Nick would have kicked 1.