THE TIME MACHINE by Whispering Jack

[Demonland 73,140]

It says something for the indomitable spirit of the Demon faithful that so many turned up last night to the club's sixth annual Foundation Heroes dinner and how so many contributed to their ailing club's cause.

This has been the case ever since the late Jim Stynes and Don McLardy launched the concept which had already raised in excess of $6m and by last year had wiped off the black hole of millions of dollars in debt but now, the situation was in many ways more dire than ever before.

Since last year's FH function things have gone downhill considerably. Having tragically lost Jim to cancer, the club lurched through the tanking enquiry and its aftermath and then the wheels fell off with the team underperforming so badly that we saw heads rolling and a projected profit of $200k turning into a sea of red ink and a potentially massive drain on club finances. The club faced a liquidity crisis.

Peter Jackson, the club's new CEO explained to last night's attendees that we were now facing "reality". The club has gone cap in hand to the AFL for assistance which will tide it over until it can make a new start in 2014 operating under the new reality. We will have a new chairman, new board members, new coaches and some new and hopefully better players. But that will still not be enough.

Jackson wants us to model ourselves on successful well run clubs like Geelong and Sydney. The key is "list management, list management and list management" and from that will follow "player development, player development and player development." The wheels are already rolling in that direction.

The idea is to get the club out of the trough and never to go back there. We know that clubs like Geelong and Sydney and this week's opponent, Fremantle were once struggling both on and off the field. And as Todd Viney pointed out last night, today's powerhouse club Hawthorn was a laughing stock less than 10 years ago but by 2008 had won the flag. The host for the evening opened with the story of how his grandfather used to recall the team of 1953 that finished second last but morphed into a team that won six premierships in the decade to follow.

If only we had a time machine and could go back to right the wrongs that we now know were done and which afflict our club to this day. We don't have the benefit of that but with a new regime coming into place and a young playing list that can and must improve with time and hard work, we're still alive and with the generosity and support of the growing band of Foundation Heroes we can still astound the football world with the resilience for which men like Jim Stynes who inspired the concept was so well known and respected.

THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at the MCG, Sunday 18 August, 2013 at 1.10pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 17 wins Fremantle 13 wins

MCG Melbourne 7 wins Fremantle 4 wins

Since 2000 Melbourne 9 wins Fremantle 13 wins

The Coaches Craig 0 wins Lyon 0 wins

MEDIA

TV Fox Footy Channel (live at 1.00pm)

RADIO SEN ABC

THE BETTING

Melbourne $17.00 to win Fremantle $1.01 to win

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Fremantle 19.16.130 defeated Melbourne 6.4.40 Round 9, 2013 at Paterson Stadium

Jack Watts kicked the first goal of the match and after that, Fremantle comprehensively blew Melbourne away. Jeremy Howe defies the odds and was the Demons' best with 27 possessions and two goals.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Dean Terlich

Half backs Matt Jones Tom McDonald James Strauss

Centreline Jordie McKenzie Jack Trengove Jeremy Howe

Half forwards Jack Viney Jack Watts Shannon Byrnes

Forwards Colin Sylvia Jack Fitzpatrick Troy Davis

Followers Jake Spencer Jack Grimes Nathan Jones

Interchange Sam Blease Aaron Davey Dean Kent Luke Tapscott

Emergencies Max Gawn Cameron Pedersen David Rodan

In Sam Blease Jeremy Howe

Out Mitch Clisby (suspension) Daniel Nicholson

FREMANTLE

Backs Alex Silvagni Zac Dawson Paul Duffield

Half backs Tendai Mzungu Michael Johnson Lee Spurr

Centreline Nick Suban Ryan Crowley Danyle Pearce

Half forwards David Mundy Chris Mayne Michael Walters

Forwards Aaron Sandilands Matthew Pavlich Hayden Ballantyne

Followers Zac Clarke Nathan Fyfe Matt de Boer

Interchange Michael Barlow Stephen Hill Lachie Neale Tom Sheridan

Emergencies Hayden Crozier Cameron Sutcliffe Matthew Taberner

In Stephen Hill

Out Cameron Sutcliffe

I don't know whether it was by design or merely a co-incidence but we didn't hear much at Wednesday night's Foundation Heroes function about the playing side of the club. We saw a video presentation of the leaders Jack and Jack and Nathan Jones about how they prepare themselves in these times of adversity and some hopeful references of a better future from some of the speakers but there was precious little from stand in coach Neil Craig. Perhaps the organisers felt it might detract from the fundraising to focus too much on the reality of the on field disaster that 2013 will come to be known as for the club in the future.

It's a pity we didn't hear from Craig because he's a straight shooter and always positive and constructive in what he says. Notwithstanding, some of those present might not have liked to hear what he had to say. At his presser he pointed out that the team needs to learn how to win again and that's an obvious one. So is the fact that it's the midfield where the team suffers so much in comparison with its opposition on a weekly basis. But I also suspect that Craig was kept out of the limelight because, despite his apparent popularity with the playing group, he's probably not in the running for the coaching role in 2014 and beyond.

In that respect, there's a certain irony in the fact that the Demons take on the Dockers at the MCG this week. When they last confronted each other at this venue, the visitors were coached by Mark Harvey, were coming off an ordinary season and were badly affected by injury woes. Confidence and morale were low and they received a whipping to the tune of 89 points. They looked totally inept in the face of an attacking Melbourne line up against which they hardly raised a whimper - the exact opposite of what we're expecting this Sunday.

In the interim, Fremantle went out an got themselves a coach who changed the mindset and style of the football team. He tinkered a little with the list and prepared them in his own inimitable way and now, Ross Lyon has taken the team forward in his own time machine. Two years down the track, they are heading for a top four (and possibly top two) placing that puts them well in the frame to win a flag in 2013.

That's coming off an 89 point loss in June 2011 to a Melbourne side which a month earlier had been described as "bruise-free".

There's not much more that one can say about this game. The two teams are travelling in different directions at this time. One has its sights set on a bigger prize; the other limping its way to season's end. At least the Demons showed a little fight up there on the Gold Coast last week and with some better accuracy in kicking for goal, could easily have won the game. They might learn a little about winning this week but mostly, it will be from the opposition.

Fremantle by 58 points.