SEPTEMBER ACTION ... OR ANOTHER SORRY EFFORT? by George on the Outer

[Demonland 73,281]

If you knew at the start of the season, that the Demons were bound for September action, then everyone would have been getting just a little excited.

But when you then found out that:

* we could only manage a lousy pair of wins for the season and

* the September action involved playing the 4th worst team in the competition at 4.40 on a Sunday evening after every other game had finished, and

* the off-field dramas continued to get even worse than 2012

then perhaps even more of us would have booked ski-holidays at the start of the year ( but the snow quality this year was about as good as the Demons!)

Someone has got it in for us. Are we jinxed? Is the curse of the Red Fox real?

It sure feels that way, but until players start performing and putting in the efforts that Norm Smith demanded from his protégés, then we will continue to put in sorry performances like the supporters witnessed again in the final match.

Nine goals straight were recorded by the Dogs in the second quarter, and that was after we had scored the first. Familiar? We the fans have been watching that sort of performance all year. Players thinking that they have done enough in one quarter of football

While some again might be excited by the fact that Jack Watts kicked four goals, it would really be something if he actually got the ball himself. He wont have Aaron Davey to drill it down his throat next year, and blind umpires wont hand out blatantly wrong free kicks to bolster his ego. Seven possessions for the day is simply not good enough!

Col Sylvia has been promising to deliver and continuing to not do so, for ten seasons now. His lack of effort and willingness to do the team things was in sharp contrast to the gutsy performances from Luke Dalhouse, Adam Cooney, Matthew Boyd, Robert Murphy and Daniel Cross. They just keep on giving and Col keeps on promising. And four of those five have been around just as long !

What a sorry state we will see ourselves without Davey next year. His exquisite skills with the ball over many years has been an absolute delight to the Demon fans. And in his final match he gave us plenty of glimpses of those highlights again. It is a true indictment on the rest of the team that the veteran was probably our B.O.G for the day. He gave his all during his career and didnt stop until he could do no more.

We will miss him ... thanks for the memories Flash!

For the Demon fans, the relief that Season 2013 is over was palpable.

What a sad state of affairs, that this once great Club is glad to see the season over!

Another re-build coming, with another 8-10 players to dropped from the list. The Demonland scribes can easily put together a list of players who wont be around next year, and the final number is probably closer to the double digit number. We simply have too many players who are not of AFL standard, and an equal number of lazy, contented spectators.

The Bulldogs lack a lot of things in their side, but G & D isnt one of them. They have given their supporters some hope for 2014, especially with their performances in the latter half of the Season.

The Melbourne supporters in contrast, have got nothing from the players and are pinning their hopes on a new coach, president, board, CEO ...

But can any of them kick a football?

Melbourne4.5.29 6.5.41 9.7.61 13.9.87

Western Bulldogs 4.3.27 13.6.84 14.8.92 16.11.107

Goals

Melbourne Watts 4 Kent 2 Dunn Garland Howe M Jones N Jones Sellar Viney

Western BulldogsDickson 3 Cooney Giansiracusa Hunter 2 Campbell Cross Grant Jones Liberatore Minson Wallis

Best

Melbourne Grimes Garland Trengove Viney Frawley M Jones

Western Bulldogs Liberatore Boyd Cooney Murphy Minson Cross Dickson

Injuries

Melbourne Nil

Western Bulldogs Nil

Changes

Melbourne Chris Dawes (calf) replaced by James Sellar

Western Bulldogs Nil

Reports

Melbourne Nil

Western Bulldogs Nil

Umpires Hosking Armstrong Fisher

Official Crowd 22,176 at Etihad Stadium

Goodbye 2013 ... hello future