THE PEOPLE SPEAK - PAYBACK TIME by the Demonland Crew

[Demonland 73,140]

We asked you the supporters what you think about Sunday's game -

Notorious Dee ~ This weekend will say a lot about where we're at. We were well beaten by the Kangas, have been lucky against some poor kicking teams and are really struggling going forward with poor decision making leading to painful turnovers. Based on the Demons I've been watching for the past seven years I give us no chance against the Dogs at Etihad. But...this is not the same team as recent years, the Dogs are coming back from a hiding in Perth, Cooney isn't playing....so I say another lazy 40 disposals to Bernard will see us carve out a very overdue win at our bogey stadium.

Mike Nolan ~ The Dees will be out to extract revenge on the improving Bulldogs. The last time they met the Dees will have felt they let the game slip but this time Paul Roos and the boys will arrive not just playing to compete but playing to win. The improvement in both sides has been obvious and both sides will feel confident but I am extremely confident the boys will be in a great position to get over the line and take another step towards what looks a very bright future for this club.

Tall Defence - This week the Demons and the Bulldogs go head to head in a match in which both clubs would fancy their chances. With both teams coming off disappointing performances on the weekend, Sunday presents itself as a chance to right the wrongs of the previous week. The Bulldogs took the chocolates in controversial circumstances when these two teams last met back in round 8 after Stewart Crameri was awarded a dubious free kick in the final minutes to put the Doggies two kicks clear of a wasteful Melbourne and eventually run out 16 point victors 15.9.99 to 12.11.83.

This time the Bulldogs are likely to be effected by the loss of players due to both suspension and injuries in the likes of Giansiricusa, Griffen, Roughead and fitness clouds still over Boyd and Cooney possibly presenting Melbourne with their best chance yet of registering a victory at Etihad Stadium for the first time since May 2007 during the home and away season.

Melbourne also will have some selection decisions to make during the week with Jordie McKenzie to miss due to suspension, Daniel Cross out with a broken leg and coach Paul Roos making comment of a few players starting to look tired.

With the Bulldogs light on for key position players and the loss of some key midfielders, assuming Melbourne can get on top in the middle, this is a game Melbourne should win and win in as comfortable a manner that they are capable of mustering at this time of their development.

Prediction: Melbourne by 33 points

Leading goal kicker: Chris Dawes 4

BOG: Nathan Jones

THE GAME

Western Bulldogs v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 29 June 2014 at 1.10pm (AEST)

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall: Western Bulldogs 73 wins Melbourne 84 wins 1 draw

At Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 7 wins Melbourne 0 wins

Last Five Years: Western Bulldogs 4 wins Melbourne 1 win

The Coaches: McCartney 1 win Roos 0 wins

MEDIA

TV Fox Footy Channel at 1:00pm AEST (live)

Radio - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand

THE BETTING

Western Bulldogs $1.60 to win Melbourne $2.35 to win

LAST TIME THEY MET

Western Bulldogs 15.9.99 defeated Melbourne 12.11.83 at MCG in Round 8, 2014

The Great Pretender ~ The teams last met in the second week of May and the Western Bulldogs ran out winners by 16 points in a game that could have gone either way after Melbourne led by 5 points at three quarter time. With 20 minutes gone in the last, Melbourne was pressing and looked a likely winner. How well we remember that run by Matt Jones that should have been a certain goal and the soft free to Stewart Crameri that resulted in a goal. These were the two momentum changers that turned the result against Melbourne.

TEAMS

WESTERN BULLDOGS

B: Liam Picken, Mark Austin, Robert Murphy

HB: Shaun Higgins, Dale Morris, Easton Wood

C :Marcus Bontempelli, Matthew Boyd, Jack Macrae

HF: Koby Stevens, Stewart Crameri, Sam Darley

F: Luke Dahlhaus, Liam Jones, Mitch Honeychurch

FOLL: Will Minson, Mitch Wallis, Tom Liberatore

I/C: Nathan Hrovat, Lachie Hunter, Jake Stringer, Jason Tutt

EMG: Tom Campbell, Jack Redpath, Fletcher Roberts

IN: Sam Darley, Mitch Honeychurch, Lachie Hunter, Jake Stringer

OUT: Daniel Giansiracusa (suspension), Jarrad Grant (virus), Ryan Griffen (back spasms), Jordan Roughead (shoulder)

NEW: Sam Darley, Mitch Honeychurch

MELBOURNE

B: Neville Jetta, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe

HB: Dean Terlich, Colin Garland, Jack Grimes

C: Jack Watts, Jack Viney, Bernie Vince

HF: Rohan Bail, Chris Dawes, Matt Jones

F: Cameron Pedersen, James Frawley, Dean Kent

FOLL: Mark Jamar, Dom Tyson, Nathan Jones

I/C: Dom Barry, Max Gawn, Daniel Nicholson, Christian Salem

EMG: Alex Georgiou, Aidan Riley, Luke Tapscott

IN: Dom Barry, Max Gawn, Daniel Nicholson, Dean Terlich

OUT: Daniel Cross (leg), Tom McDonald (calf), Jordie McKenzie (suspension), Aidan Riley

NEW Dom Barry

The Great Pretender ~ The question is whether anything has changed six or seven weeks down the track and whether the different venue will have an impact on the teams?

Both of them are experiencing the highs and lows of football. Both of them were unable to translate exciting victories a fortnight ago into back to back winning performances last weekend. In fact, they both disappointed and it was if they had played out their grand finals the week before.

So now the time has come for action and Melbourne has a point to prove. It failed last week to beat the North Melbourne "hoodoo". It must now overcome the Etihad one which has lasted for seven years since it beat the Dogs there in 2007.

It's time.

Freddie Fuschia ~ There was a statistic discussed on one of the footy programmes earlier in the week which revealed how much space the clubs gained through the use of handball. Melbourne was in negative territory by a fair way. They showed a passage of play from last Sunday's game where we started with the ball just outside our goal square followed by a chain of handballs until we reached the stage where we were well outside the 50 metre line, the ball was smothered and turned into a Kangaroo attacking move. I think that if Harley Bennell was playing and had any one of about four or five possessions in that chain, he probably would have had a crack and goaled.

It might be the Paul Roos hallmark to go defensive but perhaps we need to be a little bit more attacking when we play an opponent like the Bulldogs. With Cross injured and McKenzie suspended it will be interesting whether the coach will make the move to subtly change the emphasis from full on defence to a more attacking style of play. With the Bulldogs also victims of injury and suspension, I will step out on a limb and go for the Demons by 27 points.