SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL by Whispering Jack

Since time immemorial, pre season practice matches, be they the intraclub variety or contests between clubs played for trophies or otherwise, have always needed to be looked at with a dose of skepticism. Coaches and clubs use these games for different purposes, teams are often of different strength and there's plenty of experimentation. I will not therefore allow myself to get too carried away with Melbourne's big second half effort to defeat Port Adelaide 0.15.5.95 to 1.10.7.76 in its opening NAB Challenge match of 2016.

By the same token there were some excellent signs from the team that missed the bulk of the older, more experienced heads of its list that give cause for some optimism for the year ahead.

We know that Paul Roos historically is known to place very little store on winning these pre season games but his stand in Simon Goodwin was a bit of an unknown on that score. After his charges started slowly and hesitantly on the large sized Playford Alive Oval in Elizabeth SA, they regrouped in the second term and ran over the top of what was a close to full strength Port Adelaide team in the last half.

The turnaround was huge. For years, the Demons have been unable to mount come from behind victories. Nor have they been able to master the type of grounds where there's extra space and greater distance to goal. It requires the ability to get the contested ball in the first instance and fitness and hard running on the outside to bring the ball into the forward line quickly and decisively.

The dominance of big Maxy Gawn in the ruck (42 hitouts, mainly in the first three quarters because he sat out most of the last) gave Jack Viney who had 16 contested possessions in a game high 28, Dom Tyson, Aaron vandenBerg  and recruit Clayton Oliver an armchair ride at the stoppages. They got the ball out to the likes of Jack Watts, Matt Jones and hard nosed newcomers in Tomas Bugg from the Giants and Ben Kennedy from Collingwood and if they didn't score, their work was usually finished off by the likes of Jeff Garlett, Dean Kent and James Harmes. Collectively, they stunned the crowd of just under 5,000 and the many more viewers of Foxtel and a few here and there who watched on pirated broadcasts.

Port Adelaide clearly planned their defensive game on shutting down Jesse Hogan and they achieved that by double and triple teaming him (at times with questionable methods). In the past when Melbourne had few dangerous options up forward, that tactic might have worked. The fact that the Demons are developing a good array of attacking weapons saw them to victory in this instance. And we know that there's plenty more to come.

Melbourne's defense was tidy after the poor start. In the opening stanza they were far too loose but, led well by Tom McDonald, Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn and Neville Jetta, they tightened up and ultimately strangled the opposition keeping it scoreless in the the third quarter. When was the last time Melbourne did that in any game?

The loss of Angus Brayshaw in the opening piece of play followed immediately by a hard hit on Tyson which saw him momentarily dazed followed by three goals (one of the super variety) to the home state side spelled doom and disaster. Demon fans of the fisted forever school were already foretelling that world was at an end - Armageddon had arrived ten minutes into the season. It was good then to come out with the non-existent four points and a medical report on Brayshaw that suggested a low level medial ligament injury that might see him back by round one of the real thing.

There is of course a lot to work on - Hogan's key forward partner is more likely Cam Pedersen than Sam Frost at this stage. I would like to see the club give one of its tall forwards in waiting (Sam Weideman or Liam Hulett) a cameo run next week. Perhaps some fine tuning with the midfield mix and the second ruck - these games are practice matches after all and we can't get carried away - yet.

Melbourne 0.2.2.14 0.4.3.27 0.10.5.65 0.15.5.95

Port Adelaide 1.3.3.30 1.6.5.50 1.6.5.50 1.10.7.76

Goals

Melbourne Garlett 3 Kent  Pedersen vandenBerg 2 Harmes Hogan Kennedy M Jones Salem Tyson

Port Adelaide Boak Westhoff 3 R Gray Schulz White Young

Best

Melbourne Gawn Viney Watts vandenBerg Garlett Grimes Tyson

Port Adelaide R Gray Boak Toumpas Pittard S Gray Broadbent

Injuries

Melbourne Brayshaw (left knee)

Port Adelaide Nil

Umpires Chris Donlon Jacob Mollison Craig Fleer Nick Brown

Crowd 4,981 at Playford Alive Oval

Undoubtedly there was a lot to like.  Attack on the footy was the key indicator I was watching for and we passed with flying colours.  Fluidity of ball movement was another and it's much improved.  Dunn had a relatively quiet game and that represents further upside.  TMac's decision making and hesitancy are still causes for concern, little brother OMac looks a ways off this level as yet.  Sam Frost opened with a flurry but faded.  Jetta was good but exploited for pace on a few occasions.  Kent provides some much needed mongrel as well as polish.  Garlett's one set shot demonstrated lots of practice to address last year's woes.  Vandenberg looks extremely composed and comfortable relative to this time last year.  Pedo must be persisted with on that display.  Need to find ways to get Jesse one out.  Thought Watts was great with only a couple of hesitations when the situation called for the ball to be moved quickly harking back to the "old" Dees.   Lastly, practice match or not, you can't fake genuine attack on the footy.

"these games are practice matches after all and we can't get carried away - yet. "

For  a decade we have been the chopping block of the AFL.

This season we finally have a reasonable list with some depth and IMO we will win 10 games.

In past times yesterday would have been a 8-10 goal win by Port.

But this time we fought back and won.

It is the first sign that 2016 is going to be a much more enjoyable year.

Guess what WJ I can get carried away.

 

1 minute ago, old dee said:

"these games are practice matches after all and we can't get carried away - yet. "

                     ...

Guess what WJ I can get carried away.

 

You of all people OD. 

That's as surprising as our six goals to nil third quarter. 

I think we raised a few eyebrows yesterday. I know I lifted mine

1 minute ago, Whispering_Jack said:

You of all people OD. 

That's as surprising as our six goals to nil third quarter. 

WJ  as you I know I tell it as I see it and for most of the last  decade we have not had an AFL standard list and it has not been hard to see.

It has stood out like a beacon that in past years we were not going anywhere fast.

However that has changed we are now half decent list.

We wont make the eight this year but we are not going to be the league easy beats in 2016.

We might Old.... We might. 

If they limit their gaze they will achieve just that.

One week at a time........,

.......... til October !!

For someone who got the opportunity to see only a little of the game but am interested in who Dunn played against and who won the duel.

2 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

We might Old.... We might. 

If they limit their gaze they will achieve just that.

One week at a time........,

.......... til October !!

From my view bb the scars of the last decade are still there and we are still about four players short of a top eight team.

But at the end of August I will be more than happy for you to say " I told you so"

Old I agree. But here's food for thought. What if those 4 players are ALREADY amongst the list !!

I might be going early with this call but I think we won the Ben Kennedy - Jeremy Howe trade by a long margin.

24 minutes ago, old dee said:

Guess what WJ I can get carried away.

This is the real sign of the Armageddon.

3 minutes ago, Pink Freud said:

I might be going early with this call but I think we won the Ben Kennedy - Jeremy Howe trade by a long margin.

Agreed ... by a long margin. 

At least by the distance I can throw a frisbee. ?

Is there a replay on fox today?

 

cheers

3 minutes ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

Is there a replay on fox today?

 

cheers

10.00am and there should be more during the week.

15 minutes ago, Whispering_Jack said:

Agreed ... by a long margin. 

At least by the distance I can throw a frisbee. ?

I can chuck one a fair way...I'm going with that.

I love mounting a come from behind victory. Gets me very excited. 

interesting to see how we go with the 90 interchange cap

Our skill level still concerns me greatly, but eight years after Dean Bailey started rabbiting on about "competitiveness" it looks like we have finally got there.

 

4 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

I love mounting a come from behind victory. Gets me very excited. 

That's what all the boys say. Is that a baseball bat in your pocket or are you just pleased to see Jesse Hogan?

25 minutes ago, Pink Freud said:

10.00am and there should be more during the week.

Thanks, bloody typical....I had to work yesterday and only caught about a qtr and a half in the radio. Was wishfully thinking there might be one on this afternoon. Pub won't be open at ten....think it's time to get Foxtel.

11 minutes ago, Moonshadow said:

I love mounting a come from behind victory. Gets me very excited. 

Coming from behind to win is massive for our side as many have already alluded to we would normally just pack it in from there pre season or not. What was just as important was it was against an interstate side, we didn't have Jones and Vince play, we had a lot of new faces and we played a different style of footy. 

Goodwin fired them up after a very poor start

That was the best part of yesterday

A practise game yes

Practise Winning...

Just now, Clint Bizkit said:

Our skill level still concerns me greatly, but eight years after Dean Bailey started rabbiting on about "competitiveness" it looks like we have finally got there.

 

I agree in part Clint, although I think in the first half there were some nervous and rusty footballers running around out there.  When our skills got better as the game wore on so did our impact on the scoreboard.  Let's see how they do next week with a game under their belt.

21 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Goodwin fired them up after a very poor start

That was the best part of yesterday

A practise game yes

Practise Winning...

How do you know Goodwin fired them up. He doesn't come across as that type of coach. It appeared to me that the endeavour was there in the first half but the game plan was not been adhered to. I would have thought he would have pointed that out and urged them to take on their opponents and run while other team mates man up defensively.