TWELVE AND A HALF MONTHS by The Oracle

 

It has been twelve and a half months since Melbourne fans have had to experience watching their team suffer humiliation at the hands of Hawthorn in an AFL game. 

 

This annual ritual of the Hawks flogging the Demons has been going on for a decade now since Al Clarkson's young team was beaten by an experienced side coached by Neale Daniher way back in 2006 on a wet night. Back in those days, the AFL was generous enough to gift games on Friday night to then lowly clubs like the Hawks but not so now. 

 

Soon after that game, Hawthorn commenced its ascendency while Melbourne's fortunes nose dived. Melbourne opened the 2007 season as the highest ranked of the Victorian clubs and lost their first match against St Kilda at the MCG marking the first of a series of 13 consecutive losses to the Saints. The following week saw the Hawks start their run of 12 wins on end against the Demons and it seems a near certainty that the number will stretch to an unlucky 13 by late Saturday afternoon.

 

This season started as one of promise for the Demons and they certainly have had their moments with a 50/50 record of wins in the bag to date. But they have failed to reproduce the three victories scored in the pre season against Port Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda and they lost to the AFL's punching bag, Essendon. They are in danger of being overtaken on the ladder this weekend by Carlton who were expected to challenge the Bombers for the wooden spoon.

 

Melbourne has failed to come up to the challenge in quite a few winnable games already this year. It has lost it's best player this year to suspension and one of its' few functioning defenders in an inexplicably feeble defence to injury. The deck chairs on the Titanic will no doubt be rotated around this week in an effort to turn things around but it was last week when the selectors should have been brave and bold with the team coming off a six day break. 

 

One wonders what the team can do this week in the face of a Hawthorn which most of the time manages to hold firm even without such vital team members as Luke Hodge and Jarryd Roughead. Pray that it will be another twelve and a half months before they meet again, I suppose.

 

Hawthorn by a lot.

 

THE GAME

 

Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 4 June 2016 at 1.45pm

 

HEAD TO HEAD

 

Overall Hawthorn 84 wins Melbourne 74 wins

 

At MCG Hawthorn 43 wins Melbourne 35 wins

 

Last 5 meetings Hawthorn 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins

 

The Coaches Clarkson 2 wins Roos 0 wins

 

MEDIA

 

TV Fox  Footy Channel at 1.45pm (live) Channel 7 3.15pm (delayed) 

 

RADIO - Triple M 3AW

 

THE BETTING

 

Hawthorn $1.24 to win Melbourne $4.15 to win

 

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

 

Hawthorn 24.11.155 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 in Round 7, 2015 at the MCG

 

Six minutes into the game, Melbourne had the only two goals on the board and Hawthorn was scoreless. Those minutes provided the only joy for the day for Demon fans who had to endure two hours of hell before the final siren revealed their team had just succumbed to another 100 point defeat.

 

THE TEAMS

 

HAWTHORN

 

B: Taylor Duryea, James Frawley, Ben Stratton

HB: Shaun Burgoyne, Josh Gibson, Grant Burchill

C: Isaac Smith, Jordan Lewis, Brad Hill

HF: Luke Breust, Tim O'Brien, Jack Gunston

F: Paul Puopolo, James Sicily, Cyril Rioli

FOLL: Jonathon Ceglar, Sam Mitchell, Liam Shiels

I/C: Billy Hartung, Daniel Howe, Ben McEvoy, Kade Stewart 

EMG: Kaiden Brand, Teia Miles, Angus Litherland

 

IN: Daniel Howe, Kade Stewart 

 

OUT: Will Langford (managed), Matt Spangher (hamstring)

 

NEW: Kade Stewart (19, South Fremantle)

 

MELBOURNE

 

B: Jayden Hunt, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta

HB: Tom Bugg, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner

C: Dean Kent, Jack Trengove, Bernie Vince

HF: Billy Stretch, Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett

F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Chris Dawes

FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson

I/C: Sam Frost, James Harmes, Clayton Oliver, Aaron vandenBerg

EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Cam Pedersen

 

IN: Chris Dawes, Sam Frost, Clayton Oliver, Jack Trengove, Aaron vandenBerg 

 

OUT: Colin Garland (cheekbone), Ben Kennedy (omitted), Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted), Ben Newton (omitted), Jack Viney (suspended)

Give Frost a run down back for a few weeks.

Just now, Bombay Airconditioning said:

Give Frost a run down back for a few weeks.

Cant be any worse that what they have been putting out there lately.

 

I must be getting deluded but blind hope has let positive feelings creep in. Last season the Bulldogs were 5/5 at this stage of the season and starting to attract some doubting scrutiny yet rallied in the second half. To go back further, Brisbane in 2001 were 5/5 also before commencing their unrelenting charge to 3 consecutive flags. This is kind of a watershed moment for us given the missed opportunities mixed with encouraging highs of earlier in the season. Will we suddenly become fairdinkum or fade away like the last two seasons? I have rummaged through the house and pulled out all my lucky charms and icons. Currently I am rubbing a statue of Blesssed Mother Mary hoping for divine intervention.

Having at least six of our best 22 out with injury, including our culture setter and 'on field leader' is not going to go well for us. I fear an almighty shellacking coming up and a complete collapse of our improving trend and season. I hope to be wrong, but this game has disaster written all over it. Max, Chunk, and ???? need to stand up big time. Trengove and Dawes must come in. 

25 minutes ago, Webber said:

Having at least six of our best 22 out with injury, including our culture setter and 'on field leader' is not going to go well for us. I fear an almighty shellacking coming up and a complete collapse of our improving trend and season. I hope to be wrong, but this game has disaster written all over it. Max, Chunk, and ???? need to stand up big time. Trengove and Dawes must come in. 

Serious question, who's the six?

Viney, Salem, VB, Oliver is what I came up with.

MELBOURNE

Player	Injury	Estimated Return
Angus Brayshaw	Concussion	2 weeks
Colin Garland	Cheekbone	3 weeks
Matt Jones	Back	Test
Mitch King	Knee	Season
Heritier Lumumba	Concussion	TBC
Clayton Oliver	Thigh	Test
Christian Salem	Illness	TBC
Jack Viney	Fractured knuckle/suspension	3-4 weeks

Updated: Tuesday, May 31

 

Oliver will be back. so 5 best 22 out.  or 4 if you think Garls isnt best 22.   injuries starting to add up but this should be an excuse

Anyone else want to see Vince play on the ball for the full game?  miss his class, toughness and influence

Jesus. Hawthorn has only ten more wins in the historic record. A decade ago we were even. I think we've beaten them something like 7 or 8 times out of the past 50 or so. Goes to show how terrible they were before the 80s, and how terrible we've been since the 80s.

Does anyone remember a game on the 00s, I think it was 2002 or maybe 2004, when a young,inexperienced Hawks side absolutely bullied and made a mockery of our leaders and finals experience? I remember being at the game and knowing that Hawthorn were going places. We beat them the next two times but they had that aggression and attack from well before they started their run.

I don't know how we win on the weekend. Maybe being on the MCG gives us a chance. But I doubt it.

To be honest, I think we're more a chance after losing to Port than we had have been had we beaten them.

We need everyone to be 100% on, and for the Hawks' best to be down. It takes only one of their stars to be "on" and the team just follows.

If they win, it would be spectacular. But the Port game was a wake up call in that more experienced, big bodied teams with even a tinge of structure easily opens us up.

I don't think we'll get smashed. I'd say a 4-5 goal Hawks win is probable.

EDIT: Sorry for typos. On my phone.

37 minutes ago, Webber said:

Having at least six of our best 22 out with injury, including our culture setter and 'on field leader' is not going to go well for us. I fear an almighty shellacking coming up and a complete collapse of our improving trend and season. I hope to be wrong, but this game has disaster written all over it. Max, Chunk, and ???? need to stand up big time. Trengove and Dawes must come in. 

Get ready for a big game from Petracca. I can smell it. I think he exists for games like this.

2 minutes ago, praha said:

"need everyone to be 100% on"

 

This is the on-going problem for this lot. They either aren't on at the commencment of the game (we lose it in the first 5 minutes) or they go to sleep in a quarter where we lose it. They have not been 100% on this season so far. it appears as if they aren't motivated or put to sleep by Mrs Roos' Yoga / relaxation techniques

I hope they are 100% on this week I would love to see it sustained for a whole game

I think this week we will see a big influx of experience in the side, but I'm worried we will see the reason why Roos is hell bent on playing the youth ahead of them.

It's a good thing I'm picking up for bottle of wine around lunch time.  I think I'll need them. 

Selection will be scintillating I'm sure. Haven't got this wrong all year

Dees by a gallop

36 minutes ago, beelzebub said:

Selection will be scintillating I'm sure. Haven't got this wrong all year

Dees by a gallop

   Dees by a gallop, gawd! Or was that gored?

Blood and Bath come to mind when I think of this game. Fair to say I'm not at all the least bit optimistic for this one. It's going to be a high scoring game, I fear the high score will all be one sided though. Sure we'll come out firing for a few minutes but then the Hawks will get on top and control the game. Hawthorn by 75 pts. McAvaney to have multiples whenever Rioli gets near the ball.

8 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

Blood and Bath come to mind when I think of this game. Fair to say I'm not at all the least bit optimistic for this one. It's going to be a high scoring game, I fear the high score will all be one sided though. Sure we'll come out firing for a few minutes but then the Hawks will get on top and control the game. Hawthorn by 75 pts. McAvaney to have multiples whenever Rioli gets near the ball.

My sometimes insane brother told me earlier in the year that he has not watched or listened to a second of "live" Dees games this year, and his weekends have been much more pleasurable as a result. I hope I can resist the temptation to tune in and live the massacre in real time, but I fear I wont be able to resist.

 

A standard flogging awaits.

1 minute ago, faultydet said:

My sometimes insane brother told me earlier in the year that he has not watched or listened to a second of "live" Dees games this year, and his weekends have been much more pleasurable as a result. I hope I can resist the temptation to tune in and live the massacre in real time, but I fear I wont be able to resist.

 

A standard flogging awaits.

I said after last weeks lost I wont tune in and watch the game live. I missed a few last season on purpose and concur with your brother, my weekends were definitely much more pleasurable, and I saved money on booze.

Triple M saying Trenners will play this week.

The thing is.... there is always a chance.  At least this year there is.

given how the season has gone, almost beating north, beating GWS and losing to Essendon - anything is possible.

For the first time since 2008, the hawks are showing some cracks. only beat the saints by 3 points and have not put 4 quarter dominant performances in even against freo and brisbane

we will have 2-3 surprising wins yet this year and im tipping this to be one.  

29 minutes ago, Gorgoroth said:

Triple M saying Trenners will play this week.

Roos said in his presser this morning Trenners was very close to selection and about 5 weeks ahead of schedule. I got the feeling he was hinting towards Trenners playing this week.

Here's how I see this playing out.

Either we go with the young players, who have been playing all season, and get smashed by a more experienced team who will cut our inexperienced midfield and defence to shreds.

Or, we bring in a whole raft of experienced players, who are playing either their first game for the year or their first game for two years, and get smashed by a slightly less more experienced team who will cut our semi-experienced midfield and defence to shreds, while something like three or four players run around like headless chooks in their first game back from extended layoffs.

The planning for this one has not been good.

This is the game last year when the hawks were 100 pts up and Clarkson sent and extra man in defence so we couldn't score. he is a competitive beast and that's what we need to become..

We need to break this hoodoo and deliver some pain to this team that has treated us like their biatch for a long time.

Jnr , regrettably I suspect dejavu might be order of the day  ?

2 hours ago, Bombay Airconditioning said:

Serious question, who's the six?

Viney, Salem, VB, Oliver is what I came up with.

As unpopular as it might be BA, I reckon Lumumba and Matt Jones were best 22 before injury, obviously Brayshaw, and for me, Dawes, although I hope he plays Saturday. 

2 hours ago, ManDee said:

   Dees by a gallop, gawd! Or was that gored?

Human beings are a unique animal.