COLD, COLD, COLD by The Oracle

[Demonland 72,192]

I expect this week's game against the Gold Coast Suns to deliver final proof on the theory that the young Melbourne team is tiring badly as the season wears on. 

Earlier in the year, the Demons completely emasculated the Suns in the last half of their game at Metricon Stadium booting nine goals in the third term and seven in the last amassing a total of over 100 points in an outstanding performance albeit against an undermanned opponent.

Melbourne's recent final quarter performances have been in stark contrast to that balmy evening on the Gold Coast when the Dees were hot, hot, hot. Since beating Collingwood in the Queens Birthday match things have cooled down considerably and those last quarter goals have dried up for the Demons.

This is this sequence of goal tallies over the last five games:-

... 1,1,1,2,0

And this sorry state of affairs can't be put down simply to lack of opportunity because, as the inside 50 statistics showed last week, the team had plenty of opportunities - they simply could not finish off the good work of Max Gawn, Nathan Jones and Jack Viney. The fact that Jesse Hogan and Jack Watts were both kept goalless in a game for the first time this year scoring a mere four points between them was telling. The result would have been different had they each been able to parlay one point into a goal but then if your grandmother had ...

This week's opponent is hobbled with a star studded list of midfield outs including Ablett, Hall, Prestia, Rischitelli, Swallow and most likely O'Meara who hasn't played since 2014. No matter how young and inexperienced the Demons might be or how tired those players are as we enter the twilight of the season for teams out of the running for finals berths, defeat at home on the MCG is simply unacceptable.

Melbourne has proven itself incapable of winning those "must win" games but it really must not lose this one.

THE GAME

Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at the MCG Sunday 31 July, 2016 at 1.10pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall - Melbourne 5 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins 

At MCG - Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins 

Past five matches - Melbourne 2 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins

The Coaches -  Roos 2 wins Eade 0 wins

MEDIA

TV - Fox Footy Channel Live at 1.00pm 

RADIO - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand

THE BETTING

Melbourne to win - $1.19 Gold Coast Suns to win - $4.75

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 24.16.160 defeated Gold Coast Suns 14.3.87 at Metricon Stadium Round 7, 2016

The first half was close but after that the Demons demolished the hapless Suns scoring 16.9 to 6.1 in the second half. Max Gawn led the charge with 46 hit outs.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

B: Josh Wagner, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta
HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Matt Jones
C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson
HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, Sam Frost
F: Chris Dawes, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent
FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney
I/C: Angus Brayshaw, James Harmes, Billy Stretch, Aaron vandenBerg
EMG: Tomas Bugg, Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen

IN: Tomas Bugg, Colin Garland, Aaron vandenBerg

OUT: Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted)

GOLD COAST

B: Nick Malceski, Steven May, Kade Kolodjashnij 
HB: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Alex Sexton 
C: Joshua Schoenfeld, Jesse Lonergan,  Matt Shaw 
HF: Brandon Matera,  Tom Lynch, Jarrad Grant 
F:  Sam Day, Peter Wright, Ryan Davis 
FOLL: Tom Nicholls, Jack Martin,   Touk Miller 
I/C (from) Callum Ah Chee, Jarrod Garlett, Jesse Joyce, Matt Rosa
EMG: Sean Lemmens, Trent McKenzie, Seb Tape

IN: Matt Rosa

OUT: Seb Tape (omitted)