Jump to content

TOOTH AND NAIL by The Oracle

Demonland
in Match Previews

Featured Replies

Posted

Two months ago when Melbourne comprehensively demolished Adelaide in the heart of the country, the club was seemingly on its way to a top four berth and regarded in many quarters as a genuine premiership contender.

Since that game, the Demons have won three times and lost once against lowly sides in the competition and dropped all three games against fellow finals contenders in Collingwood, Port Adelaide and Geelong. Three of their losses in this period have been by ten points or less. It is arguable therefore that with a little more application on their part, they would have been a lock in to make the finals.

The reality however, is otherwise. 

The losses are mounting and with four of the remaining five games against finals contenders, Melbourne has a major fight on its hands to gain a place in the eight at the end of the home and away season. 

Despite the last gasp defeat when they ventured to the Cattery last Saturday night, the Demons at least proved that they can hold their own in hostile territory. The home team needed everything to go right to win in those dying moments and with a 100% conversion rate in the last quarter (80% for the game), the blood rule and a few very lucky breaks to get them home - and they did just that with a kick for goal after the siren. Melbourne has to overcome that heartbreak.

When the Demons venture to an equally hostile ground at Adelaide Oval this Saturday night, they will be under no illusions as to the task ahead of them. The Crows will not be the easy pickings they were back in May in Alice Springs and they will have to fight tooth and nail if they want to keep its finals aspirations alive.

**** Scroll for Prediction ****

THE GAME

Adelaide v Melbourne at Adelaide Oval  Saturday 28 July, 2018 at 7.40pm

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall - Adelaide 24 wins Melbourne 14 wins

At Adelaide Oval - Adelaide 1 win Melbourne 2 wins

Past five meetings - Adelaide 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins 

The Coaches - Don Pyke 1 win Simon Goodwin 2 wins

MEDIA

TV - Channel 7 Live at 7.30pm Fox Football Channel Live at 7.20pm

RADIO - Triple M (regional) 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand 
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 23.8.146  defeated Adelaide 8.7.55 Round 10, 2018 at Treager Park, Alice Springs

Melbourne stamped itself as a premiership contender when it ruthlessly demolished an injury hit Adelaide in Alice Springs. The knockout blows were delivered early and the Demons kept up the pressure for a full four quarters to record a comprehensive 91 point victory.

THE TEAMS

ADELAIDE 
 
B: Alex Keath, Daniel Talia, Luke Brown 
HB: Paul Seedsman, Kyle Cheney, Rory Laird 
? Wayne Milera, Bryce Gibbs, Rory Atkins 
HF: Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins, Lachlan Murphy 
F:  Mitch McGovern, Taylor Walker, Eddie Betts 
Foll: Sam Jacobs, Matt Crouch, Rory Sloane 
I/C: Jordan Gallucci, Hugh Greenwood, Jake Kelly, Riley Knight  
Emg: Cameron Ellis-Yolmen, Paul Hunter, Andy Otten, Myles Poholke   

In: Taylor Walker

Out: Tom Doedee (concussion)

MELBOURNE 

B: Joel Smith, Sam Frost, Neville Jetta
HB: Christian Salem, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis
? Tom McDonald, Clayton Oliver, Angus Brayshaw
HF: Jake Melksham, Jesse Hogan, Bayley Fritsch
F: Jay Kennedy Harris, Christian Petracca, Charlie Spargo
Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince
I/C: Jeff Garlett, James Harmes, Alex Neal-Bullen, Dom Tyson
Emg: Cam Pedersen, Aaron vandenBerg, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman 

NO CHANGE

The last time the two sides met, Melbourne announced an unchanged line up from its previous game and proceeded to massacre an injury-depleted Adelaide to the tune of 91 points. Ten weeks later, it has also come up with no change to the side but the difference is that last time it was coming off an overwhelming victory while this time, it is following up a heartbreaking result, losing by dint of a goal kicked after the siren.

The question is how will the Demons react in the face of the the disappointment of the outcome at GMHBA Stadium in what is a massive game for their finals aspirations. 

You can’t dismiss the fact that they capitulated in the face of the great pressure applied by the Cats in their run towards victory but it should also be recognised that they succumbed against a team with far superior experience in tight finishes and one for which everything went right in those spine-tingling final few minutes. 

Despite that result, the fundamentals don’t change. Melbourne has the competition’s leading ruckman who this week will not be coming off a head cold as he was last week and who hopefully, won’t be missing vital moments as a result of the blood rule. Working with him is a fine young midfield that matched it last week with one of the competition’s best and will be steeled to atone for last week’s disappointing result. They have the psychological advantage of overwhelming this opposition just ten weeks ago and won’t be deterred by the fact that they are in enemy territory.

The Demons have Angus Brayshaw fresh from signing off on a new deal, playing against the team that kick-started his stellar run of this season in Alice Springs earlier this year. They lead the pack in scoring, inside 50s and marks inside 50 and are not likely to come up against an opponent that goals with 80% of its shots at goal as it did last week.

Melbourne by 25 points

b98685e19c2580f1669cc08a938f3d16.jpg

 
Go to topic listing

Featured Content

  • REPORT: Port Adelaide

    Of course, it’s not the backline, you might argue and you would probably be right. It’s the boot studder (do they still have them?), the midfield, the recruiting staff, the forward line, the kicking coach, the Board, the interchange bench, the supporters, the folk at Casey, the head coach and the club psychologist  It’s all of them and all of us for having expectations that were sufficiently high to have believed three weeks ago that a restoration of the Melbourne team to a position where we might still be in contention for a finals berth when the time for the midseason bye arrived. Now let’s look at what happened over the period of time since Melbourne overwhelmed the Sydney Swans at the MCG in late May when it kicked 8.2 to 5.3 in the final quarter (and that was after scoring 3.8 to two straight goals in the second term). 

    • 2 replies
    Demonland

  • CASEY: Essendon

    Casey’s unbeaten run was extended for at least another fortnight after the Demons overran a persistent Essendon line up by 29 points at ETU Stadium in Port Melbourne last night. After conceding the first goal of the evening, Casey went on a scoring spree from about ten minutes in, with five unanswered majors with its fleet of midsized runners headed by the much improved Paddy Cross who kicked two in quick succession and livewire Ricky Mentha who also kicked an early goal. Leading the charge was recruit of the year, Riley Bonner while Bailey Laurie continued his impressive vein of form. With Tom Campbell missing from the lineup, Will Verrall stepped up to the plate demonstrating his improvement under the veteran ruckman’s tutelage. The Demons were looking comfortable for much of the second quarter and held a 25-point lead until the Bombers struck back with two goals in the shadows of half time. On the other side of the main break their revival continued with first three goals of the half. Harry Sharp, who had been quiet scrambled in the Demons’ first score of the third term to bring the margin back to a single point at the 17 minute mark and the game became an arm-wrestle for the remainder of the quarter and into the final moments of the last.

    • 0 replies
    Demonland

  • PREGAME: Gold Coast

    The Demons have the Bye next week but then are on the road once again when they come up against the Gold Coast Suns on the Gold Coast in what could be a last ditch effort to salvage their season. Who comes in and who comes out?

      • Like
    • 69 replies
    Demonland

  • PODCAST: Port Adelaide

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 16th June @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Dees disappointing loss to the Power.
    Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show.
    Listen LIVE: https://demonland.com/

    • 31 replies
    Demonland

  • POSTGAME: Port Adelaide

    The Demons simply did not take their opportunities when they presented themselves and ultimately when down by 25 points effectively ending their finals chances. Goal kicking practice during the Bye?

      • Clap
      • Like
    • 252 replies
    Demonland

  • VOTES: Port Adelaide

    Max Gawn has an insurmountable lead in the Demonland Player of the Year ahead of Jake Bowey, Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Kozzy Pickett. Your votes please; 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

    • 31 replies
    Demonland
View All