UNDER THE PUMP

by J.V. McKay

I doubt that anything could be more embarrassing than Melbourne's pathetic display against Carlton last Saturday at Telstra Dome. The Demons looked anything but a top four side as they slipped and fumbled their way to a 7 point defeat at the hands of the bottom side – the second time they had lost to the same opponent at the same venue and in the same manner. It was almost as if nobody associated with the club's performance had acquired any capacity to learn from the first defeat and, as a result, the second one flowed as naturally as treacle.

Of course there were excuses aplenty, injuries, the surface, poor team selection, even the effects of global warming could have been cited for the sudden about face after the previous week's demolition of the Western Bulldogs. Everyone was raising questions and the big question was whether the wheels had fallen off?

Well, the answer will come very soon, in a matter of days when Melbourne takes on the reigning premier Sydney at the M.C.G. in a game the will define the rest of the season for both sides.

If there is one saving grace for the Demons it is that they are really under the pump. Although they lead the fourth placed Swans by one game, their inferior percentage will see them catapult form the top four if they fail against Sydneysiders. The pump is well and truly operating at full capacity this week with Melbourne directly underneath as it reels through its current injury crisis.

Three of its best performed players of 2006, Travis Johnstone, Aaron Davey and Byron Pickett are still out with various levels of hamstring injuries. Matthew Whelan, Russell Robertson and Colin Sylvia have joined them on the sidelines this week and there's still a question mark against the name "Cameron Bruce". There have been suggestions that he's been carrying some sort of injury for a couple of weeks and given Melbourne's poor track record for concealing injuries in recent seasons, it's almost a dead set certainty that Bruce will be a late withdrawal on Saturday. I reckon Phil Read will probably replace him.

As is usually the case when Melbourne is hit by injury, its opposition has a near full list to choose from (which has been very often with Sydney in recent times anyway) and have brought in Amon Buchanan and beanpole Stephen Doyle to help Darren Jolly counteract Jeff White and Mark Jamar. The selection of Doyle might be in recognition of the fact that Fremantle's Aaron Sandilands did such a number on the Demon duo a few weeks back at Subiaco.

As much as Melbourne is suffering from the loss of so many important players over such a short space of time, it is also in trouble because of the fact that others – including its team leaders – are performing well below par. Let's take captain David Neitz whose goal tally over the past four matches has been 0, 0, 3, 2. Prior to that, Neita had pushed up to equal sixth in the race for the Coleman Medal. Lately, he's been spilling marks, showing less and less mobility and even his kicking has been off (had he slotted those two shots from about 50m after the siren at the end of the first and third quarters last week, Melbourne would have won the game – as it was he failed to score with both of them). The skipper has to lift.

The same can be said of other leaders whose form has been down in recent weeks. Brad Green let the team down at Subiaco and was subdued last week on return from a week's suspension, Cameron Bruce looked injured last week and was confined mostly to defence and Jeff White was beaten in the ruck. Even our young unofficial leader Brock McLean looked out off sorts last week. Another team leader, Brad Miller has been out suspended, injured and playing at Sandy over the past two and a half month. The leaders need to stand up and be counted on Saturday.

Melbourne has struggled to beat Sydney in Melbourne lately. A win this week is an absolute necessity if the club is to maintain a foothold in the race for a top four position. As with the Anzac Day round earlier this year, the Demons have their backs to the wall. That's the time they need to stand up and fight and I'm giving them this one last chance.

Melbourne by 1 point in a thriller.

Thank you very much.

MELBOURNE v SYDNEY

Where & When: MCG, 2.10pm, Saturday 12 August, 2006

TV & Radio: TV - Channel 10 - Melbourne (3.30pm), Adelaide (1.30pm), Sydney (2pm), Brisbane (2pm). RADIO: ABC, 3AW, Triple M

Head to Head: Played 193, Melbourne 91 Sydney 101 Drawn 1

Last time they met: Melbourne 15.7.97 d Sydney 13.14.92 at the SCG, Round 4, 2006.

The betting: Melbourne $2, Sydney $1.75

The Teams:

MELBOURNE

B: Brown Carroll Miller

HB: Ward Rivers Bartram

C: Green McLean Bate

HF: Godfrey Dunn Bruce

F: Holland Neitz Yze

FOLL: White Jones McDonald

I/C: Ferguson Jamar C Johnson Motlop

EM: Bell Read Wheatley

IN: Dunn Ferguson C Johnson Miller Motlop

OUT: Robertson (jarred shoulder) Sylvia (calf strain) Whelan (calf strain) Bell Wheatley

SYDNEY

B: Dempster Barry Bevan

HB: Kennelly Roberts-Thomson C Bolton

C: Fosdike Kirk Ablett

HF: O'Keefe Hall J Bolton

F: Schneider O'Loughlin Grundy

FOLL: Jolly Goodes McVeigh

I/C: Buchanan Richards Doyle Malceski

EM: Schmidt Davis Vogels

IN: Buchanan Doyle

OUT: Phillips Schmidt

Field umpires: James Meredith Goldspink