THE FIRST PREVIEWS - 2007

HURRY SUNDOWN by the Oracle

Shortly after sundown tomorrow night, we will witness the first bounce of the season. The match ball will hit the ground with a thump signalling the start of the action and when that happens, the most turbulent off-season in the game's history will come to an end.

Make no mistake about it. Our game is under siege. At local level, in the suburbs and the bush, the game is at risk because the long drought has taken its toll on the very grounds upon which the game is played. The season's start has been delayed at grass roots level and is even in doubt in some leagues.

Meanwhile, at the elite level, it's a case of footballers behaving very badly again and again. We're moving from one embarrassing disaster to another and all this at a time when the round ball game is taking a firm hold in Victoria, particularly after Australia's 2006 World Cup showing was followed up by Melbourne Victory's stunning A League premiership over the summer.

At a little after 7.40pm AEST tomorrow, when one of the big ruckmen thumps the football down to the ground and we witness the first kicks, marks, handballs, tackles and goals, many of will view it with relief. Supporters will again be able to concentrate on the finer aspects of the game and perhaps, in our case, they will even start believing that, like its soccer counterpart, the Melbourne team will emerge triumphant at the end of the coming football season.

So hurry sundown and let the nonsense that we've witnessed over the past few months be well and truly on its way …

DEMONS AND SAINTS by Whispering Jack

A long, long time ago it was an opening round game which took place between Melbourne and St. Kilda on the MCG. That was way back in 1966 and it was a game that marked the turning point for the fortunes of each of the participants. I was a bit loath to bring this game up because it was so painful. It certainly signalled the end of the Demons' golden era of the 50’s and ‘60’s and it was also the springboard for the Saints' only premiership in their long history.

St. Kilda dominated all day to win by 76 points - 17.7.109 to 4.9.33. Melbourne stacked its team full of youngsters with many of the old guard having retired or moved on since the 1964 premiership victory over Collingwood. It would be a long time before the Demons would see finals action again.

But who knows what will happen tomorrow night? Perhaps, the aftermath of the season opener will be a change in fortunes. This time however, the change is likely to be in Melbourne's favour – a change that could allow its long suffering supporters to finally celebrate a premiership victory for the first time in more than four decades.

We can live in hope can't we?

Actually, I think it's a little more than hope. The Demons' form over the past month in Nab Cup and Nab Challenger matches hasn't been anything to write home about but let's face it – these are practice matches and nothing more. You try players out in different positions, you rest some, you play around with tactics, strategies, your game plan and you hope that you don't suffer too badly in the way of injuries to players. Melbourne has come out of the pre season reasonably well in that regard although late injuries to Jared Rivers and Lynden Dunn and Byron Pickett's failure to come up will hurt a bit.

However, I detect a level of healthy confidence as the team prepares to attack St. Kilda in the opening game of the season. The Demons have made the finals for the past three years in a row. They have promised much and performed brilliantly at times, poorly at others - particularly at crunch time. Melbourne now has a good mix of players, young and experienced, talls, mediums and smalls. The time has come for the team to perform with consistency throughout a long season.

Nothing less than a top four berth will do!

THE STATISTICS by Sam the Stats Man

THE GAME: Melbourne v St. Kilda at the MCG - 30 March 2007 at 7.40pm

HEAD TO HEAD:

Overall: Melbourne 118 wins St. Kilda 77 wins 1 draw

At the G: Melbourne 58 wins St. Kilda 29 wins

Since 2000: Melbourne 9 wins St. Kilda 2 wins

The Coaches: Daniher 0 Lyon 0

MEDIA:

TV: Channel 7 at 8.30pm

RADIO: SEN, ABC774

THE BETTING: Melbourne to win $1.60 - St. Kilda to win $2.25

LAST TIME THEY MET: Melbourne 13.12.90 defeated St. Kilda 10.12.72 at the MCG [Elimination Final]

The Saints, with Fraser Gehrig on fire, started brilliantly but were held after quarter time and the Demons finally overran a tired combination that was carrying too many injured players. Brock McLean was the star - who could ever forget that bump which took out St. Kilda's Justin Koschitzke?

THE TEAMS:

MELBOURNE:

Backs: Nathan Carroll Ben Holland Matthew Whelan

Half backs: Daniel Ward Brad Miller Daniel Bell

Centreline: Travis Johnstone James McDonald Matthew Bate

Half forwards: Cameron Bruce Russell Robertson Adem Yze

Forwards: Chris Johnson David Neitz Aaron Davey

Followers: Jeff White Brad Green Brock McLean

Interchange Clint Bartram Mark Jamar Nathan Jones Brent Moloney

Emergencies: Clint Bizzell Nathan Brown Paul Johnson

ST KILDA:

Backs: Steven Baker Sam Fisher Brendan Goodard

Halfbacks: Jason Gram Matt Maguire Leigh Fisher

Centreline: Andrew Thompson Luke Ball Leigh Montagna

Half forwards: Robert Harvey Justin Koschitzke Jason Blake

Forwards: Xavier Clarke Fraser Gehrig Stephen Milne

Followers: Matthew Clarke Lenny Hayes Nick Dal Santo

Interchange: Jayden Attard Aaron Fiora Andrew McQualter Michael Rix

Emergencies: Shane Birss Barry Brooks Brett Voss

UMPIRES: Stephen McBurney Matt Stevic Simon Meredith

THE BATTLE by J.V.McKay

The protagonists in tomorrow night's game were both bundled out in the first week of the Nab Cup and consequently slipped into obscurity playing games around the countryside and chasing the tails of the Leyland Brothers. Neither side has produced impressive results in the past month with only one win from four outings. They might claim that this was a consequence of them not having the ability to field their best sides in meaningless practice matches but that matters little.

St. Kilda has a long list of injured and will be playing a few players who are slightly underdone at this stage of the journey. Their defence will be under pressure for against the experienced Melbourne forward line which has plenty of scoring options. I think the Saints' normally strong midfield might also be under pressure in this match, particularly in the latter part of the game when their lack of solid pre season match practice begins to take its toll.

The Saints will miss Nick Riewoldt who kicked a bag of nine against the Demons a few seasons back and among other Saints stars missing are Hammill, Hudghton and R. Clarke. To make matters worse, St. Kilda was without a fitness coach for part of the summer whilse the Demons, who will sorely miss Jared Rivers at centre half back, have the best fitness coach going around and playerwise look to have covered all bases.

The danger behind all of this will occur if the Demons will come out and treat their opponents with less respect than they should, simply on the basis that the Saints don't have their best player in Riewoldt and few other handy footballers are absent with injury while others on the comeback trail after lengthy absences. They only need go back to last year's opening round fiasco when they underestimated the current wooden spooners to realise the folly of such an approach. Or back to Round 4 of 2005 when they sensed weakness in an injury depleted St. Kilda at Telstra Dome only to suffer an almight spanking after half time - mainly at the hands of Fraser Gehrig.

I doubt however, whether Neale Daniher will allow any complacency to set in and besides, this time his charges have the all round strength and maturity for them to get home. And talking of home, the return to the M.C.G will be welcomed by the Demons and this is what I expect to be the ultimate difference between these teams.

Melbourne by 17 points.

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