From the moment the Melbourne team decided to celebrate its 2021 AFL Grand Final premiership victory with the same song the Bulldogs sang after their Preliminary Final win over Port Adelaide, it was game on. Legend has it that the losers were so incensed at what they considered a sleight on their character as footballers that the teams almost came to blows at a Perth nightclub just days after the premiership decider. 

As an interested observer of human nature, I was intrigued about how far the game had come in the 57 years since the Demons had won their last flag. Back then the Magpies dealt with a grand final defeat in the traditional way of getting sloshed and returning to work on Monday a little worse for wear but otherwise getting on with life.

On the other hand, the Doggies have done it hard and never forgot the alleged theft of their favourite song. They’re champing at the bit and clamouring for revenge which makes Wednesday night’s opening round rematch at the MCG a little bit of a danger game for Melbourne.

Melbourne supporters have continued to celebrate in various ways ranging from a month or two’s stint in a Perth prison to nightly replays, hoisting red and blue flags over their balconies and turning up at the G in December to lift up the premiership cup, the Western Bulldogs fans, their players and coach have been seething in silence, plotting their revenge. While coach Luke Beveridge claimed that he wouldn’t use that nightclub incident to motivate his group before the season opener, it keeps coming up whenever the game comes under discussion. The pity for them is that they showed more fight on the dance room floor than on the grass of Optus Stadium because the trauma has lived on rent free in their minds for far too long after the event.

And the news for the Bulldogs is that come Wednesday night, it’s going to be the same old song (but with a different meaning since the premiership’s been gone). The reason is that games of football are rarely based on emotion these days but on ability and talent.

The Demons look set to go into the game with a couple of solid defenders missing through injury in Harry Petty and Trent Rivers but they look to have the depth to replace them.

The main battle will be fought as usual in the midfield where the memory of the dominance of Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney, assisted in the ruck by skipper Max Gawn and Luke Jackson has managed to haunt the Bulldogs throughout the summer. Their own midfield, led by Marcus Bontempelli, is pretty, pretty good but it won’t be enough to cover the chinks in their armour elsewhere around the ground.

The only thing that will hurt the Demons is their own hubris and the boneheadedness that blighted them in the pre season Challenge Cup when they decided to take on the umpires and gave away well over half a kilometre of territory through their own stupidity. On Wednesday night, it will be a case of back to earth, the unfurling of a long-awaited and well earned premiership flag and back to business on the home turf of the MCG.

Melbourne to win by 19 points.

THE GAME

Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at The MCG, Wednesday March 16, 2022 at 7.10 pm 

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 90 wins 1 draw Western Bulldogs 78 wins

At The MCG Melbourne 46 wins Western Bulldogs 29 wins

Last Five Meetings Melbourne 3 wins Western Bulldogs 2 wins

The Coaches Goodwin 5 wins Beveridge 3wins

MEDIA

TV live and on demand on Kayo and live on the Seven Network and Foxtel. Check your local guides.

Radio - check your local guides.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 21.14.140 defeated Western Bulldogs 10.6.66 at Optus Stadium in the 2021 Grand Final

One of the club’s most famous victories.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

B: J.Smith 44 S.May 1 C.Salem 3
HB: J.Bowey 17 A. Tomlinson 20 J.Harmes 4
C: A.Brayshaw 10 C.Oliver 13 E.Langdon 15
HF: C.Spargo 9 T.McDonald 25 A.Neal-Bullen 30
F: J.Viney 7 B.Brown 50 B.Fritsch 31
Foll: M.Gawn - C 11 C.Petracca 5 T.Sparrow 32
I/C: L.Jackson 6 J.Jordon 23 J.Hunt 29 K.Pickett 36

Sub: T.Bedford 12 Emerg: S.Weideman 26 L.Dunstan 27  

WESTERN BULLDOGS

B: E.Richards 20 A.Keath 42 B.Williams 34
HB: C.Daniel 35 Z.Cordy 12 B.Dale 31
C: B.Smith 6 J.Dunkley 5 R. Gardner 43
HF: C.Weightman 19 J.Schache 13 A.Treloar 1
F: L.Vandermeer 23 A.Naughton 33 L. Hunter 7
Foll: T.English 44 J.Macrae 11 M.Bontempelli - C 4
I/C: H. Crozier 9 T.Liberatore 21 M.Hannan 29 R.Smith 37

Sub: J. Ugle-Hagan 2 Emerg: S. Martin 8 R.McComb 27

J. Lever came out of Melbourne’s  and J. Johannisen came out of the Western Bulldogs’ team - injured.

Injury List: Round 1 

Michael Hibberd (calf) — Round 2
Jake Lever (ruptured plantar fascia) — Round 2/3 
Harry Petty (knee) — Round 3/4 
Trent Rivers (knee) — Round 3/4

On 3/14/2022 at 9:32 AM, Demonland said:

WJ in another earlier life one could see you Phil Spector like twiddling the knobs to produce another hit. You’d expect more fight from the dogs, but you can only judge this mob on their last outing. Clearly we had the Four Tops. Even ‘the Bont’ didn’t make the cut.

Lachie Hunter apparently not selected for the Dogs. He was an important player for them two years ago. A bit of a surprise that he’s lost favour with the selectors.

You had me believing that WJ until you mentioned the winning margin..... 19 Points.... a margin that will forever live in my memory.