CROSSING THE PICKETT LINE by The Oracle

Melbourne’s performance in losing its Round Zero contest in Sydney has certainly caused the club, the coach and the players to come firmly under the watchful eye of the football world and exposed all of its aspects to a microscopic lens.

Much of the commentary surrounding them has been less than complimentary and, while some might argue that this is unfair after only one round, leaving aside some of the scuttlebutt that surrounds a lot of the discussion around the game, a fair amount of the criticism has been deserved. That is the nature of the game.

The Demons went into the match in Sydney without any apparent understanding of the conditions in which it was to be played. The ground and the ball turned out to be so slippery that, at times, the players appeared to be playing with bars of soap. The overuse of handball and poor skills compounded the lack of momentum and forward movement. Turnovers were costly and connection into an already crowded forward line was almost non-existent. Ed Langdon’s goal after the half time siren, barely made the scoreline of one major from 29 forward 50 entries up until then look any better. Even though the Swans managed only a single scoring shot in the second quarter, they were in front at half time, a factor that proved conclusive by the end.

As a few of the other teams discovered in playing games at a relatively early stage in their preparation for the season ahead, the Demons ran themselves too hard early for the lack of reward and were found wanting in the final quarter - something we have not been used to from Melbourne teams in recent seasons. 

So, the Melbourne selectors go into the game this week with the mission of turning their game around and in doing so, they need to address every area of the ground. The defence is the only area that needs only a minor rejig in the absence of the injured Jake Bowey. The forward line will gain an instant boost with Kozzie Pickett’s return - he will not only make the attack more dangerous but as he showed in the practice matches, he can also go into the middle and cause some havoc. We know that as much as Max Gawn is a superhuman ruckman, he can’t do it all on his own and therefore needs more support in the ruck and from the teammates surrounding him. This is especially so against a talented ruck foe like Tim English who will have plenty of support from the Bulldog talls. 

Melbourne’s other main task is to subdue the influence of Marcus Bontempelli who many judges claim to be the best in the business.

I was thinking of calling this a line ball game but if my theory about teams not being well enough prepared for a season from the get-go is correct, then the Dogs might struggle against a team that has played a hard game of football followed by a full week and more to reflect on getting better.

I think it will be close, but the Demons will end up with the cigar and win by four points.

THE GAME

Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at The MCG Sunday 17 March 2024 at 1.00 pm 

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 91 wins Western Bulldogs 79 wins 1 draw
At The MCG Melbourne 48 wins Western Bulldogs 29 wins
Last Five Meetings Melbourne 3 wins Western Bulldogs 2 wins
The Coaches Goodwin 7 wins Beveridge 4 wins

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 17.13.115 defeated Western Bulldogs 9.11.65 at The MCG in Round 1, 2023

Melbourne was primed to overcome the disappointment of the previous season’s straight sets finals demise and it did so emphatically with total control of the game. Ben Brown and Pickett booted four goals apiece and, but for Kozzie’s over exuberant hit on Bailey Smith, it might have been the perfect start to a season.

THE TEAMS 

MELBOURNE 

B T. Rivers, S. May, J. Lever
HB J. McVee, B. Howes, M. Hore
C E. Langdon, C. Petracca, C. Windsor
HF T. Sparrow, J. Van Rooyen, K. Pickett 
F A. Neal-Bullen, B. Fritsch, K. Chandler
FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, C. Oliver
I/C J. Billings. B. Brown, T. McDonald, C. Salem, T. Woewodin        
EMG T. Fullarton, B. Laurie, K. Tholstrup

IN B. Brown, M. Hore, T. McDonald, K. Pickett SUB T. Woewodin


OUT J. Bowey (collarbone), J. Schache (omitted), B. Laurie (omitted), C. Spargo (Achilles), A. Tomlinson (omitted)

WESTERN BULLDOGS

B L. Bramble, L. Jones, N. Coffield
HB E. Richards, B. Khamis, B. Dale      
C J. Harmes, A. Treloar, H. Gallagher
HF R. Sanders, R. Lobb, C. Weightman 
F R. West, A. Naughton, J. Ugle-Hagan 
FOLL T. English, M. Bontempelli, T. Liberatore

I/C J. Johannisen, L. McNeil, L. Vandermeer, B. Williams SUB C. Daniel
EMG O. Baker, S. Darcy, J. O'Donnell

NEW Ryley Sanders (Sandringham Dragons), Lachlan Bramble (Hawthorn), Nick Coffield (St Kilda), Harvey Gallagher (Bendigo Pioneers), James Harmes (Melbourne) 

Injury and Suspension List: Round 1

Harrison Petty — toe/ test

Lachie Hunter — calf/ 2 - 3 weeks

Daniel Turner — hip/ 6 - 7 weeks

Jake Bowey — shoulder/ 8 weeks

Shane McAdam — hamstring/ TBC

Jake Melksham — knee/ TBC

Joel Smith — suspended/ TBC