I like the AFL’s idea of a Retro Round but I don’t think we need to go back as far as 1998 as suggested by the Melbourne Football Club. Three years will be good enough for me. I would happily travel back in time on the  Demonland DMC De Laurean to Thursday 8th July 2021, a time when the fog of COVID19 was slowly lifting and Melbourne gave Port Adelaide a 31 point spanking at Adelaide Oval. Before that, there’s really not much to go retro about all the way back to the early 90s when the Port team was admitted into the VFL/AFL.

Melbourne, which promised so much in the first third of the season but faltered thereafter, is now merely playing for the time when the sun goes down on it’s season at roughly 10:00pm on Friday 23 August 2024. There are too many players for who the season is over or might as well be over, for it to matter. Too many who feature in the club’s best half of players on the list have had their season ended and most of those not ruled out in that category going all the way up to are carrying injuries or for one reason or other, are playing at well below 100% capacity. 

This is not making excuses for an anticipated defeat but being realistic. The Demons have run into a brick wall. They are coming up on a weekly basis against teams that are highly motivated to fit into the top echelon of the competition at this juncture, are building to peak fitness and have few injuries to contend with in the march towards September. The exact opposite of what Melbourne is experiencing. 

Until last week, the club could rely on its highly performing defensive group but the rib injury to Steven May (almost certainly season ending) has cast a pall on its strongest link. The midfield, once so supreme, potent and confident, is struggling to win clearances. There have been numerous instances this season where that malady has appeared early enough in a game to effectively rule out a victory in quick time. 

What are the odds of Rozee, Butters, Horne-Francis, Wines and Drew, having plundered the top team in the competition by 112 points, allowing a weakened Melbourne into the contest? 

The Demons will need warriors like Max Gawn and Jack Viney who are nowhere near 100% fit themselves to lead them in the ruck and on the ball but this, in turn demands that a number of inconsistent players perform at their best.

It’s a bridge too far. I’m afraid.

Port Adelaide by 40 points.

THE GAME

Melbourne v Port Adelaide on Saturday 10 August 2024 at 7.30pm at the MCG

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 17 wins Port Adelaide 22 wins

At the MCG Melbourne 8 wins Port Adelaide 3 wins

Past five meetings Melbourne 4 wins Port Adelaide 1 win

The Coaches Goodwin 5 wins Hinkley 4 wins

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 15.6.96 defeated Port Adelaide 13.11.89 in Round 3 2024 at Adelaide Oval

The Demons were in a completely different space then than they are today. They ran hard, played with confidence and took control in the final quarter, something they haven’t been able to manage to do in recent weeks. Gawn with 50 hit outs, Neal-Bullen with his football smarts and a resurgent Clayton Oliver were the stand outs.

THE TEAMS  

MELBOURNE

B A. Tomlinson, J. Lever, J. McVee
HB M. Hore, T. McDonald, C. Salem C E. Langdon, C. Oliver, A. Neal-Bullen
HF K. Pickett, H. Petty, K. Chandler
F K. Tholstrup, B. Fritsch, J. Van Rooyen
FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, T. Sparrow
I/C J. Billings, B. Howes, T. Rivers, D. Turner SUB J. Melksham 
EMG K. Brown, M. Jefferson 

IN J. Billings, M. Hore, C. Salem, A. Tomlinson

OUT J. Bowey (illness), S. May (ribs), A. Moniz-Wakefield (omitted), T. Woewodin (illness)

PORT ADELAIDE  

B L. Jones, B. Zerk-Thatcher, M. Bergman
HB L. Evans, A. Aliir, D. Houston
C J. Burgoyne, O. Wines, W. Drew
HF D. Byrne-Jones, T. Marshall, W. Rioli
F E. Ratugolea, C. Dixon, C. Rozee
FOLL J. Sweet, J. Horne-Francis, Z. Butters
I/C T. Boak, F. Evans, K. Farrell, J. Mead, Q. Narkle
EMG R. Burton, W. Lorenz, D. Visentini

IN T. Marshall 

OUT M. Georgiades (quad strain)

Injury List:  Round 22

Steven May — ribs / TBC             
Christian Salem — hamstring / 1 - 2 weeks
Caleb Windsor — ankle / 2 - 3 weeks 
Charlie Spargo — Achilles / season
Christian Petracca — spleen / indefinite

I want to back as far as TAS drop kicking the ball to the center  of the MCG they cant do it today

I was lucky enough to attend the round 3 win and it was definitely one of our best wins in recent years.

That last quarter was inspirational in hostile territory and the boys refused to head out of Adelaide Oval without the 4 points.

A completely different attitude to the one post round 9.