They really had me fooled when I picked them with great confidence to beat the Bombers at Gather Round last week. I should have recognised that nothing is more quintessentially Melbourne than defeating the undefeated early premiership favourite one week and losing to a winless cellar dweller on its way to establishing a record losing streak the next. 

It was entirely predictable, yet I failed to anticipate the possibility of the team failing to show up altogether after half time. 

The redeeming feature of this all is that it is also quintessentially Melbourne for the club to come back after a disastrous performance to win when winning isn’t expected. The prime example is from 1979, when the team, then coached by the legendary ruckman Carl Ditterich, lost to Fitzroy by a record 190 points but won their following week against Essendon at the MCG by 29 points. 

Earlier this season, under the coaching of another former ruckman, Steven King, the Demons came back from an eight-goal loss to the Dockers and a seven-goal deficit against the Blues early in the third term to kick 14 second-half goals to win that game by 23 points, and followed up with that win against the Suns. In much the same way, they followed up their 2023 Gather Round loss with four wins in a row and last year’s debacle against the Bombers with four of the next five, including immediately the victory over the finals-bound Dockers and a month or so later, the reigning premier and runner-up in successive matches. 

That’s the history, and we know also that it’s possible to provide plenty of evidence to the contrary but we’ve seen enough over time to know that one poor performance doesn’t signal a collapse. 

Yes, last week’s showing fell well short of the high-octane, fast-paced game style envisioned by Coach Steven King, but a single lapse doesn’t undo the broader shift toward a more dynamic brand of football. 

Nor are the Brisbane Lions without their own faults. They opened their season with consecutive losses and were far from convincing in their narrow escape against the North Melbourne Kangaroos last week. This is a side Melbourne has matched up well against in recent times, and back on home turf, the Demons have every reason to believe they can be competitive. 

That said, much hinges on team selection and execution. Melbourne’s defence looked top-heavy last week, while the forward line struggled for impact after halftime. The injuries of key contributors like Christian Salem and Jake Melksham who were unseen in the second half were telling and both are now sidelined for several weeks. The continued unavailability of Trent Rivers only adds to the challenge. 

We can expect adjustments aimed at injecting much-needed speed and balance into the lineup. An infusion of young and new blood. 

The midfield battle shapes as the defining contest. Melbourne will look to its emerging trio of Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett, and clearance specialist Jack Steele to take it up to a seasoned Brisbane unit led by Lachie Neale, alongside the Ashcroft brothers and a supporting cast rich in big-game experience. In the end, Brisbane’s depth and polish may prove decisive, but Melbourne should be far more competitive than last week’s performance suggests. 

Prediction: Brisbane Lions by 11 points.

THE GAME

Melbourne vs Brisbane Lions at The MCG, Sunday 19 April 2026 at 3.15pm

HEAD TO HEAD *

Overall Melbourne 31 wins Brisbane Lions 26 wins

At The MCG Melbourne 16 wins Brisbane 5 wins

Last Five Meetings Melbourne 2 wins Brisbane Lions 3 wins

The Coaches King 0 wins Fagan 0 wins

* does not include Brisbane Bears or Fitzroy games

LAST TIME THEY MET

Melbourne 14.15.99 defeated Brisbane Lions 13.10.88  at The Gabba, Round 16 2025

Melbourne rose to the occasion and shocked not only the football world but itself with a rousing come-from-behind finish against the reigning premiers who were also four months away from a back-to-back flag.

Max Gawn was in enormous form with 46 hit outs and 22 possessions at 86% efficiency.

THE TEAMS 

MELBOURNE

B D. Turner, J. Lever, B. Howes

HB T. Sparrow, H. Petty, C. Windsor

C K. Tholstrup, J. Steele, J. Culley

HF K. Chandler, J. van Rooyen, M. Jefferson

F B. Fritsch, B. Mihocek, K. Pickett

FOLL M. Gawn, H. Langford, E. Langdon

I/C M. Heath, B. Laurie, L. Pickett, H. Sharp, X. Taylor

EMG P. Cross, J. Henderson, L. Kentfield

IN M. Heath, M. Jefferson, B. Laurie, X. Taylor

OUT X. Lindsay (omitted), T. McDonald (omitted), J.Melksham (ankle), C. Salem (foot)

BRISBANE LIONS

B K. Coleman, H. Andrews, R. Lester

HB D. Wilmot, J. Fletcher, N. Answerth

C B. Reville, W. Ashcroft, J. Berry

HF C. Cameron, O. Allen, L. Ashcroft

F S. Draper, C. Rayner, T. Gallop

FOLL D. Fort, J. Dunkley, L. Neale

I/C Z. Bailey, K. Lohmann, L. McCarthy, H. McCluggage, L. Morris

EMG S. Brain, J. Tunstill, Z. Zakostelsky

IN N. Answorth,

OUT D. Zorko (calf)

You can join in the Irish festivities on Sunday at the G.

Injury List: Round 6

Changkuoth Jiath — calf / 1-2 weeks

Jake Bowey — foot / 2-3 weeks

Patrick Cross — thumb / 2-3 weeks

Shane McAdam — Achilles / 2-3 weeks

Jake Melksham — ankle / 3 - 4 weeks

Christian Salem — foot / 4-6 weeks

Tom Campbell — neck / TBC

Trent Rivers — knee / TBC

Jack Viney — Achilles / TBC

CHANGES

MELBOURNE

IN M. Heath, J. Henderson,M. Jefferson, L. Kentfield, B. Laurie, X. Taylor

OUT T. McDonald (omitted), J.Melksham (ankle), C. Salem (foot)

BRISBANE

IN N. Answerth, S. Brain, J. Tunstill, Z.Zakostelsky

OUT D. Zorko (calf)

Disappointed they didn't select Andy Moniz-Wakefield a small medium and fast replacement for Christian Salem.

46 minutes ago, Blistering said:

Disappointed they didn't select Andy Moniz-Wakefield a small medium and fast replacement for Christian Salem.

They chose essentially the same thing in XT.

Gives AMW another bit of VFL time before he comes up. Not overly bad.

TMac dropped from an already-thinned backline. I couldn't bring myself to watch last week's replay; he must have had a shocker?

17 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

TMac dropped from an already-thinned backline. I couldn't bring myself to watch last week's replay; he must have had a shocker?

TMac had to go. Our game is based on quick ball movement. Sadly, the game's gone past Tom. His only chance to regain his spot, IMO, is if one of our tall defenders is injured or XT needs more time.

XT is not essentially the same thing. He’s smaller and faster and would be useful against the smaller to medium sized forwards.

5 hours ago, GawnOfTheDead said:

They chose essentially the same thing in XT.

Gives AMW another bit of VFL time before he comes up. Not overly bad.