HAPPINESS AND TEARS

[Demonland 73,326]

by Scoop Junior

It's been that sort of season for Melbourne.

After experiencing four wins and seventeen defeats in a miserable, injury-riddled season, one more loss would have given some drafting joy in a year that was almost gone as soon as it started.

Unfortunately however, Melbourne's Round 22 opponent happened to be Carlton, a club so determined to lose in order to secure the number one pick in the draft that it was able to give us the ultimate ironical outcome - a game that we could not lose and, rather fittingly for the script of 2007, the Demons got up - easily. Even twenty-four hours later, one doesn't know whether that should signal happiness or tears.

Team selection for this game was always going to be interesting. Would the Dees go for a weakened line-up in a bid to nail the priority pick?

Most would have looked at the 22 on paper and would have identified the two most likely match-winners: Robertson and Johnstone. It was no surprise then that the former kicked 6 goals and the latter racked up 42 touches off half back to be two of their side's best players. In all honesty, it probably didn't matter who the Demons selected for this game. Carlton did not want to win – its administration and footy department would ensure that would not happen. Perhaps, then, the Dees just decided to go with "best available" (even given the large number of unavailable) in a bid to inflict a hefty defeat.

At quarter time, such an outcome looked likely. Carlton looked uninterested; it did not man up and allowed the Demons far too much space and the Blues also kicked horribly for goal. At least, for Melbourne supporters, the disappointment of finishing one game above the cut-off for the priority pick could be compensated by giving the Blues a good old-fashioned hiding. But we couldn't think like that, could we? Who are we to kid ourselves? This is 2007, remember. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has fallen the Dees' way this year.

So it was no surprise then that the Demons took their foot off the accelerator. Carlton kicked their way back into the game but never looked likely. In fact, each time they closed to within 20 points, the Dees would kick a few in a hurry. The Blues probably didn't dare get within two goals, given the mental fragility of Melbourne in 2007 and the fact that five of its starting backline sat in the stands. The Demons ran out 31-point winners, which was neither here nor there. No draft pick, no thrashing, no happiness and no tears. Though I must admit when the final siren sounded to end this sorry season, I felt some sense of contentment leaving the MCG knowing that future seasons could not get much worse than this one.

The atmosphere at the game matched the intensity on the field, which was probably on par with a Sunday afternoon father-and-son football match in the park. In fact, some of the younger kids would have at least followed their dads around, which is more than can be said for Carlton's attention to Trapper. I recall Carrazzo wearing him like a glove in both games last year, constantly elbowing him and niggling him the way taggers should. TJ hardly saw it in those games, yet there was no such attention yesterday. I wonder why?

If the atmosphere was pathetic, and understandably so, the reactions of some supporters was an indictment on the game. Carlton supporters next to me clapped when Whitnall kicked the ball like it was made of steel and cheered when Robbo slammed through yet another goal. A Melbourne player was caught red hot and there was no shout of "ball", Blues' fans were furious that they were getting a good run from the men in yellow and the Carlton cheer squad started singing the club song when they were dead and buried in the last term. And really, who could blame them? While the behaviour was perhaps extravagant, the sentiment was clear and rational. The AFL is worried about certain events bringing the game into disrepute. Well, look no further than the crowd last night at the MCG and this, perhaps more than anything else this season, has affected the brand of the game.

I wouldn't read much into the actual game either. There was very little pressure, no close tags and most Demons found themselves opposed to inexperienced youngsters. Nathan Jones and Brock McLean did well in the clinches and really do provide some genuine excitement in the inside grunt department. They lack pace but being a good player requires an understanding of your limitations and how to manage them. The real surprise packet has been Lynden Dunn in midfield. With his big engine, neat skills and great awareness, he could really develop into a very handy player. He played on Murphy for a bit and did a reasonable job on him but also found the ball 20-odd times and used it well each time.

Matthew Bate came back into the side and showed his sharpness around goal and excellent finishing skills. There are a number of areas he needs to work on but he has the tools if he wants it badly enough. Brad Miller played one of his better games for the year as a leading forward. However, these have been too few and far between and his limitations severely restrict his competitiveness at this level. Michael Newton kicked two goals to be a handy contributor and took another hanger on the wing. He shows a lot of promise but does have a fair amount to work on, in particular his ground level skills, second efforts and concentration.

Elevated rookie Jace Bode showed some promise and nailed two goals, but again it wouldn’t be wise to read too much into this game. Bode also must improve at ground level. For a player of his size, clean hands below the knees is a must and I'm yet to be convinced in this aspect of his game. If you are fumbling against a tanking Carlton, how will you fare against the best pressure sides in the competition?

Nathan Carroll was thrashed by Whitnall, but luckily for the rugged Demon backman (and for Carlton supporters), Big Red couldn’t find the big sticks. In the ruck, Jeff White gave a good account of himself, but his fellow big men in Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson both struggled. The ruck looks to a big area of concern for the Dees, with White turning 31 early next year. Jamar is a fair tap ruckman, but offers little else. Aside from the humiliating 30-metre pass to Whitnall that amazingly invoked the wrath of the opposition fans when normally it would have been a point of comical joy, he failed to make his mark around the ground.

And finally onto the retiring trio. Browny did as Doggy has done for 10 years – threw himself in with the utmost bravery, only to undo his hard work with errant disposal. But this bloke has been a marvel for the MFC. His courage, determination and willingness to run have pleased supporters over his time at the club and he will be remembered as one of the gutsiest Demons. Biz has been a good contributor since arriving from Geelong. While injuries have curtailed his last few years, he played some tremendous footy in 2002 and 2003 and was always a courageous, team-oriented player with excellent skills. Byron Pickett will be remembered for a fantastic career. He has been a tremendous footballer – hard, mean, skilful, quick and powerful – and was instrumental in the Kangaroos and Power’s Grand Final wins. However, his time as Melbourne was largely forgettable, never getting himself in a suitable condition for the demands of modern day footy. I thought it was quite strange to hear the cheers when Pickett had the footy and the relative lack of noise when Browny had it, as everyone knows who has given better service to the club. But perhaps they were just acknowledging what, up until this year, has been a pretty special career from Pickett.

Perhaps another player may join these three in retirement. Daniel Ward has not had a memorable end to the season. He was dropped a few rounds ago, came back into the side against Fremantle by virtue of another six injuries, conceded a number of frees at Subiaco and then struggled to match Houlihan in the third and Betts in the last term. It may well have been his last game for the Demons.

After experiencing that game, I just hope nothing like it ever happens again. The whole point of footy is pride and passion and when that is taken away from you, there's nothing left. When the opposition's supporters don’t want to win and when you think it's in the best interests of your own team not to win, it just makes for a horrible scenario. The usual banter between the fans, the intensity of the game and the pride of winning were all removed by the evil of the priority pick system. I would rather see my team lose by 15 goals than have to endure that rubbish again, as at least some sort of emotion will be invoked.

And so, after the year from hell, the only way, surely, is up. A new coach invariably brings with it a whole host of changes, in particular the list, player positions, development, game plan, strategy, tactics, and, most importantly, attitude. If there’s one thing that needs to change at Melbourne, it is attitude. The team, while talented, has not produced consistently for far too long. The Kangaroos have shown that anything can happen, rising from 14th (precisely where the Demons finished this year) to 4th in one season, and there appears to be little doubt about which club has the more talented list. However, the Roos play for each other and work their butts off, and that's something we need to see from the Dees in 2008.

Thankfully, this disastrous year is over (unless Collingwood perform in the finals…heaven forbid) and we can look forward to a big off-season both on the training track and off the field. The hope remains, and as a Melbourne supporter, you learn to live off that!

Melbourne 7.3.45 12.6.78 16.11.107 21.13.139

Carlton 1.7.13 4.13.37 10.15.75 15.18.108

Goals

Melbourne Robertson 6 Bate Bode Bruce Newton 2 Brown Ferguson Johnstone Jones Miller Pickett White

Carlton Betts 5 Gibbs Houlihan 2 Simpson Hampson Waite Kennedy Walker Whitnall

Best

Melbourne Johnstone Robertson McLean Jones Dunn

Carlton Scotland Betts Gibbs Houlihan Simpson Bentick.

Injuries

Melbourne - nil (now it happens?)

Carlton M Jamison (shoulder).

Reports

Melbourne M Newton (reported by umpire M Ellis for allegedly charging P Bower in the second quarter)

Carlton Nil

Umpires M Nicholls C Kamolins M Ellis.

Official crowd 26,156 at the MCG