DEMON CHANGE by Bananabender

This climate change thing is really getting to me. I live in a part of Queensland that until recently has been drought stricken yet at one stage our place was subject to severe water restrictions even though the local dam was 100% full.

I drive almost all the way up the coast through flooded communities and in mostly rain soaked conditions and end up in the far north of the state to watch a game designed to be played in the cold of winter in the southern parts of this continent. The conditions are hot and humid but no rain when I arrive at Cazaly Stadium, Cairns with my mates to witness the NAB Challenge between Melbourne and Richmond.

I am however, confronted with something even more frightening that climate change - I call it "Demon Change".

Fair dinkum!

The team is barely recognisable when they run out onto the ground. You can work Richmond out from the yellow and mainly black gear, but my first impression when the Demons emerge from the rooms is that they're wearing pyjamas; a mainly silver outfit reminiscent of my own night time attire as a five year old. Totally shocking and in no way matching club officials who are decked out in mainly red regalia. And it's not long before the faces of the coaching staff turn an appropriate shade of red to match the colours of their shirts.

It is at this same point that I notice the true effects of Demon Change. There are so many new faces out there! I am too late to find a footy record on sale so it is hard keeping up with who's who out there on the field. I can say that most of the better known faces at Demonland are missing. No Neita, Robbo, Whitey, Brock, Bruce, Rivers, Wheels, Wheats or Carroll and they are only the names I can remember after consuming my full ration of frothies from plastic cups as the evening wears on to a painful end.

The spectacle is pretty well hopeless but I suppose that is made inevitable by Demon Change. There is a smattering of players I recognise but many who I don't. The Tigers kick the first but it's a promising start as the Dees counter with a couple of goals to Michael Newton and newcomer Trent Zomer. Soon the inexperience and brittleness in the defence lets the Tigers through for some easy goals. Nathan Jones is our best early in the piece and Newton looks dangerous up forward. Aaron Davey and Brent Moloney start on the bench but once out on the field their presence helps. Still, the more accurate Tigers have the aid of the breeze and dominate the latter part of the first term (thanks to some loose defence) to hold sway to the tune of 16 points by quarter time.

Melbourne mounts a comeback early in the second term with goals to Isaac Weetra and Newton but both are wasteful and fail to take full advantage of the opportunties presented to them through the midfield drive of Jones and Moloney whose penetrating kicks forward set up a number of scoring chances. Colin Sylvia is also at his best at this stage with some strong tackling and kicks to advantage. The Dees are five points down at the main break but they should be well in front.

This is the end of the penny section as they say because after half time, the Demons are disappointing, wasteful in front of goal and tending towards a rabble although it must be said that some of the more experienced players are interchanged after half time and the younger players seem a little overawed. That could not be said of Addam Maric who shows his capacity to be a dangerous crumbing forward with a nice goal. The Tigers however, are playing with more purpose and with greater accuracy in front of goal as they skip to a 26 point lead at three quarter time but not before another disaster occurs with Newton going down with a head injury. His head is put in a neck brace and he is stretchered off and headed for Cairns Base Hospital.

With our only effective key position forward out of the game, the team's confidence and its ability to mount a fightback seem to have been snuffed out. They fail to take advantage of the favouring breeze and the Tiger machine rolls on to a 35 point victory. Brad Green, Davey and Matty Bate lead the troops but there is not enough in the tank as the ship goes down in the steamy tropical night.

I later learn that Juice Newton is cleared of any serious neck injury and is released from hospital where they must have been confused to see a patient admitted with such an injury already dressed in his PJ's.

Speaking of PJ's, Paul Johnson plays a virtual lone hand against Simmonds and Pattison with John Meesen, well beaten in the ruck and later moved forward. Meesen looks mobile and might be a chance for a tall key position possibly in defence but is not the answer as a ruckman on what I have seen.

Dean Bailey has stated that Brad Miller will be tried at both ends of the ground during the season but, after playing him at full back in this game, I think the best bet for him is at centre half forward. Miller has as many good games in defence under his belt as Heather Mills has toes and it's about time we forget about that one winning performance against Barry Hall a few years back.

Cale Morton, Maric and Shane Valenti show some promise for the future but most of the other youngsters need time.

I would suggest that it's also time to get serious about the forthcoming season and that the regulars start filtering back in the next few weeks as, without a solid core of experienced players, it's difficult to expect a cohesive and winning game plan to develop. My verdict therefore is that while change is always necessary, too much Demon Change is not necessarily such a good thing.

Richmond 5.1.31, 6.4.40, 11.5.71 14.10.94

Melbourne 2.3.15 5.5.35 6.9.45 8.11.59

Goals

Richmond Pettifer 3 Howat Hughes Schulz 2 Brown Foley Morton Pattison Raines

Melbourne Newton 2 Davey Green Maric Petterd Weetra Zomer

Best

Richmond Pettifer Newman Simmonds Tambling Foley Bowden

Melbourne Davey Jones Moloney Newton Sylvia P Johnson Valenti

Umpires Armstrong Kamolins Kennedy

According to one of Sunday papers we're expecting an influx of our more experienced players for Friday night's game against the Doggies in Bendigo. We need to get some momentum going for the season ahead so I hope we can actually play something that resembles competitive football for more than one quarter next week.

The Heather Mills' toes line...

One of the more arbitrary things I've read on 'land... and I've read plenty fro Y_M, so that's saying somthing...

Good article...

Thanks for the summary it explains a lot to those of us that didn't get the chance to see the game.

How did Weetra play besides the goal? Have basically heard nothing of him since he was drafted

How did Weetra play besides the goal? Have basically heard nothing of him since he was drafted

According to the report on Demonology from twodogs he dropped a few sitters in front of goal. Suggest he might spend a bit more time at Sandy before he gets back into the club's pyjama uniform.

According to the report on Demonology from twodogs he dropped a few sitters in front of goal. Suggest he might spend a bit more time at Sandy before he gets back into the club's pyjama uniform.

hhhmmm you don't like to see an AFL player dropping sitters in front of goal! He needs to start stepping up.

Melbourne wearing pyjamas? Perhaps we should be called the "undees"

Thanks for the report Bananabender.

Great to see Paul Johnson named in the best after having basically a full match in the ruck. There is no doubt in my mind that he should be the back up for White, with Meesen and Jamar next in the pecking order.

baily's plan

finish last

no.1 draft pick

and cusons in the preseason draft

why else would you get rid of all ur depth players.

peace

baily's plan

finish last

no.1 draft pick

and cusons in the preseason draft

why else would you get rid of all ur depth players.

peace

Which depth players are you talikng about?

Bizzell, Brown and Pickett all retired.

Ward and Godfrey shown the door. You could've maybe kept one of those two maximum, but with Brown, they were are worst three players in terms of disposal, so i'm glad they are gone....especially Ward, he was terrible.

I still wouldnt of got ridden of Fergerson