JUNK TIME

by The Oracle

Late in the 2006 season, Sunday's contestants Melbourne and Fremantle were facing off against each other in a semi final at Subiaco. The Dockers won but went on to lose an exciting preliminary final against the Swans in Sydney while the Demons had to be content to settle for the mantle of the best Victorian team in the competition by virtue of a fifth on the ladder finish. Earlier in the season - in fact exactly two years ago in round 7 - Melbourne slaughtered Fremantle at the very venue where the teams will do battle on Sunday. The score line of 17.15.117 to 8.10.58 actually flattered the Dockers as the Demons effortlessly brushed aside their insipid opponents.

At the beginning of 2007 I was confident that both of these clubs were going places. So much so that I selected them to play off in the grand final later that year.

I was wrong.

Today, both of these teams are but a shadow of what they were way back then; their respective coaches Neale Daniher and Chris Connolly were summarily dismissed in the latter half of 2007 with neither surviving their 2006 finals glory by twelve months although Connolly has now changed camps and is the football manager at Melbourne. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say!

The two clubs - Melbourne and Fremantle are on the nose in their respective home states. Both of them need help (and a great deal of it) just to get through 2008.

The visitors come to town with a 1-5 record and have won only one quarter interstate this season. The home side has a worse record at 0-6 and has also won only one quarter interstate this season but its problem is that it has hardly done any better than that on home soil. It is for this reason that Melbourne officials have a worried look on their faces as this game approaches. Poor form means poor crowds and that means the Demons will have to write out a cheque just for the pleasure of playing a home game.

The club has been forced to come up with some innovative ideas to promote this game because the team is not much of a drawcard. That's no surprise because when your decision making is diabolical and your skill level is abysmal, when you seem to have little system and no creativity; when the only thing you're good at is fumbling and hitting opposing players on the chest when they're twenty metres away from the person standing them, people aren't going to queue up to see you play. What's even more problematic this week is that the Dockers aren't much better!

So the Dees have come up with the innovation of the week aimed at helping bring the youngsters through the turnstiles. They can meet non-playing players and club mascot Ronald Deeman outside gates 3 and 5, there are flag giveaways at membership marquees at the same gates and there are kids' entertainers outside the MCG before the game and after the game we'll see the return of one of football's great traditions when all fans will be allowed to set foot on the hallowed turf for a kick to kick session. Of course, this will be dependent on two things:

• the weather and

• whether any fans are left at the ground when the final siren sounds.

I would dearly love to say that the tide will turn this week. After all, this game presents the Demons with their best opportunity so far - a home game against a side that is also struggling to win matches. The problem is that I struggle to see where the improvement will come from to sustain a four quarter effort from a team that is barely playing out one good quarter a week and only then, in junk time!

THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at the MCG - Sunday 4 May 2008 at 2:10pm (AEST)

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 10 wins Fremantle 12 wins

At the MCG Melbourne 3 wins Fremantle 5 wins

Since 2000 Melbourne 5 wins Fremantle 8 wins

The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Harvey 0 wins

MEDIA

TV Channel 7 at 3.00pm (delayed telecast)

RADIO 3AW MMM K-Rock

THE BETTING Melbourne to win $3.20 Fremantle to win $1.30

LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 22.12.144 defeated Melbourne 12.13.85 at Subiaco Round 21, 2007.

This was yet another forgettable game for Melbourne in a nightmarish end to a dismal season. The game meant nothing to either side but the Dockers had some unstoppable players led by Pavlich and McPharlin with Farmer chiming in with a few goals. Brock McLean usually does well against Freo and this game was no exception.

For the Demons all that was left now was a round 22 encounter against a team that didn't want to win.

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

Backs James Frawley Nathan Carroll Matthew Whelan

Half backs Clint Bartram, Jared Rivers Brent Moloney

Centreline Aaron Davey Brock McLean Paul Wheatley

Half forwards: Cale Morton Russell Robertson Nathan Jones

Forwards: Brad Green Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri

Followers: Jeff White, James McDonald, Cameron Bruce

Interchange Matthew Bate Colin Garland Mark Jamar Matthew Warnock

Emergencies Daniel Bell Simon Buckley Lynden Dunn

In Matthew Bate Colin Garland Matthew Whelan

Out Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn (both omitted) Colin Sylvia (hamstring)

FREMANTLE

Backs Steven Dodd Luke McPharlin Scott Thornton

Half backs Marcus Drum Michael Johnson Brock O’Brien

Centreline David Mundy Rhys Palmer Ryan Crowley

Half forwards Garrick Ibbotson Chris Tarrant Dean Solomon

Forwards Ryan Murphy Matthew Pavlich Jeff Farmer

Followers Aaron Sandilands Des Headland Peter Bell

Interchange (from) Andrew Foster Mark Johnson Shaun McManus Byron Schammer

Emergencies Paul Duffield Daniel Gilmore Robert Warnock

In Andrew Foster Des Headland Mark Johnson Brock O’Brien Chris Tarrant

Out Josh Carr (suspended) Daniel Gilmore (omitted) Antoni Grover (quad) Roger Hayden (hamstring) Clayton Hinkley (omitted)

QUIZ TIME

Question: Which AFL club has improved its position on the ladder in every round this season?

Answer: Melbourne.

As the table below demonstrates, the Demons just keep improving every week. The improvement is ever so slight but as you can see, while Melbourne has maintained 16th position on the AFL ladder right through from Rounds 1 to 6, its percentage keeps on creeping upward with every passing week -

W L D For Agst % Pts Pos

Round 1 -

Melbourne 0 1 0 50 154 32.5 0 16

Round 2 -

Melbourne 0 2 0 116 315 36.8 0 16

Round 3 -

Melbourne 0 3 0 198 427 46.4 0 16

Round 4 -

Melbourne 0 4 0 277 554 50.0 0 16

Round 5 -

Melbourne 0 5 0 345 658 52.4 0 16

Round 6 -

Melbourne 0 6 0 430 795 54.1 0 16

This is what I call "improvement" and it's why I maintain that Dean Bailey is an absolute genius! No other coach in the competition can inspire improvement in his team on a regular weekly basis like he can.

Sheer genius!

The only problem is that, at this rate, it will take several years before the team can become competitive so something’s needed to accelerate the improvement.

This is where I have a real problem because Melbourne simply doesn't have the star players to turn the tide of a game. Fremantle, on the other hand, has one such person – Mathew Pavlich. He usually manages to perform against the Demons and, it’s his presence and that of former Demon, Jeff Farmer, who the club gave away for a song when he was at the height of his abilities, that will swing the game in the favour of the Dockers.

Fremantle by 29 points.