Leaderboard

So much for Goody playing favourites with Melksham. Thats a relief.

STATEMENT by The Oracle The Melbourne Football Club is at a point in its history when the time has come for the team to make a definitive statement. For too long, the Demons have struggled to produce consistency in their performance from week to week. Supporters have scratched their heads in puzzlement at how their form could ebb and flow and, just when the time was ripe for an upward step, they would put in a shocker. Now is the time for a statement about standing up and winning games they are expected to win. I believe that Melbourne is now in a position to turn the tide of inconsistency and the reason is due in part to the arrival of a trio of players who have come into the fold and who possess the presence and the experience necessary to steady a ship when things go wrong. Former Hawk Jordan Lewis is poised to show his old club the folly of allowing a player of his ilk to slip through their fingers. Last week he added steadiness and invaluable leadership to the Demon midfield with his 30 touches and this was matched by the club's co-captains who were instrumental in helping the team overrun the Bombers in the second half. Two defenders from Essendon in Michael Hibberd and Jake Melksham have added solidity to the Melbourne defence. The former has been a revelation in his two matches while the latter is gradually adding to the club's depth in this area*. At a time when injuries have been a negative factor, the presence of the newcomers is helping to change the shape of the club. Of course, it's not just the three on their own - there are young players at the club coming into their own and producing consistent performances. Names like Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Jayden Hunt and Christian Salem are carving a niche in the game for themselves. Last week the Demons missed their All Australian ruckman in Max Gawn (and he will still be missing for several weeks to come) but they are likely to get Jesse Hogan back after the passing of his father. His return will be welcome as it will provide an extra dimension to the team's fire power. After a lacklustre start to the season, he is another important presence on the ground. With Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett, Petracca and Mitch Hannan all capable of kicking goals, the forward line is starting to take on a formidable shape. There's always a danger in underestimating your opponent on any given day and Demon fans are well aware of the perils of taking the demoralized Hawks lightly. The West Coast Eagles discovered that just two weeks ago. But the opportunity is there to make a big statement about the dependability of the playing group even after the injuries, the suspensions and the personal setbacks of the first month and a half of the season. Melbourne will win this game and in doing so will continue the upward trend in its fortunes that began when Paul Roos was appointed to coach the club almost four years ago. * You give a bloke some praise and the selectors drop him. Sheesh! THE GAME Melbourne v Hawthorn at the MCG Sunday 7 May 2017 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 75 wins Hawthorn 85 wins At MCG Melbourne 36 wins Hawthorn 44 wins Last 5 meetings Melbourne 1 win Hawthorn 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Clarkson 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7, Fox Sports 503 live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M, 3AW, ABC, ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $1.44 to win Hawthorn $2.80 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.8.110 defeated Hawthorn 11.15.81 in Round 20, 2016 at the MCG Max Gawn had 41 hit outs, 16 possessions and 11 marks to drive a famous victory for the Demons who prevailed over the Hawks for the first time in a decade. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Sam Frost, Jordan Lewis C: Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver, Tom Bugg HF: Christian Petracca, Jack Watts, Mitch Hannan F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Jay Kennedy-Harris FOLL: Cam Pedersen, Bernie Vince, Jack Viney I/C: Oscar McDonald, Christian Salem, Dom Tyson, Josh Wagner EMG: Dean Kent, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch IN: Jesse Hogan, Josh Wagner OUT: Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen HAWTHORN B: Grant Burchall, James Frawley, Ben Stratton, HB: Ryan Burton, Josh Gibson, Shaun Burgoyne C: Isaac Smith, Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O'Meara HF: Luke Breust, Tim O'Brien, Jack Gunston F: Paul Puopolo, Jarryd Roughead, Cyril Rioli FOLL: Ben McEvoy Liam Shiels Luke Hodge I/C: Blake Hardwick, Billy Hartung, Daniel Howe, James Sicily, Brendan Whitecross EMG: Kaiden Brand, Will Langford, James Sicily IN: Grant Birchall, Cyril Rioli OUT: Kaiden Brand, Will Langford There is no question that Hawthorn is on a downward spiral. The Hawks have suffered three massive losses in excess of 12 goals so far this year including one by 86 points against Gold Coast in Round 3. However, history tells us that when great teams are in their death throes they retain the capacity to dig deep and rise to the occasion. They did this in Round 5 against the Eagles and with two stars back in their side this week and the recriminations of another failure ringing in their ears, they will certainly be trying to defy their detractors. In a round that is already looming as a round of major upsets, Hawthorn also has the added incentive of atoning for their last encounter with Melbourne which was the Round 20 loss that sent the team spiraling downward from the top ladder position which they then firmly held to a situation where they failed to even make a preliminary final in September and further to the lowly place they now occupy on the competition table. Melbourne also has something to prove as circumstance has robbed it of the opportunity to hold a firm grip on a finals place - even at this early stage. With the club welcoming back Jesse Hogan after Jordan Lewis' return last week and the club debut of Michael Hibberd the week before that, the Demons are back to almost full strength with the exception of the big hole in ruck left by the injury to Max Gawn. The game is all about coping with the loss of players through injury and sometimes this has to be done by improvisation. Simon Goodwin has demonstrated in his short time at the helm that he is capable of pulling rabbits out a hat and last week, his unorthodox ruck set up headed by Cam Pedersen, showed that he is very good at making hard things work. Melbourne by 29 points.

JKH won't be one of the outs. It surprises me that some of the forum regulars still aren't aware that the outs always come from the extended bench.

Does this now finally debunk the bull[censored] myth that Goodwin plays favourites? Eff me dead that narrative was/is tedious.

To quote Brendan McCartney at this mornings training "best they've looked all year, loved the intensity" lets hope they haven't spent it all at training

will we notice much of a difference ?

Just do it. My husband, much to his horror gets a Dees membership every year for Christmas. If he bought me a Collingwood one in return I would shred it.

He can't play in a zonal system. He's at his best with a man on man system. If a player doesn't suit your system and isn't adaptable, you go out and find someone who is.

This is one of the most staggering paragraphs I've ever seen on Demonland, and that's saying something....

I really like the idea of one independent person working with Goodwin on selection - but only on the condition that person is me. Otherwise it's a terrible idea. Im pretty sure we all feel that way.

The issue with Hawkins in Round 3 was the speed and ease with which Geelong was able to get the ball into him once they penetrated our press. Collingwood denied him this easy ball which assisted Dunn as he wasn't caught out of position. One on one, Dunn is superior to O'Mac, however nowadays you need a whole team defender to stop the opposition scoring. On addition, as far as list management goes, Dunn has already reached his ceiling while I believe o'Mac is still a long way off. I like Dunn and I think he should be very proud of the career he's made for himself. Started as a key forward, moved to midfielder, then KPD- he's certainly proved himself to be versatile. However it's benefitted him to move to collingwood where he'll find more opportunity.

I got him at 500-1for the brownlow after the WC JLT game and 50-1 most votes for Melbourne.

Fair enough mate. I won't argue with that, I'm just holding out some hope that he can be a serviceable foot soldier in our back six over the coming years.

You virtually never see a player named in the 18 omitted.

Signed up my 7 month old little girl today for Baby Dee membership much to her mums disapproval (mad Richmond). $54 for the membership, $75 NB voucher in return!

CBDees is right. The MCC asks its members to nominate a team they support but that's for their own internal reasons - just a survey to profile their membership. Numbers don't count in the football membership tally. I think most MCC members take out the discounted membership as a donation to the footy club and in turn score a scarf, car stickers, the usual stuff. What is new this year is that if you take out a full MFC membership with your MCC membership then your football membership entitles you to take a guest into three games in the MCC reserve at no extra cost. Normally you would have to buy a guest ticket, costing around $40, to take a guest into the MCC. This applies only to five matches (the lower attending ones against Freo, North, Port, Saints and Brisbane) but if you use those bonus tickets for three of those matches you are almost all square (and popular with mates).

Agree. I feel for Trengove. But seeing his name mentioned every week is tiresome. It's clear as day why he doesn't play. Really like Stretch too, I'd like him to take more risks with his kicks, plays a bit too safe.

We need JKH to stay in the team, who else will do all the corralling?

May not have been our coach.

I am a Lynden Dunn fan, and was sad to see him move - to the Pies of all teams! However, lookong at the way the Dees team evolved under Roos and how Goodwin now is coaching them to play, I reckon it was a good move for him. He has always played well on a player, but when we win the ball our ball movement and running patterns require repeated running and the ability to switch from attacking setup to defending setup. It looks like this zone type attack/defend play happens too quickly for Dunny and he gets lost in transition. Attacking teams would figure this out and play through his player, making him run and change setup constantly. Oscar is the exact opposite with one extra flaw. His transition running is very, very good. His run and attack to punch the ball away in a marking contest is also really good. But he gets annihilated with a big bodied one-on-one forward, and his short sharp in-close decision making is atrocious. Body size and body maturity will fix the first, experience will (hopefully) fix the latter. I can see why they persevere with him in place of Dunny, but the game-by-game learning process can be gut wrenching to watch.

Would like to see Billy Stretch back in the side. I know his last game was a bit average, but someone suggested he was tired and perhaps just rested against the Don's (I'm hoping that was/is the case). When he's firing, I think Strech adds a great combo of speed, toughness/tenacity and classy finishing skills. His last game against the Hawks was a ripper and I'd back him to turn it on again this round. Either JKH or Melksem to make way for Billy The Kid.

Get a room you two

Thanks DC i just wasted an hour looking for the bl00dy rule. I can't cut and paste it on my phone for some reason. http://m.afl.com.au/policies Click on AFL Regulations and it is regulation 12.2 (b) (i) on page 39

Calling him a dud pick after 6 games is a little short sighted, mate. After a year out of the game he deserves a little time. If that time has to spent at Casey then so be it, but to write him off already doesn't make sense. And yes, we all make mistakes. No doubt about it. But to say Goody was already playing favourites WAS a little silly. Now that we have guys like Hibberd and Lewis both playing in the same side makes Melksham more expendable, not to mention that others like Wagner are fit again and putting pressure on him. Over the past 6 weeks he didn't have many other options at his disposal and, now that he does, he made the right decision in dropping him.

Can you guys be serious?! There's a lot at steak...

Goodwin is 6 weeks behind me, but I commend him for catching on. Must be Xmas. Seriously though, I like this team and the possible ins. I think Oscar comes out, not needed.

Hogan in, Melksham out. Happy days!!!

One thing I learned a while ago is that you never know what the coaches are telling the players. I was privvy to being in the pre-game briefing and it was an eye opener about the roles players have. My guess is that Dunn wouldn't follow instructions. I may be totally wrong but the coaches lose patience pretty quickly when a player doesn't adhere to structures, game plans etc. It's aften why we see criticism of a player on 'Land yet the coaches keep them in the side. I am no OMac fan - he has little intensity, no body strength and is like a deer in the headlights - but he must be doing something the coaches like (or at least he must have been until he got dropped a few weeks back....

more than a passing resemblance One a legend...the other one in the making

Just sign up a mate who is a Collingwood or Essendon supporter! ?They will thank you for it!

I may sign up again just to try and be number 40,000. I have run out of family to sign up.

Wonder if the pies will chase Frawley to steady the backline. Garland might be looking to move in 2018 as well. That"ll be 4 top- line defenders, with enormous experience . Its an exciting prospect for them.

Mark Mclure sings "Imagine" hilarious after a few cones back in the 80's!!

OMac out means changing the ruck structure that worked so well last week - brave!

Dunn was a great servant of our club, and I wish him well. I dont think he suits the 'fearless football' mantra - he is great 1:1 and kicking down the line. OMac might be developing, but I reckon he is quicker, can play zone/intercept, get off a man and suit our structures better. DUnn would just slow and anchor the defence, and might be suitable for about 3 or 4 matchups per year. On the 'independent selectors' - can I please call 'BS'. Why hire and empower a professional coach and coaching department if you are then going to put another layer of admin over them for selection? Your massive assumption is that the coach is somehow 'playing favourites' - where is your evidence? Without being a fly on the wall, you (along with the rest of us) have no clue as to why they make the calls they do. some are obvious, some less so. We as fans can argue if we agree with them or not, but 'independent selectors' are only needed if you dont trust and believe in your coach to do their job.

Gawn

Drop anyone who has had a family member pass away in case of negative energy.Good plan.

I hope they've nailed the Deliberate Out of Bounds interpretation.

Yep- http://press-start.com.au/news/xbox/2017/05/04/afl-evolution-now-breaking-street-date/ I'm currently off work, hobbling around on crutches after tearing a ligament in my foot during footy on the weekend haha so although I can't drive to my nearest EB games, I've got someone currently going to get it for me, so I'll let you know once it's installed and updated! Here's hoping Dec's character actually looks like him.

I don't know about the rest of us but as a dees fan I am always uneasy.

You mean as used at the Dogs/Beveridge, Hawthorn/Clarkson, Sydney/Roos-Longmire, Geelong/Thompson-Scott, Collingwood/Malthouse, West Coast/Worsfold, Brisbane/Matthews, Essendon/Sheedy, North/Pagan, Adelaide/Blight in every premiership for the last 20+ years? The Head Coach doesn't make selection decisions alone - there IS a selection committee. But the coach is head of that committee. He has to be if he is going to be held accountable.

We're mad as hell........................

I've always thought one on one is best for Dunny. He's not good with structures or zones and often played the percentages against his man only.

One swallow does not make a summer. He's played one game out of 6. Let's see how Lynden goes for the next 6 weeks. Wonder if he'll slam another torp out from the goal square against the coaches orders.

The Club & Supporters need to show their compassion, which the majority are. Anyone who has watched someone they love slowly dying knows the difficulties & challenges of dealing with so many personal emotions let alone the lack of control of the situation. Its very difficult to not let it affect other aspects of our lives. Jesse is no different. He has carried this burden for as long as he has been with the MFC. We all grieve differently . Now his father has passed(RIP) & once Jesse begins to heal he will have such a weight lifted from his shoulders that who knows what he can become as both a person & AFL footballer!

If you have a look at Pedo's goal in the third qtr, Petracca led Hurley out to the flank and the ball was kicked in behind him. Petracca did that consistently after half time and even got on the end of one doing this in the last qtr. clever tactic to get their #1 defender out of the way

Apart from that in fact he is actually averaging 2 goals a game so far in 2017, this is the most appallingly insensitive comment I've seen on here. Or anywhere, for that matter; it's up there. Shame.

We have AHG as our main sponsor. I wouldn't have thought you would have 2 sponsors from the same industry.

I purchased an annual subscription but I wish to report a bug which you might wish to fix. For some reason I can no longer see the Thai bride or rich single cougar advertisements.