Demonland

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)

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, X. Lindsay C K. Tholstrup, J. Steele, J. Culley HF K. Chandler, J. van Rooyen, H. Sharp F B. Fritsch, B. Mihocek, K. Pickett FOLL M. Gawn, H. Langford, E. Langdon I/C (from) M. Heath, J. Henderson, M. Jefferson, L. Kentfield, B. Laurie, L. Pickett, X. Taylor, C. Windsor IN M. Heath, J. Henderson,M. Jefferson, L. Kentfield, B. Laurie, X. Taylor OUT 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 (from) Z. Bailey, S. Brain, K. Lohmann, L. McCarthy, H. McCluggage, L. Morris, J. Tunstill, Z. Zakostelsky IN N. Answorth, S. Brain, J. Tunstill, Z. Zakostelsky OUT D. Zorko (calf) 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

Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons?

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There was a match simulation arranged between Casey and the Essendon Reserves which was won by the Bombers. VFL Match Simulation Report Taking part in the hit-out were: 16. Bailey Laurie 19. Xavier Taylor 20. Tom Matthews 21. Matthew Jefferson 24. Trent Rivers 26. Jed Adams 27. Max Heath 34. Kalani White 38. Oscar Berry 39. Ricky Mentha Jnr 40. Riley Onley 42. Aidan Johnson 43. Jack Henderson 44. Luker Kentfield 45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of these players are in the Melbourne team vs Brisbane next week.

Max well in front with Kozzy and Jack polling well. 82. Max Gawn 55. Kysaiah Pickett 54. Jack Steele 17. Tom Sparrow 16. Jacob van Rooyen 14. Christian Salem 13. Jake Lever 9. Bayley Fritsch Koltyn Tholstrup 8. Jai Culley Ed Langdon 7. Harvey Langford 5. Jake Melksham Trent Rivers 4. Kade Chandler Brody Mihocek 3. Daniel Turner 1. Harrison Petty Harry Sharp

Melbourne’s much vaunted finishing power evaporated at Adelaide Oval on Saturday afternoon, exposed for the third time in four years by its Essendon Gather Round hoodoo. The word "hoodoo" is probably not enough to express the correct sentiment of the disaster that unfolded after the Demons’ pulsating victory last week against the Suns. The opportunity was there for the taking to start the season at 4-1 amid the exciting game style being instilled by new coach Steven King and it was also Jake Melksham's 250th AFL game, presenting the chance of honouring a remarkable teammate who a week earlier had been the spearhead of one of the team’s most famous recent victories. Despite an injury to Melksham who hobbled off with discomfort in his ankle but returned to the field, and a tentative error-riddled start to the match which saw the Bombers holding a narrow quarter time lead, the Demons burst into action with the usual suspects leading the offensive: Max Gawn dominating the ruck and kicking a rover’s goal out of a pack, Jack Steele getting the ball out of the middle and Kozzy Pickett being himself with a chase down tackle of Isaac Kako as he was running towards goal, following that up by brilliantly anticipating the play to mark and goal moments later. It was all Melbourne which held a 19-point lead with the half time break looming, and the opportunity was there to crush Essendon’s sagging confidence and take a stranglehold on the match. Suddenly however, it all changed with a massive momentum switch that turned the game on its head. You can put it down to a number of factors. Bomber coach Brad Scott had cleverly worked out a plan to counter the Demons’ spread and fast movement of the football by changing tempo to slow the play. This move elicited no corresponding response and it enabled his team to kick two late goals to reduce the deficit to a single goal at half time. It was a tactic that proved decisive in the end as Scott and his team persisted with it in the second half to telling effect with Essendon kicking six goals to one in the third quarter as Melbourne simply capitulated. It wasn’t just a case of Scott outcoaching King. The change in the mood of the game was accompanied by the flagging of spirit and strength by the Demons. King blamed it on lethargy: "We certainly didn't look as sharp as last week. That's probably happened a couple of times now in the five weeks in where we just haven't looked as sharp," King said. The Demons' struggles were exacerbated by a slow and top-heavy defence, in stark contrast to its counterpart at the other end of the ground. Christian Salem's ankle injury didn't help, nor did the fixturing of the AFL's feeder competition, which likely ruled out smaller defender Andy Moniz-Wakefield, who could have been a handy option for adding pressure and grit as well as run out of defence. Ultimately, the Demons' mids and forwards reverted to old habits, allowing the Bombers to kick 13 of the game’s last 15 goals and break their AFL losing streak as well as retain a strong grip on their Gather Round hoodoo over the Demons. MELBOURNE 3.1.19 8.2.50 9.5.59 10.8.68 ESSENDON 3.5.23 6.8.44 12.9.81 17.11.113 GOALS MELBOURNE K Pickett 2 Chandler Fritsch Gawn Langford Mihocek L Pickett Sharp Sparrow ESSENDON Caddy Duursma Edwards Kako May 2 Day-Wicks Durham Gresham Merrett Roberts Tsatas Wright BEST MELBOURNE K Pickett Steele Gawn Langford Sparrow Lever ESSENDON Roberts Parish Kako Merrett Langford Farrow INJURIES MELBOURNE Christian Salem (ankle) ESSENDON Nil REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil ESSENDON Nil UMPIRES Nicholas Jankovskis Mathew Nicholls Peter Bailes Jordan Fry CROWD 38,006 at Adelaide Oval

Rhetorical question; Can my MFCSS ever be fully cured?

Who comes in and who goes out?

From knocking off a Premiership contender to getting embarrassed by the winless Bombers who were on a 17 game losing streak .... Welcome Back MFCSS.