Demonland

WALKING ... OR TALKING by George on the Outer In a week when the Melbourne Football Club signed up the Johnnie Walker label as a sponsor, it is interesting to note that the brand’s motto is “Keep Walking”. Contrast that with the performances of the club in the past fortnight, and a motto for the red and blue should be “Keep Talking”. After a disastrous showing against Hawthorn, the fans were promised a big turnaround. That was all talk and promises but what came out of it all? This week: The first quarter brought 7 shots at goal and a score of 1.5 compared with last week’s 10 shots and 5 majors. This week: Eight goals for the whole game; last week - six. This week: The second term saw us score 1.1 with the goal coming after 25 minutes; last week 4 behinds. This week: The opposition scores seven goals in the final quarter; last week, it was also seven. This week: The total score for the game was 56 points; last week it was 48. The list could go on, but the story is the same - lots of talk but no action. All talk and no walk. The result would have been even worse, but Richmond are not all that flash. Three of their wins this season have been against Melbourne, Carlton and Brisbane ... all in the bottom five of the ladder. For the coach to come out afterward and suggest there was a step forward is laughable, because the results are there for all to see. Once again the side was let down badly by a number of players. Dom Tyson is glacially slow, and continues to turn the ball over at critical points. Alex Neal-Bullen and James Harmes run all over the ground, have no impact on contests, then fail to deliver the ball at critical points. Billy Stretch simply should not have been in the side; his fumbling when in the open cost certain goals (both ways) and at least on two occasions this happened at critical junctures in the game. These players do not do enough work. When the defenders bring the ball to ground, do we see any of them picking up the crumbs cleanly? We certainly saw their Richmond counterparts doing exactly the same as Hawthorn did last week. How many goals have the opposition scored from the goal-square in these past 2 games? At centre bounces they walk or trot into the middle. Their opponents sprint to get to the contest or create the option outside. And we the fans wonder why Richmond seemed to have extra players free all the time! After the coaching debacle of last week, when the Hawks were allowed to use a set-up behind the ball for ½ the game, we would have expected some change. Again, all talk. Melbourne used the Members Stand wing exclusively for the whole game. Not a single switch of play in 100 minutes of football! Contrast that with the constant movement of other teams to open up the field. All our forward moves were stuttering, contest to contest and when they eventually broke down, Richmond rebounded easily and unopposed. Persisting with the “contested ball” focus is costing us dearly, as we are exposed time and time again, when the ball is brought outside. Max Gawn was dominant in the ruck, but actually too much with 56 hitouts, as he hit the ball into the open and into the Richmond game plan. The result, Richmond with more clearances for the game. And when we did get inside possession, the first option was to try to handball. Again, suiting the Richmond game plan as they have a bevy of players on the outside waiting to pounce. The non-selection of a second ruck option continues to leave us exposed when Max has to take a break. It means we rob the forward structure during that time, this week it being Sam Weideman. The Tigers must have loved it with Rance sitting happily in the backline, Hogan up the field and no-one else to mind. It’s little wonder with this set up that they can’t kick a winning score! It was only in the first 15 minutes of the third quarter that Melbourne put boot to ball as the first option in the contest. Result: the team got back to within seven points (and could have been even closer) before reverting to type and handing Richmond two easy goals in the final minutes as they tried to be smart, and turned the ball over, instead of just kicking the ball forward and putting on the pressure and going over their press. Once again the backs were fantastic. Oscar McDonald completely blanketed Riewoldt until junk time in the last. Jake Lever intercepted and spoilt opposition thrusts again and again. Mitch Hibberd showed some return to the form of 2017, but knocked the stuffing out of himself with some really brave defending. But they couldn’t do it all on their own, and the lack of support from up the field is telling. When a first year player in Jack Higgins kicks three goals, and McIntosh playing on the wing kicks two, then a long hard look needs to be taken at who isn’t doing their job. Down the other end, the forward line is in disarray. While attempting to develop Jesse Hogan into a more threatening player upfield, it simply leaves a hole in front of goal. Weideman did enough in his first game of the year, but then he is called upon to ruck and we are back to square 1. Another body, in the form of Tom McDonald or Cam Pedersen needs to simply be planted in front of the big sticks, as a target or used as the backup ruck. We have a host of players who should make way for them as soon as possible. No one is immune - not even Jeff Garlett who has barely touched the ball in the past two games, and is providing little if any forward pressure. While the players and coaches are talking, sadly, yet again, it is the fans who will be doing the walking. No-one wants to pay to see the sort of rubbish being served up at the moment, and they will walk away, and “Keep Walking” or just stay home with Johnnie and enjoy themselves! Melbourne 1.5.11 2.6.18 5.8.38 8.8.56 Richmond 2.2.14 5.8.38 8.9.57 15.12.102 Goals Melbourne Melksham 4 Hogan 2 Garlett Harmes Richmond Higgins 3 Castagna Lambert Lloyd McIntosh Riewoldt 2,Cotchin Prestia Best Melbourne Oliver Hogan Melksham Jones Hibberd Gawn Richmond Martin Edwards Houli Lambert Grigg Higgins Injuries Melbourne Kent (hamstring) Hibberd (nose) Richmond Nil Reports Nil Umpires Foot, Rosebury, Williamson Official crowd 77,071 at the MCG

And Max takes the lead, just ahead of Jesse 54. Max Gawn 49. Jesse Hogan 47. Clayton OIiver 41. Nathan Jones 28. Oscar McDonald 26. Christian Petracca 16. Jeff Garlett 15. Christian Salem 9. Jake Melksham 6. Tom Bugg Michael Hibberd Jordan Lewis 4. Jake Lever 3. Bayley Fritsch 2. Dean Kent 1. James Harmes Bernie Vince Josh Wagner

We will be LIVE Tonight @ 8:30pm to help you drown your sorrows. Listen and Chat: http://demonland.com/podcast Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

It felt good at the beginning. Now I just lay in a fetal position, picking scabs on my arms and shouting abuse at invisible people.

No use dwelling on the Richmond game. We have another one to worry about in 5 day’s time... Last time we beat them at our new home away from home - a place where conditions are not usually greasy so the fumbling might be reduced somewhat. ESSENDON B: Patrick Ambrose, Michael Hurley, Martin Gleeson HB: Mark Baguley, Mitch Brown, Ben McNiece C: Travis Colyer, Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath HF: Orazio Fantasia, Cale Hooker, David Zaharakis F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Joe Daniher, Brendon Goddard FOLL: Tom Bellchambers, Ben Howlett, Dyson Heppell I/C: Josh Green, Conor McKenna, Darcy Parish, Jobe Watson EMG: Kyle Langford,Brent Stanton, James Stewart IN: Tom Bellchambers, Martin Gleeson, Ben Howlett, Kyle Langford, Conor McKenna, James Stewart OUT: Aaron Francis (rested), James Kelly (rested), Matt Leuenberger (rested),Brent Stanton (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jordan Lewis, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Jayden Hunt, Nathan Jones, Jake Melksham HF: Christian Petracca, Jack Watts, Alex Neal-Bullen F: Jay Kennedy-Harris, Mitch Hannan, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Cameron Pedersen, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney I/C: Tomas Bugg, Oscar McDonald, Christian Salem, Dom Tyson EMG: James Harmes, Billy Stretch, Sam Weideman IN: Tomas Bugg, Mitch Hannan, Jordan Lewis, Oscar McDonald, Cameron Pedersen OUT: James Harmes (omitted), Jesse Hogan (family bereavement), Jake Spencer (shoulder), Timothy Smith (lung), Billy Stretch (omitted)

And your votes again please people! 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

At the 15 minute mark of Sunday’s game at the Swinburne Centre against Richmond VFL, the Casey Demons led by 5.1.31 to 0.1.1. By the time the first quarter had come to an end more than 20 minutes later, the lead had been reduced to a mere 11 points and that came on top of a goal on the siren by Lachlan Filipovic. At some time during those last 20 minutes, the Demons had hit the wall because, by the end of the day, they had channelled their senior counterparts from their last game and fell by 35 points. The result came as no surprise in light of the changes to the team’s make up in the fortnight since its barnstorming opening round 107 point win over Coburg. Back then, there were 18 MFC listed players in the line up with many of them fighting desperately for a place in a Melbourne team that had just beaten North Melbourne for the first time in 18 encounters. Against the Tigers, there were just 12 AFL-listed players in the team with Harley Balic, Jayden Hunt, Joel Smith, Tim Smith, Billy Stretch and Sam Weideman out from the previous week. The problem was compounded by an injury to Tomas Bugg after he landed awkwardly in a marking contest during the second quarter. The Demons were already a man down after 23rd player Mitch Lewis was concussed early in the game. To make matters worse, the bulk of the Demon listers had poor games and many were unsighted after the first break. The exceptions to the rule were Cam Pedersen who continued where he left off in the second half against Werribee and youngster Charlie Spargo who was busy all day and kicked two goals. Pedersen marked strongly and worked hard supporting an otherwise well beaten big man division and his five goals for the day kept the Demons in the hunt until the final quarter. Jay Kennedy Harris, Mitch Hannan and Oskar Baker had their moments but the rest of the AFL brigade were disappointing. The Demons were well served by their VFL listed players. James Munro and mature aged newcomer Ryan Morrison attacked the ball aggressively, Mitch Gent was solid. Casey plays its first game at home on Saturday night when it takes on another VFL stand alone, Geelong. Peter Jackson VFL 2018 Casey Demons 8.2.50 9.5.59 11.6.72 13.8.86 Richmond VFL 6.3.39 12.8.80 13.14.92 17.19.121 Goals Casey Demons Pedersen 5 Spargo 2 Baker Filipovic Hannan Kennedy Harris Lockhart Scott Richmond VFL Coleman-Jones 3 Baker Bolton Chol Grewar 2 Aarts Balta Drummond Ellis Moore Stengle Best Casey Demons Morrison Munro Pedersen Spargo Kennedy-Harris Gent Richmond VFL Miles Markov Moore Morris Soldo Coleman-Jones Statistics Oskar Baker 1 goal 2 behinds 11 kicks 3 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 80 dream team points Jaxon Briggs 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 43 dream team points Tomas Bugg 5 handballs 5 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 25 dream team points Dylan Collis 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 26 dream team points Lachlan Filipovic 1 goal 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 1 marks 2 tackles 6 hit outs 41 dream team points Mitchell Gent 14 kicks 6 handballs 20 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 69 dream team points Mitchell Hannan 1 goal 1 behind 15 kicks 4 handballs 19 disposals 6 marks 6 tackles 104 dream team points Dion Johnstone 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 5 tackles 40 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 kick 2 handballs 3 disposals 1 tackles 11 dream team points Jay Kennedy Harris 1 goal 1 behind 12 kicks 5 handballs 17 disposals 3 marks 7 tackles 89 dream team points Mitch King 2 kicks 7 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 9 hit outs 33 dream team points Mitchell Lewis no stats (concussed early in the game) Jay Lockhart 1 goal 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 6 tackles 53 dream team points Corey Maynard 6 kicks 11 handballs 17 disposals 5 tackles 51 dream team points Ryan Morrison 13 kicks 1 handballs 14 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 55 dream team points James Munro 9 kicks 19 handballs 28 disposals 1 mark 10 tackles 104 dream team points Cameron Pedersen 5 goals 2 behinds 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 10 marks 5 tackles 129 dream team points Harrison Petty 4 kicks 1 handballs 5 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 28 dream team points Angus Scott 1 goal 6 kicks 6 handballs 12 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 41 dream team points Charles Spargo 2 goals 1 behind 9 kicks 9 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 80 dream team points William Stephenson 1 behind 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 39 dream team points Corey Wagner 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 10 tackles 68 dream team points Mitchell White 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 1 marks 5 tackles 49 dream team points

THE WALL by KC from Casey At the 15 minute mark of Sunday’s game at the Swinburne Centre against Richmond VFL, the Casey Demons led by 5.1.31 to 0.1.1. By the time the first quarter had come to an end more than 20 minutes later, the lead had been reduced to a mere 11 points and that came on top of a goal on the siren by Lachlan Filipovic. At some time during those last 20 minutes, the Demons had hit the wall because, by the end of the day, they had channelled their senior counterparts from their last game and fell by 35 points. The result came as no surprise in light of the changes to the team’s make up in the fortnight since its barnstorming opening round 107 point win over Coburg. Back then, there were 18 MFC listed players in the line up with many of them fighting desperately for a place in a Melbourne team that had just beaten North Melbourne for the first time in 18 encounters. Against the Tigers, there were just 12 AFL-listed players in the team with Harley Balic, Jayden Hunt, Joel Smith, Tim Smith, Billy Stretch and Sam Weideman out from the previous week. The problem was compounded by an injury to Tomas Bugg after he landed awkwardly in a marking contest during the second quarter. The Demons were already a man down after 23rd player Mitch Lewis was concussed early in the game. To make matters worse, the bulk of the Demon listers had poor games and many were unsighted after the first break. The exceptions to the rule were Cam Pedersen who continued where he left off in the second half against Werribee and youngster Charlie Spargo who was busy all day and kicked two goals. Pedersen marked strongly and worked hard supporting an otherwise well beaten big man division and his five goals for the day kept the Demons in the hunt until the final quarter. Jay Kennedy Harris, Mitch Hannan and Oskar Baker had their moments but the rest of the AFL brigade were disappointing. The Demons were well served by their VFL listed players. James Munro and mature aged newcomer Ryan Morrison attacked the ball aggressively, Mitch Gent was solid. Casey plays its first game at home on Saturday night when it takes on another VFL stand alone, Geelong. Peter Jackson VFL 2018 Casey Demons 8.2.50 9.5.59 11.6.72 13.8.86 Richmond VFL 6.3.39 12.8.80 13.14.92 17.19.121 Goals Casey Demons Pedersen 5 Spargo 2 Baker Filipovic Hannan Kennedy Harris Lockhart Scott Richmond VFL Coleman-Jones 3 Baker Bolton Chol Grewar 2 Aarts Balta Drummond Ellis Moore Stengle Best Casey Demons Morrison Munro Pedersen Spargo Kennedy-Harris Gent Richmond VFL Miles Markov Moore Morris Soldo Coleman-Jones Statistics Oskar Baker 1 goal 2 behinds 11 kicks 3 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 80 dream team points Jaxon Briggs 7 kicks 3 handballs 10 disposals 5 marks 1 tackle 43 dream team points Tomas Bugg 5 handballs 5 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 25 dream team points Dylan Collis 5 kicks 5 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 26 dream team points Lachlan Filipovic 1 goal 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 1 marks 2 tackles 6 hit outs 41 dream team points Mitchell Gent 14 kicks 6 handballs 20 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 69 dream team points Mitchell Hannan 1 goal 1 behind 15 kicks 4 handballs 19 disposals 6 marks 6 tackles 104 dream team points Dion Johnstone 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 5 tackles 40 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 kick 2 handballs 3 disposals 1 tackles 11 dream team points Jay Kennedy Harris 1 goal 1 behind 12 kicks 5 handballs 17 disposals 3 marks 7 tackles 89 dream team points Mitch King 2 kicks 7 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 9 hit outs 33 dream team points Mitchell Lewis no stats (concussed early in the game) Jay Lockhart 1 goal 7 kicks 4 handballs 11 disposals 6 tackles 53 dream team points Corey Maynard 6 kicks 11 handballs 17 disposals 5 tackles 51 dream team points Ryan Morrison 13 kicks 1 handballs 14 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 55 dream team points James Munro 9 kicks 19 handballs 28 disposals 1 mark 10 tackles 104 dream team points Cameron Pedersen 5 goals 2 behinds 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 10 marks 5 tackles 129 dream team points Harrison Petty 4 kicks 1 handballs 5 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 28 dream team points Angus Scott 1 goal 6 kicks 6 handballs 12 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 41 dream team points Charles Spargo 2 goals 1 behind 9 kicks 9 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 80 dream team points William Stephenson 1 behind 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 1 mark 4 tackles 39 dream team points Corey Wagner 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 10 tackles 68 dream team points Mitchell White 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 1 marks 5 tackles 49 dream team points

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I'll make no apologies for posting topics about the Dees in the media for discussion here. No one is forcing you to read or comment.

The Melbourne Football Club is delighted by the Andrews Labor Government’s announcement of a $5 million investment into Casey Fields. This funding will enable Melbourne to accelerate the expansion of AFLW at Casey Fields and create opportunities that will be delivered improved facilities and participation outcomes for women and girls in the Casey region. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-04-18/melbourne-delighted-by-casey-funding

Time for a laugh.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-04-19/gawn-calls-for-leaders-to-stand-up

There has been very little to say about the Melbourne Football Club since its meek capitulation in those final three quarters against Hawthorn last Sunday. Perhaps it’s just as well then that there are still a few days to go before the team fronts the Tigers (and its own supporters) on Tuesday night at the MCG to enable us to find our voices again after such a fiasco. Demon fans have been scratching their heads in wonder seeking answers, trying to understand what happened but I suspect that it’s all fairly simple - they were outplayed and out coached, cornered by a superior strategist who had only to watch the game they played a week earlier against the Kangaroos to work out a way to exploit the team’s limitations. It isn’t hard to envisage Alastair Clarkson sitting back watching the North Melbourne game and noticing that his team’s next opponent had only one ruck option and a sole key forward who also had a license to roam and was being played further up the ground. Clarkson is adept at taking such a situation and exploiting it to his own advantage so that once overcome, the game can take one direction only. That’s where the Demons stand with a few games to go before they take on the Tigers on Anzac Eve on one of the few occasions when they are allotted to the big stage - they have an immediate need to produce a team that is adaptable and not so predictable in its set up, otherwise they might well leave their supporters speechless yet another time. I look forward to team selection to provide some insights. THE GAME Richmond v Melbourne on Monday 24 April 2018 at 7.25pm at the MCG HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 75 wins Richmond 104 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Melbourne 63 wins Richmond 69 wins Drawn 1 Past five meetings Melbourne 2 wins Richmond 3 wins The Coaches Hardwick 1 win Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Seven Mate Fox Sports Live at 7.00pm Radio - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC THE LAST TIME THEY MET Richmond 12.16.88 defeated Melbourne 11.9.75 in Round 5, 2017 at the MCG Melbourne controlled the game for much of the evening but fell down late in the game under the weight of injuries which left them with barely a fit player and limited rotations in the final term. In the end, they did well to hang on, only to be overtaken in the time on period. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Josh Wagner, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Jake Lever, Bernie Vince C: James Harmes, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson HF: Alex Neal-Bullen, Sam Weideman, Christian Petracca F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham Foll: Max Gawn, Christian Salem, Clayton Oliver I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Jeff Garlett, Jayden Hunt, Billy Stretch Emg: Bayley Fritsch, Mitch Hannan, Harry Petty, Tim Smith In: Billy Stretch, Dom Tyson, Jayden Hunt, Sam Weideman Out: Jordan Lewis (hand), Sam Frost, Bayley Fritsch, Tom Bugg RICHMOND B: Alex Rance, David Astbury, Dylan Grimes HB: Bachar Houli, Nathan Broad, Jayden Short C: Shaun Grigg, Trent Cotchin, Kamdyn McIntosh HF: Jason Castagna, Sam Lloyd, Jacob Townsend F: Shane Edwards, Jack Riewoldt, Dan Butler Foll: Toby Nankervis, Kane Lambert, Dustin Martin I/C: Reece Conca, Brandon Ellis, Jack Higgins, Dion Prestia Emg: Corey Ellis, Anthony Miles, Ivan Soldo, Tyson Stengle In: Nathan Broad, Jack Higgins, Sam Lloyd Out: Josh Caddy (hamstring), Jack Graham (suspended), Nick Vlastuin (calf) So much water has passed under the bridge that it seems like half a life time ago that Melbourne played its last game at the G against Hawthorn. Fourteeen other clubs have already packed up their bags and are looking forward to Round 6. Joel Selwood has been hit with a one-match suspension, Port Adelaide’s Lindsay Thomas and James Sicily are fronting the Tribunal and half the country is setting itself for the public holiday and, until a few minutes ago, the Demons hadn’t even picked their sides for the Anzac Eve blockbuster. How is a bloke supposed to pick a winner under these circumstances? One way might be to look at the tone that’s been set for the round in the games that have already been completed. From what we’ve seen to date, this has been a round for upsets and reversals. Adelaide weren’t expected to get the better of Sydney away from their own home game after such a poor effort a week earlier against Collingwood on their own patch. The Saints weren’t considered to be in the Giants’ ball park on their form, the Dockers thrashed the Doggies and how on earth could North have gotten up against Hawthorn? There’s only one logical conclusion that one candidate reach - the trend will continue on Anzac Eve and the Tigers are doomed. This might sound somewhat ridiculous in view of the almost forgotten most recent games played by the two protagonists. After all, Richmond kept Brisbane goalless for almost three quarters last Saturday week while Melbourne kicked one solitary goal after the first term against Hawthorn. However, the Demons have been able to match up well against the Tigers in recent years. They have won three out of their past five meetings against Richmond and only lost their last encounter by 13 points after leading for most of the game and only succumbed as they struggled with limited rotations after losing three players through injury; their ruck stocks decimated when Max Gawn’s replacement after his hamstring injury, Jake Spencer’s hurt the AC joint in his right shoulder in the first quarter and his right knee in the second term. This time round, Gawn is close to his best form in the ruck and whilst his direct opponent Toby Nankervis has been serviceable for the Tigers, the big, bearded Demon is the key to this game. The Hawks were able to negate his 66 hit out dominance by winning the ball in midfield and outrunning their opponents all over the ground after the first quarter. I’m not expecting this to happen again as the Dees will be keen to respond to last week’s embarrassing loss to the Hawks. The key to the Demons’ success in this game will be their capacity to make the most of their I nside 50 entries. They lead the competition with an average of 59.8. Last week they managed 53 inside 50s to Hawthorn’s 54 but managed only 6 goals to 18. In their other defeat for the season in the opening round, they lost by 3 points to Geelong despite a 64-41 advantage in inside 50s. The Melbourne selectors have swung the axe and added forward line height and pace into the equation. I expect those changes to turn things around dramatically. Melbourne by 5 points

SPEECHLESS by The Oracle There has been very little to say about the Melbourne Football Club since its meek capitulation in those final three quarters against Hawthorn last Sunday. Perhaps it’s just as well then that there are still a few days to go before the team fronts the Tigers (and its own supporters) on Tuesday night at the MCG to enable us to find our voices again after such a fiasco. Demon fans have been scratching their heads in wonder seeking answers, trying to understand what happened but I suspect that it’s all fairly simple - they were outplayed and out coached, cornered by a superior strategist who had only to watch the game they played a week earlier against the Kangaroos to work out a way to exploit the team’s limitations. It isn’t hard to envisage Alastair Clarkson sitting back watching the North Melbourne game and noticing that his team’s next opponent had only one ruck option and a sole key forward who also had a license to roam and was being played further up the ground. Clarkson is adept at taking such a situation and exploiting it to his own advantage so that once overcome, the game can take one direction only. That’s where the Demons stand with a few games to go before they take on the Tigers on Anzac Eve on one of the few occasions when they are allotted to the big stage - they have an immediate need to produce a team that is adaptable and not so predictable in its set up, otherwise they might well leave their supporters speechless yet another time. I look forward to team selection to provide some insights. THE GAME Richmond v Melbourne on Monday 24 April 2018 at 7.25pm at the MCG HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 75 wins Richmond 104 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Melbourne 63 wins Richmond 69 wins Drawn 1 Past five meetings Melbourne 2 wins Richmond 3 wins The Coaches Hardwick 1 win Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Seven Mate Fox Sports Live at 7.00pm Radio - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC THE LAST TIME THEY MET Richmond 12.16.88 defeated Melbourne 11.9.75 in Round 5, 2017 at the MCG Melbourne controlled the game for much of the evening but fell down late in the game under the weight of injuries which left them with barely a fit player and limited rotations in the final term. In the end, they did well to hang on, only to be overtaken in the time on period. THE TEAMS So much water has passed under the bridge that it seems like half a life time ago that Melbourne played its last game at the G against Hawthorn. Fourteeen other clubs have already packed up their bags and are looking forward to Round 6. Joel Selwood has been hit with a one-match suspension, Port Adelaide’s Lindsay Thomas and James Sicily are fronting the Tribunal and half the country is setting itself for the public holiday and, until a few minutes ago, the Demons hadn’t even picked their sides for the Anzac Eve blockbuster. How is a bloke supposed to pick a winner under these circumstances? One way might be to look at the tone that’s been set for the round in the games that have already been completed. From what we’ve seen to date, this has been a round for upsets and reversals. Adelaide weren’t expected to get the better of Sydney away from their own home game after such a poor effort a week earlier against Collingwood on their own patch. The Saints weren’t considered to be in the Giants’ ball park on their form, the Dockers thrashed the Doggies and how on earth could North have gotten up against Hawthorn? There’s only one logical conclusion that one candidate reach - the trend will continue on Anzac Eve and the Tigers are doomed. This might sound somewhat ridiculous in view of the almost forgotten most recent games played by the two protagonists. After all, Richmond kept Brisbane goalless for almost three quarters last Saturday week while Melbourne kicked one solitary goal after the first term against Hawthorn. However, the Demons have been able to match up well against the Tigers in recent years. They have won three out of their past five meetings against Richmond and only lost their last encounter by 13 points after leading for most of the game and only succumbed as they struggled with limited rotations after losing three players through injury; their ruck stocks decimated when Max Gawn’s replacement after his hamstring injury, Jake Spencer’s hurt the AC joint in his right shoulder in the first quarter and his right knee in the second term. This time round, Gawn is close to his best form in the ruck and whilst his direct opponent Toby Nankervis has been serviceable for the Tigers, the big, bearded Demon is the key to this game. The Hawks were able to negate his 66 hit out dominance by winning the ball in midfield and outrunning their opponents all over the ground after the first quarter. I’m not expecting this to happen again as the Dees will be keen to respond to last week’s embarrassing loss to the Hawks. The key to the Demons’ success in this game will be their capacity to make the most of their I nside 50 entries. They lead the competition with an average of 59.8. Last week they managed 53 inside 50s to Hawthorn’s 54 but managed only 6 goals to 18. In their other defeat for the season in the opening round, they lost by 3 points to Geelong despite a 64-41 advantage in inside 50s. The Melbourne selectors have swung the axe and added forward line height and pace into the equation. I expect those changes to turn things around dramatically. Melbourne by 5 points

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