Demonland

Fifteen minutes of football. That’s all it took for Melbourne to completely overwhelm the Bulldogs in the third quarter at the MCG yesterday after they hit the front in the opening minute of the second half. Seven successive goals and a total of eight straight for the quarter and the Doggies were reduced to a mere shadow of a team that won a premiership not even two years ago. The question is whether the Demons can now produce something similar as we near the end of season 2018? It remains to be seen as a log-jam of teams are fighting for those final spots in September, so every win is critical. The MFCSS started even before the first bounce with the news that Jack Viney had withdrawn from the side with a foot/toe injury that sounds very similar to hid situation nearing the end of last season ... great! What else could go wrong? Well, the opening quarter, in fact the opening minute was something never seen before. The Demons gained possession and handballed, retreated and went backwards towards the Bulldogs goal. Not a single opposition player touched the ball until the resultant free kick for deliberate point meaning they managed to get a kick and goal despite not having a possession! Incredible! It is any surprise Melbourne supporters suffer this dreaded syndrome? In fact the first half was a similar outcome as Melbourne continued to gift the opposition chances and goals which kept them in the game. The statistics were mounting, as the Dogs outdid the Demons in about every aspect of the game. More kicks, possessions, marks and tackles. Melbourne was falling behind in all critical areas yet held a three point margin in its favour at the main break - not enough to arrest the foreboding fears of those of us in the Outer. Then it happened. Fifteen minutes of ruthless, straight forward, no nonsense football from the Demons and it was all over. Max Gawn took complete over the ruck, driving the ball relentlessly into the waiting hands of Angus Brayshaw and Clayton Oliver. They then took it upon themselves to drive the ball long into the forward line, instead of trying to run it through the defence and it worked a treat seven times in a row - all in a 15 minute stretch. With Jesse Hogan and Tom McDonald as marking targets, the score from their boots mounted. The crumbers in Charlie Spargo and Jeff Garlett were also able to get in on the act. Another four goals in the final quarter rounded out the day nicely while the Dishlickers could only manage a single goal in the last. A fifty point margin, from only a half of football and all that in the week following the after the game in the heat and humidity of the Top End when the team is supposed to be run down and tiring toward the end of the match. But it didn’t look that way yesterday. Still, without being too negative, it is still possible to have lingering doubts about our abilities against better sides. There are too many players who are getting a game, but not contributing for the full 100 minutes. Mitch Hannan came in to replace Jack Viney, but he disappeared for long periods in the game. Jay Kennedy Harris had a shocker of a first half and Casey was beckoning again, but he redeemed himself somewhat in the second. Garlett was unsighted for long periods, but bobbed up enough to score a couple of goals, but is this sustainable? Bernie Vince was Bernie and did some good work along with some pretty ordinary work. If the team is to have a serious crack at September, then these types of players need to produce more - and produce it for the whole match. Against the likes of Richmond and others, they would get exposed in a big, big way. But the difficulty is who is knocking the door down at Casey? More of the same sort of players. The defenders did a good job again this week, with Sam Frost, Neville Jetta and Oscar McDonald proving to be solidly reliable. All repelled attacks when it all depended upon them, and nothing more can be asked of them. Michael Hibberd returned to some of his better form and Christian Salem was sublime with his delivery out of defence. But it was the mids which really excelled, with Brayshaw a standout. His 38 disposals, 16 contested and 6 clearances set the tone for the match. Oliver with 34, 17 and 5 was just behind him, but having this pair working together was a sight to behold. And given their relative youth, the future looks very bright, as they came up against serious opposition mids in McRae and Wallis, who got lots of touches, but were certainly not as effective. We mustn’t forget Bayley Fritsch who has been an absolute revelation with probably the surest pair of hands in the side in this game, including above his head and on the ground. He tops it off with silky delivery, so given this is his first season, to have reached this level is a positive accolade for the club’s recruiting and development. And now comes the hard part. Geelong and Adelaide away from home. Two sides that like us are in that mix in the bottom half of the eight, and wins are just as important to them as it is to us. Are we up to it or are our efforts a mere 15 minutes of fame and nothing more? The proof will be seen in these coming weeks, as these are exactly the sides we could face in September. Melbourne 3.4.22 6.9.45 14.9.93 18.11.119 Western Bulldogs 4.1.25 6.6.42 9.9.63 10.9.69 Goals Melbourne Hogan 4 T McDonald 3 Garlett Neal-Bullen Spargo 2 Hannan Lewis Melksham Oliver Petracca Western Bulldogs Wallis 3 Johannisen Schache 2 Hunter Lipinski McLean Best Melbourne Gawn Brayshaw Oliver Hogan Melksham Salem Western Bulldogs Macrae Wallis Hunter Dunkley Gowers Injuries Melbourne Mitch Hannan replaced Jack Viney (toe) in the selected side Western Bulldogs Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Western Bulldogs Nil Umpires Brown Chamberlain Jeffery Official crowd 30,305 at the MCG

FIFTEEN MINUTES OF FAME by George on the Outer Fifteen minutes of football. That’s all it took for Melbourne to completely overwhelm the Bulldogs in the third quarter at the MCG yesterday after they hit the front in the opening minute of the second half. Seven successive goals and a total of eight straight for the quarter and the Doggies were reduced to a mere shadow of a team that won a premiership not even two years ago. The question is whether the Demons can now produce something similar as we near the end of season 2018? It remains to be seen as a log-jam of teams are fighting for those final spots in September, so every win is critical. The MFCSS started even before the first bounce with the news that Jack Viney had withdrawn from the side with a foot/toe injury that sounds very similar to hid situation nearing the end of last season ... great! What else could go wrong? Well, the opening quarter, in fact the opening minute was something never seen before. The Demons gained possession and handballed, retreated and went backwards towards the Bulldogs goal. Not a single opposition player touched the ball until the resultant free kick for deliberate point meaning they managed to get a kick and goal despite not having a possession! Incredible! It is any surprise Melbourne supporters suffer this dreaded syndrome? In fact the first half was a similar outcome as Melbourne continued to gift the opposition chances and goals which kept them in the game. The statistics were mounting, as the Dogs outdid the Demons in about every aspect of the game. More kicks, possessions, marks and tackles. Melbourne was falling behind in all critical areas yet held a three point margin in its favour at the main break - not enough to arrest the foreboding fears of those of us in the Outer. Then it happened. Fifteen minutes of ruthless, straight forward, no nonsense football from the Demons and it was all over. Max Gawn took complete over the ruck, driving the ball relentlessly into the waiting hands of Angus Brayshaw and Clayton Oliver. They then took it upon themselves to drive the ball long into the forward line, instead of trying to run it through the defence and it worked a treat seven times in a row - all in a 15 minute stretch. With Jesse Hogan and Tom McDonald as marking targets, the score from their boots mounted. The crumbers in Charlie Spargo and Jeff Garlett were also able to get in on the act. Another four goals in the final quarter rounded out the day nicely while the Dishlickers could only manage a single goal in the last. A fifty point margin, from only a half of football and all that in the week following the after the game in the heat and humidity of the Top End when the team is supposed to be run down and tiring toward the end of the match. But it didn’t look that way yesterday. Still, without being too negative, it is still possible to have lingering doubts about our abilities against better sides. There are too many players who are getting a game, but not contributing for the full 100 minutes. Mitch Hannan came in to replace Jack Viney, but he disappeared for long periods in the game. Jay Kennedy Harris had a shocker of a first half and Casey was beckoning again, but he redeemed himself somewhat in the second. Garlett was unsighted for long periods, but bobbed up enough to score a couple of goals, but is this sustainable? Bernie Vince was Bernie and did some good work along with some pretty ordinary work. If the team is to have a serious crack at September, then these types of players need to produce more - and produce it for the whole match. Against the likes of Richmond and others, they would get exposed in a big, big way. But the difficulty is who is knocking the door down at Casey? More of the same sort of players. The defenders did a good job again this week, with Sam Frost, Neville Jetta and Oscar McDonald proving to be solidly reliable. All repelled attacks when it all depended upon them, and nothing more can be asked of them. Michael Hibberd returned to some of his better form and Christian Salem was sublime with his delivery out of defence. But it was the mids which really excelled, with Brayshaw a standout. His 38 disposals, 16 contested and 6 clearances set the tone for the match. Oliver with 34, 17 and 5 was just behind him, but having this pair working together was a sight to behold. And given their relative youth, the future looks very bright, as they came up against serious opposition mids in McRae and Wallis, who got lots of touches, but were certainly not as effective. We mustn’t forget Bayley Fritsch who has been an absolute revelation with probably the surest pair of hands in the side in this game, including above his head and on the ground. He tops it off with silky delivery, so given this is his first season, to have reached this level is a positive accolade for the club’s recruiting and development. And now comes the hard part. Geelong and Adelaide away from home. Two sides that like us are in that mix in the bottom half of the eight, and wins are just as important to them as it is to us. Are we up to it or are our efforts a mere 15 minutes of fame and nothing more? The proof will be seen in these coming weeks, as these are exactly the sides we could face in September. Melbourne 3.4.22 6.9.45 14.9.93 18.11.119 Western Bulldogs 4.1.25 6.6.42 9.9.63 10.9.69 Goals Melbourne Hogan 4 T McDonald 3 Garlett Neal-Bullen Spargo 2 Hannan Lewis Melksham Oliver Petracca Western Bulldogs Wallis 3 Johannisen Schache 2 Hunter Lipinski McLean Best Melbourne Gawn Brayshaw Oliver Hogan Melksham Salem Western Bulldogs Macrae Wallis Hunter Dunkley Gowers Injuries Melbourne Mitch Hannan replaced Jack Viney (toe) in the selected side Western Bulldogs Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Western Bulldogs Nil Umpires Brown Chamberlain Jeffery Official crowd 30,305 at the MCG

Your votes please 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

How do you explain the balloons then? ?

When we interviewed Roosy he seemed baffled by the move and wondered why you wouldn't play someone where they are best suited and most damaging.

It's not just the team sheet. He does line up on the wing a lot usually at the start of the quarters. Presumably this is to throw off the match ups of other teams for a bit.

Thoughts on TMac playing on a wing? Yeah he plays mostly up forward but what do you think about him moonlighting on a wing at the start of quarters?

Putting the comparisons with Dusty aside I would like to see Clarry spending some time "resting" in the forward line providing it does not negatively impact the output/productivity of our midfield. Is cloning a thing yet?

And there's only one Tony Lockett ...

Club's putting the hard sell on JKH. I wish him all the best.

Audio:

Oh and thanks to @binman for calling in. Great call. Love hearing from Demonlanders.

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Melbourne was riding high when it beat the Western Bulldogs by 49 points and won its sixth straight game just six weeks ago. At the time, the Demons were spoken of in terms of legitimate premiership contenders and finals certainties. Although, the midfield dominance they held in the previous month and a half was exposed for much of the game against the Dogs, there was very little else to suggest the mini fall from grace that was about to hit them. The Queens Birthday game could be explained away as a letdown after the highs of a six game winning run but the losses to Port Adelaide and St Kilda stung hard, particularly in view of their inability to convert from so many entries inside the fifty metre arc, a failing that continued for much of last week’s game against the injury-depleted Dockers in Darwin. The Demons face up to Luke Beveridge's team in what has to be considered another danger game. They have to overcome the complacency they showed two weeks ago against St Kilda when they gave their opponents far too much latitude after their fast start, allowing a team that had been struggling to kick ten goals a game to fight back, take control and score 18 for the day. They have to overcome the club’s overconfidence when coming to play lower ranked teams that have long injury lists. Historically, they haven’t fared well in these circumstances. They can’t even rely on the fact that they steamrolled the Bullies after half time a short six weeks ago because the game against the Saints showed how the worm can turn very quickly. And they have to overcome the post-Darwin blues that have affected their performances over the years when they played in the heat and humidity of the Top End and then had to saddle up a week later only to fall flat on their faces and exhausted due to lack of recuperative powers. The question is whether the club’s fitness gurus have learned from past history and can prepare a team with the necessary energy to play out four quarters. This team has had to live with the embarrassment of missing out on a finals berth at the end of 2017 through an inability to score just two more goals in a season of 22 games. It surely must be burning their insides. Shall we overcome? I think we can – Melbourne by 24 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at the MCG, Saturday 14 July, 2018 at 4.35pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 87 wins Western Bulldogs 76 wins 1 draw At the MCG: Melbourne 45 wins Western Bulldogs 28 wins Last Five Meetings: Melbourne 3 wins Western Bulldogs 2 wins The Coaches: Goodwin 2 wins Beveridge 0 wins MEDIA TV – Fox Footy Channel Live at 4.30pm Radio - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 15.10.100 defeated Western Bulldogs 7.9.51 at Etihad Stadium, Round 11, 2018 The Bulldogs jumped Melbourne early but the Demons gradually reined them in and were in a solid position by half time and they coasted to their sixth win on end. The loss of Jake Lever to an ACL injury was however, a major blow to the club’s top four aspirations with last week’s win against the Dockers being its first since that victory over the Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Sam Frost, Neville Jetta HB: Bernie Vince, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis C : Tom McDonald, Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones HF: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw F: Jeff Garlett, Bayley Fritsch, Jay Kennedy Harris Foll: Max Gawn, Mitch Hannan, James Harmes I/C: Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen, Christian Salem, Charlie Spargo Emg: Cameron Pedersen, Dom Tyson, Sam Weideman In: Jay Kennedy Harris, Mitch Hannan, Bernie Vince Out: Joel Smith (hip), Billy Stretch (toe), Jack Viney (toe) WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Marcus Adams, Jackson Trengove, Roarke Smith HB: Dale Morris, Zaine Cordy, Jason Johannisen C : Patrick Lipinski, Jack Macrae, Lachie Hunter HF: Ed Richards, Josh Schache, Josh Dunkley F: Luke Dahlhaus, Aaron Naughton, Billy Gowers Foll: Jordan Roughead, Toby McLean, Mitch Wallis I/C: Shane Biggs, Caleb Daniel, Mitch Honeychurch, Brad Lynch Emg: Tom Campbell, Fergus Greene, Fletcher Roberts, Lewis Young In: Mitch Honeychurch, Jack Macrae, Jordan Roughead Out: Marcus Bontempelli (appendix), Tom Boyd (hamstring), Hayden Crozier (hamstring) WHAT’S MY NUMBER - PART 2 by Sam the Stats Man Last year, the club was hit hard by injuries to key and depth players but a study of each player’s numbers continues to confirm this is not the case in 2018. Main losses have been Jake Lever at the halfway mark and Jayden Hunt who also lost form before his ankle injury. Hunt’s pace would be handy but he faces another month on the sidelines. 1. Jesse Hogan MFC games 15, goals 36. Despite a lean patch over the past month, he showed against the Dockers that he’s getting back to his best form of the season.  2. Nathan Jones MFC games 15, goals 8. The Demon hard man and co-captain has been influential this season as he hands over the team’s main midfield mantle to the younger brigade. 3. Christian Salem MFC games 14, goals 4. His precision kicking remains a great asset whether in defence or in midfield.  4. James Harmes MFC games 15, goals 8. Continues to be one of the club’s big improvers and is spending more and more time in the midfield. 5. Christian Petracca MFC games 14, goals 10. Has recovered from his dog bite and some flat form and is showing signs that he is about to take the next big step forward. 6. Jordan Lewis MFC games 14, goals 2. Despite the occasional brain fade, he is playing a role in setting up many damaging plays from the defensive half of the ground. 7. Jack Viney MFC games 7, goals 2, CD game 1, goal 0. Returning to his best form after his long layoff with a foot injury and is inspiring with his hardness at the football. 8. Jake Lever MFC games 11, goals 0. After taking a while to settle in, the former Crow was a major factor in the club’s six game winning streak before he was brutally cut down by a second ACL tear. 9. Charlie Spargo MFC games 8, goals 7, CD games 3, goals 4. The pocket-sized dynamo has been a revelation with his maturity and work ethic. Returned refreshed after a short break at Casey. 10. Angus Brayshaw MFC games 12, goals 8, CD game 1, goal 1. Has been one of the club’s best and added some class to the midfield mix since his return earlier in the year. 11. Max Gawn MFC games 15, goals 8. Challenging for All Australian honours again with some brilliant ruck work and strong play around the ground. 12. Dom Tyson MFC games 8, goals 2, CD games 4, goals 2. Has been disappointing in recent times with two demotions to the VFL. 13. Clayton Oliver MFC games 15, goals 8. Last year’s club champion has continued where he left off and is rapidly becoming one of the competition’s best midfielders. 14. Michael Hibberd MFC games 15, goals 1. The 2017 All-Australian defender remains an important cog in the Demons’ defence. 15. Billy Stretch MFC games 2, goals 0, CD games 9, goals 6. Some strong form at Casey saw him back for the Darwin game where he acquitted himself well. Now out with a stress fracture of the toe. 16. Dean Kent MFC games 3, goals 6, CD games 2, goals 0. Just returning to form at Casey after being sidelined for several weeks with another hamstring injury. 17. Sam Frost MFC games 3, goals 0, CD games 8, goals 2. Finally staked a claim after several good performances as a tall defender with the Casey Demons. 18. Jake Melksham MFC games 15, goals 17. Has had a quiet month after a solid start to the season in medium forward role. 19. Mitch Hannan MFC games 10, goals 15, CD games 3, goals 5. A recent drop off in form has seen him dropped to VFL ranks. 20. Corey Maynard ® MFC games 1, goals 0, CD games 3, goals 2. After making the side in Round 1, he was dropped to the VFL but a hip injury has prematurely ended his season. 21. Cameron Pedersen MFC games 3, goals 2, CD games 10, goals 20. The work horse who has been used in various roles at Casey but his days at AFL level may be numbered. 22. Aaron Vandenberg. CD game 1, goal 0. Finally over his heel and ankle woes and came back strongly last week at Casey in his first game back since the end of 2016. 23. Bernie Vince MFC games 13, goal 1, CD game 1, goals 0. Fell out of favour after the team’s loss to Port Adelaide and found himself at Casey for the first time. 24. Jay Kennedy Harris CD games 12, goals 11. Working hard at Casey but has a long queue of players ahead of him. 25. Tom McDonald MFC games 10, goals 30. Made an immediate impact on his return from injury with his marking, kicking for goal and his ability to cover the ground but has been a little quiet of late. 26. Sam Weideman MFC games 5, goals 2, CD games 6, goals 15. Starting to get the odd game here and there but is still looking for that confidence boosting break out game. 27. Harley Balic CD games 10, goals 16. Still plugging away at VFL level waiting for an opening into the top echelons. 28. Oscar McDonald MFC games 15, goals 0. Had a great start to the season but found the going tougher after Lever was injured. 29. Jayden Hunt MFC games 5, goals 0, CD games 6, goals 1. His form was way down early in the piece and was unlucky to be injured late in Casey’s Queens Birthday game against the Magpies. Still looking at another month out with that ankle injury. 30. Alex Neal-Bullen MFC games 15, goals 18. The hard working small man has been quiet of late. 31. Bayley Fritsch MFC games 14, goals 15. Has played all bar one game when rested. The colt from Coldstream has exceeded all expectations as a medium sized forward with some time in the midfield. 32. Tomas Bugg MFC games 3, goals 4, CD games 10, goals 14. Had a few games early but is biding his time waiting for an opening at Casey. 33. Harrison Petty MFC game 1, goals 0, CD games 11, goals 0. The promising young key defender had a tough initiation in his one game on the MCG and, in hindsight, he probably needed more development time in the VFL. 34. Mitch King CD games 9, goals 3. An elbow injury set him back a month earlier in the season but he is not setting the world on fire as a ruckman at Casey. 35. Oskar Baker CD games 12, goals 7. The cheeky red-headed speedster must be getting close to AFL selection. 36. Jeff Garlett MFC games 6, goals 10, 1, CD games 7, goals 7. Been more cold than hot and had a long stint in the VFL this year before returning for the Fremantle game. 37. Dion Johnstone CD games 11, goal 1. Was probably on his way out before finding a niche for himself in defence at Casey. 38. Tim Smith ® MFC games 3, goals 10, CD games 6, goals 7. Has shown something at AFL level although his last game v St Kilda was below par. 39. Neville Jetta MFC games 15, goals 0. The team’s best small defender, approaching All Australian form. 40. Patrick McKenna. CD games 1, goals 0. Made it to Casey for his first game last week after being plagued by a hamstring injury since he was recruited from the Giants at the end of 2016. 42. Josh Wagner MFC games 5, goals 0, CD games 7, goal 1. After holding his place with Melbourne early in the season, he has been working hard at Casey without doing enough to satisfy the senior selectors. 44. Joel Smith MFC games 4, goals 0, CD games 7, goals 2. The spring-heeled, athletic defender got his chance at Melbourne when Jake Lever went down. Working hard to establish a place. 45. Declan Keilty ® CD games 11, goal 1. A solid contributor down back at Casey and is pushing hard for an AFL berth despite being near the end of a long queue of tall defenders. 47. Lachlan Filipovic ® CD games 10, goal 1 Slowly developing as a project ruckman but needs a big month or two before season’s end.

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