Demonland

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Has Melbourne peaked too early again this year? Last year, after displaying their best football for years with wins against Hawthorn by 29 points at the MCG in Round 20 and Port Adelaide by 40 points at the Adelaide Oval in Round 21, the Demons' form dropped away dramatically. With ten wins under their belt, they needed to win the remaining two matches of the season to have a chance of making the finals. The first of those games was against lowly Carlton which was on a long losing streak and they lost that and their finals aspirations, doing so without raising a whimper. That effort was followed up with a capitulation to Geelong at Simonds Stadium, the venue of one of the team's other more famous victories merely a season and a half earlier. The conventional wisdom that came from post-season reviews was that by the time of the game against Port Adelaide, the young side was starting to show signs of exhaustion after a long, hard, challenging season. They had a lead of 39 points at half time in the Adelaide Oval game but those who were close to the team said they could see by the way the opposition surged with little response in the third quarter that the Demons were about to hit the wall. Although I am not an insider and indeed have only watched the past two games on the screen, I sense deja vu when looking back at the past month. The Demons were sensational in the first half against Port Adelaide building a 44 point lead early in time on of the second quarter before holding on to win by a small margin. We were still congratulatory, confident, looking forward to the finals and eyeing the prospect of a top four placing. But while we never looked back to what had taken place some twelve months earlier when disaster struck after the team's previous win over Port Adelaide, the danger of a repeat of history was staring us right in the face. The young Melbourne team was unchanged from the week before as it traveled to Tasmania to take on North Melbourne which (like Carlton last year) was on a long losing streak and it proceeded to lose by four points after a listless final quarter performance. A week later, it proceeded to leak goals at the rate of knots in the opening quarter at Canberra against the Giants. The final losing margin of 35 points flattered the Demons. The signs are all there. The team is no longer winning at the stoppages and in the contests and this is happening despite the fact that it has Max Gawn back winning the ruck hit outs. The inside grunt is no longer as constant and opposition pressure is forcing that one handball too many, leading to errors. The outside run and spread that was evident earlier in the season is almost non-existent. The youngsters are tiring and the important players who suffered injuries six to eight weeks ago have returned without the same impact and explosive power that they displayed earlier in the year. The Demons badly need an injection of outside pace. Jayden Hunt who is one of the young guns whose form has dropped in recent weeks can't do it all by himself even if he regains his mojo. I'm looking for some inspiration from the selectors this week because the trend of the past month has to be reversed if the club's dream of a return to finals action is to be achieved in 2017. THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda Sunday 13 August 2017 at the MCG at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 119 wins, St Kilda 91 wins, 1 drawn At MCG Melbourne 58 wins St. Kilda 35 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 1 win, St Kilda 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 1 win, Richardson 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel, live at 1.00pm RADIO - SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.65, St. Kilda to win - $2.25 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 18.12.120 defeated St. Kilda 13.12.90 in Round 1, 2017 at Etihad Stadium The Demons set the season for their season with a slow start before they got going in a second quarter goal spree that blew the Saints away. Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones and Jordan Lewis all finished with 30+ possession games in a promising start to 2017 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB:Bernie Vince, Cameron Pedersen, Jayden Hunt C: Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver, Jordan Lewis HF: Christian Petracca, Tom McDonald, Jake Melksham F: Jeff Garlett, Mitch Hannan, Alex Neal-Bullen FOLL: Max Gawn, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C:Angus Brayshaw, Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman EMG: Corey Maynard, Billy Stretch, Jack Watts IN: Angus Brayshaw, Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman OUT: Sam Frost (omitted), Corey Maynard (omitted), Christian Salem (omitted), Jack Watts (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan J. Brown, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Jake Carlisle, Jimmy Webster C: Shane Savage, Luke Dunstan, Jack Billings HF: Jack Steele, Josh Bruce, Maverick Weller F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Jack Sinclair FOLL: Billy Longer, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steven I/C (from): Blake Acres, Sam Gilbert, Koby Stevens, Brandon White EMG: Tom Hickey, Jack Lonie, Daniel McKenzie IN: Sam Gilbert OUT: Nick Riewoldt (concussion) The L's mount for the Demons as the W's begin to dry up. They were final four contenders in mid season, cocky and arrogant until those injuries took hold and then, against the Swans, the cracks began to appear. It's been a downhill slide ever since and, after four losses in the past six games, Melbourne finds itself on the brink of elimination from the finals race - defeat against the Saints will surely see it slide out of contention. The same applies to its opponent. Ironically, the last time Melbourne defeated St Kilda on the MCG, the teams were locked in a fight for their season's survival in the 2006 Elimination Final. However, that win heralded the end of an era and the club spiraled downward into the abyss. It's taken more than a decade and 2017 has been a year of hope and promise but the events of the last month or so has seen all that begin to unravel. The Demons are on their last chance to lift themselves back into the race. They have beaten all of the teams around them on the ladder including the Saints. They have a draw they sees them playing out the home and away series at the MCG against teams that are out of the top eight. The selectors have sent a strong message about what they require from the side by dropping out of form players. There are no excuses.

MOJO LOST by Whispering Jack Has Melbourne peaked too early again this year? Last year, after displaying their best football for years with wins against Hawthorn by 29 points at the MCG in Round 20 and Port Adelaide by 40 points at the Adelaide Oval in Round 21, the Demons' form dropped away dramatically. With ten wins under their belt, they needed to win the remaining two matches of the season to have a chance of making the finals. The first of those games was against lowly Carlton which was on a long losing streak and they lost that and their finals aspirations, doing so without raising a whimper. That effort was followed up with a capitulation to Geelong at Simonds Stadium, the venue of one of the team's other more famous victories merely a season and a half earlier. The conventional wisdom that came from post-season reviews was that by the time of the game against Port Adelaide, the young side was starting to show signs of exhaustion after a long, hard, challenging season. They had a lead of 39 points at half time in the Adelaide Oval game but those who were close to the team said they could see by the way the opposition surged with little response in the third quarter that the Demons were about to hit the wall. Although I am not an insider and indeed have only watched the past two games on the screen, I sense deja vu when looking back at the past month. The Demons were sensational in the first half against Port Adelaide building a 44 point lead early in time on of the second quarter before holding on to win by a small margin. We were still congratulatory, confident, looking forward to the finals and eyeing the prospect of a top four placing. But while we never looked back to what had taken place some twelve months earlier when disaster struck after the team's previous win over Port Adelaide, the danger of a repeat of history was staring us right in the face. The young Melbourne team was unchanged from the week before as it traveled to Tasmania to take on North Melbourne which (like Carlton last year) was on a long losing streak and it proceeded to lose by four points after a listless final quarter performance. A week later, it proceeded to leak goals at the rate of knots in the opening quarter at Canberra against the Giants. The final losing margin of 35 points flattered the Demons. The signs are all there. The team is no longer winning at the stoppages and in the contests and this is happening despite the fact that it has Max Gawn back winning the ruck hit outs. The inside grunt is no longer as constant and opposition pressure is forcing that one handball too many, leading to errors. The outside run and spread that was evident earlier in the season is almost non-existent. The youngsters are tiring and the important players who suffered injuries six to eight weeks ago have returned without the same impact and explosive power that they displayed earlier in the year. The Demons badly need an injection of outside pace. Jayden Hunt who is one of the young guns whose form has dropped in recent weeks can't do it all by himself even if he regains his mojo. I'm looking for some inspiration from the selectors this week because the trend of the past month has to be reversed if the club's dream of a return to finals action is to be achieved in 2017. THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda Sunday 13 August 2017 at the MCG at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 119 wins, St Kilda 91 wins, 1 drawn At MCG Melbourne 58 wins St. Kilda 35 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 1 win, St Kilda 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 1 win, Richardson 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel, live at 1.00pm RADIO - TBA THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.65, St. Kilda to win - $2.25 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 18.12.120 defeated St. Kilda 13.12.90 in Round 1, 2017 at Etihad Stadium The Demons set the season for their season with a slow start before they got going in a second quarter goal spree that blew the Saints away. Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones and Jordan Lewis all finished with 30+ possession games in a promising start to 2017 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB:Bernie Vince, Cameron Pedersen, Jayden Hunt C: Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver, Jordan Lewis HF: Christian Petracca, Tom McDonald, Jake Melksham F: Jeff Garlett, Mitch Hannan, Alex Neal-Bullen FOLL: Max Gawn, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C:Angus Brayshaw, Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman EMG: Corey Maynard, Billy Stretch, Jack Watts IN: Angus Brayshaw, Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman OUT: Sam Frost (omitted), Corey Maynard (omitted), Christian Salem (omitted), Jack Watts (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan J. Brown, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Jake Carlisle, Jimmy Webster C: Shane Savage, Luke Dunstan, Jack Billings HF: Jack Steele, Josh Bruce, Maverick Weller F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Jack Sinclair FOLL: Billy Longer, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steven I/C (from): Blake Acres, Sam Gilbert, Koby Stevens, Brandon White EMG: Tom Hickey, Jack Lonie, Daniel McKenzie IN: Sam Gilbert OUT: Nick Riewoldt (concussion) The L's mount for the Demons as the W's begin to dry up. They were final four contenders in mid season, cocky and arrogant until those injuries took hold and then, against the Swans, the cracks began to appear. It's been a downhill slide ever since and, after four losses in the past six games, Melbourne finds itself on the brink of elimination from the finals race - defeat against the Saints will surely see it slide out of contention. The same applies to its opponent. Ironically, the last time Melbourne defeated St Kilda on the MCG, the teams were locked in a fight for their season's survival in the 2006 Elimination Final. However, that win heralded the end of an era and the club spiraled downward into the abyss. It's taken more than a decade and 2017 has been a year of hope and promise but the events of the last month or so has seen all that begin to unravel. The Demons are on their last chance to lift themselves back into the race. They have beaten all of the teams around them on the ladder including the Saints. They have a draw they sees them playing out the home and away series at the MCG against teams that are out of the top eight. The selectors have sent a strong message about what they require from the side by dropping out of form players. There are no excuses.

If embattled Demon coach Simon Goodwin is looking for answers on the vexing question of how his charges should handle windy conditions, he could do worse than consult his colleague Justin Plapp at Casey. Plapp's Casey Demons were well and truly under the pump by half time at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Saturday after Sandringham dominated the opening two quarters, mastering the windy conditions to hold a 28 point lead. Yet it was the visitors who triumphed in the end by 10 points despite the fact that they trailed by a point at the final break with three players already out of the game through injury and facing the prospect of 30 minutes kicking directly in the face of a wicked north wind. Early in the game, the Demons struggled to adapt to the windy conditions. They did manage the opening two goals to Bayley Fritsch and James Munro to lead by 13 points a mere six minutes into the game but they were then stopped dead in their tracks by the determined Zebras who played extra men down back, bottled up play in the defensive pockets and turned the game into a scrappy affair making it difficult to score even with the aid of the wind. A late goal to Angus Scott just before the quarter time siren helped the home side to a 15 point lead but Sandy took little time to whittle away the deficit. They kicked the next six goals before Bayley Fritsch dribbled one through at the 30 minute mark but a goal just before the half time siren gave them a big lead. Ben Kennedy was quick off the mark early in the third term, followed by one from Liam Hulett but when the Zebras responded with two goals of their own, they still led by 27 points with half the quarter gone. It was at this point that the entire complexion of the game changed. First, a great pack mark from Declan Keilty in the goal square, followed up with a goal lifted the team spirits and suddenly long, direct kicking for goal became the order of the day. Ben Giobbi, Will Collis and Sam Weideman all kicked long goals and the scores were level. Sandy kicked a late point to lead by a point at the final siren. The opening two goals of the final quarter were crucial. They went to Scott and Fritsch and Casey now held a two goal lead before Sandringham fought back with two of their own. Despite the fact that the Demons had lost Joel Smith, Jake Spencer and James Munro and their rotations were limited, they dug into their reserves of energy and from that came goals to Scott and Ferreira to sew up a famous 10 point victory. Jay Kennedy-Harris' 40 plus possession game was enormous while Angus Brayshaw and Billy Stretch were all class with their ability to find the football. Young ruckman Mitch King was important in the ruck contests while Fritsch and Scott were both damaging around the goals to set up the win. A win at home next week against the Northern Blues should just about seal another place for Casey Peter Jackson VFL 2017 Casey Demons 3.3.21 4.3.27 10.7.67 14.9.93 Sandringham 1.0.6 8.7.55 10.8.68 12.11.83 Goals Casey Demons Fritsch Scott 3 Collis Ferreira Giobbi Hulett Keilty Kennedy Munro Weideman Sandringham Cook Holmes Lonie Rich 2 Bailey Battle Long Phillips Best Casey Demons Stretch Brayshaw Keilty Kennedy Kennedy-Harris Fritsch Sandringham Lonie Long Weickhardt Statistics Angus Brayshaw 1 behind 16 kicks 18 handballs 34 disposals 6 marks 5 tackles 117 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 goal 1 behind 6 kicks 6 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 33 dream team points Dion Johnstone 1 behind 10 kicks 14 handballs 24 disposals 1 mark 56 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 goal 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 66 dream team points Ben Kennedy 1 goals 15 kicks 16 handballs 31 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 109 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 19 kicks 24 handballs 43 disposals 3 marks 9 tackles 147 dream team points Mitch King 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 24 hit outs 66 dream team points Joel Smith 2 kicks 3 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 18 dream team points [injured] Jake Spencer 4 hit outs 4 dream team points [injured] Billy Stretch 1 behind 9 kicks 13 handballs 22 disposals 2 marks 9 tackles 97 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 behind 8 kicks 16 handballs 24 disposals 1 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 1 behind 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 3 hit outs 55 dream team points The Development League team booked its finals place in the historic last season of this competition with an emphatic 49-point win over Sandringham. Yillber Zijai impressed with four goals for the Demons. AFL Vic Development League 2017 Casey Demons 3.3.21 7.9.51 11.10.76 15.14.104 Sandringham 3.2.20 3.2.20 7.5.47 8.7.55 Goals Casey Demons Zijai 4 Di Pasquale 3 Briggs Byers Cox Foote Gardiner Hillard Lefau Vander Haar Sandringham Smith 5 Cathcart Iudica Pavlou Best Casey Demons Zijai Freeman Byers Lovett Di Pasquale Dan Johnston Sandringham Iudica Verma Hooy Thompson Smith Butler

SECOND WIND by KC from Casey If embattled Demon coach Simon Goodwin is looking for answers on the vexing question of how his charges should handle windy conditions, he could do worse than consult his colleague Justin Plapp at Casey. Plapp's Casey Demons were well and truly under the pump by half time at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Saturday after Sandringham dominated the opening two quarters, mastering the windy conditions to hold a 28 point lead. Yet it was the visitors who triumphed in the end by 10 points despite the fact that they trailed by a point at the final break with three players already out of the game through injury and facing the prospect of 30 minutes kicking directly in the face of a wicked north wind. Early in the game, the Demons struggled to adapt to the windy conditions. They did manage the opening two goals to Bayley Fritsch and James Munro to lead by 13 points a mere six minutes into the game but they were then stopped dead in their tracks by the determined Zebras who played extra men down back, bottled up play in the defensive pockets and turned the game into a scrappy affair making it difficult to score even with the aid of the wind. A late goal to Angus Scott just before the quarter time siren helped the home side to a 15 point lead but Sandy took little time to whittle away the deficit. They kicked the next six goals before Bayley Fritsch dribbled one through at the 30 minute mark but a goal just before the half time siren gave them a big lead. Ben Kennedy was quick off the mark early in the third term, followed by one from Liam Hulett but when the Zebras responded with two goals of their own, they still led by 27 points with half the quarter gone. It was at this point that the entire complexion of the game changed. First, a great pack mark from Declan Keilty in the goal square, followed up with a goal lifted the team spirits and suddenly long, direct kicking for goal became the order of the day. Ben Giobbi, Will Collis and Sam Weideman all kicked long goals and the scores were level. Sandy kicked a late point to lead by a point at the final siren. The opening two goals of the final quarter were crucial. They went to Scott and Fritsch and Casey now held a two goal lead before Sandringham fought back with two of their own. Despite the fact that the Demons had lost Joel Smith, Jake Spencer and James Munro and their rotations were limited, they dug into their reserves of energy and from that came goals to Scott and Ferreira to sew up a famous 10 point victory. Jay Kennedy-Harris' 40 plus possession game was enormous while Angus Brayshaw and Billy Stretch were all class with their ability to find the football. Young ruckman Mitch King was important in the ruck contests while Fritsch and Scott were both damaging around the goals to set up the win. A win at home next week against the Northern Blues should just about seal another place for Casey Peter Jackson VFL 2017 Casey Demons 3.3.21 4.3.27 10.7.67 14.9.93 Sandringham 1.0.6 8.7.55 10.8.68 12.11.83 Goals Casey Demons Fritsch Scott 3 Collis Ferreira Giobbi Hulett Keilty Kennedy Munro Weideman Sandringham Cook Holmes Lonie Rich 2 Bailey Battle Long Phillips Best Casey Demons Stretch Brayshaw Keilty Kennedy Kennedy-Harris Fritsch Sandringham Lonie Long Weickhardt Statistics Angus Brayshaw 1 behind 16 kicks 18 handballs 34 disposals 6 marks 5 tackles 117 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 goal 1 behind 6 kicks 6 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 33 dream team points Dion Johnstone 1 behind 10 kicks 14 handballs 24 disposals 1 mark 56 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 goal 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 66 dream team points Ben Kennedy 1 goals 15 kicks 16 handballs 31 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 109 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 19 kicks 24 handballs 43 disposals 3 marks 9 tackles 147 dream team points Mitch King 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 24 hit outs 66 dream team points Joel Smith 2 kicks 3 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 18 dream team points [injured] Jake Spencer 4 hit outs 4 dream team points [injured] Billy Stretch 1 behind 9 kicks 13 handballs 22 disposals 2 marks 9 tackles 97 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 behind 8 kicks 16 handballs 24 disposals 1 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 1 behind 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 3 hit outs 55 dream team points The Development League team booked its finals place in the historic last season of this competition with an emphatic 49-point win over Sandringham. Yillber Zijai impressed with four goals for the Demons. AFL Vic Development League 2017 Casey Demons 3.3.21 7.9.51 11.10.76 15.14.104 Sandringham 3.2.20 3.2.20 7.5.47 8.7.55 Goals Casey Demons Zijai 4 Di Pasquale 3 Briggs Byers Cox Foote Gardiner Hillard Lefau Vander Haar Sandringham Smith 5 Cathcart Iudica Pavlou Best Casey Demons Zijai Freeman Byers Lovett Di Pasquale Johnston Sandringham Iudica Verma Hooy Thompson Smith Butler

This thread now has an unscientific poll attached.

It's all Clarry from here - Progressive 161. Clayton Oliver 116. Michael Hibberd 92. Nathan Jones 86. Tom McDonald 74. Neville Jetta 71. Jack Viney 65. Jack Watts 59. Jayden Hunt 58. Jordan Lewis 54. Christian Petracca 51. Jeff Garlett 44. Max Gawn 30. Dom Tyson 29. Oscar McDonald 27. Sam Frost 26. Cam Pedersen Christian Salem 25. Bernie Vince 18. Mitch Hannan Jake Melksham 13. Alex Neal-Bullen 10. Jesse Hogan 8. James Harmes 6. Billy Stretch 5. Dean Kent 4. Jay Kennedy-Harris Corey Maynard Josh Wagner

The stats Angus Brayshaw 1 behind 16 kicks 18 handballs 34 disposals 6 marks 5 tackles 117 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 goal 1 behind 6 kicks 6 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 33 dream team points Dion Johnstone 1 behind 10 kicks 14 handballs 24 disposals 1 mark 56 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 goal 9 kicks 3 handballs 12 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 66 dream team points Ben Kennedy 1 goals 15 kicks 16 handballs 31 disposals 5 marks 4 tackles 109 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 19 kicks 24 handballs 43 disposals 3 marks 9 tackles 147 dream team points Mitch King 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 2 marks 6 tackles 24 hit outs 66 dream team points Joel Smith 2 kicks 3 handballs 5 disposals 2 marks 18 dream team points [injured] Jake Spencer 4 hit outs 4 dream team points [injured] Billy Stretch 1 behind 9 kicks 13 handballs 22 disposals 2 marks 9 tackles 97 dream team points Jack Trengove 1 behind 8 kicks 16 handballs 24 disposals 1 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 1 behind 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 3 hit outs 55 dream team points

It was bad enough that the Demons “necked” themselves yet again, as the opportunity to cement a finals spot was once again blown through the simple inability to play to the conditions. But the freezing conditions at Manuka did no favours to the multitudes of Demon fans who had made the trip to Canberra, only to see those hopes dropped through the trapdoor of failure. And although there were more Melbourne supporters at the game than those from GWS, the wind flowing from the Brindabella ranges only exacerbated the punishment meted out to them from the on-field display. It would have been easy to think that the experience gained from Hobart the week before with the simply mantra of kick long with the wind and kill the contest when not, should have been learned. Yet Melbourne still played the dinky short kicks with the wind and handballed relentlessly when not kicking short. The coach said we butchered the ball and that was the obvious outcome. The fact was that the ball was being butchered because we weren’t taking advantage of the conditions, and imagining it was a fine spring day with the style of play being adopted. The wind was a good five goal breeze in the first half and the ability of the Giants to use it correctly was shown when they piled on eight goals straight, even after the Demons had kicked the first three. Despite all that, Melbourne was in the game with that same advantage to come in the second quarter. Incredibly they could only manage two majors with the same wind in the second, which signalled the finish of the game. GWS showed exactly how to play against the wind as they bottled the ball up on the Hill side wing with contest after contest. And when the Demons managed to break the shackles, they kept looking for short options or leading options which were covered by the GWS man on man backline with Heath Shaw running riot as an unmarked spare. It was telling that the only two players who seemed to be able to adjust to the conditions were Vince and Lewis. No surprise they were also the top possession getters, but they used the wind to their advantage and just didn’t try to do anything too fancy. That worked but others didn’t follow their lead and kept up the handball and dinky kick barrage. For the third, the wind blew across the ground and neither team had any real advantage, but the damage was done, even though the Demons outscored the Giants after 1/4 time. To top it off for the fans the weather was at the point of snowing, which made Jayden Hunt’s tactic of long sleeves in the first half, but short in the second half all the more strange. It was an arm wrestle in the second half, and Melbourne gained some credibility against a side who will finish at least top two by season end, and without the likes of Patton, Cameron and Greene playing. To say they are the better side gives little solice to the punishment the Demon fans face, as their team has a hoard of players who simply didn’t give enough or are playing injured or just don’t care. With Garlett and Watts failing to get a single kick between them in the first ½ and only 2 touches in total in that same period, it signified a complete failure in the forward line and its structure. GWS fell back when defending against the wind, leaving no space to run into, but Melbourne helped them out by trying to kick to the top of the square all the time rather than at the upright targets at the end of the ground. Tom McDonald tried hard but without space and proper delivery he too was hampered. In the ruck Max Gawn did magnificently against the aggression of Mumford, as Max played the ball unlike Mumford who plays the man, and will probably pay a price again at the MRP this week for a couple of incidents. Incredibly, a hit to the head of Max happened not five metres in front of umpire Williamson who called "play on, nothing to see here ... " as he did all day. It is a sad state of umpiring affairs when you credit Razor Ray as being by far the best umpire on the ground. Corey Maynard made a more than credible debut and will work his way into the mid-field team well with his strength and attack on the ball. While we now have the best side “inside” it exposes our weaknesses on the outside as Tyson, ANB and Harmes are inefficient users of the ball when in their hands. It was a sharp contrast to the skills of Scully, Coniglio, Shiel and Kelly who run and hit targets rather than contests. The punishment for the Demon fans is probably over now for the season. Already we have dropped to tenth on the ladder and can kiss goodbye to finals short of some miracle results in other games. It is almost an exact replica of season 2016, and the only thing that will keep the supporters coming back is that Capital punishment is no longer an option in this country. Melbourne 3.0.18 5.1.31 7.1.43 10.2.62 Greater Western Sydney 8.6.54 10.7.67 13.12.90 14.13.97 Goals Melbourne Melksham Neal-Bullen 2 Gawn T. McDonald Maynard Pedersen Tyson Watts Greater Western Sydney Kelly 3 Johnson Smith 2, Coniglio Deledio , Himmelberg Mumford Scully Shiel Ward Best Melbourne Gawn Lewis Oliver Hibberd Vince Greater Western Sydney Kelly Ward Coniglio Scully Shiel Mumford Williams Changes Greater Western Sydney Patton (hamstring tightness) replaced by Himmelberg in the selected side Melbourne Nil Injuries Greater Western Sydney Nil Melbourne Nil Reports Greater Western Sydney Nil Melbourne Nil Umpires Chamberlain Williamson Ryan Official crowd 14,274 at UNSW Canberra Oval

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT by George on the Outer It was bad enough that the Demons “necked” themselves yet again, as the opportunity to cement a finals spot was once again blown through the simple inability to play to the conditions. But the freezing conditions at Manuka did no favours to the multitudes of Demon fans who had made the trip to Canberra, only to see those hopes dropped through the trapdoor of failure. And although there were more Melbourne supporters at the game than those from GWS, the wind flowing from the Brindabella ranges only exacerbated the punishment meted out to them from the on-field display. It would have been easy to think that the experience gained from Hobart the week before with the simply mantra of kick long with the wind and kill the contest when not, should have been learned. Yet Melbourne still played the dinky short kicks with the wind and handballed relentlessly when not kicking short. The coach said we butchered the ball and that was the obvious outcome. The fact was that the ball was being butchered because we weren’t taking advantage of the conditions, and imagining it was a fine spring day with the style of play being adopted. The wind was a good five goal breeze in the first half and the ability of the Giants to use it correctly was shown when they piled on eight goals straight, even after the Demons had kicked the first three. Despite all that, Melbourne was in the game with that same advantage to come in the second quarter. Incredibly they could only manage two majors with the same wind in the second, which signalled the finish of the game. GWS showed exactly how to play against the wind as they bottled the ball up on the Hill side wing with contest after contest. And when the Demons managed to break the shackles, they kept looking for short options or leading options which were covered by the GWS man on man backline with Heath Shaw running riot as an unmarked spare. It was telling that the only two players who seemed to be able to adjust to the conditions were Vince and Lewis. No surprise they were also the top possession getters, but they used the wind to their advantage and just didn’t try to do anything too fancy. That worked but others didn’t follow their lead and kept up the handball and dinky kick barrage. For the third, the wind blew across the ground and neither team had any real advantage, but the damage was done, even though the Demons outscored the Giants after 1/4 time. To top it off for the fans the weather was at the point of snowing, which made Jayden Hunt’s tactic of long sleeves in the first half, but short in the second half all the more strange. It was an arm wrestle in the second half, and Melbourne gained some credibility against a side who will finish at least top two by season end, and without the likes of Patton, Cameron and Greene playing. To say they are the better side gives little solice to the punishment the Demon fans face, as their team has a hoard of players who simply didn’t give enough or are playing injured or just don’t care. With Garlett and Watts failing to get a single kick between them in the first ½ and only 2 touches in total in that same period, it signified a complete failure in the forward line and its structure. GWS fell back when defending against the wind, leaving no space to run into, but Melbourne helped them out by trying to kick to the top of the square all the time rather than at the upright targets at the end of the ground. Tom McDonald tried hard but without space and proper delivery he too was hampered. In the ruck Max Gawn did magnificently against the aggression of Mumford, as Max played the ball unlike Mumford who plays the man, and will probably pay a price again at the MRP this week for a couple of incidents. Incredibly, a hit to the head of Max happened not five metres in front of umpire Williamson who called "play on, nothing to see here ... " as he did all day. It is a sad state of umpiring affairs when you credit Razor Ray as being by far the best umpire on the ground. Corey Maynard made a more than credible debut and will work his way into the mid-field team well with his strength and attack on the ball. While we now have the best side “inside” it exposes our weaknesses on the outside as Tyson, ANB and Harmes are inefficient users of the ball when in their hands. It was a sharp contrast to the skills of Scully, Coniglio, Shiel and Kelly who run and hit targets rather than contests. The punishment for the Demon fans is probably over now for the season. Already we have dropped to tenth on the ladder and can kiss goodbye to finals short of some miracle results in other games. It is almost an exact replica of season 2016, and the only thing that will keep the supporters coming back is that Capital punishment is no longer an option in this country. Melbourne 3.0.18 5.1.31 7.1.43 10.2.62 Greater Western Sydney 8.6.54 10.7.67 13.12.90 14.13.97 Goals Melbourne Melksham Neal-Bullen 2 Gawn T. McDonald Maynard Pedersen Tyson Watts Greater Western Sydney Kelly 3 Johnson Smith 2, Coniglio Deledio , Himmelberg Mumford Scully Shiel Ward Best Melbourne Gawn Lewis Oliver Hibberd Vince Greater Western Sydney Kelly Ward Coniglio Scully Shiel Mumford Williams Changes Greater Western Sydney Patton (hamstring tightness) replaced by Himmelberg in the selected side Melbourne Nil Injuries Greater Western Sydney Nil Melbourne Nil Reports Greater Western Sydney Nil Melbourne Nil Umpires Chamberlain Williamson Ryan Official crowd 14,274 at UNSW Canberra Oval

This traveling around the country ...

Please cast those votes people 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

Frost

Well that proves it. I still hate Scully.

We kicked 3 into the wind. They'll kick 5.

Wow. 11 players with 1 disposal or less.

To be honest we're playing a team who might make a grand final and we'll likely miss the 8.

We could be 50+ down at quarter time.

Vince's decision making at times is awful.

Did we not learn how to play into the wind last week.

Getting smashed. Second to the ball every time.

Yeah I suck.