Demonland

It was the great 20th Century English poet, Mick Jagger, who wrote the immortal words, “You better stop, look around Here it comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, Here it comes Here comes your 19th nervous breakdown.” Yes. You all know where this is going because we’ve been there many times over the past dozen or so years. It started sometime in 2006 at the end of the season. I woke up at 4.30am in a cold sweat, overcome by a sense of foreboding that things were going to turn very, very ugly for the Melbourne Football Club in the near future. When the day dawned, the rain clouds hung dark and low - the deluge was coming. At first I just thought it was a matter of simply allowing time to take its course and the darkness would end but the nightmares kept coming back and it was never more so than when the team came up against North Melbourne. Many years passed and the team gathered strength; our expectations grew but they blew both chances to break the run last year and we’re now facing our 18th consecutive defeat at the hands of the Kangaroos. One step closer to that 19th nervous breakdown. THE GAME Melbourne v North Melbourne on Saturday 7 April, 2018 at the MCG at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins North Melbourne 81 wins 1 draw At the MCG Melbourne 54 wins North Melbourne 37 wins Last five times Melbourne 0 wins North Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Scott 2 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3, Live from 1.30pm RADIO - TBA THE LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 11.10.76 defeated Melbourne 10.12.72 at Blundstone Arena, Round 19, 2017 North Melbourne extended its AFL winning streak over Melbourne to 17 games and dealt the Demons a significant blow to their finals chances with a four point victory in windswept Hobart. Heading into the final term with a six point lead, the Kangaroos lost the lead midway through the quarter after a Tom McDonald goal in mid quarter but responded with a major to Jy Simpkin and held on grimly against a strong wind. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Jake Lever, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner HB: Bernie Vince, Michael Hibberd, Neville Jetta C: Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones, Christian Salem HF: Jake Melksham, Sam Frost, Alex Neal-Bullen F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett Foll: Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver, Dom Tyson I/C: Tom Bugg, Bayley Fritsch, James Harmes, Dean Kent Emg: Mitch Hannan, Jayden Hunt, Corey Maynard, Cam Pedersen In: Sam Frost, Dean Kent Out: Jayden Hunt, Cam Pedersen NORTH MELBOURNE B: Marley Williams, Scott Thompson, Ryan Clarke HB: Jamie Macmillan, Robbie Tarrant, Ed Vickers-Willis C: Ben Jacobs, Jy Simpkin, Billy Hartung HF: Shaun Atley, Jarrad Waite, Kayne Turner F: Jack Ziebell, Ben Brown, Luke McDonald, Foll: Todd Goldstein, Shaun Higgins, Ben Cunnington I/C: Jed Anderson, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Trent Dumont, Nathan Hrovat Emg: Majak Daw, Mitchell Hibberd, Mason Wood, Cameron Zurhaar No change North Melbourne did something in its game last week that Melbourne could not do - once the Kangaroos got hold of their opposition, they ground them into the dirt and finished them off to win by 52 points. On the other hand, the Demons wasted the seven goal lead they enjoyed early in the second half and allowed Brisbane the opportunity to come back to level the scores forty minutes later before regrouping to win by a little over four goals. It was as if the team has learned nothing from last year’s embarrassing finish when they gifted the West Coast Eagles a place in the final series by the narrowest margin in the history of the competition. On Saturday, they go into the game needing to prove to the football world that they can overcome their tendency to leak goals in quick bursts as well as the mental hoodoo they face against a side that has had the wood on them since the early days of skipper Nathan Jones’ career. It’s hard to believe that Jones is the only player at the club who has participated in a Demon victory at AFL level over this week’s opponent. Jones himself will be a focal point in his team’s efforts to gain some credibility in the football world as part of its much vaunted developing midfield with its solid mix of youth and experience. They should get the drive they need from Max Gawn, back to his 2016 best form and pitted against another All-Australian ruckman in Todd Goldstein. Both are among the the elite of the tall men in the game but the latter is past his prime. I expect the young Demon to have to much run for the veteran Kangaroo big man. The other area where the team’s are strong is in their key forwards. Jesse Hogan has started the season strongly and Ben Brown, who has in the past owned Melbourne’s defence, booted six goals against the hapless Saints last week and was instrumental in their victory. The difference is that the Demons’ defence is much stronger than the combination the Kangaroos faced last week. Improving key back Oscar McDonald has conceded just a single goal this season and the introduction of Sam Frost should give extra solidity to this area. Meanwhile, the Roos’ defence is not much to write home about. They were fortunate last week that both sides attacks were completely insipid and produced so many unforced errors in the first half and they managed to get themselves out of the mire in the second. That wont happen against the Demons. Melbourne by 44 points.

19TH NERVOUS BREAKDOWN by Whispering Jack It was the great 20th Century English poet, Mick Jagger, who wrote the immortal words, “You better stop, look around Here it comes, Here it comes, Here it comes, Here it comes Here comes your 19th nervous breakdown.” Yes. You all know where this is going because we’ve been there many times over the past dozen or so years. It started sometime in 2006 at the end of the season. I woke up at 4.30am in a cold sweat, overcome by a sense of foreboding that things were going to turn very, very ugly for the Melbourne Football Club in the near future. When the day dawned, the rain clouds hung dark and low - the deluge was coming. At first I just thought it was a matter of simply allowing time to take its course and the darkness would end but the nightmares kept coming back and it was never more so than when the team came up against North Melbourne. Many years passed and the team gathered strength; our expectations grew but they blew both chances to break the run last year and we’re now facing our 18th consecutive defeat at the hands of the Kangaroos. One step closer to that 19th nervous breakdown. THE GAME Melbourne v North Melbourne on Saturday 7 April, 2018 at the MCG at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins North Melbourne 81 wins 1 draw At the MCG Melbourne 54 wins North Melbourne 37 wins Last five times Melbourne 0 wins North Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Scott 2 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3, Live from 1.30pm RADIO - TBA THE LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 11.10.76 defeated Melbourne 10.12.72 at Blundstone Arena, Round 19, 2017 North Melbourne extended its AFL winning streak over Melbourne to 17 games and dealt the Demons a significant blow to their finals chances with a four point victory in windswept Hobart. Heading into the final term with a six point lead, the Kangaroos lost the lead midway through the quarter after a Tom McDonald goal in mid quarter but responded with a major to Jy Simpkin and held on grimly against a strong wind. North Melbourne did something in its game last week that Melbourne could not do - once the Kangaroos got hold of their opposition, they ground them into the dirt and finished them off to win by 52 points. On the other hand, the Demons wasted the seven goal lead they enjoyed early in the second half and allowed Brisbane the opportunity to come back to level the scores forty minutes later before regrouping to win by a little over four goals. It was as if the team has learned nothing from last year’s embarrassing finish when they gifted the West Coast Eagles a place in the final series by the narrowest margin in the history of the competition. On Saturday, they go into the game needing to prove to the football world that they can overcome their tendency to leak goals in quick bursts as well as the mental hoodoo they face against a side that has had the wood on them since the early days of skipper Nathan Jones’ career. It’s hard to believe that Jones is the only player at the club who has participated in a Demon victory at AFL level over this week’s opponent. Jones himself will be a focal point in his team’s efforts to gain some credibility in the football world as part of its much vaunted developing midfield with its solid mix of youth and experience. They should get the drive they need from Max Gawn, back to his 2016 best form and pitted against another All-Australian ruckman in Todd Goldstein. Both are among the the elite of the tall men in the game but the latter is past his prime. I expect the young Demon to have to much run for the veteran Kangaroo big man. The other area where the team’s are strong is in their key forwards. Jesse Hogan has started the season strongly and Ben Brown, who has in the past owned Melbourne’s defence, booted six goals against the hapless Saints last week and was instrumental in their victory. The difference is that the Demons’ defence is much stronger than the combination the Kangaroos faced last week. Improving key back Oscar McDonald has conceded just a single goal this season and the introduction of Sam Frost should give extra solidity to this area. Meanwhile, the Roos’ defence is not much to write home about. They were fortunate last week that both sides attacks were completely insipid and produced so many unforced errors in the first half and they managed to get themselves out of the mire in the second. That wont happen against the Demons. Melbourne by 44 points.

I really thought we had them at 3/4 time:- TEAMS NORTH MELBOURNE B: Sam Durdin, Robbie Tarrant, Daniel Nielson HB: Aaron Mullett, Scott D. Thompson, Luke McDonald C: Shaun Atley, Sam Gibson, Ryan Clarke HF: Nathan Hrovat, Jarrad Waite, Majak Daw F: Shaun Higgins, Ben Brown, Taylor Garner FOLL: Braydon Preuss, Jack Ziebell, Ben Cunnington I/C: Trent Dumont, Declan Mountford, Jy Simpkin, Andrew Swallow EMG: Jed Anderson, Josh Williams, Cameron Zurhaar IN: Braydon Preuss, Robbie Tarrant, Jack Ziebell OUT: Nick Larkey (knee), Josh Williams (omitted), Cameron Zurhaar (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Christian Salem, Sam Frost, Michael Hibberd C: Jack Trengove, Jordan Lewis, Clayton Oliver HF: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Alex Neal-Bullen F: Jeff Garlett, Tom McDonald, Jack Watts FOLL: Max Gawn, Jack Viney, Mitch Hannan I/C: James Harmes, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Jake Melksham, Dom Tyson EMG: Corey Maynard, Cameron Pedersen, Josh Wagner

The main entrance to the Gabba is located in Vulture Street and it seemed an appropriate name for the Demons half way through the final quarter against the Lions because they were surely circling the tatters of a side that had led the game by seven goals, not 30 minutes earlier. Scores were level with 10 minutes to play and a confident young Brisbane side had all the momentum and will to win. But the Demons weren’t dead yet, and the new breed of young players at the club willed themselves to a 26 point victory. With it all on the line and following the lead of skippper Nathan Jones, the inspiration flowed through to Clayton Oliver, who managed to extract a ball from an impossible position, handball 20 metres to a free Christian Petracca, who slammed the ball forward to a waiting Jesse Hogan who brought the ball to ground for Jeffrey Garlett to crumb and goal. The back of the Lions challenge was broken, and then it was put to bed with further goals to Hogan, Garlett and Bayley Fritsch. This was a game that Melbourne had to win and while that term is widely used at each and every round, in this case it had a high degree of need. Brisbane is an up and coming side, much the same as Melbourne was two years ago, so they can and will cause upsets. Widely touted to finish in the bottom 25% alongside Fremantle and North, the invalidity of that assessment was shown on the weekend as both of those sides proved to be better than Essendon and St.Kilda who were equally touted as possible finalists. To lose this game would have sent the Demons to a 0-2 start to the season and trying to catch up those games during a year with finals aspirations . Most Demon fans would willingly admit Melbourne would have lost such a game in the past, and even more so when the opposition has come back from seven goals down. In 2018, with the results already in, there is a certainty that NO game is a win that can be pencilled in. Every team seems to be capable of winning on the day, so losing the un-losable from the dominant position the Demons were in during the 3rd quarter would be more than costly. The first quarter was a complete whitewash for Melbourne as it completely blew away a hapless Brisbane which failed to score a major, while the Demons piled on five. Jesse Hogan had 3 to half time and Clayton Oliver racked up nearly 20 touches in the same period on his way to 35 for the game. It is still easy to forget that Clayton is 20 years old and is rapidly developing into one of the stars of the game. Max Gawn and former Demon, Steph Martin had a nil all draw in the ruck, so it came down to the rest of the mids to battle for ascendancy. While Bernie Vince held down Zorko in the first half, it was reversed in the second half, which coincided with the Brisbane revival. Jones v Beames saw Jones finally get on top, which also coincided with the Demons finally shaking off the challenge from the Lions in the last. But it was the persistence of Petracca, the timely brilliance of Garlett and equally telling cameos from Fritsch, Hibbert and Oscar that turned the game. Sadly, there were still too many performances which were not up to scratch, at the critical times of the game. Jordan Lewis again sullied his reputation with numerous fumbles and undisciplined acts which gifted the opposition goals. Neville Jetta put in another shocker, although he was nearly knocked out in the first quarter when pushed into a collision overlooked by the umpires. Alex Neal Bullen, Tyson and James Harmes got plenty of touches but simply disappeared for long, long periods of the game, while Tom Bugg virtually guaranteed a return to Casey with a nothing performance and an inability to kick straight from even 20 metres yet again. Strangely Jayden Hunt has lost his dash and must also find something more than six touches for the game or he too will be gracing the grounds with the Casey Demons in coming weeks. Next week sees a return to the G against a now confident North Melbourne. This writer doesn’t need to remind other fans how long it is since we have beaten this side, and their performance against St.Kilda while simply appalling in the first half, showed that they can cause damage when allowed to do so especially when Ben Brown is left to his own devices in their forward line. With the majority of sides sitting on a win for the season, ourselves included, this game will again become a “must win” or once again the Vultures will be circling ... Melbourne 5.4.34 8.7.55 9.11.65 14.16.100 Brisbane Lions 0.3.3 2.6.18 5.11.41 10.14.74 Goals Melbourne Hogan 5 Garlett 4 Fritsch Jones 2 Neal-Bullen. Brisbane Lions Cameron Christensen 3 Bewick Cox Hipwood Zorko Best Melbourne Hogan Garlett Jones Oliver Tyson Petracca Brisbane Lions Cameron Christensen Cox Taylor McStay Zorko Injuries Melbourne Nil Brisbane Nil Reports Nil Umpires Fisher, Rosebury, Hosking Official crowd 17,141 at the Gabba

VULTURES CIRCLING (but not dead yet) by George on the Outer The main entrance to the Gabba is located in Vulture Street and it seemed an appropriate name for the Demons half way through the final quarter against the Lions because they were surely circling the tatters of a side that had led the game by seven goals, not 30 minutes earlier. Scores were level with 10 minutes to play and a confident young Brisbane side had all the momentum and will to win. But the Demons weren’t dead yet, and the new breed of young players at the club willed themselves to a 26 point victory. With it all on the line and following the lead of skippper Nathan Jones, the inspiration flowed through to Clayton Oliver, who managed to extract a ball from an impossible position, handball 20 metres to a free Christian Petracca, who slammed the ball forward to a waiting Jesse Hogan who brought the ball to ground for Jeffrey Garlett to crumb and goal. The back of the Lions challenge was broken, and then it was put to bed with further goals to Hogan, Garlett and Bayley Fritsch. This was a game that Melbourne had to win and while that term is widely used at each and every round, in this case it had a high degree of need. Brisbane is an up and coming side, much the same as Melbourne was two years ago, so they can and will cause upsets. Widely touted to finish in the bottom 25% alongside Fremantle and North, the invalidity of that assessment was shown on the weekend as both of those sides proved to be better than Essendon and St.Kilda who were equally touted as possible finalists. To lose this game would have sent the Demons to a 0-2 start to the season and trying to catch up those games during a year with finals aspirations . Most Demon fans would willingly admit Melbourne would have lost such a game in the past, and even more so when the opposition has come back from seven goals down. In 2018, with the results already in, there is a certainty that NO game is a win that can be pencilled in. Every team seems to be capable of winning on the day, so losing the un-losable from the dominant position the Demons were in during the 3rd quarter would be more than costly. The first quarter was a complete whitewash for Melbourne as it completely blew away a hapless Brisbane which failed to score a major, while the Demons piled on five. Jesse Hogan had 3 to half time and Clayton Oliver racked up nearly 20 touches in the same period on his way to 35 for the game. It is still easy to forget that Clayton is 20 years old and is rapidly developing into one of the stars of the game. Max Gawn and former Demon, Steph Martin had a nil all draw in the ruck, so it came down to the rest of the mids to battle for ascendancy. While Bernie Vince held down Zorko in the first half, it was reversed in the second half, which coincided with the Brisbane revival. Jones v Beames saw Jones finally get on top, which also coincided with the Demons finally shaking off the challenge from the Lions in the last. But it was the persistence of Petracca, the timely brilliance of Garlett and equally telling cameos from Fritsch, Hibbert and Oscar that turned the game. Sadly, there were still too many performances which were not up to scratch, at the critical times of the game. Jordan Lewis again sullied his reputation with numerous fumbles and undisciplined acts which gifted the opposition goals. Neville Jetta put in another shocker, although he was nearly knocked out in the first quarter when pushed into a collision overlooked by the umpires. Alex Neal Bullen, Tyson and James Harmes got plenty of touches but simply disappeared for long, long periods of the game, while Tom Bugg virtually guaranteed a return to Casey with a nothing performance and an inability to kick straight from even 20 metres yet again. Strangely Jayden Hunt has lost his dash and must also find something more than six touches for the game or he too will be gracing the grounds with the Casey Demons in coming weeks. Next week sees a return to the G against a now confident North Melbourne. This writer doesn’t need to remind other fans how long it is since we have beaten this side, and their performance against St.Kilda while simply appalling in the first half, showed that they can cause damage when allowed to do so especially when Ben Brown is left to his own devices in their forward line. With the majority of sides sitting on a win for the season, ourselves included, this game will again become a “must win” or once again the Vultures will be circling ... Melbourne 5.4.34 8.7.55 9.11.65 14.16.100 Brisbane Lions 0.3.3 2.6.18 5.11.41 10.14.74 Goals Melbourne Hogan 5 Garlett 4 Fritsch Jones 2 Neal-Bullen. Brisbane Lions Cameron Christensen 3 Bewick Cox Hipwood Zorko Best Melbourne Hogan Garlett Jones Oliver Tyson Petracca Brisbane Lions Cameron Christensen Cox Taylor McStay Zorko Injuries Melbourne Nil Brisbane Nil Reports Nil Umpires Fisher, Rosebury, Hosking Official crowd 17,141 at the Gabba

Going a bit early with the progress voting today but I do have a plane to catch. Clayton Oliver won last year - he’s in front again this morning (but only just) - 26. Clayton OIiver 25. Jesse Hogan 21. Christian Petracca 18. Max Gawn 16. Jeff Garlett 15. Nathan Jones 2. Bayley Fritsch 1. James Harmes Oscar McDonald Bernie Vince

And that’s all folks - go to the Post Match Discussion.

How did that happen?

6, 5 etc

Just stopping by for the schadenfreude.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE by Whispering Jack “You got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive E-lim-i-nate the negative And latch on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mr. In-Between” ~ Johnny Mercer The problem with Melbourne for far too long has been the fact that so many of its players are Mr. In-Betweens. They can turn up to games and occasionally they will put in a good one but they can’t be relied upon to consistently produce at the highest level. The fact that G Ablett and J Selwood can always be relied upon to perform at the pinnacle of their ability and that they did that to perfection last Sunday was the difference between the teams in a close fought three point game. That said, there was plenty to be positive about against a team that last year finished a game off being in a grand final. The game was often played at a frenetic pace and Melbourne held its own in the ruck and the midfield contests. Max Gawn was back to his All Australian best and it was unfortunate that he fluffed that shot for goal with a tired effort late in the game. The likes of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver were superb and Nathan Jones gradually worked his way into the game. It was a pity that the selectors in their wisdom or otherwise saw fit to leave out Angus Brayshaw and Dom Tyson because neither of them are Mr. In-Betweens. Perhaps they simply were not quite well prepared enough to gain selection because otherwise, I thought they had done enough in the pre season to warrant selection. And there was simply not enough drive given by the defence (perhaps with the exception of Oscar McDonald) as they leaked like a sieve in the opening half to concede 80 points although they did tighten up to let through just 17 more in the second half. Pity the forwards simply couldn’t emulate their JLT Community Series efforts when they were all in the frame and we saw multiple goal kicking performances. Instead, a dividend of one goal from eight shots at goal in that final quarter simply wasn’t good enough. Despite all that, there were sufficient positives to accentuate. Despite the big numbers of Ablett and Selwood, the Demon midfield helped the team move the ball inside the 50 metre arc a staggering 64 times to 41 and that sort of dominance will normally win you games by big margins. And we know that the likes of Nev Jetta and Jake Lever will play better than they did against the Cats. So it’s onward to Saturday night in Brisbane where the Demons have rarely been sighted in the past few years. They have not met at the Gabba since the early days of the current decade but the intervening period is like light years for both clubs. Melbourne has reloaded with a maturing team with loads of talent while the Lions have been languishing in the early stages of a rebuild. However, the game will hardly be a cakewalk in the light of the Lions’ improvement. They have a young eager side that troubled Melbourne at their last meeting which happened just two or three games ago and late into the 2017 season. And they are playing at their home ground just as thousands of international visitors begin to descend to gather just down the road for one their region’s biggest sporting event for ages. Melbourne therefore must bring its best and brightest game to our northern state. That must be reflected in the team selected to run out onto the Gabba - a team without any Mr. In-Betweens. THE GAME Brisbane v Melbourne at The Gabba Saturday, 31 March, 2018 at 7.25pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Brisbane 20 wins, Melbourne 24 wins At The Gabba: Brisbane 13 wins, Melbourne 7 wins Last Five Meetings: Brisbane 2 wins, Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches: Fagan 0 wins, Goodwin 1 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 live at 7.00pm Radio - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 16.8.104 defeated Brisbane 14.7.91 at the MCG, Round 22, 2017 It was close for the first three quarters but when James Harmes kicked truly with less than six minutes gone in the last, the Dees were headed for a place in the finals. Surely, against the lowly Lions and on their home turf, they were capable of pushing a 32 point lead out to a 50 point win? No, not this team. They conceded four goals in a row and at one stage, led by just 7 points to cause a significant rise in the collective blood pressure of the Demon faithful and a week later they were unceremoniously dumped from the finals. THE TEAMS BRISBANE LIONS B: Nick Robertson, Josh Walker, Darcy Gardiner HB: Luke Hodge, Harris Andrews, Alex Witherden C: Lewis Taylor, Dayne Zorko, Ryan Lester HF: Cameron Rayner, Daniel McStay, Hugh McCluggage F: Allen Christensen, Eric Hipwood, Charlie Cameron Foll: Stefan Martin, Jarrod Berry, Dayne Beams I/C: Rohan Bewick, Cedric Cox, Rhys Mathieson, Sam Mayes Emg: Zac Bailey, Jake Barrett, Tom Cutler, Archie Smith IN: Rohan Bewick, Cedric Cox, Rhys Mathieson OUT: Tom Bell (omitted), Daniel Rich (ankle), Mitch Robinson (suspended) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jordan Lewis, Jake Lever, Bernie Vince C: Jayden Hunt, Christian Salem, Nathan Jones HF: Christian Petracca, Cameron Pedersen, James Harmes F: Bayley Fritsch, Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett Foll Max Gawn Clayton Oliver Alex Neal-Bullen I/C Dom Tyson Jake Melksham Tomas Bugg Josh Wagner Emg: Sam Frost, Dean Kent, Corey Maynard, Billy Stretch IN: Tomas Bugg, Dom Tyson OUT: Mitch Hannan (omitted), Corey Maynard (omitted) THE FULL FOUR QUARTERS In the wake of Melbourne’s narrow round one defeat, the media has highlighted the team’s tendency over the past two or three years to lose its way for short periods during games. It’s true that the Demons blew multiple opportunities to ice that game but the lapses have occurred too often and they happen at different times so we don’t quite know when they’re coming. Last week, it was the leaking of three goals after the 25 minute mark of the second quarter. In the club’s previous AFL rostered game in round 23 against Collingwood, it was in the first quarter and a week before that, it came in the last 20 minutes against the Lions at the MCG. And so on ... despite all of the improvements in personnel, there always remains a doubt as to Melbourne’s ability to play out 100 minutes of football. Is this a sign of mental fragility, a lack of fitness or maturity among the team, too many Mr. In-Betweens or is it something that just happens? We don’t really have the answer just yet but we might find out a little more about the Demons this week when they travel north to face a Brisbane side that also held its own for much of its own round one encounter, only to fade at the end. The Lions have been fortified by the recruitment of Charlie Cameron, Luke Hodge and young gun Cam Rayner and will be eager to take the points in the first home game for the season. Melbourne left things to far too few last week with just four players managing over 20 disposals and we will surely see better from the likes of Christian Salem, Nev Jetta, Alex Neal-Bullen and the forwards who failed to take advantage of 64 entries into the forward 50. They might be hard at it in the middle but they also need some more run on the outside where they were exposed by the Cats. There will also be great interest in the ruck duels where Max Gawn should be highly motivated to erase the memories of last week’s final moments. It won’t be easy because Stef Martin is a seasoned campaigner who will be equally eager to prove a point against his old side. In the end, it could actually come down to the team changes. Brisbane has lost players through injury and suspension while Melbourne looks a better side with the inclusion of Dom Tyson (who should never have missed last week). Tom Bugg is not in everyone’s best 22 but he has been sitting on the sidelines for months on end wondering if he will ever get the opportunity to atone for his brain fade against the Swans in July last year. He knows he has to grasp his chances now that he’s back in the side. And that’s the thing. The Richmond team that started its own journey towards fame and fortune twelve months ago, wasn’t really rated because it couldn’t perform with consistency for the full four quarters. At the time, they didn’t have an explanation but with, hard work and over time, they found the answer. Demons to bounce back, put in a full four quarter game and win by 28 points.

"You got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive E-lim-i-nate the negative And latch on to the affirmative Don't mess with Mr. In-Between” ~ Johnny Mercer The problem with Melbourne for far too long has been the fact that so many of its players are Mr. In-Betweens. They can turn up to games and occasionally they will put in a good one but they can’t be relied upon to consistently produce at the highest level. The fact that G Ablett and J Selwood can always be relied upon to perform at the pinnacle of their ability and that they did that to perfection last Sunday was the difference between the teams in a close fought three point game. That said, there was plenty to be positive about against a team that last year finished a game off being in a grand final. The game was often played at a frenetic pace and Melbourne held its own in the ruck and the midfield contests. Max Gawn was back to his All Australian best and it was unfortunate that he fluffed that shot for goal with a tired effort late in the game. The likes of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver were superb and Nathan Jones gradually worked his way into the game. It was a pity that the selectors in their wisdom or otherwise saw fit to leave out Angus Brayshaw and Dom Tyson because neither of them are Mr. In-Betweens. Perhaps they simply were not quite well prepared enough to gain selection because otherwise, I thought they had done enough in the pre season to warrant selection. And there was simply not enough drive given by the defence (perhaps with the exception of Oscar McDonald) as they leaked like a sieve in the opening half to concede 80 points although they did tighten up to let through just 17 more in the second half. Pity the forwards simply couldn’t emulate their JLT Community Series efforts when they were all in the frame and we saw multiple goal kicking performances. Instead, a dividend of one goal from eight shots at goal in that final quarter simply wasn’t good enough. Despite all that, there were sufficient positives to accentuate. Despite the big numbers of Ablett and Selwood, the Demon midfield helped the team move the ball inside the 50 metre arc a staggering 64 times to 41 and that sort of dominance will normally win you games by big margins. And we know that the likes of Nev Jetta and Jake Lever will play better than they did against the Cats. So it’s onward to Saturday night in Brisbane where the Demons have rarely been sighted in the past few years. They have not met at the Gabba since the early days of the current decade but the intervening period is like light years for both clubs. Melbourne has reloaded with a maturing team with loads of talent while the Lions have been languishing in the early stages of a rebuild. However, the game will hardly be a cakewalk in the light of the Lions’ improvement. They have a young eager side that troubled Melbourne at their last meeting which happened just two or three games ago and late into the 2017 season. And they are playing at their home ground just as thousands of international visitors begin to descend to gather just down the road for one their region’s biggest sporting event for ages. Melbourne therefore must bring its best and brightest game to our northern state. That must be reflected in the team selected to run out onto the Gabba - a team without any Mr. In-Betweens. THE GAME Brisbane v Melbourne at The Gabba Saturday, 31 March, 2018 at 7.25pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Brisbane 20 wins, Melbourne 24 wins At The Gabba: Brisbane 13 wins, Melbourne 7 wins Last Five Meetings: Brisbane 2 wins, Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches: Fagan 0 wins, Goodwin 1 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 live at 7.00pm Radio - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 16.8.104 defeated Brisbane 14.7.91 at the MCG, Round 22, 2017 It was close for the first three quarters but when James Harmes kicked truly with less than six minutes gone in the last, the Dees were headed for a place in the finals. Surely, against the lowly Lions and on their home turf, they were capable of pushing a 32 point lead out to a 50 point win? No, not this team. They conceded four goals in a row and at one stage, led by just 7 points to cause a significant rise in the collective blood pressure of the Demon faithful and a week later they were unceremoniously dumped from the finals. THE TEAMS BRISBANE LIONS B: Nick Robertson, Josh Walker, Darcy Gardiner HB: Luke Hodge, Harris Andrews, Alex Witherden C: Lewis Taylor, Dayne Zorko, Ryan Lester HF: Cameron Rayner, Daniel McStay, Hugh McCluggage F: Allen Christensen, Eric Hipwood, Charlie Cameron Foll: Stefan Martin, Jarrod Berry, Dayne Beams I/C: Rohan Bewick, Cedric Cox, Rhys Mathieson, Sam Mayes Emg: Zac Bailey, Jake Barrett, Tom Cutler, Archie Smith IN: Rohan Bewick, Cedric Cox, Rhys Mathieson OUT: Tom Bell (omitted), Daniel Rich (ankle), Mitch Robinson (suspended) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jordan Lewis, Jake Lever, Bernie Vince C: Jayden Hunt, Christian Salem, Nathan Jones HF: Christian Petracca, Cameron Pedersen, James Harmes F: Bayley Fritsch, Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett Foll Max Gawn Clayton Oliver Alex Neal-Bullen I/C Dom Tyson Jake Melksham Tomas Bugg Josh Wagner Emg: Sam Frost, Dean Kent, Corey Maynard, Billy Stretch IN: Tomas Bugg, Dom Tyson OUT: Mitch Hannan (omitted), Corey Maynard (omitted) THE FULL FOUR QUARTERS In the wake of Melbourne’s narrow round one defeat, the media has highlighted the team’s tendency over the past two or three years to lose its way for short periods during games. It’s true that the Demons blew multiple opportunities to ice that game but the lapses have occurred too often and they happen at different times so we don’t quite know when they’re coming. Last week, it was the leaking of three goals after the 25 minute mark of the second quarter. In the club’s previous AFL rostered game in round 23 against Collingwood, it was in the first quarter and a week before that, it came in the last 20 minutes against the Lions at the MCG. And so on ... despite all of the improvements in personnel, there always remains a doubt as to Melbourne’s ability to play out 100 minutes of football. Is this a sign of mental fragility, a lack of fitness or maturity among the team, too many Mr. In-Betweens or is it something that just happens? We don’t really have the answer just yet but we might find out a little more about the Demons this week when they travel north to face a Brisbane side that also held its own for much of its own round one encounter, only to fade at the end. The Lions have been fortified by the recruitment of Charlie Cameron, Luke Hodge and young gun Cam Rayner and will be eager to take the points in the first home game for the season. Melbourne left things to far too few last week with just four players managing over 20 disposals and we will surely see better from the likes of Christian Salem, Nev Jetta, Alex Neal-Bullen and the forwards who failed to take advantage of 64 entries into the forward 50. They might be hard at it in the middle but they also need some more run on the outside where they were exposed by the Cats. There will also be great interest in the ruck duels where Max Gawn should be highly motivated to erase the memories of last week’s final moments. It won’t be easy because Stef Martin is a seasoned campaigner who will be equally eager to prove a point against his old side. In the end, it could actually come down to the team changes. Brisbane has lost players through injury and suspension while Melbourne looks a better side with the inclusion of Dom Tyson (who should never have missed last week). Tom Bugg is not in everyone’s best 22 but he has been sitting on the sidelines for months on end wondering if he will ever get the opportunity to atone for his brain fade against the Swans in July last year. He knows he has to grasp his chances now that he’s back in the side. And that’s the thing. The Richmond team that started its own journey towards fame and fortune twelve months ago, wasn’t really rated because it couldn’t perform with consistency for the full four quarters. At the time, they didn’t have an explanation but with, hard work and over time, they found the answer. Demons to bounce back, put in a full four quarter game and win by 28 points.

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MELBOURNE is pleased to announce Melbourne Airport Parking as an official partner. The new partnership will provide players and staff access to ‘at terminal’ and valet parking, reducing travel times for interstate games. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-03-27/club-lands-melbourne-airport-as-partner

I'm interstate and have the flu but I'll soldier on. Join @grapeviney and I LIVE at 8:30pm. Listen and Chat: http://demonland.com/podcast Don't have the equipment to take calls tonight. Sorry.

6 to 8 is the new 4 to 6.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-03-27/kane-cornes-team-of-the-week-r1-who-makes-the-cut