Demonland

Frees for per game: 22 (equal 7th) Frees against: 20.7 (equal 12th) Differential: +1.3 (7th) Most free kicks for: Max Gawn (21, equal seventh) 2017: Jack Viney (28, equal 41st) Most free kicks against: James Harmes (17, equal 12th) 2017: Clayton Oliver (40, equal ninth) Three free kick facts: 1. Melbourne has been pinged the most of any team in the competition for throwing the ball, with that stat accounting for 6.4 per cent of their total free kick count. 2. The Demons also lead the League for centre bounce infringements (0.6 per cent). 3. Melbourne has won the most free kicks for holding the man in the AFL (24.8 per cent). - Ben Guthrie

Enjoy the trip down memory lane.

Nailed it.

I understand the Bulldogs getting some Friday love despite their performance in 2017. The 2016 win gives them some credits in the bank. Crazily I even begrudgingly will concede that I somehow understand the AFL decision re: Carlton on some games (maybe 1 or 2 but definitely not 4) considering their support base (which isn't as large as it use to be). But how St. Kilda got preference over us based on 2017 I do not know. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2019 re: Friday nights. I'll tip that Carlton gets 0. If we make finals and beyond this year I imagine that they will try to overcompensate and give us 3 or 4.

The fortunes of the Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs Football Clubs intersected when the two sides met in June last year at Etihad Stadium. The Demons were finally and slowly emerging from years of deprivation and suffering in the competition's lower depths while the Bulldogs were rapidly descending from the dizzy heights of the previous year's unexpected September glory. Despite the fact that both sides seemed to be heading in different directions, the outcome was still a shock to all, with the hitherto inconsistent Melbourne combination dominating throughout and, perhaps in a portent of things to come, winning all four quarters. We thought we had made it. We almost had it all but it turned out, that the hopes of a top four placing or even a finals finish were to prove premature, perhaps because the Demons were experiencing a "That's Life" moment as described in the Frank Sinatra hit song. They were riding high during that particular month and they were cut down in the next one but you could mount an argument that it all began with what was otherwise a very happy afternoon at Etihad for Melbourne fans. The victory however, was soured in the final quarter when co-captain Nathan Jones (quad) and Jack Watts (hamstring tightness) were both taken off as a precaution for assessment during the coming week. In the end, both missed the next month and they were joined on the sidelines in the weeks to come by a number of others including the team’s other skipper, Jack Viney. Melbourne went on to record a great victory over the Eagles on the following Saturday but the number of consecutive six day breaks, the injuries and a controversial suspension to Tomas Bugg in the next game against the Swans, all took their toll. The weakened team found themselves flat on their faces and, despite attempts to pick themselves up and get back in the race, the tiring Demons were floundering. Despite the fact that they were perilously close to making the finals for the first time in over a decade, they simply rolled themselves up in a big ball and died at the last hurdle. Poets, dreamers, philosophers and crooners like Frank might well ask whether the experience of a "That's Life" moment last year was a sign for the club and supporters that it was too soon to be thinking of premierships; that had the Demons fallen into the top eight, they might well have suffered the same fate as their replacement Essendon, which was bundled out in humiliation at the hands of the Swans by 80 points in the Elimination Final. The club has bounced back and we now find it again challenging for the finals and a top four finish even more strongly but this time, the team is much better equipped with greater depth, class, durability and experience than it had at this time last year. Just as the great Sinatra was able overcome and recover from extended periods of failure in his career, the time is now right for the Melbourne Football Club. That's life! *** Scroll Down for Whispering Jack's Prediction *** THE GAME Western Bulldogs v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, Saturday 2 June, 2018 at 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Western Bulldogs 76 wins Melbourne 86 wins 1 draw At Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 9 wins Melbourne 7 wins Last Five Meetings: Western Bulldogs 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches: Beveridge 0 wins Goodwin 1 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports Live at 1.30pm Radio - Triple M 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.11.113 defeated Western Bulldogs 8.8.56 at Etihad Stadium, Round 13, 2017 Melbourne smashed the reigning premiers by 57 points to move to fifth place on the AFL ladder. It was a spiteful encounter fueled before the game when Tomas Bugg controversially taunted Bulldog Jason Johannisen on social media. The ploy worked as the Demons took advantage of a hesitant opponent to record a comfortable win and stamp their credentials for a place in the finals. THE TEAMS WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Matthew Suckling, Jackson Trengove, Ed Richards HB: Bailey Williams, Dale Morris, Easton Wood C : Jason Johannisen, Lachie Hunter, Patrick Lipinski HF: Caleb Daniel, Josh Schache, Tory Dickson F: Luke Dahlhaus, Marcus Bontempelli, Billy Gowers Foll: Tom Boyd, Toby McLean, Jack Macrae I/C: Hayden Crozier, Mitch Honeychurch, Jordan Roughead, Roarke Smith Emg: Tom Campbell, Lin Jong, Lukas Webb, Lewis Young In: Mitch Honeychurch, Dale Morris Out: Zaine Cordy (concussion), Bailey Dale (foot) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Angus Brayshaw, Jake Lever, Jordan Lewis C : Bernie Vince, Jack Viney, Nathan Jones HF: James Harmes, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham F: Tim Smith, Tom McDonald, Christian Petracca Foll: Max Gawn, Christian Salem, Clayton Oliver I/C: Bayley Fritsch, Mitch Hannan, Alex Neal-Bullen, Charlie Spargo Emg: Tom Bugg, Cameron Pedersen, Joel Smith, Billy Stretch NO CHANGE THE PARADOX The paradox about a game in which Melbourne starts as clear favourite is the fact that the Western Bulldogs will take the field with more than half a team comprised of premiership players while their counterparts have just one, and only a handful have even been a part of finals football. Co-captain Nathan Jones, who will be playing in his 250th match, is the only current team member to have tasted the finals experience as a Demon. That we have to go back in time only 20 months to the time when the Western Bulldogs stormed their way to the flag, is testament to the fickleness of our sport. They were on top one day and twelve months later, they finished in the bottom half of the ladder. Today, with almost half the season gone, they occupy a place in the bottom six with a percentage south of 80. And yet, the Doggies still have some of the game’s elite within their ranks. The in-form Jack Macrae is at the head of many of the media’s best player rankings, Marcus Bontempelli is regarded among the game’s top shelf while it was not long ago that the likes of Luke Dahlhaus, Lachlan Hunter, Jason Johannisen and Easton Wood were the toast of the town. Despite their past two defeats at the hands of top eight sides, they did win three games on the trot in rounds six to eight. The problem for the Bulldogs is that they have lost enough of the keys to the premiership success through retirement, injury or loss of form and have been unable to fill the void in class. As a consequence, their team appears unbalanced, inexperienced and down in confidence. In short, they are a long way from being capable of replicating the magic of September, 2016. Going back to those very recent heady days, it would have been unthinkable to consider them as being vulnerable to Melbourne in any game played at where the Bulldogs were lords and masters. These days however, the ground is a veritable fortress for the Demons who shook off the gloom of consecutive losses to Hawthorn and Richmond earlier this year to beat Essendon and St Kilda at the beginning of their current winning streak. They have won four games in a row at Etihad Stadium, a place which was not long ago viewed by their fans with shock, fear and awe. But it’s a different Melbourne these days. On the back of its current winning streak, it has established an unenviable record - it leads the competition in percentage, it’s the highest scoring team, number one for inside 50s and marks inside that area and most importantly, is the winner of the contested possession count. Add the dominance of ruckman Max Gawn and the fact that Jack Viney is finding his feet (and pardon the pun) after his long stint out with injury, it’s hard tipping against the Demons who could only lose if they start bathing in the glory of the complimentary publicity they’ve been receiving of late. With co-captain Nathan Jones leading then out for his 250th game reminding them of how much effort is required for a downtrodden side to lift itself back up to get in the race, I expect the team to be well grounded and up to the task of making it six in a row. Melbourne by 51 points

THAT'S LIFE by Whispering Jack The fortunes of the Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs Football Clubs intersected when the two sides met in June last year at Etihad Stadium. The Demons were finally and slowly emerging from years of deprivation and suffering in the competition's lower depths while the Bulldogs were rapidly descending from the dizzy heights of the previous year's unexpected September glory. Despite the fact that both sides seemed to be heading in different directions, the outcome was still a shock to all, with the hitherto inconsistent Melbourne combination dominating throughout and, perhaps in a portent of things to come, winning all four quarters. We thought we had made it. We almost had it all but it turned out, that the hopes of a top four placing or even a finals finish were to prove premature, perhaps because the Demons were experiencing a "That's Life" moment as described in the Frank Sinatra hit song. They were riding high during that particular month and they were cut down in the next one but you could mount an argument that it all began with what was otherwise a very happy afternoon at Etihad for Melbourne fans. The victory however, was soured in the final quarter when co-captain Nathan Jones (quad) and Jack Watts (hamstring tightness) were both taken off as a precaution for assessment during the coming week. In the end, both missed the next month and they were joined on the sidelines in the weeks to come by a number of others including the team’s other skipper, Jack Viney. Melbourne went on to record a great victory over the Eagles on the following Saturday but the number of consecutive six day breaks, the injuries and a controversial suspension to Tomas Bugg in the next game against the Swans, all took their toll. The weakened team found themselves flat on their faces and, despite attempts to pick themselves up and get back in the race, the tiring Demons were floundering. Despite the fact that they were perilously close to making the finals for the first time in over a decade, they simply rolled themselves up in a big ball and died at the last hurdle. Poets, dreamers, philosophers and crooners like Frank might well ask whether the experience of a "That's Life" moment last year was a sign for the club and supporters that it was too soon to be thinking of premierships; that had the Demons fallen into the top eight, they might well have suffered the same fate as their replacement Essendon, which was bundled out in humiliation at the hands of the Swans by 80 points in the Elimination Final. The club has bounced back and we now find it again challenging for the finals and a top four finish even more strongly but this time, the team is much better equipped with greater depth, class, durability and experience than it had at this time last year. Just as the great Sinatra was able overcome and recover from extended periods of failure in his career, the time is now right for the Melbourne Football Club. That's life! THE GAME Western Bulldogs v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, Saturday 2 June, 2018 at 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Western Bulldogs 76 wins Melbourne 86 wins 1 draw At Etihad Stadium: Western Bulldogs 9 wins Melbourne 7 wins Last Five Meetings: Western Bulldogs 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches: Beveridge 0 wins Goodwin 1 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports Live at 1.30pm Radio - Triple M 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.11.113 defeated Western Bulldogs 8.8.56 at Etihad Stadium, Round 13, 2017 Melbourne smashed the reigning premiers by 57 points to move to fifth place on the AFL ladder. It was a spiteful encounter fueled before the game when Tomas Bugg controversially taunted Bulldog Jason Johannisen on social media. The ploy worked as the Demons took advantage of a hesitant opponent to record a comfortable win and stamp their credentials for a place in the finals. THE TEAMS WESTERN BULLDOGS B: Matthew Suckling, Jackson Trengove, Ed Richards HB: Bailey Williams, Dale Morris, Easton Wood C : Jason Johannisen, Lachie Hunter, Patrick Lipinski HF: Caleb Daniel, Josh Schache, Tory Dickson F: Luke Dahlhaus, Marcus Bontempelli, Billy Gowers Foll: Tom Boyd, Toby McLean, Jack Macrae I/C: Hayden Crozier, Mitch Honeychurch, Jordan Roughead, Roarke Smith Emg: Tom Campbell, Lin Jong, Lukas Webb, Lewis Young In: Mitch Honeychurch, Dale Morris Out: Zaine Cordy (concussion), Bailey Dale (foot) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Angus Brayshaw, Jake Lever, Jordan Lewis C : Bernie Vince, Jack Viney, Nathan Jones HF: James Harmes, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham F: Tim Smith, Tom McDonald, Christian Petracca Foll: Max Gawn, Christian Salem, Clayton Oliver I/C: Bayley Fritsch, Mitch Hannan, Alex Neal-Bullen, Charlie Spargo Emg: Tom Bugg, Cameron Pedersen, Tom Bugg, Joel Smith, Billy Stretch NO CHANGE THE PARADOX The paradox about a game in which Melbourne starts as clear favourite is the fact that the Western Bulldogs will take the field with more than half a team comprised of premiership players while their counterparts have just one, and only a handful have even been a part of finals football. Co-captain Nathan Jones, who will be playing in his 250th match, is the only current team member to have tasted the finals experience as a Demon. That we have to go back in time only 20 months to the time when the Western Bulldogs stormed their way to the flag, is testament to the fickleness of our sport. They were on top one day and twelve months later, they finished in the bottom half of the ladder. Today, with almost half the season gone, they occupy a place in the bottom six with a percentage south of 80. And yet, the Doggies still have some of the game’s elite within their ranks. The in-form Jack Macrae is at the head of many of the media’s best player rankings, Marcus Bontempelli is regarded among the game’s top shelf while it was not long ago that the likes of Luke Dahlhaus, Lachlan Hunter, Jason Johannisen and Easton Wood were the toast of the town. Despite their past two defeats at the hands of top eight sides, they did win three games on the trot in rounds six to eight. The problem for the Bulldogs is that they have lost enough of the keys to the premiership success through retirement, injury or loss of form and have been unable to fill the void in class. As a consequence, their team appears unbalanced, inexperienced and down in confidence. In short, they are a long way from being capable of replicating the magic of September, 2016. Going back to those very recent heady days, it would have been unthinkable to consider them as being vulnerable to Melbourne in any game played at where the Bulldogs were lords and masters. These days however, the ground is a veritable fortress for the Demons who shook off the gloom of consecutive losses to Hawthorn and Richmond earlier this year to beat Essendon and St Kilda at the beginning of their current winning streak. They have won four games in a row at Etihad Stadium, a place which was not long ago viewed by their fans with shock, fear and awe. But it’s a different Melbourne these days. On the back of its current winning streak, it has established an unenviable record - it leads the competition in percentage, it’s the highest scoring team, number one for inside 50s and marks inside that area and most importantly, is the winner of the contested possession count. Add the dominance of ruckman Max Gawn and the fact that Jack Viney is finding his feet (and pardon the pun) after his long stint out with injury, it’s hard tipping against the Demons who could only lose if they start bathing in the glory of the complimentary publicity they’ve been receiving of late. With co-captain Nathan Jones leading then out for his 250th game reminding them of how much effort is required for a downtrodden side to lift itself back up to get in the race, I expect the team to be well grounded and up to the task of making it six in a row. Melbourne by 51 points

I prefer the hate over the laughs. It means we're heading in the right direction.

Good. They can stop talking about us. Positive and negative and we'll do all the talking on the field. On the plus side we're relevant again. Bring it on.

Edit (The Reveal):

My non-Melbourne mates have been heavily reminding me that there is no silverware for May champions despite me being relatively subdued in their company. I'm under no illusions that we will probably have some stumbles but I'm wrapped with the way we've been playing for the past month and where we are heading. I have one of the worst cases of MFCSS and even I'm seeing a light at the end of my one-eyed tunnel vision.

Would you prefer to hop in a time machine and go back to 2012?

STATISTIC MELBOURNE NEXT-BEST Kicking efficiency 69.8% Brisbane 67.8% Kicking efficiency differential +6.5% Brisbane +3.8% Disposal efficiency 74.8% Collingwood 74.7% Marks inside 50 18.8 Richmond 13.6 Marks inside 50 differential +10.4 Port Adelaide +4.2 Contested possession differential +21.6 West Coast +13.4 Clearance differential +9 Fremantle +6 Inside 50s 65.2 Richmond 61.2 Scores per inside 50 49.1% West Coast 48.2% Goals per inside 50 31% West Coast 28.5% Points for 133 Richmond 98.6 Intercept points 84 Richmond 68.8 Clearance points 44.6 West Coast 32.6 Defensive half to score 19% Richmond 14.7% Consecutive quarters won 18 West Coast 15 Offensive one-on-one win 39% GWS 35.7%

Hibberd extremely stiff. I thought he was excellent off half back. All-Australian form.

I get that. I'm just not used to being happy about Footy. I need to be angry about something. ?

This is what [censored] me. I understand these sentiments and they may have some truth to them. But on the same night that some of them were saying those things about us they were pumping up Esssendon's tyres for beating an injury riddled and extremely out of form GWS conveniently forgetting that the Bombers lost to the same team we pumped by 109 points a week apart. Not all animals are equal.

I think the Dees have aboout 135,000 people liking their Facebook page. Imagine if you could turn all of them into members. Obviously this is not possible and there might be a chunk of those that don't follow the Dees or are Russian bots but at least the Dees have the opportunity to reach that number of people with messages. I am aware that not every post on social media reaches all of your followers due to changes in the Facebook algorithm and other factors but social media allows the club to reach a larger audience that has already opted in to follow them for a fraction of the cost of advertising on TV or radio to an audience that is made up largely of people who don't care about the Demons. Social media and advertising on the web allows you to target your audience more directly. LIKES can pay the bills and winning is the best way to achieve more LIKES.

Watson gives no credit. He takes it away.

I agree that we need to take a big scalp or two at full strength to gain the full respect of the wider footballing community. Heck we need to do that in finals. Hell we need to make finals. Having said that we should be getting at least a little bit more respect for some of the wins we have had this year than we are currently getting. Other teams aren't trouncing Gold Coast and Carlton like we have. We comprehensibly beat a team that was 4th on the ladder, albeit with some injuries, that made a grand final last year and had 14 or 15 (I think) players playing from that Grand Final. This was no GWS circa 2013. We had Hogan, Gawn and leaders out for chunks of the year last year and still managed victories and if we didn't win we certainly didn't get flogged. Yes we need to show more and we have that opportunity in the next 2 weeks and in the back half of the season.

In this day and age LIKES are everything. Join the digital revolution. ?

I'm not sure it is a PR exercise. I think they take the opportunity to make it a PR exercise by parading the signatures around on social media (which I don't mind). I have confidence in the list managers that this is an exercise to sure these guys away now so they can concentrate on the guys coming out contract in 2019. Sometimes moves on a chess board don't seem important but are building to something else bigger.

I think you've got to assume that the list managers know what they're doing. I doubt these 3 signings would jeopardise the signing of the remaining big 3 in terms of cap or dollars to spend.

You can't celebrate the good without reliving the bad. There'll be alot of revisiting the past on this road to glory. The media love that stuff.

That celebration got me too. It was the type of celebration you make when you win a game by a point on the siren.

Spargo has been fantastic and I'm sure his nomination will come but to tell you the truth I'd prefer our results the past few weeks with many shining lights than the Bulldogs results and one shining light.