Demonland

It has been 10 years since Melbourne beat St. Kilda, and that was in an Elimination Final. During the season the record goes back to 2002! Not that the Saints are any world/beating side. Like the Demons, they have inhabited the bottom half of the ladder for the past 5 years, but we still cannot beat them. And so the record continued on after yet another insipid performance at that woeful stadium known as Etihad. The fact that only 25,000 people could be bothered to turn up for a match against two Melbourne based sides each with nearly 40,000 members, says a lot about this miserable venue. That St. Kilda have to play artificial crowd noise through the loudspeakers after each of their goals, is an indictment on the lack of natural crowd noise. That they think a ½ time staring (not blinking) competition for kids is going to bring fans through gate, is an indictment on the boring rubbish that the AFL is serving up as entertainment. What we all come to see is football, but there wasn’t a lot of that going on either. Melbourne got off to a flying start to lead by 3 goals at ¼ time but then failed to turn up for the second term and most of the third. By that time St. Kilda had kicked 8 unanswered goals and the game was as good as over. It wasn’t the Darwin effect as some may claim. With an eight day break for the players, it is more than sufficient to recover, especially as Fremantle were able to take it right up to Geelong with an even shorter time between games. No we weren’t tired……we were just incompetent! The Saints almost exclusively scored from stupid, sometimes unforced errors by the Melbourne players handballing to stationary targets, or players not in a better position just simply played into the Saints hands. We were getting the ball and led easily for possessions, but we just kept giving it to them. Dom Tyson needs to be taken aside and told to kick the ball when he can when he is in a pack. At Hawthorn, Mitchell and Lewis belt the ball out of the congestion without thinking and so open up opportunities up the field. Of Tyson's 20 disposals only half were on the boot. Simply not enough for a mid. Unfortunately, the virus spread and others just kept doing the same. Nathan Jones played an absolutely forgettable game, and his kicking has returned to that similar to the early stages of his career. Ben Kennedy was mostly unsighted, Jeff Garlett kicked a couple but otherwise wasn’t to be seen, VandenBerg looked injured again and could only muster a dozen touches. Mitch White, Matt Jones and Jack Grimes did little to trouble the statisticians. However, Jack Viney was a solitary standout winner in the packs and he also kept the St. Kilda danger-man in Stevens to a lowly 25 touches, which is well below his usual output. As well Jack nearly turned the tide in the third quarter with a spectacular courageous mark that gave the fans a glimmer of hope leading into the final quarter. And so it turned out to be, as the Demons got back to within five points, and then returned to their previous lazy efforts to see the game result get blown out to five goals. The result should have been much more, with the Saints getting 35 scoring shots, but they are simply not good enough to do much better. The pity was that we were unable to capitalise on their lack of skill, save for being an even worse team when it came to using the ball. While there are few players at Casey who could have improved the overall performance today, at least we found out that Matt Jones, Grimes and White are simply not going to provide any upside in the years to come. For each of them, their future is bleak. They may get a couple more games, because the players who are being developed at Casey like Clayton Oliver, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Liam Hulett, Sam Weideman and yes, Jack Trengove are not ready to take the step up. We don’t want to fall into the trap that we have done so many times in the past of putting kids up when they are not quite ready. With this loss, the season has become another sad state of affairs. It was important for the future to finish on a high note, by winning these type of games. It gives young players hope, and for those that are yet to re-sign it is important that they can see a positive future to staying with the club. But with coming games against WCE, Hawthorn, Geelong and Port, it is more likely that the season will be a repeat of last when we simply fell off a cliff. The fall will be even harder if the games against Carlton and Gold Coast result in defeats! That would be an even sadder state of affairs... Melbourne 6.2.38 6.5.41 9.7.61 11.8.74 St Kilda 3.3.21 8.6.54 10.12.72 15.20.110 Goals Melbourne Garlett Gawn Petracca 2 Hogan Kennedy vandenBerg Viney Watts St Kilda Membrey 4 Weller 3 Geary 2 Bruce Dunstan Montagna Riewoldt Roberton Weller Best Melbourne Viney Vince T McDonald Jetta Harmes St Kilda Hickey Membrey Steven Weller Ross Montagna Changes Melbourne Josh Wagner replaced Sam Frost (ill) in the selected side St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne Hogan (hip) Watts (right ankle) St Kilda Nil Reports Melbourne Jesse Hogan for striking Jarryn Geary in the fourth quarter Umpires Bannister Stephens Nicholls Official crowd 25,322 at Etihad Stadium

A debacle?

Cast your votes please ...

THE SAVING GRACE by Whispering Jack I have a feeling that whoever it was at the AFL who framed the draw for the Round 17 fixture might have a good sense of humour. After kicking off proceedings on Thursday night with an absolute ripper of a game between two teams that might well end up facing each other again on the last Saturday in September, the rest of what's on offer is pretty much rubbish. The game at Adelaide Oval involving a resurgent Collingwood could be of interest now that the Magpie faithful have declared their team a sure thing to make the finals but most of the games in the round are complete mismatches on current form. Of course, when the draw was prepared at the end of last season, it was difficult to predict exactly how the teams would be faring in the midst of winter in the year to come or that the top eight would be virtually set in stone barring some sort of major calamity. Still, you have to admit, there is a dull, colourless and boring feel about the eight match ups on show from Friday night to Sunday evening. However, there is one game that shapes up as a possible exception among all of the drudgery, a game that presents itself as a possible bookend to the opening game of the round and I'm not talking here of the potential farce at the Gabba starting at 4.40pm. Rather, I allude to Sunday's clash at Etihad Stadium between St Kilda and Melbourne, which unlike their last meeting 11 weeks ago, is a Saints home game. The contest shapes up as the AFL's saving grace for the weekend. The two sides are sitting among a group of four teams on seven wins and three games behind eighth placed North Melbourne but with very little chance of making the finals unless they win most (if not all) of their remaining games and the Kangaroos' free fall continues. Neither outcome is particularly likely to result in a change to the makeup of the current top eight. The Saints hit a high a fortnight ago when they fought out a gutsy win against Geelong (who themselves have put in some flakey performances of late) but have been disappointing in their more recent outings, losing to lowly Gold Coast by 40 points and coming close to joining the Demons last week as an ignominious loser to the depleted Bombers of 2016. They also have suffered some real poundings in their interstate games this year. Melbourne on the other hand, rebounded in Darwin last week against the Dockers after losing consecutive games to the finals bound Swans and Crows. They seem to be enjoying the better form of this week's contestants.However, that was exactly the case when the teams met earlier in the year and the Dees started out as firm favourite to break their then 12 game losing streak against the Saints which stretches all the way back to the 2006 Elimination Final when Nathan Jones' career was in its infancy. It turned out that St Kilda was the superior side at their last meeting despite Jesse Hogan's almost single handed seven goal haul up forward. Max Gawn had a rare down day in the ruck against Tom Hickey, the Saints defence and midfield were dominant with their pace and the Demons lacked the poise and discipline to hold the Saints' playmakers. After being in doubt to play all week, Nick Riewoldt was virtually untouchable producing a team killing virtuoso performance. There were no excuses from the Melbourne camp but it was conceded that having an unbalanced and seemingly tired-looking outfit on the park after a six day break was unhelpful. So what will Melbourne produce to make up for that lacklustre effort from earlier this season? The answer to that lies in the changes to the team's structure since that last performance. The defence in particular is more streamlined and far less stodgy - they will not be outpaced as they were last time - and the leakage down back has been stemmed. The forward line won't be relying on Hogan alone. Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett and Dean Kent are all dangerous in front of goal. Max Gawn will be eager to prove that he is deserving of his 2016 reputation as one of the two top ruckmen going around and the midfield, which is now ranking third in contested possessions will relish the contest. And someone will be assigned to make sure that Riewoldt is not permitted to roam around the stadium doing as he pleases. Melbourne to win by 29 points. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 17 July 2016 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 90 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn At Etihad St Kilda 7 wins Melbourne 3 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Richardson 4 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING St. Kilda to win - $2.00 to win Melbourne to win - $1.82 THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 20.15.135 defeated Melbourne 15.6.96 in Round 6, 2016 at Etihad Stadium Melbourne started favourite to beat its long-running St Kilda hoodoo and got off to a solid start when it led by almost three goals halfway through the opening term. However, the wheels fell off as the Saints took over in the midfield and ran the Demons ragged. They looked slow and indecisive and but for a great individual effort from Jesse Hogan and some accurate kicking for goal, would have gone down by a far greater margin. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Jack Grimes C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, James Harmes F: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Ben Kennedy, Mitch White EMG: Tomas Bugg, Billy Stretch, Josh Wagner IN: Angus Brayshaw OUT: Billy Stretch (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Sam Gilbert, Leigh Montagna C: Maverick Weller, David Armitage, Jack Billings HF: Blake Acres, Nick Riewoldt, Nathan Wright F: Tim Membrey, Josh Bruce, Darren Minchington FOLL: Tom Hickey, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Jade Gresham, Daniel McKenzie, Sebastian Ross, Jack Sinclair EMG: Luke Delaney,Cameron Shenton, Eli Templeton IN: Jack Billings, Jack Sinclair OUT: Luke Delaney (omitted), Shane Savage (concussion) SAM THE STATS MAN'S ROUND UP - 2016 TO DATE BRAYSHAW Angus MFC 3 games, 3 goals, CSFC 5 games, 2 goals - brilliant youngster has had his season blighted by injuries including concussion issues that kept him out for several weeks. BUGG, Tomas MFC 14 games, 2 goals - hard and driven, he has proven a real pest when running with opponents but his form has tapered off a little lately. DAWES, Chris MFC 4 games, 1 goal, CSFC 3 games, 7 goals - was hampered for some time by a calf injury and has failed to impress on return. DUNN, Lynden MFC 4 games,1 goals, CSFC 4 games, 0 goals - suddenly found himself out of favour and banished to Casey where he was injured. Performed well there when he returned. FROST, Sam MFC 10 games, 4 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - the experiment as a forward failed and he is now settling down as a defender where his pace is outstanding. GARLAND, Colin MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CSFC 7 games, 1 goal - like Dunn has found himself on the outer in the overhaul of the team's defence but has been pushing for selection with the Scorpions. GARLETT, Jeffrey MFC 11 games, 20 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - not as consistent as last year but proved a fortnight ago how dangerous he can be near goal. GAWN, Max MFC 15 games, 12 goals - declared his ambition to be among the leading AFL ruckmen early and has made his case. Is close to All Australian selection. GRIMES, Jack MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 9 games, 5 goals - has been diligent in his application and was very good on return to the AFL in Darwin last week with 32 possessions at 90% efficiency. HARMES, James MFC 13 games,12 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - improving beyond expectation and now reveling in a new role down back. HOGAN, Jesse MFC 15 games, 38 goals - hard working, talented and strong, the youngster is well on his way to becoming an elite key forward in the competition. HULETT, Liam CSFC 10 games, 15 goals - developing tall forward who would not be far off a promotion. HUNT, Jayden MFC 12 games, 1 goal, CSFC 1 game ,1 goal - the dashing defender continues to improve rapidly from week to week and is surely the next Demon rising star nominee. JETTA, Neville MFC 14 games, 0 goals - steady, reliable and experienced, he gives the defence the extra steel it needs. JONES, Matthew MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - pacy footballer who had a good start to the season, suffered a setback with injury after four games but has returned to form with a vengeance. JONES, Nathan MFC 15 games, 9 goals - shows unrelenting strength and his leadership is often underrated on the AFL scene. KENNEDY, Ben MFC 14 games, 12 goals, CSFC 1 game , 0 goals - has put in some excellent performances as a small forward who occasionally runs around the middle of the ground. KENNEDY-HARRIS, Jay CSFC 2 games, 2 goals - broke down with a severe hamstring injury in Casey's first game and lasted one more after he returned before injury struck again. KENT, Dean MFC 14 games, 21 goals - with his injury woes behind him, Kent is becoming a valuable member of the emerging Demon forward set up. KING, Max ® CSFC 10 games, 5 goals - the club is being patient with the tall developing forward/ruckman but, after three years at the club, needs to show more at Casey if he is to hold a spot on the club's lists. KING, Mitch CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - the big man broke down with an ACL injury early in his opening game down at Casey. LUMUMBA, Heritier MFC 5 games, 0 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - returned from post season surgery in resulted in hot and cold form and more lately has been sidelined with concussion issues. McDONALD, Oscar MFC 8 games, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games, 0 goals - slowly developing youngster who is getting games into his legs as a key defender. McDONALD, Tom MFC 15 games, 1 goal - strong key position player who has produced some outstanding performance i MELKSHAM, Jake - suspended as a result of the ASADA supplements investigation and CAS decision. MICHIE, Viv ® MFC 3 games, 1 goal, CSFC 7 games, 4 goals - has shown sparkling form in the VFL but failed to show enough to keep his spot when promoted. NEAL-BULLEN, Alex MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 9 games, 5 goals - another who has excelled with the Scorpions but has yet to grab his opportunities at the highest level. NEWTON, Ben MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 9 games, 6 goals - came back from a long injury lay off and pushed for promotion to the AFL but was soon back at Casey. OLIVER, Clayton MFC 10 games, 4 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - the hard nosed teenager who won a NAB Rising Star nomination on debut in Round 1 is being nicely nursed through his debut season. PEDERSEN, Cameron MFC 7 games, 5 goals, CSFC 3 games, 2 goals - a regular forward/relief ruck fixture in the early part of the season, but has been missing after a drop in form followed by injury. PETRACCA, Christian MFC 10 games, 7 goals, CSFC 3 games, 3 goals - has yet to set the world on fire but is showing some very clear glimpses of star potential. SALEM, Christian MFC 7 games, 1 goal, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - was starting to shows some great skill and class before succumbing to a thyroid problem from which he is only slowly recovering. SMITH, Joel ® CSFC 5 games, 1 goal - the young rookie who switched sports from basketball was showing promising signs with the Casey Scorpions before an groin injury struck. SPENCER, Jake CSFC 8 games, 6 goals - seems destined to be the understudy to Max Gawn. Has dominated at VFL level but it seems the selectors have not really favoured having two big men in the line up. STRETCH, Billy MFC 10 games, 2 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - continues to make an exciting progression, showing speed and evasive skills. TERLICH, Dean CSFC 11 games, 5 goals - remains well down back of the queue for selection at AFL level. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC 3 games,1 goal, CSFC 8 games, 5 goals - made a hard earned return to senior ranks after more than two years out. Still rusty as one would expect. TYSON, Dom MFC 14 games, 8 goals - has played some excellent football on his return after a few troughs in form last year. VANDENBERG, Aaron MFC 8 games, 5 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - the big-bodied midfielder's progress was stalled by an ankle injury and is only now returning to last year's form VINCE, Bernie MFC 14 games 5 goals - an important player in the Demon line up who recently re-signed in a great show of faith VINEY, Jack MFC 14 games, 7 goals - started like a house on fire as a hard, smart and tough on baller and has come back to the field a little recently but is still very dangerous. WAGNER, JOSH ® MFC 11 games, 0 goals - mature aged rookie has been a revelation in defence with his smart play and neat delivery of the football. WATTS, Jack MFC 15 games, 30 goals - is having his best season yet as a dangerous forward who also pinch hits in the ruck when Max takes a rest. WEIDEMAN, Sam CSFC 8 games,17 goals - has shown potential as a future key position forward as is being given plenty of time to develop in the VFL. WHITE, Mitch ® MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 11 games, 2 goals - the hard working defender was finally rewarded with a second time elevation off the rookie and impressed in Darwin.

I have a feeling that whoever it was at the AFL who framed the draw for the Round 17 fixture might have a good sense of humour. After kicking off proceedings on Thursday night with an absolute ripper of a game between two teams that might well end up facing each other again on the last Saturday in September, the rest of what's on offer is pretty much rubbish. The game at Adelaide Oval involving a resurgent Collingwood could be of interest now that the Magpie faithful have declared their team a sure thing to make the finals but most of the games in the round are complete mismatches on current form. Of course, when the draw was prepared at the end of last season, it was difficult to predict exactly how the teams would be faring in the midst of winter in the year to come or that the top eight would be virtually set in stone barring some sort of major calamity. Still, you have to admit, there is a dull, colourless and boring feel about the eight match ups on show from Friday night to Sunday evening. However, there is one game that shapes up as a possible exception among all of the drudgery, a game that presents itself as a possible bookend to the opening game of the round and I'm not talking here of the potential farce at the Gabba starting at 4.40pm. Rather, I allude to Sunday's clash at Etihad Stadium between St Kilda and Melbourne, which unlike their last meeting 11 weeks ago, is a Saints home game. The contest shapes up as the AFL's saving grace for the weekend. The two sides are sitting among a group of four teams on seven wins and three games behind eighth placed North Melbourne but with very little chance of making the finals unless they win most (if not all) of their remaining games and the Kangaroos' free fall continues. Neither outcome is particularly likely to result in a change to the makeup of the current top eight. The Saints hit a high a fortnight ago when they fought out a gutsy win against Geelong (who themselves have put in some flakey performances of late) but have been disappointing in their more recent outings, losing to lowly Gold Coast by 40 points and coming close to joining the Demons last week as an ignominious loser to the depleted Bombers of 2016. They also have suffered some real poundings in their interstate games this year. Melbourne on the other hand, rebounded in Darwin last week against the Dockers after losing consecutive games to the finals bound Swans and Crows. They seem to be enjoying the better form of this week's contestants.However, that was exactly the case when the teams met earlier in the year and the Dees started out as firm favourite to break their then 12 game losing streak against the Saints which stretches all the way back to the 2006 Elimination Final when Nathan Jones' career was in its infancy. It turned out that St Kilda was the superior side at their last meeting despite Jesse Hogan's almost single handed seven goal haul up forward. Max Gawn had a rare down day in the ruck against Tom Hickey, the Saints defence and midfield were dominant with their pace and the Demons lacked the poise and discipline to hold the Saints' playmakers. After being in doubt to play all week, Nick Riewoldt was virtually untouchable producing a team killing virtuoso performance. There were no excuses from the Melbourne camp but it was conceded that having an unbalanced and seemingly tired-looking outfit on the park after a six day break was unhelpful. So what will Melbourne produce to make up for that lacklustre effort from earlier this season? The answer to that lies in the changes to the team's structure since that last performance. The defence in particular is more streamlined and far less stodgy - they will not be outpaced as they were last time - and the leakage down back has been stemmed. The forward line won't be relying on Hogan alone. Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett and Dean Kent are all dangerous in front of goal. Max Gawn will be eager to prove that he is deserving of his 2016 reputation as one of the two top ruckmen going around and the midfield, which is now ranking third in contested possessions will relish the contest. And someone will be assigned to make sure that Riewoldt is not permitted to roam around the stadium doing as he pleases. Melbourne to win by 29 points. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 17 July 2016 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 90 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn At Etihad St Kilda 7 wins Melbourne 3 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Richardson 4 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING St. Kilda to win - $2.00 to win Melbourne to win - $1.82 THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 20.15.135 defeated Melbourne 15.6.96 in Round 6, 2016 at Etihad Stadium Melbourne started favourite to beat its long-running St Kilda hoodoo and got off to a solid start when it led by almost three goals halfway through the opening term. However, the wheels fell off as the Saints took over in the midfield and ran the Demons ragged. They looked slow and indecisive and but for a great individual effort from Jesse Hogan and some accurate kicking for goal, would have gone down by a far greater margin. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Jack Grimes C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, James Harmes F: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Ben Kennedy, Mitch White EMG: Tomas Bugg, Billy Stretch, Josh Wagner IN: Angus Brayshaw OUT: Billy Stretch (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Sam Gilbert, Leigh Montagna C: Maverick Weller, David Armitage, Jack Billings HF: Blake Acres, Nick Riewoldt, Nathan Wright F: Tim Membrey, Josh Bruce, Darren Minchington FOLL: Tom Hickey, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Jade Gresham, Daniel McKenzie, Sebastian Ross, Jack Sinclair EMG: Luke Delaney,Cameron Shenton, Eli Templeton IN: Jack Billings, Jack Sinclair OUT: Luke Delaney (omitted), Shane Savage (concussion) SAM THE STATS MAN'S ROUND UP - 2016 TO DATE BRAYSHAW Angus MFC 3 games, 3 goals, CSFC 5 games, 2 goals - brilliant youngster has had his season blighted by injuries including concussion issues that kept him out for several weeks. BUGG, Tomas MFC 14 games, 2 goals - hard and driven, he has proven a real pest when running with opponents but his form has tapered off a little lately. DAWES, Chris MFC 4 games, 1 goal, CSFC 3 games, 7 goals - was hampered for some time by a calf injury and has failed to impress on return. DUNN, Lynden MFC 4 games,1 goals, CSFC 4 games, 0 goals - suddenly found himself out of favour and banished to Casey where he was injured. Performed well there when he returned. FROST, Sam MFC 10 games, 4 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - the experiment as a forward failed and he is now settling down as a defender where his pace is outstanding. GARLAND, Colin MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CSFC 7 games, 1 goal - like Dunn has found himself on the outer in the overhaul of the team's defence but has been pushing for selection with the Scorpions. GARLETT, Jeffrey MFC 11 games, 20 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - not as consistent as last year but proved a fortnight ago how dangerous he can be near goal. GAWN, Max MFC 15 games, 12 goals - declared his ambition to be among the leading AFL ruckmen early and has made his case. Is close to All Australian selection. GRIMES, Jack MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 9 games, 5 goals - has been diligent in his application and was very good on return to the AFL in Darwin last week with 32 possessions at 90% efficiency. HARMES, James MFC 13 games,12 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - improving beyond expectation and now reveling in a new role down back. HOGAN, Jesse MFC 15 games, 38 goals - hard working, talented and strong, the youngster is well on his way to becoming an elite key forward in the competition. HULETT, Liam CSFC 10 games, 15 goals - developing tall forward who would not be far off a promotion. HUNT, Jayden MFC 12 games, 1 goal, CSFC 1 game ,1 goal - the dashing defender continues to improve rapidly from week to week and is surely the next Demon rising star nominee. JETTA, Neville MFC 14 games, 0 goals - steady, reliable and experienced, he gives the defence the extra steel it needs. JONES, Matthew MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - pacy footballer who had a good start to the season, suffered a setback with injury after four games but has returned to form with a vengeance. JONES, Nathan MFC 15 games, 9 goals - shows unrelenting strength and his leadership is often underrated on the AFL scene. KENNEDY, Ben MFC 14 games, 12 goals, CSFC 1 game , 0 goals - has put in some excellent performances as a small forward who occasionally runs around the middle of the ground. KENNEDY-HARRIS, Jay CSFC 2 games, 2 goals - broke down with a severe hamstring injury in Casey's first game and lasted one more after he returned before injury struck again. KENT, Dean MFC 14 games, 21 goals - with his injury woes behind him, Kent is becoming a valuable member of the emerging Demon forward set up. KING, Max ® CSFC 10 games, 5 goals - the club is being patient with the tall developing forward/ruckman but, after three years at the club, needs to show more at Casey if he is to hold a spot on the club's lists. KING, Mitch CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - the big man broke down with an ACL injury early in his opening game down at Casey. LUMUMBA, Heritier MFC 5 games, 0 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - returned from post season surgery in resulted in hot and cold form and more lately has been sidelined with concussion issues. McDONALD, Oscar MFC 8 games, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games, 0 goals - slowly developing youngster who is getting games into his legs as a key defender. McDONALD, Tom MFC 15 games, 1 goal - strong key position player who has produced some outstanding performance i MELKSHAM, Jake - suspended as a result of the ASADA supplements investigation and CAS decision. MICHIE, Viv ® MFC 3 games, 1 goal, CSFC 7 games, 4 goals - has shown sparkling form in the VFL but failed to show enough to keep his spot when promoted. NEAL-BULLEN, Alex MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 9 games, 5 goals - another who has excelled with the Scorpions but has yet to grab his opportunities at the highest level. NEWTON, Ben MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 9 games, 6 goals - came back from a long injury lay off and pushed for promotion to the AFL but was soon back at Casey. OLIVER, Clayton MFC 10 games, 4 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - the hard nosed teenager who won a NAB Rising Star nomination on debut in Round 1 is being nicely nursed through his debut season. PEDERSEN, Cameron MFC 7 games, 5 goals, CSFC 3 games, 2 goals - a regular forward/relief ruck fixture in the early part of the season, but has been missing after a drop in form followed by injury. PETRACCA, Christian MFC 10 games, 7 goals, CSFC 3 games, 3 goals - has yet to set the world on fire but is showing some very clear glimpses of star potential. SALEM, Christian MFC 7 games, 1 goal, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - was starting to shows some great skill and class before succumbing to a thyroid problem from which he is only slowly recovering. SMITH, Joel ® CSFC 5 games, 1 goal - the young rookie who switched sports from basketball was showing promising signs with the Casey Scorpions before an groin injury struck. SPENCER, Jake CSFC 8 games, 6 goals - seems destined to be the understudy to Max Gawn. Has dominated at VFL level but it seems the selectors have not really favoured having two big men in the line up. STRETCH, Billy MFC 10 games, 2 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - continues to make an exciting progression, showing speed and evasive skills. TERLICH, Dean CSFC 11 games, 5 goals - remains well down back of the queue for selection at AFL level. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC 3 games,1 goal, CSFC 8 games, 5 goals - made a hard earned return to senior ranks after more than two years out. Still rusty as one would expect. TYSON, Dom MFC 14 games, 8 goals - has played some excellent football on his return after a few troughs in form last year. VANDENBERG, Aaron MFC 8 games, 5 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - the big-bodied midfielder's progress was stalled by an ankle injury and is only now returning to last year's form VINCE, Bernie MFC 14 games 5 goals - an important player in the Demon line up who recently re-signed in a great show of faith VINEY, Jack MFC 14 games, 7 goals - started like a house on fire as a hard, smart and tough on baller and has come back to the field a little recently but is still very dangerous. WAGNER, JOSH ® MFC 11 games, 0 goals - mature aged rookie has been a revelation in defence with his smart play and neat delivery of the football. WATTS, Jack MFC 15 games, 30 goals - is having his best season yet as a dangerous forward who also pinch hits in the ruck when Max takes a rest. WEIDEMAN, Sam CSFC 8 games,17 goals - has shown potential as a future key position forward as is being given plenty of time to develop in the VFL. WHITE, Mitch ® MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 11 games, 2 goals - the hard working defender was finally rewarded with a second time elevation off the rookie and impressed in Darwin.

This was St Kilda's "away" game at home and they took advantage of a defence that leaked like a sieve and in particular, let Nick Riewoldt run around the ground wherever he pleased. Jesse Hogan bagged seven goals, causing the media to go into a frenzy about just when his management was going to announce he was heading off to Fremantle. MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Lynden Dunn, Heritier Lumumba, Christian Salem C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, Josh Wagner HF: Jack Watts, Sam Frost, Jeff Garlett F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: James Harmes, Jayden Hunt, Cam Pedersen, Christian Petracca EMG: Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen, Clayton Oliver IN: Christian Petracca OUT: Angus Brayshaw (omitted) NEW: Christian Petracca (20, Eastern Ranges) ST. KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Jimmy Webster HB: Shane Savage, Sam Fisher, Leigh Montagna C: Jack Billings, David Armitage, Jack Newnes HF: Maverick Weller, Nick Riewoldt, Jade Gresham F: Jack Sinclair, Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey FOLL: Tom Hickey, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Blake Acres, Sam Gilbert, Minchington, Seb Ross EMG: Hugh Goddard, Billy Longer, Brodie Murdoch IN: Blake Acres, Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey OUT: Tom Lee (omitted), Jack Lonie (omitted), Paddy McCartin (managed)

The challengers are closing in ... 116 Jack Viney 113 Max Gawn 101 Nathan Jones 88 Bernie Vince 87 Jack Watts 63 Dom Tyson 53 Jesse Hogan 51 Tom McDonald 50 Neville Jetta 34 Ben Kennedy 33 Jeff Garlett 30 Jayden Hunt 24 Tomas Bugg Billy Stretch 13 Clayton Oliver Christian Petracca 12 Dean Kent Josh Wagner 10 Heritier Lumumba 9 Cam Pedersen 7 James Harmes 3 Matt Jones 2 Aaron vandenBerg

After last night's game surely Jayden Hunt deserves a Rising Star Nomination. Great stats last night. His metres gained stat is impressive considering he's played only 12 games.

DARWIN DREAMING by George on the Outer It was a long time since the Demons had won a game in the Northern Territory. That was in 2011, the same year they had last beaten Fremantle. And they had never recorded a win against a Ross Lyon coached team. All of those records were removed in a single night with an emphatic 32 point victory against the Dockers at TIO stadium in Darwin. The Demons adapted early to the steamy conditions breaking the game open from the start to lead by four goals at quarter time. They then opened the gap to seven goals by the long break and the game was virtually over. To Demon fans it was like a dream. Dean Kent, playing what was probably his best game for the club, slotted through three goals and he was assisted by Jack Watts who got three of his own in the first term alone. Jesse Hogan topped the list with four for the match. The free scoring by the Demons came from the hard work up the field as the Dockers were harassed, tackled, chased and simply not given the time to execute their normal game plan. As is often the case, Nathan Jones topped the possession count with 35, but remarkably Tom McDonald dragged in 31 touches while playing in defence. Jack Grimes in his first match for the 2016 season notched up 32 touches, but he still needs to improve his kicking, thinking and execution, as the current game plan requires efficient disposal and quick actions. Once again Max Gawn gave the mids plenty of first chance at the ball with 43 hit-outs, more than twice that of his opponent. But it was also his bulk and aggressive attack that created space for the mids and others to take full advantage. As the game unfolded, Fremantle started playing in a style that was all too reminiscent of the way Melbourne did two or three years ago. Going backwards, slow movement and faltering attacks that often led to nothing on the scoreboard. The Demons have put that well behind them. The evolution to a fast moving and confident attacking team has been happening before our eyes. The job isn’t finished yet because, while we have equalled the number of wins that amassed in 2016 already, the precision needed to take the next step is yet to be achieved. It was difficult to measure that success against Fremantle, because they truly didn’t adapt to the conditions and are not the team they were in seasons past. The Demon backline which leaked goals earlier in the season, now looks more solid as the likes of Sam Frost, Nev Jetta, Jayden Hunt and Tom McDonald are now prepared to set up attacks from deep in defence. Previously, the defence was happy just to stop the dam wall from collapsing. Today, they are the drivers of opportunity for the rest of the team. Next week, it's St.Kilda and there are some more ignominious records asking to be removed. We no longer need to dream about wins over teams at the bottom of the ladder only and hoping for a small modicum of success. Winning has now become part of the 2016 Demons side. Melbourne 6.5.41 9.8.62 11.11.77 12.15.87 Fremantle 2.1.13 3.1.19 7.4.46 8.7.55 Goals Melbourne Hogan 4 Kent Watts 3 N Jones vandenberg Fremantle Pavlich 3 Mayne 2 Ballantyne Suban Taberner Best Melbourne Tyson N Jones Viney T McDonald Gawn Grimes Fremantle Neale Sutcliffe Hill Crozier Blakely Pavlich Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Injuries Melbourne Oscar McDonald (ankle), Bernie Vince (shin) Fremantle David Mundy (concussion) Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Lachie Weller reported for high contact against Jayden Hunt Umpires Margetts, Ryan, Mitchell Official crowd 8,163 at the TIO Stadium

It was a long time since the Demons had won a game in the Northern Territory. That was in 2011, the same year they had last beaten Fremantle. And they had never recorded a win against a Ross Lyon coached team. All of those records were removed in a single night with an emphatic 32 point victory against the Dockers at TIO stadium in Darwin. The Demons adapted early to the steamy conditions breaking the game open from the start to lead by four goals at quarter time. They then opened the gap to seven goals by the long break and the game was virtually over. To Demon fans it was like a dream. Dean Kent, playing what was probably his best game for the club, slotted through three goals and he was assisted by Jack Watts who got three of his own in the first term alone. Jesse Hogan topped the list with four for the match. The free scoring by the Demons came from the hard work up the field as the Dockers were harassed, tackled, chased and simply not given the time to execute their normal game plan. As is often the case, Nathan Jones topped the possession count with 35, but remarkably Tom McDonald dragged in 31 touches while playing in defence. Jack Grimes in his first match for the 2016 season notched up 32 touches, but he still needs to improve his kicking, thinking and execution, as the current game plan requires efficient disposal and quick actions. Once again Max Gawn gave the mids plenty of first chance at the ball with 43 hit-outs, more than twice that of his opponent. But it was also his bulk and aggressive attack that created space for the mids and others to take full advantage. As the game unfolded, Fremantle started playing in a style that was all too reminiscent of the way Melbourne did two or three years ago. Going backwards, slow movement and faltering attacks that often led to nothing on the scoreboard. The Demons have put that well behind them. The evolution to a fast moving and confident attacking team has been happening before our eyes. The job isn’t finished yet because, while we have equalled the number of wins that amassed in 2016 already, the precision needed to take the next step is yet to be achieved. It was difficult to measure that success against Fremantle, because they truly didn’t adapt to the conditions and are not the team they were in seasons past. The Demon backline which leaked goals earlier in the season, now looks more solid as the likes of Sam Frost, Nev Jetta, Jayden Hunt and Tom McDonald are now prepared to set up attacks from deep in defence. Previously, the defence was happy just to stop the dam wall from collapsing. Today, they are the drivers of opportunity for the rest of the team. Next week, it's St.Kilda and there are some more ignominious records asking to be removed. We no longer need to dream about wins over teams at the bottom of the ladder only and hoping for a small modicum of success. Winning has now become part of the 2016 Demons side. Melbourne 6.5.41 9.8.62 11.11.77 12.15.87 Fremantle 2.1.13 3.1.19 7.4.46 8.7.55 Goals Melbourne Hogan 4 Kent Watts 3 N Jones vandenberg Fremantle Pavlich 3 Mayne 2 Ballantyne Suban Taberner Best Melbourne Tyson N Jones Viney T McDonald Gawn Grimes Fremantle Neale Sutcliffe Hill Crozier Blakely Pavlich Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Injuries Melbourne Oscar McDonald (ankle), Bernie Vince (shin) Fremantle David Mundy (concussion) Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Lachie Weller reported for high contact against Jayden Hunt Umpires Margetts, Ryan, Mitchell Official crowd 8,163 at the TIO Stadium

Yes but a win's a win ...

A win at TIO - another hoodoo done and dusted.

Cast your votes please ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Please specify the player if you nominate a Jones or McDonald.

Peter Jackson just announced that we will be playing 2 Home Games a Year for the next two years (2017 & 2018).

TOP END TRAVELS by William from West Perth Before the current season began, it would have been unimaginable for anyone to believe that Melbourne would have double the number of wins in the bag and a much stronger percentage than Fremantle by this mark, two thirds of the way through the year. After all, the Dockers finished last season's home and away fixture at the top of the AFL premiership ladder and demolished the Demons at both meetings in 2015. A week before the regular season ended, the teams met at Subiaco and Freo doubled Melbourne's score. I remember it well - it was an embarrassing afternoon/evening for us expatriate Demon fans. At one stage, the home side had a ten goal lead and the visitors had yet to score a goal until Jeff Garlett scored the team's first at the half way mark of the second quarter. A lot of murky water has flowed under the bridge since that time with injuries cruelling the Fremantle season. Losing one of the reigning Brownlow Medallist and the competition's biggest and most dominant ruckman along with a number of very good others has done it no good. Of course, the majority of teams suffer injuries and whilst Melbourne has not been as severely hit in this area, it has also lost a few handy players which makes life hard with young developing sides. On top of that, the Dees have, for the second year running, abdicated their home ground advantage in favour of a team that has a shorter distance to travel to a game. Admittedly, the Dockers have a fair way to travel, but the Demons are moving to relatively distant territory and moving into a completely different climate than what might have been experienced at the MCG. On top of that, Fremantle will travel to the Top End feeling fresh and rejuvenated coming off a bye while Melbourne fronts up after a six day break. What this all means is that this is a danger game for the Demons. Their record at TIO Stadium is poor, their young side has been showing signs of fading late in games and the Dockers form of late has been much improved. Melbourne would be hoping that Max Gawn can continue his stellar form and that players like Jack Viney and Bernie Vince who below their best last week can help Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson in the midfield, that the backline can prevent the leakage of scores and that Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett and Jack Watts can maintain their form from the Adelaide game. I'm tipping that the Dees will rise to the occasion and win up in Darwin for the first time in half a decade. Melbourne by 17 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at TIO Stadium Saturday 9 July 2016 at 7.40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 13 wins Fremantle 21 wins At TIO Stadium: Melbourne 0 wins Fremantle 1 win Last Five meetings: Melbourne 0 wins Fremantle 5 wins The Coaches: Roos 0 wins Lyon 4 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports Channel 3 Live at 7.30pm Radio - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $1.35 to win Fremantle $3.20 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 17.6.108 defeated Melbourne 8.6.54 at Domain Stadium, Round 22, 2015 The Dockers were quickly out of the blocks and and scored five goals to nil in the opening term and increased their lead in every quarter on their way to an easy nine goal win against a tired looking Melbourne. MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Matt Jones C: Christian Petracca, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, Billy Stretch F: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jack Grimes, James Harmes, Ben Kennedy, Mitch White EMG: Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jake Spencer IN: Jack Grimes, Matt White OUT: Tomas Bugg, Chris Dawes FREMANTLE B: Garrick Ibbotson, Zac Dawson, Cameron Sutcliffe HB: Hayden Crozier, Sam Collins, Lee Spurr C: Stephen Hill, Lachie Neale, Tommy Sheridan HF: Chris Mayne, Matt Taberner, Michael Walters F: Lachie Weller, Matthew Pavlich, Hayden Ballentyne FOLL: Jonathon Griffin, David Mundy, Danyle Pearce I/C: Connor Blakely, Ed Langdon, Nick Suban, Darcy Tucker EMG: Josh Deluca, Jack Hannath, Tendai Mzunga IN: Jonathon Griffin, Garrick Ibbotson, Ed Langdon OUT: Michael Barlow (broken finger), Zac Clarke (omitted), Jack Hannath (omitted)

Before the current season began, it would have been unimaginable for anyone to believe that Melbourne would have double the number of wins in the bag and a much stronger percentage than Fremantle by this mark, two thirds of the way through the year. After all, the Dockers finished last season's home and away fixture at the top of the AFL premiership ladder and demolished the Demons at both meetings in 2015. A week before the regular season ended, the teams met at Subiaco and Freo doubled Melbourne's score. I remember it well - it was an embarrassing afternoon/evening for us expatriate Demon fans. At one stage, the home side had a ten goal lead and the visitors had yet to score a goal until Jeff Garlett scored the team's first at the half way mark of the second quarter. A lot of murky water has flowed under the bridge since that time with injuries cruelling the Fremantle season. Losing one of the reigning Brownlow Medallist and the competition's biggest and most dominant ruckman along with a number of very good others has done it no good. Of course, the majority of teams suffer injuries and whilst Melbourne has not been as severely hit in this area, it has also lost a few handy players which makes life hard with young developing sides. On top of that, the Dees have, for the second year running, abdicated their home ground advantage in favour of a team that has a shorter distance to travel to a game. Admittedly, the Dockers have a fair way to travel, but the Demons are moving to relatively distant territory and moving into a completely different climate than what might have been experienced at the MCG. On top of that, Fremantle will travel to the Top End feeling fresh and rejuvenated coming off a bye while Melbourne fronts up after a six day break. What this all means is that this is a danger game for the Demons. Their record at TIO Stadium is poor, their young side has been showing signs of fading late in games and the Dockers form of late has been much improved. Melbourne would be hoping that Max Gawn can continue his stellar form and that players like Jack Viney and Bernie Vince who below their best last week can help Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson in the midfield, that the backline can prevent the leakage of scores and that Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett and Jack Watts can maintain their form from the Adelaide game. I'm tipping that the Dees will rise to the occasion and win up in Darwin for the first time in half a decade. Melbourne by 17 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at TIO Stadium Saturday 9 July 2016 at 7.40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 13 wins Fremantle 21 wins At TIO Stadium: Melbourne 0 wins Fremantle 1 win Last Five meetings: Melbourne 0 wins Fremantle 5 wins The Coaches: Roos 0 wins Lyon 4 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports Channel 3 Live at 7.30pm Radio - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $1.35 to win Fremantle $3.20 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 17.6.108 defeated Melbourne 8.6.54 at Domain Stadium, Round 22, 2015 The Dockers were quickly out of the blocks and and scored five goals to nil in the opening term and increased their lead in every quarter on their way to an easy nine goal win against a tired looking Melbourne. MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Matt Jones C: Christian Petracca, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, Billy Stretch F: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jack Grimes, James Harmes, Ben Kennedy, Mitch White EMG: Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jake Spencer IN: Jack Grimes, Matt White OUT: Tomas Bugg, Chris Dawes FREMANTLE B: Garrick Ibbotson, Zac Dawson, Cameron Sutcliffe HB: Hayden Crozier, Sam Collins, Lee Spurr C: Stephen Hill, Lachie Neale, Tommy Sheridan HF: Chris Mayne, Matt Taberner, Michael Walters F: Lachie Weller, Matthew Pavlich, Hayden Ballentyne FOLL: Jonathon Griffin, David Mundy, Danyle Pearce I/C: Connor Blakely, Ed Langdon, Nick Suban, Darcy Tucker EMG: Josh Deluca, Jack Hannath, Tendai Mzunga IN: Jonathon Griffin, Garrick Ibbotson, Ed Langdon OUT: Michael Barlow (broken finger), Zac Clarke (omitted), Jack Hannath (omitted)

CASEY'S CLAYTONS CURTAIN RAISER by KC from Casey It was the curtain raiser that wasn't - well, almost. The Casey Scorpions lined up against Richmond's VFL team at the old Punt Road Oval in a game starting at around 2.00pm which was once the traditional starting time of all games in the league. However, it was a pity that this game was played at that time and not an hour or so earlier in the because it was a perfect opportunity for Demon fans to witness their younger brigade before the MCG game. Instead most lined around the fence outside for a quick glimpse before heading off to the nearby MCG where the AFL game was due to begin at around half time in this game. Richmond has been struggling a little this year but at its spiritual home the team played like the Tigers of old in front of the ghosts of their old team. After Casey jumped out to an early three goal lead thanks to the superb efforts in front of goal by talls in Liam Hulett, Sam Weideman and Tim Smith, the home side came back strongly to dominate the second half of the opening term to trail by just seven points at the break. This set the pattern for most of the game. The Scorpions would start a quarter strongly, appear to take control with a few goals only to be reigned in by the Tigers. The only constant was forward Tim Smith who provided a perfect target on the way to his second five goal haul for the season. Casey was well served in the ruck by lion-hearted ruckman Jake Spencer with Jack Grines and Viv Michie providing solid run and support. Youngsters Angus Brayshaw and Clayton Oliver showed great promise for the future and in twelve month's time do not be surprised if they and Alex Neal-Bullen are all regular fixtures in Melbourne's best 22. The Scorpions ended up scrapping their way to an unconvincing two point victory over a team which is well out of finals contention. They remain on top of the ladder and will be looking to perform much better against Footscray when they return after their third bye in five weeks. That situation is certainly not good enough for a senior semi-professional competition. Peter Jackson VFL 2016 Casey Scorpions 3.3.21 6.6.42 9.9.63 11.12.78 Richmond 2.2.14 6.3.39 9.9.63 11.10.76 Goals Casey Scorpions Smith 5 Hulett Scott 2 Neal-Bullen Weideman Richmond Castagna 3 McBean 2 Aarts Bathie Butler Mellington Moore Silvestro Best Casey Scorpions T Smith Grimes Michie Neal-Bullen Brayshaw Morris Richmond Castagna Silvestro Moore Markov Rioli Drummond Statistics Angus Brayshaw 18 disposals 8 kicks 10 handballs 6 tackles 62 dream team points Lynden Dunn 20 disposals 13 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks 5 tackles 89 dream team points Colin Garland 15 disposals 11 kicks 4 handballs 6 marks 5 tackles 76 dream team points Jack Grimes 2 behinds 27 disposals 16 kicks 11 handballs 10 marks 2 tackles 107 dream team points Liam Hulett 2 goals 1 behind 12 disposals 10 kicks 2 handballs 5 marks 62 dream team points Max King 3 disposals 1 kicks 2 handballs 1 marks 3 tackles 6 hit outs 28 dream team points Heritier Lumumba 11 disposals 6 kicks 5 handballs 2 marks 5 tackles 54 dream team points Viv Michie 30 disposals 15 kicks 15 handballs 3 marks 86 dream team points Alex Neale-Bullen 1 goal 1 behind 26 disposals 14 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 3 tackles 89 dream team points Ben Newton 16 disposals 8 kicks 8 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 60 dream team points Clayton Oliver 25 disposals 9 kicks 16 handballs 3 marks 11 tackles 1 hit out 106 dream team points Jake Spencer 10 disposals 4 kicks 6 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 42 hit outs 83 dream team points Dean Terlich 1 behind 12 disposals 7 kicks 5 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 1 hit out 56 dream team points Jack Trengove14 disposals 5 kicks 9 handballs 2 marks 5 tackles 1 hit out 60 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 11 disposals 7 kicks 4 handballs 7 marks 53 dream team points Mitch White 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 75 dream team points The Casey Development League team continued in its newly found form and comfortably beat Coburg by 26 points. AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 7.7.49 12.7.79 12.10.82 Coburg 2.2.14 3.3.21 4.6.30 7.14.56 Goals Casey Scorpions Hannon Moncrieff Muir Pattison 2 Di Pasquale Freeman Hillard Johnston Coburg Free Holdsworth 2 Corigliano Kovacevic Tegart Best Casey Scorpions Gordon Wyatt Pattison McDonald Cox Moncrieff Coburg Corigliano Stillman Valeri King McDonald Free

It was the curtain raiser that wasn't - well, almost. The Casey Scorpions lined up against Richmond's VFL team at the old Punt Road Oval in a game starting at around 2.00pm which was once the traditional starting time of all games in the league. However, it was a pity that this game was played at that time and not an hour or so earlier in the because it was a perfect opportunity for Demon fans to witness their younger brigade before the MCG game. Instead most lined around the fence outside for a quick glimpse before heading off to the nearby MCG where the AFL game was due to begin at around half time in this game. Richmond has been struggling a little this year but at its spiritual home the team played like the Tigers of old in front of the ghosts of their old team. After Casey jumped out to an early three goal lead thanks to the superb efforts in front of goal by talls in Liam Hulett, Sam Weideman and Tim Smith, the home side came back strongly to dominate the second half of the opening term to trail by just seven points at the break. This set the pattern for most of the game. The Scorpions would start a quarter strongly, appear to take control with a few goals only to be reigned in by the Tigers. The only constant was forward Tim Smith who provided a perfect target on the way to his second five goal haul for the season. Casey was well served in the ruck by lion-hearted ruckman Jake Spencer with Jack Grines and Viv Michie providing solid run and support. Youngsters Angus Brayshaw and Clayton Oliver showed great promise for the future and in twelve month's time do not be surprised if they and Alex Neal-Bullen are all regular fixtures in Melbourne's best 22. The Scorpions ended up scrapping their way to an unconvincing two point victory over a team which is well out of finals contention. They remain on top of the ladder and will be looking to perform much better against Footscray when they return after their third bye in five weeks. That situation is certainly not good enough for a senior semi-professional competition. Peter Jackson VFL 2016 Casey Scorpions 3.3.21 6.6.42 9.9.63 11.12.78 Richmond 2.2.14 6.3.39 9.9.63 11.10.76 Goals Casey Scorpions Smith 5 Hulett Scott 2 Neal-Bullen Weideman Richmond Castagna 3 McBean 2 Aarts Bathie Butler Mellington Moore Silvestro Best Casey Scorpions T Smith Grimes Michie Neal-Bullen Brayshaw Morris Richmond Castagna Silvestro Moore Markov Rioli Drummond Statistics Angus Brayshaw 18 disposals 8 kicks 10 handballs 6 tackles 62 dream team points Lynden Dunn 20 disposals 13 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks 5 tackles 89 dream team points Colin Garland 15 disposals 11 kicks 4 handballs 6 marks 5 tackles 76 dream team points Jack Grimes 2 behinds 27 disposals 16 kicks 11 handballs 10 marks 2 tackles 107 dream team points Liam Hulett 2 goals 1 behind 12 disposals 10 kicks 2 handballs 5 marks 62 dream team points Max King 3 disposals 1 kicks 2 handballs 1 marks 3 tackles 6 hit outs 28 dream team points Heritier Lumumba 11 disposals 6 kicks 5 handballs 2 marks 5 tackles 54 dream team points Viv Michie 30 disposals 15 kicks 15 handballs 3 marks 86 dream team points Alex Neale-Bullen 1 goal 1 behind 26 disposals 14 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 3 tackles 89 dream team points Ben Newton 16 disposals 8 kicks 8 handballs 2 marks 4 tackles 60 dream team points Clayton Oliver 25 disposals 9 kicks 16 handballs 3 marks 11 tackles 1 hit out 106 dream team points Jake Spencer 10 disposals 4 kicks 6 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 42 hit outs 83 dream team points Dean Terlich 1 behind 12 disposals 7 kicks 5 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 1 hit out 56 dream team points Jack Trengove14 disposals 5 kicks 9 handballs 2 marks 5 tackles 1 hit out 60 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 11 disposals 7 kicks 4 handballs 7 marks 53 dream team points Mitch White 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 75 dream team points The Casey Development League team continued in its newly found form and comfortably beat Coburg by 26 points. AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 7.7.49 12.7.79 12.10.82 Coburg 2.2.14 3.3.21 4.6.30 7.14.56 Goals Casey Scorpions Hannon Moncrieff Muir Pattison 2 Di Pasquale Freeman Hillard Johnston Coburg Free Holdsworth 2 Corigliano Kovacevic Tegart Best Casey Scorpions Gordon Wyatt Pattison McDonald Cox Moncrieff Coburg Corigliano Stillman Valeri King McDonald Free

It was late in the season last year and they caned us on their home turf without Nat Fyfe FREMANTLE B: Lee Spurr, Luke McPharlin, Tendai Mzungu HB: Cameron Sutcliffe, Michael Johnson, Garrick Ibbotson C: Michael Barlow, Stephen Hill, Nick Suban HF: Danyle Pearce, Matthew Pavlich, Matt de Boer F: Jonathon Griffin, Chris Mayne, Michael Walters FOLL: Aaron Sandilands, David Mundy, Lachie Neale I/C: Zac Dawson, Ed Langdon, Clancee Pearce, Tommy Sheridan EMG: Paul Duffield, Alex Pearce, Matt Taberner IN: Ed Langdon, Matthew Pavlich, Clancee Pearce OUT: Hayden Crozier (omitted), Nat Fyfe (leg), Alex Pearce (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Christian Salem C: Matt Jones, Bernie Vince, Daniel Cross HF: Viv Michie, Jesse Hogan, Alex Neal-Bullen F: Jeff Garlett, Jake Spencer, Oscar McDonald FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jack Grimes, Ben Newton, Billy Stretch, Jack Watts EMG: Rohan Bail, James Harmes, Aidan Riley IN: Neville Jetta, Matt Jones, Oscar McDonald, Jake Spencer OUT: Angus Brayshaw (rested), Chris Dawes (ankle), James Harmes (omitted), Heritier Lumumba (ankle) NEW: Oscar McDonald (19, North Ballarat)

It's getting close ... 108 Jack Viney 99 Max Gawn 98 Nathan Jones 88 Bernie Vince 80 Jack Watts 63 Dom Tyson 50 Neville Jetta 41 Jesse Hogan 34 Ben Kennedy Tom McDonald 33 Jeff Garlett 30 Jayden Hunt 24 Tomas Bugg Billy Stretch 13 Clayton Oliver Christian Petracca 12 Josh Wagner 10 Dean Kent Heritier Lumumba 9 Cam Pedersen 7 James Harmes 3 Matt Jones 2 Aaron vandenBerg

ANOTHER WHAT IF? by George on the Outer Sunday's loss against Adelaide at the MCG has put an end to the Demons' finals aspirations for 2016. It was a game that could have been won, but for a few critical phases and individual failings during the course of the match. What if Dom Tyson had not spilled a simple chest mark from Jack Watts 30 metres out of goal? What if Nathan Jones had looked before he hand passed blindly to an Adelaide player, missing the Melbourne team-mate clear only meters out from goal? What if the team had come out with even half the endeavor shown in the second quarter, in the first four minutes of the third only to see Adelaide kick four unanswered goals? Yes the Demons lost the game. It was a loss of only 22 points against a side that has now had six wins on the trot and is probably going to go deep into September. Adelaide really didn’t win the game, it was gifted to them. Were the Demons competitive? They certainly were, and after the catastrophic performances that we have witnessed in the past couple of years, it was light-years ahead of where they have been. But as another supporter noted after the game ... we played as if we thought we were Hawthorn, but the players simply aren’t (at least yet). And it is those little errors at critical junctures in the game that are the difference between winning and losing. Hawthorn wins this type of game and we don’t - yet! And that remains the hope for the supporters. All too often we have seen the same this year. What if we had beaten Essendon, North, St Kilda and now Adelaide? All these games had the same flavor. We could have won. We should have won….but we didn’t. The pity is that we haven’t won any of these. Even half of them would have kept us in contention this year. But we still have a long way to go. Strangely, after the bye, there were too many Melbourne players who chose to put in well below par performances. Chris Dawes was a standout in this ignominious category and simply provided nothing up forward. Nine disposals (a team low) and only two marks were matched by his treacle like movement around the ground. Pity is that we have little to replace him, as Cam Pedersen is still out for another week with a shoulder injury. Bernie Vince put in a lacklustre performance as he played off half-back and took kick outs. However, his mere 17 disposals and those four clangers cost us dearly. The real contrast to these old stagers was the emergence of Jayden Hunt. He simply turned the game around in the second quarter with a spectacular intercept mark and a couple of courageous efforts to frustrate and deny the opposition goals. It was no surprise when he was cheered wildly by the crowd when he left the ground for a well-deserved break. Up forward and as stand-in ruck Jack Watts was simply superb. He has truly taken another step forward this year, and his placement in the ruck seems to mean that he is much more aggressive at ball and opponent. He was rewarded with three goals including one that came from a solo effort that epitomized his changed character. Unfortunately, the coaching box failed again after ½ time as it took them a whole quarter to wake up to the Crows placing Charlie Cameron or Eddie Betts at half-back for centre bounces, who ran past to receive and break open into their forward line. Our spare sat on the wing, which was pointless if the ball went to the wrong side of the pack. Worse still was that Max Gawn kept hitting the ball forward to ... you guessed it ... Cameron or Betts. And once again, the overuse of handball cruelled the team with costly turnovers. The ability to get meterage with kicks is critical so when the opportunity exists, it has to be taken, the way football is being played today. More so in the middle where we try to be too smart instead of scrubbing it out whatever way we can and give the forwards that we now have the chance to show their wares. Dom Tyson with 6 kicks and 18 handballs simply has to reverse those numbers, because the handballs are not effective. We are that close to becoming something truly competitive. But we will not get there until the attitude shown by the likes of Viney and Hunt and Jetta become the norm for all the team. We won’t be playing in September, and Paul Roos will now have the opportunity to give more games to the players at Casey who MAY provide something in the future. We need to get the likes of Brayshaw, Oliver, Viney and Petracca playing together in the middle to give them a foundation for next year. We now need to see what Weideman and Hulett can produce up forward. We simply cannot be asking the same “what if’s…” next year. There can be no more questions. We are due for answers. Melbourne 2.3.15 10.4.64 14.5.89 15.8.98 Adelaide 5.2.32 8.5.53 15.8.98 18.12.120 Goals Melbourne Gartlett 4 Hogan Watts 3 Hunt Harmes N Jones Kennedy Kent Adelaide Betts Douglas Walker 3 Cameron Jenkins McGovern 2 Atkins Lyons Lynch Best Melbourne Watts Hunt Jones Hogan Garlett Jetta Adelaide Laird Walker M Crouch B Crouch Cameron Douglas Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Chamberlain, Hay, Meredith, Harris Official crowd 29,133 at the MCG

Sunday's loss against Adelaide at the MCG has put an end to the Demons' finals aspirations for 2016. It was a game that could have been won, but for a few critical phases and individual failings during the course of the match. What if Dom Tyson had not spilled a simple chest mark from Jack Watts 30 metres out of goal? What if Nathan Jones had looked before he hand passed blindly to an Adelaide player, missing the Melbourne team-mate clear only meters out from goal? What if the team had come out with even half the endeavor shown in the second quarter, in the first four minutes of the third only to see Adelaide kick four unanswered goals? Yes the Demons lost the game. It was a loss of only 22 points against a side that has now had six wins on the trot and is probably going to go deep into September. Adelaide really didn’t win the game, it was gifted to them. Were the Demons competitive? They certainly were, and after the catastrophic performances that we have witnessed in the past couple of years, it was light-years ahead of where they have been. But as another supporter noted after the game ... we played as if we thought we were Hawthorn, but the players simply aren’t (at least yet). And it is those little errors at critical junctures in the game that are the difference between winning and losing. Hawthorn wins this type of game and we don’t - yet! And that remains the hope for the supporters. All too often we have seen the same this year. What if we had beaten Essendon, North, St Kilda and now Adelaide? All these games had the same flavor. We could have won. We should have won….but we didn’t. The pity is that we haven’t won any of these. Even half of them would have kept us in contention this year. But we still have a long way to go. Strangely, after the bye, there were too many Melbourne players who chose to put in well below par performances. Chris Dawes was a standout in this ignominious category and simply provided nothing up forward. Nine disposals (a team low) and only two marks were matched by his treacle like movement around the ground. Pity is that we have little to replace him, as Cam Pedersen is still out for another week with a shoulder injury. Bernie Vince put in a lacklustre performance as he played off half-back and took kick outs. However, his mere 17 disposals and those four clangers cost us dearly. The real contrast to these old stagers was the emergence of Jayden Hunt. He simply turned the game around in the second quarter with a spectacular intercept mark and a couple of courageous efforts to frustrate and deny the opposition goals. It was no surprise when he was cheered wildly by the crowd when he left the ground for a well-deserved break. Up forward and as stand-in ruck Jack Watts was simply superb. He has truly taken another step forward this year, and his placement in the ruck seems to mean that he is much more aggressive at ball and opponent. He was rewarded with three goals including one that came from a solo effort that epitomized his changed character. Unfortunately, the coaching box failed again after ½ time as it took them a whole quarter to wake up to the Crows placing Charlie Cameron or Eddie Betts at half-back for centre bounces, who ran past to receive and break open into their forward line. Our spare sat on the wing, which was pointless if the ball went to the wrong side of the pack. Worse still was that Max Gawn kept hitting the ball forward to ... you guessed it ... Cameron or Betts. And once again, the overuse of handball cruelled the team with costly turnovers. The ability to get meterage with kicks is critical so when the opportunity exists, it has to be taken, the way football is being played today. More so in the middle where we try to be too smart instead of scrubbing it out whatever way we can and give the forwards that we now have the chance to show their wares. Dom Tyson with 6 kicks and 18 handballs simply has to reverse those numbers, because the handballs are not effective. We are that close to becoming something truly competitive. But we will not get there until the attitude shown by the likes of Viney and Hunt and Jetta become the norm for all the team. We won’t be playing in September, and Paul Roos will now have the opportunity to give more games to the players at Casey who MAY provide something in the future. We need to get the likes of Brayshaw, Oliver, Viney and Petracca playing together in the middle to give them a foundation for next year. We now need to see what Weideman and Hulett can produce up forward. We simply cannot be asking the same “what if’s…” next year. There can be no more questions. We are due for answers. Melbourne 2.3.15 10.4.64 14.5.89 15.8.98 Adelaide 5.2.32 8.5.53 15.8.98 18.12.120 Goals Melbourne Gartlett 4 Hogan Watts 3 Hunt Harmes N Jones Kennedy Kent Adelaide Betts Douglas Walker 3 Cameron Jenkins McGovern 2 Atkins Lyons Lynch Best Melbourne Watts Hunt Jones Hogan Garlett Jetta Adelaide Laird Walker M Crouch B Crouch Cameron Douglas Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Chamberlain, Hay, Meredith, Harris Official crowd 29,133 at the MCG

I'm calling it now - season over. We can't withstand pressure. And we need another key forward.

Vote here please 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

STONE THE ... by The Oracle The Demons are coming off their biggest loss for the season and a bye only to run into the undoubted form team of the competition, the Adelaide Crows who have won their last five games on end. They are in supreme form and are a credit to their new coach Don Pyke who took over a club that tragically lost its coach around twelve months and then lost their champion player to another club at the start of the season. Since the Crows lost their Friday night home game against the Cats some 6 weeks ago, they demolished the Suns (75 points), beat the Giants (22 points), crushed the Saints (88 points), overran the Eagles in Perth (29 points) and toppled the Kangaroos (33 points). That's an enviable record, one that the Demons have struggled to emulate for over a decade. The question is whether Melbourne can turn things around after its poor last up performance in the slog in Sydney when the young team was overwhelmed by the stronger Swans and in the end produced barely a whimper in difficult conditions. That 55-point deficit in those conditions translates into a complete beat mugging. Can the Demons come back and thereby keep in touch with the top 8? They do have a few things going for them, home ground advantage for starters. The Crows don't play against Melbourne often at this ground - it's been a few years and the last time was when the Demons were at their lowest ebb. The next thing that Melbourne has in its favour is the competition's in form ruckman in Max Gawn who has his eyes on the scalp of Sam Jacobs. In his last up start in the deluge up in the harbour city, big Max amassed more than fifty hit outs but that huge number was nullified by the conditions which prevented his on ballers from taking advantage. This week should be kinder to him and his midfield headed by Nathan Jones, Jack Viney, Bernie Vince and Dom Tyson. They face some tough opposition with Rory Sloane and Scott Thompson leading the way and feeding a formidable forward line including the likes of Tex Walker, Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch and Eddie Betts. I can't see Melbourne's young and inexperienced defence holding all of Adelaide's forwards to the point where they can win. Adelaide by 35 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Adelaide at the MCG Sunday 3 July, 2016 at 3.20 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 12 wins Adelaide 22 wins At MCG Melbourne 7 wins Adelaide 6 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 1 win Adelaide 4 wins The Coaches Paul Roos 0 wins Don Pyke 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $3.15 Adelaide to win - $1.36 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Adelaide 12.8.80 defeated Melbourne 7.13.55 Round 3, 2015 at Adelaide Oval The 25 point win by Adelaide was somewhat misleading because the Demons were well into the game until they dropped off the pace in the final term against the more accurate Crows. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Tomas Bugg C: Aaron vandenBerg, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Christian Petracca, Chris Dawes, Billy Stretch F: Jack Watts, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jeff Garlett, James Harmes, Matt Jones, Ben Kennedy EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Jack Trengove IN: Jeff Garlett, James Harmes, Matt Jones OUT: Clayton Oliver (omitted), Jack Trengove (omitted), Josh Wagner (knee) ADELAIDE CROWS B: Jake Lever, Daniel Talia, Rory Laird HB: Brodie Smith, Kyle Hartigan, Luke Brown C: David Mackay, Rory Sloane, Rory Atkins HF: Mitch McGovern, Josh Jenkins, Richard Douglas F: Eddie Betts, Taylor Walker, Tom Lynch FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Jarryd Lyons I/C: Charlie Cameron, Kyle Cheney, Brad Crouch, Matt Crouch EMG: Ricky Henderson, Wayne Milera, Andy Otten NO CHANGE