Demonland

I'm betting that this week's team is going to look very different to the one that took the field against the Swans early last year. MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland Tom McDonald Jeremy Howe HB: Christian Salem Lynden Dunn Heritier Lumumba C: Jimmy Toumpas Bernie Vince Daniel Cross HF: Jeff Garlett Jesse Hogan Jay Kennedy-Harris F: Cameron Pedersen Chris Dawes Angus Brayshaw FOLL: Jake Spencer Nathan Jones Dom Tyson I/C: Ben Newton Billy Stretch Aaron Vandenberg Jack Watts EMG: Rohan Bail Jack Fitzpatrick Mark Jamar IN: Chris Dawes Jake Spencer Billy Stretch Jimmy Toumpas OUT: Jack Grimes Mark Jamar Jordie McKenzie Viv Michie (all omitted) NEW: Billy Stretch (Glenelg, SA) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith Ted Richards Rhyce Shaw HB: Jeremy Laidler Heath Grundy Lewis Jetta C: Jarrad McVeigh Josh P. Kennedy Dane Rampe HF: Gary Rohan Lance Franklin Dan Hannebery F: Luke Parker Kurt Tippett Sam Reid FOLL: Mike Pyke Kieren Jack Tom Mitchell I/C: Adam Goodes Isaac Heeney Jake Lloyd Ben McGlynn EMG: Craig Bird Harry Cunningham Dean Towers IN: Isaac Heeney Ben McGlynn Sam Reid OUT: Craig Bird Harry Cunningham Dean Towers

Well, well ... we have beaten Collingwood three times in less than 12 months. Twice this year!

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

SCRAP by KC from Casey The game against Collingwood VFL at Casey Fields was without doubt the Casey Scorpions' worst performance for the year. In fact, it was the among the club's worst in VFA/VFL history - a game in which it recorded its lowest ever score of 2.7.19 which is three points less than the 3.4.22 it recorded against North Ballarat in 2004 when it was known as Springvale. The conditions were not by any means conducive to good football; the ground was heavy under foot, it rained intermittently, the wind swirled around from time to time and it was freezing cold in between the times when the sun peered through the watery clouds. Perfect conditions for a good, old fashioned scrap. Casey was first into attack but when a kick across the ground presented an easy mark in front of goals to Matt Jones but was dropped, the tone of the day was set. The Magpies pushed the ball forward and recorded two goals in five minutes. The Scorpions took until well into time on (24½ minutes) of the opening quarter to record their first score - a goal to Ben Newton and the game remained pretty much in the balance until well into the third term before the home side eventually capitulated in the face of a four goal final term from the visitors. Casey's second and only other goal for the day came 10 minutes into that quarter and by that time it was a case of too little, too late. The team was only a shadow of the one that has taken almost all before it this season, despite a preeminent exhibition of ruck work that saw Jake Spencer amass the outstanding number of 82 hit outs. Unfortunately, for Casey this domination did not translate into the advantage that number would normally bring a team. The conditions and the congestion of the close in tight packs and the determination and discipline of the Magpie midfield saw to that. Both teams struggled with their marking, disposal and ball handling but, as the result suggested, Collingwood was so much better on the day and their defence reigned supreme nullifying Casey's normal marking strength up forward. Down back, the Scorps' skipper Jack Hutchins continued on his good form and he was assisted by Declan Keilty. Mitch White was steady as usual and Newton had his moments. The Casey on-ballers who usually produce big numbers were not as effective as usual with their ball use and, as a result, their team rarely opened the game up to the swift free-flowing movement that has been characteristic of their 2016 season to date. Next week, the team will have to regroup in another place not usually known for hospitable conditions at this time of year - North Ballarat. Casey Scorpions 1.0.6 1.2.8 1.5.11 2.7.19 Collingwood VFL 2.2.14 3.2.20 4.8.32 8.11.59 Goals Casey Scorpions Newton T Smith Collingwood VFL Cloke 2 Aish Collopy Ferguson Gault Knight Smith Best Casey Scorpions Keilty Michie Hutchins Garland Spencer White Collingwood VFL Aish Smith Cloke Oxley Howe Wills The Development League team sat it out this week due to a bye. Statistics Colin Garland 14 disposals 12 kicks 2 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 55 dream team points Jeff Garlett 8 disposals 4 kicks 4 handballs 7 tackles 46 dream team points Jack Grimes 14 disposals 12 kicks 2 handballs 2 marks 9 tackles 82 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 behind 8 disposals 5 kicks 3 handballs 6 tackles 46 dream team points Max King 10 disposals 5 kicks 5 handballs 1 mark 6 tackles 10 hit outs 61 dream team points Matt Jones 27 disposals 15 kicks 12 handballs 3 marks 8 tackles 92 team points Viv Michie 23 disposals 17 kicks 6 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 84 dream team points Alex Neale-Bullen 18 disposals 11 kicks 7 handballs 6 tackles 71 dream team points Ben Newton 1 goal 17 disposals 9 kicks 8 handballs 7 tackles 2 hit outs 84 dream team points Cam Pedersen 1 behind 10 disposals 6 kicks 4 handballs 1 mark 7 tackles 6 hit outs 59 dream team points Jake Spencer 10 disposals 9 kicks 1 handball 2 marks 7 tackles 82 hit outs 142 dream team points Dean Terlich 9 disposals 5 kicks 4 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 33 dream team points Mitch White 1 behind 19 disposals 7 kicks 12 handballs 1 mark 10 tackles 86 dream team points

The game against Collingwood VFL at Casey Fields was without doubt the Casey Scorpions' worst performance for the year. In fact, it was the among the club's worst in VFA/VFL history - a game in which it recorded its lowest ever score of 2.7.19 which is three points less than the 3.4.22 it recorded against North Ballarat in 2004 when it was known as Springvale. The conditions were not by any means conducive to good football; the ground was heavy under foot, it rained intermittently, the wind swirled around from time to time and it was freezing cold in between the times when the sun peered through the watery clouds. Perfect conditions for a good, old fashioned scrap. Casey was first into attack but when a kick across the ground presented an easy mark in front of goals to Matt Jones but was dropped, the tone of the day was set. The Magpies pushed the ball forward and recorded two goals in five minutes. The Scorpions took until well into time on (24½ minutes) of the opening quarter to record their first score - a goal to Ben Newton and the game remained pretty much in the balance until well into the third term before the home side eventually capitulated in the face of a four goal final term from the visitors. Casey's second and only other goal for the day came 10 minutes into that quarter and by that time it was a case of too little, too late. The team was only a shadow of the one that has taken almost all before it this season, despite a preeminent exhibition of ruck work that saw Jake Spencer amass the outstanding number of 82 hit outs. Unfortunately, for Casey this domination did not translate into the advantage that number would normally bring a team. The conditions and the congestion of the close in tight packs and the determination and discipline of the Magpie midfield saw to that. Both teams struggled with their marking, disposal and ball handling but, as the result suggested, Collingwood was so much better on the day and their defence reigned supreme nullifying Casey's normal marking strength up forward. Down back, the Scorps' skipper Jack Hutchins continued on his good form and he was assisted by Declan Keilty. Mitch White was steady as usual and Newton had his moments. The Casey on-ballers who usually produce big numbers were not as effective as usual with their ball use and, as a result, their team rarely opened the game up to the swift free-flowing movement that has been characteristic of their 2016 season to date. Next week, the team will have to regroup in another place not usually known for hospitable conditions at this time of year - North Ballarat. Casey Scorpions 1.0.6 1.2.8 1.5.11 2.7.19 Collingwood VFL 2.2.14 3.2.20 4.8.32 8.11.59 Goals Casey Scorpions Newton T Smith Collingwood VFL Cloke 2 Aish Collopy Ferguson Gault Knight Smith Best Casey Scorpions Keilty Michie Hutchins Garland Spencer White Collingwood VFL Aish Smith Cloke Oxley Howe Wills The Development League team sat it out this week due to a bye. Statistics Colin Garland 14 disposals 12 kicks 2 handballs 2 marks 3 tackles 55 dream team points Jeff Garlett 8 disposals 4 kicks 4 handballs 7 tackles 46 dream team points Jack Grimes 14 disposals 12 kicks 2 handballs 2 marks 9 tackles 82 dream team points Liam Hulett 1 behind 8 disposals 5 kicks 3 handballs 6 tackles 46 dream team points Max King 10 disposals 5 kicks 5 handballs 1 mark 6 tackles 10 hit outs 61 dream team points Matt Jones 27 disposals 15 kicks 12 handballs 3 marks 8 tackles 92 team points Viv Michie 23 disposals 17 kicks 6 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 84 dream team points Alex Neale-Bullen 18 disposals 11 kicks 7 handballs 6 tackles 71 dream team points Ben Newton 1 goal 17 disposals 9 kicks 8 handballs 7 tackles 2 hit outs 84 dream team points Cam Pedersen 1 behind 10 disposals 6 kicks 4 handballs 1 mark 7 tackles 6 hit outs 59 dream team points Jake Spencer 10 disposals 9 kicks 1 handball 2 marks 7 tackles 82 hit outs 142 dream team points Dean Terlich 9 disposals 5 kicks 4 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 33 dream team points Mitch White 1 behind 19 disposals 7 kicks 12 handballs 1 mark 10 tackles 86 dream team points

I think I've freed up some space for you by deleting images of yours that have been in posts that have had to have been hidden from view for various reasons.

WHEN WE WERE KINGS (LET'S RUMBLE) by Whispering Jack The death last week of the great boxer Muhammad Ali brought to mind the documentary film about the "Rumble in the Jungle", the famous world heavyweight championship match between Ali and George Foreman. Although that fight, held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) took place in 1974, I have often associated the title of the movie with another set of champions from an entirely different sport and in a slightly different time frame: one that began two decades earlier right here in Melbourne. I refer to the champion football team that dominated this nation's leading sporting competition and won six premierships in the decade to 1964. When the Demons were kings, like Ali they tormented and dominated their adversaries and their main rival during that period was Collingwood. The football world was in awe of the Demons of the time. They were admired for the way they pulled themselves off the mat in the early 1950s and rose rapidly with a young team to make the grand final in 1954 (the year in which Cassius Clay, as Ali was then known, made his amateur boxing debut) which they lost to Footscray before going on to win five of the next six flags, beating the Magpies in three of those season deciders. Like Muhammad Ali however, they were not infallible - they lost the grand final of 1958 (at about the time when Cassius Clay was graduating from high school) to Collingwood who thereby prevented them from equalling the Magpies' record of four premierships in a row. Clay won the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics and in that year the Demons destroyed the Magpies on a wet grand final day, keeping them down to a record low two goals on that one day in September. It took them another four years to win their next premiership - the 1964 flag came in the same year that the "Louisville Lip" won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in an upset. An Australian lip, the great Magpie Lou Richards, compared the champion boxer with Melbourne's own champion skipper Ron Barassi, once dubbing him "Cassius Barassius". But after 1964, everything changed. Clay converted to Islam and officially took on the name, Muhammad Ali. Here in Australia, Barassi accepted an offer to coach Carlton and soon after ... the Demons stopped being kings. Their reign was over. By 1966, they were close to rock bottom. Ali's career also went into decline at that stage but not because he had lost his power. In 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title, he antagonized the establishment by refusing to be conscripted into the U.S. military on the basis of his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War. Ali was eventually arrested and in June of that year (in a week or so, it will be exactly 50 years ago) he was found guilty of draft evasion charges, sentenced to five years in prison and stripped of his boxing titles. Years later, he was exonerated on appeal to the US Supreme Court and it took another three years before he would regain his title in the "Rumble in the Jungle". Ali boxed on until he finally did lose his power and he retired in 1980. Meanwhile, the Melbourne Football Club languished, the hard times continued and despite some better days and an intermittent return to finals football, its fortunes again spiralled downwards for the past decade - perhaps, in line with Ali's declining health as he struggled with the effects of Parkinson's Disease? The Demons are slowly showing signs of recovery but sadly for Ali, it's all over now. In a few days’ time, he will be laid to his final resting place in his home town of Louisville and fittingly a few days after that, the old football rivalry will continue on the other side of the world. Like Melbourne, Collingwood has also been struggling of late. Times have changed since the glory days of the fifties and sixties when we were kings. Having grown from twelve clubs to eighteen, the competition is intense. It's a jungle out there. Let's rumble! THE GAME Melbourne v Collingwood at MCG Monday 13 June 2016 at 3.20pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 81 wins Collingwood 146 wins 5 drawn At the MCG Melbourne 61 wins Collingwood 79 wins 3 drawn Last Five Meetings Melbourne 2 wins Collingwood 3 wins The Coaches: Roos 2 wins Buckley 2 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel (Live at 3.00pm) Radio Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $1.59 to win Collingwood $2.35 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 16.6.102 defeated Collingwood 9.13.67 at MCG in Round 4, 2016 The Demons, inspired by the great ruck/roving partnership of Max Gawn and Jack Viney, shot out to a five goal lead with a pulsating opening quarter and were never really troubled. They went on to win by 35 points. TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Billy Stretch, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner C: Tomas Bugg, Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince HF: Jack Trengove, Jack Watts, Aaron vandenBerg F: Sam Frost, Jesse Hogan, Chris Dawes FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Ben Kennedy, Dean Kent, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney EMG: Jack Grimes, James Harmes, Viv Michie IN: Ben Kennedy, Jack Viney OUT: Jeff Garlett (omitted), James Harmes (omitted) COLLINGWOOD B: Brayden Maynard, Ben Reid, Jeremy Howe HB: Marley Williams, Jack Frost, Josh Smith C: Tom Phillips, Adam Treloar, Steele Sidebottom HF: Jordan deGoey, Jesse White, Travis Varcoe F: Ben Crocker, Mason Cox, Jarryd Blair FOLL: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Jack Crisp I/C: Levi Greenwood, Jonathon Marsh, Ben Sinclair, Jarrod Witts EMG: Nathan Brown, Matt Goodyear, Alan Toovey IN: Jonathon Marsh, Tom Phillips, Marley Williams, Jarrod Witts OUT: Travis Cloke (omitted), Matt Goodyear (omitted), Adam Oxley (omitted), Alan Toovey (omitted)

The death last week of the great boxer Muhammad Ali brought to mind the documentary film about the "Rumble in the Jungle", the famous world heavyweight championship match between Ali and George Foreman. Although that fight, held in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) took place in 1974, I have often associated the title of the movie with another set of champions from an entirely different sport and in a slightly different time frame: one that began two decades earlier right here in Melbourne. I refer to the champion football team that dominated this nation's leading sporting competition and won six premierships in the decade to 1964. When the Demons were kings, like Ali they tormented and dominated their adversaries and their main rival during that period was Collingwood. The football world was in awe of the Demons of the time. They were admired for the way they pulled themselves off the mat in the early 1950s and rose rapidly with a young team to make the grand final in 1954 (the year in which Cassius Clay, as Ali was then known, made his amateur boxing debut) which they lost to Footscray before going on to win five of the next six flags, beating the Magpies in three of those season deciders. Like Muhammad Ali however, they were not infallible - they lost the grand final of 1958 (at about the time when Cassius Clay was graduating from high school) to Collingwood who thereby prevented them from equalling the Magpies' record of four premierships in a row. Clay won the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Rome Summer Olympics and in that year the Demons destroyed the Magpies on a wet grand final day, keeping them down to a record low two goals on that one day in September. It took them another four years to win their next premiership - the 1964 flag came in the same year that the "Louisville Lip" won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in an upset. An Australian lip, the great Magpie Lou Richards, compared the champion boxer with Melbourne's own champion skipper Ron Barassi, once dubbing him "Cassius Barassius". But after 1964, everything changed. Clay converted to Islam and officially took on the name, Muhammad Ali. Here in Australia, Barassi accepted an offer to coach Carlton and soon after ... the Demons stopped being kings. Their reign was over. By 1966, they were close to rock bottom. Ali's career also went into decline at that stage but not because he had lost his power. In 1966, two years after winning the heavyweight title, he antagonized the establishment by refusing to be conscripted into the U.S. military on the basis of his religious beliefs and opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War. Ali was eventually arrested and in June of that year (in a week or so, it will be exactly 50 years ago) he was found guilty of draft evasion charges, sentenced to five years in prison and stripped of his boxing titles. Years later, he was exonerated on appeal to the US Supreme Court and it took another three years before he would regain his title in the "Rumble in the Jungle". Ali boxed on until he finally did lose his power and he retired in 1980. Meanwhile, the Melbourne Football Club languished, the hard times continued and despite some better days and an intermittent return to finals football, its fortunes again spiralled downwards for the past decade - perhaps, in line with Ali's declining health as he struggled with the effects of Parkinson's Disease? The Demons are slowly showing signs of recovery but sadly for Ali, it's all over now. In a few days’ time, he will be laid to his final resting place in his home town of Louisville and fittingly a few days after that, the old football rivalry will continue on the other side of the world. Like Melbourne, Collingwood has also been struggling of late. Times have changed since the glory days of the fifties and sixties when we were kings. Having grown from twelve clubs to eighteen, the competition is intense. It's a jungle out there. Let's rumble! THE GAME Melbourne v Collingwood at MCG Monday 13 June 2016 at 3.20pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 81 wins Collingwood 146 wins 5 drawn At the MCG Melbourne 61 wins Collingwood 79 wins 3 drawn Last Five Meetings Melbourne 2 wins Collingwood 3 wins The Coaches: Roos 2 wins Buckley 2 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel (Live at 3.00pm) Radio Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $1.59 to win Collingwood $2.35 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 16.6.102 defeated Collingwood 9.13.67 at MCG in Round 4, 2016 The Demons, inspired by the great ruck/roving partnership of Max Gawn and Jack Viney, shot out to a five goal lead with a pulsating opening quarter and were never really troubled. They went on to win by 35 points MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Billy Stretch, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner C: Tomas Bugg, Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince HF: Jack Trengove, Jack Watts, Aaron vandenBerg F: Sam Frost, Jesse Hogan, Chris Dawes FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Ben Kennedy, Dean Kent, Clayton Oliver Jack Viney EMG: Jack Grimes, James Harmes, Viv Michie IN: Ben Kennedy Jack Viney OUT: Jeff Garlett (omitted) James Harmes (omitted) COLLINGWOOD B: Brayden Maynard, Ben Reid, Jeremy Howe HB: Marley Williams, Jack Frost, Josh Smith C: Tom Phillips, Adam Treloar, Steele Sidebottom HF: Jordan deGoey, Jesse White, Travis Varcoe F: Ben Crocker, Mason Cox, Jarryd Blair FOLL: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Jack Crisp I/C: Levi Greenwood, Jonathon Marsh, Ben Sinclair, Jarrod Witts EMG: Nathan Brown, Matt Goodyear, Alan Toovey IN: Jonathon Marsh, Tom Phillips, Marley Williams, Jarrod Witts OUT: Nathan Brown (omitted), Travis Cloke (omitted), Matt Goodyear (omitted), Adam Oxley (omitted)

Did I read correctly that Oscar made the Team of the Week at FB?

It wasn't so long ago that we played Collingwood after suffering two consecutive defeats. Can history repeat itself and can we revive our season? COLLINGWOOD B: Ben Sinclair, Nathan Brown, Tom Langdon HB: Goldsack, Ben Reid, Alan Toovey C: Adam Oxley, Adam Treloar, Steele Sidebottom HF: Travis Varcoe, Darcy Moore, Jordan De Goey F: Alex Fasolo, Travis Cloke, Jeremy Howe FOLL: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Taylor Adams I/C: James Aish, Jarryd Blair, Jack Crisp, Levi Greenwood EMG: Mason Cox, Matthew Goodyear, Brent Macaffer, IN: Steele Sidebottom, Alan Toovey, Travis Varcoe OUT: Matthew Goodyear (omitted), Brayden Maynard (hamstring), Marley Williams (foot) MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Lynden Dunn, Heritier Lumumba, Christian Salem C: James Harmes, Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver HF: Jack Watts, Sam Frost, Matt Jones F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Jayden Hunt, Cameron Pedersen, Josh Wagner EMG: Jack Grimes, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch In: Angus Brayshaw, Jayden Hunt, Cam Pedersen Out: Aaron vandenBerg (ankle), Bernie Vince (suspension), Billy Stretch (omitted) New: Jayden Hunt (21, Brighton Grammar)

The Casey Scorpions overcame wet and greasy conditions and a persistent opponent in Port Melbourne to remain perched on top of the VFL ladder as the halfway mark of the season approaches. The 35 point win over the Borough was by no means convincing but it was a testament to the superior fitness and a determined final quarter effort that has characterized the team's season to date. Casey dominated the opening term and though wasteful in front of goals, it held a handy 15 point lead at quarter time. Port scored its first goal of the match early in the second term but the Scorps maintained their grip on the game and their inaccuracy until an unexpected burst of three goals from the visitors saw them grab the lead in the shadows of half time. The condition were dark and grey and the home side was far from convincing after the main break with the Borough scoring the first goal to make it four on end and threatening to take control of the game. A few individual efforts from the Scorps kept them in the game but when Port kicked successive goals to go to an eight point lead, the danger signals were out. A late goal against the flow saw them go into the final huddle three points in arrears and with a real game in their hands. Coach Justin Plapp's call to arms got the desired result as his charges took a stranglehold on the game with an emphatic six goals three behinds to a solitary point in the next half hour. Fittingly, it was two of the day's dominant players, one small and one tall, who each scored two goals that drove the momentum in their team's favour. Ben Kennedy who was busy all day and started with fourteen touches on the way to a 30 possession and three goal game showed that he was up to taking on his old club in the coming Queens Birthday Blockbuster while Port had no answer to big Jake Spencer in the ruck and he drove the nail into the coffin with those strong goals in the last.In the end Port was smashed. Other Demon listed players to impress were midfielders Ben Newton and Viv Michie while Jack Grimes' experience around the ground was invaluable. The Scorps were well served by skipper Jack Hutchins and promising Declan Keilty in defence and unearthed another youngster in second-gamer Dylan Collis. If there was a dark cloud on the horizon it was the injury to Lynden Dunn who left the field early with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Casey comes up next against an improving Collingwood in what has become a traditional game on the Saturday of Queens Birthday weekend. The Magpies sit in fifth spot on the ladder and that must have been behind the decision of the Seven Network to televise the game - Casey's first for the season. Casey Scorpions 2.6.18 3.9.27 6.11.47 12.14.86 Port Melbourne 0.3.3 4.4.28 7.8.50 7.9.51 Goals Casey Scorpions Kennedy 3 Hulett Spencer Terlich 2 Michie Pattison Weideman Port Melbourne Scipione 4 Sandilands 2 Rivett Best Casey Scorpions Kennedy Hutchins Keilty Spencer Hulett Michie Port Melbourne Crocker Haretuku, Mascitti Sandilands Dickson L Tynan Statistics Lynden Dunn 6 disposals 3 kicks 3 handballs 2 tackles 20 dream team points [injured] Jack Grimes 25 disposals 13 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 15 tackles 137 dream team points Liam Hulett 2 goals 13 disposals 8 kicks 5 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 69 dream team points Max King 1 behind 10 disposals 7 kicks 3 handballs 3 marks 5 tackles 11 hit outs 68 dream team points Matt Jones 11 disposals 7 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 59 dream team points Ben Kennedy 3 goals 2 behinds 30 disposals 19 kicks 11 handballs 9 tackles 139 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 1 behind 11 disposals 5 kicks 6 handballs 8 tackles 60 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal 21 disposals 14 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 90 dream team points Alex Neale-Bullen 22 disposals 9 kicks 13 handballs 2 marks 6 tackles 77 dream team points Ben Newton 30 disposals 9 kicks 21 handballs 13 tackles 110 dream team points Cam Pedersen 1 behind 12 disposals 6 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks 8 tackles 6 hit outs 82 dream team points Jake Spencer 2 goals 1 behind 11 disposals 7 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 47 hit outs 121 dream team points Dean Terlich 2 goals 1 behind disposals 13 kicks 6 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 94 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 2 behinds 12 disposals 5 kicks 7 handballs 3 marks 1 tackles 49 dream team points Mitch White 1 behind 25 disposals 13 kicks 12 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 90 dream team points The Development League team lost a hard fought, high scoring game by 21 points. Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 5.6.36 10.8.68 14.11.95 Port Melbourne 2.1.13 7.3.45 13.8.86 18.8.116 Goals Casey Scorpions Baker 3 Freeman Wilson 2 Ambler Briggs Cotte Lovett McInerney MacHaya Muir Port Melbourne Hogan 6 Beddison 3 Toman Williams 2 Hogan Osborne Pearson Spencer Urban Best Casey Scorpions Daniel Johnston Moncrieff Lovett Muir Wilson McInerney Port Melbourne Toman Spencer Urban Hogan Osborne Beddison

PORT SIDE SMASHED by K C from Casey The Casey Scorpions overcame wet and greasy conditions and a persistent opponent in Port Melbourne to remain perched on top of the VFL ladder as the halfway mark of the season approaches. The 35 point win over the Borough was by no means convincing but it was a testament to the superior fitness and a determined final quarter effort that has characterized the team's season to date. Casey dominated the opening term and though wasteful in front of goals, it held a handy 15 point lead at quarter time. Port scored its first goal of the match early in the second term but the Scorps maintained their grip on the game and their inaccuracy until an unexpected burst of three goals from the visitors saw them grab the lead in the shadows of half time. The condition were dark and grey and the home side was far from convincing after the main break with the Borough scoring the first goal to make it four on end and threatening to take control of the game. A few individual efforts from the Scorps kept them in the game but when Port kicked successive goals to go to an eight point lead, the danger signals were out. A late goal against the flow saw them go into the final huddle three points in arrears and with a real game in their hands. Coach Justin Plapp's call to arms got the desired result as his charges took a stranglehold on the game with an emphatic six goals three behinds to a solitary point in the next half hour. Fittingly, it was two of the day's dominant players, one small and one tall, who each scored two goals that drove the momentum in their team's favour. Ben Kennedy who was busy all day and started with fourteen touches on the way to a 30 possession and three goal game showed that he was up to taking on his old club in the coming Queens Birthday Blockbuster while Port had no answer to big Jake Spencer in the ruck and he drove the nail into the coffin with those strong goals in the last.In the end Port was smashed. Other Demon listed players to impress were midfielders Ben Newton and Viv Michie while Jack Grimes' experience around the ground was invaluable. The Scorps were well served by skipper Jack Hutchins and promising Declan Keilty in defence and unearthed another youngster in second-gamer Dylan Collis. If there was a dark cloud on the horizon it was the injury to Lynden Dunn who left the field early with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Casey comes up next against an improving Collingwood in what has become a traditional game on the Saturday of Queens Birthday weekend. The Magpies sit in fifth spot on the ladder and that must have been behind the decision of the Seven Network to televise the game - Casey's first for the season. Casey Scorpions 2.6.18 3.9.27 6.11.47 12.14.86 Port Melbourne 0.3.3 4.4.28 7.8.50 7.9.51 Goals Casey Scorpions Kennedy 3 Hulett Spencer Terlich 2 Michie Pattison Weideman Port Melbourne Scipione 4 Sandilands 2 Rivett Best Casey Scorpions Kennedy Hutchins Keilty Spencer Hulett Michie Port Melbourne Crocker Haretuku, Mascitti Sandilands Dickson L Tynan Statistics Lynden Dunn 6 disposals 3 kicks 3 handballs 2 tackles 20 dream team points [injured] Jack Grimes 25 disposals 13 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 15 tackles 137 dream team points Liam Hulett 2 goals 13 disposals 8 kicks 5 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 69 dream team points Max King 1 behind 10 disposals 7 kicks 3 handballs 3 marks 5 tackles 11 hit outs 68 dream team points Matt Jones 11 disposals 7 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 59 dream team points Ben Kennedy 3 goals 2 behinds 30 disposals 19 kicks 11 handballs 9 tackles 139 dream team points Jay Kennedy-Harris 1 behind 11 disposals 5 kicks 6 handballs 8 tackles 60 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal 21 disposals 14 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 90 dream team points Alex Neale-Bullen 22 disposals 9 kicks 13 handballs 2 marks 6 tackles 77 dream team points Ben Newton 30 disposals 9 kicks 21 handballs 13 tackles 110 dream team points Cam Pedersen 1 behind 12 disposals 6 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks 8 tackles 6 hit outs 82 dream team points Jake Spencer 2 goals 1 behind 11 disposals 7 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 47 hit outs 121 dream team points Dean Terlich 2 goals 1 behind disposals 13 kicks 6 handballs 3 marks 6 tackles 94 dream team points Sam Weideman 1 goal 2 behinds 12 disposals 5 kicks 7 handballs 3 marks 1 tackles 49 dream team points Mitch White 1 behind 25 disposals 13 kicks 12 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 90 dream team points The Development League team lost a hard fought, high scoring game by 21 points. Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 5.6.36 10.8.68 14.11.95 Port Melbourne 2.1.13 7.3.45 13.8.86 18.8.116 Goals Casey Scorpions Baker 3 Freeman Wilson 2 Ambler Briggs Cotte Lovett McInerney MacHaya Muir Port Melbourne Hogan 6 Beddison 3 Toman Williams 2 Hogan Osborne Pearson Spencer Urban Best Casey Scorpions Daniel Johnston Moncrieff Lovett Muir Wilson McInerney Port Melbourne Toman Spencer Urban Hogan Osborne Beddison

With Jack Viney out for a few weeks, the rest of the field have an opportunity to break back into the contest for the Demonland POTY. 105 Jack Viney 73 Max Gawn 69 Nathan Jones 56 Dom Tyson 55 Bernie Vince 50 Jack Watts 43 Neville Jetta 36 Jesse Hogan 34 Ben Kennedy 28 Tom McDonald 24 Tomas Bugg Billy Stretch 22 Jeff Garlett 13 Clayton Oliver 12 Josh Wagner 10 Jayden Hunt Heritier Lumumba 9 Cam Pedersen 7 James Harmes Christian Petracca 4 Dean Kent 3 Matt Jones 2 Aaron vandenBerg

SENSIBLE, SILLY, SMART, SUCKERED by George on the Outer Sensible, Silly, Smart, Suckered ... Yes that was the summation of the game in which the Demons failed to pull off what was potentially a surprise victory against one of the powerhouse sides of the competition in Hawthorn. But where the Hawks were sensible, the Demons were silly. When the Hawks played smart, the Demons were suckered and in the end it cost them the game, despite leading for a good part of the match. For the Demons fans it was heartening to see the return of Jack Trengove, and while he struggled with the pace of the game, 19 touches in your first game back after 2 years on the sidelines is highly commendable. What the Demons didn’t notice was the greasy and wet conditions on the ground. That is why the Hawks played smart. There was nothing too fancy - just get the ball moving by any means. Scramble it forward, kick it off the ground. Melbourne simply tried to play dry weather footy until they followed the example of Bernie Vince, who just kept putting the ball on his boot. His 21 touches to half time and 36 for the game was the sign of leadership that was needed around the ball. The trouble was that Melbourne squandered plenty of opportunity before it woke up to what was going on. Players like Lewis and Mitchell weren’t at the bottom of packs; they just sat outside and waited for the cake of soap to slip out of hands and then they booted the ball forwards time and time again. Not one Demon player was smart enough to stand them and they were still doing the same in the final quarter. All too often Melbourne players went up in marking contests when not needed. The smarter Hawks stayed down and accepted the ball as it inevitably spilled over the back. That’s smart football. And like the hardened team that has won multiple premiership flags, they know when to start a fight and distract younger players from playing football. It happened when Melbourne came from behind and challenged them. It is all well and good to be tough and physical, and not be intimidated, but not while the opposition have the ball and are running toward goal. The Demons were simply suckered and while we often use the excuse of being a younger side, the lesson to be clearly learned was how to conduct yourself if you want to be a premiership side. In order to do that you need contributions from all the players in the side. Sadly, there were still too many passengers in the Melbourne side. Jeff Garlett has gone missing in the weeks since signing up for an extended contract, and he hasn’t realized that there is more to a game of footy than hanging out the back and then outrunning the opposition. Only five touches again this week brings his total to 12 for the past two games. Even if you aren’t playing well you can tackle, but this has also gone missing from his game, as the ball rebounded from the Hawks defence all to easily. In contrast at the other end Neville Jetta was a standout. How many times he saved goals by simply putting everything on the line or just getting to contests was hard to remember. Unfortunately, he seemed to be playing a lone hand in the backline as Frost and Oscar McDonald simply couldn’t put a foot right for the whole game. Defenders they are not at this point in time, and playing at this level is proving to be too costly to the overall team performance. We have to hope that the return of Aaron Vandenberg, Chris Dawes and Jack Trengove enables them to get some game fitness because they have a long way to go to get back to their best. Each produced a highlight or two particularly VDB with his tackling efforts that produced a critical goal, but we simply need more output in future games. Finally, I was able to have a good look at the defensive structures this week. There was more cohesion with the set-up, and it did work this week. It was let down by some simply incompetent individual efforts. It it has been difficult to work out why we have been broken open so easily in the past weeks. It is the lack of effort from the wingers who get sucked toward the ball and fail to watch their man folding back to the middle of the ground or the forward line. It would have happened again this week, but the mids managed to contain the ball movement. Only a goal to Brad Hill was the result of poor marking. It is up to Billy Stretch, Tom Bugg, Dean Kent and James Harmes to stop being one way players and start playing smart football. Or we will just keep getting suckered by teams like Hawthorn and other serious finals contenders. Melbourne 2.0.12 7.2.44 10.2.62 10.4.64 Hawthorn 4.5.29 6.7.43 8.14.62 11.16.82 Goals Melbourne Kent Watts 2 Dawes Hogan N Jones Petracca Tyson vandenBerg Hawthorn Gunston 3 Breust O'Brien 2 Hill Puopolo Rioli Stewart Best Melbourne Tyson Vince N Jones Watts T McDonald Kent Hawthorn Mitchell Lewis Gibson Birchall Smith Frawley Gunston Changes Melbourne Nil Hawthorn Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Hawthorn Jack Gunston (right ankle) Reports Melbourne Bernie Vince (Melbourne) for striking in the fourth quarter Hawthorn Nil Umpires Bannister, Ryan, Pannell Official crowd 41,833 at the MCG

Sensible, Silly, Smart, Suckered ... Yes that was the summation of the game in which the Demons failed to pull off what was potentially a surprise victory against one of the powerhouse sides of the competition in Hawthorn. But where the Hawks were sensible, the Demons were silly. When the Hawks played smart, the Demons were suckered and in the end it cost them the game, despite leading for a good part of the match. For the Demons fans it was heartening to see the return of Jack Trengove, and while he struggled with the pace of the game, 19 touches in your first game back after 2 years on the sidelines is highly commendable. What the Demons didn’t notice was the greasy and wet conditions on the ground. That is why the Hawks played smart. There was nothing too fancy - just get the ball moving by any means. Scramble it forward, kick it off the ground. Melbourne simply tried to play dry weather footy until they followed the example of Bernie Vince, who just kept putting the ball on his boot. His 21 touches to half time and 36 for the game was the sign of leadership that was needed around the ball. The trouble was that Melbourne squandered plenty of opportunity before it woke up to what was going on. Players like Lewis and Mitchell weren’t at the bottom of packs; they just sat outside and waited for the cake of soap to slip out of hands and then they booted the ball forwards time and time again. Not one Demon player was smart enough to stand them and they were still doing the same in the final quarter. All too often Melbourne players went up in marking contests when not needed. The smarter Hawks stayed down and accepted the ball as it inevitably spilled over the back. That’s smart football. And like the hardened team that has won multiple premiership flags, they know when to start a fight and distract younger players from playing football. It happened when Melbourne came from behind and challenged them. It is all well and good to be tough and physical, and not be intimidated, but not while the opposition have the ball and are running toward goal. The Demons were simply suckered and while we often use the excuse of being a younger side, the lesson to be clearly learned was how to conduct yourself if you want to be a premiership side. In order to do that you need contributions from all the players in the side. Sadly, there were still too many passengers in the Melbourne side. Jeff Garlett has gone missing in the weeks since signing up for an extended contract, and he hasn’t realized that there is more to a game of footy than hanging out the back and then outrunning the opposition. Only five touches again this week brings his total to 12 for the past two games. Even if you aren’t playing well you can tackle, but this has also gone missing from his game, as the ball rebounded from the Hawks defence all to easily. In contrast at the other end Neville Jetta was a standout. How many times he saved goals by simply putting everything on the line or just getting to contests was hard to remember. Unfortunately, he seemed to be playing a lone hand in the backline as Frost and Oscar McDonald simply couldn’t put a foot right for the whole game. Defenders they are not at this point in time, and playing at this level is proving to be too costly to the overall team performance. We have to hope that the return of Aaron Vandenberg, Chris Dawes and Jack Trengove enables them to get some game fitness because they have a long way to go to get back to their best. Each produced a highlight or two particularly VDB with his tackling efforts that produced a critical goal, but we simply need more output in future games. Finally, I was able to have a good look at the defensive structures this week. There was more cohesion with the set-up, and it did work this week. It was let down by some simply incompetent individual efforts. It it has been difficult to work out why we have been broken open so easily in the past weeks. It is the lack of effort from the wingers who get sucked toward the ball and fail to watch their man folding back to the middle of the ground or the forward line. It would have happened again this week, but the mids managed to contain the ball movement. Only a goal to Brad Hill was the result of poor marking. It is up to Billy Stretch, Tom Bugg, Dean Kent and James Harmes to stop being one way players and start playing smart football. Or we will just keep getting suckered by teams like Hawthorn and other serious finals contenders. Melbourne 2.0.12 7.2.44 10.2.62 10.4.64 Hawthorn 4.5.29 6.7.43 8.14.62 11.16.82 Goals Melbourne Kent Watts 2 Dawes Hogan N Jones Petracca Tyson vandenBerg Hawthorn Gunston 3 Breust O'Brien 2 Hill Puopolo Rioli Stewart Best Melbourne Tyson Vince N Jones Watts T McDonald Kent Hawthorn Mitchell Lewis Gibson Birchall Smith Frawley Gunston Changes Melbourne Nil Hawthorn Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Hawthorn Jack Gunston (right ankle) Reports Melbourne Bernie Vince (Melbourne) for striking in the fourth quarter Hawthorn Nil Umpires Bannister, Ryan, Pannell Official crowd 41,833 at the MCG

We gave it a crack but ...

Votes please ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

TWELVE AND A HALF MONTHS by The Oracle It has been twelve and a half months since Melbourne fans have had to experience watching their team suffer humiliation at the hands of Hawthorn in an AFL game. This annual ritual of the Hawks flogging the Demons has been going on for a decade now since Al Clarkson's young team was beaten by an experienced side coached by Neale Daniher way back in 2006 on a wet night. Back in those days, the AFL was generous enough to gift games on Friday night to then lowly clubs like the Hawks but not so now. Soon after that game, Hawthorn commenced its ascendency while Melbourne's fortunes nose dived. Melbourne opened the 2007 season as the highest ranked of the Victorian clubs and lost their first match against St Kilda at the MCG marking the first of a series of 13 consecutive losses to the Saints. The following week saw the Hawks start their run of 12 wins on end against the Demons and it seems a near certainty that the number will stretch to an unlucky 13 by late Saturday afternoon. This season started as one of promise for the Demons and they certainly have had their moments with a 50/50 record of wins in the bag to date. But they have failed to reproduce the three victories scored in the pre season against Port Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda and they lost to the AFL's punching bag, Essendon. They are in danger of being overtaken on the ladder this weekend by Carlton who were expected to challenge the Bombers for the wooden spoon. Melbourne has failed to come up to the challenge in quite a few winnable games already this year. It has lost it's best player this year to suspension and one of its' few functioning defenders in an inexplicably feeble defence to injury. The deck chairs on the Titanic will no doubt be rotated around this week in an effort to turn things around but it was last week when the selectors should have been brave and bold with the team coming off a six day break. One wonders what the team can do this week in the face of a Hawthorn which most of the time manages to hold firm even without such vital team members as Luke Hodge and Jarryd Roughead. Pray that it will be another twelve and a half months before they meet again, I suppose. Hawthorn by a lot. THE GAME Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 4 June 2016 at 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Hawthorn 84 wins Melbourne 74 wins At MCG Hawthorn 43 wins Melbourne 35 wins Last 5 meetings Hawthorn 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Clarkson 2 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Footy Channel at 1.45pm (live) Channel 7 3.15pm (delayed) RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Hawthorn $1.24 to win Melbourne $4.15 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Hawthorn 24.11.155 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 in Round 7, 2015 at the MCG Six minutes into the game, Melbourne had the only two goals on the board and Hawthorn was scoreless. Those minutes provided the only joy for the day for Demon fans who had to endure two hours of hell before the final siren revealed their team had just succumbed to another 100 point defeat. THE TEAMS HAWTHORN B: Taylor Duryea, James Frawley, Ben Stratton HB: Shaun Burgoyne, Josh Gibson, Grant Burchill C: Isaac Smith, Jordan Lewis, Brad Hill HF: Luke Breust, Tim O'Brien, Jack Gunston F: Paul Puopolo, James Sicily, Cyril Rioli FOLL: Jonathon Ceglar, Sam Mitchell, Liam Shiels I/C: Billy Hartung, Daniel Howe, Ben McEvoy, Kade Stewart EMG: Kaiden Brand, Teia Miles, Angus Litherland IN: Daniel Howe, Kade Stewart OUT: Will Langford (managed), Matt Spangher (hamstring) NEW: Kade Stewart (19, South Fremantle) MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Tom Bugg, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner C: Dean Kent, Jack Trengove, Bernie Vince HF: Billy Stretch, Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Chris Dawes FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Sam Frost, James Harmes, Clayton Oliver, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Cam Pedersen IN: Chris Dawes, Sam Frost, Clayton Oliver, Jack Trengove, Aaron vandenBerg OUT: Colin Garland (cheekbone), Ben Kennedy (omitted), Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted), Ben Newton (omitted), Jack Viney (suspended)

It has been twelve and a half months since Melbourne fans have had to experience watching their team suffer humiliation at the hands of Hawthorn in an AFL game. This annual ritual of the Hawks flogging the Demons has been going on for a decade now since Al Clarkson's young team was beaten by an experienced side coached by Neale Daniher way back in 2006 on a wet night. Back in those days, the AFL was generous enough to gift games on Friday night to then lowly clubs like the Hawks but not so now. Soon after that game, Hawthorn commenced its ascendency while Melbourne's fortunes nose dived. Melbourne opened the 2007 season as the highest ranked of the Victorian clubs and lost their first match against St Kilda at the MCG marking the first of a series of 13 consecutive losses to the Saints. The following week saw the Hawks start their run of 12 wins on end against the Demons and it seems a near certainty that the number will stretch to an unlucky 13 by late Saturday afternoon. This season started as one of promise for the Demons and they certainly have had their moments with a 50/50 record of wins in the bag to date. But they have failed to reproduce the three victories scored in the pre season against Port Adelaide, the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda and they lost to the AFL's punching bag, Essendon. They are in danger of being overtaken on the ladder this weekend by Carlton who were expected to challenge the Bombers for the wooden spoon. Melbourne has failed to come up to the challenge in quite a few winnable games already this year. It has lost it's best player this year to suspension and one of its' few functioning defenders in an inexplicably feeble defence to injury. The deck chairs on the Titanic will no doubt be rotated around this week in an effort to turn things around but it was last week when the selectors should have been brave and bold with the team coming off a six day break. One wonders what the team can do this week in the face of a Hawthorn which most of the time manages to hold firm even without such vital team members as Luke Hodge and Jarryd Roughead. Pray that it will be another twelve and a half months before they meet again, I suppose. Hawthorn by a lot. THE GAME Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday 4 June 2016 at 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Hawthorn 84 wins Melbourne 74 wins At MCG Hawthorn 43 wins Melbourne 35 wins Last 5 meetings Hawthorn 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Clarkson 2 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Footy Channel at 1.45pm (live) Channel 7 3.15pm (delayed) RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Hawthorn $1.24 to win Melbourne $4.15 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Hawthorn 24.11.155 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 in Round 7, 2015 at the MCG Six minutes into the game, Melbourne had the only two goals on the board and Hawthorn was scoreless. Those minutes provided the only joy for the day for Demon fans who had to endure two hours of hell before the final siren revealed their team had just succumbed to another 100 point defeat. THE TEAMS HAWTHORN B: Taylor Duryea, James Frawley, Ben Stratton HB: Shaun Burgoyne, Josh Gibson, Grant Burchill C: Isaac Smith, Jordan Lewis, Brad Hill HF: Luke Breust, Tim O'Brien, Jack Gunston F: Paul Puopolo, James Sicily, Cyril Rioli FOLL: Jonathon Ceglar, Sam Mitchell, Liam Shiels I/C: Billy Hartung, Daniel Howe, Ben McEvoy, Kade Stewart EMG: Kaiden Brand, Teia Miles, Angus Litherland IN: Daniel Howe, Kade Stewart OUT: Will Langford (managed), Matt Spangher (hamstring) NEW: Kade Stewart (19, South Fremantle) MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Tom Bugg, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner C: Dean Kent, Jack Trengove, Bernie Vince HF: Billy Stretch, Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Chris Dawes FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Sam Frost, James Harmes, Clayton Oliver, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Cam Pedersen IN: Chris Dawes, Sam Frost, Clayton Oliver, Jack Trengove, Aaron vandenBerg OUT: Colin Garland (cheekbone), Ben Kennedy (omitted), Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted), Ben Newton (omitted), Jack Viney (suspended)

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The usual outcome last time after we gained some early false hope kicking away with the first couple of goals. HAWTHORN B: Shaun Burgoyne, James Frawley, Ben Stratton HB: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Taylor Duryea C: Bradley Hill, Sam Mitchell, Matthew Suckling HF: Isaac Smith, Jack Gunston, Cyril Rioli F: Ben McEvoy, Jarryd Roughead, Luke Breust FOLL: Jonathon Ceglar, Paul Puopolo, Liam Shiels I/C: Ryan Schoenmakers, Will Langford, Angus Litherland, Billy Hartung EMG: Daniel Howe, Jonathan Simpkin, Tim O'Brien IN: James Frawley, Angus Litherland OUT: Jed Anderson, Brendan Whitecross MELBOURNE B: Christian Salem, Tom McDonald, Colin Garland HB: Jack Grimes, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe C: Daniel Cross, Nathan Jones, Heritier Lumumba HF: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Rohan Bail F: Jeff Garlett, Chris Dawes, Aaron Vandenberg FOLL: Jake Spencer, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince I/C: Matt Jones, Viv Michie, Billy Stretch, Jimmy Toumpas EMG: Max Gawn, Ben Newton, Cameron Pedersen IN: Rohan Bail, Jack Grimes, Matt Jones, Viv Michie OUT: Jay Kennedy-Harris (groin), Ben Newton, Cam Pedersen, Jack Watts

Jack Viney still holds a handy lead - 105 Jack Viney 73 Max Gawn 61 Nathan Jones 41 Jack Watts 40 Dom Tyson 39 Neville Jetta 38 Bernie Vince 36 Jesse Hogan 34 Ben Kennedy 28 Tom McDonald 24 Tomas Bugg Billy Stretch 22 Jeff Garlett 12 Clayton Oliver 11 Josh Wagner 10 Heritier Lumumba 9 Cam Pedersen 7 James Harmes 6 Jayden Hunt Christian Petracca 4 Dean Kent 3 Matt Jones

TRAEGER TRAGEDY by George on the Outer Another venture into the Red Centre for the Demons, and another defeat. Just when the opportunity was there to put some space between themselves and their nearest opponent on the ladder it was once again tragically squandered. The equation was simple ... beat Port Adelaide and you set yourselves up for a promising second half of the season ... lose the game and it all looks rather tragic. Apart from the financial bonus of playing in the Northern Territory, it has been a disappointing destination for the Demons for some years now. We simply are unable to put in a creditable performance at either the Alice Springs or Darwin venues. Melbourne was never in the game, despite a slender lead at quarter time, as it was never able to contain the likes of Boak, Wingard, R Gray, Hartlett and Westhoff. Then their new arrival Charlie Dixon turned on a blinder and produced 5 goals to continuously beat down the chances that the Demons struggled to achieve. Worst of all was the simply porous defensive structures that we have employed since the St. Kilda game. There were at least 7 goals from this match that came from a free Port player either running into an open goal or marking uncontested 20 or 30 metres out. And each and every time it was a player running in behind the defenders without a Melbourne player in sight. The structure isn’t working, and we cannot keep hoping to win shootouts against the better sides. Our mids refuse to get back to assist, and the wingers don’t help out either. Thank goodness for Jayden Hunt and Josh Wagner who continue to show promise and a hardness that is required to play at AFL level. Oscar Mac has now had his chance and is simply out of his depth at the moment. There were plenty of other non-shows again this week. Ben Kennedy could only produce 7 disposals for the match and Jeff Garlett didn’t produce anything other than a single goal, until the coach threw him into the middle to force him do something. Even then he only touched the ball nine times for the whole game. And it was in the middle where once again we were soundly beaten. Nathan Jones produced yet another sterling performance, but Jack Viney has dropped off from his best and Dom Tyson was also not as effective as he was before last week's illness. Jesse Hogan and Jack Watts did the best they could, given the lack of opportunity and some simply poor delivery into the forward line. Whhen hitting a target was critical, we simply couldn’t do it. And that was the nature of the game. It was a tragedy at Traeger Park. Tragically, Port was the better side and tragically, after traveling to the Red Centre, Melbourne comes up against Hawthorn next week. Well may we hope that the outcome is not as tragic against them as it has been in recent years. Melbourne 2.7.19 4.9.33 9.12.66 10.16.76 Port Adelaide 2.4.16 8.6.54 12.11.83 18.13.121 Goals Melbourne Hogan 3 Gawn Watts 2 Garlett Kent Neal-Bullen Port Adelaide Dixon 5 Impey Wingard Young 2 Boak Byrne-Jones R Gray Hartlett Howard Krakouer Neade Best Melbourne Gawn Jones Watts Hogan Wagner T McDonald Port Adelaide Wingard R Gray Ebert Dixon Westhoff Boak Changes Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Broadbent (gastro) replaced by S Gray Injuries Melbourne Garland (cheekbone) Port Adelaide Hombsch (hamstring) P Stewart (concussion) Reports Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Umpires Hay Findlay Mollison Official crowd 5,146 at Traeger Park

Another venture into the Red Centre for the Demons, and another defeat. Just when the opportunity was there to put some space between themselves and their nearest opponent on the ladder it was once again tragically squandered. The equation was simple ... beat Port Adelaide and you set yourselves up for a promising second half of the season ... lose the game and it all looks rather tragic. Apart from the financial bonus of playing in the Northern Territory, it has been a disappointing destination for the Demons for some years now. We simply are unable to put in a creditable performance at either the Alice Springs or Darwin venues. Melbourne was never in the game, despite a slender lead at quarter time, as it was never able to contain the likes of Boak, Wingard, R Gray, Hartlett and Westhoff. Then their new arrival Charlie Dixon turned on a blinder and produced 5 goals to continuously beat down the chances that the Demons struggled to achieve. Worst of all was the simply porous defensive structures that we have employed since the St. Kilda game. There were at least 7 goals from this match that came from a free Port player either running into an open goal or marking uncontested 20 or 30 metres out. And each and every time it was a player running in behind the defenders without a Melbourne player in sight. The structure isn’t working, and we cannot keep hoping to win shootouts against the better sides. Our mids refuse to get back to assist, and the wingers don’t help out either. Thank goodness for Jayden Hunt and Josh Wagner who continue to show promise and a hardness that is required to play at AFL level. Oscar Mac has now had his chance and is simply out of his depth at the moment. There were plenty of other non-shows again this week. Ben Kennedy could only produce 7 disposals for the match and Jeff Garlett didn’t produce anything other than a single goal, until the coach threw him into the middle to force him do something. Even then he only touched the ball nine times for the whole game. And it was in the middle where once again we were soundly beaten. Nathan Jones produced yet another sterling performance, but Jack Viney has dropped off from his best and Dom Tyson was also not as effective as he was before last week's illness. Jesse Hogan and Jack Watts did the best they could, given the lack of opportunity and some simply poor delivery into the forward line. Whhen hitting a target was critical, we simply couldn’t do it. And that was the nature of the game. It was a tragedy at Traeger Park. Tragically, Port was the better side and tragically, after traveling to the Red Centre, Melbourne comes up against Hawthorn next week. Well may we hope that the outcome is not as tragic against them as it has been in recent years. Melbourne 2.7.19 4.9.33 9.12.66 10.16.76 Port Adelaide 2.4.16 8.6.54 12.11.83 18.13.121 Goals Melbourne Hogan 3 Gawn Watts 2 Garlett Kent Neal-Bullen Port Adelaide Dixon 5 Impey Wingard Young 2 Boak Byrne-Jones R Gray Hartlett Howard Krakouer Neade Best Melbourne Gawn Jones Watts Hogan Wagner T McDonald Port Adelaide Wingard R Gray Ebert Dixon Westhoff Boak Changes Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Broadbent (gastro) replaced by S Gray Injuries Melbourne Garland (cheekbone) Port Adelaide Hombsch (hamstring) P Stewart (concussion) Reports Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Umpires Hay Findlay Mollison Official crowd 5,146 at Traeger Park

Vote now 6,5,4,3,2,1 If applicable, specify your McDonald.