Demonland

We have Bernie still leading and the field behind is starting to pack up as we near the final straight:- 109. Bernie Vince 103. Nathan Jones Tom McDonald 91. Jesse Hogan 60. Daniel Cross 56. Jack Viney 53. Angus Brayshaw 52. Jeffrey Garlett Max Gawn 44. Colin Garland 42. Aaron vandenBerg 30. Christian Salem 28. Cam Pedersen 19. Jimmy Toumpas 16. Jack Watts 15. Neville Jetta 13. Jack Grimes 11. Lynden Dunn 7. Jeremy Howe 6. Dom Tyson 4. Mark Jamar Heritier Lubumba Viv Michie Ben Newton 3. Chris Dawes 2. Jake Spencer 1. Alex Neal-Bullen

STINGING THE BLUES by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions strengthened their claims for a finals berth with a dominant second half leading to a comprehensive 47 point victory over the Northern Blues at Ikon Park on Saturday afternoon. In cool but calm conditions, the Scorpions opened up strongly with three of the first four goals. The Casey big men were on top in the ruck with Mark Jamar and in front of goal with Jake Spencer booting the first and Max King scoring late in the term to give the team a 14 point lead at the first break. Casey kept up its dominance with an early second quarter goal to Matt Jones which was met by a swift reply before Jamar, resting up forward, booted another at the six minute mark to restore a 20 point lead. The game lapsed into something of a scramble with lots of stoppages and very few bright passages of play and the visitors let their grip on the game slip when they conceded two goals after time on began. As has often been the case this year, Casey rallied late with goals to Jayden Hunt and a second to Spencer, both after the thirty minute mark and suddenly they were 22 points in front at half time. The confidence that those two late goals brought to the team was priceless and led by their winning ruck which amassed 71 hit outs between them (Jamar 46, Spencer 25) to give the midfield an armchair ride, the Scorpions swept to a 46 point lead at the final break, with Hunt booting two more for the quarter. Elusive and genuinely quick, Hunt does not get a great deal of the football but what he does with it is particularly damaging. The experience of Jack Grimes, Jordie McKenzie, Matt Jones and Viv Michie gave Casey the midfield edge whilst Dean Terlich, Evan Panozza and Jack Hutchins were steady in defence in a strong team effort that gave the team a comfortable win. The victory was handy because it gave the Scorpions a two game buffer inside the top eight, with only one of the six remaining games left to be played against a team outside of that group. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 3.4.22 7.7.49 11.13.69 15.15.105 Northern Blues 1.2.8 4.3.27 5.3.33 9.4.58 Goals Casey Scorpions Hunt 4 Jamar 3 Spencer 2 Byrnes Grimes M Jones King Michie Rutherford Northern Blues Johnson Johnston Jaksch 2 Dirago Murray Watson Best Casey Scorpions Jamar Grimes McKenzie Hunt Hutchins Panozza Northern Blues Jones Roberts Ballard Johnston Armitage Whiley Statistics Rohan Bail disposals 9 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 6 tackles 71 dream team points Jack Fitzpatrick 6 disposals 2 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 1 tackles 27 dream team points Jack Grimes 30 disposals 13 kicks 17 handballs 2 marks 7 tackles 115 dream team points Jayden Hunt 4 goals 1 behind 11 disposals 6 kicks 5 handballs 5 marks 68 dream team points Mark Jamar 3 goals 13 disposals 9 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 46 hit outs 122 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goal 27 disposals 17 kicks 10 handballs 6 marks 5 tackles 116 dream team points Max King 1 goal 2 behinds disposals 5 kicks 2 handball 1 tackle 26 dream team points Oscar McDonald 9 disposals 5 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 30 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 1 behind 29 disposals 13 kicks 16 handballs 7 marks 6 tackles 119 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal disposals 16 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 90 dream team points Ben Newton 1 behind 14 disposals 8 kicks 6 handballs 5 marks 3 tackles 50 dream team points Jake Spencer 2 goals 11 disposals 5 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks 3 tackles 25 hit outs 87 dream team points Dean Terlich 22 disposals 15 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks 1 tackle 80 dream team points Jimmy Toumpas 2 behinds 18 disposals 13 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 7 tackles 92 dream team points Mitch White 1 behind 12 disposals 7 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 52 dream team points The Development League team controlled the game against the Blues from start to finish winning by 67 points. Like the senior side, they have some tough encounters to come before ensuring a place in the finals. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 8.3.51 13.7.85 15.10.100 18.11.119 Northern Blues 1.4.10 2.5.17 4.8.32 7.10.52 Goals Casey Scorpions Anderson Fisscher Gains Muir Thwaites 2 Hannon Kent Lang Page Rosier Scott Walmsley Wyatt Northern Blues Malone Walton 2 Jordan McDonald Peet Best Casey Scorpions Gains Muir Corrigan Scott K Wilson J McDonald Northern Blues Toman Gleeson Ercolano McDonald Jenkins Bolger

We'll make allowances for this one because of the association with some great Melbourne people. Good luck with the book Angel.

The Casey Scorpions strengthened their claims for a finals berth with a dominant second half leading to a comprehensive 47 point victory over the Northern Blues at Ikon Park on Saturday afternoon. In cool but calm conditions, the Scorpions opened up strongly with three of the first four goals. The Casey big men were on top in the ruck with Mark Jamar and in front of goal with Jake Spencer booting the first and Max King scoring late in the term to give the team a 14 point lead at the first break. Casey kept up its dominance with an early second quarter goal to Matt Jones which was met by a swift reply before Jamar, resting up forward, booted another at the six minute mark to restore a 20 point lead. The game lapsed into something of a scramble with lots of stoppages and very few bright passages of play and the visitors let their grip on the game slip when they conceded two goals after time on began. As has often been the case this year, Casey rallied late with goals to Jayden Hunt and a second to Spencer, both after the thirty minute mark and suddenly they were 22 points in front at half time. The confidence that those two late goals brought to the team was priceless and led by their winning ruck which amassed 71 hit outs between them (Jamar 46, Spencer 25) to give the midfield an armchair ride, the Scorpions swept to a 46 point lead at the final break, with Hunt booting two more for the quarter. Elusive and genuinely quick, Hunt does not get a great deal of the football but what he does with it is particularly damaging. The experience of Jack Grimes, Jordie McKenzie, Matt Jones and Viv Michie gave Casey the midfield edge whilst Dean Terlich, Evan Panozza and Jack Hutchins were steady in defence in a strong team effort that gave the team a comfortable win. The victory was handy because it gave the Scorpions a two game buffer inside the top eight, with only one of the six remaining games left to be played against a team outside of that group. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 3.4.22 7.7.49 11.13.69 15.15.105 Northern Blues 1.2.8 4.3.27 5.3.33 9.4.58 Goals Casey Scorpions Hunt 4 Jamar 3 Spencer 2 Byrnes Grimes M Jones King Michie Rutherford Northern Blues Johnson Johnston Jaksch 2 Dirago Murray Watson Best Casey Scorpions Jamar Grimes McKenzie Hunt Hutchins Panozza Northern Blues Jones Roberts Ballard Johnston Armitage Whiley Statistics Rohan Bail disposals 9 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 6 tackles 71 dream team points Jack Fitzpatrick 6 disposals 2 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 1 tackles 27 dream team points Jack Grimes 30 disposals 13 kicks 17 handballs 2 marks 7 tackles 115 dream team points Jayden Hunt 4 goals 1 behind 11 disposals 6 kicks 5 handballs 5 marks 68 dream team points Mark Jamar 3 goals 13 disposals 9 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 46 hit outs 122 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goal 27 disposals 17 kicks 10 handballs 6 marks 5 tackles 116 dream team points Max King 1 goal 2 behinds disposals 5 kicks 2 handball 1 tackle 26 dream team points Oscar McDonald 9 disposals 5 kicks 4 handballs 3 marks 30 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 1 behind 29 disposals 13 kicks 16 handballs 7 marks 6 tackles 119 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal disposals 16 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 90 dream team points Ben Newton 1 behind 14 disposals 8 kicks 6 handballs 5 marks 3 tackles 50 dream team points Jake Spencer 2 goals 11 disposals 5 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks 3 tackles 25 hit outs 87 dream team points Dean Terlich 22 disposals 15 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks 1 tackle 80 dream team points Jimmy Toumpas 2 behinds 18 disposals 13 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 7 tackles 92 dream team points Mitch White 1 behind 12 disposals 7 kicks 5 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 52 dream team points The Development League team controlled the game against the Blues from start to finish winning by 67 points. Like the senior side, they have some tough encounters to come before ensuring a place in the finals. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 8.3.51 13.7.85 15.10.100 18.11.119 Northern Blues 1.4.10 2.5.17 4.8.32 7.10.52 Goals Casey Scorpions Anderson Fisscher Gains Muir Thwaites 2 Hannon Kent Lang Page Rosier Scott Walmsley Wyatt Northern Blues Malone Walton 2 Jordan McDonald Peet Best Casey Scorpions Gains Muir Corrigan Scott K Wilson J McDonald Northern Blues Toman Gleeson Ercolano McDonald Jenkins Bolger

Cast your votes please ladies, gentlemen and kiddies 6 5 4 3 2 1

And now to the post match ...

THE LION KINKS by The Oracle Melbourne wrapped up this low scoring game against a very kinky bottom-of-the-ladder Brisbane Lions in the first quarter when it kicked five goals, three of them off the boot of Jesse Hogan, the Demons' brightest shining light on the horizon in several years. In fact, 20-year-old Hogan who kicked his fourth in the last quarter is more than just on the horizon - he's getting close to taking over centre stage. Given that the Lions also scored a major in the opening stanza, half of the game’s paltry total of twelve goals had been kicked by quarter time, leaving plenty of time for boring, defensive and ugly football in what was certainly not an exhibition of the finer points of the great Australian game. Fortunately, the administrators of our indigenous sport can also point to the fact that on the same ground, on the night before, the best exponents of the world game, produced a similarly lifeless and scoreless effort. It's probably gone largely unrecognised because the Demons haven't exactly put enough results on the board but the past month or two have seen some definite signs of improvement. Leaving aside, the last 40 minutes of the game against the Eagles in Darwin, the Melbourne has been in winning positions in all of its games since the Queens Birthday clash against Collingwood. Last week, it was a burst of accuracy by the Bombers in the third quarter (and inaccuracy all day by the Dees) that cost it the game, a few weeks before that, a defensive brain fade in the dying moment that deprived them of the points at Etihad against the Saints. In light of that, who could argue with an ugly 24 point victory against an opponent kept to only four goals? (in fact, the team has kept its opposition down to just 8 goals in 7 of the last 8 quarters played) This defensive mindset is reminiscent of last year but it's certainly becoming more effective and efficient. How long before a breakthrough sees the team record another significant win like that against Geelong four weeks ago? The selectors persevered with the same side that lost to the Bombers and are giving more game time to their young players while signaling to the likes of Mark Jamar and Jack Grimes that their time may still come. The young kids tried and showed promise and, of course, Hogan was the standout but the kudos from this game will go to the likes of Jeremy Howe who excelled in defence in what might have been his last chance before a stint at Casey. Bernie Vince and Jack Viney were the pick of the midfielders but there really wasn’t much excitement in the club’s engine room. Max Gawn is winning in the ruck on a weekly basis but the men at his feet are still not capitalizing on his dominance. Apart from in the first quarter, Brisbane won at the clearances and stoppages and hence, the struggle on the part of the team to score after the first break. Its little wonder therefore that in the post-match press conference, Paul Roos said that the aim is to recruit an A list midfielder into the ranks for next year. That’s wonderful but Dangerfield and Treloar appear out of his grasp so, unless he can pull a rabbit out of his hat, Roosy might have to rely on some of the youngsters in his own ranks to continue to improve and for Jack Trengove and Christian Petracca to make full recoveries from the injuries that kept them out this season. Next week, Melbourne takes on St. Kilda which continues to be impressive although, like the Dees, isn’t getting enough wins on the board for the effort expended. A victory would see the team on course for its highest placed finish in four years, perhaps a springboard for the future. Melbourne 5.4.34 7.7.49 7.10.52 8.12.60 Brisbane Lions 1.2.8 1.5.11 3.8.26 4.12.36 Goals Melbourne Hogan 4 Garlett McDonald 2 Brisbane Lions Andrews, Christensen, Robinson, Zorko Best Melbourne Howe, Gawn, Hogan, Viney, Cross, vandenBerg Brisbane Lions Christensen, Zorko, Taylor, Beams, Andrews Changes Melbourne Nil Brisbane Lions Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Brisbane Lions Hanley (hamstring) Substitutions Melbourne Alex Neal-Bullen replaced Jay Kennedy-Harris in the third term Brisbane Lions James Aish replaced Pearce Hanley in the third quarter Reports Melbourne Nil Brisbane Lions Nil Umpires Bannister, Harris, McInerney Official crowd 25,149 at the MCG

If you think life's tough for Melbourne fans then spare a thought for those who follow Brisbane. The Lions have been down and out in 2015, suffering from lots of injuries to important players and winning only two matches for the season to date. As a consequence, they are deemed irrelevant by the football world and, with their fellow Queenslanders, the Suns, they hold up the AFL ladder from its bottom reaches. Lately, they have shown much improved form against strong opposition as some of their injured players have started returning. On Sunday, they are likely to get suspended ruckman and former Demon Stephan Martin back in the team and this week, their luck could just be turning because they come across an opponent in Melbourne that is well versed in losing games when they are favoured to win. And for the second week in a row, Melbourne is the favourite to win a match even though nobody in recent history can remember them saluting in such circumstances (if you discount games against franchise teams in their early days). The Demons couldn't crack it for a win last week when they played against the injury-depleted Bombers even after dominating the ruck duels and centre clearances, particularly in the first half of that game. And it was the second time this year that Essendon had visited humiliation on them because they couldn't beat the Dons' non-injected by any mysterious unknown substances "B" team during a NAB Challenge game in March. So now it's on to Brisbane in an MCG game which is also a rarity because, in the past decade or so, a number of Melbourne home games against them have been played at many venues elsewhere - like the Gabba, TIO Stadium Darwin and at Etihad last year. The last MCG home game against the Lions was however, a case in point on the issue of favouritism. The club ushered in the Mark Neeld era in 2012 with an season opener opposed to Brisbane and was strongly supported by the bookies and betting agencies. However, after a reasonably even first half, the team was blown off the park by ¾ time with the home crowd starting booing their team well before the game was over. The good news for Demon fans is that the Mark Neeld introduction game was the only occasion since 2000 that Brisbane has beaten their team at the G. If they can maintain that domination then it might be too much for Brisbane to bear and would put an end to their hoodoo of losing games after starting out as favourites. THE GAME Melbourne v Brisbane at MCG Sunday 19 July, 2015 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 21wins Brisbane 20 wins At MCG: Melbourne 11 wins Brisbane 3 wins Last Five Meetings: Melbourne 0 wins Brisbane 5 wins The Coaches: Roos 0 wins Leppitsch 1 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel at 1.00pm (live) Radio - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne $1.57 to win Brisbane $2.40 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Brisbane 11.8.74 defeated Melbourne 6.15.51 at Etihad Stadium, Round 19, 2014. Melbourne was promising to finally break its Etihad Stadium hoodoo when it held a lead of more than two goals early in the final term when a surge by the Lions saw them kick six goals to one to record a comfortable victory under the roof. Stefan Martin was best on ground and picked up the three Brownlow votes in this game against his old side TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Billy Stretch C: Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince, Heritier Lumumba HF: Aaron vandenBerg, Chris Dawes, Jeff Garlett F: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Jack Watts Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: James Harmes, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Alex Neal-Bullen, Dom Tyson EMG: Jack Grimes, Mark Jamar, Aidan Riley No change BRISBANE LIONS B: Justin Clarke, Daniel Merrett, Harris Andrews HB: Daniel Rich, Marco Paparone, Sam Mayes C: Dayne Zorko, Dayne Beams, Lewis Taylor HF: Jack Redden, Daniel McStay, Allen Christensen F: Stefan Martin, Brent Staker, Jed Adcock Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Tom Rockliff, Pearce Hanley I/C: James Aish, Ryan Harwood, Nick Robertson, Mitch Robinson EMG: Hugh Beasley, Rohan Bewick, Mitch Golby IN: Ryan Harwood, Stefan Martin, Mitch Robinson OUT: Rohan Bewick (omitted), Jordon Bourke (omitted), Darcy Gardiner (shoulder) Let's face it. Let's face it. Melbourne was poor last week when it was expected to beat Essendon with ease given the Bombers' capitulation to St Kilda by 110 points a week earlier. The Demons could have won but the excuse was poor kicking for goal which was in fact the case but the game should never have been close had they taken advantage of the early ruck dominance of Max Gawn. It's a mystery how, despite the enormous advantage in clearances at centre bounces and the other stoppages, that the scores were locked at 1.3 apiece at quarter time. That came before the really woeful kicking for goal that transpired later. This week's opponent has been hit hard by injury but observers would have probably noted that as the date for their game against Melbourne approached, there were some sudden and dramatic changes happening. The Lions form rose from ordinary to respectable as a number of their key players have begun turning. A win on the MCG would have been virtually unthinkable a month or so ago, but now it's on the cards. In their past three games, they have extended Adelaide, Fremantle and Sydney for three quarters. With their midfield building up to close to their best, they will threaten the Dees even on their home turf. They have Tom Rockliff back and in form and Pearce Hanley is ready to provide the run and carry they have lacked for most of the season. The Demons will be relying on Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince to provide the drive and movement forward to nullify them. Hopefully, the youth around them will add to the blend of hard work and running necessary to bring home the four points. Melbourne - just.

HOW MUCH CAN BRISBANE BEAR? by JVM If you think life's tough for Melbourne fans then spare a thought for those who follow Brisbane. The Lions have been down and out in 2015, suffering from lots of injuries to important players and winning only two matches for the season to date. As a consequence, they are deemed irrelevant by the football world and, with their fellow Queenslanders, the Suns, they hold up the AFL ladder from its bottom reaches. Lately, they have shown much improved form against strong opposition as some of their injured players have started returning. On Sunday, they are likely to get suspended ruckman and former Demon Stephan Martin back in the team and this week, their luck could just be turning because they come across an opponent in Melbourne that is well versed in losing games when they are favoured to win. And for the second week in a row, Melbourne is the favourite to win a match even though nobody in recent history can remember them saluting in such circumstances (if you discount games against franchise teams in their early days). The Demons couldn't crack it for a win last week when they played against the injury-depleted Bombers even after dominating the ruck duels and centre clearances, particularly in the first half of that game. And it was the second time this year that Essendon had visited humiliation on them because they couldn't beat the Dons' non-injected by any mysterious unknown substances "B" team during a NAB Challenge game in March. So now it's on to Brisbane in an MCG game which is also a rarity because, in the past decade or so, a number of Melbourne home games against them have been played at many venues elsewhere - like the Gabba, TIO Stadium Darwin and at Etihad last year. The last MCG home game against the Lions was however, a case in point on the issue of favouritism. The club ushered in the Mark Neeld era in 2012 with an season opener opposed to Brisbane and was strongly supported by the bookies and betting agencies. However, after a reasonably even first half, the team was blown off the park by ¾ time with the home crowd starting booing their team well before the game was over. The good news for Demon fans is that the Mark Neeld introduction game was the only occasion since 2000 that Brisbane has beaten their team at the G. If they can maintain that domination then it might be too much for Brisbane to bear and would put an end to their hoodoo of losing games after starting out as favourites. THE GAME Melbourne v Brisbane at MCG Sunday 19 July, 2015 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 21wins Brisbane 20 wins At MCG: Melbourne 11 wins Brisbane 3 wins Last Five Meetings: Melbourne 0 wins Brisbane 5 wins The Coaches: Roos 0 wins Leppitsch 1 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel at 1.00pm (live) Radio - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne $1.57 to win Brisbane $2.40 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Brisbane 11.8.74 defeated Melbourne 6.15.51 at Etihad Stadium, Round 19, 2014. Melbourne was promising to finally break its Etihad Stadium hoodoo when it held a lead of more than two goals early in the final term when a surge by the Lions saw them kick six goals to one to record a comfortable victory under the roof. Stefan Martin was best on ground and picked up the three Brownlow votes in this game against his old side TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Billy Stretch C: Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince, Heritier Lumumba HF: Aaron vandenBerg, Chris Dawes, Jeff Garlett F: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Jack Watts Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: James Harmes, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Alex Neal-Bullen, Dom Tyson EMG: Jack Grimes, Mark Jamar, Aidan Riley No change BRISBANE LIONS B: Justin Clarke, Daniel Merrett, Harris Andrews HB: Daniel Rich, Marco Paparone, Sam Mayes C: Dayne Zorko, Dayne Beams, Lewis Taylor HF: Jack Redden, Daniel McStay, Allen Christensen F: Stefan Martin, Brent Staker, Jed Adcock Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Tom Rockliff, Pearce Hanley I/C: James Aish, Ryan Harwood, Nick Robertson, Mitch Robinson EMG: Hugh Beasley, Rohan Bewick, Mitch Golby IN: Ryan Harwood, Stefan Martin, Mitch Robinson OUT: Rohan Bewick (omitted), Jordon Bourke (omitted), Darcy Gardiner (shoulder) Let's face it. Let's face it. Melbourne was poor last week when it was expected to beat Essendon with ease given the Bombers' capitulation to St Kilda by 110 points a week earlier. The Demons could have won but the excuse was poor kicking for goal which was in fact the case but the game should never have been close had they taken advantage of the early ruck dominance of Max Gawn. It's a mystery how, despite the enormous advantage in clearances at centre bounces and the other stoppages, that the scores were locked at 1.3 apiece at quarter time. That came before the really woeful kicking for goal that transpired later. This week's opponent has been hit hard by injury but observers would have probably noted that as the date for their game against Melbourne approached, there were some sudden and dramatic changes happening. The Lions form rose from ordinary to respectable as a number of their key players have begun turning. A win on the MCG would have been virtually unthinkable a month or so ago, but now it's on the cards. In their past three games, they have extended Adelaide, Fremantle and Sydney for three quarters. With their midfield building up to close to their best, they will threaten the Dees even on their home turf. They have Tom Rockliff back and in form and Pearce Hanley is ready to provide the run and carry they have lacked for most of the season. The Demons will be relying on Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince to provide the drive and movement forward to nullify them. Hopefully, the youth around them will add to the blend of hard work and running necessary to bring home the four points. Melbourne - just.

PERFECT STORM by KC from Casey The heavens opened up in the morning and the rain just kept pounding in buckets. It was so relentless, so heavy and so bitingly cold that they had to turn on the floodlights and even then it was difficult for the hardy spectators who made it to the ground and clearly even more difficult for the players. In those conditions it was perhaps inevitable that Casey with 15 AFL listed players and by far the bigger-bodied of the two teams was going to triumph over Port Melbourne. The two teams met earlier in the Round 5 game at North Port Oval that was closely fought for three quarters before the Borough prevailed but this time they were strangled by the strong tackling of the Scorpions. It was a low scoring affair early with Matt Jones the only goal scorer in the opening term but Port fought back late in the second quarter to get to within two points before goals to Viv Michie and Ed Morris just before half time gave the Scorps the break they needed. The rain was torrential after half time and Port was completely shut down by strong tackling in the mud and the slush. The game was stop-start and shocking as a spectacle but Casey always had someone who could convert and, as a consequence, slid its way to a 49 point win that consolidated its position in the VFL top eighth. The Casey rucks led by Mark Jamar and Jake Spencer relished the wet conditions and had the lion's share of the hit outs. They gave their on ball division an armchair ride with Viv Michie and Aidan Riley relishing the hard going. Jack Grimes put in a pleasing performance which included some strong tackling which set the scene for his possible return to AFL ranks in the near future. Otherwise, there was not a great deal to take from the game other than that one could not accuse any of the players from taking a backward step when the going got tough. In the end the perfect storm provided a perfect outcome for the home team. Casey's next outing is to Visy Park on Saturday to take on the lowly Northern Blues, a game not to be taken lightly after the team succumbed to the equally poorly performed North Ballarat a few weeks ago. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 1.4.10 4.6.30 8.8.56 10.9.69 Port Melbourne 0.1.1 2.4.16 2.6.18 2.8.20 Goals Casey Scorpions Hunt 2 Gent Grimes M Jones Michie Morris Papley Riley Scott Port Melbourne Lisle Pearson Best Casey Scorpions Michie Jamar Gent Riley Hutchins Panozza Port Melbourne Tynan Gilmore Pinwill Dickson Wooffindin Noonan Statistics Rohan Bail 2 behinds 15 disposals 8 kicks 7 hand passes 2 marks 8 tackles 76 dream team points Jack Fitzpatrick 6 disposals 5 kicks 1 hand passes 3 marks 4 tackles 42 dream team points Jack Grimes 1 goal 13 disposals 12 kicks 1 hand passes 15 tackles 102 dream team points Jayden Hunt 2 goals 6 disposals 6 kicks 1 marks 5 tackles 50 dream team points Mark Jamar 29 disposals 20 kicks 9 hand passes 3 marks 6 tackles 43 hit outs 140 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goal disposals 9 kicks 2 hand passes 1 marks 9 tackles 70 dream team points Oscar McDonald 8 disposals 8 kicks 1 marks 2 tackles 36 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 13 disposals 8 kicks 5 hand passes 14 tackles 93 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal disposals 19 kicks 8 hand passes 1 mark 2 tackles dream 93 team points Ben Newton 15 disposals 12 kicks 3 hand passes 10 tackles 78 dream team points Aidan Riley 1 goal 1 behind 28 disposals 14 kicks 14 hand passes 9 tackles 111 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 behind 6 disposals 6 kicks 2 marks 11 tackles 60 hit outs 121 dream team points Dean Terlich 17 disposals 16 kicks 1 hand passes 1 marks 2 tackles dream 61 team points Jimmy Toumpas 10 disposals 7 kicks 3 hand passes 1 marks 9 tackles 57 dream team points Mitch White 13 disposals 10 kicks 3 hand passes 2 marks 3 tackles 54 dream team points The Development League team returned to the winners list after some disappointing losses to teams it was expected to beat. Casey Scorpions 5.2.32 10.3.63 14.5.89 14.5.89 Port Melbourne 0.1.1 1.3.9 2.5.17 4.9.33 Goals Casey Scorpions Anderson 3 Page Paredes Petropoulos 2 Fritsch Fisscher Muir Thwaites Walmsley Port Melbourne Dove Lange Patterson Rivett Best Casey Scorpions Keilty Wyatt Petropoulos Page Paredes Hannon Port Melbourne Vearing Hogan Breust Answerth Hogan

The heavens opened up in the morning and the rain just kept pounding in buckets. It was so relentless, so heavy and so bitingly cold that they had to turn on the floodlights and even then it was difficult for the hardy spectators who made it to the ground and clearly even more difficult for the players. In those conditions it was perhaps inevitable that Casey with 15 AFL listed players and by far the bigger-bodied of the two teams was going to triumph over Port Melbourne. The two teams met earlier in the Round 5 game at North Port Oval that was closely fought for three quarters before the Borough prevailed but this time they were strangled by the strong tackling of the Scorpions. It was a low scoring affair early with Matt Jones the only goal scorer in the opening term but Port fought back late in the second quarter to get to within two points before goals to Viv Michie and Ed Morris just before half time gave the Scorps the break they needed. The rain was torrential after half time and Port was completely shut down by strong tackling in the mud and the slush. The game was stop-start and shocking as a spectacle but Casey always had someone who could convert and, as a consequence, slid its way to a 49 point win that consolidated its position in the VFL top eighth. The Casey rucks led by Mark Jamar and Jake Spencer relished the wet conditions and had the lion's share of the hit outs. They gave their on ball division an armchair ride with Viv Michie and Aidan Riley relishing the hard going. Jack Grimes put in a pleasing performance which included some strong tackling which set the scene for his possible return to AFL ranks in the near future. Otherwise, there was not a great deal to take from the game other than that one could not accuse any of the players from taking a backward step when the going got tough. In the end the perfect storm provided a perfect outcome for the home team. Casey's next outing is to Visy Park on Saturday to take on the lowly Northern Blues, a game not to be taken lightly after the team succumbed to the equally poorly performed North Ballarat a few weeks ago. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 1.4.10 4.6.30 8.8.56 10.9.69 Port Melbourne 0.1.1 2.4.16 2.6.18 2.8.20 Goals Casey Scorpions Hunt 2 Gent Grimes M Jones Michie Morris Papley Riley Scott Port Melbourne Lisle Pearson Best Casey Scorpions Michie Jamar Gent Riley Hutchins Panozza Port Melbourne Tynan Gilmore Pinwill Dickson Wooffindin Noonan Statistics Rohan Bail 2 behinds 15 disposals 8 kicks 7 hand passes 2 marks 8 tackles 76 dream team points Jack Fitzpatrick 6 disposals 5 kicks 1 hand passes 3 marks 4 tackles 42 dream team points Jack Grimes 1 goal 13 disposals 12 kicks 1 hand passes 15 tackles 102 dream team points Jayden Hunt 2 goals 6 disposals 6 kicks 1 marks 5 tackles 50 dream team points Mark Jamar 29 disposals 20 kicks 9 hand passes 3 marks 6 tackles 43 hit outs 140 dream team points Matt Jones 1 goal disposals 9 kicks 2 hand passes 1 marks 9 tackles 70 dream team points Oscar McDonald 8 disposals 8 kicks 1 marks 2 tackles 36 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 13 disposals 8 kicks 5 hand passes 14 tackles 93 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal disposals 19 kicks 8 hand passes 1 mark 2 tackles dream 93 team points Ben Newton 15 disposals 12 kicks 3 hand passes 10 tackles 78 dream team points Aidan Riley 1 goal 1 behind 28 disposals 14 kicks 14 hand passes 9 tackles 111 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 behind 6 disposals 6 kicks 2 marks 11 tackles 60 hit outs 121 dream team points Dean Terlich 17 disposals 16 kicks 1 hand passes 1 marks 2 tackles dream 61 team points Jimmy Toumpas 10 disposals 7 kicks 3 hand passes 1 marks 9 tackles 57 dream team points Mitch White 13 disposals 10 kicks 3 hand passes 2 marks 3 tackles 54 dream team points The Development League team returned to the winners list after some disappointing losses to teams it was expected to beat. Casey Scorpions 5.2.32 10.3.63 14.5.89 14.5.89 Port Melbourne 0.1.1 1.3.9 2.5.17 4.9.33 Goals Casey Scorpions Anderson 3 Page Paredes Petropoulos 2 Fritsch Fisscher Muir Thwaites Walmsley Port Melbourne Dove Lange Patterson Rivett Best Casey Scorpions Keilty Wyatt Petropoulos Page Paredes Hannon Port Melbourne Vearing Hogan Breust Answerth Hogan

Had them early in the last quarter and then meekly surrendered. MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Colin Garland HB: Lynden Dunn, James Frawley, Jeremy Howe C: Dean Terlich, Bernie Vince, Jordie McKenzie HF: Rohan Bail, Cameron Pedersen, Jack Viney F: Luke Tapscott, Chris Dawes, Jack Watts FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Sam Blease, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Dean Kent, Aidan Riley EMG: Daniel Cross, Max Gawn, Matt Jones IN: Dean Terlich OUT: Jack Grimes (hamstring) BRISBANE LIONS B: Darcy Gardiner, Matt Maguire, Justin Clarke HB: Joel Patfull, Daniel McStay, Ryan Harwood C: Ashley McGrath, James Aish, Sam Mayes HF: Lewis Taylor, Michael Close, Josh Green F: Dayne Zorko, Daniel Merrett, Jed Adcock FOLL: Stefan Martin, Tom Rockliff, Pearce Hanley I/C: Claye Beams, Rohan Bewick Jack Crisp, Ryan Lester EMG: Jordan Lisle, Zac O'Brien, Nick Robertson NO CHANGE

We have a new leader 109. Bernie Vince 103. Nathan Jones Tom McDonald 75. Jesse Hogan 53. Angus Brayshaw 52. Jeffrey Garlett 47. Daniel Cross Jack Viney 44. Colin Garland 40. Aaron vandenBerg 39. Max Gawn 30. Christian Salem 28. Cam Pedersen 19. Jimmy Toumpas 16. Jack Watts 13. Jack Grimes Neville Jetta 11. Lynden Dunn 6. Dom Tyson 4. Mark Jamar Heritier Lubumba Viv Michie Ben Newton 2. Jeremy Howe Jake Spencer 1. Alex Neal-Bullen

To quote from Demonland's own Oracle in his Match Preview: When, in recent history, has Melbourne ever won a game starting as the favourite? Once again the Demon supporters who have B.T.D.T knew all too well what was going to happen. Essendon on their knees, lost their captain, the club under a long-running drug investigation, senior players missing through injury, a 110 point thrashing the previous week, and not having a win since Round 8. Surely the reinvigorated Demons would be a certainty to chalk up the win, and better their whole season's performance from 2014? And as the Oracle noted, that a similarly depleted, (or even more depleted) Essendon side won against the Demons in the pre-season - another certain win that was just as equally squandered. But the heart won out for the Oracle over the head, with his final prediction of a Demon win, and guess what? Yes, the Demons managed to resurrect the career of James Hird, and shatter, yet again, the Demon supporters hopes. The first half of the match was a shocker for both sides, with both managing a meagre 3 goals each. Meanwhile the umpires (how do we manage to get Justin Schmitt as the senior umpire again?) were putting in a similar shocker to the Richmond-Carlton game the night before. Thirty-eight thousand plus spectators witnessed the first goal of the game to James Gwilt as being positively over the line on multiple replays, but miraculously the video umpire struggled to determine where the white line was. Simple for thousands but obviously not for one! A deliberate out of bounds against Essendon was not called until the field umpire who was 10 metres away from the action checked with Schmitty who was 100 metres away! What are these people paid to do? But it was Melbourne which was gradually throwing the game away in front of goal. Ultimately twenty-five scoring shots including three "posters" and a few more which went OOBs on the full, should have seen an easy win to the Demons but not when you can only muster 7 majors from such an effort! And ultimately it was effort which was severely lacking. With young kids like Harmes, Stretch, ANB, Brayshaw and Hogan in the side, the effort part of the game has to come from those of more experience. Yet not a peep came from Dawes, Garlett, Howe and a few others. ANB only got 8 touches, but he had more tackles (6), than Cross, Dawes, McDonald, Watts and Jetta all combined! All on a day where tackling was an easy option, with the congestion and slippery ball. In the ruck Max Gawn has cemented his position as our number 1 with an extraordinary 58 hit-outs. Now, all of them werent to advantage, and a fair number were toward exactly the wrong side of the contest, but at least he was giving us opportunities, particularly in the middle. If he can finally get a full pre-season, he will be a category 1 player for us in 2016. The return of Aaron Vandenberg was a positive and the efforts of Jones, Viney, and Vince in the middle and around the ground were of their usual high standard. Vineys work to limit Heppel was good, but he needed more support and at least and equal amount of effort from others in the side. The forward line was dysfunctional, as evidenced by the scoreline, and was shown up even more when Tom McDonald went forward in the last quarter and nearly won the game if only he had kicked straight! The fact that he was able to lead and mark when other couldnt for ¾ of the game was a tragic indictment on them. Yes, once again we managed to lose a game that screamed out as a certain 4 points. Once again the players approached the game with only a half-hearted demeanour, and they got the result that type of attitude produces. The game of AFL is to be played at 100% effort, for 100% of the game. We the supporters know that all too well, because too often we have seen those players in the Red and Blue do exactly what they did today. And each and every time the result is the same. Too often we have B.T.D.T.!!! Melbourne 1.3.9 3.9.27 4.13.37 7.18.60 Essendon 1.3.9 3.4.22 9.7.61 10.9.69 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan Howe Jetta McDonald Tyson vandenBerg Essendon Daniher 5 Edwards 2 Heppell Howlett Stanton Best Melbourne Gawn, Vince, Jones, vandenBerg, McDonand Dunn Viney Essendon Hurley Daniher Stanton Goddard Heppell Gwilt Changes Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Substitutions Melbourne Jay Kennedy-Harris replaced James Harmes in the third quarter Essendon Jason Ashby replaced Alex Browne (concussion) in the second quarter Injuries Melbourne Nil Essendon Alex Browne (concussion) Reports Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Umpires Schmitt Mitchell Deboy. Official Crowd 38,861 at the MCG.

B.T.D.T (been there, done that) by George on the Outer To quote from Demonland's own Oracle in his Match Preview: When, in recent history, has Melbourne ever won a game starting as the favourite? Once again the Demon supporters who have B.T.D.T knew all too well what was going to happen. Essendon on their knees, lost their captain, the club under a long-running drug investigation, senior players missing through injury, a 110 point thrashing the previous week, and not having a win since Round 8. Surely the reinvigorated Demons would be a certainty to chalk up the win, and better their whole season's performance from 2014? And as the Oracle noted, that a similarly depleted, (or even more depleted) Essendon side won against the Demons in the pre-season - another certain win that was just as equally squandered. But the heart won out for the Oracle over the head, with his final prediction of a Demon win, and guess what? Yes, the Demons managed to resurrect the career of James Hird, and shatter, yet again, the Demon supporters hopes. The first half of the match was a shocker for both sides, with both managing a meagre 3 goals each. Meanwhile the umpires (how do we manage to get Justin Schmitt as the senior umpire again?) were putting in a similar shocker to the Richmond-Carlton game the night before. Thirty-eight thousand plus spectators witnessed the first goal of the game to James Gwilt as being positively over the line on multiple replays, but miraculously the video umpire struggled to determine where the white line was. Simple for thousands but obviously not for one! A deliberate out of bounds against Essendon was not called until the field umpire who was 10 metres away from the action checked with Schmitty who was 100 metres away! What are these people paid to do? But it was Melbourne which was gradually throwing the game away in front of goal. Ultimately twenty-five scoring shots including three "posters" and a few more which went OOBs on the full, should have seen an easy win to the Demons but not when you can only muster 7 majors from such an effort! And ultimately it was effort which was severely lacking. With young kids like Harmes, Stretch, ANB, Brayshaw and Hogan in the side, the effort part of the game has to come from those of more experience. Yet not a peep came from Dawes, Garlett, Howe and a few others. ANB only got 8 touches, but he had more tackles (6), than Cross, Dawes, McDonald, Watts and Jetta all combined! All on a day where tackling was an easy option, with the congestion and slippery ball. In the ruck Max Gawn has cemented his position as our number 1 with an extraordinary 58 hit-outs. Now, all of them werent to advantage, and a fair number were toward exactly the wrong side of the contest, but at least he was giving us opportunities, particularly in the middle. If he can finally get a full pre-season, he will be a category 1 player for us in 2016. The return of Aaron Vandenberg was a positive and the efforts of Jones, Viney, and Vince in the middle and around the ground were of their usual high standard. Vineys work to limit Heppel was good, but he needed more support and at least and equal amount of effort from others in the side. The forward line was dysfunctional, as evidenced by the scoreline, and was shown up even more when Tom McDonald went forward in the last quarter and nearly won the game if only he had kicked straight! The fact that he was able to lead and mark when other couldnt for ¾ of the game was a tragic indictment on them. Yes, once again we managed to lose a game that screamed out as a certain 4 points. Once again the players approached the game with only a half-hearted demeanour, and they got the result that type of attitude produces. The game of AFL is to be played at 100% effort, for 100% of the game. We the supporters know that all too well, because too often we have seen those players in the Red and Blue do exactly what they did today. And each and every time the result is the same. Too often we have B.T.D.T.!!! Melbourne 1.3.9 3.9.27 4.13.37 7.18.60 Essendon 1.3.9 3.4.22 9.7.61 10.9.69 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan Howe Jetta McDonald Tyson vandenBerg Essendon Daniher 5 Edwards 2 Heppell Howlett Stanton Best Melbourne Gawn, Vince, Jones, vandenBerg, McDonand Dunn Viney Essendon Hurley Daniher Stanton Goddard Heppell Gwilt Changes Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Substitutions Melbourne Jay Kennedy-Harris replaced James Harmes in the third quarter Essendon Jason Ashby replaced Alex Browne (concussion) in the second quarter Injuries Melbourne Nil Essendon Alex Browne (concussion) Reports Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Umpires Schmitt Mitchell Deboy. Official Crowd 38,861 at the MCG.

Post your votes here please ... as soon as the final siren sounds

This could only happen to Melbourne. Last Sunday, St. Kilda which had hitherto won just four games this season played a game against Essendon which was also on the same number of wins. The Bombers started as slight favourite and produced a performance that was so monumentally pathetic that it has to rank up there with the phenomenon known as "186" that was visited upon the Melbourne Football Club in 2011. After all, Geelong which inflected that defeat on the Demons went on to win the flag that year while the Saints who vanquished the Bombers at Etihad Stadium last weekend were not long ago considered wooden spoon favourite. They were so limp that they allowed the young Saints 141 more possessions, 23 more inside 50s, double the number of marks on the day (142 marks to 71) and effortless goal after effortless goal and in light of this, their 110-point loss, the seventh worst in their entire history was their equivalent of "186". The only difference was that the Essendon Board didn't sack the coach. Then came the news that Essendon skipper Jobe Watson has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury to join a swag of other household names at Bomberland sitting on the sidelines. Names like Paul Chapman (groin - 1-2 weeks), Adam Cooney (hamstring - 2 weeks), Tom Bellchambers (foot - 8 weeks), Travis Colyer (foot - 6-8 weeks), Jake Carlisle (ankle - 4-6 weeks) and the wonderful Orazio Fantasia (groin - 1-2 weeks). And the oldest man in the game, Dustin Fletcher who was in the game long before many current day competitors surfaced in their maternity wards has been missing for several weeks since he played his 400th AFL game. So the Bombers appear to be at their lowest ebb at the very same time when they face the Demons. They are so down in the dumps that the betting agencies have installed Melbourne as the favourite to win this week's game at the G and that's where the red flag comes into contention. When, in recent history, has Melbourne ever won a game starting as the favourite? Oh you might say that the Melbourne of 2015 is a different team to that of years gone by - that it's been competitive without actually winning more games than, say last year when it had the same number of wins at this stage of the journey. But let's not forget that Essendon still occupies one position higher by dint of its superior percentage (admittedly only by 1.6%). But how different is Melbourne right at this minute to the Melbourne of the past? Much was made of the fact that the team introduced seven new faces for the opening game of the season to go with some of the young up and comers introduced in the past year or so. I was contemplating this very thing in the early moments of last Saturday night's game in Darwin. Of the "seven", only Jeff Garlett and Jesse Hogan were still on the ground, the latter returning after missing a game through hamstring soreness. Where were the rest of the magnificent seven? Angus Brayshaw (subbed off with a neck injury after just two minutes); Sam Frost (missing since round three with a broken toe); Heritier Lumumba (foot); Ben Newton (at Casey coming back from concussion); Aaron Vandenberg (out for a month with a hamstring injury) And where were those young guns with promise who were there for that round 1 victory over the Suns? Jay Kennedy-Harris (at Casey after recovering from a groin injury); Dean Kent (missing since Anzac Day eve with a hamstring injury); and Christian Salem (also missing with a hammy first incurred two months ago and still 3 weeks away). All on top of that season-ending knee injury to Christian Petracca incurred back in February. This all suggests that the team hasn't changed much, that Saturday's game looms as the battle between the Norm Smith curse and the ASADA curse and the red flag has been well and truly raised. THE GAME Essendon v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday, 11 July, 2015 at 1.40pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Essendon 127 wins Melbourne 81 wins 2 draws At the MCG Essendon 64 wins Melbourne 45 wins 1 draw The last five meetings Essendon 1 win Melbourne 4 wins The Coaches Hird 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel at 1.30pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Essendon $2.35 to win Melbourne $1.59 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 12.6.78 defeated Essendon 10.17.77 Round 13, 2014 at the MCG This game produced one of the highlights of Melbourne's dismal 2014 season when a chain of disposals ended with a dramatic last minute mark and goal to Christian Salem to the Demons get up by the narrowest of margins against an inaccurate Essendon after trailing at one stage by 33 points. The lowlight was that it was the team's last win for 2014. THE TEAMS ESSENDON ​ B: Mark Baguley, Michael Hurley, James Gwilt HB: Jackson Merrett, Jake Melksham, Ariel Steinberg, Martin Gleeson C: Brent Stanton, Dyson Heppell, David Zaharakis HF: Zach Merrett, Joe Daniher, Michael Hibberd F: Patrick Ambrose, Cale Hooker, Jayden Laverde FOLL: Shaun McKernan, Ben Howlett, Brendon Goddard I/C: Alex Browne, Heath Hocking, Nick O'Brien, Jason Ashby, Shaun Edwards EMG: Jonathan Giles, Elliott Kavanagh, Kyle Langford IN: Patrick Ambrose, Jason Ashby, Alex Browne, Shaun Edwards, Heath Hocking, Jayden Laverde OUT: Adam Cooney (hamstring), Courtenay Dempsey (omitted), Elliott Kavanagh (omitted), Jake Melksham (hamstring), Jobe Watson (shoulder) NEW: Jayden Laverde (19, Western Jets) MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Billy Stretch C: Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince, Heritier Lumumba HF: Alex Neal-Bullen, Chris Dawes, Jeff Garlett F: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Jack Watts Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jay Kennedy-Harris, James Harmes, Aaron vandenBerg, Dom Tyson EMG: Rohan Bail, Mark Jamar, Jack Fitzpatrick IN: James Harmes, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Heritier Lumumba, Aaron vandenBerg OUT: Rohan Bail, Matt Jones, Jake Spencer, Jimmy Toumpas (all omitted) NEW: James Harmes (19, Dandenong Stingrays) After team selection on Thursday night, two more Essendon players dropped out with injury - Heath Hocking (back) and Jake Melksham (hamstring). They were replaced by virtual unknowns in Jason Ashby and Shaun Edwards - even more bad news for the Demons who probably did zero homework on these blokes who will no doubt be the stars of the game The game is being billed as the Clash for Cancer and the face of the game from Essendon’s point of view is healed cancer sufferer Adam Ramanauskas. Given the club’s recent history with the illness and the loss of former greats Jim Stynes and Sean Wight and our association with breast cancer awareness, it’s a great cause and worthy of our support. The Essendon team appears to be falling apart with more injuries announced (as above) since Thursday night’s team selection. This is extremely problematic for Melbourne as the Bombers line up appears to be looking more and more like the one they one they put out on the field for the third NAB Challenge game back in March which was played at Etihad Stadium. Remember that? Essendon was coming off two shattering defeats including a pounding at the hands of St. Kilda (ahem). Melbourne had put in a fair performance in Fremantle against the Dockers and followed it up with a win against the Bulldogs in Ballarat. With the Bombers fielding a second rate side bereft of the remaining players among the Essendon 34 who were then awaiting the outcome of the AFL Tribunal decision on the ASADA doping charges, the Demons were raging favourites and a loss to this rag, tag depleted excuse for a football team was regarded as unthinkable. The unthinkable happened. So when the ball is bounced for the opening of the game at the MCG, let’s not labour under any delusions. It’s a danger game for the Demons. Former Bomber Matthew Lloyd has said that he expects the ‘little things’ to tell a big story when the teams meet. “I’m going to be looking at the first two or three stoppages, the effort around the ball, the contests, the pressure around the ball,” Lloyd said. “I think that’s where it all stems from, your confidence comes from all the little things. “The chases, the tackles, the smothers; and the rest just falls into line from there.” The likelihood of rain, strong winds and possible hailstorms promises a scrappy match in difficult conditions and in those instances, it’s the more settled team that wins in the end. I will therefore shun the curses, the red alerts, the history of Melbourne losing games when favourite and tip the Demons to finish on top by 22 points.

RED ALERT by The Oracle This could only happen to Melbourne. Last Sunday, St. Kilda which had hitherto won just four games this season played a game against Essendon which was also on the same number of wins. The Bombers started as slight favourite and produced a performance that was so monumentally pathetic that it has to rank up there with the phenomenon known as "186" that was visited upon the Melbourne Football Club in 2011. After all, Geelong which inflected that defeat on the Demons went on to win the flag that year while the Saints who vanquished the Bombers at Etihad Stadium last weekend were not long ago considered wooden spoon favourite. They were so limp that they allowed the young Saints 141 more possessions, 23 more inside 50s, double the number of marks on the day (142 marks to 71) and effortless goal after effortless goal and in light of this, their 110-point loss, the seventh worst in their entire history was their equivalent of "186". The only difference was that the Essendon Board didn't sack the coach. Then came the news that Essendon skipper Jobe Watson has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury to join a swag of other household names at Bomberland sitting on the sidelines. Names like Paul Chapman (groin - 1-2 weeks), Adam Cooney (hamstring - 2 weeks), Tom Bellchambers (foot - 8 weeks), Travis Colyer (foot - 6-8 weeks), Jake Carlisle (ankle - 4-6 weeks) and the wonderful Orazio Fantasia (groin - 1-2 weeks). And the oldest man in the game, Dustin Fletcher who was in the game long before many current day competitors surfaced in their maternity wards has been missing for several weeks since he played his 400th AFL game. So the Bombers appear to be at their lowest ebb at the very same time when they face the Demons. They are so down in the dumps that the betting agencies have installed Melbourne as the favourite to win this week's game at the G and that's where the red flag comes into contention. When, in recent history, has Melbourne ever won a game starting as the favourite? Oh you might say that the Melbourne of 2015 is a different team to that of years gone by - that it's been competitive without actually winning more games than, say last year when it had the same number of wins at this stage of the journey. But let's not forget that Essendon still occupies one position higher by dint of its superior percentage (admittedly only by 1.6%). But how different is Melbourne right at this minute to the Melbourne of the past? Much was made of the fact that the team introduced seven new faces for the opening game of the season to go with some of the young up and comers introduced in the past year or so. I was contemplating this very thing in the early moments of last Saturday night's game in Darwin. Of the "seven", only Jeff Garlett and Jesse Hogan were still on the ground, the latter returning after missing a game through hamstring soreness. Where were the rest of the magnificent seven? Angus Brayshaw (subbed off with a neck injury after just two minutes); Sam Frost (missing since round three with a broken toe); Heritier Lumumba (foot); Ben Newton (at Casey coming back from concussion); Aaron Vandenberg (out for a month with a hamstring injury) And where were those young guns with promise who were there for that round 1 victory over the Suns? Jay Kennedy-Harris (at Casey after recovering from a groin injury); Dean Kent (missing since Anzac Day eve with a hamstring injury); and Christian Salem (also missing with a hammy first incurred two months ago and still 3 weeks away). All on top of that season-ending knee injury to Christian Petracca incurred back in February. This all suggests that the team hasn't changed much, that Saturday's game looms as the battle between the Norm Smith curse and the ASADA curse and the red flag has been well and truly raised. THE GAME Essendon v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday, 11 July, 2015 at 1.40pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Essendon 127 wins Melbourne 81 wins 2 draws At the MCG Essendon 64 wins Melbourne 45 wins 1 draw The last five meetings Essendon 1 win Melbourne 4 wins The Coaches Hird 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel at 1.30pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Essendon $2.35 to win Melbourne $1.59 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 12.6.78 defeated Essendon 10.17.77 Round 13, 2014 at the MCG This game produced one of the highlights of Melbourne's dismal 2014 season when a chain of disposals ended with a dramatic last minute mark and goal to Christian Salem to the Demons get up by the narrowest of margins against an inaccurate Essendon after trailing at one stage by 33 points. The lowlight was that it was the team's last win for 2014. THE TEAMS ESSENDON ​ B: Mark Baguley, Michael Hurley, James Gwilt HB: Jackson Merrett, Jake Melksham, Ariel Steinberg, Martin Gleeson C: Brent Stanton, Dyson Heppell, David Zaharakis HF: Zach Merrett, Joe Daniher, Michael Hibberd F: Patrick Ambrose, Cale Hooker, Jayden Laverde FOLL: Shaun McKernan, Ben Howlett, Brendon Goddard I/C: Alex Browne, Heath Hocking, Nick O'Brien, Jason Ashby, Shaun Edwards EMG: Jonathan Giles, Elliott Kavanagh, Kyle Langford IN: Patrick Ambrose, Jason Ashby, Alex Browne, Shaun Edwards, Heath Hocking, Jayden Laverde OUT: Adam Cooney (hamstring), Courtenay Dempsey (omitted), Elliott Kavanagh (omitted), Jake Melksham (hamstring), Jobe Watson (shoulder) NEW: Jayden Laverde (19, Western Jets) MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Billy Stretch C: Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince, Heritier Lumumba HF: Alex Neal-Bullen, Chris Dawes, Jeff Garlett F: Angus Brayshaw, Jesse Hogan, Jack Watts Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jay Kennedy-Harris, James Harmes, Aaron vandenBerg, Dom Tyson EMG: Rohan Bail, Mark Jamar, Jack Fitzpatrick IN: James Harmes, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Heritier Lumumba, Aaron vandenBerg OUT: Rohan Bail, Matt Jones, Jake Spencer, Jimmy Toumpas (all omitted) NEW: James Harmes (19, Dandenong Stingrays) After team selection on Thursday night, two more Essendon players dropped out with injury - Heath Hocking (back) and Jake Melksham (hamstring). They were replaced by virtual unknowns in Jason Ashby and Shaun Edwards - even more bad news for the Demons who probably did zero homework on these blokes who will no doubt be the stars of the game The game is being billed as the Clash for Cancer and the face of the game from Essendon’s point of view is healed cancer sufferer Adam Ramanauskas. Given the club’s recent history with the illness and the loss of former greats Jim Stynes and Sean Wight and our association with breast cancer awareness, it’s a great cause and worthy of our support. The Essendon team appears to be falling apart with more injuries announced (as above) since Thursday night’s team selection. This is extremely problematic for Melbourne as the Bombers line up appears to be looking more and more like the one they one they put out on the field for the third NAB Challenge game back in March which was played at Etihad Stadium. Remember that? Essendon was coming off two shattering defeats including a pounding at the hands of St. Kilda (ahem). Melbourne had put in a fair performance in Fremantle against the Dockers and followed it up with a win against the Bulldogs in Ballarat. With the Bombers fielding a second rate side bereft of the remaining players among the Essendon 34 who were then awaiting the outcome of the AFL Tribunal decision on the ASADA doping charges, the Demons were raging favourites and a loss to this rag, tag depleted excuse for a football team was regarded as unthinkable. The unthinkable happened. So when the ball is bounced for the opening of the game at the MCG, let’s not labour under any delusions. It’s a danger game for the Demons. Former Bomber Matthew Lloyd has said that he expects the ‘little things’ to tell a big story when the teams meet. “I’m going to be looking at the first two or three stoppages, the effort around the ball, the contests, the pressure around the ball,” Lloyd said. “I think that’s where it all stems from, your confidence comes from all the little things. “The chases, the tackles, the smothers; and the rest just falls into line from there.” The likelihood of rain, strong winds and possible hailstorms promises a scrappy match in difficult conditions and in those instances, it’s the more settled team that wins in the end. I will therefore shun the curses, the red alerts, the history of Melbourne losing games when favourite and tip the Demons to finish on top by 22 points.

This game produced one of the highlights of Melbourne's dismal 2014 season when a chain of disposals ended with a dramatic last minute mark and goal to Christian Salem to the Demons get up by the narrowest of margins against an inaccurate Essendon. The lowlight was that it was the team's last win for 2014. THE TEAMS ESSENDON B: Jake Carlisle, Cale Hooker, Courtenay Dempsey HB: Michael Hibberd, Michael Hurley, Mark Baguley C: Brendon Goddard, Dyson Heppell, Jake Melksham HF: Zach Merrett, Joe Daniher, David Zaharakis F: Jason Winderlich, Patrick Ryder, Patrick Ambrose Foll: Tom Bellchambers, Heath Hocking, Brent Stanton I/C: Paul Chapman, Dustin Fletcher, Ben Howlett, David Myers EMG: Travis Colyer, Cory DellOlio, Elliott Kavanagh IN: Michael Hurley, Jason Winderlich OUT: Cory DellOlio, Jobe Watson (hip surgery) MELBOURNE B: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Jack Grimes C: Bernie Vince, Jack Viney, Daniel Cross HF: Nathan Jones, Chris Dawes, Rohan Bail F: Cam Pedersen, James Frawley, Jack Watts Foll: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Dean Kent, Jordie McKenzie, Aidan Riley Christian Salem EMG: Max Gawn, Dean Kent, Dan Nicholson, Dean Terlich IN: Dean Kent, Jordie McKenzie, Aidan Riley OUT: Max Gawn, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Dean Terlich

We have a real battle for first place now ... Progressive 101. Tom McDonald 94. Bernie Vince 92. Nathan Jones 75. Jesse Hogan 53. Angus Brayshaw 52. Jeffrey Garlett 47. Jack Viney 44. Colin Garland 43. Daniel Cross 30. Christian Salem Aaron vandenBerg 28. Cam Pedersen 21. Max Gawn 19. Jimmy Toumpas 16. Jack Watts 13. Jack Grimes Neville Jetta 9. Lynden Dunn 6. Dom Tyson 4. Mark Jamar Viv Michie Ben Newton 3. Heritier Lubumba 2. Jeremy Howe Jake Spencer 1. Alex Neal-Bullen

It seems to me that one of Melbourne's selectors must have taken the kids to the movies during the week, stumbled into a screening of Jurassic World and assumed that the Top End of Australia was not dissimilar to the fictional island of Isla Nublar, where the film is set. Said selector must have been so impressed by the havoc those pre-historic creatures played with the punters who turned up at that dinosaur theme park that he convinced the others that the same sort of caper could succeed on Saturday night in Darwin. Fat chance. I don't know what it is about these sojourns to the Northern Territory but the Demons are getting things terribly wrong every time they play there. At their last meeting against Port Adelaide in Alice Springs back in May, the problem was that they stopped running after 1½ quarters which turned a possible victory into a disastrous loss. This time round in the warmish but not oppressive conditions of Darwin, they simply didn't run at all and I put this down to the fact that the team simply had insufficient runners and too much of the lumbering big men to match it against a team that moves the ball very well out of defence and mostly with plenty of hard, gut running. At times, it was scary; just looking at Melbourne's forward line with all of those dinosaurs standing there knowing that the West Coast defenders had the mobility and run to take the ball away on the majority of occasions when the ball was delivered (often sloppily) into the Melbourne attacking zones. Compare and contrast with the set up when the ball came down to the opposite end of the ground. Melbourne's troubles started early. They had already lost one creative mover before the game in Heritier Lumumba so it didn't help when last week's hero Angus Brayshaw crashed head-first into an opponent's hip and had to be subbed off. When someone at Melbourne is omitted with "leg" next to their name having not been previously noted on the injury list, it could mean anything between one week or a lifetime out of the team. Losing Brayshaw so early as well as Lumumba was a crushing blow because it had one less set of fresh legs available when the heat of the night started to take its toll late in the third term. It was no coincidence then that the Eagles soared at that very time and went on to outscore Melbourne by 40 points to six in the last quarter. Earlier, at the same time as we saw Brayshaw depart, Melbourne was being beaten in the ruck and at the stoppages and was missing some easy chances to score goals. Jesse Hogan hit the post with his first shot for goal and shanked his second. After that the forward opportunities dried up for him until late in the game and he did his best work further afield. The upshot was that a "coodabeen" lead at quarter time was in fact a deficit of three goals at the first break and whilst Melbourne fought valiantly until late in the third quarter (at one stage in midterm there were only two goals between the teams), the lack of run and the turnovers would take their toll - and they did. Not even a half time swim could save the team from going into melt down. Credit as always goes to the skipper Nathan Jones who worked tirelessly to set the example, capably assisted by Bernie Vince and Jack Viney and the efforts of Jeff Garlett, Neville Jetta and Brayshaw's replacement in Alex Neal-Bullen but in the end, the opposition was simply too hot and two fast for a team that moved like the now extinct reptiles of the early days of the planet. Melbourne 2.4.16 5.5.35 8.6.54 9.6.60 West Coast 5.4.34 7.8.50 10.14.74 16.18.114 Goals Melbourne Dawes Neal-Bullen 2 Garlett Hogan Spencer Tyson Viney West Coast Darling 5 Cripps Kennedy Shuey 2 Hill LeCras McGovern Sheed Sinclair Best Melbourne Vince N Jones Garlett Viney Tyson Watts West Coast Darling Gaff Sheed Masten Naitanui Wellingham Kennedy Changes Melbourne Nil West Coast Nil Injuries Melbourne Angus Brayshaw (head/neck). West Coast Nil Substitutions Melbourne Angus Brayshaw (head/neck) replaced by Alex Neal-Bullen in the first quarter West Coast Liam Duggan by Scott Selwood in the third quarter Reports Melbourne Nil West Coast Nil Umpires Schmitt Hosking Deboy Official Crowd 11,873 at TIO Stadium

The Casey Scorpions held on to their finals hopes with a rousing eight goal victory over the Geelong Cats at Casey Fields. It was a fitting outcome for the club on its annual Pink Ribbon Day in support of breast cancer research. The Scorpions came into the game with only eight senior AFL-listed players and two rookies against the Cats who had senior premiership player and Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel in their ranks along with a couple of others who had been selected to play in the AFL team whose game against Adelaide was cancelled due to the untimely death of Phil Walsh. The Cats were expected to dominate but their team performance was subdued, perhaps due to that situation. Casey led from the opening moments of the game, built up a strong lead of 31 points with the aid of a stiff breeze by the end of the first quarter, doing so without conceding a goal. It then scored the first goal against the wind early in the second term and defended strongly with Jack Fitzpatrick, Evan Panozza and Oscar McDonald holding tight and creating plenty of run as well to ensure the home side had a handy lead at the main break. At half time, there were eight single goal kickers and the team led by 22 points. Once again, the Scorpions were well served in the ruck by the experienced Mark Jamar who disposed of giant Cat Dawson Simpson and gave his on ballers headed by Viv Michie, the constantly improving James Harmes, Ben Newton and Jordie McKenzie an armchair ride throughout the game. With the heavens opening up to bring more rain at the start of the third term, Casey pressed home its advantage in the difficult conditions so that they led by 35 points at three quarter time, a lead which proved to be too much for the visitors. The Scorpions stormed away to a big victory and a place in the top eight with its 48 point win turning Geelong which had inflicted some big defeats on them in recent seasons into meek little pussy cats. Justin Plapp would be well pleased with the form of some of his youngsters. Harmes was a prolific ball winner while goal sneaks Jayden Hunt and Tom Papley kicked three goals each. The latter has been a clever small goal kicking forward for the past two seasons with the Gippsland Power where he has kicked 22 goals to date this year. After a quiet first half Hunt, who scored his first goal late in the second term, proved a real danger player for the Cats with his pace and attack on the football. Former Gold Coast Sun Jack Hutchins played another solid game and is putting up his hand to be redrafted at the end of the year. Next week, Casey plays in a make-or-break game at home against Port Melbourne to who it lowered its colours at North Port Oval in May. A win would secure a place in the top eight but a loss will make things hard with some tough contests ahead of them. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 5.3.33 8.3.51 11.6.72 14.9.93 Geelong Cats 0.2.2 4.5.29 5.7.37 6.9.45 Goals Casey Scorpions Hunt Papley 3 Newton 2 Byrnes Jamar McKenzie Moncrieff Morris Paredes Geelong Cats Blease Hollmer Jansen Kolodjashnij Maas Read Best Casey Scorpions Jamar Michie Harmes Papley Fitzpatrick Hutchins Geelong Cats Bartel Jansen Ruggles Kolodjashnij Horlin-Smith Rees Statistics Jack Fitzpatrick 17 disposals 9 kicks 8 hand passes 8 marks 6 tackles 1 hit out 89 dream team points James Harmes 1 behind 29 disposals 13 kicks 16 hand passes 6 marks 11 tackles 135 dream team points Jayden Hunt 3 goals 1 behind 12 disposals 9 kicks 3 hand passes 6 marks 1 tackle 74 dream team points Mark Jamar 1 goal 13 disposals 11 kicks 2 hand passes 4 marks 2 tackles 38 hit outs 96 dream team points Max King 3 behinds 11 disposals 9 kicks 2 hand passes 3 marks 6 tackles 12 hit outs 76 dream team points Oscar McDonald 9 disposals 7 kicks 2 hand passes 2 marks 31 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 1 goal 28 disposals 14 kicks 14 hand passes 3 marks 9 tackles 120 dream team points Viv Michie 26 disposals 20 kicks 6 hand passes 5 marks 4 tackles 104 dream team points Ben Newton 2 goals 1 behind 18 disposals 10 kicks 8 hand passes 1 mark 8 tackles 95 dream team points Dean Terlich 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 hand passes 2 marks 4 tackles 69 dream team points With the injury toll at Melbourne and to a lesser extent at Casey, the Scorpions' development team was overrun by Sandringham at the end and lost by 29 points. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 1.5.11 2.6.18 4.9.33 4.13.37 Sandringham 2.2.14 2.8.20 5.10.40 9.12.66 Goals Casey Scorpions Rennie 3 Waters Sandringham Zijai 5 Williams 2 Ong Weickhardt Best Casey Scorpions Gains Fisscher McDonald Keilty Corrigan Petropoulos SandringhamMurdoch Zijai Maitland Markworth Verma Persson Disposals K Wilson 23 Plummer 21 Pattison 19 Petropoulos 18 Muir 17

THE PINK PUSSY CATS by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions held on to their finals hopes with a rousing eight goal victory over the Geelong Cats at Casey Fields. It was a fitting outcome for the club on its annual Pink Ribbon Day in support of breast cancer research. The Scorpions came into the game with only eight senior AFL-listed players and two rookies against the Cats who had senior premiership player and Brownlow Medallist Jimmy Bartel in their ranks along with a couple of others who had been selected to play in the AFL team whose game against Adelaide was cancelled due to the untimely death of Phil Walsh. The Cats were expected to dominate but their team performance was subdued, perhaps due to that situation. Casey led from the opening moments of the game, built up a strong lead of 31 points with the aid of a stiff breeze by the end of the first quarter, doing so without conceding a goal. It then scored the first goal against the wind early in the second term and defended strongly with Jack Fitzpatrick, Evan Panozza and Oscar McDonald holding tight and creating plenty of run as well to ensure the home side had a handy lead at the main break. At half time, there were eight single goal kickers and the team led by 22 points. Once again, the Scorpions were well served in the ruck by the experienced Mark Jamar who disposed of giant Cat Dawson Simpson and gave his on ballers headed by Viv Michie, the constantly improving James Harmes, Ben Newton and Jordie McKenzie an armchair ride throughout the game. With the heavens opening up to bring more rain at the start of the third term, Casey pressed home its advantage in the difficult conditions so that they led by 35 points at three quarter time, a lead which proved to be too much for the visitors. The Scorpions stormed away to a big victory and a place in the top eight with its 48 point win turning Geelong which had inflicted some big defeats on them in recent seasons into meek little pussy cats. Justin Plapp would be well pleased with the form of some of his youngsters. Harmes was a prolific ball winner while goal sneaks Jayden Hunt and Tom Papley kicked three goals each. The latter has been a clever small goal kicking forward for the past two seasons with the Gippsland Power where he has kicked 22 goals to date this year. After a quiet first half Hunt, who scored his first goal late in the second term, proved a real danger player for the Cats with his pace and attack on the football. Former Gold Coast Sun Jack Hutchins played another solid game and is putting up his hand to be redrafted at the end of the year. Next week, Casey plays in a make-or-break game at home against Port Melbourne to who it lowered its colours at North Port Oval in May. A win would secure a place in the top eight but a loss will make things hard with some tough contests ahead of them. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 5.3.33 8.3.51 11.6.72 14.9.93 Geelong Cats 0.2.2 4.5.29 5.7.37 6.9.45 Goals Casey Scorpions Hunt Papley 3 Newton 2 Byrnes Jamar McKenzie Moncrieff Morris Paredes Geelong Cats Blease Hollmer Jansen Kolodjashnij Maas Read Best Casey Scorpions Jamar Michie Harmes Papley Fitzpatrick Hutchins Geelong Cats Bartel Jansen Ruggles Kolodjashnij Horlin-Smith Rees Statistics Jack Fitzpatrick 17 disposals 9 kicks 8 hand passes 8 marks 6 tackles 1 hit out 89 dream team points James Harmes 1 behind 29 disposals 13 kicks 16 hand passes 6 marks 11 tackles 135 dream team points Jayden Hunt 3 goals 1 behind 12 disposals 9 kicks 3 hand passes 6 marks 1 tackle 74 dream team points Mark Jamar 1 goal 13 disposals 11 kicks 2 hand passes 4 marks 2 tackles 38 hit outs 96 dream team points Max King 3 behinds 11 disposals 9 kicks 2 hand passes 3 marks 6 tackles 12 hit outs 76 dream team points Oscar McDonald 9 disposals 7 kicks 2 hand passes 2 marks 31 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 1 goal 28 disposals 14 kicks 14 hand passes 3 marks 9 tackles 120 dream team points Viv Michie 26 disposals 20 kicks 6 hand passes 5 marks 4 tackles 104 dream team points Ben Newton 2 goals 1 behind 18 disposals 10 kicks 8 hand passes 1 mark 8 tackles 95 dream team points Dean Terlich 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 hand passes 2 marks 4 tackles 69 dream team points With the injury toll at Melbourne and to a lesser extent at Casey, the Scorpions' development team was overrun by Sandringham at the end and lost by 29 points. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 1.5.11 2.6.18 4.9.33 4.13.37 Sandringham 2.2.14 2.8.20 5.10.40 9.12.66 Goals Casey Scorpions Rennie 3 Waters Sandringham Zijai 5 Williams 2 Ong Weickhardt Best Casey Scorpions Gains Fisscher McDonald Keilty Corrigan Petropoulos SandringhamMurdoch Zijai Maitland Markworth Verma Persson Disposals K Wilson 23 Plummer 21 Pattison 19 Petropoulos 18 Muir 17

That is all folks ...

JURRASIC WORLD by JVM It seems to me that one of Melbourne's selectors must have taken the kids to the movies during the week, stumbled into a screening of Jurassic World and assumed that the Top End of Australia was not dissimilar to the fictional island of Isla Nublar, where the film is set. Said selector must have been so impressed by the havoc those pre-historic creatures played with the punters who turned up at that dinosaur theme park that he convinced the others that the same sort of caper could succeed on Saturday night in Darwin. Fat chance. I don't know what it is about these sojourns to the Northern Territory but the Demons are getting things terribly wrong every time they play there. At their last meeting against Port Adelaide in Alice Springs back in May, the problem was that they stopped running after 1½ quarters which turned a possible victory into a disastrous loss. This time round in the warmish but not oppressive conditions of Darwin, they simply didn't run at all and I put this down to the fact that the team simply had insufficient runners and too much of the lumbering big men to match it against a team that moves the ball very well out of defence and mostly with plenty of hard, gut running. At times, it was scary; just looking at Melbourne's forward line with all of those dinosaurs standing there knowing that the West Coast defenders had the mobility and run to take the ball away on the majority of occasions when the ball was delivered (often sloppily) into the Melbourne attacking zones. Compare and contrast with the set up when the ball came down to the opposite end of the ground. Melbourne's troubles started early. They had already lost one creative mover before the game in Heritier Lumumba so it didn't help when last week's hero Angus Brayshaw crashed head-first into an opponent's hip and had to be subbed off. When someone at Melbourne is omitted with "leg" next to their name having not been previously noted on the injury list, it could mean anything between one week or a lifetime out of the team. Losing Brayshaw so early as well as Lumumba was a crushing blow because it had one less set of fresh legs available when the heat of the night started to take its toll late in the third term. It was no coincidence then that the Eagles soared at that very time and went on to outscore Melbourne by 40 points to six in the last quarter. Earlier, at the same time as we saw Brayshaw depart, Melbourne was being beaten in the ruck and at the stoppages and was missing some easy chances to score goals. Jesse Hogan hit the post with his first shot for goal and shanked his second. After that the forward opportunities dried up for him until late in the game and he did his best work further afield. The upshot was that a "coodabeen" lead at quarter time was in fact a deficit of three goals at the first break and whilst Melbourne fought valiantly until late in the third quarter (at one stage in midterm there were only two goals between the teams), the lack of run and the turnovers would take their toll - and they did. Not even a half time swim could save the team from going into melt down. Credit as always goes to the skipper Nathan Jones who worked tirelessly to set the example, capably assisted by Bernie Vince and Jack Viney and the efforts of Jeff Garlett, Neville Jetta and Brayshaw's replacement in Alex Neal-Bullen but in the end, the opposition was simply too hot and two fast for a team that moved like the now extinct reptiles of the early days of the planet. Melbourne 2.4.16 5.5.35 8.6.54 9.6.60 West Coast 5.4.34 7.8.50 10.14.74 16.18.114 Goals Melbourne Dawes Neal-Bullen 2 Garlett Hogan Spencer Tyson Viney West Coast Darling 5 Cripps Kennedy Shuey 2 Hill LeCras McGovern Sheed Sinclair Best Melbourne Vince N Jones Garlett Viney Tyson Watts West Coast Darling Gaff Sheed Masten Naitanui Wellingham Kennedy Changes Melbourne Nil West Coast Nil Injuries Melbourne Angus Brayshaw (head/neck). West Coast Nil Substitutions Melbourne Angus Brayshaw (head/neck) replaced by Alex Neal-Bullen in the first quarter West Coast Liam Duggan by Scott Selwood in the third quarter Reports Melbourne Nil West Coast Nil Umpires Schmitt Hosking Deboy Official Crowd 11,873 at TIO Stadium