Demonland

KING SIZE WIN TO CASEY by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions won their third match on end by overcoming a persistent Coburg Lions combination after a hard fought afternoon of football at Casey Fields. The Scorpions kicked off the game with a fine goal from Demon rookie Max King who was to herald his return to the seniors with a five goal performance in perfect conditions. Both sides were on target with Casey in control for much of the first term and taking a three goal advantage into the break with a goal on the siren to Nathan Page. Goals were more difficult to come by in the second quarter and Coburg rallied to narrow the margin with some strong work at the stoppages despite the home team's superior ruck strength. Thanks to the work of King and Spencer up forward (each kicked his second goal during this quarter) and the prolific ball-winning ability of Matt Jones, Rohan Bail and James Harmes, the Scorpions were able to maintain a handy little buffer of 14 points at half time. However, the accurate Lions kicked the first three goals on end after the break to take a two point lead before King booted his third. It was goal for goal in a tense tussle that saw the visitors lead by the narrowest of margins when the teams went into the huddle at three quarter time. The Coburg Lions have had to battle against adversity and to stay alive in the VFL competition in recent years. They are now a stand alone club with no big name players but against an aligned club with 11 AFL listed players they stood tall coming back every time Casey threatened to run away with the game. Max King kicked his fourth and the Lions came back. King got his fifth and still they fought back with another goal to be down by a solitary point. Even when Casey scored the next two goals through Jordie McKenzie and Chris Dawes, the Lions rallied with a reply but it was too late; the Scorpions prevailing by eight points when the siren sounded. All in all, it was a big day for Demon rookie listers. King is no overnight sensation as he has played in NAB Challenge matches and VFL seniors before but he remains a work in progress as a tall, strong marking and accurate kick for goal. His five goals overshadowed the emergence of James Harmes who continues to impress as a hardworking midfielder who is not only good with his clearance work but has a significant impact around the ground. Mitch White also continues to produce positive efforts in defence and his accurate and long kicking is an asset. Bail put in a fine performance and produced good run as did Matt Jones while Ed Morris continues to do his future prospects no harm. Former Gold Coast utility Jack Hutchins was strong all day as Justin Plapp continues to mould his list of emerging players into a team with final eight aspirations after last year's disappointing result. The team travels to Central Victoria next Saturday to take on North Ballarat at Eureka Stadium in a must win game against a traditionally difficult opponent. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 6.0.36 8.4.52 10.8.68 14.13.97 Coburg Lions 3.0.18 6.2.38 11.3.69 14.5.89 Goals Casey Scorpions King 5 Page Spencer 2 Bail Gent Dawes McKenzie Newton Coburg Lions Featherstone 3 Carnell Cauchi Thomas 2 Christensen Fox MacDonald Mance Younan Best Casey Scorpions Bail Newton Smith Harmes M Jones Hutchins Coburg Lions Iacobaccio Clifton Allan McConnell Christensen Venditti Statistics Rohan Bail 1 goal 1 behind 34 disposals 26 kicks 8 handballs 14 marks 7 tackles 173 dream team points Chris Dawes 1 goal 10 disposals 5 kicks 5 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 57 dream team points James Harmes 1 behind 31 disposals 15 kicks 16 handballs 5 tackles 101 dream team points Mark Jamar 2 behinds 17 disposals 14 kicks 3 handballs 7 marks 2 tackles 29 hit outs 96 dream team points Matt Jones 1 behind 36 disposals 20 kicks 16 handballs 13 marks 7 tackles 157 dream team points Max King 5 goals 9 disposals 7 kicks 2 handballs 4 marks 6 tackles 91 dream team points Oscar McDonald 1 behind 18 disposals 13 kicks 5 handballs 10 marks 81 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 1 goal 10 disposals 7 kicks 3 handballs 5 marks 48 dream team points Ben Newton 1 goal 10 disposals 7 kicks 3 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 56 dream team points Jake Spencer 2 goals 1 behind 15 disposals 8 kicks 7 handballs 6 marks 4 tackles 31 hit outs 113 dream team points Mitch White 15 disposals 12 kicks 3 handballs 8 marks 1 tackle 71 dream team points The development team came back to earth with a thud after it was ambushed in the first quarter and remained goalless at half time. The team fought back in the second half but couldn't bridge the huge gap and went down by 25 points. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 0.2.2 0.6 .6 4.10.34 6.12.48 Coburg Lions 6.2.38 9.4.58 11.7.73 12.11.83 Goals Casey Scorpions Lang 2 Fritsch Hunt Paredes Petropoulos Coburg Lions Hemala Symes 2 Corigliano Easton Gleeson Hill Holdsworth Madden Robinson Totino Best Casey Scorpions O'Brien Kennedy-Harris Lang Wyatt Hunt Gains Coburg Lions Sturgess Totino Holdsworth Williams Posar Easton Disposals K Wilson 25 Petropoulos 24 Paredes 23 Kennedy-Harris 23

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So apart from Aaron vandenBerg who was subbed off after a hamstring injury in the first half last week's game and Jack Viney who copped a corked calf around the same time, Col Garland broke his hand in the first quarter and before that, Christian Salem injured his previously "good" hamstring on Saturday morning at training. It hasn't really been a good week ... So that doesn't really inspire one to confidently look forward to the next set of two matches facing the Melbourne Football Club against clubs that (whilst admittedly both are outside the top eight) are holding a long string of consecutive wins against it and at venues where Demon victories have been as scarce as hen's teeth. That's not really such a good thing in the scheme of things ... So take this week's game against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium - a venue where Melbourne's losing run stretched to twenty by the end of last year. The Saints haven't been much chop lately but they somehow grow legs when they play the Demons and they have only one senior list player on their injury list. That doesn't really auger well for this week ... So the Demons aren't the highest scoring team in the competition and in fact, they only surpassed the struggling Gold Coast Suns who have an even longer injury list in points scored for the season by a mere four points. That doesn't really suggest that we can expect enough scoring to beat even the Saints ... So the Melbourne selection panel has gone young this week selecting hard nosed debutant Alex Neal-Bullen along with his mate from Glenelg Billy Stretch while the Saints have added Sam Gilbert and lost their best young player Jack Billings. They have that vital edge in experience ... So why am I so supremely confident about Melbourne's ability to win this week? THE GAME St. Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 14 June, 2015 at 4:40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St. Kilda 87 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn At Etihad St. Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 3 wins Past five meetings St. Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Richardson 1 win Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel at 4.30pm (live) RADIO - LiveTriple M 3AW SEN ABC THE BETTING St. Kilda to win - $1.80 Melbourne to win - $2.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 10.8.68 defeated Melbourne 6.15.51 in Round 1, 2014 at Etihad Stadium Melbourne started favourite to beat the Saints despite a big injury list which limited its ruck and key position stocks but after early goals to Jimmy Toumpas and Dean Terlich things went awry. Tom McDonald was injured after blanketing Nick Riewoldt and Jack Fitzpatrick had to be subbed off due to concussion. To compound matters the team kicked ten consecutive behinds before half time and Riewoldt ended up best on the ground in the Saints' 17 point win. THE TEAMS ST. KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Sam Gilbert HB: Jack Newnes, Luke Delaney, Jimmy Webster C: Leigh Montagna, David Armitage, Blake Acres HF: Sebastian Ross, Nick Riewoldt, Darren Minchington F: Tim Membrey, Josh Bruce, Jack Lonie FOLL: Billy Longer, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Farren Ray, Dylan Roberton, Shane Savage, Maverick Weller EMG: Hugh Goddard Daniel McKenzie, Cameron Shenton IN: Luke Dunstan, Sam Gilbert, Tim Membrey, Darren Minchington, Maverick Weller OUT: Jack Billings (shin soreness), Tom Hickey (omitted), Adam Schneider (omitted), Cameron Shenton (omitted), Jack Sinclair (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Daniel Cross, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes HB: Jeremy Howe, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta C: Jimmy Toumpas, Dom Tyson, Heritier Lumumba HF: Jack Watts, Cam Pedersen, Jack Viney F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince I/C: Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Aidan Riley, Billy Stretch EMG: Jack Fitzpatrick, Jake Spencer, Dean Terlich IN: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Dom Tyson OUT: Jack Fitzpatrick (omitted), Colin Garland (hand), Matt Jones (omitted), Ben Newton (omitted), Aaron vandenBerg (hamstring) NEW: Alex Neal-Bullen (Glenelg) There comes a time for everything and Melbourne's appalling record both at Etihad Stadium and against St. Kilda must come to an end sooner or later and now is the time. The club's last win at this stadium dates back to a Saturday night late in 2007 when the coach was Mark Riley. Remember him? Riley was appointed the caretaker coach of Melbourne when Neale Daniher resigned in the middle of the 2007 season. He coached the club on nine occasions as the year unfolded although two of those wins were rather dubious given they were against Carlton at the MCG during the Blues' grand slam of tanking list management. Riley then moved to Carlton as an assistant to prepare the way for Brock McLean's arrival a couple of years later. Riley's other win as an AFL coach was the team's game at the Docklands against the Western Bulldogs - an easy victory which cost it a priority draft pick that year so even when the Dees win over there, they really lose. Melbourne last won a match against St. Kilda in the 2006 Elimination Final when McLean played a blinder at night on the MCG. It was the club's last winning final and is the marker for the beginning of the end of a relatively successful period in its recent history. Daniher was still the coach in those days but a procession of other coaches in the interim have seen the Saints win their last ten games on end against the Demons. You need to go back all the way to 2002 to find a successful Melbourne result against St. Kilda at Etihad Stadium. That's almost ancient history in footballing terms! Of course, for much of this period the Saints were in the ascendancy and it's only been in the last two or three years that they have headed southward ladder wise. The Dees have only been in contention against them once or twice in recent times. They started favourites to win their season opener last year but fluffed it when injury and poor kicking for goal conspired to leave them three goals adrift. Now the times are changing. I liked the way Max Gawn improved in the ruck as the game progressed on Queens Birthday. His deft ruck work in combination with his midfielders saw a major improvement in that division but the pressure exerted by Collingwood caused turnovers and was far too strong in the end. I don't believe that the Saints will be able to exert the same level of pressure this week and I doubt it possible that one team of 22 players can produce enough moments of brain fades as to allow for more of the same two weeks in a row. So, I'm tipping Melbourne to win by 15 points and bring the roof and the hoodoo down at Etihad.

SO by The Oracle So apart from Aaron vandenBerg who was subbed off after a hamstring injury in the first half last week's game and Jack Viney who copped a corked calf around the same time, Col Garland broke his hand in the first quarter and before that, Christian Salem injured his previously "good" hamstring on Saturday morning at training. It hasn't really been a good week ... So that doesn't really inspire one to confidently look forward to the next set of two matches facing the Melbourne Football Club against clubs that (whilst admittedly both are outside the top eight) are holding a long string of consecutive wins against it and at venues where Demon victories have been as scarce as hen's teeth. That's not really such a good thing in the scheme of things ... So take this week's game against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium - a venue where Melbourne's losing run stretched to twenty by the end of last year. The Saints haven't been much chop lately but they somehow grow legs when they play the Demons and they have only one senior list player on their injury list. That doesn't really auger well for this week ... So the Demons aren't the highest scoring team in the competition and in fact, they only surpassed the struggling Gold Coast Suns who have an even longer injury list in points scored for the season by a mere four points. That doesn't really suggest that we can expect enough scoring to beat even the Saints ... So the Melbourne selection panel has gone young this week selecting hard nosed debutant Alex Neal-Bullen along with his mate from Glenelg Billy Stretch while the Saints have added Sam Gilbert and lost their best young player Jack Billings. They have that vital edge in experience ... So why am I so supremely confident about Melbourne's ability to win this week? THE GAME St. Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 14 June, 2015 at 4:40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St. Kilda 87 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn At Etihad St. Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 3 wins Past five meetings St. Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Richardson 1 win Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel at 4.30pm (live) RADIO - LiveTriple M 3AW SEN ABC THE BETTING St. Kilda to win - $1.80 Melbourne to win - $2.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 10.8.68 defeated Melbourne 6.15.51 in Round 1, 2014 at Etihad Stadium Melbourne started favourite to beat the Saints despite a big injury list which limited its ruck and key position stocks but after early goals to Jimmy Toumpas and Dean Terlich things went awry. Tom McDonald was injured after blanketing Nick Riewoldt and Jack Fitzpatrick had to be subbed off due to concussion. To compound matters the team kicked ten consecutive behinds before half time and Riewoldt ended up best on the ground in the Saints' 17 point win. THE TEAMS ST. KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Sam Gilbert HB: Jack Newnes, Luke Delaney, Jimmy Webster C: Leigh Montagna, David Armitage, Blake Acres HF: Sebastian Ross, Nick Riewoldt, Darren Minchington F: Tim Membrey, Josh Bruce, Jack Lonie FOLL: Billy Longer, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Farren Ray, Dylan Roberton, Shane Savage, Maverick Weller EMG: Hugh Goddard Daniel McKenzie, Cameron Shenton IN: Luke Dunstan, Sam Gilbert, Tim Membrey, Darren Minchington, Maverick Weller OUT: Jack Billings (shin soreness), Tom Hickey (omitted), Adam Schneider (omitted), Cameron Shenton (omitted), Jack Sinclair (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Daniel Cross, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes HB: Jeremy Howe, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta C: Jimmy Toumpas, Dom Tyson, Heritier Lumumba HF: Jack Watts, Cam Pedersen, Jack Viney F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince I/C: Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Aidan Riley, Billy Stretch EMG: Jack Fitzpatrick, Jake Spencer, Dean Terlich IN: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Dom Tyson OUT: Jack Fitzpatrick (omitted), Colin Garland (hand), Matt Jones (omitted), Ben Newton (omitted), Aaron vandenBerg (hamstring) NEW: Alex Neal-Bullen (Glenelg) There comes a time for everything and Melbourne's appalling record both at Etihad Stadium and against St. Kilda must come to an end sooner or later and now is the time. The club's last win at this stadium dates back to a Saturday night late in 2007 when the coach was Mark Riley. Remember him? Riley was appointed the caretaker coach of Melbourne when Neale Daniher resigned in the middle of the 2007 season. He coached the club on nine occasions as the year unfolded although two of those wins were rather dubious given they were against Carlton at the MCG during the Blues' grand slam of tanking list management. Riley then moved to Carlton as an assistant to prepare the way for Brock McLean's arrival a couple of years later. Riley's other win as an AFL coach was the team's game at the Docklands against the Western Bulldogs - an easy victory which cost it a priority draft pick that year so even when the Dees win over there, they really lose. Melbourne last won a match against St. Kilda in the 2006 Elimination Final when McLean played a blinder at night on the MCG. It was the club's last winning final and is the marker for the beginning of the end of a relatively successful period in its recent history. Daniher was still the coach in those days but a procession of other coaches in the interim have seen the Saints win their last ten games on end against the Demons. You need to go back all the way to 2002 to find a successful Melbourne result against St. Kilda at Etihad Stadium. That's almost ancient history in footballing terms! Of course, for much of this period the Saints were in the ascendancy and it's only been in the last two or three years that they have headed southward ladder wise. The Dees have only been in contention against them once or twice in recent times. They started favourites to win their season opener last year but fluffed it when injury and poor kicking for goal conspired to leave them three goals adrift. Now the times are changing. I liked the way Max Gawn improved in the ruck as the game progressed on Queens Birthday. His deft ruck work in combination with his midfielders saw a major improvement in that division but the pressure exerted by Collingwood caused turnovers and was far too strong in the end. I don't believe that the Saints will be able to exert the same level of pressure this week and I doubt it possible that one team of 22 players can produce enough moments of brain fades as to allow for more of the same two weeks in a row. So, I'm tipping Melbourne to win by 15 points and bring the roof and the hoodoo down at Etihad.

Chris Dawes and Jay Kennedy-Harris set to return from injury through the VFL this week. Meanwhile, Aaron vandenBerg will miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring injury while Colin Garland will be sidelined (time to be confirmed) with a broken hand.

To Be Confirmed.

It was a long time ago - round 1 last year and they got us with a team that was short for rucks and KPP's. Riewoldt starred after TMac went off. ST. KILDA B: Sean Dempster, Luke Delaney, James Gwilt HB: Nathan Wright, Dylan Roberton, Jimmy Webster C: Jack Newnes, Luke Dunstan, Farren Ray HF: Clint Jones, Nick Riewoldt, Josh Saunders F: Rhys Stanley, Beau Maister, Eli Templeton FOLL: Tom Hickey, David Armitage, Shane Savage I/C: Jack Billings, Thomas Curren, Jarryn Geary, Sam Gilbert EMG: Trent Dennis-Lane Tom Lee Sebastian Ross NEW: Jack Billings (Oakleigh Chargers), Luke Delaney (North Melbourne), Luke Dunstan (Woodville-West Torrens), Shane Savage (Hawthorn), Eli Templeton (Burnie Dockers) MELBOURNE B: Dean Terlich, James Frawley, Jack Grimes HB: Lynden Dunn, Tom McDonald, Bernie Vince C: Jimmy Toumpas, Jack Watts, Dom Tyson HF: Rohan Bail, Jack Fitzpatrick, Daniel Cross F: Shannon Byrnes, Cam Pedersen, Jeremy Howe FOLL: Jake Spencer, Nathan Jones, Jack Trengove I/C: Viv Michie, Matt Jones, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Alex Georgiou EMG: Daniel Nicholson, Sam Blease, Michael Evans NEW: Daniel Cross (Western Bulldogs), Alex Georgiou (Norwood), Jay Kennedy-Harris (Oakleigh Chargers), Viv Michie (Fremantle), Dom Tyson (Greater Western Sydney), Bernie Vince (Adelaide)

Funny how we seem to get twice as many sets of votes when we win as compared to when we lost. In any event, TMac's lead remains strong but the challenges are coming ... 101. Tom McDonald 62. Nathan Jones 61. Jesse Hogan 51. Bernie Vince 46. Angus Brayshaw 43. Daniel Cross 40. Colin Garland 37. Jeffrey Garlett 30. Christian Salem Aaron vandenBerg 28. Cam Pedersen 25. Jack Viney 13. Jack Grimes 10. Neville Jetta 7. Max Gawn Jack Watts 5. Jimmy Toumpas 4. Lynden Dunn Mark Jamar Viv Michie Ben Newton 3. Heritier Lubumba 2. Jeremy Howe Jake Spencer 1. Dom Tyson

I was one of those who held high hopes for a Melbourne win over Collingwood because I believed the Demons are emerging and, as such is due to take further steps forward against a team I was not convinced about: one that had beaten only teams in the bottom half of the competition. A win would have broken the club's eight year losing streak against the Magpies and whilst, the Pies prevailed in the end and every defeat hurts, I believe that the team has their measure and will get them next time which happens to be in the return game in Round 18, so barring a major run with injuries, pencil in the date Saturday 1 August, 2015. My hopes for a win were shattered for a number of reasons but the main ones were the performance of inaugural Neale Daniher Trophy winner (and a worthy one at that) of Travis Cloke who has hitherto struggled for accuracy in front of goal this season but against Melbourne, goaled with every one of his seven shots at the big sticks. He monstered Tom McDonald in the early play and continued to be a major danger up forward for Collingwood. A few weeks ago, I heard his coach Nathan Buckley whining about how little protection Cloke gets from the umpires but on Queens Birthday, they treated him like a king. Players were being pulled off the ball in ruck and marking contests all around the ground but it didnt seem to worry the umpires until the ball got into the vicinity of Cloke who was leaning back on Lynden Dunn and suddenly, it was time for the whistle to blow. The other area where Melbourne lapsed badly was in the turnover count. According to the statisticians, Collingwood scored 84 points from Melbourne turnovers while the Dees scored 23 from Pies turnovers a differential of 61 points in a four goal-game. Thats disappointing in anyones language but turnovers happen, its part of the time and young teams have to learn to deal with the pressure of a match. In many aspects, it was a case of Melbourne taking the game on and playing high risk football rather than the dreary pedestrian stuff we saw last year when the team kicked only three goals for the game and if youre doing that, then mistakes will happen and, as time goes on, a developing team will reduce the turnovers as it matures. But you really cant take the brain fades that result in opposition goals. Lynden Dunns short kick in and Jack Fitzpatricks tunnel ball throw were two examples that are true coach killers and are simply unacceptable (as were a couple of umpiring brain fades but you cant do much about that other than your coach risking a fine and publicly stating something to the effect that he wishes Jesse Hogan got the same protection from the umpires as does Cloke). There was also a lot made of the fact that Collingwoods Adam Oxley was allowed to roam the back half unattended and Melbourne seemed to constantly kick in his direction where the numbers dictated that he was going to win the ball more often than not. I simply didnt get that Paul Roos was unable to change things with the simple move necessary to cover that situation but I for one, got sick of seeing number 43 mark it on his own time and again. It was almost as if our one avenue to goal was through Oxley and if you are going to have a go at a player for tunnel balling the pill through goals and giving away six points, then the coach who allows an unattended opposition player to save several times more through his inaction has a lot to answer for (as do I for ending a sentence with a preposition). The pity of the defeat was that it overshadowed and possibly hid the fact that the Melbourne midfield showed definite signs of emerging out of the third world that it has inhabited for those eight or so years of darkness and it started with the ruckwork of Max Gawn who, unlike others tried in this department over those years, is actually good at the craft of giving his on ballers first use and as a result Bernie Vince, Nathan Jones and Jack Viney won the day over a very accomplished AFL midfield led by some handy types in Pendlebury, Swan and Sidebottom for starters. Melbourne lost a bit after half time with the injury and subbing off of Aaron vandenBerg and the discomfort of Viney with a corked calf (and lets hope thats all was) and probably tired in this division in the final quarter. But the main thing was that because they were getting drive from the midfield and were prepared to run and move the ball with a little more speed than normal, they were able to come back a few times when we thought they were gone. And they will only get better next week with the inclusion of Dom Tyson and possibly the debut of young ball magnet Alex Neal-Bullen who has been tearing it up at Casey. Speaking of tearing, the team missed Christian Salem who did the other hamstring at training on Saturday and continues to miss the pace of Dean Kent or the other hyphen JKH. Collingwood had close to its best team on the park and got through the game unscathed. Everything went its way but that doesn't happen every week. We'll get them next time. Melbourne 3.1.19 9.1.55 13.4.82 13.7.85 Collingwood 7.1.43 11.3.69 15.4.94 17.8.110 Goals Melbourne Howe 3 Garlett N Jones Vince 2 Brayshaw Collingwood Cloke 7 Blair Elliott 3 Broomhead Fasolo Seedsman Swan Best Melbourne Jones Vince Brayshaw Viney Cross Jetta Collingwood Cloke Oxley Pendlebury Swan Elliott Blair Williams Changes Melbourne Nil Collingwood Nil Injuries Melbourne Viney (corked calf) vandenBerg (leg) Collingwood Nil Substitutions Melbourne Matt Jones replaced Aaron vandenBerg (leg) at half-time Collingwood Ben Kennedy replaced Paul Seedsman in the third quarter Reports MelbourneNil Collingwood Nil Umpires Stevic Kamolins Pannell Official Crowd 66,120 at the MCG

Demonland Player of the Year - Round 10 Cast your votes Demon fans 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

WELL GET THEM NEXT TIME by Whispering Jack I was one of those who held high hopes for a Melbourne win over Collingwood because I believed the Demons are emerging and, as such is due to take further steps forward against a team I was not convinced about: one that had beaten only teams in the bottom half of the competition. A win would have broken the club's eight year losing streak against the Magpies and whilst, the Pies prevailed in the end and every defeat hurts, I believe that the team has their measure and will get them next time which happens to be in the return game in Round 18, so barring a major run with injuries, pencil in the date Saturday 1 August, 2015. My hopes for a win were shattered for a number of reasons but the main ones were the performance of inaugural Neale Daniher Trophy winner (and a worthy one at that) of Travis Cloke who has hitherto struggled for accuracy in front of goal this season but against Melbourne, goaled with every one of his seven shots at the big sticks. He monstered Tom McDonald in the early play and continued to be a major danger up forward for Collingwood. A few weeks ago, I heard his coach Nathan Buckley whining about how little protection Cloke gets from the umpires but on Queens Birthday, they treated him like a king. Players were being pulled off the ball in ruck and marking contests all around the ground but it didnt seem to worry the umpires until the ball got into the vicinity of Cloke who was leaning back on Lynden Dunn and suddenly, it was time for the whistle to blow. The other area where Melbourne lapsed badly was in the turnover count. According to the statisticians, Collingwood scored 84 points from Melbourne turnovers while the Dees scored 23 from Pies turnovers a differential of 61 points in a four goal-game. Thats disappointing in anyones language but turnovers happen, its part of the time and young teams have to learn to deal with the pressure of a match. In many aspects, it was a case of Melbourne taking the game on and playing high risk football rather than the dreary pedestrian stuff we saw last year when the team kicked only three goals for the game and if youre doing that, then mistakes will happen and, as time goes on, a developing team will reduce the turnovers as it matures. But you really cant take the brain fades that result in opposition goals. Lynden Dunns short kick in and Jack Fitzpatricks tunnel ball throw were two examples that are true coach killers and are simply unacceptable (as were a couple of umpiring brain fades but you cant do much about that other than your coach risking a fine and publicly stating something to the effect that he wishes Jesse Hogan got the same protection from the umpires as does Cloke). There was also a lot made of the fact that Collingwoods Adam Oxley was allowed to roam the back half unattended and Melbourne seemed to constantly kick in his direction where the numbers dictated that he was going to win the ball more often than not. I simply didnt get that Paul Roos was unable to change things with the simple move necessary to cover that situation but I for one, got sick of seeing number 43 mark it on his own time and again. It was almost as if our one avenue to goal was through Oxley and if you are going to have a go at a player for tunnel balling the pill through goals and giving away six points, then the coach who allows an unattended opposition player to save several times more through his inaction has a lot to answer for (as do I for ending a sentence with a preposition). The pity of the defeat was that it overshadowed and possibly hid the fact that the Melbourne midfield showed definite signs of emerging out of the third world that it has inhabited for those eight or so years of darkness and it started with the ruckwork of Max Gawn who, unlike others tried in this department over those years, is actually good at the craft of giving his on ballers first use and as a result Bernie Vince, Nathan Jones and Jack Viney won the day over a very accomplished AFL midfield led by some handy types in Pendlebury, Swan and Sidebottom for starters. Melbourne lost a bit after half time with the injury and subbing off of Aaron vandenBerg and the discomfort of Viney with a corked calf (and lets hope thats all was) and probably tired in this division in the final quarter. But the main thing was that because they were getting drive from the midfield and were prepared to run and move the ball with a little more speed than normal, they were able to come back a few times when we thought they were gone. And they will only get better next week with the inclusion of Dom Tyson and possibly the debut of young ball magnet Alex Neal-Bullen who has been tearing it up at Casey. Speaking of tearing, the team missed Christian Salem who did the other hamstring at training on Saturday and continues to miss the pace of Dean Kent or the other hyphen JKH. Collingwood had close to its best team on the park and got through the game unscathed. Everything went its way but that doesn't happen every week. We'll get them next time. Melbourne 3.1.19 9.1.55 13.4.82 13.7.85 Collingwood 7.1.43 11.3.69 15.4.94 17.8.110 Goals Melbourne Howe 3 Garlett N Jones Vince 2 Brayshaw Collingwood Cloke 7 Blair Elliott 3 Broomhead Fasolo Seedsman Swan Best Melbourne Jones Vince Brayshaw Viney Cross Jetta Collingwood Cloke Oxley Pendlebury Swan Elliott Blair Williams Changes Melbourne Nil Collingwood Nil Injuries Melbourne Viney (corked calf) vandenBerg (leg) Collingwood Nil Substitutions Melbourne Matt Jones replaced Aaron vandenBerg (leg) at half-time Collingwood Ben Kennedy replaced Paul Seedsman in the third quarter Reports MelbourneNil Collingwood Nil Umpires Stevic Kamolins Pannell Official Crowd 66,120 at the MCG

The Queens Birthday weekend festivities kicked off early this year with a Friday night development league curtain raiser at Casey Fields that was won comfortably by the Scorpions over the Zebras thanks to a dominant second quarter. The Saturday game against Collingwood VFL brought with it a large crowd to Cranbourne which, to their credit, is what you expect when the Magpies are playing. The result was another win to the Scorpions - this time by the narrow margin of four points after four quarters of pulsating football in a game affected by the strong winds that prevail in the area. The Pies had first use of those winds and were off to a flyer. They booted the first four goals of the game and appeared to be on their way to icing the game up very early in proceedings until a late counterattack from Casey produced a goal at the 27 minute mark to the hard working Ed Morris and the Scorps were down by 20 points at first change. It was the Pies who opened the scoring against the breeze in the second term but Jordan Moncrieff replied with his first soon after and Casey was on its way. With Mark Jamar and Jake Spencer dominating the ruck hit outs and Alex Neal-Bullen, Dom Tyson, Viv Michie and Morris winning the ball at ground level pumping it inside fifty, the goals eventually came and the home side fought hard for a two point lead at half time. Collingwood came out strongly with the wind behind its back in the third quarter but poor kicking for goal was its nemesis. That and the fact that the Scorpions were able to turn the tide with the final two goals of the term - the last one again to Morris with a goal from just inside fifty after the siren to make the difference 11 points. Dean Terlich was playing a great game in defence not only stopping his opponent but also winning his own ball. With a three goal breeze behind their backs, the Casey boys were in the box seat but it took ten minutes and goals from Jamar and Nathan Page to give them the lead. The Pies were not to be denied and a dour struggle ensued and now it was the Scorps' turn to kick points. Rohan Bail kicked his second but the Collingwood spirit was not to be denied. They goaled against the breeze to make it a four point game but the siren denied their efforts to make it five wins on end. The stars of the game were Morris and Neal-Bullen. Tyson wrote his name into the Demons' team next week and there were several bright spots not only for Melbourne but also for the Casey listed team which is building up nicely and will no doubt be looking forward to next Saturday's must win match against Coburg which had its measure last year. Tomorrow, it's up to Melbourne to make the Queens Birthday weekend a truly festive one for the fans. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 5.8.38 7.8.50 10.12.72 Collingwood VFL 4.4.28 5.6.36 8.13.61 9.14.68 Goals Casey Scorpions Bail Morris 2 Byrnes Jamar Michie Moncrieff Muir Page Collingwood VFL Blair Gault 2 Cox Goodyear Gray Monkhorst Still Best Casey Scorpions Neal-Bullen Tyson Morris Michie Stretch Jamar Collingwood VFL Williams Karnezis Wallace Reid Marsh Dwyer Rohan Bail 2 goals 2 behinds 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 handballs 5 marks 75 dream team points James Harmes 20 disposals 10 kicks 10 handballs 9 marks 5 tackles 84 dream team points Mark Jamar 1 goal 1 behind 20 disposals 14 kicks 6 handballs 7 marks 1 tackles 20 hit outs 101 dream team points Oscar McDonald 18 disposals 6 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 1 tackle 58 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 22 disposals 5 kicks 17 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 77 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal 28 disposals 12 kicks 16 handballs 6 marks 3 tackles 103 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 1 behind 34 disposals 21 kicks 13 handballs 4 marks 5 tackles 123 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 behind 10 disposals 4 kicks 6 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 26 hit outs dream 76 team points Billy Stretch 1 behind 21 disposals 9 kicks 12 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 81 dream team points Dean Terlich 29 disposals 16 kicks 13 handballs 6 marks 5 tackles 109 dream team points Dom Tyson 33 disposals 12 kicks 21 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 1 hit out 101 dream team points Mitch White 15 disposals 9 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks 1 tackle 52 dream team points The Development League side wrapped up their game with a dominant five goal quarter but managed only two goals in the second half of an otherwise low scoring game to win by 22 points. Nathan Paredes and Angus Scott were Casey's best but Max King was not far away with his three vital goals. He got plenty of the football and took some strong marks including one great speccy that warned the crowd up on a cold night. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 7.6.48 7.10.52 9.11.65 Sandringham 1.3.9 2.4.16 4.7.31 5.13.43 Goals Casey Scorpions King 3 Fisscher Lang 2 Anderson Paredes Sandringham Bazzani Davis Haidon Roos Zijai Best Casey Scorpions Pattison Fritsch Anderson Fisscher Scott Lang Sandringham Zijai Noone Verma Plostins Bazzani Persson

FESTIVAL by KC from Casey The Queens Birthday weekend festivities kicked off early this year with a Friday night development league curtain raiser at Casey Fields that was won comfortably by the Scorpions over the Zebras thanks to a dominant second quarter. The Saturday game against Collingwood VFL brought with it a large crowd to Cranbourne which, to their credit, is what you expect when the Magpies are playing. The result was another win to the Scorpions - this time by the narrow margin of four points after four quarters of pulsating football in a game affected by the strong winds that prevail in the area. The Pies had first use of those winds and were off to a flyer. They booted the first four goals of the game and appeared to be on their way to icing the game up very early in proceedings until a late counterattack from Casey produced a goal at the 27 minute mark to the hard working Ed Morris and the Scorps were down by 20 points at first change. It was the Pies who opened the scoring against the breeze in the second term but Jordan Moncrieff replied with his first soon after and Casey was on its way. With Mark Jamar and Jake Spencer dominating the ruck hit outs and Alex Neal-Bullen, Dom Tyson, Viv Michie and Morris winning the ball at ground level pumping it inside fifty, the goals eventually came and the home side fought hard for a two point lead at half time. Collingwood came out strongly with the wind behind its back in the third quarter but poor kicking for goal was its nemesis. That and the fact that the Scorpions were able to turn the tide with the final two goals of the term - the last one again to Morris with a goal from just inside fifty after the siren to make the difference 11 points. Dean Terlich was playing a great game in defence not only stopping his opponent but also winning his own ball. With a three goal breeze behind their backs, the Casey boys were in the box seat but it took ten minutes and goals from Jamar and Nathan Page to give them the lead. The Pies were not to be denied and a dour struggle ensued and now it was the Scorps' turn to kick points. Rohan Bail kicked his second but the Collingwood spirit was not to be denied. They goaled against the breeze to make it a four point game but the siren denied their efforts to make it five wins on end. The stars of the game were Morris and Neal-Bullen. Tyson wrote his name into the Demons' team next week and there were several bright spots not only for Melbourne but also for the Casey listed team which is building up nicely and will no doubt be looking forward to next Saturday's must win match against Coburg which had its measure last year. Tomorrow, it's up to Melbourne to make the Queens Birthday weekend a truly festive one for the fans. 2015 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 5.8.38 7.8.50 10.12.72 Collingwood VFL 4.4.28 5.6.36 8.13.61 9.14.68 Goals Casey Scorpions Bail Morris 2 Byrnes Jamar Michie Moncrieff Muir Page Collingwood VFL Blair Gault 2 Cox Goodyear Gray Monkhorst Still Best Casey Scorpions Neal-Bullen Tyson Morris Michie Stretch Jamar Collingwood VFL Williams Karnezis Wallace Reid Marsh Dwyer Rohan Bail 2 goals 2 behinds 19 disposals 11 kicks 8 handballs 5 marks 75 dream team points James Harmes 20 disposals 10 kicks 10 handballs 9 marks 5 tackles 84 dream team points Mark Jamar 1 goal 1 behind 20 disposals 14 kicks 6 handballs 7 marks 1 tackles 20 hit outs 101 dream team points Oscar McDonald 18 disposals 6 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 1 tackle 58 dream team points Jordie McKenzie 22 disposals 5 kicks 17 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 77 dream team points Viv Michie 1 goal 28 disposals 12 kicks 16 handballs 6 marks 3 tackles 103 dream team points Alex Neal-Bullen 1 behind 34 disposals 21 kicks 13 handballs 4 marks 5 tackles 123 dream team points Jake Spencer 1 behind 10 disposals 4 kicks 6 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 26 hit outs dream 76 team points Billy Stretch 1 behind 21 disposals 9 kicks 12 handballs 5 marks 4 tackles 81 dream team points Dean Terlich 29 disposals 16 kicks 13 handballs 6 marks 5 tackles 109 dream team points Dom Tyson 33 disposals 12 kicks 21 handballs 3 marks 4 tackles 1 hit out 101 dream team points Mitch White 15 disposals 9 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks 1 tackle 52 dream team points The Development League side wrapped up their game with a dominant five goal quarter but managed only two goals in the second half of an otherwise low scoring game to win by 22 points. Nathan Paredes and Angus Scott were Casey's best but Max King was not far away with his three vital goals. He got plenty of the football and took some strong marks including one great speccy that warned the crowd up on a cold night. 2015 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 7.6.48 7.10.52 9.11.65 Sandringham 1.3.9 2.4.16 4.7.31 5.13.43 Goals Casey Scorpions King 3 Fisscher Lang 2 Anderson Paredes Sandringham Bazzani Davis Haidon Roos Zijai Best Casey Scorpions Pattison Fritsch Anderson Fisscher Scott Lang Sandringham Zijai Noone Verma Plostins Bazzani Persson

This weekend the football world will recognise the man who was the last coach to take the Demons to a finals appearance (not to mention a win over Collingwood on Queens Birthday) with the Big Freeze at the "G" event to raise awareness of and funds for a cure for motor neurone disease, an affliction which Neale Daniher suffers. The cause is a worthy one and the clubs involved in this weekend's blockbuster game are to be commended for throwing their efforts behind the objective of finding a cure for the "beast". And when the game begins and hopefully a massive sum has been raised for MND research, the fans of this club which Daniher coached to finals appearances and one grand final for almost a decade can be a part of the search to cure their own club's "beast", an affliction that has wracked the club since his last days at the helm. Since Daniher's departure, the club has been in a constant cycle of disastrous and failed attempts to rebuild with few glimpses of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Even with the arrival of new coach Paul Roos and the advent of some bright young talent, the ride continues to be a bumpy one as attested by the season's record to date of three wins and six defeats and a poor percentage. The anomaly is that five of those losses have been against clubs that occupy the top eight and the other was against a team that came within a whisker of making last year's grand final. One of the wins was over a current top eight side; another against a team just outside. In a competition where the fixture is engineered to give the lower sides a decent draw, Melbourne has played only once against a club occupying the current bottom seven spots on the ladder. The Demons can't even win the luck of the draw because this week they're up against fourth placed Collingwood. They are also a team that shows all of the signs of a young team with some promise, exhibiting growing pains and carrying baggage from its unsuccessful recent past. One of those signs is inconsistency. The gap between the team's best and its worst is a gaping chasm and one has no clue as to which side of its persona will emerge at the long weekend. That is the nature of the Beast. THE GAME Melbourne v Collingwood at MCG Monday 8 June 2015 at 3.20pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 79 wins Collingwood 145 wins 5 drawn At the MCG Melbourne 59 wins Collingwood 78 wins 3 drawn Last Five Meetings Melbourne 0 wins Collingwood 4 wins 1 drawn The Coaches: Roos 0 wins Buckley 1 win MEDIA TV Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel (Live at 3.00pm) Radio Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $ 3.55 to win Collingwood $1.30 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Collingwood 8.13.61 defeated Melbourne 3.10.28 at MCG in Round 12, 2014 Melbourne lost by only 33 points but it was an excruciatingly painful game to watch. The Demons kicked a goal in the first minute and only two more for the afternoon in a defensive slog but were well in the game until late in the third quarter when an umpiring slip and some skill errors gave the Pies the upper hand. In spite of all that, honours for best on the ground went to Demon Bernie Vince. TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Tom McDonald, Jack Fitzpatrick HB: Jeremy Howe, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta C: Daniel Cross, Aaron vandenBerg, Heritier Lumumba HF: Ben Newton, Cam Pedersen, Jack Viney F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Aidan Riley FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Jimmy Toumpas, Jack Watts EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Jake Spencer IN: Max Gawn, Ben Newton, Aidan Riley OUT: Rohan Bail, Jack Grimes, Jake Spencer (all omitted) COLLINGWOOD B: Tom Langdon, Nathan Brown, Marley Williams HB: Alan Toovey, Jack Frost, Tyson Goldsack C: Travis Varcoe, Dane Swan, Paul Seedsman HF: Jamie Elliott, Jesse White, Steele Sidebottom F: Alex Fasolo, Travis Cloke, Jarryd Blair FOLL: Brodie Grundy, Jack Crisp, Scott Pendlebury I/C: Tim Broomhead, Jordan De Goey, Adam Oxley, Jarrod Witts EMG: Sam Dwyer, Ben Kennedy, Brayden Maynard IN: Tim Broomhead OUT: Taylor Adams (toe) Neale Daniher spoke to the Melbourne players again this week. Perhaps there's not a lot of logic behind what I'm about to suggest but I believe that the last time Daniher spoke to this group, they got up and played possibly their best game of the season against the Western Bulldogs and on that basis, I'm giving them the nod to break an eight year old streak and win a Queens Birthday clash against Collingwood. Last week, in the absence of a rev from the Rev, Melbourne demonstrated its inconsistency and its brittleness by turning a comfortable four goal lead halfway through the second quarter into a ten goal defeat against a previously flailing Port Adelaide. There's little doubt that such form has a lot to do with what's going on in the collective heads of the group and Neale Daniher's courage and example over the past year during his battle with MND is enough to spur those with doubts in their minds about their ability to succeed in this sport. And for this reason, I believe that the Melbourne Football Club will join American Pharoah, the Aussie Test Cricket Team, Serena Williams, the Casey Scorpions and Barcelona (remind me about their colours) in their triumph over the Beast this week. Melbourne by 17 points.

THE BEAST by Whispering Jack This weekend the football world will recognise the man who was the last coach to take the Demons to a finals appearance (not to mention a win over Collingwood on Queens Birthday) with the Big Freeze at the "G" event to raise awareness of and funds for a cure for motor neurone disease, an affliction which Neale Daniher suffers. The cause is a worthy one and the clubs involved in this weekend's blockbuster game are to be commended for throwing their efforts behind the objective of finding a cure for the "beast". And when the game begins and hopefully a massive sum has been raised for MND research, the fans of this club which Daniher coached to finals appearances and one grand final for almost a decade can be a part of the search to cure their own club's "beast", an affliction that has wracked the club since his last days at the helm. Since Daniher's departure, the club has been in a constant cycle of disastrous and failed attempts to rebuild with few glimpses of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Even with the arrival of new coach Paul Roos and the advent of some bright young talent, the ride continues to be a bumpy one as attested by the season's record to date of three wins and six defeats and a poor percentage. The anomaly is that five of those losses have been against clubs that occupy the top eight and the other was against a team that came within a whisker of making last year's grand final. One of the wins was over a current top eight side; another against a team just outside. In a competition where the fixture is engineered to give the lower sides a decent draw, Melbourne has played only once against a club occupying the current bottom seven spots on the ladder. The Demons can't even win the luck of the draw because this week they're up against fourth placed Collingwood. They are also a team that shows all of the signs of a young team with some promise, exhibiting growing pains and carrying baggage from its unsuccessful recent past. One of those signs is inconsistency. The gap between the team's best and its worst is a gaping chasm and one has no clue as to which side of its persona will emerge at the long weekend. That is the nature of the Beast. THE GAME Melbourne v Collingwood at MCG Monday 8 June 2015 at 3.20pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 79 wins Collingwood 145 wins 5 drawn At the MCG Melbourne 59 wins Collingwood 78 wins 3 drawn Last Five Meetings Melbourne 0 wins Collingwood 4 wins 1 drawn The Coaches: Roos 0 wins Buckley 1 win MEDIA TV Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel (Live at 3.00pm) Radio Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $ 3.55 to win Collingwood $1.30 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Collingwood 8.13.61 defeated Melbourne 3.10.28 at MCG in Round 12, 2014 Melbourne lost by only 33 points but it was an excruciatingly painful game to watch. The Demons kicked a goal in the first minute and only two more for the afternoon in a defensive slog but were well in the game until late in the third quarter when an umpiring slip and some skill errors gave the Pies the upper hand. In spite of all that, honours for best on the ground went to Demon Bernie Vince. TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Tom McDonald, Jack Fitzpatrick HB: Jeremy Howe, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta C: Daniel Cross, Aaron vandenBerg, Heritier Lumumba HF: Ben Newton, Cam Pedersen, Jack Viney F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Aidan Riley FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Jimmy Toumpas, Jack Watts EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Jake Spencer IN: Max Gawn, Ben Newton, Aidan Riley OUT: Rohan Bail, Jack Grimes, Jake Spencer (all omitted) COLLINGWOOD B: Tom Langdon, Nathan Brown, Marley Williams HB: Alan Toovey, Jack Frost, Tyson Goldsack C: Travis Varcoe, Dane Swan, Paul Seedsman HF: Jamie Elliott, Jesse White, Steele Sidebottom F: Alex Fasolo, Travis Cloke, Jarryd Blair FOLL: Brodie Grundy, Jack Crisp, Scott Pendlebury I/C: Tim Broomhead, Jordan De Goey, Adam Oxley, Jarrod Witts EMG: Sam Dwyer, Ben Kennedy, Brayden Maynard IN: Tim Broomhead OUT: Taylor Adams (toe) Neale Daniher spoke to the Melbourne players again this week. Perhaps there's not a lot of logic behind what I'm about to suggest but I believe that the last time Daniher spoke to this group, they got up and played possibly their best game of the season against the Western Bulldogs and on that basis, I'm giving them the nod to break an eight year old streak and win a Queens Birthday clash against Collingwood. Last week, in the absence of a rev from the Rev, Melbourne demonstrated its inconsistency and its brittleness by turning a comfortable four goal lead halfway through the second quarter into a ten goal defeat against a previously flailing Port Adelaide. There's little doubt that such form has a lot to do with what's going on in the collective heads of the group and Neale Daniher's courage and example over the past year during his battle with MND is enough to spur those with doubts in their minds about their ability to succeed in this sport. And for this reason, I believe that the Melbourne Football Club will join American Pharoah, the Aussie Test Cricket Team, Serena Williams, the Casey Scorpions and Barcelona (remind me about their colours) in their triumph over the Beast this week. Melbourne by 17 points.

Congratulations to Jesse Hogan. About time.

This team kicked three goals in an entire game - TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta HB: Jack Grimes, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe C: Daniel Cross, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Rohan Bail, James Frawley, Matt Jones F: Cam Pedersen, Chris Dawes, Jack Watts FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Max Gawn, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Christian Salem, Dean Terlich EMG: Jordie McKenzie, Aidan Riley, Jimmy Toumpas IN: Chris Dawes OUT: Jimmy Toumpas COLLINGWOOD B: Tom Langdon, Jack Frost, Alan Toovey HB: Marley Williams, Lachlan Keeffe, Tyson Goldsack C: Dane Swan, Brent Macaffer, Heritier Lumumba HF: Alex Fasolo, Jesse White, Jarryd Blair F: Luke Ball, Travis Cloke, Jamie Elliott FOLL: Jarrod Witts, Dayne Beams, Scott Pendlebury I/C: Sam Dwyer, Paul Seedsman, Josh Thomas, Clinton Young EMG: Taylor Adams, Tim Broomhead, Brodie Grundy IN: Luke Ball, Sam Dwyer, Dane Swan OUT: Taylor Adams, Nick Maxwell (calf), Steele Sidebottom (suspension)

Tom's still well ahead but the challenges are coming from the youth ~ 101. Tom McDonald 61. Jesse Hogan 47. Nathan Jones 40. Colin Garland 37. Jeffrey Garlett 35. Angus Brayshaw Daniel Cross 34. Bernie Vince 30. Christian Salem Aaron vandenBerg 28. Cam Pedersen 22. Jack Viney 13. Jack Grimes 10. Neville Jetta 7. Jack Watts 5. Jimmy Toumpas 4. Lynden Dunn Mark Jamar Viv Michie Ben Newton 3. Heritier Lubumba 2. Jake Spencer 1. Dom Tyson

How is it possible for a team to dominate the first quarter and a half of football in every facet of the game and to lead by four goals and yet, to lose by ten? That scenario is becoming something of a habit with Melbourne this year after the team meekly surrendered a big lead in Canberra against the GWS Giants and then repeated the dose at the weekend against an out-of-form Port Adelaide in Alice Springs. The Power were teetering on the brink after abysmal efforts against Brisbane and Richmond and when Jeff Garlett slotted home two majors to give the hosts the comfort of a four goal lead, they were staring down at the precipice. It would be easy to say that what happened next was a surrender by the Demons because that is what appeared to be the case. There was a period of ten minutes when they maintained their lead and neither side scored but then, inexplicably, they just stopped. They stopped running. Where the Demons had previously been running, chasing, tackling and placing enormous pressure on their opponents, they gave them latitude and space. Port Adelaide suddenly were in control and they piled on goal after goal a little over ten minutes to take a 14 point lead into the rooms at half time. In that short space of time, Port scored 6.1.37 to zip, winning the contested possessions 22 to six and uncontested possessions 18 to one while the Demons were reduced to being spectators with the coaching bench seemingly powerless to stop the rot as they had been in Canberra and even in a practice match in Ballarat against the Bulldogs earlier this year. The Demons put up some resistance early in the third and even fought back with a goal to narrow the margin to eight points but when the Power applied the blowtorch again, the Dees were shot. The end result was an embarrassing ten goal defeat in front of small crowd in the middle of the continent. So was it surrender, the heat, lack of mature bodies after a six day break, poor coaching, but team selection or poor preparation? There's no simple answer but it reflects poorly on the team when it's best players in such a rout are in the first senior year of their careers. Kudos to Angus Brayshaw and Jesse Hogan who stood up all day but where were the rest of you? Melbourne 3.2.20 6.2.38 7.3.45 8.6.54 Port Adelaide 1.2.8 8.4.52 12.6.78 18.7.115 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 2 Fitzpatrick M Jones Lumumba Spencer Port Adelaide Schulz 4 Monfries 3 Westhoff Wingard 2 Amon Ebert R Gray Hartlett Krakouer Stewart White Best Melbourne Brayshaw Hogan Port Adelaide Ebert Boak R Gray Wines Schulz Wingard Hartlett Changes Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Substitutions Melbourne Jack Viney replaced Neville Jetta in the third quarter Port Adelaide Nathan Krakouer replaced Karl Amon in the fourth quarter Umpires Bannister Ryan Pannell Official crowd 4,866 at TIO Traeger Park Oval, Alice Springs

Your votes after the final siren sounds please (remember there are two Jones')

THEY STOPPED RUNNING by JVM How is it possible for a team to dominate the first quarter and a half of football in every facet of the game and to lead by four goals and yet, to lose by ten? That scenario is becoming something of a habit with Melbourne this year after the team meekly surrendered a big lead in Canberra against the GWS Giants and then repeated the dose at the weekend against an out-of-form Port Adelaide in Alice Springs. The Power were teetering on the brink after abysmal efforts against Brisbane and Richmond and when Jeff Garlett slotted home two majors to give the hosts the comfort of a four goal lead, they were staring down at the precipice. It would be easy to say that what happened next was a surrender by the Demons because that is what appeared to be the case. There was a period of ten minutes when they maintained their lead and neither side scored but then, inexplicably, they just stopped. They stopped running. Where the Demons had previously been running, chasing, tackling and placing enormous pressure on their opponents, they gave them latitude and space. Port Adelaide suddenly were in control and they piled on goal after goal a little over ten minutes to take a 14 point lead into the rooms at half time. In that short space of time, Port scored 6.1.37 to zip, winning the contested possessions 22 to six and uncontested possessions 18 to one while the Demons were reduced to being spectators with the coaching bench seemingly powerless to stop the rot as they had been in Canberra and even in a practice match in Ballarat against the Bulldogs earlier this year. The Demons put up some resistance early in the third and even fought back with a goal to narrow the margin to eight points but when the Power applied the blowtorch again, the Dees were shot. The end result was an embarrassing ten goal defeat in front of small crowd in the middle of the continent. So was it surrender, the heat, lack of mature bodies after a six day break, poor coaching, but team selection or poor preparation? There's no simple answer but it reflects poorly on the team when it's best players in such a rout are in the first senior year of their careers. Kudos to Angus Brayshaw and Jesse Hogan who stood up all day but where were the rest of you? Melbourne 3.2.20 6.2.38 7.3.45 8.6.54 Port Adelaide 1.2.8 8.4.52 12.6.78 18.7.115 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 2 Fitzpatrick M Jones Lumumba Spencer Port Adelaide Schulz 4 Monfries 3 Westhoff Wingard 2 Amon Ebert R Gray Hartlett Krakouer Stewart White Best Melbourne Brayshaw Hogan Port Adelaide Ebert Boak R Gray Wines Schulz Wingard Hartlett Changes Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Substitutions Melbourne Jack Viney replaced Neville Jetta in the third quarter Port Adelaide Nathan Krakouer replaced Karl Amon in the fourth quarter Umpires Bannister Ryan Pannell Official crowd 4,866 at TIO Traeger Park Oval, Alice Springs

THE HEART OF THE MATTER by The Oracle The AFL's Indigenous Round takes the Demons right into the heart of the country - to Alice Springs where almost to the day, twelve months ago they fought tooth and nail again a top four aspirant in Port Adelaide but ultimately fell agonisingly short. In that game, the Power were off to a flyer and led 4.2.26 to 0.0.0 by the mid point of the opening quarter but the young Demons fought back to hold a narrow lead with 15 minutes left in the game after Christian Salem goaled. It was Port, on its way to a Preliminary Final appearance, that held sway with the last three goals and again, two months later in the return game at Adelaide Oval, they kicked the final goal two minutes before the end to stave off another Melbourne comeback and win by the narrow margin of three points. It was not that the win meant all that much to the Demons in the grand scheme of things in season 2014 but the heart of the matter was that it was one of a handful occasions in recent years when a truly big scalp was there for the taking and the opportunity to take it was missed. And if the club is to truly raise itself up from the group of also rans of the competition and into its middle tier from which it can launch future campaigns into finals class, it has to take scalps like that of Port Adelaide which right now, has about it an air of vulnerability. And that is at the heart of the matter this week. THE GAME Melbourne v Port Adelaide on Saturday 30 May, 2015 at 2.10pm (AEST) at TIO Treager Park, Alice Springs HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 11 wins Port Adelaide 17 wins At TIO Treager Park Melbourne 0 wins Port Adelaide 1 win Past five meetings Melbourne wins Port Adelaide wins The Coaches Roos 0 wins Hinkley 1 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 at 2.00pm (live) RADIO - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $3.30 Port Adelaide to win - $1.32 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 10.12.72 defeated Melbourne 10.9.69 Round 18 at the Adelaide Oval Port Adelaide was going through a bit of a slump but seemed in control for most of the first half until a rear guard action led by Dom Tyson and Nathan Jones in the midfield saw Melbourne hit the front in an exciting final quarter. The Demons had their chances but a late rally for a goal to Jay Schulz saw the Power hold on to the final siren. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes HB: Jeremy Howe, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta C: Daniel Cross, Aaron vandenBerg, Heritier Lumumba HF: Rohan Bail, Cameron Pedersen, Jack Watts F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Jack Fitzpatrick FOLL: Jake Spencer, Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Jimmy Toumpas, Jack Viney EMG: Max Gawn, Ben Newton, Aidan Riley IN: Jack Viney, Neville Jetta OUT: Ben Newton (omitted), Aidan Riley (omitted) PORT ADELAIDE B: Jack Hombsch, Alipate Carlile, Jarman Impey HB: Nathan Krakouer, Tom Jonas, Jasper Pittard C: Matt White, Travis Boak, Brad Ebert HF: Robbie Gray, Justin Westhoff, Chad Wingard F: Karl Amon, Jay Schulz, Angus Monfries FOLL: Matthew Lobbe, Hamish Hartlett, Ollie Wines I/C: Matthew Broadbent, Tom Clurey, Sam Gray, Paul Stewart EMG: Andrew Moore, Cam O'Shea, Aaron Young IN: Matthew Broadbent, Tom Clurey, Paul Stewart OUT: Jackson Trengove (ankle), Patrick Ryder (Achilles), Kane Cornes (retired) IT FIGURES by Sam the Stats Man When the Demons jubilantly took the honours and caused a minor upset in the first round of the season against the Gold Coast Suns, they had almost a full list of players fit and available for action. Jack Trengove was the only player with senior AFL experience on the injured list. The two others - Jayden Hunt and Christian Petracca are kids with their careers ahead of them. Progressively, from that day onward, the injuries began to kick in (as they do at most clubs) leading the club to a position where a lack of player depth was exposed in successive weeks in games against the leading teams in the competition. It all started when one of the stars of the Gold Coast win, Jack Viney who subdued an injured Garry Ablett Junior, broke his leg and a swag of others from that opening game win are missing - most of them with injuries extending beyond a couple of weeks. Here's hoping for a better run from here on in but from a statistical point of view, the run of injuries has certainly not helped the club's quest to rise from the depths of the AFL ladder. On a more positive note, the contributions of the new faces at the club have been significant to this point in time, a testament to the excellent recruiting at the club since the advent of Paul Roos as coach. BAIL, Rohan MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 3 games 3 goals - on the outer until the last couple of games coming in to fill the need for a little speed. BRAYSHAW, Angus MFC 8 games, 2 goals - exciting debut season from this highly rated youngster. CROSS, Daniel MFC 8 games, 0 goals - continues to inspire and lead the team. DAWES, Chris MFC 5 games, 3 goals - hampered by a calf injury and yet to hit his straps. DUNN, Lynden MFC 8 games, 0 goals - solid as a leader in the back line. FITZPATRICK, Jack MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games 0 goals - impressed in his new role in defence in his first game of the season last week. FROST, Sam MFC 3 games, 0 goals - versatile tall man with pace suffered an injury in round three that will keep him out for some time yet. GARLAND, Colin MFC 8 games, 1 goal - solid and reliable in defence. GARLETT, Jeffrey MFC 8 games, 16 goals - goal sneak who adapted well at the club and leads the goal kicking. GAWN, Max CSFC 6 games 8 goals - showing some form at Casey but hasn't been able to break into the AFL team this year. GRIMES, Jack MFC 3 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games 1 goal - struggled early but back in the team and starting to show form. HARMES, James ® CSFC 6 games, 5 goals - promising rookie developing nicely as a utility player with the Scorpions. HOGAN, Jesse MFC 7 games, 14 goals - the talk of the town as the next big thing in power forwards. HOWE, Jeremy MFC 8 games, 1 goal - has been somewhat subdued in defence but showed some spark up forward in his last game. HUNT, Jayden CSFCDL 3 games, 0 goals - on the comeback trail in the Casey development side after a long term injury. JAMAR, Mark MFC 5 games, 2 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - lion hearted early but has seemingly fallen out of favour lately and suffered a head knock in his last game at Casey. JETTA, Neville MFC 4 games, 0 goals - the Demons are taking great care with Jetta after a few bouts of concussion. JONES, Matthew MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 4 games, 1 goal - just broke back into the team and did well in curtailing the Bulldogs' skipper in the last game before being subbed off with concussion. JONES, Nathan MFC 8 games, 4 goals - has had one or two quiet ones but overall continues to set the example of courage through great leadership. KENNEDY-HARRIS, Jay MFC 5 games, 1 goal - showed promise as a crumbing forward before his injury. KENT, Dean MFC 4 games, 2 goals - was stepping up into a regular forward role before he tore a hamstring in the Anzac Day eve game against the Tigers. KING, Max ® CSFCDL 5 games,14 goals - the big man is waiting in line in the Casey development team where he is regularly kicking goals. LUMUMBA, Heritier MFC 8 games, 1 goal - showing great passion and leadership and you get the feeling that he's due for a big game at any time. McDONALD, Oscar ® CSFC 4 games, 1 goal, CSFCDL 2 games, 0 goals - following in his older brother's footsteps, Oscar is learning the ropes at Casey. McDONALD, Tom MFC 8 games, 1 goal - raised his game to a new level and regarded a real chance for All Australian honours if he can keep up his current form. McKENZIE, Jordie MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games, 1 goal - restricted to only one AFL game, his questionable disposal looks like keeping him out in the cold despite some good form in the VFL. MICHIE, Viv MFC 3 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - one of a number of midfielders working hard to establish a place in the side. NEAL-BULLEN, Alex CSFC 4 games, 0 goals, CSFCDL 2 games, 1 goal - a hard nut midfield extractor in development phase who is impressing with the Casey seniors. NEWTON, Ben MFC 7 games, 7 goals - one of the Demons' impressive midfield imports. PEDERSEN, Cameron MFC 4 games, 6 goals, CSFC 2 games, 5 goals - has come back with a vengeance in his last two games as a forward/ruckman. PETRACCA, Christian - an ACL put paid to an AFL debut in the 2015 for this boom youngster. RILEY, Aidan MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games, 2 goals - spent most of the season so far in the VFL but impressed when he came on as a sub in his last game. SALEM, Christian MFC 7 games, 1 goal - there were no second year blues for the youngster who was in outstanding form before a hamstring injury put him out until the middle of next month. SPENCER, Jake MFC 3 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 percent goals - grabbed his opportunity after some good form in the ruck at VFL level. STRETCH, Billy MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - father-son pick who has shown some promising signs in his debut season. TERLICH, Dean CSFC 6 games, 1 goal - an injury interrupted pre season meant a late start and he has yet to break into AFL ranks this year. TOUMPAS, Jimmy MFC 4 games, 2 goals, CSFC 3 games, 1 goal - starting to show some signs as to why he was so sought after in his draft year. TRENGOVE, Jack - unlucky to have a recurrence of the break in his foot and is out indefinitely. TYSON, Dom MFC 7 games, 2 goals - has not recaptured last year's stellar form and is currently out with a knee injury. VANDENBERG, Aaron ® MFC 8 games, 3 goals - the revelation who came off the rookie list and cemented his spot in the team as a big-bodied midfielder. VINCE, Bernie MFC 7 games 3 goals - warming up in a tagging role after an interrupted preseason. VINEY, Jack MFC 2 games, 0 goals - it took a break in his foot to stop this young hard nut. WATTS, Jack MFC 7 games, 4 goals, CSFC 1 game, 1 goal - continues to be an enigma with fluctuating form lines. WHITE, Mitch ® CSFC 5 games, 1 goal, CSFCDL 1 game, 1 goal - promising rookie with a penetrating left foot. ONE MORE WEEK by The Oracle Driving home from last week's win over the Bulldogs, I was listening to the Port Adelaide v Richmond game and simply couldn't believe the pain that Port were suffering as they struggled to get among the goals against the Tigers. What the hell was happening with them? Was this the same team that monstered Hawthorn in the first half of their game a month earlier? I have absolutely no answer but I hope their current poor form persists for one more week and they allow Melbourne for the first time in four years to go back to back in the heart of the country.

This was also a classic of the late 80s.

THE HEART OF THE MATTER by The Oracle The AFL's Indigenous Round takes the Demons right into the heart of the country - to Alice Springs where almost to the day, twelve months ago they fought tooth and nail again a top four aspirant in Port Adelaide but ultimately fell agonisingly short. In that game, the Power were off to a flyer and led 4.2.26 to 0.0.0 by the mid point of the opening quarter but the young Demons fought back to hold a narrow lead with 15 minutes left in the game after Christian Salem goaled. It was Port, on its way to a Preliminary Final appearance, that held sway with the last three goals and again, two months later in the return game at Adelaide Oval, they kicked the final goal two minutes before the end to stave off another Melbourne comeback and win by the narrow margin of three points. It was not that the win meant all that much to the Demons in the grand scheme of things in season 2014 but the heart of the matter was that it was one of a handful occasions in recent years when a truly big scalp was there for the taking and the opportunity to take it was missed. And if the club is to truly raise itself up from the group of also rans of the competition and into its middle tier from which it can launch future campaigns into finals class, it has to take scalps like that of Port Adelaide which right now, has about it an air of vulnerability. And that is at the heart of the matter this week. THE GAME Melbourne v Port Adelaide on Saturday 30 May, 2015 at 2.10pm (AEST) at TIO Treager Park, Alice Springs HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 11 wins Port Adelaide 17 wins At TIO Treager Park Melbourne 0 wins Port Adelaide 1 win Past five meetings Melbourne wins Port Adelaide wins The Coaches Roos 0 wins Hinkley 1 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 at 2.00pm (live) RADIO - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $3.30 Port Adelaide to win - $1.32 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 10.12.72 defeated Melbourne 10.9.69 Round 18 at the Adelaide Oval Port Adelaide was going through a bit of a slump but seemed in control for most of the first half until a rear guard action led by Dom Tyson and Nathan Jones in the midfield saw Melbourne hit the front in an exciting final quarter. The Demons had their chances but a late rally for a goal to Jay Schulz saw the Power hold on to the final siren. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes HB: Jeremy Howe, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta C: Daniel Cross, Aaron vandenBerg, Heritier Lumumba HF: Rohan Bail, Cameron Pedersen, Jack Watts F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Jack Fitzpatrick FOLL: Jake Spencer, Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Jimmy Toumpas, Jack Viney EMG: Max Gawn, Ben Newton, Aidan Riley IN: Jack Viney, Neville Jetta OUT: Ben Newton (omitted), Aidan Riley (omitted) PORT ADELAIDE B: Jack Hombsch, Alipate Carlile, Jarman Impey HB: Nathan Krakouer, Tom Jonas, Jasper Pittard C: Matt White, Travis Boak, Brad Ebert HF: Robbie Gray, Justin Westhoff, Chad Wingard F: Karl Amon, Jay Schulz, Angus Monfries FOLL: Matthew Lobbe, Hamish Hartlett, Ollie Wines I/C: Matthew Broadbent, Tom Clurey, Sam Gray, Paul Stewart EMG: Andrew Moore, Cam O'Shea, Aaron Young IN: Matthew Broadbent, Tom Clurey, Paul Stewart OUT: Jackson Trengove (ankle), Patrick Ryder (Achilles), Kane Cornes (retired) IT FIGURES by Sam the Stats Man When the Demons jubilantly took the honours and caused a minor upset in the first round of the season against the Gold Coast Suns, they had almost a full list of players fit and available for action. Jack Trengove was the only player with senior AFL experience on the injured list. The two others - Jayden Hunt and Christian Petracca are kids with their careers ahead of them. Progressively, from that day onward, the injuries began to kick in (as they do at most clubs) leading the club to a position where a lack of player depth was exposed in successive weeks in games against the leading teams in the competition. It all started when one of the stars of the Gold Coast win, Jack Viney who subdued an injured Garry Ablett Junior, broke his leg and a swag of others from that opening game win are missing - most of them with injuries extending beyond a couple of weeks. Here's hoping for a better run from here on in but from a statistical point of view, the run of injuries has certainly not helped the club's quest to rise from the depths of the AFL ladder. On a more positive note, the contributions of the new faces at the club have been significant to this point in time, a testament to the excellent recruiting at the club since the advent of Paul Roos as coach. BAIL, Rohan MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 3 games 3 goals - on the outer until the last couple of games coming in to fill the need for a little speed. BRAYSHAW, Angus MFC 8 games, 2 goals - exciting debut season from this highly rated youngster. CROSS, Daniel MFC 8 games, 0 goals - continues to inspire and lead the team. DAWES, Chris MFC 5 games, 3 goals - hampered by a calf injury and yet to hit his straps. DUNN, Lynden MFC 8 games, 0 goals - solid as a leader in the back line. FITZPATRICK, Jack MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games 0 goals - impressed in his new role in defence in his first game of the season last week. FROST, Sam MFC 3 games, 0 goals - versatile tall man with pace suffered an injury in round three that will keep him out for some time yet. GARLAND, Colin MFC 8 games, 1 goal - solid and reliable in defence. GARLETT, Jeffrey MFC 8 games, 16 goals - goal sneak who adapted well at the club and leads the goal kicking. GAWN, Max CSFC 6 games 8 goals - showing some form at Casey but hasn't been able to break into the AFL team this year. GRIMES, Jack MFC 3 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games 1 goal - struggled early but back in the team and starting to show form. HARMES, James ® CSFC 6 games, 5 goals - promising rookie developing nicely as a utility player with the Scorpions. HOGAN, Jesse MFC 7 games, 14 goals - the talk of the town as the next big thing in power forwards. HOWE, Jeremy MFC 8 games, 1 goal - has been somewhat subdued in defence but showed some spark up forward in his last game. HUNT, Jayden CSFCDL 3 games, 0 goals - on the comeback trail in the Casey development side after a long term injury. JAMAR, Mark MFC 5 games, 2 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - lion hearted early but has seemingly fallen out of favour lately and suffered a head knock in his last game at Casey. JETTA, Neville MFC 4 games, 0 goals - the Demons are taking great care with Jetta after a few bouts of concussion. JONES, Matthew MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 4 games, 1 goal - just broke back into the team and did well in curtailing the Bulldogs' skipper in the last game before being subbed off with concussion. JONES, Nathan MFC 8 games, 4 goals - has had one or two quiet ones but overall continues to set the example of courage through great leadership. KENNEDY-HARRIS, Jay MFC 5 games, 1 goal - showed promise as a crumbing forward before his injury. KENT, Dean MFC 4 games, 2 goals - was stepping up into a regular forward role before he tore a hamstring in the Anzac Day eve game against the Tigers. KING, Max ® CSFCDL 5 games,14 goals - the big man is waiting in line in the Casey development team where he is regularly kicking goals. LUMUMBA, Heritier MFC 8 games, 1 goal - showing great passion and leadership and you get the feeling that he's due for a big game at any time. McDONALD, Oscar ® CSFC 4 games, 1 goal, CSFCDL 2 games, 0 goals - following in his older brother's footsteps, Oscar is learning the ropes at Casey. McDONALD, Tom MFC 8 games, 1 goal - raised his game to a new level and regarded a real chance for All Australian honours if he can keep up his current form. McKENZIE, Jordie MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games, 1 goal - restricted to only one AFL game, his questionable disposal looks like keeping him out in the cold despite some good form in the VFL. MICHIE, Viv MFC 3 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - one of a number of midfielders working hard to establish a place in the side. NEAL-BULLEN, Alex CSFC 4 games, 0 goals, CSFCDL 2 games, 1 goal - a hard nut midfield extractor in development phase who is impressing with the Casey seniors. NEWTON, Ben MFC 7 games, 7 goals - one of the Demons' impressive midfield imports. PEDERSEN, Cameron MFC 4 games, 6 goals, CSFC 2 games, 5 goals - has come back with a vengeance in his last two games as a forward/ruckman. PETRACCA, Christian - an ACL put paid to an AFL debut in the 2015 for this boom youngster. RILEY, Aidan MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games, 2 goals - spent most of the season so far in the VFL but impressed when he came on as a sub in his last game. SALEM, Christian MFC 7 games, 1 goal - there were no second year blues for the youngster who was in outstanding form before a hamstring injury put him out until the middle of next month. SPENCER, Jake MFC 3 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 percent goals - grabbed his opportunity after some good form in the ruck at VFL level. STRETCH, Billy MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - father-son pick who has shown some promising signs in his debut season. TERLICH, Dean CSFC 6 games, 1 goal - an injury interrupted pre season meant a late start and he has yet to break into AFL ranks this year. TOUMPAS, Jimmy MFC 4 games, 2 goals, CSFC 3 games, 1 goal - starting to show some signs as to why he was so sought after in his draft year. TRENGOVE, Jack - unlucky to have a recurrence of the break in his foot and is out indefinitely. TYSON, Dom MFC 7 games, 2 goals - has not recaptured last year's stellar form and is currently out with a knee injury. VANDENBERG, Aaron ® MFC 8 games, 3 goals - the revelation who came off the rookie list and cemented his spot in the team as a big-bodied midfielder. VINCE, Bernie MFC 7 games 3 goals - warming up in a tagging role after an interrupted preseason. VINEY, Jack MFC 2 games, 0 goals - it took a break in his foot to stop this young hard nut. WATTS, Jack MFC 7 games, 4 goals, CSFC 1 game, 1 goal - continues to be an enigma with fluctuating form lines. WHITE, Mitch ® CSFC 5 games, 1 goal, CSFCDL 1 game, 1 goal - promising rookie with a penetrating left foot. ONE MORE WEEK by The Oracle Driving home from last week's win over the Bulldogs, I was listening to the Port Adelaide v Richmond game and simply couldn't believe the pain that Port were suffering as they struggled to get among the goals against the Tigers. What the hell was happening with them? Was this the same team that monstered Hawthorn in the first half of their game a month earlier? I have absolutely no answer but I hope their current poor form persists for one more week and they allow Melbourne for the first time in four years to go back to back in the heart of the country.

Congratulations to Jesse Hogan and Bernie Vince.