Demonland

The story this week is that the young Melbourne side is now suffering from fatigue. Strangely enough, this came from a young player who was one of the very few at the club who showed no signs of weariness last week against Geelong - Jack Viney. Viney, who was one of his team's best in the 66-point defeat last Saturday at the MCG, told the club's website this week, "We started the season really well and were starting to play some real top quality teams now, and its starting to show that the boys are getting a bit fatigued." He added that "They (Geelong) were beating us in contested footy and all areas, so it was about getting back to playing man-on-man footy, and beating our opponent. "From my point of view, it was pleasing to see a little bit more fight in the second half, but it was still not as much as we needed." Sorry Jack, but there's no need to start making excuses for your teammates and the only ones really getting tired are the fans. Over the past two weeks, against quality opposition in Fremantle and Geelong the team has managed a total of nine goals on the back of a creditable performance in coming close to beating the Western Bulldogs at Etihad. In the same time span the equally young (and possibly more inexperienced) Bulldogs have shown no sign whatsoever against of tiredness against two teams that are in the finals race. Rather than demonstrating fatigue, that team is bubbling with enthusiasm and full of energy - a team prepared to take the game on and play attacking football rather than be mired in defensive football only. The Demons' defensive mindset may well be a matter of design; that several months of training and playing in that mode will hold it in good stead in the future but is now weighing heavily on the team. They take on Port Adelaide this Sunday at a ground where they have already recorded a win this year and against a team undergoing a form slump. Moreover, the Demons have available, all bar one player (the injured Daniel Cross) who represented them so admirably in Alice Springs on 31 May. On that occasion, they missed their suspended and then in form key forward Chris Dawes and it wasn't a matter of tiredness that cost them the game but two lapses at either end of the match (each conceding four goals in a quarter hour of play). The teams also have history at the Adelaide Oval where they met a few years ago before it was refurbished in preparation for its role as an AFL ground. That was the day when some incredible umpiring decisions went the way of the home team to give them an unexpected victory. Similarly, this is also a game that could bring Melbourne the four points. It is winnable if the players want it but to do that they need to go for the win and do so for the 120 minutes allocated. THE GAME Port Adelaide v Melbourne on Sunday 20 July, 2014 at 1.10pm at Adelaide Oval HEAD TO HEAD Overall Port Adelaide 16 wins Melbourne 11 wins At Adelaide Oval Port Adelaide 1 win Melbourne 0 wins Past five years Port Adelaide 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches Hinkley 1 win Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Live at 1.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Port Adelaide to win - $1.05 Melbourne to win - $10.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 14.11.95 defeated Melbourne 11.9.75 in Round 11, 2014 at TIO Tregear Park, Alice Springs Port Adelaide jumped Melbourne early to race to a 26-point lead but the Demons hit back to take the lead in the third quarter. Port struck back to lead at the last break but Melbourne was in front halfway through the final term before a Power surge saw them safely home. THE TEAMS PORT ADELAIDE B: Cam O'Shea, Jack Hombsch, Dom Cassisi. HB: Matthew Broadbent, Tom Jonas, Jasper Pittard C: Jared Polec, Travis Boak, Kane Cornes HF: Paul Stewart, Justin Westhoff, Matt White F: Robbie Gray, Jay Schulz, Chad Wingard FOLL: Matthew Lobbe, Ollie Wines, Brad Ebert I/C: Hamish Hartlett, Jarman Impey, Benjamin Newton, Aaron Young EMG: Thomas Logan, Sam Gray, John Butcher IN: John Butcher, Dom Cassisi, Benjamin Newton, Paul Stewart OUT: Sam Gray, Thomas Logan, Kane Mitchell (all omitted) MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, James Frawley, Lynden Dunn HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe C: Jack Grimes, Bernie Vince, Jordie McKenzie HF: Jack Viney, Cameron Pedersen, Jack Watts F: Rohan Bail, Chris Dawes, Aidan Riley FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Dean Kent, Sam Blease, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Luke Tapscott EMG: Viv Michie, Max Gawn, Dean Terlich IN: Sam Blease, Jay Kennedy-Harris OUT: Matt Jones, Dean Terlich Port Adelaide starts the game as the hottest of hot favourites despite having lost four of its last five matches and tumbling out of the top four for the first time since very early in the season. They disappointed last week against Richmond but missed by only two points the week before against Essendon and the defeat that started their slump was by just four points in Sydney. Melbourne's stocks have plummeted badly since their win against Essendon with poor performances against North Melbourne, Fremantle and Geelong (losses of 41, 63 and 66 points respectively) with only the single goal loss to the Bulldogs among them for consolation. The disturbing aspect had been the complete collapse of the club's capacity to put goals on the board - a total of only nine scored in the last two goals stands as testament to its forward line impotence. One wonders what Paul Roos is going to do about the problem this week, assuming he acknowledges that it is indeed a problem that needs to be dealt with in the short term. Earlier in the season, the team performed best when Chris Dawes returned to hold down one key forward placing and James Frawley was moved forward to plug the gap left by Mitch Clark's sudden retirement and Jesse Hogan's ongoing back problems. Lately, Dawes has been unproductive. He's not holding those marks and he's not kicking goals either. Meanwhile, Frawley has been moved down back where he has been relatively ineffective. On top of that, none of the small crumbing forwards who have been given opportunities around the goals have worried the opposition or been able to kick multiple goals. Instead, we get a buzz when someone, anyone, manages to scrounge a singe goal in a quarter of play. The only redeeming feature of this game is that it was at this ground earlier in the year against the Adelaide Crows that Melbourne was able to manage a decent run of goals but even then, although it won the game, the goals dried up after half a game of football. The signs are therefore not good. Port Adelaide by 50 points.

Not that long ago ... MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Tom McDonald, Dean Terlich HB: Neville Jetta, Lynden Dunn, Jack Grimes C: Daniel Cross, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Rohan Bail, James Frawley, Jack Watts F: Cameron Pedersen, Max Gawn, Jeremy Howe FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Matt Jones, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Aidan Riley, Christian Salem EMG: Jordie McKenzie, Daniel Nicholson, Jimmy Toumpas IN: James Frawley, Neville Jetta OUT: Chris Dawes (suspended), Jimmy Toumpas (omitted) PORT ADELAIDE B: J Hombsch, A Carlile, J Impey HB: M Broadbent, J Trengove, J Pittard C: J Polec, T Boak, K Cornes HF: A Moore, J Westhoff, M White F: R Gray, J Schulz, C Wingard FOLL: M Lobbe, O Wines, B Ebert I/C: K Mitchell, J Neade, P Stewart, A.Young EMG: K Amon, S Gray, B Newton IN: P Stewart, A Moore, J Neade OUT: D Cassisi, A Monfries, H Hartlett

An otherwise dull and boring afternoon at Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo was lifted by a thrilling finish that saw Casey Scorpions youngster Ed Morris goal in the dying moments to give his team a thrilling victory by 2 points against the hapless Bendigo Gold. There was much sadness in the air from the locals as the final siren sounded. The Gold are on their last legs after it was announced last month that the team, which hasn't won since the Bendigo-Essendon alignment ended two years ago, will fold at the end of the season. The game against poorly performed Casey, was possibly their last realistic opportunity ever for a win. The Scorpions have introduced a significant amount of new blood into their senior team this season. This week it was the turn of David Gawley and Maia Westrupp, Melbourne's New Zealand born international rookie who picked up seven touches with limited opportunities. Bendigo took the lead early in the game and although the visitors clawed it back late in the first quarter, it was the home side that held sway for most of the afternoon. The game itself never reached great heights and the skills on offer were what one would expect for two teams that had been winless for so long. Casey last tasted victory in early May against the Northern Blues. Ironically, that team had a fortnight ago deprived Bendigo of a win when they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a last kick goal. The Scorpions had the advantage of a number of AFL listed Melbourne players. A few of them like Viv Michie, Mitch Clisby, James Strauss, Sam Blease and Jay Kennedy-Harris achieved big numbers stats wise (plus Max Gawn who got the ball often and had an astonishing 80 hit outs) but the real heroes were a trio of youngsters who I predict have extremely promising futures ahead of them. James Harmes (31 touches), Ed Morris from the Gippsland Power and Dom Barry who had a taste of AFL football over the previous fortnight are the players who impressed most for Casey when the chips were down. The former, a rookie, played his best game to date; the latter, two players each kicked two goals in a frenetic final quarter. Barry kicked one at the 23 minute mark of the final quarter to regain the lead for his team. Bendigo responded three minutes later to grab back the ascendency. Jack Fitzpatrick marked deep in a pocket at 29 minutes but his shot for goal sailed wide of the goalposts to register a point. Another minute and a half ticked by until Morris grabbed the ball in a pack and kicked truly. It was to be the last score of the day although another excruciating five minutes would elapse before the final siren saved Casey from what would have been an embarrassing defeat. 2014 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 5.8.38 8.13.61 12.14.86 Bendigo Gold 3.5.23 6.6.42 10.9.69 12.12.84 Goals Casey Scorpions Barry 3 Blease Morris 2 Gawn Fitzpatrick Michie Strauss Bendigo Gold Downie Pollock Walls 2 Aarts Farrelly Magin Redfern Stroobants Toman Best Casey Scorpions Harmes Michie Morris Gawn Clisby Strauss Bendigo Gold Toman Magin Walls Hayes Redfern Downie Statistics * Dom Barry 3 goals 1 point 9 disposals 6 kicks 3 handballs 3 marks 52 Dream Team Points * Sam Blease 2 goals 2 behinds 24 disposals 15 kicks 9 handballs 2 marks 6 tackles 107 Dream Team Points * Mitch Clisby 1 point 28 disposals 13 kicks 15 handballs 6 marks 6 tackles 103 Dream Team Points * Jack Fitzpatrick 2 goals 3 points 16 disposals 13 kicks 3 handballs 11 marks 3 tackles 34 hit outs 133 Dream Team Points * Max Gawn 1 goal 1 point 26 disposals 12 kicks 14 handballs 4 marks 5 tackles 80 hitouts 187 Dream Team Points * Alexis Georgiou 13 disposals 7 kicks 6 handballs 3 marks 5 tackles 57 Dream Team Points * James Harmes 31 disposals 12 kicks 19 handballs 7 marks 4 tackles 106 Dream Team Points * Jay Kennedy-Harris disposals 13 kicks 12 handballs 2 marks 1 tackle 74 Dream Team Points * Viv Michie 1 goal 29 disposals 18 kicks 11 handballs 4 marks 6 tackles 109 Dream Team Points * Dan Nicholson 25 disposals 18 kicks 7 handballs 8 marks 4 tackles 100 Dream Team Points * James Strauss 1 goal 25 disposals 16 kicks 9 handballs 4 marks 6 tackles 106 Dream Team Points * Maia Westrupp 7 disposals 4 kicks 3 handballs 4 marks 4 tackles 46 Dream Team Points The Development League team came close to winning its second consecutive game but fell short by eight points in a close battle with Port Melbourne. 2014 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 4.0.24 5.5.35 7.9.51 9.12.66 Port Melbourne 3.3.21 7.4.46 8.6.54 10.14.74 Goals Casey Scorpions Jackson Rosier Waters 2 Bundle Drew Thomas Port Melbourne Johnson 3 McKenzie Magner 2 Hogan Keogh Michaliades Best Casey Scorpions Paredes Waters Shiels Rosier Jackson Corrigan Port Melbourne Johnston McKenzie Keogh Thornton Robinson Vearing

DULL GAME, EXCITING FINISH by KC from Casey An otherwise dull and boring afternoon at Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo was lifted by a thrilling finish that saw Casey Scorpions youngster Ed Morris goal in the dying moments to give his team a thrilling victory by 2 points against the hapless Bendigo Gold. There was much sadness in the air from the locals as the final siren sounded. The Gold are on their last legs after it was announced last month that the team, which hasn't won since the Bendigo-Essendon alignment ended two years ago, will fold at the end of the season. The game against poorly performed Casey, was possibly their last realistic opportunity ever for a win. The Scorpions have introduced a significant amount of new blood into their senior team this season. This week it was the turn of David Gawley and Maia Westrupp, Melbourne's New Zealand born international rookie who picked up seven touches with limited opportunities. Bendigo took the lead early in the game and although the visitors clawed it back late in the first quarter, it was the home side that held sway for most of the afternoon. The game itself never reached great heights and the skills on offer were what one would expect for two teams that had been winless for so long. Casey last tasted victory in early May against the Northern Blues. Ironically, that team had a fortnight ago deprived Bendigo of a win when they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a last kick goal. The Scorpions had the advantage of a number of AFL listed Melbourne players. A few of them like Viv Michie, Mitch Clisby, James Strauss, Sam Blease and Jay Kennedy-Harris achieved big numbers stats wise (plus Max Gawn who got the ball often and had an astonishing 80 hit outs) but the real heroes were a trio of youngsters who I predict have extremely promising futures ahead of them. James Harmes (31 touches), Ed Morris from the Gippsland Power and Dom Barry who had a taste of AFL football over the previous fortnight are the players who impressed most for Casey when the chips were down. The former, a rookie, played his best game to date; the latter, two players each kicked two goals in a frenetic final quarter. Barry kicked one at the 23 minute mark of the final quarter to regain the lead for his team. Bendigo responded three minutes later to grab back the ascendency. Jack Fitzpatrick marked deep in a pocket at 29 minutes but his shot for goal sailed wide of the goalposts to register a point. Another minute and a half ticked by until Morris grabbed the ball in a pack and kicked truly. It was to be the last score of the day although another excruciating five minutes would elapse before the final siren saved Casey from what would have been an embarrassing defeat. 2014 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 5.8.38 8.13.61 12.14.86 Bendigo Gold 3.5.23 6.6.42 10.9.69 12.12.84 Goals Casey Scorpions Barry 3 Blease Morris 2 Gawn Fitzpatrick Michie Strauss Bendigo Gold Downie Pollock Walls 2 Aarts Farrelly Magin Redfern Stroobants Toman Best Casey Scorpions Harmes Michie Morris Gawn Clisby Strauss Bendigo Gold Toman Magin Walls Hayes Redfern Downie The Development League team came close to winning its second consecutive game but fell short by eight points in a close battle with Port Melbourne. 2014 AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 4.0.24 5.5.35 7.9.51 9.12.66 Port Melbourne 3.3.21 7.4.46 8.6.54 10.14.74 Goals Casey Scorpions Jackson Rosier Waters 2 Bundle Drew Thomas Port Melbourne Johnson 3 McKenzie Magner 2 Hogan Keogh Michaliades Best Casey Scorpions Paredes Waters Shiels Rosier Jackson Corrigan Port Melbourne Johnston McKenzie Keogh Thornton Robinson Vearing

Six rounds to go and Nathan Jones has a stranglehold on the player of the year. 164. Nathan Jones 106. Dom Tyson 100. Lynden Dunn 74. Jack Viney 71. Bernie Vince 60. Daniel Cross 45. Tom McDonald 44. Matt Jones 41. Cam Pedersen 40. Jack Watts 37. Chris Dawes James Frawley 35. Mark Jamar 34. Jeremy Howe 18. Jack Grimes 15. Aidan Riley 13. Neville Jetta Dean Kent 11. Rohan Bail 10. Jordie McKenzie 8. Jay Kennedy-Harris 6. Alexis Georgiou Jimmy Toumpas 4. Dean Terlich 3. Jack Trengove 2. Shannon Byrnes Jake Spencer 1. Max Gawn

Game over, thanks folks. Now for the post mortem.

I just figured out that we give more votes every week than we kick goals but please go ahead anyway.

One of the worst performances from a Melbourne team on the MCG. Yes - we had some debacles in the past few years but we're supposed to have a good coach and some players now and we surely have gone backwards in the last two weeks.

I'll bet there aren't 38,000 at the G now.

FLEETING MOMENTS by Whispering Jack There was a fleeting moment earlier in the week when I thought to myself, "we might win this." My logic was based on the fact that a little over a week ago, Melbourne came very close to beating the Western Bulldogs with a final score of 13.7.85 to 14.7.91. It was a defeat by a mere goal and we know full well that had the umpires used their whistles properly in those dying moments, a different result might well have ensued. And some tighter play on first year Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli might have prevented those final two snap shot goals from out of his backside that won his team the four points. So moving forward seven days, the same Bulldogs took on Geelong who are Melbourne's opponents this week but this time they registered not one but two scoring shots at goal more than their opponent to score 7.14.56 to 10.9.69. However, this time, they lost by 13 points. You know where I'm going here. It's a trap many of us fall into when comparing the performance of teams over two games. I agonise over why could the Doggies not have kicked that 7.14 against us instead of 14.7. I also figure that if there's only one scoring shot difference between Melbourne and Geelong in consecutive games against the Bullies, then we have to be somewhere in the same ball park. Right? Wrong? Wrong, because I look at how Melbourne went even more recently - last Saturday night against Fremantle - and then I ask myself the rhetorical question, " what was I thinking?" I made the point some weeks earlier when Melbourne seemed to be coming out of its shell to surprise some reasonably good opposition with its grinding defensive play, that it was time for coach Paul Roos to encourage a little more attacking flair in the team. Instead of playing the game in stop, start pedestrian style that often can break down with skill errors, I advocated in favour of the players taking the game on a little bit but that's starting to look like a forlorn hope. Instead, we are seeing a different pattern emerging; one in which we try to assert defensive pressure and are broken down because we've become so predictable in how we play. In the end, the opposition get a run on as we lose confidence and those big bursts of goals more or less put us out of contention. Against Geelong this week, Melbourne is particularly exposed because even though the Cats aren't anywhere near their peak, they play exactly the type of game that breaks the defensive mould and then destroys it. I therefore can't see Melbourne coming close this week. Not even for a fleeting moment. THE GAME Melbourne v Geelong at the MCG on Saturday 12 July 2014 at 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins Geelong 125 wins 2 draws At the MCG Melbourne 51 wins 51 Geelong wins The last five years Melbourne 0 wins Geelong 5 wins The Coaches Roos 0 Scott 0 MEDIA TV - Fox Sports Channel live at 1.30pm RADIO -Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $7.00 Geelong to win $1.10 LAST TIME THEY MET Geelong 13.20.98 defeated Melbourne 4.6.30 at Simonds Stadium in Round 16, 2013 It rained at Skilled Stadium and Melbourne had trouble in getting the ball into its forward half. The Demons managed a pitiful 19 incursions into the forward 50 (a record low) against 70 from the Cats. There are those who think it won't be much better this week. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Lynden Dunn, James Frawley, Colin Garland HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta C: Jack Grimes, Bernie Vince, Jordie McKenzie HF: Matt Jones, Cam Pedersen, Jack Watts F: Rohan Bail, Chris Dawes, Jack Viney FOLL: Mark Jamar, Dom Tyson, Nathan Jones I/C: Dean Kent, Aidan Riley, Luke Tapscott, Dean Terlich EMG: Sam Blease, Max Gawn, Christian Salem IN: Neville Jetta, Aidan Riley, Luke Tapscott OUT: Dom Barry, Max Gawn, Christian Salem GEELONG B: Corey Enright, Tom Lonergan, Andrew Mackie HB: Cameron Guthrie, Harry Taylor, Jared Rivers C: Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood, Travis Varcoe HF: Allen Christensen, Shane Kersten, Jordan Murdoch F: Steven Motlop, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson FOLL: Hamish McIntosh, James Kelly, Josh Caddy I/C: Mark Blicavs, Mitch Duncan, Brad Hartman,George Horlin-Smith EMG: Jed Bews, Dawson Simpson, Billie Smedts IN: James Kelly OUT: Jed Bews (omitted) It's a common story whenever Melbourne plays that it has to achieve a substantial breakthrough even to think of winning a game. This week's opposition, Geelong, has not only won the last nine encounters between the teams - it has done so by an average winning margin of 12 goals. These wins have come at the MCG, at the Cattery, in fine weather and foul, in wind and driving rain. If that's not enough, Melbourne has to butter up after a loss up in the tropical Top End. Not only does it have a problem winning games up there, it has even more difficulty in winning games immediately after the long trip north. And if that doesn't take care of the Demons, let's not forget that the Cats have a top four spot at stake and defeat at the hands of a bottom four team would surely be a catastrophe for them and the sleepy hollow of a town they represent. It would seem that the Demons' selectors have recognised some of the issues facing the team of late by omitting a few youngsters in Dom Barry, Max Gawn and Christian Salem and replacing them with a few stronger, harder bodied types like Aidan Riley and Luke Tapscott along with Neville Jetta returning from suspension. But the Demons need more than just a harder edge - they need a capacity to score, more avenues to goal and a way to move the ball a little more quickly than they have done of late. They have this penchant in recent times of kicking ridiculously low scores of three, four or five goals and with the conditions likely to be fairly dire - showers easing and local hail - I'm not holding out much hope of a big score. In terrible conditions last year, the Dees averaged less than five inside 50 entries per quarter for a total of four goals. On last week's form against the Dockers, can we expect much more? If there is to be a chance, then it might come in the most unlikely of places - the middle of the ground where Geelong has struggled to win clearances and create goal scoring opportunities for itself. If the likes of the Jones boys, Jack Viney and Dom Tysom can take charge at the stoppages and at the feet of an in form Mark Jamar and Jordie McKenzie can take care of Joel Selwood, there might be a brief ray of hope. But I wouldn't be holding my breath waiting. Geelong by 37 points

There was a fleeting moment earlier in the week when I thought to myself, "we might win this." My logic was based on the fact that a little over a week ago, Melbourne came very close to beating the Western Bulldogs with a final score of 13.7.85 to 14.7.91. It was a defeat by a mere goal and we know full well that had the umpires used their whistles properly in those dying moments, a different result might well have ensued. And some tighter play on first year Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli might have prevented those final two snap shot goals from out of his backside that won his team the four points. So moving forward seven days, the same Bulldogs took on Geelong who are Melbourne's opponents this week but this time they registered not one but two scoring shots at goal more than their opponent to score 7.14.56 to 10.9.69. However, this time, they lost by 13 points. You know where I'm going here. It's a trap many of us fall into when comparing the performance of teams over two games. I agonise over why could the Doggies not have kicked that 7.14 against us instead of 14.7. I also figure that if there's only one scoring shot difference between Melbourne and Geelong in consecutive games against the Bullies, then we have to be somewhere in the same ball park. Right? Wrong? Wrong, because I look at how Melbourne went even more recently - last Saturday night against Fremantle - and then I ask myself the rhetorical question, " what was I thinking?" I made the point some weeks earlier when Melbourne seemed to be coming out of its shell to surprise some reasonably good opposition with its grinding defensive play, that it was time for coach Paul Roos to encourage a little more attacking flair in the team. Instead of playing the game in stop, start pedestrian style that often can break down with skill errors, I advocated in favour of the players taking the game on a little bit but that's starting to look like a forlorn hope. Instead, we are seeing a different pattern emerging; one in which we try to assert defensive pressure and are broken down because we've become so predictable in how we play. In the end, the opposition get a run on as we lose confidence and those big bursts of goals more or less put us out of contention. Against Geelong this week, Melbourne is particularly exposed because even though the Cats aren't anywhere near their peak, they play exactly the type of game that breaks the defensive mould and then destroys it. I therefore can't see Melbourne coming close this week. Not even for a fleeting moment. THE GAME Melbourne v Geelong at the MCG on Saturday 12 July 2014 at 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins Geelong 125 wins 2 draws At the MCG Melbourne 51 wins 51 Geelong wins The last five years Melbourne 0 wins Geelong 5 wins The Coaches Roos 0 Scott 0 MEDIA TV - Fox Sports Channel live at 1.30pm RADIO -Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $7.00 Geelong to win $1.10 LAST TIME THEY MET Geelong 13.20.98 defeated Melbourne 4.6.30 at Simonds Stadium in Round 16, 2013 It rained at Skilled Stadium and Melbourne had trouble in getting the ball into its forward half. The Demons managed a pitiful 19 incursions into the forward 50 (a record low) against 70 from the Cats. There are those who think it won't be much better this week. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Lynden Dunn, James Frawley, Colin Garland HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta C: Jack Grimes, Bernie Vince, Jordie McKenzie HF: Matt Jones, Cam Pedersen, Jack Watts F: Rohan Bail, Chris Dawes, Jack Viney FOLL: Mark Jamar, Dom Tyson, Nathan Jones I/C: Dean Kent, Aidan Riley, Luke Tapscott, Dean Terlich EMG: Sam Blease, Max Gawn, Christian Salem IN: Neville Jetta, Aidan Riley, Luke Tapscott OUT: Dom Barry, Max Gawn, Christian Salem GEELONG B: Corey Enright, Tom Lonergan, Andrew Mackie HB: Cameron Guthrie, Harry Taylor, Jared Rivers C: Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood, Travis Varcoe HF: Allen Christensen, Shane Kersten, Jordan Murdoch F: Steven Motlop, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson FOLL: Hamish McIntosh, James Kelly, Josh Caddy I/C: Mark Blicavs, Mitch Duncan, Brad Hartman,George Horlin-Smith EMG: Jed Bews, Dawson Simpson, Billie Smedts IN: James Kelly OUT: Jed Bews (omitted) It's a common story whenever Melbourne plays that it has to achieve a substantial breakthrough even to think of winning a game. This week's opposition, Geelong, has not only won the last nine encounters between the teams - it has done so by an average winning margin of 12 goals. These wins have come at the MCG, at the Cattery, in fine weather and foul, in wind and driving rain. If that's not enough, Melbourne has to butter up after a loss up in the tropical Top End. Not only does it have a problem winning games up there, it has even more difficulty in winning games immediately after the long trip north. And if that doesn't take care of the Demons, let's not forget that the Cats have a top four spot at stake and defeat at the hands of a bottom four team would surely be a catastrophe for them and the sleepy hollow of a town they represent. It would seem that the Demons' selectors have recognised some of the issues facing the team of late by omitting a few youngsters in Dom Barry, Max Gawn and Christian Salem and replacing them with a few stronger, harder bodied types like Aidan Riley and Luke Tapscott along with Neville Jetta returning from suspension. But the Demons need more than just a harder edge - they need a capacity to score, more avenues to goal and a way to move the ball a little more quickly than they have done of late. They have this penchant in recent times of kicking ridiculously low scores of three, four or five goals and with the conditions likely to be fairly dire - showers easing and local hail - I'm not holding out much hope of a big score. In terrible conditions last year, the Dees averaged less than five inside 50 entries per quarter for a total of four goals. On last week's form against the Dockers, can we expect much more? If there is to be a chance, then it might come in the most unlikely of places - the middle of the ground where Geelong has struggled to win clearances and create goal scoring opportunities for itself. If the likes of the Jones boys, Jack Viney and Dom Tysom can take charge at the stoppages and at the feet of an in form Mark Jamar and Jordie McKenzie can take care of Joel Selwood, there might be a brief ray of hope. But I wouldn't be holding my breath waiting. Geelong by 37 points

It was down at Simonds Stadium late last year when we kept Geelong down to less than 100 points - a rare feat in 2013. Trouble was they had 70 inside 50s to our 19 and scored 13.20.98 to 4.6.30. On our current form would we be happy with that? GEELONG Backs Cameron Guthrie Harry Taylor Josh Hunt Half backs Travis Varcoe Tom Lonergan Andrew Mackie Centreline Taylor Hunt Joel Selwood Mitch Duncan Half forwards Mathew Stokes James Podsiadly Billie Smedts Forwards Josh Caddy Tom Hawkins Steven Motlop Followers Dawson Simpson James Kelly Jimmy Bartel Interchange Mark Blicavs Steve Johnson Jordan Murdoch Jesse Stringer In Steve Johnson Travis Varcoe Billie Smedts Out Allen Christensen (hamstring) Joel Corey (concussion) Corey Enright (foot) MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Dean Terlich Half backs Tom McDonald James Frawley Mitchell Clisby Centreline Jimmy Toumpas Jack Trengove Jack Grimes Half forwards Sam Blease Jack Watts Matt Jones Forwards Jack Fitzpatrick Chris Dawes Jeremy Howe Followers Max Gawn Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Interchange Shannon Byrnes Aaron Davey Dean Kent Daniel Nicholson Emergencies Jordie McKenzie Cameron Pedersen David Rodan In Sam Blease Out David Rodan

Seems there's not much interest this week. Nevertheless, with Tom McDonald and Matt Jones picking up the big votes, Nathan Jones did manage to increase his lead to 50 so, with seven rounds to go, his grip on a third consecutive win is becoming very strong. 156. Nathan Jones 106. Dom Tyson 100. Lynden Dunn 71. Bernie Vince 60. Daniel Cross 56. Jack Viney 44. Matt Jones 41. Tom McDonald 40. Jack Watts 37. James Frawley 35. Mark Jamar 34. Chris Dawes 32. Jeremy Howe 31. Cam Pedersen 18. Jack Grimes 13. Dean Kent 12. Neville Jetta 11. Rohan Bail 8. Jay Kennedy-Harris Jordie McKenzie 6. Alexis Georgiou Jimmy Toumpas 4. Dean Terlich 3. Jack Trengove 2. Shannon Byrnes Jake Spencer 1. Max Gawn

WJ made no reference in his post about footy smarts but as a matter of fact he's been showing a bit of them at Brisbane since he came into their team. But never mind.

Melbourne's third venture for the year into the Northern Territory has again ended in pain. All three matches, starting with a NAB Challenge game against Geelong in Alice Springs on 28 February and finishing with the Round 16 fixture against Fremantle in Darwin were defeats. The first saw an injury to key forward hopeful Jesse Hogan that severely curtailed the start of what is hoped to be a stellar career, the second (against Port Adelaide) showed hope of brighter things to come and the third was a major reality check that demonstrated how far the club must go to reach the dream of a finals appearance. Fittingly, in a place named after the great English naturalist whose evolutionary theory gave rise to the phrase "survival of the fittest", the two combatants, Melbourne and Fremantle played out their game as a demonstration of Darwinian theory. It doesn't really matter if the coach is Mark Neeld, Paul Roos or Ross Lyon. The rigours of learning the defensive style can be strength sapping from both a physical and mental perspective. The stronger, more experienced and classier sides will wear the other down and once that other's energy reserves are low it will pounce, strike and cut it down mercilessly as we saw with Fremantle. In this game, Melbourne barely lasted a quarter and a half. Last year's grand finallist has grasped the importance of finishing high in the top four and the previous evening's result with Hawthorn saw the doors open. Even without Pavlich and Hill, the Dockers were never going to let the opportunity out of their grasp. And, in the broader meaning of the word "fittest" (which covers more than simply the physical sense but all attributes required to be successful in the sport), that is exactly what they were - the fittest. So they wore the Demons out in the first half and crushed them in the second. The lesson for Melbourne is that having wasted substantial and significant opportunities in drafting and trading over the past decade, it needs to be right on the mark when the next round takes place. The defence looks solid but will possibly lose one of its number soon, the midfield is improving but still has a way to go and the forward line ... well, just take a look at the scoreboard. At least one third to one half of the current list fails to come up to the standard by which we require players to be defined as "the fittest". The club must discover and develop its own species like Nathan Fyfes if it is to find its way to the top echelons and therefore many on the current list be be gone before the Demons next challenge for a finals berth. Melbourne0.2.2 1.5.11 3.7.25 4.10.34 Fremantle 2.1.13 6.3.39 13.5.83 15.7.97 Goals Melbourne Bail Dawes Jamar Kent Fremantle Ballantyne 3 Clarke Mzungu D Pearce 2 Barlow Mayne Neale Sandilands Suban Sutcliffe Best Melbourne McDonald M Jones Vince N Jones Tyson Frawley Fremantle Fyfe Barlow Neale Ibbotson Muzungu Suban Injuries Melbourne Nil Fremantle Clancee Pearce Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Matthew Pavlich by Michael Apeness Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Jeff Dalgleish, Dean Margetts, Jordan Bannister. Crowd 9,290 at TIO Stadium Darwin

NATURAL SELECTION by The Oracle Melbourne's third venture for the year into the Northern Territory has again ended in pain. All three matches, starting with a NAB Challenge game against Geelong in Alice Springs on 28 February and finishing with the Round 16 fixture against Fremantle in Darwin were defeats. The first saw an injury to key forward hopeful Jesse Hogan that severely curtailed the start of what is hoped to be a stellar career, the second (against Port Adelaide) showed hope of brighter things to come and the third was a major reality check that demonstrated how far the club must go to reach the dream of a finals appearance. Fittingly, in a place named after the great English naturalist whose evolutionary theory gave rise to the phrase "survival of the fittest", the two combatants, Melbourne and Fremantle played out their game as a demonstration of Darwinian theory. It doesn't really matter if the coach is Mark Neeld, Paul Roos or Ross Lyon. The rigours of learning the defensive style can be strength sapping from both a physical and mental perspective. The stronger, more experienced and classier sides will wear the other down and once that other's energy reserves are low it will pounce, strike and cut it down mercilessly as we saw with Fremantle. In this game, Melbourne barely lasted a quarter and a half. Last year's grand finallist has grasped the importance of finishing high in the top four and the previous evening's result with Hawthorn saw the doors open. Even without Pavlich and Hill, the Dockers were never going to let the opportunity out of their grasp. And, in the broader meaning of the word "fittest" (which covers more than simply the physical sense but all attributes required to be successful in the sport), that is exactly what they were - the fittest. So they wore the Demons out in the first half and crushed them in the second. The lesson for Melbourne is that having wasted substantial and significant opportunities in drafting and trading over the past decade, it needs to be right on the mark when the next round takes place. The defence looks solid but will possibly lose one of its number soon, the midfield is improving but still has a way to go and the forward line ... well, just take a look at the scoreboard. At least one third to one half of the current list fails to come up to the standard by which we require players to be defined as "the fittest". The club must discover and develop its own species like Nathan Fyfes if it is to find its way to the top echelons and therefore many on the current list be be gone before the Demons next challenge for a finals berth. Melbourne0.2.2 1.5.11 3.7.25 4.10.34 Fremantle 2.1.13 6.3.39 13.5.83 15.7.97 Goals Melbourne Bail Dawes Jamar Kent Fremantle Ballantyne 3 Clarke Mzungu D Pearce 2 Barlow Mayne Neale Sandilands Suban Sutcliffe Best Melbourne McDonald M Jones Vince N Jones Tyson Frawley Fremantle Fyfe Barlow Neale Ibbotson Muzungu Suban Injuries Melbourne Nil Fremantle Clancee Pearce Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Matthew Pavlich by Michael Apeness Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Jeff Dalgleish, Dean Margetts, Jordan Bannister. Crowd 9,290 at TIO Stadium Darwin

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

NATURAL SELECTION by The Oracle Melbourne's third venture for the year into the Northern Territory has again ended in pain. All three matches, starting with a NAB Challenge game against Geelong in Alice Springs on 28 February and finishing with the Round 16 fixture against Fremantle in Darwin were defeats. The first saw an injury to key forward hopeful Jesse Hogan that severely curtailed the start of what is hoped to be a stellar career, the second (against Port Adelaide) showed hope of brighter things to come and the third was a major reality check that demonstrated how far the club must go to reach the dream of a finals appearance. Fittingly, in a place named after the great English naturalist whose evolutionary theory gave rise to the phrase "survival of the fittest", the two combatants, Melbourne and Fremantle played out their game as a demonstration of Darwinian theory. It doesn't really matter if the coach is Mark Neeld, Paul Roos or Ross Lyon. The rigours of learning the defensive style can be strength sapping from both a physical and mental perspective. The stronger, more experienced and classier sides will wear the other down and once that other's energy reserves are low it will pounce, strike and cut it down mercilessly as we saw with Fremantle. In this game, Melbourne barely lasted a quarter and a half. Last year's grand finallist has grasped the importance of finishing high in the top four and the previous evening's result with Hawthorn saw the doors open. Even without Pavlich and Hill, the Dockers were never going to let the opportunity out of their grasp. And, in the broader meaning of the word "fittest" (which covers more than simply the physical sense but all attributes required to be successful in the sport), that is exactly what they were - the fittest. So they wore the Demons out in the first half and crushed them in the second. The lesson for Melbourne is that having wasted substantial and significant opportunities in drafting and trading over the past decade, it needs to be right on the mark when the next round takes place. The defence looks solid but will possibly lose one of its number soon, the midfield is improving but still has a way to go and the forward line ... well, just take a look at the scoreboard. At least one third to one half of the current list fails to come up to the standard by which we require players to be defined as "the fittest". The club must discover and develop its own species like Nathan Fyfes if it is to find its way to the top echelons and therefore many on the current list be be gone before the Demons next challenge for a finals berth. Melbourne0.2.2 1.5.11 3.7.25 4.10.34 Fremantle 2.1.13 6.3.39 13.5.83 15.7.97 Goals Melbourne Bail Dawes Jamar Kent Fremantle Ballantyne 3 Clarke Mzungu D Pearce 2 Barlow Mayne Neale Sandilands Suban Sutcliffe Best Melbourne McDonald M Jones Vince N Jones Tyson Frawley Fremantle Fyfe Barlow Neale Ibbotson Muzungu Suban Injuries Melbourne Nil Fremantle Clancee Pearce Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Matthew Pavlich by Michael Apeness Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Jeff Dalgleish, Dean Margetts, Jordan Bannister. Crowd 9,290 at TIO Stadium Darwin

The Casey Scorpions made the trip into town to take on the Richmond Tigers at the ME Bank Centre in Punt Road for the first time and lost their sixth game on the trot. The result, a 35 point defeat in dismal conditions was rather flattering for a team that struggled to put together any semblance of cohesive football for the first three quarters. The undermanned Scorpions who already had many of their usual VFL-listed players missing with injury, had to make do with a reduced number of Melbourne players when two emergencies were taken to Darwin and Jimmy Toumpas pulled out through illness. It was a slow start under gray skies with rain threatening and the Tigers were up and about with the opening two goals. Casey struggled with its usual array of miskicks and mistakes and lost Max King early when he limped off with a knee injury. It was past the halfway mark of the first quarter, that Casey finally kicked its first goal through Michael Evans and Jake Best chipped in to level the score at 2.3.15 apiece moments later. Unfortunately, that was the last time for the day that the Scorpions were really in the game. The Tigers kicked two more for the opening term and led by 15 points at the break. Richmond had a tall side out on the park while Casey was light on for height especially with King out of the game. The home team also enjoyed an advantage in size and bulk and they out bustled and worried the lifeless Scorpions into error after error as they pushed to a handy 34-point lead at half time. There was a slight improvement in intensity from the visitors after half time but they failed to gain any reward on the scoreboard with only five behinds for the third term that saw them fall in arrears by 51 points. There were some rays of light for the ailing Scorpions which have not won a game for two months. Young midfielder Ed Morris who won the Gippsland Power Under 18s best and fairest last year, put in a stunning performance with 28 disposals, 12 tackles and a goal and was outstanding in the final term along with Nathan Page who added two to finish with three goals. Skipper Evan Panozza and defender Troy Davis were the team's workhorses setting an example for their inexperienced teammates, many of who appeared overawed but not fifth gamer Andrew Godfrey. The Scorpions added six goals for the final term with Daniel Welsh chipping in with his maiden VFL goal at the end. The Demon listed players were hot and cold all day, the best being Aidan Riley while Sam Blease worked hard with his pace to try to lift the side. Casey travels further afield next Saturday to Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo to take on the winless Bendigo Gold who will be folding at the end of the year. On current form they should not take this game for granted. 2014 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 4.5.29 4.10.34 10.11.71 Richmond Tigers 4.6.30 9.9.63 12.13.85 15.16.106 Goals Casey Scorpions Page 3 Best Blease Evans Kennedy-Harris Morris Strauss Welsh Richmond Tigers McBean 5 Lloyd McDonough 2 Darrou Edwards Gordon Griffiths Lennon Stephenson Best Casey Scorpions Morris Riley Page Godfrey Nicholson Davis Richmond Tigers Wynne Lloyd Darrou McDonough McBean Barlow Statistics * Sam Blease 1 goal 1 behind 21 disposals 17 kicks 4 handballs 4 marks 4 tackles 96 Dream Team Points * Mitch Clisby 1 point 24 disposals 16 kicks 8 handballs 6 marks 2 tackles 92 Dream Team Points * Michael Evans 1 goal 15 disposals 6 kicks 9 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 60 Dream Team Points * Jack Fitzpatrick 2 points 11 disposals 8 kicks 3 handballs 4 marks 2 tackles 21 hit outs 75 Dream Team Points * James Harmes disposals 10 kicks 5 handballs 5 marks 1 tackle 58 Dream Team Points * Jay Kennedy-Harris 1 goal 18 disposals 6 kicks 12 handballs 3 marks 5 tackles 80 Dream Team Points * Max King 1 tackle 4 Dream Team Points [injured very early] * Viv Michie 18 disposals 11 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks 1 tackle 62 Dream Team Points * Dan Nicholson 1 point 20 disposals 8 kicks 12 handballs 7 marks 4 tackles 86 Dream Team Points * Aidan Riley 1 point 24 disposals 12 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 9 tackles 104 Dream Team Points * James Strauss 1 goal 17 disposals 9 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 1 tackle 66 Dream Team Points The development league team received a reward for persistence when they chased down the Werribee Tigers after a slow start. AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 1.1.7 4.2.26 8.3.51 11.8.74 Werribee Tigers 4.2.26 6.7.43 7.9.51 8.13.61 Goals Casey Scorpions Drew Lang Rennie Waters 2 Davidson Paredes Saunders Werribee Tigers Robinson 2 Burton Harper Henderson Iles Sharp Taylor Best Casey Scorpions Paredes Drew Jackson Waters Shiels West Werribee Tigers Harper Iles Graham Lang Buchanan Robinson

NOT EXACTLY BACK IN TOWN by K C from Casey The Casey Scorpions made the trip into town to take on the Richmond Tigers at the ME Bank Centre in Punt Road for the first time and lost their sixth game on the trot. The result, a 35 point defeat in dismal conditions was rather flattering for a team that struggled to put together any semblance of cohesive football for the first three quarters. The undermanned Scorpions who already had many of their usual VFL-listed players missing with injury, had to make do with a reduced number of Melbourne players when two emergencies were taken to Darwin and Jimmy Toumpas pulled out through illness. It was a slow start under gray skies with rain threatening and the Tigers were up and about with the opening two goals. Casey struggled with its usual array of miskicks and mistakes and lost Max King early when he limped off with a knee injury. It was past the halfway mark of the first quarter, that Casey finally kicked its first goal through Michael Evans and Jake Best chipped in to level the score at 2.3.15 apiece moments later. Unfortunately, that was the last time for the day that the Scorpions were really in the game. The Tigers kicked two more for the opening term and led by 15 points at the break. Richmond had a tall side out on the park while Casey was light on for height especially with King out of the game. The home team also enjoyed an advantage in size and bulk and they out bustled and worried the lifeless Scorpions into error after error as they pushed to a handy 34-point lead at half time. There was a slight improvement in intensity from the visitors after half time but they failed to gain any reward on the scoreboard with only five behinds for the third term that saw them fall in arrears by 51 points. There were some rays of light for the ailing Scorpions which have not won a game for two months. Young midfielder Ed Morris who won the Gippsland Power Under 18s best and fairest last year, put in a stunning performance with 28 disposals, 12 tackles and a goal and was outstanding in the final term along with Nathan Page who added two to finish with three goals. Skipper Evan Panozza and defender Troy Davis were the team's workhorses setting an example for their inexperienced teammates, many of who appeared overawed but not fifth gamer Andrew Godfrey. The Scorpions added six goals for the final term with Daniel Welsh chipping in with his maiden VFL goal at the end. The Demon listed players were hot and cold all day, the best being Aidan Riley while Sam Blease worked hard with his pace to try to lift the side. Casey travels further afield next Saturday to Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo to take on the winless Bendigo Gold who will be folding at the end of the year. On current form they should not take this game for granted. 2014 Peter Jackson VFL Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 4.5.29 4.10.34 10.11.71 Richmond Tigers 4.6.30 9.9.63 12.13.85 15.16.106 Goals Casey Scorpions Page 3 Best Blease Evans Kennedy-Harris Morris Strauss Welsh Richmond Tigers McBean 5 Lloyd McDonough 2 Darrou Edwards Gordon Griffiths Lennon Stephenson Best Casey Scorpions Morris Riley Page Godfrey Nicholson Davis Richmond Tigers Wynne Lloyd Darrou McDonough McBean Barlow The development league team received a reward for persistence when they chased down the Werribee Tigers after a slow start. AFL Victoria Development League Casey Scorpions 1.1.7 4.2.26 8.3.51 11.8.74 Werribee Tigers 4.2.26 6.7.43 7.9.51 8.13.61 Goals Casey Scorpions Drew Lang Rennie Waters 2 Davidson Paredes Saunders Werribee Tigers Robinson 2 Burton Harper Henderson Iles Sharp Taylor Best Casey Scorpions Paredes Drew Jackson Waters Shiels West Werribee Tigers Harper Iles Graham Lang Buchanan Robinson

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-07-04/under18-all-australian-team?utm_medium=RSS 2014 UNDER-18 ALL AUSTRALIAN TEAM DEFENDERS: Harrison Wigg (South Australia), Ed Vickers-Willis (Vic Metro), Josh McGuinness (Tasmania), Darcy Tucker (Vic Country), Caleb Marchbank (Vic Country), Angus Brayshaw (Vic Metro) MIDFIELDERS: Paul Ahern (Vic Metro), Christian Petracca (Vic Metro), Billy Stretch (South Australia), Peter Wright (Vic Metro), Isaac Heeney (NSW/ACT), Jake Johansen (South Australia) FORWARDS: Callum Mills (NSW/ACT), Darcy Moore (Vic Metro), Rhys Mathieson (Vic Country), Jayden Laverde (Vic Metro), Patrick McCartin (Vic Country), Caleb Daniel (South Australia) INTERCHANGE: Jack Steele (NSW/ACT), Darcy Parish (Vic Country), Ben Keays (Queensland), Connor Blakely (Western Australia) COACH: Jason Saddington (NSW/ACT) ASSISTANT COACH: Brenton Phillips (South Australia)

Saturday night was once reserved as the one night of the week when you would go out to the movies but these days the cinema houses have competition. For example, the opportunity presents itself this week for a night of excitement in front of the television set watching a blockbuster game between the Paul Roos coached Demons and Ross Lyons' Purple Haze played at the country's Top End in front of an estimated crowd of hopefully more than seven thousand. That would be about 20% of the number that turned out to watch last Sunday's game between Carlton and Collingwood but you can bet that Melbourne President Glenn Bartlett won't be complaining or cheekily asking the AFL for compensation like Eddie McGuire. Instead, he'll either be counting his money thanks to the Northern Territory's generous sponsorship of the Demons' two match journey into its neck of the woods or, even more likely, he'll be fast asleep bored out of his brain as a result of a festival of two and a half hours of dour, defensive football. And at the end of that game, because the Dockers are more experienced and have players who possess superior skills, there won't be any stirring renditions of "Its a Grand Old Flag" to wake us all up. In fact, I'm finding it difficult to see where the Demons can expect any joy out of their next three week horror stretch of Fremantle, Geelong and Port Adelaide with Hawthorn to come a fortnight later. In their last two matches, they have blighted their performances with some abysmal passages of play where they leaked goals like a sieve and that was against the Kangaroos and the Bulldogs which are both inconsistent sides. What awaits now are a trio of ruthless top four contenders whose players work hard whether or not the ball is in their possession. They rarely make mistakes or turn the ball over. Melbourne needs to work harder, work better and make the right decisions. We can only hope the players can return to the level of intensity that they produced for a large percentage of their last game in the Territory when they worked Port Adelaide to the limit. Unless they do so, things might get ugly. THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at TIO Stadium Saturday 5 July 2014 at 7.40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 13 wins Fremantle 18 wins At TIO Stadium: Melbourne 0 wins Fremantle 0 wins Last Five Years: Melbourne 1 wins Fremantle 4 wins The Coaches: Lyon 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 3 at 7:30pm AEST (live) Radio - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $7.50 to win Fremantle $1.09 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 20.13.133 defeated Melbourne 5.8.38 at the MCG in Round 21, 2013 Dean Kent kicked Melbourne's first goal of the game two minutes into the second quarter by which time the Dockers were already well in front. Nothing much changed after that and the rest was a procession. TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, James Frawley, Lynden Dunn HB: Jack Grimes, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe C: Jordie McKenzie, Bernie Vince, Jack Viney HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Matt Jones F: Rohan Bail, Chris Dawes, Max Gawn FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Dom Barry, Dean Kent, Christian Salem, Dean Terlich EMG: Alex Georgiou, Daniel Nicholson, Luke Tapscott IN: Tom McDonald, Jordie McKenzie OUT Neville Jetta (suspension), Daniel Nicholson (omitted) FREMANTLE B: Lee Spurr, Zac Dawson, Paul Duffield HB: Tendai Mzungu, Luke McPharlin, Garrick Ibbotson C: David Mundy, Ryan Crowley, Danyle Pearce HF: Cameron Sutcliffe, Chris Mayne, Colin Sylvia F: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Stephen Hill FOLL: Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, Nick Suban I/C: Michael Barlow, Zac Clarke, Anthony Morabito, Lachie Neale EMG: Hayden Crozier, Clancee Pearce, Tommy Sheridan IN: Luke McPharlin, Anthony Morabito OUT: Matt Taberner (hamstring), Clancee Pearce (omitted) THE STATISTICS: ROUNDS 1 to 15 by Sam the Stats Man Melbourne has doubled the number of wins it achieved in 2013 but that's coming off a low base. It also has a much improved percentage - the team hasn't been belted about as it was in 2012/13 and things would have been much better on that front but for one major breakdown early in the season against the West Coast Eagles. The club has suffered from injury. The lack of fit ruckmen and key position players in the early stages of the season hurt it badly. Mitch Clark's retirement and Jesse Hogan's lingering back injury devastated its attacking stocks. Things certainly could have turned out differently for Melbourne had they been available on a regular basis. BAIL, Rohan MFC 14 games, 6 goals. Continued his excellent recovery from recent concussion issues and has played every game to date. BARRY, Dom MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CFC 8 games, 3 goals. Came back from some early season injury issues to break into the Melbourne team as a sub last weekend. BLEASE, Sam CFC 11 games, 6 goals. Continues struggle to gain promotion despite some good recent form with the Scorpions. BYRNES, Shannon MFC 6 games, 5 goals, CFC 2 games, 3 goals. Season ending injury has surely put an end to his career at Melbourne. CLARK, Mitch (retired) CLISBY, Mitch CFC 6 games, 1 goal. Returned to the VFL at the weekend after several weeks lay off with injury. CROSS, Daniel MFC 13 games, 1 goal. Was having a stellar season until he broke his leg against the Kangaroos. DAWES, Chris MFC 10 games, 15 goals. Added size, grunt and physical presence to the forward line on his return from injury. DUNN, Lynden MFC 14 games, 3 goals. In close to All-Australian form and a revelation in defence. EVANS, Michael MFC 3 games, 1 goal, CFC 7 games, 4 goals. Struggling for the necessary consistency to gain AFL selection. FITZPATRICK, Jack MFC 3 games, 0 goals, CFC 9 games, 8 goals. Hasn't kicked on from the promising form he showed last year. FRAWLEY, James MFC 13 games, 12 goals. Moved forward early in the season to cover the club's shortage of talls in that area and has experienced mixed success. GARLAND, Colin MFC 7 games, 0 goals, CFC 3 games, 1 goal, CFC DL 1 game, 0 goals. Had a slow start after pre-season surgery but is starting to show some of his old form. GAWN, Max MFC 4 games, 2 goals, CFC 5 games, 0 goals. Big man on a long learning curve. GEORGIOU, Alex ® MFC 7 games, 0 goals, CFC 6 games, 0 goals. Locked into the VFL after some good early signs in defence for Melbourne. GRIMES, Jack MFC 14 games, 3 goals. Showing some good composure as co-skipper with Nathan Jones. HARMES, James ® CFC 8 games, 1 goal, CFC DL 1 game, 1 goal. Some promising signs from the rookie midfielder. HOGAN, Jesse (injured - yet to play) HOWE, Jeremy MFC 14 games, 2 goals. Has relished playing in defence where he had been very solid. HUNT, Jayden CFC 6 games, 1 goal, CFC DL 1 game, 0 goals. Season curtailed by a back injury. JAMAR, Mark MFC 9 games, 5 goals, CFC 3 games, 2 goals. Has returned to near his career best after a slow start coming back from injury. JETTA, Neville ® MFC 9 games, 1 goal, CFC 2 games, 2 goals. Has been in career best form but will sit out the game on Saturday night due to suspension. JONES, Matthew MFC 14 games, 3 goals. Goes about his work with the minimum of fuss. JONES, Nathan MFC 14 games, 6 goals. Still the heart and soul of the club. KENNEDY-HARRIS MFC 11 games, 7 goals, CFC 3 games, 1 goal. Had a good start to the season but tired a little and was sent to Casey where he did well last week. KENT, Dean MFC 5 games, 3 goals, CFC 3 games, 4 goals. Developing player who has shown some good signs. KING, Max ® CFC 3 games, 0 goals, CFC DL 1 game, 2 goals. Coming back from a long injury lay off. McDONALD, Tom MFC 13 games, 0 goals. Improving key defender who was missed last week. MCKENZIE, Jordie MFC 4 games, 0 goals, CFC 6 games, 1 goal. Struggled for games but did well as a tagger once he fought his way back into the team only to incur a suspension which kept him out last week. MICHIE, Viv MFC 2 games, 0 goals, CFC 7 games, 2 goals. Battling for senior selection after missing some games through injury. NICHOLSON, Daniel MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CFC 9 games, 2 goals. Took a long time to break into the team and was fortunate to do so on the back of the McKenzie suspension. PEDERSEN, Cameron MFC 14 games, 11 goals. One of the club's biggest improvers under Roos. RILEY, Aidan MFC 3 games, 2 goals, CFC 7 games, 0 goals. Has shown some glimpses after a delayed start in rehab from serious injuries incurred last year. SALEM, Christian MFC 9 games, 6 goals, CFC 3 games, 3 goals. Showing some promising signs in his first season. SPENCER, Jake MFC 5 games, 0 goals. Held the big man department early but his season is now over due to a long term injury. STRAUSS, James CFC 10 games, 1 goal. Battling at Casey. TAPSCOTT, Luke CFC 8 games, 4 goals. In much the same boat as Strauss. TERLICH, Dean MFC 12 games, 2 goals, CFC 1 game, 0 goals. Hasn't attained last year's high standards but is still thereabouts. TOUMPAS, Jimmy MFC 4 games, 2 goals, CFC 10 games, 2 goals. Disappointing with slow development but has time on his side. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC 2 games, 0 goals, CFC 2 games, 1 goal. A broken navicular ended his season early. TYSON, Dom MFC 14 games, 9 goals. Has had a great initiation in his first year at the club. VINCE, Bernie MFC 14 games, 9 goals. Is having an excellent season and is one of the best acquisitions for the club in years. VINEY, Jack MFC 12 games, 4 goals. Coming along nicely. WATTS, Jack MFC 14 games, 11 goals. Seems more comfortable this year and continues his slow improvement. WESTRUPP, Maia CFC DL 9 games, 0 goals. International rookie still learning the ropes in the development league.

SITTIN' ON THE DOCK OF A DARWIN BAY by The Oracle Saturday night was once reserved as the one night of the week when you would go out to the movies but these days the cinema houses have competition. For example, the opportunity presents itself this week for a night of excitement in front of the television set watching a blockbuster game between the Paul Roos coached Demons and Ross Lyons' Purple Haze played at the country's Top End in front of an estimated crowd of hopefully more than seven thousand. That would be about 20% of the number that turned out to watch last Sunday's game between Carlton and Collingwood but you can bet that Melbourne President Glenn Bartlett won't be complaining or cheekily asking the AFL for compensation like Eddie McGuire. Instead, he'll either be counting his money thanks to the Northern Territory's generous sponsorship of the Demons' two match journey into its neck of the woods or, even more likely, he'll be fast asleep bored out of his brain as a result of a festival of two and a half hours of dour, defensive football. And at the end of that game, because the Dockers are more experienced and have players who possess superior skills, there won't be any stirring renditions of "Its a Grand Old Flag" to wake us all up. In fact, I'm finding it difficult to see where the Demons can expect any joy out of their next three week horror stretch of Fremantle, Geelong and Port Adelaide with Hawthorn to come a fortnight later. In their last two matches, they have blighted their performances with some abysmal passages of play where they leaked goals like a sieve and that was against the Kangaroos and the Bulldogs which are both inconsistent sides. What awaits now are a trio of ruthless top four contenders whose players work hard whether or not the ball is in their possession. They rarely make mistakes or turn the ball over. Melbourne needs to work harder, work better and make the right decisions. We can only hope the players can return to the level of intensity that they produced for a large percentage of their last game in the Territory when they worked Port Adelaide to the limit. Unless they do so, things might get ugly. THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at TIO Stadium Saturday 5 July 2014 at 7.40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall: Melbourne 13 wins Fremantle 18 wins At TIO Stadium: Melbourne 0 wins Fremantle 0 wins Last Five Years: Melbourne 1 wins Fremantle 4 wins The Coaches: Lyon 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 3 at 7:30pm AEST (live) Radio - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne $7.50 to win Fremantle $1.09 to win LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 20.13.133 defeated Melbourne 5.8.38 at the MCG in Round 21, 2013 Dean Kent kicked Melbourne's first goal of the game two minutes into the second quarter by which time the Dockers were already well in front. Nothing much changed after that and the rest was a procession. TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, James Frawley, Lynden Dunn HB: Jack Grimes, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe C: Jordie McKenzie, Bernie Vince, Jack Viney HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Matt Jones F: Rohan Bail, Chris Dawes, Max Gawn FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Dom Barry, Dean Kent, Christian Salem, Dean Terlich EMG: Alex Georgiou, Daniel Nicholson, Luke Tapscott IN: Tom McDonald, Jordie McKenzie OUT Neville Jetta (suspension), Daniel Nicholson (omitted) FREMANTLE B: Lee Spurr, Zac Dawson, Paul Duffield HB: Tendai Mzungu, Luke McPharlin, Garrick Ibbotson C: David Mundy, Ryan Crowley, Danyle Pearce HF: Cameron Sutcliffe, Chris Mayne, Colin Sylvia F: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Stephen Hill FOLL: Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, Nick Suban I/C: Michael Barlow, Zac Clarke, Anthony Morabito, Lachie Neale EMG: Hayden Crozier, Clancee Pearce, Tommy Sheridan IN: Luke McPharlin, Anthony Morabito OUT: Matt Taberner (hamstring), Clancee Pearce (omitted) THE STATISTICS: ROUNDS 1 to 15 by Sam the Stats Man Melbourne has doubled the number of wins it achieved in 2013 but that's coming off a low base. It also has a much improved percentage - the team hasn't been belted about as it was in 2012/13 and things would have been much better on that front but for one major breakdown early in the season against the West Coast Eagles. The club has suffered from injury. The lack of fit ruckmen and key position players in the early stages of the season hurt it badly. Mitch Clark's retirement and Jesse Hogan's lingering back injury devastated its attacking stocks. Things certainly could have turned out differently for Melbourne had they been available on a regular basis. BAIL, Rohan MFC 14 games, 6 goals. Continued his excellent recovery from recent concussion issues and has played every game to date. BARRY, Dom MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CFC 8 games, 3 goals. Came back from some early season injury issues to break into the Melbourne team as a sub last weekend. BLEASE, Sam CFC 11 games, 6 goals. Continues struggle to gain promotion despite some good recent form with the Scorpions. BYRNES, Shannon MFC 6 games, 5 goals, CFC 2 games, 3 goals. Season ending injury has surely put an end to his career at Melbourne. CLARK, Mitch (retired) CLISBY, Mitch CFC 6 games, 1 goal. Returned to the VFL at the weekend after several weeks lay off with injury. CROSS, Daniel MFC 13 games, 1 goal. Was having a stellar season until he broke his leg against the Kangaroos. DAWES, Chris MFC 10 games, 15 goals. Added size, grunt and physical presence to the forward line on his return from injury. DUNN, Lynden MFC 14 games, 3 goals. In close to All-Australian form and a revelation in defence. EVANS, Michael MFC 3 games, 1 goal, CFC 7 games, 4 goals. Struggling for the necessary consistency to gain AFL selection. FITZPATRICK, Jack MFC 3 games, 0 goals, CFC 9 games, 8 goals. Hasn't kicked on from the promising form he showed last year. FRAWLEY, James MFC 13 games, 12 goals. Moved forward early in the season to cover the club's shortage of talls in that area and has experienced mixed success. GARLAND, Colin MFC 7 games, 0 goals, CFC 3 games, 1 goal, CFC DL 1 game, 0 goals. Had a slow start after pre-season surgery but is starting to show some of his old form. GAWN, Max MFC 4 games, 2 goals, CFC 5 games, 0 goals. Big man on a long learning curve. GEORGIOU, Alex ® MFC 7 games, 0 goals, CFC 6 games, 0 goals. Locked into the VFL after some good early signs in defence for Melbourne. GRIMES, Jack MFC 14 games, 3 goals. Showing some good composure as co-skipper with Nathan Jones. HARMES, James ® CFC 8 games, 1 goal, CFC DL 1 game, 1 goal. Some promising signs from the rookie midfielder. HOGAN, Jesse (injured - yet to play) HOWE, Jeremy MFC 14 games, 2 goals. Has relished playing in defence where he had been very solid. HUNT, Jayden CFC 6 games, 1 goal, CFC DL 1 game, 0 goals. Season curtailed by a back injury. JAMAR, Mark MFC 9 games, 5 goals, CFC 3 games, 2 goals. Has returned to near his career best after a slow start coming back from injury. JETTA, Neville ® MFC 9 games, 1 goal, CFC 2 games, 2 goals. Has been in career best form but will sit out the game on Saturday night due to suspension. JONES, Matthew MFC 14 games, 3 goals. Goes about his work with the minimum of fuss. JONES, Nathan MFC 14 games, 6 goals. Still the heart and soul of the club. KENNEDY-HARRIS MFC 11 games, 7 goals, CFC 3 games, 1 goal. Had a good start to the season but tired a little and was sent to Casey where he did well last week. KENT, Dean MFC 5 games, 3 goals, CFC 3 games, 4 goals. Developing player who has shown some good signs. KING, Max ® CFC 3 games, 0 goals, CFC DL 1 game, 2 goals. Coming back from a long injury lay off. McDONALD, Tom MFC 13 games, 0 goals. Improving key defender who was missed last week. MCKENZIE, Jordie MFC 4 games, 0 goals, CFC 6 games, 1 goal. Struggled for games but did well as a tagger once he fought his way back into the team only to incur a suspension which kept him out last week. MICHIE, Viv MFC 2 games, 0 goals, CFC 7 games, 2 goals. Battling for senior selection after missing some games through injury. NICHOLSON, Daniel MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CFC 9 games, 2 goals. Took a long time to break into the team and was fortunate to do so on the back of the McKenzie suspension. PEDERSEN, Cameron MFC 14 games, 11 goals. One of the club's biggest improvers under Roos. RILEY, Aidan MFC 3 games, 2 goals, CFC 7 games, 0 goals. Has shown some glimpses after a delayed start in rehab from serious injuries incurred last year. SALEM, Christian MFC 9 games, 6 goals, CFC 3 games, 3 goals. Showing some promising signs in his first season. SPENCER, Jake MFC 5 games, 0 goals. Held the big man department early but his season is now over due to a long term injury. STRAUSS, James CFC 10 games, 1 goal. Battling at Casey. TAPSCOTT, Luke CFC 8 games, 4 goals. In much the same boat as Strauss. TERLICH, Dean MFC 12 games, 2 goals, CFC 1 game, 0 goals. Hasn't attained last year's high standards but is still thereabouts. TOUMPAS, Jimmy MFC 4 games, 2 goals, CFC 10 games, 2 goals. Disappointing with slow development but has time on his side. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC 2 games, 0 goals, CFC 2 games, 1 goal. A broken navicular ended his season early. TYSON, Dom MFC 14 games, 9 goals. Has had a great initiation in his first year at the club. VINCE, Bernie MFC 14 games, 9 goals. Is having an excellent season and is one of the best acquisitions for the club in years. VINEY, Jack MFC 12 games, 4 goals. Coming along nicely. WATTS, Jack MFC 14 games, 11 goals. Seems more comfortable this year and continues his slow improvement. WESTRUPP, Maia CFC DL 9 games, 0 goals. International rookie still learning the ropes in the development league.

Too shocking to contemplate ... FREMANTLE Backs Lee Spurr Zac Dawson Michael Johnson Half back Garrick Ibbotson Luke McPharlin Alex Silvagni Centreline Cameron Sutcliffe Ryan Crowley Chris Duffield Half forwards Michael Barlow Chris Mayne Nathan Fyfe Forwards Matt de Boer Zachary Clarke Hayden Ballantyne Followers Jack Hannath David Mundy Danyle Pearce Interchange Hayden Crozier Tendai Mzungu Clancee Pearce Nick Suban Emergencies Viv Michie Josh Simpson Matt Taberner In Hayden Crozier Out Michael Walters (ankle) MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn James Frawley Dean Terlich Half backs Jack Watts James Sellar Colin Garland Centreline Jack Trengove Michael Evans Matt Jones Half forwards Luke Tapscott Jeremy Howe Neville Jetta Forwards Max Gawn Chris Dawes Aaron Davey Followers Mark Jamar Nathan Jones James Magner Interchange Rohan Bail Shannon Byrnes Jordie McKenzie Daniel Nicholson Emergencies Tom Gillies Jake Spencer James Strauss In Shannon Byrnes Jack Watts Out Jimmy Toumpas (ankle) James Strauss

It's an old saying about how ar.. beats class, and the final goal from Marcus Bontempelli to win the game for the Bulldogs was surely just that? Or was it? Sadly, while the shot may be a great contender for the Goal of the Year, there simply wasn't too much class to beat in the form of the Melbourne Demons. All around the ground there are players who are simply fillers, who wouldn't get a role at any other club. But there is little else to choose from, having witnessed a simply miserable effort at Casey yesterday. It is a real credit to Paul Roos that Melbourne is competitive. It is equally incredible that the side can be 37 points down and can manage to come back and actually take the lead by the final change and again in the final term. But there isn't any class in the form of a player or two who simply takes the game by the throat and wills the rest of the side across the line. Melbourne certainly had some seriously gutsy and committed efforts from the likes of Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince. A truly sharp contrast for their output and efforts to the insipid running shown by ... yes, the usual culprits. And sadly, they will get another go next week because there is no-one to replace them. The results will only change when those players can't get a run, because you simply lose out in those critical one-on-one contests when the game is in the balance. Mark Jamar dominated the ruck contests, and the Demons definitely had a real chance in the last quarter as Minson was tiring heavily, having had to shoulder most of the ruck responsibilities for the Dogs all afternoon. Max Gawn gave good back-up and showed he actually has a strong pair of hands and can mark and kick (unlike Jake Spencer). However, the Bulldogs had too much class in the mids and kept getting the contested ball out into space. And they were prepared to run, especially in the first half. Despite the fact that Melbourne the first goal of the match, the Western Bulldogs took control and scored seven unanswered goals to lead by 37 points at one stage. Cue the great comeback ... a lot of hard work and the game was evenly poised at 3/4 time. With it all on the line, the Demons simply fluffed it because there was no real class ... and not enough real talent. Neville Jetta put in a simply superb running lunge to spoil, then followed up and goaled after Minson mouthed off at the umpire. It was all there for the taking, but there were some passengers sitting back, enjoying the view. And they watched as Bontempelli curled an impossible kick from the pocket. Game over! Finally, can we have some sensible discussion as the season starts to near its end about where this great game of ours is going? Michael Malthouse voiced his opinion during the week saying that if he wasn't coaching, he wouldn't watch the game Carlton coach Mick Malthouse says he wouldn't watch footy if not coaching, Marc Murphy faces injury test before Collingwood game The umpiring or rather the lack of it has turned the game into a continuous rolling maul. Take a look at today's ruck hit out stats - Minson (WB) 34 Jamar (M) 43 Gawn (M) 23 with a couple of extras to Roberts (WB) and Pedersen (M). There were only 27 goals scored and yet we have over 100 hit outs! It's boring to watch! Call the free kicks when they happen, throw the ball up straight away, stop sheep herding hoping that the ball will come out and you don't have to make a decision. Decisions are what you are paid for. Make the game flow ... please! Melbourne 1.3.9 3.4.22 10.5.65 13.7.85 Western Bulldogs 4.1.25 7.4.46 10.4.64 14.7 .91 Goals Melbourne Jamar 3 Dawes Grimes 2 Gawn Jetta Pedersen Vince Viney Watts Western Bulldogs Stringer 4 Bontempelli Crameri 2 Boyd Dahlhaus Higgins Honeychurch Hunter Minson Best Melbourne Howe Jamar Watts Grimes Frawley Vince Western Bulldogs Boyd Stringer Bontempelli Murphy Wallis Stevens Changes Melbourne Nil Western Bulldogs Tutt replaced in selected side by Roberts Injuries Melbourne Terlich (shoulder) Western Bulldogs Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Western Bulldogs Nil Umpires Chamberlain, Harris, Mollison Crowd 24,953 at Etihad Stadium