Demonland

I will be redoing the banner for the new season. No need to take down players yet. If Jurrah walks I can easily erase him from the banner. Ditto if we dump Moloney. But I won't do anything before there is an official announcement. Having said that the banner had been a bit of a jinx for players and officials in the past few years.

ON THE BRINK by KC from Casey The first thing many of those arriving for Sunday's VFL Elimination Final between Casey Scorpions and Werribee noticed was that it was springtime, the sun was shining and that conditions were perfect for a great game of football. There was a bit of wind about and it was favouring one end but nobody would have expected the huge influence it had on the game and its ultimate result by the end of the day. Then again, few would have contemplated that Casey would finish on a final score of 3.10.28 when the Scorpions had started the game so brightly with goals to Mitchell Gent and Tim Smith barely five minutes in when they led with the aid of the breeze by 2.1.13 to nil. What transpired from that point on is difficult to explain but one has to give credit to Werribee for closing down the game and bottling it up for long periods of time and wearing the minor premiers down in a battle of attrition on their home ground that saw them kick one goal halfway through the third term and no more for the whole day. They had gone from being on the brink of a preliminary final appearance to having an appointment back at the ground for a semi final in a very short space of time. Werribee did not do all that much better offensively than its opponent but the Tigers were able to trouble the scoreboard enough in the second quarter to gain the necessary momentum to sustain a victory in one of the most defensive games of football seen for a long while. Both teams were successful in the tactic of dropping players back and playing to the defensive side. Werribee gained a bonus with a goal against the wind late in the opening quarter (the only one of the entire game) and narrowed the Casey lead to a matter of points early in the second. By then, the blustery conditions were making it extremely difficult to score even with the wind advantage and it took the Tigers until the 24 minute mark to hit the lead and another on half time secured a good lead at the break. The visitors then proceeded to suffocate the minor premiers in the third term keeping them down to a solitary goal to Michael Riseley in the middle of the quarter for Casey to momentarily grab the lead. However, from that point onwards, Werribee took control and did almost all of the scoring to finish with a solid three goal victory. Any chance the Scorpions might have had of getting back into the game was squandered by wayward delivery into the forward line in the wretched conditions. The only forward who was able to come out on top in this game was Werribee's McKinley who finished with a hard earned three goals for the day while Casey missed its top goalkicker Jack Fitzpatrick who had played the night before for the Demons. The Scorps were well served in the ruck by Jake Spencer and by the on ball efforts of Tom Couch, James Magner and Jordan Gysberts while Michael Riseley and Luke Tynan continued on their upward path of improvement which has been a highlight of the club's season. The Scorpions are a young team with many inexperienced players and one would not be writing them off yet. They return to Casey Fields next Saturday to play Williamstown who ironically, were their opponents when they met there in the opening round of the season when the Scorpions won a cliff hanger. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Down to only nine MFC listed players (James Strauss was a no show), we had a rare occurrence of not a single goal coming from a Demon in a Casey game. Only a few really contributed and the situation will only get worse next week with Spencer and Fitzpatrick unlikely to be available and Williams not recovering fast enough to get back in the side. Matthew Bate (13 kicks, 6 handballs, 3 marks, 3 tackles) - had a good day personally in conditions difficult for his team. Lucas Cook (2 kicks, 3 handballs, 1 mark, 2 tackles) - had a quiet day. Tom Couch (14 kicks, 3 handballs, 3 marks, 3 tackles) - not as many touches of the ball as usual but still went in hard for the ball. Troy Davis (7 kicks, 4 hanballs, 5 marks, 2 tackles) - his opponent was Werribee's Ben McKinley who kicked as many goals as Casey did on the day (3) but Davis contested hard and added some good run out of defence at times. Jordan Gysberts (10 kicks, 12 handballs, 7 marks, 5 tackles) - played well early on a wing and then moved to the midfield where he was a solid contributor. James Magner (10 kicks, 14 handballs, 3 marks, 5 tackles) - work hard all day and was his teams most effective midfielder. Brent Moloney (5 kicks, 9 handballs, 2 marks, 4 tackles) - Beamer was heavily tagged and failed to exert any influence on the game. Jai Sheahan (12 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks) - an impressive performance in the back half on a day meant for defenders. Jake Spencer (8 kicks, 8 handballs, 4 marks, 2 tackles and 24 hit outs) - won in the ruck against Werribee's Majak Daw and gave his team good drive around the ground. Casey Scorpions 2.4.16 2.5.17 3.9.27 3.10.28 Werribee Tigers 1.0.6 4.2.26 4.7.31 6.10.46 Goals Casey Scorpions Gent Riseley Smith Werribee Tigers McKinley 3 Harding Speight Warren Best Casey Scorpions Riseley Magner L Tynan Sheahan Panozza Gysberts Werribee Tigers Harding Sierakowski Hartigan McKinley Mather Sharp Poor kicking for goal derailed the development league side's season in the elimination final against the competition's other Tigers from Coburg. Casey Scorpions 0.1.1 2.6.18 3.10.28 8.21.69 Coburg Tigers 5.0.30 7.2.44 14.5.89 15.5.95 Goals Casey Scorpions Weekes 2 Galvin Page Pollard Rosier Salton Thompson Coburg Tigers Hore 5 Barrack Maric 2 Bamblett Dimartino Duhau Hogan Jordan Robertella Best Casey Scorpions Pollard Cleven Page McGillivray-Smith Troutman Bull Coburg Tigers Tanner Brandt Hore Cartelli Saville Linton

ON THE BRINK by KC from Casey The first thing many of those arriving for Sunday's VFL Elimination Final between Casey Scorpions and Werribee noticed was that it was springtime, the sun was shining and that conditions were perfect for a great game of football. There was a bit of wind about and it was favouring one end but nobody would have expected the huge influence it had on the game and its ultimate result by the end of the day. Then again, few would have contemplated that Casey would finish on a final score of 3.10.28 when the Scorpions had started the game so brightly with goals to Mitchell Gent and Tim Smith barely five minutes in when they led with the aid of the breeze by 2.1.13 to nil. What transpired from that point on is difficult to explain but one has to give credit to Werribee for closing down the game and bottling it up for long periods of time and wearing the minor premiers down in a battle of attrition on their home ground that saw them kick one goal halfway through the third term and no more for the whole day. They had gone from being on the brink of a preliminary final appearance to having an appointment back at the ground for a semi final in a very short space of time. Werribee did not do all that much better offensively than its opponent but the Tigers were able to trouble the scoreboard enough in the second quarter to gain the necessary momentum to sustain a victory in one of the most defensive games of football seen for a long while. Both teams were successful in the tactic of dropping players back and playing to the defensive side. Werribee gained a bonus with a goal against the wind late in the opening quarter (the only one of the entire game) and narrowed the Casey lead to a matter of points early in the second. By then, the blustery conditions were making it extremely difficult to score even with the wind advantage and it took the Tigers until the 24 minute mark to hit the lead and another on half time secured a good lead at the break. The visitors then proceeded to suffocate the minor premiers in the third term keeping them down to a solitary goal to Michael Riseley in the middle of the quarter for Casey to momentarily grab the lead. However, from that point onwards, Werribee took control and did almost all of the scoring to finish with a solid three goal victory. Any chance the Scorpions might have had of getting back into the game was squandered by wayward delivery into the forward line in the wretched conditions. The only forward who was able to come out on top in this game was Werribee's McKinley who finished with a hard earned three goals for the day while Casey missed its top goalkicker Jack Fitzpatrick who had played the night before for the Demons. The Scorps were well served in the ruck by Jake Spencer and by the on ball efforts of Tom Couch, James Magner and Jordan Gysberts while Michael Riseley and Luke Tynan continued on their upward path of improvement which has been a highlight of the club's season. The Scorpions are a young team with many inexperienced players and one would not be writing them off yet. They return to Casey Fields next Saturday to play Williamstown who ironically, were their opponents when they met there in the opening round of the season when the Scorpions won a cliff hanger. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Down to only nine MFC listed players (James Strauss was a no show), we had a rare occurrence of not a single goal coming from a Demon in a Casey game. Only a few really contributed and the situation will only get worse next week with Spencer and Fitzpatrick unlikely to be available and Williams not recovering fast enough to get back in the side. Matthew Bate (13 kicks, 6 handballs, 3 marks, 3 tackles) - had a good day personally in conditions difficult for his team. Lucas Cook (2 kicks, 3 handballs, 1 mark, 2 tackles) - had a quiet day. Tom Couch (14 kicks, 3 handballs, 3 marks, 3 tackles) - not as many touches of the ball as usual but still went in hard for the ball. Troy Davis (7 kicks, 4 hanballs, 5 marks, 2 tackles) - his opponent was Werribee's Ben McKinley who kicked as many goals as Casey did on the day (3) but Davis contested hard and added some good run out of defence at times. Jordan Gysberts (10 kicks, 12 handballs, 7 marks, 5 tackles) - played well early on a wing and then moved to the midfield where he was a solid contributor. James Magner (10 kicks, 14 handballs, 3 marks, 5 tackles) - work hard all day and was his teams most effective midfielder. Brent Moloney (5 kicks, 9 handballs, 2 marks, 4 tackles) - Beamer was heavily tagged and failed to exert any influence on the game. Jai Sheahan (12 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks) - an impressive performance in the back half on a day meant for defenders. Jake Spencer (8 kicks, 8 handballs, 4 marks, 2 tackles and 24 hit outs) - won in the ruck against Werribee's Majak Daw and gave his team good drive around the ground. Casey Scorpions 2.4.16 2.5.17 3.9.27 3.10.28 Werribee Tigers 1.0.6 4.2.26 4.7.31 6.10.46 Goals Casey Scorpions Gent Riseley Smith Werribee Tigers McKinley 3 Harding Speight Warren Best Casey Scorpions Riseley Magner L Tynan Sheahan Panozza Gysberts Werribee Tigers Harding Sierakowski Hartigan McKinley Mather Sharp Poor kicking for goal derailed the development league side's season in the elimination final against the competition's other Tigers from Coburg. Casey Scorpions 0.1.1 2.6.18 3.10.28 8.21.69 Coburg Tigers 5.0.30 7.2.44 14.5.89 15.5.95 Goals Casey Scorpions Weekes 2 Galvin Page Pollard Rosier Salton Thompson Coburg Tigers Hore 5 Barrack Maric 2 Bamblett Dimartino Duhau Hogan Jordan Robertella Best Casey Scorpions Pollard Cleven Page McGillivray-Smith Troutman Bull Coburg Tigers Tanner Brandt Hore Cartelli Saville Linton

And the underwhelming response really sums up our year and the lack of excitement in this competition. To no surprise at all ... the winner is ... 234 Nathan Jones 103 Jack Grimes 94 Jeremy Howe 81 Mitch Clark Colin Sylvia 80 Jared Rivers 75 Jack Watts 69 Tom McDonald 62 James Magner 54 Jordie McKenzie 49 James Frawley 48 Sam Blease 38 Jack Trengove 31 Stef Martin Dan Nicholson 30 Brad Green 29 Lynden Dunn 27 Matthew Bate 25 Joel Macdonald 20 Colin Garland 19 Cale Morton 18 Rohan Bail 17 James Sellar 16 Jake Spencer 15 Clint Bartram 9 Neville Jetta 6 Luke Tapscott 4 Jack Fitzpatrick 3 Brent Moloney 1 Aaron Davey

HANG ON TO YOUR HOPES MY FRIEND by Whispering Jack There's a fair chance that not many people on this side of the continent will remember the last game of 2012 in the years to come. Mark Neeld took a team of twenty-two players who looked and played as if they were physically and mentally exhausted, washed up, wounded and hurt, and the result they produced against an opponent on its way to the finals was thoroughly predictable. At least the game put paid to the idea that there is such a thing as tanking in Australian football. It's actually called "controlling the outcome", as football icon Leigh Matthews declared this week in the media when he suggested that Ross Lyon should take such steps as are necessary to manufacture a home town Derby final against the Eagles for next week. The idea never had a chance of flying anywhere with the Dockers shooting out of the blocks and never being even remotely troubled on their way to their eighth win from their past nine matches to land seventh position and an away final against Geelong. It was hard to believe that less than two months earlier, an injury hit Melbourne team already playing on two cylinders led Fremantle at three quarter time in their "home" game at Etihad Stadium only to be rolled over at the end when the capacity to rotate players was stretched to the limit. And it's the very thought of how the Demons fought in that game that is perhaps a major redeeming feature as we begin to reflect on yet another disastrous period in the club's history. The events have been well dicumented and don't bear repeating but by Round 16 their season was as good as over with as many players heading for the infirmary as were those heading for the scrapheap but they bested the finals bound Dockers for most of the game. Since then, there have been a couple of consolation wins (against the franchise teams) but the coach has been confined to a short list of players fit enough to play at their optimum. A number of others were simply not up to performing to required AFL standards. Nor are some capable of preparing themselves to play the game the way the coach dictates. They are, of course, finished. Done. Kaput. I can think of a few others who would have been better off "rested" for the last couple of games but that would have only invited scorn among the club's enemies amid allegations that the club was ... ahem ... controlling the outcome to improve its draft position. Now that's a total myth as this game proved beyond all reasonable doubt. The Demons were bad enough on their own to make the result an absolute certainty from the outset. I will exclude from the "bad" characterisation, the club's two young skippers in Jack Grimes and Jack Trengove who were thrust by circumstance into their difficult roles and who (I have no doubt whatsoever on this) will shame their critics in future years. They were there to learn their roles this year and have shown that they are responding extremely well to the challenge. Colin Sylvia has also responded well, albeit late in the season, and defied his critics with another solid performance. Nearing the veteran stage, he's no longer "the kid" and it's to be hoped that he can finally put together a solid season of football. Nathan Jones had the solid Crowley tag and, despite having his output reduced to less than twenty disposals, he demonstrated to the rest of this young side the rewards that can be achieved by a solid hard pre season. A couple of young blokes in Tom McDonald and Jack Fitzpatrick showed that they have talent and it will be interesting to see how they and many of the other youngsters in this group develop over the next year or two. Let's face it, player development is an area where the club has lagged behind the rest of the field over the past decade or so. It remains one of the club's major challenges as we enter the coming era. Development, fitness and hard work over the off season is a necessity for all clubs in this highly competitive industry. It's going to be even more important for what is left of the 2012 list and for those who join it in the coming months. It is on that which we will have to hang our hopes over the coming long, hot summer. Melbourne 1.3.9 2.5.17 4.8.32 5.10.40 Fremantle 3.5.23 7.7.49 11.14.80 14.17.101 Goals Melbourne Fitzpatrick 2 Blease Jones Sellar Fremantle Ballantyne 3 Griffin Mzungu Pavlich Sandilands 2 Mayne Mundy Walters Best Melbourne Sylvia Grimes Jones Trengove Fitzpatrick Garland Fremantle Mundy Fyfe Barlow Pearce Hill Sandilands Injuries Melbourne Nil Fremantle McPharlin (hamstring) Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Farmer Dalgleish Leppard Official Crowd 32,687 at Patersons Stadium.

Please come again in 2013. Mark Neeld promises we'll be better.

HANG ON TO YOUR HOPES MY FRIEND by Whispering Jack There's a fair chance that not many people on this side of the continent will remember the last game of 2012 in the years to come. Mark Neeld took a team of twenty-two players who looked and played as if they were physically and mentally exhausted, washed up, wounded and hurt, and the result they produced against an opponent on its way to the finals was thoroughly predictable. At least the game put paid to the idea that there is such a thing as tanking in Australian football. It's actually called "controlling the outcome", as football icon Leigh Matthews declared this week in the media when he suggested that Ross Lyon should take such steps as are necessary to manufacture a home town Derby final against the Eagles for next week. The idea never had a chance of flying anywhere with the Dockers shooting out of the blocks and never being even remotely troubled on their way to their eighth win from their past nine matches to land seventh position and an away final against Geelong. It was hard to believe that less than two months earlier, an injury hit Melbourne team already playing on two cylinders led Fremantle at three quarter time in their "home" game at Etihad Stadium only to be rolled over at the end when the capacity to rotate players was stretched to the limit. And it's the very thought of how the Demons fought in that game that is perhaps a major redeeming feature as we begin to reflect on yet another disastrous period in the club's history. The events have been well dicumented and don't bear repeating but by Round 16 their season was as good as over with as many players heading for the infirmary as were those heading for the scrapheap but they bested the finals bound Dockers for most of the game. Since then, there have been a couple of consolation wins (against the franchise teams) but the coach has been confined to a short list of players fit enough to play at their optimum. A number of others were simply not up to performing to required AFL standards. Nor are some capable of preparing themselves to play the game the way the coach dictates. They are, of course, finished. Done. Kaput. I can think of a few others who would have been better off "rested" for the last couple of games but that would have only invited scorn among the club's enemies amid allegations that the club was ... ahem ... controlling the outcome to improve its draft position. Now that's a total myth as this game proved beyond all reasonable doubt. The Demons were bad enough on their own to make the result an absolute certainty from the outset. I will exclude from the "bad" characterisation, the club's two young skippers in Jack Grimes and Jack Trengove who were thrust by circumstance into their difficult roles and who (I have no doubt whatsoever on this) will shame their critics in future years. They were there to learn their roles this year and have shown that they are responding extremely well to the challenge. Colin Sylvia has also responded well, albeit late in the season, and defied his critics with another solid performance. Nearing the veteran stage, he's no longer "the kid" and it's to be hoped that he can finally put together a solid season of football. Nathan Jones had the solid Crowley tag and, despite having his output reduced to less than twenty disposals, he demonstrated to the rest of this young side the rewards that can be achieved by a solid hard pre season. A couple of young blokes in Tom McDonald and Jack Fitzpatrick showed that they have talent and it will be interesting to see how they and many of the other youngsters in this group develop over the next year or two. Let's face it, player development is an area where the club has lagged behind the rest of the field over the past decade or so. It remains one of the club's major challenges as we enter the coming era. Development, fitness and hard work over the off season is a necessity for all clubs in this highly competitive industry. It's going to be even more important for what is left of the 2012 list and for those who join it in the coming months. It is on that which we will have to hang our hopes over the coming long, hot summer. Melbourne 1.3.9 2.5.17 4.8.32 5.10.40 Fremantle 3.5.23 7.7.49 11.14.80 14.17.101 Goals Melbourne Fitzpatrick 2 Blease Jones Sellar Fremantle Ballantyne 3 Griffin Mzungu Pavlich Sandilands 2 Mayne Mundy Walters Best Melbourne Sylvia Grimes Jones Trengove Fitzpatrick Garland Fremantle Mundy Fyfe Barlow Pearce Hill Sandilands Injuries Melbourne Nil Fremantle McPharlin (hamstring) Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Farmer Dalgleish Leppard Official Crowd 32,687 at Patersons Stadium.

That's all folks ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Time to get cracking boys. An 8 goal last quarter should do it.

The consensus among the moderators is that the topic be re-opened. I do ask that people do try to not to be repetitive and that if you are going to comment you should post something new that will add to the discussion of the topic.

Thread temporarily locked pending a determination of the moderators.

TEN YEARS AFTER by William from West Perth The hardy band of long-suffering Demon followers of the most prosperous state in the Commonwealth welcome back their team on Saturday night in the hope that it can turn on something better than it has on previous visits dating back more than a decade. Only once in that time has Melbourne tasted victory west of the Nullarbor and that was on a rainy day at Subiaco in Round 11, 2004. It was Brock McLean's breakout game and Peter Vardy lit up the ground with his # 19 jumper. But I missed that game and the last time I saw a Melbourne win in these parts was against the Eagles in Round 19, 2002 when the Demons fell in by 6 points to break a three game losing streak and secure a place in the finals. I remember that day well. Travis Johnstone was in sizzling form and Adem Yze was not far behind him. Ironically, the Eagles hadn't lost all year in Perth. Melbourne fought back after being jumped in the first quarter and booted seven to one in the second. West Coast came back in the third before Melbourne delivered with the wind in the last. That was Sunday, 11 August, 2002 and it was a far cry from Melbourne's last visit to WA when we were humiliated y the Eagles on a hot April day early this season. In the absence of Mitch Clark to kick five goals in a single handed performance, who knows how large the West Coast Eagles winning margin would have been? This week against the purple haze, there will be no Mitch Clark and a number of others from the Demon visit to the ground will also be among the missing. We won't have a chance to farewell Brad Green either because he has hung up his boots. The Dockers swamped us in the final term at Etihad just a few weeks ago kicking 7 goals to nil and the last nine of the game to turn a three goal deficit into a 34 point win and that was when Freo was out of form! Three weeks later they demolished West Coast by 75 points on the very ground on which Saturday night’s game is being played. No doubt as a result, Sportsbet is offering me $12.00 the win for the Demons! Still, I am an unabashed supporter and I will be there to farewell the team at the end of its dreadful 2012 and hope that 2013 will bring much better things to come. THE GAME Fremantle v Melbourne at Patersons Stadium, Saturday 1 September at 7.40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Fremantle 15 wins Melbourne 13 wins Patersons Stadium Fremantle 8 wins Melbourne 3 wins Since 2000 Fremantle 11 wins Melbourne 9 wins The Coaches Lyon 1 win Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Footy Channel at 7:30pm Channel 7 (live) RADIO SEN ABC774 THE BETTING Fremantle $1.03 Melbourne $12.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 18.9.117 defeated Melbourne 12.11.83 Round 16, 2012 at Etihad Melbourne led for the first three quarters but its grip on the game was loosened as a result of injuries to Mark Jamar and Jamie Bennell while one or two other were wonky. The Dockers, with Matthew Pavlich starring ran all over the locals who had put in a strong performance earlier in the game but wilted badly at the end. THE TEAMS FREMANTLE Backs Adam McPhee Luke McPharlin Zac Dawson Half backs Lee Spurr Michael Johnson Paul Duffield Centreline Michael Barlow Ryan Crowley Tendai Mzungu Half forwards Michael Walters Christopher Mayne David Mundy Forwards Hayden Ballantyne Matthew Pavlich Clancee Pearce Followers Aaron Sandilands Nathan Fyfe Stephen Hill Interchange Jonathon Griffin Garrick Ibbotson Thomas Sheridan Nicholas Suban Emergencies Zachary Clarke Jesse Crichton Dylan Roberton In Jonathon Griffin Matthew Thomas Sheridan Out Kepler Bradley (concussion), Zachary Clarke Matthew de Boer (ankle) MELBOURNE Backs Joel Macdonald James Sellar Tom McDonald Half backs Jack Watts James Frawley Lynden Dunn Centreline Jack Trengove Jordie McKenzie Jack Grimes Half forwards Luke Tapscott Colin Garland Rohan Bail Forwards Jeremy Howe Jared Rivers Sam Blease Followers Mark Jamar Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Interchange Jack Fitzpatrick Neville Jetta Daniel Nicholson Josh Tynan Emergencies Jordan Gysberts Jake Spencer James Strauss In Jack Fitzpatrick Mark Jamar Josh Tynan Out Brad Green (retired) Jake Spencer James Strauss Milestone Jared Rivers 150 games Things move very quickly in AFL football. A week ago, nobody expected the door to the finals to be shut tight at this point in time. There were many Docker supporters around my workplace who feared their team would lose to the rampant Kangaroos once Matthew Pavlich was ruled unfit for last weekend's game. The expectation was also that Carlton would give Gold Coast a hammering, a result thay would have put the Blues in the eight leaving the Dockers supporters with a nervous week in the lead up to a challenging round that could easily have seen their finals hopes in tatters. Well things turned out differently with the Gold Coast Suns scoring a sensational victory over Carlton (goodbye Brett Ratten) and Fremantle knocking over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium. With the top eight done and dusted, the game on Saturday night assumes a different level of importance. For the visitors it's still one of the toughest games on its fixture but one wonders how the Dockers are going to approach the game. On the one hand, there is the view that Fremantle, armed with the knowledge of the outcome of other games played earlier in the round, will tailor its game accordingly. If an eighth place finish gives it the benefit of a home final Derby against a fifth placed finishing West Coast then there are some who might argue, a moderate sized win or even a loss becomes the priority. The flaw with this concept is that, as I pointed out above, things move quickly in the AFL. With Essendon meeting Collingwood at the same time, a shock result in that game would leave egg on the face for Ross Lyon because their first final would suddenly become an away game at the MCG against the Magpies. I don't think they will flirt with their form on the eve of only the third final series in their history - especially as they've just struck a rich vein of form in recent weeks. I expect Matthew Pavlich to suit up for the game and Aaron Sandilands needs a big warm up after an injury interrupted season. There will be no surprise omissions, no strange positional moves and no tanking. Besides which they don't need them based on the look of the young side selected by Melbourne for this game. Many far more experienced Demon outfits in the past have struggled with the configuration of this ground. I just can't see them troubling the home side. Mark Jamar is back but has played little football in the back half of the season and will struggle against the tallest bloke in the competition. The midfield is capably led by Nathan Jones, who has had a great season, but in its entirety, it lacks the strength and experience. Colin Sylvia is coming good at this late stage but the forward line, lacked the goalkicking ability even before Brad Green retired and I don't expect miracles in his absence. The best we might expect in terms of excitement are some exciting speccies from Jumping Jeremy Howe but in any event ... Fremantle by 36 points

TEN YEARS AFTER by William from West Perth The hardy band of long-suffering Demon followers of the most prosperous state in the Commonwealth welcome back their team on Saturday night in the hope that it can turn on something better than it has on previous visits dating back more than a decade. Only once in that time has Melbourne tasted victory west of the Nullarbor and that was on a rainy day at Subiaco in Round 11, 2004. It was Brock McLean's breakout game and Peter Vardy lit up the ground with his # 19 jumper. But I missed that game and the last time I saw a Melbourne win in these parts was against the Eagles in Round 19, 2002 when the Demons fell in by 6 points to break a three game losing streak and secure a place in the finals. I remember that day well. Travis Johnstone was in sizzling form and Adem Yze was not far behind him. Ironically, the Eagles hadn't lost all year in Perth. Melbourne fought back after being jumped in the first quarter and booted seven to one in the second. West Coast came back in the third before Melbourne delivered with the wind in the last. That was Sunday, 11 August, 2002 and it was a far cry from Melbourne's last visit to WA when we were humiliated y the Eagles on a hot April day early this season. In the absence of Mitch Clark to kick five goals in a single handed performance, who knows how large the West Coast Eagles winning margin would have been? This week against the purple haze, there will be no Mitch Clark and a number of others from the Demon visit to the ground will also be among the missing. We won't have a chance to farewell Brad Green either because he has hung up his boots. The Dockers swamped us in the final term at Etihad just a few weeks ago kicking 7 goals to nil and the last nine of the game to turn a three goal deficit into a 34 point win and that was when Freo was out of form! Three weeks later they demolished West Coast by 75 points on the very ground on which Saturday night’s game is being played. No doubt as a result, Sportsbet is offering me $12.00 the win for the Demons! Still, I am an unabashed supporter and I will be there to farewell the team at the end of its dreadful 2012 and hope that 2013 will bring much better things to come. THE GAME Fremantle v Melbourne at Patersons Stadium, Saturday 1 September at 7.40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Fremantle 15 wins Melbourne 13 wins Patersons Stadium Fremantle 8 wins Melbourne 3 wins Since 2000 Fremantle 11 wins Melbourne 9 wins The Coaches Lyon 1 win Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Footy Channel at 7:30pm Channel 7 (live) RADIO SEN ABC774 THE BETTING Fremantle $1.03 Melbourne $12.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 18.9.117 defeated Melbourne 12.11.83 Round 16, 2012 at Etihad Melbourne led for the first three quarters but its grip on the game was loosened as a result of injuries to Mark Jamar and Jamie Bennell while one or two other were wonky. The Dockers, with Matthew Pavlich starring ran all over the locals who had put in a strong performance earlier in the game but wilted badly at the end. THE TEAMS FREMANTLE Backs Adam McPhee Luke McPharlin Zac Dawson Half backs Lee Spurr Michael Johnson Paul Duffield Centreline Michael Barlow Ryan Crowley Tendai Mzungu Half forwards Michael Walters Christopher Mayne David Mundy Forwards Hayden Ballantyne Matthew Pavlich Clancee Pearce Followers Aaron Sandilands Nathan Fyfe Stephen Hill Interchange Jonathon Griffin Garrick Ibbotson Thomas Sheridan Nicholas Suban Emergencies Zachary Clarke Jesse Crichton Dylan Roberton In Jonathon Griffin Matthew Thomas Sheridan Out Kepler Bradley (concussion), Zachary Clarke Matthew de Boer (ankle) MELBOURNE Backs Joel Macdonald James Sellar Tom McDonald Half backs Jack Watts James Frawley Lynden Dunn Centreline Jack Trengove Jordie McKenzie Jack Grimes Half forwards Luke Tapscott Colin Garland Rohan Bail Forwards Jeremy Howe Jared Rivers Sam Blease Followers Mark Jamar Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Interchange Jack Fitzpatrick Neville Jetta Daniel Nicholson Josh Tynan Emergencies Jordan Gysberts Jake Spencer James Strauss In Jack Fitzpatrick Mark Jamar Josh Tynan Out Brad Green (retired) Jake Spencer James Strauss Milestone Jared Rivers 150 games Things move very quickly in AFL football. A week ago, nobody expected the door to the finals to be shut tight at this point in time. There were many Docker supporters around my workplace who feared their team would lose to the rampant Kangaroos once Matthew Pavlich was ruled unfit for last weekend's game. The expectation was also that Carlton would give Gold Coast a hammering, a result thay would have put the Blues in the eight leaving the Dockers supporters with a nervous week in the lead up to a challenging round that could easily have seen their finals hopes in tatters. Well things turned out differently with the Gold Coast Suns scoring a sensational victory over Carlton (goodbye Brett Ratten) and Fremantle knocking over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium. With the top eight done and dusted, the game on Saturday night assumes a different level of importance. For the visitors it's still one of the toughest games on its fixture but one wonders how the Dockers are going to approach the game. On the one hand, there is the view that Fremantle, armed with the knowledge of the outcome of other games played earlier in the round, will tailor its game accordingly. If an eighth place finish gives it the benefit of a home final Derby against a fifth placed finishing West Coast then there are some who might argue, a moderate sized win or even a loss becomes the priority. The flaw with this concept is that, as I pointed out above, things move quickly in the AFL. With Essendon meeting Collingwood at the same time, a shock result in that game would leave egg on the face for Ross Lyon because their first final would suddenly become an away game at the MCG against the Magpies. I don't think they will flirt with their form on the eve of only the third final series in their history - especially as they've just struck a rich vein of form in recent weeks. I expect Matthew Pavlich to suit up for the game and Aaron Sandilands needs a big warm up after an injury interrupted season. There will be no surprise omissions, no strange positional moves and no tanking. Besides which they don't need them based on the look of the young side selected by Melbourne for this game. Many far more experienced Demon outfits in the past have struggled with the configuration of this ground. I just can't see them troubling the home side. Mark Jamar is back but has played little football in the back half of the season and will struggle against the tallest bloke in the competition. The midfield is capably led by Nathan Jones, who has had a great season, but in its entirety, it lacks the strength and experience. Colin Sylvia is coming good at this late stage but the forward line, lacked the goalkicking ability even before Brad Green retired and I don't expect miracles in his absence. The best we might expect in terms of excitement are some exciting speccies from Jumping Jeremy Howe but in any event ... Fremantle by 36 points

Not so long ago - in fact it was last month at Etihad and Melbourne dominated for three quarters before wilting. MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Nicholson James Frawley Luke Tapscott Half backs Joel Macdonald Tom McDonald Jack Grimes Centreline Jack Trengove Jordie McKenzie Jeremy Howe Half forwards Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Sam Blease Forwards Colin Sylvia Colin Garland Brad Green Followers Mark Jamar Rohan Bail Nathan Jones Interchange Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Tom Couch Stef Martin Emergencies James Magner Jake Spencer James Strauss In Tom Couch Brad Green, Mark Jamar Tom McDonald Ricky Petterd Out Lynden Dunn (suspended) James Magner Brent Moloney Jake Spencer Jack Watts (ankle) New Tom Couch (Collingwood VFL) FREMANTLE Backs Antoni Grover Luke McPharlin Adam McPhee Half backs Paul Duffield, Michael Johnson, David Mundy Centreline Michael Barlow Ryan Crowley Clancee Pearce Half forwards Tendai Mzungu Christopher Mayne Stephen Hill Forwards Hayden Ballantyne Matthew Pavlich Kepler Bradley Followers Jonathon Griffin Matthew de Boer Dylan Roberton Interchange Greg Broughton Garrick Ibbotson Cameron Sutcliffe Michael Walters Emergencies Zachary Clarke Lachie Neale Lee Spurr In Michael Walters Out Nick Lower (concussion)

TIRED by The Oracle For the first quarter and a half of the Demons' farewell to favoured son Brad Green, things were going well. When Jared Rivers' goal put them only five points down, they looked a substantially improved outfit to the one which stumbled through most of the first half of the season. Green himself had featured prominently in his team's impressive start with two first quarter goals and he could easily have set his retirement match alight had he not missed two easy shots that presented themselves in the second term. His final tally of goals sits at an impressive 350 from 254 matches but this one was not to be the fairytale ending that most would hope for after giving so much for his team. The Crows made the most of a few Demon turnovers and other errors kicking the last four goals of the half to lead by 31 points at the main break. The problem with this young team decimated by injuries and loss of form was that it was travelling on two cylinders while the opposition, winning in the ruck and midfield, with two dominant key position forwards in fine marking form and a final four finish in its sights, put on the afterburners in the third quarter and that was that. The Crows kicked ten goals for the term to take a 74-point lead into Green's last quarter and, though the Demons looked tired and dispirited they fought on gamely to narrowly win the final term. Colin Sylvia who started the season with a broken back and had to contend with injury and criticism as to his attitude has kept his best games until near the very end. Nathan Jones was his usual self as the battering ram midfielder and Jeremy Howe did well, taking a few marks to add to the album. Sam Blease did a few nice things and the co-leaders worked hard for a lost cause. Their team is playing as if it is in the middle of a long, hard pre season. It looks tired and in need of a rest as much as its supporters. Melbourne 3.4.22 5.7.37 8.10.58 11.15.81 Adelaide 5.3.33 10.8.68 20.12.132 22.18.150 Goals Melbourne Green Rivers Sellar 2 Blease Howe Jones Spencer Watts Adelaide Callinan Walker 4 Dangerfield Tippett 3 Douglas Johncock 2 Petrenko Reilly van Berlo Wright Best Melbourne Sylvia Jones Howe Grimes Bail McKenzie Adelaide Walker Dangerfield Tippett Thompson Wright Petrenko Jacobs Callinan Changes Melbourne Nil. Adelaide Nil. Injuries Melbourne Nil. Adelaide Nil. Reports Melbourne Nil. Adelaide Nil. Umpires Wenn Leppard Fleer Official Crowd 18,450 at MCG

Jeremy Howe has grabbed outright second place as Nathan Jones increased his lead: 226 Nathan Jones 94 Jeremy Howe 86 Jack Grimes 81 Mitch Clark 80 Jared Rivers 75 Jack Watts 65 Colin Sylvia 62 Tom McDonald James Magner 54 Jordie McKenzie 48 Sam Blease 45 James Frawley 33 Jack Trengove 31 Stef Martin 30 Brad Green 29 Lynden Dunn Dan Nicholson 27 Matthew Bate 25 Joel Macdonald 20 Colin Garland 19 Cale Morton 18 Rohan Bail 17 James Sellar 16 Jake Spencer 15 Clint Bartram 9 Neville Jetta 6 Luke Tapscott 3 Brent Moloney 1 Aaron Davey

TOP OF THE HEAP by KC from Casey The final round of the 2012 Peter Jackson VFL premiership season went right down to the wire on Saturday with three close games taking place at venues as far apart as Geelong, North Ballarat and Cranbourne East combining to present the Casey Scorpions with their best possible result - the competition's minor premiership and a home qualifying final. When the dust settled, Port Melbourne lost top position with a one point loss to the Roosters, second placed Geelong went down by four points at home to Williamstown and the Casey Scorpions came from 11 points behind at three quarter time to overcome Sandringham by 19 points after a scrappy wind-affected battle of attrition. The Zebras opened with the advantage of the stiff breeze and had most of the play in the first ten minutes but managed only a single goal. Their hosts struck a brief purple patch with goals from Jack Fitzpatrick on a lead and another from Mitch Gent to take a three point lead in mid quarter. This spurred Sandy on and they improved their direction into attack to score three unanswered goals. During the break, coach Brett Lovett stressed the importance of using the big wind advantage but the Zebras bottled things up nicely and did a lot of the early attacking. Things were looking grim as the Scorps struggled to score until Jordan Gysberts read the play well and goaled for the home side. Soon after, Jack Fitzpatrick marked on a lead to kick his second to make it 2 points the difference and when a courageous mark from Matthew Bate led to Casey's fifth goal, it took the lead. A late goal against the run of play to Sandy saw the Scorpions' lead cut to a mere two points at half time. The midfield battle was being won by the home team which had Dave Collins, James Magner, Brent Moloney and Jordan Gysberts winning all the close in battles that were so important in the tough conditions. The lead changed hands again early in the third term after a lucky free to the Zebras who scored another soon after for their third unanswered goal. Casey tightened up its defence in the swirly conditions and Will Petropoulos took advantage of a fifty metre penalty to goal from close in to bring it back to a four point game. Late in the quarter, Sandy goaled from the boundary but most felt that an eleven point lead would be difficult to defend in the conditions. Comeback kid Kyle Matthews kicked the first of his two final quarter goals early in the term and then a series of points to Casey got things to even terms before a long goal from defender Jai Sheahan gave them the lead. A minor revival by Sandringham saw them take the lead back with two goals against the run of things but Fitzpatrick chipped in with a couple of real team lifters. Matthews put things beyond doubt with a captain's goal and Josh Tynan added one at the end to make it a 19 point win. The real bonus then came as scores from the other grounds saw Casey on top in the final ladder calculations. The result was a triumph for the team and its blend of AFL and VFL listed players given that the circumstances allowed only nine Demons in the side. The benefits of the mix were evident everywhere from the rucks where Mark Jamar and Luke Hill (38 and 28 hit outs respectively) had the edge to on ballers Collins (34 touches), Moloney, Magner (24 each) and Gysberts (23) who held sway at the stoppages and the tight contrsts. Jai Sheahan, Troy Davis, Evan Panozza and Luke Tynan held together a tight defence and Jack Fitzpatrick, with four goals, was the star up forward. Josh Tynan with 24 disposals played his best game since returning from injury while Matthews and Danny Nicholls are also proving their value to the team after long stints on the sidelines. Casey has a score to settle with Werribee in Sunday's Qualfying Final at Casey Fields. The Tigers knocked them out of last year's finals at the semi stage and inflicted the Scorps' biggest defeat of the season earlier this year at Avalon Airport Oval. It promises to be a cracker of a game. Casey Scorpions 2.0.12 5.6.36 6.7.43 12.14.86 Sandringham 4.4.28 5.4.34 8.6.54 10.7.67 Goals Casey Scorpions Fitzpatrick 4 Matthews 2 Bate Gent Gysberts, Petropoulos Sheahan J Tynan Sandringham Dowler 3 Archer Hallahan 2 Dunell Michaliades Waller Best Casey Scorpions Collins Sheahan Fitzpatrick J Tynan Gysberts Magner Sandringham Hallahan Sikora Curren Jones Cockie Dowler In the 2012 AFL Development League the Scorps went down by 9 points to finish in fifth place overall. Casey will play the VFL's other Tigers (Coburg) in the curtain raiser elimination final on Sunday. Ironically, it was Coburg who also knocked them out of the finals last year. Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 5.3.33 7.10.52 8.12.60 Box Hill Hawks 0.0.0 2.5.17 7.7.49 9.15.69 Goals Casey Scorpions Fieldsend 2 Allen Cleven Galvin McFarlane Pollard Weekes Box Hill Hawks Johns 4 Cassidy Hughes Monkhorst Otten Phelps Best Casey Scorpions Patti Pollard Cleven Fieldsend Cook Weekes Box Hill Hawks Lock Gordon Northe Tobin Johns Cassidy

TOP OF THE HEAP by KC from Casey The final round of the 2012 Peter Jackson VFL premiership season went right down to the wire on Saturday with three close games taking place at venues as far apart as Geelong, North Ballarat and Cranbourne East combining to present the Casey Scorpions with their best possible result - the competition's minor premiership and a home qualifying final. When the dust settled, Port Melbourne lost top position with a one point loss to the Roosters, second placed Geelong went down by four points at home to Williamstown and the Casey Scorpions came from 11 points behind at three quarter time to overcome Sandringham by 19 points after a scrappy wind-affected battle of attrition. The Zebras opened with the advantage of the stiff breeze and had most of the play in the first ten minutes but managed only a single goal. Their hosts struck a brief purple patch with goals from Jack Fitzpatrick on a lead and another from Mitch Gent to take a three point lead in mid quarter. This spurred Sandy on and they improved their direction into attack to score three unanswered goals. During the break, coach Brett Lovett stressed the importance of using the big wind advantage but the Zebras bottled things up nicely and did a lot of the early attacking. Things were looking grim as the Scorps struggled to score until Jordan Gysberts read the play well and goaled for the home side. Soon after, Jack Fitzpatrick marked on a lead to kick his second to make it 2 points the difference and when a courageous mark from Matthew Bate led to Casey's fifth goal, it took the lead. A late goal against the run of play to Sandy saw the Scorpions' lead cut to a mere two points at half time. The midfield battle was being won by the home team which had Dave Collins, James Magner, Brent Moloney and Jordan Gysberts winning all the close in battles that were so important in the tough conditions. The lead changed hands again early in the third term after a lucky free to the Zebras who scored another soon after for their third unanswered goal. Casey tightened up its defence in the swirly conditions and Will Petropoulos took advantage of a fifty metre penalty to goal from close in to bring it back to a four point game. Late in the quarter, Sandy goaled from the boundary but most felt that an eleven point lead would be difficult to defend in the conditions. Comeback kid Kyle Matthews kicked the first of his two final quarter goals early in the term and then a series of points to Casey got things to even terms before a long goal from defender Jai Sheahan gave them the lead. A minor revival by Sandringham saw them take the lead back with two goals against the run of things but Fitzpatrick chipped in with a couple of real team lifters. Matthews put things beyond doubt with a captain's goal and Josh Tynan added one at the end to make it a 19 point win. The real bonus then came as scores from the other grounds saw Casey on top in the final ladder calculations. The result was a triumph for the team and its blend of AFL and VFL listed players given that the circumstances allowed only nine Demons in the side. The benefits of the mix were evident everywhere from the rucks where Mark Jamar and Luke Hill (38 and 28 hit outs respectively) had the edge to on ballers Collins (34 touches), Moloney, Magner (24 each) and Gysberts (23) who held sway at the stoppages and the tight contrsts. Jai Sheahan, Troy Davis, Evan Panozza and Luke Tynan held together a tight defence and Jack Fitzpatrick, with four goals, was the star up forward. Josh Tynan with 24 disposals played his best game since returning from injury while Matthews and Danny Nicholls are also proving their value to the team after long stints on the sidelines. Casey has a score to settle with Werribee in Sunday's Qualfying Final at Casey Fields. The Tigers knocked them out of last year's finals at the semi stage and inflicted the Scorps' biggest defeat of the season earlier this year at Avalon Airport Oval. It promises to be a cracker of a game. Casey Scorpions 2.0.12 5.6.36 6.7.43 12.14.86 Sandringham 4.4.28 5.4.34 8.6.54 10.7.67 Goals Casey Scorpions Fitzpatrick 4 Matthews 2 Bate Gent Gysberts, Petropoulos Sheahan J Tynan Sandringham Dowler 3 Archer Hallahan 2 Dunell Michaliades Waller Best Casey Scorpions Collins Sheahan Fitzpatrick J Tynan Gysberts Magner Sandringham Hallahan Sikora Curren Jones Cockie Dowler In the 2012 AFL Development League the Scorps went down by 9 points to finish in fifth place overall. Casey will play the VFL's other Tigers (Coburg) in the curtain raiser elimination final on Sunday. Ironically, it was Coburg who also knocked them out of the finals last year. Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 5.3.33 7.10.52 8.12.60 Box Hill Hawks 0.0.0 2.5.17 7.7.49 9.15.69 Goals Casey Scorpions Fieldsend 2 Allen Cleven Galvin McFarlane Pollard Weekes Box Hill Hawks Johns 4 Cassidy Hughes Monkhorst Otten Phelps Best Casey Scorpions Patti Pollard Cleven Fieldsend Cook Weekes Box Hill Hawks Lock Gordon Northe Tobin Johns Cassidy

Game over ... now to post match discussion.