Demonland

With 2nd & 3rd placed players out injured Nathan Jones moves further in front:- 166 Nathan Jones 81 Mitch Clark 75 Jack Watts 71 Jared Rivers 63 Jeremy Howe 62 James Magner 56 Jack Grimes 50 Jordie McKenzie 42 Tom McDonald 38 James Frawley 34 Colin Sylvia 31 Stef Martin 28 Sam Blease 26 Matthew Bate 25 Jack Trengove 23 Dan Nicholson 20 Colin Garland 19 Cale Morton 15 Clint Bartram Joel Macdonald 14 Rohan Bail 8 James Sellar 7 Lynden Dunn Brad Green Neville Jetta 3 Brent Moloney Jake Spencer 1 Aaron Davey Luke Tapscott

It's over - try Post Match Discussion

OPPORTUNITY LOST by Mean Gene Football as a game is all about making the most out of your opportunities. When you fail to do that then its likely that you'll fail in your objective of winning and Melbourne certainly proved that in front of a meagre crowd of 6,714 at TIO Stadium for its encounter with Port Adelaide. Among those in attendance for the Top End game were some bemused looking US marines who picked an unusual venue for a spot of R 'n' R from their battles in Afghanistan. Their opponents from Al Quaeda were smarter. They gave the game a miss which was the right move because it turned into one that was well deserving of the AFL's smallest crowd of the year. A depleted Melbourne side came out of the blocks looking bound for a winning result for the second week in a row, this time against a fellow cellar dweller. And for the second week in a row, they blew their chances. Brad Green was in fine marking form in the early going as the Dees made a promising start in the mild to warm conditions. Stef Martin was handling the rucking duties in concert with Jake Spencer and when he went forward, booted an inspirational goal. The defence was working hard and forcing the Power forwards into error. They held a handy 13-point lead at quarter time but the momentum of the game turned dramatically in the second term when their scoreboard advantage was soon reeled in by a Port Adelaide that showed far more desperation for the win and for the football. Meanwhile, Melbourne continued to do what it has been doing best - hugging the boundary lines, making the wrong decisions with the football and breaking down up forward. Port Adelaide was not much better but, by going down the corridor, it was able to at least score. The result was that the Power had taken a firm grip on the game by half time even if the lead was only 9 points. With Green covered and Martin, who looked had looked dangerous when he went forward early in the proceedings now nowhere to be seen, the Demon forward line had gone missing. It was clear that they lacked the scoring power to win the game. From that point on, the Demons seemed to do most of the attacking but failed to make very much of their opportunities while their opponents managed to score goals when they went into attack. Strangely enough, it was Melbourne who finished with far more inside 50s (55 to 45) than Port yet this advantage was turned into a deficit of 16 to 24 in scoring shots and after quarter time, they converted only 3 out of 11 into goals. Of course, there was no Mitch Clark or Liam Jurrah up on the forward line or anyone else apart from Green early and a couple of goals from Jared Rivers in the last half but let's face it, the latter is a good defender playing a makeshift role up forward. The forward line selected for this match was never going to be likely to win a game like this with an ineffectual midfield providing sub standard delivery. Melbourne was not even able to gain inspiration from the hanger which Jeremy Howe took - he was one of the offenders when it came to converting opportunities to score goals. Perhaps it was the steamy conditions of tropical Darwin or the fact that there's nothing to play for (although for quite a few their futures in the game were on the line) but there weren't many four quarter performances on the night. Captain Jack Grimes was one of them , Tom McDonald was the best of the defenders and one or two others put in some effort but this was a game that could have been won had the team not failed to grasp its opportunities. Melbourne 5.0.30 5.1.31 7.5.47 8.8.56 Port Adelaide 2.5.17 5.10.40 8.10.58 12.12.84 Goals Melbourne Green Rivers 2 Blease Jones Martin Sylvia Port Adelaide P Stewart 5 Boak Broadbent Brett Ebert Lobbe D Stewart Wingard Young Best Melbourne Grimes Jones McDonald Nicholson Sylvia Macdonald Port Adelaide Boak P Stewart Cassisi Brett Ebert Pearce Cornes Injuries Melbourne Nil. Port Adelaide Pittard (ribs) Changes Melbourne Nil. Port Adelaide Nil. Reports Melbourne Nil. Port Adelaide Nil. Umpires Dalgleish Kamolins Hosking Crowd 6,714 at TIO Stadium.

Cast your votes please ...

Agreed and there is absolutely no competition or animosity between the site owners and "staff". In fact it is the exact opposite. Over the years we have worked together on many projects and functions. Demonland co-founder Whispering Jack is working very hard to get Demonology back up and running. There is definitely room for both sites to coexist and complement each other and the official site.

I noticed that too. Sorry about that. Didn't think the software would do that.

Please make all Drafting and Trading discussion in this board: http://demonland.com...-trading-board/ I have moved all current draft and trade talk there.

THE CURSE by Whispering Jack Exactly twelve months have passed since Melbourne travelled to the Top End where it took on Port Adelaide and delivered Dean Bailey his last win as an AFL senior coach. The team laboured hard in Darwin's heat and humidity and was always going to finish in front of the Power whose season had been horrible to that point and was only going to get worse. For Melbourne, the four premiership points for the win gave it 9th position on the ladder and a definite chance to participate in the AFL finals series for the first time since 2006. The Demons were facing a tough month but there were three relatively easy games waiting at the end of the run home and a game in hand over its rivals for a finals berth who all had equally difficult tasks ahead of them. We all know the outcome of the story of how a club imploded; the way in which it fell to pieces, the on and off field convulsions, the crisis of confidence of the players, the thrashings, the injuries, the falling away of form and the fact that in the interim, the coach left in harsh circumstances, the club's young number 1 draft hopeful walked out chasing the almighty dollar, the demise of a major sponsorship, the president sadly passed away and the team managed only three wins over the past twelve months, two of them to the new franchises. The trip north for a game at Darwin's picturesque TIO Stadium is meant to serve a number of purposes, the main one being to bolster the club's finances. It is also designed to create a link between the Melbourne Football Club and the community of the Northern Territory and in particular the indigenous community which has produced so many excellent players in recent years. In light of the aftermath of that trip north, one might be forgiven for believing that somehow and for some unknown reason on that steamy night, a curse was visited on the Demons and their indigenous heroes. Melbourne returned home to a game against Hawthorn and, with Liam Jurrah and Tom Scully missing through illness and injury, a tired team was easily overpowered and beaten. Six days on and the team was decimated by Geelong as it suffered the second largest defeat in the game's history. Another day later and the coach was gone. The club's indigenous players have all fared badly over the past twelve months. Austin Wonaeamirri was still mourning the untimely deaths of his father Matthew and his close relative Maurice Rioli and missed the Darwin game. He returned to the club and suffered a bad injury to his ankle on comeback at Casey. It effectively ended his career and he was delisted at the end of the year. Jurrah was injured late in the season, breaking a wrist in a fall after taking a trademark hanger in the team's win over Gold Coast. The surgery to repair the wrist was unsuccessful, it required more work and while in rehabilitation, he travelled home to Yuendumu. The result of that visit has been well documented and will play itself out in the NT court system. Jurrah finally returned from injury but in his comeback game against Sydney, a game lost by in excess of 100 points, he injured an ankle and has not played a game since. Aaron Davey was also recuperating from a knee injury when the team went to Darwin last year. He returned to the side some weeks later but was out of form and frustrated. He was reported for an uncharacteristic infraction against Richmond, missed the final two games and has had a torrid time with injury and form ever since. He was at the centre of the Jason Mifsud racism controversy earlier this year and many felt that the incident had touched his soul badly. Less than a fortnight ago, his season ended with the discovery of stress fractures in a foot. Neville Jetta was on the comeback trail from shoulder surgery a year ago but it was discovered that the operation had failed and the result was more surgery and a major interruption to his pre season. Then, in a practice game at Casey, he twisted an ankle badly and he has only recently started playing again in the VFL. On Saturday night, he returns to the Melbourne side for his first game since late last season. Jetta's mate Jaimie Bennell has just gone through an indifferent season drifting between Melbourne and Casey before he too succumbed to one of the game's toughest injuries last weekend and he underwent knee surgery on an ACL yesterday. Rookie Kelvin Lawrence who has struggled at Casey and last played in the Scorpions' reserves is also out at the moment with a calf injury as he fights for his future on the club's lists. I should point out that it's not only the club's indigenous players who make up Melbourne's large injury list and, of course, there's no scientific basis for believing in curses. This week, veteran broadcaster Tony Charlton joked with compere Mike Sheahan on his programme about another alleged curse which some believe afflicts the club - the Norm Smith curse. Charlton believes that talk of such curses is nothing more than sheer nonsense. There probably is a logical reason for everything bad that's happened to the Melbourne Football Club over the years since it last tasted premiership glory. The same can be said of the events of the past twelve months. The likelihood is that they are related to a number of complex matters such as those which the club and its coaches are impressing on supporters at those briefings that are happening at the moment. So there probably is no Top End curse and all of those bad things are coincidental. But just in case, I'll be scouring the television screen on Saturday night before the game hoping to catch a glimpse of somebody in the crowd making all of the appropriate gestures necessary to lift the cursed spell - because enough is enough! THE GAME Melbourne v Port Adelaide Saturday 21 July, 2012 at the TIO Stadium, Darwin, 7:40pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 11 wins Port Adelaide 13 wins At TIO Stadium Melbourne 2 wins Port Adelaide 0 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 8 wins Port Adelaide 11 wins The Coaches Neeld 0 wins Primus 0 wins MEDIA TV – Fox Footy Channel (Live) at 7:30pm Radio – SEN ABC774 THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.30 Port Adelaide to win $1.60 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 17.10.112 defeated Melbourne 15.14.104 at Adelaide Oval, Round 24, 2011. This was the first ever game at the beautiful Adelaide Oval which is being redeveloped for more football and, in the AFL's endless drive for dollars, it will no doubt soon become a concrete amphitheatre rivalling Metricon and Skoda Stadiums for sheer ugliness. If you wanted proof of the curse then this game was it. Even if it was depleted by injury, Melbourne should have won the game easily but some mysterious umpiring decisions kept Port in the game all day and mysteriously in front by eight points at the end of the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Nicholson James Frawley Colin Garland Half backs Joel Macdonald Tom McDonald Jack Grimes Centreline Rohan Bail Colin Sylvia Sam Blease Half forwards Ricky Petterd Stefan Martin Jeremy Howe Forwards James Magner Jared Rivers Brad Green Followers Jake Spencer Jack Trengove Nathan Jones Interchange Thomas Couch Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta James Strauss Emergencies Matthew Bate Jordan Gysberts James Sellar In Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta James Magner Jake Spencer Out Matthew Bate (omitted) Jamie Bennell (knee) Jordie McKenzie (groin) Mark Jamar (calf) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Jackson Trengove Alipate Carlile Paul Stewart Half backs Tom Logan Troy Chaplin Domenic Cassisi Centreline Matthew Broadbent Travis Boak Kane Cornes Half forwards Andrew Moore Justin Westhoff Danyle Pearce Forwards John McCarthy Daniel Stewart Brett Ebert Followers Matthew Lobbe Bradley Ebert Matt Thomas Interchange Thomas Jonas Jasper Pittard Chad Wingard Aaron Young Emergencies Darren Pfeiffer Brent Renouf David Rodan In Domenic Cassisi Jasper Pittard Out Darren Pfeiffer Jarrad Redden BEATING THE CURSE I've been reading an article about how Melbourne's performance since its shock win in round 10 against the Bombers has progressively gotten worse in several key areas - Falling down. The writer in question notes that since the Demons beat Greater Western Sydney in round 13, the defence has collapsed, with Melbourne now the third easiest side to score against in the competition (surprisingly, it's also currently third last), while its average disposal differential and uncontested possession differential have both slipped drastically in the same period. To gain an understanding of the reason for the sharp decline in these statistics, Demon legend Garry Lyon was consulted. He was at a loss to come up with an explanation but opined:- ''They are having 30 minutes of footy when they don't appear to be in the contest at all. Why is that? There is no excuse for it. It's certainly something they need to sort out. ''Their skill execution has been something that has been really disappointing. The fundamental footy has been disappointing, but it hasn't been for want of trying. They were pretty competitive against Collingwood, after Collingwood kicked the first eight goals. Against Freo, they were 20 points up with five minutes to go in [the] third quarter. ''They have been competitive for periods of the game, but when they are uncompetitive they are getting monstered.'' Lyon did admit in the end that the fall away against the Dockers could have something to do with the fact that ruckman Mark Jamar hobbled from the field with an injured calf and Jamie Bennell ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament but it all remained a mystery. I suppose injury played its part. With your All Australian ruckman out of the game after five minutes and your ability to rotate in a tight game seriously impaired, it might explain why a team full of young players, a few coming back from long term injury might tire badly. That the writer also failed to examine the rest of the club's injury list and the extensive number of players from its best 22 also out missing was probably an oversight. He also carried out no analysis of the changes in those KPI statistics over a longer period, say the past twelve months. Specifically, since the Demons last made the trip up to the tropics and Darwin. This brings me to Saturday night's Top End clash against Port Adelaide which would, in a round billed as one of closely matched and exciting contests, stand out like a sore thumb if it weren't for the fact that the Dockers await the Giants in Perth for what will most likely be a right royal execution. I'm actually surprised that a journalist wasn't dispatched during the week to check out Port Adelaide's statistics for heroic acts in football of late. After all, it was well in the game against Essendon at half time last week and lost by 50 points. The week before it was crushed by Adelaide in the latest version of the Showdown. No signs of any alarm there? Right, then I might have to tip them to beat Melbourne. If there was any logic in this football caper I think I would be safe in relying on the teams' respective performances against Essendon who Melbourne beat by 5 points - a much better result than Port's capitulation. The Demons might have undergone a sharp decline in recent KPI's but I would prefer to deal in cold, hard facts and I know for a fact that the team that was selected to travel north this week is dedicated to removing the Top End curse placed on it exactly twelve months ago when they last travelled to the Territory. Ending the curse will depend primarily on who controls the midfield and in this respect, I think the Demons will surprise despite the fact that they decided to leave out Brent Moloney who polled maximum Brownlow votes on both occasions when these teams met in 2011. I look at Melbourne's rucks in Jake Spencer and Stef Martin and I am automatically filled with confidence about their capacity to overcome Matthew Lobbe and whoever else the Power are going to use in the ruck in this game (you can tell I don't know much about the opposition). Spencer killed them last week in the VFL while Martin stepped into the breach quite nicely when Jamar had to pull up stumps early against the Dockers. There's been a lot spoken and written about Travis Boak recently but quite frankly, I think he's under pressure and too distracted to perform against Nathan Jones who is one of the most improved midfield performers in the competition this year. He would surely have far more recognition if not for Melbourne's plight this year and the fact that the journos and commentators persist in going on wild goose chases searching for reasons why a young club, with a large injury list isn't travelling so well at the moment. In any event, I'm backing Jones, Colin Sylvia, Jack Trengove, Rohan Bail and first year hard nuts James Magner and Tom Couch to more than match Port Adelaide's on ball division to give their team the winning edge in this game. I'm also delighted that Neville Jetta is finally back and playing after an horrific run with injuries over the past twelve months. Although, one can't expect too much given that he had a truncated pre season and several months on the sidelines, he has shown previously that he loves this ground and can carry the responsibility that goes with being the only one of Melbourne's wonderful indigenous players left standing at the moment. I have this vision of Nev swooping on the ball, running into goal and kicking the matchwinner to put the Top End curse to rest for once and for all. I'm therefore tipping Melbourne to win by a point.

THE CURSE by Whispering Jack Exactly twelve months have passed since Melbourne travelled to the Top End where it took on Port Adelaide and delivered Dean Bailey his last win as an AFL senior coach. The team laboured hard in Darwin's heat and humidity and was always going to finish in front of the Power whose season had been horrible to that point and was only going to get worse. For Melbourne, the four premiership points for the win gave it 9th position on the ladder and a definite chance to participate in the AFL finals series for the first time since 2006. The Demons were facing a tough month but there were three relatively easy games waiting at the end of the run home and a game in hand over its rivals for a finals berth who all had equally difficult tasks ahead of them. We all know the outcome of the story of how a club imploded; the way in which it fell to pieces, the on and off field convulsions, the crisis of confidence of the players, the thrashings, the injuries, the falling away of form and the fact that in the interim, the coach left in harsh circumstances, the club's young number 1 draft hopeful walked out chasing the almighty dollar, the demise of a major sponsorship, the president sadly passed away and the team managed only three wins over the past twelve months, two of them to the new franchises. The trip north for a game at Darwin's picturesque TIO Stadium is meant to serve a number of purposes, the main one being to bolster the club's finances. It is also designed to create a link between the Melbourne Football Club and the community of the Northern Territory and in particular the indigenous community which has produced so many excellent players in recent years. In light of the aftermath of that trip north, one might be forgiven for believing that somehow and for some unknown reason on that steamy night, a curse was visited on the Demons and their indigenous heroes. Melbourne returned home to a game against Hawthorn and, with Liam Jurrah and Tom Scully missing through illness and injury, a tired team was easily overpowered and beaten. Six days on and the team was decimated by Geelong as it suffered the second largest defeat in the game's history. Another day later and the coach was gone. The club's indigenous players have all fared badly over the past twelve months. Austin Wonaeamirri was still mourning the untimely deaths of his father Matthew and his close relative Maurice Rioli and missed the Darwin game. He returned to the club and suffered a bad injury to his ankle on comeback at Casey. It effectively ended his career and he was delisted at the end of the year. Jurrah was injured late in the season, breaking a wrist in a fall after taking a trademark hanger in the team's win over Gold Coast. The surgery to repair the wrist was unsuccessful, it required more work and while in rehabilitation, he travelled home to Yuendumu. The result of that visit has been well documented and will play itself out in the NT court system. Jurrah finally returned from injury but in his comeback game against Sydney, a game lost by in excess of 100 points, he injured an ankle and has not played a game since. Aaron Davey was also recuperating from a knee injury when the team went to Darwin last year. He returned to the side some weeks later but was out of form and frustrated. He was reported for an uncharacteristic infraction against Richmond, missed the final two games and has had a torrid time with injury and form ever since. He was at the centre of the Jason Mifsud racism controversy earlier this year and many felt that the incident had touched his soul badly. Less than a fortnight ago, his season ended with the discovery of stress fractures in a foot. Neville Jetta was on the comeback trail from shoulder surgery a year ago but it was discovered that the operation had failed and the result was more surgery and a major interruption to his pre season. Then, in a practice game at Casey, he twisted an ankle badly and he has only recently started playing again in the VFL. On Saturday night, he returns to the Melbourne side for his first game since late last season. Jetta's mate Jaimie Bennell has just gone through an indifferent season drifting between Melbourne and Casey before he too succumbed to one of the game's toughest injuries last weekend and he underwent knee surgery on an ACL yesterday. Rookie Kelvin Lawrence who has struggled at Casey and last played in the Scorpions' reserves is also out at the moment with a calf injury as he fights for his future on the club's lists. I should point out that it's not only the club's indigenous players who make up Melbourne's large injury list and, of course, there's no scientific basis for believing in curses. This week, veteran broadcaster Tony Charlton joked with compere Mike Sheahan on his programme about another alleged curse which some believe afflicts the club - the Norm Smith curse. Charlton believes that talk of such curses is nothing more than sheer nonsense. There probably is a logical reason for everything bad that's happened to the Melbourne Football Club over the years since it last tasted premiership glory. The same can be said of the events of the past twelve months. The likelihood is that they are related to a number of complex matters such as those which the club and its coaches are impressing on supporters at those briefings that are happening at the moment. So there probably is no Top End curse and all of those bad things are coincidental. But just in case, I'll be scouring the television screen on Saturday night before the game hoping to catch a glimpse of somebody in the crowd making all of the appropriate gestures necessary to lift the cursed spell - because enough is enough! THE GAME Melbourne v Port Adelaide Saturday 21 July, 2012 at the TIO Stadium, Darwin, 7:40pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 11 wins Port Adelaide 13 wins At TIO Stadium Melbourne 2 wins Port Adelaide 0 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 8 wins Port Adelaide 11 wins The Coaches Neeld 0 wins Primus 0 wins MEDIA TV – Fox Footy Channel (Live) at 7:30pm Radio – SEN ABC774 THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.30 Port Adelaide to win $1.60 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 17.10.112 defeated Melbourne 15.14.104 at Adelaide Oval, Round 24, 2011. This was the first ever game at the beautiful Adelaide Oval which is being redeveloped for more football and, in the AFL’s endless drive for dollars, it will no doubt soon become a concrete amphitheatre rivalling Metricon and Skoda Stadiums for sheer ugliness. If you wanted proof of the curse then this game was it. Even if it was depleted by injury, Melbourne should have won the game easily but some mysterious umpiring decisions kept Port in the game all day and mysteriously in front by eight points at the end of the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Nicholson James Frawley Colin Garland Half backs Joel Macdonald Tom McDonald Jack Grimes Centreline Rohan Bail Colin Sylvia Sam Blease Half forwards Ricky Petterd Stefan Martin Jeremy Howe Forwards James Magner Jared Rivers Brad Green Followers Jake Spencer Jack Trengove Nathan Jones Interchange Thomas Couch Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta James Strauss Emergencies Matthew Bate Jordan Gysberts James Sellar In Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta James Magner Jake Spencer Out Matthew Bate (omitted) Jamie Bennell (knee) Jordie McKenzie (groin) Mark Jamar (calf) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Jackson Trengove Alipate Carlile Paul Stewart Half backs Tom Logan Troy Chaplin Domenic Cassisi Centreline Matthew Broadbent Travis Boak Kane Cornes Half forwards Andrew Moore Justin Westhoff Danyle Pearce Forwards John McCarthy Daniel Stewart Brett Ebert Followers Matthew Lobbe Bradley Ebert Matt Thomas Interchange Thomas Jonas Jasper Pittard Chad Wingard Aaron Young Emergencies Darren Pfeiffer Brent Renouf David Rodan In Domenic Cassisi Jasper Pittard Out Darren Pfeiffer Jarrad Redden BEATING THE CURSE I've been reading an article about how Melbourne's performance since its shock win in round 10 against the Bombers has progressively gotten worse in several key areas - Falling down. The writer in question notes that since the Demons beat Greater Western Sydney in round 13, the defence has collapsed, with Melbourne now the third easiest side to score against in the competition (surprisingly, it's also currently third last), while its average disposal differential and uncontested possession differential have both slipped drastically in the same period. To gain an understanding of the reason for the sharp decline in these statistics, Demon legend Garry Lyon was consulted. He was at a loss to come up with an explanation but opined:- ''They are having 30 minutes of footy when they don't appear to be in the contest at all. Why is that? There is no excuse for it. It's certainly something they need to sort out. ''Their skill execution has been something that has been really disappointing. The fundamental footy has been disappointing, but it hasn't been for want of trying. They were pretty competitive against Collingwood, after Collingwood kicked the first eight goals. Against Freo, they were 20 points up with five minutes to go in [the] third quarter. ''They have been competitive for periods of the game, but when they are uncompetitive they are getting monstered.'' Lyon did admit in the end that the fall away against the Dockers could have something to do with the fact that ruckman Mark Jamar hobbled from the field with an injured calf and Jamie Bennell ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament but it all remained a mystery. I suppose injury played its part. With your All Australian ruckman out of the game after five minutes and your ability to rotate in a tight game seriously impaired, it might explain why a team full of young players, a few coming back from long term injury might tire badly. That the writer also failed to examine the rest of the club's injury list and the extensive number of players from its best 22 also out missing was probably an oversight. He also carried out no analysis of the changes in those KPI statistics over a longer period, say the past twelve months. Specifically, since the Demons last made the trip up to the tropics and Darwin. This brings me to Saturday night's Top End clash against Port Adelaide which would, in a round billed as one of closely matched and exciting contests, stand out like a sore thumb if it weren't for the fact that the Dockers await the Giants in Perth for what will most likely be a right royal execution. I'm actually surprised that a journalist wasn't dispatched during the week to check out Port Adelaide's statistics for heroic acts in football of late. After all, it was well in the game against Essendon at half time last week and lost by 50 points. The week before it was crushed by Adelaide in the latest version of the Showdown. No signs of any alarm there? Right, then I might have to tip them to beat Melbourne. If there was any logic in this football caper I think I would be safe in relying on the teams' respective performances against Essendon who Melbourne beat by 5 points - a much better result than Port's capitulation. The Demons might have undergone a sharp decline in recent KPI's but I would prefer to deal in cold, hard facts and I know for a fact that the team that was selected to travel north this week is dedicated to removing the Top End curse placed on it exactly twelve months ago when they last travelled to the Territory. Ending the curse will depend primarily on who controls the midfield and in this respect, I think the Demons will surprise despite the fact that they decided to leave out Brent Moloney who polled maximum Brownlow votes on both occasions when these teams met in 2011. I look at Melbourne's rucks in Jake Spencer and Stef Martin and I am automatically filled with confidence about their capacity to overcome Matthew Lobbe and whoever else the Power are going to use in the ruck in this game (you can tell I don't know much about the opposition). Spencer killed them last week in the VFL while Martin stepped into the breach quite nicely when Jamar had to pull up stumps early against the Dockers. There's been a lot spoken and written about Travis Boak recently but quite frankly, I think he's under pressure and too distracted to perform against Nathan Jones who is one of the most improved midfield performers in the competition this year. He would surely have far more recognition if not for Melbourne's plight this year and the fact that the journos and commentators persist in going on wild goose chases searching for reasons why a young club, with a large injury list isn't travelling so well at the moment. In any event, I'm backing Jones, Colin Sylvia, Jack Trengove, Rohan Bail and first year hard nuts James Magner and Tom Couch to more than match Port Adelaide's on ball division to give their team the winning edge in this game. I'm also delighted that Neville Jetta is finally back and playing after an horrific run with injuries over the past twelve months. Although, one can't expect too much given that he had a truncated pre season and several months on the sidelines, he has shown previously that he loves this ground and can carry the responsibility that goes with being the only one of Melbourne's wonderful indigenous players left standing at the moment. I have this vision of Nev swooping on the ball, running into goal and kicking the matchwinner to put the Top End curse to rest for once and for all. I'm therefore tipping Melbourne to win by a point.

What a miserable game that was? Adelaide Oval. A rabid pro-PA crowd and even more rabid pro-PA umpires who gave them the world and deprived Jeremy Howe of mark of the year. PORT ADELAIDE Backs Troy Chaplin Alipate Carlile Tom Logan Half backs Jacob Surjan Jackson Trengove Cameron O'Shea Centreline Steven Salopek Travis Boak Danyle Pearce Half forwards Brett Ebert John Butcher Robert Gray Forwards Daniel Motlop Jay Schulz Justin Westhoff Followers Matthew Lobbe Domenic Cassisi David Rodan Interchange (from) Mitchell Banner Matthew Broadbent Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Thomas Jonas Matt Thomas Aaron Young In Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Aaron Young Out New Aaron Young (Eastern Ranges) MELBOURNE Backs Tom McDonald James Frawley Sam Blease Half backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Colin Garland Centreline Jamie Bennell Jordie McKenzie Nathan Jones Half forwards Jack Trengove Jack Watts Brad Green Forwards Rohan Bail Stefan Martin Neville Jetta Followers Mark Jamar Cale Morton Brent Moloney Interchange Matthew Bate Jack Fitzpatrick Jeremy Howe Luke Tapscott Emergencies Joel Macdonald Tom McNamara Daniel Nicholson In Rohan Bail Matthew Bate Jack Fitzpatrick Out Liam Jurrah (wrist) Tom McNamara Tom McNamara New Jack Fitzpatrick (Western Jets)

fcmelb - I don't mind you trying to drum up interest in your blog but please keep it to one thread (preferrably this one). Multiple threads in the future will be merged or deleted and may result in a temporary or permanent holiday from this site.

SCORPIONS LEAVE THE BEST TILL LAST by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions have done it again. Already well known as having the capacity to show great strength in the clinches and to win the tight ones, they are also developing a reputation for coming back from the dead. Last week, the Scorpions won coming from 33 points down at half time against reigning premier Port Melbourne at home but, on Saturday, they went one better against Bendigo Gold at Windy Hill leaving their best till last as they turned a 29 point deficit into a three point win. No other team in the competition has come back this year to taste victory from so far behind at the last break and significantly, the team has reaped great rewards for those efforts. It sits on top of the 2012 Peter Jackson VFL ladder for the first time this season. The win came in difficult circumstances as the selectors were forced to make some late changes to an already injury depleted line up when James Strauss was called up to play for Melbourne and young Demon Josh Tynan withdrew due to injury. Dylan Troutman was picked to make his debut while Mitch Gent received the late call after playing half a game in the development league team. Rookie Michael Evans was also in for his first game of the season after incurring a back injury in the pre season. They joined another group of players in Chris Clay, Luke Hill Nathan Page, Jordan Pollard, Brayden Salton and Tim Smith who between them have only a handful of games making it a very inexperienced line up that took the field against the in-form Bendigo side which beat them by 71 points when they met earlier in the season. Kicking against the breeze, Casey had the better of the first 15 minutes of the game with two of the first three goals to Jack Fitzpatrick and Page. However, the momentum swung from there as the home side applied the pressure and forced the Scorpions into errors. Bendigo led at quarter time by a goal but it should have been much more. The trend continued in the second term as the Gold struck a rich vein of form and stretched its lead to three goals but their dominance was still not properly translated on the scoreboard, a fact that they were to rue later in the day because a late flurry of Casey goals saw had their lead cut back to a single goal at half time. It could have been even closer but for some costly misses by the Scorps in the dying moments of the term. Bendigo made up for lost opportunities in the third quarter when it kicked five goals to one with the aid of the freshening wind. It was on top for most of the term apart from a brief period when Fitzpatrick had a purple patch which went wrong. The Demon big man who was recently diagnosed as a diabetic, kicked a goal to break Bendigo's run and soon after marked well within range only to play on and score a point after the ball was touched off an opponent's boot for a point. The Gold took the ball coast to coast for a goal on the rebound and then another followed. The result was that Casey faced a 29 point deficit with a quarter left to play. It was a tough ask for the Scorpions but the wind had stiffened to give them the advantage in the final term. They also had Jake Spencer winning handsomely in the ruck (he finished with 45 hit outs) and a bullocking Brent Moloney winning the clearances. That dominance was to slowly turn the game but it was only at the midpoint of the quarter that the crowd sensed that a Casey revival was truly on the cards. Evans had kicked truly for his second goal and this was followed by successive goals from Gent, Williams and then Gent, whose day had begun at 9.30am at Preston in the development league game, got his second. Suddenly, it was only five points the difference. There was plenty of time left, Bendigo was tiring and the wind and a truckload of determination brought the Casey team home for a famous victory. The winning goal was a beauty from 203cm ruckman who swooped on a loose ball panther-like and drilled it home. The three point victory was Casey's seventh by ten points or under and it's sixth win by a goal or under and it clearly demonstrated the never say die spirit engendered under coach Brett Lovett. Spencer was Casey's best but youngster Brayden Salton who finished with 24 touches was not far behind him. Moloney finished 20 disposals, 12 clearances and four tackles while Cale Morton with 27 touches and skipper Evan Panozza and midfielder Jordan Gysberts with 26 were also prolific ball gatherers. Michael Evans with 19 disposals and two goals in limited game time in his first outing for the year after a back injury was also notable and special mention must be made of the defence with Troy Davis, Nev Jetta and Michael Riseley all did their jobs along with Panozza and Salton Casey has its final bye before entering into the run home to the finals. Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 5.5.35 6.8.44 11.11.77 Bendigo Gold 3.2.20 6.5.41 11.7.73 11.8.74 Goals Casey Scorpions Evans Fitzpatrick Gent Williams 2 Morton Page Spencer Bendigo Gold Little 3 Hunter 2 Dalgleish Lee Merrett Thompson Slattery Winderlich Best Casey Scorpions Spencer Salton Riseley Davis Jetta Moloney Bendigo Gold Slattery Lee Little Williams Hunter Winderlich The Development League team had to contend with a Northern Blues combination that was bolstered with six AFL listed players and narrowly missed out on a win. Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 8.5.53 9.6.60 13.10.88 Northern Blues 5.2.32 6.3.39 12.6.78 14.6.90 Goals Casey Scorpions Lindsay 3 McFarlane 2 Allen Chin Collins Gent Johnston Petropoulos Rosier Weekes Northern Blues Bell 3 Casboult Lambert 2 White Visser Toman Lincoln Dorman Soncin Petroro Best Casey Scorpions Collins Allen Lindsay Petropoulos McFarlane Cleven Northern Blues Lambert White Heyne Lincoln Bell Wilson

SCORPIONS LEAVE THE BEST TILL LAST by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions have done it again. Already well known as having the capacity to show great strength in the clinches and to win the tight ones, they are also developing a reputation for coming back from the dead. Last week, the Scorpions won coming from 33 points down at half time against reigning premier Port Melbourne at home but, on Saturday, they went one better against Bendigo Gold at Windy Hill leaving their best till last as they turned a 29 point deficit into a three point win. No other team in the competition has come back this year to taste victory from so far behind at the last break and significantly, the team has reaped great rewards for those efforts. It sits on top of the 2012 Peter Jackson VFL ladder for the first time this season. The win came in difficult circumstances as the selectors were forced to make some late changes to an already injury depleted line up when James Strauss was called up to play for Melbourne and young Demon Josh Tynan withdrew due to injury. Dylan Troutman was picked to make his debut while Mitch Gent received the late call after playing half a game in the development league team. Rookie Michael Evans was also in for his first game of the season after incurring a back injury in the pre season. They joined another group of players in Chris Clay, Luke Hill Nathan Page, Jordan Pollard, Brayden Salton and Tim Smith who between them have only a handful of games making it a very inexperienced line up that took the field against the in-form Bendigo side which beat them by 71 points when they met earlier in the season. Kicking against the breeze, Casey had the better of the first 15 minutes of the game with two of the first three goals to Jack Fitzpatrick and Page. However, the momentum swung from there as the home side applied the pressure and forced the Scorpions into errors. Bendigo led at quarter time by a goal but it should have been much more. The trend continued in the second term as the Gold struck a rich vein of form and stretched its lead to three goals but their dominance was still not properly translated on the scoreboard, a fact that they were to rue later in the day because a late flurry of Casey goals saw had their lead cut back to a single goal at half time. It could have been even closer but for some costly misses by the Scorps in the dying moments of the term. Bendigo made up for lost opportunities in the third quarter when it kicked five goals to one with the aid of the freshening wind. It was on top for most of the term apart from a brief period when Fitzpatrick had a purple patch which went wrong. The Demon big man who was recently diagnosed as a diabetic, kicked a goal to break Bendigo's run and soon after marked well within range only to play on and score a point after the ball was touched off an opponent's boot for a point. The Gold took the ball coast to coast for a goal on the rebound and then another followed. The result was that Casey faced a 29 point deficit with a quarter left to play. It was a tough ask for the Scorpions but the wind had stiffened to give them the advantage in the final term. They also had Jake Spencer winning handsomely in the ruck (he finished with 45 hit outs) and a bullocking Brent Moloney winning the clearances. That dominance was to slowly turn the game but it was only at the midpoint of the quarter that the crowd sensed that a Casey revival was truly on the cards. Evans had kicked truly for his second goal and this was followed by successive goals from Gent, Williams and then Gent, whose day had begun at 9.30am at Preston in the development league game, got his second. Suddenly, it was only five points the difference. There was plenty of time left, Bendigo was tiring and the wind and a truckload of determination brought the Casey team home for a famous victory. The winning goal was a beauty from 203cm ruckman who swooped on a loose ball panther-like and drilled it home. The three point victory was Casey's seventh by ten points or under and it's sixth win by a goal or under and it clearly demonstrated the never say die spirit engendered under coach Brett Lovett. Spencer was Casey's best but youngster Brayden Salton who finished with 24 touches was not far behind him. Moloney finished 20 disposals, 12 clearances and four tackles while Cale Morton with 27 touches and skipper Evan Panozza and midfielder Jordan Gysberts with 26 were also prolific ball gatherers. Michael Evans with 19 disposals and two goals in limited game time in his first outing for the year after a back injury was also notable and special mention must be made of the defence with Troy Davis, Nev Jetta and Michael Riseley all did their jobs along with Panozza and Salton Casey has its final bye before entering into the run home to the finals. Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 5.5.35 6.8.44 11.11.77 Bendigo Gold 3.2.20 6.5.41 11.7.73 11.8.74 Goals Casey Scorpions Evans Fitzpatrick Gent Williams 2 Morton Page Spencer Bendigo Gold Little 3 Hunter 2 Dalgleish Lee Merrett Thompson Slattery Winderlich Best Casey Scorpions Spencer Salton Riseley Davis Jetta Moloney Bendigo Gold Slattery Lee Little Williams Hunter Winderlich The Development League team had to contend with a Northern Blues combination that was bolstered with six AFL listed players and narrowly missed out on a win. Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 8.5.53 9.6.60 13.10.88 Northern Blues 5.2.32 6.3.39 12.6.78 14.6.90 Goals Casey Scorpions Lindsay 3 McFarlane 2 Allen Chin Collins Gent Johnston Petropoulos Rosier Weekes Northern Blues Bell 3 Casboult Lambert 2 White Visser Toman Lincoln Dorman Soncin Petroro Best Casey Scorpions Collins Allen Lindsay Petropoulos McFarlane Cleven Northern Blues Lambert White Heyne Lincoln Bell Wilson

The bookmakers are already paying out on Nathan Jones for first place. 161 Nathan Jones 81 Mitch Clark 75 Jack Watts 69 Jared Rivers 63 Jeremy Howe 62 James Magner 50 Jordie McKenzie 39 Jack Grimes 38 James Frawley 37 Tom McDonald 34 Colin Sylvia 31 Stef Martin 28 Sam Blease 26 Matthew Bate 20 Colin Garland 19 Cale Morton 17Jack Trengove 15 Clint Bartram Joel Macdonald 14 Rohan Bail 12 Dan Nicholson 8 James Sellar 7 Lynden Dunn 3 Brad Green Brent Moloney Jake Spencer 1 Aaron Davey Luke Tapscott

That's the game for today but you can express your thoughts in the Post Match Discussion.

THE BELL TOLLED by Mean Gene Melbourne had its chances against Fremantle and probably didn’t deserve to lose by as much as 34 points but that’s football. The outcome of every game played is dependent upon a number of factors and in most cases everything (or at least most things) has to gel if a team is to win. The Demons got a good start which gave them the early momentum. They withstood everything the Dockers could throw at them for the next two quarters and fought back on two occasions to alter the momentum of the game back in their favour when Freo came at them. But in the end, it was the weight of adversity that has dogged them throughout the season. In this case, it was the injuries and the lack of total fitness that took their toll and a tired team had nothing left without the ability to commit the necessary rotations that might have kept the legs fresh enough to withstand the final onslaught from Fremantle. Alas, the bell tolled and there was nothing left. It’s said that it’s not good form to linger too long on injuries or to use them as an excuse when looking at the outcome of any game but I really think some mention should be made of the Demons’ current afflictions. It’s been happening all year (in fact, for a number of them) and most clubs suffer injuries during a long, harsh season but it started getting much worse than that which is standard just after the club pulled off its surprise victory against Essendon. Clint Bartram, Mitch Clark, Aaron Davey and Jamie Bennell have since joined Max Gawn and young draft pick Rory Taggert on the list of players whose seasons were ended. Mark Jamar’s season now also hangs in the balance although he is expected to play again this year if he heals well from his torn calf. The group that was available to represent the Melbourne Football Club and to play for it before, during and after the game diminished in number rapidly from Thursday morning. Jack Watts was rules out with an ankle while James Sellar failed to pass his fitness test. On the morning of the game, Luke Tapscott (groin) was ruled out and replaced by James Strauss. Josh Tynan was similarly ruled out at Casey adding to the club’s woes. Ten minutes into the game, Mark Jamar, who already had seven hit outs, was subbed off with a recurrence of his calf injury. Later, Jack Grimes was inconvenienced with what appeared to be an ankle injury and went to the rooms but was soon back in action and finally, Jamie Bennell left the field. He will undergo ACL surgery. As coach Mark Neeld pointed out, the club remained in the contest and probably “had equal chance probably at three-quarter time”. But that wasn’t really true because you could see the effects of the imbalance caused by the loss of players. Stef Martin kicked a couple of goals early but he was called upon to fill the breach in the ruck when Jamar went down. Rucking virtually alone, he looked stuffed by three quarter time. There were others who had to carry a greater load than normal. Melbourne which looked great early with Brad Green turning the clock back and kicking goals, Rohan Bail and Dan Nicholson showing some pace and run and James Frawley keeping Matthew Pavlich in check chalked up six goals in the first term. In some games this year, the Demons have struggled to get six in a whole game. But Ross Lyon put on the pressure and closed the game down to one which Fremantle appreciated and when the Dockers made their third and final assault, the Demons wilted, made errors and fell away. The return of Tom McDonald who suffered a punctured lung just two weeks earlier was welcome as was the fact that he was able to throw himself into the fray as if the collision with Jonathan Brown that left him with bleeding lungs had never happened. Another Tom – Tom Couch – did well in his long awaited debut. His tackling, along with that of Jordie McKenzie was a feature. Sam Blease might not get much of the ball but he’s deadly around the goals. Nathan Jones keeps working hard and I note that he’s now being paid the compliment of having a tagger. Despite the hard tag, he was still an effective player and one hopes that in the years to come, opposition coaches will need to worry about more than him in the Demons midfield. On the day, the Dockers finally overwhelmed a tiring opposition and this is where the game was ultimately lost, as it is most of the time. Sad to say, but the bell has tolled for Melbourne for this season. Any battles it will fight for the remainder of the year will, in many ways, be meaningless as the team has effectively had the heart ripped out of it by injury but the coming seven weeks will act as good preparation for next year. Although, it’s been “next year” for a long time, the experience of West Coast and Adelaide respectively over the past two seasons suggests that, if all goes well for a team and there’s a lot of hard work and sweat applied, a team can regenerate more quickly than anyone would normally expect. Melbourne 6.4.40 8.6.54 12.7.79 12.11.83 Fremantle 3.2.20 6.5.41 11.6.72 18.9.117 Goals Melbourne Green 3 Bail 2 Blease 2 Martin 2 Sylvia Bennell Bate. Fremantle Pavlich 4 Walters 3 Pearce 2 Ballantyne 2 Barlow 2 Hill 2 Mayne Bradley Mzungu. Best Melbourne Martin Sylvia Nicholson McDonald Macdonald McKenzie Jones Grimes Fremantle Mundy Hill Pavlich Barlow Walters McPharlin Ballantyne Spurr Injuries Melbourne Mark Jamar (calf) Jamie Bennell (ACL) Jack Grimes (ankle) Fremantle Nil Changes Melbourne Luke Tapscott (groin) replaced by James Strauss Fremantle Antoni Grover (buttock) replaced by Lee Spurr Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires S Wenn J Dalgleish J Bannister Crowd 13,284 at Etihad Stadium

Please cast your votes folks ... 6,5,4,3,2,1

BACK TO SQUARE ONE by Whispering Jack Much of the discussion concerning this year's AFL National Draft has been on the subject of whether the quality and depth of the players available are such that would make it a "super draft" in much the same way as it was back in 2001 when Luke Hodge, Luke Ball and Chris Judd went 1-2-3, Jimmy Bartel and Nick dal Santo also went in the first round, Stevie J, Sam Mitchell, Dane Swan and Brian Lake went further down the list and Melbourne bombed out as usual. Emma Quayle, who is the resident draft guru at the Age newspaper, considers this year's version to be "Good, but not quite a 'super draft'." She cites the AFL recruiters (and they should know) whose feeling is "that the coming draft hovers somewhere between 'normal' and 'pretty good,' but that it is not one with the potential to solve everyone's problem in one hit." To that, I say "darn" because, from a Melbourne perspective, the club continues to have problems after five years of rebuilding and with plenty of early draft picks on its list. Destined to finish bottom four and having activated both Scully "compensation" selections and with the advent of free agency, the Demons must make the most out of its recruiting at the end of the year. This horror year for the club in terms of on and off field disappointments must be turned around by some deft work at the trade table, some smart use of free agency and by getting its draft picks right. There have already been suggestions that it will not be relying simply on the draft to regenerate its list and perhaps, the recruiters have been looking to ladder leading Sydney for inspiration. At the end of season 2009, the Swans were on what seemed to be a downward spiral into possible oblivion before trading into an extra first round draft pick for Darren Jolly. They ended up with Gary Rohan and Lewis Jetta as first round selections followed by Sam Reid at number 38 to go with trade picks Shane Mumford, Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn. That was on top of securing the NAB rising star from the previous year's draft (at 30). They develop their players well up there but there's no doubt that Sydney's recruiting has been first class. Meanwhile, we Melbourne fans have been waiting patiently for our bevy of early draft picks to come on stream and show us more than just promise. There are some extenuating circumstances behind the performances of the Demon youngsters including some extraordinarily bad luck injuries but, on the whole, "disappointment" is the best description of the club's recruiting efforts over the past half decade (and beyond). We have yet to develop a player into a champion or even one who might one day wear that mantle and, after all this time, the feeling is very much that we are back to square one. There might still be a few months of football left in this season, but for those of us who support clubs that can't make the finals, it's time to look to the off season trading and drafting period that will last till close on Christmas. For Melbourne, this is the time frame it has to repair a list that has a number of deficiencies, most notably its substandard midfield and its lack of forward fire power, particularly those who can apply pressure to keep the ball in attack and to crumb and kick goals. Fortunately, the club does have one piece of the jigsaw under control in the form of father/son prospect Jack Viney who is a small midfielder of the inside variety who is hard at it and committed to the club. Viney is already within the system and has played one game at Casey where he acquitted himself well until Geelong's David Wocjinski connected with his jaw and broke it. The youngster came back in time to play two fairly decent games for Vic Metro in the national under 18 championships but he missed out on All Australian selection (see below). The trade/draft period kicks off officially soon after the grand final with the Draft Combine followed shortly thereafter by an elongated trade "week" which starts with the father/son bidding and the GWS Mini Draft. Viney's fate is therefore likely to be one of the first outcomes of the off season activities. The big question is whether he will cost the club a first or second round draft selection under father/son bidding and, given that most experts consider him to be just outside the top five, this would depend mainly on the integrity of the clubs finishing below Melbourne on the ladder. Would a club like GWS bid for Viney simply to act as a spoiler for Melbourne to force it to use its first pick? One would have thought such a move to be counterproductive. It could take a potential pick out of contention for use in the GWS Mini Draft and even more so, would benefit a number of rival clubs by effectively moving them up one rung in selection. And that's even before one considers issues such as draft tampering and clubs acting as honest brokers. I recall Craig Cameron once commenting on how important honesty and straight dealing have become in the modern, professional era of recruiting. There will be days when the actions of those who act in spite, will come back to bite them on the bum. This year, the GWS Mini Draft will be interesting and Melbourne is a likely player with three first round picks currently at its disposal and two WA 17 year old sensations in Jack Martin and Jesse Hogan already front and square in the calculations of the recruiters - Young guns Jack Martin, Jesse Hogan remain stoic. Both lads are All Australians and most good judges consider the wait for their services (they can't play AFL until 2014) more than worthwhile. Next time, I will take a look at the likely prospects for the national draft. Foremost among them will be the 22 who made the 2012 NAB AFL All-Australian team:- Defenders: Sam Colquhoun (SA), Matt Scharenberg (SA), Luke McDonald (Vic Metro), Jimmy Toumpas (SA), Jesse Hogan (WA), Nick Vlastuin (Vic Metro) Midfield: James Aish (SA), Oliver Wines (Vic Country), Lachie Whitfield (Vic Country), Brodie Grundy (SA), Jonathon O'Rourke (Vic Metro), Nathan Hrovat (Vic Metro) Forwards: Jack Billings (Vic Metro), Taylor Garner (Vic Country), Jack Martin (WA), Ben Kennedy (SA), Joe Daniher (Vic Metro), Matthew McDonough (SA) Interchange: Andrew Boston (QLD), Dayle Garlett (WA), Jake Neade (NT), Jackson Thurlow (TAS) Later: Whispering Jack will reveal his favourite among the young up and comers. Hint: last year he picked Jack Viney who wasn't drafted and this year's pick wont be drafted either!

BACK TO SQUARE ONE by Whispering Jack Much of the discussion concerning this year's AFL National Draft has been on the subject of whether the quality and depth of the players available are such that would make it a "super draft" in much the same way as it was back in 2001 when Luke Hodge, Luke Ball and Chris Judd went 1-2-3, Jimmy Bartel and Nick dal Santo also went in the first round, Stevie J, Sam Mitchell, Dane Swan and Brian Lake went further down the list and Melbourne bombed out as usual. Emma Quayle, who is the resident draft guru at the Age newspaper, considers this year's version to be "Good, but not quite a 'super draft'." She cites the AFL recruiters (and they should know) whose feeling is "that the coming draft hovers somewhere between 'normal' and 'pretty good,' but that it is not one with the potential to solve everyone's problem in one hit." To that, I say "darn" because, from a Melbourne perspective, the club continues to have problems after five years of rebuilding and with plenty of early draft picks on its list. Destined to finish bottom four and having activated both Scully "compensation" selections and with the advent of free agency, the Demons must make the most out of its recruiting at the end of the year. This horror year for the club in terms of on and off field disappointments must be turned around by some deft work at the trade table, some smart use of free agency and by getting its draft picks right. There have already been suggestions that it will not be relying simply on the draft to regenerate its list and perhaps, the recruiters have been looking to ladder leading Sydney for inspiration. At the end of season 2009, the Swans were on what seemed to be a downward spiral into possible oblivion before trading into an extra first round draft pick for Darren Jolly. They ended up with Gary Rohan and Lewis Jetta as first round selections followed by Sam Reid at number 38 to go with trade picks Shane Mumford, Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn. That was on top of securing the NAB rising star from the previous year's draft (at 30). They develop their players well up there but there's no doubt that Sydney's recruiting has been first class. Meanwhile, we Melbourne fans have been waiting patiently for our bevy of early draft picks to come on stream and show us more than just promise. There are some extenuating circumstances behind the performances of the Demon youngsters including some extraordinarily bad luck injuries but, on the whole, "disappointment" is the best description of the club's recruiting efforts over the past half decade (and beyond). We have yet to develop a player into a champion or even one who might one day wear that mantle and, after all this time, the feeling is very much that we are back to square one. There might still be a few months of football left in this season, but for those of us who support clubs that can't make the finals, it's time to look to the off season trading and drafting period that will last till close on Christmas. For Melbourne, this is the time frame it has to repair a list that has a number of deficiencies, most notably its substandard midfield and its lack of forward fire power, particularly those who can apply pressure to keep the ball in attack and to crumb and kick goals. Fortunately, the club does have one piece of the jigsaw under control in the form of father/son prospect Jack Viney who is a small midfielder of the inside variety who is hard at it and committed to the club. Viney is already within the system and has played one game at Casey where he acquitted himself well until Geelong's David Wocjinski connected with his jaw and broke it. The youngster came back in time to play two fairly decent games for Vic Metro in the national under 18 championships but he missed out on All Australian selection (see below). The trade/draft period kicks off officially soon after the grand final with the Draft Combine followed shortly thereafter by an elongated trade "week" which starts with the father/son bidding and the GWS Mini Draft. Viney's fate is therefore likely to be one of the first outcomes of the off season activities. The big question is whether he will cost the club a first or second round draft selection under father/son bidding and, given that most experts consider him to be just outside the top five, this would depend mainly on the integrity of the clubs finishing below Melbourne on the ladder. Would a club like GWS bid for Viney simply to act as a spoiler for Melbourne to force it to use its first pick? One would have thought such a move to be counterproductive. It could take a potential pick out of contention for use in the GWS Mini Draft and even more so, would benefit a number of rival clubs by effectively moving them up one rung in selection. And that's even before one considers issues such as draft tampering and clubs acting as honest brokers. I recall Craig Cameron once commenting on how important honesty and straight dealing have become in the modern, professional era of recruiting. There will be days when the actions of those who act in spite, will come back to bite them on the bum. This year, the GWS Mini Draft will be interesting and Melbourne is a likely player with three first round picks currently at its disposal and two WA 17 year old sensations in Jack Martin and Jesse Hogan already front and square in the calculations of the recruiters - Young guns Jack Martin, Jesse Hogan remain stoic. Both lads are All Australians and most good judges consider the wait for their services (they can't play AFL until 2014) more than worthwhile. Next time, I will take a look at the likely prospects for the national draft. Foremost among them will be the 22 who made the 2012 NAB AFL All-Australian team:- Defenders: Sam Colquhoun (SA), Matt Scharenberg (SA), Luke McDonald (Vic Metro), Jimmy Toumpas (SA), Jesse Hogan (WA), Nick Vlastuin (Vic Metro) Midfield: James Aish (SA), Oliver Wines (Vic Country), Lachie Whitfield (Vic Country), Brodie Grundy (SA), Jonathon O'Rourke (Vic Metro), Nathan Hrovat (Vic Metro) Forwards: Jack Billings (Vic Metro), Taylor Garner (Vic Country), Jack Martin (WA), Ben Kennedy (SA), Joe Daniher (Vic Metro), Matthew McDonough (SA) Interchange: Andrew Boston (QLD), Dayle Garlett (WA), Jake Neade (NT), Jackson Thurlow (TAS) Later: Whispering Jack will reveal his favourite among the young up and comers. Hint: last year he picked Jack Viney who wasn't drafted and this year's pick wont be drafted either!

Not sure why it is doing this for you. I just followed the link and it all look legit to me. Anyway, if you PM me I will provide account details to direct debit and then I can manually update your Demonland account to Life Member.

If that happened I could retire and donate the rest to the club and we'd be debt free for life.

FIFTY SHADES OF PURPLE by Sam the Stats Man Those of us who are experts in the field of statistics are only too aware of the fact that there are numerous shades of purple but for this Saturday's Melbourne home game against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium, I'm not expecting to see many different shades of that colour in the crowd. Nor will there be very many versions of the home club's colours either! The Demons rarely attract large numbers of their supporters for "home" games at Etihad Stadium. In particular, when the fixture is against the highly favoured Dockers and the team is the 16th-placed side ahead only of the new franchises, the numbers simply don't stack up. At around this time last year, a Melbourne team that still had an outside chance of making the finals attracted a mere 15,740 punters to its game at this same venue against an exciting top four combination in the West Coast Eagles and they were duly smashed. The club has won only two of its past 20 games at Etihad and this includes 12 losses in a row by an average of 44 points since 2008. All of this points to the fact that, although Freo have never beaten Melbourne at this ground (they’ve met there twice) there will be plenty of empty seats when play starts unless the club comes up with something to attract the fans to the game. Perhaps, a promise from the Demon camp that the team can come up with a better start than what they have produced of late. Last week against the Tigers, they could come up with one measly scoring shot to ten in the opening term. Even the GWS Giants got off to a flyer in their clash the week before that. The last time the Demons got off to a big start to a game was more that twelve months ago in their last home fixture against the Dockers when they kicked the first five goals on their way to an 89 point win. However, that game was at the MCG against an injury depleted side. This time it's Melbourne that has a large injury list with some key players like goal kicking forwards in Mitch Clark and Liam Jurrah missing, so the prospect of a good start seems unlikely. Therefore, with the Purple Haze still in finals contention, I have no hesitation in coming to this conclusion:- Fremantle by 50 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at Etihad Stadium, Saturday July 14, 1:45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 13 wins Fremantle 14 wins Etihad Stadium Melbourne 2 wins Fremantle 0 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 9 wins Fremantle 10 wins The Coaches Neeld 0 wins Lyon 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Footy Channel (live) at 1:30pm Channel 7 (delayed) at 3:00pm RADIO SEN Triple M THE BETTING Melbourne $3.00 Fremantle $1.40 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 22.17.149 defeated Fremantle 8.12.60 Round 13, 2011 at the MCG The team really fired up in this game with skipper Brad Green leading the way kicking five goals in a game where the Demons were rarely troubled and under very little pressure. THE TEAMS 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) THE YEAR SO FAR by Sam the Stats Man Melbourne's season in hell continues with Injuries and poor form still dogging the club. Here, se look at the players statistically over the first fifteen rounds:- BAIL, Rohan MFC 10 games, 5 goals, CFC Sen 1 game, 0 goals. The former Queenslander's season was disrupted with a lingering concussion injury but he has now been back in the Demons' team for the past two games. BARTRAM, Clint MFC 8 games, 1 goal. Was enjoying his best year since his debut season before succumbing to a season-ending knee injury. BATE, Matthew MFC 10 games, 7 goals, CFC Sen 1 game, 2 goals. Bate has fought hard for a place in the team after a tough campaign in 2011. He's had a number of starts in the green vest which hasn't helped him and he needs to work hard to retain his place on the list. BENNELL, Jamie MFC 5 games, 2 goals, CFC Sen 6 games, 2 goals. Bennell has been in and out of the Melbourne team without being able to consolidate his spot. BLEASE, Sam MFC 8 games, 6 goals, CFC Sen 5 games, 5 goals. This enigmatic youngster has great flair and is learning to play the Neeld style. Has shown promise. CLARK, Mitch MFC 11 games, 29 goals. A true revelation, the Demon recruit of the year from Brisbane had been outstanding until he suffered a foot injury in the GWS match which ended his season prematurely. His loss cannot be underestimated. COOK, Lucas CFC Sen 7 games, 12 goals, CFC Res 1 game, 5 goals. The young tall key forward is developing well in VFL ranks and is not too far away. COUCH, Tom® CFC Sen 11 games, 8 goals. Couch has had an outstanding season at Casey without being able to break into AFL ranks. A four goal haul last week might have changed that! DAVEY, Aaron MFC 9 games 7 goals, CFC Sen 3 games, 2 goals. The Flash has struggled since injuring his knee last year and has found himself back at Casey on a couple of occasions. DAVIS, Troy CFC Sen 11 games, 2 goals. Davis has shown great promise in defence at VFL level and was on the cusp of higher selection a few weeks ago. He seems to have perhaps tired and his form has slipped recently. DUNN, Lynden MFC 11 games, 8 goals, CFC Sen 2 games, 3 goals. Dunn's form has been a mixed bag as the club has tried him up forward and down back. EVANS, Michael® The rookie midfielder is due to return in the Casey Development League team after missing the whole season so far with stress fractures in his back. FITZPATRICK, Jack MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CFC Sen 9 games, 13 goals, CFC Res 1 game, 2 goals. The young Demon has been doing it tough in a career dotted with injury and illness concerns. Things didn't get any better when he was recently diagnosed as a diabetic. FRAWLEY, James MFC 12 games, 0 goals. Has been steady in defence but not close to his outstanding form of 2010 when he made All Australian. GARLAND, Colin MFC 14 games 7 goals. The defender-turned-forward has had some success since the move in the team's first win of the season against the Bombers but the jury is still out as to whether it will be a permanent change. GAWN, Max. Coming back from a second ACL operation, Gawn is said to be training the house down with his running and weights work but won't be seen on the footy field till next year. GREEN, Brad MFC 6 games, 2 goals, CFC Sen 3 games, 8 goals. Injuries and form lapses have disrupted the former skipper's season. Should return to the Melbourne team after a 6 goal display in the VFL last week. GRIMES, Jack MFC 13 games, 0 goals, CFC Sen 1 game, 0 goals. The skipper has had a tough initiation in a difficult year and, although not at the top of his form, Grimes has shown a good measure of promise as a leader. GYSBERTS, Jordan CFC Sen 7 games, 2 goals, CFC Res 1 game, 0 goals. The young midfielder has suffered a number of injuries as he fights his way back to the top level. HOWE, Jeremy MFC 14 games, 12 goals. One of the big Melbourne stories of the year, the high flyer (fourth in contested marks in the AFL) needs to improve his conversion rate in front of goal to become a more complete player. JAMAR, Mark MFC 12 games, 2 goals. The Russian has been having a hot and cold season in the ruck and has missed the last two games with a calf injury. JETTA, Neville CFC Sen 2 games, 1 goal. Has been out most of the year after an interrupted pre season (shoulder) and a long term injury (ankle) incurred in a practice march. Working his way back at Casey. JONES, Nathan MFC 13 games 12 goals. Jones is the stand out player in the side this year and looks headed for a club champion award at the end of the year. JURRAH, Liam MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CFC Sen 2 games, 2 goals. The Warlpiri Wizard has had a horror season both on and off the field. Jurrah's well documented legal woes have been matched by injury concerns in the form of a wrist injury followed by an ankle problem leaving him with less than a full AFL game and no goals under his belt. LAWRENCE, Kelvin® CFC Sen 7 games, 5 goals, CFC Res 3 games, 4 goals. The young rookie appears to be in a hole at Casey and has not progressed since being drafted at the end of 2010. Currently recovering from a calf injury. MACDONALD, Joel MFC 8 games, 0 goals, CFC Sen 2 games, 4 goals. Has had some moments after fighting his way back into the Demon line up a few weeks ago. MAGNER, James® MFC 14 games, 4 goals. Had a great start to the season in the midfield but seems to have tired noticeably of late after playing every game. MARTIN, Stefan MFC 4 games, 3 goals, CFC Sen 3 games, 7 goals, CFC Res 1 game, 0 goals. Has had a few ailments but his recent return to the Melbourne line up has been impressive. McDONALD, Tom MFC 12 games, 0 goals, CFC Sen 2 games, 4 goals. MCKENZIE, Jordie MFC 14 games, 3 goals. Earning a reputation as a highly competent tagger who can also win the football. MOLONEY, Brent MFC 12 games, 3 goals. After a stellar season in 2011, Beamer has disappointed so far. MORTON, Cale MFC 8 games, 2 goals, CFC Sen 5 games, 1 goal. The former top four draft pick has had some difficult times of late as he struggles to find the form he showed early in his career. NICHOLSON, Daniel® MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CFC Sen 3 games, 1 goal, CFC Res 1 game, 0 goals. Has come back from injury and added some run to the team but needs to work hard on improving his disposal skills. PETTERD, Ricky MFC 2 games, 0 goals, CFC Sen 7 games, 6 goals. Restricted by injury and form to only two AFL games to date which has been disappointing. RIVERS, Jared MFC 14 games, 6 goals. Has played the whole season and was recently moved forward with some success. SELLAR, James MFC 9 games, 1 goal, CFC Sen 1 game, 0 goals. Surprised with some good form as a tall defender. SHEAHAN, Jai® CFC Sen 10 games, 0 goals, CFC Res 1 game, 1 goal. After a great start at Casey, he started to run out of form and was demoted to the reserves. Now out injured but he has potential. SPENCER, Jake MFC 2 games, 0 goals, CFC Sen 7 games, 1 goal, CFC Res 1 game, 1 goal. Has overcome a knee reconstruction and done well to earn a place with the Demons in Jamar's absence. STRAUSS, James CFC Sen 4 games, 0 goals, CFC Res 2 games, 0 goals. Recovering from a broken leg, Strauss is starting to show some form in the VFL. SYLVIA, Colin MFC 9 games, 7 goals. An interrupted pre season, a back injury, poor form and question marks about his attitude have dominated discussion about the club's former top five draft choice. Started showing some good signs in recent weeks. TAGGERT, Rory CFC Sen 3 games, 2 goals. Back injuries have marred his debut season but one of his games for Casey was a ripper. TAPSCOTT, Luke MFC 9 games, 0 goals, CFC Sen 4 games, 3 goals. Hampered by the lack of a pre season, Tapscott hasn't hit his straps or come near to his potential this year. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC 14 games, 5 goals. Has laboured under the weight of the captaincy and, at times appeared unfit but among that, has done a few good things here and there. It's part of a major learning curve for the game's youngest ever skipper. TYNAN, Josh MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CFC Sen 6 games, 2 goals. Tynan has created an impression in his brief time at the club with a hard at it approach that suggests a long AFL career beckons. VINEY, Jack* CFC Sen 1 game, 0 goals. The prospective father/son selection suffered a broken jaw in his only game so far at Casey but recovered to play well recently in two Under 18 championship games with Vic Metro. WATTS, Jack MFC 12 games, 4 goals, CFC Sen 3 games, 7 goals. Despite having his critics, Watts has been excellent since he was moved into defence where his disposal and decision-making skills have been outstanding. WILLIAMS, Leigh® CFC Sen 5 games, 6 goals, CFC Res 3 games, 7 goals. The young rookie tall is still finding his way with the Scorpions after a serious illness.

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