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ENDING THE DAYS OF PAIN by Whispering Jack The media is reporting that one of the Melbourne Football Club's responses to recent intense media criticism in the wake of the team's poor winless record after nine rounds has been to institute a series of meetings for selected supporters where they can question the club chairman Don McLardy, CEO Cam Schwab, Coach Mark Neeld and his assistant Neil Craig on matters relating to all aspects of its performance. I was fortunate enough to be invited to the first of these sessions on Tuesday night and can vouch for the fact that the evening could in no way be described as a "crisis" meeting although that is precisely the impression that many have of the club at present - a club in crisis. It was however, all about the way the club is moving to end the long days of pain it has been experiencing for more than half a decade. From my point of view as a concerned supporter, the one and a half hours were in fact as positive, constructive as they could be in the club's circumstances. The three speakers, McLardy, Neeld and Craig outlined their plans and strategies and made a good fist of reassuring a group of fairly hardnosed supporters that the club is on the right path despite the fact that it sits winless at the foot of the AFL table in a season in which two very young franchises are currently ahead of them (albeit narrowly). I know there are many sceptics but I have to say I was impressed by what the three had to say. McLardy outlined where the club is off the field and this has been well documented. We a positive net asset position despite the loss of a major sponsor. McLardy defended Cameron Schwab and pointed to the red and blueprint which Schwab put together and which has earned praise from the AFL administration. Neeld put together a very impressive presentation. He presented statistics of various indicators to show how his game plan is developing. It's a game plan that's based heavily on defence - not just from back line players but from every position on the field. He pointed out that statistics indicate that only one premiership team in the past three decades hadn't finished in the top four in defensive statistics (Brisbane Lions in 2003 were sixth but in the second half of that season were first). Neeld cited Dean Cox who said the difference between WCE of 2010 and 2011 was that the players adopted and embraced a strongly defensive approach. Needless to say the coach is convinced the tide will turn but it might still take time. Both he and Craig said they were staggered that players were saying they went through their toughest pre season after the new guard took over. They said that in their view, training loads were kept fairly conservatively (to avoid major injuries) and the intensity will be ramped up more during the next pre season. Neeld's view is that many players are brought up with attacking mindsets. The most talented players coming into the TAC Cup system are usually midfielders or forwards. They often remain good attacking players but don't measure up defensively. He found this with many players at Melbourne. He is convinced that the indicators show that his methods are working. Against Carlton, Neeld was happy with the figures both from a defensive and an attacking viewpoint. We were good in a number of areas but during the last quarter when the players were tired, Carlton was able to ramp up the pressure and many of our players reverted to old habits and didn't work hard enough defensively. The easy way to coach would probably have been to follow the same path as Neeld's predecessors, a path that might have brought better results in the short term but would never have given the club a chance to challenge the big boys in much the same way as it struggled against them last year. We all well remember the meaning of "bruise free" and "186" from 2011 even if there were some big moments against the competition's lesser lights. It goes without saying that we can expect changes in the makeup of the team and clearly, the midfield will be the area that gets a fair bit of attention. Craig defended Neeld and his other assistants and pointed to the unbelievable initiation he's had into coaching ranks including the Jurrah situation, the Davey/Mifsud racism furore, the death of Jimmy, the injuries and poor form. Craig also defended Schwab noting that he hadn't seen any sign of interference from the CEO into football department matters (nor McLardy for that matter). Craig was full of praise for the entire leadership group. For all that, Melbourne remains on the bottom of the AFL ladder, and faces Essendon and Collingwood in its next two matches. The days of pain may not be over yet. THE GAME Essendon v Melbourne at the MCG Saturday, 2 June 2012 at 7.40pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Essendon 126 wins Melbourne 79 wins 2 draws At the MCG Essendon 63 wins Melbourne 43 wins 1 draw Since 2000: Essendon 10 wins Melbourne 6 wins The Coaches Hird 0 wins Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel live at 7.30pm RADIO 3AW Triple M THE BETTING Essendon $1.05 to win Melbourne $10.00 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 15.11.101 defeated Essendon 10.8. 68 at the MCG It was a great night for the Demons as the unexpectedly bested the Bombers in all parts of the ground. It was a big night for Melbourne's young midfielders with Gysberts, Trengove and McKenzie in outstanding form and Scully doing well on return. The problem from Melbourne's point of view is that its goal kickers that night were:- Green 4 Jurrah 3 Jetta Moloney 2 Howe Scully Sylvia Watts How many of these players will be in action on Saturday night? THE TEAMS ESSENDON Backs Cale Hooker Dustin Fletcher Courtenay Dempsey Half backs Ricky Dyson Kyle Hardingham Jake Carlisle Centreline David Zaharakis Jobe Watson Brent Stanton Half forwards Angus Monfries Stewart Crameri Patrick Ryder Forwards Leroy Jetta Michael Hurley Alwyn Davey Followers Tom Bellchambers Ben Howlett Heath Hocking Interchange Travis Colyer Sam Lonergan Nathan Lovett-Murray Melksham Emergencies David Hille Tayte Pears Henry Slattery In Dustin Fletcher Kyle Hardingham Leroy Jetta Out Mark McVeigh Tayte Pears Henry Slattery MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Jared Rivers Tom McDonald Half backs Jack Trengove Jack Watts Colin Garland Centreline Jack Grimes James Magner Nathan Jones Half forwards Rohan Bail Mitch Clark Joel Macdonald Forwards Jeremy Howe Brad Green Luke Tapscott Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Jordie McKenzie Interchange Sam Blease Lynden Dunn Daniel Nicholson Colin Sylvia Emergencies Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell James Sellar In Joel Macdonald Colin Sylvia Out Jamie Bennell James Sellar THE TROUBLES by Whispering Jack It's hard to fathom that twelve months down the track from their last meeting that the two combatants in this game would be at almost polar opposites to each other and that Essendon would be starting as such an odds on favourite to win. The Bombers are sitting in equal top position on the ladder with just one loss for the season (by a single point to Collingwood on Anzac Day) while the Demons have lost their first nine matches of the season. That's enough to make it a lay down misere that an Essendon brimming with confidence will win and win easily and that's how I'm predicting the game to pan out. Part of the question why is already explained above in some shape or form. The type of game that is being instilled into the Melbourne team is radically different to that which applied in past years and the team is not yet ready in terms of make up and fitness to conquer top eight teams in full flight. In last year's encounter, we caught a glimpse of a better Melbourne midfield. It was headed by Brent Moloney who won the club's best and fairest and polled 19 Brownlow votes. Beamer's form has been well down on that and he would be very lucky to have polled a vote at all to this stage of the season. But the better midfielders that night included Jordan Gysberts, Jack Trengove, Jordie McKenzie and Tom Scully, who all racked up good numbers on their possession counts. Two of those players haven't played this year. Gysberts is injured and Scully jumped ship. The so called "compensation" for the latter won't kick in for a while. Other potential young midfielders on the list also languish with injuries and loss of form. So the club's all important midfield has taken a hit just at the time when it's most needed and much development time is being lost. But if the midfield has taken a hit then there's also the matter of the attack. Even with the changes that Neeld's defensive approach entails, the end game is always to score ... at least more than the opposition in any given game. So here is something that the club's harshest critics seem to have missed. Last year, Melbourne's top three goalkickers were:- • Liam Jurrah 40 goals • Brad Green 37 goals • Colin Sylvia 25 goals That's 102 goals between the club's three most attacking playmakers. These players alone directly contributed almost five goals per game between them and I dare say would have been responsible for setting up a few more goals to others on a weekly basis. It's not unreasonable that we should have expected this trio, Mitch Clark and perhaps Ricky Petterd as well, to do most of the team's scoring. Alas, after nine matches we have had very little from the players we might have otherwise expected to contribute to the scoreboard. Instead, we have this:- • Liam Jurrah 0 goals • Brad Green 2 goals • Colin Sylvia 1 goal Now, if you take the three top goalkicking forwards as completely out of the equation as the above figures indicate, it's not likely that a young team with a completely new style of play to learn is going to show very much, particularly if the midfield is also performing at well below its best. Sure, you might say it's the coach's role to get the best out of his players and that will certainly be the case in the medium to long term but after nine games in these circumstances, there's is no reason to do anything other than to cut him some slack. The troubles are by no means over but there needs to be a much greater understanding of Neeld and his team's plight. When it all starts to click the results will be quite dramatic; the club will be in a much better place and the days of pain will be over. But, I don't think we can expect that to happen this week. Essendon by 34 points.
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Crazy, I know but we beat the Bombers when nobody expected - ESSENDON Backs Kyle Hardingham Cale Hooker Dustin Fletcher Half backs Henry Slattery David Myers Nathan Lovett-Murray Centreline Leroy Jetta Brent Stanton Travis Colyer Half forwards Jake Melksham Patrick Ryder David Zaharakis Forwards Angus Monfries David Hill Stewart Crameri Followers Tom Bellchambers Ben Howlett Mark McVeigh Interchange Alex Brown Dyson Heppell Michael Hibberd Sam Lonergan Emergencies Alwyn Davey Kyle Reimers Andrew Welsh MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Jared Rivers Joel Macdonald Half backs Tom Scully Jack Watts James Strauss Centreline Jordan Gysberts Brent Moloney Jack Trengove Half forwards Cale Morton Colin Sylvia Jeremy Howe Forwards Max Gawn Brad Green Jamie Bennell Followers Stef Martin Nathan Jones Jordie McKenzie Interchange Liam Jurrah Neville Jetta Michael Evans Daniel Nicholson Emergencies Matthew Bate Sam Blease Tom McDonald In Max Gawn Jeremy Howe Tom Scully James Strauss Jack Trengove Out Matthew Bate Addam Maric Michael Newton (foot) Ricky Petterd Matthew Warnock New Max Gawn (Sandringham Dragons) Jeremy Howe (Hobart)
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A BIT OF A MYSTERY by Mean Gene The game's over and it's 0 and 9 ... but it was still a bit of a mystery how it ended so badly. For three quarters they actually put up a fight and, but for the circumstance of their lack of experience and their low levels of self-confidence, they might have been even closer than 16 points in arrears at the final break. At that time, the Demons had gone a long way to dispelling many of the accusations fired over recent weeks at the entire club from the top down and certainly at the playing group. They opened up with the game's first two goals and three of the first four but after that, only three of seventeen and they finished with none of seven in the final term. They led by a point at quarter time, having gifted two away with some poor disposal out of defence (an umpire gifted the other one). In much the same way as they did against Hawthorn a fortnight ago, they wasted their hard work in a few minutes early in the second quarter when they conceded three goals to the Blues. However, this time they would put up a much better fight and they held steady in the second half of the term. Indeed, a little bit more class in the on ball division and some better efficiency up forward might have seen them a lot closer at the main break. The main problem was that they were being whacked at the stoppages but, at least there were some shining lights. James Frawley and Jared Rivers were holding things down in the backline and Jack Grimes was doing well. Rohan Bail, Sam Blease and Dan Nicholson all added some pace to the mix - a feature that has been missing at Melbourne for so long. Mitch Clark was scoring goals (he could so easily have had five by half time) and Nathan Jones added a touch of hardness along with Jordie McKenzie who was doing a good job in blanketing Chris Judd. The dour struggle continued in the third and they again had their chances. At one stage late in the term, the inside 50 count was even but Carlton still managed an almost three goal buffer at the last change. In days gone past we might have even sensed the possibility of an upset in the offing but the troops looked a little tired as they went into the huddle. So it was that the day was marred by a final quarter when they capitulated. Despite that, they finished with a mysterious and interesting statistic of having had the ball in their forward half for 52% of the game. And considering that the club was supposed to have acquired the cream of football's sports scientists at the end of last season, it's a mystery how the team fades out so badly at the end of games. Melbourne 3.4.22 5.7.37 6.10.46 6.13.49 Carlton 3.3.21 7.8.50 8.14.62 15.17.107 Goals Melbourne Clark 3 Blease Howe Jones Carlton Betts 5 Robinson 3 Hampson Walker 2 Armfield Kreuzer Tuohy Best Melbourne Jones Frawley Watts Bail Blease Clark McKenzie Carlton Robinson McLean Betts Walker Scotland Curnow Injuries Melbourne Green (bruised lung) Carlton Collins (jarred knee) Changes Melbourne Bartram (knee) replaced in selected side by Tapscott Carlton Yarran (toe) replaced in selected side by Lucas Henderson (hip) replaced in selected side by Bower Reports Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Ryan Nicholls Fleer Crowd 28,371 at MCG
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A BIT OF A MYSTERY by Mean Gene The game's over and it's 0 and 9 ... but it was still a bit of a mystery how it ended so badly. For three quarters they actually put up a fight and, but for the circumstance of their lack of experience and their low levels of self-confidence, they might have been even closer than 16 points in arrears at the final break. At that time, the Demons had gone a long way to dispelling many of the accusations fired over recent weeks at the entire club from the top down and certainly at the playing group. They opened up with the game's first two goals and three of the first four but after that, only three of seventeen and they finished with none of seven in the final term. They led by a point at quarter time, having gifted two away with some poor disposal out of defence (an umpire gifted the other one). In much the same way as they did against Hawthorn a fortnight ago, they wasted their hard work in a few minutes early in the second quarter when they conceded three goals to the Blues. However, this time they would put up a much better fight and they held steady in the second half of the term. Indeed, a little bit more class in the on ball division and some better efficiency up forward might have seen them a lot closer at the main break. The main problem was that they were being whacked at the stoppages but, at least there were some shining lights. James Frawley and Jared Rivers were holding things down in the backline and Jack Grimes was doing well. Rohan Bail, Sam Blease and Dan Nicholson all added some pace to the mix - a feature that has been missing at Melbourne for so long. Mitch Clark was scoring goals (he could so easily have had five by half time) and Nathan Jones added a touch of hardness along with Jordie McKenzie who was doing a good job in blanketing Chris Judd. The dour struggle continued in the third and they again had their chances. At one stage late in the term, the inside 50 count was even but Carlton still managed an almost three goal buffer at the last change. In days gone past we might have even sensed the possibility of an upset in the offing but the troops looked a little tired as they went into the huddle. So it was that the day was marred by a final quarter when they capitulated. Despite that, they finished with a mysterious and interesting statistic of having had the ball in their forward half for 52% of the game. And considering that the club was supposed to have acquired the cream of football's sports scientists at the end of last season, it's a mystery how the team fades out so badly at the end of games. Melbourne 3.4.22 5.7.37 6.10.46 6.13.49 Carlton 3.3.21 7.8.50 8.14.62 15.17.107 Goals Melbourne Clark 3 Blease Howe Jones Carlton Betts 5 Robinson 3 Hampson Walker 2 Armfield Kreuzer Tuohy Best Melbourne Jones Frawley Watts Bail Blease Clark McKenzie Carlton Robinson McLean Betts Walker Scotland Curnow Injuries Melbourne Green (bruised lung) Carlton Collins (jarred knee) Changes Melbourne Bartram (knee) replaced in selected side by Tapscott Carlton Yarran (toe) replaced in selected side by Lucas Henderson (hip) replaced in selected side by Bower Reports Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Ryan Nicholls Fleer Crowd 28,371 at MCG
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IN THE BUNKER by the Oracle Last week Melbourne travelled interstate for the second time this year and it returned home once again in disgrace - a loser by a margin in excess of 100 points. Make no mistake about it. Despite the protestations of all and sundry, the club is on the rack. Intense media scrutiny now follows the embattled Demons to the point where every move made by the club is analysed and subjected to critical assessment. Things reached such a state this week that coach Mark Neeld implored Demon fans to stick fat and join him in the bunker. One scribe looked at the appointment of Neeld and opined that the failure of those charged with making the appointment to carry out a "psychological profile" of the man was evidence of some damning failure of judgement on their part. Some are calling for heads to be lopped off. And don't you love these pundits in the media like David King who question Neeld's appointment today but were deathly silent six or seven months ago when he was appointed? Which is probably why King (whose last big statement came during last year's finals when he declared Geelong would not win the flag) never made it beyond a very mediocre assistant coach at AFL level. I also wonder when I read some of this stuff in the media as to whether Ron Barassi, Kevin Sheedy or Mick Malthouse would have passed the psychological profile test. I recall the early days of Alastair Clarkson's coaching reign at Hawthorn and think of the massive criticism directed at the man who was under siege at the time when his team was being flogged on a weekly basis. They were calling him a coaching lightweight and baying for his blood. And it wasn't just his blood - it was the players, the board, the administration and someone might even have taken a stab at the bootstudder. But Clarkson promised to change his club and eventually, he delivered on that promise. All in good time. Mark Neeld also made a similar promise but gave no guarantees as to how much time it would take to effect change. Of course, no one expected to see the team sitting at 0/8 and none of this is to take away from the fact that the team's performances this season have been well below that which we expect from an AFL outfit five years into what is supposed to be a rebuild. There are players, senior to the club whose performances thus far have been frustratingly lifeless and devoid of passion. They need to lift or else they might find that their careers will end swiftly in a very short space of time. Perhaps, they've already seen the writing on the wall. There are many changes happening on the AFL scene these days and recent history indicates that clubs can rise quickly once they get themselves on the right track. West Coast came from last to a top four side in 2011. The Crows who languished near the bottom last year are currently the flavour of the month. It might be a bitter pill to swallow for supporters seeing their team languishing at rock bottom (if we've in fact reached that point yet) but Melbourne will not remain in this position forever. Coincidentally, the Demons face Carlton at the MCG this Sunday. The same opposition it played in August last year just a week after they were disgraced by Geelong in the game that saw the sacking of Dean Bailey amid the turmoil of a dreadful 186 point loss. We can't expect miracles to happen this time around but we must remain steadfast and give the coach the time necessary to bring about the changes he promised. The media loves such situations but for the time being, we need to be calm and remain bunkered down with the coach and I'll happily join him in the trenches as soon as he produces the results of his psychological profile tests. Anyway, now is not the time to be baying for anyone's blood. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG - Saturday 27 May, 2012 at 3.15pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 115 wins 2 draws Melbourne 88 wins At MCG Carlton 47 wins Melbourne 49 wins Since 2000 Carlton 9 wins Melbourne 8 wins The Coaches Ratten 0 wins Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel live @ 3:00pm. Radio - 3AW Triple M THE BETTING Carlton to win $1.04 Melbourne to win $11.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 21.8.134 defeated Melbourne 7.16.58 at the MCG, Round 20 , 2011 It was the week after 186 and Dean Bailey was gone. Club legend Todd Viney took over as caretaker coach and immediately there was new fire in the team's belly as it went on the attack from the outset. The problem was that the Demons left their kicking boots at home and kept missing easy shots in front of goal. With a little over two minutes left in the first term, the scoreboard read: Melbourne 3.6.24 Carlton 3.1.19. Then a series of errors brought on by inexperience and a couple of umpiring bloopers gave the Blues three quick goals and swung the game's momentum. Chris Judd then took the game by the scruff of the neck and Carlton's class and superior ability gave them a further eight unanswered goals in the second quarter. The Demons worked hard in the last half but the loss of Tapscott (neck) and Strauss (broken leg) simply added to their woes. TEAMS CARLTON Backs Zac Tuohy Michael Jamison Aaron Joseph Half backs Bryce Gibbs Lachlan Henderson Chris Yarran Centreline Kade Simpson Chris Judd Heath Scotland Half forwards Dennis Armfield Matthew Kreuzer Andrew Walker Forwards Eddie Betts Shaun Hampson Jeff Garlett Followers Robert Warnock Mitch Robinson Brock McLean Interchange (from) Josh Bootsma Paul Bower Andrew Collins Ed Curnow David Ellard Kane Lucas Matthew Watson In Josh Bootsma Andrew Collins Aaron Joseph Kane Lucas Brock McLean Robert Warnock Matthew Watson Out Nick Duigan (calf) Marc Murphy (shoulder) Bret Thornton Jordan Russell MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Jack Grimes Colin Garland Tom McDonald Centreline Rohan Bail Brent Moloney Sam Blease Half forwards Jack Trengove Jack Watts Brad Green Forwards Jeremy Howe Mitch Clark James Sellar Followers Mark Jamar Lynden Dunn Nathan Jones Interchange (from) Jamie Bennell Jordie McKenzie James Magner Dan Nicholson James Sellar Emergencies Troy Davis Joel Macdonald Luke Tapscott In Rohan Bail Lynden Dunn Dan Nicholson James Sellar Out Aaron Davey Liam Jurrah (ankle) Cale Morton Colin Sylvia BRUISE FREE REVISITED The two combatants were comprehensively beaten at their last start but, while there's been some pressure on Brett Ratten whose team was on the cusp of premiership favouritism a fortnight ago, it's been Mark Neeld who has been copping most of the flak from the media. However, it's Neeld who only eight matches ago took over a fairly young list with a tough fixture and major problems including injury woes on the field and substantial issues off it. Who would have thought six months ago that his two major playmakers Liam Jurrah (criminal case, wrist and ankle injury) and Colin Sylvia (back) would not kick a goal between them in the first eight rounds and be restricted to a total of five matches with severely limited game time? Let's not forget what it was that Neeld took over. A struggling side whose last coach (excluding Viney the caretaker) won just over a quarter of his games culminating in 186 after almost four years, with the same media heads claiming he was unfairly treated when ousted. Yet this team was notorious for its inability to handle the press and when it played against teams that employed that style of play, it would routinely get thumped. Take this week's opponent and remember the "bruise-free" game of round 10 last year. Those of us who witnessed that monstrosity of a game would be well aware of the enormity of the challenge facing a new coach charged with overturning the mindset within a team that produced such a performance. Can you overcome that in two months when there is so much else of a negative nature swirling in the background? I suppose you could do exactly that. You could make no changes to your game plan and continue on exactly as the previous coach did in the past and, given the personnel available, you might be sitting at 2/6 or, if you were really lucky, 3/5 but, in truth, you would really be going nowhere. Your old guard who have become inured to producing inconsistency and tend towards laziness would continue on that well worn track. They would smile when they win and smile when they lose. They would be bruise free. Defeat would not only leave you physically painless. It wouldn't hurt you in any way whatsoever and, while that happens, you're never going to get anywhere in the long run. By round nine when you come up against Carlton you'll probably play bruise-free football again. You'll get flogged and the experts will bash you anyway. And that's the point. Mark Neeld saw the problems he inherited and embarked on a programme he believed necessary to overcome them. He wanted a team that was going to be hard to beat and not easy to win against. Neeld made mistakes in the short term but some of the circumstances conspired to make more difficult the metamorphosis from a team going nowhere that sometimes played nice but was a rabble when it counted into a real football team. He never promised a rose garden and the task has proven more difficult than anticipated but we suspected that some of the personnel weren't up to it physically and emotionally and that others needed more experience before the new order could take on an flourish. That won't happen against Carlton this Sunday because the team is still very much a work in progress but if you come back in a year's time, you'll see something different. Carlton by 55 points.
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IN THE BUNKER by the Oracle Last week Melbourne travelled interstate for the second time this year and it returned home once again in disgrace - a loser by a margin in excess of 100 points. Make no mistake about it. Despite the protestations of all and sundry, the club is on the rack. Intense media scrutiny now follows the embattled Demons to the point where every move made by the club is analysed and subjected to critical assessment. Things reached such a state this week that coach Mark Neeld implored Demon fans to stick fat and join him in the bunker. One scribe looked at the appointment of Neeld and opined that the failure of those charged with making the appointment to carry out a "psychological profile" of the man was evidence of some damning failure of judgement on their part. Some are calling for heads to be lopped off. And don't you love these pundits in the media like David King who question Neeld's appointment today but were deathly silent six or seven months ago when he was appointed? Which is probably why King (whose last big statement came during last year's finals when he declared Geelong would not win the flag) never made it beyond a very mediocre assistant coach at AFL level. I also wonder when I read some of this stuff in the media as to whether Ron Barassi, Kevin Sheedy or Mick Malthouse would have passed the psychological profile test. I recall the early days of Alastair Clarkson's coaching reign at Hawthorn and think of the massive criticism directed at the man who was under siege at the time when his team was being flogged on a weekly basis. They were calling him a coaching lightweight and baying for his blood. And it wasn't just his blood - it was the players, the board, the administration and someone might even have taken a stab at the bootstudder. But Clarkson promised to change his club and eventually, he delivered on that promise. All in good time. Mark Neeld also made a similar promise but gave no guarantees as to how much time it would take to effect change. Of course, no one expected to see the team sitting at 0/8 and none of this is to take away from the fact that the team's performances this season have been well below that which we expect from an AFL outfit five years into what is supposed to be a rebuild. There are players, senior to the club whose performances thus far have been frustratingly lifeless and devoid of passion. They need to lift or else they might find that their careers will end swiftly in a very short space of time. Perhaps, they've already seen the writing on the wall. There are many changes happening on the AFL scene these days and recent history indicates that clubs can rise quickly once they get themselves on the right track. West Coast came from last to a top four side in 2011. The Crows who languished near the bottom last year are currently the flavour of the month. It might be a bitter pill to swallow for supporters seeing their team languishing at rock bottom (if we've in fact reached that point yet) but Melbourne will not remain in this position forever. Coincidentally, the Demons face Carlton at the MCG this Sunday. The same opposition it played in August last year just a week after they were disgraced by Geelong in the game that saw the sacking of Dean Bailey amid the turmoil of a dreadful 186 point loss. We can't expect miracles to happen this time around but we must remain steadfast and give the coach the time necessary to bring about the changes he promised. The media loves such situations but for the time being, we need to be calm and remain bunkered down with the coach and I'll happily join him in the trenches as soon as he produces the results of his psychological profile tests. Anyway, now is not the time to be baying for anyone's blood. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG - Saturday 27 May, 2012 at 3.15pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 115 wins 2 draws Melbourne 88 wins At MCG Carlton 47 wins Melbourne 49 wins Since 2000 Carlton 9 wins Melbourne 8 wins The Coaches Ratten 0 wins Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel live @ 3:00pm. Radio - 3AW Triple M THE BETTING Carlton to win $1.04 Melbourne to win $11.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 21.8.134 defeated Melbourne 7.16.58 at the MCG, Round 20 , 2011 It was the week after 186 and Dean Bailey was gone. Club legend Todd Viney took over as caretaker coach and immediately there was new fire in the team's belly as it went on the attack from the outset. The problem was that the Demons left their kicking boots at home and kept missing easy shots in front of goal. With a little over two minutes left in the first term, the scoreboard read: Melbourne 3.6.24 Carlton 3.1.19. Then a series of errors brought on by inexperience and a couple of umpiring bloopers gave the Blues three quick goals and swung the game's momentum. Chris Judd then took the game by the scruff of the neck and Carlton's class and superior ability gave them a further eight unanswered goals in the second quarter. The Demons worked hard in the last half but the loss of Tapscott (neck) and Strauss (broken leg) simply added to their woes. TEAMS CARLTON Backs Zac Tuohy Michael Jamison Aaron Joseph Half backs Bryce Gibbs Lachlan Henderson Chris Yarran Centreline Kade Simpson Chris Judd Heath Scotland Half forwards Dennis Armfield Matthew Kreuzer Andrew Walker Forwards Eddie Betts Shaun Hampson Jeff Garlett Followers Robert Warnock Mitch Robinson Brock McLean Interchange (from) Josh Bootsma Paul Bower Andrew Collins Ed Curnow David Ellard Kane Lucas Matthew Watson In Josh Bootsma Andrew Collins Aaron Joseph Kane Lucas Brock McLean Robert Warnock Matthew Watson Out Nick Duigan (calf) Marc Murphy (shoulder) Bret Thornton Jordan Russell MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Jack Grimes Colin Garland Tom McDonald Centreline Rohan Bail Brent Moloney Sam Blease Half forwards Jack Trengove Jack Watts Brad Green Forwards Jeremy Howe Mitch Clark James Sellar Followers Mark Jamar Lynden Dunn Nathan Jones Interchange (from) Jamie Bennell Jordie McKenzie James Magner Dan Nicholson James Sellar Emergencies Troy Davis Joel Macdonald Luke Tapscott In Rohan Bail Lynden Dunn Dan Nicholson James Sellar Out Aaron Davey Liam Jurrah (ankle) Cale Morton Colin Sylvia BRUISE FREE REVISITED The two combatants were comprehensively beaten at their last start but, while there's been some pressure on Brett Ratten whose team was on the cusp of premiership favouritism a fortnight ago, it's been Mark Neeld who has been copping most of the flak from the media. However, it's Neeld who only eight matches ago took over a fairly young list with a tough fixture and major problems including injury woes on the field and substantial issues off it. Who would have thought six months ago that his two major playmakers Liam Jurrah (criminal case, wrist and ankle injury) and Colin Sylvia (back) would not kick a goal between them in the first eight rounds and be restricted to a total of five matches with severely limited game time? Let's not forget what it was that Neeld took over. A struggling side whose last coach (excluding Viney the caretaker) won just over a quarter of his games culminating in 186 after almost four years, with the same media heads claiming he was unfairly treated when ousted. Yet this team was notorious for its inability to handle the press and when it played against teams that employed that style of play, it would routinely get thumped. Take this week's opponent and remember the "bruise-free" game of round 10 last year. Those of us who witnessed that monstrosity of a game would be well aware of the enormity of the challenge facing a new coach charged with overturning the mindset within a team that produced such a performance. Can you overcome that in two months when there is so much else of a negative nature swirling in the background? I suppose you could do exactly that. You could make no changes to your game plan and continue on exactly as the previous coach did in the past and, given the personnel available, you might be sitting at 2/6 or, if you were really lucky, 3/5 but, in truth, you would really be going nowhere. Your old guard who have become inured to producing inconsistency and tend towards laziness would continue on that well worn track. They would smile when they win and smile when they lose. They would be bruise free. Defeat would not only leave you physically painless. It wouldn't hurt you in any way whatsoever and, while that happens, you're never going to get anywhere in the long run. By round nine when you come up against Carlton you'll probably play bruise-free football again. You'll get flogged and the experts will bash you anyway. And that's the point. Mark Neeld saw the problems he inherited and embarked on a programme he believed necessary to overcome them. He wanted a team that was going to be hard to beat and not easy to win against. Neeld made mistakes in the short term but some of the circumstances conspired to make more difficult the metamorphosis from a team going nowhere that sometimes played nice but was a rabble when it counted into a real football team. He never promised a rose garden and the task has proven more difficult than anticipated but we suspected that some of the personnel weren't up to it physically and emotionally and that others needed more experience before the new order could take on an flourish. That won't happen against Carlton this Sunday because the team is still very much a work in progress but if you come back in a year's time, you'll see something different. Carlton by 55 points.
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Geez, Chris Judd was good ... and we were bad. The other thing I remember is Garlett running 80 metres with only one bounce and getting away with it and on top of losing badly, James Strauss broke his leg. CARLTON Backs Nick Duigan Lachlan Henderson Jeremy Laidler Half backs Aaron Joseph Bret Thornton Zach Tuohy Centreline Heath Scotland Chris Judd Christopher Yarran Half forwards Jeffrey Garlett Bryce Gibbs Kade Simpson Forwards Eddie Betts Matthew Kreuzer Andrew Walker Followers Robert Warnock Marc Murphy Mitch Robinson Interchange Dennis Armfield David Ellard Brock McLean Marcus Davies Emergencies Ryan Houlihan Setanta O'hAilpin Kane Lucas In Aaron Joseph Out Ryan Houlihan MELBOURNE Backs James Strauss James Frawley Clint Bartram Half backs Colin Garland Jared Rivers Joel Macdonald Centreline Jack Trengove Jordie McKenzie Aaron Davey Half forwards Lynden Dunn Jack Watts Tom Scully Forwards Brad Green Ricky Petterd Jeremy Howe Followers Max Gawn Brent Moloney Nathan Jones Interchange Matthew Bate Stefan Martin Jordan Gysberts Luke Tapscott Emergencies Tom McDonald Daniel Nicholson Colin Sylvia In Clint Bartram Aaron Davey Max Gawn Joel Macdonald Tom Scully Out Mark Jamar (foot) Liam Jurrah Addam Maric Daniel Nicholson Colin Sylvia
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Thanks everybody for voting - the circumstances were not easy. Standings after Round 8 86 Nathan Jones 64 Mitch Clark 61 James Magner 43 Jared Rivers 42 Jack Watts 34 Jeremy Howe 26 Matthew Bate James Frawley 20 Jordie McKenzie 19 Cale Morton 15 Clint Bartram Jack Trengove 12 Sam Blease 11 Jack Grimes 8 Tom McDonald 6 Rohan Bail 5 Colin Garland 4 Stef Martin 3 Joel Macdonald Brent Moloney 2 Lynden Dunn 1 Aaron Davey In answer to a query concerning voting, we select at random three valid sets of votes each week from which the tallies are applied. We do not consider sarcastic votes or those that don't supply the full 6,5,4,3,2,1 votes.
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I've been waiting for nearly 36 years so what's another year.
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Think I'd prefer a win.
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
this was happening on Whisperings phone on Friday and a restart did the trick. was also happening during tge day on Friday to me on work computer and clearing the cache seemed to do the trick. anyway now it is working for me on a variety of platforms and the shear amount of posts on Demonland over the past 24 hours tells me that these are isolated issues. try clearing the cache and see if that helps. let me know if the problem persists. -
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
What operating system are you using? Windows, Mac or Mobile device? What browser? Please ensure your software and browsers are up to date. i have now tested on different browsers and operating systems and it is working for me. -
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
Chrome - Windows -
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
Also in Firefox on a Mac. -
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
Worked for me just now on iPhone (main skin). -
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Demonland replied to Demonland's topic in Melbourne Demons
It should be fixed now. let me know if you are having any issues. -
Has this been resolved. It is working for me on both Firefox and Chrome but I am on a Mac at home and can't check a PC until Monday. Let me know.
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Fixed. I think. Let me know.
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ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT? by The Oracle That was miserable. Melbourne waved the white flag in the first quarter and, apart from a handfull of triers, the rabble that travelled to Sydney humiliated the oldest football club on the planet with a heartless, soulless effort. One has to wonder what most of them were doing out there because it didn't resemble the game being played by the opposition. If they keep playing like that, the supporters will stop coming and they'll have to ask the doorkeeper the question from the title of this short article. Short, because there really is nothing worthwhile to write about. Melbourne 0.3.3 1.5.11 2.7.19 5.7.37 Sydney 7.1.43 11.4.70 16.9.105 21.12 138 Goals Melbourne Jones 2 Bennell Green Sylvia Sydney Jack Jetta Kennedy Parker 3 Dennis-Lane McGlynn Walsh 2 Mattner O'Keefe, Reid Best Melbourne Blease Watts Jones Garland Grimes Frawley Sydney Jack O'Keefe Parker Jetta Kennedy Parker Injuries Melbourne Jones (sore) Jurrah (leg) Sydney Nil Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Nil Umpires Nicholls, Hosking, Kamolins Crowd 20,818 at SCG
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Please try hard to find some players to give your votes to – voting starts on the final bell or whenever you smash your tv. Votes to be given on a 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis