Demonland

It was the week after our stirring victory over Fremantle at the MCG. Times have changed ... just look at the teams: ADELAIDE Backs Graham Johncock Ben Rutten Nathan Bassett Half backs Michael Doughty Nathan Bock Scott Stevens Centreline David Mackay Scott Thompson Nathan van Berlo Half forwards Simon Goodwin Brett Burton Bernie Vince Forwards Jason Porplyzia Kurt Tippett Chris Knights Followers Jonathon Griffin Andrew McLeod Tyson Edwards Interchange Luke Jericho Ivan Maric Kris Massie Robert Shirley Emergencies Bryce Campbell Jarrhan Jacky Ken McGregor In Luke Jericho Ivan Maric Ben Rutten Out Richard Douglas (knee) Jarrhan Jacky James Sellar (omitted) MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Colin Garland Daniel Bell Half backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Cameron Bruce Centreline Brad Green Brock McLean Matthew Bate Half forwards Cale Morton Russell Robertson Brent Moloney Forwards Aaron Davey Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White James McDonald Nathan Jones Interchange Simon Buckley Mark Jamar Shane Valenti Matthew Warnock Emergencies Jace Bode Nathan Carroll Paul Johnson In Simon Buckley Shane Valenti Out Nathan Carroll (omitted) Paul Wheatley (calf) (BOLD - won't or are unlikely to play) One thing that hasn't changed is that Paul Wheatley was out with a soft tissue injury!

Rumpole did say that Flanagan was doing a great job. The journo should realise by now how important our history is to us because our more recent history and the present (apart from Sunday's win) has been rather unerwhelming.

by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions responded to last week's humiliation at the hands of Sandringham with a much improved performance at home under lights at Casey Fields on Saturday night. After trailing throughout the Scorpions rallied late in the game but narrowly missed out on their first win for the season. A confident Port Melbourne, fresh from avenging last year's grand final humbling at the hands of North Ballarat, opened brightly and won the first quarter kicking two goals and keeping Casey to just three points to hold a 13 point lead at the first change. The home side squandered opportunities in front of goal and their only major for the first half came from high flying forward Russell Robertson who was working in well with Addam Maric but unfortunately, the score line of 1.7.13 to 4.5.29 at half time told the story. The youthful Casey combination was not overawed by the VFL power house but those wasted opportunities in front of goal were having a telling effect. The Scorpions kept plugging away after half time with the lanky Jake Spencer toiling hard in the ruck to get the ball down to small men in Shane Valenti who was getting a lot of the football and captain Kyle Matthews in the middle. Casey was also getting great service from their young veterans in Alex Silvagni in defence and James Wall who was combining well with the forwards while Beau Vernon was a good contributor on the night. The further the game progressed the more impact Jack Grimes was having on the game. The magical Liam Jurrah chipped in with a brilliant goal to narrow the gap. But Port managed to rally to hold a 10 point lead at the final break. Ben MaCreadie, who played well in just his second game for the club was reported for charging during the term and the team was momentarily unsettled. Russell Robertson continued to add bite up forward but it was still tough going for the home side as it played catch up football. There were several opportunities to win the game thanks to some hard work from Maric and Grimes and Pierce Liddle did all he could to win the game in the dying minutes with some long runs but it was a close shave for Port as the fast-finishing Scorpions fell short by a mere 3 points. The result underlines the importance in football if getting off to a good start (Casey won each of the last three quarters but still lost) and of accurate kicking around the ground and in front of goal. Coach Peter German is likely to impress these things on his charges next week as they take on another difficult opponent in Frankston at Frankston City Oval on Sunday. HOW THE DEMONS FARED (with thanks for assistance to Fan) First, a few little snippets picked up at the ground: Daniel Bell, Simon Bucley, Austin Wonaeamirri and possibly Rohan Bail are set to return through the Casey team next week. Paul Wheatley is still three or four weeks away while James Strauss did his shoulder at training on Thursday and will miss a couple of weeks. Jack Grimes - this kid is all class. He knows how to find the ball, knows where his options lie and rarely makes a skill error in execution. Would only have played 60 to 70% game time starting on the bench in the first and second quarters and coming on at about the 10 minute mark so it's likely he'll play again at this level next week to give him time to regain match fitness. Liam Jurrah - had very few possessions but what he did he did very well. Has all the skillsbut has to learn how to play the game at the elite level. If he learns well and gets involved with intensity, the Demons could have an A grader and possibly elite player on their list. Addam Maric - I'm a fan and really couldn't understand why he wasn't playing seniors. Is a class above this level with his agility and ability to find the ball. Used it very well on occasions but his kicking can occasionally let him down as sometimes tries too hard to "thread the needle". Got lots of it early but seemed to fade towards the end of the day. I hope he gets his chance soon as I think he'll benefit from playing senior AFL footy rather than with the Scorps. Jordie McKenzie - quiet early but came home with a wet sail. Lacking a little in pace, but runs hard. Later in the match he was able to find heaps of the ball and he took some very good options. Tom McNamara – kept his opponent quiet in what was a good defensive game but is young and still has a way to go. Russell Robertson - Robbo amazes me. He's short, stocky, not quick, doesn't work hard but unlike Jurrah just knows how to get involved and play the game. He was good getting regular possessions from ad hoc delivery and kicking a few goals. The view at the club is that he isn't ready for AFL yet but he looked ok to me. One thing we can be absolutely sure of is that he has not lost his leap and he can still kick long distances. Jake Spencer - played pretty well without dominating. He was competitive in the ruck and found a bit of the ball around the ground. His kicking looks ungainly but was surprisingly good with a couple of 40 meter bullet like passes to team mates. The good thing about Jake is when he does get his hand to the ball in a ruck contest he actually knocks it to the team's advantage. Shane Valenti - a "good" Valenti game, v ery good inside and worked really hard and by the end of the night was suffering from leather poisoning. Trent Zomer - played on a monster full forward in Bonnadio who outmuscled him and gave him a hard time but he fought on quite well in difficult circumstances. He's actually quite mobile, has good hands and makes some good decisions (especially by hand) but as a second year rookie needs to start showing a lot more if he wants to say on the list. Casey Scorpions 0.3.3 1.7.13 5.11.41 9.13.67 Port Melbourne 2.4.16 4.5.29 7.9.51 10.11.71 Goals Casey Scorpions Robertson 3 Maric 2 Grimes Jurrah McGough Moore Port Melbourne Bonaddio 3 Robbins 2 Burstin Dillon Mullins Raymond Smith Best Casey Scorpions Valenti Wall Silvagni Spencer Panozza Robertson Port Melbourne McGrath Pleming Smith Brewer Dalton Bonaddio Report B MaCreadie (Casey Scorpions) for charging M. Smith (Port Melbourne) during the 3rd quarter The Casey Scorpions Reserves stared well and were still in the game at three quarter time but Port Melbourne was able to streak away with a 9 goal final quarter. Luke Williams and Ben Waite worked hard in defence while Danny Hughes and Brad Sykes did well up forward with three goals each. One of Hughes' marks would be hard to beat if there was a mark of the year award for the VFL Reserves. HOW THE DEMONS FARED The strong tip at the ground was that following the debut of schoolboy Jack Watts at this level on Saturday, another schoolie in Sam Blease will follow suit in next week's early game at Frankston. Rhys Healey – showed out with some good pace, strong marking and excellent delivery despite having a heavily strapped knee. Danny Hughes – marked well up forward and worked hard all evening and is in line for promotion to the Seniors next week. Jack Watts – started slowly but upped the ante in the second half and finished with 15 kicks 5 marks 7 marks and 1 goal. Matthew Whelan – was cool early in defence and took a couple of good marks before a thigh injury saw him out of the game by the end of the first quarter. Casey Scorpions 4.4.28 6.8.44 9.13.67 13.14.92 Port Melbourne 3.2.20 9.8.62 10.12.72 19.18.132 Goals Casey Scorpions Hughes Sykes 3 Bolton 2 Chivers McLeod Mildren Schrape Watts Port Melbourne Schultz 4 Hassett Kennedy Martin Scipione 2 Edwards Irving Kilpin Neville O'Keefe Sengstock Suckling Best Casey Scorpions Williams Mazurek Waite Hughes Healey Chivers Port Melbourne Schultz Wall Sengstock Siciliano Clarkson Scipione

CASEY'S CLOSE SHAVE by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions responded to last week's humiliation at the hands of Sandringham with a much improved performance at home under lights at Casey Fields on Saturday night. After trailing throughout the Scorpions rallied late in the game but narrowly missed out on their first win for the season. A confident Port Melbourne, fresh from avenging last year's grand final humbling at the hands of North Ballarat, opened brightly and won the first quarter kicking two goals and keeping Casey to just three points to hold a 13 point lead at the first change. The home side squandered opportunities in front of goal and their only major for the first half came from high flying forward Russell Robertson who was working in well with Addam Maric but unfortunately, the score line of 1.7.13 to 4.5.29 at half time told the story. The youthful Casey combination was not overawed by the VFL power house but those wasted opportunities in front of goal were having a telling effect. The Scorpions kept plugging away after half time with the lanky Jake Spencer toiling hard in the ruck to get the ball down to small men in Shane Valenti who was getting a lot of the football and captain Kyle Matthews in the middle. Casey was also getting great service from their young veterans in Alex Silvagni in defence and James Wall who was combining well with the forwards while Beau Vernon was a good contributor on the night. The further the game progressed the more impact Jack Grimes was having on the game. The magical Liam Jurrah chipped in with a brilliant goal to narrow the gap. But Port managed to rally to hold a 10 point lead at the final break. Ben MaCreadie, who played well in just his second game for the club was reported for charging during the term and the team was momentarily unsettled. Russell Robertson continued to add bite up forward but it was still tough going for the home side as it played catch up football. There were several opportunities to win the game thanks to some hard work from Maric and Grimes and Pierce Liddle did all he could to win the game in the dying minutes with some long runs but it was a close shave for Port as the fast-finishing Scorpions fell short by a mere 3 points. The result underlines the importance in football if getting off to a good start (Casey won each of the last three quarters but still lost) and of accurate kicking around the ground and in front of goal. Coach Peter German is likely to impress these things on his charges next week as they take on another difficult opponent in Frankston at Frankston City Oval on Sunday. HOW THE DEMONS FARED (with thanks for assistance to Fan) First, a few little snippets picked up at the ground: Daniel Bell, Simon Bucley, Austin Wonaeamirri and possibly Rohan Bail are set to return through the Casey team next week. Paul Wheatley is still three or four weeks away while James Strauss did his shoulder at training on Thursday and will miss a couple of weeks. Jack Grimes - this kid is all class. He knows how to find the ball, knows where his options lie and rarely makes a skill error in execution. Would only have played 60 to 70% game time starting on the bench in the first and second quarters and coming on at about the 10 minute mark so it's likely he'll play again at this level next week to give him time to regain match fitness. Liam Jurrah - had very few possessions but what he did he did very well. Has all the skillsbut has to learn how to play the game at the elite level. If he learns well and gets involved with intensity, the Demons could have an A grader and possibly elite player on their list. Addam Maric - I'm a fan and really couldn't understand why he wasn't playing seniors. Is a class above this level with his agility and ability to find the ball. Used it very well on occasions but his kicking can occasionally let him down as sometimes tries too hard to "thread the needle". Got lots of it early but seemed to fade towards the end of the day. I hope he gets his chance soon as I think he'll benefit from playing senior AFL footy rather than with the Scorps. Jordie McKenzie - quiet early but came home with a wet sail. Lacking a little in pace, but runs hard. Later in the match he was able to find heaps of the ball and he took some very good options. Tom McNamara – kept his opponent quiet in what was a good defensive game but is young and still has a way to go. Russell Robertson - Robbo amazes me. He's short, stocky, not quick, doesn't work hard but unlike Jurrah just knows how to get involved and play the game. He was good getting regular possessions from ad hoc delivery and kicking a few goals. The view at the club is that he isn't ready for AFL yet but he looked ok to me. One thing we can be absolutely sure of is that he has not lost his leap and he can still kick long distances. Jake Spencer - played pretty well without dominating. He was competitive in the ruck and found a bit of the ball around the ground. His kicking looks ungainly but was surprisingly good with a couple of 40 meter bullet like passes to team mates. The good thing about Jake is when he does get his hand to the ball in a ruck contest he actually knocks it to the team's advantage. Shane Valenti - a "good" Valenti game, v ery good inside and worked really hard and by the end of the night was suffering from leather poisoning. Trent Zomer - played on a monster full forward in Bonnadio who outmuscled him and gave him a hard time but he fought on quite well in difficult circumstances. He's actually quite mobile, has good hands and makes some good decisions (especially by hand) but as a second year rookie needs to start showing a lot more if he wants to say on the list. Casey Scorpions 0.3.3 1.7.13 5.11.41 9.13.67 Port Melbourne 2.4.16 4.5.29 7.9.51 10.11.71 Goals Casey Scorpions Robertson 3 Maric 2 Grimes Jurrah McGough Moore Port Melbourne Bonaddio 3 Robbins 2 Burstin Dillon Mullins Raymond Smith Best Casey Scorpions Valenti Wall Silvagni Spencer Panozza Robertson Port Melbourne McGrath Pleming Smith Brewer Dalton Bonaddio Report B MaCreadie (Casey Scorpions) for charging M. Smith (Port Melbourne) during the 3rd quarter The Casey Scorpions Reserves stared well and were still in the game at three quarter time but Port Melbourne was able to streak away with a 9 goal final quarter. Luke Williams and Ben Waite worked hard in defence while Danny Hughes and Brad Sykes did well up forward with three goals each. One of Hughes' marks would be hard to beat if there was a mark of the year award for the VFL Reserves. HOW THE DEMONS FARED The strong tip at the ground was that following the debut of schoolboy Jack Watts at this level on Saturday, another schoolie in Sam Blease will follow suit in next week's early game at Frankston. Rhys Healey – showed out with some good pace, strong marking and excellent delivery despite having a heavily strapped knee. Danny Hughes – marked well up forward and worked hard all evening and is in line for promotion to the Seniors next week. Jack Watts – started slowly but upped the ante in the second half and finished with 15 kicks 5 marks 7 marks and 1 goal. Matthew Whelan – was cool early in defence and took a couple of good marks before a thigh injury saw him out of the game by the end of the first quarter. Casey Scorpions 4.4.28 6.8.44 9.13.67 13.14.92 Port Melbourne 3.2.20 9.8.62 10.12.72 19.18.132 Goals Casey Scorpions Hughes Sykes 3 Bolton 2 Chivers McLeod Mildren Schrape Watts Port Melbourne Schultz 4 Hassett Kennedy Martin Scipione 2 Edwards Irving Kilpin Neville O'Keefe Sengstock Suckling Best Casey Scorpions Williams Mazurek Waite Hughes Healey Chivers Port Melbourne Schultz Wall Sengstock Siciliano Clarkson Scipione

by The Oracle The legend goes that when he was young Terry Wallace was a Melbourne supporter. As a teenage footballer with talent he was residentially tied to Fitzroy but a way was found to enable him to join Hawthorn where he played in three premiership teams before moving to Richmond and then on to Footscray. He never had much reason to regret not playing for the team he loved as a kid except perhaps once about 20 years ago when he crossed paths with Rod Grinter at the Whitten Oval. It happened again yesterday when he was KO'd by a whole team of Demons. Wallace was on a hiding to nothing this week. He was under the pump before his old team, the Bulldogs, destroyed Richmond on Easter Monday. After the game it was pandemonium with headlines such as "Death Row" dominating a hungry media lusting for blood: Wallace's blood. Melbourne, which had an equally poor record of 0-3 was left alone by the pack dogs in the media. As a result Dean Bailey and his Demons quietly went about their business during the week and were primed and ready to play a more direct form of football. Well, that's my story and it sounds pretty good to me although I have this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that this was a contest between two teams currently exhibiting low levels of competence and it was the least competent that rose to the occasion when the game was there to be won and lost in the first half. Then again, I don't think it's wise to take too much away from a Melbourne team that has been showing a great deal of endeavour and which overcame its collective lack of experience and the fact that its long injury list was extended significantly with the loss in the first quarter of Brad Green to a broken jaw. Green has been one of the best (if not THE best) of the Demons so far this season and, at the point when he was removed from the game he was well on his way to another fine game having already accumulated eight possessions. But it was that sort of day. The Tigers flew out of the blocks and had a goal on the board before the Dees even had a sniff of leather. Matty Warnock's name was in the umpire's book for an alleged strike on Tiger Tom Hislop before the first bounce. When the second Richmond goal followed, there were Melbourne supporters covering their faces and thinking that it was going to be a hard day at the office. Then the team regained its composure but its kicking was all over the shop. How often do you hit the post four times in a quarter? Surely, that's a skill you don't see in the game very often. Mind you, the Tigers' skills were equally poor and somehow, they managed to concede the lead by quarter time. Then followed an eight goal quarter from Melbourne that saw the resurrection of a number of names that had hitherto been conspicuously missing so far this season. Colin Sylvia came up with a bottler of a quarter winning it out of the middle and booting two long, long goals, Brock McLean put in his best effort of the day and Jared Rivers took over the leadership of the defence in a manner characteristic of the way he played before those injury problems hobbled his career and Brad Miller put in his best effort for the season. Aaron Davey playing the speedy, loose midfielder role to perfection continued on with his fine season and the wheels started turning for the Demons who simply wanted the ball more. By half time, we couldn't believe what the scoreboard was telling us; it was only the fact that one or two Richmond supporters were jumping off the balcony that finally convinced us. The Tigers then proceeded to drag the Dees back down to their own level in the third quarter and managed to narrow the gap to 28 points at orange time but only thanks to some mediocre kicking for goal which prevented Melbourne from wrapping up the issue at that stage of proceedings. The Demons were under fire in the last quarter and seemed to be running out of legs as the Tigers, led by experienced war horses in Matthew Richardson and Joel Bowden fought back late in the game. It was however, too late and Melbourne held on to win only its fourth game in 26 matches under coach Dean Bailey who would have been happy with the way his ruck division and forward line performed after being wasted in the opening weeks of the season. Now, if only some of those players can put it together on a consistent basis … Melbourne's winning effort should pay the club handsome dividends this week as its membership numbers slowly climb towards the magic 30,000. With only one home game so far in the season, a club membership is still a worthwhile investment to make as the team emerges from the difficult times endured by all whose hearts beat true for the red and the blue. All Demon fans are welcome to take up a membership if they have no already done so and if things go badly in the coming week for Terry, he might even want to join up. Melbourne 2.6.18 10.7.67 13.11.89 14.16.100 Richmond 2.3.15 5.6.36 9.7.61 13.14.92 Goals Melbourne Miller 3 Newton Petterd Sylvia 2 Bate Davey Dunn Green Jetta Richmond Richardson 4 Brown Collins 2 Deledio McGuane Moore Morton Nahas Best Melbourne Davey Bruce Miller Warnock McLean Moloney Sylvia Morton Richmond Bowden Richardson Foley Collins Rance Injuries Melbourne Brad Green (broken jaw) Richmond nil Changes Melbourne nil Richmond nil Report Matthew Warnock (Melbourne) reported by Umpire Findlay for striking Tom Hislop (Richmond) before the first bounce. Umpires James Wenn Findlay Crowd 40,763 at MCG

TERRY TOWELLED by The Oracle The legend goes that when he was young Terry Wallace was a Melbourne supporter. As a teenage footballer with talent he was residentially tied to Fitzroy but a way was found to enable him to join Hawthorn where he played in three premiership teams before moving to Richmond and then on to Footscray. He never had much reason to regret not playing for the team he loved as a kid except perhaps once about 20 years ago when he crossed paths with Rod Grinter at the Whitten Oval. It happened again yesterday when he was KO'd by a whole team of Demons. Wallace was on a hiding to nothing this week. He was under the pump before his old team, the Bulldogs, destroyed Richmond on Easter Monday. After the game it was pandemonium with headlines such as "Death Row" dominating a hungry media lusting for blood: Wallace's blood. Melbourne, which had an equally poor record of 0-3 was left alone by the pack dogs in the media. As a result Dean Bailey and his Demons quietly went about their business during the week and were primed and ready to play a more direct form of football. Well, that's my story and it sounds pretty good to me although I have this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that this was a contest between two teams currently exhibiting low levels of competence and it was the least competent that rose to the occasion when the game was there to be won and lost in the first half. Then again, I don't think it's wise to take too much away from a Melbourne team that has been showing a great deal of endeavour and which overcame its collective lack of experience and the fact that its long injury list was extended significantly with the loss in the first quarter of Brad Green to a broken jaw. Green has been one of the best (if not THE best) of the Demons so far this season and, at the point when he was removed from the game he was well on his way to another fine game having already accumulated eight possessions. But it was that sort of day. The Tigers flew out of the blocks and had a goal on the board before the Dees even had a sniff of leather. Matty Warnock's name was in the umpire's book for an alleged strike on Tiger Tom Hislop before the first bounce. When the second Richmond goal followed, there were Melbourne supporters covering their faces and thinking that it was going to be a hard day at the office. Then the team regained its composure but its kicking was all over the shop. How often do you hit the post four times in a quarter? Surely, that's a skill you don't see in the game very often. Mind you, the Tigers' skills were equally poor and somehow, they managed to concede the lead by quarter time. Then followed an eight goal quarter from Melbourne that saw the resurrection of a number of names that had hitherto been conspicuously missing so far this season. Colin Sylvia came up with a bottler of a quarter winning it out of the middle and booting two long, long goals, Brock McLean put in his best effort of the day and Jared Rivers took over the leadership of the defence in a manner characteristic of the way he played before those injury problems hobbled his career and Brad Miller put in his best effort for the season. Aaron Davey playing the speedy, loose midfielder role to perfection continued on with his fine season and the wheels started turning for the Demons who simply wanted the ball more. By half time, we couldn't believe what the scoreboard was telling us; it was only the fact that one or two Richmond supporters were jumping off the balcony that finally convinced us. The Tigers then proceeded to drag the Dees back down to their own level in the third quarter and managed to narrow the gap to 28 points at orange time but only thanks to some mediocre kicking for goal which prevented Melbourne from wrapping up the issue at that stage of proceedings. The Demons were under fire in the last quarter and seemed to be running out of legs as the Tigers, led by experienced war horses in Matthew Richardson and Joel Bowden fought back late in the game. It was however, too late and Melbourne held on to win only its fourth game in 26 matches under coach Dean Bailey who would have been happy with the way his ruck division and forward line performed after being wasted in the opening weeks of the season. Now, if only some of those players can put it together on a consistent basis … Melbourne's winning effort should pay the club handsome dividends this week as its membership numbers slowly climb towards the magic 30,000. With only one home game so far in the season, a club membership is still a worthwhile investment to make as the team emerges from the difficult times endured by all whose hearts beat true for the red and the blue. All Demon fans are welcome to take up a membership if they have no already done so and if things go badly in the coming week for Terry, he might even want to join up. Melbourne 2.6.18 10.7.67 13.11.89 14.16.100 Richmond 2.3.15 5.6.36 9.7.61 13.14.92 Goals Melbourne Miller 3 Newton Petterd Sylvia 2 Bate Davey Dunn Green Jetta Richmond Richardson 4 Brown Collins 2 Deledio McGuane Moore Morton Nahas Best Melbourne Davey Bruce Miller Warnock McLean Moloney Sylvia Morton Richmond Bowden Richardson Foley Collins Rance Injuries Melbourne Brad Green (broken jaw) Richmond nil Changes Melbourne nil Richmond nil Report Matthew Warnock (Melbourne) reported by Umpire Findlay for striking Tom Hislop (Richmond) before the first bounce. Umpires James Wenn Findlay Crowd 40,763 at MCG

Flash streaks away - 37.703 Aaron Davey 16.850 Brent Moloney 15.764 Brad Miller 15.217 Brock McLean 14.212 Nathan Jones 11.148 Brad Green 10.626 Matthew Warnock 8.624 Kyle Cheney 7.347 Cameron Bruce 6.825 Cale Morton 6.634 Ricky Petterd 6.122 Matthew Bate 5.717 Jared Rivers 5.388 James Frawley 4.348 Colin Sylvia 3.261 Stefan Martin 3.077 Neville Jetta 2.449 Jamie Bennell 1.327 Clint Bartram 0.663 Paul Johnson

A LONG AND WINDING ROAD by Whispering Jack He does exist. He is real and he can play football! That was my conclusion as I drove back up the long and winding road from who knows where to the warmth and safety of home after witnessing the advent of Jack Watts from junior footballer to a form of senior footballer via the Casey reserves. Watts ran out with his team mates at 4.00 pm to face off against the boys from the Borough under darkening, cloudy skies. He was tall and blond and while he looked to have benefitted from a summer of weights and pre season work, he still had a fair way to go. This just happened to be the place where his road started. It was a Saturday afternoon at an oval in a remote godforsaken part of the world as the ball was bounced and it was so bloody cold that I couldn't stop asking myself the question: "What the hell am I doing here?" At least I was thankful the old boilers with the sharp tongues, pointy umbrellas and moustaches who frequent North Port Oval hadn't turned up yet. The thought came to me that perhaps they were filming Daniel Pratt and Adam Simpson at one of the ubiquitous Red Roosters that dot the landscape on that long and windy road to Cranny but I digress. Those who expected Jack to dominate were mistaken. They don't know VFL reserves football for a start. The players around you don't have exquisite elite skills, the delivery isn't always the best, and the talking, the back up, the shepherds and the blocking aren't always there. Casey butchered at least three or four point kick ins that all resulted in easy goals for Port Melbourne. It's those aspects of the game, often taken for granted in the AFL, that aren't there at this level to provide help to young players and it often makes things harder for them. Jack made a slow, tentative start. He found himself too far under the ball once or twice, flicked the ball to a team mate for what they might call a "goal assist" in basketball and finally got himself a free kick before the siren signalled the end of his first quarter in the little big time. The crowd was building, the sky was darkening, the lights went on and Ryan Fitzgerald and the Channel 10 cameras rolled into the ground. Jack's debut was about to be highlighted on Before the Game. A quick message home to ensure the programme gets taped for posterity on the IQ. The wonders of modern technology. Meanwhile, there were other Demons taking part in this game. The oldish war horse Matty Whelan made a bright start, clearing the ball off half back, taking a strong mark or two before he received a knock to the thigh and went off treatment. He came back on to test it out but by the first break, his leg was being iced. His right thigh was bandaged and it was obvious that the frustrated veteran Demon's evening was over. At the other end of the experience scale Rhys Healey was showing a lot of promise and skill. The rookie from Bendigo was clean with his disposal, went in hard and marked solidly. There were no cameras there for him but he was still able to impress in just his second game after missing out on valuable pre season match practice with a back injury. Rookie Danny Hughes has had a rough couple of years after showing promise at Sandy in his first coming as a rookie. He was back in his element this evening. One of his team's best for the night, he was alternating up ward with Watts and he almost stole the show when he took what would have been a certain contender mark of the year had it been taken at the Gee or the Geehad. Hughes levitated upward on an opponent's back and catapulted himself into the night time skies over East Cranbourne reaching such a height that it registered on the radar at Tooradin Airport thirty kilometres away. By this time Jack had scored his first goal in the history of VFL reserves football. It might have been a memorable moment for the few hundred faithful Demon supporting lunatics who were freezing their proverbials off in the middle of nowhere (I'm assured it will be "somewhere" one day when the projected new wave of 200,000 suburban dwellers move into the brick veneers that will one day encircle the place) but this was just a routine goal by most standards. A lead, a mark and a lucky 50 metre penalty when the man on the mark moved a centimetre too far forward as Jack fluffed his first shot at goal. No problems from the goal square however, and a stellar career as an AFL key position forward was well and truly under way! From then on there was nothing too spectacular. He copped a whack in the mouth, ran far and wide to get possession, did it all very easily and cleanly and looked a class above without dominating. He can do the lot this kid - including taking the ruckwork up ward. Nothing looked too much for him and, at times he seemed to be gliding across the surface. He lunged for a mark close to goal and unselfishly handballed to a team mate in the goal square for a good team goal. He finished with a handy 20 disposals and was getting better as the game went on. "There's obviously going to be expectations being the No. 1 draft pick but I can't really do much about that," he said after the game. Mostly, he looked as if he was enjoying himself out there and that was the main thing. There are those out there who don't have the patience to wait for players to be ready to make the step up to the highest level of the sport. I'm told that Brian Taylor was busily making the point on a television programme that most first choice draft picks over the past decade were walk up starts into their AFL teams. He misunderstands that Watts (and likewise his team mate Sam Blease) is still at school, has been on a modified training programme and has a whole lifetime in the sport ahead of him. Earlier in the day, I took my 4 year old grandson off to his first soccer clinic. He ran around an hour, had fun and reminded me of his father when he was the same age. The same mannerisms, the same glint of enjoyment in the eyes. Who knows where this will all take him in the years to come? Who knows where Jack Watts will be in three years time? The answer lies in how well his career is prepared him and how well he learns and adapts to what he is being taught. It's now six months into Jack Watts' AFL journey; his first game is over and, from what I saw this evening, he's making his way down the right road. That's what matters!

by Whispering Jack He does exist. He is real and he can play football! That was my conclusion as I drove back up the long and winding road from who knows where to the warmth and safety of home after witnessing the advent of Jack Watts from junior footballer to a form of senior footballer via the Casey reserves. Watts ran out with his team mates at 4.00 pm to face off against the boys from the Borough under darkening, cloudy skies. He was tall and blond and while he looked to have benefitted from a summer of weights and pre season work, he still had a fair way to go. This just happened to be the place where his road started. It was a Saturday afternoon at an oval in a remote godforsaken part of the world as the ball was bounced and it was so bloody cold that I couldn't stop asking myself the question: "What the hell am I doing here?" At least I was thankful the old boilers with the sharp tongues, pointy umbrellas and moustaches who frequent North Port Oval hadn't turned up yet. The thought came to me that perhaps they were filming Daniel Pratt and Adam Simpson at one of the ubiquitous Red Roosters that dot the landscape on that long and windy road to Cranny but I digress. Those who expected Jack to dominate were mistaken. They don't know VFL reserves football for a start. The players around you don't have exquisite elite skills, the delivery isn't always the best, and the talking, the back up, the shepherds and the blocking aren't always there. Casey butchered at least three or four point kick ins that all resulted in easy goals for Port Melbourne. It's those aspects of the game, often taken for granted in the AFL, that aren't there at this level to provide help to young players and it often makes things harder for them. Jack made a slow, tentative start. He found himself too far under the ball once or twice, flicked the ball to a team mate for what they might call a "goal assist" in basketball and finally got himself a free kick before the siren signalled the end of his first quarter in the little big time. The crowd was building, the sky was darkening, the lights went on and Ryan Fitzgerald and the Channel 10 cameras rolled into the ground. Jack's debut was about to be highlighted on Before the Game. A quick message home to ensure the programme gets taped for posterity on the IQ. The wonders of modern technology. Meanwhile, there were other Demons taking part in this game. The oldish war horse Matty Whelan made a bright start, clearing the ball off half back, taking a strong mark or two before he received a knock to the thigh and went off treatment. He came back on to test it out but by the first break, his leg was being iced. His right thigh was bandaged and it was obvious that the frustrated veteran Demon's evening was over. At the other end of the experience scale Rhys Healey was showing a lot of promise and skill. The rookie from Bendigo was clean with his disposal, went in hard and marked solidly. There were no cameras there for him but he was still able to impress in just his second game after missing out on valuable pre season match practice with a back injury. Rookie Danny Hughes has had a rough couple of years after showing promise at Sandy in his first coming as a rookie. He was back in his element this evening. One of his team's best for the night, he was alternating up ward with Watts and he almost stole the show when he took what would have been a certain contender mark of the year had it been taken at the Gee or the Geehad. Hughes levitated upward on an opponent's back and catapulted himself into the night time skies over East Cranbourne reaching such a height that it registered on the radar at Tooradin Airport thirty kilometres away. By this time Jack had scored his first goal in the history of VFL reserves football. It might have been a memorable moment for the few hundred faithful Demon supporting lunatics who were freezing their proverbials off in the middle of nowhere (I'm assured it will be "somewhere" one day when the projected new wave of 200,000 suburban dwellers move into the brick veneers that will one day encircle the place) but this was just a routine goal by most standards. A lead, a mark and a lucky 50 metre penalty when the man on the mark moved a centimetre too far forward as Jack fluffed his first shot at goal. No problems from the goal square however, and a stellar career as an AFL key position forward was well and truly under way! From then on there was nothing too spectacular. He copped a whack in the mouth, ran far and wide to get possession, did it all very easily and cleanly and looked a class above without dominating. He can do the lot this kid - including taking the ruckwork up ward. Nothing looked too much for him and, at times he seemed to be gliding across the surface. He lunged for a mark close to goal and unselfishly handballed to a team mate in the goal square for a good team goal. He finished with a handy 20 disposals and was getting better as the game went on. "There's obviously going to be expectations being the No. 1 draft pick but I can't really do much about that," he said after the game. Mostly, he looked as if he was enjoying himself out there and that was the main thing. There are those out there who don't have the patience to wait for players to be ready to make the step up to the highest level of the sport. I'm told that Brian Taylor was busily making the point on a television programme that most first choice draft picks over the past decade were walk up starts into their AFL teams. He misunderstands that Watts (and likewise his team mate Sam Blease) is still at school, has been on a modified training programme and has a whole lifetime in the sport ahead of him. Earlier in the day, I took my 4 year old grandson off to his first soccer clinic. He ran around an hour, had fun and reminded me of his father when he was the same age. The same mannerisms, the same glint of enjoyment in the eyes. Who knows where this will all take him in the years to come? Who knows where Jack Watts will be in three years time? The answer lies in how well his career is prepared him and how well he learns and adapts to what he is being taught. It's now six months into Jack Watts' AFL journey; his first game is over and, from what I saw this evening, he's making his way down the right road. That's what matters!

NOTHING SPECIAL by Whispering Jack There are some special moments in every sporting season when excitement runs to fever pitch and the world waits expectantly upon the spectacle about to unfold but, unfortunately, that is something which is unlikely to be said of the moment when the field umpire bounces the ball start proceedings between Richmond and Melbourne at around 2.10 pm this Sunday. The MCG co-tenants are the AFL's two most dysfunctional teams and, needless to say, both will be chasing their first victory for the year. The Tigers have been in turmoil since their gut wrenching opening match of the season when they were not only monstered by up and comers Carlton but they also lost glamour recruit Ben Cousins to yet another hamstring injury. The turmoil turned into full blown crisis mode last Monday after the Western Bulldogs comprehensively mauled them in the last three quarters of their game. Their supporters have been up in arms calling for the sacking of everyone from the president, the board, the coach and even the boot studder. I'm not a fan of Terry Wallace and I can understand the dissatisfaction of the Tiger faithful with a 0-3 score line after three rounds but plenty of teams have fought back from their situation to complete successful seasons. It's too early to be calling for his head. Of course, next week's another matter altogether if his charges falter against Melbourne. It's becoming commonplace for the Demons to face opposition teams at times when they are under the pump from their own supporters, the media and the public. Collingwood had just been through a week of soul searching after its shock opening round defeat at home against Adelaide and the Power endured seven days of ridicule and disgrace after being thumped out west. Now, it's the disgraced Tigers that carry the load of their insipid, mistake-riddled, inept losing form into their game against the Demons. You can't buy motivation better than that and what's more, Richmond has the perfect opposition in the AFL's punching bag against which to launch its recovery. For its part, Melbourne keeps on rolling along like Old Man River. No headlines in bold letters, just a feel good fluff piece half a dozen pages from the back about Jim Stynes wanting his injury-riddled team to start winning "so a losing mentality doesn't creep in." As if it hasn't well and truly crept in after the team has lost 39 of its last 47 games! Which all proves that Sunday's game at the MCG will be like the last couple of meetings between the two clubs. Nothing special. THE GAME Melbourne v Richmond at MCG - Sunday 19 April 2009 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Richmond 98 wins Melbourne 75 wins 2 draws At the MCG Richmond 64 wins Melbourne 56 wins 1 draw Since 2000 Richmond 9 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Wallace 2 wins Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 3 pm (1 hour delay) Radio 3AW MMM K Rock THE BETTING Richmond to win $1.33 Melbourne to win $3.15 LAST TIME THEY MET Richmond 18.13.121 d Melbourne 6.5.41 in Round 22, 2008 at the MCG The Tigers finished off a season of improvement with a massive 80 point victory over a pathetic Melbourne team for which the end of the season couldn't come quickly enough. Unfortunately for the Demons and those of their supporters who turned up it was a slow death. THE TEAMS RICHMOND Backs Chris Newman Kelvin Moore Alex Rance Half Backs Tom Hislop Luke McGuane Dean Polo Centerline Matt White Shane Tuck Andrew Collins Half Forwards Nathan Brown Matthew Richardson Joel Bowden Forwards Mitch Morton Jack Reiwoldt Brett Deledio Followers Troy Simmons Daniel Jackson Nathan Foley Interchange Daniel Connors Angus Graham Jordan McMahon Robin Nahas Emergency Shane Edwards Jake King Jarred Oakley-Nicholls In Andrew Collins Daniel Connors Jordan McMahon Robin Nahas Out Shane Edwards Jake King Jay Schulz Richard Tambling New Andrew Collins (Bendigo Pioneers) MELBOURNE Backs Neville Jetty Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half Backs James Frawley Stefan Martin Aaron Davey Centerline Jamie Benn ell Lynden Dunn Brock McLean Half Forwards Matthew Bate Brent Maloney Michael Newton Forwards Brad Miller Colin Sylvia Caleb Morton Followers John Meesen Cameron Bruce Brad Green Interchange Clint Bartram Paul Johnson Nathan Jones Ricky Petted Emergencies Kyle Cheney Adam Maric Jake Spencer In Michael Newton Out Kyle Cheney MORE OF THE SAME It's no secret that Melbourne has been struggling under the weight of injuries and inexperience after off loading a number of club stalwarts at the end of 2008 and for this reason, the Demons and their coaching staff have been let off lightly by their own supporters and the baying dogs in the media who delight in making a meal out of the predicaments of others. The mantra about the team having bottomed out and the supporters needing to be patient is one thing but this cannot be allowed to become the convenient response to issues of concern about the team's performance on a week to week basis and there are several of these matters that need to be addressed as the club goes through its transition from cellar dweller to what will hopefully be a better future somewhere down the line. The inexperience factor is obviously one that is hurting the Demons right now. This week, the team will comprise of no more than four players with 100 games or more of AFL experience; Aaron Davey who reached the ton last week, Brad Miller who did so last year and Brad Green and Cameron Bruce who are in the 180's. To date, these players are at least holding their own but their combined experience is not enough to hold a young team together. If you look at the other clubs and the amount of experienced players they field each week (including this week's opponent Richmond which has several over 30's) and you know where the club is in terms of the cycle of development. At the other end of the scale, the club is fielding large numbers of players each week with less than fifty game's experience and five of the 26 tried so far this season have been debutants. Again, you can't expect much more from these players than what they've produced to date. Where the problem lies in my view is with the group of players in the early to mid 20's age group who have been at the club for around five years or so and who have generally played between around 50 and 100 games in that time. This group comprises names like Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Lynden Dunn, Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Jared Rivers, Colin Sylvia. Michael Newton hasn't quite reached the games tally but you can add him to the group as well. Many of these players are first round draft picks and the club held high hopes for them in the past. Collectively, they are failing the club because their performances are simply not up to expectations. Yes, there are excuses in almost every case. A few are injured and haven't played yet this year. Moloney has been good after a couple of poor seasons. However, these players are vital for Melbourne's future resurgence and yet, they haven't taken the steps forward that are demanded at most AFL clubs. It would be a tragedy if their slow development (some would say their development is non existent) would be glossed over because of the "bottom out factor" which has seen the club avoid the criticism that's fallen upon Richmond and Terry Wallace this week. These players need to rise to the occasion in 2009 and not wait for the players of lesser experience to overtake them. The other area where the Demons are really struggling is up forward where an often outnumbered and outmanned attack is not only having difficulty in kicking anything like a winning score but is also constantly failing to keep the ball inside its forward fifty metre arc. The ball is routinely being swept away by opposition defenders who seem to be better positioned to the fall of the football and are able to move the ball out of defence with minimal pressure. The return to the team of Michael Newton and Adam Maric this week might assist but I suspect that the forward line issue is more of a long term problem for the Dees and will not be solved until more recently drafted younger blood is ready to play at this level. I've focussed predominantly on one team in this game because the other has been well covered in the media. Richmond will probably get up in this game because their form has ironically been less unimpressive (on the strength of the Tigers' performance against Geelong) than that of Melbourne which has made itself irrelevant again in the eyes of the football public. So the result may be irrelevant but I'm tipping Richmond by 15 points in what should be a dull, boring and colourless encounter on Sunday afternoon.

The club has asked Nineteen (Geoff Sowden) and Judee of Demonology to assemble a team to carry out a brief telephone campaign to help us get past the magic 30,000 members mark. Volunteers are urgently required for Mondays & Wednesday evenings of 27 & 29 April and 4 & 6 May 2009. The campaign is only for the next fortnight and if you can help - even on one night - it would be greatly appreciated. The venue is at the Melbourne Football Club offices in the Southern Stand, MCG from 6.00pm to 8.00 pm with parking available underneath. PLEASE respond here (to stimulate others) & you can get to Geoff directly on 0425 832 522 or [email protected].

I'm still on the Zebras mailing list so I thought you might want to read what they're saying about the game from Sunday:-

They played at the MCG in Round 22 of 2008 and the Tigers won by 80 points. These were the teams (red are non starters or doubtful starters for Melbourne) - MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Nathan Carroll Daniel Bell Half backs James Frawley Matthew Warnock Colin Garland Centreline Cameron Bruce James McDonald Brad Green Half forwards Ricky Petterd Brad Miller Simon Buckley Forwards Addam Maric Colin Sylvia Adem Yze Followers Jeff White Clint Bartram Nathan Jones Interchange Jack Grimes Ben Holland Cale Morton Paul Wheatley Emergencies Stefan Martin Michael Newton Shane Valenti In Nathan Carroll Jack Grimes James Frawley Ben Holland Addam Maric Ricky Petterd Out Matthew Bate Lynden Dunn Mark Jamar Stefan Martin Michael Newton (all omitted) Austin Wonaeamirri (hamstring) New Jack Grimes (Northern Knights) RICHMOND Backs Chris Newman Will Thursfield Kelvin Moore Half backs Jay Schulz Luke McGuane Jordan McMahon Centreline Matthew Richardson Shane Tuck Brett Deledio Half forwards Matt White Joel Bowden Richard Tambling Forwards Shane Edwards Jack Riewoldt Trent Cotchin Followers Troy Simmonds Kane Johnson Nathan Foley Interchange Daniel Jackson Mitch Morton Adam Pattison Greg Tivendale Emergencies Daniel Connors Dean Polo Alex Rance In Adam Pattison Greg Tivendale Out Tristan Cartledge Daniel Connors (both omitted)

After three rounds barpen holds a narrow lead over pandemonium - 1(1)30.01 barpen 2(3)28.24 pandemonium 3(1)28.01 Loopy Lou 4(8)27.66 Demonland 5(4)26.68 carn dees 6(14)25.60 BigKev Demon 7(20)25.47 DEE32 8(5)25.21 butsdemon 8(5)25.21 mrawesome 10(13)24.36 Thundercloud 11(10)24.31 Clyde_Cabbie 12(14)24.07 deemonkey 13(9)23.88 Footy Tipper 14(21)23.67 Its A Nightmare 15(14)23.60 petejh2000 15(14)23.60 Whispering_Jack 17(10)23.15 great_gatsby 18(27)22.62 dee-luded 19(14)22.44 slamevil 20(28)22.41 Alpha33 21(26)21.81 BenderBendingRodriguez 22(7)21.79 BVI Demon 23(23)21.30 aronbrandon 24(12)21.02 Andees_0 25(33)20.63 Jackieboy_0 26(29)20.40 rpfc 27(25)19.85 H!GH TOWER 28(14)19.44 Tim - Go Dees! 29(22)18.96 achirnside 30(23)18.30 herbsademon 31(35)17.83 Spirit of the Demon 32(34)15.74 Pinball_Wizard 33(30)14.72 deanox 33(30)14.72 dees_fan22 33(30)14.72 Simon Sylvia Strauss 36(36)11.44 ucanchoose 37(37)11.20 AzzKikA79 38(38)10.81 steveheals

Aaron Davey has shot to the lead in the Demonland Player of the Year Voting: 19.225 Aaron Davey 14.676 Brent Moloney 11.148 Brad Green 10.626 Matthew Warnock 9.864 Nathan Jones 8.624 Kyle Cheney 7.347 Cameron Bruce 6.825 Cale Morton 6.634 Ricky Petterd 6.122 Matthew Bate 3.543 Jared Rivers 3.214 James Frawley 2.449 Jamie Bennell 1.990 Neville Jetta 1.327 Clint Bartram 0.663 Paul Johnson 0.547 Brad Miller

We weren't on the bottom at the start of the round anyway. We'll flog them. They look like a club divided and Wallet could go before the end of the week because the Board says its 100% behind the coach

IS IT WINTER YET? by the Oracle I was discussing matters with a colleague not long after the conclusion of yesterday's game in which Port Adelaide crushed Melbourne by 57 points when he uttered the throw away line about this being "another winter of discontent" for the Demons. It was a comment that made me think. Surely, the Great Bard would most certainly not have been brooding four centuries ago about the challenges facing Dean Bailey? The exact words which the bard put into the mouth of Gloster were: "Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York" Clearly, the poet is thinking far beyond a dismal winter and is actually placing the House of York in happier times? Similarly, the coach of the Melbourne Football Club is preparing his charges for better times. Times that supercede what happened for instance at AAMI Stadium yesterday. Over there in Adelaide, Melbourne went into the game with one of the most inexperienced combinations ever to represent the club. There were very few wise heads out there to act as mentors for a side that half comprised of players with less than 25 games at the highest level, whose bodies are still to harden and whose minds await the maturity that will only come with the passing of time. You only need to look at Port Adelaide and its leading players on the day; Warren Tredrea and Peter Burgoyne have both been struggling of late. Tredders didn't kick a goal in either of the first two rounds while Burgoyne has barely had his name mentioned in despatches. Yesterday, the Port power forward snagged six goals while Burgoyne outshone his team's other midfielders with 35 disposals at a high rate of efficiency. You can't buy their experience along with that of the other Burgoyne and the Cornes brothers. They lead the way for the rest of the team and make the coach's job so much easier. The Demons started the game sluggishly but fought back in the second half of the opening term. They remained in touch early in the second term but some poor decision making and bad turnovers took their toll giving Port Adelaide enough openings to draw away with seven unanswered goals on either side of the main break. Melbourne received good service and leadership from Cameron Bruce, Brad Green and Aaron Davey while Cale Morton, Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta were lively among its younger group and John Meesen produced a solid first up performance in the ruck. The problem for the Demons was that they simply didn't have a strong marking power forward capable of wreaking havoc in the way that Tredrea was doing at the other end of the ground. Dean Bailey is trying to develop his young playing list and knows his plans simply cannot reach fruition in the space of one or two seasons. You work to a plan and the plan needs players to develop both physically and in mind over time. There's so much to learn. It's no quick fix. And Bailey is doing it all under great difficulty as a result not only of the inexperience of his team but also of the weight of carrying an injury plagued team into yet another season. I make no apologies for raising the injury situation. I see it not as an excuse but as an explanation why the process that is already expected to take some time, will take even longer and why patience is an important virtue when discussing the Demons' fortunes. Melbourne has not had anything close to an injury free list since July 2006 when it thrashed the Western Bulldogs on the MCG but lost Aaron Davey, Byron Pickett and soon after Travis Johnstone to hamstring injuries. The run never stopped. Brock McLean, Brent Moloney and Jared Rivers are back on the field after missing many games over the past two seasons but are still short of their best form. Out with injury yesterday were Simon Buckley, Jack Grimes, Colin Garland, Daniel Bell, skipper James McDonald, Paul Wheatley, Austin Wonaeamirri and Mark Jamar and on top of that list there are a good few making their return after recuperation from injury including Russell Robertson and Matthew Whelan. That's a hell of a lot of talent and depth players with which Bailey is unable to work at present as he seeks to avoid a winter of discontent. Melbourne has lost the opening three games of the season again. This is the fourth year in a row this has happened. It's also likely that more defeats will come and there will not be a quick revival as there was in 2006. It's worth repeating that the process will be slow and sometimes painful but the build up will bring rewards and better winters in the years to come. Melbourne 2.1.13 4.4.28 7.5.47 14.6.90 Port Adelaide 3.3.21 10.5.65 16.12.108 22.15.147 Goals Melbourne Green 3 Bate Bruce Miller 2 Bennell Dunn Jetta Moloney Morton Port Adelaide Tredrea 6 Motlop 3 Brogan C Cornes Gray Pearce 2 Boak P Burgoyne Carr Cassisi K Cornes Lade Thomas Best Melbourne Davey Bruce Morton Green Bate Jones Port Adelaide Tredrea Brogan Pearce Krakouer P Burgoyne Carlile Salopek Cassisi C Cornes Gray Injuries Melbourne Moloney (corked thigh) Port Adelaide Surjan (cut forehead) S Burgoyne (leg) Reports Colin Sylvia (Melb) by umpire Kennedy for allegedly striking Josh Carr (Port Adelaide). Dom Cassisi (Port Adelaide) by umpire Kennedy for allegedly striking Lynden Dunn (Melb). Umpires Hayden Kennedy Shane Stewart Michael Avon. Official Crowd 21,030 at AAMI Stadium

IS IT WINTER YET? by the Oracle I was discussing matters with a colleague not long after the conclusion of yesterday's game in which Port Adelaide crushed Melbourne by 57 points when he uttered the throw away line about this being "another winter of discontent" for the Demons. It was a comment that made me think. Surely, the Great Bard would most certainly not have been brooding four centuries ago about the challenges facing Dean Bailey? The exact words which the bard put into the mouth of Gloster were: "Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of York" Clearly, the poet is thinking far beyond a dismal winter and is actually placing the House of York in happier times? Similarly, the coach of the Melbourne Football Club is preparing his charges for better times. Times that supercede what happened for instance at AAMI Stadium yesterday. Over there in Adelaide, Melbourne went into the game with one of the most inexperienced combinations ever to represent the club. There were very few wise heads out there to act as mentors for a side that half comprised of players with less than 25 games at the highest level, whose bodies are still to harden and whose minds await the maturity that will only come with the passing of time. You only need to look at Port Adelaide and its leading players on the day; Warren Tredrea and Peter Burgoyne have both been struggling of late. Tredders didn't kick a goal in either of the first two rounds while Burgoyne has barely had his name mentioned in despatches. Yesterday, the Port power forward snagged six goals while Burgoyne outshone his team's other midfielders with 35 disposals at a high rate of efficiency. You can't buy their experience along with that of the other Burgoyne and the Cornes brothers. They lead the way for the rest of the team and make the coach's job so much easier. The Demons started the game sluggishly but fought back in the second half of the opening term. They remained in touch early in the second term but some poor decision making and bad turnovers took their toll giving Port Adelaide enough openings to draw away with seven unanswered goals on either side of the main break. Melbourne received good service and leadership from Cameron Bruce, Brad Green and Aaron Davey while Cale Morton, Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta were lively among its younger group and John Meesen produced a solid first up performance in the ruck. The problem for the Demons was that they simply didn't have a strong marking power forward capable of wreaking havoc in the way that Tredrea was doing at the other end of the ground. Dean Bailey is trying to develop his young playing list and knows his plans simply cannot reach fruition in the space of one or two seasons. You work to a plan and the plan needs players to develop both physically and in mind over time. There's so much to learn. It's no quick fix. And Bailey is doing it all under great difficulty as a result not only of the inexperience of his team but also of the weight of carrying an injury plagued team into yet another season. I make no apologies for raising the injury situation. I see it not as an excuse but as an explanation why the process that is already expected to take some time, will take even longer and why patience is an important virtue when discussing the Demons' fortunes. Melbourne has not had anything close to an injury free list since July 2006 when it thrashed the Western Bulldogs on the MCG but lost Aaron Davey, Byron Pickett and soon after Travis Johnstone to hamstring injuries. The run never stopped. Brock McLean, Brent Moloney and Jared Rivers are back on the field after missing many games over the past two seasons but are still short of their best form. Out with injury yesterday were Simon Buckley, Jack Grimes, Colin Garland, Daniel Bell, skipper James McDonald, Paul Wheatley, Austin Wonaeamirri and Mark Jamar and on top of that list there are a good few making their return after recuperation from injury including Russell Robertson and Matthew Whelan. That's a hell of a lot of talent and depth players with which Bailey is unable to work at present as he seeks to avoid a winter of discontent. Melbourne has lost the opening three games of the season again. This is the fourth year in a row this has happened. It's also likely that more defeats will come and there will not be a quick revival as there was in 2006. It's worth repeating that the process will be slow and sometimes painful but the build up will bring rewards and better winters in the years to come. Melbourne 2.1.13 4.4.28 7.5.47 14.6.90 Port Adelaide 3.3.21 10.5.65 16.12.108 22.15.147 Goals Melbourne Green 3 Bate Bruce Miller 2 Bennell Dunn Jetta Moloney Morton Port Adelaide Tredrea 6 Motlop 3 Brogan C Cornes Gray Pearce 2 Boak P Burgoyne Carr Cassisi K Cornes Lade Thomas Best Melbourne Davey Bruce Morton Green Bate Jones Port Adelaide Tredrea Brogan Pearce Krakouer P Burgoyne Carlile Salopek Cassisi C Cornes Gray Injuries Melbourne Moloney (corked thigh) Port Adelaide Surjan (cut forehead) S Burgoyne (leg) Reports Colin Sylvia (Melb) by umpire Kennedy for allegedly striking Josh Carr (Port Adelaide). Dom Cassisi (Port Adelaide) by umpire Kennedy for allegedly striking Lynden Dunn (Melb). Umpires Hayden Kennedy Shane Stewart Michael Avon. Official Crowd 21,030 at AAMI Stadium

CRASH START FOR CASEY by KC from Casey You could tell almost from the moment the teams ran out onto the Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval yesterday that it was going to be a hard day at the office for new Casey coach Peter German. His Scorpions included no less than five first gamers and no more than three AFL senior list players and a handful of Demon rookies. Lined up against them was an impressive array of experienced St. Kilda listed players (9 senior and 4 rookie listed players) and hardened VFL premiership players including multiple Frosty Miller Medallist Nick Sautner, skipper Peter Summers, Andy Biddlecombe, David Gallagher and Rod Crowe. It really was a case of the men against the boys as German's Scopions crash started at Sandringham. The home side piled on the first six goals of the game before a rare foray forward resulted in a goal to Russell Robertson. Captain Kyle Matthews snaffled another but the Zebras were well in control in the middle and regained the ascendancy with three more goals to make it nine for the opening quarter and a lead of 43 points as the teams went into the huddle for the first time. Sandringham retained its dominance through the second quarter to keep its iron grip on the game with a massive lead of 52 points at the main break. As if things weren't already bad enough for Casey, the Scorpions lost their best defender in Alex Silvagni during the second term with what looked like a bad rib injury. James Wall, Addam Maric and Matthews were all working hard and newcomer Pierce Liddle was finding space and doing some nice things on debut but there was little they could do to stem the tide. The now rampant Zebras were full of confidence as they pushed to a 93 point lead at three quarter time. In the final quarter the team rallied for a while with a brilliant angle goal to Matthews followed by another to newcomer Ben MaCreadie but Sandy was finishing strongly and kept up the pressure. Liam Jurrah took a nice mark and kicked his second goal but at the other end Sautner was proving dominant and his eighth goal, kicked on the final siren, gave the home side a 103 point victory. Despite the crushing loss, Casey will gain some satisfaction from the performance of its new boys and will improve as it regains some AFL players due to return from injury in the coming weeks and the young team gains familiarity and begins to play with more cohesion. In the meantime, the team has a tough task next week pitted against first round winners Port Melbourne on Saturday night under lights at Casey Fields. The seniors game starts at 7pm. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Liam Jurrah - kicked 2 goals and showed some nice marking touch but was too often caught behind. While it is clear that he has a number of tricks in his football kit bag, there's a lot he still has to learn about the game - in particular he needs to apply himself as much when he doesn't have the football as he does when he's in possession. This is something he would not have had to worry about in an environment where there's so much less pressure inCentral Australia and even in the NTFL but he will need to learn about it as he takes a crack at the big time. Jordie McKenzie - showed some nice attributes, noticeably quick hands, but was often lost as the Sandy midfield surged ahead and he made a few mistakes. Will learn. Addam Maric - had a busy day roaming far and wide to get kicks and often received close attention which, while it made life hard for him on the day, will hold him in good stead in the coming weeks as he makes the transition back to AFL football. Really, on yesterday's performances, Maric is the only realistic possibility of promotion from the Melbourne contingent in this game. Russell Robertson - kicked a goal and took a hard knock early but had little assistance in terms of quality delivery from further downfield (nor should he expect it if and when he returns to the Demons) and was often double teamed and generally struggled. The good news is that he continued to receive good game time. Jake Spencer - beaten in the ruck and around the ground but worked hard all day. Definitely showed some signs of promise for a 203cm big man but he's on a very long learning curve. Shane Valenti - had a tough initiation as a Casey player against his old club and looked flat early as he struggled to keep up with the pace and to shrug off his tags. To his credit, he worked his way back into the game in the second half to finish among his team's best players. Trent Zomer - one of three Casey defenders given the task of trying to curb Nick Sautner. All three failed. Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 4.5.29 4.10.34 8.15.63 Sandringham 9.4.58 12.9.81 19.13.127 25.16.166 Goals Casey Scorpions Jurrah Matthews 2 Liddle MaCreadie Robertson Wall Sandringham Sautner 8 Lynch 3 Crowe Eddy Heyne 2 Begley Clarke Fisher Gallagher Gilchrist McEvoy Summers Tregear Best Casey Scorpions Maric Valenti Matthews Wall Matheson MaCreadie Sandringham Sautner Miles Paterakis Armitage McEvoy Casey Scorpions reserves toiled manfully after a slow start and went down by 28 points to Sandringham. Tom McNamara led the defence well while 194cm De La Salle recruit Matt Moore booted five goals at full forward. Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 7.4.46 11.7.73 15.12.102 Sandringham 4.5.29 8.10.58 14.14.98 19.16.130 Goals Casey Scorpions Moore 5 Collins Vernon 2 Bolton Crespin McNamara Mildren Sykes Virtue Sandringham Eddy Waller 4 Harektuku 3 Johnston Jones Stanley 2 Connors Ferraro Best Casey Scorpions McNamara Patti Virtue Vernon Panozza Healey Sandringham Stanley Simpkin Waller McGarry Dean Harektuku HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rhys Healey - in only his second game after a lay off with a back injury, he showed out with poise and balance. Daniel Hughes - playing his first VFL game since 2007, Hughes saw out his allocated half a game and took some nice marks. Also turned over the ball a couple of times but will hopefully get better as he regains touch. Tom McNamara - another player returning from injury, McNamara played a half last week and built on that performance yesterday. Defended solidly and went forward to kick a nice goal. James Strauss - a hesitant start for Strauss in his first hit out after suffering an ankle injury during the pre season. Matthew Whelan - played about half a game and appeared to be limping when seen walking to the rooms at the end of the game. We'll see how he pulls up in the next day or so.

by KC from Casey You could tell almost from the moment the teams ran out onto the Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval yesterday that it was going to be a hard day at the office for new Casey coach Peter German. His Scorpions included no less than five first gamers and no more than three AFL senior list players and a handful of Demon rookies. Lined up against them was an impressive array of experienced St. Kilda listed players (9 senior and 4 rookie listed players) and hardened VFL premiership players including multiple Frosty Miller Medallist Nick Sautner, skipper Peter Summers, Andy Biddlecombe, David Gallagher and Rod Crowe. It really was a case of the men against the boys as German's Scopions crash started at Sandringham. The home side piled on the first six goals of the game before a rare foray forward resulted in a goal to Russell Robertson. Captain Kyle Matthews snaffled another but the Zebras were well in control in the middle and regained the ascendancy with three more goals to make it nine for the opening quarter and a lead of 43 points as the teams went into the huddle for the first time. Sandringham retained its dominance through the second quarter to keep its iron grip on the game with a massive lead of 52 points at the main break. As if things weren't already bad enough for Casey, the Scorpions lost their best defender in Alex Silvagni during the second term with what looked like a bad rib injury. James Wall, Addam Maric and Matthews were all working hard and newcomer Pierce Liddle was finding space and doing some nice things on debut but there was little they could do to stem the tide. The now rampant Zebras were full of confidence as they pushed to a 93 point lead at three quarter time. In the final quarter the team rallied for a while with a brilliant angle goal to Matthews followed by another to newcomer Ben MaCreadie but Sandy was finishing strongly and kept up the pressure. Liam Jurrah took a nice mark and kicked his second goal but at the other end Sautner was proving dominant and his eighth goal, kicked on the final siren, gave the home side a 103 point victory. Despite the crushing loss, Casey will gain some satisfaction from the performance of its new boys and will improve as it regains some AFL players due to return from injury in the coming weeks and the young team gains familiarity and begins to play with more cohesion. In the meantime, the team has a tough task next week pitted against first round winners Port Melbourne on Saturday night under lights at Casey Fields. The seniors game starts at 7pm. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Liam Jurrah - kicked 2 goals and showed some nice marking touch but was too often caught behind. While it is clear that he has a number of tricks in his football kit bag, there's a lot he still has to learn about the game - in particular he needs to apply himself as much when he doesn't have the football as he does when he's in possession. This is something he would not have had to worry about in an environment where there's so much less pressure inCentral Australia and even in the NTFL but he will need to learn about it as he takes a crack at the big time. Jordie McKenzie - showed some nice attributes, noticeably quick hands, but was often lost as the Sandy midfield surged ahead and he made a few mistakes. Will learn. Addam Maric - had a busy day roaming far and wide to get kicks and often received close attention which, while it made life hard for him on the day, will hold him in good stead in the coming weeks as he makes the transition back to AFL football. Really, on yesterday's performances, Maric is the only realistic possibility of promotion from the Melbourne contingent in this game. Russell Robertson - kicked a goal and took a hard knock early but had little assistance in terms of quality delivery from further downfield (nor should he expect it if and when he returns to the Demons) and was often double teamed and generally struggled. The good news is that he continued to receive good game time. Jake Spencer - beaten in the ruck and around the ground but worked hard all day. Definitely showed some signs of promise for a 203cm big man but he's on a very long learning curve. Shane Valenti - had a tough initiation as a Casey player against his old club and looked flat early as he struggled to keep up with the pace and to shrug off his tags. To his credit, he worked his way back into the game in the second half to finish among his team's best players. Trent Zomer - one of three Casey defenders given the task of trying to curb Nick Sautner. All three failed. Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 4.5.29 4.10.34 8.15.63 Sandringham 9.4.58 12.9.81 19.13.127 25.16.166 Goals Casey Scorpions Jurrah Matthews 2 Liddle MaCreadie Robertson Wall Sandringham Sautner 8 Lynch 3 Crowe Eddy Heyne 2 Begley Clarke Fisher Gallagher Gilchrist McEvoy Summers Tregear Best Casey Scorpions Maric Valenti Matthews Wall Matheson MaCreadie Sandringham Sautner Miles Paterakis Armitage McEvoy Casey Scorpions reserves toiled manfully after a slow start and went down by 28 points to Sandringham. Tom McNamara led the defence well while 194cm De La Salle recruit Matt Moore booted five goals at full forward. Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 7.4.46 11.7.73 15.12.102 Sandringham 4.5.29 8.10.58 14.14.98 19.16.130 Goals Casey Scorpion s Moore 5 Collins Vernon 2 Bolton Crespin McNamara Mildren Sykes Virtue Sandringham Eddy Waller 4 Harektuku 3 Johnston Jones Stanley 2 Connors Ferraro Best Casey Scorpions McNamara Patti Virtue Vernon Panozza Healey Sandringham Stanley Simpkin Waller McGarry Dean Harektuku HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rhys Healey - in only his second game after a lay off with a back injury, he showed out with poise and balance. Daniel Hughes - playing his first VFL game since 2007, Hughes saw out his allocated half a game and took some nice marks. Also turned over the ball a couple of times but will hopefully get better as he regains touch. Tom McNamara - another player returning from injury, McNamara played a half last week and built on that performance yesterday. Defended solidly and went forward to kick a nice goal. James Strauss - a hesitant start for Strauss in his first hit out after suffering an ankle injury during the pre season. Matthew Whelan - played about half a game and appeared to be limping when seen walking to the rooms at the end of the game. We'll see how he pulls up in the next day or so.

Place your votes here 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

ALL GREEK TO GERMAN - an article on Casey coach Peter German from the local Cranbourne Leader newspaper.

by Westender Please spare a thought for those of us who are avid Melbourne supporters and who reside in the City of Churches (that's Adelaide for the benefit of any Collingwood or Port Adelaide fans who might have strayed in here). It's an absolute nightmare! Not just because the city is a "piss ant town" as correctly described by Adelaide United soccer team coach Aurelio Vidmar after his team lost the A League major semi final a couple of months ago to Melbourne Victory but because its piss ant AFL teams always seem to massacre the Demons when they come over here. This dominance must all be luck thanks to the fact that Melbourne just can't perform well at AAMI Stadium. They last won a game there in Round 2, 2001 when Andrew Leoncelli pounced on a ball that was tapped in his path from a boundary line throw in by David Schwarz and goaled 30 seconds from the end to give them a famous victory by three points but you have to go back a year further to Round 8 of 2000 to find a record of a Melbourne win against Port Adelaide at what was then Football Park. Last year, Melbourne ventured over to Adelaide twice and on both occasions it was after the team had feasted on the rare taste of victory. Supporters of the club had reason to be confident after the Dees came back from a deficit of more than 50 points to beat Fremantle in the preceding game. We were on a bit of a roll and our hopes were high that we could give the Crows a bit of a touch up. No way Jose! On the graveyard we know as AAMI Stadium, Adelaide simply blew us away to the tune of 76 points. Could there be anything worse? Yes there could. Later in the year when both sides were playing for nothing but pride and Melbourne was coming off a win against the Eagles at the G, Port Adelaide carried out a clinical demolition of a dismal, dispirited and injury plagued Demon team by 78 points giving them a combined losing margin in their two matches over here in 2008 of more than 25 goals. So please don't ask me if I'm going to go to Sunday's game confident of a Melbourne victory. With our young developing team I'm not expecting them to travel well and I'll be happy if they just perform up to coach Dean Bailey's expectations and be competitive all afternoon - and not only for the first quarter and a half. A footnote to this story is that our AAMI anguish may not last much longer. Our young kids will get better as they get more games in their legs and that's fine if you have a lot patience at your disposal. But there's another way to break the AAMI hoodoo. It's been reported in our media that the AFL is contemplating fixturing some games at Adelaide Oval, which is undergoing a $90m facelift so perhaps the Demons could apply to play their Adelaide games at the famous cricket ground. Andrew Demetriou ignored the request I made last year when I unselfishly called for Melbourne to host both the Crows and Port in 2009 and not make the club play any games at AAMI. On Sunday, the Dees and the Power meet for the 19th time of which 13 of those encounters will have been at AAMI Stadium. That's absolutely ridiculous! So Andrew, if you must make the Demons play games in this piss ant town, then let them do it at the Adelaide Oval. After all, they are a section of the Melbourne Cricket Club (the biggest sporting organisation in the country) and it's just not cricket for them to play at that other ground. On top of that, they're just not lucky when they're with AAMI. THE GAME Port Adelaide v Melbourne at AAMI Stadium Sunday 12 April 2009 at 1.10pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 8 wins At AAMI Stadium Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 2 wins Since 2000 Port Adelaide 8 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Williams 1 win Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 at 1pm (live) Radio ABC774 SEN THE BETTING Port Adelaide to win $1.15 Melbourne to win $5.00 LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 18.21.129 defeated Melbourne 7.9.51 Round 21 2008 at AAMI Stadium Frankly, the game was a bit of a blur. I remember the teams running out onto the ground that Brad Miller kicked a couple of goals while Colin Sylvia and Simon Buckley played well for the Dees but, other than that, it was all black, white and teal. At the end of the game, coach Dean Bailey was said to be gutted by his team's performance. So was I. TEAMS PORT ADELAIDE Backs Michael Pettigrew Alipate Carlile Jacob Surjan Half backs Nathan Krakouer Troy Chaplin Domenic Cassisi Centreline Shaun Burgoyne Chad Cornes Steven Salopek Half forwards Robbie Gray Warren Tredrea Peter Burgoyne Forwards Brendon Lade Daniel Motlop Brett Ebert Followers Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Danyle Pearce Interchange Travis Boak Josh Carr Matt Thomas Wade Thompson Emergencies Tom Logan Toby Thurstans Matthew Westhoff In Dean Brogan Matt Thomas Wade Thompson Out David Rodan (omitted) Toby Thurstans (omitted) Justin Westhoff (foot) New Wade Thompson (North Adelaide) MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs James Frawley Stefan Martin Brock McLean Centreline Jamie Bennell Aaron Davey Clint Bartram Half forwards Matthew Bate Colin Sylvia Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Ricky Petterd Brent Moloney Followers Paul Johnson Cameron Bruce Brad Green Interchange Kyle Cheney Neville Jetta Nathan Jones John Meesen Emergencies Addam Maric Michael Newton Jake Spencer In Lynden Dunn John Meesen Out James McDonald (hamstring) Jake Spencer (omitted) New John Meesen (Norwood) WHO'LL WIN? If games are won and lost in the midfield then all you need to do is cast your eyes over the respective teams' midfield line ups and you can see what's about to come down. Port has Dean Brogan back after a week's rest courtesy of the AFL's judicial system and the talk of the town in Adelaide is that he's out for blood. He has a quality back up in Brendan Lade against the Demon rucks but probably won't need his help. The game breakers in both of Melbourne's games so far have been the opposition ruckmen so I'd be backing Brogan to wrack up the points in all those fantasy footy competitions. And around Brogan you'll find the Cornes brothers, Pearce, S. Burgoyne and Salopek who should have far too much class and skill for their Demon counterparts. I'm not all that convinced about the rest of the Port Adelaide team and they must be mentally fragile after their thrashing at the hands of West Coast last week. For its part Melbourne has an emerging back line but there are too many of its first choice players missing for my liking even if those players aren't champions. If you're a visiting team over here then you need to have close to your full list available. Melbourne's inexperience, lack of depth and the fact that too many players are still trying to find their feet after injury and form lapses will be a telling factor. I expect a much better effort than 2008 and seeing as how it's been a big week in football for chickens, I reckon "Chook" McLean might have a good one at last if we're lucky. Unfortunately, even luck won't be enough and it will still be Port Adelaide by 49 points.

LUCKY? by Westender Please spare a thought for those of us who are avid Melbourne supporters and who reside in the City of Churches (that's Adelaide for the benefit of any Collingwood or Port Adelaide fans who might have strayed in here). It's an absolute nightmare! Not just because the city is a "piss ant town" as correctly described by Adelaide United soccer team coach Aurelio Vidmar after his team lost the A League major semi final a couple of months ago to Melbourne Victory but because its piss ant AFL teams always seem to massacre the Demons when they come over here. This dominance must all be luck thanks to the fact that Melbourne just can't perform well at AAMI Stadium. They last won a game there in Round 2, 2001 when Andrew Leoncelli pounced on a ball that was tapped in his path from a boundary line throw in by David Schwarz and goaled 30 seconds from the end to give them a famous victory by three points but you have to go back a year further to Round 8 of 2000 to find a record of a Melbourne win against Port Adelaide at what was then Football Park. Last year, Melbourne ventured over to Adelaide twice and on both occasions it was after the team had feasted on the rare taste of victory. Supporters of the club had reason to be confident after the Dees came back from a deficit of more than 50 points to beat Fremantle in the preceding game. We were on a bit of a roll and our hopes were high that we could give the Crows a bit of a touch up. No way Jose! On the graveyard we know as AAMI Stadium, Adelaide simply blew us away to the tune of 76 points. Could there be anything worse? Yes there could. Later in the year when both sides were playing for nothing but pride and Melbourne was coming off a win against the Eagles at the G, Port Adelaide carried out a clinical demolition of a dismal, dispirited and injury plagued Demon team by 78 points giving them a combined losing margin in their two matches over here in 2008 of more than 25 goals. So please don't ask me if I'm going to go to Sunday's game confident of a Melbourne victory. With our young developing team I'm not expecting them to travel well and I'll be happy if they just perform up to coach Dean Bailey's expectations and be competitive all afternoon - and not only for the first quarter and a half. A footnote to this story is that our AAMI anguish may not last much longer. Our young kids will get better as they get more games in their legs and that's fine if you have a lot patience at your disposal. But there's another way to break the AAMI hoodoo. It's been reported in our media that the AFL is contemplating fixturing some games at Adelaide Oval, which is undergoing a $90m facelift so perhaps the Demons could apply to play their Adelaide games at the famous cricket ground. Andrew Demetriou ignored the request I made last year when I unselfishly called for Melbourne to host both the Crows and Port in 2009 and not make the club play any games at AAMI. On Sunday, the Dees and the Power meet for the 19th time of which 13 of those encounters will have been at AAMI Stadium. That's absolutely ridiculous! So Andrew, if you must make the Demons play games in this piss ant town, then let them do it at the Adelaide Oval. After all, they are a section of the Melbourne Cricket Club (the biggest sporting organisation in the country) and it's just not cricket for them to play at that other ground. On top of that, they're just not lucky when they're with AAMI. THE GAME Port Adelaide v Melbourne at AAMI Stadium Sunday 12 April 2009 at 1.10pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 8 wins At AAMI Stadium Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 2 wins Since 2000 Port Adelaide 8 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Williams 1 win Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 at 1pm (live) Radio ABC774 SEN THE BETTING Port Adelaide to win $1.15 Melbourne to win $5.00 LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 18.21.129 defeated Melbourne 7.9.51 Round 21 2008 at AAMI Stadium Frankly, the game was a bit of a blur. I remember the teams running out onto the ground that Brad Miller kicked a couple of goals while Colin Sylvia and Simon Buckley played well for the Dees but, other than that, it was all black, white and teal. At the end of the game, coach Dean Bailey was said to be gutted by his team's performance. So was I. TEAMS PORT ADELAIDE Backs Michael Pettigrew Alipate Carlile Jacob Surjan Half backs Nathan Krakouer Troy Chaplin Domenic Cassisi Centreline Shaun Burgoyne Chad Cornes Steven Salopek Half forwards Robbie Gray Warren Tredrea Peter Burgoyne Forwards Brendon Lade Daniel Motlop Brett Ebert Followers Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Danyle Pearce Interchange Travis Boak Josh Carr Matt Thomas Wade Thompson Emergencies Tom Logan Toby Thurstans Matthew Westhoff In Dean Brogan Matt Thomas Wade Thompson Out David Rodan (omitted) Toby Thurstans (omitted) Justin Westhoff (foot) New Wade Thompson (North Adelaide) MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs James Frawley Stefan Martin Brock McLean Centreline Jamie Bennell Aaron Davey Clint Bartram Half forwards Matthew Bate Colin Sylvia Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Ricky Petterd Brent Moloney Followers Paul Johnson Cameron Bruce Brad Green Interchange Kyle Cheney Neville Jetta Nathan Jones John Meesen Emergencies Addam Maric Michael Newton Jake Spencer In Lynden Dunn John Meesen Out James McDonald (hamstring) Jake Spencer (omitted) New John Meesen (Norwood) WHO'LL WIN? If games are won and lost in the midfield then all you need to do is cast your eyes over the respective teams' midfield line ups and you can see what's about to come down. Port has Dean Brogan back after a week's rest courtesy of the AFL's judicial system and the talk of the town in Adelaide is that he's out for blood. He has a quality back up in Brendan Lade against the Demon rucks but probably won't need his help. The game breakers in both of Melbourne's games so far have been the opposition ruckmen so I'd be backing Brogan to wrack up the points in all those fantasy footy competitions. And around Brogan you'll find the Cornes brothers, Pearce, S. Burgoyne and Salopek who should have far too much class and skill for their Demon counterparts. I'm not all that convinced about the rest of the Port Adelaide team and they must be mentally fragile after their thrashing at the hands of West Coast last week. For its part Melbourne has an emerging back line but there are too many of its first choice players missing for my liking even if those players aren't champions. If you're a visiting team over here then you need to have close to your full list available. Melbourne's inexperience, lack of depth and the fact that too many players are still trying to find their feet after injury and form lapses will be a telling factor. I expect a much better effort than 2008 and seeing as how it's been a big week in football for chickens, I reckon "Chook" McLean might have a good one at last if we're lucky. Unfortunately, even luck won't be enough and it will still be Port Adelaide by 49 points.

Round 21 2008 (we lost) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Toby Thurstans Alipate Carlile Nick Lower Half backs Jacob Surjan Troy Chaplin Peter Burgoyne Centreline Domenic Cassisi Kane Cornes Travis Boak Half forwards Tom Logan Matthew Westhoff Danyle Pearce Forwards Justin Westhoff Daniel Motlop Brett Ebert Followers Dean Brogan Shaun Burgoyne David Rodan Interchange Brendon Lade Marlon Motlop Paul Stewart Damon White Emergencies Greg Bentley Mitch Farmer Nathan Lonie In Dean Brogan Daniel Motlop Marlon Motlop Paul Stewart Out Mitch Farmer (omitted) Robbie Gray (ankle) Michael Pettigrew (shoulder) Ryan Williams (omitted) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Stefan Martin Colin Garland Half backs James McDonald Matthew Warnock Paul Wheatley Centreline Simon Buckley Cameron Bruce Matthew Bate Half forwards Brad Green Colin Sylvia Austin Wonaeamirri Forwards Jeff White Brad Miller Michael Newton Followers Mark Jamar Cale Morton Nathan Jones Interchange Clint Bartram Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Adem Yze Emergencies James Frawley Addam Maric Shane Valenti In Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Jeff White Adem Yze Out James Frawley (omitted) Paul Johnson (hip) Addam Maric (omitted) Shane Valenti (omitted)