Demonland

INTIMIDATION by Dave from Dianella On Anzac Day, I sat down in my lounge room with my young son and we watched a riveting contest between Collingwood and Essendon. The Pies got the jump on the Bombers but Jimmy Hird's boys fought back and the two teams fought it out tooth and nail to produce a sensational spectacle. I dare say there would be very few Essendon supporters who wouldn't have been satisfied with the outcome because their team had a dip against superior quality opposition. Last year's 14th placed team is young and it's going places. Last night, I was able to head down to Patersons Stadium to watch Eagles v Demons and fortunately, I left the young bloke at home. I came with hope and expectation given that West Coast did finish last in 2010 and Melbourne was far more advanced in its rebuild than the local side in my adopted hope city. Little did I know! With a few exceptions, what I saw was seemingly a team of rank amateurs caught in the headlights and mesmerised by the atmospheric conditions at the ground. As far as the first quarter was concerned, I haven't seen anything like it in an elite competition of any sport (although admittedly, I didn't take the trouble to view the Gold Coast Suns' debut at the Gabba a month ago). Most of you have probably seen the game on your television screens and let me say that such a view didn't give the whole, horrible picture that unfolded before our eyes. Nor did the quarter time scores of 5.5.35 to 0.2.2. What you would have seen was the hesitation, the fumbling, the lack of skills or the fear in players to do what should come naturally from a well drilled professional side. They looked intimidated. However, those of us who were present did see the extent of how badly the team's third rate game plan was executed. From up there in the stands we saw the birth of a new style of football which, for want of a better description I will call the "backward press" in opposition to the more common "forward press" adopted by many successful AFL sides these days. In order to pull off a successful "backward press" you have to have skill, ability, a determination to succeed and raw emotion. Even then, it will probably fail because of its flawed nature against the systems that are currently in vogue but Melbourne achieved the extraordinary because it lacked the lot. The result was a scenario that saw the ball move from a contested situation at centre bounces in the ruck (where Mark Jamar at least held his own on his own against two big athletic monsters), the ball would be invariably won by an Eagle (this started in the opening play of the game with Nick Naitanui's run towards goal), and end up deep inside the West Coast forward line where it was permanently positioned until the home side scored. When the ball was won by a Melbourne player, it would be shuffled around deep inside the opposition fifty from player to player until it eventually went either out of bounds on the full or to a team mate under pressure or directly by miskick, bad handball, fumble or all of the above straight to an Eagle for an ultimate score. Lots of West Coast goals were scored by our turnovers and, on the very rare occasion when it did go in the direction of Melbourne's goals, the attack was easily repulsed (however, I defy Buddy Franklin, Peter Hudson or God himself to kick goals when your midfield isn't giving you any service). The inside 50 count at the first break just about said it all - 22 to 3. Now I remember watching a game a few years ago and the commentators were marvelling at how low one of the team's inside 50 numbers was for a game. The figure of around 30 was being discussed as close to a record low. So if multiply the number 3 by 4 quarters to get 12 you can get a feeling of the depths of Melbourne's ineptitude. No skills, no pressure, no leadership and no direction. But ... they're a young side and have a few year's development in them before are set to challenge, you say? Sod that because youth and inexperience is no excuse for rubbish which is what was served up against last night's opposition. Needless to say, things improved after the first break because they had to, and at half time I was beaming like those Gold Coast people who marvelled at winning a quarter off us at the Gabba a fortnight ago. We had just won the second quarter!!! Hallelujah, because we happened to be hopeless in winning that quarter and things only got worse in the third and the last. How we only ended up losing by nine goals is a miracle but I suppose we owe it to Colin Garland and Clint Bartram who battled manfully in defence, Jack Trengove and Jack Watts who can hold their heads up high and the poor old Russian who will at least remember his 100th game if only for all the wrong reasons. If I have to name any others, I'll throw in Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes but for the life of me, I don't know what's happened to coaches who are brave enough to try something different if things aren't working during a game. All we did was take off Jordan Gysberts and replace him with Lynden Dunn but there was nothing fundamentally different in the way we went about things in the second half. We were rancid and in the end, Priddis with his dislocated finger was showing up our pathetic show ponies in the midfield. I heard that Dean Bailey said the team would have to work hard during the week in payment for their poor performance last night. What's wrong with working harder during the game next week against Adelaide? And on that subject. No panic but if there aren't five or six changes in the side for next week then the football department is as soft as they appear to the outside world at the moment. Melbourne 0.2.2 3.6.24 4.8.32 6.16.52 West Coast 5.3.33 7.8.50 10.12.72 15.16.106 Goals Melbourne Davey Dunn Jones Moloney Sylvia Watts West Coast Darling Embley Lynch 3 Kennedy Nicoski 2 LeCras Rosa Best Melbourne Jamar Garland Watts Trengove Jones Bartram West Coast Priddis Ebert Cox Kerr Nicoski S Selwood Injuries Melbourne Nil West Coast Priddis (dislocated finger) Changes Melbourne Nil West Coast Nil Reports Melbourne Nil West Coast Nil Umpires Chris Donlon Shane Stewart Brett Rosebury Crowd 36,298 at Subiaco.

COAST TO COAST by Dave from Dianella Having taken a leisurely week's break after its win against the Gold Coast Suns in Brisbane, Melbourne is heading off to foreign territory again to take on the West Coast Eagles at the newly named Patersons Stadium (formerly "Subiaco Oval") on Thursday night. Although pitted against last year's wooden spooner, in many respects, the emerging Demons face a major challenge that could well shape their season. Whenever a Melbourne side ventures west of the South Australian border, the talk inevitably turns to the club's woeful interstate playing record. Leaving aside the novelty of that triple header NAB Cup event in February, the team's record in Adelaide (no wins in more than a decade) is abysmal and its almost as bad across the Nullarbor in Perth where the last Demon victory came in Round 11, 2004. That was against Fremantle on a wet day when Peter Vardy kicked four goals and a young pimply faced Brock McLean in his first season helped in beating up the then lowly Dockers by 13.15.93 to 9.8.62. You have to go back another two years to Round 19, 2002 to find a Melbourne win over the West Coast Eagles. The Dees fell in by a straight kick that day, 15.16.106 to 15.10.100. But all that's history. Half the current side had barely reached puberty and a fresh faced Brad Green was barely out of his teens. Little Johnny Howard was the Prime Minister, you could buy a tank of petrol without having to mortgage your house and Saddam Hussein was busily boasting about the weapons of mass destruction he either didn't have or has hidden so well in the desert that nobody can find them. My point is that we're now in 2011. This is a new and different Melbourne team to that which last ventured over here to take on the West Coast two years ago and, if they are to start making an impact on the competition, they need to perform well in places far away from home. And while many have been critical of the way the team has performed to date, a look at the AFL ladder indicates that, despite having already had one of its two byes for the season, it occupies a place in the top half for the first time in half a decade. That may be partially thanks to a very friendly draw but you can develop some momentum in these situations. That's why Thursday night looms large for the Melbourne Football Club as a great opportunity for it to accept the challenge and take another step forward on what still remains a long journey. THE GAME West Coast Eagles v Melbourne at Patersons Stadium - Thursday 28 April 2011 at 8:40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall West Coast 25 wins Melbourne 15 wins At Patersons Stadium West Coast 11 wins Melbourne 5 wins Since 2000 West Coast 9 wins Melbourne 7 wins The Coaches Worsfold 2 wins Bailey 2 wins MEDIA TV Channel 10 live at 8.30 pm (Victoria) RADIO 1116SEN ABC774 3AW THE BETTING West Coast to win $1.72 Melbourne to win $2.00 LAST TIME THEY MET West Coast 10.15.75 defeated Melbourne 6.10.46 at the MCG Round 8, 2010 The Demons started red hot favourites to win this game on their home turf but, after an even first half with scores were level on 5.5.35 apiece, the Eagles dominated. Melbourne constantly bombed away into the forward line but simply had nobody to take the big grab and when the ball hit the ground, the West Coast defence moved the ball away from danger with consummate ease. To the dismay of their home fans, the Demons kicked only one goal in the last half and in the final analysis, the loss against the eventual wooden spooner was arguably their worst performance for the year. Only aging skipper James McDonald could hold his head high at the end of the day. THE TEAMS WEST COAST EAGLES Backs Ashley Smith Darren Glass Shannon Hurn Half backs Sam Butler Eric Mackenzie Scott Selwood Centreline Andrew Embley Matthew Priddis Matthew Rosa Half forwards Luke Shuey Josh Kennedy Mark Nicoski Forwards Mark LeCras Quinten Lynch Jack Darling Followers Dean Cox Daniel Kerr Adam Selwood Interchange Bradley Ebert Nic Naitanui Patrick McGinnity Andrew Gaff Emergencies Will Schofield Thomas Swift Gerrick Weedon In Mark LeCras Ashley Smith Patrick McGinnity Out Mitch Brown (hand) Will Schofield Bradd Dalziell MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Jack Grimes Colin Garland Luke Tapscott Centreline Brad Green Nathan Jones Rohan Bail Half forwards Jordan Gysberts Colin Sylvia Aaron Davey Forwards Austin Wonaeamirri Liam Jurrah Jack Watts Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Jack Trengove Interchange Jamie Bennell Lynden Dunn Stef Martin Cale Morton Emergencies Addam Maric Ricky Petterd Matthew Warnock No Change CLIFFHANGER Some Melbourne fans were apparently not happy with the 15 goal victory over the Suns in their first encounter against the new franchise a little under a fortnight ago. Presumably, they were expecting to see Melbourne break Carlton's record 119 point winning margin from round two (I think they could have achieved a not hit the woodwork six or seven times during the match). This critical approach is an interesting phenomenon, perhaps due to heightened expectations resulting from a handful of very good performances in the latter half of 2010. On top of that, the club has stability at the top in terms of its administration and its finances and is developing a fine list of players that will only get better with the experience which only time can bring. But is it realistic to expect sustained rather than gradual improvement in between the usual ups and downs? The opposition this week is also a developing unit with a good mix of youth and experience. The Eagles have shown marked improvement this year with the return to form of Dean Cox, the steadiness of skipper Darren Glass, the vitality of Andrew Embley and the return of Daniel Kerr who always seems to turn it on against Melbourne. Josh Kennedy is hitting his straps at centre half forward and long kicking Quentin Lynch is always a danger. Scott Selwood is also in his best form at the club. They also have some good young 'uns in Nick Naitanui, Luke Shuey and first year pair Andrew Gaff and Jack Darling. West Coast has been consistent in its four matches to date and could easily have been four and zip with a bit of luck. The Eagles' last start performance was a narrow loss to Hawthorn in Launceston and it was a far superior effort to that which Melbourne produced in capitulating against the Hawks earlier in the month. A key duel will be in the ruck where Melbourne has fared well so far this year thanks to the dominance of Mark Jamar and the rapid improvement of Stefan Martin in the back up ruckman's role. They face their biggest test in 2011 against an in form Cox and the exuberant Naitanui and this extends not only to the ruck contests but to the around the ground play on the open spaces of Patersons Stadium. I can recall a famous Demon victory at this same venue in the late 1990s that was instigated by a winning ruck set up, a hard working midfield and some individual brilliance. The team will need to win the contested football and work hard in the clinches to pull this one out of the bag. I expect the individual brilliance to be provided by the indigenous stars in Liam Jurrah, Aaron Davey, Austin Wonaeamirri and Jamie Bennell. The fact is that a win in this game will open up a little space between Melbourne and other competitors for a in the race for a top eight placing and even at this early stage, it will not hurt the team to be so well placed for the first time in many years. With many players putting their hands up for a game at the Casey Scorpions, the young Demons have all the incentive to put in a blinder under the gaze of the football world on prime time television. If they want to remain in the limelight they will need to perform and I believe they will do just enough to win a cliffhanger in the West. Melbourne by 2 points.

COAST TO COAST by Dave from Dianella Having taken a leisurely week's break after its win against the Gold Coast Suns in Brisbane, Melbourne is heading off to foreign territory again to take on the West Coast Eagles at the newly named Patersons Stadium (formerly "Subiaco Oval") on Thursday night. Although pitted against last year's wooden spooner, in many respects, the emerging Demons face a major challenge that could well shape their season. Whenever a Melbourne side ventures west of the South Australian border, the talk inevitably turns to the club's woeful interstate playing record. Leaving aside the novelty of that triple header NAB Cup event in February, the team's record in Adelaide (no wins in more than a decade) is abysmal and its almost as bad across the Nullarbor in Perth where the last Demon victory came in Round 11, 2004. That was against Fremantle on a wet day when Peter Vardy kicked four goals and a young pimply faced Brock McLean in his first season helped in beating up the then lowly Dockers by 13.15.93 to 9.8.62. You have to go back another two years to Round 19, 2002 to find a Melbourne win over the West Coast Eagles. The Dees fell in by a straight kick that day, 15.16.106 to 15.10.100. But all that's history. Half the current side had barely reached puberty and a fresh faced Brad Green was barely out of his teens. Little Johnny Howard was the Prime Minister, you could buy a tank of petrol without having to mortgage your house and Saddam Hussein was busily boasting about the weapons of mass destruction he either didn't have or has hidden so well in the desert that nobody can find them. My point is that we're now in 2011. This is a new and different Melbourne team to that which last ventured over here to take on the West Coast two years ago and, if they are to start making an impact on the competition, they need to perform well in places far away from home. And while many have been critical of the way the team has performed to date, a look at the AFL ladder indicates that, despite having already had one of its two byes for the season, it occupies a place in the top half for the first time in half a decade. That may be partially thanks to a very friendly draw but you can develop some momentum in these situations. That's why Thursday night looms large for the Melbourne Football Club as a great opportunity for it to accept the challenge and take another step forward on what still remains a long journey. THE GAME West Coast Eagles v Melbourne at Patersons Stadium - Thursday 28 April 2011 at 8:40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall West Coast 25 wins Melbourne 15 wins At Patersons Stadium West Coast 11 wins Melbourne 5 wins Since 2000 West Coast 9 wins Melbourne 7 wins The Coaches Worsfold 2 wins Bailey 2 wins MEDIA TV Channel 10 live at 8.30 pm (Victoria) RADIO 1116SEN ABC774 3AW THE BETTING West Coast to win $1.72 Melbourne to win $2.00 LAST TIME THEY MET West Coast 10.15.75 defeated Melbourne 6.10.46 at the MCG Round 8, 2010 The Demons started red hot favourites to win this game on their home turf but, after an even first half with scores were level on 5.5.35 apiece, the Eagles dominated. Melbourne constantly bombed away into the forward line but simply had nobody to take the big grab and when the ball hit the ground, the West Coast defence moved the ball away from danger with consummate ease. To the dismay of their home fans, the Demons kicked only one goal in the last half and in the final analysis, the loss against the eventual wooden spooner was arguably their worst performance for the year. Only aging skipper James McDonald could hold his head high at the end of the day. THE TEAMS WEST COAST EAGLES Backs Ashley Smith Darren Glass Shannon Hurn Half backs Sam Butler Eric Mackenzie Scott Selwood Centreline Andrew Embley Matthew Priddis Matthew Rosa Half forwards Luke Shuey Josh Kennedy Mark Nicoski Forwards Mark LeCras Quinten Lynch Jack Darling Followers Dean Cox Daniel Kerr Adam Selwood Interchange Bradley Ebert Nic Naitanui Patrick McGinnity Andrew Gaff Emergencies Will Schofield Thomas Swift Gerrick Weedon In Mark LeCras Ashley Smith Patrick McGinnity Out Mitch Brown (hand) Will Schofield Bradd Dalziell MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Jack Grimes Colin Garland Luke Tapscott Centreline Brad Green Nathan Jones Rohan Bail Half forwards Jordan Gysberts Colin Sylvia Aaron Davey Forwards Austin Wonaeamirri Liam Jurrah Jack Watts Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Jack Trengove Interchange Jamie Bennell Lynden Dunn Stef Martin Cale Morton Emergencies Addam Maric Ricky Petterd Matthew Warnock No Change CLIFFHANGER Some Melbourne fans were apparently not happy with the 15 goal victory over the Suns in their first encounter against the new franchise a little under a fortnight ago. Presumably, they were expecting to see Melbourne break Carlton's record 119 point winning margin from round two (I think they could have achieved a not hit the woodwork six or seven times during the match). This critical approach is an interesting phenomenon, perhaps due to heightened expectations resulting from a handful of very good performances in the latter half of 2010. On top of that, the club has stability at the top in terms of its administration and its finances and is developing a fine list of players that will only get better with the experience which only time can bring. But is it realistic to expect sustained rather than gradual improvement in between the usual ups and downs? The opposition this week is also a developing unit with a good mix of youth and experience. The Eagles have shown marked improvement this year with the return to form of Dean Cox, the steadiness of skipper Darren Glass, the vitality of Andrew Embley and the return of Daniel Kerr who always seems to turn it on against Melbourne. Josh Kennedy is hitting his straps at centre half forward and long kicking Quentin Lynch is always a danger. Scott Selwood is also in his best form at the club. They also have some good young 'uns in Nick Naitanui, Luke Shuey and first year pair Andrew Gaff and Jack Darling. West Coast has been consistent in its four matches to date and could easily have been four and zip with a bit of luck. The Eagles' last start performance was a narrow loss to Hawthorn in Launceston and it was a far superior effort to that which Melbourne produced in capitulating against the Hawks earlier in the month. A key duel will be in the ruck where Melbourne has fared well so far this year thanks to the dominance of Mark Jamar and the rapid improvement of Stefan Martin in the back up ruckman's role. They face their biggest test in 2011 against an in form Cox and the exuberant Naitanui and this extends not only to the ruck contests but to the around the ground play on the open spaces of Patersons Stadium. I can recall a famous Demon victory at this same venue in the late 1990s that was instigated by a winning ruck set up, a hard working midfield and some individual brilliance. The team will need to win the contested football and work hard in the clinches to pull this one out of the bag. I expect the individual brilliance to be provided by the indigenous stars in Liam Jurrah, Aaron Davey, Austin Wonaeamirri and Jamie Bennell. The fact is that a win in this game will open up a little space between Melbourne and other competitors for a in the race for a top eight placing and even at this early stage, it will not hurt the team to be so well placed for the first time in many years. With many players putting their hands up for a game at the Casey Scorpions, the young Demons have all the incentive to put in a blinder under the gaze of the football world on prime time television. If they want to remain in the limelight they will need to perform and I believe they will do just enough to win a cliffhanger in the West. Melbourne by 2 points.

The last time these sides met was at the G back in Round 8 last year. Melbourne was coming off the back of an unlucky loss to a leading team in the Western Bulldogs while the Eagles' form was chopped liver. Melbourne flopped. MELBOURNE Backs Jack Grimes Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs Cameron Bruce James Frawley Colin Garland Centreline James McDonald Jordie McKenzie Aaron Davey Half forwards Jamie Bennell Matthew Bate Jack Watts Forwards Nathan Jones Daniel Hughes Brad Green Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Tom Scully Interchange Clint Bartram Paul Johnson Colin Sylvia Jack Trengove Emergencies Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta Jake Spencer In Jack Watts Out Lynden Dunn WEST COAST Backs Will Schofield Darren Glass Beau Waters Half backs Lewis Stevenson Eric MacKenzie Shannon Hurn Centreline Matt Rosa Matt Priddis Brad Ebert Half forwards Brad Sheppard Josh Kennedy Ashton Hams Forwards Mark Nicoski Quinten Lynch Mark LeCras Followers Dean Cox Adam Selwood Tom Swift Interchange Patrick McGinnity Ben McKinley Nic Naitanui Scott Selwood Emergencies Mitchell Brown Bradd Dalziell Ashley Hansen In Scott Selwood Out Bradd Dalziell

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS - NUMBER THIRTY-ONE: PART ONE by the Professor It would be fair to say that of those who have worn the number 31 at the Melbourne Football Club over the past one hundred years only one could be considered a true champion of the club. Although he would always maintain that our game is a team sport, Ronald Dale Barassi stands so far apart from the rest that he warrants his own chapter in the Melbourne Football Club Book of Numbers. He played in six premierships and eight grand finals in his dozen years as a player, proudly filling the jumper his late father wore before he became an Anzac and gave his life for his country at a time when young Ron Junior was just five years of age. Ron Senior and Colin Deane before him and Stan Rule after them were premiership players. Ray Groom was a good footballer who won the Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy for club best and fairest in 1968 and Paul Wheatley was a steady performer who notched up 135 games in ten seasons but to be honest, the rest of those who wore the number were underachievers and cast offs from other clubs who never quite made it in the red and the blue. Ten players wore Melbourne's famous number 31 guernsey before it found its way into the hands of a Barassi. Another ten have worn it since the last Barassi finished at the club at the end of 1964 but, only now, can we really accept that this famous number can again be associated with the success that attached itself to the name of the greatest Demon ever. In his first season, Tom Scully made a promising debut and while a knee injury in the first half of his second year is a setback, his undoubted skills promise a great deal for his future and that of the Melbourne Football Club. It all began almost a hundred years ago in 1913 when Frank Ellis formerly of Williamstown and Richmond crossed over from Punt Road Oval to play six games. He also wore the number 30 during his short stint at the club then known as "The Fuschias". Jack Woolley was a football journeyman who played two games for two goals at Melbourne in 1914 wearing the number 31. He also played at Carlton and Essendon as well as minor league clubs South Yarra, Northcote, Preston and Hawthorn. The next custodian of 31 was A.M. "Max" Hislop in 1915. The year before, he had played nine games for Collingwood but after just one game at Melbourne he retired. Two years later Hislop was talked into playing for Richmond in where he became a 100 game dual premiership player. Leo Little had been a fine servant of the University Football Club before it disbanded during the Great War. He was recruited to Melbourne in 1919 and was given the number 31 but discarded it in favour of 3 the following year. He played 12 games for 4 goals before transferring in his work to Canberra. Reginald Ellis was a veteran defender from St. Kilda (he had played in the Saints' first grand final in 1913) when he acquired the number 31 in 1920. The solid 179 cm defender played only one game for the club. He was also a fine cricketer who made a century on debut for Victoria at the age of 36. Ellis handed the jumper to Fred Long who played just 6 games between 1921 and 1922 and he was followed by Marcus Glasscock in 1923 who also played six games in his two seasons at Melbourne. Next to wear 31 was Tasmanian Colin Deane, a vigorous rover who played from 1925 to 1930 and was a member of the club's 1926 premiership side. His 82 games yielded 53 goals before returning home. Deane made a brief comeback as a player (3 games) and coach of St. Kilda in 1933. Former Hawthorn player, Lew Gough wore 39 in 1930, his first season at the club but he switched to 31 in his second season. Gough managed just five games before returning to Hawthorn the following year. Jack Power carried the number 12 on his back in 1930 and 1931 and followed Gough's lead taking 31 the next year. From Police and CYMS, the strongly built Power was 185cm and 95kg and played 36 games (6 goals) before transferring to Collingwood where he played three games in 1935. He was the grandfather of AFL footballers Luke and Sam Power. Ronald James Barassi was handed the number 31 guernsey when he arrived at the club from Castlemaine-Guildford in 1936. The honest, hardworking and courageous rover stood at 171cm and weighed 71kg and played 58 games for 84 goals. His last game was the club's 1940 premiership where he was 19th man. He died in action at Tobruk. Diminutive Leslie Gibbs was just 163cm tall. He wore number 28 in 1939 and switched to 31 in 1941. Gibbs played a total of 13 games for 8 goals and reclaimed the number for a short time after a break of a year in 1943 during which time, Melbourne Grammarian Ken Levey wore the jumper. Levey, who switched to 29 in 1944 played 17 games in his two seasons with the club. Harry New made a fleeting appearance in the number after Gibbs in 1944 but changed to 20 in 1945. He managed just two games in his two years in the red and the blue. Frank "Checker" Hughes Jnr (180 cm 77.5 kg) was the son of legendary coach Frank V. "Checker" Hughes who, like his father, crossed to Melbourne from Richmond. Hughes Senior was responsible for changing the club from Fuschias to Demons and coached four premierships at the club. His son played eight games in 1945. Stan Rule was a 22 year old, 185 cm, 86kg follower/defender when recruited from Brighton Technical School Old Boys in 1946 and he was fortunate enough to play in that year's grand final. Two years later he experienced two more grand finals, the first a draw and the second was Melbourne's famous 1948 premiership against Essendon. Rule played 74 games for 13 goals between 1946 and 1950 and also playing in the 46 grand final he also represented Victoria in 1949. With young Ronald Dale Barassi residing with Demon great and new coach Norm Smith the Demons pushed hard for the inception of the father/son rule and the club was rewarded when he wore his father's number for the first time in 1953, the start of a twelve year career that co-incided with the club's golden era until 1964. Players bearing the title "champion" have been thin on the ground at Melbourne since he left dramatically in December of that year after 204 games to take on the mantle of captain coach at Carlton and begin a successful and highly decorated career as a VFL coach. Tasmanian Ray Groom wore the number 15 in his first two seasons at Melbourne but the 187cm 82.5 centre half forward from Cooee whose pace and marking were his assets was given the honour of filling Barassi's jumper early in 1965. Groom's family had left Tasmania when the youngster was 12 years of age. He played in Melbourne's underage sides, returned home for two senior seasons at Cooee then returned to Melbourne making a big impression in his opening year. His form fell away in 1964 and he missed a place in the premiership team but Melbourne had faith safe and gave him the number 31. Groom won the Demons' best and fairest in 1968 playing mainly in defence before returning to Tasmania. In later years he was a Federal and State MP and rose to the leadership of the Tasmanian Liberal party to become Premier of Tasmania. Legendary Melbourne Football Club administrator Jim Cardwell had put in a great deal of effort to secure Bill Barham, a star country footballer of the 1950's and he always maintained that Barham was the one that got away. Barham's eldest son Ricky was zoned to Collingwood and he became a star but Cardwell persevered and snared Bill Junior and Jamie Barham. Unfortunately, neither of them set the world alight. Given the famous number 31, the 178 cm, 73 kg Bill Barham Junior played only 12 games (14 goals) in 1974 and 1975 before handing the number to another member of a famous footballing family. Redheaded Paul Goss stood at 169cm (71 kg) and the diminutive rover loved a scrap. He was the son of famous Port Melbourne identity Norm Goss Senior and brother to South Melbourne legend Norm Goss Junior but like many of those who followed Barassi as wearer of the number 31, his days at this level were short-lived. He managed just four games for two goals in 1976 and his replacement, the 185 cm 79.5 kg Peter Garratt from Seymour managed just one game in 1978. The club changed tack in 1979 when it gave the number 31 to Phil Carman, the enigmatic Collingwood champion who was given his marching orders by the Pies at the end of 1978. Despite a couple of spectacular games with the Demons, he didn't really fit in with coach Carl Ditterich and left after a season in which he played 11 games and netted 23 goals. Carmen was followed by another high priced signing whose career at the club was curtailed by a spate of injuries that hampered him in his three seasons at the club. Kelvin Templeton became a Demon in 1983 after a stellar career as a leading VFL goal kicker. He was an expensive recruit who failed to live up to his price tag after booting eight goals in an early game at Kardinia Park against the Cats. He finished with 34 games and 99 goals. He became a skills coach and later was CEO at the Sydney Swans. At 180 cm and 83kg, the strongly built Rod Keogh not only bore a physical resemblance to Ron Barassi but he was drafted from Castemaine, the area where the Demon great's father was recruited in the 1930's. It was inevitable then that he would be given the number 31 guernsey when he arrived at the club in 1990. The expectations on him were great but he failed to live up to them although he won two Gardiner Medals. He played 22 senior games (8 goals) to 1993 before crossing to St. Kilda. The Demons used an early draft pick to recruit Donald Cockatoo-Collins in the 1995 national draft after securing his twin David as compensation for Jason Norrish who joined the Dockers. The Demons had promised the twins' mother who was dying of cancer, that it would draft Donald at the end of the year to ensure they would stay together. The boys were schooled at Wesley College, the promise was honoured and they both made their AFL debuts early in 1996. David, a small forward managed just one more game in 1997 while Donald, a utility (181cm, 77kg) played 9 games for 3 goals but he too was gone by the end of 1998. A Preston Knights recruit, Paul Wheatley made his debut for the Melbourne Football Club wearing 31 in 2000, after being selected at number 20 in the 1999 AFL Draft. A prodigious kick with the ability to pinpoint 60 metre passes using the drop punt, Wheatley kicked the first NAB Cup Super goal – a goal scored outside of 50 m and still holds the record for kicking more of these than any other player. At 188cm and 89kg, Wheatley was able to play in key positions as well as on a flank or wing. He missed the 2000 grand final while hampered with a hamstring injury and was restricted through his career by injuries finishing with 135 games and 34 goals by the end of 2009. As a mark of the high esteem in which he was held as a junior footballer, Tom Scully was presented his number 31 guernsey by Ronald Dale Barassi before the start of the 2010 season after being selected at number 1 in the 2009 AFL national draft. His 21 games and five goals in only his first year place him in the upper echelon of those who have worn the number over the past century. Without wanting to put too much pressure on the young man, I fully expect his name to be spoken of in similar terms to the great man who handed him the jumper some eighteen months ago.

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS - NUMBER THIRTY-ONE: PART ONE by the Professor It would be fair to say that of those who have worn the number 31 at the Melbourne Football Club over the past one hundred years only one could be considered a true champion of the club. Although he would always maintain that our game is a team sport, Ronald Dale Barassi stands so far apart from the rest that he warrants his own chapter in the Melbourne Football Club Book of Numbers. He played in six premierships and eight grand finals in his dozen years as a player, proudly filling the jumper his late father wore before he became an Anzac and gave his life for his country at a time when young Ron Junior was just five years of age. Ron Senior and Colin Deane before him and Stan Rule after them were premiership players. Ray Groom was a good footballer who won the Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy for club best and fairest in 1968 and Paul Wheatley was a steady performer who notched up 135 games in ten seasons but to be honest, the rest of those who wore the number were underachievers and cast offs from other clubs who never quite made it in the red and the blue. Ten players wore Melbourne's famous number 31 guernsey before it found its way into the hands of a Barassi. Another ten have worn it since the last Barassi finished at the club at the end of 1964 but, only now, can we really accept that this famous number can again be associated with the success that attached itself to the name of the greatest Demon ever. In his first season, Tom Scully made a promising debut and while a knee injury in the first half of his second year is a setback, his undoubted skills promise a great deal for his future and that of the Melbourne Football Club. It all began almost a hundred years ago in 1913 when Frank Ellis formerly of Williamstown and Richmond crossed over from Punt Road Oval to play six games. He also wore the number 30 during his short stint at the club then known as "The Fuschias". Jack Woolley was a football journeyman who played two games for two goals at Melbourne in 1914 wearing the number 31. He also played at Carlton and Essendon as well as minor league clubs South Yarra, Northcote, Preston and Hawthorn. The next custodian of 31 was A.M. "Max" Hislop in 1915. The year before, he had played nine games for Collingwood but after just one game at Melbourne he retired. Two years later Hislop was talked into playing for Richmond in where he became a 100 game dual premiership player. Leo Little had been a fine servant of the University Football Club before it disbanded during the Great War. He was recruited to Melbourne in 1919 and was given the number 31 but discarded it in favour of 3 the following year. He played 12 games for 4 goals before transferring in his work to Canberra. Reginald Ellis was a veteran defender from St. Kilda (he had played in the Saints' first grand final in 1913) when he acquired the number 31 in 1920. The solid 179 cm defender played only one game for the club. He was also a fine cricketer who made a century on debut for Victoria at the age of 36. Ellis handed the jumper to Fred Long who played just 6 games between 1921 and 1922 and he was followed by Marcus Glasscock in 1923 who also played six games in his two seasons at Melbourne. Next to wear 31 was Tasmanian Colin Deane, a vigorous rover who played from 1925 to 1930 and was a member of the club's 1926 premiership side. His 82 games yielded 53 goals before returning home. Deane made a brief comeback as a player (3 games) and coach of St. Kilda in 1933. Former Hawthorn player, Lew Gough wore 39 in 1930, his first season at the club but he switched to 31 in his second season. Gough managed just five games before returning to Hawthorn the following year. Jack Power carried the number 12 on his back in 1930 and 1931 and followed Gough's lead taking 31 the next year. From Police and CYMS, the strongly built Power was 185cm and 95kg and played 36 games (6 goals) before transferring to Collingwood where he played three games in 1935. He was the grandfather of AFL footballers Luke and Sam Power. Ronald James Barassi was handed the number 31 guernsey when he arrived at the club from Castlemaine-Guildford in 1936. The honest, hardworking and courageous rover stood at 171cm and weighed 71kg and played 58 games for 84 goals. His last game was the club's 1940 premiership where he was 19th man. He died in action at Tobruk. Diminutive Leslie Gibbs was just 163cm tall. He wore number 28 in 1939 and switched to 31 in 1941. Gibbs played a total of 13 games for 8 goals and reclaimed the number for a short time after a break of a year in 1943 during which time, Melbourne Grammarian Ken Levey wore the jumper. Levey, who switched to 29 in 1944 played 17 games in his two seasons with the club. Harry New made a fleeting appearance in the number after Gibbs in 1944 but changed to 20 in 1945. He managed just two games in his two years in the red and the blue. Frank "Checker" Hughes Jnr (180 cm 77.5 kg) was the son of legendary coach Frank V. "Checker" Hughes who, like his father, crossed to Melbourne from Richmond. Hughes Senior was responsible for changing the club from Fuschias to Demons and coached four premierships at the club. His son played eight games in 1945. Stan Rule was a 22 year old, 185 cm, 86kg follower/defender when recruited from Brighton Technical School Old Boys in 1946 and he was fortunate enough to play in that year's grand final. Two years later he experienced two more grand finals, the first a draw and the second was Melbourne's famous 1948 premiership against Essendon. Rule played 74 games for 13 goals between 1946 and 1950 and also playing in the 46 grand final he also represented Victoria in 1949. With young Ronald Dale Barassi residing with Demon great and new coach Norm Smith the Demons pushed hard for the inception of the father/son rule and the club was rewarded when he wore his father's number for the first time in 1953, the start of a twelve year career that co-incided with the club's golden era until 1964. Players bearing the title "champion" have been thin on the ground at Melbourne since he left dramatically in December of that year after 204 games to take on the mantle of captain coach at Carlton and begin a successful and highly decorated career as a VFL coach. Tasmanian Ray Groom wore the number 15 in his first two seasons at Melbourne but the 187cm 82.5 centre half forward from Cooee whose pace and marking were his assets was given the honour of filling Barassi's jumper early in 1965. Groom's family had left Tasmania when the youngster was 12 years of age. He played in Melbourne's underage sides, returned home for two senior seasons at Cooee then returned to Melbourne making a big impression in his opening year. His form fell away in 1964 and he missed a place in the premiership team but Melbourne had faith safe and gave him the number 31. Groom won the Demons' best and fairest in 1968 playing mainly in defence before returning to Tasmania. In later years he was a Federal and State MP and rose to the leadership of the Tasmanian Liberal party to become Premier of Tasmania. Legendary Melbourne Football Club administrator Jim Cardwell had put in a great deal of effort to secure Bill Barham, a star country footballer of the 1950's and he always maintained that Barham was the one that got away. Barham's eldest son Ricky was zoned to Collingwood and he became a star but Cardwell persevered and snared Bill Junior and Jamie Barham. Unfortunately, neither of them set the world alight. Given the famous number 31, the 178 cm, 73 kg Bill Barham Junior played only 12 games (14 goals) in 1974 and 1975 before handing the number to another member of a famous footballing family. Redheaded Paul Goss stood at 169cm (71 kg) and the diminutive rover loved a scrap. He was the son of famous Port Melbourne identity Norm Goss Senior and brother to South Melbourne legend Norm Goss Junior but like many of those who followed Barassi as wearer of the number 31, his days at this level were short-lived. He managed just four games for two goals in 1976 and his replacement, the 185 cm 79.5 kg Peter Garratt from Seymour managed just one game in 1978. The club changed tack in 1979 when it gave the number 31 to Phil Carman, the enigmatic Collingwood champion who was given his marching orders by the Pies at the end of 1978. Despite a couple of spectacular games with the Demons, he didn't really fit in with coach Carl Ditterich and left after a season in which he played 11 games and netted 23 goals. Carmen was followed by another high priced signing whose career at the club was curtailed by a spate of injuries that hampered him in his three seasons at the club. Kelvin Templeton became a Demon in 1983 after a stellar career as a leading VFL goal kicker. He was an expensive recruit who failed to live up to his price tag after booting eight goals in an early game at Kardinia Park against the Cats. He finished with 34 games and 99 goals. He became a skills coach and later was CEO at the Sydney Swans. At 180 cm and 83kg, the strongly built Rod Keogh not only bore a physical resemblance to Ron Barassi but he was drafted from Castemaine, the area where the Demon great's father was recruited in the 1930's. It was inevitable then that he would be given the number 31 guernsey when he arrived at the club in 1990. The expectations on him were great but he failed to live up to them although he won two Gardiner Medals. He played 22 senior games (8 goals) to 1993 before crossing to St. Kilda. The Demons used an early draft pick to recruit Donald Cockatoo-Collins in the 1995 national draft after securing his twin David as compensation for Jason Norrish who joined the Dockers. The Demons had promised the twins' mother who was dying of cancer, that it would draft Donald at the end of the year to ensure they would stay together. The boys were schooled at Wesley College, the promise was honoured and they both made their AFL debuts early in 1996. David, a small forward managed just one more game in 1997 while Donald, a utility (181cm, 77kg) played 9 games for 3 goals but he too was gone by the end of 1998. A Preston Knights recruit, Paul Wheatley made his debut for the Melbourne Football Club wearing 31 in 2000, after being selected at number 20 in the 1999 AFL Draft. A prodigious kick with the ability to pinpoint 60 metre passes using the drop punt, Wheatley kicked the first NAB Cup Super goal – a goal scored outside of 50 m and still holds the record for kicking more of these than any other player. At 188cm and 89kg, Wheatley was able to play in key positions as well as on a flank or wing. He missed the 2000 grand final while hampered with a hamstring injury and was restricted through his career by injuries finishing with 135 games and 34 goals by the end of 2009. As a mark of the high esteem in which he was held as a junior footballer, Tom Scully was presented his number 31 guernsey by Ronald Dale Barassi before the start of the 2010 season after being selected at number 1 in the 2009 AFL national draft. His 21 games and five goals in only his first year place him in the upper echelon of those who have worn the number over the past century. Without wanting to put too much pressure on the young man, I fully expect his name to be spoken of in similar terms to the great man who handed him the jumper some eighteen months ago.

SMALL BEGINNINGS by The Oracle Until yesterday the general consensus was that the AFL's new franchise team, the Gold Coast Suns were in for a painful maiden AFL season and that they would struggle to come close to winning a game. Their honeymoon period with the public and the press was already over after only three matches. Winless and with a percentage in the 30s they were gaining few friends. Their marquee player and captain Gary Ablett was severly beaten up by the media over his alleged lack of preparation after the Western Bulldogs game which resulted in him missing the following week against Melbourne. Vice captain Campbell Brown copped a four week suspension out of two reports from the Bulldogs game and a heap of criticism for his lack of remorse as a result of the incidents involved. Nathan Krakouer was simply unfit and struggling to get a game. Other established players such as Nathan Bock, Jared Brennan, Josh Fraser and Jarrod Harbrow had done little to suggest that they are more than mere fill ins which left Michael Rischitelli as perhaps the only established AFL player to set the standard and even he wasn't matching the form that won him best and fairest honours at Brisbane. Players like David Harris, Danny Stanley and Sam Iles who has been cast off by others were unlikely to be more than hard slogging footsoldiers and one had to wonder whether Nathan Ablett who walked out of a premiership club had the necessary commitment to make it in the AFL big time. Michael Coad, the other more mature age player had just ripped a hammy off the bone and his return was unlikely until late in the season if at all. Then there was rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt who was something of a curiosity - a million dollar marketing gimmick who surely couldn't really play football? For all that, the Suns had a silver lining and they had it in spades was young untapped talent that would one day be part of a powerful team. The likes of Zac Smith, David Swallow, Charlie Dixon, Harley Bennell, Josh Toy, Brandon Matera, Trent McKenzie, Maverick Weller, Dion Prestia, Luke Russell, Daniel Gorringe, and Seb Tape, the as a yet untried but highly rated Sam Day and a few others are destined to become household names. The feeling was that it was only a matter of time, good preparation and a capacity to stave off other clubs from poaching these players when the salary cap advantage disappears for success to come but in the meantime they faced lean times and some barren years before they could make it happen. Fortunately for the Suns, the game has developed a good following on the Gold Coast and many supporters understood the need for patience in these circumstances. The mild weather and the holiday lifestyle on the Coast (not to mention the fat pay cheques) and the state of the art facilities at their new stadium at Carrara would be enough to keep most players happy in the formative years of the new franchise. This perspective remains in place but a lot of opinions about the short term prospects for this team changed yesterday in a little over 30 minutes of football. Late in the third quarter of their game against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium they trailed by 40 points and were seemingly on the way to yet another hiding. But a couple of late goals before the final break gave them a sniff and led by Ablett, Rischitelli and Brennan, the young legs moved up a gear with Swallow, Bennell, Matera and McKenzie playing on adrenaline to step up. Fittingly, the winning goal was snapped by one of the young guns in Russell. They had snatched a famous victory. The Suns are still light on for body strength and experience and they are still not expected to win many matches this year but this team, with its focus on youth, is definitely going places. The question is raised as to how will the other new boys from Greater Western Sydney fare when they enter the competition in 2012? Giant's coach Kevin Sheedy has even more recruiting concessions available to him than Guy McKenna had at the Gold Coast and it remains to be seen how he and his football department handle the assignment. Like the Suns the have a big rugby name but Israel Folau is, by all reports, struggling at NEAFL level where the formative Giants team is playing out this season. The standard there appears to be much lower than the VFL where the Suns' young team started their journey last year. Sheedy has already foreshadowed that he will be targetting more big bodies than did the Suns and I suspect he will want to select/draft more experienced key position players to help prevent major blowouts that would be a major turn off for Sydney's theatregoing sporting audiences. For these reasons we can expect a different approach from the Giants compared to that of the Suns and, from a Melbourne perspective, I would suggest that the rumours of a Tom Scully switch to GWS on a million dollar a year contract is a remote proposition. The youngster who is currently plagued by a knee injury is good but won't be anything near the marquee player who can make an impact in the harbour city from the word go. They need to spend their money on players with size and experience, players like Jimmy Bartel. They also need to spread their money around and while their salary cap limit is not inconsiderable, this factor will affect their capacity to splash millions about on more than one or two players. The other interesting aspect is the rule that allows GWS the opportunity to trade off four players born between January 1994 and April 1994 for players and/or draft choices. This gives Melbourne an opportunity to secure father/son signing Jack Viney a year before he would have otherwise been able to be drafted. Viney would potentially cost the club a first round selection in the 2012 national draft so a trade would benefit both clubs. The Giants would get a player or players and would be more tempted to deal for a father/son pick than anyone else because Viney is already out of the draft pool. The Demons are in the position where, like the new franchises, they have a young developing team with a number of early draft picks starting to make their names in the sport. They are also a couple of years further along the track compared to the new clubs and therefore will be starting to look to the trades to cover gaps in their list. One of the few Gold Coast banners at yesterday's game carried the message , "From small beginnings come great things". Likewise the Demons have come from small beginnings and while the journey is taking time and the road has many twists and turns, the message should resonate with fans of our club.

SMALL BEGINNINGS by The Oracle Until yesterday the general consensus was that the AFL's new franchise team, the Gold Coast Suns were in for a painful maiden AFL season and that they would struggle to come close to winning a game. Their honeymoon period with the public and the press was already over after only three matches. Winless and with a percentage in the 30s they were gaining few friends. Their marquee player and captain Gary Ablett was severly beaten up by the media over his alleged lack of preparation after the Western Bulldogs game which resulted in him missing the following week against Melbourne. Vice captain Campbell Brown copped a four week suspension out of two reports from the Bulldogs game and a heap of criticism for his lack of remorse as a result of the incidents involved. Nathan Krakouer was simply unfit and struggling to get a game. Other established players such as Nathan Bock, Jared Brennan, Josh Fraser and Jarrod Harbrow had done little to suggest that they are more than mere fill ins which left Michael Rischitelli as perhaps the only established AFL player to set the standard and even he wasn't matching the form that won him best and fairest honours at Brisbane. Players like David Harris, Danny Stanley and Sam Iles who has been cast off by others were unlikely to be more than hard slogging footsoldiers and one had to wonder whether Nathan Ablett who walked out of a premiership club had the necessary commitment to make it in the AFL big time. Michael Coad, the other more mature age player had just ripped a hammy off the bone and his return was unlikely until late in the season if at all. Then there was rugby league convert Karmichael Hunt who was something of a curiosity - a million dollar marketing gimmick who surely couldn't really play football? For all that, the Suns had a silver lining and they had it in spades was young untapped talent that would one day be part of a powerful team. The likes of Zac Smith, David Swallow, Charlie Dixon, Harley Bennell, Josh Toy, Brandon Matera, Trent McKenzie, Maverick Weller, Dion Prestia, Luke Russell, Daniel Gorringe, and Seb Tape, the as a yet untried but highly rated Sam Day and a few others are destined to become household names. The feeling was that it was only a matter of time, good preparation and a capacity to stave off other clubs from poaching these players when the salary cap advantage disappears for success to come but in the meantime they faced lean times and some barren years before they could make it happen. Fortunately for the Suns, the game has developed a good following on the Gold Coast and many supporters understood the need for patience in these circumstances. The mild weather and the holiday lifestyle on the Coast (not to mention the fat pay cheques) and the state of the art facilities at their new stadium at Carrara would be enough to keep most players happy in the formative years of the new franchise. This perspective remains in place but a lot of opinions about the short term prospects for this team changed yesterday in a little over 30 minutes of football. Late in the third quarter of their game against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium they trailed by 40 points and were seemingly on the way to yet another hiding. But a couple of late goals before the final break gave them a sniff and led by Ablett, Rischitelli and Brennan, the young legs moved up a gear with Swallow, Bennell, Matera and McKenzie playing on adrenaline to step up. Fittingly, the winning goal was snapped by one of the young guns in Russell. They had snatched a famous victory. The Suns are still light on for body strength and experience and they are still not expected to win many matches this year but this team, with its focus on youth, is definitely going places. The question is raised as to how will the other new boys from Greater Western Sydney fare when they enter the competition in 2012? Giant's coach Kevin Sheedy has even more recruiting concessions available to him than Guy McKenna had at the Gold Coast and it remains to be seen how he and his football department handle the assignment. Like the Suns the have a big rugby name but Israel Folau is, by all reports, struggling at NEAFL level where the formative Giants team is playing out this season. The standard there appears to be much lower than the VFL where the Suns' young team started their journey last year. Sheedy has already foreshadowed that he will be targetting more big bodies than did the Suns and I suspect he will want to select/draft more experienced key position players to help prevent major blowouts that would be a major turn off for Sydney's theatregoing sporting audiences. For these reasons we can expect a different approach from the Giants compared to that of the Suns and, from a Melbourne perspective, I would suggest that the rumours of a Tom Scully switch to GWS on a million dollar a year contract is a remote proposition. The youngster who is currently plagued by a knee injury is good but won't be anything near the marquee player who can make an impact in the harbour city from the word go. They need to spend their money on players with size and experience, players like Jimmy Bartel. They also need to spread their money around and while their salary cap limit is not inconsiderable, this factor will affect their capacity to splash millions about on more than one or two players. The other interesting aspect is the rule that allows GWS the opportunity to trade off four players born between January 1994 and April 1994 for players and/or draft choices. This gives Melbourne an opportunity to secure father/son signing Jack Viney a year before he would have otherwise been able to be drafted. Viney would potentially cost the club a first round selection in the 2012 national draft so a trade would benefit both clubs. The Giants would get a player or players and would be more tempted to deal for a father/son pick than anyone else because Viney is already out of the draft pool. The Demons are in the position where, like the new franchises, they have a young developing team with a number of early draft picks starting to make their names in the sport. They are also a couple of years further along the track compared to the new clubs and therefore will be starting to look to the trades to cover gaps in their list. One of the few Gold Coast banners at yesterday's game carried the message , "From small beginnings come great things". Likewise the Demons have come from small beginnings and while the journey is taking time and the road has many twists and turns, the message should resonate with fans of our club.

How much did you put on Port to win today?

FIRST DAN by KC from Casey Demon Rookie Daniel Nicholson from University Blues in the Victorian Amateur Football Association is starting to look at home on an AFL list. In just his third game for the Melbourne VFL affiliated Casey Scorpions, the twenty year old put in a stellar performance. Asked to mind North Ballarat's 2009 J. J. Liston Medallist, the dangerous Myles Sewell, he kicked the opening goal of the match, collected 13 kicks, 20 handballs and took five marks on his way to best afield honours in what was his finest display in the short time since he was picked up by the Demons at No. 14 in last December's AFL Rookie Draft. His opponent had little impact for the team that owns the competition's last three premiership trophies and Casey won easily by 56 points. Co-incidentally, Nicholson wears the Scorpions' number 56 guernsey. Dan Nicholson's pathway to the AFL was different to what is considered the norm these days but, with the compromised drafts resulting from the entry of new franchises, clubs are looking in old/new places from which to source their footballers. The amateurs used to regularly produce quality footballers to the VFL competition before the game went national and the TAC Cup feeder competition was set up but these days, it's less common to hear of players taking the path through the VAFA where Nicholson spent two years after graduating from St. Patrick's College, Ballarat. Originally from Derrinallum in Victoria's Western District, Nicholson's father sent him to study at St. Pat's where he played with the firsts and also won an Ballarat Football League under 18s premiership with East Point but he missed out on making the North Ballarat Rebels' TAC Cup squad. He moved on to further study in Melbourne in 2009 where he joined University Blues and from there, the young speedster's career has blossomed. Even the circumstances of Nicholson joining the amateur club were unusual. He had taken a walk about Princes Park when he stopped to watch the team's training session and was invited to join in on training. By the Saturday, he had signed up with the club and by the end of the season, he had played for both the VAFA Under 19 and Under 21 representative teams. The following year, he was made captain of the former, was attracting AFL scouts with dominant performances in the amateur's Under 23 team and won the 2010 VAFA Rising Star award while many observers considered him to be the best player in the competition. Age journalist Paul Daffy wrote of an Old Melburnians player called "Turbo" who, after having the job of tagging Nicholson, was looking for a new nickname. In another game against Old Xaverians, he "burned off opponents from the wing to the top of the goal square, only to be denied the chance to kick the goal of the year when he was pinged for running too far" - AFL clubs cast net far and wide in search of that special talent. The pundits had the 183cm, 76kg, defensive flanker and midfielder pegged as an outsider for the national draft but Nicholson had to be content with first round selection in the rookie version three weeks later. He tasted the game at its highest level with a brief run in the NAB Cup and has been coming along nicely at Casey. Last week's game at Eureka Stadium marked a triumphant homecoming for Nicholson and fellow Ballarat youngsters Lucas Cook and Tom McDonald. It's still early days in Dan Nicholson's career and he has plenty of improvement to come. As a rookie he needs to patiently await an opening onto the senior list in competition to a number of talented youngsters at Melbourne but one suspects that in the not too distant future, he'll be donning the red and blue and wearing a number much lower than 56.

FIRST DAN by KC from Casey Demon Rookie Daniel Nicholson from University Blues in the Victorian Amateur Football Association is starting to look at home on an AFL list. In just his third game for the Melbourne VFL affiliated Casey Scorpions, the twenty year old put in a stellar performance. Asked to mind North Ballarat's 2009 J. J. Liston Medallist, the dangerous Myles Sewell, he kicked the opening goal of the match, collected 13 kicks, 20 handballs and took five marks on his way to best afield honours in what was his finest display in the short time since he was picked up by the Demons at No. 14 in last December's AFL Rookie Draft. His opponent had little impact for the team that owns the competition's last three premiership trophies and Casey won easily by 56 points. Co-incidentally, Nicholson wears the Scorpions' number 56 guernsey. Dan Nicholson's pathway to the AFL was different to what is considered the norm these days but, with the compromised drafts resulting from the entry of new franchises, clubs are looking in old/new places from which to source their footballers. The amateurs used to regularly produce quality footballers to the VFL competition before the game went national and the TAC Cup feeder competition was set up but these days, it's less common to hear of players taking the path through the VAFA where Nicholson spent two years after graduating from St. Patrick's College, Ballarat. Originally from Derrinallum in Victoria's Western District, Nicholson's father sent him to study at St. Pat's where he played with the firsts and also won an Ballarat Football League under 18s premiership with East Point but he missed out on making the North Ballarat Rebels' TAC Cup squad. He moved on to further study in Melbourne in 2009 where he joined University Blues and from there, the young speedster's career has blossomed. Even the circumstances of Nicholson joining the amateur club were unusual. He had taken a walk about Princes Park when he stopped to watch the team's training session and was invited to join in on training. By the Saturday, he had signed up with the club and by the end of the season, he had played for both the VAFA Under 19 and Under 21 representative teams. The following year, he was made captain of the former, was attracting AFL scouts with dominant performances in the amateur's Under 23 team and won the 2010 VAFA Rising Star award while many observers considered him to be the best player in the competition. Age journalist Paul Daffy wrote of an Old Melburnians player called "Turbo" who, after having the job of tagging Nicholson, was looking for a new nickname. In another game against Old Xaverians, he "burned off opponents from the wing to the top of the goal square, only to be denied the chance to kick the goal of the year when he was pinged for running too far" - AFL clubs cast net far and wide in search of that special talent. The pundits had the 183cm, 76kg, defensive flanker and midfielder pegged as an outsider for the national draft but Nicholson had to be content with first round selection in the rookie version three weeks later. He tasted the game at its highest level with a brief run in the NAB Cup and has been coming along nicely at Casey. Last week's game at Eureka Stadium marked a triumphant homecoming for Nicholson and fellow Ballarat youngsters Lucas Cook and Tom McDonald. It's still early days in Dan Nicholson's career and he has plenty of improvement to come. As a rookie he needs to patiently await an opening onto the senior list in competition to a number of talented youngsters at Melbourne but one suspects that in the not too distant future, he'll be donning the red and blue and wearing a number much lower than 56.

INDIGINE - PART SEVEN by Whispering Jack For the greater part of his life, former Carlton and South Adelaide rover Mark Naley believed he was a descendant of Afghan immigrants who first arrived in Australia during the 1860s. This first wave of Afghani migration were mainly cameleers who entered Australia with travelling papers obtained while working in British India. Most worked in areas of transportation including exploration, mining and supply but with the introduction of motor vehicles in the early 20th century, the cameleers became redundant. Some returned home while others became small property owners and gained respectable places in society. Such was the shame of being a person of aboriginal heritage or of mixed blood in the community of the time that many who had dark skins preferred to claim an alternate identity and in the southern parts of Australia where Charles Gordon Naley was born to a white station manager and a woman from the Mirning people, it was safe and convenient to assume such a fiction. When Mark Naley became curious and researched his family tree, he discovered his indigenous heritage. Charles Naley, his paternal grandfather who he never met, was not the son of Afghan immigrants but rather, he was an Aborigine. Mark Naley did know that his grandfather was an ANZAC at Gallipoli along with 60,000 Diggers and 18,000 Kiwis where he was wounded in action. He later fought at Bullecourt, France where he was hit by shrapnel, captured by the Germans and became a prisoner of war. He returned to South Australia with the wife he married in England and they raised five children before he died at the young age of 41 from respiratory complications that resulted from being gassed while in France. Grandson Mark, who was a member of Carlton's 1987 premiership team and won the 1991 Magarey Medal in the SANFL while at South Adelaide, now proudly enters the record books as one of more than two hundred indigenous people to have graced the playing fields among the elite in the competition. Today, pride has replaced shame. Read his story in full in Football Legend Mark Naley's Anzac Surprise TO BE CONTINUED This series is written in honour of the late Matthew Wonaeamirri, father of current Melbourne player Austin. Our hearts go out to all of the family.

INDIGINE - PART SEVEN by Whispering Jack For the greater part of his life, former Carlton and South Adelaide rover Mark Naley believed he was a descendant of Afghan immigrants who first arrived in Australia during the 1860s. This first wave of Afghani migration were mainly cameleers who entered Australia with travelling papers obtained while working in British India. Most worked in areas of transportation including exploration, mining and supply but with the introduction of motor vehicles in the early 20th century, the cameleers became redundant. Some returned home while others became small property owners and gained respectable places in society. Such was the shame of being a person of aboriginal heritage or of mixed blood in the community of the time that many who had dark skins preferred to claim an alternate identity and in the southern parts of Australia where Charles Gordon Naley was born to a white station manager and a woman from the Mirning people, it was safe and convenient to assume such a fiction. When Mark Naley became curious and researched his family tree, he discovered his indigenous heritage. Charles Naley, his paternal grandfather who he never met, was not the son of Afghan immigrants but rather, he was an Aborigine. Naley did know that his grandfather was an ANZAC at Gallipoli along with 60,000 Diggers and 18,000 Kiwis. Charles Naley was wounded in action and later fought at Bullecourt, France where he was hit by shrapnel, captured by the Germans and became a prisoner of war. He returned to South Australia with the wife he married in England and they raised five children before he died at the young age of 41 from respiratory complications that resulted from being gassed while in France. Grandson Mark, who was a member of Carlton's 1987 premiership team and won the 1991 Magarey Medal in the SANFL while at South Adelaide, now proudly enters the record books as one of more than two hundred indigenous people to have graced the playing fields among the elite in the competition. Today, pride has replaced shame. Read his story in full in Football Legend Mark Naley's Anzac Surprise TO BE CONTINUED This series is written in honour of the late Matthew Wonaeamirri, father of current Melbourne player Austin. Our hearts go out to all of the family.

Beamer has jumped away ... and there are some good 'uns who are yet to poll. 49 Brent Moloney 32 Mark Jamar 28 Jared Rivers 28 Jack Trengove 27 Rohan Bail 25 Luke Tapscott 18 Stefan Martin 16 Colin Sylvia 14 Liam Jurrah 4 Jamie Bennell 3 Colin Garland 3 Jordan Gysberts 2 Nathan Jones 1 Aaron Davey 1 Jack Grimes 1 Cale Morton

And another view from Jordie Tackles ... Casey came in as solid underdogs against the triple premiership North Ballarat side, who also was beaten in the "Austar/Foxtel Cup" v East Perth two weeks ago only due to conceding the final two goals. 1st QUARTER It was a great opening term from the Casey team. Highlights: • Dan Nicholson scoring the first goal and getting involved in the game; • Joel Macdonald started with a clanger but then dominated off the half back and also had time through the middle. Joel looked far to good for the VFL today in my opinion but can he be as good with the step up? • Ricky Bobby Petterd, this was HIS quarter kicking Casey's next goal, and missing another easy one, which is a shame after a nice contested mark; • the big Spencil started to show his worth. He has become a lump of a lad to say the least, winning in the ruck and tapping a nice ball over his shoulder resulting in a teammate finishing with a beautiful snap goal Casey's fourth for the quarter; • late in the quarter Bate found the pill after being quiet in my opinion. Freed for a push in the back and finished it well. Casey led at the break by 4.3.27 to 0.2.2 2nd QUARTER • started with North showing a bit of their premiership form booting two quick unanswered goals bringing the score back to 27-14, after not being in it during the first; • after trying and not spotting Blease during the first quarter, I was happy to see him get his hands on the pill, burst away for 15m kick it LONG inside 50, which resulted in a Casey goal; • Joel Macdonald continued to show his experience getting the ball at will.....and using well enough, also putting his body on the line; • LOVED THIS, Max Gawn getting involved and he is a HUGE kid as we all know, chased a tap and cleaned up a North midfielder giving away a free. North player was sore.... I had to stop myself from yelling out "HE'S GAWN" sitting amongst many roosters fans; • couldnt help but notice Blease again, When he gets the ball isn't afraid to take a run, and will play the ball long; • started to notice both Spencer and Gawn winning a lot in the ruck, working over the Victorian State rep Orren Stephenson; • can't tell you who kicked all the goals, Petterd and Bate getting involved though, Casey running away after North's early dominance, booting the last 4 goals of the quarter; Half Time: Casey up by 10.7.67 to 2.4.16 3rd QUARTER • ENTER Lucas Cook, the home town boy decided to say hello. Cook was involved in both of Caseys opening goals this quarter and also got at least 5 possessions within the first 5 minutes, all around the 50 meter arc, step up some nice I50. Also noted he seemed calm under pressure; • Spencer, liking the guy but must have dropped 2-3 marks which you thought he had so far. If he can hold them, he could be a lot better; • Bate getting involved around the forward 50 also Jeremy Howe gets it but can't finish off his opportunities, could have scored couple if accurate. Also plays and looks a lot like Petterd, and plays that way as well; • Cook really getting involved with another I50; • ENTER North Ballarat, got right right on top during the middle of the 3rd, kicking 3 unanswered goals, Casey couldn't get near the ball, adding at least 2 points to their shots....Casey only up by 40ish now.... were up by 60. • started to notice Strauss at this stage, nice mark around the front of teh centre square, after playing a lot back from what I had seen, paced it out in front Casey player who was the only one who could mark it. Settling goal. • side note of Jetta's run and carry game, I did see a lot of him but could only see half the ground, was also laying a few tackles; Casey lead at three quarter time 16.9.105 to 7.7.49 after a late surge 4th QUARTER • really noticed Blease working his way into the game now, can run and isn't afraid to carry it through the centre, only gets caught rarely, may rush the odd possession after taking 1 or 2 too many steps; • Howe speccy, was nice, highlight worthy, then missed from 15-20 metres out; • Strauss another nice weighted pass I50; • Nicholson getting the pill, but could still afford a bit more from when I noticed him; • Cook took a nice mark on the 50 metre line, but dropped it just short, in the square; • Jetta tackling well: didn't see him get "heaps" of it but did notice his tackling throughout the game( • Blease to Strauss - hope we hear that combination more throughout the future; • Gawn can take a mark 3-4 contested ones throughout the day, is just too big, may not be ready yet but if he is fit he will be a great ruck option around the ground. Casey Finshed them off this quarter, was an easy win, our AFL listed players all killed the roosters, didn't notice any of the kangaroos players at all, not that there were many, 5 max i think. The comment was made that it was Melbourne reserves playing North Ballarat, 13-14 melbourne listed players playing today, was really the difference FINAL SCORE a good Casey win 16.16.112 to 8.8.56 continuing on from where they finished last week. BEST Melbourne players 1st Q- Petterd was impressive around goals 2nd Q – Joel Macdonald just seemed to get a lot and put his body on the line 3rd Q – Cook – 3+ I50 and close to 10 disposals set up 2-3 goals 4th Q – Bate – was around the ball quite a lot, around 50 gave the ball off a few times I thought. BEST ON GROUND Joel Macdonald - was strong all day, got alot of the ball and uses it well enough from the VFL, was really a 4Q effort in my opinion, others played better halves or quarters but not complete games. I will admit that following all the players was hard, all having different numbers ect, all high numbers and not being able to look at the Big screen for a close up. Other people have seemed to notice Jetta and Strauss a lot more than myself and thought that petterd did more... i didn't notice Petterd as much after his huge first term... I thought after playing poorly Bate was better in the final 3 terms than Petterd, he is big enough to out mark VFL players etc more than he seems to do to AFL listed ones. I also didn't notice Nicholson that much - not to say he wasn't near it.

STRIKING GOLD by Ice Station The long trip down the Western Highway was made worthwhile on Saturday for Casey Scorpions coach Brad Gotch, his assistants, the hardy supporters following the team and, of course, the players who made the long trip to Victoria's gold mining region when the visitors scored a handy win over reigning VFL premiers North Ballarat. It would be fair to say that the Roosters, at the moment at least, are not the team that won the last three premiership flags. Retirements, AFL recruiters and injuries have seen to that. However, it is never easy for visiting clubs to win in the hostile playing environment of Eureka Stadium so the Casey Scorpions will be happy to come away from that venue for the second year in a row with a win. Casey's team had a strong Ballarat flavour when it stepped out onto the field on an overcast day influenced by swirling winds that alternated between icy under the cloud cover to mild when the sun came out. Young Melbourne talls Lucas Cook and Tom McDonald were recruited from the North Ballarat Rebels in last year's national draft while rookie Daniel Nicholson who spent the previous two seasons with University Blues originally came from St Patrick's College, Ballarat and played with East Point in the local Ballarat competition. All did themselves and their team proud with sound performances and Nicholson, playing a midfield role and running with 2009 J.J.Liston Trophy Winner Myles Sewell, was best on the ground. After a couple of slow starts in the early rounds, the Scorpions were on their game from the very beginning against an inexperienced North Ballarat line up, playing hard at the ball and causing numerous turnovers with a strong confident display. It was local boy Nicholson who got the team going with the first goal of the day and Ricky Petterd was also causing havoc up forward in the early going. The Roosters were held goalless in the first quarter and, trailing by 25 points, were already in trouble at the first break. North Ballarat had only a handful of North Melbourne-aligned players and they wilted under the class of the Scorpions in the second quarter after an initial burst of two unanswered goals by North Ballarat. With experienced campaigners in Matthew Warnock dominating in defence and Joel Macdonald in control around the ground, the blowtorch was applied and Casey dominated proceedings with players who were too skilful and too quick by hand and foot. James Strauss and Sam Blease were in particularly good form and the lead at the half had opened up to 51 points. After the break, the visitors remained in control but North Ballarat rallied and put in a far more competitive performance. Lucas Cook was very productive up forward and Jake Spencer and Max Gawn continued to win in the ruck against VFL representative ruckman Orren Stephenson but their teammates reverted to some sloppy play for a brief period that let the Roosters in for a few goals. Casey soon steadied however, as one would expect from a team brimming with talent and 15 AFL listed players but the game was losing its momentum. As the cross breeze stiffened, the teams struggled to score goals and the last quarter became a dour affair with the home side kicking the only goal for the term against seven behinds. By the final siren, the Casey Scorpions had made it two out of three for the season, doubling North Ballarat's score with an emphatic 56-point victory. Matt Fieldsend and Tim Mohr were the best of the Casey listed players in a strong team effort and with more players becoming available, the team should be at full strength in a fortnight's time when it returns from the bye to play a televised fixture against local rival Frankston at Casey Fields in an ABC televised match. [Vision from melbournefc.com] HOW THE DEMONS FARED by Melon 22 Matthew Bate (16 kicks, 10 handballs, 9 marks, 3 goals) - started slowly but continually worked hard and was influential with his run and strength. When Casey was struggling in the third, he did put his body on the line a couple of times in defence with some great team acts. Did what was expected for an AFL calibre player at this level. Sam Blease (21 kicks, 7 handballs, 3 marks) - definitely his best game at senior VFL level so far. He repeatedly blitzed his opponents with pace and went on some dizzying runs. Still struggling with decision-making and disposal at the end of his runs but his progress is very pleasing and is getting better every week. Needs to work on his concentration in defence if he is to play in the backline in the AFL this year. He tends to be too loose at times on his opponents when playing back pocket but very pleasing progress overall. Lucas Cook (12 kicks, 6 handballs, 3 marks, 1 goal) - seemed to enjoy playing back on his home turf, presented very well and showed immense class and composure. Had a couple of really nice moments in the second quarter when he set up back to back goals for Casey with strong work in the forward line. Very impressive performance and looks to be on the right track. Michael Evans (15 kicks, 12 handballs, 4 marks, 1 goal) - a solid contributor who had some really nice moments and showed some really good evasive skills in tight. Seems to have a good eye for goal and is always willing to back himself with his run. Max Gawn (6 kicks, 12 handballs, 6 marks) - his ability to tap to advantage was one of the main contributors to a run on in the second quarter when Casey blew the game open. It must be said that North Ballarat's backup ruckman was very young and undersized and Gawn was able to take full advantage. He took a few marks around the ground and got his hands on many more and if he starts taking more than he drops he will become a dominant player. Good signs. Jeremy Howe (10 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks) - very impressed with his game. Didn't have a great impact but worked hard and was able to make a contest across the half forward line. He has a little X factor and is always willing to fly for a mark. Neville Jetta (11 kicks, 17 handballs, 6 marks, 1 goal) - competed hard and put great pressure on early before copping a knock. Came back on later was a solid contributor all day. Kelvin Lawrence (7 kicks, 7 handballs, 2 marks, 1 goal) - could have bagged a few goals had he kicked straight in the last quarter. This kid has plenty skill and he has that special ability to make something out of nothing. He had flashes of brilliance but still managed to run down a few opponents and lay defensive pressure on. Very exciting signs. Joel Macdonald (7 kicks, 17 handballs, 6 marks) - really set the tone early for Casey with his tackling and ferocious attack on the contest. At half time, I thought he was Casey's best by setting up a couple of Casey goals with his defensive pressure and his bullocking work in the middle. Only negative was a couple of bad turnovers by foot going into attack which spoiled an almost faultless performance. Thomas McDonald (6 kicks, 5 handballs, 7 marks) - a quieter game for Tom who struggled to find a good matchup against a small Nth Ballarat forward line. Switched forward in the second half and took a couple of really nice marks. Daniel Nicholson (13 kicks, 20 handballs, 5 marks, 1 goal) - was Casey's best. Given the tagging job on Myles Sewell, he was not only able to blanket his opponent but made a huge impact going the other way. He has played mostly across half back so far but played in the middle with a tagging job in which he excelled. He has an underrated toughness to go along with his brilliant speed and he was able to breakout from the contest a few times with a lot of run and carry. Ricky Petterd (12 kicks, 14 handballs, 5 marks, 4 goals) - started forward and dominated his opponents early, taking plenty of contested marks and finishing well. Was sent into the midfield where he was effective without being a standout. A good performance. Jake Spencer (4 kicks, 13 handballs, 1 mark) - did very well in the ruck against the VFL's best ruckman over the last three years in Orren Stephenson and consistently gave Casey first use of the ball. Was very competitive around the ground without being dominant. A solid game. James Strauss (14 kicks, 12 handballs, 4 marks) - composed and clean is the best way to describe his performance today. He didn't fumble, always made the right decision and was strong in the contest. Has really improved the defensive side of his game and is now looking the part of a high draft pick. The next step for him is to go to the next level and start proving himself in the AFL. Warnock, Matthew (11 kicks, 9 handballs, 7 marks) - the leader for Casey in the back half, winning virtually every one on one contest. He was strong, composed and gave good run from defence in a very solid game which is what we would expect from an AFL calibre defender. He is a very consistent performer at this level. Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 10.7.67 16.9.105 16.16.112 North Ballarat 0.2.2 2.4.16 7.7.49 8.8.56 Goals Casey Scorpions Petterd 4 Bate 3 Lindsay 2 Cook Evans Jetta Lawrence McShane Nicholson Stockdale North Ballarat Walker 2 Evans George Jones Linke McKenzie Nicholls Best Casey Scorpions Nicholson Bate Warnock Cook Blease Petterd North Ballarat George Pratt Delaney McKenzie Tate Sharkey The reserves led from start to finish against a lacklustre North Ballarat team to break the ice or 2011. It was a really even team performance with Dave Collins and Mark Weeks again the best and Blake Carew and Aaron Purves snaffling four goals each. Casey Scorpions6.2.38 14.4.88 15.4.94 18.6.114 North Ballarat 2.2.14 2.4.16 4.4.28 8.7.55 Goals Casey Scorpions Carew Purves 4 Hill 2 Clay Cleven Costigan Harrison Lees Petropoulos Pollard Tynan North Ballarat Lenehan 2 Curnow Dobson Giampaolo Hughes Kelly Towers Best Casey Scorpions Collins Weekes Baumgartner Purves Carew Lees North Ballarat Darmody Brayshaw Giampaolo Kelly Jewell Hughes

STRIKING GOLD by Ice Station The long trip down the Western Highway was made worthwhile on Saturday for Casey Scorpions coach Brad Gotch, his assistants, the hardy supporters following the team and, of course, the players who made the long trip to Victoria's gold mining region when the visitors scored a handy win over reigning VFL premiers North Ballarat. It would be fair to say that the Roosters, at the moment at least, are not the team that won the last three premiership flags. Retirements, AFL recruiters and injuries have seen to that. However, it is never easy for visiting clubs to win in the hostile playing environment of Eureka Stadium so the Casey Scorpions will be happy to come away from that venue for the second year in a row with a win. Casey's team had a strong Ballarat flavour when it stepped out onto the field on an overcast day influenced by swirling winds that alternated between icy under the cloud cover to mild when the sun came out. Young Melbourne talls Lucas Cook and Tom McDonald were recruited from the North Ballarat Rebels in last year's national draft while rookie Daniel Nicholson who spent the previous two seasons with University Blues originally came from St Patrick's College, Ballarat and played with East Point in the local Ballarat competition. All did themselves and their team proud with sound performances and Nicholson, playing a midfield role and running with 2009 J.J.Liston Trophy Winner Myles Sewell, was best on the ground. After a couple of slow starts in the early rounds, the Scorpions were on their game from the very beginning against an inexperienced North Ballarat line up, playing hard at the ball and causing numerous turnovers with a strong confident display. It was local boy Nicholson who got the team going with the first goal of the day and Ricky Petterd was also causing havoc up forward in the early going. The Roosters were held goalless in the first quarter and, trailing by 25 points, were already in trouble at the first break. North Ballarat had only a handful of North Melbourne-aligned players and they wilted under the class of the Scorpions in the second quarter after an initial burst of two unanswered goals by North Ballarat. With experienced campaigners in Matthew Warnock dominating in defence and Joel Macdonald in control around the ground, the blowtorch was applied and Casey dominated proceedings with players who were too skilful and too quick by hand and foot. James Strauss and Sam Blease were in particularly good form and the lead at the half had opened up to 51 points. After the break, the visitors remained in control but North Ballarat rallied and put in a far more competitive performance. Lucas Cook was very productive up forward and Jake Spencer and Max Gawn continued to win in the ruck against VFL representative ruckman Orren Stephenson but their teammates reverted to some sloppy play for a brief period that let the Roosters in for a few goals. Casey soon steadied however, as one would expect from a team brimming with talent and 15 AFL listed players but the game was losing its momentum. As the cross breeze stiffened, the teams struggled to score goals and the last quarter became a dour affair with the home side kicking the only goal for the term against seven behinds. By the final siren, the Casey Scorpions had made it two out of three for the season, doubling North Ballarat's score with an emphatic 56-point victory. Matt Fieldsend and Tim Mohr were the best of the Casey listed players in a strong team effort and with more players becoming available, the team should be at full strength in a fortnight's time when it returns from the bye to play a televised fixture against local rival Frankston at Casey Fields in an ABC televised match. [Vision from melbournefc.com] HOW THE DEMONS FARED by Melon 22 Matthew Bate (16 kicks, 10 handballs, 9 marks, 3 goals) - started slowly but continually worked hard and was influential with his run and strength. When Casey was struggling in the third, he did put his body on the line a couple of times in defence with some great team acts. Did what was expected for an AFL calibre player at this level. Sam Blease (21 kicks, 7 handballs, 3 marks) - definitely his best game at senior VFL level so far. He repeatedly blitzed his opponents with pace and went on some dizzying runs. Still struggling with decision-making and disposal at the end of his runs but his progress is very pleasing and is getting better every week. Needs to work on his concentration in defence if he is to play in the backline in the AFL this year. He tends to be too loose at times on his opponents when playing back pocket but very pleasing progress overall. Lucas Cook (12 kicks, 6 handballs, 3 marks, 1 goal) - seemed to enjoy playing back on his home turf, presented very well and showed immense class and composure. Had a couple of really nice moments in the second quarter when he set up back to back goals for Casey with strong work in the forward line. Very impressive performance and looks to be on the right track. Michael Evans (15 kicks, 12 handballs, 4 marks, 1 goal) - a solid contributor who had some really nice moments and showed some really good evasive skills in tight. Seems to have a good eye for goal and is always willing to back himself with his run. Max Gawn (6 kicks, 12 handballs, 6 marks) - his ability to tap to advantage was one of the main contributors to a run on in the second quarter when Casey blew the game open. It must be said that North Ballarat's backup ruckman was very young and undersized and Gawn was able to take full advantage. He took a few marks around the ground and got his hands on many more and if he starts taking more than he drops he will become a dominant player. Good signs. Jeremy Howe (10 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks) - very impressed with his game. Didn't have a great impact but worked hard and was able to make a contest across the half forward line. He has a little X factor and is always willing to fly for a mark. Neville Jetta (11 kicks, 17 handballs, 6 marks, 1 goal) - competed hard and put great pressure on early before copping a knock. Came back on later was a solid contributor all day. Kelvin Lawrence (7 kicks, 7 handballs, 2 marks, 1 goal) - could have bagged a few goals had he kicked straight in the last quarter. This kid has plenty skill and he has that special ability to make something out of nothing. He had flashes of brilliance but still managed to run down a few opponents and lay defensive pressure on. Very exciting signs. Joel Macdonald (7 kicks, 17 handballs, 6 marks) - really set the tone early for Casey with his tackling and ferocious attack on the contest. At half time, I thought he was Casey's best by setting up a couple of Casey goals with his defensive pressure and his bullocking work in the middle. Only negative was a couple of bad turnovers by foot going into attack which spoiled an almost faultless performance. Thomas McDonald (6 kicks, 5 handballs, 7 marks) - a quieter game for Tom who struggled to find a good matchup against a small Nth Ballarat forward line. Switched forward in the second half and took a couple of really nice marks. Daniel Nicholson (13 kicks, 20 handballs, 5 marks, 1 goal) - was Casey's best. Given the tagging job on Myles Sewell, he was not only able to blanket his opponent but made a huge impact going the other way. He has played mostly across half back so far but played in the middle with a tagging job in which he excelled. He has an underrated toughness to go along with his brilliant speed and he was able to breakout from the contest a few times with a lot of run and carry. Ricky Petterd (12 kicks, 14 handballs, 5 marks, 4 goals) - started forward and dominated his opponents early, taking plenty of contested marks and finishing well. Was sent into the midfield where he was effective without being a standout. A good performance. Jake Spencer (4 kicks, 13 handballs, 1 mark) - did very well in the ruck against the VFL's best ruckman over the last three years in Orren Stephenson and consistently gave Casey first use of the ball. Was very competitive around the ground without being dominant. A solid game. James Strauss (14 kicks, 12 handballs, 4 marks) - composed and clean is the best way to describe his performance today. He didn't fumble, always made the right decision and was strong in the contest. Has really improved the defensive side of his game and is now looking the part of a high draft pick. The next step for him is to go to the next level and start proving himself in the AFL. Warnock, Matthew (11 kicks, 9 handballs, 7 marks) - the leader for Casey in the back half, winning virtually every one on one contest. He was strong, composed and gave good run from defence in a very solid game which is what we would expect from an AFL calibre defender. He is a very consistent performer at this level. Casey Scorpions 4.3.27 10.7.67 16.9.105 16.16.112 North Ballarat 0.2.2 2.4.16 7.7.49 8.8.56 Goals Casey Scorpions Petterd 4 Bate 3 Lindsay 2 Cook Evans Jetta Lawrence McShane Nicholson Stockdale North Ballarat Walker 2 Evans George Jones Linke McKenzie Nicholls Best Casey Scorpions Nicholson Bate Warnock Cook Blease Petterd North Ballarat George Pratt Delaney McKenzie Tate Sharkey The reserves led from start to finish against a lacklustre North Ballarat team to break the ice or 2011. It was a really even team performance with Dave Collins and Mark Weeks again the best and Blake Carew and Aaron Purves snaffling four goals each. Casey Scorpions6.2.38 14.4.88 15.4.94 18.6.114 North Ballarat 2.2.14 2.4.16 4.4.28 8.7.55 Goals Casey Scorpions Carew Purves 4 Hill 2 Clay Cleven Costigan Harrison Lees Petropoulos Pollard Tynan North Ballarat Lenehan 2 Curnow Dobson Giampaolo Hughes Kelly Towers Best Casey Scorpions Collins Weekes Baumgartner Purves Carew Lees North Ballarat Darmody Brayshaw Giampaolo Kelly Jewell Hughes

It's now post match time so this thread is closed. Please go here for post match discussion Thanks and Go Dees!