Demonland

We did this last year and ended up with a couple of great match previews. You're invited to contribute your thoughts. Any length - short or long. Tell us who you think and why? Tell us about the match ups for the game. Tell us about the strategies. OR Tell us about your special memories of Dees v Swans contests from the past including last year's game at Manuka. Best efforts will be included in the Demonland Match Preview.

James Frawley is making a run for the player of the year leadership. Who will be first to get the ton? 99.772 Mark Jamar 88.368 James Frawley 75.042 Brent Moloney 71.971 Brad Green 70.951 James McDonald 64.773 Jack Grimes 59.078 Jack Trengove 48.976 Tom Scully 47.655 Colin Sylvia 41.130 Aaron Davey 33.878 Matthew Bate 33.199 Jordie McKenzie 33.014 Cameron Bruce 22.896 Jamie Bennell 20.656 Ricky Petterd 19.690 Lynden Dunn 19.525 Nathan Jones 17.321 Joel Macdonald 17.257 Jordan Gysberts 17.065 Matthew Warnock 12.546 Clint Bartram 9.077 Rohan Bail 8.500 Cale Morton 8.073 Neville Jetta 7.064 Brad Miller 6.353 Jack Watts 4.872 Colin Garland 4.752 Cale Morton 1.732 Paul Johnson 0.866 Jared Rivers

SHRINK! by William from West Perth Melbourne (the football team) comes to Perth once or twice a year and when that happens I get a rare opportunity to support in person the football team of my youthful days. However, there are some pitfalls involved in this; mainly because said football team has great difficulty winning any matches over here. My expectations this week were no different and the game against the Purple Haze opened much as I anticipated. Since Melbourne returned from its steamy escapade up in Darwin in Round 8, it has become oh, so predictable, conceding at least the first goal of every game (and often much more) to the opposition. Why should things be any different at any time when the team travels out here to a place where it has failed to register a win against either of the local sides since 2004? So predictable are the Demons that I put them on my list of dead set certainties: 1. Death and Taxes, 2. Vision of Julia Gillard appearing on the front page of every newspaper after the weekend hugging and kissing a baby, and 3. Melbourne stuffing up the start of yet another game. And so it came to pass that bang, bang, bang (snip, snip, snip - ed.) ... the first three goals of the game were in the Docker's bag before the Demons were out of snooze mode; the clock hadn't even ticked past the ten minute mark! I sat there with my two companions (both Eagles fans still celebrating Mark Le Cras' amazing haul the night before), my face resting in cupped hands and me muttering expletives about umpires and ... well, before I knew it, we were in the shadows of half time, that (snip) little pest Hayden Ballantyne (why couldn't he have kept his interchange antics for this week?) had just kicked his third and the team was down by 44 points. By then, we had witnessed all of the usual cock ups. Last week it was Jared Rivers who stuffed up a simple short pass for an embarrassing Bomber goal. This week it was Cam Bruce's turn to kick across the face of goal and give away an easy one. We did it all. Stupid free kicks, one or two of them soft, umpire # 8 (snip). They were wallowing in the mire, the yellow maggots were hurting us as much as the purple people and the game was over. Or was it? Jamie Bennell kicked his second goal, the siren went, and we wandered off to a bar for liquid refreshments and an opportunity to calmly and rationally discuss what could be done to turn things around for the ailing Demons and enable them to fight their way back into a game which appeared to be firmly in Fremantle's control. That was about the time when I hit upon a brilliant idea to help stem the weekly tide that sees the Demons give away goal after goal before finding themselves chasing tail and playing catch up football. Surely, enlisting the services of a psychiatrist could do the trick? What I really needed was a hot line to Dean Bailey to break the news to him. I would have to told him to forget telling the newspapers that he was changing the pre game routine or reminding us how many games in a row we've lost in a row at Subiaco or AAMI Stadium or telling the supporters that "the team is determined to end its worrying Subiaco Oval hoodoo against AFL top-four fancy Fremantle in the west today." Forget that (snip) Dean ... just do something about it and hire a shrink to fix the problem. After all, you yourself said it all after the game: "If you're not prepared to fight your way into the game from the start you are going to be chasing the opposition for the whole game and that's what we did." So why not get an eminent psychiatrist in to talk to the players and convince them that when they go out to play it's really half time and they're already six goals down. That should rev them up and get them going. If that doesn't work then why not give them all a (snip) rocket up their (snip) which is what Bails must have done during the main break because the minute they stepped back onto the field of play in the third quarter, you could sense that something big was about to go down and it was really big! Melbourne took the game on and with a superb brand of running, free- flowing, fast paced football, they banged on six goals in the first 17 minutes of the term to reduce the deficit from 39 points to a solitary point. Even without the aid of a shrink, they had drawn to the very brink of what would have been an impossible victory and one that would almost have rivaled the one at the MCG against this mob two years ago. Aaron Davey and Liam Jurrah came good with two goals each, Tom Scully was running rings around the Docker midfield and Nathan Jones came to life in the absence of injured teammate Brent Moloney. Colin Sylvia came to life as well while the steadiness of Jordie McKenzie (fantastic for someone so young and really still a rookie) and James Frawley were important. But just as the impossible was about to happen for the Demons, stage fright set in. Ryan Crowley gave the Dockers a vital goal just before three-quarter time break and Jack Watts failed to score with a difficult angle shot after the siren. Brad Green kicked the first for the final term and the Demons soon got to within a point again. Then, for the rest of the quarter it was an arm wrestle as the teams traded points and tragically (for me and the few hundred red and blue faithful at the ground and the thousands watching in homes and pubs somewhere else) Lynden Dunn and Jack Watts both missed set shots that would have put Melbourne in front. In the end, the (snip) pest kicked a left footer that bounced through and the game was over. Fremantle 11.16.82 to Melbourne 10.11.71. Anyway, Dr. McZyff. That's my story for the day. What's yours? By the way, did I ever tell you that this is really a comfortable couch? Melbourne 1.28 3.5.23 9.8.62 10.11.71 Fremantle 6.3.39 9.8.62 10.10.70 11.16.82 Goals Melbourne Bennell Davey Jurrah 2 Green Johnson Jones Sylvia Fremantle Ballantyne 4 Mundy 2 Duffield Fyfe Hasleby Palmer Best Melbourne McKenzie Frawley Davey Jones Scully Sylvia Fremantle Ballantyne Hill Mundy Duffield Ibbotson Palmer Injuries Melbourne Moloney (corked thigh) Green (finger) Fremantle Roberton (ankle) Bradley (knee) Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Margetts Rosebury Dalgleish Crowd 32,816 at Subiaco Oval

SHRINK! by William from West Perth Melbourne (the football team) comes to Perth once or twice a year and when that happens I get a rare opportunity to support in person the football team of my youthful days. However, there are some pitfalls involved in this; mainly because said football team has great difficulty winning any matches over here. My expectations this week were no different and the game against the Purple Haze opened much as I anticipated. Since Melbourne returned from its steamy escapade up in Darwin in Round 8, it has become oh, so predictable, conceding at least the first goal of every game (and often much more) to the opposition. Why should things be any different at any time when the team travels out here to a place where it has failed to register a win against either of the local sides since 2004? So predictable are the Demons that I put them on my list of dead set certainties: 1. Death and Taxes, 2. Vision of Julia Gillard appearing on the front page of every newspaper after the weekend hugging and kissing a baby, and 3. Melbourne stuffing up the start of yet another game. And so it came to pass that bang, bang, bang (snip, snip, snip - ed.) ... the first three goals of the game were in the Docker's bag before the Demons were out of snooze mode; the clock hadn't even ticked past the ten minute mark! I sat there with my two companions (both Eagles fans still celebrating Mark Le Cras' amazing haul the night before), my face resting in cupped hands and me muttering expletives about umpires and ... well, before I knew it, we were in the shadows of half time, that (snip) little pest Hayden Ballantyne (why couldn't he have kept his interchange antics for this week?) had just kicked his third and the team was down by 44 points. By then, we had witnessed all of the usual cock ups. Last week it was Jared Rivers who stuffed up a simple short pass for an embarrassing Bomber goal. This week it was Cam Bruce's turn to kick across the face of goal and give away an easy one. We did it all. Stupid free kicks, one or two of them soft, umpire # 8 (snip). They were wallowing in the mire, the yellow maggots were hurting us as much as the purple people and the game was over. Or was it? Jamie Bennell kicked his second goal, the siren went, and we wandered off to a bar for liquid refreshments and an opportunity to calmly and rationally discuss what could be done to turn things around for the ailing Demons and enable them to fight their way back into a game which appeared to be firmly in Fremantle's control. That was about the time when I hit upon a brilliant idea to help stem the weekly tide that sees the Demons give away goal after goal before finding themselves chasing tail and playing catch up football. Surely, enlisting the services of a psychiatrist could do the trick? What I really needed was a hot line to Dean Bailey to break the news to him. I would have to told him to forget telling the newspapers that he was changing the pre game routine or reminding us how many games in a row we've lost in a row at Subiaco or AAMI Stadium or telling the supporters that "the team is determined to end its worrying Subiaco Oval hoodoo against AFL top-four fancy Fremantle in the west today." Forget that (snip) Dean ... just do something about it and hire a shrink to fix the problem. After all, you yourself said it all after the game: "If you're not prepared to fight your way into the game from the start you are going to be chasing the opposition for the whole game and that's what we did." So why not get an eminent psychiatrist in to talk to the players and convince them that when they go out to play it's really half time and they're already six goals down. That should rev them up and get them going. If that doesn't work then why not give them all a (snip) rocket up their (snip) which is what Bails must have done during the main break because the minute they stepped back onto the field of play in the third quarter, you could sense that something big was about to go down and it was really big! Melbourne took the game on and with a superb brand of running, free- flowing, fast paced football, they banged on six goals in the first 17 minutes of the term to reduce the deficit from 39 points to a solitary point. Even without the aid of a shrink, they had drawn to the very brink of what would have been an impossible victory and one that would almost have rivaled the one at the MCG against this mob two years ago. Aaron Davey and Liam Jurrah came good with two goals each, Tom Scully was running rings around the Docker midfield and Nathan Jones came to life in the absence of injured teammate Brent Moloney. Colin Sylvia came to life as well while the steadiness of Jordie McKenzie (fantastic for someone so young and really still a rookie) and James Frawley were important. But just as the impossible was about to happen for the Demons, stage fright set in. Ryan Crowley gave the Dockers a vital goal just before three-quarter time break and Jack Watts failed to score with a difficult angle shot after the siren. Brad Green kicked the first for the final term and the Demons soon got to within a point again. Then, for the rest of the quarter it was an arm wrestle as the teams traded points and tragically (for me and the few hundred red and blue faithful at the ground and the thousands watching in homes and pubs somewhere else) Lynden Dunn and Jack Watts both missed set shots that would have put Melbourne in front. In the end, the (snip) pest kicked a left footer that bounced through and the game was over. Fremantle 11.16.82 to Melbourne 10.11.71. Anyway, Dr. McZyff. That's my story for the day. What's yours? By the way, did I ever tell you that this is really a comfortable couch? Melbourne 1.28 3.5.23 9.8.62 10.11.71 Fremantle 6.3.39 9.8.62 10.10.70 11.16.82 Goals Melbourne Bennell Davey Jurrah 2 Green Johnson Jones Sylvia Fremantle Ballantyne 4 Mundy 2 Duffield Fyfe Hasleby Palmer Best Melbourne McKenzie Frawley Davey Jones Scully Sylvia Fremantle Ballantyne Hill Mundy Duffield Ibbotson Palmer Injuries Melbourne Moloney (corked thigh) Green (finger) Fremantle Roberton (ankle) Bradley (knee) Changes Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Fremantle Nil Umpires Margetts Rosebury Dalgleish Crowd 32,816 at Subiaco Oval

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IN AND UNDER by KC from Casey The signs were ominous for the Casey Scorpions early in their match against Port Melbourne at Casey Fields as a chilly northerly wind swept down their beleaguered ground. The surface showed the scars of the recent heavy rains in the Cranbourne area that saw the venue of their last home game moved but it provided few problems for the players. The same could not be said of the tricky winds that the Scorpions struggled to handle in the early phase of the game. Casey had first use of the strong breeze but had trouble in going forward let alone scoring. Port Melbourne used the ball well kicking into the wind and working hard in and under the packs to get the footy and its intensity and desperation was on show from the start. The young Scorpion ruck duo of Jack Fitzpatrick and Dean Cleven, with half a dozen senior VFL games between them, had their hands full with the bigger bodied, experienced ex-AFL ruckmen David Fanning and Dylan McLaren who gave their teammates first use of the ball at the stoppages and Port took first blood after James Taylor kicked defensively across goal. By halfway through the first quarter, it led 2.2.14 to 0.1.1. Addam Maric and Luke Tapscott kicked goals to narrow the margin but Casey's poor disposal coming out of defence was still causing it grief and, as a consequence, Port Melbourne had well and truly set up an important victory by hanging on to hold a one point lead at the first break. Coach Brad Gotch called on his players to play smarter when kicking into the wind and they responded early in the second quarter with the first three goals of the quarter. Brad Miller started things going with a goal off the ground and then Austin Wonaeamirri, who had been quiet, marked at the end of a nice chain of slick kicks. Maric was starring at this stage and combined with Tapscott for another nice goal and suddenly, the Scorpions goals led by 14 points - 5.2.32 to 2.6.18. However, at this point, there was yet another momentum swing. Port took over, their ruckmen lifted a notch or two giving their onballers an armchair ride and the Borough completely dominated the second half of the term after scoring their first major at the 15 minute mark. Goal after goal followed and the flow was only temporarily stemmed when Ben MacReadie, who was having a good game, accepted a pass from skipper Matthew Wall. A goal after the siren gave the visitors a three goal buffer as the players went into the sheds at half time. By that time, Port had kicked six of the last seven goals in just half of the quarter. To make matters worse, the Scorpions again conceded the first goal despite having the advantage of the stiff breeze. They were simply being outplayed. Port Melbourne was winning in the air and was cleaner with the football and it locked Casey down for the first twelve minutes of the term when Wonaeamirri scored his second. This was the lifter and Maric chimed in for his third, followed by a goal Neville Jetta after a 50 metre penalty. When Miller booted his second at the 23 minute mark, scores were level. Playing just his second game of the season, Wade Lees kicked a nice goal followed by another from Rian McGough and the home team held a thirteen point lead at the final break. The game was there to be won but it needed a massive effort against the strengthening wind. Port Melbourne struck first with a goal in the first minute but Evan Panozza, who had been rock solid in defence, followed his man down to goal and the Scorpions squandered a couple of opportunities before the momentum shifted again in mid term. The Borough took control, kicked the last six goals of the game and finished strongly to record a well deserved by 25 point win. Despite the emphatic finish, they probably secured their win with the statement they made with their great opening quarter. MacReadie was the big possession winner with 16 kicks, 9 handballs and 5 marks and Danny Nicholls continued his consistent line of form with 19 disposals (15 and 4) and took two marks. Unfortunately, there were too many players who didn't work hard enough on the day as evidenced by the large number of players who failed to make it to double figures on the possession stats sheets. The level of Port's dominance was shown by its 100 disposals to 70 against the wind in the first quarter and 76 to 59 in the last when the game was there to be won. For the Casey Scorpions, it was a disappointing return home and the team now has an eight day break to rest up and regroup for what has become a vital match up against fourth placed Collingwood. With the Borough breathing down both their necks, neither side can afford to give away the four points on offer. HOW THE DEMONS FARED by Whispering Jack Daniel Bell (4 kicks, 4 handballs, 1 mark) - has been good in recent weeks in a run with role but lowered his colours badly this time. Jack Fitzpatrick (0 kicks, 7 handballs, 0 marks) - was given a difficult assignment in stopping Port Melbourne's seasoned ruck duo and, while he had his moments, struggled to match their strength and experience in the end. Neville Jetta (7 kicks, 2 handballs, 4 marks, 1 goal) - apart from a nice goal and a few individual efforts, had a quiet day and won't get promoted on that performance. Addam Maric (9 kicks, 4 handballs, 2 marks, 3 goals) - was Casey's best player for the first three quarters during which time he lit up the ground with some brilliant play across half forward. He kicked Casey's first goal with some classy play and set up the next for Luke Tapscott. He combined well with his fellow forwards to bring his team back into the game early in the second quarter and again when in the third quarter. Also created some run and hit targets playing down the field but, like most of his teammates, he drifted out of the game at the end. Tom McNamara (15 kicks, 1 handball, 3 marks) - held the fort in defense early with Matthew Warnock and was solid under pressure all day. Brad Miller (9 kicks, 7 handballs, 8 marks, 2 goals) - took a while to get going but eventually worked his way into the game. Took some solid marks and booted two goals and was his team's only focal point in attack. Missed a few including a crucial shot in the last quarter. Luke Tapscott (13 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks, 1 goal) - surprised with his class and the drive he gave especially considering how much of the season he missed after his hip operation. Is hard at it and exceptionally long kick of the footy. Matthew Warnock (5 kicks, 6 handballs, 4 marks) - had his hands full with the Port Melbourne big men but stuck to his task and was one of his team's best. Austin Wonaemirri (6 kicks, 0 handballs, 2 marks, 2 goals) - had a slow start but came good with some clever forward play and a nice goal in the second quarter. Worked hard but needs to be more consistent through the game. Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 6.2.38 12.5.77 13.9.87 Port Melbourne 2.3.15 8.8.56 9.10.64 16.16.112 Goals Casey Scorpions Maric 3 Miller Wonaemirri 2 Jetta Lees McGough Panozza Tapscott Wall Port Melbourne Scipione 4 Bentick Burstin McMahon Sinclair 2 Bonaddio Debruin Fanning Schultz Casey Scorpions MacReadie Miller Warnock McNamara Maric Nicholls Port Melbourne Fanning McLaren Bentick Valenti Wall Pinwill The reserves took on Port Melbourne for the third time this season and, despite a good start against the breeze, were overpowered by an experienced opponent that had a the luxury of a goal kicking full forward who kicked six goals. To their credit, they the Scorpions came back to narrow the gap to 8 points at the end after the visitors held a 6 goal lead midway through the final term. David Bell continued his brilliant run to be his team's best but only a whisker ahead of Brad Sykes who was dangerous around goal all game and finished with five goals. Sam Blease showed flashes of brilliance on a wing and later in the middle. Casey Scorpions 4.2.26 8.4.52 10.6.66 15.9.99 Port Melbourne 3.5.23 7.9.51 11.13.79 15.17.107 Goals Casey Scorpions Sykes 5 Hillberge Petropoulos 2 Lillie Patti Purdy Smith Tynan Waite Port Melbourne Pitt 6 Bean Purcell 2 Castricum Deledio Dwyer Keely Neville Best Casey Scorpions David Bell Sykes Plummer Blease Burke Petropoulos Port Melbourne Pitt Purcell Suckling Dalton Thornton Neville

IN AND UNDER by KC from Casey The signs were ominous for the Casey Scorpions early in their match against Port Melbourne at Casey Fields as a chilly northerly wind swept down their beleaguered ground. The surface showed the scars of the recent heavy rains in the Cranbourne area that saw the venue of their last home game moved but it provided few problems for the players. The same could not be said of the tricky winds that the Scorpions struggled to handle in the early phase of the game. Casey had first use of the strong breeze but had trouble in going forward let alone scoring. Port Melbourne used the ball well kicking into the wind and working hard in and under the packs to get the footy and its intensity and desperation was on show from the start. The young Scorpion ruck duo of Jack Fitzpatrick and Dean Cleven, with half a dozen senior VFL games between them, had their hands full with the bigger bodied, experienced ex-AFL ruckmen David Fanning and Dylan McLaren who gave their teammates first use of the ball at the stoppages and Port took first blood after James Taylor kicked defensively across goal. By halfway through the first quarter, it led 2.2.14 to 0.1.1. Addam Maric and Luke Tapscott kicked goals to narrow the margin but Casey's poor disposal coming out of defence was still causing it grief and, as a consequence, Port Melbourne had well and truly set up an important victory by hanging on to hold a one point lead at the first break. Coach Brad Gotch called on his players to play smarter when kicking into the wind and they responded early in the second quarter with the first three goals of the quarter. Brad Miller started things going with a goal off the ground and then Austin Wonaeamirri, who had been quiet, marked at the end of a nice chain of slick kicks. Maric was starring at this stage and combined with Tapscott for another nice goal and suddenly, the Scorpions goals led by 14 points - 5.2.32 to 2.6.18. However, at this point, there was yet another momentum swing. Port took over, their ruckmen lifted a notch or two giving their onballers an armchair ride and the Borough completely dominated the second half of the term after scoring their first major at the 15 minute mark. Goal after goal followed and the flow was only temporarily stemmed when Ben MacReadie, who was having a good game, accepted a pass from skipper Matthew Wall. A goal after the siren gave the visitors a three goal buffer as the players went into the sheds at half time. By that time, Port had kicked six of the last seven goals in just half of the quarter. To make matters worse, the Scorpions again conceded the first goal despite having the advantage of the stiff breeze. They were simply being outplayed. Port Melbourne was winning in the air and was cleaner with the football and it locked Casey down for the first twelve minutes of the term when Wonaeamirri scored his second. This was the lifter and Maric chimed in for his third, followed by a goal Neville Jetta after a 50 metre penalty. When Miller booted his second at the 23 minute mark, scores were level. Playing just his second game of the season, Wade Lees kicked a nice goal followed by another from Rian McGough and the home team held a thirteen point lead at the final break. The game was there to be won but it needed a massive effort against the strengthening wind. Port Melbourne struck first with a goal in the first minute but Evan Panozza, who had been rock solid in defence, followed his man down to goal and the Scorpions squandered a couple of opportunities before the momentum shifted again in mid term. The Borough took control, kicked the last six goals of the game and finished strongly to record a well deserved by 25 point win. Despite the emphatic finish, they probably secured their win with the statement they made with their great opening quarter. MacReadie was the big possession winner with 16 kicks, 9 handballs and 5 marks and Danny Nicholls continued his consistent line of form with 19 disposals (15 and 4) and took two marks. Unfortunately, there were too many players who didn't work hard enough on the day as evidenced by the large number of players who failed to make it to double figures on the possession stats sheets. The level of Port's dominance was shown by its 100 disposals to 70 against the wind in the first quarter and 76 to 59 in the last when the game was there to be won. For the Casey Scorpions, it was a disappointing return home and the team now has an eight day break to rest up and regroup for what has become a vital match up against fourth placed Collingwood. With the Borough breathing down both their necks, neither side can afford to give away the four points on offer. HOW THE DEMONS FARED by Whispering Jack Daniel Bell (4 kicks, 4 handballs, 1 mark) - has been good in recent weeks in a run with role but lowered his colours badly this time. Jack Fitzpatrick (0 kicks, 7 handballs, 0 marks) - was given a difficult assignment in stopping Port Melbourne's seasoned ruck duo and, while he had his moments, struggled to match their strength and experience in the end. Neville Jetta (7 kicks, 2 handballs, 4 marks, 1 goal) - apart from a nice goal and a few individual efforts, had a quiet day and won't get promoted on that performance. Addam Maric (9 kicks, 4 handballs, 2 marks, 3 goals) - was Casey's best player for the first three quarters during which time he lit up the ground with some brilliant play across half forward. He kicked Casey's first goal with some classy play and set up the next for Luke Tapscott. He combined well with his fellow forwards to bring his team back into the game early in the second quarter and again when in the third quarter. Also created some run and hit targets playing down the field but, like most of his teammates, he drifted out of the game at the end. Tom McNamara (15 kicks, 1 handball, 3 marks) - held the fort in defense early with Matthew Warnock and was solid under pressure all day. Brad Miller (9 kicks, 7 handballs, 8 marks, 2 goals) - took a while to get going but eventually worked his way into the game. Took some solid marks and booted two goals and was his team's only focal point in attack. Missed a few including a crucial shot in the last quarter. Luke Tapscott (13 kicks, 4 handballs, 5 marks, 1 goal) - surprised with his class and the drive he gave especially considering how much of the season he missed after his hip operation. Is hard at it and exceptionally long kick of the footy. Matthew Warnock (5 kicks, 6 handballs, 4 marks) - had his hands full with the Port Melbourne big men but stuck to his task and was one of his team's best. Austin Wonaemirri (6 kicks, 0 handballs, 2 marks, 2 goals) - had a slow start but came good with some clever forward play and a nice goal in the second quarter. Worked hard but needs to be more consistent through the game. Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 6.2.38 12.5.77 13.9.87 Port Melbourne 2.3.15 8.8.56 9.10.64 16.16.112 Goals Casey Scorpions Maric 3 Miller Wonaemirri 2 Jetta Lees McGough Panozza Tapscott Wall Port Melbourne Scipione 4 Bentick Burstin McMahon Sinclair 2 Bonaddio Debruin Fanning Schultz Casey Scorpions MacReadie Miller Warnock McNamara Maric Nicholls Port Melbourne Fanning McLaren Bentick Valenti Wall Pinwill The reserves took on Port Melbourne for the third time this season and, despite a good start against the breeze, were overpowered by an experienced opponent that had a the luxury of a goal kicking full forward who kicked six goals. To their credit, they the Scorpions came back to narrow the gap to 8 points at the end after the visitors held a 6 goal lead midway through the final term. David Bell continued his brilliant run to be his team's best but only a whisker ahead of Brad Sykes who was dangerous around goal all game and finished with five goals. Sam Blease showed flashes of brilliance on a wing and later in the middle. Casey Scorpions 4.2.26 8.4.52 10.6.66 15.9.99 Port Melbourne 3.5.23 7.9.51 11.13.79 15.17.107 Goals Casey Scorpions Sykes 5 Hillberge Petropoulos 2 Lillie Patti Purdy Smith Tynan Waite Port Melbourne Pitt 6 Bean Purcell 2 Castricum Deledio Dwyer Keely Neville Best Casey Scorpions David Bell Sykes Plummer Blease Burke Petropoulos Port Melbourne Pitt Purcell Suckling Dalton Thornton Neville

It's our standard opening gambit.

FIRST STEPS by Whispering Jack By sheer co-incidence, the Herald Sun featured a story about Chris Dawes on precisely the same day that young Demon draftee Max Gawn played his first game after recovering from the torn anterior cruciate ligament injury which sidelined him for well over a year. When Gawn took his place in the Scorpions' reserves against Port Melbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday, he was following almost exactly in the Collingwood forward's footsteps. Dawes was drafted from Sandringham Dragons to the Magpies with pick 28 in the 2006 national draft after a knee reconstruction. Collingwood knew at the time that he would have to sit out the following season. He made his AFL debut in 2008 with six games and managed only four last year. The strongly built Magpie forward is finally becoming a regular in the AFL and doubled his pre 2010 games tally in his team's big win against St. Kilda. Meanwhile, Gawn, who was drafted from the Sandringham Dragons with pick 34 while recovering from a reconstruction last year, achieved his own modest milestone. This was his first VFL game: one played on an outer suburban ground that itself has been under a bit of a cloud after taking a battering from this year's heavier than usual Cranbourne rainfalls. Both the footballer and the football ground were making their comebacks when the Scorpion reserves ran out onto the Casey Fields main oval that sported half a dozen sandy patches that until recently were muddy glue pots which threatened the club's capacity to play home matches for the remainder of the season. Gawn's own return game has taken some time to come around. He hasn't graced a football field in action since May 2, 2009 when he went down with the knee injury against the Geelong Falcons. A setback or two along the way has mandated a conservative approach with Melbourne's young big man who was measured at 206.8cm at last year's national draft camp. They say he's now around 208cm which puts him behind only Fremantle's Aaron Sandiland on the list of AFL talls. Further, he's not a stringbean like many young rookie ruckmen as his weight is already heading northward of 100kg! I don't take much notice of You Tube highlights reels and it wasn't until well after he was drafted that I saw the Max Gawn version. Let me say that I was suitably impressed not just with this young man's size but with his skill, athleticism and the agility he displayed. Take away the knee injury and this kid, who had been included in the Vic Metro Under-18 squad after dominating both in the ruck and as a forward with the Dragons, could possibly have been snapped up in the top 10. Gawn was finally ready to go after enduring a frustrating eight months after draft day but it would have been an absolute miracle had he come out and starred in the half game he had been allocated for his comeback. There were no great expectations and he didn't get much of the footy (1 kick and 3 handballs), sharing the ruck duties with former Gippsland Falcon Chris Wylie in ten minute rotations. However, he did show good rucking skills and gave his teammates first use of the football at the stoppages, particularly at the centre bounces. This enabled the Scorpions to surprise Port Melbourne with a strong opening quarter and, when his stint ended on schedule at half time, they still led their finals bound visitors by a point There's no doubt that we are going to see a lot more of the Melbourne big man as he learns his trade (and he still has a lot to learn). The game was the first step on what is likely to be a long journey for both player and club. It's a journey that will be shared with one of yesterday's teammates in on baller Sam Blease who also suffered a debilitating long term injury breaking a leg while having a kick in the schoolyard last year. He was drafted at 17 and, like fellow 2008 draftee Jack Watts, was in the early stages of mixing the final year of his schooling with preparing to become a footballer at the elite level. Blease came back with the Casey reserves earlier in the season but had to take an extra rest after feeling pain in his leg. He is now in his third game on return and getting more game time every week. He was patchy early but gradually worked his way into the game after starting on a wing. When the coach threw Blease into the middle in the final quarter, he showed some good flashes of speed and disposal skills and was instrumental in his team's late comeback that saw it come to within eight points at the end after the Borough threatened to run away to a big victory. He finished with 14 kicks for the day. Gawn and Blease weren't the only players on show on this day who are in recovery mode. Fellow draftees 201cm Jack Fitzpatrick and utility Luke Tapscott played in Casey's senior team on the recovery trail from their respective injuries. Fitzpatrick has been fighting an ongoing battle with chronic fatigue syndrome but suffered a shoulder injury after a best on ground performance with the reserves earlier in the year and is showing promise in a rucking role. He was part of a very inexperienced ruck combination that struggled against Port's seasoned ex-AFL ruck duo Fanning and McLaren. Tapscott, who underwent a hip operation in the off season and is a month into his comeback, showed some of the class and toughness that had good judges describing him as a "young Paul Chapman". He's a prodigious kick and booted a nice goal to get his team back on an even keel after a slow start. The youngsters on show at Casey represent their club's own quest for recognition and success after years of stuggle. Over at Collingwood, Chris Dawes played a small role in his team's win that pushed them to the top of the table but, at Melbourne, the battle has only just begun. ▶ Whispering Jack is Max Gawn's 2010 MFC sponsor.

FIRST STEPS by Whispering Jack By sheer co-incidence, the Herald Sun featured a story about Chris Dawes on precisely the same day that young Demon draftee Max Gawn played his first game after recovering from the torn anterior cruciate ligament injury which sidelined him for well over a year. When Gawn took his place in the Scorpions' reserves against Port Melbourne at Casey Fields on Saturday, he was following almost exactly in the Collingwood forward's footsteps. Dawes was drafted from Sandringham Dragons to the Magpies with pick 28 in the 2006 national draft after a knee reconstruction. Collingwood knew at the time that he would have to sit out the following season. He made his AFL debut in 2008 with six games and managed only four last year. The strongly built Magpie forward is finally becoming a regular in the AFL and doubled his pre 2010 games tally in his team's big win against St. Kilda. Meanwhile, Gawn, who was drafted from the Sandringham Dragons with pick 34 while recovering from a reconstruction last year, achieved his own modest milestone. This was his first VFL game: one played on an outer suburban ground that itself has been under a bit of a cloud after taking a battering from this year's heavier than usual Cranbourne rainfalls. Both the footballer and the football ground were making their comebacks when the Scorpion reserves ran out onto the Casey Fields main oval that sported half a dozen sandy patches that until recently were muddy glue pots which threatened the club's capacity to play home matches for the remainder of the season. Gawn's own return game has taken some time to come around. He hasn't graced a football field in action since May 2, 2009 when he went down with the knee injury against the Geelong Falcons. A setback or two along the way has mandated a conservative approach with Melbourne's young big man who was measured at 206.8cm at last year's national draft camp. They say he's now around 208cm which puts him behind only Fremantle's Aaron Sandiland on the list of AFL talls. Further, he's not a stringbean like many young rookie ruckmen as his weight is already heading northward of 100kg! I don't take much notice of You Tube highlights reels and it wasn't until well after he was drafted that I saw the Max Gawn version. Let me say that I was suitably impressed not just with this young man's size but with his skill, athleticism and the agility he displayed. Take away the knee injury and this kid, who had been included in the Vic Metro Under-18 squad after dominating both in the ruck and as a forward with the Dragons, could possibly have been snapped up in the top 10. Gawn was finally ready to go after enduring a frustrating eight months after draft day but it would have been an absolute miracle had he come out and starred in the half game he had been allocated for his comeback. There were no great expectations and he didn't get much of the footy (1 kick and 3 handballs), sharing the ruck duties with former Gippsland Falcon Chris Wylie in ten minute rotations. However, he did show good rucking skills and gave his teammates first use of the football at the stoppages, particularly at the centre bounces. This enabled the Scorpions to surprise Port Melbourne with a strong opening quarter and, when his stint ended on schedule at half time, they still led their finals bound visitors by a point There's no doubt that we are going to see a lot more of the Melbourne big man as he learns his trade (and he still has a lot to learn). The game was the first step on what is likely to be a long journey for both player and club. It's a journey that will be shared with one of yesterday's teammates in on baller Sam Blease who also suffered a debilitating long term injury breaking a leg while having a kick in the schoolyard last year. He was drafted at 17 and, like fellow 2008 draftee Jack Watts, was in the early stages of mixing the final year of his schooling with preparing to become a footballer at the elite level. Blease came back with the Casey reserves earlier in the season but had to take an extra rest after feeling pain in his leg. He is now in his third game on return and getting more game time every week. He was patchy early but gradually worked his way into the game after starting on a wing. When the coach threw Blease into the middle in the final quarter, he showed some good flashes of speed and disposal skills and was instrumental in his team's late comeback that saw it come to within eight points at the end after the Borough threatened to run away to a big victory. He finished with 14 kicks for the day. Gawn and Blease weren't the only players on show on this day who are in recovery mode. Fellow draftees 201cm Jack Fitzpatrick and utility Luke Tapscott played in Casey's senior team on the recovery trail from their respective injuries. Fitzpatrick has been fighting an ongoing battle with chronic fatigue syndrome but suffered a shoulder injury after a best on ground performance with the reserves earlier in the year and is showing promise in a rucking role. He was part of a very inexperienced ruck combination that struggled against Port's seasoned ex-AFL ruck duo Fanning and McLaren. Tapscott, who underwent a hip operation in the off season and is a month into his comeback, showed some of the class and toughness that had good judges describing him as a "young Paul Chapman". He's a prodigious kick and booted a nice goal to get his team back on an even keel after a slow start. The youngsters on show at Casey represent their club's own quest for recognition and success after years of stuggle. Over at Collingwood, Chris Dawes played a small role in his team's win that pushed them to the top of the table but, at Melbourne, the battle has only just begun. ▶ Whispering Jack is Max Gawn's 2010 MFC sponsor.

PRAISING PURPLE by Sam the Stats Man Mark Harvey's Fremantle Dockers are having a fantastic season. They finished in the bottom four last year and currently hold a much coveted place in the top four. Were it not for a glitch last weekend when they sent a depleted side to battle it out against Richmond at the MCG, their hold on fourth spot would have been rock solid. They have otherwise shown an ability to hold their own against the best of them at home (against Geelong) and away where they recently scored a comfortable win at Etihad Stadium against the Blues. Melbourne had also fought its way out of the bottom four but only just – and that thanks to a last start win against Essendon. The performance was exceptional and, although some might question as less than satisfactory, the fact that the Bombers were allowed to kick six of the last seven goals of the game, the Demons were clearly resting players for this week’s battle when they have to travel across the Nullarbor to take on the Dockers. Certainly, the hard working and much improved Mark Jamar would have relished the fact that he was able to rest his weary body while junk time was played out. He deserved it. Fremantle will gain back some players this week which is just as well because they were starting to look vulnerable under the weight of the injuries they suffered, in particular the loss of midfielder Michael Barlow with a broken leg. The team certainly lacked a great deal of run against the Tigers and will need to do better in this area against the Demons. It’s hard to believe that at their last meeting, the Dockers were comprehensively beaten by 63 points but that was at the MCG. This game is at Subiaco where Fremantle has won five in a row against their visitors and you have to go all the way back to 2004 when Peter Vardy kicked four goals and a young pimply faced Brock McLean was in his first season excelled in the wet to pump the Dockers. Melbourne’s forward line looks improved with the inclusion of Liam Jurrah and Colin Sylvia and the Demons will be motivated by the need to show that they are capable of winning away from home (they did beat Port Adelaide in Darwin earlier in the year but that was neutral territory). The problem is that they had the same motivation (and more because they were still more than just a mathematical chance to make the finals then) when they played Adelaide at AAMI Stadium a few weeks back and were comprehensively spanked. Unfortunately, you can’t trust them to win over there and the statistics bear this out. Fremantle by 33 points. THE GAME Fremantle v Melbourne at the MCG - Sunday 18 July 2010 at 4:40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Fremantle 13 wins Melbourne 12 wins At Subiaco Fremantle 7 wins Melbourne 3 wins Since 2000 Fremantle 9 wins Melbourne 8 wins The Coaches Harvey 1 win Bailey 2 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 live at 4.00 pm RADIO ABC774 SEN 3AW THE BETTING Fremantle to win $1.22 Melbourne to win $4.35 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 20.7.127 defeated Fremantle 9.10.64 at the MCG Round 20, 2009 The Demons were on song and, after a reasonably even first half, they roared away and almost doubled the Dockers' score in the end. Producing another exciting display, Liam Jurrah booted four goals while Aaron Davey was best on ground. The victory was enough to put many supporters on edge for another fortnight before the priority draft pick issue was finally determined. THE TEAMS FREMANTLE Backs Dylan Roberton Alex Silvagni Kepler Bradley Half backs Matthew de Boer Luke McPharlin Roger Hayden Centreline Garrick Ibbotson David Mundy Nathan Fyfe Half forwards Jay van Berlo Matthew Pavlich Stephen Hill Forwards Adam McPhee Michael Johnson Hayden Ballantyne Followers Aaron Sandilands Ryan Crowley Paul Duffield Interchange Greg Broughton Paul Hasleby Anthony Morabito Rhys Palmer Emergencies Clancee Pearce Nick Suban Chris Tarrant In Greg Broughton Nathan Fyfe Luke McPharlin Out Clancee Pearce Tim Ruffles Clancee Pearce (all omitted) MELBOURNE Backs Colin Garland Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Jordie McKenzie James Frawley Cameron Bruce Centreline Jamie Bennell Nathan Jones Brad Green Half forwards Lynden Dunn Jack Watts Tom Scully Forwards Colin Sylvia Matthew Bate Liam Jurrah Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Aaron Davey Interchange Rohan Bail Paul Johnson Joel Macdonald Cale Morton Emergencies Kyle Cheney Addam Maric Matthew Warnock In Rohan Bail Addam Maric Cale Morton Matthew Warnock Out Kyle Cheney (omitted) Jack Trengove (hip) Melbourne's season has spluttered since its three wins in a row in late April but last week's win over Essendon was a tonic. Here's my reveiw of how he team's gone so far this year. BAIL, Rohan MFC – 3 games, 3 goals, Casey Seniors - 4 games, 3 goals. Was one the early surprise packets but injuries intervened to restrict him over the past two months. Has been among the best in his two return games at Casey. BARTRAM, Clint MFC - 14 games 2 goals. Early on, he played some of his best football since his debut year but has been a little inconsistent of late. BATE, Matthew MFC - 13 games 18 goals. Is having a reasonably good year after an interrupted pre season but needs to narrow the gap between his best and his worst. BELL, Daniel Casey Seniors - 10 games 0 goals. The start to his season was hampered by a pre season AC injury and he has not been able to force his way into AFL ranks. His position at the club at the end of the year must be under question. BENNELL, Jamie MFC - 13 games 11 goals, Casey Seniors 1 game 0 goals. Has shown some flashes of brilliance but also went through a flat patch that saw him play for Casey on an occasion. BLEASE, Sam Casey Reserves - 5 games 3 goals. Making slow progress in the VFL reserves after suffering a few setbacks coming back from a bad foot injury. BRUCE, Cameron MFC - 14 games 4 goals. Has been a steady performer throughout the season and is improving like a vintage wine. Seems to have recovered his goalkicking ability of late. CHENEY, Kyle MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 10 games 0 goals. Has been solid in defence at Casey and recently pushed his way into AFL selection where has been steady without being outstanding. DAVEY, Aaron MFC - 15 games 5 goals. Not as predominant as he was last year but has had his good games. DUNN, Lynden MFC - 11 games 10 goals, Casey Seniors 2 games, 9 goals. Hot and cold so far this season but has shown improvement in his more recent games. FITZPATRICK, Jack Casey Seniors 3 games 1 goal, Casey Reserves - 4 games 5 goals. Slowly overcoming his early injury woes and has been performing well in the seniors at Casey. FRAWLEY, James MFC - 14 games 0 goals. Continues to grow in stature as a strong, fast young defender. GARLAND, Colin MFC - 13 games 1 goal. Slowly coming back to his best after missing most of last year. GAWN, Max Likely to return to football in the Casey Reserves for the first time since undergoing an ACL operation last year. GREEN, Brad MFC - 15 games 36 goals. Has shown outstanding leadership and courage and is the team's top goal kicker. GRIMES, Jack MFC - 14 games 0 goals. Outstanding season so far in defence. GYSBERTS, Jordan MFC - 3 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 2 goals. Earned a Rising Star nomination after a spectacular start to his career. Now out with an injury. HEALEY, Rhys Casey Seniors - 5 games 2 goals, Casey Reserves 1 game. 0 goals. Restricted by injuries again this year. HUGHES, Daniel MFC - 2 games 2 goals, Casey Seniors - 6 games 5 goals. Had an impressive debut with the Demons after such a long wait. Sidelined with an ankle injury. JAMAR, Mark MFC - 15 games 7 goals. Has grabbed the mantle of # 1 ruckman and has been touted as a possible contender for All Australian honours. JETTA, Neville MFC - 6 games 6 goals. Casey Seniors - 6 games 2 goals. Was good in patches after spending the early part of the season at Casey but has returned there after a downturn in his form. JOHNSON, Paul MFC - 3 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 8 games 6 goals. Relishing a return to the AFL after spending most of the first half of the season at Casey. JONES, Nathan MFC - 15 games 4 goals. Has been tried in a variety of roles this season and has played in all games. Still capable of stepping up a bit more. JURRAH, Liam MFC - 1 game 2 goals, Casey Reserves 2 games 3 goals. Added some excitement to the Demon forward line in a welcome return from the shoulder injury he incurred in a NAB Challenge game in Adelaide. MACDONALD, Joel MFC - 11 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 4 games 3 goals. Has added variety to the defence along with some stability and looks likely to hold down a place there for the rest of the season. MCDONALD, James MFC - 11 games 4 goals. The veteran skipper's vintage season has been interrupted by a hamstring injury. MCKENZIE, Jordie MFC - 12 games 2 goals, Casey Seniors 2 games 0 goals. A revelation in his first full season. Should be first promotion off the rookie list at the end of the year. McNAMARA, Tom Casey Seniors - 10 games 1 goal. Showing improvement at Casey but has the job ahead of him to break into the Demon defence. MARIC, Addam Casey Seniors - 11 games 7 goals. Consistent performances at Casey have him pushing hard for AFL selection. MARTIN, Stefan MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 4 games 7 goals, Casey Reserves 2 games 1 goal. Going through a disappointing season and is currently on the sidelines with a hip injury that has affected him for a while. MEESEN, John Long term injury. Will find it hard to maintain a place on the list given his time away from playing the game. MILLER, Brad MFC - 6 game 10 goals, Casey Seniors - 7 games 13 goals. Kicked 5 goals up in Darwin but has been up and down. Missed last week altogether with a back problem after a so-so display for Casey. MOLONEY, Brent MFC - 15 games 2 goals. Continues to be a tower of strength in the engine room where he is providing great leadership for the youngsters in the midfield. MORTON, Cale MFC 5 games 2 goals - Casey Seniors - 4 games 4 goals. Had some good games coming back from knee surgery but was surprisingly sent back to Casey for a couple of weeks. NEWTON, Michael MFC - 2 games 1 goal, Casey Seniors - 7 games 12 goals. Was getting back into form at Casey when struck by a quad injury. PETTERD, Ricky MFC - 6 games 12 goals. Added bite to the forward line early before damaging his shoulder and joining the list of players out with long term injuries. RIVERS, Jared MFC - 11 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 1 game 0 goals. Had some injury woes early and has struggled to come back to his best but has had some improved showings of late. SCULLY, Tom MFC - 14 games 4 goals. Great start to what should be a long and stellar career. SPENCER, Jake MFC - 2 game 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 7 games 2 goals, Casey Reserves 1 game 1 goal. Played forward in the opening game of the season without much success. Was improving at Casey in the first ruck role and finally gained promotion to the AFL only to suffer a back injury. STRAUSS, James MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 12 games 0 goals. Had a taste of AFL football and is promising. Now out with a hamstring injury. SYLVIA, Colin MFC - 9 games 12 goals, Casey Seniors 1game 3 goals. Was going gangbusters in his first couple of games after his broken jaw but then discovered a problem with his toe that kept him out for over a month. Great game on his return last week. TAPSCOTT, Luke Casey Seniors 1 game 0 goals, Casey Reserves 1 game 0 goals. Showing promise on return from a long term hip injury. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC - 14 games 7 goals. Along with Scully, one of the club's shining young lights. WARNOCK, Matthew MFC - 12 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 2 games, 0 goals. Very handy in defence this season and had some big scalps but went off the boil a little and was dropped to Casey where he dominated completely last week. WATTS, Jack MFC - 8 game 6 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 7 goals. There's no doubt that he has the speed, the skills and the football nous and he's showing some exciting glimpses of the future in every game. Will only get better as he bulks up. WONAEMIRRI, Austin MFC 2 games 2 goals, Casey Seniors - 7 games 7 goals, Casey Reserves - 2 games 4 goals Missed all of last year with knee and hamstring problems, the latter of which recurred during the pre season. Had a couple of games at top level but is still struggling to maintain consistency.

Full match preview and Sunday teams are now up on the OP.

PRAISING PURPLE by Sam the Stats Man Mark Harvey's Fremantle Dockers are having a fantastic season. They finished in the bottom four last year and currently hold a much coveted place in the top four. Were it not for a glitch last weekend when they sent a depleted side to battle it out against Richmond at the MCG, their hold on fourth spot would have been rock solid. They have otherwise shown an ability to hold their own against the best of them at home (against Geelong) and away where they recently scored a comfortable win at Etihad Stadium against the Blues. Melbourne had also fought its way out of the bottom four but only just – and that thanks to a last start win against Essendon. The performance was exceptional and, although some might question as less than satisfactory, the fact that the Bombers were allowed to kick six of the last seven goals of the game, the Demons were clearly resting players for this week’s battle when they have to travel across the Nullarbor to take on the Dockers. Certainly, the hard working and much improved Mark Jamar would have relished the fact that he was able to rest his weary body while junk time was played out. He deserved it. Fremantle will gain back some players this week which is just as well because they were starting to look vulnerable under the weight of the injuries they suffered, in particular the loss of midfielder Michael Barlow with a broken leg. The team certainly lacked a great deal of run against the Tigers and will need to do better in this area against the Demons. It’s hard to believe that at their last meeting, the Dockers were comprehensively beaten by 63 points but that was at the MCG. This game is at Subiaco where Fremantle has won five in a row against their visitors and you have to go all the way back to 2004 when Peter Vardy kicked four goals and a young pimply faced Brock McLean was in his first season excelled in the wet to pump the Dockers. Melbourne’s forward line looks improved with the inclusion of Liam Jurrah and Colin Sylvia and the Demons will be motivated by the need to show that they are capable of winning away from home (they did beat Port Adelaide in Darwin earlier in the year but that was neutral territory). The problem is that they had the same motivation (and more because they were still more than just a mathematical chance to make the finals then) when they played Adelaide at AAMI Stadium a few weeks back and were comprehensively spanked. Unfortunately, you can’t trust them to win over there and the statistics bear this out. Fremantle by 33 points. THE GAME Fremantle v Melbourne at the MCG - Sunday 18 July 2010 at 4:40pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Fremantle 13 wins Melbourne 12 wins At Subiaco Fremantle 7 wins Melbourne 3 wins Since 2000 Fremantle 9 wins Melbourne 8 wins The Coaches Harvey 1 win Bailey 2 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 live at 4.00 pm RADIO ABC774 SEN 3AW THE BETTING Fremantle to win $1.22 Melbourne to win $4.35 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 20.7.127 defeated Fremantle 9.10.64 at the MCG Round 20, 2009 The Demons were on song and, after a reasonably even first half, they roared away and almost doubled the Dockers' score in the end. Producing another exciting display, Liam Jurrah booted four goals while Aaron Davey was best on ground. The victory was enough to put many supporters on edge for another fortnight before the priority draft pick issue was finally determined. THE TEAMS FREMANTLE Backs Dylan Roberton Alex Silvagni Kepler Bradley Half backs Matthew de Boer Luke McPharlin Roger Hayden Centreline Garrick Ibbotson David Mundy Nathan Fyfe Half forwards Jay van Berlo Matthew Pavlich Stephen Hill Forwards Adam McPhee Michael Johnson Hayden Ballantyne Followers Aaron Sandilands Ryan Crowley Paul Duffield Interchange Greg Broughton Paul Hasleby Anthony Morabito Rhys Palmer Emergencies Clancee Pearce Nick Suban Chris Tarrant In Greg Broughton Nathan Fyfe Luke McPharlin Out Clancee Pearce Tim Ruffles Clancee Pearce (all omitted) MELBOURNE Backs Colin Garland Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Jordie McKenzie James Frawley Cameron Bruce Centreline Jamie Bennell Nathan Jones Brad Green Half forwards Lynden Dunn Jack Watts Tom Scully Forwards Colin Sylvia Matthew Bate Liam Jurrah Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Aaron Davey Interchange Rohan Bail Paul Johnson Joel Macdonald Cale Morton Emergencies Kyle Cheney Addam Maric Matthew Warnock In Rohan Bail Addam Maric Cale Morton Matthew Warnock Out Kyle Cheney (omitted) Jack Trengove (hip) Melbourne's season has spluttered since its three wins in a row in late April but last week's win over Essendon was a tonic. Here's my reveiw of how he team's gone so far this year. BAIL, Rohan MFC – 3 games, 3 goals, Casey Seniors - 4 games, 3 goals. Was one the early surprise packets but injuries intervened to restrict him over the past two months. Has been among the best in his two return games at Casey. BARTRAM, Clint MFC - 14 games 2 goals. Early on, he played some of his best football since his debut year but has been a little inconsistent of late. BATE, Matthew MFC - 13 games 18 goals. Is having a reasonably good year after an interrupted pre season but needs to narrow the gap between his best and his worst. BELL, Daniel Casey Seniors - 10 games 0 goals. The start to his season was hampered by a pre season AC injury and he has not been able to force his way into AFL ranks. His position at the club at the end of the year must be under question. BENNELL, Jamie MFC - 13 games 11 goals, Casey Seniors 1 game 0 goals. Has shown some flashes of brilliance but also went through a flat patch that saw him play for Casey on an occasion. BLEASE, Sam Casey Reserves - 5 games 3 goals. Making slow progress in the VFL reserves after suffering a few setbacks coming back from a bad foot injury. BRUCE, Cameron MFC - 14 games 4 goals. Has been a steady performer throughout the season and is improving like a vintage wine. Seems to have recovered his goalkicking ability of late. CHENEY, Kyle MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 10 games 0 goals. Has been solid in defence at Casey and recently pushed his way into AFL selection where has been steady without being outstanding. DAVEY, Aaron MFC - 15 games 5 goals. Not as predominant as he was last year but has had his good games. DUNN, Lynden MFC - 11 games 10 goals, Casey Seniors 2 games, 9 goals. Hot and cold so far this season but has shown improvement in his more recent games. FITZPATRICK, Jack Casey Seniors 3 games 1 goal, Casey Reserves - 4 games 5 goals. Slowly overcoming his early injury woes and has been performing well in the seniors at Casey. FRAWLEY, James MFC - 14 games 0 goals. Continues to grow in stature as a strong, fast young defender. GARLAND, Colin MFC - 13 games 1 goal. Slowly coming back to his best after missing most of last year. GAWN, Max Likely to return to football in the Casey Reserves for the first time since undergoing an ACL operation last year. GREEN, Brad MFC - 15 games 36 goals. Has shown outstanding leadership and courage and is the team's top goal kicker. GRIMES, Jack MFC - 14 games 0 goals. Outstanding season so far in defence. GYSBERTS, Jordan MFC - 3 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 2 goals. Earned a Rising Star nomination after a spectacular start to his career. Now out with an injury. HEALEY, Rhys Casey Seniors - 5 games 2 goals, Casey Reserves 1 game. 0 goals. Restricted by injuries again this year. HUGHES, Daniel MFC - 2 games 2 goals, Casey Seniors - 6 games 5 goals. Had an impressive debut with the Demons after such a long wait. Sidelined with an ankle injury. JAMAR, Mark MFC - 15 games 7 goals. Has grabbed the mantle of # 1 ruckman and has been touted as a possible contender for All Australian honours. JETTA, Neville MFC - 6 games 6 goals. Casey Seniors - 6 games 2 goals. Was good in patches after spending the early part of the season at Casey but has returned there after a downturn in his form. JOHNSON, Paul MFC - 3 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 8 games 6 goals. Relishing a return to the AFL after spending most of the first half of the season at Casey. JONES, Nathan MFC - 15 games 4 goals. Has been tried in a variety of roles this season and has played in all games. Still capable of stepping up a bit more. JURRAH, Liam MFC - 1 game 2 goals, Casey Reserves 2 games 3 goals. Added some excitement to the Demon forward line in a welcome return from the shoulder injury he incurred in a NAB Challenge game in Adelaide. MACDONALD, Joel MFC - 11 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 4 games 3 goals. Has added variety to the defence along with some stability and looks likely to hold down a place there for the rest of the season. MCDONALD, James MFC - 11 games 4 goals. The veteran skipper's vintage season has been interrupted by a hamstring injury. MCKENZIE, Jordie MFC - 12 games 2 goals, Casey Seniors 2 games 0 goals. A revelation in his first full season. Should be first promotion off the rookie list at the end of the year. McNAMARA, Tom Casey Seniors - 10 games 1 goal. Showing improvement at Casey but has the job ahead of him to break into the Demon defence. MARIC, Addam Casey Seniors - 11 games 7 goals. Consistent performances at Casey have him pushing hard for AFL selection. MARTIN, Stefan MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 4 games 7 goals, Casey Reserves 2 games 1 goal. Going through a disappointing season and is currently on the sidelines with a hip injury that has affected him for a while. MEESEN, John Long term injury. Will find it hard to maintain a place on the list given his time away from playing the game. MILLER, Brad MFC - 6 game 10 goals, Casey Seniors - 7 games 13 goals. Kicked 5 goals up in Darwin but has been up and down. Missed last week altogether with a back problem after a so-so display for Casey. MOLONEY, Brent MFC - 15 games 2 goals. Continues to be a tower of strength in the engine room where he is providing great leadership for the youngsters in the midfield. MORTON, Cale MFC 5 games 2 goals - Casey Seniors - 4 games 4 goals. Had some good games coming back from knee surgery but was surprisingly sent back to Casey for a couple of weeks. NEWTON, Michael MFC - 2 games 1 goal, Casey Seniors - 7 games 12 goals. Was getting back into form at Casey when struck by a quad injury. PETTERD, Ricky MFC - 6 games 12 goals. Added bite to the forward line early before damaging his shoulder and joining the list of players out with long term injuries. RIVERS, Jared MFC - 11 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 1 game 0 goals. Had some injury woes early and has struggled to come back to his best but has had some improved showings of late. SCULLY, Tom MFC - 14 games 4 goals. Great start to what should be a long and stellar career. SPENCER, Jake MFC - 2 game 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 7 games 2 goals, Casey Reserves 1 game 1 goal. Played forward in the opening game of the season without much success. Was improving at Casey in the first ruck role and finally gained promotion to the AFL only to suffer a back injury. STRAUSS, James MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 12 games 0 goals. Had a taste of AFL football and is promising. Now out with a hamstring injury. SYLVIA, Colin MFC - 9 games 12 goals, Casey Seniors 1game 3 goals. Was going gangbusters in his first couple of games after his broken jaw but then discovered a problem with his toe that kept him out for over a month. Great game on his return last week. TAPSCOTT, Luke Casey Seniors 1 game 0 goals, Casey Reserves 1 game 0 goals. Showing promise on return from a long term hip injury. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC - 14 games 7 goals. Along with Scully, one of the club's shining young lights. WARNOCK, Matthew MFC - 12 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 2 games, 0 goals. Very handy in defence this season and had some big scalps but went off the boil a little and was dropped to Casey where he dominated completely last week. WATTS, Jack MFC - 8 game 6 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 7 goals. There's no doubt that he has the speed, the skills and the football nous and he's showing some exciting glimpses of the future in every game. Will only get better as he bulks up. WONAEMIRRI, Austin MFC 2 games 2 goals, Casey Seniors - 7 games 7 goals, Casey Reserves - 2 games 4 goals Missed all of last year with knee and hamstring problems, the latter of which recurred during the pre season. Had a couple of games at top level but is still struggling to maintain consistency.

THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Stefan Martin James Frawley Kyle Cheney Half backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Ricky Petterd Centreline James McDonald Lynden Dunn Cale Morton Half forwards Brent Moloney Brad Miler Nathan Jones Forwards Neville Jetta Matthew Bate Liam Jurrah Followers Paul Johnson Aaron Davey Colin Sylvia Interchange Mark Jamar Jordie McKenzie Brock McLean Tom McNamara Russell Robertson Jake Spencer Shane Valenti In Mark Jamar Liam Jurrah Jordie McKenzie Brock McLean Jared Rivers Russell Robertson Out Rohan Bail (quad) Cameron Bruce (wrist) Michael Newton (Achilles) FREMANTLE Backs Greg Broughton Chris Tarrant Jay van Berlo Half backs Antoni Grover Luke McPharlin Paul Duffield Centerline Garrick Ibbotson Paul Hasleby Chris Mayne Half forwards Stephen Hill Matt de Boer Dean Solomon Forwards Des Headland Matthew Pavlich Nic Suban Followers Aaron Sandilands Steven Dodd David Mundy Interchange (from) Kepler Bradley Marcus Drum Roger Hayden Brett Peake Clancee Pearce Byron Schammer Michael Walters

Mark Jamar has extended his lead while the skipper is dropping down the list during the period of his injury. 99.772 Mark Jamar 75.042 Brent Moloney 72.783 James Frawley 71.971 Brad Green 70.951 James McDonald 64.773 Jack Grimes 59.078 Jack Trengove 44.192 Colin Sylvia 38.586 Tom Scully 37.667 Aaron Davey 33.878 Matthew Bate 33.014 Cameron Bruce 29.736 Jordie McKenzie 20.656 Ricky Petterd 19.525 Nathan Jones 18.824 Lynden Dunn 18.567 Jamie Bennell 17.257 Jordan Gysberts 17.065 Matthew Warnock 11.680 Clint Bartram 8.662 Joel Macdonald 8.500 Cale Morton 8.211 Rohan Bail 8.073 Neville Jetta 7.064 Brad Miller 6.353 Jack Watts 4.872 Colin Garland 4.752 Cale Morton

I think it's more likely the player has his wires crossed and is talking about Campbell Brown or perhaps Gary Ablett.

BOOST by The Oracle Melbourne has been going through a rough trot since the balmy days of its magical three wins on end in April. The Demons' only win since then came in steamy Darwin when they fell in by a solitary point. There had been no victories in front of a home crowd for two and a half months when they took on the flagging Bombers at the MCG. Two sides bereft of confidence facing off against each other made for a fascinating contest but which would emerge with the boost of a much needed win? When Jared Rivers made a meal of a routine short pass to Jack Trengove after taking a safe mark early in the opening term, it was a case of deja vu all over again with Melbourne trailling by a goal in the first minute of the game. Then they threw away the script. Colin Sylvia, coming back after several weeks with a freak toe injury, took a courageous mark and a 50 metre penalty to even the score and, not long after, a botch up from a Bomber defender gifted Brad Green his first goal. Melbourne was on its way to winning its first opening term in several weeks. With Mark Jamar dominating the rucks, the Demons took a handy 16 point lead into the first break, a margin they managed to double thanks to some confidence boosting play led by veterans Green and Cameron Bruce aided by a lack of discipline from the Bombers that enabled Melbourne to benefit from a swag of 50m penalties. During the second term, the fans were treated to some more happy glimpses of the future with first year player Jack Trengove converting a set shot and then setting up Liam Jurrah for his first goal of the season after missing the first four months after suffering a shoulder injury in a practice match. For a club that has been short on star quality for so long, the signposts are pointing towards the heavens but let's not get too carried away just yet! After half time, the Bombers must have located the lost script from the first quarter when they kicked three goals in the first six minutes. They were almost back in the game when a lucky free kick and a goal to Jack Watts gave the Demons another boost. With Green starring in front of goal, they took back the initiative to have a handy buffer of 27 points at the final break. The Bombers had compounded their woes with some poor kicking for goal but much of that could be attributed to the pressure applied by Melbourne's defence. The Demons dominated the first half of the final term, scoring four goals and pushing their lead beyond 50 points before putting the cue in the rack. Given that they travel across the continent for next week's game against the Dockers, it was probably a fair idea to loosen the pressure rather than to move in for the kill. As a result Essendon scored six of the last seven goals in an elongated junk time. Jamar in the ruck, Sylvia (29 disposals and two goals) and Green (five goals) were the stars and Lynden Dunn a quiet achiever but there were some great signs from youngsters Trengove, Tom Scully and Jordie McKenzie in the midfield. McKenzie's tackling was reminiscent of early in the season when his pressure was so important. James Frawley and Colin Garland were majestic in defence and Jurrah and Watts are heralding an exciting future for the Demon forward line. A week's a long time in football. A week ago, we were wondering from where Melbourne's next win would come. If the Demons can break their away from home interstate hoodoo next week, they'll be a game and a half away from the top eight. In this season where we have seen unlikely and unexpected winning runs from Hawthorn, Adelaide and Richmond, who knows what could happen from there once a team receives a much needed winning boost? Melbourne 6.2.38 10.6.66 14.7.91 19.8.122 Essendon 3.4.22 4.10.34 8.16.64 14.19.103 Goals Melbourne Green 5 Bruce Jamar Jurrah Sylvia Trengove 2 Bate Bennell Dunn Watts Essendon Neagle 3, Lovett-Murray Stanton 2, Davey Dyson Jetta Monfries Reimers Watson Zaharakis Best Melbourne Green Sylvia Jamar Bruce Trengove Dunn Essendon Zaharakis Lovett-Murray Winderlich Watson Injuries Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Changes Melbourne Nil Essendon Scott Gumbleton, replaced in the selected side by Sam Lonergan Reports Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Umpires Kennedy Armstrong Bowen Crowd 49,203 at the MCG

SCORPIONS SURVIVE SCARE by Billy from the Bush The Casey Scorpions survived a scare at Frankston City Oval to retain equal billing with the VFL's leading sides Williamstown and North Ballarat on ten wins after defeating the plucky Dolphins by 10 points on Sunday. The trip down the highway to play Frankston by the bay began as expected for Casey when it produced a withering opening quarter against the competition's cellar dwellers. Kicking to the Kars Street end of the ground that was favoured by the strong winds coming off Port Phillip Bay, the Scorpions were in scintillating early form as they brushed aside their hosts to rush to a 7.3.45 to 1.1.7 lead. After that, it should have been plain sailing for Casey but the game gradually changed complexion. The Scorps held reasonably firm while kicking against the strong breeze but the Dolphins easily outscored for them for the remainder of the game playing some good inside footy, putting pressure on their opponents whenever they gained possession and inflicting pain on the rebound. In particular, they forced a number of skill errors that will need rectification over the coming week at training. Casey just held on to win an enthralling battle but would have been disappointed to manage only two goals after quarter time in a performance that almost echoed their efforts on the other side of the bay last month against ladder leader Williamstown. The Scorpions were hit by injury and forced to make eight changes to the team which accounted for Werribee last week. The side contained four players making their VFL senior debuts - Dean Cleven, Mark Weekes, Dean Woodhead and Demon youngster Luke Tapscott while Wade Lees also came up from the reserves for his first game of the season. However, this should not be taken as an excuse for the team's poor effort after leading by half time when they led by in excess of five goals. The Dolphins, under coach Simon Goosey are in team building mode, and had more than a fair quota of young local talent from the Peninsula and should be commended for their spirit and endeavour in regrouping after their poor start. Given the respective ladder positions of the teams it was a tremendous effort to get lift their intensity after a poor start and to come close to causing a major upset against a third placed Casey which still had nine AFL listed players. Utility Rohan Bail was outstanding for the second week running. He showed great pace and has a knack of being able to win and deliver the ball crisply to a team mate and could well be in contention for a plane trip to Perth next weekend. Matt Warnock was great in defence, cutting his man out of the game and winning plenty of possessions, Daniel Bell was solid and Austin Wonaeamirri seems to have shrugged off last week's shoulder problems showing some good signs although he is still struggling with consistency. Danny Nicholls was strong with his on ball efforts and Tim Mohr was also put in a strong display. Recruit Matt Fieldsend from De La Salle played his best game yet for the club and acting skipper James Wall showed his versatility kicking three goals in the absence of some of the regular talls through injury. With the VFL competition moving past the two-thirds mark and the season is moving into its business end, coach Brad Gotch would be satisfied with the four points but not the performance. His team will need to lift its intensity if it is to match it with the competition's other leading lights. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail 11 kicks 6 handballs 1 mark 2 goals - excellent pace and disposal. Daniel Bell 6 kicks 15 handballs 6 marks - played hard and did his job. Jack Fitzpatrick 10 kicks 6 handballs 10 marks - good to see the youngster getting more of the action. Neville Jetta 7 kicks 3 handballs 5 marks - quiet day at the office. Tom McNamara 8 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks - working his way back after injury. Cale Morton 12 kicks 12 handballs 6 marks - workmanlike and could do better at this level. Luke Tapscott 14 game 4 handballs 8 marks - handy return to senior footy after a long lay off. Matthew Warnock 18 kicks 9 handballs 14 marks - best on ground. Austin Wonaemirri 11 kicks 4 handballs 5 marks - excellent first quarter, strong in last but little in between. Casey Scorpions 7.3.45 7.6.48 8.7.55 9.10.64 Frankston 1.1.7 2.5.17 4.8.32 7.12.54 Goals Casey Scorpions Wall 3 Bail Wonaemirri 2 MacReadie Purdy Frankston Proctor 6 Clark Best Casey Scorpions Warnock Bail Nicholls Fieldsend Mohr Daniel Bell Frankston Clark Proctor Miller Bosward Kennedy Gabriel The Casey Reserves had a big win over lowly Frankston, the highlights being the goalkicking prowess of Brad Sykes, Matt Moore and Aaron Hillberge. David Bell was nominated as the club's best with another strong effort and young Sam Blease showed tons of class and pace on a wing. He is gradually increasing game time and should hopefully play full game with rotations next week. Casey Scorpions 8.4 .52 10.4.64 17.12.114 24.17.161 Frankston 1.5.11 3.10.22 4.13.37 5.22.52 Goals Casey Scorpions Sykes 6 Moore 5 Hillberge 4 Tynan 3 David Bell Plummer2 Petropoulos Smith Frankston Alanis 2 Mitchell Hunt Anwyl Best Casey Scorpions Bell Sykes Tynan Egan Hillberge Blease Frankston Sienkiewicz Mitchell Wapshott Gooda Wise Williams

SCORPIONS SURVIVE SCARE by Billy from the Bush The Casey Scorpions survived a scare at Frankston City Oval to retain equal billing with the VFL's leading sides Williamstown and North Ballarat on ten wins after defeating the plucky Dolphins by 10 points on Sunday. The trip down the highway to play Frankston by the bay began as expected for Casey when it produced a withering opening quarter against the competition's cellar dwellers. Kicking to the Kars Street end of the ground that was favoured by the strong winds coming off Port Phillip Bay, the Scorpions were in scintillating early form as they brushed aside their hosts to rush to a 7.3.45 to 1.1.7 lead. After that, it should have been plain sailing for Casey but the game gradually changed complexion. The Scorps held reasonably firm while kicking against the strong breeze but the Dolphins easily outscored for them for the remainder of the game playing some good inside footy, putting pressure on their opponents whenever they gained possession and inflicting pain on the rebound. In particular, they forced a number of skill errors that will need rectification over the coming week at training. Casey just held on to win an enthralling battle but would have been disappointed to manage only two goals after quarter time in a performance that almost echoed their efforts on the other side of the bay last month against ladder leader Williamstown. The Scorpions were hit by injury and forced to make eight changes to the team which accounted for Werribee last week. The side contained four players making their VFL senior debuts - Dean Cleven, Mark Weekes, Dean Woodhead and Demon youngster Luke Tapscott while Wade Lees also came up from the reserves for his first game of the season. However, this should not be taken as an excuse for the team's poor effort after leading by half time when they led by in excess of five goals. The Dolphins, under coach Simon Goosey are in team building mode, and had more than a fair quota of young local talent from the Peninsula and should be commended for their spirit and endeavour in regrouping after their poor start. Given the respective ladder positions of the teams it was a tremendous effort to get lift their intensity after a poor start and to come close to causing a major upset against a third placed Casey which still had nine AFL listed players. Utility Rohan Bail was outstanding for the second week running. He showed great pace and has a knack of being able to win and deliver the ball crisply to a team mate and could well be in contention for a plane trip to Perth next weekend. Matt Warnock was great in defence, cutting his man out of the game and winning plenty of possessions, Daniel Bell was solid and Austin Wonaeamirri seems to have shrugged off last week's shoulder problems showing some good signs although he is still struggling with consistency. Danny Nicholls was strong with his on ball efforts and Tim Mohr was also put in a strong display. Recruit Matt Fieldsend from De La Salle played his best game yet for the club and acting skipper James Wall showed his versatility kicking three goals in the absence of some of the regular talls through injury. With the VFL competition moving past the two-thirds mark and the season is moving into its business end, coach Brad Gotch would be satisfied with the four points but not the performance. His team will need to lift its intensity if it is to match it with the competition's other leading lights. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail 11 kicks 6 handballs 1 mark 2 goals - excellent pace and disposal. Daniel Bell 6 kicks 15 handballs 6 marks - played hard and did his job. Jack Fitzpatrick 10 kicks 6 handballs 10 marks - good to see the youngster getting more of the action. Neville Jetta 7 kicks 3 handballs 5 marks - quiet day at the office. Tom McNamara 8 kicks 6 handballs 4 marks - working his way back after injury. Cale Morton 12 kicks 12 handballs 6 marks - workmanlike and could do better at this level. Luke Tapscott 14 game 4 handballs 8 marks - handy return to senior footy after a long lay off. Matthew Warnock 18 kicks 9 handballs 14 marks - best on ground. Austin Wonaemirri 11 kicks 4 handballs 5 marks - excellent first quarter, strong in last but little in between. Casey Scorpions 7.3.45 7.6.48 8.7.55 9.10.64 Frankston 1.1.7 2.5.17 4.8.32 7.12.54 Goals Casey Scorpions Wall 3 Bail Wonaemirri 2 MacReadie Purdy Frankston Proctor 6 Clark Best Casey Scorpions Warnock Bail Nicholls Fieldsend Mohr Daniel Bell Frankston Clark Proctor Miller Bosward Kennedy Gabriel The Casey Reserves had a big win over lowly Frankston, the highlights being the goalkicking prowess of Brad Sykes, Matt Moore and Aaron Hillberge. David Bell was nominated as the club's best with another strong effort and young Sam Blease showed tons of class and pace on a wing. He is gradually increasing game time and should hopefully play full game with rotations next week. Casey Scorpions 8.4 .52 10.4.64 17.12.114 24.17.161 Frankston 1.5.11 3.10.22 4.13.37 5.22.52 Goals Casey Scorpions Sykes 6 Moore 5 Hillberge 4 Tynan 3 David Bell Plummer2 Petropoulos Smith Frankston Alanis 2 Mitchell Hunt Anwyl Best Casey Scorpions Bell Sykes Tynan Egan Hillberge Blease Frankston Sienkiewicz Mitchell Wapshott Gooda Wise Williams

And the winner is ... Over to you Joeboy. You're the judge!

Your votes please ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

BOOST by The Oracle Melbourne has been going through a rough trot since the balmy days of its magical three wins on end in April. The Demons' only win since then came in steamy Darwin when they fell in by a solitary point. There had been no victories in front of a home crowd for two and a half months when they took on the flagging Bombers at the MCG. Two sides bereft of confidence facing off against each other made for a fascinating contest but which would emerge with the boost of a much needed win? When Jared Rivers made a meal of a routine short pass to Jack Trengove after taking a safe mark early in the opening term, it was a case of deja vu all over again with Melbourne trailling by a goal in the first minute of the game. Then they threw away the script. Colin Sylvia, coming back after several weeks with a freak toe injury, took a courageous mark and a 50 metre penalty to even the score and, not long after, a botch up from a Bomber defender gifted Brad Green his first goal. Melbourne was on its way to winning its first opening term in several weeks. With Mark Jamar dominating the rucks, the Demons took a handy 16 point lead into the first break, a margin they managed to double thanks to some confidence boosting play led by veterans Green and Cameron Bruce aided by a lack of discipline from the Bombers that enabled Melbourne to benefit from a swag of 50m penalties. During the second term, the fans were treated to some more happy glimpses of the future with first year player Jack Trengove converting a set shot and then setting up Liam Jurrah for his first goal of the season after missing the first four months after suffering a shoulder injury in a practice match. For a club that has been short on star quality for so long, the signposts are pointing towards the heavens but let's not get too carried away just yet! After half time, the Bombers must have located the lost script from the first quarter when they kicked three goals in the first six minutes. They were almost back in the game when a lucky free kick and a goal to Jack Watts gave the Demons another boost. With Green starring in front of goal, they took back the initiative to have a handy buffer of 27 points at the final break. The Bombers had compounded their woes with some poor kicking for goal but much of that could be attributed to the pressure applied by Melbourne's defence. The Demons dominated the first half of the final term, scoring four goals and pushing their lead beyond 50 points before putting the cue in the rack. Given that they travel across the continent for next week's game against the Dockers, it was probably a fair idea to loosen the pressure rather than to move in for the kill. As a result Essendon scored six of the last seven goals in an elongated junk time. Jamar in the ruck, Sylvia (29 disposals and two goals) and Green (five goals) were the stars and Lynden Dunn a quiet achiever but there were some great signs from youngsters Trengove, Tom Scully and Jordie McKenzie in the midfield. McKenzie's tackling was reminiscent of early in the season when his pressure was so important. James Frawley and Colin Garland were majestic in defence and Jurrah and Watts are heralding an exciting future for the Demon forward line. A week's a long time in football. A week ago, we were wondering from where Melbourne's next win would come. If the Demons can break their away from home interstate hoodoo next week, they'll be a game and a half away from the top eight. In this season where we have seen unlikely and unexpected winning runs from Hawthorn, Adelaide and Richmond, who knows what could happen from there once a team receives a much needed winning boost? Melbourne 6.2.38 10.6.66 14.7.91 19.8.122 Essendon 3.4.22 4.10.34 8.16.64 14.19.103 Goals Melbourne Green 5 Bruce Jamar Jurrah Sylvia Trengove 2 Bate Bennell Dunn Watts Essendon Neagle 3, Lovett-Murray Stanton 2, Davey Dyson Jetta Monfries Reimers Watson Zaharakis Best Melbourne Green Sylvia Jamar Bruce Trengove Dunn Essendon Zaharakis Lovett-Murray Winderlich Watson Injuries Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Changes Melbourne Nil Essendon Scott Gumbleton, replaced in the selected side by Sam Lonergan Reports Melbourne Nil Essendon Nil Umpires Kennedy Armstrong Bowen Crowd 49,203 at the MCG

YOU'VE GOT TO CARRY THAT WEIGHT by Clyde the (ex) Clifton Hill Cabbie Sometimes older people like me suffer from the problem of remembering things, but when I was given the task of previewing this Sunday's Melbourne v Essendon game at the G, I gleefully accepted after instantly recalling the events of 2000 with a mixture of fondness and anger. That was the year that Demonland began; the year when these same two sides played off in the Grand Final (tragically, the Demons failed to replicate the triumph of '48 which was when I proudly became licenced to drive my then shiny new black cab) and the year of the Sydney Olympic Games. I remember fondly how I went to the game full of confidence and then I recalled with anger how I felt let down when Essendon pummelled my young Demons into submission. There are very few players from that team around these days. James McDonald was nursing his knee after an ACL and Cameron Bruce pulled out of the grand final with an injury. Only Brad Green of the current crop at the club was around but, if my memory serves me well, he was on his way to hospital early in the game courtesy of a blow to his oesophagus from one of the Bomber thugs. The day ended tragically but I figured that the club was on its way up and I was about to taste some premiership glory. Back in those days, we had a Prime Minister who didn't wear a dress (well, at least not to my knowledge), I could afford to visit the local for a drink, buy a packet smokes without mortgaging the family home (I've given it up now and so should you) and I could still have a decent chat with the punters in the back seat of my cab about the weather, politics, fashion, sport and lots of other things that are no longer politically correct to discuss. These days I don't drive a cab and I miss it a lot. People don't talk to me about much anymore but then again, in many cases, they don't communicate face to face with each other either. They're all on their iPhones twittering, googling or facebooking and I have great difficulty in finding people who want to talk about football at all. This applies to fans of all teams including Essendon. The last one I knew was poor old Ernie at the nursing home but he hasn't uttered a single word since the night they gave Sheeds the heave ho at Bomberland. Nowadays he does nothing but sit mournfully in a little corner of his room waving his red and black jacket over his head. It's pathetic really! Still, I want to discuss the current predicaments of the two teams as they limber up to face each other this week - particularly about how two great traditional clubs that led the pack and played off in a grand final a decade ago, now find themselves occupying space in the AFL's nether regions? After all, it's been well over a month since either the Bombers or the Demons have won a game. How do the clubs, the players and the fans feel about this sad state of affairs? Why isn't there any emotion or anger coming from the Demon camp? Why aren't they getting fired up at the prospect of playing a team whose form isn't all that flash? Where are the calls to avenge the hits on Brad Green and Troy Simmonds from a decade ago? Melbourne fans have by and large accepted their fate. The mantra about their team being in "development phase" seems to have sunk in. Unfortunately, the prospect of a long wait before the team can taste some success seems to be driving some supporters to distraction as can be seen from this prime example - Police search for armed demon. I don't condone his actions but certainly understand the frustrations this poor blighter is going through at the moment. We live in desperate times. For us Demon desperados, there will be only a slow, inexorable improvement over the years and if we exercise some restraint, we might enjoy the fruits of our patience with some pleasing results at around about the same time that Burkina Faso plays off against Liechtenstein for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Of course, there's a good chance that by then I'll be in a corner with Ernie gleefully swinging my red and blue 2008 MFC members scarf in the air without a care in the world. At least the wait will have been worthwhile (one can only hope). THE GAME Melbourne v Essendon at the MCG Sunday, 11 July 2009 at 2.10pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 77 wins Essendon 126 wins 2 draws At the MCG Melbourne 41 wins Essendon 63 wins 1 draw Since 2000: Melbourne 4 wins Essendon 10 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Knights 2 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 Delayed at 3.30pm RADIO K-Rock Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne $1.96 to win Essendon $1.84 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Essendon 19.17.131 defeated Melbourne 13.5.83 at Etihad Stadium Round 12, 2009 Somehow, Melbourne stayed in the game until half time when it was down by only two goals. The Bombers blew them apart with a sensational seven goal third quarter. The game was otherwise known as the night of Liam Jurrah's debut and he didn't let the fans down, kicking the first of his many miraculous goals for the season. When the game was over, the pessimists called it a shellacking, the optimists pointed to the fact that the damage was done in only one quarter. The realists started looking towards the day when the club would claim he first two selections in the national draft at the end of the year and the rest of us just went home. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Jamie Bennell Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Colin Garland James Frawley Tom Scully Centreline Nathan Jones Jack Trengove Brad Green Half forwards Lynden Dunn Jack Watts Cameron Bruce Forwards Colin Sylvia Matthew Bate Jordie McKenzie Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Aaron Davey Interchange Kyle Cheney Paul Johnson Liam Jurrah Joel Macdonald Emergencies Rohan Bail Neville Jetta Addam Maric In Paul Johnson Liam Jurrah Colin Sylvia Out Jack Grimes (hamstring) Neville Jetta (omitted) Jake Spencer (back) ESSENDON Backs Andrew Welsh Cale Hooker Heath Hocking Half backs Mark McVeigh Michael Hurley Kyle Reimers Centreline Leroy Jetta Jobe Watson Courtenay Dempsey Half forwards Brent Stanton Scott Gumbleton Angus Monfries Forwards Alwyn Davey Jay Neagle David Zaharakis Followers Patrick Ryder Jason Winderlich Ben Howlett Interchange Tom Bellchambers Travis Colyer Ricky Dyson Nathan Lovett-Murray Emergencies Sam Lonergan Jake Melsham Brent Prismall In Travis Colyer Courtenay Dempsey Ricky Dyson Ben Howlett Angus Monfries Jay Neagle Out Sam Lonergan Jake Melsham Brent Prismall Michael Quinn (all omitted) Henry Slattery (ribs) Tyson Slattery (omitted) THE BOMBER BLITZ For the Essendon viewpoint, I went searching in the direction of Bomber Blitz, their supporter website – a feral version of Demonland if you like. I discovered that, despite the prospect of an axe hovering above his head, Bomber coach Matthew Knights believes his team remains in AFL Finals contention despite four losses on the trot. "The reality is we're two games out [of the eight]," Knights said on Tuesday morning. "We are a long way back in the ruck, that's a fact and we're way back with a lot of other teams that would probably still think that the door is slightly ajar. "But we let one of those teams jump us last week … now every win you give to an opposition or every time you get beaten, you have someone pushing up a little bit harder. "It's still very realistic, but we're going to have to improve our footy dramatically if we're going to do that." So what about the supporters? At least some of them are somewhat less sanguine about their prospects. Sameold predicts a Melbourne win by 84 points: "Well what can I say about Essendon playing Melbourne? The stats say that..... and that bloke from Melbourne looks like a peanut... and I'll be wearing my lucky shirt....and the Bombers will tear them a new.... Forget it! My will to predict a positive outcome for Dons is about as strong as their will to win a game of footy. Bracing one's self to be flogged by flogs may make it feel moderately better post loss." Then there's mcphee33 who says: Melbourne by 46 "Melbourne's problem is their forward line, they should not have any problems playing against our pathetic backline." Dubai opines that the Demons will win by 25 points: "Their form at the MCG this year has been reasonably good. Last time they played there, they drew with Collingwood. They beat Brisbane by 50 points when the Lions were undefeated and went within a goal of the Pies the first time and the Doggies. They must be pumped and ready." I have to admit that I haven't seen a Melbourne team pumped and ready for a while. Most recently, they've developed a habit of starting their games in a stupor and waking up between three and five goals in arrears before mounting a comeback that eventually falters in the end under the weight of playing catch up over two and a half quarters. Woe betide the Bombers therefore if the Demons kick the first goal or two or even find themselves in front at half time. As it happens, the team holding the half time lead has won on every occasion that the teams have met since the year 2000. I take on board what Bombers' fan Dubai says about Melbourne at the MCG. The Demons have beaten Essendon in two of their past three contests at the ground. Their last up effort at Etihad against St. Kilda was a fair bit more presentable a performance that that of their opponents this week. The final determinant from my point of view is based on who the teams have out of their side and this is where I sway against the Bombers. Melbourne is missing its skipper James McDonald with a hamstring but it should, at least get back Colin Sylvia and the exciting Liam Jurrah. These players should fit nicely into the Demon forward line that has been struggling since earlier in the year when Ricky Petterd was kicking goals. The Dees should also be buoyed by the signings of Petterd, Colin Garland and Jared Rivers. On the other hand, there's a pall over Essendon with some calling for Knights' head and key players in Dustin Fletcher (suspension), David Hille (hamstring), Tayte Pears (pancreas) all missing. They've also lost both Slatterys - Henry and Tyson - but that's OK because my mother once told me "Slattery will get you nowhere (or was I deaf even back then?). The clincher for me is Fletcher who never fails to destroy the Demons with those Inspector Gadget arms that invariably turn certain Demon goals into touched points. That's why I'm tipping Melbourne to win by the length of Fletcher's absent fingernails and to lift a bit of weight off Dean Bailey's mind. Dees by 1 point. [Disclosure: Clyde is currently coming 21st in the Demonland football tipping competition with 57 winners to date. He trails the leader by 22]