Demonland

WJ's reached $190.00 in donations. Although I have my own fundraising webpage, I heartily endorse WJ's efforts and thank those who have donated so far. Given that we won tonight, let's give some thought to those who are less fortunate than us. Cheers!

Game's over folks - Post match discussion here. Thanks.

Votes please ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

THEY BURNT THE POWER by Pringle ​On the bus ride back into Darwin after the game last night, I stood next to an indigenous lady, her nephew and her little baby boy. The lady spoke in broken English that was occasionally difficult to understand. She told me that "they burnt the Power" tonight. For three quarters, the Power was indeed being burned by a Demons team on fire. At three quarter time the game looked over as a rampant Melbourne ran rings around their opponents. Youthful exuberance, strong all over the ground pressure and swift ball movement had the Dees up by nearly six goals at the final break and the result seemed a foregone conclusion. But as is often the way with a young side, they were unable to put the game away, and the more experienced Power heads stormed their way back into the game. In fact, this was the pattern for most of the game. Melbourne started each of the first two quarters brightly and looked an inch away from breaking the game open. However the Demons were often wasteful going forward and the latter part of each quarter saw the Power make the most of scarce opportunities to remain in the game. The first quarter saw the Melbourne come out hard and put a few goals on the board before the Power even stirred. The experienced James McDonald, Aaron Davey and Brad Green were well complemented by classy indigenous youngsters Jamie Bennell, Neville Jetta and (semi) local hero Austin Wonaeamirri, the later having not graced an AFL football field in over 18 months after a promising debut season. Jack Watts and Brad Miller were combining well up forward and the Dees were on their way. But an early four goal lead was whittled away to two at the first break thanks to a couple of well taken chances against the flow of play by Port. The second quarter was much the same, the Dees again breaking away with some early hard work to a five goal lead. Trengove, Green and Sylvia were coming into the game and using their silky footskills to great effect, whilst Aaron Davey and Wonaeamirri were showing the adoring fans why their local products are amongst the most exciting players in the AFL. Once again, however, the Power held their nerve when it counted and made the most of a couple of difficult chances and a lucky free kick in front of goal after McKenzie was penalised for a dubious holding the ball decision. The margin at half time was once again two goals, however the third term saw a break in the trend of play. The Demons piled on five goals to Port's one and the game looked to be well and truly in the hands of the Demons, who were running rings around their opponents. Frawley, Macdonald and Grimes were comfortably on top of the Port forwards and it looked unlikely that the Power could rally to kick a winning score with a deficit of 33 points and only 8 goals to three quarter time. Yet rally they did. Two early goals by Port were swiftly answered by the Demons through Brad green, but from there on it was all the Power. The predominantly pro-Demon crowd looked on helplessly as the Power piled on six unanswered goals in a 15 minute goal-scoring frenzy. Suddenly, the unthinkable was happening and when Port Adelaide took the lead via a Rodan snap with still ample time remaining on the clock, it looked as if Melbourne might end up losing comfortably. But the "home" side fought back and edged in front again to give hope to the Northern Dee fans. After two heartbreaking losses to Collingwood and the Dogs in recent weeks, these boys had newfound steel about them. Port again edged in front with another goal but a Brad Green reply saw the scores levelled with already over 30 minutes on the clock. The quarter was to last nearly 35 nerve-racking minutes, but as the clock ticked down, Mark Jamar took a mark 10 meters from goal to surely seal the game for the demons. Once again, however, drama was to intervene, the ball adjudicated to have been touched and a ball-up the result. Enter Jack Trengove, who showed maturity beyond his years, throwing himself into the ruck contest as the third man up to punch through what was to prove to be the winning point. As I jubilantly rode the bus home, my scarf and Dees jumper proudly on display, the indigenous lady (who barracks for Essendon) told me her young son barracks for Melbourne now. He had been dressed in a home-made Demons guernsey. She pulled out her phone and proudly showed me two photos she had taken at the game. The stars in her eyes were plain to see. The first was of our inspirational president Jimmy Stynes, who was only too happy to mingle with the crowd pre-game. His story resonates across all cultures. However her real pride and joy that night was being lucky enough to get a close-up shot of Northern Territory star. Liam Jurrah. She and her son idolise Jurrah and Wanaeamirri and it was incredible to see the influence these young boys - who come from remote areas far removed from the life we know – can have on their kinsfolk. If anyone ever doubted the value of bringing the AFL to the Top End, you only had to see their faces glow as they talked about their heroes to realize what a difference a simple game with a simple ball can make in the lives of the traditional owners of this great land. Last night we not only "burnt the Power", but also lit a fire in many young people's imaginations… a fire that will hopefully burn red and blue for many years to come in this part of the world and elsewhere. Melbourne 5.2.32 9.6.60 14.7.91 17.9.111 Port Adelaide 3.3.21 7.6.48 8.10.58 16.14.110 Goals Melbourne Miller 5 Bennell 4 Green 3 Watts 2 Jetta Sylvia Wonaeamirri Port Adelaide Boak Hitchcock 3 Davenport 2 C Cornes Ebert Motlop Pearce Rodan Salopek Schulz Trengove Best Melbourne Sylvia Trengove Jetta Jamar Davey Miller Port Adelaide Boak, Chaplin Cassisi Brogan Injuries Melbourne Nil Port Adelaide Nil Changes Melbourne Jake Spencer (back) replaced in selected side by Neville Jetta. Port Adelaide Robbie Gray (back) replaced in selected side by Jay Nash. Reports Melbourne Brent Moloney for allegedly doing something. Port Adelaide Nil Umpires McLaren Sully Findlay Crowd 8,848 at TIO Stadium

THE NOT SO MERRY MONTH OF MAY? by Stan the Stats Man Statistically, the month of May has not been kind to the Melbourne Football Club. After a sensational April when it won three out of four games (and let's face it the loss in the other one against Collingwood was a travesty so the record should have been 100%) this month has proven to be a drought of gargantuan proportions. Late in April, things were looking good for the once beleaguered Demons and some were even speaking in hushed voices of a surprise visit to the finals in September but since May Day when Melbourne lost to North Melbourne (a surprise defeat), it's more likely to be off to the knackery well before August is over. The club threw away another game that should have been won against the Western Bulldogs and then it suffered another surprise defeat when it started as the firm favourite taking on West Coast at home. With Geelong at Skilled Stadium to round off the month of May next week, the club's chances of achieving some joy this month hinge on its trip north to Darwin where it takes on Port Adelaide at TIO Stadium - a place where the boys have at least won before in the opening game of the pre season Wizard Cup a few years back in 2006. That season was also the last year that Melbourne won an interstate game - way back in Round 14, 2006. Since then, it has lost 17 games in a row outside Victoria. Worse still, the Demons have not beaten Port Adelaide away from the MCG for almost exactly 10 years - since Round 8, 2000. Melbourne's record against the Power hasn't been impressive either losing four of their last five matches by an average of 57 points. Statistically therefore, Melbourne's prospects are not bright but there are some factors that defy statistics. In many ways the team has played well when pitted against teams in the top eight. Despite the defeats, the performances against Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs were not too shabby. Further this week's game might be on foreign territory but it's not exactly Port Adelaide's home ground either. They only have a 50% record from four games at TIO Stadium. The Demons have a number of Northern Territorians on their list and, headed by Aaron Davey, the lads will be keen to treat Darwin as their second home. I'm not sure what the weather's like over there at the moment but it's raining in Central Australia which is Liam Jurrah's home territory and I'm therefore tipping Saturday night's game to be a May drought breaker for the club. Melbourne by 17 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Port Adelaide Saturday 22 May 2010 at TIO Stadium, Darwin 7.40pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 9 wins Port Adelaide 11 wins At TIO Stadium Melbourne 0 wins Port Adelaide 0 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 6 wins Port Adelaide 9 wins The Coaches Bailey 1 win Williams 2 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports Live from 7.30 pm. Radio ABC774 SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.35 Port Adelaide to win $1.60 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 15.11.101 defeated Port Adelaide 13.12.90 Round 15 at the MCG Liam Jurrah and Ricky Petterd had stand out games on the forward line with four goals each as lowly Melbourne shocked finals contender Port Adelaide on the MCG to score its second win in a row. Brent Moloney was the star of the Demon midfield and was rewarded with three Brownlow Medal votes. THE TEAMS (to be loaded when available) MELBOURNE Backs Clint Bartram Joel Macdonald Jared Rivers Half backs Jack Grimes James Frawley Colin Garland Centreline James McDonald Jack Trengove Aaron Davey Half forwards Jamie Bennell Brad Miller Cale Morton Forwards Nathan Jones Brad Green Jack Watts Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Colin Sylvia Interchange Jordie McKenzie Tom Scully Jake Spencer Austin Wonaeamirri Emergencies Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta James Strauss In Joel Macdonald Brad Miller Cale Morton Jake Spencer Austin Wonaeamirri Out Matthew Bate (ankle) Cameron Bruce (hamstring) Daniel Hughes Paul Johnson Matthew Warnock (soreness) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Jacob Surjan Alipate Carlile Troy Chaplin Half backs Paul Stewart Chad Cornes Steven Salopek Centreline Danyle Pearce Domenic Cassisi Jason Davenport Half forwards Matt Thomas Justin Westhoff David Rodan Forwards Robbie Gray Brett Ebert Daniel Motlop Followers Dean Brogan Travis Boak Kane Cornes Interchange Cameron Hitchcock Tom LoganJay Schulz Jack Trengove Emergencies Josh Carr Jay Nash Daniel Stewart No change THE SEASON SO FAR As usual at this time of year, I provide a statistical overview of each player's season so far with brief comments. These are my views – no doubt others may disagree but here is the first instalment: BAIL, Rohan MFC - 3 games 3 goals, Casey Seniors - 1 game 0 goals. Exciting and enterprising this surprise packet's great start has been ruined by a quad injury from which he has only just returned through Casey. BARTRAM, Clint MFC - 7 games 2 goals. Playing some of his best footy since his debut season although the last couple of games have been a little hit and miss. BATE, Matthew MFC - 8 games 10 goals. A slow start coming back from injury and was returning to good form until an ankle injury hampered him in the Eagles game. BELL, Daniel Casey Seniors - 4 games 0 goals. Coming back slowly at Casey after an AC injury incurred during the pre season. BENNELL, Jamie MFC - 8 games 4 goals. Flashes of brilliance interspersed with a few lowlights. BLEASE, Sam Casey Reserves - 3 games 1 goal. Making slow progress on the comeback trial after a bad foot injury last year. BRUCE, Cameron MFC - 8 games 0 goals. A steady performer. Injured a hamstring late in his last game. CHENEY, Kyle Casey Seniors - 6 games 0 goals. Has been knocking on the door to AFL selection with some solid performances in defence at Casey but finding it hard to get in. DAVEY, Aaron MFC - 8 games 3 goals. Not as predominant as he was last year but has had his good games. DUNN, Lynden MFC - 7 games 4 goals. A few glimpses of good form but went off the boil in his more recent games. FITZPATRICK, Jack Casey Reserves - 2 games 3 goals. Suffered an injured shoulder immediately after a best on ground with Casey Reserves. FRAWLEY, James MFC - 8 games 0 goals. Growing in stature as a strong, fast young defender. GARLAND, Colin MFC - 6 games 0 goals. Gradually finding his feet in defence after a long layoff with injury. GAWN, Max Long term injury. GREEN, Brad MFC - 8 games 18 goals. Has shown outstanding leadership and courage and is the team's top goal kicker. GRIMES, Jack MFC - 8 games 0 goals. Outstanding season so far in defence. GYSBERTS, Jordan Casey Seniors - 5 games 2 goals. Keeps thrusting his name in front of the noses of the Melbourne selectors with consistently good performances at Casey. HEALEY, Rhys ® Casey Seniors - 4 games 2 goals. Still learning the ropes. HUGHES, Daniel ® MFC - 2 games 2 goals, Casey Seniors - 3 games 2 goals. Impressed on debut with the Demons. JAMAR, Mark MFC - 8 games 4 goals. Stepped up in the ruck in the early part of the season but has had his hands full with Hudson and Cox in recent weeks. JETTA, Neville Casey Seniors - 5 games 6 goals. Has done well at Casey on return from a groin injury. JOHNSON, Paul MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 4 games 1 goal. JONES, Nathan MFC - 8 games 3 goals. Has been good this season but lowered his colours last week. JURRAH, Liam Long term injury. MACDONALD, Joel MFC - 6 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 2 games 1 goal. Added some spice and variety to the defence but had to make way because of the number of defenders of the same type in the team. MCDONALD, James MFC - 8 games 4 goals. Vintage football from the veteran. MCKENZIE, Jordie ® MFC - 7 games 2 goals. A revelation in his first full season. Incredible to think he's still on the rookie list! McNAMARA, Tom Casey Seniors - 6 games 1 goal. Showing improvement at Casey but has the job ahead of him to break into the Demon defence. MARIC, Addam Casey Seniors - 6 games 4 goals. Pushing hard for AFL selection in recent weeks. MARTIN, Stefan MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 2 games 6 goals. Hasn't fulfilled his early promise and currently on the sidelines with a hip injury. MEESEN, John ® Long term injury. MILLER, Brad MFC - 1 game 2 goals , Casey Seniors - 6 games 12 goals. Lost his way a little after a poor first up effort against the Hawks but has been doing well and kicking goals at Casey in recent times. MOLONEY, Brent MFC - 8 games 0 goals. Strong and improved form in the engine room. MORTON, Cale Casey Seniors - 2 games 4 goals. Early stages of comeback from knee surgery. NEWTON, Michael ® MFC - 2 games 1 goal, Casey Seniors - 4 games 8 goals. After a couple of early games with the Demons, has been kicking goals at Casey. 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 - 4 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 1 game 0 goals. Had some injury woes and hasn't yet produced his best after coming back into the side in the last month. SCULLY, Tom MFC - 8 games 3 goals. Great start to what should be a long and stellar career. SPENCER, Jake ® MFC - 1 game 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 1 goal. Played forward in the opening game of the season without much success. Has been improving at Casey in the first ruck role. STRAUSS, James MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 0 goals. Had a taste of AFL football and is promising. SYLVIA, Colin MFC - 5 games 8 goals. Was going gangbusters in his first couple of games after his broken jaw but very subdued lately. TAPSCOTT, Luke Long term injury. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC - 8 games 4 goals. Along with Scully, one of the club's shining young lights. WARNOCK, Matthew MFC - 8 games 0 goals. Very handy in defence this season and has some big scalps. WATTS, Jack MFC - 1 game 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 7 goals. Showed glimpses in his first game last week. WONAEMIRRI, Austin Casey Seniors - 2 games 2 goals, Casey Reserves - 2 games 4 goals. Has been eased slowly back into the swing of things after missing all of last year with knee and hamstring problems, the latter of which recurred during the pre season. DISCUSS HERE: http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21052

THE NOT SO MERRY MONTH OF MAY? by Stan the Stats Man Statistically, the month of May has not been kind to the Melbourne Football Club. After a sensational April when it won three out of four games (and let's face it the loss in the other one against Collingwood was a travesty so the record should have been 100%) this month has proven to be a drought of gargantuan proportions. Late in April, things were looking good for the once beleaguered Demons and some were even speaking in hushed voices of a surprise visit to the finals in September but since May Day when Melbourne lost to North Melbourne (a surprise defeat), it's more likely to be off to the knackery well before August is over. The club threw away another game that should have been won against the Western Bulldogs and then it suffered another surprise defeat when it started as the firm favourite taking on West Coast at home. With Geelong at Skilled Stadium to round off the month of May next week, the club's chances of achieving some joy this month hinge on its trip north to Darwin where it takes on Port Adelaide at TIO Stadium - a place where the boys have at least won before in the opening game of the pre season Wizard Cup a few years back in 2006. That season was also the last year that Melbourne won an interstate game - way back in Round 14, 2006. Since then, it has lost 17 games in a row outside Victoria. Worse still, the Demons have not beaten Port Adelaide away from the MCG for almost exactly 10 years - since Round 8, 2000. Melbourne's record against the Power hasn't been impressive either losing four of their last five matches by an average of 57 points. Statistically therefore, Melbourne's prospects are not bright but there are some factors that defy statistics. In many ways the team has played well when pitted against teams in the top eight. Despite the defeats, the performances against Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs were not too shabby. Further this week's game might be on foreign territory but it's not exactly Port Adelaide's home ground either. They only have a 50% record from four games at TIO Stadium. The Demons have a number of Northern Territorians on their list and, headed by Aaron Davey, the lads will be keen to treat Darwin as their second home. I'm not sure what the weather's like over there at the moment but it's raining in Central Australia which is Liam Jurrah's home territory and I'm therefore tipping Saturday night's game to be a May drought breaker for the club. Melbourne by 17 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Port Adelaide Saturday 22 May 2010 at TIO Stadium, Darwin 7.40pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 9 wins Port Adelaide 11 wins At TIO Stadium Melbourne 0 wins Port Adelaide 0 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 6 wins Port Adelaide 9 wins The Coaches Bailey 1 win Williams 2 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports Live from 7.30 pm. Radio ABC774 SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.35 Port Adelaide to win $1.60 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 15.11.101 defeated Port Adelaide 13.12.90 Round 15 at the MCG Liam Jurrah and Ricky Petterd had stand out games on the forward line with four goals each as lowly Melbourne shocked finals contender Port Adelaide on the MCG to score its second win in a row. Brent Moloney was the star of the Demon midfield and was rewarded with three Brownlow Medal votes. THE TEAMS (to be loaded when available) MELBOURNE Backs Clint Bartram Joel Macdonald Jared Rivers Half backs Jack Grimes James Frawley Colin Garland Centreline James McDonald Jack Trengove Aaron Davey Half forwards Jamie Bennell Brad Miller Cale Morton Forwards Nathan Jones Brad Green Jack Watts Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Colin Sylvia Interchange Jordie McKenzie Tom Scully Jake Spencer Austin Wonaeamirri Emergencies Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta James Strauss In Joel Macdonald Brad Miller Cale Morton Jake Spencer Austin Wonaeamirri Out Matthew Bate (ankle) Cameron Bruce (hamstring) Daniel Hughes Paul Johnson Matthew Warnock (soreness) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Jacob Surjan Alipate Carlile Troy Chaplin Half backs Paul Stewart Chad Cornes Steven Salopek Centreline Danyle Pearce Domenic Cassisi Jason Davenport Half forwards Matt Thomas Justin Westhoff David Rodan Forwards Robbie Gray Brett Ebert Daniel Motlop Followers Dean Brogan Travis Boak Kane Cornes Interchange Cameron Hitchcock Tom LoganJay Schulz Jack Trengove Emergencies Josh Carr Jay Nash Daniel Stewart No change THE SEASON SO FAR As usual at this time of year, I provide a statistical overview of each player's season so far with brief comments. These are my views – no doubt others may disagree but here is the first instalment: BAIL, Rohan MFC - 3 games 3 goals, Casey Seniors - 1 game 0 goals. Exciting and enterprising this surprise packet's great start has been ruined by a quad injury from which he has only just returned through Casey. BARTRAM, Clint MFC - 7 games 2 goals. Playing some of his best footy since his debut season although the last couple of games have been a little hit and miss. BATE, Matthew MFC - 8 games 10 goals. A slow start coming back from injury and was returning to good form until an ankle injury hampered him in the Eagles game. BELL, Daniel Casey Seniors - 4 games 0 goals. Coming back slowly at Casey after an AC injury incurred during the pre season. BENNELL, Jamie MFC - 8 games 4 goals. Flashes of brilliance interspersed with a few lowlights. BLEASE, Sam Casey Reserves - 3 games 1 goal. Making slow progress on the comeback trial after a bad foot injury last year. BRUCE, Cameron MFC - 8 games 0 goals. A steady performer. Injured a hamstring late in his last game. CHENEY, Kyle Casey Seniors - 6 games 0 goals. Has been knocking on the door to AFL selection with some solid performances in defence at Casey but finding it hard to get in. DAVEY, Aaron MFC - 8 games 3 goals. Not as predominant as he was last year but has had his good games. DUNN, Lynden MFC - 7 games 4 goals. A few glimpses of good form but went off the boil in his more recent games. FITZPATRICK, Jack Casey Reserves - 2 games 3 goals. Suffered an injured shoulder immediately after a best on ground with Casey Reserves. FRAWLEY, James MFC - 8 games 0 goals. Growing in stature as a strong, fast young defender. GARLAND, Colin MFC - 6 games 0 goals. Gradually finding his feet in defence after a long layoff with injury. GAWN, Max Long term injury. GREEN, Brad MFC - 8 games 18 goals. Has shown outstanding leadership and courage and is the team's top goal kicker. GRIMES, Jack MFC - 8 games 0 goals. Outstanding season so far in defence. GYSBERTS, Jordan Casey Seniors - 5 games 2 goals. Keeps thrusting his name in front of the noses of the Melbourne selectors with consistently good performances at Casey. HEALEY, Rhys ® Casey Seniors - 4 games 2 goals. Still learning the ropes. HUGHES, Daniel ® MFC - 2 games 2 goals, Casey Seniors - 3 games 2 goals. Impressed on debut with the Demons. JAMAR, Mark MFC - 8 games 4 goals. Stepped up in the ruck in the early part of the season but has had his hands full with Hudson and Cox in recent weeks. JETTA, Neville Casey Seniors - 5 games 6 goals. Has done well at Casey on return from a groin injury. JOHNSON, Paul MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 4 games 1 goal. JONES, Nathan MFC - 8 games 3 goals. Has been good this season but lowered his colours last week. JURRAH, Liam Long term injury. MACDONALD, Joel MFC - 6 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 2 games 1 goal. Added some spice and variety to the defence but had to make way because of the number of defenders of the same type in the team. MCDONALD, James MFC - 8 games 4 goals. Vintage football from the veteran. MCKENZIE, Jordie ® MFC - 7 games 2 goals. A revelation in his first full season. Incredible to think he's still on the rookie list! McNAMARA, Tom Casey Seniors - 6 games 1 goal. Showing improvement at Casey but has the job ahead of him to break into the Demon defence. MARIC, Addam Casey Seniors - 6 games 4 goals. Pushing hard for AFL selection in recent weeks. MARTIN, Stefan MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 2 games 6 goals. Hasn't fulfilled his early promise and currently on the sidelines with a hip injury. MEESEN, John ® Long term injury. MILLER, Brad MFC - 1 game 2 goals , Casey Seniors - 6 games 12 goals. Lost his way a little after a poor first up effort against the Hawks but has been doing well and kicking goals at Casey in recent times. MOLONEY, Brent MFC - 8 games 0 goals. Strong and improved form in the engine room. MORTON, Cale Casey Seniors - 2 games 4 goals. Early stages of comeback from knee surgery. NEWTON, Michael ® MFC - 2 games 1 goal, Casey Seniors - 4 games 8 goals. After a couple of early games with the Demons, has been kicking goals at Casey. 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 - 4 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 1 game 0 goals. Had some injury woes and hasn't yet produced his best after coming back into the side in the last month. SCULLY, Tom MFC - 8 games 3 goals. Great start to what should be a long and stellar career. SPENCER, Jake ® MFC - 1 game 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 1 goal. Played forward in the opening game of the season without much success. Has been improving at Casey in the first ruck role. STRAUSS, James MFC - 2 games 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 0 goals. Had a taste of AFL football and is promising. SYLVIA, Colin MFC - 5 games 8 goals. Was going gangbusters in his first couple of games after his broken jaw but very subdued lately. TAPSCOTT, Luke Long term injury. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC - 8 games 4 goals. Along with Scully, one of the club's shining young lights. WARNOCK, Matthew MFC - 8 games 0 goals. Very handy in defence this season and has some big scalps. WATTS, Jack MFC - 1 game 0 goals, Casey Seniors - 5 games 7 goals. Showed glimpses in his first game last week. WONAEMIRRI, Austin Casey Seniors - 2 games 2 goals, Casey Reserves - 2 games 4 goals. Has been eased slowly back into the swing of things after missing all of last year with knee and hamstring problems, the latter of which recurred during the pre season.

MELBOURNE Backs Cale Morton Matthew Warnock James Frawley Half backs Paul Wheatley Jared Rivers James McDonald Centreline Neville Jetta Brock McLean Liam Jungarray Jurrah Half forwards Cameron Bruce Matthew Bate Ricky Petterd Forwards Russell Robertson Brad Green Nathan Jones Followers Mark Jamar Jack Grimes Aaron Davey Interchange Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Stefan Martin Brent Moloney Emergencies Clint Bartram Jamie Bennell Brad Miller In Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Out Jamie Bennell Colin Sylvia (suspended) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Alipate Carlile Toby Thurstans Jacob Surjan Half backs Nathan Krakouer Chad Cornes Peter Burgoyne Centreline Steve Salopek Domenic Cassisi Tom Logan Half forwards Robert Gray Warren Tredrea David Rodan Forwards Brett Ebert Brendon Lade Justin Westhoff Followers Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Danyle Pearce Interchange Josh Carr Jason Davenport Michael Pettigrew Paul Stewart Emergencies Matthew Broadbent Danny Meyer Matthew Westhoff In Chad Cornes Michael Pettigrew Out Troy Chaplin (suspended) Danny Meyer

The How the Demons Fared segment has been held over till tomorrow as KC is interstate. He informs that the following Demons played for Casey in the senior team on Saturday:- Rohan Bail Daniel Bell Kyle Cheney Jordan Gysberts Neville Jetta Joel Macdonald Tom McNamara Brad Miller Cale Morton Addam Maric Michael Newton Jake Spencer James Strauss Austin Wonaeamirri

COMING UP TRUMPS by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions came out trumps in their danger game against 2009 grand finallists the Northern Bullants on Saturday and go into the week's break for the VFL interstate match against WA full of confidence and in third place on the ladder. The visitors have never won at the venue before and they set themselves to break their Casey Fields "hoodoo" so it was no surprise that they came out onto the ground full of determination and took the game right up to their hosts in a tightly fought opening quarter. The ground was heavy, particularly in the centre corridor, after some heavy rain during the week and the Scorpions had their noses in front by a mere point at the first break. The home side broke the shackles in the second quarter when they piled on 5.5.35 to a mere two points and were in full control at half time. They held onto their five goal buffer to the end of the third stanza despite some inconsistency in their performance before pulling away to record their fifth win in six games. The strong seven goal final quarter was exactly what the coach Brad Gotch wanted before moving on to plan the rest of the season and a fortnight's rest. The Scorpions were well served in the midfield by find of the year and VFL state squad member Danny Nicholls (from Rowville via Collingwood) and in form young Demon Jordan Gysberts who again showed why he was drafted, with a strong performance around the stoppages. Gysberts seems destined for bigger things. The pair gave plenty of supply of the football to key forwards Brad Miller (4 goals) and Michael Newton (3). Miller was again a focal point forward and must be pushing hard for a spot in the Demons' squad for Darwin. Cale Morton, in his second game back from a knee injury, started on a wing and was heavily tagged. With a license to go forward or back as the mood took him, Morton finished with three good goals and was a very handy performer on the day. Michael Stockdale continued his excellent form, combining good defence with plenty of run through the lines. On occasion, he was able to sneak deep into the forward and managed to kick two goals unopposed. Fellow defender Joel Mac Donald was strong and consistent across half back and if not best on ground was in the top two or three. Jake Spencer, while not outstanding, did the bulk of the ruck work and put in a solid performance. Acting skipper James Wall was serviceable, and is a good chance to make the 23 player VFL State Squad that will fly west to take on the WAFL on Saturday. The brightest news on the weekend was that captain Kyle Matthews made a game day return to the club on Saturday, approximately two months after being bashed outside a Hawthorn pub. Kyle left a rehabilitation hospital about 10 days ago and while he is now at home, he is still undertaking regular rehab sessions. He is some way off returning to work and is unlikely to play football this season, but is in good spirits and is ecstatic with the way are travelling and would love to be out on the ground amongst the action! HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail - eased back after a few weeks with a quad injury and didn't do much wrong. Daniel Bell - pitted against Mitch Robinson in midfield and broke even at best. Kyle Cheney - a reasonably strong game but had some lapses in the third quarter when his opponent got away for a couple of goals. Jordan Gysberts - outstanding at the stoppages, Gysberts was again among the best on ground and is pushing strongly for AFL selection. Neville Jetta - shone with some strong work but tapered off later in the game. Joel Macdonald - a prolific ball winner, Macdonald created a great amount of run off half back and even chimed in with a goal. Addam Maric - played his best game for the year up forward with the occassional run on the ball. Tom McNamara - played his usual steady tight checking game down back but will find it hard to gain promotion due to competition for places in defence. Brad Miller - marked strongly, opened up the forward line with his clever use of the football and capped it off with 4 goals. Cale Morton - managed to shrug off a heavy tag to kick a few goals and cause the opposition some problems around the ground. Michael Newton - along with Miller, he formed part of Casey's two pronged marking machine - kicked 3 goals. Jake Spencer - had an interesting tussle with the Bullants' Hampson. Got his share of hitouts and a bit of the ball around the ground. James Strauss - a solid game off half back. Good disposal is a highlight of his game. Austin Wonaeamirri - a solid game from Aussie who kicked two goals and gave a couple away. Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 8.10.58 13.8.86 20.12.132 Northern Bullants 3.4.22 3.6.24 8.9.57 12.12.84 Casey Scorpions Miller 4 Morton Newton 3 Jetta Stockdale Wonaeamirri 2 Gysberts Macdonald Maric Nicholls Northern Bullants Henderson 4 Wiggins 2 Anderson Biffin Casboult Labi Morgan Robinson Best Casey Scorpions Macdonald Stockdale Miller Maric Gysberts Nicholls Northern Bullants Henderson Robinson Kerr Wiggins Cachia Anderson The Casey Reserves won their second game to keep alive their hopes for the season. The Scorpions were always on top of the Bullants in the general play but their kicking for goal was in stark contrast to that of their opponents who kicked nine straight goals after being held scoreless in the first term. At one stage in the third quarter Casey led 7.13.55 to 9.0.54 before taking control of the game and running out winners by 49 points. Promising young tall Luke McDonald was best for the second consecutive match and Cam Purdy booted four goals. Casey Scorpions 3.6.24 5.7.37 11.13.79 18.19.127 Northern Bullants 0.0.0 6.0.36 9.1.55 11.2.68 Goals Casey Scorpions Purdy 4 Woodhead 3 M Dowse Patti Petropoulos Weekes 2 David Bell Smith Sykes Northern Bullants Saad 6 Prior 2 Smith Best Casey Scorpions McDonald Cleven Weekes Patti Lees Woodhead Northern Bullants Dyer Dufficy Smith Saad Coughlan Church

COMING UP TRUMPS by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions came out trumps in their danger game against 2009 grand finallists the Northern Bullants on Saturday and go into the week's break for the VFL interstate match against WA full of confidence and in third place on the ladder. The visitors have never won at the venue before and they set themselves to break their Casey Fields "hoodoo" so it was no surprise that they came out onto the ground full of determination and took the game right up to their hosts in a tightly fought opening quarter. The ground was heavy, particularly in the centre corridor, after some heavy rain during the week and the Scorpions had their noses in front by a mere point at the first break. The home side broke the shackles in the second quarter when they piled on 5.5.35 to a mere two points and were in full control at half time. They held onto their five goal buffer to the end of the third stanza despite some inconsistency in their performance before pulling away to record their fifth win in six games. The strong seven goal final quarter was exactly what the coach Brad Gotch wanted before moving on to plan the rest of the season and a fortnight's rest. The Scorpions were well served in the midfield by find of the year and VFL state squad member Danny Nicholls (from Rowville via Collingwood) and in form young Demon Jordan Gysberts who again showed why he was drafted, with a strong performance around the stoppages. Gysberts seems destined for bigger things. The pair gave plenty of supply of the football to key forwards Brad Miller (4 goals) and Michael Newton (3). Miller was again a focal point forward and must be pushing hard for a spot in the Demons' squad for Darwin. Cale Morton, in his second game back from a knee injury, started on a wing and was heavily tagged. With a license to go forward or back as the mood took him, Morton finished with three good goals and was a very handy performer on the day. Michael Stockdale continued his excellent form, combining good defence with plenty of run through the lines. On occasion, he was able to sneak deep into the forward and managed to kick two goals unopposed. Fellow defender Joel Mac Donald was strong and consistent across half back and if not best on ground was in the top two or three. Jake Spencer, while not outstanding, did the bulk of the ruck work and put in a solid performance. Acting skipper James Wall was serviceable, and is a good chance to make the 23 player VFL State Squad that will fly west to take on the WAFL on Saturday. The brightest news on the weekend was that captain Kyle Matthews made a game day return to the club on Saturday, approximately two months after being bashed outside a Hawthorn pub. Kyle left a rehabilitation hospital about 10 days ago and while he is now at home, he is still undertaking regular rehab sessions. He is some way off returning to work and is unlikely to play football this season, but is in good spirits and is ecstatic with the way are travelling and would love to be out on the ground amongst the action! HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail - eased back after a few weeks with a quad injury and didn't do much wrong. Daniel Bell - pitted against Mitch Robinson in midfield and broke even at best. Kyle Cheney - a reasonably strong game but had some lapses in the third quarter when his opponent got away for a couple of goals. Jordan Gysberts - outstanding at the stoppages, Gysberts was again among the best on ground and is pushing strongly for AFL selection. Neville Jetta - shone with some strong work but tapered off later in the game. Joel Macdonald - a prolific ball winner, Macdonald created a great amount of run off half back and even chimed in with a goal. Addam Maric - played his best game for the year up forward with the occassional run on the ball. Tom McNamara - played his usual steady tight checking game down back but will find it hard to gain promotion due to competition for places in defence. Brad Miller - marked strongly, opened up the forward line with his clever use of the football and capped it off with 4 goals. Cale Morton - managed to shrug off a heavy tag to kick a few goals and cause the opposition some problems around the ground. Michael Newton - along with Miller, he formed part of Casey's two pronged marking machine - kicked 3 goals. Jake Spencer - had an interesting tussle with the Bullants' Hampson. Got his share of hitouts and a bit of the ball around the ground. James Strauss - a solid game off half back. Good disposal is a highlight of his game. Austin Wonaeamirri - a solid game from Aussie who kicked two goals and gave a couple away. Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 8.10.58 13.8.86 20.12.132 Northern Bullants 3.4.22 3.6.24 8.9.57 12.12.84 Casey Scorpions Miller 4 Morton Newton 3 Jetta Stockdale Wonaeamirri 2 Gysberts Macdonald Maric Nicholls Northern Bullants Henderson 4 Wiggins 2 Anderson Biffin Casboult Labi Morgan Robinson Best Casey Scorpions Macdonald Stockdale Miller Maric Gysberts Nicholls Northern Bullants Henderson Robinson Kerr Wiggins Cachia Anderson The Casey Reserves won their second game to keep alive their hopes for the season. The Scorpions were always on top of the Bullants in the general play but their kicking for goal was in stark contrast to that of their opponents who kicked nine straight goals after being held scoreless in the first term. At one stage in the third quarter Casey led 7.13.55 to 9.0.54 before taking control of the game and running out winners by 49 points. Promising young tall Luke McDonald was best for the second consecutive match and Cam Purdy booted four goals. Casey Scorpions 3.6.24 5.7.37 11.13.79 18.19.127 Northern Bullants 0.0.0 6.0.36 9.1.55 11.2.68 Goals Casey Scorpions Purdy 4 Woodhead 3 M Dowse Patti Petropoulos Weekes 2 David Bell Smith Sykes Northern Bullants Saad 6 Prior 2 Smith Best Casey Scorpions McDonald Cleven Weekes Patti Lees Woodhead Northern Bullants Dyer Dufficy Smith Saad Coughlan Church

Congratulations to Junior - oldest man at the club and he's hit the lead in the Demonland Player of the Year! 59.753 James McDonald 58.269 Mark Jamar 56.401 Jack Grimes 55.548 James Frawley 50.125 Brent Moloney 33.071 Tom Scully 29.607 Brad Green 29.463 Jack Trengove 26.292 Colin Sylvia 22.147 Matthew Bate 20.656 Ricky Petterd 19.567 Jordie McKenzie 17.419 Aaron Davey 15.431 Nathan Jones 15.283 Matthew Warnock 12.512 Jamie Bennell 10.760 Cameron Bruce 8.211 Rohan Bail 7.921 Lynden Dunn 5.250 Clint Bartram 2.453 Jack Watts 1.705 Joel Macdonald

NO EASY RIDES by Whispering Jack There are no easy rides to the top when you're involved in a highly competitive professional sport and Melbourne learned this lesson most emphatically when it was outclassed by West Coast in its Round 8 clash at the MCG. After last week's heroic but failed effort to claim what would have been a significant victory over the Western Bulldogs (that would have lifted it into the top eight), Melbourne plumbed the depths with a shambolic mistake-riddled performance which coach Dean Bailey likened to its round 1 demise against Hawthorn. In fact, there were times during the game when the Demons were visually as bad as the team that played the Hawks not just on that occasion but in the first round two years ago and that was about as bad as it can get. The result this time wasn't a 100 point defeat but Melbourne wasn't taking on a premiership side either. In fact, they lost a game for the second time in three weeks when they had gone in as firm favourite and this time it was against an outfit that has hardly won a game away from home in the past four seasons and not at all at the MCG since it won the flag back in 2006. Perhaps they thought after pressing one of the top dogs of the competition, that this week would be an easy ride. Melbourne can hardly point to a lack of experience for its woes because the team went into the game with a slightly higher average age and more games experience than its opponent. Just when I truly believed that the number of ways a team could lose a football match had been well and truly exhausted the Dees came up with another way to let their fans down. They succumbed to an intense game of attacking pressure unleashed upon them by a highly disciplined unit that lured them into a spider's web and strangled the life out of them not once but twice during the course of the one game. West Coast somehow managed to squander the advantage of its superior play in the first half when it allowed the home team to catch up late in the second term. The scores might have been level at the main break but a messed up Eagles kick coming out of defence and then a fifty metre penalty cost them what should have been at least a two goal buffer after the Demons blindly stumbled and fumbled their way through the first half. Melbourne started badly and gave away the now almost customary early couple of goals in the first five minutes and then kicked poorly for goal to trail by 9 points at quarter time. At that early stage the free kick count was 9 - 2 in favour of the Eagles. The only thing I can add is that the men who weren't wearing pink this time had as bad a day as the team that wasn't wearing pink this week. The sloppiness continued early in the second quarter but three goals in midterm (half the team's aggregate for the match) in the space of five minutes to James McDonald, Daniel Hughes and Jamie Bennell gave the Demons the lead for the first time. At that stage, one could have expected that the storm had been weathered and that Melbourne could then go on and take control of the game but West Coast persisted, the teams traded goal for goal and half time arrived with the scores deadlocked. The game these days is played at such a frenetic pace that you simply can't afford to suffer a couple of injuries lest it plays havoc with your interchange patterns and ultimately leads to tired players doing tired things both physically and mentally. In Melbourne's case this scenario arose when both Matthew Bate (ankle) and Aaron Davey (broken nose) required treatment in the first half. While both spent time back on the ground after half time they were reasonably ineffective after that (but the same can be said of many of their uninjured teammates). The end result was an ugly start to the third term. They spent most of the first ten minutes with the entire team in the back half over possessing the ball, overdoing their handball and compounding all of the mistakes of the first half by twofold. The final outcome was inevitable and only the fact that the Eagles weren't good enough, prevented a ten goal blowout. The 29 point final margin was nowhere nearly as truly indicative of the Eagles' superiority. I wasn't joking when I wrote that the Demons had regressed to their form of early 2008. They were that bad. How else would you sum up a game in which the team took a meagre five marks inside the forward fifty metres? Often there was simply nobody around on the forward line to take a mark because the team employed what seemed to be a rolling forward line theory which places most of your forwards around half back or wing. With that in place, they simply butchered the ball going forward after long, slow chains of handball, which if not botched gave the opposition plenty of time to cover any loose men and to beat them anyway. Emerging teams will always have their bad and their good days but I hope that the team can get its act together next week lest there will be a long string of boat people wearing red and blue heading further north west into the Indian Ocean next week. And that won't be an easy ride either! Melbourne 1.3.9 5.5.35 6.8.44 6.10.46 West Coast 3.0.18 5.5.35 8.8.56 10.15.75 Goals Melbourne Green 2 Bennell Hughes McDonald Scully West Coast Kennedy LeCras 2 Cox Lynch McKinley Rosa Selwood Selwood Best Melbourne McDonald West Coast Priddis LeCras Selwood Cox Stevenson Ebert Hurn Injuries Melbourne Bate (ankle) Bruce (hamstring) Davey (broken nose) West Coast Nil Changes Nil Reports Nil Umpires Meredith Wenn Mollison Crowd 28,593 at the MCG

NO EASY RIDES by Whispering Jack There are no easy rides to the top when you're involved in a highly competitive professional sport and Melbourne learned this lesson most emphatically when it was outclassed by West Coast in its Round 8 clash at the MCG. After last week's heroic but failed effort to claim what would have been a significant victory over the Western Bulldogs (that would have lifted it into the top eight), Melbourne plumbed the depths with a shambolic mistake-riddled performance which coach Dean Bailey likened to its round 1 demise against Hawthorn. In fact, there were times during the game when the Demons were visually as bad as the team that played the Hawks not just on that occasion but in the first round two years ago and that was about as bad as it can get. The result this time wasn't a 100 point defeat but Melbourne wasn't taking on a premiership side either. In fact, they lost a game for the second time in three weeks when they had gone in as firm favourite and this time it was against an outfit that has hardly won a game away from home in the past four seasons and not at all at the MCG since it won the flag back in 2006. Perhaps they thought after pressing one of the top dogs of the competition, that this week would be an easy ride. Melbourne can hardly point to a lack of experience for its woes because the team went into the game with a slightly higher average age and more games experience than its opponent. Just when I truly believed that the number of ways a team could lose a football match had been well and truly exhausted the Dees came up with another way to let their fans down. They succumbed to an intense game of attacking pressure unleashed upon them by a highly disciplined unit that lured them into a spider's web and strangled the life out of them not once but twice during the course of the one game. West Coast somehow managed to squander the advantage of its superior play in the first half when it allowed the home team to catch up late in the second term. The scores might have been level at the main break but a messed up Eagles kick coming out of defence and then a fifty metre penalty cost them what should have been at least a two goal buffer after the Demons blindly stumbled and fumbled their way through the first half. Melbourne started badly and gave away the now almost customary early couple of goals in the first five minutes and then kicked poorly for goal to trail by 9 points at quarter time. At that early stage the free kick count was 9 - 2 in favour of the Eagles. The only thing I can add is that the men who weren't wearing pink this time had as bad a day as the team that wasn't wearing pink this week. The sloppiness continued early in the second quarter but three goals in midterm (half the team's aggregate for the match) in the space of five minutes to James McDonald, Daniel Hughes and Jamie Bennell gave the Demons the lead for the first time. At that stage, one could have expected that the storm had been weathered and that Melbourne could then go on and take control of the game but West Coast persisted, the teams traded goal for goal and half time arrived with the scores deadlocked. The game these days is played at such a frenetic pace that you simply can't afford to suffer a couple of injuries lest it plays havoc with your interchange patterns and ultimately leads to tired players doing tired things both physically and mentally. In Melbourne's case this scenario arose when both Matthew Bate (ankle) and Aaron Davey (broken nose) required treatment in the first half. While both spent time back on the ground after half time they were reasonably ineffective after that (but the same can be said of many of their uninjured teammates). The end result was an ugly start to the third term. They spent most of the first ten minutes with the entire team in the back half over possessing the ball, overdoing their handball and compounding all of the mistakes of the first half by twofold. The final outcome was inevitable and only the fact that the Eagles weren't good enough, prevented a ten goal blowout. The 29 point final margin was nowhere nearly as truly indicative of the Eagles' superiority. I wasn't joking when I wrote that the Demons had regressed to their form of early 2008. They were that bad. How else would you sum up a game in which the team took a meagre five marks inside the forward fifty metres? Often there was simply nobody around on the forward line to take a mark because the team employed what seemed to be a rolling forward line theory which places most of your forwards around half back or wing. With that in place, they simply butchered the ball going forward after long, slow chains of handball, which if not botched gave the opposition plenty of time to cover any loose men and to beat them anyway. Emerging teams will always have their bad and their good days but I hope that the team can get its act together next week lest there will be a long string of boat people wearing red and blue heading further north west into the Indian Ocean next week. And that won't be an easy ride either! Melbourne 1.3.9 5.5.35 6.8.44 6.10.46 West Coast 3.0.18 5.5.35 8.8.56 10.15.75 Goals Melbourne Green 2 Bennell Hughes McDonald Scully West Coast Kennedy LeCras 2 Cox Lynch McKinley Rosa Selwood Selwood Best Melbourne McDonald West Coast Priddis LeCras Selwood Cox Stevenson Ebert Hurn Injuries Melbourne Bate (ankle) Bruce (hamstring) Davey (broken nose) West Coast Nil Changes Nil Reports Nil Umpires Meredith Wenn Mollison Crowd 28,593 at the MCG

Tougher to work out the votes after a poor showing but it has to be done. 6,5,4,3,2,1 ...

Hi Deb - I have included the link of the Demonland links page. Good job with the site.

Came back with a couple of games in the reserves and then this happened last Saturday:-

THE BUDGET BASH by The Oracle When our Federal Treasurer brought down his budget during the week, he made a prediction that our economy would be in surplus by around 2012/2013, bringing that event forward by some two to three years on last year's forecast. While I must confess that my knowledge of economics is somewhat limited, on hearing that news, I suddenly felt a great deal of empathy with the Honourable Mr. Swan. You see, since early in this football season I have been doing exactly the same thing as the Treasurer but, in my case, the subject is the Melbourne Football Club and the object of my prognostication is the time when the Demons will once again enjoy the glory days and challenge for a premiership. A year ago, I would almost certainly have spoken about the year 2014 but from what the Melbourne Football Club has been doing over the past month, I can say with more than a bit of conviction that the good times are coming sooner rather than layer and that our day might very well come as early as 2012. That's about the same time as our economy will go into surplus so we'll be able to sing both "It's a Grand Old Flag" and "Happy Days are Here Again" together with gusto! I maintain this despite the fact that Melbourne narrowly failed to overcome the Western Bulldogs in extraordinary circumstances last Friday night. They fell agonisingly short of victory after leading by nine points with four minutes left on the clock but found new ways to lose in a game where two favourable goal umpiring decisions were overruled, they were on the wrong end of some dodgy adjudication and fell victim to the AFL's version of wardrobe malfunction when, on two or three occasions, their players thought they were delivering the ball direct to teammates who weren't really there. Thanks to a ridiculous colour clash with the maggots they managed to open up a number of two on one contests between the umpires and the Dogs. No surprise as to who won them or why the Bullies snuck home by four points (I know the coming round is supposed to be dedicated to the appreciation of umpires but count me out - I haven't yet gotten over last week). In spite of the rotten misfortune that befell the team last Friday night (and for the second time in little more than a month) you have to hand it to Dean Bailey and his boys. They are definitely big improvers and that improvement is now evident on a weekly basis. They need only to learn how to win the close ones and win away from home and they could even give the top four a big shake. This week Melbourne is playing West Coast at the MCG and therefore it doesn't have to worry about the away from home factor. Nor will the attire of our friendly umpires be of concern because they will probably be wearing an innocuous colour like green. And the Demons must surely have run out of different new ways to lose games by now. On that basis, the scoreboard should see them finishing with a surplus against the Eagles and, as any economist worth his salt will tell you, that result is fiscally solid and worth taking to the bank. THE GAME Melbourne v West Coast Eagles at MCG Saturday 15 May 2010 at 2.10pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 15 wins West Coast 24 wins At the MCG Melbourne 7 wins West Coast 6 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins West Coast 8 wins The Coaches Bailey 2 wins Worsfold 1 win MEDIA TV Fox Sports live at 2pm Radio Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $1.50 West Coast to win $2.60 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.10.112 defeated West Coast 13.14 92 in Round 14, 2010 at the MCG. The Demons arrested a bad slump with a shock win over a dazed Eagles combination that played as if it was suffering jet lag. Remember Russell Robertson? He booted four goals that day. It was probably his last big game of a long an illustrious career forged upon jumping over other players' backs. Young Jack Grimes played the first of what should be many blinders, Mark Jamar crushed a young Nick Naitanui and Liam Jurrah showed some of his goal kicking wizardry as the Demons won only their second game for the season. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Jack Grimes Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs Cameron Bruce James Frawley Colin Garland Centreline James McDonald Jordie McKenzie Aaron Davey Half forwards Jamie Bennell Matthew Bate Jack Watts Forwards Nathan Jones Daniel Hughes Brad Green Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Tom Scully Interchange Clint Bartram Paul Johnson Colin Sylvia Jack Trengove Emergencies Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta Jake Spencer In Jack Watts Out Lynden Dunn WEST COAST Backs Will Schofield Darren Glass Beau Waters Half backs Lewis Stevenson Eric MacKenzie Shannon Hurn Centreline Matt Rosa Matt Priddis Brad Ebert Half forwards Brad Sheppard Josh Kennedy Ashton Hams Forwards Mark Nicoski Quinten Lynch Mark LeCras Followers Dean Cox Adam Selwood Tom Swift Interchange Patrick McGinnity Ben McKinley Nic Naitanui Scott Selwood Emergencies Mitchell Brown Bradd Dalziell Ashley Hansen In Scott Selwood Out Bradd Dalziell THE HOOPLA BEGINS Well, it had to happen. The clash between 2008 Draft Pick 1 and 2008 Draft Pick 2 with 2009 Draft Picks 1 and 2 taking part in the same game. It's taken a while for the return of Jack Watts and doubtless, the media will be making a meal of the fact that Nick Naitanui but believe me, there is no doubt that Jack has earned his place as a Demon after five weeks as a Scorpion. Despite all the hoopla Watts is unlikely to be matched up on the Eagle big man but rather, he will be assuming a position left vacant by the departure almost two years to the day of David Neitz, the Coleman Medal winning club games record holder. He has big shoes to fill. Watts comes into a side brim full of young talent, a side that is beginning to lift itself from the mire of underachievement that comes "winning" back-to-back wooden spoons in 2008/09. There were a number of constants during this bleak period, most of them completely negative but one positive in that time was the fact that Melbourne won both of its MCG matches against the West Coast. In many ways, the Eagles are similar to the Demons in that they struggle away from their home territory. If they are to win this clash, their big hope is that their big men will dominate. Dean Cox, Naitanui, Quinten Lynch and Josh Kennedy all need to make major contributions to the cause. Meanwhile the Demons are still recovering from last week's budget bashing preview against the Bulldogs. As the players trudged off the ground at the end of that tough rain soaked Friday night affair, their faces were covered with both disappointment and a steely determination not to allow the opportunity to win slip from their grasp again. Nobody could ever forget such a lesson over a span of a mere eight days. Melbourne by 29 points. DISCUSS HERE: http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20919

THE BUDGET BASH by The Oracle When our Federal Treasurer brought down his budget during the week, he made a prediction that our economy would be in surplus by around 2012/2013, bringing that event forward by some two to three years on last year's forecast. While I must confess that my knowledge of economics is somewhat limited, on hearing that news, I suddenly felt a great deal of empathy with the Honourable Mr. Swan. You see, since early in this football season I have been doing exactly the same thing as the Treasurer but, in my case, the subject is the Melbourne Football Club and the object of my prognostication is the time when the Demons will once again enjoy the glory days and challenge for a premiership. A year ago, I would almost certainly have spoken about the year 2014 but from what the Melbourne Football Club has been doing over the past month, I can say with more than a bit of conviction that the good times are coming sooner rather than layer and that our day might very well come as early as 2012. That's about the same time as our economy will go into surplus so we'll be able to sing both "It's a Grand Old Flag" and "Happy Days are Here Again" together with gusto! I maintain this despite the fact that Melbourne narrowly failed to overcome the Western Bulldogs in extraordinary circumstances last Friday night. They fell agonisingly short of victory after leading by nine points with four minutes left on the clock but found new ways to lose in a game where two favourable goal umpiring decisions were overruled, they were on the wrong end of some dodgy adjudication and fell victim to the AFL's version of wardrobe malfunction when, on two or three occasions, their players thought they were delivering the ball direct to teammates who weren't really there. Thanks to a ridiculous colour clash with the maggots they managed to open up a number of two on one contests between the umpires and the Dogs. No surprise as to who won them or why the Bullies snuck home by four points (I know the coming round is supposed to be dedicated to the appreciation of umpires but count me out - I haven't yet gotten over last week). In spite of the rotten misfortune that befell the team last Friday night (and for the second time in little more than a month) you have to hand it to Dean Bailey and his boys. They are definitely big improvers and that improvement is now evident on a weekly basis. They need only to learn how to win the close ones and win away from home and they could even give the top four a big shake. This week Melbourne is playing West Coast at the MCG and therefore it doesn't have to worry about the away from home factor. Nor will the attire of our friendly umpires be of concern because they will probably be wearing an innocuous colour like green. And the Demons must surely have run out of different new ways to lose games by now. On that basis, the scoreboard should see them finishing with a surplus against the Eagles and, as any economist worth his salt will tell you, that result is fiscally solid and worth taking to the bank. THE GAME Melbourne v West Coast Eagles at MCG Saturday 15 May 2010 at 2.10pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 15 wins West Coast 24 wins At the MCG Melbourne 7 wins West Coast 6 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins West Coast 8 wins The Coaches Bailey 2 wins Worsfold 1 win MEDIA TV Fox Sports live at 2pm Radio Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $1.50 West Coast to win $2.60 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.10.112 defeated West Coast 13.14 92 in Round 14, 2010 at the MCG. The Demons arrested a bad slump with a shock win over a dazed Eagles combination that played as if it was suffering jet lag. Remember Russell Robertson? He booted four goals that day. It was probably his last big game of a long an illustrious career forged upon jumping over other players' backs. Young Jack Grimes played the first of what should be many blinders, Mark Jamar crushed a young Nick Naitanui and Liam Jurrah showed some of his goal kicking wizardry as the Demons won only their second game for the season. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Jack Grimes Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs Cameron Bruce James Frawley Colin Garland Centreline James McDonald Jordie McKenzie Aaron Davey Half forwards Jamie Bennell Matthew Bate Jack Watts Forwards Nathan Jones Daniel Hughes Brad Green Followers Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Tom Scully Interchange Clint Bartram Paul Johnson Colin Sylvia Jack Trengove Emergencies Lynden Dunn Neville Jetta Jake Spencer In Jack Watts Out Lynden Dunn WEST COAST Backs Will Schofield Darren Glass Beau Waters Half backs Lewis Stevenson Eric MacKenzie Shannon Hurn Centreline Matt Rosa Matt Priddis Brad Ebert Half forwards Brad Sheppard Josh Kennedy Ashton Hams Forwards Mark Nicoski Quinten Lynch Mark LeCras Followers Dean Cox Adam Selwood Tom Swift Interchange Patrick McGinnity Ben McKinley Nic Naitanui Scott Selwood Emergencies Mitchell Brown Bradd Dalziell Ashley Hansen In Scott Selwood Out Bradd Dalziell THE HOOPLA BEGINS Well, it had to happen. The clash between 2008 Draft Pick 1 and 2008 Draft Pick 2 with 2009 Draft Picks 1 and 2 taking part in the same game. It's taken a while for the return of Jack Watts and doubtless, the media will be making a meal of the fact that Nick Naitanui but believe me, there is no doubt that Jack has earned his place as a Demon after five weeks as a Scorpion. Despite all the hoopla Watts is unlikely to be matched up on the Eagle big man but rather, he will be assuming a position left vacant by the departure almost two years to the day of David Neitz, the Coleman Medal winning club games record holder. He has big shoes to fill. Watts comes into a side brim full of young talent, a side that is beginning to lift itself from the mire of underachievement that comes "winning" back-to-back wooden spoons in 2008/09. There were a number of constants during this bleak period, most of them completely negative but one positive in that time was the fact that Melbourne won both of its MCG matches against the West Coast. In many ways, the Eagles are similar to the Demons in that they struggle away from their home territory. If they are to win this clash, their big hope is that their big men will dominate. Dean Cox, Naitanui, Quinten Lynch and Josh Kennedy all need to make major contributions to the cause. Meanwhile the Demons are still recovering from last week's budget bashing preview against the Bulldogs. As the players trudged off the ground at the end of that tough rain soaked Friday night affair, their faces were covered with both disappointment and a steely determination not to allow the opportunity to win slip from their grasp again. Nobody could ever forget such a lesson over a span of a mere eight days. Melbourne by 29 points.

MELBOURNE Backs Cale Morton Matthew Warnock Ricky Petterd Half backs Aaron Davey Jared Rivers James Frawley Centerline Neville Jetta Brock McLean Liam Jungarray Jurrah Half forwards Cameron Bruce Russell Robertson Matthew Bate Forwards Brad Green Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Followers Mark Jamar Jack Grimes Jamie Bennell Interchange James McDonald Stefan Martin Brent Moloney Paul Wheatley Emergencies Daniel Bell Paul Johnson Brad Miller In Matthew Bate Mark Jamar James McDonald Paul Wheatley Out Paul Johnson Brad Miller Jack Watts (ill) Matthew Whelan WEST COAST Backs Matt Spangher Darren Glass David Wirrpanda Half backs Scott Selwood Eric Mackenzie Shannon Hurn Centreline Andrew Embley Matt Priddis Matt Rosa Half forwards Adam Selwood Josh Kennedy Chris Masten Forwards Mark LeCras Mitch Brown Quinten Lynch Followers Nic Naitanui Brad Ebert Sam Butler Interchange Tyson Stenglein Brett Jones Ben McKinley Chad Fletcher Emergencies Tim Houlihan Tom Swift Adam Cockie In Chad Fletcher Brett Jones Out Daniel Kerr (soreness) Tom Swift

SCORPIONS WIN BIG The Casey Scorpions scored their biggest win of the season so far when they handed out a 73 point thrashing to the Coburg Tigers at Casey Fields on Saturday. The Coburg encounter had been considered a danger game as the Tigers were coming off a win over the highly fancied Box Hill Hawks and a narrow away loss against ladder leaders Sandringham. However, as it turned out, the game was never really a contest. The home side shot out of the blocks with an early goal to Jordan Gysberts followed by two more from young forward Jack Watts who was in fine marking form. He scored his first after a 50 metre penalty and kicked accurately from a good distance for his second. Coburg regrouped and came back with a goal to be 12 points down at quarter time. The second quarter was all Casey as the undisciplined Tigers imploded against a tight defence and a hard working midfield that constantly fed the Scorpions' forward. Neville Jetta was in fine fettle during this period with two goals but a lot of the hard work was being done by Michael Stockdale (27 touches for the game) and Kyle Cheney down back. They were well supported by Tom McNamara and acting skipper James Wall in forming and almost impenetrable barrier that forced the ball to constantly rebound into attack. Ben Macreadie was solid around the ground and the explosive but slightly off target Austin Wonaeamirri (three posters for the day) added a great deal of bite. The Tigers tried hard to mount a comeback in the third quarter but Casey, with the classy Watts and Brad Miller dominating up forward was just too good. Young ruckman Chris Wylie kicked his first goal and the home team remained well in control at the final break. Realising the importance of playing out the full four quarters, coach Brad Gotch exhorted his players to go on with it and to finish strongly and they proceeded to do exactly that. Miller, Watts and Newton were all tall targets and they combined well. Even defender Tom McNamara chipped in for a goal after following the play down the ground as the home team coasted to an easy victory. The win lifts the Scorpions into the upper echelons of the VFL ladder with a vital game against the Northern Bullants at Casey Fields next Saturday. The club was further buoyed by the news that courageous captain Kyle Matthews was discharged during the week from Eppworth Rehabilitation Hospital and is well on the way to recovery after incurring serious injuries in an attack outside a hotel earlier this year. Teammate David Bell, who was also injured in the incident, played his first game with the reserves on Saturday. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Daniel Bell - came back after receiving a heavy knock early in the game. Marked strongly and put in a lot of hard work coming from off half back into the middle of the ground in just his second game after returning from an injury. Kyle Cheney - formed part of a dominant defence and hardly let anything through. Combined well with the other defenders and was the hard nut who proved a stumbling block for the opposition forwards. Jordan Gysberts - creative tall midfielder who relished the freedom of the midfield where his skills came to the fore. Disposed of the ball well by hand and by foot. Kicked the first goal of the game and set up a number of forward thrusts. Rhys Healey - flashed in and out of the game as an interchange. Did some nice things including kicking a nice goal in the third quarter. Neville Jetta - after being a bit wasteful around goal last week this was much improved game from Jetta who was also productive further afield. His best game for the season so far. Joel Macdonald - a strong workmanlike performance from a player who was a trifle unlucky to be out of the AFL side. Tom McNamara - another solid performance good game across half back from the hardworking half back who will need to bide his time because of the Melbourne's current strong stocks in defence. Addam Maric - the nippy Maric was a headache for the Coburg defence roaming far and wide through the forward line and combining well with both Jetta and Wonaeamirri at the feet of the taller forwards. Brad Miller - continued his good form with three goals in a strong marking performance. Combined well with Watts and Newton to earn the praise of his coach who described the forward line as the "best forward line he has ever coached". Remember, Gotch is a multiple premiership coach at this level! Cale Morton - it seems to have become almost a policy for most players returning from lengthy periods affected by injury to be nursed through the seconds at Casey. Not so in the case of Morton, noted for his big engine. Although he had limited game time, he was a good contributor, kicked a goal, had a hand in at least one other and it will not be long before he's back in the big time. Michael Newton - presented well and worked hard throughout the game but might struggle to work his way into the Demons' forward set up with Miller and Watts ahead of him at this stage. Jake Spencer - was the dominant ruckman on the ground and marked strongly. Jack Watts - Dean Bailey wanted to see him kick goals at Casey and he did just that and more. He kicked four of his own, gave a couple away and kicked a couple of points, one of which hit the post. The goal he kicked to start the third quarter was an absolute gem and even had the Coburg fans applauding. I would have liked to see some pack marking but he was often double and triple teamed in contests. He now weighs around 90kg and must be close to being ready on that form. Austin Wonaeamirri - stepped up to this level without any apparent concerns. Showed his skills and wasn't afraid to tackle. Still needs another game or two so it might be touch and go as to whether he makes it into the Melbourne side for its game against Port Adelaide in Darwin in a fortnight's time. Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 9.8.62 13.11.89 18.17.125 Coburg Tigers1.5.11 2.7.19 5.11.41 6.16.52 Goals Casey Scorpions Watts 4 Miller 3 Jetta 2 Gysberts Healey McGough McNamara Maric Morton Newton Wall Wylie Coburg TigersGriffiths 2 Hislop Jordon Kahlefeldt Roberts Best Casey Scorpions Stockdale Watts Wall Jetta Gysberts Spencer Coburg Tigers Gourdis O'Rielly Connors Rayson Jordon Carnell Reports Nil The Reserves had an absorbing battle with Coburg and were in a position to win at three quarter time but let the game slip from their grasp when the Tigers piled on the goals early in the last. To their credit, they came back strongly but were one point light when the final siren sounded. Ben Waite with four goals continued his fine form up forward and talls Luke McDonald and Scott Simpson were the team's best. HOW THE DEMON FARED Sam Blease - left the ground early with shin soreness and sat the rest of the game out as a precaution. Casey Scorpions 3.4.22 4.7.31 9.8.62 14.9.93 Coburg Tigers 2.2.14 4.3.27 7.4.46 14.10.94 Goals Casey Scorpions Waite 4 Sykes 3 Jones Petropoulos 2 M Dowse Simpson Tynan Coburg Tigers Gestier Lawton 3 Dennis 2 Cattapan Duhau Gilligan Meroli Sarlo Westhoff Best Casey Scorpions McDonald Simpson David Bell Fieldsend Weekes Waite Coburg Tigers Duhau Dahl Cattapan Lawton Hicks Fahey Reports Casey Scorpions Scott Simpson - Engaging in rough conduct Coburg Tigers Nil

SCORPIONS WIN BIG The Casey Scorpions scored their biggest win of the season so far when they handed out a 73 point thrashing to the Coburg Tigers at Casey Fields on Saturday. The Coburg encounter had been considered a danger game as the Tigers were coming off a win over the highly fancied Box Hill Hawks and a narrow away loss against ladder leaders Sandringham. However, as it turned out, the game was never really a contest. The home side shot out of the blocks with an early goal to Jordan Gysberts followed by two more from young forward Jack Watts who was in fine marking form. He scored his first after a 50 metre penalty and kicked accurately from a good distance for his second. Coburg regrouped and came back with a goal to be 12 points down at quarter time. The second quarter was all Casey as the undisciplined Tigers imploded against a tight defence and a hard working midfield that constantly fed the Scorpions' forward. Neville Jetta was in fine fettle during this period with two goals but a lot of the hard work was being done by Michael Stockdale (27 touches for the game) and Kyle Cheney down back. They were well supported by Tom McNamara and acting skipper James Wall in forming and almost impenetrable barrier that forced the ball to constantly rebound into attack. Ben Macreadie was solid around the ground and the explosive but slightly off target Austin Wonaeamirri (three posters for the day) added a great deal of bite. The Tigers tried hard to mount a comeback in the third quarter but Casey, with the classy Watts and Brad Miller dominating up forward was just too good. Young ruckman Chris Wylie kicked his first goal and the home team remained well in control at the final break. Realising the importance of playing out the full four quarters, coach Brad Gotch exhorted his players to go on with it and to finish strongly and they proceeded to do exactly that. Miller, Watts and Newton were all tall targets and they combined well. Even defender Tom McNamara chipped in for a goal after following the play down the ground as the home team coasted to an easy victory. The win lifts the Scorpions into the upper echelons of the VFL ladder with a vital game against the Northern Bullants at Casey Fields next Saturday. The club was further buoyed by the news that courageous captain Kyle Matthews was discharged during the week from Eppworth Rehabilitation Hospital and is well on the way to recovery after incurring serious injuries in an attack outside a hotel earlier this year. Teammate David Bell, who was also injured in the incident, played his first game with the reserves on Saturday. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Daniel Bell - came back after receiving a heavy knock early in the game. Marked strongly and put in a lot of hard work coming from off half back into the middle of the ground in just his second game after returning from an injury. Kyle Cheney - formed part of a dominant defence and hardly let anything through. Combined well with the other defenders and was the hard nut who proved a stumbling block for the opposition forwards. Jordan Gysberts - creative tall midfielder who relished the freedom of the midfield where his skills came to the fore. Disposed of the ball well by hand and by foot. Kicked the first goal of the game and set up a number of forward thrusts. Rhys Healey - flashed in and out of the game as an interchange. Did some nice things including kicking a nice goal in the third quarter. Neville Jetta - after being a bit wasteful around goal last week this was much improved game from Jetta who was also productive further afield. His best game for the season so far. Joel Macdonald - a strong workmanlike performance from a player who was a trifle unlucky to be out of the AFL side. Tom McNamara - another solid performance good game across half back from the hardworking half back who will need to bide his time because of the Melbourne's current strong stocks in defence. Addam Maric - the nippy Maric was a headache for the Coburg defence roaming far and wide through the forward line and combining well with both Jetta and Wonaeamirri at the feet of the taller forwards. Brad Miller - continued his good form with three goals in a strong marking performance. Combined well with Watts and Newton to earn the praise of his coach who described the forward line as the "best forward line he has ever coached". Remember, Gotch is a multiple premiership coach at this level! Cale Morton - it seems to have become almost a policy for most players returning from lengthy periods affected by injury to be nursed through the seconds at Casey. Not so in the case of Morton, noted for his big engine. Although he had limited game time, he was a good contributor, kicked a goal, had a hand in at least one other and it will not be long before he's back in the big time. Michael Newton - presented well and worked hard throughout the game but might struggle to work his way into the Demons' forward set up with Miller and Watts ahead of him at this stage. Jake Spencer - was the dominant ruckman on the ground and marked strongly. Jack Watts - Dean Bailey wanted to see him kick goals at Casey and he did just that and more. He kicked four of his own, gave a couple away and kicked a couple of points, one of which hit the post. The goal he kicked to start the third quarter was an absolute gem and even had the Coburg fans applauding. I would have liked to see some pack marking but he was often double and triple teamed in contests. He now weighs around 90kg and must be close to being ready on that form. Austin Wonaeamirri - stepped up to this level without any apparent concerns. Showed his skills and wasn't afraid to tackle. Still needs another game or two so it might be touch and go as to whether he makes it into the Melbourne side for its game against Port Adelaide in Darwin in a fortnight's time. Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 9.8.62 13.11.89 18.17.125 Coburg Tigers1.5.11 2.7.19 5.11.41 6.16.52 Goals Casey Scorpions Watts 4 Miller 3 Jetta 2 Gysberts Healey McGough McNamara Maric Morton Newton Wall Wylie Coburg TigersGriffiths 2 Hislop Jordon Kahlefeldt Roberts Best Casey Scorpions Stockdale Watts Wall Jetta Gysberts Spencer Coburg Tigers Gourdis O'Rielly Connors Rayson Jordon Carnell Reports Nil The Reserves had an absorbing battle with Coburg and were in a position to win at three quarter time but let the game slip from their grasp when the Tigers piled on the goals early in the last. To their credit, they came back strongly but were one point light when the final siren sounded. Ben Waite with four goals continued his fine form up forward and talls Luke McDonald and Scott Simpson were the team's best. HOW THE DEMON FARED Sam Blease - left the ground early with shin soreness and sat the rest of the game out as a precaution. Casey Scorpions 3.4.22 4.7.31 9.8.62 14.9.93 Coburg Tigers 2.2.14 4.3.27 7.4.46 14.10.94 Goals Casey Scorpions Waite 4 Sykes 3 Jones Petropoulos 2 M Dowse Simpson Tynan Coburg Tigers Gestier Lawton 3 Dennis 2 Cattapan Duhau Gilligan Meroli Sarlo Westhoff Best Casey Scorpions McDonald Simpson David Bell Fieldsend Weekes Waite Coburg Tigers Duhau Dahl Cattapan Lawton Hicks Fahey Reports Casey Scorpions Scott Simpson - Engaging in rough conduct Coburg Tigers Nil

The above post was edited by me just before I cancelled his/her registration and ip address with Demonland.

Thanks to all those who voted. Tom Scully was given the perfect game by the three posters selected at random. Great to see so much young blood challenging this year! 57.042 Mark Jamar 51.255 James Frawley 48.898 Brent Moloney 48.713 James McDonald 48.428 Jack Grimes 33.071 Tom Scully 29.463 Jack Trengove 28.994 Brad Green 26.292 Colin Sylvia 22.147 Matthew Bate 20.656 Ricky Petterd 17.419 Aaron Davey 15.431 Nathan Jones 13.434 Jordie McKenzie 12.512 Jamie Bennell 11.603 Matthew Warnock 10.760 Cameron Bruce 8.211 Rohan Bail 7.921 Lynden Dunn 5.250 Clint Bartram 1.705 Joel Macdonald

OLD HEADS OVER YOUNG LEGS by Whispering Jack The new-look Demons are learning their lessons quickly but then again, they had so much to learn when the season began and so little time. With just under one third of the season elapsed it is fair to say that they must surely by under way given that they have managed to stretch each of last year's losing preliminary finalists to within a goal of victory. The problem is that in both instances, Melbourne could also lay claim on each occasion to being the better of the two sides on the day or night and therein lies the tale of one lesson that the dual wooden spooner of the last two seasons has yet to learn fully - the art of winning the close contest. What I mean by this is not simply the knowledge of how to hold one's ground when leading by nine points in wet conditions when there are less than four minutes remaining in a game. That's important but the game against the Western Bulldogs was ultimately won by wise heads over younger legs and it was set up at the beginning when everything was fresh. Despite each team having equal opportunity to score in the first quarter (15 inside 50's apiece), the Bulldogs managed 3.2 to the Demons' wasteful 0.6. And in that time, it was the youthful, enthusiastic Melbourne team that chipped the ball sideways and made some critical unforced errors for which the greasy conditions alone cannot be blamed. One inspired move made by Rodney Eade was the decision (presumably dictated by the conditions) to replace young tall Jordan Roughead for the more nimble and agile Josh Hill. The latter's two goals and ten tackles probably turned the game the way of his team. The player he replaced was hardly needed as Bulldog ruckman Ben Hudson lowered Mark Jamar's colours. Melbourne did regroup with its first goal coming at the 13 minute mark of the second term but only after conceding a 22 point lead. From that point to late in the final quarter when they held sway by 9 points it was the young Demon legs in the form of the exquisite Tom Scully (39 possessions in a dazzling best-on-ground performance) and Jack Trengove, the exciting Jack Grimes in defence and an emerging Jordie McKenzie that won the hearts of the crowd. Some older heads were doing quite nicely as well. Cameron Bruce was in everything and James McDonald and Aaron Davey lifted the team with their steadiness and persistence. Nathan Jones was terrier-like in his attack on the ball and Clint Bartram continued his revival after some years in the wilderness. The Melbourne defence led by Matthew Warnock (who demolished Barry Hall), James Frawley (who gave Robert Murphy a bath), Colin Garland and Jared Rivers all stuck to their tasks and threatened to squeeze the life out of the Bulldog attack. Up forward, Matthew Bate and Jamie Bennell threw off the early shackles and were dangerous in front of goals and Daniel Hughes was lively on debut. One lesson the young Demons could have done without learning was the need to discern between their own teammates and the umpires in the heat of the battle. The decision to clothe them in pink tops and dark shorts was atrocious and appears to have contributed to Melbourne's loss in the end when Bartram handballed to an umpire instead of to a teammate in the dying minutes of the game. This was followed soon after by the two Bulldog goals to Brian Lake and Ryan Griffen that got them home by the skin of their teeth. I won't start on the two Melbourne goals overruled by the intervention of the field umpires and on the say so of boundary umpires who were hardly in a better position than the man on the spot. Nor is there a need to comment on the dicey deliberate out of bounds paid against James Frawley late in the game or for that matter the deliberate running through of a point by a Western Bulldog defender - a rule emasculated by the powers that be when a field umpire was dropped for applying it in last week's round. You have to live with the umpiring be it good or atrocious and that's another lesson that Melbourne will need to learn on its long journey forward. Reflecting on the game, perhaps the one benefit of defeat in these circumstances is that the lessons of the loss will be better understood and therefore hold the young legs and their young heads in good stead in the future for this is truly how one best gains experience. Melbourne 0.6.6 3.9.27 7.10.52 9.12.66 Western Bulldogs 3.2.20 5.5.35 8.7.55 10.10.70 Goals Melbourne Bate 3 Bennell Davey Green Hughes Jones Scully Western Bulldogs Hill 2 Akermanis Boyd Everitt Grant Griffen Higgins Lake Stack Best Melbourne Scully Jones Trengove Grimes Davey Warnock Bate Bennell Western Bulldogs Higgins Hudson Morris Akermanis Cross Giansiracusa Injuries Nil Changes Western Bulldogs Josh Hill replaced Jordan Roughead in selected side Reports Nil Umpires Donlon, Findlay, McBurney Crowd 45,444 at MCG DISCUSS HERE: http://demonland.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20772