Demonland

THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN SYDNEY by Yendys (our guest correspondent from the Harbour City) Melbourne fans who live in Sydney only get one chance a year to watch their team play live in their own home town. The fanatics can travel across the county if they have adequate time and funding available but, like many others, I have to accept that I can see them in the flesh once or twice a year. I look forward to it immensely but sadly, Saturday night was a massive disappointment. I had feelings of trepidation as soon as they ran out onto the SCG. I was already conditioned to the fact that, with several of the leading lights of the team out injured, it was going to be a tough struggle but when I looked at the two teams running around before the opening bounce I was concerned. Firstly, the Swans were going into the game with their basic team structure of the past two or three years almost totally intact and secondly, the Demons looked like boys out on an errand of men. Over the past summer I read many times that Melbourne's plan for 2007 was to get the team so super fit that it could endure the rigours of a long, hard season. As a result I learned that the players' skinfolds and weight were right down (with the exception of Byron Pickett who was a bit of a special case) and that this would hold them in good stead when the finals came around. The thing is however, that Melbourne hasn't been entered into the Olympic Games - it's the AFL, a competition of hardened men and a lot of them have strong bodies. If you can't beat them with strength on a ground like the SCG then you're in it deep. This was exactly what Sydney showed Melbourne in the first quarter. Hard, relentless football, winning it with strength out of the middle, pounding it forward to where Barry Hall simply manhandled and out bustled Brad Miller, pushing him out of the way as if he was a mere flea. I couldn't believe this was the same Miller who was feted as a Demon strong man a year or two ago! The Demon faithful in the crowd were right to feel despondent at quarter time. Their few star players were struggling; Travis Johnstone was labouring under a heavy tag, Aaron Davey was trying too hard, the forward line was invisible, the rucks and midfield simply couldn't get a clearance and they weren't doing much around the ground. An alarming statistic was the clearance figures that showed the Swans winning the first eight of the game and by quarter time, the Swans were ahead by 13 to 2. Not surprisingly, by then Sydney had the game won physically, mentally and on the scoreboard - 6.2.38 to 1.2.8. They were throwing Melbourne all over the park and we were sitting there sensing a slaughter was about to engulf us all. Well, from that point on, to its credit Melbourne fought back and though it won't bring comfort to many, it should be pointed out that the Demons had more scoring shots than the Swans over the remainder of the game. The trouble was that they didn't have the forward power to convert regularly enough while, at the same time, some of their defenders were so inept that Sydney, which had the kicking yips last week, weren't pressured and had the time to kick goals when they were needed. Davey led a mini fight back as the deficit was cut back to 17 points during a period in the second quarter in which Matthew Bate kicked a brilliant goal from way out beyond 50 metres. However, the Demons couldn't keep their concentration levels up and lapsed late in the term as they have done a few times this year. Nathan Brown has been a courageous player who has had better games than Saturday night but sadly I will remember this game for the goal he gave away just before half time. After marking in the back pocket, he ignored Davey who was running into half back and instead, Brown passed the ball backwards where it was gleefully accepted just outside the goalsquare by an incredulous Jarrad McVeigh who slipped away for a goal to put the Swans 37 points ahead. They should have turned the lights off there and then as far as I was concerned. Had they done so, debutant Ricky Petterd would still have been seen shining through the night. A slight looking 18-year-old lad with a big future, Petterd was drafted last year at number 30 from the unlikely address of Broadbeach, Queensland. The kid was prepared to have a dip despite lacking the mature strength of his opponent and he capped off his night with a goal when moved forward in the final quarter. One of the team's stronger bodies was Simon Godfrey. He might lack skills and might not make the best 22 if everyone was available but he always puts everything into his game and he kept Adam Goodes quiet. He even frustrated him into losing his concentration and committing a rare on field sin for a dual Brownlow Medallist. Carroll was doing better on Hall but the Demons' defence was always under pressure and always the most likely to make mistakes. The Swans' lead was heading towards 50 points early in the second half but when Kennelly was injured after a Byron Pickett tackle, the Demons clawed their way back. Jared Rivers showed how talented he can be in defence and the team gained some rhythm and purpose. They actually won the third quarter! However, after Mark Jamar missed everything with one of his rare possessions, the deadly accurate Swans got going again to run out convincing winners by 49 points. Melbourne played like a team that had more than half of its leadership group off the park and unfortunatley, the missing part of that group is the very strength of the team. No offence to Cameron Bruce and James McDonald but they aren't the strong leaders the Demons needed to set the example against the tougher bodied, relentless Swans. There was simply nobody in the team with the mongrel of a Barry Hall or the ability to keep going like Brett Kirk. Driving home after the game, I passed a church and, in the dark, I could just make out that it had a sign out front suggesting something about the meek inheriting the earth. That might be so but the meek get you nowhere in the AFL and I hope next time the Demons feature in a game up here, that there's a bit more fight in the collective group than what they showed their supporters on Saturday night. Melbourne 1.2.8 4.4.28 6.9.45 8.12.60 Sydney 6.2.38 10.5.65 12.7.79 17.7.109 Goals Sydney Hall 5 Davis 3 Schneider 2 J Bolton Goodes Jolly Kirk Malceski O'Keefe Schmidt Melbourne Davey 3 Bate Bruce Dunn Miller Petterd Best Sydney Malceski Kirk Hall Davis Schneider Melbourne Davey Rivers Petterd Carroll Godfrey Bruce Injuries Sydney Tadhg Kennelly (knee), Luke Ablett (knee) Melbourne Matthew Bate (ankle) Reports Nil Team Changes Buchanan (Syd) replaced in selected side by Jarred Moore. Umpires Kennedy Rosebury Nicholls Crowd 23,354 at the SCG

by Yendys (our guest correspondent from the Harbour City) Melbourne fans who live in Sydney only get one chance a year to watch their team play live in their own home town. The fanatics can travel across the county if they have adequate time and funding available but, like many others, I have to accept that I can see them in the flesh once or twice a year. I look forward to it immensely but sadly, Saturday night was a massive disappointment. I had feelings of trepidation as soon as they ran out onto the SCG. I was already conditioned to the fact that, with several of the leading lights of the team out injured, it was going to be a tough struggle but when I looked at the two teams running around before the opening bounce I was concerned. Firstly, the Swans were going into the game with their basic team structure of the past two or three years almost totally intact and secondly, the Demons looked like boys out on an errand of men. Over the past summer I read many times that Melbourne's plan for 2007 was to get the team so super fit that it could endure the rigours of a long, hard season. As a result I learned that the players' skinfolds and weight were right down (with the exception of Byron Pickett who was a bit of a special case) and that this would hold them in good stead when the finals came around. The thing is however, that Melbourne hasn't been entered into the Olympic Games - it's the AFL, a competition of hardened men and a lot of them have strong bodies. If you can't beat them with strength on a ground like the SCG then you're in it deep. This was exactly what Sydney showed Melbourne in the first quarter. Hard, relentless football, winning it with strength out of the middle, pounding it forward to where Barry Hall simply manhandled and out bustled Brad Miller, pushing him out of the way as if he was a mere flea. I couldn't believe this was the same Miller who was feted as a Demon strong man a year or two ago! The Demon faithful in the crowd were right to feel despondent at quarter time. Their few star players were struggling; Travis Johnstone was labouring under a heavy tag, Aaron Davey was trying too hard, the forward line was invisible, the rucks and midfield simply couldn't get a clearance and they weren't doing much around the ground. An alarming statistic was the clearance figures that showed the Swans winning the first eight of the game and by quarter time, the Swans were ahead by 13 to 2. Not surprisingly, by then Sydney had the game won physically, mentally and on the scoreboard - 6.2.38 to 1.2.8. They were throwing Melbourne all over the park and we were sitting there sensing a slaughter was about to engulf us all. Well, from that point on, to its credit Melbourne fought back and though it won't bring comfort to many, it should be pointed out that the Demons had more scoring shots than the Swans over the remainder of the game. The trouble was that they didn't have the forward power to convert regularly enough while, at the same time, some of their defenders were so inept that Sydney, which had the kicking yips last week, weren't pressured and had the time to kick goals when they were needed. Davey led a mini fight back as the deficit was cut back to 17 points during a period in the second quarter in which Matthew Bate kicked a brilliant goal from way out beyond 50 metres. However, the Demons couldn't keep their concentration levels up and lapsed late in the term as they have done a few times this year. Nathan Brown has been a courageous player who has had better games than Saturday night but sadly I will remember this game for the goal he gave away just before half time. After marking in the back pocket, he ignored Davey who was running into half back and instead, Brown passed the ball backwards where it was gleefully accepted just outside the goalsquare by an incredulous Jarrad McVeigh who slipped away for a goal to put the Swans 37 points ahead. They should have turned the lights off there and then as far as I was concerned. Had they done so, debutant Ricky Petterd would still have been seen shining through the night. A slight looking 18-year-old lad with a big future, Petterd was drafted last year at number 30 from the unlikely address of Broadbeach, Queensland. The kid was prepared to have a dip despite lacking the mature strength of his opponent and he capped off his night with a goal when moved forward in the final quarter. One of the team's stronger bodies was Simon Godfrey. He might lack skills and might not make the best 22 if everyone was available but he always puts everything into his game and he kept Adam Goodes quiet. He even frustrated him into losing his concentration and committing a rare on field sin for a dual Brownlow Medallist. Carroll was doing better on Hall but the Demons' defence was always under pressure and always the most likely to make mistakes. The Swans' lead was heading towards 50 points early in the second half but when Kennelly was injured after a Byron Pickett tackle, the Demons clawed their way back. Jared Rivers showed how talented he can be in defence and the team gained some rhythm and purpose. They actually won the third quarter! However, after Mark Jamar missed everything with one of his rare possessions, the deadly accurate Swans got going again to run out convincing winners by 49 points. Melbourne played like a team that had more than half of its leadership group off the park and unfortunatley, the missing part of that group is the very strength of the team. No offence to Cameron Bruce and James McDonald but they aren't the strong leaders the Demons needed to set the example against the tougher bodied, relentless Swans. There was simply nobody in the team with the mongrel of a Barry Hall or the ability to keep going like Brett Kirk. Driving home after the game, I passed a church and, in the dark, I could just make out that it had a sign out front suggesting something about the meek inheriting the earth. That might be so but the meek get you nowhere in the AFL and I hope next time the Demons feature in a game up here, that there's a bit more fight in the collective group than what they showed their supporters on Saturday night. Melbourne 1.2.8 4.4.28 6.9.45 8.12.60 Sydney 6.2.38 10.5.65 12.7.79 17.7.109 Goals Sydney Hall 5 Davis 3 Schneider 2 J Bolton Goodes Jolly Kirk Malceski O'Keefe Schmidt Melbourne Davey 3 Bate Bruce Dunn Miller Petterd Best Sydney Malceski Kirk Hall Davis Schneider Melbourne Davey Rivers Petterd Carroll Godfrey Bruce Injuries Sydney Tadhg Kennelly (knee), Luke Ablett (knee) Melbourne Matthew Bate (ankle) Reports Nil Team Changes Buchanan (Syd) replaced in selected side by Jarred Moore. Umpires Kennedy Rosebury Nicholls Crowd 23,354 at the SCG

by Whispering Jack "And after it rains There's a rainbow And all of the colors are black Its not that the colors aren't there Its just imagination they lack" Paul Simon - My Little Town Melbourne and Sydney. Sydney and Melbourne. There is something about the old rivalry between the two of them that stirs the imagination. They are not little towns of course. They are big cities but they are are different in so many ways; in shade and light and in makeup and yet neither of them escapes the other. Their football teams are also very different and although the perception is that the Swans, who play host to the wounded Demons tomorrow night will be far too strong for their opponents, I think otherwise. That's because I still carry my imagination with me; I can close my eyes and know from memory that Melbourne matches up very well against Sydney of all clubs - especially up there where it has had the edge since Paul Roos became coach of the Swans. Melbourne broke the ice up there last year after staggering at the start of 2006. A Cameron Bruce goal with seconds to go secured what some would even call a famous victory. It certainly kick-started Melbourne's season at a time when it had all but been pronounced dead. A year earlier, the Demons put together one of their finest performances of the season when they beat the eventual premiers at the SCG by 34 points with a young Brock McLean starring and Brad Miller largely shutting down Barry Hall. Before that Melbourne triumphed by two goals in their 2004 Anzac Day clash at Telstra Stadium. The Swans may well have played in the last two grand finals but are they all that they're cracked up to be in 2007? I think not! After losing narrowly to West Coast in the opening round of the season (and let's not forget that the Eagles were a bit shaky given the controversy that surrounded them at that stage) they haven't been traveling all that well themselves over the past few weeks. They barely snuck in against lowly Richmond in round 2 and they were not particularly convincing the following week at home against Brisbane. Last week, they were simply dreadful against the Crows and in my estimation are headed for a heavy fall if they think that the Demons will be easy pickings. Granted Melbourne has done very little right this season but there were positive signs last week under the difficult circumstances of the Fremantle game. Adem Yze and Aaron Davey showed some form at last, there were glimpses from Junior McDonald and Miller came good in the second half. Byron Pickett and Colin Sylvia were rusty first up and will be much better with that game under their belts. Lynden Dunn, also in his first game for the season, produced a little bit of magic with his enthusiastic attack on the football. He will be one of the club's big improvers in 2007. This week's line up looks a lot better with the return of the key to Melbourne's backline in Jared Rivers together with two very important midfielders in Travis Johnstone and Brent Moloney. I also like the fact that the selectors have finally turned to youth. Chris Johnston was going along nicely over the pre season and I was disappointed that the selectors dropped him after two ordinary games. He needs to be persevered with and encouraged, not forsaken at the drop of a hat. The two first gamers Colin Garland and Ricky Petterd will receive a fiery baptism in a hostile environment but most Demon fans are saying that it's about time the selectors put some faith in a couple of players of the future. Just to add to the emotion of the night, Garland will be presented with the number 20 guernsey by Troy Broadbridge's widow Trisha in a ceremony before game. I know players these days are 100% professional and don't need an extra spur to get them going but if the sight of that number in the red and blue colours doesn't get them going, then nothing will! Before anyone accuses me of donning the rose coloured glasses let me say that while I accept that I'm in an optimistic frame of mind about the game, I don't believe I'm being overly optimistic. I normally am loath to encourage people to bet but the $5.75 on offer looks far too tempting to me so I'll be off to the local TAB to make an investment first thing in the morning. The fact is that Melbourne likes playing in the coat hanger city and despite all of the injuries and misfortunes it has suffered so far in 2007 I have the imagination to see beyond the early setbacks. It's not all black - there's a rainbow out there if you believe enough in the colours and the men wearing them. THE GAME: Sydney v Melbourne at the SCG - 28 April 2007 at 7.15pm HEAD TO HEAD: Overall: Sydney 105 wins Melbourne 91 wins 1 draw At the SCG: Sydney 12 wins Melbourne 9 wins Since 2000: Sydney 8 wins Melbourne 6 wins The Coaches: Roos 6 Daniher 3 (all in Sydney!) MEDIA TV: Channel 10 at 7 pm (live) RADIO: SEN 774 ABC THE BETTING: Sydney to win $1.11 - Melbourne to win $5.75 LAST TIME THEY MET: Sydney Swans 14.11.95 d Melbourne 10.3.63 round 19, 2006. Melbourne had seven regulars missing and succumbed badly to the Swans in a must win game that ultimately determined the final four aspirations of both sides in Sydney's favour. Adam Goodes played a starring role on his way to a second Brownlow Medal as the Swans had all of the answers. Of course, they had almost a full list of players available as has been the case for the last three years with the Sydneysiders. THE TEAMS: SYDNEY Backs: Ted Richards Leo Barry Nick Malceski Half backs: Tadgh Kennelly Craig Bolton Ben Mathews Centreline: Amon Buchanan Brett Kirk Jarred McVeigh Half forwards: Ryan O'Keefe, Michael O'Loughlin Jude Bolton Forwards: Adam Schneider Barry Hall Luke Ablett Followers: Darren Jolly Adam Goodes, Nic Fosdike Interchange: Jared Crouch, Nick Davis Peter Everitt Tim Schmidt Emergencies: Heath Grundy Matthew Laidlaw Jarred Moore In: Nick Davis Out: Heath Grundy MELBOURNE: Backs: Cameron Bruce Nathan Carroll Paul Johnson Half backs: Nathan Brown Jared Rivers Daniel Bell Centreline: Brent Moloney James McDonald Adem Yze Half forwards: Chris Johnson Brad Miller Aaron Davey Forwards: Lynden Dunn Mark Jamar Aaron Davey Followers: Jeff White Matthew Bate Travis Johnstone Interchange: Colin Garland Simon Godfrey Ricky Petterd Colin Sylvia Emergencies Clint Bizzell Simon Buckley Daniel Ward In: Colin Garland Chris Johnson Travis Johnstone Brent Moloney Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Out: Brad Green (hamstring) Nathan Jones (ankle) Paul Wheatley (shoulder) Matthew Whelan (hamstring) Clint Bizzell Daniel Ward New: Ricky Petterd, 18, Broadbeach (Qld) Colin Garland, 19, North Hobart (Tas) Umpires: Kennedy Rosebury Nicholls WHERE THE GAME WILL BE WON AND LOST: Having stuck my neck out I'll tell you exactly where the game will be won - at the centre bounces where Melbourne was mightily competitive against Fremantle last week even without the ability to rotate players for most of the last two and a half quarters. Darren Jolly and Peter Everitt do not equate to Aaron Sandilands and I expect Jeff White who normally does well at this venue, to beat them quite easily and, with Mark Jamar helping out, to set up plenty of opportunities for Johnstone, Moloney, McDonald and company to surprise the Swans' midfield which has been struggling of late. I'm hoping Brad Miller gets the job on Barry Hall whose knee is supposed to be a bit wonky. For some reason, Miller matches up well on him and I see him having a psychological advantage over Sydney's main man up forward. Another key duel will be Cameron Bruce on Adam Goodes. Bruce relishes these tasks and if he can keep the dual Brownlow Medallist down to a modest game by his standards, my prediction of an upset in the harbour city tomorrow night will come close to fruition. THE TIP Melbourne to sneak in by 3 points. FOOTNOTE: If you think I have a wild imagination after reading the above words then spare a thought for whoever was responsible for issuing this week's email announcing Melbournefc's selection news. Immediately under the box for "players to watch" was the name "Brad Green". Unless the Channel 10 cameras focus on the injured players in the stands that's going to be another worthless exercise for Demon supporters in a year where football and worthless exercises have to date become synonymous!

IMAGINATION by Whispering Jack "And after it rains There's a rainbow And all of the colors are black Its not that the colors aren't there Its just imagination they lack" Paul Simon - My Little Town Melbourne and Sydney. Sydney and Melbourne. There is something about the old rivalry between the two of them that stirs the imagination. They are not little towns of course. They are big cities but they are are different in so many ways; in shade and light and in makeup and yet neither of them escapes the other. Their football teams are also very different and although the perception is that the Swans, who play host to the wounded Demons tomorrow night will be far too strong for their opponents, I think otherwise. That's because I still carry my imagination with me; I can close my eyes and know from memory that Melbourne matches up very well against Sydney of all clubs - especially up there where it has had the edge since Paul Roos became coach of the Swans. Melbourne broke the ice up there last year after staggering at the start of 2006. A Cameron Bruce goal with seconds to go secured what some would even call a famous victory. It certainly kick-started Melbourne's season at a time when it had all but been pronounced dead. A year earlier, the Demons put together one of their finest performances of the season when they beat the eventual premiers at the SCG by 34 points with a young Brock McLean starring and Brad Miller largely shutting down Barry Hall. Before that Melbourne triumphed by two goals in their 2004 Anzac Day clash at Telstra Stadium. The Swans may well have played in the last two grand finals but are they all that they're cracked up to be in 2007? I think not! After losing narrowly to West Coast in the opening round of the season (and let's not forget that the Eagles were a bit shaky given the controversy that surrounded them at that stage) they haven't been traveling all that well themselves over the past few weeks. They barely snuck in against lowly Richmond in round 2 and they were not particularly convincing the following week at home against Brisbane. Last week, they were simply dreadful against the Crows and in my estimation are headed for a heavy fall if they think that the Demons will be easy pickings. Granted Melbourne has done very little right this season but there were positive signs last week under the difficult circumstances of the Fremantle game. Adem Yze and Aaron Davey showed some form at last, there were glimpses from Junior McDonald and Miller came good in the second half. Byron Pickett and Colin Sylvia were rusty first up and will be much better with that game under their belts. Lynden Dunn, also in his first game for the season, produced a little bit of magic with his enthusiastic attack on the football. He will be one of the club's big improvers in 2007. This week's line up looks a lot better with the return of the key to Melbourne's backline in Jared Rivers together with two very important midfielders in Travis Johnstone and Brent Moloney. I also like the fact that the selectors have finally turned to youth. Chris Johnston was going along nicely over the pre season and I was disappointed that the selectors dropped him after two ordinary games. He needs to be persevered with and encouraged, not forsaken at the drop of a hat. The two first gamers Colin Garland and Ricky Petterd will receive a fiery baptism in a hostile environment but most Demon fans are saying that it's about time the selectors put some faith in a couple of players of the future. Just to add to the emotion of the night, Garland will be presented with the number 20 guernsey by Troy Broadbridge's widow Trisha in a ceremony before game. I know players these days are 100% professional and don't need an extra spur to get them going but if the sight of that number in the red and blue colours doesn't get them going, then nothing will! Before anyone accuses me of donning the rose coloured glasses let me say that while I accept that I'm in an optimistic frame of mind about the game, I don't believe I'm being overly optimistic. I normally am loath to encourage people to bet but the $5.75 on offer looks far too tempting to me so I'll be off to the local TAB to make an investment first thing in the morning. The fact is that Melbourne likes playing in the coat hanger city and despite all of the injuries and misfortunes it has suffered so far in 2007 I have the imagination to see beyond the early setbacks. It's not all black - there's a rainbow out there if you believe enough in the colours and the men wearing them. THE GAME: Sydney v Melbourne at the SCG - 28 April 2007 at 7.15pm HEAD TO HEAD: Overall: Sydney 105 wins Melbourne 91 wins 1 draw At the SCG: Sydney 12 wins Melbourne 9 wins Since 2000: Sydney 8 wins Melbourne 6 wins The Coaches: Roos 6 Daniher 3 (all in Sydney!) MEDIA TV: Channel 10 at 7 pm (live) RADIO: SEN 774 ABC THE BETTING: Sydney to win $1.11 - Melbourne to win $5.75 LAST TIME THEY MET: Sydney Swans 14.11.95 d Melbourne 10.3.63 round 19, 2006. Melbourne had seven regulars missing and succumbed badly to the Swans in a must win game that ultimately determined the final four aspirations of both sides in Sydney's favour. Adam Goodes played a starring role on his way to a second Brownlow Medal as the Swans had all of the answers. Of course, they had almost a full list of players available as has been the case for the last three years with the Sydneysiders. THE TEAMS: SYDNEY Backs: Ted Richards Leo Barry Nick Malceski Half backs: Tadgh Kennelly Craig Bolton Ben Mathews Centreline: Amon Buchanan Brett Kirk Jarred McVeigh Half forwards: Ryan O'Keefe, Michael O'Loughlin Jude Bolton Forwards: Adam Schneider Barry Hall Luke Ablett Followers: Darren Jolly Adam Goodes, Nic Fosdike Interchange: Jared Crouch, Nick Davis Peter Everitt Tim Schmidt Emergencies: Heath Grundy Matthew Laidlaw Jarred Moore In: Nick Davis Out: Heath Grundy MELBOURNE: Backs: Cameron Bruce Nathan Carroll Paul Johnson Half backs: Nathan Brown Jared Rivers Daniel Bell Centreline: Brent Moloney James McDonald Adem Yze Half forwards: Chris Johnson Brad Miller Aaron Davey Forwards: Lynden Dunn Mark Jamar Aaron Davey Followers: Jeff White Matthew Bate Travis Johnstone Interchange: Colin Garland Simon Godfrey Ricky Petterd Colin Sylvia Emergencies Clint Bizzell Simon Buckley Daniel Ward In: Colin Garland Chris Johnson Travis Johnstone Brent Moloney Ricky Petterd Jared Rivers Out: Brad Green (hamstring) Nathan Jones (ankle) Paul Wheatley (shoulder) Matthew Whelan (hamstring) Clint Bizzell Daniel Ward New: Ricky Petterd, 18, Broadbeach (Qld) Colin Garland, 19, North Hobart (Tas) Umpires: Kennedy Rosebury Nicholls WHERE THE GAME WILL BE WON AND LOST: Having stuck my neck out I'll tell you exactly where the game will be won - at the centre bounces where Melbourne was mightily competitive against Fremantle last week even without the ability to rotate players for most of the last two and a half quarters. Darren Jolly and Peter Everitt do not equate to Aaron Sandilands and I expect Jeff White who normally does well at this venue, to beat them quite easily and, with Mark Jamar helping out, to set up plenty of opportunities for Johnstone, Moloney, McDonald and company to surprise the Swans' midfield which has been struggling of late. I'm hoping Brad Miller gets the job on Barry Hall whose knee is supposed to be a bit wonky. For some reason, Miller matches up well on him and I see him having a psychological advantage over Sydney's main man up forward. Another key duel will be Cameron Bruce on Adam Goodes. Bruce relishes these tasks and if he can keep the dual Brownlow Medallist down to a modest game by his standards, my prediction of an upset in the harbour city tomorrow night will come close to fruition. THE TIP Melbourne to sneak in by 3 points. FOOTNOTE: If you think I have a wild imagination after reading the above words then spare a thought for whoever was responsible for issuing this week's email announcing Melbournefc's selection news. Immediately under the box for "players to watch" was the name "Brad Green". Unless the Channel 10 cameras focus on the injured players in the stands that's going to be another worthless exercise for Demon supporters in a year where football and worthless exercises have to date become synonymous!

Thanks and cheers to Deeman and Chocko. We need one more who's going to be in Sydney to volunteer!

In keeping with Melbourne's run of luck with injuries so fat this year, our leading votegetter Brent Moloney pulled out of the Round 4 clash with a groin injury. However, he still managed to retain his lead in a round which saw Adem Yze, Aaron Davey and Lynden Dunn pick up their first votes for the season. Progress voting:- 29. Brent Moloney 27. Cameron Bruce 21. Brad Green 20. Brad Miller 19. Daniel Bell 18. Adem Yze 18. Nathan Jones 15. Nathan Brown James McDonald 13. Ben Holland 12. David Neitz 11. Russell Robertson 10. Simon Godfrey 7. Jeff White 6. Aaron Davey 3. Daniel Ward, 2. Nathan Carroll Jared Rivers Travis Johnstone 1. Lynden Dunn Paul Johnson I'm looking for three volunteers who have not voted before to give the votes for the Sydney game. Preference to be given to those who will actually be at the game so let us know if you want the gig this week.

by J.V. McKay Melbourne was virtually doomed from the start in its campaign to overcome Fremantle on Sunday. Although both sides were winless coming into the game, the dice were loaded and rolling Fremantle's way. Earlier in the week the Dockers were looking at going into the game without their key midfield menace in Josh Carr and the erratic and slightly whacky but skillful Des Headland through suspension. History tells us that the AFL's judicial genii let them both off and they were available to play. Headland turned in a best on ground, I can do nothing wrong on the field performance (19 possessions in the first half alone and three goals for the game), while Carr put in a handy display. Compare and contrast that with Melbourne. The club was already undergoing an injury crisis of epidemic proportions missing key forwards David Neitz and Russell Robertson, star midfielder Travis Johnston, up and coming defender Clint Bartram and promising recruit James Frawley whose pre season indicated he might be thereabouts at the start of the season, things weren't looking too flash. Then, from the team selected on Thursday night, three fairly important players in what was left of the team's structure - Jared Rivers, Travis Johnston and Brent Moloney were all withdrawn from the game through injury. The resultant team was left with four players returning to the AFL for the first time this season and all of them had come in with limited preparation. I'm referring to Clint Bizzell, Lynden Dunn, Byron Pickett and Colin Sylvia (and in the normal course, we would not have been expecting more than three quarters from each of them). As if that wasn't enough, Melbourne suffered badly again from the scourge of losing players through injury during the course of a game. By halfway through the second quarter it was obvious that Matthew Whelan, Daniel Bell, Nathan Jones and Paul Wheatley were inconvenienced in some shape or form through injury, their collective impact after that was minimal. At some stage during the game Nathan Brown also suffered a corkie and one or two others appeared to be struggling. This again put more pressure on the rest of the team (including the underdone Pickett and Sylvia) because the proper rotation of players was rendered well nigh impossible. Did Neale Daniher walk under a ladder on Friday the Thirteenth while looking for a black cat? Taking all of these considerations into account, Melbourne's 45 point loss to Fremantle should not be looked upon as a complete disaster. That the Demons were just 22 points down deep in the third term was a fair effort but it just couldn't sustain a comeback against a team that really won the returning to the AFL for the first time game by playing in surges – achieving quick three or four goal bursts when their freshness and some obvious match up advantages brought about by Melbourne's player distress gave them an advantage in the ability to move and in their confidence. All this is not to say that the Melbourne team that lost the game was a pretty sight. There was a fair amount of fumbling and mistakes made under pressure, the movement of the ball out of defense was diabolical and in particular the team was exposed from the point kick ins whereby the Dockers moved the ball from defence into attack with consummate ease while the Demons often bumbled their way out around the backline often making fundamental schoolboy errors. Some rays of light were the return to a semblance of form by Adem Yze and Aaron Davey who started winning possessions, the excellent first up performance of a very much improved Lynden Dunn. The other thing is that this injury plague cannot go on forever. Sooner or later, the Demons will come across a team that also loses its most valuable players through injury; the law of averages dictates that this will happen during a game at some stage of the season. Perhaps when there's a return to a level playing field we'll finally mange to see them play to their true ability. After all, look at how the Aussie cricketers were travelling recently whilst in New Zealand for Chappell/Hadlee series with a few key players injured and/or unavailable. Slaughtered in every game, they have now recovered to a point where they are on the verge of playing off and winning Cricket's World Cup. Recovery is possible as soon as the dice start rolling your way. Melbourne 3.5.23 4.9.33 9.11.65 13.14.92 Fremantle 5.2.32 10.5.65 17.8.110 21.11.137 Goals Melbourne: Dunn 3 Miller 3 Davey 2 Bate Jamar McDonald Pickett Yze Fremantle: Pavlich 6 Headland Webster 3 Sandilands Tarrant 2 Campbell J Carr Crowley Gilmore McManus Best: Melbourne: Yze McDonald Davey Dunn Green Fremantle: Pavlich Headland Hasleby McManus Sandilands Bell Hayden Parker Webster Team changes: Melbourne: Rivers (hamstring) replaced by Bizzell. Moloney (groin) replaced by Bate. Johnstone (hamstring) replaced by Sylvia. Fremantle: Cook replaced by Campbell Injuries: Melbourne: Bell (concussion) Brown (calf) Jones (ankle) Whelan (hamstring) Wheatley (shoulder) Fremantle: Nil Reports: Nil Umpires: Ellis Farmer Avon Crowd: 16,654 at the MCG

Don't forget, you need to get your tips for this week in by 2.35pm today!!!

DOCKERS WIN WITH DICE LOADED by J.V. McKay Melbourne was virtually doomed from the start in its campaign to overcome Fremantle on Sunday. Although both sides were winless coming into the game, the dice were loaded and rolling Fremantle's way. Earlier in the week the Dockers were looking at going into the game without their key midfield menace in Josh Carr and the erratic and slightly whacky but skillful Des Headland through suspension. History tells us that the AFL's judicial genii let them both off and they were available to play. Headland turned in a best on ground, I can do nothing wrong on the field performance (19 possessions in the first half alone and three goals for the game), while Carr put in a handy display. Compare and contrast that with Melbourne. The club was already undergoing an injury crisis of epidemic proportions missing key forwards David Neitz and Russell Robertson, star midfielder Travis Johnston, up and coming defender Clint Bartram and promising recruit James Frawley whose pre season indicated he might be thereabouts at the start of the season, things weren't looking too flash. Then, from the team selected on Thursday night, three fairly important players in what was left of the team's structure - Jared Rivers, Travis Johnston and Brent Moloney were all withdrawn from the game through injury. The resultant team was left with four players returning to the AFL for the first time this season and all of them had come in with limited preparation. I'm referring to Clint Bizzell, Lynden Dunn, Byron Pickett and Colin Sylvia (and in the normal course, we would not have been expecting more than three quarters from each of them). As if that wasn't enough, Melbourne suffered badly again from the scourge of losing players through injury during the course of a game. By halfway through the second quarter it was obvious that Matthew Whelan, Daniel Bell, Nathan Jones and Paul Wheatley were inconvenienced in some shape or form through injury, their collective impact after that was minimal. At some stage during the game Nathan Brown also suffered a corkie and one or two others appeared to be struggling. This again put more pressure on the rest of the team (including the underdone Pickett and Sylvia) because the proper rotation of players was rendered well nigh impossible. Did Neale Daniher walk under a ladder on Friday the Thirteenth while looking for a black cat? Taking all of these considerations into account, Melbourne's 45 point loss to Fremantle should not be looked upon as a complete disaster. That the Demons were just 22 points down deep in the third term was a fair effort but it just couldn't sustain a comeback against a team that really won the returning to the AFL for the first time game by playing in surges – achieving quick three or four goal bursts when their freshness and some obvious match up advantages brought about by Melbourne's player distress gave them an advantage in the ability to move and in their confidence. All this is not to say that the Melbourne team that lost the game was a pretty sight. There was a fair amount of fumbling and mistakes made under pressure, the movement of the ball out of defense was diabolical and in particular the team was exposed from the point kick ins whereby the Dockers moved the ball from defence into attack with consummate ease while the Demons often bumbled their way out around the backline often making fundamental schoolboy errors. Some rays of light were the return to a semblance of form by Adem Yze and Aaron Davey who started winning possessions, the excellent first up performance of a very much improved Lynden Dunn. The other thing is that this injury plague cannot go on forever. Sooner or later, the Demons will come across a team that also loses its most valuable players through injury; the law of averages dictates that this will happen during a game at some stage of the season. Perhaps when there's a return to a level playing field we'll finally mange to see them play to their true ability. After all, look at how the Aussie cricketers were travelling recently whilst in New Zealand for Chappell/Hadlee series with a few key players injured and/or unavailable. Slaughtered in every game, they have now recovered to a point where they are on the verge of playing off and winning Cricket's World Cup. Recovery is possible as soon as the dice start rolling your way. Melbourne 3.5.23 4.9.33 9.11.65 13.14.92 Fremantle 5.2.32 10.5.65 17.8.110 21.11.137 Goals Melbourne: Dunn Miller 3 Davey 2 Bate Jamar McDonald Yze Fremantle: Pavlich 6 Headland Webster 3 Sandilands Tarrant 2 Campbell J Carr Crowley Gilmore McManus Best: Melbourne: Yze McDonald Davey Dunn Green Fremantle: Pavlich Headland Hasleby McManus Sandilands Bell Hayden Parker Webster Team changes: Melbourne: Rivers (hamstring) replaced by Bizzell. Moloney (groin) replaced by Bate. Johnstone (hamstring) replaced by Sylvia. Fremantle: Cook replaced by Campbell Injuries: Melbourne: Bell (concussion) Brown (calf) Jones (ankle) Whelan (hamstring) Wheatley (shoulder) Fremantle: Nil Reports: Nil Umpires: Ellis Farmer Avon Crowd: 16,654 at the MCG

What's that they say about cream rising to the top ! 1. (1) 20 Demonland 2. (1) 19 bl3281 2. (5) 19 great_gatsby 2. (5) 19 Whispering_Jack 5. (5) 18 canberrademon(herb) 5. (5) 18 Clyde_Cabbie 5. (1) 18 deanox 5. (12) 18 demon_fanatic 5. (16) 18 KrazyJay 5. (5) 18 TimDees 11. (16) 17 achirnside 11. (16) 17 Dappadan 11. (5) 17 Dees_Fan16 11. (5) 17 DeMoNiC 11. (16) 17 Go_Ds 11. (12) 17 Kieranbj 11. (16) 17 paliosiana 11. (12) 17 petejh2000 11. (12) 17 Pinball_Wizard 11. (25) 17 Scoop Junior 11. (16) 17 slamevil 11. (25) 17 snarler_0 23. (25) 16 dee'viator 23. (16) 16 demon_davey 23. (16) 16 Fingers Power 23. (1) 16 Jackieboy_0 27. (16) 15 BigKev Demon 28. (31) 14 Alpha_33 28. (25) 14 deesthisyear 28. (30) 14 frangas 28. (31) 14 Goodvibes 28. (25) 14 Rivers Run Red 33. (33) 11 melon22 33. (36) 11 rusty_corner 35. (35) 10 No Cigar 36. (33) 9 jaded24 37. (38) 6 CarnTheDees 37. (37) 6 rusty_kingswood

ZEBRAS DIG DEEP by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham was forced to dig deep into its reserves of strength and courage to come back from behind late in the final quarter and record a stunning 7 point victory over the Bendigo Bombers at Windy Hill on Sunday. With the Sandy team further weakened by the Melbourne injury crisis and with skipper Chad Liddell concussed and on the bench, Bendigo looked as if it was going to power home to victory after grabbing the lead late in the final quarter. However, the Zebras struck back with goals from Danny Hughes and Nick Sautner to see them home after a classic final quarter struggle. The game opened in lacklustre fashion but the Bendigo Bombers were inspired by the return of Adam Ramanauskas after two years battling cancer and a knee injury. They fought tooth and nail to keep up with the reigning premiers and managed to keep things even in the first quarter before the visitors took control. When Liddell went down to a heavy hit in the second quarter, it was up to some of the real stalwarts of the club to stand up and be counted. David Gallagher was in exceptional form with his strong tackling and hard chasing, providing a good link up while Shane Valenti's great start to the season continued with an exceptional display in midfield. Stefan Martin, in only his second game for the club was rucking well, while Ricky Petterd was in fine form and showed again why he is knocking on the door to AFL selection. At half time, the Zebras had pushed to a handy three goal lead. The third quarter saw a dour struggle between the teams with Bendigo coming back hard and reducing the gap to 15 points at the final break. They could have been much closer but for some poor kicking for goal. Zebra coach Mark Williams sensed trouble at the final break and warned his charges of Bendigo's ability to surge and score quickly. He was right because the Bombers managed to kick the first five goals of the quarter and were threatening to overrun his team. The game became a hard, tough slog at the end with both teams struggling to get past their half forward lines until Hughes managed to convert from a strong mark and lead to even things up again. The huge crowd at Windy Hill was frustrated with some of the umpiring (which affected both sides), but it was the experience of Zebras like Ryan Ferguson and Andy Biddlecome who were solid in defence all day, Rod Crowe, Ezra Poyas and the effervescent Gallagher that managed to hold Bendigo out. The final goal came from a free kick awarded about 20 metres out directly in front to Nick Sautner after a huge pack had developed. The resultant goal, the spearhead's fourth for the day, and assured the Zebras of victory. Williams was rapt with the win and said he was particularly impressed with the way his team reacted after Bendigo surged to the lead. They didn't just lie down but kept on coming was impressive in the circumstances of the game. "It was a really good win. We went in with only seven or eight Melbourne blokes," Williams said. "We had kids in. Gallagher was fantastic, his tackling and his winning of the ball in contested situations was outstanding. "Valenti was very good around the ball." Sandringham remains the ladder leader and is the only undefeated team after just three rounds. The team comprised of 13 VFL listed players this week, a fact which underlines the club's depth. That depth is certain to be tested again with Sunday's home clash against the Casey Scorpions as more players are expected to be elevated to the AFL at the weekend. Sandringham 3.3.21 9.4.58 12.6.78 15.12.102 Bendigo Bombers 3.3.21 6.4.40 9.9.63 14.11.95 Goals: Sandringham: Sautner 4 Hughes Martin Summers 2 Johnson Liddell Newton Petterd Poyas Bendigo Bombers: Gumbleton Lonergan 4 Hocking 2 Carter Camporeale Jolley Skipworth Best: Sandringham: Gallagher Valenti Petterd Ferguson Biddlecombe Johnson Bendigo Bombers: Johnson Skipworth Camporeale Lonergan Flaherty Gumbleton TOUGH DAY FOR RESERVES Sandringham reserves missed a golden opportunity to win away from home when they were overrun in the final quarter after holding a 22 point lead at three quarter time. The team had their chances to be a lot further in front at that stage but in the end, it must be said that they lost the game themselves. The young team will need to add better consistency and discipline to its makeup. Daniel Gribbin was in excellent form again as were Tom Paterakis and Rennie Gilchrist. The team will have to regroup for next week's game against. the Casey Scorpions if it is to keep its season track. Sandringham 3.0.18 8.4.52 12.8.80 13.10.88 Bendigo Bombers 5.5.35 7.11.53 9.14.58 14.24.108 Goals: Sandringham: Curcio Gileno Monaghan Tregear Zarra 2 Bode Dunne McKenzie Bendigo Bombers: Maddern Weeks 4 Geary 2 Anderson Atkinson Crameri Leech Best: Sandringham: Gribbin Gilchrist Paterakis McKenzie Ott Zarra Bendigo Bombers: Gladman Atkinson Anderson Weeks Marchesani Dillon

by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham was forced to dig deep into its reserves of strength and courage to come back from behind late in the final quarter and record a stunning 7 point victory over the Bendigo Bombers at Windy Hill on Sunday. With the Sandy team further weakened by the Melbourne injury crisis and with skipper Chad Liddell concussed and on the bench, Bendigo looked as if it was going to power home to victory after grabbing the lead late in the final quarter. However, the Zebras struck back with goals from Danny Hughes and Nick Sautner to see them home after a classic final quarter struggle. The game opened in lacklustre fashion but the Bendigo Bombers were inspired by the return of Adam Ramanauskas after two years battling cancer and a knee injury. They fought tooth and nail to keep up with the reigning premiers and managed to keep things even in the first quarter before the visitors took control. When Liddell went down to a heavy hit in the second quarter, it was up to some of the real stalwarts of the club to stand up and be counted. David Gallagher was in exceptional form with his strong tackling and hard chasing, providing a good link up while Shane Valenti's great start to the season continued with an exceptional display in midfield. Stefan Martin, in only his second game for the club was rucking well, while Ricky Petterd was in fine form and showed again why he is knocking on the door to AFL selection. At half time, the Zebras had pushed to a handy three goal lead. The third quarter saw a dour struggle between the teams with Bendigo coming back hard and reducing the gap to 15 points at the final break. They could have been much closer but for some poor kicking for goal. Zebra coach Mark Williams sensed trouble at the final break and warned his charges of Bendigo's ability to surge and score quickly. He was right because the Bombers managed to kick the first five goals of the quarter and were threatening to overrun his team. The game became a hard, tough slog at the end with both teams struggling to get past their half forward lines until Hughes managed to convert from a strong mark and lead to even things up again. The huge crowd at Windy Hill was frustrated with some of the umpiring (which affected both sides), but it was the experience of Zebras like Ryan Ferguson and Andy Biddlecome who were solid in defence all day, Rod Crowe, Ezra Poyas and the effervescent Gallagher that managed to hold Bendigo out. The final goal came from a free kick awarded about 20 metres out directly in front to Nick Sautner after a huge pack had developed. The resultant goal, the spearhead's fourth for the day, and assured the Zebras of victory. Williams was rapt with the win and said he was particularly impressed with the way his team reacted after Bendigo surged to the lead. They didn't just lie down but kept on coming was impressive in the circumstances of the game. "It was a really good win. We went in with only seven or eight Melbourne blokes," Williams said. "We had kids in. Gallagher was fantastic, his tackling and his winning of the ball in contested situations was outstanding. "Valenti was very good around the ball." Sandringham remains the ladder leader and is the only undefeated team after just three rounds. The team comprised of 13 VFL listed players this week, a fact which underlines the club's depth. That depth is certain to be tested again with Sunday's home clash against the Casey Scorpions as more players are expected to be elevated to the AFL at the weekend. Sandringham 3.3.21 9.4.58 12.6.78 15.12.102 Bendigo Bombers 3.3.21 6.4.40 9.9.63 14.11.95 Goals: Sandringham: Sautner 4 Hughes Martin Summers 2 Johnson Liddell Newton Petterd Poyas Bendigo Bombers: Gumbleton Lonergan 4 Hocking 2 Carter Camporeale Jolley Skipworth Best: Sandringham: Gallagher Valenti Petterd Ferguson Biddlecombe Johnson Bendigo Bombers: Johnson Skipworth Camporeale Lonergan Flaherty Gumbleton TOUGH DAY FOR RESERVES Sandringham reserves missed a golden opportunity to win away from home when they were overrun in the final quarter after holding a 22 point lead at three quarter time. The team had their chances to be a lot further in front at that stage but in the end, it must be said that they lost the game themselves. The young team will need to add better consistency and discipline to its makeup. Daniel Gribbin was in excellent form again as were Tom Paterakis and Rennie Gilchrist. The team will have to regroup for next week's game against. the Casey Scorpions if it is to keep its season track. Sandringham 3.0.18 8.4.52 12.8.80 13.10.88 Bendigo Bombers 5.5.35 7.11.53 9.14.58 14.24.108 Goals: Sandringham: Curcio Gileno Monaghan Tregear Zarra 2 Bode Dunne McKenzie Bendigo Bombers: Maddern Weeks 4 Geary 2 Anderson Atkinson Crameri Leech Best: Sandringham: Gribbin Gilchrist Paterakis McKenzie Ott Zarra Bendigo Bombers: Gladman Atkinson Anderson Weeks Marchesani Dillon

THE DARKEST HOUR has now also been posted in our News and Articles Section for easy referernce in the future.

by Grazman "They say the darkest hour is right before the dawn And in the hour of greatest slaughter the great avenger is being born But who then could have seen the shape of things to come" - Paul Kelly (lyrics from "Bradman") I'm driven to write this in pursuit of balance. I know some people have sought to put our situation in perspective and I also know people will be outraged that there could be any justifiable defence for the performances of the club to date. I'm not making excuses and I'm not telling people they shouldn't express their opinions. I'm just asking for people to think before posting and not vent and rant. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been happy with the way things have gone and thought we would have started the year a lot better than we have. I also suspect that not only are the performances not in keeping with the expectations of the majority of the supporters, but of the football department and players themselves. Depending on which poster you read, everyone on the list (with the exception of McLean and Rivers) should either be traded or delisted, the coaches can't coach, the football department has been negligent in its trading and drafting and the entire culture and ethos of the club tolerates mediocrity and second-rate performances. Such comments are both ridiculous and frivolous. They are made by people whose expectations of achieving a premiership this year have plunged them into a cycle of despair, a despair that "turns imagination into fact" (Paul Kelly again) The club's last ten years have been its most successful since its last premiership. We all crave the achievement of the Holy Grail. I'm not quite sure why people believe that the list is so bad. Last week we didn't have our best forward, midfielder or backman. (Neitz, McLean and Rivers) Throw in another three starting 1st XVIII in Bartram, Robertson and Pickett as well as three of our most promising juniors in Sylvia, Dunn and Frawley and that's a third of the side missing. We are like a heavyweight boxer with one arm tied behind his back at the moment. People are happy to overlook that players like Bell and Jones are developing into outstanding talents, because some can't see past the forest for the trees. The list is in good shape in my opinion, and probably that of many others too, but there are those who are willing to believe the worst, because they lack the essence of moderation. It is all or nothing. Players are either stars or duds. There are even some who openly decry the current state of affairs; that the club is doomed and we will never succeed. Not surprisingly a lot of these people also appear to have all the answers to turn things around. They point to a continued lack of leadership, yet ignore both Bruce and Miller have been working their collective arses off to try and lift their teammates. They say the players are soft and timid, yet ignore that it hasn't been a lack of effort as much as lack of skill and poor awareness that has led to our defeats. They say the players and coaches don't care and are clueless - well such comments are all well and good coming from the anonymity of computer terminal. The game passes by very quickly its not only inconceivable, but the complete antithesis of those driven to succeed that this could be true. I dare say the naysayers rarely take the time to make constructive comment or find ways to assist the club; after all it is easier to blow up a bridge than build one. Occasionally playing footy you are good enough to challenge for a premiership, most of the time you may not be. I think the list is a lot closer to a premiership now than at any other stage since I first started following football in 1981. As supporters we yearn - like players and coaches - for premiership success. For some of us it validates the time and effort we invest in watching and supporting the club, for others it is the very essence of the sport itself - no one wants to follow a loser. If however, the only way we measure success is by adding up the tally of premierships, then I think we will have missed something intrinsically beautiful and magnificent about this game and this club. It is the competing that is the most important element. There is a team that symbolises everything I believe that is good and honest in sport, a team with the likes of Flower and Barassi, Norm Smith and the Cordners.... I am proud of a club whose football department and coach were big enough to put the club before their own self interests, I am proud too that we aren't like the Eagles... as Caro made the point "They may be the best team in the competition but are winning few friends in the process. Not that they seem to care. " I will cheer as loudly as anyone when we win that premiership - and we will, because it won't be a matter of luck, it will be a matter of hard work and determination. For all those bagging the club and its players have a good look around you and ask yourself ten years on is our club in better shape to not only survive on the field, but off the field as well? I think the answer is yes. Injuries are cruel and they threaten to destroy our entire year, that's not an excuse it is reality. Adversity can be a spur that drives you on or drives you under. Don't give into your fears and frustrations. The following quote from Winston Churchill is worth reflecting on, not for the coach or the players, but for us as supporters. "Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. "

by The Oracle Who would have thought when the Demons and the Dockers met in the AFL second semi final at Subiaco last early spring that both clubs would be struggling at 0-3 when they were next due to meet each other on the football field? Who would have thought that Fremantle would come in to their Round 4 with so many distractions and a week of controversy over the sledging of a player behind them? Who would have thought the AFL Tribunal would have gone blind and insane at the same time and turned justice AFL style into such a mockery? No one. Not even me and I'm the only person on this side of the Nullarbor Plain who possesses one slightly damaged and one barely operative crystal ball, at least a dozen packs of tarot cards and a mint condition volume of Nostradamus! Nor could I believe it when I read that the Demons were relying on Fremantle's week of tension packed high drama and media scrutiny to get them up against those nice guys from the West. That is exactly what Demon coach Neale Daniher is apparently hanging his hat on according to all reports I'm reading. Speaking to melbournefc.com.au, the coach admitted "he hopes Fremantle have been distracted by the Des Headland sledging saga coming into their AFL clash at the MCG on Sunday." After all, in contrast to the Dockers' torrid week over the Headland-Adam Selwood controversy and its tribunal sequel, Melbourne has had no distractions whatever, has it? "What's happened at the tribunal hasn't been the focus of what we're about this week. "It's about trying to get our game up." Right, but Neale must have been ignoring the constant sledging that his own club has been getting over the past few weeks from the football world and in particular from fans of his own team. Certainly, the Demons are ravaged by injury but their selection table tactics and on ground strategies have puzzled all and sundry – as has the loss of form of what remains of its core of better players and team leaders. The Demons have their backs to the wall this week and they do have Byron Pickett back after a stint with the weight watchers. But, if you pull down the façade of the media spin and the talk back hoo ha, the fact remains that the week's events overall have had one very positive effect on the Dockers’ campaign to win their first game of the season. They delivered two valuable players back from possible suspension and that's what mattered most to them in the first place as far as I'm concerned. Tough man Josh Carr is available to punch the lights out of some more opponents if that's what he wants to do and Headland is free to display that tattoo of his gorgeous six-year-old daughter to all and sundry as he runs around the great oval tomorrow. In terms of what happens out there on the football field, the distractions have therefore all been worthwhile. On the other hand Melbourne remains bereft of its heart and soul and I doubt whether the goody two shoes at the club, would try to get under the opponents' skins to get an edge on them anyway. They're just too busy trying to "get their games up", whatever that means. THE GAME: Melbourne v. Fremantle at the MCG - 22 April 2007 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD: Overall: Melbourne 10 wins Fremantle 10 wins At the G: Melbourne 4 wins Fremantle 3 wins Since 2000: Melbourne 5 wins Fremantle 6 wins The Coaches: Daniher 2 wins Connolly 6 wins MEDIA: TV Channel 7 (delayed telecast commencing at 3.00pm) RADIO: 3AW MMM THE BETTING: Melbourne to win $2.70 Fremantle to win $1.43 LAST TIME THEY MET: Fremantle 14.18.102 defeated Melbourne 11.8.74 at Subiaco Second Semi Final, 2006. Melbourne started well enough on a balmy night in Perth but wilted under the pressure and the humidity to a dominant Docker combination led by giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands and a winning midfield headed by Peter Bell and Josh Carr. Heath Black was the icing on the cake for Freo while for the Demons, Brad Miller returned to form after an awful season but was virtually a lone hand in a tired forward line. THE TEAMS: MELBOURNE: Backs: Clint Bizzell Nathan Carroll Matthew Whelan Half backs: Daniel Ward Paul Wheatley Daniel Bell Centreline: Brent Moloney James McDonald Brad Green Half forwards: Cameron Bruce Brad Miller Byron Pickett Forwards: Simon Godfrey Mark Jamar Aaron Davey Followers: Jeff White Nathan Jones Travis Johnstone Interchange: Nathan Brown Lynden Dunn Paul Johnson Adem Yze Emergencies: Matthew Bate Ricky Petterd Colin Syvlia In: Clint Bizzell Lynden Dunn Byron Pickett Out: Matthew Bate Ben Holland Ryan Ferguson FREMANTLE Backs: Shane Parker Luke McPharlin Roger Hayden Halfbacks: David Mundy Antoni Grover Steven Dodd Centreline: Shaun McManus Paul Hasleby Heath Black Half forwards: Des Headland Matthew Pavlich Ryan Crowley Forwards: Dean Solomon Chris Tarrant Peter Bell Followers: Aaron Sandilands Matthew Carr Josh Carr Interchange: Troy Cook Daniel Gilmore James Walker Luke Webster Emergencies: Adam Campbell Paul Duffield Robert Warnock In Heath Black Luke Webster Out: Justin Longmuir (knee) Andrew Browne (hamstring) THE GAME I swear that it was only a month ago that I read at least one pre season "expert prediction" that Melbourne and Fremantle would be playing off for this year's AFL premiership. How has it happened that two teams, so highly fancied and well feted, could find themselves at a point where they are staring down the barrel of a 0-4 start to the season – almost the point of no return for the loser? The Dockers have at least had their opportunities. They were in with a chance to win each of the two opening games and faltered at the end and then they gave the reigning premiers a run for their money before the squeeze was put on in the final quarter and a bit last week. Besides, they had a few players running around Subiaco with other things on their mind. We know the score with Melbourne; the injuries to key players David Neitz, Russell Robertson, Brock McLean and Jared Rivers haven't helped but it's been the appalling form of the players who took the field against St. Kilda, Hawthorn and Geelong that has Demon fans in despair and left with the weekly ritual of hoping that the selectors could pluck something out a hat to find the right mix. The key for the Demons is that they need the players who have been down and who are capable of so much better to regain their confidence, poise and form. We have seen nothing from Aaron Davey, Travis Johnstone and Adem Yze so far this season. Perhaps the return of Byron Pickett as the protector is just what is needed. Or perhaps we're just all clutching at straws and the loss of so many first pick players is simply all too much? One exercise I tried this week was to work out where Melbourne might find the necessary drive to overcome the Dockers. I came up with very little but there is one area where Fremantle, which is also winless and therefore will approach the game with some trepidation, might falter. That single answer is the home ground advantage that should be strongly on the side of the Demons this week. The Dockers lost to the Bombers in Melbourne in Round 1 and let's not forget how they went when the teams last met at the MCG. Melbourne demolished them in round 7 last year to the tune of 59 points. Against that is the fact that the Demons are sitting at 0-3 at this venure at this stage of proceedings. There are other things for Melbourne to be worried about. Firstly, there's the 16cm differential in height between Freo's ruckman Aaron Sandilands and Melbourne's Jeff White. The former all Australian Demon ruckman was positively embarrassed at their two meetings last year at Subiaco when the Docker giant killed him in the ruck and around the ground. It was from this very position that the Docker domination found its expression and continued through the midfield and into its attack. The attack is where the Dockers are likely to taste the icing on the cake again this time around. Matthew Pavlich was relatively quiet last week but that was against an All-Australian full back in Darren Glass. Who does Melbourne pit against him? And even if Nathan Carroll or someone else proves up to the task, who then stops Chris Tarrant and what's to be done to quell Luke McPharlin if Chris Connolly sends him up forward as he did a couple of years ago? And I haven't started thinking about where Melbourne's goals are going to come from. Last week, the Dees could only manage eight goals in a game against a Cats when the coach, by his own admission, stated that the team spent the first half in attacking mode. If they try to shut the game down, will a single figure goal tally be enough to win the four points? I doubt it and I'm therefore tipping Fremantle by 35 points. Following that, we will see another week of sledging from frustrated and irate Demon fans.

THE EDGE OF SLEDGE by The Oracle Who would have thought when the Demons and the Dockers met in the AFL second semi final at Subiaco last early spring that both clubs would be struggling at 0-3 when they were next due to meet each other on the football field? Who would have thought that Fremantle would come in to their Round 4 with so many distractions and a week of controversy over the sledging of a player behind them? Who would have thought the AFL Tribunal would have gone blind and insane at the same time and turned justice AFL style into such a mockery? No one. Not even me and I'm the only person on this side of the Nullarbor Plain who possesses one slightly damaged and one barely operative crystal ball, at least a dozen packs of tarot cards and a mint condition volume of Nostradamus! Nor could I believe it when I read that the Demons were relying on Fremantle's week of tension packed high drama and media scrutiny to get them up against those nice guys from the West. That is exactly what Demon coach Neale Daniher is apparently hanging his hat on according to all reports I'm reading. Speaking to melbournefc.com.au, the coach admitted "he hopes Fremantle have been distracted by the Des Headland sledging saga coming into their AFL clash at the MCG on Sunday." After all, in contrast to the Dockers' torrid week over the Headland-Adam Selwood controversy and its tribunal sequel, Melbourne has had no distractions whatever, has it? "What's happened at the tribunal hasn't been the focus of what we're about this week. "It's about trying to get our game up." Right, but Neale must have been ignoring the constant sledging that his own club has been getting over the past few weeks from the football world and in particular from fans of his own team. Certainly, the Demons are ravaged by injury but their selection table tactics and on ground strategies have puzzled all and sundry – as has the loss of form of what remains of its core of better players and team leaders. The Demons have their backs to the wall this week and they do have Byron Pickett back after a stint with the weight watchers. But, if you pull down the façade of the media spin and the talk back hoo ha, the fact remains that the week's events overall have had one very positive effect on the Dockers’ campaign to win their first game of the season. They delivered two valuable players back from possible suspension and that's what mattered most to them in the first place as far as I'm concerned. Tough man Josh Carr is available to punch the lights out of some more opponents if that's what he wants to do and Headland is free to display that tattoo of his gorgeous six-year-old daughter to all and sundry as he runs around the great oval tomorrow. In terms of what happens out there on the football field, the distractions have therefore all been worthwhile. On the other hand Melbourne remains bereft of its heart and soul and I doubt whether the goody two shoes at the club, would try to get under the opponents' skins to get an edge on them anyway. They're just too busy trying to "get their games up", whatever that means. THE GAME: Melbourne v. Fremantle at the MCG - 22 April 2007 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD: Overall: Melbourne 10 wins Fremantle 10 wins At the G: Melbourne 4 wins Fremantle 3 wins Since 2000: Melbourne 5 wins Fremantle 6 wins The Coaches: Daniher 2 wins Connolly 6 wins MEDIA: TV Channel 7 (delayed telecast commencing at 3.00pm) RADIO: 3AW MMM THE BETTING: Melbourne to win $2.70 Fremantle to win $1.43 LAST TIME THEY MET: Fremantle 14.18.102 defeated Melbourne 11.8.74 at Subiaco Second Semi Final, 2006. Melbourne started well enough on a balmy night in Perth but wilted under the pressure and the humidity to a dominant Docker combination led by giant ruckman Aaron Sandilands and a winning midfield headed by Peter Bell and Josh Carr. Heath Black was the icing on the cake for Freo while for the Demons, Brad Miller returned to form after an awful season but was virtually a lone hand in a tired forward line. THE TEAMS: MELBOURNE: Backs: Clint Bizzell Nathan Carroll Matthew Whelan Half backs: Daniel Ward Paul Wheatley Daniel Bell Centreline: Brent Moloney James McDonald Brad Green Half forwards: Cameron Bruce Brad Miller Byron Pickett Forwards: Simon Godfrey Mark Jamar Aaron Davey Followers: Jeff White Nathan Jones Travis Johnstone Interchange: Nathan Brown Lynden Dunn Paul Johnson Adem Yze Emergencies: Matthew Bate Ricky Petterd Colin Syvlia In: Clint Bizzell Lynden Dunn Byron Pickett Out: Matthew Bate Ben Holland Ryan Ferguson FREMANTLE Backs: Shane Parker Luke McPharlin Roger Hayden Halfbacks: David Mundy Antoni Grover Steven Dodd Centreline: Shaun McManus Paul Hasleby Heath Black Half forwards: Des Headland Matthew Pavlich Ryan Crowley Forwards: Dean Solomon Chris Tarrant Peter Bell Followers: Aaron Sandilands Matthew Carr Josh Carr Interchange: Troy Cook Daniel Gilmore James Walker Luke Webster Emergencies: Adam Campbell Paul Duffield Robert Warnock In Heath Black Luke Webster Out: Justin Longmuir (knee) Andrew Browne (hamstring) THE GAME I swear that it was only a month ago that I read at least one pre season "expert prediction" that Melbourne and Fremantle would be playing off for this year's AFL premiership. How has it happened that two teams, so highly fancied and well feted, could find themselves at a point where they are staring down the barrel of a 0-4 start to the season – almost the point of no return for the loser? The Dockers have at least had their opportunities. They were in with a chance to win each of the two opening games and faltered at the end and then they gave the reigning premiers a run for their money before the squeeze was put on in the final quarter and a bit last week. Besides, they had a few players running around Subiaco with other things on their mind. We know the score with Melbourne; the injuries to key players David Neitz, Russell Robertson, Brock McLean and Jared Rivers haven't helped but it's been the appalling form of the players who took the field against St. Kilda, Hawthorn and Geelong that has Demon fans in despair and left with the weekly ritual of hoping that the selectors could pluck something out a hat to find the right mix. The key for the Demons is that they need the players who have been down and who are capable of so much better to regain their confidence, poise and form. We have seen nothing from Aaron Davey, Travis Johnstone and Adem Yze so far this season. Perhaps the return of Byron Pickett as the protector is just what is needed. Or perhaps we're just all clutching at straws and the loss of so many first pick players is simply all too much? One exercise I tried this week was to work out where Melbourne might find the necessary drive to overcome the Dockers. I came up with very little but there is one area where Fremantle, which is also winless and therefore will approach the game with some trepidation, might falter. That single answer is the home ground advantage that should be strongly on the side of the Demons this week. The Dockers lost to the Bombers in Melbourne in Round 1 and let's not forget how they went when the teams last met at the MCG. Melbourne demolished them in round 7 last year to the tune of 59 points. Against that is the fact that the Demons are sitting at 0-3 at this venure at this stage of proceedings. There are other things for Melbourne to be worried about. Firstly, there's the 16cm differential in height between Freo's ruckman Aaron Sandilands and Melbourne's Jeff White. The former all Australian Demon ruckman was positively embarrassed at their two meetings last year at Subiaco when the Docker giant killed him in the ruck and around the ground. It was from this very position that the Docker domination found its expression and continued through the midfield and into its attack. The attack is where the Dockers are likely to taste the icing on the cake again this time around. Matthew Pavlich was relatively quiet last week but that was against an All-Australian full back in Darren Glass. Who does Melbourne pit against him? And even if Nathan Carroll or someone else proves up to the task, who then stops Chris Tarrant and what's to be done to quell Luke McPharlin if Chris Connolly sends him up forward as he did a couple of years ago? And I haven't started thinking about where Melbourne's goals are going to come from. Last week, the Dees could only manage eight goals in a game against a Cats when the coach, by his own admission, stated that the team spent the first half in attacking mode. If they try to shut the game down, will a single figure goal tally be enough to win the four points? I doubt it and I'm therefore tipping Fremantle by 35 points. Following that, we will see another week of sledging from frustrated and irate Demon fans.

Try Tomi Johnston, son of Wayne "The Dominator" Johnston.

There have been a few changes at the top with only one winning selection separating the top 11 tipsters. Don't forget to put your tips in before bouncedown tonight. I would think it will be necessary to put your tip in for the Anzac Day clash a little earlier than the normal deadline so don't forget about that one as well. 1. (3) 15 bl3281 1. (3) 15 deanox 1. (3) 15 Demonland 1. (3) 15 Jackieboy_0 5. (11) 14 canberrademon(herb) 5. (11) 14 Clyde_Cabbie 5. (3) 14 Dees_Fan16 5. (3) 14 DeMoNiC 5. (3) 14 great_gatsby 5. (1) 14 TimDees 5. (11) 14 Whispering_Jack 12. (1) 13 demon_fanatic 12. (3) 13 Kieranbj 12. (11) 13 petejh2000 12. (11) 13 Pinball_Wizard 16. (11) 12 achirnside 16. (11) 12 BigKev Demon 16. (11) 12 Dappadan 16. (22) 12 demon_davey 16. (31) 12 Fingers Power 16. (22) 12 Go_Ds 16. (11) 12 KrazyJay 16. (11) 12 paliosiana 16. (11) 12 slamevil 25. (22) 11 dee'viator 25. (22) 11 deesthisyear 25. (22) 11 Rivers Run Red 25. (22) 11 Scoop Junior 25. (22) 11 snarler_0 30. (34) 10 frangas 31. (37) 9 Alpha_33 31. (22) 9 Goodvibes 33. (34) 8 jaded24 33. (22) 8 melon22 35. (31) 7 No Cigar 36. (31) 6 rusty_corner 37. (34) 5 rusty_kingswood 38. (37) 4 CarnTheDees

WIN AFTER A STRUGGLE by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham has never found the going easy at Werribee's Bartercard Oval and Sunday's game against the Tigers was no exception. At half time the Zebras were struggling but with Nick Sautner doing the job at full forward and Shane Valenti on top in the midfield, they rose to the occasion and held off a dogged Werribee combination to prevail by 12 points and claim top spot on the ladder. The injury crisis at Melbourne left the defending premier with a weaker team on paper but it gave the Zebras an opportunity to show off the playing depth of their list. Into the side came Peter McGettigan and newcomer Stefan Martin who impressed playing a secondary role in the ruck to Demon rookie Shane Neaves. Sandy also lost Peter Summers but he was replaced by the experienced Andy Biddlecombe. Sandy opened with the advantage of two or three goal breeze but a combination of errant disposal and a poor choice of options had them lucky to be in front by five points at the first break. The story was no different in the second quarter and Werribee held a six point lead at half time. Sandy was being well served by Sautner who had three goals to the main break despite some close attention from the Tiger defence. Valenti, in the absence of Summers, was providing a good contest around the stoppages and, as always, Chris Lamb very steady down back. Sandringham's third quarter was a little more impressive with the team's better use of the wind well to kick four goals to two to snatch back the lead at three quarter time thanks to some inaccurate kicking for goal by Werribee. The job was still ahead of the team with just a three point lead and kicking into a gusty breeze but Sandy responded well to Mark Williams' call for calm approach by kicking five straight (two from Sautner) of the first six goals to hold on as the Tigers kicked two late goals to close. One of the few highlights of the day was a brilliant effort from David Gallagher to slip through traffic and kick a sealing goal. After the game, the coach was quoted as follows, "We won the game between the 10 and 20-minute marks in the last quarter, our best quarter. "Our experienced players stood up when we needed them. "We have high expectations of our young fellows and I was disappointed in some of their games today." Sandy's best were Valenti who although small in stature is progressing in leaps and bounds at the club, Clint Bizzell for his steadiness at half back and Rod Crowe at centre half forward. Both Johnston boys impressed again while Chris Johnson was solid and Ricky Petterd showed that he has a future in the game. Peter McGettigan and newcomer Stefan Martin who impressed playing a secondary role in the ruck to Demon rookie Shane Neaves. The Zebras are away again this Sunday when they take on the Bendigo Bombers. Supporters should note the new venue for the game is Windy Hill at Essendon. Seniors at 2.00pm, Reserves at 11.20am. RESULTS Sandringham 5.3.33 7.7.49 11.10.76 16.10.106 Werribee 4.3.27 8.7.55 10.13.73 13.16.94 Goal Kickers: Sandringham: Sautner 6 Dunn 2 Gallagher Liddell Pickett Newton Johnston Bizzell McGettigan Valenti Werribee: Baird 2 Robbins 2 Castello 2 Harbrow 2 Williams Young McDougall Skipper Robinson Best: Sandringham: Valenti Bizzell Crowe Petterd Gallagher Johnson Werribee: Pask Gleeson Skipper Barham Williams Furfaro YOUNG ZEBRAS ON TOP Sandringham's reserves broke the ice with a solid 33 point victory over Werribee. The victory was set up by a six goal second quarter. Stalwart Tom Paterakis led the way while Phil Zarra from the Dragons was among the goals again with three. Kenton Hall, another experienced reserves player, was in fine forward Daniel Gribbin showed he is improving rapidly. The win puts the Zebras in fourth place on the ladder. RESULTS Sandringham 2.0.12 8.5.53 11.11.77 14.16.100 Werribee 3.2.20 6.2.38 10.6.66 10.7.67 Goal Kickers: Sandringham: Zarra 3 Gileno Neville Paterakis 2 Collyer Dean Dunne Hughes Paule Werribee: Batchelor Kenelley Penny Twomey 2 Rockefeller Thompson Best: Sandringham: Paterakis Gribbin Hall Neville Dean Curcio Werribee: Rockefeller Chisholm Hahn Mentha Penny Batchelor

by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham has never found the going easy at Werribee's Bartercard Oval and Sunday's game against the Tigers was no exception. At half time the Zebras were struggling but with Nick Sautner doing the job at full forward and Shane Valenti on top in the midfield, they rose to the occasion and held off a dogged Werribee combination to prevail by 12 points and claim top spot on the ladder. The injury crisis at Melbourne left the defending premier with a weaker team on paper but it gave the Zebras an opportunity to show off the playing depth of their list. Into the side came Peter McGettigan and newcomer Stefan Martin who impressed playing a secondary role in the ruck to Demon rookie Shane Neaves. Sandy also lost Peter Summers but he was replaced by the experienced Andy Biddlecombe. Sandy opened with the advantage of two or three goal breeze but a combination of errant disposal and a poor choice of options had them lucky to be in front by five points at the first break. The story was no different in the second quarter and Werribee held a six point lead at half time. Sandy was being well served by Sautner who had three goals to the main break despite some close attention from the Tiger defence. Valenti, in the absence of Summers, was providing a good contest around the stoppages and, as always, Chris Lamb very steady down back. Sandringham's third quarter was a little more impressive with the team's better use of the wind well to kick four goals to two to snatch back the lead at three quarter time thanks to some inaccurate kicking for goal by Werribee. The job was still ahead of the team with just a three point lead and kicking into a gusty breeze but Sandy responded well to Mark Williams' call for calm approach by kicking five straight (two from Sautner) of the first six goals to hold on as the Tigers kicked two late goals to close. One of the few highlights of the day was a brilliant effort from David Gallagher to slip through traffic and kick a sealing goal. After the game, the coach was quoted as follows, "We won the game between the 10 and 20-minute marks in the last quarter, our best quarter. "Our experienced players stood up when we needed them. "We have high expectations of our young fellows and I was disappointed in some of their games today." Sandy's best were Valenti who although small in stature is progressing in leaps and bounds at the club, Clint Bizzell for his steadiness at half back and Rod Crowe at centre half forward. Both Johnston boys impressed again while Chris Johnson was solid and Ricky Petterd showed that he has a future in the game. Peter McGettigan and newcomer Stefan Martin who impressed playing a secondary role in the ruck to Demon rookie Shane Neaves. The Zebras are away again this Sunday when they take on the Bendigo Bombers. Supporters should note the new venue for the game is Windy Hill at Essendon. Seniors at 2.00pm, Reserves at 11.20am. RESULTS Sandringham 5.3.33 7.7.49 11.10.76 16.10.106 Werribee 4.3.27 8.7.55 10.13.73 13.16.94 Goal Kickers: Sandringham: Sautner 6 Dunn 2 Gallagher Liddell Pickett Newton Johnston Bizzell McGettigan Valenti Werribee: Baird 2 Robbins 2 Castello 2 Harbrow 2 Williams Young McDougall Skipper Robinson Best: Sandringham: Valenti Bizzell Crowe Petterd Gallagher Johnson Werribee: Pask Gleeson Skipper Barham Williams Furfaro YOUNG ZEBRAS ON TOP Sandringham's reserves broke the ice with a solid 33 point victory over Werribee. The victory was set up by a six goal second quarter. Stalwart Tom Paterakis led the way while Phil Zarra from the Dragons was among the goals again with three. Kenton Hall, another experienced reserves player, was in fine forward Daniel Gribbin showed he is improving rapidly. The win puts the Zebras in fourth place on the ladder. RESULTS Sandringham 2.0.12 8.5.53 11.11.77 14.16.100 Werribee 3.2.20 6.2.38 10.6.66 10.7.67 Goal Kickers: Sandringham: Zarra 3 Gileno Neville Paterakis 2 Collyer Dean Dunne Hughes Paule Werribee: Batchelor Kenelley Penny Twomey 2 Rockefeller Thompson Best: Sandringham: Paterakis Gribbin Hall Neville Dean Curcio Werribee: Rockefeller Chisholm Hahn Mentha Penny Batchelor

by Whispering Jack On Saturday I watched a team of amateur footballers who wore red and blue and who made a better fist of playing a team game than the one that wore the same colours on Sunday at the MCG. The boys from Old Brighton backed each other up constantly; they moved the ball mainly forward and with purpose and they generally kicked and handballed to running targets, which they hit cleanly. The opposition played well too! Granted, when you're in a professional competition like the AFL the pressure is far greater than it is in the Ammos but I believe it's a real pity that only Cameron Bruce was in attendance (watching a mate) at this practice match between the Brighton Grammarians and Ajax because the rest of the Demons could have learned some lessons in application from these guys who (as far as I know) don't get paid for their efforts in a competition where the salary cap is zero. And zero is what I would have paid about 16 or 17 of the Melbourne players for their efforts against Geelong yesterday. Certainly, the team is undermanned at the moment. It's hard to produce the goods when your two best forwards, your hardest and most talented midfielder, your best key defender and a few other handy players are sitting in the stands watching and your toughest nut is half way down Princes Highway trying to run in to some fitness at Werribee but there were enough regulars out there to give the supporters a run for their money. And other clubs seem to get over their injury woes without becoming woeful! Indeed, I heard a caller on talk back radio make the statement that this was Melbourne's most woeful performance ever. The poor bloke must have a memory problems because the Demons were simply reverting back to the abysmal form of mid to late 2005 when they went through that awful period of injuries and constant trips to interstate grounds. They were no better and no worse than that and they still fought back late in the year to make the finals. The problem is that the similarity between the way the team played during that seven-week losing streak and the way it is playing now is quite uncanny. The other similarity is the number of "depth" players who were tried and failed during that period and who are still making up the depth despite having been found wanting many times in the past. The theory that the club has great depth has certainly been laid bare for once and for all over the past three weeks. I'm fully aware that the prospective young blood at the club is considered by many to be not quite ready for the rigours of AFL football but no more and no less so than names like (god help me for this!) Cox, Dick and Toovey at Collingwood. Look what they did on Friday night! And look what Geelong did in round two when it brought in Tom Hawkins one VFL practice match after returning from a pre season injury and Travis Varcoe for their first games. All I can say is that Hawkins is lucky he's at Geelong and not at Melbourne because if he were on the Demons' list he would have had to come up from his injury with a couple of games with the Sandy reserves just for starters. What did Melbourne do after receiving a thumping from Hawthorn and losing David Neitz, Russell Robertson and Jared Rivers through injury? It dropped Chris Johnson who wasn't playing all that well after an excellent pre season and it promoted the following four players - Ryan Ferguson, Ben Holland, Paul Johnson, and Adem Yze. Ferg must have done something to raise the coach's hackles though because he sat on the pine for the entire second half. Sheesh! OK. So you're down on personnel and you've decided you won't bring in any young new blood so you go for the same old, same olds. You're down in confidence, a number of your leading lights are out of form and your opposition is coming off a 13-goal win the week before. Why come out and play pretty football rather than scrap and fight? Why not? Because the personel at your disposal simply don't have the skills - a fact that was amply highlighted by the Cats' first three goals, all of which came from unforced errors and lazy play from the Demons. Jeff White's short pass to an opposition forward 15 metres out from goal was the icing on the cake. When you lack the team skills necessary to play the fast open game then you're in trouble and from that early point onward it was evident that Melbourne would be best served by playing lock down football. Instead, it went on its merry way, keeping its defence open far too wide, giving opposition players lots of latitude and plentiful opportunities to build their confidence sky high. I don't agree that trying to shut the game down in the first half would have been tantamount to surrendering the game. Look at what the Tigers achieved in that famous (or infamous) game against the Crows last year. Indeed, I think it is just the opposite and that leaving it until well into the second half to go defensive and put players behind the ball was far too late - by that stage it really was a white flag job. I want to give special kudos to Daniel Bell for his persistence, courage and improvement. He took on a few big Geelong names including G Ablett Junior and Paul Chapman. He didn't shut them out altogether but he played with the air of someone who will play 200 games for the club. Cameron Bruce was used mainly in a defensive role and picked up a lot of possessions although not always to the team's advantage, Nathan Jones and Brent Moloney were good and Brad Green proved an admirable filler up forward. Indeed, I think he relished the role. Jeff White did well in the ruck encounters and surprisingly, Melbourne won the battle for the clearances from midfield. But that's about it because most of the rest either weren't up to it or possibly they weren't interested. Aaron Davey has lost conidence and appears metres slower than he has been in past years. He's one player who is running out of chances although he might get a reprieve if Byron Pickett can come back to play the protector role that had Davey at his productive best in the first half of last year. Is it too late for the Demons given that they won't have their best side available for at least a month? My head says no but my heart and the team's recent history says it can be done. They could do without further injuries (and the cloud over Travis Johnstone and Moloney won't help in that regard) but I think some adventurous team selection and a bit of luck (already apparent with suspensions to Headland and Carr and injury to Browne) against the Dockers at the MCG could get things kick started. Melbourne 2.1.13 4.4.28 5.9.39 8.9.57 Geelong 5.8.38 11.8.74 14.10.94 15.19.109 Goals: B Green 4 B Moloney 2 S Godfrey T Johnstone Best: D Bell C Bruce B Moloney N Jones T Johnstone B Green Injuries: Nil (?). Reports: Nil. Umpires: M Ellis C Hendrie M Avon Official Crowd: 38,438 at the MCG.

THE ZERO SUM GAME by Whispering Jack On Saturday I watched a team of amateur footballers who wore red and blue and who made a better fist of playing a team game than the one that wore the same colours on Sunday at the MCG. The boys from Old Brighton backed each other up constantly; they moved the ball mainly forward and with purpose and they generally kicked and handballed to running targets, which they hit cleanly. The opposition played well too! Granted, when you're in a professional competition like the AFL the pressure is far greater than it is in the Ammos but I believe it's a real pity that only Cameron Bruce was in attendance (watching a mate) at this practice match between the Brighton Grammarians and Ajax because the rest of the Demons could have learned some lessons in application from these guys who (as far as I know) don't get paid for their efforts in a competition where the salary cap is zero. And zero is what I would have paid about 16 or 17 of the Melbourne players for their efforts against Geelong yesterday. Certainly, the team is undermanned at the moment. It's hard to produce the goods when your two best forwards, your hardest and most talented midfielder, your best key defender and a few other handy players are sitting in the stands watching and your toughest nut is half way down Princes Highway trying to run in to some fitness at Werribee but there were enough regulars out there to give the supporters a run for their money. And other clubs seem to get over their injury woes without becoming woeful! Indeed, I heard a caller on talk back radio make the statement that this was Melbourne's most woeful performance ever. The poor bloke must have a memory problems because the Demons were simply reverting back to the abysmal form of mid to late 2005 when they went through that awful period of injuries and constant trips to interstate grounds. They were no better and no worse than that and they still fought back late in the year to make the finals. The problem is that the similarity between the way the team played during that seven-week losing streak and the way it is playing now is quite uncanny. The other similarity is the number of "depth" players who were tried and failed during that period and who are still making up the depth despite having been found wanting many times in the past. The theory that the club has great depth has certainly been laid bare for once and for all over the past three weeks. I'm fully aware that the prospective young blood at the club is considered by many to be not quite ready for the rigours of AFL football but no more and no less so than names like (god help me for this!) Cox, Dick and Toovey at Collingwood. Look what they did on Friday night! And look what Geelong did in round two when it brought in Tom Hawkins one VFL practice match after returning from a pre season injury and Travis Varcoe for their first games. All I can say is that Hawkins is lucky he's at Geelong and not at Melbourne because if he were on the Demons' list he would have had to come up from his injury with a couple of games with the Sandy reserves just for starters. What did Melbourne do after receiving a thumping from Hawthorn and losing David Neitz, Russell Robertson and Jared Rivers through injury? It dropped Chris Johnson who wasn't playing all that well after an excellent pre season and it promoted the following four players - Ryan Ferguson, Ben Holland, Paul Johnson, and Adem Yze. Ferg must have done something to raise the coach's hackles though because he sat on the pine for the entire second half. Sheesh! OK. So you're down on personnel and you've decided you won't bring in any young new blood so you go for the same old, same olds. You're down in confidence, a number of your leading lights are out of form and your opposition is coming off a 13-goal win the week before. Why come out and play pretty football rather than scrap and fight? Why not? Because the personel at your disposal simply don't have the skills - a fact that was amply highlighted by the Cats' first three goals, all of which came from unforced errors and lazy play from the Demons. Jeff White's short pass to an opposition forward 15 metres out from goal was the icing on the cake. When you lack the team skills necessary to play the fast open game then you're in trouble and from that early point onward it was evident that Melbourne would be best served by playing lock down football. Instead, it went on its merry way, keeping its defence open far too wide, giving opposition players lots of latitude and plentiful opportunities to build their confidence sky high. I don't agree that trying to shut the game down in the first half would have been tantamount to surrendering the game. Look at what the Tigers achieved in that famous (or infamous) game against the Crows last year. Indeed, I think it is just the opposite and that leaving it until well into the second half to go defensive and put players behind the ball was far too late - by that stage it really was a white flag job. I want to give special kudos to Daniel Bell for his persistence, courage and improvement. He took on a few big Geelong names including G Ablett Junior and Paul Chapman. He didn't shut them out altogether but he played with the air of someone who will play 200 games for the club. Cameron Bruce was used mainly in a defensive role and picked up a lot of possessions although not always to the team's advantage, Nathan Jones and Brent Moloney were good and Brad Green proved an admirable filler up forward. Indeed, I think he relished the role. Jeff White did well in the ruck encounters and surprisingly, Melbourne won the battle for the clearances from midfield. But that's about it because most of the rest either weren't up to it or possibly they weren't interested. Aaron Davey has lost conidence and appears metres slower than he has been in past years. He's one player who is running out of chances although he might get a reprieve if Byron Pickett can come back to play the protector role that had Davey at his productive best in the first half of last year. Is it too late for the Demons given that they won't have their best side available for at least a month? My head says no but my heart and the team's recent history says it can be done. They could do without further injuries (and the cloud over Travis Johnstone and Moloney won't help in that regard) but I think some adventurous team selection and a bit of luck (already apparent with suspensions to Headland and Carr and injury to Browne) against the Dockers at the MCG could get things kick started. Melbourne 2.1.13 4.4.28 5.9.39 8.9.57 Geelong 5.8.38 11.8.74 14.10.94 15.19.109 Goals: B Green 4 B Moloney 2 S Godfrey T Johnstone Best: D Bell C Bruce B Moloney N Jones T Johnstone B Green Injuries: Nil (?). Reports: Nil. Umpires: M Ellis C Hendrie M Avon Official Crowd: 38,438 at the MCG.

Votes accepted for Belly, QueenC & Jaded - we need new blood giving votes The Leader Board after 3 rounds 29. Brent Moloney 21. Cameron Bruce 20. Brad Miller 19. Daniel Bell 18. Nathan Jones 13. Ben Holland 12. Brad Green David Neitz 11. Russell Robertson 8. Nathan Brown Simon Godfrey 5. James McDonald 3. Daniel Ward, Jeff White 2. Nathan Carroll Jared Rivers Travis Johnstone 1. Paul Johnson

SEVEN DAYS by J.V. McKay I find it hard to believe that it was just seven days ago, on Easter Saturday morning, that I was sipping away at a café latte inside a little curbside café in suburban Melbourne and enjoying small talk with a friend. We were both a bit down in the dumps as both of us support teams that suffered defeat in the first round of the season (he's a fan of Geelong) so the conversation generally veered away from the subject of football until the time came to pick up the tab and move on. Our parting comment was to the effect that thankfully, our respective football teams were taking on opponents at the weekend who were not to be feared by prospective finals participants in Melbourne and Geelong and that we would meet again in a week's time on the eve of Rivalry Round, with both having tasted the first victory for the year and in readiness to take each other on in an exciting blockbuster on the following day. The history books have recorded what happened next. Geelong, playing two first gamers, simply whipped Carlton into submission and would have won their match by over 100 points but for the fact that they pulled up in the final ten minutes and allowed the Blues a few cheap goals in junk time. Melbourne went the other way and lost ingloriously to the Hawks. To make matters worse the Demons are, in addition to suffering a massive form slump, undergoing one of the biggest injury crises in its history losing several key players in quick succession (and that came hot on the heels of the loss of Brock McLean for six weeks with a foot fracture sustained in round 1) - all in the space of seven days. First cab off the rank was Clint Bartram who injured a knee in Saturday's training session. He's out indefinitely. Ten minutes into Monday's game skipper David Neitz went down with a knee that puts him out for four weeks, then down went Russell Robertson with a knee that could put him out for up to ten weeks. During the week, the team's best defender Jared Rivers was ruled out with a hamstring strain and Colin Sylvia, who starred on comeback with Sandringham and was a certain to be selected for the AFL this week, went down with "soreness". Who knows how long "soreness" can keep you out of the team at Melbourne? So call me a coward but after the events of last week, I cancelled this morning's coffee meeting and instead of looking forward to tomorrow's game at the G, I was at one stage actually searching through the record books to ascertain what the Cats need to do in order to achieve an all time record breaking win against the Demons (it's a lot!). I even considered going bush for the weekend with a few bottles of expensive red (well, relatively expensive red). On reflection however, I'm not that pessimistic about the game and I will turn up and face the music. After all, I'm a gambler and I get my inspiration from the bookies! Don't get me wrong. I'm not about to join the Kiss of Death as the only tipster in the known universe to actually select Melbourne to triumph tomorrow at odds of $3.35 to win but those long odds remind me of a not too distant occasion when Melbourne met Fremantle at the MCG and the Dockers saluted the judges at even longer odds than that. I also go back to a famous game in about 1998 when an injury stricken Melbourne traveled to Subiaco and prevailed against the Eagles also at long odds against. Then there's the example set by the Bulldogs in 2006. With only 25 players to select a team from in round 20, the Doggies showed enormous character to beat Adelaide who were premiership favourites at the time. I figure therefore that there should be no reason at all why the collection of out of formers, coodabeens and never wases that is arrayed against Geelong tomorrow can't lift the club off the floor and give its fans something to cheer about in the interim period while many of the team's stars are recovering from their wounds and some promising youngsters are serving their mandatory sentences of a minimum of fifteen games at Sandringham before even being considered for selection and risked in senior AFL company (Malthouse was an absolute goose for picking three first gamers for last night's game v Richmond wasn't he)? It can be done, can't it? THE GAME: Melbourne v. Geelong at the MCG - 15 April 2007 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD: Overall: Melbourne 83 wins Geelong 116 wins 2 draws At the G: Melbourne 51 wins Geelong 48 wins Since 2000: Melbourne 6 wins Geelong 6 wins 1 draw The Coaches: Daniher 6 wins 1 draw Thompson 6 wins 1 draw MEDIA: TV Channel 7 (delayed telecast commencing at 3.00pm) RADIO: 3AW, ABC 774, KRock, MMM THE BETTING: Melbourne to win $3.35 Geelong to win $1.30 LAST TIME THEY MET: Geelong 14.10.94 drew with Melbourne 14.10.94 at Skilled Stadium in Round 21, 2006. Geelong were in a form slump and on their way to missing the 2006 finals while Melbourne had just demolished the Kangaroos. The Demons needed a victory if they were to have any chance of grabbing back a top four spot with the finals just two weeks away. Melbourne jumped to a 38-point lead well beyond the halfway mark of the second quarter only to be reeled in by a rampaging Geelong that kicked nine of the last eleven goals and received some serious help from the umpires to draw the game. Travis Johnstone was in fine form for the Demons while the best Cat on the day was Steve Johnson who thankfully will miss tomorrow because he's a very naughty boy. THE TEAMS: MELBOURNE: Backs: Ben Holland Nathan Carroll Matthew Whelan Half backs: Daniel Ward Paul Wheatley Daniel Bell Centreline: Brent Moloney James McDonald Brad Green Half forwards: Cameron Bruce Brad Miller Matthew Bate Forwards: Simon Godfrey Mark Jamar Aaron Davey Followers: Jeff White Nathan Jones Travis Johnstone Interchange: Nathan Brown Ryan Ferguson Paul Johnson Adem Yze Emergencies: Clint Bizzell Chris Johnson Ricky Petterd In: Ben Holland Ryan Ferguson Paul Johnson Adem Yze Out: David Neitz (knee) Jared Rivers (hamstring) Russell Robertson (knee) Chris Johnson GEELONG Backs: Corey Enright Matthew Scarlett Andrew Mackie Halfbacks: Josh Hunt Matthew Egan Darren Milburn Centreline: David Wojcinski Jimmy Bartel Shannon Byrnes Half forwards: Paul Chapman Cameron Mooney James Kelly Forwards: Nathan Ablett Brad Ottens Gary Ablett Followers: Mark Blake Cameron Ling Joel Corey Interchange: Tom Hawkins David Johnson Brent Prismall Travis Varcoe Emergencies: Charlie Gardiner Joel Selwood Kane Tenace In: David Johnson James Kelly Out: Charlie Gardiner Joel Selwood Umpires: Ellis Hendrie Avon THE GAME PLAN: Next! WHERE THE GAME WILL BE WON AND LOST: The Cats are full of confidence after giving Carlton an absolute shellacking last week. Everything went right for the Cats as they swept aside the insipid Blues. This week they come up against a team that's more insipid than the Bluebaggers. The Dees are playing without confidence, form or discipline and the game could be won or lost for this reason alone although we know from history that form can be such a fickle thing. It could come back when least expected! With Melbourne already battling injuries it's absolutely essential that two big name players in Travis Johnstone and Aaron Davey can come back from the worst form slumps of their careers. If both can return to their normal output or even better, things would definitely be on the improve for the Demons. However, I can't see that happening if Neale Daniher decides to play Davey at full forward as he threatened earlier in the week. He would be of more use if given a free rein in the wide open spaces of the wings where he can use his pace to advantage by running through the lines. Perhaps Trapper could go to the other wing to release Brad Green to the forward line - a part of the ground where he shone in the early parts of his career. Geelong's midfield is looking awesome with players of the calibre of Ablett, Bartel, Chapman, Corey and Ling able to run through the middle. James McDonald will need to be at his All-Australian best to stop Bartel while Nathan Jones will be put to the test against this calibre of opposition. The onus will definitely be on the Demon midfield to lift and at least they should be aided by Jeff White who also needs to return to form. Fortuitously, Steven King won't be around to give him a kick start (if you get my drift). White can handle Blake and Ottens and it is to be hoped that he can generate drive and forward movement from the advantage he can gain in the ruck. The Cats also appear to have the superior edge in their forward line but will depend on some youngsters in Nathan Ablett and Tom Hawkins to come up trumps twice in a row. That's no certainty! Unfortunately for the Demons, the Geelong defence, even without Tom Harley, is also looking strong and should hold down a dishevelled and disrupted injury affected Demon forward line. SOME VITAL MATCH UPS: The game presents some fascinating duels and if Melbourne is to even come close to winning the game it needs to finish in front with all three of the following: - Brad Miller v Matthew Egan With two key forwards sitting in the stands, Melbourne needs something special from Brad Miller who was one of its few shining lights last week. If Egan can hold him, the Dees are in trouble. The two Nathans – Carroll v Ablett Carroll showed some glimpses of returning to his 2006 form which had some of the pundits touting him for All Australian selection as a full back at one stage. Ablett has been in fine form and he forms part of a tall forward line capable of tearing opposition defences apart. Melbourne’s defence, without Rivers is suspect. Carroll must keep Ablett down. Ryan Ferguson v Cam Mooney When these two teams met in a practice match earlier in the season Mooney was kept scoreless in the first half by Jared Rivers. When Rivers succumbed to the hamstring soreness from which he has apparently still not recovered, Mooney booted four goals in a masterful and match winning display at centre half forward. He is named to start against Paul Wheatley but I have a feeling that we'll see Ferguson line up on him at some stage. This is Ferg's chance to atone and, in doing so he might even generate the revival of a career sent off the rails by persistent injury worries. THE WILDCARDS Paul Johnson Like Ferguson, Paul Johnson is a player whose career has stalled through injury. There are many doubters about PJ who say that he can't mark overhead and that he's simply not anywhere near the complete footballer. The former Liston Medallist is however, extremely agile for a tall man and I'm tipping that, given ground time, he could surprise. Avon calling I've had a gutful. For two weeks I have sat back and watched the umpires taking part in the carnage. Things are bad enough when your players own players stuff up constantly but it doesn't help when you give away the margin between winner and loser on consecutive weeks in free kicks and when the free kick differential virtually gives your opponent one extra player. What I'd like to see this week is some consistency and fairness and a free kick count of about 25 - 10 in our favour, five or six frees to us directly in front of goal and a couple of dubious 50 metre penalty goal assists to even things up. Now that's not asking too much in the interests of fairness, is it? (by the way I'm not bitter about the maggots at all!) THE TIP With so many big guns missing from the Melbourne line up, it's hard to see the Demons turning things around as dramatically over a period of less than seven days as is necessary to win this week. Funnier things have been known to happen but I'm tipping Geelong to win by 29 points.

by J.V. McKay I find it hard to believe that it was just seven days ago, on Easter Saturday morning, that I was sipping away at a café latte inside a little curbside café in suburban Melbourne and enjoying small talk with a friend. We were both a bit down in the dumps as both of us support teams that suffered defeat in the first round of the season (he's a fan of Geelong) so the conversation generally veered away from the subject of football until the time came to pick up the tab and move on. Our parting comment was to the effect that thankfully, our respective football teams were taking on opponents at the weekend who were not to be feared by prospective finals participants in Melbourne and Geelong and that we would meet again in a week's time on the eve of Rivalry Round, with both having tasted the first victory for the year and in readiness to take each other on in an exciting blockbuster on the following day. The history books have recorded what happened next. Geelong, playing two first gamers, simply whipped Carlton into submission and would have won their match by over 100 points but for the fact that they pulled up in the final ten minutes and allowed the Blues a few cheap goals in junk time. Melbourne went the other way and lost ingloriously to the Hawks. To make matters worse the Demons are, in addition to suffering a massive form slump, undergoing one of the biggest injury crises in its history losing several key players in quick succession (and that came hot on the heels of the loss of Brock McLean for six weeks with a foot fracture sustained in round 1) - all in the space of seven days. First cab off the rank was Clint Bartram who injured a knee in Saturday's training session. He's out indefinitely. Ten minutes into Monday's game skipper David Neitz went down with a knee that puts him out for four weeks, then down went Russell Robertson with a knee that could put him out for up to ten weeks. During the week, the team's best defender Jared Rivers was ruled out with a hamstring strain and Colin Sylvia, who starred on comeback with Sandringham and was a certain to be selected for the AFL this week, went down with "soreness". Who knows how long "soreness" can keep you out of the team at Melbourne? So call me a coward but after the events of last week, I cancelled this morning's coffee meeting and instead of looking forward to tomorrow's game at the G, I was at one stage actually searching through the record books to ascertain what the Cats need to do in order to achieve an all time record breaking win against the Demons (it's a lot!). I even considered going bush for the weekend with a few bottles of expensive red (well, relatively expensive red). On reflection however, I'm not that pessimistic about the game and I will turn up and face the music. After all, I'm a gambler and I get my inspiration from the bookies! Don't get me wrong. I'm not about to join the Kiss of Death as the only tipster in the known universe to actually select Melbourne to triumph tomorrow at odds of $3.35 to win but those long odds remind me of a not too distant occasion when Melbourne met Fremantle at the MCG and the Dockers saluted the judges at even longer odds than that. I also go back to a famous game in about 1998 when an injury stricken Melbourne traveled to Subiaco and prevailed against the Eagles also at long odds against. Then there's the example set by the Bulldogs in 2006. With only 25 players to select a team from in round 20, the Doggies showed enormous character to beat Adelaide who were premiership favourites at the time. I figure therefore that there should be no reason at all why the collection of out of formers, coodabeens and never wases that is arrayed against Geelong tomorrow can't lift the club off the floor and give its fans something to cheer about in the interim period while many of the team's stars are recovering from their wounds and some promising youngsters are serving their mandatory sentences of a minimum of fifteen games at Sandringham before even being considered for selection and risked in senior AFL company (Malthouse was an absolute goose for picking three first gamers for last night's game v Richmond wasn't he)? It can be done, can't it? THE GAME: Melbourne v. Geelong at the MCG - 15 April 2007 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD: Overall: Melbourne 83 wins Geelong 116 wins 2 draws At the G: Melbourne 51 wins Geelong 48 wins Since 2000: Melbourne 6 wins Geelong 6 wins 1 draw The Coaches: Daniher 6 wins 1 draw Thompson 6 wins 1 draw MEDIA: TV Channel 7 (delayed telecast commencing at 3.00pm) RADIO: 3AW, ABC 774, KRock, MMM THE BETTING: Melbourne to win $3.35 Geelong to win $1.30 LAST TIME THEY MET: Geelong 14.10.94 drew with Melbourne 14.10.94 at Skilled Stadium in Round 21, 2006. Geelong were in a form slump and on their way to missing the 2006 finals while Melbourne had just demolished the Kangaroos. The Demons needed a victory if they were to have any chance of grabbing back a top four spot with the finals just two weeks away. Melbourne jumped to a 38-point lead well beyond the halfway mark of the second quarter only to be reeled in by a rampaging Geelong that kicked nine of the last eleven goals and received some serious help from the umpires to draw the game. Travis Johnstone was in fine form for the Demons while the best Cat on the day was Steve Johnson who thankfully will miss tomorrow because he's a very naughty boy. THE TEAMS: MELBOURNE: Backs: Ben Holland Nathan Carroll Matthew Whelan Half backs: Daniel Ward Paul Wheatley Daniel Bell Centreline: Brent Moloney James McDonald Brad Green Half forwards: Cameron Bruce Brad Miller Matthew Bate Forwards: Simon Godfrey Mark Jamar Aaron Davey Followers: Jeff White Nathan Jones Travis Johnstone Interchange: Nathan Brown Ryan Ferguson Paul Johnson Adem Yze Emergencies: Clint Bizzell Chris Johnson Ricky Petterd In: Ben Holland Ryan Ferguson Paul Johnson Adem Yze Out: David Neitz (knee) Jared Rivers (hamstring) Russell Robertson (knee) Chris Johnson GEELONG Backs: Corey Enright Matthew Scarlett Andrew Mackie Halfbacks: Josh Hunt Matthew Egan Darren Milburn Centreline: David Wojcinski Jimmy Bartel Shannon Byrnes Half forwards: Paul Chapman Cameron Mooney James Kelly Forwards: Nathan Ablett Brad Ottens Gary Ablett Followers: Mark Blake Cameron Ling Joel Corey Interchange: Tom Hawkins David Johnson Brent Prismall Travis Varcoe Emergencies: Charlie Gardiner Joel Selwood Kane Tenace In: David Johnson James Kelly Out: Charlie Gardiner Joel Selwood Umpires: Ellis Hendrie Avon THE GAME PLAN: Next! WHERE THE GAME WILL BE WON AND LOST: The Cats are full of confidence after giving Carlton an absolute shellacking last week. Everything went right for the Cats as they swept aside the insipid Blues. This week they come up against a team that's more insipid than the Bluebaggers. The Dees are playing without confidence, form or discipline and the game could be won or lost for this reason alone although we know from history that form can be such a fickle thing. It could come back when least expected! With Melbourne already battling injuries it's absolutely essential that two big name players in Travis Johnstone and Aaron Davey can come back from the worst form slumps of their careers. If both can return to their normal output or even better, things would definitely be on the improve for the Demons. However, I can't see that happening if Neale Daniher decides to play Davey at full forward as he threatened earlier in the week. He would be of more use if given a free rein in the wide open spaces of the wings where he can use his pace to advantage by running through the lines. Perhaps Trapper could go to the other wing to release Brad Green to the forward line - a part of the ground where he shone in the early parts of his career. Geelong's midfield is looking awesome with players of the calibre of Ablett, Bartel, Chapman, Corey and Ling able to run through the middle. James McDonald will need to be at his All-Australian best to stop Bartel while Nathan Jones will be put to the test against this calibre of opposition. The onus will definitely be on the Demon midfield to lift and at least they should be aided by Jeff White who also needs to return to form. Fortuitously, Steven King won't be around to give him a kick start (if you get my drift). White can handle Blake and Ottens and it is to be hoped that he can generate drive and forward movement from the advantage he can gain in the ruck. The Cats also appear to have the superior edge in their forward line but will depend on some youngsters in Nathan Ablett and Tom Hawkins to come up trumps twice in a row. That's no certainty! Unfortunately for the Demons, the Geelong defence, even without Tom Harley, is also looking strong and should hold down a dishevelled and disrupted injury affected Demon forward line. SOME VITAL MATCH UPS: The game presents some fascinating duels and if Melbourne is to even come close to winning the game it needs to finish in front with all three of the following: - Brad Miller v Matthew Egan With two key forwards sitting in the stands, Melbourne needs something special from Brad Miller who was one of its few shining lights last week. If Egan can hold him, the Dees are in trouble. The two Nathans – Carroll v Ablett Carroll showed some glimpses of returning to his 2006 form which had some of the pundits touting him for All Australian selection as a full back at one stage. Ablett has been in fine form and he forms part of a tall forward line capable of tearing opposition defences apart. Melbourne’s defence, without Rivers is suspect. Carroll must keep Ablett down. Ryan Ferguson v Cam Mooney When these two teams met in a practice match earlier in the season Mooney was kept scoreless in the first half by Jared Rivers. When Rivers succumbed to the hamstring soreness from which he has apparently still not recovered, Mooney booted four goals in a masterful and match winning display at centre half forward. He is named to start against Paul Wheatley but I have a feeling that we'll see Ferguson line up on him at some stage. This is Ferg's chance to atone and, in doing so he might even generate the revival of a career sent off the rails by persistent injury worries. THE WILDCARDS Paul Johnson Like Ferguson, Paul Johnson is a player whose career has stalled through injury. There are many doubters about PJ who say that he can't mark overhead and that he's simply not anywhere near the complete footballer. The former Liston Medallist is however, extremely agile for a tall man and I'm tipping that, given ground time, he could surprise. Avon calling I've had a gutful. For two weeks I have sat back and watched the umpires taking part in the carnage. Things are bad enough when your players own players stuff up constantly but it doesn't help when you give away the margin between winner and loser on consecutive weeks in free kicks and when the free kick differential virtually gives your opponent one extra player. What I'd like to see this week is some consistency and fairness and a free kick count of about 25 - 10 in our favour, five or six frees to us directly in front of goal and a couple of dubious 50 metre penalty goal assists to even things up. Now that's not asking too much in the interests of fairness, is it? (by the way I'm not bitter about the maggots at all!) THE TIP With so many big guns missing from the Melbourne line up, it's hard to see the Demons turning things around as dramatically over a period of less than seven days as is necessary to win this week. Funnier things have been known to happen but I'm tipping Geelong to win by 29 points.