Demonland

by Bananabender It was not for the first time this year that the Demons turned up for a game of football unprepared. A little under thirty minutes into their "home" match they were scoreless, trailed the 13th placed Brisbane Lions by 41 points and had been well and truly pantsed for at least the second time in the day. The first "pantsing" came when the team arrived in Brisbane and it was discovered that the property steward had mistakenly packed a set of white away shorts for the game. Given that this was only the seventh year in a row that Melbourne had "sold out" a "home" match to play at the Gabba, you would have thought the organization could have gotten such a simple task as choice of attire right? I travelled from Far North Queensland with two other Demon supporters, departing in the early hours of Friday the Thirteenth and arriving only hours before the game. Despite the fact that we're all a bunch of uncouth slobs, we managed to pack our supplies almost perfectly. We had the ciggies in the glove box, the tinnies packed in the esky sitting down back in the station wagon and the only thing any one of us forgot was Moose's toothbrush and that's more or less superfluous anyway on account of him not being used to regular brushing and the fact that he lacks quite a few teeth anyway. At least he remembered to bring his only pair of matching thongs for the journey! But for a so-called professional football club to come out in that fashion is an unforgivable lapse. If the people running the team are confused, then what can you expect from the players? Don’t try to answer that question. It's rhetorical! In any event, we got exactly the confusion we should expect after that in the form of the second "pantsing". This came in the manner in which the team was so completely outplayed in every facet of the game that the fat lady sitting in the row in front of me began warbling well before the siren mercifully ended the first quarter. At the time when she started limbering up her vocal chords, the Demons had still not troubled the scorer while the Lions had put six goals five behinds on the board thanks to four from Jonathan Brown who out muscled an embarrassed Brad Miller to the tune of four goals. That wasn't entirely Miller's fault because the Brisbane midfield was pretty much dominant and, if the on ballers didn't push the ball forward with immediacy, then their defence was in total control so it didn't matter very much; the Demons were simply swamped. By some miracle however, they managed to finally get the ball to another Brown (Nathan) for a goal late in the first term. Hallelujah! I mustn't be too harsh on the Demons. They did have a young side on the park and a coach who was in control of a team at this level for only the second time up against a wily veteran who has been doing his thing for two decades and four premiership flags. Before that, he was a champion player for a long time - possibly the best of them all. In the event, Melbourne's lack of winning experience and its overall lack of preparation showed out on the night. Riley certainly can't be held responsible for the team's horrendous injury list or the way the team has been prepared this year. It's been well publicised that the Demons went through a pre season that saw most of the players lose weight and reduce their skinfolds in order to bring out the athleticism required to play the game. I have to believe on what I saw that the experiment was ill founded. The theory appears to overlook the fact that, despite the efforts of the rules committee, the game still requires an element of muscle and physicality that simply isn't evident among most of the Melbourne players. If Brad Miller is supposed to be a key position player, then he'll inevitably come up against a brute like Jonathan Brown at some stage. His pre season training certainly hasn't equipped him for that task. Nor did that training add any pace to the side because the Demons were generally outrun for most of the night. And then you have to question why there are so many players out with soft tissue injuries. There are some areas however, that the coach is responsible for and I question his slow reaction time to Brisbane's initial onslaught. Melbourne has been slow to start most of the year (recent examples are the Richmond and Essendon games) but I didn't see much of an effort to close up the game until we were into the second quarter. And the space in front of the leading Brown was more or less open for most of the evening. Then there was the poor discipline on the field with Aaron Davey, Colin Sylvia and youngster Michael Newton all losing their cool at times. Such things are unacceptable and Riley needs to deal with them before things really get out of hand. Perhaps the most obvious problem however, was the one-dimensional nature of the forward line. The team seemed focussed on going to Robbo who was well covered by an extra man dropping back into his region. Melbourne's delivery to him was appalling so it wasn't difficult for the Lions defenders to swoop on the ball and move it from defence to attack with consummate ease. The Demons badly needed another avenue to goal but unfortunately, this was only opened up in junk time in the final quarter when a number of goals to different individuals made things look a bit more respectable. There wasn't much for the fans to be happy about but I suppose young blokes like Brock McLean (the standout for mine), Sylvia, Nathan Jones, Matthew Bate, Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, James Frawley, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson and Newton all learned a valuable lesson on what's required to succeed at this level. However, they still have a long way to go. Of the more experienced players, Jeff White, Paul Wheatley, Nathan Brown and Nathan Carroll (when moved onto Brown) played their hearts out but that's not enough when your team's being pantsed. The club's lack of professionalism was demonstrated when only a few of the younger players were introduced to the waiting crowd of fans at the after game function. The young blokes were good but that's not good enough. The senior players should have fronted the fans if only for a few minutes. Some of these fans have waited a long time for their team to come to this part of the world. Others travelled a long way to see the game. They deserved to have been treated with a bit more respect by the club and by the team. But what do you expect from an outfit that displayed such an appalling lack of professionalism as was shown to the football world both on and off the field last night? The only thing that's left to be said is that whatever review the club undertakes now that the season's "done and dusted" will need to be a lot more far reaching than just the coaching position if its 150th anniversary year is to be both successful and memorable. Meanwhile, despite the fact that the boys and I have nothing to celebrate this morning, we're going to spend the day working on demolishing the contents of our esky if for nothing else than to forget everything that happened last night. Melbourne 1.0.6 3.4.22 5.8.38 12.10.82 Brisbane Lions 6.5.41 7.12.54 14.14.98 18.18.126 Goals Melbourne Davey 4 White 2 Brown Godfrey Jones McLean Robertson Sylvia Brisbane Lions Brown 6 Copeland 3 Brennan 2 Adcock Drummond Leuenberger McGrath Notting Power Rischitelli Best Melbourne McLean Brown White Wheatley Davey Sylvia Brisbane Lions Brown Power Lappin Copeland Drummond Changes Cameron Bruce (hamstring) replaced in the selected side by Colin Garland Injuries Nil Reports Joel Macdonald (Brisbane Lions) for wrestling in the third quarter. Colin Sylvia (Melbourne) for wrestling in the third quarter. Umpires Ellis Nicholls Pannell Crowd 22,708 at the Gabba

Our correspondent travelled a long way to make it to last night's game and he's not happy ... PANTSED by Bananabender It was not for the first time this year that the Demons turned up for a game of football unprepared. A little under thirty minutes into their "home" match they were scoreless, trailed the 13th placed Brisbane Lions by 41 points and had been well and truly pantsed for at least the second time in the day. The first "pantsing" came when the team arrived in Brisbane and it was discovered that the property steward had mistakenly packed a set of white away shorts for the game. Given that this was only the seventh year in a row that Melbourne had "sold out" a "home" match to play at the Gabba, you would have thought the organization could have gotten such a simple task as choice of attire right? I travelled from Far North Queensland with two other Demon supporters, departing in the early hours of Friday the Thirteenth and arriving only hours before the game. Despite the fact that we're all a bunch of uncouth slobs, we managed to pack our supplies almost perfectly. We had the ciggies in the glove box, the tinnies packed in the esky sitting down back in the station wagon and the only thing any one of us forgot was Moose's toothbrush and that's more or less superfluous anyway on account of him not being used to regular brushing and the fact that he lacks quite a few teeth anyway. At least he remembered to bring his only pair of matching thongs for the journey! But for a so-called professional football club to come out in that fashion is an unforgivable lapse. If the people running the team are confused, then what can you expect from the players? Don’t try to answer that question. It's rhetorical! In any event, we got exactly the confusion we should expect after that in the form of the second "pantsing". This came in the manner in which the team was so completely outplayed in every facet of the game that the fat lady sitting in the row in front of me began warbling well before the siren mercifully ended the first quarter. At the time when she started limbering up her vocal chords, the Demons had still not troubled the scorer while the Lions had put six goals five behinds on the board thanks to four from Jonathan Brown who out muscled an embarrassed Brad Miller to the tune of four goals. That wasn't entirely Miller's fault because the Brisbane midfield was pretty much dominant and, if the on ballers didn't push the ball forward with immediacy, then their defence was in total control so it didn't matter very much; the Demons were simply swamped. By some miracle however, they managed to finally get the ball to another Brown (Nathan) for a goal late in the first term. Hallelujah! I mustn't be too harsh on the Demons. They did have a young side on the park and a coach who was in control of a team at this level for only the second time up against a wily veteran who has been doing his thing for two decades and four premiership flags. Before that, he was a champion player for a long time - possibly the best of them all. In the event, Melbourne's lack of winning experience and its overall lack of preparation showed out on the night. Riley certainly can't be held responsible for the team's horrendous injury list or the way the team has been prepared this year. It's been well publicised that the Demons went through a pre season that saw most of the players lose weight and reduce their skinfolds in order to bring out the athleticism required to play the game. I have to believe on what I saw that the experiment was ill founded. The theory appears to overlook the fact that, despite the efforts of the rules committee, the game still requires an element of muscle and physicality that simply isn't evident among most of the Melbourne players. If Brad Miller is supposed to be a key position player, then he'll inevitably come up against a brute like Jonathan Brown at some stage. His pre season training certainly hasn't equipped him for that task. Nor did that training add any pace to the side because the Demons were generally outrun for most of the night. And then you have to question why there are so many players out with soft tissue injuries. There are some areas however, that the coach is responsible for and I question his slow reaction time to Brisbane's initial onslaught. Melbourne has been slow to start most of the year (recent examples are the Richmond and Essendon games) but I didn't see much of an effort to close up the game until we were into the second quarter. And the space in front of the leading Brown was more or less open for most of the evening. Then there was the poor discipline on the field with Aaron Davey, Colin Sylvia and youngster Michael Newton all losing their cool at times. Such things are unacceptable and Riley needs to deal with them before things really get out of hand. Perhaps the most obvious problem however, was the one-dimensional nature of the forward line. The team seemed focussed on going to Robbo who was well covered by an extra man dropping back into his region. Melbourne's delivery to him was appalling so it wasn't difficult for the Lions defenders to swoop on the ball and move it from defence to attack with consummate ease. The Demons badly needed another avenue to goal but unfortunately, this was only opened up in junk time in the final quarter when a number of goals to different individuals made things look a bit more respectable. There wasn't much for the fans to be happy about but I suppose young blokes like Brock McLean (the standout for mine), Sylvia, Nathan Jones, Matthew Bate, Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, James Frawley, Chris Johnson, Paul Johnson and Newton all learned a valuable lesson on what's required to succeed at this level. However, they still have a long way to go. Of the more experienced players, Jeff White, Paul Wheatley, Nathan Brown and Nathan Carroll (when moved onto Brown) played their hearts out but that's not enough when your team's being pantsed. The club's lack of professionalism was demonstrated when only a few of the younger players were introduced to the waiting crowd of fans at the after game function. The young blokes were good but that's not good enough. The senior players should have fronted the fans if only for a few minutes. Some of these fans have waited a long time for their team to come to this part of the world. Others travelled a long way to see the game. They deserved to have been treated with a bit more respect by the club and by the team. But what do you expect from an outfit that displayed such an appalling lack of professionalism as was shown to the football world both on and off the field last night? The only thing that's left to be said is that whatever review the club undertakes now that the season's "done and dusted" will need to be a lot more far reaching than just the coaching position if its 150th anniversary year is to be both successful and memorable. Meanwhile, despite the fact that the boys and I have nothing to celebrate this morning, we're going to spend the day working on demolishing the contents of our esky if for nothing else than to forget everything that happened last night. Melbourne 1.0.6 3.4.22 5.8.38 12.10.82 Brisbane Lions 6.5.41 7.12.54 14.14.98 18.18.126 Goals Melbourne Davey 4 White 2 Brown Godfrey Jones McLean Robertson Sylvia Brisbane Lions Brown 6 Copeland 3 Brennan 2 Adcock Drummond Leuenberger McGrath Notting Power Rischitelli Best Melbourne McLean Brown White Wheatley Davey Sylvia Brisbane Lions Brown Power Lappin Copeland Drummond Changes Cameron Bruce (hamstring) replaced in the selected side by Colin Garland Injuries Nil Reports Joel Macdonald (Brisbane Lions) for wrestling in the third quarter. Colin Sylvia (Melbourne) for wrestling in the third quarter. Umpires Ellis Nicholls Pannell Crowd 22,708 at the Gabba

by The Oracle Saturday night's game between Melbourne and Brisbane will be an historic occasion. Hopefully, it will be the last time ever that Melbourne hosts the Lions at their own home ground. For half a decade the Demons have defied that old slogan about never giving a sucker an even break by doing that and more. They have given up valuable home ground advantage to a rival club from interstate for thirty pieces of silver or some near modern day equivalent. This week's game is between the 13th and the 15th placed sides in the competition which suggests they are both evenly matched and therefore home ground advantage must be considered significant in these circumstances. Unfortunately, money talks all languages and, as a consequence, it's been a matter of financial survival ahead of on-field results for the Demons. Thankfully, this situation will soon be a thing of the past and Melbourne will never have to call The Gabba "home" again. The lowly placing of the competing teams and their poor win/loss records also suggest that this contest is unlikely to create much interest among the general football public. However, that changed significantly in the past week or so with both clubs recording dramatic wins at their last up starts. The Brisbane Lions produced what you would have to call a rare coup these days for coach Leigh Matthews. His team took advantage of the Eagles' apparent cockiness and the brouhaha surrounding the selection/non-selection of Ben Cousins to give their hosts a real mauling on their home turf at Subiaco. To my mind, the Lions played the game and the ground in the way that former Melbourne coach Neale Daniher might have envisaged at the beginning of the year when he tried to instill the "run and carry" formula into his team. What Matthews did better however, was that he ensured his charges maintained constant pressure on the Eagles. It started in their midfield and consequently the pressure was maintained all around the ground. In this way the Lions managed to starve the West Coast forward line where they were perceived to have weaknesses. The ploy worked and now the Lions deserve their heavy favouritism to make it two in a row against the Dees. But Melbourne also had a rare victory at the weekend, even if it wasn't against such an illustrious opponent as the reigning premier. Indeed, the Demons won their game against a pitiful Carlton combination bereft of its three most influential players Nick Stevens, Lance Whitnall and the erratic and the unpredictable Brendan Fevola. Of course the Demons also had a cast of thousands missing from the game. They were without names like Neitz, Johnstone, Bartram. Bell, Bruce, Green, Moloney, Pickett, Rivers and Yze leaving them with one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams to run out on the MCG in recent years. To their credit, they rose to the occasion and came home with the points for new coach Mark Riley and recorded their highest score for the year along the way. I have a good feeling about this game and I say that without even consulting my crystal ball. The logic behind my thinking is that the Lions' victory was so unexpected in an otherwise barren year that it has been magnified into what was virtually the club’s grand final victory for 2007. What usually follows such occasions is one gigantic let down. That is exactly what I predict for the Lions on Saturday night. THE GAME Melbourne v. Brisbane at the Gabba, Saturday, July 14, 7.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 17 wins Brisbane 12 wins At the Gabba Melbourne 5 wins Brisbane 8 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 3 wins Brisbane 4 wins The Coaches Riley 0 wins Matthews 0 wins MEDIA: TV - Foxtel Channel 1 @ 7:00pm RADIO - ABC774 SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.40 Brisbane to win $1.50 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 14.14.98 defeated Brisbane 13.12.90, Round 14, 2006, at the Gabba It was a lacklustre game and the Demons couldn't get out of first gear as they struggled against a Brisbane combination that was inspired by full forward Daniel Bradshaw's damaging work in front of goal. The Lions' spearhead finished with 8 goals and was virtually unbeatable on the night. Melbourne surged a number of times and it took some Davey magic to steady the ship and see the Demons home by 8 points in an unconvincing display. The game will also be remembered for the way Mal Michael nonchalantly booted the ball right through Melbourne's goals to concede a point even though he could easily have cleared the ball the other way. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Ward Nathan Carroll James Frawley Half backs Lynden Dunn Clint Bizzell Nathan Brown Centreline Paul Wheatley James McDonald Cameron Bruce Half forwards Simon Godfrey Russell Robertson Aaron Davey Forwards Colin Sylvia Brad Miller Matthew Bate Followers Jeff White Brock McLean Nathan Jones Interchange Simon Buckley Chris Johnson Paul Johnson Michael Newton Emergencies Colin Garland Ben Holland Brent Moloney In Cameron Bruce Out Ricky Petterd (punctured lung) BRISBANE Backs Robert Copeland Daniel Merrett Jason Roe Half backs Jed Adcock Josh Drummond Jared Brennan Centreline Tim Notting Nigel Lappin Cheynee Stiller Half forwards Joel Macdonald Jonathan Brown Troy Selwood Forwards Michael Rischitelli Matthew Leuenberger Joel Patfull Followers Jamie Charman Simon Black Luke Power Interchange Will Hamill Rhan Hooper Ashley McGrath Wayde Mills Emergencies Richard Hadley Scott Harding Cameron Wood In Ashley McGrath Out Colm Begley (shoulder) MATCHING UP I wanted to look at this game in the traditional way by considering some of the possible match ups. I started with the man who I believe to be the most influential player on both sides - Brisbane's Jonathan Brown. The Demons have no obvious match up and the prospect of the Lions' key power forward breaking loose at the Gabba is frightening. Centre half back Jared Rivers has already been ruled out for the season while Nathan Carroll suffered a bout of concussion last week as a result of that courageous mark in the last quarter. His chances of playing were 50:50 earlier in the week so he is an unlikely starting match up. I guess that leaves our old ever-reliable Clint Bizzell who was back with a vengeance in a most timely manner. He produced a strong performance last week with 22 touches and 15 marks. It would be wishful thinking to expect him to deliver such a wonderful set of figures against Brown but if he can keep up his form we are certain to be treated to an interesting duel in the Brisbane forward line. Staying with the big men, the contest in the ruck between Jamie Charman and Jeff White looms as another one of significance. Last week White blitzed in the ruck against Carlton but the Blues' midfielders sharked enough of his hit outs to win the clearance statistics. A recurrence of that this week is an awesome prospect to consider given that the opposition midfield boasts Nigel Lappin, Simon Black, Luke Power and co. Melbourne needs Brock McLean, who has endured some heavy tagging of recent weeks, to come back to his best form. James McDonald is sure to be his usual reliable hard tackling self and Nathan Jones will work hard in the packs. Simon Godfrey will probably take on Lappin or Black but the Dees will need to be at their very best here. The midfield duels, as always, be the key and the Demons are at a disadvantage with so many of their talented outside midfielders looking on from over the other side of the fence. However, they have some interesting youngsters standing by in the wings whose youthful exuberance and enthusiasm could surprise. Melbourne will again be relying on the younger brigade to continue its improvement of recent weeks. Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton are all starting to show something above the ordinary. The trio was recruited in the same draft and they played in the same team in an AFL game for the first time against Carlton last week giving them a 100% success rate together. I would suggest that this will be the first of many. Speaking of a 100% success rate, let's not forget that Melbourne coach Mark Riley remains unbeaten as coach of the club. However, that statistic might not make up for the unevenness in experience when matching him up with rival coach Leigh Matthews who has been around for a long time and coached four premiership teams. In the final analysis I'm going for the Demons to win because, as I suggested above, I believe that the effort from the Lions on the other side of the continent last week will have left them emotionally drained for this contest. They will return home to reality and succumb on Saturday night to an enthusiastic young Melbourne team by 10 points.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME by The Oracle Saturday night's game between Melbourne and Brisbane will be an historic occasion. Hopefully, it will be the last time ever that Melbourne hosts the Lions at their own home ground. For half a decade the Demons have defied that old slogan about never giving a sucker an even break by doing that and more. They have given up valuable home ground advantage to a rival club from interstate for thirty pieces of silver or some near modern day equivalent. This week's game is between the 13th and the 15th placed sides in the competition which suggests they are both evenly matched and therefore home ground advantage must be considered significant in these circumstances. Unfortunately, money talks all languages and, as a consequence, it's been a matter of financial survival ahead of on-field results for the Demons. Thankfully, this situation will soon be a thing of the past and Melbourne will never have to call The Gabba "home" again. The lowly placing of the competing teams and their poor win/loss records also suggest that this contest is unlikely to create much interest among the general football public. However, that changed significantly in the past week or so with both clubs recording dramatic wins at their last up starts. The Brisbane Lions produced what you would have to call a rare coup these days for coach Leigh Matthews. His team took advantage of the Eagles' apparent cockiness and the brouhaha surrounding the selection/non-selection of Ben Cousins to give their hosts a real mauling on their home turf at Subiaco. To my mind, the Lions played the game and the ground in the way that former Melbourne coach Neale Daniher might have envisaged at the beginning of the year when he tried to instill the "run and carry" formula into his team. What Matthews did better however, was that he ensured his charges maintained constant pressure on the Eagles. It started in their midfield and consequently the pressure was maintained all around the ground. In this way the Lions managed to starve the West Coast forward line where they were perceived to have weaknesses. The ploy worked and now the Lions deserve their heavy favouritism to make it two in a row against the Dees. But Melbourne also had a rare victory at the weekend, even if it wasn't against such an illustrious opponent as the reigning premier. Indeed, the Demons won their game against a pitiful Carlton combination bereft of its three most influential players Nick Stevens, Lance Whitnall and the erratic and the unpredictable Brendan Fevola. Of course the Demons also had a cast of thousands missing from the game. They were without names like Neitz, Johnstone, Bartram. Bell, Bruce, Green, Moloney, Pickett, Rivers and Yze leaving them with one of the youngest and most inexperienced teams to run out on the MCG in recent years. To their credit, they rose to the occasion and came home with the points for new coach Mark Riley and recorded their highest score for the year along the way. I have a good feeling about this game and I say that without even consulting my crystal ball. The logic behind my thinking is that the Lions' victory was so unexpected in an otherwise barren year that it has been magnified into what was virtually the club’s grand final victory for 2007. What usually follows such occasions is one gigantic let down. That is exactly what I predict for the Lions on Saturday night. THE GAME Melbourne v. Brisbane at the Gabba, Saturday, July 14, 7.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 17 wins Brisbane 12 wins At the Gabba Melbourne 5 wins Brisbane 8 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 3 wins Brisbane 4 wins The Coaches Riley 0 wins Matthews 0 wins MEDIA: TV - Foxtel Channel 1 @ 7:00pm RADIO - ABC774 SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.40 Brisbane to win $1.50 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 14.14.98 defeated Brisbane 13.12.90, Round 14, 2006, at the Gabba It was a lacklustre game and the Demons couldn't get out of first gear as they struggled against a Brisbane combination that was inspired by full forward Daniel Bradshaw's damaging work in front of goal. The Lions' spearhead finished with 8 goals and was virtually unbeatable on the night. Melbourne surged a number of times and it took some Davey magic to steady the ship and see the Demons home by 8 points in an unconvincing display. The game will also be remembered for the way Mal Michael nonchalantly booted the ball right through Melbourne's goals to concede a point even though he could easily have cleared the ball the other way. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Ward Nathan Carroll James Frawley Half backs Lynden Dunn Clint Bizzell Nathan Brown Centreline Paul Wheatley James McDonald Cameron Bruce Half forwards Simon Godfrey Russell Robertson Aaron Davey Forwards Colin Sylvia Brad Miller Matthew Bate Followers Jeff White Brock McLean Nathan Jones Interchange Simon Buckley Chris Johnson Paul Johnson Michael Newton Emergencies Colin Garland Ben Holland Brent Moloney In Cameron Bruce Out Ricky Petterd (punctured lung) BRISBANE Backs Robert Copeland Daniel Merrett Jason Roe Half backs Jed Adcock Josh Drummond Jared Brennan Centreline Tim Notting Nigel Lappin Cheynee Stiller Half forwards Joel Macdonald Jonathan Brown Troy Selwood Forwards Michael Rischitelli Matthew Leuenberger Joel Patfull Followers Jamie Charman Simon Black Luke Power Interchange Will Hamill Rhan Hooper Ashley McGrath Wayde Mills Emergencies Richard Hadley Scott Harding Cameron Wood In Ashley McGrath Out Colm Begley (shoulder) MATCHING UP I wanted to look at this game in the traditional way by considering some of the possible match ups. I started with the man who I believe to be the most influential player on both sides - Brisbane's Jonathan Brown. The Demons have no obvious match up and the prospect of the Lions' key power forward breaking loose at the Gabba is frightening. Centre half back Jared Rivers has already been ruled out for the season while Nathan Carroll suffered a bout of concussion last week as a result of that courageous mark in the last quarter. His chances of playing were 50:50 earlier in the week so he is an unlikely starting match up. I guess that leaves our old ever-reliable Clint Bizzell who was back with a vengeance in a most timely manner. He produced a strong performance last week with 22 touches and 15 marks. It would be wishful thinking to expect him to deliver such a wonderful set of figures against Brown but if he can keep up his form we are certain to be treated to an interesting duel in the Brisbane forward line. Staying with the big men, the contest in the ruck between Jamie Charman and Jeff White looms as another one of significance. Last week White blitzed in the ruck against Carlton but the Blues' midfielders sharked enough of his hit outs to win the clearance statistics. A recurrence of that this week is an awesome prospect to consider given that the opposition midfield boasts Nigel Lappin, Simon Black, Luke Power and co. Melbourne needs Brock McLean, who has endured some heavy tagging of recent weeks, to come back to his best form. James McDonald is sure to be his usual reliable hard tackling self and Nathan Jones will work hard in the packs. Simon Godfrey will probably take on Lappin or Black but the Dees will need to be at their very best here. The midfield duels, as always, be the key and the Demons are at a disadvantage with so many of their talented outside midfielders looking on from over the other side of the fence. However, they have some interesting youngsters standing by in the wings whose youthful exuberance and enthusiasm could surprise. Melbourne will again be relying on the younger brigade to continue its improvement of recent weeks. Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn and Michael Newton are all starting to show something above the ordinary. The trio was recruited in the same draft and they played in the same team in an AFL game for the first time against Carlton last week giving them a 100% success rate together. I would suggest that this will be the first of many. Speaking of a 100% success rate, let's not forget that Melbourne coach Mark Riley remains unbeaten as coach of the club. However, that statistic might not make up for the unevenness in experience when matching him up with rival coach Leigh Matthews who has been around for a long time and coached four premiership teams. In the final analysis I'm going for the Demons to win because, as I suggested above, I believe that the effort from the Lions on the other side of the continent last week will have left them emotionally drained for this contest. They will return home to reality and succumb on Saturday night to an enthusiastic young Melbourne team by 10 points.

He'll get as many as he wants to drink free! PS It's a secret recipe so the contents can't be revealed.

Nathan Jones and James McDonald overtook Cameron Bruce in his absence this week but it's a close call. 71. Nathan Jones 66. James McDonald 65. Cameron Bruce 57. Aaron Davey 55. Colin Sylvia 54. Daniel Bell 53. Jeff White 50. Matthew Bate 44. Brad Green 41. Travis Johnstone 37. Simon Godfrey 35. Brent Moloney 30. Ben Holland Russell Robertson 25. David Neitz 24. Adem Yze 23. Paul Wheatley 21. Clint Bizzell 20. Brad Miller Ricky Petterd 18. Jared Rivers 16. Nathan Brown 10. Brock McLean 9. Nathan Carroll 4. Daniel Ward 2. Paul Johnson 1. Lynden Dunn Michael Newton

It's turning into a neck and neck battle between veteran Demonlanders Clyde and WJ. Who will wilt first? Meanwhile down at the bottom of the table rusty_kingswood seems to have the priority draft pick well and truly parcelled up 1. (1) 71 Clyde_Cabbie 2. (2) 70 Whispering_Jack 3. (3) 67 canberrademon(herb) 3. (5) 67 demon_davey 5. (3) 66 deesthisyear 5. (7) 66 Demonland 5. (5) 66 great_gatsby 8. (8) 65 deanox 8. (8) 65 slamevil 8. (8) 65 snarler_0 11. (8) 64 BigKev Demon 11. (8) 64 DeMoNiC 11. (8) 64 Go_Ds 14. (15) 63 bl3281 14. (8) 63 Scoop Junior 16. (15) 62 Alpha_33 16. (17) 62 Pinball_Wizard 16. (19) 62 Rivers Run Red 19. (19) 61 achirnside 20. (21) 60 petejh2000 21. (21) 59 frangas 22. (17) 58 paliosiana 23. (23) 57 Jackieboy_0 24. (26) 55 dee'viator 24. (23) 55 KrazyJay 26. (23) 54 TimDees 27. (26) 52 Goodvibes 28. (28) 50 rusty_corner 29. (29) 49 No Cigar 30. (30) 44 Kieranbj 31. (31) 43 demon_fanatic 32. (32) 42 Dees_Fan16 33. (35) 41 CarnTheDees 34. (33) 40 Fingers Power 35. (34) 39 Dappadan 36. (36) 33 melon22 37. (37) 32 jaded24 38. (38) 24 rusty_kingswood

ONE HUNDRED PER CENT by Scoop Junior Yesterday's game between Carlton and Melbourne was a lacklustre encounter in front of a disappointing MCG crowd of 33,085. The young Demon outfit managed to outclass Carlton to win by 23 points giving coach Mark Riley a successful start to his caretaker role for the rest of the season. The win also backed up a spirited showing against Essendon the previous week in Neale Daniher's swan song as coach of the club. While the skills on show at the MCG were far from attractive, the performance of several Melbourne youngsters provided the good news story of the day. Missing captain and forward enforcer David Neitz, the midfield class of Cam Bruce, Travis Johnstone, Brad Green and Brent Moloney, gun defenders Jared Rivers, Matty Whelan and Daniel Bell, the up-and-coming Clint Bartram and the talented Ricky Petterd (after seven minutes), it appeared as though the Demons would be hard pressed to remain competitive, let alone win a game of footy. Fortunately, they were up against the Blues, a team down on confidence after successive drubbings and struggling to string together passages of league-standard quality. The long injury list provided the opportunity for nine 21 and under players to show their stuff. Despite playing against an equally young Carlton outfit, a number of these youngsters showed enough to suggest that they have futures in the game. Matthew Bate and Nathan Jones, already established senior players, were the pick of these. The former played a great game as a leading half forward, working hard to run to space and finished with three goals courtesy of his trusty left boot, while the latter never stopped burrowing into the packs and finished with a team-high 10 tackles. Colin Sylvia continued on with his best patch of form in his career thus far. He strung together four consistent quarters and provided a marking threat across half forward. Most impressive for mine is his vision in close. In the past, he has taken a long time to dispose of the ball, which may have been a legacy from bossing games at under 18 level. However, in recent weeks, he has been right up with the speed of the game, gathering and delivering quickly with intelligent handballs. This bodes well for short stints in the midfield, though for the time being he is more comfortable at half forward. James Frawley had the difficult task of playing on Waite, but did an admirable job. He looks scruffy and makes the odd mistake, but he is disciplined and I particularly like the way he backs himself to take players on with his speed. Lynden Dunn performed well as a midfielder. He appears to have a very good engine for a big man and his neat skills and good decision-making make him a handy versatile option for the coaching staff. Perhaps he could develop into an Andrew Embley style wingman. Simon Buckley performed well on debut. He found a bit of the footy and displayed nice kicking skills. He has the pace that many others lack in the midfield and should be given plenty of opportunity for the rest of the season. The biggest surprise packet of the youngsters however was Michael Newton. He led, marked and kicked well, displaying the key attributes that a leading tall forward must possess. Three first-half goals could have been five with more accurate kicking and you could just see his confidence soar as he started launching himself at the contested ball. While he was not exactly playing on the best defender going around nor against the best defensive unit, he showed enough to generate plenty of excitement. Incredibly, the biggest disappointment was probably the pick of the young bunch in Brock McLean (though this is no doubt affected by the ridiculously high expectations placed on him). He struggled to find the footy in what was his third quiet game in as many weeks. However, there is no need for alarm bells. He has been tagged heavily in recent games and is obviously learning how to adapt to such negating tactics. His frustration was plain for all to see and I have no doubt he will bounce back with a big game soon. Chris Johnson also battled a bit, but he must be persisted with in the last eight games. The pressure of winning is off and CJ has never been given an extended run of consecutive games in the seniors to build his confidence. Now is the time to give him this opportunity. There were many good contributions from the senior brigade as well. Acting skipper James McDonald was BOG, with his ability to win inside ball and to run hard to space to find the uncontested footy setting a great example to all. Jeff White dominated the hit-outs and was very useful around the ground. Brown gave his all as usual and his relentless running is a much-underrated component of the team. While he is often criticised for sloppy disposal and the odd brain fade, his run and work ethic is important and he plays a bigger role in the team than most give him credit for. Paul Wheatley was also a key contributor. He has returned to form since coming back into the side and his kicking skills are up there in the best at the club. Two long goals complemented an excellent all-round game. Then there was Robbo. After being completely nullified in the first-half by Thornton, he bobbed up with five goals from just six kicks. Five goals is a pretty fair scoreboard impact when you have a good day, let alone a down one. Only Robbo. Clint Bizzell was resolute in defence. He marked well all day and repelled many attacks. Though at times he had the luxury of playing loose, he read the play well and was a solid contributor. Doubts still remain over his defensive abilities against quality opponents and while clearly a good footballer, it is difficult to find a suitable match up for him against all opposition teams. Brad Miller returned in defence and was serviceable. Fisher beat him on a few occasions but Miller stuck to the task. I have reservations about him but he should be played down back for the rest of the season, in what could be a critical eight games for him. Paul Johnson continues to impress. He has a place in the modern game and if he continues to improve in a few key areas, could well be a very, very handy back-up ruckman. His mobility and foot skills were on show yesterday and a couple Aaron Davey-like chase down tackles were really impressive. Speaking of Davey, he had a day he would rather forget, save for that miracle snapped goal in the second term. A mention must go to Ricky Petterd. The courageous youngster was missing from the ground from the 7-minute mark onwards and supporters only later found out what had happened and how seriously injured he was. It is quite scary to think what could have happened had the club doctors not been there to treat him. Hopefully, Ricky is out of hospital soon and gets back to full health. While there were many encouraging performances from the younger players, it must be remembered that they were up against the worst side in the land. Carlton was pitiful, their skill level at times more indicative of an amateur side than an AFL team. How they could lose to a half-strength 15th placed team is quite remarkable and Denis Pagan must be scratching his head thinking where his mob is going. If they maintain that level of footy for the rest of the year, then they will secure the number one pick in the draft. As for the Demons, the remaining eight games provide a great opportunity to test the club’s youth at different venues against different opposition with varying strengths. Players like Newton, Buckley and Dunn will get to play at the Gabba, AAMI Stadium and Subiaco and play on some of the better players in the competition. This will be an invaluable learning curve for them heading into 2008. How they perform under these varying circumstances gives Melbourne supporters something to look forward to in what has been a very disappointing season. And for new coach Riley, he has at least a week to savour the fact that he is the only AFL coach going around with a 100% win record for his coaching career to date. Melbourne 4.1.25 9.4.58 14.6.90 19.10.124 Carlton 2.3.15 6.5.41 9.11.65 11.15.81 Goals Melbourne Robertson 5 Bate Newton 3 Wheatley 2 Davey Dunn Godfrey P Johnson Sylvia Ward Carlton Fisher Kennedy Murphy S O'hailpin Simpson 2 Betts Gibb Koutoufides Waite Best Melbourne McDonald Wheatley White Jones Bate Brown Carlton Carrazzo Simpson S O'hailpin Murphy Houlihan Koutoufides Changes Melbourne Bruce (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Dunn Carlton Nil Injuries Melbourne Carroll (concussion) Petterd (collapsed lung) Carlton Gibbs (ankle) Lappin (concussion) Umpires Fila Goldspink Hendrie Crowd 33,085 at MCG

by Scoop Junior Yesterday's game between Carlton and Melbourne was a lacklustre encounter in front of a disappointing MCG crowd of 33,085. The young Demon outfit managed to outclass Carlton to win by 23 points giving coach Mark Riley a successful start to his caretaker role for the rest of the season. The win also backed up a spirited showing against Essendon the previous week in Neale Daniher's swan song as coach of the club. While the skills on show at the MCG were far from attractive, the performance of several Melbourne youngsters provided the good news story of the day. Missing captain and forward enforcer David Neitz, the midfield class of Cam Bruce, Travis Johnstone, Brad Green and Brent Moloney, gun defenders Jared Rivers, Matty Whelan and Daniel Bell, the up-and-coming Clint Bartram and the talented Ricky Petterd (after seven minutes), it appeared as though the Demons would be hard pressed to remain competitive, let alone win a game of footy. Fortunately, they were up against the Blues, a team down on confidence after successive drubbings and struggling to string together passages of league-standard quality. The long injury list provided the opportunity for nine 21 and under players to show their stuff. Despite playing against an equally young Carlton outfit, a number of these youngsters showed enough to suggest that they have futures in the game. Matthew Bate and Nathan Jones, already established senior players, were the pick of these. The former played a great game as a leading half forward, working hard to run to space and finished with three goals courtesy of his trusty left boot, while the latter never stopped burrowing into the packs and finished with a team-high 10 tackles. Colin Sylvia continued on with his best patch of form in his career thus far. He strung together four consistent quarters and provided a marking threat across half forward. Most impressive for mine is his vision in close. In the past, he has taken a long time to dispose of the ball, which may have been a legacy from bossing games at under 18 level. However, in recent weeks, he has been right up with the speed of the game, gathering and delivering quickly with intelligent handballs. This bodes well for short stints in the midfield, though for the time being he is more comfortable at half forward. James Frawley had the difficult task of playing on Waite, but did an admirable job. He looks scruffy and makes the odd mistake, but he is disciplined and I particularly like the way he backs himself to take players on with his speed. Lynden Dunn performed well as a midfielder. He appears to have a very good engine for a big man and his neat skills and good decision-making make him a handy versatile option for the coaching staff. Perhaps he could develop into an Andrew Embley style wingman. Simon Buckley performed well on debut. He found a bit of the footy and displayed nice kicking skills. He has the pace that many others lack in the midfield and should be given plenty of opportunity for the rest of the season. The biggest surprise packet of the youngsters however was Michael Newton. He led, marked and kicked well, displaying the key attributes that a leading tall forward must possess. Three first-half goals could have been five with more accurate kicking and you could just see his confidence soar as he started launching himself at the contested ball. While he was not exactly playing on the best defender going around nor against the best defensive unit, he showed enough to generate plenty of excitement. Incredibly, the biggest disappointment was probably the pick of the young bunch in Brock McLean (though this is no doubt affected by the ridiculously high expectations placed on him). He struggled to find the footy in what was his third quiet game in as many weeks. However, there is no need for alarm bells. He has been tagged heavily in recent games and is obviously learning how to adapt to such negating tactics. His frustration was plain for all to see and I have no doubt he will bounce back with a big game soon. Chris Johnson also battled a bit, but he must be persisted with in the last eight games. The pressure of winning is off and CJ has never been given an extended run of consecutive games in the seniors to build his confidence. Now is the time to give him this opportunity. There were many good contributions from the senior brigade as well. Acting skipper James McDonald was BOG, with his ability to win inside ball and to run hard to space to find the uncontested footy setting a great example to all. Jeff White dominated the hit-outs and was very useful around the ground. Brown gave his all as usual and his relentless running is a much-underrated component of the team. While he is often criticised for sloppy disposal and the odd brain fade, his run and work ethic is important and he plays a bigger role in the team than most give him credit for. Paul Wheatley was also a key contributor. He has returned to form since coming back into the side and his kicking skills are up there in the best at the club. Two long goals complemented an excellent all-round game. Then there was Robbo. After being completely nullified in the first-half by Thornton, he bobbed up with five goals from just six kicks. Five goals is a pretty fair scoreboard impact when you have a good day, let alone a down one. Only Robbo. Clint Bizzell was resolute in defence. He marked well all day and repelled many attacks. Though at times he had the luxury of playing loose, he read the play well and was a solid contributor. Doubts still remain over his defensive abilities against quality opponents and while clearly a good footballer, it is difficult to find a suitable match up for him against all opposition teams. Brad Miller returned in defence and was serviceable. Fisher beat him on a few occasions but Miller stuck to the task. I have reservations about him but he should be played down back for the rest of the season, in what could be a critical eight games for him. Paul Johnson continues to impress. He has a place in the modern game and if he continues to improve in a few key areas, could well be a very, very handy back-up ruckman. His mobility and foot skills were on show yesterday and a couple Aaron Davey-like chase down tackles were really impressive. Speaking of Davey, he had a day he would rather forget, save for that miracle snapped goal in the second term. A mention must go to Ricky Petterd. The courageous youngster was missing from the ground from the 7-minute mark onwards and supporters only later found out what had happened and how seriously injured he was. It is quite scary to think what could have happened had the club doctors not been there to treat him. Hopefully, Ricky is out of hospital soon and gets back to full health. While there were many encouraging performances from the younger players, it must be remembered that they were up against the worst side in the land. Carlton was pitiful, their skill level at times more indicative of an amateur side than an AFL team. How they could lose to a half-strength 15th placed team is quite remarkable and Denis Pagan must be scratching his head thinking where his mob is going. If they maintain that level of footy for the rest of the year, then they will secure the number one pick in the draft. As for the Demons, the remaining eight games provide a great opportunity to test the club’s youth at different venues against different opposition with varying strengths. Players like Newton, Buckley and Dunn will get to play at the Gabba, AAMI Stadium and Subiaco and play on some of the better players in the competition. This will be an invaluable learning curve for them heading into 2008. How they perform under these varying circumstances gives Melbourne supporters something to look forward to in what has been a very disappointing season. And for new coach Riley, he has at least a week to savour the fact that he is the only AFL coach going around with a 100% win record for his coaching career to date. Melbourne 4.1.25 9.4.58 14.6.90 19.10.124 Carlton 2.3.15 6.5.41 9.11.65 11.15.81 Goals Melbourne Robertson 5 Bate Newton 3 Wheatley 2 Davey Dunn Godfrey P Johnson Sylvia Ward Carlton Fisher Kennedy Murphy S O'hailpin Simpson 2 Betts Gibb Koutoufides Waite Best Melbourne McDonald Wheatley White Jones Bate Brown Carlton Carrazzo Simpson S O'hailpin Murphy Houlihan Koutoufides Changes Melbourne Bruce (hamstring) replaced in selected side by Dunn Carlton Nil Injuries Melbourne Carroll (concussion) Petterd (collapsed lung) Carlton Gibbs (ankle) Lappin (concussion) Umpires Fila Goldspink Hendrie Crowd 33,085 at MCG

SMILES ALL AROUND by Ice Station Zebra When the Tassie Devils took on Sandringham at Aurora Stadium on Saturday night it became a case of smiles all around with both teams coming away happy from their Round 13 clash. Sandringham got the four premiership points on offer and remains a strong contender for top place on the VFL ladder while for Devils' coach Daryn Cresswell, his team's eleventh loss on the trot was as "an honourable defeat". The bottom of the ladder Devils have been subjected to a lot of flak during their horror run this year. After last week's defeat at the hands of the Bendigo Bombers at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Cresswell made his senior players front the media to apologise for their poor display. This came on top of three alcohol bans placed on the team by the coaching panel this year. The rule was that not a drop of booze would pass the players' lips until Cresswell and co learned the cause of the Devils' second-half fade-outs this barren VFL season. The ban has been temporarily lifted after the Devils came out and played with plenty of endeavour and commitment on Saturday night. They certainly had a crack in the opening term when they outscored the Zebras by kicking three goals to two although the visitors squandered their early chances with some wayward kicking for goal. With hundred gamer Ezra Poyas on fire, an inspired Sandringham blew the Devils off the park in the second quarter kicking eight goals to two to hold a match winning 38-point lead at the main break. Poyas kicked three for the term and went into the rooms with 3 goals four behinds to his name but it could easily have been more. The star Zebra goal sneak was given close attention in the second half and finished with four for the match - he has now kicked nine goals in his past two games after recovering from a hamstring injury incurred early in the State game v WAFL last month. The Devils came back early in the second half with the first two goals but, with Rod Crowe and Ben Holland dominating up forward, the Zebras soon reclaimed their strong grip on the game. The crowd got its share of excitement when Ryan Ferguson took a an absolute a screamer of a mark in the goal square in the third quarter for an easy goal and the visitors coasted to an easy seven goal victory at the end. While coach Mark Williams might have been happy with getting the four points for the win, he was certainly not satisfied with his team's errant kicking for goal. He kept his charges in the rooms for a good 20 to 30 minutes and my guess would be that he was berating his players for missing a perfect opportunity to register a percentage booster. However, Williams would no doubt have been happy with the fact that his inexperienced side produced winning form without the services of a number of regulars, especially up forward where Nick Sautner was absent on study leave and Lynden Dunn, Brad Miller and Michael Newton had all been called up for service in the AFL. With Melbourne's injury blight continuing, the Zebras again took the opportunity to blood youth. Included in the team were two first gamers, Guy Martyn and Sam Monaghan. Rennie Gilchrist was playing only his second game and Tomi Johnston and Tom Paterakis were each taking part in their sixth Senior VFL games. Gilchrist was a little wasteful with his disposal but played a good game rotating with Peter Summers through the centre. Martyn did well up forward and through the middle, holding his own and Monaghan was super impressive across half back, wing and half forward. The 2006 Vic Metro Under 18 representative looked confident and played like he really belonged at this level. Tomi Johnston was also good picking up 11 disposals in the final term. Paterakis tagged talented Tassie midfielder Ken Hall and did a good job. Of the more experienced players, Ben Holland was in great marking form whether down back or up forward. As noted earlier, Ezra Poyas was in slashing form in his 100th VFL game. Shane Valenti was lively and back to some solid form after recovering from his foot injury. He had plenty of the ball, kicked two goals and worked well in the midfield in rotation with Brent Moloney. Ryan Ferguson took some strong marks up forward and provided an excellent leading option in the absence of Sautner. Skipper Chad Liddell was, as ever, a solid leader who led by example showing his usual courage and determination. The Zebra defence was well served by Colin Garland at half back while Chris Lamb was solid all night and Matthew Warnock had his hands full with Tassie forward Adam Derbyshire shading him in the first half before the Taswegian hit a purple patch and got the better of him on the lead and by playing in front. Andy Biddlecombe hurt his groin during the third quarter leaving Lamb and Warnock as the only two talls down back. The win puts Sandringham in second place but with a game in hand over ladder leader Geelong and needing to consolidate its top four prospects with a win at home on Sunday against Werribee. The Tigers are sure to provide tough opposition as they will be desperate to secure a finals berth. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Jace Bode - had a quiet night. Although he did a few good things, he didn't play with enough intensity and was caught out at times. Ryan Ferguson - was very lively early, led well and took some strong marks. Drifted out of the game in the second half but pulled down a massive hanger in the third quarter. Colin Garland - was really good across half back. Marked strongly and stuck to his job well showing an ability to free himself up when required to set up attacking moves. Ben Holland - started down back and then was moved forward in what was a great move. He marked everything in sight and was the main focal point of attack. Worthy of best on ground honours. . Mark Jamar - was excellent in the ruck palming the ball down to Valenti and took some strong marks around the ground. Brent Moloney - this was only his second game back and he is slowly working his way into form. Did well in rotation with Valenti. Shane Neaves - played second fiddle to Jamar in the ruck and wasn't called upon to do very much on the night. Byron Pickett - had a reasonable game without being dominant. Kicked a goal but appeared to incur an injury or two over the course of the evening but nothing major. Matthew Warnock - his opponent booted four goals in the second half so it could probably be said that he lowered his colours but he did work hard in defence and was on top early. Sandringham 2.6.18 10.11.71 16.15.111 19.20.134 Tasmania 3.1.19 5.3.33 11.5.71 14.8.92 Goals Sandringham Crowe Poyas 4 Holland 3 Ferguson Valenti 2 Jamar Neaves Pickett Summers Tasmania Derbyshire 4 Adams Ross 2 Hall Hansen Ling Moles Moran Stephens Best Sandringham Holland Crowe Poyas Liddell Valenti Garland Tasmania Stephens Thurley Koulouriotis Street Moran Adams PHOTOS

by Ice Station Zebra When the Tassie Devils took on Sandringham at Aurora Stadium on Saturday night it became a case of smiles all around with both teams coming away happy from their Round 13 clash. Sandringham got the four premiership points on offer and remains a strong contender for top place on the VFL ladder while for Devils' coach Daryn Cresswell, his team's eleventh loss on the trot was as "an honourable defeat". The bottom of the ladder Devils have been subjected to a lot of flak during their horror run this year. After last week's defeat at the hands of the Bendigo Bombers at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Cresswell made his senior players front the media to apologise for their poor display. This came on top of three alcohol bans placed on the team by the coaching panel this year. The rule was that not a drop of booze would pass the players' lips until Cresswell and co learned the cause of the Devils' second-half fade-outs this barren VFL season. The ban has been temporarily lifted after the Devils came out and played with plenty of endeavour and commitment on Saturday night. They certainly had a crack in the opening term when they outscored the Zebras by kicking three goals to two although the visitors squandered their early chances with some wayward kicking for goal. With hundred gamer Ezra Poyas on fire, an inspired Sandringham blew the Devils off the park in the second quarter kicking eight goals to two to hold a match winning 38-point lead at the main break. Poyas kicked three for the term and went into the rooms with 3 goals four behinds to his name but it could easily have been more. The star Zebra goal sneak was given close attention in the second half and finished with four for the match - he has now kicked nine goals in his past two games after recovering from a hamstring injury incurred early in the State game v WAFL last month. The Devils came back early in the second half with the first two goals but, with Rod Crowe and Ben Holland dominating up forward, the Zebras soon reclaimed their strong grip on the game. The crowd got its share of excitement when Ryan Ferguson took a an absolute a screamer of a mark in the goal square in the third quarter for an easy goal and the visitors coasted to an easy seven goal victory at the end. While coach Mark Williams might have been happy with getting the four points for the win, he was certainly not satisfied with his team's errant kicking for goal. He kept his charges in the rooms for a good 20 to 30 minutes and my guess would be that he was berating his players for missing a perfect opportunity to register a percentage booster. However, Williams would no doubt have been happy with the fact that his inexperienced side produced winning form without the services of a number of regulars, especially up forward where Nick Sautner was absent on study leave and Lynden Dunn, Brad Miller and Michael Newton had all been called up for service in the AFL. With Melbourne's injury blight continuing, the Zebras again took the opportunity to blood youth. Included in the team were two first gamers, Guy Martyn and Sam Monaghan. Rennie Gilchrist was playing only his second game and Tomi Johnston and Tom Paterakis were each taking part in their sixth Senior VFL games. Gilchrist was a little wasteful with his disposal but played a good game rotating with Peter Summers through the centre. Martyn did well up forward and through the middle, holding his own and Monaghan was super impressive across half back, wing and half forward. The 2006 Vic Metro Under 18 representative looked confident and played like he really belonged at this level. Tomi Johnston was also good picking up 11 disposals in the final term. Paterakis tagged talented Tassie midfielder Ken Hall and did a good job. Of the more experienced players, Ben Holland was in great marking form whether down back or up forward. As noted earlier, Ezra Poyas was in slashing form in his 100th VFL game. Shane Valenti was lively and back to some solid form after recovering from his foot injury. He had plenty of the ball, kicked two goals and worked well in the midfield in rotation with Brent Moloney. Ryan Ferguson took some strong marks up forward and provided an excellent leading option in the absence of Sautner. Skipper Chad Liddell was, as ever, a solid leader who led by example showing his usual courage and determination. The Zebra defence was well served by Colin Garland at half back while Chris Lamb was solid all night and Matthew Warnock had his hands full with Tassie forward Adam Derbyshire shading him in the first half before the Taswegian hit a purple patch and got the better of him on the lead and by playing in front. Andy Biddlecombe hurt his groin during the third quarter leaving Lamb and Warnock as the only two talls down back. The win puts Sandringham in second place but with a game in hand over ladder leader Geelong and needing to consolidate its top four prospects with a win at home on Sunday against Werribee. The Tigers are sure to provide tough opposition as they will be desperate to secure a finals berth. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Jace Bode - had a quiet night. Although he did a few good things, he didn't play with enough intensity and was caught out at times. Ryan Ferguson - was very lively early, led well and took some strong marks. Drifted out of the game in the second half but pulled down a massive hanger in the third quarter. Colin Garland - by Ice Station Zebra When the Tassie Devils took on Sandringham at Aurora Stadium on Saturday night it became a case of smiles all around with both teams coming away happy from their Round 13 clash. Sandringham got the four premiership points on offer and remains a strong contender for top place on the VFL ladder while for Devils' coach Daryn Cresswell, his team's eleventh loss on the trot was as "an honourable defeat". The bottom of the ladder Devils have been subjected to a lot of flak during their horror run this year. After last week's defeat at the hands of the Bendigo Bombers at Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Cresswell made his senior players front the media to apologise for their poor display. This came on top of three alcohol bans placed on the team by the coaching panel this year. The rule was that not a drop of booze would pass the players' lips until Cresswell and co learned the cause of the Devils' second-half fade-outs this barren VFL season. The ban has been temporarily lifted after the Devils came out and played with plenty of endeavour and commitment on Saturday night. They certainly had a crack in the opening term when they outscored the Zebras by kicking three goals to two although the visitors squandered their early chances with some wayward kicking for goal. With hundred gamer Ezra Poyas on fire, an inspired Sandringham blew the Devils off the park in the second quarter kicking eight goals to two to hold a match winning 38-point lead at the main break. Poyas kicked three for the term and went into the rooms with 3 goals four behinds to his name but it could easily have been more. The star Zebra goal sneak was given close attention in the second half and finished with four for the match - he has now kicked nine goals in his past two games after recovering from a hamstring injury incurred early in the State game v WAFL last month. The Devils came back early in the second half with the first two goals but, with Rod Crowe and Ben Holland dominating up forward, the Zebras soon reclaimed their strong grip on the game. The crowd got its share of excitement when Ryan Ferguson took a an absolute a screamer of a mark in the goal square in the third quarter for an easy goal and the visitors coasted to an easy seven goal victory at the end. While coach Mark Williams might have been happy with getting the four points for the win, he was certainly not satisfied with his team's errant kicking for goal. He kept his charges in the rooms for a good 20 to 30 minutes and my guess would be that he was berating his players for missing a perfect opportunity to register a percentage booster. However, Williams would no doubt have been happy with the fact that his inexperienced side produced winning form without the services of a number of regulars, especially up forward where Nick Sautner was absent on study leave and Lynden Dunn, Brad Miller and Michael Newton had all been called up for service in the AFL. With Melbourne's injury blight continuing, the Zebras again took the opportunity to blood youth. Included in the team were two first gamers, Guy Martyn and Sam Monaghan. Rennie Gilchrist was playing only his second game and Tomi Johnston and Tom Paterakis were each taking part in their sixth Senior VFL games. Gilchrist was a little wasteful with his disposal but played a good game rotating with Peter Summers through the centre. Martyn did well up forward and through the middle, holding his own and Monaghan was super impressive across half back, wing and half forward. The 2006 Vic Metro Under 18 representative looked confident and played like he really belonged at this level. Tomi Johnston was also good picking up 11 disposals in the final term. Paterakis tagged talented Tassie midfielder Ken Hall and did a good job. Of the more experienced players, Ben Holland was in great marking form whether down back or up forward. As noted earlier, Ezra Poyas was in slashing form in his 100th VFL game. Shane Valenti was lively and back to some solid form after recovering from his foot injury. He had plenty of the ball, kicked two goals and worked well in the midfield in rotation with Brent Moloney. Ryan Ferguson took some strong marks up forward and provided an excellent leading option in the absence of Sautner. Skipper Chad Liddell was, as ever, a solid leader who led by example showing his usual courage and determination. The Zebra defence was well served by Colin Garland at half back while Chris Lamb was solid all night and Matthew Warnock had his hands full with Tassie forward Adam Derbyshire shading him in the first half before the Taswegian hit a purple patch and got the better of him on the lead and by playing in front. Andy Biddlecombe hurt his groin during the third quarter leaving Lamb and Warnock as the only two talls down back. The win puts Sandringham in second place but with a game in hand over ladder leader Geelong and needing to consolidate its top four prospects with a win at home on Sunday against Werribee. The Tigers are sure to provide tough opposition as they will be desperate to secure a finals berth. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Jace Bode - had a quiet night. Although he did a few good things, he didn't play with enough intensity and was caught out at times. Ryan Ferguson - was very lively early, led well and took some strong marks. Drifted out of the game in the second half but pulled down a massive hanger in the third quarter. Colin Garland - was really good across half back. Marked strongly and stuck to his job well showing an ability to free himself up when required to set up attacking moves. Ben Holland - started down back and then was moved forward in what was a great move. He marked everything in sight and was the main focal point of attack. Worthy of best on ground honours. . Mark Jamar - was excellent in the ruck palming the ball down to Valenti and took some strong marks around the ground. Brent Moloney - this was only his second game back and he is slowly working his way into form. Did well in rotation with Valenti. Shane Neaves - played second fiddle to Jamar in the ruck and wasn't called upon to do very much on the night. Byron Pickett - had a reasonable game without being dominant. Kicked a goal but appeared to incur an injury or two over the course of the evening but nothing major. Matthew Warnock - his opponent booted four goals in the second half so it could probably be said that he lowered his colours but he did work hard in defence and was on top early. Sandringham 2.6.18 10.11.71 16.15.111 19.20.134 Tasmania 3.1.19 5.3.33 11.5.71 14.8.92 Goals Sandringham Crowe Poyas 4 Holland 3 Ferguson Valenti 2 Jamar Neaves Pickett Summers Tasmania Derbyshire 4 Adams Ross 2 Hall Hansen Ling Moles Moran Stephens Best Sandringham Holland Crowe Poyas Liddell Valenti Garland Tasmania Stephens Thurley Koulouriotis Street Moran Adams Ben Holland - started down back and then was moved forward in what was a great move. He marked everything in sight and was the main focal point of attack. Worthy of best on ground honours. . Mark Jamar - was excellent in the ruck palming the ball down to Valenti and took some strong marks around the ground. Brent Moloney - this was only his second game back and he is slowly working his way into form. Did well in rotation with Valenti. Shane Neaves - played second fiddle to Jamar in the ruck and wasn't called upon to do very much on the night. Byron Pickett - had a reasonable game without being dominant. Kicked a goal but appeared to incur an injury or two over the course of the evening but nothing major. Matthew Warnock - his opponent booted four goals in the second half so it could probably be said that he lowered his colours but he did work hard in defence and was on top early. Sandringham 2.6.18 10.11.71 16.15.111 19.20.134 Tasmania 3.1.19 5.3.33 11.5.71 14.8.92 Goals Sandringham Crowe Poyas 4 Holland 3 Ferguson Valenti 2 Jamar Neaves Pickett Summers Tasmania Derbyshire 4 Adams Ross 2 Hall Hansen Ling Moles Moran Stephens Best Sandringham Holland Crowe Poyas Liddell Valenti Garland Tasmania Stephens Thurley Koulouriotis Street Moran Adams

I need one more set of votes as Scoop Junior's votes as per his match review (out tomorrow) will also be used for the Demonland Player of The Year voting ...

Our sponsor, the FUBAR Cafe & Juice Bar at 16 Belford Street, St. Kilda (off Acland Street) has introduced a new drink, the Juice Newton (non alcoholic secret recipe) named after our very own and recently selected forward Michael "Juice" Newton. As a special introductory offer if you're a holder of an MFC season's ticket, you'll get a free Juice Newton with any meal you order plus a 10% discount off your bill at the end of the meal. FUBAR is open 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch (8am to 5pm) and is licensed. You can also book FUBAR for evening functions (birthdays, 21sts, bucks and hens nights, small engagements and weddings)- call 9525-4838 Support our Sponsor

We're in the planning stages for our second Demonland/Demonology fuction - some news about that soon... In the meantime, one of the players we sponsored in 2003, Ezra Poyas plays game # 100 in the VFL with Sandringham in Tassie tonight. This tribute appears in the TRUenergy Victorian Football League Record:- EZRA'S SECOND COMING Key Zebra excels after almost giving game away. When his season as a Melbourne rookie finished in 2003, Ezra Poyas was disenchanted with football and headed overseas. Poyas, a standout junior who captained Vic Metro at the under-16 and 18 national championships, earning a second-round draft selection by Richmond, doubted he would ever play again. During three tough seasons with the Tigers, Poyas managed nine AFL games. The Demons subsequently rookie-listed him, but he was never upgraded and in his mind, the curtain had fallen on his football career. For 18 months Poyas travelled overseas and lived in Sydney. It was during his time in the Harbour City that he realised that he missed the game fiercely. And while disappointed that his stay at Melbourne did not amount to anything, Poyas had enjoyed his time playing with VFL affiliate Sandringham and decided to return to the Trevor Barker Oval. It's a choice that has given him no regrets and plenty of highlights. Poyas tied with Carlton’s Luke Blackwell to win the 2001 J.J. Liston Trophy, the competition’s highest individual award, but it is the two premierships with Sandringham that stand like beacons as personal highlights. Another honour is added to an impressive CV this weekend, when Poyas plays his 100th VFL match. The milestone man noted that while players don’t go out to chalk up a particular number of matches, it is definitely something which he can reflect upon proudly. Poyas doesn't deviate from the fact that he was disappointed with how his AFL career unfolded but said the positive from that was the opportunity to play at Sandringham. "The one big thing to come out of the past two-and-a-half seasons is that I have made some great mates who hopefully will be friends forever," Poyas said. "There are no big heads at Sandringham. Anyone who has a bad attitude either gets thrown out or changes pretty quickly." Sandringham coach Mark Williams said it was no secret that Poyas was a key to the club's success, and that the 26-year-old was one of the few players in the competition who had the explosiveness to change the course of a match. The recent clash against Port Melbourne highlighted Poyas' value. "He had an ordinary first quarter and we had to take him off for giving away a silly free kick," Williams said. "And then when he came back on he kicked five goals." "He has the ability to take a game by the scruff of the neck and dominate opponents - when he gets on a roll, he is very hard to stop." Ezra Poyas is already well pleased that he didn’t give up on football. And a third premiership in 2007 would be another great reminder. EZRA POYAS Games: 99 Goals: 126 Clubs: Richmond, Coburg Tigers, Sandringham Highlights: J.J. Liston Trophy 2001; Sandringham premiership team 2005, 2006; VFL state representative 2007

Our own Grumpy Old Man, Clyde returns after a long absence ... MAD AS HELL by Clyde the Clifton Hill Cabbie "I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad." That's how the late Peter Finch began his famous rant in the movie, "Network". That's also how I feel about football these days and in particular, how I feel about what's happening to my beloved Demons at the moment. Despite the salary cap and the draft, the wealthy clubs (and most of them are outside of Victoria) have an enormous advantage over the battlers in Melbourne. They get the best of the fixturing, the best of the media arrangements and they benefit in the main from advantageous salary cap and draft conditions. The constant rule changes are turning the game into a glorified basketball game on grass, the umpires are getting worse and they can’t handle new rules like the hands on the back stupidity. Some of our high profile players are almost getting away with murder. Well, at least involvement in some pretty nasty extra curricular activities if what I read in the media is correct. And, the people at the AFL don't seem to know what to do about it all. As far as the Demons are concerned, things are bad too. This was supposed to be our year. We were supposed to have a good enough list of players to win the extra game needed to scramble our way into the top four but look where we are? We're second last on the ladder with two wins and the lowest percentage in the competition, the coach just departed from the scene, we can't get enough people to our home games (and if we did, it wouldn't matter anyway because we're not back home at the G till Round 22) and the team keeps on losing the close ones. It's been a horror year for injured players and some like Jared Rivers, Adem Yze, Clint Bartram, and Matthew Whelan are out for the remainder of the 2007 season. Another four, Daniel Bell (hamstring), Brad Green (knee), Travis Johnstone (achilles) and skipper David Neitz (you name it, he's got it) are this week's injury omissions from the team that lost to the Bombers after leading ten seconds from the final siren. Other players are afraid of losing their jobs. Some of them will. I sit at home watching a game on my TV while the commentator bad mouths the team and how bad they are but he never mentions the umpires who won't pay us free kicks as if that's the way it's supposed to be. I don't have to tell you things are bad. To describe how bad I feel, I'll just repeat what Finch said in his Network rant and add a few of my own words. We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so all I know is that first you've got to get mad. You've got to say, 'I'm a human being, god-dammit! My football club has value!' So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad...You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' You know, I once drove Finch to the airport and he was practising his role as Howard Beale in "Network" and he impressed me so much with that now iconic primal scream: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" that I would use it myself sometimes while driving my cab. Many of my fares actually took my advice and then one day it dawned on me that it was I who they couldn't take any more so I eventually retired from the taxi game and then I was no longer mad as hell. The only time I get really mad these days is when I see and read about the goings on at the Melbourne Football Club as they have in recent months. Talk about a whole season being derailed. What makes me really mad is the constant bagging we've been getting in the media and from opposition supporters and the reality is that we deserve some of it because, yes, we've had injuries this year and yes, we've lost the close games but a great deal of what's happened to us in 2007 has been self-inflicted. Things have got to change and the change starts this week with a new coach (albeit a caretaker) and more youth in the team. Yes, things have got to change but first, we supporters have gotta get mad. Each of us has got to say, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" THE GAME Carlton v Melbourne at the MCG - 8 July 2007 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 109 wins Melbourne 88 wins 2 draws At the MCG Carlton 43 wins Melbourne 46 wins Since 2000: Carlton 4 wins Melbourne 6 wins The Coaches: Pagan 0 wins Riley 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 at 3.00pm (delayed telecast) RADIO 3AW MMM 774ABC K-Rock THE BETTING Carlton to win $1.96 Melbourne to win $1.78 LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 12.8.80 d Melbourne 10.13.73, Round 18, 2006, at Telstra Dome Melbourne's season was turned on its head when it lost to wooden spoon bound Carlton for the second time in 2006. The die had already been cast in the previous week when Aaron Davey, Byron Pickett and Travis Johnstone all succumbed to hamstring injuries. More injuries were to follow during this game and, to make things worse, the Demons' kicking for goal was woeful. For Carlton, Brendan Fevola (four goals) and his fellow forwards were deadly accurate. James McDonald worked tirelessly for the Demons and Matthew Bate emerged as a player of the future. Without a doubt, the club's two defeats at the hands of the Blues cost it a top four placing and snuffed out any chance it might have had of mounting a challenge for the heights in the 2006 finals series. THE TEAMS CARLTON Backs Bryce Gibbs Bret Thornton Adam Hartlett Half backs Shaun Grigg Jarrad Waite Heath Scotland Centreline Paul Bower Ryan Houlihan Kade Simpson Half forwards Marc Murphy Anthony Koutoufides Simon Wiggins Forwards Eddie Betts Josh Kennedy Brad Fisher Followers Setanta O'hAilpin Andrew Walker Andrew Carrazzo Interchange Adam Bentick Matthew Lappin Jordan Russell Ross Young Emergencies Cain Ackland Jordan Bannister Jason Saddington In Paul Bower Shaun Grigg Josh Kennedy Andrew Walker Out Brendan Fevola (club suspension) Cain Ackland Jordan Bannister Jason Saddington New Shaun Grigg (19, Redan/North Ballarat U18) MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Ward Nathan Carroll Paul Wheatley Half backs Chris Johnson Clint Bizzell Nathan Brown Centreline Cameron Bruce James McDonald Ricky Petterd Half forwards Simon Godfrey Russell Robertson Aaron Davey Forwards Colin Sylvia Brad Miller Matthew Bate Followers Jeff White Brock McLean Nathan Jones Interchange Simon Buckley James Frawley Paul Johnson Michael Newton Emergencies Lynden Dunn Ben Holland Byron Pickett In Simon Buckley James Frawley Chris Johnson Brad Miller Out Daniel Bell (hamstring) Brad Green (knee) Travis Johnstone (achilles) David Neitz (finger knee hamstring) New Simon Buckley (20 Sandringham Dragons) Umpires Hendrie Goldspink Fila AND ANOTHER THING Did I mention I was as mad as hell? What really gets my goat is this priority draft pick nonsense. The original idea of helping clubs with weak playing lists has advanced beyond that stage and has now evolved as a reward offered for shameful and possibly even wilful mediocrity. Every year, when we enter the football season's home straight, the teams that are in the running for a priority pick invariably go into a downward spiralling freefall which somehow conveniently leaves them on the right side of the win/loss ledger. Let's go back to Round 21, 2004 and consider the case of the Western Bulldogs who farewelled two of their favourite sons Matthew Croft and Simon Garlick against the Kangaroos. The Doggies rose to the occasion winning the match by 30 points with Croft and Garlick putting in superb efforts. Croft kicked five goals and Garlick kicked two and gathered 14 possessions but both were "dropped" for the final game against Essendon when victory would have cost the club a priority draft selection. They duly lost that match prompting many to ask whether it's usual to drop players who kick five goals in the penultimate game of the season. That was but one example of what makes me hopping mad about these priority selections. The situation has become something of a joke in recent years and you won't find a better example of hypocrisy than when Collingwood strangely collapsed at the end of 2005 and accepted a priority pick two years after they played off in a grand final for the second year in a row. Back in 2003 Mick Malthouse had savaged the system that gave Melbourne a priority selection twelve months after playing off in a semi final. There are many who harbour some suspicions about the way Essendon finished off 2006 to claim a coveted priority selection and netted three top 20 picks. But I've laboured the point enough - let's go now to the present. Along with the bottom placed Tigers, the Demons and the Blues are both in line for priority picks this year. Carlton will miss out however, if it wins (or even draws) another game. The way they've been travelling over the past two rounds (a combined losing margin of 177 points) and in the absence of Lance Whitnall and now Brendan Fevola, without who they historically struggle, it's not out of the question that they won't win another game this season. This could leave them with the first two picks in the 2007 National Draft as well as first selection in the Pre Season Draft. If they achieve that, the Blues will be absolutely dangerous in the trades and drafts at the end of the year given that there's a stash full of loot available courtesy of them having the country's second richest man at the helm. If you think it's far-fetched to expect them to lose all nine remaining games, then think again. Carlton has a realistic chance of winning only about three of those remaining nine games. Two of them are against Melbourne and the Demons wouldn't tank a game if their lives depended on it. Even with Melbourne's burgeoning injury list, it should be far too strong for the Blues on the MCG. There is too much pride and a heap of playing contracts at stake for the Demons and they will be helped by history. Clubs usually rise to the occasion after coaching upheavals - they don't usually lose their immediate first game after appointing a caretaker coach. One can remember a few years back when Neil Craig was given the gig at struggling Adelaide and his team started a rank outsider to win against Melbourne at AAMI Stadium. They still managed to wallop the Demons by about 12 goals in what was a major upset at the time. Look at the Bulldogs after Terry Wallace walked out and the Swans after Paul Roos took over from Rodney Eade. And who could ever forget the night Melbourne flogged Richmond under Greg Hutchison when Neil Balme was given the old heave ho in 1997? Mark Riley has had his players going through hoops at training this week and they're ready for Pagan's paddock and anything else the Blues throw up at his team. "The Melbourne footy club's supporters are going to see some of our young talent on show, which is pretty exciting going forward," he said earlier this week. That means Demon supporters will see more of players like Ricky Petterd, James Frawley, Michael Newton and this week's debutant Simon Buckley. "You can see the results that probably Hawthorn and Collingwood have had in promoting youth, so through the necessity of a few more guys falling over on Friday night, we're going to put a couple of young guys out there and give them a chance to show their stuff and hopefully start a fast-tracking program so they can hit the ground running in 2008." The Demons have been very competitive in recent times if we leave aside the aberration of their abysmal showing against the Tigers a fortnight ago and it's been their inability to put away teams in the dying moments that has put them out of the running for a finals berth. On the other hand, the Blues haven't been even close to putting the same sort of scoreboard pressure on their opponents in recent weeks. While the Demon midfield has been inconsistent both between and during matches, it is able to fire on a few cylinders and when it does, the team can score big time for a quarter or two and that should be enough to overcome the rabble that is Carlton at the present time. This statistic from today's Age should put the matter beyond question - "The Demons are ranked first for centre hitouts while the Blues are ranked 16th". The named on ball brigade of White, McLean and Jones looks too classy for their inexperienced counterparts and, along with the likes of James McDonald and Cameron Bruce, they will be pumping the ball forward all day to set up a scoring feast for the Demons against the worst performed defence in the competition. But if that's not enough to give Melbourne a win by 45 points, then things will be more than bad for the Demons and I will really be mad come the early evening hours of Sunday.

Our own Grumpy Old Man, Clyde returns after a long absence ... MAD AS HELL by Clyde the Clifton Hill Cabbie "I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad." That's how the late Peter Finch began his famous rant in the movie, "Network". That's also how I feel about football these days and in particular, how I feel about what's happening to my beloved Demons at the moment. Despite the salary cap and the draft, the wealthy clubs (and most of them are outside of Victoria) have an enormous advantage over the battlers in Melbourne. They get the best of the fixturing, the best of the media arrangements and they benefit in the main from advantageous salary cap and draft conditions. The constant rule changes are turning the game into a glorified basketball game on grass, the umpires are getting worse and they can’t handle new rules like the hands on the back stupidity. Some of our high profile players are almost getting away with murder. Well, at least involvement in some pretty nasty extra curricular activities if what I read in the media is correct. And, the people at the AFL don't seem to know what to do about it all. As far as the Demons are concerned, things are bad too. This was supposed to be our year. We were supposed to have a good enough list of players to win the extra game needed to scramble our way into the top four but look where we are? We're second last on the ladder with two wins and the lowest percentage in the competition, the coach just departed from the scene, we can't get enough people to our home games (and if we did, it wouldn't matter anyway because we're not back home at the G till Round 22) and the team keeps on losing the close ones. It's been a horror year for injured players and some like Jared Rivers, Adem Yze, Clint Bartram, and Matthew Whelan are out for the remainder of the 2007 season. Another four, Daniel Bell (hamstring), Brad Green (knee), Travis Johnstone (achilles) and skipper David Neitz (you name it, he's got it) are this week's injury omissions from the team that lost to the Bombers after leading ten seconds from the final siren. Other players are afraid of losing their jobs. Some of them will. I sit at home watching a game on my TV while the commentator bad mouths the team and how bad they are but he never mentions the umpires who won't pay us free kicks as if that's the way it's supposed to be. I don't have to tell you things are bad. To describe how bad I feel, I'll just repeat what Finch said in his Network rant and add a few of my own words. We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so all I know is that first you've got to get mad. You've got to say, 'I'm a human being, god-dammit! My football club has value!' So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad...You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' You know, I once drove Finch to the airport and he was practising his role as Howard Beale in "Network" and he impressed me so much with that now iconic primal scream: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" that I would use it myself sometimes while driving my cab. Many of my fares actually took my advice and then one day it dawned on me that it was I who they couldn't take any more so I eventually retired from the taxi game and then I was no longer mad as hell. The only time I get really mad these days is when I see and read about the goings on at the Melbourne Football Club as they have in recent months. Talk about a whole season being derailed. What makes me really mad is the constant bagging we've been getting in the media and from opposition supporters and the reality is that we deserve some of it because, yes, we've had injuries this year and yes, we've lost the close games but a great deal of what's happened to us in 2007 has been self-inflicted. Things have got to change and the change starts this week with a new coach (albeit a caretaker) and more youth in the team. Yes, things have got to change but first, we supporters have gotta get mad. Each of us has got to say, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" THE GAME Carlton v Melbourne at the MCG - 8 July 2007 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 109 wins Melbourne 88 wins 2 draws At the MCG Carlton 43 wins Melbourne 46 wins Since 2000: Carlton 4 wins Melbourne 6 wins The Coaches: Pagan 0 wins Riley 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 at 3.00pm (delayed telecast) RADIO 3AW MMM 774ABC K-Rock THE BETTING Carlton to win $1.96 Melbourne to win $1.78 LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 12.8.80 d Melbourne 10.13.73, Round 18, 2006, at Telstra Dome Melbourne's season was turned on its head when it lost to wooden spoon bound Carlton for the second time in 2006. The die had already been cast in the previous week when Aaron Davey, Byron Pickett and Travis Johnstone all succumbed to hamstring injuries. More injuries were to follow during this game and, to make things worse, the Demons' kicking for goal was woeful. For Carlton, Brendan Fevola (four goals) and his fellow forwards were deadly accurate. James McDonald worked tirelessly for the Demons and Matthew Bate emerged as a player of the future. Without a doubt, the club's two defeats at the hands of the Blues cost it a top four placing and snuffed out any chance it might have had of mounting a challenge for the heights in the 2006 finals series. THE TEAMS CARLTON Backs Bryce Gibbs Bret Thornton Adam Hartlett Half backs Shaun Grigg Jarrad Waite Heath Scotland Centreline Paul Bower Ryan Houlihan Kade Simpson Half forwards Marc Murphy Anthony Koutoufides Simon Wiggins Forwards Eddie Betts Josh Kennedy Brad Fisher Followers Setanta O'hAilpin Andrew Walker Andrew Carrazzo Interchange Adam Bentick Matthew Lappin Jordan Russell Ross Young Emergencies Cain Ackland Jordan Bannister Jason Saddington In Paul Bower Shaun Grigg Josh Kennedy Andrew Walker Out Brendan Fevola (club suspension) Cain Ackland Jordan Bannister Jason Saddington New Shaun Grigg (19, Redan/North Ballarat U18) MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Ward Nathan Carroll Paul Wheatley Half backs Chris Johnson Clint Bizzell Nathan Brown Centreline Cameron Bruce James McDonald Ricky Petterd Half forwards Simon Godfrey Russell Robertson Aaron Davey Forwards Colin Sylvia Brad Miller Matthew Bate Followers Jeff White Brock McLean Nathan Jones Interchange Simon Buckley James Frawley Paul Johnson Michael Newton Emergencies Lynden Dunn Ben Holland Byron Pickett In Simon Buckley James Frawley Chris Johnson Brad Miller Out Daniel Bell (hamstring) Brad Green (knee) Travis Johnstone (achilles) David Neitz (finger knee hamstring) New Simon Buckley (20 Sandringham Dragons) Umpires Hendrie Goldspink Fila AND ANOTHER THING Did I mention I was as mad as hell? What really gets my goat is this priority draft pick nonsense. The original idea of helping clubs with weak playing lists has advanced beyond that stage and has now evolved as a reward offered for shameful and possibly even wilful mediocrity. Every year, when we enter the football season's home straight, the teams that are in the running for a priority pick invariably go into a downward spiralling freefall which somehow conveniently leaves them on the right side of the win/loss ledger. Let's go back to Round 21, 2004 and consider the case of the Western Bulldogs who farewelled two of their favourite sons Matthew Croft and Simon Garlick against the Kangaroos. The Doggies rose to the occasion winning the match by 30 points with Croft and Garlick putting in superb efforts. Croft kicked five goals and Garlick kicked two and gathered 14 possessions but both were "dropped" for the final game against Essendon when victory would have cost the club a priority draft selection. They duly lost that match prompting many to ask whether it's usual to drop players who kick five goals in the penultimate game of the season. That was but one example of what makes me hopping mad about these priority selections. The situation has become something of a joke in recent years and you won't find a better example of hypocrisy than when Collingwood strangely collapsed at the end of 2005 and accepted a priority pick two years after they played off in a grand final for the second year in a row. Back in 2003 Mick Malthouse had savaged the system that gave Melbourne a priority selection twelve months after playing off in a semi final. There are many who harbour some suspicions about the way Essendon finished off 2006 to claim a coveted priority selection and netted three top 20 picks. But I've laboured the point enough - let's go now to the present. Along with the bottom placed Tigers, the Demons and the Blues are both in line for priority picks this year. Carlton will miss out however, if it wins (or even draws) another game. The way they've been travelling over the past two rounds (a combined losing margin of 177 points) and in the absence of Lance Whitnall and now Brendan Fevola, without who they historically struggle, it's not out of the question that they won't win another game this season. This could leave them with the first two picks in the 2007 National Draft as well as first selection in the Pre Season Draft. If they achieve that, the Blues will be absolutely dangerous in the trades and drafts at the end of the year given that there's a stash full of loot available courtesy of them having the country's second richest man at the helm. If you think it's far-fetched to expect them to lose all nine remaining games, then think again. Carlton has a realistic chance of winning only about three of those remaining nine games. Two of them are against Melbourne and the Demons wouldn't tank a game if their lives depended on it. Even with Melbourne's burgeoning injury list, it should be far too strong for the Blues on the MCG. There is too much pride and a heap of playing contracts at stake for the Demons and they will be helped by history. Clubs usually rise to the occasion after coaching upheavals - they don't usually lose their immediate first game after appointing a caretaker coach. One can remember a few years back when Neil Craig was given the gig at struggling Adelaide and his team started a rank outsider to win against Melbourne at AAMI Stadium. They still managed to wallop the Demons by about 12 goals in what was a major upset at the time. Look at the Bulldogs after Terry Wallace walked out and the Swans after Paul Roos took over from Rodney Eade. And who could ever forget the night Melbourne flogged Richmond under Greg Hutchison when Neil Balme was given the old heave ho in 1997? Mark Riley has had his players going through hoops at training this week and they're ready for Pagan's paddock and anything else the Blues throw up at his team. "The Melbourne footy club's supporters are going to see some of our young talent on show, which is pretty exciting going forward," he said earlier this week. That means Demon supporters will see more of players like Ricky Petterd, James Frawley, Michael Newton and this week's debutant Simon Buckley. "You can see the results that probably Hawthorn and Collingwood have had in promoting youth, so through the necessity of a few more guys falling over on Friday night, we're going to put a couple of young guys out there and give them a chance to show their stuff and hopefully start a fast-tracking program so they can hit the ground running in 2008." The Demons have been very competitive in recent times if we leave aside the aberration of their abysmal showing against the Tigers a fortnight ago and it's been their inability to put away teams in the dying moments that has put them out of the running for a finals berth. On the other hand, the Blues haven't been even close to putting the same sort of scoreboard pressure on their opponents in recent weeks. While the Demon midfield has been inconsistent both between and during matches, it is able to fire on a few cylinders and when it does, the team can score big time for a quarter or two and that should be enough to overcome the rabble that is Carlton at the present time. This statistic from today's Age should put the matter beyond question - "The Demons are ranked first for centre hitouts while the Blues are ranked 16th". The named on ball brigade of White, McLean and Jones looks too classy for their inexperienced counterparts and, along with the likes of James McDonald and Cameron Bruce, they will be pumping the ball forward all day to set up a scoring feast for the Demons against the worst performed defence in the competition. But if that's not enough to give Melbourne a win by 45 points, then things will be more than bad for the Demons and I will really be mad come the early evening hours of Sunday.

The Team B: Ward, Carroll, Wheatley HB: C.Johnson, Bizzell, Brown C: Bruce, McDonald, Petterd HF: Godfrey, Robertson, Davey F: Sylvia, Miller, Bate FOLL: White, McLean, Jones I/C from: P.Johnson, Frawley, Newton, Buckley, Pickett, Holland, Dunn In: Miller, C.Johnson, Buckley, Frawley, Holland, Pickett, Dunn Out: Neitz (knee), Green (knee), Bell (hamstring), Johnstone (achilles) New Simon Buckley Umpires: Hendrie, Goldspink, Fila

Cameron Bruce regains top place - 65. Cameron Bruce 64. Nathan Jones 57. Aaron Davey James McDonald 54. Daniel Bell 49. Jeff White 46. Colin Sylvia 44. Brad Green 41. Travis Johnstone 39. Matthew Bate 37. Simon Godfrey 35. Brent Moloney 30. Ben Holland 29. Russell Robertson 25. David Neitz 24. Adem Yze 20. Brad Miller Ricky Petterd 18. Clint Bizzell Jared Rivers 15. Nathan Brown 10. Brock McLean 9. Nathan Carroll 6. Paul Wheatley 4. Daniel Ward 2. Paul Johnson 1. Lynden Dunn

Yes, it would and I'll take the Flash for the 1 vote

The Cabbie holds his narrow lead over Whispering Jack with canberrademon(herb) and deesthis year (unfortunately not) another two behind. 1. (1) 64 Clyde_Cabbie 2. (2) 63 Whispering_Jack 3. (4) 61 canberrademon(herb) 3. (3) 61 deesthisyear 5. (6) 60 demon_davey 5. (4) 60 great_gatsby 7. (6) 59 Demonland 8. (10) 58 BigKev Demon 8. (6) 58 deanox 8. (17) 58 DeMoNiC 8. (17) 58 Go_Ds 8. (10) 58 Scoop Junior 8. (17) 58 slamevil 8. (10) 58 snarler_0 15. (10) 57 Alpha_33 15. (6) 57 bl3281 17. (10) 56 paliosiana 17. (15) 56 Pinball_Wizard 19. (20) 55 achirnside 19. (15) 55 Rivers Run Red 21. (22) 54 frangas 21. (20) 54 petejh2000 23. (22) 52 Jackieboy_0 23. (22) 52 KrazyJay 23. (22) 52 TimDees 26. (27) 50 dee'viator 26. (26) 50 Goodvibes 28. (28) 48 rusty_corner 29. (29) 44 No Cigar 30. (29) 42 Kieranbj 31. (31) 41 demon_fanatic 32. (32) 40 Dees_Fan16 33. (33) 38 Fingers Power 34. (34) 37 Dappadan 35. (35) 34 CarnTheDees 36. (36) 31 melon22 37. (37) 30 jaded24 38. (38) 22 rusty_kingswood Rusty_kingswood is in trouble.

I'm looking for the first three serious set of voting from Friday night's game. You know the drill - 6,5,4,3,2,1

by Whispering Jack It was a night when the clock should have stopped ticking six or seven seconds earlier but things never happen that way. They say after all, that nothing can change the shape of things to come. The dream finish to Neale Daniher's coaching career didn't take place; his team lost in the inevitable way that was seemingly always scripted through his time at the club. For a decade his team lurched forward and backward, from one extreme to another waiting for the inevitable accident to happen and on this last night, it happened again. Throughout his term as coach, Daniher has been fond of expounding the "time clock theory" to explain precisely where any given team list is placed in terms of its development and its capacity to challenge for a premiership. However, the theory has its flaws and doesn't contend with the vagaries of football and of matters beyond the control of a coach, be they injury crises, boardroom revolts, salary cap penalties, financial setbacks, weather conditions, rule changes, umpiring, fixturing issues and even the death of a player. Daniher has faced them all in his time. He took them in his stride, gave his all with passion and commitment, promoted his club vigorously, did his best for his players and his team and came out of it last night with dignity if not victory. After a week of high drama the dream script should have seen Daniher's men come out and tear the Bombers apart but if 2007 has been a dream for Melbourne, then that dream was a wild nightmare from the very beginning. Playing against a full strength Essendon side, Melbourne's woeful run with injuries continued when Daniel Bell's hamstring went before the big crowd at the Telstra Dome had barely settled into their seats. One of the Demons' big improvers of the season, Bell brilliantly intercepted a pass meant for his opponent Scott Lucas, took his kick and then disappeared from the game. Melbourne's defence, already undermanned and undersized, was unable to contain the Bomber tall timber and Lucas was to become the match winner. By the end of the night, at least four others were struggling with their fitness. Meanwhile, the remainder of the first quarter was a repeat of the horrors of the first half against Richmond that provided the nail for the coffin of a coaching career at the club. Trailing by 37 points at the first change, Daniher desperately made some moves in an attempt to inspire his charges and they came to the party. The game was a freewheeling affair and, in the absence of the modern day tactics of pushing players behind the ball to flood defences, Melbourne was able to fight its way back. David Neitz and Travis Johnstone, who both missed the Tiger debacle, hit their straps and James McDonald continued working hard around the stoppages where Melbourne was getting on top. The Demons ran and ran, created numerous scoring opportunities, got to within a point but fell away in the dying moments of the first half to concede three late goals. Still, they went into the half time break in much better shape than we feared after the first half hour. The all-important third quarter was all Melbourne's. It comprehensively outplayed Essendon and, with Russell Robertson coming out of his early shell and booting three goals for the term, the Dees were on the brink of an historic and famous victory. All that was needed was that final death blow from which the Bombers, who were literally on their knees, would surely not be able to recover. Instead, the epitaph for Daniher's long coaching stint at the club was written in much the same way that his years at the club would come to be remembered. Skipper David Neitz, still not at 100% following his injury woes of the season, suddenly acquired the kicking yips missing three shots at goal from within fifty metres that would have been routine if he were at the height of his powers. One of them slewed across the face of goals and didn't even score. Likewise, Russell Robertson missed a set shot that he should have gobbled up. Emerging youngsters Colin Sylvia and Matthew Bate also messed up an opportunity that should have seen a goal rammed home but the ball went astray. Debutant, Michael Newton, who was impressive but undertandably nervous in his first game at this level, dropped a simple chest mark in front of goal. Still, when Aaron Davey put Melbourne 17 points in front with a few minutes left to play, it should have been all over. But the game unravelled for Melbourne and the accidents just kept on coming for Neale Daniher in the dying moments of his coaching career. A few lucky bounces went Essendon's way, there was some poor decision making from Melbourne players, horrific umpiring from a group that gave the Bombers an enormous 27-18 free kick advantage on the night (did not one of them see what 47,552 others saw when Cameron Bruce was tripped late in the game or were they just pulling our legs?) and Scott Lucas and fate stepped in for the final goal with six seconds left on the clock. For the second time, the Bombers had kicked three straight goals at the Lockett End of the Telstra Dome to finish off a quarter. So time has finally run out for Neale Daniher. I can't say that he was a great coach. That is a description reserved for those who win premiership flags. I will say however, that he was a good coach and that he changed the shape of the club in his time at Melbourne. One only hopes that he leaves it a far better place than it was when he entered ten years ago but his true legacy will only be understood in the fullness of time. Melbourne 2.2.14 9.4.58 16.9.105 18.15.123 Essendon 8.3.51 12.5.77 14.8.92 19.11.125 Goals Melbourne Neitz Robertson 3 Davey Petterd Sylvia 2 Bate Bruce Godfrey Johnstone Newton Ward Essendon Lucas 5 Lloyd 4 Davey Laycock Lovett McVeigh 2 Hird McPhee Best Melbourne McDonald Bruce Bate Jones Neitz Sylvia Essendon Hird Laycock Lucas Lloyd Watson Fletcher Injuries Melbourne Neitz (knee) Green (knee) Bell (hamstring) Essendon - nil Reports - nil Changes – nil Umpires Margetts Grun Ryan Crowd 47,552 at Telstra Dome

NOTHING CAN CHANGE THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME - A POSTSCRIPT by Whispering Jack "There are changes Lyin' ahead in every road And there are new thoughts Ready and waiting to explode When tomorrow is today The bells may toll for some But nothing can change the shape of things to come" by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil - "Shape of Things to Come" most famously performed by Max Frost and the Troopers for the 1968 movie "Wild in the Streets". The theme for the revival of the Melbourne Football Club may well have been written forty years ago when the cult movie Wild in the Streets was conceived. The "anti-hero" of the film is Christopher Jones starring as the revolutionary Max Frost who gets elected as President of the United States and enacts a law that makes thirty the mandatory retirement age. "If you’re thirty, your through!" Before you jump to the wrong conclusion that I'm suggesting Melbourne should cull anyone on its list who has celebrated or is about to celebrate his thirtieth birthday, let me explain the basic premise of the movie. This was a film that looked at the contemporary issues of the time - Vietnam, civil rights, political assassinations, the population explosion, the emergence of the baby boomer generation and rioting and unrest in urban America - by using the device of "reductio ad absurdum", i.e. to reduce something to absurdity by taking it to extremes. It would fanciful and far too extreme to suggest that any given footballer is finished as soon as he reaches the magical age of thirty. One only has to look at the best players on the ground in last night's game at the Dome. James Hird is 34 years of age, Scott Lucas turns 30 before year's end while James McDonald will be 31 in October. Demon skipper David Neitz, who went into the game below full fitness, still managed to inspire the team with two goals in the second term and he could have won the game off his own boot had he kicked with some accuracy in the final quarter. So I'm not suggesting that all of the thirty somethings at the club should go at once. However, there are far too many at the club who have seen their best days and who will never perform the sort of magic we saw last night from James Hird. To retain upwards of nine of them - the most in the competition - would be unsustainable if the Demons were to progress in the future. The inevitable result of the coaching upheaval at the club must be translated into a new policy of bringing in the youngsters. The final nine weeks of the season will be a time of innovation and experimentation as we wait for the decision as to who will hold the coaching reins in his hands in 2008 and beyond. The trading period and the drafts in November and December will also bring regeneration and youth to the club. Nothing can change the shape of things to come.

by Whispering Jack "There are changes Lyin' ahead in every road And there are new thoughts Ready and waiting to explode When tomorrow is today The bells may toll for some But nothing can change the shape of things to come" by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil - "Shape of Things to Come" most famously performed by Max Frost and the Troopers for the 1968 movie "Wild in the Streets". The theme for the revival of the Melbourne Football Club may well have been written forty years ago when the cult movie Wild in the Streets was conceived. The "anti-hero" of the film is Christopher Jones starring as the revolutionary Max Frost who gets elected as President of the United States and enacts a law that makes thirty the mandatory retirement age. "If you’re thirty, your through!" Before you jump to the wrong conclusion that I'm suggesting Melbourne should cull anyone on its list who has celebrated or is about to celebrate his thirtieth birthday, let me explain the basic premise of the movie. This was a film that looked at the contemporary issues of the time - Vietnam, civil rights, political assassinations, the population explosion, the emergence of the baby boomer generation and rioting and unrest in urban America - by using the device of "reductio ad absurdum", i.e. to reduce something to absurdity by taking it to extremes. It would fanciful and far too extreme to suggest that any given footballer is finished as soon as he reaches the magical age of thirty. One only has to look at the best players on the ground in last night's game at the Dome. James Hird is 34 years of age, Scott Lucas turns 30 before year's end while James McDonald will be 31 in October. Demon skipper David Neitz, who went into the game below full fitness, still managed to inspire the team with two goals in the second term and he could have won the game off his own boot had he kicked with some accuracy in the final quarter. So I'm not suggesting that all of the thirty somethings at the club should go at once. However, there are far too many at the club who have seen their best days and who will never perform the sort of magic we saw last night from James Hird. To retain upwards of nine of them - the most in the competition - would be unsustainable if the Demons were to progress in the future. The inevitable result of the coaching upheaval at the club must be translated into a new policy of bringing in the youngsters. The final nine weeks of the season will be a time of innovation and experimentation as we wait for the decision as to who will hold the coaching reins in his hands in 2008 and beyond. The trading period and the drafts in November and December will also bring regeneration and youth to the club. Nothing can change the shape of things to come.

NOTHING CAN CHANGE THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME by Whispering Jack It was a night when the clock should have stopped ticking six or seven seconds earlier but things never happen that way. They say after all, that nothing can change the shape of things to come. The dream finish to Neale Daniher's coaching career didn't take place; his team lost in the inevitable way that was seemingly always scripted through his time at the club. For a decade his team lurched forward and backward, from one extreme to another waiting for the inevitable accident to happen and on this last night, it happened again. Throughout his term as coach, Daniher has been fond of expounding the "time clock theory" to explain precisely where any given team list is placed in terms of its development and its capacity to challenge for a premiership. However, the theory has its flaws and doesn't contend with the vagaries of football and of matters beyond the control of a coach, be they injury crises, boardroom revolts, salary cap penalties, financial setbacks, weather conditions, rule changes, umpiring, fixturing issues and even the death of a player. Daniher has faced them all in his time. He took them in his stride, gave his all with passion and commitment, promoted his club vigorously, did his best for his players and his team and came out of it last night with dignity if not victory. After a week of high drama the dream script should have seen Daniher's men come out and tear the Bombers apart but if 2007 has been a dream for Melbourne, then that dream was a wild nightmare from the very beginning. Playing against a full strength Essendon side, Melbourne's woeful run with injuries continued when Daniel Bell's hamstring went before the big crowd at the Telstra Dome had barely settled into their seats. One of the Demons' big improvers of the season, Bell brilliantly intercepted a pass meant for his opponent Scott Lucas, took his kick and then disappeared from the game. Melbourne's defence, already undermanned and undersized, was unable to contain the Bomber tall timber and Lucas was to become the match winner. By the end of the night, at least four others were struggling with their fitness. Meanwhile, the remainder of the first quarter was a repeat of the horrors of the first half against Richmond that provided the nail for the coffin of a coaching career at the club. Trailing by 37 points at the first change, Daniher desperately made some moves in an attempt to inspire his charges and they came to the party. The game was a freewheeling affair and, in the absence of the modern day tactics of pushing players behind the ball to flood defences, Melbourne was able to fight its way back. David Neitz and Travis Johnstone, who both missed the Tiger debacle, hit their straps and James McDonald continued working hard around the stoppages where Melbourne was getting on top. The Demons ran and ran, created numerous scoring opportunities, got to within a point but fell away in the dying moments of the first half to concede three late goals. Still, they went into the half time break in much better shape than we feared after the first half hour. The all-important third quarter was all Melbourne's. It comprehensively outplayed Essendon and, with Russell Robertson coming out of his early shell and booting three goals for the term, the Dees were on the brink of an historic and famous victory. All that was needed was that final death blow from which the Bombers, who were literally on their knees, would surely not be able to recover. Instead, the epitaph for Daniher's long coaching stint at the club was written in much the same way that his years at the club would come to be remembered. Skipper David Neitz, still not at 100% following his injury woes of the season, suddenly acquired the kicking yips missing three shots at goal from within fifty metres that would have been routine if he were at the height of his powers. One of them slewed across the face of goals and didn't even score. Likewise, Russell Robertson missed a set shot that he should have gobbled up. Emerging youngsters Colin Sylvia and Matthew Bate also messed up an opportunity that should have seen a goal rammed home but the ball went astray. Debutant, Michael Newton, who was impressive but undertandably nervous in his first game at this level, dropped a simple chest mark in front of goal. Still, when Aaron Davey put Melbourne 17 points in front with a few minutes left to play, it should have been all over. But the game unravelled for Melbourne and the accidents just kept on coming for Neale Daniher in the dying moments of his coaching career. A few lucky bounces went Essendon's way, there was some poor decision making from Melbourne players, horrific umpiring from a group that gave the Bombers an enormous 27-18 free kick advantage on the night (did not one of them see what 47,552 others saw when Cameron Bruce was tripped late in the game or were they just pulling our legs?) and Scott Lucas and fate stepped in for the final goal with six seconds left on the clock. For the second time, the Bombers had kicked three straight goals at the Lockett End of the Telstra Dome to finish off a quarter. So time has finally run out for Neale Daniher. I can't say that he was a great coach. That is a description reserved for those who win premiership flags. I will say however, that he was a good coach and that he changed the shape of the club in his time at Melbourne. One only hopes that he leaves it a far better place than it was when he entered ten years ago but his true legacy will only be understood in the fullness of time. Melbourne 2.2.14 9.4.58 16.9.105 18.15.123 Essendon 8.3.51 12.5.77 14.8.92 19.11.125 Goals Melbourne Neitz Robertson 3 Davey Petterd Sylvia 2 Bate Bruce Godfrey Johnstone Newton Ward Essendon Lucas 5 Lloyd 4 Davey Laycock Lovett McVeigh 2 Hird McPhee Best Melbourne McDonald Bruce Bate Jones Neitz Sylvia Essendon Hird Laycock Lucas Lloyd Watson Fletcher Injuries Melbourne Neitz (knee) Green (knee) Bell (hamstring) Essendon - nil Reports - nil Changes – nil Umpires Margetts Grun Ryan Crowd 47,552 at Telstra Dome