Demonland

Most picked seven winners, none picked eight and a few simply forgot to put in their tips: Rank (Last Week) Total Tipster 1 (1) 70 Whispering_Jack 2 (2) 68 The Little Devils 3 (3) 67 petejh2000 3 (3) 67 slamevil 5 (5) 66 aronbrandon 5 (5) 66 belzebub59 5 (5) 66 Pinball_Wizard 8 (5) 65 Alpha33 8 (9) 65 deesthisyear 8 (9) 65 Super_Slater 11 (9) 64 old man rivers 11 (12) 64 Tim - Go Dees 13 (12) 63 Davey's sugar daddy 13 (16) 63 Kieranbj 13 (12) 63 Scoop Junior 16 (19) 62 Clyde_Cabbie 16 (19) 62 deanox 16 (16) 62 Demonland 19 (19) 61 BigKev Demon 19 (23) 61 Edorion 21 (26) 60 DeeReaming 21 (26) 60 Joe_Gutnick64 21 (16) 60 The Natural 24 (30) 59 dee'luded 24 (26) 59 DeMoNiC 26 (12) 58 rjhrjh 27 (30) 57 No Cigar2 28 (19) 56 barpen 28 (32) 56 CarnTheDees 28 (32) 56 DEE32 31 (23) 55 bl3281 31 (34) 55 Dappadan 31 (23) 55 stelioss 34 (26) 54 great_gatsby 35 (35) 50 achirnside 36 (35) 48 mo64 36 (35) 48 mpinnell 38 (38) 47 -FitZ^ 39 (39) 46 glamorizeme 40 (40) 45 BrockMclean 40 (40) 45 demonsflag555657 40 (40) 45 KrazyJay78 43 (43) 44 paliosiana 44 (44) 43 thegoldenmonkey

by Whispering Jack Hell took a holiday and the Melbourne Football Club put on a better face both on and off the field on the long weekend. The club's 150th Anniversary Heroes function on Saturday night was quite brilliant and the team's performance on Monday was more than just competitive against the old enemy in Collingwood which has been in full flight recently with an aggregate winning margin of 186 points against the two most recent premiership teams. The day also produced an announcement from President Paul Gardner that he would stand down at the club's next board meeting and all this is happening with announcements pending on the club's tenure of its new training bases at both the old Olympic Park precinct and at Casey Fields and of the proposed new alliance with the Casey Scorpions. That's all politics and stuff for another day. Those who are critical of the young Demon side for seemingly needing the inspiration of a special event like the David Neitz retirement match or the Queens Birthday blockbuster should think again. As I have maintained for most of this year, the club is in transition in many different ways. On the field it has a young team that has lost countless years of experience in a short space of time and always translates into inconsistency of performance - from week to week and from within the games themselves. What's important for Melbourne is that it continues to gain something every week and for a noticeble improvement to be discerned in its overall performance over time. I think it's safe to say however, that the nasty comparisons comparisons being made in some circles with the dying Fitzroy Football Club are somewhat exaggerated and more than a little mischievous. The Demons certainly came out breathing fire in front of an attendance of 79,337 (in AFL adjusted terms*) and surprised Collingwood with its opening aggression, much of it supplied by solid midfielder Brent Moloney supported by Brock McLean and Nathan Jones whose strong play allowed the home side to take a five-point lead at the first break. The Magpies had the edge in experience, pace and skill and exploited Melbourne's weak links but simply could not shake off the persistent Demons whose young defence was headed by AFL near novices Colin Garland and Matthew Warnock who are improving in leaps and bounds in their key defensive positions. They are adaptable and are fast enought to take on the opposition's smaller forwards and with an extra tall mobile defender to help out against the big guns this could become a very tight unit indeed. At half time, Collingwood held a lead of seven points and halfway through the third quarter there was still only a kick in the game. However, the Demons started missing their shots for goal and the Pies were nailing theirs and as a result, Melbourne started falling off the pace. Brad Green uncharacteristically missed a couple of easy ones at vital stages and finally found the mark right on the three quarter time siren to reduce the margin to 23 points. As often happens in these circumstances, Collingwood's goals in the second half of the third term were absolute blinders - one bounced through from 65 metres out, another was from an impossible angle and then there was the one kicked by Tarkyn Lockyer while lying on his back and being tackled by two defenders. Melbourne never gave up at any time and was still in with a chance when it trailled by 15 points after a couple of misses from Adem Yze, who otherwise had one of his better games, and some rushed behinds. To underline their class, the Magpies pushed forward with a brilliant run from Dale Thomas that ended up in a goal to give the Pies a 21 point victory. Melbourne's effort to finish with one scoring shot less than Collingwood was commendable in light of the recent results of both clubs but their respective efforts in front of goal highlighted the difference between the teams. The Demons really had no focal point in front of goal and when it had forward opportunities, some poor kicking for goal held back its chances of scoring a major upset. The tone was set early when youngster Cale Morton fluffed some shots. Normally a long accurate kick, the youngster allowed the occasion to get the better of him. He is learning. However, the more experienced Colin Sylvia, Green and Yze all had no excuses and will have to do much better next time. Promoted rookie Austin Wonaeamirri continues to be a revelation and is well on the way to becoming the club's leading goal kicker. He will kick more goals if the club can develop a tall full forward and not rely on him to contest his marks against opposition key defenders. The Demons ultimately succumbed for the simple reason that Collingwood was the better team but if coach Dean Bailey can mould a semblance of a forward line in much the same way that he is building its defence and develop a midfield confident of itself enough to show the flair of some of their Magpie counterparts, then things will continue to get better and better. Melbourne 4.1.25 7.4.46 11.9.75 13.17.95 Collingwood 3.2.20 8.5.53 15.8.98 17.14.116 Goals Melbourne Sylvia Wonaeamirri 3 Green Yze 2 Dunn Jones McLean Collingwood Davis Didak Lockyer H Shaw 2 Brown Cox Fraser Johnson Medhurst O'Brien SwanThomas Wellingham Best Melbourne McLean Jones Garland Warnock Dunn Yze Bruce Collingwood Burns Didak Lockyer Maxwell O'Brien Bryan Injuries Melbourne Rivers (groin) Moloney (shoulder) Replaced Collingwood Rocca (ankle) Pendlebury (back) replaced in selected side by Cox Cook Reports Nil Umpires Vozzo Farmer Meredith Official crowd 59,548 at the MCG [AFL adjusted crowd * 79,337 (adjusted by the same percentage increase as the real crowd number at Carrara in a recent game was calculated)].

HELL'S HOLIDAY by Whispering Jack Hell took a holiday and the Melbourne Football Club put on a better face both on and off the field on the long weekend. The club's 150th Anniversary Heroes function on Saturday night was quite brilliant and the team's performance on Monday was more than just competitive against the old enemy in Collingwood which has been in full flight recently with an aggregate winning margin of 186 points against the two most recent premiership teams. The day also produced an announcement from President Paul Gardner that he would stand down at the club's next board meeting and all this is happening with announcements pending on the club's tenure of its new training bases at both the old Olympic Park precinct and at Casey Fields and of the proposed new alliance with the Casey Scorpions. That's all politics and stuff for another day. Those who are critical of the young Demon side for seemingly needing the inspiration of a special event like the David Neitz retirement match or the Queens Birthday blockbuster should think again. As I have maintained for most of this year, the club is in transition in many different ways. On the field it has a young team that has lost countless years of experience in a short space of time and always translates into inconsistency of performance - from week to week and from within the games themselves. What's important for Melbourne is that it continues to gain something every week and for a noticeble improvement to be discerned in its overall performance over time. I think it's safe to say however, that the nasty comparisons comparisons being made in some circles with the dying Fitzroy Football Club are somewhat exaggerated and more than a little mischievous. The Demons certainly came out breathing fire in front of an attendance of 79,337 (in AFL adjusted terms*) and surprised Collingwood with its opening aggression, much of it supplied by solid midfielder Brent Moloney supported by Brock McLean and Nathan Jones whose strong play allowed the home side to take a five-point lead at the first break. The Magpies had the edge in experience, pace and skill and exploited Melbourne's weak links but simply could not shake off the persistent Demons whose young defence was headed by AFL near novices Colin Garland and Matthew Warnock who are improving in leaps and bounds in their key defensive positions. They are adaptable and are fast enought to take on the opposition's smaller forwards and with an extra tall mobile defender to help out against the big guns this could become a very tight unit indeed. At half time, Collingwood held a lead of seven points and halfway through the third quarter there was still only a kick in the game. However, the Demons started missing their shots for goal and the Pies were nailing theirs and as a result, Melbourne started falling off the pace. Brad Green uncharacteristically missed a couple of easy ones at vital stages and finally found the mark right on the three quarter time siren to reduce the margin to 23 points. As often happens in these circumstances, Collingwood's goals in the second half of the third term were absolute blinders - one bounced through from 65 metres out, another was from an impossible angle and then there was the one kicked by Tarkyn Lockyer while lying on his back and being tackled by two defenders. Melbourne never gave up at any time and was still in with a chance when it trailled by 15 points after a couple of misses from Adem Yze, who otherwise had one of his better games, and some rushed behinds. To underline their class, the Magpies pushed forward with a brilliant run from Dale Thomas that ended up in a goal to give the Pies a 21 point victory. Melbourne's effort to finish with one scoring shot less than Collingwood was commendable in light of the recent results of both clubs but their respective efforts in front of goal highlighted the difference between the teams. The Demons really had no focal point in front of goal and when it had forward opportunities, some poor kicking for goal held back its chances of scoring a major upset. The tone was set early when youngster Cale Morton fluffed some shots. Normally a long accurate kick, the youngster allowed the occasion to get the better of him. He is learning. However, the more experienced Colin Sylvia, Green and Yze all had no excuses and will have to do much better next time. Promoted rookie Austin Wonaeamirri continues to be a revelation and is well on the way to becoming the club's leading goal kicker. He will kick more goals if the club can develop a tall full forward and not rely on him to contest his marks against opposition key defenders. The Demons ultimately succumbed for the simple reason that Collingwood was the better team but if coach Dean Bailey can mould a semblance of a forward line in much the same way that he is building its defence and develop a midfield confident of itself enough to show the flair of some of their Magpie counterparts, then things will continue to get better and better. Melbourne 4.1.25 7.4.46 11.9.75 13.17.95 Collingwood 3.2.20 8.5.53 15.8.98 17.14.116 Goals Melbourne Sylvia Wonaeamirri 3 Green Yze 2 Dunn Jones McLean Collingwood Davis Didak Lockyer H Shaw 2 Brown Cox Fraser Johnson Medhurst O'Brien SwanThomas Wellingham Best Melbourne McLean Jones Garland Warnock Dunn Yze Bruce Collingwood Burns Didak Lockyer Maxwell O'Brien Bryan Injuries Melbourne Rivers (groin) Moloney (shoulder) Replaced Collingwood Rocca (ankle) Pendlebury (back) replaced in selected side by Cox Cook Reports Nil Umpires Vozzo Farmer Meredith Official crowd 59,548 at the MCG [AFL adjusted crowd * 79,337 (adjusted by the same percentage increase as the real crowd number at Carrara in a recent game was calculated)].

INTERESTING TIMES by Barry from Beach Road These are interesting times for the VFL competition. Last Thursday, the course of the Sandringham Football Club was changed forever with the announcement that its union with the Melbourne Football Club will be replaced by a new five-year deal with St. Kilda at the end of the year. In the meantime there was still half a season to be played out. There were games to be won and business to be done with the first assignment being to overcome Collingwood at Trevor Barker Oval. This encounter was looming as a danger game in view of the growing injury lists at both Melbourne and Sandringham which forced nine changes to the Zebra line up from the one that played against the Northern Bullants the week before the VFL interstater against South Australia. There was also the question of how the Demon players were going to tackle this game in the light of last week’s announcement and the fact that their own AFL club was negotiating a move to Casey Fields to enter into an alignment with the Saints' current partner, the Scorpions. Of course, there was no need to question the professionalism of the players from both clubs and the Zebra team applied the usual commitment and exceptional team spirit to produce a comfortable 30 point win in what was otherwise a rather lacklustre event. Sandringham was missing in form champion full forward Nick Sautner who broke his hand in two places late in the Bullants game a fortnight ago. Also missing were last minute withdrawals Tomi Johnston, Shane Tregear and Chris Waller – all young, fast and in recent good form. Ben Holland, originally named at full forward to replace Sautner, failed to prove his fitness and missed out, leaving rookie Demon Trent Zomer to make his senior debut after showing good form with the reserves. The game opened in bright winter sunshine with a large crowd enjoying the mild conditions at Trevor Barker Beach Oval. Sandy was out of the blocks early with Mark Jamar dominating the ruck and pushing forward for an early goal followed quickly by another to Addam Maric. Shane Valenti was winning the early clearances and playing an important role in ensuring that the team moved the ball well on the small ground. He was however, on the receiving end of some heavy attention and was soon involved in a scuffle with his tagger which saw both their names entered in the umpires' books for wrestling. Newcomer Zomer was lively early. He moved well, was prepared to handball to advantage rather than take risky shots for goal and had two goals on the board as the Zebras went into the quarter time huddle with a 19-point lead. He finished with three to be leading goal scorer on the ground for the day. Sandringham's work rate dropped off in the second quarter but the visitors' inaccuracy in front of goal meant that the Zebras did not have to pay the price of their lapses in terms of scoreboard pressure. Both teams were being forced to make mistakes and the game turned into a dull affair by the time the teams took to the rooms at the main break. By that time Collingwood was still 16 points in arrears and would not be allowed back into the game by the much vaunted miserly Zebra defence which simply strangled the Magpie attack in the second half keeping it down to just two goals. The ever-improving Stefan Martin kept his opponent quiet all day, Nathan Carroll had the better of Collingwood speedster Chris Egan, Andy Biddlecombe was rock solid as usual, Matthew Whelan collared any of the Magpies smalls who had the temerity to stand against him and Chris Lamb was unstoppable as Jaxson Barham soon discovered when he tried to run through and not around him. With Jamar (25 disposals) and John Meesen easily accounting for the Magpie rucks, Peter Summers dominated at the stoppages and finished the game with 34 touches. Along with Valenti and irrepressible running link men Chris Johnson (who again put in a blinder) and Simon Buckley, the Zebras held all the aces although the Magpies fought the game out right to the final siren. Rod Crowe was extremely important at centre half forward with his creative play and movement that often put the Magpie defence off its guard and Port Melbourne recruit Jarrod Plymin picked up a lot of possessions in another strong display. The victory has dispelled fears that the impending break up of the alliance between Melbourne and Sandringham might affect the team's performance for the remainder of the year. The players combined and they have always done for the past eight and a half years of the partnership which has seen four Zebra flags and many players from both clubs develop into fine footballers. The fact that three Sandy players – Matthew Warnock, Shane Valenti and Stefan Martin are now on the Demons' list speaks volumes for the success of the partnership forged in late 1999. Sandringham retains third place on the ladder and ironically, its sixth win of the season has set up what should be a fascinating encounter next Saturday when it confronts the fourth placed Scorpions at Casey Fields. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Simon Buckley - a classy display from the Demon runner and, although overshadowed by his counterpart Chris Johnson's own brilliant performance, his disposal is definitely improving and he is showing signs of greater maturity in his play. Nathan Carroll - far too strong and too good for Collingwood speedster Chris Egan who must have nightmares whenever he thinks of the Trevor Barker Beach Oval. Last year he damaged his knee there and this year Carroll dismantled him in a brutal a manner as only a tough defender can do. Kyle Cheney - quiet early with limited opportunities but, as the game went on, the dogged young defender showed enough to suggest he will develop into a very handy and tough member of the back line. The educational value of playing alongside Matty Whelan for just this day alone would be inestimable. Mark Jamar - a clear winner in the ruck against Cameron Wood and he also dominated around the ground. If only he could play like that at the higher level! Chris Johnson - owned the football and was clearly the best man on the ground. He showed great polish in his movement, in his decision making and in his disposal of the football and I would be astonished if he wasn't selected to play against Richmond next week. Addam Maric - busy early up forward and also had the occasional run of the ball where he flashed in and out of the play. He shows that he is learning to add new dimensions to his game, particularly in terms of his defensive skills which he need to hone if he is to be a success in the big time. The task is to convert him from a clever forward pocket into a dangerous, elite midfielder - a long term development project which could pay large dividends for the club in the future. Stefan Martin – a very polished defensive display which saw him completely outclass his opponent. Runs well out of defence for a tall man and is clearly being groomed for a key defensive post at the highest level. He looks like a quick learner as he seems to be doing all of the right things. John Meesen – has great agility and did well in the ruck and around the ground although he was dominated somewhat by his senior ruck partner in Mark Jamar. Shane Valenti - was very good and won a fair bit of the ball although he was closely tagged all day. He didn't seem to mind the attention although could have received a little more protection from the men in orange (aka the umpires). Isaac Weetra - a last minute inclusion in the side who had a quiet day. Matthew Whelan - the consummate small/medium defender whose experience and natural defensive talent shone through. He blocked, he punched, he anticipated the fall of the ball and marked and cleared like the seasoned campaigner that he is and he should also be back at Melbourne next week. Trent Zomer – kicked three on debut and will benefit greatly from whatever time he spends at this level in the absence of Sautner, Holland and Newton. Needs to build up his strength to be able to hold his ground against strong bodied defenders but if he applies himself to the task, he could become a senior key position player which is just what the Demons are looking for in view of the retirement of Neitz and the injury to Robbo. Sandringham 5.2.32 7.5.47 9.11.65 11.13.79 Collingwood 2.1.13 4.7.31 5.8.38 6.13.49 Goals Sandringham Zomer 3 Liddell Maric 2 Jamar C Johnson Poyas Whelan Collingwood Iles 2 Anthony Carmody McCarthy Yaman Best Sandringham C Johnson Whelan Martin Jamar Biddlecombe Valenti Collingwood Iles Pendlebury Crow Stanley Carmody Anthony Reported Sandringham S Valenti (San) for wrestling D Nicholls (Coll) in the 1st quarter Collingwood D Nicholls (Coll) for wrestling S Valenti (San) in the 1st quarter The irony of the week's events was brought home by the fact that the first game played by Sandringham after Thursday's change of affiliation announcement was the reserves curtain raiser against Casey Scorpions. The late changes left the Zebras in a bit of a quandry and without the full squad causing them some heart flutters late in the game but they were still good enough to win by 15 points. Maddison Hardiman and Sam Monaghan continued on with their good recent form and the goals were spread around with Stuart Cleeve, Scott Lockwood and Jake Williams booting three apiece. Demon Ricky Petterd who has been out since round 1 made his return from injury in this game. Sandringham 4.3.27 8.7.55 14.10.94 16.12.108 Casey Scorpions 3.1.19 6.6.42 8.10.58 13.15.93 Goals Sandringham Cleeve Lockwood Williams 3 Lyall 2 Cannon Hardiman Monaghan Petterd Shakaib Casey Scorpions Vernon Williams 3 Leung 2 Arezzolo Fridman Griffiths Haretuku Mercoulia Best Sandringham Hardiman Monaghan Shakaib Williams McConnell Fleming Casey Scorpions Galvin Williams Griffiths Mercoulia Vernon Waite

by Barry from Beach Road These are interesting times for the VFL competition. Last Thursday, the course of the Sandringham Football Club was changed forever with the announcement that its union with the Melbourne Football Club will be replaced by a new five-year deal with St. Kilda at the end of the year. In the meantime there was still half a season to be played out. There were games to be won and business to be done with the first assignment being to overcome Collingwood at Trevor Barker Oval. This encounter was looming as a danger game in view of the growing injury lists at both Melbourne and Sandringham which forced nine changes to the Zebra line up from the one that played against the Northern Bullants the week before the VFL interstater against South Australia. There was also the question of how the Demon players were going to tackle this game in the light of last week’s announcement and the fact that their own AFL club was negotiating a move to Casey Fields to enter into an alignment with the Saints' current partner, the Scorpions. Of course, there was no need to question the professionalism of the players from both clubs and the Zebra team applied the usual commitment and exceptional team spirit to produce a comfortable 30 point win in what was otherwise a rather lacklustre event. Sandringham was missing in form champion full forward Nick Sautner who broke his hand in two places late in the Bullants game a fortnight ago. Also missing were last minute withdrawals Tomi Johnston, Shane Tregear and Chris Waller – all young, fast and in recent good form. Ben Holland, originally named at full forward to replace Sautner, failed to prove his fitness and missed out, leaving rookie Demon Trent Zomer to make his senior debut after showing good form with the reserves. The game opened in bright winter sunshine with a large crowd enjoying the mild conditions at Trevor Barker Beach Oval. Sandy was out of the blocks early with Mark Jamar dominating the ruck and pushing forward for an early goal followed quickly by another to Addam Maric. Shane Valenti was winning the early clearances and playing an important role in ensuring that the team moved the ball well on the small ground. He was however, on the receiving end of some heavy attention and was soon involved in a scuffle with his tagger which saw both their names entered in the umpires' books for wrestling. Newcomer Zomer was lively early. He moved well, was prepared to handball to advantage rather than take risky shots for goal and had two goals on the board as the Zebras went into the quarter time huddle with a 19-point lead. He finished with three to be leading goal scorer on the ground for the day. Sandringham's work rate dropped off in the second quarter but the visitors' inaccuracy in front of goal meant that the Zebras did not have to pay the price of their lapses in terms of scoreboard pressure. Both teams were being forced to make mistakes and the game turned into a dull affair by the time the teams took to the rooms at the main break. By that time Collingwood was still 16 points in arrears and would not be allowed back into the game by the much vaunted miserly Zebra defence which simply strangled the Magpie attack in the second half keeping it down to just two goals. The ever-improving Stefan Martin kept his opponent quiet all day, Nathan Carroll had the better of Collingwood speedster Chris Egan, Andy Biddlecombe was rock solid as usual, Matthew Whelan collared any of the Magpies smalls who had the temerity to stand against him and Chris Lamb was unstoppable as Jaxson Barham soon discovered when he tried to run through and not around him. With Jamar (25 disposals) and John Meesen easily accounting for the Magpie rucks, Peter Summers dominated at the stoppages and finished the game with 34 touches. Along with Valenti and irrepressible running link men Chris Johnson (who again put in a blinder) and Simon Buckley, the Zebras held all the aces although the Magpies fought the game out right to the final siren. Rod Crowe was extremely important at centre half forward with his creative play and movement that often put the Magpie defence off its guard and Port Melbourne recruit Jarrod Plymin picked up a lot of possessions in another strong display. The victory has dispelled fears that the impending break up of the alliance between Melbourne and Sandringham might affect the team's performance for the remainder of the year. The players combined and they have always done for the past eight and a half years of the partnership which has seen four Zebra flags and many players from both clubs develop into fine footballers. The fact that three Sandy players – Matthew Warnock, Shane Valenti and Stefan Martin are now on the Demons' list speaks volumes for the success of the partnership forged in late 1999. Sandringham retains third place on the ladder and ironically, its sixth win of the season has set up what should be a fascinating encounter next Saturday when it confronts the fourth placed Scorpions at Casey Fields. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Simon Buckley - a classy display from the Demon runner and, although overshadowed by his counterpart Chris Johnson's own brilliant performance, his disposal is definitely improving and he is showing signs of greater maturity in his play. Nathan Carroll - far too strong and too good for Collingwood speedster Chris Egan who must have nightmares whenever he thinks of the Trevor Barker Beach Oval. Last year he damaged his knee there and this year Carroll dismantled him in a brutal a manner as only a tough defender can do. Kyle Cheney - quiet early with limited opportunities but, as the game went on, the dogged young defender showed enough to suggest he will develop into a very handy and tough member of the back line. The educational value of playing alongside Matty Whelan for just this day alone would be inestimable. Mark Jamar - a clear winner in the ruck against Cameron Wood and he also dominated around the ground. If only he could play like that at the higher level! Chris Johnson - owned the football and was clearly the best man on the ground. He showed great polish in his movement, in his decision making and in his disposal of the football and I would be astonished if he wasn't selected to play against Richmond next week. Addam Maric - busy early up forward and also had the occasional run of the ball where he flashed in and out of the play. He shows that he is learning to add new dimensions to his game, particularly in terms of his defensive skills which he need to hone if he is to be a success in the big time. The task is to convert him from a clever forward pocket into a dangerous, elite midfielder - a long term development project which could pay large dividends for the club in the future. Stefan Martin – a very polished defensive display which saw him completely outclass his opponent. Runs well out of defence for a tall man and is clearly being groomed for a key defensive post at the highest level. He looks like a quick learner as he seems to be doing all of the right things. John Meesen – has great agility and did well in the ruck and around the ground although he was dominated somewhat by his senior ruck partner in Mark Jamar. Shane Valenti - was very good and won a fair bit of the ball although he was closely tagged all day. He didn't seem to mind the attention although could have received a little more protection from the men in orange (aka the umpires). Isaac Weetra - a last minute inclusion in the side who had a quiet day. Matthew Whelan - the consummate small/medium defender whose experience and natural defensive talent shone through. He blocked, he punched, he anticipated the fall of the ball and marked and cleared like the seasoned campaigner that he is and he should also be back at Melbourne next week. Trent Zomer – kicked three on debut and will benefit greatly from whatever time he spends at this level in the absence of Sautner, Holland and Newton. Needs to build up his strength to be able to hold his ground against strong bodied defenders but if he applies himself to the task, he could become a senior key position player which is just what the Demons are looking for in view of the retirement of Neitz and the injury to Robbo. Sandringham 5.2.32 7.5.47 9.11.65 11.13.79 Collingwood 2.1.13 4.7.31 5.8.38 6.13.49 Goals Sandringham Zomer 3 Liddell Maric 2 Jamar C Johnson Poyas Whelan Collingwood Iles 2 Anthony Carmody McCarthy Yaman Best Sandringham C Johnson Whelan Martin Jamar Biddlecombe Valenti Collingwood Iles Pendlebury Crow Stanley Carmody Anthony Reported Sandringham S Valenti (San) for wrestling D Nicholls (Coll) in the 1st quarter Collingwood D Nicholls (Coll) for wrestling S Valenti (San) in the 1st quarter The irony of the week's events was brought home by the fact that the first game played by Sandringham after Thursday's change of affiliation announcement was the reserves curtain raiser against Casey Scorpions. The late changes left the Zebras in a bit of a quandry and without the full squad causing them some heart flutters late in the game but they were still good enough to win by 15 points. Maddison Hardiman and Sam Monaghan continued on with their good recent form and the goals were spread around with Stuart Cleeve, Scott Lockwood and Jake Williams booting three apiece. Demon Ricky Petterd who has been out since round 1 made his return from injury in this game. Sandringham 4.3.27 8.7.55 14.10.94 16.12.108 Casey Scorpions 3.1.19 6.6.42 8.10.58 13.15.93 Goals Sandringham Cleeve Lockwood Williams 3 Lyall 2 Cannon Hardiman Monaghan Petterd Shakaib Casey Scorpions Vernon Williams 3 Leung 2 Arezzolo Fridman Griffiths Haretuku Mercoulia Best Sandringham Hardiman Monaghan Shakaib Williams McConnell Fleming Casey Scorpions Galvin Williams Griffiths Mercoulia Vernon Waite

And here it is ... 66.211 Brock McLean 40.082 Austin Wonaemirri 31.196 Brad Green 29.701 Aaron Davey 27.249 Paul Wheatley 22.796 Cameron Bruce 22.728 Brad Miller 22.726 Nathan Jones 19.753 Cale Morton 17.992 Paul Johnson 16.513 Colin Garland 16.360 Colin Sylvia 15.996 Matthew Bate 14.482 James McDonald 12.282 Brent Moloney 10.684 Jared Rivers 10.482 Nathan Carroll 9.697 Matthew Warnock 8.132 Clint Bartram 5.904 Matthew Whelan 5.265 Russell Robertson 5.087 Jeff White 2.845 Adem Yze 1.866 Lynden Dunn 1.805 Simon Buckley

The weighted figure for this week is 0.819 (second highest of the year behind the Fremantle game). Will be back soon with an update on the leader board. Clue: Brocky looks like going futher ahead.

THE LONG WEEKEND by The Oracle Melbourne seems to have the wood on Collingwood insofar as their recent Queens Birthday meetings are concerned. The black and white army and its bogan supporters are our bunnies when it comes to the celebration of Her Royal Highness' big day out. Take our last four such encounters when we beat them so easily that we could even be excused for suggesting our dominance might cause what was previously heralded as a great clash of traditional rivals to turn into a potentially crashing bore of an event. The fans might even stay away fearing a lack of a contest. OK. I jest a little, but the AFL's head honcho and leading opera fan, Andrew Demetrious (aka Arthur Fonzarelli or The Fonze) is so frightened at the prospect of a boring outcome that might not appeal to the fans that he set the alarm bells ringing with his pronouncement/threat overnight that Melbourne could lose the blockbuster Queen's Birthday match if it drew a crowd of less than 60,000. That's right! The Fonze is prepared to wield the big stick right at the heart of the Demons at the very moment when they are struggling at the bottom end of a football cycle. This is from the chief executive of the AFL whose duty it is to promote all teams in the competition and treat them as equal partners in the nation's largest sporting enterprise: an organisation which has already hijacked Melbourne's 150th birthday celebrations, stole it away and adopted the anniversary as its own and then, in an act of sheer effrontery this man has decided to snub the celebration of the sesquicentenary at the MCG on August 8 by heading off to the Olympics! And what point is The Fonz trying to make? Despite Melbourne's lowly position on the ladder, its average home attendances are higher than top eight sides Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne, both of which have earned praise in recent times from the AFL as to the way they are managing their financial position. The AFL has form in dealing more favourably with certain clubs than it has with others and in that regard, there was no darker episode in the history of the competition than the way in which it unceremoniously dumped the Fitzroy Football Club in 1996 doing everything in its power to prevent the members of that club from having their wishes taken into account when their team was forced to merge with the Bears and go north to Queensland. Kevin Rudd has apologised to the stolen generations but we have yet to see an AFL leader with the guts to stand up and apologise to Fitzroy people for what the league did to their club. I have this to say to the muppets who aren't prepared to show a grain of respect to the oldest football club in the world. The Melbourne Football Club has been around for more than three times the span of your lifetime and will be around long after you depart this mortal coil. We Demons are resilient and we are not prepared to cop the same treatment or endure the same outcome that befell the Lions. And we will get more than 60,000 to this game as we do every Queens Birthday. So to the Demetrious, the Kennetts et al, my message is plain and simple. Go shove it and leave us alone to enjoy the long weekend! THE GAME Melbourne v. Collingwood at the MCG - 9 June 2008 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 79 wins Collingwood 137 wins 4 draws At the G Melbourne 59 wins Collingwood 70 wins 2 draws Since 2000 Melbourne 5 wins Collingwood 4 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Malthouse 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 10 at 2.30pm (delayed telecast) RADIO Triple M 3AW 7774ABC SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $8.50 Collingwood to win $1.05 LAST TIME THEY MET Collingwood 11.15.81 d Melbourne 9.16.70 Round 20, 2008, at MCG We celebrated David Neitz' 300th game for the club with an honourable defeat for the injury plagued Demons. The team recovered from a slow start and a physical buffeting which saw an end to the seasons of Daniel Bell, Aaron Davey and Ben Holland to get to within five points of the eventual preliminary finalists but failed to go on with it in the last half of the final term. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs James McDonald Colin Garland Daniel Bell Half backs Brad Green Matthew Warnock Paul Wheatley Centreline Cale Morton Brock McLean Cameron Bruce Half forwards Matthew Bate Brad Miller Lynden Dunn Forwards Paul Johnson Colin Sylvia Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White Brent Moloney Nathan Jones Interchange (from) Clint Bartram Jace Bode Jared Rivers Adem Yze Emergencies Nathan Carroll Mark Jamar Chris Johnson In Jace Bode Cale Morton Jared Rivers Out Simon Buckley (omitted) James Frawley (shoulder) Russell Robertson (Achilles) COLLINGWOOD Backs Heath Shaw Shane Wakelin Tarkyn Lockyer Half backs Martin Clarke Nathan Brown Harry O’Brien Centreline Scott Pendlebury Scott Burns Rhyce Shaw Half forwards Leon Davis Shane O’Bree Travis Cloke Forwards Alan Didak Anthony Rocca Paul Medhurst Followers Josh Fraser Dane Swan Dale Thomas Interchange Chris Bryan Ben Johnson Nick Maxwell Sharrod Wellingham Emergencies Ryan Cook Shannon Cox Ben Reid In Anthony Rocca Out Ben Reid (omitted) Umpires Vosso Farmer Meredith THE CRYSTAL BALL The intense rivalry between Melbourne and Collingwood goes back a long way. It has peaked a few times in the past century - in the roaring 20's and then especially through the 1950's and the early part of the sixties. In those days, you would have the entire city enraptured with the event and massive crowds would turn up to the MCG whenever they played against each other. After that, even when one or the other of these two sides was struggling, a Melbourne v. Collingwood game was the town's hottest ticket. But those days are over now that we have interstate clubs with their funny mascots running around (with more to come) but even then, those people responsible for putting together our schedule of games each season remain fascinated by this particular fixture. I was also fascinated and eager to know how this year's game was going to unfold in view of the fact that the Dees aren't travelling too well and the Pies have been blitzing it over the past few weeks winning their last two games by an aggregate of 186 points against the 2006 and 2007 premiership sides! Logic therefore dictates that the Demons are in a spot of bother. After all, they have just lost two great forwards in David Neitz and Russell Robertson who between them have kicked 1030 career goals who have shared the club's goal kicking honours for every season since 2001. Their most creative small forward Aaron Davey is still a week away from playing after suffering a hamstring strain at training recently and their great key forward position hope in Michael Newton struggles with his fitness. They sit in last place on the ladder with just one win and a percentage of just 58.9 after 10 rounds which is their worst percentage at this stage of the season since 1919. By way of contrast, the Magpies have star quality in form players everywhere on the ground. Alan Didak is the AFL's top kick getter. He's also capable of kicking miracle goals but then so are Daisy Thomas Paul Medhurst and Leon Davis, not to mention the returning Anthony Rocca who faces the game without the prospect of being tagged by his nemesis Benny Holland. It was all so scary that I decided to ditch logic and resort to my trusty old crystal ball but even then I was in for quite a shock. Indeed, if my interpretation of what I saw inside the magic orb is correct then I have some bad news for Demon fans. At first, there was not a great deal to see through the foggy maze on the inside but one thing I was able to discern was the outline of a single word hovering above a misty black and white object which resembled some sort of bird, possibly a magpie. The single word that I saw is somewhat unfamiliar - "spiflocated". Then, as the contents of my magical orb settled further, I could make out the sight of a devilish object that lay on the ground at the feet of the rampant bird. It was covered by a garment coloured red, blue and silver. Anyhow, I had no idea what this word "spiflocated" means so I consulted my dictionary and found the definition, I didn't want to see - to spiflocate means to injure or do something stupid that causes much pain. Oh Dear! I do want to remain positive like Melbourne coach and to that end I point to the fact that it was only three rounds back when Hawthorn smashed Collingwood by 65 points while the Demons rushed home against the Dockers in a great come from behind win the next day. That's football for you. It beats the opera and for mine, it even beats going to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Someone should tell that to The Fonze! Collingwood by 10 points in a thriller (in my dreams)!

by The Oracle Melbourne seems to have the wood on Collingwood insofar as their recent Queens Birthday meetings are concerned. The black and white army and its bogan supporters are our bunnies when it comes to the celebration of Her Royal Highness' big day out. Take our last four such encounters when we beat them so easily that we could even be excused for suggesting our dominance might cause what was previously heralded as a great clash of traditional rivals to turn into a potentially crashing bore of an event. The fans might even stay away fearing a lack of a contest. OK. I jest a little, but the AFL's head honcho and leading opera fan, Andrew Demetrious (aka Arthur Fonzarelli or The Fonze) is so frightened at the prospect of a boring outcome that might not appeal to the fans that he set the alarm bells ringing with his pronouncement/threat overnight that Melbourne could lose the blockbuster Queen's Birthday match if it drew a crowd of less than 60,000. That's right! The Fonze is prepared to wield the big stick right at the heart of the Demons at the very moment when they are struggling at the bottom end of a football cycle. This is from the chief executive of the AFL whose duty it is to promote all teams in the competition and treat them as equal partners in the nation's largest sporting enterprise: an organisation which has already hijacked Melbourne's 150th birthday celebrations, stole it away and adopted the anniversary as its own and then, in an act of sheer effrontery this man has decided to snub the celebration of the sesquicentenary at the MCG on August 8 by heading off to the Olympics! And what point is The Fonz trying to make? Despite Melbourne's lowly position on the ladder, its average home attendances are higher than top eight sides Western Bulldogs and North Melbourne, both of which have earned praise in recent times from the AFL as to the way they are managing their financial position. The AFL has form in dealing more favourably with certain clubs than it has with others and in that regard, there was no darker episode in the history of the competition than the way in which it unceremoniously dumped the Fitzroy Football Club in 1996 doing everything in its power to prevent the members of that club from having their wishes taken into account when their team was forced to merge with the Bears and go north to Queensland. Kevin Rudd has apologised to the stolen generations but we have yet to see an AFL leader with the guts to stand up and apologise to Fitzroy people for what the league did to their club. I have this to say to the muppets who aren't prepared to show a grain of respect to the oldest football club in the world. The Melbourne Football Club has been around for more than three times the span of your lifetime and will be around long after you depart this mortal coil. We Demons are resilient and we are not prepared to cop the same treatment or endure the same outcome that befell the Lions. And we will get more than 60,000 to this game as we do every Queens Birthday. So to the Demetrious, the Kennetts et al, my message is plain and simple. Go shove it and leave us alone to enjoy the long weekend! THE GAME Melbourne v. Collingwood at the MCG - 9 June 2008 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 79 wins Collingwood 137 wins 4 draws At the G Melbourne 59 wins Collingwood 70 wins 2 draws Since 2000 Melbourne 5 wins Collingwood 4 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Malthouse 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 10 at 2.30pm (delayed telecast) RADIO Triple M 3AW 7774ABC SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $8.50 Collingwood to win $1.05 LAST TIME THEY MET Collingwood 11.15.81 d Melbourne 9.16.70 Round 20, 2008, at MCG We celebrated David Neitz' 300th game for the club with an honourable defeat for the injury plagued Demons. The team recovered from a slow start and a physical buffeting which saw an end to the seasons of Daniel Bell, Aaron Davey and Ben Holland to get to within five points of the eventual preliminary finalists but failed to go on with it in the last half of the final term. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs James McDonald Colin Garland Daniel Bell Half backs Brad Green Matthew Warnock Paul Wheatley Centreline Cale Morton Brock McLean Cameron Bruce Half forwards Matthew Bate Brad Miller Lynden Dunn Forwards Paul Johnson Colin Sylvia Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White Brent Moloney Nathan Jones Interchange (from) Clint Bartram Jace Bode Jared Rivers Adem Yze Emergencies Nathan Carroll Mark Jamar Chris Johnson In Jace Bode Cale Morton Jared Rivers Out Simon Buckley (omitted) James Frawley (shoulder) Russell Robertson (Achilles) COLLINGWOOD Backs Heath Shaw Shane Wakelin Tarkyn Lockyer Half backs Martin Clarke Nathan Brown Harry O’Brien Centreline Scott Pendlebury Scott Burns Rhyce Shaw Half forwards Leon Davis Shane O’Bree Travis Cloke Forwards Alan Didak Anthony Rocca Paul Medhurst Followers Josh Fraser Dane Swan Dale Thomas Interchange Chris Bryan Ben Johnson Nick Maxwell Sharrod Wellingham Emergencies Ryan Cook Shannon Cox Ben Reid In Anthony Rocca Out Ben Reid (omitted) Umpires Vosso Farmer Meredith THE CRYSTAL BALL The intense rivalry between Melbourne and Collingwood goes back a long way. It has peaked a few times in the past century - in the roaring 20's and then especially through the 1950's and the early part of the sixties. In those days, you would have the entire city enraptured with the event and massive crowds would turn up to the MCG whenever they played against each other. After that, even when one or the other of these two sides was struggling, a Melbourne v. Collingwood game was the town's hottest ticket. But those days are over now that we have interstate clubs with their funny mascots running around (with more to come) but even then, those people responsible for putting together our schedule of games each season remain fascinated by this particular fixture. I was also fascinated and eager to know how this year's game was going to unfold in view of the fact that the Dees aren't travelling too well and the Pies have been blitzing it over the past few weeks winning their last two games by an aggregate of 186 points against the 2006 and 2007 premiership sides! Logic therefore dictates that the Demons are in a spot of bother. After all, they have just lost two great forwards in David Neitz and Russell Robertson who between them have kicked 1030 career goals who have shared the club's goal kicking honours for every season since 2001. Their most creative small forward Aaron Davey is still a week away from playing after suffering a hamstring strain at training recently and their great key forward position hope in Michael Newton struggles with his fitness. They sit in last place on the ladder with just one win and a percentage of just 58.9 after 10 rounds which is their worst percentage at this stage of the season since 1919. By way of contrast, the Magpies have star quality in form players everywhere on the ground. Alan Didak is the AFL's top kick getter. He's also capable of kicking miracle goals but then so are Daisy Thomas Paul Medhurst and Leon Davis, not to mention the returning Anthony Rocca who faces the game without the prospect of being tagged by his nemesis Benny Holland. It was all so scary that I decided to ditch logic and resort to my trusty old crystal ball but even then I was in for quite a shock. Indeed, if my interpretation of what I saw inside the magic orb is correct then I have some bad news for Demon fans. At first, there was not a great deal to see through the foggy maze on the inside but one thing I was able to discern was the outline of a single word hovering above a misty black and white object which resembled some sort of bird, possibly a magpie. The single word that I saw is somewhat unfamiliar - "spiflocated". Then, as the contents of my magical orb settled further, I could make out the sight of a devilish object that lay on the ground at the feet of the rampant bird. It was covered by a garment coloured red, blue and silver. Anyhow, I had no idea what this word "spiflocated" means so I consulted my dictionary and found the definition, I didn't want to see - to spiflocate means to injure or do something stupid that causes much pain. Oh Dear! I do want to remain positive like Melbourne coach and to that end I point to the fact that it was only three rounds back when Hawthorn smashed Collingwood by 65 points while the Demons rushed home against the Dockers in a great come from behind win the next day. That's football for you. It beats the opera and for mine, it even beats going to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Someone should tell that to The Fonze! Collingwood by 10 points in a thriller (in my dreams)!

Perhaps this will do for starters? - Saints, Demons in VFL affiliate swap

I don't know if this is a pointer for the selected side for Melbourne on Monday but Jace Bode who was named on the interchange bench for Melbourne is not in the Sandy side. That means he's either playing against the senior Pies or somebody's stuffed up at selection.

Brock McLean still has a sizeable lead with Aussie holding second place despite not polling this week. 52.289 Brock McLean 34.349 Austin Wonaemirri 29.701 Aaron Davey 27.919 Brad Green 24.791 Paul Wheatley 22.796 Cameron Bruce 22.728 Brad Miller 20.269 Nathan Jones 19.753 Cale Morton 17.992 Paul Johnson 15.996 Matthew Bate 14.482 James McDonald 12.282 Brent Moloney 12.265 Colin Sylvia 10.685 Jared Rivers 10.482 Nathan Carroll 8.132 Clint Bartram 6.685 Colin Garland 5.904 Matthew Whelan 5.265 Russell Robertson 5.087 Jeff White 2.326 Matthew Warnock 1.866 Lynden Dunn 1.805 Simon Buckley 0.388 Adem Yze

A STROKE OF GOOD FORTUNE by Whispering Jack A stroke of good fortune enabled me to attend Sunday's St. Kilda v Melbourne game at the Telstra Dome for free courtesy of a friend who supports the Saints and who had a spare ticket. As a result, I almost got my money's worth although from this day on I will forever ask myself why on earth did I stay at the venue for the full duration. We should have known at the thirty second mark of the first quarter exactly what the handful of Demon supporters who came to the Darklands to sit among the throngs of feral Saint supporters would endure during the afternoon. That was point in time when Russell Robertson took a mark in the goal square only to inexplicably play on and slip the ball in the direction of goal but not before it was smothered through for a rushed behind by a bemused and incredulous Max Hudghton. So, for a brief moment in time the Demons held the lead but then they were physically monstered by a team that had been labelled as "soft" by their coach only seven days previously. Throughout the week one felt that such a result was inevitable as the derisive attacks on the Saints' collective manhood rose to a crescendo and the realisation came that they faced a game which, if lost, meant the end of their season. For their part, the Demons, so full of promise on the MCG against the Hawks seven days earlier, were devoid of anything close to the aggression and passion they displayed in the David Neitz farewell game. Perhaps inconsistent form is to be expected with a young side disrupted by five team changes but, in the end, it became a shambles and the side simply did not match up well against its opposition in terms of ability or physicality After Robbo's brain fade, the rest of the first quarter saw Melbourne fumble, drop marks, handball and kick to opponents more often than not and it should have been well out of the game by the first break bar for the one saving grace to that stage - the fact that St. Kilda was only marginally less incompetent. Believe it or not, the second and third quarters saw a marked deterioration in the Demons' standard of play. The scoreboard told the tale by the final change as Melbourne had added just one major (from a 50 metre penalty) to the two it scored in the first stanza. Really, it was pitiful to see Robbo manning his position in front of goal constantly shadowed by not one but by two taller opponents with no apparent spare man to crumb the ball in the event it hit the ground. Brad Miller was trying his hardest in his 100th game but he was drawn far and wide. At one stage we were treated to the embarrasing spectacle of a 176cm tall Austin Wonaeamirri competing for a mark at the centre half forward position against Sam Fisher who had a 15cm height advantage over the young Demon who didn't have the best of days. Fisher got 27 touches and claims he still isn't aware of his opponent's identity. I'm going to email him a photo of the person in question so that he knows next time. The youngsters who did so well last week in defence - Colin Garland, Matthew Warnock and James Frawley all struggled and the backline really missed the steadiness and experience of Jared Rivers and Matthew Whelan. That said, those blokes will undoubtedly have gained a lot from the day. Garland was run ragged by Riewoldt but he would have learned so much from the experience. Though the Saints' skipper marked everything in sight and assisted in a few terrific forward thrusts, he was kept down to one goal for the day. Add that to the mere three conceded to Buddy Franklin a week earlier and you would have to say that Garland's last two games haven't been all that bad! The loss of Robertson with an Achilles injury has just about put paid to the traditional forward set up at the club and Dean Bailey now has the task ahead of him to rebuild his attack from the ground up starting this week. It won't be easy on centre stage against the old enemy on Queens Birthday but he would hopefully have noted the effectiveness of the Saints' crumbers Schneider and Milne who between them outscored his own side. I try very hard to find positives but they were few and far between. James McDonald and Matthew Bate worked hard and Adem Yze was the busiest of the forwards with three goals. Paul Wheatley got a lot of the ball but so did his opponent. We were pretty woeful starting in the rucks where Jeff White renewed acquaintances with his old nemesis in Steven King and put in a shocker (possibly waiting for another kick in the head?). Paul Johnson did a little better but a revamp in this area is also on the cards. Other than that, we were beaten just about everywhere and Dean Bailey was outcoached on the day but he really didn't have the material given that by the end he was working with his second tier spine and without Aaron Davey - one of the few players in the side who can turn a game off his own boot. No review of the spectacle of Melbourne's round 10 humiliation would be complete without mentioning the ridiculous attire its players were forced to wear on the day. There's an old Bulgarian saying which roughly translated says, "if you dress like a clown, you play like a clown" and it fits the impact on the team of the Demons' clash jumper to a tee. This execrable outfit is a graphic nightmare that doesn't even serve the purpose for which it was intended. I was of the understanding that the concept of having a "clash" jumper was to avoid a clash of colours and not to create a clash. It surely must be obvious to all but the fools at the AFL that it is more likely to be confused with the Saints' colours than is the traditional Demon jumper? But there's something more serious about this piece of drek that is yet to be worn by a victorious Melbourne team - it represents much of what is wrong with the club today. As Vlad the Impaler recently said, "Melbourne doesn't stand for anything these days," and this is exactly what this jumper stands for: nothing other than the loss of the Demon spirit developed over the years, particularly during the club's successful eras. Our history tells us that we were an ordinary club travelling nowhere when a man named "Checker" Hughes came along and transformed us from the bland "Fuchsia" to the fearsome "Demon" carrying a menacing trident and bearing a threatening demeanour highlighted by horns and fanged teeth from which opposition blood was dripping. These days we look more like Ritchie Cunningham carrying a briefcase - bland and incapable of frightening anybody! It's time to reclaim that old Demon spirit and to get back to the days when we were feared by all. There's a long, long way to go but the first step must be the symbolic one of restoring the tough, unrelenting Demon personna and image to the club. When they give that back together with the red and blue (only) colours that have always been an integral part of our make up, I'm sure more strokes of good fortune will follow. St. Kilda 5.4.34 10.6.66 12.12.84 19.15.129 Melbourne 2.2.14 3.4.22 3.6.24 7.8.50 Goals St Kilda Schneider 5 Milne 3 Birss Koschitzke 2 Ball Dal Santo Dempster Gram Jones Montagna Riewoldt Melbourne Yze 3 Bruce Dunn Robertson Sylvia Best St Kilda Fisher Gram Riewoldt Schneider Dal Santo Montagna Ball Melbourne McDonald Bate Johnson Wheatley Garland Sylvia Injuries Melbourne Robertson (Achilles) Bate (hand) Umpires M Head M Stevic S Stewart Official crowd 27,854 at Telstra Dome.

by Whispering Jack A stroke of good fortune enabled me to attend Sunday's St. Kilda v Melbourne game at the Telstra Dome for free courtesy of a friend who supports the Saints and who had a spare ticket. As a result, I almost got my money's worth although from this day on I will forever ask myself why on earth did I stay at the venue for the full duration. We should have known at the thirty second mark of the first quarter exactly what the handful of Demon supporters who came to the Darklands to sit among the throngs of feral Saint supporters would endure during the afternoon. That was point in time when Russell Robertson took a mark in the goal square only to inexplicably play on and slip the ball in the direction of goal but not before it was smothered through for a rushed behind by a bemused and incredulous Max Hudghton. So, for a brief moment in time the Demons held the lead but then they were physically monstered by a team that had been labelled as "soft" by their coach only seven days previously. Throughout the week one felt that such a result was inevitable as the derisive attacks on the Saints' collective manhood rose to a crescendo and the realisation came that they faced a game which, if lost, meant the end of their season. For their part, the Demons, so full of promise on the MCG against the Hawks seven days earlier, were devoid of anything close to the aggression and passion they displayed in the David Neitz farewell game. Perhaps inconsistent form is to be expected with a young side disrupted by five team changes but, in the end, it became a shambles and the side simply did not match up well against its opposition in terms of ability or physicality After Robbo's brain fade, the rest of the first quarter saw Melbourne fumble, drop marks, handball and kick to opponents more often than not and it should have been well out of the game by the first break bar for the one saving grace to that stage - the fact that St. Kilda was only marginally less incompetent. Believe it or not, the second and third quarters saw a marked deterioration in the Demons' standard of play. The scoreboard told the tale by the final change as Melbourne had added just one major (from a 50 metre penalty) to the two it scored in the first stanza. Really, it was pitiful to see Robbo manning his position in front of goal constantly shadowed by not one but by two taller opponents with no apparent spare man to crumb the ball in the event it hit the ground. Brad Miller was trying his hardest in his 100th game but he was drawn far and wide. At one stage we were treated to the embarrasing spectacle of a 176cm tall Austin Wonaeamirri competing for a mark at the centre half forward position against Sam Fisher who had a 15cm height advantage over the young Demon who didn't have the best of days. Fisher got 27 touches and claims he still isn't aware of his opponent's identity. I'm going to email him a photo of the person in question so that he knows next time. The youngsters who did so well last week in defence - Colin Garland, Matthew Warnock and James Frawley all struggled and the backline really missed the steadiness and experience of Jared Rivers and Matthew Whelan. That said, those blokes will undoubtedly have gained a lot from the day. Garland was run ragged by Riewoldt but he would have learned so much from the experience. Though the Saints' skipper marked everything in sight and assisted in a few terrific forward thrusts, he was kept down to one goal for the day. Add that to the mere three conceded to Buddy Franklin a week earlier and you would have to say that Garland's last two games haven't been all that bad! The loss of Robertson with an Achilles injury has just about put paid to the traditional forward set up at the club and Dean Bailey now has the task ahead of him to rebuild his attack from the ground up starting this week. It won't be easy on centre stage against the old enemy on Queens Birthday but he would hopefully have noted the effectiveness of the Saints' crumbers Schneider and Milne who between them outscored his own side. I try very hard to find positives but they were few and far between. James McDonald and Matthew Bate worked hard and Adem Yze was the busiest of the forwards with three goals. Paul Wheatley got a lot of the ball but so did his opponent. We were pretty woeful starting in the rucks where Jeff White renewed acquaintances with his old nemesis in Steven King and put in a shocker (possibly waiting for another kick in the head?). Paul Johnson did a little better but a revamp in this area is also on the cards. Other than that, we were beaten just about everywhere and Dean Bailey was outcoached on the day but he really didn't have the material given that by the end he was working with his second tier spine and without Aaron Davey - one of the few players in the side who can turn a game off his own boot. No review of the spectacle of Melbourne's round 10 humiliation would be complete without mentioning the ridiculous attire its players were forced to wear on the day. There's an old Bulgarian saying which roughly translated says, "if you dress like a clown, you play like a clown" and it fits the impact on the team of the Demons' clash jumper to a tee. This execrable outfit is a graphic nightmare that doesn't even serve the purpose for which it was intended. I was of the understanding that the concept of having a "clash" jumper was to avoid a clash of colours and not to create a clash. It surely must be obvious to all but the fools at the AFL that it is more likely to be confused with the Saints' colours than is the traditional Demon jumper? But there's something more serious about this piece of drek that is yet to be worn by a victorious Melbourne team - it represents much of what is wrong with the club today. As Vlad the Impaler recently said, "Melbourne doesn't stand for anything these days," and this is exactly what this jumper stands for: nothing other than the loss of the Demon spirit developed over the years, particularly during the club's successful eras. Our history tells us that we were an ordinary club travelling nowhere when a man named "Checker" Hughes came along and transformed us from the bland "Fuchsia" to the fearsome "Demon" carrying a menacing trident and bearing a threatening demeanour highlighted by horns and fanged teeth from which opposition blood was dripping. These days we look more like Ritchie Cunningham carrying a briefcase - bland and incapable of frightening anybody! It's time to reclaim that old Demon spirit and to get back to the days when we were feared by all. There's a long, long way to go but the first step must be the symbolic one of restoring the tough, unrelenting Demon personna and image to the club. When they give that back together with the red and blue (only) colours that have always been an integral part of our make up, I'm sure more strokes of good fortune will follow. St. Kilda 5.4.34 10.6.66 12.12.84 19.15.129 Melbourne 2.2.14 3.4.22 3.6.24 7.8.50 Goals St Kilda Schneider 5 Milne 3 Birss Koschitzke 2 Ball Dal Santo Dempster Gram Jones Montagna Riewoldt Melbourne Yze 3 Bruce Dunn Robertson Sylvia Best St Kilda Fisher Gram Riewoldt Schneider Dal Santo Montagna Ball Melbourne McDonald Bate Johnson Wheatley Garland Sylvia Injuries Melbourne Robertson (Achilles) Bate (hand) Umpires M Head M Stevic S Stewart Official crowd 27,854 at Telstra Dome.

If you can find six players deserving of votes, list them in order - weighted average this wee a mere .3876. Thanks folks!

JVM has been suitably punished for the error which has now been corrected.

THE TIME WARP by JVM Such are the vagaries of the AFL schedule that St. Kilda and Melbourne will finally meet up with each other first time since that balmy night in autumn when they opened the 2007 season as the two leading Victorian contenders in the quest to break the interstate stranglehold on the competition. Those who can remember back that far might recall an injury-depleted St. Kilda team overcoming its underdog status and achieving a comfortable victory after a hard fought first half which also heralded the beginning of Melbourne's own injury wracked season and its decline to the very depths of the premiership table. Of course, the Saints have had their problems too and, under the difficulties caused by a long injury list and the fact that they were coming to grips with a new game style under new coach Ross Lyon, they stumbled and missed out on making the finals last year. At present, they are languishing in tenth place. So both clubs have endured their season and a half of hell although the Saints' woes have been nothing compared to the pain endured by the Demons. St. Kilda has won just 14½ games which gives it a 50% record since Ross Lyon took over as coach while Melbourne has tasted victory only six times for a 20% ratio which includes two wins against a club that was trying its hardest to lose. The Dees also lost a coach, a stand-in coach, a CEO, a recruiting officer/list manager, most of their office staff, the tea lady and a long standing and much loved skipper in that time and now there is also talk of possible far reaching changes at the very top; that there might be a new President in place in the not too distant future. The Saints have had their share of disruption with the advent of their new President and a new Board after a palace coup at the end of last season (although you might not have been aware of it until he finally came out of seclusion this week). There's been so much change at both clubs since that last encounter that someone arriving at the Dome after being out of town in the interim, might be forgiven for thinking that these teams have been trapped in a time warp. From finalists in the spring of 2006, both of them face a long, cold and bleak winter in 2008. THE GAME St. Kilda v Melbourne at Telstra Dome 1 June 2008 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St. Kilda 78 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 draw At Telstra Dome St. Kilda 1 win Melbourne 3 wins. Since 2000 St. Kilda 3 wins Melbourne 9 wins The Coaches Lyon 0 Bailey 0 MEDIA TV Channel 7 at 3.00pm (delayed) RADIO 3AW MMM KRock THE BETTING St. Kilda to win $1.28 Melbourne to win $3.50 LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 13.15.93 defeated Melbourne 9.8.62 at the MCG - Round 1 2007 After a closely fought first half Melbourne capitulated meekly in the second but they were struggling with McLean and Whelan early casualties. David Neitz and Russell Robertson booted three each but this was to be one of the last times the Demon forward duo were both fit and firing together in a game of football. THE TEAMS ST KILDA Backs Jason Blake Max Hudghton Sean Dempster Half backs Jason Gram Sam Fisher Brendon Goddard Centreline Nick Dal Santo Luke Ball Leigh Montagna Half forwards Adam Schneider Nick Riewoldt Clint Jones Forwards Shane Birss Justin Koschitzke Stephen Milne Followers Steven King Lenny Hayes Robert Harvey Interchange David Armitage Matthew Ferguson Michael Gardiner Jarryn Geary Emergencies James Gwilt Ben McEvoy Andrew McQualter In David Armitage Matthew Ferguson Out Aaron Fiora Leigh Fisher (both omitted) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Warnock Colin Garland Daniel Bell Half backs Colin Sylvia, James Frawley, Cameron Bruce Centreline Clint Bartram Brock McLean Matthew Bate Half forwards Brad Green Russell Robertson Brent Moloney Forwards Simon Buckley Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White James McDonald Nathan Jones Interchange Lynden Dunn Paul Johnson Paul Wheatley Adem Yze Emergencies Jace Bode Ben Holland Chris Johnson In Lynden Dunn Colin Sylvia Paul Wheatley Jeff White Adem Yze Out Aaron Davey (hamstring) Ben Holland (shoulder) Mark Jamar (omitted) Cale Morton (flu) Shane Valenti (omitted) UMPIRES Stevic Stewart Head IS IT OVER? While both clubs have faced a long period of flagging fortunes, last Sunday afternoon's events suggested they might be going in different directions. Against the Hawks, the Demons were competitive for all but a few brief moments, which were enough for Hawthorn to claim victory. The result followed on the team's great last half comeback against Fremantle and a disappointing effort against the Crows but one that saw at least a competitive opening stanza. Like all teams striving to make their way off the bottom, they tend towards inconsistency and are looking for a breakthrough to make way for a better future. St. Kilda was virtually non-competitive for three quarters last week until the Brisbane Lions put up the shutters in the final quarter. The result led to its coach calling the team "soft" and the President to come out from that shell of obscurity claiming he would be happy to have Lyon coaching at the club for ten years. A meaningful statement on the eve of their game against a club whose last head coach lasted for … well … um … 9½ years before his President told him that his time was up. The Demons may well be asking whether their season and a half from hell is over. The answer to that unfortunately is – not yet. As the great American baseballer/commentator Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over till its over" and the truth is that they will wait a while before the answer to the question is in the affirmative. I’ve already mentioned that developing teams rarely show consistency and five changes to this week's line up are not conducive to producing the sort of consistency necessary to overcome a team that is under the pump and will most certainly see its finals hopes slip away should it lose this game on its home turf. I’m not a big believer in the strategy behind Ross Lyon’s stinging rebuke of his team by calling it "soft". That faceless President from down Moorabbin way didn't help the cause with his comments either; nor did Board member Andrew Thompson when he castigated Nick Dal Santo in his radio commentary for his selfish play during the second quarter (although some say he was just doing his job). These things tend to well up inside and they come back to bite on the nether regions at future times when they're least welcome. However, in the short term, they might just hit the mark – especially when the opposition is a young side full of inexperience and still learning the trade. The Demons will once again be heavily reliant on a midfield that consistently lags behind in the competition’s statistics for clearances and upon an inexperienced back line with the three defensive talls James Frawley, Colin Garland and Matthew Warnock boasting a combined total of 29 games. Experienced defenders Jared Rivers and Matthew Whelan are still not ready. Last week, Garland and Warnock kept Franklin and Roughead of Hawthorn relatively quiet. They will need to produce the same dose again this week on Riewoldt and Koschitzke but remember what I said earlier about young players and consistency. Up forward, the Demons will miss Ben Holland who booted three goals in his comeback game and Aaron Davey who returned to form but pinged a hamstring at training during the week. Russell Robertson (bruised thigh) was injured in the latter part of the Hawthorn game and must be under a cloud for this week. With David Neitz gone and young key forward Michael Newton nursing a knee injury, the club's fire power up forward is virtually non-existent. These all add up to one thing – the Demons' hell will continue for at least another week and probably right through the winter months. Fans be patient because it ain't over! St. Kilda by 37 points.

by JVM Such are the vagaries of the AFL schedule that St. Kilda and Melbourne will finally meet up with each other first time since that balmy night in autumn when they opened the 2007 season as the two leading Victorian contenders in the quest to break the interstate stranglehold on the competition. Those who can remember back that far might recall an injury-depleted St. Kilda team overcoming its underdog status and achieving a comfortable victory after a hard fought first half which also heralded the beginning of Melbourne's own injury wracked season and its decline to the very depths of the premiership table. Of course, the Saints have had their problems too and, under the difficulties caused by a long injury list and the fact that they were coming to grips with a new game style under new coach Ross Lyon, they stumbled and missed out on making the finals last year. At present, they are languishing in tenth place. So both clubs have endured their season and a half of hell although the Saints' woes have been nothing compared to the pain endured by the Demons. St. Kilda has won just 14½ games which gives it a 50% record since Ross Lyon took over as coach while Melbourne has tasted victory only six times for a 20% ratio which includes two wins against a club that was trying its hardest to lose. The Dees also lost a coach, a stand-in coach, a CEO, a recruiting officer/list manager, most of their office staff, the tea lady and a long standing and much loved skipper in that time and now there is also talk of possible far reaching changes at the very top; that there might be a new President in place in the not too distant future. The Saints have had their share of disruption with the advent of their new President and a new Board after a palace coup at the end of last season (although you might not have been aware of it until he finally came out of seclusion this week). There's been so much change at both clubs since that last encounter that someone arriving at the Dome after being out of town in the interim, might be forgiven for thinking that these teams have been trapped in a time warp. From finalists in the spring of 2006, both of them face a long, cold and bleak winter in 2008. THE GAME St. Kilda v Melbourne at Telstra Dome 1 June 2008 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St. Kilda 78 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 draw At Telstra Dome St. Kilda 1 win Melbourne 3 wins. Since 2000 St. Kilda 3 wins Melbourne 9 wins The Coaches Lyon 0 Bailey 0 MEDIA TV Channel 7 at 3.00pm (delayed) RADIO 3AW MMM KRock THE BETTING St. Kilda to win $1.28 Melbourne to win $3.50 LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 13.15.93 defeated Melbourne 9.8.62 at the MCG - Round 1 2007 After a closely fought first half Melbourne capitulated meekly in the second but they were struggling with McLean and Whelan early casualties. David Neitz and Russell Robertson booted three each but this was to be one of the last times the Demon forward duo were both fit and firing together in a game of football. THE TEAMS ST KILDA Backs Jason Blake Max Hudghton Sean Dempster Half backs Jason Gram Sam Fisher Brendon Goddard Centreline Nick Dal Santo Luke Ball Leigh Montagna Half forwards Adam Schneider Nick Riewoldt Clint Jones Forwards Shane Birss Justin Koschitzke Stephen Milne Followers Steven King Lenny Hayes Robert Harvey Interchange David Armitage Matthew Ferguson Michael Gardiner Jarryn Geary Emergencies James Gwilt Ben McEvoy Andrew McQualter In David Armitage Matthew Ferguson Out Aaron Fiora Leigh Fisher (both omitted) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Warnock Colin Garland Daniel Bell Half backs Colin Sylvia, James Frawley, Cameron Bruce Centreline Clint Bartram Brock McLean Matthew Bate Half forwards Brad Green Russell Robertson Brent Moloney Forwards Simon Buckley Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White James McDonald Nathan Jones Interchange Lynden Dunn Paul Johnson Paul Wheatley Adem Yze Emergencies Jace Bode Ben Holland Chris Johnson In Lynden Dunn Colin Sylvia Paul Wheatley Jeff White Adem Yze Out Aaron Davey (hamstring) Ben Holland (shoulder) Mark Jamar (omitted) Cale Morton (flu) Shane Valenti (omitted) UMPIRES Stevic Stewart Head IS IT OVER? While both clubs have faced a long period of flagging fortunes, last Sunday afternoon's events suggested they might be going in different directions. Against the Hawks, the Demons were competitive for all but a few brief moments, which were enough for Hawthorn to claim victory. The result followed on the team's great last half comeback against Fremantle and a disappointing effort against the Crows but one that saw at least a competitive opening stanza. Like all teams striving to make their way off the bottom, they tend towards inconsistency and are looking for a breakthrough to make way for a better future. St. Kilda was virtually non-competitive for three quarters last week until the Brisbane Lions put up the shutters in the final quarter. The result led to its coach calling the team "soft" and the President to come out from that shell of obscurity claiming he would be happy to have Lyon coaching at the club for ten years. A meaningful statement on the eve of their game against a club whose last head coach lasted for … well … um … 9½ years before his President told him that his time was up. The Demons may well be asking whether their season and a half from hell is over. The answer to that unfortunately is – not yet. As the great American baseballer/commentator Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over till its over" and the truth is that they will wait a while before the answer to the question is in the affirmative. I’ve already mentioned that developing teams rarely show consistency and five changes to this week's line up are not conducive to producing the sort of consistency necessary to overcome a team that is under the pump and will most certainly see its finals hopes slip away should it lose this game on its home turf. I’m not a big believer in the strategy behind Ross Lyon’s stinging rebuke of his team by calling it "soft". That faceless President from down Moorabbin way didn't help the cause with his comments either; nor did Board member Andrew Thompson when he castigated Nick Dal Santo in his radio commentary for his selfish play during the second quarter (although some say he was just doing his job). These things tend to well up inside and they come back to bite on the nether regions at future times when they're least welcome. However, in the short term, they might just hit the mark – especially when the opposition is a young side full of inexperience and still learning the trade. The Demons will once again be heavily reliant on a midfield that consistently lags behind in the competition’s statistics for clearances and upon an inexperienced back line with the three defensive talls James Frawley, Colin Garland and Matthew Warnock boasting a combined total of 29 games. Experienced defenders Jared Rivers and Matthew Whelan are still not ready. Last week, Garland and Warnock kept Franklin and Roughead of Hawthorn relatively quiet. They will need to produce the same dose again this week on Riewoldt and Koschitzke but remember what I said earlier about young players and consistency. Up forward, the Demons will miss Ben Holland who booted three goals in his comeback game and Aaron Davey who returned to form but pinged a hamstring at training during the week. Russell Robertson (bruised thigh) was injured in the latter part of the Hawthorn game and must be under a cloud for this week. With David Neitz gone and young key forward Michael Newton nursing a knee injury, the club's fire power up forward is virtually non-existent. These all add up to one thing – the Demons' hell will continue for at least another week and probably right through the winter months. Fans be patient because it ain't over! St. Kilda by 37 points.

Here it is at last! BACK IN TOWN by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham is back in town after its trip down south and has managed to come out of Sunday's danger game against the Northern Bullants with an emphatic 45-point victory which brings with it the additional bonus of a return to the VFL top four. The Bullants were coming off their best win of the season when they knocked off top-of-the-ladder North Ballarat but, after a closely fought first quarter, they were rarely in the contest. The opening term was real scramble with both sides fumbling and making fundamental errors that would not have pleased their respective coaches. The quarter time score had the Northern Bullants marginally in front with a similar score line to that which the Zebras faced last week in Tasmania. As happened last week, Sandringham lifted its work rate after the first change and easily outscored the visitors in each remaining quarter although it was certainly not the procession that we saw in Launceston. Ruckman John Meesen easily had the measure of Carlton listed ruck duo Cain Ackland and Sam Jacobs and he set up a number of attacking moves in concert with his winning midfield. Chris Johnson continued his domination of the past month or so with another excellent game running well off half back while Colin Sylvia was important with his strong attack on the ball and great delivery by hand and foot up forward. Nick Sautner stretched his lead in the VFL goal kicking with seven goals for the day and was helped by some undisciplined play from the Bullant defence which allowed him the luxury of three goals from 50 metre penalties. His opponent Mark Austin was reported for on a striking charge while Ackland's name also went in the umpire's book for striking Andy Biddlecombe in extraordinary circumstances. First year senior players Shane Tregear and Chris Waller continue to impress with their maturity and the way they have settled in and adapted to this standard of football. Their good form has been a major factor in the Zebras' recent improvement. The Zebras are also fortunate to have some in form and experienced old hands in Adem Yze, Ezra Poyas and Nick Sautner along with the leadership of Peter Summers but this quartet are all uncertain starters for the team's next game against Collingwood on Sunday week. Yze is a chance for promotion to the Melbourne side after several sparkling performances while the Sandy trio are all under injury clouds which might keep them out for a couple of games. They have already been ruled out of the weekend's interstate clash between Victoria and South Australia while another interstate selection, Shane Valenti, is also out by virtue of his elevation to the Melbourne senior list. Sunday's victory completes as solid recovery for the club after its setback against Williamstown at Point Gellibrand and two solid showings in the past fortnight against Tasmania (away) and the Bullants (at Trevor Barker Beach Oval) have restored the team's confidence as the competition goes into recess for this week. The club's next assignment is against the new Magpie VFL team which will be a prelude to the Queens Birthday AFL Blockbuster. Sandringham 3.6.24 7.10.52 12.12.84 15.15.105 Northern Bullants 4.2.26 5.6.36 7.9.51 8.12.60 Goals Sandringham Sautner 7 Summers Sylvia 2 Bode Dunn Meesen Tregear Northern Bullants Benjamin Colbert 2 Armfield Boundy Mercuri Teague Best Sandringham Yze C Johnson Lamb Waller Tregear Sautner Northern Bullants Saddington Anderson Vansittart Colbert Iacobucci Lappin Reported Players C Ackland (Northern Bullants) for allegedly striking A Biddlecombe (Sandringham) in the 1st quarter. M Austin (Northern Bullants) for striking N Sautner (Sandringham) in the 3rd quarter. The Sandringham reserves also dominated after a scrappy start and are comfortably placed in third place on their ladder. Guy Martyn was in dominant form while Maddison Hardiman and Luke Williams booted four goals each. Sandringham 2.1.13 9.2.56 19.6.120 22.10.142 Northern Bullants 1.3.9 2.4.16 2.7.19 3.11.29 Goals Sandringham Hardiman Williams 4 McConnell Martyn Summons Weetra Zomer 2 Dean Eaton Gribbin Lyall Northern Bullants O'hAilpin Lawless Macula Best Sandringham Martyn Williams Monaghan B Liddell Hardiman Weetra Northern Bullants Davies Blackwell Dennis Taylor Lawless Williams

BACK IN TOWN by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham is back in town after its trip down south and has managed to come out of Sunday's danger game against the Northern Bullants with an emphatic 45-point victory which brings with it the additional bonus of a return to the VFL top four. The Bullants were coming off their best win of the season when they knocked off top-of-the-ladder North Ballarat but, after a closely fought first quarter, they were rarely in the contest. The opening term was real scramble with both sides fumbling and making fundamental errors that would not have pleased their respective coaches. The quarter time score had the Northern Bullants marginally in front with a similar score line to that which the Zebras faced last week in Tasmania. As happened last week, Sandringham lifted its work rate after the first change and easily outscored the visitors in each remaining quarter although it was certainly not the procession that we saw in Launceston. Ruckman John Meesen easily had the measure of Carlton listed ruck duo Cain Ackland and Sam Jacobs and he set up a number of attacking moves in concert with his winning midfield. Chris Johnson continued his domination of the past month or so with another excellent game running well off half back while Colin Sylvia was important with his strong attack on the ball and great delivery by hand and foot up forward. Nick Sautner stretched his lead in the VFL goal kicking with seven goals for the day and was helped by some undisciplined play from the Bullant defence which allowed him the luxury of three goals from 50 metre penalties. His opponent Mark Austin was reported for on a striking charge while Ackland's name also went in the umpire's book for striking Andy Biddlecombe in extraordinary circumstances. First year senior players Shane Tregear and Shane Tregear continue to impress with their maturity and the way they have settled in and adapted to this standard of football. Their good form has been a major factor in the Zebras' recent improvement. The Zebras are also fortunate to have some in form and experienced old hands in Adem Yze, Ezra Poyas and Nick Sautner along with the leadership of Peter Summers but this quartet are all uncertain starters for the team's next game against Collingwood on Sunday week. Yze is a chance for promotion to the Melbourne side after several sparkling performances while the Sandy trio are all under injury clouds which might keep them out for a couple of games. They have already been ruled out of the weekend's interstate clash between Victoria and South Australia while another interstate selection, Shane Valenti, is also out by virtue of his elevation to the Melbourne senior list. Sunday's victory completes as solid recovery for the club after its setback against Williamstown at Point Gellibrand and two solid showings in the past fortnight against Tasmania (away) and the Bullants (at Trevor Barker Beach Oval) have restored the team's confidence as the competition goes into recess for this week. The club's next assignment is against the new Magpie VFL team which will be a prelude to the Queens Birthday AFL Blockbuster. Sandringham 3.6.24 7.10.52 12.12.84 15.15.105 Northern Bullants 4.2.26 5.6.36 7.9.51 8.12.60 Goals Sandringham Sautner 7 Summers Sylvia 2 Bode Dunn Meesen Tregear Northern Bullants Benjamin Colbert 2 Armfield Boundy Mercuri Teague Best Sandringham Yze C Johnson Lamb Waller Tregear Sautner Northern Bullants Saddington Anderson Vansittart Colbert Iacobucci Lappin Reported Players C Ackland (Northern Bullants) for allegedly striking A Biddlecombe (Sandringham) in the 1st quarter. M Austin (Northern Bullants) for striking N Sautner (Sandringham) in the 3rd quarter. The Sandringham reserves also dominated after a scrappy start and are comfortably placed in third place on their ladder. Guy Martyn was in dominant form while Maddison Hardiman and Luke Williams booted four goals each. Sandringham 2.1.13 9.2.56 19.6.120 22.10.142 Northern Bullants 1.3.9 2.4.16 2.7.19 3.11.29 Goals Sandringham Hardiman Williams 4 McConnell Martyn Summons Weetra Zomer 2 Dean Eaton Gribbin Lyall Northern Bullants O'hAilpin Lawless Macula Best Sandringham Martyn Williams Monaghan B Liddell Hardiman Weetra Northern Bullants Davies Blackwell Dennis Taylor Lawless Williams

Melbourne has not played against this week's opponent St. Kilda since the opening round of 2007. The selected teams for that game were - MELBOURNE: Backs: Nathan Carroll Ben Holland Matthew Whelan Half backs: Daniel Ward Brad Miller Daniel Bell Centreline: Travis Johnstone James McDonald Matthew Bate Half forwards: Cameron Bruce Russell Robertson Adem Yze Forwards: Chris Johnson David Neitz Aaron Davey Followers: Jeff White Brad Green Brock McLean Interchange Clint Bartram Mark Jamar Nathan Jones Brent Moloney Emergencies: Clint Bizzell Nathan Brown Paul Johnson ST KILDA: Backs: Steven Baker Sam Fisher Brendan Goodard Halfbacks: Jason Gram Matt Maguire Leigh Fisher Centreline: Andrew Thompson Luke Ball Leigh Montagna Half forwards: Robert Harvey Justin Koschitzke Jason Blake Forwards: Xavier Clarke Fraser Gehrig Stephen Milne Followers: Matthew Clarke Lenny Hayes Nick Dal Santo Interchange: Jayden Attard Aaron Fiora Andrew McQualter Michael Rix Emergencies: Shane Birss Barry Brooks Brett Voss

Our regular Sandy correspondent Barry from Beach Road was unavailable this week but his back up Ice Station Zebra has filed a report. Problem is that ICZ is not up with modern technology and his handwritten report was received today and is being deciphered and proof written this evening. It will probably be put on the site tomorrow at around midday. FYI Grand Old Fox ICZ reports that Matthew Whelan is over the illness which dogged him over the past couple of weeks and he played well in the Zebras' win over the Bullants.

Demonland would like to wish Whispering Jack a very happy birthday!!!

INDIGENOUS by Whispering Jack I don't usually pay much attention to special rounds of football or pre match entertainment but I have to say that the AFL really nailed it with its Indigenous Round which managed to tastefully cover all aspects of the special relationship between Australian football and indigenous Australia. The highlight was the festivity of Dreamtime at the G – the annual match played between Essendon and Richmond at the MCG. There was a curtain raiser between the Tiwi Bombers (Aussie's old club) from the Northern Territory and Rumbalara Football Club, from Shepparton and the pre match entertainment with acclaimed singers and dancers was a real treat. On Sunday at the MCG the traditional welcome from the indigenous owners of the land delivered by Auntie Joy Murphy-Wandin on behalf of her people was heartwarming. As she spoke her friendly welcome to all and included her praise for the retiring Demon skipper David Neitz, I couldn't help reflect on the lack of bitterness in her words about what history had inflicted on her people. She wasn't looking back - her focus was on the present and the future for her people. There is no doubt that our national sport provides great hope for her people in the future. There are 87,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved in Australian Football programmes and this represents 12.4 per cent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Some of their finest were there on Sunday and they provided the highlight of the day with a few special and exciting moments. They included the lightning handpass delivered by Austin Wonaemirri delievered from a pack to Aaron Davey for a goal that regained the lead for Melbourne half way through the final quarter followed seconds later by Cyril Rioli's grab off the pack and run into goal to restore Hawthorn's lead. These were among the finest moments our great sport could ever bring.

by Whispering Jack I don't usually pay much attention to special rounds of football or pre match entertainment but I have to say that the AFL really nailed it with its Indigenous Round which managed to tastefully cover all aspects of the special relationship between Australian football and indigenous Australia. The highlight was the festivity of Dreamtime at the G – the annual match played between Essendon and Richmond at the MCG. There was a curtain raiser between the Tiwi Bombers (Aussie's old club) from the Northern Territory and Rumbalara Football Club, from Shepparton and the pre match entertainment with acclaimed singers and dancers was a real treat. On Sunday at the MCG the traditional welcome from the indigenous owners of the land delivered by Auntie Joy Murphy-Wandin on behalf of her people was heartwarming. As she spoke her friendly welcome to all and included her praise for the retiring Demon skipper David Neitz, I couldn't help reflect on the lack of bitterness in her words about what history had inflicted on her people. She wasn't looking back - her focus was on the present and the future for her people. There is no doubt that our national sport provides great hope for her people in the future. There are 87,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved in Australian Football programmes and this represents 12.4 per cent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Some of their finest were there on Sunday and they provided the highlight of the day with a few special and exciting moments. They included the lightning handpass delivered by Austin Wonaemirri delievered from a pack to Aaron Davey for a goal that regained the lead for Melbourne half way through the final quarter followed seconds later by Cyril Rioli's grab off the pack and run into goal to restore Hawthorn's lead. These were among the finest moments our great sport could ever bring.