Demonland

by Barry from Beach Road Sandringham suffered its third successive defeat on Sunday when it lowered its colours to the Werribee Tigers by a solitary goal in blustery conditions at Chirnside Park, Werribee. The hosts got off to a flying start with the assistance of the wind and they scored by five goals to nil in the opening quarter to lead by 32 points at the first break. From there, the Zebras were forced to play catch up football all day and, despite narrowing the gap in every succeeding quarter, they were still short by a goal at the final siren. Sandy wore their clash colours and had Jeff White in the ruck as proceedings opened. He got his hands to the ball first in the early ruck contests but it was Werribee that was easily winning the clearances in the opening minutes of the game. The Zebras' skills were well below par, they had few winners and they simply couldn't hit a target in a poor start to the game. The exceptions were Adem Yze and youngster Cale Morton who won plenty of the early ball but lacked support from their team mates. Forward Michael Newton, on return from injury and a stint in the reserves, was marking well but he had trouble converting on the scoreboard as Sandringham struggled with their slow start. Things started to turn around slowly for the Zebras who had the aid of the breeze in the second term and it was Morton who kicked a lovely goal form a long way out to really get things moving. Sandy was still getting good service from White in the ruck who also received valuable support from John Meesen at this stage. Yze was everywhere and Newton was still marking strongly but not converting and the Zebras were moving the ball much better and getting great run off half back. With Nick Sautner back in the goals, the visitors finished the opening half full of running, kicking the 4 goals 1 behinds in the last ten minutes to narrow the deficit from 35 points to just ten at the main break. The Tigers regained control in the early part of the third quarter but had a lot of trouble converting and managed only 2 goals 6 for the term. As the quarter went on there appeared to be a shift in momentum as the Sandy back line began to get on top. James Frawley was playing well on the dangerous James Podsiadly, Nathan Carroll took control of his opponent and Ricky Petterd, returning from a long lay off, also started to give some good run. As the quarter went on, Chad Liddell was doing a lot of hard work in the middle of the ground and Sandy plugged away at reducing the Werribee lead. Saunter and Newton were providing good targets up forward but the loss of Ezra Poyas to a hamstring injury robbed the Zebras of a valuable player and they definitely missed his run and leadership. Despite this, the Zebras appeared well placed at the final change when they trailed by only 8 points and there was a strong sense of belief in the Sandringham huddle at ¾ time. With the breeze at their team’s backs, the fans smelled tiger blood. Sandringham definitely had its opportunities to win the game but a silly free kick and a resulting 50 metre penalty given away by Meesen proved costly. The Zebras fought the game right out with White winning the ruck, Yze bringing his own ball (he finished with 37 possessions), Liddell still doing the hard work and young Morton showing some silky skills. Saunter and Newton were proving a handful in the twin forward posts but the high flying Newton let himself and his team down with an inaccurate 2 goals five behinds. Rod Crowe was creative at times and skipper Peter Summers worked hard for the Zebras who introduced another newcomer in Jake Williams. Although the Zebras came close in the end, they probably did not deserve to win as their first quarter effort was poor and their performance on the day was generally patchy. The team needs to regroup as its season is on the line over the next fortnight with games against leading sides North Ballarat (away) and Williamstown. HOW THE DEMONS FARED The following are quotes from Sandringham coach Andy Lovell which appear in his Player Review on the Melbourne Football Club website:- Daniel Bell - "played a really good game at half back. He beat his man and had 23 possessions. He was really strong and physical in his attack on the ball. He ran hard and gave us some good drive and rebound off half back. In his first game back, he had a really positive impact." Nathan Carroll - "had a poor first quarter, but after quarter time, he was rock solid. He had 18 possessions, and played at full back on Leigh Brown. This was also his first game back after missing with suspension, and overall, he played a really solid game. " James Frawley - "was solid for us down back. His opponent kicked one goal on him. He did turn the ball over a little bit with his kicking, but defensively he was really solid." Michael Newton -"was really lively. He showed speed and led up really hard, taking 13 marks, which was a great effort. Unfortunately, he kicked the ball poorly, with two goals, five behinds and two out on the full. He did however, have 11 one percenters and six tackles. Three of our goals came directly from his forward line pressure. This was a really encouraging game for Michael, because he was back to the intensity and capabilities that we all know he possesses." Ricky Petterd - "this was his first senior game, and he played at half back. In the first quarter, he gave his man a lot of room and got led up to the ball. In the second half, he tightened up and played one-on-one football. He finished the game by beating his man, and was really strong and hard at the ball. He did turn the ball over and could have used it better, but overall it was certainly a positive first game back for him. " Tom McNamara - "played his second game of fooball at the senior level. He played at half back and was much improved. He beat his man one-on-one, and had 13 possessions, but he didn’t run to create as much as we would have liked. However, he is still learning the game and trying to find his feet. Tom looked calm under pressure, and showed that he is a good decision maker." John Meesen - "struggled to have an impact on the game. His used the ball all right without being super. He just has to get his hands on the ball more and use his major strength, which is running. He also has to physically impose himself on the game more. He disappointingly gave away a 50 metre penalty late in the game that really hurt the team, and this was unfortunate. " Cale Morton - "again, Cale got lot of the ball with 28 possessions. He played on a wing, and played as a midfielder through centre bounces. He had seven one percenters, which was a real improvement and that’s been an area of the game which has been a focus for him. In an average team performance, Cale was a good contributor." Jeff White - "dominated the ruck. He had 23 possessions, taking seven marks and linking up well around the ground. He had a great attitude and was thoroughly professional in his approach. Jeff won a lot of respect through his actions on Sunday." Adem Yze - "won plenty of the ball and impacted the game with 34 possessions. He did turn the ball over and kicked it poorly at times. Otherwise, he could have had a bigger, more positive impact on the game, but he didn’t use the ball as well as he normally does. He still competed hard." Sandringham 0.2.2 6.3.39 9.5.59 13.9.87 Werribee Tigers 5.4.34. 7.7.49 9.13.67 13.15.93 Goals Sandringham Sautner 4 Lamb Newton 2 Bell Morton Poyas Summers Yze Werribee Tigers Brown 3 Henderson Podsiadly McMahon 2 Chisholm Davies Sheringham Young Best Sandringham Yze Newton Liddell Crowe Frawley White Werribee Tigers Goldstein Thompson Davies Greenwood Howard Ross The reserves had a strong victory over the Werribee Tigers in a curtain raiser that saw the return of David Gallagher after a knee injury and a handy debut by a youngster who looks to have a great future in Jack Grimes who captained the Victorian Under 18’s last year. Guy Martyn starred with six goals in a dynamic performance for the Zebras. He received great support from tough youngster Kyle Cheney, Marc Johnston and Sam Monaghan put in another fine performance. HOW THE DEMONS FARED More quotes from Sandringham coach Andy Lovell which appear in his Player Review on the Melbourne Football Club website:- Kyle Cheney - "was close to being best on ground, playing across half back and in the midfield. Obviously he got demoted from the seniors, but went back to the reserves and really impacted the game. He rebounded hard off half back, he marked the ball well, and he also used it pretty well. He also showed some intensity and speed, which is what we have asked him to do." Jack Grimes - " This was his first game for the Club, and first for the year. Jack played off half back and in the midfield, collecting 18 possessions in only one half of football. He was really poised and showed he is a good decision maker. He had time and space when he had the ball, and used it pretty well. It was a really encouraging performance first up, and the kid showed that he had a bit of class. Physically, he pulled up well afterwards, which was good. " Addam Maric - "played at half back, which was part of his development to gain a better understanding of opponent accountability. He needs to be able to play on a man, beat him and then win the ball. He had 33 possessions off half back, which was very good. He still did struggle a little bit playing super tight on his man, but it was a really good learning curve for him. His attitude was also really positive. He went back and worked hard on his game, rebounding and using the ball really well." Isaac Weetra - "had 16 touches, and was a lot more positive again. His workrate was right up there, and his repeat efforts were better. He is looking increasingly confident and assured in his game. He is just starting to work a bit harder, and is getting his hands on the ball." Sandringham 5.2.32 9.11.65 12.14.86 19.18.132 Werribee Tigers 3.1.19 3.2.20 7.5.47 8.10.58 Goals Sandringham Martyn 6 Hardiman Kondarovskis 3 Weetra 2 Cheney Cleeve Fleming M Johnston Monaghan Werribee Tigers Jackel 2 Bloomfield Mahoney O'Brien Sharp Thompson Wormald Best Sandringham Martyn Cheney M Johnston Gribbin Hardiman Monaghan Werribee Tigers Sharp Hudson Palmer Magnabosco Zerafa Mahoney Reported Werribee Tigers J. Palmer for tripping Sandringham Nil

SLOW START SINKS SANDY by Barry from Beach Road Sandringham suffered its third successive defeat on Sunday when it lowered its colours to the Werribee Tigers by a solitary goal in blustery conditions at Chirnside Park, Werribee. The hosts got off to a flying start with the assistance of the wind and they scored by five goals to nil in the opening quarter to lead by 32 points at the first break. From there, the Zebras were forced to play catch up football all day and, despite narrowing the gap in every succeeding quarter, they were still short by a goal at the final siren. Sandy wore their clash colours and had Jeff White in the ruck as proceedings opened. He got his hands to the ball first in the early ruck contests but it was Werribee that was easily winning the clearances in the opening minutes of the game. The Zebras' skills were well below par, they had few winners and they simply couldn't hit a target in a poor start to the game. The exceptions were Adem Yze and youngster Cale Morton who won plenty of the early ball but lacked support from their team mates. Forward Michael Newton, on return from injury and a stint in the reserves, was marking well but he had trouble converting on the scoreboard as Sandringham struggled with their slow start. Things started to turn around slowly for the Zebras who had the aid of the breeze in the second term and it was Morton who kicked a lovely goal form a long way out to really get things moving. Sandy was still getting good service from White in the ruck who also received valuable support from John Meesen at this stage. Yze was everywhere and Newton was still marking strongly but not converting and the Zebras were moving the ball much better and getting great run off half back. With Nick Sautner back in the goals, the visitors finished the opening half full of running, kicking the 4 goals 1 behinds in the last ten minutes to narrow the deficit from 35 points to just ten at the main break. The Tigers regained control in the early part of the third quarter but had a lot of trouble converting and managed only 2 goals 6 for the term. As the quarter went on there appeared to be a shift in momentum as the Sandy back line began to get on top. James Frawley was playing well on the dangerous James Podsiadly, Nathan Carroll took control of his opponent and Ricky Petterd, returning from a long lay off, also started to give some good run. As the quarter went on, Chad Liddell was doing a lot of hard work in the middle of the ground and Sandy plugged away at reducing the Werribee lead. Saunter and Newton were providing good targets up forward but the loss of Ezra Poyas to a hamstring injury robbed the Zebras of a valuable player and they definitely missed his run and leadership. Despite this, the Zebras appeared well placed at the final change when they trailed by only 8 points and there was a strong sense of belief in the Sandringham huddle at ¾ time. With the breeze at their team’s backs, the fans smelled tiger blood. Sandringham definitely had its opportunities to win the game but a silly free kick and a resulting 50 metre penalty given away by Meesen proved costly. The Zebras fought the game right out with White winning the ruck, Yze bringing his own ball (he finished with 37 possessions), Liddell still doing the hard work and young Morton showing some silky skills. Saunter and Newton were proving a handful in the twin forward posts but the high flying Newton let himself and his team down with an inaccurate 2 goals five behinds. Rod Crowe was creative at times and skipper Peter Summers worked hard for the Zebras who introduced another newcomer in Jake Williams. Although the Zebras came close in the end, they probably did not deserve to win as their first quarter effort was poor and their performance on the day was generally patchy. The team needs to regroup as its season is on the line over the next fortnight with games against leading sides North Ballarat (away) and Williamstown. HOW THE DEMONS FARED The following are quotes from Sandringham coach Andy Lovell which appear in his Player Review on the Melbourne Football Club website:- Daniel Bell - "played a really good game at half back. He beat his man and had 23 possessions. He was really strong and physical in his attack on the ball. He ran hard and gave us some good drive and rebound off half back. In his first game back, he had a really positive impact." Nathan Carroll - "had a poor first quarter, but after quarter time, he was rock solid. He had 18 possessions, and played at full back on Leigh Brown. This was also his first game back after missing with suspension, and overall, he played a really solid game. " James Frawley - "was solid for us down back. His opponent kicked one goal on him. He did turn the ball over a little bit with his kicking, but defensively he was really solid." Michael Newton -"was really lively. He showed speed and led up really hard, taking 13 marks, which was a great effort. Unfortunately, he kicked the ball poorly, with two goals, five behinds and two out on the full. He did however, have 11 one percenters and six tackles. Three of our goals came directly from his forward line pressure. This was a really encouraging game for Michael, because he was back to the intensity and capabilities that we all know he possesses." Ricky Petterd - "this was his first senior game, and he played at half back. In the first quarter, he gave his man a lot of room and got led up to the ball. In the second half, he tightened up and played one-on-one football. He finished the game by beating his man, and was really strong and hard at the ball. He did turn the ball over and could have used it better, but overall it was certainly a positive first game back for him. " Tom McNamara - "played his second game of fooball at the senior level. He played at half back and was much improved. He beat his man one-on-one, and had 13 possessions, but he didn’t run to create as much as we would have liked. However, he is still learning the game and trying to find his feet. Tom looked calm under pressure, and showed that he is a good decision maker." John Meesen - "struggled to have an impact on the game. His used the ball all right without being super. He just has to get his hands on the ball more and use his major strength, which is running. He also has to physically impose himself on the game more. He disappointingly gave away a 50 metre penalty late in the game that really hurt the team, and this was unfortunate. " Cale Morton - "again, Cale got lot of the ball with 28 possessions. He played on a wing, and played as a midfielder through centre bounces. He had seven one percenters, which was a real improvement and that’s been an area of the game which has been a focus for him. In an average team performance, Cale was a good contributor." Jeff White - "dominated the ruck. He had 23 possessions, taking seven marks and linking up well around the ground. He had a great attitude and was thoroughly professional in his approach. Jeff won a lot of respect through his actions on Sunday." Adem Yze - "won plenty of the ball and impacted the game with 34 possessions. He did turn the ball over and kicked it poorly at times. Otherwise, he could have had a bigger, more positive impact on the game, but he didn’t use the ball as well as he normally does. He still competed hard." Sandringham 0.2.2 6.3.39 9.5.59 13.9.87 Werribee Tigers 5.4.34. 7.7.49 9.13.67 13.15.93 Goals Sandringham Sautner 4 Lamb Newton 2 Bell Morton Poyas Summers Yze Werribee Tigers Brown 3 Henderson Podsiadly McMahon 2 Chisholm Davies Sheringham Young Best Sandringham Yze Newton Liddell Crowe Frawley White Werribee Tigers Goldstein Thompson Davies Greenwood Howard Ross The reserves had a strong victory over the Werribee Tigers in a curtain raiser that saw the return of David Gallagher after a knee injury and a handy debut by a youngster who looks to have a great future in Jack Grimes who captained the Victorian Under 18’s last year. Guy Martyn starred with six goals in a dynamic performance for the Zebras. He received great support from tough youngster Kyle Cheney, Marc Johnston and Sam Monaghan put in another fine performance. HOW THE DEMONS FARED More quotes from Sandringham coach Andy Lovell which appear in his Player Review on the Melbourne Football Club website:- Kyle Cheney - "was close to being best on ground, playing across half back and in the midfield. Obviously he got demoted from the seniors, but went back to the reserves and really impacted the game. He rebounded hard off half back, he marked the ball well, and he also used it pretty well. He also showed some intensity and speed, which is what we have asked him to do." Jack Grimes - " This was his first game for the Club, and first for the year. Jack played off half back and in the midfield, collecting 18 possessions in only one half of football. He was really poised and showed he is a good decision maker. He had time and space when he had the ball, and used it pretty well. It was a really encouraging performance first up, and the kid showed that he had a bit of class. Physically, he pulled up well afterwards, which was good. " Addam Maric - "played at half back, which was part of his development to gain a better understanding of opponent accountability. He needs to be able to play on a man, beat him and then win the ball. He had 33 possessions off half back, which was very good. He still did struggle a little bit playing super tight on his man, but it was a really good learning curve for him. His attitude was also really positive. He went back and worked hard on his game, rebounding and using the ball really well." Isaac Weetra - "had 16 touches, and was a lot more positive again. His workrate was right up there, and his repeat efforts were better. He is looking increasingly confident and assured in his game. He is just starting to work a bit harder, and is getting his hands on the ball." Sandringham 5.2.32 9.11.65 12.14.86 19.18.132 Werribee Tigers 3.1.19 3.2.20 7.5.47 8.10.58 Goals Sandringham Martyn 6 Hardiman Kondarovskis 3 Weetra 2 Cheney Cleeve Fleming M Johnston Monaghan Werribee Tigers Jackel 2 Bloomfield Mahoney O'Brien Sharp Thompson Wormald Best Sandringham Martyn Cheney M Johnston Gribbin Hardiman Monaghan Werribee Tigers Sharp Hudson Palmer Magnabosco Zerafa Mahoney Reported Werribee Tigers J. Palmer for tripping Sandringham Nil

Brad Green makes inroads into Brock's lead:- 78.366 Brock McLean 62.853 Brad Green 44.698 Paul Wheatley 40.082 Austin Wonaemirri 36.880 Brad Miller 35.034 Colin Garland 30.899 Cameron Bruce 29.701 Aaron Davey 26.666 Paul Johnson 25.733 Matthew Bate 25.458 Colin Sylvia 24.347 Nathan Jones 19.753 Cale Morton 16.600 Chris Johnson 14.482 James McDonald 12.282 Brent Moloney 10.684 Jared Rivers 10.482 Nathan Carroll 10.346 Matthew Warnock 8.132 Clint Bartram 8.070 Lynden Dunn 5.904 Matthew Whelan 5.265 Russell Robertson 5.087 Jeff White 2.845 Adem Yze 1.805 Simon Buckley 1.011 Shane Valenti

Today's match weighting is over 1 or 100% for only the second time this year (which should be obvious because you only get over 1 when you win!) = 1.010869. In honour of Demon Head's magnificent performance of tippping Melbourne to win against the odds, he has the honour of naming his best six for inclusion in the POTY award. Unfortunatley, I can't all Y_M's votes because he's been filtered out of my visibility for the next 6 months as promised elsewhere. Bad luck mate but you should keep trying though :D .

You velcome Actually the locals think the whole Tankanui story is a lot of Bula

West Coast Eagles star midfielder Daniel Kerr was been stung by a stingray at the St Kilda Sea Baths this morning - Kerr stung by stingray

Dear Demonlanders, I'm holidaying at the moment with my wife in Fiji where I uncovered in a bookstore an old volume containing the Diary of Captain James Cook's last voyage. The book was edited by his midshipman R.M.M. Savage. AN EXCERPT FROM THE DIARY OF CAPTAIN JAMES COOK edited by R.M.M. Savage Saturday June 28th 1777 A full year has passed since The Resolution sailed from the Nore on June 25th 1776 and a month has gone by since I made my reluctant decision to bear away from the Easterly Wind and make for the Friendly Islands,* which were to the W. Knowing from my previous voyage that these islands would give good anchorage and provide us with all that we are in such urgent need of, I planned to remain there for 2½ months before proceeding on the expedition to Tahiti and the Americas. One of my official duties is to carry out a search for the legendary NW Passage but I also yearn to locate some paradise that I can name after my sponsor, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich where I, like all good gentlemen of England, might have the opportunity to luxuriate in a warm temperate climate among friendly native women. Tongatapu is the most populous of the Friendly islands. It was there that I came upon a curious group of people from the nearby islands of Fiji. Curious, not just because of their pleasant disposition and their friendly nature which are common features in these regions but because of their very strange customs and mannerisms. In my acquaintance, they soon acquired some additional habits and were constantly obliging in my company. They would often smile when presented with gifts and nod to each other saying, "tank you" which immediately elicited the response, "you velcome." This pleased me greatly. I was also pleased at the gifts they game me which included a store of Fijian red and blue feathers, a very highly prized possession whose main source of supply is the "Collared Lory", a red parrot native to their lands. In return for this generous gift, I agreed to give passage home to the west coast of Viti Levu (the main island in Fiji) to one of their young retinue. He was a tall, spritely lad of seventeen years who stood taller than the tallest of trees that we had witnessed standing high on the shores of Terra Australis, which we had lately visited. We conferred upon the boy the appellation "Nicholas" after Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker because of the many miracles attributed to him. Our new Nicholas was also capable of miracles as he was endowed of great spring and the swiftness of a deer. At this time, I had been suffering from the rheumatics, the pain beginning at the hip and extending across my groin and right down to the heel. The Resolution was navigated by a young master named Bligh. As we neared the outskirts of the island of Viti Levu a great storm approached from the SE and Bligh counselled against us venturing near the island. When I broke this news to Nicholas, he smiled at me, beckoned farewell and took one almighty leap right off the ship’s fo'c'sle and into the foaming white seas below. As one of the few in the ship's company who was able to swim, I momentarily entertained the idea of jumping in to save him but my affliction and a belly full of the native beverage kava caused great unsteadiness in my mind and my body and prevented me from doing so. The last we saw of young Nicholas was a flash of long arms and legs stroking perfectly towards the shore. This evening, as my eyes gazed upwards in the direction of the constellation of the Southern Cross, I wondered whether I would ever see his likes again for such specimens of human magnificence and athleticism are indeed rare commodities. I will always remember fondly this young man Nicholas Tankanui and I swear to the Lord above that I will never in all my remaining days on this earth forget how his countrymen and his family members took so fondly to the use of the expression "tank you". * Now known as the Tonga Islands.

Dear Demonlanders, I'm holidaying at the moment with my wife in Fiji where I uncovered in a bookstore an old volume containing the Diary of Captain James Cook's last voyage. The book was edited by his midshipman R.M.M. Savage. AN EXCERPT FROM THE DIARY OF CAPTAIN JAMES COOK edited by R.M.M. Savage Saturday June 28th 1777 A full year has passed since The Resolution sailed from the Nore on June 25th 1776 and a month has gone by since I made my reluctant decision to bear away from the Easterly Wind and make for the Friendly Islands,* which were to the W. Knowing from my previous voyage that these islands would give good anchorage and provide us with all that we are in such urgent need of, I planned to remain there for 2½ months before proceeding on the expedition to Tahiti and the Americas. One of my official duties is to carry out a search for the legendary NW Passage but I also yearn to locate some paradise that I can name after my sponsor, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich where I, like all good gentlemen of England, might have the opportunity to luxuriate in a warm temperate climate among friendly native women. Tongatapu is the most populous of the Friendly islands. It was there that I came upon a curious group of people from the nearby islands of Fiji. Curious, not just because of their pleasant disposition and their friendly nature which are common features in these regions but because of their very strange customs and mannerisms. In my acquaintance, they soon acquired some additional habits and were constantly obliging in my company. They would often smile when presented with gifts and nod to each other saying, "tank you" which immediately elicited the response, "you velcome." This pleased me greatly. I was also pleased at the gifts they game me which included a store of Fijian red and blue feathers, a very highly prized possession whose main source of supply is the "Collared Lory", a red parrot native to their lands. In return for this generous gift, I agreed to give passage home to the west coast of Viti Levu (the main island in Fiji) to one of their young retinue. He was a tall, spritely lad of seventeen years who stood taller than the tallest of trees that we had witnessed standing high on the shores of Terra Australis, which we had lately visited. We conferred upon the boy the appellation "Nicholas" after Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker because of the many miracles attributed to him. Our new Nicholas was also capable of miracles as he was endowed of great spring and the swiftness of a deer. At this time, I had been suffering from the rheumatics, the pain beginning at the hip and extending across my groin and right down to the heel. The Resolution was navigated by a young master named Bligh. As we neared the outskirts of the island of Viti Levu a great storm approached from the SE and Bligh counselled against us venturing near the island. When I broke this news to Nicholas, he smiled at me, beckoned farewell and took one almighty leap right off the ship’s fo'c'sle and into the foaming white seas below. As one of the few in the ship's company who was able to swim, I momentarily entertained the idea of jumping in to save him but my affliction and a belly full of the native beverage kava caused great unsteadiness in my mind and my body and prevented me from doing so. The last we saw of young Nicholas was a flash of long arms and legs stroking perfectly towards the shore. This evening, as my eyes gazed upwards in the direction of the constellation of the Southern Cross, I wondered whether I would ever see his likes again for such specimens of human magnificence and athleticism are indeed rare commodities. I will always remember fondly this young man Nicholas Tankanui and I swear to the Lord above that I will never in all my remaining days on this earth forget how his countrymen and his family members took so fondly to the use of the expression "tank you". * Now known as the Tonga Islands.

FORGET THE QUICK FIX Give me kids, kids and more kids says Dean Bailey.

by Demon Head It wasn't fun growing up as a Melbourne supporter in the early 1980's. Wins were few and far between and when the team tasted victory, you savoured it. Winning matches was a matter of pride for the embattled Demon supporter and even when the season was virtually done and dusted and your team was sitting in tenth place (they had a final five in those days) all you hoped for if you were an optimist like me was that the Dees would string together a couple of late wins and finish eighth so that you might salvage some honour out of a season. Things have changed these days as I discovered during my recent holiday out west where both of the local sides are struggling this year and a heated controversy rages about whether the Eagles, in particular, are trying to win or whether they are (ahem) "tanking" in order to take advantage of an early draft pick at the end of the year. As a Demon fan, I must confess that I don't feel as bad as I should when I watch my team struggling for wins, as it has in the past months, because I am also aware of the potential pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in the form of an early national draft selection. On that note, I was surprised and amused to read the headline on an article this week - "Bailey plans changes for consistency." What does that mean? We've been losing games consistently this year, so do we really need to make changes to maintain our consistent losing record? That's obviously not the tack that Dean Bailey is taking but my immediate reaction was indicative of the effect of all this talk about teams losing to get a better position in the draft. It's wrong and it's about time the AFL pulled its head out of the sand and did something to change the system. It’s all about perception and as long as the perception is that some clubs are producing mediocre performances and being rewarded for it, then the AFL must act to produce a better draft system. Getting rid of the two year priority system is one way of reducing the effects of the problem. A lottery system would also help. The irony is that the pot of draft gold may not be all that significant in the real world anyway. In the case of the Melbourne Football Club, an early draft pick would be handy but there are a lot of other things that need to happen, apart from picking up one player among the best of the young kids in the land, in order for a team to improve beyond its current levels. There have been some recent signs that Dean Bailey has the club on the right track and, though the results might not show it yet, I'm confident we are about to start winning games soon - and it might even be sooner than we think. That's the optimist in me talking but I just have this feeling... THE GAME Brisbane v. Melbourne at the MCG, Sunday 29 June 2008 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 17 wins Brisbane 14 wins At the MCG Melbourne wins Brisbane wins Since 2000 Melbourne 3 wins Brisbane 6 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Matthews 1 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 1 live at 1.00pm RADIO - 774ABC K-Rock SEN Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Brisbane to win $1.20 Melbourne to win $4.20 LAST TIME THEY MET Brisbane 19.23.137 defeated Melbourne 13.7.85, Round 6, 2008, at the Gabba History tells that this was the first game of the post David Neitz era. During the preceding week, the skipper was placed on the long-term injury list and a few weeks later, he announced his retirement. Without their long term leader, the team performed as you would expect a young side to do in the absence of strong leadership - it floundered and without any tall targets, it was left to small men, Nathan Jones (4) and Austin Wonaeamirri (3) to score the goals. The inevitable losing margin was 52 points but it could easily have been double that but for the home side's inaccuracy in front of goal. Former Demon Travis Johnstone rubbed it in by kicking the first and last goals for the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Colin Garland Matthew Warnock Half backs Brad Green Paul Wheatley Cameron Bruce Centreline Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Lynden Dunn Half forwards Chris Johnson Matthew Bate Aaron Davey Forwards Stefan Martin Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Paul Johnson Clint Bartram Nathan Jones Interchange Jace Bode Simon Buckley Mark Jamar Shane Valenti Emergencies Nathan Carroll Cale Morton Jeff White In Simon Buckley Stefan Martin Shane Valenti Out James Frawley (omitted) James McDonald (groin) Jeff White (omitted) New Stefan Martin (21, Sandringham) BRISBANE LIONS Backs Josh Drummond Daniel Merrett Joel Patfull Half Backs Joel Macdonald Mitch Clark Justin Sherman Centreline Anthony Corrie Simon Black Tim Notting Half Forwards Michael Rischitelli Jonathan Brown Ashley McGrath Forwards Robert Copeland Daniel Bradshaw Jared Brennan Followers Jamie Charman Luke Power Jed Adcock Interchange Tom Collier Rhan Hooper Travis Johnstone Troy Selwood Emergencies Scott Clouston James Polkinghorne Cheynee Stiller In Daniel Bradshaw Travis Johnstone Justin Sherman Out Lachlan Henderson James Polkinghorne Cheynee Stiller (all omitted) AFTER ALL THESE YEARS Q: When was the last time Brisbane played Melbourne on the MCG? A: Certainly not at any time during this century. Melbourne has only played one game against the Lions in its home state since the turn of the century and that was in Round 10 of 2000 in a game played at Telstra Dome. The last eight meetings have been at the Gabba and Brisbane has won six of those games. Now, for the first time since Round 21, 1999 the Demons finally have a true home ground advantage over Lethal's mob. So, after all these years, they have a real chance of beating Brisbane in front of a true home crowd and let's hope that Melbourne fans turn up in their numbers so that Paul McNamee doesn't have to write out a cheque for the privilege of playing on our home soil! The sceptics will argue that home ground advantage means very little against a side that clearly has the edge in terms of personnel, strength and experience. They will point to the Lions’ on ball brigade headed by the in form Simon Black and Luke Power and the dangerous forward combination of Brown and Bradshaw (the latter has averaged 8 goals at the last three meetings of these clubs). They will also point to the fact that the MCG doesn’t engender fear in the hearts of the boys from Brisbane who completed an 83 point thrashing of Collingwood at that venue late last year just before the Pies started their run that ended with the falling just short of a grand final appearance. And the Lions also gave Melbourne a towelling not all that long ago when the teams met in late April when their midfield completely dominated over the young Demons that day and set up a 52 point win that could easily have been a far greater but for their shocking inaccuracy. All that aside, and I'm acting more than on just a hunch, I believe that there has been a fair amount of improvement in this young Demon team over the past couple of months despite the injury woes that have seen important players in David Neitz, Russell Robertson, Brent Moloney and now Jared Rivers outed for the season. The introduction of new blood has helped to stiffen the team’s back line and is beginning to fill the enormous holes caused to its attack by the loss of its backbone of many years. The team's performances remain inconsistent both between and during games but it's their last three games on the home turf of the MCG that has me more than a little impressed. The games were the stirring come from behind victory against the Fremantle Dockers and the two defeats at the hands of Hawthorn and Collingwood. Against the Hawks Melbourne held a 14 point lead with 5 minutes left in the third term. A lucky break set up a Hawthorn goal and three more followed before the final change. Those 5 minutes cost Melbourne the game. Despite that, they came back to regain the lead twice and give the Hawks an almighty fright before they got home by 19 points. It was much the same against the Magpies with the result in doubt until the last five or so minutes. The Demons are losing but they are doing so because of lapses in parts of games and not for the whole of games as they were in the opening rounds of the season. The time will come soon when Melbourne puts a full game together or one that's close enough to 100% of match time. When this happens, many will be surprised but not I won’t be because these things go with the territory of being a young developing side. Why should the victim be Brisbane? I saw the Lions when they played their last game down here in Melbourne a fortnight ago (and their only game at the G so far this year), and while their opposition that day was all class and a top four combination in the Western Bulldogs, Brisbane was troubled all day. The Lions looked uncomfortable on the G in much the same way as they looked uncomfortable when a young, developing Hawthorn surprised them to win by 8 goals on this very same ground a few years ago. Therefore, I’m tipping history to repeat itself and that Melbourne will cause a major upset and win this game. The margin will be by a lucky 13 points. After all, I'm an optimist!

THE OPTIMIST by Demon Head It wasn't fun growing up as a Melbourne supporter in the early 1980's. Wins were few and far between and when the team tasted victory, you savoured it. Winning matches was a matter of pride for the embattled Demon supporter and even when the season was virtually done and dusted and your team was sitting in tenth place (they had a final five in those days) all you hoped for if you were an optimist like me was that the Dees would string together a couple of late wins and finish eighth so that you might salvage some honour out of a season. Things have changed these days as I discovered during my recent holiday out west where both of the local sides are struggling this year and a heated controversy rages about whether the Eagles, in particular, are trying to win or whether they are (ahem) "tanking" in order to take advantage of an early draft pick at the end of the year. As a Demon fan, I must confess that I don't feel as bad as I should when I watch my team struggling for wins, as it has in the past months, because I am also aware of the potential pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in the form of an early national draft selection. On that note, I was surprised and amused to read the headline on an article this week - "Bailey plans changes for consistency." What does that mean? We've been losing games consistently this year, so do we really need to make changes to maintain our consistent losing record? That's obviously not the tack that Dean Bailey is taking but my immediate reaction was indicative of the effect of all this talk about teams losing to get a better position in the draft. It's wrong and it's about time the AFL pulled its head out of the sand and did something to change the system. It’s all about perception and as long as the perception is that some clubs are producing mediocre performances and being rewarded for it, then the AFL must act to produce a better draft system. Getting rid of the two year priority system is one way of reducing the effects of the problem. A lottery system would also help. The irony is that the pot of draft gold may not be all that significant in the real world anyway. In the case of the Melbourne Football Club, an early draft pick would be handy but there are a lot of other things that need to happen, apart from picking up one player among the best of the young kids in the land, in order for a team to improve beyond its current levels. There have been some recent signs that Dean Bailey has the club on the right track and, though the results might not show it yet, I'm confident we are about to start winning games soon - and it might even be sooner than we think. That's the optimist in me talking but I just have this feeling... THE GAME Brisbane v. Melbourne at the MCG, Sunday 29 June 2008 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 17 wins Brisbane 14 wins At the MCG Melbourne wins Brisbane wins Since 2000 Melbourne 3 wins Brisbane 6 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Matthews 1 win MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 1 live at 1.00pm RADIO - 774ABC K-Rock SEN Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Brisbane to win $1.20 Melbourne to win $4.20 LAST TIME THEY MET Brisbane 19.23.137 defeated Melbourne 13.7.85, Round 6, 2008, at the Gabba History tells that this was the first game of the post David Neitz era. During the preceding week, the skipper was placed on the long-term injury list and a few weeks later, he announced his retirement. Without their long term leader, the team performed as you would expect a young side to do in the absence of strong leadership - it floundered and without any tall targets, it was left to small men, Nathan Jones (4) and Austin Wonaeamirri (3) to score the goals. The inevitable losing margin was 52 points but it could easily have been double that but for the home side's inaccuracy in front of goal. Former Demon Travis Johnstone rubbed it in by kicking the first and last goals for the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Colin Garland Matthew Warnock Half backs Brad Green Paul Wheatley Cameron Bruce Centreline Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Lynden Dunn Half forwards Chris Johnson Matthew Bate Aaron Davey Forwards Stefan Martin Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Paul Johnson Clint Bartram Nathan Jones Interchange Jace Bode Simon Buckley Mark Jamar Shane Valenti Emergencies Nathan Carroll Cale Morton Jeff White In Simon Buckley Stefan Martin Shane Valenti Out James Frawley (omitted) James McDonald (groin) Jeff White (omitted) New Stefan Martin (21, Sandringham) BRISBANE LIONS Backs Josh Drummond Daniel Merrett Joel Patfull Half Backs Joel Macdonald Mitch Clark Justin Sherman Centreline Anthony Corrie Simon Black Tim Notting Half Forwards Michael Rischitelli Jonathan Brown Ashley McGrath Forwards Robert Copeland Daniel Bradshaw Jared Brennan Followers Jamie Charman Luke Power Jed Adcock Interchange (from) Tom Collier Scott Clouston Rhan Hooper James Polkinghorne Cheynee Stiller Travis Johnstone Troy Selwood In Daniel Bradshaw Scott Clouston Travis Johnstone Justin Sherman Out Lachlan Henderson (omitted) AFTER ALL THESE YEARS Q: When was the last time Brisbane played Melbourne on the MCG? A: Certainly not at any time during this century. Melbourne has only played one game against the Lions in its home state since the turn of the century and that was in Round 10 of 2000 in a game played at Telstra Dome. The last eight meetings have been at the Gabba and Brisbane has won six of those games. Now, for the first time since Round 21, 1999 the Demons finally have a true home ground advantage over Lethal's mob. So, after all these years, they have a real chance of beating Brisbane in front of a true home crowd and let's hope that Melbourne fans turn up in their numbers so that Paul McNamee doesn't have to write out a cheque for the privilege of playing on our home soil! The sceptics will argue that home ground advantage means very little against a side that clearly has the edge in terms of personnel, strength and experience. They will point to the Lions’ on ball brigade headed by the in form Simon Black and Luke Power and the dangerous forward combination of Brown and Bradshaw (the latter has averaged 8 goals at the last three meetings of these clubs). They will also point to the fact that the MCG doesn’t engender fear in the hearts of the boys from Brisbane who completed an 83 point thrashing of Collingwood at that venue late last year just before the Pies started their run that ended with the falling just short of a grand final appearance. And the Lions also gave Melbourne a towelling not all that long ago when the teams met in late April when their midfield completely dominated over the young Demons that day and set up a 52 point win that could easily have been a far greater but for their shocking inaccuracy. All that aside, and I'm acting more than on just a hunch, I believe that there has been a fair amount of improvement in this young Demon team over the past couple of months despite the injury woes that have seen important players in David Neitz, Russell Robertson, Brent Moloney and now Jared Rivers outed for the season. The introduction of new blood has helped to stiffen the team’s back line and is beginning to fill the enormous holes caused to its attack by the loss of its backbone of many years. The team's performances remain inconsistent both between and during games but it's their last three games on the home turf of the MCG that has me more than a little impressed. The games were the stirring come from behind victory against the Fremantle Dockers and the two defeats at the hands of Hawthorn and Collingwood. Against the Hawks Melbourne held a 14 point lead with 5 minutes left in the third term. A lucky break set up a Hawthorn goal and three more followed before the final change. Those 5 minutes cost Melbourne the game. Despite that, they came back to regain the lead twice and give the Hawks an almighty fright before they got home by 19 points. It was much the same against the Magpies with the result in doubt until the last five or so minutes. The Demons are losing but they are doing so because of lapses in parts of games and not for the whole of games as they were in the opening rounds of the season. The time will come soon when Melbourne puts a full game together or one that's close enough to 100% of match time. When this happens, many will be surprised but not I won’t be because these things go with the territory of being a young developing side. Why should the victim be Brisbane? I saw the Lions when they played their last game down here in Melbourne a fortnight ago (and their only game at the G so far this year), and while their opposition that day was all class and a top four combination in the Western Bulldogs, Brisbane was troubled all day. The Lions looked uncomfortable on the G in much the same way as they looked uncomfortable when a young, developing Hawthorn surprised them to win by 8 goals on this very same ground a few years ago. Therefore, I’m tipping history to repeat itself and that Melbourne will cause a major upset and win this game. The margin will be by a lucky 13 points. After all, I'm an optimist!

by Barry from Beach Road Sandringham's form slump deepened on Sunday at Trevor Barker Beach Oval with the team hardly raising a whimper when it took on traditional rival Port Melbourne. The visitors led from start to finish and completely outclassed the Zebras by 67 points. The Zebras welcomed back some of their important goal kicking power with the return of Nick Sautner, Ezra Poyas and Addam Maric who were all missing last week but it was all to no avail. Sautner finished with four goals but these mostly came when the game was virtually over while Poyas was well below his best and managed only one goal for the day. The enthusiastic Borough under Garry Ayres played with the aggression and commitment that typified their coach's playing career and proved far too strong and skilful on the day. Port was untroubled early as it scooted away to a three goal lead by quarter time and then completely dominated the second quarter making Sandy look second rate when it stretched its lead to 10 goals before the home team scored its first for the term just on the bell at half time. The visitors were winning all over the ground; they hunted in packs and usually took front position in contests. They often would brush aside their opponents with ease as they streamed forward time and again and, though Sandy made a fist of it in the final quarter with five goals to six, it was a dismal lowering of the colours as the team fell another game adrift from a top four position. Sandy relied heavily on too few players. Its much vaunted defence was in tatters by the main break with only Andy Biddlecombe on hand to save the team from even greater embarrassment. Stefan Martin tried hard but the back line was generally under enormous pressure as it tried to stop the onslaught from a Port midfield that won most of the stoppages and was more direct and purposeful in its forward movement. The Zebras sorely missed Shane Valenti's hard work in and under the packs and relied heavily on skipper Peter Summers to provide drive in the midfield. Unfortunately, he was left to play what was virtually a lone hand as the team produced one of its poorest games in years. Sandringham must now work very hard during the coming week in order to regain its confidence and the purpose that it showed earlier this year when it was winning its games by comfortable margins. A loss to Werribee away this Sunday could even put the team's finals prospects under pressure so coach Andy Lovell will be keen to see his charges regroup this week as it prepare for a solid performance to turn their season around at Bartercard Oval. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Simon Buckley – given a run with role and applied himself well to the task under difficult conditions. Kyle Cheney - had a real shocker after a couple of promising games. He was often caught out of position and made fundamental errors which can are deadly in defence against a team that has its tails up. Hopefully, he has gained a valuable lesson learn from the experience of this game. Addam Maric - at times he showed some real glimpses of skill and class. Played in a number of positions on the ground and was always interesting when he had the pill but he really needs to get more of it over a full game and not just play in patches. Stefan Martin - played a steady game and tried valiantly to hold together a back line that was under fire consistently through the afternoon. Tom McNamara - the youngest player on any AFL list this year, he showed plenty of run off halfback and took the step up from reserves to seniors without missing a beat. He has a lot of poise and skill that suggests he has the makings of a quality player of the future. John Meesen - was given a bath early and worked hard to get himself back into the game both in the ruck contests and around the ground but still well beaten on the day. Cale Morton – a player who finds the ball a lot during a game and, although he made a few errors, he showed that he is all class and will be a long time AFL player of some stature once he fills out that lean body of his and gets more game time under his belt. Jake Spencer - showed some promise with his enthusiasm around the ground. His tap ruckwork was reasonable. Adem Yze - like most of his teammates, he put in a patchy effort and his afternoon was not particularly productive. Sandringham 2.2.14 3.3.21 6.6.42 11.9.75 Port Melbourne 5.2.32 11.10.76 15.13.103 21.16.142 Goals Sandringham Sautner 4 Morton 2 Buckley Crowe Lamb Poyas Yze Port Melbourne Nahas 6 Dwyer 3 Bonaddio Pinwill Sutcliffe 2 Baird Brewer Dillon Pitt Thomas Smith Best Sandringham Biddlecombe Summers Liddell Buckley Crowe Poyas Port Melbourne Nahas Cotchett Pleming Sutcliffe McMahon Livingston Sandringham Reserves started the day off on the wrong foot when they lost to Port Melbourne by the narrowest of margins. It was a disappointing result as the young Zebras beat the same opposition two months ago by 15 goals at North Port. Daniel Gribbin was the team’s stand out player. Sandringham 1.1.7 4.6.30 8.10.58 10.10.70 Port Melbourne 2.4.16 5.7.37 7.8.50 10.11.71 Goals Sandringham Martyn Zomer 2 Gilchrist Lockwood Lyall Monaghan Petterd Williams Port Melbourne Schultz 3 Bonnici Hassett 2 Francis Mullins Siciliano Best Sandringham Gribbin Curcio Williams Fleming Petterd Monaghan Port Melbourne deBruin Wall Schultz Siciliano Sheldon Pearce

SANDY SLUMPS, PORT SIZZLES by Barry from Beach Road Sandringham's form slump deepened on Sunday at Trevor Barker Beach Oval with the team hardly raising a whimper when it took on traditional rival Port Melbourne. The visitors led from start to finish and completely outclassed the Zebras by 67 points. The Zebras welcomed back some of their important goal kicking power with the return of Nick Sautner, Ezra Poyas and Addam Maric who were all missing last week but it was all to no avail. Sautner finished with four goals but these mostly came when the game was virtually over while Poyas was well below his best and managed only one goal for the day. The enthusiastic Borough under Garry Ayres played with the aggression and commitment that typified their coach's playing career and proved far too strong and skilful on the day. Port was untroubled early as it scooted away to a three goal lead by quarter time and then completely dominated the second quarter making Sandy look second rate when it stretched its lead to 10 goals before the home team scored its first for the term just on the bell at half time. The visitors were winning all over the ground; they hunted in packs and usually took front position in contests. They often would brush aside their opponents with ease as they streamed forward time and again and, though Sandy made a fist of it in the final quarter with five goals to six, it was a dismal lowering of the colours as the team fell another game adrift from a top four position. Sandy relied heavily on too few players. Its much vaunted defence was in tatters by the main break with only Andy Biddlecombe on hand to save the team from even greater embarrassment. Stefan Martin tried hard but the back line was generally under enormous pressure as it tried to stop the onslaught from a Port midfield that won most of the stoppages and was more direct and purposeful in its forward movement. The Zebras sorely missed Shane Valenti's hard work in and under the packs and relied heavily on skipper Peter Summers to provide drive in the midfield. Unfortunately, he was left to play what was virtually a lone hand as the team produced one of its poorest games in years. Sandringham must now work very hard during the coming week in order to regain its confidence and the purpose that it showed earlier this year when it was winning its games by comfortable margins. A loss to Werribee away this Sunday could even put the team's finals prospects under pressure so coach Andy Lovell will be keen to see his charges regroup this week as it prepare for a solid performance to turn their season around at Bartercard Oval. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Simon Buckley – given a run with role and applied himself well to the task under difficult conditions. Kyle Cheney - had a real shocker after a couple of promising games. He was often caught out of position and made fundamental errors which can are deadly in defence against a team that has its tails up. Hopefully, he has gained a valuable lesson learn from the experience of this game. Addam Maric - at times he showed some real glimpses of skill and class. Played in a number of positions on the ground and was always interesting when he had the pill but he really needs to get more of it over a full game and not just play in patches. Stefan Martin - played a steady game and tried valiantly to hold together a back line that was under fire consistently through the afternoon. Tom McNamara - the youngest player on any AFL list this year, he showed plenty of run off halfback and took the step up from reserves to seniors without missing a beat. He has a lot of poise and skill that suggests he has the makings of a quality player of the future. John Meesen - was given a bath early and worked hard to get himself back into the game both in the ruck contests and around the ground but still well beaten on the day. Cale Morton – a player who finds the ball a lot during a game and, although he made a few errors, he showed that he is all class and will be a long time AFL player of some stature once he fills out that lean body of his and gets more game time under his belt. Jake Spencer - showed some promise with his enthusiasm around the ground. His tap ruckwork was reasonable. Adem Yze - like most of his teammates, he put in a patchy effort and his afternoon was not particularly productive. Sandringham 2.2.14 3.3.21 6.6.42 11.9.75 Port Melbourne 5.2.32 11.10.76 15.13.103 21.16.142 Goals Sandringham Sautner 4 Morton 2 Buckley Crowe Lamb Poyas Yze Port Melbourne Nahas 6 Dwyer 3 Bonaddio Pinwill Sutcliffe 2 Baird Brewer Dillon Pitt Thomas Smith Best Sandringham Biddlecombe Summers Liddell Buckley Crowe Poyas Port Melbourne Nahas Cotchett Pleming Sutcliffe McMahon Livingston Sandringham Reserves started the day off on the wrong foot when they lost to Port Melbourne by the narrowest of margins. It was a disappointing result as the young Zebras beat the same opposition two months ago by 15 goals at North Port. Daniel Gribbin was the team’s stand out player. Sandringham 1.1.7 4.6.30 8.10.58 10.10.70 Port Melbourne 2.4.16 5.7.37 7.8.50 10.11.71 Goals Sandringham Martyn Zomer 2 Gilchrist Lockwood Lyall Monaghan Petterd Williams Port Melbourne Schultz 3 Bonnici Hassett 2 Francis Mullins Siciliano Best Sandringham Gribbin Curcio Williams Fleming Petterd Monaghan Port Melbourne deBruin Wall Schultz Siciliano Sheldon Pearce

IT'S A HORROR MOVIE by Grazman (our man on the spot in the National Capital) If I were to describe Sunday's game at Manuka Oval between Melbourne and Sydney I would label it "Horror Movie" This wasn't because our forward line had as much life in its as the late and lamented former front man of Skyhooks, but rather, because like most Hollywood schlock that is passed off as horror, it was just oh so predictable! Even though he was at Port Adelaide at the time, I'm sure someone at the club slipped Dean Bailey a copy of "The Demons House of Manuka Horrors circa 2007". Like all Hollywood sequels there was no need to dig to deep for originality - there wasn't any. The setting hadn't changed (it was still cold and inhospitable), there was a relatively new cast of young innocent characters for the blooding, and the plot borrowed heavily from it's predecessor. Against a professional and well drilled outfit, to be any chance of surviving on the scoreboard we'd have to go toe to toe in the intensity stakes. Unfortunately the first quarter was pretty much what we've come to expect of the Demons lately. MIA for 20 minutes... game over. I was bemoaning the fact that PJ would never ever take another mark above his head, that Barry Hall was monstering poor Matty Warnock and Colin Garland was being torn to pieces by Micky O. Just like the horror movie when you think the young innocent is finally safe, so too we would conspire to turn potentially exciting passages of plays at the last gasp into costly turnovers due to poor skills. That was the story of the afternoon. Sydney had two marking forwards, with over 1,000 AFL goals and 500 AFL games between them while Melbourne had a makeshift forward come ruckman as its one genuine marking option inside the forward fifty while Matthew Bate and Brad Miller had to push hard up the ground in search of kicks because the midfield was given a lesson about intensity and taking the front position. While it was not necessarily reflected on the scoreboard, the second quarter showed a marked increase in work rate, effort and intensity. Bate and Lynden Dunn were the stand outs; these kids are going to be good. Bate was in everything, and while Goodes looked set to have another typical outing for him at Manuka as he got off to a flyer courtesy of some dumb free kicks and umpiring generosity, Dunn did well to negate his effect. CJ was doing a job on O'Keefe which he did well all day and while Warnock and Garland were clearly not strong enough to compete in one on ones with the Swans forwards, they ran to provide options and showed some real poise coming out of defence. The most surprising thing for me was that PJ actually started to take some marks in front of his face and was presenting really well. In general I would say he had the better of Leo Barry who found him just too tall to spoil. The third quarter was easily Melbourne's best with the boys actually moving to make space and leading their opponents to the ball. The midfield started to break even and the Swans looked a little lacklustre when it was their turn to chase. The Dees continued to push, and the script suddenly took a new turn. The Dees were up and about and looked to have found some self-belief. The start of the fourth quarter was a continuation of the third, but unfortunately the wind was taken out of the Demons' sails by some desperately unlucky breaks and a couple of Swan goals against the tide. By the end both sides were playing out time, and while this wasn't quite the one that got away for the boys, there was definitely a sense they were the architects of their own demise by letting their fears take control. It's clear where the team is heading and how Dean Bailey wants them to play and there are some very encouraging signs for the future. In general it was a day where the midfield was well beaten, where the forward line functioned sporadically though not always systematically and the backline was under constant seige, yet we were able to close to within 2 goals and keep the final margin respectable. It was a horror movie alright, it didn't end well for the young innocents and it was predictable, but at least for this Demon fan this was offset because at least this weekend I didn't have to "Watch it right there on my TV." Melbourne 2.2.14 5.3.33 10.5.65 11.8.74 Sydney Swans 7.2.44 10.5.65 12.10.82 17.12.114 Goals Melbourne Bate 4 Wonaeamirri 3 Bruce P Johnson McLean Miller Sydney Swans Hall 5 Buchanan Mattner O'Loughlin 2 Goodes Jolly Malceski R O'Keefe Playfair Roberts-Thomson Best Melbourne Bate Dunn Garland C Johnson P Johnson Warnock Sydney Swans Hall Kirk Mattner Jolly C Bolton O'Loughlin Injuries Melbourne nil Sydney Swans nil Reports Nil Umpires Sully Grun Head Official crowd 11,437 at Manuka Oval

A TEST FOR THE MEMORY BANK by Scoop Junior On a great day for footy in the nation's capital, the Melbourne Football Club went down to top four fancy the Sydney Swans. It was a game that probably won't last too long in the memory bank. As good sides do against lowly opposition, the Swans killed off the contest early with a barnstorming start. They kicked the first five goals of the match and, in doing so, put paid to Melbourne's hopes of an upset victory. During that opening period, the Demons struggled to get their hands on the ball, taking until the fifth minute of the opening term to register their first possession. While it is symptomatic of a young side to go missing at times, this trait is one that the Dees have possessed for far too long and one that has punishing effects as opposition teams pile on the goals with ease dutring such periods. Richmond did it in the second quarter last week with an eight-goal burst; this time it was the Swans. To its credit, Melbourne did fight back in the second term to make it a more even contest. A few goals to each side kept the margin at five goals, with the Demons' improved tackling and pressure making it more difficult for the Swans to score. After half time, Melbourne lifted another gear and for the first time in the match started to produce fluent attacking football. So efficient were the Demons during this quarter that nearly every forward 50 entry resulted in a score. The Dees closed to within 11 points but a late goal to Sydney extended the margin to three goals at the final change. While Melbourne was in the game at three-quarter time, catch-up footy takes it toll. The energy expended in reeling in the deficit was too much for the young team and a lift in application from the Swans resulted in a dominant term for the Sydneysiders. Melbourne could hardly generate any offensive pressure and the Swans' high-pressure high-intensity style wore them out as they fell away to a 40-point defeat. For the Dees, Matthew Bate performed exceptionally well from limited opportunities to boot four goals. With the team limited to a paltry 30 forward entries, Bate did well to make the most of his opportunities in kicking the biggest bag of his career thus far. Brad Miller worked hard at centre half forward and Paul Johnson was particularly influential in the third term, leading up and showing a clean pair of heels to his opponents. Like Bate, Austin Wonaeamirri made the most of his opportunities to boot three majors. It was a great effort in the circumstances, given that Melbourne's lack of forward entries and dearth of big marking targets provided few crumbing opportunities for the little blokes. The midfield was well beaten by a more experienced, hardened outfit. With the likes of Kirk, Jude Bolton, Buchanan and Goodes, the Swans have a multitude of seasoned premiership midfielders who more often than not overcome what opposition clubs throw at them. The young Melbourne midfield was no match, coming up desperately short in the clearances. Brock McLean was nullified by Kirk, Bruce didn't see a lot of it and Jones lacked his usual output. Aaron Davey was quiet for most of the game but played a ripping third quarter, which was one of the main reasons for the Dees’ resurgence during this term. Melbourne looks a different team when the ball is in Flash’s hands, as he not only breaks the lines but delivers with pinpoint accuracy. On a brighter note for the Demons was the performance of Lynden Dunn, who restricted the dangerous Goodes to 12 disposals. It was a fine performance from Dunn, who has now had the better of Goodes, Foley and Swan in the past three weeks. What I like about this list of scalps is that these three players all possess pace, an attribute seriously lacking in Melbourne’s midfield. Dunn's ability to match them adds another dimension to the midfield. However, he now needs to learn how to find more of the footy himself and to provide an attacking influence if he wants to establish a permanent spot in the midfield. Brad Green and Paul Wheatley played well sweeping out of defence, with the formers' sure hands and crisp disposal helping to set up the play, while Chris Johnson played one of his better games for the club, nullifying the hard-working O'Keefe and using his sound kicking skills to initiate attack off half back. Colin Garland was effective without dominating, playing a decent game on O'Loughlin, while fellow young key back James Frawley did some nice things although he is still a number of games and many kilograms away from holding down a key position. Matthew Warnock, who has been somewhat of a revelation in recent weeks, was comprehensively beaten by Barry Hall. The Swans' spearhead had far too much strength and know-how and had he kicked more accurately would have booted 8 goals. In the end, it was a decent effort to limit the margin to 40 points, given Sydney's fast start, their dominance at the stoppages and the limited forward 50 entries from the Demons. While still nowhere near the elite teams, Melbourne's skill level has improved drastically since the early rounds (admittedly it couldn’t get much worse!) and this was highlighted by their efficiency in scoring, particularly in the third quarter. However, Sydney was well below its best for periods of the game and the match did indicate a number of key areas where the Demons need to improve if they are to move up the ladder in the coming years. Nevertheless, this honourable loss will not harm Melbourne's prospects of securing the number 1 pick in the National Draft, a draft which the Dees must extract some top-grade talent if they are to improve their list for the future. Despite the improvement since the early rounds, Melbourne lacks the talent of the top clubs and the best way to address this is with early draft choices and astute drafting and trading. With games against the impressive Lions, the second-placed Bulldogs, Fremantle away and the Kangaroos in the next for weeks, a win looks a fair way away, which is not all bad news given the draft prize of finishing near the bottom of the ladder. Despite only one win for the season thus far, it does promise to be an interesting final nine weeks! Melbourne 2.2.14 5.3.33 10.5.65 11.8.74 Sydney Swans 7.2.44 10.5.65 12.10.82 17.12.114 Goals Melbourne Bate 4 Wonaeamirri 3 Bruce P Johnson McLean Miller Sydney Swans Hall 5 Buchanan Mattner O'Loughlin 2 Goodes Jolly Malceski R O'Keefe Playfair Roberts-Thomson Best Melbourne Green Bate Dunn P Johnson C Johnson Wheatley Sydney Swans Hall Kirk Mattner Jolly C Bolton O'Loughlin For another view of the game from our man in the nation's capital see - IT'S A HORROR MOVIE Current standing is the Demonland Player of the Year Award are: 78.366 Brock McLean 44.657 Brad Green 40.082 Austin Wonaemirri 37.622 Paul Wheatley 34.023 Colin Garland 30.899 Cameron Bruce 29.701 Aaron Davey 25.733 Matthew Bate 24.644 Paul Johnson 24.347 Nathan Jones 22.728 Brad Miller 19.753 Cale Morton 16.360 Colin Sylvia 14.482 James McDonald 12.282 Brent Moloney 10.684 Jared Rivers 10.482 Nathan Carroll 10.346 Matthew Warnock 8.132 Clint Bartram 7.059 Lynden Dunn 6.491 Chris Johnson 5.904 Matthew Whelan 5.265 Russell Robertson 5.087 Jeff White 2.845 Adem Yze 1.805 Simon Buckley

Just a reminder that Demonland is about the Melbourne Football Club and not individual upporters. This thread is locked. See you in October YM.

There will definitely be a match report. Barry is just collecting his thoughts. He's a bit of a shattered man at the moment given that Sandy lost the seniors and the reserves to his hated old rivals from the Burra, not to mention that Mavis, his wife of 26 years, is threatening to leave him if he doesn't stay home, clean the house and mow the lawns next weekend. Please be patient and give the poor man some time.

by Whispering Jack Mick Malthouse has been coaching in the AFL/VFL for two and a half decades. He started as a young coach with the Bulldogs, moved to the West Coast Eagles where he was instrumental in building a team that earned two premiership cups and then took over a basket case at Collingwood to become runner up two years in a row and is now in the course of reshaping and redeveloping his team after some more lean years. Like most of his kind, he has his supporters and his detractors and many of the latter category often say that he makes no sense at all. After reading his latest column in this Friday's Australian newspaper - SHAW-FIRE WORLD OF THE MONDAY COACHES - I'm firmly placed in the former category. At first brush, the article appears to be nothing more than the writer's response to a broadside fired at him by his predecessor Tony Shaw over his recent handling of Shaw's nephew and Magpies defender Heath Shaw. Tony Shaw has previously criticised Malthouse over the handling of Heath's brother Rhyce and there were also mutterings heard when Tony's own son, Brayden spent a single, unsuccesful season in the land of the Lexus. Malthouse put Tony Saw back in his place with this cleverly placed barb: "Tony, in particular, would have been almost punch-drunk, having coached Collingwood from 1996 to 1999, the club's darkest period for more than 50 years." Touche! Those who read the Malthouse article as merely being Malthouse's way of settling a personal core with one of his harshest critics who might also be seen as having a personal vendetta against him would be missing out on something far deeper and more profound about the way AFL clubs are coached these days. As I read the article, I couldn't help but think of our own coach Dean Bailey, of the many young players at the club whose football careers are his responsibility and of the club itself, which is going through the deepest of troughs in the football cycle. We're doing it tough and Bailey must be under some pressure as the team continues to lose games on a regular basis. What many of the critics don't see is the work going on to rebuild our young team and the fact that the fruits of that effort might take some time in the reaping. Malthouse makes the point that every Monday he is the recipient of complaints from the know alls. Even when his team wins by 100 points, as it recently did against West Coast, there's always a smart arse who has the answer to the question why they didn't win by 120 points. Mick's answer to the smart arses is as follows (and we all would do well to take this in): "But the fundamental thing about coaching is to stick to your plans. Our plan at Collingwood, and I dare say at most clubs, is to develop the individual first, which in turn helps to develop the team, which in turn provides the football club and its supporters with a highly competitive combination that will represent at its highest level for a long and sustained period." I must confess that I, like many others, overestimated the strength of the Melbourne list some two years ago when it was cruising towards its third finals series in a row. We couldn't foresee the injury plague that was about to hit the club but even this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it exposed many of our fundamental weaknesses and hastened the move towards a total reconstruction of the playing list. That transition is now well under way under the club's present coaching regime but we are witnessing the inevitable ugly face of the early stages of a club's redevelopment. As the team becomes more and more reliant on its youth, there will be performances that are full of inconsistency and disappointment. We will also suffer scorn and derision from the rest of the football world and our coach and our players will undergo intense scrutiny. Like Malthouse, Bailey will no doubt get the usual letters suggesting his coaching on the weekend ranged from ordinary to pathetic. There is an upside to this whole process which is that, despite the defeats and the criticism, we are witnessing the slow and steady development of many younsters in the team whose average age keeps falling and whose more senior faces keep disappearing. In addition, there are half a dozen recent draftees including All Australian Under 18 players and elite AIS graduates waiting in the wings who have yet to play an AFL game and who are learning the ropes this year at VFL level. They form part of the club's growing young player bank that will be augmented at the end of the season with more draft picks including some very early selections. I know the word "tanking" is on everyone's lips but it would be absurd to think, as some people do, that the club's future depends entirely upon the necessity to have the first draft choice. Having pick 1 might be better than having pick 4 but it's more important that the coach is focussed firmly on what is, was and always be his primary role at a club. As Malthouse clearly puts it in his conclusion: "... current coaches and players have to prove time and again they can either play or they can coach - it goes with the title."

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? by Whispering Jack Mick Malthouse has been coaching in the AFL/VFL for two and a half decades. He started as a young coach with the Bulldogs, moved to the West Coast Eagles where he was instrumental in building a team that earned two premiership cups and then took over a basket case at Collingwood to become runner up two years in a row and is now in the course of reshaping and redeveloping his team after some more lean years. Like most of his kind, he has his supporters and his detractors and many of the latter category often say that he makes no sense at all. After reading his latest column in this Friday's Australian newspaper - SHAW-FIRE WORLD OF THE MONDAY COACHES - I'm firmly placed in the former category. At first brush, the article appears to be nothing more than the writer's response to a broadside fired at him by his predecessor Tony Shaw over his recent handling of Shaw's nephew and Magpies defender Heath Shaw. Tony Shaw has previously criticised Malthouse over the handling of Heath's brother Rhyce and there were also mutterings heard when Tony's own son, Brayden spent a single, unsuccesful season in the land of the Lexus. Malthouse put Tony Saw back in his place with this cleverly placed barb: "Tony, in particular, would have been almost punch-drunk, having coached Collingwood from 1996 to 1999, the club's darkest period for more than 50 years." Touche! Those who read the Malthouse article as merely being Malthouse's way of settling a personal core with one of his harshest critics who might also be seen as having a personal vendetta against him would be missing out on something far deeper and more profound about the way AFL clubs are coached these days. As I read the article, I couldn't help but think of our own coach Dean Bailey, of the many young players at the club whose football careers are his responsibility and of the club itself, which is going through the deepest of troughs in the football cycle. We're doing it tough and Bailey must be under some pressure as the team continues to lose games on a regular basis. What many of the critics don't see is the work going on to rebuild our young team and the fact that the fruits of that effort might take some time in the reaping. Malthouse makes the point that every Monday he is the recipient of complaints from the know alls. Even when his team wins by 100 points, as it recently did against West Coast, there's always a smart arse who has the answer to the question why they didn't win by 120 points. Mick's answer to the smart arses is as follows (and we all would do well to take this in): "But the fundamental thing about coaching is to stick to your plans. Our plan at Collingwood, and I dare say at most clubs, is to develop the individual first, which in turn helps to develop the team, which in turn provides the football club and its supporters with a highly competitive combination that will represent at its highest level for a long and sustained period." I must confess that I, like many others, overestimated the strength of the Melbourne list some two years ago when it was cruising towards its third finals series in a row. We couldn't foresee the injury plague that was about to hit the club but even this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it exposed many of our fundamental weaknesses and hastened the move towards a total reconstruction of the playing list. That transition is now well under way under the club's present coaching regime but we are witnessing the inevitable ugly face of the early stages of a club's redevelopment. As the team becomes more and more reliant on its youth, there will be performances that are full of inconsistency and disappointment. We will also suffer scorn and derision from the rest of the football world and our coach and our players will undergo intense scrutiny. Like Malthouse, Bailey will no doubt get the usual letters suggesting his coaching on the weekend ranged from ordinary to pathetic. There is an upside to this whole process which is that, despite the defeats and the criticism, we are witnessing the slow and steady development of many younsters in the team whose average age keeps falling and whose more senior faces keep disappearing. In addition, there are half a dozen recent draftees including All Australian Under 18 players and elite AIS graduates waiting in the wings who have yet to play an AFL game and who are learning the ropes this year at VFL level. They form part of the club's growing young player bank that will be augmented at the end of the season with more draft picks including some very early selections. I know the word "tanking" is on everyone's lips but it would be absurd to think, as some people do, that the club's future depends entirely upon the necessity to have the first draft choice. Having pick 1 might be better than having pick 4 but it's more important that the coach is focussed firmly on what is, was and always be his primary role at a club. As Malthouse clearly puts it in his conclusion: "... current coaches and players have to prove time and again they can either play or they can coach - it goes with the title."

My admiration for Dean Laidley has grown considerably in the light of what he had to say to Big Mouth here - Butt out, Jeff- Laidley

Folks. Let's keep the discussion civil and please no personal attacks on each other. Hannabal, please note that if you have a point to make about a subject, your argument would be far more credible if you addressed the point rather than attacking the poster whose views might differ from yours. There's no place here for ad hominem insults. The same goes for everyone else. Thank you and cheers. Andy

Folks. Let's keep the discussion civil and please no personal attacks on each other. Hannabal, please note that if you have a point to make about a subject, your argument would be far more credible if you addressed the point rather than attacking the poster whose views might differ from yours. There's no place here for ad hominem insults. The same goes for everyone else. Thank you and cheers. Andy

Please note. He has not yet been found guilty so he should not be called a "criminal" or a cheat until such time as the law says so.

ANYONE BUT SYDNEY!!! by The Oracle One of the first initiatives announced under the new regime at Melbourne was the push for two matches in Canberra next year to enable the club to pocket more than $600,000 if the AFL allows it to double up on its presence in the national capital. According to Melbourne CEO Paul McNamee, Canberra is the place where the Demons have a "preference to build a little hub." From the point of view of making money it's not a bad idea to make 600k by playing away instead of losing money at home. Any organisation that finds itself $4.5m in debt and with mounting losses needs to have an eye on the bottom line and given that Melbourne is at rock bottom, it's well placed to look fairly, squarely and closely at that line. But the club’s application for an additional presence in the ACT should also be also be made on the understanding that Melbourne is part of a national competition and it's important in that context for it to be competitive. For that to happen, it has to compete on more or less a level playing field. Now, I'm not suggesting that Manuka Oval slopes one way or another but I do think that the club's request for another Canberra game should be predicated on it playing against two of the interstate clubs that have lesser drawing power in Melbourne such as the Dockers, Port Power or the future GC17 and WS18 teams. The Sydney Swans, with their association with the old South Melbourne Football Club, still have a significant base of supporters in Melbourne so it makes sense for the Dees to play their home games against them here in Melbourne to take advantage of those numbers. Playing the Swans in Canberra also gives the supposed "away" team a virtual home ground advantage. At Manuka, Sydney is much closer to its own home as the crow flies than Melbourne and the Swans also field their reserves team in the local Canberra competition. This effectively gives Sydney an enormous advantage over the so-called "home side" in terms of crowd support, travel time and local knowledge. The Demons need to build an identity in the ACT as a team in its own right and it must maximise its winning chances playing at the ground - something that won't happen as often if they give away any advantage and play there against the Swans who are perennially in the top four. So, I'm all for making some dough out of a couple of trips a year to the national capital but let's be smart about who we have to play against in those games. Just imagine a future match up against the Gold Coast Dolphins in Canberra with all those pretty boy blond haired surfers freezing their you know what’s off. We would have the clear advantage over our opponents in the wintry conditions in the national capital, make some money and bring home the four points - all while I'm lounging on my living room couch with the fire blazing away and me sipping away on a tinnie fully of the frothy stuff. Sounds good to me - as long as we're not playing the Swans! On the question of Sydney, I wonder what happened to the rivalry that the clubs were trying to build up around Anzac Day? The quest to build up a blockbuster game around the clubs named after and representing the two most populous cities in the land seems to have fallen by the wayside. The Demons should look to bring this concept back with the clubs alternating their Anzac Day appearances between cities every year (with the game on Anzac eve at the G every year when it's in Melbourne). If promoted well we could develop a blockbuster our own without the need to always attract opposition supporters like the one who slagged off at Fev last Sunday. I'd like to see that! THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney at the Manuka Oval 22 June 2008 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 91 wins Sydney 107 wins 1 draw At Manuka Melbourne 0 wins Sydney 1 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 6 wins Sydney 10 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 Roos 0 MEDIA TV Fox Footy Channel at 1 pm (live) RADIO SEN 774 ABC THE BETTING Melbourne to win $8.00 - Sydney to win $1.06 LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 17.10.112 defeated Melbourne 9.10.64 Round 18, 2007. Melbourne travelled a long way to play this "home" game but it certainly didn't take long for the Swans to snuff them out. The Demons failed to kick a goal in the opening stanza and the Swans kept them in a vice-like grip for the rest of the games with Adam Goodes in outstanding form. The best of the Demons that day were Nathan Brown and Nathan Carroll. Ironically, neither of them will be in the nation's capital for Sunday’s rematch. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs James McDonald Colin Garland Matthew Warnock Half backs Brad Green Paul Wheatley Cameron Bruce Centreline Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Lynden Dunn Half forwards Jace Bode Matthew Bate Aaron Davey Forwards Paul Johnson Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White Clint Bartram Nathan Jones Interchange James Frawley Mark Jamar Chris Johnson Matthew Whelan Emergencies Cale Morton Shane Valenti Adem Yze In Mark Jamar Matthew Whelan Out Cale Morton Adem Yze (both omitted) SYDNEY SWANS Backs Nick Malceski Leo Barry Martin Mattner Half backs Craig Bolton Ted Richards Tadhg Kennelly Centreline Adam Goodes Jarrad McVeigh Amon Buchanan Half forwards Ryan O’Keefe Barry Hall Luke Ablett Forwards Paul Bevan Michael O’Loughlin Lewis Roberts-Thomson Followers Darren Jolly Brett Kirk Jude Bolton Interchange Craig Bird Kieren Jack Jarred Moore Henry Playfair Emergencies Luke Brennan Nic Fosdike Ben Mathews No change Umpires Sully Grun Head SWAN DIVING We are barely beyond the halfway mark of the season and already they're talking about tanking. The talk at the moment centres on the West Coast Eagles and the way their team was structured for last Friday night's game against Essendon - especially the omission of some key premiership players such as Daniel Kerr, Braun and Fletcher. It's just as well people aren't accusing Melbourne of tanking because this year's Demons have proved conclusively that they can lose with the best of them without even doing anything that looks remotely suspicious. When will people ever learn and understand the truth of Andrew Demetriou's AFL 11th commandment - thou shalt not, will not and do not tank? It just doesn't happen. End of story. That said, Sunday's game at Manuka looks like a mismatch to me. The Swans have been cruising along nicely over recent weeks and the inclusion of Barry Hall, back from suspension last week, was virtually seamless. Sydney went on its merry way and demolished the Saints to grab fourth position on the AFL ladder. Unlike the dour Swans of old, they did it in the attractive, high scoring style which they have adopted of late. This spells a lot of trouble for Melbourne because you can't just shut the Swans down by pushing your players back and hoping for the best. They will smash you if you try that - just ask the Tigers who were held to one goal in the first half of their game in Sydney a few weeks ago. The game will give Melbourne the opportunity to see how its new look young defence can withstand the slings and arrows of a professional attacking unit containing the likes of Hall, Michael O'Loughlin and O'Keefe to name a few. The challenge will be absorbing, interesting and give the club an idea of where youngsters like Colin Garland, James Frawley and the resurgent Matthew Warnock (fresh from a tough gig against Richo) really sit at this early stage of their careers. There was a time when I would review games and pick some of the more fascinating match ups - the ones that were crucial in determining the direction of any particular game. This has unfortunately become a useless exercise of late because players are rotated one and off so often during a game that the match ups often mean little. These days, players aren't always matched up upon each other for large portions of a game. The exceptions might be the rucks and the key back and forward positions but otherwise, players generally have a larger roving (or roaming) commission than in the past. My fascinating match up for this week is in one position where I think the Demons will win - the contest between Jeff White and Darren Jolly who left the Dees a few years ago because he didn't want to play in Jeff White's shadow. He has done exceptionally well for himself up in Sydney and has a premiership medallion to prove that proposition but he's never quite had the wood over White. I expect the master to control the rucks despite giving away plenty in terms of height and size. I look everywhere else on the field and I find the Swans holding a significant edge over the Demons. Brock McLean has been good in the middle and has a few capable back ups but they're competing with the likes of dual Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk, Jude Bolton and Jarrad McVeigh who have been in sparkling form of late. Melbourne has been competitive in its last two games against Collingwood and Richmond but the worry is the spectre of a total collapse such as the 16 minute breakdown it suffered in the second term against the Tigers when the Demons looked like a junior school ballet troupe rather than an elite football team. Take away the black hole of those 16 minutes and Melbourne would have been back in town but with it, they're somewhere in the backblocks beyond the dog on the tucker box at Gundagai. So until they prove they can perform for four quarters, week in, week out, I can't select them to beat a team with the class of the Sydney Swans which is settled with an unchanged line up. Sydney by 57 points

by The Oracle One of the first initiatives announced under the new regime at Melbourne was the push for two matches in Canberra next year to enable the club to pocket more than $600,000 if the AFL allows it to double up on its presence in the national capital. According to Melbourne CEO Paul McNamee, Canberra is the place where the Demons have a "preference to build a little hub." From the point of view of making money it's not a bad idea to make 600k by playing away instead of losing money at home. Any organisation that finds itself $4.5m in debt and with mounting losses needs to have an eye on the bottom line and given that Melbourne is at rock bottom, it's well placed to look fairly, squarely and closely at that line. But the club’s application for an additional presence in the ACT should also be also be made on the understanding that Melbourne is part of a national competition and it's important in that context for it to be competitive. For that to happen, it has to compete on more or less a level playing field. Now, I'm not suggesting that Manuka Oval slopes one way or another but I do think that the club's request for another Canberra game should be predicated on it playing against two of the interstate clubs that have lesser drawing power in Melbourne such as the Dockers, Port Power or the future GC17 and WS18 teams. The Sydney Swans, with their association with the old South Melbourne Football Club, still have a significant base of supporters in Melbourne so it makes sense for the Dees to play their home games against them here in Melbourne to take advantage of those numbers. Playing the Swans in Canberra also gives the supposed "away" team a virtual home ground advantage. At Manuka, Sydney is much closer to its own home as the crow flies than Melbourne and the Swans also field their reserves team in the local Canberra competition. This effectively gives Sydney an enormous advantage over the so-called "home side" in terms of crowd support, travel time and local knowledge. The Demons need to build an identity in the ACT as a team in its own right and it must maximise its winning chances playing at the ground - something that won't happen as often if they give away any advantage and play there against the Swans who are perennially in the top four. So, I'm all for making some dough out of a couple of trips a year to the national capital but let's be smart about who we have to play against in those games. Just imagine a future match up against the Gold Coast Dolphins in Canberra with all those pretty boy blond haired surfers freezing their you know what’s off. We would have the clear advantage over our opponents in the wintry conditions in the national capital, make some money and bring home the four points - all while I'm lounging on my living room couch with the fire blazing away and me sipping away on a tinnie fully of the frothy stuff. Sounds good to me - as long as we're not playing the Swans! On the question of Sydney, I wonder what happened to the rivalry that the clubs were trying to build up around Anzac Day? The quest to build up a blockbuster game around the clubs named after and representing the two most populous cities in the land seems to have fallen by the wayside. The Demons should look to bring this concept back with the clubs alternating their Anzac Day appearances between cities every year (with the game on Anzac eve at the G every year when it's in Melbourne). If promoted well we could develop a blockbuster our own without the need to always attract opposition supporters like the one who slagged off at Fev last Sunday. I'd like to see that! THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney at the Manuka Oval 22 June 2008 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 91 wins Sydney 107 wins 1 draw At Manuka Melbourne 0 wins Sydney 1 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 6 wins Sydney 10 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 Roos 0 MEDIA TV Fox Footy Channel at 1 pm (live) RADIO SEN 774 ABC THE BETTING Melbourne to win $8.00 - Sydney to win $1.06 LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 17.10.112 defeated Melbourne 9.10.64 Round 18, 2007. Melbourne travelled a long way to play this "home" game but it certainly didn't take long for the Swans to snuff them out. The Demons failed to kick a goal in the opening stanza and the Swans kept them in a vice-like grip for the rest of the games with Adam Goodes in outstanding form. The best of the Demons that day were Nathan Brown and Nathan Carroll. Ironically, neither of them will be in the nation's capital for Sunday’s rematch. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs James McDonald Colin Garland Matthew Warnock Half backs Brad Green Paul Wheatley Cameron Bruce Centreline Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Lynden Dunn Half forwards Jace Bode Matthew Bate Aaron Davey Forwards Paul Johnson Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White Clint Bartram Nathan Jones Interchange James Frawley Mark Jamar Chris Johnson Matthew Whelan Emergencies Cale Morton Shane Valenti Adem Yze In Mark Jamar Matthew Whelan Out Cale Morton Adem Yze (both omitted) SYDNEY SWANS Backs Nick Malceski Leo Barry Martin Mattner Half backs Craig Bolton Ted Richards Tadhg Kennelly Centreline Adam Goodes Jarrad McVeigh Amon Buchanan Half forwards Ryan O’Keefe Barry Hall Luke Ablett Forwards Paul Bevan Michael O’Loughlin Lewis Roberts-Thomson Followers Darren Jolly Brett Kirk Jude Bolton Interchange Craig Bird Kieren Jack Jarred Moore Henry Playfair Emergencies Luke Brennan Nic Fosdike Ben Mathews No change Umpires Sully Grun Head SWAN DIVING We are barely beyond the halfway mark of the season and already they're talking about tanking. The talk at the moment centres on the West Coast Eagles and the way their team was structured for last Friday night's game against Essendon - especially the omission of some key premiership players such as Daniel Kerr, Braun and Fletcher. It's just as well people aren't accusing Melbourne of tanking because this year's Demons have proved conclusively that they can lose with the best of them without even doing anything that looks remotely suspicious. When will people ever learn and understand the truth of Andrew Demetriou's AFL 11th commandment - thou shalt not, will not and do not tank? It just doesn't happen. End of story. That said, Sunday's game at Manuka looks like a mismatch to me. The Swans have been cruising along nicely over recent weeks and the inclusion of Barry Hall, back from suspension last week, was virtually seamless. Sydney went on its merry way and demolished the Saints to grab fourth position on the AFL ladder. Unlike the dour Swans of old, they did it in the attractive, high scoring style which they have adopted of late. This spells a lot of trouble for Melbourne because you can't just shut the Swans down by pushing your players back and hoping for the best. They will smash you if you try that - just ask the Tigers who were held to one goal in the first half of their game in Sydney a few weeks ago. The game will give Melbourne the opportunity to see how its new look young defence can withstand the slings and arrows of a professional attacking unit containing the likes of Hall, Michael O'Loughlin and O'Keefe to name a few. The challenge will be absorbing, interesting and give the club an idea of where youngsters like Colin Garland, James Frawley and the resurgent Matthew Warnock (fresh from a tough gig against Richo) really sit at this early stage of their careers. There was a time when I would review games and pick some of the more fascinating match ups - the ones that were crucial in determining the direction of any particular game. This has unfortunately become a useless exercise of late because players are rotated one and off so often during a game that the match ups often mean little. These days, players aren't always matched up upon each other for large portions of a game. The exceptions might be the rucks and the key back and forward positions but otherwise, players generally have a larger roving (or roaming) commission than in the past. My fascinating match up for this week is in one position where I think the Demons will win - the contest between Jeff White and Darren Jolly who left the Dees a few years ago because he didn't want to play in Jeff White's shadow. He has done exceptionally well for himself up in Sydney and has a premiership medallion to prove that proposition but he's never quite had the wood over White. I expect the master to control the rucks despite giving away plenty in terms of height and size. I look everywhere else on the field and I find the Swans holding a significant edge over the Demons. Brock McLean has been good in the middle and has a few capable back ups but they're competing with the likes of dual Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk, Jude Bolton and Jarrad McVeigh who have been in sparkling form of late. Melbourne has been competitive in its last two games against Collingwood and Richmond but the worry is the spectre of a total collapse such as the 16 minute breakdown it suffered in the second term against the Tigers when the Demons looked like a junior school ballet troupe rather than an elite football team. Take away the black hole of those 16 minutes and Melbourne would have been back in town but with it, they're somewhere in the backblocks beyond the dog on the tucker box at Gundagai. So until they prove they can perform for four quarters, week in, week out, I can't select them to beat a team with the class of the Sydney Swans which is settled with an unchanged line up. Sydney by 57 points