Demonland

Well, itooks like it's over ... Aaron Davey polled 35.719 (record for a game under the weighted system) and now has an enormous lead over Brent Moloney:- 144.055 Aaron Davey 90.172 Brent Moloney 71.561 Brock McLean 68.665 Cale Morton 61.028 Nathan Jones 60.559 Cameron Bruce 53.732 Jack Grimes 47.014 Colin Sylvia 46.415 Ricky Petterd 39.609 James Frawley 37.985 Brad Green 36.065 Jared Rivers 34.144 Matthew Bate 33.646 Matthew Warnock 31.414 Mark Jamar 24.467 James McDonald 20.529 Liam Jurrah 19.408 Brad Miller 17.363 Shane Valenti 14.404 Paul Johnson 11.207 Stefan Martin 10.053 Kyle Cheney 9.952 Addam Maric 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.015 Clint Bartram 6.535 Neville Jetta 6.126 Russell Robertson 2.742 Lynden Dunn 1.488 Tom McNamara 0.613 John Meesen

by The Oracle There are times when everything falls nicely into place. It wasn't perfect but there was a lot to like about Melbourne's big 63 point win over Fremantle in the bottom of the table blockbuster at the MCG yesterday. The team's fourth victory for the season, its biggest for more than three years since it delivered a belting to Hawthorn on a Friday night at the MCG, means the Demons have at least registered a 33.3% improvement on 2008. Unlike most of its very few wins since Dean Bailey took the helm as coach this one was a clear and unequivocal victory. The game started off as you would expect from a contest between last and second last on the competition ladder and was not helped by the shocking weather conditions that prevailed at the first bounce. However, Melbourne was more efficient in the first quarter when the going was tough and the climate changed dramatically from wet with a greasy ground under foot to sunny and slippery. As a result, it held a slight advantage at the first break. The Demons broke clear with five goals to one in the second quarter, consolidated in the third and ran away in the last. But for a couple of goals conceded in junk time they would have done even more damage than doubling their opponents' score. Melbourne had most of the aces in this game. Paul Johnson worked hard all day to negate the influence of Aaron Sandilands and the midfield led by a dazzling performance from Aaron Davey dominated a game for the first time since Bailey's ascent to the coaching position. Brent Moloney, Brock McLean, James McDonald, Nathan Jones and Shane Valenti relished the conditions and were able to continually push the ball forward where Liam Jurrah, Matthew Bate and a resurgent Russell Robertson desperate to show that his days at the top aren't yet over, did the rest and helped the team to its highest score for the year. The freakish forward line play of Jurrah was electric and his goal while on the ground in the middle of a pack was one for the highlights reel. Robbo also added to the package by providing a potential mark of the year. Critics who recently questioned Bailey's experimentation would have egg on their faces after Lynden Dunn shut Matthew Pavlich down and Cale Morton was fantastic in defence and a couple of pack marks indicated that he was advancing from the status of just an outside player to a footballer of greater substance. James Frawley also fought back after a slow start to underline his potential as a defender of quality. It was a pity that the game was attended by a paltry crowd of 13,004 although the new AFL/MCC deal will probably save Demon officials from writing a cheque. The bad weather and live coverage would have kept some people away but it was good to see our club president back after a rest and enjoying the fruits of victory. We're all behind you Jimmy and look forward to your complete recovery. This is what Jimmy and 13,003 others enjoyed - Melbourne Demons stun Fremantle winning by 63 points! As for those fickle supporters who found the comforts of a warm home a more appealing prospect, there's not much doubt that they will jump back on the bandwagon. That day is coming soon. Melbourne 4.0.24 9.4.58 13.5.83 20.7.127 Fremantle 3.4.22 4.7.31 6.9.45 9.10.64 Goals Melbourne Jurrah 4 Bate Robertson 3 Davey McLean 2 Johnson McNamara Miller Petterd Sylvia Valenti Fremantle McPharlin 3 Mayne 2 Bradley Headland Hill Suban Best Melbourne Davey Jurrah Moloney Jones Morton Valenti Bate Fremantle Hasleby Sandilands Broughton Pavlich Umpires Wenn Ryan Sully Crowd 13,004 at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Thankgod you're here!

Your votes are very important today ... please choose wisely ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

FALLING INTO PLACE by The Oracle There are times when everything falls nicely into place. It wasn't perfect but there was a lot to like about Melbourne's big 63 point win over Fremantle in the bottom of the table blockbuster at the MCG yesterday. The team's fourth victory for the season, its biggest for more than three years since it delivered a belting to Hawthorn on a Friday night at the MCG, means the Demons have at least registered a 33.3% improvement on 2008. Unlike most of its very few wins since Dean Bailey took the helm as coach this one was a clear and unequivocal victory. The game started off as you would expect from a contest between last and second last on the competition ladder and was not helped by the shocking weather conditions that prevailed at the first bounce. However, Melbourne was more efficient in the first quarter when the going was tough and the climate changed dramatically from wet with a greasy ground under foot to sunny and slippery. As a result, it held a slight advantage at the first break. The Demons broke clear with five goals to one in the second quarter, consolidated in the third and ran away in the last. But for a couple of goals conceded in junk time they would have done even more damage than doubling their opponents' score. Melbourne had most of the aces in this game. Paul Johnson worked hard all day to negate the influence of Aaron Sandilands and the midfield led by a dazzling performance from Aaron Davey dominated a game for the first time since Bailey's ascent to the coaching position. Brent Moloney, Brock McLean, James McDonald, Nathan Jones and Shane Valenti relished the conditions and were able to continually push the ball forward where Liam Jurrah, Matthew Bate and a resurgent Russell Robertson desperate to show that his days at the top aren't yet over, did the rest and helped the team to its highest score for the year. The freakish forward line play of Jurrah was electric and his goal while on the ground in the middle of a pack was one for the highlights reel. Robbo also added to the package by providing a potential mark of the year. Critics who recently questioned Bailey's experimentation would have egg on their faces after Lynden Dunn shut Matthew Pavlich down and Cale Morton was fantastic in defence and a couple of pack marks indicated that he was advancing from the status of just an outside player to a footballer of greater substance. James Frawley also fought back after a slow start to underline his potential as a defender of quality. It was a pity that the game was attended by a paltry crowd of 13,004 although the new AFL/MCC deal will probably save Demon officials from writing a cheque. The bad weather and live coverage would have kept some people away but it was good to see our club president back after a rest and enjoying the fruits of victory. We're all behind you Jimmy and look forward to your complete recovery. This is what Jimmy and 13,003 others enjoyed - Melbourne Demons stun Fremantle winning by 63 points! As for those fickle supporters who found the comforts of a warm home a more appealing prospect, there's not much doubt that they will jump back on the bandwagon. That day is coming soon. Melbourne 4.0.24 9.4.58 13.5.83 20.7.127 Fremantle 3.4.22 4.7.31 6.9.45 9.10.64 Goals Melbourne Jurrah 4 Bate Robertson 3 Davey McLean 2 Johnson McNamara Miller Petterd Sylvia Valenti Fremantle McPharlin 3 Mayne 2 Bradley Headland Hill Suban Best Melbourne Davey Jurrah Moloney Jones Morton Valenti Bate Fremantle Hasleby Sandilands Broughton Pavlich Umpires Wenn Ryan Sully Crowd 13,004 at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Sorry but I'll bump it up again. The Mount View is a friendly little pub around the corner from the G. On a day like today, it'll be nice and warm and the panel discussion should be interesting even though Redleg has just informed he he can't make it. Then again, he's a Doobie Brothers fan so he would only have been ading some muzak to the discussion. And just for extras, WJ has promised to unveil his answer to the tanking problem!

Just to clarify, we at Demonland don't like censorship either. We don't have any problems with criticism of coaches or players where warranted and where it is articulated in a thoughtful and intelligent manner. However, where genuine criticism goes beyond that to incorporate personal abuse (often with total disregard for the truth) and defamation then we reserve the right to delete posts in their entirety and, if the practice persists, ban the poster in question. If people aren't happy with that ... there are millions of other sites on the net!

Bump

by JVM I don't usually hand out compliments to the AFL but the folks at football's headquarters deserve a round of applause for coming up with the idea of the Green Round for this weekend. The whole concept is brilliant because it adds some much needed colour and oomph to what would otherwise be a dreary collection of games. Take this Sunday's Melbourne v Fremantle game at the MCG for instance. It loomed as a bit of a bore before the green thing was announced but now, we're all looking forward to it with bated breath ... aren't we? The green theme is perfectly suited to the home team and not just because its President (get well soon Jimmy) is Irish. Although injured and not playing this week the Demons have a fabulous player in Brad Green who might well be their next captain. He has more than 20 teammates - about half the list - with him on the sick list. The club is so desperate for players that if Kermit the Frog made himself available to play in the Green Round he would surely get a game. The visitors also have an affinity with the colour green. They are the only club in the competition that incorporates the colour in their guernsey which looks hideous. However, they would surely enhance their away strip this week if they substituted the purple anchor for a green one! There are so many other ways in which the colour green can be associated with this game. The expression "green around the gills" applies perfectly because the supporters of both clubs have often felt ill or nauseated during the course of many of their games this season. They must be feeling "green with envy" as they jealously eye the records of the more successful clubs above them on the ladder. The colour is also associated with novices or "greenhorns" and both clubs have introduced a bevy of inexperienced newcomers to the ranks this year (9 and 11 respectively) making an entire team of newbies between them. The driving force behind everything the AFL does these days is the ringing of cash registers accumulating the folding green stuff. They're not really interested in greenhouse emissions despite the odd ceremonial sideshow of a meeting between the Judd$ter and the Ruddster which helps to justify the former's huge out of salary cap range pay packet. No, it's all about the greenback dollars and in this regard the people at HQ have committed a slight gaffe. The Demons v Dockers fixture is crying out to get bums on seats at a stage because it's hard to garner public enthusiasm about two down and out sides whose seasons already started unravelling a couple months ago. So they put this game on at the worst possible time slot for any AFL game - 1 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon. That time is too early for those who like their sleeps after a late Saturday night rage; no good for those involved in junior footy and other sports; inconvenient for church people and the long Sunday brunch set, not to mention the theatregoers. You rarely see a big crowd at these fixtures (especially if they're beamed in homes live against the gate on Fox Sports 1 in the state where the game is played). And if the matchup is a prospective yawn fest between 15th and 16th on the ladder after a long, hard slog of a season then what hope does the home club have of pulling in enough paying customers to avoid the necessity of paying out lots of those green bank notes to the stadium owner just for the privilege of putting on the game? And that is exactly what confronts us this Sunday when Melbourne and Fremantle finally meet each other for the first time in 2009. We've had to wait until round 20 although both sides have played a number of other teams twice. Yet, two of the worst performed clubs of the last three years face off for their one and only encounter for the season! It's enough to make you feel completely greened off! THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at the MCG - Sunday 16 August 2009 at 1:10pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 11 wins Fremantle 13 wins At the MCG Melbourne 5 wins Fremantle 4 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 6 wins Fremantle 9 wins The Coaches Bailey 1 win Harvey 1 win MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 (live) at 1.00pm RADIO ABC774 K-Rock SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $1.93 Fremantle to win $1.80 LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 16.18.114 defeated Melbourne 10.8.68 at Subiaco Round 16, 2008 This was yet another forgettable game for a Melbourne languishing at the foot of the AFL ladder. The Demons started like a house on fire and had a good lead at the end of the first quarter but they were reeled in by half time and there was no big second half from Melbourne as there was when the teams met at the MCG earlier in the season. The difference between the teams was that the Dockers had stars in Pavlich (5 goals), Sandilands and Schammer while the Dees were pretty much a shambles after the first quarter. THE TEAMS (to be loaded when available) MELBOURNE Backs Stefan Martin James Frawley Kyle Cheney Half backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Ricky Petterd Centreline James McDonald Lynden Dunn Cale Morton Half forwards Brent Moloney Brad Miler Nathan Jones Forwards Neville Jetta Matthew Bate Liam Jurrah Followers Paul Johnson Aaron Davey Colin Sylvia Interchange Mark Jamar Jordie McKenzie Brock McLean Tom McNamara Russell Robertson Jake Spencer Shane Valenti In Mark Jamar Liam Jurrah Jordie McKenzie Brock McLean Jared Rivers Russell Robertson Out Rohan Bail (quad) Cameron Bruce (wrist) Michael Newton (Achilles) FREMANTLE Backs Greg Broughton Chris Tarrant Jay van Berlo Half backs Antoni Grover Luke McPharlin Paul Duffield Centerline Garrick Ibbotson Paul Hasleby Chris Mayne Half forwards Stephen Hill Matt de Boer Dean Solomon Forwards Des Headland Matthew Pavlich Nic Suban Followers Aaron Sandilands Steven Dodd David Mundy Interchange (from) Kepler Bradley Marcus Drum Roger Hayden Brett Peake Clancee Pearce Byron Schammer Michael Walters In Roger Hayden Luke McPharlin Michael Walters ... OR PURPLE I've already alluded to the Demons' Melbourne's injury woes this season and in particular in the past month or so. The situation was highlighted last weekend when the club was able to field two players, one of them a rookie. Even allowing for an emergency for the Sunday fixture (Robbo) this left almost half the list idle and infirm on the sidelines. Compare that with Collingwood which fielded an extraordinary 22 listed players in its VFL team and you get an understanding of Melbourne's plight. On the other hand, the Dockers who looked almost certain wooden spooners a month ago when they managed just the one goal in a humiliating performance against the Crows at AAMI Stadium, seem to be coming good in the latter stages of the season. This has a lot to do with the return of injured stars, most notably Pavlich and Sandilands but also the likes of Schammer, Haselby, Headland and Mayne as well as continued good form from their large crop of first year players like Hill, Broughton and co. They've won two out of their last three games and crushed top eight team Port Adelaide who had everything to play for but couldn't raise a sweat against the Dockers. The question mark over Freo however, still remains on whether it can perform away from Subiaco. And the Purple Haze will remember with trepidation the events that unfolded when they last played Melbourne at this venue. As for the Demons, what can I say? I can't even comment on the selected team because these days they actually pick three teams. The first is the list announced on Thursday night with its extended interchange bench. That's not really helpful because by Friday night, one player has usually succumbed to the onset of a sudden injury and has dropped out of the picture. When the game comes around on Sunday, it's another case of revolving doors and another player's withdrawn.Last week, Melbourne lost two key defenders in Matthew Warnock and Jared Rivers this way leaving the club with only one recognised key defender to contend with a trio of talls who proceeded to rip apart the Demon defence with eleven goals between them, opening the way for a runaway Kangaroo victory. Melbourne's capacity to repeat this process for about the third or fourth week running is rather limited because of its injury situation. At the rate the Dees are going there may be no emergencies left meaning they'll have to run with the Kermit the Frog option. For this reason, I don't think that Melbourne will reproduce last year's thrilling come from behind win against Freo. With or without Kermit, I'm tipping they will croak against the Dockers who will finish 12 points in front at the end of the day.

Remember this game from Round 16 2008 - more than a year ago! FREMANTLE Backs Scott Thornton Luke McPharlin Antoni Grover Half backs Josh Head Michael Johnson Steven Dodd Centreline Shaun McManus Josh Carr David Mundy Half forwards Mark Johnson Matthew Pavlich Andrew Browne Forwards Chris Mayne Chris Tarrant Robert Warnock Followers Aaron Sandilands Ryan Crowley Garrick Ibbotson Interchange Jeff Farmer Brock O'Brien Brett Peake Byron Schammer Emergencies Kepler Bradley Paul Duffield Ryan Murphy In Josh Head Shaun McManus Brock O'Brien Out Clayton Hinkley Rhys Palmer (general soreness) Dean Solomon (suspended) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Colin Garland Matthew Warnock Half backs Chris Johnson Paul Wheatley Lynden Dunn Centreline Cale Morton Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley Half forwards Colin Sylvia Matthew Bate Aaron Davey Forwards Paul Johnson Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Mark Jamar Clint Bartram Nathan Jones Interchange Daniel Bell Stefan Martin Michael Newton Shane Valenti Emergencies James McDonald Jeff White Adem Yze In Aaron Davey Out Brad Green (hamstring)

NOT EASY BEING GREEN by JVM I don't usually hand out compliments to the AFL but the folks at football's headquarters deserve a round of applause for coming up with the idea of the Green Round for this weekend. The whole concept is brilliant because it adds some much needed colour and oomph to what would otherwise be a dreary collection of games. Take this Sunday's Melbourne v Fremantle game at the MCG for instance. It loomed as a bit of a bore before the green thing was announced but now, we're all looking forward to it with bated breath ... aren't we? The green theme is perfectly suited to the home team and not just because its President (get well soon Jimmy) is Irish. Although injured and not playing this week the Demons have a fabulous player in Brad Green who might well be their next captain. He has more than 20 teammates - about half the list - with him on the sick list. The club is so desperate for players that if Kermit the Frog made himself available to play in the Green Round he would surely get a game. The visitors also have an affinity with the colour green. They are the only club in the competition that incorporates the colour in their guernsey which looks hideous. However, they would surely enhance their away strip this week if they substituted the purple anchor for a green one! There are so many other ways in which the colour green can be associated with this game. The expression "green around the gills" applies perfectly because the supporters of both clubs have often felt ill or nauseated during the course of many of their games this season. They must be feeling "green with envy" as they jealously eye the records of the more successful clubs above them on the ladder. The colour is also associated with novices or "greenhorns" and both clubs have introduced a bevy of inexperienced newcomers to the ranks this year (9 and 11 respectively) making an entire team of newbies between them. The driving force behind everything the AFL does these days is the ringing of cash registers accumulating the folding green stuff. They're not really interested in greenhouse emissions despite the odd ceremonial sideshow of a meeting between the Judd$ter and the Ruddster which helps to justify the former's huge out of salary cap range pay packet. No, it's all about the greenback dollars and in this regard the people at HQ have committed a slight gaffe. The Demons v Dockers fixture is crying out to get bums on seats at a stage because it's hard to garner public enthusiasm about two down and out sides whose seasons already started unravelling a couple months ago. So they put this game on at the worst possible time slot for any AFL game - 1 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon. That time is too early for those who like their sleeps after a late Saturday night rage; no good for those involved in junior footy and other sports; inconvenient for church people and the long Sunday brunch set, not to mention the theatregoers. You rarely see a big crowd at these fixtures (especially if they're beamed in homes live against the gate on Fox Sports 1 in the state where the game is played). And if the matchup is a prospective yawn fest between 15th and 16th on the ladder after a long, hard slog of a season then what hope does the home club have of pulling in enough paying customers to avoid the necessity of paying out lots of those green bank notes to the stadium owner just for the privilege of putting on the game? And that is exactly what confronts us this Sunday when Melbourne and Fremantle finally meet each other for the first time in 2009. We've had to wait until round 20 although both sides have played a number of other teams twice. Yet, two of the worst performed clubs of the last three years face off for their one and only encounter for the season! It's enough to make you feel completely greened off! THE GAME Melbourne v Fremantle at the MCG - Sunday 16 August 2009 at 1:10pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 11 wins Fremantle 13 wins At the MCG Melbourne 5 wins Fremantle 4 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 6 wins Fremantle 9 wins The Coaches Bailey 1 win Harvey 1 win MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 (live) at 1.00pm RADIO ABC774 K-Rock SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $1.93 Fremantle to win $1.80 LAST TIME THEY MET Fremantle 16.18.114 defeated Melbourne 10.8.68 at Subiaco Round 16, 2008 This was yet another forgettable game for a Melbourne languishing at the foot of the AFL ladder. The Demons started like a house on fire and had a good lead at the end of the first quarter but they were reeled in by half time and there was no big second half from Melbourne as there was when the teams met at the MCG earlier in the season. The difference between the teams was that the Dockers had stars in Pavlich (5 goals), Sandilands and Schammer while the Dees were pretty much a shambles after the first quarter. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Stefan Martin James Frawley Kyle Cheney Half backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Ricky Petterd Centreline James McDonald Lynden Dunn Cale Morton Half forwards Brent Moloney Brad Miler Nathan Jones Forwards Neville Jetta Matthew Bate Liam Jurrah Followers Paul Johnson Aaron Davey Colin Sylvia Interchange Brock McLean Tom McNamara Russell Robertson Shane Valenti Emergencies Mark Jamar Jordie McKenzie Jake Spencer In Liam Jurrah Brock McLean Jared Rivers Russell Robertson Out Rohan Bail (quad) Cameron Bruce (wrist) Michael Newton (Achilles) Jake Spencer FREMANTLE Backs Greg Broughton Chris Tarrant Jay van Berlo Half backs Antoni Grover Luke McPharlin Paul Duffield Centerline Garrick Ibbotson Paul Hasleby Chris Mayne Half forwards Stephen Hill Matt de Boer Dean Solomon Forwards Des Headland Matthew Pavlich Nic Suban Followers Aaron Sandilands Steven Dodd David Mundy Interchange (from) Kepler Bradley Marcus Drum Roger Hayden Brett Peake Clancee Pearce Byron Schammer Michael Walters In Roger Hayden Luke McPharlin Michael Walters ... OR PURPLE I've already alluded to the Demons' Melbourne's injury woes this season and in particular in the past month or so. The situation was highlighted last weekend when the club was able to field two players, one of them a rookie. Even allowing for an emergency for the Sunday fixture (Robbo) this left almost half the list idle and infirm on the sidelines. Compare that with Collingwood which fielded an extraordinary 22 listed players in its VFL team and you get an understanding of Melbourne's plight. On the other hand, the Dockers who looked almost certain wooden spooners a month ago when they managed just the one goal in a humiliating performance against the Crows at AAMI Stadium, seem to be coming good in the latter stages of the season. This has a lot to do with the return of injured stars, most notably Pavlich and Sandilands but also the likes of Schammer, Haselby, Headland and Mayne as well as continued good form from their large crop of first year players like Hill, Broughton and co. They've won two out of their last three games and crushed top eight team Port Adelaide who had everything to play for but couldn't raise a sweat against the Dockers. The question mark over Freo however, still remains on whether it can perform away from Subiaco. And the Purple Haze will remember with trepidation the events that unfolded when they last played Melbourne at this venue. As for the Demons, what can I say? I can't even comment on the selected team because these days they actually pick three teams. The first is the list announced on Thursday night with its extended interchange bench. That's not really helpful because by Friday night, one player has usually succumbed to the onset of a sudden injury and has dropped out of the picture. When the game comes around on Sunday, it's another case of revolving doors and another player's withdrawn.Last week, Melbourne lost two key defenders in Matthew Warnock and Jared Rivers this way leaving the club with only one recognised key defender to contend with a trio of talls who proceeded to rip apart the Demon defence with eleven goals between them, opening the way for a runaway Kangaroo victory. Melbourne's capacity to repeat this process for about the third or fourth week running is rather limited because of its injury situation. At the rate the Dees are going there may be no emergencies left meaning they'll have to run with the Kermit the Frog option. For this reason, I don't think that Melbourne will reproduce last year's thrilling come from behind win against Freo. With or without Kermit, I'm tipping they will croak against the Dockers who will finish 12 points in front at the end of the day.

by Whispering Jack It certainly has been hard yakka for Melbourne supporters trying to keep the faith over the course of yet another wretched season. This year we endured the early defeats and poor form, the mounting injuries to our heroes, the glimmers of hope followed by despair when the team lost its way completely for a few weeks and then more recently, we were forced to watch on as the club dealt with a hellish moral dilemma about principles of honesty and fair play in circumstances where losing games might actually be of more benefit than winning. The last matter came to a head yesterday at the Docklands when the bare bones of what was left standing on Melbourne's playing list took on North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in a dull, lifeless game played at a place that lacked atmosphere. At the first bounce you sensed that the noise of the crowd was at a minimum. There was no excitement, no cheering, no entertainment and no buzz. The end result was that Melbourne fell in battle by 62 points giving caretaker Kangaroo coach Darren Crocker his first win. The losers can almost certainly now claim for themselves the coveted prize of a priority selection at this year's national player draft because, later in the evening, their only other danger won convincingly at Subiaco. The 16,594 fans at Etihad Stadium were treated to a mistake riddled contest that was close for little more than the first quarter. Perhaps it should have been closer for a lot longer but a decimated Melbourne line up, with a 20 man injury list which rose to 21 when first gamer Rohan Bail corked his thigh, was always going to struggle. Nevertheless, the Demons had more of the play in the opening term but their forwards simply couldn't convert. Conversely, the Kangaroos were far more efficient when in attack and managed to score on most occasions when they entered the fifty metre arc. This was not surprising when one considers that an already weakened defence lost Matthew Warnock, Jared Rivers and Jack Grimes in the short space of a week. North gradually consolidated in the second quarter mainly because the hapless Demon forwards were so completely ineffectual. The midfield that included Neville Jetta and Shane Valenti along with skipper James McDonald, Brent Moloney and occasionally Nathan Jones (who also went forward) were winning the ball at the clearances and Matty Bate and Colin Sylvia were busy driving the ball goalward but the forwards simply struggled to lay clean hands on the ball and when they did manage to gain possession they were indecisive and usually missed targets. So ineffective were the Demon forwards that, at one stage late in the second quarter, Melbourne led the inside 50 count by 30-20 but trailed by almost four goals on the scoreboard. The Kangaroos took complete control of the game from the opening bounce of the second half with their big men in control and dominating the marking contests in their forward line. Between them Goldstein. Hanson and Petrie kicked a combined total of 11 goals against a makeshift undersized defence but it's doubtful they will come up against such meagre opposition again any time soon. James Frawley was the pick of the defenders but he really needed the assistance of Stef Martin who was filling in elsewhere. Tom McNamara showed some good signs on debut but, at 190cm, he was really thrown to the wolves against bigger opposition. Melbourne's rucks struggled and, while he showed the odd signs of some raw talent, Jake Spencer has a long way to go. His first port of call would surely have to be back to the club's kicking coach! And so the game meandered from meaningless to nothingness. The scoreboard at the end putting the Kangaroos ahead by a lot. Their supporters sang the song and, if my lip reading was up to scratch, the small number of Demon fans in attendance were mouthing the words "Coming soon. Tom Scully". On what was shown yesterday they will need a lot more than that to make significant progress up the ladder next year. While the priority draft pick and first selection in the pre season draft are not yet in the bag, the result substantially increases its likelihood given that Melbourne's last two games are against certain finalists in Carlton and undefeated ladder leader St. Kilda. The Blues of course, are no strangers to the situation faced by the Demons and their coaches. Two years ago they weathered the tanking storm without any signs of conscience or struggle with any moral dilemma despite the obvious signs that they were rorting the system for all it was worth. The AFL should have acted then. The question that will linger for a while is whether the strange events that led us to this situation were worth it all in the end. It seems to have worked for the Blues and only time will tell if the chosen players help the club in its quest to become a power. The basic moral issues thrown up by the situation aren't new and have challenged mankind through the ages. In the biblical story, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son despite the fact that this was contrary to everything in which he believed. When it was over and Abraham's commitment had been tested, the sacrifice of the boy proved unnecessary but father and son had been made to endure a period of apprehension, unspeakable fear and even pain. It might be considered a stretch to apply the biblical message about faith to the game of football but each club's supporter group is made up of a wide variety of people including young kids. I've heard stories of children bawling their eyes out when Jordan McMahon kicked Richmond's winning goal after the siren while their fathers wore grins from ear to ear. I'm not suggesting any wrongdoing on the part of the club. The rules are there to be exploited. Unfortunately, the rules are bad and as long as the AFL fails to recognise this, we must question the merits of forcing clubs and their supporters to go through such agonising challenges. Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen said it all in Story of Isaac: "You who build these altars now To sacrifice these children, You must not do it anymore. A scheme is not a vision And you never have been tempted By a demon or a god. You who stand above them now, Your hatchets blunt and bloody, You were not there before, When I lay upon a mountain And my father's hand was trembling With the beauty of the word." Cohen was looking at the situation, not from the perspective of the father but rather from that of the son. Abraham came down from the mountain, kept his son and was rewarded but it's not so easy for us mere mortals to keep the faith in tough circumstances. And even if we get them, the rewards might well prove illusory. The system must be changed because, regardless, there's a bad smell coming from the altar. Melbourne 3.3.21 3.7.25 7.10.52 8.13.61 North Melbourne 4.1.25 7.5.47 14.8.92 19.9.123 Goals Melbourne Jones Martin Newton 2 Miller Morton North Melbourne Goldstein 5 Hansen Petrie 3 Swallow 2 Firrito Harris Harvey Jones Rawlings Thomas Best Melbourne Bate Dunn Sylvia Jones Valenti Petterd McDonald North Melbourne Petrie Thompson Firrito Harvey Goldstein Rawlings Injuries Melbourne Bail (thigh) Bruce (wrist) North Melbourne - Nil Changes Melbourne Johnson replaced Rivers (Groin) in the selected side North Melbourne - Nil Umpires Donlon Pannell James Crowd 16,594 at Etihad Stadium

Thanks for your votes people. Not much change at the top but two players polled for the first time - Shane Valenti and first gamer Tom McNamara. Well done lads! 108.336 Aaron Davey 90.172 Brent Moloney 60.559 Cameron Bruce 53.732 Jack Grimes 53.702 Brock McLean 52.790 Cale Morton 49.122 Nathan Jones 47.014 Colin Sylvia 44.431 Ricky Petterd 39.609 James Frawley 37.985 Brad Green 33.646 Matthew Warnock 31.414 Mark Jamar 28.127 Jared Rivers 24.467 James McDonald 24.222 Matthew Bate 19.408 Brad Miller 12.591 Liam Jurrah 12.420 Paul Johnson 11.207 Stefan Martin 10.053 Kyle Cheney 9.952 Addam Maric 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.015 Clint Bartram 6.535 Neville Jetta 6.126 Russell Robertson 3.472 Shane Valenti 2.742 Lynden Dunn 1.488 Tom McNamara 0.613 John Meesen

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

A SIMPLE TWIST OF FAITH by Whispering Jack It certainly has been hard yakka for Melbourne supporters trying to keep the faith over the course of yet another wretched season. This year we endured the early defeats and poor form, the mounting injuries to our heroes, the glimmers of hope followed by despair when the team lost its way completely for a few weeks and then more recently, we were forced to watch on as the club dealt with a hellish moral dilemma about principles of honesty and fair play in circumstances where losing games might actually be of more benefit than winning. The last matter came to a head yesterday at the Docklands when the bare bones of what was left standing on Melbourne's playing list took on North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium in a dull, lifeless game played at a place that lacked atmosphere. At the first bounce you sensed that the noise of the crowd was at a minimum. There was no excitement, no cheering, no entertainment and no buzz. The end result was that Melbourne fell in battle by 62 points giving caretaker Kangaroo coach Darren Crocker his first win. The losers can almost certainly now claim for themselves the coveted prize of a priority selection at this year's national player draft because, later in the evening, their only other danger won convincingly at Subiaco. The 16,594 fans at Etihad Stadium were treated to a mistake riddled contest that was close for little more than the first quarter. Perhaps it should have been closer for a lot longer but a decimated Melbourne line up, with a 20 man injury list which rose to 21 when first gamer Rohan Bail corked his thigh, was always going to struggle. Nevertheless, the Demons had more of the play in the opening term but their forwards simply couldn't convert. Conversely, the Kangaroos were far more efficient when in attack and managed to score on most occasions when they entered the fifty metre arc. This was not surprising when one considers that an already weakened defence lost Matthew Warnock, Jared Rivers and Jack Grimes in the short space of a week. North gradually consolidated in the second quarter mainly because the hapless Demon forwards were so completely ineffectual. The midfield that included Neville Jetta and Shane Valenti along with skipper James McDonald, Brent Moloney and occasionally Nathan Jones (who also went forward) were winning the ball at the clearances and Matty Bate and Colin Sylvia were busy driving the ball goalward but the forwards simply struggled to lay clean hands on the ball and when they did manage to gain possession they were indecisive and usually missed targets. So ineffective were the Demon forwards that, at one stage late in the second quarter, Melbourne led the inside 50 count by 30-20 but trailed by almost four goals on the scoreboard. The Kangaroos took complete control of the game from the opening bounce of the second half with their big men in control and dominating the marking contests in their forward line. Between them Goldstein. Hanson and Petrie kicked a combined total of 11 goals against a makeshift undersized defence but it's doubtful they will come up against such meagre opposition again any time soon. James Frawley was the pick of the defenders but he really needed the assistance of Stef Martin who was filling in elsewhere. Tom McNamara showed some good signs on debut but, at 190cm, he was really thrown to the wolves against bigger opposition. Melbourne's rucks struggled and, while he showed the odd signs of some raw talent, Jake Spencer has a long way to go. His first port of call would surely have to be back to the club's kicking coach! And so the game meandered from meaningless to nothingness. The scoreboard at the end putting the Kangaroos ahead by a lot. Their supporters sang the song and, if my lip reading was up to scratch, the small number of Demon fans in attendance were mouthing the words "Coming soon. Tom Scully". On what was shown yesterday they will need a lot more than that to make significant progress up the ladder next year. While the priority draft pick and first selection in the pre season draft are not yet in the bag, the result substantially increases its likelihood given that Melbourne's last two games are against certain finalists in Carlton and undefeated ladder leader St. Kilda. The Blues of course, are no strangers to the situation faced by the Demons and their coaches. Two years ago they weathered the tanking storm without any signs of conscience or struggle with any moral dilemma despite the obvious signs that they were rorting the system for all it was worth. The AFL should have acted then. The question that will linger for a while is whether the strange events that led us to this situation were worth it all in the end. It seems to have worked for the Blues and only time will tell if the chosen players help the club in its quest to become a power. The basic moral issues thrown up by the situation aren't new and have challenged mankind through the ages. In the biblical story, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son despite the fact that this was contrary to everything in which he believed. When it was over and Abraham's commitment had been tested, the sacrifice of the boy proved unnecessary but father and son had been made to endure a period of apprehension, unspeakable fear and even pain. It might be considered a stretch to apply the biblical message about faith to the game of football but each club's supporter group is made up of a wide variety of people including young kids. I've heard stories of children bawling their eyes out when Jordan McMahon kicked Richmond's winning goal after the siren while their fathers wore grins from ear to ear. I'm not suggesting any wrongdoing on the part of the club. The rules are there to be exploited. Unfortunately, the rules are bad and as long as the AFL fails to recognise this, we must question the merits of forcing clubs and their supporters to go through such agonising challenges. Singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen said it all in Story of Isaac: "You who build these altars now To sacrifice these children, You must not do it anymore. A scheme is not a vision And you never have been tempted By a demon or a god. You who stand above them now, Your hatchets blunt and bloody, You were not there before, When I lay upon a mountain And my father's hand was trembling With the beauty of the word." Cohen was looking at the situation, not from the perspective of the father but rather from that of the son. Abraham came down from the mountain, kept his son and was rewarded but it's not so easy for us mere mortals to keep the faith in tough circumstances. And even if we get them, the rewards might well prove illusory. The system must be changed because, regardless, there's a bad smell coming from the altar. Melbourne 3.3.21 3.7.25 7.10.52 8.13.61 North Melbourne 4.1.25 7.5.47 14.8.92 19.9.123 Goals Melbourne Jones Martin Newton 2 Miller Morton North Melbourne Goldstein 5 Hansen Petrie 3 Swallow 2 Firrito Harris Harvey Jones Rawlings Thomas Best Melbourne Bate Dunn Sylvia Jones Valenti Petterd McDonald North Melbourne Petrie Thompson Firrito Harvey Goldstein Rawlings Injuries Melbourne Bail (thigh) Bruce (wrist) North Melbourne - Nil Changes Melbourne Johnson replaced Rivers (Groin) in the selected side North Melbourne - Nil Umpires Donlon Pannell James Crowd 16,594 at Etihad Stadium

COUNTRY ROADS by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions played their Round 17 game against North Ballarat in a country setting at Morwell on Saturday. It was a fitting venue for the game as the region feeds the club with many of its younger players and the atmosphere was true country with cars and the odd gleaming red fire truck ringing the ground amid the smell of food cooking on barbies tantalising the nostrils. Casey's Melbourne alignment partner is suffering an injury crisis of major proportions at the moment and this has left the Scorpions heavily reliant on their reserve depth as witnessed by the selection of nine first year VFL players (some of them from the Gippsland area) and including three first gamers in these ranks. Catani's Russell Lehman was the Gippsland Power TAC Cup 23rd man for the week. The final result, a 29 point loss to the reigning premiers, might be considered somewhat flattering because of the visitors' inaccurate kicking for goal but the young undermanned and undersized Casey lads fought the game out well. They even gave their coach Peter German some positives heading towards the business end of the season with the way they finished the match. The game opened in disappointing fashion with the Roosters, who form only half an alignment with North Melbourne, firing on all cylinders from the outset. Fielding nine AFL listed players to Casey's two (Simon Buckley and rookie Trent Zomer), they applied enormous pressure on the young, inexperienced side and were constantly in attack in the early going. Fortunately for the "home" side, the swirly conditions affected their kicking for goal and prevented a blow out of major proportions. James Wall goaled on a rare expedition forward but North Ballarat was in control when the siren ended the first term leading 3.9.27 to 1.0.6. Any thoughts that a change of ends might give the Scorpions a chance to get back into the game were dispelled early in the second quarter as the Roosters maintained control and rarely allowed the ball out of their attacking half. In the absence of any recognised AFL playmakers in the Casey team, they were able to concentrate on covering players such as Kyle Matthews and young up an comer Michael Stockdale. Close checking tactics on forward Ben Waite also kept him quiet in the first half. As is usual, Wall, Alex Silvagni and Peter Faulks were called on to work overtime. Two first gamers Tim Smith and Gareth Snow helped them out, as did inexperienced pair Glenn Chivers and Wade Lees but still, the half time scoreboard was daunting. One goal to seven and a sizeable deficit of 48 points was not a pretty picture. This was a tribute game for our heroic CFA fire fighters and their fine contribution for the community in the bushfires that ravaged the state just six months ago. Ironically, it was coach German who was breathing fire during the main break. He gave his charges a red, hot bake and called on them to show similar inspirational heroics to get back into the game. While some of the gleaming red fire trucks were called out to duty not long after that, there was also an immediate reaction on the field from German's team. A pass from Glenn Chivers to Waite gave the Scorpions the first goal of the second half. A few minutes later Zomer did likewise when he found Waite again for his second. The Roosters kept the pressure on the Casey defence and restored their big lead with the next two goals by mid quarter but for most of the term, goals were hard to come by as both defences were on top. A late one to Zomer after a mark on the siren gave his team a win for the quarter although the deficit was still 43 points at the final break. Silvagni was on the ball and accepted a pass from Buckley to start proceedings in the final term. Pierce Liddle scored a soccer goal off the ground and a Zomer pass to Waite for his third gave the Scorpions a faint glimmer of hope. When Lees marked for his first goal in senior company the difference was 20 points with plenty of time still left to win the game. Casey had its chances but a goal to Rooster forward Driscoll at the 18-minute mark and another one two minutes later killed the contest. The Scorps fought the game out and the lively Liddle booted a consolation goal late in the game to keep the margin under five goals. The bye could not have come at a better time for Casey and the extra week's rest should see the return of a few players from injury and the team fit, refreshed and regrouped or battles against Williamstown (home) and Box Hill (away) which need to be won if the Scorpions are to claim a top four spot. HOW THE DEMONS FARED The attrition rate from injury was fairly high this week. Ten Melbourne players were named in the initial squad of thirty named on Thursday night. Four had to go by Friday night when the Melbourne squad was finalised but the injury to Matthew Warnock left just five Demons in the squad. The number was pared down to two when Paul Johnson, Russell Robertson and Danny Hughes failed to make the trip to Morwell leaving Simon Buckley as the only senior listed Melbourne player in the team along with rookie Trent Zomer. Simon Buckley - gave the side plenty of run in the midfield but appeared to tire as the game went on which is understandable in view of the fact that he's spent so much time on the sidelines this year. 10 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks Trent Zomer - it was always going to be a struggle for the 195cm Zomer against bigger and stronger opposition in the ruck but he did reasonably well and helped set up a few goals before kicking one himself when moved up forward later in the game. 6 kicks 6 handballs 6 marks Casey Scorpions 1.0.6 1.2.8 4.2.26 9.6.60 North Ballarat 3.9.27 7.14.56 9.15.69 12.17.89 Goals Casey Scorpions Waite 3 Liddle 2 Lees Silvagni Wall Zomer North Ballarat Driscoll 4 McKenzie Spolding 2 Edwards Greig Sewell Wundke Best Casey Scorpions Faulks Smith Snow Lees Liddle Wall North Ballarat Sewell Feery Driscoll Searl Clifton Lower Needless to say, the reserves were also in a spot of bother as a result of the loss of players to the senior team. They managed to field a team thanks to a number of local players and were within striking distance for two or three quarters but ultimately succumbed to a fitter, stronger outfit. Luke Williams booted four goals and Scott Virtue and Gus Patti were the best players. Paul Wheatley could not take his place in the team on return from injury after pulling up sore in the warm-up. Casey Scorpions 2.1.13 4.3.27 6.4.40 8.7.55 North Ballarat 2.7.19 5.11.41 9.15.59 17.21.123 Goals Casey Scorpions Williams 4 Palazzolo 2 Campbell Seeger North Ballarat Benjamin 5 Dinnell Limb Micallef Murnane Raworth 2 Bell George Best Casey Scorpions Virtue Patti Sykes Crespin MacLeod Singh North Ballarat George Benjamin Dinnell Caldow Niblett Bell

by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions played their Round 17 game against North Ballarat in a country setting at Morwell on Saturday. It was a fitting venue for the game as the region feeds the club with many of its younger players and the atmosphere was true country with cars and the odd gleaming red fire truck ringing the ground amid the smell of food cooking on barbies tantalising the nostrils. Casey's Melbourne alignment partner is suffering an injury crisis of major proportions at the moment and this has left the Scorpions heavily reliant on their reserve depth as witnessed by the selection of nine first year VFL players (some of them from the Gippsland area) and including three first gamers in these ranks. Catani's Russell Lehman was the Gippsland Power TAC Cup 23rd man for the week. The final result, a 29 point loss to the reigning premiers, might be considered somewhat flattering because of the visitors' inaccurate kicking for goal but the young undermanned and undersized Casey lads fought the game out well. They even gave their coach Peter German some positives heading towards the business end of the season with the way they finished the match. The game opened in disappointing fashion with the Roosters, who form only half an alignment with North Melbourne, firing on all cylinders from the outset. Fielding nine AFL listed players to Casey's two (Simon Buckley and rookie Trent Zomer), they applied enormous pressure on the young, inexperienced side and were constantly in attack in the early going. Fortunately for the "home" side, the swirly conditions affected their kicking for goal and prevented a blow out of major proportions. James Wall goaled on a rare expedition forward but North Ballarat was in control when the siren ended the first term leading 3.9.27 to 1.0.6. Any thoughts that a change of ends might give the Scorpions a chance to get back into the game were dispelled early in the second quarter as the Roosters maintained control and rarely allowed the ball out of their attacking half. In the absence of any recognised AFL playmakers in the Casey team, they were able to concentrate on covering players such as Kyle Matthews and young up an comer Michael Stockdale. Close checking tactics on forward Ben Waite also kept him quiet in the first half. As is usual, Wall, Alex Silvagni and Peter Faulks were called on to work overtime. Two first gamers Tim Smith and Gareth Snow helped them out, as did inexperienced pair Glenn Chivers and Wade Lees but still, the half time scoreboard was daunting. One goal to seven and a sizeable deficit of 48 points was not a pretty picture. This was a tribute game for our heroic CFA fire fighters and their fine contribution for the community in the bushfires that ravaged the state just six months ago. Ironically, it was coach German who was breathing fire during the main break. He gave his charges a red, hot bake and called on them to show similar inspirational heroics to get back into the game. While some of the gleaming red fire trucks were called out to duty not long after that, there was also an immediate reaction on the field from German's team. A pass from Glenn Chivers to Waite gave the Scorpions the first goal of the second half. A few minutes later Zomer did likewise when he found Waite again for his second. The Roosters kept the pressure on the Casey defence and restored their big lead with the next two goals by mid quarter but for most of the term, goals were hard to come by as both defences were on top. A late one to Zomer after a mark on the siren gave his team a win for the quarter although the deficit was still 43 points at the final break. Silvagni was on the ball and accepted a pass from Buckley to start proceedings in the final term. Pierce Liddle scored a soccer goal off the ground and a Zomer pass to Waite for his third gave the Scorpions a faint glimmer of hope. When Lees marked for his first goal in senior company the difference was 20 points with plenty of time still left to win the game. Casey had its chances but a goal to Rooster forward Driscoll at the 18-minute mark and another one two minutes later killed the contest. The Scorps fought the game out and the lively Liddle booted a consolation goal late in the game to keep the margin under five goals. The bye could not have come at a better time for Casey and the extra week's rest should see the return of a few players from injury and the team fit, refreshed and regrouped or battles against Williamstown (home) and Box Hill (away) which need to be won if the Scorpions are to claim a top four spot. HOW THE DEMONS FARED The attrition rate from injury was fairly high this week. Ten Melbourne players were named in the initial squad of thirty named on Thursday night. Four had to go by Friday night when the Melbourne squad was finalised but the injury to Matthew Warnock left just five Demons in the squad. The number was pared down to two when Paul Johnson, Russell Robertson and Danny Hughes failed to make the trip to Morwell leaving Simon Buckley as the only senior listed Melbourne player in the team along with rookie Trent Zomer. Simon Buckley - gave the side plenty of run in the midfield but appeared to tire as the game went on which is understandable in view of the fact that he's spent so much time on the sidelines this year. 10 kicks 7 handballs 5 marks Trent Zomer - it was always going to be a struggle for the 195cm Zomer against bigger and stronger opposition in the ruck but he did reasonably well and helped set up a few goals before kicking one himself when moved up forward later in the game. 6 kicks 6 handballs 6 marks Casey Scorpions 1.0.6 1.2.8 4.2.26 9.6.60 North Ballarat 3.9.27 7.14.56 9.15.69 12.17.89 Goals Casey Scorpions Waite 3 Liddle 2 Lees Silvagni Wall Zomer North Ballarat Driscoll 4 McKenzie Spolding 2 Edwards Greig Sewell Wundke Best Casey Scorpions Faulks Smith Snow Lees Liddle Wall North Ballarat Sewell Feery Driscoll Searl Clifton Lower Needless to say, the reserves were also in a spot of bother as a result of the loss of players to the senior team. They managed to field a team thanks to a number of local players and were within striking distance for two or three quarters but ultimately succumbed to a fitter, stronger outfit. Luke Williams booted four goals and Scott Virtue and Gus Patti were the best players. Paul Wheatley could not take his place in the team on return from injury after pulling up sore in the warm-up. Casey Scorpions 2.1.13 4.3.27 6.4.40 8.7.55 North Ballarat 2.7.19 5.11.41 9.15.59 17.21.123 Goals Casey Scorpions Williams 4 Palazzolo 2 Campbell Seeger North Ballarat Benjamin 5 Dinnell Limb Micallef Murnane Raworth 2 Bell George Best Casey Scorpions Virtue Patti Sykes Crespin MacLeod Singh North Ballarat George Benjamin Dinnell Caldow Niblett Bell

EVERY MOVE YOU MAKE by The Oracle "Every breath you take And every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I'll be watching you" - Sting The last time Melbourne beat North Melbourne was almost exactly three years ago - in Round 20, 2006. The Demons were on their way to the finals, skipper David Neitz was in his prime and, after a few heart flutters in the first half, they hit their stride and recorded a runaway victory 20.12.132 to 12.10.82. The opposition were then known just as the plain Kangaroos and at that late stage of proceedings they certainly weren't showing very much of the magical Shinboner spirit for which they were famous. In fact, they were going nowhere in season 2006. As the winter deepened and their finals hopes flew out of the window, their hierarchy made an apparent decision to put up the shutters. The Roos weren't tanking or deliberately trying to lose matches but ... let's just say that their priorities might have been elsewhere. Players were shipped off to hospital for operations, new recruits were pushed up and tried out and there was a fair bit of experimentation going on. And associated with all that, was some of the rubbish football that you expect from a lowly team at the end of a long season. The Kangaroos and their poor run late in 2006 barely registered a blimp on anyone's radar. Nobody cared and most looked away as they stumbled into 14th place. When it was all over, they drafted Lachlan Hansen with pick number three overall behind Bryce Gibbs (Carlton) and Scott Gumbleton (Essendon). The first round priority pick didn't come into play that year but Hansen was considered a good pick up at the time. He has yet to justify his high ranking in that draft. A little over 12 months later and all and sundry were handing out kudos to Dean Laidley and the Kangaroos for a brilliant coup in list management that resulted in the fit and healthy team that stormed up the AFL ladder to make it to 2007 Preliminary Final weekend. The fact that they prematurely ended some players' seasons and became virtually uncompetitive in the last month of the season before was not remembered by many. Few recalled the easy way in which Neitz was allowed to boot his eight goals for the match, the fact that a young and inexperienced Nathan Jones was allowed to do as he liked in the Demons' midfield or that a week later, the Kangaroos managed just four goals against the then lowly Hawks in Launceston. They Kangaroos of 2006 were a fumbling train wreck of ineptitude but no eyebrows were raised when the extensive list management programme of that year was parlayed into such a successful on field performance over the following twelve months. These days, things are different. The thought police in the media have devised a new game; one in which every coach of every team whose season is well and truly spent is expected to focus exclusively on winning at all costs. Any form of experimentation with the game plan or player roles and their positions is looked upon with suspicion. If a player undergoes a season ending operation nowadays, then he and his club are automatically considered to be cheats. Playing a young backman in the forward line will land you in trouble and some big hero in the media who cheered when his team tanked big time a couple of years ago wants you guillotined. If someone from the team that's meant to win fumbles, it's because of the swirly conditions but if you're in the team that's supposed to be playing for last place, then unless you take the ball first grab, you're a cheat. That's the way of the world these days. Big brother is watching every move you make! THE GAME North Melbourne v Melbourne on Sunday 9th August 2009 at Etihad Stadium at 1.10pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall North Melbourne 64 wins Melbourne 83 wins 1 draw At Etihad Stadium North Melbourne 2 wins Melbourne 0 wins Since 2000 North Melbourne 8 wins Melbourne 7 wins The Coaches Crocker 0 wins Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 live from 12.30pm RADIO ABC774 SEN THE BETTING North Melbourne to win $1.40 Melbourne to win $2.80 LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 15.11.101 defeated Melbourne 10.7.67 at the MCG in Round 1 2009 The young Demons made a fist of it in the first half but the Kangaroos, with McIntosh dominant in the ruck and dangerous around goals, ran away to a comfortable victory. Leigh Harding was dominant for North while Brent Moloney made a good return after a long layoff with injury. THE TEAMS NORTH MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Pratt Scott Thompson Gavin Urquhart Half backs Brady Rawlings Nathan Grima Scott McMahon Centreline Josh Gibson Michael Firrito Liam Anthony Half forwards Matt Campbell Corey Jones Brent Harvey Forwards Leigh Adams Drew Petrie Lindsay Thomas Followers Hamish McIntosh Andrew Swallow Levi Greenwood Interchange (from) Todd Goldstein Lachie Hansen Daniel Harris Sam Power Emergencies Aaron Edwards Cruize Garlett Ed Lower In Leigh Adams Aaron Edwards Cruize Garlett Daniel Harris Ed Lower Out Leigh Harding (hamstring) Adam Simpson (retired) MELBOURNE Backs Shane Valenti James Frawley Kyle Cheney Half backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Cameron Bruce Centreline Lynden Dunn James McDonald Aaron Davey Half forwards Brent Moloney Michael Newton Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Stefan Martin Matthew Bate Followers Jake Spencer Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Interchange Rohan Bail Tom McNamara Ricky Petterd Colin Sylvia Emergencies Simon Buckley Paul Johnson Russell Robertson In Rohan Bail Simon Brent Moloney Cale Morton Tom McNamara Colin Sylvia Out Jamie Bennell (knee) Jack Grimes (hip) Paul Johnson Matthew Warnock (ankle) Matthew Whelan (foot) New Rohan Bail (Mount Gravatt, Qld) Tom McNamara (South Adelaide, SA) THE TROPHY I usually take a fair amount of notice of the odds on offer from the bookies but there's something a little on the nose about what's being offered on the result of this game. North Melbourne is without doubt the worst performed team in the competition at the moment. The Kangaroos haven't won a game since 23 May when they narrowly downed Fremantle at Etihad Stadium in Round 9. The 2008 semi finalists have now lost eight and drawn one of the last nine games. Their coach Darren Crocker is still in search of his first win although he and his team have been the victim of some close defeats. However, when you add the fact that they have now lost their former skipper Adam Simpson and big improver Leigh Harding to the continued absence of major playmaker in Daniel Wells, it's hard to fathom why they are such strong favourites. The odds are painting them as a much better team than one that hasn't managed to taste victory for over two months. At least the Demons have smelled the scent of victory twice since the Kangaroos began their run of outs. Melbourne has been under intense scrutiny after its narrow loss to Richmond even though the Tigers had to rely on an after the siren goal from Jordan McMahon to seal victory with a kick. The criticism from the media pack won't stop Demon coach Dean Bailey from continuing with his development plan which, in the current phase involves bringing young players into the team and developing team flexibility and a winning culture. The critics can analyse every move the coach makes, it won't make the slightest difference. A look at the selected side for this week and the inclusions of Brent Moloney, Cale Morton and Colin Sylvia show that he is earnest in picking the best possible combination available despite the wretched run of injuries afflicting the club. The selectors also flagged the possibility of bringing in more youth by including youngsters Rohan Bail and Tom McNamara on the extended interchange bench. Bailey is balancing the team well with his inclusions and, after the disappointment of the last gasp defeat last week, the players should be primed for victory. Earlier in the week I was fairly confident of a Melbourne win but I must say that the loss of young up and comer Jack Grimes is swaying me a little the other way. However, I'm not enthused by the team that North Melbourne selected. With Simpson gone and Harding put out to pasture for the rest of the season (no eyebrows raised yet) and the fact that the Kangaroos could still finish last and earn the right to draft Tom Scully (is anyone out there in media land stirring?), there doesn't appear much incentive on their side to win another game this year either. I've therefore come up with an interesting scenario for this week's game. The Demons will be leading by 2 points when the siren sounds with the ball in the hands of Scott McMahon. Deja vu? No, this McMahon will take his kick from 50 metres out and hit the post and Melbourne will take home the trophy and win by a single point. FOOTNOTE I understand that SEN will again be describing the Melbourne game so all eyes will be on commentator Andrew Maher who left the broadcast box at the 19 minute mark of last week's tense final quarter. It was suggested that Maher was fed up with the laughable football on show, particularly the alleged "tanking" of the team that ultimately was in front when the final siren sounded. Actually, it was Maher who was "tanking" his duties, taking an early leave of absence to attend the Melbourne International Film Festival. There are other radio stations covering this game and if you prefer your broadcasting team to be fully committed to the task, then perhaps you might want to try the others.

by The Oracle "Every breath you take And every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I'll be watching you" - Sting The last time Melbourne beat North Melbourne was almost exactly three years ago - in Round 20, 2006. The Demons were on their way to the finals, skipper David Neitz was in his prime and, after a few heart flutters in the first half, they hit their stride and recorded a runaway victory 20.12.132 to 12.10.82. The opposition were then known just as the plain Kangaroos and at that late stage of proceedings they certainly weren't showing very much of the magical Shinboner spirit for which they were famous. In fact, they were going nowhere in season 2006. As the winter deepened and their finals hopes flew out of the window, their hierarchy made an apparent decision to put up the shutters. The Roos weren't tanking or deliberately trying to lose matches but ... let's just say that their priorities might have been elsewhere. Players were shipped off to hospital for operations, new recruits were pushed up and tried out and there was a fair bit of experimentation going on. And associated with all that, was some of the rubbish football that you expect from a lowly team at the end of a long season. The Kangaroos and their poor run late in 2006 barely registered a blimp on anyone's radar. Nobody cared and most looked away as they stumbled into 14th place. When it was all over, they drafted Lachlan Hansen with pick number three overall behind Bryce Gibbs (Carlton) and Scott Gumbleton (Essendon). The first round priority pick didn't come into play that year but Hansen was considered a good pick up at the time. He has yet to justify his high ranking in that draft. A little over 12 months later and all and sundry were handing out kudos to Dean Laidley and the Kangaroos for a brilliant coup in list management that resulted in the fit and healthy team that stormed up the AFL ladder to make it to 2007 Preliminary Final weekend. The fact that they prematurely ended some players' seasons and became virtually uncompetitive in the last month of the season before was not remembered by many. Few recalled the easy way in which Neitz was allowed to boot his eight goals for the match, the fact that a young and inexperienced Nathan Jones was allowed to do as he liked in the Demons' midfield or that a week later, the Kangaroos managed just four goals against the then lowly Hawks in Launceston. They Kangaroos of 2006 were a fumbling train wreck of ineptitude but no eyebrows were raised when the extensive list management programme of that year was parlayed into such a successful on field performance over the following twelve months. These days, things are different. The thought police in the media have devised a new game; one in which every coach of every team whose season is well and truly spent is expected to focus exclusively on winning at all costs. Any form of experimentation with the game plan or player roles and their positions is looked upon with suspicion. If a player undergoes a season ending operation nowadays, then he and his club are automatically considered to be cheats. Playing a young backman in the forward line will land you in trouble and some big hero in the media who cheered when his team tanked big time a couple of years ago wants you guillotined. If someone from the team that's meant to win fumbles, it's because of the swirly conditions but if you're in the team that's supposed to be playing for last place, then unless you take the ball first grab, you're a cheat. That's the way of the world these days. Big brother is watching every move you make! THE GAME North Melbourne v Melbourne on Sunday 9th August 2009 at Etihad Stadium at 1.10pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall North Melbourne 64 wins Melbourne 83 wins 1 draw At Etihad Stadium North Melbourne 2 wins Melbourne 0 wins Since 2000 North Melbourne 8 wins Melbourne 7 wins The Coaches Crocker 0 wins Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 live from 12.30pm RADIO ABC774 SEN THE BETTING North Melbourne to win $1.40 Melbourne to win $2.80 LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 15.11.101 defeated Melbourne 10.7.67 at the MCG in Round 1 2009 The young Demons made a fist of it in the first half but the Kangaroos, with McIntosh dominant in the ruck and dangerous around goals, ran away to a comfortable victory. Leigh Harding was dominant for North while Brent Moloney made a good return after a long layoff with injury. THE TEAMS NORTH MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Pratt Scott Thompson Gavin Urquhart Half backs Brady Rawlings Nathan Grima Scott McMahon Centreline Josh Gibson Michael Firrito Liam Anthony Half forwards Matt Campbell Corey Jones Brent Harvey Forwards Leigh Adams Drew Petrie Lindsay Thomas Followers Hamish McIntosh Andrew Swallow Levi Greenwood Interchange (from) Todd Goldstein Lachie Hansen Daniel Harris Sam Power Emergencies Aaron Edwards Cruize Garlett Ed Lower In Leigh Adams Aaron Edwards Cruize Garlett Daniel Harris Ed Lower Out Leigh Harding (hamstring) Adam Simpson (retired) MELBOURNE Backs Shane Valenti James Frawley Kyle Cheney Half backs Clint Bartram Jared Rivers Cameron Bruce Centreline Lynden Dunn James McDonald Aaron Davey Half forwards Brent Moloney Michael Newton Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Stefan Martin Matthew Bate Followers Jake Spencer Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Interchange Rohan Bail Tom McNamara Ricky Petterd Colin Sylvia Emergencies Simon Buckley Paul Johnson Russell Robertson In Rohan Bail Simon Brent Moloney Cale Morton Tom McNamara Colin Sylvia Out Jamie Bennell (knee) Jack Grimes (hip) Paul Johnson Matthew Warnock (ankle) Matthew Whelan (foot) New Rohan Bail (Mount Gravatt, Qld) Tom McNamara (South Adelaide, SA) THE TROPHY I usually take a fair amount of notice of the odds on offer from the bookies but there's something a little on the nose about what's being offered on the result of this game. North Melbourne is without doubt the worst performed team in the competition at the moment. The Kangaroos haven't won a game since 23 May when they narrowly downed Fremantle at Etihad Stadium in Round 9. The 2008 semi finalists have now lost eight and drawn one of the last nine games. Their coach Darren Crocker is still in search of his first win although he and his team have been the victim of some close defeats. However, when you add the fact that they have now lost their former skipper Adam Simpson and big improver Leigh Harding to the continued absence of major playmaker in Daniel Wells, it's hard to fathom why they are such strong favourites. The odds are painting them as a much better team than one that hasn't managed to taste victory for over two months. At least the Demons have smelled the scent of victory twice since the Kangaroos began their run of outs. Melbourne has been under intense scrutiny after its narrow loss to Richmond even though the Tigers had to rely on an after the siren goal from Jordan McMahon to seal victory with a kick. The criticism from the media pack won't stop Demon coach Dean Bailey from continuing with his development plan which, in the current phase involves bringing young players into the team and developing team flexibility and a winning culture. The critics can analyse every move the coach makes, it won't make the slightest difference. A look at the selected side for this week and the inclusions of Brent Moloney, Cale Morton and Colin Sylvia show that he is earnest in picking the best possible combination available despite the wretched run of injuries afflicting the club. The selectors also flagged the possibility of bringing in more youth by including youngsters Rohan Bail and Tom McNamara on the extended interchange bench. Bailey is balancing the team well with his inclusions and, after the disappointment of the last gasp defeat last week, the players should be primed for victory. Earlier in the week I was fairly confident of a Melbourne win but I must say that the loss of young up and comer Jack Grimes is swaying me a little the other way. However, I'm not enthused by the team that North Melbourne selected. With Simpson gone and Harding put out to pasture for the rest of the season (no eyebrows raised yet) and the fact that the Kangaroos could still finish last and earn the right to draft Tom Scully (is anyone out there in media land stirring?), there doesn't appear much incentive on their side to win another game this year either. I've therefore come up with an interesting scenario for this week's game. The Demons will be leading by 2 points when the siren sounds with the ball in the hands of Scott McMahon. Deja vu? No, this McMahon will take his kick from 50 metres out and hit the post and Melbourne will take home the trophy and win by a single point. FOOTNOTE I understand that SEN will again be describing the Melbourne game so all eyes will be on commentator Andrew Maher who left the broadcast box at the 19 minute mark of last week's tense final quarter. It was suggested that Maher was fed up with the laughable football on show, particularly the alleged "tanking" of the team that ultimately was in front when the final siren sounded. Actually, it was Maher who was "tanking" his duties, taking an early leave of absence to attend the Melbourne International Film Festival. There are other radio stations covering this game and if you prefer your broadcasting team to be fully committed to the task, then perhaps you might want to try the others.

All the way back to Round 1 MELBOURNE Backs Jared Rivers Matthew Warnock Clint Bartram Half backs Colin Garland James Frawley Brad Green Centreline Aaron Davey Brock McLean Brent Moloney Half forwards Cameron Bruce Paul Johnson Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Matthew Bate Ricky Petterd Followers Jake Spencer James McDonald Simon Buckley Interchange Jamie Bennell Kyle Cheney Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Emergencies Lynden Dunn Stefan Martin John Meesen New Jamie Bennell (Swan Districts) Kyle Cheney (Nth Ballarat, Warrack Eagles) Neville Jetta (Swan Districts) Jake Spencer (Redlands) NORTH MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Pratt Michael Firrito Scott McMahon Half backs Leigh Harding Lachlan Hansen Josh Gibson Centreline Brady Rawlings Adam Simpson Andrew Swallow Half forwards Ed Lower Drew Petrie Lindsay Thomas Forwards Matt Campbell David Hale Brent Harvey Followers Hamish McIntosh Daniel Wells Jack Ziebell Interchange Sam Power Josh Smith Scott Thompson Gavin Urquhart Emergencies Liam Anthony Nathan Grima Daniel Harris

by The Scorp The Scorpions handed yet another opponent a get out of jail card on Saturday after falling short by four points to Geelong in a see-saw finish to their round 16 clash at Skilled Stadium. It was a costly result for Casey as victory would have seen it playing off for a possible top spot next week. Instead, the Scorpions are under pressure to retain a top four placing with all three remaining games to be played against leading premiership contenders. Beset by the long list of injuries to both VFL and AFL listed players that has ravaged the team in recent weeks, the visitors were determined to continue their recent impressive winning run and were well placed with a narrow lead of 5 points after a close first half battle. The home team had three seasoned AFL giants in Ottens, Blake and West to throw against a makeshift Scorpion big man division hit by the call up of Jake Spencer to AFL emergency duties and the continuing injury of Tim Mohr who has been outstanding for Casey in the ruck this year. Young rookie Trent Zomer who came up from the reserves last week took on the job and acquitted himself well against the taller opposition. James Wall and Peter Faulks provided the back up but when you concede height to such a degree then something's got to give and for the first time in weeks an opposition key forward was able to dominate with the Cats' Podsiadly booting six. Pocket rocket Michael Stockdale, skipper Kyle Matthews and Territorian Pierce Liddle were the best of the small men and with Demon Colin Sylvia they kept Casey in the game despite some costly poor kicking for goal in the third term. Sylvia's three goals were brilliantly directed long bombs and his dynamic play suggested he is ready to step back to AFL action after his 3 week suspension. He finished with 12 kicks, 10 handballs and 1 mark. The final term was an absolute cracker with Casey bridging the 11 point margin half way through the term and seemingly on its way to victory. A Podsiadly goal regained the lead for the home side but the Scorpions hit the front late in the game with a goal to Sylvia. Ironically, it was Casey that kicked the winning goal but it was Geelong's VFL player Casey Tutungi who responded by kicking truly and putting his team in the front in the game's dying moments. Zomer had an opportunity from 40 metres out but missed everything with his shot and the ball was heading for the Scorpions' goal when the siren sounded providing a narrow Geelong victory that was mirrored later in the day in the Cats' narrow AFL victory against the Crows. The defeat will be a bitter pill for Casey to take into the run home but should steel the players as they again take centre stage in a special fixture at Morwell against North Ballarat in Saturday's ABC Match of the Round. The game will celebrate the work of the CFA and Victoria's heroic fire fighters and Peter German will be looking for some similar heroism from his own charges as they prepare for the challenge of the tough month ahead. Casey Scorpions 3.4.22 8.5.53 9.10.64 14.12.96 Geelong 4.4.28 7.6.48 11.9.75 15.10.100 Goals Casey Scorpions Sylvia 3 Hughes Waite 2 MacReadie McNamara Matthews Scanlon Silvagni Robertson Zomer Geelong Podsiadly 6 Westwood 3 Carson Moles Sheringham Smith Tutungi West Best Casey Scorpions Stockdale Sylvia Faulks Wall Matthews Liddle Geelong Podsiadly Moles Tutungi Firman Laidler The reserves again were so undermanned that six local players had to be found to make up a full complement for the visit to Preston. In the circumstances, the Northern Bullants proved too strong after a closely fought first half. Gus Patti worked tirelessly and Rohan Bail made a courageous return after the death of his mother at the young age of 50 to cancer in Queensland and was among his team's best. Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 7.5.47 8.5.53 11.7.73 Northern Bullants 7.5.47 7.7.49 15.9.99 20.11.131 Goals Casey Scorpions Sykes 3 McNamara Singh 2 Bail Costigan Patti Smith Northern Bullants Higgs Power 3 Gale Prior Spiteri 2 Adams Bannister Cunningham Hill Meese McDermott Saad Stavely Best Casey Scorpions Patti Bail Costigan Dearaugo Smith Sykes Northern Bullants Stavely Higgs Meese Adams Vansittart Spiteri

CATS OUT THE BAG by The Scorp The Scorpions handed yet another opponent a get out of jail card on Saturday after falling short by four points to Geelong in a see-saw finish to their round 16 clash at Skilled Stadium. It was a costly result for Casey as victory would have seen it playing off for a possible top spot next week. Instead, the Scorpions are under pressure to retain a top four placing with all three remaining games to be played against leading premiership contenders. Beset by the long list of injuries to both VFL and AFL listed players that has ravaged the team in recent weeks, the visitors were determined to continue their recent impressive winning run and were well placed with a narrow lead of 5 points after a close first half battle. The home team had three seasoned AFL giants in Ottens, Blake and West to throw against a makeshift Scorpion big man division hit by the call up of Jake Spencer to AFL emergency duties and the continuing injury of Tim Mohr who has been outstanding for Casey in the ruck this year. Young rookie Trent Zomer who came up from the reserves last week took on the job and acquitted himself well against the taller opposition. James Wall and Peter Faulks provided the back up but when you concede height to such a degree then something's got to give and for the first time in weeks an opposition key forward was able to dominate with the Cats' Podsiadly booting six. Pocket rocket Michael Stockdale, skipper Kyle Matthews and Territorian Pierce Liddle were the best of the small men and with Demon Colin Sylvia they kept Casey in the game despite some costly poor kicking for goal in the third term. Sylvia's three goals were brilliantly directed long bombs and his dynamic play suggested he is ready to step back to AFL action after his 3 week suspension. He finished with 12 kicks, 10 handballs and 1 mark. The final term was an absolute cracker with Casey bridging the 11 point margin half way through the term and seemingly on its way to victory. A Podsiadly goal regained the lead for the home side but the Scorpions hit the front late in the game with a goal to Sylvia. Ironically, it was Casey that kicked the winning goal but it was Geelong’s VFL player Casey Tutungi who responded by kicking truly and putting his team in the front in the game’s dying moments. Zomer had an opportunity from 40 metres out but missed everything with his shot and the ball was heading for the Scorpions' goal when the siren sounded providing a narrow Geelong victory that was mirrored later in the day in the Cats' narrow AFL victory against the Crows. The defeat will be a bitter pill for Casey to take into the run home but should steel the players as they again take centre stage in a special fixture at Morwell against North Ballarat in Saturday's ABC Match of the Round. The game will celebrate the work of the CFA and Victoria's heroic fire fighters and Peter German will be looking for some similar heroism from his own charges as they prepare for the challenge of the tough month ahead. Casey Scorpions 3.4.22 8.5.53 9.10.64 14.12.96 Geelong 4.4.28 7.6.48 11.9.75 15.10.100 Goals Casey Scorpions Sylvia 3 Hughes Waite 2 MacReadie McNamara Matthews Scanlon Silvagni Robertson Zomer Geelong Podsiadly 6 Westwood 3 Carson Moles Sheringham Smith Tutungi West Best Casey Scorpions Stockdale Sylvia Faulks Wall Matthews Liddle Geelong Podsiadly Moles Tutungi Firman Laidler The reserves again were so undermanned that six local players had to be found to make up a full complement for the visit to Preston. In the circumstances, the Northern Bullants proved too strong after a closely fought first half. Gus Patti worked tirelessly and Rohan Bail made a courageous return after the death of his mother at the young age of 50 to cancer in Queensland and was among his team's best. Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 7.5.47 8.5.53 11.7.73 Northern Bullants 7.5.47 7.7.49 15.9.99 20.11.131 Goals Casey Scorpions Sykes 3 McNamara Singh 2 Bail Costigan Patti Smith Northern Bullants Higgs Power 3 Gale Prior Spiteri 2 Adams Bannister Cunningham Hill Meese McDermott Saad Stavely Best Casey Scorpions Patti Bail Costigan Dearaugo Smith Sykes Northern Bullants Stavely Higgs Meese Adams Vansittart Spiteri

by The Oracle On my way to the MCG yesterday I heard the commentators on SEN delivering their previews of the Melbourne v Richmond game. It was obvious what they were looking for in this game - any sign that one of the teams, Melbourne, was deliberately going out to set up a loss to gain a benefit in the national draft at the end of the season. Two and a half hours later, they had in their own minds what they had been looking for all afternoon - an opportunity to attack the Melbourne Football Club for doing its best to lose the game. Every move, every change and every nuance made by coach Dean Bailey was examined and analysed with suspicious intent so that the entire exercise of describing the game became a self-fulfilling prophecy. But in the end, the commentators who slammed the Demons for tanking were an embarrassment to themselves. The practice they were describing has been going on for years with the full approval of the governing body which continues to strongly deny that clubs "tank". Kevin Bartlett, the former Tiger champion and coach, has absolutely "cracked it" over his belief that the Demons were doing things that caused him "alarm" but that only belied the fact that his old club - the one that he alienated himself from because it sacked him after a fruitless period at the coaching helm - was facing a barren and bitter future. If the final siren sounds and you're not in front of a team that's trying to lose as badly as Bartlett and others are suggesting, then what does it say about the Tigers? That's the crux of my review of a game that by their reckoning, Melbourne should have lost by eight or ten goals. In fact, it was only won by Richmond by the narrow margin of four points in the last play of the game with a Jordan McMahon kick after the siren. Like many in the football world and particularly among the AFL hierarchy, Bartlett has been in denial for far too long about the state of play insofar as priority picks are concerned. Why now and why Melbourne? Where were they when Carlton famously imploded in the last half of 2007 ending in the infamous twilight game of round 22 of that year but really culminating in the recuiting of Chris Judd and the drafting of Matthew Kreuzer? The Demons had a swag of players missing for one reason or another - mainly injury - and by the end of the game a bench full of more injured players. So Demon coach Dean Bailey experimented with some unusual team placements. Did he have much of a choice in the circumstances? Did he have the luxury of a Tuck, a Bowden, a Coughlan or a Richardson in his club's VFL partner? Did he retire off a player who kicked five goals in his last match to ensure defeat or put his champion goalkicker in mothballs as other clubs have done in recent years? Does he pompously lecture the world on the evils of tanking while enjoying the fruits of his own priority pick "earned" in what might also be described as dubious circumstances just two years after a second consecutive grand final appearance? And just where does it say that sportsmanship, fair play and a level playing field has a role in this competition these days? Not if your playing programme is dictated by financial criteria. Not when an ambassadorship with Visy (for doing exactly what?) is worth a packet outside the salary cap. Come on down and have a cup of tea Karmichael Hunt. You still want fair play? Then give the game back to the people and not those who follow the trail to the money. Oh yes. The game. Melbourne was never out of it by more than a goal and a half and held the lead on numerous occasions. There were mistakes galore, some poor disposal and woeful decision making and that's pretty much what you would expect when the twelfth placed side meets the bottom team. But the standard was not appreciably lower than two or three other encounters in this round. Neither side managed no goals and nine behinds and one out on the full in a quarter. The result, a 12.14.86 to 12.10.82 win to the Tigers was not that dissimilar to the Demons' eight point win that stymied Terry Wallace's career earlier in the season. There was no shortage of highlights including some intriguing contests, heavy physical clashes, miracle goals from Lynden Dunn and Nathan Brown and plenty of emerging players of the future on display. There was excitement and tension, a sensational late game rally from Melbourne with two memorable goals, one to the rapidly developing Jack Grimes, who marked a kick-in and goaled with all the poise and balance of a veteran, and another to Ricky Petterd, who struck immediately afterwards and put his team two points up with 1 minute and 40 seconds remaining on the clock. Then, the fateful goal that sealed the game for the Tigers. Melbourne's best included skipper James McDonald, Aaron Davey, Grimes, Petterd, Nathan Jones and Lynden Dunn. James Frawley and Matthew Warnock continued to show their development and some versatility when moved forward and Jake Spencer, though visibly tiring at the end, gained valuable game time. This is precisely what Bailey has been telling the world he was planning to do and kudos go to him and his team for persevering and for finishing within a split second of a win. When Ron Barassi famously experimented in a grand final and implored his charges to handball, handball, handball and the result was a premiership, the football world applauded and called him a genius. When Bailey remains dead calm in the coach's box, experiments with his team and almost pulls off a remarkable victory, Kevin Bartlett pulls out what's left of his hair and calls it a joke. He should go back to trying to get Kevin Sheedy in the coach's box at Tigerland because the joke's on him! Melbourne 2.0.12 4.3.27 8.7.55 12.10.82 RIchmond 1.5.11 4.8.32 7.10.52 12.14.86 Goals Melbourne Dunn Miller Petterd 2 Bate Davey Grimes Newton Jetta Jones Newton Richmond Brown 3 Deledio Morton 2 Hislop McMahon Nahas Riewoldt Vickery Best Melbourne Petterd McDonald Grimes Davey Petterd Bate Cheney Richmond Deledio Cousins Brown Thursfield Morton McGuane Tambling Injuries Melbourne Bennell (knee), Whelan (foot), Martin (corked calf) Richmond Riewoldt (concussion) Changes Melbourne Morton (heel) replaced in selected side by Spencer. Richmond - nil Reports Melbourne Davey for wrestling King in the first quarter Richmond King for wrestling Davey in first quarter. Umpires Keating James Farmer Official Crowd 37,438 at MCG

Four rounds to go and, with Brent Moloney under an injury loud, the way seems open for an easy Aaron Davey win ... 108.336 Aaron Davey 90.172 Brent Moloney 60.559 Cameron Bruce 53.732 Jack Grimes 53.702 Brock McLean 52.790 Cale Morton 42.943 Ricky Petterd 42.179 Nathan Jones 42.055 Colin Sylvia 38.121 James Frawley 37.985 Brad Green 33.646 Matthew Warnock 31.414 Mark Jamar 28.127 Jared Rivers 22.483 James McDonald 19.408 Brad Miller 15.295 Matthew Bate 12.591 Liam Jurrah 12.420 Paul Johnson 10.711 Stefan Martin 10.053 Kyle Cheney 9.952 Addam Maric 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.015 Clint Bartram 6.535 Neville Jetta 6.126 Russell Robertson 2.742 Lynden Dunn 0.613 John Meesen

Your 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 please folks