Demonland

by Whispering Jack Two victories in a row! Who would have thought just a fortnight ago when the Demons returned from Brisbane with their tails between their legs that they would produce successive victories at the MCG and move off the bottom of the ladder? Last week it was almost to be expected against the West Coast Eagles who have lost the ability to win games away from Subiaco Oval. But against a Port Adelaide that needed to win to remain in close proximity to a finals berth, it certainly wasn't expected that Melbourne would lead all the way to win their third game for the season 15.11.101 to 13.12.90. The first inkling I had that it was going to be another day out for the Demons came when the teams ran out onto the hallowed turf of the MCG. On the one hand you had Melbourne looking shmik, respectable and very much a football team in their traditional red and navy blue outfits and, on the other, you had Port Adelaide's 22 all rigged out wearing shorty pajamas and looking like, well ... a bunch of clowns. They played "A Grand Old Flag" and you could feel it stirring the players' veins, urging them on to play their hearts out for victory; they played the dirge that masquerades as the Port Adelaide club song and, apart from the fact that it would bring howls of laughter if performed for the judges on Australian Idol, it appeared to set the scene for the visitors by placing them at a best friend's funeral rather than at a football match whose winning result was vital for the team's entire season outcome. It was little surprise therefore that it was the Demons who came out to play with their new found pressure game that knocked the Power out of their cute white socks. When the two sides met earlier in the season, Port Adelaide's dominance was asserted from its rucks right through to its midfield and the run created set up a dominance right across the ground. This time around Melbourne's new ruck combination of a rejuvenated and much improved Mark Jamar and Stef Martin turned the tables. They won their fair share of the hit outs and set up a dominance at the stoppages whereby the forwards were given scoring opportunities that could only be dreamt of earlier in the season. And a new Melbourne forward set up is emerging, one that is radically different to the set up dominated for a decade by David Neitz and Russell Robertson. Certainly, Robbo is still there in the twilight of an illustrious career but yesterday he played third fiddle behind the electrifying Liam Jurrah who rose more than once into the stratosphere to stake some claims for mark of the year and provided four goals and four assists and Ricky Petterd who also booted four including the sealer late in the game and took eleven marks. Matthew Bate and Neville Jetta also added to the annoyance and the angst of the Port Adelaide defence. The Demons received fantastic service from Cameron Bruce across half back and Brad Green who seemed to be everywhere. Brock McLean and Brent Moloney were strong and consistent in the middle and their contributions were vital to the final result. Melbourne's defence which has held together for most of a season under extreme pressure showed further signs of development with James Frawley outstanding on Brett Ebert and Matthew Warnock doing the job on danger man Warren Tredrea who booted six last time they met and was restricted to just one this time around. That goal has to win the most dubious goal of the year award and came after the umpires missed an obvious holding the ball decision. Either that or someone abolished the prior opportunity rule while none of us were looking. That the Demons only won by a little under two kicks is a bit of a mystery to me especially when you consider that Port Adelaide conceded some goals through a lack of organisation and frustration in the second quarter. First, a foray into attack was nullified by a free kick and 50 metre penalty for an interchange error and then Chad Cornes gifted Lynden Dunn a goal with a push and another 50 metre penalty. Apart from advancing Dunn's acting career, the result of the two closely connected incidents represented a two goal turnaround and gave the Demons the impetus to win the second quarter and take the bragging rights into the rooms at half time. Melbourne's season to date has been punctuated by lamentable third quarter efforts but this time it had all the momentum and came out with all guns blazing to score the first three goals of the second half through Petterd, Jurrah and McLean. This opened up the biggest lead of the day (32 points) and, while Port pegged them back, it was always going to be enough to give the Demons their third win of the season. It's been a while since the Demons last won two games in a row so spare me a moment to indulge in a fantasy about the prospects of them going even one better when they head down the highway to Sleepy Hollow next weekend. Port Adelaide thrashed Brisbane last week. The Lions, in turn, gave Geelong a bit of a touch up at the weekend. Since the Demons conquered Port yesterday, that must mean they are good things to beat the Cats this week. Well, that game has been played ever since Tom Wills started the ball rolling a century and a half ago and is about as reliable as the Connex Timetable. I think I'll therefore quit while I'm ahead and just savour one victory at a time. Melbourne 4.2.26 9.6.60 13.9.87 15.11.101 Port Adelaide 3.3.21 7.6.48 10.8.68 13.12.90 Goals Melbourne Jurrah Petterd 4 Bate Robertson 2 Dunn McLean Moloney Port Adelaide K Cornes Lade J Westhoff 2 Brogan Davenport Gray Pearce Rodan Salopek Tredrea Best Melbourne Bruce Jurrah McLean Petterd Moloney Jamar Green Frawley Port Adelaide Cassisi K Cornes Salopek Thurstans Davenport Rodan Injuries Melbourne Bell (shoulder) Port Adelaide Brogan (ribs) Changes Nil Reports Nil Umpires James Sully Wenn Official crowd 15,888 at the MCG

Cast your votes please... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

ONE VICTORY AT A TIME by Whispering Jack Two victories in a row! Who would have thought just a fortnight ago when the Demons returned from Brisbane with their tails between their legs that they would produce successive victories at the MCG and move off the bottom of the ladder? Last week it was almost to be expected against the West Coast Eagles who have lost the ability to win games away from Subiaco Oval. But against a Port Adelaide that needed to win to remain in close proximity to a finals berth, it certainly wasn't expected that Melbourne would lead all the way to win their third game for the season 15.11.101 to 13.12.90. The first inkling I had that it was going to be another day out for the Demons came when the teams ran out onto the hallowed turf of the MCG. On the one hand you had Melbourne looking shmik, respectable and very much a football team in their traditional red and navy blue outfits and, on the other, you had Port Adelaide's 22 all rigged out wearing shorty pajamas and looking like, well ... a bunch of clowns. They played "A Grand Old Flag" and you could feel it stirring the players' veins, urging them on to play their hearts out for victory; they played the dirge that masquerades as the Port Adelaide club song and, apart from the fact that it would bring howls of laughter if performed for the judges on Australian Idol, it appeared to set the scene for the visitors by placing them at a best friend's funeral rather than at a football match whose winning result was vital for the team's entire season outcome. It was little surprise therefore that it was the Demons who came out to play with their new found pressure game that knocked the Power out of their cute white socks. When the two sides met earlier in the season, Port Adelaide's dominance was asserted from its rucks right through to its midfield and the run created set up a dominance right across the ground. This time around Melbourne's new ruck combination of a rejuvenated and much improved Mark Jamar and Stef Martin turned the tables. They won their fair share of the hit outs and set up a dominance at the stoppages whereby the forwards were given scoring opportunities that could only be dreamt of earlier in the season. And a new Melbourne forward set up is emerging, one that is radically different to the set up dominated for a decade by David Neitz and Russell Robertson. Certainly, Robbo is still there in the twilight of an illustrious career but yesterday he played third fiddle behind the electrifying Liam Jurrah who rose more than once into the stratosphere to stake some claims for mark of the year and provided four goals and four assists and Ricky Petterd who also booted four including the sealer late in the game and took eleven marks. Matthew Bate and Neville Jetta also added to the annoyance and the angst of the Port Adelaide defence. The Demons received fantastic service from Cameron Bruce across half back and Brad Green who seemed to be everywhere. Brock McLean and Brent Moloney were strong and consistent in the middle and their contributions were vital to the final result. Melbourne's defence which has held together for most of a season under extreme pressure showed further signs of development with James Frawley outstanding on Brett Ebert and Matthew Warnock doing the job on danger man Warren Tredrea who booted six last time they met and was restricted to just one this time around. That goal has to win the most dubious goal of the year award and came after the umpires missed an obvious holding the ball decision. Either that or someone abolished the prior opportunity rule while none of us were looking. That the Demons only won by a little under two kicks is a bit of a mystery to me especially when you consider that Port Adelaide conceded some goals through a lack of organisation and frustration in the second quarter. First, a foray into attack was nullified by a free kick and 50 metre penalty for an interchange error and then Chad Cornes gifted Lynden Dunn a goal with a push and another 50 metre penalty. Apart from advancing Dunn's acting career, the result of the two closely connected incidents represented a two goal turnaround and gave the Demons the impetus to win the second quarter and take the bragging rights into the rooms at half time. Melbourne's season to date has been punctuated by lamentable third quarter efforts but this time it had all the momentum and came out with all guns blazing to score the first three goals of the second half through Petterd, Jurrah and McLean. This opened up the biggest lead of the day (32 points) and, while Port pegged them back, it was always going to be enough to give the Demons their third win of the season. It's been a while since the Demons last won two games in a row so spare me a moment to indulge in a fantasy about the prospects of them going even one better when they head down the highway to Sleepy Hollow next weekend. Port Adelaide thrashed Brisbane last week. The Lions, in turn, gave Geelong a bit of a touch up at the weekend. Since the Demons conquered Port yesterday, that must mean they are good things to beat the Cats this week. Well, that game has been played ever since Tom Wills started the ball rolling a century and a half ago and is about as reliable as the Connex Timetable. I think I'll therefore quit while I'm ahead and just savour one victory at a time. Melbourne 4.2.26 9.6.60 13.9.87 15.11.101 Port Adelaide 3.3.21 7.6.48 10.8.68 13.12.90 Goals Melbourne Jurrah Petterd 4 Bate Robertson 2 Dunn McLean Moloney Port Adelaide K Cornes Lade J Westhoff 2 Brogan Davenport Gray Pearce Rodan Salopek Tredrea Best Melbourne Bruce Jurrah McLean Petterd Moloney Jamar Green Frawley Port Adelaide Cassisi K Cornes Salopek Thurstans Davenport Rodan Injuries Melbourne Bell (shoulder) Port Adelaide Brogan (ribs) Changes Nil Reports Nil Umpires James Sully Wenn Official crowd 15,888 at the MCG

NEIGHBOURS by KC from Casey The combatants were representing neighbouring municipalities on the fringes of Melbourne's metropolitan zones but the Scorpions gave the Dolphins a frosty welcome at Casey Fields yesterday. Not only did the hosts turn on freezing cold wintry weather but Casey also administered a stinging 98-point demolition on its hapless visitors from down the road. The stand alone Dolphins have fallen on hard times since their famous old grandstand burned down in February last year cutting deep into their financial position. The global economic strife has also hit the Frankston region hard and last week the team suffered a major blow when ruckman Peder Whelan suffered a season ending injury. The Scorpions however, weren't inclined to extend their good neighbours any mercy when they met each other in their round 13 match up. Frankston opened with the use of the strong breeze and scored the opening goal at the two-minute mark but Casey defended stoutly and it wasn't until mid quarter before the Dolphins scored their next goal. However, that was undone by a lack of discipline which conceded two fifty-metre penalties and set up a Danny Hughes goal. A turnover from Jack Watts conceded a late goal leaving Casey down by 13 points at the first break. Paul Johnson dominated the ruck from the start and, as a consequence, the Dolphins were able to exert their influence at the stoppages and go forward at will. A goal to Ryan Creed narrowed the gap but Casey's inaccurate ways returned and it took them until the 20-minute mark to boot a second for the term and to take the lead for the first time through the agency of Michael Stockdale. The goals began to flow. Clint Bartram, who was in everything, and Brad Miller (2) chipped in with goals and Matthew Wall, who had been impressive for Casey, moved forward to kick a late goal to give the home side a 27 point buffer at the main break. Suddenly, the game had been broken open. The Scorpions opened the second half with steely determination, providing a hard attack at every contest in a scrappy game and they managed to achieve the aim of keeping the opposition in check despite the strong wind. James Taylor was doing a great job tightly marking the dangerous Justin Berry and skipper Kyle Matthews was busy on return from a leg injury. The Dolphins struggled to score and then, at the 19-minute mark, the stuffing was knocked out of them when the first and only goal of the term came to Casey's Michael Newton. By three quarter time, the 33-point lead was insurmountable given that Casey had the strong wind advantage in the last. The numbers weren't encouraging for Frankston either. After two quarters with the strong breeze it trailed in most key categories and had only 22 inside 50 metre entries to Casey's 37-a pointer to what had been a rather insipid and lifeless performance by the Dolphins. Early in the final stanza the Scorpions started lining up for the goals. Matthew Whelan opened proceedings and was followed by Jack Watts and Brad Miller. Ryan Creed crumbed a pack for his second goal. Newton struck a purple patch with three goals in a short space of time. The only thing that would have upset coach Peter German was the fact that his charges were regularly spraying and missing their shots for goal. Right at the end of the game it was fitting that skipper Matthews, still putting his body on line as usual, earned the last goal of the day from a free kick. Casey's winning margin had stretched to a percentage boosting 98 points. The result capped off a big day for the Casey Scorpions. Earlier, the Minister for Sport James Merlino opened the new spectator facilities on the outer side of the ground and last week tenders were called for the construction of extensions to the existing main pavilion. These exciting developments will ultimately see the Scorpions and the Demons at the hub of the finest state of the art sporting facilities right in the middle of one of the fastest growing population regions in the country. Not only is the long term future bright but after the vagaries of the VFL fixture gave Casey successive home match ups against cellar dwellers Bendigo and Frankston, the result has been a dramatic lift into the top four from the seventh placing it occupied just a fortnight ago. The Scorpions are however, by no means entrenched and they face tougher competition in the coming weeks if they are to hold their position. There's a log jam of clubs lining up directly behind them so Casey cannot afford to take anything for granted and next week's ABC Match of the Round at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval against Collingwood looms as a real danger game. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail - started at half back and improved as the game went on and was a useful contributor when pushed forward later in the game. Clint Bartram - a best on ground performance from the prolific ball winner. Playing on the ball, he was in everything and was clean with his ball handling and disposal skills and was rarely under any real pressure. Kyle Cheney - strong and tight down back, he kept his opposition forwards well in check. Was given the luxury of a run further up the ground later in the game and did a few nice things including assisting in a goal. Danny Hughes - played on a flank and was gifted a goal in the first quarter. Was creative and solid throughout and was involved in setting up some nice passages of play. Paul Johnson - dominated in the ruck all day and gave the Casey onballers an armchair ride. Picked up his fair share of the ball although not completely decisive with his ball use. Jordie McKenzie - started on the interchange and was played in the midfield rotation. Not as prolific a ball winner as Bartram but he got his share of the hard ball out of the middle and could be a chance for promotion to the Demons' senior list. Brad Miller - a strong, solid performance with 4 goals, 3 behinds at centre half forward. Marked strongly, used his body well and was just too good for the Frankston defenders. Michael Newton - started poorly when he sprayed a shot at goal and soon after gave away a stupid free kick. Regained his composure and worked hard to set up scores for his team. Tackled and chased well and then took the initiative kicking four last half goals. Shane Valenti - a solid on ball performance until he received a knock on the hip during the third quarter which ended his day. Jack Watts - demonstrated his prodigious talent by consistently accumulating possessions playing off halfback and wing. Showed great composure and agility and despite the odd turnover he maintained a generally high level of skill and creativity in the windy conditions not normally conducive to those 196cm tall. Kicked a goal early in the final quarter before a minor ankle injury prematurely ended his day. Matthew Whelan - the veteran of 146 games has too much class to be playing at this level. Enough! The Coach's Report (it seems everyone was good!) Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 7.7.49 8.9.57 17.21.123 Frankston 3.3.21 3.4.22 3.6.24 3.7.25 Goals Casey Scorpions Miller Newton 4 Creed 2 Bartram Hughes Matthews Stockdale Wall Watts Whelan Frankston Magner Purves Whelan Best Casey Scorpions Bartram Johnson Taylor Creed Whelan Chivers Frankston Lombardozzi Marigliani Hibberd Magner Purves Winterton In the reserves it was the third placed Dolphins against fourth team Casey and the importance of the contest could not be underestimated. The story of the game was that Frankston used the breeze much better booting 7.6 to 0.2 in the opening term while Casey kicked 3.9 when its turn with the wind came. At three quarter time the difference was 9 goals and Casey simply didn't have the time to make up the deficit. Ruckman Gus Patti, James Blaser and the ever-reliable Ben Waite were the best of the Scorps. HOW THE DEMON FARED Trent Zomer - conditions were not the best for big men and Zomer performed creditably. Booted two goals. Casey Scorpions 02.2 3.11.29 3.11.29 9.15.69 Frankston 7.6.48 7.6.48 12.11.83 13.13.91 Goals Casey Scorpions McLeod MacReadie Zomer 2 Lees Scanlon Waite Frankston Limbach 3 Conroy Keely 2 Barnes Burns Clark Conroy Lean Ongarello Best Casey Scorpions Patti Blaser Waite Snow MacReadie McLeod Frankston Conroy Keely Gill Corp Burns Barnes

by KC from Casey The combatants were representing neighbouring municipalities on the fringes of Melbourne's metropolitan zones but the Scorpions gave the Dolphins a frosty welcome at Casey Fields yesterday. Not only did the hosts turn on freezing cold wintry weather but Casey also administered a stinging 98-point demolition on its hapless visitors from down the road. The stand alone Dolphins have fallen on hard times since their famous old grandstand burned down in February last year cutting deep into their financial position. The global economic strife has also hit the Frankston region hard and last week the team suffered a major blow when ruckman Peder Whelan suffered a season ending injury. The Scorpions however, weren't inclined to extend their good neighbours any mercy when they met each other in their round 13 match up. Frankston opened with the use of the strong breeze and scored the opening goal at the two-minute mark but Casey defended stoutly and it wasn't until mid quarter before the Dolphins scored their next goal. However, that was undone by a lack of discipline which conceded two fifty-metre penalties and set up a Danny Hughes goal. A turnover from Jack Watts conceded a late goal leaving Casey down by 13 points at the first break. Paul Johnson dominated the ruck from the start and, as a consequence, the Dolphins were able to exert their influence at the stoppages and go forward at will. A goal to Ryan Creed narrowed the gap but Casey's inaccurate ways returned and it took them until the 20-minute mark to boot a second for the term and to take the lead for the first time through the agency of Michael Stockdale. The goals began to flow. Clint Bartram, who was in everything, and Brad Miller (2) chipped in with goals and Matthew Wall, who had been impressive for Casey, moved forward to kick a late goal to give the home side a 27 point buffer at the main break. Suddenly, the game had been broken open. The Scorpions opened the second half with steely determination, providing a hard attack at every contest in a scrappy game and they managed to achieve the aim of keeping the opposition in check despite the strong wind. James Taylor was doing a great job tightly marking the dangerous Justin Berry and skipper Kyle Matthews was busy on return from a leg injury. The Dolphins struggled to score and then, at the 19-minute mark, the stuffing was knocked out of them when the first and only goal of the term came to Casey's Michael Newton. By three quarter time, the 33-point lead was insurmountable given that Casey had the strong wind advantage in the last. The numbers weren't encouraging for Frankston either. After two quarters with the strong breeze it trailed in most key categories and had only 22 inside 50 metre entries to Casey's 37-a pointer to what had been a rather insipid and lifeless performance by the Dolphins. Early in the final stanza the Scorpions started lining up for the goals. Matthew Whelan opened proceedings and was followed by Jack Watts and Brad Miller. Ryan Creed crumbed a pack for his second goal. Newton struck a purple patch with three goals in a short space of time. The only thing that would have upset coach Peter German was the fact that his charges were regularly spraying and missing their shots for goal. Right at the end of the game it was fitting that skipper Matthews, still putting his body on line as usual, earned the last goal of the day from a free kick. Casey's winning margin had stretched to a percentage boosting 98 points. The result capped off a big day for the Casey Scorpions. Earlier, the Minister for Sport James Merlino opened the new spectator facilities on the outer side of the ground and last week tenders were called for the construction of extensions to the existing main pavilion. These exciting developments will ultimately see the Scorpions and the Demons at the hub of the finest state of the art sporting facilities right in the middle of one of the fastest growing population regions in the country. Not only is the long term future bright but after the vagaries of the VFL fixture gave Casey successive home match ups against cellar dwellers Bendigo and Frankston, the result has been a dramatic lift into the top four from the seventh placing it occupied just a fortnight ago. The Scorpions are however, by no means entrenched and they face tougher competition in the coming weeks if they are to hold their position. There's a log jam of clubs lining up directly behind them so Casey cannot afford to take anything for granted and next week's ABC Match of the Round at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval against Collingwood looms as a real danger game. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail - started at half back and improved as the game went on and was a useful contributor when pushed forward later in the game. Clint Bartram - a best on ground performance from the prolific ball winner. Playing on the ball, he was in everything and was clean with his ball handling and disposal skills and was rarely under any real pressure. Kyle Cheney - strong and tight down back, he kept his opposition forwards well in check. Was given the luxury of a run further up the ground later in the game and did a few nice things including assisting in a goal. Danny Hughes - played on a flank and was gifted a goal in the first quarter. Was creative and solid throughout and was involved in setting up some nice passages of play. Paul Johnson - dominated in the ruck all day and gave the Casey onballers an armchair ride. Picked up his fair share of the ball although not completely decisive with his ball use. Jordie McKenzie - started on the interchange and was played in the midfield rotation. Not as prolific a ball winner as Bartram but he got his share of the hard ball out of the middle and could be a chance for promotion to the Demons' senior list. Brad Miller - a strong, solid performance with 4 goals, 3 behinds at centre half forward. Marked strongly, used his body well and was just too good for the Frankston defenders. Michael Newton - started poorly when he sprayed a shot at goal and soon after gave away a stupid free kick. Regained his composure and worked hard to set up scores for his team. Tackled and chased well and then took the initiative kicking four last half goals. Shane Valenti - a solid on ball performance until he received a knock on the hip during the third quarter which ended his day. Jack Watts - demonstrated his prodigious talent by consistently accumulating possessions playing off halfback and wing. Showed great composure and agility and despite the odd turnover he maintained a generally high level of skill and creativity in the windy conditions not normally conducive to those 196cm tall. Kicked a goal early in the final quarter before a minor ankle injury prematurely ended his day. Matthew Whelan - the veteran of 146 games has too much class to be playing at this level. Enough! The Coach's Report (it seems everyone was good!) Casey Scorpions 1.2.8 7.7.49 8.9.57 17.21.123 Frankston 3.3.21 3.4.22 3.6.24 3.7.25 Goals Casey Scorpions Miller Newton 4 Creed 2 Bartram Hughes Matthews Stockdale Wall Watts Whelan Frankston Magner Purves Whelan Best Casey Scorpions Bartram Johnson Taylor Creed Whelan Chivers Frankston Lombardozzi Marigliani Hibberd Magner Purves Winterton In the reserves it was the third placed Dolphins against fourth team Casey and the importance of the contest could not be underestimated. The story of the game was that Frankston used the breeze much better booting 7.6 to 0.2 in the opening term while Casey kicked 3.9 when its turn with the wind came. At three quarter time the difference was 9 goals and Casey simply didn't have the time to make up the deficit. Ruckman Gus Patti, James Blaser and the ever-reliable Ben Waite were the best of the Scorps. HOW THE DEMON FARED Trent Zomer - conditions were not the best for big men and Zomer performed creditably. Booted two goals. Casey Scorpions 02.2 3.11.29 3.11.29 9.15.69 Frankston 7.6.48 7.6.48 12.11.83 13.13.91 Goals Casey Scorpions McLeod MacReadie Zomer 2 Lees Scanlon Waite Frankston Limbach 3 Conroy Keely 2 Barnes Burns Clark Conroy Lean Ongarello Best Casey Scorpions Patti Blaser Waite Snow MacReadie McLeod Frankston Conroy Keely Gill Corp Burns Barnes

THE POWER TO WIN by JVM I heard on the news last night that "football champion Jim Stynes has told his closest friends that doctors have declared his second cancer operation a success". It was great hearing those words read out by veteran television newsreader Peter Hitchener but even the uninformed observer is aware that the club's leader has a long road to travel before he can successfully complete his recovery. And just as we Demon fans have learned to be patient with our football team, we will patiently wait for our Jim's return to full health. The Melbourne community and indeed, the whole football world, is right behind our Jim Stynes – an inspiration for our club. Last week Jim's boys did him proud with an emotion charged win over the West Coast Eagles. However, as coach Dean Bailey made clear, you can't rely on emotion every week and you need to be self-motivated to win every time you go out to play. That's what makes this week's game such a challenge for the Demons who need to find the power to win again. THE GAME Melbourne v Port Adelaide v MCG Sunday 12 July 2009 at 2.10pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 8 wins Port Adelaide 11 wins At MCG Melbourne 6 wins Port Adelaide 1 win Since 2000 Melbourne 5 wins Port Adelaide 9 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Williams 2 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 at 2.45 pm (45 minute delay) Radio Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.80 Port Adelaide to win $1.40 LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 22.15.147 defeated Melbourne 14.6.90 Round 3 2009 at AAMI Stadium Melbourne enhanced its reputation as a poor traveller by serving up yet another innocuous performance at AAMI Stadium when it went down by 57 points to the Power. The Demons were competitive in the first quarter but it was downhill all the way from there and only a fighting final term prevented a total massacre. Aaron Davey, Cameron Bruce and Cale Morton were Melbourne's beat while Brad Green kicked 3 goals. The day belonged to Port Adelaide's Warren Tredrea who showed he was not a spent force as a tall forward with his strong marking and six goals. Daniel Motlop was also prominent converting three majors. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Cale Morton Matthew Warnock James Frawley Half backs Paul Wheatley Jared Rivers James McDonald Centreline Neville Jetta Brock McLean Liam Jungarray Jurrah Half forwards Cameron Bruce Matthew Bate Ricky Petterd Forwards Russell Robertson Brad Green Nathan Jones Followers Mark Jamar Jack Grimes Aaron Davey Interchange Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Stefan Martin Brent Moloney Emergencies Clint Bartram Jamie Bennell Brad Miller In Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Out Jamie Bennell Colin Sylvia (suspended) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Alipate Carlile Toby Thurstans Jacob Surjan Half backs Nathan Krakouer Chad Cornes Peter Burgoyne Centreline Steve Salopek Domenic Cassisi Tom Logan Half forwards Robert Gray Warren Tredrea David Rodan Forwards Brett Ebert Brendon Lade Justin Westhoff Followers Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Danyle Pearce Interchange Josh Carr Jason Davenport Michael Pettigrew Paul Stewart Emergencies Matthew Broadbent Danny Meyer Matthew Westhoff In Chad Cornes Michael Pettigrew Out Troy Chaplin (suspended) Danny Meyer This Sunday's MCG match is between two teams that last week put an end to their own recent horror stretches by winning games they were expected to lose. Before those wins, both Melbourne and Port Adelaide were becoming punching bags fit only for running opposition teams into form, so how does one preview this game between such unreliable combinations? On the face of it, the fact that Port Adelaide is currently in 9th place and only out of the top 8 on percentage, should determine the issue. The opportunity to play off in a finals series and the rewards that this brings should be incentive enough. On the other hand, Melbourne has little to play for but to salvage some pride wounded after a series of under whelming performances. But it's not that simple. Port Adelaide might have beaten the Brisbane Lions last week and it might have thrashed Melbourne earlier in the season, but the Power has of late only been able to produce their best at AAMI Stadium. Their record away from home this year is a miserable 1 win from 7 matches - a record identical to their overall tally against Melbourne on the MCG. It's true that Port Adelaide doesn't perform well at the home of football. Mark Williams' team might have won a premiership on that hallowed turf but it's recent form there has been miserable. Who could ever forget the 2007 grand final and the 119-point touch up delivered to them by the Cats that day? Earlier that year, they beat an undermanned Demons for the first and only time at the G and that was only with more than a grain of luck and a last minute goal from Daniel Motlop. Motlop won't be at the MCG on Sunday and Chad Cornes, who always seems to be in the way of the Demons and victory whenever they meet Port Adelaide, will be playing his first game for several weeks. And while the Power have ruck veterans Dean Brogan and Brendon Lade, Melbourne has another South Australian in Mark Jamar in top form. Last week his strong play in that division turned the game to his team's advantage. The young Demons have the confidence and the momentum and determined to show they're on a roll. These things are enough for me to believe the Demons will really make the football world sit up and take notice on Sunday afternoon to make it two in a row. Melbourne by 15 points

by JVM I heard on the news last night that "football champion Jim Stynes has told his closest friends that doctors have declared his second cancer operation a success". It was great hearing those words read out by veteran television newsreader Peter Hitchener but even the uninformed observer is aware that the club's leader has a long road to travel before he can successfully complete his recovery. And just as we Demon fans have learned to be patient with our football team, we will patiently wait for our Jim's return to full health. The Melbourne community and indeed, the whole football world, is right behind our Jim Stynes – an inspiration for our club. Last week Jim's boys did him proud with an emotion charged win over the West Coast Eagles. However, as coach Dean Bailey made clear, you can't rely on emotion every week and you need to be self-motivated to win every time you go out to play. That's what makes this week's game such a challenge for the Demons who need to find the power to win again. THE GAME Melbourne v Port Adelaide v MCG Sunday 12 July 2009 at 2.10pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 8 wins Port Adelaide 11 wins At MCG Melbourne 6 wins Port Adelaide 1 win Since 2000 Melbourne 5 wins Port Adelaide 9 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Williams 2 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7 at 2.45 pm (45 minute delay) Radio Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.80 Port Adelaide to win $1.40 LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 22.15.147 defeated Melbourne 14.6.90 Round 3 2009 at AAMI Stadium Melbourne enhanced its reputation as a poor traveller by serving up yet another innocuous performance at AAMI Stadium when it went down by 57 points to the Power. The Demons were competitive in the first quarter but it was downhill all the way from there and only a fighting final term prevented a total massacre. Aaron Davey, Cameron Bruce and Cale Morton were Melbourne's beat while Brad Green kicked 3 goals. The day belonged to Port Adelaide's Warren Tredrea who showed he was not a spent force as a tall forward with his strong marking and six goals. Daniel Motlop was also prominent converting three majors. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Cale Morton Matthew Warnock James Frawley Half backs Paul Wheatley Jared Rivers James McDonald Centreline Neville Jetta Brock McLean Liam Jungarray Jurrah Half forwards Cameron Bruce Matthew Bate Ricky Petterd Forwards Russell Robertson Brad Green Nathan Jones Followers Mark Jamar Jack Grimes Aaron Davey Interchange Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Stefan Martin Brent Moloney Emergencies Clint Bartram Jamie Bennell Brad Miller In Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Out Jamie Bennell Colin Sylvia (suspended) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Alipate Carlile Toby Thurstans Jacob Surjan Half backs Nathan Krakouer Chad Cornes Peter Burgoyne Centreline Steve Salopek Domenic Cassisi Tom Logan Half forwards Robert Gray Warren Tredrea David Rodan Forwards Brett Ebert Brendon Lade Justin Westhoff Followers Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Danyle Pearce Interchange Josh Carr Jason Davenport Michael Pettigrew Paul Stewart Emergencies Matthew Broadbent Danny Meyer Matthew Westhoff In Chad Cornes Michael Pettigrew Out Troy Chaplin (suspended) Danny Meyer This Sunday's MCG match is between two teams that last week put an end to their own recent horror stretches by winning games they were expected to lose. Before those wins, both Melbourne and Port Adelaide were becoming punching bags fit only for running opposition teams into form, so how does one preview this game between such unreliable combinations? On the face of it, the fact that Port Adelaide is currently in 9th place and only out of the top 8 on percentage, should determine the issue. The opportunity to play off in a finals series and the rewards that this brings should be incentive enough. On the other hand, Melbourne has little to play for but to salvage some pride wounded after a series of under whelming performances. But it's not that simple. Port Adelaide might have beaten the Brisbane Lions last week and it might have thrashed Melbourne earlier in the season, but the Power has of late only been able to produce their best at AAMI Stadium. Their record away from home this year is a miserable 1 win from 7 matches - a record identical to their overall tally against Melbourne on the MCG. It's true that Port Adelaide doesn't perform well at the home of football. Mark Williams' team might have won a premiership on that hallowed turf but it's recent form there has been miserable. Who could ever forget the 2007 grand final and the 119-point touch up delivered to them by the Cats that day? Earlier that year, they beat an undermanned Demons for the first and only time at the G and that was only with more than a grain of luck and a last minute goal from Daniel Motlop. Motlop won't be at the MCG on Sunday and Chad Cornes, who always seems to be in the way of the Demons and victory whenever they meet Port Adelaide, will be playing his first game for several weeks. And while the Power have ruck veterans Dean Brogan and Brendon Lade, Melbourne has another South Australian in Mark Jamar in top form. Last week his strong play in that division turned the game to his team's advantage. The young Demons have the confidence and the momentum and determined to show they're on a roll. These things are enough for me to believe the Demons will really make the football world sit up and take notice on Sunday afternoon to make it two in a row. Melbourne by 15 points

I went digging in the vault to discover this match preview by The Oracle on the Port Adelaide v Melbourne game at AAMI Stadium played in Round 19, 2003: GOING ON FORM by the Oracle As a person who regards himself as something of an expert in predicting the results of sporting events involving both humankind and certain members of the animal kingdom, I have three rules. 1 Never ignore form, 2 Never ignore the bookies and 3 Never ignore possible unforeseen contingencies. That said, I sat down with my pencil, paper, form guide, computer, crystal ball and a cheese, tomato and lettuce sandwich and took no time in coming up with a startling prediction for this week's Port Adelaide v Melbourne game at AAMI Stadium. Firstly, the form is all on Port Adelaide's side. Mark Williams' team is sitting pretty, well on top of the table (two wins ahead of its nearest rival) and its record over the last five matches has been impeccable. Melbourne, on the other hand, has over the same period shown deteriorating form having been well beaten and embarrassed by two fellow cellar dwellers in the Western Bulldogs and Geelong in its last two outings. Supporters of both of those sides continue to look at me with a fair degree of arrogance when they discover that I not only support the Demons but that I also attend as many of its matches as I am able. Secondly, the bookies. If the Dees get up against Port Adelaide this week, the bookies will pay out a $9.00 dividend. Nine bucks in a contest, which is supposed to be a two horse race. Think about that. If the match was considered to be even they would be offering around $1.85 so that suggests the bookies don't think much of Melbourne's chances. Thirdly, unforeseen contingencies. I'll leave aside the possibility of a nuclear attack as such an eventuality is unlikely to be considered by anybody because it would take weeks or maybe even months for someone to notice such an event if Adelaide was the target. However, after consulting my crystal ball, I was reminded that an influenza virus has viciously struck down a football team from the City of Churches. Unfortunately, the victim of the devastation is not the Power but its sister club - the Crows. My verdict therefore - Port to win by a substantial margin. THE HISTORY Four months ago, Melbourne was first declared to be in crisis after a shocking month that began with a loss at Skilled Stadium against the Cats, continued in Sydney when a four goal lead was quickly converted to a devastating loss with the Swans managing a 10 goal final quarter. Then, the Eagles kick ten in the third quarter to again overwhelm the Demons. A visit from Port Adelaide beckoned and the Dees were without Jeff White (knee). Melbourne officialdom was struck down by a bout of foot in the mouth disease and what happened? Melbourne recorded a much-needed victory over the Power 16.15.111 to 12.12.84 in round 7 at the MCG. Despite the crisis in confidence and the befuddled manner in which the team had been bumbling along, the forward line fired for once on all cylinders, the Demons jumped Port and David Neitz, Russell Robertson and Andrew Leoncelli each kicked three goals in a fine all round team performance. Chell's game was pretty good. Is there any possibility that lightning can strike twice and that Melbourne could cause a second upset in the same season against the ladder leaders? Not according to my form guide, bookie or crystal ball. SELECTED LINE UPS B Whelan Carroll Bizzell F Dew S Burgoyne P Burgoyne HB Brown Ferguson Ward HF Pickett Tredrea C Cornes C Walsh Yze Heffernan C Stevens Carr James HF Green Miller Bruce HB Montgomery Paxman Wanganeen F Jolly Neitz Robertson B Bishop Wakelin Hardwick Foll White Godfrey McDonald Foll Brogan K Cornes Schofield Int Armstrong Rivers Thompson Williams Int Cochrane Cockatoo-Collins Lade Wilson Em Hunter Jamar Lamb Em Cassisi Morgan Poulton INS AND OUTS Melbourne In Ferguson Green Out Hunter (omitted) Nicholson (foot) Port Adelaide In P Burgoyne Montgomery Stevens Wakelin Out Cassisi Guerra Morgan Poulton (all omitted) Record Overall Port Adelaide 4 Melbourne 6 At AAMI Stadium Port Adelaide 4 Melbourne 2 This Decade Port Adelaide 2 Melbourne 3 The Coaches Daniher 4 Williams 3 Having a punt? Port Adelaide $1.06 Melbourne $9.00 The Media TV: Fox Footy Extra, 7.30pm Radio: Nowhere man unless you live in Adelaide. TALKING POINTS Selection You have to hand it to the Melbourne selectors. They are not panicking and it's strictly line and length after five devastating losses. One compulsory change and one other. Ryan Ferguson comes back after a few fine performances with Sandy and Brad Green has done his penance after one good week in the Zebra midfield. I like it when teams are settled. It shows a football brains trust that is in control, knows what is doing and is firmly set on its planned course. I just hope the Qantas pilot taking the team to the game has the same attributes as they might otherwise end up in Alice Springs. On the other hand, the Power have their feet planted firmly on the ground; even to the extent where they have stated that the selected side is about the best it could put on a football field (and that's allowing for an injury to skipper Primus because they have such great ruck strength). Into the side come Peter Burgoyne who is back from suspension and injured trio Brent Montgomery (back), Nick Stevens (knee) and Darryl Wakelin (ankle). Just our luck! Rock Bottom? A couple of weeks ago we finally hit rock bottom but unfortunately, the team has continued digging downwards and, on my calculations is due to reach the centre of the earth in about two week's time. After that, it's all the way up again and the Football Department can start learning to speak Mandarin. The Future At about the time that we hit rock bottom, I previewed the Telstra Dome clash against the Western Bulldogs and said that the game could quite easily determine Melbourne's draft position in November. The same applies now. A victory for the Demons would rule out a priority draft pick. If the Power wanted to be nasty, they could lie down this week and effectively put an end to that possibility. Match Ups White/Jolly v Brogan/Lade The big question is whether there are any match ups that could prevent this game from becoming the one sided affair that everyone is predicting. I looked long and hard and found many potential mismatches before hitting on the one area where Melbourne might possibly have the edge. It's no surprise that I selected the rucks but I did so with a fair amount of trepidation and uncertainty. Melbourne's big men are undoubtedly the enigma of the competition. Last week the Dees managed a staggering 65 hit outs to Geelong's 25. One would think that, with such a level of total domination in the rucks, the game would be set up for a Demon victory of the highest order. Unfortunately, the Demon midfield was incapable of capitalising on the hard work of White and Jolly and the Cats ended up with the advantage in terms of effective clearances from the stoppages. To add insult to injury, the Demon giants produced midget stats in terms of their possession of the football. One solitary kick between them against Chambers and Playfair, tow novice who didn't get much of the ball either but that would have been expected. And at least they got something. Chambers even kicked a couple of goals. Against much more experienced ruckmen in Brogan and Lade, you would have to expect the Demon duo to improve markedly this week if the tide is to be stemmed. Neitz v Paxman and co. Not really a match up unless Neita starts leading and the men further afield actually find him. And when will the others in that Demon forward line start contributing in terms of scores or just keeping the ball inside the scoring area? TIP It could be ugly but have faith folks. Melbourne is the sort of team that will always defy my predictions. Against the Doggies, I suggested that Melbourne would record its biggest win of the year. It lost. This time I'm predicting that the Dees will suffer their biggest defeat of the year. Am I tempting fate? Port Adelaide by 80 points. Port Adelaide did go on to win the game but not by anywhere near 80 points. The final score was Port Adelaide17.10.112 to Melbourne 15.8.98.

Not so long ago - Round 3 of this year and we were walloped! PORT ADELAIDE Backs Michael Pettigrew Alipate Carlile Jacob Surjan Half backs Nathan Krakouer Troy Chaplin Domenic Cassisi Centreline Shaun Burgoyne Chad Cornes Steven Salopek Half forwards Robbie Gray Warren Tredrea Peter Burgoyne Forwards Brendon Lade Daniel Motlop Brett Ebert Followers Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Danyle Pearce Interchange Travis Boak Josh Carr Matt Thomas Wade Thompson Emergencies Tom Logan Toby Thurstans Matthew Westhoff In Dean Brogan Matt Thomas Wade Thompson Out David Rodan (omitted) Toby Thurstans (omitted) Justin Westhoff (foot) New Wade Thompson (North Adelaide) MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs James Frawley Stefan Martin Brock McLean Centreline Jamie Bennell Aaron Davey Clint Bartram Half forwards Matthew Bate Colin Sylvia Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Ricky Petterd Brent Moloney Followers Paul Johnson Cameron Bruce Brad Green Interchange Kyle Cheney Neville Jetta Nathan Jones John Meesen Emergencies Addam Maric Michael Newton Jake Spencer In Lynden Dunn John Meesen Out James McDonald (hamstring) Jake Spencer (omitted) New John Meesen (Norwood)

SCORPIONS IN THE FOUR by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions have stormed into the VFL top four after an emphatic 111 point victory over cellar dwellers, the Bendigo Bombers at Casey Fields last Sunday. Casey was forced to make a number of changes to the line up as a result of injury and went into the game without dynamic skipper Kyle Matthews but the Scorpions were undeterred. They brought in one first gamer in David Collins plus three others for only their second games of the season in Glenn Chivers, Ryan Creed and Ben Waite. In Matthews' absence the team was led by reigning Gairdner-Clark medallist James Wall who performed at his usual consistently high standard in his 50th game at the club. Bendigo was also missing some key players and its fans would have been disappointed when Mark McVeigh failed to line up for the team that was clearly sadly lacking for experienced players at this level, a factor that played a major role in ensuring that the contest would be so one-sided. The game opened in dull light and it was soon obvious that it would not be anywhere near as intense in pressure as last week's encounter at Williamstown even if Michael Newton looked as if he would emulate the inaccuracy in front of goal when his first attempt, from a free kick, missed its target. He soon atoned after a mark at the back of the pack and Brad Miller and Paul Johnson followed suit. With Daniel Bell dominating the packs, the Casey forwards were getting plenty of supply although still not readily converting. Newton continued to present and kicked his second and when time-on started the visitors had not yet troubled the scorers. Two late goals gave them some heart before the siren sounded to halt play for the first break. The second term followed a similar pattern. Ryan McGough goaled early followed by a strong Newton mark for his third goal. Shane Valenti was being well held but he broke the shackles and made a long run bouncing the ball three times to score a great goal. Waite accepted a pass for his first and the procession continued until Bendigo finally converted for the first time in the quarter just before half time to narrow Casey's lead to 40 points. The Scorpions had no intention of letting go their iron grip on the game and Bell continued to step up the pressure with a goal from close in. Newton was standing out with some unselfish play and Creed, who was relishing his return to the senior team, kicked a nice goal. Miller scored after a mark 14 minutes into the half quickly followed by another to Bartram. When Newton booted his fourth, it was 13.14.92 to 3.1.19. Bendigo scored late to make the three quarter time deficit 67 points. With the game well and truly in the bag, coach Peter German mixed things around and made some interesting positional moves which paid off immediately. Alex Silvagni who had defended strongly for most of the game goaled and then Lynden Dunn hit out in an extraordinary few minutes with three quick goals, the first from a strong overhead mark, the last a snap across the body. Interspersed between Dunn's goals was one to Michael Stockdale who pushed forward to accept a beautiful pass from Newton. When Silvagni kicked his second, the lead had stretched to 104 points. Waite kicked his team's last two goals deep into the game, the final one coming after yet another time on goal from the visitors who faced a long trip home after a 111 point shellacking - one point more than the fate that befell their reserves team. Casey hosts Frankston and the ABC1 television crew on Saturday (seniors 1.10 pm and reserves 10.20 am) in the local derby and match of the round. With a log jam of teams fighting it out for the vital fourth spot the Scorpions will need to be at the top of their game to consolidate their hard earned position after a poor start to the season when they were thrashed at Sandringham and then lost narrowly at home to Port Melbourne. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail – played well rebounding off half back and his confidence grew as the game went on. 5 kicks 15 handballs 2 marks Clint Bartram – had a strong game and made a significant contribution. Finished the game strongly and never stopped running. 17 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 8 tackles 1 goal 0 behinds. Daniel Bell - another best on ground performance from Bell whose aggression in close was excellent and his dominance in midfielder the tone for his team's big victory. 14 kicks 18 handballs 6 marks 3 tackles 1 goal 1 behinds. Kyle Cheney – another hard at it performance in defence. 12 kicks 8 handballs 6 marks Lynden Dunn - whether on the ball or up forward, Dunn had a real day out winning the ball at will. Took a couple of strong marks in attack and struck a purple patch in the middle of the last quarter when he booted three goals in five slashing minutes. 17 kicks 7 handballs 9 marks 3 goals 2 behinds. Paul Johnson - solid in the ruck, marked strongly around the ground and pushed forward for a goal. 14 kicks 10 handballs 8 marks 1 goal 0 behinds Jordie McKenzie – started on the bench but, when he came on, he showed out with his excellent work rate at the stoppages. His in and under efforts were very good and his disposal was slick and effective. 9 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 5 tackles Brad Miller – played a fair way out of the goals and, although not as effective as he was in his last appearance at this level, he was on top of his opponents for most of the day. Missed a few shots that should have been goals. 9 kicks 9 handballs 6 marks 1 tackle 2 goals 3 behinds Michael Newton – has worked hard at the areas where he was previously lacking - tackling and exerting forward pressure. Kicked 4.3 and could easily have kicked six. 13 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 7 tackles 4 goals 3 behinds Shane Valenti – was heavily tagged all day but kept plugging away and was always dangerous around packs and kicked a goal. 7 kicks 8 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 1 goal 0 behinds Matthew Whelan – you can't keep a good man down and Wheels was in his element in defence and a major factor in keeping Bendigo down to just seven scoring shots for the game. 5 kicks 13 handballs 1 marks 5 tackles. Peter German's report is here. Casey Scorpions 4.5.29 8.10.58 13.14.92 21.17.143 Bendigo Bombers 2.0.12 3.0.18 4.1.25 5.2.32 Goals Casey Scorpions Newton 4 Dunn Waite 3 Miller Silvagni 2 Bartram Bell Creed Johnson McGough Stockdale Valenti Bendigo Bombers Bellchambers Houli Quinn Weekley Williams Best Casey Scorpions Bell Johnson Silvagni Wall Stockdale Dunn Bendigo Bombers Houli Hurley German Flaherty Quinn Myers The Casey Reserves had a battle on their hands early but blew away the opposition after half time to run out winners by 110 points. Virtue, Lees and McLeod were the best players while Trent Zomer booted five goals and dominated up forward. HOW THE DEMON FARED Trent Zomer - played in ruck and at full forward, marked strongly and should have finished with a bigger bag than his five goals. 17 kicks 4 handballs 12 marks 3 tackles 5 goals 8 behinds Casey Scorpions 6.6.42 10.14.74 15.22.112 26.25.181 Bendigo Bombers 6.0.36 9.2.56 9.4.58 11.5.71 Goals Casey Scorpions Zomer 5 Scanlon 4 MacReadie Smith 3 Blaser Singh Terry Virtue 2 Clay Liddle McLeod Bendigo Bombers Bristow 4 Atkinson Stroobants 2 Delahunty Harrison Mason Best Casey Scorpions Virtue Lees McLeod Scanlon Terry Smith Bendigo Bombers Klemke Atkinson Taylor Bristow Delahunty Stringer

by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions have stormed into the VFL top four after an emphatic 111 point victory over cellar dwellers, the Bendigo Bombers at Casey Fields last Sunday. Casey was forced to make a number of changes to the line up as a result of injury and went into the game without dynamic skipper Kyle Matthews but the Scorpions were undeterred. They brought in one first gamer in David Collins plus three others for only their second games of the season in Glenn Chivers, Ryan Creed and Ben Waite. In Matthews' absence the team was led by reigning Gairdner-Clark medallist James Wall who performed at his usual consistently high standard in his 50th game at the club. Bendigo was also missing some key players and its fans would have been disappointed when Mark McVeigh failed to line up for the team that was clearly sadly lacking for experienced players at this level, a factor that played a major role in ensuring that the contest would be so one-sided. The game opened in dull light and it was soon obvious that it would not be anywhere near as intense in pressure as last week's encounter at Williamstown even if Michael Newton looked as if he would emulate the inaccuracy in front of goal when his first attempt, from a free kick, missed its target. He soon atoned after a mark at the back of the pack and Brad Miller and Paul Johnson followed suit. With Daniel Bell dominating the packs, the Casey forwards were getting plenty of supply although still not readily converting. Newton continued to present and kicked his second and when time-on started the visitors had not yet troubled the scorers. Two late goals gave them some heart before the siren sounded to halt play for the first break. The second term followed a similar pattern. Ryan McGough goaled early followed by a strong Newton mark for his third goal. Shane Valenti was being well held but he broke the shackles and made a long run bouncing the ball three times to score a great goal. Waite accepted a pass for his first and the procession continued until Bendigo finally converted for the first time in the quarter just before half time to narrow Casey's lead to 40 points. The Scorpions had no intention of letting go their iron grip on the game and Bell continued to step up the pressure with a goal from close in. Newton was standing out with some unselfish play and Creed, who was relishing his return to the senior team, kicked a nice goal. Miller scored after a mark 14 minutes into the half quickly followed by another to Bartram. When Newton booted his fourth, it was 13.14.92 to 3.1.19. Bendigo scored late to make the three quarter time deficit 67 points. With the game well and truly in the bag, coach Peter German mixed things around and made some interesting positional moves which paid off immediately. Alex Silvagni who had defended strongly for most of the game goaled and then Lynden Dunn hit out in an extraordinary few minutes with three quick goals, the first from a strong overhead mark, the last a snap across the body. Interspersed between Dunn's goals was one to Michael Stockdale who pushed forward to accept a beautiful pass from Newton. When Silvagni kicked his second, the lead had stretched to 104 points. Waite kicked his team's last two goals deep into the game, the final one coming after yet another time on goal from the visitors who faced a long trip home after a 111 point shellacking - one point more than the fate that befell their reserves team. Casey hosts Frankston and the ABC1 television crew on Saturday (seniors 1.10 pm and reserves 10.20 am) in the local derby and match of the round. With a log jam of teams fighting it out for the vital fourth spot the Scorpions will need to be at the top of their game to consolidate their hard earned position after a poor start to the season when they were thrashed at Sandringham and then lost narrowly at home to Port Melbourne. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail – played well rebounding off half back and his confidence grew as the game went on. 5 kicks 15 handballs 2 marks Clint Bartram – had a strong game and made a significant contribution. Finished the game strongly and never stopped running. 17 kicks 12 handballs 4 marks 8 tackles 1 goal 0 behinds. Daniel Bell - another best on ground performance from Bell whose aggression in close was excellent and his dominance in midfielder the tone for his team's big victory. 14 kicks 18 handballs 6 marks 3 tackles 1 goal 1 behinds. Kyle Cheney – another hard at it performance in defence. 12 kicks 8 handballs 6 marks Lynden Dunn - whether on the ball or up forward, Dunn had a real day out winning the ball at will. Took a couple of strong marks in attack and struck a purple patch in the middle of the last quarter when he booted three goals in five slashing minutes. 17 kicks 7 handballs 9 marks 3 goals 2 behinds. Paul Johnson - solid in the ruck, marked strongly around the ground and pushed forward for a goal. 14 kicks 10 handballs 8 marks 1 goal 0 behinds Jordie McKenzie – started on the bench but, when he came on, he showed out with his excellent work rate at the stoppages. His in and under efforts were very good and his disposal was slick and effective. 9 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 5 tackles Brad Miller – played a fair way out of the goals and, although not as effective as he was in his last appearance at this level, he was on top of his opponents for most of the day. Missed a few shots that should have been goals. 9 kicks 9 handballs 6 marks 1 tackle 2 goals 3 behinds Michael Newton – has worked hard at the areas where he was previously lacking - tackling and exerting forward pressure. Kicked 4.3 and could easily have kicked six. 13 kicks 8 handballs 4 marks 7 tackles 4 goals 3 behinds Shane Valenti – was heavily tagged all day but kept plugging away and was always dangerous around packs and kicked a goal. 7 kicks 8 handballs 1 mark 4 tackles 1 goal 0 behinds Matthew Whelan – you can't keep a good man down and Wheels was in his element in defence and a major factor in keeping Bendigo down to just seven scoring shots for the game. 5 kicks 13 handballs 1 marks 5 tackles. Peter German's report is here. Casey Scorpions 4.5.29 8.10.58 13.14.92 21.17.143 Bendigo Bombers 2.0.12 3.0.18 4.1.25 5.2.32 Goals Casey Scorpions Newton 4 Dunn Waite 3 Miller Silvagni 2 Bartram Bell Creed Johnson McGough Stockdale Valenti Bendigo Bombers Bellchambers Houli Quinn Weekley Williams Best Casey Scorpions Bell Johnson Silvagni Wall Stockdale Dunn Bendigo Bombers Houli Hurley German Flaherty Quinn Myers The Casey Reserves had a battle on their hands early but blew away the opposition after half time to run out winners by 110 points. Virtue, Lees and McLeod were the best players while Trent Zomer booted five goals and dominated up forward. HOW THE DEMON FARED Trent Zomer - played in ruck and at full forward, marked strongly and should have finished with a bigger bag than his five goals. 17 kicks 4 handballs 12 marks 3 tackles 5 goals 8 behinds Casey Scorpions 6.6.42 10.14.74 15.22.112 26.25.181 Bendigo Bombers 6.0.36 9.2.56 9.4.58 11.5.71 Goals Casey Scorpions Zomer 5 Scanlon 4 MacReadie Smith 3 Blaser Singh Terry Virtue 2 Clay Liddle McLeod Bendigo Bombers Bristow 4 Atkinson Stroobants 2 Delahunty Harrison Mason Best Casey Scorpions Virtue Lees McLeod Scanlon Terry Smith Bendigo Bombers Klemke Atkinson Taylor Bristow Delahunty Stringer

Agree with that. With a crowd of just in excess of 23k we've barely managed to avoid having to write out a cheque to the MCC. In all the circumstances of the day it was a poor crowd and shame on all those who stayed at home. In a few years' time when we're a power in the competition once again, how shameful will it be for some of these folk to jump on the bandwagon!

Our own Whispering Jack has kept his eyes on the draft prospects at the Under 18 national Championships and discusses the players and some of the issues arising from them: SCULLY'S ON FIRST by Whispering Jack The future of AFL football has held the stage for several weeks over the course of the national Under 18 championships. Last Wednesday the competition came to an anti-climactic end with Western Australia taking the honours in Division One and New South Wales in Division Two. At week's end, the focus turned to the Under 16's which opened in Sydney amid a barrage of publicity on the topic of the introduction in 2012 of the AFL's 18th club to be centred on West Sydney. That club will apparently receive a similar recruiting package to that given to the Gold Coast team which comes into the competition in 2011. These packages are expected to dominate recruiting over the next few years and seem destined to cause much grief to any AFL club that finds itself bottoming out and in need of replenishment of players during this period. I have already commented that the football public still does not understand the far-reaching and comprehensive nature of the concessions given to the new clubs. Apart from salary cap benefits and the ability to take one uncontracted player from each club, the rules will give them two grabs at the best 17 year olds in the country. Firstly, at the end of this year, Gold Coast has the unfettered right to recruit twelve 17 year olds born between 1 January and 30 April and secondly, the lion's share of current 17 year olds left in the pool will be available to them with a large number of first round picks in the 2010 national draft. The following year will see West Sydney taking the current best 16 year olds out of the equation. The old clubs will be able to trade into early selections with the new clubs but, to do that, they will need to give away players of value making it a virtual monopoly for the new and a zero sum game for the old. The under 18 championships merely underlined the potential of the crop of 17 year olds who seem destined for the Gold Coast but more of that later. The bulk of my observations come from the final day's matches. All four were shown on Foxtel and I managed to see the two Division One games. I though their standard was well below last year's finale involving Victoria Metro and Western Australia but there is still a lot of talent out there. The first two players drafted in 2008 were talls - Jack Watts and Nick Naitanui who went to Melbourne and West Coast respectively. This year, there does not appear to be a tall player on the horizon who showed out enough at the championships to warrant a place among my top five selections. The stand out players are all medium sized on ballers, midfielders and flankers led by brilliant left footer Victoria Metro skipper Tom Scully who achieved the rare feat of All Australian honours in consecutive seasons. His professionalism and dedication to hard work sets him apart from the rest of the field. Lock him in for number one pick at season's end. South Australia's captain Jack Trengove, also a midfielder who has great work ethic, is more inside, has a great engine and delivers the football with precision. He is set to fight out second position with two Western Australian veterans of last year's championships in Anthony Morabito and Kane Lucas. Morabito is tallish at 190cm, dynamic and has good pace which he uses to great effect breaking the lines to set up scoring opportunities. Lucas has poise, runs hard and wins lots of contested possessions. Rounding off my top 5 is Vic Country utility/forward Gary Rohan who emerged this year through the Geelong Falcons after playing at full back with Cobden last year. He has blistering pace and carries with him the X factor. He works hard when he doesn't have the ball, is a strong mark and can take a speccie and seems to always bob up at the right place. Among the others who challenge the above five are WA's Mitchell Duncan and Vic Country pair Ben Cunnington and Dustin Martin. Missing from my top 5 is Country's John Butcher who simply didn't step up to the plate in these championships despite the expectations placed on the 197cm key forward. He also failed to make All Australian but this still doesn't rule him out of contention as a high selection at the national draft -he'll need to finish off the 2009 season well with the Gippsland Power and impress at the draft camp to get himself back in the good books. The championships didn't produce much in the way of outstanding tall draftable talent. The ruckmen were all underwhelming and the most impressive key position prospects were too young. The best of the rest among the keys however, were Matthew Panos (SA) and Vic Metro pair Daniel Talia and Jake Carlisle. Of course, I left out the 17 year olds like David Swallow, who tied for the Larke Medal for best player in Division One and Jack Darling, Brandon Matera, Blayne Wilson (WA) and Josh Toy (VM) because, one way or another, these players all seem to be headed for the sunny climes of Queensland's Gold Coast along with a number of others – either by invitation later this year or through one of GC17's many early draft picks next year. That Gold Coast team will be tremendous in four or five year's time! It's difficult to estimate precisely the effect of the rules concerning the introduction of the new clubs but, based on what was on show at the Under 18's it would not be unreasonable to assess that the strength of this year's draft pool at about three quarters the normal strength while next year the figure could fall even further down to one third or a quarter. Whatever the case, the cupboard is going to be decidedly bare for clubs that bottom out in the years immediately after this season. At this time, it's by no means cut and dried that Melbourne will gain a priority selection in the 2009 national draft. It's draw for the remainder of the season is not as unkind as that of the first half and it's not inconceivable that the Demons will win three games to get themselves off the bottom. If they fail to do so however, the priority pick will prove an excellent consolation with Scully and Trengove the early favourites five months out. Recruiting has undergone vast changes over the years, many of them for the better. Players are now better equipped to be placed under the microscope than in the good old days when your young country bumpkin star of the future walked onto the set of World of Sport and stammered their way incomprehensibly through an interview with Ron, Jack or Lou. They are trained for the part these days and I was mightily impressed when I heard some of the prospects interviewed on radio this week. And they need to be trained well because the media can be cruel as we saw recently with Jack Watts whose early games have shown promise but have not been outstanding (not that you should expect that from an 18 year old 196cm schoolboy on limited training). He did enough in his games to suggest he is going to be an excellent footballer when he matures both physically and emotionally but that didn't stop the frenzy from commentators fresh from devouring Terry Wallace and Dean Laidley and looking for a new target. Last week they were full of praise for Nick Naitanui who will also be a sensation in this game. However, his game at the MCG yesterday was underwhelming. These things happen. Hopefully, he will not become the next target and the young hopefuls from the current crop can avoid this unpleasant aspect of sensationalist journalistic beat ups that has become prevalent in recent years. This time last year, Watts and Naitanui along with Daniel Rich led the field of draft prospects among the young All Australians. The 2009 NAB AFL Under 18 All-Australian team to be officially announced on Channel 9's TAC Cup: Future Stars programme is - 2009 NAB AFL UNDER 18 ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM: Backs Andrew Hooper (VC) Blayne Wilson (WA) Bradley Sheppard (WA) Half backs Josh Toy (VM) Daniel Talia (VM) David Swallow (WA) Centreline Anthony Morabito (WA) Dustin Martin (VC) Mitchell Duncan (WA) Half forwards Kane Lucas (WA) Jack Darling (WA) Gary Rohan (VC) Forwards Brandon Matera (WA) Matthew Panos (SA) Ben Cunnington (VC) Followers James Craig (SA) Jack Trengove (SA) Tom Scully (VM) Interchange Travis Colyer (WA) Ryan Harwood (TAS) Dylan McNeil (NSW/ACT) Luke Tapscott (SA) Coach Andrew Lockyer (WA) Assistant Coach Brenton Phillips (SA) The 2009 NAB AFL Under-18 All-Australian results round by round ROUND 1 Queensland 4.5 7.6 10.6 10.9 (69) NSW/ACT 3.1 7.5 13.6 14.10 (94) Goals Queensland Fowler 3 Hutchinson 2 Manzone 2 Dixon Jamieson Thomson NSW/ACT Emery 3 Sargeant 3 McNeil 2 Sergrave 2 Camilleri Duncan Johns Miles Best Queensland Harley Hutchinson Spring Thomas Thompson Jamieson NSW/ACT Williams McNeill Sargeant Tutt Lawton Johns Tasmania 4.5 8.6 11.11 14.13 (97) Northern Territory 4.3 6.7 9.11 15.16 (106) Goals Tasmania Archer 3 Boon 2 Crichton 2 Milne 2 Russell 2 Mott Ponsonby Symmons Northern Territory May 3 T. Taylor 3 Ahmat-Watkins 2 Ah Chee Cox Jones Lawler Smith Staunton Wilson Best Tasmania Russell Crichton Harwood Archer Milne Boon Northern Territory Ah Chee M. Taylor May S. Taylor Johnson Liddle Western Australia 5.1 8.2 14.6 19.12 (126) South Australia 1.2 5.6 7.6 12.7 (79) Goals WA Matera 4 Darling 4 Duncan 2 Houghton 2 Lucas 2 Morabito 2 Collica Foster Garlett SA Panos 3 Giddings 2 Lycett 2 Tapscott 2 Carey Silverlock Sumner Best WA Swallow Matera Morabito Darling Lucas Collica SA Trengove Carey Jolly Panos Wanganeen Vic Country 6.0 10.3 12.3 14.6 (90) Vic Metro 3.0 6.2 9.3 11.8 (74) Goals Vic Country Butcher 3 Cunnington 3 Keath 2 Lehman 2 Christensen Martin Page Priest Vic Metro Carlisle 2 Fitzpatrick 2 Hoegel 2 Moore 2 Hicks McKenzie Scott Best Vic Country Hooper Martin Ko. Stevens Cunnington Christensen Butcher Vardy Vic Metro Scully Toy Gaff Shaw Hoegel Melksham LADDER AFTER ROUND 1 West Aust 1-0 159.5% NSW/ACT 1-0 136.2% Vic Country 1-0 121.6% Nth Terri 1-0 109.3% Tasmania 0-1 91.5% Vic Metro 0-1 82.2% Queensland 0-1 73.4% South Aust 0-1 62.4% ROUND 2 Northern Territory 1.2 4.6 4.7 6.9 (45) Western Australia 1.4 5.7 8.11 16.12 (108) Goals Northern Territory Gordon 2 Staunton Wilson Cox Taylor Western Australia Houghton 4 Duncan 3 Fyfe 3 Colyer Matera Swallow Collica Hutchings Winmar Best NT Wray Staunton Taylor Jones Liddle Lawler WA Duncan Hutchings Swallow Luff Cripps NSW/ACT 2.0 5.0 5.1 8.1 (49) Vic Metro 6.8 12.10 18.13 24.16 (160) Goals NSW/ACT Miles 3 Emery Sargeant Segrave Tutt Williams Vic Metro Griffiths 5 Gaff 3 Gysberts 3 Hicks 3 Moore 3 Hoegel 2 Ezard Hartigan Jacobs Scott Scully Best NSW/ACT Williams Tutt Johnson Miles Vic Metro Hoegel Toy Purcell Gaff Jacobs MacMillan Griffiths Gysberts Fitzpatrick Queensland 1.1 4.2 7.3 8.5 (53) South Australia 4.3 5.5 8.7 12.12 (84) Goals Queensland Fowler 2 Bevan Dixon Lock Magin Manzone Rees South Australia Scott-Collings 2 Silverlock 2 Trengove 2 Craig Giddings Hannath Milera Panos Solly Best Queensland Thomas Ramage Magin Lock Grayson Thomson Smith South Australia Carey Keller Potts Evans Trengove Panos Menzel Tapscott Jolly Tasmania 3.3 6.4 9.9 10.11 (71) Vic Country 1.3 4.6 7.7 12.13 (85) Goals Tasmania Russell 3 Mott Green Howe Groenewegen Taylor Archer Hardy Vic Country Astbury Rohan Butcher 2 Priest McMillan-Pittard Lehman Mangan Martin Vardy Best Tasmania Russell Harwood Milne Green Rundle Hardy Davies Vic Country Ko. Stevens Hooper Butcher Bastinac Martin Astbury LADDER AFTER ROUND 2 West Aust 2-0 188.71% Vic Country 2-0 120.69% Vic Metro 1-1 168.35% South Aust 1-1 91.06% Nth Terri 1-1 73.66% NSW/ACT 1-1 62.45% Tasmania 0-2 87.96% Queensland 0-2 68.54% ROUND 3 Western Australia 5.2 8.3 14.5 21.6 (132) Vic Metro 3.1 6.4 7.5 10.9 (69) Goals Western Australia Matera 4 Fyfe 4 Collica 3 Darling 2 Lucas 2 Luff Neates Winmar Houghton Duncan Weedon Vic Metro Hicks 4 Gysberts 2 Hoegel 2 Carlisle Scully Best Western Australia Wilson Morabito Swallow Winmar Darling Donaldson Vic Metro Scully Toy Talia Gaff Hicks South Australia 4.1 11.1 12.5 16.9 (105) Vic Country 1.4 3.6 4.9 7.12 (54) Goals South Australia Panos 4 Trengove Silverlock 3 Carey Solly 2 Wilson Tapscott Vic Country Hooper 3 Cunnington Astbury Cowan Mackenzie Best South Australia Trengove Wanganeen Jolly Silverlock Panos Carey Potts Menzel Vic Country Cunnington Astbury Hooper Rohan Peters NSW/ACT Rams 2.3 6.6 10.7 12.10 (82) Northern Territory Thunder 4.2 7.2 8.5 11.8 (74) Goals NSW/ACT Emery 4 Sargeant 2 McNeil 2 Bottin-Noonan Stevens Tutt Johnson Northern Territory Taylor 3 Hale 2 Reid 2 Ah Chee 2 May Kelly Best NSW/ACT Johnson Williams Langford Young McNeil Sargeant Northern Territory Ah Chee Taylor McAdam Wray Reid Tasmania 6.7 8.10 14.12 16.14 (110) Queensland 0.0 4.0 4.1 7.6 (48) Goals Tasmania Harwood 3 Mott 2 Russell 2 Green 2 Howe 2 Archer 2 Rundle Balcombe Milne Queensland Daye 2 Stanlake Moss McIvor Moore Hutchinson Best Tasmania Harwood Milne Davies Crichton Green Archer Queensland Rees Steven McIvor Jamieson Milani LADDER AFTER ROUND 3 West Aust 3-0 189.64% South Aust 2-1 115.02% Vic Country 2-1 91.60% NSW/ACT 2-1 74.26% Tasmania 1-2 116.32% Vic Metro 1-2 111.81% Nth Terri 1-2 78.40% Queensland 0-3 59.03% ROUND 4 NSW/ACT 2.5 4.7 5.8 5.9 (39) South Australia 3.0 5.3 9.9 18.11 (119) Goals NSW/ACT Stubbs 2 Johnston McNeil Sargeant SA Panos 5 Silverlock 3 Tapscott 3 Craig Giddings Goldsworthy Jolly Lycett Scott-Collings Wilson Best NSW/ACT Tutt Duncan McNeil Stubbs SA Tapscott Trengove Panos Jolly Silverlock Goldsworthy Carey Craig Vic Country 2.0 4.5 8.7 13.10 (88) Northern Territory 2.2 4.4 5.5 5.6 (36) Goals Vic Country Astbury 2 Hooper 2 Butcher 2 Christensen 2 McMillan-Pittard Rohan Martin Cunningham Garbowski Northern Territory May Staunton T. Taylor Reid Ah Chee Best Vic Country Christensen Hooper Butcher Cunningham Astbury Bastinac Northern Territory Gordon S. Taylor Heenan McAdam Ah Chee Baxter Vic Metro 2.4 4.5 6.6 8.7 (55) Queensland 1.1 3.3 4.4 7.7 (49) Goals Vic Metro Moore Hicks Toy Kennedy Jones Hoegel Purcell Ezard Queensland Fowler 2 Thompson 2 McIvor Thomas Daye Best Vic Metro Scully Toy Hoegel Melksham Talia Jacobs Queensland Lock Daye Harley Grayson Fowler Smith Tasmania 1.2 1.2 2.2 3.2 (20) Western Australia 5.3 11.6 16.8 23.10 (148) Goals Tasmania Howe Archer Green Western Australia Darling 5 Matera 5 Hayward 2 Lucas 2 Cripps Duncan Swallow Elari Mason Fyfe Neates Houghton Winmar Best Tasmania Crichton Green Harwood Milne Gelston Barrett Western Australia Matera Lucas Darling Duncan Swallow Sheppard LADDER AFTER ROUND 4 West Aust 4-0 241.31% South Aust 3-1 142.28% Vic Country 3-1 110.84% Vic Metro 2-2 110.84% NSW/ACT 2-2 62.56% Tasmania 1-3 77.00% North Terri 1-3 69.60% Queensland 0-4 63.85% ROUND 5 Tasmania 0.4 0.5 3.9 6.11 (47) NSW/ACT 3.1 6.1 10.5 13.6 (84) Goals Tasmania Archer Boon Green Groenewegen Mott Rundle NSW/ACT McNeil 4 Emery 2 Stubbs 2 Duncan Hancock Langford Sargeant Tutt Best Tasmania Green Davies Milne Rundle Crichton Mott NSW/ACT McNeil Young Stubbs Kirkwood Tutt Lawton Williams Queensland 2.4 4.6 7.9 8.11 (59) Northern Territory 3.2 6.3 8.5 9.6 (60) Goals Queensland Pirika 3 Hutchinson 2 Fowler Magin Milani Northern Territory May 3 S. Taylor Ah Chee McAdam Staunton Heenan Lawler Best Queensland Fowler Manzone Pirika Lock Magin Holland Northern Territory Ah Chee S. Taylor Gordon May McAdam Baxter Vic Country 3.3 6.4 7.5 9.8 (62) Western Australia 1.4 6.5 11.13 16.14 (110) Goals Vic Country Butcher 2 Martin Cunnington Ko. Stevens Bastinac Rohan Peters Vardy Western Australia Darling 3 Colyer 2 Morabito 2 Neates 2 Matera 2 Duncan Hutchings Cripps Winmar Fyfe Best Vic Country Martin Cunnington Rohan Ko. Stevens Bastinac Western Australia Colyer Swallow Lucas Morabito Darling Vic Metro 3.2 3.3 5.7 9.7 (61) South Australia 0.5 5.9 8.11 10.13 (73) Goals Vic Metro Carlisle 4 Fitzpatrick Gaff Hoegel Moore Scully South Australia Tapscott 3 Jolly 2 Silverlock 2 Evans Panos Pitt Best Vic Metro Scully Jacobs Talia Carlisle Gaff Toy South Australia Jolly Carey Tapscott Sumner Trengove Potts Silverlock FINAL LADDER WEST AUST 5-0 226.91% South Aust 4-1 138.14% Vic Country 3-2 95.71% NSW/ACT 3-2 74.20% Vic Metro 2-3 106.62% North Terri 2-3 73.96% Tasmania 1-4 73.25% Queensland 0-5 68.98% Division One Champions Western Australia (4th Division One title 2nd in last 3 years) Division Two Champions NSW/ACT (6th Division 2 title 2nd in last 3 years) Larke Medallists (Best in Division One) David Swallow (WA) and Andrew Hooper (Vic Country) Harrison Medallist (Best in Division Two) Dylan McNeil (NSW/ACT)

by Whispering Jack Before the Melbourne team ran out onto the MCG for yesterday's game against West Coast the players honoured their club chairman and legendary icon of the game Jim Stynes with a special and symbolic gesture. With Stynes in hospital recovering from surgery as he begins his fight against cancer, the playing group gathered together in the change rooms and stood arm-in-arm in a circle around the No.37 guernsey Stynes first wore as a Melbourne player. Stynes wore that jumper in the 1987 Preliminary Final when he famously ran across Gary Buckenara's mark and cost his team a chance to play in a grand final after 24 barren seasons for the club. But he persevered and overcame the disappointment of letting down his team and the long suffering Demon fraternity to forge a brilliant career in which he won a Brownlow Medal, four club best and fairest awards, made several finals appearances and an achieved an incredible AFL record of 244 consecutive games. It was the same guernsey Stynes held up at his emotional media conference on Thursday when he revealed he was battling cancer and would stand down for the time being as Melbourne chairman. The players had a promise to keep to their club leader and although their battle that was to follow paled in imortance when compared to that which Jim Stynes has begun to fight, it was a promise of immense moment. The challenge had been laid down by their leader to show the courage he showed during his illustrious career and they went out with a steely determination to win. The team achieved that and more. The Demons recorded their highest score for the season with their 17.10.112 to 13.14.92 victory over the Eagles surpassing their previous season high by three quarter time. Their determination to win was exemplified by their aggression and hardness at the football and a tackle count that far exceeded their season's average by half time. They were hard at it from before the opening bounce, had two players reported by quarter time, Aaron Davey (for striking) and Ricky Petterd (for abusive language to an umpire). Thankfully, supporters who abuse the umpire do not have to face a match review panel or tribunal because AFL headquarters would be crowded with defendants this week (with yours truly on about six counts!). Although the exhibition of over exuberance was costly, the Eagles, fresh from their exciting victory over the reigning premiers, were intimidated and they wilted under the fierce pressure. Early in the game, Melbourne continued the now familiar trait of turning over the football, fumbling and poor decision-making but the kicking for goal was exemplary. The Demons held a seven-point lead at quarter time despite having three less scoring shots but the Eagles kicked the first two goals of the second term to take a lead of six points. Melbourne then gathered its composure and what followed was, without doubt, the club's most productive period for the season to date. It was fitting that the inspiration for a game marking the club chairman's fight for life was a ruckman in the form of Mark Jamar. His season has been plagued by injury and many believed that his career was in jeopardy but he has announced his "arrival" as an AFL ruckman this year, and in this game in particular, after a long journey as understudy to Jeff White, who in turn, took over the club's number one ruck mantle from Stynes when he retired over a decade ago. Jamar produced a career-best performance in the ruck against West Coast youngster Nick Naitanui and Quentin Lynch and gave the on ball brigade headed by Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Nathan Jones and returning skipper James McDonald the vital first use of the football at the clearances. The Demons were well served by the experienced Cameron Bruce and Brad Green while Colin Sylvia stood out with his strong marking and long kicking. But the star of the day was a youngster who had not previously had the experience of playing in a winning team at this level. Teenager Jack Grimes finished with 29 disposals and took 16 strong marks for the day in a true rising star performance. He had a purple patch at the start of the final term when he repelled the West Coast comeback with all the aplomb of a veteran. Fellow defenders James Frawley, Matthew Warnock and Jared Rivers were solid and the latter showed some signs of returning to his pre injury form of old. Jamie Bennell continues to show promise of future brilliance as a running defender. Russell Robertson played his best game since returning from his Achilles tendon injury and kicked four goals off his golden boots. Matthew Bate, Green, Ricky Petterd and Liam Jurrah were all lively chipping in with a couple of goals each to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The Demons won the first three quartes of the game and despite a brief scoring flurry by West Coast early in the final quarter, they were never going to lose this one although nobody should be under any illusions about the need for the team to continue to work on its improvement. The Eagles were, after all, missing their two main stars in Cox and Kerr and played one short after Jones was injured early in the game. As the final siren sounded, the bulk of the 23,149 fans at the ground applauded their heroes off the ground with McDonald and Davey holding aloft the 37 jumper in homage to their club's leader to cap off an emotional week for the Melbourne Football Club. The coach and the players had kept their promise. Melbourne 6.1.37 11.2.68 16.6.102 17.10.112 West Coast 4.6.30 7.8.50 11.12.78 13.14 92 Goals Melbourne Robertson 4 Bate Green Jurrah Petterd 2 Davey Jamar Jones Martin Sylvia West Coast Kennedy 4 Le Cras 3 A Selwood 2 Butler Masten Spangher Wirrpanda Best Melbourne Grimes Jamar Bruce McLean Green Moloney Sylvia West Coast Masten Lynch Kennedy Fletcher Stenglein Rosa Injuries Melbourne Nil West Coast Jones (hamstring) Reports Aaron Davey (Melbourne) reported by field umpire Donlon for striking Chris Masten (West Coast) in the first quarter Ricky Petterd (Melbourne) by field umpire M Nicholls for alleged abusive language in the first quarter. Changes Melbourne Nil West Coast Eric Mackenzie replaced by Adam Cockie Umpires Donlon M Nicholls Mollison Crowd 23,149 at the MCG

A PROMISE TO KEEP by Whispering Jack Before the Melbourne team ran out onto the MCG for yesterday's game against West Coast the players honoured their club chairman and legendary icon of the game Jim Stynes with a special and symbolic gesture. With Stynes in hospital recovering from surgery as he begins his fight against cancer, the playing group gathered together in the change rooms and stood arm-in-arm in a circle around the No.37 guernsey Stynes first wore as a Melbourne player. Stynes wore that jumper in the 1987 Preliminary Final when he famously ran across Gary Buckenara's mark and cost his team a chance to play in a grand final after 24 barren seasons for the club. But he persevered and overcame the disappointment of letting down his team and the long suffering Demon fraternity to forge a brilliant career in which he won a Brownlow Medal, four club best and fairest awards, made several finals appearances and an achieved an incredible AFL record of 244 consecutive games. It was the same guernsey Stynes held up at his emotional media conference on Thursday when he revealed he was battling cancer and would stand down for the time being as Melbourne chairman. The players had a promise to keep to their club leader and although their battle that was to follow paled in imortance when compared to that which Jim Stynes has begun to fight, it was a promise of immense moment. The challenge had been laid down by their leader to show the courage he showed during his illustrious career and they went out with a steely determination to win. The team achieved that and more. The Demons recorded their highest score for the season with their 17.10.112 to 13.14.92 victory over the Eagles surpassing their previous season high by three quarter time. Their determination to win was exemplified by their aggression and hardness at the football and a tackle count that far exceeded their season's average by half time. They were hard at it from before the opening bounce, had two players reported by quarter time, Aaron Davey (for striking) and Ricky Petterd (for abusive language to an umpire). Thankfully, supporters who abuse the umpire do not have to face a match review panel or tribunal because AFL headquarters would be crowded with defendants this week (with yours truly on about six counts!). Although the exhibition of over exuberance was costly, the Eagles, fresh from their exciting victory over the reigning premiers, were intimidated and they wilted under the fierce pressure. Early in the game, Melbourne continued the now familiar trait of turning over the football, fumbling and poor decision-making but the kicking for goal was exemplary. The Demons held a seven-point lead at quarter time despite having three less scoring shots but the Eagles kicked the first two goals of the second term to take a lead of six points. Melbourne then gathered its composure and what followed was, without doubt, the club's most productive period for the season to date. It was fitting that the inspiration for a game marking the club chairman's fight for life was a ruckman in the form of Mark Jamar. His season has been plagued by injury and many believed that his career was in jeopardy but he has announced his "arrival" as an AFL ruckman this year, and in this game in particular, after a long journey as understudy to Jeff White, who in turn, took over the club's number one ruck mantle from Stynes when he retired over a decade ago. Jamar produced a career-best performance in the ruck against West Coast youngster Nick Naitanui and Quentin Lynch and gave the on ball brigade headed by Brock McLean, Brent Moloney, Nathan Jones and returning skipper James McDonald the vital first use of the football at the clearances. The Demons were well served by the experienced Cameron Bruce and Brad Green while Colin Sylvia stood out with his strong marking and long kicking. But the star of the day was a youngster who had not previously had the experience of playing in a winning team at this level. Teenager Jack Grimes finished with 29 disposals and took 16 strong marks for the day in a true rising star performance. He had a purple patch at the start of the final term when he repelled the West Coast comeback with all the aplomb of a veteran. Fellow defenders James Frawley, Matthew Warnock and Jared Rivers were solid and the latter showed some signs of returning to his pre injury form of old. Jamie Bennell continues to show promise of future brilliance as a running defender. Russell Robertson played his best game since returning from his Achilles tendon injury and kicked four goals off his golden boots. Matthew Bate, Green, Ricky Petterd and Liam Jurrah were all lively chipping in with a couple of goals each to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The Demons won the first three quartes of the game and despite a brief scoring flurry by West Coast early in the final quarter, they were never going to lose this one although nobody should be under any illusions about the need for the team to continue to work on its improvement. The Eagles were, after all, missing their two main stars in Cox and Kerr and played one short after Jones was injured early in the game. As the final siren sounded, the bulk of the 23,149 fans at the ground applauded their heroes off the ground with McDonald and Davey holding aloft the 37 jumper in homage to their club's leader to cap off an emotional week for the Melbourne Football Club. The coach and the players had kept their promise. Melbourne 6.1.37 11.2.68 16.6.102 17.10.112 West Coast 4.6.30 7.8.50 11.12.78 13.14 92 Goals Melbourne Robertson 4 Bate Green Jurrah Petterd 2 Davey Jamar Jones Martin Sylvia West Coast Kennedy 4 Le Cras 3 A Selwood 2 Butler Masten Spangher Wirrpanda Best Melbourne Grimes Jamar Bruce McLean Green Moloney Sylvia West Coast Masten Lynch Kennedy Fletcher Stenglein Rosa Injuries Melbourne Nil West Coast Jones (hamstring) Reports Aaron Davey (Melbourne) reported by field umpire Donlon for striking Chris Masten (West Coast) in the first quarter Ricky Petterd (Melbourne) by field umpire M Nicholls for alleged abusive language in the first quarter. Changes Melbourne Nil West Coast Eric Mackenzie replaced by Adam Cockie Umpires Donlon M Nicholls Mollison Crowd 23,149 at the MCG

Aaron Davey failed to score and could be in some trouble for next week due to that report but he still holds a big lead ... 95.262 Aaron Davey 61.370 Brent Moloney 53.702 Brock McLean 42.055 Colin Sylvia 40.932 Cale Morton 37.845 Nathan Jones 36.284 Cameron Bruce 35.694 James Frawley 34.315 Jack Grimes 31.493 Brad Green 25.803 Mark Jamar 22.965 Matthew Warnock 19.408 Brad Miller 17.695 Jared Rivers 12.420 Paul Johnson 11.805 Ricky Petterd 10.711 Stefan Martin 10.053 Kyle Cheney 9.952 Addam Maric 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.794 Matthew Bate 6.126 Russell Robertson 4.374 Clint Bartram 3.333 James McDonald 3.077 Neville Jetta 0.667 Lynden Dunn 0.634 Liam Jurrah 0.613 John Meesen

Cast your votes folks ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ....

Our own Whispering Jack has kept his eyes on the draft prospects at the Under 18 national Championships and discusses the players and some of the issues arising from them: SCULLY'S ON FIRST by Whispering Jack The future of AFL football has held the stage for several weeks over the course of the national Under 18 championships. Last Wednesday the competition came to an anti-climactic end with Western Australia taking the honours in Division One and New South Wales in Division Two. At week's end, the focus turned to the Under 16's which opened in Sydney amid a barrage of publicity on the topic of the introduction in 2012 of the AFL's 18th club to be centred on West Sydney. That club will apparently receive a similar recruiting package to that given to the Gold Coast team which comes into the competition in 2011. These packages are expected to dominate recruiting over the next few years and seem destined to cause much grief to any AFL club that finds itself bottoming out and in need of replenishment of players during this period. I have already commented that the football public still does not understand the far-reaching and comprehensive nature of the concessions given to the new clubs. Apart from salary cap benefits and the ability to take one uncontracted player from each club, the rules will give them two grabs at the best 17 year olds in the country. Firstly, at the end of this year, Gold Coast has the unfettered right to recruit twelve 17 year olds born between 1 January and 30 April and secondly, the lion's share of current 17 year olds left in the pool will be available to them with a large number of first round picks in the 2010 national draft. The following year will see West Sydney taking the current best 16 year olds out of the equation. The old clubs will be able to trade into early selections with the new clubs but, to do that, they will need to give away players of value making it a virtual monopoly for the new and a zero sum game for the old. The under 18 championships merely underlined the potential of the crop of 17 year olds who seem destined for the Gold Coast but more of that later. The bulk of my observations come from the final day's matches. All four were shown on Foxtel and I managed to see the two Division One games. I though their standard was well below last year's finale involving Victoria Metro and Western Australia but there is still a lot of talent out there. The first two players drafted in 2008 were talls - Jack Watts and Nick Naitanui who went to Melbourne and West Coast respectively. This year, there does not appear to be a tall player on the horizon who showed out enough at the championships to warrant a place among my top five selections. The stand out players are all medium sized on ballers, midfielders and flankers led by brilliant left footer Victoria Metro skipper Tom Scully who achieved the rare feat of All Australian honours in consecutive seasons. His professionalism and dedication to hard work sets him apart from the rest of the field. Lock him in for number one pick at season's end. South Australia's captain Jack Trengove, also a midfielder who has great work ethic, is more inside, has a great engine and delivers the football with precision. He is set to fight out second position with two Western Australian veterans of last year's championships in Anthony Morabito and Kane Lucas. Morabito is tallish at 190cm, dynamic and has good pace which he uses to great effect breaking the lines to set up scoring opportunities. Lucas has poise, runs hard and wins lots of contested possessions. Rounding off my top 5 is Vic Country utility/forward Gary Rohan who emerged this year through the Geelong Falcons after playing at full back with Cobden last year. He has blistering pace and carries with him the X factor. He works hard when he doesn't have the ball, is a strong mark and can take a speccie and seems to always bob up at the right place. Among the others who challenge the above five are WA's Mitchell Duncan and Vic Country pair Ben Cunnington and Dustin Martin. Missing from my top 5 is Country's John Butcher who simply didn't step up to the plate in these championships despite the expectations placed on the 197cm key forward. He also failed to make All Australian but this still doesn't rule him out of contention as a high selection at the national draft -he'll need to finish off the 2009 season well with the Gippsland Power and impress at the draft camp to get himself back in the good books. The championships didn't produce much in the way of outstanding tall draftable talent. The ruckmen were all underwhelming and the most impressive key position prospects were too young. The best of the rest among the keys however, were Matthew Panos (SA) and Vic Metro pair Daniel Talia and Jake Carlisle. Of course, I left out the 17 year olds like David Swallow, who tied for the Larke Medal for best player in Division One and Jack Darling, Brandon Matera, Blayne Wilson (WA) and Josh Toy (VM) because, one way or another, these players all seem to be headed for the sunny climes of Queensland's Gold Coast along with a number of others – either by invitation later this year or through one of GC17's many early draft picks next year. That Gold Coast team will be tremendous in four or five year's time! It's difficult to estimate precisely the effect of the rules concerning the introduction of the new clubs but, based on what was on show at the Under 18's it would not be unreasonable to assess that the strength of this year's draft pool at about three quarters the normal strength while next year the figure could fall even further down to one third or a quarter. Whatever the case, the cupboard is going to be decidedly bare for clubs that bottom out in the years immediately after this season. At this time, it's by no means cut and dried that Melbourne will gain a priority selection in the 2009 national draft. It's draw for the remainder of the season is not as unkind as that of the first half and it's not inconceivable that the Demons will win three games to get themselves off the bottom. If they fail to do so however, the priority pick will prove an excellent consolation with Scully and Trengove the early favourites five months out. Recruiting has undergone vast changes over the years, many of them for the better. Players are now better equipped to be placed under the microscope than in the good old days when your young country bumpkin star of the future walked onto the set of World of Sport and stammered their way incomprehensibly through an interview with Ron, Jack or Lou. They are trained for the part these days and I was mightily impressed when I heard some of the prospects interviewed on radio this week. And they need to be trained well because the media can be cruel as we saw recently with Jack Watts whose early games have shown promise but have not been outstanding (not that you should expect that from an 18 year old 196cm schoolboy on limited training). He did enough in his games to suggest he is going to be an excellent footballer when he matures both physically and emotionally but that didn't stop the frenzy from commentators fresh from devouring Terry Wallace and Dean Laidley and looking for a new target. Last week they were full of praise for Nick Naitanui who will also be a sensation in this game. However, his game at the MCG yesterday was underwhelming. These things happen. Hopefully, he will not become the next target and the young hopefuls from the current crop can avoid this unpleasant aspect of sensationalist journalistic beat ups that has become prevalent in recent years. This time last year, Watts and Naitanui along with Daniel Rich led the field of draft prospects among the young All Australians. The 2009 NAB AFL Under 18 All-Australian team to be officially announced on Channel 9's TAC Cup: Future Stars programme is - 2009 NAB AFL UNDER 18 ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM: Backs Andrew Hooper (VC) Blayne Wilson (WA) Bradley Sheppard (WA) Half backs Josh Toy (VM) Daniel Talia (VM) David Swallow (WA) Centreline Anthony Morabito (WA) Dustin Martin (VC) Mitchell Duncan (WA) Half forwards Kane Lucas (WA) Jack Darling (WA) Gary Rohan (VC) Forwards Brandon Matera (WA) Matthew Panos (SA) Ben Cunnington (VC) Followers James Craig (SA) Jack Trengove (SA) Tom Scully (VM) Interchange Travis Colyer (WA) Ryan Harwood (TAS) Dylan McNeil (NSW/ACT) Luke Tapscott (SA) Coach Andrew Lockyer (WA) Assistant Coach Brenton Phillips (SA) The 2009 NAB AFL Under-18 All-Australian results round by round ROUND 1 Queensland 4.5 7.6 10.6 10.9 (69) NSW/ACT 3.1 7.5 13.6 14.10 (94) Goals Queensland Fowler 3 Hutchinson 2 Manzone 2 Dixon Jamieson Thomson NSW/ACT Emery 3 Sargeant 3 McNeil 2 Sergrave 2 Camilleri Duncan Johns Miles Best Queensland Harley Hutchinson Spring Thomas Thompson Jamieson NSW/ACT Williams McNeill Sargeant Tutt Lawton Johns Tasmania 4.5 8.6 11.11 14.13 (97) Northern Territory 4.3 6.7 9.11 15.16 (106) Goals Tasmania Archer 3 Boon 2 Crichton 2 Milne 2 Russell 2 Mott Ponsonby Symmons Northern Territory May 3 T. Taylor 3 Ahmat-Watkins 2 Ah Chee Cox Jones Lawler Smith Staunton Wilson Best Tasmania Russell Crichton Harwood Archer Milne Boon Northern Territory Ah Chee M. Taylor May S. Taylor Johnson Liddle Western Australia 5.1 8.2 14.6 19.12 (126) South Australia 1.2 5.6 7.6 12.7 (79) Goals WA Matera 4 Darling 4 Duncan 2 Houghton 2 Lucas 2 Morabito 2 Collica Foster Garlett SA Panos 3 Giddings 2 Lycett 2 Tapscott 2 Carey Silverlock Sumner Best WA Swallow Matera Morabito Darling Lucas Collica SA Trengove Carey Jolly Panos Wanganeen Vic Country 6.0 10.3 12.3 14.6 (90) Vic Metro 3.0 6.2 9.3 11.8 (74) Goals Vic Country Butcher 3 Cunnington 3 Keath 2 Lehman 2 Christensen Martin Page Priest Vic Metro Carlisle 2 Fitzpatrick 2 Hoegel 2 Moore 2 Hicks McKenzie Scott Best Vic Country Hooper Martin Ko. Stevens Cunnington Christensen Butcher Vardy Vic Metro Scully Toy Gaff Shaw Hoegel Melksham LADDER AFTER ROUND 1 West Aust 1-0 159.5% NSW/ACT 1-0 136.2% Vic Country 1-0 121.6% Nth Terri 1-0 109.3% Tasmania 0-1 91.5% Vic Metro 0-1 82.2% Queensland 0-1 73.4% South Aust 0-1 62.4% ROUND 2 Northern Territory 1.2 4.6 4.7 6.9 (45) Western Australia 1.4 5.7 8.11 16.12 (108) Goals Northern Territory Gordon 2 Staunton Wilson Cox Taylor Western Australia Houghton 4 Duncan 3 Fyfe 3 Colyer Matera Swallow Collica Hutchings Winmar Best NT Wray Staunton Taylor Jones Liddle Lawler WA Duncan Hutchings Swallow Luff Cripps NSW/ACT 2.0 5.0 5.1 8.1 (49) Vic Metro 6.8 12.10 18.13 24.16 (160) Goals NSW/ACT Miles 3 Emery Sargeant Segrave Tutt Williams Vic Metro Griffiths 5 Gaff 3 Gysberts 3 Hicks 3 Moore 3 Hoegel 2 Ezard Hartigan Jacobs Scott Scully Best NSW/ACT Williams Tutt Johnson Miles Vic Metro Hoegel Toy Purcell Gaff Jacobs MacMillan Griffiths Gysberts Fitzpatrick Queensland 1.1 4.2 7.3 8.5 (53) South Australia 4.3 5.5 8.7 12.12 (84) Goals Queensland Fowler 2 Bevan Dixon Lock Magin Manzone Rees South Australia Scott-Collings 2 Silverlock 2 Trengove 2 Craig Giddings Hannath Milera Panos Solly Best Queensland Thomas Ramage Magin Lock Grayson Thomson Smith South Australia Carey Keller Potts Evans Trengove Panos Menzel Tapscott Jolly Tasmania 3.3 6.4 9.9 10.11 (71) Vic Country 1.3 4.6 7.7 12.13 (85) Goals Tasmania Russell 3 Mott Green Howe Groenewegen Taylor Archer Hardy Vic Country Astbury Rohan Butcher 2 Priest McMillan-Pittard Lehman Mangan Martin Vardy Best Tasmania Russell Harwood Milne Green Rundle Hardy Davies Vic Country Ko. Stevens Hooper Butcher Bastinac Martin Astbury LADDER AFTER ROUND 2 West Aust 2-0 188.71% Vic Country 2-0 120.69% Vic Metro 1-1 168.35% South Aust 1-1 91.06% Nth Terri 1-1 73.66% NSW/ACT 1-1 62.45% Tasmania 0-2 87.96% Queensland 0-2 68.54% ROUND 3 Western Australia 5.2 8.3 14.5 21.6 (132) Vic Metro 3.1 6.4 7.5 10.9 (69) Goals Western Australia Matera 4 Fyfe 4 Collica 3 Darling 2 Lucas 2 Luff Neates Winmar Houghton Duncan Weedon Vic Metro Hicks 4 Gysberts 2 Hoegel 2 Carlisle Scully Best Western Australia Wilson Morabito Swallow Winmar Darling Donaldson Vic Metro Scully Toy Talia Gaff Hicks South Australia 4.1 11.1 12.5 16.9 (105) Vic Country 1.4 3.6 4.9 7.12 (54) Goals South Australia Panos 4 Trengove Silverlock 3 Carey Solly 2 Wilson Tapscott Vic Country Hooper 3 Cunnington Astbury Cowan Mackenzie Best South Australia Trengove Wanganeen Jolly Silverlock Panos Carey Potts Menzel Vic Country Cunnington Astbury Hooper Rohan Peters NSW/ACT Rams 2.3 6.6 10.7 12.10 (82) Northern Territory Thunder 4.2 7.2 8.5 11.8 (74) Goals NSW/ACT Emery 4 Sargeant 2 McNeil 2 Bottin-Noonan Stevens Tutt Johnson Northern Territory Taylor 3 Hale 2 Reid 2 Ah Chee 2 May Kelly Best NSW/ACT Johnson Williams Langford Young McNeil Sargeant Northern Territory Ah Chee Taylor McAdam Wray Reid Tasmania 6.7 8.10 14.12 16.14 (110) Queensland 0.0 4.0 4.1 7.6 (48) Goals Tasmania Harwood 3 Mott 2 Russell 2 Green 2 Howe 2 Archer 2 Rundle Balcombe Milne Queensland Daye 2 Stanlake Moss McIvor Moore Hutchinson Best Tasmania Harwood Milne Davies Crichton Green Archer Queensland Rees Steven McIvor Jamieson Milani LADDER AFTER ROUND 3 West Aust 3-0 189.64% South Aust 2-1 115.02% Vic Country 2-1 91.60% NSW/ACT 2-1 74.26% Tasmania 1-2 116.32% Vic Metro 1-2 111.81% Nth Terri 1-2 78.40% Queensland 0-3 59.03% ROUND 4 NSW/ACT 2.5 4.7 5.8 5.9 (39) South Australia 3.0 5.3 9.9 18.11 (119) Goals NSW/ACT Stubbs 2 Johnston McNeil Sargeant SA Panos 5 Silverlock 3 Tapscott 3 Craig Giddings Goldsworthy Jolly Lycett Scott-Collings Wilson Best NSW/ACT Tutt Duncan McNeil Stubbs SA Tapscott Trengove Panos Jolly Silverlock Goldsworthy Carey Craig Vic Country 2.0 4.5 8.7 13.10 (88) Northern Territory 2.2 4.4 5.5 5.6 (36) Goals Vic Country Astbury 2 Hooper 2 Butcher 2 Christensen 2 McMillan-Pittard Rohan Martin Cunningham Garbowski Northern Territory May Staunton T. Taylor Reid Ah Chee Best Vic Country Christensen Hooper Butcher Cunningham Astbury Bastinac Northern Territory Gordon S. Taylor Heenan McAdam Ah Chee Baxter Vic Metro 2.4 4.5 6.6 8.7 (55) Queensland 1.1 3.3 4.4 7.7 (49) Goals Vic Metro Moore Hicks Toy Kennedy Jones Hoegel Purcell Ezard Queensland Fowler 2 Thompson 2 McIvor Thomas Daye Best Vic Metro Scully Toy Hoegel Melksham Talia Jacobs Queensland Lock Daye Harley Grayson Fowler Smith Tasmania 1.2 1.2 2.2 3.2 (20) Western Australia 5.3 11.6 16.8 23.10 (148) Goals Tasmania Howe Archer Green Western Australia Darling 5 Matera 5 Hayward 2 Lucas 2 Cripps Duncan Swallow Elari Mason Fyfe Neates Houghton Winmar Best Tasmania Crichton Green Harwood Milne Gelston Barrett Western Australia Matera Lucas Darling Duncan Swallow Sheppard LADDER AFTER ROUND 4 West Aust 4-0 241.31% South Aust 3-1 142.28% Vic Country 3-1 110.84% Vic Metro 2-2 110.84% NSW/ACT 2-2 62.56% Tasmania 1-3 77.00% North Terri 1-3 69.60% Queensland 0-4 63.85% ROUND 5 Tasmania 0.4 0.5 3.9 6.11 (47) NSW/ACT 3.1 6.1 10.5 13.6 (84) Goals Tasmania Archer Boon Green Groenewegen Mott Rundle NSW/ACT McNeil 4 Emery 2 Stubbs 2 Duncan Hancock Langford Sargeant Tutt Best Tasmania Green Davies Milne Rundle Crichton Mott NSW/ACT McNeil Young Stubbs Kirkwood Tutt Lawton Williams Queensland 2.4 4.6 7.9 8.11 (59) Northern Territory 3.2 6.3 8.5 9.6 (60) Goals Queensland Pirika 3 Hutchinson 2 Fowler Magin Milani Northern Territory May 3 S. Taylor Ah Chee McAdam Staunton Heenan Lawler Best Queensland Fowler Manzone Pirika Lock Magin Holland Northern Territory Ah Chee S. Taylor Gordon May McAdam Baxter Vic Country 3.3 6.4 7.5 9.8 (62) Western Australia 1.4 6.5 11.13 16.14 (110) Goals Vic Country Butcher 2 Martin Cunnington Ko. Stevens Bastinac Rohan Peters Vardy Western Australia Darling 3 Colyer 2 Morabito 2 Neates 2 Matera 2 Duncan Hutchings Cripps Winmar Fyfe Best Vic Country Martin Cunnington Rohan Ko. Stevens Bastinac Western Australia Colyer Swallow Lucas Morabito Darling Vic Metro 3.2 3.3 5.7 9.7 (61) South Australia 0.5 5.9 8.11 10.13 (73) Goals Vic Metro Carlisle 4 Fitzpatrick Gaff Hoegel Moore Scully South Australia Tapscott 3 Jolly 2 Silverlock 2 Evans Panos Pitt Best Vic Metro Scully Jacobs Talia Carlisle Gaff Toy South Australia Jolly Carey Tapscott Sumner Trengove Potts Silverlock FINAL LADDER WEST AUST 5-0 226.91% South Aust 4-1 138.14% Vic Country 3-2 95.71% NSW/ACT 3-2 74.20% Vic Metro 2-3 106.62% North Terri 2-3 73.96% Tasmania 1-4 73.25% Queensland 0-5 68.98% Division One Champions Western Australia (4th Division One title 2nd in last 3 years) Division Two Champions NSW/ACT (6th Division 2 title 2nd in last 3 years) Larke Medallists (Best in Division One) David Swallow (WA) and Andrew Hooper (Vic Country) Harrison Medallist (Best in Division Two) Dylan McNeil (NSW/ACT)

A NEW YEAR, A NEW ERA AND A WISH FOR JIM by The Oracle The financial world this week celebrates the end of a year which many are happy to see done and dusted. It was a difficult period that saw world financial markets in meltdown, businesses going broke and people losing their jobs. Given all the circumstances, the new year brings some hope of better times and I only wish we could say the same about the football year where the Demons are concerned. The Melbourne Football Club has so far this season produced the same misery for its fans that the global financial crisis has dished up to the world of business and finance. Now, with news of the illness of President and club hero Jimmy Stynes, the Demons could not be at a lower ebb. All at Demonland wish Jim a speedy recovery and return to full and good health. Throughout his football career he displayed extraordinary spirit and resilience and we have no doubt that he will conquer his illness and return to complete the magnificent work he is doing in building his family, in working with troubled youth through the Reach Foundation and in rejuvenating the Melbourne Football Club. Over the past twelve months Jim and his board have chalked up some outstanding achievements in reducing debt, establishing and cementing relationships and setting the scene for the club's future both on and off the ground. Of course, we knew that the on field revival was always going to be a tough struggle and this has proven to be the case. One win from 13 matches, a few promising early signs and then the devastation of the past month or so have sapped the spirit of many. Last Saturday night in Brisbane produced one of the most humiliating performances in the club's history. It wasn't simply that the Demons remained anchored on two goals from midway through the opening term until early in the last but also the way they went about it barely emitting a pulse. And please don't give me any excuses - in a national competition what was presented to the football world was unacceptable. The ultimate insult was the opposition coach's choice of words after the game when describing his team's 55- point win: "It's not being disrespectful to the opposition in any way but I thought it was one of our poorer performaces this year." Those words should be enough to sting anyone at the club with an ounce of pride in themselves into action. In fact, any player who can't respond positively to that, shouldn't be in the game. Which leads to what I can only hope will be a new beginning for the club because, it's really facing what is, in effect, a brand new year with nine remaining rounds that are certainly not, on the face of it, as daunting as the fixture to date. Included in the run home are three games at the MCG gainst interstate clubs West. Coast, Port Adelaide and Fremantle, a short flight to Canberra to take on the Sydney Swans and return encounters against Richmond and North Melbourne. None of those teams are setting the world on fire and they aren't expected to see finals action this year. There's also a Round 21 assignment against Carlton which lost on Friday night to the Bombers by 69 points. On that reckoning, seven of the remaining nine games are against teams whose current form is of considerably poorer standard to what Melbourne has become accustomed in recent matches so the opportunity is definitely available for the club to start afresh from this week. The Demons can take a new attitude with them bouyed by the life struggle of their spiritual leader. The business people, bankers and accountants who suffered so much over 2008/9 are on the brink of a brand new year. So is the whole Melbourne family. Together, we shall overcome. THE GAME Melbourne v West Coast Eagles at MCG – Saturday 4 July 2009 at 2.10pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 14 wins West Coast 24 wins At the MCG Melbourne 6 wins West Coast 6 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 5 wins West Coast 8 wins The Coaches Bailey 1 win Worsfold 1 win MEDIA TV Channel 10 at 3pm (delay) Radio 774 Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.00 West Coast to win $1.72 LAST TIME THEY MET West Coast 12.18.90 defeated Melbourne 13.4.82 in Round 7, 2009 at Subiaco Let's face it. The only reason why the Demons were still in the game in its final stages was because of the Eagles' atrocious kicking for goal. They tried hard and plugged away all afternoon but were always going to struggle to win after they lost key defenders Jared Rivers and James Frawley during the game through injury. Brad Miller kicked a few and Brock McLean and Brent Moloney worked hard in the midfield but in the end it was all to no avail and West Coast finished 8 points in front despite kicking one goal less than the visitors. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Cale Morton Matthew Warnock Ricky Petterd Half backs Aaron Davey Jared Rivers James Frawley Centerline Neville Jetta Brock McLean Liam Jungarray Jurrah Half forwards Cameron Bruce Russell Robertson Matthew Bate Forwards Brad Green Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Followers Mark Jamar Jack Grimes Jamie Bennell Interchange James McDonald Stefan Martin Brent Moloney Paul Wheatley Emergencies Daniel Bell Paul Johnson Brad Miller In Matthew Bate Mark Jamar James McDonald Paul Wheatley Out Paul Johnson Brad Miller Jack Watts (ill) Matthew Whelan WEST COAST Backs Matt Spangher Darren Glass David Wirrpanda Half backs Scott Selwood Eric Mackenzie Shannon Hurn Centreline Andrew Embley Matt Priddis Matt Rosa Half forwards Adam Selwood Josh Kennedy Chris Masten Forwards Mark LeCras Mitch Brown Quinten Lynch Followers Nic Naitanui Brad Ebert Sam Butler Interchange Tyson Stenglein Brett Jones Ben McKinley Chad Fletcher Emergencies Tim Houlihan Tom Swift Adam Cockie In Chad Fletcher Brett Jones Out Daniel Kerr (soreness) Tom Swift The West Coast Eagles pulled off one of the year's big upset victories in atrocious conditions at Subiaco last week when they overran the reigning premier Hawthorn after an exciting final quarter that showcased the exciting talents of newcomer Nick Naitanui. The tall young ruckman was the talk of the town with his three-goal final quarter which reportedly caused a sell out if Eagle # 9 jumpers in Perth sports stores. The result and the circumstances were in complete contrast to the events that were taking place across the continent in Brisbane where Demon youngster Jack Watts failed to impress and the team was hammered by the Lions. The performances also gave the lie to the suggestion that this Saturday's match up at the MCG should be billed as the "battle of the tankers" in a round that otherwise contains some spectacular contests. This week which is more than three months into the season is delivering to the football public a match up between two undefeated teams St.Kilda and Geelong, a clash between traditional rivals and in form opponents Collingwood and Essendon, a desperate battle between the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn and to counterbalance those contests, the game that sees the only two teams with a chance to gain a first round priority draft pick this year slug it out with one another. Fascinating! But John Worsfold's team turned the supposed tankfest or Tom Scully Trophy game on it's head by defying the sceptics and beating the Hawks last week. A win on Saturday means no priority pick at all this year for the Eagles, a prospect that looked unlikely just a few weeks ago. Now, if the heavens line up properly for them and the other results fall the right way, they could find themselves just one game out of the top 8! The Eagles are certainly not tanking. And neither are the Demons. They've had a tough run over the past month or so and their young players are showing signs of fatigue. Some of their older brigade who have come back from injury interruptions are also looking tired. At this stage of the journey they don't have the experience and aren't good enough to beat teams contesting the finals. A return to home soil and to the club's real jumper, the desire to individually and collectively atone for recent poor performances and the emotion of their leader's plight will all be factors in this week's game. Added to that is the fact that West Coast struggles to win games away from home having list their last 17 matches outside WA. All of these things sway me towards the view that Melbourne will win this week's game by 8 points and thereby make a promising new start to a brand new year. I hope each and every one of our record number in excess of 31,000 members comes to the MCG to witness the event and to support Jimmy and his team.

A NEW YEAR, A NEW ERA AND A WISH FOR JIM by The Oracle The financial world this week celebrates the end of a year which many are happy to see done and dusted. It was a difficult period that saw world financial markets in meltdown, businesses going broke and people losing their jobs. Given all the circumstances, the new year brings some hope of better times and I only wish we could say the same about the football year where the Demons are concerned. The Melbourne Football Club has so far this season produced the same misery for its fans that the global financial crisis has dished up to the world of business and finance. Now, with news of the illness of President and club hero Jimmy Stynes, the Demons could not be at a lower ebb. All at Demonland wish Jim a speedy recovery and return to full and good health. Throughout his football career he displayed extraordinary spirit and resilience and we have no doubt that he will conquer his illness and return to complete the magnificent work he is doing in building his family, in working with troubled youth through the Reach Foundation and in rejuvenating the Melbourne Football Club. Over the past twelve months Jim and his board have chalked up some outstanding achievements in reducing debt, establishing and cementing relationships and setting the scene for the club's future both on and off the ground. Of course, we knew that the on field revival was always going to be a tough struggle and this has proven to be the case. One win from 13 matches, a few promising early signs and then the devastation of the past month or so have sapped the spirit of many. Last Saturday night in Brisbane produced one of the most humiliating performances in the club's history. It wasn't simply that the Demons remained anchored on two goals from midway through the opening term until early in the last but also the way they went about it barely emitting a pulse. And please don't give me any excuses - in a national competition what was presented to the football world was unacceptable. The ultimate insult was the opposition coach's choice of words after the game when describing his team's 55- point win: "It's not being disrespectful to the opposition in any way but I thought it was one of our poorer performaces this year." Those words should be enough to sting anyone at the club with an ounce of pride in themselves into action. In fact, any player who can't respond positively to that, shouldn't be in the game. Which leads to what I can only hope will be a new beginning for the club because, it's really facing what is, in effect, a brand new year with nine remaining rounds that are certainly not, on the face of it, as daunting as the fixture to date. Included in the run home are three games at the MCG gainst interstate clubs West. Coast, Port Adelaide and Fremantle, a short flight to Canberra to take on the Sydney Swans and return encounters against Richmond and North Melbourne. None of those teams are setting the world on fire and they aren't expected to see finals action this year. There's also a Round 21 assignment against Carlton which lost on Friday night to the Bombers by 69 points. On that reckoning, seven of the remaining nine games are against teams whose current form is of considerably poorer standard to what Melbourne has become accustomed in recent matches so the opportunity is definitely available for the club to start afresh from this week. The Demons can take a new attitude with them bouyed by the life struggle of their spiritual leader. The business people, bankers and accountants who suffered so much over 2008/9 are on the brink of a brand new year. So is the whole Melbourne family. Together, we shall overcome. THE GAME Melbourne v West Coast Eagles at MCG – Saturday 4 July 2009 at 2.10pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 14 wins West Coast 24 wins At the MCG Melbourne 6 wins West Coast 6 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 5 wins West Coast 8 wins The Coaches Bailey 1 win Worsfold 1 win MEDIA TV Channel 10 at 3pm (delay) Radio 774 Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $2.00 West Coast to win $1.72 LAST TIME THEY MET West Coast 12.18.90 defeated Melbourne 13.4.82 in Round 7, 2009 at Subiaco Let's face it. The only reason why the Demons were still in the game in its final stages was because of the Eagles' atrocious kicking for goal. They tried hard and plugged away all afternoon but were always going to struggle to win after they lost key defenders Jared Rivers and James Frawley during the game through injury. Brad Miller kicked a few and Brock McLean and Brent Moloney worked hard in the midfield but in the end it was all to no avail and West Coast finished 8 points in front despite kicking one goal less than the visitors. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Cale Morton Matthew Warnock Ricky Petterd Half backs Aaron Davey Jared Rivers James Frawley Centerline Neville Jetta Brock McLean Liam Jungarray Jurrah Half forwards Cameron Bruce Russell Robertson Matthew Bate Forwards Brad Green Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Followers Mark Jamar Jack Grimes Jamie Bennell Interchange James McDonald Stefan Martin Brent Moloney Paul Wheatley Emergencies Daniel Bell Paul Johnson Brad Miller In Matthew Bate Mark Jamar James McDonald Paul Wheatley Out Paul Johnson Brad Miller Jack Watts (ill) Matthew Whelan WEST COAST Backs Matt Spangher Darren Glass David Wirrpanda Half backs Scott Selwood Eric Mackenzie Shannon Hurn Centreline Andrew Embley Matt Priddis Matt Rosa Half forwards Adam Selwood Josh Kennedy Chris Masten Forwards Mark LeCras Mitch Brown Quinten Lynch Followers Nic Naitanui Brad Ebert Sam Butler Interchange Tyson Stenglein Brett Jones Ben McKinley Chad Fletcher Emergencies Tim Houlihan Tom Swift Adam Cockie In Chad Fletcher Brett Jones Out Daniel Kerr (soreness) Tom Swift The West Coast Eagles pulled off one of the year's big upset victories in atrocious conditions at Subiaco last week when they overran the reigning premier Hawthorn after an exciting final quarter that showcased the exciting talents of newcomer Nick Naitanui. The tall young ruckman was the talk of the town with his three-goal final quarter which reportedly caused a sell out if Eagle # 9 jumpers in Perth sports stores. The result and the circumstances were in complete contrast to the events that were taking place across the continent in Brisbane where Demon youngster Jack Watts failed to impress and the team was hammered by the Lions. The performances also gave the lie to the suggestion that this Saturday's match up at the MCG should be billed as the "battle of the tankers" in a round that otherwise contains some spectacular contests. This week which is more than three months into the season is delivering to the football public a match up between two undefeated teams St.Kilda and Geelong, a clash between traditional rivals and in form opponents Collingwood and Essendon, a desperate battle between the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn and to counterbalance those contests, the game that sees the only two teams with a chance to gain a first round priority draft pick this year slug it out with one another. Fascinating! But John Worsfold's team turned the supposed tankfest or Tom Scully Trophy game on it's head by defying the sceptics and beating the Hawks last week. A win on Saturday means no priority pick at all this year for the Eagles, a prospect that looked unlikely just a few weeks ago. Now, if the heavens line up properly for them and the other results fall the right way, they could find themselves just one game out of the top 8! The Eagles are certainly not tanking. And neither are the Demons. They've had a tough run over the past month or so and their young players are showing signs of fatigue. Some of their older brigade who have come back from injury interruptions are also looking tired. At this stage of the journey they don't have the experience and aren't good enough to beat teams contesting the finals. A return to home soil and to the club's real jumper, the desire to individually and collectively atone for recent poor performances and the emotion of their leader's plight will all be factors in this week's game. Added to that is the fact that West Coast struggles to win games away from home having list their last 17 matches outside WA. All of these things sway me towards the view that Melbourne will win this week's game by 8 points and thereby make a promising new start to a brand new year. I hope each and every one of our record number in excess of 31,000 members comes to the MCG to witness the event and to support Jimmy and his team.

Not all that long ago ... Round 7 at Subiaco! WEST COAST Backs David Wirrpanda Darren Glass Mark Nicoski Half backs Shannon Hurn Eric Mackenzie Adam Selwood Centreline Matt Rosa Daniel Kerr Andrew Embley Half forwards Adam Cockie Josh Kennedy Sam Butler Forwards Mark LeCras Quinten Lynch Ben McKinley Followers Dean Cox Matt Priddis Chris Masten Interchange (from) Mitch Brown Adam Hunter Brett Jones Jamie McNamara Will Schofield Scott Selwood Matt Spangher In Josh Kennedy Jamie McNamara Will Schofield Scott Selwood Matt Spangher Out Ashley Hansen Brent Staker (hand) MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Matthew Warnock Ricky Petterd Half backs Cameron Bruce Jared Rivers Aaron Davey Centreline Clint Bartram Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Half forwards Cale Morton Lynden Dunn Russell Robertson Forwards Brad Miller Stefan Martin Matthew Bate Followers Paul Johnson Brent Moloney James McDonald Interchange (from) Jamie Bennell Kyle Cheney Jack Grimes Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Addam Maric Michael Newton In Kyle Cheney Jack Grimes Neville Jetta Michael Newton Out John Meesen (foot)

It's starting to look very much like Aaron Davey's season ... 95.262 Aaron Davey 57.718 Brent Moloney 42.745 Brock McLean 40.932 Cale Morton 40.838 Colin Sylvia 37.845 Nathan Jones 32.042 James Frawley 31.493 Brad Green 30.197 Cameron Bruce 19.408 Brad Miller 14.443 Matthew Warnock 13.629 Mark Jamar 12.825 Jared Rivers 12.420 Paul Johnson 12.402 Jack Grimes 11.805 Ricky Petterd 10.711 Stefan Martin 10.053 Kyle Cheney 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.794 Matthew Bate 6.300 Addam Maric 6.126 Russell Robertson 4.374 Clint Bartram 3.333 James McDonald 3.077 Neville Jetta 0.667 Lynden Dunn 0.634 Liam Jurrah 0.613 John Meesen

Done. After all, it's a team effort

Thanks to all contributors. Here's the result: NIGHTMARE ON VULTURE STREET

Melbourne and Hawthorn were not the only teams in crisis last night. Demonland was also thrust into a desperate situation when our Queensland correspondent Bananabender was unable to make it due to the Gabba because of ... er ... transport difficulties when his trusty old ute followed Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett to the great junkyard in the sky. The Oracle was on standby ready to report on the game from his lounge room but, during the third quarter, he sufferede a nervous break down and attacked his television set sending it to the same resting place as Bananabender's vehicle and himself off to find a steadying drink. He has not been heard from since. So an appeal was sent out to our readers and, with thanks to those who made a contribution, we bring you our match review ... NIGHTMARE ON VULTURE STREET by Team Effort Singer-songwriter Paul Simon who is currently visiting our shores once wrote that "these are the days of miracle and wonder" and the sentiment is so true today. It was a miracle that the late Michael Jackson survived past his 50th birthday in view of the lifestyle he led and, given what the Demons produced at the Gabba last night it was a miracle that Brisbane won by less than 10 goals. I suspect that this miracle was only possible because the Lions shut up shop early to prepare themselves for the rest of the season and their finals campaign which is now an inevitability. As for Melbourne, the only inevitability is that they are destined to continue to break their supporters' hearts for a long, long time irrespective of whether the excuse this week was an outbreak of flu at the club. Unless they develop some semblance of a system to their game even the early draft picks on offer later this year will not help. In the second and third quarters, Melbourne produced some of the worst football I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing from the oldest club in the history of the game. Ironically, there were simply not enough old heads in a football sense to guide the young, inexperienced players who battled it out with a slick, well coached outfit. The result was a nightmare for all at Demonland [Lucky Lucy]. I had high hopes of putting aside our disappointing efforts in the last couple of games and I was hoping for a better display. I sat down to watch the game on Foxtel with my two young boys and I could smell pretty early on that we would struggle [Dandeeman]. The scene was set early when an errant handball from James Frawley was intercepted by NAB Rising Star favourite Daniel Rich and the home side had the first goal on the board after 35 seconds. Not quite as fast as Gary Ablett's 9 second opening goal earlier in the season but still enough to cause concern in the camp. The Dees got on the map with a long goal from Cale Morton and a Russell Robertson mark and goal put them in front. It was reasonably deep into the first quarter that Melbourne led 2.0.12 to 1.2.8 and Bradshaw and Brown were being well held but late in the term the troubles began. The Brisbane Lions proceeded to amass 12 unanswered goals and by three-quarter time the margin was 74 points [Demon Head]. In the first quarter we got hands on the ball as much as our opponents and our effeiciency with the footy was unusually good. Black, Brown and Bradshaw had limited influence. I felt we in in an armwrestle with an opponent who had far greater strength and we were looking him in the eye waiting for him to put our hand through the table. And so partly because we expected and feared it, in the second quarter in happened[Dandeeman]. We were crap [Geddy Lee]. Clark dominated the ruck contests particularly in the centre, Brisbane were more organised, had greater intensity and controlled the footy barely giving the frightened demons a sniff [Dandeeman]. A great deal has been made of Essendon and the fact that the Bombers have one ruckman left standing after injuries to Hille, Laycock and Bellchambers (actually they also have a young untried rookie but he's nowhere near ready for AFL). Well, we just happen to be in the same boat except our last ruckman standing isn't really a ruckman. Hence, Stefan Martin has been called in to fill the breach. He had to play the role he was given because there was no alternative. Clark killed it in the ruck and according to the statistics available to me he fixed up both Johnson (7 hit outs) and Martin (9 hit outs) and gave the superior Brisbane midfield a great armchair ride against Melbourne's one paced and tired looking midfield [Demon Head]. Black and Power were constantly belting the ball into our defensive line where to the advantage of Brown and Bradshaw. If they didn't mark the footy the ball was dropping to the advantage of thier small forwards. Our hapless backline could do little to stop the bleeding, though Frawley was doing some good things in his battle with Bradshaw and Jack Grimes looks a genuine future star. In contast out midfield looked slow, lost and always behind. Mclean had no impact, Moloney couldnt find the footy and various players such as Sylvia, Petterd and others were tried in the midfield we had no players able to create clearances or any flowing running footy [Dandeeman]. The Demons of 2009 are becoming known as final quarter specialists and goals from Cameron Bruce and Nathan Jones got the scoreboard ticking over at last before Brisbane's power forwards. Brown and Bradshaw booted their fifth and fourth goals respectively. Between them they had well and truly out goaled the entire Melbourne 22 and a final flurry of goals from Colin Sylvia, Liam Jurrah and Aaron Davey added a touch of respectability [Demon Head]. Davey was our best player but sadly rarely gets his hands on the footy in clearance situations. He is however an eceptional user of the ball and would be a genuine star in a better team. He usually has a hand in any scoring opportunity. Grimes is already a very good player with exceptional, courage, skill and maturity. He has the knack of knowing when to attack the footy or defend. He has strong hands and is a nice user of the footy. Frawley worked hard against Bradshaw and did some good work when given the opportunity to go the other way. Sylvia again did some good things and got a couple of late goals and Stefan Martin took some good contested marks but his disposal is a concern. Dean Bailey needs to go back to the drawing board and establish a plan to improve an uncompetitive and disorganised midfield. This is the clubs greatest on field challenge [ Dandeeman]. Michael Voss said at his press conference, "no disrespect to our opponents, but that was not one of best performances tonight" Seriously! Anyone who follows Melbourne and can take any positives out of tonight are living cloud cuckoo land [iv'a worn smith]. Summing up - To quote David St. Hubbins from Spinal Tap, "I am sure I would feel much worse right now if I weren't under such heavy sedation" [Einstein] Melbourne 2.0.12 2.2.14 2.5.17 8.8.56 Brisbane Lions 3.4.22 9.7.61 13.13.91 16.15.111 Goals Melbourne Sylvia 2 Bruce Davey Jones Jurrah Morton Robertson Brisbane Lions Brown 5 Bradshaw 4 Polkinghorne Rich 2 Roe Sherman Stiller Best Melbourne Davey Bruce Sylvia Grimes Frawley Martin Brisbane Brennan Brown Rich Adcock Power Black Injuries Melbourne - nil. Brisbane Lions nil. Reports Melbourne - nil. Brisbane Lions nil. Changes Melbourne M Bate (virus) replaced in selected side by N Jones. Brisbane Lions nil. Umpires Donlon Hay Jeffery Crowd 23,750 at the Gabba