Demonland

ZEBRAS BOUNCE BACK by Ice Station Zebra A week is a long time in football and Sandringham coach Andy Lovell can testify to that sentiment. After his team's close defeats over the past two weeks at the hands of Port Melbourne and Frankston, it rebounded in the best possible way with a resounding 88-point victory at Box Hill City Oval. The Zebras were simply electrifying in the first half, piling on eight goals in the first quarter and nine goals in the second to lead by almost 15 goals at the main break and after that, it was just a matter of playing out time. However, Lovell was clearly not impressed by the fact that his charges took the foot off the accelerator in the second half against the bottom of the ladder Hawks and after the game he told reporters: "The first half was outstanding but we dropped away in the second half. We weren't quite as efficient going forward but we had a really even team performance in the first half and we ran out of legs a bit in the second half." The Zebras' champion full forward Nick Sautner can also testify to the fact that things were a lot different this week. After being held goalless on his home turf at Beach Road Sunday, he was in scintillating form up forward with nine goals. By half time he had surpassed a career total of 700 goals in the VFL and had well and truly silenced his critics. Of course, Sautner could not have achieved that milestone and the goals that followed without a strong team effort and good service from the players further downfield. With John Meesen playing strongly in the ruck and Peter Summers (30 disposals) and Shane Valenti constantly pumping the ball out of the middle and Matty Bate adding some great run, it was hardly any wonder that Sautner and Ezra Poyas (22 kicks, nine marks and five goals) were running riot around the goalfront. Sandy was also well served by the strength and class of experienced Demon pair Adem Yze and Ben Holland. The enigmatic Michael Newton was another forward who showed greatly improved form after last week’s shocker. Unfortunately, he blotted his copybook by getting himself reported in an incident in the last quarter. Otherwise, his confidence in his marking, ball handling and decision making all returned. Hopefully, he will escape the wrath of the tribunal. Chris Lamb led a powerful defence that hardly let a thing through. Matthew Warnock, Stef Martin and Colin Garland were all solid contributors. Special mention should be made of youngster Shane Tregear from the Dragons who has come up through the ranks playing all of last season in the reserves. Playing only his second game at senior VFL level he was a solid contributor with two goals and showed that he has a good future at the club. The Zebras are back at home next Saturday with a game against Bendigo Bombers in the ABC’s televised match of the day. The seniors game starts at the early time of 1.10pm. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Comments from Andy Lovell - Coach, Sandringham Football Club (from melbournefc.com) Matthew Bate - had 22 touches, playing primarily in the midfield but also across the half forward line. He played a really good game in only his second game back from injury (he was our best on ground last week in the reserves, playing as a midfielder). He worked really hard and had a really good balance of being inside, winning the contested ball, but also won it outside and broke the lines. Matthew was one of our best midfielders on the day. Jace Bode - played in the back line and took the opposition's best small forward out of the game. When he had the ball, he attacked the game and displayed some good run and carry out of defence. He had four entries inside 50, and did his job on the day. Simon Buckley - this has been the second week in a row that "Bucks" has played well. He played across a wing and half back, and impacted the game well with his 23 possessions. He is an outside player who can run and break the lines, and he showed plenty of that on the weekend. Colin Garland - was "best on ground" for us on Sunday. We played him across half back, and he won every contest he was involved in. He had 25 possessions, his ball use was terrific, and he was really hard when the contested ball was up for grabs. He rebounded off the half back line, and influenced the game really well. Ben Holland - this was his first game back after missing the last couple. He played in the forward line, and his team work on the weekend was really good. He blocked for his teammates, and his work off the ball was really strong. He kicked two goals, but it was the work he did off the ball helping out Newton and Saunter which made his game performance ever better. Chris Johnson - this was his first game back after missing out on selection in the AFL. He played across the half back line. He had 20 possessions, beat his man and gave us some good rebound run and carry out of defence. He didn't use the ball as well as he could have to impact the game, but it was a good solid performance, which we hope he can build confidence from. Addam Maric - has been playing in the forward line, and has looked really dangerous. On the weekend, he only had eight possessions, but he also had seven tackles. His defensive pressure was outstanding, and he played a really important role for us. He didn't kick the goals he would have wanted to, but his team game was really good for us. We rated his game as equal to the game last week, when he kicked five goals. Stef Martin - in the first half he played at full back, and played really well. His form has been very consistent this year. Each week he takes the opposition big forward, and he hasn't yet been beaten one-on-one in that role. In the second half we moved him to half back, where he struggled a little, but he has steadily improved and we are looking to develop him into a key defender. John Meesen - was really competitive for us on the weekend and played his best game for the Club. This was his first game back after a slight ankle injury. He played on the wing and in the ruck. He was strong overhead, and was impressive as a ruckman, jumping well and constantly giving our midfielders first use of the ball. Michael Newton - "Juice" Newton played his best game for the year for us. Playing as the centre half forward, he led very hard all day, had 10 possessions, took six marks and kicked two goals. He worked hard defensively, but was reported and suspended for a week. Jake Spencer - played his second senior game for the Club. He has competed really hard for us – he is a tough kid and we like his hardness. On the weekend, his ruck work at centre bounces was exceptional and his following up work at ground level was just as pleasing. He only had six possessions, but his ruckwork was a real highlight. Shane Valenti - has been in our best five players over the past month. He had a quiet game last week, when he got tagged, but on the weekend he was "in and under" and won a lot of contested ball. He had 23 possessions and played a really honest, hard working game throughout the midfield and across half forward. Matthew Warnock - has been consistently in our best three players over the past three weeks. He had 28 touches across the half back line. He showed a real balance in his game, he beat his man one on one, and marked well and attacked the game off half back. With Matt’s recent form, he is on the verge of senior selection. Adem Yze - played his best game of the year for us. He has shown patches of brilliance, but this was his first four quarter performance. We played him on the wing, and across half forward. He had 32 possessions and eight marks, and had a real impact on the game. He used the ball well, found space and his defensive pressure was outstanding. Adem's attitude at Sandringham over the past month has been outstanding - he has shown good leadership qualities, which have benefited the team. Box Hill Hawks 1.3.9 3.4.22 5.8.38 11.10.76 Sandringham 8.3.51 17.9.111 21.10.136 25.14.164 Goals Box Hill Hawks Morton 3 McGlynn 2 Dowler Gibson Morrell Neville Renouf Stokes Sandringham Sautner 9 Poyas 5 Holland Newton Tregear Summers 2 Crowe Liddell Yze Best Box Hill Hawks McGlynn Renouf Kennedy McQueen-Miscamble Kenna Morton Sandringham Garland Sautner Poyas Lamb Yze Warnock Reported Sandringham M Newton for striking B McGlynn in the fourth quarter Sandringham's reserves won for the third week on the trot but it was not as easy a win as the first two games. An eight goal third quarter made the difference after an even first half and the young Zebras went on to record a four goal win. The team was best served by Marc Johnston and Andrew Waller with Maddison Hardiman, Guy Martin and Trent Zomer all booting three goals. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Comments from Andy Lovell - Coach, Sandringham Football Club (from melbournefc.com) Kyle Cheney - played really well, was probably our best in the reserves with 35 possessions. He played half back, but we also played him through the midfield, to try to develop him into a running type of player. He’s hard at the footy, stands his ground and really finds the ball well. He is a very smart young player for us. Tom McNamara - is showing signs for us that he is a good player, when he goes and gets the ball. It’s fair to say that he is struggling for confidence at bit at the moment. He probably hasn’t adapted to playing at Sandringham just yet, but at only 17 we think that he is not to far away. He has got a fantastic ability to read the play really well, and is strong overhead. His work ethic has been a little inconsistent, but he is certainly a talented player for us. Isaac Weetra - is playing across the half back line, just to give him a reference point on the field. He has been struggling to get his hands on the ball at half forward and his confidence is a little down. We have played him in a variety of roles, but we are keeping it simple for him at the moment. He needs to beat his man, and then attack the game from there. Trent Zomer - has been consistently good for us over the last three weeks, and kicked seven goals for us in Round One. He is playing a combination of full forward and ruck, and he is a good kick for goal and a strong mark. We are working on his work ethic at the moment, as he just needs to get his repeat leads and his physicality up a couple of notches so that he can play senior football down the track. Box Hill Hawks 4.3.27 7.7.49 11.10.76 16.13.109 Sandringham 5.1.31 9.3.57 17.7.109 20.13.133 Goals Box Hill Hawks Neil 4 Hill 3 Daniher Dell Aquilla 2 Angelopoulos Fieschi Suckling Smithwick Wright Sandringham Hardiman Martyn Zomer 3 Dean Lyall Waller 2 Cheney Gilchrist Monaghan Lockwood Monaghan Plymin Best Box Hill Hawks Cross Daniher Neil McEntee Angelopoulos Dell Aquilla Sandringham M Johnston Waller B Liddell Monaghan Cheney Martyn

by Ice Station Zebra A week is a long time in football and Sandringham coach Andy Lovell can testify to that sentiment. After his team's close defeats over the past two weeks at the hands of Port Melbourne and Frankston, it rebounded in the best possible way with a resounding 88-point victory at Box Hill City Oval. The Zebras were simply electrifying in the first half, piling on eight goals in the first quarter and nine goals in the second to lead by almost 15 goals at the main break and after that, it was just a matter of playing out time. However, Lovell was clearly not impressed by the fact that his charges took the foot off the accelerator in the second half against the bottom of the ladder Hawks and after the game he told reporters: "The first half was outstanding but we dropped away in the second half. We weren't quite as efficient going forward but we had a really even team performance in the first half and we ran out of legs a bit in the second half." The Zebras' champion full forward Nick Sautner can also testify to the fact that things were a lot different this week. After being held goalless on his home turf at Beach Road Sunday, he was in scintillating form up forward with nine goals. By half time he had surpassed a career total of 700 goals in the VFL and had well and truly silenced his critics. Of course, Sautner could not have achieved that milestone and the goals that followed without a strong team effort and good service from the players further downfield. With John Meesen playing strongly in the ruck and Peter Summers (30 disposals) and Shane Valenti constantly pumping the ball out of the middle and Matty Bate adding some great run, it was hardly any wonder that Sautner and Ezra Poyas (22 kicks, nine marks and five goals) were running riot around the goalfront. Sandy was also well served by the strength and class of experienced Demon pair Adem Yze and Ben Holland. The enigmatic Michael Newton was another forward who showed greatly improved form after last week’s shocker. Unfortunately, he blotted his copybook by getting himself reported in an incident in the last quarter. Otherwise, his confidence in his marking, ball handling and decision making all returned. Hopefully, he will escape the wrath of the tribunal. Chris Lamb led a powerful defence that hardly let a thing through. Matthew Warnock, Stef Martin and Colin Garland were all solid contributors. Special mention should be made of youngster Shane Tregear from the Dragons who has come up through the ranks playing all of last season in the reserves. Playing only his second game at senior VFL level he was a solid contributor with two goals and showed that he has a good future at the club. The Zebras are back at home next Saturday with a game against Bendigo Bombers in the ABC’s televised match of the day. The seniors game starts at the early time of 1.10pm. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Comments from Andy Lovell - Coach, Sandringham Football Club (from melbournefc.com) Matthew Bate - had 22 touches, playing primarily in the midfield but also across the half forward line. He played a really good game in only his second game back from injury (he was our best on ground last week in the reserves, playing as a midfielder). He worked really hard and had a really good balance of being inside, winning the contested ball, but also won it outside and broke the lines. Matthew was one of our best midfielders on the day. Jace Bode - played in the back line and took the opposition's best small forward out of the game. When he had the ball, he attacked the game and displayed some good run and carry out of defence. He had four entries inside 50, and did his job on the day. Simon Buckley - this has been the second week in a row that "Bucks" has played well. He played across a wing and half back, and impacted the game well with his 23 possessions. He is an outside player who can run and break the lines, and he showed plenty of that on the weekend. Colin Garland - was "best on ground" for us on Sunday. We played him across half back, and he won every contest he was involved in. He had 25 possessions, his ball use was terrific, and he was really hard when the contested ball was up for grabs. He rebounded off the half back line, and influenced the game really well. Ben Holland - this was his first game back after missing the last couple. He played in the forward line, and his team work on the weekend was really good. He blocked for his teammates, and his work off the ball was really strong. He kicked two goals, but it was the work he did off the ball helping out Newton and Saunter which made his game performance ever better. Chris Johnson - this was his first game back after missing out on selection in the AFL. He played across the half back line. He had 20 possessions, beat his man and gave us some good rebound run and carry out of defence. He didn't use the ball as well as he could have to impact the game, but it was a good solid performance, which we hope he can build confidence from. Addam Maric - has been playing in the forward line, and has looked really dangerous. On the weekend, he only had eight possessions, but he also had seven tackles. His defensive pressure was outstanding, and he played a really important role for us. He didn't kick the goals he would have wanted to, but his team game was really good for us. We rated his game as equal to the game last week, when he kicked five goals. Stef Martin - in the first half he played at full back, and played really well. His form has been very consistent this year. Each week he takes the opposition big forward, and he hasn't yet been beaten one-on-one in that role. In the second half we moved him to half back, where he struggled a little, but he has steadily improved and we are looking to develop him into a key defender. John Meesen - was really competitive for us on the weekend and played his best game for the Club. This was his first game back after a slight ankle injury. He played on the wing and in the ruck. He was strong overhead, and was impressive as a ruckman, jumping well and constantly giving our midfielders first use of the ball. Michael Newton - "Juice" Newton played his best game for the year for us. Playing as the centre half forward, he led very hard all day, had 10 possessions, took six marks and kicked two goals. He worked hard defensively, but was reported and suspended for a week. Jake Spencer - played his second senior game for the Club. He has competed really hard for us – he is a tough kid and we like his hardness. On the weekend, his ruck work at centre bounces was exceptional and his following up work at ground level was just as pleasing. He only had six possessions, but his ruckwork was a real highlight. Shane Valenti - has been in our best five players over the past month. He had a quiet game last week, when he got tagged, but on the weekend he was "in and under" and won a lot of contested ball. He had 23 possessions and played a really honest, hard working game throughout the midfield and across half forward. Matthew Warnock - has been consistently in our best three players over the past three weeks. He had 28 touches across the half back line. He showed a real balance in his game, he beat his man one on one, and marked well and attacked the game off half back. With Matt’s recent form, he is on the verge of senior selection. Adem Yze - played his best game of the year for us. He has shown patches of brilliance, but this was his first four quarter performance. We played him on the wing, and across half forward. He had 32 possessions and eight marks, and had a real impact on the game. He used the ball well, found space and his defensive pressure was outstanding. Adem's attitude at Sandringham over the past month has been outstanding - he has shown good leadership qualities, which have benefited the team. Box Hill Hawks 1.3.9 3.4.22 5.8.38 11.10.76 Sandringham 8.3.51 17.9.111 21.10.136 25.14.164 Goals Box Hill Hawks Morton 3 McGlynn 2 Dowler Gibson Morrell Neville Renouf Stokes Sandringham Sautner 9 Poyas 5 Holland Newton Tregear Summers 2 Crowe Liddell Yze Best Box Hill Hawks McGlynn Renouf Kennedy McQueen-Miscamble Kenna Morton Sandringham Garland Sautner Poyas Lamb Yze Warnock Reported Sandringham M Newton for striking B McGlynn in the fourth quarter Sandringham's reserves won for the third week on the trot but it was not as easy a win as the first two games. An eight goal third quarter made the difference after an even first half and the young Zebras went on to record a four goal win. The team was best served by Marc Johnston and Andrew Waller with Maddison Hardiman, Guy Martin and Trent Zomer all booting three goals. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Comments from Andy Lovell - Coach, Sandringham Football Club (from melbournefc.com) Kyle Cheney - played really well, was probably our best in the reserves with 35 possessions. He played half back, but we also played him through the midfield, to try to develop him into a running type of player. He’s hard at the footy, stands his ground and really finds the ball well. He is a very smart young player for us. Tom McNamara - is showing signs for us that he is a good player, when he goes and gets the ball. It’s fair to say that he is struggling for confidence at bit at the moment. He probably hasn’t adapted to playing at Sandringham just yet, but at only 17 we think that he is not to far away. He has got a fantastic ability to read the play really well, and is strong overhead. His work ethic has been a little inconsistent, but he is certainly a talented player for us. Isaac Weetra - is playing across the half back line, just to give him a reference point on the field. He has been struggling to get his hands on the ball at half forward and his confidence is a little down. We have played him in a variety of roles, but we are keeping it simple for him at the moment. He needs to beat his man, and then attack the game from there. Trent Zomer - has been consistently good for us over the last three weeks, and kicked seven goals for us in Round One. He is playing a combination of full forward and ruck, and he is a good kick for goal and a strong mark. We are working on his work ethic at the moment, as he just needs to get his repeat leads and his physicality up a couple of notches so that he can play senior football down the track. Box Hill Hawks 4.3.27 7.7.49 11.10.76 16.13.109 Sandringham 5.1.31 9.3.57 17.7.109 20.13.133 Goals Box Hill Hawks Neil 4 Hill 3 Daniher Dell Aquilla 2 Angelopoulos Fieschi Suckling Smithwick Wright Sandringham Hardiman Martyn Zomer 3 Dean Lyall Waller 2 Cheney Gilchrist Monaghan Lockwood Monaghan Plymin Best Box Hill Hawks Cross Daniher Neil McEntee Angelopoulos Dell Aquilla Sandringham M Johnston Waller B Liddell Monaghan Cheney Martyn

CHIPPING AWAY by The Oracle Brad Green was on the ground Melbourne on Saturday against Carlton for 86% of the game but he missed its most crucial moments. After playing a significant role in not only bringing his team back into the game but actually into the lead - a rare Demon achievement for season 2008 - Green was taken off for a breather. What transpired after that was a momentous turn around in the game. Green had just kicked his second goal for the second term and his team's fourth on end after the Blues crashed out of the blocks with the first three goals early in the opening quarter. Melbourne regrouped, pushed players back deep into its defence and used its numbers there to repulse Carlton's attacks and frustrate their momentum. Were it not for its own habit of frustrating its coach and supporters with poor disposal of the ball and even poorer decision making, the home side might have had a much bigger lead when Green's second major sailed through the posts. By that time, several scoring opportunities had been wasted including simple shots from close in by Mark Jamar, Matthew Whelan, Cameron Bruce and Clint Bartram. As it was, Melbourne's promising push for victory collapsed in a heap in the space of minutes. From the next bounce, Brent Moloney's game started unravelling and turned into a nightmare for his team when he was penalised for what was deemed an illegal tackle. The ball then rebounded backwards and forwards as if in a pinball machine for a brief period when Moloney was in the play on two or three occasions. He missed out on a couple of free kicks and then was penalised again for an allegedly high tackle on Carlton's Darren Pfeiffer. It was a lucky free but Moloney let out his frustration and gave away an unnecessary 50 metre penalty for a goal that leveled the scores. The Blues had Judd and Stevens in the middle and their most expensive recruit ever decided to let loose. His goal on the run gave his team its second in the space of a matter of seconds. Green was back on but now in defence to help block the onslaught. However, it was already too late as Judd was on fire and Carlton had scored four goals in the blink of an eye to go to a three goal lead. The Demon players' heads dropped and skipper David Neitz, who was having a shocker up forward, went off with a neck injury that looks it might be like a long term problem. With the departure of Neitz, the umpires reinstated the hands in the back rule and the beneficiaries were the visiting team. By the main break they had booted seven unanswered goals to skip away to a 31 point lead. In the last half, Melbourne looked the better side and, apart from some of the usual brain fades that supporters have become accustomed to in this year of living hell, it could have been well placed for a final grab at victory. They fluffed enough opportunities in a dour and dull third quarter (even Green who is known as the club's sharpshooter skewed a shot from dead in front which was enough for the coach to tear out what remained of his hair) to allow Judd to put the game out of their reach when he marked in front for the first goal of the half late in the third stanza. A scuffle erupted as Judd was lining up for goal with Whelan complaining that he'd been whacked head high by a sheepish looking Brendan Fevola - the result was inevitable and in the end the Demon was reported and the Fev was back in the game with a gift goal. Game over. The Demons didn't stop however. They kept coming and were well served by their sometimes maligned first round draft picks from 2003 in Brock McLean and Colin Sylvia. McLean had a fantastic duel with Chris Judd and, although he lacked moneybag's brilliance and ability to kick the vital goal when needed, he plugged away with strength and was the game's leading possession winner. Sylvia is finally finding his niche in defence where his powerful running, attack on the ball and his strong marking has been very good in the past few weeks. A run of goals came with Green continuing to stand out and youngsters Cale Morton and Aussie Wonaeamirri making a contribution, Robbo standing up for once or twice and Nathan Jones chiming in with some strong work. Some might raise their eyebrows at this but I thought James Frawley did well when thrown onto Fevola late in the game. The Carlton spearhead kicked three goals but one was from an unstoppable Judd pass and a soft 50 metre penalty, one from a flukey kick off the ground and the last from a mark on the boundary line and an after-the-siren miracle shot that somehow found its way through the big sticks. Despite that, Frawley showed that he has a fine defensive brain and one can only hope that the selectors persevere with him because the experience gained from playing against top forwards under the team's present adversity is exactly what is needed. Bring some other youngsters into the team as well because they will learn more about the Bailey game plan and how to improve themselves at this level than they ever will at Sandringham. Still, there's a lot of room for improvement. The players need to get better at their foot skills, their handballing, their decision making, discipline (far too many opposition goals are being scored thanks to unnecessary free kicks and/or 50 metre penalties) and the execution of tactics and strategies. Other than that there's only one problem from my point of view and that's for the coaches to get their rotations right. I'm not sure that the policy of chasing world records in rotations is such a good policy. I've seen players interchanging on the northern stand side when the ball's in play along the southern stand and the team seems to be one or two players short where the action happens to be. On Saturday we saw Mark Jamar almost handball to Nathan Jones who was more focused in running of to the interchange. And then there was the case of Green coming off just when he was firing on all cylinders. I'm old fashioned and I would have kept him on the ground a little longer. Who knows if it would have changed the way the game unfolded but that's football! All in all, Melbourne is getting closer and with players like Matthew Bate, Colin Garland, Stef Martin and Addam Maric doing well at Sandringham, there's more material to throw into the mix. Sooner or later, they'll get it right simply by chipping away and getting games into the younger players. We are only a week away from the much awaited reassessment of the team by the football department and the winds of change are blowing at the Melbourne Football Club. Melbourne 1.3.9 4.5.29 4.9.33 9.14.68 Carlton 3.321 10.6.66 12.10.82 15.11.101 Goals Melbourne Green 4 Robertson 2 Jamar Jones McDonald Carlton Fevola 7 Judd 3 Fisher Kreuzer Murphy S O'hAilpin Pfeiffer Best Melbourne Green McDonald McLean Sylvia Rivers Bruce Carlton Judd Fevola Thornton Cloke Murphy Injuries Melbourne Neitz (neck) Carlton Gibbs (back soreness) replaced in selected side by Bentick Reports Whelan (Melb) for allegedly striking Fevola (Carlton) in third quarter Thornton (Carlton) for allegedly striking Bartram (Melb) in fourth quarter Umpires Schmitt Stevic Stewart Crowd 44,159 at MCG.

by The Oracle Brad Green was on the ground Melbourne on Saturday against Carlton for 86% of the game but he missed its most crucial moments. After playing a significant role in not only bringing his team back into the game but actually into the lead - a rare Demon achievement for season 2008 - Green was taken off for a breather. What transpired after that was a momentous turn around in the game. Green had just kicked his second goal for the second term and his team's fourth on end after the Blues crashed out of the blocks with the first three goals early in the opening quarter. Melbourne regrouped, pushed players back deep into its defence and used its numbers there to repulse Carlton's attacks and frustrate their momentum. Were it not for its own habit of frustrating its coach and supporters with poor disposal of the ball and even poorer decision making, the home side might have had a much bigger lead when Green's second major sailed through the posts. By that time, several scoring opportunities had been wasted including simple shots from close in by Mark Jamar, Matthew Whelan, Cameron Bruce and Clint Bartram. As it was, Melbourne's promising push for victory collapsed in a heap in the space of minutes. From the next bounce, Brent Moloney's game started unravelling and turned into a nightmare for his team when he was penalised for what was deemed an illegal tackle. The ball then rebounded backwards and forwards as if in a pinball machine for a brief period when Moloney was in the play on two or three occasions. He missed out on a couple of free kicks and then was penalised again for an allegedly high tackle on Carlton's Darren Pfeiffer. It was a lucky free but Moloney let out his frustration and gave away an unnecessary 50 metre penalty for a goal that leveled the scores. The Blues had Judd and Stevens in the middle and their most expensive recruit ever decided to let loose. His goal on the run gave his team its second in the space of a matter of seconds. Green was back on but now in defence to help block the onslaught. However, it was already too late as Judd was on fire and Carlton had scored four goals in the blink of an eye to go to a three goal lead. The Demon players' heads dropped and skipper David Neitz, who was having a shocker up forward, went off with a neck injury that looks it might be like a long term problem. With the departure of Neitz, the umpires reinstated the hands in the back rule and the beneficiaries were the visiting team. By the main break they had booted seven unanswered goals to skip away to a 31 point lead. In the last half, Melbourne looked the better side and, apart from some of the usual brain fades that supporters have become accustomed to in this year of living hell, it could have been well placed for a final grab at victory. They fluffed enough opportunities in a dour and dull third quarter (even Green who is known as the club's sharpshooter skewed a shot from dead in front which was enough for the coach to tear out what remained of his hair) to allow Judd to put the game out of their reach when he marked in front for the first goal of the half late in the third stanza. A scuffle erupted as Judd was lining up for goal with Whelan complaining that he'd been whacked head high by a sheepish looking Brendan Fevola - the result was inevitable and in the end the Demon was reported and the Fev was back in the game with a gift goal. Game over. The Demons didn't stop however. They kept coming and were well served by their sometimes maligned first round draft picks from 2003 in Brock McLean and Colin Sylvia. McLean had a fantastic duel with Chris Judd and, although he lacked moneybag's brilliance and ability to kick the vital goal when needed, he plugged away with strength and was the game's leading possession winner. Sylvia is finally finding his niche in defence where his powerful running, attack on the ball and his strong marking has been very good in the past few weeks. A run of goals came with Green continuing to stand out and youngsters Cale Morton and Aussie Wonaeamirri making a contribution, Robbo standing up for once or twice and Nathan Jones chiming in with some strong work. Some might raise their eyebrows at this but I thought James Frawley did well when thrown onto Fevola late in the game. The Carlton spearhead kicked three goals but one was from an unstoppable Judd pass and a soft 50 metre penalty, one from a flukey kick off the ground and the last from a mark on the boundary line and an after-the-siren miracle shot that somehow found its way through the big sticks. Despite that, Frawley showed that he has a fine defensive brain and one can only hope that the selectors persevere with him because the experience gained from playing against top forwards under the team's present adversity is exactly what is needed. Bring some other youngsters into the team as well because they will learn more about the Bailey game plan and how to improve themselves at this level than they ever will at Sandringham. Still, there's a lot of room for improvement. The players need to get better at their foot skills, their handballing, their decision making, discipline (far too many opposition goals are being scored thanks to unnecessary free kicks and/or 50 metre penalties) and the execution of tactics and strategies. Other than that there's only one problem from my point of view and that's for the coaches to get their rotations right. I'm not sure that the policy of chasing world records in rotations is such a good policy. I've seen players interchanging on the northern stand side when the ball's in play along the southern stand and the team seems to be one or two players short where the action happens to be. On Saturday we saw Mark Jamar almost handball to Nathan Jones who was more focused in running of to the interchange. And then there was the case of Green coming off just when he was firing on all cylinders. I'm old fashioned and I would have kept him on the ground a little longer. Who knows if it would have changed the way the game unfolded but that's football! All in all, Melbourne is getting closer and with players like Matthew Bate, Colin Garland, Stef Martin and Addam Maric doing well at Sandringham, there's more material to throw into the mix. Sooner or later, they'll get it right simply by chipping away and getting games into the younger players. We are only a week away from the much awaited reassessment of the team by the football department and the winds of change are blowing at the Melbourne Football Club. Melbourne 1.3.9 4.5.29 4.9.33 9.14.68 Carlton 3.321 10.6.66 12.10.82 15.11.101 Goals Melbourne Green 4 Robertson 2 Jamar Jones McDonald Carlton Fevola 7 Judd 3 Fisher Kreuzer Murphy S O'hAilpin Pfeiffer Best Melbourne Green McDonald McLean Sylvia Rivers Bruce Carlton Judd Fevola Thornton Cloke Murphy Injuries Melbourne Neitz (neck) Carlton Gibbs (back soreness) replaced in selected side by Bentick Reports Whelan (Melb) for allegedly striking Fevola (Carlton) in third quarter Thornton (Carlton) for allegedly striking Bartram (Melb) in fourth quarter Umpires Schmitt Stevic Stewart Crowd 44,159 at MCG.

In spite of MNY's criticism, Brock got the votes and took the lead - 25.7634 Brock McLean 19.984 Paul Wheatley 14.504 Paul Johnson 12.013 Cameron Bruce 11.86 Cale Morton 11.196 Aaron Davey 11.0726 Brad Green 10.0644 Jared Rivers 9.4428 James McDonald 7.38 Nathan Carroll 7.148 Colin Sylvia 6.6112 Austin Wonaemirri 5.904 Matthew Whelan 5.88 Brad Miller 5.2332 Nathan Jones 4.1 Jeff White 2.925 Brent Moloney 1.866 Lynden Dunn 0.732 Clint Bartram 0.65 Colin Garland 0.325 Simon Buckley

Normal deal - first three sets of serious votes on a 6,5,4,3,2,1 basis. Weighted average this week .6832.

A DRAWN OUT AFFAIR by Clyde the Clifton Hill Cabbie They call me in to do match reviews when things are getting desperate around the place and I suppose after witnessing last week's debacle against North Melbourne at the G, things are about as desperate as they can get, so here I am. When you can't find a way to trouble the scoreboard attendant until your opponent has already notched up twelve scoring shots and kicked a couple of others out of bounds on the full, you know that you've hit rock bottom. Well, not quite. Actually, you know that you've hit rock bottom when you come up against a team that has just ended a record 14 game losing streak and the bookies have them as raging favourites at $1.35 to win and you're rated at just $3.00. Perhaps there's some value there but, it means that it probably isn't worth the gamble. That's what my knowledgeable fares tell me anyway (I only take them too the races, they're usually too broke to take them home). Anyway, when you're quoted at $3.00 against a nag that was headed for the glue factory last week, then you've not only hit the rock bottom stage but you're also digging yourself a deep hole from which there is little hope of return. Carlton fans have come out of the woodwork since last Sunday's win and are cock-a-hoop and crowing about how they are going to give the Demons an almighty flogging. But look who they beat last weekend? Collingwood. The AFL’s love child – a 2007 top four team and one which came to within a heartbeat of playing off in the grand final (and probably winning it) against Port Adelaide. But the Magpies of 2008 have been but a shadow of last year's outfit. As a top team from 2007, the AFL doled out the ideal programme to them for this year. It included the opening four games against teams that occupied the bottom half of the ladder in 2007. Their dividend from four games is a 50% record which is pathetic - just wait until they play good sides like the big three! Now obviously, Melbourne isn't travelling all that flash either and Demon fans would have wet dreams about a 50:50 win-loss record so far, and I don't know why, but I like the look of their team for tomorrow. Collingwood lost to Carlton last week because of its arrogance in underestimating its opposition. The way Carlton and its supporters are carrying on at the moment, they might well be falling into the same trap. All we need to see is a Melbourne playing with a bit of emotion and the players using their brains and an upset will be on the cards. There's other thing Melbourne has going for it now. The club received an absolute hammering from Caroline Wilson in the Age during the week. That's usually a good sign because Caro slagged off at Richmond and its poor culture last week, and the Tigers responded with a 64-point win against Fremantle at Subiaco. The Demons are under siege and it's their turn for the next big improvement. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG – Sunday 20 April 2008 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 90 wins Carlton 109 wins 2 draws At the MCG Melbourne 48 wins Carlton 43 wins Since 2000: Melbourne 8 wins Carlton 4 wins The Coaches: Bailey 0 wins Ratten 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 at 1.00pm (live) Replays on The Comedy Channel at 8.00pm and 11.00pm. RADIO 774ABC SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $3.00 Carlton to win $1.35 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 21.13.139 defeated Carlton 15.18.108 Round 22, 2007, at The MCG The ultimate "tank" game and one that will long live on in the memory of all those who attended. The prize for losing will be on display this Sunday wearing a Carlton Guernsey. Take your pick whether that person is Chris Judd or Matthew Kreuzer. For Melbourne, Travis Johnstone collected a season high 42 disposals which was enough to send him packing north to Brisbane in return for National Draft pick number 14. Meanwhile, Melbourne's coach for the day was rewarded by getting a posting as an assistant coach at Carlton. He should be able to work out the Demons' weaknesses this week because plenty of them were exposed during his brief coaching stint (mind you compared to that of the current coach, it's a record to be proud of). THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Nathan Carroll Daniel Bell Half backs Paul Wheatley Jared Rivers Cameron Bruce Centreline Brad Green Brock McLean Clint Bartram Half forwards Cale Morton Russell Robertson Colin Sylvia Forwards Aaron Davey David Neitz Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White James McDonald Nathan Jones Interchange Lynden Dunn James Frawley Mark Jamar Brent Moloney Emergencies Colin Garland Chris Johnson Matthew Warnock In James Frawley Brent Moloney Out Chris Johnson (omitted) Brad Miller (suspended) CARLTON Backs Michael Jamison Bret Thornton Jordan Russell Half backs Heath Scotland Jarrad Waite Paul Bower Centreline Andrew Carrazzo Marc Murphy Bryce Gibbs Half forwards Kade Simpson Brad Fisher Nick Stevens Forwards Eddie Betts Brendan Fevola Cameron Cloke Followers Matthew Kreuzer Richard Hadley Chris Judd Interchange Jordan Bannister Shaun Grigg Setanta O'hAilpin Darren Pfeiffer Emergencies Dennis Armfield Adam Bentick Adam Hartlett No change AND ANOTHER THING Now that I've pumped up Melbourne's tyres a bit, I do want to get a few things off my chest. I'm so sick and tired of hearing the words "game plan" that I've put up a notice in my cab to the effect that passengers who utter those words will be ejected without further warning. Fair dinkum. There's only one frigging game plan in footy and that's to try to finish in front of your opponent when the final siren sounds. That can't happen whether you run and carry, go long or stand on your head if you can't deliver the ball properly to your team mates. It's not rocket science but I get the feeling that Melbourne's players are too frightened to make mistakes and that's exactly when you compound the problem. It was no co-incidence last week when the Demons loosened up a bit at the end of the game, that they actually outscored the opposition to win a quarter for the first time this season. Hopefully, they've learned their lesson and are prepared to play with some more flair and confidence. Against a team that has one of the competition's weakest defences, I'm expecting bigger things from the Dees this week. Their two key forwards David Neitz and Russell Robertson have to stand up and do just something. Neita's dividend of three goals from four games so far has been nowhere near good enough for him to retain his place in the team but, despite his age, he's too good a footballer to be kept down for too long. He needs an early goal and he'll be on his way. And so does Robbo because the way he's been going, his grand finals are fast approaching – one of them is on a celebrity talent programme and the other is likely to be the grand finale to his career unless he starts standing his ground playing for four quarters and not a cameo in junk time. By comparison, we have Carlton, which relies on Brendan Fevola to kick a lot of their goals. He's been firing on all cylinders for the past two weeks since he got off the grof but this week he runs into an even rougher nut than he is, in Nathan Carroll. The Demon defender will relish the opportunity to play against such an exalted bogan. If he can keep the Blues' spearhead to under ten goals without urinating on the MCG advertising boards, he will have done his job and the Demons could well be on their way to an unexpected victory. However, I’m still not sure if either side has developed a culture of winning yet. One swallow doesn't make a summer and the Blues will realise that it's not that easy to get away from what you've become used to for so long. The game will revive menories of their shameful tanking performance while playing in Carlton jumper against the red and the blue should bring a lump to Chris Judd's throat (and, no I'm not suggesting that anyone should perform a Barry Hall on him). The emotion of the day might well be too much for the Blues. On the other hand, the Demons have forgotten what it's like to come home with a well earned victory and the odds on a draw are tempting for me, so that's what I'm tipping. A draw.

by Clyde the Clifton Hill Cabbie They call me in to do match reviews when things are getting desperate around the place and I suppose after witnessing last week's debacle against North Melbourne at the G, things are about as desperate as they can get, so here I am. When you can't find a way to trouble the scoreboard attendant until your opponent has already notched up twelve scoring shots and kicked a couple of others out of bounds on the full, you know that you've hit rock bottom. Well, not quite. Actually, you know that you've hit rock bottom when you come up against a team that has just ended a record 14 game losing streak and the bookies have them as raging favourites at $1.35 to win and you're rated at just $3.00. Perhaps there's some value there but, it means that it probably isn't worth the gamble. That's what my knowledgeable fares tell me anyway (I only take them too the races, they're usually too broke to take them home). Anyway, when you're quoted at $3.00 against a nag that was headed for the glue factory last week, then you've not only hit the rock bottom stage but you're also digging yourself a deep hole from which there is little hope of return. Carlton fans have come out of the woodwork since last Sunday's win and are cock-a-hoop and crowing about how they are going to give the Demons an almighty flogging. But look who they beat last weekend? Collingwood. The AFL’s love child – a 2007 top four team and one which came to within a heartbeat of playing off in the grand final (and probably winning it) against Port Adelaide. But the Magpies of 2008 have been but a shadow of last year's outfit. As a top team from 2007, the AFL doled out the ideal programme to them for this year. It included the opening four games against teams that occupied the bottom half of the ladder in 2007. Their dividend from four games is a 50% record which is pathetic - just wait until they play good sides like the big three! Now obviously, Melbourne isn't travelling all that flash either and Demon fans would have wet dreams about a 50:50 win-loss record so far, and I don't know why, but I like the look of their team for tomorrow. Collingwood lost to Carlton last week because of its arrogance in underestimating its opposition. The way Carlton and its supporters are carrying on at the moment, they might well be falling into the same trap. All we need to see is a Melbourne playing with a bit of emotion and the players using their brains and an upset will be on the cards. There's other thing Melbourne has going for it now. The club received an absolute hammering from Caroline Wilson in the Age during the week. That's usually a good sign because Caro slagged off at Richmond and its poor culture last week, and the Tigers responded with a 64-point win against Fremantle at Subiaco. The Demons are under siege and it's their turn for the next big improvement. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG – Sunday 20 April 2008 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 90 wins Carlton 109 wins 2 draws At the MCG Melbourne 48 wins Carlton 43 wins Since 2000: Melbourne 8 wins Carlton 4 wins The Coaches: Bailey 0 wins Ratten 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 at 1.00pm (live) Replays on The Comedy Channel at 8.00pm and 11.00pm. RADIO 774ABC SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $3.00 Carlton to win $1.35 LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 21.13.139 defeated Carlton 15.18.108 Round 22, 2007, at The MCG The ultimate "tank" game and one that will long live on in the memory of all those who attended. The prize for losing will be on display this Sunday wearing a Carlton Guernsey. Take your pick whether that person is Chris Judd or Matthew Kreuzer. For Melbourne, Travis Johnstone collected a season high 42 disposals which was enough to send him packing north to Brisbane in return for National Draft pick number 14. Meanwhile, Melbourne's coach for the day was rewarded by getting a posting as an assistant coach at Carlton. He should be able to work out the Demons' weaknesses this week because plenty of them were exposed during his brief coaching stint (mind you compared to that of the current coach, it's a record to be proud of). THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Nathan Carroll Daniel Bell Half backs Paul Wheatley Jared Rivers Cameron Bruce Centreline Brad Green Brock McLean Clint Bartram Half forwards Cale Morton Russell Robertson Colin Sylvia Forwards Aaron Davey David Neitz Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White James McDonald Nathan Jones Interchange Lynden Dunn James Frawley Colin Garland Mark Jamar Chris Johnson Brent Moloney Matthew Warnock Emergencies Colin Garland Chris Johnson Matthew Warnock In James Frawley Brent Moloney Out Chris Johnson (omitted) Brad Miller (suspended) CARLTON Backs Michael Jamison Bret Thornton Jordan Russell Half backs Heath Scotland Jarrad Waite Paul Bower Centreline Andrew Carrazzo Marc Murphy Bryce Gibbs Half forwards Kade Simpson Brad Fisher Nick Stevens Forwards Eddie Betts Brendan Fevola Cameron Cloke Followers Matthew Kreuzer Richard Hadley Chris Judd Interchange Jordan Bannister Shaun Grigg Setanta O'hAilpin Darren Pfeiffer Emergencies Dennis Armfield Adam Bentick Adam Hartlett No change AND ANOTHER THING Now that I've pumped up Melbourne's tyres a bit, I do want to get a few things off my chest. I'm so sick and tired of hearing the words "game plan" that I've put up a notice in my cab to the effect that passengers who utter those words will be ejected without further warning. Fair dinkum. There's only one frigging game plan in footy and that's to try to finish in front of your opponent when the final siren sounds. That can't happen whether you run and carry, go long or stand on your head if you can't deliver the ball properly to your team mates. It's not rocket science but I get the feeling that Melbourne's players are too frightened to make mistakes and that's exactly when you compound the problem. It was no co-incidence last week when the Demons loosened up a bit at the end of the game, that they actually outscored the opposition to win a quarter for the first time this season. Hopefully, they've learned their lesson and are prepared to play with some more flair and confidence. Against a team that has one of the competition's weakest defences, I'm expecting bigger things from the Dees this week. Their two key forwards David Neitz and Russell Robertson have to stand up and do just something. Neita's dividend of three goals from four games so far has been nowhere near good enough for him to retain his place in the team but, despite his age, he's too good a footballer to be kept down for too long. He needs an early goal and he'll be on his way. And so does Robbo because the way he's been going, his grand finals are fast approaching – one of them is on a celebrity talent programme and the other is likely to be the grand finale to his career unless he starts standing his ground playing for four quarters and not a cameo in junk time. By comparison, we have Carlton, which relies on Brendan Fevola to kick a lot of their goals. He's been firing on all cylinders for the past two weeks since he got off the grof but this week he runs into an even rougher nut than he is, in Nathan Carroll. The Demon defender will relish the opportunity to play against such an exalted bogan. If he can keep the Blues' spearhead to under ten goals without urinating on the MCG advertising boards, he will have done his job and the Demons could well be on their way to an unexpected victory. However, I’m still not sure if either side has developed a culture of winning yet. One swallow doesn't make a summer and the Blues will realise that it's not that easy to get away from what you've become used to for so long. The game will revive menories of their shameful tanking performance while playing in Carlton jumper against the red and the blue should bring a lump to Chris Judd's throat (and, no I'm not suggesting that anyone should perform a Barry Hall on him). The emotion of the day might well be too much for the Blues. On the other hand, the Demons have forgotten what it's like to come home with a well earned victory and the odds on a draw are tempting for me, so that's what I'm tipping. A draw.

ZEBRAS LAMENT by Barry from Beach Road The Zebras started as firm favourites to prevail over rival club Frankston in Sunday's bayside derby at the Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval. They had the optimum number of 12 Melbourne Football Club affiliated players and a number of others with experience at the elite level giving them a combined tally of several hundred AFL games under their belt. On the other hand, the Dolphins were hit by injury, missing a key ruckman in Eames and dangerous forward Limbach and cobbled together an inexperienced side that included three first gamers at VFL level. It seemed that Sandy had only to turn up to claim the four premiership points on offer. Unfortunately, while the script ran that way early in the game, Frankston took the game right up to Sandringham and overpowered the home side to score an upset 12 point victory and leave the home team lamenting after their strong all round team performance. The Zebras were off to a good start as they raced away to a 26 point lead approaching the quarter time siren with Stefan Martin controlling the rucks, Simon Buckley kicking two booming long goals and 17 year old Addam Maric causing Frankston problems both around the ground and near the goals. The lead was pegged back to 20 points with a Dolphin goal on the siren but Sandringham looked well in control. Things changed in the second term as the visitors got their act together and began playing as a team, running in twos and threes to move the ball quickly forward. Sandringham lost the dominance of Martin to injury and this left young Jake Spencer to virtually play a lone hand on the ball against Frankston's rucks. Coach Andy Lovell was forced to move Nick Sautner and Michael Newton (neither was playing well anyway) to act as back ups to Spencer. With Rod Crowe out, the Zebras were struggling in the key forward positions where they are normally a strength. Sandringham maintained its lead into the major interval but now led by a narrow margin of five points although it did have the advantage of what seemed to be the scoring end going into the third term. However, Frankston's confidence was high and it now controlled the centre clearances with Sandy's normally steady midfielder like Peter Summers and Shane Valenti well down on their usual form. As a consequence, the normally solid defence wilted under pressure and the Dolphins took over the running. They snatched the lead halfway through the third quarter and never looked back from there although, to their credit, the Zebras made a number of spirited attempts to get back into the game. Andy Biddlecombe who had fought well in defence was summoned up forward for a while but was unable to repeat the heroics of the grand final from a couple of years ago and Sautner and Newton continued to be well held. Sautner remained goalless for the day and Newton managed just one goal - albeit a ripper from 55 metres. Maric finished with five goals in a sparkling performance and first gamer Shane Tregear was lively and kicked a nice goal when the chips were down. Brent Moloney and Colin Garland were good in patches. All in all, it was a disappointing performance that sees the Zebras in negative territory in terms of games won and lost which is a rarity for the club in recent years. They face a tough task at City Oval Box Hill on Sunday in an effort square the ledger at two all. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Jace Bode - started well in defence and provided a bit of early run before fading out of the game. Simon Buckley - was dominant in the first term when he stood out with his pace, preparedness to run through the lines and kick the ball long into attack to score two brilliant goals. He was hot and cold after that but may well have done enough to earn promotion. James Frawley - showed some real hope for the future with a display of his fine talent and athleticism . Frawley is developing well at Sandringham and should get AFL game time during the season. Colin Garland - plugged away all day, took a few telling marks and worked hard whether in defence or going forward. Stefan Martin - was doing well in the ruck until injured late in the first term. Addam Maric - a standout game from the youngster who turns 18 on Friday. He was not only deadly around the big sticks with five goals but also worked hard when further afield and he definitely merits promotion given Melbourne's ordinary form. Brent Moloney - started like a house on fire and, despite a few quiet moments, has most likely earned a return to the Melbourne team. Michael Newton - a poor game from Newton who seems to have lost the spark he was showing twelve months ago. Jake Spencer - called into the side to take the relief ruck role but when Stef Martin was injured early, had to play virtually a lone hand against two inexperienced big men from Frankston. Held his own but has a long, long way to go. Shane Valenti - heavily tagged out of the game and had no influence whatsoever. Matthew Warnock - one of the few triers in the team but didn' do enough to earn consideration for a berth in the AFL next week. Adem Yze -a better effort this week although still well below his best. Lifted in the final quarter but it wasn't enough to get his team across the line. The reserves featured five Demons including Matthew Bate who starred and Isaac Weetra who had his moments. Kyle Cheney looked strong and impressed with his persistance and determination. Sandringham 5.4.34 7.5.47 9.8.62 13.12.90 Frankston 2.2.14 6.6.42 10.9.69 15.12.102 Goals Sandringham Maric 5 Buckley 2 Liddell Newton Spencer Summers Tregear Yze Frankston Murray 3 Clark Dickson Proctor 2 Barker Berry Conroy Gabriel Magner Best Sandringham Biddlecombe Lamb Garland Warnock Tregear. Maric Frankston Pollard Marigliani Proctor Conroy Magner P Whelan RESERVES RUN RIOT It took a full quarter for the Zebra reserves to throw off the cobwebs but after that they ran riot over the Dolphins in the curtain raiser to win by 82 points. Sandringham booted seven goals straight with the wind in the second quarter and bettered that with nine in the last in a pleasing team performance. The Zebras were led by a strong performance from the experienced Guy Martin and Jarrod Plymin from Port Melbourne and Demon Matthew Bate, recovering from a pre season hamstring injury was also in devastating form with 32 touches, 14 of them in the opening stanza. Sandringham 2.3.15 9.3.57 14.7.91 22.13.145 Frankston 1.3.9 3.8.26 7.14.56 8.15.63 Goals Sandringham Dean Martyn Summons 4 Lockwood Waller 3 Cleeve Gilchrist Lyall Vickers Frankston Lourey 4 Krakouer Morris Potts Rebeschini Best Sandringham Martyn Plymin Bate Lockwood Dean Curcio Frankston Barry Bosward Degenhardt Krakouer Lourey Lombardozzi

by Barry from Beach Road The Zebras started as firm favourites to prevail over rival club Frankston in Sunday's bayside derby at the Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval. They had the optimum number of 12 Melbourne Football Club affiliated players and a number of others with experience at the elite level giving them a combined tally of several hundred AFL games under their belt. On the other hand, the Dolphins were hit by injury, missing a key ruckman in Eames and dangerous forward Limbach and cobbled together an inexperienced side that included three first gamers at VFL level. It seemed that Sandy had only to turn up to claim the four premiership points on offer. Unfortunately, while the script ran that way early in the game, Frankston took the game right up to Sandringham and overpowered the home side to score an upset 12 point victory and leave the home team lamenting after their strong all round team performance. The Zebras were off to a good start as they raced away to a 26 point lead approaching the quarter time siren with Stefan Martin controlling the rucks, Simon Buckley kicking two booming long goals and 17 year old Addam Maric causing Frankston problems both around the ground and near the goals. The lead was pegged back to 20 points with a Dolphin goal on the siren but Sandringham looked well in control. Things changed in the second term as the visitors got their act together and began playing as a team, running in twos and threes to move the ball quickly forward. Sandringham lost the dominance of Martin to injury and this left young Jake Spencer to virtually play a lone hand on the ball against Frankston's rucks. Coach Andy Lovell was forced to move Nick Sautner and Michael Newton (neither was playing well anyway) to act as back ups to Spencer. With Rod Crowe out, the Zebras were struggling in the key forward positions where they are normally a strength. Sandringham maintained its lead into the major interval but now led by a narrow margin of five points although it did have the advantage of what seemed to be the scoring end going into the third term. However, Frankston's confidence was high and it now controlled the centre clearances with Sandy's normally steady midfielder like Peter Summers and Shane Valenti well down on their usual form. As a consequence, the normally solid defence wilted under pressure and the Dolphins took over the running. They snatched the lead halfway through the third quarter and never looked back from there although, to their credit, the Zebras made a number of spirited attempts to get back into the game. Andy Biddlecombe who had fought well in defence was summoned up forward for a while but was unable to repeat the heroics of the grand final from a couple of years ago and Sautner and Newton continued to be well held. Sautner remained goalless for the day and Newton managed just one goal - albeit a ripper from 55 metres. Maric finished with five goals in a sparkling performance and first gamer Shane Tregear was lively and kicked a nice goal when the chips were down. Brent Moloney and Colin Garland were good in patches. All in all, it was a disappointing performance that sees the Zebras in negative territory in terms of games won and lost which is a rarity for the club in recent years. They face a tough task at City Oval Box Hill on Sunday in an effort square the ledger at two all. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Jace Bode - started well in defence and provided a bit of early run before fading out of the game. Simon Buckley - was dominant in the first term when he stood out with his pace, preparedness to run through the lines and kick the ball long into attack to score two brilliant goals. He was hot and cold after that but may well have done enough to earn promotion. James Frawley - showed some real hope for the future with a display of his fine talent and athleticism . Frawley is developing well at Sandringham and should get AFL game time during the season. Colin Garland - plugged away all day, took a few telling marks and worked hard whether in defence or going forward. Stefan Martin - was doing well in the ruck until injured late in the first term. Addam Maric - a standout game from the youngster who turns 18 on Friday. He was not only deadly around the big sticks with five goals but also worked hard when further afield and he definitely merits promotion given Melbourne's ordinary form. Brent Moloney - started like a house on fire and, despite a few quiet moments, has most likely earned a return to the Melbourne team. Michael Newton - a poor game from Newton who seems to have lost the spark he was showing twelve months ago. Jake Spencer - called into the side to take the relief ruck role but when Stef Martin was injured early, had to play virtually a lone hand against two inexperienced big men from Frankston. Held his own but has a long, long way to go. Shane Valenti - heavily tagged out of the game and had no influence whatsoever. Matthew Warnock - one of the few triers in the team but didn' do enough to earn consideration for a berth in the AFL next week. Adem Yze -a better effort this week although still well below his best. Lifted in the final quarter but it wasn't enough to get his team across the line. The reserves featured five Demons including Matthew Bate who starred and Isaac Weetra who had his moments. Kyle Cheney looked strong and impressed with his persistance and determination. Sandringham 5.4.34 7.5.47 9.8.62 13.12.90 Frankston 2.2.14 6.6.42 10.9.69 15.12.102 Goals Sandringham Maric 5 Buckley 2 Liddell Newton Spencer Summers Tregear Yze Frankston Murray 3 Clark Dickson Proctor 2 Barker Berry Conroy Gabriel Magner Best Sandringham Biddlecombe Lamb Garland Warnock Tregear. Maric Frankston Pollard Marigliani Proctor Conroy Magner P Whelan RESERVES RUN RIOT It took a full quarter for the Zebra reserves to throw off the cobwebs but after that they ran riot over the Dolphins in the curtain raiser to win by 82 points. Sandringham booted seven goals straight with the wind in the second quarter and bettered that with nine in the last in a pleasing team performance. The Zebras were led by a strong performance from the experienced Guy Martin and Jarrod Plymin from Port Melbourne and Demon Matthew Bate, recovering from a pre season hamstring injury was also in devastating form with 32 touches, 14 of them in the opening stanza. Sandringham 2.3.15 9.3.57 14.7.91 22.13.145 Frankston 1.3.9 3.8.26 7.14.56 8.15.63 Goals Sandringham Dean Martyn Summons 4 Lockwood Waller 3 Cleeve Gilchrist Lyall Vickers Frankston Lourey 4 Krakouer Morris Potts Rebeschini Best Sandringham Martyn Plymin Bate Lockwood Dean Curcio Frankston Barry Bosward Degenhardt Krakouer Lourey Lombardozzi

Thanks to the AFL he was deemed not to have a case to answer when he whacked a St. Kilda player forty metres away from the ball in the 2005 Preliminary Final. If that was in the play then his stoush with Staker was also in the play and I'm sure the good people at the AFL will deem it accidental contact and give him .975 demerit points allowing him to take his place in the team next week. On the other hand, a Melbourne player would get ...

KANGAROOS COP KEYSTONE by Whispering Jack The bloke who came to the game with me stood up suddenly and said, "That's it. I've had enough. I'm out of here," and with that he was gone ... This was an unusual event because, in all of the years that we've been going to the footy, he's usually stayed, even to the bitter end when we were getting a flogging in the wind and the rain at some of the old inhospitable suburban locations where they used to play the game at its highest level. More unusual was the fact that we were ten minutes away from half time. The score line that showed Melbourne trailing by 45 points (1.2.8 to 7.11.53) wasn't pretty but it was still only a little over an hour ago that he'd purchased an all day return ticket to Richmond Station when he could have bought the cheaper two hour version. Something had to be wrong. I have to admit that it came as a relief later in the day on discovering that there were no reports on the 5 o'clock news bulletin of any water police dredging the Yarra for bodies under the Bolte Bridge. And so it is that life goes on! Life went on for the Melbourne Football Club yesterday, although, in truth, life was barely hanging on by the knuckles. For the first fifty or so minutes of the game it was extremely difficult to detect a pulse as the season from hell continued. And if there is little heartbeat or pulse in the grand old flag these days, there's also very little soul. The first quarter resembled a badly scripted scene from an old Keystone Cops feature. I could never quite get my head around how it was possible for those cops to bungle everything they attempted so Mack Sennett's silent film comedies always lacked an air of credibility until I was a witness to yesterday's opening quarter. I should add that the bungling wasn't confined to the Demons and the Kangaroos contributed to the antics with some poor football of their own kicking 0.7 in the first 20 or so minutes. Most teams worth their salt would take advantage of such a poor early return but the Demons weren't up to it because they were busily going on their merry way making skill errors and decision errors of their own like handpassing direct to opponents or at the feet of teammates or kicking to one on none contests where the "one" was wearing blue and white. The umpires were also equal to the task managing to destroy the game with a constant barrage of pathetic decision making that virtually started with the first bounce and later in the opening term handed North three of its first four goals on a platter. They didn't get better as the afternoon wore on either as they creatively invented new rules on the run that rewarded North Melbourne players for tripping over themselves and for taking dives and they were still bungling at the end of the game but I promised myself I wouldn't complain about the maggots this year, so I'll just shut up! But the real villains of the piece were the blokes wearing red and blue and the ones directing the play in the coach's box. I understand fully that they are being taught a new style of game (paradoxically described as a "game plan") but its execution was truly miserable. The only thing missing was the silly vaudeville music in the background to accompany the mistakes and muck-ups that were coming with such regularity that fans were loathe to cup their heads in their hands in despair for fear of missing another clanger. This more or less went on until I was left by myself late in the second quarter. During that time, there were a few triers who worked hard at limiting the mistakes. Brad Green was one of the few who showed some leadership which is another of those funny paradoxes since he's one of the few elders not in the leadership group. Aaron Davey, Paul Wheatley and Jeff White (the victim of an apparent new rule that penalises ruckmen holding the front position in ruck contests) tried and there was promise shown by Colin Sylvia, Lynden Dunn and the real "youngies" in Cale Morton and Austin Wonaeamirri. The latter two continue to improve and showed that the young are often better placed to learn new things. They represent where the club should be putting its faith for the rest of the year. The Keystone Cops never left the stage entirely but there was a marked improvement as the game went on and particularly in the final term when Melbourne kicked six goals and won its first quarter for the season. I don't know whether the instructions changed at the final huddle but they lost some of their hesitation and actually started running through the lines. There was more movement further afield when our players had the ball in their hands. Suddenly, they actually found targets to direct their kicks at and – voila – the result was measured in terms of goals and not sheer and utter despair for the supporters. Unfortunately, this came much too late in the day and the Demons lacked the leadership necessary to enable the mounting of the sort of counter-offensive the Brisbane Lions were able to provide that evening against Port Adelaide. I've been saying since before the season started that the club's leadership group is problematic. After witnessing yesterday's events, I have to add that it's much more than that – it's a debacle and some tough decisions will have to be made in this area in the near future. Those tough decisions will inevitably lead to more Melbourne-bashing in the media and in other quarters but all of the answers for the club now lie in it's youth which makes those decisions tougher but even more necessary. North Melbourne 4.8.32 8.11.59 13.15.83 18.19.127 Melbourne 1.0.6 3.6.24 5.10.40 11.13.79 Goals North Melbourne N Thompson 5 Edwards Thomas 3 Campbell Jones 2 Grant Harvey Je Smith Melbourne Robertson 3 Wonaeamirri 2 Davey Dunn Jamar McLean Wheatley White Best North Melbourne Harvey Wells Rawlings N.Thompson Edwards Power Campbell Firrito Melbourne Davey Green Wheatley Sylvia Morton Miller Injuries North Melbourne Gibson (knee) Melbourne Nil Changes North Melbourne Nil Melbourne Nil Reports North Melbourne Nil Melbourne Miller (charging) Umpires Farmer Armstrong McInerney Crowd 23,427 at the MCG

by Whispering Jack The bloke who came to the game with me stood up suddenly and said, "That's it. I've had enough. I'm out of here," and with that he was gone ... This was an unusual event because, in all of the years that we've been going to the footy, he's usually stayed, even to the bitter end when we were getting a flogging in the wind and the rain at some of the old inhospitable suburban locations where they used to play the game at its highest level. More unusual was the fact that we were ten minutes away from half time. The score line that showed Melbourne trailing by 45 points (1.2.8 to 7.11.53) wasn't pretty but it was still only a little over an hour ago that he'd purchased an all day return ticket to Richmond Station when he could have bought the cheaper two hour version. Something had to be wrong. I have to admit that it came as a relief later in the day on discovering that there were no reports on the 5 o'clock news bulletin of any water police dredging the Yarra for bodies under the Bolte Bridge. And so it is that life goes on! Life went on for the Melbourne Football Club yesterday, although, in truth, life was barely hanging on by the knuckles. For the first fifty or so minutes of the game it was extremely difficult to detect a pulse as the season from hell continued. And if there is little heartbeat or pulse in the grand old flag these days, there's also very little soul. The first quarter resembled a badly scripted scene from an old Keystone Cops feature. I could never quite get my head around how it was possible for those cops to bungle everything they attempted so Mack Sennett's silent film comedies always lacked an air of credibility until I was a witness to yesterday's opening quarter. I should add that the bungling wasn't confined to the Demons and the Kangaroos contributed to the antics with some poor football of their own kicking 0.7 in the first 20 or so minutes. Most teams worth their salt would take advantage of such a poor early return but the Demons weren't up to it because they were busily going on their merry way making skill errors and decision errors of their own like handpassing direct to opponents or at the feet of teammates or kicking to one on none contests where the "one" was wearing blue and white. The umpires were also equal to the task managing to destroy the game with a constant barrage of pathetic decision making that virtually started with the first bounce and later in the opening term handed North three of its first four goals on a platter. They didn't get better as the afternoon wore on either as they creatively invented new rules on the run that rewarded North Melbourne players for tripping over themselves and for taking dives and they were still bungling at the end of the game but I promised myself I wouldn't complain about the maggots this year, so I'll just shut up! But the real villains of the piece were the blokes wearing red and blue and the ones directing the play in the coach's box. I understand fully that they are being taught a new style of game (paradoxically described as a "game plan") but its execution was truly miserable. The only thing missing was the silly vaudeville music in the background to accompany the mistakes and muck-ups that were coming with such regularity that fans were loathe to cup their heads in their hands in despair for fear of missing another clanger. This more or less went on until I was left by myself late in the second quarter. During that time, there were a few triers who worked hard at limiting the mistakes. Brad Green was one of the few who showed some leadership which is another of those funny paradoxes since he's one of the few elders not in the leadership group. Aaron Davey, Paul Wheatley and Jeff White (the victim of an apparent new rule that penalises ruckmen holding the front position in ruck contests) tried and there was promise shown by Colin Sylvia, Lynden Dunn and the real "youngies" in Cale Morton and Austin Wonaeamirri. The latter two continue to improve and showed that the young are often better placed to learn new things. They represent where the club should be putting its faith for the rest of the year. The Keystone Cops never left the stage entirely but there was a marked improvement as the game went on and particularly in the final term when Melbourne kicked six goals and won its first quarter for the season. I don't know whether the instructions changed at the final huddle but they lost some of their hesitation and actually started running through the lines. There was more movement further afield when our players had the ball in their hands. Suddenly, they actually found targets to direct their kicks at and – voila – the result was measured in terms of goals and not sheer and utter despair for the supporters. Unfortunately, this came much too late in the day and the Demons lacked the leadership necessary to enable the mounting of the sort of counter-offensive the Brisbane Lions were able to provide that evening against Port Adelaide. I've been saying since before the season started that the club's leadership group is problematic. After witnessing yesterday's events, I have to add that it's much more than that – it's a debacle and some tough decisions will have to be made in this area in the near future. Those tough decisions will inevitably lead to more Melbourne-bashing in the media and in other quarters but all of the answers for the club now lie in it's youth which makes those decisions tougher but even more necessary. North Melbourne 4.8.32 8.11.59 13.15.83 18.19.127 Melbourne 1.0.6 3.6.24 5.10.40 11.13.79 Goals North Melbourne N Thompson 5 Edwards Thomas 3 Campbell Jones 2 Grant Harvey Je Smith Melbourne Robertson 3 Wonaeamirri 2 Davey Dunn Jamar McLean Wheatley White Best North Melbourne Harvey Wells Rawlings N.Thompson Edwards Power Campbell Firrito Melbourne Davey Green Wheatley Sylvia Morton Miller Injuries North Melbourne Gibson (knee) Melbourne Nil Changes North Melbourne Nil Melbourne Nil Reports North Melbourne Nil Melbourne Miller (charging) Umpires Farmer Armstrong McInerney Crowd 23,427 at the MCG

Paul Wheatley = new leader 19.984 Paul Wheatley 14.504 Paul Johnson 14.149 Brock McLean 12.013 Cameron Bruce 11.86 Cale Morton 11.196 Aaron Davey 7.38 Nathan Carroll 5.928 Austin Wonaemirri 5.88 Brad Miller 4.55 Nathan Jones 4.1 Jeff White 3.732 Colin Sylvia 3.294 James McDonald 2.925 Brent Moloney 2.488 Matthew Whelan 2.191 Brad Green 1.866 Lynden Dunn 1.866 Jared Rivers 0.732 Clint Bartram 0.65 Colin Garland 0.325 Simon Buckley

Let's have three new faces who haven't voted yet this year. Weighted average this week is .622. Votes on a 6,5,4,3,2,1 basis ...

Just out of interest what has she allegedly done?

IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP ... by JVM and Sam the Stats Man The Melbourne Football Club is at the crossroads as far as its 150th Anniversary Year is concerned. We are three rounds into the new season and the Demons are sitting in last place on a 0 and 3 record but we've been in that place before. In both of the past two seasons, Melbourne had the worst of all possible beginnings to their premiership campaigns but with significantly different outcomes. I defer to our resident Statistician, Sam the Stats Man to take you through those horror starts and to give a statistical insight into what might happen next: In 2006, the club was at a low ebb after opening with three defeats including a 19 point loss at Telstra Dome to the eventual wooden spooner, Carlton and a soul destroying 47 point loss at the same venue to the Bullies. The results were - Round 1 2006 Melbourne 10.12.72 lost to Carlton 13.15.93 Round 2 2006 Western Bulldogs 20.17.137 defeated Melbourne 12.18.90 Round 3 2006 Melbourne 14.13.97 lost to Adelaide 15.12.101 The ladder after Round 3 showed the Bulldogs on top (3-0), Adelaide in sixth place (2-1) and Carlton ninth (1-2). Melbourne was in 15th place with a percentage of 78.0 and ahead only of Richmond. Things looked bleak because the Demons' next game was an away fixture against Sydney but, against the odds, they turned things around and won a thriller by 5 points. They won their next four before losing by 22 points to eventual premiers, the Eagles at Subiaco which was the venue of their next defeat against Fremantle in Round 16. In the interim, they had won 11 out of 12 games. A 51 point victory over the Bulldogs in their return game at the MCG had the Demons well placed in third position but they lost Aaron Davey, Travis Johnstone and Byron Pickett to injury and fell again Carlton the following week. Wracked by injuries, the team limped into the finals and managed to win one against the Saints in a game where Brock McLean came of age, before falling at Subiaco in the following week's semi final. The end result was a fifth placing - the highest of all Victorian based teams that year. The injury curse continued into 2007 when the team once again made a poor start - Round 1 2007 Melbourne 9.8.62 lost to St. Kilda 13.15.93 Round 2 2007 Hawthorn 17.14.116 defeated Melbourne 14.10.94 Round 3 2007 Melbourne 8.9.57 lost to Geelong 15.19.109 All three of Melbourne's opponents were in the top eight on 2 - 1 records: the Cats were 2nd, the Saints 6th and the Hawks were 8th. The Demons were last with a percentage of 67.0. The horror run with injury persisted and there was almost no light in the tunnel although things were looking better with two consecutive wins in Rounds 10 and 11 against Adelaide (the club's ice-breaker for the season) and Collingwood. The club finished in 14th place after the farcical final round game in which Carlton "tanked" in order to win the notorious "Kreuzer Cup". And so we come to 2008 and statistically, Melbourne's start has been even worse than in 2006 and 2007 - Round 1 2007 Hawthorn 23.16.154 defeated Melbourne 6.14.50 Round 2 2007 Melbourne 9.12.66 lost to Western Bulldogs 24.17.161 Round 3 2007 Geelong defeated 16.16.112 defeated Melbourne 12.10.82 This time however, there is little doubting that the Demons have been provided with a tough initiation for their new coach. All three of the opponents to date are undefeated and naturally, they occupy the top three spots on the ladder. Melbourne is last with a measly percentage of 46.4 and hasn't won a quarter of football let alone a whole game. Statistically, there's very little to suggest that the Dees are going anywhere in season 2008 but to the very foot of the table although there are some small glimmers of hope. The result against Geelong was pleasing in that the team improved by at least 10 goals on what might have been the anticipated result in view of its two earlier shellackings. Despite the loss of Paul Johnson with a broken hand, the general trend as far as injuries are concerned is turning around markedly. Every week since the start of the season, the club's playing ranks have been strengthened through the return of key players after injury. Two weeks ago it was Clint Bartram, Lynden Dunn and Colin Sylvia, last week it was Jared Rivers and this week it's Matty Whelan. The number of experienced games missing through injury from players of higher value to the team is dropping at a rapid rate and that means the team's results have to get better. Every week so far, the club has increased by an increment of three, the number of goals it has kicked in a game - from 6, to 9, to 12. It's not beyond the bounds of statistical probability therefore to predict a 15 goals score line for the Demons against North this week which, based on the stats of all games played so far, should see them produce some winning quarters of football at last. There's a strong probability that a further improvement of that proportion will see them fall in by a narrow margin - say 5 points which is the same as the team's winning margin in 2006 against Sydney in the equivalent round. This should start to see a turn around in Melbourne's season, perhaps in the same way as that famous game at the SCG turned its fortunes around two years ago. I'm 50% sure of that! So that's the statistical analysis and, though it probably doesn't mean much, it shows that there's still hope even when you're at 0 and 3. The challenge of course, is to start winning games and that's another ball game altogether. That ball game starts on Saturday. THE GAME North Melbourne v Melbourne at MCG – Saturday 12 April 2008 at 2:10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall North Melbourne 61 wins Melbourne 83 wins 1 draw At the MCG North Melbourne 30 wins Melbourne 54 wins Since 2000 North Melbourne 5 wins Melbourne 7 wins The Coaches Laidley 0 wins Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 RADIO SEN 774ABC THE BETTING North Melbourne to win $1.25 Melbourne to win $3.55 LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 19.12.126 d Melbourne 9.8.62, Round 16, 2007, at Telstra Dome This game will be remembered by Melbourne fans for one reason and one reason only. It was the night when Michael Newton soared through the stratosphere and landed on the Telstra Dome turf to claim mark of the year. Every other aspect of this game is shrouded in dense fog and has been erased from the memory banks. THE TEAMS NORTH MELBOURNE Backs Josh Gibson Michael Firrito Drew Petrie Half Backs Daniel Pratt Shannon Watt Jess Smith Centreline Daniel Wells Adam Simpson Ed Lower Half Forwards Nathan Thompson Aaron Edwards Brent Harvey Forwards Ben Ross Corey Jones Matt Campbell Followers Hamish McIntosh Brady Rawlings Daniel Harris Interchange Sam Power Shannon Grant Lindsay Thomas Leigh Brown Emergencies Leigh Harding Eddie Sansbury Gavin Urquhart In Ed Lower Ben Ross Jess Smith Out David Hale (quad) Leigh Harding Andrew Swallow (both omitted) New Ben Ross (Gippsland U18) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Nathan Carroll Jared Rivers Half Backs Paul Wheatley Brad Miller Daniel Bell Centreline Brad Green Brock McLean Clint Bartram Half Forwards Cameron Bruce Russell Robertson Colin Sylvia Forwards Aaron Davey David Neitz Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White James McDonald Nathan Jones Interchange Mark Jamar Chris Johnson Lynden Dunn Cale Morton Emergencies James Frawley Colin Garland Brent Moloney In Whelan Jamar Out Colin Garland (omitted) Paul Johnson (hand) Field umpires TBA ... WHEN YOU'RE ON THE BOTTOM I had a bit of a giggle this week when I read a preview of a game involving a certain AFL team (not Melbourne) that remains without a victory at this juncture. The reason why they weren't winning was (and I kid you not) is that they weren't able to kick a winning score. Go figure? I must admit however, that from Melbourne's viewpoint, the same thing applies. If you're only averaging nine goals a game, it's unlikely that you're going to come home with the four points. This means that the coaching department need to take a long hard look at both the midfield, its supply to the forward line and the forwards themselves. The performance of the midfield last week was a great improvement on the two opening rounds and hence, the improved result. However, things could have been even better had the forward line shown a similar improvement. The key to Melbourne's improvement therefore, is whether its forward line can respond and start performing as expected. Looking around at the other AFL clubs, you find some formidable tall forwards who really have a lot to offer in terms of their potency and the capacity to destroy opposition defences. The reigning premiers have Mooney and Hawkins, the Hawks have Franklin and Roughhead, the Saints Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke (plus the G Train). On their form to date, the Demons suffer by comparison - Neitz and Robertson have only three and five goals respectively for the season to date. The two have been stalwarts in the forward line and even though it might be argued that the deliver into their region hasn't been too flash, they haven't looked dangerous at any stage this season. Three of Robbo's goals came late in the Hawthorn game when the massacre had already taken place. Both players are on notice and the pressure will be on them to perform this week. Is that a lot to ask of two blokes with more than 500 games experience between them? The competing clubs started the season poorly. North Melbourne's opening round defeat of 55 points at the hands of Essendon was nowhere near as pathetic as Melbourne's 104 point drubbing at the hands of Hawthorn but the Bombers' 99 point defeat to Geelong the following week put that in its perspective. The Kangaroos were lucky enough to come up against a rudderless Richmond in Round 2 but it was last week, against Hawthorn, that saw them really come back to the form expected from them. To lead the rampaging hawks for all but 6 minutes of the game was an exceptional effort although the last few minutes of the game would have been disappointing. Similarly, the gloss was taken off Melbourne's improved form last week by some lapses in red time when kicking with the aid of the wind in the first and third quarters. In any event, both teams are playing with far more confidence than they did in Round 1 and the result of this game might well devolve on whether they can continue that trend this week. I have a hunch that Melbourne has greater scope for improvement in this area than North Melbourne but it still might not be enough to get the Demons off the bottom. On reflection, I think I'll have to disagree with our stats man and select North Melbourne to win by a margin of 15 points in what will, for the Demons of 2008, be a real thriller.

by JVM and Sam the Stats Man The Melbourne Football Club is at the crossroads as far as its 150th Anniversary Year is concerned. We are three rounds into the new season and the Demons are sitting in last place on a 0 and 3 record but we've been in that place before. In both of the past two seasons, Melbourne had the worst of all possible beginnings to their premiership campaigns but with significantly different outcomes. I defer to our resident Statistician, Sam the Stats Man to take you through those horror starts and to give a statistical insight into what might happen next: In 2006, the club was at a low ebb after opening with three defeats including a 19 point loss at Telstra Dome to the eventual wooden spooner, Carlton and a soul destroying 47 point loss at the same venue to the Bullies. The results were - Round 1 2006 Melbourne 10.12.72 lost to Carlton 13.15.93 Round 2 2006 Western Bulldogs 20.17.137 defeated Melbourne 12.18.90 Round 3 2006 Melbourne 14.13.97 lost to Adelaide 15.12.101 The ladder after Round 3 showed the Bulldogs on top (3-0), Adelaide in sixth place (2-1) and Carlton ninth (1-2). Melbourne was in 15th place with a percentage of 78.0 and ahead only of Richmond. Things looked bleak because the Demons' next game was an away fixture against Sydney but, against the odds, they turned things around and won a thriller by 5 points. They won their next four before losing by 22 points to eventual premiers, the Eagles at Subiaco which was the venue of their next defeat against Fremantle in Round 16. In the interim, they had won 11 out of 12 games. A 51 point victory over the Bulldogs in their return game at the MCG had the Demons well placed in third position but they lost Aaron Davey, Travis Johnstone and Byron Pickett to injury and fell again Carlton the following week. Wracked by injuries, the team limped into the finals and managed to win one against the Saints in a game where Brock McLean came of age, before falling at Subiaco in the following week's semi final. The end result was a fifth placing - the highest of all Victorian based teams that year. The injury curse continued into 2007 when the team once again made a poor start - Round 1 2007 Melbourne 9.8.62 lost to St. Kilda 13.15.93 Round 2 2007 Hawthorn 17.14.116 defeated Melbourne 14.10.94 Round 3 2007 Melbourne 8.9.57 lost to Geelong 15.19.109 All three of Melbourne's opponents were in the top eight on 2 - 1 records: the Cats were 2nd, the Saints 6th and the Hawks were 8th. The Demons were last with a percentage of 67.0. The horror run with injury persisted and there was almost no light in the tunnel although things were looking better with two consecutive wins in Rounds 10 and 11 against Adelaide (the club's ice-breaker for the season) and Collingwood. The club finished in 14th place after the farcical final round game in which Carlton "tanked" in order to win the notorious "Kreuzer Cup". And so we come to 2008 and statistically, Melbourne's start has been even worse than in 2006 and 2007 - Round 1 2007 Hawthorn 23.16.154 defeated Melbourne 6.14.50 Round 2 2007 Melbourne 9.12.66 lost to Western Bulldogs 24.17.161 Round 3 2007 Geelong defeated 16.16.112 defeated Melbourne 12.10.82 This time however, there is little doubting that the Demons have been provided with a tough initiation for their new coach. All three of the opponents to date are undefeated and naturally, they occupy the top three spots on the ladder. Melbourne is last with a measly percentage of 46.4 and hasn't won a quarter of football let alone a whole game. Statistically, there's very little to suggest that the Dees are going anywhere in season 2008 but to the very foot of the table although there are some small glimmers of hope. The result against Geelong was pleasing in that the team improved by at least 10 goals on what might have been the anticipated result in view of its two earlier shellackings. Despite the loss of Paul Johnson with a broken hand, the general trend as far as injuries are concerned is turning around markedly. Every week since the start of the season, the club's playing ranks have been strengthened through the return of key players after injury. Two weeks ago it was Clint Bartram, Lynden Dunn and Colin Sylvia, last week it was Jared Rivers and this week it's Matty Whelan. The number of experienced games missing through injury from players of higher value to the team is dropping at a rapid rate and that means the team's results have to get better. Every week so far, the club has increased by an increment of three, the number of goals it has kicked in a game - from 6, to 9, to 12. It's not beyond the bounds of statistical probability therefore to predict a 15 goals score line for the Demons against North this week which, based on the stats of all games played so far, should see them produce some winning quarters of football at last. There's a strong probability that a further improvement of that proportion will see them fall in by a narrow margin - say 5 points which is the same as the team's winning margin in 2006 against Sydney in the equivalent round. This should start to see a turn around in Melbourne's season, perhaps in the same way as that famous game at the SCG turned its fortunes around two years ago. I'm 50% sure of that! So that's the statistical analysis and, though it probably doesn't mean much, it shows that there's still hope even when you're at 0 and 3. The challenge of course, is to start winning games and that's another ball game altogether. That ball game starts on Saturday. THE GAME North Melbourne v Melbourne at MCG – Saturday 12 April 2008 at 2:10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall North Melbourne 61 wins Melbourne 83 wins 1 draw At the MCG North Melbourne 30 wins Melbourne 54 wins Since 2000 North Melbourne 5 wins Melbourne 7 wins The Coaches Laidley 0 wins Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 RADIO SEN 774ABC THE BETTING North Melbourne to win $1.25 Melbourne to win $3.55 LAST TIME THEY MET North Melbourne 19.12.126 d Melbourne 9.8.62, Round 16, 2007, at Telstra Dome This game will be remembered by Melbourne fans for one reason and one reason only. It was the night when Michael Newton soared through the stratosphere and landed on the Telstra Dome turf to claim mark of the year. Every other aspect of this game is shrouded in dense fog and has been erased from the memory banks. THE TEAMS NORTH MELBOURNE Backs Josh Gibson Michael Firrito Drew Petrie Half Backs Daniel Pratt Shannon Watt Jess Smith Centreline Daniel Wells Adam Simpson Ed Lower Half Forwards Nathan Thompson Aaron Edwards Brent Harvey Forwards Ben Ross Corey Jones Matt Campbell Followers Hamish McIntosh Brady Rawlings Daniel Harris Interchange Sam Power Shannon Grant Lindsay Thomas Leigh Brown Emergencies Leigh Harding Eddie Sansbury Gavin Urquhart In Ed Lower Ben Ross Jess Smith Out David Hale (quad) Leigh Harding Andrew Swallow (both omitted) New Ben Ross (Gippsland U18) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Nathan Carroll Jared Rivers Half Backs Paul Wheatley Brad Miller Daniel Bell Centreline Brad Green Brock McLean Clint Bartram Half Forwards Cameron Bruce Russell Robertson Colin Sylvia Forwards Aaron Davey David Neitz Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White James McDonald Nathan Jones Interchange Mark Jamar Chris Johnson Lynden Dunn Cale Morton Emergencies James Frawley Colin Garland Brent Moloney In Whelan Jamar Out Colin Garland (omitted) Paul Johnson (hand) Field umpires TBA ... WHEN YOU'RE ON THE BOTTOM I had a bit of a giggle this week when I read a preview of a game involving a certain AFL team (not Melbourne) that remains without a victory at this juncture. The reason why they weren't winning was (and I kid you not) is that they weren't able to kick a winning score. Go figure? I must admit however, that from Melbourne's viewpoint, the same thing applies. If you're only averaging nine goals a game, it's unlikely that you're going to come home with the four points. This means that the coaching department need to take a long hard look at both the midfield, its supply to the forward line and the forwards themselves. The performance of the midfield last week was a great improvement on the two opening rounds and hence, the improved result. However, things could have been even better had the forward line shown a similar improvement. The key to Melbourne's improvement therefore, is whether its forward line can respond and start performing as expected. Looking around at the other AFL clubs, you find some formidable tall forwards who really have a lot to offer in terms of their potency and the capacity to destroy opposition defences. The reigning premiers have Mooney and Hawkins, the Hawks have Franklin and Roughhead, the Saints Riewoldt and Justin Koschitzke (plus the G Train). On their form to date, the Demons suffer by comparison - Neitz and Robertson have only three and five goals respectively for the season to date. The two have been stalwarts in the forward line and even though it might be argued that the deliver into their region hasn't been too flash, they haven't looked dangerous at any stage this season. Three of Robbo's goals came late in the Hawthorn game when the massacre had already taken place. Both players are on notice and the pressure will be on them to perform this week. Is that a lot to ask of two blokes with more than 500 games experience between them? The competing clubs started the season poorly. North Melbourne's opening round defeat of 55 points at the hands of Essendon was nowhere near as pathetic as Melbourne's 104 point drubbing at the hands of Hawthorn but the Bombers' 99 point defeat to Geelong the following week put that in its perspective. The Kangaroos were lucky enough to come up against a rudderless Richmond in Round 2 but it was last week, against Hawthorn, that saw them really come back to the form expected from them. To lead the rampaging hawks for all but 6 minutes of the game was an exceptional effort although the last few minutes of the game would have been disappointing. Similarly, the gloss was taken off Melbourne's improved form last week by some lapses in red time when kicking with the aid of the wind in the first and third quarters. In any event, both teams are playing with far more confidence than they did in Round 1 and the result of this game might well devolve on whether they can continue that trend this week. I have a hunch that Melbourne has greater scope for improvement in this area than North Melbourne but it still might not be enough to get the Demons off the bottom. On reflection, I think I'll have to disagree with our stats man and select North Melbourne to win by a margin of 15 points in what will, for the Demons of 2008, be a real thriller.

JVM is doing this week's match preview and has supplied the following selected sides for the teams when they met last time in Round 16 2007 - the Kangaroos had a comfortable victory. KANGAROOS Backs Shannon Watt Michael Firrito Daniel Pratt Half Backs Glenn Archer Jesse Smith Scott McMahon Centreline Adam Simpson Brady Rawlings Kasey Green Half Forwards Brent Harvey David Hale Shannon Grant Forwards Corey Jones Drew Petrie Djaran Whyman Followers Hamish McIntosh Daniel Harris Andrew Swallow Interchange Leigh Brown Ed Lower Eddie Sansbury Jess Sinclair Emergencies Leigh Adams Leigh Aaron Edwards Lindsay Thomas MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Ward Nathan Carroll James Frawley Half Backs Paul Wheatley Brad Miller Nathan Brown Centreline Brad Green James McDonald Clint Bizzell Half Forwards Simon Godfrey Russell Robertson Matthew Bate Forwards Colin Sylvia David Neitz Paul Johnson Followers Jeff White Brock McLean Nathan Jones Interchange Simon Buckley Chris Johnson Brent Moloney Michael Newton Emergencies Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Ben Holland

Is North Melbourne in Round 4 of 2008 at the MCG any more difficult a proposition than Sydney in Round 4 of 2006 at the SCG?

And now a pat on the back to our own Whispering Jack who was the first on the net to mention our Aussie (although we're not sure yet about the spelling of his surname). It happened way back in November 2006 when he wrote about the boredom of the off season in THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: November 18 2006 "The Tiwi Islanders might not be in AFL star class but they do play such an exciting, running game that it's often mind boggling. And what great cult heroes they're throwing up for the sparse audiences of this little known television station - names that roll off the commentators' tongues like Simon Munkara, Ephram Tipungwuti, Norman Pangirimini, Rupert Pupungameri, Thomas Simon and exciting youngsters Roy Farmer and Austin Wonaeamirra." In posts yesterday, Demonlanders were trying to compare Cale Morton with some of the AFL's stars. It might be a bit early yet but comparisons are being with Hird and Pavlich. WJ said way back in July last year that his play was "reminiscent of James Hird" - THE WILD COLONIAL BOY . He also mentioned Jack Grimes whose placement on the long term injury list allowed the Demons to play Aussie and another Territorian, Cyril Rioli also got a gig (unfortunately, the Hawks got him!) - 15 July 2007 "West Australia's outstanding carnival threw up a few real contenders who could upset the equation of a Northern Knights quinella on draft day. The most obvious improver in the rankings was Larke Medal winner Cale Morton, brother of West Coast's Mitch and Hawthorn's Jarryd. The 17 year old is a tall midfielder at 192cm and is all class. I couldn't detect any weaknesses in his play which was reminiscent of James Hird. The Bomber champion was a bargain when selected at pick # 79 in the 1990 National Draft but Morton won't come so cheap. He is certain to push his way into the top three and could even go at number one - he's that good! "Another player who could figure high in the selections would be Vic Metro skipper Jack Grimes who is a well balanced midfielder and an outstanding leader who has good hands. I've also been told that one can't overlook Tasmanians Tom Collier and Tom Bellchambers or NT's Cyril Rioli." Read about it first on Demonland ...

Scoop Junior has arrived back in Melbourne and his best players are posted in ON THE ROAD BACK With the votes of Geddy Lee and Destroy08 and with our special game rating system, Paul Johnson has retained a slender leader in the Demonland POTY with Brock McLean and Paul Wheatley breathing down his neck. 14.504 Paul Johnson 14.149 Brock McLean 13.764 Paul Wheatley 11.391 Cameron Bruce 10.616 Cale Morton 7.380 Nathan Carroll 4.550 Nathan Jones 4.100 Jeff White 2.925 Brent Moloney 2.770 Brad Miller 2.196 Austin Wonaemirri 2.050 James McDonald 0.732 Clint Bartram 0.650 Colin Garland 0.325 Simon Buckley 0.325 Brad Green

ON THE ROAD BACK by Scoop Junior The trip back up the highway after an outing at Skilled Stadium often an enjoyable one. This ground that is regularly the location of some of Melbourne's poorest performances yesetrday witnessed its best under new coach Dean Bailey. The result was the same as every other competitive match the Demons have played in this year, but this time there was some genuine reason for optimism (as well as a genuine reason to stay beyond three quarter time). While the drive home was in no way joyous, at least Melbourne fans could be proud of their team's effort against the odds. The match began in a fashion not totally unexpected. Melbourne came out hard and fired up after two disgraceful performances while Geelong was inevitably thinking the game would be a walk in the park. Three quick goals unsettled the locals and sprung the Cats into action. Their cause was greatly assisted however by some of the horrendous Demon errors that have been on show far too often in season 2008. Nathan Carroll’s attempted rushed behind was at best a schoolboy error and at worst, well let's not go there, while Nathan Jones’ errant kick across half back gifted Geelong another easy goal. The Cats led by a goal at quarter time, which was a blow to a Melbourne side that had worked hard and played the better football of the first term. As Geelong started to wrest control in the middle and hit the scoreboard early in the second term, it appeared as though the floodgates were about to open. But unlike previous rounds, the Demons held firm and worked their way back. With the defence holding steady, Cameron Bruce, Brad Miller and Lynden Dunn found the big sticks and the Dees only trailed by 17 points at half time. By that time, the small contingent of Demon fans on hand had already seen their team’s best performance yet for the season, though that only underlines how poor Rounds 1 and 2 were. We were resigned to the fact that a solid half of footy against the reigning premiers was probably all we were going to see for the day. However, Melbourne did not intend to follow the script and began the second half like the first, closing to within five points midway through the term thanks partly to two neat goals from Cale Morton. Sensing the boilover of the century, Geelong lifted a cog, rallying late in the term to secure a comfortable four-goal advantage at the last change. In truth, the Demons never really looked like hauling in the Cats but they refused to lie down in the last quarter. A couple of times it seemed as though the home side would run away with a big win but the Dees scrapped it out, kicked a few late goals and kept the margin to a respectable 30 points. While it is another loss and the Demons now sit 0-3, for the first time this year there were some real positives to take out of a game. In fact, more than just a few. Brock McLean returned to form with an excellent performance. His first half was exceptional, gathering 22 possessions, most of them in the heat of the action, before Cameron Ling shut him down in the second half. He was smarter with his ball use this week, dishing off when under pressure rather than trying to break tackles. His hard work at the stoppages kept the ball rolling and helped ensure a competitive display from the Demons. Paul Wheatley played a good game rebounding off the wing and half back. His run and long kicking were features of his game but he did make a few errors which led to Geelong goals. Wheatley’s style suits the modern game and he really should be reaching the peak of his career. He needs to produce more of these types of games rather than them being mere flashes in the pan. Cameron Bruce was another terrific performer, nullifying the dangerous Steve Johnson and running off him to not only link up with team mates but also kick three goals. Bruce is without doubt one of the better one-on-one players in the AFL – he rarely gets beaten in such contests. With the added abilities to read the play and know when to leave his man, Bruce really is ideally sited for a defensive role against mid-sized forwards. I believe his best footy is off a half back flank. Probably the biggest surprise packet for the day (other than the final margin) was Paul Johnson, whose improvement continues each week. Johnson has always been a big man with good little man skills and apart from Dean Cox you would rarely find a ruckman with such clean hands below his knees and pinpoint foot skills. These were on show down at Geelong, as well as strong overhead marking and competitive ruckwork, aspects of Johnson’s game that have let him down in the past. With his rising confidence, Johnson is getting more and more involved in matches and is starting to make more of a an impact. His form has been a rare highlight for the Demons so far this year. The other big positive was the impressive performances of first-year players – first gamer Austin Wonaeamirri and first round draft selection Cale Morton. Aussie displayed a great appetite for the contest and his chasing and harassment helped provide improved forward pressure. He is very clean below his knees and is calm and composed with the ball in hand. Most importantly, he makes good decisions and executes well. He doesn’t have the raw pace and sheer excitement of Aaron Davey, but appears to have more grunt and will hopefully prove a handy small forward for the side. Morton is a natural footballer and displays incredible awareness for such a young player. Like Aussie, he is composed when in possession and makes sound decisions. This bloke has the class; he just needs to put on a hell of a lot of weight. He does need to improve his attack on the ball but this should come with added strength and experience. The return of Jared Rivers was another positive, his calming presence just makes the back line look so much more settled. Clint Bartram displayed some of the form of 2006 with his hard running and tackling a highlight. And the game style was vastly improved, with Melbourne making better use of handball, running in numbers and generally making better decisions. In the end though, as Bailey said, his team lost the game and now sits at 0-3. Despite the encouraging signs, there was still plenty to tear the hair out about (at least for the fans if not the coach). Some of the skill execution at times was woeful, with the Demons missing targets 15 metres away and kicking the ball out on the full despite a lack of pressure from the opposition. Against a quality side like Geelong, you get punished for such mistakes. Russell Robertson's season continues to stall. While delivery to the forward line has been poor, Robbo is becoming too one-dimensional and the fact that players these days need to be able to move around, run and play different roles means that he must be on thin ice on the selection front. Jeff White worked hard and found plenty of the ball but made too many errors for a senior, experienced player. With Johnson’s form, he needs to step up to retain the number one ruck title. Colin Garland is young and inexperienced, but like Issac Weetra he is clearly not ready for AFL football. He seems unsure of himself, doesn't know when to go and when to hold back and just doesn’t have any presence out on the ground. He needs to gain some confidence at a lower level. But without doubt the biggest disappointment of the day for mine was Colin Sylvia. The bloke who was taken at pick three in 2003 has delivered very little in his time at the club. His career is five years in, he had a good pre-season and should be starting to become a more than dependable player for the club but he's anything but that. He simply doesn't work hard enough to get into space or in close around the stoppages, which means his disposal count is always around the 10-15 mark which is simply not good enough for a player of his talents. He only seems to be interested when the threat of a fight breaks out. Someone needs to tell Col to pull his finger out because his career is going nowhere fast. His attitude seems to be a problem and perhaps he needs some time down at Sandy to think about his future. I would challenge him to step up next week against North but if he fails to perform again then he can spend some time in the VFL. What will be interesting is whether this was a flash in the pan competitive performance or whether the Demons are on the road back to resembling a senior professional football side. There's really no excuse not to put in that sort of effort week in, week out. North Melbourne will be another challenging game next week, but if the team can play with the same attitude and keep improving its style of football, then it can regain its lost respect. If that happens then supporters can at least be proud of their team, look to the future with some sense of optimism and perhaps the club might even be able to emulate its feats of two years ago when it picked itself off the bottom after a poor 0-3 start and took part in the finals. Geelong 4.4.28 8.11.59 13.14.82 16.16.112 Melbourne 3.4.22 6.6.42 10.8.68 12.10.82 Goals Geelong Hawkins 5 Johnson Ling Mooney 2 Ablett Blake Chapman Milburn Stokes Melbourne Bruce 3 Dunn Morton 2 Green Miller Neitz Wheatley White Best Geelong Corey Bartel Hawkins Ling Chapman Taylor Melbourne Bruce McLean Wheatley P Johnson Morton Bartram Injuries Geelong Nil Melbourne Nil Reports Nil Umpires Wenn Sully Ryan Official crowd 23,569 at Skilled Stadium.

by Scoop Junior The trip back up the highway after an outing at Skilled Stadium often an enjoyable one. This ground that is regularly the location of some of Melbourne's poorest performances yesetrday witnessed its best under new coach Dean Bailey. The result was the same as every other competitive match the Demons have played in this year, but this time there was some genuine reason for optimism (as well as a genuine reason to stay beyond three quarter time). While the drive home was in no way joyous, at least Melbourne fans could be proud of their team's effort against the odds. The match began in a fashion not totally unexpected. Melbourne came out hard and fired up after two disgraceful performances while Geelong was inevitably thinking the game would be a walk in the park. Three quick goals unsettled the locals and sprung the Cats into action. Their cause was greatly assisted however by some of the horrendous Demon errors that have been on show far too often in season 2008. Nathan Carroll’s attempted rushed behind was at best a schoolboy error and at worst, well let's not go there, while Nathan Jones’ errant kick across half back gifted Geelong another easy goal. The Cats led by a goal at quarter time, which was a blow to a Melbourne side that had worked hard and played the better football of the first term. As Geelong started to wrest control in the middle and hit the scoreboard early in the second term, it appeared as though the floodgates were about to open. But unlike previous rounds, the Demons held firm and worked their way back. With the defence holding steady, Cameron Bruce, Brad Miller and Lynden Dunn found the big sticks and the Dees only trailed by 17 points at half time. By that time, the small contingent of Demon fans on hand had already seen their team’s best performance yet for the season, though that only underlines how poor Rounds 1 and 2 were. We were resigned to the fact that a solid half of footy against the reigning premiers was probably all we were going to see for the day. However, Melbourne did not intend to follow the script and began the second half like the first, closing to within five points midway through the term thanks partly to two neat goals from Cale Morton. Sensing the boilover of the century, Geelong lifted a cog, rallying late in the term to secure a comfortable four-goal advantage at the last change. In truth, the Demons never really looked like hauling in the Cats but they refused to lie down in the last quarter. A couple of times it seemed as though the home side would run away with a big win but the Dees scrapped it out, kicked a few late goals and kept the margin to a respectable 30 points. While it is another loss and the Demons now sit 0-3, for the first time this year there were some real positives to take out of a game. In fact, more than just a few. Brock McLean returned to form with an excellent performance. His first half was exceptional, gathering 22 possessions, most of them in the heat of the action, before Cameron Ling shut him down in the second half. He was smarter with his ball use this week, dishing off when under pressure rather than trying to break tackles. His hard work at the stoppages kept the ball rolling and helped ensure a competitive display from the Demons. Paul Wheatley played a good game rebounding off the wing and half back. His run and long kicking were features of his game but he did make a few errors which led to Geelong goals. Wheatley’s style suits the modern game and he really should be reaching the peak of his career. He needs to produce more of these types of games rather than them being mere flashes in the pan. Cameron Bruce was another terrific performer, nullifying the dangerous Steve Johnson and running off him to not only link up with team mates but also kick three goals. Bruce is without doubt one of the better one-on-one players in the AFL – he rarely gets beaten in such contests. With the added abilities to read the play and know when to leave his man, Bruce really is ideally sited for a defensive role against mid-sized forwards. I believe his best footy is off a half back flank. Probably the biggest surprise packet for the day (other than the final margin) was Paul Johnson, whose improvement continues each week. Johnson has always been a big man with good little man skills and apart from Dean Cox you would rarely find a ruckman with such clean hands below his knees and pinpoint foot skills. These were on show down at Geelong, as well as strong overhead marking and competitive ruckwork, aspects of Johnson’s game that have let him down in the past. With his rising confidence, Johnson is getting more and more involved in matches and is starting to make more of a an impact. His form has been a rare highlight for the Demons so far this year. The other big positive was the impressive performances of first-year players – first gamer Austin Wonaeamirri and first round draft selection Cale Morton. Aussie displayed a great appetite for the contest and his chasing and harassment helped provide improved forward pressure. He is very clean below his knees and is calm and composed with the ball in hand. Most importantly, he makes good decisions and executes well. He doesn’t have the raw pace and sheer excitement of Aaron Davey, but appears to have more grunt and will hopefully prove a handy small forward for the side. Morton is a natural footballer and displays incredible awareness for such a young player. Like Aussie, he is composed when in possession and makes sound decisions. This bloke has the class; he just needs to put on a hell of a lot of weight. He does need to improve his attack on the ball but this should come with added strength and experience. The return of Jared Rivers was another positive, his calming presence just makes the back line look so much more settled. Clint Bartram displayed some of the form of 2006 with his hard running and tackling a highlight. And the game style was vastly improved, with Melbourne making better use of handball, running in numbers and generally making better decisions. In the end though, as Bailey said, his team lost the game and now sits at 0-3. Despite the encouraging signs, there was still plenty to tear the hair out about (at least for the fans if not the coach). Some of the skill execution at times was woeful, with the Demons missing targets 15 metres away and kicking the ball out on the full despite a lack of pressure from the opposition. Against a quality side like Geelong, you get punished for such mistakes. Russell Robertson's season continues to stall. While delivery to the forward line has been poor, Robbo is becoming too one-dimensional and the fact that players these days need to be able to move around, run and play different roles means that he must be on thin ice on the selection front. Jeff White worked hard and found plenty of the ball but made too many errors for a senior, experienced player. With Johnson’s form, he needs to step up to retain the number one ruck title. Colin Garland is young and inexperienced, but like Issac Weetra he is clearly not ready for AFL football. He seems unsure of himself, doesn't know when to go and when to hold back and just doesn’t have any presence out on the ground. He needs to gain some confidence at a lower level. But without doubt the biggest disappointment of the day for mine was Colin Sylvia. The bloke who was taken at pick three in 2003 has delivered very little in his time at the club. His career is five years in, he had a good pre-season and should be starting to become a more than dependable player for the club but he's anything but that. He simply doesn't work hard enough to get into space or in close around the stoppages, which means his disposal count is always around the 10-15 mark which is simply not good enough for a player of his talents. He only seems to be interested when the threat of a fight breaks out. Someone needs to tell Col to pull his finger out because his career is going nowhere fast. His attitude seems to be a problem and perhaps he needs some time down at Sandy to think about his future. I would challenge him to step up next week against North but if he fails to perform again then he can spend some time in the VFL. What will be interesting is whether this was a flash in the pan competitive performance or whether the Demons are on the road back to resembling a senior professional football side. There's really no excuse not to put in that sort of effort week in, week out. North Melbourne will be another challenging game next week, but if the team can play with the same attitude and keep improving its style of football, then it can regain its lost respect. If that happens then supporters can at least be proud of their team, look to the future with some sense of optimism and perhaps the club might even be able to emulate its feats of two years ago when it picked itself off the bottom after a poor 0-3 start and took part in the finals. Geelong 4.4.28 8.11.59 13.14.82 16.16.112 Melbourne 3.4.22 6.6.42 10.8.68 12.10.82 Goals Geelong Hawkins 5 Johnson Ling Mooney 2 Ablett Blake Chapman Milburn Stokes Melbourne Bruce 3 Dunn Morton 2 Green Miller Neitz Wheatley White Best Geelong Corey Bartel Hawkins Ling Chapman Taylor Melbourne Bruce McLean Wheatley P Johnson Morton Bartram Injuries Geelong Nil Melbourne Nil Reports Nil Umpires Wenn Sully Ryan Official crowd 23,569 at Skilled Stadium.

Alpha33 and Whispering Jack lead at the end of Round 3 but the leaders are closely bunched up ... 20 Alpha33 20 Whispering_Jack 19 barpen 19 deanox 19 Demonland 19 No Cigar2 19 The Natural 18 petejh2000 18 Pinball_Wizard 18 rjhrjh 18 Scoop Junior 18 Tim - Go Dees 17 achirnside 17 aronbrandon 17 belzebub59 17 deesthisyear 17 DeMoNiC 17 mo64 17 mpinnell 17 old man rivers 17 Super_Slater 17 The Little Devils 16 BigKev Demon 16 bl3281 16 Davey's sugar daddy 16 great_gatsby 16 Kieranbj 16 slamevil 15 Clyde_Cabbie 15 DEE32 15 glamorizeme 14 BrockMclean 14 CarnTheDees 14 Dappadan 14 DeeReaming 14 demonsflag555657 14 Edorion 14 KrazyJay78 14 stelioss 13 dee'luded 13 Joe_Gutnick64 13 paliosiana 12 -FitZ^ 12 thegoldenmonkey