Demonland

Colin Sylvia moved up with his great game against the Hawks but Aaron Davey is well settled at the top of the leader board: 78.849 Aaron Davey 50.906 Brent Moloney 40.932 Cale Morton 34.748 Brock McLean 33.559 Nathan Jones 23.937 Colin Sylvia 19.408 Brad Miller 19.218 Brad Green 15.794 Cameron Bruce 15.064 James Frawley 12.420 Paul Johnson 12.226 Matthew Warnock 11.805 Ricky Petterd 8.945 Jared Rivers 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.794 Matthew Bate 8.624 Kyle Cheney 7.296 Stefan Martin 6.126 Russell Robertson 4.374 Clint Bartram 3.333 James McDonald 3.077 Neville Jetta 2.421 Addam Maric 0.933 Jack Grimes 0.667 Lynden Dunn 0.613 John Meesen

That won't be the only surgery either GoodOilBoy. You and your ip number are about to be surgically removed from the site and it's going to happen very soon.

WASTEFUL SCORPIONS by Brendan from Ballarat The wasteful Casey Scorpions took on North Ballarat at Eastern Oval, Ballarat on Sunday and despite a strong finish they were let down by poor kicking for goal in what was a scrappy affair for most of the day. As a result, they were left 16 points in arrears after giving the reigning premiers a major scare and despite dominating the final term with 3.7 to 0.2. The Roosters started strongly using the advantage of the breeze well to open up a 31 point lead at quarter time. This was to prove the difference between the sides because when the Scorpions had their turn with breeze, they were shockingly inefficient. In the second term, Casey entered the fifty metre arc 22 times during the second quarter for an inaccurate return of 4.8 while the home side made the most of their limited opportunities scoring four straight goals from eight entries (50%). As a result, the Roosters took a 23 point lead into the main break. The Scorpions applied great pressure on North Ballarat but the home side made the most of their opportunities with the wind and, although they seemed to be tiring, they took a comfortable 39-point lead with them into the huddle at the final break. Casey finished full of running and had all the play in the final term but their poor conversion in front of goal was to prove costly again. This time the Scorpions went inside fifty metres 23 times in the last quarter for just 3.7 proving once again and it’s simply impossible to win games of football if you can't kick straight. Mark Jamar was in good form in the ruck and around the ground and gave small men Matthews (21 kicks, 6 handballs) and Valenti (14 kicks, 9 handballs) plenty of the ball but not enough to set up sufficient major scores. Matthews is a little beauty and reminds me of a Jack Russell chasing a rabbit. Alex Silvagni (12 kicks, 1 handball, 9 marks) was solid again down back and James Wall (13 kicks, 8 handball, 6 marks) was solid for the whole four quarters. Together they continued to lead the way for the Scorpions as they have been doing for much of the season to date. Lynden Dunn was strong at the clearances and Daniel Bell was hard at the ball in the middle. The Scorpions may well live to rue the loss of two games in consecutive weeks brought about by poor kicking in front of the sticks. They need to apply more scoreboard pressure if they are to start winning and keep their finals hopes alive. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail – did a few nice things: broke the lines from half back on a few occasions and his disposal was very good. (8 kicks, 4 handballs, 2 marks) Daniel Bell – showed out with strength and hardness at the contested ball. Had a lot of the football and tackled well but also committed a few clangers. (11 kicks, 12 handballs, 3 marks) Kyle Cheney - great in defence and even kicked a goal in the last in a very good game. (8 kicks, 13 handballs, 5 marks) Lynden Dunn – worked hard and got a lot of the football around the ground. One of his team’s best on the day. (15 kicks, 9 handballs, 3 marks) Daniel Hughes – a dangerous forward who drifted in and out of the game. Finished with two goals. (8 kicks, 8 handballs, 6 marks) Mark Jamar – rucked well, took some really good grabs but again his kicking in front of goal let him down. Ready to make a return to the AFL. (13 kicks, 12 handballs, 12 marks) Neville Jetta – chased and tried hard all day kicked a nice goal in the second but wasn’t a standout and had a quiet game by his standards. (6 kicks, 4 handballs, 2 marks) Tom McNamara – quietly went his way. Worked hard and played a steady game. (8 kicks, 9 handballs, 7 marks) Michael Newton – frustrating. He kicked one goal and five behinds and could have won this game off his own boot if he was on target. He missed a gettable shot from within fifty metres with the wind at his back. (11 kicks, 4 handballs, 6 marks) Shane Valenti – worked hard and was his in and under self. (14 kicks, 9 handballs, 2 marks) Jack Watts – a real emerging talent and a pleasure to watch. It was a highlight of the game for me to witness his freakish skills. On a number of occasions, he was cornered and managed to get out. In a game where Casey’s foot skills were lamentable Watts stood out like a beacon and one 55 metre pass to Newton was sublime. He was clearly the most superior player on the ground in terms of his disposal and ability to place the ball to a team mate’s advantage. (15 kicks, 8 handballs, 7 marks) Casey Scorpions 2.3.15 6.11.47 8.13.61 11.20.86 North Ballarat 7.4.46 11.4.70 15.10.100 15.12.102 Goals Casey Scorpions Bell Hughes 2 Cheney Jamar Jetta McGough Matthews Newton Wall North Ballarat Smith 3 Driscoll Jones Richardson 2 Cartledge Clifton Goodes Sewell White Wundke Best Casey Scorpions Jamar Bell Wall Silvagni Valenti Dunn North Ballarat Smith Moloney Garlett Stephenson Clifton Jones The Casey Reserves opened the day with a flourish to take a comfortable 26 point lead at the first break and held onto it till half time. They then dominated the second half and eventually ran out 50 point winners. Ben Waite continued his run of good form providing a good target up forward and booting three goals. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rhys Healey – started well early but I didn’t see much of him after half time. May have been injured. (3 kicks, 6 handballs, 2 marks) Liam Jurrah - threw a scare into the sparse early crowd when carried off with a leg injury but came back to kick a couple of nice goals. Took some nice contested marks and generally looked the goods. (7 kicks, 6 handballs, 6 marks) Jake Spencer - the best ruckman on the ground, Spencer was excellent in the rucking contests but his kicking leaves a bit to be desired. (7 kicks, 11 handballs, 5 marks) James Strauss – a class above this standard as his statistics indicate. Excellent across half back, reads the play so well and set up a lot of plays with his accurate delivery of the football. (16 kicks, 20 handballs, 9 marks) Paul Wheatley - an excellent return after a long period out with injury. Although used sparingly, he was prolific ball winner who backed up his play with good disposal. (13 kicks, 9 handballs, 5 marks) Trent Zomer – in and out of the game and kicked a goal when he went forward. (10 kicks, 2 handballs, 5 marks) Casey Scorpions 5.4.34 7.6.48 10.11.71 15.14.104 North Ballarat 1.2.8 3.4.22 3.10.28 7.12.54 Goals Casey Scorpions Waite 3 Creed Jurrah Oldmeadow Scanlon 2 Blaser McLeod Sykes Zomer North Ballarat McMahon Radley 2 Bell Linke Raworth Best Casey Scorpions Creed Lees Scanlon Blaser Spencer Waite North Ballarat McMahon Beardsell Peters Hall Limb Niblett

HAWKS HOME, DEMONS AWAY by Scoop Junior On a balmy evening at the MCG, the Hawks played some of their best footy of the season in a rampant first half that resulted in a 22-point defeat of a plucky Melbourne outfit. Quite simply, Hawthorn was too good. The reigning premier did what the reigning premier should have done against last year's and this year's (current) bottom-placed side. While no one could question Melbourne's effort and endeavour, the Hawks produced a brand of footy with a team chock full with talent that was simply too much for the Dees to handle. Right from the start, the Hawthorn midfield was on top at the stoppages, with Mitchell and Sewell getting first hands on the ball and displaying clean ball use. And when the ball was loose, Hawthorn's greater pace won out. This pace discrepancy was noticeable on a number of occasions and in particular where a Hawthorn player started a few metres behind his Melbourne opponent yet won the foot race to the ball. Pace is no doubt a key issue for the Demons, but it is one which has been identified by the coaching staff and steps have been taken to improve in this area. With the Hawks' dominating the first half, the Dees went into their shells and stopped taking risks and displaying the free flowing corridor footy that served it well in recent narrow defeats to the Eagles and Bulldogs. The Hawthorn zone was doing its job and the Demons were struggling to move the ball with the required speed to penetrate the zone. On top of this, when Melbourne did get the ball forward, it made a number of elementary mistakes which cost the side easy goals. Matthew Bate missed from 15 metres out, Brad Miller stuffed up an impressive piece of play by Addam Maric by handballing well wide of Robbo and Robbo himself turned an impressive trademark hanger into an embarrassing miss by making the ridiculous decision to play on despite lying on the ground. Nevertheless, Melbourne did display a commendable level of fight and while at one stage the Round 1 2008 result looked set to be repeated, the Demons fought back well in the second half and gave the scoreboard some respectability in reducing the final margin to 22 points. While the final margin did not reflect Hawthorn's early dominance, it did reflect the fact that the Dees lifted their game in the second half, started to take risks and moved the ball better. It was very pleasing to see this attitude despite the game being effectively over at half time. Despite the basic errors in the first half, the forwards worked hard to finish with a respectable scoreline after being held to just four goals at half time. Stefan Martin provided a target in the last quarter and kicked a remarkable snapped goal after taking a clever mark and deciding (somewhat curiously, but nothing in comparison with Robbo's earlier decision) to play on. It was not really a great performance from Melbourne's marking forwards. Brad Miller, while working hard as usual, lacks the key ingredients of a good forward - creativity and firepower. We all know about his lack of goals but it's also a lack of genuine forward footy smarts that continues to hold him back. The midfield was beaten by a far superior opposition midfield, but their effort and work rate did not wane. McLean was busy, as was Green in his first game back from injury, while Moloney also put in a reasonable performance. With the pace issues mentioned previously and the fact that none of the above players possess raw speed, it may be that one or two of the bigger bodied slow-paced midfielders that Melbourne seem to have in abundance may make way in the coming seasons for quicker, fresher legs. While Nathan Jones' courage and work rate is to be admired, he makes a number of mistakes and is often caught with the ball due to a failure to make the correct decision quickly enough. I think there were about five turnovers in the first half that came directly from Jones - he will need to improve this aspect of his game to retain his place in a developing midfield. Without a doubt the star of the show was Colin Sylvia, who put in a game that actually matched one of Yze Magic's countless pre-game prediction posts that have been a regular occurrence since 2004. 37 possessions, 4 goals and 4 assists was the culmination of a brilliant performance that supporters have longed to see from Col for five years. In one blistering spell, he kicked three goals in a row to try to ignite his side. The most pleasing aspect of his game was the amount of possessions, as Sylvia has never been a high possession winner. While he has always won his fair share of contested ball, he has struggled to get easy, uncontested possessions in his time at the club. Given his good ball use, the more possessions the better. Hopefully this will be the start of a consistent run of form for him. The defenders recovered well after being worked over by Franklin and Roughead early. Warnock did a solid job on the dangerous Roughead and a return of three goals to the Hawk was a win for the Demons. Frawley and Rivers both spent time on Franklin, with the latter in particular making some good spoils in the second half. So in the end the Dees move on to Round 10, with another (somewhat) honourable loss in the bag (which isn't necessarily a bad thing - but I won't go there!). The continued improvement of young players such as Bennell, Grimes and Morton (though all three didn't have their best games on the weekend) should provide fans with something to get excited about. Maric is another youngster showing good signs and after a few poor games he has started to show why he was highly rated in the 2008 draft. His decision making and execution appear to be first class and something usually happens when the ball is in his hands. It is young players like this that the Dees are pinning their hopes on in their attempts to build something special at the club. Melbourne 2.5.17 4.6.30 8.10.58 13.14.92 Hawthorn 6.2.38 11.7.73 16.9.105 17.14.116 Goals Melbourne Sylvia 4 Martin Robertson 2 Bate Bruce Johnson McDonald McLean Hawthorn Franklin 4 Roughead 3 Bateman Guerra Rioli 2 McGlynn Muston Osborne Williams Best Melbourne Sylvia Green McLean Warnock Hawthorn Lewis Muston Sewell Morton Rioli Franklin Injuries Melbourne Robertson (cramp) Whelan (nose) Hawthorn Stokes (hamstring tightness) Moss (leg) Reports Nil Changes Nil Umpires Rosebury Hay Avon Crowd 39,395 at the MCG

Please cast your votes 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1 ...

Hi GoodOilBoy. I trust you realise that in the event that what you posted is untrue (and I think it's highly likely that it isn't), that could be your first and last post on Demonland.

Sorry but this one's not Sam's fault. We had to deal with some formatting errors when putting up his story and that one came about because of a technological hitch (now fixed, we hope). Alistair Clarkson can feel safe for the moment. Rodney Eade is not eyeing his job although a number of other coaches should be worrying ATM

Whenever we get desperate for a win, we call in Sam the Stats Man to review a game and bring you his wealth of statistical knowledge. IMPROVING BY NUMBERS by Sam The Stats Man Statisticians love facts and figures and I'm grateful to the powers that be on this site for the opportunity I get a couple of times in each year to give you my own stats on the Demons and my take on what the numbers mean. The short answer is in Melbourne's case is that they mean improvement and, despite the fact that the club's win-loss ratio of 1:7 at this stage of the season exactly matches the figure that applied twelve months ago, I have no hesitation in applying the "I" word to the Melbourne Football Club's performances in 2009. Match percentages are always a good indicator of a team's performances because its win/loss ratios might obscure the fact that a team might be performing well but losing by narrow margins. The Demons' percentage is still well below the mean average of 100 and this year's current figure of 74.1 remains the lowest in the competition but it's a significant improvement on 2008 and reflects the fact that the club is not experiencing the same thumping defeats of last year. Only two games, against Collingwood (53) and Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium (57) have seen a Demon defeat in excess of 50 points. On an individual level, the numbers look much better this year. In 2008 you could hardly find a Melbourne player featuring among the leaders on the various statistical indicator tables. James McDonald was thereabouts on the tackle count but that was just about that. At this stage of the current season, Aaron Davey heads the kick count at 149 and he's high up on the tally of effective kicks as well. Brent Moloney is celebrating his return to full fitness with some good form : he's sixth on the handballs list with 125 behind the leader Daniel Cross of the Bulldogs with 141 (Gary Ablett who has missed the past two games is second on 137). Second year player Cale Morton sneaks into the top ten lists for marks with 62 while Moloney is equal first with 10 shepherds, one ahead of Clint Bartram in equal third place. On the debit side of the ledger is the fact that there are no Demons in the top ten for tackles (where are you Junior?) and not surprisingly, the club does not feature in hit outs or clearances from the centre. This highlights Melbourne's pressing need to improve at the stoppages. Last Saturday against the Western Bulldogs which won by just 7 points, the Doggies manages to score 6 goals 3 behinds to the Demons' nothing - a sad indictment on the team's ability to get the ball away from ruck contests and set up scoring opportunities. And that is where the club needs to show some improvement as it takes on the reigning premier and its stellar midfield on Sunday evening. THE GAME Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Sunday 24 May 2009 at 4.40pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Hawthorn 74 wins Melbourne 74 wins At MCG Hawthorn 34 wins Melbourne 35 wins Since 2000 Hawthorn 7 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Eade 2 wins Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 (live) RADIO SEN ABC THE BETTING Hawthorn to win $1.15 Melbourne to win $5.00 LAST TIME THEY MET Hawthorn 14.13.97 d Melbourne 12.6.78 Round 9, 2009, at the MCG Melbourne took the game right up to the Hawks and while it didn't reverse the 100 point thrashing of their first round encounter, the Demons were a much improved outfit. Inspired by their retiring captain David Neitz who addressed the team before the game, Brock McLean and Matthew Bate excelled for Melbourne but Colin Garland was the Demon who came of age this day with a great blanketing performance on Lance Franklin who was restricted to just 3 goals 1 behind – a much inferior result than his average to that point in time. THE TEAMS HAWTHORN Backs Brendan Whitecross Thomas Murphy Brent Guerra Half backs Beau Dowler Campbell Brown Grant Birchall Centreline Jordan Lewis Sam Mitchell Beau Muston Half forwards Mark Williams Lance Franklin Michael Osborne Forwards Cyril Rioli Jarryd Roughead Garry Moss Followers Simon Taylor Brad Sewell Chance Bateman Interchange Robert Campbell Ben McGlynn Jarryd Morton Cameron Stokes Emergencies Stuart Dew Brent Renouf Travis Tuck In Beau Muston Cameron Stokes Out Stuart Dew Travis Tuck New Beau Muston (Murray U18) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs James Frawley Stephan Martin Aaron Davey Centreline Jack Grimes Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Half forwards Cale Morton Brad Miller Russell Robertson Forwards Brad Green Matthew Bate Cameron Bruce Followers Paul Johnson Brent Moloney James McDonald Interchange Jamie Bennell Nathan Jones Addam Maric Ricky Petterd Emergencies Clint Bartram Kyle Cheney Mark Jamar In Jamie Bennell James Frawley Brad Green Jared Rivers Out Clint Bartram Kyle Cheney Lynden Dunn Shane Valenti THE LIST Melbourne is improving in very small increments and is doing so because that's how things are with young lists I expect the improvement this year to be particularly slow because we are not going to see very much of the cream of this year's crop (picks 1 17& 19) until 2010 With more than one third of the season over here's how the Demons' list stacks up in terms of games and goals:- BAIL Rohan MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 1 game 0 goals. Missed early games with injury and has come back to Casey where he is putting in some handy performances. BARTRAM Clint MFC - 8 games 1 goal CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Has plugged away through traumatic times with the passing of his father and is back in town as the team's main go with man. BATE Matthew MFC - 8 games 10 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games0 goals. Has been inconsistent playing up forward but was on song against the Bulldogs with four goals last week. BELL Daniel MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 3 games1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Given the opportunity to play in the midfield during the preseason Bell was impressive before breaking a thumb in the last practice match Has now had a few games with Casey and is ready to return. BENNELL Jamie MFC - 7 games 2 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The teenager played the first seven games of the season with the Demons and was rested after playing his best game against the Eagles at Subiaco. BLEASE Sam MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The speedy youngster broke an ankle in a playground incident at school before he had his chance to play and won't be seen till next year. BRUCE Cameron MFC - 8 games 4 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. One of the team leaders and a prolific ball winner but he has been struggling recently with his disposal of the football. BUCKLEY Simon MFC - 1 game 0 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 0 goals CFC Reserves - 2 games 0 goals. Had groin injury issues after playing in round one and is slowly being nursed through the VFL. CHENEY Kyle MFC - 4 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Had an excellent debut game in round 1 before his form fell away a little but fought his way back into the team last week and did well. DAVEY Aaron MFC - 8 games 3 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. A breakout season for the Demon champion whose game has stepped up a notch and is staring at All Australian selection this year. DUNN Lynden MFC - 6 games 4 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games0 goals. Missed selection early and seems to be going up and down on the spot career wise at the moment. Dropped for Sunday's game. FRAWLEY James MFC - 7 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves – 0 games 0 goals. The club's biggest improver who has shown great poise and dash out of defence. GARLAND Colin MFC - 1 game 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The big improver of 2008 was showing signs of taking even more rapid steps up the ladder but a stress fracture in the leg has abruptly put an end to that probably for the entire season. GREEN Brad MFC - 4 games 9 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The team's best player until he suffered a broken jaw in the team's only win against the Tigers. Back this week. GRIMES Jack MFC – 2 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 3 games 1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. An injury setback after an impressive pre season has limited him to 2 AFL games but he seems to be slotting into the side beautifully. HEALEY Rhys * MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 5 games 3 goals. We didn't see much of him the pre season but he has been impressing in the Casey reserves. HUGHES Daniel * MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 3 games 6 goals CFC Reserves - 2 games 3 goals. The kid . is doing well in the firsts at Casey and deserves a break after a couple of seasons of debilitating injuries. JAMAR Mark MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Played his first game last week with Casey after coming off the long term injury list (stress fracture in the foot) at the end of round 7 and is in line for an early return to the Melbourne side. JETTA Neville MFC - 5 games 3 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. A fair start to a career from a player who has a touch of magic about him and should develop into a handy small man for the club. JOHNSON Paul MFC - 8 games 3 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Had a tough task in an undermanned ruck division, particularly over the last few weeks. Is showing some potential but is likely to never be more than the backup ruckman at AFL level. JONES Nathan MFC - 8 games 2 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. After a slow start to the season has stood up with some impressive performances in recent weeks. JURRAH Liam MFC - 0 games0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 3 goals CFC Reserves - 1 game 0 goals. Showed glimpses of magic with Casey but is still a fair way off making a senior debut with the Demons. Could be something really special when he finally gets there. MARIC Addam MFC - 3 games 4 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 2 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Had an interrupted pre season and played a number of VFL games before forcing his way into the Demons' side . After a shocker on return is settling down and proving a handy crumbing forward who knows how to find the goals. MARTIN Stefan MFC - 7 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Missed the season opener but has been a steady improver ever since he returned to the team in Round 2. McDONALD James MFC - 6 games 1 goal CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The skipper has been his usual steady self to this point of the season. McKENZIE Jordie * MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 5 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The young rookie has been something of a surprise packet in the Casey midfield and if he continues in this vein should eventually have a raise in status at the club. McLEAN Brock MFC - 8 games 3 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Working his way back after a long injury lay off McLean appeared sluggish in the early going but has started to show a return to his old self in recent weeks. McNAMARA Tom MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 4 games 4 goals CFC Reserves - 1 game 0 goals. The teenager is getting closer to a call up to the big stuff after some promising displays with the Casey Scorpion MEESEN John MFC - 4 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. After an underwhelming first season at the club Meesen was finally selected to fill a ruck position in the Port Adelaide game and was travelling along nicely until a stress fracture to his foot put an end to his season. MILLER Brad MFC - 8 games 11 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Held together the forward line in the absence of Robertson and is playing with greater confidence this season. MOLONEY Brent MFC - 8 games2 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves – 0 games 0 goals. Now over his groin and shoulder problems, Moloney is returning to the sort of form he showed I'm his first year at the club. MORTON Cale MFC - 8 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games0 goals. Establishing himself as a future elite footballer and racking up some impressive numbers with 71 disposals in the past fortnight. NEWTON Michael MFC - 2 games2 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 7 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The enigmatic toward is still struggling in top company where his kicking for goal and some of his decision making left a lot to be desired. PETTERD Ricky MFC - 8 games 9 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Another player settling back after injury, Petterd is still searching for some consistency in his game. RIVERS Jared MFC - 7 games 0goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The injury prone defender is finding his feet back in the game in between the odd struggle with ankle problems. ROBERTSON Russell MFC - 3 games 8 goals CFC Seniors - 3 games 9 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Robbo's return after a long recovery period from his Achilles injury is having significant influence on straightening up the team's forward line. SPENCER Jake * MFC - 2 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 1 game 0 goals. Showed out in the opening NAB Cup game against Hawthorn and through the preseason to earn promotion from the rookie list. He was then outgunned by stronger more experienced ruckmen in his early games before suffering an injury that kept him out until last Sunday when he made his return with Casey seconds. STRAUSS James MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 0 goals CFC Reserves - 2 games 0 goals. Had a slow and injury affected start to his career and was quiet in his first game at senior level with Casey last week. SYLVIA Colin MFC - 7 games 4 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Still inconsistent still tantalising supporters that he will arrive as a star footballer one day and sometimes still disappointing. VALENTI Shane * MFC - 1 game 1 goal CFC Seniors - 4 games 1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Considered too small and too slow for AFL, Valenti forced the selectors' hands with some hardworking and dominant performances for the Scorpions. The return of some of the club's leading lights sees him back there this week. WARNOCK Matthew MFC - 8 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. One of many improving talls in the Demon defence, Warnock has established himself in the team. WATTS Jack MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 3 goals CFC Reserves - 2 games 0 goals. The schoolboy star is in early work in progress mode at the club. WHEATLEY Paul MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Finally gets the chance to grace the field this Sunday in the Scorpion reserves after being kept out by a string of injuries. WHELAN Matthew MFC - 1 game 0 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 0 goals CFC Reserves - 3 games 0 goals. Another of the Demon defenders troubled by injury this year, Whelan's experience in defence was noticeable in his first match back against the Western Bulldogs. WONAEMIRRI Austin MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Another whose season has been curtailed by injury. Won't be seen until round 14. ZOMER Trent * MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 3 games 3 goals. still struggling to lift himself above VFL reserves level. Before leaving the list I think it's appropriate to compliment the club's Indigenous contingent on the eve of Indigenous Round. Aaron Davey is rightly a firm favourite at this early stage to win the club champion award, Matthew Whelan continues to win respect as a mentor for the younger players and a leader of the team's defence. The Bunbury lads Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta have been highly impressive in the early stages of their respective careers and we all miss Austin Wonaeamirri who has been dogged by injuries. And Liam Jurrah is a budding excitement machine for the years to come. The club should be proud of the way in which our Indigenous contingent represent both the club and their people both on and off the field and have added a wonderful new dimension to the club. On Sunday the pick of the above list takes on the (once) mighty Hawks and it's a much stronger Melbourne squad this time around with some handy footballers returning for the fray. Had Green, Rivers and Frawley been available last week, the Dees would most certainly have caused the upset of the round. They could well achieve this result with their inclusion for this week's game against the Hawks. Hawthorn on the other hand has a defence that has been decimated and barely recognisable in comparison with that which triumphed in last year's grand final. It's a Hawthorn team not unlike the one that just fell in when the teams clashed in the NAB Cup opener in Launceston and that's sufficient for me to suggest that the Demons will show plenty of improvement against the Hawks at twilight on Sunday. However, I feel that, in Colin Garland's absence, the Buddy Factor will probably sway the result in the Hawks' favour although it will nevertheless be a game where statisticians like myself who like the quirky nature of the distribution of numbers can triumph. I'm tipping therefore that the result of this game will go something like this: Round 7 - Melbourne loses by 8 points; Round 8 - Melbourne loses by 7 points and Round 9 - Melbourne to lose by 6 points And at that rate the Demons should be back on the winning list by Round 16 and finish the season with a rush of victories and statistical triumphs.

Whenever we get desperate for a win, we call in Sam the Stats Man to review a game and bring you his wealth of statistical knowledge. IMPROVING BY NUMBERS by Sam The Stats Man Statisticians love facts and figures and I'm grateful to the powers that be on this site for the opportunity I get a couple of times in each year to give you my own stats on the Demons and my take on what the numbers mean. The short answer is in Melbourne's case is that they mean improvement and, despite the fact that the club's win-loss ratio of 1:7 at this stage of the season exactly matches the figure that applied twelve months ago, I have no hesitation in applying the "I" word to the Melbourne Football Club's performances in 2009. Match percentages are always a good indicator of a team's performances because its win/loss ratios might obscure the fact that a team might be performing well but losing by narrow margins. The Demons' percentage is still well below the mean average of 100 and this year's current figure of 74.1 remains the lowest in the competition but it's a significant improvement on 2008 and reflects the fact that the club is not experiencing the same thumping defeats of last year. Only two games, against Collingwood (53) and Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium (57) have seen a Demon defeat in excess of 50 points. On an individual level, the numbers look much better this year. In 2008 you could hardly find a Melbourne player featuring among the leaders on the various statistical indicator tables. James McDonald was thereabouts on the tackle count but that was just about that. At this stage of the current season, Aaron Davey heads the kick count at 149 and he's high up on the tally of effective kicks as well. Brent Moloney is celebrating his return to full fitness with some good form : he's sixth on the handballs list with 125 behind the leader Daniel Cross of the Bulldogs with 141 (Gary Ablett who has missed the past two games is second on 137). Second year player Cale Morton sneaks into the top ten lists for marks with 62 while Moloney is equal first with 10 shepherds, one ahead of Clint Bartram in equal third place. On the debit side of the ledger is the fact that there are no Demons in the top ten for tackles (where are you Junior?) and not surprisingly, the club does not feature in hit outs or clearances from the centre. This highlights Melbourne's pressing need to improve at the stoppages. Last Saturday against the Western Bulldogs which won by just 7 points, the Doggies manages to score 6 goals 3 behinds to the Demons' nothing - a sad indictment on the team's ability to get the ball away from ruck contests and set up scoring opportunities. And that is where the club needs to show some improvement as it takes on the reigning premier and its stellar midfield on Sunday evening. THE GAME Hawthorn v Melbourne at the MCG Sunday 24 May 2009 at 4.40pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Hawthorn 74 wins Melbourne 74 wins At MCG Hawthorn 34 wins Melbourne 35 wins Since 2000 Hawthorn 7 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Eade 2 wins Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 (live) RADIO SEN ABC THE BETTING Hawthorn to win $1.15 Melbourne to win $5.00 LAST TIME THEY MET Hawthorn 14.13.97 d Melbourne 12.6.78 Round 9, 2009, at the MCG Melbourne took the game right up to the Hawks and while it didn't reverse the 100 point thrashing of their first round encounter, the Demons were a much improved outfit. Inspired by their retiring captain David Neitz who addressed the team before the game, Brock McLean and Matthew Bate excelled for Melbourne but Colin Garland was the Demon who came of age this day with a great blanketing performance on Lance Franklin who was restricted to just 3 goals 1 behind – a much inferior result than his average to that point in time. THE TEAMS HAWTHORN Backs Brendan Whitecross Thomas Murphy Brent Guerra Half backs Beau Dowler Campbell Brown Grant Birchall Centreline Jordan Lewis Sam Mitchell Beau Muston Half forwards Mark Williams Lance Franklin Michael Osborne Forwards Cyril Rioli Jarryd Roughead Garry Moss Followers Simon Taylor Brad Sewell Chance Bateman Interchange Robert Campbell Ben McGlynn Jarryd Morton Cameron Stokes Emergencies Stuart Dew Brent Renouf Travis Tuck In Beau Muston Cameron Stokes Out Stuart Dew Travis Tuck New Beau Muston (Murray U18) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs James Frawley Stephan Martin Aaron Davey Centreline Jack Grimes Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Half forwards Cale Morton Brad Miller Russell Robertson Forwards Brad Green Matthew Bate Cameron Bruce Followers Paul Johnson Brent Moloney James McDonald Interchange Jamie Bennell Nathan Jones Addam Maric Ricky Petterd Emergencies Clint Bartram Kyle Cheney Mark Jamar In Jamie Bennell James Frawley Brad Green Jared Rivers Out Clint Bartram Kyle Cheney Lynden Dunn Shane Valenti THE LIST Melbourne is improving in very small increments and is doing so because that's how things are with young lists I expect the improvement this year to be particularly slow because we are not going to see very much of the cream of this year's crop (picks 1 17& 19) until 2010 With more than one third of the season over here's how the Demons' list stacks up in terms of games and goals:- BAIL Rohan MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 1 game 0 goals. Missed early games with injury and has come back to Casey where he is putting in some handy performances. BARTRAM Clint MFC - 8 games 1 goal CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Has plugged away through traumatic times with the passing of his father and is back in town as the team's main go with man. BATE Matthew MFC - 8 games 10 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games0 goals. Has been inconsistent playing up forward but was on song against the Bulldogs with four goals last week. BELL Daniel MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 3 games1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Given the opportunity to play in the midfield during the preseason Bell was impressive before breaking a thumb in the last practice match Has now had a few games with Casey and is ready to return. BENNELL Jamie MFC - 7 games 2 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The teenager played the first seven games of the season with the Demons and was rested after playing his best game against the Eagles at Subiaco. BLEASE Sam MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The speedy youngster broke an ankle in a playground incident at school before he had his chance to play and won't be seen till next year. BRUCE Cameron MFC - 8 games 4 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. One of the team leaders and a prolific ball winner but he has been struggling recently with his disposal of the football. BUCKLEY Simon MFC - 1 game 0 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 0 goals CFC Reserves - 2 games 0 goals. Had groin injury issues after playing in round one and is slowly being nursed through the VFL. CHENEY Kyle MFC - 4 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Had an excellent debut game in round 1 before his form fell away a little but fought his way back into the team last week and did well. DAVEY Aaron MFC - 8 games 3 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. A breakout season for the Demon champion whose game has stepped up a notch and is staring at All Australian selection this year. DUNN Lynden MFC - 6 games 4 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games0 goals. Missed selection early and seems to be going up and down on the spot career wise at the moment. Dropped for Sunday's game. FRAWLEY James MFC - 7 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves – 0 games 0 goals. The club's biggest improver who has shown great poise and dash out of defence. GARLAND Colin MFC - 1 game 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The big improver of 2008 was showing signs of taking even more rapid steps up the ladder but a stress fracture in the leg has abruptly put an end to that probably for the entire season. GREEN Brad MFC - 4 games 9 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The team's best player until he suffered a broken jaw in the team's only win against the Tigers. Back this week. GRIMES Jack MFC – 2 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 3 games 1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. An injury setback after an impressive pre season has limited him to 2 AFL games but he seems to be slotting into the side beautifully. HEALEY Rhys * MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 5 games 3 goals. We didn't see much of him the pre season but he has been impressing in the Casey reserves. HUGHES Daniel * MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 3 games 6 goals CFC Reserves - 2 games 3 goals. The kid . is doing well in the firsts at Casey and deserves a break after a couple of seasons of debilitating injuries. JAMAR Mark MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Played his first game last week with Casey after coming off the long term injury list (stress fracture in the foot) at the end of round 7 and is in line for an early return to the Melbourne side. JETTA Neville MFC - 5 games 3 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. A fair start to a career from a player who has a touch of magic about him and should develop into a handy small man for the club. JOHNSON Paul MFC - 8 games 3 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Had a tough task in an undermanned ruck division, particularly over the last few weeks. Is showing some potential but is likely to never be more than the backup ruckman at AFL level. JONES Nathan MFC - 8 games 2 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. After a slow start to the season has stood up with some impressive performances in recent weeks. JURRAH Liam MFC - 0 games0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 3 goals CFC Reserves - 1 game 0 goals. Showed glimpses of magic with Casey but is still a fair way off making a senior debut with the Demons. Could be something really special when he finally gets there. MARIC Addam MFC - 3 games 4 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 2 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Had an interrupted pre season and played a number of VFL games before forcing his way into the Demons' side . After a shocker on return is settling down and proving a handy crumbing forward who knows how to find the goals. MARTIN Stefan MFC - 7 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Missed the season opener but has been a steady improver ever since he returned to the team in Round 2. McDONALD James MFC - 6 games 1 goal CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The skipper has been his usual steady self to this point of the season. McKENZIE Jordie * MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 5 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The young rookie has been something of a surprise packet in the Casey midfield and if he continues in this vein should eventually have a raise in status at the club. McLEAN Brock MFC - 8 games 3 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Working his way back after a long injury lay off McLean appeared sluggish in the early going but has started to show a return to his old self in recent weeks. McNAMARA Tom MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 4 games 4 goals CFC Reserves - 1 game 0 goals. The teenager is getting closer to a call up to the big stuff after some promising displays with the Casey Scorpion MEESEN John MFC - 4 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. After an underwhelming first season at the club Meesen was finally selected to fill a ruck position in the Port Adelaide game and was travelling along nicely until a stress fracture to his foot put an end to his season. MILLER Brad MFC - 8 games 11 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Held together the forward line in the absence of Robertson and is playing with greater confidence this season. MOLONEY Brent MFC - 8 games2 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves – 0 games 0 goals. Now over his groin and shoulder problems, Moloney is returning to the sort of form he showed I'm his first year at the club. MORTON Cale MFC - 8 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games0 goals. Establishing himself as a future elite footballer and racking up some impressive numbers with 71 disposals in the past fortnight. NEWTON Michael MFC - 2 games2 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 7 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The enigmatic toward is still struggling in top company where his kicking for goal and some of his decision making left a lot to be desired. PETTERD Ricky MFC - 8 games 9 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Another player settling back after injury, Petterd is still searching for some consistency in his game. RIVERS Jared MFC - 7 games 0goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. The injury prone defender is finding his feet back in the game in between the odd struggle with ankle problems. ROBERTSON Russell MFC - 3 games 8 goals CFC Seniors - 3 games 9 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Robbo's return after a long recovery period from his Achilles injury is having significant influence on straightening up the team's forward line. SPENCER Jake * MFC - 2 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 1 game 0 goals. Showed out in the opening NAB Cup game against Hawthorn and through the preseason to earn promotion from the rookie list. He was then outgunned by stronger more experienced ruckmen in his early games before suffering an injury that kept him out until last Sunday when he made his return with Casey seconds. STRAUSS James MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 0 goals CFC Reserves - 2 games 0 goals. Had a slow and injury affected start to his career and was quiet in his first game at senior level with Casey last week. SYLVIA Colin MFC - 7 games 4 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Still inconsistent still tantalising supporters that he will arrive as a star footballer one day and sometimes still disappointing. VALENTI Shane * MFC - 1 game 1 goal CFC Seniors - 4 games 1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Considered too small and too slow for AFL, Valenti forced the selectors' hands with some hardworking and dominant performances for the Scorpions. The return of some of the club's leading lights sees him back there this week. WARNOCK Matthew MFC - 8 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. One of many improving talls in the Demon defence, Warnock has established himself in the team. WATTS Jack MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 3 goals CFC Reserves - 2 games 0 goals. The schoolboy star is in early work in progress mode at the club. WHEATLEY Paul MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 0 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Finally gets the chance to grace the field this Sunday in the Scorpion reserves after being kept out by a string of injuries. WHELAN Matthew MFC - 1 game 0 goals CFC Seniors - 1 game 0 goals CFC Reserves - 3 games 0 goals. Another of the Demon defenders troubled by injury this year, Whelan's experience in defence was noticeable in his first match back against the Western Bulldogs. WONAEMIRRI Austin MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 1 goal CFC Reserves - 0 games 0 goals. Another whose season has been curtailed by injury. Won't be seen until round 14. ZOMER Trent * MFC - 0 games 0 goals CFC Seniors - 2 games 0 goals CFC Reserves - 3 games 3 goals. still struggling to lift himself above VFL reserves level. Before leaving the list I think it's appropriate to compliment the club's Indigenous contingent on the eve of Indigenous Round. Aaron Davey is rightly a firm favourite at this early stage to win the club champion award, Matthew Whelan continues to win respect as a mentor for the younger players and a leader of the team's defence. The Bunbury lads Jamie Bennell and Neville Jetta have been highly impressive in the early stages of their respective careers and we all miss Austin Wonaeamirri who has been dogged by injuries. And Liam Jurrah is a budding excitement machine for the years to come. The club should be proud of the way in which our Indigenous contingent represent both the club and their people both on and off the field and have added a wonderful new dimension to the club. On Sunday the pick of the above list takes on the (once) mighty Hawks and it's a much stronger Melbourne squad this time around with some handy footballers returning for the fray. Had Green, Rivers and Frawley been available last week, the Dees would most certainly have caused the upset of the round. They could well achieve this result with their inclusion for this week's game against the Hawks. Hawthorn on the other hand has a defence that has been decimated and barely recognisable in comparison with that which triumphed in last year's grand final. It's a Hawthorn team not unlike the one that just fell in when the teams clashed in the NAB Cup opener in Launceston and that's sufficient for me to suggest that the Demons will show plenty of improvement against the Hawks at twilight on Sunday. However, I feel that, in Colin Garland's absence, the Buddy Factor will probably sway the result in the Hawks' favour although it will nevertheless be a game where statisticians like myself who like the quirky nature of the distribution of numbers can triumph. I'm tipping therefore that the result of this game will go something like this: Round 7 - Melbourne loses by 8 points; Round 8 - Melbourne loses by 7 points and Round 9 - Melbourne to lose by 6 points And at that rate the Demons should be back on the winning list by Round 16 and finish the season with a rush of victories and statistical triumphs.

For once I think the opposition might have the greater number of differences from lst year to this year ... MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Warnock Colin Garland Daniel Bell Half backs Clint Bartram Paul Johnson Cameron Bruce Centreline Brad Green Brock McLean Matthew Bate Half forwards Cale Morton Russell Robertson Brent Moloney Forwards Aaron Davey Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White James McDonald Nathan Jones Interchange Simon Buckley James Frawley Ben Holland Shane Valenti Emergencies Jace Bode Chris Johnson Adem Yze In Ben Holland Out Mark Jamar (omitted) HAWTHORN TASMANIAN HAWKS Backs Campbell Brown Stephen Gilham Rick Ladson Half backs Xavier Ellis Trent Croad Grant Birchall Centreline Clinton Young Sam Mitchell Chance Bateman Half forwards Michael Osborne Lance Franklin Josh Kennedy Forwards Cyril Rioli Jarryd Roughead Mark Williams Followers Robert Campbell Brad Sewell Jordan Lewis Interchange Tim Clarke Stuart Dew Thomas Murphy Simon Taylor Emergencies Jarryd Morton Brent Renouf Mitch Thorp In Tim Clarke Josh Kennedy Thomas Murphy Out Brent Guerra (hamstring) Shane Crawford (suspended) Ben McGlynn (suspended)

HAWKS SPOIL SCORPIONS' HOMECOMING by KC from Casey The return of the Scorpions for only their second game of the season at Casey Fields was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming after winning their last two away fixtures. However, the team spoiled the party with some sloppy play in front of goals and it cost them a win over the Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields yesterday. The Scorpions not only missed out on the vital four premiership points on offer but the 15 point loss against a dogged opposition after leading for most of the day also harmed their finals prospects. Box Hill looked sharp early in the proceedings and produced the first goal before Casey settled down and replied through the agency of a long goal from Danny Hughes who was marking everything in the early going. But the team was unable to nail home the advantage with Hughes in particular narrowly missing three shots before improving ruckman Tim Mohr took pass and goaled. Box Hill replied on one of their rare forays forward but Daniel Bell returned the compliment with a goal after a chain of hand passes started by youngster Jack Watts who had a quiet day. A goal late in the term to the Hawks narrowed the gap to just 4 points at the break which was disappointing in view of Casey's dominance in general play to that point. Casey momentarily lost the lead after conceding the first goal of the second term but Mohr soon notched his second from 50 metres out. Michael Newton who was receiving some close attention finally managed to grab the ball out of a pack to score a major and Neville Jetta's drop punt goal soon after established a 16 point lead, their biggest lead of the day. A change came over the game when Box Hill managed to shut things down. Suddenly, the Scorpions lost their run and a couple of late goals to the Hawks saw the game evenly balanced at half time with Casey leading by just three points. Box Hill opened the second half strongly but Casey lifted with a long goal to Newton at the 11-minute mark. Then followed a stalemate that lasted for half of the term before a goal from Tom McNamara gave the Scorpions some much needed breathing space with the visitors kicking to the scoring end in the final term. Coach Peter German called on his players to lift during the final break and asked skipper Kyle Matthews for a special effort but it was not his day. When Box Hill applied the blowtorch, panic set in the home team camp and the Hawks they were able to boot four unanswered goals to grab the lead and take a strong grip on the game. Casey tried desperately to reverse the late trend of the game but in the end they fell short. A disappointed German said after the game that his team certainly had its chances and its endeavour was there but he rued the wasted opportunities of a team that went inside 50 about 15 more times than Box Hill: "We had about 15 opportunities to kick goals and we either missed them or didn't capitalise on our work and didn't get the points." For the Scorpions the best players were Daniel Bell whose strong tackling was a feature and Michael Stockdale who played his finest game since joining the club. Alex Silvagni was as cool as ever taking some fine marks and effecting some nice dashes out of defence and Mohr did well around the ground in the ruck. Young Demon Jetta showed some class and produced some exciting patches of play. Casey travels to North Ballarat for another vital game next Sunday and should be prepared for a tough encounter in what could very well turn out to be inhospitable conditions. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail – had a quiet game in defence. Kicks 4, Handballs 5, Marks 1, Tackles 3, Assists 3 Daniel Bell – coming back from a broken thumb and following upon a bout of concussion on return in the Casey Reserves, Bell has now played two senior games and was in great form in this game, particularly at the stoppages where he showed great intensity and tackled hard. Kicks 6, Handballs 18, Marks 2, Tackles 11, Assists 14, Goals 1 Simon Buckley – another player coming back from injury, Buckley was just shaded by his opponent and his kicking let him down on the day. Kicks 8, Handballs 7, Marks 4, Tackles 1, Assists 2 Danny Hughes – started like a house on fire but missed some early shots at goal that could have stamped this as his game. Finished with 1 goal 4 behinds and kept plugging away marking strongly and creating good movement on the forward line. Kicks 14, Handballs 7, Marks 10, Tackles 4, Assists 5, Goals 1 Mark Jamar – first game back after coming off the long term injury list and, despite limited time on the ground, would have been satisfied with his first up performance. Kicks 7, Handballs 5, Marks 7, Tackles 3, Assists 4, Goals 1 Neville Jetta – a real livewire who was dangerous near the ball but he did have some quiet passages during the game. Kicks 11, Handballs 2, Marks 5, Tackles 6, Assists 7, Goals 1 Jordie McKenzie – a hard working on baller, McKenzie had a run with role, was again impressive and belied his rookie status. Kicks 10, Handballs 10, Marks 3, Tackles 2, Assists 3 Tom McNamara – a strong performance by McNamara who was strong in defence and kicked a couple of valuable goals when going forward. Kicks 12, Handballs 8, Marks 5, Tackles 5, Assists 14, Goals 2 Michael Newton – copped a few early knocks and received close attention all day but disappointed with a few of his efforts. Kicks 6, Handballs 2, Marks 2, Tackles 1, Assists 2, Goals 2 James Strauss – had a quiet game in defence. Kicks 2, Handballs 4, Marks 3, Tackles 4, Assists 5 Jack Watts - tagged by young Hawk Shoenmakers and although he showed glimpses of his sublime skills, he really had little impact on this game. Kicks 7, Handballs 3, Marks 3, Tackles 2, Assists 4 Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 6.8.44 8.11.59 10.14.74 Box Hill Hawks 3.1.19 6.5.41 7.8.50 13.11.89 Goals Casey Scorpions McNamara Mohr Newton 2 Bell Hughes Jetta Stockdale Box Hill Hawks Gibson 4 Breust 3 Lisle 2 Iles Kennedy Neil Smithwick Best Casey Scorpions Bell Stockdale Silvagni Mohr Hughes McNamara Box Hill Hawks Gibson Renouf Schoenmakers Kenna Breust Iles The Casey Reserves were overwhelmed by Box Hill in the opening half but showed some great determination to play out a competitive second half. The result however, was disappointing after the team's improved form over the past few weeks. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rhys Healey – a prolific ball winner in a side well beaten, Healey was easily his team's best player. Kicks 11, Handballs 16, Marks 4, Tackles 6, Assists 7, Goals 1 Liam Jurrah – quiet on the day but what he did, he did well. Kicks 9, Handballs 5, Marks 3, Tackles 4, Assists 7, Goals 1 Jake Spencer – given his limited game time, Spencer did well enough to warrant a return to senior football where he can develop his game to advantage. Kicks 6, Handballs 9, Marks 5, Tackles 1, Assists 2 Trent Zomer – struggled early in defence but was good when moved to attack. Kicks 10, Handballs 7, Marks 4, Tackles 1, Assists 2 Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 3.3.21 7.5.47 12.6.78 Box Hill Hawks 7.3.45 13.6.84 16.10.106 23.14.152 Goals Casey Scorpions Virtue Waite 2 Bolton Clay Creed Healey Matheson Patti Snow Zomer Box Hill Hawks Conyers 4 Cross Hoegel Parker Underwood 3 Marcius Walsh 2 Bull Sandilands Sherwen Best Casey Scorpions Healey Lees Waite Williams Bolton Virtue Box Hill Hawks Cross Bull Carey Parker Nye Sandilands

by KC from Casey The return of the Scorpions for only their second game of the season at Casey Fields was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming after winning their last two away fixtures. However, the team spoiled the party with some sloppy play in front of goals and it cost them a win over the Box Hill Hawks at Casey Fields yesterday. The Scorpions not only missed out on the vital four premiership points on offer but the 15 point loss against a dogged opposition after leading for most of the day also harmed their finals prospects. Box Hill looked sharp early in the proceedings and produced the first goal before Casey settled down and replied through the agency of a long goal from Danny Hughes who was marking everything in the early going. But the team was unable to nail home the advantage with Hughes in particular narrowly missing three shots before improving ruckman Tim Mohr took pass and goaled. Box Hill replied on one of their rare forays forward but Daniel Bell returned the compliment with a goal after a chain of hand passes started by youngster Jack Watts who had a quiet day. A goal late in the term to the Hawks narrowed the gap to just 4 points at the break which was disappointing in view of Casey's dominance in general play to that point. Casey momentarily lost the lead after conceding the first goal of the second term but Mohr soon notched his second from 50 metres out. Michael Newton who was receiving some close attention finally managed to grab the ball out of a pack to score a major and Neville Jetta's drop punt goal soon after established a 16 point lead, their biggest lead of the day. A change came over the game when Box Hill managed to shut things down. Suddenly, the Scorpions lost their run and a couple of late goals to the Hawks saw the game evenly balanced at half time with Casey leading by just three points. Box Hill opened the second half strongly but Casey lifted with a long goal to Newton at the 11-minute mark. Then followed a stalemate that lasted for half of the term before a goal from Tom McNamara gave the Scorpions some much needed breathing space with the visitors kicking to the scoring end in the final term. Coach Peter German called on his players to lift during the final break and asked skipper Kyle Matthews for a special effort but it was not his day. When Box Hill applied the blowtorch, panic set in the home team camp and the Hawks they were able to boot four unanswered goals to grab the lead and take a strong grip on the game. Casey tried desperately to reverse the late trend of the game but in the end they fell short. A disappointed German said after the game that his team certainly had its chances and its endeavour was there but he rued the wasted opportunities of a team that went inside 50 about 15 more times than Box Hill: "We had about 15 opportunities to kick goals and we either missed them or didn't capitalise on our work and didn't get the points." For the Scorpions the best players were Daniel Bell whose strong tackling was a feature and Michael Stockdale who played his finest game since joining the club. Alex Silvagni was as cool as ever taking some fine marks and effecting some nice dashes out of defence and Mohr did well around the ground in the ruck. Young Demon Jetta showed some class and produced some exciting patches of play. Casey travels to North Ballarat for another vital game next Sunday and should be prepared for a tough encounter in what could very well turn out to be inhospitable conditions. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail – had a quiet game in defence. Kicks 4, Handballs 5, Marks 1, Tackles 3, Assists 3 Daniel Bell – coming back from a broken thumb and following upon a bout of concussion on return in the Casey Reserves, Bell has now played two senior games and was in great form in this game, particularly at the stoppages where he showed great intensity and tackled hard. Kicks 6, Handballs 18, Marks 2, Tackles 11, Assists 14, Goals 1 Simon Buckley – another player coming back from injury, Buckley was just shaded by his opponent and his kicking let him down on the day. Kicks 8, Handballs 7, Marks 4, Tackles 1, Assists 2 Danny Hughes – started like a house on fire but missed some early shots at goal that could have stamped this as his game. Finished with 1 goal 4 behinds and kept plugging away marking strongly and creating good movement on the forward line. Kicks 14, Handballs 7, Marks 10, Tackles 4, Assists 5, Goals 1 Mark Jamar – first game back after coming off the long term injury list and, despite limited time on the ground, would have been satisfied with his first up performance. Kicks 7, Handballs 5, Marks 7, Tackles 3, Assists 4, Goals 1 Neville Jetta – a real livewire who was dangerous near the ball but he did have some quiet passages during the game. Kicks 11, Handballs 2, Marks 5, Tackles 6, Assists 7, Goals 1 Jordie McKenzie – a hard working on baller, McKenzie had a run with role, was again impressive and belied his rookie status. Kicks 10, Handballs 10, Marks 3, Tackles 2, Assists 3 Tom McNamara – a strong performance by McNamara who was strong in defence and kicked a couple of valuable goals when going forward. Kicks 12, Handballs 8, Marks 5, Tackles 5, Assists 14, Goals 2 Michael Newton – copped a few early knocks and received close attention all day but disappointed with a few of his efforts. Kicks 6, Handballs 2, Marks 2, Tackles 1, Assists 2, Goals 2 James Strauss – had a quiet game in defence. Kicks 2, Handballs 4, Marks 3, Tackles 4, Assists 5 Jack Watts - tagged by young Hawk Shoenmakers and although he showed glimpses of his sublime skills, he really had little impact on this game. Kicks 7, Handballs 3, Marks 3, Tackles 2, Assists 4 Casey Scorpions 3.5.23 6.8.44 8.11.59 10.14.74 Box Hill Hawks 3.1.19 6.5.41 7.8.50 13.11.89 Goals Casey Scorpions McNamara Mohr Newton 2 Bell Hughes Jetta Stockdale Box Hill Hawks Gibson 4 Breust 3 Lisle 2 Iles Kennedy Neil Smithwick Best Casey Scorpions Bell Stockdale Silvagni Mohr Hughes McNamara Box Hill Hawks Gibson Renouf Schoenmakers Kenna Breust Iles The Casey Reserves were overwhelmed by Box Hill in the opening half but showed some great determination to play out a competitive second half. The result however, was disappointing after the team's improved form over the past few weeks. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rhys Healey – a prolific ball winner in a side well beaten, Healey was easily his team's best player. Kicks 11, Handballs 16, Marks 4, Tackles 6, Assists 7, Goals 1 Liam Jurrah – quiet on the day but what he did, he did well. Kicks 9, Handballs 5, Marks 3, Tackles 4, Assists 7, Goals 1 Jake Spencer – given his limited game time, Spencer did well enough to warrant a return to senior football where he can develop his game to advantage. Kicks 6, Handballs 9, Marks 5, Tackles 1, Assists 2 Trent Zomer – struggled early in defence but was good when moved to attack. Kicks 10, Handballs 7, Marks 4, Tackles 1, Assists 2 Casey Scorpions 2.2.14 3.3.21 7.5.47 12.6.78 Box Hill Hawks 7.3.45 13.6.84 16.10.106 23.14.152 Goals Casey Scorpions Virtue Waite 2 Bolton Clay Creed Healey Matheson Patti Snow Zomer Box Hill Hawks Conyers 4 Cross Hoegel Parker Underwood 3 Marcius Walsh 2 Bull Sandilands Sherwen Best Casey Scorpions Healey Lees Waite Williams Bolton Virtue Box Hill Hawks Cross Bull Carey Parker Nye Sandilands

KC's report is being prepared and should be up some time later today.

Thanks for voting folks! It was a good day for the leaders - most of them were in the votes but Aaron Davey still has a sizeable lead. 78.849 Aaron Davey 50.906 Brent Moloney 40.932 Cale Morton 32.327 Brock McLean 31.945 Nathan Jones 19.408 Brad Miller 15.064 James Frawley 12.226 Matthew Warnock 11.805 Ricky Petterd 11.148 Brad Green 10.145 Cameron Bruce 9.411 Colin Sylvia 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.624 Kyle Cheney 7.987 Matthew Bate 6.126 Russell Robertson 5.717 Jared Rivers 4.374 Clint Bartram 4.350 Paul Johnson 3.333 James McDonald 3.261 Stefan Martin 3.077 Neville Jetta 0.933 Jack Grimes 0.667 Lynden Dunn 0.613 John Meesen

SOMETHING IS HAPPENING HERE by Whispering Jack One evening not all that long ago I was walking with a friend through the streets of our neighbourhood when we came upon a distinguished looking gentleman waiting for a relative to pick him up from a grandchild's school concert. The man was Dr. Don Cordner, a member of Melbourne's great football family that dates back to the first decade of the 20th Century. A champion ruckman who played 166 games from 1941 to 1950, Don had done just about everything during his lifetime at Melbourne. He was a Brownlow Medallist (1946), a premiership captain (1948), a Victorian representative, an MFC Hall of Famer and Team of The Century Member and, later in life, he was president of the Melbourne Cricket Club (1985-92). Don Cordner died on Wednesday morning at the age of 87 and today, the crowd at the MCG stood in silence for a minute before the Melbourne v Western Bulldogs game to honour his passing and his contribution to our great club and our great sport. After that, the twenty-two young men representing the football team he loved and wearing black armbands to remember him by put on a performance that might well be regarded in the future as a significant turning point in the fortunes of the Melbourne Football Club. … We stood talking under a streetlamp. The subject was our favourite football team, the one that his father, an uncle, he and three brothers and a nephew represented with great honour over a span of eight decades from 1903 when Harry Cordner played the first of his 11 games until 1987 when David Cordner played the last of his 53 games of an injury ravaged career with the club. We discussed the Cordner dynasty and, in a way, you could feel that he rued the fact that it was now over. The father son rule would not assist any more even if there were some young budding Cordner champions about. But he was optimistic about the club's future and no doubt, he would have been tickled pink while he was still alive, that there was a symbolic reconciliation of the football and cricket clubs that he served with such distinction during his lifetime. At the time we spoke, the Demons were going through a rough trot and playing some insipid football. Neale Daniher was on his way out as coach and a generational change was needed at the club. Don wasn't the type who would tolerate defeat but he was a realist and quite the diplomat. Still, he would never accept a team wearing the red and blue that wasn't prepared to "have a crack". Melbourne did not win for Don Cordner today but it fell tantalisingly short of the mark and was beaten by a better side on the day. Yet, the team did what Don would have expected of them: they had a decent crack and, in doing so, they did him and themselves proud. … There's something happening here. The Melbourne Football Club is about to waken from its long slumber. The generational change is happening ever so slowly but it's been discernible since the team began its long pre season in October last year. The signs of improvement have been everywhere although the progress has been frustrating and slow, made even more difficult to accept by dint of injuries to key players. However, the process continues and, if you'll pardon a metaphor that might not be all that popular with fans of the Dees, I think's it's about to snowball in the months ahead. It might not happen overnight (especially when one looks at the next two sets of opponents) but something is happening here. Two weeks and two narrow defeats. One in Perth which has been a graveyard for recent Melbourne teams and now at home to the third placed Bulldogs which slaughtered them by an extra 15 goals in the corresponding game last year. And the Dogs would have been greatly relieved to secure the four premiership points after trailing by as much as 22 points early in the second term. I'm not suggesting that the Demons were perfect. There were still some disastrous turnovers, lapses of concentration and errors of judgment, mainly from the inexperienced but some from the more seasoned players. But overall, they worked hard, ran and carried the ball well and tackled the game with enthusiasm and courage. Don Cordner would have enjoyed their approach even if they overdid the handball at times; even if they made the odd mistake because, for possibly the first time since that chance encounter in the streets near my home, Melbourne played out a game of quality to the end against a top line opponent without looking out of place or undermanned. For the first time in two or three years, the light at the end of the tunnel was coming into focus. They were a football team again! All of that despite the absence of young emerging back men in Colin Garland, James Frawley and Jamie Bennell, experienced players in Brad Green, Jared Rivers, Paul Wheatley, half of the club's ruckmen, the exciting Austin Wonaeamirri and with the first three draft picks of 2008 (all top twenty) still in the warehouse. So it's time for everybody to stop and look at what's going down. … There's improvement everywhere and for this coach Dean Bailey and the football department must take credit. Melbourne's on ball brigade was on top in terms of winning the football even if they did not do so with the clinical efficiency of their opponents. Brock McLean, Brent Moloney and Cale Morton all figured highly in the possession count amassing more than 35 disposals apiece and the efficient Aaron Davey, while not accumulating the same amount of ball was deadly with his run, accuracy and creativity coming out of defence. Morton's role was, to be sure, more of a defensive one but it would not be an understatement to say that he is on the way to elite status. Not far behind him is another young defender in Jack Grimes. Hard to believe that today was only his third game in this company. It's also hard to believe that the cobbled together defence was missing so many of its first up selections. Matthew Warnock and Stefan Martin continued to shine and to underline the potential of the defence. Matty Whelan was a welcome returnee and Kyle Cheney added to the tough veneer of the back line. The forward line is looking much better, especially with Russell Robertson creating a target. Matthew Bate was strong there today and Addam Maric chipped in with a couple of crumbing goals. There were opportunities missed and the team still struggled and turned the ball over and squandered some simple opportunities in front of goal. A tall key marking option or two up there might not hurt but, in any event, the improvement can be seen in the way they managed to keep the ball in attack and create scoring opportunities. While it's clear that Melbourne is improving as a side, a major deficiency today was in the ruck. Paul Johnson was excellent around the ground but can't single-handedly be expected to control the ruckwork against the combination of Hudson and Minson. In the end, the edge that the Bulldogs gained from winning the stoppages was probably the thing that got them home. Which is ironical given that Don Cordner, the man who passed away during the week, was considered by some to have been one of the game's great ruckmen. The Demons could have done with someone of his ilk directing the traffic and they might have that someone in Jake Spencer who is coming back from injury and was sitting in the stands today. At 203cm, he's a player who is always prepared to have a crack and is willing to learn. His time will come. So while Don Cordner will be sorely be missed by the Melbourne family, it's significant that with his passing, there's a new generation and a new spirit emerging at Melbourne. There's definitely something happening here. Melbourne 5.2.32 10.3.63 11.4.70 15.7.97 Western Bulldogs 3.3.21 9.6.60 12.10.82 15.14.104 Goals Melbourne Bate 4 Robertson 3 Maric 2 Davey Jones McLean Petterd Sylvia Valenti Western Bulldogs Akermanis 4 Welsh 3 Gilbee 2 Addison Boyd Cooney Hahn Johnson Murphy Best Melbourne Moloney McLean Morton Bruce Grimes Davey Bate Western Bulldogs Gilbee Akermanis Boyd Giansiracusa Welsh Morris Injuries Melbourne – nil Western Bulldogs Murphy (hamstring) Changes Melbourne – nil Western Bulldogs - Addison replaced Hargrave in the Western Bulldogs selected side Reports Melbourne – nil Western Bulldogs - nil Umpires Nicholls Hay McInerney Crowd 28,279 at the MCG In memory of Dr. Don Cordner (1922-2009)

6,5,4,3,2,1 ... go!

SOMETHING IS HAPPENING HERE by Whispering Jack One evening not all that long ago I was walking with a friend through the streets of our neighbourhood when we came upon a distinguished looking gentleman waiting for a relative to pick him up from a grandchild's school concert. The man was Dr. Don Cordner, a member of Melbourne's great football family that dates back to the first decade of the 20th Century. A champion ruckman who played 166 games from 1941 to 1950, Don had done just about everything during his lifetime at Melbourne. He was a Brownlow Medallist (1946), a premiership captain (1948), a Victorian representative, an MFC Hall of Famer and Team of The Century Member and, later in life, he was president of the Melbourne Cricket Club (1985-92). Don Cordner died on Wednesday morning at the age of 87 and today, the crowd at the MCG stood in silence for a minute before the Melbourne v Western Bulldogs game to honour his passing and his contribution to our great club and our great sport. After that, the twenty-two young men representing the football team he loved and wearing black armbands to remember him by put on a performance that might well be regarded in the future as a significant turning point in the fortunes of the Melbourne Football Club. … We stood talking under a streetlamp. The subject was our favourite football team, the one that his father, an uncle, he and three brothers and a nephew represented with great honour over a span of eight decades from 1903 when Harry Cordner played the first of his 11 games until 1987 when David Cordner played the last of his 53 games of an injury ravaged career with the club. We discussed the Cordner dynasty and, in a way, you could feel that he rued the fact that it was now over. The father son rule would not assist any more even if there were some young budding Cordner champions about. But he was optimistic about the club's future and no doubt, he would have been tickled pink while he was still alive, that there was a symbolic reconciliation of the football and cricket clubs that he served with such distinction during his lifetime. At the time we spoke, the Demons were going through a rough trot and playing some insipid football. Neale Daniher was on his way out as coach and a generational change was needed at the club. Don wasn't the type who would tolerate defeat but he was a realist and quite the diplomat. Still, he would never accept a team wearing the red and blue that wasn't prepared to "have a crack". Melbourne did not win for Don Cordner today but it fell tantalisingly short of the mark and was beaten by a better side on the day. Yet, the team did what Don would have expected of them: they had a decent crack and, in doing so, they did him and themselves proud. … There's something happening here. The Melbourne Football Club is about to waken from its long slumber. The generational change is happening ever so slowly but it's been discernible since the team began its long pre season in October last year. The signs of improvement have been everywhere although the progress has been frustrating and slow, made even more difficult to accept by dint of injuries to key players. However, the process continues and, if you'll pardon a metaphor that might not be all that popular with fans of the Dees, I think's it's about to snowball in the months ahead. It might not happen overnight (especially when one looks at the next two sets of opponents) but something is happening here. Two weeks and two narrow defeats. One in Perth which has been a graveyard for recent Melbourne teams and now at home to the third placed Bulldogs which slaughtered them by an extra 15 goals in the corresponding game last year. And the Dogs would have been greatly relieved to secure the four premiership points after trailing by as much as 22 points early in the second term. I'm not suggesting that the Demons were perfect. There were still some disastrous turnovers, lapses of concentration and errors of judgment, mainly from the inexperienced but some from the more seasoned players. But overall, they worked hard, ran and carried the ball well and tackled the game with enthusiasm and courage. Don Cordner would have enjoyed their approach even if they overdid the handball at times; even if they made the odd mistake because, for possibly the first time since that chance encounter in the streets near my home, Melbourne played out a game of quality to the end against a top line opponent without looking out of place or undermanned. For the first time in two or three years, the light at the end of the tunnel was coming into focus. They were a football team again! All of that despite the absence of young emerging back men in Colin Garland, James Frawley and Jamie Bennell, experienced players in Brad Green, Jared Rivers, Paul Wheatley, half of the club's ruckmen, the exciting Austin Wonaeamirri and with the first three draft picks of 2008 (all top twenty) still in the warehouse. So it's time for everybody to stop and look at what's going down. … There's improvement everywhere and for this coach Dean Bailey and the football department must take credit. Melbourne's on ball brigade was on top in terms of winning the football even if they did not do so with the clinical efficiency of their opponents. Brock McLean, Brent Moloney and Cale Morton all figured highly in the possession count amassing more than 35 disposals apiece and the efficient Aaron Davey, while not accumulating the same amount of ball was deadly with his run, accuracy and creativity coming out of defence. Morton's role was, to be sure, more of a defensive one but it would not be an understatement to say that he is on the way to elite status. Not far behind him is another young defender in Jack Grimes. Hard to believe that today was only his third game in this company. It's also hard to believe that the cobbled together defence was missing so many of its first up selections. Matthew Warnock and Stefan Martin continued to shine and to underline the potential of the defence. Matty Whelan was a welcome returnee and Kyle Cheney added to the tough veneer of the back line. The forward line is looking much better, especially with Russell Robertson creating a target. Matthew Bate was strong there today and Addam Maric chipped in with a couple of crumbing goals. There were opportunities missed and the team still struggled and turned the ball over and squandered some simple opportunities in front of goal. A tall key marking option or two up there might not hurt but, in any event, the improvement can be seen in the way they managed to keep the ball in attack and create scoring opportunities. While it's clear that Melbourne is improving as a side, a major deficiency today was in the ruck. Paul Johnson was excellent around the ground but can't single-handedly be expected to control the ruckwork against the combination of Hudson and Minson. In the end, the edge that the Bulldogs gained from winning the stoppages was probably the thing that got them home. Which is ironical given that Don Cordner, the man who passed away during the week, was considered by some to have been one of the game's great ruckmen. The Demons could have done with someone of his ilk directing the traffic and they might have that someone in Jake Spencer who is coming back from injury and was sitting in the stands today. At 203cm, he's a player who is always prepared to have a crack and is willing to learn. His time will come. So while Don Cordner will be sorely be missed by the Melbourne family, it's significant that with his passing, there's a new generation and a new spirit emerging at Melbourne. There's definitely something happening here. Melbourne 5.2.32 10.3.63 11.4.70 15.7.97 Western Bulldogs 3.3.21 9.6.60 12.10.82 15.14.104 Goals Melbourne Bate 4 Robertson 3 Maric 2 Davey Jones McLean Petterd Sylvia Valenti Western Bulldogs Akermanis 4 Welsh 3 Gilbee 2 Addison Boyd Cooney Hahn Johnson Murphy Best Melbourne Moloney McLean Morton Bruce Grimes Davey Bate Western Bulldogs Gilbee Akermanis Boyd Giansiracusa Welsh Morris Injuries Melbourne – nil Western Bulldogs Murphy (hamstring) Changes Melbourne – nil Western Bulldogs - Addison replaced Hargrave in the Western Bulldogs selected side Reports Melbourne – nil Western Bulldogs - nil Umpires Nicholls Hay McInerney Crowd 28,279 at the MCG In memory of Dr. Don Cordner (1922-2009)

With that number of members we should never be in a position where we have to write out cheques for the pleasure of playing at our home ground. Get down to the game people!

We've just announced that we're back in the MCC fold. Why would we upset our friends at the MCC and go to where our heritage isn't?

by The Oracle My friend Sam the Stats Man is a great lover of the concept of symmetry. This week he's been seen walking around dazed and enraptured by the mere sight of the current AFL ladder which he calls a perfectly balanced mathematical wonder that's almost in perfect symmetry. Right up there at the top of the ladder we find two teams in St. Kilda and Geelong still undefeated seven games into the season. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Richmond and Melbourne sit on the bottom with one win each. And in between, there are twelve teams separated by one game with all of them battling it out for a place in the final eight. Two of those clubs will finish up in 15 or 16 weeks time in the top four and on equal footing with the current undefeated leaders. Unlikely as it may seem, even the bottom two are still within reach of a top eight position if only they can gain some consistent winning form. It's no wonder therefore that this scenario excites people like Sam the Stats Man. This brings us to Saturday's MCG blockbuster between the Bulldogs and the Demons and while, on the face of it, this game looks anything but a "blockbuster", a closer examination indicates this game will not be as one-sided as the respective ladder positions of the teams suggest. The Doggies had a big win in Adelaide at the weekend but that came after a three week slump during which a number of deficiencies in their team were exposed. They turned it all around with the return from injury of Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy. Both had an influence in this game - particularly Cooney who starred in his first real run after a knee injury and Murphy booting four goals in a classy performance at centre half forward. However, the problem for returning players is often the second game back. The Dees also travelled interstate - all the way across the Nullarbor - and were highly competitive in going down to the Eagles by 8 points. They may not be world beaters but they are showing improvement on a weekly basis despite persistent injury blows and, but apart from a few momentary lapses, could easily have won the four points. What all this points to is that if Melbourne is on song and the Western Bulldogs revert to the form of rounds four to six then an upset could be on the cards. Whatever the case, it's highly unlikely that we're going to see a repeat of the demoralising 97 point thrashing meted out by the Doggies when they last met at the MCG back in Round 2 last year. THE GAME Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at MCG – Saturday 16 May 2009 at 2.10pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins Western Bulldogs 67 wins At MCG Melbourne 43 wins Western Bulldogs 23 wins Since 2000: Melbourne 10 wins Western Bulldogs 7 wins The Coaches: Bailey 0 wins Eade 2 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 - Live from 2.00pm (AEST) Radio SEN 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $4.20 Western Bulldogs to win $1.20 LAST TIME THEY MET Western Bulldogs 14.11.95 defeated Melbourne 9.10.64 in Round 15, 2008 at Telstra Dome. The game was lackluster but at least the Demons hung in to not only avoid a flogging but they managed to hold the Dogs to what was their lowest score of the season at that stage. Brad Miller kicked a few and Cam Bruce and Colin Garland were the Demons' best but the team from the western suburbs had their measure all day. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Clint Bartram Matthew Warnock Ricky Petterd Half backs Cameron Bruce Lynden Dunn Aaron Davey Centreline Jack Grimes Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Half forwards Cale Morton Brad Miller Russell Robertson Forwards Nathan Jones Stefan Martin Matthew Bate Followers Paul Johnson Brent Moloney James McDonald Interchange Kyle Cheney Addam Maric Shane Valenti Matthew Whelan Emergencies Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Michael Newton In Kyle Cheney Shane Valenti Matthew Whelan Out Jamie Bennell (omitted) James Frawley (thigh) Jared Rivers (ankle) WESTERN BULLDOGS Backs Jarrod Harbrow Dale Morris Brian Lake Half backs Lindsay Gilbee Tom Williams Ryan Hargrave Centreline Nathan Eagleton Matthew Boyd Daniel Cross Half forwards Robert Murphy Mitch Hahn Brad Johnson Forwards Jason Akermanis Will Minson Josh Hill Followers Ben Hudson Adam Cooney Ryan Griffen Interchange Andrejs Everitt Daniel Giansiracusa Liam Picken Scott Welsh Emergencies Dylan Addison Shaun Higgins Callan Ward No change I can trace Melbourne's current run of injury woes all the way back to Round 17, 2006 when the Demons scored one of their best victories of the year slamming the Western Bulldogs by 51 points in a slashing performance but one which saw Davey and Pickett suffer hamstring injuries. Travis Johnstone followed them within a week and Melbourne's season began unraveling as injury followed injury until the Demons were finally bundled out of business in semi final week. Three years down the track and the Demons are still running with a list that is 24% injured with a few others undergoing a slow return and rehab through the lower grades. Among this week's exclusions to the team are two in form defenders James Frawley and Jared Rivers who join Colin Garland on the list of missing tall defenders. It's perhaps fortunate therefore, that the Dees are taking on the Dogs who aren't particularly renowned for having a tall forward structure. What I can't figure out is why Jamie Bennell was omitted. Possibly, it was a scheduled rest for the youngster who has played every game for the season so far and played his best against the Eagles just six days ago. The Demons welcome back Kyle Cheney Shane Valenti and Matthew Whelan. Valenti has been promoted off the rookie list in a move that should not have come as a surprise given his hard work and excellent form with the Casey Scorpions. The knock on Valenti has always been that he is too small and one paced and he joins a midfield where pace is not an asset that's overabundant. At least Melbourne has the benefit of some inside knowledge this week per medium of former Bulldogs champion Scott West who is now an assistant coach with the Demons. The battle lines in this area have been drawn and they are between the speed and skills of the Dogs and the pressure and hard tackling of the Demons I think Melbourne will challenge the Doggies but the incentive of settling into a top four position should be enough for the Dishlickers. Bulldogs by 17 points.

SYMMETRY by The Oracle My friend Sam the Stats Man is a great lover of the concept of symmetry. This week he's been seen walking around dazed and enraptured by the mere sight of the current AFL ladder which he calls a perfectly balanced mathematical wonder that's almost in perfect symmetry. Right up there at the top of the ladder we find two teams in St. Kilda and Geelong still undefeated seven games into the season. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Richmond and Melbourne sit on the bottom with one win each. And in between, there are twelve teams separated by one game with all of them battling it out for a place in the final eight. Two of those clubs will finish up in 15 or 16 weeks time in the top four and on equal footing with the current undefeated leaders. Unlikely as it may seem, even the bottom two are still within reach of a top eight position if only they can gain some consistent winning form. It's no wonder therefore that this scenario excites people like Sam the Stats Man. This brings us to Saturday's MCG blockbuster between the Bulldogs and the Demons and while, on the face of it, this game looks anything but a "blockbuster", a closer examination indicates this game will not be as one-sided as the respective ladder positions of the teams suggest. The Doggies had a big win in Adelaide at the weekend but that came after a three week slump during which a number of deficiencies in their team were exposed. They turned it all around with the return from injury of Adam Cooney and Robert Murphy. Both had an influence in this game - particularly Cooney who starred in his first real run after a knee injury and Murphy booting four goals in a classy performance at centre half forward. However, the problem for returning players is often the second game back. The Dees also travelled interstate - all the way across the Nullarbor - and were highly competitive in going down to the Eagles by 8 points. They may not be world beaters but they are showing improvement on a weekly basis despite persistent injury blows and, but apart from a few momentary lapses, could easily have won the four points. What all this points to is that if Melbourne is on song and the Western Bulldogs revert to the form of rounds four to six then an upset could be on the cards. Whatever the case, it's highly unlikely that we're going to see a repeat of the demoralising 97 point thrashing meted out by the Doggies when they last met at the MCG back in Round 2 last year. THE GAME Melbourne v Western Bulldogs at MCG – Saturday 16 May 2009 at 2.10pm (AEST) HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins Western Bulldogs 67 wins At MCG Melbourne 43 wins Western Bulldogs 23 wins Since 2000: Melbourne 10 wins Western Bulldogs 7 wins The Coaches: Bailey 0 wins Eade 2 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 - Live from 2.00pm (AEST) Radio SEN 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $4.20 Western Bulldogs to win $1.20 LAST TIME THEY MET Western Bulldogs 14.11.95 defeated Melbourne 9.10.64 in Round 15, 2008 at Telstra Dome. The game was lackluster but at least the Demons hung in to not only avoid a flogging but they managed to hold the Dogs to what was their lowest score of the season at that stage. Brad Miller kicked a few and Cam Bruce and Colin Garland were the Demons' best but the team from the western suburbs had their measure all day. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Clint Bartram Matthew Warnock Ricky Petterd Half backs Cameron Bruce Lynden Dunn Aaron Davey Centreline Jack Grimes Colin Sylvia Brock McLean Half forwards Cale Morton Brad Miller Russell Robertson Forwards Nathan Jones Stefan Martin Matthew Bate Followers Paul Johnson Brent Moloney James McDonald Interchange Kyle Cheney Addam Maric Shane Valenti Matthew Whelan Emergencies Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Michael Newton In Kyle Cheney Shane Valenti Matthew Whelan Out Jamie Bennell (omitted) James Frawley (thigh) Jared Rivers (ankle) WESTERN BULLDOGS Backs Jarrod Harbrow Dale Morris Brian Lake Half backs Lindsay Gilbee Tom Williams Ryan Hargrave Centreline Nathan Eagleton Matthew Boyd Daniel Cross Half forwards Robert Murphy Mitch Hahn Brad Johnson Forwards Jason Akermanis Will Minson Josh Hill Followers Ben Hudson Adam Cooney Ryan Griffen Interchange Andrejs Everitt Daniel Giansiracusa Liam Picken Scott Welsh Emergencies Dylan Addison Shaun Higgins Callan Ward No change I can trace Melbourne's current run of injury woes all the way back to Round 17, 2006 when the Demons scored one of their best victories of the year slamming the Western Bulldogs by 51 points in a slashing performance but one which saw Davey and Pickett suffer hamstring injuries. Travis Johnstone followed them within a week and Melbourne's season began unraveling as injury followed injury until the Demons were finally bundled out of business in semi final week. Three years down the track and the Demons are still running with a list that is 24% injured with a few others undergoing a slow return and rehab through the lower grades. Among this week's exclusions to the team are two in form defenders James Frawley and Jared Rivers who join Colin Garland on the list of missing tall defenders. It's perhaps fortunate therefore, that the Dees are taking on the Dogs who aren't particularly renowned for having a tall forward structure. What I can't figure out is why Jamie Bennell was omitted. Possibly, it was a scheduled rest for the youngster who has played every game for the season so far and played his best against the Eagles just six days ago. The Demons welcome back Kyle Cheney Shane Valenti and Matthew Whelan. Valenti has been promoted off the rookie list in a move that should not have come as a surprise given his hard work and excellent form with the Casey Scorpions. The knock on Valenti has always been that he is too small and one paced and he joins a midfield where pace is not an asset that's overabundant. At least Melbourne has the benefit of some inside knowledge this week per medium of former Bulldogs champion Scott West who is now an assistant coach with the Demons. The battle lines in this area have been drawn and they are between the speed and skills of the Dogs and the pressure and hard tackling of the Demons I think Melbourne will challenge the Doggies but the incentive of settling into a top four position should be enough for the Dishlickers. Bulldogs by 17 points.

Round 15 last year at the place they used to call the Telstra Dome - Aaron Davey was dropped for an indiscretion up in Darwin and Brock McLean was out for the rest of the year after injuring his foot. WESTERN BULLDOGS Backs Dale Morris Brian Lake Dylan Addison Half backs Ryan Hargrave Andrejs Everitt Lindsay Gilbee Centreline Daniel Cross Matthew Boyd Farren Ray Half forwards Brad Johnson Mitch Hahn Robert Murphy Forwards Scott Welsh Will Minson Jason Akermanis Followers Ben Hudson Daniel Giansiracusa Adam Cooney Interchange Nathan Eagleton Jarrod Harbrow Josh Hill Stephen Tiller Emergencies Peter Street Callan Ward Cameron Wight In Jarrod Harbrow Out Ryan Griffen (family reasons) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Colin Garland Matthew Warnock Half backs Brad Green Paul Wheatley Cameron Bruce Centreline Colin Sylvia Cale Morton Lynden Dunn Half forwards Chris Johnson Matthew Bate Simon Buckley Forwards Paul Johnson Brad Miller Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Mark Jamar Clint Bartram Nathan Jones Interchange Daniel Bell Jace Stefan Martin Michael Newton Shane Valenti Emergencies Jace Bode Nathan Carroll Jeff White In Daniel Bell Cale Morton Michael Newton Out Brock McLean (ankle) Jace Bode Aaron Davey (both omitted).

by Delusional Dave from Dianella The kick from Matthew Bate early in the game bounced tantalisingly right in front of the goal and veered laterally until it finally went through for a point. Minutes later a fluffed kick in was gleefully accepted for a West Coast goal. Within a minute during the second term, two key Melbourne defenders, Frawley and Rivers were taken from the ground injured not to return for the day. Such was the lot facing a young Demon side lacking in experience and already short in manpower courtesy of an already injury-ravaged season. The home side also had its share of woes including the loss of playmaker Kerr to a groin injury but he was being well covered at the time by Clint Bartram. The Eagles' kicking for goal was also appalling (they had 30 shots including 4 posters against 17) but they were also the beneficiaries of some incredible gifts through turnovers, many of which came under little pressure if any. Melbourne again gave away the start to the Eagles who burst through for a goal in the first 15 seconds. Not quite the world record pace of young Ablett a week earlier but enough to enable the home side to hold the ascendency in the early going despite the fact that it was the Dees who attacked incessantly but lacked the polish, the finishing skills and the marking power up forward to convert. The Demons made their first big move for the day in the second quarter after conceding an early goal and falling behind by 16 points. With the team full of running and Aaron Davey, Nathan Jones, Brent Moloney and Cale Morton all at the top of their game, they constantly found Brad Miller who converted three times in a few minutes and suddenly they were threatening to break the game open. However, the Eagles were given respite with those two injuries that unsettled the Demon defence and they regained the initiative and took a four-point lead into the main break. Melbourne re-took control after half time with Jones in sparkling form and the team full of running, breaking through the Eagles' defensive zones and finding Russell Robertson on numerous occasions to push its way ahead by 11 points. It could have been more but for the fact that a couple of Robbo's shots at goal were marginally outside his range. It took some sloppy play from Melbourne to let the home side back in the game against the run of play and from a dubious free kick but the Eagles took advantage with four goals in the blink of an eye before three quarter time. Suddenly, they had a 15-point lead and, with the home crowd urging them on, they were a safe bet to win on the trot. However, the Demons never gave up and managed to remain in the contest with their persistence. Two late goals to Ricky Petterd even had them in with a chance but the Eagles managed to hold on to win by eight points. Special kudos to Paul Johnson for his lone hand effort in the ruck against the game's best in Dean Cox and the emerging Jamie Bennell who showed his class for all to see. The end result whilst still a defeat, was the closest Melbourne has come to beating the Eagles at this venue in seven years and surely underlines the team's improvement. To come here without arguably its best player in Brad Green, minus three injured ruckmen, its best crumbing forward and to lose two key defenders when its most promising backman is virtually out for the season with a stress fracture and experienced defenders are still injured or going through rehab and playing at a lower level is a fair achievement. There's no question that if the Demons can continue to improve at this rate and avoid any more injuries, they will disappoint those who think that the club's only aim in this season should be to bank some more early draft picks. Melbourne 1.1.7 7.3.45 10.3.63 13.4.82 West Coast 2.4.16 7.7.49 11.12.78 12.18.90 Goals Melbourne Miller 3 Maric Petterd Robertson 2 Bartram Bate Bruce Jones West Coast Le Cras 4 Hunter 2 Cockie Cox McKinley McNamara Masten A Selwood Best Melbourne Jones Morton Davey Moloney Bennell Miller West Coast Le Cras Cox Selwood Embley Kennedy Wirrpanda Glass Injuries Melbourne Rivers (ankle) Frawley (groin) West Coast Kerr (groin) Reports Nil Changes Melbourne Nil West Coast Matt Priddis (thigh) replaced in selected side by Will Schofield Eric Mackenzie (calf) replaced in selected side by Scott Selwood Umpires Margetts Dalgleish Schmitt Crowd 35,209 at Subiaco Oval

Aaron Davey remains streets ahead of the rest of the field:- 66.724 Aaron Davey 35.050 Brent Moloney 31.945 Nathan Jones 27.874 Cale Morton 23.000 Brock McLean 19.408 Brad Miller 15.064 James Frawley 11.805 Ricky Petterd 11.293 Matthew Warnock 11.148 Brad Green 9.411 Colin Sylvia 8.827 Jamie Bennell 8.624 Kyle Cheney 7.347 Cameron Bruce 6.126 Russell Robertson 6.122 Matthew Bate 5.717 Jared Rivers 4.374 Clint Bartram 3.333 James McDonald 3.261 Stefan Martin 3.077 Neville Jetta 2.485 Paul Johnson 0.667 Lynden Dunn 0.613 John Meesen

6,5,4,3,2,1 ... go!