Demonland

LUCKY? by Westender Please spare a thought for those of us who are avid Melbourne supporters and who reside in the City of Churches (that's Adelaide for the benefit of any Collingwood or Port Adelaide fans who might have strayed in here). It's an absolute nightmare! Not just because the city is a "piss ant town" as correctly described by Adelaide United soccer team coach Aurelio Vidmar after his team lost the A League major semi final a couple of months ago to Melbourne Victory but because its piss ant AFL teams always seem to massacre the Demons when they come over here. This dominance must all be luck thanks to the fact that Melbourne just can't perform well at AAMI Stadium. They last won a game there in Round 2, 2001 when Andrew Leoncelli pounced on a ball that was tapped in his path from a boundary line throw in by David Schwarz and goaled 30 seconds from the end to give them a famous victory by three points but you have to go back a year further to Round 8 of 2000 to find a record of a Melbourne win against Port Adelaide at what was then Football Park. Last year, Melbourne ventured over to Adelaide twice and on both occasions it was after the team had feasted on the rare taste of victory. Supporters of the club had reason to be confident after the Dees came back from a deficit of more than 50 points to beat Fremantle in the preceding game. We were on a bit of a roll and our hopes were high that we could give the Crows a bit of a touch up. No way Jose! On the graveyard we know as AAMI Stadium, Adelaide simply blew us away to the tune of 76 points. Could there be anything worse? Yes there could. Later in the year when both sides were playing for nothing but pride and Melbourne was coming off a win against the Eagles at the G, Port Adelaide carried out a clinical demolition of a dismal, dispirited and injury plagued Demon team by 78 points giving them a combined losing margin in their two matches over here in 2008 of more than 25 goals. So please don't ask me if I'm going to go to Sunday's game confident of a Melbourne victory. With our young developing team I'm not expecting them to travel well and I'll be happy if they just perform up to coach Dean Bailey's expectations and be competitive all afternoon - and not only for the first quarter and a half. A footnote to this story is that our AAMI anguish may not last much longer. Our young kids will get better as they get more games in their legs and that's fine if you have a lot patience at your disposal. But there's another way to break the AAMI hoodoo. It's been reported in our media that the AFL is contemplating fixturing some games at Adelaide Oval, which is undergoing a $90m facelift so perhaps the Demons could apply to play their Adelaide games at the famous cricket ground. Andrew Demetriou ignored the request I made last year when I unselfishly called for Melbourne to host both the Crows and Port in 2009 and not make the club play any games at AAMI. On Sunday, the Dees and the Power meet for the 19th time of which 13 of those encounters will have been at AAMI Stadium. That's absolutely ridiculous! So Andrew, if you must make the Demons play games in this piss ant town, then let them do it at the Adelaide Oval. After all, they are a section of the Melbourne Cricket Club (the biggest sporting organisation in the country) and it's just not cricket for them to play at that other ground. On top of that, they're just not lucky when they're with AAMI. THE GAME Port Adelaide v Melbourne at AAMI Stadium Sunday 12 April 2009 at 1.10pm AEST HEAD TO HEAD Overall Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 8 wins At AAMI Stadium Port Adelaide 10 wins Melbourne 2 wins Since 2000 Port Adelaide 8 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Williams 1 win Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 at 1pm (live) Radio ABC774 SEN THE BETTING Port Adelaide to win $1.15 Melbourne to win $5.00 LAST TIME THEY MET Port Adelaide 18.21.129 defeated Melbourne 7.9.51 Round 21 2008 at AAMI Stadium Frankly, the game was a bit of a blur. I remember the teams running out onto the ground that Brad Miller kicked a couple of goals while Colin Sylvia and Simon Buckley played well for the Dees but, other than that, it was all black, white and teal. At the end of the game, coach Dean Bailey was said to be gutted by his team's performance. So was I. TEAMS PORT ADELAIDE Backs Michael Pettigrew Alipate Carlile Jacob Surjan Half backs Nathan Krakouer Troy Chaplin Domenic Cassisi Centreline Shaun Burgoyne Chad Cornes Steven Salopek Half forwards Robbie Gray Warren Tredrea Peter Burgoyne Forwards Brendon Lade Daniel Motlop Brett Ebert Followers Dean Brogan Kane Cornes Danyle Pearce Interchange Travis Boak Josh Carr Matt Thomas Wade Thompson Emergencies Tom Logan Toby Thurstans Matthew Westhoff In Dean Brogan Matt Thomas Wade Thompson Out David Rodan (omitted) Toby Thurstans (omitted) Justin Westhoff (foot) New Wade Thompson (North Adelaide) MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs James Frawley Stefan Martin Brock McLean Centreline Jamie Bennell Aaron Davey Clint Bartram Half forwards Matthew Bate Colin Sylvia Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Ricky Petterd Brent Moloney Followers Paul Johnson Cameron Bruce Brad Green Interchange Kyle Cheney Neville Jetta Nathan Jones John Meesen Emergencies Addam Maric Michael Newton Jake Spencer In Lynden Dunn John Meesen Out James McDonald (hamstring) Jake Spencer (omitted) New John Meesen (Norwood) WHO'LL WIN? If games are won and lost in the midfield then all you need to do is cast your eyes over the respective teams' midfield line ups and you can see what's about to come down. Port has Dean Brogan back after a week's rest courtesy of the AFL's judicial system and the talk of the town in Adelaide is that he's out for blood. He has a quality back up in Brendan Lade against the Demon rucks but probably won't need his help. The game breakers in both of Melbourne's games so far have been the opposition ruckmen so I'd be backing Brogan to wrack up the points in all those fantasy footy competitions. And around Brogan you'll find the Cornes brothers, Pearce, S. Burgoyne and Salopek who should have far too much class and skill for their Demon counterparts. I'm not all that convinced about the rest of the Port Adelaide team and they must be mentally fragile after their thrashing at the hands of West Coast last week. For its part Melbourne has an emerging back line but there are too many of its first choice players missing for my liking even if those players aren't champions. If you're a visiting team over here then you need to have close to your full list available. Melbourne's inexperience, lack of depth and the fact that too many players are still trying to find their feet after injury and form lapses will be a telling factor. I expect a much better effort than 2008 and seeing as how it's been a big week in football for chickens, I reckon "Chook" McLean might have a good one at last if we're lucky. Unfortunately, even luck won't be enough and it will still be Port Adelaide by 49 points.

Round 21 2008 (we lost) PORT ADELAIDE Backs Toby Thurstans Alipate Carlile Nick Lower Half backs Jacob Surjan Troy Chaplin Peter Burgoyne Centreline Domenic Cassisi Kane Cornes Travis Boak Half forwards Tom Logan Matthew Westhoff Danyle Pearce Forwards Justin Westhoff Daniel Motlop Brett Ebert Followers Dean Brogan Shaun Burgoyne David Rodan Interchange Brendon Lade Marlon Motlop Paul Stewart Damon White Emergencies Greg Bentley Mitch Farmer Nathan Lonie In Dean Brogan Daniel Motlop Marlon Motlop Paul Stewart Out Mitch Farmer (omitted) Robbie Gray (ankle) Michael Pettigrew (shoulder) Ryan Williams (omitted) MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Stefan Martin Colin Garland Half backs James McDonald Matthew Warnock Paul Wheatley Centreline Simon Buckley Cameron Bruce Matthew Bate Half forwards Brad Green Colin Sylvia Austin Wonaeamirri Forwards Jeff White Brad Miller Michael Newton Followers Mark Jamar Cale Morton Nathan Jones Interchange Clint Bartram Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Adem Yze Emergencies James Frawley Addam Maric Shane Valenti In Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Jeff White Adem Yze Out James Frawley (omitted) Paul Johnson (hip) Addam Maric (omitted) Shane Valenti (omitted)

by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions successfully rounded off their pre-season programme in wet and windy conditions at Casey Fields on Sunday with wins for both senior and reserves teams over Coburg. In the main game the visitors opened with the breeze and were first to settle down scoring early goals thanks to the early dominance of their midfield led by former Richmond best and fairest winner Mark Coghlan. The Scorpions struck back however, with John Messen rucking well and this allowed his on ballers to turn the tide. Up forward Russell Robertson, returning from injury was the centre of attention and he didn't let the crowd down. He flew high for a spectacular mark and goaled. Moments later Michael Newton goaled and soon after Robertson unselfishly passed to Newton for his second. Coburg's early start and its wind advantage had been nullified. With the change of ends the Scorpions began to assert their dominance over the game. Meesen was now in control in the ruck duels and Shane Valenti, Addam Maric Kyle Matthews and rookie Jordie McKenzie were getting the ball first out of the middle. James Wall was taking marks around the ground and Queenslander Rohan Bail was winning possessions and giving plenty of drive off half back. The hard work was finished off by some indigenous magic from Northern Territorians Liam Jurrah and Pierce Liddle. Casey enjoyed a five goal lead at the main break after keeping Coburg goalless for the second term. The wind strengthened after the main break as Coburg lifted. There was more urgency in the Tigers' game and they went long and direct. The goals flowed and suddenly they were back in the contest and it was only when they hit the lead that Casey moved to regain some momentum. Lynden Dunn was working hard and he goaled followed by another to David Collins. But Coburg was using the win well and struck back to hold a four point lead at three quarter time. Casey had the last use of the breeze and it was skipper Kyle Matthews who played a fantastic final quarter to bring his team home. Matthews threw himself in for the ball in a great display of leadership and his desperate goal in mid quarter sapped the opposition's resolve. Casey came home with a wet sail to win by 23 points. It certainly appears as if Peter German has the new alignment gelling together well but the first true test will come with the start of the season proper on Sunday when the team kicks things off at Trevor Barker Oval in what promises to be a most interesting start to 2009. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail - accumulated a lot of the ball running off half back in the first half and, whilst a little quieter after half time did enough to convince me that he's not too far away. Lynden Dunn - played well on the ball and impressed when he went forward where he finished off with a couple of goals. Threw himself into every contest as if he had something to prove to club selectors and should get the nod this week. Liam Jurrah - a really special player who will bring excitement and magic to the game. Has a low centre of gravity, can distance himself from his opponent in a nanosecond and can fly for a mark (although he missed a few in the wet and windy conditions). A few weeks off yet but the wait is going to be worthwhile. Addam Maric - clever and skilful, he wasn't really suited by the early heavy going but forced his way into the game as conditions improved. Had an excellent final quarter where he set up some great plays and probably worked his way into Melbourne's team for Port Adelaide next weekend. Jordie McKenzie - a decent effort as an inside player but not as outstanding in past weeks. Still, an interesting prospect who should develop at Casey this year. John Meesen - played the best game I've seen from him last week and was just as good this week. Won the hit outs, marked around the ground and showed out with good hands and was strong in contests. The big question mark is whether he can reproduce that sort of form at a higher level and I think we'll find out in the coming weeks. Michael Newton - went far and wide for a kick and put in a solid performance scoring three goals for the day. Had a few brain fades but seems to be settling down well at Casey. Russell Robertson - stepped straight into the role of the Robbo we know. Took a couple of hangers, kicked a goal, gave one or two away and would have pleased the club with his half a game plus 5 minute cameo in the third quarter before he called it a day. Should be back at Melbourne in 2 to 3 weeks. Shane Valenti - got lots of the ball and was good in the clinches on a day that was tailor made for him. Did nothing however, to suggest he should be elevated off the rookie list at this stage. Trent Zomer - solid for the second week as a defender. Zomer seems better suited there than in attack but will find it a bit of a struggle to replace any of the existing tall backs at Melbourne. Casey Scorpions 3.2.20 9.5.59 11.5.71 16.10.106 Coburg Tigers 4.2.26 4.5.29 11.9.75 12.11.83 Goals Newton 3, Dunn, Jurrah, Liddle 2, Collins, McLeod, Robertson, Silvagni, Stockdale, Valenti, Waite Best Meesen, Bail, Liddle, Dunn, Wall, Matthews

Bobby, I take a bit of offense with what your suggesting here. What I did in fact was I wrote the names of those who put in their selections (actually it was 6 hours after the game) eliminated those whose votes were accepted lat week and drew out the names Titan Uranus, Morton2Watts and CarnDees (totally at random). I used their votes and came up with the following totals for the game: 17 Davey 15 Warnock 9 Green 8 Morton 6 Jones 5 Moloney 2 Rivers 1 Miller Their numbers were then multiplied by the team's percentage of the day to provide the votes for the game. Looking at the votes of the experts from the media, these don't appear too far off to me. Our own Oracle went with: Davey Warnock Bruce Green Miller Jones Morton Only Cameron Bruce missed out there although he did get named as playing well (in the first half at least) in the Oracle's article. The only time I dismiss anybody's votes is when I omit the voters who have had votes accepted in the past four rounds (please keep putting yours in anyway folks), if they're completely stupid or they're not done on a 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis. It takes time to compile the votes and collate them when you work with three sets of votes. It would take a lot more time if I used all 20 or more ... and it was a Saturday night after a 9 goal loss. There's only so much abuse one can take in these circumstances and adding up votes for an hour or so and then checking and making sure you got it right is a bit of a stretch. We don't have the resources of Champion Data here. Anyway, I don't think you've made your point and our system is about as random as you can get in a poll based on the opinions of committed Demon fans. BTW last year's winner was Brad Green. What was wrong with his year?

by The Oracle Yes, it's official. The Melbourne Football Club is in recession. For two consecutive games the Demons, who last made the finals in 2006, have started their games in this new season brightly, holding hopes of a win at half time before hitting the self-destruct button and falling in a heap in the latter stages. All classic symptoms of a recession. The last time the Demons were in a deep recession was in the mid-1980's when the Federal Treasurer was one Paul Keating, considered by the mavens in Wall Street as the "world's best treasurer". It turned out that Keating, allegedly a Collingwood supporter (which hardly qualified him for the role of treasurer or prime minister for that matter), was a complete fiscal failure when he tried to get the country out of the recession "we had to have". He did however, come up with a formula that was applied with success in only one known instance. John Northey, the Demons' coach at the time, applied the J curve to lift the Melbourne Football Club out of the abyss in 1987 and it seems that current coach Dean Bailey has the team on the same course. The J curve theory suggests that before things can get better, they have to get worse in much the same shape as the letter "J". So hold on to your seats Demon fans, we're heading downwards on the Big Dipper but when we reach the bottom there's only one way to go and that's up! Melbourne started yesterday's game like a team on a mission. The club has an injury list as long as your arm including Russell Robertson, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Mark Jamar, Daniel Bell, Colin Garland, Simon Buckley, Austin Wonaeamirri, Jack Grimes and James Strauss but this didn't prevent them from flying out of the blocks with great purpose. There was system, fluidity of movement and, for the most part some intensity and excellent technique. Cameron Bruce, Brad Green, Aaron Davey, Brent Moloney and Nathan Jones gave the team early drive, Brad Miller was in excellent marking form up forward and the defence continued where it left off last week against North Melbourne. Newcomer Jake Spencer was holding his own in the ruck. Collingwood was sluggish, inept and extremely fortunate that the inexperienced Demons committed a few unforced errors that allowed them to stay in the game in the early going because otherwise the Pies might have even been scoreless at the first break. They turned things around in the second term when Josh Fraser lifted in the ruck and then took over the game (in much the same way McIntosh did last week) but there was still plenty of fight in the Demons. Unfortunately, they were also turning it over more than in the first quarter and you simply can't afford to do that when the likes of Didak and Davis are lurking around the football. Kyle Cheney learned that lesson when his kick off skewed off target and was snaffled up by Didak for a goal. Late in the quarter Nathan Jones bore down on the ball, ran to the 50 metre line and sprayed a kick out of bounds on the full. There was no pressure on the kicker and, like last week, examples such as these were the difference between going into the rooms with a half time lead and the alternative of heading off the ground with heads bowed and the team's collective confidence on the wane. And like last week, things went into rapid decline after the main break. The nasty dip in that J curve when things get worse and then they go real bad in the last quarter. Things weren't helped by the fact that two of Melbourne's steadiest players on the day, Brad Miller (by friendly fire) and Jared Rivers (by a crude late hit) both took heavy knocks that dulled their effectiveness. These things tend to hurt teams that are already injury ravaged. And at around about this time, the world's best economists, coaches and psychiatrists can't help young tired bodies out of the mire. Melbourne was now being killed in the clearances and suddenly the forward line was as completely dysfunctional as it was predictable. Just bang it forward where a slightly built Ricky Petterd was going to be monstered by two opponents and nobody was there at his feet to pick up the crumbs. Well, at that point the players all need to go back to work, practice and train harder and allow time to give them more games in their legs and meat on their bodies. And the coach needs to get the grey cells working and come up with some more plans and strategies to get the scoreboard ticking over with more regularity. History tells us that it's possible to get out of recessions and I return to the mid to late '80s when our esteemed federal treasurer was floating his J curve theory to a disbelieving public. Only the idiots on Wall Street believed him then and look where they are now! But in the early part of the 1987 football season Melbourne had a promising young team that was floundering and struggling to win matches. The youngsters were encouraged by their coach to keep at it and at it. Soon they were playing better. Making less mistakes …. and one day they eventually clicked and began to play as a real team for four quarters every week. That day came sooner than anybody imagined; by the end of the year they were playing finals, and a year later it was a grand final! Now, I'm not suggesting things are going to change overnight at Demonland but if the team keeps plugging away and keeps playing as it did in the opening term of yesterday's match against Collingwood, then better things will come. At that point in time, we will put the R word behind us and concentrate on moving our way merrily on the upside of the J. Melbourne 5.2.32 7.2.44 9.4.58 10.4.64 Collingwood 3.1.19 8.3.51 14.7.91 17.15.117 Goals Melbourne Green 3 Bate Bruce Johnson McLean Miller Morton Petterd Collingwood Anthony 4 Didak 3 Cloke Lockyer 2 Beams Brown Davis Fraser Medhurst Swan Best Melbourne Davey Warnock Bruce Green Miller Jones Morton Collingwood Fraser Didak Swan Maxwell Anthony Lockyer Davis Beams Injuries Collingwood Dale Thomas withdrew from the selected side with gastro. He was replaced by Dayne Beams. Melbourne To be advised at team selection next Thursday night Reports Heath Shaw (Collingwood) for rough conduct (TBC) against Jared Rivers in the third term. Umpires Donlon, McLaren, Ryan Official crowd 43,176 at the MCG

THE R WORD (AND HOW ECONOMIC THEORY CAN SAVE THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB) by The Oracle Yes, it's official. The Melbourne Football Club is in recession. For two consecutive games the Demons, who last made the finals in 2006, have started their games in this new season brightly, holding hopes of a win at half time before hitting the self-destruct button and falling in a heap in the latter stages. All classic symptoms of a recession. The last time the Demons were in a deep recession was in the mid-1980's when the Federal Treasurer was one Paul Keating, considered by the mavens in Wall Street as the "world's best treasurer". It turned out that Keating, allegedly a Collingwood supporter (which hardly qualified him for the role of treasurer or prime minister for that matter), was a complete fiscal failure when he tried to get the country out of the recession "we had to have". He did however, come up with a formula that was applied with success in only one known instance. John Northey, the Demons' coach at the time, applied the J curve to lift the Melbourne Football Club out of the abyss in 1987 and it seems that current coach Dean Bailey has the team on the same course. The J curve theory suggests that before things can get better, they have to get worse in much the same shape as the letter "J". So hold on to your seats Demon fans, we're heading downwards on the Big Dipper but when we reach the bottom there's only one way to go and that's up! Melbourne started yesterday's game like a team on a mission. The club has an injury list as long as your arm including Russell Robertson, Paul Wheatley, Matthew Whelan, Mark Jamar, Daniel Bell, Colin Garland, Simon Buckley, Austin Wonaeamirri, Jack Grimes and James Strauss but this didn't prevent them from flying out of the blocks with great purpose. There was system, fluidity of movement and, for the most part some intensity and excellent technique. Cameron Bruce, Brad Green, Aaron Davey, Brent Moloney and Nathan Jones gave the team early drive, Brad Miller was in excellent marking form up forward and the defence continued where it left off last week against North Melbourne. Newcomer Jake Spencer was holding his own in the ruck. Collingwood was sluggish, inept and extremely fortunate that the inexperienced Demons committed a few unforced errors that allowed them to stay in the game in the early going because otherwise the Pies might have even been scoreless at the first break. They turned things around in the second term when Josh Fraser lifted in the ruck and then took over the game (in much the same way McIntosh did last week) but there was still plenty of fight in the Demons. Unfortunately, they were also turning it over more than in the first quarter and you simply can't afford to do that when the likes of Didak and Davis are lurking around the football. Kyle Cheney learned that lesson when his kick off skewed off target and was snaffled up by Didak for a goal. Late in the quarter Nathan Jones bore down on the ball, ran to the 50 metre line and sprayed a kick out of bounds on the full. There was no pressure on the kicker and, like last week, examples such as these were the difference between going into the rooms with a half time lead and the alternative of heading off the ground with heads bowed and the team's collective confidence on the wane. And like last week, things went into rapid decline after the main break. The nasty dip in that J curve when things get worse and then they go real bad in the last quarter. Things weren't helped by the fact that two of Melbourne's steadiest players on the day, Brad Miller (by friendly fire) and Jared Rivers (by a crude late hit) both took heavy knocks that dulled their effectiveness. These things tend to hurt teams that are already injury ravaged. And at around about this time, the world's best economists, coaches and psychiatrists can't help young tired bodies out of the mire. Melbourne was now being killed in the clearances and suddenly the forward line was as completely dysfunctional as it was predictable. Just bang it forward where a slightly built Ricky Petterd was going to be monstered by two opponents and nobody was there at his feet to pick up the crumbs. Well, at that point the players all need to go back to work, practice and train harder and allow time to give them more games in their legs and meat on their bodies. And the coach needs to get the grey cells working and come up with some more plans and strategies to get the scoreboard ticking over with more regularity. History tells us that it's possible to get out of recessions and I return to the mid to late '80s when our esteemed federal treasurer was floating his J curve theory to a disbelieving public. Only the idiots on Wall Street believed him then and look where they are now! But in the early part of the 1987 football season Melbourne had a promising young team that was floundering and struggling to win matches. The youngsters were encouraged by their coach to keep at it and at it. Soon they were playing better. Making less mistakes …. and one day they eventually clicked and began to play as a real team for four quarters every week. That day came sooner than anybody imagined; by the end of the year they were playing finals, and a year later it was a grand final! Now, I'm not suggesting things are going to change overnight at Demonland but if the team keeps plugging away and keeps playing as it did in the opening term of yesterday's match against Collingwood, then better things will come. At that point in time, we will put the R word behind us and concentrate on moving our way merrily on the upside of the J. Melbourne 5.2.32 7.2.44 9.4.58 10.4.64 Collingwood 3.1.19 8.3.51 14.7.91 17.15.117 Goals Melbourne Green 3 Bate Bruce Johnson McLean Miller Morton Petterd Collingwood Anthony 4 Didak 3 Cloke Lockyer 2 Beams Brown Davis Fraser Medhurst Swan Best Melbourne Davey Warnock Bruce Green Miller Jones Morton Collingwood Fraser Didak Swan Maxwell Anthony Lockyer Davis Beams Injuries Collingwood Dale Thomas withdrew from the selected side with gastro. He was replaced by Dayne Beams. Melbourne To be advised at team selection next Thursday night Reports Heath Shaw (Collingwood) for rough conduct (TBC) against Jared Rivers in the third term. Umpires Donlon, McLaren, Ryan Official crowd 43,176 at the MCG

From memory Beamer had a good strat to the season last year in this award. Hopefully, it won't be a curse this year. The leaders are: 14.676 Brent Moloney 10.626 Matthew Warnock 9.252 Nathan Jones 8.624 Kyle Cheney 8.205 Aaron Davey 6.634 Ricky Petterd 6.250 Brad Green 4.376 Cale Morton 1.990 Neville Jetta 1.990 James Frawley 1.327 Clint Bartram 1.094 Jared Rivers 0.663 Paul Johnson 0.547 Brad Miller

CLUB TALK by Whispering Jack There was a time when a clash between Melbourne and Collingwood was the biggest ticket in town. Sadly, this game will pass relatively unnoticed this week because other teams have taken over the mantle the Demons once held. The Magpies still get the coverage thanks to supporter numbers and the fact that their President is quirky and often outlandish in his conduct and behaviour but that won't help much this week as two first round losers face off. The week's news that the Melbourne Football Club has again become a sporting section of the Melbourne Cricket Club might be just the tonic that the Demons need to help them return to their past glory and standing and it's ironic therefore that the announcement came on the eve of what used to be the greatest of the VFL/AFL's clashes of traditional rivals. I appreciate that there are some who aren't particularly interested in club politics but this move is one that should have every diehard Demon sitting up and taking notice because it's a bigger story than you might think. When the breakaway by the MFC from the MCC was first mooted in the late '70s, the idea was sold on the basis that it was a necessity. The conservative MCC was allegedly holding us back and preventing the club from recruiting the best personnel, both on and off field. It was argued that we needed our independence in order to enable us to compete with the successful, switched on commercial clubs like Carlton, Richmond and North Melbourne. When the umbilical cord was cut in 1980 Melbourne supporters all nodded their heads in agreement. They hadn't seen finals action for 16 years. The change was going to help. Now it turns out that, despite the fact that change did help somewhat - there were some improvements in recruiting, finals appearances arrived after more than two decades in the wilderness and there were even a couple of grand finals - the decision to part ways with the MCC wasn't such a good idea after all. The news of a closer liaison between the two clubs has reminded me of two strands of thought I had developing over the years: 1. Separation brought about political instability. We had dust ups when Sir Billy Snedden was Chairman, we had the merger fight, we had the unseating of Joe Gutnick, we had the Szondy fiasco (or it had us) and finally, we had last year's bloodless coup that saw Jimmy Stynes installed on the Demon throne. Now that we're linked with the MCC again, maybe we are going to see less of the disruption and self-destructive tendencies that political instability brings and if that happens it could override the loss of some measure of the club's independence as a result of the move. 2. I've had this theory brewing in my mind that there was more to the decision to seek independence from the MCC than meets the eye. Perhaps it might also have been necessary to ensure that the club secured Ron Barassi as coach. The club was under MCC control when Barassi left at the end of 1964 and when Norm Smith was dramatically sacked in mid 1965. At that time Barassi threw his support behind his mentor Smith. I always felt that there was some residual animosity between the MCC camp and the Smith/Barassi camp that might have lingered long beyond Smith's death in the early '70s and into the early '80s when Barass came back to the club for a relatively unsuccessful five year stint as coach. It's just a theory and I could well be wrong but perhaps one day some historian might decide to look into the story of the bitter dispute that damaged our club enormously. Yesterday's announcement will hopefully put that all to bed and usher in a new era for the Melbourne Football Club. While things are looking up for the Demons in the medium to long term, I'm afraid the announcement won't help Melbourne in the short term and certainly not this Saturday. Just a few weeks ago Dean Bailey was positively gushing about having close to a full list of players to select his team for the opening NAB Cup game. Last week, almost a third of the list was on the sidelines an unable to play either AFL or in the VFL game at Casey Fields. We heaved a sigh of relief when we saw the injury list after Sunday's loss against North Melbourne. In fact, two of the club's fastest young players in a team not noted for its leg speed will miss at the weekend - Colin Garland (leg) and Simon Buckley (groin). Surely, the dreaded curse is upon us again for the third year running? Meanwhile, the Pies were stunned by their loss to an interstate club on the MCG last weekend and they are not likely to let this game slip. Sadly then I must concede that the old tradition will not be revived this week; the old enemy should be far too strong - Collingwood by 19 points. THE GAME Melbourne v. Collingwood at the MCG - 4 April 2009 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Collingwood 138 wins Melbourne 79 wins 4 draws At the G Collingwood 71 wins Melbourne 59 wins 2 draws Since 2000 Collingwood 5 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Malthouse 1 win Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 10 AT 3:00 PM (delayed telecast) RADIO SEN Triple M THE BETTING Collingwood to win $1.15 Melbourne to win $5.00 LAST TIME THEY MET Collingwood 17.14.116 d Melbourne 13.17.95 Round 11, 2008, at MCG Melbourne started well with McLean and Jones getting their share of the ball out of the middle but, after an even first half, the Magpies came with a withering seven goal third quarter burst to ensure victory, albeit an unconvincing one. Colin Sylvia and Austin Wonaeamirri kicked three goals each and the struggling Demons lost Brent Moloney (shoulder) and Jared Rivers (groin) for the remainder of the year just one week after Russell Robertson went down with his achilles injury. THE TEAMS COLLINGWOOD Backs Shannon Cox Simon Prestigiacomo Heath Shaw Half backs Harry O'Brien Nathan Brown Nick Maxwell Centreline Martin Clarke Alan Didak Alan Toovey Half forwards Dale Thomas Travis Cloke Paul Medhurst Forwards John Anthony Leigh Brown Shane O'Bree Followers Josh Fraser Tarkyn Lockyer Scott Pendlebury Interchange Leon Davis Brad Dick Ben Johnson Dane Swan Emergencies Dayne Beams Anthony Corrie Tyson Goldsack In Leigh Brown Brad Dick Heath Shaw Out Chris Bryan Tyson Goldsack Ben Reid New Leigh Brown (North Melbourne) MELBOURNE Backs James McDonald Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs James Frawley Paul Johnson Brent Moloney Centreline Neville Jetta Kyle Cheney Clint Bartram Half forwards Ricky Petterd Brad Miller Brock McLean Forwards Colin Sylvia Stefan Martin Aaron Davey Followers Jake Spencer Cameron Bruce Brad Green Interchange Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Nathan Jones Cale Morton Emergencies Lynden Dunn John Meesen Michael Newton In Stefan Martin Colin Sylvia Out Simon Buckley (groin), Colin Garland (foot) FAN'S EYE VIEW Doggo - love my Demons as much as anyone here on Demonland, and nothing is more pleasing than to see them bury the Magpies as rank-outsiders. But the reality of the situation is Collingwood are a side who should be legitimately pushing for a top 4 position come September, whereas the Dee's will most likely be occupying a place towards the bottom of the table. Without strong marking targets up forward, I fail to see how Melbourne will be able to kick a winning score. Much like last week, the Dee's will be competitive for the majority of the game, but in the end will lack to firepower to put the Pies away as our young kids run out of steam. As much as I hate to say it, Collingwood by 25 points. Yze_Magic - Well, after last weeks Kangas game I have to say I feel pretty good about the direction the Demon are headed. The backline has already been rebuilt in 12 months by Bailey and co, and soon the midfield and forward line will follow (although the forward line is still a while away) Now, as for last weeks prediction - I was let down big time by some poor selections by the MFC selectors, who left out Colin Sylvia. He is the best contested mark at the club, and that is the main area we lacked in last week. Nobody capable of taking a mark up forward. No such trouble this week, as Sylvia will be back and Maric should join him to add some much need skill to the side. So without further ado, here is what will happen this Saturday as the Demons destroy the pathetic ferals by 62 points. I expect Sylvia's 7th goal to come from a hanger on the goal line, where he will then turn and kick the ball as hard and low as possible through goal, where it will meet up with Joffas head, rendering him slightly more brain dead than he already is. Enjoy this Saturday, cos there is nothing like smashing these fools and listening to their President, coach and supporters cry about the umpires after the game. DaVe86 - Finally, a departure from tradition. We're going to let a Collingwood fan DaVe86 provide his perspective on the game (version edited as the original was written erly in the week): The build up to round 1 was huge, and both Collingwood and Melbourne would be disappointed to have lost their first round match. For Melbourne, many would be pleased with their more competitive spirit and better attack on the ball. However, given their long pre-season and boasting that they are extremely fit, to be overrun in the second half will be of concern. Still, with four debutantes and a swag of youngsters, Melbourne has shown strong early signs of improvement, and may not be the easy beats in 09. Collingwood's opening round was even more disappointing. The Pies were highly fancied to beat Adelaide comfortably at the G. Adelaide stole the game from Collingwood in the first quarter. Despite a solid comeback, and a corresponding 18 point lead in the third, Collingwood faded and lost its run in the last quarter. A few nervous passages of play from the senior players also cost Collingwood dearly. It is rare for these two sides to play so early in the year. It has been a long time since Collingwood played Melbourne on anything other than Queen's Birthday holiday. For Collingwood, "Blockbuster fatigue" is no excuse this year. Collingwood has beaten Melbourne in the past 2 of its encounters, though both games were highly uninspiring or convincing victories. Prior to this, Melbourne had won four Queen's Birthday clashes in a row. No doubt that this is a rebuilding phase for Melbourne, and Collingwood should rightly go in as favourites. However, I never take a game against Melbourne lightly because the Demons have a tendency to lift against their Black and White foes. When these sides last met, it was Collingwood who won 116-95. Lockyer surprisingly polled the 3 votes with 20 possessions and 2 goals, whilst Scott Burns was dominant 36 disposals, 6 tackles and 12 marks. He polled 2 votes. Adam Yze's 25 possession and 2 goal game earnt him the 1 vote. Brock Mclean also had one of his better matches with 36 disposals and Bruce was prominent with 27. Alan Didak won 22 disposals and snared 2 goals. Sylvia kicked 3 goals from 14 disposals playing up forward. No doubt the sides take a different look in 2009. Yze and Burns have retired, as has Jeff White who had 24 hitouts. Shane Wakelin has also retired, and Simon Prestigiacomo has reclaimed his defensive spot. Melbourne are highly likely to continue to play a lot of younger players, whilst the temptation will also be there for Collingwood to introduce Beams and Sidebottom into the team for their first games. Melbourne debuted four players last week and all were reasonably impressive. Cheney was particularly impressive with 22 disposals and was given defensive tasks throughout. His form over pre-season was strong. He has shown to be a gutsy and hard worker, and although he might look a bit unfashionable out there, he will give 100%. Jake Spencer would have also pleased the coaching staff. Spencer was promoted onto the senior list in the pre-season after Jamar was put on the long term injury list. Spencer was very promising throughout the NAB cup and has already jumped ahead of Meesen in the pecking order. Hamish McIntosh perhaps dominated both Johnson and Spencer in round 1 kicking three goals. However, for a debutant, Spencer was impressive with 9 hitouts and 8 possessions. He showed a willingness to link up with his midfielders and put himself in the right spots. The two other debutants for Melbourne were indigenous players in Bennell and Jetta. Each were given limited game time. Jetta did quite well with 16 possessions and a goal. Melbourne would also have been heartened to see Aaron Davey back looking reasonably fit, although his impact on the game was limited by a tight tag from Rawlings. Collingwood would have been concerned with the form of some of its senior players. Didak and Davis were prominent but far from their dangerous best. Davis has apparently been suffering from illness leading up to Round 1. Hopefully we can see him return to his damaging best. The forward line never fired up. None of Cloke, Medhurst and Fraser was influential and Fraser in particular seemed to lack a bit of drive, whilst Medhurst is definitely lacking from a bit of match conditioning after an interrupted pre-season. What stood out to me against Adelaide is that Collingwood seemed top heavy down back. They played six talls. Melbourne are currently lacking a really tall forward line and Goldsack had to make way to make room for Heath Shaw who missed round 1. It has been quite some time since Heath has played senior footy, so it will be great to see him return. Ben Reid hasn't done enough to earn his spot. Malthouse used him in defence and forward, but he had little influence in either position. His spot will be taken by Anthony Rocca eventually. Rocca played a VFL practice match last week and booted 6 goals, this was not enough for him to return straight to the senior side. Bryan failed to hold his spot in the ruck after an ordinary game against Adelaide but unfortunately for Cameron Wood, he may have to wait until he can prove himself in the VFL before earning his spot again. Melbourne's greatest hole seems to be the forward line. Without Neitz and Robertson, and with number 1 draft pick Jack Watts seemingly off the selection radar, the need for an influence up forward is pressing. Petterd was impressive as a lead-up forward considering the fact he had an injury ravaged 2008. Miller had little influence against the Kangaroos and will be required to step up to present a tall target. Paul Johnson is an imposing figure and will be used as a tall target between ruck stints as well. Colin Sylvia was left out of the round 1 squad and has been selected although the word was that his form in the VFL was not up to scratch. He comes in because Wonaeamirri is still recovering from injury and Addam Maric hasn't yet played out a full game at Casey. Despite the lack of key talls, Melbourne may actually look to exploit Collingwood's lack of small defenders by playing a small forward line. The likes of Davey, Jetta, Sylvia, Petterd etc up forward will no doubt worry the Pies. But there is no doubt the major concern for Melbourne at the moment is contested marking. It was reported in the paper this week that Hamish McIntosh doubled the entire tally for Melbourne in terms of contested marks. He took 2. Incredibly, Melbourne was only able to clutch 1 contested mark in the whole game! Finding the right targets is going to be their major concern. The Matchups Melbourne's greatest chance of victory lies in the midfield. If Collingwood gets first hands on the ball, they have the fire power to finish the game off. But Melbourne do have a few nuggetty midfielders who will cause some troubles for Collingwood. I would like to see Collingwood tag Mclean. He had 36 disposals the last time these 2 clubs met and O'Bree will most likely go head to head with him. Toovey v Davey – OK, before you all laugh at me hear me out. There is no one else on our list with the footspeed or defensive capacity to run with Davey. Toovey has closing speed and is a fantastic tackler. Davey will spend large periods of time in the forward line. Many are very critical of Alan Toovey, and I think it is undeserved. But for him to cement his spot in the side, then he has to take a big scalp early in 2009. The other option is Harry O'Brien. Harry did a fantastic job on guys like Steve Johnson and was good on Porplyzia last week. I just fear that Davey will spend too much time in the midfield and expose O'Brien in this area. Fraser v Johnson – Paul Johnson has the muscle, Fraser the versatility. Josh's game against Adelaide was below his usual output. I'm expecting a far greater return from Josh this week and he should dominate around the ground. Bartram v Didak/Davis – Bartram got the tagging job on Brent Harvey last week and was fantastic. He restricted Boomer to 16 disposals, which is well down on his average. I think he'll be given the responsibility on one of the Pies dangerous small forwards. Warnock v Anthony – The impressive young defender is most likely going to take whoever goes to Full Forward. McDonald v Swan – James McDonald returned to some of his best last week with 23 disposals, 10 tackles and 6 marks. Swan also found some touch in the 2nd half. Both are hard nuts and I would love to see this matchup. Pendlebury v Green Maxwell v Bruce – Maxwell is playing as a midfielder now and is a good size matchup for Bruce. He is one of their more creative players, but is slightly out of form at the moment. Keeping Bruce quiet will go a long way to ensuring victory. Other than that, its quite hard to do the matchup's against Melbourne. They are a young side and many players are still finding their footing and role within the team. That makes them a difficult team to plan for. It is hard to know what they will structure up like in the forward line. The Wrap Up Despite the glaring holes in the Demon side, they did play a good brand of football against the Kangaroos. They feel confident playing Collingwood and will be keen to put up a good showing in front of a large crowd. I hope a good crowd turns up. This is a Collingwood home game, but Melbourne fans need to come out and get behind their team early before it is too late. I'll tip Collingwood by 30 points, but I think we'll see a close game for the majority of the match. Melbourne enjoy playing Collingwood. They feel they match up well and they often go in more hungry. The midfield battle is the key for Melbourne. Collingwood won the clearances last week but lost the match. I don't feel the same will happen this week. If Collingwood gets first hands on the ball then their forwards are far too dangerous. Melbourne on the other hand have a suspect forward line who struggles to take contested marks. It will be interesting to see whether Melbourne employ zoning techniques or flood or go man on man. It is becoming increasingly obvious that Collingwood struggles against the zone. I think we will see more and more clubs use this strategy against the Magpies.

by Whispering Jack There was a time when a clash between Melbourne and Collingwood was the biggest ticket in town. Sadly, this game will pass relatively unnoticed this week because other teams have taken over the mantle the Demons once held. The Magpies still get the coverage thanks to supporter numbers and the fact that their President is quirky and often outlandish in his conduct and behaviour but that won't help much this week as two first round losers face off. The week's news that the Melbourne Football Club has again become a sporting section of the Melbourne Cricket Club might be just the tonic that the Demons need to help them return to their past glory and standing and it's ironic therefore that the announcement came on the eve of what used to be the greatest of the VFL/AFL's clashes of traditional rivals. I appreciate that there are some who aren't particularly interested in club politics but this move is one that should have every diehard Demon sitting up and taking notice because it's a bigger story than you might think. When the breakaway by the MFC from the MCC was first mooted in the late '70s, the idea was sold on the basis that it was a necessity. The conservative MCC was allegedly holding us back and preventing the club from recruiting the best personnel, both on and off field. It was argued that we needed our independence in order to enable us to compete with the successful, switched on commercial clubs like Carlton, Richmond and North Melbourne. When the umbilical cord was cut in 1980 Melbourne supporters all nodded their heads in agreement. They hadn't seen finals action for 16 years. The change was going to help. Now it turns out that, despite the fact that change did help somewhat - there were some improvements in recruiting, finals appearances arrived after more than two decades in the wilderness and there were even a couple of grand finals - the decision to part ways with the MCC wasn't such a good idea after all. The news of a closer liaison between the two clubs has reminded me of two strands of thought I had developing over the years: 1. Separation brought about political instability. We had dust ups when Sir Billy Snedden was Chairman, we had the merger fight, we had the unseating of Joe Gutnick, we had the Szondy fiasco (or it had us) and finally, we had last year's bloodless coup that saw Jimmy Stynes installed on the Demon throne. Now that we're linked with the MCC again, maybe we are going to see less of the disruption and self-destructive tendencies that political instability brings and if that happens it could override the loss of some measure of the club's independence as a result of the move. 2. I've had this theory brewing in my mind that there was more to the decision to seek independence from the MCC than meets the eye. Perhaps it might also have been necessary to ensure that the club secured Ron Barassi as coach. The club was under MCC control when Barassi left at the end of 1964 and when Norm Smith was dramatically sacked in mid 1965. At that time Barassi threw his support behind his mentor Smith. I always felt that there was some residual animosity between the MCC camp and the Smith/Barassi camp that might have lingered long beyond Smith's death in the early '70s and into the early '80s when Barass came back to the club for a relatively unsuccessful five year stint as coach. It's just a theory and I could well be wrong but perhaps one day some historian might decide to look into the story of the bitter dispute that damaged our club enormously. Yesterday's announcement will hopefully put that all to bed and usher in a new era for the Melbourne Football Club. While things are looking up for the Demons in the medium to long term, I'm afraid the announcement won't help Melbourne in the short term and certainly not this Saturday. Just a few weeks ago Dean Bailey was positively gushing about having close to a full list of players to select his team for the opening NAB Cup game. Last week, almost a third of the list was on the sidelines an unable to play either AFL or in the VFL game at Casey Fields. We heaved a sigh of relief when we saw the injury list after Sunday's loss against North Melbourne. In fact, two of the club's fastest young players in a team not noted for its leg speed will miss at the weekend - Colin Garland (leg) and Simon Buckley (groin). Surely, the dreaded curse is upon us again for the third year running? Meanwhile, the Pies were stunned by their loss to an interstate club on the MCG last weekend and they are not likely to let this game slip. Sadly then I must concede that the old tradition will not be revived this week; the old enemy should be far too strong - Collingwood by 19 points. THE GAME Melbourne v. Collingwood at the MCG - 4 April 2009 at 2.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Collingwood 138 wins Melbourne 79 wins 4 draws At the G Collingwood 71 wins Melbourne 59 wins 2 draws Since 2000 Collingwood 5 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches Malthouse 1 win Bailey 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 10 AT 3:00 PM (delayed telecast) RADIO SEN Triple M THE BETTING Collingwood to win $1.15 Melbourne to win $5.00 LAST TIME THEY MET Collingwood 17.14.116 d Melbourne 13.17.95 Round 11, 2008, at MCG Melbourne started well with McLean and Jones getting their share of the ball out of the middle but, after an even first half, the Magpies came with a withering seven goal third quarter burst to ensure victory, albeit an unconvincing one. Colin Sylvia and Austin Wonaeamirri kicked three goals each and the struggling Demons lost Brent Moloney (shoulder) and Jared Rivers (groin) for the remainder of the year just one week after Russell Robertson went down with his achilles injury. THE TEAMS COLLINGWOOD Backs Shannon Cox Simon Prestigiacomo Heath Shaw Half backs Harry O'Brien Nathan Brown Nick Maxwell Centreline Martin Clarke Alan Didak Alan Toovey Half forwards Dale Thomas Travis Cloke Paul Medhurst Forwards John Anthony Leigh Brown Shane O'Bree Followers Josh Fraser Tarkyn Lockyer Scott Pendlebury Interchange Leon Davis Brad Dick Ben Johnson Dane Swan Emergencies Dayne Beams Anthony Corrie Tyson Goldsack In Leigh Brown Brad Dick Heath Shaw Out Chris Bryan Tyson Goldsack Ben Reid New Leigh Brown (North Melbourne) MELBOURNE Backs James McDonald Matthew Warnock Jared Rivers Half backs James Frawley Paul Johnson Brent Moloney Centreline Neville Jetta Kyle Cheney Clint Bartram Half forwards Ricky Petterd Brad Miller Brock McLean Forwards Colin Sylvia Stefan Martin Aaron Davey Followers Jake Spencer Cameron Bruce Brad Green Interchange Matthew Bate Jamie Bennell Nathan Jones Cale Morton Emergencies Lynden Dunn John Meesen Michael Newton In Stefan Martin Colin Sylvia Out Simon Buckley (groin), Colin Garland (foot) FAN'S EYE VIEW Doggo - love my Demons as much as anyone here on Demonland, and nothing is more pleasing than to see them bury the Magpies as rank-outsiders. But the reality of the situation is Collingwood are a side who should be legitimately pushing for a top 4 position come September, whereas the Dee's will most likely be occupying a place towards the bottom of the table. Without strong marking targets up forward, I fail to see how Melbourne will be able to kick a winning score. Much like last week, the Dee's will be competitive for the majority of the game, but in the end will lack to firepower to put the Pies away as our young kids run out of steam. As much as I hate to say it, Collingwood by 25 points. Yze_Magic - Well, after last weeks Kangas game I have to say I feel pretty good about the direction the Demon are headed. The backline has already been rebuilt in 12 months by Bailey and co, and soon the midfield and forward line will follow (although the forward line is still a while away) Now, as for last weeks prediction - I was let down big time by some poor selections by the MFC selectors, who left out Colin Sylvia. He is the best contested mark at the club, and that is the main area we lacked in last week. Nobody capable of taking a mark up forward. No such trouble this week, as Sylvia will be back and Maric should join him to add some much need skill to the side. So without further ado, here is what will happen this Saturday as the Demons destroy the pathetic ferals by 62 points. I expect Sylvia's 7th goal to come from a hanger on the goal line, where he will then turn and kick the ball as hard and low as possible through goal, where it will meet up with Joffas head, rendering him slightly more brain dead than he already is. Enjoy this Saturday, cos there is nothing like smashing these fools and listening to their President, coach and supporters cry about the umpires after the game. DaVe86 - Finally, a departure from tradition. We're going to let a Collingwood fan DaVe86 provide his perspective on the game (version edited as the original was written early in the week): The build up to round 1 was huge, and both Collingwood and Melbourne would be disappointed to have lost their first round match. For Melbourne, many would be pleased with their more competitive spirit and better attack on the ball. However, given their long pre-season and boasting that they are extremely fit, to be overrun in the second half will be of concern. Still, with four debutantes and a swag of youngsters, Melbourne has shown strong early signs of improvement, and may not be the easy beats in 09. Collingwood's opening round was even more disappointing. The Pies were highly fancied to beat Adelaide comfortably at the G. Adelaide stole the game from Collingwood in the first quarter. Despite a solid comeback, and a corresponding 18 point lead in the third, Collingwood faded and lost its run in the last quarter. A few nervous passages of play from the senior players also cost Collingwood dearly. It is rare for these two sides to play so early in the year. It has been a long time since Collingwood played Melbourne on anything other than Queen's Birthday holiday. For Collingwood, "Blockbuster fatigue" is no excuse this year. Collingwood has beaten Melbourne in the past 2 of its encounters, though both games were highly uninspiring or convincing victories. Prior to this, Melbourne had won four Queen's Birthday clashes in a row. No doubt that this is a rebuilding phase for Melbourne, and Collingwood should rightly go in as favourites. However, I never take a game against Melbourne lightly because the Demons have a tendency to lift against their Black and White foes. When these sides last met, it was Collingwood who won 116-95. Lockyer surprisingly polled the 3 votes with 20 possessions and 2 goals, whilst Scott Burns was dominant 36 disposals, 6 tackles and 12 marks. He polled 2 votes. Adam Yze's 25 possession and 2 goal game earnt him the 1 vote. Brock Mclean also had one of his better matches with 36 disposals and Bruce was prominent with 27. Alan Didak won 22 disposals and snared 2 goals. Sylvia kicked 3 goals from 14 disposals playing up forward. No doubt the sides take a different look in 2009. Yze and Burns have retired, as has Jeff White who had 24 hitouts. Shane Wakelin has also retired, and Simon Prestigiacomo has reclaimed his defensive spot. Melbourne are highly likely to continue to play a lot of younger players, whilst the temptation will also be there for Collingwood to introduce Beams and Sidebottom into the team for their first games. Melbourne debuted four players last week and all were reasonably impressive. Cheney was particularly impressive with 22 disposals and was given defensive tasks throughout. His form over pre-season was strong. He has shown to be a gutsy and hard worker, and although he might look a bit unfashionable out there, he will give 100%. Jake Spencer would have also pleased the coaching staff. Spencer was promoted onto the senior list in the pre-season after Jamar was put on the long term injury list. Spencer was very promising throughout the NAB cup and has already jumped ahead of Meesen in the pecking order. Hamish McIntosh perhaps dominated both Johnson and Spencer in round 1 kicking three goals. However, for a debutant, Spencer was impressive with 9 hitouts and 8 possessions. He showed a willingness to link up with his midfielders and put himself in the right spots. The two other debutants for Melbourne were indigenous players in Bennell and Jetta. Each were given limited game time. Jetta did quite well with 16 possessions and a goal. Melbourne would also have been heartened to see Aaron Davey back looking reasonably fit, although his impact on the game was limited by a tight tag from Rawlings. Collingwood would have been concerned with the form of some of its senior players. Didak and Davis were prominent but far from their dangerous best. Davis has apparently been suffering from illness leading up to Round 1. Hopefully we can see him return to his damaging best. The forward line never fired up. None of Cloke, Medhurst and Fraser was influential and Fraser in particular seemed to lack a bit of drive, whilst Medhurst is definitely lacking from a bit of match conditioning after an interrupted pre-season. What stood out to me against Adelaide is that Collingwood seemed top heavy down back. They played six talls. Melbourne are currently lacking a really tall forward line and Goldsack had to make way to make room for Heath Shaw who missed round 1. It has been quite some time since Heath has played senior footy, so it will be great to see him return. Ben Reid hasn't done enough to earn his spot. Malthouse used him in defence and forward, but he had little influence in either position. His spot will be taken by Anthony Rocca eventually. Rocca played a VFL practice match last week and booted 6 goals, this was not enough for him to return straight to the senior side. Bryan failed to hold his spot in the ruck after an ordinary game against Adelaide but unfortunately for Cameron Wood, he may have to wait until he can prove himself in the VFL before earning his spot again. Melbourne's greatest hole seems to be the forward line. Without Neitz and Robertson, and with number 1 draft pick Jack Watts seemingly off the selection radar, the need for an influence up forward is pressing. Petterd was impressive as a lead-up forward considering the fact he had an injury ravaged 2008. Miller had little influence against the Kangaroos and will be required to step up to present a tall target. Paul Johnson is an imposing figure and will be used as a tall target between ruck stints as well. Colin Sylvia was left out of the round 1 squad and has been selected although the word was that his form in the VFL was not up to scratch. He comes in because Wonaeamirri is still recovering from injury and Addam Maric hasn't yet played out a full game at Casey. Despite the lack of key talls, Melbourne may actually look to exploit Collingwood's lack of small defenders by playing a small forward line. The likes of Davey, Jetta, Sylvia, Petterd etc up forward will no doubt worry the Pies. But there is no doubt the major concern for Melbourne at the moment is contested marking. It was reported in the paper this week that Hamish McIntosh doubled the entire tally for Melbourne in terms of contested marks. He took 2. Incredibly, Melbourne was only able to clutch 1 contested mark in the whole game! Finding the right targets is going to be their major concern. The Matchups Melbourne's greatest chance of victory lies in the midfield. If Collingwood gets first hands on the ball, they have the fire power to finish the game off. But Melbourne do have a few nuggetty midfielders who will cause some troubles for Collingwood. I would like to see Collingwood tag Mclean. He had 36 disposals the last time these 2 clubs met and O'Bree will most likely go head to head with him. Toovey v Davey – OK, before you all laugh at me hear me out. There is no one else on our list with the footspeed or defensive capacity to run with Davey. Toovey has closing speed and is a fantastic tackler. Davey will spend large periods of time in the forward line. Many are very critical of Alan Toovey, and I think it is undeserved. But for him to cement his spot in the side, then he has to take a big scalp early in 2009. The other option is Harry O'Brien. Harry did a fantastic job on guys like Steve Johnson and was good on Porplyzia last week. I just fear that Davey will spend too much time in the midfield and expose O'Brien in this area. Fraser v Johnson – Paul Johnson has the muscle, Fraser the versatility. Josh's game against Adelaide was below his usual output. I'm expecting a far greater return from Josh this week and he should dominate around the ground. Bartram v Didak/Davis – Bartram got the tagging job on Brent Harvey last week and was fantastic. He restricted Boomer to 16 disposals, which is well down on his average. I think he'll be given the responsibility on one of the Pies dangerous small forwards. Warnock v Anthony – The impressive young defender is most likely going to take whoever goes to Full Forward. McDonald v Swan – James McDonald returned to some of his best last week with 23 disposals, 10 tackles and 6 marks. Swan also found some touch in the 2nd half. Both are hard nuts and I would love to see this matchup. Pendlebury v Green Maxwell v Bruce – Maxwell is playing as a midfielder now and is a good size matchup for Bruce. He is one of their more creative players, but is slightly out of form at the moment. Keeping Bruce quiet will go a long way to ensuring victory. Other than that, its quite hard to do the matchup's against Melbourne. They are a young side and many players are still finding their footing and role within the team. That makes them a difficult team to plan for. It is hard to know what they will structure up like in the forward line. The Wrap Up Despite the glaring holes in the Demon side, they did play a good brand of football against the Kangaroos. They feel confident playing Collingwood and will be keen to put up a good showing in front of a large crowd. I hope a good crowd turns up. This is a Collingwood home game, but Melbourne fans need to come out and get behind their team early before it is too late. I'll tip Collingwood by 30 points, but I think we'll see a close game for the majority of the match. Melbourne enjoy playing Collingwood. They feel they match up well and they often go in more hungry. The midfield battle is the key for Melbourne. Collingwood won the clearances last week but lost the match. I don't feel the same will happen this week. If Collingwood gets first hands on the ball then their forwards are far too dangerous. Melbourne on the other hand have a suspect forward line who struggles to take contested marks. It will be interesting to see whether Melbourne employ zoning techniques or flood or go man on man. It is becoming increasingly obvious that Collingwood struggles against the zone. I think we will see more and more clubs use this strategy against the Magpies.

The last time Melbourne met Collingwood was in Round 11 (Queens Birthday) last year: THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs James McDonald Colin Garland Daniel Bell Half backs Brad Green Matthew Warnock Paul Wheatley Centreline Cale Morton Brock McLean Cameron Bruce Half forwards Matthew Bate Brad Miller Lynden Dunn Forwards Paul Johnson Colin Sylvia Austin Wonaeamirri Followers Jeff White Brent Moloney Nathan Jones Interchange (from) Clint Bartram Jace Bode Jared Rivers Adem Yze Emergencies Nathan Carroll Mark Jamar Chris Johnson In Jace Bode Cale Morton Jared Rivers Out Simon Buckley (omitted) James Frawley (shoulder) Russell Robertson (Achilles) COLLINGWOOD Backs Heath Shaw Shane Wakelin Tarkyn Lockyer Half backs Martin Clarke Nathan Brown Harry O'Brien Centreline Scott Pendlebury Scott Burns Rhyce Shaw Half forwards Leon Davis Shane O'Bree Travis Cloke Forwards Alan Didak Anthony Rocca Paul Medhurst Followers Josh Fraser Dane Swan Dale Thomas Interchange Chris Bryan Ben Johnson Nick Maxwell Sharrod Wellingham Emergencies Ryan Cook Shannon Cox Ben Reid In Anthony Rocca Out Ben Reid (omitted) Melbourne 4.1.25 7.4.46 11.9.75 13.17.95 Collingwood 3.2.20 8.5.53 15.8.98 17.14.116 Goals Melbourne Sylvia Wonaeamirri 3 Green Yze 2 Dunn Jones McLean Collingwood Davis Didak Lockyer H Shaw 2 Brown Cox Fraser Johnson Medhurst O'Brien Swan Thomas Wellingham Best Melbourne McLean Jones Garland Warnock Dunn Yze Bruce Collingwood Burns Didak Lockyer Maxwell O'Brien Bryan Injuries Melbourne Rivers (groin) Moloney (shoulder) Replaced Collingwood Rocca (ankle) Pendlebury (back) replaced in selected side by Cox Cook Reports Nil Umpires Vozzo Farmer Meredith Official crowd 59,548 at the MCG

NO STING by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions paid dearly for a slow start in their second practice match of the season against Frankston at Casey Fields on Saturday going down by 3 points after conceding a 5 goal start to the visitors. With no points at stake the result however, was not particularly significant. The club is still experimenting with several new faces and working on familiarising itself with the playing members of new its alignment partner. In turn, a few of the Demon players were also being tried out in new positions under practice match conditions. There was no early sting in the Scorpions' tail as the Dolphins made all the running and kicked the only four goals scored in the opening term. Casey went into the game without two of its on ball aces from the previous week in skipper Kyle Matthews and lively Melbourne youngster Austin Womaeamirri who pulled out with a hamstring problem. This left the Dolphins with a distinct early advantage in the clearances and they moved the ball well to deservedly earn their 24-point advantage at quarter time. Forward Addam Maric was lively without being able to convert up forward while big man James Wall was the best of the Scorpions in the early going. Frankston kicked the first goal of the second term to extend its lead and this served to awaken the home side from its slumber. Liam Jurrah combined well with Maric for their first goal and Jurrah displayed his magical gifts to boot a couple of his own. Fellow Northern Territorian Pierce Liddle also produced patches of brilliance on debut and Nick Scanlon was dangerous up forward but just when it appeared that Casey might bridge the gap Frankston kicked a late goal to take a 14-point lead into the rooms at half time. The Dolphins were first off the mark after the main break and it took another smart goal from Jurrah to get Casey back in the hunt. Meesen and Wall were on top in the big man department and Shane Valenti was accumulating possessions in the middle. He was ably assisted by rookie Jordie McKenzie, a hard running midfielder. Once again however, Frankston was able to kick goals late in the quarter to reassert its authority on the game. The final quarter followed a familiar pattern with the visitors kicking the opening goal and the home side having to work hard to catch up. Demons Michael Newton and Colin Sylvia lifted their work rate and a couple of late goals got the Scorpions to within three points before time ran out with the ball going forward as the final siren sounded. Recruit Michael Stockdale was impressive with his sure ball handling for the second week in a row while Trent Zomer looked more at home this week in defence. Casey now meets Coburg at Casey Fields in both seniors and reserves in the final hit out before the serious business of the season starts. Games start at 2pm and 11.10 am respectively. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail – playing off halfback, played a reasonable game but didn't show anything that would stamp his as a special player. Will need more time at this level. Liam Jurrah – showed, agility, pace, skill and that touch of magic but also demonstrated that he still needs to work on his conditioning before he can make the big time. Will play AFL later this year because he knows how to kick goals and the Demons lack players of that ilk. Jordie McKenzie – impressed for the second week as the inside mid with plenty of grunt. Addam Maric - clever and talented with great disposal skills and knows where the goals are. Played three quarters and probably needs another good run with Casey to earn a spot at the Demons. Stefan Martin – was tried up forward with a run on the ball and failed to flatter. Missed an easy shot from 30 metres out when the game was there to be won in the final quarter. Better suited to defence. John Meesen - Played well in the ruck and looked composed around the ground in what was definitely the best game I have seen him play since he crossed over from Adelaide. Michael Newton – didn't do enough to thrust his name before the selectors but showed glimpses of form at half forward going far and wide to get kicks. Colin Sylvia – sporting a new short haircut, Sylvia flashed in and out of the game for three quarters and finally decided to switch on fully in the second half when he almost sparked a come from behind victory. When he's hot, he can be very hot and that's Melbourne's challenge – to have him focussed on the game and working hard and not on being the rock star he's unlikely ever to be. Shane Valenti – like many of his team mates, started slowly but improved as the game unfolded. Did a lot of good work in close but could get caught out on Casey's wider open spaces. Trent Zomer – played mainly in defence and looked more comfortable there. Casey Scorpions 0.3.3 5.5.35 8.7.55 12.12.84 Frankston 4.3.27 7.7.49 9.12.66 12.15.87 Goals Jurrah 3 Liddle Maric Scanlon Waite 2 Newton Best Meesen Wall Stockdale McKenzie Scanlon Liddle

by KC from Casey The Casey Scorpions paid dearly for a slow start in their second practice match of the season against Frankston at Casey Fields on Saturday going down by 3 points after conceding a 5 goal start to the visitors. With no points at stake the result however, was not particularly significant. The club is still experimenting with several new faces and working on familiarising itself with the playing members of new its alignment partner. In turn, a few of the Demon players were also being tried out in new positions under practice match conditions. There was no early sting in the Scorpions' tail as the Dolphins made all the running and kicked the only four goals scored in the opening term. Casey went into the game without two of its on ball aces from the previous week in skipper Kyle Matthews and lively Melbourne youngster Austin Womaeamirri who pulled out with a hamstring problem. This left the Dolphins with a distinct early advantage in the clearances and they moved the ball well to deservedly earn their 24-point advantage at quarter time. Forward Addam Maric was lively without being able to convert up forward while big man James Wall was the best of the Scorpions in the early going. Frankston kicked the first goal of the second term to extend its lead and this served to awaken the home side from its slumber. Liam Jurrah combined well with Maric for their first goal and Jurrah displayed his magical gifts to boot a couple of his own. Fellow Northern Territorian Pierce Liddle also produced patches of brilliance on debut and Nick Scanlon was dangerous up forward but just when it appeared that Casey might bridge the gap Frankston kicked a late goal to take a 14-point lead into the rooms at half time. The Dolphins were first off the mark after the main break and it took another smart goal from Jurrah to get Casey back in the hunt. Meesen and Wall were on top in the big man department and Shane Valenti was accumulating possessions in the middle. He was ably assisted by rookie Jordie McKenzie, a hard running midfielder. Once again however, Frankston was able to kick goals late in the quarter to reassert its authority on the game. The final quarter followed a familiar pattern with the visitors kicking the opening goal and the home side having to work hard to catch up. Demons Michael Newton and Colin Sylvia lifted their work rate and a couple of late goals got the Scorpions to within three points before time ran out with the ball going forward as the final siren sounded. Recruit Michael Stockdale was impressive with his sure ball handling for the second week in a row while Trent Zomer looked more at home this week in defence. Casey now meets Coburg at Casey Fields in both seniors and reserves in the final hit out before the serious business of the season starts. Games start at 2pm and 11.10 am respectively. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Rohan Bail – playing off halfback, played a reasonable game but didn't show anything that would stamp his as a special player. Will need more time at this level. Liam Jurrah – showed, agility, pace, skill and that touch of magic but also demonstrated that he still needs to work on his conditioning before he can make the big time. Will play AFL later this year because he knows how to kick goals and the Demons lack players of that ilk. Jordie McKenzie – impressed for the second week as the inside mid with plenty of grunt. Addam Maric - clever and talented with great disposal skills and knows where the goals are. Played three quarters and probably needs another good run with Casey to earn a spot at the Demons. Stefan Martin – was tried up forward with a run on the ball and failed to flatter. Missed an easy shot from 30 metres out when the game was there to be won in the final quarter. Better suited to defence. John Meesen - Played well in the ruck and looked composed around the ground in what was definitely the best game I have seen him play since he crossed over from Adelaide. Michael Newton – didn't do enough to thrust his name before the selectors but showed glimpses of form at half forward going far and wide to get kicks. Colin Sylvia – sporting a new short haircut, Sylvia flashed in and out of the game for three quarters and finally decided to switch on fully in the second half when he almost sparked a come from behind victory. When he's hot, he can be very hot and that's Melbourne's challenge – to have him focussed on the game and working hard and not on being the rock star he's unlikely ever to be. Shane Valenti – like many of his team mates, started slowly but improved as the game unfolded. Did a lot of good work in close but could get caught out on Casey's wider open spaces. Trent Zomer – played mainly in defence and looked more comfortable there. Casey Scorpions 0.3.3 5.5.35 8.7.55 12.12.84 Frankston 4.3.27 7.7.49 9.12.66 12.15.87 Goals Jurrah 3 Liddle Maric Scanlon Waite 2 Newton Best Meesen Wall Stockdale McKenzie Scanlon Liddle

Good grief. Last week I called for Demon fans to put together their thoughts on the forthcoming game and hardly got a response. Now, we get a preview from a Collingwood fan. We'll definitely use it and any other intelligent comments in our preview section later in the week.

Votes were taken completely at random. There is a limit however on the number of times a poster's votes will be accepted.

OUT OF THE RUCK by Whispering Jack The encounter between Melbourne and North Melbourne proved that, in Australian football the reports of the demise of the ruckman, are in exactly the same boat as those of the death of American novelist Mark Twain. Exaggerated. The Kangaroos' big man Hamish McIntosh, who was nominated by his coach Dean Laidley for the AFL meat market in last October's trade week, was one of the main differences between the two sides as they fought a gripping for three quarters before his team finally delivered the last rites in the final stanza. You rarely see the dominance by one player of the type exerted by McIntosh on this game. He finished with 20 possessions, 25 hit outs and 9 marks and kicked a game high three goals in a devastating display that left the Demons reeling in his wake. In most other respects, an improved Melbourne took this game right up to North which has played off in the last two final series. The first half in particular, was an even contest and the Demons could easily have held sway at the main break but for one or two missed opportunities like James McDonald's fluffed shot for goal just before quarter time. After a poor opening ten minutes of the second half when the Shinboners took the ascendency and the Dees struggled to handle the football, they regrouped and fought back until the coming of the game's turning point. After Brad Miller's shot that could have put his team within two points, Colin Garland marked in midfield and had what seemed an acre of space between himself and the goals. Not for the first time in this game a Kangaroo smother turned the game around. Harding managed to get the ball for a Simpson goal from outside fifty and the 12-point turnaround was virtually the difference at the final break. The final quarter was not exactly a blow out but Melbourne's resistance had been stemmed. A 34 point win to North Melbourne. The good news is that the Demons now occupy their highest ladder position (13th) since round 22 of 2006 (and are only a game outside the 8!) but the bad news is that their 10.7.67 left them with the lowest number of scoring shots of all clubs in the competition for the weekend - a reflection of an almost non-existent forward line and some poor delivery into attack by those further downfield. The team lacked even a single key forward with goal kicking capacity and there were no crumbers available to score goals or to maintain enough pressure to keep the ball in its attacking zone. Ricky Petterd was almost a lone hand up there with some assistance from Brad Green. The midfield was a mixed bag with Brent Moloney and Nathan Jones hot while for the most part, Brock McLean, Cale Morton and Aaron Davey were not! The team's jewel in the crown at the moment is its defence. Every one of its members worked his butt off and did his job for the day and considering the inexperience of this division, it was a credit to defensive coach Sean Wellman. From first gamers Kyle Cheney and Jamie Bennell to Matthew Warnock and the improving James Frawley to the comeback kid Jared Rivers, they all played their part. Clint Bartram didn't get too many possessions but he kept Brent Harvey (who was awarded 3 Brownlow votes each time the teams met last year) down to a possession count of manageable proportions. Tactically, the coaching department could also claim that it was even on points with that of the opposition up to half time but after the main break, North's set ups and structures and the positioning of their players gave them a clear edge. But then, it's a big advantage to have the cattle with the superior disposal skills and decision-making ability as a tough game wears on. I also wonder about the prolific use of the interchange and the timing of some of those changes. Brad Green was taken off after both of his goals and the team immediately lost imortant momentum. One or twice, our interchanging seemed to assist North in creating loose men and to help themselves to easy scoring opportunities. And if all this is supposed to keep players frsh, then why did Melbourne fade so badly at the end? Melbourne's lack of experience was a clear factor. There were four first gamers, Cheney Bennell, Neville Jetta and Jake Spencer and a total of ten players whose games tally amounted to a season's worth or less. The Demons should take heart from the fact that this list does not include any of its first three picks in last year's national draft, its first pick in the pre season draft or two of its first three picks in the draft from the year before. That makes a lot of games that need to be put into the legs of the club's youth before it can realistically challenge the top sides. When you add the fact that Rivers, McLean, Moloney and Davey were playing their first games after missing many games in the last half of 2008 and others like Petterd just making their way back from long injury spells and you have to conclude that the end result wasn't too bad. Of the first gamers Cheney was all class and deserves strong consideration first up for the Rising Star award and Bennell and Jetta were both lively and showed flashes of magical skills. Despite that, both may struggle to hold their places as the selectors recast the side for Saturday's game against Collingwood. Jake Spencer, who came off the rookie list to play yesterday's game, had a tough baptism of fire. He worked hard but it was always going to be a tough ask in his first game against an opponent who was on fire. He will need to work hard on his kicking and decision making skills. The contrast with McIntosh in that area alone was probably another example of the difference between Melbourne and North Melbourne. Like many of his team, Spencer will develop and get better over time. And the Demons need plenty of time to get out of the ruck. Melbourne 3.3.21 6.5.41 9.6.60 10.7.67 North Melbourne 3.3.21 7.6.48 11.8.74 15.11.101 Goals Melbourne B Green R Petterd 2 M Bate A Davey N Jetta P Johnson B Moloney C Morton North Melbourne H McIntosh 3 M Campbell D Petrie L Thomas 2 M Firrito D Hale L Harding B Harvey S McMahon A Simpson Best Melbourne Moloney Cheney Jones Frawley Green Petterd Warnock North Melbourne McIntosh Harding Simpson Thomas Campbell Power Swallow Injuries Melbourne Nil North Nil Umpires Jacob Mollison Stefan Grun Shane McInerney Reports Nil Changes Nil Crowd 28,707 at MCG

by Whispering Jack The encounter between Melbourne and North Melbourne proved that, in Australian football the reports of the demise of the ruckman, are in exactly the same boat as those of the death of American novelist Mark Twain. Exaggerated. The Kangaroos' big man Hamish McIntosh, who was nominated by his coach Dean Laidley for the AFL meat market in last October's trade week, was one of the main differences between the two sides as they fought a gripping for three quarters before his team finally delivered the last rites in the final stanza. You rarely see the dominance by one player of the type exerted by McIntosh on this game. He finished with 20 possessions, 25 hit outs and 9 marks and kicked a game high three goals in a devastating display that left the Demons reeling in his wake. In most other respects, an improved Melbourne took this game right up to North which has played off in the last two final series. The first half in particular, was an even contest and the Demons could easily have held sway at the main break but for one or two missed opportunities like James McDonald's fluffed shot for goal just before quarter time. After a poor opening ten minutes of the second half when the Shinboners took the ascendency and the Dees struggled to handle the football, they regrouped and fought back until the coming of the game's turning point. After Brad Miller's shot that could have put his team within two points, Colin Garland marked in midfield and had what seemed an acre of space between himself and the goals. Not for the first time in this game a Kangaroo smother turned the game around. Harding managed to get the ball for a Simpson goal from outside fifty and the 12-point turnaround was virtually the difference at the final break. The final quarter was not exactly a blow out but Melbourne's resistance had been stemmed. A 34 point win to North Melbourne. The good news is that the Demons now occupy their highest ladder position (13th) since round 22 of 2006 (and are only a game outside the 8!) but the bad news is that their 10.7.67 left them with the lowest number of scoring shots of all clubs in the competition for the weekend - a reflection of an almost non-existent forward line and some poor delivery into attack by those further downfield. The team lacked even a single key forward with goal kicking capacity and there were no crumbers available to score goals or to maintain enough pressure to keep the ball in its attacking zone. Ricky Petterd was almost a lone hand up there with some assistance from Brad Green. The midfield was a mixed bag with Brent Moloney and Nathan Jones hot while for the most part, Brock McLean, Cale Morton and Aaron Davey were not! The team's jewel in the crown at the moment is its defence. Every one of its members worked his butt off and did his job for the day and considering the inexperience of this division, it was a credit to defensive coach Sean Wellman. From first gamers Kyle Cheney and Jamie Bennell to Matthew Warnock and the improving James Frawley to the comeback kid Jared Rivers, they all played their part. Clint Bartram didn't get too many possessions but he kept Brent Harvey (who was awarded 3 Brownlow votes each time the teams met last year) down to a possession count of manageable proportions. Tactically, the coaching department could also claim that it was even on points with that of the opposition up to half time but after the main break, North's set ups and structures and the positioning of their players gave them a clear edge. But then, it's a big advantage to have the cattle with the superior disposal skills and decision-making ability as a tough game wears on. I also wonder about the prolific use of the interchange and the timing of some of those changes. Brad Green was taken off after both of his goals and the team immediately lost imortant momentum. One or twice, our interchanging seemed to assist North in creating loose men and to help themselves to easy scoring opportunities. And if all this is supposed to keep players frsh, then why did Melbourne fade so badly at the end? Melbourne's lack of experience was a clear factor. There were four first gamers, Cheney Bennell, Neville Jetta and Jake Spencer and a total of ten players whose games tally amounted to a season's worth or less. The Demons should take heart from the fact that this list does not include any of its first three picks in last year's national draft, its first pick in the pre season draft or two of its first three picks in the draft from the year before. That makes a lot of games that need to be put into the legs of the club's youth before it can realistically challenge the top sides. When you add the fact that Rivers, McLean, Moloney and Davey were playing their first games after missing many games in the last half of 2008 and others like Petterd just making their way back from long injury spells and you have to conclude that the end result wasn't too bad. Of the first gamers Cheney was all class and deserves strong consideration first up for the Rising Star award and Bennell and Jetta were both lively and showed flashes of magical skills. Despite that, both may struggle to hold their places as the selectors recast the side for Saturday's game against Collingwood. Jake Spencer, who came off the rookie list to play yesterday's game, had a tough baptism of fire. He worked hard but it was always going to be a tough ask in his first game against an opponent who was on fire. He will need to work hard on his kicking and decision making skills. The contrast with McIntosh in that area alone was probably another example of the difference between Melbourne and North Melbourne. Like many of his team, Spencer will develop and get better over time. And the Demons need plenty of time to get out of the ruck. Melbourne 3.3.21 6.5.41 9.6.60 10.7.67 North Melbourne 3.3.21 7.6.48 11.8.74 15.11.101 Goals Melbourne B Green R Petterd 2 M Bate A Davey N Jetta P Johnson B Moloney C Morton North Melbourne H McIntosh 3 M Campbell D Petrie L Thomas 2 M Firrito D Hale L Harding B Harvey S McMahon A Simpson Best Melbourne Moloney Cheney Jones Frawley Green Petterd Warnock North Melbourne McIntosh Harding Simpson Thomas Campbell Power Swallow Injuries Melbourne Nil North Nil Umpires Jacob Mollison Stefan Grun Shane McInerney Reports Nil Changes Nil Crowd 28,707 at MCG

The leader board after Round 1: 11.941 Brent Moloney 8.624 Kyle Cheney 6.634 Ricky Petterd 5.970 Nathan Jones 1.990 James Frawley Neville Jetta 1.327 Clint Bartram Brad Green Matthew Warnock 0.663 Paul Johnson

Voting is now open for the Demonland Player of the Year Three sets of votes (6,5,4,3,2,1) will be selected at random. The scoring ratio system (today 0.6637) applies again this year.

by JVM It wasn't all that long ago in terms of football time that these teams met at the MCG and played out a forgettable game in Round 17 last year. The Kangaroos were riding high and looking like top four material while the Demons were dreaming of Jack Watts and the first selection in the national draft. The Roos opened the betting at $1.16, the game was ever so ho hum and the result was never in doubt. On Sunday North Melbourne will still open as favourite but at $1.33 they won't be as firm as they were last winter because there are some question marks about where this much admired combination is heading. They say that you're only as good as your last game and if that's the case then there is cause for some concern in the Kangaroo camp. They were thrashed in their last two home and away games (in round 22 they missed a chance to take a top four spot when lowly Port Adelaide demolished them at the G) and were bundled out of the finals by an undermanned Sydney. They showed none of that good old Shinboner spirit that has made them famous over the years. In fact, they were dreadful. Melbourne finished the season in much the same way last year but then again, that was how they started it and it was also how they played out most of the year, as they remained anchored to the bottom of the ladder for all 22 rounds. The Demons are heading in the right direction with their youth policy and I would have given them half a chance to win this game but for the fact that they have a few a decent lit of key players on the sidelines, starting with experienced trio Russell Robertson, Paul Wheatley and Matthew Whelan, ruckman Mark Jamar, hard nut Daniel Bell and up and comers in Jack Grimes, Addam Maric and Austin Wonaeamirri. Their problems don't end there because they have left Colin Sylvia and Michael Newton out of the side in an apparent show of strength by the selectors who, in doing so, have indicated they are demanding discipline and consistent football from their charges. The Kangaroos have virtually a full squad to select from and it's this that has swayed me to select them to win the game by a narrow margin in a game that is unlikely to attract any more attention than the last time these teams met. I doubt that it will attract the 86,972 that went to the MCG for the Carlton v Richmond game last night or that it will capture the public's imagination like tonight's grand final rematch but a better performance from the Demons could be a stepping stone for better things to come in the future. North Melbourne by 8 points THE GAME Melbourne v North Melbourne at MCG – Sunday 29 March 2009 at 1:10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins North Melbourne 63 wins 1 draw At the MCG Melbourne 54 wins North Melbourne 31 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins North Melbourne 7 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Laidley 2 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 at 1pm RADIO 774ABC SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $3.15 North Melbourne to win $1.33 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Jared Rivers Matthew Warnock Clint Bartram Half backs Colin Garland James Frawley Brad Green Centreline Aaron Davey Brock McLean Brent Moloney Half forwards Cameron Bruce Paul Johnson Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Matthew Bate Ricky Petterd Followers Jake Spencer James McDonald Simon Buckley Interchange Jamie Bennell Kyle Cheney Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Emergencies Lynden Dunn Stefan Martin John Meesen New Jamie Bennell (Swan Districts) Kyle Cheney (Nth Ballarat, Warrack Eagles) Neville Jetta (Swan Districts) Jake Spencer (Redlands) NORTH MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Pratt Michael Firrito Scott McMahon Half backs Leigh Harding Lachlan Hansen Josh Gibson Centreline Brady Rawlings Adam Simpson Andrew Swallow Half forwards Ed Lower Drew Petrie Lindsay Thomas Forwards Matt Campbell David Hale Brent Harvey Followers Hamish McIntosh Daniel Wells Jack Ziebell Interchange Sam Power Josh Smith Scott Thompson Gavin Urquhart Emergencies Liam Anthony Nathan Grima Daniel Harris LAST TIME THEY MET The Kangaroos opened on a high and took an early six goal lead before the Demons were even awakened from their slumber. Melbourne tried its darndest to blunt the speed and skills of Brent Harvey who cut a swathe through the packs despite close attention from Lynden Dunn who was reported for his troubles. Melbourne's defence had no answer for Lindsay Thomas and Corey Jones. Hale was the dominant big man and the final margin probably flattered the Dees whose forward line failed to function. In other words, it was typical 2008 but they somehow managed to keep the losing margin down to below 5 goals. Round 17, 2008 at the MCG Melbourne 1.3.9 3.4.22 6.8.44 10.10.70 North Melbourne 7.3.45 9.6.60 11.9.75 14.14.98 Goals Melbourne Miller 3 Newton 2 Davey P Johnson Morton Sylvia Valenti North Melbourne Thomas 5 Jones 4 Harvey 2 Campbell Hale Petrie Best Melbourne Buckley Jones Valenti Davey McDonald P. Johnson North Melbourne Harvey Hale Jones Thomas Gibson Simpson Rawlings FAN'S EYE VIEW YZE_MAGIC: Well the season is almost here which means its time for Yze_Magic's first prediction of 2009. And the question is, can I keep up my 100% strike rate on game predictions, which I have been giving for years. Without further ado.. It's hard to seeing the reborn Demons losing to a boring, uninspiring team in the Kangaroos. They have no decent players, no match winners, and their best player is that little squib Harvey who collects cheap possessions and falls to ground to milk free kicks even with the slightest contact. I would love to see him knocked out cold, and miss the season with a severe injury. Hate the little prick. Melbourne by 14 goals DEMON HEAD: Melbourne has an even squad of players going into Sunday' game against North Melbourne and that's exactly my problem. We don't have any players who stand out as star footballers in the team. The team and the players are still finding their way. On the other hand North Melbourne have Brent Harvey(who is loved by the umpires), Drew Petrie, Daniel Wells and some handy tall timber in Hamish McIntosh and David Hale. The Dees can only win if they can hold that lot and, while we are improving defensively, I doubt we can do it. North Melbourne by 14 points BLISTERING: I like the strong stand Melbourne has taken with Colin Sylvia and to a lesser extent Michael Newton. The message given to the rest of the team is that from now on you have to shape up or ship out and that will surely serve to revitalise the Demon culture as the club brings its new breed of young stars of the future into the fold. I've just been reading The Red Fox about Norm Smith's life and what his legacy means to the Melbourne Football Club. It's no co-incidence that this week the club introduces another redhead in defendar Kyle Cheney to its ranks or that Julia Gillard, the highest ranking redhead in this great nation of ours is the only Herald Sun tipster to select Melbourne to win this week. Not even the infamous Kiss of Death went for Melbourne so I reckon they're a good thing. Melbourne by 7 points ANOTHER VIEW FROM MELBFC BLOG HOW THE COACH DEAN BAILEY SEES THE TEAM (from LIST ASSESSMENT: MELBOURNE) BACKS JARED RIVERS - Jared is more advanced and fitter than he was at the same time last year. Hopefully he’ll have had a bit of useful playing time in the NAB Cup games to get him up and running. He’s prepared well, and he really needs to play to get some confidence back. MATTHEW WARNOCK- Matty’s a guy who just trains and trains and trains. His work ethic at training and pre-season has always been very good. He had a bit of a breakout season last year. He’s got stronger and quicker, and he’s raring to go. He’s got a great work ethic. CLINT BARTRAM - Clint’s put on around three kilos in muscle, he’s maintained a very low skinfold, and his speed and endurance has really improved. We have a much stronger Clint Bartram this year, and we’re sure that this will translate into better on-field performances. COLIN GARLAND - The challenge for Col is can he build on the pretty good year that he had last year? He can play on the talls and smalls, and we’re going to try and encourage him to attack and take the game on. He’s a good decision maker, and he’ll again be given the chance to play on some of the big stars, which he thrives on. JAMES FRAWLEY - Chippa’ has put on at least three kilos of muscle, and he’s gained some confidence from that. He’s a kid who, after two or three pre-seasons, has developed really well. He’s quick, he’s agile, he’s a great bloke and really well liked around the club. Now, we’ve just got to get some game time into him. BRAD GREEN - Brad’s a guy who just doesn’t miss pre-season. He’s always training. He had a thumb operation, but was still able to run, and do most of pre-season. He’s got an amazing capacity to train and play in discomfort or pain. His leadership and his mentoring of players has been fantastic. MIDFIELD JAKE SPENCER - Jake’s a young, developing ruckman. His work ethic and attitude are just fantastic. With some experience, can be really exciting for us. JAMES MCDONALD - James is a guy who just continually looks at improvement in all areas of his game. He’s put on between two and three kilos, and his body shape’s changed remarkably, He brings a very, very good level of intelligence to the discussion, and he’s got a great football mind. He’ll make every post a winner. SIMON BUCKLEY - I think Simon’s great strengths are his kicking and his speed, and I would like to see him exploit those this year. He’s an attacking player, so we expect Simon to be carrying the ball more and still taking players on. Physically, he’s much further advanced after a solid pre-season. AARON DAVEY - Aaron’s been outstanding in the pre-season. I’d like to think he’s quicker, stronger, faster than he was last year, and that’s due to the fact that he’s been able to train more. His attitude has been first class. I would expect Aaron to have a great year. BROCK MCLEAN - Brock gives you one hundred per cent one hundred per cent of the time, and that will be no different this year. He’s a terrific leader and has prepared himself incredibly well over this pre-season. He is a tough inside midfielder, and we expect him to be working really hard around the stoppages this year. BRENT MOLONEY - Brent hasn’t missed a minute of the pre-season training. Brent will need to use his great strength around the stoppage and he will be called on to tackle, and chase, and put the defensive pressure on. He’s a very long kick, so we need him to be active for as long as he can. FORWARDS CAMERON BRUCE - Cameron prepares himself really well, he’s a professional in his attitude, and his pre-season has been fantastic. He’s a fantastic trainer, and a really good leader amongst the guys. He explains the game well to his teammates and the younger players at the club. PAUL JOHNSON - Recovered well following the hip operation at the end of last year. He’s another player who’s put on three to four kilos, and his running and agility haven’t been affected. At 191 cm we really need him to be taking the contested marks in the forward line, and kicking more goals. CALE MORTON - Cale’s come off a really good first year. We had to manage him carefully as a first-year player, but he was able to cope because he’s got such great endurance. I think other teams will certainly be a bit more aware of Cale, and probably place some taggers on him. He’s going to be really important for us in 2009. BRAD MILLER - Brad’s pre-season has been first-class; he hasn’t missed any training. Last year, he showed he could take a contested mark and his goalkicking improved. I think he also showed some great leadership, grabbing hold of some games and kicking some important goals. MATTHEW BATE - I’d like to see him kick a few more goals this year. I can see him playing as a lead-up forward, but I think there’s a nice opportunity for him to come out at full forward. He’s quick, and as part of rotating the forward line, he could play a number of positions up forward. RICKY PETTERD - Last year, Ricky suffered a couple of injuries. He’s worked really hard in the gym and his pre-season has been good. He’s a very good drop off marker, and he reads the play very well. Hopefully we can see Ricky get some continuity in playing and training and I think we’ll have a pretty good player on our hands. INTERCHANGE JAMIE BENNELL - Jamie’s a player who can play anywhere on the ground. He can play down back, and be a really good decision maker from behind the ball. He can certainly come through the middle of the ground. There’s no doubt he’s also a very good contested mark for a smaller player. Again, he’s a bloke we need to develop. KYLE CHENEY - Kyle’s a very good mark, and he likes the physicality of the game. There’s no doubt that he’ll have shown us some things during the NAB Cup. He’s competitive, and he can probably defend on the taller players. He’s a young kid who’s really improved over the pre-season. NEVILLE JETTA - Neville’s quick and agile, and he’ll stand up for himself. He’s a tough inside midfielder, who I think can also go forward to crumb and kick a goal, and provide forward pressure. Again, like all the first year players, his body has to develop. NATHAN JONES - Nathan always prepares himself well over pre-season, and he doesn’t miss any of training. This year, he’s physically stronger, and the weight training he’s done has certainly improved his core strength. Nathan’s got a really big tank and will run himself into the ground to try and win games for us. EMERGENCIES LYNDEN DUNN - ‘Dunny’ has put on about four or five kilos and has trained the house down. He’s been exceptional in his attitude and his preparation. He can play forward for us, and he had some good run-with roles last year. We also need to give him some more experience around the stoppages. STEFAN MARTIN - Stef is very, very quick, but we’ve known his great test is going to come when he plays on guys who are the same size as him. At 198 cm, he can certainly play on the smaller players around the mid 180cm, because he has got that great agility. JOHN MEESEN - John’s had a bit of an interrupted pre-season because of his ankle. One of the things we identified last year with him is that he needs to get a stronger upper body, and we need to develop a bit of power in him, and he’s worked pretty hard to do that.

A STEPPING STONE by JVM It wasn't all that long ago in terms of football time that these teams met at the MCG and played out a forgettable game in Round 17 last year. The Kangaroos were riding high and looking like top four material while the Demons were dreaming of Jack Watts and the first selection in the national draft. The Roos opened the betting at $1.16, the game was ever so ho hum and the result was never in doubt. On Sunday North Melbourne will still open as favourite but at $1.33 they won't be as firm as they were last winter because there are some question marks about where this much admired combination is heading. They say that you're only as good as your last game and if that's the case then there is cause for some concern in the Kangaroo camp. They were thrashed in their last two home and away games (in round 22 they missed a chance to take a top four spot when lowly Port Adelaide demolished them at the G) and were bundled out of the finals by an undermanned Sydney. They showed none of that good old Shinboner spirit that has made them famous over the years. In fact, they were dreadful. Melbourne finished the season in much the same way last year but then again, that was how they started it and it was also how they played out most of the year, as they remained anchored to the bottom of the ladder for all 22 rounds. The Demons are heading in the right direction with their youth policy and I would have given them half a chance to win this game but for the fact that they have a few a decent lit of key players on the sidelines, starting with experienced trio Russell Robertson, Paul Wheatley and Matthew Whelan, ruckman Mark Jamar, hard nut Daniel Bell and up and comers in Jack Grimes, Addam Maric and Austin Wonaeamirri. Their problems don't end there because they have left Colin Sylvia and Michael Newton out of the side in an apparent show of strength by the selectors who, in doing so, have indicated they are demanding discipline and consistent football from their charges. The Kangaroos have virtually a full squad to select from and it's this that has swayed me to select them to win the game by a narrow margin in a game that is unlikely to attract any more attention than the last time these teams met. I doubt that it will attract the 86,972 that went to the MCG for the Carlton v Richmond game last night or that it will capture the public's imagination like tonight's grand final rematch but a better performance from the Demons could be a stepping stone for better things to come in the future. North Melbourne by 8 points THE GAME Melbourne v North Melbourne at MCG – Sunday 29 March 2009 at 1:10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 83 wins North Melbourne 63 wins 1 draw At the MCG Melbourne 54 wins North Melbourne 31 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 7 wins North Melbourne 7 wins The Coaches Bailey 0 wins Laidley 2 wins MEDIA TV Fox Sports 1 at 1pm RADIO 774ABC SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win $3.15 North Melbourne to win $1.33 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Jared Rivers Matthew Warnock Clint Bartram Half backs Colin Garland James Frawley Brad Green Centreline Aaron Davey Brock McLean Brent Moloney Half forwards Cameron Bruce Paul Johnson Cale Morton Forwards Brad Miller Matthew Bate Ricky Petterd Followers Jake Spencer James McDonald Simon Buckley Interchange Jamie Bennell Kyle Cheney Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Emergencies Lynden Dunn Stefan Martin John Meesen New Jamie Bennell (Swan Districts) Kyle Cheney (Nth Ballarat, Warrack Eagles) Neville Jetta (Swan Districts) Jake Spencer (Redlands) NORTH MELBOURNE Backs Daniel Pratt Michael Firrito Scott McMahon Half backs Leigh Harding Lachlan Hansen Josh Gibson Centreline Brady Rawlings Adam Simpson Andrew Swallow Half forwards Ed Lower Drew Petrie Lindsay Thomas Forwards Matt Campbell David Hale Brent Harvey Followers Hamish McIntosh Daniel Wells Jack Ziebell Interchange Sam Power Josh Smith Scott Thompson Gavin Urquhart Emergencies Liam Anthony Nathan Grima Daniel Harris LAST TIME THEY MET The Kangaroos opened on a high and took an early six goal lead before the Demons were even awakened from their slumber. Melbourne tried its darndest to blunt the speed and skills of Brent Harvey who cut a swathe through the packs despite close attention from Lynden Dunn who was reported for his troubles. Melbourne's defence had no answer for Lindsay Thomas and Corey Jones. Hale was the dominant big man and the final margin probably flattered the Dees whose forward line failed to function. In other words, it was typical 2008 but they somehow managed to keep the losing margin down to below 5 goals. Round 17, 2008 at the MCG Melbourne 1.3.9 3.4.22 6.8.44 10.10.70 North Melbourne 7.3.45 9.6.60 11.9.75 14.14.98 Goals Melbourne Miller 3 Newton 2 Davey P Johnson Morton Sylvia Valenti North Melbourne Thomas 5 Jones 4 Harvey 2 Campbell Hale Petrie Best Melbourne Buckley Jones Valenti Davey McDonald P. Johnson North Melbourne Harvey Hale Jones Thomas Gibson Simpson Rawlings FAN'S EYE VIEW YZE_MAGIC: Well the season is almost here which means its time for Yze_Magic's first prediction of 2009. And the question is, can I keep up my 100% strike rate on game predictions, which I have been giving for years. Without further ado.. It's hard to seeing the reborn Demons losing to a boring, uninspiring team in the Kangaroos. They have no decent players, no match winners, and their best player is that little squib Harvey who collects cheap possessions and falls to ground to milk free kicks even with the slightest contact. I would love to see him knocked out cold, and miss the season with a severe injury. Hate the little prick. Melbourne by 14 goals DEMON HEAD: Melbourne has an even squad of players going into Sunday' game against North Melbourne and that's exactly my problem. We don't have any players who stand out as star footballers in the team. The team and the players are still finding their way. On the other hand North Melbourne have Brent Harvey(who is loved by the umpires), Drew Petrie, Daniel Wells and some handy tall timber in Hamish McIntosh and David Hale. The Dees can only win if they can hold that lot and, while we are improving defensively, I doubt we can do it. North Melbourne by 14 points BLISTERING: I like the strong stand Melbourne has taken with Colin Sylvia and to a lesser extent Michael Newton. The message given to the rest of the team is that from now on you have to shape up or ship out and that will surely serve to revitalise the Demon culture as the club brings its new breed of young stars of the future into the fold. I've just been reading The Red Fox about Norm Smith's life and what his legacy means to the Melbourne Football Club. It's no co-incidence that this week the club introduces another redhead in defendar Kyle Cheney to its ranks or that Julia Gillard, the highest ranking redhead in this great nation of ours is the only Herald Sun tipster to select Melbourne to win this week. Not even the infamous Kiss of Death went for Melbourne so I reckon they're a good thing. Melbourne by 7 points ANOTHER VIEW FROM MELBFC BLOG HOW THE COACH DEAN BAILEY SEES THE TEAM (from LIST ASSESSMENT: MELBOURNE) BACKS JARED RIVERS - Jared is more advanced and fitter than he was at the same time last year. Hopefully he’ll have had a bit of useful playing time in the NAB Cup games to get him up and running. He’s prepared well, and he really needs to play to get some confidence back. MATTHEW WARNOCK- Matty’s a guy who just trains and trains and trains. His work ethic at training and pre-season has always been very good. He had a bit of a breakout season last year. He’s got stronger and quicker, and he’s raring to go. He’s got a great work ethic. CLINT BARTRAM - Clint’s put on around three kilos in muscle, he’s maintained a very low skinfold, and his speed and endurance has really improved. We have a much stronger Clint Bartram this year, and we’re sure that this will translate into better on-field performances. COLIN GARLAND - The challenge for Col is can he build on the pretty good year that he had last year? He can play on the talls and smalls, and we’re going to try and encourage him to attack and take the game on. He’s a good decision maker, and he’ll again be given the chance to play on some of the big stars, which he thrives on. JAMES FRAWLEY - Chippa’ has put on at least three kilos of muscle, and he’s gained some confidence from that. He’s a kid who, after two or three pre-seasons, has developed really well. He’s quick, he’s agile, he’s a great bloke and really well liked around the club. Now, we’ve just got to get some game time into him. BRAD GREEN - Brad’s a guy who just doesn’t miss pre-season. He’s always training. He had a thumb operation, but was still able to run, and do most of pre-season. He’s got an amazing capacity to train and play in discomfort or pain. His leadership and his mentoring of players has been fantastic. MIDFIELD JAKE SPENCER - Jake’s a young, developing ruckman. His work ethic and attitude are just fantastic. With some experience, can be really exciting for us. JAMES MCDONALD - James is a guy who just continually looks at improvement in all areas of his game. He’s put on between two and three kilos, and his body shape’s changed remarkably, He brings a very, very good level of intelligence to the discussion, and he’s got a great football mind. He’ll make every post a winner. SIMON BUCKLEY - I think Simon’s great strengths are his kicking and his speed, and I would like to see him exploit those this year. He’s an attacking player, so we expect Simon to be carrying the ball more and still taking players on. Physically, he’s much further advanced after a solid pre-season. AARON DAVEY - Aaron’s been outstanding in the pre-season. I’d like to think he’s quicker, stronger, faster than he was last year, and that’s due to the fact that he’s been able to train more. His attitude has been first class. I would expect Aaron to have a great year. BROCK MCLEAN - Brock gives you one hundred per cent one hundred per cent of the time, and that will be no different this year. He’s a terrific leader and has prepared himself incredibly well over this pre-season. He is a tough inside midfielder, and we expect him to be working really hard around the stoppages this year. BRENT MOLONEY - Brent hasn’t missed a minute of the pre-season training. Brent will need to use his great strength around the stoppage and he will be called on to tackle, and chase, and put the defensive pressure on. He’s a very long kick, so we need him to be active for as long as he can. FORWARDS CAMERON BRUCE - Cameron prepares himself really well, he’s a professional in his attitude, and his pre-season has been fantastic. He’s a fantastic trainer, and a really good leader amongst the guys. He explains the game well to his teammates and the younger players at the club. PAUL JOHNSON - Recovered well following the hip operation at the end of last year. He’s another player who’s put on three to four kilos, and his running and agility haven’t been affected. At 191 cm we really need him to be taking the contested marks in the forward line, and kicking more goals. CALE MORTON - Cale’s come off a really good first year. We had to manage him carefully as a first-year player, but he was able to cope because he’s got such great endurance. I think other teams will certainly be a bit more aware of Cale, and probably place some taggers on him. He’s going to be really important for us in 2009. BRAD MILLER - Brad’s pre-season has been first-class; he hasn’t missed any training. Last year, he showed he could take a contested mark and his goalkicking improved. I think he also showed some great leadership, grabbing hold of some games and kicking some important goals. MATTHEW BATE - I’d like to see him kick a few more goals this year. I can see him playing as a lead-up forward, but I think there’s a nice opportunity for him to come out at full forward. He’s quick, and as part of rotating the forward line, he could play a number of positions up forward. RICKY PETTERD - Last year, Ricky suffered a couple of injuries. He’s worked really hard in the gym and his pre-season has been good. He’s a very good drop off marker, and he reads the play very well. Hopefully we can see Ricky get some continuity in playing and training and I think we’ll have a pretty good player on our hands. INTERCHANGE JAMIE BENNELL - Jamie’s a player who can play anywhere on the ground. He can play down back, and be a really good decision maker from behind the ball. He can certainly come through the middle of the ground. There’s no doubt he’s also a very good contested mark for a smaller player. Again, he’s a bloke we need to develop. KYLE CHENEY - Kyle’s a very good mark, and he likes the physicality of the game. There’s no doubt that he’ll have shown us some things during the NAB Cup. He’s competitive, and he can probably defend on the taller players. He’s a young kid who’s really improved over the pre-season. NEVILLE JETTA - Neville’s quick and agile, and he’ll stand up for himself. He’s a tough inside midfielder, who I think can also go forward to crumb and kick a goal, and provide forward pressure. Again, like all the first year players, his body has to develop. NATHAN JONES - Nathan always prepares himself well over pre-season, and he doesn’t miss any of training. This year, he’s physically stronger, and the weight training he’s done has certainly improved his core strength. Nathan’s got a really big tank and will run himself into the ground to try and win games for us. EMERGENCIES LYNDEN DUNN - ‘Dunny’ has put on about four or five kilos and has trained the house down. He’s been exceptional in his attitude and his preparation. He can play forward for us, and he had some good run-with roles last year. We also need to give him some more experience around the stoppages. STEFAN MARTIN - Stef is very, very quick, but we’ve known his great test is going to come when he plays on guys who are the same size as him. At 198 cm, he can certainly play on the smaller players around the mid 180cm, because he has got that great agility. JOHN MEESEN - John’s had a bit of an interrupted pre-season because of his ankle. One of the things we identified last year with him is that he needs to get a stronger upper body, and we need to develop a bit of power in him, and he’s worked pretty hard to do that.

The last time Melbourne met North Melbourne was in Round 17 last year: THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Matthew Whelan Colin Garland Matthew Warnock Half backs Chris Johnson Daniel Bell Lynden Dunn Centreline Cale Morton Cameron Bruce Simon Buckley Half forwards Colin Sylvia Matthew Bate Aaron Davey Forwards Michael Newton Brad Miller James McDonald Followers Mark Jamar Clint Bartram Nathan Jones Interchange Paul Johnson Addam Maric Stefan Martin Shane Valenti Emergencies Nathan Carroll Jeff White In James McDonald Addam Maric Out Paul Wheatley (calf) Austin Wonaeamirri (soreness) NORTH MELBOURNE Backs Shannon Watt Michael Firrito Daniel Pratt Half backs Gavin Urquhart Josh Gibson Leigh Harding Centreline Matt Campbell Daniel Harris Brent Harvey Half forwards Lachlan Hansen David Hale Corey Jones Forwards Scott McMahon Drew Petrie Lindsay Thomas Followers Todd Goldstein Adam Simpson Daniel Wells Interchange Shannon Grant Blake Grima Sam Power Brady Rawlings Emergencies Leigh Brown Matt Riggio Jess Sinclair In Blake Grima Out Ben Ross (ankle) Melbourne 1.3.9 3.4.22 6.8.44 10.10.70 North Melbourne 7.3.45 9.6.60 11.9.75 14.14.98 Goals Melbourne Miller 3 Newton 2 Davey P Johnson Morton Sylvia Valenti North Melbourne Thomas 5 Jones 4 Harvey 2 Campbell Hale Petrie Best Melbourne Buckley Jones Valenti Davey McDonald P. Johnson North Melbourne Harvey Hale Jones Thomas Gibson Simpson Rawlings Injuries Melbourne Nil North Melbourne Nil Changes Melbourne Nil North Melbourne Nil Reports Dunn (Melbourne) for striking Harvey (North Melbourne) in the third quarter by umpire McLaren Dunn (Melbourne) for striking Harvey (North Melbourne) in the third quarter by umpire McLaren Umpires McLaren Fila Hendrie Official crowd 21,330 at the MCG

Demonland AzzKikA79 great_gatsby carn dees Whispering_Jack DEE32 rpfc H!GH TOWER Clyde_Cabbie Alpha33 Pinball_Wizard Thundercloud ucanchoose achirnside barpen Tim - Go Dees! Simon Sylvia Strauss dee-luded mrawesome Jackieboy_0 pandemonium aronbrandon Andees_0 slamevil petejh2000 butsdemon BVI Demon BenderBendingRodriguez deanox dees_fan22 steveheals Footy Tipper Its A Nightmare BigKev Demon Loopy Lou Total Tipsters: 35

1-- Demonland 1-- AzzKikA79 1-- great_gatsby 1-- carn dees 1-- Whispering_Jack 1-- DEE32 1-- rpfc 1-- H!GH TOWER 1-- Clyde_Cabbie 1-- Alpha33 1-- Pinball_Wizard 1-- Thundercloud 1-- ucanchoose 1-- achirnside 1-- barpen 1-- Tim - Go Dees! 1-- Simon Sylvia Strauss 1-- dee-luded 1-- mrawesome 1-- Jackieboy_0 1-- pandemonium 1-- aronbrandon 1-- Andees_0 1-- slamevil 1-- petejh2000 1-- butsdemon 1-- BVI Demon Total Tipsters: 27

We're going to try something a little different this year with our match previews this year. We're calling for previews of forthcoming games - these should be sent to me via PM and the best will be incorporated into our match reviews. Entries to be in by Friday morning 9am. We're looking for a diversity of views so please give it a go! The entries may be edited & we only need a few paragraphs, who you think will win and the winning margin. Anyone wishing to write their own articles on anything Melbourne and have them featured on Demonland can PM them to me and again we reserve the right to edit articles presented. You never know, this could be the start of a budding career as a writer for Demonland.

So far the following people have joined: 1-- Demonland 1-- AzzKikA79 1-- great_gatsby 1-- carn dees 1-- Whispering_Jack 1-- DEE32 1-- rpfc 1-- H!GH TOWER 1-- Clyde_Cabbie 1-- Alpha33 1-- Pinball_Wizard 1-- Thundercloud 1-- ucanchoose 1-- achirnside 1-- barpen 1-- Tim - Go Dees! It's not too late to join.