Demonland

by J.V. McKay A long, long time ago the strongest rivalry in our game was that which existed between Melbourne and Collingwood. For a decade between 1955 and 1964 there wasn't a hotter ticket in town than the one that got you into a game between the Demons and the Magpies. The newspapers would build it up as a gigantic clash between the silvertails and the working classes but it was much more than that. It was THE clash of traditional rivals and the crowds would come to their games in their droves. All of those who are old enough to remember will nod their heads and agree, saying "wasn't that a time?" If you're too young or just can't remember, consider this: - The two rivals contested five grand finals during that decade including the one in 1956 when Melbourne beat Collingwood in front of a then record crowd of 115,802 to win the premiership flag for a second year in a row, they attracted a home and away record crowd of 99,346 on Queens Birthday, 1958. It's a record that still stands today. Between them, the two sides won 7 out of the 10 premierships on offer. They had some wonderful players too – men like Ron Barassi, Brian Dixon, Laurie Mithen and Frank "Bluey" Adams and Ian Ridley were the Demon heroes while Murray Weideman, Bill Twomey and Ray Gabelich were Magpie stars. "Wasn't that a time?" However, for the past four decades, the old rivalry has been overshadowed by others. Carlton and Richmond, Essendon and Hawthorn and more lately teams from the other states have taken the mantle. The crowds now flock to see other rivalries - even games in other codes. After all, the biggest crowd at the MCG so far this year was achieved when Australia played Greece in a "friendly" just the other week. You can rest assured that nothing between Melbourne and Collingwood can ever be regarded as a "friendly". These two are traditional rivals from way back. They even played out a match for the premiership eighty years ago in 1926. That goes even further back than the rivalry of the other two traditional rivals who are meeting on the same date at the weekend, albeit across the world - Australia and Japan - but that's nothing compared to the emotion that Monday's clash at the MCG will evoke. The two sides have certainly gone through a number of twists and turns since the last met each other at the MCG on Queens Birthday 2005. The Pies were struggling then although their recent form indicated some improvement. A win over the previously undefeated West Coast had inspired a new flicker of hope. A good first half that saw them ahead of Melbourne at the main break, saw that hope burn even brighter but Demon forward Adem Yze doused the flame and sent the Magpie Army packing. End of season for them. The same Queens Birthday game also turned into a significant turning point in Melbourne's season. It's well documented how the Demons lost seven games in a row and found themselves out of the top eight until a couple of last gasp victories against the Cats and the Dogs an a narrow let off against the Bombers saw them across the line for another very brief appearance in the finals. This year, the Magpies have gone through rejuvenation with a full list to choose from for most games and they now sit in third spot with eight wins, their only two losses being to the Eagles at Subiaco and to Adelaide in Round 1. Melbourne is in sixth place with six wins but their only defeat since Round 3 was also away to West Coast. These are the form teams of the competition. Collingwood has lost a few with injury this week - Dane Swan (hamstring), Nick Maxwell (fractured leg), Blake Caracella (fractured vertebra) and Brody Holland (achilles). Fortunately, it has Tarrant and Thomas coming back this week. Melbourne has a reasonable deep injury list with Brent Moloney (groin), Paul Johnson (shoulder), Nathan Brown (hamstring), Clint Bizzell (leg) and Alistair Nicholson (foot) all out again this week and a cloud over the fitness of Matthew Whelan (hip/buttocks) while Brad Miller still has a week's suspension to serve. The experts are all saying that Collingwood has had a charmed run, that they haven't beaten one of the stronger sides, that they haven't yet come up against a strong tough outfit, that their depth hasn't been tested. Well, perhaps this is the week when they will be tested. They are certainly coming up against a leading team that's in form. It's going to be a great contest. As is the case most weeks, the outcome of the game will depend greatly on the centre clearances. A few years ago, Michael Malthouse used to attack Jeff White by double or triple teaming against him, often leaving Josh Fraser to ruck rove and win plenty of the ball around the ground. This time I think they are more likely to go head to head and each will also rely on his deputy to help out. Mark Jamar is an improver but needs to do more around the ground when he's on. Guy Richards is a hot and cold player who has been in reasonable form. The onballers will have an interesting tussle and I see Melbourne coming out on top here because of the depth of different types and styles beginning with the AFL's leading tackler James McDonald, the silky smooth Travis Johnstone, Cameron Bruce and Brad Green. The injured Brock McLean's replacement will come from Phil Read or Colin Sylvia - both are strong and hard in their attack on the ball. Throw Byron Pickett and Matthew Bate into the mix and you have a group that can match up favourably against Collingwood's Licuria, O'Bree, Didak, Lockyer, Burns and Davis. They will miss their Holland. The pundits are saying that the Magpies will win because their defence is stronger than that of the Demons. I don't think the pundits have been looking all that closely at Melbourne's defence these days. Perhaps it's the belief that the Dees are missing names like Nicholson, Miller, Ferguson, Miller and co that causes them to underestimate their defensive stocks. They forget that Jared Rivers is an exceptional defensive talent, that Nathan Carroll has been as mean and nasty as a defender can be this year and that Benny Holland did a number on the G train last week. Daniel Bell is no slouch either and he might be given a big job in taking on Nathan Buckley. It will be a tough ask but I think the Melbourne defence can prevail. At the other end of the ground Melbourne have plenty of forward aces. David Neitz probably won't have a day out as he did last week but we have Russell Robertson and Aaron Davey ready and primed to kick a few this week. And Adem Yze is still giving those Magpie fans nightmares. At the time of writing there is a story going around whereby Mick Malthouse has let it slip that one or two more of his players might not saddle up on Monday due to injury. It’s probably just another ruse from the man who once announced to the world that "the ox is slow, but the earth is patient." I don’t know what that means and I’ll bet that Mick doesn’t either. Nor did Confucius. But if Micky thinks he can pull the wool over The Reverend’s eyes, then he’s got another thing coming. That's why I'm tipping the Demons to win the match. Further I believe it will turn out to be a game worthy of the great rivalry of yesteryear. Given good weather, they'll do it in front of 90,000 fans. If the weather's bad, then the crowd might be down but the result will remain the same. Irrespective, there will be lots of thrills, spills and positive high scoring football. Fans can then go home and watch the other traditional rivals bore the pants off a few thousand spectators and fight out a nil all draw. Melbourne by 12 points Thank you very much. MELBOURNE v COLLINGWOOD Where & When: MCG, 2.10pm, Monday 12 June, 2006 TV & Radio: TV & RADIO: Channel Ten, 3AW, Triple-M, ABC Radio, NIRS Head to Head: Played - 217, Melbourne 77, Collingwood 136, Drawn 4 Last time they met: Melbourne 17.15.117 defeated Collingwood 10.12.72 in Round 12, 2005, at MCG The betting: Melbourne $2.10 Collingwood $1.68 The Teams: MELBOURNE B: C Johnson Carroll Holland HB: Bartram Rivers Whelan C: Johnstone McDonald Davey HF: Robertson Dunn Yze F: Bruce Neitz Pickett FOLL: White Green Bate I/C: Bell Godfrey Jamar Read EM: Sylvia Ward Warnock IN: Read OUT: McLean (hamstring) COLLINGWOOD B: Johnson Prestigiacomo H Shaw HB: Lonie Clement Morrison C: Lockyer Burns Thomas HF: Licuria Rocca Davis F: Didak Tarrant Buckley FOLL: Fraser O'Bree Pendlebury I/C: T Cloke Iacobucci Rowe Wakelin EM: J Cloke Davies Egan IN: T Cloke Iacobucci Rowe Tarrant Thomas OUT: Caracella (neck) Holland (achilles) Maxwell (leg) Richards Swan (hamstring)

by the Demonlanders (Alpha 33, Chelly, deeboy, dees_rule_4eva, Demon Head, Fan, Old55, Roger Mellie, Rumpole, Spirit of the Demon and Whispering Jack) Melbourne record breaker David Neitz emphatically stamped his name in the club record books with an 8-goal haul against St. Kilda at the MCG on Sunday. The match winning performance was befitting of the club's champion skipper who broke the previous record of 272 games held by another Demon great in Robbie Flower. Despite the dominance of the skipper and the strength of Brock McLean and James McDonald in the middle, the Saints fought back valiantly in the second half after the Demons took a 6 goal lead into the main break. Brushing off the scare, Melbourne steadied to win the game 15.13.103 to 13.12.90 to set up a blockbuster game on Queens Birthday against an old foe in Collingwood. First blood of the game went to the Saints when Schwarze snaffled the ball as it fell from a pack in the goal square but the Demons dominated most of the rest of the quarter. Jeff White controlled the rucks and Brock McLean was strong inside, gathering plenty of clearances. Melbourne's tackling was relentless and it soon paid dividends. Neitz was strong at full forward kicking a long goal after a worm burning pass from Brock McLean followed by two more in short succession. Aaron Davey ran forward to kick what might have been a World Cup sizzler but it hit the post and a poor defensive error then let St. Kilda in for a late goal. The Dees led by 14 points at the first break but it should have been more. The second quarter opened with a great pass from Harvey to Dal Santo for a goal and the deficit was just 8 points. But the Demons kept up their relentless pressure and began forcing errors. St. Kilda's Gram kicked into a team mate and Cameron Bruce goaled after picking up the rebounding ball. Brendon Goddard lost it and gave away a 50 metre penalty after a perfect tackle from James McDonald brought him down and Neita just kept on kicking goals. He had six by the half and Melbourne led by that number of six pointers. All those sixes were positively devilish in the eyes of those Saints. The mandatory quiet beer at halftime chatting to your mates when your team is well in front and comfortably in control of the game can often be illusory. But surely not when the captain is putting on an exhibition and the team is giving all the indications of wanting to honour his moment in the sun with a sensational performance? And so it seemed when the skipper kicked number seven early in the third to extend the lead to 41 points. The midfield was committed and the defence was holding tight but then, all of a sudden, a change came over the game. Whether it was Melbourne's attempt at playing the dreaded "tempo" game, a lift in intensity from St. Kilda, the loss of Matthew Whelan and Clint Bartram to injury or simply a wish on the part of the team to once again test their hearts and those of their supporters with another tense affair, we'll never know. The Saints took control of the midfield battles thanks to Dal Santo and Ball to hit back strongly and get within 8 points shortly before the change when Lyndon Dunn finally kicked a steadying goal from a strong pack mark, having missed a sitter on the run only moments before. Melbourne went into the last change with a lead of only 14 points. I put down the beer and reached for the valium in anticipation of yet another close finish. The final quarter is now something of a blur to me. I remember feeling a little under pressure and a few moments of anxiety as St. Kilda threatened to make a surge towards victory but it didn't eventuate. While the Dees appeared to have very little petrol left in the tank after last week's long trip west, the Saints didn't have the ability to take advantage of the fact that Dal Santo and Ball were getting on top in the middle. Travis Johnstone, who had been held early, came out of his shell and created many opportunities with his deft disposal and it was Byron Pickett whose brilliant run and pass to Matty Bate for a goal that put the game beyond doubt. That, and the feeling of elation felt by players and supporters alike together with Neita's triumph at the end, is all I remember about that part of the game. Well almost, because I also recall hearing a Demon supporter shouting loudly, "Stop fricken' around and kick it up the guts!" each time the players retained possession in the backline. And that brings me to an interesting aspect of the game that is reflected in some of the statistics:- MFC - - - - - - - - - STKFC 26 Clearances 33 44 Inside 50s 55 2.9 Inside 50s Per Goal 4.2 43 Rebound 50s 27 43 Contested Possessions 40 327 Uncontested Possessions 279 87 One per centers 67 38 Errors 48 Despite being well beaten in the clearances and Inside50s, Melbourne won the match comfortably. What happened? St. Kilda's efficiency inside 50 was way down on Melbourne's because its players bombed away to Riewoldt and Gehrig who were well held by Holland and Gehrig with able assistance from Rivers. How many times were these crude attacks safely repelled? Look at the rebound 50 stat; Melbourne absolutely pantsed them there. The Demons fought hard to win just as much hard ball and tackled them harder too; their one per centers were well up protecting their players with the ball - they worked too hard to gain possession to give it up easily. And because they spotted up free targets they made less overall errors. When there was a chain of free players deep into 50 they went that way, when the Saints clamped down and built a wall in midfield the Dees simply refused to give up possession blindly. Perhaps the Saints took the advice shouted by that Demon supporter a little too literally themselves? Melbourne 4.4.28 10.9.69 12.10.82 15.13.103 St Kilda 2.2.14 5.3.33 10.8.68 13.12.90 Goals Neitz 8, McLean, Dunn, Robertson, Bruce, Whelan, Bate, Pickett Best Neitz McLean McDonald Yze Carroll C Johnson Injuries Whelan (buttock) Bartram (arm) Moloney (groin) replaced in selected side by Godfrey. Umpires McLaren, Meredith, Wenn Reports - Goddard (St Kilda) reported by field umpire McLaren for striking McDonald (Melbourne) in the second quarter Crowd 41,665 at the MCG This review is dedicated to 'betty_spaghetti' (Bianca) All at Demonland wish her a speedy recovery and we look forward to seeing her cheering on Neita and her Demons in the not too distant future.

by Ice Station Zebra A resolute and determined Sandringham, clearly stung by last week’s shock loss against the Cats and fully aware that another loss could see it sliding out of the top four, bounced back after with a strong 31 point win over traditional rival Williamstown after Sunday’s high scoring shoot out at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval. The visitors were packed with players listed with their AFL affiliate Collingwood, fielding 15 Magpies including all three Cloke brothers and there was a large Collingwood presence there to support them with the previous night’s hero Nathan Buckley among the faces in the crowd. Sandy had twelve Demons in the line up but a couple like Colin Sylvia and Paul Wheatley were clearly underdone, and spent long periods on the bench. The Zebras were well served by a couple of tough nut on ballers in Phil Read, who worked tirelessly all day applying pressure in the packs, and youngster Nathan Jones, who burrowed in constantly all day. Heading a strong and consistent group of VFL players was full forward Nick Sautner who rebounded from a poor game last week to boot seven goals and regain the lead on the goal kicking ladder with 35 goals for the season. He was given great support by seasoned players in David Gallagher, Ezra Poyas and the evergreen Guy Rigoni who supplied their spearhead with plenty of the ball throughout proceedings. Conditions were cold and crisp and a slight breeze favoured the social club end to which Williamstown kicked in the opening quarter. The Zebras wore their traditional striped guernseys against the old rivals and rose to the occasion, coming out of the blocks with a tough brand of football and giving no quarter to the Seagulls. They won the all-important early midfield clearances and, as a consequence, took a handy 16 point lead at quarter time thanks to their direct, long kicking brand of play. Williamstown however, worked hard to get back into the game when it kicked against the breeze in the second term and got back to within three points going into time on before some undisciplined football cost it dearly with Sandy scoring the last four goals of the first half to take a 28 point lead into the main break. The umpires earned the displeasure of the crowd at times - particularly the Williamstown supporters and at one stage, the ball had to be recalled from one end of the ground to the other because the all clear had not been called after a Zebra point. To its credit, Sandy maintained its composure well and remained focused on the ball right through the game. The Zebras withstood great pressure when proceedings resumed after the main break and to their credit, again finished the quarter strongly to lead by 32 points at three quarter time. The game continued to be of a high standard and Williamstown came back again to narrow the gap in the last quarter, but Sandy was not to be outdone and steadied to run out the winner by 22.13.145 to 16.18.114. Sandy was well served by the experience of Daniel Ward whose form was outstanding. He ran through the lines and set up many scoring opportunities. The Zebra rucks were well on top with Shane Neaves continuing his learning curve. He is showing good improvement every week and was again well supported by Nick Smith was in superb marking form. Matthew Warnock played his best game since breaking a thumb during the AFL pre season competition. After the game, coach Mark Williams was full of praise for the team's effort saying, ..."it doesn't matter how many aligned players you've got, it just depends on how you play as a team. You can't tell the Melbourne fellas from the senior fellas, that's how well we gel, and we think we have a really good alignment and it's showing on the scoreboard." Sandringham’s next assignment sees the team travel to the new VFL venue of the Casey Scorpions at Casey Fields, Cranbourne. The local population has taken to the Scorpions who will be hard to beat at the multi million-dollar sporting complex. The match starts at 2pm with the reserves kicking off at 11.10am. The ground is located at 161 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne (Melways reference 134 D7). Sandringham 7.2.44 13.6.84 19.8.122 22.13.145 Williamstown 4.4.28 8.8.56 13.12.90 16.18.114 Goals Sautner 7 Motlop 3 Smith Ward 2 Crowe Liddell Neaves Newton Poyas Read Rigoni Sylvia Best Read Warnock Jones Smith Neaves Ward HOW THE DEMONS FARED I gladly took on the job of reporting on the game last week with the help of the Demonland editorial staff but I'm not all that familiar with the Melbourne players so please forgive me if I don't go into too much detail or follow the usual format when one of the Demonland aficionados reports on a game. I didn't see all that much of Ryan Ferguson, Daniel Hughes, Michael Newton, Colin Sylvia or Paul Wheatley. The latter two spent time on the bench which was understandable as they are coming back from injury. Sylvia and Newton kicked a goal each. As mentioned above, I was very impressed with a couple of hard in and under footballers in Phil Read and Nathan Jones. In the case of Read, he might one day thank the VFL Tribunal for reviving his career because a holiday this week would have robbed him of the opportunity to show his meanness, his hard it peskiness, the tackles and the pressure football that ruffled a few Seagull feathers. I don't know if his style would be appreciated in the AFL these days - suffice to say that if I played football at that level I wouldn't like to be caught in a sandwich between Read and Byron Pickett. Nathan Jones is equally hard as Read and has a fair bit of skill and talent. He will have to bide his time for the moment as the Demons are traveling well. However, he was in everything whether on the ball or going forward and is definitely a future prospect. Another prospect - perhaps a little longer term - is rookie ruckman Shane Neaves whose enthusiasm, mobility and marking around the ground were excellent, as was his rockwork. Given time, this big lump of a lad could become a top ruckman. His partner in crime in the big man department was Nick Smith who consistently provided a target for the players further downfield. He has had an impressive month at this level and must be close to promotion. Daniel Ward was a fantastic attacking defender and the Demons would be grateful to have him as a back up in case of injury. Shannon Motlop was his usual self, going in and out of the game and finishing with three goals in an elusive crumbing role. Matthew Warnock was also good, picking up lots of the ball and kicking long and direct. I missed the reserves thankfully but understand that Clint Bizzell had a bit of a run coming back from a broken leg. As you can see from the score and the brief report below, it wasn't the type of game in which anybody wearing the Zebra colours stood out. RESERVES THRASHED The Sandy Reserves were simply outclassed by undefeated ladder leader Williamstown and were never in the hunt. In one fell swoop they dropped out of the top five and also lost significant ground in percentage to their nearest rivals for a finals position. Peter McGettigan was again the Zebras best and is pushing for promotion. Sandringham 1.1.7 2.1.13 2.3.15 3.4.22 Williamstown 5.0.30 11.2.68 17.7.109 26.12.168 Goals Gianfagna Lockwood Turcarelli Best McGettigan Johnston Gianfagna Corrigan Fletcher Martin Reported B Hall (Williamstown) for allegedly striking A Fleming (Sandringham) B Hall (Williamstown) for allegedly striking T Paule (Sandringham)

by The Oracle Saints' coach Grant Thomas has achieved a great deal since he took over at the helm of the St. Kilda Football Club. He has introduced a whole raft of expressions from parts other than the football world and applied them to the organization he oversees in both a coaching and management capacity. He has treated it like any other corporate body in a world of high capital, profit margins, stakeholders and wrapped it all up in the concept of the brand. His players, at least those who Training Services permits to run out on the ground at the weekend, are merely pawns in the game. The coach switches them around the ground, pulls on some toggles and "voila", a big percentage earner for the club's investment group. Groan. Oh, for the days of fair dinkum football, when you player for the jumper and not the brand and when a team plays with passion, like it's having fun and wants to win, not for corporate profits or for a trade mark registered brand name. I'll give you the news. That's the difference between Melbourne and St. Kilda at the moment. Neale Daniher has his charges playing an exciting brand of footy - especially at the MCG where it's been a winning brand so far in 2006. Otherwise, the two teams appear to be very much on par. Both have five wins from nine matches with the Saints in fifth place and ahead of the seventh-placed Demons only on percentage. The winner will move a step closer to the top four, the loser will come precariously close to dropping out of the eight. For Melbourne, that's not an appealing thought given that its next venture is a clash with Collingwood on Queens Birthday weekend. Both teams have had their injury woes this year but the good news for Melbourne is that its problems are diminishing every week while the Saints problems are getting worse every week. St. Kilda has now lost star midfielder Lenny Hayes who had a knee reconstruction this week. That's bad news for them because Hayes has been their main man in 2006. He leads the Saints on just about every statistic other than the goal kicking stats. He would have been second to Chris Judd in Brownlow favouritism this time last week. Add him to Justin Koschitzke (fractured skull), Aaron Hamill (knee), Raphael Clarke (quad), Xavier Clarke (hip) and James Gwilt (leg) and there's a mighty big gap in their lineup. You can add Stephen Powell to the list because he was rubbed out for four weeks after committing an indiscretion or two whilst playing for the Scorpions in the VFA last week. Well then, you might nod your head and say, "yes but they still have Nick Riewoldt" and you'd be right. He is a danger man but you might also recall that Riewoldt kicked 9 goals against Melbourne when they met on the MCG two years ago and the Demons still won by 53 points! Melbourne's injured players are Clint Bizzell (leg), Alistair Nicholson (foot), Paul Johnson (shoulder) and Nathan Brown (hamstring). Brad Miller is on the sidelines after accepting a 2 week suspension for a jumper punch at Subiaco last week. I understand that the jumper that was punched ended up all the worse for wear in some Perth Laundromat on Sunday night but fair go! He was only standing up for his brand, er, his team mates and it's ridiculous to say that this sort of thing was behind the play. You have to show your colours somewhere. The "outs" are not nearly going to hurt Melbourne much this week with the exception of Doggie. If I recall Big Al's performance on Fraser Gehrig last year correctly, his absence this week might not be a problem at all. It certainly, isn't going to hurt as much as the loss of Hayes, Kossie and Hamill! Getting down to Sunday's game, it's fair to say that the Demons are the surprise favourites. The bookies have put them ahead despite the fact that when they last met in Round 18 last year, the Saints walloped them to the tune of 88 points and showed no mercy beating them in front of the faithful at their own home ground. So what's changed? Well, for starters, when last year's game was played Melbourne was imploding. It was suffering from injuries, loss of form and confidence and St. Kilda was pushing hard to consolidate a top four position. As I've already mentioned, this time around, the Saints have been harder hit by injury and the key is the man who has been the most important player for their brand - Lenny Hayes, a prolific ball winner, strong tackler and the team's prime mover. Who will replace him in that role? An ageing Robert Harvey? An ailing youngster in Luke Ball whose groin could barely allow him to stand up after a game a fortnight ago? No. I think not. Melbourne has a midfield that has just tested itself against the might of the West Coast Eagle on ball machine. It didn't dominate but it held its own but I would suggest that against the Saints, it will have too many trump cards with Brock McLean, James McDonald, Travis Johnstone, Cameron Bruce and Brad Green all in good form. And another big difference since this time last year is that the Dees have the Byronator and the Saints don't. There's no Brent Guerra at the Saints who can be sent in to apply a deft tackle on an unsuspecting midfielder. The Demons will be buoyed by the fact that skipper David Neitz will break Robert Flower's club record of 272 games. The high charged emotion and excitement of achieving this milestone at the MCG will give them a break that can't be overcome by men in pinstripe suits who spend their days number crunching and checking out the stock market to see how their brand is going. That's why I'm tipping that when the going gets tough, it will be the Demons who will be doing the damage this time. They will impress their brand so hard on the Saints that they might have to call a special general meeting of stakeholders to explain why their football stocks are drowning in a sea of red. Melbourne by 62 points. MELBOURNE V ST KILDA Sunday June 4 at the MCG, 2.10pm AEST TV & Radio - TV Channel 9 Melbourne (4pm), Perth (3pm) Fox Footy Channel -- Adelaide (1.30pm) Radio MMM TAB Sportsbet Odds Melbourne $1.75 St Kilda $2 Head to Head Played 194 Melbourne 116, St Kilda 77, Drawn 1 The last time they met St Kilda 27.14 (176) d Melbourne 13.10. (88) at the MCG, Round 18, 2005. The Teams MELBOURNE B Carroll Rivers Whelan HB Bartram C Johnson Bell C Johnstone McDonald Davey HF Robertson Dunn Yze F Bruce Neitz Pickett FOLL White Green McLean I/C Bate Holland Jamar Moloney EM Godfrey Smith Ward IN Bate Holland OUT Miller (suspended) Godfrey ST KILDA B Baker Hudghton S Fisher HB L Fisher Maguire Gram C Goddard Ball Montagna HF Thompson Riewoldt Voss F Milne Gehrig Schwarze FOLL Blake Harvey Dal Santo I/C Ackland Fiora McGough Peckett EM McQualter Murray Rix IN Fiora OUT Hayes (knee) Field umpires: McLaren Meredith Wenn

by Cyclops Whenever the classic pub footy talk question "who is the greatest player you have ever seen?" is asked I answer Graham "Polly" Farmer without hesitation. Imagine my delight when, who do I see standing in the departure area of Perth airport on Monday afternoon but the great man himself? "Too good an opportunity" I say to myself so I go over, introduce myself and shake his hand. I mention that I was over for the WCE game and that he was the greatest, thanks for everything etc. He was utterly charming and revealed something that I don't believe is common knowledge in the football world. He told me that he was nearly a Demon himself. Polly" said that East Perth played a post season game in 1956 between the VFL and WAFL premiers which Melbourne won by a mere 5 points. In the aftermath of the game, the Demons' coach Norm Smith and club secretary Jim Cardwell (whose job description in those days included everything including recruiting officer) made a sustained and concerted effort to have him sign with Melbourne. He was 21 years of age at the time and had just completed his fourth season with the Royals. He was the reigning Sandover medallist and had also won the Tassie medal that year. He explained that he was seriously attracted by the approach but eventually decided against signing as he believed that he would not obtain a clearance. He went on to play 176 games for East Perth before choosing Geelong from a (by now) long list of Clubs seeking his signature and joining them at the beginning of season 1962. It's now history that Graham "Polly" Farmer played 101 games for the Cats between 1962-67 including the 1963 premiership and won B & F's in 1963 and 1964. He returned to the west in 1968 as captain coach of West Perth where he played a further 79 games including 2 premierships and won the Simpson medal at the 1969 Australian Championships. He was inducted into the inaugural Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996 as a "Legend", and then into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2004. He even has a freeway named after him in Perth - the Graham Farmer Freeway which includes the Northbridge Tunnel linking East Perth to West Perth (as per his playing career) that is colloquially known as the "Polly Pipe". I was already aware that Melbourne had once signed Darryl Baldock on a Form 4 in 1958 (before he went to St. Kilda and became a champion player there) and that Doug Wade trained with the club in the 1959 pre season and was told he wasn't good enough by Smith before he was signed by the Cats to go on and become their greatest ever goalkicker. So what about the salivation factor of the thought that Farmer, together with Baldock and Wade might all have been Demons during the 1960's. Perhaps our great club's fall from grace after the 1964 grand final might have been delayed or avoided altogether!!!

by Ice Station Zebra Sandringham paid a heavy price for an abysmal lapse of concentration when it conceded seven goals in less than half a quarter during the second term of its encounter with Geelong at Skilled Stadium on Sunday. The Zebras started well with Shannon Motlop goaling and Nick Smith, who is growing in stature at this level with every passing week, booting two nice goals from centre half forward. By the first break Sandy had every reason to be confident as it doubled the home side’s score to hold a 14 point lead at the first break. Sandringham went into the game without Guy Rigoni, Matthew Bate and Colin Sylvia from the team selected on Thursday night but was still expected to have sufficient talent to overcome an improving Geelong – even at the Cattery and even when coming off a bye which has always been a danger sign for it in the past. However, nothing could have prepared the hardy group of Zebra fans in attendance for what was to come at the start of the second term. The Cats with Blake dominating in the ruck, took control of the midfield and brushed aside their Zebra counterparts to boot seven unanswered goals within a 13 minute period in which the ball rarely went to the Sandy forward line. Such was the frustration of the onslaught that Phil Read found himself reported for allegedly striking one of the Cats as things were going from bad to worse. The Zebs regrouped slightly to boot a few at the end of the quarter but the damage to their spirits was done. A lacklustre third term in which they kicked just five solitary points to 3 goals 1 behind left them in deep trouble 40 points adrift of Geelong at three quarter time. Smith in ruck, Peter Summers and David Gallagher all worked hard. Shannon Motlop kicked a few at the end and youngsters in Matthew Warnock, Danny Hughes, Shane Valenti and relative newcomer Daniel Corp worked hard but, in the end, the task was too great and Geelong finished worthy winners by 22 points. For their part, the Zebras were particularly disappointing. Leading goal kicker Nick Sautner spent the last quarter on the bench and a number of Demon senior list players did little to enhance their prospects of promotion to the AFL team. Sandy held on to second spot but will need to improve enormously if it is to be a serious contender for its third straight VFL title. This week both seniors and reserves (who had the bye at the weekend) meet tough opposition in Williamstown at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval and a different attitude is required from the team. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Like their Sandy counterparts, the Demon listed players had a bad day at the office. The only ones who could hold their heads high were Nick Smith, rookie Danny Hughes and Shannon Motlop for his four goals but even his performance was nothing to write home about. Fan braved the elements and provided some of the comments for this week's HTDF segment. Simon Buckley – an outside player who has struggled to have an influence in recent weeks. Started on the bench and came on quite late in the first, looked good when he had the pill but it wasn’t enough. Query over his decision making which need some work. Ryan Ferguson – coming off a reasonably lengthy break so we’ll cut some slack here. Had only a few possessions, showed a bit of courage at times but is well behind the three defensive talls in the Melbourne side at this stage. Ben Holland - started down back and was ordinary and then when Ferg came on in the second was moved forward and took a couple of good marks. Not a great game from Dutchy, just went. Danny Hughes - a handy game from a young player who seems to be coming back to some form. Played around half forward most of the day and presented well but still has a long way to go. Nathan Jones - disappointing in that he hasn't dominated a game at this level in the same way that Brock McLean did in his first year and might struggle to play this year for the seniors. Started forward and just didn't find it early but as soon as he was moved onto the ball he did a bit but not enough. Shannon Motlop - looked good early, went missing when it got difficult and came back quite well in the last with a couple of goals when the game was lost to bring his game goal tally to four. Shane Neaves - looked quite good around the ground where he found space and disposed of it quite well – particularly early. However, Blake was just to good for him in the ruck which I guess you'd expect. A prospect but will need a few years at Sandy to develop. Michael Newton - was given precious little time on the ground and, as a result had few possessions. His one good piece of play came where he seemed to be going half pace but found space despite himself and missed what would have been a very good goal. Spent too much time on the pine which is a pity after his eight goal effort in the reserves last week. He is clearly a talented seed in an arid wasteland at the moment but he will learn little sitting on the bench. Phillip Read – disappointing, undisciplined, lacked purpose and failed to hurt the opposition. Nick Smith - this was the best I've seen him play for Sandy (although I missed the game a few weeks ago when he was named the best). Started in the forward pocket next to Sautner, marked well and kicked two first quarter goals. He was good further up the ground and I was impressed. He replaced Neaves in the ruck and helped to stem the flow for a while taking some more good marks and rucking quite well. Not certain however, whether it was enough to get a game at AFL level but with Brad Miller out for the next fortnight, you just never know. Daniel Ward - a good game spoiled by some bad turnovers. Ran, marked and attacked the ball really well and is far to good in all those respects at this level, but just can't finish reliably. I would have liked to see him go into the square in the second to stop the run on. Needless to say he didn't, and we didn't. Matthew Warnock – couldn't believe it when I saw that he was named first in the Sandringham Football Club official list of best players. Struggled early but worked his way back into it without doing anything particularly impressive. Paul Wheatley - nowhere near the impact that one would expect from Wheaters at this level. Was out muscled by a no name in the goal square and just seemed to jog around and pick up the odd possession. Sandringham 4.4.28 8.5.53 8.10.58 13.17.95 Geelong 2.2.14 12.7.79 15.8.98 18.9.117 Goals Motlop 4 Smith 3 Summers 2 Gallagher Holland Hughes Read Best Warnock Gallagher Summers Smith Corp Hughes Reported P Read (Sandringham) for striking N. Batchelor (Geelong) in the 2nd Quarter.

by the Oracle I hate it when the pundits say that your team was "gallant in defeat" or that it "put up a valiant effort". It generally means that it might have had the opportunities to win, it was beaten by a better side and that it really wasn't good enough in the end and perhaps even should be pitied for its failure. That is certainly what can be said about Melbourne after its 22-point loss to the West Coast Eagles yesterday. However, in my view, this time the defeat meant something more than that. This time we saw the blossoming, admittedly in its very early stages, of what is possibly the Demons' first real chance in several decades to achieve something great. It's easy to get carried away with your performance when everything's going right and you beat a Fremantle by 59 points on your home turf or a Hawthorn by 75 points when their tempers are flaring, their discipline is weak and you're on a roll. But when you face what is arguably the best team in the land on its patch with the best footballer in the competition absolutely on fire and when some of your own best are down and you can still match it with them for three and a half quarters… You know that they're not all that far away from getting it right. Melbourne came to Subiaco with a handy combination of young and old. Some of the old let their teammates down. Some of the young like Brock McLean, Chris Johnson and Clint Bartram really showed something. There was the strong tackling, the commitment and the passion of youth. There was also another game of revelation from Nathan Carroll and there was the sheer desperation of James McDonald. It all started well for the Demons who jumped out of the blocks to lead by 3.3.21 to nil halfway through the first quarter. Russell Robertson was on fire up forward, Lynden Dunn chimed in with an opportunistic goal and it could so easily have been a bigger lead but for an inexplicably missed chest mark to Robbo in front of goal and a missed shot from Brent Moloney. Then things went awry for ten bizarre minutes when the Eagles mounted their own counterattack. A series of fluffed kick ins from Travis Johnstone and Adem Yze before the Eagles finally got a free in front for a goal and then another and, all of a sudden, it was back to almost level pegging at quarter time. The Demons had learned lesson number one about giving the opposition a break when they nearly had them nailed – and much of the damage was self-inflicted. The Eagles' midfield took over for most of the second term aided by a couple of errant boundary thrown ins that suited Big Cox and resulted in goals but the Demons came back late and then again missed an opportunity when Cameron Bruce streamed into goal with seconds to go in the first half. He must have been well and truly stuffed because his kick from thirty-five metres was stopped by Glass as the siren rang. How different might things have been had the team gone into the main break with their noses in front instead of five points down? The Eagles drew first blood, the Demons came back, the game ebbed and flowed. Their midfield was creaming ours but we dug deep and came from thirteen points down to be within a point at the final change. The game was up for grabs and so it stayed with each team kicking a goal and it was almost 10 minuted into the last when the Eagles finally assumed control and held onto it until the end. Melbourne ran out of steam. Some of its leaders were well beaten. Neitz' game was disappointing especially in view of the fact that this was a club games record-equalling day. Jeff White was beaten by Cox. Aaron Davey was quiet, Byron Pickett's impact was diminished, Adem Yze was well covered and Robbo couldn’t do it all by himself. For all that, Melbourne did well to remain in the hunt for so long in hostile territory without its big guns firing. Kudos for that must go to Brock McLean and James McDonald and a special performance for the continually improving Clint Bartram. Brad Green and Travis Johnstone enjoyed the wide open expanses of Subiaco while in defence Nathan Carroll and Chris Johnson were great. But in the end it was a case of missed opportunities and a learning curve. I hope the players don't feel good about being gallant or valiant and that rather, that they learn from the day so that when they come back to this ground later in the year, they will be ready to take control of their own destiny and that they won't miss any further opportunities. Melbourne 3.4.22 5.6.36 10.8.68 11.9.75 West Coast 2.8.20 5.11.41 9.15.69 13.19.97 Goals Robertson 4 Bartram 2 Bruce Dunn Green Johnstone Pickett Best McLean Johnson Johnstone Robertson Carroll McDonald Injuries Nil Reports Nil Umpires Meredith Woodcock Goldspink Crowd - 41,032 at Subiaco Oval

by Whispering Jack There was a time in the early days of the West Coast Eagles when a strong rivalry was developing between the new team from Perth and the oldest team in the land - the Melbourne Football Club. The Eagles contested their first ever finals game against the Demons at Waverley in 1988 and it was a memorable contest. Melbourne trailled early and had to come from behind to snatch a thrilling win. The exciting finish saw Earl Spalding miss after a mark taken close to goal at the thirty minute mark of the final quarter followed by a brilliant handball from David Williams and a Garry Lyon snap for the winning goal with less than a minute to play. The last kick of the game was from West Coast's Murray Wrenstead who missed a shot on the run from 40 metres out as the siren was about to sound. West Coast went on to turn the tables when the teams next met in a semi final in 1990 and again the following season when it again knocked the Demons out at AFL Park. By 1994 the Eagles were making a habit of beating them, this time in a Preliminary Final in Perth when they were on their way to their second AFL Premiership. In those days, the teams played in some memorable games that were chock full of incidents - the stuff of which famous rivalries are made. Like the infamous Chris Lewis finger bite on Todd Viney and Allen Jakovich's kiss planted on brother Glen's cheek when the mercurial Demon forward kicked a goal against him at the MCG. There have been some classic contests between the teams since then, such as the day an injury depleted Melbourne scored a famous victory at Subiaco in 1998 and more recently, when the club sealed a place in the 2002 finals with a six point Round 19 victory at the same venue. That win was the last time a Victorian club beat the Eagles on their home turf. However, it would be fair to say that the early rivalry has diminished since the mid '90's although there are signs that the days of big interstate blockbuster games between these clubs are returning. Last year, when they were occupying the top two spots on the ladder, the teams played out an epic battle at the MCG. Certainly, the Eagles were in control for most of the match after Phillip Matera ran riot early but Melbourne kept plugging away and fought its way back to within striking distance only to fall short by 15 points. It was an impressive display from the losers because they were undermanned, bereft of their skipper and other key players and were coming off a five day break while the Eagles were refreshed having not played since a relatively easy Friday night game at home eight days earlier. The Dees were clearly stuffed at the end of the game but if you can call a losing performance “admirable� then this was the one. For Melbourne that MCG game against West Coast became an unfortunate milestone in a season that went pear shaped from that day onward. Despite a late resurgence and a few narrow victories at the end of the season, the Demons couldn’t regather the form that had made them the Eagles’ most likely rival for the premiership flag. Melbourne stumbled again at the start of the season but has regrouped with five successive victories and now faces West Coast in a game that could well fire up old rivalries. It's a much different Melbourne side to the one that played in their last encounter. The Demons have ironically benefited from the spate of early season injuries suffered at the club. In the absence of Alistair Nicholson, Clint Bizzell and Ryan Ferguson we have seen Nathan Carroll, Jared Rivers and Brad Miller settle into the main defensive positions. Paul Wheatley's injury paved the way for Daniel Bell. Nathan Brown's loss is adequately covered by the revelation of 2006 in Clint Bartram. Matty Whelan missed out a few weeks back but is now holding firm again in the Demon defence. The forward line lost David Neitz and Lynden Dunn came in to fill the breach. And Byron Pickett is firing on all cylinders providing much needed aggression all over the ground. Brock McLean, Brent Moloney and James McDonald are adding a harder more solid edge to the team. Five successive victories and this is now the form team of the competition. That is not to say that Sunday's game against West Coast is going to be at all easy. Far from it when one considers the game is virtually a season defining one for Melbourne - an opportunity to crack a leading side on its home turf and in reasonable form. If you aspire for a top place and a premiership, that's exactly what has to be done. A win would most likely put the Demons just outside the top four on percentage but a loss sees them back with the pack and facing tough games against St. Kilda and Collingwood just to hold their place in the race for a finals position. One thing that can be said with some surety is that the team will cross the Nullarbor without the usual trepidation felt by visitors from Victoria in recent years. Of course, there's talk about how on earth will we hold a tremendous midfield made up of the likes of Judd, Cousins, Kerr, Fletcher and Stenglein but equally, the Eagles need to worry about how they will nullify McLean, Moloney, McDonald, Johnstone and Bruce. That's what rivalry is all about and that's why I consider the game in Sunday as one that could assume enormous importance when we look back at it in future times. I have such great faith that I'm tipping Melbourne to revert back to type and win by 5 points in a titanic struggle that will only be decided by the sound of the final siren. WEST COAST EAGLES V MELBOURNE Sunday May 28 at Subiaco, 2.40pm. AWST 4.40pm AEST TV & Radio TV - Channel 9 (Perth) Fox Footy Channel (Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney & Brisbane) Radio - 6PR ABC TAB Sportsbet Odds West Coast Eagles $1.35, Melbourne $3.00 Head to Head Played 34 West Coast Eagles 21 Melbourne 13 The last time they met West Coast Eagles 15.15.105 d Melbourne 13.12.90 at the MCG, Round 13, 2005 The Teams WEST COAST B Graham Glass Wirrpanda HB Nicoski Hunter Stenglein C A Embley Cousins Braun HF Waters Hansen Chick F Kerr Lynch Staker FOLL Cox Judd Fletcher IC Banfield Rosa Seaby Selwood EM B Jones R Jones Priddis In Banfield Out Hurn New Matt Priddis (Subiaco) MELBOURNE B Miller Carroll Whelan HB Yze Rivers Bell C McDonald Bruce McLean HF Robertson Dunn Davey F Green Neitz Pickett FOLL White Moloney Johnstone IC (from) Bartram Godfrey Jamar C Johnson EM Bate Holland Read In C Johnson Out Bate Field umpires Meredith Woodcock Goldspink

by Barry from Beach Road After seven rounds of VFL football, Sandringham's quest for three successive premierships is on track with five wins and one defeat and second placing on the VFL ladder. However, the enormity of its task is becoming more apparent with each round as we see the resurgence of some of the less "fashionable" clubs in the competition which the experts had previously not considered likely challengers for high honours. Coburg Tigers, Frankston, North Ballarat and Casey Scorpions have been showing good form and winning matches and last year's wooden spooner Geelong is also putting some excellent performances on the board. No team can be taken for granted and this week's game against the Cats at Skilled Stadium is definitely a danger game for the reigning premiers as they come off the bye and face a team that had an emphatic away win over Werribee on Sunday. Sandy has again been well served by a very handy mix of VFL players comprising mainly of home grown locals with some excellent recruits and, of course, the Melbourne AFL listed group. Together they have been a successful force in the competition for some time - one that other clubs seek to emulate. Full forward Nick Sautner has been a revelation thus far into the season as he leads the competition goalkicking with 29 goals. The new look Sautner has trimmed down considerably from last year and looks as fit as a fiddle as he wreaks havoc with opposition defenders. David Gallagher and injured defender Andy Biddlecombe have also been having great seasons. The signing of former Demons Guy Rigoni and Chris Lamb has added experience to the Zebra list while young Shane Valenti from the Sandringham Dragons has shown great maturity with his prolific midfield play. The Zebras also have Rod Crowe, Ezra Poyas, Peter Summers and courageous skipper Chad Liddell among their senior contingent making them the envy of most other clubs. The team has managed some good victories against strong opposition and has shown it is capable of winning on even the most hostile territory as evidenced by strong wins at Werribee and in Tasmania. The latter game ended amid some controversy about the home side's alleged strong arm tactics which resulted in a break to Biddlecombe's jaw, the suspension of a Tassie player and a VFL investigation which proved fruitless. The Zebras have another tough task this Sunday when they travel to Skilled Stadium to take on a resurgent Geelong team which thrashed Werribee at Werribee last week. Sandringham convincingly won both of its 2005 games against the Cats - by 84 and 49 points but they are a different proposition this year. Another factor is the fact that the Zebras are coming off a bye and they lost twice after coming off byes in their last two premiership seasons. On the whole however, coach Mark Williams should be pleased at the way the team is traveling at the present time as everything is on track for another top four finish. VFL Seniors Ladder NORTHERN BULLANTS 20 SANDRINGHAM 20 COBURG TIGERS 16 WILLIAMSTOWN 16 NORTH BALLARAT 16 CASEY SCORPIONS16 FRANKSTON 12 TASMANIA 12 Geelong 12 Werribee 8 Box Hill Hawks 4 Bendigo Bombers 4 Port Melbourne 4 Games - Seniors 6 - BUCKLEY, Simon CROWE, Rod JONES, Nathan LAMB, Chris MOTLOP, Shannon POYAS, Ezra READ, Phillip SAUTNER, Nick SMITH, Nick SUMMERS, Peter VALENTI, Shane 5 - BIDDLECOMBE, Andy GALLAGHER, David HUGHES, Daniel RIGONI, Guy 4 - DUNN, Lynden JOHNSON, Chris LIDDELL, Chad NEAVES, Shane WARD, Daniel 3 - BATE, Matthew CORP, Daniel FLEMING, Andrew WARNOCK, Matthew 2 - GODFREY, Simon HOLLAND, Ben JOHNSON, Paul JOHNSTON, Marc NEWTON, Michael 1 - BELL, Daniel BROWN, Nathan NICHOLSON, Alistair RIVERS, Jared Goals - Seniors 29 - SAUTNER, Nick 9 - DUNN, Lynden HUGHES, Daniel 6 - CROWE, Rod SUMMERS, Peter 5 - SMITH, Nick VALENTI, Shane 4 - GALLAGHER, David 3 - BATE, Matthew JONES, Nathan MOTLOP, Shannon POYAS, Ezra READ, Phillip 2 - BROWN, Nathan GODFREY, Simon LIDDELL, Chad WARD, Daniel 1 - BUCKLEY, Simon HOLLAND, Ben JOHNSON, Chris NEAVES, Shane NEWTON, Michael Best - Seniors (based on published best players) 13 - JOHNSON, Chris 12 - GALLAGHER, David HOLLAND, Ben SAUTNER, Nick 10 - BIDDLECOMBE, Andy 9 - SMITH, Nick 6 - JOHNSON, Paul JONES, Nathan WARD, Daniel 5 - HUGHES, Daniel LIDDELL, Chad VALENTI, Shane 4 - LAMB, Chris SUMMERS, Peter 3 - BROWN, Nathan CROWE, Rod DUNN, Lynden MOTLOP, Shannon 2 - BATE, Matthew READ, Phillip 1 - POYAS, Ezra After a slowish start to the season, the Reserves are gaining some momentum and are currently in fifth place. In recent weeks they have provided some young talent in Daniel Corp, Andrew Fleming and Marc Johnston and it would not surprise to see the likes of half forward Peter McGettigan and ruckman Stephen Ott gaining promotion in the near future. Mark Gibb, Thomas Dean. Leigh Fletcher and Kenton Hall have all pressed their claims. Last Sunday saw the successful return from injury of Mark Corrigan, Guy Martyn and Tom Paterakis and they will further strengthen the Sandy list once they fully settle back into the game. The Reserves have also benefited from the relationship with Melbourne. In addition to youngsters like Heath Neville, Jace Bode and Andre Gianfagna adding to the talent pool, the team has also benefited from the presence of experienced players like Clint Bizzell, Ben Holland and Paul Wheatley in recent matches along with sensational young forward prospect Michael Newton who kicked 8 goals against Bendigo matching Tom Mentiplay's performance in the opening round against Frankston. Another highlight of the successful association between the clubs has been the recruiting via the rookie draft of Matthew Warnock (now senior listed) and Danny Hughes who kicked six goals from a flank against Tasmania. Both players came through the ranks and started with the Sandringham Dragons TAC Cup team before joining the Zebras. The Sandy Reserves have their second bye for the season this Sunday. VFL Reserves Ladder WILLIAMSTOWN 24 BOX HILL HAWKS 20 FRANKSTON 16 NORTHERN BULLANTS 16 SANDRINGHAM 16 Coburg Tigers 16 Werribee 8 Casey Scorpions8 North Ballarat 4 Port Melbourne 4 Bendigo Bombers 4 Games - Reserves 6 - FLETCHER, Leigh GIANFAGNA, Andre GIBB, Mark HALL, Kenton LOCKWOOD, Scott MCGETTIGAN, Peter MENTIPLAY, Tom OTT, Stephen TURCARELLI, Daniel 5 - DEAN, Thomas JOHNSTON, Marc NEVILLE, Heath NEWTON, Michael 4 - BODE, Jace FROST, Andrew GOOLD, Adrian MARSTON, Nick PAULE, Thomas SEMMELL, Ryan 3 - CORP, Daniel EVANS, Vaughn FLEMING, Andrew GULLIFER, Will HEYWOOD, Ryan McKENZIE, Ewen PATERAKIS, Tom 2 - HOLLAND, Ben NEAVES, Shane TARANTO, Andrew 1 - BELL, Daniel BIZZELL, Clint CLEEVE, Stuart CORRIGAN, Mark HUGHES, Daniel MARTYN, Guy WHEATLEY, Paul Goals - Reserves 15 - MENTIPLAY, Tom 14 - NEWTON, Michael 5 - HEYWOOD, Ryan MCGETTIGAN, Peter 4 - GIANFAGNA, Andre JOHNSTON, Marc PAULE, Thomas TURCARELLI, Daniel 3 - HOLLAND, Ben HUGHES, Daniel SEMMELL, Ryan 2 - FLEMING, Andrew GULLIFER, Will LOCKWOOD, Scott 1 - BELL, Daniel CORP, Daniel CORRIGAN, Mark FLETCHER, Leigh MARSTON, Nick MARTYN, Guy TARANTO, Andrew Best - Reserves 17 - JOHNSTON, Marc MCGETTIGAN, Peter 14 - OTT, Stephen 12 - NEWTON, Michael 11 - CORP, Daniel 10 - NEVILLE, Heath 8 - GIBB, Mark 6 - DEAN, Thomas FLETCHER, Leigh HALL, Kenton 5 - FLEMING, Andrew 4 - HEYWOOD, Ryan 3 - GIANFAGNA, Andre TURCARELLI, Daniel 2 - HOLLAND, Ben 1 - MENTIPLAY, Tom SEMMELL, Ryan ODD SPOT - DEGREES OF SEPARATION Whenever a VFL team has a bye or players are not selected, they can nominate a club a "local interchange" club of their choice to which the player can be cleared to play. Last weekend Guy Rigoni made a special trip back home to join his brother Chad at his original club Myrtleford in the Ovens and Murray League. "Gus" kicked a goal but was upstaged by his brother who booted two and gained best on ground honours in a 15 point win for the Saints. A few weeks ago, Peter McGettigan played for St. Bedes in the VAFA C Grade competition when the reserves had a bye. Last Sunday, he lined up in the same team as experienced Demon paid Ben Holland and Paul Wheatley. It's a fascinating aspect of the game that one week, a player can be rubbing shoulders on the same ground with the elite and in another, they join suburban and bush footballers in the pursuit of their favourite sport! Whispering Jack joined me for last week's Sandy Reserves game and provided this HOW THE DEMONS FARED:- Clint Bizzell - no show. I guess the non-appearance will be a bit of a mystery until the official injury list is published on Monday evening. It's premature however, to suggest that his career is over based on the fact that he didn't play in a reserves game for Sandringham. Andre Gianfagna - a slow start but when the team got going in the second half, he got better and ended up with two goals. Ben Holland - a reasonable performance for someone who normally plays well above this standard. Took a few good marks, kicked a goal and generally coasted around the ground trying his best to look interested. As an aside, he would be one of the few people ever named as an emergency for an AFL team to line up 24 hours later in the VFL reserves. Michael Newton - too good all day and particularly so after half time when he went to full forward and kicked 7 of his 8 goals. The first nine minutes of the second half were bizarre. Sandy ruckman Ott was killing them, the midfield got the ball out time and time again and Newton marked everything that came his way kicking 5 goals 1 behind (the behind was definitely kickable too!). Then the Bomber coach put a 175cm dwarf on him and I thought, "geez, he's going to break Fred Fanning's record in one quarter" but he ball stopped coming down with as much regularity, the dwarf positioned himself in front and the other Bombers crowded the general area. Newton finished with just one more for the quarter. Heath Neville - disappointed me really. Played down back, had a slippery little opponent who he struggled with at times and was probably trying too hard. Missed the pre season with OP and has a fairly serious amount of work to do at the moment. Paul Wheatley - went off before quarter time and headed straight to the rooms for treatment for a corkie Sandringham 4.5.29 9.9.63 18.12.120 23.14.152 Bendigo Bombers 1.1.7 4.2.26 6.6.42 9.8.62 Goals Newton 8 McGettigan 3 Gianfagna Heywood Lockwood Turcarelli 2 Corrigan Fletcher Holland Martyn Best McGettigan Ott Newton Johnston Hall Gibb

by Scoop Junior These days, it seems that every game is a "test" of some sort in terms of a footy club's season. In Melbourne's case, the Sydney game tested its ability to bounce back and to show steely resolve after three losses. The Kangaroos match tested the capabilities of the team to confront a side desperate to show some form and spirit. The Geelong game was a test of playing a hardened, strong contested team on the big stage and the Fremantle encounter tested the ability to beat a side high on confidence that seemingly had "the wood" over them at the MCG. So what was the test against a Hawks outfit apparently on the decline after a flying start to the season? Well, it was actually pretty clear: a chance to eat away at the theory that the Demons have a habit of getting comfortable with themselves and consequently drop games they should win (see Round 1). Using prior contentment as a motivating tool is an interesting concept, yet it served them well on the night, as they demolished an ordinary Hawthorn side by 75 points. Possibly the most encouraging aspect of the win was the response of the team in the first quarter to Hawthorn's aggressive tactics. The Hawks got the jump on the Dees and dished out plenty of physical aggression with Aaron Davey the prime target as Brown and Bateman tried handing out some treatment. In the past, this could have rattled a Melbourne side not known for its ability to stand up to such physicality. And with a strong Demon influence in the Hawks' coaching box, it does not take much genius to understand what their thoughts involved when it came to unsettling the Demons. However, rather than get rattled, the boys in red and blue absorbed the pressure, settled, slowly got their game going and piled on six goals to lead at quarter time. Byron Pickett's presence would have undoubtedly helped calm the Dees. The Hawthorn players were well aware when Byron was in the vicinity and Flash would have felt very safe with Pickett just metres away looking after him. The Demons simply weren't going to be intimidated and this frustrated their opponents, who proceeded to give away undisciplined free kicks and 50m penalties. At quarter time, you just got the feeling that Hawthorn had thrown everything at Melbourne and there wasn't much more to give. That theory proved correct as the Dees dominated the second term, with only wayward kicking early in the quarter keeping Hawthorn in the game. A five-goal half time lead was maintained in the third quarter before the Demons lifted another cog in the last and recorded an avalanche of goals. The Hawks simply dropped their heads. The skipper had a great night. He booted six goals on Dawson and Jacobs and broke the legendary Norm Smith's long-standing club goal kicking record. His contested marking was strong and he moved well when leading. As is so often the case with David Neitz, when the first few shots go through, he doesn't know how to miss. Six goals straight was the result. His apprentice Lynden Dunn also played a nice game working hard across the half forward line and kicking two goals, the second at a very important stage in the third term. While his presentation and work rate in pushing up the ground is reminiscent of Brad Miller, he has the added bonus of being able to make an impact when deep inside 50m as he runs to the right spots and generally finishes neatly. There is a touch of class about him that is evident even at this early stage in his football career. The midfield was beaten in the clearances against a powerful centre square combination. Everitt had dominant patches in the ruck against White (particularly early) and provided Hodge and Mitchell with plenty of opportunities. The Russian fared better in the ruck against Everitt and was a dangerous proposition up forward, especially in the last term when he took two powerful marks on the lead. While the clearance count favoured Hawthorn, the Melbourne midfield dominated when the game opened up to the outside. Through superior class, skill and deeper rotations, the Demons made Hawthorn look second rate at times. Brock McLean and James McDonald were keys in tight, winning plenty of ball at the stoppages, while Cameron Bruce, Travis Johnstone and Brent Moloney provided great drive. Bruce was quiet in the second half, while Johnstone seemed to go opponent-less in the last quarter and picked up touches at will. McLean was our best midfielder in my opinion, as he regularly spotted up leading forwards with precise delivery and was better than Johnstone when the heat was on early. Melbourne's defence continues to improve. Nathan Carroll and Jared Rivers are forming an excellent partnership, with both players comfortable in leaving their men to assist other defenders. Carroll did an excellent job on Williams while Rivers cut off a number of Hawk attacking thrusts. Rivers' importance to the back line and the side in general is enormous. Daniel Bell was beaten early by Dixon but bounced back to take the honours in the second half, while Miller was solid defensively but let himself down with some costly disposal errors in the third term. On the whole, the back line was cohesive and well organised and there appears to be few spots available for the likes of Nathan Brown, Clint Bizzell, Ben Holland and Paul Wheatley. Only Brown would be considered a likely inclusion in the current team. The Demons' other 18-year-olds – Matthew Bate and Clint Bartram – were quiet but played a role. Bartram had a few tagging jobs and again displayed excellent closing-down and tackling skills, while Bate found a bit of footy in the last quarter after struggling to get involved earlier in the game. While the last quarter was junk time, it was important to gain some percentage and show a ruthless edge. Seven goals to nothing was about as dominant a display as you could see, but such luxuries will not be afforded when the Demons travel west to take on the top-of-the-ladder Eagles at Subiaco on Sunday. West Coast has not lost to a Victorian team at Subiaco since the Dees knocked them off in 2002 – that's a long time between drinks. A super effort will be required to beat them, but at least the Demons will go over with confidence from their five wins on the trot. Would it be fair to say that next week will be a good test of where Melbourne is at? Oh…there’s that word again… Melbourne 6.4.40 10.10.70 13.13.91 20.16.136 Hawthorn 5.2.32 6.4.40 9.7.61 9.7.61 Goals Neitz 6 Bruce Davey Dunn Jamar White 2 Godfrey Green Johnstone Robertson Best McLean McDonald Neitz Johnstone Moloney Rivers Injuries Carroll (hamstring tightness) Robertson (jaw). Umpires Goldspink Stevic Vozzo Crowd 42,985 at the MCG

by The Demonland Team The Oracle's discovery ... When I realised we were already a third of the way through the home and away season I was quite taken aback at how quickly the season was moving along. After giving it some more thought however, it dawned on me that there have been so many developments packed into the early stages of this year's marathon race for the AFL Holy Grail that there really is no reason to be surprised at all. The Demons made a poor start to their 2006 journey but have managed to claw their way back into some sort of contention. Putting it in long distance running terms, they stumbled at the gun, fell way behind the pack in the first few kilometres built up some momentum as they passed the 10-kilometre mark and now, approaching 13 kilometres, they're stringing back the lead runners ... Melbourne's four wins on the trot have been eye opening. The team is improving with each week. It's showing more durability, greater resolve and more depth. We've seen the emergence of the younger group and an extra bonus with the introduction of the Byronator. Pickett joined the club after enjoying premiership success at North Melbourne and Port Adelaide and, in his brief time here, has already given the team a harder edge. The younger talent introduced in the first seven weeks - Clint Bartram, Matthew Warnock, Matthew Bate and Lynden Dunn - is demonstrating more than just the word "potential". This new look Demon side has picked up some handy scalps in the past month and things appear to be on the up and up. But not so fast! After all, this is a marathon race. We haven't reached half way mark and recent experience should warn us that, as we move deeper into the race, hidden dangers lurk behind every corner. Then there's "the wall" - that impenetrable barrier that often emerges at the most unexpected of times and delivers a sledgehammer blow to unsuspecting runners. We've hit the wall before. It came from almost out of nowhere in Round 19 of 2004 after Melbourne had grabbed top place on the ladder and again, after the Queens Birthday victory over Collingwood last year and yet again in this year's warm up race in Adelaide. In every instance, the team had been travelling along nicely before hitting the wall and dashing our hopes and of course, our enjoyment of the game. The chances of hitting the wall again cannot be discounted. The side that the Demons put on the park last week had 10 players with less than 50 games AFL experience; three of them were 18 year olds. They might have been impressive but, as Garry Lyon pointed out in the Herald Sun this week, it's unrealistic to expect young players in the early stages of their careers to sustain a high level of performance consistently in their formative years at this level. And before we get too carried away, let's not forget that the win against the Dockers was the team's first in eleven months by a margin of more than 10 points! When you have a young players coming through into the senior ranks, it's important that they are handled properly and not overextended physically. It's interesting to note how promising newcomers Matthew Bate and Lynden Dunn have been managed by the club in terms of their introduction into the senior team and then in time on the ground in these early matches. There's a plan and a purpose to the way every individual is managed in modern football. We are dealing with a team game and each playing unit is made up of a number of different members who are all working together to achieve specific aims. Proper list management is so important in this day and age but even with all that, form can be a very fickle thing and we only need look back to last year when the Demons played the Hawks in the corresponding Round 8 at the MCG. Melbourne held second place on the ladder with a 5/2 win loss ratio and a percentage of 118.2 while Hawthorn was 15th with just one win and a percentage of 88.3. The problem from the Demons' point of view was that they approached the game with the expectation of an easy victory against a lowly opponent. At least that's how it looked from my vantage point! The result was that they were taken by surprise and smashed by a determined group that took control of the rucks and the midfield and before you knew it, they trailed by six goals at the first break - a large enough deficit to force it to play catch up football without much success for the rest of the day. The game can hurt you badly if you take your opponent for granted. The Melbourne team of 22 players that runs out tomorrow night will have a much different look about it to the one that succumbed to Hawthorn last year. When you reflect on it though, in a team sport, it's not just the personnel who run out on any given week who are important. It's your entire list and a whole team of people in the background from the coach to the bootstudder who help achieve success over the long journey. Sam the Stats Man figures it all out ... Let's take another look at the club's list to see where each individual stands. The following list of players is in alphabetical order and it sets out where they were during VFL Round 7/VFL Round 6: - MFC - BARTRAM, Clint - AFL 7 games, 1 goal - a young tagger who has played every game of the season at AFL level. Has collected a few impressive scalps, gets better with every game and now has a Rising Star Award nomination. Not bad for a #60 pick at the 2005 National Draft! MFC - BATE, Matthew - AFL 3 games, 2 goals, VFL 3 games, 3 goals - has fitted in well at AFL level where he will be a fixture after dominating early with Sandringham. MFC - BELL, Daniel - AFL 2 games, 0 goals, VFL 1 game, 0 goals, VFL Reserves 1 game, 0 goals - hampered early by a groin injury but has come up the hard way and was impressive in defence against the Dockers. SFC RESERVES - BIZZELL, Clint VFL Reserves 1 game, 0 goals - played half a game with Sandy reserves last Sunday after a long lay off with a calf injury that took its time healing. SFC RESERVES - BODE, Jace ® - VFL Reserves 4 games, 0 goals - has had mixed reviews in his four reserves games but has also been hampered by injury. Misses this week through suspension incurred in the reserves against North Ballarat. INJURED - BROWN, Nathan - AFL 5 games, 2 goals, VFL 1 game 2 goals - was working his way back into some form when he strained his hamstring, a serious injury given his history. Will probably miss two more games and is might have to return through the Zebras. MFC - BRUCE, Cameron - AFL 7 games, 9 goals - has carried on after a stellar start to the season and, is the early favourite for the club champion. Excelled when he had the leadership role for the Kangaroos game. SFC - BUCKLEY, Simon - VFL 6 games, 1 goal - impressed early with his pace and skills at Sandringham after missing much of the pre season but has been subdued lately in the tougher conditions. Still a fair way off winning an AFL appearance. MFC - CARROLL, Nathan - AFL 7 games, 1 goal - had some tough assignments to date and continues to grow in stature as a key defender after a so-so start. MFC - DAVEY, Aaron - AFL 7 games, 14 goals - had a very good start, was subdued for a little while and has blitzed in recent games. Leading the club's goalkicking. MFC - DUNN, Lynden - AFL 2 games, 3 goals VFL 4 games, 9 goals - is being eased into AFL and is fitting in well. In his limited time, he has performed like a seasoned campaigner rather than a raw, inexperienced young forward. INJURED - FERGUSON, Ryan - AFL 2 games, 0 goals - his healing is progressing better than expected after colliding with Colin Sylvia and sustaining broken ribs and a punctured lung in Round 2 at the Telstra Dome. The latest club injury report suggests he'll be back in a week or so. SFC RESERVES - GIANFAGNA, Andre ® - VFL Reserves 5 games, 2 goals - very much an outside player with great pace who has been pressing for senior selection at Sandringham MFC - GODFREY, Simon - AFL 4 games, 0 goals - VFL 2 games, 2 goals - a shock selection for Melbourne against the Swans after some uninspiring form with the Zebras, Godders has yet to play in a losing team this year. Hasn't really done much for the Demons but must be considered a lucky charm or something. MFC - GREEN, Brad - AFL 7 games, 4 goals - is having a good season after being tried in a doing well in a number of different roles including as a tagger. Captained the side to that great win over the Cats. INJURED/RESTED? - HOLLAND, Ben - AFL 2 games, 0 goals - VFL 2 games 1 goal, VFL Reserves 1 game 2 goals – outstanding for Sandringham in two senior and one reserve game on comeback from injury. Just went at AFL level and dropped back to the VFL last week but did not take his place in the team. SFC - HUGHES, Daniel ® - VFL 5 games 9 goals, VFL Reserves 1 game 3 goals - a jumping jack whose strong marking is creating an impression in his first rookie season. His six-goal effort against Tasmania a fortnight ago was special. MFC - JAMAR, Mark - AFL 6 games 3 goals - is getting more and more game time in combination with numero uno ruckman Jeff White and is beginning to look and feel more at home in this company. SFC - JOHNSON, Chris - AFL 1 game 0 goals, VFL 4 games 1 goals - after disappointing against the Bulldogs, went to Carrara as an emergency and then returned for some game time to the Zebras where he has been absolutely brilliant. INJURED - JOHNSON, Paul - AFL 2 games 2 goals, VFL 2 games 0 goals - failed to impress in Round 1 but fought his way back with some good form at Zebraland only to sustain a bad shoulder injury at the SCG. Currently recovering, he is said to be 3 weeks away from playing again. MFC - JOHNSTONE, Travis - AFL 7 games, 4 goals - shows greater maturity these days and is slowly working his way up to his best form and that spells "danger" to all opposition teams. SFC - JONES, Nathan - VFL 6 games, 3 goals - a hard at it inside midfielder, Jones is getting his education in the game at Sandy and it’s only a matter of time before he gets his opportunity at the higher level. MFC - MCDONALD, James - AFL 7 games, 1 goal - hardworking, unspectacular but so important in the midfield. MFC - MCLEAN, Brock - AFL 5 games, 4 goals - has been super impressive after an injury plagued pre season and is reinvigorating the midfield with his solid unrelenting attack on the football, good foot skills and excellent decision making. MFC - MILLER, Brad - AFL 6 games, 1 goal - has been moved between CHF and CHB without setting the world on fire although showing signs of steadier form. MFC - MOLONEY, Brent - AFL 5 games, 1 goal - was plagued by injuries through the pre season and has not replicated last year's form. SFC - MOTLOP, Shannon - AFL 1 game, 0 goals, VFL 6 games, 3 goals - has lost form after a promising pre season and is languishing in the VFL. SFC - NEAVES, Shane ® - VFL 4 games, 1 goal, VFL Reserves 2 games, 0 goals - steady in the ruck after being called up to VFL senior ranks. MFC - NEITZ, David - AFL 5 games, 10 goals - a hip flexor injury slowed his assault on a couple of important and long standing club records. A welcome return last week when he was workmanlike but if he can hit some form and hold more of his marks, the team’s prospects would be enhanced considerably. SFC RESERVES - NEVILLE, Heath - VFL Reserves 4 games, 0 goals - missed the entire pre season with OP and has only shown glimpses of potential in his four games at VFL reserves level to date. SFC - NEWTON, Michael - VFL 2 games, 1 goal, VFL Reserves 4 games, 6 goals - slowly starting to make an impression at Sandringham although still very much a project player. INJURED - NICHOLSON, Alistair - VFL 1 game, 0 goals - fast becoming the forgotten man at the club after a foot injury struck him down in Sandy's first game. Due to be tested this week but might have to come back through Sandringham reserves as their seniors have a bye. MFC - PICKETT, Byron - AFL 7 games, 2 goals - has had a major influence in the past month with his strength and aggression instilling fear into the hearts of the opposition. MFC - READ, Phil - VFL 6 games, 3 goal - more than useful at Sandringham but unable to break into the Melbourne line up. MFC - RIVERS, Jared - AFL 5 games, 0 goals, VFL 1 game, 0 goals - superb in defence after coming back from and an elbow injury. MFC - ROBERTSON, Russell - AFL 7 games, 12 goals - a nagging knee injury held him back early but he appears ready for a big game in the very near future. SFC - SMITH, Nicholas - VFL 6 games, 5 goals - has played ruck and in key forward and defensive positions and impressed the most on the ball. INJURED - SYLVIA Colin - AFL 6 games, 2 goals - has only shown glimpses of the form that made him such a highly rated recruit a couple of years back. Goes in hard and suffered bruised ribs against Geelong. Will miss again this week. SFC - WARD, Daniel - AFL 3 games, 0 goals, VFL 4 games, 2 goals - another who is doing well in the VFL but finding it hard to break back into the AFL team. SFC - WARNOCK, Matthew ® - AFL 1 games, 0 goals, VFL 3 games, 0 goals - possibly gained his promotion a little too early after a thumb injury. Now playing steady football for Sandy. INJURED - WHEATLEY, Paul - AFL 4 games, 1 goal - missed the first round with injury and was just starting to hit his straps when his hamstring went against the Kangaroos. Due back in the next week or so. MFC - WHELAN, Matthew - AFL 6 games, 0 goals - our underrated star still hasn't shown his absolute best but has been very good lately. MFC - WHITE, Jeff - AFL 7 games, 4 goals - a patchy season to date but is starting to show the benefits of a lighter workload as his offsider Mark Jamar takes on a greater share of the rockwork. MFC - YZE, Adem - AFL 7 games, 11 goals - after struggling early has come back to top form with a vengeance. Has shown his value as a forward with 11 goals. The Oracle says it's another 8 pointer tomorrow night ... What seems obvious from the above - and we accept that it's by no means a deep and probing study of the list - is that Melbourne is getting better equipped to handle the ups and downs of football at elite level. There are some handy footballers currently not in the main side; some good players out injured or cooling their heels at Sandringham. The added player depth means there is greater competition for places in the team and this alone could ensure that the team does not fall away in performance as it did, for example, in last year's game against Hawthorn. Tomorrow night is yet another vital eight pointer for Melbourne. A win puts the club into top four contention while a loss means a struggle to hold a place in the top eight. It's that vital a game - one simply cannot contemplate defeat this week given that the team's following game happens to be against the Eagles at Subiaco. Scoop Junior looks at the danger men ... I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. Melbourne-Hawthorn games are always unpredictable and the underdog has often won in the past. Last year's game was lost in the first term so preventing that flying start is important. I think we can expect them to be Williams-centric and direct many attacks through him. He was a lone hand last week and has looked their most dangerous forward the whole year. I've seen this bloke a fair bit - no one is going to stop him if he gets out in space and the ball is delivered well. The only way to stop him is to: (1) pressure the ball carrier to ensure he doesn't receive a good kick out in space. (2) have Jared Rivers or another defender zone off to block up the space. We've done this well in recent weeks so there's no reason why we can't do it again. Because no one is going to beat him if the above isn't achieved, I'd rather us go with Carroll to ensure he gets no cheap marks one-on-one. Whelan is not good enough in the air and Bell may just lack a bit of defensive nous at the moment. Carroll is a much better one-on-one negator. Despite his selection, it's uncertain whether Crawford will play and if he does, will he be fully effective given his shin injury? I think the midfield focus will probably be on Mitchell and Hodge. I'd start Mark Jamar in the ruck and get him to jump into Everitt a few times. Hodge has excellent core strength and can shrug tackles, so we need a strong tackler on him - perhaps Macca. Would consider starting Byron Pickett in the middle to give some extra strength/grunt in there. Another player who has slipped under the radar has been Guerra. Can hurt with his foot skills so I'd be mindful of him. He has found quite a bit of the ball this year. Hawthorn is pretty strong around the ball, so hopefully we can match them in that department and get the ball to the outside. They don't have the raw talent of some our outsiders and this is where we can hurt them. The game ... HAWTHORN v MELBOURNE THE TEAMS HAWTHORN B: Jacobs Dawson Sewell HB: Smith Roughead Guerra C: Bateman Mitchell Vandenberg HF: Clarke Boyle Brown F: Dixon Williams Miller FOLL: Everitt Hodge Crawford IC: Birchall Campbell Kane Ladson EMG: Lewis Ries Taylor IN: Crawford Jacobs OUT: Lewis Young MELBOURNE B: Bate Carroll Whelan HB: Yze Rivers Bell C: Green Bruce McLean HF: Robertson Miller Davey F: Jamar Neitz Pickett FOLL: White Moloney Johnstone I/C: Bartram Dunn Godfrey McDonald EMG: C Johnson Holland Read NO CHANGE Field umpires: Vozzo Kennedy Stevic Where & When: MCG, 7.40pm, Friday 19 May 2006 TV & Radio: Channel Nine, 3AW, Triple-M, ABC Radio Head to Head: Played - 145, Hawthorn 72, Melbourne 73 Last Time they met: Hawthorn 19.14.128 defeated Melbourne 13.11.89 in Round 8, 2005, at The MCG The betting: Hawthorn $3.25, Melbourne $1.30 Whispering Jack has the final say ... We'll win and win well.

THE PLAYER SPONSORS EVENT by George on the Outer Well for those who didn’t make it along…bad luck….you missed out on an absolutely first-class event, which was the opener for a day of highlights. Around 20 of the group met at the Mountain View Hotel to listen to the guru of the draft – Craig Cameron give us insights into his role, his assessment of the performances of those players recently drafted, their future prospects, their shortcomings, and just in a small way what the club is looking for in the future. The group could have listened and questioned him for hours, and if you really want to get to hear the true inside running story about the draft, the why’s and why not’s, then you have to listen to Craig speak. Your next chance will be at the U18 Championships and then at the post-draft get-together for the group. Unfortunately, Craig had to leave in time to get down to Victoria Park for an U18 game, and given the recent successes that he has had with Bartram, Bate and Dunn, we weren’t going to stand in his way…But to give you a snippet, he considers that Michael Newton who is yet to make an appearance at senior level, to be the most gifted of the 2004 draftees. Our MC for the day – Whispering Jack introduced our next guest in Paul Wheatley. Paul was very generously a last minute stand in for Clint Bartram, our sponsored player, who could not make it due to some commitment he had at 2pm. Some story about stopping a Bell ... Paul was absolutely fantastic and warmed to his task of surviving the hard questions from a group of Demon fanatics. He gave the group insights into what was expected of a player, in particular a new recruit. And he told of the work that was required to play at AFL level, and the intensity of medical recovery following injury, like his current hamstring strain. He gave us insights into the playing group, and how the arrival of Byron Pickett has added a toughness not seen before, and how this enables the players to “stand a little taller� in his presence. Paul spoke of his preferred position on the field and why that was the case, but if you want to hear the whole story…then you will have to join the group. However, he also provided one insightful snippet which we will share with you. He works very hard at doing his job, and knows the importance of weights room training. After a couple of years he had got to being able to bench press 110kg. He thought he was pretty pleased with this until two young 17 year olds in Brock McLean and Colin Sylvia arrived and on their first day did the same weight, but half a dozen times in succession. We wish Paul a speedy recovery, and the group wish to extend to him our heartfelt thanks. It was only on short notice that he attended, and we do appreciate the expectations placed upon our players. Paul was a true credit to his club, and a charming role model for all, as well. If you still want to join up with the group, we would be pleased to have you on board. The Craig Cameron post-draft night is worth every cent of the contribution alone, and to be honestly truthful, there is nothing like this offered through the club to any other group. There are either threads on the various sites or links to the sponsorship group, to find out the details. You can read George's match reviews every week on DEMONOLOGY http://demonology.midnight.net.au/

by Barry from Beach Road Sandringham overcame a sluggish start at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval yesterday when it overran second placed North Ballarat in the second half to record a convincing 47-point win. The Zebras were able to grab top spot on the VFL ladder in the process after the surprise loss of the Northern Bullants in their game at Casey Fields. The slowness of the start could have been due to the greasy conditions which led to some scrappy football, to Sandy's overuse of the ball or simply to the fact that North Ballarat were on song and on target. Perhaps it might even have been due to the controversial circumstances of the preceding week in which the VFL announced an investigation into the game played against Tasmania at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Zebra defender Andy Biddlecombe had been left with a broken jaw after an incident behind the play and a Tassie player was suspended for four weeks as a result. Star full forward Nick Sautner also appeared to be carrying some evidence of the close attention he received from his opposition defenders. Whatever the case, it was the Roosters who were first out of the blocks to hold a handy 17 point lead at the first break. However, as conditions cleared, things improved for the home side and it gradually pegged back the North Ballarat lead, hitting the front in time on and eventually taking an 8 point lead into the main break. Sandy then consolidated that lead in the third term before Sautner put on a show to personally boot six goals in the final quarter which netted the team 8 goals 5 behinds. But for the Roosters' amazing accuracy in front of goal, the final margin would have been far, far greater. North Ballarat's first behind for the day was scored half way through the third quarter and remembering that Tassie kicked 9 straight in the final quarter last week, it was a long time in between kick outs at full back. The Zebra defence was well on top for most of the day. Sav Rocca who managed double figures when he last played against Sandringham in mid 2005 for Port Melbourne was contained to just four goals, two of them late in the game after having been thrown on the ball. Chris Johnson played a fine defensive game on Rooster Nathan Saunders beating him all ends up and running off him to set up countless attacks. Rod Crowe and David Gallagher were winners all day and young midfielder Shane Valenti belied his inexperience and caused a great deal of damage around the ground and in front of goals. Ezra Poyas was in everything after half time and constantly mopped up in defence and Daniel Ward ran through the lines with strength and vigour. On that front Phil Read was his usual self and proved to be a real pest while young ruckman Shane Neaves continued to show improvement on the ball and around the ground. Sautner's eight goal effort against a strong and experienced opponent in Moloney was a testament to the fitness he has gained since the end of last season. He leads the VFL goal kicking table by seven goals and should hold that lead through next week's bye. The reigning premiers have deserved the rest with their only glitch to the season so far coming in shocking conditions a few weeks ago at the hands of Frankston. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Clint Bizzell, recovering from a calf injury, was originally selected on the extended interchange bench but ended up playing in the reserves. I haven't as yet received any reports on the Demons who took part in the reserves game (Jace Bode, Andre Gianfagna and Heath Neville as well as the Bizz). Ben Holland was selected at centre half forward but failed to take his place in the side. The Zebra seniors had a fine balance of 11 AFL and 11 VFL listed players. Here is Fan's assessment of how the Demons fared:- Simon Buckley - had little impact on the day and spent a fair bit of time on the bench. Danny Hughes - was good early with some strong marking but faded out. Moves well and kicks nicely but is not as clean below his knees as he needs to be. Chris Johnson - CJ has been knocking on the door for sometime but in this game, he stopped knocking, got out the barge pole and knocked the whole door down. He was really, really good. He played full back on a much bigger opponent in Saunders and beat him pointless. CJ was able to stop him marking with good body work, was far superior in reading of the play and then just run off him. It was rather fun watching him running up the ground with his opponent watching. In the last quarter, he played further up the ground and was very good with clean ball handling, precise long kicking and good use of options. What else he can do to get a senior berth? Nathan Jones - was very quiet in the first half and had no more than a half dozen touches to halftime which included some bench time. His second half was much improved and he worked his way into the play and kicked a class goal in the last quarter. Clean hands and took some good options during play. Shannon Motlop - did some nice things but if he wants a spot in the seniors he needs to do a heap more. Shane Neaves - played pretty well in the ruck where he worked hard and won a lot of taps. He found the ball around the ground a bit and dished it off well. He's a very good size and I liked what I saw. Michael Newton - played cameos of probably about 10 minutes a quarter. Took the mark of the day (it was really good, a hanger running back) and at one stage from a free for deliberate out tried to get round an opponent who just got him but not before he dished off a 25 metre bullet like pass with his left foot onto the chest of a leading Sandy forward. I reckon it would be the source of extreme frustration to the Melbourne footy department that he is not getting more time to develop. This kid has it and is worth persevering with. He may not make it, or it may take five years, but if he does he has a touch of something pretty special. Phil Read - a good solid game from Read. His problem is that he doesn't really stand out and at this stage can only be looked at as a good backup in the case of injury. Nick Smith - played mainly forward and spent a small amount of time in the ruck. I was hoping to see more of his good recent form but it was not to be on Sunday. Daniel Ward - a class above VFL level with his pace and good ball handling at this level. Not a game where he dominated but solid. Kicked a wonderful goal in the second on the run. However, with the current situation at Melbourne it's hard to see where he fits in other than depth. Matthew Warnock - played on a good player in Watt and did well. He didn't get all that much of it but stopped Watt from being any sort of player for North Ballarat. Sandringham 2.1.13 7.2.44 11.8.74 19.13.127 North Ballarat 4.0.24 6.0.36 8.2.50 13.2.80 Goals Sautner 8 Crowe Motlop Valenti 2 Jones Liddell Smith Summers Ward Best Gallagher Sautner Johnson Crowe Summers Valenti The Zebra reserves had a big half time lead against the Roosters who, unlike their senior counterparts, were shockingly inaccurate allowing the home side to record a 14-point victory which was enough to grab a spot in the top five. Sandringham 5.2.32 10.3.63 12.5.77 13.7.85 North Ballarat 1.4.10 4.7.31 6.17.53 9.21.75 Goals Mentiplay 3 Heywood McGettigan Paule 2 Gianfagna Marsden Semmel Turcarelli Best Ott McGettigan Johnston Turcarelli Fletcher Gibb For photographs from the game go to - http://www.sandringhamfc.com.au/default.as...play&aid=106563

by The Oracle Melbourne's season continued to build in momentum on Saturday when it scored an emphatic 59-point victory over the much vaunted Fremantle Dockers who, before the game were being looked upon in AFL circles as the "real deal" after scoring wins in consecutive weeks over St. Kilda and West Coast. There were a number of lessons that we learned from the Dockers' ordeal at the hands of the Demons, the first of which was that it's easier for them to win matches at Subiaco and at AFL House than it is at the MCG against a rampant Demon combination whose confidence and team unity is growing weekly. Secondly, that Freo is probably the only AFL whose away strip is more pleasing to the eye than its home gear and yet both versions are utterly execrable. Watching them run around in their almost all white guernseys was reminiscent of watching a team of umpires going about a training drill. It was pretty nauseating stuff. But who cares about the Dockers anyway? These Johnny come latelies who have been on the AFL scene for literally a minute haven' endeared themselves to anybody recently with their whining and objecting to time honoured rules and their supporters over in Perth were disgraceful last week when they booed Chris Judd on his being awarded the Ross Glendenning Medal. Well, they got their comeuppance this week and I hope they enjoyed watching from afar as their team was demolished totally. And now to the winners. The 59 points represented Melbourne's biggest winning margin since it defeated Carlton by 105 points in Round 6, 2004. It was the club's first victory by more than 10 points since last year's Queens Birthday match against Collingwood and it was a win that returned the side to the top eight and positive territory in terms of win/loss ratio and percentage for the first time this year – something that seemed such a long way off when that goal umpire adjudged Aaron Davey’s long shot for goal at Carrara as having been touched on the line. But it was more than the statistical facts of the victory that impressed all and sundry in the football world and made them sit up and take notice. It was the way they went about winning that was significant. The Dockers were out of the blocks quickly with two early goals but the Demons fought back and the game became an arm wrestle for the balance of the first quarter. After that, Melbourne gained control and simply overpowered Fremantle to finally break its run of narrow victories with its first percentage booster for the season. Although statistically the team did not win the majority of clearances, it did control the important midfield battles beginning with a dominance in the ruck duels which was expected in view of the absence of Freo big men in Sandilands and Longmuir. The unexpected part was that it would be Mark Jamar who would dictate the ruck and not Jeff White whose workload was significantly reduced as a result of Jamar's good play. The Russian was also dangerous up forward with some strong marks and is finally progressing at a fast rate confident in the knowledge that he has established a place in the side. The beneficiaries of the Demon ruck dominance were many and varied. Brock McLean is becoming a powerhouse midfielder with a great work ethic and he was supported by an array of talented midfielders from the attacking Cameron Bruce and Travis Johnstone to the brilliant taggers in James McDonald, Brad Green and Clint Bartram and the magical Aaron Davey, Byron Pickett and Adem Yze. We also saw some cameo performances from the likes of Matthew Bate and, late in the game, from Simon Godfrey. Together they form a well balanced unit that plays with toughness, talent and a sense of purpose and on Saturday, they moved the ball forward with a real sense of purpose giving their key forwards plenty of opportunities to score. That forward line was so difficult to hold because it now has such variety. Ten different goalkickers including a contributions of two from David Neitz on return from injury and working the ground from centre half forward leaving newcomer Lynden Dunn and a resurgent Russell Robertson and a bevy of crumbers coming from downfield to do the damage. It all had the Freo defence pretty much confused - they simply had no answer as, at various times, different players would bob up to score goals. The evidence of Melbourne's new game plan was there to see from the way the team covered the danger men who were responsible for Fremantle's victory in the shootout of Round 6 last year when the Dockers won a high scoring game by 14 points. Jeff Farmer booted seven goals in Matty Whelan's absence that day while Luke McPharlin and Matthew Pavlich were also damaging up forward. This time around Melbourne was able to significantly shut down their supply through James McDonald putting a stop to Freo danger man Josh Carr and newcomer Clint Bartram holding Peter Bell to just six kicks. Defenders Jared Rivers, Brad Miller and the improving Nathan Carroll held a tight rein on the bigger forwards for most of the day and they were helped by the visitors' need to put Pavlich into the engine room to help out their midfield. As a result, Pavlich got a fair bit of the ball but it was in places and at times that didn't hurt the Demons enough. Daniel Bell ran the ball strongly out of defence in a promising performance. It was supposed to be Jeff Farmer's day with his 400th AFL goal which he duly scored with his first kick of the day but it was really his indigenous brothers in red and blue who provided the highlights. Whelan had the clear honours over the Wizard keeping him to just one further goal but only thanks to a well staged niggle and dive in front of goal that managed to sucker the umpies for a free kick. Aaron Davey demonstrated to the football world that he was ready to take the magician's mantle away from Farmer and Byron Pickett was simply destructive whenever he was near the ball. He made his teammates stand tall and his opponents cringe. He can be most damaging around some of today's new breed of athlete footballers who simply don't have the awareness to know when he's nearby. His perfectly legal hip and shoulder on the Dockers' Crowley was a perfect example of this. When opponents were aware of his presence, they seemed often seemed to look to self-preservation more than anything else. Pickett's influence is strengthening his team’s resolve as every week goes by – it's contagious! It appeared after the game that the Demons had made it through without injury for the first time this year. This augurs well for the club with a series of battles looming against some of the leading clubs in the competition. Next Friday night's clash against the Hawks is yet another eight-point game and a win will place the club in a position where it can start to press its top four claims. Bring it on! Melbourne 3.3.21 9.8.62 12.11.83 17.15.117 Fremantle 2.3.15 3.7.25 7.8.50 8.10.58 Goals Davey Green Johnstone McLean Neitz Robertson Yze 2 Dunn Jamar Pickett Best Yze Davey Johnstone McLean Pickett Green McDonald Robertson Injuries Nil Reports Nil Umpires McLaren Quigley Woodcock Crowd 23,368 at the MCG

by J.V. McKay The term "purple prose" usually applies to the sort of language you come across in romance novels. Basically it consists of words and phrases that sound stilted, overly descriptive, or cliché. Well, there's no love or romance involved when it comes to those boorish louts from Fremantle but the colour purple and the use of clichés is just perfect for Saturday’s game at the G because guys like Matthew Pavlich and Jeff Farmer will match perfectly the pink theme of the day. And when it's all over, I'm tipping they will be blushing a bright pink or perhaps even a reddy hue as they stand by helplessly watching their team being destroyed by the resurgent Demons in the red and the blue. In a way I think I'm very brave to select Melbourne to win. Forget your Adelaide's and your Collingwood's. Fremantle has to be the form team of the competition at the moment. In consecutive weeks they have beaten the two AFL sides reputed to have the best lists in St. Kilda and West Coast. Admittedly, both victories have been by the proverbial bee's diaphragm but, as we Demon fans are getting used to saying, "a win's a win" and four points is four points. These Dockers also have a sensational record against Melbourne at the MCG. The last time they lost to the Demons at the home of football was in Round 16, 1998 when their score of 13.5.83 was 23 points shy of the home side's 16.10.106. The tables were turned in Round 10 the following year with Fremantle scoring 22.12.144 to Melbourne’s 13.12.90. Tony Modra kicked 10 goals in his best game for his second club, which recorded its first ever win at the MCG. That score remains a record for the Dockers at the home of football (one point better than last years score in the shootout – see below). The teams didn't meet at the MCG again until 2003 when the visitors were too good and too accurate in front of goal 16.5.101 to 10.11.71 and Justin Longmuir went ballistic in the second half to finish with 6 goals. Then came last year's shootout at the G which saw Jeff Farmer kick an arrogant seven goals against his old club while Matthew Pavlich and Luke McPharlin added to Melbourne's embarrassment by outmarking and outplaying almost anyone who came near them. So now that I've established the Dockers are not only the form side of the competition but the MCG is like a second home to them, why on earth am I going for a Melbourne win? Good question. I just like the team spirit and the hardness Melbourne is showing at the moment. The Demons are also a much improved side at the coalface (the clearance battles) where most games of AFL football are won these days. The two guns in this area are Brock McLean and Cameron Bruce, two very different types of footballers but together in the midfield they are proving to be very effective. Then there are Travis Johnstone and Brad Green who are capable of causing a lot of damage to the opposition. All of the abovementioned are team leaders in their own way and they are rejoined this week by two other leaders in David Neitz and Brad Miller, not to mention Matty Whelan who is a leader in the back line. The Dockers aren't slouches in the midfield either with players of the ilk of J Carr, Peter Bell and Haselby but they aren't winning the clearances and are not likely to in the absence of their head ruckman Sandilands (head ruckman because he's a head taller than anyone else). They do have some dangerous tall forwards in Pavlich, McPharlin and Polak and those two little pests in Farmer and Medhurst who led the Demon defence a merry dance during last year's shootout. I have little doubt however, that Neale Daniher has done his homework and learned the lessons of last year's thriller at the MCG and, as a result, that he will have different strategies in place this year. He said so this week and who am I to argue with The Reverend? I'm confident therefore, that the Demons will acquit themselves well. I would have been happier with a wet weather forecast like the one we had last Friday night against the Cats but the Bureau of Meteorology (why meteorology? – after all it's about weather not meteors!) has forecast a fine day and 15 degrees. That'll still do me and I reckon that the boys from the west will be begging to hear the sound of the final siren this week as they go down in a screaming purple heap to the tune of 40 points. Incidentally, this will be just enough to nose the Demons' percentage ahead of the Dockers and push them into the top eight with every team in the competition to play every other team once before the end of the home and away season. A win will set up Melbourne's season and I'll be in the pink. Thank you very much. MELBOURNE v FREMANTLE THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Bate Carroll Whelan HB: Yze Rivers Bell C: Green Bruce McLean HF: Robertson Miller Davey F: McDonald Neitz Pickett FOLL: White Moloney Johnstone I/C: Jamar Dunn Bartram Godfrey EMG: Holland C Johnson Read IN: Neitz Miller Whelan OUT: Brown (hamstring) Sylvia (bruised rubs) Holland NEW: - FREMANTLE B: Thornton Johnson Parker HB: Schammer Grover Mundy C: Black J Carr Walker HF: Headland Pavlich Medhurst F: Farmer McPharlin Longmuir FOLL: Polak Hasleby Bell I/C: M Carr Duffield Dodd Warren EMG: Cook Crowley Peake IN: Longmuir Farmer Warren OUT: Sandilands (fractured jaw) Crowley Peake NEW: Michael Warren (Claremont) Field umpires: McLaren Quigley Woodcock Where & When: MCG, 2.10pm, Saturday 13 May TV & Radio: Fox Footy (Vic, Qld, NSW, SA), Ch 10 (WA only), ABC, 6PR Head to Head: Played - 17, Melbourne 9, Fremantle 8 Last Time they met: Fremantle 15.11.101 d Melbourne 11.10.76 in Round 17, 2005, at Subiaco Oval The betting: Melbourne $1.65, Fremantle $2.10

by Nasher (our man on the spot) The stage was set for an excellent game between two quality VFL teams at Bellerive Oval as Sandringham travelled to Hobart to meet the Tassie Devils on a cold and windy Sunday afternoon. The weather bureau had also forecast rain periods but thankfully the showers held off until late in the game. Although the conditions might not have seemed conducive to high scoring, the crowd was treated to classic battle in which the Zebras defeated a gallant Tasmania outfit by seven points, 22.8.140 to 20.13.133. For the second week in a row the Zebras were without their injured and inspirational skipper Chad Liddell and full forward and top VFL goalkicker Nick Sautner led the side out in his place. The team was boosted by the return from injury of Guy Rigoni and David Gallagher was back after a week's suspension and this offset the loss of a few Demon listed players to the AFL to cover Melbourne's injury woes. Young forward Michael Newton was also given an opportunity at senior level for the first time. The Zebras were eager to atone for last week's shock defeat at the hands of Bayside neighbours Frankston and, knowing that a loss would put them out of the top four, they started the game full of running. It was an usual game in that it was a sea-sawing affair, with each quarter having a half of its own. Sandy started with a quick takeaway courtesy of a Shane Neaves hitout in the ruck and the first foray forward saw Danny Hughes take the first of many marks for the day which resulted in a goal after he kicked truly from 50 on a 45-degree angle. Curiously, Neaves went off after the first five minutes and Nick Smith took on the ruck duties against North listed giant Brad Moran in what was the beginning of an intriguing battle that lasted all match long. Chris Johnson started his game very poorly with a kick in to the man on the mark on the half back flank, which resulted in a shot on goal from the Devils, however he was fortunate that the shot missed. Two more goals to Sandy thanks to Sautner saw the Zebras take an early three goal lead but the second half of the quarter was dominated by Tassie whose coach Matthew Armstrong performed his customary switch, putting Jade Rawlings in to defence and Chad Jones in to attack. Jones took several strong marks at centre half forward and was instrumental in setting up goals for the Devils. The second quarter began as the reverse of the first. Tassie kicked a few quick goals early and looked as if they were about to blow the game apart, having scored three of the first four goals of the term. Thanks to some miserly defence from Chris Lamb and Andy Biddlecombe, and some great clearance work from the midfielders, Sandringham managed to get back on top late in the term. Each side kicked another three goals, including a beauty on the run from Peter Summers, and Sandy, despite the opposition being on top for most of the quarter, somehow held a three-point lead at the main break. The Devils won most of the clearances early in the third, however it was all to little avail as their bombs forward were constantly being repelled from speedy duo Chris Johnson and Daniel Ward. The latter was dominant in the third quarter and appeared to have the ball on a string, taking a courageous mark running with the flight of the ball, and providing run out of the back line. Chris Johnson received a handball running forward and had a shot from the boundary line 40 metres out. The ball spun over the goal post and was given one behind. The resulting kick-in saw Ezra Poyas chop the ball off and take a mark on the 50-metre line. He immediately passed off to Johnson who had a shot from the same spot as he did minutes earlier, this time kicking truly. The third quarter was turning into an avalanche of goals, with Hughes kicking another two and it looked like the Zebras were going to run away with the game. Smith was absolutely everywhere, and midfielder Peter Summers seemed to have the ball on a string. Sandy took a handy 25-point lead into the final break. Tassie was not to be deterred and began the final quarter with two quick goals. The home side had lifted a notch in intensity, and received immediate spark thanks to a Brett Geappen goal from the pocket. The crowd, who had previously been quiet, began a very loud chant, which is invariably a catalyst for a Tassie onslaught when playing at Bellerive. Armstrong once again switched Rawlings and Jones around. Rawlings took two good marks and kicked truly both times. Several Tasmania goals later, including a brilliant snap from Ken Hall, and it looked like the Devils were going to run over the top of a tiring Zebra outfit. Michael Newton took a mark and kicked his maiden goal in VFL senior company to steady the ship a little for the Sandy. Phil Read, after getting plenty of the ball all game, kicked truly from 45 on the boundary line in a set shot most Demon observers would think was beyond him. Then Poyas took a mark on a half back flank and received a 50-metre penalty, followed by another thanks to Devils veteran Trent Bartlett abusing the umpire in question. Poyas kicked truly from an easy set shot and Bartlett was reported as a result of the incident and charged with allegedly using abusive language. The Zebra lead had been extended to 14 points. Late in the game Devils’ skipper, former Demon and a Zebra premiership player Ben Beams, kicked a freak goal from the pocket to bring the margin back to seven points but it was a case of too little too late for Tassie and the Zebras held on to win the game. Nick Smith was dominant in the ruck all day and got plenty of contested and uncontested ball all around the ground. On baller Peter Summers continually won the ball and delivered for the forwards all day, while Danny Hughes was best afield with 6 goals 1 behind in a consistent strong marking performance. Sautner's five goal haul took his season's tally to 21, seven ahead of his nearest rivals in the race for his seventh Frosty Miller Medal for top VFL goal kicker. Sandringham’s victory sets the scene for another tough battle against the Kangaroos’ other VFL affiliate, the undefeated North Ballarat at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval next Sunday. The reserves had a bye but will also meet the Roosters in next Sunday’s curtain raiser. HOW THE DEMONS FARED Simon Buckley - played on a half back flank for most of the game but didn’t get in to the play much although showed his pace on a few occasions though. Very much an outside player who did not go near a pack all day. Daniel Hughes - presented well all day and his conversion was magnificent, kicking 6.1 and his one miss was a tough one from outside 50. When he was not marking it and converting in the forward line he was gathering possessions on the wing and delivering it superbly. Some people have questioned how well he does the "small man" things such as crumbing and general ground level play, and he did not particularly appear to address any of those issues today - all of his goals were from marks or free kicks. Chris Johnson - kicked in to the man on the mark twice today and he would be disappointed with that. However, he really lifted in the second half, combining with Ward to give run out of defence. Looked extremely dangerous in his brief forays forward. Nathan Jones - rotated between the middle and a half forward flank. Linked up well in the middle and won his share of the ball because he was always at the bottom of the pack. When he was on a forward flank however, he could not get in to the play. Shannon Motlop - drifted in and out of the play all day. Chased hard and applied good defensive pressure when in the midfield, but didn't really get enough of it or use it well enough to be damaging. Shane Neaves - spent the best portion of the game on the bench, and hardly got a notable touch when he was on the ground. Michael Newton - a fair first up effort, led hard and set up several goals. Took a good mark and kicked a steadying goal in the last half when Tassie were in the middle of their avalanche. A good foundation to build upon. Phillip Read - won his share of the ball in the middle, however was undisciplined and gave away too many cheap free kicks. Also made several unforgivable clangers that resulted in opposition goals. Nicholas Smith - played in the ruck all day and was dominant. Got a lot of the ball and took a few strong marks, mostly in the back line and the middle. Knew where to position himself in defence. He was one of Sandy's best although at times showed questionable accountability, with opponent in Roos big man Brad Moran, also racking up countless possessions. Unfortunately still didn't have a lot of presence when going forward. Daniel Ward - had heaps of the ball, especially in the second half, and put his pace to good use. Made some disappointing disposal errors, but that has always been a weakness for Ward. Courageous as ever in defence. Matthew Warnock - had a tough day at the office playing on Jade Rawlings, who kicked a bag of five, and was also against Chad Jones at various stages. Well beaten and needs to do a lot better if he is to regain a place at AFL level. Sandringham 5.3.33 9.5.59 16.8.104 22.8.140 Tasmania 3.6.24 8.8.56 11.13.79 20.13.133 Goals Hughes 6 Sautner 5 Poyas 3 Crowe 2 Gallagher Johnson Motlop Newton Read Summers Best Smith Hughes Sautner Ward Read Summers

by Whispering Jack (with thanks to Johnny Nash) The morning after a wet night. The rain is gone. So are the dark clouds, the bad feelings and the obstacles that were in my way. There's nothing but blue skies (well almost) and rainbows. It's going to be a bright (bright), bright (bright), sunshiny day. My apologies for using a bit of poetic licence folks, but that's exactly how I feel right at this moment. Which is quite the opposite at least to where I was a month ago with regard to my footy team. Even yesterday when I stepped on the V-Line train bound for Richmond Station and the Rivalry Round match between Melbourne and Geelong, I admit that I did so with some trepidation. My mind was full of negative thoughts about how they were going to perform and I fully expected the worst. My mind kept drifting back to a similarly dirty evening some three years ago when the Demons played the Cats on rain drenched MCG in the late 2003 Heritage Round game. It was a disastrous night for Melbourne fans who watched as their team was demolished completely by a promising young Geelong combination that was obviously going places. From our point of view however, there was nothing but doom and gloom for the foreseeable future with perhaps the only ray of sunshine being the inevitability of a priority draft pick. It was the ensuing early draft picks and the improved team performances in the following seasons that convinced me that things were getting better for the Melbourne Football Club. However, an appalling performance in the pre season game in Adelaide, some poor early form against Carlton and the Bulldogs and a growing injury list saw dark clouds building on the team's horizon. The club’s 2006 was literally hanging on a thread a fortnight ago with two or three minutes to go in Sydney when scores were even and the following week's win over the Kangaroos was hardly inspiring. There was something different in the victory over Geelong. Melbourne succeeded against the odds. It went into the game without its skipper, without a number of talls (which effectively deprived it of an entire defensive and attacking spine) and some important defenders. A few of the players were in the side off limited preparations, there was a question mark over the fitness of last year's leading goal kicker Russell Robertson and then Nathan Brown, who was playing well, injured his hamstring early in the second term. How could a young Demon side with a number of fresh teenaged faces and a number of others with limited AFL experience, match it with the early season flag favourites who were welcoming back into their line up some experienced and dangerous players? Bloody well, I reckon! The first challenge for the young Demons was to start the quarter well and they did that as they took control for the first fifteen minutes thanks to some great play from Brock McLean who gave them great drive out of the middle aided by up and coming leaders in Cameron Bruce and Brad Green and a solid display by Brown who was in control at half back. Important goals were scored by unlikely types in Mark Jamar and debutant Lynden Dunn and the Dees suddenly held a two goal lead. Geelong braced itself and fought back but the important thing was that Melbourne was thereabouts at the first break and had not cracked. The second quarter was an arm wrestle with Geelong still barely ahead at the main break but the Cats took the ascendancy early in the third term and, when Cam Mooney was paid the softest of frees against Benny Holland (is there a C. Mooney appreciation society among the umpiring fraternity or what?), he put them in what should have been an unassailable position with a lead of three goals in the wet conditions – a lead that soon went to 21 points and could have been far greater but for some lairising from one or two Geelong players. It was a time to dig deep and Melbourne struck back through some inspiration cameos of toughness from Byron Pickett and silky smoothness from Aaron Davey. Brock McLean, who was strong all night, worked the packs beautifully, Adem Yze, Bruce and Green continued to do the important linking up around the ground and the young Demons all stuck manfully to the task. Unsung heroes like Daniel Bell (in the absence of Brown) and Nathan Carroll tightened up in defence and Jared Rivers was simply masterful and, in my opinion, overshadowed the AFL's leading defender at the other end of the ground. Since his return to the team in round three Rivers has shown great composure and is one of the main reasons for the team’s resurgence. This bloke is a champion in the making at a club which has produced very few champions in the past three or four decades. So Melbourne took control of the game late in the third term thanks partly to some brilliance from its rising stars (and you can pencil in the names of Matthew Bate and Lynden Dunn in bold ink among that group) and a goal of sheer brilliance from The Flash. Geelong appeared to be tiring badly while the Demons were full of running and that pattern continued until deep in the quarter. A lucky late term goal when the ball skidded seemingly forever through the goals gave the Cats some hope but the Demons were never going to let this one out of the bag. A lot of the praise for the win must go to Neale Daniher who used the rotations brilliantly in the tough conditions. If you look at the AFL’s Official Statistics there is a category that goes under the heading "TOG" and this column highlights the length of time the coaching panel utilised the midfield group, particularly its younger members. Brock McLean was on the ground for 85 minutes out of a possible 115 or 74% of total game time for 28 disposals. Brent Moloney was also on for 74% for 22 possessions and Matthew Bate (69 minutes or 60%) for 21 touches (11 of them contested!). These are just three of the stand out examples. In conditions like the ones that prevailed last night, it's important that your players are kept as fresh as possible. It helps the players remain hard at it when they're on the ground and there could be no better example of this than the use of James McDonald and Travis Johnstone who were also used sparingly. In his 83 minutes, McDonald got his hands on the ball 16 times and executed 9 tackles. Melbourne's engine room burned strongly in the cold chilly rain soaked conditions helping immeasurably in getting the team over the line. I'll finish off with the bright ray of sunshine but preface my comments with the usual warning about young emerging sides and the fact that their performances are often tinged with inconsistency. Last night we saw all of the club's four young horsemen, McLean, Moloney, Bell and Colin Sylvia together in the same team for the first time this year. They are no longer the club's youngest now that we have Clint Bartram, Bate and Dunn playing so well and Chris Johnson likely to join them. Nathan Jones is not that far away either. Soon, we’ll be talking not about a handful of young horsemen but an entire cavalry. The prospects for the future are great. As for the immediate future – the coming weeks see two more games at the G against current top eight sides in Fremantle and Hawthorn before a further test against the Eagles at Subiaco. I know we are, as always, taking things a week at a time but every week, things are looking brighter and more sunshiny. Melbourne 3.3.21 6.5.41 11.7.73 13.9.87 Geelong 4.2.26 6.6.42 10.10.70 11.15.81 Goals C Bruce A Davey L Dunn R Robertson 2 M Bate M Jamar B McLean J White A Yze Best C Bruce B McLean A Yze M Bate J Rivers J McDonald Umpires H Kennedy S Meredith D Woodcock Official Crowd 36,041 at the MCG.

by The Oracle Unbelievable isn't it? The entire football world has just spent almost the whole week ruminating on the result of one game of football and in particular whether Sunday’s affair at Launceston should have been a draw or whether the chocolates should have been awarded to Fremantle. The protagonists have employed a vast array of eminent business, legal and other professionals to slug it out over two premiership points and yet tomorrow night Melbourne will be slugging it out for a little over two hours but hopefully exactly eighty minutes of playing time for stakes that are four times as valuable - eight premiership points. That's right, the Melbourne v Geelong match at the MCG is an eight point game. Assuming it's not a draw (and let's face it, you can overturn a draw with consummate ease these days) the winner will most likely move into the top half of the ladder, the loser will sit with the also rans. That’s how important a game such as this is to the contestants in what is turning out to be an incredible football season. And yes, in describing this football season I use the word "incredible" because who would have thought a little month ago that six of last year's finalists (Geelong, St. Kilda, Sydney, Melbourne, Port Adelaide and the Kangaroos) would be in negative territory in terms of win/loss ratios at this stage of the year and that not one of them will have moved into a positive position by Sunday night? This fact underlines how important a win is when you're pitted against another contender for a finals position. A win would have you inside the eight but only marginally at best. A loss really puts you behind the eight ball. Of course, the Demons have been behind that eight ball since the opening match of the season when they lost a game they were expected to win. So far this year, they have struggled to produce the standard of football that was expected from them during the pre season and after the opening two games of the Nab Cup Competition. Even then, the Demons couldn't register a convincing victory and now that they have started to win games again, they've all been heart stoppers. That's a timely thing for the Melbournefc which is dedicating this game to the Heart Foundation. The club is calling upon supporters to wear red for this clash in recognition of the valuable work the Foundation does within the community. The team has shown a fair bit of heart over the past fortnight but the problem is that its players keep falling over with injury and right at the present time, a number of Demons – especially talls – are missing from action due to one injury or another. Names like Clint Bizzell, Brad Miller, Alistair Nicholson, David Neitz, Paul Johnson, Paul Wheatley and Ryan Ferguson represent a huge proportion of the club's taller timber and they’re all out this week. Another important forward Russell Robertson was limping around the "G" in the last quarter of last week’s game so it’s probably just as well that the forecast for the game is for rain. The Cats, on the other hand have some handy footballers coming back from injury including Steven King and Kent Kingsley who will surely stretch the Demons in the height department. The Demons' answer has been to bring yet another youngster, Lynden Dunn, into the side for this week after Matty Bate's promising debut last week. Dunn impressed in the wet at centre half forward for the Zebras and is a lively youngster who has come a long way this season. Still, his selection also highlights the fact that it's a young, inexperienced and perhaps undermanned Melbourne that is coming up against a team that, a month ago, was one of the flag favourites, a team which won the pre season competition at AAMI Stadium against opposition which a week earlier had given the Demons a thumping, and a team that opened up 2006 by thrashing Brisbane and the Kangaroos in consecutive weeks at Skilled Stadium. And how can we forget the fact that the Cats also served out a humiliation to an ailing Melbourne in last year's Elimination Final. I'm hoping that the Demons who suffered from that drubbing remember enough about it to motivate them to overturn the result this time around in a game that might not be as important as an elimination final but given the eight points at stake, is a must win. It's that hope more than anything else that leads me to tip Melbourne to win by the barest of margins. The expected wet conditions will suit the right down to the ground and I reckon they have the heart to upset their tormentors from last year in a game that will be all about heart. Demons by 1 point (and that's without the aid of the AFL Commission). MELBOURNE v GEELONG Friday, 7:40pm AEST, MCG Where & when - Friday May 5 at the MCG, 7.40pm. TV & Radio TV Channel Nine - Melbourne (8.30pm), Adelaide (8.30pm), Perth (8.30pm), Sydney (11.15pm), Brisbane (11.15pm) Radio 3AW ABC and MMM Head to Head - Melbourne 82 Geelong 116 Drawn 1 The last time they met - Geelong 18.8.116 def Melbourne 9.7.61 at the MCG; Second Elimination Final 2005. MELBOURNE B Bate Carroll Whelan HB Yze Rivers Brown C Green Bruce Sylvia HF McLean Robertson Davey F McDonald Holland Pickett FOLL White Godfrey Johnstone I/C Bartram Dunn Jamar Moloney EMG Bell C Johnson Read In Dunn McLean Out Miller (groin strain) Wheatley (hamstring) New Lynden Dunn (Calder Cannons) GEELONG B Milburn Scarlett Hunt HB Rooke Mooney Egan C Enright Bartel Tenace HF G.Ablett Kingsley Kelly F Gardiner Ottens Chapman FOLL King Corey Ling I/C D Johnson Riccardi Slade Wojcinski EMG Balke Mackie Playfair In King Kingsley Riccardi Out Balke Callan Prismall (arm) Field umpires Kennedy Meredith Woodcock

by Barry from Beach Road Sandringham succumbed by 21 points to bayside neighbour Frankston on a gloomy rain drenched afternoon at the Trevor Barker Oval on Sunday. The reigning premiers were put on the back foot by the visitors who were totally committed to the football and applied relentless pressure from the very outset. Frankston dominated the rucks with Clarke and Eames holding a strong edge in experience over second gamer Shane Neaves giving the Dolphin on ball brigade first use of the football. Their forwards were then able to reap the benefit of the constant supply and, aided by a wind advantage were able to capitalise with a goal feast against what was regarded as the best defence in the competition. By quarter time, Frankston had seven goals on the board to Sandy's solitary two (one of which was kicked after the siren). As if that was not enough to jolt the Zebras back to reality, then two early goals against the wind from the Dolphins certainly did the trick. The problem with that was that by then Sandy was staring down the barrel of a 44 point deficit which is a difficult enough task to overcome in the best of conditions let along the wet, drizzly conditions that were prevailing on this afternoon. Nick Smith was called away from the forward line where he had been performing well and marking strongly and Nathan Jones lifted the work rate in the middle with the assistance of another youngster in Shane Valenti. Slowly, the home side began to work its way back into the game. Sandringham had Chris Johnson and Simon Buckley playing with dash and confidence on a wing while Lynden Dunn continued to underline his improvement with some strong wet weather marks. Nick Sautner who had been well covered came to the fore with a spectacular high mark and goal and by half time the deficit had been whittled down to 25 points - still a huge margin in these conditions. The Zebras continued to up their work rate after the break with a much stronger effort and threatened on a number of occasions to make serious inroads into the Dolphins' lead which was cut down to three goals late in the quarter. However, a lapse in concentration and a lack of discipline allowed them in for two crucial goals late in the term giving them a 31 point lead into the final quarter. That extra two goal buffer was precisely what the doctor ordered for the visitors. Coach Williams made a few moves and Ezra Poyas lifted his game on the forward line but while Sandy continued to threaten, it was all a case of too little, too late; especially once the rains came teeming down to blunt any possible wind advantage. It was a tough day at the office for Sandringham which suffered as a result of injuries to both AFL and VFL listed players. In particular the team missed out on the experience and presence of skipper Chad Liddell, Guy Rigoni and the suspended David Gallagher. With the 12/10 rule in vogue, the club gave a few new faces in Daniel Corp, Marc Johnson and Andrew Fleming an opportunity in the big time. Although they acquitted themselves well, it's difficult to replace players with hundreds of games of combined experience with first gamers, especially in the conditions that applied this week. Sandringham faces another difficult task on Sunday when it faces Tasmania in the Apple Isle. The Zebras had a lot of trouble with the Devils last year and are now in a position where a loss would see them dropping out of the top four with some further hard tasks coming up. Perhaps the defeat at the hands of Frankston will come as a sobering reality check for last year's premiers. Sandringham 2.0.12 5.5.35 9.9.63 11.15.81 Frankston 7.3.45 9.6.60 14.10.94 15.12.102 Scorers Dunn 3.4 Sautner 2.3 Smith 2.0 Valenti 2.0 Jones 1.2 Summers 1.0 Ward 0.2 Motlop 0.1 rushed 0.3 Best Jones Johnson Valenti Dunn Smith Ward HOW THE DEMONS FARED Daniel Bell - an encouraging display after playing half a game with the reserves last week coming back from a groin injury. Moved well and ran with a fair bit of dash after struggling early when the defence was under a lot of pressure. Simon Buckley - showed great pace and good long kicking skills on a wing but is very much an outside player and drifted out of the game as conditions worsened. Lynden Dunn - best of the Sandringham players. Presented well to the ball and held his marks in the wet and slippery conditions. Kicked 3 goals 4 behinds including a couple that he perhaps should not have missed. A five goal haul might just have been enough to cause the Demon selectors to start thinking about him for a run at AFL level. Danny Hughes - started on the interchange and wasn't on the ground all that much. Took the odd nice mark but that was about it. Chris Johnson - played well enough and showed a few flashes of brilliance on the wing and would be a favourite for to replace Paul Wheatley in the Melbourne team this week. Nathan Jones - worked hard to get into the game after a slowish start. Was in everything after quarter time and will be a valuable asset at AFL level once he learns a bit more about the tempo of senior football. Shannon Motlop - footy's such a fickle sport. Last week at Werribee, he had the ball on a string and picked up a million possessions. On Sunday, he seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and looked uncomfortable. Shane Neaves - well beaten in the ruck by a couple of experienced hands and made a couple of mistakes. Will learn from the experience. Phillip Read - had his moments but like Motlop, wasn't getting as much of the ball as he was last week and wasn't particularly dangerous around the packs. Nick Smith - played his best game yet for Sandy. Started as a forward and marked strongly for a couple of goals and was then seconded into the ruck where he did well around the ground. Has a big turning circle and that may not be fashionable at AFL level but he worked hard all day and could be rewarded with his first game since round 22. Daniel Ward - a good honest performance without being spectacular. Matthew Warnock - didn't have much of an impact. RESERVES CRASH by Zebraman After a bright opening whereby the Sandringham Reserves held a 13 point lead at quarter time, the Dolphins grabbed the initiate in a strong second quarter when they booted seven unanswered goals to take a stranglehold on the Sunday's curtain raiser. They then cruised to an easy 64 point victory over a somewhat shell shocked Sandy team. Forward Michael Newton showed out early but was again inaccurate, Tom Dean and Leigh Fletcher showed out at times and Demon youngster Heath Neville also impressed. The young Zebs can take a breather and regroup with a bye this week. Jace Bode - played a half and appeared to be injured. Andre Gianfagna - showed out with pace early and but only had an average game. Heath Neville - a good mark with lots of pace and was probably his team's best. Michael Newton - good early but kicked poorly for goal again. I would like to see him at a higher level to gauge his improvement. Sandringham 3.4.22 3.4.22 4.8.32 5.12.42 Frankston 1.3.9 8.6.54 10.8.68 16.10.106 Scorers Gullifer 1.2 Heywood 1.2 Newton 1.2 Mentiplay 1.1 Semmel 1.0 Turcarelli 0.2 Gianfagna 0.1 rushed 0.2 Best Dean Neville Heywood Gianfagna Fletcher Semmel Reported W Gullifer (Sandringham) for striking G Manson (Frankston)

A HIGHWAY OF DEMONS by Whispering Jack CHAPTER TWO - EVERY GRAIN OF SAND "Then onward in my journey I come to understand That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand." Bob Dylan [Every Grain of Sand] I am absolutely confident that I had never previously blacked out. Then again, I was also certain that I had not, in my present lifetime, ever been anywhere near Cairo, Egypt; but when the murky haze of unconsciousness started to lift, there was a pyramid standing far away on the desert horizon. Beside it, in the shimmering heat and the blinding sunshine, I could just pick out the Cheshire Cat grin of The Sphinx. The man I now knew as The Doctor was fidgeting with a metal gadget when he noticed I was regaining consciousness. "Good. I'm glad you've finally come around. That bit of fresh air must have helped. Mind you, I was getting a little worried. You were looking very pale. I think it's time to come back inside the Tardis and we'll have a cup of Chinese tea�, he said as he waved away a nasty horde of flies with the metal object in his hand. "Wh … where are we?" was my weak response. "We seem to have experienced a slight problem with my sonic screwdriver. It appears we may have overshot Stonehenge and landed here instead." Here. That’s great! It's grand final day. I'm missing the biggest game of the season, I'm lying face down with a mouthful of sand in some stiflingly hot desert in bloody Egypt in the company of a deranged octogenarian who just offered me a cup of Chinese tea, I'm due home at six o’clock and we have "a slight problem"? Right. I knew that it was important at such times to get a hold of oneself because, after all, the saving grace of the current situation was that things could not possibly get any worse. I was doing my best to do this when a huge metallic object suddenly appeared from over The Doctor's right shoulder. Sirens began to wail and red lights flashed across the heavens. From nowhere, dozens of heavily armed men in shiny uniforms made of a glossy reflecting fabric began moving menacingly in our direction. I was wrong. Things definitely could get worse. Then, for some eerie reason, I figured that we might not in fact be in Cairo, Egypt and this was soon confirmed when the leader of the group addressed us saying, "We've been expecting you folks. My name is Beyonce Springsteen and I’m your chaperone for the duration of your stay here. Welcome to Las Vegas!" Before we could utter a word we were taken on board the metallic craft and shuttled off to the sprawling city in the desert that lay immediately beyond the pyramid and The Sphinx. I was desperately seeking a word that could adequately describe the scene that lay before us but the only thing I was able to come up with was "futuristic". It was then that I noticed the sign in the foyer of the large hall into which we were deposited upon our arrival. "Las Vegas welcomes all Delegates to the 2064 Republican Party Convention. Thank you for supporting our candidate George Bush V in his campaign to become the 54th President of the United States of America." We were taken to a nice hotel room, clothed and fed and feted like kings. When I attempted to protest and explain that we weren’t there for a Republican Party Convention, that I was a citizen of Australia and wanted to be out of there as quickly as possible, The Doctor pinched my arm with enough vigour to force my silence. "The lad’s a little tired. Recently arrived from Australia and already missing home. You know how it is..." The response was immediate. "Yes, and don’t we just love you Aussies around here? I’ve always had a soft spot for you guys since you became our 53rd state way back in, when was it? Forty-six? You’re going to be right at home on this visit. In fact, I have some tickets for tonight’s big Ozrules Playoff match at the George Orwell Stadium. You will both be my special guests." I entered the Stadium feeling mightily miffed about the fact that everyone had been calling it the "G". Then I discovered that the place was not what I thought it was at all. I know what a casino looks like because I have been to a couple of James Bond movies and this was certainly a casino but nothing like the ones they have in exotic places like Monte Carlo or on a Hollywood movie set. The machines and tables were all electronic, full of noise, bright lights and non-stop virtual action. Our hosts provided us with enough chips to while away an hour or so before the big game. The Doctor lost but I struck it lucky and won four or five billion dollars so I shouted everybody a cup of coffee and cake which I later discovered was made from cryogenic plankton (whatever that was) but it did taste nice. During the afternoon, I learned that the opposing sides for the big playoff were the New Orleans Daleks and the Las Vegas Cybermen. Springsteen tried to impress us with a gag about how the visiting team was notorious for its flooding tactics and while it produced gales of uncontrollable laughter among most of the group, I sat there quite stony faced. I simply didn't get the joke. I managed to get some laughs of my own however, when I suggested that it would be nice if we could get a look at the playing field before the start of the game. This prompted a comment from our host that he just loved that wry Aussie sense of humour. I had a feeling now that we were in for another surprise. It turned out that there was no playing field at the George Orwell Stadium in Las Vegas at all. Not a single blade of grass. The vegetation had been removed long ago when it was decided to put the thermonuclear plant in the middle of the complex. The Doctor scratched his head when heard this, claiming that he now understood why the Tardis had been knocked off its course and out of its intended time zone while on its way to Stonehenge. He started playing with his sonic screwdriver and was soon muttering what sounded like gibberish but must have been some complex algebraic equation. He was in a world of his own. Certainly, it was a different world from that of Las Vegas in 2064 where they played the sport of Ozrules. I was in for further shocks when we were taken into a large auditorium that was plastered with neon signs that advertised strange products which could be purchased through simply transferring your intention to purchase by thought processes. It was all too complicated for me but I was impressed when an announcement was made that the Ozrules Corporation had broken all previous sales records in the first 15 seconds after the opening of the turnstiles. I discovered that the game was played on a three dimensional holographic plasma screen which hovered above the spectators. There were no players in this sport. Not the human type anyway. The participants were essentially robots whose actions were controlled by people located in a number of different places throughout the solar system. These people were called the "brains trust" and I suppose you might say they were akin to the team's coaching panel. When the lights went out, the crowd looked up. From deep inside the plasma, a "playing field" suddenly emerged from a shimmering cloud of dust particles that somehow came together to form what looked like a chessboard. A siren hooted in the background and the protagonists appeared in their allocated positions on the chessboard grid. Facing each other off, they looked decidedly sinister. Another siren hooted and the crowd began to scream like banshees as a shiny orb cascaded from the ether and onto the board. I knew one thing. The ball had not been manufactured from good old fashioned pigskin. The game was on. To my horror I was watching my favourite sport as it had evolved in the century that had passed since I left home, even though from my perspective, I had been away for no more than a day and a night. The problem with the game as it was now played was that I simply couldn't understand what it was all about. The players were moving sideways, backwards, in circles and everywhere in a totally incoherent fashion. There were no goal posts and no behind posts. I learned from my hosts that these had been deemed unnecessary and done away with in the great rule change of 'twenty-five. Obviously, there were no goal umpires either. Nor were there any field umpires because they had apparently gone out of vogue in the wake of the 9/11 Part III massacre of the maggots in 'thirty-one. What surprised me most of all was that two decades ago, President Snoop Dog who also doubled as the World Football League CEO, had persuaded Congress to ban sporting journalists so that public forums were bereft of any criticism or commentary about the sport. I was now becoming extremely nervous and restless despite the fact that the game was a close one. What I was seeing was a complete shambles and I was reaching the end of my tether. An old timer who had been watching from behind me was muttering something about "unmitigated crap". Like him, I'd had enough. I wanted to be back with the other old timers on earth. In my home town and back in 1964 watching my heroes playing the game when it was a great spectacle, uncorrupted by the ravages of time and commercialism. Impulsively, I rose from my perch and dashed out of the darkened auditorium into a hallway just as the home team’s number five performed what must have been an amazing feat because it drew a huge cheer for the first time in the evening. But by then I was racing out of the "G" with The Doctor hot on my heels. I had to get back home. I now knew that my life had a purpose. I had to put a stop to this. "I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light, In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space, In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face. I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me. I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand." Bob Dylan [Every Grain of Sand] [TO BE CONTINUED...]

by Scoop Junior On a dark, gray day at the MCG, the Demons and Kangaroos put on an exhibition of footy that adequately reflected the weather. With both sides flooding and the Roos unwilling to cough up easy possession of the ball, the game at times resembled soccer, basketball and a number of other games with the exception of Aussie Rules football. If not for a blistering second term and a thrilling final few minutes, neutral fans would have had no trouble deleting the match from the memory bank. And if not for the natural passion felt by Dees and Roos fans in watching their own sides, they would probably have felt the same. After improving each week – from a disgraceful Round 1 loss to Carlton to a gutsy, spirited Round 4 victory over Sydney – Melbourne took a small step back, putting in an ordinary performance to narrowly fall over the line. Apart from a 15-minute burst in the second quarter, the team did not appear to get out of second gear and was fortunate to win. Yes, it was a gritty performance and you take the four premiership points, but it was painstakingly close to a disastrous 1-4 start to the season. Credit can be given to the Kangaroos as they battled away all day, but they were a side low on confidence and their skill level at times was poor. After building a four-goal lead against such opposition, a team really needs to go on with it and ice the game. But, as the Demons often do so well, they stopped running late in the second term, went into their shells and played containment football. I can't understand why, with the opposition on the ropes, the team does not go in for the kill, instead of sitting on its lead until the inevitable swing in momentum. That momentum change came early in the third term and within the blink of an eye the Roos were back on level terms. From that point on, the game was a scrap, with both sides fighting hard and the Dees ultimately coming out on top courtesy of a James McDonald goal in time-on in the last term. Without the efforts of Pickett and Davey, Melbourne would have gone down. The former was inspirational early, setting the tone for a lethargic Demon outfit with wonderful attack on the footy, run, tackling and delivery. He tired as the game wore on, but was clearly Melbourne's best player and has the potential to add some serious bite to the midfield rotation. Davey's class shone out on a game devoid of it, his clever little kicks setting up a number of goals (including one to debutant Bate) and nailing three himself, including two clutch goals late in the game. Stand-in captain Cameron Bruce was slightly down on the high standards he has set for himself by his scintillating form in the opening four rounds, but was still one of his side's best. His clearance work is definitely underrated by many. Brad Miller started on Thompson and was beaten but not disgraced, as the Roo had one of those days where he was marking everything. I would have liked to see Miller play in front more often, as he did successfully against Barry Hall. His move forward in the third term was overdue and he provided some presence after Ben Holland struggled to make an impact in his limited stints up forward. Jared Rivers left the field with a knee injury in the second term but returned to be a handy contributor. His ability to spoil and bring the ball to ground was important on a day where the Roos had a dominating presence close to goal. Adem Yze displayed why his back line days are behind him with a polished display up forward. A player with such an uncanny ability to manufacture goals must be played where he is most dangerous. Consistent application is the key for Yze as he fell away completely after a good start to 2005 and was close to being dropped after terrible form in the opening few rounds. Brad Green did a solid job of containing Daniel Harris but unfortunately for Greeny his disposal is starting to resemble that of a tagger. His kicks have far too much hang time and he failed to find the target on a number of occasions. As one of the most skilful players in the side, he needs to improve in this area. Travis Johnstone shook off a heavy tag from Brady Rawlings to be a solid contributor. One of the highlights of the day was the debut of Matthew Bate. The strong-bodied redhead showed few nerves, booting a 55 metre goal with his first kick and backing himself to take the opposition on when in possession of the ball. This is a great sign for an 18-year-old, as it shows that he is confident in his ability and prepared to play to his strengths in order to exploit the opposition. The growing injury list undoubtedly had an effect on the match. While the Kangas were close to full strength, the Dees were missing key players Neitz and McLean and possibles Bizzell and Bell, while Robertson is clearly hampered by a knee injury. I don't know whether that is affecting his balance, but Robbo must try to keep his feet more at contests because at the moment he is on the ground far too often. So, while they will take the four points gleefully, the Demons must realise that their performance has to lift in the weeks ahead. No such luxuries will be afforded against Geelong, while Fremantle are a talented side that on their day can knock off anyone (or at least force a draw) anywhere. After that come the Hawks, who are much improved, the Eagles at Subiaco and the Saints. There surely are no easy games in this even competition. But, there are games which are easier than others and it was disappointing that the Dees failed to secure their victory over the Roos in a more comfortable fashion. Melbourne 1.3.9 7.5.47 9.9.63 13.12.90 Kangaroos: 2.4.16 3.9.27 9.12.66 12.14.86 Goals Yze 4 Davey 3 Bate Green Johnstone McDonald Robertson Wheatley Best Pickett Davey Yze Bruce Johnstone Injury Wheatley (hamstring) Reports Nil Umpires Donlon Chamberlain Wenn Crowd 30,392 at the MCG

by Whispering Jack A long time ago, I used to live next door to an old St. Kilda supporter who once acquainted me with the legend of the crest on his team's guernsey. During the depression years, wins were few and far between for the Saints. There was little to cheer about if you happened to be an avid fan of the red, white and black. Then one day they were playing against North Melbourne and things were looking decidedly bleak. One by one, the players came off with injury and in the end, the team was down to only 16 fit men who fought courageously to record a memorable victory. The supporters celebrated wildly for days on end and the committee decided to add a black cross emblem to signify the courage of the players - a sort of tribute to the momentous achievement of winning this one single game of football. I wondered when I heard the story why such a big deal had been made by the club for a single day's achievement. Surely, you would expect the members of your team to display courage every time they ran onto the ground? I thought perhaps that the answer might be that St. Kilda had never tasted the ultimate in success in the sport or perhaps it was the other way around - that St. Kilda was always focused on what little it had achieved in its history and simply didn't have the right mindset to focus on achieving the ultimate in the sport. At the time when the story was told, there were teams around like Melbourne and Collingwood which expected that sort of effort from their players every week of the season - and that's why they were winners and the Saints were losers. While competitive football at the elite level is about a lot of things, surely the ultimate has to be the winning of the whole competition - to finish top dog, not just to be there for one week or for one month but to come out on top at the very end. Ask any footballer what their ultimate aim is and they'll tell you that it's not for the money or for the moments of individual glory or anything else but to hold the premiership cup aloft at the end of the season. And it's the strong and successful clubs that demand heroics every time their teams grace the field. This is a given thing when your aim is the winning of the flag. The story of the St. Kilda crest and it's day of glory came back to me when the compliments started rolling in for the Demons after their Anzac Round heroics against Sydney. I have no objection to heaping praise on the team for its courage under fire but let's not get too carried away with the handing out of kudos. Praise is one thing but why should we be so effusive in handing out bouquets to a team that has had such an under whelming start to the season? Are we satisfied with one win in the opening four rounds including a miserable defeat to start proceedings at the hands of last year's wooden spooners? Malcolm Blight famously said after Geelong, the team he was coaching, was well beaten in the opening round of the 1994 season (by Melbourne) that a football season is not a sprint, but a marathon. Unfortunately, by losing the opening three games of 2006, the Demons lagged well below the lead pack early in their marathon run. Some Melbourne supporters were already talking in terms of a best case scenario in which their team barely scraped into the final eight as if they have given up the ghost as far as the top four is concerned. To them I say that the minute you take your eyes of the main goal then you're half way to defeat and failure. For the first 22 rounds of the season the way to achieve the main goal comes through finishing in the top four, not just the top eight as Melbourne has done in each of the last two years. To achieve that, you still have to be in positive territory as far as your win/loss ratio is concerned. To make top four, you probably need 14 wins, possibly fifteen. Q: So where does Melbourne stand after its glorious victory in Sydney last weekend? A: With just a single win or a 25% success rate and a lousy percentage to boot! In order to get into positive territory, the Demons therefore have to win their next three games and win them well. To remain there, they have to win all of the next four. Thankfully, those four games are all going to be played on home territory - the magnificent new look MCG - against the Kangaroos, Geelong, Fremantle and Hawthorn. Perhaps when the players have worked hard enough to achieve courageous wins in all four will I start thinking about handing out some light praise for their efforts. You see, I don't want my club to end up like the St. Kilda of old which was satisfied to merely enjoy the odd scraps that occasional victories can bring without tasting the golden nectar that only come from drinking out of a premiership cup. And that brings us to the rest of the season, which starts with Melbourne's first true home game for 2006 against the Kangaroos. As mentioned above, this is the first of four consecutive games at the home of football and provides the club with the perfect launching pad to recover ownership of this magnificent stadium we call our home. The 'Roos are in a trough and looking at the vision of them at training under Dean Laidley during the week and the body language wasn't all that flash. Melbourne will not want to take them lightly and despite their injury worries, the Demons have the depth and, on recent form, they also seem to have the opposition's measure. The inclusion of the in form pair of Holland and Bate along with Jamar and Moloney will add a touch of much needed freshness to the side. I'm hoping that the players won't be satisfied with their one week of glory under the Sydney sun and that they do exactly what is needed in the vital week after the glory - to win and win well. I'm tipping a margin of 55 points. MELBOURNE v KANGAROOS Where and when: MCG 2:10pm (AEST), Saturday 29 April 2006 TV & Radio: Channel 10 (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth), Fox Footy (Adelaide), Triple M (Melbourne), ABC, 3AW Head to Head: Melbourne 59 Kangaroos 81 Drawn 1 Last Time They Met - Melbourne 17.14.116 d Kangaroos 11.14.80 Manuka Oval, Round 11, 2005. MELBOURNE B Miller Carroll Whelan HB Yze Rivers Brown C Green Bruce Sylvia HF Bate Robertson Davey F McDonald Holland Pickett Foll White Godfrey Johnstone I/C Bartram Jamar Moloney Wheatley Emergencies C Johnson Read Ward In Bate Jamar Holland Moloney Out P Johnson (shoulder) McLean (adductor) Neitz (hip flexor) Warnock New Matthew Bate (Eastern Ranges) KANGAROOS B Archer, Hay Pratt HB Brown, Perry Firrito C Sinclair, Harris B Rawlings HF Grant, Petrie Green F Co Jones Thompson Harding Foll Hale Harvey Simpson I/C Rocca Sansbury Wells Makepeace Emergencies LeCras Swallow Watt In Archer Out Trotter

by Scoop Junior Football is a game of momentum. When you have it, it is a stronger force than a dominant key forward, a determined midfielder or a rugged defender. Things seem to go your way – the bounce of the ball, crucial umpiring decisions, lack of injuries, etc. – and it becomes a driving force to win the match. On the other hand, when your opposition has the momentum, it is akin to swimming against a strong tide, as it seems that despite the effort put in, it will amount to nothing in the end. When Nick Davis took a few bounces and slotted through a goal in the third term to reduce the margin to under three goals, the crowd lifted and the momentum shifted heavily in the home side's favour. David Neitz, Brock McLean and Paul Johnson were out for the game and the only fit man on the bench was barely that, with Colin Sylvia having suffered some mild concussion earlier in the match. Sydney kicked a couple more quick ones and at three quarter time looked to be the team with all the momentum. But the Demons, a team often criticised (and justifiably so) for their inability to fight their way out of a rut and arrest the momentum did exactly that, silencing the home crowd to pull away to handy two-goal lead in a tight and torrid final term. To the Swans' credit, they too fought back and found themselves a goal down with roughly 10 minutes remaining in the match. What transpired in these last 10 minutes will long live in the memory of Demons fans. Neither side gave an inch as contest after contest resulted in much effort without much gain. With five minutes remaining, Jared Rivers was penalised for holding the ball (somewhat harshly considering the interpretation of holding the ball employed by the men in yellow during the match). Adam Schneider withdrew his hand in a bid to let the ball float over his head after Rivers threw it back to him. It was a con job and the umpire was sucked in completely, penalising the Demon 50 metres and in the process handing Sydney back the all-important momentum. As a Melbourne fan, you cannot be anything but pessimistic in such a situation. We have seen it all before – a questionable decision gifting the opposition a goal, injured players on the bench, vocal opposition support from the stands – and it seemed inevitable that the Swans would score again and steal the match. Well, these were my thoughts anyway and with the clock racing to 30 minutes (and no idea of how much time was left), it appeared that one more score, if there was still time, would settle it. But the Demons refused to roll over and accept a fourth straight defeat. They bravely held on as Sydney bombarded their attacking 50, not allowing the Swans to register a score. A Demons’ score seemed light years away, with Melbourne struggling to even get the ball inside 50. It was just excruciating sitting there, with the time clock ticking over 33 minutes. How long could the quarter go? The siren surely must be seconds away. Can we stop them scoring? But we want to score ourselves and not finish with a draw! It was almost too much to bear. Nathan Carroll laid a tremendous bump on Goodes to stop the Swan in his tracks. Against conventional wisdom, Melbourne managed to scrounge the ball forward, where an errant Ben Matthews handball was intercepted by Travis Johnstone, whose quick kick sent the ball within range for the Demons. I could just picture it: the siren finally sounds when we are so close to our goals, a drawn game, all that effort in vain…there’s the pessimism again! But time seemed to stand still as Nathan Brown's handball to Bruce set up the match-winning goal. Oh, the joy! The roar from the Melbourne section was not dissimilar to a late goal in a final at the MCG, as Demons fans jumped up and down in ecstasy with the team's first win on the cards. Still, though, the timekeepers had other ideas and the familiar Melbourne pessimism was almost justified as Sydney managed to create a last-ditch scoring chance. However, Nick Malceski's effort drifted wide of the goals and the Demons hung on to record one of their most memorable road wins. It really was a tremendous effort. The momentum was with Sydney and to be able to prevent them from scoring in the dying minutes and actually go down and kick a goal ourselves was testament to the character of the group on the day. Bruce again led the way for the Dees with an excellent game, while Byron Pickett stepped up in the midfield to fill the void left by McLean. His experience and attack on the footy was critical. Jeff White kicked two goals and out-pointed Darren Jolly in the ruck, Brad Green cut out the influence of Brett Kirk while James McDonald worked hard all day but let himself down with some wayward disposal. The defence was tremendous, with Brad Miller claiming Barry Hall’s scalp for the second year running, Carroll completely nullifying the dangerous Michael O'Loughlin, Jared Rivers providing plenty of assistance for his teammates with some terrific spoils and Matthew Whelan slowly returning to form as the match wore on. A win such as this can do wonders for a team's season. However, it must not be forgotten that Melbourne defeated Adelaide and Sydney early in the season last year only to fall away and be a shadow of the competitive, hungry and spirited side that it was early in 2005. The Demons have shown that they can match it with two of the better inside stoppage teams in the Swans and Crows, but this is nothing new as we have done so in the past. What we have not been able to do is sustain this intensity, spirit and determination over the course of a season. This is the key challenge that faces this football team. Put simply, anyone on their day can produce a spirited win…the key to being an elite team in the competition is to invoke the right attitude consistently over the course of the season. For the time being, though, let’s not take anything away from a truly memorable win that will no doubt go down as one of Melbourne's best in recent times. Melbourne 3.3.21 7.5.47 10.6.66 15.7.97 Sydney 4.2.26 6.6.42 9.10.64 13.14.92 Goals A Yze 3 C Bruce A Davey P Johnson J White 2 B McLean D Neitz B Pickett R Robertson Best B Pickett A Davey A Yze C Bruce J McDonald Injuries A Davey (finger) P Johnson (shoulder) B McLean (groin) D Neitz (hip) C Sylvia (concussion) Reports Nil Umpires M James M Ellis T Pannell Crowd 29,167 at SCG POST SCRIPT Anyone planning to go to Sydney in the future should definitely attend the NSW Demons pre-match brunch. It was very well organised and excellent to hear from Anthony Rock and Steve Harris. It is a great opportunity to meet Sydney-based Melbourne supporters and to basically talk "Demons" with fellow Melbourne supporters prior to the game. Well done NSW Demons!

by Barry from Beach Road The Sandringham Football Club is starting to make winning games at Chirnside Park a habit. Last year, the Zebras travelled there to take on Werribee at a time when they were clinging to a top four spot and they hit the home side hard early in the match before a stirring Tiger comeback almost stole the points away from them. Sunday's game followed almost the same script with Sandy quickly out of the blocks to lead by 19 points at quarter time and by 53 at the long break. After that, it was Werribee who fought hard to get back into the game but all to no avail - the Zebra lead was far too great and the resolve of the visitors was far too strong. Sandringham laid the foundation for its victory in the opening ten minutes when it won the early arm wrestle with its superlative defence taking complete control. Ben Holland was stationed at centre half back and he was in magnificent marking form helped by the fact that, although not a single Tiger forward could match him for height, the home side kept bombing the ball up in the air allowing him to put his considerable aerial talents on display. He was flanked by a dominant pair in Daniel Ward and Chris Johnson who ran through the defensive lines creating many attacks with their style and flair. In the last line of defence, Chris Lamb stopped anything that managed to get past the half back line and he was capably assisted by Ezra Poyas and Andy Biddlecombe. The team hardly missed the courage of skipper Chad Liddell at all after he was injured early in the game while performing his usual Anzac-like heroics in a pack. The midfield was dominated by Phil Read and Shannon Motlop. Read was tough and uncompromising while Motlop was ever so skilful and mesmerised the Werribee on ballers. They were well supported by Peter Summers, Matthew Bate, Nathan Jones, Shane Valenti and occasionally Guy Rigoni who together fed the forward line well, particularly in the first half. The ruck duels were also won by the Sandringham pair of Shane Neaves, who impressed with his bulk, size and marking on senior debut, and Nick Smith who played what was probably his best game in Sandringham colours (even if those colours were the alternative predominantly sky blue strip). Sandy also had a winning pair on the wings in David Gallagher and the super fast Simon Buckley while Daniel Hughes continued to impress on a flank. Nick Sautner was in his element early but finished with just three goals after being double-teamed for much of an unproductive second half. One of the highlights of the forward line was the athleticism and mobility of Lynden Dunn at half forward. The youngster kicked two goals and was responsible for a few more as he often ran rings around the opposition defenders. Werribee counter attacked strongly when kicking with the aid of the breeze in the third quarter and scored four goals in the opening five minutes to cut Sandy's lead in half before the Zebras again regrouped and managed to stave off any further Tiger advances thanks again to that resolute defence. The last quarter remained a battle of the defences and, although it was Werribee that was finishing the better, Sandringham never looked in real danger and ran out 19-point winners. If there was one concern, it was described by coach Mark Williams who said after the game that "we ran out of legs a bit in the end." It was pleasing however, that for the most part, the team managed to control the play on a ground the size of Chirnside Park and one that is widely regarded as a graveyard for visiting teams. That is clearly no longer the case where Sandringham is concerned and I reflected on this on my way out of the ground recalling that a little way down the road, down at the Werribee zoo, there is a herd of zebra who happily roam the wide open spaces and, if they could talk, they would also call this place home. NICK SAUTNER Congratulations to Nick Sautner who played his 175th VFL match in this game and thereby earned a well deserved Life Membership of the VFL. Sautner has played in Sandringham's last four premierships (1997, 200, 2004-5) and won the Frosty Miller Medal as leading goal kicker in the competition six times in a row from 1999-2004. After being restricted with injury for much of 2005 he worked hard over the pre season and has returned looking superbly fit recording 14 goals in the opening three rounds. HOW THE DEMONS FARED - with thanks to Axis of Bob (formerly known as Spunjy) Matthew Bate - just went this week and was nowhere near the damaging player he has been in recent games. He used the ball pretty well, but just didn't get a hell of a lot of it. Looked dangerous when he went forward. Simon Buckley - again, didn't get a great deal of it, but he is a beautiful kick and is genuinely good on both sides of the body. In fact, it's unusual to see a late developer who is such a skilled player on both sides. Lynden Dunn - keeps getting better. Was on Bulldog listed player McGuinness in the first half and killed him (especially in the 2nd quarter). McGuinness was good when moved forward after half time, and Dunn got another Bulldog in Garth who was a stronger body. Dunn ran him and beat him on the lead many times, but Garth was better one on one. He has now become the Sandy CHF, after spending his past games as a bench/forward pocket. Ben Holland - you would think they'd learn after he took his first 10 marks, but still Werribee kept kicking the ball long to him and he kept on marking the pill. He would have had about 15 marks for the game, I'd guess. Used the ball well, too. Definitely BOG. Daniel Hughes - didn't do a great deal although he won more of the ball one the ground than he usually does, which is a real positive for him. Kicked a goal. Chris Johnson - excellent game from Chris. Took some good marks, was strong at the ball and used it so well off half back. A very promising game in that the style of game he played was a strong defensive game which included him winning a lot of the ball, rather than solely an attacking game. Impressive. Nathan Jones - struggled to really get into the game. Obviously a good player, and is doing some good things, but just not enough. I suppose I'm rating him hard because I do rate him, but he's not quite up to promotion yet. Shannon Motlop - a quality player at this level. Steps this way, that way, spins, then runs away once his pursuers trip over themselves. Was especially good in the first half (as it was with most Sandy players) where his creativity helped break up the play. Shane Neaves - I liked his game. Looks to be better around the ground and took some strong grabs, including one that resulted in a goal. Tap work was good and I think it was a good step into VFL football for him. Phil Read - started like a house on fire with his attack on the ball and clean hands. Was especially effective in the first quarter where Sandy had the ascendancy going into a stiff breeze. Faded towards the end of the game. Nick Smith - with PJ out, and Neaves still young, he played a lot of his time in the ruck. When he did he was excellent, with good tap work and did very well around the ground. Took marks and read the play very well. Daniel Ward - played a typical Wardy VFL game. Played, more or less, on the wings where he used his obvious pace advantage and was good. Sandringham 4.4.28 9.9.63 12.10.82 12.13.85 Werribee 1.3.9 1.4.10 6.9.45 9.12.66 Goals Sautner 3 Dunn 2 Bate Holland Hughes Neaves Read Summers Ward Best Holland Biddlecombe C Johnson Motlop Ward Smith Reported D Gallagher (Sandringham) striking LADDER W L D FOR AGST % PTS N. BALLARAT 3 0 0 394 242 162.8 12 SANDRINGHAM 3 0 0 329 204 161.3 12 N'THERN BULLANTS 2 0 0 187 122 153.3 8 TASMANIA 2 1 0 286 219 130.6 8 WILLIAMSTOWN 2 1 0 255 249 102.4 8 WERRIBEE 1 2 0 333 295 112.9 4 FRANKSTON 1 1 0 205 184 111.4 4 COBURG TIGERS 1 2 0 301 284 106.0 4 CASEY SCORPIONS 1 1 0 165 205 80.5 4 PORT MELBOURNE 1 2 0 290 362 80.1 4 GEELONG 1 2 0 282 353 79.9 4 BOX HILL HAWKS 0 3 0 203 325 62.5 0 BENDIGO BOMBERS 0 3 0 237 423 56.0 0 SANDY RESERVES HOLD ON by The Zebra A six goal opening quarter highlighted by a strong performance at centre half forward from Michael Newton helped Sandringham reserves to take a 35 point lead into the first break at Chirnside Park on Sunday. While Werribee bounced back with the aid of the wind in the second term the home side was never able to bridge the gap and Sandy held them off in the last quarter to record a 10 point win and reclaim a place in the top five after last week's disappointment at the hands of Box Hill. Marc Johnston again played a fine game on the ball and he had plenty of helpers in the form of the busy Andrew Fleming, Daniel Corp and Leigh Fletcher. Mark Gibb was again solid in defence which was aided by a very solid performance from Heath Neville who looks to be going places in football. Steven Ott did a sterling job in the ruck while Vaughn Evans made a pleasing return after a long lay off with injury. The reserves take on Frankston this Sunday in what will be a tough test against a team that handed them a flogging a Frankston City Oval early in the practice match series. The young Zebras will be out to show they have improved greatly on that performance. HOW THE DEMONS FARED - with thanks to Axis of Bob (formerly known as Spunjy) Daniel Bell - only played the first half, but looked good throughout. Was involved in some strong contests and I hope he has pulled up OK. Jace Bode - also only played the first half. Some smart bits of play playing mainly half back/half forward. I don't know if the rest was preplanned or injury related, however he didn't appear to come off injured. Andre Gianfagna - played like a left footed wingman, but showed more strength at the ball than he has in the past. Very neat left foot kick and used his pace to wheel onto to it and out of trouble on many occasions. Was very important late in the game with his running through the middle. Heath Neville - this was the first time I've seen him and he was very strong, with clean hands and excellent overhead. Still looks to be working his way into the game after a long layoff and came off with cramp late, before taking a strong mark up forward upon his return to the field. Looks to be a leader too. Michael Newton - I was very impressed in that he now looks to be a real go to player. Last year he just floated in and out of the play, but is now presenting hard and commanding the ball. Kicked goals, but missed a lot of shots finishing with 4 goals 6 (after 1.5 last week) but some were from difficult angles and a long way out. Executed a couple of quality smothers and chases and can't be too far away from a promotion on that form he showed. One thing that still irks me is that he can drift off after making an effort and watch the play, which seems to be more of a concentration thing - but he's improving. Sandringham 6.2.38 7.7.49 11.13.79 12.16.88 Werribee 0.3.3 4.6.30 7.9.51 11.12.78 Goals Newton 4 Fleming Mentiplay 2 Bell Corp Semmel Turcarelli Best Johnston Neville Corp Newton Fleming Fletcher Reported Kris Thompson (Werribee) wrestling Michael Newton (Sandringham) wrestling LADDER W L D FOR AGST % PTS WILLIAMSTOWN 2 0 0 289 65 444.6 8 FRANKSTON 2 0 0 258 86 300.0 8 CASEY SCORPIONS 2 0 0 205 184 111.4 8 BOX HILL HAWKS 2 1 0 304 287 105.9 8 SANDRINGHAM 2 1 0 257 263 97.7 8 N'THERN BULLANTS 1 1 0 185 181 102.2 4 WERRIBEE 1 2 0 286 319 89.7 4 COBURG TIGERS 1 2 0 280 353 79.3 4 BENDIGO BOMBERS 1 2 0 226 330 68.5 4 PORT MELBOURNE 0 2 0 165 223 74.0 0 N. BALLARAT 0 3 0 176 340 51.8 0

by Whispering Jack I hope nobody misinterprets what I am about to say but my first thought when I heard about David Neitz and his hip injury was that it could not have come at a worse time for the club and it's long serving skipper. However, the second thought was that the injury could be a blessing in disguise for the club after a disappointing opening month to season 2006. Now, before you start heaping abuse upon me, let me say that I'm never pleased when a player suffers an injury, let alone when the player is the captain who is about to break some long standing club records. The injury is compounded by the fact that it is one of a spate of injuries the club is presently experiencing and which have contributed to the disruption of the early part of this season. Further, Neita's injury would have to be particularly painful for a bloke who sat in the stands and watched helplessly as his club failed dismally in both of its recent finals campaigns, frustrated by such tragic ends to years that promised so much but left us all unfulfilled. Apparently, the hip flexor injury is not as bad as it looked at half time yesterday and the news is that the skipper will be back within a couple of weeks. Hopefully, by then he'll be moving on freely in the direction of some well earned club records and personal milestones and to the well deserved accolades he will most certainly will receive at some stage down the track this season. In the meantime, there's no use crying over spilt milk. You simply can't afford to do that when you're sitting on 1-3 after the first month of the season. There's no option but to get on with it and to accentuate the positive after the team's first win for 2006. The likely absence, even for two weeks, of the club's captain and full forward does raise a few issues and I'll look at two of them here. 1. LEADERSHIP The debate has been raging around the Melbourne Football Club for a few years. Who will take over the leadership reins when the record breaking Neitz era comes to an end? There was a time when Adem Yze and Jeff White were the next likely leaders but a new leadership group emerged over the off season with Russell Robertson leading the running just ahead of a couple of maturing players in Cameron Bruce and Brad Green. Then there is an even younger still candidate in Brad Miller. Until yesterday, all of the talk was academic but if Neitz is to miss the next two or three weeks through injury, there will be opportunities for the remaining members of the leadership group to test their mettle. My personal preference is for Cameron Bruce to be given the opportunity to lead the side in the skipper's absence and for Robbo, whose output has been reduced by his own niggling worries this year, to concentrate on returning to his very best on the Demon forward line. The main advantages in having Bruce as an on field leader is firstly, that he is in top form and would be leading the club’s best and fairest award with daylight second at this stage and secondly, he plays in the midfield. The latter consideration should not be underestimated in today's football. The problem with having a full forward as your on field leader is that when the team's in trouble, it's difficult for the skipper to inspire if he's anchored in the forward line when he's really needed much further afield. 2. THE FORWARD LINE From the opening bounce of the 2006 season, Melbourne's forward line has failed to live up to expectations. With Neita and Robbo down on form, the team has struggled to kick winning totals and, after four rounds has yet to top the 100 point mark. The skipper's four goal haul at Carrara has been the most goals scored by a Demon in any one game. Most of the club's scores seem to have been scrounged around in individual efforts and, whilst it’s good to spread the goal scoring around, there’s definitely been a problem with the team’s forward half – it just hasn't been playing with the confidence and purpose of the first half of 2005 when Robbo and Yze were dangerous, Ben Holland, Miller and Neitz provided great tall man presence and Aaron Davey was causing havoc at their feet. The loss of the skipper now forces the coaching panel to recast the forward line. Ben Holland is likely to return this week after showing some good form at Sandringham but the selectors may also bring some younger talent into the mix as well. A different approach to both the leadership and forward line set up and some fresh new faces might be the very thing the club needs to build up the inspiration of its thrilling Anzac Round victory and to shrug off its indifferent start to the new football season.