Demonland

And Preuss is off.

My apologies to the 20th century. Spencer Street station.

Walking from Southern Cross Station to the ground there are way more Bulldogs than Demons.

Calf injury

Weideman out with a calf injury.

Which results leave the back door open for our dream run to the finals?

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There was so much hype proliferating about Melbourne’s prospects for season 2019 a mere four months ago, that one could be forgiven for thinking anyone contemplating the prospect of a bottom four finish for the Demons at the time was barking mad. That however, is the prospect that they face at the moment and a loss to the Bulldogs on Sunday would make it a virtual certainty. The club’s downward spiral after several years of moving steadily on an upward trajectory has been well documented if not well understood. The factors leading to its demise have also been discussed and debated ever since the opening round debacle on the MCG at the hands of Port Adelaide. I don’t propose to go into them here except to bring up the element of continuity. One of the main ingredients in successful teams in our competition is the ability to achieve coherence in play from week to week meaning that teams that have changes forced upon them on a regular basis both between and within games will ultimately fail. This has been the lot of the Melbourne Football Club in 2019 and when we look at that injury list we can get an understanding of the disaster of a season that has confronted the team. The silver lining in the future may well be that a number of individuals who might not otherwise have received their opportunity as early as they have done this year but the fact remains that the continuity that can ensure that teams play well to their game plan has not been in place this season. And so on to Marvel Stadium against the Western Bulldogs who have been almost as flakey as the Demons this year. The two sides look evenly matched on the ground that Melbourne is visiting for the first time this year. It’s also a ground at which they have enjoyed recent success against their opposition and though the Dogs have struck a rare vein of form beating ladder leaders Geelong and finals aspirant Port Adelaide in Adelaide after coming close to victory over Collingwood, I’m not convinced about them. The tightness of the stadium strikes me as suiting Melbourne’s style of play far better than the MCG these days. Who knows, they might even discover ways of kicking goals from 35 metres out on a ground of this configuration given that they still have the ability to win the midfield clearances and get the ball inside their forward fifty metre arc. They simply need to finish things off. I’ve been clamouring all year for more of the Maxy/Preuss combination but my pleas have, until now, fallen on deaf ears. It might now be forced heavily upon the selectors by virtue to injuries to the likes of Tom McDonald and Tim Smith (strangely, the latter isn’t even on the club’s injury list but he missed last week and was with the rehab group at training this week) which, together with Preuss’ form against the Blues, makes him a big chance to play up forward on Maxy’s return. In his previous games in that role he kicked two goals in both matches. When he’s up there in the forward line, his teammates stand taller. So you can call me barking mad but I can see an upset brewing and accordingly, I’m tipping the Demons to get the better of the Bulldogs on Sunday and win by 25 points. THE GAME Western Bulldogs v Melbourne at Marvel Stadium, Sunday 14 July, 2019 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Western Bulldogs 76 wins Melbourne 88 wins 1 draw At Marvel Stadium Western Bulldogs 9 wins Melbourne 8 wins Last Five Meetings Western Bulldogs 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches Beveridge 0 wins Goodwin 3 wins MEDIA TV – Channel 7 Fox Sports3 live at 3.00pm Radio – TBA THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 18.11.119 defeated Western Bulldogs 10.9.69 at the MCG, Round 17, 2018 The Doggies provided tough opposition until the main break but in the last half, Max Gawn put on a clinic in the ruck and gave his midfield an armchair ride as the team coasted to a 50 point victory. The Bulldogs however, did badly miss their hero, Marcus Bontempelli. THE TEAMS WESTERN BULLDOGS B Jason Johannisen Jackson Trengove Hayden Crozier HB Taylor Duryea Zaine Cordy Easton Wood C Lachie Hunter Bailey Smith Patrick Lipinski HF Matthew Suckling Josh Schache Sam Lloyd F Aaron Naughton Marcus Bontempelli Tory Dickson FOLL Tim English Josh Dunkley Jack Macrae I/C Toby McLean Ed Richards Roarke Smith Bailey Williams EMG Bailey Dale Dale Morris Rhylee West Lachie Young NO CHANGE MELBOURNE B Jake Lever Steven May Neville Jetta HB Michael Hibberd Sam Frost Christian Salem C Jayden Hunt Jordan Lewis Nathan Jones HF James Harmes Christian Petracca Bayley Fritsch F Mitch Hannan Braydon Preuss Angus Brayshaw FOLL Max Gawn Jack Viney Clayton Oliver I/C Kyle Dunkley Jay Lockhart Alex Neal-Bullen Harrison Petty EMG: Jay Kennedy Harris Oscar McDonald Corey Wagner Josh Wagner IN Max Gawn Neville Jetta Jake Lever Oscar McDonald Corey Wagner Josh Wagner OUT Marty Hore (collarbone) Tom McDonald (knee) Sam Weideman (calf) Injury List: Round 17 Jake Lever (knee) – available Neville Jetta (knee) – available Max Gawn (ankle) – test Harry Petty (concussion) – test Marty Hore (collarbone) – 2-4 weeks Billy Stretch (foot) – 3-4 weeks Jake Melksham (foot) – 4-5 weeks Tom Sparrow (knee) – 4-5 weeks Tom McDonald (knee) – TBC Kade Kolodjashnij (head) – TBC Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – TBC Jeff Garlett (shoulder) – season Joel Smith (groin) – season Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite

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As site owner I am allowed the occasional click bait. ? I was going to use the title of TRADE CLARRY

?

With Maxy watching on, Clarrie made his move - 156. Max Gawn 142. Clayton Oliver 100. James Harmes 93. Christian Salem 73. Angus Brayshaw 55. Jack Viney 48. Nathan Jones 46. Sam Frost 42. Marty Hore 31. Jake Melksham 28. Jayden Hunt 27. Tom McDonald 22. Christian Petracca 19. Steven May 13. Bayley Fritsch 12. Michael Hibberd Jay Lockhart 5. Oskar Baker Braydon Preuss 4. Josh Wagner 3. Corey Wagner Sam Weideman 2. Alex Neal-Bullen 1. Jeff Garlett Neville Jetta Oscar McDonald Billy Stretch

Jayden Hunt on Triple M from 56 minutes: https://www.triplem.com.au/listen

Tom McDonald on SEN this morning.

We disposed of them easily twice last year but now, it's complicated ... THE TEAMS  MELBOURNE B Michael Hibberd, Sam Frost, Neville Jetta HB Bernie Vince, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis C Tom McDonald, Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones HF Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw F Jeff Garlett, Bayley Fritsch, Jay Kennedy Harris Foll Max Gawn, Mitch Hannan, James Harmes I/C Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen, Christian Salem, Charlie Spargo Emg Cameron Pedersen, Dom Tyson, Sam Weideman In Jay Kennedy Harris, Mitch Hannan, Bernie Vince Out Joel Smith (hip), Billy Stretch (toe), Jack Viney (toe) WESTERN BULLDOGS B Marcus Adams, Jackson Trengove, Roarke Smith HB Dale Morris, Zaine Cordy, Jason Johannisen C Patrick Lipinski, Jack Macrae, Lachie Hunter HF Ed Richards, Josh Schache, Josh Dunkley F Luke Dahlhaus, Aaron Naughton, Billy Gowers Foll Jordan Roughead, Toby McLean, Mitch Wallis I/C Shane Biggs, Caleb Daniel, Mitch Honeychurch, Brad Lynch Emg Tom Campbell, Fergus Greene, Fletcher Roberts, Lewis Young In Mitch Honeychurch, Jack Macrae, Jordan Roughead Out Marcus Bontempelli (appendix), Tom Boyd (hamstring), Hayden Crozier (hamstring)

Much has been made by the coaching staff of playing a “Melbourne way” style of play. The nail-biting finish by the Demons in the dying minute of the game could not have been any more the case in point. Leading by a game-high 38 points late in the third quarter, and by five goals at the final change, this should have been the catalyst for a romp home to an easy win. But that is not the “Melbourne way” and the supporters, especially those with a severe case of MFCSS (aka intense insecurity), knew all too well what would happen. The last quarter started typically, when Tom McDonald failed to show after the ¾ time huddle. A knee injury (possibly another long term injury and what could be more “Melbourne way” than that), saw him on crutches despite a 6 goal haul up to that point. McDonald’s injury combined with a concussion to Harry Petty and a broken collar bone to the already missing Marty Hore meant the Demons had a solitary rotation available ... and the already high levels of intense insecurity started going through the roof. It didn’t take long, as Carlton kicked 4 goals within 10 minutes to bring them within striking distance, and their ‘desperate for success’ fans started to high five and find their voice. In typical “Melbourne way” the Demons couldn’t find a way to kick a goal, which would have put the game beyond reach. Overusing the ball in front of goal saw the certain opportunities squandered and Carlton continued to build hope as a result. Sure enough, with barely minutes left on the clock, they hit the front with a rushed behind leaving Carlton fans beside themselves. However, they too had forgotten the ability of their team to lose the un-loseable. That and Clayton Oliver who despite exhaustion, with 26 touches, 19 contested possessions and 10 clearances for the game, found a way to extract the ball from the Carlton clutches and deliver to a running Jayden Hunt in the forward 50. If there was ever a clutch goal for a player, and the side it was this shot at the big sticks. Losing the match from this point would have seen Carlton leapfrog the Demons on the ladder, and leave the supporters with little hope, not only for the remainder of the season, but for the next as well. Fortunately, Jayden kicked truly. But the “Melbourne way” still had something to give. Mitch Hannan broke from the pack in the middle and kicked toward the open unattended goal. As it bounced in the goal square, everyone knew that this would seal the game….surely! But the ball stopped in the Melbourne way - dead short of the goal line by millimetres! A frantic rush saw it pushed through for another behind but with only two minutes left on the clock, Carlton still had a chance. They pushed the ball forward and it came down to a Steven May v Mitch McGovern grappling contest, as the sole competitors within the Carlton 50m arc. Gladly, Melbourne had recruited May and his big strong body, because no other Melbourne defender would have been able to match it with McGovern. Still McGovern managed to get a boot to the ball off the ground and it rolled toward goal and ... hit the post! No longer was it the game of the “Melbourne way”, but now it was the “Carlton way” to lose a game….again! Make no mistake. Melbourne were in complete control of this game, but it was a game of 16th v 17th on the ladder. The Demons relished the constant turnovers from the Navy Blues and while they punished them for it, another team would have been 10 goals up at ¾ time, not 5. Melbourne simply lacks any form of a credible forward line. Tom McDonald piled on 6 goals to ¾ time but without him, the fragility up front was again exposed. Sam Weideman failed to show much and is constantly pushed off the ball in contested situations. He is a run and jump type, which happens rarely today, so a summer in the gym should be the target in the months ahead. With Tom off the ground, Brayden Preuss played all but 5 minutes of the last quarter. That dragged Weideman into the ruck, Petracca was moved to the middle, and left the Demons with a forward line of Hunt, Lockhart, Hannan, Dunkley and ANB and that wasn’t likely to worry even the Carlton backs. Preuss finally got his chance in the seniors and showed the coaching staff (hopefully) that he has a role there on a more permanent basis. He beat Kreuser convincingly with 44 hitouts to 24 with 43% of those to advantage. Those are numbers that Gawn would be proud of, particularly against Kreuser. He combined that with 14 touches but the message surely is that he is a reliable back up in the ruck, and can also provide us with another option up forward when resting ... which is surely what has been lacking again and again this year. A big change was made in the middle with Jordan Lewis given the chance to play in his old stamping ground. His ability to simply get the ball in tight situations was seen, and importantly he shut down Marc Murphy comprehensively. This relieved pressure on Oliver who had a belter of a game, and ultimately saved the game itself for us. More injuries, and the suffering MFCSS fans will surely be thinking the worst as Tom goes in for scans on Monday….it’s the Melbourne way! With the list of “outs” still not dropping and coming up against a rampant Western Bulldogs at Marvel stadium next week the result would not be likely to fall in the Demons favour. But then again, that would not be the “Melbourne way” and so a positive result for the team will surely be the outcome. Melbourne 4.4.28 7.11.53 14.12.96 15.15.105 Carlton 2.4.16 5.4.34 10.6.66 15.10.100 Goals Melbourne T McDonald 6 Hunt Petracca 3 Harmes Neal-Bullen Weideman Carlton Casboult Setterfield Silvagni 3 Kennedy 2 Dow Fisher Gibbons O’Brien Best Melbourne Fritsch T McDonald May Salem Harmes Jones Carlton Silvagni Murphy Kreuzer E Curnow Walsh Setterfield Injured Melbourne Max Gawn (ankle) replaced in selected side by Braydon Preuss, Marty Hore (broken collarbone) Tom McDonald (knee) Harry Petty (concussion) Carlton Jacob Weitering (concussion) Reported Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Rosebury Deboy Heffeman Official crowd 55,593 at the MCG

Much has been made by the coaching staff of playing a “Melbourne way” style of play. The nail-biting finish by the Demons in the dying minute of the game could not have been any more the case in point. Leading by a game-high 38 points late in the third quarter, and by five goals at the final change, this should have been the catalyst for a romp home to an easy win. But that is not the “Melbourne way” and the supporters, especially those with a severe case of MFCSS (aka intense insecurity), knew all too well what would happen. The last quarter started typically, when Tom McDonald failed to show after the ¾ time huddle. A knee injury (possibly another long term injury and what could be more “Melbourne way” than that), saw him on crutches despite a 6 goal haul up to that point. McDonald’s injury combined with a concussion to Harry Petty and a broken collar bone to the already missing Marty Hore meant the Demons had a solitary rotation available ... and the already high levels of intense insecurity started going through the roof. It didn’t take long, as Carlton kicked 4 goals within 10 minutes to bring them within striking distance, and their ‘desperate for success’ fans started to high five and find their voice. In typical “Melbourne way” the Demons couldn’t find a way to kick a goal, which would have put the game beyond reach. Overusing the ball in front of goal saw the certain opportunities squandered and Carlton continued to build hope as a result. Sure enough, with barely minutes left on the clock, they hit the front with a rushed behind leaving Carlton fans beside themselves. However, they too had forgotten the ability of their team to lose the un-loseable. That and Clayton Oliver who despite exhaustion, with 26 touches, 19 contested possessions and 10 clearances for the game, found a way to extract the ball from the Carlton clutches and deliver to a running Jayden Hunt in the forward 50. If there was ever a clutch goal for a player, and the side it was this shot at the big sticks. Losing the match from this point would have seen Carlton leapfrog the Demons on the ladder, and leave the supporters with little hope, not only for the remainder of the season, but for the next as well. Fortunately, Jayden kicked truly. But the “Melbourne way” still had something to give. Mitch Hannan broke from the pack in the middle and kicked toward the open unattended goal. As it bounced in the goal square, everyone knew that this would seal the game….surely! But the ball stopped in the Melbourne way - dead short of the goal line by millimetres! A frantic rush saw it pushed through for another behind but with only two minutes left on the clock, Carlton still had a chance. They pushed the ball forward and it came down to a Steven May v Mitch McGovern grappling contest, as the sole competitors within the Carlton 50m arc. Gladly, Melbourne had recruited May and his big strong body, because no other Melbourne defender would have been able to match it with McGovern. Still McGovern managed to get a boot to the ball off the ground and it rolled toward goal and ... hit the post! No longer was it the game of the “Melbourne way”, but now it was the “Carlton way” to lose a game….again! Make no mistake. Melbourne were in complete control of this game, but it was a game of 16th v 17th on the ladder. The Demons relished the constant turnovers from the Navy Blues and while they punished them for it, another team would have been 10 goals up at ¾ time, not 5. Melbourne simply lacks any form of a credible forward line. Tom McDonald piled on 6 goals to ¾ time but without him, the fragility up front was again exposed. Sam Weideman failed to show much and is constantly pushed off the ball in contested situations. He is a run and jump type, which happens rarely today, so a summer in the gym should be the target in the months ahead. With Tom off the ground, Brayden Preuss played all but 5 minutes of the last quarter. That dragged Weideman into the ruck, Petracca was moved to the middle, and left the Demons with a forward line of Hunt, Lockhart, Hannan, Dunkley and ANB and that wasn’t likely to worry even the Carlton backs. Preuss finally got his chance in the seniors and showed the coaching staff (hopefully) that he has a role there on a more permanent basis. He beat Kreuser convincingly with 44 hitouts to 24 with 43% of those to advantage. Those are numbers that Gawn would be proud of, particularly against Kreuser. He combined that with 14 touches but the message surely is that he is a reliable back up in the ruck, and can also provide us with another option up forward when resting ... which is surely what has been lacking again and again this year. A big change was made in the middle with Jordan Lewis given the chance to play in his old stamping ground. His ability to simply get the ball in tight situations was seen, and importantly he shut down Marc Murphy comprehensively. This relieved pressure on Oliver who had a belter of a game, and ultimately saved the game itself for us. More injuries, and the suffering MFCSS fans will surely be thinking the worst as Tom goes in for scans on Monday….it’s the Melbourne way! With the list of “outs” still not dropping and coming up against a rampant Western Bulldogs at Marvel stadium next week the result would not be likely to fall in the Demons favour. But then again, that would not be the “Melbourne way” and so a positive result for the team will surely be the outcome. Melbourne 4.4.28 7.11.53 14.12.96 15.15.105 Carlton 2.4.16 5.4.34 10.6.66 15.10.100 Goals Melbourne T McDonald 6 Hunt Petracca 3 Harmes Neal-Bullen Weideman Carlton Casboult Setterfield Silvagni 3 Kennedy 2 Dow Fisher Gibbons O’Brien Best Melbourne Fritsch T McDonald May Salem Harmes Jones Carlton Silvagni Murphy Kreuzer E Curnow Walsh Setterfield Injured Melbourne Max Gawn (ankle) replaced in selected side by Braydon Preuss, Marty Hore (broken collarbone) Tom McDonald (knee) Harry Petty (concussion) Carlton Jacob Weitering (concussion) Reported Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Rosebury Deboy Heffeman Official crowd 55,593 at the MCG

Bayley Fritsch on RSN.

I'll post the links to audio later if available.

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