Demonland

When do we find out whether Max is out and Preuss is in?

Take the discussion over to the Game Day thread: https://demonland.com/forums/topic/46467-gameday-rd-16-vs-carlton/

PINK AND BLUE CAN’T KICK TRUE by KC from Casey The Casey Demons took on the Northern Blues at home on Saturday in a game that was crucial in terms of their hopes for September and they took away the valuable four points on offer after some worrying moments. Most of those worries were self-inflicted as a result of some shocking inaccuracy in front of goal, sloppiness in play and a little bit of indiscipline that all combined to make the game a lot closer than it should have been. The final scoreboard showed the Demons winning the Pink Lady contest by 11.19.85 to the Blues 11.6.72 reflecting their forward superiority as well as the inaccuracy in front of the goals. That factor is not just a one off - it has haunted Melbourne and Casey teams for much of the season. The Demons were going to find the going a little tougher this week despite the inclusion of some depth coming back through injury. The call up of ruckman Braydon Preuss and playmaker Corey Wagner as held over players for the AFL game was a double blow for the side. The statistics indicated half the story in the case of the big man who 64 hit outs last week - the contest for hit outs in his absence went diagonally opposite. The team lost 20 to 71 in hit outs against the Blues. Together with the lack of Preuss’ brutish size and presence and Wagner’s ability in the middle, it meant the home side struggled to put their opposition away until the dying moments of the game. At the start, Casey dominated the early part of the first term but struggled to convert. Then, the Blues stepped up a notch and found the goals with consummate ease. They led by 13 points at half time and Casey coach Sam Radford had reason to be worried. The sloppiness continued after the break but the goals came as well. Fittingly, hard nut Jimmy Munro scored the one that finally put them in front late in the third quarter. And it stayed that way in the last despite some shocking misses before none other than Munro himself slotted home the sealer two minutes before the siren sounded. Corey Maynard, Josh Wagner and Jay Kennedy Harris put in the hard work around the ground, Toby Bedford was dangerous in front of goal as was the improving Mykelti Lefau and the stand out youngster was James Jordon who played his best game yet in a game. Significantly, that effort included some time on the ball. Jake Lever’s class and leadership in defence were outstanding. After the game he was doused with the obligatory shower of cordial for a first time winner with the team. I doubt that we will see him at Casey for a long time. Nev Jetta also returned and even with limited moments, showed why he has been so badly missed since early in the season. The Casey Demons are still waiting in line outside the top eight but this could well have been different had they been more accurate and had they not gifted away easy goals in this recent four game winning streak. They will be tested next week against the high flying Bulldogs at Skybus Stadium. 2019 Hard Yakka / Totally Workwear VFL Casey Demons 3.6.24 5.8.38 8.13.61 11.19.85 Northern Blues 5.1.31 8.3.51 9.4.58 11.6.72 Goals Casey Demons Bedford Kennedy Harris Lefau Munro 2 Baker Hutchins Wale-Buxton Northern Blues Fasolo Garlett Phillips 2 De Koning Deluca Lebois Lobbe Palmer Best Casey Demons Wagner Jordon Lever Maynard Munro Kennedy-Harris Northern Blues Fasolo Macreadie Lobbe Schumacher Deluca Phillips Statistics Oskar Baker 1 goal 10 kicks 5 handballs 15 disposals 7 marks 3 tackles 80 dream team points Toby Bedford 2 goals 1 behind 9 kicks 7 handballs 16 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Austin Bradkte 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 26 dream team points Kade Chandler 3 behinds 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 6 marks 6 tackles 71 dream team points Wayne Collis 8 kicks 1 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 44 dream team points Tom Freeman 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 37 dream team points Jack Hutchins 1 goals 1 behind 6 kicks 3 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 38 dream team points Neville Jetta 6 kicks 2 handballs 8 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 30 dream team points James Jordon 1 behind 15 kicks 10 handballs 25 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 102 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 behind 4 kicks 8 handballs 12 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 8 hit outs 53 dream team points Jay Kennedy Harris 2 goals 13 kicks 7 handballs 20 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles 94 dream team points Mykelti Lefau 2 goals 6 kicks 6 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 1 hit out 57 dream team points Jake Lever 13 kicks 3 handballs 16 disposals 8 marks 2 tackles 77 dream team points Ariek Lual 1 behind 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 2 tackles 25 dream team points Oscar McDonald 10 kicks 7 handballs 17 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 69 dream team points Corey Maynard 1 behind 11 kicks 14 handballs 25 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 85 dream team points James Munro 2 goals 14 kicks 11 handballs 25 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 112 dream team points Aiden Quigley 2 behinds 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 6 tackles 53 dream team points Charlie Spargo 2 behinds 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 52 dream team points Cory Stockdale 11 kicks 7 handballs 18 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 73 dream team points Anthony Vella 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 37 dream team points Josh Wagner 16 kicks 7 handballs 23 disposals 6 marks 7tackles 106 dream team points Liam Wale-Buxton 1 goals 1 behind 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 11 hit outs 48 dream team points

The Casey Demons took on the Northern Blues at home on Saturday in a game that was crucial in terms of their hopes for September and they took away the valuable four points on offer after some worrying moments. Most of those worries were self-inflicted as a result of some shocking inaccuracy in front of goal, sloppiness in play and a little bit of indiscipline that all combined to make the game a lot closer than it should have been. The final scoreboard showed the Demons winning the Pink Lady contest by 11.19.85 to the Blues 11.6.72 reflecting their forward superiority as well as the inaccuracy in front of the goals. That factor is not just a one off - it has haunted Melbourne and Casey teams for much of the season. The Demons were going to find the going a little tougher this week despite the inclusion of some depth coming back through injury. The call up of ruckman Braydon Preuss and playmaker Corey Wagner as held over players for the AFL game was a double blow for the side. The statistics indicated half the story in the case of the big man who 64 hit outs last week - the contest for hit outs in his absence went diagonally opposite. The team lost 20 to 71 in hit outs against the Blues. Together with the lack of Preuss’ brutish size and presence and Wagner’s ability in the middle, it meant the home side struggled to put their opposition away until the dying moments of the game. At the start, Casey dominated the early part of the first term but struggled to convert. Then, the Blues stepped up a notch and found the goals with consummate ease. They led by 13 points at half time and Casey coach Sam Radford had reason to be worried. The sloppiness continued after the break but the goals came as well. Fittingly, hard nut Jimmy Munro scored the one that finally put them in front late in the third quarter. And it stayed that way in the last despite some shocking misses before none other than Munro himself slotted home the sealer two minutes before the siren sounded. Corey Maynard, Josh Wagner and Jay Kennedy Harris put in the hard work around the ground, Toby Bedford was dangerous in front of goal as was the improving Mykelti Lefau and the stand out youngster was James Jordon who played his best game yet in a game. Significantly, that effort included some time on the ball. Jake Lever’s class and leadership in defence were outstanding. After the game he was doused with the obligatory shower of cordial for a first time winner with the team. I doubt that we will see him at Casey for a long time. Nev Jetta also returned and even with limited moments, showed why he has been so badly missed since early in the season. The Casey Demons are still waiting in line outside the top eight but this could well have been different had they been more accurate and had they not gifted away easy goals in this recent four game winning streak. They will be tested next week against the high flying Bulldogs at Skybus Stadium. 2019 Hard Yakka / Totally Workwear VFL Casey Demons 3.6.24 5.8.38 8.13.61 11.19.85 Northern Blues 5.1.31 8.3.51 9.4.58 11.6.72 Goals Casey Demons Bedford Kennedy Harris Lefau Munro 2 Baker Hutchins Wale-Buxton Northern Blues Fasolo Garlett Phillips 2 De Koning Deluca Lebois Lobbe Palmer Best Casey Demons Wagner Jordon Lever Maynard Munro Kennedy-Harris Northern Blues Fasolo Macreadie Lobbe Schumacher Deluca Phillips Statistics Oskar Baker 1 goal 10 kicks 5 handballs 15 disposals 7 marks 3 tackles 80 dream team points Toby Bedford 2 goals 1 behind 9 kicks 7 handballs 16 disposals 2 marks 4 tackles 73 dream team points Austin Bradkte 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 2 marks 1 tackles 26 dream team points Kade Chandler 3 behinds 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 6 marks 6 tackles 71 dream team points Wayne Collis 8 kicks 1 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 44 dream team points Tom Freeman 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 37 dream team points Jack Hutchins 1 goals 1 behind 6 kicks 3 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 38 dream team points Neville Jetta 6 kicks 2 handballs 8 disposals 1 mark 1 tackle 30 dream team points James Jordon 1 behind 15 kicks 10 handballs 25 disposals 2 marks 7 tackles 102 dream team points Declan Keilty 1 behind 4 kicks 8 handballs 12 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 8 hit outs 53 dream team points Jay Kennedy Harris 2 goals 13 kicks 7 handballs 20 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles 94 dream team points Mykelti Lefau 2 goals 6 kicks 6 handballs 12 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 1 hit out 57 dream team points Jake Lever 13 kicks 3 handballs 16 disposals 8 marks 2 tackles 77 dream team points Ariek Lual 1 behind 2 kicks 5 handballs 7 disposals 2 tackles 25 dream team points Oscar McDonald 10 kicks 7 handballs 17 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 69 dream team points Corey Maynard 1 behind 11 kicks 14 handballs 25 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 85 dream team points James Munro 2 goals 14 kicks 11 handballs 25 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 112 dream team points Aiden Quigley 2 behinds 6 kicks 4 handballs 10 disposals 6 tackles 53 dream team points Charlie Spargo 2 behinds 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 52 dream team points Cory Stockdale 11 kicks 7 handballs 18 disposals 7 marks 2 tackles 73 dream team points Anthony Vella 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 37 dream team points Josh Wagner 16 kicks 7 handballs 23 disposals 6 marks 7tackles 106 dream team points Liam Wale-Buxton 1 goals 1 behind 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 11 hit outs 48 dream team points

I'm tipping Maxy won't play. Having said that there is no guarantee that Preuss will be his replacement. ?

Which results assist the Dees this week? ?

This guy cannot take a trick. Simply cannot get a good run at it.

The Demons App had Smith listed as Injured.

Take the chat to the PREGAME THREAD: https://demonland.com/forums/topic/46462-pregame-rd-16-vs-carlton/

Round 16 Member Replacement Game Carlton v Melbourne Sunday 7 July, 1.10pm AEST MCG 11.00am: MCC gates open 11.30am: AFL + Public Reserve opens Member replacement game The match against Carlton is a replacement game for Melbourne Members, who can scan in for general admission access. Members are encouraged to upgrade to a reserved seat on Ticketek. General public Tickets to the match can be purchased on Ticketek. Woolworths Sunday Funday Every Sunday is Sunday Funday at the AFL, where kids get in to the game for FREE! Kids free tickets are available for general admission tickets only. Find out more on the Sunday Funday website. General admission bays Great Southern Stand M3 Rows BB-LL M4 Rows A-Z M5-M9 M10 Rows A-Y P1-P6 Q1-Q15 Ponsford Stand M29-M36 Q29-Q36 Olympic Stand Q49 Rows F-MM Q50-Q57 Please note the general admission areas are subject to change. Look out for the screens displaying the map of available general admission areas on a match day, located inside each entry gate. Cheer squad allocations Carlton: M3 Rows A-V Melbourne: M33 Rows A-S Public transport Train The MCG is serviced by the nearby Jolimont and Richmond train stations. Fans on the Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston and Sandringham lines are advised to allow extra time to get to the game with buses replacing trains. Plan your trip to the game and avoid disruptions using the PTV Journey Planner. Tram From the city, jump on Tram Numbers 48, 75 (Wellington Parade) or 70 (Olympic Park Light Rail) to get to the game. Car parking - no parking available at Yarra Park To maintain the condition of Yarra Park during winter, the MCC have closed car parking for all Round 16 matches. Accredited and disability permit holders will still be able to park via Gates 3 and 7. Please check the MCG website for the latest parking info on game day. Head to The Demon Shop on Brunton Avenue (under the concourse) to stock up on all your red and blue merchandise needs. The shop will open at 11.30am and will close 30 minutes after the game. TV times All broadcast info in local times. Melbourne: Fox Footy – 1.00pm Sydney: Fox Footy – 1.00pm Brisbane: Fox Footy – 1.00pm Adelaide: Fox Footy – 12.30pm Perth: Fox Footy – 11.00am Tasmania: Fox Footy – 1.00pm Canberra: Fox Footy – 1.00pm Darwin: Fox Footy – 12.30pm For all other regions and radio info, refer to the AFL Broadcast Guide. Mobile app Live scores, stats and match highlights are available at the tap of a finger in the club's mobile app. Download it for iOS or Android. Social media Match hashtag: #AFLBluesDees Follow the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live match coverage and a behind-the-scenes insight into match day. VFLW/VFL double header VFLW Round 9 Casey v Melbourne Uni Saturday July 6, 11.30am Casey Fields VFL Round 14 Casey v Northern Blues Saturday July 6, 2.00pm Casey Fields Admission prices Melbourne/Casey Demons Members: FREE when you present your card on entry Adult General Admission: $10 Concession/Pensioner General Admission: $5 Children Under 15: Free Coverage Social media Follow the Casey Demons on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for behind-the-scenes + live coverage of the match.

In May last year, a rampant Melbourne side demolished Carlton by 109 points at the MCG. The Demons did as they pleased and ran rings against a young, abysmal Blues combination. The Dees led in virtually every key performance indicator, notably entering the inside 50 metre mark 63 times to 33 and the superiority of their attack was highlighted by a 74% shooting accuracy rate (to 47%). A little more than a year later the two sides face each other for the first time since that rout and the tables appear to have turned substantially to the point where people are talking in terms of a Carlton win and that’s with the possibility of the absence of a few of their stars. So what’s changed? Well the Blues have matured considerably, acquired a fresh coach with a different approach and the team appears to have clicked under the new regime while the Demons are languishing with several factors combining to bring about their demise. Statistically speaking, Melbourne continues to push the footy inside 50 advantage more times than its opponents but we should be so lucky to see a positive shooting accuracy rate, let alone one as high as 74%. Go figure? I’m tipping a draw. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at MCG Sunday 7 July 2019 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 117 wins Melbourne 92 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Carlton 50 wins Melbourne 52 wins Past five meetings Carlton 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches Teague 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Live at 1.00pm RADIO - SEN ABC THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 25.9.159 defeated Carlton 7.8.50 at the MCG Round 9, 2018 The Demons’ campaign for 2019 was building and this was their perfect game for the year. Despite the damp and drizzly conditions, they piled on 25 goals at an amazing accuracy rate. This year, it would take them three weeks to surpass that number of goals. THE TEAMS CARLTON B Lachie Plowman Liam Jones Caleb Marchbank HB Kade Simpson Jacob Weitering Dale Thomas C Will Setterfield Ed Curnow Lochie O'Brien HF Jack Silvagni Levi Casboult Sam Petrevski-Seton F Marc Murphy Mitch McGovern Michael Gibbons FOLL Matthew Kreuzer Zac Fisher Sam Walsh I/C Paddy Dow Matthew Kennedy Darcy Lang Nic Newman EMG Matthew Cottrell Alex Fasolo Hugh Goddard Andrew Phillips IN Darcy Lang OUT Charlie Curnow (knee) MELBOURNE B Jay Lockhart Steven May Harrison Petty HB Marty Hore Sam Frost Christian Salem C Nathan Jones James Harmes Alex Neal-Bullen HF Bayley Fritsch Sam Weideman Christian Petracca F Mitch Hannan Tom McDonald Angus Brayshaw FOLL Max Gawn Jack Viney Clayton Oliver I/C Kyle Dunkley Michael Hibberd Jayden Hunt Jordan Lewis EMG Oscar McDonald Braydon Preuss Corey Wagner Josh Wagner IN Kyle Dunkley Jordan Lewis Braydon Preuss OUT Oskar Baker (omitted) Max Gawn (ankle) Tim Smith (calf) NEW Kyle Dunkley Injury List: Round 16 Kade Chandler (hip) – test Max Gawn (ankle – test Declan Keilty (ankle) – test Jake Lever (knee) – test Neville Jetta (knee) – test Jake Melksham (foot) – 3-4 weeks Tom Sparrow (knee) – 4-5 weeks Kade Kolodjashnij (head) – TBC Billy Stretch (foot) – TBC Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – TBC Jeff Garlett (shoulder) – season Joel Smith (groin) – season Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite The statistical highlight of the year to date reflects one aspect of the club’s season perfectly. The figures show that Melbourne is leading the AFL for games lost through injury by best 22 players. The contrast with Brisbane - its opponent last week - was stark. The Lions had only two players on their injured list. The Demons had more than a dozen and four of its listed players have yet to take the field in 2019. This is how the playing list has been traveling to date. Four listed Demons have not played at all this year - either with Melbourne or with the Casey Demons. Two players involved in the club’s recent recruiting “coups” epitomize the club’s injury woes. The Jake Lever trade cost Melbourne two first round draft selections but has managed only a single game to date this season. It’s always wise to treat recoveries from ACL’s conservatively but I recall the pre season predictions as to his likely return were for round 5 or sooner. The Steven May trade cost Melbourne one first round draft pick but a combination of suspension and injury has limited his tally of games to four while the “steak knives” thrown into the deal - Kade Kolodjashnij - has two to his name and is, in all likelihood, cooked for the season with his concussion issues. Losing quality players like Neville Jetta and Jake Melksham for long stints has also been unhelpful. On another level, the Demons were known in 2018 for their scoring power. The club boasted two key forwards, Tom McDonald (20 games, 53 goals 20 behinds) and Jesse Hogan (20 games, 47 goals 23 behinds) in the AFL top ten goalkickers. That’s a ton of goals at a spectacular accuracy rate that yielded five goals per game between them. Throw in Melksham (32 goals), Mitch Hannan (22 goals) and Jeff Garlett (18 goals) who have both missed significant game time this year and Sam Weideman who was expected to increase his output significantly in Hogan’s absence (but hasn’t to date) and the issue becomes clear in stark terms. We are closing in on ⅔ of the season and the club’s top goal kicker is Jayden Hunt with 15 goals. The key forwards McDonald, Weideman and Tim Smith have 22 goals between them (Smith scored ½ of his six in one game) at an average of a little over a goal per game while ruckman/forward Braydon Preuss, who kicked two goals in each of his two games seems unwanted and unloved by the selectors. Go figure? 1. Steven May MFC games 4, goals 1 CD games 1, goals 0 2. Nathan Jones MFC games 14, goals 7 3. Christian Salem M FC games 12, goals 0 4. James Harmes MFC games 14, goals 9 5. Christian Petracca MFC games 14, goals 14 6. Jordan Lewis MFC games 4, goals 0 7. Jack Viney MFC games 13, goals 3 8. Jake Lever MFC games 1, goals 0, CD games 2, goals 0 9. Charlie Spargo MFC games 6, goals 2, CD games 4, goals 0 10. Angus Brayshaw MFC games 14, goals 7 11. Max Gawn MFC games 14, goals 3 12. Toby Bedford CD games 11, goals 14 13. Clayton Oliver MFC games 14, goals 2 14. Michael Hibberd MFC games 11, goals 0 15. Billy Stretch MFC games 7, goals 2, CD games 1, goals 0 16. Kade Kolodjashnij MFC games 2, goal 1, CD games 3, goals 2 17. Sam Frost MFC games 14, goals 0 18. Jake Melksham MFC games 8, goals 10 19. Mitch Hannan MFC games 4, goals 4, CD games 1, goals 1 20. Corey Maynard CD games 6, goals 1 21. Braydon Preuss MFC games 2, goals 4, CD games 7, goals 6 22. Aaron Vandenberg 23. James Jordon CD games 11, goals 1 24. Jay Kennedy Harris MFC games 1, goals 0, CD games 4, goals 4 25. Tom McDonald MFC games 14, goals 12 26. Sam Weideman MFC games 10, goals 10, CD games 2, goals 5 27. Aaron Nietschke 28. Oscar McDonald MFC games 9, goals 0, CD games 2, goals 0 29. Jayden Hunt MFC games 14, goals 15 30. Alex Neal-Bullen MFC games 8, goals 3, CD games 2, goals 1 31. Bayley Fritsch MFC games 14, goals 4 32. Tom Sparrow MFC games 2, goals 1, CD games 6, goals 0 33. Oskar Baker MFC game 6, goals 2, CD games 5, goals 6 34. Marty Hore MFC games 11, goals 1, CD games 1, goals 0 35. Harrison Petty MFC games 4, goals 0, CD games 6, goals 0 36. Jeff Garlett MFC games 7, goals 9, CD games 2, goals 3 37. Kade Chandler ® CD games 10, goals 9 38. Tim Smith ® MFC games 6, goals 6, CD games 3, goals 7 39. Neville Jetta MFC games 4, goals 0 40. Corey Wagner ® MFC games 5, goals 1, CD games 8, goals 3 41. Jay Lockhart ® MFC games 9, goals 9, CD games 1, goal 1 42. Josh Wagner MFC games 10, goals 0, CD games 2, goal 0 43. Guy Walker ® 44. Joel Smith 45. Declan Keilty ® MFC games 2, goals 0, CD games 8, goals 6 46. Austin Bradtke ® C D games 3, goals 1 48. Kyle Dunkley ® CD games 4, goals 5

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Max is still in front with Clarrie still a fair way back! 156. Max Gawn 128. Clayton Oliver 93. Christian Salem 90. James Harmes 73. Angus Brayshaw 53. Jack Viney 46. Nathan Jones 45. Sam Frost 42. Marty Hore 31. Jake Melksham 28. Jayden Hunt 18. Steven May 14. Christian Petracca 12. Michael Hibberd Jay Lockhart 10. Tom McDonald 6. Bayley Fritsch 5. Oskar Baker 4. Braydon Preuss Josh Wagner 3. Corey Wagner Sam Weideman 2. Alex Neal-Bullen 1. Jeff Garlett Neville Jetta Oscar McDonald Billy Stretch

With Melbourne leading the Brisbane Lions in the second term, and the game in the balance, a Max Gawn ankle injury signalled that the Demons were as good as gorrnnn for the match. Without a suitable 2nd ruck and (once again) forced to use either Tom McDonald, Tim Smith or Sam Weidemann in the ruck the Demons found themselves without a forward line that could kick a winning score. Not that anything really changed, as the forward line has been completely dysfunctional all season and one could be forgiven should one of the coaches had quoted that famous football pundit…Guru Bob: “As the Commander of the naval vessel Lusitania confided, when the front half of his boat was blown off by a torpedo…..’We just had nothing up forward! “ Brisbane were doing their best to keep the Demons hopes alive and at half time score 4 goals and 11 behinds. The tide had to turn for them, or the Demons would start kicking some goals themselves but it was Brisbane who started and in particular Eric Hipwood, who found where the big sticks were located. From the 19th minute of the 3rd quarter to the end of the game, he kicked 5 goals to sink the opposition, and show the value of straight kicking with those 5 goals being his only score. Melbourne in contrast had more inside 50’s to that point, but the only Demon forward who had more kicks for the game was Jayden Hunt! Things were further exacerbated by the lack of input from Weidemann and Smith with 2 and 3 marks for the game respectively. Sam needs further development, but where and how to do this ... back at Casey or more games at senior level? His lack of intensity and follow-up is telling when he simply stops moving when he doesn’t mark the ball. Christian Petracca provided some early highlights but then faded, Mitch Hannan kicked a couple, but not much more. ANB ran around like a headless chook again, and had no impact whatsoever, and must now surely be destined to finish the year at Casey, after multiple similar performances this year. The really telling failure in the game happened in the middle. Despite Max having 25 hitouts despite missing 1/3 of the game, and then barely able to jump off the ground following his return, the rest of the mids were also gorn….to some other place. Neale and Zorko had a field day, and even though Oliver racked up 36 touches, especially around the ground, he was a sole fighter. At one point in the 3rd quarter clearances were 19 to 2 in Brisbanes favour, a figure which undoubtedly got worse later in the game. Christian Salem put in another fine performance and surely has etched his name on the Bluey Truscott trophy for this year with another 32 touches off half-back. But this is a sign of what is going wrong, the ball just keeps heading down the defensive end too much. Even Steven May at full-back managed 18 disposals, likewise Frost with 18 of his own, and 3rd gamer Petty topped the side for marks with 8. Nathan Jones also playing down back managed 23 touches, and probably should have been used in the middle at some point, simply because the side was being so badly beaten in that area. These are numbers that should be found in the middle, not down back, but the final result and the fact that Melbourne were still in the game until half way through the 3rd shows how well the defenders were holding back the tidal wave coming their way. We all know about the injuries that have cruelled the season. Now we need to start experimenting, as what we are currently doing is failing. Brisbane lose their 2nd ruckman ( McInerney) to injury, and they still have Steph Martin running around. We lose our and we pillage the forward line, that is already bereft of a target. Meanwhile Brayden Preuss is setting new records for selection as a game emergency player. This season is already gorn…..if the “Melbourne style” is required for season 2020, then players who don’t or can’t play that way have to be passed over. The coaches have spoken of the need for development, and there is not going to be a better game to do so than in the forthcoming game against Carlton. Melbourne 3.3.21 6.5.41 9.6.60 11.8.74 Brisbane Lions 2.6.18 4.11.35 10.14.74 15.17.107 Goals Melbourne Hannan Petracca 2 Fritsch Hunt Lockhart T McDonald May Viney Weideman Brisbane Lions Hipwood 5 Zorko 3 Answerth Bailey Cameron Christensen Lyons McCarthy Robinson Best Melbourne Salem Viney Oliver Petracca May Jones Brisbane Lions Zorko Neale Rich McCluggage Hipwood Lyons Injuries Melbourne Max Gawn (ankle) Brisbane Lions Witherden (virus) replaced in selected side by Starcevich McInerney (concussion) Reports Melbourne Nil Brisbane Lions Nil Umpires Fisher, Rosebury, Gavine Crowd 24,809 at Gabba.

It’s a sick and sorry thought but the way the teams are playing at the moment, the Blues could overturn a 100 point + deficit this Sunday. The teams from a year ago - CARLTON B Lachie Plowman, Sam Rowe, Dale Thomas HB Cameron O'Shea, Liam Jones, Kade Simpson C Lochie O'Brien, Marc Murphy, Sam Kerridge HF Jarrod Garlett, Pat Kerr, Darcy Lang F Sam Petrevski-Seton, Ha rry McKay, Paddy Dow Foll Matthew Kreuzer, Patrick Cripps, Zac Fisher I/C Nick Graham, Jed Lamb, Aaron Mullett, Matthew Wright Emg Matt Shaw, Jack Silva gni, Jacob Weitering In Pat Kerr, Marc Murphy Out Charlie Curnow (quad), Ed Curnow (suspended) MELBOURNE B Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB Angus Brayshaw, Jake Lever, Mitch Hannan C Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones, Christian Salem HF Clayton Oliver, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham F: James Harmes, Tom McDonald, Christian Petracca Foll Max Gawn, Bernie Vince, Jack Viney I/C Bayley Fritsch, Alex Neal-Bullen, Tim Smith, Charlie Spargo, Emg Jeff Garlett, Jayden Hunt, Cameron Pedersen, Dom Tyson In Tim Smith, Jack Viney Out Dom Tyson (omitted), Sa m W eideman (calf)

Red rover ...

Your votes please 6,5,4,3,2,1 ....

Any word on Max?

Bonus points for the Chiko Roll though.