Demonland

SWANSONG by Whispering Jack They said that in 2019, the Melbourne Football Club was going to take its game to another level but we were never prepared for the level the club is reaching as it approaches the fourth round of the season holding up the entire AFL ladder in a match that could be its swansong for the year. We were meant to be premiership contenders, not playing off for a wooden spoon which is what will be the case unless there is a sudden and dramatic turn around in our fortunes! And whilst there’s been a lot of soul searching and declarations of honesty and openness, the fact of the matter is that nobody really has the solution to the club’s woeful form or why players who could hold their heads high in the first half of September last year are dropping marks, fumbling the footy, leaking goals in short bursts in time and allowing opponents to dance around them if they were stationary witches hats. This week, they make the trip north to Sydney where they face off a lacklustre side that, despite struggling to overcome Carlton, will start as the red hot favourite to beat a Melbourne combination that seems to have taken a trip back in time of half a decade to its dark, old days of wretchedness and ineptitude before Paul Roos took them for their first training run in the post Neeld era. The Demons can be thankful that they have Angus Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver and Max Gawn because some of the others who led the charge last year have become invisible men. Sydney have scored about the same number of points for this season although Melbourne averages 8.3 more inside 50 entries per game. On the other hand, the Dees have conceded 100 points more than the Swans - a sign of how poor they have been because their opponents this week have been no world beaters. Melbourne’s underdone skippers Nathan Jones and Jack Viney are in charge of a ship that is listing in a storm. It’s their job to take control and steer it into calmer waters. However, they have the task ahead of them in front of a hostile SCG crowd - Sydney by 19 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the SCG Thursday 11 April 2019 at 7.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Sydney Swans 113 wins Melbourne 92 wins 2 drawn At SCG Sydney Swans 14 wins Me lbourne 8 wins Last 5 meetings Sydney Swans 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Longmire 2 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Footy Live at 7.00pm RADIO - TBA THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 13.9.87 defeated Melbourne 10.18.78 in Round 21 2018 at the MCG Melbourne dominated in the general play but its kicking for goal was deplorable, allowing Sydney to win a thrilling encounter by just nine points. Young Swans high flyer Isaac Heeney, who was clearly best on ground, took the mark of the year standing on Jesse Hogan’s shoulders as a farewell to the Demon key forward. THE TEAMS SYDNEY SWANS B Callum Mills Dane Rampe Tom McCartin HB Jake Lloyd Aliir Aliir Jackson Thurlow C Zak Jones Luke Parker Oliver Florent HF Harry Cunningham Sam Reid Isaac Heeney F Jordan Dawson Lance Franklin Kieren Jack FOLL Callum Sinclair Josh P Kennedy Tom Papley I/C Nick Blakey George Hewett Justin McInerney Ben Ronke EMG Ryan Clarke Robbie Fox Lewis Melican James Rose IN Kieren Jack Justin McInerney OUT Jarrad McVeigh (quad) Will Hayward (jaw) MELBOURNE B Michael Hibberd Oscar McDonald Neville Jetta HB Billy Stretch Sam Frost Nathan Jones C Jayden Hunt Clayton Oliver Christian Salem HF James Harmes Sam Weideman Angus Brayshaw F Corey Wagner Tom McDonald Jake Melksham FOLL Max Gawn Christian Petracca Jack Viney I/C Bayley Fritsch Jay Lockhart Braydon Preuss Josh Wagner EMG Marty Hore Alex Neal-Bullen Harrison Petty Charlie Spargo IN Braydon Preuss Billy Stretch OUT Kade Kolodjashnij (concussion) Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted) Injury List - Round 4 Tom McDonald (ankle) — test Charlie Spargo (jaw) — test Jordan Lewis (hamstring) — 1 week Steven May (groin) — 2-3 weeks Joel Smith (groin) — TBA Aaron vandenBerg (foot) — 4-6 weeks Mitch Hannan (knee) — 6-8 weeks Jake Lever (knee) — 6-8 weeks Jay Kennedy-Harris (knee) — 10-12 weeks Guy Walker (shoulder) — season Aaron Nietschke (knee) — season

They said that in 2019, the Melbourne Football Club was going to take its game to another level but we were never prepared for the level the club is reaching as it approaches the fourth round of the season holding up the entire AFL ladder in a match that could be its swansong for the year. We were meant to be premiership contenders, not playing off for a wooden spoon which is what will be the case unless there is a sudden and dramatic turn around in our fortunes! And whilst there’s been a lot of soul searching and declarations of honesty and openness, the fact of the matter is that nobody really has the solution to the club’s woeful form or why players who could hold their heads high in the first half of September last year are dropping marks, fumbling the footy, leaking goals in short bursts in time and allowing opponents to dance around them if they were stationary witches hats. This week, they make the trip north to Sydney where they face off a lacklustre side that, despite struggling to overcome Carlton, will start as the red hot favourite to beat a Melbourne combination that seems to have taken a trip back in time of half a decade to its dark, old days of wretchedness and ineptitude before Paul Roos took them for their first training run in the post Neeld era. The Demons can be thankful that they have Angus Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver and Max Gawn because some of the others who led the charge last year have become invisible men. Sydney have scored about the same number of points for this season although Melbourne averages 8.3 more inside 50 entries per game. On the other hand, the Dees have conceded 100 points more than the Swans - a sign of how poor they have been because their opponents this week have been no world beaters. Melbourne’s underdone skippers Nathan Jones and Jack Viney are in charge of a ship that is listing in a storm. It’s their job to take control and steer it into calmer waters. However, they have the task ahead of them in front of a hostile SCG crowd - Sydney by 19 points THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the SCG Thursday 11 April 2019 at 7.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Sydney Swans 113 wins Melbourne 92 wins 2 drawn At SCG Sydney Swans 14 wins Me lbourne 8 wins Last 5 meetings Sydney Swans 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Longmire 2 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Footy Live at 7.00pm RADIO - TBA THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 13.9.87 defeated Melbourne 10.18.78 in Round 21 2018 at the MCG Melbourne dominated in the general play but its kicking for goal was deplorable, allowing Sydney to win a thrilling encounter by just nine points. Young Swans high flyer Isaac Heeney, who was clearly best on ground, took the mark of the year standing on Jesse Hogan’s shoulders as a farewell to the Demon key forward. THE TEAMS SYDNEY SWANS B Callum Mills Dane Rampe Tom McCartin HB Jake Lloyd Aliir Aliir Jackson Thurlow C Zak Jones Luke Parker Oliver Florent HF Harry Cunningham Sam Reid Isaac Heeney F Jordan Dawson Lance Franklin Kieren Jack FOLL Callum Sinclair Josh P Kennedy Tom Papley I/C Nick Blakey George Hewett Justin McInerney Ben Ronke EMG Ryan Clarke Robbie Fox Lewis Melican James Rose IN Kieren Jack Justin McInerney OUT Jarrad McVeigh (quad) Will Hayward (jaw) MELBOURNE B Michael Hibberd Oscar McDonald Marty Hore HB Billy Stretch Sam Frost Nathan Jones C Jayden Hunt Clayton Oliver Christian Salem HF James Harmes Sam Weideman Angus Brayshaw F Corey Wagner Tom McDonald Jake Melksham FOLL Max Gawn Christian Petracca Jack Viney I/C Bayley Fritsch Braydon Preuss Charlie Spargo Josh Wagner EMG Alex Neal-Bullen Harrison Petty IN Marty Hore Braydon Preuss Charlie Spargo Billy Stretch OUT Neville Jetta (knee) Kade Kolodjashnij (concussion) Jay Lockhart (back) Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted) Injury List - Round 4 Tom McDonald (ankle) — test Charlie Spargo (jaw) — test Jordan Lewis (hamstring) — 1 week Steven May (groin) — 2-3 weeks Joel Smith (groin) — TBA Aaron vandenBerg (foot) — 4-6 weeks Mitch Hannan (knee) — 6-8 weeks Jake Lever (knee) — 6-8 weeks Jay Kennedy-Harris (knee) — 10-12 weeks Guy Walker (shoulder) — season Aaron Nietschke (knee) — season

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We'll be LIVE in 15 minutes Listen & Chat LIVE: http://demonland.com Call: 03 9016 3666  Skype: Demonland31

We'll be LIVE @ 8:30pm Listen & Chat LIVE: http://demonland.com Call: 03 9016 3666  Skype: Demonland31

Yep. Hasn't really changed the entire time he has been out. 3 to 4 weeks ago it was 3 weeks de-load and 3 week re-load.

Round Four Sydney Swans v Melbourne Thursday, April 11, 7.20pm AEST SCG 5.20pm: All gates open As an interstate game, only country/interstate Members can use their Membership to gain access to the game. General public tickets to the match can be purchased via Ticketek. Public transport The easiest way to access the SCG is via public transport. To get there, head to Central train station and catch an express Moore Park shuttle bus (Route 1) to the ground. Buses to Central Station will run until an hour after the game. To plan your trip to the game, head to the Transport NSW Journey Planner. Car parking Limited car parking may be available in the Moore Park precinct. For the latest parking information, please visit the SCG website. TV times Melbourne: Channel 7 - 7.00pm + Fox Footy - 7.00pm Sydney: 7mate - 7.00pm + Fox Footy - 7.00pm Brisbane: 7mate - 7.00pm + Fox Footy - 7.00pm Adelaide: Channel 7 - 6.30pm + Fox Footy - 6.30pm Perth: 7mate - 5.00pm + Fox Footy - 5.00pm Tasmania: Channel 7 - 7.00pm + Fox Footy - 7.00pm Canberra: 7mate - 7.00pm + Fox Footy - 7.00pm Darwin: Channel 7 - 6.30pm + Fox Footy - 6.30pm 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: #AFLSwansDees Follow the club on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live match coverage and a behind-the-scenes insight into match day. VFL Round 2 - City of Casey Community Day Casey Demons v North Melbourne | Saturday April 13, 2.00pm | Casey Fields While Melbourne may be interstate this weekend, you can still get your footy fix at Casey Fields on Saturday afternoon! The first VFL match at Casey Fields for 2019 will also be the City of Casey Community Day, with plenty of family activities planned from 1.00pm including: Pony rides Cupcakes Popcorn Fairy floss CFA Fire Truck Food trucks Free Easter eggs from the Easter bunny

The Demonland Podcast will be convening an honesty circle LIVE tonight @ 8:30pm. Join @Grapeviney, @Supermercado & myself and witness grown men openly weep for what could have been. Listen & Chat LIVE: http://demonland.com Call: 03 9016 3666 Skype: Demonland31

Also we'll play Buddy back into form.

The replacements in these instances always have either their break out game or their one hit wonder.

? | https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-04-08/double-swans-blow-veteran-forward-sidelined-for-at-least-a-month

The Casey Demons started the 2019 in unimpressive fashion with a 62 point loss to the Box Hill Hawks at Box Hill City Oval. It was a total contrast to their 2018 opening when they monstered the Coburg Lions but the circumstances were entirely different. Twelve months ago, the Demons were able to go into the match with a large contingent of AFL listed players while yesterday, they went into the game with 12 Melbourne players, mostly inexperienced. They were also hampered by the AFL schedule which sees the Demons facing the Swans up in Sydney on Thursday night, a factor which most surely saw the withdrawal of ruckman Braydon Preuss from the Box Hill game and others being lightly used throughout the afternoon. Whilst its no excuse for the poor performances of some of the others, to this observer, it took away from the team’s competitive ability against a side they beat by 10 points in a practice game as recently as 24 March. Box Hill was out of the blocks quickly and dominated the opening quarter. Tim Smith has the kicking yips early and impressive small man Kade Chandler kicked the only goal as the home side took a 23 point lead into quarter time. After the break and reinforced by the introduction of Billy Stretch and Marty Hore, Casey fared a lot better. Smith finally hit the target and the busy Chandler scored his second at the 17 minute mark to provide a ray of light with the deficit under two goals but, after that, the afternoon turned into a nightmare. Box Hill dominated the error riddled visitors for the next quarter and a half, going into the main break with a five goal lead and stretching that past nine goals at the final break. Casey rallied a little in the final term but their inaccuracy in front of goal ensured that they would make little impact on the final margin. Best players for the Demons was Corey Maynard who put his hand up for senior selection with 27 disposals, likewise Billy Stretch with 20 touches in his three quarters. New skipper Mitch White tried hard against the odds on a difficult day for his team. For the Casey Demons, it was a game best forgotten as they head back home for an encounter against North Melbourne next Saturday. 2019 Hard Yakka / Totally Workwear VFL Casey Demons 1.4.10 3.6.24 3.10.28 4.18.42 Box Hill Hawks 5.3.33 8.6.54 14.11.95 15.14.104 Goals Casey Demons Chandler 2 Gent T Smith Box Hill Hawks Ross 5 Lewis 4 Kilpatrick Schoenmakers 2 Hanrahan Moore Best Casey Demons Maynard Stretch Chandler White Munro Bedford Box Hill Hawks Kilpatrick Lewis Ross O'Brien Jiath Miles Statistics Oskar Baker 1 behind 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 30 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 behind 5 kicks 9 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 50 dream team points Kade Chandler 2 goals 1 behinds 10 kicks 7 handballs 17 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 77 dream team points Dylan Collis 1 behinds 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 30 dream team points Will Collis 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 56 dream team points Jeffrey Garlett 1 behind 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 2 mark 3 tackles 28 dream team points Mitch Gent 1 goal 2 behinds 10 kicks 4 handballs 14 disposals 4. marks 1 tackle 63 dream team points Marty Hore 13 kicks 1 handballs 14 disposals 3 marks 53 dream team points Jack Hutchins 1 kicks 2 handballs 3 disposals 1 tackles 8 dream team points James Jordon 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 39 dream team points Declan Keilty 3 kicks 6 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 9 hit outs 48 dream team points Mitchell Lewis 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 3 marks 36 dream team points Corey Maynard 10 kicks 17 handballs 27 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 82 dream team points James Munro 2 behinds 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 1 marks 3 tackles 48 dream team points Harrison Petty 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 33 dream team points Aidan Quigley 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 5 marks 43 dream team points Tim Smith 1 goal 3 behinds 11 kick s 1 handball 12 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 53 dream team points Tom Sparrow 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 49dream team points Billy Stretch 13 kicks 7 handballs 20 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 77 dream team points Cory Stockdale 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 40 dream team points Luke Tynan 1 behind 7 kicks 9 handballs 16 disposals 4 marks 49 dream team points Liam Wale-Buxton 3 kicks 3 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 17 hit outs 40 dream team points Mitchell White 1 behind 12 kicks 12 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 60 dream team points

A DAY TO FORGET by KC from Casey The Casey Demons started the 2019 in unimpressive fashion with a 62 point loss to the Box Hill Hawks at Box Hill City Oval. It was a total contrast to their 2018 opening when they monstered the Coburg Lions but the circumstances were entirely different. Twelve months ago, the Demons were able to go into the match with a large contingent of AFL listed players while yesterday, they went into the game with 12 Melbourne players, mostly inexperienced. They were also hampered by the AFL schedule which sees the Demons facing the Swans up in Sydney on Thursday night, a factor which most surely saw the withdrawal of ruckman Braydon Preuss from the Box Hill game and others being lightly used throughout the afternoon. Whilst its no excuse for the poor performances of some of the others, to this observer, it took away from the team’s competitive ability against a side they beat by 10 points in a practice game as recently as 24 March. Box Hill was out of the blocks quickly and dominated the opening quarter. Tim Smith has the kicking yips early and impressive small man Kade Chandler kicked the only goal as the home side took a 23 point lead into quarter time. After the break and reinforced by the introduction of Billy Stretch and Marty Hore, Casey fared a lot better. Smith finally hit the target and the busy Chandler scored his second at the 17 minute mark to provide a ray of light with the deficit under two goals but, after that, the afternoon turned into a nightmare. Box Hill dominated the error riddled visitors for the next quarter and a half, going into the main break with a five goal lead and stretching that past nine goals at the final break. Casey rallied a little in the final term but their inaccuracy in front of goal ensured that they would make little impact on the final margin. Best players for the Demons was Corey Maynard who put his hand up for senior selection with 27 disposals, likewise Billy Stretch with 20 touches in his three quarters. New skipper Mitch White tried hard against the odds on a difficult day for his team. For the Casey Demons, it was a game best forgotten as they head back home for an encounter against North Melbourne next Saturday. 2019 Hard Yakka / Totally Workwear VFL Casey Demons 1.4.10 3.6.24 3.10.28 4.18.42 Box Hill Hawks 5.3.33 8.6.54 14.11.95 15.14.104 Goals Casey Demons Chandler 2 Gent T Smith Box Hill Hawks Ross 5 Lewis 4 Kilpatrick Schoenmakers 2 Hanrahan Moore Best Casey Demons Maynard Stretch Chandler White Munro Bedford Box Hill Hawks Kilpatrick Lewis Ross O'Brien Jiath Miles Statistics Oskar Baker 1 behind 5 kicks 4 handballs 9 disposals 2 marks 30 dream team points Toby Bedford 1 behind 5 kicks 9 handballs 14 disposals 4 marks 1 tackle 50 dream team points Kade Chandler 2 goals 1 behinds 10 kicks 7 handballs 17 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 77 dream team points Dylan Collis 1 behinds 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 30 dream team points Will Collis 5 kicks 3 handballs 8 disposals 2 marks 2 tackles 56 dream team points Jeffrey Garlett 1 behind 4 kicks 3 handballs 7 disposals 2 mark 3 tackles 28 dream team points Mitch Gent 1 goal 2 behinds 10 kicks 4 handballs 14 disposals 4. marks 1 tackle 63 dream team points Marty Hore 13 kicks 1 handballs 14 disposals 3 marks 53 dream team points Jack Hutchins 1 kicks 2 handballs 3 disposals 1 tackles 8 dream team points James Jordon 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 39 dream team points Declan Keilty 3 kicks 6 handballs 9 disposals 3 marks 3 tackles 9 hit outs 48 dream team points Mitchell Lewis 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 3 marks 36 dream team points Corey Maynard 10 kicks 17 handballs 27 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 82 dream team points James Munro 2 behinds 8 kicks 6 handballs 14 disposals 1 marks 3 tackles 48 dream team points Harrison Petty 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 4 marks 2 tackles 33 dream team points Aidan Quigley 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 5 marks 43 dream team points Tim Smith 1 goal 3 behinds 11 kick s 1 handball 12 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 53 dream team points Tom Sparrow 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 3 marks 4 tackles 49dream team points Billy Stretch 13 kicks 7 handballs 20 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 77 dream team points Cory Stockdale 8 kicks 2 handballs 10 disposals 1 mark 3 tackles 40 dream team points Luke Tynan 1 behind 7 kicks 9 handballs 16 disposals 4 marks 49 dream team points Liam Wale-Buxton 3 kicks 3 handballs 6 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 17 hit outs 40 dream team points Mitchell White 1 behind 12 kicks 12 disposals 5 marks 2 tackles 60 dream team points

Late last season, the Swans came to the MCG and embarrassed the Demons. Thankfully, they recovered to beat the Eagles and Giants in the last two rounds to make the finals. MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis HB: Christian Salem, Sam Frost, James Harmes C Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver, Angus Brayshaw HF: Charlie Spargo, Jesse Hogan, Aaron vandenBerg F: Jeff Garlett, Tom McDonald, Bayley Fritsch Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Christian Petracca I/C: Jayden Hunt, Jay Kennedy Harris, Alex Neal-Bullen, Cameron Pedersen Emg: Mitch Hannan, Dean Kent, Bernie Vince, Sam Weideman, In: Jayden Hunt, Cameron Pedersen Out: Joel Smith (collarbone), Bernie Vince (omitted) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith, Aliir Aliir, Jake Lloyd HB: Dane Rampe, Alex Johnson, Jarrad McVeigh C Isaac Heeney, Josh P. Kennedy, Harry Cunningham HF: George Hewett, Lance Franklin, Oliver Florent F: Will Hayward, Tom McCartin, Ben Ronke Foll: Callum Sinclair, Kieren Jack, Luke Parker I/C:Jordan Dawson, Dan Hannebery, Nic Newman, Tom Papley Emg: Darcy Cameron, Daniel Robinson, Gary Rohan, Dean Towers In: Dan Hannebery Out: Daniel Robinson (omitted)

It’s early but the 2019 race looms as a race in two between Gus and Clarrie - 40. Angus Brayshaw 33. Clayton Oliver 21. James Harmes 20. Max Gawn Christian Salem 16. Jake Melksham 12. Jack Viney 9. Jayden Hunt 4. Sam Frost Michael Hibberd 3. Corey Wagner 2. Bayley Fritsch Jay Lockhart Alex Neal-Bullen 1. Neville Jetta

2019 IS NOT 2018 by George on the Outer Seems like an obvious statement doesn’t it? Yet the MFC coaching staff/team seem to have forgotten to change their calendars on January 1st. A 3 goal loss against the equal bottom side in the competition and now with a 0-3 record for the current season, it should be obvious that things have changed from 2018. Not so on the field, as Melbourne continue to play the style which got them to a Preliminary final. Once again the Demons saw 20 goals scored against them for the game. It is easy for the coach to come out and say “ we were scored against easily” but the reason that happened is probably because we are still playing the game as it was played in 2018. The rules have changed, and other teams have worked us out. The Melbourne “brand” of contested football is fine if you win the ball, when you don’t it means you leak goals because we have insufficient players behind and outside the contest. It is why we see other teams this season “waltz” the ball into goal. It is why opposition forwards are seen to be un-manned. The Rules have changed. 6-6-6 was introduced to open the game up in the middle. The jury on that aspect is still out, but opposition coaches are now sitting a resting ruck in their forward line in lieu and we have seen it in all 3 games in 2019. In this game Zac Clarke was brought into the side to do exactly that alongside Bellchambers. They had little effect as players, but it forced us to put one of our tall defenders on them and that opened the gate for Stringer, Tipungwuti and McKernan who each kicked 4 goals! And our resting ruck?…..he will be playing at Casey. It may not be obvious to some but Jesse Hogan is now playing for Fremantle. We are playing with 1 less tall forward in 2019. So why is Sam Weidemann being used as a substitute ruck? In this game against the Bombers, we saw the ridiculous situation when Tom McDonald injured an ankle in the 2nd quarter, had to leave the ground, and then was used on a wing. Max Gawn was resting on the bench and Weideman was rucking. Even after Gawn came back on, Weideman had to be rested on the bench. Having Gawn return to the ruck position saw Melbourne’s resurgence in that quarter. Does that not send a message we need a full-time ruckman on the ground? It is easy when the opposition kicks 20 goals to focus on the backline. There is no doubt that Oscar McDonald is playing well below par. Frost is filling a hole, which he will probably continue to do so, even with the return of May and Lever. But they are being asked to take on opponents much bigger and stronger than themselves, especially with resting rucks dropping back. Then to top it off we are still following the mantra of going at the man with the ball, even if it means 3 Melbourne players doing exactly the same thing, resulting in loose opposition players. And the backline needs help, especially with our current defender drought. The wingers need to get back to cover, but instead are heading toward the middle like they did in 2018. In 2019 it should be the HFF’s heading to the wing and the middle, but hey it worked last year, didn’t it? The disfunction of the forward line is more critical, because this is from where the opposition in 2019 have launched their attacks. Contested football isn’t just in the middle, and once again the lack of pressure from the forwards to keep the ball inside the scoring area was appalling. We saw Melbourne players all flying for the ball leaving no-one crumbing. The times when Hunt and Lockhart stayed on the ground saw them rewarded, but it was the exception. Neal-Bulleen provided nothing again in the forward line, with his opponent Saad doubling his possessions. 2018 performances shouldn’t get games in 2019. This week the Hun re-opened the wounds of the “tanking saga” of the 2009 season ... winning no more than 4 games was thought to be a good thing, because it worked for Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn and others in previous years. Well that turned out really well didn’t it, since we learned playing by last years rules doesn’t get you reward. Are we making the same mistake on the field in 2019? Melbourne 3.1.19 10.1.61 12.3.75 18.4.112 Essendon 6.4.40 8.6.54 15.6.96 20.10.130 Goals Melbourne Harmes Hunt 3 Lockhart Melksham Weideman 2 Brayshaw Gawn Kolodjashnij Neal-Bullen Petracca C Wagner Essendon McDonald-Tipungwuti McKernan Stringer 4 Fantasia Smith 2 Baguley McGrath Parish Zaharakis Best Melbourne Gawn Brayshaw Hunt Oliver Harmes Lockhart Essendon Heppell Shiel McDonald-Tipungwuti Zaharakis Stringer Fantasia Injuries Melbourne T McDonald (ankle) Essendon Mutch (hamstring), Francis (corked quad) Reports Nil Umpires Stevic Harris Haussen Official crowd 52,475 at the MCG

Seems like an obvious statement doesn’t it? Yet the MFC coaching staff/team seem to have forgotten to change their calendars on January 1st. A 3 goal loss against the equal bottom side in the competition and now with a 0-3 record for the current season, it should be obvious that things have changed from 2018. Not so on the field, as Melbourne continue to play the style which got them to a Preliminary final. Once again the Demons saw 20 goals scored against them for the game. It is easy for the coach to come out and say “ we were scored against easily” but the reason that happened is probably because we are still playing the game as it was played in 2018. The rules have changed, and other teams have worked us out. The Melbourne “brand” of contested football is fine if you win the ball, when you don’t it means you leak goals because we have insufficient players behind and outside the contest. It is why we see other teams this season “waltz” the ball into goal. It is why opposition forwards are seen to be un-manned. The Rules have changed. 6-6-6 was introduced to open the game up in the middle. The jury on that aspect is still out, but opposition coaches are now sitting a resting ruck in their forward line in lieu and we have seen it in all 3 games in 2019. In this game Zac Clarke was brought into the side to do exactly that alongside Bellchambers. They had little effect as players, but it forced us to put one of our tall defenders on them and that opened the gate for Stringer, Tipungwuti and McKernan who each kicked 4 goals! And our resting ruck?…..he will be playing at Casey. It may not be obvious to some but Jesse Hogan is now playing for Fremantle. We are playing with 1 less tall forward in 2019. So why is Sam Weidemann being used as a substitute ruck? In this game against the Bombers, we saw the ridiculous situation when Tom McDonald injured an ankle in the 2nd quarter, had to leave the ground, and then was used on a wing. Max Gawn was resting on the bench and Weideman was rucking. Even after Gawn came back on, Weideman had to be rested on the bench. Having Gawn return to the ruck position saw Melbourne’s resurgence in that quarter. Does that not send a message we need a full-time ruckman on the ground? It is easy when the opposition kicks 20 goals to focus on the backline. There is no doubt that Oscar McDonald is playing well below par. Frost is filling a hole, which he will probably continue to do so, even with the return of May and Lever. But they are being asked to take on opponents much bigger and stronger than themselves, especially with resting rucks dropping back. Then to top it off we are still following the mantra of going at the man with the ball, even if it means 3 Melbourne players doing exactly the same thing, resulting in loose opposition players. And the backline needs help, especially with our current defender drought. The wingers need to get back to cover, but instead are heading toward the middle like they did in 2018. In 2019 it should be the HFF’s heading to the wing and the middle, but hey it worked last year, didn’t it? The disfunction of the forward line is more critical, because this is from where the opposition in 2019 have launched their attacks. Contested football isn’t just in the middle, and once again the lack of pressure from the forwards to keep the ball inside the scoring area was appalling. We saw Melbourne players all flying for the ball leaving no-one crumbing. The times when Hunt and Lockhart stayed on the ground saw them rewarded, but it was the exception. Neal-Bulleen provided nothing again in the forward line, with his opponent Saad doubling his possessions. 2018 performances shouldn’t get games in 2019. This week the Hun re-opened the wounds of the “tanking saga” of the 2009 season ... winning no more than 4 games was thought to be a good thing, because it worked for Carlton, Collingwood, Hawthorn and others in previous years. Well that turned out really well didn’t it, since we learned playing by last years rules doesn’t get you reward. Are we making the same mistake on the field in 2019? Melbourne 3.1.19 10.1.61 12.3.75 18.4.112 Essendon 6.4.40 8.6.54 15.6.96 20.10.130 Goals Melbourne Harmes Hunt 3 Lockhart Melksham Weideman 2 Brayshaw Gawn Kolodjashnij Neal-Bullen Petracca C Wagner Essendon McDonald-Tipungwuti McKernan Stringer 4 Fantasia Smith 2 Baguley McGrath Parish Zaharakis Best Melbourne Gawn Brayshaw Hunt Oliver Harmes Lockhart Essendon Heppell Shiel McDonald-Tipungwuti Zaharakis Stringer Fantasia Injuries Melbourne T McDonald (ankle) Essendon Mutch (hamstring), Francis (corked quad) Reports Nil Umpires Stevic Harris Haussen Official crowd 52,475 at the MCG

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6,5,4,3,2,1