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Melbourne hopes special event will help slash debt Sounds like a good idea but why rely on the wealthy supporters only to help reduce the debt? We should, as a club, be all inclusive and ensure that rank and file supporters can make their contributions as well. It may not collet the big bucks but let's make sure that all of us are responsible for the future of the Melbourne Football Club.

James McDonald (groin) 1 week Brock McLean (ankle) season Brent Moloney (shoulder) season Jared Rivers (groin) season Russell Robertson (Achilles) season In addition David Neitz - retired. No word on Benny Holland.

Take a bow Demon Head. Very few people gave you any credibility and fewer still tipped us to win. TIPSTER OF THE YEAR!!!

Melbourne defender Jared Rivers' year is over Melbourne listed Rivers as a four-to-six-week absentee this week, but Demons coach Dean Bailey yesterday conceded his season was over. "Unless there is a magical cure for him, I don't think he will be back playing football this year," Bailey said. Back in cotton wool and hopefully an injury free remainder of his career from 2009 onwards.

YM could not have got it more wrong. It was a horrible day for the Zebras with the seniors completely outclassed going down by 67 points and the reserves losing by 1 point. Sandringham 2.2.14 3.3.21 6.6.42 11.9.75 Port Melbourne 5.2.32 11.10.76 15.13.103 21.16.142 Cale Morton and Tom McNamara among the Zebs best IMO. Port Melbourne Reserves Sandringham 1.1.7 4.6.30 8.10.58 10.10.70 Port Melbourne 2.4.16 5.7.37 7.8.50 10.11.71 Petterd played well. Newton played but didn't kick any goals.

Surely his decision making should improve with added experience and confidence? I agree with his uncle's view that he needs to build up his physical strength which will enable him to better contest the football on the ground and in the air. The same applies to a few of the young blokes at the club. Will they have state of the art gym facilities available at Casey Fields for summer training?

Speedy Demon is proving a chip off the old block "James Frawley is making strides, literally. A first-round pick in the 2006 national draft at No. 12, the North Ballarat Rebel impressed recruiters by breaking three seconds for the 20-metre sprint at the draft camp. He played nine games on debut in 2007, another seven this year, and has settled into Melbourne life, moving into a St Kilda pad with teammate Jared Rivers, who is his unofficial mentor."

hat we have Jimmy as President, one would have thought that we'd be in on this - Young Irish players, and parents, to get taste of what AFL offers "We've identified a No. 1 draft pick — he's very quick, six foot three (191 centimetres), a Tadhg Kennelly type but a bit bigger."

And now for a report on the evening?

This from the Norwood Football Club's website:- In further news, I am also pleased to announce the signing of Tiwi bomber player Roy Farmer. Roy 17 was 3rd in the Nicholls Medal the equivalent to the Magarey medal whilst playing in the Darwin league in 2007/2008. Roy played in our round 5 clash with South Adelaide in the reserves and has since been in Melbourne representing the NT U18 side in the National Championships. Roy a small forward or wingman has excellent skills, good pace & is very clever near goals. His football idols consist of Matthew Pavlich, Andrew McLeod and former player & friend Austin Wonaemirri.

Unlikely IMO. One of the major problems with TBO IMO is the size of the ground. Efforts have been made in the past to find a way to stretch it but the greenies won't allow the loss of foreshore land for that purpose.

Notwithstanding all that I would love it if Melbourne as a team could dish it up to Collingwood on Monday they way North Melbourne did against Geelong last night. There were half a dozen times when they could have thrown in the towel and given up the ghost but they kept plugging away and were in it until the last two minutes.

ULTIMATUM TO DEMONS FANS "THE AFL has sent a simple message to fans of beleaguered club Melbourne - turn up or miss out." MELBOURNE ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE "Chief executive Paul McNamee said this week it was the most important night in the club's history. 'Tonight is a platform to get together and draw the line in the sand and say now is the time to move forward and articulate what we stand for in terms of the future,' he said. 'We will celebrate the past and then we look forward.' " POOR CROWD COULD COST DEMONS RIGHTS TO BLOCKBUSTER "FAILURE to entice 60,000 spectators to Monday's match against Collingwood could cost Melbourne the rights to the lucrative Queen's Birthday fixture." CAROLINE WILSON ON MELBOURNE "IT COULD scarcely have been a worse prelude to a 150th birthday party. Over the past fortnight, the Melbourne Football Club has been relocated by Jeff Kennett, targeted and then threatened by Andrew Demetriou and pummelled by St Kilda in a jumper that can only have been created by an understaffed off-field team working under duress." CALE MORTON IS ONE DEE THAT'S CUTTING IT "Morton might have played only nine AFL games, but the lessons keep stacking up." JAKE NIALL ON MELBOURNE "Regardless of financial storm clouds, the Demons must implement a long-term football strategy. They should allow Dean Bailey time to demonstrate whether he is the club's future, and judge him less on the win-loss column than where he's taking them." ROBERT WALLS ON MELBOURNE "Bailey has to be positive, calm and measured and show which direction he is pointing this team. If the supporters and sponsors feel they are included and informed, they will back him." JAMES FRAWLEY JOINS DEMONS INJURY LIST "MELBOURNE'S season of woe continued last night when defender James Frawley received a knock to his shoulder at training." Of course, life wouldn't be the same without the local rag - SHOCK AS ZEBRAS SIGN WITH ST KILDA "SANDRINGHAM’S successful VFL alignment with Melbourne is over." And after tonight ... there's sure to be lot more.

Saints boss calls for Lyon to coach for next 10 years This usually means that the team in question will flop miserably. On the other hand, if they sacked him this week, we'de be flogged.

And now a hamstring forces Davey from track. "Davey pulled up short and clutched his leg after taking a shot for goal." Sounds like 2 - 3 weeks at least to me. "Ruckman Jeff White, a late withdrawal with back soreness, and forward Russell Robertson, who copped a heavy knock to the thigh, did not join training yesterday. The pair will be tested. "Ben Holland (shoulder) must prove his fitness, while Jared Rivers (hip) and Paul Wheatley (calf) worked strongly and should be available." Despite our improved form, an indiction tht there will be a few changes to the team this week.

MELBOURNE Nathan Carroll (hamstring) - test Jack Grimes (back) - long term injury list Ben Holland (shoulder) - test Michael Newton (knee) - test Ricky Petterd (groin) - 2 - 3 weeks Jared Rivers (hip) - test Russell Robertson (corked thigh) - test Colin Sylvia (hamstring) - test Paul Wheatley (calf) - test Jeff White (back) - test NOTE: As there are no VFL games this weeks, players coming back from injury will not be able to have a game with Sandringham this week. ST KILDA Jayden Attard (knee reconstruction) - 3 - 5 weeks Steven Baker (knee) - test Xavier Clarke (hamstring) - 2 weeks Glenn Chivers (foot) - 1 - 3 weeks Sam Gilbert (shoulder) - 1 - 3 weeks Matt Maguire (foot) - season Luke Miles (stress fracture in fibula) - 1 week Luke van Rheenen (foot) - season

The actual Division 2 Championships started today. See NAB AFL under-18 Championships: matchday one for a full rundown of how they work and the results of the opening day.

I wonder how many clubs would remain tolerant of their full forward if he had reaped just two goals from three matches in teams that were losing heavily and was dropping simple marks on top of it.

This is our current injury list according to the Age: Matthew Bate (hamstring) - test Jace Bode (groin) - test Jack Grimes (back) – indefinite Ben Holland (thigh) - test Paul Johnson (hand) - 4 weeks Michael Newton (knee) - test Ricky Petterd (groin) - 3-4 weeks I notice that the list doesn't include Brent Moloney who has missed the last two games with what was rumoured to be anything from a corkie to a quad to a groin injury. As a matter of interest, this was our injury list as published in last week's newspaper: Matthew Bate (hamstring) - test Aaron Davey (foot) - further assessment Jack Grimes (groin/shins) - 2-4 weeks Bate was selected to play for Sandringham but obviously didn't come up right on the day. Davey got through his assessment and played against Geelong. We should have had 40 players in action at the weekend given that, according to the list, only Grimes was out (and that was for 2 - 4 weeks) and Bate failed his test. But in fact, we had another 5 players missing who weren't reported as injured earlier in the week - Bode, Holland, Moloney, Newton and Petterd. Is there something wrong with our training or are we still not being transparent with these injury lists?

Demons set new goals but they won't be training at the MCG (nor will the Tigers, Vlad!) Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stephen Gough yesterday ruled out any clubs being allowed to regularly train at the ground. "The MCG is not a training ground," Gough told The Age. "We let interstate clubs have a run here before a game so their Victorian counterparts — when they go interstate — can get use to grounds over there."

Corkie upgraded to a quad injury but should be back this week according to those in the know.

I really think that's the message - confidence. Whoever it was that said this game is played between the ears is dead right. I remember Geelong fans wanting to sack Bomber Thompson five rounds into 2007 when they had just lost to the Kangaroos and were 2-3. Then they started playing with confidence as a team and for the next 5 months couldn't put a foot in the wrong place. A win this week will make a world of difference to the club. And good luck to the newcomers ... MORTON & WEETRA DEBUT

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It seems that Leigh Matthews is not happy about the number of Brisbane players not ready to ply at this stage of the season - Matthews not pleased with injuries. " THE Brisbane Lions are reviewing their conditioning program after entering the NAB Cup with the competition's longest injury list. The list is slowly diminishing and the club expects to have close to a full list from which to choose in Round 1. But coach Leigh Matthews admitted last night the inability to get match practice into players during the pre-season tournament had been a major frustration." Know how he feels?

Some versions of the report which was carried by Associated Press add the following:- "Melbourne suffered a further blow when Newton picked up a neck injury in a contest during the second half. Newton was taken to hospital, where he was expected to stay overnight, but officials were not yet sure of the seriousness of the injury. The club will release further details on Newton's condition." Hope he's fine and that someone at the club can confirm.