Demon Head

In a season when there seems to be a shortage of goal kicking key position forwards I wonder why Eastern Ranges full forward Luke McDonald is barely rating a mention. Leading goalkicker in the TAC Cup with a few big bags another eight goals and full forward in the Team of the Year. He's a strong mark, good kick and at 195cm is surely worth a look?

On the selection front there's been a lot of focus on injuries. Most of the talk has been about Nick Riewoldt with the paparazzi chasing him around town earlier in the week like the late Princess Di to check up on the scans on his injured knee. Lenny Hayes and Max Hudghton have also come under scrutiny over their mystery ailments. Meanwhile, nobody gives a rat's about the fact that Melbourne's injury list continues to nudge around 20. Having your players fit at the end of a long, hard season is vital. Just ask Collingwood which is about to take over flag favouritism from the Saints and the Cats. The Maggies have only one player on their injured list, Tristan Francis, and nobody's ever heard of him. That's why they're so hot at the minute. But even without Riewoldt, Hayes, Hudghton and the out of form Ball, the Saints have to start favourites in this game even if the game is taking place on territory unfamiliar to them - the MCG. The fact that they will have most of their guns available makes the Saints almost unbackable to win and win well in the biggest mismatch of the season.

Goal to Robbo - now we have two five goal kickers!

First two goals to Carlton. Starting to get ugly!

This is not doing much for our percentage. How are we ever going to catch up to Fremantle is this continues?

Blowing us away now. Carlton 10.4.64 to 6.3.39 but what have we done to deserve the constand barrage of injuries in the second half of the season. I've never seen anything like this before.

Welcome back Mark Jamar who returns after replacing Nathan Jones.

It's one of those things that he has to work hard on during the off season. Next year could be a big one for The Master.

I suppose they'll close the roof to ensure that it's a real game for running players. Having all those talls in the side at once should hold us in good stead against Carlton's runners.

Foxtel tonight at 8.00pm. Essendon v Melbourne 2000 Yes, it wasn't pretty but 9 years later it will be interesting to see how the landscape's changed.

I taped the telecaset and watched it progressively over the weekend. The best part was the highlights of state competiitons at half time. They did the previous week's game between Sturt and North Adelaide and we saw Jack Trengove take a nice mark in the goalsquare. Only one piece of play but he didn't look out of place with the men.

The circumstances won't prevent the skeptics from frowning and accusing the club of tanking by selecting him.

We lost in round 1 with that team? WOW!!!!! Were the headlines in the following morning's HUN all about how we were tanking?

Apparently Jake Spencer didn't play for Casey today. He could be the emergency for tomorrow's game and could be in line to replace a big man who was injured last week. I stress the last part is speculation only.

I disagree with you Freak. Statistics don't always tell the story. The quality of Watts' disposal and descision marking was on display yesterday even if he didn't dominate and it wasn't really a day for the big men. On the statistics above, I'd be making a few changes this week and it's definitely time to give Jordie McKenzie a look in.

It's initiatives such as these that will serve to strengthen our club. We have a great number of young players including our indigenous players and they will make an impact when the team matures. Our day will come!

More so because at 23,000 we make no money from the gate. Any less and the club has to write out a cheque for the privilege of playing on its own home ground.

Here's my entry - The scene was set early when an errant handball from James Frawley was intercepted by NAB Rising Star favourite Daniel Rich and the home side had the first goal on the board after 35 seconds. Not quite as fast as Gary Ablett's 9 second opening goal earlier in the season but still enough to cause concern in the camp. The Dees got on the map with a long goal from Cale Morton and a Russell Robertson mark and goal put them in front. It was reasonably deep into the first quarter that Melbourne led 2.0.12 to 1.2.8 and Bradshaw and Brown were being well held but late in the term the troubles began. The Brisbane Lions proceeded to amass 12 unanswered goals and by three-quarter time the margin was 74 points. The Demons of 2009 are becoming known as final quarter specialists and goals from Cameron Bruce and Nathan Jones got the scoreboard ticking over at last before Brisbane's power forwards. Brown and Bradshaw booted their fifth and fourth goals respectively. Between them they had well and truly out goaled the entire Melbourne 22 and a final flurry of goals from Colin Sylvia, Liam Jurrah and Aaron Davey added a touch of respectability.

A great deal has been made of Essendon and the fact that the Bombers have one ruckman left standing after injuries to Hille, Laycock and Bellchambers (actually they also have a young untried rookie but he's nowhere near ready for AFL). Well, we just happen to be in the same boat except our last ruckman standing isn't really a ruckman. Hence, Stefan Martin has been called in to fill the breach. He had to play the role he was given because there was no alternative. Clark killed it in the ruck and according to the statistics available to me he fixed up both Johnson (7 hit outs) and Martin (9 hit outs) and gave the superior Brisbane midfield a great armchair ride against Melbourne's one paced and tired looking midfield.

No reason why LJ can't play for a long time and I hope he wears the number 48.

Matthews was a great footballer and an excellent coach. He knows full well that Watts wasn't recruited by Melbourne to star in Round 12, 2009 or to play like Jonathan Brown does today. The Demons are looking for someone to play in a specific role in the medium to long term - more like the final series of 2012, the Grand Final of 2013 and beyond. Matthews is right to question the kid's performance on the night but all the club is expecting ATM are some brief glimpses of what he will produce in the future. The future is going to be a time when the Melbourne forward line will be serviced by a fitter, faster, more skillful and more experienced midfield that would turn last night's two goals into four or five (which he could easily have kicked even on a quiet night like yesterday had the players passed the ball to him when he presented).

6. Brad Green 5. James Frawley 4. Aaron Davey 3. Brock McLean 2. Brent Moloney 1. Colin Sylvia

No Bail!

Hoping the comeback will be in the game against Hawthorn and they won't follow the path of playing him in the Scorpions seconds, then a week or two in their firsts etc.

Thanks for the report. Does anyone else think that Bell should be included to play the Hawks this week? Against any team coached by Clarkson you need to be able to apply a little bit of strength and Bell is as tough as they come. On the strength of this perfomance I think he should come under strong consideration.