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The 10 goal Blues … No it’s not a new rendition of a song from the Delta, just a reflection of the gulf between a side that barely makes it into the 8, and where the Demons are at the moment. Yes it’s wonderful to think that the other results from the weekend had similar margins, but those results were between similarly based sides…..So where are we going to find 10 goals to bring us just up to a pass mark in the competition? We certainly won’t without any suitable forward. No Clarke or Dawes and the Melbourne forward line is suddenly bereft of any real talent. Jeremy Howe has to show more than a capability to stand on opponents heads if he is to be serious about an AFL career. Six touches in a game is not enough. Our mids were simply overwhelmed … again! Dunn did a fantastic job of curtailing Judd, but while Jones X 2 certainly battled manfully for the whole game, it was an easy job for the Carlton taggers to shut down any meaningful drive from the middle. Meanwhile Murphy and Simpson had a party and drove the Blues into attack relentlessly. They certainly got good feed from Warnock with 44 hit-outs. But if Jake Spencer doesn’t learn to try to tap the ball instead of jumping into his opponent, this type of one sided outcome will continue. We can only hope that Max Gawn continues his climb and good health, because he WILL be the No.1 ruckman at Melbourne by year end. Failing to score a major in the first quarter put the side in an unwinnable position early. How often does this have to occur? There were some courageous efforts in the 2nd to bring us back to a competitive position, but squandered opportunities in front of goal failed to provide any scoreboard pressure when needed. Luke Tapscott, while reported, showed a good amount of mongrel and attack at man and ball. He continues to improve week by week, and along with him, Matt Jones, Jack Viney, Tom McDonald and Michael Evans are showing some of the older heads the grit and determination required at AFL level. Thank heavens for our backline who again were under relentless pressure. Garland, Frawley and McDonald performed well considering the barrage coming from upfield. Pity the smalls who were supposed to be minding Garlett and Betts had kept to their jobs in the same way. The 8 goals they kicked between them was really the difference between the sides. It was another depressing day for the Demons supporters. Are they ever going to have something to be proud about or to hope for? Not the way the team and too many individuals are playing at the moment. There is a faint hope of success next week against Gold Coast. But that is a sad reflection of where the club is today, is it not? We truly have the Blues ... Melbourne 0.3.3 3.7.25 5.9.39 8.12.60 Carlton 5.1.31 8.4.52 12.10.82 18.13.121 Goals Melbourne Sylvia 2 Bail Dunn Garland M Jones Kent Tapscott Carlton Betts, Garlett 4 Murphy 3 Armfield Waite 2 Curnow Robinson Walker Best Melbourne: N Jones Dunn M Jones Garland Frawley Gawn ... no one else after that…. Carlton Murphy Betts Garlett Scotland Walker Henderson Waite Hampson Injuries Melbourne: Grimes (left shoulder) Carlton Nil Changes Melbourne Grimes (left shoulder) Carlton Nil Reports: Luke Tapscott (Melbourne) reported for rough conduct on Kade Simpson during the third quarter. Umpires Leppard Wenn Mitchell Official crowd 35,286 at the MCG

Anyone feeling confident?

NO FIRE IN THE BELLY by JVM When the media summed up Melbourne's loss to the Brisbane Lions last week there were some who highlighted many acts by the Demons that demonstrated a lack of pressure applied to the opposition when they had the ball. Players hanging back and not attacking the ball carrier, failing to chase and run hard, leaving their men alone and allowing them to create space and/or make to leads and take easy marks. All this apart from the simple mistakes and skill errors that conceded easy goals. These were all instances of players not being prepared to work hard enough or worse still, lacking of any fire in the belly which, given what theyre paid to do and how much theyre paid, is extremely disappointing. Not only disappointing but strange after the team made a spirited start to the game and even stayed with the Lions for most of the first half but the writing was on the wall even then. The team is now well past 25 games into coach Mark Neeld's tenure but it remains one of the easiest teams to play against and not the hardest as he promised the fans when the ride began. Not long after that it was said that the team's level of fitness was inferior to that of most of the rest of the competition so preseason training was stepped up by increments, a little in the first year and another 15% in the next. But still that doesn't seem to be the answer except when pitted against Sheedy's pimply faced kids, the team has been unable to step up to the plate after half time. Last week, they fell into the hole after half time and stood by meekly allowing the Lions (whose own form up to that stage was appalling) to trample all over them This week, the Demons face up to a team that has struck a bit of form and promises to make mincemeat of any team it plays that has that necessary ingredient missing. If theres no fire in the belly among the playing group then Mark Neelds first meeting with his old master, Mick Malthouse, could well be the last. THE GAME Carlton v Melbourne at the MCG - Sunday 5 May, 2013 at 3.15pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 116 wins 2 draws Melbourne 88 wins At MCG Carlton 48 wins Melbourne 49 wins Since 2000 Carlton 10 wins Melbourne 8 wins The Coaches Malthouse 0 wins Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7, Fox Footy Channel (live) Radio - 3AW Triple M THE BETTING Carlton to win $1.02 Melbourne to win $13.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton15.17.107 defeated Melbourne 6.13.49 at the MCG, Round 9, 2012 The pattern of the game was not unfamiliar. Melbourne kept up with Carlton for most of the first half and was even in a threatening position midway through the third quarter before capitulating against a seven goal final term onslaught from Carlton. Nathan Jones was best afield for Melbourne and Mitch Clark booted three goals TEAMS CARLTON Backs Chris Yarran Michael Jamison Lachlan Henderson Half backs Zach Tuohy Dennis Armfield White Centreline Kane Lucas Mitch Robinson Kade Simpson Half forwards Chris Judd Andrew Walker Jeff Garlett Forwards Ed Curnow Shaun Hampson Jarrad Waite Followers Robert Warnock Marc Murphy Brock McLean Interchange Eddie Betts Jaryd Cachia David Ellard Heath Scotland Emergencies Tom Bell Sam Rowe In Jaryd Cachia David Ellard Jarrad Waite Out Andrew Carazzo Bryce Gibbs (hamstring) Sam Rowe MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn James Frawley Dean Terlich Half backs Jack Grimes Tom McDonald Colin Garland Centreline Jack Trengove Jack Viney Matt Jones Half forwards Jeremy Howe Colin Sylvia Dean Kent Forwards Rohan Bail Max Gawn Shannon Byrnes Followers Jake Spencer Jordie McKenzie Nathan Jones Interchange Michael Evans Daniel Nicholson James Strauss Luke Tapscott Emergencies Sam Blease Aaron Davey Cameron Pedersen In Lynden Dunn Dean Kent Daniel Nicholson Jake Spencer James Strauss Jack Viney Out Sam Blease Aaron Davey Mark Jamar (groin) Cameron Pedersen David Rodan Jack Watts (hamstring) New Dean Kent (Perth) There was a time when you could preview a game by matching up the teams player for player and working out which of the two was stronger by deciding how many of one side were ahead of the other. The winner would in all likelihood, be the one that was in front in the majority of positions. It was a reasonably good guide but didn't always work because a team would often have a certain number of dominant players who would have sufficient influence over a game to override the disadvantage of depth of numbers. I have no such problems with a game like Carlton v Melbourne where the Blues not only have the extra advantage of having the champion or class players in their team but they also have the greater depth. They have the luxury of Murphy, Judd, McLean (at his peak), Scotland, Simpson, Robinson and co and the fact that Carazzo (late omission) and Gibbs out with injury is a mere bagatelle. Melbourne has Nathan Jones so if the opposition manages to cover him then it's all over red rover. At least we won't have a repeat of Jamar tapping the ball constantly to someone like Maloney. The changes at Melbourne (and there are six of them) wont do the trick. On top of having possible the worst midfield in the competition, the team is without important forward in Mark Jamar and Chris Dawes (along with Jack Watts whose brief stint up forward last week produced two goals) and while the injuries give some younger players an opportunity, the differential in class will be mo more pronounced than in this game. The injury hit forward line is problematic because the Dees have only managed an average of seven goals in their last four bruise free matches against the Blues. And if that's not enough to convince anybody then let's not forget that Carlton is ranked fourth in AFL for contested possessions this season, while Melbourne is last. Can't avoid it but this should be a percentage booster for both sides. Carlton by 41 points.

When the media summed up Melbourne's loss to the Brisbane Lions last week there were some who highlighted many acts by the Demons that demonstrated a lack of pressure applied to the opposition when they had the ball. Players hanging back and not attacking the ball carrier, failing to chase and run hard, leaving their men alone and allowing them to create space and/or make to leads and take easy marks. All this apart from the simple mistakes and skill errors that conceded easy goals. These were all instances of players not being prepared to work hard enough or worse still, lacking of any fire in the belly which, given what theyre paid to do and how much theyre paid, is extremely disappointing. Not only disappointing but strange after the team made a spirited start to the game and even stayed with the Lions for most of the first half but the writing was on the wall even then. The team is now well past 25 games into coach Mark Neeld's tenure but it remains one of the easiest teams to play against and not the hardest as he promised the fans when the ride began. Not long after that it was said that the team's level of fitness was inferior to that of most of the rest of the competition so preseason training was stepped up by increments, a little in the first year and another 15% in the next. But still that doesn't seem to be the answer except when pitted against Sheedy's pimply faced kids, the team has been unable to step up to the plate after half time. Last week, they fell into the hole after half time and stood by meekly allowing the Lions (whose own form up to that stage was appalling) to trample all over them This week, the Demons face up to a team that has struck a bit of form and promises to make mincemeat of any team it plays that has that necessary ingredient missing. If theres no fire in the belly among the playing group then Mark Neelds first meeting with his old master, Mick Malthouse, could well be the last. THE GAME Carlton v Melbourne at the MCG - Sunday 5 May, 2013 at 3.15pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 116 wins 2 draws Melbourne 88 wins At MCG Carlton 48 wins Melbourne 49 wins Since 2000 Carlton 10 wins Melbourne 8 wins The Coaches Malthouse 0 wins Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV Channel 7, Fox Footy Channel (live) Radio - 3AW Triple M THE BETTING Carlton to win $1.02 Melbourne to win $13.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton15.17.107 defeated Melbourne 6.13.49 at the MCG, Round 9, 2012 The pattern of the game was not unfamiliar. Melbourne kept up with Carlton for most of the first half and was even in a threatening position midway through the third quarter before capitulating against a seven goal final term onslaught from Carlton. Nathan Jones was best afield for Melbourne and Mitch Clark booted three goals TEAMS CARLTON Backs Chris Yarran Michael Jamison Lachlan Henderson Half backs Zach Tuohy Dennis Armfield White Centreline Kane Lucas Mitch Robinson Kade Simpson Half forwards Chris Judd Andrew Walker Jeff Garlett Forwards Ed Curnow Shaun Hampson Jarrad Waite Followers Robert Warnock Marc Murphy Brock McLean Interchange Eddie Betts Jaryd Cachia David Ellard Heath Scotland Emergencies Tom Bell Sam Rowe In Jaryd Cachia David Ellard Jarrad Waite Out Andrew Carazzo Bryce Gibbs (hamstring) Sam Rowe MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn James Frawley Dean Terlich Half backs Jack Grimes Tom McDonald Colin Garland Centreline Jack Trengove Jack Viney Matt Jones Half forwards Jeremy Howe Colin Sylvia Dean Kent Forwards Rohan Bail Max Gawn Shannon Byrnes Followers Jake Spencer Jordie McKenzie Nathan Jones Interchange Michael Evans Daniel Nicholson James Strauss Luke Tapscott Emergencies Sam Blease Aaron Davey Cameron Pedersen In Lynden Dunn Dean Kent Daniel Nicholson Jake Spencer James Strauss Jack Viney Out Sam Blease Aaron Davey Mark Jamar (groin) Cameron Pedersen David Rodan Jack Watts (hamstring) New Dean Kent (Perth) There was a time when you could preview a game by matching up the teams player for player and working out which of the two was stronger by deciding how many of one side were ahead of the other. The winner would in all likelihood, be the one that was in front in the majority of positions. It was a reasonably good guide but didn't always work because a team would often have a certain number of dominant players who would have sufficient influence over a game to override the disadvantage of depth of numbers. I have no such problems with a game like Carlton v Melbourne where the Blues not only have the extra advantage of having the champion or class players in their team but they also have the greater depth. They have the luxury of Murphy, Judd, McLean (at his peak), Scotland, Simpson, Robinson and co and the fact that Carazzo (late omission) and Gibbs out with injury is a mere bagatelle. Melbourne has Nathan Jones so if the opposition manages to cover him then it's all over red rover. At least we won't have a repeat of Jamar tapping the ball constantly to someone like Maloney. The changes at Melbourne (and there are six of them) wont do the trick. On top of having possible the worst midfield in the competition, the team is without important forward in Mark Jamar and Chris Dawes (along with Jack Watts whose brief stint up forward last week produced two goals) and while the injuries give some younger players an opportunity, the differential in class will be mo more pronounced than in this game. The injury hit forward line is problematic because the Dees have only managed an average of seven goals in their last four bruise free matches against the Blues. And if that's not enough to convince anybody then let's not forget that Carlton is ranked fourth in AFL for contested possessions this season, while Melbourne is last. Can't avoid it but this should be a percentage booster for both sides. Carlton by 41 points.

A BIT OF A MYSTERY by Mean Gene The game's over and it's 0 and 9 ... but it was still a bit of a mystery how it ended so badly. For three quarters they actually put up a fight and, but for the circumstance of their lack of experience and their low levels of self-confidence, they might have been even closer than 16 points in arrears at the final break. At that time, the Demons had gone a long way to dispelling many of the accusations fired over recent weeks at the entire club from the top down and certainly at the playing group. They opened up with the game's first two goals and three of the first four but after that, only three of seventeen and they finished with none of seven in the final term. They led by a point at quarter time, having gifted two away with some poor disposal out of defence (an umpire gifted the other one). In much the same way as they did against Hawthorn a fortnight ago, they wasted their hard work in a few minutes early in the second quarter when they conceded three goals to the Blues. However, this time they would put up a much better fight and they held steady in the second half of the term. Indeed, a little bit more class in the on ball division and some better efficiency up forward might have seen them a lot closer at the main break. The main problem was that they were being whacked at the stoppages but, at least there were some shining lights. James Frawley and Jared Rivers were holding things down in the backline and Jack Grimes was doing well. Rohan Bail, Sam Blease and Dan Nicholson all added some pace to the mix - a feature that has been missing at Melbourne for so long. Mitch Clark was scoring goals (he could so easily have had five by half time) and Nathan Jones added a touch of hardness along with Jordie McKenzie who was doing a good job in blanketing Chris Judd. The dour struggle continued in the third and they again had their chances. At one stage late in the term, the inside 50 count was even but Carlton still managed an almost three goal buffer at the last change. In days gone past we might have even sensed the possibility of an upset in the offing but the troops looked a little tired as they went into the huddle. So it was that the day was marred by a final quarter when they capitulated. Despite that, they finished with a mysterious and interesting statistic of having had the ball in their forward half for 52% of the game. And considering that the club was supposed to have acquired the cream of football's sports scientists at the end of last season, it's a mystery how the team fades out so badly at the end of games. Melbourne 3.4.22 5.7.37 6.10.46 6.13.49 Carlton 3.3.21 7.8.50 8.14.62 15.17.107 Goals Melbourne Clark 3 Blease Howe Jones Carlton Betts 5 Robinson 3 Hampson Walker 2 Armfield Kreuzer Tuohy Best Melbourne Jones Frawley Watts Bail Blease Clark McKenzie Carlton Robinson McLean Betts Walker Scotland Curnow Injuries Melbourne Green (bruised lung) Carlton Collins (jarred knee) Changes Melbourne Bartram (knee) replaced in selected side by Tapscott Carlton Yarran (toe) replaced in selected side by Lucas Henderson (hip) replaced in selected side by Bower Reports Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Ryan Nicholls Fleer Crowd 28,371 at MCG

A BIT OF A MYSTERY by Mean Gene The game's over and it's 0 and 9 ... but it was still a bit of a mystery how it ended so badly. For three quarters they actually put up a fight and, but for the circumstance of their lack of experience and their low levels of self-confidence, they might have been even closer than 16 points in arrears at the final break. At that time, the Demons had gone a long way to dispelling many of the accusations fired over recent weeks at the entire club from the top down and certainly at the playing group. They opened up with the game's first two goals and three of the first four but after that, only three of seventeen and they finished with none of seven in the final term. They led by a point at quarter time, having gifted two away with some poor disposal out of defence (an umpire gifted the other one). In much the same way as they did against Hawthorn a fortnight ago, they wasted their hard work in a few minutes early in the second quarter when they conceded three goals to the Blues. However, this time they would put up a much better fight and they held steady in the second half of the term. Indeed, a little bit more class in the on ball division and some better efficiency up forward might have seen them a lot closer at the main break. The main problem was that they were being whacked at the stoppages but, at least there were some shining lights. James Frawley and Jared Rivers were holding things down in the backline and Jack Grimes was doing well. Rohan Bail, Sam Blease and Dan Nicholson all added some pace to the mix - a feature that has been missing at Melbourne for so long. Mitch Clark was scoring goals (he could so easily have had five by half time) and Nathan Jones added a touch of hardness along with Jordie McKenzie who was doing a good job in blanketing Chris Judd. The dour struggle continued in the third and they again had their chances. At one stage late in the term, the inside 50 count was even but Carlton still managed an almost three goal buffer at the last change. In days gone past we might have even sensed the possibility of an upset in the offing but the troops looked a little tired as they went into the huddle. So it was that the day was marred by a final quarter when they capitulated. Despite that, they finished with a mysterious and interesting statistic of having had the ball in their forward half for 52% of the game. And considering that the club was supposed to have acquired the cream of football's sports scientists at the end of last season, it's a mystery how the team fades out so badly at the end of games. Melbourne 3.4.22 5.7.37 6.10.46 6.13.49 Carlton 3.3.21 7.8.50 8.14.62 15.17.107 Goals Melbourne Clark 3 Blease Howe Jones Carlton Betts 5 Robinson 3 Hampson Walker 2 Armfield Kreuzer Tuohy Best Melbourne Jones Frawley Watts Bail Blease Clark McKenzie Carlton Robinson McLean Betts Walker Scotland Curnow Injuries Melbourne Green (bruised lung) Carlton Collins (jarred knee) Changes Melbourne Bartram (knee) replaced in selected side by Tapscott Carlton Yarran (toe) replaced in selected side by Lucas Henderson (hip) replaced in selected side by Bower Reports Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Ryan Nicholls Fleer Crowd 28,371 at MCG

LATE CHANGES Carlton v Melbourne, MCG at 3.15pm Carlton: Chris Yarran and Lachie Henderson replaced in selected side by Kane Lucas and Paul Bower Melbourne: Clint Bartram replaced in selected side by Luke Tapscott FINAL INTERCHANGES Carlton: Andrew Collins, Dennis Armfield, Ed Curnow Substitute: Kane Lucas Melbourne: Lynden Dunn, James Magner, Luke Tapscott Substitute: Jamie Bennell

IN THE BUNKER by the Oracle Last week Melbourne travelled interstate for the second time this year and it returned home once again in disgrace - a loser by a margin in excess of 100 points. Make no mistake about it. Despite the protestations of all and sundry, the club is on the rack. Intense media scrutiny now follows the embattled Demons to the point where every move made by the club is analysed and subjected to critical assessment. Things reached such a state this week that coach Mark Neeld implored Demon fans to stick fat and join him in the bunker. One scribe looked at the appointment of Neeld and opined that the failure of those charged with making the appointment to carry out a "psychological profile" of the man was evidence of some damning failure of judgement on their part. Some are calling for heads to be lopped off. And don't you love these pundits in the media like David King who question Neeld's appointment today but were deathly silent six or seven months ago when he was appointed? Which is probably why King (whose last big statement came during last year's finals when he declared Geelong would not win the flag) never made it beyond a very mediocre assistant coach at AFL level. I also wonder when I read some of this stuff in the media as to whether Ron Barassi, Kevin Sheedy or Mick Malthouse would have passed the psychological profile test. I recall the early days of Alastair Clarkson's coaching reign at Hawthorn and think of the massive criticism directed at the man who was under siege at the time when his team was being flogged on a weekly basis. They were calling him a coaching lightweight and baying for his blood. And it wasn't just his blood - it was the players, the board, the administration and someone might even have taken a stab at the bootstudder. But Clarkson promised to change his club and eventually, he delivered on that promise. All in good time. Mark Neeld also made a similar promise but gave no guarantees as to how much time it would take to effect change. Of course, no one expected to see the team sitting at 0/8 and none of this is to take away from the fact that the team's performances this season have been well below that which we expect from an AFL outfit five years into what is supposed to be a rebuild. There are players, senior to the club whose performances thus far have been frustratingly lifeless and devoid of passion. They need to lift or else they might find that their careers will end swiftly in a very short space of time. Perhaps, they've already seen the writing on the wall. There are many changes happening on the AFL scene these days and recent history indicates that clubs can rise quickly once they get themselves on the right track. West Coast came from last to a top four side in 2011. The Crows who languished near the bottom last year are currently the flavour of the month. It might be a bitter pill to swallow for supporters seeing their team languishing at rock bottom (if we've in fact reached that point yet) but Melbourne will not remain in this position forever. Coincidentally, the Demons face Carlton at the MCG this Sunday. The same opposition it played in August last year just a week after they were disgraced by Geelong in the game that saw the sacking of Dean Bailey amid the turmoil of a dreadful 186 point loss. We can't expect miracles to happen this time around but we must remain steadfast and give the coach the time necessary to bring about the changes he promised. The media loves such situations but for the time being, we need to be calm and remain bunkered down with the coach and I'll happily join him in the trenches as soon as he produces the results of his psychological profile tests. Anyway, now is not the time to be baying for anyone's blood. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG - Saturday 27 May, 2012 at 3.15pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 115 wins 2 draws Melbourne 88 wins At MCG Carlton 47 wins Melbourne 49 wins Since 2000 Carlton 9 wins Melbourne 8 wins The Coaches Ratten 0 wins Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel live @ 3:00pm. Radio - 3AW Triple M THE BETTING Carlton to win $1.04 Melbourne to win $11.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 21.8.134 defeated Melbourne 7.16.58 at the MCG, Round 20 , 2011 It was the week after 186 and Dean Bailey was gone. Club legend Todd Viney took over as caretaker coach and immediately there was new fire in the team's belly as it went on the attack from the outset. The problem was that the Demons left their kicking boots at home and kept missing easy shots in front of goal. With a little over two minutes left in the first term, the scoreboard read: Melbourne 3.6.24 Carlton 3.1.19. Then a series of errors brought on by inexperience and a couple of umpiring bloopers gave the Blues three quick goals and swung the game's momentum. Chris Judd then took the game by the scruff of the neck and Carlton's class and superior ability gave them a further eight unanswered goals in the second quarter. The Demons worked hard in the last half but the loss of Tapscott (neck) and Strauss (broken leg) simply added to their woes. TEAMS CARLTON Backs Zac Tuohy Michael Jamison Aaron Joseph Half backs Bryce Gibbs Lachlan Henderson Chris Yarran Centreline Kade Simpson Chris Judd Heath Scotland Half forwards Dennis Armfield Matthew Kreuzer Andrew Walker Forwards Eddie Betts Shaun Hampson Jeff Garlett Followers Robert Warnock Mitch Robinson Brock McLean Interchange (from) Josh Bootsma Paul Bower Andrew Collins Ed Curnow David Ellard Kane Lucas Matthew Watson In Josh Bootsma Andrew Collins Aaron Joseph Kane Lucas Brock McLean Robert Warnock Matthew Watson Out Nick Duigan (calf) Marc Murphy (shoulder) Bret Thornton Jordan Russell MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Jack Grimes Colin Garland Tom McDonald Centreline Rohan Bail Brent Moloney Sam Blease Half forwards Jack Trengove Jack Watts Brad Green Forwards Jeremy Howe Mitch Clark James Sellar Followers Mark Jamar Lynden Dunn Nathan Jones Interchange (from) Jamie Bennell Jordie McKenzie James Magner Dan Nicholson James Sellar Emergencies Troy Davis Joel Macdonald Luke Tapscott In Rohan Bail Lynden Dunn Dan Nicholson James Sellar Out Aaron Davey Liam Jurrah (ankle) Cale Morton Colin Sylvia BRUISE FREE REVISITED The two combatants were comprehensively beaten at their last start but, while there's been some pressure on Brett Ratten whose team was on the cusp of premiership favouritism a fortnight ago, it's been Mark Neeld who has been copping most of the flak from the media. However, it's Neeld who only eight matches ago took over a fairly young list with a tough fixture and major problems including injury woes on the field and substantial issues off it. Who would have thought six months ago that his two major playmakers Liam Jurrah (criminal case, wrist and ankle injury) and Colin Sylvia (back) would not kick a goal between them in the first eight rounds and be restricted to a total of five matches with severely limited game time? Let's not forget what it was that Neeld took over. A struggling side whose last coach (excluding Viney the caretaker) won just over a quarter of his games culminating in 186 after almost four years, with the same media heads claiming he was unfairly treated when ousted. Yet this team was notorious for its inability to handle the press and when it played against teams that employed that style of play, it would routinely get thumped. Take this week's opponent and remember the "bruise-free" game of round 10 last year. Those of us who witnessed that monstrosity of a game would be well aware of the enormity of the challenge facing a new coach charged with overturning the mindset within a team that produced such a performance. Can you overcome that in two months when there is so much else of a negative nature swirling in the background? I suppose you could do exactly that. You could make no changes to your game plan and continue on exactly as the previous coach did in the past and, given the personnel available, you might be sitting at 2/6 or, if you were really lucky, 3/5 but, in truth, you would really be going nowhere. Your old guard who have become inured to producing inconsistency and tend towards laziness would continue on that well worn track. They would smile when they win and smile when they lose. They would be bruise free. Defeat would not only leave you physically painless. It wouldn't hurt you in any way whatsoever and, while that happens, you're never going to get anywhere in the long run. By round nine when you come up against Carlton you'll probably play bruise-free football again. You'll get flogged and the experts will bash you anyway. And that's the point. Mark Neeld saw the problems he inherited and embarked on a programme he believed necessary to overcome them. He wanted a team that was going to be hard to beat and not easy to win against. Neeld made mistakes in the short term but some of the circumstances conspired to make more difficult the metamorphosis from a team going nowhere that sometimes played nice but was a rabble when it counted into a real football team. He never promised a rose garden and the task has proven more difficult than anticipated but we suspected that some of the personnel weren't up to it physically and emotionally and that others needed more experience before the new order could take on an flourish. That won't happen against Carlton this Sunday because the team is still very much a work in progress but if you come back in a year's time, you'll see something different. Carlton by 55 points.

IN THE BUNKER by the Oracle Last week Melbourne travelled interstate for the second time this year and it returned home once again in disgrace - a loser by a margin in excess of 100 points. Make no mistake about it. Despite the protestations of all and sundry, the club is on the rack. Intense media scrutiny now follows the embattled Demons to the point where every move made by the club is analysed and subjected to critical assessment. Things reached such a state this week that coach Mark Neeld implored Demon fans to stick fat and join him in the bunker. One scribe looked at the appointment of Neeld and opined that the failure of those charged with making the appointment to carry out a "psychological profile" of the man was evidence of some damning failure of judgement on their part. Some are calling for heads to be lopped off. And don't you love these pundits in the media like David King who question Neeld's appointment today but were deathly silent six or seven months ago when he was appointed? Which is probably why King (whose last big statement came during last year's finals when he declared Geelong would not win the flag) never made it beyond a very mediocre assistant coach at AFL level. I also wonder when I read some of this stuff in the media as to whether Ron Barassi, Kevin Sheedy or Mick Malthouse would have passed the psychological profile test. I recall the early days of Alastair Clarkson's coaching reign at Hawthorn and think of the massive criticism directed at the man who was under siege at the time when his team was being flogged on a weekly basis. They were calling him a coaching lightweight and baying for his blood. And it wasn't just his blood - it was the players, the board, the administration and someone might even have taken a stab at the bootstudder. But Clarkson promised to change his club and eventually, he delivered on that promise. All in good time. Mark Neeld also made a similar promise but gave no guarantees as to how much time it would take to effect change. Of course, no one expected to see the team sitting at 0/8 and none of this is to take away from the fact that the team's performances this season have been well below that which we expect from an AFL outfit five years into what is supposed to be a rebuild. There are players, senior to the club whose performances thus far have been frustratingly lifeless and devoid of passion. They need to lift or else they might find that their careers will end swiftly in a very short space of time. Perhaps, they've already seen the writing on the wall. There are many changes happening on the AFL scene these days and recent history indicates that clubs can rise quickly once they get themselves on the right track. West Coast came from last to a top four side in 2011. The Crows who languished near the bottom last year are currently the flavour of the month. It might be a bitter pill to swallow for supporters seeing their team languishing at rock bottom (if we've in fact reached that point yet) but Melbourne will not remain in this position forever. Coincidentally, the Demons face Carlton at the MCG this Sunday. The same opposition it played in August last year just a week after they were disgraced by Geelong in the game that saw the sacking of Dean Bailey amid the turmoil of a dreadful 186 point loss. We can't expect miracles to happen this time around but we must remain steadfast and give the coach the time necessary to bring about the changes he promised. The media loves such situations but for the time being, we need to be calm and remain bunkered down with the coach and I'll happily join him in the trenches as soon as he produces the results of his psychological profile tests. Anyway, now is not the time to be baying for anyone's blood. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG - Saturday 27 May, 2012 at 3.15pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 115 wins 2 draws Melbourne 88 wins At MCG Carlton 47 wins Melbourne 49 wins Since 2000 Carlton 9 wins Melbourne 8 wins The Coaches Ratten 0 wins Neeld 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel live @ 3:00pm. Radio - 3AW Triple M THE BETTING Carlton to win $1.04 Melbourne to win $11.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 21.8.134 defeated Melbourne 7.16.58 at the MCG, Round 20 , 2011 It was the week after 186 and Dean Bailey was gone. Club legend Todd Viney took over as caretaker coach and immediately there was new fire in the team's belly as it went on the attack from the outset. The problem was that the Demons left their kicking boots at home and kept missing easy shots in front of goal. With a little over two minutes left in the first term, the scoreboard read: Melbourne 3.6.24 Carlton 3.1.19. Then a series of errors brought on by inexperience and a couple of umpiring bloopers gave the Blues three quick goals and swung the game's momentum. Chris Judd then took the game by the scruff of the neck and Carlton's class and superior ability gave them a further eight unanswered goals in the second quarter. The Demons worked hard in the last half but the loss of Tapscott (neck) and Strauss (broken leg) simply added to their woes. TEAMS CARLTON Backs Zac Tuohy Michael Jamison Aaron Joseph Half backs Bryce Gibbs Lachlan Henderson Chris Yarran Centreline Kade Simpson Chris Judd Heath Scotland Half forwards Dennis Armfield Matthew Kreuzer Andrew Walker Forwards Eddie Betts Shaun Hampson Jeff Garlett Followers Robert Warnock Mitch Robinson Brock McLean Interchange (from) Josh Bootsma Paul Bower Andrew Collins Ed Curnow David Ellard Kane Lucas Matthew Watson In Josh Bootsma Andrew Collins Aaron Joseph Kane Lucas Brock McLean Robert Warnock Matthew Watson Out Nick Duigan (calf) Marc Murphy (shoulder) Bret Thornton Jordan Russell MELBOURNE Backs James Frawley Jared Rivers Clint Bartram Half backs Jack Grimes Colin Garland Tom McDonald Centreline Rohan Bail Brent Moloney Sam Blease Half forwards Jack Trengove Jack Watts Brad Green Forwards Jeremy Howe Mitch Clark James Sellar Followers Mark Jamar Lynden Dunn Nathan Jones Interchange (from) Jamie Bennell Jordie McKenzie James Magner Dan Nicholson James Sellar Emergencies Troy Davis Joel Macdonald Luke Tapscott In Rohan Bail Lynden Dunn Dan Nicholson James Sellar Out Aaron Davey Liam Jurrah (ankle) Cale Morton Colin Sylvia BRUISE FREE REVISITED The two combatants were comprehensively beaten at their last start but, while there's been some pressure on Brett Ratten whose team was on the cusp of premiership favouritism a fortnight ago, it's been Mark Neeld who has been copping most of the flak from the media. However, it's Neeld who only eight matches ago took over a fairly young list with a tough fixture and major problems including injury woes on the field and substantial issues off it. Who would have thought six months ago that his two major playmakers Liam Jurrah (criminal case, wrist and ankle injury) and Colin Sylvia (back) would not kick a goal between them in the first eight rounds and be restricted to a total of five matches with severely limited game time? Let's not forget what it was that Neeld took over. A struggling side whose last coach (excluding Viney the caretaker) won just over a quarter of his games culminating in 186 after almost four years, with the same media heads claiming he was unfairly treated when ousted. Yet this team was notorious for its inability to handle the press and when it played against teams that employed that style of play, it would routinely get thumped. Take this week's opponent and remember the "bruise-free" game of round 10 last year. Those of us who witnessed that monstrosity of a game would be well aware of the enormity of the challenge facing a new coach charged with overturning the mindset within a team that produced such a performance. Can you overcome that in two months when there is so much else of a negative nature swirling in the background? I suppose you could do exactly that. You could make no changes to your game plan and continue on exactly as the previous coach did in the past and, given the personnel available, you might be sitting at 2/6 or, if you were really lucky, 3/5 but, in truth, you would really be going nowhere. Your old guard who have become inured to producing inconsistency and tend towards laziness would continue on that well worn track. They would smile when they win and smile when they lose. They would be bruise free. Defeat would not only leave you physically painless. It wouldn't hurt you in any way whatsoever and, while that happens, you're never going to get anywhere in the long run. By round nine when you come up against Carlton you'll probably play bruise-free football again. You'll get flogged and the experts will bash you anyway. And that's the point. Mark Neeld saw the problems he inherited and embarked on a programme he believed necessary to overcome them. He wanted a team that was going to be hard to beat and not easy to win against. Neeld made mistakes in the short term but some of the circumstances conspired to make more difficult the metamorphosis from a team going nowhere that sometimes played nice but was a rabble when it counted into a real football team. He never promised a rose garden and the task has proven more difficult than anticipated but we suspected that some of the personnel weren't up to it physically and emotionally and that others needed more experience before the new order could take on an flourish. That won't happen against Carlton this Sunday because the team is still very much a work in progress but if you come back in a year's time, you'll see something different. Carlton by 55 points.

Geez, Chris Judd was good ... and we were bad. The other thing I remember is Garlett running 80 metres with only one bounce and getting away with it and on top of losing badly, James Strauss broke his leg. CARLTON Backs Nick Duigan Lachlan Henderson Jeremy Laidler Half backs Aaron Joseph Bret Thornton Zach Tuohy Centreline Heath Scotland Chris Judd Christopher Yarran Half forwards Jeffrey Garlett Bryce Gibbs Kade Simpson Forwards Eddie Betts Matthew Kreuzer Andrew Walker Followers Robert Warnock Marc Murphy Mitch Robinson Interchange Dennis Armfield David Ellard Brock McLean Marcus Davies Emergencies Ryan Houlihan Setanta O'hAilpin Kane Lucas In Aaron Joseph Out Ryan Houlihan MELBOURNE Backs James Strauss James Frawley Clint Bartram Half backs Colin Garland Jared Rivers Joel Macdonald Centreline Jack Trengove Jordie McKenzie Aaron Davey Half forwards Lynden Dunn Jack Watts Tom Scully Forwards Brad Green Ricky Petterd Jeremy Howe Followers Max Gawn Brent Moloney Nathan Jones Interchange Matthew Bate Stefan Martin Jordan Gysberts Luke Tapscott Emergencies Tom McDonald Daniel Nicholson Colin Sylvia In Clint Bartram Aaron Davey Max Gawn Joel Macdonald Tom Scully Out Mark Jamar (foot) Liam Jurrah Addam Maric Daniel Nicholson Colin Sylvia