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HAMSTRUNG by JVM The way things are panning out, it would appear that Melbourne's season started and ended when Max Gawn's hamstring gave way at Etihad Stadium against Geelong in Round 3. That loss was compounded a little over a fortnight later when his understudy Jake Spencer suffered his shoulder injury during the game against the Tigers leaving the club with only two young ruck talls on its list, both of them a long way away from being ready to take on the AFL's giants. In place of a big ruckman, the 193cm Cam Pedersen has battled manfully against taller opposition and the Demons have conscripted key players away from their normal positions to give him the chop out when he needs a rest but the result has really been a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Nothing was more obvious than last week in the heat of battle when the game was there to be lost and won and Hawthorn's 200cm Ben McEvoy amassed 53 hit outs to Pedersen's 16 and took some telling marks virtually uncontested up forward and kicked two goals. That would never have happened had Max Gawn been playing. So this week, with the Melbourne selectors as hamstrung as their big ruckman who won't be back for another six to eight weeks, the team will travel across to Adelaide to face a home side that had the perfect start to its season until it ran into an ill wind in the first quarter against North Melbourne at Blundstone Arena in Hobart. The pride of the Crows was well and truly dented but they are not badly wounded as are the Demons. They have the likes of Sloane, Betts, Walker and a bevy of others, not to mention their tall timber in Jacobs and Jenkins intact. On top of that, their style of play is positive, attacking and direct and if Adelaide can force Melbourne into a pattern whereby it overuses the football as badly as it did for most of last week's game, then the Demons' season could unravel even further than it has to date. THE GAME Adelaide v Melbourne at Adelaide Oval Saturday 13 May, 2017 at 7.40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Adelaide 23 wins Melbourne 12 wins At Adelaide Oval Adelaide 1 win Melbourne 1 win Past five meetings Adelaide 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches Don Pyke 0 wins Simon Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 Live at 7.30pm RADIO - SEN THE BETTING Adelaide to win - $1.12 Melbourne to win - $6.50 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Adelaide 18.12.120 defeated Melbourne 15.8.98 Round 15, 2016 at the MCG At half time Melbourne led by 11 points after a sensational second quarter inspired by Max Gawn's dominance in the ruck and a typical hard nosed effort from skipper Nathan Jones. The Crows came out fighting in the third quarter with a four goal burst in the opening six minutes and controlled the game from then on to finally run out 22 point winners. THE TEAMS ADELAIDE B: Jake Kelly, Daniel Talia, Luke Brown HB: Rory Laird, Kyle Hartigan, David Mackay C: Rory Sloane, Richard Douglas, Brodie Smith HF: Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins, Wayne Milera F: Andy Otten, Taylor Walker, Eddie Betts FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Rory Atkins, Matt Crouch I/C: Charlie Cameron, Brad Crouch, Curtly Hampton, Troy Menzel EMG: Jordan Gallucci, Hugh Greenwood, Reilly O'Brien IN: Wayne Milera Troy Menzel OUT: Riley Knight (corked gluts) Jake Lever (hamstring), MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Nathan Jones, Jack Viney, Christian Salem HF: Christian Petracca, Jack Watts, Clayton Oliver F: Jeff Garlett, Sam Weideman, Mitch Hannan FOLL: Cameron Pedersen, Jordan Lewis, Dom Tyson I/C: Tomas Bugg, Dean Kent, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner EMG: Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Sam Weideman IN: Dean Kent Sam Weideman OUT: Jesse Hogan (ill) Jay Kennedy-Harris (omitted) The Demons decided to take two emergencies over to Adelaide which was a good idea, especially after word filtered out on Friday at mid-afternoon that Jesse Hogan was not on the team flight and had been ruled out of the game due to illness. More bad luck and the worst of it all is that it's happening when the team is up against a Crows side that is expected to be on the rampage after losing to North Melbourne in such emphatic fashion just last week. Adelaide has been virtually unstoppable all season to date and unless the Demons can conjure up a 10 goal breeze for the home team to kick into first up, they will be in big trouble in the City of Churches. At least they are in the right place for them to hope and to pray but I fear that it will do them very little good this week. Adelaide by 45 points

At the G, we were pretty competitive until the last quarter. MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Tomas Bugg C: Aaron vandenBerg, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Christian Petracca, Chris Dawes, Billy Stretch F: Jack Watts, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jeff Garlett, James Harmes, Matt Jones, Ben Kennedy EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Jack Trengove IN: Jeff Garlett, James Harmes, Matt Jones OUT: Clayton Oliver (omitted), Jack Trengove (omitted), Josh Wagner (knee) ADELAIDE CROWS B: Jake Lever, Daniel Talia, Rory Laird HB: Brodie Smith, Kyle Hartigan, Luke Brown C: David Mackay, Rory Sloane, Rory Atkins HF: Mitch McGovern, Josh Jenkins, Richard Douglas F: Eddie Betts, Taylor Walker, Tom Lynch FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Jarryd Lyons I/C: Charlie Cameron, Kyle Cheney, Brad Crouch, Matt Crouch EMG: Ricky Henderson, Wayne Milera, Andy Otten NO CHANGE

The way things are panning out, it would appear that Melbourne's season started and ended when Max Gawn's hamstring gave way at Etihad Stadium against Geelong in Round 3. That loss was compounded a little over a fortnight later when his understudy Jake Spencer suffered his shoulder injury during the game against the Tigers leaving the club with only two young ruck talls on its list, both of them a long way away from being ready to take on the AFL's giants. In place of a big ruckman, the 193cm Cam Pedersen has battled manfully against taller opposition and the Demons have conscripted key players away from their normal positions to give him the chop out when he needs a rest but the result has really been a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Nothing was more obvious than last week in the heat of battle when the game was there to be lost and won and Hawthorn's 200cm Ben McEvoy amassed 53 hit outs to Pedersen's 16 and took some telling marks virtually uncontested up forward and kicked two goals. That would never have happened had Max Gawn been playing. So this week, with the Melbourne selectors as hamstrung as their big ruckman who won't be back for another six to eight weeks, the team will travel across to Adelaide to face a home side that had the perfect start to its season until it ran into an ill wind in the first quarter against North Melbourne at Blundstone Arena in Hobart. The pride of the Crows was well and truly dented but they are not badly wounded as are the Demons. They have the likes of Sloane, Betts, Walker and a bevy of others, not to mention their tall timber in Jacobs and Jenkins intact. On top of that, their style of play is positive, attacking and direct and if Adelaide can force Melbourne into a pattern whereby it overuses the football as badly as it did for most of last week's game, then the Demons' season could unravel even further than it has to date. THE GAME Adelaide v Melbourne at Adelaide Oval Saturday 13 May, 2017 at 7.40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Adelaide 23 wins Melbourne 12 wins At Adelaide Oval Adelaide 1 win Melbourne 1 win Past five meetings Adelaide 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches Don Pyke 0 wins Simon Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 Live at 7.30pm RADIO - SEN THE BETTING Adelaide to win - $1.12 Melbourne to win - $6.50 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Adelaide 18.12.120 defeated Melbourne 15.8.98 Round 15, 2016 at the MCG At half time Melbourne led by 11 points after a sensational second quarter inspired by Max Gawn's dominance in the ruck and a typical hard nosed effort from skipper Nathan Jones. The Crows came out fighting in the third quarter with a four goal burst in the opening six minutes and controlled the game from then on to finally run out 22 point winners. THE TEAMS ADELAIDE B: Jake Kelly, Daniel Talia, Luke Brown HB: Rory Laird, Kyle Hartigan, David Mackay C: Rory Sloane, Richard Douglas, Brodie Smith HF: Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins, Wayne Milera F: Andy Otten, Taylor Walker, Eddie Betts FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Rory Atkins, Matt Crouch I/C: Charlie Cameron, Brad Crouch, Curtly Hampton, Troy Menzel EMG: Jordan Gallucci, Hugh Greenwood, Reilly O'Brien IN: Wayne Milera Troy Menzel OUT: Riley Knight (corked gluts) Jake Lever (hamstring), MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince C: Nathan Jones, Jack Viney, Christian Salem HF: Christian Petracca, Jack Watts, Clayton Oliver F: Jeff Garlett, Sam Weideman, Mitch Hannan FOLL: Cameron Pedersen, Jordan Lewis, Dom Tyson I/C: Tomas Bugg, Dean Kent, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner EMG: Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Sam Weideman IN: Dean Kent Sam Weideman OUT: Jesse Hogan (ill) Jay Kennedy-Harris (omitted) The Demons decided to take two emergencies over to Adelaide which was a good idea, especially after word filtered out on Friday at mid-afternoon that Jesse Hogan was not on the team flight and had been ruled out of the game due to illness. More bad luck and the worst of it all is that it's happening when the team is up against a Crows side that is expected to be on the rampage after losing to North Melbourne in such emphatic fashion just last week. Adelaide has been virtually unstoppable all season to date and unless the Demons can conjure up a 10 goal breeze for the home team to kick into first up, they will be in big trouble in the City of Churches. At least they are in the right place for them to hope and to pray but I fear that it will do them very little good this week. Adelaide by 45 points

SLOW START AT THE TOP by Bewitched The hot conditions would probably have proved too much for Bernard Tomic but, for the women of Melbourne, the heat and the humidity were the perfect conditions to enable them to overcome the Adelaide Crows after a now standard slow start in the nation's Top End. What is it about the slow starting Demons? Only once during this inaugural AFLW season have they held a quarter time lead and that was in the opening round against the league-leading Brisbane Lions when they scored three points to nothing and failed to goal until just before half time. Their best quarter time score to date stands at 1.1.7 when they trailed the Doggies by a couple of goals in round three. And so it was last night at TIO Stadium with a listless start that, as in Sydney the week before, saw the opposition on 2.1.13 at the first change (only this week the Dees hadn't even scored a point). It was almost as if last week's shock loss had sucked the life and the fight out of the team - but all that changed in the second quarter. Led by inspirational skipper Daisy Pearce, they fought their way back into contention for a grand final berth. After Deanna Berry bobbed up for the team's first goal early in the second quarter, an arm wrestle ensued and the Crows took sway with a goal in response midway through the term. However, from that moment on until late in the night it was all Melbourne with Daisy leading the way. She was everywhere. At one stage she goaled up forward and moments later was marking strongly deep in defence. Along with Karen Paxman who had 21 possessions for the game, Pearce (20) was fantastic and so were the hard tackling Elise O'Dea and youngster Lily Mithen. It looked as if their fast start in the thirty degree sauna-like conditions had taken its toll over the Crows. They were completely shut out in the third quarter and when Aliesha Newman scored Melbourne’s fifth goal at the 10-minute mark of the final term, they seemed to be up against an unassailable lead. But as is usual for Melbourne sides, that was not the end of the drama because two late goals from Adelaide, one after the other, led to a heart-stopping finish. The final siren couldn't come too soon. The equation for next weekend is simple. The Dees must beat Fremantle at Casey Fields on Saturday and then hope for a Pies victory over Adelaide on Sunday to set up a replay of the opening round clash in the grand final due to take place in Brisbane. Melbourne 0.0.0 2.1.13 4.3.27 5.4.34 Adelaide 2.1.13 3.1.19 3.1.19 5.2.32 Goals Melbourne Berry Mifsud Newman D Pearce Scott Adelaide Bevan Gibson Perkins Randall Riley Best Melbourne Paxman Pearce Newman O'Dea Mithen Smith Berry Adelaide Foley Bevan Randall Randan Phillips Injuries Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Andrew Crosby, Brodie Raynor and Nathan Toner Crowd 5,100 at TIO Stadium, Darwin

The hot conditions would probably have proved too much for Bernard Tomic but, for the women of Melbourne, the heat and the humidity were the perfect conditions to enable them to overcome the Adelaide Crows after a now standard slow start in the nation's Top End. What is it about the slow starting Demons? Only once during this inaugural AFLW season have they held a quarter time lead and that was in the opening round against the league-leading Brisbane Lions when they scored three points to nothing and failed to goal until just before half time. Their best quarter time score to date stands at 1.1.7 when they trailed the Doggies by a couple of goals in round three. And so it was last night at TIO Stadium with a listless start that, as in Sydney the week before, saw the opposition on 2.1.13 at the first change (only this week the Dees hadn't even scored a point). It was almost as if last week's shock loss had sucked the life and the fight out of the team - but all that changed in the second quarter. Led by inspirational skipper Daisy Pearce, they fought their way back into contention for a grand final berth. After Deanna Berry bobbed up for the team's first goal early in the second quarter, an arm wrestle ensued and the Crows took sway with a goal in response midway through the term. However, from that moment on until late in the night it was all Melbourne with Daisy leading the way. She was everywhere. At one stage she goaled up forward and moments later was marking strongly deep in defence. Along with Karen Paxman who had 21 possessions for the game, Pearce (20) was fantastic and so were the hard tackling Elise O'Dea and youngster Lily Mithen. It looked as if their fast start in the thirty degree sauna-like conditions had taken its toll over the Crows. They were completely shut out in the third quarter and when Aliesha Newman scored Melbourne’s fifth goal at the 10-minute mark of the final term, they seemed to be up against an unassailable lead. But as is usual for Melbourne sides, that was not the end of the drama because two late goals from Adelaide, one after the other, led to a heart-stopping finish. The final siren couldn't come too soon. The equation for next weekend is simple. The Dees must beat Fremantle at Casey Fields on Saturday and then hope for a Pies victory over Adelaide on Sunday to set up a replay of the opening round clash in the grand final due to take place in Brisbane. Melbourne 0.0.0 2.1.13 4.3.27 5.4.34 Adelaide 2.1.13 3.1.19 3.1.19 5.2.32 Goals Melbourne Berry Mifsud Newman D Pearce Scott Adelaide Bevan Gibson Perkins Randall Riley Best Melbourne Paxman Pearce Newman O'Dea Mithen Smith Berry Adelaide Foley Bevan Randall Randan Phillips Injuries Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Andrew Crosby, Brodie Raynor and Nathan Toner Crowd 5,100 at TIO Stadium, Darwin

LOST CHANCES by Mel Rundle My first thought when the final siren sounded was that although Melbourne beat Adelaide by four points in the corresponding game last year and lost by four goals this time, the Demons have actually improved over the past twelve months. After all, the Crows are a much more settled team this year under new coach Phil Walsh, they are in good form, are at top strength and the conditions and the umpiring suited them perfectly. With a partisan crowd of 43,713 roaring them on they took their chances and did enough to make the most of these advantages. They took control of the game early in the third quarter and ended up winners by 25 points. The margin however, did not do justice to the application and intensity that, for the most part, the Melbourne players put into this match. Unfortunately for them, the accuracy in front of goal which defined last year's win (11 goals from 15 shots) deserted them this time, particularly early on when they missed two sitters in their blistering opening quarter. At one stage during the term, they had notched up 11 inside 50s to 2; they had their chances but failed to take them and then let the Crows in for three late goals so that the game was very much in the balance at the first break instead of tightly in their grip. The status quo remained in the second quarter with the arm wrestle highlighted by the even battle in the ruck between Mark Jamar and Sam Jacobs with the Adelaide midfield just taking the honours. Jeremy Howe capably assisted Tom McDonald in defence and produced a trade mark "hanger" in the second quarter. Perhaps the result was dictated during the week when former Demon Scott Thompson was selected for his first game of the season and Brodie Smith recovered from a hamstring incurred last week to gain selection while Melbourne's Jack Viney was ruled out with a leg fracture. Thompson played a leading role in the midfield while Smith was handy kicking the crucial goal that opened the second half. With Tom McDonald doing a good job on Tex Walker and Bernie Vince nullifying Paddy Dangerfield, the Crows really needed that pair to get them back on top after the early Demon onslaught. Despite their hard work down the ground, the visitors struggled to put the score on the board with Jesse Hogan and Jeff Garlett each kicking two goals but missing an equal number of simple shots at goal which could have made all the difference in the end. A special mention must be made of the hard effort put on by Neville Jetta who often doesn't get enough credit. He did a great job in nullifying one of the competition's best goal sneaks in Eddie Betts for much of the game. The three quarter time all in brawl wasn't enough to inspire the young Melbourne team to turn the game around. Instead, it was some slick work from Walker that resulted in the all important first goal of the final term that gave his team enough of a buffer to stave off a challenge that never really came because the Demons lacked the finishing skills that so often make the difference between winning and losing matches. With both sides having 20 shots on goal for the match, it was clear how the Demons had blown their chances this time around. Yet when compared with the performances against Adelaide of both North Melbourne and Collingwood in the opening rounds, there is a lot for Paul Roos to work on this season. With the midfield improving (there's still more room for improvement there) and the defence now becoming a strength, the disappointment was the failure of last year's hero Chris Dawes, to impose himself on the game. Perhaps Roos needs to look at his forward structure to improve his team's chances of success in the future? Melbourne 3.4.22 4.6.30 6.9.45 7.13.55 Adelaide 3.1.19 5.3.33 9.4.58 12.8.80 Goals MelbourneGarlett Hogan 2 Jones Kent Newton Adelaide Walker Ellis-Yolmen 2 Betts Brown Cameron Jenkins Lynch Mackay Smith Best Melbourne T McDonald N Jones Howe Vince Cross Vandenberg Adelaide Sloane Douglas Thompson Talia Mackay Ellis-Yoleman Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Injuries Melbourne Sam Frost (foot) Adelaide Nil Substitutions Melbourne Angus Brayshaw replaced Sam Frost (left foot) in the second quarter. Matthew Wright replaced Charlie Cameron at three quarter time. Adelaide Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Simon Meredith Dean Margetts Nicholas Foot Official crowd 43,713 at Adelaide Oval

You can start casting your votes when the final siren sounds... 6 5 4 3 2 1

My first thought when the final siren sounded was that although Melbourne beat Adelaide by four points in the corresponding game last year and lost by four goals this time, the Demons have actually improved over the past twelve months. After all, the Crows are a much more settled team this year under new coach Phil Walsh, they are in good form, are at top strength and the conditions and the umpiring suited them perfectly. With a partisan crowd of 43,713 roaring them on they took their chances and did enough to make the most of these advantages. They took control of the game early in the third quarter and ended up winners by 25 points. The margin however, did not do justice to the application and intensity that, for the most part, the Melbourne players put into this match. Unfortunately for them, the accuracy in front of goal which defined last year's win (11 goals from 15 shots) deserted them this time, particularly early on when they missed two sitters in their blistering opening quarter. At one stage during the term, they had notched up 11 inside 50s to 2; they had their chances but failed to take them and then let the Crows in for three late goals so that the game was very much in the balance at the first break instead of tightly in their grip. The status quo remained in the second quarter with the arm wrestle highlighted by the even battle in the ruck between Mark Jamar and Sam Jacobs with the Adelaide midfield just taking the honours. Jeremy Howe capably assisted Tom McDonald in defence and produced a trade mark "hanger" in the second quarter. Perhaps the result was dictated during the week when former Demon Scott Thompson was selected for his first game of the season and Brodie Smith recovered from a hamstring incurred last week to gain selection while Melbourne's Jack Viney was ruled out with a leg fracture. Thompson played a leading role in the midfield while Smith was handy kicking the crucial goal that opened the second half. With Tom McDonald doing a good job on Tex Walker and Bernie Vince nullifying Paddy Dangerfield, the Crows really needed that pair to get them back on top after the early Demon onslaught. Despite their hard work down the ground, the visitors struggled to put the score on the board with Jesse Hogan and Jeff Garlett each kicking two goals but missing an equal number of simple shots at goal which could have made all the difference in the end. A special mention must be made of the hard effort put on by Neville Jetta who often doesn't get enough credit. He did a great job in nullifying one of the competition's best goal sneaks in Eddie Betts for much of the game. The three quarter time all in brawl wasn't enough to inspire the young Melbourne team to turn the game around. Instead, it was some slick work from Walker that resulted in the all important first goal of the final term that gave his team enough of a buffer to stave off a challenge that never really came because the Demons lacked the finishing skills that so often make the difference between winning and losing matches. With both sides having 20 shots on goal for the match, it was clear how the Demons had blown their chances this time around. Yet when compared with the performances against Adelaide of both North Melbourne and Collingwood in the opening rounds, there is a lot for Paul Roos to work on this season. With the midfield improving (there's still more room for improvement there) and the defence now becoming a strength, the disappointment was the failure of last year's hero Chris Dawes, to impose himself on the game. Perhaps Roos needs to look at his forward structure to improve his team's chances of success in the future? Melbourne 3.4.22 4.6.30 6.9.45 7.13.55 Adelaide 3.1.19 5.3.33 9.4.58 12.8.80 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 2 N Jones Kent Newton Adelaide Walker Ellis-Yolmen 2 Betts Brown Cameron Jenkins Lynch Mackay Smith Best Melbourne T McDonald N Jones Howe Vince Cross Vandenberg Adelaide Sloane Douglas Thompson Talia Mackay Ellis-Yoleman Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Injuries Melbourne Sam Frost (foot) Adelaide Nil Substitutions Melbourne Angus Brayshaw replaced Sam Frost (left foot) in the second quarter. Matthew Wright replaced Charlie Cameron at three quarter time. Adelaide Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Simon Meredith Dean Margetts Nicholas Foot Official crowd 43,713 at Adelaide Oval

Which Melbourne will turn up in Adelaide this afternoon? The one that played in Round 1 or the one that half played in Round 2? The one that played in the first half last week or the one that spectated in the second half?

Halfway through the second quarter at StarTrack Oval last Saturday, the Demons were seemingly cruising through their game against the Giants. Leading by five goals and having kept their opponents down to a solitary goal, they loosened their hold on the game after Jeff Garlett had goaled at the ten minute mark. They allowed GWS too much latitude and it was only their poor finishing that kept them at bay. Late in the quarter and against the run of play, Ben Newton goaled to give his team a game high lead of 33 points in the shadows of half time. The game's defining moment however, came a minute and a half later when Cam McCarthy was provided with the opportunity to reply before the half time siren, the first of fourteen unanswered goal before Newton chimed in with his second and his team's last in a humiliating stanza of play. The pattern that was set late in the second term was familiar. Melbourne fans saw it some weeks ago during the NAB Challenge match in Ballarat against the Bulldogs when the team let slip an even larger lead standing by helplessly as that game was almost lost to another avalanche of goals. In other games, we have seen the team also commit dramatic lapses in play - in the first round at home, they were good enough to come back from these on three occasions but the question now is whether the pattern set at grounds far from home will be repeated and what can the coaches and players do to arrest a disturbing situation in which opposition teams are able to cut the team like butter through a knife. It won't be easy this Saturday against an in-form Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval because the Crows have established a pattern of their own which is to destroy all that comes before them. THE GAME Adelaide v Melbourne v at the Adelaide Oval Saturday 18 April, 2015 at 2.10 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Adelaide 21 wins Melbourne 12 wins At Adelaide Oval Adelaide 0 wins Melbourne 1 win Past five meetings Adelaide 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Welsh 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 at 2:00pm (live) RADIO - SEN THE BETTING Adelaide to win - $1.05 Melbourne to win - $7.25 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 11.4.70 defeated Adelaide 9.13.67 Round 7, 2014 at Adelaide Oval The Demons hadn't won in Adelaide for more than a decade but the got the early jump on the Crows to lead by 28 points at the main break. Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes courageously led the side home and despite a second half fightback from the home team to cause a major upset. THE TEAMS Adelaide Crows B: Luke Brown, Daniel Talia, Rory Laird HB: Jake Kelly, Kyle Hartigan, Brodie Smith C: Ricky Henderson, Scott Thompson, Matthew Jaensch HF: Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Taylor Walker, Charlie Cameron F: Eddie Betts, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Lynch FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Nathan Van Berlo I/C: Richard Douglas, Josh Jenkins, David Mackay, Matthew Wright EMG: Matt Crouch, Mitch Grigg, Jarryd Lyons IN: Jake Kelly, Scott Thompson OUT: Kyle Cheney (hamstring), Mitch Grigg NEW: Kelly Melbourne B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Christian Salem C: Daniel Cross, Heritier Lumumba, Sam Frost HF: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Bernie Vince F: Jeff Garlett, Chris Dawes, Jack Watts FOLL: Mark Jamar, Dom Tyson, Nathan Jones I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Ben Newton, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Jake Spencer IN: Jay Kennedy-Harris OUT: Jack Viney (leg) Over the past fortnight, the full force of the Adelaide Football Club has been unleashed upon North Melbourne and Collingwood, two clubs that were far more highly fancied this season than Melbourne. On that basis what are the chances of the Demons producing a second consecutive upset win over the Crows on their own home turf? Not much, say the pundits who include those who frame the odds and have decided that that the home side has seven times Melbourne's chances of winning. Much of this is due to the meltdown of the Demon midfield from the middle of the second term of their game against the powerful engine room of the Greater Western Sydney Giants who ran them off their feet at StarTrack Oval last week. Given that one of the few shining lights of that defeated Melbourne on ball brigade will be missing in action at Adelaide Oval, the negativity about their chances is understandable. And that's before one considers how the visitors will contend with the likes of Tex Walker and Paddy Dangerfield. They certainly need a major turnaround in form from the likes of Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson and Bernie Vince if they are to get to within 10 goals. Adelaide by 61 points.

PATTERNS by Whispering Jack Halfway through the second quarter at StarTrack Oval last Saturday, the Demons were seemingly cruising through their game against the Giants. Leading by five goals and having kept their opponents down to a solitary goal, they loosened their hold on the game after Jeff Garlett had goaled at the ten minute mark. They allowed GWS too much latitude and it was only their poor finishing that kept them at bay. Late in the quarter and against the run of play, Ben Newton goaled to give his team a game high lead of 33 points in the shadows of half time. The game's defining moment however, came a minute and a half later when Cam McCarthy was provided with the opportunity to reply before the half time siren, the first of fourteen unanswered goal before Newton chimed in with his second and his team's last in a humiliating stanza of play. The pattern that was set late in the second term was familiar. Melbourne fans saw it some weeks ago during the NAB Challenge match in Ballarat against the Bulldogs when the team let slip an even larger lead standing by helplessly as that game was almost lost to another avalanche of goals. In other games, we have seen the team also commit dramatic lapses in play - in the first round at home, they were good enough to come back from these on three occasions but the question now is whether the pattern set at grounds far from home will be repeated and what can the coaches and players do to arrest a disturbing situation in which opposition teams are able to cut the team like butter through a knife. It won't be easy this Saturday against an in-form Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval because the Crows have established a pattern of their own which is to destroy all that comes before them. THE GAME Adelaide v Melbourne v at the Adelaide Oval Saturday 18 April, 2015 at 2.10 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Adelaide 21 wins Melbourne 12 wins At Adelaide Oval Adelaide 0 wins Melbourne 1 win Past five meetings Adelaide 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Welsh 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 at 2:00pm (live) RADIO - SEN THE BETTING Adelaide to win - $1.05 Melbourne to win - $7.25 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 11.4.70 defeated Adelaide 9.13.67 Round 7, 2014 at Adelaide Oval The Demons hadn't won in Adelaide for more than a decade but the got the early jump on the Crows to lead by 28 points at the main break. Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes courageously led the side home and despite a second half fightback from the home team to cause a major upset. THE TEAMS Adelaide Crows B: Luke Brown, Daniel Talia, Rory Laird HB: Jake Kelly, Kyle Hartigan, Brodie Smith C: Ricky Henderson, Scott Thompson, Matthew Jaensch HF: Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Taylor Walker, Charlie Cameron F: Eddie Betts, Patrick Dangerfield, Tom Lynch FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Nathan Van Berlo I/C: Richard Douglas, Josh Jenkins, David Mackay, Matthew Wright EMG: Matt Crouch, Mitch Grigg, Jarryd Lyons IN: Jake Kelly, Scott Thompson OUT: Kyle Cheney (hamstring), Mitch Grigg NEW: Kelly Melbourne B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Jeremy Howe HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Christian Salem C: Daniel Cross, Heritier Lumumba, Sam Frost HF: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Bernie Vince F: Jeff Garlett, Chris Dawes, Jack Watts FOLL: Mark Jamar, Dom Tyson, Nathan Jones I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Ben Newton, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie, Jake Spencer IN: Jay Kennedy-Harris OUT: Jack Viney (leg) Over the past fortnight, the full force of the Adelaide Football Club has been unleashed upon North Melbourne and Collingwood, two clubs that were far more highly fancied this season than Melbourne. On that basis what are the chances of the Demons producing a second consecutive upset win over the Crows on their own home turf? Not much, say the pundits who include those who frame the odds and have decided that that the home side has seven times Melbourne's chances of winning. Much of this is due to the meltdown of the Demon midfield from the middle of the second term of their game against the powerful engine room of the Greater Western Sydney Giants who ran them off their feet at StarTrack Oval last week. Given that one of the few shining lights of that defeated Melbourne on ball brigade will be missing in action at Adelaide Oval, the negativity about their chances is understandable. And that's before one considers how the visitors will contend with the likes of Tex Walker and Paddy Dangerfield. They certainly need a major turnaround in form from the likes of Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson and Bernie Vince if they are to get to within 10 goals. Adelaide by 61 points.

It was back in May last year when Melbourne shocked the football world by breaking its long standing hoodoo against SA teams in Adelaide. Adelaide Crows B: Sam Shaw, Daniel Talia, Matthew Jaensch HB: Brodie Smith, Kyle Hartigan, Luke Brown C: Sam Kerridge, Patrick Dangerfield, David Mackay HF: Eddie Betts, James Podsiadly, Jared Petrenko F: Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins, Matthew Wright FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Rory Sloane I/C: Brent Reilly, Mitch Grigg, Rory Laird, Matt Crouch EMG: Brodie Martin, Andy Otten, Ben Rutten No Change Melbourne B: Tom McDonald, Lynden Dunn, Alex Georgiou HB: Jack Grimes, James Frawley, Dean Terlich C: Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince, Jack Watts HF: Rohan Bail, Cameron Pedersen, Matt Jones F: Jack Viney, Chris Dawes, Jeremy Howe FOLL: Mark Jamar, Daniel Cross, Nathan Jones I/C: Christian Salem, Neville Jetta, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Shannon Byrnes EMG: Mitchell Clisby, Max Gawn, Aidan Riley No Change

Go for it!!!

Your votes please 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... And don't forget the Jones Rule

Please welcome our (once) long suffering Adelaide correspondent ... PURPOSE by Mel Rundle I could see it coming but I never thought it would happen at this time and in this place in front of a massive home crowd at Adelaide Oval. Not in this city where Demon fans have waited for a decade and more to taste the fruits of victory - any victory. But it happened here and while the result was in doubt until seconds before the final siren blared it was the sweetest of wins, a three-pointer that resulted from a fantastic team effort based on hard work and commitment to the cause from a team that has copped its share of hard knocks in recent times. When Paul Roos was appointed to coach the club last September, the memory of Melbourne's most recent visit to this city less than a month earlier was still fresh in the mind. The 68-point debacle at AAMI Stadium in Round 22 was a common feature of the way the Demons went about things in 2013 and could be described in one word as "purposeless". Roos has instilled a sense of purpose into the team based on a strong desire to defend its position. They came out and after a minor hiccup when they let Patrick Dangerfield slip through for the opening goal of the game, they stunned the Crows, their large band of supporters and the football world with their desire and commitment for the football. They had two great leaders in Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes who led from the front all afternoon although the former was under a bit of a cloud (said to be a slight twinge during the warm up which he shrugged off with disdain). Grimes was magnificent in defence, providing the rebound and, in the end, a perfect game-saving spoil to prevent a late Dangerfield mark. He was aided and abetted by Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe and Neville Jetta playing his best game for the club in blanketing Eddie Betts. Then there was the enigmatic Lynden Dunn who has stepped up this year and is doing what all players must do - make a contribution every week. Melbourne sits last in the competition for scoring this year but it scored seven unanswered goals from early in the first quarter until late in the opening half and at one stage led by 36 points. It's forward line was led by Chris Dawes, as solid as a rock but he had lots of assistance and the heart was warmed by Jack Watts' composure in kicking a great goal and by the nippiness of smalls in Jack Viney and Jay Kennedy-Harris. Dom Tyson and Bernie Vince in his homecoming, were also important players. After the main break, the game changed and Adelaide came back. The team that was here last year would have crumbled and fallen away but Melbourne has a sense of purpose these days and it resolutely fought back hard and thanks to some accuracy in front of goal and a great pack mark from the Russian (another former local) they held sway. Despite the enormous pressure applied by the home team and the roar of 40,000 voices willing them on to win and even to influence the umpires to produce an uneven free kick count (and please don't get me started), they held firm. There is still an issue with scoring - the dividend from the last half was a mere 4.2 to 7.9. But that will come perhaps with one more tall forward or a ruckman who can kick goals while resting up there. The main thing for now is that the team is gaining increasing respect and a win such as this one in hostile territory will serve it well in the future as it welcomes in a brave new world for the Demon faithful. Melbourne 4.0.24 7.2.44 8.4.52 11.4.70 Adelaide 1.1.7 2.4.16 5.10.40 9.13.67 Goals Melbourne Dawes 3 Bail Jamar Jones Kennedy-Harris Salem Tyson Viney Watts Adelaide Dangerfield Jenkins Podsiadly 2 Crouch Petrenko Thompson Best Melbourne Dawes Vince Tyson Viney Kennedy-Harris Grimes Adelaide Dangerfield Jacobs Smith Sloane Thompson Laird Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Injuries Melbourne Georgiou (concussion) Adelaide Lynch (concussion) Jaensch (heavy knock) Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Donlon Chamberlain Bannister Attendance 44,216 at the Adelaide Oval

I could see it coming but I never thought it would happen at this time and in this place in front of a massive home crowd at Adelaide Oval. Not in this city where Demon fans have waited for a decade and more to taste the fruits of victory - any victory. But it happened here and while the result was in doubt until seconds before the final siren blared it was the sweetest of wins, a three-pointer that resulted from a fantastic team effort based on hard work and commitment to the cause from a team that has copped its share of hard knocks in recent times. When Paul Roos was appointed to coach the club last September, the memory of Melbourne's most recent visit to this city less than a month earlier was still fresh in the mind. The 68-point debacle at AAMI Stadium in Round 22 was a common feature of the way the Demons went about things in 2013 and could be described in one word as "purposeless". Roos has instilled a sense of purpose into the team based on a strong desire to defend its position. They came out and after a minor hiccup when they let Patrick Dangerfield slip through for the opening goal of the game, they stunned the Crows, their large band of supporters and the football world with their desire and commitment for the football. They had two great leaders in Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes who led from the front all afternoon although the former was under a bit of a cloud (said to be a slight twinge during the warm up which he shrugged off with disdain). Grimes was magnificent in defence, providing the rebound and, in the end, a perfect game-saving spoil to prevent a late Dangerfield mark. He was aided and abetted by Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe and Neville Jetta playing his best game for the club in blanketing Eddie Betts. Then there was the enigmatic Lynden Dunn who has stepped up this year and is doing what all players must do - make a contribution every week. Melbourne sits last in the competition for scoring this year but it scored seven unanswered goals from early in the first quarter until late in the opening half and at one stage led by 36 points. It's forward line was led by Chris Dawes, as solid as a rock but he had lots of assistance and the heart was warmed by Jack Watts' composure in kicking a great goal and by the nippiness of smalls in Jack Viney and Jay Kennedy-Harris. Dom Tyson and Bernie Vince in his homecoming, were also important players. After the main break, the game changed and Adelaide came back. The team that was here last year would have crumbled and fallen away but Melbourne has a sense of purpose these days and it resolutely fought back hard and thanks to some accuracy in front of goal and a great pack mark from the Russian (another former local) they held sway. Despite the enormous pressure applied by the home team and the roar of 40,000 voices willing them on to win and even to influence the umpires to produce an uneven free kick count (and please don't get me started), they held firm. There is still an issue with scoring - the dividend from the last half was a mere 4.2 to 7.9. But that will come perhaps with one more tall forward or a ruckman who can kick goals while resting up there. The main thing for now is that the team is gaining increasing respect and a win such as this one in hostile territory will serve it well in the future as it welcomes in a brave new world for the Demon faithful. Melbourne 4.0.24 7.2.44 8.4.52 11.4.70 Adelaide 1.1.7 2.4.16 5.10.40 9.13.67 Goals Melbourne Dawes 3 Bail Jamar N Jones Kennedy-Harris Salem Tyson Viney Watts Adelaide Dangerfield Jenkins Podsiadly 2 Crouch Petrenko Thompson Best Melbourne Dawes Vince Tyson Viney Kennedy-Harris Grimes Adelaide Dangerfield Jacobs Smith Sloane Thompson Laird Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Injuries Melbourne Georgiou (concussion) Adelaide Lynch (concussion) Jaensch (heavy knock) Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Donlon Chamberlain Bannister Attendance 44,216 at the Adelaide Oval

It's been years since I first tasted the beauty of Adelaide Oval during a summertime visit to family when I caught a game of cricket there - one of the tests during the World Series of Cricket years with the Aussie team decimated by the Packer cricket revolution. Adelaide was such a sleepy town then - you had to drive for miles to find an open milk bar to get a loaf of bread and a pint of milk on a Sunday. I've been back a few times but I won't be there today. I'll be getting my fix of footy via Fox Footy and, as I've explained here, I'm not expecting anything pretty but I do hope that we do stay the course today and over the coming months no matter what. I was reflecting on this as I watched Carlton's fighting final quarter against Collingwood last night. The Blues kicked eight goals in the last half an hour and many of their fans walked away thinking about the great fightback they'd just seen after their team was restricted to only two goals over the first three quarters. I would have been more worried about their team's ineptitude during that part of the game when the pressure was on and when the Pies strangled the life out of them with their tight defensive football. The job was done by the final break and the game opened up completely enabling a scoring avalanche but I think it was pretty much irrelevant. I'm appreciating Paul Roos as a coach even more when I compare him with Malthouse. There are no excuses with him even though we've been hit hard with injuries to key players in important positions which has tested our depth immensely. I'm still looking forward immensely to what should be another challenging day in Adelaide - especially to seeing Christian Salem and Jay Kennedy-Harris who along with Jack Viney and Dom Tyson should play an important role in our future.

GIVING HELL by Whispering Jack Sitting in the stands last Saturday night at the MCG wasn't the most pleasant experience for those who go to the football to taste the aesthetics of the game. It wasn't the night for pretty football, for excitement and skills and we weren't witnessing a game made in heaven for either the participants or the viewers. We are, after all the Demons and you could be excused for thinking that this was a game that those unfortunate enough to make it to that place, would spend countless hours playing this game out in hell. When Paul Roos signed on to take over the mantle of coach of the Melbourne Football Club, he never promised anyone a rose garden and we should not expect overnight changes to make the team immediately perfect. As far back as 2005 when he was with the Sydney Swans, Roos' coaching style was criticised by the then AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou who described his negative, defensive game plan as "disgusting" and "ugly". Those remarks were made during a game against St. Kilda which the Swans lost by seven goals but they appeared to be a catalyst for the team from the harbour city as they marched on to win the flag later that year. Not only that, but history records that the Sydney Swans scored only 8.10.58 to beat the West Coast Eagles by four points in the grand final. When Roos was appointed coach last September, he said, "It's going to be a huge challenge, there's no doubt about that. "They're certainly not sugar-coating it - I know what I'm coming into. I know it's going to be a very difficult job. "I'm really looking forward to setting a direction for the players and the football club, and setting some really high standards." Paul Kelly once sang that from little things, big things grow and, back in those stands on Saturday night, it wasn't hard to notice that we were watching the very budding of those "little things". Sydney came out of the blocks and had two goals on the board within five minutes thanks to a lucky bounce that favoured Luke Parker followed by an even luckier free kick and goal to expensive import Buddy Franklin. Melbourne was denied such luck in the opening term but it displayed some great resistance and aggression over the next fifteen minutes for a reward of a single goal to Shannon Byrnes while Jack Watts and Jeremy Howe dropped marks in front of goal that could have made a significant difference. They were made to pay when the Swans added two more in time on but the 4 - 1 goal scoreline was deceptively misleading. The game got uglier in the second quarter when the Demons scored the only goal for the term in a defensive slugfest but when was the last time that they kept a top four contender goalless for an entire quarter? So it went on, the Demons fought hard against the relentless strangulation of the Swans. Both teams played behind the ball, the visitors did it better and with the more skilled and experienced players, they ran out winners while the football world moaned at what it saw. They spoke in the end that Melbourne's average score for the season was its lowest since 1919, a winless wooden spoon season in the club's return after a three year recess during the First World War. But the Demons kept the Swans down to nine goals, a once unthinkable achievement and I suspect that we will soon see the silver lining to all of this. It might not be as dramatic as the rise to the top experienced by the Swans when their style was derided by Demetriou but I can see a continuation of the process to the point where one day a Melbourne side will strangle the life out of a good team with the dour, defensive style being introduced at present. And then, with the introduction of young, talented players like Christian Salem and a bit of height and strength up forward and down back, the ugly demon ducklings will soon be giving others hell. THE GAME Adelaide v Melbourne v at Adelaide Oval Saturday 3 May, 2014 at 4.40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Adelaide 21 wins Melbourne 11 wins At Adelaide Oval Adelaide 0 wins Melbourne 0 wins Past five years Adelaide 4 wins Melbourne 1 wins The Coaches Sanderson 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel @ 4.30pm (live) RADIO - Triple M SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Adelaide - $1.07 Melbourne to win - $9.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Adelaide 18.12.120 defeated Melbourne 7.10.52 Round 22, 2013 at AAMI Stadium Scott Thompson starred against his former club in a one team race from start to end that was a game best remembered for boring the living suitcases out of anyone who watched it. THE TEAMS Adelaide Crows B: Sam Shaw, Daniel Talia, Matthew Jaensch HB: Brodie Smith, Kyle Hartigan, Luke Brown C: Sam Kerridge, Patrick Dangerfield, David Mackay HF: Eddie Betts, James Podsiadly, Jared Petrenko F: Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins, Matthew Wright FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Rory Sloane I/C: Brent Reilly, Mitch Grigg, Rory Laird, Matt Crouch EMG: Brodie Martin, Andy Otten, Ben Rutten No Change Melbourne B: Tom McDonald, Lynden Dunn, Alex Georgiou HB: Jack Grimes, James Frawley, Dean Terlich C: Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince, Jack Watts HF: Rohan Bail, Cameron Pedersen, Matt Jones F: Jack Viney, Chris Dawes, Jeremy Howe FOLL: Mark Jamar, Daniel Cross, Nathan Jones I/C: Christian Salem, Neville Jetta, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Shannon Byrnes EMG: Mitchell Clisby, Max Gawn, Aidan Riley No Change Preview It almost seems forever since a Melbourne team ventured across the South Australian border into Adelaide and returned home unscathed. In fact, it's been so long that I can't even recall a match preview of a Demons' game played over there that doesn't include a mention of the curse of the city of churches or the fact that it was way back in 2001 that Andrew Leoncelli accepted a David Schwartz knock on and kicked a last gasp goal to beat the Crows at Adelaide's Football Park. So there you go ... it's been mentioned but the ground more lately known as AAMI Stadium is no longer in commission as an AFL venue and this week's game is taking place at the Adelaide Oval and the home side has never beaten Melbourne there so let's just forget this 17 defeats in a row thing and concentrate on the game at hand. Young Adelaide star Patrick Dangerfield was asked earlier in the week why his team had made such a dramatic improvement after a poor start when it lost the opening three games of the season. His response was that the team was now sticking to the game plan and executing the plan better. He might also have added that they've also played much weaker opposition over the last these weeks than during the period in which they were losing but his point still holds good. It's all about staying the course. If there's one thing that we can expect from Melbourne coach Paul Roos it is that the style of game and the effort demanded of his players will remain constant in this phase of development. In the short term this means that supporters need to lower their expectations - there will be the odd win here or there (perhaps even a surprise), some fighting losses and the really tough days at the office when the team gets thrashed. We've seen it all already this year and there will be more but the course has been set and it's not likely that we'll see a departure for the sake of producing a high scoring quarter of pretty football here or there as you will see from some coaches. This is why it was so important for Melbourne to import the likes of Vince, Cross, Tyson, Georgiou and co who provide the extra depth and steel the club lacked in recent years. They are among the players expected to lift yet another notch if the team is to remain competitive against the surging Crows in front of their home crowd as they strive to emulate the top of the ladder local foe for home state popularity. Melbourne needs to get more drive from its ruck division. Mark Jamar will relish the fact that he now has a run under his belt but he needs to hit his onball brigade more often in the ruck duels and the team can't afford a repeat of Scott Thompson's midfield dominance from their last outing. It won't be an easy task keeping up with the Crows on their home turf but if the Demons stay the course, it could be an interesting evening. I think that in the end, Adelaide will have too much class and experience and therefore give ammunition for those who promote the curse of the city of churches but one day soon, all that talk will come to an end and, when the day comes, Melbourne will give them hell. But not this time ... Adelaide by 25 points.

Sitting in the stands last Saturday night at the MCG wasn't the most pleasant experience for those who go to the football to taste the aesthetics of the game. It wasn't the night for pretty football, for excitement and skills and we weren't witnessing a game made in heaven for either the participants or the viewers. We are, after all the Demons and you could be excused for thinking that this was a game that those unfortunate enough to make it to that place, would spend countless hours playing this game out in hell. When Paul Roos signed on to take over the mantle of coach of the Melbourne Football Club, he never promised anyone a rose garden and we should not expect overnight changes to make the team immediately perfect. As far back as 2005 when he was with the Sydney Swans, Roos' coaching style was criticised by the then AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou who described his negative, defensive game plan as "disgusting" and "ugly". Those remarks were made during a game against St. Kilda which the Swans lost by seven goals but they appeared to be a catalyst for the team from the harbour city as they marched on to win the flag later that year. Not only that, but history records that the Sydney Swans scored only 8.10.58 to beat the West Coast Eagles by four points in the grand final. When Roos was appointed coach last September, he said, "It's going to be a huge challenge, there's no doubt about that. "They're certainly not sugar-coating it - I know what I'm coming into. I know it's going to be a very difficult job. "I'm really looking forward to setting a direction for the players and the football club, and setting some really high standards." Paul Kelly once sang that from little things, big things grow and, back in those stands on Saturday night, it wasn't hard to notice that we were watching the very budding of those "little things". Sydney came out of the blocks and had two goals on the board within five minutes thanks to a lucky bounce that favoured Luke Parker followed by an even luckier free kick and goal to expensive import Buddy Franklin. Melbourne was denied such luck in the opening term but it displayed some great resistance and aggression over the next fifteen minutes for a reward of a single goal to Shannon Byrnes while Jack Watts and Jeremy Howe dropped marks in front of goal that could have made a significant difference. They were made to pay when the Swans added two more in time on but the 4 - 1 goal scoreline was deceptively misleading. The game got uglier in the second quarter when the Demons scored the only goal for the term in a defensive slugfest but when was the last time that they kept a top four contender goalless for an entire quarter? So it went on, the Demons fought hard against the relentless strangulation of the Swans. Both teams played behind the ball, the visitors did it better and with the more skilled and experienced players, they ran out winners while the football world moaned at what it saw. They spoke in the end that Melbourne's average score for the season was its lowest since 1919, a winless wooden spoon season in the club's return after a three year recess during the First World War. But the Demons kept the Swans down to nine goals, a once unthinkable achievement and I suspect that we will soon see the silver lining to all of this. It might not be as dramatic as the rise to the top experienced by the Swans when their style was derided by Demetriou but I can see a continuation of the process to the point where one day a Melbourne side will strangle the life out of a good team with the dour, defensive style being introduced at present. And then, with the introduction of young, talented players like Christian Salem and a bit of height and strength up forward and down back, the ugly demon ducklings will soon be giving others hell. THE GAME Adelaide v Melbourne v at Adelaide Oval Saturday 3 May, 2014 at 4.40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Adelaide 21 wins Melbourne 11 wins At Adelaide Oval Adelaide 0 wins Melbourne 0 wins Past five years Adelaide 4 wins Melbourne 1 win The Coaches Sanderson 0 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel @ 4.30pm (live) RADIO - Triple M SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Adelaide - $1.07 Melbourne to win - $9.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Adelaide 18.12.120 defeated Melbourne 7.10.52 Round 22, 2013 at AAMI Stadium Scott Thompson starred against his former club in a one team race from start to end that was a game best remembered for boring the living suitcases out of anyone who watched it. THE TEAMS Adelaide Crows B: Sam Shaw, Daniel Talia, Matthew Jaensch HB: Brodie Smith, Kyle Hartigan, Luke Brown C: Sam Kerridge, Patrick Dangerfield, David Mackay HF: Eddie Betts, James Podsiadly, Jared Petrenko F: Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins, Matthew Wright FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Rory Sloane I/C: Brent Reilly, Mitch Grigg, Rory Laird, Matt Crouch EMG: Brodie Martin, Andy Otten, Ben Rutten No Change Melbourne B: Tom McDonald, Lynden Dunn, Alex Georgiou HB: Jack Grimes, James Frawley, Dean Terlich C: Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince, Jack Watts HF: Rohan Bail, Cameron Pedersen, Matt Jones F: Jack Viney, Chris Dawes, Jeremy Howe FOLL: Mark Jamar, Daniel Cross, Nathan Jones I/C: Christian Salem, Neville Jetta, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Shannon Byrnes EMG: Mitchell Clisby, Max Gawn, Aidan Riley No Change It almost seems forever since a Melbourne team ventured across the South Australian border into Adelaide and returned home unscathed. In fact, it's been so long that I can't even recall a match preview of a Demons' game played over there that doesn't include a mention of the curse of the city of churches or the fact that it was way back in 2001 that Andrew Leoncelli accepted a David Schwartz knock on and kicked a last gasp goal to beat the Crows at Adelaide's Football Park. So there you go ... it's been mentioned but the ground more lately known as AAMI Stadium is no longer in commission as an AFL venue and this week's game is taking place at the Adelaide Oval and the home side has never beaten Melbourne there so let's just forget this 17 defeats in a row thing and concentrate on the game at hand. Young Adelaide star Patrick Dangerfield was asked earlier in the week why his team had made such a dramatic improvement after a poor start when it lost the opening three games of the season. His response was that the team was now sticking to the game plan and executing the plan better. He might also have added that they've also played much weaker opposition over the last these weeks than during the period in which they were losing but his point still holds good. It's all about staying the course. If there's one thing that we can expect from Melbourne coach Paul Roos it is that the style of game and the effort demanded of his players will remain constant in this phase of development. In the short term this means that supporters need to lower their expectations - there will be the odd win here or there (perhaps even a surprise), some fighting losses and the really tough days at the office when the team gets thrashed. We've seen it all already this year and there will be more but the course has been set and it's not likely that we'll see a departure for the sake of producing a high scoring quarter of pretty football here or there as you will see from some coaches. This is why it was so important for Melbourne to import the likes of Vince, Cross, Tyson, Georgiou and co who provide the extra depth and steel the club lacked in recent years. They are among the players expected to lift yet another notch if the team is to remain competitive against the surging Crows in front of their home crowd as they strive to emulate the top of the ladder local foe for home state popularity. Melbourne needs to get more drive from its ruck division. Mark Jamar will relish the fact that he now has a run under his belt but he needs to hit his onball brigade more often in the ruck duels and the team can't afford a repeat of Scott Thompson's midfield dominance from their last outing. It won't be an easy task keeping up with the Crows on their home turf but if the Demons stay the course, it could be an interesting evening. I think that in the end, Adelaide will have too much class and experience and therefore give ammunition for those who promote the curse of the city of churches but one day soon, all that talk will come to an end and, when the day comes, Melbourne will give them hell. But not this time ... Adelaide by 25 points.

Late last year - B: Dunn Frawley Garland HB: M. Jones McDonald Terlich C: Toumpas Jones Trengove HF: Kent Dawes Davey F: Howe Pedersen Tapscott Foll: Spencer Viney McKenzie Interchange Sylvia Watts Grimes: Rodan This is the first time we play them at Adelaide Oval. Hopefully, it will be better for us than the last dump they played at.

EATING CROW by George on the Outer They say that eating crow is the same as eating your own word ... well the Demon supporters did nothing of the sort, because the team delivered exactly what the supporters predicted against Adelaide ... another 10+ loss! The advertisement on Fox for mantherapy to cure depression, during the game will probably result in half our membership ( the blokes at least) signing up and ensuring Dr Brian Ironwoods kids are kept in good private schools if you missed it, here it is: http://www.mantherapy.org.au/ The small glimmer of hope, being a seven point lead, at the end of the first quarter was snuffed out all in a 4 minute stretch in the second. Adelaide piled on 4 goals in that period, then backed it up with a couple of others to kick 6 straight for the quarter. Game over, even though Melbourne pulled two back before the half-time siren. Speaking of sirens, the last game at AAMI park or Football Park or Westlakes or whatever they choose to call the place, has finally seen the last of that appalling siren. Surely it was dug out of a train wreck of some 1950s locomotive, which really when you think about it just about sums up the city of Adelaide ... Enough, the rubbish continued for Melbourne in the second half. The half- hearted efforts displayed by multiple Melbourne players was finally exploited by the Crows and an 11 goal break was opened up, which lasted until the end of the game. There is little hope for the supporters to hang their hats on for 2014 if we have to watch Jack Watts spectating on the game around himself again. If he goes elsewhere next year it wont be any loss as he simply refuses to go and get his own ball. His two goals (that some will trumpet today) were the result of others' hard work, while his high fiving simply makes the supporters guts churn. Do something seriously good before you chase accolades!!! Jimmy Toumpas returned to the seniors and showed plenty of promise. His skills with the boot are something to look forward to, but too often he had no-one upfield willing to do the hard running to provide a target. Jake Spencer rucked strongly and played well around the ground, with excellent second efforts. Pity he reverted to the Jamar ruck style this game and kept on trying to jump into Jacobs. When you are 204 cm, just go for the ball please. The early loss of David Rodan curtailed a good portion of our run, and even though he was replaced by Aaron Davey, we actually needed both of them out there. Why James Magner cannot get a run after being elevated to the senior list, when we are crying out for mids who can get the ball is beyond me. Dont care if he cant kick, we have plenty of players who can, but cant get the ball. Or dont want to get the ball in some cases. We all cant wait for the season to end. The AFL have done us another huge favour by scheduling our last game at Etihad at 4.40pm on a Sunday. This could set a new record for low attendances, and they really only have themselves to blame. Still the Suns v GWS game on the same day could just pip us and the Dogs for the all time low ... and we still wont be eating crow! Melbourne 2.3.15 4.5.29 5.9.39 7.10.52 Adelaide 1.2.8 7.4.46 11.8.74 18.12.120 Goals Melbourne Howe Sylvia Watts 2 Tapscott Adelaide Johnston 6 Callinan Douglas 2 Dangerfield Grigg Jacobs Kerridge Otten Talia Thompson van Berlo Best Melbourne Jones Toumpas Garland Terlich Trengove Spencer Adelaide Thompson Crouch Johnston Jacobs Douglas Sloane Dangerfield Injuries Melbourne Jeremy Howe (cut face) David Rodan (ankle) Adelaide Sam Kerridge (back) Daniel Talia (back) Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Tom Lynch (foot) replaced by Richard Tambling Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Fleer Hay Armstrong Official Attendance 34,653 at AAMI Stadium

Please cast your votes ... 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

They say that eating crow is the same as eating your own word ... well the Demon supporters did nothing of the sort, because the team delivered exactly what the supporters predicted against Adelaide ... another 10+ loss! The advertisement on Fox for mantherapy to cure depression, during the game will probably result in half our membership ( the blokes at least) signing up and ensuring Dr Brian Ironwoods kids are kept in good private schools if you missed it, here it is: http://www.mantherapy.org.au/ The small glimmer of hope, being a seven point lead, at the end of the first quarter was snuffed out all in a 4 minute stretch in the second. Adelaide piled on 4 goals in that period, then backed it up with a couple of others to kick 6 straight for the quarter. Game over, even though Melbourne pulled two back before the half-time siren. Speaking of sirens, the last game at AAMI park or Football Park or Westlakes or whatever they choose to call the place, has finally seen the last of that appalling siren. Surely it was dug out of a train wreck of some 1950s locomotive, which really when you think about it just about sums up the city of Adelaide ... Enough, the rubbish continued for Melbourne in the second half. The half- hearted efforts displayed by multiple Melbourne players was finally exploited by the Crows and an 11 goal break was opened up, which lasted until the end of the game. There is little hope for the supporters to hang their hats on for 2014 if we have to watch Jack Watts spectating on the game around himself again. If he goes elsewhere next year it wont be any loss as he simply refuses to go and get his own ball. His two goals (that some will trumpet today) were the result of others' hard work, while his high fiving simply makes the supporters guts churn. Do something seriously good before you chase accolades!!! Jimmy Toumpas returned to the seniors and showed plenty of promise. His skills with the boot are something to look forward to, but too often he had no-one upfield willing to do the hard running to provide a target. Jake Spencer rucked strongly and played well around the ground, with excellent second efforts. Pity he reverted to the Jamar ruck style this game and kept on trying to jump into Jacobs. When you are 204 cm, just go for the ball please. The early loss of David Rodan curtailed a good portion of our run, and even though he was replaced by Aaron Davey, we actually needed both of them out there. Why James Magner cannot get a run after being elevated to the senior list, when we are crying out for mids who can get the ball is beyond me. Dont care if he cant kick, we have plenty of players who can, but cant get the ball. Or dont want to get the ball in some cases. We all cant wait for the season to end. The AFL have done us another huge favour by scheduling our last game at Etihad at 4.40pm on a Sunday. This could set a new record for low attendances, and they really only have themselves to blame. Still the Suns v GWS game on the same day could just pip us and the Dogs for the all time low ... and we still wont be eating crow! Melbourne 2.3.15 4.5.29 5.9.39 7.10.52 Adelaide 1.2.8 7.4.46 11.8.74 18.12.120 Goals Melbourne Howe Sylvia Watts 2 Tapscott Adelaide Johnston 6 Callinan Douglas 2 Dangerfield Grigg Jacobs Kerridge Otten Talia Thompson van Berlo Best Melbourne Jones Toumpas Garland Terlich Trengove Spencer Adelaide Thompson Crouch Johnston Jacobs Douglas Sloane Dangerfield Injuries Melbourne Jeremy Howe (cut face) David Rodan (ankle) Adelaide Sam Kerridge (back) Daniel Talia (back) Changes Melbourne Nil Adelaide Tom Lynch (foot) replaced by Richard Tambling Reports Melbourne Nil Adelaide Nil Umpires Fleer Hay Armstrong Official Attendance 34,653 at AAMI Stadium

THE BIRDS by JVM For the life of me, I don't understand how Adelaide could have possibly firmed to such hot favouritism for Saturday's game. The Crows struggled last week against the 15th placed Western Bulldogs when, not only their credibility, but also an outside chance of falling into the top eight and finals football was on the line. And yet they were overrun by the Dogs to the tune of seven final-term goals to three and with that went their chances of a top eight berth. It's been much that way for the Crows for most of the season; patchy, inconsistent and a little flakey. Who could blame them for their demise after suffering from AFL sanctions and the loss of key forward talent like Kurt Tippett and Taylor Walker? The AFL has been somewhat remiss in failing to see the promotional opportunities presented by this match up at a time when its poised to come down hard with sanctions on Essendon over the supplements scandal. These teams should be playing off for the 2013 NAB Transgressors Trophy with the Crows being done for salary cap breaches in the past twelve months and the Dees for cracking poor jokes in public. Dean Bailey would be the perfect choice as presenter. The emotion factor will certainly be operational in terms of the fact that the Crows play their last game at the ground before relocating along with Port Adelaide to new digs at the Adelaide Oval as from next year. But history says that Melbourne has a chance. Although, the team has produced only minimal improvement since the dark days of early 2013, it does have a good record when it comes to closing down opposition football grounds. The last time that happened was on 21 May, 2005 when Melbourne beat Carlton by 18 points in the final AFL game at Princes Park (aka Optus Oval, MC Labour Park and more lately Pricefixer Park or something to that effect). So, with a good recent record at farewelling the fields of others' dreams, the Demons are poised to cause an upset. Melbourne's team for the game has a much better look and feel to it than the one that was first strangled and then demolished by Fremantle last Sunday.James Frawley and Chris Dawes come in to bolster a key defence and key forward position respectively, Cam Pedersen was his team's best player in the game before he was injured and David Rodan and Jimmy Toumpas will add run to the team, the latter's confidence also bolstered with a couple of classy displays at Casey. The players should also be keen to give Aaron Davey a fitting farewell after a decade of fabulous service to the club. This is not the same Adelaide that swept all before it last year under first year coach Brenton Sanderson. Neil Craig has a treasure trove of knowledge about this team to offset the home team's advantages in skill and experience and with Sando showing signs of cracking up last week I was almost tempted to go for a Melbourne win. It was at about this time that the reality bus drove right past me with hundreds of black crows hovering menacingly above. Adelaide by 45 points.

For the life of me, I don't understand how Adelaide could have possibly firmed to such hot favouritism for Saturday's game. The Crows struggled last week against the 15th placed Western Bulldogs when, not only their credibility, but also an outside chance of falling into the top eight and finals football was on the line. And yet they were overrun by the Dogs to the tune of seven final-term goals to three and with that went their chances of a top eight berth. It's been much that way for the Crows for most of the season; patchy, inconsistent and a little flakey. Who could blame them for their demise after suffering from AFL sanctions and the loss of key forward talent like Kurt Tippett and Taylor Walker? The AFL has been somewhat remiss in failing to see the promotional opportunities presented by this match up at a time when its poised to come down hard with sanctions on Essendon over the supplements scandal. These teams should be playing off for the 2013 NAB Transgressors Trophy with the Crows being done for salary cap breaches in the past twelve months and the Dees for cracking poor jokes in public. Dean Bailey would be the perfect choice as presenter. The emotion factor will certainly be operational in terms of the fact that the Crows play their last game at the ground before relocating along with Port Adelaide to new digs at the Adelaide Oval as from next year. But history says that Melbourne has a chance. Although, the team has produced only minimal improvement since the dark days of early 2013, it does have a good record when it comes to closing down opposition football grounds. The last time that happened was on 21 May, 2005 when Melbourne beat Carlton by 18 points in the final AFL game at Princes Park (aka Optus Oval, MC Labour Park and more lately Pricefixer Park or something to that effect). So, with a good recent record at farewelling the fields of others' dreams, the Demons are poised to cause an upset. Melbourne's team for the game has a much better look and feel to it than the one that was first strangled and then demolished by Fremantle last Sunday.James Frawley and Chris Dawes come in to bolster a key defence and key forward position respectively, Cam Pedersen was his team's best player in the game before he was injured and David Rodan and Jimmy Toumpas will add run to the team, the latter's confidence also bolstered with a couple of classy displays at Casey. The players should also be keen to give Aaron Davey a fitting farewell after a decade of fabulous service to the club. This is not the same Adelaide that swept all before it last year under first year coach Brenton Sanderson. Neil Craig has a treasure trove of knowledge about this team to offset the home team's advantages in skill and experience and with Sando showing signs of cracking up last week I was almost tempted to go for a Melbourne win. It was at about this time that the reality bus drove right past me with hundreds of black crows hovering menacingly above. Adelaide by 45 points.