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This weekend, the Melbourne Football Club was supposed to embark on a tour that started with what looked like an innocent trip to the country’s sunny Gold Coast. However, the Covid19 pandemic intervened to bring them back home for this week at least. Next week, it’s off to the West Coast but conspiracy theorists are already suggesting that this interstate sojourn could take the team all the way across the country over the next month and indeed, there are cynics who even believe that it could become a fully-fledged world tour that will take them far beyond Darwin and our northern borders and all the way to Japan for the 2020 Olympics! Of course, as much as that suggestion sounds fanciful and far-fetched, it can’t be entirely ruled out in this era of rumour, innuendo and conspiracy theories. With the Demons going through a bit of a slump in recent weeks, nothing could be better than a change of scenery and an alteration to the mix. This is considered necessary because, despite the team's success early in the season, it seems to have dried up in terms of inspiration over the past month or so. Even if the Demons don’t make it physically to Tokyo, they should at least adopt the Olympic motto of “faster, higher, stronger and kick the bloody thing straight” in the lead up to the finals! This week, Melbourne has at least done something to adapt to the Olympic spirit engendered by the Aussies by bringing in some new blood at long last. While the Demons have been assisted in their 2021 campaign by the fact that their playing list has remained relatively healthy, there has been a down-side in the sameness and familiarity has led to some of the players starting to look tired and stale. The introduction of Jake Bowey, a live wire small with silky kicking skills, is just the tonic needed by the club. I’m expecting him to make an instant impression in much the same way as the introduction of Ariarne Titmus and Zac Stubblety-Cook have had on the Aussie swimming team. Swimming Australia’s performance consultant Jeremy Hickmans, a former NRL coach, has described Titmus as being as tough as any NRL player and in similar vein, nobody should underestimate Bowey’s approach to the game and what he can bring to the team. Earlier in the week it was reported that coach Simon Goodwin had “subtly” introduced more goal kicking at training. It didn’t escape my notice that the word “subtly” sounds very much like our new Olympic champion’s surname or at least half of it. And that’s certainly been half of the problem of late since round 12 during which time the Demons have ranked last for goal kicking accuracy at a rate of just 37.5 per cent. Straighten that issue up and you don’t lose or draw games; instead you go directly to the podium to collect gold. I’m therefore suggesting a slight tweaking of names for our forwards this week and predicting that players of the calibre of Ben Stubblety-Brown, Tom Stubblety-McDonald, Bayley Stubblety-Fritsch and of course Alex Stubblety-Neal-Bullen will get their kicking mojos back and put the team back on course in the same way that Jess Fox did in her C-1 event at the Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre. I’m not ignoring the Gold Coast Suns in all of this but let’s face it, they’re in heaps of trouble after losing Oleg Markov to a hamstring injury this week. The former Tiger and son of Olympian and World Champion pole vaulter Dmitri was an important cog in his team’s campaign for this Olympiad and he will be sorely missed coming off the back of his team’s disappointing 49-point loss to the Lions. The Demons will still have to keep an eye on the dangerous Touk Miller who dominated when the teams met last year but the young Gold Coast combination appears to have hit the wall after a tough season. I mentioned that half of Melbourne’s recent issues related to poor kicking for goal but most of the other half has to do with the way the Demons are being treated by the men in white or whatever colour they happen to be wearing on a given day. Not that I’m suggesting the free kick numbers should be 50/50 but the last two games have seen them go down in the count by 11-25 (Bulldogs) and 15-22 (Hawks) which, at 35.6%, representing a poorer result than its goal kicking percentage. One of these days, the referees might bless us with a gold standard percentage. The Dees might have been going through a minor slump but nobody can deny the power of their “Awesome Foursome” in the midfield — the magnificent Max Stubblety-Gawn, Christian Stubblety-Petracca, Clayton Stubblety-Oliver and James Stubblety-Harmes will get them through by the half a body length or, in football terms, 15 points. THE GAME Gold Coast Suns v Melbourne at Marvel Stadium Sunday 1 August, 2021 at 12.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Gold Coast Suns 3 wins Melbourne 11 wins At Marvel Stadium - Gold Coast Suns 0 wins Melbourne 0 wins Past five matches - Gold Coast Suns 0 wins Melbourne 5 wins The Coaches - Dew 0 wins Goodwin 4 wins MEDIA TV - live and on demand on Kayo and live on Foxtel. Check your local guides. Radio - check your local guides. THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 12.8.80 defeated Gold Coast Suns 9.9.63 at Giants Stadium, Round 6, 2020 The Demons struggled to shake off a dogged Suns outfit inspired by the debut game of Izak Rankine who stole the show with three goals. Max Gawn was steady in the ruck and Christian Petracca was a major influence in the middle, aided by some strong work from Jack Viney. THE TEAMS GOLD COAST SUNS B: W. Powell 27 S. Collins 25 S. Lemmens 23 HB: J. Farrar 50 C. Burgess 29 C. Ballard 10 C: J. Lukosius 13 T. Miller 11 J. Sharp 37 HF: J. Corbett 19 J. Jeffrey 40 A. Sexton 6 F: D. MacPherson 44 B. King 34 B. Ainsworth 9 Foll: Z. Smith 32 N. Anderson 15 D. Swallow 24 I/C: J. Bowes 3 B. Fiorini 8 S. Flanders 26 M. Rowell 18 Sub: W. Brodie 7 Emerg: R. Atkins 2 A. Davies 30 C. Graham 46 IN: J. Farrar J. Jeffrey D. MacPherson Z. Smith OUT: R. Atkins (omitted) C. Graham (omitted) O. Markov (hamstring) I. Rankine (omitted) MELBOURNE B: T. Rivers 24 S. May 1 H. Petty 35 HB: J. Hunt 29 J. Lever 8 C. Salem 3 C: A. Brayshaw 10 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF: C. Spargo 9 T. McDonald 25 J. Viney 7 F: A. Neal-Bullen 30 B. Brown 50 B. Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 C. Oliver 13 J. Harmes 4 I/C: J. Bowey 17 L. Jackson 6 K. Pickett 36 T. Sparrow 32 Sub: J. Jordon 23 Emerg: M. Hibberd 14 J. Melksham 18 S. Weideman 26 IN: J. Bowey OUT: M. Hibberd (omitted) Injury List: Round 20 Bailey Laurie (shoulder) — Test Mitch Brown (heel) — 1 to 2 Weeks Marty Hore (knee) — 5 to 6 Weeks Aaron Nietschke (knee) — Season Adam Tomlinson (knee) — Season

It’s been a while since we played the Suns. An extra week might not make any difference then. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE FB Jay Lockhart Steven May Oscar McDonald HB Christian Salem Jake Lever Michael Hibberd C Ed Langdon Clayton Oliver Aaron vandenBerg HF Mitch Hannan Sam Weideman Angus Brayshaw FF Jake Melksham Tom McDonald Harley Bennell FOL Max Gawn Christian Petracca Jack Viney I/C Bayley Fritsch James Harmes Neville Jetta Kysaiah Pickett EMG Luke Jackson Nathan Jones Joel Smith Adam Tomlinson IN Harley Bennell Neville Jetta Oscar McDonald Sam Weideman OUT Jayden Hunt (omitted) Trent Rivers (omitted) Joel Smith (omitted) Adam Tomlinson (omitted) GOLD COAST SUNS FB Connor Budarick Sam Collins Jack Lukosius HB Pearce Hanley Charlie Ballard Jarrod Harbrow C Lachie Weller Hugh Greenwood Brandon Ellis HF Noah Anderson Sam Day Alex Sexton FF Izak Rankine Ben King Ben Ainsworth FOL Jarrod Witts David Swallow Touk Miller I/C Jack Bowes Brayden Fiorini Nick Holman Darcy MacPherson EMG Wil Powell Jeremy Sharp Zac Smith Peter Wright IN Brayden Fiorini Izak Rankine OUT Wil Powell (omitted) Matt Rowell (injured) NEW Izak Rankine

This was my first game for points involving the Demons in more than a year and a half and the long march to Carrara turned out to be worthwhile. The game was won in a single withering quarter that was dominated by Melbourne on the back of an outstanding display from Karen Paxman. The four-time All Australian picked up 13 touches for the stanza to set up a five goal to nothing second term after a lacklustre start in which the cleaner, sharper Gold Coast notched up the first two goals of the game in quick time. The goals came when the Demons steadied to square the game before a goal on the siren had the Suns back on top. Melbourne’s strong midfield and its marking prowess with Paxman (who finished with 25 touches) and Lily Mithen controlling the middle and Kate Hore and Tegan Cunningham converting led them to a 22-point half time lead in the warm humid conditions. Lauren Pearce had a tough task in the ruck and while beaten in the hit outs she made up for it with her work around the ground. Tyla Hanks continues to improve and will be a leading light in the team as the season goes on. Debutant Eliza McNamara, drafted from the Dragons at #15 in last year’s draft was the most impressive of the newcomers. While not in the play all that much, veteran Daisy Pearce hovered around the ground directing proceedings with her experience. Krstel Petrevski was dangerous around the big sticks and was well rewarded with her two goals. The Demons’ half time score of 7.1 was outstanding for a team not noted for accuracy in front of goal. At the time, they were on course for a club record but both teams tired and the final quarter yielded no goals for either. The final score was still the club’s fourth highest in its history and the win was its first against Gold Coast because it was the first time they’ve met. The Suns’ cause was destroyed by their inexperience and lack of discipline - they gave away three 50 metre penalties and a couple more goals through unnecessary frees. Their best player was ex-Demon Sarah Perkins, who the club was unable to retain after last season - a pity because her strength up forward was an asset for her team. We’ll take the win especially in the circumstances of a same day fly-in/fly-out. There’s a lot do as the season unfolds but it was good to come home with the four points, especially in front of 1,902 fans of who, I think I was one of the two Melbourne fans, such were the sounds of silence when the Demons scored their goals. MELBOURNE 2.0 7.1 9.1 9.2 (56) GOLD COAST 3.1 3.3 5.4 5.5 (35) GOALS Melbourne: Cunningham 2, Hore 2, Petrevski 2, Zanker, Mithen, Heath Gold Coast: Perkins 2, Stanton, Kaslar, Perry BEST Melbourne: Paxman, Mithen, McNamara, L.Pearce, Cunningham, Hanks Gold Coast: Stanton, Perkins, Keaney, Ahrens, Drennan INJURIES Melbourne: Nil Gold Coast: Bradfield (knee) REPORTS: Nil ATTENDANCE: 1902 at Metricon Stadium

If you go out into the heat without protection, it doesn’t take long to get sunburnt. For the Gold Coast Suns with a whole raft of players missing for one reason or another, it took not more than 15 minutes exposure to Melbourne’s sunshine for the Demons to absolutely and completely burn them! By quarter time, with the margin already 51 points, Melbourne had set another record for season 2018 with the highest first quarter score of any side. It was also the MFC’s 4th highest first quarter ever! It was not that long ago when Demon fans were crossing off long established undesirable records from past years. Now their team is setting new more positive records. The unfortunate thing for the fans was that by the 15 minute mark, with the game result already a foregone conclusion, it was only a matter of by “how much” which sort of took away the crowd noise and excitement, because what they were witnessing was an unadulterated demolition of an opponent. At the end, the margin was 96 points, with Bayley Fritsch having the opportunity to put the result over the 100 point mark after the siren, but the kick went astray. It was not unlike a lot of the shots at goal during the match in the swirling windy conditions. Even the ever reliable Tom McDonald failed to score a major for the match - he managed only three behinds from set shots. In the middle, Max Gawn notched up another 30 hit outs to Jarrod WItts’ 40 but Max provided much more than just the touches as he had 8 contested possessions 2 clearances and 5 inside 50’s. Also the coach gave him long periods on the bench, no doubt to conserve him for the coming weeks. While the big man may not have been as dominant as previous weeks, the now usual pair of Brayshaw and Oliver didn’t let up as they burnt the Suns mids seriously. Oliver 31 touches, 14 contested and 2 goals. Brayshaw 27, 11 and 1 goal. This week they had the “old stager” Nathan Jones returning to some of his best with 24, 10 and 2 goals as well. This from playing mainly off the wing, as Goodwin continues to develop the younger brigade in the middle. James Harmes now has made himself a permanent starter at the bounce to take care of opposition players and he produced a performance close to the others with 25, 10 and 3 goals. The backs had little to do in all honesty as the ball simply didn’t get down the Suns way all that much. Their situation wasn’t helped when Two Metre Peter went down in the opening minutes, which left no tall targets for them and Frost and Oscar had a field day picking off their attacks. Unfortunately, Bernie Vince, in his 100th game for the club was well below standard, and appears to be relying on his wiles to keep in the contest. It failed too often as he played off his man and gave them too much space. The older legs can’t make up the difference any more, and with Melksham and Hibberd to return in coming weeks, he may be the one to make way, even though Joel Smith’s broken collarbone looks to have finished his season. Normally the third quarter is owned by Melbourne, but today it managed a paltry 2 goals 6 while the Suns scored 1.2. For a team so in control of the game, it wasn’t at the standard that finals football demands. The Demons simply cannot give others the opportunity to get back in the game, although that wasn’t a realistic scenario for the Suns. We have seen it happen in past weeks and is why we all suffer from the stress of being Demon fans. The reality is that we still have a number of NQR players who struggle under pressure or consistently turn the ball over without pressure. This will kill the team in finals, but we don’t have anyone else putting their hand up at Casey. Despite a 91 point victory yesterday, the 2 best players were Casey listed, so there remain few options for us in the weeks ahead. Finally the last quarter saw a return to something better as the Demons piled on another five goals to improve their percentage even further, and put themselves in the best possible situation with the remaining three games against teams who are also challenging for finals spots. With Tommy failing to register a major, it was up to Jesse Hogan to get himself back in the Coleman race with four goals. He is still looking sore and struggles to run at times, but on the day had plenty of helpers around him. Now to Sydney next week. This becomes the make or break game for the side. Win this and we see September action, lose it and the task is much, much harder. The Swans are very beatable as evidenced by a seriously understrength Collingwood nearly beating them with a first gamer forced to play on Franklin at times. Without Buddy’s output, the Swans would now be out of the eight and probably staying there. Can we turn on the afterburners again next week, and burn off Sydney as well? Once again it is all in our hands … Melbourne 9.3.57 14.6.90 16.12.108 21.17.143 Gold Coast Suns 1.0.6 4.2.26 5.4.34 7.5.47 Goals Melbourne Hogan 4 Harmes 3 Garlett Jones Neal-Bullen Oliver Petracca Spargo 2 Brayshaw Salem Gold Coast Suns Sexton 5 Holman, Rischitelli Best Melbourne Oliver Brayshaw Hogan Salem Garlett Harmes Gold Coast Suns Sexton Bowes Harbrow Weller Fiorini Injuries Melbourne J Smith (broken collarbone) Gold Coast Suns Wright (knee) Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Umpires Foot, Schmitt, Hay Official crowd 23,072 at the MCG

ON THE ROAD AGAIN ... AGAIN by The Oracle Melbourne fans living in Brisbane and environs have been treated well in the first half of the 2018 season with the AFL draw throwing up two games there in the space about six weeks. However, if Saturday’s fixture against the Gold Coast Suns is anything like the Round 2 matchup with the Brisbane Lions then it might be a good time for these supporters to visit their heart specialists and take snap courses in anger management. Back in April, the Demons squandered away a seven goal lead in the heat and humidity of the Gabba in the space of little more than half an hour and almost lost the unloseable, turning us ashen-faced, then angry at such a weak effort. The conversation about Melbourne was trained on its inconsistency of performance and it’s taken a good few games and some fundamental changes to the team’s personnel, tactics and strategies to start earning back the trust supporters had during the pre season period. The club is also relishing being away from its heartland at the MCG and, after two winning games at its former nemesis Etihad Stadium, its on the road again in the balmy warmth of South East Queensland where fine weather is predicted for Saturday evening. This will be quite a contrast to Melbourne where heavy rain and strong winds are expected. The Demons are also expecting the return from injury of their co-captain in Jack Viney and possibly also in-form midfielder Christian Salem, an eventuality that will even further strengthen an on ball division that leads the competition in getting the ball out of contested stoppages. With its defence starting to gel together well and the height and gut running endurance of its key talls, Melbourne goes into the game against the globetrotting Suns as firm favourite to win. The usual caveat applies about not taking a young opponent lightly - Gold Coast has taken a few scalps in its travels around the country and gave the Bulldogs a hard time at Mars Stadium in the wilds of central Victoria only last week, even without both of its co-captains. However, the absence of leaders points to a major problem for the Suns. At one stage in the final quarter last week, the Bulldogs led the inside-50 count 14-0 for the term in a closely fought game. Against a Melbourne team which has led this count in most of its games this year and is starting to capitalise on that advantage by greater efficiency and is straightening up its forward game, this could be fatal. THE GAME Gold Coast Suns v Melbourne at The Gabba Saturday 12 May, 2018 at 4.35pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Gold Coast Suns 3 wins Melbourne 7 wins At The Gabba - Gold Coast Suns 0 wins Melbourne 1 win Past five matches - Gold Coast Suns 1 wins Melbourne 4 wins The Coaches - Dew 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 - Live at 4.30pm RADIO - Triple M ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 18.14.132 defeated Gold Coast Suns 13.9.87 at TIO Treager Park Round 10, 2017 After trailing by four goals at half time, Melbourne took control with a dominant second half to win by 35 points - its first ever victory in Alice Springs. Jeff Garlett with five goals was the Demons’ best. THE TEAMS GOLD COAST SUNS B: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Steven May HB: Aaron Hall, Jack Leslie, Callum Ah Chee ? Jack Bowes, Jarryd Lyons, Lachie Weller HF: Nick Holman, Brayden Crossley, Charlie Ballard F: Jack Martin, Sam Day, Aaron Young Foll: Jarrod Witts, Touk Miller, David Swallow I/C: Ben Ainsworth, Michael Rischitelli, Brad Scheer, Alex Sexton Emg: Will Brodie, Jacob Heron, Connor Nutting, Max Spencer In: Aaron Hall, Jack Leslie, Steven May Out: Jesse Joyce (injured), Matt Rosa (injured) Max Spencer (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Angus Brayshaw, Jake Lever, Bernie Vince ? Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones, Christian Salem HF: James Harmes, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham F: Sam Weideman, Tom McDonald, Christian Petracca Foll: Max Gawn, Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver I/C: Charlie Spargo, Mitch Hannan, Alex Neal-Bullen, Bayley Fritsch Emg: Jayden Hunt, Jeff Garlett, Tim Smith, Josh Wagner In: Christian Salem Out: Jayden Hunt (omitted) RETURN TO THE GABBA These two clubs return to the Gabba where they played against each other in the Suns' inaugural season and the Demons, under the late Dean Bailey, crushed a team comprised mainly of young light bodied footballing aspirants who over time, failed to achieve any great heights. It would be fair to say that after nearly a decade, the Suns still stand for very little and coach Stuart Dew, who tasted premiership success with both Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, faces a long uphill battle with his charges. In the interim, Melbourne languished through a difficult and trying period and is only now returning to a respectable place in the competition. Its quest for respectability and success was hampered early on with some up and down form and two weeks of percentage-deflating thumpings at home on the MCG. The Demons have responded with two wins against more lowly sides in Essendon and St Kilda at Etihad Stadium and now, the two sides return to the Gabba where they both emerged victorious against Brisbane earlier in the season. Melbourne fans won't forget their team's heart thumping second half decline when half an hour of mediocrity caused them to almost concede a seven goal lead while Gold Coast supporters know their team was lucky to survive a late Brisbane comeback when the last kick of the game from a first year player decided its fate. Given that the Suns have been forced into a globe-trotting life this season, their performances under a new coach have been fairly impressive and they won't be a pushover. Stephen May returns to the side but they will sorely miss Tom Lynch and Pearce Hanley. And while the Suns are missing their brilliant key forward, it is no coincidence that the Demons' improvement has come with the return of Tom McDonald who, like Jesse Hogan, has a big engine for a tall forward and can run all over the ground causing havoc to opponents. I expect this pair together with the rucking power of Max Gawn, now capably assisted by Sam Weideman to give their team the edge. This will not be the slaughter of their one and only previous meeting at this ground but I'm tipping Melbourne to win handsomely by around six goals.

Melbourne fans living in Brisbane and environs have been treated well in the first half of the 2018 season with the AFL draw throwing up two games there in the space about six weeks. However, if Saturday’s fixture against the Gold Coast Suns is anything like the Round 2 matchup with the Brisbane Lions then it might be a good time for these supporters to visit their heart specialists and take snap courses in anger management. Back in April, the Demons squandered away a seven goal lead in the heat and humidity of the Gabba in the space of little more than half an hour and almost lost the unloseable, turning us ashen-faced, then angry at such a weak effort. The conversation about Melbourne was trained on its inconsistency of performance and it’s taken a good few games and some fundamental changes to the team’s personnel, tactics and strategies to start earning back the trust supporters had during the pre season period. The club is also relishing being away from its heartland at the MCG and, after two winning games at its former nemesis Etihad Stadium, its on the road again in the balmy warmth of South East Queensland where fine weather is predicted for Saturday evening. This will be quite a contrast to Melbourne where heavy rain and strong winds are expected. The Demons are also expecting the return from injury of their co-captain in Jack Viney and possibly also in-form midfielder Christian Salem, an eventuality that will even further strengthen an on ball division that leads the competition in getting the ball out of contested stoppages. With its defence starting to gel together well and the height and gut running endurance of its key talls, Melbourne goes into the game against the globetrotting Suns as firm favourite to win. The usual caveat applies about not taking a young opponent lightly - Gold Coast has taken a few scalps in its travels around the country and gave the Bulldogs a hard time at Mars Stadium in the wilds of central Victoria only last week, even without both of its co-captains. However, the absence of leaders points to a major problem for the Suns. At one stage in the final quarter last week, the Bulldogs led the inside-50 count 14-0 for the term in a closely fought game. Against a Melbourne team which has led this count in most of its games this year and is starting to capitalise on that advantage by greater efficiency and is straightening up its forward game, this could be fatal. THE GAME Gold Coast Suns v Melbourne at The Gabba Saturday 12 May, 2018 at 4.35pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Gold Coast Suns 3 wins Melbourne 7 wins At The Gabba - Gold Coast Suns 0 wins Melbourne 1 win Past five matches - Gold Coast Suns 1 wins Melbourne 4 wins The Coaches - Dew 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3 - Live at 4.30pm RADIO - Triple M ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 18.14.132 defeated Gold Coast Suns 13.9.87 at TIO Treager Park Round 10, 2017 After trailing by four goals at half time, Melbourne took control with a dominant second half to win by 35 points - its first ever victory in Alice Springs. Jeff Garlett with five goals was the Demons’ best. THE TEAMS GOLD COAST SUNS B: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Steven May HB: Aaron Hall, Jack Leslie, Callum Ah Chee ? Jack Bowes, Jarryd Lyons, Lachie Weller HF: Nick Holman, Brayden Crossley, Charlie Ballard F: Jack Martin, Sam Day, Aaron Young Foll: Jarrod Witts, Touk Miller, David Swallow I/C: Ben Ainsworth, Michael Rischitelli, Brad Scheer, Alex Sexton Emg: Will Brodie, Jacob Heron, Connor Nutting, Max Spencer In: Aaron Hall, Jack Leslie, Steven May Out: Jesse Joyce (injured), Matt Rosa (injured) Max Spencer (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Angus Brayshaw, Jake Lever, Bernie Vince ? Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones, Christian Salem HF: James Harmes, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham F: Sam Weideman, Tom McDonald, Christian Petracca Foll: Max Gawn, Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver I/C: Charlie Spargo, Mitch Hannan, Alex Neal-Bullen, Bayley Fritsch Emg: Jayden Hunt, Jeff Garlett, Tim Smith, Josh Wagner In: Christian Salem Out: Jayden Hunt (omitted) RETURN TO THE GABBA These two clubs return to the Gabba where they played against each other in the Suns' inaugural season and the Demons, under the late Dean Bailey, crushed a team comprised mainly of young light bodied footballing aspirants who over time, failed to achieve any great heights. It would be fair to say that after nearly a decade, the Suns still stand for very little and coach Stuart Dew, who tasted premiership success with both Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, faces a long uphill battle with his charges. In the interim, Melbourne languished through a difficult and trying period and is only now returning to a respectable place in the competition. Its quest for respectability and success was hampered early on with some up and down form and two weeks of percentage-deflating thumpings at home on the MCG. The Demons have responded with two wins against more lowly sides in Essendon and St Kilda at Etihad Stadium and now, the two sides return to the Gabba where they both emerged victorious against Brisbane earlier in the season. Melbourne fans won't forget their team's heart thumping second half decline when half an hour of mediocrity caused them to almost concede a seven goal lead while Gold Coast supporters know their team was lucky to survive a late Brisbane comeback when the last kick of the game from a first year player decided its fate. Given that the Suns have been forced into a globe-trotting life this season, their performances under a new coach have been fairly impressive and they won't be a pushover. Stephen May returns to the side but they will sorely miss Tom Lynch and Pearce Hanley. And while the Suns are missing their brilliant key forward, it is no coincidence that the Demons' improvement has come with the return of Tom McDonald who, like Jesse Hogan, has a big engine for a tall forward and can run all over the ground causing havoc to opponents. I expect this pair together with the rucking power of Max Gawn, now capably assisted by Sam Weideman to give their team the edge. This will not be the slaughter of their one and only previous meeting at this ground but I'm tipping Melbourne to win handsomely by around six goals.

It was a slow start in the country’s red centre but the team worked itself out in the finish... THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Sam Frost, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis ? Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver, Bernie Vince HF: Jeff Garlett, Cameron Pedersen, James Harmes F: Tomas Bugg, Christian Petracca, Mitch Hannan FOLL: Tom McDonald, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C: Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen, Josh Wagner, Jack Watts EMG: Dean Kent, Christian Salem, Sam Weideman IN: James Harmes, Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen OUT: Dean Kent (omitted), Christian Salem (suspended), Sam Weideman (omitted) GOLD COAST B: Jesse Joyce, Jack Leslie, Jarrod Harbrow HB: Sean Lemmens, Steven May, Adam Saad ? Alex Sexton, Will Brodie, David Swallow HF: Jarryd Lyons, Tom J. Lynch, Touk Miller F: Brandon Matera, Peter Wright, Jack Martin FOLL: Jarrod Witts, Aaron Hall, Michael Barlow I/C: Brayden Fiorini, Pearce Hanley, Kade Kolodjashnij, Brad Scheer EMG: Keegan Brooksby, Matt Shaw, Mackenzie Willis IN: Will Brodie, Pearce Hanley, David Swallow, OUT: Gary Ablett (shoulder), Jack Bowes (illness), Keegan Brooksby (omitted)

COULD HAVE, SHOULD HAVE ... DIDN'T WIN by George on the Outer 10 Goals 17 behinds with set shots sprayed at either side of the big sticks doesnt create the possibility of winning. And so it was for the Melbourne side against the Gold Coast Suns. The result was far better than the 10 goal thrashing we had to endure at our home ground earlier in the season, but losses are losses. We simply should have won this match, and to sit and watch Shannon Byrnes kill any hope with his errant kicking; to watch Dan Nicolson kick his 14th behind for the season running into an open goal is not the formula for success. At least Jack Fitzpatrick's howler in front of goals was reversed 30 seconds later after Jordie McKenzie crumbed the pack in the forward line. And what a delight it was to see Jordie in action again. While his kicking still leaves a lot to be desired, his relentless tagging of potentially this year's Brownlow Medallist and holding him to a mere 19 possessions was a first class effort. More importantly, he is someone who helps fills the hole in the middle that we all know we have. But a bigger hole filler is Jack Viney. The kid, and that is all he is today, is just as good as his old man, with his tenacious attack on ball and man. It has been a long first season for him but he is still in there at the end. With another season under his belt, we will start to see his true capabilities. If there was ever evidence that Neil Craig is a superior coach to Mark Neeld it is in the performance of Jake Spencer. Prior to the change, Spencer would not keep his eyes on the ball, constantly looking at the opposition ruckman and trying to second guess. Now he just goes for it. And when you are that big, you usually do! Why has it taken so long? The bonus is that the mids are finally given a chance, where they were only getting scraps before. May we see more of it ... However, Craigs positioning of players is still questionable. Why Troy Davis was in the forward line all night, having played all of his career in defense is incomprehensible. Ill give him slack for the Watts back move, as Jack hates having an opponent. The move gives him the freedom to use his skills, but guess what Jack? This is AFL level football and there are plenty of coaches already aware of your weaknesses. You wont get this chance against the good sides. When we go into a game without Frawley and Dawes and then lose Pederson and Howe before the game starts, you know its going to be difficult. Why James Magner cant get a run over the others brought in, is confusing to say the least - especially after he was upgraded just this week. You might think it was because we need to see who is worth keeping, but winning a game with your best players playing in their best positions might be a good starting point! Jack Fitzpatrick has become another positive since Neeld left, and thank goodness for that. He at least competes and brings the ball to ground. Its almost a bonus when he scores goals, but he has the endurance and marking capabilities to be far more threatening when he has a couple of other big bodies around him, hopefully next year. Other positives at this late stage of the season are Mitch Clisby, Dean Kent, Matt Jones and Dean Terlich. Clisby is a natural footballer with the brain to do the job. He is smart and can execute quickly, which is what is needed at AFL level. He will finish up in the middle when his body fills out. Jones, Kent and Terlich are further plusses, and can be forgiven for their occasional lapses as they find their way in their first season. Pity is that these three first year players are light-years ahead of some of their more senior and more highly paid teammates. The real downer from this game is that Melbourne have forgotten how to win. The chance was there, and all that was needed was that little bit extra. Especially with Gold Coast having three injured on the bench in the last quarter. It wasnt provided by those experienced players who we brought in for exactly that. The lapses of runs of goals to Gold Coast only happened while Nathan Jones was off the ground (usually getting another repair job done to his nose), and showed his immense value and courage to the team. If he can do it, why not others? Melbourne 3.2.20 5.6.36 8.11.59 10.17.77 Gold Coast Suns 2.4.16 5.9.39 10.11.71 13.12.90 Goals Melbourne Kent Watts 2 Byrnes Davey Fitzpatrick McKenzie Sylvia Tapscott Gold Coast Suns Brown 3 Sumner 2 Ablett Bennell Day Dixon Hall Stanley Swallow Thompson Best Melbourne Viney Nathan Jones McKenzie Spencer Garland Watts Gold Coast Swallow Prestia, Brown O'Meara Thompson McBurney Injuries Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Bock (leg) Day (quad) May (hamstring) Sexton (dislocated shoulder) Changes Melbourne Jeremy Howe (calf) and Cam Pedersen (ill) replaced by Dan Nicholson and James Strauss Gold Coast Matt Shaw (virus) replaced by Thomas Murphy Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Umpires McBurney Fila Foot Official Attendance 13,840 at Metricon Stadium

Thought it was time to start one of these seeing that its just an hour away.