Search the Community

This game was played at Marvel Stadium after the Demons traveled to Queensland and back for a game that never was ~ in the end they thrashed the Suns and commenced a still unbeaten run of 8 games. 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)

ONE GAME AT A TIME by Whispering Jack The perceived wisdom for fans of our code of football is that when you approach the pointy end of the season, it's not proper to discuss anything other than your team’s next game. The unwritten rule is that you must take things one game at a time. I really would have liked to engage in speculation about what might happen beyond next Sunday and even dared to dream, as was suggested in a newspaper article earlier this week, of a rollicking finish to the season involving action deep into the month of September after a single important win that would engender the necessary self-belief into Melbourne’s team just as one such win did with Richmond last year. The possibilities of such thoughts and dreams are endless but it can’t be done – you must take things one game at a time. And rightly so when the Demons are part of the conversation. One of their more recent defeats came at the hands of St Kilda, a team with a disappointing record of 4½ wins and a percentage of 75.7 this season. But it was last year that they turned losing games when hot favourite to win into an art form, going down to the lowly Dockers, Hawks, Kangaroos (twice) and Collingwood at the death in the final round of 2017. All that in a season where they missed a finals berth by the narrowest margin in the history of the competition. And so ... despite the fact that highest and lowest-scoring sides are pitted against each other, one being sixth-placed and the other second from bottom of the ladder, it is with trepidation that I take on the task of previewing Sunday’s game at the MCG between Melbourne, fresh from a strong victory in Adelaide and the Gold Coast Suns who are coming off a shattering defeat at the hands of likely wooden spooners in Carlton. THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at The MCG Sunday 5 August, 2018 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Melbourne 8 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins At The MCG - Melbourne 4 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins Past five matches - Melbourne 5 wins Gold Coast Suns 0 wins The Coaches - Goodwin 1 win Dew 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 - Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M (Regional) 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 21.20.146 defeated Gold Coast Suns 11.11.77 at The Gabba Round 8, 2018 Melbourne started slowly but the foot went on the accelerator during the third term and finished up winning by 69 points, kicking 13 second-half goals to six. Tom McDonald booted five goals in his third game back after an injury lay-off. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Bernie Vince, Sam Frost, Neville Jetta HB: Christian Salem, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis ? Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver, James Harmes HF: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Bayley Fritsch F: Jeff Garlett, Tom McDonald, Jay Kennedy Harris Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Angus Brayshaw I/C: Alex Neal-Bullen, Christian Petracca, Charlie Spargo, Joel Smith Emg: Jayden Hunt, Dean Kent, Cameron Pedersen, Tim Smith In: Aaron vandenBerg Out: Jake Melksham (hamstring) GOLD COAST SUNS B: Callum Ah Chee, Max Spencer, Jarrod Harbrow HB: Pearce Hanley, Jack Leslie, Kade Kolodjashnij ? Lachie Weller, Jesse Lonergan, Jack Bowes HF: Nick Holman, Peter Wright, Alex Sexton F: Wil Powell, Aaron Young, Sean Lemmens Foll: Jarrod Witts, Will Brodie, Touk Miller I/C (from): Jacob Dawson, Brayden Fiorini, Jacob Heron, Michael Rischitelli Emg: Ben Ainsworth, Michael Barlow, Jesse Joyce, Jarryd Lyons In: Callum Ah Chee, Jacob Dawson, Pearce Hanley, Jack Leslie, Max Spencer Out: Jesse Joyce (omitted) Jarryd Lyons (omitted) Steven May (suspension), David Swallow (concussion) Rory Thompson (hamstring) After two weeks of high pressure games in hostile territory, the Demons return home and while, the Gold Coast Suns might not be considered capable of applying the sort of pressure experienced against opposition teams at GMHBA or at the Adelaide Oval, they can’t be taken lightly. The AFL is a competition that throws up at least one upset result in almost every round and the Demons can ill-afford another outcome such as the one they experienced early last month against the Saints. I also harboured some concerns that the Gold Coast Suns players might react aggressively to the revelations about Tom Lynch not being at the club next season and the decision to strip him of the captaincy but upon looking at their “outs” and their injury list, I wonder if any of those left in the team even know their deposed skipper at all. The Suns are one of the strongest tackling sides in the competition, a feature that came to the fore when they defeated the Swans recently on the SCG. That’s exactly why Melbourne should be going into the game with a mindset intent on winning first and then worrying about the opportunity for as percentage booster. The Demons have dominated Gold Coast in their last five outings at various venues around the country and their style of play should give them the edge again this week. They are the competition’s strongest side in midfield contests, in high scoring and going inside 50. They have experienced few problems getting the ball into scoring range but their efficiency near goal has left something to be desired. There have been a few occasions this year when they dominated the inside 50s and lost games. This is the area where they should be improving their game if they want to play finals. With the likes of Jesse Hogan and Tom McDonald and a bevy of small to medium players capable of scoring goals, they should be taking advantage of the midfield dominance of the competition’s leading tap ruckman and the young midfield led by Clarrie Oliver, Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw. Gold Coast is also struggling for leadership and without co-captains Tom Lynch and Steven May and their most talented player in Jack Martin who starred earlier in the season with four goals in a losing team, I can’t see them kicking anything near to a winning score. Melbourne by 50 points.

Cast those votes please 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

The perceived wisdom for fans of our code of football is that when you approach the pointy end of the season, it's not proper to discuss anything other than your team’s next game. The unwritten rule is that you must take things one game at a time. I really would have liked to engage in speculation about what might happen beyond next Sunday and even dared to dream, as was suggested in a newspaper article earlier this week, of a rollicking finish to the season involving action deep into the month of September after a single important win that would engender the necessary self-belief into Melbourne’s team just as one such win did with Richmond last year. The possibilities of such thoughts and dreams are endless but it can’t be done – you must take things one game at a time. And rightly so when the Demons are part of the conversation. One of their more recent defeats came at the hands of St Kilda, a team with a disappointing record of 4½ wins and a percentage of 75.7 this season. But it was last year that they turned losing games when hot favourite to win into an art form, going down to the lowly Dockers, Hawks, Kangaroos (twice) and Collingwood at the death in the final round of 2017. All that in a season where they missed a finals berth by the narrowest margin in the history of the competition. And so ... despite the fact that highest and lowest-scoring sides are pitted against each other, one being sixth-placed and the other second from bottom of the ladder, it is with trepidation that I take on the task of previewing Sunday’s game at the MCG between Melbourne, fresh from a strong victory in Adelaide and the Gold Coast Suns who are coming off a shattering defeat at the hands of likely wooden spooners in Carlton. THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at The MCG Sunday 5 August, 2018 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Melbourne 8 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins At The MCG - Melbourne 4 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins Past five matches - Melbourne 5 wins Gold Coast Suns 0 wins The Coaches - Goodwin 1 win Dew 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 - Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M (Regional) 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 21.20.146 defeated Gold Coast Suns 11.11.77 at The Gabba Round 8, 2018 Melbourne started slowly but the foot went on the accelerator during the third term and finished up winning by 69 points, kicking 13 second-half goals to six. Tom McDonald booted five goals in his third game back after an injury lay-off. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Bernie Vince, Sam Frost, Neville Jetta HB: Christian Salem, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis ? Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver, James Harmes HF: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Bayley Fritsch F: Jeff Garlett, Tom McDonald, Jay Kennedy Harris Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Angus Brayshaw I/C: Alex Neal-Bullen, Christian Petracca, Charlie Spargo, Joel Smith Emg: Jayden Hunt, Dean Kent, Cameron Pedersen, Tim Smith In: Aaron vandenBerg Out: Jake Melksham (hamstring) GOLD COAST SUNS B: Callum Ah Chee, Max Spencer, Jarrod Harbrow HB: Pearce Hanley, Jack Leslie, Kade Kolodjashnij ? Lachie Weller, Jesse Lonergan, Jack Bowes HF: Nick Holman, Peter Wright, Alex Sexton F: Wil Powell, Aaron Young, Sean Lemmens Foll: Jarrod Witts, Will Brodie, Touk Miller I/C (from): Jacob Dawson, Brayden Fiorini, Jacob Heron, Michael Rischitelli Emg: Ben Ainsworth, Michael Barlow, Jesse Joyce, Jarryd Lyons In: Callum Ah Chee, Jacob Dawson, Pearce Hanley, Jack Leslie, Max Spencer Out: Jesse Joyce (omitted) Jarryd Lyons (omitted) Steven May (suspension), David Swallow (concussion) Rory Thompson (hamstring) After two weeks of high pressure games in hostile territory, the Demons return home and while, the Gold Coast Suns might not be considered capable of applying the sort of pressure experienced against opposition teams at GMHBA or at the Adelaide Oval, they can’t be taken lightly. The AFL is a competition that throws up at least one upset result in almost every round and the Demons can ill-afford another outcome such as the one they experienced early last month against the Saints. I also harboured some concerns that the Gold Coast Suns players might react aggressively to the revelations about Tom Lynch not being at the club next season and the decision to strip him of the captaincy but upon looking at their “outs” and their injury list, I wonder if any of those left in the team even know their deposed skipper at all. The Suns are one of the strongest tackling sides in the competition, a feature that came to the fore when they defeated the Swans recently on the SCG. That’s exactly why Melbourne should be going into the game with a mindset intent on winning first and then worrying about the opportunity for as percentage booster. The Demons have dominated Gold Coast in their last five outings at various venues around the country and their style of play should give them the edge again this week. They are the competition’s strongest side in midfield contests, in high scoring and going inside 50. They have experienced few problems getting the ball into scoring range but their efficiency near goal has left something to be desired. There have been a few occasions this year when they dominated the inside 50s and lost games. This is the area where they should be improving their game if they want to play finals. With the likes of Jesse Hogan and Tom McDonald and a bevy of small to medium players capable of scoring goals, they should be taking advantage of the midfield dominance of the competition’s leading tap ruckman and the young midfield led by Clarrie Oliver, Christian Petracca and Angus Brayshaw. Gold Coast is also struggling for leadership and without co-captains Tom Lynch and Steven May and their most talented player in Jack Martin who starred earlier in the season with four goals in a losing team, I can’t see them kicking anything near to a winning score. Melbourne by 50 points.

The Demons were traveling along nicely when they played the Gold Coast Suns earlier this season. With so much at stake this time, they cannot afford to take the Suns lightly. These were the selected teams from Round 8 when Melbourne drew away in the last half to win by 69 points. 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)

Somewhere out in the red heart of the country there a 22 men searching for the meaning of the term "season defining". I wish them well.

Never in doubt.

WATTS PAYS HIS WAY by George on the Outer It was only 10 days ago that Jack Watts signed on with the Demons for another 3 years. They say that for many players a contract extension almost always ensures a subsequent drop off in form but not for our Jack. Against the Gold Coast Suns, he single-handedly won a game that was all but lost in the dying two minutes when he calmly slotted through a shot from a difficult angle to put the Demons in front and that was despite him being absolutely exhausted to get to the space and take the mark. Then a minute later, to take a match saving mark down the other end right in front of the opposition goal, meant that he has already paid Melbourne back for his contract extension. Those efforts from Watts gave the Demons the match, the four points and produced the best season performance for the club since 2006 although it was all nearly thrown away by Bernie Vince, who kicked a shocker to Tom Lynch with just seconds to go. The subsequent kick after the siren fortunately missed but for Bernie, that was the culmination of a simply forgettable game; his inability to provide any game influence over this and the preceding weeks is now becoming problematic. In the middle, the Suns were missing their six best in Ablett, Prestia, Rischetelli, Hall, Saad, McKenzie and Currie all missing, plus O’Meara and Swallow unable to play all season. With Max Gawn absolutely dominating hitouts (60!), both in the middle and around the ground, it should have been a one-way procession for the Demons all game. But it was not to be, and despite the fact that Dom Tyson had 31 disposals, not sufficient of them were effective. It is worthwhile comparing the handball to kick ratio for Melbourne with that of Hawthorn this week, who are the benchmark in just about everything. Tyson 12 Kicks 19 Handballs. Shaun Burgoyne 16 kicks 9 handballs. Nathan Jones 9 kicks 14 handballs. Jordan Lewis 12 kicks 15 handballs. Jack Viney 7 kicks 10 handballs. Sam Mitchell 10 kicks 12 handballs. The ratio should be about 1 to 1 for the mids, but Melbourne's are simply overusing the ball with silly handballs that cause turnovers and delays. In this match, they did exactly the same as the previous week against West Coast. Melbourne absolutely dominated nearly every statistic and at one stage had 50% more possessions than Gold Coast but again there was no equivalent domination on the scoreboard. We have fallen for the trap of trying to retain possession at the cost of attack. Only Jayden Hunt and Christian Petracca seem capable of “taking the game on”. There has become an unwillingness in recent weeks to take the risk, and reap the rewards. Without the skill levels of Hawthorn overuse of the ball will result in turnovers. Today five goals seven behinds of the Suns' score (more than 50%) came from Demon errors. Against Hawthorn next week, we will see what the benchmark is like in reality. Performances like those of the last few matches will result in a rout. And we are facing the reality of many players putting in performances which are simply sub-standard. Jesse Hogan is surely injured and could barely raise a trot today after twisting and ankle early, and then crashing a goal post later. Vince is running up and down on the one spot for most of the game. Chris Dawes had eight touches for the whole game: Jeff Garlett - 6! The mantra coming from the coaches is that we only have a young side … which is true, but it is not the younger players who are letting the side down at the moment. Tom McDonald notched up his 100th game, and it is important to remember how young he is as well. Brother Oscar and Josh Wagner are obviously being groomed for next year, but there is a lot of grooming needed, particularly for Oscar, who simply loses his man too often. Melbourne is better performed than last year and has uncovered some seriously good talent for the future but next week will show us exactly how far we have to go. Would it be a little bit too much to expect Jack Watts to pull another rabbit out of his hat? Melbourne 1.3.9 6.6.42 7.10.52 9.12.66 Gold Coast Suns 3.3.21 4.6.30 6.8.44 9.10.64 Goals Melbourne vandenBerg Watts 3 Dawes Kent Petracca Gold Coast Suns Garlett Lynch Matera 2 Grant Malceski Shaw Best Melbourne Tyson Watts Harmes vandenBerg O McDonald, Gawn Gold Coast Suns Miller Rosa Lynch Harbrow Shaw Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Injuries Melbourne Hogan (left knee) Gold Coast Suns Shaw (left ankle) Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Umpires Fisher, Margetts, Foote Official crowd 20,627 at MCG

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

COLD, COLD, COLD by The Oracle I expect this week's game against the Gold Coast Suns to deliver final proof on the theory that the young Melbourne team is tiring badly as the season wears on. Earlier in the year, the Demons completely emasculated the Suns in the last half of their game at Metricon Stadium booting nine goals in the third term and seven in the last amassing a total of over 100 points in an outstanding performance albeit against an undermanned opponent. Melbourne's recent final quarter performances have been in stark contrast to that balmy evening on the Gold Coast when the Dees were hot, hot, hot. Since beating Collingwood in the Queens Birthday match things have cooled down considerably and those last quarter goals have dried up for the Demons. This is this sequence of goal tallies over the last five games:- ... 1,1,1,2,0 And this sorry state of affairs can't be put down simply to lack of opportunity because, as the inside 50 statistics showed last week, the team had plenty of opportunities - they simply could not finish off the good work of Max Gawn, Nathan Jones and Jack Viney. The fact that Jesse Hogan and Jack Watts were both kept goalless in a game for the first time this year scoring a mere four points between them was telling. The result would have been different had they each been able to parlay one point into a goal but then if your grandmother had ... This week's opponent is hobbled with a star studded list of midfield outs including Ablett, Hall, Prestia, Rischitelli, Swallow and most likely O'Meara who hasn't played since 2014. No matter how young and inexperienced the Demons might be or how tired those players are as we enter the twilight of the season for teams out of the running for finals berths, defeat at home on the MCG is simply unacceptable. Melbourne has proven itself incapable of winning those "must win" games but it really must not lose this one. THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at the MCG Sunday 31 July, 2016 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Melbourne 5 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins At MCG - Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins Past five matches - Melbourne 2 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins The Coaches - Roos 2 wins Eade 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Live at 1.00pm RADIO - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.19 Gold Coast Suns to win - $4.75 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 24.16.160 defeated Gold Coast Suns 14.3.87 at Metricon Stadium Round 7, 2016 The first half was close but after that the Demons demolished the hapless Suns scoring 16.9 to 6.1 in the second half. Max Gawn led the charge with 46 hit outs. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Josh Wagner, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Matt Jones C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, Sam Frost F: Chris Dawes, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, James Harmes, Billy Stretch, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Tomas Bugg, Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen IN: Tomas Bugg, Colin Garland, Aaron vandenBerg OUT: Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted) GOLD COAST B: Nick Malceski, Steven May, Kade Kolodjashnij HB: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Alex Sexton C: Joshua Schoenfeld, Jesse Lonergan, Matt Shaw HF: Brandon Matera, Tom Lynch, Jarrad Grant F: Sam Day, Peter Wright, Ryan Davis FOLL: Tom Nicholls, Jack Martin, Touk Miller I/C (from) Callum Ah Chee, Jarrod Garlett, Jesse Joyce, Matt Rosa EMG: Sean Lemmens, Trent McKenzie, Seb Tape IN: Matt Rosa OUT: Seb Tape (omitted)

It was only 10 days ago that Jack Watts signed on with the Demons for another 3 years. They say that for many players a contract extension almost always ensures a subsequent drop off in form but not for our Jack. Against the Gold Coast Suns, he single-handedly won a game that was all but lost in the dying two minutes when he calmly slotted through a shot from a difficult angle to put the Demons in front and that was despite him being absolutely exhausted to get to the space and take the mark. Then a minute later, to take a match saving mark down the other end right in front of the opposition goal, meant that he has already paid Melbourne back for his contract extension. Those efforts from Watts gave the Demons the match, the four points and produced the best season performance for the club since 2006 although it was all nearly thrown away by Bernie Vince, who kicked a shocker to Tom Lynch with just seconds to go. The subsequent kick after the siren fortunately missed but for Bernie, that was the culmination of a simply forgettable game; his inability to provide any game influence over this and the preceding weeks is now becoming problematic. In the middle, the Suns were missing their six best in Ablett, Prestia, Rischetelli, Hall, Saad, McKenzie and Currie all missing, plus O’Meara and Swallow unable to play all season. With Max Gawn absolutely dominating hitouts (60!), both in the middle and around the ground, it should have been a one-way procession for the Demons all game. But it was not to be, and despite the fact that Dom Tyson had 31 disposals, not sufficient of them were effective. It is worthwhile comparing the handball to kick ratio for Melbourne with that of Hawthorn this week, who are the benchmark in just about everything. Tyson 12 Kicks 19 Handballs. Shaun Burgoyne 16 kicks 9 handballs. Nathan Jones 9 kicks 14 handballs. Jordan Lewis 12 kicks 15 handballs. Jack Viney 7 kicks 10 handballs. Sam Mitchell 10 kicks 12 handballs. The ratio should be about 1 to 1 for the mids, but Melbourne's are simply overusing the ball with silly handballs that cause turnovers and delays. In this match, they did exactly the same as the previous week against West Coast. Melbourne absolutely dominated nearly every statistic and at one stage had 50% more possessions than Gold Coast but again there was no equivalent domination on the scoreboard. We have fallen for the trap of trying to retain possession at the cost of attack. Only Jayden Hunt and Christian Petracca seem capable of “taking the game on”. There has become an unwillingness in recent weeks to take the risk, and reap the rewards. Without the skill levels of Hawthorn overuse of the ball will result in turnovers. Today five goals seven behinds of the Suns' score (more than 50%) came from Demon errors. Against Hawthorn next week, we will see what the benchmark is like in reality. Performances like those of the last few matches will result in a rout. And we are facing the reality of many players putting in performances which are simply sub-standard. Jesse Hogan is surely injured and could barely raise a trot today after twisting and ankle early, and then crashing a goal post later. Vince is running up and down on the one spot for most of the game. Chris Dawes had eight touches for the whole game: Jeff Garlett - 6! The mantra coming from the coaches is that we only have a young side … which is true, but it is not the younger players who are letting the side down at the moment. Tom McDonald notched up his 100th game, and it is important to remember how young he is as well. Brother Oscar and Josh Wagner are obviously being groomed for next year, but there is a lot of grooming needed, particularly for Oscar, who simply loses his man too often. Melbourne is better performed than last year and has uncovered some seriously good talent for the future but next week will show us exactly how far we have to go. Would it be a little bit too much to expect Jack Watts to pull another rabbit out of his hat? Melbourne 1.3.9 6.6.42 7.10.52 9.12.66 Gold Coast Suns 3.3.21 4.6.30 6.8.44 9.10.64 Goals Melbourne vandenBerg Watts 3 Dawes Kent Petracca Gold Coast Suns Garlett Lynch Matera 2 Grant Malceski Shaw Best Melbourne Tyson Watts Harmes vandenBerg O McDonald, Gawn Gold Coast Suns Miller Rosa Lynch Harbrow Shaw Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Injuries Melbourne Hogan (left knee) Gold Coast Suns Shaw (left ankle) Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Umpires Fisher, Margetts, Foote Official crowd 20,627 at MCG

On current form, this could well be our last chance for a win this season so here's hoping that we make the most of it.

I expect this week's game against the Gold Coast Suns to deliver final proof on the theory that the young Melbourne team is tiring badly as the season wears on. Earlier in the year, the Demons completely emasculated the Suns in the last half of their game at Metricon Stadium booting nine goals in the third term and seven in the last amassing a total of over 100 points in an outstanding performance albeit against an undermanned opponent. Melbourne's recent final quarter performances have been in stark contrast to that balmy evening on the Gold Coast when the Dees were hot, hot, hot. Since beating Collingwood in the Queens Birthday match things have cooled down considerably and those last quarter goals have dried up for the Demons. This is this sequence of goal tallies over the last five games:- ... 1,1,1,2,0 And this sorry state of affairs can't be put down simply to lack of opportunity because, as the inside 50 statistics showed last week, the team had plenty of opportunities - they simply could not finish off the good work of Max Gawn, Nathan Jones and Jack Viney. The fact that Jesse Hogan and Jack Watts were both kept goalless in a game for the first time this year scoring a mere four points between them was telling. The result would have been different had they each been able to parlay one point into a goal but then if your grandmother had ... This week's opponent is hobbled with a star studded list of midfield outs including Ablett, Hall, Prestia, Rischitelli, Swallow and most likely O'Meara who hasn't played since 2014. No matter how young and inexperienced the Demons might be or how tired those players are as we enter the twilight of the season for teams out of the running for finals berths, defeat at home on the MCG is simply unacceptable. Melbourne has proven itself incapable of winning those "must win" games but it really must not lose this one. THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at the MCG Sunday 31 July, 2016 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Melbourne 5 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins At MCG - Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins Past five matches - Melbourne 2 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins The Coaches - Roos 2 wins Eade 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Live at 1.00pm RADIO - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.19 Gold Coast Suns to win - $4.75 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 24.16.160 defeated Gold Coast Suns 14.3.87 at Metricon Stadium Round 7, 2016 The first half was close but after that the Demons demolished the hapless Suns scoring 16.9 to 6.1 in the second half. Max Gawn led the charge with 46 hit outs. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Josh Wagner, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Matt Jones C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, Sam Frost F: Chris Dawes, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, James Harmes, Billy Stretch, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Tomas Bugg, Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen IN: Tomas Bugg, Colin Garland, Aaron vandenBerg OUT: Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted) GOLD COAST B: Nick Malceski, Steven May, Kade Kolodjashnij HB: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Alex Sexton C: Joshua Schoenfeld, Jesse Lonergan, Matt Shaw HF: Brandon Matera, Tom Lynch, Jarrad Grant F: Sam Day, Peter Wright, Ryan Davis FOLL: Tom Nicholls, Jack Martin, Touk Miller I/C (from) Callum Ah Chee, Jarrod Garlett, Jesse Joyce, Matt Rosa EMG: Sean Lemmens, Trent McKenzie, Seb Tape IN: Matt Rosa OUT: Seb Tape (omitted)

Will it be Nathan Jones again this year? Voting for the first round begins with the final siren. Votes on a 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis (best gets 6 and so on to sixth best which gets 1). We will select three sets of votes as the official Denonland votes for the round.

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUNS by George on the Outer The Demons finally erased a whole series of undesirable and unwanted records with a 26-point opening round eclipse of the Gold Coast Suns. It was ten years since an opening round win, two seasons since the team had scored over 100 points in a game, and most importantly, the team survived a number of comebacks from the Suns during the course of the afternoon - a rare occurrence in recent times. It was a fitting performance to pay respect to the great Robbie Flower, who has now been immortalized with the Robbie Flower Wing proudly inaugurated before this game. In recent times, the Melbourne sides would have given way under pressure. Last year, numerous final quarter leads were squandered. Not any more it seems, and the addition of older heads and harder bodies is paying dividends. And wasn't it pleasing that Paul Roos was able to inject seven new players into the side for this match, most of who were not draftees. Heritier Lumumba and Jeff Garlett had a good number of games under their belts at other clubs and Sam Frost and Ben Newton also had AFL experience so when the going really got hard as the Suns relentlessly attacked, it was these same players who stood tall. And that is what the Demon fans have been longing for now for a couple of years ... leaders who will show the way when times are tough. However, the most pleasing aspect about the game is that players like Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw and Aaron vandenBerg were able to be introduced without the pressures that draftees faced in previous years - all showed more than enough signs that each of them will be long-term contributors to the future of the club. Before the game there were great concerns about how Gary Ablett would be held to a tally which would keep the side in the game. Jack Viney was given the role when he played mid-field and Colin Garland took over the role when he moved forward. With only 19 possessions for the game it was a positive outcome for the Demons with Viney racking up 24 touches of his own to put the unfortunate circumstances of that NAB Challenge gaffe well behind him. Special mention goes to Tom McDonald who took 12 telling marks in the backline to turn back multiple attacks. Again his performance is a sign of positive recruiting outcomes, as Lumumba and Frost were able to add some depth to the backline meaning that McDonald could often play the loose man role. It is a real bonus for the Demons that they can afford to have such a tall, strong option to play the sweeper out of the backline. Even the forward line now looks to be blessed with an abundance of talent and options. Hogan and Garlett have filled the holes that were there last year, and not just filled them but are a potent pair in their own right. The strength of a 20 year old in Hogan provided more than just the 2 goals he registered in his first game, as he broke packs and provided contests to advantage the crumbers at his feet. And the ability of Garlett to pinch pockets and add some zip and x-factor around goals will be a delight in coming games. While it is only one game in a long season, it was a special win for the fans and the club as well. It has been a long time for that good-time feeling to be experienced so early in a season, so we should be all looking for something positive to build upon as we work into 2015. Melbourne 2.5.17 7.7.49 12.9.81 17.13.115 Gold Coast Suns 1.2.8 3.6.24 8.8.56 13.11.89 Goals Melbourne Watts 3 Garlett Hogan Newton Tyson 2 Garland Jamar N Jones Lumumba Salem vandenBerg Gold Coast Suns Ablett Day Rischitelli 2 Bennell Gorringe Harbrow Miller Saad Sexton Swallow Best Melbourne N Jones. Watts McDonald Viney Garlett Newton Howe vandenBerg Jamar Gold Coast Prestia Rischitelli Swallow Bennell Saad Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Substitutions Melbourne Jimmy Toumpas replaced Angus Brayshaw in the fourth quarter Gold Coast Jarrod Garlett replaced Sam Day at three-quarter time Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Matt Shaw reported for rough conduct on Dean Kent Umpires Donlon Farmer Hosking Official crowd 27,013 at the MCG http://lon-cdn220-is-3.se.bponlinewoc2264.ngcdn.telstra.com/platform_release/805/388/EDT_GAMECHANGER_NEW_DEES_0404_S_409808899.mp4 http://m.melbournefc.com.au/video/2015-04-05/rd-1-watch-all-the-goals

Melbourne finally put the score on the board 'It should be a bit of fun I think': Jack backs Dees' attack Jack Watts and Adam Treloar among the likes, Brendon Goddard and Ryan Griffen among the dislikes as Robbo runs rule over Round 1 Paul Roos rapt with Melbournes attacking style to sink Gold Coast Then there's this gem of a review from Supermercado on Demonblog - Reclaim Round 1

The Demons finally erased a whole series of undesirable and unwanted records with a 26-point opening round eclipse of the Gold Coast Suns. It was ten years since an opening round win, two seasons since the team had scored over 100 points in a game, and most importantly, the team survived a number of comebacks from the Suns during the course of the afternoon - a rare occurrence in recent times. It was a fitting performance to pay respect to the great Robbie Flower, who has now been immortalized with the Robbie Flower Wing proudly inaugurated before this game. In recent times, the Melbourne sides would have given way under pressure. Last year, numerous final quarter leads were squandered. Not any more it seems, and the addition of older heads and harder bodies is paying dividends. And wasn't it pleasing that Paul Roos was able to inject seven new players into the side for this match, most of who were not draftees. Heritier Lumumba and Jeff Garlett had a good number of games under their belts at other clubs and Sam Frost and Ben Newton also had AFL experience so when the going really got hard as the Suns relentlessly attacked, it was these same players who stood tall. And that is what the Demon fans have been longing for now for a couple of years ... leaders who will show the way when times are tough. However, the most pleasing aspect about the game is that players like Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw and Aaron vandenBerg were able to be introduced without the pressures that draftees faced in previous years - all showed more than enough signs that each of them will be long-term contributors to the future of the club. Before the game there were great concerns about how Gary Ablett would be held to a tally which would keep the side in the game. Jack Viney was given the role when he played mid-field and Colin Garland took over the role when he moved forward. With only 19 possessions for the game it was a positive outcome for the Demons with Viney racking up 24 touches of his own to put the unfortunate circumstances of that NAB Challenge gaffe well behind him. Special mention goes to Tom McDonald who took 12 telling marks in the backline to turn back multiple attacks. Again his performance is a sign of positive recruiting outcomes, as Lumumba and Frost were able to add some depth to the backline meaning that McDonald could often play the loose man role. It is a real bonus for the Demons that they can afford to have such a tall, strong option to play the sweeper out of the backline. Even the forward line now looks to be blessed with an abundance of talent and options. Hogan and Garlett have filled the holes that were there last year, and not just filled them but are a potent pair in their own right. The strength of a 20 year old in Hogan provided more than just the 2 goals he registered in his first game, as he broke packs and provided contests to advantage the crumbers at his feet. And the ability of Garlett to pinch pockets and add some zip and x-factor around goals will be a delight in coming games. While it is only one game in a long season, it was a special win for the fans and the club as well. It has been a long time for that good-time feeling to be experienced so early in a season, so we should be all looking for something positive to build upon as we work into 2015. Melbourne 2.5.17 7.7.49 12.9.81 17.13.115 Gold Coast Suns 1.2.8 3.6.24 8.8.56 13.11.89 Goals Melbourne Watts 3 Garlett Hogan Newton Tyson 2 Garland Jamar N Jones Lumumba Salem vandenBerg Gold Coast Suns Ablett Day Rischitelli 2 Bennell Gorringe Harbrow Miller Saad Sexton Swallow Best Melbourne N Jones. Watts McDonald Viney Garlett Newton Howe vandenBerg Jamar Gold Coast Prestia Rischitelli Swallow Bennell Saad Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Substitutions Melbourne Jimmy Toumpas replaced Angus Brayshaw in the fourth quarter Gold Coast Jarrod Garlett replaced Sam Day at three-quarter time Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Matt Shaw reported for rough conduct on Dean Kent Umpires Donlon Farmer Hosking Official crowd 27,013 at the MCG http://lon-cdn220-is-3.se.bponlinewoc2264.ngcdn.telstra.com/platform_release/805/388/EDT_GAMECHANGER_NEW_DEES_0404_S_409808899.mp4 http://m.melbournefc.com.au/video/2015-04-05/rd-1-watch-all-the-goals

First game of the 2015 season, MFC v GCS. Home game on a Saturday. Go figure. Likelihood of no Ablett in round one. Winnable? Yeah, I know we thought it was a lay down misere against the Saints this year. At least we are at home round one, and hopefully, we will roll out several stars of the future.

I know what you're thinking. Melbourne only wins the opening game of a season once in a blue moon, a rare occurrence involving 13 full moons in a one calendar year. Well, the fact of the matter is that the last time a blue moon happened was in 2010 but we didn't win our first game of the season - we were flogged mercilessly by Hawthorn so let's forget this blue moon thing and concentrate on the other colour that represents our club. And tonight fellow Demon fans, we're going to experience a red moon, a lunar eclipse which will start at around 8:00pm. Which makes today, the perfect occasion to totally eclipse the Suns. Not only that - it is written in the heavens that by the setting of the sun and the rising of the moon, we will be celebrating our first win for 2015 and for once in a red moon, it will be in the opening game of the season.

Gary Ablett's shoulder popped out of its socket early in the third quarter of the Gold Coast Suns v Collingwood game in Round 16 last year and with it went his team's prospects of a finals appearance. The Suns finished 12th, just a game out of the top eight with ten wins and a percentage of 93.7. Melbourne also struggled at the end of 2014 losing its last 10 games and finishing in 17th position on four wins, ahead only of St. Kilda on percentage. Fast forward six months to the pre season competition of 2015 and even without Ablett and a handful of other regulars, the Suns managed 1½ wins as against Melbourne's solitary victory and a record that included a loss to a half-baked Essendon in its final NAB Challenge hit out. We don't take much notice of practice matches but has anything changed? The Demons have recruited well with Heritier Lumumba (Collingwood), Jeff Garlett (Carlton), Sam Frost (GWS Giants) and Ben Newton (Port Adelaide) crossing from other AFL clubs inclusions for Saturday's season opener against the Suns along with the long-awaited debut of boom youngster Jesse Hogan, the inclusion of young draftee Angus Brayshaw and mature age Canberran rookie upgrade Aaron vandenBerg. The Suns have recruited Nick Malceski (Sydney) and Mitch Hallahan (Hawthorn) and have also introduced some fresh young faces but they will be relying mainly on their bevy of runners like Harley Bennell and Dion Prestia and, of course, Ablett himself to press home the advantage. The key to this game remains the man who hasn't played a game since 5 July and has yet to take part in even a practice match this year. However, my rule of thumb is to always take note of those who frame the odds and once it became clear that Ablett was definitely in the mix to play this weekend, the Suns' firmed with the betting agencies. According to the Official AFL Player Ratings, Ablett starts the season as the No. 1 ranked player on 723.4 player ratings points, nearly 30 points ahead of second placed Scott Pendlebury on 692.9. The leading Demon, skipper Nathan Jones, sits just outside the top 100 in 101th place with 405.5 points. If there really was such a thing as a one man team, then the writing would be well and truly on the wall. THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at the MCG Saturday 4 April, 2015 at 1.40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins At MCG Melbourne 2 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins Past five years Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins The Coaches Roos 0 wins Eade 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel - 1.30pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $2.95 Gold Coast Suns to win - $1.40 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Gold Coast Suns 11.20.86 defeated Melbourne 11.12.78 Round 5, 2014 at the MCG It was close on 12 months ago when the teams faced off at the MCG. It was a close game although the Suns took the lead in the second quarter despite their inaccuracy in front of goal and held on to it for the remainder of the game. A costly but questionable free given away to Gary Ablett Junior for interference in the last quarter gave the visitors the breathing room necessary to take away the points. Ablett had 32 touches and a goal while Nathan Jones was the Demons' star with 30 disposals and 5 tackles. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta HB: Christian Salem, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe C: Heritier Lumumba, Daniel Cross, Ben Newton HF: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Jimmy Toumpas F: Jeff Garlett, Sam Frost, Jack Watts FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Max Gawn, Jack Grimes, Matt Jones NEW: Angus Brayshaw, Sam Frost, Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Heritier Lumumba, Ben Newton, Aaron vandenBerg GOLD COAST SUNS B: Jarrod B: Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Kade Kolodjashnij HB: Trent McKenzie, Steven May, Nick Malceski C: Jack Martin, Dion Prestia, Alex Sexton HF: Michael Rischitelli, Sam Day, Matt Shaw F: Harley Bennell, Daniel Gorringe, Touk Miller FOLL: Zac Smith, Gary Ablett, David Swallow I/C: Mitch Hallahan, Jarrod Garlett, Adam Saad, Greg Broughton EMG: Tom Nicholls, Brandon Matera, Seb Tape NEW: Jarrod Garlett, Mitch Hallahan, Nick Malceski, Touk Miller, Adam Saad OFF THE WALL The reality is that it will be the best team that wins this game and for Melbourne, I suspect that we have seen in the selection of its team a pointer to the area of its likely improvement over its abysmal record of recent years. One half of the selected 22 were yet to play an AFL game for the Demons when Paul Roos arrived at the club 18 months ago. Seven are making their debut with the club in Saturday's game while four others - Dom Tyson (GWS Giants), Daniel Cross (Western Bulldogs) and draftees Christian Salem and Jay Kennedy-Harris came to the club last year. The Demons worked hard at improving the defensive aspect of their game in 2014 and appear to be settled in this area of the ground. There was also an improvement in the midfield which has again been bolstered by the recruiters. Lumumba and Newton have been named on the wings and it will be interesting to see which of them takes his place as the first Demon to line up on the newly named Robbie Flower Wing. It's hard to believe that the Prince was just a toddler when Robbie last graced this ground with his magical presence: Newton wasn't even born. We all know that Melbourne's 2015 nemesis was its attack where it averaged a little under an appalling 61 points per game, more than 50 points behind the premiers, Hawthorn. This is the area where team selection is indicating significant change. Hogan and Frost are the two new key position players, Garlett the pacy crumber with two partners in crime in Kent and Kennedy-Harris and more outsiders in Watts and Toumpas. The overall picture is an almost complete transition from the one-paced predictability of last year's forward line which was blamed for the team's penchant for slow sideways movement into attack. With these players up forward, there is less reason for the players further downfield not to show the enterprise necessary to take the game on when the opportunities present. This is of course, placing great responsibility on the inexperienced shoulders of Frost and Hogan but these two have already shown glimpses of their physical attributes as athletes. Hogan makes his long-awaited debut, delayed by nearly a year because of injury interruptions but he has already shown that he has the strength, endurance and skills to make the wait worthwhile. Frost has pace to burn and I expect his combination with the three crumbing amigos will make for interesting viewing for Demon fans for a while to come. I'm excited! What reinforces my view is the fact that there are a few who would once have been considered regulars who missed selection for various reasons. If it's true that the strength of a team is measured by its depth then this is indicative of a great leap forward and suggests we are about to witness a significant improvement in all round skills at Melbourne. I'm even more excited! But what about the Suns? They're expected to give the finals a shake and, after all, they are the firm favourite to win but I'm going against the grain. They certainly have been gifted with a talented bunch of players but when their lynchpin is one whose shoulder hasn't been tested in the field of battle, it's a worry. He might be superhuman and he will probably touch the ball thirty times but if the Demons stick to the task and put the right amount of pressure on the man, they can nullify his influence and knock the favourites off the wall. Melbourne by 10 points.

Your votes please 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

Tell us what you think ...

UNDESERVED by The Oracle Melbourne could easily have plucked this game out of the fire in the end although a victory would have been something it didn't deserve. The game certainly wasn't one of the classics - there were lots of errors on both sides and it was the Suns who made the least. The game's adjudicators made a few as well - the first was the video review of the Demons' first goal and the last were some doozies from the field umpires that included a gifted goal to Garry Ablett when Melbourne was coming hard in the last quarter. If that was a free then McCaffer of Collingwood would have given away 20 and not 5 when he tagged Trent Cotchin against the Tigers last week. One or two more puzzling decisions late in the game didn't help the cause either. But while Melbourne persisted and got to within 8 points in the end, it would have been daylight robbery had the Demons won despite out scoring the visitors in three of the game's quarters. The truth is that the home side was pitiful from the time Cam Pedersen scored his team's third goal to give it a 20 - 10 lead at 21 minutes into the opening term until it went into the sheds at half time trailling 28 - 48 and they were only so close because of the Suns' inaccuracy. Another truth is that for the better part of the day, too many Demons were insipid, second to the ball and often failed to make a contest. They failed to follow their leaders in Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes and some of them were still back in the days of poor decision making and putrid disposal of the last few years. Thanks to the skippers, Jack Viney and two forwards in Chris Dawes and James Frawley, they fought their way back into the game - something that would have been unlikely in the dark old days. Things would have been better had they been able to get some drive from the ruck or managed their kick outs from defence a little better but one hopes those things can be resolved at the selection table before next week's game against the Sydney Swans. As it was, we saw none of the defensive pressure that enabled last week's win over Carlton and too many players were content to lounge behind their opponents. Perhaps it was the relief of winning that game that took the edge off the players' hunger for the football. If that was the case they should take the lead from skipper Nathan Jones whose strength and courage throughout was no better exemplified by his goal of the day effort when he bulldozed through a pack and snapped a goal to breath life back into the game midway through the final term. Never mind that an umpire sucked the life out of it a few minutes later, it was an example for the entire team to follow and those who don't will not be there by season's end. Melbourne 3.2.20 4.4.28 6.10.46 11.12.78 Gold Coast Suns 2.7.19 6.12.48 8.17.65 11.20.86 Goals Melbourne Dawes Frawley 2 Evans Howe Jones Kennedy-Harris Pedersen Terlich Viney Gold Coast Suns Ablett Lynch Matera Swallow 2 Broughton Day Hall Best Melbourne Jones Viney Grimes Dawes Frawley Cross Gold Coast Suns Ablett Rischitelli OMeara Shaw Broughton Prestia Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Umpires Wenn, Armstrong, Leppard Attendance 17,243 at the MCG

Melbourne could easily have plucked this game out of the fire in the end although a victory would have been something it didn't deserve. The game certainly wasn't one of the classics - there were lots of errors on both sides and it was the Suns who made the least. The game's adjudicators made a few as well - the first was the video review of the Demons' first goal and the last were some doozies from the field umpires that included a gifted goal to Garry Ablett when Melbourne was coming hard in the last quarter. If that was a free then McCaffer of Collingwood would have given away 20 and not 5 when he tagged Trent Cotchin against the Tigers last week. One or two more puzzling decisions late in the game didn't help the cause either. But while Melbourne persisted and got to within 8 points in the end, it would have been daylight robbery had the Demons won despite out scoring the visitors in three of the game's quarters. The truth is that the home side was pitiful from the time Cam Pedersen scored his team's third goal to give it a 20 - 10 lead at 21 minutes into the opening term until it went into the sheds at half time trailling 28 - 48 and they were only so close because of the Suns' inaccuracy. Another truth is that for the better part of the day, too many Demons were insipid, second to the ball and often failed to make a contest. They failed to follow their leaders in Nathan Jones and Jack Grimes and some of them were still back in the days of poor decision making and putrid disposal of the last few years. Thanks to the skippers, Jack Viney and two forwards in Chris Dawes and James Frawley, they fought their way back into the game - something that would have been unlikely in the dark old days. Things would have been better had they been able to get some drive from the ruck or managed their kick outs from defence a little better but one hopes those things can be resolved at the selection table before next week's game against the Sydney Swans. As it was, we saw none of the defensive pressure that enabled last week's win over Carlton and too many players were content to lounge behind their opponents. Perhaps it was the relief of winning that game that took the edge off the players' hunger for the football. If that was the case they should take the lead from skipper Nathan Jones whose strength and courage throughout was no better exemplified by his goal of the day effort when he bulldozed through a pack and snapped a goal to breath life back into the game midway through the final term. Never mind that an umpire sucked the life out of it a few minutes later, it was an example for the entire team to follow and those who don't will not be there by season's end. Melbourne 3.2.20 4.4.28 6.10.46 11.12.78 Gold Coast Suns 2.7.19 6.12.48 8.17.65 11.20.86 Goals Melbourne Dawes Frawley 2 Evans Howe Jones Kennedy-Harris Pedersen Terlich Viney Gold Coast Suns Ablett Lynch Matera Swallow 2 Broughton Day Hall Best Melbourne Jones Viney Grimes Dawes Frawley Cross Gold Coast Suns Ablett Rischitelli OMeara Shaw Broughton Prestia Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Suns Nil Umpires Wenn, Armstrong, Leppard Attendance 17,243 at the MCG