Search the Community

I had a dream the other night wherein I was heading to the MCG for a game against the Swans but it took some time to get there due to the circuitous route I had chosen to get to the ground. By the time I arrived and took my seat in the Ponsford Stand (in a part of the ground where I hadn’t sat since the 1980 Grand Final), it was early in the second quarter and Max was celebrating a goal that put his team 26 points ahead. The next thing I knew, the Melbourne players were struggling as if they were playing in a forest with thick grass everywhere around them and unable to perform their usual tasks. The more energetic Sydneysiders quickly caught up; the Demons were so terrible in performing their roles that the crowd laughed as if they were witnessing a comedy. When the final siren sounded to herald Melbourne’s defeat by two goals, the ground announcer "restored amends" by suggesting that what the crowd experienced might just have been a dream. But it wasn’t really a dream. The game was real enough and formed a part of Melbourne’s midseason low point when what was seemingly an invincible combination suddenly fell into a deep hole. They lacked their usual sparkle, played with little zest and confidence and failed to finish off their games, even after making flying starts. The defence lost its structure without Steven May, Harry Petty was often in the hands of trainers and a few players coming back from injury were not quite right. They looked banged up and in need of a rest and it showed with such things as an out of sorts Jayden Hunt (in a 3 possession game) gifting a goal away with a blooper of an attempted spoil. Blame it on loading, fatigue, overconfidence or whatever, the Demons have regrouped from that bad dream and are emerging refreshed and buoyed after a series of high pressure games that will hold them in good stead for the finals. They have played four finalists twice (the other team was Carlton) while the other members of the top four have played one finalist each. The Swans might have come home with a wet sail but their only really tough opponent in the last five weeks was Collingwood at that club’s nemesis ground, the SCG. Melbourne goes into this game with the perfect preparation for a final series following an almost identical season statistically to its premiership year of 2021: Melbourne in 2021: 1888 points for, 1443 points against (130.8%). Melbourne in 2022: 1936 points for, 1483 points against (130.5%). And given the club’s tougher draw in 2022, opposition teams should have cause for concern! As for Friday night’s game against the Swans, the smell of spring is in the air and the grass is cut to perfection allowing the Demons, now full of run on a welcome return to the home of football in the first AFL final there since the 2019 Grand Final. The Melbourne defence is back in town as well. Steven May is at the helm with his co-conspirator Jake Lever and Harry Petty is on a mission. Trent Rivers, Jayden Hunt and Jake Bowey are back in full flight and they have in front of them a brilliant midfield lifting to greater heights with the inclusion from time to time of Angus Brayshaw. And the forward line is functioning much better these days with those dangerous smalls, Ben Brown returning to form (the last time they played he kicked a solitary point) and Bayley Fritsch, the sublime goal kicker who is the only player in AFL ranks to kick a goal in all 22 games. That’s not to say that things are going to be easy for the reigning premier because the Swans didn’t get where they were without playing good football throughout the season. That they triumphed last time without Buddy Franklin is testament to how dangerous they can be. They have the stars in Mills, Heeney, Papley and Warner and plenty of others who are capable of applying maximum pressure on the Demons who have been steeling themselves since midseason to atone for that month from hell. But that’s exactly why I’m tipping them to win and win well. Melbourne by 35 points. THE GAME Second Qualifying Final Melbourne vs Sydney Swans at The MCG Friday 2 September, 2022 at 7.50pm HEAD TO HEAD

 Overall Melbourne 94 wins Sydney Swans 116 wins 2 drawn

 At The MCG Melbourne 50 wins Sydney Swans 46 wins 2 drawn

 Last 5 meetings Melbourne 2 wins Sydney Swans 3 wins

 The Coaches Goodwin 2 wins Longmire 6 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

 Sydney Swans 10.13.73 defeated Melbourne 9.7.61 in Round 12, 2022 at The MCG The Demons were quick out of the blocks and dominated the early going. They led by 26 points late in the opening term but were reeled in by half time. They held sway throughout the third quarter but couldn’t put the Swans away and finally succumbed in the final term as the team lost its structure to the rampaging Swans.

 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: T.Rivers 24 H.Petty 35 S.May 2 HB: A.Brayshaw 10. J.Lever 8 M.Hibberd14 C: J.Hunt 29 C.Oliver 13 J.Melksham HF: C.Spargo 9 L.Jackson 6 E.Langdon 15 F: K.Pickett 36 B.Brown 50 A.Neal-Bullen 30 Foll: M.Gawn 11 J.Viney 7 C.Petracca 5 I/C: B. Fritsch 31 J.Harmes 4 C.Salem 3 T.Sparrow 32 Sub: J.Smith Emerg: T.Bedford 12 J.Bowey 17 J.Van Rooyen 21 In: C.Salem J.Smith Out: J.Bowey (omitted) J.Jordon (foot) SYDNEY SWANS B: D.Rampe 24 T.McCartin 30 N.Blakey 22 HB: J.Lloyd 44 P.McCartin 39 J.McInerney 27 C: E.Gulden 21 C.Warner 1 C.Mills 14 HF: I.Heeney 5 S.Reid 20 W.Hayward 9 F: T.Papley 11 L.Franklin 23 R.Clarke 4 Foll: T.Hickey 31 L.Parker 26 J.Rowbottom 8 I/C: O.Florent 13 R.Fox 42 L.McDonald 6 D.Stephens 3 Sub: B.Campbell 16 Emerg: H.Cunningham 7 H.McLean 2 C.Sinclair 18 In: B.Campbell Out: S.Wicks (omitted) Injury List: Second Qualifying Final Judd McVee - Ankle | Available Christian Salem - Groin | 1 Week Taj Woewodin - Concussion | Test Andy Moniz-Wakefield - Groin | 1-2 weeks James Jordon - Foot | 3-4 Weeks

Melbourne v Sydney. City v City. Two top eight sides fighting for finals spots. Sydney having beaten the Demons in ten of their last twelve encounters. In what would turn out to be one of the most hotly contested games for the club in 2022, the physical damage to players was probably the deciding factor in the end. Once again, Melbourne lost Tom McDonald pre-game to a yet unspecified foot injury. More importantly was how much his work up the ground and bullocking influence in the pack scenario was missed. The side was already without Steven May and again that strong body and generalship in the backline was missing. At least a number of players were returning from their own bout of injury ... James Harmes, Ed Langdon and Christian Salem. The problem was, and obvious as the game progressed, is that they just weren’t quite right. Fair enough, given Ed is still carrying rib injury, Salem back with his exquisite skills, but just couldn’t get any penetration with his kicks, and Harmes, just unable to get involved to his usual standard. Then in an almost repeat of last week, Harry Petty gets a kick to the shin, in the first quarter and then a shoulder injury in the second, to go with his knee injury from last week. Christian Petracca looked much better this week, but still not his explosive self, and Bayley Fritsch is carrying a new knee bandage. Still, despite the appearance of the walking wounded, the Demons opened their account with a 5 goal to 1 first quarter. Their position was helped by inaccurate Sydney kicking, but the momentum swung heavily in the second as Sydney then piled on 5 goals to 2, to lead by 2 points at the major break. The fans are starting to get concerned when Melbourne lead by 5 goals early in the match, as the same situation occurred the previous week, only to see the side over-run. Melbourne regained the ascendancy in the third quarter, but could only score a single major while wasting opportunities by kicking 5 behinds. Still, they held Sydney to a paltry 2 behinds for the quarter to set up an exciting final term. Led by Max, the Demons looked threatening, but that was all it turned out to be…threatening as they managed just another single goal for the quarter while the Swans piled on 4 goals to run out eventual 12 point winners. Max had tried his hardest to get the side over the line with his incredible 6 contested marks but despite kicking 3 for the match, he missed a tight shot from only metres out in that final term which would have swung the game at the time. Even Bayley Fritsch couldn’t find any score from a “Bayley certainty” as well which would have done similarly at a critical time. Even with these misses it actually highlighted one of the major failings the side faced. Max and Bayley each kicked 3 goals, but the Browns in the forward line failed to score anything. Likewise the other small forwards weren’t contributing to the scoreboard, although Kozzy Pickett was responsible for creating score out of nothing for others at times. With a banged up backline, and a rag-tag forward line, the side once again lost the structure that has become part of the “Melbourne way”. Tomlinson isn’t May, Mitch Brown isn’t TMac and while these players are more than serviceable, when they are surrounded by a banged up group unable to display their best, then perhaps the result was not unexpected. What to do? Realistically, the cupboard is relatively bare. While May will return from concussion protocols, we can only hope Petty can get on the ground in a fit state. Weideman has obviously been sent to Casey for a long time, and the rumours suggest TMac may be out for an equally long time. The Browns up forward will probably get a reprieve due to the only realistic other forward we have on the list is Jacob Van Rooyen, but he is merely 19 and doesn’t need to be thrown to the wolves like Melbourne had to do in years gone. Jayden Hunt will be facing a stint at Casey as well. A 3 possession game just doesn’t come up to scratch, with Hibberd and Rivers available to take his place if needed. What the side needs is just a bit of a rest, and the 8 days to the next match will help. But what really needs to be found is a little bit of its mojo. A bit of flair and dash, that has simply been missing in the past weeks. While it is hard to produce that mojo when arms, legs, ribs, backs, feet, knees and heads are aching, the inspiration is there in the form of Max Gawn and Jack Viney, who just keep on keeping on despite all the bashing and banging that they suffer. Time to find that mojo again, and bang up Collingwood’s aspirations in front of a big crowd next week. MELBOURNE 5.1.31 7.1.43 8.6.54 9.7.61 SYDNEY SWANS 1.5.11 6.9.45 6.11.47 10.13.73 GOALS MELBOURNE Fritsch Gawn 3 Jackson Jordan Langdon SYDNEY SWANS McDonald Reid 3 Papley 2 Gulden Heeney BEST MELBOURNE Gawn Fritsch Viney Jordan Oliver Salem SYDNEY SWANS Reid Mills McDonald Parker Papley Heeney INJURIES MELBOURNE Tom McDonald (ankle soreness) replaced by Mitch Brown in the selected side Harry Petty (shin, shoulder) SYDNEY SWANS Colin O’Riordan (head knock) REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil SYDNEY SWANS Nil SUBSTITUTES MELBOURNE Toby Bedford (unused) SYDNEY SWANS Ben Ronke (replaced Colin O’Riordan) UMPIRES Nick Foot Matt Stevic Craig Fleer CROWD 32,753 at the MCG

How will Melbourne react to losing a game after such a long time since tasting defeat? That question is on everybody’s lips after the complete collapse of the team in the second half against Fremantle last week. When Bayley Fritsch missed his shot at goal 23 minutes into the second term, the Demons were 30 points ahead but from that point onward they were comprehensively overwhelmed as their structures fell apart all over the park. Unlike what occurred on a number of occasions during their 17-game winning streak, there was no dramatic revival in the end to get them across the winning line. The final losing margin of 38 points represented a more than eleven goal turnaround - staggering result for the reigning premiers. The pundits have explained the Demons’ fall from grace in terms of a combination of injury and illness during and immediately before the game, missing key personnel and declining form and confidence from some players. But with the impending return of a number of players for Saturday’s game against the Swans, that’s all in the past and even having one very key defender in Steven May on the sidelines will be offset to an extent by the absence of the suspended Buddy Franklin and the return of Adam Tomlinson. Still, you can never underestimate the Swans. Like the Dockers, they came back from a 30-point deficit last week. Even without Buddy, they have a good range of mid sized forwards and midfielders who can step up and kick goals and the two McCartins in defence to stop them. Their wily coach, John Longmire, will have watched the Demons’ demise closely, seen how they were run into the ground by the Dockers who closed down so many of their prime movers and dictated the way the game was played in the second half. This is what happens when one team is successful for so long. Others endlessly seek to find the magic formula to beat them — but the problem for the Swans is that the conditions and the set up that led to the Demons’ demise last week won’t apply this time around. This week won’t see the sort of disruption engendered by the late withdrawal of one key forward, injuries during the game of two key defenders and a Norm Smith Medalist so sick that he was anchored to the full forward line instead of causing his usual havoc in the middle. With the likes of James Harmes, Ed Langdon, Tom McDonald, Christian Salem and Tomlinson back in to bolster the side in the very areas where they fell down last week, you can be certain that the Demons won’t give in without a whimper two weeks in a row. Melbourne to make a comeback to the victory dais and win by 36 points. THE GAME Melbourne vs Sydney Swans at The MCG Saturday 4 June, 2022 at 7.25pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 94 wins Sydney Swans 115 wins 2 drawn At The MCG Melbourne 50 wins Sydney Swans 45 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 2 wins Sydney Swans 3 wins The Coaches Goodwin 2 wins Longmire 5 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 10.7.67 defeated Sydney Swans 8.10.58 in Round 8, 2021 at The MCG This was a grueling match up from start to end with neither team giving any quarter. The Demons led for most of the game and, although they had the upper hand over the Swans, the opposition never gave in with Max Gawn’s ruck dominance proving to be the difference. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: J.Bowey 17 A.Tomlinson 20 H.Petty 35 HB: J.Harmes 4 J.Lever 8 J. Hunt 29 C: A.Brayshaw 10 J.Viney 7 E.Langdon 15 HF: L.Jackson 6 M.Brown 38 C.Petracca 5 F: B.Fritsch 31 B.Brown 50 C.Spargo 9 Foll: M.Gawn 11 C.Oliver 13 K.Pickett 36 I/C: J.Jordon 23 A.Neal-Bullen 30 C.Salem 3 T.Sparrow 32 Sub: T.Bedford 12 Emerg: J.Melksham 18 T.Rivers 24 In: M.Brown J.Harmes E.Langdon C.Salem A.Tomlinson Out: T.Bedford (omitted) L.Dunstan (omitted) S.May (concussion) J.Melksham (omitted) T.Rivers (omitted) S.Weideman (omitted) SYDNEY SWANS B: C. O'Riordan 38 D. Rampe 24 T. McCartin 30 HB: J. Lloyd 44 P.McCartin 39 O. Florent 13 C: N. Blakey 22 C. Mills 14 E. Gulden 21 HF: C. Warner 1 I.Heeney 5 J.McInerney 27 F: T. Papley 11 L.McDonald 6 J.Amartey 36 Foll: P.Ladhams 19 L.Parker 26 J.Rowbottom 8 I/C: R. Fox 42 W. Hayward 9 S.Reid 20 S. Wicks 15 Sub: B.Ronke 25. Emerg: B.Campbell 16 H.McLean 2 D. Stephens 3 In: J.Amartey
 N.Blakey B.Ronks Out: B.Campbell (omitted) L.Franklin (suspension) M.Roberts (omitted) Injury List: Round 12 James Harmes - Hamstring | Test
 Ed Langdon - Ribs | Test Tom McDonald Ankle | Test
 Christian Salem - Knee | Test Steven May - Concussion | 1 Week
 Joel Smith - Ankle | 5-7 Weeks
 Blake Howes - Foot | 6-8 Weeks

May as well start it now cause we all know the result (new it in the first quarter ) We look so disinterested it’s not funni. I am so looking forward to the end of the season it’s not funny. By the way the team is playing I don’t think I am alone in my thoughts. We don’t seem to have any idea of how to play and Goodwin looks absolutely lost in the coaches box. I really hope we get some experienced assistant coaches around him and I hope he takes on board their advice cause he doesn’t seem to have any answers (or game plan). Very very disappointing and frustrating season.

Can we find 6 players please?

There it was ... the chance to cement a spot in the Finals for 2018. The BCNA ladies had shown the way with their own courage in the face of adversity, and came out in their thousands to show they cared. Hawthorn had removed Geelong from the equation for us. Shortly after the start, the Bulldogs put North out of reach from us as well. All we needed to do was beat Sydney and the Demons were to experience September action ... and they choked! They choked in front of goal in the first quarter kicking 2 goals 6 to 1.1 for the Swans. Most from set shots, and like we should have learned from other gettable games during the year, you nail those opportunities, and the game is over. But we choked. We choked even further in front of goal in the 2nd term kicking 1 goal 6, to allow Sydney to stay in the game. It is something you cannot do given the older experienced heads that they have. And it came when they piled on 6 straight goals in 15 minutes. By now the Demons were well and truly choking, as they watched their finals chances fade away ... surely the story couldn’t finish the same way as it did in 2017? And all of this was happening while Sydney were 2 down on the interchange after losing Johnson to another knee injury and Smith as well for the game. It didn’t get much better in the 3rd and by the final change Melbourne were nearly 5 goals in arrears. But they managed to stage a sort of come-back and within 15 minutes of the final siren were barely 2 kicks behind. All that was needed was someone to stand up and take command. All that was needed was for someone to take on the responsibility of finishing the work of others. Instead Melbourne continued to try to pass the ball off, and missed even the simplest of kicks. And again they choked. Chance after chance was fluffed, fumbled, or straight out given directly to Sydney opponents. ANB and Jones with 8 and 7 clangers for the game set the stage. All that was needed was the Benny Hill music to be played over the MCG speakers to complete the scene. In the end the Demons went down by 9 points. Another game that should have been won and wasn’t. How costly those chokes we will find in the next 2 weeks. The pity about the loss is that once again it demonstrated the gulf that exists between our bottom 6 players or so, and the rest of the side. We have shuttled players back and forth through Casey, and while they show plenty in the VFL competition, they cannot perform on the big stage. Today Garlett had 3 kicks for the game and zero tackles! Without forward pressure, the ball rebounds down the other end too quickly and he provided nothing for the team. Jayden Hunt, brought back in to provide run and carry on his first game back from Casey managed only 10 touches. A late injury will probably mean he will avoid the ignominy of being dropped next week. Charlie Spargo also only 10 touches and unfortunately has to provide something special when as small as he is. Maybe he has a future in the middle, but that won’t be this year. Cam Pedersen fought his way back from Casey, and took a couple of good marks, but then failed to finish the work with 4 clangers from his 10 touches. With Melksham and Hibberd back next week and Bugg, Kent and Hannan showing something at Casey, there are almost easy changes. In contrast the backs were fantastic. Frost completely “owned” Franklin and used his superior pace to provide run and chances from the backline in the absence of others. Oscar was unbeaten the whole day, and Neville provided his usual stoic surety, despite being cleaned up again. Surely he is the most battered of our players at the moment, and it is a credit to him that he fronts up each week. Salem was reliable with his kicking, but is sometimes too unselfish. Just go for goals when inside 50 ... you are the best kick in the side! The mids fought a classic battle with the Sydney opposition. Tellingly, 4 of the 6 goals that Sydney scored in the 2nd quarter happened while Brayshaw was off the ground for 10 minutes. Pity was that the umpires failed to reward HTB decisions and one umpire in particular paid a solitary free to Melbourne in the whole match. But then Sydney are masters at holding the ball in and making it look like they are trying to get it out. Oliver was magnificent again to top the disposals, with Brayshaw not far behind. Harmes held Kennedy for most of the game but Kennedy just started to get the better in the second half. Still 26 touches off his own bat was a fine effort. The wingers in Tyson and Jones, despite lots of touches themselves, simply had no defensive side. Hannebury, Newman and Heeney were allowed to run free and they did much more damage with their possessions. The Melbourne forwards were crucified by their own players. After the 1st quarter Tom McDonald was finally moved onto Aliir Aliir to stop his aerial dominance caused by Melbourne players kicking the ball to his area. Of all the players he was the one not to kick it to, but we did. The delivery was simply shocking. It was bad enough seeing plenty of the high balls coming in, but worse was the inaccuracy giving Hogan and McDonald little chance time and time again. The forwards had good reason to choke on that sort of service. vandenBerg popped up for 3 majors and it was good to see him get some reward for his work this week. He can only get better, and will be given the chance in the next 2 weeks. Hogan unfortunately is playing injured, and his condition isn’t helped by the rubbish coming his way, when the ball gets set on top of his head or out wide or he has to double back. We are now a game and % above 9th spot. We must win 1 more game to get into the Finals action. Other results have set it up for us. Next week we face West coast in Perth. We won’t get any help from the umpires, and probably a handicap from them, given the history of their home ground advantage for frees. But they are without Natinui, Gaff and Kennedy. Yet they beat Port without them this week. Once again it is ALL up to us. Will we do it, or choke yet again? Melbourne 2.6.18 3.12.30 7.14.56 10.18.78 Sydney 1.1.7 7.2.44 13.6.84 13.9.87 Goals Melbourne vandenBerg 3 T McDonald 2 Garlett Hogan Jones Pedersen Petracca Sydney Papley 3 Franklin Heeney 2 Cunningham Dawson Hannebery Hayward Kennedy McCartin Best Melbourne Brayshaw Tyson Harmes Oliver Salem Frost Sydney Lloyd Heeney Newman Aliir Franklin Kennedy Hewett Injuries Melbourne Hunt (ankle), Jetta (nose), Hogan (foot) Sydney Johnson (knee) Smith (back) Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Nil Umpires Dalgleish, Nicholls, Fleer Official crowd 51,424 at the MCG

CHOKERS by George On The Outer There it was ... the chance to cement a spot in the Finals for 2018. The BCNA ladies had shown the way with their own courage in the face of adversity, and came out in their thousands to show they cared. Hawthorn had removed Geelong from the equation for us. Shortly after the start, the Bulldogs put North out of reach from us as well. All we needed to do was beat Sydney and the Demons were to experience September action ... and they choked! They choked in front of goal in the first quarter kicking 2 goals 6 to 1.1 for the Swans. Most from set shots, and like we should have learned from other gettable games during the year, you nail those opportunities, and the game is over. But we choked. We choked even further in front of goal in the 2nd term kicking 1 goal 6, to allow Sydney to stay in the game. It is something you cannot do given the older experienced heads that they have. And it came when they piled on 6 straight goals in 15 minutes. By now the Demons were well and truly choking, as they watched their finals chances fade away ... surely the story couldn’t finish the same way as it did in 2017? And all of this was happening while Sydney were 2 down on the interchange after losing Johnson to another knee injury and Smith as well for the game. It didn’t get much better in the 3rd and by the final change Melbourne were nearly 5 goals in arrears. But they managed to stage a sort of come-back and within 15 minutes of the final siren were barely 2 kicks behind. All that was needed was someone to stand up and take command. All that was needed was for someone to take on the responsibility of finishing the work of others. Instead Melbourne continued to try to pass the ball off, and missed even the simplest of kicks. And again they choked. Chance after chance was fluffed, fumbled, or straight out given directly to Sydney opponents. ANB and Jones with 8 and 7 clangers for the game set the stage. All that was needed was the Benny Hill music to be played over the MCG speakers to complete the scene. In the end the Demons went down by 9 points. Another game that should have been won and wasn’t. How costly those chokes we will find in the next 2 weeks. The pity about the loss is that once again it demonstrated the gulf that exists between our bottom 6 players or so, and the rest of the side. We have shuttled players back and forth through Casey, and while they show plenty in the VFL competition, they cannot perform on the big stage. Today Garlett had 3 kicks for the game and zero tackles! Without forward pressure, the ball rebounds down the other end too quickly and he provided nothing for the team. Jayden Hunt, brought back in to provide run and carry on his first game back from Casey managed only 10 touches. A late injury will probably mean he will avoid the ignominy of being dropped next week. Charlie Spargo also only 10 touches and unfortunately has to provide something special when as small as he is. Maybe he has a future in the middle, but that won’t be this year. Cam Pedersen fought his way back from Casey, and took a couple of good marks, but then failed to finish the work with 4 clangers from his 10 touches. With Melksham and Hibberd back next week and Bugg, Kent and Hannan showing something at Casey, there are almost easy changes. In contrast the backs were fantastic. Frost completely “owned” Franklin and used his superior pace to provide run and chances from the backline in the absence of others. Oscar was unbeaten the whole day, and Neville provided his usual stoic surety, despite being cleaned up again. Surely he is the most battered of our players at the moment, and it is a credit to him that he fronts up each week. Salem was reliable with his kicking, but is sometimes too unselfish. Just go for goals when inside 50 ... you are the best kick in the side! The mids fought a classic battle with the Sydney opposition. Tellingly, 4 of the 6 goals that Sydney scored in the 2nd quarter happened while Brayshaw was off the ground for 10 minutes. Pity was that the umpires failed to reward HTB decisions and one umpire in particular paid a solitary free to Melbourne in the whole match. But then Sydney are masters at holding the ball in and making it look like they are trying to get it out. Oliver was magnificent again to top the disposals, with Brayshaw not far behind. Harmes held Kennedy for most of the game but Kennedy just started to get the better in the second half. Still 26 touches off his own bat was a fine effort. The wingers in Tyson and Jones, despite lots of touches themselves, simply had no defensive side. Hannebury, Newman and Heeney were allowed to run free and they did much more damage with their possessions. The Melbourne forwards were crucified by their own players. After the 1st quarter Tom McDonald was finally moved onto Aliir Aliir to stop his aerial dominance caused by Melbourne players kicking the ball to his area. Of all the players he was the one not to kick it to, but we did. The delivery was simply shocking. It was bad enough seeing plenty of the high balls coming in, but worse was the inaccuracy giving Hogan and McDonald little chance time and time again. The forwards had good reason to choke on that sort of service. vandenBerg popped up for 3 majors and it was good to see him get some reward for his work this week. He can only get better, and will be given the chance in the next 2 weeks. Hogan unfortunately is playing injured, and his condition isn’t helped by the rubbish coming his way, when the ball gets set on top of his head or out wide or he has to double back. We are now a game and % above 9th spot. We must win 1 more game to get into the Finals action. Other results have set it up for us. Next week we face West coast in Perth. We won’t get any help from the umpires, and probably a handicap from them, given the history of their home ground advantage for frees. But they are without Natinui, Gaff and Kennedy. Yet they beat Port without them this week. Once again it is ALL up to us. Will we do it, or choke yet again? Melbourne 2.6.18 3.12.30 7.14.56 10.18.78 Sydney 1.1.7 7.2.44 13.6.84 13.9.87 Goals Melbourne vandenBerg 3 T McDonald 2 Garlett Hogan Jones Pedersen Petracca Sydney Papley 3 Franklin Heeney 2 Cunningham Dawson Hannebery Hayward Kennedy McCartin Best Melbourne Brayshaw Tyson Harmes Oliver Salem Frost Sydney Lloyd Heeney Newman Aliir Franklin Kennedy Hewett Injuries Melbourne Hunt (ankle), Jetta (nose), Hogan (foot) Sydney Johnson (knee) Smith (back) Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Nil Umpires Dalgleish, Nicholls, Fleer Official crowd 51,424 at the MCG

THE WEIGHT by Whispering Jack Boy, you gotta carry that weight Carry that weight a long time Boy, you gonna carry that weight Carry that weight a long time” ~ Paul McCartney [Carry That Weight - Abbey Road] When Paul McCartney wrote these words in the twilight of the 1960s, the greatest force in modern popular music was at the point of disintegration. McCartney knew the Beatles were breaking up from the perspective of their personal relationships, their creativity and as a business. John Lennon had already privately left the group by the time the Abbey Road album was released and McCartney publicly quit in 1970. The weight of greatness was sitting heavily on his shoulders and he knew it would do so for a very long time. The parallel event in the world of sport always struck me as being the story of the fall of the Melbourne Football Club earlier in that decade when both were at the height of their powers. The Demons lost Ron Barassi, the club’s on-ground spiritual leader when he defected to Carlton in December of their premiership year, 1964, then in the middle of the following season, their committee sacked and quickly reinstated Norm Smith who coached them to six flags in a decade. The disintegration came swiftly; the weight of the club’s golden era remains hanging oppressively over the club to this day, despite some brief periods of respite over the past half century and more. And in the current decade, the one foe that seems to have forced Melbourne into a state of submission more than any other is Sydney. Ironically, this period began well for the Demons with a 73 point victory over the Swans at the MCG in Round 17, 2010. It was coach Paul Roos’ biggest defeat whilst at the helm of the visitors. The opening round of the following season saw John Longmire's first game as the Sydney Swans coach end in a draw against Melbourne, with both teams scoring 11.18.84 each. From there, things went awry for the Demons - the record has been:- • Round 8, 2012 Sydney Swans 21.12.138 defeated Melbourne 5.7.37 at the SCG • Round 15, 2013, Sydney Swans 16.20.116 defeated Melbourne 13.7.85 at the MCG • Round 6, 2014, Sydney Swans 9.15.69 defeated Melbourne 5.8.38 at the MCG • Round 6, 2015, Sydney Swans 12.16.88 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 at the MCG • Round 13, 2016, Sydney Swans 12.14.86 defeated Melbourne 4.7.31 at the SCG • Round 15, 2017, Sydney Swans 11.19.85 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 at the MCG The raw figures of battles of the recent past don’t stack up well for Melbourne and understandably, many of the club’s supporters are looking at the game with fear of another impending defeat. They’ve carried the weight for a long time but they don’t quite understand the 2018 difference. This is the first time since that losing run began that the Demons go into a game against the Swans ahead of them on the ladder and well ahead of them in terms of recent form. It’s not all that long since Sydney lost at home to the Gold Coast. A week later, they meekly capitulated to the Bombers at Etihad and last Saturday night, they barely scraped in against a crippled Collingwood that was forced to play a first gamer on Lance Franklin. Compare and contrast that with Melbourne winning by 16 goals against the Suns and its performances in hostile territory against the Cats and the Crows. The writing’s on the wall. The weight is about to be lifted. THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Sunday 12 August, 2018 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney Swans 112 wins 2 drawn At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 43 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 0 wins Sydney Swans 5 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Longmire 1 win MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 - Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M (Regional) 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 11.19.85 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 in Round 15, 2017 at the MCG Melbourne’s run came to an end under the weight of its fourth six-day break in a row. The Demons looked flat from the start and things were not helped by Tom Bugg’s punch on Callum Mills or skipper Jack Viney’s injury early in the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis HB: Christian Salem, Sam Frost, James Harmes ? Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver, Angus Brayshaw HF: Charlie Spargo, Jesse Hogan, Aaron vandenBerg F: Jeff Garlett, Tom McDonald, Bayley Fritsch Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Christian Petracca I/C: Jayden Hunt, Jay Kennedy Harris, Alex Neal-Bullen, Cameron Pedersen Emg: Mitch Hannan, Dean Kent, Bernie Vince, Sam Weideman, In: Jayden Hunt, Cameron Pedersen Out: Joel Smith (collarbone), Bernie Vince (omitted) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith, Aliir Aliir, Jake Lloyd HB: Dane Rampe, Alex Johnson, Jarrad McVeigh ? Isaac Heeney, Josh P. Kennedy, Harry Cunningham HF: George Hewett, Lance Franklin, Oliver Florent F: Will Hayward, Tom McCartin, Ben Ronke Foll: Callum Sinclair, Kieren Jack, Luke Parker I/C:Jordan Dawson, Dan Hannebery, Nic Newman, Tom Papley Emg: Darcy Cameron, Daniel Robinson, Gary Rohan, Dean Towers In: Dan Hannebery Out: Daniel Robinson (omitted) I am not normally one to ignore the past and its lessons but in this instance, I will do exactly that in declaring the Demons will overturn history and win this game comfortably. Consider Melbourne’s record in its past four outings against Sydney which have yielded a mere 23.31.169 or an average of just over 42 points per game. Last week against Gold Coast the team exceeded that figure within the first twenty-five minutes of play and, before anyone downplays the Suns entirely, they did beat the Swans a few weeks back. In other words, the Dees have turned things around considerably in 2018 and they are no longer the boring, low scoring outfit that can be pushed around by the bullies of the recent past. Nowadays, they are the highest-scoring team in the competition having booted a total of 295 goals this season, a tally that is 30 greater than the next best in the Tigers and 61 more than the Swans who are equal ninth with 234 goals. Such is their forward line power this season that they lead in inside 50s and for marks inside 50 by a fair margin. And ominously for the Sydneysiders, they are improving their rate of conversion into goals from those inside 50 entries. The Swans have most of their forward eggs in one basket - the man who they go to most times despite the fact that he’s hardly trained at all this year if you believe their coaches. But Buddy Franklin can’t do everything for them every week and he has struggled for consistency this year. He’s always the danger man but I’m not so sure that he has it in him to produce two dominant performances in a row and nor am I certain that even if he does, that it would be enough to get them home. Their winning score of 11.7.73 against a depleted Collingwood of last week would in all likelihood, not be anywhere near enough to get them over the line this time. In defence, the Swans have Aliir Aliir in a rare vein of form down back and he does have a few good lieutenants down there but it won’t be enough to dampen the multifaceted Demon fire power that is fed by the best young midfield in the competition. The times have changed, the wait is over and the weight is off our shoulders. Melbourne by 36 points.

“Boy, you gotta carry that weight Carry that weight a long time Boy, you gonna carry that weight Carry that weight a long time” ~ Paul McCartney [Carry That Weight - Abbey Road] When Paul McCartney wrote these words in the twilight of the 1960s, the greatest force in modern popular music was at the point of disintegration. McCartney knew the Beatles were breaking up from the perspective of their personal relationships, their creativity and as a business. John Lennon had already privately left the group by the time the Abbey Road album was released and McCartney publicly quit in 1970. The weight of greatness was sitting heavily on his shoulders and he knew it would do so for a very long time. The parallel event in the world of sport always struck me as being the story of the fall of the Melbourne Football Club earlier in that decade when both were at the height of their powers. The Demons lost Ron Barassi, the club’s on-ground spiritual leader when he defected to Carlton in December of their premiership year, 1964, then in the middle of the following season, their committee sacked and quickly reinstated Norm Smith who coached them to six flags in a decade. The disintegration came swiftly; the weight of the club’s golden era remains hanging oppressively over the club to this day, despite some brief periods of respite over the past half century and more. And in the current decade, the one foe that seems to have forced Melbourne into a state of submission more than any other is Sydney. Ironically, this period began well for the Demons with a 73 point victory over the Swans at the MCG in Round 17, 2010. It was coach Paul Roos’ biggest defeat whilst at the helm of the visitors. The opening round of the following season saw John Longmire's first game as the Sydney Swans coach end in a draw against Melbourne, with both teams scoring 11.18.84 each. From there, things went awry for the Demons - the record has been:- • Round 8, 2012 Sydney Swans 21.12.138 defeated Melbourne 5.7.37 at the SCG • Round 15, 2013, Sydney Swans 16.20.116 defeated Melbourne 13.7.85 at the MCG • Round 6, 2014, Sydney Swans 9.15.69 defeated Melbourne 5.8.38 at the MCG • Round 6, 2015, Sydney Swans 12.16.88 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 at the MCG • Round 13, 2016, Sydney Swans 12.14.86 defeated Melbourne 4.7.31 at the SCG • Round 15, 2017, Sydney Swans 11.19.85 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 at the MCG The raw figures of battles of the recent past don’t stack up well for Melbourne and understandably, many of the club’s supporters are looking at the game with fear of another impending defeat. They’ve carried the weight for a long time but they don’t quite understand the 2018 difference. This is the first time since that losing run began that the Demons go into a game against the Swans ahead of them on the ladder and well ahead of them in terms of recent form. It’s not all that long since Sydney lost at home to the Gold Coast. A week later, they meekly capitulated to the Bombers at Etihad and last Saturday night, they barely scraped in against a crippled Collingwood that was forced to play a first gamer on Lance Franklin. Compare and contrast that with Melbourne winning by 16 goals against the Suns and its performances in hostile territory against the Cats and the Crows. The writing’s on the wall. The weight is about to be lifted. THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Sunday 12 August, 2018 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney Swans 112 wins 2 drawn At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 43 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 0 wins Sydney Swans 5 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Longmire 1 win MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 - Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M (Regional) 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 11.19.85 defeated Melbourne 7.8.50 in Round 15, 2017 at the MCG Melbourne’s run came to an end under the weight of its fourth six-day break in a row. The Demons looked flat from the start and things were not helped by Tom Bugg’s punch on Callum Mills or skipper Jack Viney’s injury early in the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis HB: Christian Salem, Sam Frost, James Harmes ? Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver, Angus Brayshaw HF: Charlie Spargo, Jesse Hogan, Aaron vandenBerg F: Jeff Garlett, Tom McDonald, Bayley Fritsch Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Christian Petracca I/C: Jayden Hunt, Jay Kennedy Harris, Alex Neal-Bullen, Cameron Pedersen Emg: Mitch Hannan, Dean Kent, Bernie Vince, Sam Weideman, In: Jayden Hunt, Cameron Pedersen Out: Joel Smith (collarbone), Bernie Vince (omitted) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith, Aliir Aliir, Jake Lloyd HB: Dane Rampe, Alex Johnson, Jarrad McVeigh ? Isaac Heeney, Josh P. Kennedy, Harry Cunningham HF: George Hewett, Lance Franklin, Oliver Florent F: Will Hayward, Tom McCartin, Ben Ronke Foll: Callum Sinclair, Kieren Jack, Luke Parker I/C:Jordan Dawson, Dan Hannebery, Nic Newman, Tom Papley Emg: Darcy Cameron, Daniel Robinson, Gary Rohan, Dean Towers In: Dan Hannebery Out: Daniel Robinson (omitted) I am not normally one to ignore the past and its lessons but in this instance, I will do exactly that in declaring the Demons will overturn history and win this game comfortably. Consider Melbourne’s record in its past four outings against Sydney which have yielded a mere 23.31.169 or an average of just over 42 points per game. Last week against Gold Coast the team exceeded that figure within the first twenty-five minutes of play and, before anyone downplays the Suns entirely, they did beat the Swans a few weeks back. In other words, the Dees have turned things around considerably in 2018 and they are no longer the boring, low scoring outfit that can be pushed around by the bullies of the recent past. Nowadays, they are the highest-scoring team in the competition having booted a total of 295 goals this season, a tally that is 30 greater than the next best in the Tigers and 61 more than the Swans who are equal ninth with 234 goals. Such is their forward line power this season that they lead in inside 50s and for marks inside 50 by a fair margin. And ominously for the Sydneysiders, they are improving their rate of conversion into goals from those inside 50 entries. The Swans have most of their forward eggs in one basket - the man who they go to most times despite the fact that he’s hardly trained at all this year if you believe their coaches. But Buddy Franklin can’t do everything for them every week and he has struggled for consistency this year. He’s always the danger man but I’m not so sure that he has it in him to produce two dominant performances in a row and nor am I certain that even if he does, that it would be enough to get them home. Their winning score of 11.7.73 against a depleted Collingwood of last week would in all likelihood, not be anywhere near enough to get them over the line this time. In defence, the Swans have Aliir Aliir in a rare vein of form down back and he does have a few good lieutenants down there but it won’t be enough to dampen the multifaceted Demon fire power that is fed by the best young midfield in the competition. The times have changed, the wait is over and the weight is off our shoulders. Melbourne by 36 points.

Sydney was soggy, the ground was boggy and Dees were pummeled into submission. Buddy was at his best. SYDNEY SWANS B: Jeremy Laidler, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith HB: Jarrad McVeigh, Dane Rampe, Zak Jones C: Callum Mills, John P Kennedy, Isaac Heeney HF: Dan Hannebery, Lance Franklin, James Rose F: Luke Parker, Gary Rohan, Ben McGlynn FOLL: Callum Sinclair, Tom Mitchell, Kieren Jack I/C: Aliir Aliir, George Hewett, Toby Nankervis, Dean Towers EMG: Tyrone Leonardis, Jake Lloyd, Sam Naismith, IN: Allir Allir, George Hewett, Toby Nankervis, Dean Towers OUT: Harry Cunningham (omitted), Jeremy Laidler (knee), Harrison Marsh (hamstring), Kurt Tippet (hamstring) MELBOURNE B: Tomas Bugg, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Billy Stretch, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner C: Jack Viney, Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince HF: Dean Kent, Jack Watts, Aaron vandenBerg F: Sam Frost, Jesse Hogan, Chris Dawes FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Jayden Hunt, Ben Kennedy, Clayton Oliver, Jack Trengove EMG: Jack Grimes, James Harmes, Viv Michie NO CHANGE

ANOTHER FAIRY TALE FRACTURED by George on the Outer On a Saturday when the Saints come back from 10 goals down, and the Giants beat the reigning premier, the stage was set for a fairy-tale triple header with Melbourne facing the in-form Sydney. And while there was some sort of comeback as the Demons kicked five or the last six goals to add some respectability to the score, a first half solitary goal and a six goal deficit meant the match was over by half-time. The only fairy-tale was a first game, first kick goal by Billy Stretch, but given that was all the Demons could muster in 50 minutes of football, only those supporters who believed in fairies had any hope of a resurgence. The Swans showed the Demons what was necessary to play top-line AFL football but sadly the message will bypass many who took to the field. They are simply not up to AFL standard themselves and show no promise of ever reaching that standard. Tommy Mac and Nathan Jones know what it is all about, but the critical observation is that the next best of our players, Hogan, Lamumba, Vince, Cross, Tyson, Brayshaw, Salem and Garlett werent at the club 2 years ago. The team is still filled with the old guard who learnt their football from the likes of a player who had gone west and found out that discipline and commitment is a prerequisite to getting a game. The simple lack of depth of quality in the side is now strikingly apparent. Many have questioned how Watts, Howe and others continue to get a game, rightly so. Stretch, a draftee who didnt play last week is called up to the senior list to fill a gap. Spencer is elevated to the firsts, yet cannot jump off the ground, kick nor mark the ball to this day. And when Dawes and Tyson sustain leg/knee injuries during the game and can only move at half pace, the stocks become even lower. Meanwhile, down at Casey who is pushing to replace these types.no-one of merit. The names that keep getting suggested on this site are those that have been tried and failed before. And so the senior list is filled with these NQR players. The few glimmers of hope for the fans is that there is some genuine talent already here. Hogan continues to impress, Salem is poetry in motion and has that fierce desire to compete at all times. Stretch, even in his first game, was not overwhelmed and although still lightly built has skills similar to his old man. Tom McDonald continues to grow each week and surely must be a certainty for AA selection on his current form. He has played on the best forwards in the competition and has nullified the likes of Cameron, Riewoldt, Walker and now Franklin. His determination and emergence as a player who last year had disposal and decision making problems is a true credit to himself. Yes, the fairy tale wasnt forthcoming. Yes, we werent blown away by a team that played in a Grand Final only 7 matches ago, and that surely shows some improvement from where we were. And yes, there are some players who will develop into something special. If we want some fairy-tales to emerge they will only happen with hard work. They wont happen for those players who are living the dream and nothing more. For them the fairy tale will become fractured in 3 or 4 months time! Melbourne 1.1.7 1.3.9 4.5.29 7.8.50 Sydney Swans 4.3 7.6 11.9.75 12.16.88 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 2 Dawes Newton Stretch Sydney Swans Tippett 4 Kennedy 2 Goodes Hannebery Jetta McGlynn Parker, Pyke Best Melbourne T McDonald Salem N Jones Hogan Vince Sydney Swans Mitchell Kennedy Tippett Jack Parker Jetta McVeigh Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Injuries Melbourne Dawes (right knee) Tyson (left knee) Sydney Swans Hannebery (left ankle) Heeney (right knee) Lloyd (ankle) Substitutions Melbourne Watts replaced Pedersen in the third quarter. Sydney Swans Goodes replaced Heeney in the second quarter. Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Umpires Margetts Findlay Harris Official Crowd 26,894 at the MCG

THE BUBBLE by JVM Now that the Melbourne "bubble" has burst after that hammering it took from Fremantle last Sunday, the fans are wondering how the team will respond. Will the Demons come back from the thrashing in the same way that the young Western Bulldogs did in the aftermath of the 70 point debacle meted out by Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium in Round 3 or will they slip into their collective shells and allow their season to descend back into the mire they have inhabited for the best part of a decade? Well, the answer will be known as early as next Saturday night when Melbourne plays the shaky Sydney Swans at the MCG. I say "shaky" because after winning their first three games of the season, they have uncharacteristically lost successive games to in form clubs Fremantle and the Bulldogs. The Swans have travelled extensively so far this season and have also played games in heavy conditions such as last Saturday at the boggy SCG. They are a very good team that many believe to be strongly in contention for a top four berth and they are also vulnerable but it remains to be seen whether the Demons have the necessary ammunition to take advantage of that vulnerability given how their on ballers were taken apart by the Dockers and the Swans midfield division at full strength is only marginally less formidable. My final lament is that Paul Roos was a fantastic coach at the Sydney Swans and imbued that club with a great footy culture which one hopes will be emulated during his stay at Melbourne but I wish that some of the Swans players would only have followed the lead of the lads up at Gold Coast and gotten on the turps during the week. Instead, they have what is virtually a full list to select their team this week. THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Saturday 9 May 2015 at 7.20p.m HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney Swans 109 wins 2 drawn At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 41 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 0 wins Sydney Swans 4 wins 1 drawn The Coaches Roos 0 wins Longmire 1 win MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 at 7:00pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne $5.05 to win Sydney Swans $1.17 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 9.15.69 defeated Melbourne 5.9.39 in Round 6, 2014 at the MCG. The Demons managed to hold Buddy Franklin in check although the Swans' star might have had his head elsewhere a day after stacking his girlfriend's car but the Sydney midfield was in control and gradually wore down and then overwhelmed the home side. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland Tom McDonald Jeremy Howe HB: Christian Salem Lynden Dunn Heritier Lumumba C: Jimmy Toumpas Bernie Vince Daniel Cross HF: Jeff Garlett Jesse Hogan Jay Kennedy-Harris F: Cameron Pedersen Chris Dawes Angus Brayshaw FOLL: Jake Spencer Nathan Jones Dom Tyson I/C: Ben Newton Billy Stretch Aaron Vandenberg Jack Watts EMG: Rohan Bail Jack Fitzpatrick Mark Jamar IN: Chris Dawes Jake Spencer Billy Stretch Jimmy Toumpas OUT: Jack Grimes Mark Jamar Jordie McKenzie Viv Michie (all omitted) NEW: Billy Stretch (Glenelg, SA) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith Ted Richards Rhyce Shaw HB: Jeremy Laidler Heath Grundy Lewis Jetta C: Jarrad McVeigh Josh P. Kennedy Dane Rampe HF: Gary Rohan Lance Franklin Dan Hannebery F: Luke Parker Kurt Tippett Sam Reid FOLL: Mike Pyke Kieren Jack Tom Mitchell I/C: Adam Goodes Isaac Heeney Jake Lloyd Ben McGlynn EMG: Craig Bird Harry Cunningham Dean Towers IN: Isaac Heeney Ben McGlynn Sam Reid ​OUT: Craig Bird Harry Cunningham Dean Towers In the competitive environment that is the AFL today, no game is an easy one but the Pink Lady game against the Sydney Swans is one of a trio of consecutive tough contests for the Melbourne Football Club. Fremantle, Sydney and Hawthorn are in most people's estimation the AFL's top four contenders for this year's flag - the other, Port Adelaide looms not all that far away either. As in most sports, an emerging competitor will get the most out of playing against stronger opponents and in this respect, the Demons have a lot to gain out of this three week run. Last week, Freo was too strong and there's no way you can take much home from an 11 goal pounding. True, Melbourne was once again poor in front of goals but the reality was that it was Fremantle's pressure that often caused the mistakes and the pressure was generated initially by that powerful on ball division. This week there will be no respite because, although the Swans might not have an Aaron Sandilands or a Nathan Fyfe, they're not all that far behind and of course, they have those twin towers in Franklin and Tippett to capitalise on a winning midfield. The Demons were down at the coal face last week with a significantly lower possession count in the middle of the ground suggesting they were well beaten at the stoppages and also around the ground where they were often outpaced. This week's team selection seems to be aimed at rectifying this. Mark Jamar's omission appears to be a combination of preservation of the team's leading ruckman and a reward for the boundless enthusiasm of Jake Spencer who has been out of the game for a full season after single handedly carrying the rucks in the early part of 2015. Chris Dawes was need to provide the foil for young Jesse Hogan, forced last week to do all the hard forward line work on his own. Billy Stretch and Jimmy Toumpas will add some run on the outside although I anticipate that Stretch will be eased into the game as a sub. There will be some great match ups in this game with Tom McDonald v Lance Franklin looming as a real beauty but Melbourne will have a tough task to win in enough positions to cause an upset and I think it will fall short. Sydney Swans by 25 points.

On a Saturday when the Saints come back from 10 goals down, and the Giants beat the reigning premier, the stage was set for a fairy-tale triple header with Melbourne facing the in-form Sydney. And while there was some sort of comeback as the Demons kicked five or the last six goals to add some respectability to the score, a first half solitary goal and a six goal deficit meant the match was over by half-time. The only fairy-tale was a first game, first kick goal by Billy Stretch, but given that was all the Demons could muster in 50 minutes of football, only those supporters who believed in fairies had any hope of a resurgence. The Swans showed the Demons what was necessary to play top-line AFL football but sadly the message will bypass many who took to the field. They are simply not up to AFL standard themselves and show no promise of ever reaching that standard. Tommy Mac and Nathan Jones know what it is all about, but the critical observation is that the next best of our players, Hogan, Lamumba, Vince, Cross, Tyson, Brayshaw, Salem and Garlett werent at the club 2 years ago. The team is still filled with the old guard who learnt their football from the likes of a player who had gone west and found out that discipline and commitment is a prerequisite to getting a game. The simple lack of depth of quality in the side is now strikingly apparent. Many have questioned how Watts, Howe and others continue to get a game, rightly so. Stretch, a draftee who didnt play last week is called up to the senior list to fill a gap. Spencer is elevated to the firsts, yet cannot jump off the ground, kick nor mark the ball to this day. And when Dawes and Tyson sustain leg/knee injuries during the game and can only move at half pace, the stocks become even lower. Meanwhile, down at Casey who is pushing to replace these types.no-one of merit. The names that keep getting suggested on this site are those that have been tried and failed before. And so the senior list is filled with these NQR players. The few glimmers of hope for the fans is that there is some genuine talent already here. Hogan continues to impress, Salem is poetry in motion and has that fierce desire to compete at all times. Stretch, even in his first game, was not overwhelmed and although still lightly built has skills similar to his old man. Tom McDonald continues to grow each week and surely must be a certainty for AA selection on his current form. He has played on the best forwards in the competition and has nullified the likes of Cameron, Riewoldt, Walker and now Franklin. His determination and emergence as a player who last year had disposal and decision making problems is a true credit to himself. Yes, the fairy tale wasnt forthcoming. Yes, we werent blown away by a team that played in a Grand Final only 7 matches ago, and that surely shows some improvement from where we were. And yes, there are some players who will develop into something special. If we want some fairy-tales to emerge they will only happen with hard work. They wont happen for those players who are living the dream and nothing more. For them the fairy tale will become fractured in 3 or 4 months time! Melbourne 1.1.7 1.3.9 4.5.29 7.8.50 Sydney Swans 4.3 7.6 11.9.75 12.16.88 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 2 Dawes Newton Stretch Sydney Swans Tippett 4 Kennedy 2 Goodes Hannebery Jetta McGlynn Parker, Pyke Best Melbourne T McDonald Salem N Jones Hogan Vince Sydney Swans Mitchell Kennedy Tippett Jack Parker Jetta McVeigh Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Injuries Melbourne Dawes (right knee) Tyson (left knee) Sydney Swans Hannebery (left ankle) Heeney (right knee) Lloyd (ankle) Substitutions Melbourne Watts replaced Pedersen in the third quarter. Sydney Swans Goodes replaced Heeney in the second quarter. Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Umpires Margetts Findlay Harris Official Crowd 26,894 at the MCG

Now that the Melbourne "bubble" has burst after that hammering it took from Fremantle last Sunday, the fans are wondering how the team will respond. Will the Demons come back from the thrashing in the same way that the young Western Bulldogs did in the aftermath of the 70 point debacle meted out by Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium in Round 3 or will they slip into their collective shells and allow their season to descend back into the mire they have inhabited for the best part of a decade? Well, the answer will be known as early as next Saturday night when Melbourne plays the shaky Sydney Swans at the MCG. I say "shaky" because after winning their first three games of the season, they have uncharacteristically lost successive games to in form clubs Fremantle and the Bulldogs. The Swans have travelled extensively so far this season and have also played games in heavy conditions such as last Saturday at the boggy SCG. They are a very good team that many believe to be strongly in contention for a top four berth and they are also vulnerable but it remains to be seen whether the Demons have the necessary ammunition to take advantage of that vulnerability given how their on ballers were taken apart by the Dockers and the Swans midfield division at full strength is only marginally less formidable. My final lament is that Paul Roos was a fantastic coach at the Sydney Swans and imbued that club with a great footy culture which one hopes will be emulated during his stay at Melbourne but I wish that some of the Swans players would only have followed the lead of the lads up at Gold Coast and gotten on the turps during the week. Instead, they have what is virtually a full list to select their team this week. THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Saturday 9 May 2015 at 7.20p.m HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney Swans 109 wins 2 drawn At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 41 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 0 wins Sydney Swans 4 wins 1 drawn The Coaches Roos 0 wins Longmire 1 win MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 at 7:00pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne $5.05 to win Sydney Swans $1.17 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 9.15.69 defeated Melbourne 5.9.39 in Round 6, 2014 at the MCG. The Demons managed to hold Buddy Franklin in check although the Swans' star might have had his head elsewhere a day after stacking his girlfriend's car but the Sydney midfield was in control and gradually wore down and then overwhelmed the home side. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland Tom McDonald Jeremy Howe HB: Christian Salem Lynden Dunn Heritier Lumumba C: Jimmy Toumpas Bernie Vince Daniel Cross HF: Jeff Garlett Jesse Hogan Jay Kennedy-Harris F: Cameron Pedersen Chris Dawes Angus Brayshaw FOLL: Jake Spencer Nathan Jones Dom Tyson I/C: Ben Newton Billy Stretch Aaron Vandenberg Jack Watts EMG: Rohan Bail Jack Fitzpatrick Mark Jamar IN: Chris Dawes Jake Spencer Billy Stretch Jimmy Toumpas OUT: Jack Grimes Mark Jamar Jordie McKenzie Viv Michie (all omitted) NEW: Billy Stretch (Glenelg, SA) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith Ted Richards Rhyce Shaw HB: Jeremy Laidler Heath Grundy Lewis Jetta C: Jarrad McVeigh Josh P. Kennedy Dane Rampe HF: Gary Rohan Lance Franklin Dan Hannebery F: Luke Parker Kurt Tippett Sam Reid FOLL: Mike Pyke Kieren Jack Tom Mitchell I/C: Adam Goodes Isaac Heeney Jake Lloyd Ben McGlynn EMG: Craig Bird Harry Cunningham Dean Towers IN: Isaac Heeney Ben McGlynn Sam Reid ​OUT: Craig Bird Harry Cunningham Dean Towers In the competitive environment that is the AFL today, no game is an easy one but the Pink Lady game against the Sydney Swans is one of a trio of consecutive tough contests for the Melbourne Football Club. Fremantle, Sydney and Hawthorn are in most people's estimation the AFL's top four contenders for this year's flag - the other, Port Adelaide looms not all that far away either. As in most sports, an emerging competitor will get the most out of playing against stronger opponents and in this respect, the Demons have a lot to gain out of this three week run. Last week, Freo was too strong and there's no way you can take much home from an 11 goal pounding. True, Melbourne was once again poor in front of goals but the reality was that it was Fremantle's pressure that often caused the mistakes and the pressure was generated initially by that powerful on ball division. This week there will be no respite because, although the Swans might not have an Aaron Sandilands or a Nathan Fyfe, they're not all that far behind and of course, they have those twin towers in Franklin and Tippett to capitalise on a winning midfield. The Demons were down at the coal face last week with a significantly lower possession count in the middle of the ground suggesting they were well beaten at the stoppages and also around the ground where they were often outpaced. This week's team selection seems to be aimed at rectifying this. Mark Jamar's omission appears to be a combination of preservation of the team's leading ruckman and a reward for the boundless enthusiasm of Jake Spencer who has been out of the game for a full season after single handedly carrying the rucks in the early part of 2015. Chris Dawes was need to provide the foil for young Jesse Hogan, forced last week to do all the hard forward line work on his own. Billy Stretch and Jimmy Toumpas will add some run on the outside although I anticipate that Stretch will be eased into the game as a sub. There will be some great match ups in this game with Tom McDonald v Lance Franklin looming as a real beauty but Melbourne will have a tough task to win in enough positions to cause an upset and I think it will fall short. Sydney Swans by 25 points.

We didn't score much but by golly, we put up a fight. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Alex Georgiou, Lynden Dunn, Dean Terlich HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes C: Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince, Jack Watts HF: Matt Jones, Chris Dawes, Jack Viney F: Cam Pedersen, James Frawley, Rohan Bail FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Shannon Byrnes, Neville Jetta, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Christian Salem EMG: Mitch Clisby, Daniel Nicholson, Jake Spencer In: Shannon Byrnes, Mark Jamar, Christian Salem Out: Jake Spencer, Michael Evans, Jordie McKenzie New: Christian Salem (18, Sandringham Dragons) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith, Ted Richards, Dane Rampe HB: Nick Malceski, Heath Grundy, Rhyce Shaw C: Daniel Hannebery, Josh Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh HF: Ben McGlynn, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Leroy Jetta F: Luke Parker, Lance Franklin, Adam Goodes FOLL: Mike Pyke, Kieren Jack, Harry Cunningham I/C: Craig Bird, Tom Derickx, Jeremy Laidler, Jake Lloyd EMG: Brandon Jack, Zak Jones, Sam Reid In: Adam Goodes Out: Brandon Jack

It was a strange game. After 11 minutes, the Sydney Swans had booted four of the game's first five goals and after that the two sides went goal for goal through to the end. Of course, the reigning premiers dominated the clearances at centre bounces and at stoppages around the ground and they went through passages (particularly in the second term where their kicking for goal was atrocious) but in the context of this year's results, a 31 point loss at the hands of such quality opposition was almost a win for the Demons. The Swans' poor kicking for goal was offset by some gift goals courtesy of the men in blue and this leads me to wonder whether the outcome was an encouraging result or just another defeat. Melbourne's well documented midfield deficiencies were exposed once again, this time against one of the best units in the business. Kennedy, McVeigh, Hannebery and K Jack were outstanding whereas the Demons' best on baller Nathan Jones, whilst still workmanlike, was pretty well covered. Mumford shaded Max Gawn in the ruck duels but the young emerging Demon worked hard around the ground where his contribution was more than useful. The pleasing part was that although comprehensively beaten in the game's engine room, Melbourne did well everywhere else. James Frawley was strong in defence until injured and the likes of Dean Terlich, Colin Garland and Tom McDonald more than held their own. Mitch Clisby, despite giving away that controversial goal with the non kick out that went wrong, continues to impress in the early days of his career. Jack Fitzpatrick, played his best game yet for the club up forward to finish with three goals. He presented well, marked cleanly and gave some good run at ground level. Jeremy Howe booted two, as did Chris Dawes and all that was needed to make it an even closer contest was a forward line crumber to milk a few sucker free kicks and score opportunist goals in the same vein as Sydney's B. Jack. Speaking of free kicks that end up in goals, there were a few rippers today that weren't paid which ended up in goals for the Swans. The most glaring was the holding the ball decision not paid against Tippett during the last quarter, that gave McVeigh a stolen goal that seemed to snuff out any resistance left in the Demons. There's definitely more spirit in the players. It was good to see the return of Jack Grimes. His co-skipper Jack Trengove is slowly working his way back to form and the fact that youngsters like Jimmy Toumpas, Dean Kent and Clisby are getting games into their young legs all add up to the fact that things are more encouraging and that it wasn't just another defeat. Melbourne 3.1.19 5.2.32 8.5.53 13.7.85 Sydney Swans 5.3.33 9.13.67 13.18.96 16.20.116 Goals Melbourne Fitzpatrick 3 Dawes Howe Watts 2 Davey N Jones Nicholson Trengove Sydney Swans B Jack 4 Bird Tippett 2 Everitt K Jack Lamb McVeigh Mitchell O'Keefe Parker Pyke Best MelbourneTerlich Fitzpatrick N Jones Trengove McDonald Gawn Sydney Swans K Jack O'Keefe Kennedy Mitchell McVeigh Bird B Jack Injuries Melbourne Frawley (hamstring tightness) Sydney Swans Reid (quad) Changes MelbourneNil SydneyNil Reports MelbourneNil SydneyNil Umpires Hay, Harris, Mollison Official crowd 26,216 at the MCG