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Our game is one where the result is often decided by centimetres; the touch of a fingernail, a split-second decision made by a player or official, the angle of vision or the random movement of an oblong ball in flight or in its bounce and trajectory. There is one habit that Melbourne seems to have developed of late in its games against Carlton which is that the Demons keep finding themselves on the wrong end of the stick in terms of the fine line in close games at times when centimetres make the difference. Ironically, the match was lost yesterday when they allowed the Blues to avoid a close contest scenario until the very end when it was just about too late. After Ed Langdon failed to score with the first shot at goal for the game, Carlton added five goals to nothing for the remainder of the opening stanza, leaving the gap of a bridge that was literally less than a centimetre too far for a Melbourne victory. Supporters of the Bluebaggers were pinching themselves with delight as their team piled on the goals, many of them scored by Demon errors such as the simple failure to cover spaces from which the opposition could score easily. The failure to apply sufficient pressure was palpable. Melbourne had equal opportunities, even early to hit the scoreboard. They went into attack often enough but the entry was poor, the forwards were sluggish and the Carlton defence stood firm against a forward line in disarray. Was it the curse of the five day break - or something else? It took until ten minutes into the second quarter when they were trailing by six goals to nothing, for Melbourne to register its first score for the night through the man who was it’s “almost” hero in Christian Petracca who had been sent forward to enable a change in the mix. It was one change that worked although it also meant that for a large part of the game, the Carlton midfield, led by Cripps and Walsh had the upper hand. When you have that upper hand - in this case thanks to a head start and efficiency in front of the big sticks, then you force the other side into pushing it uphill in an arm wrestle, particularly when the rain comes down making a comeback even more difficult. Petracca persisted, Alex Neal-Bullen worked his butt off, Steven May was a tower of strength in defence but most of the side battled and, in the final analysis they just failed to reel in a deficit which, at one stage in the third quarter was as substantial as 38 points. But they never gave up. In the final term, they dug deep and their superior fitness, notwithstanding the shorter break between games, saw them fall short by a single point, making it the third time in as many games against Carlton that Melbourne lost a game, despite having more scoring shots. After the game, coach Simon Goodwin reflected: "We gave a really good side a 6-goal start but our responsibility as a footy club is to rock up and compete in a way that keeps you in the game." All of that is true. The team can take some solace from the fact that they refused to lie down and supporters should take that away from the game instead of lamenting about the general run of the umpiring, dodgy score reviews, a deliberate out of bounds not picked up, a late shot that hit the behind post and even the Petracca surge forward that resulted in him being brought down when a few centimetres could have made all the difference and allowed one last move forward to at least tie the score (important in an 8-point game). None of those things matter when you concede so much in the opening third part of a game against a team that’s more effective in front of the goals. What does matter is that you fight it out to the last second and the very last centimetre. MELBOURNE 0.0.0 3.1.19 7.6.48 11.10.76 CARLTON 5.0.30 8.2.50 11.4.70 12.5.77 GOALS MELBOURNE Petracca 5 Fritsch Gawn Pickett Turner van Rooyen Windsor CARLTON Owies 3 Curnow 2 Cripps De Koning Hewett McKay Martin Pittonet Walsh BEST MELBOURNE Petracca May Neal-Bullen Viney Gawn Langdon CARLTON Cripps Walsh Weitering Kennedy O Hollands Curnow REPORTS MELBOURNE Nil CARLTON Nil INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil CARLTON Pittonet (finger) Cerra (hamstring) SUBSTITUTIONS MELBOURNE Taj Woewodin (replaced Bowey in the fourth quarter) CARLTON George Hewett (replaced Cerra in the third quarter) UMPIRES Matt Stevic Curtis Deboy Nathan Williamson Jacob Mollison CROWD 58,472 at the MCG

In days of old, this week’s Thursday night AFL match up between the Demons and the Blues would be framed on the basis of the need to redress the fact that Carlton “stole” last year’s semi final away from Melbourne and with it, their hopes for the premiership. A hot gospelling coach might point out to his charges that they were the better team on the night in all facets and that poor kicking for goal and a couple of lapses at the death cost them what was rightfully theirs. Moreover, now was the time for revenge. Those days are over and cooler heads will prevail. What happened last September is history and besides, it’s actually a different team with some new faces, a team that’s travelling nicely with five players having less than 10 AFL games under their belts. It’s time to take care of business in a raw, unemotional way, much the same as how the club has been going about things since the beginning of the year. Just as it did on its recent business trip to Adelaide when the assignment was to win two matches against the local clubs on the same ground and with only five days separating the games. In Adelaide, much ado was made about the belief that by the end of the second game, the Demons would be sapped of energy and that this factor could cost them the win. In the end, the tempo of the game slowed down and their pressure levels were lower but the win was never in doubt. The club’s fitness levels were modified by less intense training in the lead up to the game to ensure that fatigue was kept to a minimum. The Blues will also be looking at their own training schedule in their approach to the week and their second six day break on end is also not ideal. Melbourne has other advantages in the lead up to Thursday night. It has the momentum of two consecutive wins, albeit that neither of them was pretty but one of them at least was against the then form team of the competition, the undefeated Cats. Moreover, they were able to select an unchanged line up for that encounter and suffered no new injuries. At this point in time, the Demons’ selectors have the benefit of picking the best team for the job at hand from a group of in form players. This is in distinct contrast to their opponents in Carlton. While the Blues started the 2024 season in ripping form, they have lost the past two games and three of their last four. Coming up against stronger sides, they have wilted and reverted to a one-dimensional style which depends on their twin towers firing on all cylinders. Their problem is that, as good as they are, Curnow and McKay are coming up against the best of the best defences in the competition. As strong as their midfield might be, the Demons have the wherewithal in the middle to counter them plus plenty of outside run with Ed Langdon and this week’s rising star Caleb Windsor taking care of business in that department. And let’s not forget that it’s a department headed by the player acclaimed as the best ruckman in the business. So much so, that he only needs to be called by his first name — Max! There have been questions raised about Melbourne’s attack in the past, and rightly so. However, as demonstrated to the football world as late as last week in its game against Geelong, Bayley Fritsch and Kysaiah Pickett are two of the competition’s most dangerous forwards. And while Harry Petty and Jacob van Rooyen are not at the same level as the Carlton pairing, they have shown a capacity to get among the goals while Alex Neal-Bullen is also very capable and regarded as the epitome of the high half forward of football. So, there’s no need to get up in arms and enraged about losing those contests last year or to lose our heads over the revenge factor. The Melbourne Business Plan will take care of things. Demons by 19 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG Thursday 9 May 2024 at 7.30pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Carlton 119 wins Melbourne 97 wins Drawn 2 At the MCG Carlton 52 wins Melbourne 56 wins Past five meetings Carlton 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches Voss 2 wins Goodwin 2 wins THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 11.7.73 defeated Melbourne 9.17.71 at the MCG Semi Final 2024 The Demons dominated the general play for most of the night but their inability to trouble the scoreboard and some panicky decision making in the game’s final moments proved fatal to their chances of advancing to the preliminary final stage of the season. It was truly the stuff of frustration and dare we say it, very unbusinesslike! THE TEAMS CARLTON B B. Kemp, J. Weitering, L. Cowan HB A. Cincotta, M. McGovern, N. Newman C O. Hollands, P. Cripps, B. Acres HF J. Martin, H. McKay, E. Hollands F M. Owies, C. Curnow, T. De Koning FOLL M, Pittonet, S. Walsh, M. Kennedy I/C J. Boyd, A. Cerra, M. Cottrell, C. Durdin SUB G. Hewett EMG D. Cuningham, O. Fantasia, L. Young IN B. Kemp, O. Hollands, M. McGovern, J. Martin OUT D. Cuningham (omitted), O. Fantasia (omitted), Z.Williams (glute soreness), L. Young (omitted) MELBOURNE B B. Howes, S. May, T. Rivers HB J. McVee, J. Lever, T. McDonald C J. Billings, C. Oliver, C. Windsor HF E. Langdon, H. Petty, K Pickett JF J. van Rooyen, B. Fritsch, D. Turner FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, C. Petracca I/C J. Bowey, K. Chandler, A. Neal-Bullen, T. Sparrow SUB T. Woewodin EMG B. Brown M. Hore, B. Laurie IN J. Bowey OUT B. Laurie (omitted) Injury List: Round 9
 Jake Bowey — shoulder / Available Josh Schache — Achilles/ Test Christian Salem — hamstring / 1 - 2 weeks 
Charlie Spargo — Achilles / 2 - 3 weeks
Jake Melksham — knee / 5 - 7 weeks

The one that got away. MELBOURNE 3.3.21 4.7.31 7.11.53 9.17.71 CARLTON 2.2.14 5.3.33 7.5.47 11.7.73 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B J. Lever A. Tomlinson J. Bowey HB J. McVee S. May C. Salem C L. Hunter C. Oliver E. Langdon HF J. Jordon B. Fritsch C. Petracca F T. Sparrow McDonald A. Neal-Bullen FOLL M. Gawn, J. Viney, K. Pickett I/C K. Chandler T. Rivers J. Smith C. Spargo SUB J. Schache EMG B. Grundy M. Hibberd B. Laurie IN J. Jordon J. Schache C. Spargo A. Tomlinson OUT A. Brayshaw (concussion) M. Hibberd (omitted) B. Laurie (omitted) J. van Rooyen (suspended) CARLTON B B. Kemp J. Weitering N. Newman HB A. Cincotta M. McGovern A. Saad C B. Acres P. Cripps M. Cottrell HF S. Docherty T. De Koning M. Owies F L. Fogarty C. Curnow J. Motlop FOLL M. Pittonet A. Cerra S. Walsh I/C D. Cunningham G. Hewett M. Kennedy C. Marchbank SUB O. Hollands EMG P. Dow S. Durdin Z. Fisher IN O. Hollands M. Kennedy OUT H. McKay (hamstring) J. Martin (suspended)

Remember when the Demons could get out of tight spots and come from behind to win the close ones? MELBOURNE 1.2.8 4.6.30 7.11.53 11.13.79 CARLTON 1.3.9 3.4.22 7.8.50 10.14.74 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B:T. Rivers 24 J. Lever 8 H.Petty 35 HB: T. Sparrow 32 S. May 1 J. Jordon 23 C: C. Salem 3 C Oliver 13 E. Langdon 15 HF: A. Brayshaw 10 B. Fritsch 31 A. Neal-Bullen 30 F: C. Spargo 9 B. Brown 50 K. Pickett 36 Foll: M. Gawn 11 J.Viney 7 C. Petracca 5 I/C: M. Hibberd 14 J. Hunt 29 L. Jackson 7 J. Melksham 18 Sub: J. Harmes 4 Emerg: B.Laurie 16 A. Tomlinson 20 J.Van Rooyen 21 No change CARLTON B: A.Saad 42 J.Weitering 23 S.Docherty 15 HB: C.Marchbank 22 M.McGovern 11 L.Young 33 C: L.O'Brien 4 P.Cripps 9 J.Newnes 32 HF: Z.Fisher 25 H.McKay 10 J.Silvagni 1 F: M.Owies 44 C.Curnow 30 C.Durdin 19 Foll: M.Pittonet 27 W.Setterfield 43 S.Walsh 18 I/C: M.Cottrell 46 J.Martin 21 J.Motlop 3 L.Stocker 13 Sub: P.Dow 2 Emerg: T. De Koning 12 B.Kemp 17 In: M.Pittonet L.Stocker Out: A.Cerra (adductor) T. De Koning (omitted)

With the game against Carlton all but lost, there was little chance the Demons could pull this one from out of the fire … with a little bit of magiK! MagiK with a “K” in the form of Kysaiah Pickett, who miraculously managed to get foot to ball in the dying seconds to secure the win for the Demons. Along with plenty of magiK from Jake MelKsham during the game. Marking the ball while lying on his back, dancing through a bevy of Carlton backmen to score and then marking among three taller Carlton defenders with little more a minute left on the clock to bring the score back to a difference of a point. It was as though Jake had found the Ed Langdon invisibility cloak, because he had no right to do any of those things. The game was interesting, but a very, very different spectacle than when we normally watch the Demons in action. Carlton came with a strange game plan, which very nearly worked and would have done so if they had stuck to it. It was the simple tactic of man-on-man, one-on-one. This meant that space wasn’t available for the Melbourne players, it meant they had to beat their opponent, but even if they did the next contest was the same. All around the ground it resulted in contest after contest, and while that normally suits the Demons, because of their strong mids, there are others in the side who don’t like it at all. And from the spectator’s perspective it results in a fairly boring slog of a game. How often was it with each side that, having won the ball, players would look up field, unable to find the next target, because they were already covered? Well it worked for the majority of the match, until Charlie Curnow put through a major with three minutes to go. Then inexplicably Carlton sent extra players on to the ball. With 2 minutes to go, Melbourne players were free in the middle of the ground and out the back. So when Carlton cleared in the first instance Max Gawn pumped the ball back into Melksham to score. Then with a minute to go, the same. A clearing kick is gobbled by Jake Lever, Steven May and Jayden Hunt is all free in the middle of the ground. The ball is pumped long forward and Melksham and Pickett do their magiK again. That was the result, albeit in unusual circumstances but it could have been very different. It had all too many similarities to both the Collingwood and Bulldogs games. The Demons are simply keeping opposition teams in the game due to their lack of fire-power up forward. They got away with it this week, but still continue to squander opportunities from poor kicking, and insufficient tall targets. 58 forward 50 entries for 11 goals. Once again BIg Ben Brown is expected to fulfil the roles of FF and CHF on a dodgy knee. Max kicks one goal this week, and Jackson none. Why does coach Simon Goodwin continue to plant them down there when the outcome is the same. Surely, he We cannot expect Melksham, Fritsch or Pickett to kick 4,5 or 6 goals in every game to win it. Especially with both Kozzy and Brown hobbling around on one leg. Down back the defenders once again did a great job. Petty towelled up the Coleman medal leader in Curnow to hold him to a single major and that was in the dying three minutes. May and McKay (that one Scottish K) had a superb contest with neither able to claim a victory. But Jake Lever was out of touch from his usual high standards, and managed only one mark and four intercepts. Jayden Hunt, however, filled in with nine intercepts topped off by his influence in those dying seconds. Alex Neal-Bullen was given a bath by Saad, and is one who cannot provide any surety in the one-on-one scenario that Carlton used. Charlie Spargo likewise, and a paltry four disposals for 28 metres gained will surely see better options used in his place next week. Are there other injuries plaguing the side? Ed Langdon actually had time off the ground this week, a scenario unheard of this season. Luke Jackson only played 64% game time. Is there something going on which is not for public display? Fortunately, we have another MagiK performer in Angus Brayshaw, who has replicated himself so that he plays midfield, backline and wing. Surely there were two of him on the ground to pick up 38 possessions, including 19 contested touches. Next up is Brisbane and a win guarantees the much valued top four position. This game will be very different to what was witnessed in this one. The Saints would have put them to the sword had they to kicked straight. But they play a more open style and not the same degree of pressure that we have experienced in the past weeks. Then again, Melbourne’s kicking in front of goal has hardly been a forte. Perhaps it needs just a little more MagiK! MELBOURNE 1.2.8 4.6.30 7.11.53 11.13.79 CARLTON 1.3.9 3.4.22 7.8.50 10.14.74 GOALS MELBOURNE Melksham 4 Pickett 2 Brown Fritsch Gawn Langdon Petracca CARLTON McKay Martin 3 Curnow Durdin Fisher Silvagni BEST MELBOURNE Oliver, Brayshaw, Melksham, Petty, Gawn, May CARLTON Cripps Walsh McKay Marchbank Young Silvagni INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil CARLTON Adam Cerra (adductor) replaced in selected side by Will Setterfield REPORTS Nil MELBOURNE Nil CARLTON Nil SUBSTITUTES MELBOURNE James Harmes (unused) CARLTON Paddy Dow (unused) UMPIRES Chris Donlon Matt Stevic Jamie Broadbent CROWD 55,705 at the MCG

Half a season ago, Saturday night’s Round 22 match up between Melbourne and Carlton would have been looked upon as a mouthwatering contest to determine positions at the top of the AFL mountain in the lead up to an exiting finals series for both clubs. However, this once much-anticipated contest is today considered almost as a consolation event between two of the most disappointing teams in the competition. At least the Blues have some sort of excuse for their downfall — they have been dogged by injury throughout the second half of the season and now face the remaining home and away matches without some of their prime movers in the injured George Hewett and Matthew Kennedy. Their absence seemingly leaves a hole that is difficult to cover at this important juncture in the season but it's by no means insurmountable. On the other hand, Melbourne’s woes stem from a lack of consistency from game to game and from within games. In recent times, the Demons have been able to monster the likes of Brisbane and then Fremantle at Optus Stadium but they have also seen matches where they have built strong leads only to be outrun in final quarters when the pressure of a tight match is turned on high. The team that was dominant with ball in hand and regularly crushed opponents to come home with a wet sail in the 2021 final series has given up leads of 30 points against the Dockers, 26 vs the Swans, 22 and 23 against the Pies and 23 over the Dogs to regularly fall by the wayside. You simply can’t blame loading regimes and injuries for this pattern in matches, particularly when there appears to be such a sameness in which the team is selected and the way it routinely goes forward and fails to finish off in front of goals. With all due respect to Bayley Fritsch, Ben Brown and Kozzy Pickett who have all been steady with their kicking for goal, the remaining forwards and on ballers going forward have failed to honour the hard work of the club’s magnificent midfield and to take advantage of the superior number of opportunities which they bring to the team. The shameful statistics from last week when Melbourne went inside fifty on 65 occasions to Collingwood’s 41 tell the story. Conditions were slippery after the day’s rain but the Demons’ shooting accuracy within that arc was a poor 54% compared with 71% which also reflected an equally poor efficiency rate of 37% to 51%. All of which also suggests that the Pies’ strategy of attacking to the goal square trumped the predictable approach to the forward pocket of their opponents. Simon Goodwin’s faith in the tactic over the past three months must surely be wearing thin but will he/ can he change it to advantage at this late stage? The Demons also face the danger of taking its wounded opponent too lightly. The absence of some of their better midfielders, combined with the Blues’ poor showing last week against the Lions might suggest that they are on their last legs after a long, hard campaign and that their young side is tiring fast. But think again, because last week Carlton managed to score eight final quarter goals in last ditch effort to salvage the game while Melbourne managed a mere three in the final half when a top two finish was on the line. Their problem will be one of focus after days of uncertainty and speculation about the availability of prime mover Patrick Cripps. During the week, Jake Lever promised that the team was determined to prove that it had learned from the outcome of their game against the Pies. This is virtually their last chance to convince us and to prove they deserve to sit among the 2022 flag favourites. I’m taking his word for it and picking Melbourne to win by 10 points. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG Saturday 13 August 2022 at 7.25pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 95 wins Carlton 117 wins Drawn 2 At the MCG Melbourne 54 Carlton 50 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 5 Carlton 0 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Voss 0 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 13.16.94 defeated Carlton 10.8.68 at Marvel Stadium Round 9, 2021 The Demons dominated the game but just when the opportunity arose to crush their young opponents, their kicking for goal let them down. Max Gawn dominated with 44 hit outs. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B:T. Rivers 24 J. Lever 8 H.Petty 35 HB: T. Sparrow 32 S. May 1 J. Jordon 23 C: C. Salem 3 C Oliver 13 E. Langdon 15 HF: A. Brayshaw 10 B. Fritsch 31 A. Neal-Bullen 30 F: C. Spargo 9 B. Brown 50 K. Pickett 36 Foll: M. Gawn 11 J.Viney 7 C. Petracca 5 I/C: M. Hibberd 14 J. Hunt 29 L. Jackson 7 J. Melksham 18 Sub: J. Harmes 4 Emerg: B.Laurie 16 A. Tomlinson 20 J.Van Rooyen 21 No change CARLTON B: A.Saad 42 J.Weitering 23 S.Docherty 15 HB: C.Marchbank 22 M.McGovern 11 L.Young 33 C: L.O'Brien 4 P.Cripps 9 J.Newnes 32 HF: Z.Fisher 25 H.McKay 10 J.Silvagni 1 F: M.Owies 44 C.Curnow 30 C.Durdin 19 Foll: M.Pittonet 27 W.Setterfield 43 S.Walsh 18 I/C: M.Cottrell 46 J.Martin 21 J.Motlop 3 L.Stocker 13 Sub: P.Dow 2 Emerg: T. De Koning 12 B.Kemp 17 In: M.Pittonet L.Stocker Out: A.Cerra (adductor) T. De Koning (omitted) Injury List: Round 22 Fraser Rosman - Hamstring | 1-2 Weeks Andy Moniz-Wakefield - Groin | 2-3 weeks Tom McDonald - Foot | 3-5 Weeks ANALYSE THIS AGAIN by Sam The Stats Man Last time I did my analysis, the Demons’ list was looking as fit and strong as it was twelve months previously but a few injury scares tested the club for a month or so before a return to stability. As you can see from the injury list above, the club is going into good shape physically. Mentally? I’m not so sure. 1. Steven May MFC games 18, goals 0 3. Christian Salem MFC games 10, goal 1 4. James Harmes MFC games 16, goals 12 5. Christian Petracca MFC games 20, goals 16 6. Luke Jackson MFC games 18, goals 10 7. Jack Viney MFC games 18, goals 8 8. Jake Lever MFC games 15, goals 0 9. Charlie Spargo MFC games 20, goals 9 10. Angus Brayshaw MFC games 20, goal 1 11. Max Gawn MFC games 18, goals 11 12. Toby Bedford MFC games 16, goals 9, CD games 7, goals 11 13. Clayton Oliver MFC games 19, goals 3 14. Michael Hibberd MFC games 8, goals 2, CD games 2, goals 0 15. Ed Langdon MFC games 19, goals 9 16. Bailey Laurie CD games 15, goals 21 17. Jake Bowey MFC games 16, goals 2, CD games 2, goals 0 18. Jake Melksham MFC games 7, goals 6, CD games 8, goals 4 19. Fraser Rosman CD games 13 goals 0 20. Adam Tomlinson MFC games 9, goals 0, CD games 9, goals 0 21. Jacob Van Rooyen CD games 13, goals 28 22. Blake Howes CD games 5, goals 2 23. James Jordan MFC games 20, goals 7 24. Trent Rivers games 14, goals 2, CD games 5, goal 1 25. Tom McDonald MFC games 9, goals 15, CD game 1, goals 3 26. Sam Weideman MFC games 10, goals 13, CD games 6, goals 14 27. Luke Dunstan MFC games 5, goals 0, CD games 13, goals 11 28. Majak Daw ® CD games 8, goals 3 29. Jayden Hunt MFC games 15, goals 0, CD games 5, goal 1 30. Alex Neal-Bullen MFC games 19, goals 6 31. Bayley Fritsch MFC games 20, goals 45 32. Tom Sparrow MFC games 19, goals 6 33. Oskar Baker CD games 15, goal 1 34. Deakyn Smith ® CD games 14, goals 0 35. Harrison Petty MFC games 14, goals 0, CD game 1, goals 0 36. Kysaiah Pickett MFC games 19, goals 32 37. Kade Chandler ® MFC games 4, goals 0, CD games 14, goals 25 38. Mitch Brown ® MFC games 3, goals 2, CD games 11, goals 29 40. Taj Woewodin CD games 14, goals 6 41. Judd McVee ® CD games 15, goals 0 42. Daniel Turner MFC game 1, goals 0, ® CD games 6, goal 1 44. Joel Smith MFC games 5, goals 0, CD games 2, goals 0 45. Andy Moniz-Wakefield ® CD games 13, goals 10 50. Ben Brown MFC games 15, goals 25, CD game 1, goals 2

While the Demons’ undefeated run continues unabated now at 9-0 their emphatic 26 point victory pushed the Blues to their sixth loss for the season and deeper into the red for the year. While Melbourne opened proceedings with an early goal, the Blues responded with the next two to grab an early lead. However, as has happened in so many games this year, the Demons fought back to lead by just over a goal come the first break. This narrow lead was part of a streak either side of quarter time where Melbourne kicked 6 of 7 goals. By half time they had extended their lead to two goals. This was to be the nature of the game until the final bell, where Melbourne just managed to kick an extra goal or thereabouts, each quarter to increase its margin over Carlton. In the end it was 26 points but could have been considerably more, as Melbourne only managed 1.7 in the final term. And now the Demons are at 9-0, something not seen since the 1956 season. This follows on from the finish to season 2020 and makes it 11 in a row! Small wonder the Demon fans are turning out in their droves. When you see old merchandise featuring Opel and Webjet then you know there are some people haven’t been to see them for a while. Still, we cannot complain about that and another 38k through the gate will surely please the administration staff of the club. With this sort of return both on and off the field, it truly is the Field of Dreams for the fans. The team and club have “built it and they have come!” Up forward, while Ben Brown and Sam Weidman failed bother the goal umpire, they did manage to keep the Blues’ two main defenders in Weitering and Jones occupied which meant that Tom McDonald and Bayley Fritsch were let off the leash, and they certainly did the job for the Demons. McDonald in particular continued to impress with three goals. He provides that strong marking forward and link player, while he also doubles up on the ground balls as well. Fritsch with his strong hands also chimed in with three of his own. This is the value of the three talls scenario. Most clubs just don’t have that level of defensive strength to counter it, and whether it be Jackson, Weidman or Fritsch, the opposition just run out of stopping options. The mids just won the battle in the centre square this week according to the statisticians. However, it was interesting to see that they paid scant attention to Walsh and Cripps in a similar vein to their approach to the Swans’ mids last week. They can win possession, but without it being effective, it matters little. The reason it matters little is that the ball kept finishing in the hands of Lever, May and Salem. Lever had ten intercepts alone, and surprisingly Angus Brayshaw on the wing had 12 as well! May gained over 400m with his coverage during the game, but his strength took away Carlton’s great hope in McKay, who managed three goals, with two of those courtesy of favourable umpiring decisions of the sort not paid at the other end of the ground. We simply cannot overlook the efforts of Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca who racked up 28 and 27 touches respectively, just a normal week at the office for them. But we shouldn’t forget James Jordon who had 20 touches and laid 13 tackles. He is sailing beautifully under the radar, and we have found another hard nut, skilled mid that the media will catch onto some time later in the year. We also need to know how the club has procured an invisibility cloak for Ed Langdon. The opposition seem to miss seeing him each week and he keeps popping up with the ball out on his own. This week 20 touches and 430m gained, along with his six score involvements! Max Gawn rucked for nearly the whole game against Pittonet, and when the opposition has a solitary prime ruck this is possible. His 44 hit outs were superb, but while he played much better this week, we cannot afford to expect his body to take such punishment without a good break. He is far too valuable to the side. Another victory to the Red and Blue and their season is well and truly in the black. Incredibly, they now sit two games clear of third place on the ladder and five games clear of ninth place, with the season yet to reach the halfway mark. It’s enough to make other sides Green with envy! MELBOURNE 4.3.27 8.6.54 12.9.81 13.16.94 CARLTON 3.2.20 6.5.41 8.7.55 10.8.68 GOALS Melbourne Fritsch McDonald 3 Neal-Bullen 2 Hunt Langdon Oliver Pickett Spargo Carlton McKay 3 Betts Casboult Gibbons Murphy Owies Pittonet Stocker BEST Melbourne McDonald Oliver Petracca Salem Langdon May Jordon Carlton Cripps Docherty Walsh Williams Saad INJURIES Melbourne Nil Carlton D. Cunningham (knee) REPORTS Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil SUBSTITUTES Melbourne Melksham (unused) Carlton Gibbons (replaced Cunningham) Umpires Chris Donlon Simon Meredith Cameron Dore Official Crowd 38,581 at the MCG

When Melbourne monstered Richmond a few weeks back on the MCG thereby registering their sixth win on the trot, the block of games to follow looked highly appealing. After a stirring victory in difficult conditions over the reigning premier, the games to come were against a quartet of low achievers from 2020. North were winless, the Swans were the early high flyers now falling into a slump, Carlton couldn’t take a trick and the Crows had just lost an unloseable game to the Hawks in Launceston. Even the most pessimistic Melbourne fans (and given the history, that means most of us) were looking forward to the month ahead with relish. What many didn’t realise was that once you step over a particular threshold and start producing the goods in big time matches, you become the hunted. And that’s how it’s turned out over the past fortnight — the Demons have managed to collect the points over the past two matches but their opponents were ready and waiting for them. They have weathered the initial storm and managed to overcome everything thrown at them but the learning has been that you take nothing for granted and this week against the Blues looms as a real danger game. This season’s Melbourne brand of high pressure intensity has stunned the football world leaving it with a totally unexpected scenario; the Dees are on top of the ladder, undefeated after eight rounds. The question on everyone’s lips is whether that sort of pressure can be maintained over long periods of time? Are they sitting in the eye of the storm waiting for a fall? In that respect, Carlton is the perfect opponent to test Melbourne’s resilience at this point. Last week, the Blues showed they are strong enough to get the better of a strong premiership contender when they held a 27 point lead over the second placed Western Bulldogs deep into the third quarter. For a moment, they were on the cusp of replacing the Tigers in the top eight but instead, they fell apart in the face of an onslaught led by Marcus Bontempelli and Caleb Daniel in a finish that has led them to fall into the heat of the media furnace. With their season now on the line, the way they react to this defeat and how they fare against the Demons will be a pivotal indicator of their prospects for the remainder of the season. It’s worth reflecting on how close Carlton were to dumping Richmond out of the top eight. The Tigers are still hanging onto the first line of favouritism along with Melbourne, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs so the Blues aren’t far off the mark. Their bookends at either end of the ground, Weitering and McKay are top notch and Sam Walsh is up their with most of the elite midfielders in the competition. If they can get their game going and Melbourne’s pressure valve drops by the smallest measure, then they could cause havoc. On the subject of releasing the pressure, Melbourne’s last two outings against Carlton have been prime examples of what happens when teams ease off just a fraction. In 2019, they gave away a lead of more than six goals halfway through the third term at the MCG while in 2020, they led by seven goals 12 minutes into the second at Marvel Stadium with the Blues catching up five minutes before the final siren. In both cases, the Demons relaxed when they seemingly had a strong grip on the game and were ultimately lucky to get away with the points. I’m backing Melbourne’s pressure in the eye of the storm to win the day and to emerge with a lead of 37 points when the final siren sounds. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at the MCG Sunday 16 May 2021 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 94 wins Carlton 117 wins Drawn 2 m At the MCG Melbourne 53 Carlton 50 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 5 Carlton 0 wins The Coaches Goodwin 2 wins Teague 0 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 8.6.54 defeated Carlton 7.11.53 at Marvel Stadium Round 2, 2020 In an extraordinary game, Melbourne scored 5.2.32 to nothing in the opening term and by midway through the second, led 7.3.45 to 0.3.3, at which time it stopped dead in its tracks. Carlton actually caught up to level the scores 16 minutes into the final quarter. The issue was decided after Bayley Fritsch marked 25 metres out and missed a relatively easy shot. The point was enough however, to deliver victory. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: M. Hibberd 14 S. May 1 J. Lever 8 HB: C. Salem 3 H. Petty 35 T. Rivers 24 C: A. Brayshaw 10 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF:J. Jordon 23 T. McDonald 25 A. Neal-Bullen 30 F: C. Spargo 9 B. Brown 50 B. Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 C Oliver 13 K. Pickett 36 I/C: K. Chandler 37 J. Harmes 4 J. Hunt 29 S. Weideman 26 Sub: J. Melksham 18 Emerg: O. Baker 33 J. Bowey 17 T. Sparrow 32 In: S. Weideman Out: L. Jackson (broken finger) CARLTON B: S Docherty 18 L. Jones 14 L. Stocker 13 HB: A. Saad 42 J. Weitering 23 L. Plowman 20 C: M. Cottrell 46 P. Cripps 9 W. Setterfield 43 HF: D. Cunningham 28 L. Casboult 41 M. Murphy 3 F: E. Betts 19 H. McKay 10 L. Fogarty 8 Foll: M. Pittonet 27 S. Walsh 18 Z. Williams 6 I/C: E. Curnow 35 N. Newman 24 M. Owies 44 L. Parks 26 Sub M. Gibbons 40 Emerg: T. De Koning 12 J. Newnes 32 J. Honey 36 In: M. Murphy N. Newman W. Setterfield Out: J. Newnes (omitted) S. Petrevski-Seton (omitted) J. Silvagni (concussion) Injury List: Round 9 Christian Petracca (corky) — Available Jay Lockhart (calf) — Test Luke Jackson (finger) — 1 to 2 Weeks Aaron vandenBerg (quad) — 2 Weeks Jack Viney (toe) — 2 Weeks Bailey Laurie (eye socket) — 5 Weeks Joel Smith (knee) — 5 Weeks Marty Hore (knee) — Season Aaron Nietschke (knee) — Season Adam Tomlinson (knee) — Season

After a brilliant start the Demons slowed to a walk and almost threw the game away. CARLTON FB Lachie Plowman, Liam Jones, Nic Newman HB Sam Docherty, Jacob Weitering, Sam Petrevski-Seton C Sam Walsh, Patrick Cripps, Will Setterfield HF Mitch McGovern, Levi Casboult, Jack Martin FF Eddie Betts, Harry McKay, Michael Gibbons FOL Marc Pittonet, Ed Curnow, Marc Murphy IC Kade Simpson, Jack Newnes, Jack Silvagni, David Cuningham IN Eddie Betts Harry McKay Marc Pittonet OUT Paddy Dow (omitted) Zac Fisher (injured) Matthew Kreuzer (injured) NEW Marc Pittonet (Hawthorn) MELBOURNE FB Neville Jetta, Steven May, Christian Salem HB Nathan Jones, Jake Lever, James Harmes C Ed Langdon, Clayton Oliver, Adam Tomlinson HF Bayley Fritsch, Tom McDonald, Angus Brayshaw FF Alex Neal-Bullen, Luke Jackson, Christian Petracca FOL Max Gawn, Jake Melksham, Jack Viney IC Harley Bennell, Trent Rivers, Jayden Hunt, Joel Smith IN Harley Bennell Jayden Hunt Luke Jackson Nathan Jones Trent Rivers OUT Toby Bedford (omitted) Mitch Brown (omitted) Michael Hibberd (omitted) Jay Lockhart (omitted) Oscar McDonald (omitted) Kysaiah Pickett (suspended) Charlie Spargo (omitted) NEW Harley Bennell (Fremantle) Luke Jackson (East Fremantle) Trent Rivers (East Fremantle)

It was a bit of a battle but in the end, the Dees prevailed after a few heart flutters. CARLTON B: Sam Docherty, Liam Jones, Lachie Plowman HB: Simon White, Jacob Weitering, Dale Thomas ? Kade Simpson, Patrick Cripps, David Cuningham HF: Jack Silvagni, Levi Casboult, Sam Kerridge F: Zac Fisher, Charlie Curnow, Matthew Wright FOLL: Matthew Kreuzer, Bryce Gibbs, Marc Murphy I/C: Jed Lamb, Harrison Macreadie, Sam Petrevski-Seton, Ciaran Sheehan EMG: Ciaran Byrne, Nick Graham, Harry McKay IN: Jed Lamb, Harrison Macreadie, Sam Petrevski-Seton OUT: Ciaran Byrne (omitted), Caleb Marchbank (shoulder), Liam Sumner (omitted)  MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jordan Lewis, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince ? Jayden Hunt, Christian Petracca, Mitch Hannan HF: James Harmes, Cameron Pedersen, Alex Neal-Bullen F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Tom McDonald FOLL: Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver, Jake Melksham I/C: Dean Kent, Joel Smith, Billy Stretch, Josh Wagner, EMG: Jay Kennedy-Harris, Jack Trengove, Sam Weideman  IN: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent, Joel Smith OUT: Tomas Bugg (suspended), Dom Tyson (knee), Jack Viney (foot), Mitch White (omitted)

WOULD YOU LIKE THAT WITH GRAVY? by George on The Outer With the Demons making an absolute meal of the opportunities achieved through their sheer dominance around the ground against Carlton, it was as if the fans being asked if they would like what was being served up to them with gravy. The fortunate thing from a club perspective was that in the end, it wasn’t gravy that came with the meal, but rather the icing on the cake that saved the day and finally saw Melbourne run out the eventual victors on the day. In this instance the icing was provided by the likes of Jeff Garlett, Christian Salem and Jack Watts with a handsome contribution from Nev Jetta. In the early going it was all Melbourne. By halfway through the second quarter, the Demons led by four goals. At that stage, they had five players with more possessions than the best performing Carlton player and yet, at the main break, the lead had been pared back a meagre 10 points. The fans had seen this before. This was a Melbourne game that had been marked down as a certain four premiership points but suddenly they found themselves in an arm-wrestle by giving the opposition plenty of opportunities to recover as a result of their over use of the football and sloppy turnovers. Things got worse in the third quarter as the Demons continued to produce more of the same. The battle of the rucks between Max Gawn and Matt Kruezer was relentless and there seemed to be no curbing Bryce Gibbs and Patrick Cripps while, despite numerous clearances, the Melbourne mids were simply being trounced. Jack Viney was strangely quiet again this week, Dom Tyson was getting plenty of the ball around the ground but little in the middle, and Clayton Oliver also got lots of touches but he was too dependent upon handball when kicking was the order of the day. In the latter stages of the third quarter, the Demons had fluffed around with the football so much and had shown such a lack of intensity and discipline that the unthinkable happened. They had allowed the Blues to hit the lead and take it out to a nine point margin before Jeff Garlett decided that enough was enough when he put the team's first major for the term on the board at the 21 minute mark. This brought the margin back to only three points at the final change with hope that the worst was now behind the team. It wasn’t to be entirely because despite the Demons kicking the first two goals of the final stanza to take a nine point lead, the Blues replied to restore the margin back to within a goal. With the minutes ticking by, Garlett came off the bench and as he did in the third, he made something out of nothing in the middle to start a chain of possessions that left the fans with their hearts in their mouths. The team still managed to stuff around in front of goal as better options were looked for instead of simply putting the ball to boot and through the majors. Tyson snapped a goal and Sam Weideman chipped in with his second but Casboult replied. It was Jeff who followed up with a spectacular run down from behind on Docherty and he converted from the resultant free to ice the game. A final snap from Nathan Jones in the dying minute saw the Demons record a 22 point win. More hoodoos were put to bed as a result. The first win in round two since 2005 and only the second against the Blues in that space of time. They had only beaten Carlton once in the past ten meetings. Special mention must go to Christian Salem who time and time again delivered the ball accurately and faultlessly with his 31 touches. Both he and Tom McDonald held back multiple attacks and launched many forward thrusts. They genuinely kept the team in the game at critical times, when Carlton threatened to do exactly as they did in round 21 last year. Oliver put forward another 35 touch performance in only his 15th game, while Tyson racked up 32 of his own after return from injury. He will be better for the run, for despite his 145 Dream Team points tally, his delivery at critical times was below his usual standard. With the likely return of Dean Kent and Bernie Vince next week, Mitch Hannan and Alex Neal-Bullen will probably find themselves Casey bound as they were found wanting against an opposition that is not highly regarded. They will get another chance as the season progresses, but the message is clear that players will genuinely have to earn their spot in this side in 2017. No longer is senior selection assured week after week, because the gravy-train has now left the station. Melbourne 3.2.20 6.4.40 7.5.47 13.8.86 Carlton 2.2.14 4.6.30 7.8.50 9.10.64 Goals Melbourne Garlett 3 Jones Watts Weideman 2 Gawn Petracca Salem Tyson Carlton Wright 3 Armfield Casboult E Curnow Murphy Petrevski-Seton Pickett Best Melbourne Salem Tyson Oliver Watts Garlett Jones Harmes Carlton Wright Murphy Cripps Docherty Gibbs Curnow Changes Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Injuries Melbourne Brayshaw (cut eye) Carlton Silvagni (corked thigh and ankle) Thomas (right knee) Reports Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Dalgleish, Meredith, Williamson Official Crowd 46,727 at the MCG

It's time to cast those your votes again 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

With the Demons making an absolute meal of the opportunities achieved through their sheer dominance around the ground against Carlton, it was as if the fans being asked if they would like what was being served up to them with gravy. The fortunate thing from a club perspective was that in the end, it wasn’t gravy that came with the meal, but rather the icing on the cake that saved the day and finally saw Melbourne run out the eventual victors on the day. In this instance the icing was provided by the likes of Jeff Garlett, Christian Salem and Jack Watts with a handsome contribution from Nev Jetta. In the early going it was all Melbourne. By halfway through the second quarter, the Demons led by four goals. At that stage, they had five players with more possessions than the best performing Carlton player and yet, at the main break, the lead had been pared back a meagre 10 points. The fans had seen this before. This was a Melbourne game that had been marked down as a certain four premiership points but suddenly they found themselves in an arm-wrestle by giving the opposition plenty of opportunities to recover as a result of their over use of the football and sloppy turnovers. Things got worse in the third quarter as the Demons continued to produce more of the same. The battle of the rucks between Max Gawn and Matt Kruezer was relentless and there seemed to be no curbing Bryce Gibbs and Patrick Cripps while, despite numerous clearances, the Melbourne mids were simply being trounced. Jack Viney was strangely quiet again this week, Dom Tyson was getting plenty of the ball around the ground but little in the middle, and Clayton Oliver also got lots of touches but he was too dependent upon handball when kicking was the order of the day. In the latter stages of the third quarter, the Demons had fluffed around with the football so much and had shown such a lack of intensity and discipline that the unthinkable happened. They had allowed the Blues to hit the lead and take it out to a nine point margin before Jeff Garlett decided that enough was enough when he put the team's first major for the term on the board at the 21 minute mark. This brought the margin back to only three points at the final change with hope that the worst was now behind the team. It wasn’t to be entirely because despite the Demons kicking the first two goals of the final stanza to take a nine point lead, the Blues replied to restore the margin back to within a goal. With the minutes ticking by, Garlett came off the bench and as he did in the third, he made something out of nothing in the middle to start a chain of possessions that left the fans with their hearts in their mouths. The team still managed to stuff around in front of goal as better options were looked for instead of simply putting the ball to boot and through the majors. Tyson snapped a goal and Sam Weideman chipped in with his second but Casboult replied. It was Jeff who followed up with a spectacular run down from behind on Docherty and he converted from the resultant free to ice the game. A final snap from Nathan Jones in the dying minute saw the Demons record a 22 point win. More hoodoos were put to bed as a result. The first win in round two since 2005 and only the second against the Blues in that space of time. They had only beaten Carlton once in the past ten meetings. Special mention must go to Christian Salem who time and time again delivered the ball accurately and faultlessly with his 31 touches. Both he and Tom McDonald held back multiple attacks and launched many forward thrusts. They genuinely kept the team in the game at critical times, when Carlton threatened to do exactly as they did in round 21 last year. Oliver put forward another 35 touch performance in only his 15th game, while Tyson racked up 32 of his own after return from injury. He will be better for the run, for despite his 145 Dream Team points tally, his delivery at critical times was below his usual standard. With the likely return of Dean Kent and Bernie Vince next week, Mitch Hannan and Alex Neal-Bullen will probably find themselves Casey bound as they were found wanting against an opposition that is not highly regarded. They will get another chance as the season progresses, but the message is clear that players will genuinely have to earn their spot in this side in 2017. No longer is senior selection assured week after week, because the gravy-train has now left the station. Melbourne 3.2.20 6.4.40 7.5.47 13.8.86 Carlton 2.2.14 4.6.30 7.8.50 9.10.64 Goals Melbourne Garlett 3 Jones Watts Weideman 2 Gawn Petracca Salem Tyson Carlton Wright 3 Armfield Casboult E Curnow Murphy Petrevski-Seton Pickett Best Melbourne Salem Tyson Oliver Watts Garlett Jones Harmes Carlton Wright Murphy Cripps Docherty Gibbs Curnow Changes Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Injuries Melbourne Brayshaw (cut eye) Carlton Silvagni (corked thigh and ankle) Thomas (right knee) Reports Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Dalgleish, Meredith, Williamson Official Crowd 46,727 at the MCG

Whispering Jack predicts that a twelve year hoodoo will fall by the wayside on Sunday ... A DOZEN DEAD OCEANS by Whispering Jack "Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? And where have you been my darling young one? I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall." - by 2016 Nobel Poet Laureate Bob Dylan (A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall) In recent years, Melbourne has been smashing its hoodoos like dinner plates at a Greek restaurant leaving very few left for the club to break. There's still North Melbourne and heaven knows whether we can cross Subiaco off the list before they shut that god forsaken place down forever, but there's imminent challenge looming close on the horizon that must be dealt with in the coming week - the curse of round two. This Sunday will mark the passing of twelve years since the Demons last won a match in the second round of an AFL season. It was exactly on 2 April, 2005 before a meagre crowd of 13,481 at the ground then known as the "Telstra Dome" that Melbourne 20.11.131 beat the Western Bulldogs 15.21.111. The Demons were travelling well in those days. They made a good start to the season, suffered a mid-season slump but recovered to make the finals as they had done the year before and would do in the year after. However, that game against the Doggies in 2005 was to be the last time, the team would salute in an AFL round two game and what's more, the majority of the defeats in between have been in the most humiliating of circumstances. Another dismal round two flop against Carlton this Sunday would be the unkindest cut of them all. The long run of second round outs began at the Docklands on 8 April, 2006 with a 47 point whipping at the hands of the Bulldogs. The Dees had already suffered a shock result to Carlton in the opening round and it lost again the following week but a long run of wins followed to see them safely into the finals. More second round debacles were to come:- 2007 - after the opening round disaster against St Kilda, Melbourne was confident of beating Hawthorn which had been a struggler in recent seasons. But the Hawks were on their way up and the Demons lowered their colours by 22 points to an opponent which was closing in on a premiership era. The Demons won their last game for the year - the infamous Kreuzer Cup - but by then, long-time coach Neale Daniher had already been given his marching orders and a caretaker coach has seen out the long death throes of an old era. The club was looking into the mouth of a graveyard. 2008 - Melbourne heralded in the Dean Bailey era with a 104 point defeat to the emerging Hawks but it did manage to stave off another 100 point plus losing margin when it lost by 95 points to the Western Bulldogs in another round two train crash. It took a while to get onto the winning list but that was done in style against Fremantle when the team stormed back from a massive deficit to win by a goal in round 7. 2009 - an anaemic Melbourne side lost in round 1 to North Melbourne and it was more of the same the following week when the Magpies 17.15.117 made mincemeat out of the Demons 10.4.64 before an MCG crowd of 43,176. Things were so bad that Nathan Jones' father was clocked on his way out of the ground by a an inebriated normal Collingwood fan celebrating his team's win. 2010 - after copping a hiding in the season opener against the Hawks, the Demons faced the Pies again in their next up match over the Easter break. They were in sight of victory when Ricky Petterd's lunge for a mark in the goalsquare failed with seconds left in the game. 2011 - for once, Melbourne managed to stave off defeat in its opening game. However, it didn't exactly win either. In a dramatic finish, the round 1 game against the Sydney Swans ended as a draw - 11.18.84 each. Against the Hawks in round 2, the Demons held a 19 point lead at half time before they were strangled into submission in the third quarter by a hard press, eventually losing by 45 points. The club was on a roller coaster ride to disaster. The rain was about to fall hard. If you think the foregoing was bad, prepare yourself for a horror story. 2012 - the early optimism of a new beginning under Mark Neeld had dissipated long before the Brisbane Lions crushed Melbourne by 41 points in the season opener. Jimmy Stynes had recently died and the club was beset by troubles but nobody was really prepared for what was to come at Subiaco Oval in week 2. On Saturday, 7 April, the West Coast Eagles inflicted a 25.16.166 to 9.4.58 flogging on Neeld's charges before a crowd of 35,674 but even that would pale against what happened in round 2 in the following season. 2013 - after a few seasons as AFL whipping boy, Port Adelaide made an impressive start to the season winning 19.19.133 to 8.6.54 over Melbourne at the MCG. At the same ground a week later and in the midst of the developing drug saga, Essendon was the host when it blasted Neeld's charges to the tune of 148 points - 28.16.184 to 5.6.36. The slaughter reverberated around the club and precipitated several changes at the top which saw the departures of the CEO, the chairman and ultimately the coach in the weeks and months to follow. 2014 - the arrival of Paul Roos at coach/saviour of the club didn't bring immediate joy on the playing field. The team lost its opening game to the Saints by 17 points thanks in part to their woeful kicking for goal, but the next match was another round 2 disaster - a 93 point loss to the West Coast Eagles before a crowd of only 22,230 at the MCG with the home team managing a meagre 4.6.30. 2015 - the club broke its opening round hoodoo against an injury riddled Gold Coast Suns and things were looking up at Star Trak Oval when the Demons led the Giants by 33 points in the shadows of half time before the round two curse took hold and the home side kicked 14 of the next 15 goals to win by 56 points. And now for the steak knives. 2016 - after an exciting round 1 win by two points over the highly rated GWS Giants, Melbourne was expected to record a handsome victory over an Essendon team decimated by the CAS ruling which outed a dozen of their players for the season, leaving them with a rag tag bunch of youngsters and football mercenaries, many of who would otherwise have been playing in the VFL or local competitions in round 2. As always, the Demons approached the game on 2 April, 2016 as if they were millionaires and ended like beggars on a street corner in skid row. At the end of the day the MCG scoreboard read "Essendon 11.14.80 defeated Melbourne 10.7.67". That score line still leaves me with dread in my heart 12 months later wondering how on earth is it possible that to avert the calamity of another round 2 that turns us all into April Fools even when opposition supporters believe that their team is too young, too inexperienced and not good enough to win? I've found a way and will reveal all shortly. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at MCG Sunday 2nd April, 2017 at 3.20pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 89 wins Carlton 117 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Carlton 50 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 1 win Carlton 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 Bolton 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3, Channel 7 at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $1.22 - Carlton $4.40 to win - $4.40 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 11.12.78 defeated Melbourne 7.16.58 at the MCG Round 22, 2016 The Demons were raging favourites to win at $1.24 and didn't fail to disappoint the fans and themselves with an insipid performance at a time when victory would have kept their finals hopes alive. They played like a young team that had run out steam and hit the wall - the same wall their supporters were banging their heads into at the end of the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Jake Melksham HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Nathan Jones C: Christian Salem, Jordan Lewis, Billy Stretch HF: Clayton Oliver, Sam Weideman, Jack Watts F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Max Gawn, Angus Brayshaw, Jack Viney I/C: Mitch Hannan, James Harmes, Alex Neal-Bullen, Dom Tyson EMG: Ben Kennedy, Dean Kent, Jake Spencer IN: James Harmes, Ben Kennedy, Dom Tyson OUT: Joel Smith (shoulder), Bernie Vince (suspended) CARLTON B: Jarrod Pickett, Caleb Marchbank, Lachie Plowman HB: Harrison Macreadie, Sam Rowe, Sam Docherty C: Matthew Wright, Bryce Gibbs, Kade Simpson HF: Jack Silvagni, Levi Casboult, Charlie Curnow F: Simon White, Jacob Weitering, Sam Petrevski-Seton FOLL: Matthew Kreuzer, Patrick Cripps, Marc Murphy I/C: Dennis Armfield, Ed Curnow, Nick Graham, Sam Kerridge, Harry McKay, Billie Smedts, Dale Thomas EMG: Nick Graham, Sam Kerridge, Harry McKay NO CHANGE BLUE SKIES Twelve months ago, I was enjoying a holiday break cruising the North China Sea somewhere between the tip of South Korea and the Chinese mainland. We left Australia a few days after Melbourne's barnstorming come-from-behind victory over GWS and all was well with the world notwithstanding the ominous proximity to mad Kim Jong-un's battery of missiles. Thousands of miles away to the south east, the Demons were about to take on the Bombers' B team. I was supremely confident that the Dees were on course for a 2 - 0 start to the season. Suddenly, our ship sailed into a thick fog and we were enveloped in a misty grey-yellow shroud. You could barely hear the lapping of the tiny waves around us as we ploughed through the eerily silent waters. Internet communication via satellite was intermittent and limited. I picked up an early score that had Essendon leading 1.2.8 to nil but I wasn't worried. The next time I managed to get on line, it was Melbourne leading by two goals midway through the second quarter. We were on our way. They had a trivia competition on board and the rules were strict - no cell phones. My confidence was up and I wasn't worried but a little over an hour later when I was back on line, I had to look twice as the ¾ time score flashed on the screen to show the Bombers leading by nine points. The fog was thicker than a pea soup. The air became frozen. I was literally overcome by a sickening feeling like sailing the Titanic through another dead ocean with an iceberg directly under the bow. There was never a satisfactory explanation given as to why Melbourne crashed so badly that day. The Bombers were the competition's easybeats copping defeat after defeat in the weeks and months that followed and it looked as if the Demons would be their only victim for the season until they triumphed over an injury depleted Gold Coast at Etihad Stadium in Round 21. Some put it down to poor preparation in the week before the game while others claimed that Melbourne got ahead of itself, that the players had big heads and turned up lacking focus. At the other end of that season in the second last round, Melbourne suffered another humiliation at the hands of a lowly team in Carlton when it needed a victory to maintain its finals hopes. At least there was an explanation for that result - the young team was rapidly tiring after a long exhausting season. It was at least a plausible if not entirely comforting excuse for a loss to an opponent going through its own long string of defeats. This time around there are no excuses whatsoever. There is nothing and nobody left to blame. All of the stars are nicely aligned and you simply cannot question, the current board, CEO, coach, conditioning staff, playing list, ground announcer or boot studder. There is no reason on the strength of the form shown by the team last week; the coolness, the calmness and the discipline that we saw from a team which shrugged off an early four goal deficit to blitz to a well fancied opponent with ten consecutive consecutive goals in the period before and after half time. The sort of form that is epitomised by four of your players (including a 19 year old who played 75% of game time) accumulating 30 touches or more and another nine clocking up at least 20 disposals when the team is down a player from before quarter time is irrepressible and simply can't be overturned in the space of a week. Even the loss through suspension of Bernie Vince who was one of the team's 30 possession men against the Saints - something that once might once have been regarded as catastrophic - is not a major problem when Dom Tyson is waiting in the wings to replace him. Carlton toiled hard in the season opener against Richmond but was outclassed and saved by further ignominy thanks to its accuracy in front of goal. They won't have to contend with a Dustin Martin this weekend but instead, face an opposition with a multitude of mid sized runners led by the AFL's leading ruckman and some very classy talls at either end of the ground. The players have the right mindset and are now well and truly used to disposing of any hoodoo or curse they might encounter along their football journey. I even checked the weather forecast in the region of the North China sea and am led to believe that it will be all sunshine and blue skies on Sunday. No fog, no hard rain. The evidence is there for all to see - another hoodoo will bite the dust in the most emphatic manner. Melbourne by 65 points

Off to work, might miss the start but I'm the boss so might not either... Quietly confident?

Whispering Jack predicts that a twelve year hoodoo will fall by the wayside on Sunday ... A DOZEN DEAD OCEANS by Whispering Jack "Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son? And where have you been my darling young one? I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall." - by 2016 Nobel Poet Laureate Bob Dylan (A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall) In recent years, Melbourne has been smashing its hoodoos like dinner plates at a Greek restaurant leaving very few left for the club to break. There's still North Melbourne and heaven knows whether we can cross Subiaco off the list before they shut that god forsaken place down forever, but there's imminent challenge looming close on the horizon that must be dealt with in the coming week - the curse of round two. This Sunday will mark the passing of twelve years since the Demons last won a match in the second round of an AFL season. It was exactly on 2 April, 2005 before a meagre crowd of 13,481 at the ground then known as the "Telstra Dome" that Melbourne 20.11.131 beat the Western Bulldogs 15.21.111. The Demons were travelling well in those days. They made a good start to the season, suffered a mid-season slump but recovered to make the finals as they had done the year before and would do in the year after. However, that game against the Doggies in 2005 was to be the last time, the team would salute in an AFL round two game and what's more, the majority of the defeats in between have been in the most humiliating of circumstances. Another dismal round two flop against Carlton this Sunday would be the unkindest cut of them all. The long run of second round outs began at the Docklands on 8 April, 2006 with a 47 point whipping at the hands of the Bulldogs. The Dees had already suffered a shock result to Carlton in the opening round and it lost again the following week but a long run of wins followed to see them safely into the finals. More second round debacles were to come:- 2007 - after the opening round disaster against St Kilda, Melbourne was confident of beating Hawthorn which had been a struggler in recent seasons. But the Hawks were on their way up and the Demons lowered their colours by 22 points to an opponent which was closing in on a premiership era. The Demons won their last game for the year - the infamous Kreuzer Cup - but by then, long-time coach Neale Daniher had already been given his marching orders and a caretaker coach has seen out the long death throes of an old era. The club was looking into the mouth of a graveyard. 2008 - Melbourne heralded in the Dean Bailey era with a 104 point defeat to the emerging Hawks but it did manage to stave off another 100 point plus losing margin when it lost by 95 points to the Western Bulldogs in another round two train crash. It took a while to get onto the winning list but that was done in style against Fremantle when the team stormed back from a massive deficit to win by a goal in round 7. 2009 - an anaemic Melbourne side lost in round 1 to North Melbourne and it was more of the same the following week when the Magpies 17.15.117 made mincemeat out of the Demons 10.4.64 before an MCG crowd of 43,176. Things were so bad that Nathan Jones' father was clocked on his way out of the ground by a an inebriated normal Collingwood fan celebrating his team's win. 2010 - after copping a hiding in the season opener against the Hawks, the Demons faced the Pies again in their next up match over the Easter break. They were in sight of victory when Ricky Petterd's lunge for a mark in the goalsquare failed with seconds left in the game. 2011 - for once, Melbourne managed to stave off defeat in its opening game. However, it didn't exactly win either. In a dramatic finish, the round 1 game against the Sydney Swans ended as a draw - 11.18.84 each. Against the Hawks in round 2, the Demons held a 19 point lead at half time before they were strangled into submission in the third quarter by a hard press, eventually losing by 45 points. The club was on a roller coaster ride to disaster. The rain was about to fall hard. If you think the foregoing was bad, prepare yourself for a horror story. 2012 - the early optimism of a new beginning under Mark Neeld had dissipated long before the Brisbane Lions crushed Melbourne by 41 points in the season opener. Jimmy Stynes had recently died and the club was beset by troubles but nobody was really prepared for what was to come at Subiaco Oval in week 2. On Saturday, 7 April, the West Coast Eagles inflicted a 25.16.166 to 9.4.58 flogging on Neeld's charges before a crowd of 35,674 but even that would pale against what happened in round 2 in the following season. 2013 - after a few seasons as AFL whipping boy, Port Adelaide made an impressive start to the season winning 19.19.133 to 8.6.54 over Melbourne at the MCG. At the same ground a week later and in the midst of the developing drug saga, Essendon was the host when it blasted Neeld's charges to the tune of 148 points - 28.16.184 to 5.6.36. The slaughter reverberated around the club and precipitated several changes at the top which saw the departures of the CEO, the chairman and ultimately the coach in the weeks and months to follow. 2014 - the arrival of Paul Roos at coach/saviour of the club didn't bring immediate joy on the playing field. The team lost its opening game to the Saints by 17 points thanks in part to their woeful kicking for goal, but the next match was another round 2 disaster - a 93 point loss to the West Coast Eagles before a crowd of only 22,230 at the MCG with the home team managing a meagre 4.6.30. 2015 - the club broke its opening round hoodoo against an injury riddled Gold Coast Suns and things were looking up at Star Trak Oval when the Demons led the Giants by 33 points in the shadows of half time before the round two curse took hold and the home side kicked 14 of the next 15 goals to win by 56 points. And now for the steak knives. 2016 - after an exciting round 1 win by two points over the highly rated GWS Giants, Melbourne was expected to record a handsome victory over an Essendon team decimated by the CAS ruling which outed a dozen of their players for the season, leaving them with a rag tag bunch of youngsters and football mercenaries, many of who would otherwise have been playing in the VFL or local competitions in round 2. As always, the Demons approached the game on 2 April, 2016 as if they were millionaires and ended like beggars on a street corner in skid row. At the end of the day the MCG scoreboard read "Essendon 11.14.80 defeated Melbourne 10.7.67". That score line still leaves me with dread in my heart 12 months later wondering how on earth is it possible that to avert the calamity of another round 2 that turns us all into April Fools even when opposition supporters believe that their team is too young, too inexperienced and not good enough to win? I've found a way and will reveal all shortly. THE GAME Melbourne v Carlton at MCG Sunday 2nd April, 2017 at 3.20pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 89 wins Carlton 117 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Carlton 50 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 1 win Carlton 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 Bolton 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Sports 3, Channel 7 at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win $1.22 - Carlton $4.40 to win - $4.40 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Carlton 11.12.78 defeated Melbourne 7.16.58 at the MCG Round 22, 2016 The Demons were raging favourites to win at $1.24 and didn't fail to disappoint the fans and themselves with an insipid performance at a time when victory would have kept their finals hopes alive. They played like a young team that had run out steam and hit the wall - the same wall their supporters were banging their heads into at the end of the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Jake Melksham HB: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Nathan Jones C: Christian Salem, Jordan Lewis, Billy Stretch HF: Clayton Oliver, Sam Weideman, Jack Watts F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Max Gawn, Angus Brayshaw, Jack Viney I/C: Mitch Hannan, James Harmes, Alex Neal-Bullen, Dom Tyson EMG: Ben Kennedy, Dean Kent, Jake Spencer IN: James Harmes, Ben Kennedy, Dom Tyson OUT: Joel Smith (shoulder), Bernie Vince (suspended) CARLTON B: Jarrod Pickett, Caleb Marchbank, Lachie Plowman HB: Harrison Macreadie, Sam Rowe, Sam Docherty C: Matthew Wright, Bryce Gibbs, Kade Simpson HF: Jack Silvagni, Levi Casboult, Charlie Curnow F: Simon White, Jacob Weitering, Sam Petrevski-Seton FOLL: Matthew Kreuzer, Patrick Cripps, Marc Murphy I/C: Dennis Armfield, Ed Curnow, Nick Graham, Sam Kerridge, Harry McKay, Billie Smedts, Dale Thomas EMG: Nick Graham, Sam Kerridge, Harry McKay NO CHANGE BLUE SKIES Twelve months ago, I was enjoying a holiday break cruising the North China Sea somewhere between the tip of South Korea and the Chinese mainland. We left Australia a few days after Melbourne's barnstorming come-from-behind victory over GWS and all was well with the world notwithstanding the ominous proximity to mad Kim Jong-un's battery of missiles. Thousands of miles away to the south east, the Demons were about to take on the Bombers' B team. I was supremely confident that the Dees were on course for a 2 - 0 start to the season. Suddenly, our ship sailed into a thick fog and we were enveloped in a misty grey-yellow shroud. You could barely hear the lapping of the tiny waves around us as we ploughed through the eerily silent waters. Internet communication via satellite was intermittent and limited. I picked up an early score that had Essendon leading 1.2.8 to nil but I wasn't worried. The next time I managed to get on line, it was Melbourne leading by two goals midway through the second quarter. We were on our way. They had a trivia competition on board and the rules were strict - no cell phones. My confidence was up and I wasn't worried but a little over an hour later when I was back on line, I had to look twice as the ¾ time score flashed on the screen to show the Bombers leading by nine points. The fog was thicker than a pea soup. The air became frozen. I was literally overcome by a sickening feeling like sailing the Titanic through another dead ocean with an iceberg directly under the bow. There was never a satisfactory explanation given as to why Melbourne crashed so badly that day. The Bombers were the competition's easybeats copping defeat after defeat in the weeks and months that followed and it looked as if the Demons would be their only victim for the season until they triumphed over an injury depleted Gold Coast at Etihad Stadium in Round 21. Some put it down to poor preparation in the week before the game while others claimed that Melbourne got ahead of itself, that the players had big heads and turned up lacking focus. At the other end of that season in the second last round, Melbourne suffered another humiliation at the hands of a lowly team in Carlton when it needed a victory to maintain its finals hopes. At least there was an explanation for that result - the young team was rapidly tiring after a long exhausting season. It was at least a plausible if not entirely comforting excuse for a loss to an opponent going through its own long string of defeats. This time around there are no excuses whatsoever. There is nothing and nobody left to blame. All of the stars are nicely aligned and you simply cannot question, the current board, CEO, coach, conditioning staff, playing list, ground announcer or boot studder. There is no reason on the strength of the form shown by the team last week; the coolness, the calmness and the discipline that we saw from a team which shrugged off an early four goal deficit to blitz to a well fancied opponent with ten consecutive consecutive goals in the period before and after half time. The sort of form that is epitomised by four of your players (including a 19 year old who played 75% of game time) accumulating 30 touches or more and another nine clocking up at least 20 disposals when the team is down a player from before quarter time is irrepressible and simply can't be overturned in the space of a week. Even the loss through suspension of Bernie Vince who was one of the team's 30 possession men against the Saints - something that once might once have been regarded as catastrophic - is not a major problem when Dom Tyson is waiting in the wings to replace him. Carlton toiled hard in the season opener against Richmond but was outclassed and saved by further ignominy thanks to its accuracy in front of goal. They won't have to contend with a Dustin Martin this weekend but instead, face an opposition with a multitude of mid sized runners led by the AFL's leading ruckman and some very classy talls at either end of the ground. The players have the right mindset and are now well and truly used to disposing of any hoodoo or curse they might encounter along their football journey. I even checked the weather forecast in the region of the North China sea and am led to believe that it will be all sunshine and blue skies on Sunday. No fog, no hard rain. The evidence is there for all to see - another hoodoo will bite the dust in the most emphatic manner. Melbourne by 65 points

I still have nightmares .. CARLTON B: Zach Tuohy, Sam Rowe, Jacob Weitering HB: Dylan Buckley, Lachie Plowman, Sam Docherty C: Kade Simpson, Sam Kerridge, Ed Curnow HF: Jack Silvagni, Liam Jones, David Cuningham F: Matthew Kreuzer, Levi Casboult, Matthew Wright FOLL: Andrew Phillips, Patrick Cripps, Bryce Gibbs I/C: Dennis Armfield, Liam Sumner, Dale Thomas, Simon White EMG: Blaine Boekhorst, Nick Graham, Andrejs Everitt IN: Liam Sumner OUT: Blaine Boekhorst (Omitted) MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Tomas Bugg C: Billy Stretch, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Angus Brayshaw, Jack Watts, Aaron vandenBerg F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Clayton Oliver, Sam Weideman EMG: Colin Garland, James Harmes, Cameron Pedersen IN: Viv Michie, Alex Neal-Bullen, Sam Weideman OUT: Jeff Garlett (illness), James Harmes (omitted), Cameron Pedersen (omitted)

THE DAISY CHAIN by Georgina on the Outer In a must win match against Carlton Light (the colours worn by their AFLW opponents), Daisy Pearce with a great 29 disposal game, led her team to a victory which has kept the Demons final hopes alive. Similarly, the result dropped the early season favourite out of contention. The Demons must keep winning to stay in the hunt, but the two competition leaders in Adelaide and Brisbane play each other in a fortnight, when one must lose and that could give Melbourne the chance to break into the top two. A scrambly (is that a word?) first quarter saw each team register a solitary behind, although Melbourne played with more fluency one it got the ball outside. However, unforced errors continued to give the Blues opportunities and on a number of occasions left the Demons well exposed. In the second quarter, Melbourne came out firing as the Daisy chain started in motion. All around her we had players starting to blossom and Cat Phillips started to give Daisy first use of the ball and the goals came. While the Light Blues also managed a couple of goals these were both from dubious free kicks and fifty metre penalties. The AFLW seriously has to look at the fifty metre penalty for the competition, as it is simply too harsh, given that the majority of players at the moment are barely capable of kicking anything near that distance. Melbourne was moving the ball quickly by handball and benefitting from the clearer air after the first quarter congestion. Carlton on the other hand was almost solely dependant upon Vescio who continued to get the ball out and up forward. The third quarter saw a more aggressive Melbourne with tackling the highlight. It shut the Light Blues down, as they could only manage two points in 20 minutes while Melbourne scored 2 goals 4 behinds. The Demon forwards were still found lacking when needed in contests - they were often simply not there and it was up to the mids and flankers to do the hard lifting. Surely a three goal lead when the Light Blues had only scored two in ¾ of footy would be enough, but the Demons took the foot off the accelerator and fell asleep in the last. Suddenly, they found the scores level at the nine minute mark and from then on it became a great physical contest. This was the challenge and Daisy, Alyssa Mifsud, Elise O’Dea and Richelle Cranston all stood up to it do well. There was one more goal for the game - to Cranston - and that was enough to put the team in front and eventually win the game. With plenty of time remaining, others were asked to stop the furious charge from Carlton, and Brooke Patterson took a particularly telling mark in the backline to deny them their final opportunity and turn them into an even lighter shade of pale. Melbourne 0.1.1 3.2.20 5.6.36 6.6.42 Carlton 0.1.1 2.3.15 2.5.17 5.6.36 Goals Melbourne Mifsud 2 Berry Cranston O'Dea Scott Carlton Ayre 2 Jackobsson Sheirlaw Vescio Best Melbourne Pearce O'Dea Paxman Mithen Mifsud Carlton Hosking Exon Vescio Ayre Injuries Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Patrick Burns Ben Cheever Brodie Rayner Crowd 3,965 at Casey Fields, Cranbourne

In a must win match against Carlton Light (the colours worn by their AFLW opponents), Daisy Pearce with a great 29 disposal game, led her team to a victory which has kept the Demons final hopes alive. Similarly, the result dropped the early season favourite out of contention. The Demons must keep winning to stay in the hunt, but the two competition leaders in Adelaide and Brisbane play each other in a fortnight, when one must lose and that could give Melbourne the chance to break into the top two. A scrambly (is that a word?) first quarter saw each team register a solitary behind, although Melbourne played with more fluency one it got the ball outside. However, unforced errors continued to give the Blues opportunities and on a number of occasions left the Demons well exposed. In the second quarter, Melbourne came out firing as the Daisy chain started in motion. All around her we had players starting to blossom and Cat Phillips started to give Daisy first use of the ball and the goals came. While the Light Blues also managed a couple of goals these were both from dubious free kicks and fifty metre penalties. The AFLW seriously has to look at the fifty metre penalty for the competition, as it is simply too harsh, given that the majority of players at the moment are barely capable of kicking anything near that distance. Melbourne was moving the ball quickly by handball and benefitting from the clearer air after the first quarter congestion. Carlton on the other hand was almost solely dependant upon Vescio who continued to get the ball out and up forward. The third quarter saw a more aggressive Melbourne with tackling the highlight. It shut the Light Blues down, as they could only manage two points in 20 minutes while Melbourne scored 2 goals 4 behinds. The Demon forwards were still found lacking when needed in contests - they were often simply not there and it was up to the mids and flankers to do the hard lifting. Surely a three goal lead when the Light Blues had only scored two in ¾ of footy would be enough, but the Demons took the foot off the accelerator and fell asleep in the last. Suddenly, they found the scores level at the nine minute mark and from then on it became a great physical contest. This was the challenge and Daisy, Alyssa Mifsud, Elise O’Dea and Richelle Cranston all stood up to it do well. There was one more goal for the game - to Cranston - and that was enough to put the team in front and eventually win the game. With plenty of time remaining, others were asked to stop the furious charge from Carlton, and Brooke Patterson took a particularly telling mark in the backline to deny them their final opportunity and turn them into an even lighter shade of pale. Melbourne 0.1.1 3.2.20 5.6.36 6.6.42 Carlton 0.1.1 2.3.15 2.5.17 5.6.36 Goals Melbourne Mifsud 2 Berry Cranston O'Dea Scott Carlton Ayre 2 Jackobsson Sheirlaw Vescio Best Melbourne Pearce O'Dea Paxman Mithen Mifsud Carlton Hosking Exon Vescio Ayre Injuries Melbourne Nil Carlton Nil Umpires Patrick Burns Ben Cheever Brodie Rayner Crowd 3,965 at Casey Fields, Cranbourne