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If there's a single lesson to be learned from this round so far, it's that you should never rely on the results of other games. You have to get the job done yourself.

I think I could get used to living in a town like Alice.

Cast your votes please - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Demon fans could be forgiven for thinking that they were participants in Charles Dickens novel, "A Tale of Two Cities" but the location was not London or Paris this time but rather Alice Springs where their team was playing a "home" game against the mob from the Gold Coast. It is the opening stanza from the Dickens novel that so beautifully summed up the game: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way— Indeed the comparison of the way that the Demons played in the first half compared with the second half was truly summed up in this text written just one year after the MFC was formed! Particularly this line ... we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. Once again, Melbourne got off to a shocker of a start in the game. Gold Coast seemed to waltz through easy goals while the "home" team simply played lazy, going through the motions football. It was an exact repeat of the previous week ... and the one before that ... and the one before that. What gives? Yes, there was a 3-4 goal wind, and really Gold Coast didn’t make much use of that advantage as they only lead by a couple of goals at the first change but in the second, Melbourne had the wind and by all rights should have iced the game with that advantage. Sadly, forwards played behind their men, dinky kicks were persisted with, instead of long telling kicks, handballs went sideways and the Demons simply fluffed their opportunities by kicking 2.7 for the quarter. With the prospect of the Suns having the wind behind their backs, and still holding a three goal lead into the third quarter, it was truly a "season of Darkness" of Darkness" facing the team and its fans. That was until Nathan Jones decided enough was enough and almost single-handedly turned the game with as good a quarter of hard, tough football as anyone has seen. Ably assisted by Michael Hibberd off the half-back line they simply dragged the Demons out of the foolishness that they had offered in the first two quarters, and as a result Melbourne found itself in front by the time the ¾ time siren pealed. The football gods also intervened, taking a liking to the Demons as the previously strong wind dropped to a zephyr and Rodney Eade made a simply disastrous choice of stacking the backline, leaving the Melbourne mids to have a free run from the centre of the ground. The coaches also pulled out plan B in that quarter and moved Tom McDonald into the ruck and Cam Pedersen up forward. This had a dual effect because no matter how it can be painted, Tom is not a forward and doesn’t know how to hold front position in a contest. Pedersen is a forward and knows how to bring the ball to ground and provide a target. It was McDonald who started to nullify the Suns rucks and Pedo who provided opportunities for the likes of Garlett and Hannan. He also dragged his man up-field to leave these dangerous forwards with one-on-one contests in space. Finally, with the epoch of belief now with the Demons, players who had been unsighted suddenly were everywhere, probably saving them from extended periods at Casey in future games. How we can convince these players that they need to put in 100% from the start, and not play the game like a half paced training run is a major challenge for the coaching panel. With its tail up, Melbourne piled on nine goals in the final term - the same number as it put on the board in the previous three quarters! Jeff Garlett was superb and probably along with Sam Frost and Hibberd they were the only players in the whole side who played for four quarters. Hibberd has been Melbourne's best recruit for 2017 and one passage of play epitomised how important is his contribution. Taking the ball deep in defence, a 40 m drilled left foot pass broke open the Suns, the ball was quickly moved forward down the wing and centred to ... Hibberd, who then drilled another right foot pass to the leading forward, who goaled. He had run the length of the ground and hit two players on the chest in quick succession. If someone knows how to clone a player, please forward the instructions to the MFC. Finally as the Demons romped home with a 39 point win, after being five goals down in the second, the fans at the game couldn’t celebrate the best of times by singing the club song. It was the worst of times as the loudspeakers blasted out the Suns' theme song signifying a win to Gold Coast. Even when the ground staff put the right song on the public address, it was some strange rendition of the Grand Old Flag that sounded like it was recorded at around the time when Charles Dickens was writing his novels ... Melbourne 2.1.13 4.8.32 9.10.64 18.14.122 Gold Coast 4.5.29 7.7.49 9.8.62 13.9.87 Goals Melbourne Garlett 5 Hannan Harmes Jones 3 Neal-Bullen Petracca Tyson Watts Gold Coast Matera 3 Barlow Lynch Wright 2 Hall Kolodjashnij Lemmens Sexton Best Melbourne Oliver Jones Hibberd Lewis Garlett Melksham Gold Coast Hall Swallow Kolodjashnij Leslie Matera Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Reports Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Umpires Williamson, Jeffery, Glouftsis Official crowd 5,072 at TIO Traeger Park

THE BOOK OF MELBON by The Oracle Hello! This is the story about a bunch of nice guys who, at one stage, believed they were destined to do something incredible. When the Demons comfortably beat the Latter Day Saints in the opening round of the 2017 season it was a case of brimming wide toothy smiles from all of the Melbourne players and their supporters. We were in for a great season and it didn't matter that one team member was injured in the early stages of the first game or that one of the better players was reported as a result of a stupid indiscretion. The team was young, happy, healthy and most of all they BELIEVED ... and all was well and good. The Book of Melbon was about to be spread across every corner of the world. In the weeks to follow the team was taken to dark places. More of those smiling players were injured or suspended. The promise of paradise inspired by the historical figure of their long gone ancient coach Norman Smith evaporated into thin air. The team faced its own demons in the guise of an inability to cope with expectation that comes with a team on the rise. They had to find a way to address and overcome their inconsistencies, to find the courage to take control of the situation, to "Man Up". The AFL's Mission Control sent the Demons to Alice Springs in the red centre of the country to convert the locals and to make them love the game of Australian Rules but the population there already had problems of their own. Meanwhile, those smiling young boys from Melbon had to confront another enemy, one that had recently been on a sojourn to another continent where they were battered from pillar to post and were now on a mission of revenge. To their sheer amazement the Demons and their fans discovered the local bookies had installed them as outright favourite to win their forthcoming confrontation with the Gold Coast Suns. Panic immediately set in and the nightmare began once again in the form of the "Spooky Melbon Hell Dream". This incredible saga has a dramatic twist and I'll be back after interval (team selection) to tell the rest of the story ... THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at Traeger Park, Alice Springs Saturday 27 May, 2017 at 4.40pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Melbourne 6 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins At Traeger Park - Melbourne 0 wins Gold Coast Suns 0 wins Past five matches - Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins The Coaches - Goodwin 0 wins Eade 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel - Live at 4.30pm RADIO - Triple M SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.45 Gold Coast Suns to win - $2.75 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 9.12.66 defeated Gold Coast Suns 9.10.64 at MCG Round 19, 2016 After handing out a thrashing to the Suns on their home turf earlier in the season, the Demons started as white hot favourite to repeat the dose on the MCG. Predictably, their inconsistency shone through and it was only the heroism of a smiling Jack Watts that saw the team home by a narrow two point margin at the end of the day. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Sam Frost, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis C: Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver, Bernie Vince HF: Jeff Garlett, Cameron Pedersen, James Harmes F: Tomas Bugg, Christian Petracca, Mitch Hannan FOLL: Tom McDonald, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C: Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen, Josh Wagner, Jack Watts EMG: Dean Kent, Christian Salem, Sam Weideman IN: James Harmes, Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen OUT: Dean Kent (omitted), Christian Salem (suspended), Sam Weideman (omitted) GOLD COAST B: Jesse Joyce, Jack Leslie, Jarrod Harbrow HB: Sean Lemmens, Steven May, Adam Saad C: Alex Sexton, Will Brodie, David Swallow HF: Jarryd Lyons, Tom J. Lynch, Touk Miller F: Brandon Matera, Peter Wright, Jack Martin FOLL: Jarrod Witts, Aaron Hall, Michael Barlow I/C: Brayden Fiorini, Pearce Hanley, Kade Kolodjashnij, Brad Scheer EMG: Keegan Brooksby, Matt Shaw, Mackenzie Willis IN: Will Brodie, Pearce Hanley, David Swallow, OUT: Gary Ablett (shoulder), Jack Bowes (illness), Keegan Brooksby (omitted) The writing was on the wall the moment the non-selection of Gary Ablett Junior was confirmed. It was bad enough that the Demons were starting as favourites but the loss of the great man immediately put the focus on Rodney Eade's future as coach. Suddenly, it was a game that had enormous importance for the Gold Coast Suns - perform or become the laughing stock of the competition. A team of duds with no fight left in them Earlier in the season, there were a few other teams performing like duds with no fight in them. Fremantle, Hawthorn and North Melbourne are their names and the one thing they have in common is that each of them took control of Melbourne at one stage in their recent contests which they narrowly won. They resurrected the careers of their respective coaches. The nice, toothy-smiling Demons have a habit of performing such good deeds for others and in the nation's red centre, they will continue their mission to nowhere if they play as they did against that trio. I fear that this is what will happen if they're not quite switched on again. James Harmes, Jake Melksham and Alex Neal-Bullen all return to the team this week to offset Ablett's surprise injury omission. In the bizarre world that is AFL football today, I'm fully expecting Ablett's replacement to rise to the occasion and two-metre Peter and Tom Lynch to celebrate a birthday. Gold Coast Suns to win by 1 point

Hello! This is the story about a bunch of nice guys who, at one stage, believed they were destined to do something incredible. When the Demons comfortably beat the Latter Day Saints in the opening round of the 2017 season it was a case of brimming wide toothy smiles from all of the Melbourne players and their supporters. We were in for a great season and it didn't matter that one team member was injured in the early stages of the first game or that one of the better players was reported as a result of a stupid indiscretion. The team was young, happy, healthy and most of all they BELIEVED ... and all was well and good. The Book of Melbon was about to be spread across every corner of the world. In the weeks to follow the team was taken to dark places. More of those smiling players were injured or suspended. The promise of paradise inspired by the historical figure of their long gone ancient coach Norman Smith evaporated into thin air. The team faced its own demons in the guise of an inability to cope with expectation that comes with a team on the rise. They had to find a way to address and overcome their inconsistencies, to find the courage to take control of the situation, to "Man Up". The AFL's Mission Control sent the Demons to Alice Springs in the red centre of the country to convert the locals and to make them love the game of Australian Rules but the population there already had problems of their own. Meanwhile, those smiling young boys from Melbon had to confront another enemy, one that had recently been on a sojourn to another continent where they were battered from pillar to post and were now on a mission of revenge. To their sheer amazement the Demons and their fans discovered the local bookies had installed them as outright favourite to win their forthcoming confrontation with the Gold Coast Suns. Panic immediately set in and the nightmare began once again in the form of the "Spooky Melbon Hell Dream". This incredible saga has a dramatic twist and I'll be back after interval (team selection) to tell the rest of the story ... THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at Traeger Park, Alice Springs Saturday 27 May, 2017 at 4.40pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall - Melbourne 6 wins Gold Coast Suns 3 wins At Traeger Park - Melbourne 0 wins Gold Coast Suns 0 wins Past five matches - Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins The Coaches - Goodwin 0 wins Eade 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel - Live at 4.30pm RADIO - Triple M SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.45 Gold Coast Suns to win - $2.75 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 9.12.66 defeated Gold Coast Suns 9.10.64 at MCG Round 19, 2016 After handing out a thrashing to the Suns on their home turf earlier in the season, the Demons started as white hot favourite to repeat the dose on the MCG. Predictably, their inconsistency shone through and it was only the heroism of a smiling Jack Watts that saw the team home by a narrow two point margin at the end of the day. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Sam Frost, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Jordan Lewis C: Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver, Bernie Vince HF: Jeff Garlett, Cameron Pedersen, James Harmes F: Tomas Bugg, Christian Petracca, Mitch Hannan FOLL: Tom McDonald, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C: Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen, Josh Wagner, Jack Watts EMG: Dean Kent, Christian Salem, Sam Weideman IN: James Harmes, Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen OUT: Dean Kent (omitted), Christian Salem (suspended), Sam Weideman (omitted) GOLD COAST B: Jesse Joyce, Jack Leslie, Jarrod Harbrow HB: Sean Lemmens, Steven May, Adam Saad C: Alex Sexton, Will Brodie, David Swallow HF: Jarryd Lyons, Tom J. Lynch, Touk Miller F: Brandon Matera, Peter Wright, Jack Martin FOLL: Jarrod Witts, Aaron Hall, Michael Barlow I/C: Brayden Fiorini, Pearce Hanley, Kade Kolodjashnij, Brad Scheer EMG: Keegan Brooksby, Matt Shaw, Mackenzie Willis IN: Will Brodie, Pearce Hanley, David Swallow, OUT: Gary Ablett (shoulder), Jack Bowes (illness), Keegan Brooksby (omitted) The writing was on the wall the moment the non-selection of Gary Ablett Junior was confirmed. It was bad enough that the Demons were starting as favourites but the loss of the great man immediately put the focus on Rodney Eade's future as coach. Suddenly, it was a game that had enormous importance for the Gold Coast Suns - perform or become the laughing stock of the competition. A team of duds with no fight left in them Earlier in the season, there were a few other teams performing like duds with no fight in them. Fremantle, Hawthorn and North Melbourne are their names and the one thing they have in common is that each of them took control of Melbourne at one stage in their recent contests which they narrowly won. They resurrected the careers of their respective coaches. The nice, toothy-smiling Demons have a habit of performing such good deeds for others and in the nation's red centre, they will continue their mission to nowhere if they play as they did against that trio. I fear that this is what will happen if they're not quite switched on again. James Harmes, Jake Melksham and Alex Neal-Bullen all return to the team this week to offset Ablett's surprise injury omission. In the bizarre world that is AFL football today, I'm fully expecting Ablett's replacement to rise to the occasion and two-metre Peter and Tom Lynch to celebrate a birthday. Gold Coast Suns to win by 1 point

It was a close finish and a last gasp victory - remember them? MELBOURNE B: Josh Wagner, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Matt Jones C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, Sam Frost F: Chris Dawes, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, James Harmes, Billy Stretch, Aaron vandenBerg EMG: Tomas Bugg, Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen IN: Tomas Bugg, Colin Garland, Aaron vandenBerg OUT: Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted) GOLD COAST B: Nick Malceski, Steven May, Kade Kolodjashnij HB: Jarrod Harbrow, Rory Thompson, Alex Sexton C: Joshua Schoenfeld, Jesse Lonergan, Matt Shaw HF: Brandon Matera, Tom Lynch, Jarrad Grant F: Sam Day, Peter Wright, Ryan Davis FOLL: Tom Nicholls, Jack Martin, Touk Miller I/C (from) Callum Ah Chee, Jarrod Garlett, Jesse Joyce, Matt Rosa EMG: Sean Lemmens, Trent McKenzie, Seb Tape IN: Matt Rosa OUT: Seb Tape (omitted)

An interstate game that resulted in a big win for the Dees earlier this season but we didn't really go on with it in the weeks to follow ... GOLD COAST B: Adam Saad Henry Schade Sean Lemmens HB: Jarrod Harbrow Sam Day Nick Malceski C: Kade Kolodjashnij Gary Ablett Matt Rosa HF: Jarrod Garlett Tom Lynch Jack Martin F: Alex Sexton Peter Wright Clay Cameron FOLL: Daniel Currie Jesse Lonergan Dion Prestia I/C Jarrad Grant Aaron Hall Touk Miller Darcy Macpherson EMG: Brandon Matera Matt Shaw Mackenzie Willis IN: Jarrod Garlett Darcy Macpherson Adam Saad OUT: Ryan Davis (omitted) Trent McKenzie (ankle) Mackenzie Willis (omitted) NEW: Jarrod Garlett MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Josh Wagner, Colin Garland, Jayden Hunt C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, James Harmes HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Jeff Garlett F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Christian Petracca FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Clayton Oliver, Billy Stretch, Viv Michie, Ben Kennedy EMG: Oscar McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jack Grimes IN: Colin Garland, Viv Michie, Clayton Oliver, Billy Stretch Out: Lynden Dunn, Sam Frost, Heritier Lumumba (concussion), Christian Salem (concussion)

It was close on 12 months ago when the teams faced off at the MCG. It was a close game although the Suns took the lead in the second quarter and held on to it for the remainder of the game. A costly but questionable free given away to Gary Ablett Junior for interference in the last quarter gave the visitors the breathing room necessary to take away the points. MELBOURNE B: Alex Georgiou, Tom McDonald, Lynden Dunn HB: Dean Terlich, James Frawley, Jack Grimes C: Jack Viney, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Jack Watts, Cam Pedersen, Jordie McKenzie F: Jeremy Howe, Chris Dawes, Rohan Bail FOLL: Jake Spencer, Nathan Jones, Daniel Cross I/C: Jay Kennedy-Harris, Matt Jones, Neville Jetta, Michael Evans EMG: Shannon Byrnes, Jack Fitzpatrick, Jimmy Toumpas IN: Neville Jetta OUT: Dean Kent (calf) GOLD COAST SUNS B: Matthew Warnock, Steven May, Greg Broughton HB: Sean Lemmens, Rory Thompson, Trent McKenzie C: Matt Shaw, Gary Ablett, Jarrod Harbrow HF: Aaron Hall, Tom Lynch, Danny Stanley F: Luke Russell, Sam Day, Brandon Matera Fol: Tom Nicholls, Jaeger O'Meara, David Swallow I/C: Jack Hutchins, Kade Kolodjashnij, Michael Rischitelli, Dion Prestia EMG: Tom Murphy, Timmy Sumner, Jeremy Taylor IN: Brandon Matera Out: Clay Cameron (shoulder)

WHAT ME WORRY? by Whispering Jack I was sitting at my desk on Tuesday afternoon and I tapped out the usual message that directs me to the footy news. The headline that flashed across the screen said "Trengove set to miss rest of 2014 season" and, given that the site was that of the Melbourne Football Club and the colours of the livery around the page were red and blue, I figured it couldn't be Port Adelaides Trengove and we had another player in trouble. The shocking depth and volume of mishaps that have afflicted the Melbourne Football Club in recent years have been so breathtaking in number that the loss for a season of another impressive young man barely touched the senses. In past times, the news would have created an enormous feeling of loss, panic and a touch of paranoia followed by anger but these days, it's no more than another sad footnote to a sorry chapter of events presumably conjured up by sadistic football gods determined to beat us senseless because we chose Melbourne as the team to support (or perhaps it's the Curse of the Red Fox*) The combination of all of those heavy blows that have rained down upon us has left no room for anger and while once, we might have adopted the style of Peter Finch in Network by getting out of our chairs, going to the window and shouting "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!", we now remain calm and dignified. I'm not mad any more. Yes, it is another crushing blow to a fine young man, but Jack Trengove will heal and he will come back. In some ways, I think it might be a relief to discover what suddenly and mysteriously caused him to lose the dynamism that had Matt Burgan likening him to Nathan Buckley in his 2009 AFL Phantom Draft ("Trengove has excellent speed, endurance and leadership. He can also play midfield, forward or back"). I now realise we need to accept that injury and other disappointments are mere setbacks that are part and parcel of the game that must be accepted in the same vein as the good things that happen - like winning the four points on offer from a side that won a final last year. Once we realise that and refuse to wallow in self pity about the disasters that befall us, then we can shrug off the curse and start to become winners once more. * THE CURSE OF THE RED FOX There's an excellent article in this week's Inside Football by Brett Anderson who is a Demon supporter and who attributes our woes to the sacking of Norm Smith in 1965. He maintains that this curse is real. And now Jack Trengove. No wonder we just shrug the news of his injury off without so much as a thought. THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at the MCG Sunday 20 April, 2014 at 3.20 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins At MCG Melbourne 2 wins Gold Coast Suns 1 win Past five years Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins The Coaches Roos 0 wins McKenna 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 & Fox Sports 3 @ 3.00pm (live) RADIO - Triple M, 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $3.75 Gold Coast Suns to win - $1.60 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Gold Coast Suns 13.12.90 defeated Melbourne 10.17.77 Round 20, 2013 at Metricon Stadium The Demons were in this game all the way thanks to Colin Garland and Jordie McKenzie giving Gary Ablett Junior a working over. However, others in the Suns' midfield stepped up. Jack Viney played the best game of his brief career and Nathan Jones worked his butt off. The game was Campbell Brown's last - he was suspended for a vicious kick at James Strauss then offended in the off season and was duly sacked by the Suns. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Alex Georgiou, Tom McDonald, Lynden Dunn HB: Dean Terlich, James Frawley, Jack Grimes C: Jack Viney, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Jack Watts, Cam Pedersen, Jordie McKenzie F: Jeremy Howe, Chris Dawes, Rohan Bail FOLL: Jake Spencer, Nathan Jones, Daniel Cross I/C: Jay Kennedy-Harris, Matt Jones, Neville Jetta, Michael Evans EMG: Shannon Byrnes, Jack Fitzpatrick, Jimmy Toumpas IN: Neville Jetta OUT: Dean Kent (calf) GOLD COAST SUNS B: Matthew Warnock, Steven May, Greg Broughton HB: Sean Lemmens, Rory Thompson, Trent McKenzie C: Matt Shaw, Gary Ablett, Jarrod Harbrow HF: Aaron Hall, Tom Lynch, Danny Stanley F: Luke Russell, Sam Day, Brandon Matera Fol: Tom Nicholls, Jaeger O'Meara, David Swallow I/C: Jack Hutchins, Kade Kolodjashnij, Michael Rischitelli, Dion Prestia EMG: Tom Murphy, Timmy Sumner, Jeremy Taylor IN: Brandon Matera Out: Clay Cameron (shoulder) OPENING DOORS It was only a matter of a few hours before the news of Jack Trengove's navicular bone fracture broke (pun not intended), that I wrote in response to a reference about Neville Jetta getting a run for Melbourne, "Unless another long term injury opportunity opens up Nev can't play until round 12 when we will automatically be able to elevate another rookie." I was clearly tempting fate and suffering from temporary amnesia about the Curse of the Red Fox and it took no time for that LTI to surface (really sorry Jack). It took not that much longer for Jetta's elevation onto the senior list and some more hours later he was in the squad of 25 to take on the Gold Coast Suns. He'll play on Sunday. Neville Jetta is a survivor. When chosen at 51 in the Watts/Naitanui draft at the end of 2008, he (along with Jaimie Bennell) joined the club's tight knit indigenous heroes in Matty Whelan, Aaron Davey and Austin Wonaemirri. Soon after they were joined by the enigmatic Liam Jurrah, literally plucked out of the desert of Central Australia via the next preseason draft. There was a promise of indigenous excitement and there were certainly some moments but one by one, they disappeared attended by fragments of tragedy, by sadness and by injury. At the end of last year they were all gone - Jetta, who suffered his share of injuries throughout his career and was thought to be lacking in pace, delisted in October after 41 AFL games. However, he managed to gain a reprieve in December via the rookie draft and immediately set about the process of rebuilding his career with a full preseason including some starring roles in his practice matches at Casey. These were followed by two outstanding performances with the Scorpions playing both forward and back (he was a major contributor in his team's opening round win over Essendon) and when the door closed on Jack Trengove's 2014 season, it opened for Jetta. Such is the changing face of the game. The same changes are in the air for Jetta's club. Despite losing two team leaders of who much was expected in 2014, the "Roosification" of the Demons is starting to take hold even if it's only happening in small steps. Suddenly, this week's game against the Gold Coast Suns takes on a completely different complexion. Whereas, the equivalent match up twelve months ago saw the fledgling AFL club come of age with a then record 10 goal victory, this time it's Melbourne that is threatening to break out of the shackles of mediocrity. The Suns are a much better team in their home state where they have played three of their four games and recorded their two wins to date but last week they were dismembered to the time of 99 points by the all conquering Hawks. Very few teams recover from such shattering defeats (and let's face it the current Hawthorn side will do that to most opponents) so it's incredible to consider that the bookies have the Suns as such a firm favourite to win. It must surely be the Ablett factor because his presence makes that midfield superior to that of the Demons but it also means that if he can be covered the game is eminently winnable. And Melbourne's midfield with the addition of Tyson, Vince and Cross and a fit hardnut in Jack Viney is an entirely different one to that which capitulated so easily last year. It's true that Melbourne still has lots to do to get up to par after so many seasons in the football wilderness. The team still ranks 17th in the competition for inside 50s this year at an average of 42.5 per game (compared to Gold Coast's eighth at 51.5) but that figure is coloured by the fact that until the recent forward line renovation which included Chris Dawes' return last week, the Demons weren't all that fully focussed or equipped to move the ball into attack despite the fact that they were getting greater use of the football. Further, Melbourne's disposal efficiency rate of 72.5 per cent (7th overall) eclipses that of the Suns who rank last at 66.2%. I expect Melbourne's home ground advantage, renewed confidence, rebuilt midfield, "Roosified" team structure and our cooler climate to cause Bluey's Suns to become unhinged enabling the door to open for yet another breakthrough after last week's win over Carlton. Melbourne by 30 points.

WHAT ME WORRY? by Whispering Jack I was sitting at my desk on Tuesday afternoon and I tapped out the usual message that directs me to the footy news. The headline that flashed across the screen said "Trengove set to miss rest of 2014 season" and, given that the site was that of the Melbourne Football Club and the colours of the livery around the page were red and blue, I figured it couldn't be Port Adelaides Trengove and we had another player in trouble. The shocking depth and volume of mishaps that have afflicted the Melbourne Football Club in recent years have been so breathtaking in number that the loss for a season of another impressive young man barely touched the senses. In past times, the news would have created an enormous feeling of loss, panic and a touch of paranoia followed by anger but these days, it's no more than another sad footnote to a sorry chapter of events presumably conjured up by sadistic football gods determined to beat us senseless because we chose Melbourne as the team to support (or perhaps it's the Curse of the Red Fox*) The combination of all of those heavy blows that have rained down upon us has left no room for anger and while once, we might have adopted the style of Peter Finch in Network by getting out of our chairs, going to the window and shouting "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!", we now remain calm and dignified. I'm not mad any more. Yes, it is another crushing blow to a fine young man, but Jack Trengove will heal and he will come back. In some ways, I think it might be a relief to discover what suddenly and mysteriously caused him to lose the dynamism that had Matt Burgan likening him to Nathan Buckley in his 2009 AFL Phantom Draft ("Trengove has excellent speed, endurance and leadership. He can also play midfield, forward or back"). I now realise we need to accept that injury and other disappointments are mere setbacks that are part and parcel of the game that must be accepted in the same vein as the good things that happen - like winning the four points on offer from a side that won a final last year. Once we realise that and refuse to wallow in self pity about the disasters that befall us, then we can shrug off the curse and start to become winners once more. * THE CURSE OF THE RED FOX There's an excellent article in this week's Inside Football by Brett Anderson who is a Demon supporter and who attributes our woes to the sacking of Norm Smith in 1965. He maintains that this curse is real. And now Jack Trengove. No wonder we just shrug the news of his injury off without so much as a thought. THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast Suns at the MCG Sunday 20 April, 2014 at 3.20 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins At MCG Melbourne 2 wins Gold Coast Suns 1 win Past five years Melbourne 3 wins Gold Coast Suns 2 wins The Coaches Roos 0 wins McKenna 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 & Fox Sports 3 @ 3.00pm (live) RADIO - Triple M, 3AW THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $3.75 Gold Coast Suns to win - $1.60 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Gold Coast Suns 13.12.90 defeated Melbourne 10.17.77 Round 20, 2013 at Metricon Stadium The Demons were in this game all the way thanks to Colin Garland and Jordie McKenzie giving Gary Ablett Junior a working over. However, others in the Suns' midfield stepped up. Jack Viney played the best game of his brief career and Nathan Jones worked his butt off. The game was Campbell Brown's last - he was suspended for a vicious kick at James Strauss then offended in the off season and was duly sacked by the Suns. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Alex Georgiou, Tom McDonald, Lynden Dunn HB: Dean Terlich, James Frawley, Jack Grimes C: Jack Viney, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Jack Watts, Cam Pedersen, Jordie McKenzie F: Jeremy Howe, Chris Dawes, Rohan Bail FOLL: Jake Spencer, Nathan Jones, Daniel Cross I/C: Jay Kennedy-Harris, Matt Jones, Neville Jetta, Michael Evans EMG: Shannon Byrnes, Jack Fitzpatrick, Jimmy Toumpas IN: Neville Jetta OUT: Dean Kent (calf) GOLD COAST SUNS B: Matthew Warnock, Steven May, Greg Broughton HB: Sean Lemmens, Rory Thompson, Trent McKenzie C: Matt Shaw, Gary Ablett, Jarrod Harbrow HF: Aaron Hall, Tom Lynch, Danny Stanley F: Luke Russell, Sam Day, Brandon Matera Fol: Tom Nicholls, Jaeger O'Meara, David Swallow I/C: Jack Hutchins, Kade Kolodjashnij, Michael Rischitelli, Dion Prestia EMG: Tom Murphy, Timmy Sumner, Jeremy Taylor IN: Brandon Matera Out: Clay Cameron (shoulder) OPENING DOORS It was only a matter of a few hours before the news of Jack Trengove's navicular bone fracture broke (pun not intended), that I wrote in response to a reference about Neville Jetta getting a run for Melbourne, "Unless another long term injury opportunity opens up Nev can't play until round 12 when we will automatically be able to elevate another rookie." I was clearly tempting fate and suffering from temporary amnesia about the Curse of the Red Fox and it took no time for that LTI to surface (really sorry Jack). It took not that much longer for Jetta's elevation onto the senior list and some more hours later he was in the squad of 25 to take on the Gold Coast Suns. He'll play on Sunday. Neville Jetta is a survivor. When chosen at 51 in the Watts/Naitanui draft at the end of 2008, he (along with Jaimie Bennell) joined the club's tight knit indigenous heroes in Matty Whelan, Aaron Davey and Austin Wonaemirri. Soon after they were joined by the enigmatic Liam Jurrah, literally plucked out of the desert of Central Australia via the next preseason draft. There was a promise of indigenous excitement and there were certainly some moments but one by one, they disappeared attended by fragments of tragedy, by sadness and by injury. At the end of last year they were all gone - Jetta, who suffered his share of injuries throughout his career and was thought to be lacking in pace, delisted in October after 41 AFL games. However, he managed to gain a reprieve in December via the rookie draft and immediately set about the process of rebuilding his career with a full preseason including some starring roles in his practice matches at Casey. These were followed by two outstanding performances with the Scorpions playing both forward and back (he was a major contributor in his team's opening round win over Essendon) and when the door closed on Jack Trengove's 2014 season, it opened for Jetta. Such is the changing face of the game. The same changes are in the air for Jetta's club. Despite losing two team leaders of who much was expected in 2014, the "Roosification" of the Demons is starting to take hold even if it's only happening in small steps. Suddenly, this week's game against the Gold Coast Suns takes on a completely different complexion. Whereas, the equivalent match up twelve months ago saw the fledgling AFL club come of age with a then record 10 goal victory, this time it's Melbourne that is threatening to break out of the shackles of mediocrity. The Suns are a much better team in their home state where they have played three of their four games and recorded their two wins to date but last week they were dismembered to the time of 99 points by the all conquering Hawks. Very few teams recover from such shattering defeats (and let's face it the current Hawthorn side will do that to most opponents) so it's incredible to consider that the bookies have the Suns as such a firm favourite to win. It must surely be the Ablett factor because his presence makes that midfield superior to that of the Demons but it also means that if he can be covered the game is eminently winnable. And Melbourne's midfield with the addition of Tyson, Vince and Cross and a fit hardnut in Jack Viney is an entirely different one to that which capitulated so easily last year. It's true that Melbourne still has lots to do to get up to par after so many seasons in the football wilderness. The team still ranks 17th in the competition for inside 50s this year at an average of 42.5 per game (compared to Gold Coast's eighth at 51.5) but that figure is coloured by the fact that until the recent forward line renovation which included Chris Dawes' return last week, the Demons weren't all that fully focussed or equipped to move the ball into attack despite the fact that they were getting greater use of the football. Further, Melbourne's disposal efficiency rate of 72.5 per cent (7th overall) eclipses that of the Suns who rank last at 66.2%. I expect Melbourne's home ground advantage, renewed confidence, rebuilt midfield, "Roosified" team structure and our cooler climate to cause Bluey's Suns to become unhinged enabling the door to open for yet another breakthrough after last week's win over Carlton. Melbourne by 30 points.

A lot of water under the bridge since the two clubs met late last year on the Coast. The Suns were on the up and up and made no changes while the Dees were coming of a couple of big defeats including a debilitating 10 goal thumping from Carlton. Here are the teams from that clash:- GOLD COAST SUNS Backs Trent McKenzie Sam May Seb Tape Half forwards Greg Broughton Rory Thompson Luke Russell Centreline Harley Bennell Gary Ablett Jarrod Harbrow Half forwards Jaeger O'Meara Sam Day Aaron Hall Forwards Campbell Brown Charlie Dixon Nathan Bock Followers Daniel Gorringe Danny Stanley David Swallow Interchange Dion Prestia Andrew Sexton Matt Shaw Tim Sumner Emergencies Jackson Allen Andrew Boston Thomas Murphy No change MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Dean Terlich Half backs James Strauss Tom McDonald Mitch Clisby Centreline Jack Grimes Jack Viney Jordie McKenzie Half forwards Matt Jones Jack Watts Jack Trengove Forwards Dean Kent Jack Fitzpatrick Luke Tapscott Followers Jake Spencer Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Interchange Shannon Byrnes Aaron Davey Troy Davis Dan Nicholson Emergencies Sam Blease In Troy Davis Jordie McKenzie Dan Nicholson James Strauss Out Max Gawn Jeremy Howe (calf) Cam Pedersen Jimmy Toumpas

Those were the days when we could win a game of footy with Gys and Cale in the team. MELBOURNE Backs Joel Macdonald James Sellar Tom McDonald Half backs Jack Grimes James Frawley Colin Garland Centreline Jordie McKenzie Jack Trengove Rohan Bail Half forwards Sam Blease Jared Rivers Lynden Dunn Forwards Jeremy Howe Colin Sylvia Brad Green Followers Jake Spencer Brent Moloney Nathan Jones Interchange Jordan Gysberts Cale Morton James Strauss Luke Tapscott Emergencies Jack Fitzpatrick James Magner Josh Tynan In Jordan Gysberts Cale Morton Luke Tapscott Out Neville Jetta (suspension) Daniel Nicholson (jaw) Stef Martin (foot) GOLD COAST SUNS Backs Taylor Hine Charlie Dixon Trent McKenzie Half backs Daniel Stanley Matthew Warnock Jarrod Harbrow Centreline David Swallow Gary Ablett Michael Rischitelli Half forwards Jared Brennan Tom Lynch Brandon Matera Forwards Luke Russell Sam Day Campbell Brown Followers Zac Smith Karmichael Hunt Harley Bennell Interchange Josh Caddy Liam Patrick Dion Prestia Matt Shaw Emergencies Aaron Hall Steven May Maverick Weller In Sam Day Michael Rischitelli Out Steven May Maverick Weller

THE HOWE JONES INDEX by Mean Gene After yet another torrid week in a difficult year for the Melbourne Football Club, the Demons stocks climbed and eventually hit the roof. It started before the game when it was announced that leadership group member Nathan Jones, a certainty to be club champion this year and high flying Jeremy Howe had both signed on for the next three years. Then, when the team ran out onto the ground, the newly signed duo set the example for their team mates and they blew their opponents off the field. In that respect, they had set the Howe Jones Football Index and it was mostly upward and positive after their club had received a whacking in the media, most of it undeserved and some of it based on sheer malevolence from persons with an agenda against the club, its board and its officialdom. In the early moments of the game we saw Howe, who is better known for his hangers, setting the example by shepherding perfectly for a team mate (he would keep the best of his highflying exploits for later in the game). Jones was burrowing into packs and laying tackles with as much, if not more, impact than his more celebrated chrome down counterpart from the opposition. Their example and the effect of their efforts told on the scoreboard as the team snuffed out the young Gold Coast Suns with six unanswered first quarter goals to take an unassailable forty point lead into the first break. It was a smashing of a first quarter and even the unlikely Jake Spencer joined in the festivities with his first ever AFL goal (in his first ever winning match after almost four seasons), albeit after a fifty metre penalty! It's true that, after that first quarter, the plucky Gold Coast Suns with Gary Ablett Junior and Harley Bennell on fire, managed to limit Melbourne's ascendency even as its men were going down like flies, it was still a big win for the home side even if it couldn't shut up the critics in the media who made no concession whatsoever for the depleted nature of a team that went into the weekend with more than a third of its list, 16 players, unavailable. Despite that fact, had they lost this match, it would have been odds on that those baying for blood last week would have been on automatic pilot droning on ad nauseum about the club's culture. Make no mistake about it, this was no classic contest in the mould of Friday night's epic between Geelong and Hawthorn but, for the Melbourne faithful starved of success for so long, it was good to see their team lead from go to whoa for once. Brad Green shrugged off his horror start to the season and demonstrated that he had not lost his ability to snag the goals and Lynden Dunn played a sterling game in defence proving that forwards can move back without raising suspicious eyebrows. Colin Sylvia is also returning to the sort of form expected of him and his strong marking and contribution to the goal tally were welcome after some of his earlier disappointments. The skippers are also raising their own personal bars with every week and I expect that the real benefits of the brave decision to give such young men the responsibility of leadership will bring its own dividends in the years to come. In the end, it was Howe again who soared over a pack and took his latest mark of the day for the highlights reel. The resulting goal saw the Howe Jones Football Index rise another notch. Melbourne 6.6.42 10.7.67 13.8.86 16.12.108 Gold Coast 0.2.2 4.5.29 5.9.399.12.66 Goals Melbourne Green 5 Blease Sylvia 2 Bail Howe Rivers Sellar Spencer Tapscott Trengove Gold Coast Bennell 4 Ablett Brennan Lynch Rischitelli Russell Best Melbourne Howe Jones Green Grimes Dunn Sylvia Gold Coast Bennell Ablett Harbrow Swallow Shaw Injuries Melbourne Morton (shoulder) Gold Coast Hunt (shoulder) Prestia (hamstring) Rischitelli (knee) Russell (shoulder) Smith (ankle) Changes Melbourne McKenzie (knee) replaced in selected side by Magner Gold Coast Stanley (shoulder) replaced in selected side by Weller Changes Melbourne Nil Gold Coast Nil Umpires Schmitt B Ryan H Ryan Crowd 18,097 at MCG

IRRELEVANT by Clyde The (former) Clifton Hill Cabbie I don't know if anybody out there remembers me. In my time as one of this great city's leading cab drivers I was well known by all and sundry who used my services to convey them around town for my opinions on politics, religion, sport and a variety of other subjects. I always believed I had a deep knowledge and understanding about our nation's number one sport until one day, this young bloke turned his attention away from his iphone, sat up in the back seat of my taxi cab, angrily snubbed his nose up against the perspex window that divided us and told me to STFU. To him, my opinions on the football were "irrelevant". How dare he? I was a keen student of the game and I got a lot of my inside information from listening to talk back radio and reading the sports pages of the little newspaper which was full of stories written by people who had contacts inside the various league clubs. Surely, the sources of my information were impeccable? Later, after thinking about it a little more, I realised that time was indeed passing me by in this new world of digital electronics and whiz bang gadgets. Perhaps, I was becoming irrelevant? I'm in retirement now. I live in this nice nursing home and although I occasionally get to watch a game on TV, I usually manage to fall asleep even before the result's done and dusted (which these days means by half time). I hardly ever get to read the newspapers because the print's too small and the eyesight's failing and most of the people here knit or play lawn bowls so I don't really know much about what's going on in the AFL any more. I suppose that's what makes me feel even less relevant than ever before. However, I always look forward to that once a year day when one of the good people at Demonland visits me and asks me to write a preview of a Melbourne game for the site. This year's visitor was my old friend The Oracle but he delivered what I regarded at first as the supreme insult when he asked if I would write about the Demons' forthcoming encounter with the Gold Coast Suns. I thought for a while and asked, "who in blazes are the Gold Coast Suns?". He replied that they were one of the new franchises that joined the competition last year. "You mean like Hungry Jacks or Dominoes Pizza?" "No, they're an AFL team that plays at Carrara. Gary Ablett Junior's their captain." "Ablett? Well, that's okay then. Brock'll fix him up." Brock was one of my favourites. The Oracle's next revelation hit me right between the eyes. He told of Brock's defection from Melbourne at the end of 2009 because of a problem he had with the club's "experimentation" that went against the grain of everything he'd ever been taught. So he decided to leave and head to a club whose traditions were seeped in integrity and honesty. I was incredulous as The Oracle explained the events of the week in great detail. There was one thing that puzzled me but no sooner had the words leapt out of my mouth that I realised that my question was totally irrelevant. "You would think with three experienced journalists and commentators doing the interview, one of them would have asked him why a man who held such lofty principles could have possibly gone straight to a club whose reputation not only for tanking but for generally rorting the system was legendary?" It was at this point that all those years of spouting conspiracy theories gripped me and in a moment of inspiration, I understood what this was all about and it had very little to do with the practice of tanking. The whole thing was a set up. The puppeteers were pulling the strings to perfection. The kid who not long ago publicly claimed he contracted aids from somebody's mother had left what passed for his brain in the studio's green room. They knew from the start that he would take the bait and it played itself out perfectly for them. The agenda and the people behind it soon became apparent. As I put this proposition to my visitor, I suddenly felt that I was becoming relevant again. He was almost out of the door when I noticed he had left me with several copies of the sporting sections of the week's newspapers to help with the research for my story. All that was left for me to do was to wade through the rubbish and sift through half a dozen beat ups and testimonies from former players and officials and then I could write my match preview. That was the easy part. The clash between 16th and 17th is a game in which every aspect of team selection and every move that the coaches make is likely to come under scrutiny for all the wrong reasons by suspicious journalists and others struggling to make a sensational story out of nothing. But the game itself is totally irrelevant. THE GAME Melbourne v Gold Coast at the MCG Sunday 5 August 2011 at 1.10pm. HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 2 wins Gold Coast 0 wins MCG Melbourne 1 win Gold Coast 0 wins Since 2000 Melbourne 2 wins Gold Coast 0 wins The Coaches Neeld 0 wins McKenna 0 wins MEDIA TV – Fox Footy Channel at 1:00pm (live) Radio –SEN ABC774 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 17.10.112 defeated Gold Coast Suns 12.10.82 in round 23, 2011 at the MCG. Oh my god. This was a game so tedious and boring that I was driven to the bar not long after the start of the second quarter. By the time I returned to watch the action fortified by an unknown volume of the amber liquid Melbourne was on its way to a five goal victory. THE BETTING Melbourne $1.57 to win Gold Coast $5.50 to win THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Joel Macdonald James Sellar Tom McDonald Half backs Jack Grimes James Frawley Colin Garland Centreline Jordie McKenzie Jack Trengove Rohan Bail Half forwards Sam Blease Jared Rivers Lynden Dunn Forwards Jeremy Howe Colin Sylvia Brad Green Followers Jake Spencer Brent Moloney Nathan Jones Interchange Jordan Gysberts Cale Morton James Strauss Luke Tapscott Emergencies Jack Fitzpatrick James Magner Josh Tynan In Jordan Gysberts Cale Morton Luke Tapscott Out Neville Jetta (suspension) Daniel Nicholson (jaw) Stef Martin (foot) GOLD COAST SUNS Backs Taylor Hine Charlie Dixon Trent McKenzie Half backs Daniel Stanley Matthew Warnock Jarrod Harbrow Centreline David Swallow Gary Ablett Michael Rischitelli Half forwards Jared Brennan Tom Lynch Brandon Matera Forwards Luke Russell Sam Day Campbell Brown Followers Zac Smith Karmichael Hunt Harley Bennell Interchange Josh Caddy Liam Patrick Dion Prestia Matt Shaw Emergencies Aaron Hall Steven May Maverick Weller In Sam Day Michael Rischitelli Out Steven May Maverick Weller There must be a clever linguist out there somewhere who is capable of coming up with a word that means the opposite to "blockbuster", because such a word word be perfect to describe this game. Until recently, I would have regarded a Melbourne home game against the Gold Coast Suns as unlosable but I'm not so sure any more. With the club under attack in the media and the tanking debate swirling around it, I'm not all that certain about how the players will react to what I can only consider to be the destabilising atmosphere that has surrounded them throughout the week. After all, it's not often that you have a situation where a former player and former president are out there publicly whacking your club across the head and the media heavies are baying for your blood on a daily basis. It also doesn't help if, on top of these worries, you have a substantial injury list that severely restricts your capacity to pick a team that can win games. On my reckoning, no more than 30 players from the combined Melbourne senior and rookie list of 46 will be in action at the weekend. By way of contrast, North Melbourne will have close to its full list playing in three teams (the Roos are aligned to two VFL clubs and had 12 players representing Werribee alone in the final of the Foxtel Cup on Thursday night). Nevertheless, there are many commentators, either oblivious to thus situation or simply chosing to ignore it, who are maintaining that the Demons will come under more tanking scrutiny if they lose this match. Go figure? Being from the old school, I like to analyse games line by line and, pardon the pun, but I've come up with a result that is going to be very much a line ball. A great deal has been made of Melbourne's much maligned midfield but paradoxically, this is likely to be where the Dees can draw great strength. They might not have the sheer brilliance of Gary Ablett Junior or the youth, pace and ability to spread of their Gold Coast counterparts but they do have size, strength, experience and home ground advantage going for them. Nathan Jones has been a revelation all year and should not be underrated even in the company of the AFL's best player. He proved that last week with his 32 disposals 10 clearances playing to a losing ruck. His partner in crime, Brent Moloney was not far behind him in the disposal count with 29 on return from a brief stint in the VFL. Let there be no doubt, Beamer is playing for his football life along with one or two others like Cale Morton and Jordan Gysberts who are back in the side this week. Jordie McKenzie will probably have the toughest task of the lot after a down week against the Roos but he's taken some scalps this year and, as a kid from down Geelong way, he should rise to the challenge of taking on the former local hero. So this game might well be the antithesis of a blockbuster but I think it will be close and that the Demons will rise to the occasion, put their critics in their rightful place and make themselves relevant once again. Melbourne by 2 points.

It was Todd Viney's only win as an AFL coach. Liam Jurrah broke his wrist late in the game. It was pretty forgettable stuff. MELBOURNE Backs Colin Garland James Frawley Clint Bartram Half backs Luke Tapscott Jared Rivers Tom McDonald Centreline Sam Blease Brent Moloney Jack Trengove Half forwards Tom Scully Stef Martin Brad Green Forwards Liam Jurrah Jack Watts Jamie Bennell Followers Mark Jamar Neville Jetta Nathan Jones Interchange Jeremy Howe Jordie McKenzieTom McNamara Cale Morton Emergencies Jack Fitzpatrick Joel Macdonald Daniel Nicholson In Neville Jetta Tom McDonald Tom McNamara LukeTapscott Out Aaron Davey (suspended) Joel Macdonald Ricky Petterd (quadriceps) Colin Sylvia (suspended) New Tom McDonald (North Ballarat Rebels) GOLD COAST SUNS Backs Seb Tape Rory Thompson Karmichael Hunt Half backs Nathan Bock Jared Brennan Jarrod Harbrow Centreline Matt Shaw David Swallow Dion Prestia Half forwards Luke Russell Trent McKenzie Daniel Stanley Forwards Tom Hickey Nathan Ablett Brandon Matera Followers Zac Smith Gary Ablett Michael Rischitelli Interchange (from) Harley Bennell Josh Caddy Jacob Gillbee Jack Hutchins Sam Iles Josh Toy Maverick Weller Interchange Harley Bennell Josh Caddy Sam Iles Maverick Weller Emergencies Jacob Gillbee Jack Hutchins Josh Toy In Josh Caddy Sam Iles Brandon Matera Zac Smith Out Joseph Daye Josh Fraser (illness) Steven May Joel Tippett New Josh Caddy (Sandringham Dragons)