Search the Community

Melbourne fans breathed a sigh of relief last Saturday when their team managed to beat Hawthorn and the Covid19 outbreak that left it without coach Simon Goodwin and five premiership players – Luke Jackson, Kysaiah Pickett, Tom Sparrow, Harrison Petty and Alex Neal-Bullen. The 10-point win was meritorious not just because the Demons overcame the loss of the coach and key players but also due to the way in which they survived the tension surrounding the club in the 72 hours leading up to the game with speculation swirling around the numbers affected and the severity of the virus. Adding to the uncertainty was the fact that two star players in Jake Lever and Jack Viney were returning after a week off under Covid19 protocols. That they managed to overcome all of this disruption to score the four points against a well-prepared opponent that was up for a good fight made it a famous victory for the club. However, the question remains as to whether the Covid19 crisis is over? When the Demons return to the MCG to take on the Saints on Sunday, the cloud of the virus will still hang over their heads because, after spending over two years “following the science”, we’re still none the wiser as to what to expect from players returning to the field after a week of isolation protocols. With five scheduled to come back at once, the question is what effect their return will have on the ability to exert their trademark brand of around the ground pressure. Of course, the Saints have problems of their own after their game in the energy-sapping humidity of Cairns ended their five game winning run with a 1-point loss to the Power. While it won’t be so easy for them to get up they also have some handy players in Jack Billings Zak Jones and Rowan Marshall putting their hands up for a return. There’s been a lot of talk about how Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell tried a few things differently to quell Melbourne’s domination and indeed, some of his moves, like using Finn Maginness to cover Ed Langdon paid off in part but it was still nowhere near enough to break a depleted Melbourne line up. In order to do that, you need a lot more starting to the engine room in the midfield where Max Gawn and Luke Jackson hold sway with the likes of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Jack Viney and the array of different pieces working around them. You might be able to stop one on any given day but it’s an altogether different thing to stem the entire Demon tide of 2022. St Kilda had a shocker when kicking for goal last week. The odds are that like Melbourne in the game played a week before against Richmond, they will be better in that department this week. One of the main culprits in Max King will be one to watch but the Saints are coming up against one of the AFL’s top defensive units. His team’s problems will be felt everywhere on the ground with the only issue for the Demons being whether they can handle the return of so many players from isolation and Covid19 protocols within a short space of time. I’m confident that they will be able to so because the measures the club has put in place for such a contingency act will act like a covid proof fence to protect the team and its undefeated run against an improving St Kilda line up. Melbourne by 18 points. THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda at The MCG on Sunday 7 May 2022 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 123 St Kilda 94 wins 1 drawn At The MCG Melbourne 59 wins St Kilda 37 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Goodwin 2 wins Ratten 1 win MEDIA TV live and on demand on Kayo and live on Foxtel. Check your local guides. Radio - check your local guides. THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 12.19.91 defeated St Kilda 11.7.73 at Marvel Stadium, Round 2, 2021 After a second quarter marked by wildly fluctuating fortunes, the Demons grabbed the initative in the latter part of the term and surged ahead after half time to record a handy victory making it two in a row to start the season. Clayton Oliver was the star of the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: J.Bowey 17 S.May 1 J.Lever 8 HB: T.Rivers 24 H.Petty 35 J. Hunt 29 C: A.Brayshaw 10 C.Petracca 5 E.Langdon 15 HF: B.Fritsch 31 T.McDonald 25 J.Viney 7 F: C.Spargo 9 B.Brown 50 J.Jordon 23 Foll: M.Gawn 11 C.Oliver 13 J.Harmes 4 I/C: L.Jackson 6 A.Neal-Bullen 30 K.Pickett 36 T.Sparrow 32 Sub: T.Bedford 12 Emerg: L.Dunstan 27 B.Laurie 16 S.Weideman 26 In: L.Jackson A.Neal-Bullen H.Petty K.Pickett T.Sparrow Out: K.Chandler (omitted) L.Dunstan (omitted) J.Melksham (omitted) J.Smith (ankle) S.Weideman (omitted) ST KILDA B: J.Webster 29 C.Wilkie 44 D.Howard 20 HB: D.McKenzie 36 J.Battle 26 J.Sinclair 35 C: N.Wanganeen-Milera 7 B.Crouch 5 B.Hill 8 HF: M.Wood 32 T.Membrey 28 D.Butler 16 F: R.Marshall, M. King 12 J. Gresham 4 Foll: P.Ryder 18 S.Ross 6 J.Steele 9 I/C: J.Higgins 22 Z.Jones 3 B.Long 21 B.Paton 33 Sub: M.Windhager 17 Emerg: R.Byrnes 13 T.Campbell 38 D.Joyce 39 In: Z.Jones R.Marshall Out: T.Campbell J.Lienert (omitted) Injury List: Round 8 Simon Goodwin - H & S Protocols | Available Luke Jackson - H & S Protocols | Available Alex Neal-Bullen - H & S Protocols | Available Kysaiah Pickett - H & S Protocols | Available Tom Sparrow - H & S Protocols | Available Daniel Turner - Foot | Available Michael Hibberd - Calf | TBC Taj Woewodin - Concussion | 1 Week Christian Salem - Knee | 3 weeks Joel Smith - Ankle | 8-10 Weeks Blake Howes - Foot | 10-12 weeks

SOCCER TO ME by JVM I was watching Australia’s World Cup hopes sink late the other night when it’s soccer team lived up to its usual standards of hard work and endeavour without the ability to finish off and gain the full measure of reward for effort. All of us know that the Aussies are minnows in the world game and they have been pushing uphill since the very start of their campaign some three years ago but in the end, the composure was not there and the ability to finish was missing in Russia. I think the same thing might apply to the Melbourne Football Club as it goes about its own campaign to make the AFL finals this year. We have twice seen the Demons dominate possession against top eight opponents in Geelong and then Port Adelaide but failing to finish off their spectacular advantages in themselves of getting the ball into places from where they should be scoring - and doing so heavily. Against the Cats, they dominated the inside 50 count by 64 to 41 and lost a close game by 3 points. The advantage in that statistic was even greater against the Power (68-39) with the home side winning by 11 points and the Dees managing a pitiful ratio of less than 1 point per forward 50 entry. We know that players like Jesse Hogan and Christian Perracca had poor nights at the Adelaide Oval but the figures simply don’t add up because everywhere else around the ground, there was plenty of endeavour shown (oh, and yes, they were stymied somewhat by the noise of affirmation from the crowd that made the officiating umpires another obstacle on their road to victory but they have to live with that). No offence to the opposition this week but I can’t see the Saints exerting the same pressure that Port Adelaide did at home. However, Simon Goodwin now has his work cut out to restore his side to its revered position of just a month ago and this week’s fixture will do nothing to convince us that they’ve redeemed themselves. THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda at the MCG on Sunday 1 July 2018 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 121 wins St Kilda 91 wins 1 drawn At Etihad Stadium Melbourne 59 wins St Kilda 35 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 3 wins St Kilda 2 wins The Coaches Goodwin 3 wins Richardson 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Live at 1.00pm RADIO - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 16.10.106 defeated St Kilda 9.13.67 at Etihad Stadium, Round 7, 2018 The Demons were in control for most of the game against the wasteful Saints. Ruckman Max Gawn was in stellar form and midfielder Clayton Oliver was a prolific ball winner. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Harry Petty, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Joel Smith, Jordan Lewis ? Christian Petracca, Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw HF: Christian Salem, Jesse Hogan, Clayton Oliver F: Alex Neal-Bullen, Mitch Hannan, Tom McDonald Foll: Max Gawn, Jake Melksham, Nathan Jones I/C: Bayley Fritsch, James Harmes, Dom Tyson, Sam Weideman Emg: Cameron Pedersen, Charlie Spargo, Billy Stretch, Bernie Vince In: Harry Petty, Sam Weideman Out: Tim Smith (omitted) Bernie Vince (omitted) New: Harry Petty (Norwood) ST KILDA B: Daniel McKenzie, Nathan Brown, Bailey Rice HB: Jarryn Geary, Jake Carlisle, Shane Savage C:Jack Newnes, Jack Steele, Jack Sinclair HF: Jack Billings, Paddy McCartin, Maverick Weller F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Josh Battle Foll: Billy Longer, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steven I/C: David Armitage, Hunter Clark, Luke Dunstan, Darragh Joyce Emg: Sam Gilbert, Ben Paton, Lewis Pierce, Nathan Wright In: Jarryn Geary, Sam Gilbert, Darragh Joyce Ben Paton, Lewis Pierce, Nathan Wright Out Logan Austin (omitted), Jimmy Webster (Injured) New: Darragh Joyce (Ireland) They meet for the second time in the space of two months but this time it's the Saints that are on a winning streak of one (thanks to a rousing comeback from the dead against the hapless Suns who can't play out a game) while the Demons have lost their last two, their last outing being a disaster where they too, failed to play out the game. And while the relative strength of the opposition is like cheese against chalk, Melbourne is on notice and, according to coach Simon Goodwin, there is some sort of "disconnect" between the team's ability to get the football into a scoring position and its ability to make things count once it gets there. We've been used to claiming for years that its all about the midfield but just when that aspect of the team is reaching a peak, the letdown in front of goal is a major cause for concern. A little bit of reshuffling in that part of the team make up would assist. I still can't help but think about the knack the Demons have of finding new ways to disappoint. Last year, it was all of those inexplicable lapses which enabled defeat to be snatched from the jaws of victory and which culminated in the narrowest of misses when it came to making the finals. This season, it's that disconnect between forward opportunities and winning scores that has kept the side out of the top four. I'm hoping that the AFL doesn't introduce a rule like FIFA’s fair play rule that saw Senegal become the first-ever team to be eliminated from the World Cup this week because I can just see Melbourne becoming its first victim of things get close at finals time. I suppose that just about sums up the Demons and our supporters- we suffer from a fear of hurdles. Against the Saints on our own home turf however, I think we’ll get over it.

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

WELCOME BACK MFCSS by George on the Outer Yes folks, it’s back ... the ever present syndrome that afflicts supporters of the Melbourne Football Club. Playing in a game against St Kilda which had managed a mere two wins to date this season, with other results falling to its advantage and the chance to lock in a final eight position by a clear game and percentage, the Demons stuffed it again! Are we to see a repeat of last year, when we fell at the final hurdle? For those who suffer from the MFCSS, it is sure looking that way. Despite a three goal lead early in the first quarter, the Saints were allowed to haul it back almost never headed for the remainder of the game. How did that happen when ruckman Max Gawn had an incredible 39 hitouts, 25 disposals including 13 contested possessions and seven contested marks? Perhaps because Max was operating mostly on his own, while just too many others barely offered a whimper during the 100 minutes of the game. Mitch Hannan wrote himself a ticket to Casey with a lowly 4 disposal game, Dom Tyson a meagre 3 touches to half time, ANB an ineffective 14 touches with a solitary tackle, Sam Wiedeman with only 7 touches and tellingly not a single mark. But the side was poorly coached as well. Some of the failures during the game included no wingman for at least a 15 minute period, Gresham unmanned on the wing and half back. Until the last 10 minutes of the game, when we went man-on-man and kicked 4 goals, we persisted with the set up that hadn’t worked. Leaving Carlisle unchecked in the backline was a bonus to the Saints, and even better when we continued to bomb the ball long inside 50, with our forwards set far too much up the ground, instead of where the contest lay. Not all lay with the coaches, as we simply had too many plodders out on the field. Goodwin alluded to it in his presser, saying we lacked defensive pressure, but that wasn’t the backs, it was up the ground, where we saw the Saints free running with too many slow Melbourne players in their wake. It was an exact repeat of the Collingwood game, and fortunately St.Kilda lacked the abilities of the Pies or the result would have been similar. The backs were under enormous pressure given that 29 scoring opportunities came down their way. Harrison Petty was overwhelmed and probably wasn’t ready for the AFL level contests, but you have to start somewhere. O Mac had a handful with McCartin who got the benefit of numerous free kicks from the umpires. If anyone doubted the value of Lever, now missing, it was in evidence on this occasion, when he would have been able to get to contests and help out. Sadly Neville Jetta appeared to be still suffering the effects of the battering he took last week, and wasn’t up to his normal reliable self. Up forward Bayley Fritsch continued to show his value, snagging 4 goals from limited opportunities. Tom McDonals was down on form, but could be forgiven since he could barely get up a trop during the week. Hogan showed some signs, with 3 goals but Weidemann had little to no effect. Did I mention the umpiring? Well after last week's debacle, surely it couldn’t get worse? Wrong again! Seven goals from free kicks for the Saints, including 4 from 50m penalties saw the umpires cover themselves in glory again. Don’t let it ever be heard that they cannot influence a game, especially when the final result is a mere two points. In the middle Brayshaw and Viney were fantastic, but were they used correctly? Viney sent to tag Jack Steven meant one of our best contested ball magnets didn’t have much effect in the first half. Once released from that role he almost single-handedly lifted the side to victory. Brayshaw despite 27 touches only spent 2/3 of the game time on the ground. What gives? Was he injured? It didn't look like it given his intensity. Jones played off the wing and still managed 27 touches as well, but once again, was this the best use of him? He certainly doesn’t have that outside run, but he certainly has inside grunt. A respectable 38K crowd turned up as part of the Welcome Game, but were many of those converted by the spectacle that Melbourne produced ... again! Probably not. The side now sits barely in the eight, on equal points to 4 other sides, with Adelaide sniffing at the edge. It would indeed be a welcome game if the side can produce the same effort all over the ground as we know is possible in Darwin next week ... or the MFCSS will just get worse ... again! Melbourne 4.2.26 9.3.57 11.6.72 18.9.117 St Kilda 4.3.27 11.6.72 14.10.94 18.11.119 Goals Melbourne Fritsch 4 Harmes Hogan 3, Brayshaw 2 Lewis T McDonald Melksham Neal-Bullen Petracca Tyson St Kilda Gresham Membrey 4 McCartin 2 Armitage Battle Billings Clark Newnes Savage Steele Steven Best Melbourne Gawn Brayshaw Harmes Viney St Kilda Carlisle Billings Gresham Sinclair Steele Steven Armitage Injuries Melbourne Nil St Kilda Brown (hamstring) Reports Nil Umpires Deboy, Gavine, Pannell Official crowd 38,910 at the MCG

Yes folks, it’s back ... the ever present syndrome that afflicts supporters of the Melbourne Football Club. Playing in a game against St Kilda which had managed a mere two wins to date this season, with other results falling to its advantage and the chance to lock in a final eight position by a clear game and percentage, the Demons stuffed it again! Are we to see a repeat of last year, when we fell at the final hurdle? For those who suffer from the MFCSS, it is sure looking that way. Despite a three goal lead early in the first quarter, the Saints were allowed to haul it back almost never headed for the remainder of the game. How did that happen when ruckman Max Gawn had an incredible 39 hitouts, 25 disposals including 13 contested possessions and seven contested marks? Perhaps because Max was operating mostly on his own, while just too many others barely offered a whimper during the 100 minutes of the game. Mitch Hannan wrote himself a ticket to Casey with a lowly 4 disposal game, Dom Tyson a meagre 3 touches to half time, ANB an ineffective 14 touches with a solitary tackle, Sam Wiedeman with only 7 touches and tellingly not a single mark. But the side was poorly coached as well. Some of the failures during the game included no wingman for at least a 15 minute period, Gresham unmanned on the wing and half back. Until the last 10 minutes of the game, when we went man-on-man and kicked 4 goals, we persisted with the set up that hadn’t worked. Leaving Carlisle unchecked in the backline was a bonus to the Saints, and even better when we continued to bomb the ball long inside 50, with our forwards set far too much up the ground, instead of where the contest lay. Not all lay with the coaches, as we simply had too many plodders out on the field. Goodwin alluded to it in his presser, saying we lacked defensive pressure, but that wasn’t the backs, it was up the ground, where we saw the Saints free running with too many slow Melbourne players in their wake. It was an exact repeat of the Collingwood game, and fortunately St.Kilda lacked the abilities of the Pies or the result would have been similar. The backs were under enormous pressure given that 29 scoring opportunities came down their way. Harrison Petty was overwhelmed and probably wasn’t ready for the AFL level contests, but you have to start somewhere. O Mac had a handful with McCartin who got the benefit of numerous free kicks from the umpires. If anyone doubted the value of Lever, now missing, it was in evidence on this occasion, when he would have been able to get to contests and help out. Sadly Neville Jetta appeared to be still suffering the effects of the battering he took last week, and wasn’t up to his normal reliable self. Up forward Bayley Fritsch continued to show his value, snagging 4 goals from limited opportunities. Tom McDonals was down on form, but could be forgiven since he could barely get up a trop during the week. Hogan showed some signs, with 3 goals but Weidemann had little to no effect. Did I mention the umpiring? Well after last week's debacle, surely it couldn’t get worse? Wrong again! Seven goals from free kicks for the Saints, including 4 from 50m penalties saw the umpires cover themselves in glory again. Don’t let it ever be heard that they cannot influence a game, especially when the final result is a mere two points. In the middle Brayshaw and Viney were fantastic, but were they used correctly? Viney sent to tag Jack Steven meant one of our best contested ball magnets didn’t have much effect in the first half. Once released from that role he almost single-handedly lifted the side to victory. Brayshaw despite 27 touches only spent 2/3 of the game time on the ground. What gives? Was he injured? It didn't look like it given his intensity. Jones played off the wing and still managed 27 touches as well, but once again, was this the best use of him? He certainly doesn’t have that outside run, but he certainly has inside grunt. A respectable 38K crowd turned up as part of the Welcome Game, but were many of those converted by the spectacle that Melbourne produced ... again! Probably not. The side now sits barely in the eight, on equal points to 4 other sides, with Adelaide sniffing at the edge. It would indeed be a welcome game if the side can produce the same effort all over the ground as we know is possible in Darwin next week ... or the MFCSS will just get worse ... again! Melbourne 4.2.26 9.3.57 11.6.72 18.9.117 St Kilda 4.3.27 11.6.72 14.10.94 18.11.119 Goals Melbourne Fritsch 4 Harmes Hogan 3, Brayshaw 2 Lewis T McDonald Melksham Neal-Bullen Petracca Tyson St Kilda Gresham Membrey 4 McCartin 2 Armitage Battle Billings Clark Newnes Savage Steele Steven Best Melbourne Gawn Brayshaw Harmes Viney St Kilda Carlisle Billings Gresham Sinclair Steele Steven Armitage Injuries Melbourne Nil St Kilda Brown (hamstring) Reports Nil Umpires Deboy, Gavine, Pannell Official crowd 38,910 at the MCG

Big day today.

I was watching Australia’s World Cup hopes sink late the other night when it’s soccer team lived up to its usual standards of hard work and endeavour without the ability to finish off and gain the full measure of reward for effort. All of us know that the Aussies are minnows in the world game and they have been pushing uphill since the very start of their campaign some three years ago but in the end, the composure was not there and the ability to finish was missing in Russia. I think the same thing might apply to the Melbourne Football Club as it goes about its own campaign to make the AFL finals this year. We have twice seen the Demons dominate possession against top eight opponents in Geelong and then Port Adelaide but failing to finish off their spectacular advantages in themselves of getting the ball into places from where they should be scoring - and doing so heavily. Against the Cats, they dominated the inside 50 count by 64 to 41 and lost a close game by 3 points. The advantage in that statistic was even greater against the Power (68-39) with the home side winning by 11 points and the Dees managing a pitiful ratio of less than 1 point per forward 50 entry. We know that players like Jesse Hogan and Christian Perracca had poor nights at the Adelaide Oval but the figures simply don’t add up because everywhere else around the ground, there was plenty of endeavour shown (oh, and yes, they were stymied somewhat by the noise of affirmation from the crowd that made the officiating umpires another obstacle on their road to victory but they have to live with that). No offence to the opposition this week but I can’t see the Saints exerting the same pressure that Port Adelaide did at home. However, Simon Goodwin now has his work cut out to restore his side to its revered position of just a month ago and this week’s fixture will do nothing to convince us that they’ve redeemed themselves. *** Scroll for Prediction *** THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda at the MCG on Sunday 1 July 2018 at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 121 wins St Kilda 91 wins 1 drawn At Etihad Stadium Melbourne 59 wins St Kilda 35 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 3 wins St Kilda 2 wins The Coaches Goodwin 3 wins Richardson 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel Live at 1.00pm RADIO - SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 16.10.106 defeated St Kilda 9.13.67 at Etihad Stadium, Round 7, 2018 The Demons were in control for most of the game against the wasteful Saints. Ruckman Max Gawn was in stellar form and midfielder Clayton Oliver was a prolific ball winner. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Harry Petty, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Michael Hibberd, Joel Smith, Jordan Lewis C:Christian Petracca, Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw HF: Christian Salem, Jesse Hogan, Clayton Oliver F: Alex Neal-Bullen, Mitch Hannan, Tom McDonald Foll: Max Gawn, Jake Melksham, Nathan Jones I/C: Bayley Fritsch, James Harmes, Dom Tyson, Sam Weideman Emg: Cameron Pedersen, Charlie Spargo, Billy Stretch, Bernie Vince In: Harry Petty, Sam Weideman Out: Tim Smith (omitted) Bernie Vince (omitted) New: Harry Petty (Norwood) ST KILDA B: Daniel McKenzie, Nathan Brown, Bailey Rice HB: Jarryn Geary, Jake Carlisle, Shane Savage C:Jack Newnes, Jack Steele, Jack Sinclair HF: Jack Billings, Paddy McCartin, Maverick Weller F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Josh Battle Foll: Billy Longer, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steven I/C: David Armitage, Hunter Clark, Luke Dunstan, Darragh Joyce Emg: Sam Gilbert, Ben Paton, Lewis Pierce, Nathan Wright In: Jarryn Geary, Sam Gilbert, Darragh Joyce Ben Paton, Lewis Pierce, Nathan Wright Out Logan Austin (omitted), Jimmy Webster (Injured) New: Darragh Joyce (Ireland) They meet for the second time in the space of two months but this time it's the Saints that are on a winning streak of one (thanks to a rousing comeback from the dead against the hapless Suns who can't play out a game) while the Demons have lost their last two, their last outing being a disaster where they too, failed to play out the game. And while the relative strength of the opposition is like cheese against chalk, Melbourne is on notice and, according to coach Simon Goodwin, there is some sort of "disconnect" between the team's ability to get the football into a scoring position and its ability to make things count once it gets there. We've been used to claiming for years that its all about the midfield but just when that aspect of the team is reaching a peak, the letdown in front of goal is a major cause for concern. A little bit of reshuffling in that part of the team make up would assist. I still can't help but think about the knack the Demons have of finding new ways to disappoint. Last year, it was all of those inexplicable lapses which enabled defeat to be snatched from the jaws of victory and which culminated in the narrowest of misses when it came to making the finals. This season, it's that disconnect between forward opportunities and winning scores that has kept the side out of the top four. I'm hoping that the AFL doesn't introduce a rule like FIFA’s fair play rule that saw Senegal become the first-ever team to be eliminated from the World Cup this week because I can just see Melbourne becoming its first victim of things get close at finals time. I suppose that just about sums up the Demons and our supporters- we suffer from a fear of hurdles. Against the Saints on our own home turf however, I think we’ll get over it.

Melbourne fans were left with a feeling of holding a three quarters full glass in their hands after their team’s 26 point win over St Kilda in their second JLT Community Series match up last night. Their team produced some stylish and scintillating football in the first, second and final terms in front of 4,567 fans at Casey Fields but it was the complete fade out in what is often described as the “premiership quarter” that left some of them with worries about the season ahead. Yes, it was only a practice match but this was a team that missed the finals last year by a slim percentage margin and surely, its occasional propensity to switch off from time to time was one of the contributing factors to that sorry outcome? The Demons were quick out the blocks with their eight goal opening term in which ruckman Max Gawn was a dominant factor who gave his midfield led by an effervescent, slim line Clayton Oliver an armchair ride that opened up multiple avenues to goal with some strong contested football. The Saints somehow managed four goals on the rebound but Melbourne maintained control and looked comfortable as it led by 39 points well into the shadows of the half-time break. The team seemed to ease up the pressure just a little late in the second term but not only did they completely lose momentum in the third, they also coughed up the lead after a run of seven unanswered goals left them five points in arrears until a Jeff Garlett kick found a way from the outside of his boot through the big sticks to settle the team down 30 minutes into the quarter. Big Max had been a little quiet after half-time but he was back to his best in the pressure cooker atmosphere in the final term as the Dees regained their composure in the final quarter through Angus Brayshaw who booted their first two of six goals that saw them safely home. Despite the lapse in that third quarter when the team was often beaten on the rebound after pushing hard forward, there was still plenty to be pleased about with a little over two weeks to go before the main campaign starts. Recruits Jake Lever and Bayley Fritsch were impressive with the former putting in a superb display in defence. The team was generally neat and precise in its ball movement, and there was great depth and evenness through the team with 13 goal kickers. Also pleasing is the fact that there would be close to half a dozen important players out of the side (including Jack Viney, Jordan Lewis and Tom McDonald) who will also come into selection consideration for the opening game in a fortnight’s time. With a full strength side, Simon Goodwin might yet have a team that can fill his glass with success. Melbourne 8.4.52 11.5.71 12.8.80 18.11.119 St Kilda 4.1.25 6.4.40 12.7.79 14.9.93 Goals Melbourne Brayshaw Garlett Hogan Melksham Oliver 2 Bugg Fritsch Hannan Hunt Petracca Salem Tyson Vince St Kilda Bruce 3 Sinclair 2 Acres Armitage Billings Clark Gresham McCartin Membrey Savage Steven Best Melbourne Oliver Gawn Hibberd Petracca Lever Hogan St Kilda Billings Acres Ross Geary Savage Steele Injuries Melbourne O McDonald (back tightness) St Kilda Steven (rolled left ankle) Reports Nil Umpires Rosebury, Fleer, Mollison Official crowd 4,567 at Casey Fields

Votes please ...

MOJO LOST by Whispering Jack Has Melbourne peaked too early again this year? Last year, after displaying their best football for years with wins against Hawthorn by 29 points at the MCG in Round 20 and Port Adelaide by 40 points at the Adelaide Oval in Round 21, the Demons' form dropped away dramatically. With ten wins under their belt, they needed to win the remaining two matches of the season to have a chance of making the finals. The first of those games was against lowly Carlton which was on a long losing streak and they lost that and their finals aspirations, doing so without raising a whimper. That effort was followed up with a capitulation to Geelong at Simonds Stadium, the venue of one of the team's other more famous victories merely a season and a half earlier. The conventional wisdom that came from post-season reviews was that by the time of the game against Port Adelaide, the young side was starting to show signs of exhaustion after a long, hard, challenging season. They had a lead of 39 points at half time in the Adelaide Oval game but those who were close to the team said they could see by the way the opposition surged with little response in the third quarter that the Demons were about to hit the wall. Although I am not an insider and indeed have only watched the past two games on the screen, I sense deja vu when looking back at the past month. The Demons were sensational in the first half against Port Adelaide building a 44 point lead early in time on of the second quarter before holding on to win by a small margin. We were still congratulatory, confident, looking forward to the finals and eyeing the prospect of a top four placing. But while we never looked back to what had taken place some twelve months earlier when disaster struck after the team's previous win over Port Adelaide, the danger of a repeat of history was staring us right in the face. The young Melbourne team was unchanged from the week before as it traveled to Tasmania to take on North Melbourne which (like Carlton last year) was on a long losing streak and it proceeded to lose by four points after a listless final quarter performance. A week later, it proceeded to leak goals at the rate of knots in the opening quarter at Canberra against the Giants. The final losing margin of 35 points flattered the Demons. The signs are all there. The team is no longer winning at the stoppages and in the contests and this is happening despite the fact that it has Max Gawn back winning the ruck hit outs. The inside grunt is no longer as constant and opposition pressure is forcing that one handball too many, leading to errors. The outside run and spread that was evident earlier in the season is almost non-existent. The youngsters are tiring and the important players who suffered injuries six to eight weeks ago have returned without the same impact and explosive power that they displayed earlier in the year. The Demons badly need an injection of outside pace. Jayden Hunt who is one of the young guns whose form has dropped in recent weeks can't do it all by himself even if he regains his mojo. I'm looking for some inspiration from the selectors this week because the trend of the past month has to be reversed if the club's dream of a return to finals action is to be achieved in 2017. THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda Sunday 13 August 2017 at the MCG at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 119 wins, St Kilda 91 wins, 1 drawn At MCG Melbourne 58 wins St. Kilda 35 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 1 win, St Kilda 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 1 win, Richardson 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel, live at 1.00pm RADIO - TBA THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.65, St. Kilda to win - $2.25 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 18.12.120 defeated St. Kilda 13.12.90 in Round 1, 2017 at Etihad Stadium The Demons set the season for their season with a slow start before they got going in a second quarter goal spree that blew the Saints away. Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones and Jordan Lewis all finished with 30+ possession games in a promising start to 2017 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB:Bernie Vince, Cameron Pedersen, Jayden Hunt C: Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver, Jordan Lewis HF: Christian Petracca, Tom McDonald, Jake Melksham F: Jeff Garlett, Mitch Hannan, Alex Neal-Bullen FOLL: Max Gawn, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C:Angus Brayshaw, Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman EMG: Corey Maynard, Billy Stretch, Jack Watts IN: Angus Brayshaw, Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman OUT: Sam Frost (omitted), Corey Maynard (omitted), Christian Salem (omitted), Jack Watts (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan J. Brown, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Jake Carlisle, Jimmy Webster C: Shane Savage, Luke Dunstan, Jack Billings HF: Jack Steele, Josh Bruce, Maverick Weller F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Jack Sinclair FOLL: Billy Longer, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steven I/C (from): Blake Acres, Sam Gilbert, Koby Stevens, Brandon White EMG: Tom Hickey, Jack Lonie, Daniel McKenzie IN: Sam Gilbert OUT: Nick Riewoldt (concussion) The L's mount for the Demons as the W's begin to dry up. They were final four contenders in mid season, cocky and arrogant until those injuries took hold and then, against the Swans, the cracks began to appear. It's been a downhill slide ever since and, after four losses in the past six games, Melbourne finds itself on the brink of elimination from the finals race - defeat against the Saints will surely see it slide out of contention. The same applies to its opponent. Ironically, the last time Melbourne defeated St Kilda on the MCG, the teams were locked in a fight for their season's survival in the 2006 Elimination Final. However, that win heralded the end of an era and the club spiraled downward into the abyss. It's taken more than a decade and 2017 has been a year of hope and promise but the events of the last month or so has seen all that begin to unravel. The Demons are on their last chance to lift themselves back into the race. They have beaten all of the teams around them on the ladder including the Saints. They have a draw they sees them playing out the home and away series at the MCG against teams that are out of the top eight. The selectors have sent a strong message about what they require from the side by dropping out of form players. There are no excuses.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR by George on the Outer Walking away from the MCG after a good win against a challenging St Kilda, there was a smell that Melbourne supporters have not experienced for over ten years. It is the smell of September; that smell of spring in the air as the days get longer and the promise of something better to come. But in recognition of the evenness of the competition there were so many times that the Demons needed to dig deep, and none more so than in the final quarter when the Saints had whittled away at an over seven goal lead, to get within four points. In the past, a Melbourne side would have folded. In the past a Melbourne side would not have won a game like this. In the past the Melbourne sides haven’t experienced that smell of September. And in that critical last quarter when it was all on the line, a few standout performances were in evidence. Jordan Lewis and a St. Kilda player had the free bouncing ball to go for in the St. Kilda forward line. No quarter asked and none given as Lewis never flinched and he caused the opportunity for the Saints to be killed. Mitch Hannan, outnumbered by the Saints defenders took two telling marks and then converted truly to put a dagger through the St. Kilda fans hearts and their finals hopes. Jake Melksham never looked for the easy option or any option as he saw the chance to put the game away beyond any doubt and nailed yet another long distance goal to see the Demons run out winners by 24 points. It was all so close, and could have just as easily gone the other way, but the older wiser heads prevailed, which justified the recruitment of Melksham, Lewis and Hannan to add that very valuable experience when it was all on the line. The Demons came right out of the blocks and in the first quarter played exactly as the coach wanted them to. Hard, aggressive and relentless they overwhelmed the Saints to lead by five goals at the first change, with James Harmes picking up three majors alone. It was helped by the Saints playing some appalling football and turning the ball over consistently, and by Jack Steven suffering a hit to the head early which saw him only touching the ball eight times in the first half, including a solitary kick. His return to form after the main break was one of the reasons for the Saints revival, along with a series of inexplicable decisions from the umpires especially Stephens who needs to work out how far 15 metres is and how a player's head sits on his shoulders. It was good to see the return of Angus Brayshaw, who after a long period of recovery from concussion injuries and an equally long time to get his confidence back to play AFL level football, and that he could rack up 26 disposals including 11 contested possessions in his first game back. It will be nice in the coming weeks to have a player of his quality in the side. Unfortunately, Max Gawn had a shocker of a day and was soundly beaten by Billy Longer both in the ruck and around the ground. Cam Pedersen in contrast was superb as fill in ruck, and in that last quarter when Max was forced from the ground with blood rule, Pedersen ensured the next two clearances went Melbourne’s way. Then he chipped in with two goals when he ventured forward. Leading into the finals he should have cemented that role in the side, because we have seen how no-one else seems to be able to do the job so well, as his 26 touches today showed. And with Pedersen holding down that role, it released Tom McDonald back to the defence, and he stood up strongly with brother Oscar just getting better and better as the season has worn on. The fact that the Saints two main forward targets in Bruce and Membrey could only score three goals between them was a good outcome for the day. In the past this pair have ripped us apart, so hopefully the injury to Oscar’s ribs that happened late in the game will not see him out of action for too long. The smell of September beckons with this win, but it cannot be squandered now by thinking Brisbane and Collingwood in coming weeks are certainties. Brisbane demolished Gold Coast in the second half of their game, after an even contest to half time. Collingwood would only relish the opportunity to deny the Demons a finals appearance if given the chance. The coach has sought to instil that winning character into the young side. The opportunities for finals action don’t come all that often. It is now that we need to flare the nostrils and drink in the sweet smell of what is on offer. P.S What a great initiative by the club to develop the Welcome Game. A crowd of 53K may not have improved the financial position all that much, as loads of free tickets were given away, but it gave the club the opportunity to showcase themselves, and with the extra numbers be able to impress sponsors and the AFL alike. How many times can we marvel at what Peter Jackson has done to turn the fortunes of this club around? Melbourne 6.3.39 9.6.60 10.9.69 14.12 96 St Kilda 1.1.7 4.4.28 8.11.59 10.12.72 Goals Melbourne Harmes 3 Hannan Melksham Pedersen 2 Garlett Gawn Neal-Bullen Tyson Viney St Kilda Dunstan Membrey Sinclair 2 Billings Bruce Webster Weller Best Melbourne Jones Pedersen Oliver Harmes Brayshaw Lewis St Kilda Steven Dunstan Billings Ross Steele Longer Carlisle Geary Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne O McDonald (ribs) St Kilda Stevens (concussion/ear) Billings (left eye) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Stephen Chamberlain Ryan Official crowd 53,115 at the MCG

Walking away from the MCG after a good win against a challenging St Kilda, there was a smell that Melbourne supporters have not experienced for over ten years. It is the smell of September; that smell of spring in the air as the days get longer and the promise of something better to come. But in recognition of the evenness of the competition there were so many times that the Demons needed to dig deep, and none more so than in the final quarter when the Saints had whittled away at an over seven goal lead, to get within four points. In the past, a Melbourne side would have folded. In the past a Melbourne side would not have won a game like this. In the past the Melbourne sides haven’t experienced that smell of September. And in that critical last quarter when it was all on the line, a few standout performances were in evidence. Jordan Lewis and a St. Kilda player had the free bouncing ball to go for in the St. Kilda forward line. No quarter asked and none given as Lewis never flinched and he caused the opportunity for the Saints to be killed. Mitch Hannan, outnumbered by the Saints defenders took two telling marks and then converted truly to put a dagger through the St. Kilda fans hearts and their finals hopes. Jake Melksham never looked for the easy option or any option as he saw the chance to put the game away beyond any doubt and nailed yet another long distance goal to see the Demons run out winners by 24 points. It was all so close, and could have just as easily gone the other way, but the older wiser heads prevailed, which justified the recruitment of Melksham, Lewis and Hannan to add that very valuable experience when it was all on the line. The Demons came right out of the blocks and in the first quarter played exactly as the coach wanted them to. Hard, aggressive and relentless they overwhelmed the Saints to lead by five goals at the first change, with James Harmes picking up three majors alone. It was helped by the Saints playing some appalling football and turning the ball over consistently, and by Jack Steven suffering a hit to the head early which saw him only touching the ball eight times in the first half, including a solitary kick. His return to form after the main break was one of the reasons for the Saints revival, along with a series of inexplicable decisions from the umpires especially Stephens who needs to work out how far 15 metres is and how a player's head sits on his shoulders. It was good to see the return of Angus Brayshaw, who after a long period of recovery from concussion injuries and an equally long time to get his confidence back to play AFL level football, and that he could rack up 26 disposals including 11 contested possessions in his first game back. It will be nice in the coming weeks to have a player of his quality in the side. Unfortunately, Max Gawn had a shocker of a day and was soundly beaten by Billy Longer both in the ruck and around the ground. Cam Pedersen in contrast was superb as fill in ruck, and in that last quarter when Max was forced from the ground with blood rule, Pedersen ensured the next two clearances went Melbourne’s way. Then he chipped in with two goals when he ventured forward. Leading into the finals he should have cemented that role in the side, because we have seen how no-one else seems to be able to do the job so well, as his 26 touches today showed. And with Pedersen holding down that role, it released Tom McDonald back to the defence, and he stood up strongly with brother Oscar just getting better and better as the season has worn on. The fact that the Saints two main forward targets in Bruce and Membrey could only score three goals between them was a good outcome for the day. In the past this pair have ripped us apart, so hopefully the injury to Oscar’s ribs that happened late in the game will not see him out of action for too long. The smell of September beckons with this win, but it cannot be squandered now by thinking Brisbane and Collingwood in coming weeks are certainties. Brisbane demolished Gold Coast in the second half of their game, after an even contest to half time. Collingwood would only relish the opportunity to deny the Demons a finals appearance if given the chance. The coach has sought to instil that winning character into the young side. The opportunities for finals action don’t come all that often. It is now that we need to flare the nostrils and drink in the sweet smell of what is on offer. P.S What a great initiative by the club to develop the Welcome Game. A crowd of 53K may not have improved the financial position all that much, as loads of free tickets were given away, but it gave the club the opportunity to showcase themselves, and with the extra numbers be able to impress sponsors and the AFL alike. How many times can we marvel at what Peter Jackson has done to turn the fortunes of this club around? Melbourne 6.3.39 9.6.60 10.9.69 14.12 96 St Kilda 1.1.7 4.4.28 8.11.59 10.12 72 Goals Melbourne Harmes 3 Hannan Melksham Pedersen 2 Garlett Gawn Neal-Bullen Tyson Viney St Kilda Dunstan Membrey Sinclair 2 Billings Bruce Webster Weller Best Melbourne Jones Pedersen Oliver Harmes Brayshaw Lewis St Kilda Steven Dunstan Billings Ross Steele Longer Carlisle Geary Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne O McDonald (ribs) St Kilda Stevens (concussion/ear) Billings (left eye) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Stephen Chamberlain Ryan Official crowd 53,115 at the MCG

Whatever happens today, I think it's fair comment that come the end of the game, Simon Goodwin can say, "I did it my way".

Has Melbourne peaked too early again this year? Last year, after displaying their best football for years with wins against Hawthorn by 29 points at the MCG in Round 20 and Port Adelaide by 40 points at the Adelaide Oval in Round 21, the Demons' form dropped away dramatically. With ten wins under their belt, they needed to win the remaining two matches of the season to have a chance of making the finals. The first of those games was against lowly Carlton which was on a long losing streak and they lost that and their finals aspirations, doing so without raising a whimper. That effort was followed up with a capitulation to Geelong at Simonds Stadium, the venue of one of the team's other more famous victories merely a season and a half earlier. The conventional wisdom that came from post-season reviews was that by the time of the game against Port Adelaide, the young side was starting to show signs of exhaustion after a long, hard, challenging season. They had a lead of 39 points at half time in the Adelaide Oval game but those who were close to the team said they could see by the way the opposition surged with little response in the third quarter that the Demons were about to hit the wall. Although I am not an insider and indeed have only watched the past two games on the screen, I sense deja vu when looking back at the past month. The Demons were sensational in the first half against Port Adelaide building a 44 point lead early in time on of the second quarter before holding on to win by a small margin. We were still congratulatory, confident, looking forward to the finals and eyeing the prospect of a top four placing. But while we never looked back to what had taken place some twelve months earlier when disaster struck after the team's previous win over Port Adelaide, the danger of a repeat of history was staring us right in the face. The young Melbourne team was unchanged from the week before as it traveled to Tasmania to take on North Melbourne which (like Carlton last year) was on a long losing streak and it proceeded to lose by four points after a listless final quarter performance. A week later, it proceeded to leak goals at the rate of knots in the opening quarter at Canberra against the Giants. The final losing margin of 35 points flattered the Demons. The signs are all there. The team is no longer winning at the stoppages and in the contests and this is happening despite the fact that it has Max Gawn back winning the ruck hit outs. The inside grunt is no longer as constant and opposition pressure is forcing that one handball too many, leading to errors. The outside run and spread that was evident earlier in the season is almost non-existent. The youngsters are tiring and the important players who suffered injuries six to eight weeks ago have returned without the same impact and explosive power that they displayed earlier in the year. The Demons badly need an injection of outside pace. Jayden Hunt who is one of the young guns whose form has dropped in recent weeks can't do it all by himself even if he regains his mojo. I'm looking for some inspiration from the selectors this week because the trend of the past month has to be reversed if the club's dream of a return to finals action is to be achieved in 2017. THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda Sunday 13 August 2017 at the MCG at 1.10pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 119 wins, St Kilda 91 wins, 1 drawn At MCG Melbourne 58 wins St. Kilda 35 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 1 win, St Kilda 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 1 win, Richardson 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel, live at 1.00pm RADIO - SEN THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.65, St. Kilda to win - $2.25 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 18.12.120 defeated St. Kilda 13.12.90 in Round 1, 2017 at Etihad Stadium The Demons set the season for their season with a slow start before they got going in a second quarter goal spree that blew the Saints away. Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones and Jordan Lewis all finished with 30+ possession games in a promising start to 2017 THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB:Bernie Vince, Cameron Pedersen, Jayden Hunt C: Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver, Jordan Lewis HF: Christian Petracca, Tom McDonald, Jake Melksham F: Jeff Garlett, Mitch Hannan, Alex Neal-Bullen FOLL: Max Gawn, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney I/C:Angus Brayshaw, Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman EMG: Corey Maynard, Billy Stretch, Jack Watts IN: Angus Brayshaw, Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Sam Weideman OUT: Sam Frost (omitted), Corey Maynard (omitted), Christian Salem (omitted), Jack Watts (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan J. Brown, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Jake Carlisle, Jimmy Webster C: Shane Savage, Luke Dunstan, Jack Billings HF: Jack Steele, Josh Bruce, Maverick Weller F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Jack Sinclair FOLL: Billy Longer, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steven I/C (from): Blake Acres, Sam Gilbert, Koby Stevens, Brandon White EMG: Tom Hickey, Jack Lonie, Daniel McKenzie IN: Sam Gilbert OUT: Nick Riewoldt (concussion) The L's mount for the Demons as the W's begin to dry up. They were final four contenders in mid season, cocky and arrogant until those injuries took hold and then, against the Swans, the cracks began to appear. It's been a downhill slide ever since and, after four losses in the past six games, Melbourne finds itself on the brink of elimination from the finals race - defeat against the Saints will surely see it slide out of contention. The same applies to its opponent. Ironically, the last time Melbourne defeated St Kilda on the MCG, the teams were locked in a fight for their season's survival in the 2006 Elimination Final. However, that win heralded the end of an era and the club spiraled downward into the abyss. It's taken more than a decade and 2017 has been a year of hope and promise but the events of the last month or so has seen all that begin to unravel. The Demons are on their last chance to lift themselves back into the race. They have beaten all of the teams around them on the ladder including the Saints. They have a draw they sees them playing out the home and away series at the MCG against teams that are out of the top eight. The selectors have sent a strong message about what they require from the side by dropping out of form players. There are no excuses.

Was tonights game (North v Doggies) a comedy of errors or what? I have never seen so many unforced turnovers in 1 game ever. They won't be up there for long bringing this rubbish time for us to swoop?

THE NEW REALITY by Whispering Jack Melbourne has not beaten St Kilda in an AFL premiership match since the 2006 Elimination Final when it recorded a three goal victory at the MCG. The only current player to take part in that game was current skipper Nathan Jones who was taking part in only his 7th AFL game. As was befitting of his young age and inexperience, Jones' role that nigh was modest - he picked up a mere nine touches of the footy. On Saturday, he will play his 207th game for the club and is expected to make a much bigger contribution and to play in a winning team against the Saints again. Lynden Dunn is the only other player still with the Demons who was on the club's list that year although he did not take part in the finals match. However, he was on hand in Round 10 of that season when the Demons also beat the Saints. Dunn and Jones are the only players to have played in a winning Melbourne team against St Kilda (I'm excluding NAB Challenge matches from the equation). There is a handful of others at the club who have played in winning teams against the Saints when they were at other clubs. Chris Dawes and Heritier Lumumba were in a premiership winning team at Collingwood that beat St Kilda in the 2010 Grand Final while another former Magpie Ben Kennedy later made his debut in a victory over the Saints. Jeff Garlett, Bernie Vince, Ben Newton and the club's new serial pest Tommy Bugg have all had the same winning experience before joining the Demons. Of course, Paul Roos who is winless against them in three starts as coach of the Dees, won many when he was at the helm of the Swans. However, the reality is that when the team runs out on Saturday afternoon there will not be a single player who can say he has previously played with a teammate wearing the red and blue in a winning team against the opposition. That reality is about to change with 100 minutes of football. The Melbourne we have witnessed over the past three matches of football and indeed over most of the month or so before that is the product of the new reality for the club - a young team that attacks and defends with flair and excitement, that takes risks, plays with aggression and intensity and is developing some quality and class. That could not be said of its performances over most of the past decade (and indeed, the Essendon game which surely now must be considered an aberration). The team is getting better in leaps and bounds and what's more - it has found some consistency in performance. That cannot be said of its opposition this week. The Saints are also on the rise and were impressive in consecutive games against Collingwood and Hawthorn but they came down to earth with a thud against the Giants last week. They won't be easy pickings at Etihad where they have constantly had "the wood" over Melbourne but the Demons overcame their hoodoo there last year, never mind in the practice match conditions of the NAB Challenge not all that long ago. On Saturday, they will give the Saints a taste of the new reality. THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda at Etihad Stadium Saturday 30 April 2016 at 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 118 wins St Kilda 89 wins 1 drawn At Etihad Melbourne 3 wins St. Kilda 6 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 0 wins St. Kilda 5 wins The Coaches Roos 0 wins Richardson 3 wins MEDIA TV - RADIO - THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.55 St. Kilda to win - $2.45 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 1211.83 defeated Melbourne 6.10.46 in Round 17, 2015 at the MCG A lot of questions were asked of the Demons after their pitiful effort in the last half against the Saints at the MCG in a game they were expected to win. Too many players simply didn't come out to play. Among the few who did were Jeremy Howe, Jack Viney and Daniel Cross and ironically two of that trio are no longer playing for the club. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Lynden Dunn, Heritier Lumumba, Christian Salem C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, Josh Wagner HF: Jack Watts, Sam Frost, Jeff Garlett F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: James Harmes, Jayden Hunt, Cam Pedersen, Christian Petracca EMG: Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen, Clayton Oliver IN: Christian Petracca OUT: Angus Brayshaw (omitted) NEW: Christian Petracca (20, Eastern Ranges) ST. KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Jimmy Webster HB: Shane Savage, Sam Fisher, Leigh Montagna C: Jack Billings, David Armitage, Jack Newnes HF: Maverick Weller, Nick Riewoldt, Jade Gresham F: Jack Sinclair, Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey FOLL: Tom Hickey, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Blake Acres, Sam Gilbert, Minchington, Seb Ross EMG: Hugh Goddard, Billy Longer, Brodie Murdoch IN: Blake Acres, Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey OUT: Tom Lee (omitted), Jack Lonie (omitted), Paddy McCartin (managed)

Turn up to Etihad we were told. It’s our home away from home ... Our home away from home! And, yes the fans did exactly that ... 27K at a home game at Etihad. Unheard of. Buy your memberships. Let’s break the record ... 37,500 Members ... Unheard of. The players and coaches turning up to match the enthusiasm exhibited by the fans ... Unheard of. Once again the opportunity to truly cement the future of the club, in both the short and the long term was thrown away by a half interested team and a simply incompetent coaching group. The excuse of a six day break will be trotted out, tired players etc. But if that was the case, then the solitary change from the winning side of last week was simply inadequate. Eleven of players who took to the field had less than 15 touches for the game. If the management of the workloads of the playing group was truly being carried out, then the tired and lethargic performance against the Saints would simply not have happened. Worse was that the players in this group included Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett, Dean Kent, Heritier Lumumba, Neville Jetta and Sam Frost. These are not the young inclusions in the side but supposedly hardened experienced players. And we had a wealth of available inclusions to fill at least some of those spots. Then to cap it off the coaching group persisted with the simply ludicrous zone defence system. Riewoldt, Bruce and Membery had a field day with uncontested marks and more of the same inside our defensive 50m zone. To play a zone defence, you need players who can switch at the drop of a hat from one opponent to another. With legs which looked like lead weights we saw time and time again defenders simply not on their man or not getting to the contest. OK so it didn’t work, but when it isn’t working then you change something. Like going man-on-man. No that wasn’t done. So why not put an extra man in defence. No that wasn’t done either until the third quarter when St.Kilda piled on eight goals! And then it was poor Jayden Hunt who got dropped back instead of one of our talls. So we saw Reiwoldt marking against Jetta, Bruce over Hunt, Membery over no one at all! Inside their 50, not one St.Kilda mark for the whole game was contested! That single quarter simply blew the game away but the alarm bells should have been ringing long before that as the Saints had piled on six goals in the second as well with us persisting with the zone. There were a few shining lights for the Demons. Jesse Hogan overcame his yips from last week and nailed 7 goals. Without his efforts the result would have been horrible. Eight marks, five of which were contested gave the team a genuine target up forward. Big Max managed 38 hitouts but he too wasn’t able to reach the standards that he set last week. Hickey and the St.Kilda mids simply negated everything that he worked at achieving. Jack Viney continued his fine form with another 30 disposals and was abley assisted by Nathan Jones with 31. Trouble was the next best mids in Tyson and Vince could only manage numbers in the low 20’s. Once again the fans were cheated. Once again they put in, and saw hope and aspiration simply squandered with incompetence. It simply isn’t good enough and now any hope of exceeding the 40K target for membership has been lost. Do you think any self-respecting fan will turn up to watch the rematch against the Saints at Etihad in July? No, the chance has been blown, well and truly. Melbourne 5.3.33 8.3.51 11.5.71 15.6.96 St Kilda 3.4.22 9.9.63 17.11.113 20.15.135 Goals Melbourne Hogan 7 Frost Watts 2 Bugg Jones, Kent Tyson St Kilda Membrey 5 Bruce Riewoldt 3 Acres Sinclair 2 Armitage Dunstan Gresham Newnes Weller Best Melbourne Hogan, Viney, Jones, Vince St Kilda Riewoldt Acres Steven Membrey Sinclair Armitage Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne Harmes (corked thigh) Salem (concussion) St Kilda Ross (shoulder) Webster (thumb) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Brown, Meredith, Findlay Official crowd 27,260 at Etihad Stadium

THE GREAT FAN FRAUD by George on the Outer Turn up to Etihad we were told. It’s our home away from home ... Our home away from home! And, yes the fans did exactly that ... 27K at a home game at Etihad. Unheard of. Buy your memberships. Let’s break the record ... 37,500 Members ... Unheard of. The players and coaches turning up to match the enthusiasm exhibited by the fans ... Unheard of. Once again the opportunity to truly cement the future of the club, in both the short and the long term was thrown away by a half interested team and a simply incompetent coaching group. The excuse of a six day break will be trotted out, tired players etc. But if that was the case, then the solitary change from the winning side of last week was simply inadequate. Eleven of players who took to the field had less than 15 touches for the game. If the management of the workloads of the playing group was truly being carried out, then the tired and lethargic performance against the Saints would simply not have happened. Worse was that the players in this group included Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett, Dean Kent, Heritier Lumumba, Neville Jetta and Sam Frost. These are not the young inclusions in the side but supposedly hardened experienced players. And we had a wealth of available inclusions to fill at least some of those spots. Then to cap it off the coaching group persisted with the simply ludicrous zone defence system. Riewoldt, Bruce and Membery had a field day with uncontested marks and more of the same inside our defensive 50m zone. To play a zone defence, you need players who can switch at the drop of a hat from one opponent to another. With legs which looked like lead weights we saw time and time again defenders simply not on their man or not getting to the contest. OK so it didn’t work, but when it isn’t working then you change something. Like going man-on-man. No that wasn’t done. So why not put an extra man in defence. No that wasn’t done either until the third quarter when St.Kilda piled on eight goals! And then it was poor Jayden Hunt who got dropped back instead of one of our talls. So we saw Reiwoldt marking against Jetta, Bruce over Hunt, Membery over no one at all! Inside their 50, not one St.Kilda mark for the whole game was contested! That single quarter simply blew the game away but the alarm bells should have been ringing long before that as the Saints had piled on six goals in the second as well with us persisting with the zone. There were a few shining lights for the Demons. Jesse Hogan overcame his yips from last week and nailed 7 goals. Without his efforts the result would have been horrible. Eight marks, five of which were contested gave the team a genuine target up forward. Big Max managed 38 hitouts but he too wasn’t able to reach the standards that he set last week. Hickey and the St.Kilda mids simply negated everything that he worked at achieving. Jack Viney continued his fine form with another 30 disposals and was abley assisted by Nathan Jones with 31. Trouble was the next best mids in Tyson and Vince could only manage numbers in the low 20’s. Once again the fans were cheated. Once again they put in, and saw hope and aspiration simply squandered with incompetence. It simply isn’t good enough and now any hope of exceeding the 40K target for membership has been lost. Do you think any self-respecting fan will turn up to watch the rematch against the Saints at Etihad in July? No, the chance has been blown, well and truly. Melbourne 5.3.33 8.3.51 11.5.71 15.6.96 St Kilda 3.4.22 9.9.63 17.11.113 20.15.135 Goals Melbourne Hogan 7 Frost Watts 2 Bugg Jones, Kent Tyson St Kilda Membrey 5 Bruce Riewoldt 3 Acres Sinclair 2 Armitage Dunstan Gresham Newnes Weller Best Melbourne Hogan, Viney, Jones, Vince St Kilda Riewoldt Acres Steven Membrey Sinclair Armitage Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne Harmes (corked thigh) Salem (concussion) St Kilda Ross (shoulder) Webster (thumb) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Brown, Meredith, Findlay Official crowd 27,260 at Etihad Stadium

They've been saying it's a mad, mad world for a long time but I wonder sometimes about what goes on in the mind of the person who prepares the AFL draw. Take today for instance. Melbourne fans are being implored to turn up for what is their team's home game against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium in the Docklands which is the home ground of the Saints. Go figure? The main thing is that the Demons have shrugged off the old hoodoo which this ground once presented and they even beat the Saints there last month, albeit in a NAB Challenge match. So we're now aiming for a "threepeat" (I know some of you don't like the word but it's no more mister nice guy - remember) and may that trend continue so that we can acquaint ourselves with the idea of winning multiple games on end and not pray for just two in a row.

Melbourne has not beaten St Kilda in an AFL premiership match since the 2006 Elimination Final when it recorded a three goal victory at the MCG. The only current player to take part in that game was current skipper Nathan Jones who was taking part in only his 7th AFL game. As was befitting of his young age and inexperience, Jones' role that nigh was modest - he picked up a mere nine touches of the footy. On Saturday, he will play his 207th game for the club and is expected to make a much bigger contribution and to play in a winning team against the Saints again. Lynden Dunn is the only other player still with the Demons who was on the club's list that year although he did not take part in the finals match. However, he was on hand in Round 10 of that season when the Demons also beat the Saints. Dunn and Jones are the only players to have played in a winning Melbourne team against St Kilda (I'm excluding NAB Challenge matches from the equation). There is a handful of others at the club who have played in winning teams against the Saints when they were at other clubs. Chris Dawes and Heritier Lumumba were in a premiership winning team at Collingwood that beat St Kilda in the 2010 Grand Final while another former Magpie Ben Kennedy later made his debut in a victory over the Saints. Jeff Garlett, Bernie Vince, Ben Newton and the club's new serial pest Tommy Bugg have all had the same winning experience before joining the Demons. Of course, Paul Roos who is winless against them in three starts as coach of the Dees, won many when he was at the helm of the Swans. However, the reality is that when the team runs out on Saturday afternoon there will not be a single player who can say he has previously played with a teammate wearing the red and blue in a winning team against the opposition. That reality is about to change with 100 minutes of football. The Melbourne we have witnessed over the past three matches of football and indeed over most of the month or so before that is the product of the new reality for the club - a young team that attacks and defends with flair and excitement, that takes risks, plays with aggression and intensity and is developing some quality and class. That could not be said of its performances over most of the past decade (and indeed, the Essendon game which surely now must be considered an aberration). The team is getting better in leaps and bounds and what's more - it has found some consistency in performance. That cannot be said of its opposition this week. The Saints are also on the rise and were impressive in consecutive games against Collingwood and Hawthorn but they came down to earth with a thud against the Giants last week. They won't be easy pickings at Etihad where they have constantly had "the wood" over Melbourne but the Demons overcame their hoodoo there last year, never mind in the practice match conditions of the NAB Challenge not all that long ago. On Saturday, they will give the Saints a taste of the new reality. THE GAME Melbourne v St Kilda at Etihad Stadium Saturday 30 April 2016 at 1.45pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 118 wins St Kilda 89 wins 1 drawn At Etihad Melbourne 3 wins St. Kilda 6 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 0 wins St. Kilda 5 wins The Coaches Roos 0 wins Richardson 3 wins MEDIA TV - RADIO - THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $1.55 St. Kilda to win - $2.45 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 1211.83 defeated Melbourne 6.10.46 in Round 17, 2015 at the MCG A lot of questions were asked of the Demons after their pitiful effort in the last half against the Saints at the MCG in a game they were expected to win. Too many players simply didn't come out to play. Among the few who did were Jeremy Howe, Jack Viney and Daniel Cross and ironically two of that trio are no longer playing for the club. TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg HB: Lynden Dunn, Heritier Lumumba, Christian Salem C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, Josh Wagner HF: Jack Watts, Sam Frost, Jeff Garlett F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: James Harmes, Jayden Hunt, Cam Pedersen, Christian Petracca EMG: Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen, Clayton Oliver IN: Christian Petracca OUT: Angus Brayshaw (omitted) NEW: Christian Petracca (20, Eastern Ranges) ST. KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Jimmy Webster HB: Shane Savage, Sam Fisher, Leigh Montagna C: Jack Billings, David Armitage, Jack Newnes HF: Maverick Weller, Nick Riewoldt, Jade Gresham F: Jack Sinclair, Josh Bruce, Tim Membrey FOLL: Tom Hickey, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Blake Acres, Sam Gilbert, Minchington, Seb Ross EMG: Hugh Goddard, Billy Longer, Brodie Murdoch IN: Blake Acres, Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey OUT: Tom Lee (omitted), Jack Lonie (omitted), Paddy McCartin (managed)

Melbourne was expected to beat St Kilda in their return game at the MCG against the team that had stolen victory in the dying moments when they met a month or so earlier. The Demons failed miserably. MELBOURNE B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta HB: Daniel Cross, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, Heritier Lumumba HF: Aaron vandenBerg, Chris Dawes, Angus Brayshaw F: Jeff Garlett, Jesse Hogan, Jeff Watts Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Jack Grimes, James Harmes, Viv Michie, Billy Stretch EMG: Mark Jamar, Matt Jones, Alex Neal-Bullen IN: Jack Grimes, Viv Michie OUT: Jay Kennedy-Harris (omitted), Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted) ST. KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sam Gilbert, Sean Dempster HB: Shane Savage, Sam Fisher, Dylan Roberton C: Jack Newnes, David Armitage, Leigh Montagna HF: Luke Dunstan, Nick Riewoldt, Jack Sinclair F: Jack Lonie, Josh Bruce, Paddy McCartin FOLL: Billy Longer, Jack Steven, Maverick Weller I/C: Hugh Goddard, Adam Schneider. Eli Templeton, Jimmy Webster EMG: Tom Hickey, Tim Membrey, Farren Ray IN: Adam Schneider OUT: Farren Ray

That's three NAB Challenge Games down. What next?