Search the Community

This was the middle pin in the Demons’ horror stretch in mid season before the bye. The Swans were missing Buddy through suspension. Melbourne had Steven May out with injury. MELBOURNE: B: J.Bowey 17 A.Tomlinson 20 H.Petty 35 HB: J.Harmes 4 J.Lever 8 J. Hunt 29 C: A.Brayshaw 10 J.Viney 7 E.Langdon 15 HF: L.Jackson 6 M.Brown 38 C.Petracca 5 F: B.Fritsch 31 B.Brown 50 C.Spargo 9 Foll: M.Gawn 11 C.Oliver 13 K.Pickett 36 I/C: J.Jordon 23 A.Neal-Bullen 30 C.Salem 3 T.Sparrow 32 Sub: T.Bedford 12 Emerg: J.Melksham 18 T.Rivers 24 In: M.Brown J.Harmes E.Langdon C.Salem A.Tomlinson Out: T.Bedford (omitted) L.Dunstan (omitted) S.May (concussion) J.Melksham (omitted) T.Rivers (omitted) S.Weideman (omitted) SYDNEY SWANS B: C. O'Riordan 38 D. Rampe 24 T. McCartin 30 HB: J. Lloyd 44 P.McCartin 39 O. Florent 13 C: N. Blakey 22 C. Mills 14 E. Gulden 21 HF: C. Warner 1 I.Heeney 5 J.McInerney 27 F: T. Papley 11 L.McDonald 6 J.Amartey 36 Foll: P.Ladhams 19 L.Parker 26 J.Rowbottom 8 I/C: R.Fox 42 W. Hayward 9 S.Reid 20 S. Wicks 15 Sub: B.Ronke 25. Emerg: B.Campbell 16 H.McLean 2 D. Stephens 3 In: J.Amartey
 N.Blakey B.Ronke Out: B.Campbell (omitted) L.Franklin (suspension) M.Roberts (omitted)

Back in the days when we used to win every week. MELBOURNE B: M. Hibberd 14 S. May 1 J. Lever 8 HB: C. Salem 3 H. Petty 35 J. Hunt 29 C: A. Brayshaw 10 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF: Kysaiah Pickett 36 T. McDonald 25 J. Melksham 18 F: A. Neal-Bullen 30 B. Brown 50 B.Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 C. Oliver 13 J. Jordan 23 I/C: J. Harmes 4 L. Jackson 6 Trent Rivers 24 C. Spargo 9 Sub: K. Chandler 37 Emerg: N. Jones 2 T. Sparrow 32 S. Weideman 26 In: K. Chandler J. Harmes H. Petty Out: O. Baker (omitted) N. Jones A. Tomlinson (knee) SYDNEY B: D. Rampe 24 T. McCartin 30 J. Dawson 34 HB: J. Lloyd 44 R. Fox 42 J. McInerney 27 C: Parker 26 O. Florent 13 H. Cunningham 7 HF: T. Papley 11 H. McLean 41 C. Sinclair 18 F: S. Wicks 45 L. Franklin 23 W. Hayward 9 Foll: T. Hickey 31 J. Rowbottom 8. C. Mills 14 I/C: E. Gulden 21 J. P. Kennedy 12 C. O'Riordan 38 C. Warner 1 Sub: N. Blakey 22 Emerg: K. Brand 2 G. Hewett 29 D. Stephens 3 In: N. Blakey R. Fox L. Franklin D. Rampe Out: R. Clarke (omitted) I. Heeney (ankle) L. Melican (hamstring) D. Stephens (omitted)

With seven consecutive wins for 2021 behind it, and not having played well in its previous game, Melbourne was ripe for the picking (or plucking) by the Sydney Swans. However, in the end, it was the Ducks who found themselves plucked by a Demons side that continues its relentless successful roll for the Season. Or did the Demons narrowly duck a plucking themselves? Sydney brought its usual game style to the M.C.G. Get in front and then shut down the game, scrap and refuse to move the ball forward, just to deny the opposition possession. It worked so well for the Swans is against Richmond earlier this year so why not try again? Two early goals saw them institute their typical scenario, but it doesn’t make for enjoyable football from the spectators perspective. But Melbourne is not Richmond and it pulled back the lead to only two points come the bell to end the first term. In the drizzling rain, that blighted the match Melbourne then pressed hard in the second quarter, but one farcical error after another saw it fail to capitalize on the scoreboard. A certain goal to Bayley Fritsch was already marked down, all he had to do was get his foot to the ball in the empty goal-square, but he couldn’t pick up the footy and fumbled it through for a minor score. Fritsch wasn’t alone, and the normally efficient Demons squandered numerous chances and managed only 2.5 for the quarter. Still they had opened the margin to nearly two goals, and again unfortunately for the spectators the score was to revolve around this mark for the rest of the game. Sydney would close the gap, only for Melbourne to widen it again. In the final quarter, a Sydney goal brought the margin back to merely four points and the ever present MFCSS was starting to boil, if not already overflowing ... A sharp snap from Charlie Spargo gave the fans some breathing space, but again the Swans replied. Then Tom McDonald took a spectacular pack mark on the edge of the goal square to open the game to a ten point margin with about seven minutes on the clock. Further scraps took place with Sydney threatening to score again, but two game saving tackles from Spargo and then Jordon, ensured the Demons had plucked the Ducks before the final siren sounded. Make no mistake, this was a game in which Melbourne did not play well. Around the ground players were well below their best, and the Swans, despite their abysmal playing method were sitting fourth on the ladder prior to the game. This game style also denied Melbourne their modus operandi that comes from an intercepting back-line. When they refuse to enter the 50m zone and chip it around until a shorter target is reached, it means Lever, May and the other defenders cannot zone and intercept. But the defence still held strong, and May in particular put Franklin to the sword with his strength. Franklin is a shadow of his best, and cannot run or kick as once before, now depending on out muscling his opponent. Not against Steven. Franklin often found himself on the ground instead having been beaten in the strength contest, and could only finish the game with six touches and no score! The mids were beaten comprehensively. The addition of James Harmes was questionable, for although he finished with plenty of touches, he failed to shut down the Sydney mids, and it resulted in clearance differential of 17 to 4. We really could have used the second and third efforts that Viney would have provided in the engine room. This was further compounded by Max Gawn’s drop off in output, as Tom Hickey had six clearances despite losing the tapouts. We have become accustomed to Max’s marking around the ground, but he managed only three of those for the game. Without Clayton Oliver’s 35 touches in the middle and around the ground, the Demons would have been in real trouble. James Jordan is proving his worth in this season, and had 11 touches in the 1st quarter, 17 to half time, but dropped off in the second half. As mentioned his game saving tackle in the final minutes denied Sydney that last roll of the dice, emphasizing the importance of never giving up. The forwards provided a mixed bag. Brown and McDonald were fantastic and provided the targets we needed, especially and critical times in the game. Between them they put seven goals of the team’s total of ten on the board. Charlie Spargo was the spark and threat around the packs, but Pickett went missing this week. Melksham was horrible, and once again his commitment has to be questioned as he allows his opponents to influence the game. He failed to follow Lloyd into the 50m arc in the third quarter, that ensured an easy goal instead of a kick from outside. In a game where they only managed eight goals this becomes critical. Fritsch had a “mare” of a game and couldn’t get into the action, even when presented with gimme opportunities. Fortunately, the slack was taken up by TMac and BBB. That also put paid to any suggestions of a role for Sam Weidemann next week, especially since the Casey game was postponed due to Covid restrictions. Another win puts the Demons in top spot with eight wins in 2021. With the two wins to close off the 2020 season, this means the club has won ten in succession! However, unless a good number of players can lift their output in the next game against Carlton, (which will turn out to be a goal-scoring fest), then it will be the Demons who might find themselves ripe for the plucking ... MELBOURNE 3.1.19 5.6.36 8.6.54 10.7.67 SYDNEY SWANS 3.3.21 3.7.25 6.8.44 8.10.58 GOALS Melbourne T McDonald 4 Brown 3 Melksham Petracca Spargo Sydney Swans Hayward 2 Hickey Lloyd McInerney Mills Papley Sinclair BEST Melbourne Oliver McDonald Petracca Harmes Salem Jordon Sydney Swans Parker Rampe Mills Lloyd Rowbottom Hickey INJURIES Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil REPORTS Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil SUBSTITUTES Melbourne Kade Chandler (unused) Sydney Swans Nick Blakey (unused) Umpires Jeff Dalgleish Curtis Deboy Brendan Hosking Crowd 35,567 at the MCG

The month of May was a little more than halfway into its second day when the news came. Melbourne was on top of the AFL table for the first time since Round 3, 2005. As usual with the Demons, there was no time for celebration. They had just lost tough nut Jack Viney with yet another soft spot in his foot, Adam Tomlinson’s year was in ruins with what was subsequently confirmed as an ACL and Bayley Fritsch’s careless but unintentional fend off on North’s Tom Powell was about to see him charged by the MRP. “It was a dangerous action,” piped Matthew Lloyd on TV, completely ignoring the fact that Tom Hawkins’ action that landed Steven May in hospital with a fractured eye socket last month resulted in his complete exoneration. Well, we were April Fools back then, now it’s May and the Tribunal gave Fritta his liberty back and cancelled his initial week’s suspension. Still, the early setbacks of the month had the pundits sounding out doom and gloom for the 2021 Demons. They said the first cracks were obvious when they were surprised early by the AFL easybeats in Hobart; that all of the features that have been the cornerstone of their rise to the top are about to fall apart. They said the next step would come this week with defeat at the hands of the Sydney Swans on Saturday night, to which I say, “nonsense, bring it on.” Yes, the injuries, suspension and a poor first half of football are all setbacks but the fact that they happened in May is not at all bad. That’s because, the season doesn’t end one third of the way through and there will always be challenges to face and overcome along the road to the real end game in September. In Melbourne’s case, things were traveling along nicely and people were already getting ahead of themselves with thoughts like — “will they beat the Crows in Adelaide to make it ten in a row?” The shockwaves experienced at the weekend mean that the club can now take a deep breath, take stock and go back to what is done by strong AFL clubs who always take it one week at a time.This week, it’s Sydney at the G, a place where the visitors have dominated for a long time. They’re on a high, coming off a pulsating win over Geelong and preparing for the return of Buddy and Rampe. But I reckon that we still have them covered. Firstly, on team selection, the circumstances are such that, unlike in the past when injuries have struck, the selectors have good options available with plenty of depth to come in to fill the gaps that have opened up in the past week. The club can reset by selecting from in-form players like Sam Weideman, Tom Sparrow, James Harmes and Kade Chandler waiting in the wings and the unlucky Harry Petty ready to be unleashed into the defensive hole left by Tomlinson’s injury if the selectors decide not to move Tom McDonald back there. There’s the Demons’ rock solid defence that seems to smother opposition forward lines whenever they’re put to the test. The Melbourne backline has been consistently good from the outset this season. Against the Swans, even with an underdone Buddy this week, they will continue to suffocate the opposition with their relentless pressure. The Swans somehow managed a winning score at home against the Cats on Saturday night but only by dint of accuracy in front of goal and some incredible efficiency when going inside 50. They would be pushing uphill to kick a score like 14.6 from so few entries for two weeks in a row, let alone against the stingiest of defences. Elsewhere, the Swans will be looking to emulate the midfield dominance that Ben Cunnington imparted in the first half last week and will be looking to veterans Kennedy and Parker to achieve that. The problem with that is the fact that you need to maintain sufficient energy for four quarters to cut off supply to Melbourne’s forward line. And with Bayley Fritsch remaining in the mix, the Demons’ forward line has the potency to overcome the Swans who will run out of luck when they cross the border to confront Melbourne for Saturday’s game. The news today about Christian Petracca’s new contract signing on top of a number of other leading lights including Clayton Oliver and Christian Salem is indicative of the stability of the team list and the confidence and trust the playing group have in each other. It’s a very merry, merry month of May for Melbourne, there’s a very good May in the team and the force is with them. Melbourne to win by 27 points. THE GAME Melbourne vs Sydney Swans at The MCG Saturday 8 May, 2021 at 7.25 HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 93 wins Sydney Swans 115 wins 2 drawn At The MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 45 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 1 win Sydney Swans 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 1 win Longmire 5 wins MEDIA TV live and on demand on Kayo and live on Foxtel. Check your local guides. Radio - check your local guides. THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 10.7.67 defeated Melbourne 6.10.46 in Round 15, 2020 at Cazaly’s Stadium, Cairns The Demons spent a long day traveling from their Sunshine Coast hub to Cairns and were just plain lethargic and slow in the steamy sub tropics for an important game, the result of which spelled “disaster” for their finals hopes. Whoever signed off on this trip to FNQ involving two matches in four days when the team had no rest during the AFL’s frenzy period was just plain clueless. Full stop. Melbourne won the first and third quarters and halved the last but it was simply horrible in the second quarter and the Swans’ accuracy in front of goal in the first half (7.2) was too much for the weary Dees. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: M. Hibberd 14 S. May 1 J. Lever 8 HB: C. Salem 3 H. Petty 35 J. Hunt 29 C: A. Brayshaw 10 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF: Kysaiah Pickett 36 T. McDonald 25 J. Melksham 18 F: A. Neal-Bullen 30 B. Brown 50 B.Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn 11 C. Oliver 13 J. Jordan 23 I/C: J. Harmes 4 L. Jackson 6 Trent Rivers 24 C. Spargo 9 Sub: K. Chandler 37 Emerg: N. Jones 2 T. Sparrow 32 S. Weideman 26 In: K. Chandler J. Harmes H. Petty Out: O. Baker (omitted) N. Jones A. Tomlinson (knee) SYDNEY B: D. Rampe 24 T. McCartin 30 J. Dawson 34 HB: J. Lloyd 44 R. Fox 42 J. McInerney 27 C: Parker 26 O. Florent 13 H. Cunningham 7 HF: T. Papley 11 H. McLean 41 C. Sinclair 18 F: S. Wicks 45 L. Franklin 23 W. Hayward 9 Foll: T. Hickey 31 J. Rowbottom 8. C. Mills 14 I/C: E. Gulden 21 J. P. Kennedy 12 C. O'Riordan 38 C. Warner 1 Sub: N. Blakey 22 Emerg: K. Brand 2 G. Hewett 29 D. Stephens 3 In: N. Blakey R. Fox L. Franklin D. Rampe Out: R. Clarke (omitted) I. Heeney (ankle) L. Melican (hamstring) D. Stephens (omitted) Injury List: Round 8 Jay Lockhart (calf) — 1 Week Jack Viney (toe) — 2 Weeks Aaron vandenBerg (quad) — 3 Weeks Joel Smith (knee) — 5 to 6 Weeks Bailey Laurie (eye socket) — 6 Weeks Marty Hore (knee) — Season Aaron Nietschke (knee) — Season Adam Tomlinson (knee) — Season EVERYTHING THAT COUNTS by SAM THE STATS MAN The past 15 months have been a statistical anomaly for me. After the announcement by WHO of a pandemic in mid-March, 2020, I locked myself away in my room for 229 days, 12 hours and 33 minutes. In that time, I ventured out only 14 times, never further than 3.54 kilometres from home and watched 46 series of Netflix while devouring 154 meals of two minute noodles (which more accurately should be one minute 56¾ seconds). Then a miracle happened that changed my life forever. Premier Dan Andrews ditched his usual grim-faced expression and the Northface jacket and announced at his 126th Covid19 news briefing that, after a fall in the 14-day rolling average of new cases to well below five, the lockdown was over. I was free at last to immerse myself in a backlog of 3,427 studies on statistical subject matters missed over those dreary months of loneliness and isolation. It took me another 178 days to put together my thesis on the recovery of the Melbourne Football Club. Here is the first appendix with all of the statistics that matter. I ran the data through my computer and the analysis suggests that there is an 84.7% chance that the Demons’ streak of improvement will continue for some time so ignore the doubting Thomases who get things wrong 97% of the time. 1. Steven May MFC games 6, goals 0 2. Nathan Jones MFC games 7, goals 2 3. Christian Salem MFC games 7, goals 1 4. James Harmes MFC games 1, goals 1, CD games 1, goals 2 5. Christian Petracca MFC games 7, goals 8 6. Luke Jackson MFC games 7, goals 3 7. Jack Viney MFC games 5, goals 2 8. Jake Lever MFC games 7 goals 0 9. Charlie Spargo MFC games 7, goals 3 10. Angus Brayshaw MFC games 7, goals 1 11. Max Gawn MFC games 7, goals 4 12. Toby Bedford CD games 3, goals 3 13. Clayton Oliver MFC games 7, goals 0 14. Michael Hibberd MFC games 3, goals 0 15. Ed Langdon MFC games 7, goals 6 16. Bailey Laurie 17. Jake Bowey CD games 3, goals 0 18. Jake Melksham MFC games 5, goals 4 19. Fraser Rosman CD games 3, goals 3 20. Adam Tomlinson MFC games 7, goals 0 21. Marty Hore 22. Aaron Vandenberg CD games 1, goals 1 23. James Jordan ® MFC games 7, goals 2 24. Trent Rivers games 7 goals 0 25. Tom McDonald MFC games 7, goals 9 26. Sam Weideman CD games 3, goals 14 27. Aaron Nietschke ® 28. Majak Daw ® CD games 3, goals 0 29. Jayden Hunt MFC games 7, goals 0 30. Alex Neal-Bullen MFC games 7, goals 5 31. Bayley Fritsch MFC games 6, goals 18 32. Tom Sparrow MFC games 5, goals 1, CD games 2, goals 0 33. Oskar Baker MFC games 2, goals 0, CD games 2, goals 0 34. Deakyn Smith ® CD games 3, goals 0 35. Harrison Petty MFC games 1, goals 0, CD games 1, goals 0 36. Kysaiah Pickett MFC games 7, goals 14 37. Kade Chandler ® MFC games 2, goals 0 CD games 2, goals 3 38. Mitch Brown MFC games 1, goals 2 39. Neville Jetta MFC 4 games, 0 goals, CD 3 games, 0 goals 41. Jay Lockhart CD 1 game, 0 goals 44. Joel Smith CD games 1, goals 0 46. Austin Bradtke ® CD games 3, goals 1 50. Ben Brown MFC games 1, goals 2, CD games 2, goals 7

We really do owe this mob big time. These were the lineups for that fateful game at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns last September:- THE TEAMS SYDNEY SWANS FB Aliir Aliir Lewis Melican Robbie Fox HB Jake Lloyd Callum Mills Ryan Clarke C Jackson Thurlow Luke Parker Nick Blakey HF Will Hayward Sam Reid Lewis Taylor FF Tom Papley Tom McCartin Jordan Dawson FOL Callum Sinclair Josh P. Kennedy Oliver Florent I/C Harry Cunningham Justin McInerney James Rowbottom Sam Wicks EMG James Bell Will Gould Hayden McLean Dylan Stephens IN Lewis Taylor OUT James Bell (omitted) MELBOURNE FB Jake Lever Steven May Adam Tomlinson HB Christian Salem Oscar McDonald Trent Rivers C Ed Langdon Jack Viney Nathan Jones HF James Harmes Sam Weideman Christian Petracca FF Bayley Fritsch Mitch Brown Jake Melksham FOL Max Gawn Angus Brayshaw Clayton Oliver IC Alex Neal-Bullen Joel Smith Charlie Spargo Josh Wagner EMG Neville Jetta Braydon Preuss Aaron vandenBerg Corey Wagner IN Bayley Fritsch James Harmes Alex Neal-Bullen Joel Smith OUT Mitch Hannan (omitted) Michael Hibberd (ankle) Kysaiah Pickett (managed) Aaron vandenBerg (omitted)

I believe there might be a full moon tonight for the supporters of both teams to howl at during the breaks in play.

Around about 12 months ago Melbourne and Sydney fought out an epic battle between two top eight teams fighting for the best possible ladder position in the lead up to the finals. The Swans triumphed by 9 points at the MCG after the Demons came back from five goals down at three quarter time. But for its poor kicking for goal, Melbourne might well have won the game and finished in the top four. Who knows what might then have happened for the club in September? As a consequence, the person responsible for arranging the AFL fixture chose these teams to meet on a Friday night under the moonlight at the home of football late in the 2019 season. Surely, this strategy was the perfect prescription for a crowd pleasing game to kick off the year’s penultimate round? The problem with this is that the Dees and the Swans have both fallen into a hole so the Friday night prime time television football market is instead about to be treated to a snore fest between 17th and 15th in a round where 1st plays 2nd and 3rd plays 4th. Go figure? The Swans can finish only one place higher than where they sit at the moment and could fall a spot or two while the Demons look stuck on 17th unless something unbelievable occurs. They might consider playing the kids and start looking forward to 2020 but, in doing so, could also find themselves accused of tanking by some nuff nuff in the media who has suffered a mental block about the circumstances that brought them to this place after promising so much at the end of 2018. The result is that the AFL has provided the Melbourne Football Club with the perfect opportunity to combine the game with its annual sleep out at the MCG night (which seems to have escaped my attention this year). When previewing most games at this level, there are a number of indicators that one can look at, most notably current form and team composition but these teams are so significantly below their best on a team and individual level that they defy all normal principles of prediction. For instance, Melbourne has had one constant this year in the form of Max Gawn who has been heroic in the ruck. On Queens Birthday, he beat Collingwood big man Brodie Grundy but last week, he lowered his colors to the same player. The Demons still won the clearances on the day by 36 to 31 and managed only one less visit inside their 50 metre arc but inability to convert and their poor turnovers saw the Magpies hold sway. This week the Demon ruck division faces a far less potent opposition and should not have much trouble overpowering the Swans at the stoppages. The problem is that everywhere else on the ground, they’ve been awful and in these circumstances, I can see them struggling to cobble out a winning score in the absence of a key forward capable of kicking multiple goals. Expect a dour struggle with neither team scoring above 60 points and a small crowd enjoying a night’s sleep at the MCG. My prediction is that fans of one or other of the sides will awaken to see their team bring home the four premiership points on offer. THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Friday 16 August 2019 at 7.50pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 93 wins Sydney Swans 113 wins 2 drawn At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 44 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 1 wins Sydney Swans 4 wins The Coaches Goodwin 1 win Longmire 2 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel Live at 7.30pm RADIO - SEN 3AW ABC THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 15.10.100 defeated Sydney Swans 11.12.78 in Round 4 2019 at the MCG After struggling in the first half, the Demons found their mojo just before the main break and comprehensively beat the Swans on their hoodoo ground - the SCG. Max Gawn was in devastating form with 55 hit outs while Clayton Oliver dominated the possession count. Christian Salem was also good. Those three are among the very few at the club who can hang their heads high over their efforts throughout the season. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B Michael Hibberd Sam Frost Jake Lever HB Nathan Jones Marty Hore Christian Salem C Kyle Dunkley Jack Viney Billy Stretch HF Corey Wagner Bayley Fritsch James Harmes F Jordan Lewis Jake Melksham Christian Petracca FOLL Max Gawn Angus Brayshaw Clayton Oliver I/C Kade ChandlerJay Kennedy Harris Alex Neal-Bullen Charlie Spargo EMG Jayden Hunt Declan Keilty Jay Lockhart Braydon Preuss IN Kade Chandler Marty Hore Alex Neal-Bullen Charlie Spargo Billy Stretch OUT Oskar Baker (omitted) Jayden Hunt (omitted) Oscar McDonald (ankle) Steven May (hamstring) Harrison Petty (groin) NEW Kade Chandler SYDNEY SWANS B Callum Mills Dane Rampe Aliir Aliir HB Jake Lloyd Tom McCartin Jordan Dawson C Isaac Heeney George Hewett Oliver Florent HF Ben Ronke Nick Blakey Tom Papley F Kieren Jack Sam Reid Daniel Menzel FOLL Hayden McLean Josh P. Kennedy Luke Parker I/C James Bell Ryan Clarke Robbie Fox James Rowbottom EMG Joel Amartey Lewis Melican James Rose Ryley Stoddart IN Kieren Jack OUT Zak Jones (Injured) Injury List - Round 22 Oskar Baker (knee) – available Corey Maynard (hip) – test Tom Sparrow (knee) – 2 weeks Jeff Garlett (shoulder) – season Mitch Hannan (groin) – season Neville Jetta (knee) - season Kade Kolodjashnij (head) – season Steven May (hamstring) – season Tom McDonald (knee) – season Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season Joel Smith (groin) – season Tim Smith (foot) – season Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – season Sam Weideman (jaw) – season Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite

It was our first win for the season. Who would have thought we would only win four more by the time Round 22 came along? THE TEAMS SYDNEY SWANS B Callum Mills Dane Rampe Tom McCartin HB Jake Lloyd Aliir Aliir Jackson Thurlow C Zak Jones Luke Parker Oliver Florent HF Harry Cunningham Sam Reid Isaac Heeney F Jordan Dawson Lance Franklin Kieren Jack FOLL Callum Sinclair Josh P Kennedy Tom Papley I/C Nick Blakey George Hewett Justin McInerney Ben Ronke EMG Ryan Clarke Robbie Fox Lewis Melican James Rose IN Kieren Jack Justin McInerney OUT Jarrad McVeigh (quad) Will Hayward (jaw) MELBOURNE B Michael Hibberd Oscar McDonald Marty Hore HB Billy Stretch Sam Frost Nathan Jones C Jayden Hunt Clayton Oliver Christian Salem HF James Harmes Sam Weideman Angus Brayshaw F Corey Wagner Tom McDonald Jake Melksham FOLL Max Gawn Christian Petracca Jack Viney I/C Bayley Fritsch Braydon Preuss Charlie Spargo Josh Wagner EMG Alex Neal-Bullen Harrison Petty IN Marty Hore Braydon Preuss Charlie Spargo Billy Stretch OUT Neville Jetta (knee) Kade Kolodjashnij (concussion) Jay Lockhart (back) Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted)

Ugh

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

This is the moment.

Can we play on Thursday night next week?

Standing at the brink of success for the first time in a decade, in the top eight, and with September action a strong possibility, the Demons finally realised that the brink was, in fact, a cliff ... The tough, aggressive role played by the Demons has taken its toll with injuries mounting to the point that the club cannot field a side capable of winning. Up against the Swans without Jesse Hogan, Nathan Jones, Jeff Garlett, and Jack Watts simply meant it had no forwards capable of kicking any semblance of a winning score. Tom McDonald performs admirably and topped the goal-kickers for the second week running, but with the rest of the forward line populated by small running types, it was easy pickings for the Sydney defenders. In the first quarter Melbourne barely entered the forward 50, yet scored four majors. Sydney relentlessly attacked with nine scoring opportunities and trailed as a result of their inaccuracy. While leading after ¼ time, it soon became a thing of the past as the trend continued and the Demons could register only a solitary point for the second quarter while Sydney added 4.7. By half time it was obvious that the game was over, for if the Swans had even kicked half accurately they would have been at least six goals in front. The Demons found a little to capture some pride in the remaining half, but the truth was that the selection barrel had been well and truly scraped for talent, and found little of value. The “depth” of the list had been tried and the cliff of capable talent reached. Unfortunately a whole raft of players were and maybe are not up to AFL standard, and against a side like Sydney they get found out. This was only compounded by three consecutive six-day breaks, combined with travel to Perth and back, so a whole raft of players just looked tired. White was an inexplicable selection, as he had played Casey as a backman, yet we needed a suitable replacement for Jeff Garlett up forward. His 11 touches with 4 clangers, and plodding ways were exposed. Equally, Tom Bugg, Billy Stretch, Alex Neal-Bullen and James Harmes produced statistics which were even more mediocre, totally a number of disposals equivalent to Luke Parker’s output. Adding to that were Jake Melksham, Josh Wagner and even Tom McDonald with 16 clangers between them and you get a picture of the wide spread malaise throughout the ground. The backs were under constant pressure, and to be honest they held up really well. Neville Jetta was a stalwart, yet again, and Michael Hibberd continued his fine form with 33 touches while Oscar McDonald grew in capability with 28 touches and 8 telling and strong marks. Sam Frost really held Franklin to a draw as he forced him beyond the 50 where he could do a lot less damage. Tom Bugg will face a certain bungee jump from the cliff this week when he meets the Tribunal facing a multiple week suspension following his strike on Callum Mills. The injury pool at the bottom of the cliff will be further enlarged as Jack Viney suffered a foot injury and made no more than a brief appearance after ½ time. While the Demons still sit within the eight, it may not be for long as they teeter at the precipice. Their opponents next week in Carlton accounted for Sydney earlier in the season, and while we know of the change in fortunes since, they will still be a challenge. Without a viable forward, and without the two best mids available, the prospects of a dramatic fall is staring the MFC in the face. We have stared these challenges in the face before, none more so than last week against the Eagles, but it is more and more likely that the task will be too great without the foot soldiers to hold the line. Melbourne 4.0.24 4.1.25 5.4.34 7.8.50 Sydney Swans 1.8.14 5.15.45 8.16.64 11.19.85 Goals Melbourne Petracca T McDonald 2 Hannan Hunt Melksham Sydney Swans Franklin 4 Papley 2 Jack Heeney Lloyd Parker Reid Best Melbourne Hibberd Vince T McDonald Tyson Jetta Sydney Swans Parker Kennedy Lloyd Jones Franklin Newman Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Injuries Melbourne Viney (foot) Sydney Swans Jones (cut head) Mills (concussion) Reports Melbourne T Bugg reported in the first quarter for striking C Mills Sydney Swans Sydney Swans Nil Umpires Fisher, Stevic, McInerney Official crowd 47,464 at the MCG

THE CLIFF by George on the Outer Standing at the brink of success for the first time in a decade, in the top eight, and with September action a strong possibility, the Demons finally realised that the brink was, in fact, a cliff ... The tough, aggressive role played by the Demons has taken its toll with injuries mounting to the point that the club cannot field a side capable of winning. Up against the Swans without Jesse Hogan, Nathan Jones, Jeff Garlett, and Jack Watts simply meant it had no forwards capable of kicking any semblance of a winning score. Tom McDonald performs admirably and topped the goal-kickers for the second week running, but with the rest of the forward line populated by small running types, it was easy pickings for the Sydney defenders. In the first quarter Melbourne barely entered the forward 50, yet scored four majors. Sydney relentlessly attacked with nine scoring opportunities and trailed as a result of their inaccuracy. While leading after ¼ time, it soon became a thing of the past as the trend continued and the Demons could register only a solitary point for the second quarter while Sydney added 4.7. By half time it was obvious that the game was over, for if the Swans had even kicked half accurately they would have been at least six goals in front. The Demons found a little to capture some pride in the remaining half, but the truth was that the selection barrel had been well and truly scraped for talent, and found little of value. The “depth” of the list had been tried and the cliff of capable talent reached. Unfortunately a whole raft of players were and maybe are not up to AFL standard, and against a side like Sydney they get found out. This was only compounded by three consecutive six-day breaks, combined with travel to Perth and back, so a whole raft of players just looked tired. White was an inexplicable selection, as he had played Casey as a backman, yet we needed a suitable replacement for Jeff Garlett up forward. His 11 touches with 4 clangers, and plodding ways were exposed. Equally, Tom Bugg, Billy Stretch, Alex Neal-Bullen and James Harmes produced statistics which were even more mediocre, totally a number of disposals equivalent to Luke Parker’s output. Adding to that were Jake Melksham, Josh Wagner and even Tom McDonald with 16 clangers between them and you get a picture of the wide spread malaise throughout the ground. The backs were under constant pressure, and to be honest they held up really well. Neville Jetta was a stalwart, yet again, and Michael Hibberd continued his fine form with 33 touches while Oscar McDonald grew in capability with 28 touches and 8 telling and strong marks. Sam Frost really held Franklin to a draw as he forced him beyond the 50 where he could do a lot less damage. Tom Bugg will face a certain bungee jump from the cliff this week when he meets the Tribunal facing a multiple week suspension following his strike on Callum Mills. The injury pool at the bottom of the cliff will be further enlarged as Jack Viney suffered a foot injury and made no more than a brief appearance after ½ time. While the Demons still sit within the eight, it may not be for long as they teeter at the precipice. Their opponents next week in Carlton accounted for Sydney earlier in the season, and while we know of the change in fortunes since, they will still be a challenge. Without a viable forward, and without the two best mids available, the prospects of a dramatic fall is staring the MFC in the face. We have stared these challenges in the face before, none more so than last week against the Eagles, but it is more and more likely that the task will be too great without the foot soldiers to hold the line. Melbourne 4.0.24 4.1.25 5.4.34 7.8.50 Sydney Swans 1.8.14 5.15.45 8.16.64 11.19.85 Goals Melbourne Petracca T McDonald 2 Hannan Hunt Melksham Sydney Swans Franklin 4 Papley 2 Jack Heeney Lloyd Parker Reid Best Melbourne Hibberd Vince T McDonald Tyson Jetta Sydney Swans Parker Kennedy Lloyd Jones Franklin Newman Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Swans Nil Injuries Melbourne Viney (foot) Sydney Swans Jones (cut head) Mills (concussion) Reports Melbourne T Bugg reported in the first quarter for striking C Mills Sydney Swans Sydney Swans Nil Umpires Fisher, Stevic, McInerney Official crowd 47,464 at the MCG

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE by the Oracle Apart from the AFL Tribunal side show, all of the talk this week has been about injuries and how the Demons are going to deal with their third successive six day break. The theory is that things might not work out so well in the light of the absence of a significant number of their more valuable players and the weight of fatigue as a consequence of the team's recent heavy workload. But I'm not worried in the slightest. You see, I follow the patterns and rhythms of life and Melbourne's form line is pointing extraordinarily more towards an upswing this week. The Demons had an ordinary game last week by most measures but they disguised it well with that magnificent, withering finish capped off by Tom McDonald's great goal that gave them their last-minute victory. The rare win out west was one for the ages because behind the victory stood the fact that the team lost in many key performance areas and yet, it was still ahead on the scoreboard that mattered at the end of the night. The Demons did not dominate as they did the week before against the Bulldogs. They did they win the possession count but only barely won the clearances (even with the return of Max Gawn) and they had less inside fifties than the Eagles. What they did do is the thing they are now very good at - they imposed great pressure through strong football. We all know that fortune favours the brave and it was thanks to the bravery of the team led by Jack Viney that the team got over the line against the Eagles and I expect them to end the financial year in the same vein on Friday night against the Swans. THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Friday 30 June 2017 at 7.50pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney Swans 111 wins 2 drawn At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 42 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 0 wins Sydney Swans 5 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Longmire 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel Live at 7.30pm RADIO - SEN THE BETTING Melbourne $2.08 to win Sydney Swans $1.78 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 12.14.86 defeated Melbourne 4.7.31 in Round 13, 2016 at the SCG The stronger-bodied Sydney Swans strangled a young Demon team that couldn't handle the conditions when torrential rain hit the harbour city. The Swans applied an AFL-record 155 tackles, kicked eight goals to two in the second half and Lance Franklin's four goals matched the Demons' entire tally for the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jordan Lewis, Sam Frost, Jayden Hunt C: James Harmes, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Billy Stretch, Cameron Pedersen, Christian Petracca F: Clayton Oliver, Tom McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen FOLL: Max Gawn, Jake Melksham, Jack Viney I/C: Tomas Bugg , Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Mitch White EMG: Dion Johnstone, Jack Trengove, Sam Weideman IN: Josh Wagner, Mitch White OUT: Jeff Garlett (hamstring), Christian Salem (hamstring) SYDNEY B: Nic Newman, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith HB: Zak Jones, Dane Rampe, Jake Lloyd C: Isaac Heeney, Josh P. Kennedy, Callum Mills HF: George Hewett, Lance Franklin, Kieren Jack F: Gary Rohan, Sam Reid, Tom Papley FOLL: Sam Naismith, Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker I/C: Oliver Florent, Jarrad McVeigh, Lewis Melican, Dean Towers EMG: Jordan Foote, Jeremy Laidler, Callum Sinclair IN: Zak Jones, Jarrad McVeigh OUT: Will Hayward (foot), Callum Sinclair (omitted) FRIDAY OFF OUR MINDS Melbourne has been a stranger to Friday night football for far too long, having been completely deprived of the lucrative prime time home fixture for five years - and for the good reason that the team was simply not good enough to showcase its wares in front of national television audiences on the sport's biggest night of the week. The most recent Friday night games have generally turned into disasters for Melbourne like the "bruise-free" match against Carlton or the time the Hawks crushed an embarrassing, lifeless Demon combination into complete submission. That effort was probably the last straw that caused their banishment from the Friday scene by the AFL from 2012 until now. The Friday night wins have been few and far between, the most recent being the time they got their act together against the Bombers in 2011 under Dean Bailey but that was an Essendon home game. You have to go back a lot further to the last Friday night MCG home win which came in round six, 2006 when Melbourne scraped home by a goal in the rain against an inaccurate Geelong. A fortnight later that Demons beat Hawthorn there by 75 points as the "visiting" side. Ironically, the Hawks' list at the time included two youngsters in the early stages of their careers - Buddy Franklin and Jordan Lewis. Both were missing through injury that night and both returned the following week. The rest is history for them and the Hawks but coincidentally they will line up on Friday night in opposing teams. Both sides pinched narrow victories in their last up starts and both have strong midfields (Demons are ranked equal third in the competition for clearances: the Swans are ninth). Franklin is the one true game-breaker among the two sides and he will be extra dangerous for fact that last Friday night he was held goalless. That doesn't happen very often. But Melbourne doesn't rely on any one individual. The strength of the team comes from its evenness and a statistic that does not lie - Demons are the AFL's highest disposal team in 2017, averaging 412.3 per game. They have won the disposal count in 12 of their 13 games while the Swans are ranked 13th in this area. The consequence is that for the long-awaited return to the game's centre stage on Friday night, the world is going to see plenty of the red and blue on the wide expanses of the MCG. With Max Gawn back to start the dominance from stoppages, I'm tipping a Demon win by 10 points.

It seems a little strange to be thinking in terms of GAMEDAY on a Friday morning when you're about to head off to work but it's real. Game on ... tonight!

Apart from the AFL Tribunal side show, all of the talk this week has been about injuries and how the Demons are going to deal with their third successive six day break. The theory is that things might not work out so well in the light of the absence of a significant number of their more valuable players and the weight of fatigue as a consequence of the team's recent heavy workload. But I'm not worried in the slightest. You see, I follow the patterns and rhythms of life and Melbourne's form line is pointing extraordinarily more towards an upswing this week. The Demons had an ordinary game last week by most measures but they disguised it well with that magnificent, withering finish capped off by Tom McDonald's great goal that gave them their last-minute victory. The rare win out west was one for the ages because behind the victory stood the fact that the team lost in many key performance areas and yet, it was still ahead on the scoreboard that mattered at the end of the night. The Demons did not dominate as they did the week before against the Bulldogs. They did they win the possession count but only barely won the clearances (even with the return of Max Gawn) and they had less inside fifties than the Eagles. What they did do is the thing they are now very good at - they imposed great pressure through strong football. We all know that fortune favours the brave and it was thanks to the bravery of the team led by Jack Viney that the team got over the line against the Eagles and I expect them to end the financial year in the same vein on Friday night against the Swans. THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Friday 30 June 2017 at 7.50pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney Swans 111 wins 2 drawn At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 42 wins 2 drawn Last 5 meetings Melbourne 0 wins Sydney Swans 5 wins The Coaches Goodwin 0 wins Longmire 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Footy Channel Live at 7.30pm RADIO - SEN THE BETTING Melbourne $2.08 to win Sydney Swans $1.78 to win THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 12.14.86 defeated Melbourne 4.7.31 in Round 13, 2016 at the SCG The stronger-bodied Sydney Swans strangled a young Demon team that couldn't handle the conditions when torrential rain hit the harbour city. The Swans applied an AFL-record 155 tackles, kicked eight goals to two in the second half and Lance Franklin's four goals matched the Demons' entire tally for the game. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jordan Lewis, Sam Frost, Jayden Hunt C: James Harmes, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince HF: Billy Stretch, Cameron Pedersen, Christian Petracca F: Clayton Oliver, Tom McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen FOLL: Max Gawn, Jake Melksham, Jack Viney I/C: Tomas Bugg , Mitch Hannan, Josh Wagner, Mitch White EMG: Dion Johnstone, Jack Trengove, Sam Weideman IN: Josh Wagner, Mitch White OUT: Jeff Garlett (hamstring), Christian Salem (hamstring) SYDNEY B: Nic Newman, Heath Grundy, Nick Smith HB: Zak Jones, Dane Rampe, Jake Lloyd C: Isaac Heeney, Josh P. Kennedy, Callum Mills HF: George Hewett, Lance Franklin, Kieren Jack F: Gary Rohan, Sam Reid, Tom Papley FOLL: Sam Naismith, Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker I/C: Oliver Florent, Jarrad McVeigh, Lewis Melican, Dean Towers EMG: Jordan Foote, Jeremy Laidler, Callum Sinclair IN: Zak Jones, Jarrad McVeigh OUT: Will Hayward (foot), Callum Sinclair (omitted) FRIDAY OFF OUR MINDS Melbourne has been a stranger to Friday night football for far too long, having been completely deprived of the lucrative prime time home fixture for five years - and for the good reason that the team was simply not good enough to showcase its wares in front of national television audiences on the sport's biggest night of the week. The most recent Friday night games have generally turned into disasters for Melbourne like the "bruise-free" match against Carlton or the time the Hawks crushed an embarrassing, lifeless Demon combination into complete submission. That effort was probably the last straw that caused their banishment from the Friday scene by the AFL from 2012 until now. The Friday night wins have been few and far between, the most recent being the time they got their act together against the Bombers in 2011 under Dean Bailey but that was an Essendon home game. You have to go back a lot further to the last Friday night MCG home win which came in round six, 2006 when Melbourne scraped home by a goal in the rain against an inaccurate Geelong. A fortnight later that Demons beat Hawthorn there by 75 points as the "visiting" side. Ironically, the Hawks' list at the time included two youngsters in the early stages of their careers - Buddy Franklin and Jordan Lewis. Both were missing through injury that night and both returned the following week. The rest is history for them and the Hawks but coincidentally they will line up on Friday night in opposing teams. Both sides pinched narrow victories in their last up starts and both have strong midfields (Demons are ranked equal third in the competition for clearances: the Swans are ninth). Franklin is the one true game-breaker among the two sides and he will be extra dangerous for fact that last Friday night he was held goalless. That doesn't happen very often. But Melbourne doesn't rely on any one individual. The strength of the team comes from its evenness and a statistic that does not lie - Demons are the AFL's highest disposal team in 2017, averaging 412.3 per game. They have won the disposal count in 12 of their 13 games while the Swans are ranked 13th in this area. The consequence is that for the long-awaited return to the game's centre stage on Friday night, the world is going to see plenty of the red and blue on the wide expanses of the MCG. With Max Gawn back to start the dominance from stoppages, I'm tipping a Demon win by 10 points.

Your votes please 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... The Jones Rule: Selections will not be considered if they nominate a player named Jones without providing the Christian name.

THE AGE OF ENTITLEMENT IS OVER by George on the Outer The Age of Entitlement is Over ... …..so says Joe Hockey, the Federal Treasurer, and the same words may well be coming from Paul Roos the Melbourne Football Coach. For too long now, players have been selected to wear the Red and Blue on the basis of expectation, history or just plain “no one better”. The 5 goal loss against the Swans was hopefully the last vestige of the “Entitled to a game” group. Roos warned us to appraise the group after 5 games and while there has only been 1 win in that period for the fans, it has also been the same opportunity for him to appraise the group that he inherited. The ¾ time huddle conference between Jack Watts, Jeremy Howe and the coach will hopefully signal the end their sense of entitlement to a game next week. Neither of these players seems to understand that their performances are visible to all and sundry. Neither seems to appreciate that with today’s media capabilities: fans are able to compare their efforts to those in other sides constantly. And what they see they don’t like. Is it any wonder the Bronx cheers resounded around the M.C.G whenever they went near the ball? Contrast that with the huge cheer afforded Adam Goodes when he returned to the field after a 6 month hiatus. The Fans applauded his bravery and determination, not for what he did in this match, but for what he has done before. His is a positive reputation. It is not what a number of Melbourne players have to their name. The game itself was rather ugly. Perhaps that wasn’t unexpected with the styles already in place at Sydney and being developed at Melbourne. That the Demons were able to hold a top 4 side to a 5 goal victory is now seen as a positive, but given the disasters of last season as history, this would have turned into a 100+ point rout in 2013. There were small positives, although more than just a few small ones are needed to boost the hopes and morale of the still long suffering supporters. Cam Pedersen showed just what an AFL level footballer should be doing all game long. He was one of the few who ran to space and made opportunity for those up-field. Backing up in the ruck with a hit-out to advantage better than any ruckman on the day was an additional bonus. The return of Mark Jamar was a breath of fresh air. Again after a long lay-off he showed what a ruckman should be capable of with input around the ground, and not just standing in the centre circle and swatting at the ball. Chris Dawes was another who put in plenty, but had few opportunities to work with. Importantly, he is prepared to work. He stands the goal line on kick-outs, then runs to the first contest, then runs to the next, while others are rooted to the ground that they stood when setting the zone defence. If he only had some genuine assistance, the forward line pressure would produce results. Jones, both Nathan and Matt are setting the standard for mids at the club, ably assisted by Cross and Vince. It is the one area that Roos has bolstered positively, yet there still remains a fragility about the group, as too often the Sydney players freed the ball too easily in the pack situation. But then they are the masters of this. May 13th is Budget night and we will all witness the carnage that the end of the Age of Entitlement will bring. For those Melbourne players who haven’t been prepared to adopt the Roos mantra, the end of their own period of entitlement may well be sooner, and more final. Those that didn’t sign on when he coached Sydney didn’t come back. They didn’t win Premierships with un-committed players…. Melbourne 1.2.8 2.3.15 4.4.28 5.8.38 Sydney Swans 4.5.29 4.8.32 7.12.54 [ ,: 9.15 (6 Goals Melbourne Byrnes Dawes M Jones Salem Tyson Sydney Jack 2 Cunningham Derickx Franklin Hannebery Kennedy McGlynn Parker Best Melbourne M. Jones N. Jones Vince Dunn Terlich McDonald Sydney Hannebery Kennedy Parker Jack Shaw Rampe Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Sydney Franklin (knee) Jetta (calf) Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Nil Umpires Margetts Ryan Mitchell Attendance 24,855 at the MCG (Congratulations to those that did turn up! Even the door officials have stopped checking the tickets of Melbourne supporters as they enter the Premium areas. They are obviously not prepared to turn ANYONE away who is that resilient, having paid or not!)

The Age of Entitlement is Over ... …..so says Joe Hockey, the Federal Treasurer, and the same words may well be coming from Paul Roos the Melbourne Football Coach. For too long now, players have been selected to wear the Red and Blue on the basis of expectation, history or just plain “no one better”. The 5 goal loss against the Swans was hopefully the last vestige of the “Entitled to a game” group. Roos warned us to appraise the group after 5 games and while there has only been 1 win in that period for the fans, it has also been the same opportunity for him to appraise the group that he inherited. The ¾ time huddle conference between Jack Watts, Jeremy Howe and the coach will hopefully signal the end their sense of entitlement to a game next week. Neither of these players seems to understand that their performances are visible to all and sundry. Neither seems to appreciate that with today’s media capabilities: fans are able to compare their efforts to those in other sides constantly. And what they see they don’t like. Is it any wonder the Bronx cheers resounded around the M.C.G whenever they went near the ball? Contrast that with the huge cheer afforded Adam Goodes when he returned to the field after a 6 month hiatus. The Fans applauded his bravery and determination, not for what he did in this match, but for what he has done before. His is a positive reputation. It is not what a number of Melbourne players have to their name. The game itself was rather ugly. Perhaps that wasn’t unexpected with the styles already in place at Sydney and being developed at Melbourne. That the Demons were able to hold a top 4 side to a 5 goal victory is now seen as a positive, but given the disasters of last season as history, this would have turned into a 100+ point rout in 2013. There were small positives, although more than just a few small ones are needed to boost the hopes and morale of the still long suffering supporters. Cam Pedersen showed just what an AFL level footballer should be doing all game long. He was one of the few who ran to space and made opportunity for those up-field. Backing up in the ruck with a hit-out to advantage better than any ruckman on the day was an additional bonus. The return of Mark Jamar was a breath of fresh air. Again after a long lay-off he showed what a ruckman should be capable of with input around the ground, and not just standing in the centre circle and swatting at the ball. Chris Dawes was another who put in plenty, but had few opportunities to work with. Importantly, he is prepared to work. He stands the goal line on kick-outs, then runs to the first contest, then runs to the next, while others are rooted to the ground that they stood when setting the zone defence. If he only had some genuine assistance, the forward line pressure would produce results. Jones, both Nathan and Matt are setting the standard for mids at the club, ably assisted by Cross and Vince. It is the one area that Roos has bolstered positively, yet there still remains a fragility about the group, as too often the Sydney players freed the ball too easily in the pack situation. But then they are the masters of this. May 13th is Budget night and we will all witness the carnage that the end of the Age of Entitlement will bring. For those Melbourne players who haven’t been prepared to adopt the Roos mantra, the end of their own period of entitlement may well be sooner, and more final. Those that didn’t sign on when he coached Sydney didn’t come back. They didn’t win Premierships with un-committed players…. Melbourne 1.2.8 2.3.15 4.4.28 5.8.38 Sydney Swans 4.5.29 4.8.32 7.12.54 9.15 69 Goals Melbourne Byrnes Dawes M Jones Salem Tyson Sydney Jack 2 Cunningham Derickx Franklin Hannebery Kennedy McGlynn Parker Best Melbourne M. Jones N. Jones Vince Dunn Terlich McDonald Sydney Hannebery Kennedy Parker Jack Shaw Rampe Changes Melbourne Nil Sydney Nil Injuries Melbourne Nil Sydney Franklin (knee) Jetta (calf) Reports Melbourne Nil Sydney Nil Umpires Margetts Ryan Mitchell Attendance 24,855 at the MCG (Congratulations to those that did turn up! Even the door officials have stopped checking the tickets of Melbourne supporters as they enter the Premium areas. They are obviously not prepared to turn ANYONE away who is that resilient, having paid or not!)

Boost to our club's chances to learn that Buddy's going to be driving the Swans' team bus to the G today.

DAWN II by Whispering Jack The last time Paul Roos presided over a game between the teams whose names bear those of this country's two most populous cities, his team was badly mauled by the late Dean Bailey's Demons. That was four years ago when Tom Scully was a promising but relatively impoverished young player, Jack Trengove was fit, fast, could run all day and kick goals from outside 50 metres and Jordan Gysberts was not only on an AFL club list but also capable of picking up close to 30 touches of the footy every time he played. Luke Tapscott was the only constant then as now, being a regular name on the injured list. Well, I take a little poetic licence here and there (after all, Colin Sylvia was best on ground that day) but it's hard to believe that less than four years ago Melbourne opened the equivalent fixture to this week's game with an eight goal opening quarter, led by eight goals at the main break, kicked another eight in the third term and coasted to a 12 goal win. It was a new dawn for Melbourne and a swansong for Roos: his biggest loss at the helm as coach of Sydney and close to the end of his road as coach of a team he led to a long-awaited premiership in 2005. Who could have predicted the course of events that would lead to Roos' return as an AFL coach or that the once proud club which he now oversees would have undergone such an abject period of football poverty and total degradation? This Saturday night sees the two meeting again at the MCG. Both are currently outside the top eight after five rounds with Sydney, once a premiership fancy, seemingly resurrected after a surprise win over Fremantle at the last outing. The Swans go into the game as strong favourite to win but that is exactly what they were four years ago when the Demons stunned the football world with a performance that was so compelling that we marveled at what we believed was our new dawn. Could it happen again in two day's time? THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Saturday 26 April, 2014 at 7.40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney Swans 108 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 40 wins Drawn 2 Past five years Melbourne 1 wins Sydney Swans 3 wins Drawn 1 The Coaches Roos 0 wins Longmire 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7, Fox Footy Channel @ 7.30pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $8.00 Sydney Swans to win - $1.08 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 16.20.116 defeated Melbourne 13.7.85 Round 15, 2013 at MCG Melbourne worked hard and were competitive against the reigning premiers who were off target. Dean Terlich put in a great game against his old club. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Alex Georgiou, Lynden Dunn, Dean Terlich HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes C: Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince, Jack Watts HF: Matt Jones, Chris Dawes, Jack Viney F: Cam Pedersen, James Frawley, Rohan Bail FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Shannon Byrnes, Neville Jetta, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Christian Salem EMG: Mitch Clisby, Daniel Nicholson, Jake Spencer In: Shannon Byrnes, Mark Jamar, Christian Salem Out: Jake Spencer, Michael Evans, Jordie McKenzie New: Christian Salem (18, Sandringham Dragons) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith, Ted Richards, Dane Rampe HB: Nick Malceski, Heath Grundy, Rhyce Shaw C: Daniel Hannebery, Josh Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh HF: Ben McGlynn, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Leroy Jetta F: Luke Parker, Lance Franklin, Adam Goodes FOLL: Mike Pyke, Kieren Jack, Harry Cunningham I/C: Craig Bird, Tom Derickx, Jeremy Laidler, Jake Lloyd EMG: Brandon Jack, Zak Jones, Sam Reid In: Adam Goodes Out: Brandon Jack FROM A LYON TO A CHRISTIAN For the better part of a decade and a half from 1986 Garry Lyon wore the number three at Melbourne with distinction. It was no co-incidence that his arrival at the club, the last player from its country zone in the Goulburn Valley to be recruited, marked the beginning of the club's rise following more than two decades as the competition's cellar dweller after its golden era of the 1950s and 60s. Lyon's impact was immediate. He was Best First Year Player and kicked 26 goals in 20 games that year and after another 18 games in 1987, his club was witnessing a new dawn and on its way to its first finals series since 1964. Lyon would not take part in his club's three finals games that saw it desperately close to a grand final berth because he broke a leg in the final home and away game at Footscray. However, his career blossomed and he played in the grand final of the following year and rose to the rank of captain (1991-7). Along the way he won two club best and fairests (1990, 1994) represented his state on multiple occasions, topped the club goal kicking, gained All Australian honours in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and played 226 games and kicked 426 goals before a back injury ended his career in mid 1999. He reached the pinnacle of his career with a ten goal haul against Footscray in the 1994 Semi Final. He's now a media megastar and has helped the club out from time to time although his efforts with coaching selection and football department restructuring have not achieved the success we would have all wanted. His last official duty was carried out with reluctance but with the honour of helping out fellow club legend, the dying Jimmy Stynes, at the end of 2011. Others have worn the number 3 since (Clint Bizzell and Clint Bartram) and see here but on Saturday night the jumper fittingly will be passed on from Lyon to a Christian. It might be my eyesight but I reckon they have a similar look and certainly, despite his brief time at Melbourne, we've seen signs of the same silky skills in Christian Salem that Lyons displayed when he was one of the competition's leading forwards. Salem could well start as a forward on the MCG on Saturday night but he can play anywhere and is likely to end up in the midfield one day. Hopefully, his impact will be immediate (I'm not putting too much pressure on him, am I?), that we'll also see his time at the club bring another new dawn for the Demons and that he might even go one step further than the last custodian of the number three and also play in a winning grand final. It's been a long time coming - the last time we saw a Demon # 3 playing in a premiership was Peter Marquis in 1957. So down to the matter at hand and my preview of the game. It's just Melbourne's luck that the Sydney Swans returned to form on the eve of this game. They were struggling until they shocked Fremantle last week. Buddy Franklin was in the wars and looking a shadow of his former self but ever since he booted four goals against the Dockers he's been in smashing form both on and off the field. The Swans have responded to Melbourne going young with the selection of Salem by bringing old man Adam Goodes (Salem was 2 years old when Goodes was drafted) straight back into the team after a long lay off. Not for him is the need to play three games in the minor leagues to acclimatise like Mark Jamar. I don't expect Melbourne to be the pushover it once was. Since the advent of Paul Roos, the Demons defensive efforts have improved dramatically. However, despite some clever recruiting to shore up its previously third world midfield the Demons have only managed to go from Burkina Faso to Zimbabwe in terms of the all-important centre clearances, averaging just eight per game (still last) as against the Swans who are ranked sixth in the AFL (13). That situation might improve with Jamar back in the fold because the lion hearted Spencer struggled to get the ball into the hands of his on ballers in the opening five rounds. Melbourne's forward line has also languished this year but the recent revamp and inclusion of Chris Dawes and the move into attack of James Frawley seem to be working. There's a lot to be liked about the way Roos is working on improving the team but this week they face a tough opponent and as much as I'd like to tip a Demon boilover, I can't bring myself to tip a victory this week. I'm afraid we're still in the dark hour before dawn. Sydney by 27 points.

DAWN II by Whispering Jack The last time Paul Roos presided over a game between the teams whose names bear those of this country's two most populous cities, his team was badly mauled by the late Dean Bailey's Demons. That was four years ago when Tom Scully was a promising but relatively impoverished young player, Jack Trengove was fit, fast, could run all day and kick goals from outside 50 metres and Jordan Gysberts was not only on an AFL club list but also capable of picking up close to 30 touches of the footy every time he played. Luke Tapscott was the only constant then as now, being a regular name on the injured list. Well, I take a little poetic licence here and there (after all, Colin Sylvia was best on ground that day) but it's hard to believe that less than four years ago Melbourne opened the equivalent fixture to this week's game with an eight goal opening quarter, led by eight goals at the main break, kicked another eight in the third term and coasted to a 12 goal win. It was a new dawn for Melbourne and a swansong for Roos: his biggest loss at the helm as coach of Sydney and close to the end of his road as coach of a team he led to a long-awaited premiership in 2005. Who could have predicted the course of events that would lead to Roos' return as an AFL coach or that the once proud club which he now oversees would have undergone such an abject period of football poverty and total degradation? This Saturday night sees the two meeting again at the MCG. Both are currently outside the top eight after five rounds with Sydney, once a premiership fancy, seemingly resurrected after a surprise win over Fremantle at the last outing. The Swans go into the game as strong favourite to win but that is exactly what they were four years ago when the Demons stunned the football world with a performance that was so compelling that we marveled at what we believed was our new dawn. Could it happen again in two day's time? THE GAME Melbourne v Sydney Swans at the MCG Saturday 26 April, 2014 at 7.40 pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall Melbourne 92 wins Sydney Swans 108 wins Drawn 2 At MCG Melbourne 49 wins Sydney Swans 40 wins Drawn 2 Past five years Melbourne 1 wins Sydney Swans 3 wins Drawn 1 The Coaches Roos 0 wins Longmire 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7, Fox Footy Channel @ 7.30pm (live) RADIO - Triple M 3AW SEN ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING Melbourne to win - $8.00 Sydney Swans to win - $1.08 THE LAST TIME THEY MET Sydney Swans 16.20.116 defeated Melbourne 13.7.85 Round 15, 2013 at MCG Melbourne worked hard and were competitive against the reigning premiers who were off target. Dean Terlich put in a great game against his old club. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Alex Georgiou, Lynden Dunn, Dean Terlich HB: Jeremy Howe, Tom McDonald, Jack Grimes C: Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince, Jack Watts HF: Matt Jones, Chris Dawes, Jack Viney F: Cam Pedersen, James Frawley, Rohan Bail FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson I/C: Shannon Byrnes, Neville Jetta, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Christian Salem EMG: Mitch Clisby, Daniel Nicholson, Jake Spencer In: Shannon Byrnes, Mark Jamar, Christian Salem Out: Jake Spencer, Michael Evans, Jordie McKenzie New: Christian Salem (18, Sandringham Dragons) SYDNEY SWANS B: Nick Smith, Ted Richards, Dane Rampe HB: Nick Malceski, Heath Grundy, Rhyce Shaw C: Daniel Hannebery, Josh Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh HF: Ben McGlynn, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Leroy Jetta F: Luke Parker, Lance Franklin, Adam Goodes FOLL: Mike Pyke, Kieren Jack, Harry Cunningham I/C: Craig Bird, Tom Derickx, Jeremy Laidler, Jake Lloyd EMG: Brandon Jack, Zak Jones, Sam Reid In: Adam Goodes Out: Brandon Jack FROM A LYON TO A CHRISTIAN For the better part of a decade and a half from 1986 Garry Lyon wore the number three at Melbourne with distinction. It was no co-incidence that his arrival at the club, the last player from its country zone in the Goulburn Valley to be recruited, marked the beginning of the club's rise following more than two decades as the competition's cellar dweller after its golden era of the 1950s and 60s. Lyon's impact was immediate. He was Best First Year Player and kicked 26 goals in 20 games that year and after another 18 games in 1987, his club was witnessing a new dawn and on its way to its first finals series since 1964. Lyon would not take part in his club's three finals games that saw it desperately close to a grand final berth because he broke a leg in the final home and away game at Footscray. However, his career blossomed and he played in the grand final of the following year and rose to the rank of captain (1991-7). Along the way he won two club best and fairests (1990, 1994) represented his state on multiple occasions, topped the club goal kicking, gained All Australian honours in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and played 226 games and kicked 426 goals before a back injury ended his career in mid 1999. He reached the pinnacle of his career with a ten goal haul against Footscray in the 1994 Semi Final. He's now a media megastar and has helped the club out from time to time although his efforts with coaching selection and football department restructuring have not achieved the success we would have all wanted. His last official duty was carried out with reluctance but with the honour of helping out fellow club legend, the dying Jimmy Stynes, at the end of 2011. Others have worn the number 3 since (Clint Bizzell and Clint Bartram) and see here but on Saturday night the jumper fittingly will be passed on from Lyon to a Christian. It might be my eyesight but I reckon they have a similar look and certainly, despite his brief time at Melbourne, we've seen signs of the same silky skills in Christian Salem that Lyons displayed when he was one of the competition's leading forwards. Salem could well start as a forward on the MCG on Saturday night but he can play anywhere and is likely to end up in the midfield one day. Hopefully, his impact will be immediate (I'm not putting too much pressure on him, am I?), that we'll also see his time at the club bring another new dawn for the Demons and that he might even go one step further than the last custodian of the number three and also play in a winning grand final. It's been a long time coming - the last time we saw a Demon # 3 playing in a premiership was Peter Marquis in 1957. So down to the matter at hand and my preview of the game. It's just Melbourne's luck that the Sydney Swans returned to form on the eve of this game. They were struggling until they shocked Fremantle last week. Buddy Franklin was in the wars and looking a shadow of his former self but ever since he booted four goals against the Dockers he's been in smashing form both on and off the field. The Swans have responded to Melbourne going young with the selection of Salem by bringing old man Adam Goodes (Salem was 2 years old when Goodes was drafted) straight back into the team after a long lay off. Not for him is the need to play three games in the minor leagues to acclimatise like Mark Jamar. I don't expect Melbourne to be the pushover it once was. Since the advent of Paul Roos, the Demons defensive efforts have improved dramatically. However, despite some clever recruiting to shore up its previously third world midfield the Demons have only managed to go from Burkina Faso to Zimbabwe in terms of the all-important centre clearances, averaging just eight per game (still last) as against the Swans who are ranked sixth in the AFL (13). That situation might improve with Jamar back in the fold because the lion hearted Spencer struggled to get the ball into the hands of his on ballers in the opening five rounds. Melbourne's forward line has also languished this year but the recent revamp and inclusion of Chris Dawes and the move into attack of James Frawley seem to be working. There's a lot to be liked about the way Roos is working on improving the team but this week they face a tough opponent and as much as I'd like to tip a Demon boilover, I can't bring myself to tip a victory this week. I'm afraid we're still in the dark hour before dawn. Sydney by 27 points.

Early July last year and we were showing something under caretaker coach Neil Whatsisname. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE Backs Lynden Dunn Colin Garland Dean Terlich Half backs Tom McDonald James Frawley Mitch Clisby Centreline Matt Jones Jack Trengove Jack Grimes Half forwards Dean Kent Chris Dawes David Rodan Forwards Jack Fitzpatrick Jack Watts Jeremy Howe Followers Max Gawn Colin Sylvia Nathan Jones Interchange Shannon Byrnes Aaron Davey Daniel Nicholson Jimmy Toumpas Emergencies Cam Pedersen James Sellar James Strauss In Jack Grimes Out Sam Blease (ankle) SYDNEY SWANS Backs Nick Smith Ted Richards Dane Rampe Half backs Nick Malceski Heath Grundy Jarrad McVeigh Centreline Dan Hannebery Josh Kennedy Andrejs Everitt Half forwards Ben McGlynn Sam Reid Jude Bolton Forwards Mike Pyke KurtTippett Luke Parker Followers Shane Mumford Kieren Jack, Ryan O'Keefe Interchange Craig Bird Brandon Jack Jed Lamb Tom Mitchell Emergencies Tony Armstrong Mitch Morton Jesse White In Shane Mumford Sam Reid Out Xavier Richards (quad) Jesse White

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