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Remember when the Demons could kick 14 goals from 23 shots at goal? MELBOURNE 4.2.26 9.3.57 10.5.65 14.9.93 ST KILDA 0.3.3 3.4.22 5.7.37 8.7.55 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)

Is this a new form of Melbourne which has suddenly emerged in 2021? In the past, whenever the pressure was applied, the team would falter early and as a consequence, it would more often than not, be forced to confront its own self-inflicted failure. But perhaps not so this year. The match at Marvel Stadium against the Saints provided an insight into how creating pressure, actually relieves it on the club, players and coach. Right from the start, Melbourne was there to make a statement. With St.Kilda promising so much pre-season, the hopes were high, and a Demon loss would have seen the club slip back into the pack in the race to secure a finals spot. However, the 18 point victory against a finals contender will surely lead the game’s observers to take some notice of what the Demons have been crafting in the past couple of years. It is the group of young players who are making their mark. Trent Rivers, Tom Sparrow, James Jordon, Kysiah Pickett and Luke Jackson, with barely 1/10th of the games that Nathan Jones has under his belt in his career, are already carving their names into regular spots in the side, and putting pressure on other older experienced players to just get a game. They can’t be denied, and their performances will keep them in the side. But it is also the team pressure that was so evident from early in the game, that eventually won the day. Even when the Demons were 16 points down in the second quarter, they continued to apply the pressure and then got the results with eight of the next ten goals. That’s not the Melbourne side that the fans have been watching play in the past years. Right from the outset, the addition of Jack Viney in the midfield was telling as he kicked the first two goals for the side. But it was the Jack of old, with his toughness around the ball, which enabled Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca the latitude to be so, so damaging. This week they took full advantage of Max Gawn’s ruck dominance and had 17 clearances between them, while Viney chimed in with four of his own. St.Kilda have a simple sling-shot tactic and game plan, but when you pressure and shut down their small runners, in the same way that Melbourne did to them in Alice Springs last year, they get starved of chances. Lonie, Billings, Butler and Higgins were barely sighted and it all fell to Gresham to try and create opportunities. But he couldn’t do that on his own. The backs just did what they did last week, and the intercept marking of Steven May, Jake Lever and Adam Tomlinson was brilliantly backed up by the ground work of Nev Jetta, Rivers and Christian Salem. More important was the clean delivery they provided further up the ground, which simply kept pressuring the St.Kilda backs. The forwards are still missing the fire-power to benefit from these chances, but Tom McDonald did his best and finished with a couple of goals. Bayley Firtisch had numerous set-shot chances, but could only manage to trouble the goal umpire once. However, Pickett was superb and cut a swathe through the defenders to put in an early candidate for goal of the year. Likewise his constant pressure has them looking over their shoulder all the time, but like the Saints situation, it can’t be left to one or two to “carry the can”. Hopefully, the long awaited arrival of Ben Brown will soon come to give Tom some help in holding off the big defenders. Luke Jackson is still raw, but very talented, and we still have to purloin him to fill in with ruck duties. Still when the side can put together a score of 91 points, we will be in the winner circle most games. The pressure and the media attention suddenly moves off the coach and the club. The journalists will find another easy target, but this type of win gives everyone much more breathing space. It gives everyone the chance to show their capabilities and as we have seen to date, we can start to marvel at what is possible! MELBOURNE 3.4.22 6.7.43 9.13.67 12.19.91 ST KILDA 3.2.20 6.3.39 8.4.52 11.7.73 GOALS Melbourne McDonald Pickett Viney 2 Fritsch Jones Langdon Neal-Bullen Spargo Sparrow St Kilda Steele 3 King 2 Battle, Billings Gresham Higgins McKernan Membrey BEST Melbourne Oliver Salem Gawn Petracca May Pickett St Kilda Steele Howard Gresham Ross Gresham Wilkie INJURIES Melbourne Nil St Kilda Jimmy Webster (jaw) REPORTS Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil SUBSTITUTES Melbourne Oskar Baker (unused) St Kilda St Kilda Jack Bytel (replaced Webster) UMPIRES Foot Fleer Mollison CROWD 25,903 at Marvel Stadium

Throughout the off season, St Kilda was touted as an improver and a possible challenger for a top four position mainly off the back of another good trade and draft period at the end of last year. Then in Round 1, the undermanned Saints made a shaky start and almost succumbed to the Giants but they managed to come home from a wet and woolly Sydney with the four points intact. For Round 2, they have a couple of handy players returning so they come into the the game at Marvel Stadium chock full of confidence about reversing the result of their encounter in Alice Springs last year when they fell tantalisingly short of beating the Demons. That game was in Covid19 time with all manner of asterisks around it and now, they’ll be literally back in town in the comfort of their home ground where they’ve generally given their opponent a hard time in recent years. For its part, Melbourne is also coming off a win but it was a victory against a somewhat flawed opposition that had some difficulty adapting to the conditions a long way from home and with little support behind the team. The Dockers did manage a victory of sorts in that they won the clearances despite playing to a dominant ruck headed by Max Gawn. Their problem was that they failed to convert this on the scoreboard, particularly early in the game when they were well on top in the midfield. The old adage about it being “all about the midfield stupid!” seems to have gone out of the window lately when it comes to the Demons. They make up for it these days - at least they did last week - with an impressive defence headed by interception wizards Steven May and Jake Lever. Christian Salem, Adam Tomlinson, Nev Jetta, Trent Rivers and, from time to time when he went back, Big Max, were all major contributors to a strong defensive effort last week and will have a tougher assignment this week against the Saints who will benefit from the return of Max King from a week on the sidelines after he was headbutted by a golf ball. Along with match winner Tim Membrey and a bevy of clever small forwards including former Tigers Dan Butler and Jack Higgins, it’s going to be a much tougher ask for the Demon defence to contain this group than it was last week against Freo. This puts the onus on Melbourne’s attack to click when kicking for goal. There were too many gimme shots from within close range that were squandered last week and they won’t be able to blame tricky winds at Marvel Stadium or out of shape footballs for that matter. A couple of years ago, the Demons were overwhelmed by the outside run of the Saints and while this issue has still not been fully addressed, the gap in this division has narrowed while on the inside, Melbourne should take the honours. They certainly won’t be stuck in the middle this time. Melbourne by 17 points THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Saturday 27 March 2021 at 7.25pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 94 wins Melbourne 122 wins 1 drawn At Marvel Stadium St Kilda 9 wins Melbourne 5 wins Past five meetings Melbourne 3 wins St Kilda 2 wins The Coaches Ratten 1 win Goodwin 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 8.4.52 defeated St Kilda 7.7.49 at TIO Traeger Park, Round 14, 2020 The Demons jumped to an early lead with three goals in the second half of the first term but were pegged back in the third quarter. They held their narrow lead at the final break and prevailed in a tense finish with a controversial goal from Christian Petracca seeing them home. THE TEAMS ST KILDA B: J. Webster 29 D. Howard 20 C. Wilkie 44 HB: B. Long 21 T. Highmore 34 J. Sinclair 35 C: J. Billings 15 S. Ross 6 H Clark 11 HF D. Butler 16 B. Hill J. Lonie 13 F: T. Membrey 28 S McKernan 27 M King 12 Foll: P. Hunter 41 J. Steele 9 J. Gresham 4 I/C: J. Battle 26 N. Coffield 1 J. Higgins 22 Z. Jones 3 Sub: J. Bytel 23 Emerg: J. Carlisle 2 D. McKenzie 36 M. Wood 32 In: Z. Jones M. King Out: D. McKenzie M. Wood MELBOURNE B: N. Jetta 39 S. May 1 A. Tomlinson 20 HB: J. Hunt 29 J. Lever 8 C. Salem 3 C: A. Brayshaw 10 C. Petracca 5 E. Langdon 15 HF: T. Sparrow 32 T. McDonald 25 K. Pickett 36 F: A. Neal-Bullen 30 L. Jackson 6 B. Fritsch 31 Foll: M. Gawn - C 11 C. Oliver 13 J. Viney 7 I/C: N. Jones 2 J. Jordon 23 T. Rivers 24 C. Spargo 9 Sub: O. Baker 33 Emerg: M Hibberd 14 J. Melksham 18 H. Petty 35 In: O. Baker J. Viney Out: K. Chandler J. Harmes (wrist) Injury List: Round 2 Michael Hibberd (ankle) — Available Jake Melksham (hamstring) — Available Jack Viney (foot) — Available Mitch Brown (calf) — 1 Week Joel Smith (finger) — 1 Week Jay Lockhart (testicles) — 1 to 2 Weeks Sam Weideman (leg) — 2 to 4 Weeks Ben Brown (knee) — 4 to 6 Weeks James Harmes (wrist) — 6 Weeks Marty Hore (knee) — Season Aaron Nietschke (knee) — Season

It’s a crying shame that we happen to be playing against the resurgent St Kilda just as they have managed to overcome a rotten patch of form with an upsurge in momentum resulting from the sacking of its coach and the appointment of a new one. The Saints had a purple patch at the start of the season winning four of their first five games (including the one against the sloppy and sluggish Demons in Round 5) before collapsing into the sink hole that led to them parting ways with coach Alan Richardson and his ultimate replacement by caretaker Brett Ratten. In accordance with the standard when that happens, the Saints suddenly came alive and comprehensively beat the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium last week just as the Doggies were starting to make a play for the finals. Meanwhile, Melbourne’s nightmare season continued to roll along with another inaccuracy-marred performance that saw it roll over again in the final quarter of a very winnable game against the West Coast Eagles. Had it been able to win those matches this season, it might still have been within striking distance of the finals but instead, it sits behind Carlton which some weeks ago was languishing on the bottom before the sacking its coach. Once again, the season’s statistics are misleading and unhelpful because, while the Demons are streets ahead of the Saints in most of the game’s key performance indicators, they are so ineffective at converting such apparent advantages into wins on the scoreboard. The numbers don’t even bear repeating because, on a weekly basis, they favour the Demons against their opponents but when the players hit the ground, they spray their own set shots at goal and then watch the ball move the other way with efficiency that leads to easy goal scoring situations. The casual observer is left to opine that the club’s brains trust has miscalculated the ways to use the 6-6-6 system to the team’s advantage. The team that runs out onto Marvel Stadium on Saturday night will be well below the best that Melbourne can put on the field but let’s face it - there are others who have been badly hit by injuries and they manage to keep performing and win games. The Bombers are a case in point. Which means that the Demons have been exposed for a lack in depth players as well as the spirit and football nous required to win games. It ain’t happening at the moment and it won’t happen on Saturday night. Prediction St Kilda by 9 points. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Saturday 27 July 2019 at 7.25pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 93 wins Melbourne 121 wins 1 drawn At Marvel Stadium St Kilda 8 wins Melbourne 5 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 2 wins Melbourne 3 wins The Coaches Ratten 0 Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Live at 7.00pm Fox Footy Channel Live at 7.20pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW ABC THE LAST TIME THEY MET St Kilda 15.5.95 defeated Melbourne 7.13.55 at the MCG, Round 5, 2019 The Saints ran the Demons off their feet on the outside and that told on the scoreboard despite getting the ball inside their forward 50 metre arc. Both sides had 20 shots at goal - the difference between the teams at the end? 40 points! THE TEAMS ST KILDA B Nick Coffield Nathan Brown Shane Savage HB Callum Wilkie Jake Carlisle Hunter Clark C Jack Billings Sebastian Ross Jack Newnes HF Jack Sinclair Josh Bruce Ben Long F Jack Lonie Tim Membrey Doulton Langlands FOLL Rowan Marshall Blake Acres Jade Gresham I/C Luke Dunstan Nick Hind Ben Paton Jack Steele EMG Josh Battle Darragh Joyce Matthew Parker Bailey Rice IN Ben Long OUT Matthew Parker (omitted) MELBOURNE B Michael Hibberd Jake Lever Neville Jetta HB Jordan Lewis Sam Frost Christian Salem C Nathan Jones Clayton Oliver Oskar Baker HF James Harmes Harrison Petty Jayden Hunt F Christian Petracca Tim Smith Bayley Fritsch FOLL Max Gawn Jack Viney Angus Brayshaw I/C Oscar McDonald Alex Neal-Bullen Corey Wagner Josh Wagner EMG Kyle Dunkley Marty Hore Braydon Preuss Sam Weideman IN Oskar Baker Oscar McDonald Tim Smith OUT Jay Lockhart (omitted) Steven May (hamstring) Braydon Preuss (omitted) Injury LIst: Round 19 Tim Smith (calf) – available Oscar McDonald (illness) – available Jack Viney (concussion) – test Harry Petty (ankle) – test Jake Melksham (foot) – test Marty Hore (collarbone) – test Sam Weideman (calf) – test Billy Stretch (foot) – test Tom Sparrow (knee) – 2-3 weeks Aaron vandenBerg (foot) – TBC Kade Kolodjashnij (head) – TBC Tom McDonald (knee) – season Jeff Garlett (shoulder) – season Joel Smith (groin) – season Aaron Nietschke (knee) – season Guy Walker (shoulder) – indefinite

We’ve lost two games in a row on our home turf to this mob and, thanks to the sacking of their coach, we’re in danger of a third. MELBOURNE B Marty Hore Sam Frost Neville Jetta HB Jordan Lewis Michael Hibberd Christian Salem C Nathan Jones Clayton Oliver James Harmes HF Angus Brayshaw Sam Weideman Jayden Hunt F Tom McDon ald Braydon Preuss Jake Melksham FOLL Max Gawn Jack Viney Christian Petracca I/C Bayley Fritsch Charlie Spargo Corey Wagner Josh Wagner EMG Declan Keilty Jay Lockhart Oscar McDonald Billy Stretch IN Neville Jetta Jordan Lewis OUT Oscar McDonald (omitted) Billy Stretch (omitted) ST KILDA B Jimmy Webster Nathan Brown Shane Savage HB Callum Wilkie Josh Battle Jarryn Geary C Blake Acres Sebastian Ross Jack Newnes HF Jack Billings Jo sh Bruce Matthew Parker F Jack Lonie Tim Membrey Jade Gresham FOLL Rowan Marshall Jack Steele Jack Sinclair I/C Dean Kent Ben Long Ben Paton Jack Steven EMG Nick Hind Darragh Joyce Jonathon Marsh Robbie Young IN Jarryn Geary Jack Steven OUT Hunter Clark (omit ted) D aniel McKenzie (concussion)

Thank heavens they play in Darwin next week.

THE LAST FOUR MINUTES by Whispering Jack I watched the replay of Melbourne’s game against Essendon and, with the countdown clock ticking past four minutes, the Demons were coasting home with a lead of 49 points. A big percentage boosting win beckoned against a team that only had four clear days to recover from their Anzac Day blockbuster against Collingwood. However, in those last four minutes, they relaxed their grip on the Bombers and conceded three goals before Bayley Fritsch's late goal gave them a still comprehensive winning margin of 36 points. Across town and two and a half hours later, Richmond led Collingwood by 20 points with with four minutes left on the clock at the MCG. As they had done a few nights earlier on Anzac Day eve against the Demons, the Tigers turned on the turbo chargers and wasted the Magpies with a four goal burst to storm home to a 43 point victory. The difference between Richmond's final burst full of fist pumping energy and Melbourne's late game slowdown to a comfortable win is a reflection of why the Tigers are the reigning premiers and why they are currently favourites to repeat the dose in September and why the Demons are languishing in the bottom half of the table. The question for Simon Goodwin as his charges near the mark where a third of the season has elapsed is whether he can build them into a team capable of playing a ruthless, unrelenting brand of football for four quarters and still finish off their games showing no mercy to a beaten opponent. This is precisely what one would expect from a top four contender which is how many of the pundits viewed Melbourne six weeks ago. At first brush, Sunday's game against St Kilda presents an opportunity against a team that appears to be vulnerable but it would be a mistake to take the Saints lightly. After all, it was only two weeks ago that they held the highly rated GWS Giants to a pulsating draw at this venue after looking beaten midway through the final term. They dominated possession in those final four minutes and missed the chance to win the game when an attempt by Jake Carlisle (who had been sent forward late in the game) to mark close to goal with seconds to go was spoiled by Phil Davis. I'm not suggesting that the result of this match will necessarily be determined in the final 5% of game time, but if the attitude of the team is positive at the start and the effort is maintained to the very finish, then its hopes for the remainder of the season will be restored. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 6 May 2018 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 91 wins Melbourne 120 wins 1 drawn At Etihad Stadium St Kilda 8 wins Melbourne 4 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Richardson 0 wins Goodwin 2 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports3 live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 14.12.96 defeated St Kilda 10.12.72 at the MCG, Round 21, 2017 Melbourne dominated St Kilda for most of the match but has as happened so often with the team in recent times it led by as much as 40 points at one stage and almost allowed the lead slip out of its hands before a late rally saw it home. One of the highlights of the game was the return of Angus Brayshaw after a long absence with concussion issues and the dramatic moment when he clashed heads with an opponent and stood up undeterred by the incident. THE TEAMS ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan Brown, Shane Savage HB: Sam Gilbert, Jake Carlisle, Jimmy Webster ? Jack Newnes, Jack Steele, Maverick Weller HF: Luke Dunsta n, Paddy McCartin, Jack Billings F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Ben Long Foll: Tom Hickey, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steven I/C: David Armitage, Hunter Clark, Nick Coffield, Rowan Marshall Emg: Josh Battle, Ben Paton, Jack Sinclair, Brandon White In: David Armitage, H unter Clark, Rowan Marshall Out: Blake Acres (managed), Jack Sinclair (omitted), Brandon White (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Angus Brayshaw, Jake Lever, Jayden Hunt ? Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson HF: Mitch Hannan, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham F: Sam Weideman, Tom McDonald, Christian Petracca Foll: Max Gawn, Bernie Vince, Clayton Oliver I/C: Bayley Fritsch, James Harmes, Alex Neal-Bullen, Charlie Spargo Emg: Jeff Garlett, Camero n Pedersen, Tim Smith, Josh Wagner In: Christian Petracca Out: Christian Salem (thumb) MARCHING IN The two sides doing battle this week at Etihad Stadium are the lost souls of our game. They last tasted premiership glory more than half a century ago and in St Kilda’s case, it was the only taste. In recent years, they have been tracking each other in what have until now, been vain attempts to make the finals in order to enable an attack on their long and painful premiership droughts. This year looks as another disappointment for both of them as inconsistency and poor form have marred their starts to the season. In assessing the two sides, Melbourne appears to be stronger on paper. I say it every week but the presence of Max Gawn in the ruck should, by itself, give its emerging and varied midfield an edge. Jesse Hogan once kicked seven goals in a losing team against St Kilda. Two years later, there is no reason not to expect another bag except for the fact that he isn’t always played near the goal front and also ... he, along with Christian Petracca, are still under injury clouds at the end of the week. I was going to give St Kilda some brownie points over that recent drawn game with the GWS Giants at Etihad Stadium because I have hitherto rated highly the AFL’s artificial creation but later events have caused a change in my thinking. The Giants aren’t as good as I thought and th e Saints certainly aren’t much good. If they beat the Demons in Round 7 then it would be a fatal blow for the aspirations of Simon Goodwin and his team. They should be guided by the years of punishment they suffered at the hands of St Kilda over recent years with a couple of reversals at this very ground coming to mind. Like Round 11, 2015 when Leigh Montagna ran into an open goal in the dying seconds to rob them of victory. It won’t happen this time. I’m tipping Melbourne to come marching in by 37 points at the end.

The commentary about this game during the week among supporters was along the lines of “this is a game that Melbourne should win, but you can’t trust them ...” A fixture against St Kilda in its present state is really one that the club would be expected to win given the recent performances of both sides. But its scarred supporters still feared that this would be precisely the game which it would drop, and as we saw at the sharp end of season 2017, the cost of such a defeat was potentially a huge one. So now that the Demons have trounced the Saints by 39 points, have the supporters regained a little of the trust which had been squandered in the past years? It went a long way toward it, and while many would have wished for an even bigger margin, given the 6 goal lead at ¾ time, it must be remembered that the team has played 3 games in twelve days, and ran out of a bit of puff at the end. Equally as important was the return of the trust that players were showing in each other. A month ago, questions were being asked of Jake Lever but he played his best game since joining the red and blue, and the trust that the back-line now has in each other simply shone out. It was obvious during the game that we could trust Nev Jetta to beat his man, for Oscar McDonald to continue his fine form and do the same and for Michael Hibberd to run rings around the opposition and deliver penetrating kicks forward. This is a backline now showing the confidence and ruthlessness that springboards attacks and denies the opposition any chances. With Jordan Lewis and Bernie Vince mopping up around them the whole structure looks solid and sound. In the middle, Max Gawn continued his All-Australian form in the ruck, simply overwhelming Hickey, particularly around the ground, giving his mids first use of the ball time and time again. And well did they take advantage of it, as Angus Brayshaw put in a close to best on ground performance with 32 touches including 5 clearances and 10 contested possessions. However, the real BOG mantle had to go to Clayton Oliver with 36 touches, 20 … yes 20 contested possessions and 10 clearances. Nathan Jones chipped in with 26 touches, but probably couldn’t get his hands on the ball as much, simply because the other two kept on hogging it! IF Jack Viney returns to the group with this sort of form, the opposition truly have something to worry about. Up forward, we again saw the value of the return of Tom McDonald who kicked two goals straightening up the forward options, and releasing Jesse Hogan from the pressure of multiple defenders, resulting in him scoring three majors. T Mac's presence has also seen Sam Weideman continue to blossom, albeit slowly, and his two goals went a long way to building his confidence in his role in the side. The trust is that Tommy will always put in when needed and create a contest, which also means that the small forwards don’t have to fly for the ball, but rather can crumb when the ball comes to ground. The pity of the performance was not only that Melbourne restored some of that trust for the supporters and themselves, but that St Kilda was simply that bad. Their kicking for goal was simply atrocious and if they had kicked straight from easy set shots, the game would have been a lot, lot closer. The Saints only had 4 less scoring shots for the game but had little structure in the way they brought the ball forward, which played beautifully into the arms of Jake Lever and Oscar McDonald for the whole match. So while it became an easy win, the Saints were never able to capitalise on the unforced errors and turnovers that Alex Neal-Bullen and Don Tyson provided for them the whole game, Tyson topping the clanger list again this week. One of them will surely be relegated next week to fit in Viney (if he is ready), simply because their form has failed to rise in the past month. So some of the TRUST has now been restore. Some of it ... but now it is a MUST that the TRUST be even further bolstered against the Gold Coast Suns next week in Brisbane and looking further, to Carlton a week later. The Demons now sit outside the top eight on percentage and the teams above them all play another side in the top group of eleven next week. To put it another way, half the teams above them must lose some ground next week - a Melbourne win will put it back in the eight, possibly a game clear. The Suns are without May and Lynch and this sort of weakness would normally have seen Melbourne sides take it easy and lose some TRUST. Let’s see if there is more substance in this regard than what we have seen in the past. P.S. If there was a 25K crowd at Etihad today, I’ll eat my hat. Melbourne 5.1.31 8.6.54 13.10.88 16.10.106 St Kilda 2.5.17 3.8.26 7.10.52 9.13.67 Goals Melbourne Hogan 3 T McDonald Weideman 2 Brayshaw Gawn Harmes Jones Neal-Bullen Oliver Petracca Spargo Tyson St Kilda Armitage Long Membrey 2 Dunstan Gresham Hickey Best Melbourne Oliver Hogan Brayshaw Tyson Lewis Hibberd St Kilda Ross Webster Steven Newnes Injuries Melbourne Jetta (head) St Kilda McCartin (head) Gilbert (leg) Savage (ribs) Reports Nil Umpires Foot Fisher McInerney Official crowd 25,496 at Etihad Stadium

TRUST IS A MUST by George on the Outer The commentary about this game during the week among supporters was along the lines of “this is a game that Melbourne should win, but you can’t trust them ...” A fixture against St Kilda in its present state is really one that the club would be expected to win given the recent performances of both sides. But its scarred supporters still feared that this would be precisely the game which it would drop, and as we saw at the sharp end of season 2017, the cost of such a defeat was potentially a huge one. So now that the Demons have trounced the Saints by 39 points, have the supporters regained a little of the trust which had been squandered in the past years? It went a long way toward it, and while many would have wished for an even bigger margin, given the 6 goal lead at ¾ time, it must be remembered that the team has played 3 games in twelve days, and ran out of a bit of puff at the end. Equally as important was the return of the trust that players were showing in each other. A month ago, questions were being asked of Jake Lever but he played his best game since joining the red and blue, and the trust that the back-line now has in each other simply shone out. It was obvious during the game that we could trust Nev Jetta to beat his man, for Oscar McDonald to continue his fine form and do the same and for Michael Hibberd to run rings around the opposition and deliver penetrating kicks forward. This is a backline now showing the confidence and ruthlessness that springboards attacks and denies the opposition any chances. With Jordan Lewis and Bernie Vince mopping up around them the whole structure looks solid and sound. In the middle, Max Gawn continued his All-Australian form in the ruck, simply overwhelming Hickey, particularly around the ground, giving his mids first use of the ball time and time again. And well did they take advantage of it, as Angus Brayshaw put in a close to best on ground performance with 32 touches including 5 clearances and 10 contested possessions. However, the real BOG mantle had to go to Clayton Oliver with 36 touches, 20 … yes 20 contested possessions and 10 clearances. Nathan Jones chipped in with 26 touches, but probably couldn’t get his hands on the ball as much, simply because the other two kept on hogging it! IF Jack Viney returns to the group with this sort of form, the opposition truly have something to worry about. Up forward, we again saw the value of the return of Tom McDonald who kicked two goals straightening up the forward options, and releasing Jesse Hogan from the pressure of multiple defenders, resulting in him scoring three majors. T Mac's presence has also seen Sam Weideman continue to blossom, albeit slowly, and his two goals went a long way to building his confidence in his role in the side. The trust is that Tommy will always put in when needed and create a contest, which also means that the small forwards don’t have to fly for the ball, but rather can crumb when the ball comes to ground. The pity of the performance was not only that Melbourne restored some of that trust for the supporters and themselves, but that St Kilda was simply that bad. Their kicking for goal was simply atrocious and if they had kicked straight from easy set shots, the game would have been a lot, lot closer. The Saints only had 4 less scoring shots for the game but had little structure in the way they brought the ball forward, which played beautifully into the arms of Jake Lever and Oscar McDonald for the whole match. So while it became an easy win, the Saints were never able to capitalise on the unforced errors and turnovers that Alex Neal-Bullen and Don Tyson provided for them the whole game, Tyson topping the clanger list again this week. One of them will surely be relegated next week to fit in Viney (if he is ready), simply because their form has failed to rise in the past month. So some of the TRUST has now been restore. Some of it ... but now it is a MUST that the TRUST be even further bolstered against the Gold Coast Suns next week in Brisbane and looking further, to Carlton a week later. The Demons now sit outside the top eight on percentage and the teams above them all play another side in the top group of eleven next week. To put it another way, half the teams above them must lose some ground next week - a Melbourne win will put it back in the eight, possibly a game clear. The Suns are without May and Lynch and this sort of weakness would normally have seen Melbourne sides take it easy and lose some TRUST. Let’s see if there is more substance in this regard than what we have seen in the past. P.S. If there was a 25K crowd at Etihad today, I’ll eat my hat. Melbourne 5.1.31 8.6.54 13.10.88 16.10.106 St Kilda 2.5.17 3.8.26 7.10.52 9.13.67 Goals Melbourne Hogan 3 T McDonald Weideman 2 Brayshaw Gawn Harmes Jones Neal-Bullen Oliver Petracca Spargo Tyson St Kilda Armitage Long Membrey 2 Dunstan Gresham Hickey Best Melbourne Oliver Hogan Brayshaw Tyson Lewis Hibberd St Kilda Ross Webster Steven Newnes Injuries Melbourne Jetta (head) St Kilda McCartin (head) Gilbert (leg) Savage (ribs) Reports Nil Umpires Foot Fisher McInerney Official crowd 25,496 at Etihad Stadium

Really, it’s time for the team to show something of what was expected of it after last year’s heartbreak.

The day the Demons almost gave away a humongous lead but recovered. One of these days they will play four quarters ... THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB:Bernie Vince, Cameron Pedersen, Jayden Hunt ? 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 ? 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)

I watched the replay of Melbourne’s game against Essendon and, with the countdown clock ticking past four minutes, the Demons were coasting home with a lead of 49 points. A big percentage boosting win beckoned against a team that only had four clear days to recover from their Anzac Day blockbuster against Collingwood. However, in those last four minutes, they relaxed their grip on the Bombers and conceded three goals before Bayley Fritsch's late goal gave them a still comprehensive winning margin of 36 points. Across town and two and a half hours later, Richmond led Collingwood by 20 points with with four minutes left on the clock at the MCG. As they had done a few nights earlier on Anzac Day eve against the Demons, the Tigers turned on the turbo chargers and wasted the Magpies with a four goal burst to storm home to a 43 point victory. The difference between Richmond's final burst full of fist pumping energy and Melbourne's late game slowdown to a comfortable win is a reflection of why the Tigers are the reigning premiers and why they are currently favourites to repeat the dose in September and why the Demons are languishing in the bottom half of the table. The question for Simon Goodwin as his charges near the mark where a third of the season has elapsed is whether he can build them into a team capable of playing a ruthless, unrelenting brand of football for four quarters and still finish off their games showing no mercy to a beaten opponent. This is precisely what one would expect from a top four contender which is how many of the pundits viewed Melbourne six weeks ago. At first brush, Sunday's game against St Kilda presents an opportunity against a team that appears to be vulnerable but it would be a mistake to take the Saints lightly. After all, it was only two weeks ago that they held the highly rated GWS Giants to a pulsating draw at this venue after looking beaten midway through the final term. They dominated possession in those final four minutes and missed the chance to win the game when an attempt by Jake Carlisle (who had been sent forward late in the game) to mark close to goal with seconds to go was spoiled by Phil Davis. I'm not suggesting that the result of this match will necessarily be determined in the final 5% of game time, but if the attitude of the team is positive at the start and the effort is maintained to the very finish, then its hopes for the remainder of the season will be restored. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 6 May 2018 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 91 wins Melbourne 120 wins 1 drawn At Etihad Stadium St Kilda 8 wins Melbourne 4 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 3 wins Melbourne 2 wins The Coaches Richardson 0 wins Goodwin 2 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports3 live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE LAST TIME THEY MET Melbourne 14.12.96 defeated St Kilda 10.12.72 at the MCG, Round 21, 2017 Melbourne dominated St Kilda for most of the match but has as happened so often with the team in recent times it led by as much as 40 points at one stage and almost allowed the lead slip out of its hands before a late rally saw it home. One of the highlights of the game was the return of Angus Brayshaw after a long absence with concussion issues and the dramatic moment when he clashed heads with an opponent and stood up undeterred by the incident. THE TEAMS ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan Brown, Shane Savage HB: Sam Gilbert, Jake Carlisle, Jimmy Webster ? Jack Newnes, Jack Steele, Maverick Weller HF: Luke Dunsta n, Paddy McCartin, Jack Billings F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Ben Long Foll: Tom Hickey, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steven I/C: David Armitage, Hunter Clark, Nick Coffield, Rowan Marshall Emg: Josh Battle, Ben Paton, Jack Sinclair, Brandon White In: David Armitage, H unter Clark, Rowan Marshall Out: Blake Acres (managed), Jack Sinclair (omitted), Brandon White (omitted) MELBOURNE B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Angus Brayshaw, Jake Lever, Jayden Hunt ? Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson HF: Mitch Hannan, Jesse Hogan, Jake Melksham F: Sam Weideman, Tom McDonald, Christian Petracca Foll: Max Gawn, Bernie Vince, Clayton Oliver I/C: Bayley Fritsch, James Harmes, Alex Neal-Bullen, Charlie Spargo Emg: Jeff Garlett, Camero n Pedersen, Tim Smith, Josh Wagner In: Christian Petracca Out: Christian Salem (thumb) MARCHING IN The two sides doing battle this week at Etihad Stadium are the lost souls of our game. They last tasted premiership glory more than half a century ago and in St Kilda’s case, it was the only taste. In recent years, they have been tracking each other in what have until now, been vain attempts to make the finals in order to enable an attack on their long and painful premiership droughts. This year looks as another disappointment for both of them as inconsistency and poor form have marred their starts to the season. In assessing the two sides, Melbourne appears to be stronger on paper. I say it every week but the presence of Max Gawn in the ruck should, by itself, give its emerging and varied midfield an edge. Jesse Hogan once kicked seven goals in a losing team against St Kilda. Two years later, there is no reason not to expect another bag except for the fact that he isn’t always played near the goal front and also ... he, along with Christian Petracca, are still under injury clouds at the end of the week. I was going to give St Kilda some brownie points over that recent drawn game with the GWS Giants at Etihad Stadium because I have hitherto rated highly the AFL’s artificial creation but later events have caused a change in my thinking. The Giants aren’t as good as I thought and th e Saints certainly aren’t much good. If they beat the Demons in Round 7 then it would be a fatal blow for the aspirations of Simon Goodwin and his team. They should be guided by the years of punishment they suffered at the hands of St Kilda over recent years with a couple of reversals at this very ground coming to mind. Like Round 11, 2015 when Leigh Montagna ran into an open goal in the dying seconds to rob them of victory. It won’t happen this time. I’m tipping Melbourne to come marching in by 37 points at the end.

THE DROUGHT IS OVER by George on the Outer What does a first game coach do when he finds his team down by four goals at quarter time at a hoodoo ground against a team it hasn't beaten in ten years after losing a backman to a shoulder injury and having an already depleted defence? Whatever it was that Simon Goodwin did or said at the quarter time break it was a different Melbourne side that came out following that first break. Maybe, it was the superior fitness of the Demons who seemed to have much more run in their legs in the hot, humid conditions inside Etihad Stadium (and why was the roof closed?) or maybe the new coach had learned a wealth of lessons from his mentor in Paul Roos and was now ready and up to the task on his first up assignment? Whatever it was, from the time when the second term began, it was the Demons who controlled the game and the Saints were no longer toying with their young opposition side. It was either a case of the Saints fluffing their interchanges or the Demons being much smarter but their only true ruck was in Hickey was hardly given a break in the first half. On the other hand, when Max Gawn went off for a rest and some attention to his back, Jack Watts took him on and remarkably more than held his own. By half time, Hickey was completely shot, and could barely raise a trot when he finally had to take a breather. That the Saints left Bruce, their backup ruck, sitting on the bench for just as equally long periods was baffling. Melbourne took advantage of St Kilda's failings and exploited them in the second quarter with the team stepping up a gear. The four goal deficit was wiped out in just eight minutes, and then the Demons piled on 11 goals to one in the second and third quarters to put the game beyond doubt. What was particularly heartening for the Demon faithful were the performances of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jayden Hunt and newbie Mitch Hannan. Opposition supporters can now be heard mouthing the familiar cry of "where did they get him from?" Importantly, all of these players have not just been selected, but have been developed so that when they get a senior spot, they are ready to go from the start. None more so an example in this match than Hannan, who had the crowd gaping in awe as he scooped a loose ball up one-handed, in front of goal and screwed it back through the big sticks like he was shelling peas! Oliver was simply a beast. It took a while to warm up but his output of 36 touches, 9 clearances and 14 contested possessions (75% of game time) is one not normally seen in a 19 year old in his second year player. Petracca with 23 touches including 11 contested and his ability to hold his feet in tight situations was something for which the Saints had no answer. Hogan has signaled his arrival for 2017 with three goals and four important contested marks. He is that forward target that the Demons have been looking for since the departure of David Neitz. But when looking at Hogan's performance, it is too easy to focus on him. There was a reason he was left one on one, and that was the work of Watts and Sam Weideman to drag their respective defenders far away. When the ball moved through the middle, the ball carrier was left with the vision of the best contested mark in the side playing alongside a reject from either Collingwood or Essendon. Again the coaching and development that provides this type of situation can easily go unnoticed. Down back Neville Jetta was the shining star. How often is he left one on one with an opponent either taller or stronger, and he still manages to nullify or comprehensively beat them? There is no doubt that he should be one of the first picked each week, so reliable is he. And he even chipped in with a goal of his own this week. And what about a mention for Max? Those 49 hitouts against a man who beat him twice last year was an emphatic way of saying “I am King ... now get out of my way!" Then there was Jordan Lewis with 32 touches, 9 of them contested for whom can only thank the Hawks for sending him our way. I should also make mention of Nathan Jones and his 35 touches and the list goes on and on. This was a game against a team which has finals aspirations. It was always a measure of where the Demons stood against the Saints in terms of their prospects for finals as well. That it was such an emphatic win reminds one of Guru Bob's biblical analogy: As Moses said when he parted the waters of the Red Sea: "That will give the side a lot of confidence." With a home game next week against the struggling Blues, the fans should be looking to end another hoodoo with yet another Good-win. Melbourne 2.3.15 9.4.58 15.7.97 18.12.120 St Kilda 6.2.38 7.8.50 9.9.63 13.12.90 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 3 Hannan Petracca 2 Brayshaw Jetta Jones Neal-Bullen Stretch Vince Watts Weideman St Kilda Riewoldt 4 Gresham 3 Armitage Billings Bruce Dunstan Lonie Membrey Best Melbourne Oliver Lewis Gawn Jones Vince Hogan Jetta Garlett St Kilda Riewoldt Gresham Billings Steven Steele Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Jack Lonie replaced Paddy McCartin (hamstring tightness) in the selected side Injuries Melbourne Max Gawn (back tightness) Joel Smith (left shoulder) St Kilda Nick Riewoldt (knee) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Chamberlain Fleer Ryan Official crowd 36,249 at Etihad Stadium

Cast your votes please folks 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ...

What does a first game coach do when he finds his team down by four goals at quarter time at a hoodoo ground against a team it hasn't beaten in ten years after losing a backman to a shoulder injury and having an already depleted defence? Whatever it was that Simon Goodwin did or said at the quarter time break it was a different Melbourne side that came out following that first break. Maybe, it was the superior fitness of the Demons who seemed to have much more run in their legs in the hot, humid conditions inside Etihad Stadium (and why was the roof closed?) or maybe the new coach had learned a wealth of lessons from his mentor in Paul Roos and was now ready and up to the task on his first up assignment? Whatever it was, from the time when the second term began, it was the Demons who controlled the game and the Saints were no longer toying with their young opposition side. It was either a case of the Saints fluffing their interchanges or the Demons being much smarter but their only true ruck was in Hickey was hardly given a break in the first half. On the other hand, when Max Gawn went off for a rest and some attention to his back, Jack Watts took him on and remarkably more than held his own. By half time, Hickey was completely shot, and could barely raise a trot when he finally had to take a breather. That the Saints left Bruce, their backup ruck, sitting on the bench for just as equally long periods was baffling. Melbourne took advantage of St Kilda's failings and exploited them in the second quarter with the team stepping up a gear. The four goal deficit was wiped out in just eight minutes, and then the Demons piled on 11 goals to one in the second and third quarters to put the game beyond doubt. What was particularly heartening for the Demon faithful were the performances of Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Jayden Hunt and newbie Mitch Hannan. Opposition supporters can now be heard mouthing the familiar cry of "where did they get him from?" Importantly, all of these players have not just been selected, but have been developed so that when they get a senior spot, they are ready to go from the start. None more so an example in this match than Hannan, who had the crowd gaping in awe as he scooped a loose ball up one-handed, in front of goal and screwed it back through the big sticks like he was shelling peas! Oliver was simply a beast. It took a while to warm up but his output of 36 touches, 9 clearances and 14 contested possessions (75% of game time) is one not normally seen in a 19 year old in his second year player. Petracca with 23 touches including 11 contested and his ability to hold his feet in tight situations was something for which the Saints had no answer. Hogan has signaled his arrival for 2017 with three goals and four important contested marks. He is that forward target that the Demons have been looking for since the departure of David Neitz. But when looking at Hogan's performance, it is too easy to focus on him. There was a reason he was left one on one, and that was the work of Watts and Sam Weideman to drag their respective defenders far away. When the ball moved through the middle, the ball carrier was left with the vision of the best contested mark in the side playing alongside a reject from either Collingwood or Essendon. Again the coaching and development that provides this type of situation can easily go unnoticed. Down back Neville Jetta was the shining star. How often is he left one on one with an opponent either taller or stronger, and he still manages to nullify or comprehensively beat them? There is no doubt that he should be one of the first picked each week, so reliable is he. And he even chipped in with a goal of his own this week. And what about a mention for Max? Those 49 hitouts against a man who beat him twice last year was an emphatic way of saying “I am King ... now get out of my way!" Then there was Jordan Lewis with 32 touches, 9 of them contested for whom can only thank the Hawks for sending him our way. I should also make mention of Nathan Jones and his 35 touches and the list goes on and on. This was a game against a team which has finals aspirations. It was always a measure of where the Demons stood against the Saints in terms of their prospects for finals as well. That it was such an emphatic win reminds one of Guru Bob's biblical analogy: As Moses said when he parted the waters of the Red Sea: "That will give the side a lot of confidence." With a home game next week against the struggling Blues, the fans should be looking to end another hoodoo with yet another Good-win. Melbourne 2.3.15 9.4.58 15.7.97 18.12.120 St Kilda 6.2.38 7.8.50 9.9.63 13.12.90 Goals Melbourne Garlett Hogan 3 Hannan Petracca 2 Brayshaw Jetta Jones Neal-Bullen Stretch Vince Watts Weideman St Kilda Riewoldt 4 Gresham 3 Armitage Billings Bruce Dunstan Lonie Membrey Best Melbourne Oliver Lewis Gawn Jones Vince Hogan Jetta Garlett St Kilda Riewoldt Gresham Billings Steven Steele Changes Melbourne Nil St Kilda Jack Lonie replaced Paddy McCartin (hamstring tightness) in the selected side Injuries Melbourne Max Gawn (back tightness) Joel Smith (left shoulder) St Kilda Nick Riewoldt (knee) Reports Melbourne Nil St Kilda Nil Umpires Chamberlain Fleer Ryan Official crowd 36,249 at Etihad Stadium

THE HOPE by The Oracle A new season always brings new hope in the continuing cycle of AFL football and for 2017, it would seem that Melbourne is one of the clubs, along with Saturday's opponent St Kilda that has been designated for improvement and a potential breakthrough into the top echelons of the competition. So intense has been the speculation and excitement surrounding the two clubs that we're hearing predictions of a sell out crowd at Etihad Stadium for the twilight event. The numbers might not end up being of Adele proportions but the very thought of a full stadium for such an event would hardly have been contemplated just a few years ago when both sides were AFL cellar dwellers. Remember, it was only a few seasons ago - 2014 in fact - that the Saints finished in last place and the Demons were second last. Thanks to James Frawley jumping ship to Hawthorn, the clubs shared the first three selections in that year's national draft. It's also worth reflecting on the fact that the team that finished next to last, and just ahead of those two, was Greater Western Sydney. Today the Giants are flag favourites whilst most of the pundits have St Kilda and Melbourne in the mix for finals berths. And so, one of the two major aspirants for the AFL's up and comer of the year award is going to be disappointed come Saturday night. The task of selecting which it will be is a difficult one because there is little current form that can be used as an indicator. The Saints finished 2016 full of running and overtook the Demons on the ladder standings late in the season to finish in 9th place with 12 wins, 10 losses, the same as flagging finalists North Melbourne but with an infer percentage of 95.7%. Had Melbourne won its last two games, it could well have made the finals but instead it hit the wall with an almighty bang, suffering a disastrous loss to lowly Carlton before capitulating at Simonds Stadium to Geelong by a massive 111 points. As a result, the Demons' finished 11th with a record of 10 wins and 12 losses and their percentage plummeted below the century mark to 97.6%. Both teams fielded strong teams throughout the pre-season and won two out of three JLT games. There wasn't much between them on their respective performances but in any event, you can't place too much store on the pre-season. Or can you? This all leaves me wondering how on earth is it possible to select a team to win that lost its last real game of football by more than eighteen goals against a side that it hadn't beaten for over a decade? I've found a way and will reveal all shortly. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Saturday 25 March 2017 at 4.40pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 91 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn At Etihad St Kilda 8 wins Melbourne 3 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Richardson 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel, Live at 4.30pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING St. Kilda to win - $1.83 to win Melbourne to win - $2.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 15.20.110 defeated Melbourne 11.8.74 in Round 17, 2016 at Etihad Stadium Melbourne dominated the first 1½ quarters but it was all St Kilda until the final break. The Demons surged in the last and got to within a goal but seemed unsettled when Jesse Hogan was controversially free kicked and reported after appearing to be pushed from behind. A goal at that time could easily have sustained his team's momentum but instead they faded in the face of the hard running, fast finishing Saints' surge. In the end the result actually flattered Melbourne because of their opponents' wayward kicking for goal. Nick Reiwoldt, as he often does, put in a blinder against Melbourne and another veteran Leigh Montagna was best on the ground. Jack Viney was head and shoulders above any other of his teammates on the day. THE TEAMS ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan J. Brown, Jimmy Webster HB: Jack Newnes, Jake Carlisle, Dylan Roberton C: Shane Savage, David Armitage, Nick Riewoldt HF: Luke Dunstan, Josh Bruce, Maverick Weller F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Nathan Wright FOLL: Tom Hickey, Jack Steele, Jack Steven I/C: Jack Billings, Sam Gilbert, Paddy McCartin, Sebastian Ross EMG: Blake Acres, Billy Longer, Jack Lonie NEW: Nathan Brown, Jake Carlisle, Jack Steele MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Tom McDonald, Joel Smith HB: Bernie Vince, Oscar McDonald, Jake Melksham C: Jordan Lewis, Jack Viney, Billy Stretch HF: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw F: Alex Neal-Bullen, Sam Weideman, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver I/C: Neville Jetta, Christian Salem, Jack Watts, Mitch Hannan EMG: Tomas Bugg, James Harmes, Jake Spencer NEW: Mitch Hannan, Jordan Lewis, Jake Melksham, Joel Smith The teams are in and, in the case of St Kilda, there were no surprises. They have virtually their full squad in place with the exception of Leigh Montagna (who was their best player when the teams last met). The same cannot be said of Melbourne which goes into the game having a number of automatic or close to automatic selections out injured or not selected because they are underdone in terms of match preparation. These include the likes of Dom Tyson, Sam Frost, Dean Kent, Aaron vandenBerg and Bomber recruit Michael Hibberd. The selection of Jack Watts ended the media circus surrounding his less than impressive return from the break in the team's pre-season and the Dees gain some much needed experience and backbone in the form of Jordan Lewis from Hawthorn and Jake Melksham (Essendon). They have also included some X factor in the form of high flyer Mitch Hannan and former basketballer Joel Smith. Both could be regarded as surprise selections with Smith a last minute promotion from off the rookie list and Hannan from Footscray VFL having been unseen in the JLT rounds. With both teams now well advanced through their rebuilds, comparisons have been made in their development but the Saints have had the advantage in recent years of having an edge in the number of seasoned veterans when the teams met in the recent past. However, with the inclusion of Lewis, the Demons have gained a player on the field who has a wealth of experience playing in and leading winning teams; a factor that cannot be underestimated when the majority of those in the side are so youthful. He joins Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince as the elder statesmen in a team brimming with the excitement of youth but which has now had two or three seasons of grounding in their legs. The form in the pre-season of players like Jesse Hogan, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Angus Brayshaw, Jayden Hunt, Christian Salem and young co-skipper Jack Viney was encouraging. Despite injuries in the backline, the club is still able to field a strong defence highlighting the team's improvement in depth. All Australian ruckman Max Gawn has been given a lighter run through the pre-season and is ready to take on the challenge against possibly the one ruckman against who he lowered his colours last year. And Jack Watts really has something to prove in this game and throughout the year. They say records are meant to be broken. In 2015, the Demons broke Geelong's long winning streak against them and in 2016 they did the same to Hawthorn. On Saturday, St Kilda's streak will go the same way. Melbourne by 28 points

There's only one Melbourne player left at the club from its last win against St Kilda which everyone knows was the 2016 Elimination Final when a young Nathan Jones was just a pup and a bit player in his debut season with the club. We all know that because it's become a perennial to be reminded about our last win over the Saints by way of emphasis that we've been so poor for so long. For some of the time in between, it was not easy to beat them because they were a strength in the competition but that can't be said of the last few years when they still routinely embarrassed us. It all started on a day like today some ten years ago. The day of the 2007 Season Launch on 30th March when the teams met on a Friday night before a crowd that was just shy of 50,000. Like most of us, I was confident of a win - after all, we were the highest placed finisher of all of the Melbourne sides the year before and we had what we thought was a good, solid well-rounded team with some exciting youngsters. I remember Brock McLean went down with an injury. And I think Matty Whelan too. Anyway, nothing went right for us and in the end the scoreboard read "Melbourne 9.8 (62) defeated by St Kilda 13.15 (93)". By the end of the season we were a rabble, finishing in 14th place with just 5 wins, one of them coming in rather dubious circumstances in the final round of the season when we beat a tanking Carlton in the game that became the Kreuzer Cup. Long time coach Neale Daniher was sacked somewhere in between and replaced by a bloke who was good at coaching the team to beat the Blues. A lot of water passed under the bridge before the Demons met the Saints again in a season opener (in our case it was polluted water) on Saturday, 22 March, 2014 at 7:40 pm at today's venue, Etihad Stadium before a crowd of 31,657. It was Paul Roos' first game at the helm and we came in with lots of confidence, opened brightly and looked to be well on top. We were even keeping Nick Riewoldt quiet until Tom McDonald went down with injury along with Jack Fitzpatrick all in a short space of time in the second quarter. We also kicked about ten or eleven behinds in a row and our disastrous run continued. Riewoldt became the dominant player and they scored enough to win. I remember that we blew our last chance when Pedo ran into an open goal and missed from close in. St Kilda 10.8 (68) defeated Melbourne 6.15 (51). The only thing I can't understand is why am I so confident about today.

THE HOPE by The Oracle A new season always brings new hope in the continuing cycle of AFL football and for 2017, it would seem that Melbourne is one of the clubs, along with Saturday's opponent St Kilda that has been designated for improvement and a potential breakthrough into the top echelons of the competition. So intense has been the speculation and excitement surrounding the two clubs that we're hearing predictions of a sell out crowd at Etihad Stadium for the twilight event. The numbers might not end up being of Adele proportions but the very thought of a full stadium for such an event would hardly have been contemplated just a few years ago when both sides were AFL cellar dwellers. Remember, it was only a few seasons ago - 2014 in fact - that the Saints finished in last place and the Demons were second last. Thanks to James Frawley jumping ship to Hawthorn, the clubs shared the first three selections in that year's national draft. It's also worth reflecting on the fact that the team that finished next to last, and just ahead of those two, was Greater Western Sydney. Today the Giants are flag favourites whilst most of the pundits have St Kilda and Melbourne in the mix for finals berths. And so, one of the two major aspirants for the AFL's up and comer of the year award is going to be disappointed come Saturday night. The task of selecting which it will be is a difficult one because there is little current form that can be used as an indicator. The Saints finished 2016 full of running and overtook the Demons on the ladder standings late in the season to finish in 9th place with 12 wins, 10 losses, the same as flagging finalists North Melbourne but with an infer percentage of 95.7%. Had Melbourne won its last two games, it could well have made the finals but instead it hit the wall with an almighty bang, suffering a disastrous loss to lowly Carlton before capitulating at Simonds Stadium to Geelong by a massive 111 points. As a result, the Demons' finished 11th with a record of 10 wins and 12 losses and their percentage plummeted below the century mark to 97.6%. Both teams fielded strong teams throughout the pre-season and won two out of three JLT games. There wasn't much between them on their respective performances but in any event, you can't place too much store on the pre-season. Or can you? This all leaves me wondering how on earth is it possible to select a team to win that lost its last real game of football by more than eighteen goals against a side that it hadn't beaten for over a decade? I've found a way and will reveal all shortly. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Saturday 25 March 2017 at 4.40pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 91 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn At Etihad St Kilda 8 wins Melbourne 3 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Richardson 0 wins Goodwin 0 wins MEDIA TV - Fox Footy Channel, Live at 4.30pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW ABC ABC Grandstand THE BETTING St. Kilda to win - $1.83 to win Melbourne to win - $2.00 THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 15.20.110 defeated Melbourne 11.8.74 in Round 17, 2016 at Etihad Stadium Melbourne dominated the first 1½ quarters but it was all St Kilda until the final break. The Demons surged in the last and got to within a goal but seemed unsettled when Jesse Hogan was controversially free kicked and reported after appearing to be pushed from behind. A goal at that time could easily have sustained his team's momentum but instead they faded in the face of the hard running, fast finishing Saints' surge. In the end the result actually flattered Melbourne because of their opponents' wayward kicking for goal. Nick Reiwoldt, as he often does, put in a blinder against Melbourne and another veteran Leigh Montagna was best on the ground. Jack Viney was head and shoulders above any other of his teammates on the day. THE TEAMS ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Nathan J. Brown, Jimmy Webster HB: Jack Newnes, Jake Carlisle, Dylan Roberton C: Shane Savage, David Armitage, Nick Riewoldt HF: Luke Dunstan, Josh Bruce, Maverick Weller F: Jade Gresham, Tim Membrey, Nathan Wright FOLL: Tom Hickey, Jack Steele, Jack Steven I/C: Jack Billings, Sam Gilbert, Paddy McCartin, Sebastian Ross EMG: Blake Acres, Billy Longer, Jack Lonie NEW: Nathan Brown, Jake Carlisle, Jack Steele MELBOURNE B: Jayden Hunt, Tom McDonald, Joel Smith HB: Bernie Vince, Oscar McDonald, Jake Melksham C: Jordan Lewis, Jack Viney, Billy Stretch HF: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Angus Brayshaw F: Alex Neal-Bullen, Sam Weideman, Jeff Garlett FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Clayton Oliver I/C: Neville Jetta, Christian Salem, Jack Watts, Mitch Hannan EMG: Tomas Bugg, James Harmes, Jake Spencer NEW: Mitch Hannan, Jordan Lewis, Jake Melksham, Joel Smith The teams are in and, in the case of St Kilda, there were no surprises. They have virtually their full squad in place with the exception of Leigh Montagna (who was their best player when the teams last met). The same cannot be said of Melbourne which goes into the game having a number of automatic or close to automatic selections out injured or not selected because they are underdone in terms of match preparation. These include the likes of Dom Tyson, Sam Frost, Dean Kent, Aaron vandenBerg and Bomber recruit Michael Hibberd. The selection of Jack Watts ended the media circus surrounding his less than impressive return from the break in the team's pre-season and the Dees gain some much needed experience and backbone in the form of Jordan Lewis from Hawthorn and Jake Melksham (Essendon). They have also included some X factor in the form of high flyer Mitch Hannan and former basketballer Joel Smith. Both could be regarded as surprise selections with Smith a last minute promotion from off the rookie list and Hannan from Footscray VFL having been unseen in the JLT rounds. With both teams now well advanced through their rebuilds, comparisons have been made in their development but the Saints have had the advantage in recent years of having an edge in the number of seasoned veterans when the teams met in the recent past. However, with the inclusion of Lewis, the Demons have gained a player on the field who has a wealth of experience playing in and leading winning teams; a factor that cannot be underestimated when the majority of those in the side are so youthful. He joins Nathan Jones and Bernie Vince as the elder statesmen in a team brimming with the excitement of youth but which has now had two or three seasons of grounding in their legs. The form in the pre-season of players like Jesse Hogan, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Angus Brayshaw, Jayden Hunt, Christian Salem and young co-skipper Jack Viney was encouraging. Despite injuries in the backline, the club is still able to field a strong defence highlighting the team's improvement in depth. All Australian ruckman Max Gawn has been given a lighter run through the pre-season and is ready to take on the challenge against possibly the one ruckman against who he lowered his colours last year. And Jack Watts really has something to prove in this game and throughout the year. They say records are meant to be broken. In 2015, the Demons broke Geelong's long winning streak against them and in 2016 they did the same to Hawthorn. On Saturday, St Kilda's streak will go the same way. Melbourne by 28 points

It was dejavu all over again when Melbourne played St Kilda for the second time in the 2016 season:- MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Jack Grimes C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, James Harmes F: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Ben Kennedy, Mitch White EMG: Tomas Bugg, Billy Stretch, Josh Wagner IN: Angus Brayshaw OUT: Billy Stretch (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Sam Gilbert, Leigh Montagna C: Maverick Weller, David Armitage, Jack Billings HF: Blake Acres, Nick Riewoldt, Nathan Wright F: Tim Membrey, Josh Bruce, Darren Minchington FOLL: Tom Hickey, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Jade Gresham, Daniel McKenzie, Sebastian Ross, Jack Sinclair EMG: Luke Delaney,Cameron Shenton, Eli Templeton IN: Jack Billings, Jack Sinclair OUT: Luke Delaney (omitted), Shane Savage (concussion

A debacle?

A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS by George on the Outer It has been 10 years since Melbourne beat St. Kilda, and that was in an Elimination Final. During the season the record goes back to 2002! Not that the Saints are any world/beating side. Like the Demons, they have inhabited the bottom half of the ladder for the past 5 years, but we still cannot beat them. And so the record continued on after yet another insipid performance at that woeful stadium known as Etihad. The fact that only 25,000 people could be bothered to turn up for a match against two Melbourne based sides each with nearly 40,000 members, says a lot about this miserable venue. That St. Kilda have to play artificial crowd noise through the loudspeakers after each of their goals, is an indictment on the lack of natural crowd noise. That they think a ½ time staring (not blinking) competition for kids is going to bring fans through gate, is an indictment on the boring rubbish that the AFL is serving up as entertainment. What we all come to see is football, but there wasn’t a lot of that going on either. Melbourne got off to a flying start to lead by 3 goals at ¼ time but then failed to turn up for the second term and most of the third. By that time St. Kilda had kicked 8 unanswered goals and the game was as good as over. It wasn’t the Darwin effect as some may claim. With an eight day break for the players, it is more than sufficient to recover, especially as Fremantle were able to take it right up to Geelong with an even shorter time between games. No we weren’t tired……we were just incompetent! The Saints almost exclusively scored from stupid, sometimes unforced errors by the Melbourne players handballing to stationary targets, or players not in a better position just simply played into the Saints hands. We were getting the ball and led easily for possessions, but we just kept giving it to them. Dom Tyson needs to be taken aside and told to kick the ball when he can when he is in a pack. At Hawthorn, Mitchell and Lewis belt the ball out of the congestion without thinking and so open up opportunities up the field. Of Tyson's 20 disposals only half were on the boot. Simply not enough for a mid. Unfortunately, the virus spread and others just kept doing the same. Nathan Jones played an absolutely forgettable game, and his kicking has returned to that similar to the early stages of his career. Ben Kennedy was mostly unsighted, Jeff Garlett kicked a couple but otherwise wasn’t to be seen, VandenBerg looked injured again and could only muster a dozen touches. Mitch White, Matt Jones and Jack Grimes did little to trouble the statisticians. However, Jack Viney was a solitary standout winner in the packs and he also kept the St. Kilda danger-man in Stevens to a lowly 25 touches, which is well below his usual output. As well Jack nearly turned the tide in the third quarter with a spectacular courageous mark that gave the fans a glimmer of hope leading into the final quarter. And so it turned out to be, as the Demons got back to within five points, and then returned to their previous lazy efforts to see the game result get blown out to five goals. The result should have been much more, with the Saints getting 35 scoring shots, but they are simply not good enough to do much better. The pity was that we were unable to capitalise on their lack of skill, save for being an even worse team when it came to using the ball. While there are few players at Casey who could have improved the overall performance today, at least we found out that Matt Jones, Grimes and White are simply not going to provide any upside in the years to come. For each of them, their future is bleak. They may get a couple more games, because the players who are being developed at Casey like Clayton Oliver, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Liam Hulett, Sam Weideman and yes, Jack Trengove are not ready to take the step up. We don’t want to fall into the trap that we have done so many times in the past of putting kids up when they are not quite ready. With this loss, the season has become another sad state of affairs. It was important for the future to finish on a high note, by winning these type of games. It gives young players hope, and for those that are yet to re-sign it is important that they can see a positive future to staying with the club. But with coming games against WCE, Hawthorn, Geelong and Port, it is more likely that the season will be a repeat of last when we simply fell off a cliff. The fall will be even harder if the games against Carlton and Gold Coast result in defeats! That would be an even sadder state of affairs... Melbourne 6.2.38 6.5.41 9.7.61 11.8.74 St Kilda 3.3.21 8.6.54 10.12.72 15.20.110 Goals Melbourne Garlett Gawn Petracca 2 Hogan Kennedy vandenBerg Viney Watts St Kilda Membrey 4 Weller 3 Geary 2 Bruce Dunstan Montagna Riewoldt Roberton Weller Best Melbourne Viney Vince T McDonald Jetta Harmes St Kilda Hickey Membrey Steven Weller Ross Montagna Changes Melbourne Josh Wagner replaced Sam Frost (ill) in the selected side St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne Hogan (hip) Watts (right ankle) St Kilda Nil Reports Melbourne Jesse Hogan for striking Jarryn Geary in the fourth quarter Umpires Bannister Stephens Nicholls

It has been 10 years since Melbourne beat St. Kilda, and that was in an Elimination Final. During the season the record goes back to 2002! Not that the Saints are any world/beating side. Like the Demons, they have inhabited the bottom half of the ladder for the past 5 years, but we still cannot beat them. And so the record continued on after yet another insipid performance at that woeful stadium known as Etihad. The fact that only 25,000 people could be bothered to turn up for a match against two Melbourne based sides each with nearly 40,000 members, says a lot about this miserable venue. That St. Kilda have to play artificial crowd noise through the loudspeakers after each of their goals, is an indictment on the lack of natural crowd noise. That they think a ½ time staring (not blinking) competition for kids is going to bring fans through gate, is an indictment on the boring rubbish that the AFL is serving up as entertainment. What we all come to see is football, but there wasn’t a lot of that going on either. Melbourne got off to a flying start to lead by 3 goals at ¼ time but then failed to turn up for the second term and most of the third. By that time St. Kilda had kicked 8 unanswered goals and the game was as good as over. It wasn’t the Darwin effect as some may claim. With an eight day break for the players, it is more than sufficient to recover, especially as Fremantle were able to take it right up to Geelong with an even shorter time between games. No we weren’t tired……we were just incompetent! The Saints almost exclusively scored from stupid, sometimes unforced errors by the Melbourne players handballing to stationary targets, or players not in a better position just simply played into the Saints hands. We were getting the ball and led easily for possessions, but we just kept giving it to them. Dom Tyson needs to be taken aside and told to kick the ball when he can when he is in a pack. At Hawthorn, Mitchell and Lewis belt the ball out of the congestion without thinking and so open up opportunities up the field. Of Tyson's 20 disposals only half were on the boot. Simply not enough for a mid. Unfortunately, the virus spread and others just kept doing the same. Nathan Jones played an absolutely forgettable game, and his kicking has returned to that similar to the early stages of his career. Ben Kennedy was mostly unsighted, Jeff Garlett kicked a couple but otherwise wasn’t to be seen, VandenBerg looked injured again and could only muster a dozen touches. Mitch White, Matt Jones and Jack Grimes did little to trouble the statisticians. However, Jack Viney was a solitary standout winner in the packs and he also kept the St. Kilda danger-man in Stevens to a lowly 25 touches, which is well below his usual output. As well Jack nearly turned the tide in the third quarter with a spectacular courageous mark that gave the fans a glimmer of hope leading into the final quarter. And so it turned out to be, as the Demons got back to within five points, and then returned to their previous lazy efforts to see the game result get blown out to five goals. The result should have been much more, with the Saints getting 35 scoring shots, but they are simply not good enough to do much better. The pity was that we were unable to capitalise on their lack of skill, save for being an even worse team when it came to using the ball. While there are few players at Casey who could have improved the overall performance today, at least we found out that Matt Jones, Grimes and White are simply not going to provide any upside in the years to come. For each of them, their future is bleak. They may get a couple more games, because the players who are being developed at Casey like Clayton Oliver, Alex Neal-Bullen, Billy Stretch, Liam Hulett, Sam Weideman and yes, Jack Trengove are not ready to take the step up. We don’t want to fall into the trap that we have done so many times in the past of putting kids up when they are not quite ready. With this loss, the season has become another sad state of affairs. It was important for the future to finish on a high note, by winning these type of games. It gives young players hope, and for those that are yet to re-sign it is important that they can see a positive future to staying with the club. But with coming games against WCE, Hawthorn, Geelong and Port, it is more likely that the season will be a repeat of last when we simply fell off a cliff. The fall will be even harder if the games against Carlton and Gold Coast result in defeats! That would be an even sadder state of affairs... Melbourne 6.2.38 6.5.41 9.7.61 11.8.74 St Kilda 3.3.21 8.6.54 10.12.72 15.20.110 Goals Melbourne Garlett Gawn Petracca 2 Hogan Kennedy vandenBerg Viney Watts St Kilda Membrey 4 Weller 3 Geary 2 Bruce Dunstan Montagna Riewoldt Roberton Weller Best Melbourne Viney Vince T McDonald Jetta Harmes St Kilda Hickey Membrey Steven Weller Ross Montagna Changes Melbourne Josh Wagner replaced Sam Frost (ill) in the selected side St Kilda Nil Injuries Melbourne Hogan (hip) Watts (right ankle) St Kilda Nil Reports Melbourne Jesse Hogan for striking Jarryn Geary in the fourth quarter Umpires Bannister Stephens Nicholls Official crowd 25,322 at Etihad Stadium

I don't know about anyone else but I've has enough of getting beaten by this mob. It's time.

THE SAVING GRACE by Whispering Jack I have a feeling that whoever it was at the AFL who framed the draw for the Round 17 fixture might have a good sense of humour. After kicking off proceedings on Thursday night with an absolute ripper of a game between two teams that might well end up facing each other again on the last Saturday in September, the rest of what's on offer is pretty much rubbish. The game at Adelaide Oval involving a resurgent Collingwood could be of interest now that the Magpie faithful have declared their team a sure thing to make the finals but most of the games in the round are complete mismatches on current form. Of course, when the draw was prepared at the end of last season, it was difficult to predict exactly how the teams would be faring in the midst of winter in the year to come or that the top eight would be virtually set in stone barring some sort of major calamity. Still, you have to admit, there is a dull, colourless and boring feel about the eight match ups on show from Friday night to Sunday evening. However, there is one game that shapes up as a possible exception among all of the drudgery, a game that presents itself as a possible bookend to the opening game of the round and I'm not talking here of the potential farce at the Gabba starting at 4.40pm. Rather, I allude to Sunday's clash at Etihad Stadium between St Kilda and Melbourne, which unlike their last meeting 11 weeks ago, is a Saints home game. The contest shapes up as the AFL's saving grace for the weekend. The two sides are sitting among a group of four teams on seven wins and three games behind eighth placed North Melbourne but with very little chance of making the finals unless they win most (if not all) of their remaining games and the Kangaroos' free fall continues. Neither outcome is particularly likely to result in a change to the makeup of the current top eight. The Saints hit a high a fortnight ago when they fought out a gutsy win against Geelong (who themselves have put in some flakey performances of late) but have been disappointing in their more recent outings, losing to lowly Gold Coast by 40 points and coming close to joining the Demons last week as an ignominious loser to the depleted Bombers of 2016. They also have suffered some real poundings in their interstate games this year. Melbourne on the other hand, rebounded in Darwin last week against the Dockers after losing consecutive games to the finals bound Swans and Crows. They seem to be enjoying the better form of this week's contestants.However, that was exactly the case when the teams met earlier in the year and the Dees started out as firm favourite to break their then 12 game losing streak against the Saints which stretches all the way back to the 2006 Elimination Final when Nathan Jones' career was in its infancy. It turned out that St Kilda was the superior side at their last meeting despite Jesse Hogan's almost single handed seven goal haul up forward. Max Gawn had a rare down day in the ruck against Tom Hickey, the Saints defence and midfield were dominant with their pace and the Demons lacked the poise and discipline to hold the Saints' playmakers. After being in doubt to play all week, Nick Riewoldt was virtually untouchable producing a team killing virtuoso performance. There were no excuses from the Melbourne camp but it was conceded that having an unbalanced and seemingly tired-looking outfit on the park after a six day break was unhelpful. So what will Melbourne produce to make up for that lacklustre effort from earlier this season? The answer to that lies in the changes to the team's structure since that last performance. The defence in particular is more streamlined and far less stodgy - they will not be outpaced as they were last time - and the leakage down back has been stemmed. The forward line won't be relying on Hogan alone. Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett and Dean Kent are all dangerous in front of goal. Max Gawn will be eager to prove that he is deserving of his 2016 reputation as one of the two top ruckmen going around and the midfield, which is now ranking third in contested possessions will relish the contest. And someone will be assigned to make sure that Riewoldt is not permitted to roam around the stadium doing as he pleases. Melbourne to win by 29 points. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 17 July 2016 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 90 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn At Etihad St Kilda 7 wins Melbourne 3 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Richardson 4 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING St. Kilda to win - $2.00 to win Melbourne to win - $1.82 THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 20.15.135 defeated Melbourne 15.6.96 in Round 6, 2016 at Etihad Stadium Melbourne started favourite to beat its long-running St Kilda hoodoo and got off to a solid start when it led by almost three goals halfway through the opening term. However, the wheels fell off as the Saints took over in the midfield and ran the Demons ragged. They looked slow and indecisive and but for a great individual effort from Jesse Hogan and some accurate kicking for goal, would have gone down by a far greater margin. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Jack Grimes C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, James Harmes F: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Ben Kennedy, Mitch White EMG: Tomas Bugg, Billy Stretch, Josh Wagner IN: Angus Brayshaw OUT: Billy Stretch (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Sam Gilbert, Leigh Montagna C: Maverick Weller, David Armitage, Jack Billings HF: Blake Acres, Nick Riewoldt, Nathan Wright F: Tim Membrey, Josh Bruce, Darren Minchington FOLL: Tom Hickey, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Jade Gresham, Daniel McKenzie, Sebastian Ross, Jack Sinclair EMG: Luke Delaney,Cameron Shenton, Eli Templeton IN: Jack Billings, Jack Sinclair OUT: Luke Delaney (omitted), Shane Savage (concussion) SAM THE STATS MAN'S ROUND UP - 2016 TO DATE BRAYSHAW Angus MFC 3 games, 3 goals, CSFC 5 games, 2 goals - brilliant youngster has had his season blighted by injuries including concussion issues that kept him out for several weeks. BUGG, Tomas MFC 14 games, 2 goals - hard and driven, he has proven a real pest when running with opponents but his form has tapered off a little lately. DAWES, Chris MFC 4 games, 1 goal, CSFC 3 games, 7 goals - was hampered for some time by a calf injury and has failed to impress on return. DUNN, Lynden MFC 4 games,1 goals, CSFC 4 games, 0 goals - suddenly found himself out of favour and banished to Casey where he was injured. Performed well there when he returned. FROST, Sam MFC 10 games, 4 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - the experiment as a forward failed and he is now settling down as a defender where his pace is outstanding. GARLAND, Colin MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CSFC 7 games, 1 goal - like Dunn has found himself on the outer in the overhaul of the team's defence but has been pushing for selection with the Scorpions. GARLETT, Jeffrey MFC 11 games, 20 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - not as consistent as last year but proved a fortnight ago how dangerous he can be near goal. GAWN, Max MFC 15 games, 12 goals - declared his ambition to be among the leading AFL ruckmen early and has made his case. Is close to All Australian selection. GRIMES, Jack MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 9 games, 5 goals - has been diligent in his application and was very good on return to the AFL in Darwin last week with 32 possessions at 90% efficiency. HARMES, James MFC 13 games,12 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - improving beyond expectation and now reveling in a new role down back. HOGAN, Jesse MFC 15 games, 38 goals - hard working, talented and strong, the youngster is well on his way to becoming an elite key forward in the competition. HULETT, Liam CSFC 10 games, 15 goals - developing tall forward who would not be far off a promotion. HUNT, Jayden MFC 12 games, 1 goal, CSFC 1 game ,1 goal - the dashing defender continues to improve rapidly from week to week and is surely the next Demon rising star nominee. JETTA, Neville MFC 14 games, 0 goals - steady, reliable and experienced, he gives the defence the extra steel it needs. JONES, Matthew MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - pacy footballer who had a good start to the season, suffered a setback with injury after four games but has returned to form with a vengeance. JONES, Nathan MFC 15 games, 9 goals - shows unrelenting strength and his leadership is often underrated on the AFL scene. KENNEDY, Ben MFC 14 games, 12 goals, CSFC 1 game , 0 goals - has put in some excellent performances as a small forward who occasionally runs around the middle of the ground. KENNEDY-HARRIS, Jay CSFC 2 games, 2 goals - broke down with a severe hamstring injury in Casey's first game and lasted one more after he returned before injury struck again. KENT, Dean MFC 14 games, 21 goals - with his injury woes behind him, Kent is becoming a valuable member of the emerging Demon forward set up. KING, Max ® CSFC 10 games, 5 goals - the club is being patient with the tall developing forward/ruckman but, after three years at the club, needs to show more at Casey if he is to hold a spot on the club's lists. KING, Mitch CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - the big man broke down with an ACL injury early in his opening game down at Casey. LUMUMBA, Heritier MFC 5 games, 0 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - returned from post season surgery in resulted in hot and cold form and more lately has been sidelined with concussion issues. McDONALD, Oscar MFC 8 games, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games, 0 goals - slowly developing youngster who is getting games into his legs as a key defender. McDONALD, Tom MFC 15 games, 1 goal - strong key position player who has produced some outstanding performance i MELKSHAM, Jake - suspended as a result of the ASADA supplements investigation and CAS decision. MICHIE, Viv ® MFC 3 games, 1 goal, CSFC 7 games, 4 goals - has shown sparkling form in the VFL but failed to show enough to keep his spot when promoted. NEAL-BULLEN, Alex MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 9 games, 5 goals - another who has excelled with the Scorpions but has yet to grab his opportunities at the highest level. NEWTON, Ben MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 9 games, 6 goals - came back from a long injury lay off and pushed for promotion to the AFL but was soon back at Casey. OLIVER, Clayton MFC 10 games, 4 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - the hard nosed teenager who won a NAB Rising Star nomination on debut in Round 1 is being nicely nursed through his debut season. PEDERSEN, Cameron MFC 7 games, 5 goals, CSFC 3 games, 2 goals - a regular forward/relief ruck fixture in the early part of the season, but has been missing after a drop in form followed by injury. PETRACCA, Christian MFC 10 games, 7 goals, CSFC 3 games, 3 goals - has yet to set the world on fire but is showing some very clear glimpses of star potential. SALEM, Christian MFC 7 games, 1 goal, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - was starting to shows some great skill and class before succumbing to a thyroid problem from which he is only slowly recovering. SMITH, Joel ® CSFC 5 games, 1 goal - the young rookie who switched sports from basketball was showing promising signs with the Casey Scorpions before an groin injury struck. SPENCER, Jake CSFC 8 games, 6 goals - seems destined to be the understudy to Max Gawn. Has dominated at VFL level but it seems the selectors have not really favoured having two big men in the line up. STRETCH, Billy MFC 10 games, 2 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - continues to make an exciting progression, showing speed and evasive skills. TERLICH, Dean CSFC 11 games, 5 goals - remains well down back of the queue for selection at AFL level. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC 3 games,1 goal, CSFC 8 games, 5 goals - made a hard earned return to senior ranks after more than two years out. Still rusty as one would expect. TYSON, Dom MFC 14 games, 8 goals - has played some excellent football on his return after a few troughs in form last year. VANDENBERG, Aaron MFC 8 games, 5 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - the big-bodied midfielder's progress was stalled by an ankle injury and is only now returning to last year's form VINCE, Bernie MFC 14 games 5 goals - an important player in the Demon line up who recently re-signed in a great show of faith VINEY, Jack MFC 14 games, 7 goals - started like a house on fire as a hard, smart and tough on baller and has come back to the field a little recently but is still very dangerous. WAGNER, JOSH ® MFC 11 games, 0 goals - mature aged rookie has been a revelation in defence with his smart play and neat delivery of the football. WATTS, Jack MFC 15 games, 30 goals - is having his best season yet as a dangerous forward who also pinch hits in the ruck when Max takes a rest. WEIDEMAN, Sam CSFC 8 games,17 goals - has shown potential as a future key position forward as is being given plenty of time to develop in the VFL. WHITE, Mitch ® MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 11 games, 2 goals - the hard working defender was finally rewarded with a second time elevation off the rookie and impressed in Darwin.

I have a feeling that whoever it was at the AFL who framed the draw for the Round 17 fixture might have a good sense of humour. After kicking off proceedings on Thursday night with an absolute ripper of a game between two teams that might well end up facing each other again on the last Saturday in September, the rest of what's on offer is pretty much rubbish. The game at Adelaide Oval involving a resurgent Collingwood could be of interest now that the Magpie faithful have declared their team a sure thing to make the finals but most of the games in the round are complete mismatches on current form. Of course, when the draw was prepared at the end of last season, it was difficult to predict exactly how the teams would be faring in the midst of winter in the year to come or that the top eight would be virtually set in stone barring some sort of major calamity. Still, you have to admit, there is a dull, colourless and boring feel about the eight match ups on show from Friday night to Sunday evening. However, there is one game that shapes up as a possible exception among all of the drudgery, a game that presents itself as a possible bookend to the opening game of the round and I'm not talking here of the potential farce at the Gabba starting at 4.40pm. Rather, I allude to Sunday's clash at Etihad Stadium between St Kilda and Melbourne, which unlike their last meeting 11 weeks ago, is a Saints home game. The contest shapes up as the AFL's saving grace for the weekend. The two sides are sitting among a group of four teams on seven wins and three games behind eighth placed North Melbourne but with very little chance of making the finals unless they win most (if not all) of their remaining games and the Kangaroos' free fall continues. Neither outcome is particularly likely to result in a change to the makeup of the current top eight. The Saints hit a high a fortnight ago when they fought out a gutsy win against Geelong (who themselves have put in some flakey performances of late) but have been disappointing in their more recent outings, losing to lowly Gold Coast by 40 points and coming close to joining the Demons last week as an ignominious loser to the depleted Bombers of 2016. They also have suffered some real poundings in their interstate games this year. Melbourne on the other hand, rebounded in Darwin last week against the Dockers after losing consecutive games to the finals bound Swans and Crows. They seem to be enjoying the better form of this week's contestants.However, that was exactly the case when the teams met earlier in the year and the Dees started out as firm favourite to break their then 12 game losing streak against the Saints which stretches all the way back to the 2006 Elimination Final when Nathan Jones' career was in its infancy. It turned out that St Kilda was the superior side at their last meeting despite Jesse Hogan's almost single handed seven goal haul up forward. Max Gawn had a rare down day in the ruck against Tom Hickey, the Saints defence and midfield were dominant with their pace and the Demons lacked the poise and discipline to hold the Saints' playmakers. After being in doubt to play all week, Nick Riewoldt was virtually untouchable producing a team killing virtuoso performance. There were no excuses from the Melbourne camp but it was conceded that having an unbalanced and seemingly tired-looking outfit on the park after a six day break was unhelpful. So what will Melbourne produce to make up for that lacklustre effort from earlier this season? The answer to that lies in the changes to the team's structure since that last performance. The defence in particular is more streamlined and far less stodgy - they will not be outpaced as they were last time - and the leakage down back has been stemmed. The forward line won't be relying on Hogan alone. Jack Watts, Jeff Garlett and Dean Kent are all dangerous in front of goal. Max Gawn will be eager to prove that he is deserving of his 2016 reputation as one of the two top ruckmen going around and the midfield, which is now ranking third in contested possessions will relish the contest. And someone will be assigned to make sure that Riewoldt is not permitted to roam around the stadium doing as he pleases. Melbourne to win by 29 points. THE GAME St Kilda v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium Sunday 17 July 2016 at 3.20pm HEAD TO HEAD Overall St Kilda 90 wins Melbourne 118 wins 1 drawn At Etihad St Kilda 7 wins Melbourne 3 wins Past five meetings St Kilda 5 wins Melbourne 0 wins The Coaches Richardson 4 wins Roos 0 wins MEDIA TV - Channel 7 Fox Sports 3 Live at 3.00pm RADIO - Triple M 3AW THE BETTING St. Kilda to win - $2.00 to win Melbourne to win - $1.82 THE LAST TIME THEY MET St. Kilda 20.15.135 defeated Melbourne 15.6.96 in Round 6, 2016 at Etihad Stadium Melbourne started favourite to beat its long-running St Kilda hoodoo and got off to a solid start when it led by almost three goals halfway through the opening term. However, the wheels fell off as the Saints took over in the midfield and ran the Demons ragged. They looked slow and indecisive and but for a great individual effort from Jesse Hogan and some accurate kicking for goal, would have gone down by a far greater margin. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE B: Sam Frost, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta HB: Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Jack Grimes C: Christian Petracca, Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson HF: Jeff Garlett, Jack Watts, James Harmes F: Aaron vandenBerg, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent FOLL: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney I/C: Angus Brayshaw, Matt Jones, Ben Kennedy, Mitch White EMG: Tomas Bugg, Billy Stretch, Josh Wagner IN: Angus Brayshaw OUT: Billy Stretch (omitted) ST KILDA B: Jarryn Geary, Sean Dempster, Dylan Roberton HB: Jack Newnes, Sam Gilbert, Leigh Montagna C: Maverick Weller, David Armitage, Jack Billings HF: Blake Acres, Nick Riewoldt, Nathan Wright F: Tim Membrey, Josh Bruce, Darren Minchington FOLL: Tom Hickey, Luke Dunstan, Jack Steven I/C: Jade Gresham, Daniel McKenzie, Sebastian Ross, Jack Sinclair EMG: Luke Delaney,Cameron Shenton, Eli Templeton IN: Jack Billings, Jack Sinclair OUT: Luke Delaney (omitted), Shane Savage (concussion) SAM THE STATS MAN'S ROUND UP - 2016 TO DATE BRAYSHAW Angus MFC 3 games, 3 goals, CSFC 5 games, 2 goals - brilliant youngster has had his season blighted by injuries including concussion issues that kept him out for several weeks. BUGG, Tomas MFC 14 games, 2 goals - hard and driven, he has proven a real pest when running with opponents but his form has tapered off a little lately. DAWES, Chris MFC 4 games, 1 goal, CSFC 3 games, 7 goals - was hampered for some time by a calf injury and has failed to impress on return. DUNN, Lynden MFC 4 games,1 goals, CSFC 4 games, 0 goals - suddenly found himself out of favour and banished to Casey where he was injured. Performed well there when he returned. FROST, Sam MFC 10 games, 4 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - the experiment as a forward failed and he is now settling down as a defender where his pace is outstanding. GARLAND, Colin MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CSFC 7 games, 1 goal - like Dunn has found himself on the outer in the overhaul of the team's defence but has been pushing for selection with the Scorpions. GARLETT, Jeffrey MFC 11 games, 20 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - not as consistent as last year but proved a fortnight ago how dangerous he can be near goal. GAWN, Max MFC 15 games, 12 goals - declared his ambition to be among the leading AFL ruckmen early and has made his case. Is close to All Australian selection. GRIMES, Jack MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 9 games, 5 goals - has been diligent in his application and was very good on return to the AFL in Darwin last week with 32 possessions at 90% efficiency. HARMES, James MFC 13 games,12 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - improving beyond expectation and now reveling in a new role down back. HOGAN, Jesse MFC 15 games, 38 goals - hard working, talented and strong, the youngster is well on his way to becoming an elite key forward in the competition. HULETT, Liam CSFC 10 games, 15 goals - developing tall forward who would not be far off a promotion. HUNT, Jayden MFC 12 games, 1 goal, CSFC 1 game ,1 goal - the dashing defender continues to improve rapidly from week to week and is surely the next Demon rising star nominee. JETTA, Neville MFC 14 games, 0 goals - steady, reliable and experienced, he gives the defence the extra steel it needs. JONES, Matthew MFC 6 games, 0 goals, CSFC 3 games, 0 goals - pacy footballer who had a good start to the season, suffered a setback with injury after four games but has returned to form with a vengeance. JONES, Nathan MFC 15 games, 9 goals - shows unrelenting strength and his leadership is often underrated on the AFL scene. KENNEDY, Ben MFC 14 games, 12 goals, CSFC 1 game , 0 goals - has put in some excellent performances as a small forward who occasionally runs around the middle of the ground. KENNEDY-HARRIS, Jay CSFC 2 games, 2 goals - broke down with a severe hamstring injury in Casey's first game and lasted one more after he returned before injury struck again. KENT, Dean MFC 14 games, 21 goals - with his injury woes behind him, Kent is becoming a valuable member of the emerging Demon forward set up. KING, Max ® CSFC 10 games, 5 goals - the club is being patient with the tall developing forward/ruckman but, after three years at the club, needs to show more at Casey if he is to hold a spot on the club's lists. KING, Mitch CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - the big man broke down with an ACL injury early in his opening game down at Casey. LUMUMBA, Heritier MFC 5 games, 0 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - returned from post season surgery in resulted in hot and cold form and more lately has been sidelined with concussion issues. McDONALD, Oscar MFC 8 games, 0 goals, CSFC 5 games, 0 goals - slowly developing youngster who is getting games into his legs as a key defender. McDONALD, Tom MFC 15 games, 1 goal - strong key position player who has produced some outstanding performance i MELKSHAM, Jake - suspended as a result of the ASADA supplements investigation and CAS decision. MICHIE, Viv ® MFC 3 games, 1 goal, CSFC 7 games, 4 goals - has shown sparkling form in the VFL but failed to show enough to keep his spot when promoted. NEAL-BULLEN, Alex MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 9 games, 5 goals - another who has excelled with the Scorpions but has yet to grab his opportunities at the highest level. NEWTON, Ben MFC 2 games, 1 goal, CSFC 9 games, 6 goals - came back from a long injury lay off and pushed for promotion to the AFL but was soon back at Casey. OLIVER, Clayton MFC 10 games, 4 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - the hard nosed teenager who won a NAB Rising Star nomination on debut in Round 1 is being nicely nursed through his debut season. PEDERSEN, Cameron MFC 7 games, 5 goals, CSFC 3 games, 2 goals - a regular forward/relief ruck fixture in the early part of the season, but has been missing after a drop in form followed by injury. PETRACCA, Christian MFC 10 games, 7 goals, CSFC 3 games, 3 goals - has yet to set the world on fire but is showing some very clear glimpses of star potential. SALEM, Christian MFC 7 games, 1 goal, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - was starting to shows some great skill and class before succumbing to a thyroid problem from which he is only slowly recovering. SMITH, Joel ® CSFC 5 games, 1 goal - the young rookie who switched sports from basketball was showing promising signs with the Casey Scorpions before an groin injury struck. SPENCER, Jake CSFC 8 games, 6 goals - seems destined to be the understudy to Max Gawn. Has dominated at VFL level but it seems the selectors have not really favoured having two big men in the line up. STRETCH, Billy MFC 10 games, 2 goals, CSFC 2 games, 0 goals - continues to make an exciting progression, showing speed and evasive skills. TERLICH, Dean CSFC 11 games, 5 goals - remains well down back of the queue for selection at AFL level. TRENGOVE, Jack MFC 3 games,1 goal, CSFC 8 games, 5 goals - made a hard earned return to senior ranks after more than two years out. Still rusty as one would expect. TYSON, Dom MFC 14 games, 8 goals - has played some excellent football on his return after a few troughs in form last year. VANDENBERG, Aaron MFC 8 games, 5 goals, CSFC 1 game, 0 goals - the big-bodied midfielder's progress was stalled by an ankle injury and is only now returning to last year's form VINCE, Bernie MFC 14 games 5 goals - an important player in the Demon line up who recently re-signed in a great show of faith VINEY, Jack MFC 14 games, 7 goals - started like a house on fire as a hard, smart and tough on baller and has come back to the field a little recently but is still very dangerous. WAGNER, JOSH ® MFC 11 games, 0 goals - mature aged rookie has been a revelation in defence with his smart play and neat delivery of the football. WATTS, Jack MFC 15 games, 30 goals - is having his best season yet as a dangerous forward who also pinch hits in the ruck when Max takes a rest. WEIDEMAN, Sam CSFC 8 games,17 goals - has shown potential as a future key position forward as is being given plenty of time to develop in the VFL. WHITE, Mitch ® MFC 1 game, 0 goals, CSFC 11 games, 2 goals - the hard working defender was finally rewarded with a second time elevation off the rookie and impressed in Darwin.