Melbourne v West Coast - Round 21 Preview

It's been a very long couple of weeks for Melbourne and it doesn't get much easier this week as they take on West Coast. They'll be happy it's not in Perth, but they may as well be playing there because it's a home game at Etihad Stadium (the AFL did this, in case you were curious).

As noted at the top, it's been an horrendous three weeks, losing to Hawthorn by 54 points, Geelong by a massive 184, and then following that, losing to Carlton last week by 76 points.

As most of you will remember, West Coast made a mess of Melbourne in Round 6, defeating us by 54 points and leaving Melbourne pondering where they are really at in terms of taking on good sides.

This week, Todd Viney will coach his second game after the events that followed the Geelong debacle - we're all aware of what happened, so I won't bore you with stuff you already know - and he will be looking for a much better performance than last week - given, the first quarter last week wasn't too bad, but what followed left a lot to be desired, but I digress - and indeed a better performance than last time the two sides faced each other. Not only do Viney and co. face the tough task of taking on the Eagles, who currently sit fifth on the ladder, but they also face the Etihad hoodoo, in which we have not beaten a side at the ground since Round 19, 2007 (See: http://tinyurl.com/3dh2tnm). With Todd Viney coming out and saying he has introduced a new session called "Get Tough" to the players' training regime, it will be interesting to see just how hard the boys come out to play.

CHANGE TOMORROW: Mark Jamar won't play. He was absent at Melbourne's light training session Saturday morning. Max Gawn was there and will replace him.

Who To Look Out For:

Jack Watts: This guy has been perhaps Melbourne's best player for a couple of months now, and will be close to the Best and Fairest winner at the end of the season. Look out for his contested marking and his decision making - as well as his going for goal - as it is what will set him up for either a good or lacklustre game.

Colin Sylvia: After being dropped for a week and playing for Casey, Colin comes back into the side looking to find some form that has gone missing since about Round 13 or 14. On his day, he can be vital in Melbourne's effort overall.

Brent Moloney: As aforementioned above re form, Moloney has also been down on form in recent weeks. Given how important clearances can be, he will want to be switched on if Melbourne have any chance in winning, or even putting up a fight, and, if Mark Jamar plays, he will be better off already.

Jack Trengove: After singing a contract this week which sees him at the club until at least the end of 2015, Jack has every incentive to go out hard. He is in the top three players for Melbourne this year, and without him, it could have been a much worse situation for Melbourne. Watch him play week in and week out, and you will see someone who has great passion for the red and blue.

I could go on all day about important players for Melbourne, but I've narrowed it down to people who especially need to fire.

If you've got nothing to do, get out to the game and support the boys, and if you do, make sure you are loud. It was noted at the start of the year by a number of the players that having a loud crowd, whilst not necessarily large, helps the boys focus, and, even though they may not win the game, it will certainly not hinder their chances.

Jamie.

A picture says a thousand words. (in no order)

Jack Grimes with Mark Jamar and Lynden Dunn after Melbourne's 96 point win over Adelaide at the MCG.
All 3 will miss at least the next two games. Jamar (knee) 4-6 weeks, Grimes (foot) season, Dunn (suspension) 2 weeks
Source: Slattery Media Group

Tackle laid by Melbournes Jack Trengove on Adelaides Patrick Dangerfield.
Dangerfield was removed from the game due to concussion, and
Trengove received a three week suspension.
Source: The Age

Mark Jamar (with Liam Jurrah) at 2010 All Australian Awards, where Jamar
was named as the back up ruck man. Jamar will miss 4-6 weeks with a knee injury.

Jack Trengove after failing to have his 3 match ban removed
at the tribunal.
Source: Herald Sun

Jack Trengove after being told that his appeal had failed, and his 3 match
ban was final.
Source: Herald Sun

Lynden Dunn after the incorrect tackle on Daniel Pratt that led to a 3 game suspension
Source: news.com.au

198cm Stefan Martin is now required to do the majority of the ruck work for Melbourne
Source: melbournefc.com.au

Jack Grimes on crutches after the game against Adelaide
Souce: Herald Sun

Rohan Bail is helped from the ground by trainers after injuring his knee against the
Kangaroos, round 8.
Source: afl.com.au

Suspended play Jack Trengove watches his team mates get beaten by North Melbourne.
source: Slattery Media

Colin Garland leaves the field against North Melbourne with an ankle injury
that will sideline him for 6-8 weeks.

Two Weeks in the Red and Blue.

Colin Garland was among the best for
 Melbourne against West Coast
Source: afl.com.au

I have said it many times, and I will say it again, a week is a long time in football. Two weeks ago, Melbourne was coming in to their first bye in a comfortable position, with 2 wins, a loss and a draw.

Many fans were content with Melbournes position coming in to the long break, but how things were going to change within a week.

Melbourne headed over to the west to face the Eagles at the newly renamed Paterson Stadium (Subiaco), but would come home bitterly disappointed, and leave all of those involved in the club with some soul searching to do.

On the big stage of the Thursday night game, the Demons were well and truly outclassed by the Eagles, to the tune of 54 points. But this does not explain how badly Melbourne played, being 31 points down at quarter time.

However, many people have explained the frustrations of the supporters and players alike, and being the optimist that I am, I will focus on the positives.

Colin Garland wins my best afield for the Demons, picking up 19 disposals (14 of which were kicks), and 7 marks.
Also, Jack Watts finally showed some resolve, and won some of his own ball, the one thing we have all been waiting to see, winning 5 marks with his 15 possessions.

Although this was not only a bad game for the club, and all those involved, playing Adelaide, who have 3 players on report by the Match Review Panel (Tambling, Tippett and Jacobs) of which only Tambling would miss the game with an early guilty plea.

The MCG is the place to be this weekend, and the team can use all the support they can get as they try to put their season back on track.

So here's to hoping we can do better on the weekend, and earn back some of the respect that we left over in the west.

Nick.

Round 4 - Melbourne vs Gold Coast Preview

Moloney and Sylvia are the key players for Melbourne
against the Gold Coast
Source: aflphotos.com.au

Coming off a shaky win against Brisbane, Melbourne faces a game that should steady the boat. Gold Coast is coming off two big losses, 119 and 72 to Carlton and the Bulldogs respectively. This leaves the Gold Coast where the sun don't shine, pardon the pun, in dead last, with a terrible percentage.

While many a fan will come into these games considering it as an easy 4 points and a percentage booster, they must consider the wealth of young talent that the Gold Coast does possess, not to mention one of the best players in the AFL, Gary Ablett.

So, who are the keys for Melbourne, if we are to continue the 'Gold Coast trend', and who are those from the Gold Coast who could cause a few problems?

The 5 key players from both sides will be covered below.

Melbourne:

1. Brent Moloney - After a week in the doghouse, Moloney will be very keen to earn back some respect on the football field. This should lead to him running and working himself to exhaustion at the gabba on the weekend, expect everything to be left on the field. Also, Moloney's big body in the midfield will be a big bonus against the 18 year old suns midfield. Moloney is leading Melbournes disposal count at 80, and expect that to be continued after this round. Expect 30 touches.

2. Colin Sylvia - Picked mostly for the same reason as Moloney, the big body. Melbourne's big bodied midfield (special mention to Nathan Jones here, who didn't make the 5) will tackle and pressure the undersized Suns, not to mention breaking through the packs and picking up plenty of clearances.

3. Liam Jurrah - The electric Jurrah is an enigma in the forward 50, and gets people out of their seats. There is every chance of Jurrah kicking 4 goals in the first quarter, and if he is firing, there is no chance that we can be beaten. Expect a big game and a bigger bag of goals from this superstar.

4. Mark Jamar - The big russian is always important for the team. Jamar and Moloney are one of the most effective ruck/rover combinations in the AFL, and pick up plenty of clearances for the team. Jamar is also one of the best rucks in the game, just for his tapping ability, having the highest tap to advantage percentage in 2010.

5. James Frawley - Chip is back! Frawley spent 8 weeks on the sideline after tearing his pectoral muscle in a weight room accident. He got himself fit for round 2, but is finally starting to play some good footy. Although Gold Coast don't really have a key forward target, Frawley can still play as a running half back, who can release others up the field, and he works in to the rebounding game style that Melbourne like to play.

Gold Coast:

1. Zac Smith - The 205cm ruck is an exciting prospect for the Gold Coast's future, but he could cause some headaches for Melbourne on the weekend. He is an athletic ruck and can take a decent mark as well. Has a decent footy brain and will be a superstar in the future. Watch out for him.

2. <Edited as Ablett is out> Dion Prestia - This kid has been called the new Paul Chapman, and for good reason too. He may be short, but is very strong through the core and can run through packs. He loves to touch the footy and has a decent footy brain. Will be yet another Gold Coast superstar of the future. (Prestia may be a chance to end up at Melbourne in the future, as his whole family is Melbourne supporters)

3. Karmichael Hunt... I'm kidding, it's David Swallow. You aren't the number 1 pick in the AFL draft unless you have some serious potential (look at Trengove and Scully already). He hasn't shown too much just yet but could cause some problems if he gets some support from those around him. Shouldn't be a concern on the weekend but another to look at for future games.

4. Daniel Harris - This mature aged midfielder has been given a second wind at Gold Coast, after playing 149 games for North Melbourne. He has taken his chance already with 30 and 16 possessions in his two games. Harris offers some experience to a team that needs leadership, and his understanding of the game could help to steady the rookies around him and allow them to play their natural game. I would be keeping a very close eye on him if I were Dean Bailey.

5. Brandon Matera - A member of the famous Matera family. Son of Wally, nephew of Peter and Phil. A small forward that is dangerous around the goals and will cause problems for the Melbournes defenders. Hard to match up on, but should be next to Clint Bartram at the first siren.

The starting dilemma:

It is well documented that Melbourne struggles in the first quarter. So what can be done to stop this?
This is a difficult question to answer, but could come down to a different game plan for the first 5 minutes.

Melbourne, unlike most other clubs, do not play a forward press game plan, but prefer to play a defensive half rebounding role. However while the team is not running, the kick out of defence, or the next kick is unable to find a new target, as too many players have pushed down the ground. This is not helped by most players playing on after taking marks without looking ahead. This often leads to turnovers in the middle of the field, or across the oppositions half forward line.

Therefore, the coaching staff need to address the need of a more concrete forward structure, with targets leading out of the forward 50 up to the half forward line and giving the midfielders more than one direction to go with their kicks. This will not only allow the team to keep possession of the ball, but will allow Melbourne to limit any damage that the slow start causes.

Slow starts will continue to haunt Melbourne this year, as they are still a young team, with only 5 players having played over 100 AFL games, but is something that will continue to improve with the rest of the teams abilities.

Nick.

The Moloney Decision

Moloney at the Press Conference
Source: afl.com.au

Plenty has been said already, but here is the facts that we know:

- After Melbourne's 11 point win over Brisbane, Brent Moloney was celebrating his Best On Ground performance and 36 touches.
- At 2:30am, the security of St Kilda bar 'Pretty Please' asked Moloney to leave, which he did without any further problems.
- After reviewing the security tapes and speaking to those working at the time, it was found that Moloney did not urinate in the bar, and that was not part of the reason that he was asked to leave.
- The police were not called to the bar, and there was no problems after Moloney was asked to leave.
- After an incorrect call to Triple M, Moloney's original post-game press conference on Monday was cancelled.
- An impromptu conference, with CEO Cam Schwab, Coach Dean Bailey and Moloney, was called at 4pm.
- Schwab announced that Moloney had faced the leadership group, and had been stripped of his Vice-Captaincy and his role in the leadership group.
- He was punished for being publicly intoxicated, staying out late the night before training and setting a bad example for other younger players on how to recover properly.
- Moloney admitted that he was "disappointed and embarrassed" by his actions, and will consult the AFL players association over future actions in regards to his claims of a binge drinking problem.
- Bailey announced that Moloney is available for selection this week, and there was no club imposed suspension, but Moloney was not certain to play.

Although this was a dark day for the club, Moloney and the clubs response was timely and set the tone for other players that this will not be tolerated.

This has to be admired, but Moloney also needs to be supported through this difficult time. He made a mistake, which everyone does, but should still have the respect and support of the players and supporters of this great club.

Nick.

2 Week Wrap Up

It has been two long weeks in the AFL since the last post here on Melbourne Footy.

With plenty happening in two rounds, there is too much to talk about, so I will talk about what most of you want to hear, and that's Melbourne.

Well, Melbourne vs Hawthorn, what a disappointment. After the build up and hype that surrounded the game, the first half was what the Melbourne fans wanted to see. It was an improvement on the first round draw and looked to be setting us up for the win, or to go very close. We played the counter-attacking footy that Melbourne was known for and the fans loved, which was seen through the noise coming from the outnumbered Melbourne fans.

Then came one of the worst quarters I have ever suffered through as a Melbourne fan. A 52 point turnaround in the 3rd quarter was handed to an overwhelmed Melbourne side. However, this could of been a lot worse. Hawthorn had 72 more kicks, 71 more handballs, 43 more marks and 10 more clearances than a Melbourne side who showed they still had a lot to learn. This, coupled with Hawthorn's dreadful inaccuracy infront of goal (kicking 16 goals, 26 behinds) limited the result to a 45-point loss for Melbourne, and the knowledge that we still had a long way to go to match it with the big boys.

However, there was some good signs in a terrible performance. Colin Sylvia played his normal game, racking up 26 disposals, 12 of them contested, and 5 clearances. Stefan Martin also showed glimpses of the player he will be, showing his improvement in pace and understanding of the game from the off season, also picking up 4 clearances and showing Melbourne what we have to look forward to in the future.

But the bright star of the game had to be the big fella, Luke Tapscott. He showed that his round 1 performance wasn't a fluke, picking up 23 possessions, 9 of them contested and showcased that his match-ready body and ability to read the play is a force to be reckoned with, giving something to the Melbourne supporters that they could take away from the game.

But always the optimists, many Melbourne fans looked to the fixture, and the next two games in particular. Brisbane at the MCG, then Gold Coast at the Gabba. Two easy wins many would say.

However, we had to work for our first win of the season. With many believing that more negatives came out of it than positives (the biggest positive being the 4 points).

After a controlled first few minutes, leading to two Jurrah marks inside 50, and a scoreline of 7-0, things went downhill very quickly for Melbourne. Yet again the slow start allowed an accurate Brisbane to kick 5 first quarter goals and go in to the break with a 25 point lead.

Then, after a spray from a usually calm Dean Bailey, Melbourne picked up the pace in what should be known as "Jurrah's quarter". Melbourne kicked 5 in the quarter, including 3 from the boot of Jurrah who was running rampant in Melbourne's forward 50, and brought it back to a 6 point deficit going into the major break.

In the third quarter, Melbourne came out and quelled the fears of the supporters of a Hawthorn-esque 3rd term, kicking 5 more goals in the quarter, and creating a 16 point lead for the final quarter.

And what a tense last quarter it was, Brisbane kicking 2 goals to Melbournes 1. However Melbourne came out with an 11 point win, and 4 points on the board.

The best players in my view are Moloney (no matter what he did in the post-match celebrations) with 36 possessions, 12 contested, and 7 clearances. Other notable players were Nathan Jones (27 disposals) and Gysberts (25 disposals) in his first game for the year.

However, in my opinion, the back line saved us. Rivers being among the best, with a contested mark that  saved the game, James Frawley and Clint Bartram (6 1%er's).

Overall, in two games, Melbourne has left plenty to be desired, but shown enough to keep the supporters coming back.

Nick.

Round Two - Hawthorn Vs Melbourne Preview

Ask any Melbourne fan and they will tell you Hawthorn has been one of our biggest enemies over the past couple of years. All but one game, Round 20 last year, Melbourne has been smashed in the past five encounters. In Round One, 2010, all the hopes of the Melbourne faithful were dashed when we were smashed by 56 points. This would be one of the defining moments of 2010, with no loss being over that margin for the rest of the year. We looked for revenge in Round 20, when we played them again, and up until 10 minutes to go in the last quarter, we almost had revenge. In the end we were defeated 15.9 (99) to 12.6 (78) but it was a much improved performance than previous occasions.

It has been just under five years since our last victory over the Hawks, and today, we get a shot at redemption. Arguably the best fullback in the competition is back for us - James Frawley - and we will be looking to him to stop Lance Franklin. We do that, and we are in the game. For Hawthorn, well, they welcome back their star Luke Hodge, but you can guarantee he won't be 100% therefore we have a better chance of shutting him down. As a side note, I don't agree with the Macdonald omission, but I suppose it has to be done if we want Frawley back.

Even though this is Round Two, this game is so important for us. For one, we have a chance to break our Hawthorn hoodoo. Two: it would almost be certain that we stay in the eight for another week, which would be seriously awesome. It's been a long time coming.

Who to look our for from a Melbourne perspective:

• Luke Tapscott: He was great last week in his debut last week against Sydney. He has an in-and-under attitude and will be looking to help us off half back this week. Hopefully, as a bonus, he can earn a NAB Rising Star award this week.

• Jack Grimes: Although he is a favourite of mine, you must watch him this week. His kicking last week left a lot to be desired, however his contested marking in the backline was superb. I expect a much better kicking display from him this week, as the Great Wall of Grimes continues his impressive career.

• Brent Moloney: He is a key if we are to win this game. Not much needs to be said other than if he is on in the midfield, Melbourne will most likely be in the game.

I would be expecting around about 45,000 fans to turn out for this match despite the fact that it is a twilight match. If you are thinking of getting along to the game, the boys on Twitter said they absolutely loved the atmosphere of last weeks game against Sydney, and it helps them perform, so there is no reason you shouldn't get down a see a great game.

Finally, they don't come much bigger than this in terms of a season defining game. It is only Round Two, but the stakes are high for us. A win and a half from two matches would be almost a perfect start for the season, and it would send a message to the people who seemingly like to doubt Melbourne week in and week out.

Are you ready?



Jamie.

Hawthorn vs Melbourne Preview

Round 1, 2010. The thought of it still hurts even the toughest of Melbourne supporters. After a great pre-season and draft for the Melbourne football club, which saw the likes of Tom Scully, Jack Trengove and Jordan Gysberts playing in the red and blue by seasons end, round 1 saw Melbourne lose to Hawthorn 8.13 (61) to 17.15 (117). A display that drew parallels to the Demons 2009 season.

However, this time around, Melbourne is coming off a spirited round 1 draw against Sydney, while Hawthorn were overrun by Adelaide at AAMI stadium. With All Australian defender James Frawley back in the team this weekend to most likely face Hawthorn star Lance Franklin, and 2nd year player Luke Tapscott playing a great game round 1 shows great signs for Melbournes season.

Tomorrow is a big day for Melbourne Football Club's season. 6 premiership points after 2 rounds and jumping the hurdle that tripped us up at the start of last season will send a definitive message to the rest of the AFL.

We are Melbourne. Watch Out.

Nick.

Welcome!

The two of us here at MelbourneFooty have finally expanded to our own blog!

Expect much of the same stuff though, plenty of Melbourne FC news and even more opinion articles about the AFL as a whole.

If there is anything in particular you want us to write about, we are also on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/MelbourneFooty.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Nick and Jamie