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.