Are The Demons Unravelling?

The Age

Saturday July 9, 2005

Martin Blake

Melbourne's season is approaching the AFL's equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle. This time last year the Demons had legitimate premiership claims until their season fell apart with a string of losses. The Demons circa 2005 are showing similar signs, reports Martin Blake

THE murmuring began last Sunday, not long after Melbourne's second-half savaging at the hands of the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba, a mauling that ended with a 74-point margin. Two defeats in a row have left the Demons vulnerable, and a glance at the draw would be enough to make the most stoic of Melbourne supporters edgy, to say the least.

A trip to Port Adelaide today awaits Neale Daniher and his team, and another road journey to Subiaco is only a fortnight away. The Demons still have to travel to Geelong and AAMI Stadium to meet Adelaide, as well, both premiership contenders.

Could it be deja vu? Are the Demons falling apart as they did at the end of 2004, when they went from top-of-the-table at the end of round 18 to first-caboff- the-finals-rank, failing to win any of their last five matches?

Daniher was well aware of the whispering this week, and though he did not mention it to his players, he knows they will have heard it too. "Don't need to," was his official response to that question. "Our focus is not going to be responding to commentary. Our focus is responding to a poor second half last week and rebounding against the current premier team of the competition.

We're aware of the talk. It'll only grow momentum if we don't win. If we can nip it in the bud straight away with a strong win on the road, that'd be great."

Of course that's the way of the football world, especially in this city.

Melbourne is 9-5, has close to a full list available and if people think Daniher has problems, they ought to check in on Grant Thomas' office, or for that matter Denis Pagan's. But that draw still suggests that this afternoon is a flashpoint for Melbourne; it is not incomprehensible to suggest that if it cannot win at AAMI Stadium, a horrific string of defeats confronts it.

Daniher thinks the notion that Melbourne is wobbling is bunk.

Asked what his message to fearful supporters would be, he points out a statistical fact. "What I'd say is that, other than West Coast, we're the last team this year to lose two in a row. All you (media) blokes are getting wobbly. We're the secondlast to lose two in a row and all of a sudden you blokes are talking."

He also points out that the other fashionable theory about Melbourne - that it was headed for a down year in 2005 on the basis of its every-second-year lull - has been swept aside already. "We're nine and five and all the doomsayers got it wrong on the up season-down season thing," he said."

(People are thinking) they've lost two in a row. Let's go for the `they lost at the end of the year. Why don't we move that one forward a bit?' All we can do as a footy club is continue to build a strong club.

We're blooding some young players.

We're not going to win every game of the season, even though we'd like to. We were disappointed last week and we've just got to show we're made of the right stuff and bounce back this week.

People can speculate and worry and hypothesise. We've got to get on and play some good footy."

HAT happened to Melbourne beyond round 18 last year remains a mystery in some ways. The fact that it began against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in round 19 only adds to the sense of foreboding about today in some people's eyes.

Port, inspired by Warren Tredrea's six goals and Brendon Lade's fine game in the ruck, smashed the Demons that night by 73 points.

Melbourne managed just six goals for the game. "When Port Adelaide get it on their terms, they get that running game going, they switch the footy and they've got good foot skills," recalls Brett Ratten, the former Carlton champion who was an assistant to Daniher last year."

We couldn't get the footy. Peter Burgoyne had a heap of it around the stoppages, and when we got it into the forward line, they switched the ball and out they'd come. We couldn't get a glove on them."

Melbourne had lost its scoring power, and the Demons would kick just seven goals against Sydney in another defeat in round 20 at the Docklands. Still, no one at Melbourne sensed what was about to come.

The low point was against Carlton at Optus Oval in round 21. Again, the Demons struggled offensively, kicking just eight goals. Carlton changed its style, chipping the ball around effectively, and Anthony Koutoufides followed around Jeff White, the Demons' in-form ruckman, with success. They lost by 31 points, but worse still, captain David Neitz sustained what was first diagnosed as a calf muscle injury during the second half. This would turn out to be a broken leg; Neitz would not get on the park for the remainder of the year.

Daniher sensed his young players were tiring. "Jeff White had to carry the whole load in the ruck, we got some injuries to our midfielders and the skipper broke his leg. These things have an effect, just ask St Kilda."

Ratten says Melbourne had lost its primary asset. "Melbourne's brand of footy is fantastic to watch when it's up and going. But it's based around running and if you tire, it affects it a lot. That's probably what happened last year."

Melbourne lost again to West Coast in Perth in round 22, managing just 10 goals and losing by 40 points. Fifth place left the Demons in an elimination final, which they lost to Essendon by five points at the MCG. Late in the game, Adem Yze, Melbourne's dynamic midfielder-cum-defender-cum-forward, had a shot at goal that would have sent Daniher's team into the next week of finals. He missed narrowly. Asked later about his efforts to time the team's run at the finals, Daniher mused: "We're an Adem Yze snap away from being geniuses."

A year on, Melbourne's younger players have had another pre-season to harden their bodies, although Brock McLean's withdrawal with groin soreness tonight is a concern. Once again, Daniher is trying to manage his list and keep as many as possible on the park.

Although Melbourne has not won at AAMI Stadium since 2001, the ground does not concern him, for the Demons are a running team and the open spaces should suit them. His focus for this game has been on Tredrea, not surprisingly, with Alistair Nicholson likely to get the job, as he did last year.

"We need to be able to match them in midfield for the whole game. We'll try to help him (Nicholson) in a lot of ways, to pressure the delivery, getting back to help out. He (Tredrea) is a barometer for Port Adelaide."

Brett Ratten believes Melbourne remains a premiership contender. "I think so because they've got more avenues to goal. They've got versatility. (Cameron) Bruce can go back, Brad Green can go forward or midfield or even back if it helped the structure.

"They're a chance if they can get a few wins before they go into the finals. If they don't, they could struggle. But if they do, they'll be dangerous."

As for Daniher, the welter of speculation was not worrying him. "It (2004) is ancient history, mate. They can talk about whatever they like . . . We've got to get on and play footy and not get caught up in it all."

THE HELLISH RUN HOME

ROUND 15 v Port Adelaide (AAMI)

ROUND 16 v Sydney (TD)

ROUND 17 v Fremantle (Subiaco)

ROUND 18 v St Kilda (MCG)

ROUND 19 v Adelaide (AAMI)

ROUND 20 v Geelong (SS)

ROUND 21 v Western Bulldogs (MCG)

ROUND 22 v Essendon (MCG)

© 2005 The Age

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