MELBOURNE coach Neale Daniher must stop walking under ladders. And breaking mirrors. And while he’s at it, he should avoid all black cats.
The Demons coach must be wondering just what he has done to deserve such a wretched run of injuries.
This week his team travels to the SCG to take on a near full-strength Sydney Swans team that will be hungry to rebound after a disappointing effort against Adelaide in round four.
The big news for the Swans is that forward Nick Davis has been named for his first game since injuring his foot in round one.
Davis proved his fitness earlier in the week and will replace the out-of-sorts Heath Grundy, who is lacking match fitness after struggling with a back injury earlier this year.
Amon Buchanan, meanwhile, has been named but is doubtful, with Jarred Moore likely to get the nod should Buchanan’s knee injury not recover in time.
On paper the two teams make for vastly different reading.
Put simply, it’s difficult to see just how Daniher’s men – missing almost half of their starting 22 – will be able to get within cooee of the Swans.
While injured forwards David Neitz and Russell Robertson persist with their rehab programs, the Demons shortage of goals continues.
And this week there’s a couple of added blows, the most notable being star midfielder cum pitch-hitting forward Brad Green who will miss the clash with hamstring soreness. His absence further robs the Demons of quality.
To rub further salt into Demon wounds, Paul Wheatley will miss this week with an injured shoulder and Nathan Jones with an injured ankle while Matthew Whelan is out with a hamstring strain.
However, as Ben Mathews warned this week , Melbourne still possesses plenty of stars.
Cameron Bruce was superb in the corresponding game last season, while Adem Yze and Aaron Davey are capable of almost anything on their day.
Travis Johnstone and Brent Moloney also come into the side and their return could not be more timely – not only given Green’s omission but because the visitors face one of the most accomplished midfields in the game.
They will need to have massive nights on Saturday, because the Dees depth will be severely tested.
Melbourne have brought in two first gamers for the ANZAC Round clash, with Ricky Petterd and Colin Garland both to debut against the Swans. The pair will learn a lot about AFL footy in their first outing.
Last season the Melbourne players watched the film Kokoda in the week leading up to what turned out to be a memorable SCG victory.
If they can pull off a win this week, the club may well be tempted to make a film itself about the 22 players who go into battle against the Swans on Saturday night – such are the odds stacked against them.
SYDNEY SWANS vs. MELBOURNE, Saturday 28 April, 7:15pm, SCG
SYDNEY SWANS
B: Richards, Barry, Malceski
HB: Kennelly, C.Bolton, Mathews
C: Buchanan, Kirk, McVeigh
HF: R.O'Keefe, O'Loughlin, J Bolton
F: Schneider, Hall, Ablett
FOLL: Jolly, Goodes, Fosdike
I/C: Crouch, Davis, Everitt, Schmidt
EMG: Grundy, Laidlaw, Moore
IN: Davis
OUT: Grundy
MELBOURNE
B: Bruce, Carroll, P Johnson
HB: Brown, Rivers, Bell
C: Moloney, McDonald, YzeHF: C Johnson, Miller, Pickett
F: Dunn, Jamar, Davey
FOLL: White, Bate, Johnstone
I/C: Petterd, Godfrey, Sylvia, Garland
EMG: Bizzell, Ward, Buckley
IN: J.Rivers, B.Moloney, T.Johnstone, C.Johnson, R.Petterd, C.Garland
OUT: P.Wheatley, M.Whelan, N.Jones, B.Green, Ward, Bizzell
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
