Rd 22: Melbourne vs North Melbourne: The clash of the upcoming teams | Thebigtip

Melbourne will look to finish off the season well on a cold Sunday twilight match when they face North Melbourne in the last game for the home & away season.  The clubs met earlier in the year and North Melbourne ‘took the chocolates’ at Etihad Stadium, where Melbourne have traditionally not played well

How the teams played last week:

North Melbourne played West Coast at Subiaco last week in skipper Brent Harvey’s 300th game, and won by 16 points.  Daniel Wells had a solid game for the Roos which was a positive given that he had been injured numerous times this season.  Leigh Adams got cleaned up by West Coast’s Beau Waters early in the game, and then came back on and then got hit again. Andrew Swallow was back to his best last week with 3 goals, gathering heaps of the footy. Youngster Sam Wright had 16 touches and slotted 4 goals. He has been a real improver this season and has cemented his spot in the side. This kid oozes class and when he can get a bigger motor, you’ll most likely see him in the midfield with the likes of Swallow, Harvey and Greenwood. There have been many questions from North supporters about Aaron Edwards’ place in the team and on the weekend he had something to say about that with 3 goals. He and Ben Warren worked well in the forward line together setting each other up and bringing others into the game.  In game 300,
Brent Harvey was very good racking up 26 touches and setting up goals for his teammates. Congratulations on a fantastic career Boomer. If he can keep his pace, he’ll be able to play for another three odd years.

Melbourne played Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium last week in James McDonald’s 250th game and lost by 29 points. Liam Jurrah played very well, taking a contender for Mark of the Year, and slotting 4 goals. He got back to his best, taking hangars and kicking goals. Whenever the ball went high into the forward line, commentators and supporters alike were calling out for Jurrah.  Jack Watts showed some promise and continues to develop; one highlight was kicking a nice 50 metre goal in the wind. In game 250, James McDonald was the leading tackler and clearance winner on the ground. J-Mac has been doing this for his whole career and has been a very underrated star for the Demons.  He is an unsung hero for the Demons and congratulations on a fantastic career.  Cameron Bruce racked up a career best 39 touches and gave plenty of run from the half back.

The Key Players for Sunday’s Game:

For North Melbourne

Andrew Swallow:  Has been sensational this season and most likely will take home another Best & Fairest. He demonstrated another skill  last week kicking 3 goals. He is a very good clearance player and has the ability to become one of the elite midfielders

Sam Wright: Arguably had his best game for the Roos last week, kicking 4 goals and collecting 16 touches. He can play all over the ground, he played in defence earlier in the year, and played forward last week. Just one of North Melbourne’s youngsters who will continue to develop and have a key role in North Melbourne’s future.

Aaron Edwards: Kicked a solid 3 goals last week, and set up a few for his teammates. This guy can take a huge grab but has been known to go missing in parts of games.  He has played well in the big games such as the 2007 Semi Final against Hawthorn where he kicked 4 goals and took a huge mark.  He’ll need to continue his form, as I think James Frawley will pick him up.

Cruize Garlett: If you ask a non-North Melbourne supporter who is Cruize Garlett, they will shrug their shoulders and say “Who”? Cruz was very good against the Eagles and played a critical role in the midfield.  Still very young, I think Cruize will play on either Tom Scully or Jack Trengove and try to cut down their influence in the game.

For Melbourne:

Liam Jurrah:  He regained some of his 2009 form last week. He slotted 4 goals and took one the marks of the year (see video). He is an excitement machine and North will need keep an eye on him if they’re going to stop his influence. He’ll most likely be picked up by Nathan Grima or Scott Thompson.
Video: Liam Jurrah's mark

Brad Green: Was quiet last week but has had a stellar season this year, kicking 50 goals and dominating in the forward line. He is a chance to take the reins as captain next season. He could deliver a big one to send James McDonald off with a bang.  He’ll get McMahon I would think.  McMahon did a fantastic job last week against LeCras.

Cameron Bruce:  Racked up a career best 39 touches last week and provided plenty of run from the half back. Another one who is in line to take the captaincy next year. Worked hard all over the ground and has had a solid second half of the year. Can play back or forward and I see him lining up on a Sammy Wright possibly.

Mark Jamar:  Has been a shining light this season for the Demons and will have a big task against North Melbourne’s experienced ruckmen Hamish McIntosh and David Hale. If Jamar dominates, Melbourne have a good chance of winning and ending of the season on a high.

Careers coming to an end:

Melbourne:

Brad Miller:  Miller will see his time end at Melbourne this week according to the article in the Age, and now confirmed by the Demons website. Miller has had some good times at the Demons, kicking numerous bags of goals but many a time, has gone missing and brought frustration to Demons supporters. He will also be remembered because of his wife Pia Miller, a media personality. He could be a possible signing for the Gold Coast.

Demons Development Coach Brad Gotch, who is also coach of the Scorpions, said yesterday that Miller was not in Melbourne's plans for next season but was a chance for a farewell match against North Melbourne - after 133 games with the club.

"Hopefully, another AFL club might look at him but if not I'm not sure what he's going to do," Gotch said.

From an article from The Age

James McDonald: Announced his career was coming to the end early last week. He has been an unsung hero for the Melbourne football Club and I’m sure Melbourne will come out all guns blazing for their leader and send J-Mac off with a bang this week.

Michael Newton: He will be gone from the Demons next year. He will be remembered for that huge mark he took against North a few years back but has failed to deliver since then.

North Melbourne:

Corey Jones: Jones has been a very good player for North Melbourne over the years but his time at North Melbourne will end this week.  He has been training at North part time as he has been working on his building business.  He has excelled in the VFL for North Ballarat this season and is a chance for the JJ Liston Trophy. Jones will most likely get a farewell game this week.

Crowd Guess:

I’m predicting a crowd of 35 to 40k. The timeslot of 4:40pm will not help bring people through the turnstiles but with it being a Melbourne home game demons supporters willl be out to show their support for retiring skipper James McDonald.  Also Brent Harvey is going to have a celebration with 300 kids forming a guard of honour before the game celebrating his 301st game.

Game Prediction:

I’m expecting it to be a good contest, both teams will want to finish the season off well but I think North Melbourne might get over in the end with a 5 point win. However Melbourne do play the MCG very well, so it’s going to be a thrilling contest.  These teams are going to be up in years to come and this match could start a rivalry for years to come.

Melbourne Demons - 2.16
   
North Melbourne Kangaroos - 1.83 so join Betfair now for your $50 risk free bet