FIND out what’s being said about the club in the major daily newspapers on Monday, August 15, 2011
Herald Sun
Future focused for the Dees
By Michael Horan
MELBOURNE copped another beating, but out of it came plenty to like for Melbourne fans. That's the view of caretaker coach Todd Viney, who declared the Dees have found two more future stars as they stood up in the face of an eight-goal deficit to lose the second half by a mere point against finals-bound West Coast. Viney predicted young utility Sam Blease and spring heeled forward Jeremy Howe would become leading lights for Melbourne over coming seasons and both were among the Demons' best yesterday. "Blease is a really exciting player and I think he's going to be a star. He has a lot of work to do, his fitness has to keep improving, his defensive aspect of his game and understanding the importance of structures, he'll keep working on those. "But when he gets the ball, he's an excitement machine."
Bailey confident the Demons can win it
By Jay Clark
FORMER Melbourne coach Dean Bailey is convinced the club's next coach will be handed a gold pass to next year's finals series. Bailey broke his silence on the Dees' political problems but had no doubt the club was on track to break its 47-year premiership drought. Bailey was certain the team would feature next September and eventually enjoy a premiership window as wide as Collingwood's. "They will play finals in 2012, no doubt about that," Bailey said on SEN. "Don't worry about what the fixture or what the draw says. They will play finals next year in 2012 and then anything can happen after that. "Collingwood Football Club has a big (premiership) window - it is like a big bi-fold that has just opened up. "I'm convinced that Melbourne will have that bi-fold. "When they do win (a flag) it will be fantastic, not only for the competition but for everyone who keeps talking about 1964 (last premiership)."
The Age
Demons not at home at Etihad
By Greg Baum
A TOURIST at Etihad Stadium yesterday might have found it problematic to say which of the teams was 3000 kilometres from home and which was three. He might also have guessed wrongly about which of them began this season with the wooden spoon and which began with a bullet. Creatively, the crowd was said to be more than 15,000. A sizeable minority wore West Coast guernseys from every era, ex-pats hastily and happily re-claiming their birthright from bottoms draws. There were enough of them to send up a mini Subiaco Oval ''Eagles'' chant during the last quarter, and for some players to run ''high fives'' along the fence when their inevitable eight-goal win was complete. The Melbourne faithful were thin on the ground. The super-boxes were a ghost town. For some, it is a matter of offended principle; this is NOT the home of the Dees, and they will never come. For some, it is practical: they never win here anyway, against anyone. For most, their absence can be euphemistically explained as skipper Brad Green's was yesterday: general soreness. Soothing it away will be a gradual process, like a health cure. There are some vital signs, albeit weak. In the club-killer at Geelong, Melbourne was clinically dead for four quarters. Last week against Carlton, the Demons were limp and lifeless for just one quarter, the second. Yesterday against West Coast, ditto. Both times, it meant the game.
Dees: one game at a time
By Jesse Hogan
MELBOURNE caretaker coach Todd Viney says his players cannot afford to focus on the team's favourable draw to end the home-and-away season, despite the possibility of a finals berth if its results go as expected. Sydney's shock stumble against Richmond yesterday at the MCG meant the Demons' eight-goal loss to West Coast at Etihad Stadium was not enough to conclusively rule them out of progressing to the finals. After 19 matches the Demons have 7½ wins, although looming matches against the Tigers, Gold Coast and Port Adelaide can realistically allow them to finish their season on 42 points, with 10½ wins. However, their poor percentage - 82.24 - means the Swans would need to beat only one of St Kilda, Geelong or Brisbane to ensure they cannot be overtaken by the Demons. ''We're not looking at the three games [collectively], we're not looking at our opposition being below us on the ladder,'' Viney said. ''We're in not-very-exciting form at the moment and we need to get back to some good form ourselves.''
Future focused for the Dees
By Michael Horan
MELBOURNE copped another beating, but out of it came plenty to like for Melbourne fans. That's the view of caretaker coach Todd Viney, who declared the Dees have found two more future stars as they stood up in the face of an eight-goal deficit to lose the second half by a mere point against finals-bound West Coast. Viney predicted young utility Sam Blease and spring heeled forward Jeremy Howe would become leading lights for Melbourne over coming seasons and both were among the Demons' best yesterday. "Blease is a really exciting player and I think he's going to be a star. He has a lot of work to do, his fitness has to keep improving, his defensive aspect of his game and understanding the importance of structures, he'll keep working on those. "But when he gets the ball, he's an excitement machine."
Bailey confident the Demons can win it
By Jay Clark
FORMER Melbourne coach Dean Bailey is convinced the club's next coach will be handed a gold pass to next year's finals series. Bailey broke his silence on the Dees' political problems but had no doubt the club was on track to break its 47-year premiership drought. Bailey was certain the team would feature next September and eventually enjoy a premiership window as wide as Collingwood's. "They will play finals in 2012, no doubt about that," Bailey said on SEN. "Don't worry about what the fixture or what the draw says. They will play finals next year in 2012 and then anything can happen after that. "Collingwood Football Club has a big (premiership) window - it is like a big bi-fold that has just opened up. "I'm convinced that Melbourne will have that bi-fold. "When they do win (a flag) it will be fantastic, not only for the competition but for everyone who keeps talking about 1964 (last premiership)."
The Age
Demons not at home at Etihad
By Greg Baum
A TOURIST at Etihad Stadium yesterday might have found it problematic to say which of the teams was 3000 kilometres from home and which was three. He might also have guessed wrongly about which of them began this season with the wooden spoon and which began with a bullet. Creatively, the crowd was said to be more than 15,000. A sizeable minority wore West Coast guernseys from every era, ex-pats hastily and happily re-claiming their birthright from bottoms draws. There were enough of them to send up a mini Subiaco Oval ''Eagles'' chant during the last quarter, and for some players to run ''high fives'' along the fence when their inevitable eight-goal win was complete. The Melbourne faithful were thin on the ground. The super-boxes were a ghost town. For some, it is a matter of offended principle; this is NOT the home of the Dees, and they will never come. For some, it is practical: they never win here anyway, against anyone. For most, their absence can be euphemistically explained as skipper Brad Green's was yesterday: general soreness. Soothing it away will be a gradual process, like a health cure. There are some vital signs, albeit weak. In the club-killer at Geelong, Melbourne was clinically dead for four quarters. Last week against Carlton, the Demons were limp and lifeless for just one quarter, the second. Yesterday against West Coast, ditto. Both times, it meant the game.
Dees: one game at a time
By Jesse Hogan
MELBOURNE caretaker coach Todd Viney says his players cannot afford to focus on the team's favourable draw to end the home-and-away season, despite the possibility of a finals berth if its results go as expected. Sydney's shock stumble against Richmond yesterday at the MCG meant the Demons' eight-goal loss to West Coast at Etihad Stadium was not enough to conclusively rule them out of progressing to the finals. After 19 matches the Demons have 7½ wins, although looming matches against the Tigers, Gold Coast and Port Adelaide can realistically allow them to finish their season on 42 points, with 10½ wins. However, their poor percentage - 82.24 - means the Swans would need to beat only one of St Kilda, Geelong or Brisbane to ensure they cannot be overtaken by the Demons. ''We're not looking at the three games [collectively], we're not looking at our opposition being below us on the ladder,'' Viney said. ''We're in not-very-exciting form at the moment and we need to get back to some good form ourselves.''
