It kind of sounds like a sequel to an Australian flick from the 1970s.
The original was a horror, but expect the follow up to be a gritty story.
At least, that’s what the incumbents of the upcoming production are expecting.
And the performers need to put on a genuine show, not a shocker like the first one.
This Saturday, Melbourne will return to the venue where it recorded a 186-point loss to Geelong - the second greatest defeat in VFL/AFL history. Only a 190-point loss, also suffered by Melbourne against Fitzroy in 1979, was worse in the game.
The loss had serious ramifications.
Melbourne immediately changed tack. Dean Bailey departed and Todd Viney stepped in as interim coach, before Mark Neeld was appointed last September.
Although Neeld was not involved in the contest - he was Mick Malthouse’s right-hand man at Collingwood - he is acutely aware of what this round means, as co-captain Jack Trengove explained.
“Neeldy mentioned it, and said he was only willing to take 22 blokes that are really competitive and want to go back there and make amends for what happened last year,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“The attitude throughout the week is going to be that we go down there with a real emphasis on taking it to them.
“They were premiers last year and they’ve been the best side for a long time, so it’s going to be a great challenge and one that everyone is looking forward to.
“We’ll go in as underdogs, but personally I love that, and there is nothing to lose. We just want to take it to them and make sure that when we leave the ground, they’re really hurting for whatever the result was.”
Trengove’s attitude towards this match is exactly what the Demons need.
Despite some terribly disappointing and frustrating early season performances, the Demons have hit back with two competitive displays.
In fact, last Saturday night, Melbourne took it right up to St Kilda, the most experienced list in the competition and a finalist from seven of the past eight seasons.
The 2009-10 grand finalists and now sixth-placed Saints remain a quality side. The Demons fell 18 points short, but it was a strong effort, since the Saints possessed 934 more games of experience.
Sure, it wasn’t a win. But it was a show of progress from Melbourne, given its recent form.
But the Dees had to respond, after they copped it from several quarters.
Criticism of Melbourne was there for all to see in the lead-up to its clash against St Kilda, when both Melbourne dailies presented blunt assessments.
The Herald Sun’s Paul Roos and The Age’s Rohan Connolly presented their analysis on Melbourne. They didn’t beat around the bush. And it wasn’t lost on coach Mark Neeld, according to Trengove.
“I didn’t see it (the articles), but Neeldy did mention it,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“That’s the last thing you want as a player - for journalists to write what they want and they feel like they’ve got a fair idea of it all.
“The last thing that you want is having negative stuff being said about you and the club. We just want to change that thought process around and put on performances like we did [against St Kilda] - even though we’re still disappointed with the loss.
“The effort was definitely there, and we probably did gain a bit more respect back from the competition, which was good.”
Earning further respect and building on its improvement are absolute priorities for Melbourne this round.
Again, the Demons will be massive underdogs and given no chance against Geelong, based on last year’s performance and its poor record at the Cattery (Melbourne’s most recent win at Geelong was in 2005 and, before that, 1988).
One player, Clint Bartram, who was an emergency on that terrible day back on 30 July last year, will return as a leader of the club, determined to give every ounce to the cause.
“I didn’t play last year, but it certainly wasn’t a good result for us. It just shows that if the effort is not there, Geelong is a fantastic team,” he said.
“So we’re going to need to get our structures in place and take those disciplined guys down there, because they’re going to do jobs and they’re going to do it well.
“We’re taking competitive blokes down to Geelong, so this week, it’s going to be as important as any to get our recovery right and we’re going at it.”
And they must.
The Demons must take it right up the Cats and play four competitive quarters - regardless of the result, and despite the considerable hurdles they must face.
Overcoming last year’s debacle is its greatest obstacle, even before it considers Geelong’s advantages in home ground, games experience and age, for starters.
It’s one hell of a challenge for the Demons, but one this group needs to confront and take on.
And this week, the Demons have the opportunity to write a completely second part to the original script.
