FIND out what’s being said about the club in the major daily newspapers on Sunday, May 29, 2011

Herald Sun

Scully sheds rust in the VFL
By Tony Sheahan

TOM Scully has put his hand up for a senior recall after a successful comeback in the VFL. Scully dominated in his first competitive hit-out since injuring his left knee in the pre-season, racking up 19 possessions and one goal for Melbourne's VFL affiliate, Casey Scorpions. "I'm glad I got through unscathed and blew out a few cobwebs, so I'm feeling good." Scully said. The Melbourne midfielder said his left knee had stood up well to the rigours of a match."The knee is feeling really good, but I won't know the full extent of how it pulls up until tomorrow. "Definitely I'll put my hand up. My knee was good enough to get through today and I got through pretty well, so if I train well this week, then it will be up to the coaches." Scully played about 60 per cent of game time yesterday in Casey's loss to Williamstown at Werribee. He showed no signs of soreness, ran well and slotted a great goal early in the second quarter. "It took me a little while to get into the game, but once I got into it, I felt better," he said. "I just wanted to find some form and fitness, and to get on the end of one (goal) was good. "I was just excited to be out there and playing footy again." Melbourne's football department watched, including senior coach Dean Bailey, assistant coaches Todd Viney, Josh Mahoney and Kelly O'Donnell, as well as football manager Chris Connolly, all keen to get a glimpse of their star player.

Dees won’t get Malthouse cheap
By Jay Clark

IF Melbourne is to consider poaching Collingwood's Michael Malthouse, it must soon begin to crunch the numbers. Should there be a raid on the No. 1 coach in the AFL, the reality is he won't come cheap. And he won't come by himself. Whether or not the Dees want him is one thing, whether it can afford him is another matter altogether. Melbourne coach Dean Bailey should not be written off, yet. But Melbourne great Garry Lyon, who helped appoint Bailey in 2007, had no doubt the coach's job was on the line. Lyon said while the Demons could play "nice, attacking, footy", he noted a distinct lack of "mongrel". "Dean Bailey has got 14 games to prove he is the man to coach Melbourne forward," Lyon said on Triple M yesterday. "What you need to see is that gap close between their best and worst and their capacity for him (Bailey) to be able to get this side to fight contests out so they don't get split open and scored against so very, very easily. "If that pattern continues for the rest of this year, then yes, there is going to be a very big question asked."

The Age

Demons lack mongrel
By Jon Pierik

INJURIES and suspension have cruelled Melbourne this season. Missing nine of their top players on Friday night, the Demons were never a legitimate chance of eclipsing a Carlton team firmly focused on a top-four finish. But the manner of the 47-point defeat at the MCG, in which the Demons appeared to lack direction, toughness and flair, provoked criticism yesterday, again intensifying the spotlight on coach Dean Bailey, who is out of contract at the end of the season. The defeat came just hours after club chief executive Cameron Schwab said the results of a recently completed review of the club were ''overwhelmingly positive'' and ''there was a great belief we had made enormous progress and there was a view we are on track to do the things we needed to do''. When it comes to commenting on the Demons, a club he captained and having been named in its team of the century, Garry Lyon is more often than not diplomatic. Lyon says he does not have any direct links to the club now, and can speak as freely as he likes - if he chooses to. Yesterday he clearly had had enough, in all likelihood summing up the mood of many thousands of frustrated Demons' supporters. Now a highly respected commentator and Age columnist, Lyon, who was part of the sub-committee that appointed Bailey, provided these observations on Triple M. ''Dean Bailey has got 14 games to prove he is the man to coach Melbourne,'' Lyon said. ''Because of the [injury] situation, wins and losses don't become as critical, but they are still very, very important. He has a massive challenge on his hands.

Demons have excuses
By Rohan Connolly

THE most noteworthy reaction by Melbourne to another heavy defeat on Friday night was the Demons' determination not to use their lengthy injury list as an excuse. ''To put in an ordinary performance tonight is not what we expected, regardless of who is wearing our jumper,'' said coach Dean Bailey. ''Every club's got injuries,'' said Demon midfielder Brent Moloney. ''We've just got to keep trying to get the best out of the players that come in. It's no different to any other club.'' With all due respect to Moloney, Melbourne is, though. Its list of walking wounded is a longer roll call than any team save the Brisbane Lions, Fremantle and Geelong. Most of the Cats' absentees are kids. The Dockers have done pretty well to hold steady. And we've all seen the impact on the hapless Lions. Melbourne hasn't been knocked around on the field to quite the same extent as Michael Voss's team, but its current status is similar. As a club, the Demons have been getting a kicking. Administrative tensions have been publicly dwelt upon at length, compounded by a season that promised much but has so far been profoundly disappointing. The pressure on Bailey grows by the week, the latest damning statistic doing the rounds that four of Melbourne's five defeats have been by more than 40 points. With that backdrop, no coach, nor player, would want to risk being accused of ''copping out'' by pointing to the large chunk of talent missing from the line-up. But, really, how can you avoid it? Consider the following names: Tom Scully, Jack Grimes, Jack Trengove, Clint Bartram, Mark Jamar, Aaron Davey, Rohan Bail, Luke Tapscott and Colin Garland. They're all walk-up starts in Melbourne's best 22, and pivotal to every part of the ground.