Match details
Friday, May 11, 7.50pm (local time), MCG
Round seven teams
B: James Frawley, Jared Rivers, Clint Bartram
HB: Jack Grimes, Colin Garland, Cale Morton
C: Ricky Petterd, Brent Moloney, Jack Trengove
HF: Nathan Jones, Mitch Clark, Jamie Bennell
F: Jeremy Howe, Colin Sylvia, Aaron Davey
FOLL: Mark Jamar, James Magner, Jordie McKenzie
I/C: Matthew Bate, Rohan Bail, Tom McDonald, Jack Fitzpatrick
EMG: Lynden Dunn, Joel Macdonald, Luke Tapscott
IN: Ricky Petterd, Jack Fitzpatrick, Jamie Bennell
OUT: James Sellar (calf), Lynden Dunn, Luke Tapscott
Hawthorn
B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Benjamin Stratton
HB: Grant Birchall, Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling
C: Brendan Whitecross, Sam Mitchell, Jordan Lewis
HF: Isaac Smith, Lance Franklin, Luke Breust
F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Michael Osborne
Foll: David Hale, Shaun Burgoyne, Brad Sewell
I/C: Clinton Young, Liam Shiels, Shane Savage, Paul Puopolo
EMG: Kyle Cheney, Bradley Hill, Broc McCauley
In: Stephen Gilham, Clinton Young
Out: Luke Hodge (knee), Jarrad Boumann (appendix)
Broadcast guide
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Form
Melbourne: L, L, L, L, L, L
Hawthorn: W, L, W, L, L, W
Ladder position
Melbourne: 17th
Hawthorn: 11th
Head-to-head
Played: 154
Melbourne: 74
Hawthorn: 80
Drawn: 0
At this ground
Played: 74
Melbourne: 35
Hawthorn: 39
Drawn: 0
Last time they met
Round 18, 2011: Hawthorn 20.12 (132) d Melbourne 12.6 (78), MCG
Recent streak
Melbourne has lost its past eight against Hawthorn
Memorable match
Round 17, 1946: Melbourne 18.15 (123) d Hawthorn 13.8 (86), MCG
This was one of Melbourne’s most memorable home and away games. The Demons consolidated their place in the finals with a 37-point win, but the significance of this game was more than just the victory. It was the first game Melbourne had played on the MCG since the 1941 Grand Final. The reason? The MCG had become a wartime ‘home’ for the American Marines and the RAAF. During this period, Melbourne called Punt Road Oval its ‘home’.
Milestones
Melbourne: Nil
Hawthorn: Nil
Coaching record
Mark Neeld: 6 matches, 0 wins, 0 draws, 6 losses
Alastair Clarkson: 169 matches, 91 wins, 1 draw, 77 losses
Injury list
Melbourne: Michael Evans (back) - indefinite, Max Gawn (knee) - season, Brad Green (finger) - test, Jordan Gysberts (jaw) - 4-6 weeks, Neville Jetta (ankle) - indefinite, Stef Martin (hip) - test, James Strauss (leg) - test, Josh Tynan (foot) - 2-3 weeks, Leigh Williams (virus) - 2-4 weeks
Hawthorn: Max Bailey (wrist) - TBC, Jarrad Boumann (appendix) - 2-3 weeks, Xavier Ellis (calf) - 1-2 weeks, Josh Gibson (ankle) - test, Alex Woodward (knee) - season
Players to watch
Melbourne: Mitch Clark
Clark stood out like a beacon against Geelong last round, booting four goals and winning 21 disposals, including 14 contested. He made the most of his opportunities up forward and also pushed up the ground, spending time in the ruck and down back. The boom recruit has booted 14 goals so far in 2012 and has quickly become one of Melbourne’s most integral players.
Hawthorn: Cyril Rioli
The brilliant forward/midfielder shone against the Saints last round booting an equal career-best six goals (he also kicked half-a-dozen against Port Adelaide in round 21 last year). The dynamic Rioli will be a primary target for the Demons and is likely to be manned by the tenacious Clint Bartram.
Match-up to watch
James Frawley v Lance Franklin
Expect Frawley to be given one of the toughest jobs in football: stopping ‘Buddy’ Franklin. The Melbourne defender is almost certain to match-up against one of the finest in the game. Given Frawley has beaten some of the best in the business it will be a fascinating contest. Colin Garland also played a fine match on Franklin a few years ago and could also be a chance to have another crack on him.
Most disposals
Melbourne: Nathan Jones (132)
Hawthorn: Sam Mitchell (160)
Most marks
Melbourne: Jeremy Howe (34)
Hawthorn: Brent Guerra (39)
Most tackles
Melbourne: Jordie McKenzie (37)
Hawthorn: Sam Mitchell (37)
Most goals
Melbourne: Mitch Clark (14)
Hawthorn: Lance Franklin (16)
How’s stat?
Melbourne has not kicked 100 points or more in a match against Hawthorn since its most recent win in round eight, 2006
Foot in both camps
Gordon Bowman, Cameron Bruce, Michael Byrne, Robert Carroll, Albert Chadwick, Bert Chandler, Kyle Cheney, Alastair Clarkson, Chris Connolly, Bill Deague, David Elliman, Roger Ellingworth, Chris Fagan, Ken Feltscheer, Tom Ferguson, David Flintoff, Lew Gough, Bob Herbert, Paul Johnson, Clarrie Lethlean, Les Meade, Keith Molloy, Jack O’Keefe, Jack Pickford, Ralph Shalless
What Mark Neeld says …
"I don't want to send the players out tomorrow night with absolutely no discussion on Hawthorn and some of the tactics they use. We've had a bit of a look at them this week. When you're starting out and things are new to the players, it's really important you give that a bit of focus during the week. But you need to focus a little bit on what the opposition are doing, and depending on where your club is at, list development, position on the ladder, that balance will always change."
Key Melbourne question
It’s almost six years to the day since Melbourne last defeated Hawthorn. Can the Demons overcome a poor recent record and upstage the Hawks on the big stage to record their first win of the season?
Key Hawthorn question
The Hawks haven’t won two in a row this season, but will enter red-hot favourites. Pundits will be expecting another Hawthorn victory against Melbourne. But could an upset be likely, given Hawthorn’s inconsistent start to 2012?
Summary
The Demons remain winless after six rounds, but have shown improvement from their past three matches. Competitive hit outs against Western Bulldogs, St Kilda and Geelong at the cattery - even though the final margin was 43 points - was far superior than Melbourne’s opening three rounds. The Dees are entering their third match of a tough seven-game streak - all seven teams played finals last year - and overcoming the Hawks will be no easy feat. Hawthorn is aiming for nine in a row against the red and blue, and it will take a mighty effort by the Dees to end this streak. Although the Hawks are widely regarded as one of the top teams in the competition, they have had a topsy-turvy start to the season with a 50 per cent winning record. Still, the Hawks will enter as massive favourites and Melbourne must be hellbent on bringing its best four quarter effort to the table in its only Friday night clash for the season.
