It was with high hopes that I entered Round One, 2007. I think every supporter does - you have to. And this match warranted optimism – season opener, Friday night at the G, we love the G and the G loves us. Add a list laden with genuine talent – the right mix of youth and experience, not a lot of injuries, every so-called expert throwing their tipping weight behind us, and players all week declaring they were cherry ripe and literally bursting at the seems to play.

So what happened? I’d gone through the same process - read every media release I could get my hands on and been on my soap box crowing to anyone who would listen that a Demon bonanza was imminent . On match day I started to ride the nausea wave at about 5 pm, donned the scarf at 6, and started pacing around my flat until my Dad and brothers arrived at 6.30.

Everything was going according to plan, even the weather had turned bad to welcome in Season ‘07. I’d felt pangs of yearning throughout the summer for our spot on the wing in M16. On arrival, I felt like it was my homecoming, and that little Demon cushion made it even nicer.

All the familiar faces were there - “evening,” a nod here and a smile there, connected by our common Demon bond. We’d waited six months and 22 days for our first taste of footy, all pumped for the bounce and what would follow.

Well, we all know what followed. Our Round One victory thoughts were quashed pretty quickly, and the post-match celebrations put on hold.

The chair in front of my brother was left battered – something to do with the dreaded backward handballs, I suspect. My other brother, who’s lived overseas for the last six years, whispered to me about the other two - “they scare me when it’s like this.” And Dad, well, he was dirty on them like I was but he knows it’s not the end of the world, season’s barely started, don’t want to peak too early and there was no risk of that.

Of course we wanted the win and we needed it, but we were well off the boil and I doubt that we will be playing that same brand of overusing the footy next week. I have faith that the Demons of old who like to run and kick it long will return. Last year we were one of the most effective teams from outside 50 at goal. Did we have a goal on the run on Friday night?

It was a dirty night, but it’s not time to send out the cavalry, as my brother did, stomping out of the ground declaring, “stuff ‘em, next week I’m going surfing!” He’ll be there, just needs a cooling off period.

I’m sure a lot of other fellow Demons are harbouring similar feelings and experiencing a lack of wanting to go anywhere near a footy ground. But let’s think back 12 months to Round One 2006 – Melbourne humiliated by Carlton, Essendon beat reigning Premiers Sydney and Geelong whipped someone and were being touted as a real premiership chance. What followed next was – Carlton went on to win two more games for the year, Essendon two also, and Geelong managed to choke and splutter as only the Cats know how.

So come on, pick up that paper again, we need to have a clue about the world around us. Let’s just put this nightmarish start to bed, put a lid on our 2007 expectations until we actually go out and show what we’re capable of, and get back to the G next week for what can only be a much better performance.

Please Note:The views and opinions expressed in the above article are that solely of the author and do not reflect the opinions of MELBOURNEfc.