FIND out what’s being said about the club in the major daily newspapers on Sunday, June 26, 2011

Herald Sun

Demons grab spot in top eight
By Michael Horan

ALL season Melbourne has struggled to cope with prosperity; fabulous one week then comprehensively thrashed the next.  At the MCG the Demons flirted with that streak of unpredictability before deservedly posting 27-point win over a brave, persistent but inferior Richmond. For the faithful of both, here was a watershed day: the two sides on 5 1/2 wins for the year and 9th and 10th on the ladder, the prize having the club name back in bold print at the right end of the table. So it was that in front of 61,900 fans - the third largest home and away crowd for a game between these two clubs - Melbourne is back in the eight and Richmond's chance gone for now. The Demons were the rightful winners but how they flirted with fortune.

Demons break tackle record
By Bruce Matthews

IN football speak, clangers kill Tigers. It must have made for tough viewing for Richmond coach Damien Hardwick as he watched from the back of the interchange bench as his players coughed up the ball to relentless Melbourne opponents at the MCG. "I think we had 32 clangers which is world record pace for us. That's normally a two-game total, so that was very, very poor," Hardwick said. "We had 12 turnovers in our defensive 50 and they got six goals. That's paramount, No.1 (to get better) at the minute. "I thought Melbourne's pressure was very, very good. The heat they brought was outstanding. "When you go through our list of players, I thought we had probably one winner, Ty Vickery, on the day. Melbourne got us in a lot of areas, we were probably lucky not to go down by 10 goals in the end. "Probably the back 15 minutes of that first quarter was where the damage was done. I think we had the first four shots on goal and couldn't get any scoreboard pressure. "Footy is a game of chances, if you don't take yours at the right time, the momentum goes the other way." In contrast, Melbourne coach Dean Bailey lauded his players for what was a record 88 tackles since he took over as coach.

The Age

A work in progress, Watts finds his feet
By Martin Boulton

LIKE Carlton before them, Melbourne has recently experienced the heavy weight of expectation that comes with having consecutive No. 1 draft picks in the AFL's national draft. Those players taken with a club's prized top pick surely feel the burden of that weight building even more acutely, firstly over the course of their initial pre-season and the ensuing period before making their debut. Tom Scully, the Demons' top pick and No. 1 in the '09 draft, took to the big stage like a duck to water, while Jack Watts, No. 1 in '08, had to wait longer for his first game in the red and the blue. When it finally came it was against traditional rival Collingwood, at the MCG, in the annual Queen's Birthday match. If he wasn't already feeling the weight of expectation, Watts surely must have when he ran onto the ground for a baptism of fire. Thirty games later Watts was back at the 'G yesterday in a match of even greater significance for his club. It was a chance to push back inside the top eight for the first time since round 2 with a win against another up-and-coming side in Richmond. Unlike his shaky debut against the Magpies, Watts looked composed and ready for the challenge when he lined up alongside Alex Rance yesterday, and his two goals in the opening term when the Demons needed a hurry along looked classy. His first came from a strong contested mark after skipper Brad Green unleashed a kick from the middle of the ground and Watts positioned himself perfectly in front of David Gourdis. His goal cut Richmond's lead to three points, while his second major on the quarter-time siren stretched the Demons' lead to 20 points. On a day when Melbourne refused to relinquish the lead and finished 27-point winners, Watts ended the day with 19 disposals, four marks and a third goal, which came again on the siren of three-quarter time and pushed the margin out to 29 points.

Demons grab finals chance
By Jon Pierik

THE mid-season demise of Essendon continued to reverberate through the football world yesterday. The fallout from Friday night's mauling by the Hawks meant there was plenty for coach James Hird to answer when he completed a round of radio interviews. But amid the post-mortem, one key point was largely missed. The Bombers would be out of the top eight once yesterday's clash between Richmond and Melbourne was completed at the MCG. Indeed, the more pressing question yesterday was whether the Tigers and Demons, both blessed with a wave of first-round draft picks, were ready to legitimately have hopes of securing seventh or eighth spot come the end of the season. On a delightful winter's afternoon, in front of the second largest home-and-away crowd between the clubs, the Demons proved that could well be the case with a 27-point win in a game marred by several questionable umpiring decisions.

Provided they maintain their intensity, there is no reason to think the Demons cannot edge Fremantle, North Melbourne, St Kilda, the Bombers and Tigers for at least seventh or eighth come September - and enhance coach Dean Bailey's hopes of a contract extension. ''With that team on the park, they will play finals this year,'' former Richmond coach Danny Frawley declared on Triple M last night.

Melbourne takes a big step
By AAP

MELBOURNE has grabbed a spot in the AFL's top eight with a hard-fought win over Richmond by 27 points at the MCG. The Demons won 17.16 (118) to 13.13 (91) in front of 61,900 fans. Melbourne improved its record to six wins and a draw from 13 matches while the Tigers suffered their seventh defeat in a costly result, where victory would have put Richmond in the eight. Jack Watts, Jack Trengove and Brad Green kicked three goals for the Demons and Tyrone Vickery led Richmond's goal scoring with three majors. Watts, 20, had 19 possessions and played a key role in the win while Demons onballer Brent Moloney had a game-high 30 touches.