Round one match preview: Melbourne v Brisbane Lions

Match details
Saturday, March 31, 1.45 pm (local time), MCG

Teams
Melbourne
B: Joel Macdonald, James Frawley, Clint Bartram
HB: Rohan Bail, Jared Rivers, Colin Garland
C: Jack Watts, Jack Grimes, Nathan Jones
HF: Jack Trengove, Brad Green, Jeremy Howe
F: Aaron Davey, Mitch Clark, Stef Martin
FOLL: Mark Jamar, Brent Moloney, Jamer Magner
I/C: Matthew Bate, Jordie McKenzie, Sam Blease, Josh Tynan
EMG: Lynden Dunn, Tom Couch, James Sellar

Brisbane Lions
B: Niall McKeever, Daniel Merrett, Ashley McGrath
HB: Mitch Golby, Matt Maguire, Daniel Rich
C: Tom Rockliff, Jed Adcock, Pearce Hanley
HF: Jared Polec, Joel Patfull, Todd Banfield
F: James Polkinghorne, Matthew Leuenberger, Ryan Lester
FOLL: Ben Hudson, Simon Black, Jack Redden
I/C: Claye Beams, Rohan Bewick, Cheynee Stiller, Sam Sheldon
EMG: Ryan Harwood, Billy Longer, Jesse O’Brien

Broadcast guide
Click here

NAB Cup form
Melbourne: L, W, W, L, L
Brisbane Lions: L, W, L, W, L

2011 Ladder position
Melbourne:  13th
Brisbane Lions: 15th

Head-to-head
Played: 36
Melbourne: 21
Brisbane: 15
Drawn: 0

At this ground
Played: 13
Melbourne: 11
Brisbane: 2
Drawn: 0

Last time they met
Round 3, 2011: Melbourne 12.10 (82) d Brisbane Lions 11.5 (71), MCG

Recent streak
Melbourne has won its past three matches, and four of its past five matches, against the Lions

Memorable match
Round 14, 2008: Melbourne 14.9 (93) d Brisbane Lions 13.14 (92), MCG
In Dean Bailey’s first year as coach, the Demons had won just one match up until this point. But after leading the Lions at each change, the Dees were able to hang on for victory by the narrowest of margins. Brad Green shone with 30 disposals and received three Brownlow Medal votes, while Colin Sylvia and Brad Miller kicked four goals each. The match also marked the debut of Stef Martin, who impressed with his efforts on Lions superstar Jonathan Brown down back.

Milestones
Melbourne: Mark Neeld’s first match as an AFL coach. Mitch Clark to debut for the club, James Magner and Josh Tynan to make their AFL debut
Brisbane Lions: Ben Hudson to debut for the club

Coaching record
Mark Neeld: 0 matches, 0 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses
Michael Voss: 66 matches, 24 wins, 1 draw, 41 loses

Injury list
Melbourne: Lucas Cook (groin) - 2 weeks, Michael Evans (back) - indefinite, Max Gawn (knee) - season, Neville Jetta (ankle) - indefinite, Liam Jurrah (wrist) - 4 weeks, Jake Spencer (knee) - 6-8 weeks, James Strauss (concussion) - 1 week, Colin Sylvia (back) - 4 weeks, Rory Taggert (back) - indefinite
Brisbane Lions: Jonathan Brown (face) - 3 weeks, Brent Staker (knee) - season, Dayne Zorko (hip) - TBC

Players to watch
Melbourne: Mitch Clark
It’s been a big build-up for the boom recruit. Clark arrived from the Lions via last year’s trade period and has quickly emerged as a key component of Melbourne’s set-up. Recruited as a key forward, Clark has also been given the honour of wearing the late Jim Stynes’ No.11 guernsey. He impressed in the pre-season as a focal point and will be one to keep a close eye as he takes on his former teammates.

Brisbane Lions: Simon Black
One of the most decorated players of the modern era, Black enters his 15th AFL season with 297 matches to his name. The 32 year-old might be in the latter stage of his career, but he remains pivotal in his side’s engine room, having averaged almost 27 disposals per match last year. The Demons will need to monitor him closely to curb his influence.

Match-up to watch
James Frawley v Daniel Merrett
With superstar Jonathan Brown sidelined for the Lions, expect teammate Daniel Merrett to push up forward instead of his regular defensive position. ‘Chip’ Frawley looms as the most likely match-up, given his size. It should be a fascinating encounter between two gorillas.

Most disposals in 2011
Melbourne: Brent Moloney (509)
Brisbane Lions: Simon Black (590)

Most marks in 2011
Melbourne: Jack Watts (124)
Brisbane Lions: Pearce Hanley (130)

Most tackles in 2011
Melbourne: Brent Moloney (124)
Brisbane Lions: Jack Redden (166)

Most goals in 2011
Melbourne: Liam Jurrah (40)
Brisbane Lions: Mitch Clark (27)

How’s stat?
As well as having played 19 matches against the Brisbane Lions to date, Melbourne played the Brisbane Bears 17 times, for 12 wins, between 1987 and 1996. On top of that, Melbourne played Fitzroy 179 times, for 88 wins, 88 losses and three draws between 1897 and 1996.

Foot in both camps
Bill Adams, Fred Backway, Stuart Cameron, Bruce Campbell, Robert Carroll, Len Catton, Mitch Clark, Colin Cox, Darryl Cox, Archie Dickens, Dale Dickson, Arthur Ferguson, Fabian Francis, Audley Gillespie-Jones, Tony Hirst, Fred Howard, Travis Johnstone, Tom Kavanagh, Dick Kennedy, Wayne Lamb, Greg Lourey, Darren Louttit, Joel Macdonald, Tom Magee, Dan Moriarty, Wally Naismith, Col Niven, Ray Niven, Rod Owen, Martin Pike, Jade Rawlings, Tom Sadlier, Marcus Seecamp, Len Smith, Norm Smith, Steven Stretch, Hedley Tomkins, Len Toyne, Billy Walsh, Don Whitford, Mark Withers, Shane Woewodin.

What Mark Neeld says …
There is a great deal of excitement, apprehension and nervousness - and all of those adjectives that you want to use about Saturday. Reality is that on Saturday there are four points up for grabs and not 12. Everyone likes to start with a win and we’d love to start the season with a win. It’s about the season’s performance and the season after that’s performance. We need to show the steady improvement, and we need to show the development in each of the individual players.

Key Melbourne question
It’s been a tough week for the Demons. The club said farewell to great Jim Stynes. How will the Dees respond under new coach Mark Neeld for the first time for premiership points?

Key Brisbane Lions question
The Lions will start the season without imposing skipper Jonathan Brown. How will they fare without their powerhouse leader?

Summary
After a massive off-season and pre-season for the Demons, the Mark Neeld era starts on Saturday. The club has had to deal with two difficult situations - the off-field issues concerning Liam Jurrah and the sad passing of Jim Stynes. Both have been unique circumstances for the club and Neeld. Despite Neeld’s compassion for the situations, he remains hellbent on making sure his troops will be 100 per cent committed to the cause on Saturday. It will be a significant occasion for Neeld, but he has enough experience in the game to be focused on the task at hand. For the Lions, they haven’t defeated Melbourne at the MCG since 1999. They enter as underdogs with the bookies, but can’t be taken lightly. It won’t be easy for both sides, but it should be a fascinating opener at the home of football.