Round 22 match preview: Melbourne v Adelaide Crows

Match details
Sunday, August 26, 4.40 pm (local time), MCG

Broadcast guide

Melbourne
B: Joel Macdonald, Colin Garland, Tom McDonald
HB: Jack Watts, James Frawley, Lynden Dunn
C: Jack Trengove, Jordie McKenzie, Jack Grimes
HF: Sam Blease, Jared Rivers, Rohan Bail
F: Jeremy Howe, Brad Green, Neville Jetta
FOLL: Jake Spencer, Colin Sylvia, Nathan Jones
I/C: James Strauss, Daniel Nicholson, James Sellar, Luke Tapscott
EMG: Jordan Gysberts, Matthew Bate, Tom Couch
IN: Daniel Nicholson
OUT: Tom Couch

Adelaide
B: Sam Shaw, Ben Rutten, Graham Johncock
HB: Michael Doughty, Daniel Talia, Brodie Smith
C: David Mackay, Nathan van Berlo, Bernie Vince
HF: Richard Douglas, Taylor Walker, Jared Petrenko
F: Matthew Wright, Kurt Tippett, Jason Porplyzia
FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Scott Thompson, Patrick Dangerfield
I/C: Brent Reilly, Luke Brown, Ian Callinan, Aidan Riley
EMG: Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch, Jarryd Lyons
IN: Jason Porplyzia, Aidan Riley, Brodie Smith
OUT: Rory Sloane (elbow), Chris Knights, Josh Jenkins

Form
Melbourne: L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, W, L, Bye, W, L, L, L, L, L, W, L, W
Adelaide Crows: W, W, L, W, W, W, W, W, L, W, Bye, W, L, W, W, W, W, L, W, W, L

Ladder position
Melbourne: 16th
Adelaide Crows: 3rd 

Head-to-head
Played: 30
Melbourne: 11
Adelaide Crows: 19
Drawn: 0

At this ground
Played: 12
Melbourne: 7
Adelaide Crows: 5
Drawn: 0

Last time they met
Round 7, 2011: Melbourne 22.17 (149) d Adelaide Crows 8.5 (53) at the MCG

Recent streak
Melbourne won its most recent clash against Adelaide. The Demons have also won three of their past six encounters against the Crows.

Memorable match
First qualifying final, 1998: Melbourne 17.13 (115) d Adelaide Crows 9.13 (67) at the MCG

One of the most memorable meetings between the two sides was in the 1998 finals series. Adelaide, then reigning premiers, encountered Melbourne in the first qualifying final. Twelve members of the Melbourne side were playing in their first final. In defence, Jamie Shanahan limited Tony Modra to just one goal, while after the long break, David Neitz treated all to a goalkicking display, booting four in the third term. At one stage, Melbourne led by 51 points, and at the end of the quarter, the margin was as it would be at the end of the game - 48 points. From there, it was through to a first semi-final showdown with St Kilda, grand finalists of the year before.

Milestones
Melbourne: Brad Green (playing his 254th and final AFL match), James Frawley (100 matches)
Adelaide Crows: Kurt Tippett (100 matches)

Coaching record
Mark Neeld: 20 matches, 4 wins, 0 draws, 16 losses
Brenton Sanderson: 20 matches, 15 wins, 0 draws, 5 losses

Injury list
Melbourne: Clint Bartram (knee) - season, Jamie Bennell (knee) - season, Mitch Clark (foot) - season, Aaron Davey (foot) - season, Max Gawn (knee) - season, Mark Jamar (calf) - test, Stef Martin (foot) - season, Cale Morton (shoulder) - season, Ricky Petterd (Achilles) - season, Rory Taggert (back) - season
Adelaide Crows: Ricky Henderson (ankle) - 1 week, Brodie Martin (hamstring) - available, Jason Porplyzia (shoulder) - test, Brodie Smith (calf) - test, Will Young (shoulder) - TBC

Players to watch
Melbourne: Brad Green
Green will play his 254th and final match against the Crows this round. Only David Neitz (306 matches), Robert Flower (272), Adem Yze (271), Jim Stynes (264) and Steven Febey (258) have played more matches for Melbourne. Green will also finish seventh on the club’s all-time goalkicking table. The 31 year-old has had an outstanding career for the Demons - and has played some good matches in the second half of this season, highlighted by five goals against Gold Coast in round 19.

Adelaide Crows: Scott Thompson
It seems an eternity since Thompson played for Melbourne - he played 39 matches for the Demons from 2001-04 - but he has since become one of the competition’s elite midfielders and is a genuine contender for this year’s Brownlow Medal. Last round, Thompson amassed 32 disposals against the Brisbane Lions, giving him 592 touches for the season.

Match-up to watch
James Frawley/Tom McDonald v Kurt Tippett/Taylor Walker
Frawley will have the task of minding either Tippett or Walker - the two key talls in attack for Adelaide. Expect young Demon Tom McDonald to take the other. The two sets of match ups should provide fascinating sub-plots to the overall match.

Most disposals
Melbourne: Nathan Jones (474)
Adelaide Crows: Scott Thompson (592)

Most marks
Melbourne: Jeremy Howe/Jack Grimes (112)
Adelaide Crows: Brent Reilly (116)

Most tackles
Melbourne: Jordie McKenzie (108)
Adelaide Crows: Nathan van Berlo (108)

Most goals
Melbourne: Mitch Clark (29)
Adelaide Crows: Taylor Walker (49)

How’s stat?
Since 2005, Melbourne and Adelaide have played at the MCG five times. The Demons have won on four occasions.

Foot in both camps
Those who have been involved with both clubs include: Matthew Collins, Neil Craig, Danny Hughes, Anthony Ingerson, Trent Ormond-Allen, Nick Pesch, Clay Sampson, Scott Thompson, Peter Vardy

What Mark Neeld says …
“We know the season that Adelaide has had - they’re leading the competition in a couple of areas, noticeably contested possessions and clearances, so we know we’re in for a challenge, but one that our young group is really keen to take head on.”

Key Melbourne question
Melbourne has a good recent record against Adelaide at the MCG. Can the Demons cause an upset in their last home match of the season, and send Brad Green off in style? 

Key Adelaide Crows question
A top two finish and a home final is still right in the mix for the third placed Crows. But they were upset by the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba last round. Will Adelaide be vulnerable again this week, or will it bounce back with a comfortable victory over Melbourne?

Summary
Interestingly, both sides meet for the first time this season in the second last round. It will be the first time that director of sports performance Neil Craig has come up against his former team and ex-Melbourne coach Dean Bailey has encountered his old side. Both teams will have gleaned strong intelligence, although they are playing different styles this year. The other intriguing aspect to this match is that the last time the two sides met, Melbourne smashed Adelaide by 96 points - but that was way back in May last year. Still, combine that with the fact that Melbourne has come off its fourth win of the season against Greater Western Sydney, is facing a team which was upset by the Brisbane Lions last round, and is also farewelling a club great - and Melbourne will take some confidence into the game. But the Demons, having won four matches this season, are up against the Crows, third placed on the ladder with 15 wins. It will take a mighty effort from the Demons if they can overcome the Crows, but it will be a significant challenge.