Round 18 match preview: Melbourne v Hawthorn
Sunday 24 July, MCG, 2.10 pm (local time)
Teams
Melbourne
B: James Strauss, James Frawley, Daniel Nicholson
HB: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Nathan Jones
C: Jack Trengove, Colin Sylvia, Tom Scully
HF: Ricky Petterd, Liam Jurrah, Luke Tapscott
F: Brad Green, Jack Watts, Addam Maric
FOLL: Mark Jamar, Brent Moloney, Jordie McKenzie
I/C (from): Clint Bartram, Jordie Gysberts, Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn, Stefan Martin, Jeremy Howe, Michael Evans
IN: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn, Michael Evans
OUT: Cale Morton (omitted)
Hawthorn
B: Kyle Cheney, Josh Gibson, Thomas Murphy
HB: Paul Puopolo, Grant Birchall, Brent Guerra
C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Shane Savage
HF: Michael Osborne, Lance Franklin, Liam Shiels
F: Cyril Rioli, David Hale, Shaun Burgoyne
FOLL: Max Bailey, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell
I/C: Xavier Ellis, Clinton Young, Brendan Whitecross, Jordan Lisle, Riley Milne, Luke Breust, Isaac Smith
IN: Jordan Lewis, Brad Sewell, Cyril Rioli, Jordan Lisle
OUT: Matt Suckling (Back)
TV times
Melbourne: Channel 7, 3.00 pm (1 hr delay)
Adelaide: Channel 7, 1.30 pm (live)
Perth: Channel 7, 11.40 pm (replay)
NSW: Channel 7, 2.00 pm (live)
QLD: Channel 7, 2.00 pm (live)
Radio times
Melbourne: 3AW, Triple M
Adelaide: Triple M, FIVEaa
Perth and Darwin: NIRS
Hobart: 7BU, 7XS, 7AD, 7SD
Sydney: 2SM
Form
Melbourne: D, L, W, W, Bye, L, W, L, L, L, W, L, W, W, L, Bye, W.
Hawthorn: L, W, W, W, L, Bye, W, W, W, W, W, L, W, W, L, W, Bye.
Ladder position
Melbourne: 9th
Hawthorn: 3rd
Head-to-head
Played: 153
Melbourne: 74 wins
Hawthorn: 79 wins
Drawn: 0
At this ground:
Played : 73
Melbourne: 35 wins
Hawthorn: 38 wins
Drawn : 0
Coach v coach
Dean Bailey: 0
Alastair Clarkson: 7
Drawn: 0
Last time they met
Round 2, 2011 - Hawthorn 16.26.122 defeated Melbourne 12.5.77 at the MCG.
How’s stat?
Melbourne’s greatest winning margin ever was against Hawthorn - 141 points, in Round 9, 1926 - the year of Melbourne’s second VFL premiership. It was the final in a sequence of five wins, and was said to be one of the easiest victories in Melbourne’s history, played on an extremely wet, muddy MCG. Harry Moyes kicked six goals, and acting captain Ivor Warne-Smith controlled the entire games, as well as kicking three goals himself.
Recent streak
Hawthorn has a current win streak over Melbourne of 7 games, by an average of 42 points.
Injury list
Melbourne:
Rohan Bail (knee) 2 weeks , Aaron Davey (knee) Test, Jack Grimes (foot) season , Joel Macdonald (knee) 1 week , Michael Newton (foot) - 1-2 weeks, Tom Scully Knee - Test, Jake Spencer (knee) season
Hawthorn
Chance Bateman (ankle) -test, Stephen Gilham (knee) -indefinite, Jordan Lisle (fractured cheekbone) test, Angus Litherland (foot) indefinite, Brent Renouf (gall bladder) TBC, Jarryd Roughead (Achilles) indefinite, Ryan Schoenmakers (foot) test, Ben Stratton (knee) indefinite
Summary
This season has seen a trend of teams losing after having the bye, which could work in the Demons’ favour, with the Hawks having last week off. However, the Demons’ home game in the hot conditions of Darwin could have potentially impacted on the players’ recovery, and in turn impact the players’ ability to run out this Sunday’s game. After a 45 point loss in Round 2, the Demons will be keen to prove they have improved against the Hawks.
Players to watch
Melbourne:
Jordie Gysberts
At the ripe age of 20, Gysberts has made a considerable impact to the Demons midfield this season. Only missing one game since Round 2, Gysberts collected a second Rising Star Nomination to add to the one he earned last season. Last time the Demons met Hawthorn - in Round 2, Gysberts was sidelined through injury. The young midfielder has averaged 20 touches and 4 tackles per game this season in a midfield where fellow young guns Trengove, Scully and McKenzie often get the kudos.
Hawthorn:
Cyril Rioli
Back from two weeks off due to a hamstring strain, livewire forward Rioli will be eager to get back in the game. After dominating in the win against the Demons early this season with 29 disposals, Rioli will be out to prove he hasn’t been hindered by the soft tissue injury that has hampered his season.
Match-up to watch
Sam Mitchell v Jordie McKenzie
Sam Mitchell has been enjoying one of his best seasons, accumulating an average of 32.4 possessions per game, eight more than any of his Hawthorn team mates. In an effort to shut down Mitchell’s domination, he is likely to be tagged by midfielder, Jordie McKenzie. McKenzie has played an integral tagging role since returning to the side mid-season, and he last week kept Port midfielder Travis Boak to only 15 possessions.
Most disposals in 2011
Melbourne: Brent Moloney (367)
Hawthorn: Sam Mitchell (453)
Most marks in 2011
Melbourne: Jack Watts (81)
Hawthorn: Grant Birchall (111)
Most tackles in 2011
Melbourne: Brent Moloney (83)
Hawthorn: Liam Shiels (88)
Most goals in 2011
Melbourne: Liam Jurrah (33)
Hawthorn: Lance Franklin (46)
Memorable match
One of the most memorable games ever for Melbourne came against Hawthorn, in Round 17, 1946. It was a 37 point win to the Demons, consolidating their place in the finals. But there was something more to this game, played on the MCG. It was the first game that Melbourne had played on the MCG since the 1941 Grand Final. Since then, the MCG had been a wartime ‘home’ to the American Marines and the RAAF, with Melbourne calling the Punt Road Oval ‘home’ for the duration.
Foot in both camps
Gordon Bowman, Cameron Bruce, Michael Byrne, Robert Campbell, 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 Dean Bailey says …
"I think at times when we controlled the speed of the game on those four or five occasions, it was certainly a lot better than we did last year so we certainly improved in that area”
What @DemonsHQ is saying …
mooks88 Michael O'Brien
Just watching the @DemonsHQ replay vs PA on One HD, loved seeing @jtren9 sticking up for Tom Scully at qtr time. And @ThaBigRush as well!
camcarlyjimmy CarlyBreeRoss
@DemonsHQ fantastic news about Austin. Looking forward to seeing him strap on the boots for the red and the blue!!!
blandda David Bland
@DemonsHQ Great news ! Best of luck Aussie we know you'll make everyone proud up there!
Key Melbourne question
Can Melbourne match it with a top three side to prove they are finals contenders?
