OZmium Sports Betting and Horse Racing Forums - Demons still thinking about 2008

By Andy Morris of betfair.com.au

After 13 games and only one win, Melbourne could be excused for starting to think about names such as Natanui, Rich and

Bailey delivered a selection shock by omitting 265-game veteran ruckman Jeff White for the first time whilst he has been at the club, and opting for Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson to share the rucking duties – a decision which ultimately paid dividends.

The Saints’ omission of star pair Dal Santo and Milne shook up St. Kilda brought them back to the winners’ list and Bailey’s similar move, through White’s axing, was obviously the wake-up call some Demons needed.

Bailey commended his players on their desperation and said he “thought the players were very committed right to the end, which was good."

Whilst the Demons produced their second win of the year winning 14.9 .93 to Brisbane’s 13.14.92. it wasn’t against a Brisbane Lions side that was playing at its peak.

Leigh Matthews’ team weren’t switched on to take on the bottom placed Demons and really lost a game they should have won.

In a bizarre day series of events, the Lions were penalised by the new interchange laws, a goal umpiring error when a point kicked by Bradshaw was deemed to have been kicked out of bounds and a 50 metre penalty because the Lions’ physio ran across Lyndon Dunn’s mark.

The combined heroics of Jonathan Brown’s three last quarter goals and the continued brilliant form of late by Luke Power, who collected over 30 possessions for the third consecutive game, were so close to being enough to take the points from the determined Demons.

With the Demons down by five points with less than two minutes remaining, ’s Brad Miller took a contested mark in the goal square and then kicked his fourth goal to leave 75 nervous seconds for the Demons to not concede a score.

The under-pressure young Demons, with 28-year-old Cameron Bruce being the oldest man playing, fought it out at stoppage after stoppage and recorded a memorable victory against a side likely to play finals football this year.