Pre-season form is never easy to read, particularly with the relatively new NAB Challenge format that sees different clubs with different agendas from game to game. Melbourne’s NAB Challenge campaign saw coach Paul Roos trial a host of new faces in red and blue with a mix of proven veterans, genuine recycled players and some ‘Moneyball’ style recruits.
Across all three NAB Challenge games against Fremantle, the Western Bulldogs and Essendon, Melbourne produced strong periods before falling away in patches. The arrival of Simon Goodwin in the off-season has already had an effect in the way the Demons play, with a greater impetus now placed on attacking through the corridor via bold run and carry passages of play.
Melbourne’s forward line appeared far more dangerous than in recent years during the pre-season with the highly touted Jesse Hogan and Chris Dawes providing a strong focal point inside attacking 50. Dawes is ineligible to play against the Gold Coast SUNS in round one due to suspension. But the arrival of former Greater Western Sydney key defender Sam Frost has provided the Demons with another option in attack, with Roos using the versatile key position player in attack throughout the NAB Challenge series.
Former Carlton livewire forward Jeff Garlett is on the way to constructing a potent combination with fellow small forward Jay Kennedy-Harris. Garlett started slowly in the NAB Challenge series before kicking two goals against the Bulldogs and then four against Essendon to highlight his quality and genuine X-factor. With Jack Watts playing as a high half-forward, Melbourne suddenly look far more capable of kicking a winning score than they did last year.
Prized draftee Christian Salem spent the majority of his debut season in attack, but he has already demonstrated his polish and class coming off a half-back flank this year. Salem gathered 24 and 22 possessions in the last two NAB Challenge games, with a disposal efficiency of 79.2% across the three pre-season games. Combined with ex-Collingwood premiership star Heritier Lumumba, who averaged 25 disposals at 81.6%, the pair will provide the Demons with dash and dare in 2015. And more importantly, they will retain the ball.
Key Players
Nathan Jones is Melbourne’s greatest asset. The bull terrier has won the Demons' last three best and fairest awards and is now the standalone captain after Jack Grimes vacated the post during the summer. Jones picked up where he left off last season by averaging 22 possessions and five clearances across his three NAB Challenge appearances.
Heading into his second season at the Demons, ball magnet Dom Tyson looks set to build on his sparkling 2014. The former No. 2 draft pick averaged 25 possessions, five clearances and four tackles during the pre-season. His kicking efficiency has been a knock on his game and was a below par 57.1% during the NAB Challenge series.
Heritier Lumumba arrived in controversial circumstances after departing Collingwood and heading just 150m down the road to AAMI Park. But, he has already proven his worth at the Demons, not only on the park but also through his leadership in and around the club. Lumumba was the Demons best player during the NAB Challenge series, kick-starting attack from defense and finding plenty of the ball across half-back and through the middle of the ground.
New Faces
The Demons will have a handful of new faces run out against the SUNS, but none of them will be their highly fancied recruits from last November’s National Draft. Whilst Jeff Garlett and Heritier Lumumba are experienced campaigners, the poaching of Sam Frost and Ben Newton could prove to be a masterstroke by season’s end.
After being forced to wait and wait, Jesse Hogan will finally run out for his first AFL game. There has never been a bigger build up for a debut in the game’s history and with good reason. Hogan was ineligible to play for Melbourne during 2013, but at 17 he won the Casey Scorpions best and fairest and booted 39 goals to demonstrate his prodigious talent. Last season he failed to play after the NAB Challenge series after succumbing to a stress fracture in his back that sidelined him for the duration of 2014. Like all young key position players, Hogan won’t dominate from day one, but he has demonstrated in his attack at the ball that he will make an impact from his opening contest.
Mature-aged rookie Aaron vandenBerg’s feats in the NEAFL last season have become part of football folklore in that part of the world. vandenBerg averaged 32 possessions per game for Canberra club Ainslie last season, with a staggering season high of 56 touches. The ball magnet played as a mobile tall forward during the NAB Challenge series finding the scoreboard with three goals. vandenBerg paired well with Sam Frost with the pair’s attack on the football a feature.
It was no secret that Port Adelaide was bitterly disappointed to lose Ben Newton. The midfielder played only four games in four years at Alberton but given the great depth at the Power, breaking into a midfield boasting Robbie Gray, Travis Boak, Hamish Hartlett, Jared Polec, Brad Ebert and Ollie Wines was no mean feat. Newton averaged 17 possessions over three NAB Challenge appearances to demonstrate his promise.
Sam Frost was highly sought after when he requested a trade back to his native state at the end of last season. After playing 16 games in a breakout year for Greater Western Sydney, he was recruited as a replacement for James Frawley. The 21-year-old has been used as a swingman during the pre-season, playing across half forward in patches, with his aggression in the contest a standout feature of his game.
Angus Brayshaw is a bull terrier who shouldn't take long to transition from underage to senior football. Last years pick No. 3 was not given an opportunity during the NAB Challenge series after a couple of head knocks at training. A dominant display for Casey in a VFL practice match last weekend sealed his spot for round one. The Sandringham Dragons product is renowned for his attack on the ball and should slot in nicely alongside Jack Viney, Dom Tyson, Daniel Cross and Nathan Jones in the Demons midfield.
Key Match Up
If there wasn’t already enough focus on Jesse Hogan heading into his debut, the absence of the suspended Chris Dawes will ensure he experiences an even tougher initiation to league football. Hogan will draw Steven May in a tantalising contest for football fans. May emerged as arguably the game's best young defender during 2014, and Hogan has the potential to develop into one of the competition's best young key forwards in the coming seasons. All eyes will be firmly fixed on how this match up unfolds on Saturday afternoon at the mecca of football.
Injury Cloud
Versatile defender Jeremy Howe heads into Saturday’s match without any game time into his body after also battling a hamstring injury during the last couple of months. The high-flyer was expected to play the final two games of the pre-season but his hamstring complaint lingered, preventing him from getting valuable minutes into his legs ahead of the home and away season. The Demons are confident Howe got sufficient conditioning into his legs before the injury, which occurred during the Demons pre-season camp in Maroochydore in January.
Melbourne's Rd 1 Team
B: Colin Garland, Lynden Dunn, Neville Jetta
HB: Christian Salem, Tom McDonald, Jeremy Howe
C: Heritier Lumumba, Daniel Cross, Ben Newton
HF: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Jimmy Toumpas
F: Jeff Garlett, Sam Frost, Jack Watts
FOLL: Mark Jamar, Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson
I/C: Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Aaron vandenBerg
EMG: Max Gawn, Jack Grimes, Matt Jones