2014 Melbourne Football Club season

• With Paul Roos coaching his first pre-season game for Melbourne, The Demons appeared to show signs of their horrendous 2013 form by conceding a rapid goal to Chris Newman from a midfield clearance in the first minute of play.
• Melbourne however began to show signs of observable improvement in the midfield by dominating much of the possession and finding other running free players on the wings and through the middle of the ground.
• Though Melbourne scored 7 behinds before they were able to score their first goal, they kicked three goals in a row to take the lead away from Richmond.
• The rest of the match appeared to be an arm-wrestle between the two teams as Richmond were able to move the ball forward by long direct passes in contrast to Melbourne's collective short passing.
• With Melbourne leading narrowly 86–84 late in the final quarter, a shunted sideways kick from David Astbury just outside Melbourne's 50 saw Jay Kennedy Harris gain possession of the ball, run all the way up to the goal square and put the margin out of Richmond's reach.
• Melbourne's 14-point win was highlighted by their domination in the possession count winning it 446-263, a complete reversal to the trend that happened in 2013.

• Melbourne started the match similar to their game-plan from 2 weeks ago by maintaining possession of the ball. However Geelong's midfield pressure was too good for Melbourne to gain territory with and hence they were able to continuously rebound the ball back inside their forward 50 to take a 23 point lead at half-time.
• Melbourne fought back in the second quarter by finding running loose players and gathering momentum. Trailing by 17 points midway through the second quarter they were able to kick 2 super-goals in a row through Viv Michie and Bernie Vince to lead for the first time in the game.
• Geelong however managed to re-control Melbourne's running momentum and kick the next 5 goals in a row to drag the match out of Melbourne's reach.
• Melbourne managed to fight back in the final quarter keeping Geelong goalless and scoring 1 supergoal and 2 goals, but it happened too late in the game when Geelong were in cool down mode.
• Despite Geelong dominating the inside 50 count 62-31, Melbourne did manage to beat them in the disposal count 444-350

• Melbourne appeared to be in the game with the 2013 premiers only trailing by 9 points at quarter time. However a string of 10 consecutive goals from Hawthorn destroyed any chance of Melbourne displaying another promising pre-season match.
• Hawthorn would only continue to dominate Melbourne with contested possessions for the rest of the game as they extended the margin beyond 3 figures in front of a full attendance at Casey Fields.

• Despite lacking a forward line with Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes or Jesse Hogan, the new Paul Roos-led Melbourne entered the game as favourites against St Kilda (who were depleted of their key midfielders) for the first time in 10 years.
• Melbourne got off to a good start scoring the first 2 goals of the game off St Kilda clangers. However once St Kilda gained composure in their backline, Melbourne struggled to deliver the ball effectively into their forward 50.
• From there on, a lackluster game full of clangers from both sides was played. Melbourne struggled to deliver the ball inside their 50 without the presence of a key forward as St Kilda were able to score from turnovers via their key forwards in Nick Riewoldt and Rhys Stanley.
• With St Kilda leading by 33 points midway through the third term, Melbourne staged a mini comeback. However it was to no avail as Melbourne were unable to capitalize on their opportunities inside their forward 50.
• Despite losing by 17 points, Melbourne easily won the disposal count 408-348 and the inside 50 count 47-38.

Debut(s): Alexis Georgiou, Jay Kennedy Harris
Debut(s) for MFC: Daniel Cross (Western Bulldogs) , Viv Michie (Fremantle) , Dom Tyson (Greater Western Sydney) , Bernie Vince (Adelaide)
Milestone(s): Jimmy Toumpas (1st AFL Goal) , Dean Terlich (1st AFL Goal)
Brownlow Votes: Nick Riewoldt (St Kilda) 3 votes, Clinton Jones (St Kilda) 2 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 0 Wins, 1 Loss, 0 Draws (75.00%)
Ladder Position: 12th
Substitutes: Jay Kennedy Harris Tom McDonald

• Still lacking their three first choice forwards, Melbourne again struggled to score and were torn apart by the Eagles' embarrassment of riches. West Coast restricted the Demons to a point in the first quarter, and after it took them almost six minutes to get the first goal of the game the Eagles then piled on another five to open up a match winning lead.
• Melbourne matched their opponents on most of the key disposal stats, but turnover goals and an inability to find targets inside 50 cost them dearly. They managed just 30 points for the day, one of their lowest scores of the AFL era - equal to their second lowest total in 2013.

Milestone(s): Jay Kennedy Harris (1st AFL Goal)
Brownlow Votes: Luke Shuey (West Coast) 3 votes, Andrew Gaff (West Coast) 2 votes, Chris Masten (West Coast) 1 vote
Record: 0 Wins, 2 Losses, 0 Draws (42.41%)
Ladder Position: 18th
Substitutes: Jay Kennedy Harris Jack Fitzpatrick

• Melbourne's 12th straight loss, dating back to midway through the previous season, saw them back in last place. Coach Paul Roos had shuffled his side, sending Jeremy Howe to the backline and both Lynden Dunn and James Frawley forward. Dunn had form as an attacker, but it was the first time Frawley, the former All Australian full-back, had played a whole game up front.
• Rain made scoring difficult. There were heavy falls before the match and more during the game. It contributed to a first quarter with just 10 points scored, one goal to the Giants and none to Melbourne. It was the first Melbourne game to have less than 10 points scored in total in the first quarter since Round 12, 1961.
• The error-strewn match remained tight throughout the day, with both times committing terrible skill errors. Melbourne pulled in front during the third quarter, and again in the opening seconds of the last but the Giants' endeavour won out and they dominated the tackle count despite also comfortably winning the disposals.
• After James Frawley kicked his first goal as a forward early in the last, the Giants took over and booted five of the last six goals to win comfortably.

Brownlow Votes: Shane Mumford (Greater Western Sydney) 3 votes, Adam Treloar (Greater Western Sydney) 2 votes, Callan Ward (Greater Western Sydney) 1 vote
Record: 0 Wins, 3 Losses, 0 Draws (47.41%)
Ladder Position: 18th
Substitutes: Jay Kennedy Harris Shannon Byrnes

• After 12 consecutive losses, Melbourne broke their equal seventh longest club losing streak to keep the Blues winless for 2014.
• Carlton started well with two goals in the first three minutes, the first coming from the centre bounce when Melbourne gave away a free kick and a 50 metre penalty, but managed just four more for the rest of the game.
• In a game containing all the skill errors that you'd expect between two teams who entered the game 0-3, Melbourne lost most of the statistical categories but successfully chased and tackled enough to rattle the Blues. It didn't hurt that Carlton were terribly inaccurate in front of goal, with nine straight behinds from midway through the first quarter until late in the second and another five in a row early in the last quarter.
• The Demons welcomed Chris Dawes back for his first game of the year and he kicked two goals from outside 50, linking up well with makeshift forward James Frawley who kicked two goals of his own and took 14 marks.
• Two late first quarter goals narrowed the margin to two points before the Demons jumped out to a 17 point lead in the second quarter. Nathan Jones took time out from winning a comfortable victory over Marc Murphy to kick a goal on the run from the boundary line, and both Frawley and Lynden Dunn added goals. Two goals in three minutes to David Ellard allowed the Blues to drag the margin back to four points at the long break.
• With Carlton already having made their substitution due to injury in the first quarter, and carrying two other players who were hurt, it took 12 minutes for the first goal to be scored in the second half but Melbourne got two in a row to open up a 16 point lead. Two more late in the quarter, the second to Rohan Bail after a controversial relayed free kick after ruckman Robert Warnock was reported for striking Jake Spencer restored a 21 point lead going into the last quarter.
• Carlton did all the attacking in the first 10 minutes of the last quarter but managed just five behinds before Jack Watts marked in front of goal and kicked his second to give the Demons some breathing space. After a Michael Evans snap which looked to be rolling through took a right break and was rushed through for a point Carlton goalled through Chris Yarran to keep the game interesting before Cameron Pedersen sealed victory with a speculative snap shot from the boundary line.
• It was Melbourne's first win against Carlton since Round 22, 2007

Brownlow Votes: James Frawley (Melbourne) 3 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 2 votes, Kade Simpson (Carlton) 1 vote
Record: 1 Win, 3 Losses, 0 Draws (63.72%)
Ladder Position: 16th
Substitutes: Michael Evans Dean Terlich

• After an early Gold Coast surge, Melbourne scored their first major with a controversial score review from a James Frawley-bomb outside 50. They then managed to score another 2 quick goals via Chris Dawes and Cameron Pedersen.
• With Melbourne 10 points in front, Gold Coast uplifted their tacking pressure. However they were very wasteful in-front of goal and only managed to reduce the deficit one point at quarter time.
• For much of the second quarter, Gold Coast continued to out tackle Melbourne and continuously force turn-overs before Melbourne could move the ball past the midfield. Despite the fact that they continued to be wasteful early in the second quarter, they were eventually able to capitalise on their continual inside 50s and open up a 26 point lead heading into half time.
• The third quarter finally saw Melbourne uplift their running intensity and ball movement through the middle of the ground. They were able to generate scoring opportunities in-front of goal. However they couldn't capitalise on them and only won the quarter by a point.
• The final quarter saw Nathan Jones reel the deficit down to 13 points midway through it. However a controversial high tackle free kick and goal that was paid to Gary Ablett and goal on the run from David Swallow made the deficit too difficult for Melbourne to come back from.
• Melbourne could only manage to cut the margin down to 7 points in junk time as Gold Coast won their third consecutive match against Melbourne.

Brownlow Votes: Gary Ablett, Jr. (Gold Coast) 3 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 2 votes, Michael Rischitelli (Gold Coast) 1 vote
Record: 1 Win, 4 Losses, 0 Draws (69.32%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Michael Evans Dom Tyson

• For the first time, Paul Roos coached against his old premiership coached side.
• Sydney began the game scoring 2 early goals, before Shannon Byrnes kicked the first major of the night for Melbourne from a free kick.
• Melbourne and Sydney both had patches of dominating play throughout the first quarter with many missed opportunities. However late in the first quarter Sydney were able to score consecutive goals and run away with a 21 point lead.
• In a sloppy second quarter filled with hard tackling but many errors from both sides, Melbourne were able to keep Sydney to a goalless quarter, the first time against any team since round 21, 2012. Melbourne too were inefficient with their forward 50 entries however, only managing a single goal through Chris Dawes.
• The second half saw both sides launch take more fluent football from both sides. However Sydney's class allowed them to capitalise on more scoring opportunities than Melbourne. They outscored the Demons 4 goals to 2 up to the midway point of the final quarter.
• A goal from debutant Christian Salem regained some hope of a comeback, before Sydney retaliated with one more goal of their own. From many missed opportunities in the final quarter Sydney unconvincingly hopped away to a 31 point win.

Debut(s): Christian Salem
Milestone(s): Rohan Bail (50th AFL Game), Christian Salem (1st AFL Goal)
Brownlow Votes: Dan Hannebery (Sydney) 3 votes, Kieren Jack (Sydney) 2 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 1 Win, 5 Losses, 0 Draws (67.30%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Christian Salem Neville Jetta

• With Patrick Dangerfield booting an early goal within the first minute of the game, Melbourne appeared to be in for yet another interstate thrashing by Adelaide.
• Melbourne were however able to halt the home crowd from buoying Adelaide with their high-possession game as seen from the start of the season.
• With Melbourne halting off Adelaide's momentum completely, they managed to launch their own corridor offense late in the first quarter to kick the next 4 goals through Rohan Bail, Jay Kennedy Harris, Christian Salem and Jack Watts.
• Melbourne continued to shock the local crowd in the second quarter. Through Chris Dawes' marking strength as well as an overhead handball to Jack Viney, Melbourne kicked an extra 3 goals in a row to lead by 36 points midway through the second quarter.
• Adelaide gradually wrestled back control of the game by dominating the clearances and inside 50's to boot the next 4 goals of the game. However a free-kick and goal to Chris Dawes just before 3 quarter time, managed to temporarily halt off Adelaide's momentum.
• Despite kicking in the breeze, Adelaide continued their offense through the corridor to get within a kick from the lead. However a high tackle free kick and goal from the boundary line from Nathan Jones; contested overhead mark and goal in the goal-square from Mark Jamar as well as a hard ball get and shot from Dom Tyson took the game out of Adelaide's reach.
• With Melbourne holding on by 3 points late in the game, a Rohan Bail clearance and bomb into Melbourne's empty 50 ensured that Melbourne would win their first game in South Australia since Round 2, 2001.

Brownlow Votes: Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide) 3 votes, Chris Dawes (Melbourne) 2 votes, Jeremy Howe (Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 2 Wins, 5 Losses, 0 Draws (71.82%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Christian Salem Alex Georgiou

• Melbourne entered the game wearing a one off female silhouetted pink-vee jumper in support of the Breast Cancer Network Australia. This was their second time promoting the organization since Round 7, 2010.
• The Western Bulldogs got off to an early lead by kicking the first 2 goals before James Frawley and Chris Dawes kick-started Melbourne's night to close the lead to 8 points at quarter time.
• With Stewart Crameri kicking the Bulldogs off to a match high 14 point lead; a running mark and set-shot from ex-Bulldog Daniel Cross, 50+ metre bomb from Cameron Pedersen and 50 metre boundary line set-shot from Jay Kennedy Harris got Melbourne within 2 points of the lead at half time.
• Melbourne took the lead for the first time of the game when Jay-Kennedy Harris kicked a roving goal from 40 metres before the Bulldogs took the lead back immediately.
• Despite the Bulldogs being able to reply immediately to Melbourne's goals; majors from Dom Tyson, Mark Jamar, Bernie Vince and Chris Dawes gave Melbourne a slim 5 point lead heading into the final quarter.
• Whilst the Bulldogs kicked 2 quick consecutive goals at the start of the final term, a running shot at goal by Christian Salem and a long drop punt by Dom Tyson leveled the scores up.
• With Bulldogs 6 points in-front very late in the game, a running shot that was missed from Matt Jones could've altered the lead for the 11th time in the half.
• Melbourne tired out in the final minutes of the game and conceded the last 2 goals of the game in a hard fought contest.

Brownlow Votes: Tom Liberatore (Western Bulldogs) 3 votes, Stewart Crameri (Western Bulldogs) 2 votes, Dom Tyson (Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 2 Wins, 6 Losses, 0 Draws (73.65%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Christian Salem Dean Terlich

• One minute of applause was held for Australian Football League legend Tom Hafey who died earlier in the week.
• Melbourne were quick to put Richmond on the back-foot with Nathan Jones kicking the first major of the day.
• Despite generating most of the running offense first half, Melbourne were unable to capitalise on their opportunities and allowed Richmond to open up a 12 point lead midway through the second quarter. However a mark and goal from Jack Watts; a running shot from outside 50 from Matt Jones that bounded through for a goal and a contested mark and set shot goal from former Adelaide midfielder Aidan Riley put Melbourne 6 points in front just before half time.
• The third quarter saw Richmond generating many scoring opportunities, but be wasteful with them. Meanwhile goals from Dom Tyson, Chris Dawes, Cameron Pedersen and Jack Viney saw Melbourne retake the lead at three quarter time.
• In the final quarter, Richmond challenged Melbourne's lead by kicking more accurately for goal. However goals on the run from Cameron Pedersen and Bernie Vince held off the fight-back, before Jack Watts and Jay Kennedy Harris put the game out of Richmond's reach.

Debut(s) for MFC: Aidan Riley
Brownlow Votes: Nathan Jones (Western Bulldogs) 3 votes, Dustin Martin (Richmond) 2 votes, Dom Tyson (Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 3 Wins, 6 Losses, 0 Draws (78.70%)
Ladder Position: 14th
Substitutes: Jay Kennedy Harris Aidan Riley

Brownlow Votes: Dom Tyson (Melbourne) 3 votes, Kane Cornes (Port Adelaide) 2 votes, Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide) 1 vote
Record: 3 Wins, 7 Losses, 0 Draws (78.73%)
Ladder Position: 15th
Substitutes: Jimmy Toumpas Max Gawn

Milestone(s): Tom McDonald (50th AFL Game)
Brownlow Votes: Bernie Vince (Melbourne) 3 votes, Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood) 2 votes, Clinton Young (Collingwood) 1 vote
Record: 3 Wins, 8 Losses, 0 Draws (76.51%)
Ladder Position: 15th
Substitutes: Jay Kennedy Harris Mark Jamar

Brownlow Votes: Lynden Dunn (Melbourne) 3 votes, David Zaharakis (Essendon) 2 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 8 Losses, 0 Draws (78.45%)
Ladder Position: 14th
Substitutes: Christian Salem Aidan Riley

Brownlow Votes: Bernie Vince (Melbourne) 3 votes, Scott Thompson (North Melbourne) 2 votes, Levi Greenwood (North Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 9 Losses, 0 Draws (76.76%)
Ladder Position: 15th
Substitutes: Aidan Riley Christian Salem

Debut(s): Dominic Barry
Milestones: Neville Jetta (50th AFL Game)
Brownlow Votes: Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs) 3 votes, Mark Jamar (Melbourne) 2 votes, Jeremy Howe (Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 10 Losses, 0 Draws (78.08%)
Ladder Position: 15th
Substitutes: Dominic Barry Dean Terlich

Brownlow Votes: Nat Fyfe (Fremantle) 3 votes, Michael Barlow (Fremantle) 2 votes, Lachie Neale (Fremantle) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 11 Losses, 0 Draws (74.74%)
Ladder Position: 16th
Substitutes: Dominic Barry Max Gawn

Brownlow Votes: Joel Selwood (Geelong) 3 votes, Steve Johnson (Geelong) 2 votes, Harry Taylor (Geelong) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 12 Losses, 0 Draws (71.77%)
Ladder Position: 16th
Substitutes: Dean Terlich Neville Jetta

Brownlow Votes: Dom Tyson (Melbourne) 3 votes, Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide) 2 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 13 Losses, 0 Draws (72.98%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Dean Kent Aidan Riley

Brownlow Votes: Stefan Martin (Brisbane Lions) 3 votes, Nathan Jones (Melbourne) 2 votes, Rohan Bewick (Brisbane Lions) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 14 Losses, 0 Draws (72.78%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Jay Kennedy Harris Luke Tapscott

Brownlow Votes: Jordan Lewis (Hawthorn) 3 votes, Liam Shiels (Hawthorn) 2 votes, Jarryd Roughead (Hawthorn) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 15 Losses, 0 Draws (71.62%)
Ladder Position: 16th
Substitutes: Aidan Riley Rohan Bail

Brownlow Votes: Devon Smith (Greater Western Sydney) 3 votes, Rhys Palmer (Greater Western Sydney) 2 votes, Dylan Shiel (Greater Western Sydney) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 16 Losses, 0 Draws (69.51%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Aidan Riley Jack Grimes

Milestone(s): Bernie Vince (150th AFL Game), Chris Dawes(100th AFL Game)
Brownlow Votes: Mark LeCras (West Coast) 3 votes, Chris Masten (West Coast) 2 votes, Andrew Gaff (West Coast) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 17 Losses, 0 Draws (67.89%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Christian Salem Colin Garland

Milestone(s): Mark Jamar (150th AFL Game) Tom McDonald (1st AFL Goal)
Brownlow Votes: Dom Tyson (Melbourne) 3 votes, Andrew Swallow (North Melbourne) 2 votes, Ben Brown (North Melbourne) 1 vote
Record: 4 Wins, 18 Losses, 0 Draws (68.37%)
Ladder Position: 17th
Substitutes: Aidan Riley Max Gawn