Demons hope to mark Green’s 250 in style

The presentations and video montage have already been made but the celebrations for Melbourne’s Brad Green’s 250th AFL game may not go to script if the Kangaroos have a say in it.

The Demons face a rampant North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon with the Kangaroos looking to solidify their top-eight position and continue their winning record against Melbourne which dates back to 2006.

North skipper Andrew Swallow also wants to make it a game to remember after announcing on Friday he’ll be at the club until 2015 after signing a contract extension.

While the 16th-placed Demons are unlikely to celebrate a win, they’ve already acknowledged the milestone game of former skipper Green which coach Mark Neeld described as a “amazing achievement”.

“We had a bit of a presentation to Brad and it was really good, it’s an amazing achievement.

“I don’t think there will be too many more people to play that, just with the demands of the game.

“We showed a video of some of Brad’s highlights, 250 games is something to celebrate, it’s pretty special.”

Despite being the oldest player in the club at 31, off-contract Green isn’t showing his age.

“He’s been our most effective forward, most dangerous forward, I think he’s kicked the most goals since he’s been back two or three weeks.”

The Melbourne coach had a simple answer to stopping North’s tall forward Drew Petrie, who has two hauls of seven goals from his past two games.

He nailed five in the final quarter last round to steer his side to a heart-stopping win over Richmond.

“Keep the ball at the other end of the ground,” Neeld said of stopping Petrie.

“The Kangaroos have got some tall boys down and there and Drew’s in great nick.

“It will be a battle between the midfielders … gee the Kangaroos boys go when they win the clearances.

“We need to be aware of that and be ready to go with them.”

Troubled forward Liam Jurrah, who has been ordered to face trial over an alleged machete attack on his cousin earlier this year, returned to the club from Alice Springs on Friday morning.

Jurrah hasn’t played since May when he injured his ankle but Neeld hoped to have him back in the top line-up before long.

“He won’t play this weekend but we can expect him to be playing the following weekend at (VFL affiliate) Casey.

“We need Liam from a football point of view … to show us he’s committed to his training program and get out there and start playing football again.”

Neeld also believed Jack Watts could return next round with his high grade ankle sprain taking longer than expected to heal.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!