Melbourne's maulers well able to keep the pot boiling

DERBY DAYS:The ability of these neighbours to conjure up-to-date, enthralling encounters has kept the rivalry at the top of the billing, writes DAMIAN CULLEN

WE’RE OVER-DOSING. Millions of sports fans are. Every shot, every save, every score, from every angle, and from what seems like every game is now shown on television. Every day.

The entertainment is instant, or it’s discarded – with the constant exposure lessening our tolerance for traditional rivalries, many of which were carefully cultivated for more than a century.

Since 2003, the Australian Rules’ premier division hold a Rivalry Round – when long-term grudges get an airing on the one day. This season it’s set for the last weekend in July, with Carlton and Collingwood usually taking the top-billing, hoping to relive some of their famous clashes of the 1970s.

Similarly, no preview of the other two in the Big Four Melbourne clubs – Essendon and Richmond – is ever complete without reference to distant clashes, particularly the Battle of Windy Hill in 1974, when players and officials provided some spectacular half-time entertainment by indulging in a free-for-all.

But those battles mean little for the fans who will attend the AFL’s big games this weekend. This is a “what-have-you-done-for-me- in-the-past-six-months” world.

With the 2009 AFL season just past halfway, St Kilda and Geelong have been the success stories, with both maintaining an incredible 100 per cent record. In fact, before last weekend, only five teams in the history of the AFL had begun a season with 12 consecutive victories.

This Sunday, St Kilda – who include Colm Begley in their squad after the Laois man left the Brisbane Lions – host Richmond.

The same day, in one of the most eagerly anticipated matches of the weekend, Geelong host Port Adelaide at the excellently named Skilled Stadium. This one is all about recent clashes. Recent history. In fact, the first time Port Adelaide beat Geelong was only 12 years ago, and the intense rivalry between the clubs is even more recent – in fact, it’s really only two seasons old.

Port Adelaide caught Geelong snoozing late in their 2007 league match, with Domenic Cassisi’s goal with six seconds left leaving Geelong no time to respond. For that, they had to wait until the Grand Final five weeks later, when Geelong beat the 2004 AFL champions by a record, and extraordinary, 119 points – which makes Kilkenny’s victory over Waterford last September look quite competitive by comparison.

And for those adhering to the modern bible of all that matters is the here and now, Essendon fans will be welcoming the visit of Carlton this weekend.

As you would expect with the two most successful clubs in a league, Carlton and Essendon have a long, storied rivalry, but it won’t be distant memories that brings witnesses to the MCG on Friday.

Essendon played at the MCG at Easter in the third round of this season’s league, and shocked the hot-favourites 116-112 in front of more than 70,000 spectators. Carlton featured just one player with Irish blood that day, Ryan “Hoops” Houlihan, with Setanta Ó hÁilpín then still in exile following a pre-season training altercation with team-mate Cameron Cloke.

The Cork man was back with Carlton by the fifth round, and earlier this month played his 50th AFL game, kicking a goal in Carlton’s victory in Brisbane. And last week he put in a starring performance against St Kilda. He is sure to start against Essendon, though brother Aisake and Michael Shields have left Carlton and are back in Cork.

On the other side, Michael Quinn missed the round three clash, despite making his debut for Essendon in the victory against Fremantle in the previous round – thereby taking the record from Collingwood’s Martin Clarke as the quickest to make the transition from Gaelic football to Australian Rules – and returning for the following week’s clash with North Melbourne.

Essendon and Carlton have several scores to settle, recent scores – not least the 1999 Preliminary Final when Carlton edged the bookies favourites by a single point (104-103) in front of more than 80,000 at the MCG.

But just as galling for Essendon fans was the Rivalry Round game two seasons ago.

Essendon were no fewer than 48 points ahead close to half-time at the MCG when Carlton suddenly clicked. Brendan Fevola kicked eight goals, with Carlton completing one of the greatest comebacks in the game’s history with three points to spare.

It has been this ability to conjure up-to-date, enthralling encounters that has kept the rivalry at the top of the billing. Every few years, the rivalry finds a new focus. In the 1990s, it concerned an Irishman.

Seán Denham was one of those tough, no-nonsense footballers devotees of the AFL love – happy to rob possession, make the hard yards and then lay the ball off to one of the sharp-shooters on the Essendon team. It regularly brought him into contact with the hardmen on other teams. And when Carlton provided the opposition, that meant local hero Greg Williams.

Games were regularly marked by off-play exchanges between the two – most notably in their final opportunity to settle their differences – in Williams’ final AFL season, 1997.

The two were exchanging pleasantries when an umpire attempted to intervene. Williams pushed him away to continue the bout with Denham. The AFL, which had often looked the other way in clashes between the players, couldn’t ignore the incident with the umpire, and the heavy suspension handed down, in Williams’ final season, ended his career.

But it didn’t damage the rivalry between the clubs. That appears to be constant. Only the reasons for the grudges keep changing.

Essendon v Carlton

Friday– MCG, Yarra Park, Melbourne

7.40pm (local time) 10.40am(Irish)