Demon has last laugh
Wednesday, August 09, 2000
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BIG-talking David Schwarz is not afraid to speak his mind, and there's a lot on it.
Too many people have dismissed the Demons this season -- to their own detriment, according to the powerful forward.
But Melbourne, which snared third place on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season, has proved its critics wrong.
''Maybe a lot of people have underestimated us and should take a closer look and say 'Well, the Demons are in there with a big chance','' Schwarz said yesterday.
He said Melbourne would go into Sunday's qualifying final against Carlton at the MCG with supreme confidence after clinically disposing of West Coast at Subiaco at the weekend.
''We have as good a chance as any this year. We're probably the in-form side at the moment,'' Schwarz said.
''And while we're keeping a lid on it, certainly we rate ourselves a pretty good chance. We've got a lot of depth and are pretty injury-free, so we're in pretty good nick.''
The 136-game veteran said the lack of recognition given to the Demons extended to this year's All-Australian side, with the magical Jeff Farmer the only player to earn a place in the team.
''I still think a lot of the critics underestimate us and underestimate a lot of our players,'' Schwarz said.
''I thought Adem Yze and Shane Woewodin and maybe Jeff White were a little bit stiff not to make it.
''I reckon the side would have been picked two or three weeks ago and Shane and Adem really played well in the last two or three weeks. So if they (selectors) had held off a little bit, they may have scraped in.''
Schwarz, 28, said the only concern was the continued misfortune of star midfielder Stephen Tingay, who is battling a severe back injury and a race against time to return to the seniors.
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