THERE was once a coach of another football code that described a draw as like dancing with your sister.

So it must appear a little weird that we all enjoyed the 3-3 draw against Brisbane so much but I guess that was all balanced out by the disappointment felt after the 1-1 draw with Newcastle on Thursday night.
 
To add to the disappointment of seeing those two points disappear in the dying minutes was the news that key midfielder Billy Celeski would be out for a year after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament.
 
Outside of Carlos Hernandez, Celeski's name is always one that you want to see come up on the big screen before the game. He provides that all-important link between the defence and the attacking third and his absence will be sorely felt for the remainder of the season and even our ACL campaign.
 
On Thursday night, it was quite evident without the presence of both Hernandez and Celeski on the field that Melbourne struggled to create any real threat against a well-disciplined Newcastle defence. There was no imagination or creativity whatsoever.
 
It will be interesting to see how Melbourne line up in the midfield for what is shaping as a must-win match against Wellington next week, especially if Hernandez doesn't line up as expected.

It was quite obvious to all and sundry that the Broxham/Brebner combination in earlier games didn't work and even the introduction of Nick Ward didn't have the desired impact on Thursday night.
 
With Celeski on the long-term injury list, Melbourne now have the opportunity to sign a replacement player outside of the salary cap.

However, with the transfer window closed it makes any overseas player (unless they are a free agent) unlikely with Gary Cole and co more likely to be scouring the state leagues for a possible midfield replacement. It will be interesting to see which way they go.
 
The next few weeks are crucial for Victory with there being a distinct need for the team to go on a streak of wins to keep in touch with the league leaders. The loss of Celeski will certainly make this task all the more difficult.