Learning to win

Darwin Deliverance For Dees

Round 16 – Melbourne Vs Freemantle – Darwin Deliverance For Dees

Liam Chambers – our correspondent in Coffs Harbour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Northern Territory. Hot and a bit humid but always laid back. There was nothing laid back about the Dees performance though. We had to win this game otherwise we would slip out of the top eight and the prospect of finals would sink like a spectacular Darwin sunset. We won every quarter but overall Melbourne was not as convincingly as they needed to be. Twenty four behinds against an injury hit Fremantle was disappointing despite a very good last quarter from the Dees.

However, having said that, I think Melbourne played more as a team than they have all season. That sounds strange considering some of the winning margins they racked up against the likes of Adelaide and the Bulldogs. They defended and tackled decisively and there was a strong sense of camaraderie amongst the players. Eleven team members scored goals and that’s inspiring.

I may have been overly generous last week when I said Petracca played one of his best games of the season; he definitely performed well against the Dockers though. Once he starts scoring consistently he’s going to be unstoppable. Jeff Garlett came back and worried the Freemantle goal but unfortunately only scored once. Maxy Gawn did his party peace missing a sitter directly in front of goal but then scoring from 40 plus metres out and on an angle. Clayton Oliver prove his dexterity with the ball yet again and got 2 goals in his fiftieth game for Melbourne. Neville Jetta played his fiftieth consecutive game for the Dees and was integral as always, despite a few wayward kicks to the opposition.

Jesse Hogan was inconsistent again in front of goal. He has thirty six goals so far this season but he should have had more against Freo, missing some in the first quarter you would think were in the bag. I’m not sure if it’s a confidence issue with Jesse but he has yet to realise his true potential. Jones sent a spectacular shot through the goal posts to inspire the troops and Jack Viney ran himself into the ground. Brayshaw was again superb and even found time to have a punch up with his brother. Christian Salem was almost omnipotent, seemly appearing in several places at once.

With a wealth of talent, including young guns Spargo and Fritsch we shouldn’t be afraid of any team. Harmes, Neal-Bullen, Tom McDonald and Melksham can score a swathe of goals on a given day but we need to find that consistency. Sam Frost was a revelation. We need him to play like that week on week and our defence will be sound.

Next we play the Western Bulldogs again. They will want revenge for the 49 point win we secured in round eleven. They beat Geelong in round fifteen so they are still a dangerous side. If we played like we did in Darwin then we will be very hard to beat. Just how well we can win depends on how well we hone our accuracy in front of goal.

MELBOURNE 2.9 5.15 9.18 13.24 (102)
FREMANTLE 2.0 4.2 6.5 7.6 (48)
GOALS
Melbourne: Oliver 2, Hogan 2, Melksham, Jones, Garlett, T.McDonald, Salem, Gawn, Spargo, Harmes, Neal-Bullen
Fremantle: Cox 2, Sheridan 2, Walters 2, Mundy

Saints Deny Demons At Death

Saints Deny Demons At Death – Round 15 – St Kilda Vs Melbourne

Liam Chambers – our correspondent in Coffs Harbour

Two points! I’ve tried to be Zen about the game but that result would have had Bodhidharma himself putting his boot through the Telly. I wrote a few weeks ago that the difference this season was that we were winning the games we were expected to win. I can’t explain why we played the way we did today or why we were surprised that St Kilda fought so determinedly for the win. I’ve always had a niggling feeling that the Dees are guilty of underestimating some teams. We’ve lost six games this season and there were three games where we scrambled against opponents that on paper we had a very good chance of beating. We were flogged by Hawthorn and made to look very ordinary against Collingwood. Today we didn’t defend well enough and let St Kilda believe they could win.

There were definite positives about the way we played today though. Bayley Fritsch is going to be a star; Jesse Hogan has rediscovered how to score goals and I thought Christian Petracca arguably played one of his best game this year. Gawny again showed why he is the best ruckman in the league.

Having said that we face an uphill battle now to play finals in September. In the last eight games we play Geelong, Sydney and West Coast, as well as resurgent teams GWS and Adelaide, not to mention the Bulldogs. Realistically we need to win five of those eight games. Not a happy thought. This Melbourne team needs to experience finals no matter if they succeed or fail at the first hurdle. Either way it would set them up to really shine in 2019. I’m not writing off the Dees yet and if we can get a good result against Fremantle on Saturday and the Doggies the following week then the fans will start to really believe.

Our stats today were alright except for disposals, kicks and handballs. We had some good moments and the first and final quarters were impressive enough; especially when Jack Viney lifted his game. However, the Saints had more uncontested possessions in the third and dominated inside 50s in the second. I’m sure young Simon had a few choice words to impart at the end of those quarters; especially to Clayton Oliver over his inexplicable tackle giving away a penalty with seconds to go before half-time. That must have given the Saints a boost.

I wasn’t sure about Tom McDonald playing today either. When your best goal kicker is coughing up blood in the previous game then maybe a week’s rest is in order. Anyway, let’s go to the Top End next week and show the skeptics why they shouldn’t write us off just yet.

 

 

 

 

 

MELBOURNE              4.2       9.3       11.6     18.9 (117)
ST KILDA                     4.3       11.6     14.10   18.11 (119)

GOALS

Melbourne: Fritsch 4, Harmes 3, Hogan 3, Brayshaw 2, Petracca, Tyson, T.McDonald, Neal-Bullen, Melksham, Lewis
St Kilda: Gresham 4, Membrey 4, McCartin 2, Savage, Steele, Clark, Newnes, Armitage, Billings, Battle, Steven

 

 

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