Determined Dees Ultimately Unable To Destroy Dogs’ Dream

Liam Chambers

Dees keep the Dogs in check

Aaron Naughton opened the scoring after he marked in the pocket, then made sure with the 25m set shot. So far, it had been a high speed, low pressure game with few chances going the Demons’ way.

Up the other end, the Bulldogs were making the most of their opportunities, kicking a second goal off a mistake in defence. Sam Darcy took advantage of his unexpected gift and tapped the ball through from the goal square.

Finally though, Jake Melksham put Melbourne on the board with his thirtieth goal of the season. He had a couple of attempts at the contested mark, but firmly held on and then went back to slot the 25m set shot from directly in front.

Jacob van Rooyen’s earlier attempt at goal was offline, but his second attempt with a 40m set shot was perfect, and it was a one point game. Lachie Bramble brought it back to eight in the Dogs favour with his 45m launch; bouncing the ball in the square and across the line.

Then Jai Culley snapped it back to a single point when he collected the ground ball in front of goal, before spinning around and driving it through the uprights.

Bulldogs narrowly extend their lead in a low scoring quarter

Aaron Naughton again opened the scoring with a contested mark in the pocket, and a clinically executed 45m set shot.

Bailey Fritsch had his first of the day when he ran hard to mark the ball in the right hand pocket, after Kozzy Pickett’s long kick into space. With the shot on his preferred side, the left footer had no problem kicking the round the corner goal.

Lachie McNeil kicked the next goal for the Dogs after his second attempt from the top of the square. It was a low scoring quarter, with the margin continuingly hovering around the ten point mark in the Dogs favour.

Terrific term for the Demons, as they take the lead into three quarter time

Aaron Naughton yet again scored the opener; this time running out to take a contested mark. His 30m conversion from in front of goal gave his side a sixteen point lead.
Then two minutes later, Naughton took a diving mark in front before slotting the 40m set shot.

The Demons were now trailing by twenty one points and desperately needed to do something quickly to stem the Dogs’ momentum.

Then Kade Chandler was paid a free kick in the pocket after his mark was impeded. The set shot was on target, and the Melbourne renaissance began. Bailey Fritsch had his second after some flowing transition footy from the Dees got the sherrin inside 50. The ball bounced 20m in front of goal, favoured Fritsch, who collected and ran on, before tapping it through from the top of the square.

Melbourne then had a couple of chances to take the lead, but were unable to capitalise before Bailey Williams stretched the margin back out to fourteen points, with his tap through from the square.

Kozzy Pickett was having a quiet game by his recent standards, but he made a statement when he scooped up the ground ball, and found a pathway to goal through the Bulldogs defence.

Then another Melbourne surge got the ball back inside 50, where Harvey Langford grabbed it and handpassed to Petty, who then snapped from 10m to reduce the deficit to two points.

The Dees were now in full flow, playing with an urgency not seen in recent times.

Jake Melksham took a brilliantly contested mark deep in the pocket. He took his time to assess his options, before kicking the 40m round the corner set shot, giving Melbourne the lead for the first time in the match. The Demons had little time to enjoy the upper hand before Sam Darcy took back the lead with a 35m set shot.

Then with just over a minute left on the clock, Max Gawn took a contested mark near the top of the square, before going back and kicking his sixth goal of the season, with an around the corner set shot. An upset looked well and truly on the cards, when Christian Petracca collected the bouncing ball inside 50 and ran on towards the unguarded goal, launching from the square to extend the lead out to ten points.

Bulldogs fightback for a narrow win in the final quarter

With their season on the line, the Bulldogs desperately needed the first goal, and they got it when Luke Cleary found himself with enough space inside 50 to launch a kick from 30m, drawing his side to within three points of the Dees. The Dogs then regained the lead, when Ed Richards’ launch from 60m crossed the line.

It wasn’t over yet though, and Harrison Petty’s 30m set shot from the pocket put the Demons back in front. It was also Petty’s one hundred AFL goal.

Ed Richards made it back to back goals with his round the corner set shot from the boundary line, restoring the lead to the Bulldogs in a seesawing final term. Riley Garcia then made it back to back for the Dogs, when his round the body snap from 40m went through.

A ten point lead with twelve minutes on the clock meant the visitors had all the momentum, but Melbourne wasn’t going to die wondering. Harvey Langford is an exciting and talented young player, who will hopefully be at the Dees for many years to come. His brilliantly contested mark in the pocket and his calmly taken round the corner set shot had his side back in contention.

Blake Howes could not have picked a better time to score his first AFL goal. The 50m set shot had the distance and the accuracy to give Melbourne back the advantage, with under nine minutes left to play.
Rhylee West then kicked an enormously important goal, from a difficult angle to again restore the Bulldogs’ lead. Aaron Naughton was able to keep the ball in play after it was going behind for a minor score, before launching from the edge of the square. Ten point lead to Dogs.

When Petty slapped the sherrin into Daniel Turners path as he ran towards the square, the big defender had just enough time to scoop it up and tap it over the line and keep the upset alive.

Unfortunately, the cards didn’t fall Melbourne’s way, and when Sam Darcy took a literally breathtaking mark, the Dogs took control of the ball and prevented the Demons from getting anyway near their goal.
It was a terrific match and was almost one of the upsets of the season. Still, we can be proud of the way our players performed after what was a tumultuous week for the club.

Two extremely difficult games in the final rounds, with Hawthorne first and then reigning premiers Collingwood. Neither side will be taking Melbourne for granted after their spirited display against the Dogs.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!