Round 15 – Essendon V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

Essendon have been playing some fast and furious footy lately and Melbourne needed to be in good form; especially after losing to Collingwood in their pre bye game. The Dees normally find a way to win though and are able to adjust their game to the circumstances. That may partly explain their success. The top sides are caught off guard by Melbourne’s intensity and the lower sides often look like they’re in with a chance (usually until the last quarter). No one can call our lads predictable.

To add to the mystery was how the Dees would perform after returning from their two week break, as most sides struggle a little to get back into the swing of things. Angus Brayshaw had the first opportunity with a 50m set shot, but missed to the near side. From there, Melbourne kept threatening the Bombers defensive 50 but failed to land a major until a clever kick from Brayshaw set up James Harmes 35m in front of goal.

Jake Stringer was always going to cause trouble and he almost landed Essendon’s first when his kick from 60m out saw the ball bounce the wrong way and hit the upright. However, his second attempt from 55m, a minute later, sailed through and the Bombers were on the board. Then Devon Smith’s set shot kick after the siren put Essendon in front.

Going into the second quarter ahead 15-11, Harrison Jones was able to stretch the lead to 10 points when he got a foot to the sherrin as it was crossing the line. A very fine line in my opinion but who am I to argue with ARC. The goal fired Essendon up and they took the game to Melbourne with renewed intensity. They maintained the pressure for a few minutes before the Dees were able break out and launch their own offensive. The Bombers kept threatening though and were also able to hold off Melbourne’s counter attacks.

With the Dees’ kicking efficiency not what it could have been and some of their hand passes missing the mark, they were struggling to hold off their opponents. For all that, Essendon was unable to find a way through Melbourne’s defence. The young side was well set up behind the ball and playing intelligently, thinking their way through the Demon’s mire, but Steven May and Jake Lever kept thwarting their best efforts.

The Dees were having the same problem at the other end where the Bombers’ defence was well up to the job and blocking Melbourne’s route to goal. Even when Tom McDonald was able to pick out Luke Jackson, the big forward inexplicably ran on after marking and tried to dribble the ball through but ended up hitting the upright. Happily though, a minute later a rare Essendon turnover gifted the ball to the Dees and a series of hand passes gave the sherrin back to Jackson. This time he didn’t miss.

Melbourne got the advantage from the centre bounce and James Harmes was able to launch a well targeted kick to the waiting pack in front of goal. Charlie Spargo ran around the back of the group and collected the ball before kicking it around the corner to put Melbourne in front. The advantage didn’t last long as Peter Wright took a contested mark in front of goal and just squeezed it through to reinstate Essendon’s lead.

In another swings and roundabouts moment, James Jordon was awarded a free kick after a high tackle (or possibly an arm chop). The home crowd made their feelings feel in no uncertain terms but the midfielder remained unfazed and kicked it straight through to give the Dees a 3 point lead at half time.

Melbourne has upped its their game during the third quarter in recent outings and Round 15 proved no exception. Tom McDonald took advantage when the ball landed in his hands on the goal line, producing an overhead kick and a six pointer. Essendon’s Nick Hind, who inadvertently turned the ball over to T Mac, added to his woes when he ran into the upright. Luckily he didn’t appear to have suffer too much injury, apart from his pride.

Also lucky was James Jordon, who was gifted a double 50m penalty to again kick directly in front of goal to score his second of the night. Again the Essendon faithful were in fine voice. Though the Dees were grinding away and had their share of luck, the next goal was pure skill. It started with a backwards overhead pass from Kysaiah Pickett to Ed Langdon. Langdon got the ball to McDonald and the key forward tapped it on to Christian Petracca in the pocket. The midfielder lined up the shot and kicked it perfectly to extend Melbourne’s lead to 21 points.

The Bombers were starting to look a bit deflated until Dyson Heppell got a Captain’s goal after taking a mark inside 50 then running across to snap it through from 30m out. Despite their lead, it was one of those nights when Melbourne struggled to hit the target. Both McDonald and Bailey Fritsch had a chance to add to the goal tally from set shots but their accuracy was off. Then James Harmes connected with the woodwork, keeping the Bomber’s hopes alive.

Essendon managed to salvage something more from the quarter when Harrison Jones was able to scoop up the ground ball and kick it through. But Petracca capped off a four goal quarter for Melbourne when he kicked his second from a set shot. Only leading by 17 points, the Dees knew they couldn’t relax against a side that would fight to the bitter end. In addition, the Bomber’s fans were very vocal in spurring on their team as their boos echoed around the Covid friendly stadium.

Melbourne were able to venture into their forward 50 but found scoring more goals elusive. With Essendon struggling to kick straight at the other end, the final term was proving to be a low scoring affair. Finally Tom Sparrow launched a beautiful placed kick from the 50m line to give the Dees a 22 point lead.

Ironically, that appeared to be the catalyst that galvanised the Bombers and suddenly they were pushing forward with renewed vigor culminating with Peter Wright claiming his second goal. Cale Hooker got another, reducing the margin to 11 points and the Melbourne faithful to the edge of their seats.

Sensing their opportunity, Essendon piled on the pressure but the Dees again held their nerve in defence. Melbourne used the clock wisely and were able to frustrate the Bombers valiant efforts. As the Grand Old Flag was almost drowned out by the home crowd booing, our players looked please to have got the job done in that volatile week after the bye.

Round 16 will be a rematch against the Giants. This time we’re top of the table and GWS is still in with a chance of playing finals so it will be another interesting game. Nobody knows how we’ll play but I’m hoping for our first 50 point plus win of the season.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 13 – Melbourne V Collingwood

Dees v Magpies

Liam Chambers

If any team was destined to break the Demons dream run, it was Collingwood. Of course Adelaide caused an upset in Round 10 by a single point but Melbourne never seriously looked like winning the Queen’s Birthday Clash. So many variables conspired to cause the upset of the season.

The fact that the Pies have been steadily improving their form over the last month. The resignation of Nathan Buckley was always going to inspire the troops for one last push for their fallen leader. The Dees would have been in wind down mode and looking forward to the Bye. Probably the most telling, I suspect, was Melbourne underestimating their opponents.

So far this year our lads have reserved their best performances for the top sides in the competition. The almost manic way they took on Richmond. The brilliant demolition of the Bulldogs and of course the superb come from behind win against the fancied Brisbane Lions. Not taking anything away from Collingwood (I won’t say that too often) but Melbourne played with the belief that they could run them down eventually and then ran out of time. Basically, the urgency was missing in Round 13.

It all started so promisingly when Kysaiah Pickett kept the ball alive on the boundary enabling Bailey Fritsch to kick towards goal where Alex Neal-Bullen marked and scored form the set shot. Darcy Cameron scored his first of the afternoon when he was awarded a free after being held. Neal-Bullen almost got his second but his kick to goal was deemed touched by Tom McDonald as he attempted to mark the ball. Eventually the Dees did get their second when James Harmes tapped it in from 35m after some good support play from Christian Petracca.

Again Melbourne got off to a good start in the second term after some good forward pressure culminated in a Clayton Oliver round the corner kick through the uprights. Then it started to head south for the Dees with Darcy Cameron taking an uncontested mark on the edge of the goal square, then snapping it through for a goal. Next Will Hoskin-Elliot took an uncontested mark and followed up with a conversion from 30m to the left of goal.

Melbourne was finding it difficult to get their hands on the ball. They did eventually get back some control but the Pies looked very comfortable going forward. Brody Mihocek scored the first of two goals when he had a shot from 30m out, then a set shot from 40m in front gave Collingwood a 15 point lead. The Dees looked flat after suffering a 25 point turnaround since the start of the quarter.

Luke Jackson gave his side a lift when he snapped a goal after receiving a Tom McDonald hand pass and clawed the lead back to singles figures. Clayton Oliver had a chance to further reduce the margin after being taken high inside 50 but unfortunately his shot missed to the near side. Beau McCreery made it five goals to two in the Pies’ favour and stretch the lead out to 14 points. Melbourne was looking hesitant and turning the ball over giving Collingwood the advantage and allowing them the luxury of going forward too easily.

True to form the Dees came out after the break with greater sense of urgency and kicked three unanswered goals. First, Captain Max Gawn scored from a set shot after taking an uncontested mark 35m out from the left of goal.

Then Gawn took another uncontested mark on the inside 50 line, before passing to Steven May, whose long kick fell into Christian Petracca’s hands 20m to the right of goal. Tracca ran on and launched a banana kick that sailed through the posts. Finally, Fritsch spun around in heavy traffic on the edge of the goal square to shoot and give the Dees single point lead.

The Pies were clearly rattled by the resurgent Melbourne but Darcy Cameron’s hat trick helped steady the ship. Cameron was awarded a dubious free kick after he took a contested mark that Steven May had clearly touched (with both hands!) prior to the key forward collecting the ball. Some days the footy gods just aren’t on your side (or the umpires either). Luke Jackson restored the balance somewhat with his chase down tackle and set shot form 20m. Unfortunately Brody Mihocek also had a set shot and restored Collingwood’s lead.

Only trailing by 5 points, Melbourne had everything to play for. They’d had a good third quarter but needed to maintain the rage. However, the Pies were hungrier on the day and Darcy Cameron got his fourth to stretch the margin to two goals. Collingwood was given more space and the Dees looked to be floundering. When Scott Pendlebury scored, the game slipped further from Melbourne’s grasp.

The Dees needed a miracle but one didn’t look like coming their way and the Pies continued to run over the top of them. Ed Langdon did snatch one back after collecting the bouncing ball in the goal square and tapping it through to give the fans a glimmer of hope but it was a little too late by then.

Just to rub some salt in the wounds, Steele Sidebottom scored after the siren to give Collingwood a 16 point victory. The Pies played well and tackled hard but the Dees were lackluster for a large part of the game. The Bye will give them a chance to reflect and reset. There will be lessons learned and we’ll be better than ever against Essendon.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

NSW Demons were in out in force in our red and blue colours to join the Sydney Cheer Squad and Collingwood supporters to hold up the MND banner for the teams to run though to start the Queen’s Birthday blockbuster Melbourne v Collingwood.  

The match was held in Sydney for the first time and because the Victorian Covid lockdown prevented the Melbourne and Collingwood Cheer Squads from travelling to Sydney the Sydney Cheer Squad offered to make the banner.  A big thank you to the Sydney Swans Cheer Squad for helping us out + creating the joint banner for #BigFreeze7  to support the Fight MND’s Big Freeze and Neale Daniher’s fight against motor neurone disease. 

You can watch some of the preparation of the MND banner here   by Sydney Cheer Squad

Sally Trevena

Round 12 – Melbourne V Brisbane

Liam Chambers

Back in the 1980s when English football managers were interviewed and asked to comment on their team’s performance, they would invariably refer to the match as a game of two halves. It became a cliche and a catchphrase of the stereotypical manager. However, there’s no other way to describe the difference between Melbourne’s first and second half displays. It was like two parts of a play. In Act 1, Melbourne struggled to take control and Brisbane was able to dominate, preventing the Dees from playing their natural flowing, fast paced game. Act 2 was all Melbourne.

Bailey Fritsch did get the first goal but the Lions quickly hit back before big Max Gawn collected the ball from a Christian Petracca kick and booted it in from 25m. However, Joe Daniher took a superb mark on the 50m line a few minutes later and reined in the Dees’ lead to a single point. The tide turned further in the Lions’ favour when Zac Bailey took a handpass 30m out and kicked around the corner to put his team 6 points clear. A few minutes later Bailey took advantage of a tapped down ball in front of goal to soccer kick the ball over the line and double Brisbane’s advantage.

The Lions continued their winning ways in the second quarter courtesy of a Charlie Cameron goal within the first minute. However, Christian Petracca steadied the ship with a brilliantly placed set shot kick from the 50mline and kept the Dees in touch with their rivals. Brisbane though, continued to mount their attacks, putting major stress on Melbourne’s defence.

Eventually the Dees broke through and proceeded up the field where Bailey Fritsch collected the ball as he ran across the face of the goal square. He converted to give Melbourne back to back goals. Up the other end Eric Hipwood blocked Jake Lever, preventing him from going for the ball and allowing Lincoln McCarthy to effectively mark uncontested and score from the set shot. Keidean Coleman then stretched Brisbane’s lead to 20 points after his kick on goal was positively reviewed by ARC.

Luke Jackson, fast becoming an all round star for the Dees got an important goal after intercepting the bouncing ball and controlling it to kick from 20m out. Zac Bailey restored the Lions 20 point advantage after receiving a Dayne Zorko hand pass and running goalwards before kicking from 10m in front. For the remaining three minutes, Brisbane launched wave after wave of attacks inside Melbourne’s defensive 50. The back line held though and the Dees went in at the break relieved having limited the damage.

Reset has been Melbourne’s motto this season and Simon Goodwin would have been stressing the need for a change of tactic after the half time break. Brisbane had been controlling much more of the football with 167 disposals to the Dees’ 124.

The start of Act 2 showed the Dees looking more determined. They were setting the pace and pushing forward. When Tom McDonald, in the ruck, tapped the ball down to Clayton Oliver, he received it straight back before drop kicking it through the open goal. For the first time Brisbane looked hesitant going forward as Melbourne starting blocking their path. Then Harrison Petty took an intercept mark that gave the Dees a chance to charge through the middle of the ground and allowing Charlie Spargo to deliver a driving kick to McDonald. Unfortunately T Mac connected with the upright.

Suddenly Melbourne were looking in control and increasing the speed of the game. When Kysaiah Pickett snatched the ball out of the air beside the goal square and dribbled it through to the goal, he reduced the margin to 7 points. Up the other end, Dayne Zorko kept the pressure up when he swept up the loose ball after it was tapped down from a stoppage, then snapped it home. Almost immediately, Petracca got one back when he took a drive by possession of another tapped down ball and ran on to launch an inch perfect kick to the inside of the upright.

The Dees were now in full flight, playing their natural fluid game as they pushed deep into their forward half. Tom McDonald second effort was a pick up and driving kick from 40m to bring Melbourne within one point of the Lions. The Dees didn’t have it all their own way though as Zac Bailey collected the bouncing ball before outpacing his opponent to run inside 50 and claim his fourth of the night.

Melbourne’s response was instantaneous as Sam Weideman marked from a Clayton Oliver’s kick was dropped, allowing Kysaiah Pickett to scoop up the ball and snap it high through the uprights. Pickett had another chance in the last few minutes of the quarter but regrettably he hit the post with his set shot. However the point gave Melbourne the slimmest of leads heading into the final term.

After connecting with the upright on his previous attempt, Pickett didn’t miss with his kick at the start of Q4, notching up his hat trick. Melbourne next goal took awhile but it was worth the wait. After a series of handball passes, Alex Neal-Bullen’s kick towards the goal square was tapped down by McDonald, who thought about passing it to Petracca, before turning the full 360 degrees and booting through the goal. Tom Sparrow looked unlikely to score as he fumbled and dropped the ball a couple of times but he was able to launch a well targeted kick from the 50m line.

Now it was the Dees who were leading by 20 points and Brisbane looked stunned by the turnaround. With the clock ticking down, Melbourne kept their foot on the pedal and remained focused on pushing forward. Finally, they broke through again when Charlie Spargo got a hand pass to Neal-Bullen, who kicked it around the corner from 40m out. Charlie Cameron got a consolation and the Lions’ only goal of the quarter when he was awarded a free from 25m away.

Of all the wins this year, I’m sure this will be the one the lads will cherish the most. When they looked on the ropes at the end of the first half, they took a deep breath and came back and turned it around in empathetic style. They’re doing what we always knew they could do. In previous seasons, they would have been unable to pull it out of the fire but now they have the self belief, confidence and team spirit to beat anyone.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 11 – Western Bulldogs V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

When you’re playing the favourites in the competition then you need to do something spectacular early on. I’m not sure if there’s been many goals scored in the first twenty seconds historically but the Dees couldn’t have asked for a better start. From Max Gawn’s grab and boot off the centre bounce, to Kysaiah Pickett and Clayton Oliver’s desperate hand passes into the path of James Harmes, who then collected and launched the perfect finish to put Melbourne on the board.

The Dees were frustrating the Bulldogs and blocking off their pathways. The pressure paid off with Christian Petracca taking the ball inside 50 and whacking it through the uprights from 40m out.  The Dogs got the advantage from the centre bounce and made their way down the field where they found Cory Weightman waiting inside 50 to receive and score. Melbourne replied quickly when Tom McDonald spotted Bailey Fritsch in the goal square and launched a textbook kick from the 50m line.

The Dogs seemed to be allowed an eternity to dispose of the ball when tackled but the rules appear to be reinterpreted every week; if the Dees were frustrated, they didn’t show it. Aaron Naughton marked and kicked from 40m to claim the Bulldogs second. Melbourne was forcing errors from their opponents and Fritsch was able to intercept the ball as it crossed the face of goal, then punished the Dogs for their carelessness.

Charlie Spargo kicked a set shot towards the goal square but Sam Weideman dropped the mark. Fortunately, James Jordan picked it up and snapped it high through the posts. The Dees clearly had the Bulldogs rattled and were forcing them into making defensive errors. Max was back to his best marking ways and grabbed the ball about 25m from goal before kicking number six for Melbourne.

The Dogs got off to a good start in the second term when Josh Bruce converted from 40m out before Tim English scored from 25m for back to back goals. Max Gawn again grabbed and kicked the ball from the centre bounce, this time finding Petracca who targeted a 60m kick to the left of goal, enabling Tom McDonald to run forward and mark. Tom then just snapped one home. Next Alex Neal-Bullen’s kick found McDonald on the 50m line. Tom hit it beautifully to score his second in less than two minutes, bringing the tally back to the quarter time margin.

Melbourne were making great use of the ball and were set up so well that the Dogs were finding it very difficult to break through. The Dees continued the fight to get the ball into their forward 50. Clayton Oliver and Jake Melksham slipping but still managing to pass the ball to each other. With Melksham almost tilting, he got a kick away towards goal where Pickett marked and converted from the set shot.

The Bulldogs fought back, desperate to score. Caleb Daniel was finally able to power inside 50 and launch a kick from 45m to give the Dogs a much need goal and boost. Then Tim English got his second when he marked and kicked from 35m out. It was a good end to the half for the Dogs who went in only trailing by 19 points.

The Bulldogs started the second half with more purpose but still found themselves under pressure in defence. As they tried to go forward, they found the Dees had all the avenues blocked off. Melbourne did come under some sustained pressure themselves but were eventually able to make their way back up to the Dogs defensive 50. Fritsch got his hat trick when he was taken high and awarded a free kick to the side of the goal.

Sam Weideman was having a quiet night but after taking a mark from Neal-Bullen, he was able to convert nicely and extended the Dees’ lead to 29 points. Suddenly Weideman looked a lot busier as he took another mark and kicked his second from 30m in front of goal.

With the Dogs 36 points in arrears at the start of the final term, they were going to have to do something very special to win. However Melbourne continued to keep tabs on them and when Gawn was able to collect a loose ball and find Tom McDonald, who scored lucky thirteen, the game was all but out of reach. The Bulldogs pulled a couple back but basically the night belonged to the Dees.

Melbourne now seemed have accepted their roles in the side and are embracing what they need to do to secure the wins. Each player now knows what’s required of them within the team and when that happens to a side, they become very difficult to beat.

Brisbane have built themselves a reputation after their shaky start to the season but both teams will be playing on neutral turf and my money will be on Melbourne.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!