Melbourne 2–0 For Perfect Start To Season

Liam Chambers

Tayla Harris gets her eye in

Tayla Harris got the Dees off to a perfect start when she ran in to take mark at the top of the square. It was an easy conversion from there and put Melbourne on the board in the first minute of play. Harris made it two from two when she marked on the arc, before being awarded a 50m penalty.

Against the run of play, St Kilda kicked their first major at the eight minute mark when J’Noemi Anderson was awarded a free in the pocket. She went back to take the kick, comfortably slotting the goal.

After a very promising start, the Dees were struggling to land another goal. They continued to dominate their opponents, but a third major was proving elusive.

Dees kick five unanswered goals

Tayla Harris was quick off the mark in term two, being awarded a free kick after a strong tackle inside 50. She hit the target with the 35m set shot and the Demons were seventeen points in front.  Melbourne continued their high pressure game, with the Saints being contained in their defensive half, only making occasionally incursions inside their forward 50.

Eden Zanker got in on the action, when she marked at the top of the square, after some clever play by Melbourne to get the ball inside 50. Zanker converted and it was a twenty two point advantage to the home side. Georgia Gall made it three for the quarter and five for the game when she marked the sherrin from a precise Kate Hore kick. The key forward made short work of set shot and the Dees were twenty eight ahead.

At this stage, Melbourne had basically set up camp in their forward 50, dominating the Saints and dictating the terms. The next major came quickly, with Kate Hore again providing the kick that set up the goal; this time it was Tayla Harris who marked the ball, next to the square. Harris then ran on and slotted her fourth.

Towards the end of the quarter, Liv Purcell limped off the ground after an injury sustained in a tackle. It seems that she had damaged her ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Not good news for Purcell or the Dees. The talented and resilient player had previously played in a mask after suffering facial injuries last year. Hopefully she will play in 2026, fully recovered.

Just before half time, veteran Paxy Paxman scored a rare goal when she received a handpass from Kate Hore (who else) and then snapped a bender through the uprights.

Saints rally, but a couple of late Melbourne goals breaks their momentum

St Kilda finally had a second goal when Georgia Patrikios was awarded a free inside 50, and made sure with the 20m set shot. The Saints had started to build a little momentum, but the thirty six point deficit looked to be too difficult a hill too climb for the visitors.

When Eden Zanker marked at the top of the square, then went back to slot the goal, St Kilda’s game plan became that much more difficult. When Kate Hore was taken high 15m out, she didn’t waste the opportunity to add to her career goal tally, and easily slotted the set shot.

Demons wrap it up with another four majors

Leading by forty nine at the start of the final term, Melbourne had it all sewn up. The only unknown was how big the margin would be at the final siren. Georgia Gall ensured that it would be over fifty points, when she knocked down the incoming ball, then collected on the bounce, before chipping it into the square where it bounce across the line. Lily Johnson pushed it past sixty when she received the handball just inside 50, then running on before kicking from 35m sending the sherrin over the line.

In case you were wondering where Alyssa Bannen was hiding throughout the match, she suddenly popped up with six minutes to go and launched from the arc, sending the ball all the way to the goal line, where it also bounced across the line. Worried that Megan Fitzsimmon was missing out, Eden Zanker scooped up the ground ball 30m out and passed it to the midfielder, who launched and scored.

In the end, Melbourne won by seventy four points. It was a clinical display and puts the other teams on notice that the Demons will be hard to beat this year.

Next up is Collingwood. A win against the old enemy would be icing on the cake and taste very sweet indeed.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Dominant Demons’ Display

Liam Chambers

Dees take control after a slow start

Having just missed out on a finals berth last year, the Dees were highly motivated to win the opening game of the season against one of their oldest rivals.

After a low scoring opening twelve minutes where neither side was able to make the most of the limited opportunities, Melbourne kicked their first goal courtesy of Shelley Heath. The talented midfielder was awarded a free for a tackle on Britney Gutknecht, who was pinged for an incorrect disposal. The set shot was cleanly taken, and the Dees were five points in front.

After the goal, Melbourne dominated for the remaining five minutes of the term, but were unable to score another major, instead adding a couple of points to their tally.

Melbourne contain the Dogs and take the momentum into half time

The first few minutes of the second quarter showed the Dees starting to control the ball and then the territory, while the Dogs struggled to manage the Demons’ onslaught.

The pressure paid off early when Kate Hore took a mark in the pocket and converted to extend the Dees’ lead to thirteen points. Alyssa Bannen only needs a sniff of a goal to take a shot, and her snap from 20m crossed the line and Melbourne’s advantage stretched out to eighteen.

The Bulldogs had to wait until halfway through the second term to kick their first goal, but when it eventually arrived, it was spectacular. Heidi Woodley found just enough space in the pack to quickly turn and snap, sending the sherrin through the posts. The goal energised the Dogs, and the home crowd were on their feet, willing their side to capitalise on their new found momentum.

The Demons had their hands full dealing with the Bulldogs pressure, but they dealt with the offensive and then went on the counter attack, swamping their rivals’ defence, but ultimately unable to put any more goals on the scoreboard before halftime.

Dees kick four unanswered goals

After the main break, it didn’t take long for Melbourne to extend their lead. Eden Zanker took control of the tapped down ball after it was hammered inside 50. Then the key forward ran on before launching from 35m and sending the ball across the line.

Unfortunately, Tayla Harris was subbed off with an eye injury. Fortunately though, Harris has made a full recovery.

As the term wore on, the Demons continued to dominate territory, and their pressure went to another level.

Tyla Hanks is one of the hardest working midfielders in AFLW, and it paid off when she was able to control the ball, then find the space to snap a shot from 15m out, scoring Melbourne’s fifth goal of the match.

By now, the Dees were totally dominating the play, easily dealing with attacks on their defence and launching counter offensives with ease. Then, they were awarded a free on the edge of 50 and opted to play on, with Hanks kicking to Kate Hore, who couldn’t take the initial mark, but recovered quickly to snap the sherrin across the line.

With a game high lead of thirty two points, Melbourne was in a very comfortable position.

The next goal was a masterclass in transitioning the ball. They started from their defensive 50, going right up the ground, before presenting Eden Zanker with another goal scoring opportunity. Zanker had two attempts at controlling the sherrin inside 50, but was successful with her second stab, and then it was just a straightforward tap across the line.

Melbourne win all four quarters for a thumping victory

With Melbourne leading by thirty nine points at the start of the final quarter, the Dogs needed to do something special and quickly if they were to get back in the game.

Liv Purcell had an impressive thirty disposals under the belt, when she finally got her name on the board, scoring with a running snap from 35m out.

The Bulldogs then had a few chances to claw a couple back before Tyla Hanks landed her second goal; grabbing the ball from a stoppage on the 50m arc and running through, before launching from 30m.

It was the perfect start to the competition for the Demons, and it bodes well as we endeavour to land a finals berth in November.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Dees Unable To Rein In Soaring Hawks

Liam Chambers

Hawthorn dominates in wet conditions

In an ominous sign for the Dees, Dylan Moore was awarded the first goal, despite both Melbourne and Hawthorn acknowledging that the sherrin had been touched off Moore’s boot.

Then a minute later, Jack Gunston was on the board after marking in the pocket and making short work of the 30m conversion. With only six minutes played, Gunston took another mark, this time directly in front. Again, no bother with the 30m set shot.

At the nine minute mark, Harrison Petty put Melbourne on the scoreboard when he took an uncontested mark inside 50 and went back to slot the 50m set shot. Melbourne finally started to gain some territory, after Hawthorn had dictated terms for most of the quarter. Unfortunately, they were unable to chart a path through to goal, with the Hawks continually repelling the Demons’ efforts.

Jack Gunston was almost omnipotent at times, popping up everywhere in and around inside 50. His control of the bouncing ball 55m out, and well weighted kick to Nick Watson, 30m in front, gave Hawthorn their fourth goal of the term.

Then, just before quarter time, Calsher Dear took a one handed contested mark in the rain. The 25m set shot, was successful and extended the lead to twenty seven points.

Better effort from Demons but Hawks still prevail in low scoring quarter

Melbourne started the second term more aggressively and worked well to get the ball inside 50, where Christian Petracca was eventually able to take a mark. His attempted set shot was good, but sadly the upright got in the way.

Dylan Moore once again kicked the opening goal of the term, when he marked 35m out and converted the set shot. Despite adjustments made by Melbourne at quarter time, Hawthorn continued to dominate, controlling the ball and placing pressure on the Dees at every opportunity.

Jack Gunston was everywhere in the first term, but was having a more subdued second quarter. However, when he saw a half chance in front of goal, he acted immediately and snapped his third major of the game. With the Hawks now leading by forty points, the forecast was not good for Melbourne.

Fortunately, a rare error by Hawthorn caused a turnover and presented the visitors with a scoring opportunity, which Chandler, Petracca and finally Oliver took full advantage of; Clayton Oliver’s shot on goal only just sliding through by the skin of its teeth.

Hawks consolidate their lead

Trailing by thirty four points at the start of the second half was not ideal, but Melbourne knew it could have been a lot worse, and they were still in the game. It got better when Kade Chandler’s kick towards goal saw the sherrin land in the square and bounce the correct way and across the line.

Then just when it looked like the Demons were starting to building a little momentum, up popped Jack Gunston. His mark just inside the arc and deep in the right hand pocket was perfectly timed. Having missed several recent attempts from a similar position, Gunston was spot on with the 50m set shot.

Luke Breust may be playing his last season with Hawthorn, but he is still capable of taking advantage of a scoring opportunity. Having come on a substitute a few minutes earlier, the veteran took possession just inside 50, then ran on and launched from 40m, giving his side a forty one point advantage.

Harrison Petty gave Demon fans something to hold on to when he made sure with his 30m set shot from the pocket. While Melbourne was making continuous efforts to get down the ground, the Hawks were so well set up behind the ball, the Dees’ options were severely limited.

When Jack Gunston was impeded while attempting to mark just inside the arc, he was able to line up for his fifth of the afternoon. The 50m set shot was on target and the margin was back out to forty one points.

Very late surge from Melbourne gives the scoreboard a more respectable look

At the start of the final quarter, Hawthorn was leading by forty three points. Unless Melbourne could launch a comeback along the lines of St Kilda’s run down in Round 20, the odds appeared to favour a home win.

Jacob van Rooyen had only four disposals for the entire game when he marked the ball 40m from goal, but his finishing was perfect and brought the deficit back under forty.

The elation was short lived however, as Jack Gunston seemed unrealistically determined to overtake Jeremy Cameron on the Coleman ladder. This time he had acres of space to run onto the ball and mark it 35m out. From there it was an easy kick to notch up his sixth of the game. He almost had a career equaling seventh when he again marked in the right hand pocket, just inside the arc, but a review deemed that the ball connected with the post. He did however manage a seventh five minutes later when he took a mark just to the left of the square and converted.

With a game high lead of fifty one, it now looked all over for Melbourne. Even the most optimistic of us was resigned to our fate. At the five minutes remaining mark, Connor MacDonald was able to find enough space in front of goal to snap and send the sherrin floating low over the line.

Then in a moment that summed up the Demons’ afternoon, they kicked their fifth minor score in a row when Harry Sharp’s shot hit the post. With less than one hundred seconds to go, Harvey Langford pulled one back when he scooped up the ground ball, before turning and snapping from just to the right of the goal square, giving his side a consolation major.

We had another consolation when Jacob van Rooyen took a mark deep in the pocket, then converted with an around the corner set shot. Kozzy Picket saved the best for last when he took a mark just on the boundary line. His 20m round the body shot just slid inside the upright, and the Dees had three goals in ninety seconds.

The flurry at the end made the final score a more respectable fifty six points.

The last game of the season is against Collingwood. They’ve had their own slump over the last six weeks, but if they play the way they did against the Crows, then we will have our hands full getting over the line. Still, never say never.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

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!!!

Round 19 – Carlton V Melbourne – Just Pipped Again

Liam Chambers

Some good Melbourne moments

After some very close loses to the Blues in recent times, Melbourne would be hoping for another win after last’s weeks victory over the Roos.

It wasn’t the ideal start for us when Charlie Curnow was able to get a snap away, 20m out, and score his first goal in a month. I’m not sure how to explain our effect on opposition players who are going through a dry scoring patch; we always seem to enable them to raise their game.

Up the other end, Jacob Weitering made his intentions clear, very early on, that the Demons would have to work extremely hard to get past the seemingly one man defence. Weitering was unable to do much about Kozzy Pickett though, when the high scoring forward quickly recovered from an initial fumble to snap Melbourne’s first goal from 20m in the pocket.

Curnow had well and truly put his goal kicking jitters behind him when he marked near the top of the square, then kicked the around the corner set shot to claim his second major in less than seven minutes. Carlton appeared to have decided to keep kicking towards goal, hoping that eventually the sherrin would go through the uprights. After Matthew Carroll’s initial inaccurate 50m set shot didn’t make the distance, two other Carlton players had an attempt, before Ashton Moir’s snap from the goal square went through.

High scoring Jake Melksham pulled one back for the Dees when he was impeded in the pocket and drew the free. His calmly taken shot was perfectly executed, and it was back to a one goal game. Kozzy managed to place himself in the perfect position to received Cabel Windsor’s kick from the wing. The conversion from 35m easily hit the target and it three goals apiece.

The game continued to stay very close until a minute before quarter time when Adam Cerra was awarded a 50m penalty under the highly confusing rules about protected areas. The result was a point blank set shot and unmissable goal for Cerra.

Carlton have the best of the quarter

After the break, Ashton Moir extended Carlton’s lead to fourteen points when he successfully kicked a 50m set shot, after an intercepted mark just inside the arc.  The margin continued to hover around the fifteen point mark for the majority of the quarter, with Melbourne having few chances to build on their first term score.

The best chance of a goal was denied when Christian Petracca’s kick to Jacob van Rooyen was deemed to not be 15m, immediately putting both van Rooyen and Caleb Windsor under unexpected pressure, and resulting in a miss by Windsor. The 15m rule is laughable at times. Kicks that evidently don’t meet the required distance are allowed, while sometimes kicks of 10m are waived through.

Then just before half time, Ashton Moir kicked his third of the game for the Blues when he ran out to mark the ball inside 50, before converting the 45m set shot.

Melbourne storm back, before Blues regroup

Trailing by twenty one points at half time is never ideal, but Carlton’s Achilles heel seems to be the third quarter, and we didn’t want them to rectify that particular blemish on our watch.

It didn’t take long for Melbourne to give the Blues something to think about, when Jacob van Rooyen took a contested mark in the pocket, then went back to make sure with the set shot. Five minutes later Bailey Fritsch took a diving mark, just inside the arc, and showed that he’s lost none of his goal scoring capabilities with a perfectly taken 50m set shot.

Kozzy Pickett made it a one point game when his 45m round the corner kick from the boundary line went through. Few players would have attempted that goal, but Kozzy is currently full of self belief. Pickett made it back to back goals, and showed he can kick from any angle, when his 45m from deep in the opposite pocket spun through the uprights.

Francis Evans ensured that it wasn’t all one way traffic when he ran out to mark the ball in the pocket, before slotting the 45m shot. Unfortunately, a few minutes later, Evans was collected by Stephen May in a horrible collision that was unavoidable but looked bad in the slow motion replay. It looks like May will have to sit out the next three games. Not ideal, when Stephen is the soul of our defence.

Ashton Moir took the resulting free kick and slotted his fourth goal of the evening. Flynn Young increased Carlton’s lead to ten points when he scored his first AFL goal with a 50m set shot.

Demons win quarter, but not by enough

Bailey Fritsch gave the Demons their perfect start to the fourth quarter, when he ran out to mark Kozzy Pickett’s perfectly placed kick. Fritsch’s form is improving with every game and the 45m set shot was never going to miss.

Sam Docherty was determined not to let Melbourne get a run of goals like they did in the previous term, when he secured a free kick 30m from home. The goal stretched Carlton’s lead back out to eleven. Then Matthew Carroll made the Dees’ job just a little more difficult when he launched a kick from just inside the arc to push the margin out to seventeen points.

After a few almost there attempts, Melbourne finally got their second goal of the quarter, when Kozzy inserted himself into the middle of the pack and got boot to ball at the top of the square. His kick sent the sherrin across the line, claiming his fifth goal in the process.

Matthew Jefferson is increasingly becoming an important player for Melbourne. His efforts on goal are hit and miss, so to speak, but his set shot effort from 40m, though a tad low, got there in the end, and that’s all that matters.

It was gearing up to be another extremely close result, with just two points separating the sides.  It could have been a different result and in Melbourne’s favour, if 200th gamer Clayton Oliver’s tackle inside 50 was paid. It wasn’t, and the Blues were able to regroup and make their way up the ground. Then Charlie Curnow kicked a 55m set shot, and that was all she wrote.

Next up it’s away at St Kilda. Again, we’ll be playing against a side who have won only six games this year and who have lost all of their last six contests. Coincidentally, their last win was against us in Round 12.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!