Round 11 – Narrm V Sydney

Early Trickle Turns Into A Torrent For Narrm

Liam Chambers

Demons get off to a good start

Max Gawn has been a consistently reliable captain and player and leads by example. When he kicked the opening goal with an around the corner snap from a stoppage in front of goal, he set a great example.

With the Swans held goalless at the halfway mark of the first term, Narrm was looking good. They looked even better after Kade Chandler’s accurate kick to inside 50 was marked by Kozzie Pickett in the pocket. The high scoring Pickett thought about the set shot, then played on, taking the Sydney defence by surprise and notching up his first major of the afternoon.

A minute later, Peter Ladhams finally put the visitors on the board when he marked directly in front, then slotted the 20m set shot.

Jake Melksham had a brilliant game in Round 10 and with his set shot from 45m, signaled his intention to have another blinder this week.

Ladhams was keeping the Sydney scoreboard respectable with his around the corner set shot from the pocket.

Narrm dominate but Swans hang on

Isaac Heeney had a quiet first quarter, but it didn’t take him long to make his presence felt in the second term. His snap from 15m in the pocket was easy pickings for the sharpshooter.

Even though it feels like Christian Petracca has been at Melbourne forever, it’s still a shock to realise that he’s played two hundred games for the club. What better way to celebrate than by collecting the ground ball at the arc and snapping a goal from 50m.

Tom Sparrow may not have even reached Tracca’s milestone, but his set shot from 50m was perfect, and the Demons were out to a sixteen point lead. Coincidently, Joel Hamling was playing his one hundredth game, and he made sure it was a memorable one when he marked 20m in front and converted with the set shot.

Kozzie’s second goal was a mixture of skill and luck. His running kick from the pocket landed just outside the square, then bounced the right way to cross the line. With five minutes remaining in the term, Narrm were completely dominating the game but that dominance wasn’t translating to the scoreboard with four consecutive minor scores in a row.

The post wasn’t doing us any favours either, again refusing to play fair when it jumped out to thwart Melksham’s round the corner kick from a 25m set shot.

Narrm inaccurate early but find their mojo to convincingly win the quarter

Sydney would have been grateful that the score wasn’t beyond reach at the start of the second half. An early goal would have them right back in the game. Jake Melksham had other ideas, and his pick up and spin inside the Dees’ forward 50 gave his side the chance to reset their attack, eventually getting the ball to Pickett, who turned quickly and snapped his third of the match.

Nick Blakely kept the Swans in touch after he was awarded a 50m penalty and made sure with his 30m set shot. Sydney’s next goal was also courtesy of a 50m penalty. This time the recipient was Will Hayward and gladly accepted the challenge, hitting the target and reducing the deficit to eighteen points.

At this stage it was seven goals thirteen to five goals one; Narrm’s inaccuracy had so far prevented them putting the game out of Sydney’s reach. Luckily Caiden Cleary hooked his set shot from just inside the arc, letting the Demons off the hook. When Will Hayward missed a seemingly easy 25m set shot, it appeared the Swans had caught the same infection that had afflicted Narrm all afternoon.

Kozzie proved himself immune to the inaccuracy virus when he nailed a difficult 50m set shot from deep in the pocket. The margin was back out to twenty two points. Bailey Fritsch has had a fairly ordinary season so far but when he took a contested mark at the top of the square, he didn’t miss with the set shot.

Christian Salem made it three in a row for the Demons with his 40m chip to extend his side’s advantage to thirty four points. Pickett had five when he played on to advantage after Charlie Spargo was taken high inside 50.

Braeden Campbell pulled one back for the Swans when he took a contested mark and converted the set shot.

Swans mowed down in race to the finishing line

Isaac Heeney gave the Sydney faithful a ray of hope with his snap from 25m in the opening minute of the last quarter.

Straight after the bounce, Harrison Petty was awarded a free kick when he was held 20m in front. Petty was spot on with his set shot extending the lead back out to six goals.

Callum Mills temporarily revived a sense of belief for the Swans with his excellent 15m snap from a tight angle.

Harry Sharp has scored some great goals this season, and his run to inside 50 before launching from 40m was right up there.

Clayton Oliver has had plenty of detractors over the last two seasons but it all seems to be finally coming together for him. His set shot from the 50m arc was a just reward for his recent efforts. Also good to see the Dees gelling as a team again.

With the Swans trailing by forty two points, Isaac Heeney’s third for the game was consolatory at best, but it may have given some hope to Sydney fans that they could narrow the margin further.

Tom Sparrow’s snap from the top of the square less than a minute later quickly put paid to that hope and the margin was out to forty two. Super sub Harry Sharp even had time to pick up the ball in front of goal, drop it, collect it again and snap his second. Jake Melksham’s turn and snap from 20m was a popular goal with fans.

By now, Narrm was fifty five points ahead and confidence was sky high. Bailey Fritsch then took a contested mark and pushed the margin out to sixty one. Max Gawn took an inside 50 but didn’t hear the “touched” call and was set upon by a flurry of Swans. Chad Warner collected the ground ball and tapped it off the outside of his boot for a Sydney goal.

Jake Melksham had played superbly again and he wasn’t finished yet. He took a great mark just inside the boundary, then played on, kicking from 51m to notch up his hat trick. With a minute to go, Hayden McLean marked in the pocket and converted to claw back the margin to fifty four points.

With five wins from our last six games, you’d have to say that the Demons are back on track. We play St Kilda at Traeger Park in Round 12. Our last visit is not a happy memory, but we are in a better place now than we were twelve months ago, and I believe that we can continue our renaissance against the Saints.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!