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!!!

The Life of Brian (Dixon).

One of a kind, and the kind you’d always want on your side.

Nigel Dawe

HAVING lived, breathed, and been utterly obsessed and preoccupied by football, and more so the Melbourne Demons for as long as I can remember; on countless occasions I’ve felt sorry for those that live their lives untouched, albeit fully removed from the ‘subtle’ poetics, clutches, and deep sentiment that accompanies even a partial, let alone a parochial association with a team in a combative pursuit like football.

I start with this reflection in a tribute piece to one of the Melbourne Football Club’s greatest sons – Brian Dixon, because he passed away ‘poetically’ on the very eve of the 167^th anniversary of the birth of the club he so loved, and represented with such distinction. The last kingpin in a golden era that included six premierships for Melbourne between 1954 and 1964. Dixon would’ve featured in all six successes (like his two great mates, Ron Barassi and ‘Bluey’ Adams) had he not played for his university team leading into the finals of 1955. He was subsequently stood down from that year’s Grand Final by his fire-brand coach Norm Smith, who had requested of his players not to risk themselves by doing such a thing.

While there are a handful of former players still alive from the tail end of that glorious Smith-inspired premiership run; in many ways, the passing of Brian Dixon on the 9^th of July 2025 (‘9’ being the actual number he wore as a player) feels much akin to the passing of the last ANZAC (Alec William Campbell on the 16^th of May 2002). It delineates a direct and very symbolic final siren, if not transition of sorts: the passing of a living legend into the realm of pure legend, the type of legend that lives on in fable and the fond recollection of efforts that may never be bettered.

That the great Melbourne sides of more than 60-years ago created such an unprecedented and steel-plated legacy of excellence for themselves is mind boggling, by not just today’s standards, but by those that have ‘judged’ all of the great sides that have ever taken the field in this sport. Not even the Magpie teams of the 1920s, the Hawks of the 1980s, nor the Lions of the early 2000s come close to what the Melbourne Demons of the 1950s and ‘60s were able to produce. To say that they were head and shoulders above all-comers does not do justice to what they actually did, and have in time come to represent.

As a key figure in those Melbourne teams, Brian Dixon (who retired in 1968 as the club’s games record holder and the first player to surpass 250 games) will forever represent and embody all that is great about this club’s greatest era. Having won a best and fairest in the premiership year of 1960, and being renowned for playing mostly with his socks down and his guernsey sleeves scrunched up, those who underestimated him on the feeble grounds of ‘aesthetics’, more than paid the price by being outclassed, on the actual grounds of performance.

While ultimate success is arguably the aim of every human pursuit, it is the lived experience of such a rare few: to the point it’s hard to even relate, let alone comprehend the set levels of excellence that define the upper echelons of performance in any given field. For Brian Dixon, who was the first player in the history of the game to record 100 wins as a player at the MCG, and one of only 21 players (out of the 13,000 who have played at the elite level of the VFL/AFL) to have experienced 5 premierships – or more – as a player. What he gave, and took from his football career is nothing short of phenomenal, maybe even outright non-repeatable.

“Concentration,” once said Dixon, “prevents the thoughtless by-passing of opportunities. Players lacking team spirit frequently are those who cannot concentrate… A perfect physical specimen and a player capable of kicking prodigious distances would be lost without the right mental attitude. They must have confidence born of a knowledge of their own potential and never be afraid to exploit their capabilities to the full.” Being a disciple and a direct product of the coaching of Norm Smith, may Brian Dixon and many of his teammates from that golden era, now rest in peace, having ‘confidently’ defied the possible, by achieving the near on impossible, during playing careers that will never be forgotten, let alone ever eclipsed.

Round 18 – Melbourne V North Melbourne

Playing Well Is The Best Revenge

Liam Chambers

North win the quarter after a promising start for Melbourne

It’s no secret that our last encounter with the Roos, in Round 2, was a shock for all involved. Even though we had lost the previous game, it was by a slim margin and against an opposition with finals aspirations. The fifty nine point mauling at the hands of North was most definitely not expected and the lads would be fired up to ensure that there was no humiliating repeat on this occasion.

It took ten minutes for the first goal of the game, but it was worth the wait. Jake Melksham took a contested mark 60m out, then launch towards the square where Kozzy Pickett was waiting. The small forward showed again how good he is at marking in tight contests, grabbing the sherrin before quickly turning and running on, smashing it into the stands.

After the bounce, Pickett was involved again, taking a handpass from Christian Petracca, then launching the ball down the ground, where it bounced just outside the 50m arc. Then it bounced again and Bailey Fritsch was in the right spot to collect and control the ball before running on and snapping from 20m out, to make it back to back for the Demons.

North Melbourne had their first goal when Harvey Cooper ran out to take an uncontested mark before going back to successfully kick the 35m set shot. Jack Darling made it two in a row for the Roos when he was awarded a free kick in front of goal. The high scoring veteran had no problem converting the set shot, and North had a one point lead. Then Paul Curtis took a mark at the top of the square and increase the margin to seven.

Jake Melksham has been on fire in the last couple of games and he made the 50m set shot look easy, drawing his side level at 20 points apiece.

Then the exact scenario that teams desperately want to avoid, happened. With thirty seconds left in the quarter, Paul Curtis marked in the pocket and kicked the goal just as the siren was sounding.

Dees finally get into their stride

It was beginning to look like déjà vu all over again when Jack Darling kicked the opener of the second term, after taking a contested mark 20m out. With the lead out to eleven points, Dees’ fans were getting nervous.

However, Matthew Jefferson quickly steadied the ship when he performed an impromptu juggling act near the boundary line on the edge of goal. His around the corner set shot went through and fans’ jitters were settled. Ed Langdon then put Melbourne ahead with his 15m snap from the pocket. Kade Chandler’s hasn’t been scoring as regularly as earlier in the season, but his running chip from 35m was perfect.

As the term progressed, the Roos began to apply more pressure on Melbourne but they were unable to take advantage of their scoring opportunities, and the Dees remained five points ahead going into the main break.

Melbourne increase their lead

Max Gawn is well known as an inaccurate goal kicker, but his set shot launch from 50m was something special and gave the Dees a ten point lead. Bailey Fritsch stretched it out to sixteen when he marked and hit the target with the 50m set shot, making it five in a row for the Demons.

Cameron Zurhaar stopped Melbourne’s momentum when he was taken high in the pocket and went back to kick the set shot.

Jake Melksham continues to make his case regarding a contract renewal for next season. His contested mark and subsequent set shot from 45m was elite.

Cameron Zurhaar then kicked his second after he tackled Jake Lever, and the defender was pinged for holding the ball. Zurhaar’s goal reduced the margin back to eleven. Zurhaar then won another free kick and made it three in a row. The gap narrowed to three points.

Kade Chandler had definitely rediscovered his goal kicking mojo when he kicked his second from 30m, snapping it off his right boot.

Earlier I said that teams hate it when the opposition get a scoring opportunity right at the end of the quarter. I forgot to mention that we love it when we’re in that position. Riley Hardeman gifted Melbourne that opportunity when carried the ball across the boundary line while under no immediate pressure. Jacob van Rooyen was closest to the ball, so he got to take the set shot. His around the corner from 10m curled nicely through the uprights.

Another good final quarter for Melbourne

Leading by sixteen at the start of the final term, Jake Melksham quickly increased that to twenty two when he marked in the pocket, then just squeezed the sherrin through the inside of the left upright. Melksham made it back to back and four for the afternoon, when he ran out to mark the ball; going back to successfully slot the 30m shot.

It was five goals in a row, when Koltyn Tholstrup calmly chipped the ball 10m, from a tight angle in the pocket, while under pressure from two North players.

It wasn’t all one way traffic though, as Harvey Cooper remined us when he snapped from 30m, reducing Melbourne’s lead to twenty eight points.

Bailey Fritsch pumped it back up to thirty four when he was able to take an uncontested mark in the pocket and claim his hat trick for the game. After the bounce, the ball was back inside the Dees’ forward fifty, and Bailey decided that three was enough for awhile. He marked 20m out, then hand passed it over the top to Melksham, who ran on and slammed it through from the square. Five goals for the veteran. With unselfish acts like that, the Demons are in a good place and playing like a team again.

Jack Darling didn’t want a reverse scoreline of the Round 2 result, and his kick from 40m had just enough length to cross the goal line untouched. Harvey Cooper made it consecutive majors for North with his 50m set shot and gave the Dees something to think about.

Tom Sparrow was able to halt the Roos resurgence, when he took an intercept mark inside 50, then went back to launch the 50m kick. Less than a minute after his brilliant goal, Tom Sparrow was knocked out cold, after a strike by Tristian Xerri caught him high. The normally calm and collected captain Gawn was not happy and made his feelings known to his rival ruckman. The best you can say about Xerri’s contact, was that it was reckless. He is a big guy, and a direct hit to the jaw from his forearm, wouldn’t be nice. Thankfully, Tom is on the mend.

Max Gawn then showed that the best revenge is playing your best game. His run on, after taking the ball from a stoppage, and centring kick to inside 50 was impressive. Speaking of impressive, Christian Petracca then collected the bouncing sherrin, broke a tackle and then snapped through for a goal.

Harvey Cooper decided a hat trick would be a nice twenty first birthday present to himself, when he ran out to take the mark, then converted the 45m set shot. Tracca had a chance to go back to back with his 50m shot from deep in the pocket, but the ball drifted for a behind.

Next up is Carlton. We’ve played some close fought contests recently, and it looks like Saturday’s game will be tight. Of course, I’m backing Melbourne to win.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!