Round 14 – Melbourne Vs Fremantle

Liam Chambers

How sweet it is! Demon fans have something to smile about again.
After four losses in a row, Saturday’s win was a tonic for the troops.

The highly fancied Dockers came to the MCG eyeing a potential top five spot. And why not. With three wins on the trot (one against Collingwood, possible Grand Finalists in waiting), their confidence was sky high.
Unfortunately for Fremantle but very fortunately for the Dees, the visitors went home empty handed.

Tim Smith opened the scoring for Melbourne within three minutes. Smith is a solid player for the Dees and seems to be finding form in front of goal. There was some good play from our midfield but the Dockers dominated the scoreboard, kicking four goals to Melbourne’s two. Christian Petracca got the Dees’ second.

Nat Fyfe was inspirational for Fremantle in the opening quarter. One time Demon Jesse Hogan was injured early on and sidelined for the remainder of the game. The Melbourne fans though happy to see Jesse again were secretly relieved that he wouldn’t be kicking goals against his former club. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Tim Smith failed to add to his goal tally with two behinds early in Q2. When prolific goal scorer Michael Walters got his first halfway through the quarter you could feel the tension start to build for Melbourne.
Then Tim Smith got his second which was fair reward for the Dees’ pressure and tackling. Two late goals for Jay Lockhart and Clayton Oliver meant Melbourne finished the first half only trailing by six points.

The third quarter started well for the Demons with Smith kicking his third. Then it was back and forth between the two sides, each scoring three goals. First Sam Weideman slotted one home. Tom McDonald got a boost to his confidence and his first goal twenty minutes in. Then Jay Lockhart got his second.

Unfortunately late in the quarter there was a few unsavoury incidents. Michael Walters was reported for headbutting Lockhart, thus giving away a free kick in front of goal. Then the usually cool headed captain Nathan Jones shoulder charged Walters knocking him to the ground and reversing the free kick decision. An additional 50 metre penalty was added and Brandon Matera was able to convert the Dockers’ advantage with a goal at the other end.

Melbourne went into the last quarter five points behind instead of potentially seven points in front as a result of the third quarter melee. However the momentum was with the Demons. Max Gawn (looking quite grumpy) kicked a first minute goal to put Melbourne in front for the first time since early in the first quarter.

Michael Walter restored Fremantle’s advantage but only until back to back goals from James Harmes and Tom McDonald gave the Dees’ their biggest lead of the game. With the Dockers running out of steam, Melbourne sealed the deal with a third goal from the back in form McDonald.

There were many encouraging signs for the Dees in this round. Getting through the game more or less injury free was a bonus. Beating a top six side showed determination. Last year Melbourne suffered derision for being unable to beat a top eight side. This year they’ve beaten Freo and came close against Adelaide as well as giving title holders West Coast a scare at home. Ironically though they are in their worst position on the ladder for several seasons.

Next week we take on the Brisbane Lions who have been the surprise of the season and now touted to make their first finals series in ten years. So far they have only lost once at the Gabbatoir and that was against Collingwood.

Melbourne will have no room for error but after their last performance, don’t be too surprised if they emerge from the Lion’s den with full honours.
Go the Mighty Dees!!!

MELBOURNE 2.1 5.4 9.6 13.7 (85)
FREMANTLE 4.1 6.4 10.5 11.5 (71)
GOALS
Melbourne: Smith 3, McDonald 3, Lockhart 2, Petracca, Oliver, Weideman, Gawn, Harmes
Fremantle: Matera 3, Walters 3, Cox, Langdon, Darcy, Tucker, Brayshaw
BEST
Melbourne: Oliver, T.McDonald, Gawn, Viney, Frost, Lockhart
Fremantle: B.Hill, Fyfe, Matera, Walters, Conca, Langdon

A week off – A Demons fan reflects

Nigel Dawe

“What is history? An echo of the past in the future; a reflex from the future on the past.”
– Victor Hugo (who did he coach? – Ed)

It’s funny in life, how loose ends can sometimes take years to
connect or come to reveal and intertwine themselves of their own
volition. In 2004, I drafted an article for ‘Inside Football’ (which I still
can’t believe fell by the wayside as a publication last year) however it
was an article I never got around to submitting, it was all about our
great Vin Coutie and how 100 years prior in 1904 he had topped the
League with a then competition record haul of 39 goals.

As an early captain and much revered club stalwart, Vin was also the
first player in VFL history to kick 8 goals on two occasions. His career
finished up with a then club record 152 games at the end of 1911
(one season shy of the adoption of ‘A Grand Old Flag’ as our team
song). So he has been a figure in Melbourne’s long history that I have
always had an interest in and one that I’ve sought out in terms of
items to collect from his playing days.

Now, that’s the back-story, but the real story was my attempt to get
hold of a 1973 ‘Big Ben Pies’ Demons drawing from ‘Memorabilia on
Smith’, an absolute Mecca of a store for die-hard footy buffs, located
in Fitzroy. So I rang Cameron Doyle there (who is also an ex-
Collingwood player and now the penultimate VFL/AFL heritage
supremo, not to mention the only bloke I know who owns over 300
game worn guernseys) to check whether he might have the above
said item, which he didn’t.

But what he did have, and much to my immediate lotto winning-like
response, was an incredibly rare 1909 Melbourne team photo that
includes, of course, the great Vin Coutie (fourth from the left, middle
row) and also Joe Pearce on the far right of the back row (who lost
his life at Gallipoli on the day of the original landings in 1915 and was
also the much older cousin of club legend Jack Mueller). ‘Book-
ending’ the back row on the opposite far left is none other than
Harry Brereton, our ace forward of focus, if you recall from my last
article.

Needless to say this incredible ‘snapshot’ and integral ‘thread’ in our
Grand Old Flag is now mine, but it got me reflecting on how none of
us ever really ‘own’ things like this, we merely ‘look after’ them so
that they may continue to evoke and ‘keep alive’ the legacy and
memory of those that have gone before. Rather like the scene from
the movie ‘Dead Poets Society’, gazing at my newly acquired
treasure, I can still hear our heroes of 110 years ago, and none more
so than the smirking ‘cap-wearing’ Joey Hodgkins up in the back row
of the shot, distinctly chime: “Seize the day boys, Seize the day!”

Round 12 – Collingwood vs Melbourne – Dees Unable to Beat Hot Pies in Big Freeze

Liam Chambers

It was always going to be a tough game. A Dees win would have been seen as a major upset against the in-form Magpies. Still, the job of a Melbourne fan is to believe and as John Lennon wrote “you may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one”. The Demons’ fans who poured en masse into the MGC on Monday afternoon definitely believed in dreams.

Like the Round 10 game against the Giants, our defence was besieged by wave after wave of onslaught from Collingwood from the start. I don’t think our players got out of their own half for the first eight minutes of the first quarter.

Incredibly, all that pressure only resulted in a single goal for the Pies in the first fifteen minutes of play. When Jeff Garlett scored in the last minute of Q1 (after a clever kick from Christian Petracca), the relief that we were only fifteen points in arrears was palatable.

The second quarter started better when Petracca kicked the ball on the run from forty metres out to score the Dees’ second goal and reduce the margin to nine points. Despite controlling the ball better and a Charlie Spargo goal, Melbourne were unable to take advantage and had fallen further behind to Collingwood at half time.

The Demons continued to miss from set shots but luckily so did Collingwood. However, the Pies upped their game and kicked five goals for the quarter. One of the bright spots for Melbourne was Sam Weideman’s goal. After last week’s hugely disappointing missed shot that would have won the game in Darwin, that goal would have helped restore his confidence. Jayden Hunt also added to the scoreline.

Like many Dees supporters, I’m sure, I was hoping for a repeat of Melbourne’s fourth quarter against GWS when we slotted seven goals in a Demon rampage. Alas it was not to be. Sam Weideman doubled his tally and Mitch Hannan got us to within twenty points of last year’s runners up but that was where the fantasy ended. Collingwood kicked the last four goals of the game to win by forty one points.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we have to be more accurate when it comes to set shots. It always easy to be an armchair critic and the pressure in front of 77,000 spectators would unbelievably intimidating but the reality is that’s how the top teams keep winning.

On the positive side, Max Gawn had a massive 34 disposals (I know!). Max has also been practising his marking and has been very impressive in that area this season. Petracca seemed to be everywhere at times. Marty Hore had flashes of brilliance (I still believe he will be a star of the game). Jake Lever seemed to settle in as the game went on and his partnership with Steven May may yet prove very fruitful for the Dees.

We don’t play next week so I hope the week’s rest will see our lads back and in winning form against Freemantle in Round 14.

Go the Magnificent Dees!!!

COLLINGWOOD     3.5     6.8     11.8     15.8     (98)
MELBOURNE          1.2     3.5      5.9      7.15     (57)

GOALS
Collingwood: De Goey 3, Stephenson 3, Hoskin-Elliott 3, Grundy, Mihocek, Sidebottom, Treloar, Cox, Thomas
Melbourne: Weideman 2, Garlett, Petracca, Spargo, Hunt, Hannan

BEST
Collingwood: Sidebottom, Treloar, Stephenson, Hoskin-Elliott, De Goey, Sier
Melbourne: Gawn, Harmes, Oliver, Brayshaw, May, Petracca

Round 11 – Melbourne Vs Adelaide Crows – Sam’s Sorrow

Liam Chambers

No matter how disappointed Melbourne fans must feel at our last second loss in Darwin, spare a though for poor Sam Weideman. He had the toughest task in football when he made a marvellous mark in front of goal, then had to steady himself and try to kick the winner for his team. The resultant miss meant the Dees lost the game by just two points.

Of course we’ve been here before. Most memorable was Melbourne’s opening game of the 2018 season against Geelong. With a minute to go, Max Gawn marked the ball and converted for a minor score ensuring the Cats won by a measly three points. Max would be very sympathetic to young Sam’s situation. Back then there was still an entire season of footy to be played and a narrow loss was not disastrous for Melbourne. However with three eight from eleven games, it looks like the Dees’ chances of making the finals have been dealt a near fatal blow.

The Demons played superbly in the first half. James Harmes opened the scoring with his fourth minute goal and Christian Petracca added a second a few minutes later. Unfortunately Petracca had a brain freeze just after that giving a away a fifty metre penalty. The Crows’ player Gibbs then kicked the ball to Tom Lynch who converted to score the Crows’ first goal and let them into the game. Further goals by Jayden Hunt, Jeff Garlett, Weideman and Angus Brayshaw saw the Dees take a comfortable fifteen point margin into quarter time.

Though Q2 was a lower scoring affair, a second from Garlett plus one each from Clayton Oliver and Tim Smith meant the Dees extended their lead to 25 points at half time.

The game was looking very rosy for Melbourne when Mitch Hannan, back from injury, kicked a goal to extend the lead to 31 points. Unfortunately, you write off the Adelaide Crows at your peril and three unanswered goals meant they went into the last quarter trailing by only 16 points.

When Jeff Garlett kicked his third goal early in Q4, the Dees led by 22 points. Confidence was regained. The Crows kept pushing back though and when Eddie Betts kicked his second, the crowd really got behind Adelaide. Whenever the Crows got inside 50, they were scoring and Melbourne was now well and truly on the back foot.

With just over five minutes to go,  Brad Crouch kicked his third. The Crows now led for the first time in the game. Despite some valiant efforts, Melbourne was unable to find a way back in to win the match. Adelaide ended their losing streak and the Dees are now three games without a win.

Many commentators are suggesting that Melbourne accept that this season is a non-starter and that their focus should be on rebuilding the team for next season. Though understandable as this reasoning may be, I feel that the Dees should not accept that situation while it is still mathematically possible to finish in the top eight. Next week’s match is against our old foe Collingwood. We will now be unbackable favourites to lose that game but we might well surprise the sceptics.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

MELBOURNE  6.3   9.4  11.8   12.16 (88)
ADELAIDE     4.0   5.3   9.4    14.6 (90)

GOALS
Melbourne: Garlett 3, Hannan, Hunt, Weideman, Smith, Petracca, Jones, Brayshaw, Harmes, Oliver
Adelaide: B.Crouch 3, Lynch 3, Jenkins 2, Betts 2, Gallucci, Walker, Murphy, Ellis-Yolmen

BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Harmes, Brayshaw, Oliver, Hibberd, Petracca
Adelaide: Lynch, B. Crouch, Laird, Greenwood, Ellis-Yolmen, Atkins

Round 10 – Melbourne Vs GWS Giants – Under Siege

Liam Chambers

Considering the amount of time the Giants spent in Melbourne’s half it was a ScoMo miracle that it took them almost twenty minutes to score their first goal. At times it seemed that the Dee’s skill set had been misplaced by the baggage handlers at Perth Airport. The side that had stunned the Eagles for the first three quarters last week looked out of their depth as they struggled against wave after wave of GWS onslaught.

By half time, the Giants led inside 50s by 33-16, disposals by 204-136 and contested possessions by 72-55. Melbourne only managed one goal for the entire first half, albeit a brilliant effort by Jayden Hunt.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Dees though. Marty Hore had an outstanding game. His efforts probably prevented the Giants from adding another four or five goals on Saturday afternoon. His work rate was superb. He is a potential champion of the game and has been improving week on week. Max Gawn proved yet again that he is the best ruck man in the AFL. There were moments of brilliance from Jack Viney and Sam Frost and Cory Wagner was consistently good. The new kid on the block Oskar Baker scored twice in only his second game for Melbourne, showing he wasn’t over awed to be playing at the MCG. Oskar also impressed with his kicking ability. His father would be justifiably proud.

The fourth quarter showed how well the Dees can play with seven goals to the Giants one. Tom McDonald scored two back to back after earlier missed attempts. You could feel the belief returning to Melbourne’s game but unfortunately the mountain was too high to climb. I also think we missed the calm and focused presence of Christian Salem who is still injured after last week’s game against West Coast. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Next week will see a multitude of players back from injury and available to play. It will be interesting to see who gets picked and who’s left out.

The Round 11 match against the Adelaide Crows in Darwin will be a great game. We will have to ensure that we don’t let the Crows dominate early on. Also Adelaide are a dangerous side right down to the last second and can never be written off until the siren sounds. The atmosphere will be electric and the Darwin crowd will make their feelings felt. Also the great Eddie Betts will be there and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

MELBOURNE  1.1       1.3       3.6       10.8 (68)
GWS GIANTS  2.5       6.8       12.9     14.10 (94)

GOALS
Melbourne: Baker 2, T.McDonald 2, Hunt, Garlett, Petracca, Lockhart, Stretch, Spargo
GWS Giants: Himmelberg 5, Cameron 3, Whitfield 2, Taylor, Finlayson, Coniglio, Kelly

BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Hore, C.Wagner
GWS Giants: Kelly, Hopper, de Boer, Taranto, Himmelberg, Haynes