Round 7 – St Kilda Vs Melbourne – Saints Marched Off The Field
by Liam Chambers – our correspondent in Coffs Harbour
Back to back wins for the Dees. How sweet it is. Even though St Kilda have only registered one win this season, they’ve looked dangerous at times and certainly gave GWS a scare.
The Saints opened aggressively and for the second week the Dees again seemed content to let the opposition come to them, judging their tactics. The first goal went to the Saints’ Jake Gresham before rising star Charlie Spargo opened the scoring for Melbourne. Each side traded points before Big Max Gawn marked and scored, this time in front of goal. Gawn has missed several, what must be considered easy chances, this season. He made no mistake this time however, when he slotted home the Dee’s second of the quarter.
Next up Jesse Hogan snapped a tidy goal to make it three for the Demons. Five minutes later Christian “the dog separator” Petracca scored his comeback goal at the end of a beautiful run of play from the Demons which started in their defensive 50. Great team effort! Unfortunately, Armitage scored for the Saints one minute later. Despite that effort, Melbourne were definitely dominating play with Neville Jetta and Angus Brayshaw showing how consistent their game has become. Also showing some consistency was Jesse Hogan who kicked his second to give the Demons a 14-point lead 17-31 at the end of the quarter.
The Dees started the second quarter looking confident. It seemed like captain Nathan Jones had kicked a beautiful goal on the run in the fifth minute but sadly it went wide for a behind. It wasn’t until the eleventh minute that the mighty Tom McDonald, who had been playing and marking superbly, got the first goal of the quarter. Then three minutes later Nathan Jones finally kicked the goal he deserved to put the Dees 25 points ahead. Alex Neal-Bullen, who looked promising in both quarters and made some good plays that didn’t quite succeed, then kicked a behind from a good position. A goal from the Saints’ Tim Membrey was sandwiched by another behind from Neal-Bullen. Finally, Melbourne added to their goal tally when Dom Tyson kicked what was to be the last six pointer of the quarter. Half time score was 26-54.
The Saints started the third quarter positively with two goals from Ben Long and Tim Membrey in the first five minutes. However, Hogan stepped up to steady the ship with his third goal. Then it seemed like every Melbourne player wanted to add their name to the score sheet. James Harmes put one away then Tom McDonald added a second for the day before Brayshaw got a richly deserved first goal. The Saint’s replied with a Luke Dunstan score. Sam Weideman increased the Dee’s margin before St Kilda’s Tom Hickey got the last goal of the quarter. Melbourne had stretched their lead to 36 points with the scores at 52-88.
At the start of the fourth, Melbourne looked determined to make the most of their win and increase their percentage on the ladder. Two goals from Weideman and Clayton Oliver (36 disposals for the game) in the first five minutes pushed Melbourne’s total to 100. When Alex Neal-Bullen scored in the twenty third minute it looked like a 50 plus winning margin for the Dees. Unfortunately our celebrations were premature as the Saints kicked two unanswered goals in the last five minutes to pull the scores back to 67-106.
Melbourne has continued to build on their good form of the last three rounds. The fact that Richmond is playing so well makes our effort in Round 5 all the more impressive. We will need to bring our best game to the Gabba next Saturday when we play Gold Coast. Take nothing for granted. The good news is the temperature will be milder than when we played the Lions. This should help us to keep a cool head under the Sun’s glare.
ST KILDA 2.5 – 3.8 – 7.10 – 9.13 (67)
MELBOURNE 5.1 – 8.6 – 13.10 – 16.10 (106)
GOALS
St Kilda: Membrey 2, Long 2, Armitage 2, Gresham, Dunstan, Hickey
Melbourne: Hogan 3, T. McDonald 2, Weideman 2, Spargo, Gawn, Petracca, Jones, Tyson, Harmes, Brayshaw, Oliver, Neal-Bullen
There aren’t many things better than beating “Essedon”……well maybe beating Collingwood….it’s a toss of the coin. I am sure they have some lovely supporters, I just haven’t met many. Take exhibit A – that mug that threw a barrage of abuse at Big Maxy over the fence on the weekend. I have written this before but I really don’t have time for supporters that can’t even pronounce the team they support correctly!
So an early Sunday morning start (10am Jakarta time) had me filled with anticipation and hope that we could deliver more heartache to ever deserving Dons supporters and turn around our season after the last 2 weeks of hiccups.
It is fair to say that the start was not the most inspiring of games. With only 3 goals in the first quarter and ourselves with one it appeared that our recent absence of scoring power would continue. The second quarter wasn’t much better but then “Essedon” did a Melbourne allowing 7 goals to 1 after the main break as the Dees treated their opponents like witches’ hats and we ended up cruising to a solid, and much needed 6 goal win.
There were many positives in the game, Big Maxy was dominate, TMac showed just how critical a player he is to our side. Not to be outdone his younger brother OMac blanketed the dangerous Daniher and our young forward line of Fritsch, Hannan and first gamer in Spargo were dangerous all day combining for 8 goals between them.
We are back at Docklands this Sunday against the Saints. They haven’t been in great form of late but they have been a side we have struggled to beat in the past. But it won’t happen this Sunday as we look for 2 wins in a row and climb back up the ladder where we belong.
LUKEY TAPSCOTT (Rnd 6)
Gawn 5
Salem 4
Hannan 3
Hibberd 2
O.MacDonald 1
ANB RISING STAR (Rnd 6)
Salem 5
Hannan 4
O.MacDonald 3
Fritsch 2
Spargo 1
LUKEY TAPSCOTT LEADER BOARD (After Rnd 6)
Hogan 18
Gawn 15
Oliver 14
Petracca 12
Jones 8
Salem 6
Garlett 5
Melksham 4
Hannan 3
Hibberd 2
Bugg 1
Neal Bullen 1
O.MacDonald 1
ANB RISING STAR (After Rnd 6)
Hogan 22
Oliver 17
Petracca 15
Salem 11
Tyson 8
Fritsch 4
Hannan 4
Neal Bullen 3
O.MacDonald 3
Bugg 2
Harmes 1
Lever 1
Spargo 1
Hogan continues to lead both awards but with a quieter night from our key forward it has seen Big Maxy Gawn close the gap in the Lukey Tapscott.
Go Dees!
Round 6 – Essendon Vs Melbourne – Way of the Demons (or How to Answer Your Critics) – Max “Banana Kick” Gawn is adding to his folk legend status – Tom MacDonald showed what an asset he is to Melbourne – Spargo’s sparkling debut
Little by little Max “Banana Kick” Gawn is adding to his folk legend status. This week he channeled the great Eddie Betts when the big fellow put the Sherrin through the uprights from a seemingly impossible angle! Not once but twice! The second time he had some assistance from the sidelines in the shape of a helpful Essendon fan. They do say that the best revenge is kicking well. It looks like Max also picked up some tips from Eddie on how to handle idiot opposition fans.
At the start of the quarter, the Bombers looked determined to dominate a Melbourne side recovering from back to back defeats. They finally broke through the Demon defence in the 12th minute with a goal from Smith. The Dees got their first five minutes later when Mitch Hannan slotted one home, ably assisted by Christian Salem. However Essendon extended their lead when McDonald-Tipungwuti added his impressive moniker to the score sheet. The first quarter was a low scoring affair at 15-9 but Melbourne looked composed and had soaked up some intense Essendon pressure.
Melbourne got the perfect start to the second quarter when new recruit Charlie Spargo kicked his first of the game after the Dees dominated in the opening minutes.
The Demons didn’t have it all their own way though as the Bombers kicked two unanswered goals from Laverde and Stewart. Tom MacDonald showed what an asset he is to Melbourne, intercepting and marking like he’d never been away. Unfortunately the next goal was scored by the Bomber’s Jake Stringer. Not to be outdone, Charlie Spargo got his second, showing no debutant nerves. After a series of one pointers, Mitch Hannan kicked his second of the afternoon, giving the Demon faithful something more to cheer about. The first half ended 37-31, the same margin as the first quarter.
Jesse Hogan had looked out of sorts for most of the game but that didn’t stop him kicking his first of the afternoon, from a 50 metre penalty. Tom McDonald didn’t want to be left out and slotted the first of his comeback game two minutes later. The Dees were in front for the first time in the match. Then the moment came when Max Gawn showed what a versatile player he has become by kicking a perfect banana bender into the Essendon goal. Again, this was followed up two minutes later with a goal from Bayley Fritsch, making it six in a row from Melbourne.
The sight of Jesse Hogan crumbling on his ankle was not good and he limped off for treatment. Whether this had an affect on the Dee’s momentum is hard to say but the goal run eased off for awhile until Fritsch decided he wanted more and kicked his second. Stringer then got his second for the Bombers a couple of minutes later to finally end Melbourne’s run of seven unanswered goals. Then we had the infamous moment when an Essendon fan had some choice words for Big Max. Undeterred, Gawn repeated his feat from earlier in the quarter and went on a second bender. His look to the distraught Bomber’s fan was worth a thousand words. Last week’s goal hero Jake Melksham opened his account a few minutes before three quarter time and Melbourne went in leading the Bombers by nineteen at 57-76.
The final quarter was initially nearly all Melbourne with Mitch Hannan opening the scoring and Jesse Hogan (looking much better) getting his second goal. Tom McDonald then got his second before the other McDonald (as in Tipungwuti) also added a second. It was definitely a quarter for seconds when Jake Melksham also doubled his score. It wasn’t all Melbourne though as a flurry of goals to Smith, Stringer and Zaharakis jangled a few Demon nerves. A last minute goal from Bayley Fritsch helped to settle them down again.
This was definitely Melbourne fighting back. The captain Nathan Jones was outstanding, even though he didn’t get on the scoreboard. Neville Jedda and Christian Salem were also superb throughout. I’m definitely looking forward to how we fare against St Kilda next weekend. The Saints drew against the Giants last week so we definitely cannot take them for granted.
ESSENDON 2.3 5.7 6.9 10.12 (72)
MELBOURNE 1.3 4.7 11.10 16.12 (108)
GOALS
Essendon: Stringer 3, McDonald-Tipungwuti 2, Smith 2, Laverde, Stewart, Zaharakis
Melbourne: Hannan 3, Fritsch 3, Spargo 2, Gawn 2, Hogan 2, T McDonald 2, Melksham 2
Horror movie right there on your TV, Anzac Eve blockbuster
Watching the Dees play is like watching a horror movie. It all starts pleasantly enough but you know the scene is coming. The scene that will terrify you and make you squirm in your seat. But you won’t look away. You can’t look away. The sadomasochism in you won’t let you. Plus after all you bought the ticket. And so it was in the Anzac Eve blockbuster on Tuesday night. A promising start gave us all hope that knocking off the reigning premiers was a real possibility; 13 points down early in the last gave us real hope. Then it came. It seems to always come. 7 goals later and for the rest of history it will show a 46 point win to the Tigers.
We really don’t look like we have a plan B. I don’t know if it is a confidence thing, a coaching thing or a bit of both but our inability to stop other teams’ run ons is alarming. Gone are the days we were truly crap. Gone are the days when traveling to the footy my only hope was an ‘honourable’ loss so that I wouldn’t get teased too much in the playground on Monday morning. We are a decent side and that’s what is so frustrating. Perhaps we are missing Viney’s leadership when things start to go awry? I don’t know. But I do know we will never be a great side until we can stem an opposition run on.
Another alarming thing is how we have stopped the ability to score. After 3 rounds we were the highest scoring team in the league and on Tuesday night 1 goal from 19 first quarter inside 50s is a poor return. If it was me I would keep Hogan inside 50. He is by far our best scoring option and our main target.
Oliver was our best player with 31 touches and Melksham had a welcome return to form with 4 goals in a game that again left me hollow at the final siren. This Sunday we front up again against the Bombers. Two teams in poor form right now. If both teams bring their worst I am predicting a nil all draw. This is a big game for us. After almost being undefeated after round 3, a loss will see us at 2-4. Now that would be a horror show!
LUKEY TAPSCOTT VOTES (Rnd 5)
Oliver 5
Melksham 4
Hogan 3
Jones 2
Gawn 1
ANB RISING STAR VOTES (Rnd 5)
Oliver 5
Hogan 4
Tyson 3
Salem 2
Lever 1
LUKEY TAPSCOTT LEADERBOARD
Hogan 18
Oliver 14
Petracca 12
Gawn 10
Jones 8
Garlett 5
Melksham 4
Salem 2
Bugg 1
Neal Bullen 1
ANB RISING STAR LEADERBOARD
Hogan 22
Oliver 17
Petracca 18
Tyson 8
Salem 6
Neal Bullen 3
Fritsch 2
Bugg 2
Harmes 1
Lever 1
Hogan continues to lead both awards.
Go Dees
Round 5, Melbourne Vs Richmond, Eye of the Tiger Hypnotises Demons
Apparently, we weren’t indestructible this week but there was still a lot of good to take away from the game against Richmond. After last week’s disaster we took the game to the Tigers for the first three quarters. The less said about the fourth quarter the better.
We welcomed back Tyson, Weideman, Stretch & Hunt who had a lot to prove as their places weren’t assured and it was an interesting match for all four. Jake Melksham opened the scoring for Melbourne with his first disposal. We piled the pressure on and Richmond were slow to respond taking seven minutes to get a behind from their first inside 50. Higgins follow it up with the Tiger’s first goal a minute later. The Dees worked hard to stem Richmond’s attack but couldn’t prevent a second Richmond goal, this time from Castagna. The quarter ended with Melbourne trailing 11-14.
The Tigers got the first in the second quarter with another goal to Higgins. Then Michael Hibberd went off due to the blood rule and when he returned he was sporting a fetching nose sling in the style of Hannibal Lecter. Despite taking half the quarter to register their first inside 50, the Dees had only conceded two goals to Richmond with Higgins scoring his third of the match. Then finally in the 22nd minute, Melksham scored for the Dees. The Tigers followed up with a goal from Lloyd. The half time score was 18-38.
The third quarter opened with a brilliant effort from Hogan to notch up his first of the day. Gawn as usual was winning in the hitout stakes and the Demons were dominating with a string of inside 50s. This was topped off with a beauty from Jeff Garlett reducing the margin to 8 points. Suddenly it looked like we might upset the mighty Tigers. An enormous kick from Oliver unfortunately only resulted in a behind. Then Richmond powerhouse Jack Riewoldt showed how dangerous he is when he marked and kicked his first of the game. Things were looking good for the Dees though when Melksham got his hat trick but two quick gaols for Prestia and Lloyd just before the end of the third brought the Demon fans back down to earth with the score on the siren at 38-57.
We were heading skywards again at the start of the fourth when James Harmes got his first goal to reduce the margin to 13 points. We could do this. Then the afternoon got worse with Hibberd off for the second time due to the blood rule. The replay of his face hitting the hallowed turf of the MCG had fans squirming. It hardly seemed to register with him though as he trotted off for a second time. Quick goals from Lambert and McIntosh saw the Tigers in ascending form and even inspired play from Weideman and Hogan (scoring his second goal) couldn’t stem the tide. After that it was nearly all Richmond when they slotted home four goals in five minutes. A consolation goal from Melksham, scoring his fourth, did little to raise Demon spirits (really not trying to be funny). A goal to Lambert just before the full time siren didn’t reflect how well Melbourne had played for most of the afternoon.
There was a lot of good to take away from our performance, but I just wish it would all come together for us sooner rather than later. There are still seventeen games left in the season so lets do a Swans revival circa 2017 and win the next fifteen.
MELBOURNE 1.5 2.6 5.8 8.8 (56)
RICHMOND 2.2 5.8 8.9 15.12 (102)
GOALS
Melbourne: Melksham 4, Hogan 2, Garlett, Harmes
Richmond: Higgins 3, Lloyd 2, Castagna 2, McIntosh 2, Riewoldt 2, Lambert 2, Prestia, Cotchin
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