FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING

FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING by Scoop Junior

As the Melbourne Football Club knows all too well, winning on the road is tough. It is probably only when you are actually at an interstate game that you realise how difficult it is, as television does not give a full picture of the ground, the surface, the surroundings, the weather, the vociferous home fans and the travel involved. Combine these factors and you are in for a tough day at the office.

There has been much talk in the media of Melbourne’s poor traveling record and rightly so as we have not performed well. But the fact is winning on the road is never easy and you need to be a decent side to be able to perform consistently away from home. Since 2006, the Dees’ last win over an interstate club at their home venue, Melbourne simply has not been a decent side. It’s little wonder then that they haven’t managed to get over the line on the road until now.

Even taking into account the Lions’ horrid form of late and the Demons’ sensational thumping of Sydney last week, Brisbane went into this match at the Gabba as favourite, which shows you something about the difficulties of beating an interstate side at home.

Finally, though, the Demons saluted on enemy territory and put their interstate hoodoo to bed. While it could be viewed by outsiders as a scrappy game and quite possibly an ugly win against an out-of-sorts opponent, what should not be underestimated is the importance of this win for the development of Melbourne's young side. For them to experience such a win gives them the belief that they actually can leave the State and take a result back home. Winning interstate is something that good teams do regularly, but it has got to start somewhere. Hopefully for the Demons, after a few near misses, Saturday night was the start they needed. 

It's an old cliché but the game really was a tale of two halves. In the first, Melbourne showed elements of its best football this year with the ability to win the hard ball in the middle of the ground and the players' willingness to run and spread when a teammate was in possession. With pinpoint passing to position, Melbourne controlled possession and the tempo of the game, which is no mean feat when away from home. The backline probably was not as tested in the first half as it has been at times this season, but it stood up to whatever Brisbane could conjure up and the ability of the defenders to get involved in the run and spread overwhelmed the Lions.

The second half however, was almost the direct opposite, apart from the backline which not for the first time this season stood up when required. Brisbane got on top in the middle of the ground, particularly at the stoppages, and started to use the ball better. In contrast, the Demons struggled to win the hard ball and their efficient ball use which was on display in the first half fell away. 

Whether this was due to the lack of regular service, poor decision making and execution further up the ground, the Lions' tactic to increase numbers in the Demons' forward line or a combination of all these factors, the forward line fell apart and was rendered ineffective. To be fair, the decision making and kicking skills forward of centre were in complete contrast to the first half, which makes the job of any forward line difficult indeed. One forward 50 mark for the half just about summed it up.

Despite this poor second half from an execution perspective, the effort was still admirable and the fact that they held on to win in difficult conditions at an interstate venue was a great result for the club. True, there was an element of good fortune in the sense that Melbourne received a fairly good run from the men in white and its only two goals for the second half were the result of a free kick and a 50m penalty respectively. But the Demons led pretty much from start to finish and comprehensively outplayed the Lions in the first half and definitely deserved to win the game.

It was a decent performance by the midfield on the whole, ranging from an excellent first half to a slightly disappointing but nevertheless gritty performance in the second. Colin Sylvia was fantastic all game and was probably best on ground for the second game running. In the absence of the number one clearance player in Moloney, Sylvia took up the slack and not only worked hard inside the packs but also laid important tackles and kicked two classy goals.

He was capably assisted by Jordie McKenzie, who is becoming somewhat of a revelation for a rookie pick. His willingness to put his head over the footy and burrow in all night combined with his ability to win the ball in close was a key factor in the Demons' win. Tom Scully found a lot of the ball and his work rate was terrific but he let himself down on occasions with poor decision making. 

After keeping Ryan O'Keefe to 10 touches last week, Caemron Bruce backed up with another excellent stopping performance on Luke Power, while the ever-improving Mark Jamar was once again critical not only in the ruck but in his ability to win important touches around the ground.

The best performance of the night however, must go to the backline. While they did what was expected in the first half, their ability as a unit to absorb pressure in the second half, to read and intercept the Brisbane attacking thrusts and to generally hold the fort in the last term when the Lions looked like snatching the game was tremendous.  Not only did they do a great job defensively, but they provided run and drive and spread options to springboard a number of attacking moves.

I refer to the backline as a whole but they were superb individually as well as collectively. Jared Rivers in the last couple of weeks has begun to show glimpses of the form that made him such an exciting key position prospect a number of years ago. In particular, his foot skills have been much better and his ability to read the play and mark the ball from opposition kicks was critically important on the night. Colin Garland completely nullified Fevola early with his closing speed and played a fantastic game in defence, while James Frawley comprehensively beat Jonathan Brown for the second time this season. While Brown has looked below par fitness wise on both occasions, even holding a three-quarter fit Brown is a difficult task.

Joel Macdonald got sweet revenge on his former employers on two fronts: one, the Demons beat them on their own dunghill and two, he was one of the best players in the win, with his attack on the ball and drive off half back important. Clint Bartram continued his great season with another solid outing and put his body on the line with some really courageous efforts.

While not seeing a lot of the ball, Lynden Dunn was a key contributor. He kicked three long range goals on a night when goals were hard to come by. His last one, with three minutes on the clock, which gave the Demons some breathing space, should not be underestimated. This was a 55m bomb, with tired legs, at a critical stage of the game and with the pressure of the Gabba crowd urging him to miss. To nail this set shot showed composure, skill and class.

Jack Watts saw a lot of the footy and showed a lot of promise. What was interesting about his game is that he was really good at the things he probably has not yet shown so much of at senior level, such as the ability to run to the right spots to get the footy and having a consistent four-quarter impact, while dropping off a bit in areas he has shown immense talent in, such as his clean hands and clever decision making. This was a very encouraging game from Watts, as we know he has these talents, so when he develops further and puts it all together, watch out!

On a final note, walking round the Gabba before and after the game, it was incredible to see the number of Melbourne supporters. I’ve been to a number of interstate games and this was by far the most Melbourne fans I’ve seen at such a game. I don’t know the reason for it but it was fantastic to see the red and blue army invade the Gabba and provide some noise and support in amongst the Brisbane fans. Anyone who was at the Pineapple Hotel for the after-match function would attest to the amazing vibe in there and the incredible level of support for the Dees up in Brisbane. After four long years of interstate losses, you cannot say that we didn’t enjoy it!

Melbourne 4.3.27 9.5.59 10.8.68 11.8.74

Brisbane Lions 2.2.14 4.5.29 7.6.48 9.10.64 

Goals

Melbourne Dunn 3 Green Sylvia 2 Bail Johnson Morton Wonaeamirri

Brisbane Lions Proud 3 Brown 2 Banfield Brennan Harwood Rischitelli  

Best

Melbourne Sylvia Garland McKenzie Rivers Macdonald Jamar Frawley

Brisbane Lions Rischitelli Brennan Rich Proud Black  Rockcliffe

Injuries

Melbourne Nil

Brisbane Lions X Clarke (hamstring) Fevola (hamstring)

Changes

Melbourne Nil

Brisbane Lions Polkinghorne replaced by Sherman in the selected side

Reports

Melborne Nil

Brisbane Lions Nil

Umpires McLaren Hay Grun

Crowd 26,144 at the Gabba