A LATESUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

[Demonland 73,140]

by Whispering Jack

There were not many real characters and even less of a plot to Friday night's battle between two different casts of players - for these purposes we shall call them the "Bulldogs" and the "Demons". The two groups were sent northward to the far reaches of the land and, after the setting of the sun, they played a funny game in a fairyland setting by a forest of mangroves. The place was known as Marrara Oval in a town called Darwin and there they endured late summer heat and humidity followed by driving rain. Ultimately, after a night of high drama, it was the Demons who, against unlikely odds, survived to move on to the next round in their quest to win a golden cup and two hundred thousand or so pieces of silver.

Enough of the pixies, the fairies and the lousy poetic licence!

Back in the world of reality surely the opening round of this nabcup wasn't meant to end the way it did with a Melbourne victory?

It was on Wednesday afternoon when I was travelling home from work in that other world, trapped in a snarling traffic jam, that I caught the middle of a conversation on SEN radio in which an irate David Schwarz was berating the Melbourne Football Club selectors about them not taking this whole nabcup seriously. The ex-Demon champ was most incensed as he told the story of how he, as a young Hawthorn fan, had cried when his club lost one of their pre season night games. The supporters take these things seriously you know and besides, Melbourne isn't out of the financial woods yet and it should be trying its darndest to win the money. I didn't get to see the named squad until much later but it was already obvious that Neale Daniher was going to leave a number of the club's leading lights at home and that conversely, the Doggies were running with a near full strength line up.

As we saw on the night however, that doesn't always matter - particularly in the unfamiliar conditions endured in the Top End. It was never going to be a game for your talls and, as a consequence, Melbourne was wise to leave out most of its experienced big men. The Bulldogs don't have much of that commodity anyway so we were left with a game for the mainly super fit midsize players who were able to run and create space in the slippery conditions. Daniher's selection gamble therefore wasn't much of a gamble at all and the Demons had plenty of goers who could handle the situation admirably. The final squads saw them fielding eight players (including four rookies) who had no senior AFL experience while the Doggies had just one and he was their first round draft pick from last year.

Melbourne opened full of running and the dangerous Aaron Davey was full of dash as he snaffled the opening two goals. His mate, Shannon Motlop was showing the benefit of a full AFL pre season as he cut a swathe through the Bulldog midfield and but for a nine pointer from Ryan Murphy, his team's quarter time deficit would have been positively embarrassing. Byron Pickett kicked off the second term with a nice goal for his new club and the Dees could easily have gone to a handy 34-point lead when a long kick from Russell Robertson from outside 50 metres just shaved the woodwork. The Bulldog counter attack was devastating as they came down the ground for a quick rebound goal and then another to narrow the deficit to just 14 points in what was almost the blink of an eye. Melbourne's inaccuracy wasn't helping but ironically, it was Davey who was so wayward with his kicking for goal last year, who booted the steadier to see the Demons to a handy half time lead. Neal Daniher would have pleased with the performances of some of the younger brigade - especially Matthew Bate who had the ball on a string, Colin Sylvia (coming good at last?) and Paul Johnson who formed part of a winning ruck with Mark Jamar for most of the night.

The third quarter was a bit of a disaster for Melbourne as the Western Bulldogs experienced midfielders in West, Giansiracusa, Johnson and company took over and ran the ball long and direct into their forward line. Some of the younger (and not so young) Demons appeared to be tiring and errors began to creep into their game. They gave up possession too easily with some costly turnovers and free kicks and suddenly the Doggies were in front and in the ascendancy with a 5 point three quarter time lead that was stretched to 11 one minute into the final term. It was at this stage where the older, wiser heads came to the fore for Melbourne. The class and skill of Adem Yze, Travis Johnstone, Matty Whelan and Russell Robertson saw the team come back and it was Robbo, who in the end sealed the game with his third goal.

Pleasing aspects of the game from Neale Daniher's point of view would have been the way the players teamed together in the conditions, the performance of the two young ruckmen, the return to form of Jared Rivers in defence, Shannon Motlop and Byron Pickett and the continued promise of the youngsters. Bate was a special with a team high 17 disposals up to three quarter time (it's early days yet but the decision to draft him and a couple of others very young and underage at last year's draft is really looking good from where I sit), rookie Matthew Warnock was very good early in defence and Clint Bartram was a bit of a surprise packet with his endeavour and willingness in the contest. Lynden Dunn didn't have too many opportunities early but got better as the game went on and he will gain a lot from his participation at this level. Rookies Daniel Hughes and Andre Gianfagna didn't look out of place among their AFL rivals but All Australians Nathan Jones and Jayce Bode were used sparingly and were quiet. I did like the way Daniher played the youngsters - he knows their capability and isn't going to burden them with too much work too early in their careers.

So at the end of the late summer's night, the team is alive and moves on to a quarter final next Friday night at Telstra Dome against the Brisbane Lions. As far as the events in Darwin are concerned, they're now history and we don't really have to ask whether they were real or if it was all a dream. It may well have been a case of 'much ado about nothing' and we mere mortals may all be fools but if the results of the 2006 season can be as pleasing as this one was, then perhaps we aren't making up numbers this time and something good will happen when summer passes to autumn and through the winter into springtime.

Melbourne: 0.4.4, 0.6.12, 0.6.13, 0.9.15 (69)

Western Bulldogs: 1.0.1, 1.3.4, 1.6.9, 1.7.12 (63)

9 point goals:

Melbourne: Nil

Western Bulldogs: Murphy

6 point goals:

Melbourne: Davey Robertson 3 McDonald Motlop Pickett

Western Bulldogs: Murphy 3 Faulkner Giansiracusa Johnson Minson

Best:

Melbourne: Johnstone Davey Yze Robertson Bate Motlop Rivers

Western Bulldogs: Giansiracusa Murphy Johnson West Morris Gilbee

Injuries:

Melbourne: Bizzell (back)

Western Bulldogs: Gilbee (leg)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Ellis Donlon Woodcock Grun

Crowd 6000 (approx) at Marrara Oval Darwin.