Jump to content

  • Podcast     

  • Podcast     

TO A “T” by George on the Outer

Demonland

By Demonland,
in Match Reports

 Share Followers 0

Recommended Posts

Demonland

Demonland 22,120

Posted
Posted

Thursday night football - not something Melbourne FC are accustomed to doing, especially after barely garnering a Friday night game for years.

Yet with this opportunity, the Demons soundly beat the Swans at the SCG and put their season back on Track.

This was not only a game of mental toughness, since the Demons had so far failed to win a game in 2019 and faced possibly a season ending prospect of 0-4, should they have failed in Sydney. 

History was against them, and Buddy Franklin’s record of 15 successive wins against the Demons was a genuine Threat, as he can single-handedly rip a game apart. 

Things looked good with Melbourne kicking the first 2 goals, but then fell into their habit of allowing the opposition to get a run of  unanswered goals, and at ¼ time they Trailed by 14 points.  It was almost a repeat of the previous 3 weeks, and based on that a recovery of sorts could be expected in the second.

And it was. 

The game turned into a simply Tough, hard contested contest.  Though behind in contested ball at ¼ time, the Demons just started grinding the Swans down.  Telling goals from co-captain Nathan Jones put Melbourne back in the match, and he simply dragged his Team mates along with him. 

The Twin Towers of Gawn and Preuss simply overwhelmed the Swans talls, in what was to be a complete reversal of what had happened to Melbourne in the past weeks. 

With Preuss as a resting Target in front of goal, he simply terrified the Swan defenders, and then was able to give Max the rest from the rucking responsibilities he had been denied for so long.

Furthermore, with both of them on the ground, it released Max to sit out the back and in the dying minutes of the game, this proved vital, as Gawn took telling marks to deny the Swans any hope of revival. 

Make no mistake, this match has the capacity to be the Turning point for the Demons.  It re-inforced in their minds and the spectators, the Toughness of AFL, as we saw players from both sides taken from the ground with collision injury after collision injury.  Preuss, Heeney, Brayshaw, Oscar, Oliver and Sinclair were all sidelined at some point in the game.  For the Demons, already with injury woes, the pre-game losses of Jetta, Lockhart and Kolodjashnij only compounded the problem, and it is hoped that a 10 day break will give these bodies the chance to recover. 

With the game on the line at ½ time, it was the Demons who came out and started to stamp their authority.  The contested ball statistics had been reversed from the first quarter as Oliver, Brayshaw, Viney and particularly Jones bullocked into contests.  This was more of the Melbourne brand that the fans had come to know. 

With Gawn providing an enormous 55 hitouts and 38% to advantage, in a way the game should have only had the one possible result.  Backup from Preuss gave the Swans no relief, so hopefully this Tandem operation will be used again in future games. 

Frost on Franklin was always a concern, but his speed was able to match Buddy’s and he forced him far and wide continuously.  The result was a solitary goal, with a couple of failed shots, simply because he was too far out. 

Without a true second target in front of goals, the Swans were denied scoring opportunities.  

Make no mistake, the Demon defence is still fragile. Oscar McDonald, prior to his injury did little to inspire confidence, and Hibberd is still miles from his best.  However, Hore in his second game proved to be more than reliable, and took some telling defensive marks at critical times. 

Salem was simply a rock, yet again, with 33 disposals, which always seem to finish in the hands of team mates up the ground. 

The main forwards also are far from their best, and the addition of Preuss or Gawn really covered the lack of output from them again. Melksham, Tom McDonald and Weideman only contributed 3 goals, but Petracca took a step in the right direction with more intensity when required to record a couple of goals himself.

Hunt has fitted into the crumbing forward role as he has his career re-defined, and he has also learnt the importance of defensive pressure, something badly missing from the whole teams performance in these past weeks. Spargo and Stretch however, provided little and will only keep their position in the side should no-one else suitable be available.  They must take their chances and perform.

Ten days to recover.  The bodies certainly need it after that game.  And it may give other bodies the Time to also get to game ready.  Jetta and Lockhart should be available, with Lewis also a possibility.  Preuss has guaranteed a position in the side, and it is now Time for the Demons to Truly put their season back on Track.

Melbourne 3.2.20 8.4.52 12.7.79 15.10.100

Sydney Swans 5.4.34 8.10.58 9.11.65 11.12.78

Goals

Melbourne Jones 3 Hunt Petracca Preuss 2 Brayshaw Harmes T McDonald Melksham Viney  Weideman

Sydney Dawson Florent Jack 2 Franklin Heeney Jones  Ronke Sinclair

Best

Melbourne Gawn Oliver Jones Salem Hore Harmes

Sydney Cunningham Lloyd Florent Rampe Jones Heeney

Injuries

Melbourne Braydon Preuss (shoulder)  

Sydney Nil

Reports

Melbourne Nil 

Sydney Nil

Umpires Rosebury, Stephens, Wallace 

Official crowd: 26,669 at the SCG

ReportRd042019.png

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
 Share
Followers 0
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

  • Match Previews, Reports & Articles

    WASH, RINSE, SPIN, REPEAT! by George On The Outer

    Although the Demons got over the line in their must win final round game against the hapless Bombers, they ensured it was Groundhog Day for their supporters who well remember what happened three years ago (although, this time they at least enjoyed the success of victory). Melbourne had its customary start dominating play and having plenty of chances in front of goal, only to find itself down on the scoreboard at the first change. Inaccurate kicking, particularly from set shots would have pu

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports

    THE LUCK OF THE DRAW by Whispering Jack

    The long awaited clash between Melbourne and Essendon is almost upon us. Thirty-seven rounds of AFL football have passed by since the two clubs met on a balmy early April night last year in a game that produced a high scoring shootout at the MCG with the Bombers prevailing by 18 points. It was their only meeting for 2019 and happened at a time when the pandemic was something on the far distant horizon. Several months later when the 2019 season ended, the AFL issued the first of its fixtures

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Previews

    THERE’S STILL A HEARTBEAT by George on the Outer

    When bottom side Adelaide scrapped together a win over the Giants last week, a tiny glimmer of hope opened up for the Demons’ finals chances. The patient was in intensive care but not quite finished — there was a faint pulse, a heart beating ever so slightly but was it enough when two more wins and other results were needed to fall their way? The first step was the resuscitation of a team that had lost its last two matches against sides then sitting fifteenth and sixteenth on the ladder. On

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports 1

    THE FINAL HUMILIATION by The Oracle

    On Sunday, the Melbourne Football Club that won three consecutive games by in excess of 50 points last month returns to the Gabba, the scene of the last of those victories which was a 56 point drubbing of Collingwood. The Demons got off to a good start and won every quarter with a ruthless and powerful brand of football. They kicked 16 goals that day, their accuracy in front of goal a tribute to the skills the put on display throughout the afternoon and evening. In the four matches playe

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Previews

    GIVEN THE OLD HEAVE HO’ by George on the Outer

    Fremantle gave Melbourne the old heave ho’ from playing finals in 2020, in conditions that the Demons yet again failed to handle.   With the whole season on the line and the need to win to stay in contention for finals, what the fans saw was much the same as they have been witnessing so many times before — a complete debacle and capitulation against a side that sat 15th on the ladder before the game.     Promises made after the loss to the 16th placed Sydney Swans were rendered h

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports

    GETTING THE HEAVE HO by Bananabender

    The ute barely made it up to Cairns in time for us to check into the motel, fling a cane toad out the bathroom. and head over to Cazaly’s Stadium where we took up our position on the wing. There, we saw a completely different Melbourne to the one we watched on the screen only a few nights earlier from Alice Springs. This lot wore similar colours and Maxy dominated the ruck but the similarities ended there - the Demons were simply dreadful against the Swans. They started sluggishly, were spe

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Previews

    A CLANGER IN CAIRNS by George on the Outer

    Having fought back into finals contention, the Demons had it all before them when facing a lowly Sydney in Cairns.  But in typical Melbourne fashion, they threw away the opportunity to cement their spot in the eight with a clanger of a game.  Right from the start, there was little to enthuse from the Melbourne players, who appeared to think that they only had to turn up, enjoy the North Queensland sun, and take away the four points.  Compared with the furious ground wide pressure of the

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports

    TEN MINUTES LATE by Whispering Jack

    The late Norm Smith, who played in four Melbourne premierships and coached another six, was a strong disciplinarian. Known as the Red Fox for his auburn hair and his cunning, Smith was a man of a different age to the here and now. Born during the Great War, he survived the Spanish Flu Pandemic, grew up in depression times, played mostly through the Second World War and its aftermath and coached in a period of rebuilding and recovery to a time of prosperity. Smith’s success was built on team

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Previews

    SAINTS HELL IN DEES HEAVEN by GOTO

    The last of this year’s indigenous games was played in the red heart of the country and could well have determined Melbourne’s finals aspirations but it was St Kilda that had its top four hopes dashed after a nail-biting finish in Alice Springs which saw them unceremoniously marched out of the position in football heaven occupied by them for much of this season. It all came down in the end to a goal-line decision as to whether a freakish shot by Christian Petracca was touched and the goal u

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports

    DO OR DIE by The Oracle

    Melbourne is, not for the first time, paying for lapses in matches whereby the club leaks multiple goals without answer and which usually cost the club in those all-important eight point games as it did last week against the Western Bulldogs which replaced the Demons in the AFL top eight. And this week, they come up against a team that reputedly plays in the same mode as the Bulldogs but has been able to prevail over better opponents than Melbourne. It’s not that the Demons are out of form

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Previews

    GIVE THE DOGS A BONE by George on the Outer

    The winner of the game is in the top eight and the loser out. Had Melbourne won, it would have consigned the Bulldogs season to the scrapheap given their remaining fixture which still includes a bye. The Demons led at half-time but they gave the Dogs a bone which was willingly accepted — they notched 6 goals in the third quarter and dumped the Demons out of the eight. This game simply saw all the bad habits return for Melbourne players.  When they serve up dinky kicks, dinky handballs, litt

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Reports

    FRENZY by Whispering Jack

    The Melbourne Football Club should hand out an award to the person who came up with the concept of the 20 day football frenzy the football world experienced from Round 9 to the completion of Round 12 on Monday. When the AFL fixture was moved into a state of perpetual motion, things changed so quickly that it was difficult to fathom exactly what was happening to the competition but the Demons have been one of the beneficiaries to date. The flogging the team received at the hands of Port Adel

    Demonland
    Demonland |
    Match Previews

×
×
  • Create New...