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ENTERTAINED by Meggs

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Are you not entertained? Wow, that was some second half by the Dees. Our skill level and delivery into the forward 50 was the best we’ve seen. And 10 goals to boot!
 
Not surprisingly, the Hot Pies came out with physicality across the board. Star captain Bri Davey threw her weight around like a gladiator racking up 35 positions to be best on ground. Brit Bonicci was coming back from an ACL too and she racked up 17 possessions to also be influential.
 
You could tell at ground level we were not quite matching their intensity and that led to skill errors. Mike Stinear rued those early missed gettable goals which put us on the back foot.  
Collingwood were up by 14 points midway through the second quarter and Meggs was thinking, is this what a premiership hangover looks like? 
 
But no worries. Mick Stinear resets the group at half-time, some astute positional moves, a ratcheting up of the intensity meter, and voila!  A scintillating 5-goal third quarter to none, to run away with the 4 points and be top of the ladder.  It was inspiring to watch. Yes, entertained.
 
A secret strength seems the evenness of our playing group. Collingwood had 5 players who had more than 10 possessions whereas Melbourne had 13 such players. 
 
Remember that quarters have been extended to 17 minutes plus time on, with rotations restricted to 70 so fitness is another factor, especially late in quarters.
 
Special mention: Shelley Heath with 11 possessions and 11 tackles, ran with and limited Bri Davey’s influence in the second half and helped herself to 2 opportunistic goals. What a star!
 
Other mentions: Kate Hore was everywhere with 6 marks and a Captain’s goal. Lily Mithen was full of energy around the ground, Purcell, Paxy and Mackin too. Eliza MacNamara’s second half for her first game for a year was super.  She nailed an incredible inside 50 bullet pass to Hore for her goal. 
 
Our tall forwards provided lots of great leads and marked well with Bannan (3 goals), Zanker (2.3) and Harris (1.2). Harris also had 7 marks and got to many contests competing well.
 
Ikon Park always has such a nice vibe. Arriving early, you could see the ground steadily filling, eventually with 8,412 people. It was great to see Kate Roffey and Daisy Pearce there to unveil the Demons Season 7 premiership flag and then we were sung to by Australian legend Missy Higgins. 
 
Kate promised big things for Melbourne in Season 8 and thanked all supporters with special praise for the DeeArmy. Their banner celebrating vice-captain Tyla Hanks’ 50th game was amazing.
 
Hanksy played her part too with her usual gameday awesomeness and celebrating her milestone with a crushing win.
 
In terms of the game:
 
Q1 Kate Hore wins the toss. Good omen. 
 
We notice Razor Ray is out there with his whistle. Awesome.
 
Melbourne has the better of the opening minutes and a couple of near misses from Harris, Zanker and Sherriff. Highlights reel Alyssa Bannan gets the opening goal of the match with a nice assist from Eliza Mac.
 
Collingwood pushing forward.  Our defenders look under pressure. Purcell is adjudged to be holding the ball and Makala Cann kicks truly for the Pies first goal.
 
Davey, Bonicci, Brazill are getting on top, laying some big tackles and the Pies get another goal via Tarni Brown.
 
¼ time: Dees 1.4.10 Pies 2.0.12
 
Q2
 
Within 2 minutes of the start of play the Pies get another goal off the back of a thumping inside 50 entry from Davey when Morris-Dalton kicks it off the ground.
 
Moments later Sabreena Frederick for the Pies has a snap in the goal square but kicks it like Joe Daniher and somehow misses the unmissable. A lucky break for the Dees!
 
Davey then earns a holding the ball free kick in the goal square and duly converts. Pies up by 13 points and getting on top.
 
Mick sends Kate Hore to defence, and she immediately marks and repels a Pies forward entry.
 
Eliza James, a Collingwood forward, is off with an ankle injury. Unfortunately, she doesn’t return.
 
Second-gamer Georgia Campbell takes a contested mark in the goal square and converts. She was a Father-Daughter selection with pick 41 in the 2021 AFLW draft and her Dad, Adrian, played 2 games for the Dees in 1993.
 
½ time: Dees 2.7.19 Pies 4.3.27
 
Q3
 
Melbourne starts brightly with some fast ball movement where Zanker takes control of the footy in the goal square and nicely executes an overhead kick for a goal. That’s how you do it Sabreena.
 
Next a scintillating passage of play begins deep in the backline and ends up with Shelley Heath running into an open goal. The Dees are in front as teammates gather around Heathy.
 
Eliza Mac then intercepts and hits up Kate Hore with that sublime inside 50 pass and Captain Kate goes bang, slotting it perfectly above the goal umpire’s head. 
 
Momentum is with the Dees as now as Harris intercepts an errant Magpie handpass to kick the fourth goal of the quarter. 
 
Under two minutes now and Harris takes another contested mark in the inside 50 and centres her kick where Banno takes a Mark of the Day and goes back and goals. Banno can now add contested marking to her impressive bouncing, goal scoring and celebrating CV.
 
Less than 30 seconds to go and Hanks steals the ball from Davey to hit Harris on the lead but in an anticlimax, her after-the-siren shot hits the post.
 
No matter. The Dees have turned the pie warmer off and the Pies have gone cold. They’re no chance from here. Collingwood coach Steve Symonds said the Pies missed the ‘run’ of their injured first choice defenders Ruby Schleicher and Lauren Butler.  Our tall forwards have certainly dominated.
 
¾ time: Dees 7.11.19 Pies 4.4.28
 
Q4
 
The Pies only score 3 points for the quarter as the Dees dominate and kick 3 goals 2 points.
 
Heath creates something from nothing from a ball up for her second goal.  What a game she’s having!
 
Zanker then marks strongly and goes banana on her left foot for her second goal.
 
Sherriff marks inside 50 and then unselfishly handballs to a running Banno for her third goal.
 
It’s game over.
 
Full time: Dees 10.13.73 defeated Pies 4.7.31
 
If you’re one of those people who say women’s footy is not skillful or entertaining enough for you, please watch the highlights of the third quarter and see if you still feel that way.
 
Coaches and next week
 
Melbourne Coach Mick Stinear said the group started well but didn’t convert early and became concerned when Collingwood got on top. He felt it was an attractive game to watch with both teams having ascendency at various times. When asked, he said Melbourne was conservative with the new AFLW rotation rule limit of 60 interchanges. 
 
Collingwood coach Steve Symonds said Melbourne was a really good team last year and have gone up another level this year.  When their pressure dropped off, Melbourne was able to get their run-on gaming going and they’re hard to stop.  He is a fan of the longer quarters.  
Next week we take on GWS at Manuka Oval, Canberra on Sunday September 10 at 5:05pm.
MELBOURNE 1.4.10 2.7.19 7.11.53 10.13.73 COLLINGWOOD 2.0.12 4.3.27 4.4.28 4.7.31 GOALS MELBOURNE Bannan 3 Heath Zanker 2 Campbell Harris Hore COLLINGWOOD Brown Cann Davey Morris-Dalton BEST MELBOURNE Hanks Bannan Purcell Zanker Heath Hore COLLINGWOOD Davey Bonnici Rowe Cann Morris-Dalton Brazill 
INJURIES MELBOURNE Nil COLLINGWOOD James (ankle) Brazill (nose) UMPIRES Chamberlain Devenish Simmonds CROWD 8,412 at Ikon Park
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    Great report @Meggs.....after the game, I heard comments by Bec Goddard, the Hawthorn coach. 

    She noted the interchange cap of 60 really limits most sides who only have 2 or 3 mids of quality.  This means they will have to spend longer on the field and as a result tire. 

    Importantly, she noted Melbourne has 5 or 6 quality mids unlike other sides.....Purcell, Hanks, Mithen, Paxman, West, McNamara and even Hore and Heath were run through there in this game.  Combined with now 2 rucks in Pearce and Campbell ( a revelation in this game). 

    It means we can keep running fresh bodies through the middle without taking them off the ground.  This game was the perfect example with Davey and Bonnici tiring badly, and Taub-Frederick unsighted in the second half, apart from on the bench.

    Edited by george_on_the_outer

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