A seven-point victory to the Melbourne Demons over Port Power at Adelaide oval, saw the real power tools on the inside of the fence, as opposed to those versions on the other side, around the ground.

 

Their pre-game chant of “never tear us apart” obviously didn’t carry any weight with the Melbourne players, as that was exactly what happened during the course of the game.  

 

This was a most ”un-Melbourne like game” in the way it was played. At various times during the match it all came down to individual efforts.  This was a game where BOTH teams had ten goal kickers.  It wasn’t about a dominant area of the ground for either side, it was, in a way a return to the old fashioned one on one type football.  

 

Often we hear the coaches speak of “moments’ in the game.  Well in this game it was one moment, followed by another as each side traded blow for blow and the lead swung back and forth with the maximum margin being only 18 points during the match.

 

Scarily, for opposition sides, the Demons showed that if that is the way you want to  play, we will beat you at that game as well.

 

We have often heard the phrase “a captain’s goal” and certainly that happened when Max Gawn managed to kick straight after the ¾ time siren to bring the game back to near level pegging.  

 

But that effort which tore the hearts of the Port fans out, was repeated time and time again by other Melbourne players during the game.  

 

Led by Jack “hammer” Viney in his 200th game for the Demons, it was him against the Port mids, particularly in the first quarter, but he just kept willing himself to contest, and despite the Power breaking out to a 3 goal lead early on, the team just pegged it back, as Jack hammered the opposition into submission.

 

When needed it was Ben “the drill ” Brown who nailed shots from long range, that never looked to deviate from straight and true.

 

It was Alex “reciprocating saw” Neale-Bullen who kept coming back and forth to the contest, and probably playing his best ever game for the side, at a time when that was exactly what was needed.  

Then it was the turn of Caleb “ buzz-saw” Windsor who sped past the floundering Port defenders to record his first ever major for the Demons.

 

Another was when Bayley “Polisher” Fritsch calmly went back with only a couple of minutes to run on the clock and split the big sticks from on the boundary line.

 

Down in defence the “Fire extinguishers “ of Jake Lever and Trent Rivers, kept blanketing any potential outbreaks coming from the Port forwards.  But this was also about the whole fire crew of Tom McDonald, Blake Howes, Marty Hore and Christian Salem coming just in time to put paid to any spot fires which might develop.  Even more impressive was that despite an incredible 66 inside 50s and the Fire Chief of Steven May being absent, all these individual saves simply denied Port a winning score.

 

In the middle it was the “grinders” of Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Tom Sparrow alongside Jack Viney who had the job to just wear down the Port mids. Make no mistake, they had a seriously good combination, and by all statistical measures, they were ascendant.  

 

But like last week against the Hawks, the stats just don’t matter, when the quality is what is being sought. To reiterate what Simon Goodwin said “we are comfortable with that, unless it has scoreboard impact”!

 

So the Demons power tools all over the ground did indeed “tear them apart” . The toothless voices heard before the match, like their black and white counterparts in Melbourne were seen streaming from the ground before the match finished. 

 

Perhaps they realised their team didn’t have wings, but was never going to fly like the Power of the Melbourne Demons.

 

MELBOURNE 3.2.20 7.3.45 10.4.64 15.6.96

 

PORT ADELAIDE 4.1.25 7.3.45 10.8.68 13.11.89

 

GOALS

 

MELBOURNE Brown 3 Fritsch Neal-Bullen Sparrow 2 Gawn Langdon Oliver Pickett Viney Windsor 

 

PORT ADELAIDE Byrne-Jones Finlayson Rioli 2 Dixon Evans Houston McEntee Marshall Rozee Soldo

 

BEST

 

MELBOURNE Neal-Bullen Gawn Petracca Rivers Viney Oliver

 

PORT ADELAIDE Drew Houston Rozee Wines Butters Soldo

 

INJURIES

 

MELBOURNE Nil

 

PORT ADELAIDE Boak (head knock)

 

REPORTS

 

MELBOURNE Nil

 

PORT ADELAIDE Nil

 

SUBSTITUTIONS

 

MELBOURNE Taj Woewodin, replaced Jack Billings in the fourth quarter

 

PORT ADELAIDE Jase Burgoyne, replaced Francis Evans in the third quarter

 

UMPIRES Hayden Gavine Alex Whetton Robert Findlay Martin Rodger

 

CROWD 38,105 at Adelaide Oval

 

Power Tools 🤣 love it.  What a win - still buzzing.

Dees turn off the Power !!  

Power supporters are a bunch of tools.

12 minutes ago, leave it to deever said:

Power supporters are a bunch of tools.

And saw losers!

you're not in too bad a form yourself George with that write up mate

1 hour ago, The Ox said:

you're not in too bad a form yourself George with that write up mate

That's plane.

3 hours ago, Fanatique Demon said:

And saw losers!

With no teeth.

( I'll see myself out).