Melbourne fans were put through the wringer on Saturday and ended the  night with a sinking feeling as their team suffered a two-point loss to the GWS Giants at the MCG in front of their ailing coach and fell to 11th on the AFL ladder, a game and percentage outside of the top eight. With only four rounds left to play, they must now win every game to advance to the finals.

The Demons welcomed back skipper Max Gawn and were off to a flyer as they kicked five goals to one to take a quarter-time lead of 27 points. In the cut throat game that football has become in a year when so many teams are in line for September action, you need to take advantage of every opportunity and whilst they had a handy lead at the first break, it could have been greater with one or two opportunities lost through poor disposal when going forward.

The Giants had come back from an even worse position three or four weeks ago against the Blues and they repeated the dose this time kicking 12 of the next 15 goals. They did it by taking control of the midfield, and breaking the Demons’ defensive structures with plenty of run and spread. They kicked with greater accuracy both in front of goal (65% to 52% in scoring shots) and disposed of the ball better in general play where they led by 74% to 66% in effective disposals.

GWS also had some luck with a clear 50m penalty missed that could have given away a goal early and a clever drop of the knees by Toby Greene that drew a free kick in front of goal. You need these things to go your way in close results but the visitors earned the victory by taking their chances against a more predictable opponent.

They did that to good effect in coming back to within three points at the main break and then weathered the Demons’ storm in the arm wrestle that ensued until time on in the third quarter when held goalless during a period when they were on the back foot. They then changed gears, applied the heat and kicked three goals to one to take the lead by three points at the final break.

With former Demon Jesse Hogan on fire, taking marks at will and kicking goals with his stuttering run up, the Giants stunned the embarrassingly small crowd of 16,246 with four goals in the first seven minutes of the final term to open up a 27-point lead, marking a 54-point turnaround since quarter time. 

The following 25 minutes of time to the final siren were excruciating for Demonkind as their team made a late surge that fell short by two points, their third defeat by less than a goal for the season. Imagine, an extra goal in each of those games, would have put them in second position on the table at this stage.

Although the team was beaten in the middle, Clayton Oliver responded to his critics (as if he had to) and Trent Rivers and Jack Viney plugged away for their team. Jake Lever was a stout defender and Ed Langdon added with his drive from the wing. Max Gawn was clearly not at his best after a two week absence with his ankle injury but there were too many others who failed to apply themselves for the full hundred minutes. The irony of Hogan’s match winning goal kicking was not lost on the fans who missed out on similar heroics at their end of the field.

The Demons return to action on Friday night when they take on the rising Western Bulldogs who look likely finalists after occupying Melbourne’s current place just a few weeks back. That will give coach Simon Goodwin some pause for thought as he makes his recovery to good health and considers the way to prevent his team from sinking out of the finals picture.

We wish him well.

MELBOURNE 5.5.35 6.7.43 8.9.57 12.11.83

GWS GIANTS 1.2.8 6.4.40 9.6.60 13.7.85

GOALS

MELBOURNE Chandler Fritsch 2 Gawn Langdon Melksham Neale-Bullen Petty Pickett van Rooyen Viney

GWS GIANTS Hogan 4 Greene 3 Daniels 2 Bedford Green McMullin Ward

BEST

MELBOURNE Rivers Viney Lever May Oliver Langdon

GWS GIANTS Green Greene Hogan Daniels Callaghan Whitfield

INJURIES

MELBOURNE Nil

GWS GIANTS Nil

REPORTS

MELBOURNE Nil

GWS GIANTS Nil

SUBSTITUTIONS

MELBOURNE Daniel Turner, replaced Jack Billings at three-quarter time

GWS GIANTS Joe Fonti, unused

UMPIRES Nick Foot Justin Power Hayden Gavine

CROWD 16,246 at the MCG

Well-written, as always.  Thank you.

Not sure about Langdon in the best, certainly tried but his disposal was pretty ordinary.

Also don't think May or Lever had their best games.  McVee was the best of the backline for mine.