WELCOME HOME LIL’ by Meggs

Posted September 27Sep 27

The forecast said wind. The ladder said mismatch. The scoreboard said obliteration.

Melbourne didn’t just beat Gold Coast — they dismantled them: 13.15 (93) to 0.6 (6). An 87-point obliteration, the Suns held goalless, and the Demons delivering their second-highest winning margin and third-highest score in AFLW history.

Kate Hore surprised her coach by winning the toss and electing to kick to the Clyde end — into the breeze.

He should have known it was all part of the plan. Within seconds of the opening bounce Melbourne had goaled via the talented Megan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzsimon and then with the wind at our backs in the last quarter, the Dees piled on 6 unanswered goals.

The Suns had wilted, and Lily wished she wasn’t here.

It all started with clean ball handling from the middle led by Tyla Hanks (25 disposals, 392 metres gained) whose sublime skills in traffic set the tone for a best-on-ground performance. Maeve Chaplin (8 marks, 638 metres gained) was brilliant mopping up from defence and spending time in the centre square. Fitzy (21 disposals, 15 tackles) had one of the best games of her career, and was everywhere — tackling, clearing, and creating. The versatile Tayla Harris was even taking the kickouts, bombing to the centre square.

For the Suns, they lost important midfielder Claudia Whitford to a first quarter hamstring, Taya Oliver was off for some time, while Clara Fitzpatrick and Jacq Dupuy were hurt late in the game.

Havana Harris showed glimpses of her talent and Charlie Rowbottom threw herself into battle but needed more support. It was a dismal team effort from the Suns.

The match

The infamous Casey breeze was blowing a gale, but the Demons kicked into it like it was a tailwind. Paxy Paxman and Tyla Hanks led the early blitz, combining for 15 disposals in the first term. The Suns had some first quarter moments edging the inside-50 count but just couldn’t convert their chances.

Melbourne did — 3.2 to 0.3 at quarter time.

With the goal tally building rapidly, it was notable that the names Zanker and Hore were missing from the score sheet. Kate had been mistiming her kicks in the wind but shone late in the game with two classy majors to take her career tally to 95 goals.

The Suns were eclipsed, and the Dees had unleashed carnage.

Match moment

We must give praise to Ry Wotherspoon (17 disposals, 7 tackles, 3 marks, 338 metres

gained) who was super impressive in a break-out game. The fourth-highest ranked player on the ground showcased her clean hands and strong presence around the ball.Her best moment came on the run, accepting a lovely Paxy handpass and snapping truly into the wind. Best game so far.

Meggs’ musings

Melbourne sits at 6 wins, 1 loss but all seven matches have been against teams outside the eight. Our soft draw is in stark contrast to last year however, we are pitted against top eight teams Swans, Geelong and Brisbane in the final home and away games.

Fitzy, Maevo, and Hanksy — everywhere, Demon dominators.

Melbourne’s defence held Gold Coast goalless — a rare feat in AFLW.

Rhyce Shaw’s first game coaching against Melbourne? Unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

The upcoming matches are the Bombers (Ikon), who kept the all-conquering North Melbourne goalless in the first quarter on Friday, and an interstate trip to Perth to play the Dockers.

Coaches and Next Week

Mick Stinear was pleased his team produced a four-quarter effort after last week’s lapse against West Coast. He praised Fitzy who has excelled in the midfield and helps cover the loss of Liv Purcell. He believes his Dees are well set up to tackle the remainder of the season.

Rhyce Shaw said his team did not show the level required to play AFLW today.

Next week: Essendon at Ikon Park, Friday 7:15pm. Get along if you can - Princes Park is always a vibe.

C’mon, Dees.