If you were looking for something new from the Demons that wasn’t there last year, you didn’t have to look further than the perfectly trimmed grass surface of UTAS Stadium last night as the team steamrolled the Hawks to record a comprehensive 32-point victory to complete their Marsh Community Series commitments for 2020.
One new thing was the fact that for the second Marsh game in a row, the team finished full of running and they dominated the second half without the presence or the dominance of their new skipper Max Gawn who missed the game against Adelaide with a knee injury and was rested for this game after the main break. The three-time All-Australian ruckman, did enough in his comeback game to convince the football world that he’s back in town (or at least in Launceston for the time being).
The other thing that was a novelty for those who endured the ravages of 2019 was the club’s dominance on the wings thanks to the advent of Ed Langdon and Adam Tomlinson who were recruited from Fremantle and GWS Giants respectively to both add to the teams outside running capacity to add the element of attacking capacity where it was previously missing and further to create a barrier around the edges where the ball often slipped through the cracks allowing easy opposition goals. If things continue to work as they did last night, the importation of two players with these elite running skills could one day be regarded as true recruiting genius.
Up forward, the Demons had dangerous targets like Bayley Fritsch and Jake Melksham fit and firing, and after a scrappy start for the team, they managed to put five and four majors respectively on the scoreboard.
The team wasn’t let down by the defensive unit marshalled by Steven May and Jake Lever who rarely played together in the same team last year led a fairly experienced bunch of hard nosed back men such as as Neville Jetta and Michael Hibberd and the improving Oscar McDonald.
As the game went on the team clearly benefited from a more cohesive and fully fit midfield, operating on all cylinders. This division will become super impressive if it remains intact. In this game the standout was former skipper Jack Viney with Christian Petracca, Clayton Oliver, Angus Brayshaw and the other former captain Nathan Jones providing some classy back up.
Jay Lockhart returned home to where it all started and looks to be on the cusp of something good. It’s players of his ilk that suggest that there is plenty of talent and depth around and there are lots of new things on display at Melbourne to make a difference in 2020.
Let’s see.
Melbourne 2.5.17 5.6.36 8.7.55 12.9 (81)
Hawthorn 2.2.14 4.7.31 6.10.46 6.13 (49)
Goals
Melbourne Fritsch 5 Melksham 4 Bedford Neal-Bullen Viney
Hawthorn Scully 2 Breust Mitchell Patton, Worpel
Best
Melbourne Tomlinson Fritsch Melksham Hibberd Langdon Viney
Hawthorn Sicily Scully Mitchell O'Meara Ceglar
Injuries
Melbourne vandenBerg (bruised foot) Weideman (ankle)
Hawthorn Lewis (ankle)
Reports
Melbourne Nil
Hawthorn Nil
Umpires Fisher, Power, Gianfagna
Crowd 2,712 at UTAS Stadium
KC from Casey reports that a highly inaccurate Casey Demons team struggled with conditions in their opening practice match at Casey Fields today. The team took more than three quarters to register their first goal and were never in the hunt to win.
Casey Demons 0.3.3 0.9.9 0.10.10 2.12 (24)
Box Hill Hawks 3.2.20 5.3.33 7.7.49 11.7 (73)
Goals
Casey Demons Rivers C Wagner
Box Hill Hawks Ross 4 Bowman Jeka 2 Cucinotta Day Reeves
