You could probably count on 1 finger how many teams have lost when they have 29 more inside 50s, 19 more contested possessions and 16 more clearances. Yet on the big stage on a Friday night the Dees were behind on the only stat that really matters as we went down to the Power by 10 points.
It was a major disappointment that still irks me! How on earth did we lose that!?
A couple of decisions that didn’t go our way and late injuries to MacDonald and Jetta certainly didn’t help our cause. The one positive that can be taken away is that I promise you if we bring that level of intensity each week we will not lose many games. Our ferocity at the contest was as high as I have seen all season and the boys certainly played like the had a point to prove after our last game performance.
Viney was fantastic and lead from the front all night with 20 hard earned contested possessions, not to be outdone his fellow co captain Jones was great as was Oliver, Brayshaw and Jetta. Finally MacDonald continued his great form with 3 goals but overall it really was a game that we let slip away and now see us at the bottom half of the 8.
We have the Saints again this Sunday in what really is a must win game. I can’t see us losing – especially if we continue with that level of intensity shown on Friday. The Dees will and will win easily.
LUKEY TAPSCOTT VOTES (Rnd 13)
Viney 5
Brayshaw 4
Oliver 3
Jones 2
Jetta 1
LUKEY TAPSCOTT LEADERBOARD
Oliver 31
Hogan 27
Gawn 18
Brayshaw 18
Jones 17
Melksham 14
Petracca 12
T.MacDonald 11
Salem 7
Lever 6
Jetta 6
Viney 6
Garlett 5
Hibberd 4
Harmes 4
Hannan 3
Fritsch 3
Bugg 1
Neal Bullen 1
O.MacDonald 1
ANB RISING STAR VOTES (Rnd 13)
Viney 5
Brayshaw 4
Oliver 3
Harmes 2
Tyson 1
ANB RISING STAR LEADERBOARD
Oliver 40
Hogan 33
Brayshaw 22
Petracca 15
Salem 15
Fritsch 15
Tyson 11
Lever 10
Viney 9
Harmes 8
Neal Bullen 7
Hannan 4
O.MacDonald 3
Bugg 2
Smith 2
Spargo 1
Oliver now is taking a strangehold on both awards and extends his leads.
Go Dees!!
As a relatively new Demons fan, I’ve only known seasons where we’ve failed to make the finals. This year I believe will be different.
Round 14 – Port Adelaide Vs Melbourne
Liam Chambers – our correspondent in Coffs Harbour
Taking on Port Adelaide at their home ground, especially when they are on the ascendancy, was never going to be easy. After the defeat against Collingwood two weeks ago the Dees needed to bounce back and secure a win. For the majority of the game that seemed a distinct possibility. Then that last all important quarter, was once again, where Melbourne struggled to meet expectations.
As a relatively new Demons fan, I’ve only known seasons where we’ve failed to make the finals. This year I believe will be different. We’ve beaten the teams we were expected to beat and we’ve fought valiantly against teams that have tested us. We were pipped at the post against Geelong. We kept pace with Richmond until the last quarter and were ahead of Port Adelaide until the final ten minutes. We can honestly say we didn’t play our best against either Hawthorn or Collingwood and much as I hate to say it, we didn’t deserve to win either game.
We have a great team of players. However, I don’t think we yet have the sense of belief and overall confidence that a side like Richmond, Sydney or Geelong possesses. I think that will happen and Melbourne has improved every season over the last five years. We have potential superstars in Jesse Hogan, Tom McDonald, Christian Petracca, Jake Lever, Max Gawn as well as the brilliant Neville Jetta, Angus Brayshaw, Jake Melksham, Clayton Oliver, the list goes on. They’re doing a lot of the right things on the field. Our players are brave, crazy brave in the case of Neville Jetta and Tom McDonald with Nathan Jones throwing himself at the opposition with regular intensity. We have the talent, the determination; we play well as a team.
Why do we struggle against the top sides? When does a team suddenly click? With Richmond it was last season after failing to make the top eight in 2016 when their 2015 performance suggested they should be contenders. Melbourne need that connection when it’s all about the team’s success. Maybe it will happen this year and I really hope it does because of one man. Nathan Jones has stuck with the Demons through all the humiliations and write offs from commentators. He deserves the team he knows Melbourne can be.
The Dees were superior when it came to disposals, inside 50s, clearances, handballs and contested possessions. On the flip side, Port had more marks in 50 and interestingly more free kicks. I’m not going to go through each quarter as we all know the Dees dominated only to be denied at the final hurdle. It comes down to who scored the most goals. The Power were intense in their pressure and we suffered some nasty injuries. Let’s hope that all affected players recover well and are able to compete fully for the rest of the season.
We’ll keep learning from our experiences and will give it our all against the Saints next week. As always, we need to bring our best game to every encounter; just because St Kilda are struggling this year doesn’t make them any less of a threat.
Go the Mighty Dees!
PORT ADELAIDE 1.3 4.6 8.7 11.9 (75)
MELBOURNE 3.5 4.8 9.9 9.11 (65)
GOALS
Port Adelaide: Ebert 2, R.Gray 2, Westhoff 2, Wingard, Boak, Dixon, Thomas, S.Gray
Melbourne: T.McDonald 3, Hannan 2, Petracca, Smith, Melksham, Salem
Darren Spence – our correspondent in Jakarta
Collingwood! The place as a 5 year old I heard swear words for the first time in the outer at Victoria Park. Collingwood! They have the most one eyed supporters I know and growing up in the edge of a Collingwood zoned area I know a few of them! Collingwood! I have had 3 dislocated hips of late and that hurts but it is nothing compared to the pain of losing to Collingwood!
I had supporters that I haven’t seen or spoken to for over 20 years contact me after the game just to rub it in! I hate Collingwood!
On the big stage, with an enormous crowd the boys just couldn’t get it done. It was a disappointing effort and we really didn’t get a look in. Our opposition completely nullified our strengths this year – especially in contested possession and trust Collingwood to play their best game of the season against us. I was gutted on Monday, as I am sure all readers were.
TMac was the standout for us, 6 goals in a losing effort was fantastic, Oliver as usual got plenty of the pill (31 times), Fritsch was great and our co-captains were also servicable in what really was a day I hope to forget.
We are on a different big stage this week. Friday night against the Power. Another massive game with both sides eyeing off a place in the top 4. We have played well against them of late and we will bounce back. Dees to win and store the last game far back in the recesses of our memory.
LUKEY TAPSCOTT VOTES (Rnd 12)
T Macdonald 5
Oliver 4
Fritsch 3
Jones 2
Viney 1
LUKEY TAPSCOTT LEADERBOARD
Oliver 28
Hogan 27
Gawn 18
Jones 15
Brayshaw 14
Melksham 14
Petracca 14
T.MacDonald 12
Salem 11
Lever 7
Garlett 6
Jetta 5
Hibberd 5
Harmes 4
Hannan 4
Fritsch 3
Bugg 3
Neal Bullen 1
O.MacDonald 1
Viney 1
ANB RISING STAR VOTES (Rnd 12)
Oliver 4
Fritsch 3
Viney 3
Smith 2
Salem 1
ANB RISING STAR LEADERBOARD
Oliver 37
Hogan 33
Brayshaw 18
Petracca 15
Salem 15
Fritsch 15
Tyson 10
Lever 10
Neal Bullen 7
Harmes 6
Hannan 4
Viney 4
O.MacDonald 3
Bugg 2
Smith 2
Spargo 1
An uncharacteristic quiet day by Hogan has seen Oliver take the lead in both awards.
Go Dees!!
Round 12 – Melbourne V Collingwood – T Mac Attacks but Dees Denied
Liam Chambers – our correspondent in Coffs Harbour
It had to happen eventually. Why did it have to happen against Collingwood though? The main positive was the performance of Tom McDonald. Unfortunately, the Pies outplayed Melbourne for most of the game. We lost by 42 points but it could have been much worse. Half way through the last quarter we were staring down the barrel of a 70 plus rout. Plenty of time to reflect over the next couple of weeks. Simon may want to tweak his game plan a bit. I’m sure he’ll be watching the replay a few times before we take on Port in Round 14. Let’s not forget though that the fans raised a huge amount for Neale Daniher’s Big Freeze.
Mason Cox opened the scoring in what was an ominous sign of things to come. Mitch Hannan’s goal a minute later though seemed to indicate it would be a fairly even game. However, it was all the Pies for the next twenty minutes with Jaidyn Stephenson, Will Hoskin-Elliot, Mason Cox and Josh Thomas all scoring before T Mac got one back for the Dees.
With the scores at 12-35 at the start of the second quarter, Demon fans could have been forgiven for thinking that James Harmes’ goal was a turning point. This was enforced a minute later when Mitch Hannan repeated his feat from the first quarter. Melbourne seemed to be closing the gap rapidly but then Scott Pendlebury scored for the Pies and the margin was back out to seventeen points. However, the brilliant Bayley Fritsch then raised our spirits and when Alex Neal-Bullen scored in the fifteenth minute, there was much rejoicing as the margin was reduced to five points. Melbourne’s afternoon seemed to be a constant battle as Collingwood kicked two unanswered goals from Stephenson and Hoskins-Elliot. I have to admit I covered my eyes initially when Max Gawn marked the ball thirty metres from the Pies’ goal. Then I thought if he has the courage to kick this, I have the courage to look. Thankfully the big man kicked it true and steady. Unfortunately, as happened so many times today, Collingwood hit back almost immediately. This time it was Josh Thomas. The half time margin was slightly better for the Dees at nineteen points. Still plenty of time.
We needed a perfect start to the second half but it was the Magpies who scored first with another Mason Cox goal. Tom McDonald stepped up to score his second but yet again Collinwood hit back; this time via Josh Thomas, compounded a minute later with another Stephenson goal. The determined Jack Viney got one back for Melbourne just as Oscar McDonald went off injured. Even that goal scoring machine Jesse Hogan couldn’t save the day as he kicked a behind from a normally guaranteed goal. Again, it was Tom, scoring his third goal that gave us hope. Then the Pies hit back yet again. McDonald kicked his fourth only for Collingwood to kick another two (Mason Cox and Brody Mihocek) before the siren.
With the margin at thirty points Melbourne needed to do something special and quickly. It was not to be as behinds from Charlie Spargo and Angus Brayshaw were followed by another Pies’ goal from Mason Cox (didn’t he like the climate in the States?). Back to back goals from Taylor Adams stretched the Magpies’ lead and it looked like becoming very nasty for the Dees. Luckily Tom McDonald wasn’t finished and his fifth gave us hope we could lessen the impact in defeat. Goals from Treloar and Hoskins-Elliot then push the margin back out but Tom wouldn’t give up. He sixth goal was bittersweet and the inevitable reply goal from Stevenson was cancelled out by Clayton Oliver’s only goal of the day.
As Simon Goodwin said in the post-match interview, you’ve got to ignore the noise. All the commentators were saying he was out coached by Nathan Buckley and that may be true but remember how many of the same voices were calling for Buckley’s head last season. Stick with it Simon and we’ll come back stronger than ever against Port Adelaide.
MELBOURNE 2.0 7.2 11.5 14.7 (91)
COLLINGWOOD 5.5 9.9 15.11 20.13 (133)
GOALS
Melbourne: T. McDonald 6, Hannan 2, Harmes, Fritsch, Neal-Bullen, Gawn, Viney, Oliver
Collingwood: Cox 5, Hoskin-Elliott 4, Stephenson 4, Thomas 3, Pendlebury, Mihocek, Adams, Treloar
Jetta was a Jet playing his best game for the year, Hogan bagged a lazy 5, TMac got 4, Brayshaw had the ball 39 times, Oliver 37, Gawn had 57 hitouts.
Darren Spence – our correspondent in Jakarta
I could get used to this….Another weekend, another big win making it 6 on the trot for the Mighty Dees. This time it was the recent premiers the Doggies under the roof at Etihad Stadium who felt the full force of a side brimming with confidence, playing for one another and hell bent on erasing the heartache of the end of last season and indeed past seasons. Just read that paragraph again. You would have been a brave person to predicted this after our poor showing against the Hawks but here we stand 3rd on the ladder with a bumper percentage with a massive opportunity to finish at the pointy end of the ladder as we head into the second half of the season.
On Sunday it was the Doggies that came out of the blocks better taking the lead at the first break evaporating any chance we had of obtaining the league record for most consecutive quarter wins. From there on, however, it was all Melbourne and we really never looked like getting beaten as we ran out 49 point winners to celebrate Jonesy’s 250th game in style.
There was one big dampener on the weekend with Lever suffering a season ending injury. I am sure I wasn’t the only one praying for the best but it wasn’t to be. As disappointing as it is we now have more depth in our squad then I care to remember so an opportunity will now arise for someone to step up and fill his role. On Sunday Jetta was a Jet playing his best game for the year, Hogan bagged a lazy 5, TMac got 4, Brayshaw had the ball 39 times, Oliver 37, Gawn had 57 hitouts, Fritsch was fantastic as were Hibberd and Neal-Bullen in another percentage lifting win.
The Pies! Urghh….A bit of vomit got caught in my throat when Eddie came out this week saying it should be there home game next year. I hate them, always have, always will. This is a huge game on Monday in more ways than one and I sure can’t wait for it. We will win this and go some way to atone for them knocking us out of the finals last year.
LUKEY TAPSCOTT VOTES (Rnd 11)
JETTA 5
BRAYSHAW 4
HOGAN 3
T.MACDONALD 2
OLIVER 1
LUKEY TAPSCOTT LEADER BOARD
Hogan 27
Oliver 24
Gawn 18
Brayshaw 14
Jones 13
Petracca 12
T.MacDonald 11
Melksham 9
Salem 7
Lever 6
Garlett 5
Jetta 5
Hibberd 4
Harmes 4
Hannan 3
Bugg 1
Neal Bullen 1
O.MacDonald 1
ANB RISING STAR VOTES (Rnd 11)
BRAYSHAW 5
HOGAN 4
OLIVER 3
FRITSCH 2
NEAL BULLEN 1
ANB RISING STAR LEADER BOARD
Hogan 33
Oliver 32
Brayshaw 18
Petracca 15
Salem 14
Fritsch 11
Tyson 10
Lever 10
Neal Bullen 7
Harmes 6
Hannan 4
O.MacDonald 3
Bugg 2
Spargo 1
Viney 1
Hogan stretches his lead in both awards with Brayshaw starting to make a strong mid season run
Go Dees!
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