First game of the season and expectations were high amongst fans and footballing commentators alike. This could be Melbourne’s year with a berth in the Grand Final a distinct possibility.
It started well with the Dees dominating earlier. A good run and pick up from Sam Weideman who kicked to Jake Melksham collecting the mark just outside Port’s inside 50m. Melksham’s kick towards goal was marked by Tom McDonald who slotted in Melbourne’s first.
This was quickly followed up by a goal from Tom Sparrow, making his Dee’s debut. A one handed mark by Angus Brayshaw 30m out from goal added to Port Adelaide’s woes.
With the Demons leading 19-1 after ten minutes, it looked like it was going to be a walkover by Melbourne, especially when Jake Melksham made it 26 for the Dees. However Port fought back to finish the quarter trailing 27-16.
Port opened the scoring three minutes into the second quarter with Justin Westhoff kicking his first goal. Max Gawn wasn’t having a good game, being dominated in clearances.
Bayley Fritsch marked a difficult ball in front of goal to stretch the Dee’s lead to 11 points but Zak Butters’ shot two minutes later pulled it back to 3. Port Adelaide kicked another two goals before Christian Petracca’s effort improved the score line. Melbourne finished the half trailing by three points.
A much needed goal from Captain Nathan Jones inspired the troops. Two minutes later Jayden Hunt started a run of play by Melbourne culminating in a great goal by Melksham to regain the lead. This was followed up by Sam Weideman to stretch our advantage to nine points.
It looked like Melbourne was starting to take back control of the game. Port Adelaide begged to differ though and another from Westhoff subdued the Demon faithful. Port added two more unanswered goals to finish the quarter ahead 61-69.
The Dees went into the last quarter still in a competitive position but it wasn’t to be our afternoon. Two further goals from the veteran Westhoff sealed Melbourne’s fate. There were moments of brilliance, especially from Christian Salem but the Dees failed to score and the game ended 61-87 in favour of Adelaide.
Port fought hard and were able to neutralise Max Gawn. Missing Stephen May at the back didn’t help and Jack Watts played one of his best games against his former team mates.
It’s only Round 1 but we’ll all feel better when we get our first win. Lots of teams under estimate Melbourne and we like being the underdog. Let’s hope the Cat’s are feeling over confident on Saturday after last week’s victory against the Pies.
MELBOURNE 4.3 6.5 9.7 9.7 (61)
PORT ADELAIDE 2.4 6.8 10.9 12.15 (87)
GOALS
Melbourne: Melksham 2, T.McDonald, Brayshaw, Fritsch, Sparrow, Weideman, Petracca, Jones
Port Adelaide: Westhoff 5, Butters 2, Marshall, Duursma, Ebert, Gray, Boak
BEST
Melbourne: Salem, Harmes, Melksham, Hibberd, Brayshaw, Oliver
Port Adelaide: Westhoff, Rockliff, Gray, Boak, Burton, Ebert
Dogs Bite But Demons Deliver
Match Report – Melbourne v Footscray
Liam Chambers
The Western Bulldogs had nothing to lose. Melbourne wanted revenge for last year’s final game when the Dog’s broke the Dees’ hearts.
Aliesha Newman got away early; seizing the ball and running to kick towards goal. Unfortunately only picking up one point. The Dees applied some good pressure but the Dogs fought back driving play into Melbourne’s half.
The Dees were dominant though and a good mark from Tegan Cunningham set up Kate Hore to have a shot on goal. However Melbourne was denied their first goal.
Again and again the Dees made good runs into the Dogs’ inside 50 but they couldn’t find that sweet spot between the uprights. Finally a great kick by Elise O’Dea (revelling in her new role as co-captain) was marked by Cunningham directly in front of goal. Tegan slotted through for Melbourne’s first six pointer.
The score of 0-11 at the end of the first quarter didn’t reflect the Dees’ superior effort over the Dogs. The Dogs opened the scoring at the start of the second quarter courtesy of a Katie Brennan free kick. Again Melbourne dominated the Dogs’ inside 50 but were unable to convert.
A free kick and a 50m penalty saw Naomi Ferris get the Dogs’ second. Tyla Hanks had a good opportunity but her turn and snap was marked by a Dogs’ player to thwart a great effort.
Melbourne continued to push forward and was rewarded with a quality goal from Karen Paxman (after a team spirited pass from Newman). The Dogs were determined though and a good mark by Patterson prevented a further goal.
Then Isabel Hunnington’s kick to goal was marked on the line by Aisling Utri who converted for the Dogs to make it 18-18 even. The Bulldogs took all their chances in the quarter with Aisling McCarthy getting their fourth to lead 24-18 at half time. It only got worse at the start of the second half. Kristy McLeod struck with her first and the Dogs’ sixth. The Melbourne faithful were given something to cheer when Maddi Gay slotted home after a good run of play; especially from Kate Hore with some fancy footwork and passing.
Tyla Hanks almost reached the ball as it was bouncing towards goal. She just missed grabbing it before the ball bounced awkwardly for a behind. Melbourne was in dire need of a hero.
Then the most inspirational moment of the game came when Eden Zanker marked well and converted beautifully from a difficult angle approximately 20m from goal. It was now a very tight game at 32-31 going into the final quarter.
The Dees needed to dig deep if they were going to win and keep their finals hopes alive. This would be a huge test of character. That test suddenly got a little more difficult when Isabel Huntington kicked the opening goal to give the Dogs a seven point lead.
A real nail biter was compounded when Tegan Cunningham missed a shot on goal. Then it was pressure and counter pressure as Melbourne was tackling for it’s very survival. The Dogs were determined to push the Dees as hard as they could and Melbourne couldn’t make any inroads into Doggie territory.
Then with 2 minutes to go and reminiscent of a cheesy Hollywood screenplay, Tegan Cunningham marked the ball 30m out from the Bulldogs’ goal. Under enormous pressure, the set shot Queen made no mistakes and put the Dees ahead 38-39.
For the next 90 seconds, Melbourne defended and tackled like their lives depended on it. When the siren sounded the sense of elation and relief from players and fans alike was palatable. The Dees were one step closer to their first finals appearance.
Next week’s game against Adelaide will the toughest yet. Melbourne has lost only two games this season. Both have been at Casey Fields. Both have been by only four points. We can definitely beat the Crows but the girls will need all their ingenuity and skill to be triumphant.
Another hot and humid afternoon. GWS had the home advantage but Melbourne looked better on paper. After last week’s narrow loss to undefeated North Melbourne, a win against the Giants was crucial to remain in contention for a finals spot.
It was a positive start for the Dees with Kate Hore kicking to an unmarked Tegan Cunningham inside the Giant’s 50. GWS were determined not to be over awed by Melbourne and applied pressure with some good kicking and marking. Meg Downie was solid in defence taking some nice marks.
A Bianca Jacobson kick to Cunningham in front of goal saw Tegan fail to convert the six points. Then Lauren Pearce got a free kick plus a 50 metre penalty to kick the first goal.
The Giants, who had some chances, finally scored courtesy of Christina Benardi. Unfortunately Meg Downie sustained a head injury and went to the sidelines to recover. The Dees played a good defensive game and Lily Mithen made some courageous tackles. Quarter time score all even at 8-8.
Another good opener by Melbourne in the second quarter. Kate Hore again kicked to Cunningham. This time the ball bounced high in front of goal. Tegan was able to protect her space before kicking the ball into goal. Maddi Gay had a shot on goal from just inside 50. She had the distance but was just wide of goal.
Next Jacobson again kicks well. This time to Eden Zanker who marked it safely and scored another six. The Dees showed not sign of letting up and their tackling was ferocious at times. Tyla Hanks showed why she is so valuable to Melbourne. Maddi Gay missed another set shot and GWS would be thankful not to be going in further behind at half time. 9-25.
Again a great start for Melbourne in the second half. Kate Hore was tackled high then free kicked to Shelley Scott who got it to Tegan. A great kick from 40 metres out saw Cunningham get her second. Melbourne continued their good defending. Lily Mithen was again tackling fiercely.
Shelly Scott had an opportunity to run and score but was under pressure with players in pursuit. She fumbled and kicked wide. Jacinta Barkley finally scored the Giant’s first goal in two quarters. Christina Bernardi missed a set shot on goal after the siren. With Melbourne leading by 17 points going into the final quarter they had the momentum.
Maddi Gay finally scored from a free kick in front of goal. GWS was applying tremendous pressure with Melbourne defending desperately. Shelly Scott finally managed to gain some ground back into the Giant’s half but GWS hit back again. Melbourne was finding it difficult to get out of its own half.
Karen Paxman had a chance but GWS applied some great pressure to deny her. Then Tyla Hanks kicked a free to Tegan who got her hat trick from the resulting mark. That was her second from 40 metres out and shows how accurate her set shots have become.
Another free kick by Hore to Jacobson saw the ball bounce just outside the goal line. The super fit Paxman grabbed the ball as it descended and tapped it over for her first and Melbourne’s seventh goal. Right at the end, Tyla Hanks got a free kick plus a 50 metre penalty to make it 18-57 in the Dee’s favour.
As is the game of footy, the other results from Conference A didn’t go Melbourne’s way. A win for the Crows and Freo mean we have to secure maximum points from our last two games. Our percentage is superior so we have a good chance of making the finals.
Two very tough games ahead though, especially the Adelaide encounter but we’ve been highly consistent this season and deserve to get the results.
Round 4 – Melbourne Vs North Melbourne
Liam Chambers
As expected, the Roos started strongly. Melbourne defended well but couldn’t prevent Mo Hope’s great effort form 40 metres out. The Dees rallied however with strong displays from Karen Paxman and Lily Mithen helping to apply some great forward pressure on the opposition.
The Dees were rewarded with Cat Phillip’s turn and kick resulting in Melbourne’s first goal. Again, their handball game has been pivotal in getting into scoring positions, as well as out of trouble on occasions. North Melbourne again piled on the pressure at the end of the quarter. A misjudged kick by Lauren Pearce to Paxman was fumbled before Paxman recovered to handball The Dees out of danger, potentially avoiding a last minute goal to the Roos.
North Melbourne scored a lucky goal in the first minute of of the second quarter when a wayward kick from Mo Hope was marked by Emma King. Then within another minute, King got a second after being awarded a free kick against Harriet Cordner just in front of goal. A dubious decision in my mind.
The Dees looked in trouble at 6-19 down. Then Maddi Gay snapped what looked like a certain goal but which was unfortunately touched and only one point awarded. All the luck seemed to going in the Roos’ direction. On the plus side the Dees were marking well with O’Dea & Cunningham making some nice grabs.
The Dees starting applying more pressure and Cunningham converted from a one handed mark to pull one back. Then the Dees were accused of holding Sophie Abbatangelo (another dodgy call). The free kick resulting in a goal for the Roos. When Paxman’s kick was touched on the line, you had the feeling that this was not going to be Melbourne’s day. One of the stars of the half was Lily Mithen, having a great game on either side of the field.
The Dees started the second half well. Nice displays of handball passing and defending. Cat Phillips having a good run. The highlight of the game though came when Aliesha Newman got the ball after good spell of play by Melbourne. Newman ran and bounced the ball nicely before kicking at the open goal approx. 30 metres out.
The ball bounce favourably between the uprights with Aliesha running hard just in case it didn’t make it. Then Maddi Gay handballed a pass to Tyla Hanks who took the shot on the outside of her boot to slot home a perfect goal. The Dees were in front for the first time in the game and now the Roos knew that they were in a game of footy.
Mo Hope got one back with a kick from 45 metres out to again take the lead. However Melbourne went into the last quarter 28-31 behind but with a renewed sense of purpose.
The Dees had the best start they could hope in the final quarter with Newman getting her second goal from a set shot. Unfortunately Emma King got her third goal and Melbourne struggled to regain the momentum in a very tight quarter of football. They defended well but just couldn’t convert their chances and North Melbourne were the victors at 34-38.
Round 5 against GWS should be a challenge but I’m confident we can win in Sydney. Let’s hope we see a good crowd of Melbourne supporters on the day.
On a final note I think Daisy Pearce is putting her organisational skills to good use with her latest recruits.
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