Round 22 – Melbourne V Carlton

Liam Chambers

It was a must win game if we had any chance of finishing in the top four. Carlton’s position was even more precarious; win and they would play finals for the first time since 2013. Lose and they would have to do it all again next week and do it against one of the two most in form teams of the moment.

If Melbourne had any sympathy for their opponents, they certainly didn’t show it in the first ten minutes. Their pressure was intense, forcing errors from the Blues early on. Then a moment of individual brilliance from Christian Petracca, in which he kicked the ball 60m and found Jake Melksham in the pocket to the left of goal. Melksham launched a kick round the corner and the Demons were on the scoreboard.

It was a low scoring first quarter with Carlton taking until the last minute to score a major, courtesy of a Harry McKay set shot.

The Dees were again dominating inside 50s but lacking the killer blow when it came to finishing. Luckily Carlton had a similar problem down the other end. Then Kysaiah Pickett’s tackle on Liam Stocker was rewarded and he hammered a goal from the 50m line. A few minutes later and Harry McKay found himself unattended and running to inside 50, where he took a mark and chipped the ball from the goal square. All level at fifteen points a piece.

The second term was proving to be as low scoring as it’s predecessor until the wily Jake Melksham again found a way to confound the Blues’ defence with his 30m snap as he emerged from the stoppage pack in front of goal. Less than a minute later Zac Fisher launched one from the left hand pocket to keep the contest tight.

The quarter still had one last surprise up it’s sleeve when Jack Newnes deliberately bumped into Tom Sparrow after he kicked the ball to Bayley Fritsch, who marked just before the siren. It must go down as one of the most bizarre scenes in the modern game as Melbourne and Carlton went for each other in the background while Bayley Fritsch lined up to take his set shot. The high scoring Fritsch wasn’t put off by the melee behind him and the Dees went in eight points up at half time.

The fight certainly didn’t do Max Gawn any harm. When he marked the ball 40m in front of goal, he thought about playing on but was discouraged by Angus Brayshaw. Perhaps it was Brayshaw’s Mr Miyagi moment “be the ball Max”. Whatever he said, the captain went back and kicked it straight through the uprights. Jack Silvagni brought it back to five points when he crumbed the ball and watched it bounce across the line.

After Melbourne won the hitout, Clayton Oliver was straight after the bouncing ball, controlling it enough to launch a driving kick towards the square, where Jake Melksham collected the tapped down ball, ran and turned to kick his hat trick.

Two minutes later Harry McKay also had three when his set shot from the 50m line made the distance. The margin returned to five. Then Carlton made it back to back goals when Corey Durdin managed to recover after stumbling just outside the square while collecting the loose ball. It was looking a bit grim when Jack Martin took a mark 30m out and didn’t make any mistakes with his finishing. It was an impressive turnaround for the Blues after converting an eleven point deficit into a seven point advantage.

Carlton were hanging on to their lead with the Dees only managing a few minor scores during the next ten minutes. Then Clayton Oliver showed his speed again when he crumbed the ball in the pocket before hand passing to his soul brother Petracca. The big midfielder didn’t hesitate as he launched off the outside of his left boot to put Melbourne back in front.

I must make honourable mention of Jake Melksham who was somehow able to mark James Jordan’s kick while simultaneously falling flat on his back. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to convert.

It was a slim margin as the teams went into the last quarter. We have lost the final term in all of our six defeats this season. No one could blame Demon fans for feeling somewhat paranoid as the siren sounded for second last time.

Both sides were obviously feeling the pressure of the occasion as it took ten minutes for the first goal of the term. Unfortunately the scorer was Jack Martin after he was deemed tripped in the goal square. The Dees hit back immediately with the midfield combining perfectly, allowing Max Gawn to kick the ball to Ben Brown in front of goal. Brown’s mark was knocked away but he subsequently got a boot to it where it sailed towards goal. Jake Melksham got a hand on it before Ed Langdon collected the falling sherrin and just managed to kick it over the goal line.

There was another change of lead with Jack Martin’s desperate attempt just shy of the square while having his guernsey stretched at the same time. Then the Blues stretched their advantage to seven points with seven minutes to go but there was still plenty of time for either side to prevail. It had taken all night but Ben Brown finally found the gap between the uprights to make it a one point game.

When Charlie Curnow took a mark 25m out with three minutes remaining, there was much gnashing of teeth from the red and the blue. Curnow’s goal looked to have locked it up for the visitors but they reckoned without Jake Melksham who was having the night of his life. His contested mark on the edge of the square was unbelievably good, taken under extreme pressure. He didn’t need it, but Carlton gifted him a 50m penalty and Melksham had four.

The goal hero was involved again with less than thirty seconds to go. Jayden Hunt kicked a long ball to the pack in front of goal where Ben Brown tapped it down. Melksham was able to collect at ground level and roll over, getting a hand ball away to Kysaiah Pickett. The small forward was living every footballer’s dream as he gathered the ball and got a kick away while falling back to earth. The sherrin sailed through with fifteen seconds left on the clock.

After experiencing those close losses in recent weeks, every Melbourne fan in the country would have been staring in shock at their TV screen wondering if they were still awake. The pandemonium from the red and blue spectators in the stands was incredible. Never has the term “snatched victory from the jaws of defeat” seemed so relevant. I had a fleeting moment of empathy for Carlton but it quickly passed.

With positions two to five on the ladder only separated by percentage, our visit to the Gabba in Round 23 is hugely important. Win and we may secure second spot, third at the worst. Lose and we could end up in sixth place with a potential elimination game against the Tigers. I know which one I prefer.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 21 – Melbourne V Collingwood

Liam Chambers

When Ed Langdon made his “all duck and no dinner” jibe, he may have been thinking of Tzu Sun’s quote “continue to find ways to anger and irritate your opponent, for decisions made out of anger are often petulant and rash, which can lead to advantages for you”.

Unfortunately, rather than being petulant and rash, the Magpies instead looked more focused and ruthless. Langdon was brutally targeted within the first thirty seconds and a minute later Collingwood had their first goal courtesy of Jordan De Goey.

Melbourne’s response was instantaneous. Having won the hitout, Jack Viney secured a free and kicked inside 50 where Christian Petracca caught the loose ball in the air, spun around and snapped the goal. The other Christian (Salem) then won a free for his run down tackle inside the 50m line. His set shot from 48m sailed through. It was three in a row when Jack Viney took a handball from Luke Jackson, then chipped it across the line.

150th gamer Jamie Elliot got one back for the Pies with his mark and set shot score from 35m out. Jake Melksham restored the Demon’s two goal advantage after he was tackled high, half a metre inside the goal line.

Later in the quarter, Mason Cox took a contested mark 30m to the left of goal, scoring the Pies’ third from his set shot. Less than a minute later, Bayley Fritsch took a brilliant contested mark himself when Luke Jackson’s long kick from 70m found the high scoring forward in front of goal. His conversion racked up the Dees’ fifth goal and a combined eight overall for the quarter. That total increased to nine when Ash Johnson marked and scored from 50m.

It was a one point game when Jamie Elliot was awarded a free kick directly in front of goal. Then with a minute to go Christian Petracca kicked to the space in front of Bayley Fritsch. The ball was tapped down and controlled. Unfortunately Fritsch ran out of room to score but cleverly hand passed back to Kysaiah Pickett who had positioned himself at the top of the square. The small forward then ran a couple of metres and kicked into the open goal.

The drama wasn’t over yet though. Right on the siren, Chris Salem marked and was awarded a 50m penalty for an incursion. The penalty brought him to within scoring range but his set shot veered wide of the target.

Melbourne had a few opportunities to extend their lead at the start of the second term but the chances went begging. Then Ed Langdon took a contested mark 20m in front and kicked cleanly to give the Demons a sixteen point lead. Tom Sparrow followed up with a steely nerved 50m set shot and we were twenty three points ahead. The advantage didn’t last long as Jamie Elliot claimed his hat trick from a 25m set shot.

Melbourne had dominated the inside 50 tally all game but the Pies’ efficiency once they got close to goal was better. It happened again when Brody Mihocek found some space 25m from goal to snap and close the gap to ten points. The momentum had swung Collingwood’s way and the Dees were struggling to turn back the tide.

Finally they found a way to stem the black and white tsunami when Ben Brown marked deep in the pocket. He bent his run around kick perfectly and stretched the lead back to sixteen points. Melbourne now knew that they were in a real fight and would have to scramble for every advantage as well as defend desperately in face of Collingwood’s forward pressure.

The Dees was playing well though and when Bayley Fritsch secured a free, then a 50m penalty, he kicked superbly from just outside 50. We couldn’t afford to relax however, as Collingwood again showed their efficiency inside 50 when Ash Johnson was able to snap the loose ball from 25m to the left of goal.

No doubt the Demons would have been ruing those missed opportunities after having controlled the play so convincingly in the first half. Melbourne had prevented the Pies from intercepting marks and also dominated inside 50s and contested marks. We hadn’t done a lot wrong but Collingwood had defended well and as previously noted was hugely efficient when they got to within scoring range.

It was all Dees for the first ten minutes of the second half, but we had little to show for that effort. Then the Pies broke through and Brody Mihocek was able to kick from the 50m line to Beau McCreery who marked the ball at the top of the square.

Melbourne fans were getting understandable nervous as Collingwood was holding the margin to two goals and threatening to make it an even tighter contest. Charlie Spargo finally provided some relief for the pent up faithful with his brilliant dribble 10m from the right of goal.

The Pies dragged it back again after the ARC deemed Brody Mihocek’s set shot had scrapped through, despite the Umpire’s behind call. It was twelve points and now becoming more of a psychological battle. Having won so many close games, Collingwood had to fancy themselves to prevail. The Dees would be thinking what do we have to do now to ram home our advantage?

Then the mind games became even more intense when Patrick Lipinski picked up the ball just inside 50 and found enough room to launch a bullet and make it a one goal game.

The Pies had pulled out a large number of tricks from their bag in the third quarter. The question now was how many surprises had they left? Melbourne would have to get seriously desperate to prevent the serial comeback kings from pulling off another unlikely victory.

The tension was unbearable. There were near misses and howlers on both sides. Then Jamie Elliot was awarded a free kick for a tackle 15m to the right of goal. Now it was a one point match. Collingwood was fighting tooth and nail when Ash Johnson took a mark and scored from 40m to take the lead. The Dees were behind for the first time since the opening minutes.

Ben Brown had missed a couple on the night but he didn’t miss a set shot from 35m and Melbourne was back in front. The lead change again when Josh Daicos scored from 45m. After the bounce, it was a case of blink and you miss it as Gawn, Oliver, Petracca and Viney combined to get the ball inside 50 where Alex Neal-Bullen kicked from 40m to again restore the lead.

By now Demon fans all over the country were being revived by concerned friends. The outcome was impossible to predict with just over eight minutes left on the clock. Then, in what initially looked like a dubious call, Ash Johnson was awarded a free in front of goal for an illegal push. He went back to kick his fourth and the lead changed for the fifth time in the quarter.

Ultimately Melbourne couldn’t find a way to score another major and Collingwood, yet again, found a way to win in the fourth quarter.

We will have learned a lot from this last game but it would have been the sweetest taste if we could just have hung on to beat our arch nemesis. Still that’s footy. Even the most optimistic Demon would have to concede that we’re extremely unlikely to secure a top two spot now. However a top four place is very much alive.

Carlton have been having their own problems lately but they’ve already beaten us pre season and we would underestimate them at our peril. Then of course there’s our last game against the Lions who will be out for revenge after being thrashed in Round 15.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 20 – Fremantle V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

They say that a week is a long time in football and conclusively, there’s been a 100% turnaround in the Dees’ performance. Round 20 was arguably our best display of 2022.

From the start you could sense the difference in the Demons. They were chasing every ball and applying unrelenting pressure to the Dockers. Melbourne’s hand passing was impressive but most importantly they were playing as a team in a way we’ve rarely seen this year. Their great strength last season was the philosophy of team first, individuals second. That tenet has been re-stamped into each player’s DNA and it showed in their attitude.

We were dominating play and spending most of the first ten minutes in our forward 50. Somewhere over the last couple of seasons, the Dees have adapted well to playing in wet conditions; something Freo still struggle to master. It was only a matter of time before Melbourne scored and it came via a perfectly place kick from Christian Petracca which was marked by Kysaiah Pickett. The set shot was a straightforward kick from 20m in front.

After the goal, the Demons looked comfortably in control. The belief was back. The trials and tribulations of the past three months were behind them and there was a renewed focus. You can argue about the catalyst that brought about this change; conceding 110 points to the Dogs last week, the mid week evaluation of recent performances, even Angus Brayshaw resigning for six more years. Perhaps a combination of all three mixed together with some other unknown variables. Whatever the reason, the change was palpable.

As if on cue, Bayley Fritsch showed his versatility and talent by picking up the tapped down ball, then running around the Dockers’ defence and striking off his left boot to score form 25m out. Then after winning the hitout, Melbourne again proceeded towards goal. Inside 50, they pounced and tackled, giving Fremantle no opportunity to get the ball out and creating a stoppage in front of goal. Charlie Spargo crumbed the ball and got a kick away before Freo had a chance to fully react. The review showed the ball hadn’t been touched and Melbourne was three goals to the good.

Although the Dees have had good first terms in recent games, this time it was different. This was total domination and there was little their opponents could do to arrest the onslaught. When the Dockers made it into our defensive 50 we didn’t concede an inch. Their forays were fought off with determination. There was a confidence that we could handle whatever Fremantle could throw at us.

When you sling enough mud, some will eventually stick and so it was when Freo finally scored with three minutes to go. Michael Frederick was awarded a free to the right of the square and went back to kick the set shot. Then Michael Walters slammed through a goal after collecting the ground ball 20m out.

Melbourne took it in their stride. With a minute to go, Jayden Hunt kicked a long ball to Fritsch inside 50, where the forward missed the mark but controlled the sherrin, running on before tapping in his second.

The Dees’ first goal after the break just epitomised the rediscovered team spirit. Jack Viney one handedly picked up the bouncing ball, spun around, charged through Andrew Brayshaw before passing to Tom Sparrow who passed to Ed Langdon. The wing-man took off at speed, getting the kick away where it sailed inside 50, was tapped down then collected by James Jordan who chipped it through the posts.

When Max Gawn took a mark deep in the pocket, he spotted the aforementioned Ed Langdon in a better position just inside the 50m line. Taking the Freo defence by surprise Gawn kicked to Langdon who took the mark and kicked long and accurately to put the Dees ahead by 26 points.

Both sides had chances after that but were unable to capitalise. Then as half time was closing in, Jake Melksham proved again why he’s back in the side. Another stoppage enabled Clayton Oliver to flick the ball up, literally from ground level, to the waiting Melksham. The veteran forward found enough space to get around the defence and snap from 30m. Michael Walters got one back just before the siren but the Dees still led by a healthy 27 points.

Melbourne continued in the same vein at the start of the second half. Their pressure, if anything, intensified. Freo was basically locked into their defensive 50. Eventually they got out but no matter how hard they fought, the Dockers were still having difficulties penetrating the Dees’ defence. Then they got a desperately needed break when Griffin Logue was able to control the ground ball on the edge of the square and tap in a goal.

Fremantle had closed the gap but could they to back it up and seriously threaten the Demons? That question was answered quickly when Angus Brayshaw’s kick to space was marked by Bayley Fritsch deep in the pocket. Fritsch’s 50m kick, from a tight angle was perfect.

Max Gawn again won the hitout and kicked the ball to inside 50. Charlie Spargo ended up with possession. His 40m kick didn’t quite have the distance but was incredibly marked by Sam Weideman right on the edge of the goal square. Weideman went back a couple of metres and stretched the advantage to 34 points.

The Dockers continued to apply pressure but couldn’t get any reward for all their efforts. Frustratingly for the home fans, it was Melbourne who got the next major when Charlie Spargo was awarded a free on the boundary line to the right of goal. His round the corner kick sailed through, pushing the margin passed 40 points. To add to Freo’s woes, it started to rain again.

As the minutes ticked down in the last quarter, the situation was looking increasingly dire for Fremantle. Meanwhile Melbourne continued to push their opponents hard. There was no way we were getting run down this time.

Michael Frederick got one back with his round the corner kick but it was purely a consolation goal. Within a few minutes, Jake Melksham had marked the ball 30m out and hand passed to Kysaiah Pickett as he flew past into a scoring position. It was an easy stroll and tap into the open goal. Kozzie had his hat trick when when Fritsch kicked to the small forward as he again ran towards goal, marking on the edge of the square. Pickett sprinted around and kicked, ratcheting up the advantage to 46 points.

With the win, the Dees remain in second spot. It was arguably their best performance all season. It also showed the deep desire to win back to back flags. It’s no exaggeration to say that the Collingwood game in Round 21 is our most important so far this year.

If we win, we will have given ourselves a great chance to finish in the top two. It won’t be easy. The Pies have won their last ten games in a row. They’ve also beaten us in sixth of our last seven meetings. However, if we play with the same determination and team spirit we showed in Round 20, then I have no doubt that we will win!

Go the Mighty Dees!!!