Round 4 – West Coast Eagles V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

The Eagles’ home ground is less Colosseum like these days. The baying crowds are still there but they are now significantly less intimidating for visiting teams. In fact Optus Stadium evokes pleasant memories of our 2021 Premiership.

Bailey Fritsch opened the scoring after marking an Ed Langdon specialty; the pocket to centre kick.

The Demons looked in control for the first few minutes but after that West Coast started to increase the pressure on Melbourne’s defence. However the young side struggled to make the most of their opportunities whereas the Dees were clinical when presented with a target. Kysaiah Pickett announced his return by collecting the bouncing ball in the centre and snapping a kick to Tom McDonald inside 50. The forward plucked the sherrin from the air and converted easily from 40m.

The Eagles regrouped and finally got into a scoring position when Jack Darling centered the ball to Noah Long 30m to the left of the uprights. The goal inspired the hosts and they threw themselves at Melbourne with renewed vigor. When Oscar Allen was awarded a free kick on the edge of the goal square, his around the corner kick meant the Eagles drew level on the scoreboard.

They tried but were unable to build on their momentum before T Mac marked a Jack Viney kick 25m out and went back to kick his second of the quarter. Melbourne had now scored three goals from six inside 50s; a stat to gladden the hearts of the faithful.

The Eagles continued to worry the Dees in their defensive 50 but rarely looked dangerous in attack. Up the other end, the Demons were causing sorts of bother for the home side. Bailey Fritsch’s kick from the 50m arc had Tom McDonald and Charlie Spargo running for the ball with only one Eagle for company. McDonald was unable to mark but Spargo collected the ground ball and snapped from the top of the goal square.

Tom McDonald was involved again when his inside 50 delivery was marked by Bailey Fritsch, 35m to the right of goal. Fritsch’s set shot after the siren gave the Dees a seventeen point quarter time lead.

After the break, the Eagles resumed the pressure on Melbourne. There was little reward though as West Coast made mistakes, frequently turning the ball over. They also scrambled to contain the Demons when they threatened to score. Eventually Bailey Fritsch had a half chance as he turned and snapped to notch up his hat trick.

Both sides were tackling hard but Melbourne was seeing much more of the ball, with the Eagles struggling to get into their forward 50. Even though the Dees had chances to extend their lead, they were unable to convert.

Then Tim Kelly was awarded a 50m penalty and he scored from the 50m line for a much needed West Coast goal, reducing the margin to nineteen points. Alex Neal-Bullen extended it out again when he trapped and snapped form 25m in front, after a convoluted run of play from Melbourne.

A minute later and Connor West was awarded a high tackle free. He converted from 40m to again bring it back to nineteen. Then with forty seconds to go in the half, Jack Viney was able to kick to the hot spot in front of goal where Charlie Spargo collect the mark. He decided to run quickly turning and snapping for his second.

West Coast was still in the game at the start of the third quarter and they had a few chances early on but were unable to make them count. Melbourne also had opportunities go begging until Christian Petracca took a mark 40m from home, then played on and snapped the first of the term.

After that goal, the Dees moved up a gear. Bailey Fritsch delivered a well weighted kick to Jack Viney who went back and hit the target.

West Coast wasn’t quite ready to raise the white flag yet though and Oscar Allen took a contested mark 30m out. His conversion restored some optimism to the fans. That optimism seemed premature however, as a minute later Kade Chandler sent a hand ball over the top to an unguarded T Mac standing near the goal square. The big forward was able to steer it through for a goal, much to the disappointment of the blue and yellow crowd seated in the stand behind the uprights.

Melbourne won the next clearance and ran for goal, fumbling back and forth along the way before Kade Chandler was able to run and snap, giving the Dees a forty one point lead. Then it was a case of McDonald goes fourth when he received a handpass from Pickett and launched a kick from 55m. The ball sailed over the top and bounced just over the line, shepherded along by Fritsch.

Jacob van Rooyen continued to build on his impressive debut in Round 3, marking the contested ball in front of goal. His set shot went through cleanly and the lead was out to fifty four points. Melbourne had completely dominated the quarter both on the ground and on the scoreboard. However it was West Coast who had the last word when Oscar Allen kicked his third from a set shot after the siren.

With a forty nine point lead, it looked like the Dees had it all wrapped up at the start of the final term. No rest for the Demons though. They piled on the pressure in their forward half and it finally paid off when Christian Petracca took a mark and slotted a 50m set shot for his second goal.

Whether you’re a Dee or an ex Dee it didn’t matter; the goals just kept coming, with Jayden Hunt marking in front and kicking it through for his new club.

When Tracca is playing well, it’s pure poetry. His pinpoint accurate kick to pick out van Rooyen in the square was perfect. The young gun then kicked around the corner to claim his second. There is much to admire about van Rooyen but his ability to instinctively know what he needs to do is hugely impressive. You can’t teach that.

Kozzy Pickett finally got his first major after a few false starts earlier in the game. His pick up of the ground ball and casual tap in make it look so easy. Sam Petrevski-Seton got one back with his set shot in front of goal before Tim Kelly added another following the bounce. Pickett got the last with his 30m set shot. He would have wanted more but I’m sure he’s saving it for the Bombers in Adelaide on Saturday.

Essendon will be tough. They’re playing very well this year and they always raise their game when fronting up to the Demons. Expect an entertaining fast paced game.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 3 – Melbourne v Sydney 

Liam Chambers

The Swans Get Their Wings Clipped (van Rooyen is a True ‘Un) 

Round 3 was the first full game without Max Gawn but a few firm favourites were back; notably Steven May and Bailey Fritsch, along with the ever-reliable veteran Michael Hibberd.

It was the debutant Jacob van Rooyen who was to have the first major impact on the game though. His mark just outside the 50m arc was well taken. Then his level headed kick to Alex Neal-Bullen, after the teenager spotted him running into position, was perfect. Neal-Bullen went back and kicked Melbourne’s first.

The signs were good for the Dees with their forwards getting behind the Swans’ defence with relative ease. Pinning the Swans in their defensive 50, Melbourne got another shot at goal when van Rooyen was taken high about 15m from goal. The youngster show great composure when taking the kick, slotting his first for the Demons.

Up the other end nothing was working for the opposition. They were winning the clearances but not getting the reward. Conversely, Melbourne was making the most of their chances, pressuring Sydney’s defence until they found a path to goal.

Kade Chandler is turning into a great goal assister (official informal title). His turning kick from just outside 50 was taken by the athletic Charlie Spargo. The small forward’s mark was unconventional but effective and his set shot was on target.

After the bounce, the Swans again won the clearance but again the Dees’ fended off the challenge. Finally, Sydney got a six pointer on the board when Lance “Buddy” Franklin managed to dribble one in after a few moments of chaos following a stoppage in front of goal.

Lachie Hunter redressed the balance when he was awarded a free kick 60m out. He was guaranteed a goal once the umpire gave out a 50m penalty for dissent. It was all Melbourne by that stage and Spargo was again involved in the action, wrong footing the defence and finding Ben Brown with a nicely weighted kick. Brown struck it perfectly and his 30m shot went through for the Dees’ fifth. A minute later it was six when Clayton Oliver kicked an accurate running shot from 40m.

It had been a great opening term for Melbourne but the Swans would have been frantically discussing their counter tactics during the break. Straightaway Sydney looked more aggressive, defending more urgently and counter attacking with a vengeance. It didn’t take them long to open the scoring with Tom Papley kicking a set shot from 45m. The visitors looked determined to add to their tally and they got the chance when an off the ball holding decision went against the Dees. Will Hayward was the beneficiary and he kicked it through to build on the Swans’ momentum.

They failed to main the rage however, allowing Melbourne to slowly wrest back control. When a loose ball was collected by Kade Chandler and snapped off his right boot, the lead was back out to twenty-three points. Bailey Fritsch celebrated his return by taking a contested mark while fending off Paddy McCartin (no easy feat). His set shot put some more daylight between the sides, stretching the margin to thirty points.

With eight goals from eight different kickers, it was turning into a promising afternoon for Demon fans. Having just scored at one end, Fritsch popped up in defence to take a contested mark. Unfortunately the ball came back inside 50 and was marked by the legendary Franklin who slotted his second. When James Rowbottom snapped a goal from 20m in front, it seemed that Sydney’s dogged persistence was paying off. The question now was how would the Dees respond?

That was answered by Lachie Hunter whose 45m set shot landed perfectly on his left boot and dropped beautifully through the posts. With a minute to go, Melbourne was still leading by twenty one points and would have been happy to have weathered the Sydney storm before regrouping in the break. Unfortunately, Logan McDonald somewhat spoiled that aspiration when he took a mark on the 50m line. His set shot hit the target and the Swans finished the half only trailing by fifteen points.

The Dees had the perfect start to the third quarter when Clayton Oliver was awarded a 50m penalty after he suffered a late contact while taking a mark. His kick from 35m notched up the second of the afternoon for the 150 game veteran.

Needless to say, the Sydney Swans haven’t got to where they are by being timid and they continued to take the fight to Melbourne. That aggression was typified by Tom Papley whose 40m running snap reduced the gap back to fifteen. Errol Gulden made it an eight point game when he somehow managed to get his boot to the sherrin in a highly congested pack. The match had suddenly become very competitive. The Swans won the clearance and Franklin marked 35m from goal. Fortunately he pulled it wide, giving the Dees a chance to reset.

Sydney, despite having dominated for most of the quarter, failed to capitalise on their momentum. Then when Kade Chandler had a difficult shot from the pocket, he steered it through to push the advantage out to two goals even. With the intensity rising, Simon Goodwin made a tactical substitution, bringing Jake Melksham on for Ben Brown. The forward was given the job of frustrating Paddy McCartin.

The Dees as a group were starting to frustrate the entire Swans side when Steven May’s perfectly placed kick was marked by Bailey Fritsch 35m from home. The reliable Fritsch didn’t disappoint and Melbourne started to pull away again. It was back to back for the Fritsch magnet when he turned and snapped after receiving a looping handball from Brodie Grundy.

Tom Papley kept Sydney in contention when he marked at 40m out, securing his hat trick. The margin yo yo’d back to twenty four points after Charlie Spargo picked up the loose ball in front of goal before kicking his second.

The frenetic high scoring third quarter set a precedent for the final term with Sydney desperate to get goals early. Melbourne was equal to the task; determined to maintain the upper hand. Ed Langdon has perfected the art form of centering a kick from the pocket and finding a teammate in a goal scoring position. This time his running kick found Kade Chandler who again hit the back of the net with his set shot.

With a comfortable thirty two point lead, the Dees were now going to be difficult to run down. Nick Blakey kept Sydney in the chase with his 40m set shot but all hope was abandoned two minutes later when Jacob van Rooyen took a contested mark 15m in front. It was a dream introduction for the first gamer. He must have thought he was really dreaming when he was awarded a free kick a minute later; this time from 40m in front. His effort sailed through and the Dees had an unassailable forty point lead.

In all the excitement, the Swans managed to scramble one back after winning the clearance and bursting through inside 50 where Will Hayward ran one in from the goal square. James Jordon took it back to forty points when he took a mark from Chandler (another assist) and made no mistakes with his cleanly taken set shot.

Not wanting to be left out, Harrison Petty marked a sublimely placed Christian Petracca kick and slotted one from 35m. Tom Sparrow had a go when he snapped a high ball through the uprights, boosting Melbourne’s already healthy percentage. Justin McInerney pulled one back to save some Sydney face but by then it was all over. Jake Melksham kicked one from the pocket, after the siren, to cap off a perfect night for the Demons.

The 50 point margin secured us the fourth spot on the ladder. I don’t know what the record is for the most individual goal scorers in a single game but I like to think we came close on Sunday afternoon.

Next week it’s the Eagles in Perth. They’re not as scary a prospect as they were a few seasons ago but we won’t be taking them for granted.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!