Round 8 – Melbourne V North Melbourne

Liam Chambers

Welcome to Casey Fields. Wind speed 30 kmh. Not quite blowing a gale but enough to frustrate the potential goal kickers. After Melbourne’s impressive away win against premier hopefuls Brisbane, tonight would be a fierce fight for second spot on the ladder, against another formidable opponent.

The Dees looked good early on, pushing forward but it was North who had a chance to open the scoring when Daria Bannister’s set shot was touched on the line by Tahlia Gillard.

Melbourne responded with Alyssa Bannan snapping what looked like perfect shot, only for the wind to act as proxy goalkeeper and deny the Dees. No matter. The ensuing stoppage had Jacqui Parry forcing her way out of the pack and managing a wild high kick which floated back towards goal. Kate Hore was in the right place and jumped for the contested mark. The number ten got her number eight for the season and the Dees were up and running.

Melbourne was able to double their score when Karen Paxman was the beneficiary of the confusing and inconsistent 50m rule. Paxy wasn’t complaining though and slotted from near point blank range.

With two goals versus two behinds, Melbourne was in the driving seat at the start of the second term. Within a minute however, the Dees were shaken out of their comfort zone when Jasmine Garner received the ball from an inside 50 stoppage. Her driving kick towards goal was wind assisted and crossed the line untouched.

Even though Melbourne conceded the early goal, they quickly reset, raising the intensity of their attack. All that effort was in vain though until Tayla Harris was awarded a free kick for a lingering tackle in the middle of the ground. Due to a mix up between two of North’s players as to whose kick it was, Harris was awarded a 50m penalty. Her powerful 35m kick was perfectly balanced; reading the breeze to a tee. As a result, the Dees went into the main break leading nineteen to ten.

The second half started brilliantly for Melbourne. A mixture of brute force and clever tactics drove the ball to inside 50 where Tayla Harris was waiting to receive. Harris went for the ball, was deemed held and a free awarded. The forward had no trouble kicking her second and the Dees’ lead was extended to fifteen points.

The Dees pressure was impressive and they continued to threaten their goal. The Roos had a chance or two but otherwise it was all Melbourne. One of the highlights of the quarter was when the Dees strung together a masterclass in transition play down the right side of the field. Involving five Demons, starting with Mithen to Bannan to McNamara to Mithen to Paxman to Mithen and finally to Heath whose shot from the pocket tragically hit the post. Had Shelley Heath scored, it would have been the goal of the year. That run of play epitomised the depth and strength of the Dees and why they are so dangerous.

While Melbourne had the best of the third quarter, the Roos were too good a side not to launch a fightback in the final term.

True to form, North came out swinging. All night the Dees had targeted attempts at neutralising the Roos best players. Shelley Heath again shadowed Emma Kearney, limiting the midfielder’s capacity to influence the game. North required three unanswered goals to win and Kearney would be pivotal if they were to reach that target.

Initially Melbourne had the answers to North’s persistent incursions but eventually Kaitlyn Ashmore was able to outpace Daisy Pearce and launch a rocket from 25m out. It sailed high through the uprights and the margin was back to ten points. Now the Dees would need all their skill and experience in order to contain the rampaging Roos.

Melbourne was having to play a containment game, occasionally making it up to their forward 50 but essentially just frustrating North’s efforts. Each time the visitors got the ball inside 50, the Dees were able to defuse the danger. With the minutes ticking down, Melbourne pounced on every loose ball, ensuring the Roos couldn’t get a break.

The last couple of minutes was a frantic clash of bodies inside 50 but the Dees’ wall proved impenetrable.

The win propelled Melbourne into the top two with a chance to cement that spot when they travel to Perth in Round 9. The Dockers are a good side and will have home advantage but the Dees are in the form of their footy lives and I wouldn’t bet against another upset being on the cards.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 7 – Brisbane V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

With only four games remaining, a win at Metricon would make the road to the finals a little less steep. The odds were stacked against the girls and they would need to dig deep to come away with a result. Playing away against the reigning premiers was daunting enough but throw in the hot, humid conditions plus a team that has won their last five games, meant the odds were well and truly stacked against the Demons.

The pressure on our defence was intense from the opening. It only took a fumble for Orla O’Dwyer to gather the loose ball and snap the Lion’s first from 30m out. After the centre bounce, Brisbane didn’t waste any time getting back to their inside 50. It looked like someone had pressed the fast forward button and the Dees were frantically looking for ways to clear the ball. Whenever Melbourne got it out, the Lions brought it straight back in.

At times the Dees defence was producing miraculous tackles in front of goal, preventing Brisbane from adding to their tally. Eventually Melbourne found a path down the field and to the waiting Tayla Harris. The scoreboard proved a bridge too far though and the quarter ended with the Dees trailing by nine points.

Being held scoreless at quarter time would have evoked unpleasant memories of our earlier loss to Adelaide in Round 4. The fightback then came too late and the Coach would have been conscious of not delaying a change of tactics.

Daisy Pearce dropped back to bolster the defence but initially the change made little difference. With the Lions bearing down, a clever tap from Courtney Hodder to Sophie Conway, allowed the midfielder to run in Brisbane’s second.

Within a minute of that goal, the Umpire blew his whistle and Greta Bodey took advantage of the advantage given and launched a kick from 30m to clinch the Lion’s third of the night. There was no sugar coating it, the Dees were in big trouble at twenty one points down.

Brisbane were showing few signs of fatigue resulting from their condensed schedule of three games in eight days. In fact they seemed to be increasing the pace. Melbourne desperately needed a circuit breaker but they couldn’t get any momentum going; dropping catches and turning the ball over. The Dees were literally scrambling to get a foothold in the muggy conditions as the Lions dominated the tackle count eighteen to three.

Finally Melbourne got the break they so critically needed when Eliza West took a hand pass from Sinead Goldrick and ran through the middle before kicking the ball to Alyssa Bannan who was waiting inside 50. Bannan turned and ran on after marking, kicking from 30m out, then watched the ball bounce across the goal line. There was more relief than celebration amongst the players as the team regrouped with only a minute remaining before half time.

The Dees were only too aware of how important Alyssa Bannan’s late goal had been and they started the second half with a renewed determination. When Karen Paxman’s kick from the 50m line to the top of the goal square was plucked from the air by Bannan, you sensed the tide was turning. Two marks and two goals for the tall forward.

Now the girls started to look more comfortable; their kicking and passing more accurate and fluid. However Brisbane wasn’t relenting that easily and a smart handpass from Jesse Wardlaw to Zimmorlei Farquharson allowed the young forward to run on into an open goal.

Despite the setback, Melbourne still looked to have the momentum and they settled into a focused and determined attack on their opponents. When Lauren Pearce took the mark from a clearance kick, the ruck sent it straight back in and saw her effort marked by Tayla Harris. The leading goal kicker made it twelve for the year when her 40m set shot sailed through.

While the Dees looking ever more in charge, there was an uncertainty creeping into Brisbane’s game. Melbourne was tackling more, getting more of the ball and creating more chances. When Harris brought the ball to ground 30m from goal, Eliza West pounced, gathering up the crumb and snapping powerfully to score her first major as a Demon. That goal made it a one point game and guaranteed a blinder of a final term.

The match was the Dees for the taking and they duly ramped up the pressure to eleven. The effort paid off when another Lauren Pearce kick to the goal square again found Tayla Harris. This time it was lucky thirteen for the star player.

As the clock ticked down, it became as much a battle of wills as of skills with both sides fighting ferociously. When Greta Bodey’s shot on goal scraped the inside of the upright, you got the impression that the footy gods were wearing red and blue on the night.

At the other end, Harris missed a chance to claim her hat trick and further ease the pressure on the team. Then adding to the tension, Brisbane got their second wind and again ran hard at the Dees defence but could only add a couple of points to their overall score.

Then right on the siren, Greta Bodey was awarded a free kick 40m from goal. It was almost a carbon copy of last season’s clash but luckily for Demon fans she was unable to redeem herself and the ball fell short of the target giving Melbourne a fantastic win.

Next Round it’s back to Casey Fields and a showdown with North Melbourne. The Roos are in excellent shape having only lost once so far this season; co-incidentally also to the Adelaide Crows. The girls will take great confidence from their comeback against the odds win on the Gold Coast and should fancy their chances against a formidable foe.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 6 – Melbourne V GWS

Liam Chambers

Another Saturday afternoon at Casey Fields and another vital match for Melbourne. With Brisbane and Collingwood knocking on the top four door, we needed to secure a win and ideally a big one to boost our percentage.

The Giants sat out Round 5 due to health and safety protocols and it remained to be seen whether the week off had helped or hindered their preparation.

From the beginning, the Dees had an easy run through the corridor and before long had set up camp inside their forward 50. Tayla Harris had an early look at goal with her set shot directly in front. As always on the windswept ground, the ball could go either way. On this occasion it hit the upright.

Eliza West continues to impress with her tackling and creative play, complimenting an already strong midfield. Also, honourable mention must go to bouncing Alyssa Bannan who took five on her run down the right side of the ground before sadly being unable to cap off what would have been the goal of the season.

Melbourne was finally rewarded when Daisy Pearce used her superior knowledge to read her opponent perfectly and secured a free kick on the edge of the goal square. Kate Hore kicked the second on the cusp of quarter time when she picked off Lily Mithen’s goalward kick. It appears Kate’s scoring mojo is making a welcome return at just the right time for the Dees. GWS made a last frantic dash but the scores remained at 14-0 in Melbourne’s favour.

The Dees were facing the breeze in the second term so it was crucial that they continued to force the Giants to defend. GWS started by making inroads to Melbourne’s territory but their efforts were fended off. The visitors had their chances but were unable to capitalise and again found the Dees clambering to add to the score sheet.

Kate Hore dribbled a kick towards the goal only to have it saved by a desperate dive on the line. The majors were proving elusive for Melbourne but the hapless Giants had yet to score. With the margin at fifteen points, it was anyone’s game at half time.

For all their dominance, the Dees were struggling to put the match beyond doubt. They needed to start making GWS pay in the second half. However, it was the Giants that looked the more aggressive going forward at the beginning of the third term but Melbourne’s defence was proving impenetrable. 

Again the Dees had their chances yet they could only pepper the goal without securing a major. The margin kept increasing though while GWS continued to remain goalless and the game was firmly in Melbourne’s control.

Finally the cracks in the dam wall widened a little when Shelley Scott’s tackle in front of goal was rewarded with a free kick. The veteran midfielder hadn’t scored all year but she calmly waited for the siren, then popped the ball through to increase the Dees’ lead to twenty six points.

With the Giants yet to score a single point, Melbourne was in a commanding position. The more points they could accumulate would raise our percentage nicely. With only a handful of games remaining, that percentage could be the difference between a top six and a top four spot.

When Eden Zanker gathered the ball from a hitout, her kick sailed sweetly in the direction of Tayla Harris. Harris was deemed to have been held and awarded a free kick on the edge of the goal square. Her subsequent goal was the tenth of the season and put her on top of the scoring table in equal place to the Crows’ Ashleigh Woodland.

Harris was able to add to her tally and claim top spot for herself when Megan Fitzsimon marked a kick from Eliza McNamara and directed her set shot deep inside 50. The key forward ran out to meet the ball and secured the mark. Her set shot found the target and Melbourne was thirty eight points to the good.

After the bounce, the Dees took the sherrin through the corridor courtesy of Eliza West and Karen Paxman, who’s kick towards the goal square was brought to ground by Daisy Pearce. It was then gathered up by Kate Hore who, in the process, was almost decapitated by GWS’s Brid Stack. Luckily Kate survived but she pulled her set shot which went left and fortuitously into the hands of Shelly Scott. Unfortunately Scott’s shot sailed across the face missing all targets.

The Dees kept up the pressure and Kate Hore again gathered the ball, this time hitting it with the outside of her boot and landing her second and Melbourne’s sixth of the afternoon.

The Giants were now only playing for pride and finally, with only three minutes to go, Jess Doyle was able to scoop up the ground ball and chip it over Daisy Pearce’s head to save GWS’s blushes. The goal lifted the Giants and they tried to secure a few more but could only manage another point by full time.

The next three games are arguably the Dees’ toughest. First up it’s Brisbane at Metricon Stadium. Last year’s Premiers have had a mixed season but they’ve won their last five and will be extremely tough opponents.

Then it’s North Melbourne who are in fine form and even secured an impressive victory over Freemantle. Speaking of which, for our last game we travel west to face the ladder leaders.

I’m not going to make any predictions about our chances, all I’m going to say is:
Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 5 – Melbourne V Gold Coast

Liam Chambers

Big surprise; Gold Coast took a leaf out of St Kilda and Adelaide’s playbook. Again it was game on from the first bounce. The Suns were looking for three in a row and the Dees were looking to make amends for last week’s result.

The first quarter was all pressure. Melbourne were making inroads into their forward fifty but Gold Coast kept repelling them. After ten minutes, the Dees had been continually dominating territory but only had two minor scores to show for their efforts.

The Suns only had one foray to inside 50 late in the term but it proved fruitless with the margin remaining three points in Melbourne’s favour at quarter time.

When play resumed, Gold Coast had the wind at their backs and took full advantage early on. Again though the Dees were able to push back and get close to their own goal square.

Melbourne’s determination paid off when Eden Zanker, under pressure, launched a wildly accurate kick, picking out Tayla Harris, who took the contested mark. The Dees leading goal kicker then had a set shot 30m in front but the breeze carried the sherrin to the right for another minor. A minute later, Shelley Scott did the same.

Almost immediately Gold Coast took control and the game to their own end. They had several chances in front of goal but were unable to get the points on the board. They kept up the pressure though and the Dees finally succumbed when Sarah Perkins’ spinning high kick landed fortuitously into Alison Drennan’s lap. The midfielder took the set shot and slotted the Sun’s first of the night.

Melbourne have a habit of striking back quickly and it was Daisy Pearce who again provided the inspiration. Her initial tap down 25m out then allowed her to run on and gather the footy before chipping it behind the goal line.

A minute later and Eliza McNamara was awarded a free kick after being held 30m out from goal. McNamara took note, learning from her team mates’ previous shots on goal, before guiding her kick perfectly through the sticks.

That’s the way it stayed and Melbourne went in, leading by ten points, at half time.

After a sterling finish to the first half, the Dees needed to remain focused and continue to control the game. They maintained the pressure on the Suns and waited for the visitors to make a mistake. Eventually Megan Fitzsimon was taken high in a tackle and awarded a free kick front of goal. Fitzsimon read the breeze correctly and notched up Melbourne’s third of the evening.

Again and again the Dees pushed forward but Gold Coast managed to hold them off. Melbourne then had to confront an attack by the Suns but wrested back control before Lily Mithen took off back down the field. She stole a bounce along the way before hand passing to Eliza McNamara who tried to pick out Tayla Harris with her subsequent kick.

The ball sailed over the heads of the waiting pack, but Harris was awarded a free for a push in the back. The set shot was 25m directly in front and the forward had no problems in converting to score Melbourne’s fourth of the match.

The challenge now for the Dees was to maintain the momentum and not let Gold Coast back into the game. Unfortunately Ellie Hampson scored possibly the best accidental goal of the season when her stumbling soccer kick found a way to cross the line.

Then with the seconds ticking down, Daisy Pearce took a diving mark 15m out from goal. It’s well known that the captain is adverse to taking set shots so her seemingly inexplicit action in playing on is understandable. However the Suns’ fans everywhere would have been taking a big collective sigh of relief at having dodged a very late bullet.

As the teams headed into the final term, Gold Coast were thankful to be only trailing by nineteen points.

The tackling continued at a frenetic pace but the Dees looked comfortably in control. That confidence was boosted when Daisy Pearce took another contested mark inside 50. She immediately spotted Tayla Harris and placed her kick perfectly into the path of the key forward. Harris finished flawlessly and the margin stretched to twenty four points.
A few minutes later Kate Hore had an opportunity to hammer in the final nail but her running shot veered left for a minor score.

With ten minutes to go, Gold Coast wasn’t giving up as they managed to retake the ball before launching their own offensive. There was no one at the back for Melbourne and Jamie Stanton had the inside 50 area to herself as she ran into an open goal. The Suns sensed that there was still time and the Dees knew they had to maintain possession to slow down the game.

Gold Coast kept driving forward though and eventually Kalinda Howarth was able to gather, spin and kick the ball, watching it bounce across the square for another goal.
Melbourne’s lead was cut in half but the girls managed to hold off successive Coastal waves to claim an important two goal victory.

Today it’s the Giant’s turn. We’d be foolish to expect an easy competition just because GWS has had less game time this year. They’re a tough side and made the Bulldogs look ordinary in their last outing.

When we remain disciplined, we can beat anyone. We have the talent and have proved we can handle the pressure. The final part of the puzzled; the self belief and confidence is still a work in progress but I’m backing us to take home the goods in Round 6.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!