Melbourne Vs Collingwood 

Liam Chambers

Melbourne came into Round 12 with five wins and five losses but were yet to defeat a top eight team. Collingwood was more successful, having claimed some big scalps but recent injuries meant they were missing key players when they faced the Demons.

After some initial forward pressure from the Pies, the Dees went hunting for goals and almost got the first when a great Ed Langdon mark and subsequent pass to Christian Petracca saw the midfielder’s 50m shot at goal just slip to the right for a behind. With Braydon Pruess replacing the injured Max Gawn and playing like he’d been there all season, Melbourne were looking confident.

As our defence was soaking up Collingwood’s pressure, Clayton Oliver found space to assist the ball up the field, ending when his beautifully deep kick found Sam Weiderman. Sam marked fifteen metres out from goal and converted for Melbourne’s first. Minutes later Angus Brayshaw got his chance and delivered with an accurate kick from the 50m line. With Kysaiah Pickett’s batteries on overcharge, he pounced on the loose ball following a chaotic melee around the goal square to score number three for the Dees.

Jake Lever has been improving with every game and his defending was hitting new heights when the Pies threatened to score. Finally though Collingwood were able to get one back after Ben Reid marked and scored from a ball kicked high that didn’t go as far as expected.

The Magpies started the second term well with Callum Brown kicking their second from set shot 30 metres out. However, Melbourne looked very much in control. Petracca was getting the ball out when tackled and Nathan Jones looked focused. Jones very much wants to play his 300^th game this season and will want Melbourne to achieve a top eight spot.

When Jake Melksham’s 50 metre kick at goal looked like being touched on the line, Sam Weiderman made a brilliant mark directly in front and converted for the Dee’s fourth. Unfortunately another Aaron vandenBerg clash added to Collingwood’s injury woes when Brody Mihocek was knocked semi unconscious and had to be stretchered off the field. When the game continued, Tom McDonald had the goal area to himself and marked the ball to the right of the square and didn’t miss from the set shot.

Jamie Elliot helped to stem the flow when he got number three for the Pies. Not for long though. Jake Melksham’s kick over the top to an unmarked Charlie Spargo saw the small forward get his first goal of 2020. Pruess continued to impress with his strong, accurate kicking. Tom McDonald almost marked one offering but Jake Melksham was waiting and tapped the falling sherrin between the posts for his first goal.

Continuing to exploit poor Collingwood defending, Spargo got his second when a running snap shot from thirty metres out found the back of the net. Taylor Adams gave the Pies some hope when he scored the fourth but their optimism was short lived. Charlie Spargo, starved of goals all year, decided to go for his hat trick. Again, a dropped mark from T Mac, fell into Charlie’s hands and he kicked it home from the edge of the goal square.

With two minutes to go, Ben Reid kept the Pies in touch after being awarded a free kick, scoring from the set shot. Ed Langdon decided a thirty two point margin at half time would look better and launched a mighty kick from forty metres out to claim his first goal since last year.

A few minutes into the second half and the rains came down. Traditionally Melbourne have struggled in wet conditions. Perhaps sensing an opportunity, Collingwood piled on the pressure but were unable to get any result before the weather improved. To add insult to injury, Ed Langdon was awarded a free kick at the other end and scored his second goal from forty metres out. Later Weiderman spotted Tracca just inside 50 and got the ball to him where he kicked a perfect goal to push the margin out to forty points.

For all of Collingwood’s pressure, they were unable to add any more goals until the end of the quarter when Will Hoskin-Elliot marked a high kicked ball fifteen metres out. The Pies finish the term behind 76-42.

All evening the Dees had been very accurate, kicking twelve goals and four behinds from twenty nine inside 50s. Melbourne have also been very impressive in the final quarter this year winning the vast majority, whether consolidating their lead or chasing down the opposition. This would appear to validate the appointment of fitness coach Darren Burgess at the end of last season.

Bailey Fritsch, having a quiet night by recent form, finally got his first goal when he marked the ball thirty metres out. Players like Fritsch and Sam Weiderman have stepped up their marking accuracy lately, putting the Dees in better scoring positions. Having said that, vandenBerg’s perfectly placed kick sailed passed Weiderman when he slipped during his attempt to mark the sherrin. However, this allowed Bailey Fritsch to collect the bouncing ball and run in his second.

Melbourne found luck on their side again when Jake Melksham’s opportunistic grab mid air was paid even though it hadn’t travelled the required distance. Melksham didn’t argue with the Umpire though and slotted his second for the night. In all a total of ten players got their names on the scoreboard when Tom Sparrow marked a typically accurate kick from Christian Salem to score his first goal.

That goal also gave Melbourne its first one hundred points of the season. All in all a great result for the Dees while also limiting Collingwood to twelve points for the entire second half.

Round 13 against the Western Bulldogs should present a greater challenge even though they’ve also had a mixed season. So many teams this year have played brilliantly one week and below par the next but if we play like we did against Collingwood, I wouldn’t bet against us.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!