Round 12 – Collingwood vs Melbourne – Dees Unable to Beat Hot Pies in Big Freeze

Liam Chambers

It was always going to be a tough game. A Dees win would have been seen as a major upset against the in-form Magpies. Still, the job of a Melbourne fan is to believe and as John Lennon wrote “you may say I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one”. The Demons’ fans who poured en masse into the MGC on Monday afternoon definitely believed in dreams.

Like the Round 10 game against the Giants, our defence was besieged by wave after wave of onslaught from Collingwood from the start. I don’t think our players got out of their own half for the first eight minutes of the first quarter.

Incredibly, all that pressure only resulted in a single goal for the Pies in the first fifteen minutes of play. When Jeff Garlett scored in the last minute of Q1 (after a clever kick from Christian Petracca), the relief that we were only fifteen points in arrears was palatable.

The second quarter started better when Petracca kicked the ball on the run from forty metres out to score the Dees’ second goal and reduce the margin to nine points. Despite controlling the ball better and a Charlie Spargo goal, Melbourne were unable to take advantage and had fallen further behind to Collingwood at half time.

The Demons continued to miss from set shots but luckily so did Collingwood. However, the Pies upped their game and kicked five goals for the quarter. One of the bright spots for Melbourne was Sam Weideman’s goal. After last week’s hugely disappointing missed shot that would have won the game in Darwin, that goal would have helped restore his confidence. Jayden Hunt also added to the scoreline.

Like many Dees supporters, I’m sure, I was hoping for a repeat of Melbourne’s fourth quarter against GWS when we slotted seven goals in a Demon rampage. Alas it was not to be. Sam Weideman doubled his tally and Mitch Hannan got us to within twenty points of last year’s runners up but that was where the fantasy ended. Collingwood kicked the last four goals of the game to win by forty one points.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we have to be more accurate when it comes to set shots. It always easy to be an armchair critic and the pressure in front of 77,000 spectators would unbelievably intimidating but the reality is that’s how the top teams keep winning.

On the positive side, Max Gawn had a massive 34 disposals (I know!). Max has also been practising his marking and has been very impressive in that area this season. Petracca seemed to be everywhere at times. Marty Hore had flashes of brilliance (I still believe he will be a star of the game). Jake Lever seemed to settle in as the game went on and his partnership with Steven May may yet prove very fruitful for the Dees.

We don’t play next week so I hope the week’s rest will see our lads back and in winning form against Freemantle in Round 14.

Go the Magnificent Dees!!!

COLLINGWOOD     3.5     6.8     11.8     15.8     (98)
MELBOURNE          1.2     3.5      5.9      7.15     (57)

GOALS
Collingwood: De Goey 3, Stephenson 3, Hoskin-Elliott 3, Grundy, Mihocek, Sidebottom, Treloar, Cox, Thomas
Melbourne: Weideman 2, Garlett, Petracca, Spargo, Hunt, Hannan

BEST
Collingwood: Sidebottom, Treloar, Stephenson, Hoskin-Elliott, De Goey, Sier
Melbourne: Gawn, Harmes, Oliver, Brayshaw, May, Petracca