Round 11 – Western Bulldogs V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

When you’re playing the favourites in the competition then you need to do something spectacular early on. I’m not sure if there’s been many goals scored in the first twenty seconds historically but the Dees couldn’t have asked for a better start. From Max Gawn’s grab and boot off the centre bounce, to Kysaiah Pickett and Clayton Oliver’s desperate hand passes into the path of James Harmes, who then collected and launched the perfect finish to put Melbourne on the board.

The Dees were frustrating the Bulldogs and blocking off their pathways. The pressure paid off with Christian Petracca taking the ball inside 50 and whacking it through the uprights from 40m out.  The Dogs got the advantage from the centre bounce and made their way down the field where they found Cory Weightman waiting inside 50 to receive and score. Melbourne replied quickly when Tom McDonald spotted Bailey Fritsch in the goal square and launched a textbook kick from the 50m line.

The Dogs seemed to be allowed an eternity to dispose of the ball when tackled but the rules appear to be reinterpreted every week; if the Dees were frustrated, they didn’t show it. Aaron Naughton marked and kicked from 40m to claim the Bulldogs second. Melbourne was forcing errors from their opponents and Fritsch was able to intercept the ball as it crossed the face of goal, then punished the Dogs for their carelessness.

Charlie Spargo kicked a set shot towards the goal square but Sam Weideman dropped the mark. Fortunately, James Jordan picked it up and snapped it high through the posts. The Dees clearly had the Bulldogs rattled and were forcing them into making defensive errors. Max was back to his best marking ways and grabbed the ball about 25m from goal before kicking number six for Melbourne.

The Dogs got off to a good start in the second term when Josh Bruce converted from 40m out before Tim English scored from 25m for back to back goals. Max Gawn again grabbed and kicked the ball from the centre bounce, this time finding Petracca who targeted a 60m kick to the left of goal, enabling Tom McDonald to run forward and mark. Tom then just snapped one home. Next Alex Neal-Bullen’s kick found McDonald on the 50m line. Tom hit it beautifully to score his second in less than two minutes, bringing the tally back to the quarter time margin.

Melbourne were making great use of the ball and were set up so well that the Dogs were finding it very difficult to break through. The Dees continued the fight to get the ball into their forward 50. Clayton Oliver and Jake Melksham slipping but still managing to pass the ball to each other. With Melksham almost tilting, he got a kick away towards goal where Pickett marked and converted from the set shot.

The Bulldogs fought back, desperate to score. Caleb Daniel was finally able to power inside 50 and launch a kick from 45m to give the Dogs a much need goal and boost. Then Tim English got his second when he marked and kicked from 35m out. It was a good end to the half for the Dogs who went in only trailing by 19 points.

The Bulldogs started the second half with more purpose but still found themselves under pressure in defence. As they tried to go forward, they found the Dees had all the avenues blocked off. Melbourne did come under some sustained pressure themselves but were eventually able to make their way back up to the Dogs defensive 50. Fritsch got his hat trick when he was taken high and awarded a free kick to the side of the goal.

Sam Weideman was having a quiet night but after taking a mark from Neal-Bullen, he was able to convert nicely and extended the Dees’ lead to 29 points. Suddenly Weideman looked a lot busier as he took another mark and kicked his second from 30m in front of goal.

With the Dogs 36 points in arrears at the start of the final term, they were going to have to do something very special to win. However Melbourne continued to keep tabs on them and when Gawn was able to collect a loose ball and find Tom McDonald, who scored lucky thirteen, the game was all but out of reach. The Bulldogs pulled a couple back but basically the night belonged to the Dees.

Melbourne now seemed have accepted their roles in the side and are embracing what they need to do to secure the wins. Each player now knows what’s required of them within the team and when that happens to a side, they become very difficult to beat.

Brisbane have built themselves a reputation after their shaky start to the season but both teams will be playing on neutral turf and my money will be on Melbourne.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 10 – Adelaide V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

Apparently Crows hold grudges. I’m not sure what Melbourne did to offend their southern brethren but the team from the city of churches just wouldn’t give up and the Dees were handed their first loss of the season.

We can feel slightly hard done by with the AFL ruling that Nick Murray’s handpass across the boundary line was deliberate and Adelaide should have been penalised. I’m sure Geelong fans will empathise with us but then again maybe not. Anyway, that’s footy and it’s a good learning curve.

It all started so well when wing man Ed Langdon snapped the ball in from the right hand side of the goal square. Adelaide responded with Riley Thilthorpe collecting a tapped down ball and taking advantage of a slow reacting defence to kick the Crows’ first. Max Gawn was back to his marking best and converted from his set shot 15m in front of goal. Adelaide continued to push hard and were eventually rewarded when Taylor (Tex) Walker marked in the goal square. 

Tom McDonald was clearly enjoying himself when he collected and ran around the Crows’ defence to start a trifecta of unanswered goals for Melbourne. Next Trent Rivers’ run up the field and kick from outside the 50m line sailed through before Sam Weideman marked the ball 25m out to score his first since returning to the top tier. The Dees looked to be pulling away but Adelaide had other ideas and small forward James Rowe made his mark when he collected the ball from a Max Gawn tap down and scored the Crows’ third. A minute later, Rowe was then awarded a free and scored from the pocket.

Melbourne started the second term aggressively, with a great run involving Christian Petracca who capped it off with a brilliantly targeted kick at Bailey Fritsch who ran on to kick into an open goal. Again the Crows struck back with David Mackay scoring from 30m after a well put together handball chain. When Darcy Fogarty was awarded a free kick in front of goal, Adelaide took the lead by a one point margin.

At this point the Dees were under enormous pressure but pushed back with a great Sam Weideman kick to Tom McDonald. Unfortunately Tom was unable to capitalise. Ed Langdon and Clayton Oliver combined to better effect though with Oliver’s wide kick sailing high through the uprights. Melbourne were regaining some control but the Crows intense passion was impressive.

Riley Thilthorpe got his second when the ball literally dropped into his hands in front of goal. Ben Keays snap from 35m out gave Adelaide back the lead. With half time looming, James Harmes superb kick from a set shot on the 50m line meant both teams went into the break on even terms. Though undoubtedly remaining in the game, nonetheless the Dees were far from their best. Christian Salem’s precision and vision was missed and Melbourne struggled to play their normal game. They were scrambling at times under the pressure from Adelaide. They badly needed a reset.

Ben Keays long and high snap restored the Crows’ lead and Paul Seedsman extended their advantage to two goals. Suddenly all the momentum was with Adelaide and the partisan crowd roared it’s supported from the Oval rafters. It looked like the home side had the undefeated visitors on the ropes and the Crows faithful were loving it. The Dees needed a circuit breaker and when Petracca stepped up to score from the 50m line, he inspired a Melbourne resurgence.

Luke Jackson was having a quiet night by his standards but he threw himself in a tackling frenzy which allowed Kysaiah Pickett to sprint around the defence into the goal. His actions boosted the spirits of players and fans alike and Melbourne looked to be handling Adelaide’s frantically paced pressure with more confidence. Unfortunately Sam Berry was awarded a free kick directly in front of goal and scored form point blank range.

Oliver Clayton was without doubt the player of the night for Melbourne and his mark and run on to snap one through reinstated the Dees’ lead just before the end of the quarter.

With only a slim 3 point lead the game was proving to be the hardest yet for Melbourne to crack. The tide looked to be turning in Melbourne’s favour when Charlie Spargo, ably assisted by Oliver, snapped a goal to extend the margin to 9 points. However, Adelaide again found a way back into the match after a fumble and a free kick awarded to Shane McAdam saw the forward score from the 50m line.

Melbourne was fighting really hard but so were the Crows and the result was far from certain. Again it seemed that the Dees were finally pulling away when first Ed Langdon, then Clayton Oliver got lucky bounces to push the lead out to 16 points. While Oliver was inspiring Melbourne, Tex Walker was doing the same for the Crows. His contested mark and round the corner kick clawed the margin back to 10. Darcy Fogarty got another with a great kick from the 50m line. Then it was Walker again from 45m to give Adelaide a one point lead with a minute to go.

And of course that infamous Nick Murray handpass.

With the return of Covid, several Victorian teams are anxiously awaiting the AFL’s decision on whether all games will be played this weekend. We are scheduled to play the Western Bulldogs. It’s being billed as the clash of the season and if it goes ahead it’ll be a blinder. I don’t want the Dees to be negative but I’ll make an exception with respect to their Covid test.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 9 – Melbourne V Carlton

Liam Chambers

Every game so far this season we’ve seen Melbourne adapt to the circumstances. I remember reading about Game Theory in Uni many years ago and the parallels are striking. I don’t know if Simon Goodwin has been studying John Nash’s work or whether the players have just clicked naturally but it’s working. The implicit trust that everyone working together improves the outcome for the whole team is on show week after week. The cooperation is reaping benefits and it’s a sight to gladden the hearts of Demon fans.

I have to admit I didn’t know that each time Melbourne has won the first nine games, they’ve gone on to win the Grand Final. The crowd at the MCG was eerily quite for the first half. It was as if they felt that too much noise would break the spell and ruin our chance for glory.

It started well though with Bailey Fritsch marking 35m out and scoring from the set shot. An error in the Dees’ defence saw the ball pass over the heads of the players bunched together reaching for the mark, allowing Matthew Owies the chance to run behind the pack and scramble through to score. Then the legendary Eddie Betts poached the ball in mid air as Jayden Hunt tried to kick it out of defence. Betts didn’t waste the opportunity.

Melbourne had some decent chances but were unable to connect. A long kick up the field from Ed Langdon bounced nicely for Hunt who got it to Charlie Spargo inside 50. Unfortunately Charlie’s shot bounced off the woodwork. Max Gawn managed to intercept the ball on the way to goal guru Ben Brown. BB had a second chance a minute later when he marked on the 50m line but he put it just wide. Marc Pittonet was awarded a 50m penalty for one of those confusing infringements and kicked number three for the Blues.

After some good boundary line passing, the Dees managed something out of nothing with Alex Neal-Bullen taking a mark 40m out from a well placed Ed Langdon kick. Again, good team work. Then the wonderfully composed Christian Salem delivered an impressive kick to Neal-Bullen who threaded it through to the goal square where the forwards got in each other’s way. Luckily Clayton Oliver collected the ball as he ran passed and booted in number three for Melbourne. Sam Weideman’s kick to Tom McDonald was marked 30m in front of goal and converted after the siren sounded.

Carlton applied some intense pressure at the start of the second term but the Dees soaked it up and headed back towards their forward half where McDonald targeted Bailey Fritsch. It was a case of karma when Fritsch was awarded a 50m penalty after Kade Chandler played the same trick that got him penalised in the first quarter. Eddie Betts weaved some more magic but his brilliant manipulation in front of goal fell just short. Levi Casboult did manage to put Carlton back on the scoreboard though when he marked from 25m in front of goal.

Tom McDonald is having the season of his career. His difficult angled kick from the pocket was perfect. When Kysaiah Pickett’s not setting up scoring opportunities, he setting up other players for scoring opportunities. His vision and skill in picking out McDonald was pure genius. T Mac was able to run through an open inside 50 to score his third.

Carlton again piled on the pressure but Steven May and the other key defenders were too good. Eventually, the Blues’ insistent drive paid off and Liam Stocker snapped one through to stay in touch with Melbourne. Carlton upped ante and had the Dees scrambling before Harry McKay (carrying a shoulder injury) marked the ball 25m out and kicked around the corner to reduce the margin to seven points. Melbourne was able to redress the balance after a Clayton Oliver kick was marked by Jayden Hunt who converted from the set shot.

Oliver was also involve in the Dees’ first goal of the second half when Pickett spun almost 360 degrees before kicking the ball to the midfield who booted it on to Ed Langdon who scored from the set shot. With the rain coming down, Melbourne appeared to be controlling the play better. Neal-Bullen got a surprise uncontested ball and basically walked into the open goal.
The Blues didn’t concede too easily though and kept pressing although they were unable to hit the target.

Melbourne got their third unanswered goal when Bailey Fritsch slipped a mark in the wet conditions but was able to collect the ball and snap it through the uprights. Harry McKay got his second after being awarded a 50m penalty and kicked from point blank range. Then he got a more impressive goal when his kick from the 50m line sailed through. You could say he had the long and short of it within a minute.

While Kysaiah Pickett is a great play maker, his goals can also be impressive. He must have been inspired by Eddie Betts when he ran around the traffic to beautifully control the ball along the ground and score from 30m out. Sam Weideman had a chance to score on his return to the top flight but his shot after the siren just veered wide. Charlie Spargo is an opportunistic goal scorer and when the ball was kept in by Weideman near the goal square, Charlie seized his chance to kick his sixth of the season.

So far this year Melbourne haven’t lost a final quarter but when Carlton clawed back two late goals the sides were thirteen points apiece so it was a close run thing. All in all it was a business like performance from the Dees. They did as much as they had to and had enough in reserve if it was required.

They travel to Adelaide in Round 10 to take on the Crows. Again, Melbourne won’t be taking anything for granted but they’ll have one eye on the following Friday night when they take on probably the best side in the competition. The Bulldogs are looking formidable and it will be interesting to see how or if the Dees’ change their game to suit the circumstances.

There will still be the naysayers but there’s a belief and confidence that hasn’t been in the side for a long time.

Go The Mighty Dees!!!

Nigel Dawe

I wasn’t going to write just yet, I was going to hold off for a while and see how the next few weeks pan out; and then I thought – ‘No, you know what, while things are rolling the way they are, 9-from-9 to start the season – now is absolutely the time to capture something of this very moment!’

To add another precursor of sorts, I’m not saying for an instant the Dees are any certainty to etch their name in diamond-encrusted platinum by going through a season undefeated (a ‘feat’ as yet unrealised, in over 120-years of the VFL/ AFL competition).

But for just a second, for one almighty miniscule fraction of old man time’s most precious commodity, let’s consider the potential of such a prospect. In the emboldened spirit of William Ellery Channing, who once roared: “Fix your eyes on perfection and you make almost everything speed towards it.” Why not dare, to at least unpack or remotely engage with what such an achievement might potentially look or even feel like. At the end of the day, you only ever hit what you aim for.

While there is no precedent in our code (at its most elite level) for a team that has gone from start to finish without feeling the cold slap of defeat at some stage; there are examples of ‘perfect’ seasons in other codes. In American Football for example, the Miami Dolphins ‘sailed’ through their season of 1972 taking all before them, achieving what no other side has done, before or since in that sport – and that is win – one week at a time, for each and every week of a given season. 

Arsenal, likewise in the English Premier League, won (well didn’t lose, they drew against some teams) by going ‘undefeated’ in all 38 of their games in season 2003-04, a feat which also earned them the title ‘The Invincibles’ and a special (never before given) gold-plated version of the Premier League trophy.

While our red and blue ‘crusaders’ of season 2021 have plenty more ‘immediate’ and pressing considerations to factor in to their collective focus for the year, like getting into September safely first; one nice ‘aside’ along the way, is the potential for achieving the ‘unprecedented’, and stamp their name for all-time on the very cliff face of the game itself.

It’s not unreasonable to consider a perfect season, it might be highly unlikely, even borderline ludicrous: but if the Dolphins of ’72, or if Arsenal of ’03/04 had thought leading in to round 10 of their respective undefeated seasons – ‘We couldn’t possibly do this, could we?’ Then guess what…? A loss would’ve certainly met them, with full ferocity ‘half-way’ along the rocky road of their own self-doubts.

At the original stadium of Olympia, the ancient Greeks had an altar set up in clear sight of all, but essentially it was for the competing athletes, in honour of ‘Kairos’, their mighty little god of luck and opportunity. Often depicted with arrows drawn and wings on his feet, because back then, as now – luck and opportunity have to be ‘taken’ on the fly, and seized without second thought or hesitation.

As such, right now is the ‘opportune’ time for the Melbourne Football Club to take its chances and play with absolute abandon; go out of your way boys – make it 10-in-a-row… we have nothing to lose or fear, except for loss and fear itself. In the purest spirit of one of the ancient world’s most popular sayings, which hasn’t lost any of its fitting gloss, since the ferocious old days of the Colosseum itself…

‘Fortune favours the brave.’

Round 8 Melbourne V Sydney

Liam Chambers

As the Dees weathered the Swan’s storm footy fans knew not to underestimate the Swans. This season’s Sydneysiders don’t scare easily and they’re definitely not intimidated by the MCG. Richmond expected a comfortable win in Round 3 but came away licking their wounds.

Sydney also had Lance Franklin back in the squad and he was oiled up and ready to go. Steven May had the job guarding Buddy and ensuring he didn’t cause too much mischief. The start was almost a carbon copy of last week’s game when Justin McInerney scored after the Swans got the advantage from the centre bounce. A few minutes later Will Hayward double Sydney’s advantage when he kicked from a set shot on the 50m line.

Melbourne fought back and Jayden Hunt managed a clear run through the middle kicking the ball to Alex Neal-Bullen on their forward 50m line. Neal-Bullen spotted Tom McDonald 35m in front of goal tapped to to the key forward. Tom kicked it straight through the uprights for the Dees first.

The Swans were playing high pressure football but Jake Melksham managed to take a mark 40m from goal after a perfectly timed jump to grab the ball. His ensuing kick was precise and Melbourne was back within a point. The game continued at a frenetic pace and Sydney was kicking well but they were unable to break through. The Dees’ third came after a run through the corridor where Charlie Spargo managed to get a kick to Ben Brown as he was just on the verge of being run down. Brown marked it 25m out and converted to give Melbourne the lead. Tom Hickey got one back just before quarter when the ruckman’s round the corner kick from 35m out sailed through the posts.

The second quarter started well for the Dees. They looked comfortably in control and started to create more chances. Tom McDonald has been improving steadily since the start of the season and his movement around the ball has become more fluid. He’s creating chances for himself and his fellow players. His targeted kick to Ben Brown inside 50 was taken one handed, enabling the big forward to kick his second from 35m out. He was also influential in Melbourne’s next goal when Jake Melksham’s running kick to inside 50 was tapped by McDonald to Christian Petracca who snapped it straight through the uprights.

While the Swans continued streaming into Melbourne’s defensive 50, the Dees’ back line was holding up well. At the other end Sydney was fending off attacks as well but Melbourne’s shots kept missing the target in the wet conditions, allowing the Swans to stay in the game.

Only trailing by eleven points, Sydney started the second half applying major forward pressure. Wave after wave of Swans threatened Melbourne’s defence. Finally, Will Hayward broke through for the first goal of the quarter and Sydney’s first since the opening term. Swans’ joy was short lived however. After a chaotic passage of play, a brilliant kick by Christian Salem to Ben Brown gave the new recruit his hat trick.

Then Tom McDonald showed his versatility and mobility by running around and through Sydney’s defence to kick his second. Melbourne’s game had gone up a notch and they seemed to be pulling further away from the Swans, playing more flowing football. McDonald was really stamping his mark and his 45m set shot form the pocket stretched the Dees lead to twenty two points.  Of course you never write off the Swans too early and true to form, they hit back with two late goals. First Jake Lloyd kicked one from 40m out before a great goal on the run from the Tom Papley clawed the margin back to ten points.

Starting the last quarter leading by less than two goals and with the Swans breathing down their neck, the Dees needed an early break. Instead they got off to the worst possible start with Callum Sinclair scoring after the centre bounce went Sydney’s way.

Demon fans often hold their breath at the start of a quarter or after their team scores knowing an immediate response is possible and sometimes the opposition gets two goals in quick succession. Those pesky centre bounces are the one chink in Melbourne’s armour. Though struggling at times, Melbourne managed to hold off the onslaught from Sydney and maintain their slim lead.

Though the Swans were determined to win, they couldn’t get the contested mark inside 50 and score from a set shot. The Dees’ defence was too good. When Charlie Spargo was able to kick through traffic to score a vital goal, it gave Melbourne some much needed breathing space. Unfortunately Callum Mills spoiled the early celebrations by marking and converting to bring the margin back to under a single goal.

James Harmes, who was having a brilliant game on his return from injury, tipped the balance back in Melbourne’s favour when his kick to Tom McDonald was beautifully marked 15m in front of goal. The key forward got his fourth of the night and probably cemented his place up front for the foreseeable future. With literally seconds to go, the recently renewed star midfielder Christian Petracca went down with what initially looked like a knee injury. Demon fans held their collective breath but it appears it was simply a corked thigh, very painful initially but manageable.

We face Carlton in Round 9. The Blues may have only won three games so far this season but Simon Goodwin’s players won’t be underestimating any side in the competition. What matters is how we’re playing as a team and how we can change our game to suit the circumstances. That’s been the difference this year. A loss will come eventually but I’ll happily take a few losses on the way to the Grand Final, as long as we take home the big prize. Go the Mighty Dees!!!