Round 16 – Brisbane V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

Demons look to have recovered some form but struggle to convert

After four losses from the last six games; the only wins coming against bottom four sides, questions were being asked about Melbourne’s chances of playing finals this year.

Brisbane are a side on the up and up after a slow start to 2024 and well placed for a top eight finish. Though not quite the impenetrable fortress of previous seasons, the Gabba is still a daunting prospect for Brisbane’s opponents.

No surprise then that the opening goal went the way of the Lions when Cam Rayner jumped to mark the ball 15m from home. No surprise either that Charlie Cameron got his name up in lights early when he also took a contested mark inside 50. His 50m set shot was also accurate. Could have done without the John Denver follow up though.

When Kysaiah Pickett is playing well he can be a game changer and after he tackled Harris Andrews he was rewarded with a free kick. His set shot from 20m was spot on and the Dees had their first.

After some lackluster performances recently, fans would have been delighted to see their team taking the game to Brisbane. Melbourne also welcomed back Jake Lever after a long stint on the sidelines and the defence was dealing well with some mighty Lions’ pressure.

Unfortunately, a piece of impressive play from the back half saw Brisbane transition the ball through the corridor and inside 50, where Charlie Cameron was waiting to scoop it up and snap his second. Despite an even contest on paper, the hosts were ahead by fourteen points when the quarter time siren sounded.

Melbourne party like it’s 2021

While Melbourne performed well in the first term, they were unable to get the points on the board to reflect that effort.

The second quarter started well though when Jacob van Rooyen took a contested mark near the square, after an impressive transition up the ground. The 15m set shot sailed through smoothly to reduce the gap to eight points.

It didn’t take long for Eric Hipwood to extend it out again when he collected the ground ball and snapped from 20m.

Van Rooyen was having a good night though, and he was given plenty of room to run and jump at the incoming ball, courtesy of a Jack Viney kick from outside 50. The subsequent 35m set shot from deep in the pocket was on target. Kozzie Pickett also had his second when his around the corner set shot from 30m also found the mark.

Melbourne kicked their fourth of the quarter and took the lead when Bailey Fritsch got his right boot to the footy and snapped from 30m.

The Dees had turned the clock back and were raising the desperation stakes, pressuring Brisbane and hungrily chasing every loose ball, unwilling to give their opponents any leeway. Kade Chandlers typified the Demon approach on the night when he grabbed the ball after van Rooyen was unable to complete the mark. His run on and dribble into the goal square bounced perfectly across the line.

Kozzie took another inside 50 mark and went back to kick his third; this one from the 50m arc. The Dees weren’t just hungry, they were ravenous as they continued to attack the Lions, showing no mercy and forcing them into uncharacteristic errors. In fact Melbourne was playing so well, they were making their own luck, and everything was falling their way.

When Clayton Oliver took an intercept mark, he was awarded a 50m penalty after Zac Bailey moved off his spot. However, the Umpire short changed Oliver, only allowing 40m at most but the Midfielder kicked the goal anyway, putting his side twenty one points in front.

Joe Daniher arrested the one way traffic flow when he took a mark deep in the pocket and converted the set shot.

It was redirected back in favour of the Demons, after Pickett grabbed the falling ball and ran around to snap from 35m in front, claiming his fourth of the night.

The Lions roar back into contention

After the break, Melbourne needed to consolidate their lead, but the Lions were not going to make it easy for them, especially in front of a Gabba audience.

The first goal went Brisbane’s way when Joe Daniher found himself unguarded inside 50, as a result of a mystifying refereeing decision. Having dropped the mark and slipping while getting up, he still managed to tap the ball towards goal, where it dribbled across the line. At the other end, Steven May made his feelings clear to the Umpire about the injustice of awarding a free to the Lions after he had taken a legitimate mark, but to no avail.

Brisbane looked to take advantage of a brief change in momentum to add to their goal tally. Fortunately though the Dees were unfazed and took the ball back into the Lions’ defensive 50, where Daniel Turner marked and converted from 25m.

After the goal, Melbourne needed to hammer home their advantage, but a series of scoring opportunities went astray, allowing Brisbane to stay in touch.

Then with just over five minutes left in the quarter, Cam Rayner was able to soccer the loose ball centimeters from the goal line to reduce the margin to sixteen points. A few minutes later and Callum Ah Chee took a mark directly in front before running on and making it a ten point game.

Having conceded two goals in a row, the Dees were in desperate need of a boost before three quarter time.  Proving that boost was one Kysaiah Pickett who fought for the ball just inside 50, then snapped from 40m to notch up his fifth of the night.

Melbourne falls agonisingly short

Both sides were guilty of inaccuracy in front of goal, but the tide appeared to be turning in Brisbane’s favour as the final quarter progressed. Still, the minor scores kept racking up until finally Jarrod Berry kicked a running goal from 40m to reign in Melbourne’s lead to just seven points.

Then with four minutes left, Kai Lohmann kicked an around the corner set shot to make it a one point game and put all the pressure back on the Dees. Then a heartbreaking penalty on the inside 50 boundary saw Hugh McCluggage kick an admittedly great shot to give Brisbane a one goal lead.

Melbourne couldn’t regain the ascendancy in the remaining time, allowing the Lions to claim a last minute victory. 

It was such a shame that we played so bravely and ferociously, only to miss out at the final hurdle.

Next week is a re run of Round 10, but this time we play West Coast at the MCG. It goes without saying that it’s a must win game.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 15 – Melbourne V North Melbourne

Liam Chambers

The Demons out of the blocks and charging

Having lost four of our last five games, fans sat down to watch Round 15’s contest against North Melbourne with a sense of trepidation. Although the Roos are currently cellar dwellers, their form has noticeably improved in recent weeks.

We needed an early confidence boosting statement to settle the doubts that come with being in a slump. That statement came from game changer Kysaiah Pickett; the small forward snapping from 20m in front of goal.

Two minutes later, Harry Sheezel opened the scoring from North chipping the ball through from the edge of the square.

Tom McDonald was reliving his former footy life as a forward when he launched from the 50m arc and watched his effort sail through the uprights.  It feels like the ball is in safe hands when Daniel Turner takes a contested mark. This time he didn’t miss with his 25m set shot in front of goal.

Kade Chandler was successful from a similar position when he took advantage of a high tackle to play on and snap Melbourne’s fourth of the quarter. The Dees won the centre clearance and headed straight back to goal, where Harrison Petty ran out to take the mark. His subsequent set shot split the middle and extended his side’s lead to twenty four points.

Roos start to reclaim some momentum

After the first quarter goal fest, both sides struggled to hit the target in term two. There were near misses and almost theres, but it wasn’t until the fifteenth minute when Cameron Zurhaar ran in from the side of the pack near goal and stole the mark, that the first major was recorded. His 30m set shot went through and cut the margin to seventeen points.

Trent Rivers hasn’t scored all season but his effort, three minutes from half time, was a thing of beauty. After collecting the ground ball, he ran around the Roos before launching from 50m to score Melbourne’s first of the term.

When Harry Sheezel was tackled just inside 50, the umpire called play on inside of ruling against the defender for incorrect disposal. Then North got the ball back towards goal where Jy Simpkin took an uncontested mark. He then cleanly kicked the set shot.

Melbourne reassert their authority

North had come back strongly in the second quarter and the Dees needed to respond in kind to prevent their opponents from gaining any further traction after half time.

The opening goal was well executed with Kozzie Pickett tearing through the corridor before launching the ball inside 50 where Daniel Turner ran across to take the mark. He then converted to push Melbourne’s lead back out to twenty one points.

The Roos replied quickly with an end to end run through the middle culminating in Luke Davies-Uniacke’s running kick from 35m.

As the quarter proceeded and despite the best efforts of both sides, the margin remained stubbornly at fifteen points.

Then at the twenty minute mark of the term, Alex Neal-Bullen took a mark 35m to the left of goal and converted to give the Demons some breathing space. When Tom Sparrow was awarded a free kick for being held, he made sure that his 20m set shot found the target and Melbourne had a twenty seven point buffer.

After Jack Viney pounded a long ball deep inside 50, Jacob van Rooyen leapt high to take the mark, before going back and slotting the set shot. Even Max Gawn was getting in on the scoring act, after he took an uncontested mark at the top of the goal square.

It wasn’t all one way traffic though and when Cameron Zurhaar took an inside 50 running mark, he kicked his second of the game.

North Melbourne launch nail biting comeback

Zurhaar started the fourth quarter the same way he finished the third, by slotting another set shot. The Roos cut the margin to twenty seven points, and by doing so, planted some seeds of doubt in the minds of the Demon faithful.

Those seeds began to germinate and take root when Eddie Ford feigned a hand pass, forcing Caleb Windsor off his mark, thus allowing the North Melbourne forward to claim a 50m penalty. The 25m set shot sailed through and the deficit was cut to twenty one.

Harry Sheezel made it a fifteen point contest when he took a contested mark in the pocket and kicked an around the corner to notched up his second of the night. Eddie Ford also got his second when playing on to advantage after Zurhaar was fouled at the top of the goal square.

Now North only trailed by nine points with nine minutes to play and the Dees hadn’t yet managed a score of any kind in the quarter. In fact any time Melbourne look close to getting near goal, North would throw themselves into danger zone.

Then with just under four minutes remaining, Cameron Zurhaar kicked his fourth from a 40m running snap.

Somehow Melbourne hung on to win by three points but there will be questions asked how we managed to give up five goals without scoring a single point in return.

We travel to Brisbane for Round 16 and the Lions are in terrific form so the Dees will be considered the underdogs. We need to use that to our advantage.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 13 – Collingwood V Melbourne

Liam Chambers

Even first quarter but Collingwood takes the honours

Melbourne know not to underestimate Collingwood during their Round 13 clash at the MCG and their first quarter performance gave fans hope that they could put their previous game against Fremantle well and truly behind them.

Though the Pies opened the scoring with a running inside 50 kick from Will Hoskin-Elliott, Melbourne looked compose and ready to take on their rivals. The next goal also went Collingwood’s way when Finlay Macrae tapped one in from just outside the square.

Not the ideal start for the Demons, but they showed some desperation in defence to hold off the Pies. Melbourne was handling Collingwood’s pressure well and had opportunities in front of goal but just failed to nail the big shots.

That changed when Kysaiah Pickett crumbed the ball from a tap down, then ran on, finding enough space to snap the ball into the goal square and across the line. Unfortunately, in the cruel blow, the score review ruled that the ball was touched, and the result was overturned.

The Dees continued to pressure Collingwood, but right before the siren and against the run of play, Nathan Kreuger marked directly in front and converted for his first ever AFL goal.

Melbourne claw back momentum but lose it late in the term

After play resumed in the second quarter, Melbourne seemed to have lost a little of their desperation, allowing Lachie Schultz to take an uncontested mark deep in the pocket. The small forward made the most of his opportunity, giving his side a twenty one point advantage.

With five minor points to their name, Melbourne finally bagged a major when Jacob van Rooyen took a brilliant contested mark, then went back to make sure with his 50m set shot. It was a much needed goal for the Dees, especially with Christian Petracca injured and uncertain to return to the field of play.

On the upside, van Rooyen took another contested mark to the left of goal and this time kicked around the corner to secure his second goal. Tracca returned to the ground, but it may have proved to be an unwise decision, as he looked to be in discomfort and unable to fully participate in the game.

Melbourne had clawed their way back into contention, with the gap only seven points. However, chances were still going begging and when Harvey Harrison took an uncontested mark in front of goal, the forward made sure to extend the Pies’ advantage. Nathan Kreuger kicked his second after taking a mark in the pocket and it looked like the Dees early momentum was starting to fade, as Collingwood pulled further away. Then right on the siren Hoskin-Elliott marked to the right of goal and the Pies went into the main break up by twenty seven points.

The Pies win another quarter despite Melbourne’s best efforts

It was the perfect start for Melbourne when van Rooyen made it three from three with his 30m set shot in the opening minute.

It was a short lived revival however, as the ball fell into Billy Frampton’s hands while he ran alongside the square and he instinctively snapped it over the goal line. When Darcy Cameron kicked a difficult set shot from deep in the pocket and watched it sail through the uprights, you just knew it was not going to be Melbourne’s day.

After being denied by a dodgy review earlier in the game, Kozzie Pickett didn’t leave any room for doubt with his around the corner kick from boundary line.

Melbourne rallied again after the goal, but the execution was letting them down. There were multiple chances to hurt the Pies, but the ball just couldn’t find a path through the uprights.
Collingwood appeared to be having all the luck as once again a wayward ball landed fortuitously for the hosts. This time Nick Daicos was on the receiving end and his 50m set shot sailed through.

It was the same result when Harvey Harrison marked just inside the 50m arc, before going back to kick his second of the day.

No fairytale ending

Trailing by thirty four points, the outlook was depressingly bleak for the Dees. Still hope springs eternal but if they were going to make a statement, they had to make it quickly.
Umpires are often accused of being inconsistence but Daniel Turner’s kick to Jake Bowey deemed not fifteen was a tad unfair. Bowey was left in no man’s land as he was immediately attacked on three fronts. Harvey Harrison had just enough time to get a kick away and his 30m shot sailed through.

Now thirty nine points behind, nothing seemed to be working; even hat trick hero van Rooyen had lost his Midas touch by the fourth quarter, sending his 45m set shot to the left of the post.
If Melbourne couldn’t catch a break, Collingwood couldn’t miss. Patrick Lipinski’s snap from the arc sailed over the defence and bounce across the goal line, extending the lead out to forty six points.

Pickett collected his second with a classy dribble from a tight angle to the left of goal, scoring the Demons’ first of the term. Bailey Fritsch clawed back another six points when he controlled the tapped down ball before running around to snap from 30m.

Just as Melbourne looked like they just might win the quarter, up popped Nathan Kreuger. He took a contested mark, then converted to score his hat trick.

All in all a disappoint result that capped off a month of disappointing results. With Christian Petracca not returning in 2024 and Jake Lever still a few weeks away from recovery, Melbourne’s season is in the doldrums.

We face North Melbourne in Round 15, which would have been a certain four points only a few weeks ago, but everything is starting to click for the Roos, just as the Demons’ year is heading south. Still, we’ve been in worse places, and we have enough time to salvage our season.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

Round 12 – Melbourne V Fremantle

Liam Chambers

The Dockers take control after a shaky start

The highlights of the game for Melbourne came in the initial five minutes as first Max Gawn took a contested mark in the pocket and converted the 35m set shot to open the scoring. Then Harrison Petty walked in the next goal when he was on the receiving end of a perfectly placed kick from Bailey Fritsch.

Demons were sitting back, thinking their team was going to put on a masterclass in front of the Traeger Park fans.

After six to one inside 50 entries in favour of the Dees, the Dockers were finally able to penetrate Melbourne’s defence, with key forward Josh Treacy also walking one in for his side. After the goal, there was a subtle change in Fremantle’s game. They were retaining possession and looking more confident.

When there was a small slip up in Melbourne’s defence, Michael Walters was able to pounce straight away and snapped an around the corner to make it a one point game. Fremantle took the lead when Jye Amiss found himself in possession of a chaos ball and snapped from 10m directly in front of goal.

The Dockers were now in control and their pressure was forcing errors from Melbourne. There were several more turnovers and potential shots on goal before Jordan Clark drilled from the pocket to extend the lead to twelve points. Josh Treacy got his second when he took a contested mark in front of goal before slotting the set shot.

Fremantle turn the screws on Melbourne

After scoring five goals in the opening term, the visitors resumed their attack when Jye Amiss took a controversial contested mark, just inside 50. His subsequent goal put the Dockers 24 points in front.

Melbourne were struggling to establish any momentum and Freo were well and truly in the drivers’ seat. In addition, any progress the Demons made in attack was compromised by their frequent ball turnovers, allowing their opponents a chance to regroup. Finally though, a flicker of optimism when Clayton Oliver’s wind assisted kick from just outside 50 landed in the goal square and bounced across the line.

The hope of a comeback was short lived however, as former Dees’ ruckman Luke Jackson converted form 45m in front to restore his side’s lead to four goals. Michael Walters then marked in the pocket and slotted his second with an around the corner snap.

Melbourne were being totally dominated and there was no letup in pressure, as Fremantle kept racking up the scoring opportunities. Sam Switkowski got in on the act, as he kicked the Dockers ninth goal from a 45m set shot and the margin was out to thirty six.

The Dees were now in serious trouble as they fought off the waves of inside 50 incursions. There was no stopping Freo though and eventually they broke through again when Josh Treacy was awarded a free kick and converted from 35m out. Then, a few minutes before the main break, Hayden Young was awarded a 50m penalty and made sure with his set shot from 45m.

No respite from the onslaught

Any Demon fans tuning in just after half time would have rubbed their eyes in disbelief that their team was so far behind. Surely the score was the wrong way around?

When Ed Langdon marked in the left pocket, then ran on, Demons everywhere gasped in horror. Fortunately, he was able to hand pass to Christian Petracca and the midfielder slammed it through the uprights. For a brief joyous moment, it seemed that Melbourne might launched a spirited renaissance, along the lines of the Round 8 fightback against Carlton.

Fans were immediately brought back down to earth when the Dockers responded by controlling the ball after the bounce, then getting it to Michael Frederick inside 50, where the forward made the most of his opportunity.

The ferocity of the blows kept raining down on the Dees, as Sean Darcy’s lumbering awkward kick just slipped behind the goal line. It was almost as if the footy gods had just decided to let Fremantle kick the sherrin in the general direction of the goal where it would assisted across.

As if to labour the point, Jye Amiss went for the contested mark in front of goal, missed it but when he turned around, the ball basically bounced into his hands, and he snapped his third of the afternoon. Michael Frederick had his second when he marked in the pocket, then kicked around the corner to convert his set shot. The Dockers were lining up to have a go at goal as Caleb Serong kicked his first of the season when he slotted from the pocket. That effort was also Fremantle’s fifth of the quarter.

Melbourne finally got their second of the term when Tom McDonald collected the ground ball in front of goal and found a way through the pack, kicking it over the line. The margin was back to seventy points.

Luke Jackson restored it to seventy six when he marked the ball 10m directly in front, then cleanly kicked the set shot. Michael Walters got his hat trick after marking in the pocket, then slotting Freo’s seventh of the term with his set shot.

Full time couldn’t come quickly enough

With no chance of victory, Dees everywhere would be happy now, just to win the quarter or at the very least keep the margin under one hundred points.

Fremantle’s first of the final term was way too easy though, as Sam Sturt, having marked inside 50, was then awarded a 50m penalty, just to be sure.

Finally, something for Demon fans to cheer, as Jack Viney launched a running shot form inside 50 that found the back of the net.

Melbourne’s hopes of winning the term were sorely tested when Luke Jackson took a contested mark 40m and kicked his hat trick off the set shot. Jye Amiss failed to live up to his surname when he marked, then kicked his fourth goal of the afternoon.

Nat Fyfe got in on the action when collected the ground ball and snapped from 35m to extend the margin to ninety nine points. With five minutes to full time, Fremantle increased the gap to one hundred points.

Tom McDonald became the only multiple goal scorer for the Demons when he took a contested mark directly in front and made sure of the set shot.

The final deficit of ninety two in favour of Freo is nothing to cheer about but there is some solace in the thought that it could have been worse. Our percentage has taken a battering but hopefully won’t count against us when the top eight is being calculated in September.

Round 13 is against arguably our greatest nemesis and we will want revenge for being kicked out at the knockout stages during last season’s finals. There will be an awful lot of nervous Melbourne fans on Monday afternoon.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!

By Nigel Dawe

Leadership is a funny thing, in this ultra construed era of ours, it appears to have taken on a somewhat quasi-here-there-and-everywhere kind of prevalence.

But true leadership is somehow forged only through, or because of – hardship, not to mention trial and the gravest of tribulations; it is a quality that often ‘leads’ to triumph, after having endured the tests and red-hot throes of defeat, and rarely, albeit almost never, the other way around.

The Melbourne Football Club recently lost one of its all-time greats and captain – John Beckwith, on-field leader for the premierships of 1957 and 1959, not to mention ‘the upset of the century’ in 1958. John is also credited as having been the first captain to ever receive a premiership cup on Grand Final day, after they were inaugurated in 1959.

Intriguingly, Beckwith’s first season in senior ranks (1951) saw Melbourne win on only one solitary occasion, and in another game that year against the Bulldogs they were walloped by 30 goals!

So, John knew first-hand the grave questions only defeat can pose, before it sometimes propels a chosen few to victory beyond all imagination. Needless to say, Beckwith was named Best First Year Player, before going on to forge a career as one of the best defenders to have ever donned a red and blue guernsey.

With Beckwith’s passing, Max Gawn becomes the lone living Melbourne player to have captained the club to a premiership. And like Gawn, who seems to have that elusive ability, albeit aura to rouse the spirit and fortunes of team mates to do the miraculous.

Beckwith famously leapt up at half-time of the Second Semi-Final (being 48-points down) against Essendon in 1957, and started singing ‘It’s a grand old flag’. The team didn’t win that day, but they did go on to resoundingly beat the Bombers by over 10-goals a few weeks later.

John Beckwith was only 24 years of age when he took on the role as captain of what would be the greatest dynasty that any side in the history of the game would go on to enjoy. Having played in each of the 7 Grand Finals between 1954 to 1960 for 5 premierships (two as captain) – is a record that seems destined to never be rivalled, let alone ever beaten.

There is a famous image of Beckwith on the MCG after one of their Grand Final wins, sharing a cold ale with his coach Norm Smith – whereby you just can’t help but ponder – what sublime, never to be repeated recipe this team created for the elixir of ultimate success.

Sadly, our side wasn’t able to win for ‘Becky’ last weekend up in Alice Springs, the players were all wearing black armbands in honour of the boy from Black Rock who wore the number 30 guernsey for Melbourne on 176 miraculous occasions.

As upsetting as it was that our modern-day batch of Demons couldn’t win for one of its all-time greats, it might prove eerily appropriate, that from the searing clutches of this defeat, our team could eventually rise again to the heights of success, as Beckwith and his fellow Demons did all those years ago.

Rest in Peace John Beckwith, one of the very last links and vital cogs to the game’s greatest dynasty has passed on, but you have left a legacy and an example of true greatness that will last and shine brightly for as ever long as the game is played.