Deja vu and royal blue
In more ways than one there was a touch of deja vu about the game on Saturday night. Firstly the return of the royal blue jumper; a jumper I grew up watching my beloved Dees play in. We didn’t win many games with it mind you but I can’t believe some comments from people saying they hate it and prefer the contrast jumper that was predominately white. White! Come on! Since when has white ever been a colour associated with our great clubs’ jumper design? Never! For me I am a big fan of it!
The second part of deja vu on Saturday night was the Dees going missing for a quarter once again. After a solid start that saw us five goals up at quarter time, six at half time and then stretching the lead to seven goals early in the third I was looking forward to a big win away to kick start our year. I should have known better…….Fast forward a quarter and scores are now level and my heart was in my throat. Not again!! Please not again! Thankfully the boys steadied and took the Easter chocolates home with a 26-point win against a gallant Lion outfit.
I can almost copy and paste every week about our game fades. It is almost so common now that opposition teams will always feel like they are in the game – no matter what the score – waiting for the invariable Demon mid game sleep. The positive to come out of it was the boys did rally and win but this is something that appears endemic at the moment and really needs to be fixed if we are to be one of the top sides this season.
On Saturday night big Jesse was fantastic with five majors – he does seem to play well against the Lions. Oliver and Jones continued their great starts to the year with 35 and 28 possessions respectively. Petracca also played his second great game in a row, he was dangerous throughout the night with 24 touches. How good is he going to be? Garlett was the man that single handedly stopped the rot and probably won the game for us when it needed to be.
Overall on a slippery night the coaching staff would have breathed a sigh of relief to notch our first win but with plenty to think about moving forward. They won’t be looking any further than this Saturday against the Roos. Speaking about endemic, it is well spoken about our 17 losses on the trot to this mob and if the boys can hold Brown and Waite and play 4 god damn quarters I have little doubt that by Saturday night we will 2 and 1 and be firmly entrenched in the 8.
LUKEY TAPSCOTT VOTES
5 Garlett
4 Hogan
3 Oliver
2 Jones
1 Petracca
NAB RISING STAR VOTES
5 Hogan
4 Oliver
3 Petracca
2 Tyson
1 Neal-Bullen
LUKEY TAPSCOTT LEADERBOARD (after Rnd 2)
Hogan 7
Petracca 6
Garlett 5
Gawn 4
Jones 4
Oliver 4
Hulk has taken an early lead after Round 2
ANB RISING STAR (after Rnd 2)
Hogan 9
Petracca 8
Oliver 7
Fritsch 2
Tyson 2
Harmes 1
Neal- Bullen 1
Not surprisingly Hulk is also leading the rising star but the season is a long one and it is any one’s award.
Go Dees
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The Dees Turn Lion Tamers
It’s round 2, Brisbane v Melbourne and an important game for Max Gawn on many levels not least coming up against his former teammate at Melbourne, Stefan Martin. The clash of the ruckmen would be a game within a game and after Max’s last second heartbreaking miss in the clash with the Cats, he had plenty to prove.
Christensen opened the scoring for the Lions before Nathan Jones kicked a behind. Then Jessie Hogan kicked the first goal for the Dees. Jeff Garlett took a nice mark to score Melbourne’s second. Neal Bullen added to the Dees tally before Hogan scored again with a minute of the quarter to go. Right at the end of the quarter, Bailey Fritsch showed why he is the young player to watch this year as he took another brilliant mark to score after the siren. The Demons ended the quarter 34-3 ahead.
Brisbane got their first goal after Josh Wagner was deemed to be holding the ball and Christensen scored from the free. Jessie got his hat trick after marking just outside the uprights and walking in the goal. Tremendous pressure on Jake Lever caused him to turn the ball over and Bewick who scored for the Lions. It was smooth sailing for the Dees however as Garlett long kicked to Jones who then scored his first goal of 2018. Not to be outdone, Jeff spun some Garlett magic to score his first of the game. It seemed the Dees could do no wrong. The Demons didn’t crack the champagne just yet though as Jessie missed in front of goal and Melbourne seems to be tiring a little under the humid conditions at the Gabba. They went in at half time with the scores 55-18, a 37-point lead.
The 3rd quarter started positively with Nathan Jones slotting his second goal to put Melbourne 42 points ahead. Perhaps we’d just imagined that the Dees were feeling effects of the Brisbane weather but then the dream run took a darker turn for Melbourne. First Christensen scored his second before Cedric Cox added to Brisbane’s tally and Melbourne’s woes. Then the talented Charlie Cameron kicked his first and the scores at the end of the 3rd quarter was 63-41.
The 4th Quarter began and it looked like Neville Jetta had steadied the ship with a lovely kick from the crowded area in front of goal; unfortunately it was deemed a behind and Brisbane seemed to sense that they had a chance to stage a comeback. This was compounded when Hogan missed another chance at goal. Then at the other end Cameron got his second and within a minute had his third. A great kick from Zorko got the Lions within 1 goal of drawing level with the Dees, which happened when Jordan Lewis gave away a free in front of goal. Christensen scored to make it all even.
The Demons needed to dig deep and Jeff Garlett provided the answer, scoring beautifully on the run. Jeff scored again after Zorko had missed at the other end and the outlook appeared brighter for Melbourne. No time for celebrations yet as Hipwood kicked for Brisbane to bring it back to a 1 goal margin. Then that man Garlett again. He kicked superbly to Hogan who used the gift to score his 4th. Not to be outdone Petracca lobbed a 50-metre kick to Jessie who marked and scored his 5th. In the final seconds it was appropriate that the new boy Fritsch again kicked after the siren to make the score 100-74 and secure Melbourne’s first win at the Gabba since 2010.
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Gawn In 60 Seconds
Gawn in 60 seconds, Round 1 Melbourne Vs Geelong, AFL Season start, Dees are fit and fighting, Petracca, Oliver, Hogan, Gawny
Liam Chambers – our correspondent in Coffs Harbour
Another AFL Season starts and with it all the expectations of the fans. Melbourne have shown pre season that they are a team to be reckoned with. On a sunny afternoon at the hallowed grounds of the MCG, they would face a formidable foe in Geelong. Although missing their star player in Patrick Dangerfield, the second coming of Gary would ensure this would be a very tough test indeed for the Demons.
Although the Dees were missing Jack Viney & Tom McDonald through injury our lads were fit & ready to rumble. Within the first 2 minutes Jayden Hunt lobbed the ball from outside the 50 where a superb mark by new recruit Bayley Fritsch sealed the opening goal. Unfortunately 90 seconds later new Geelong signing Esava Ratugolea did the same at the other end; Jake Lever was going to have a busy afternoon keeping the Fijian at bay.
This was a free flowing game & the goals just kept on coming. The Dee’s second came from Jesse Hogan who steadied himself in front of goal to score. Geelong’s Daniel Menzel made the most of a half opportunity to kick their second. Halfway through the quarter with the scores even, Melbourne piled on the pressure but it was the Cats who scored next. Another new signing Brandon Parfitt scored on debut. However Neal-Bullen’s shot out of nowhere was the perfect answer. Then Ablett put himself in perfect position just inside 50m to score for his new old club. A great run of play by the Dees got the ball to Jesse who slotted in from 45m before Cam Pederson marked beautifully; cradling the ball like a new born baby then stepping up and adding to the Demon’s tally. Read more
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A fine line between pleasure and pain
Divinyls, following the mighty Dees, Petracca, Gawn, Jones and Hogan, the Lukey Tapscott award, the ANB rising star award
Darren Spence – our correspondent in Jakarta
The Divinyls sang the lyrics “it’s a fine line between pleasure and pain” and I am certain Chrissie Amphlett was singing about following the mighty Dees. After having to wait all summer to have a chance to overcome the heartbreaking finish to last season it was with great anticipation that Sunday finally arrived.
After a fairly even first quarter the Cats threatened to blow the game apart with a 7 goal second quarter to lead the game by 27 points at the main break. A much better second half saw the Dees hold the Cats to only 2 second half goals and when big Maxy took that mark in the last minute my pleasure rating was at its peak. Then came the pain.
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Dog Day Afternoon – Dees v Bulldogs – AFLW
Round 7 of the AFLW and a blustery evening on Whitten Oval when the Dees faced off against the Bulldogs.
Liam Chambers
This was the most important game of the season. A win for the Dees was crucial; no second chances.
Melbourne went out blazing with the wind at their backs. They had to score goals early & put as many as possible between the Doggies sticks in the first quarter. “Rocky” Cranston was determined to bring her best game to the showdown hitting well in the ruck and tackling fiercely. Paxman got a free early on & used the wind to her advantage kicking beautifully at goal only to have it touched on the line. Bianca Jakobsson was back after a week off & marking brilliantly. The Dees were throwing everything at the Bulldogs but couldn’t seem to break their defence. Then a free awarded to Cranston finally changed that. The kick from 40 metres out sailed through the uprights with no chance of being touched this time. It was looking like Cranston & Paxman were going to provide the inspiration for the historic win. Inspired by Rocky’s goal the team upped their efforts Daisy Pearce, Paxman & Newman going full bolt.
Even Mel Hickey joined in with a few coaching tips from the bench. Then with less than 5 minutes remaining in the quarter, Lampard landed awkwardly & had to be assisted from the field. After the season ending injury to Hickey last week everything was crossed for Sarah. Cunningham, so crucial to last week’s big win was unable to move freely as Lauren Spark stuck like glue preventing Tegan’s natural game. The Bulldogs, barely inside Melbourne’s 50m line all quarter launched a major offensive in the last 90 seconds. Luckily our defence held well and was able to prevent the Doggies from breaking through.
The 2nd quarter started well for the Dees; limiting the Bulldogs to 2 behinds in the first 5 minutes. They knew that the wind was against them now and they fought to stop the Dogs gaining any momentum. Then Emma Kearney was high tackled, awarded a free & slotted in a goal from 45 metres out. A few minutes later Katie Brennan was gifted a shot on goal from a few metres out. With their confidence sky high, everything seemed to be going the Bulldog’s way & a loose ball was scooped up by Berry who has a clear run at goal and she didn’t waste the opportunity. The Demons needed an answer and the talented Ms Paxman provided it. Seizing an uncontested mark she held her nerve & the ball soared through the uprights bringing the scores to 20 – 14 just before half time.
The third quarter started very well for Melbourne with Smith kicking a goal to put the Dees back in front. Then it looked like Alisha Newman was going re-enact her brilliant goal from Round 2 but unfortunately this time she just shot wide & her punch to the goal post summed up all the fans frustrations; we all felt her pain & the missed opportunity would proved critical. For all their great tackling and tactics the Dees went in at the end of the third quarter only 5 points ahead. This was all going to come down to the last quarter. Every Demon fan was on edge but no one could doubt the Girl’s determination and they were not going to die wondering.
I try not to comment on umpiring decisions but the free given against Harriet Cordner was something that we can justifiably feel aggrieved at. “A dubious free at best” I believe were the commentators words. I think he was being very generous but them’s the breaks. Conti didn’t make any mistakes with her kick in front of goal and suddenly it was 27 – 20. Melbourne wasn’t done yet and with seven minutes to go Newman kicked the ball well inside 50 where a diving mark by Kate Hore had hearts thumping. She didn’t disappoint with her superb kick from distance and at 27 – 31 in favour of the Dees, it was all to play for.
We defended and played with brilliant tactics to deny the Bulldogs until 90 seconds from the final siren. Much as it saddens me to write the words, a nice close lob to Lochland who turned quickly and put it though the sticks sealed the game for the Dogs. The pain of that moment will stay with me for a long time. We played so well and out played the Bulldogs in three of the quarters it’s only natural to feel a sense of injustice at the final score of 33 – 31.
Nothing else to say really except well done to all the players for a great season, short though it was and let’s come back better than ever in 2019
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