Round 7 – Adelaide V Melbourne

The Sweetest Victory of All

Liam Chambers

Melbourne ferocious in the opening quarter

Back in August, expectations were high that Melbourne would play finals for a sixth consecutive season. Then as the list of injuries grew longer with each passing game, those expectations were tempered.

Last week’s victory against GWS reignited a flicker of hope in the hearts of the faithful. Wiser heads cautioned against such folly but maybe there was still a chance.

With just over a minute played, Alyssa Bannan again had the chance to score the opening goal. It was a good effort but she was pushed off the kick and the ball went the wrong side of the upright.

Five minutes later, the Dees did get their first goal when Georgia Campbell was awarded a 50m penalty and slotted her set shot from 30m out.

Melbourne’s second was less straightforward, with Alyssa Bannan kicking her 35m shot from deep in the pocket. The result was the same though and the Demons were thirteen points ahead.

The visitors were not allowing Adelaide the chance to play a fluid game, tackling hard and jumping on any sign of creative play. The hosts were clearly frustrated by the unwanted attention and the signs were promising from Melbourne.

The Crows had one of their best chances to score right at the end of the term, but fortunately were beaten by the siren.

The Dees resist the Adelaide tornado

After the break, Adelaide came out with a renewed sense of purpose, controlling territory early, but Melbourne met them head on before making some incursion of their own.
The pressure from the Dees was telling, as Adelaide were unable to play their natural game and mis kicking when they needed to get into scoring positions.

There was no doubting the Crows’ fervor but they were unable to reap the rewards, as Melbourne was just as intense in their defensive 50.

When Danielle Ponter was awarded a free kick in front of goal, after being allegedly being held by Maeve Chaplin, it looked like Adelaide was a shoe in to score their first goal. Then, it looked like a case of the footy gods intervening to right a wrong when Ponter hit the post from a seemingly unmissable distance of 10m.

While the Crows were working overtime in an attempt to secure a major before half time, the Melbourne troops were sprinting to douse every spot fire Adelaide was lighting, preventing an inferno from reaching their goal square.

Adelaide can’t maintain the momentum

The Dees had played arguably their best half of football all season. The question now was could they continue in the same vein and secure a famous victory against one of the most consistent team in the competition.

After failing to score a goal in the first half, Adelaide finally secured their first major when Madison Newman took an uncontested mark in the pocket and converted to take her side to within four points of the Dees.

After the center bounce, Adelaide was straight back inside 50. Melbourne was composed under pressure and succeeded in getting the ball back down the ground.

The Crows had the momentum, but they still couldn’t quite make the Dees pay by conceding another goal. As the clock ticked down, the balance shifted from total dominance to a more even competition, as Melbourne was able to slow down the game and make inroads into Adelaide’s defensive 50.

Then in the final few minutes of the term, the Crows again swamped the Dees’ defence in an effort to take the lead into the final quarter. Melbourne was heroic and their back line held up admirably to deny Adelaide.

Melbourne absorb the tsunami to claim victory

While the Crows had been slowly chipping away at Melbourne’s lead, they couldn’t land the killer blow and the Dees just needed to maintain the rage to cause one of the upsets of the season.

By the five minute mark, Melbourne had been continually under siege but had held firm against the intense pressure. Adelaide was using every weapon in their arsenal but nothing was working.

Melbourne eventually got the ball out of their defensive half but it kept returning and it seemed inevitable the Crows would eventually secure another goal.

It didn’t happen and the Dees continued to tackle and defend like their lives depended upon not conceding another goal.

When the final siren sounded, Melbourne could be justifiably proud of securing the win against what at times seemed like insurmountable odds. Our defence in particular was outstanding but overall, our team was nothing short of brilliant.

Next game is against another top eight side in St Kilda. After our performance against the Crows, the Saints won’t be underestimating us and we shouldn’t underestimate them; they’ve had an extra day to recover and will have home ground advantage. Our side will be brimming with confidence though and I’m optimistic we can still keep the dream alive.

Go the Mighty Dees!!!