AFL: Max Gawn says bombing into the forward line is costing the Demons
Their finals chances are hanging by a thread, and skipper Max Gawn says a problem that has haunted the Demons for two seasons continues cost the club games.
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Melbourne skipper Max Gawn says the club must fix its long-standing flaw of “bombing” the ball into attack without success ahead of Monday’s critical clash with Fremantle with its finals hopes hanging by a thread.
It comes as Herald Sun footy analyst Mick McGuane urged the Demons to show more dare in the remaining three games or run the risk of missing finals again.
Melbourne missed a golden opportunity in Cairns to place a downpayment on a finals berth when it was jumped by Sydney in the first half, before eventually losing by 21 points.
“I’m pretty flat,” Gawn said.
“We came up here to do a job and we got jumped in the first half ... we played some really good footy in the third and fourth quarters, but we weren’t able to connect with our forwards.
“We can’t just bomb it inside 50, that has been our DNA for almost two years ...
“We’ve come a long way in the last four or few weeks. But we took a step back (against Sydney).”
McGuane said he could not believe the Demons seemed reluctant to come through the corridor at stages of the second half as they threatened to mount a comeback.
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“You have to try and open the game up and get it through the corridor,” McGuane said.
“They were down at half-time, they had the wind at their backs, and they wanted to play boundary off half-back.”
The Demons are sweating on the fitness of Angus Brayshaw (ankle) and Nathan Jones (quad).
With matches to come against the Dockers, Greater Western Sydney and Essendon, the Demons cannot afford any slip-ups.
“I know if we win all three, we will well and truly be on our way,” Gawn said on the club’s website.
He refused to blame the club’s arrival in Cairns just three hours before the match as an excuse for their slow start, with the Swans arriving a few days earlier.
“There is nothing in that,” he said.
“They (Sydney) have been in Cairns for a couple of days and our flight just got up there, but that’s where footy is at right now.”
The loss leaves Melbourne sitting uneasily a game behind the eighth-placed Giants, who accounted for Carlton just a few hours after the Demons’ loss
How the Swans smashed Demon hopes
The youthful Sydney Swans have dealt Melbourne’s finals dreams a serious blow, upsetting the Demons as AFL returned to Cairns on Thursday night.
With their finals destiny in their own hands and four winnable games to close out the 2020 season, Melbourne stumbled at the first hurdle as the emerging Swans blew them away in the second term.
Sydney held on to win impressively, 10.7 (67) – 6.10 (46).
Demons legend Garry Lyon was critical of Melbourne after the shock loss.
“This Sydney Swans side are not playing finals this year but I tell you what there’s a lot to like about them a 21 point win over a team that could have played finals but on the back of that performance don’t deserve to,” Lyon said on Fox Footy.
“You get what you deserve in this game.”
A frustrated Demons coach Simon Goodwin says his side must now every game if they are to remain in the finals picture.
In a damning assessment of his side’s performance Goodwin lamented his group were outworked and their execution was not up to AFL standard.
“I think we are getting to the stage of the season where every game is a must win,” a frustrated Goodwin said.
“It is four days’ time, we are looking forward to responding.
“Fremantle are in good form, they played some good footy on Wednesday night and we know what we are up against.”
The Demons pumped the ball inside 50 on 14 occasions in the opening term but could not turn that into a sizeable advantage, leading by just the three points at quarter time.
And, when they resumed, the team “hubbing” in FNQ went bang – putting on five quick ones to put Melbourne’s finals hopes in jeopardy.
After building momentum just last week with a memorable victory over St Kilda in Central Australia, it was all gone for the Demons with a 25 minute burst from the Sydney kids.
Sydney’s experienced generals, Josh Kennedy, Luke Parker and Jake Lloyd, got on top in the middle of the ground and controlled the clearances as the Swans gave themselves a 28-point buffer at halftime.
Melbourne were better when they resumed under lights, but the damage had been done.
The Dees’ power forwards had an evening to forget, their on-ballers getting the ball inside 50 more than their opponents, but Sam Weideman and Mitch Brown barely impacted the contest.
Regular defender Steven May went forward late on to lend a hand, kicking a goal in the final term, but it was too late.
YOUNG TALENT TIME
They are not yet household names, but the way some of Sydney’s youth played on Thursday night, they are a chance to be in the coming years.
Justin McInerney was instrumental in the second term when the Swans took a stranglehold of the contest.
In just his seventh game at the elite level, McInerney booted two clever goals just before halftime as Sydney powered away.
With champion forward Lance Franklin watching on in Cairns, John Longmire’s potent attacking options were mostly youngsters.
McInerney, James Rowbottom, Sam Wicks and the imposing Hayden McLean had all played less than 30 games before last night and all hit the scoreboard.
MAY-DAY
Quality defender Steven May was sent forward late on, taking a couple of key marks and kicking a goal, but Goodwin says if May was to stay forward, it would hurt his defensive unit.
“It is always an option for us to play him forward, but he is an All Australian key defender,” Goodwin said.
“He has been in some really good form down back, going forward with him is something you do when you need to.
“It is something we can look at.
“We need to find a better connection forward of centre and we need some guys down the forward end that can win some more contests.
“We will see what that mix looks like.”
CRUNCH GAME ON THE HORIZON
Melbourne suddenly face a must win contest that may define their season on Monday evening against Fremantle in Cairns.
With Sydney and Fremantle the two FNQ hub teams, the Demons will just stay over the weekend ahead of their meeting with the Dockers.
The Demons faithful would have thought they could bank two quick wins in the short Cairns stay, but following last night’s poor effort, their stay in the tropics could derail their 2020 campaign.
Fremantle have shown they are not easybeats this season and will fancy doing exactly what Sydney did to the Demons.
The Dockers arrived in Cairns late on Thursday after falling to Richmond on Wednesday evening.
The Dees may be without experienced on-baller Nathan Jones and midfielder Angus Brayshaw, who both finished the contest against Sydney under injury clouds.
Brayshaw (ankle) and Jones will both be assessed over the weekend, Goodwin said.
HORSE’S CHALLENGE
Sydney coach John Longmire has thrown down the gauntlet to his young group, calling on them to back up their strong performance when they face Carlton on Tuesday.
The Swans face a short turnaround and a trip to Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast from the top of Queensland.
Pleased with the performance, the premiership coach says his club need to keep the ball rolling against the Navy Blues.
“We have been playing a lot of young fellas and I think only once this year we have been older than our opposition, every other time we have been younger,” Longmire said.
“It is an opportunity for us to learn, keep improving and test ourselves.
“Some young fellas did a really good job tonight, they contributed all over the ground, which was terrific, and it was also on the back of some strong performances from our senior players and our leaders.
“Parker and Kennedy led the right way, then the young fellas jumped on board with that, now we have to do it again next week.
“We need to back it up, it is a five day break and we have to come with that mindset against next week.”
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THE CAZALYS BREEZE
A little like a mythical creature, the wind that swings around at Far North Queensland’s premier venue can come and go and is often a key talking point in footy circles.
As Cazalys Stadium does not have any grandstands on the outer wing and behind either goals, the wind can come in from any direction and will often change in the middle of a quarter.
With the wind going the Mann street end in the first half, the attacking team took advantage, kicking six of the first eight goals in that direction.
The Demons took all the momentum into quarter-time, after they had the air advantage, but within 20 minutes in the second term, Sydney had banged on five quick ones as they made the most of the wind.
Longmire thought his side took greater advantage of what the wind offered up.
“It is important, it is no good having the wind if you do not make the most of it, but we were really composed going forward,” he said.
“We were able to use the ball, sometimes the danger of having a big strong wind is that you get excited and just blaze away.
“We discussed that at quarter-time, we needed a bit of method going forward and they were able to execute that, it was just not a bomb to numbers.
“It worked well.”
In the local competition, teams can be ten goals behind at halftime and still feel confident they can make a game of it, such is the strength of the breeze at times at Cairns.
As the sun set and twilight turned into night footy last night, the wind dropped off and Sydney had worked themselves into a matchwinning lead.
SCOREBOARD
SYDNEY: 2.0 7.2 7.4 10.7 (67)
def
MELBOURNE: 2.3 2.4 3.7 6.10 (46)
GOALS
Swans: J McInerney L Parker 2, J Rowbottom, S Wicks, H McLean, W Hayward, L Taylor, R Clarke
Demons: A Brayshaw, C Spargo, A Neal-Bullen, J Harmes, S May, M Brown
JORDAN GERRANS’ BEST
Swans: L Parker, J Lloyd, J Kennedy, J McInerney, R Clarke
Demons: E. Langdon, C Oliver, J Viney, S May, C Petracca
JORDAN GERRANS’ VOTES
3 — L Parker (Sydney)
2 — J Lloyd (Sydney
1 — E. Langdon (Melbourne)
INJURIES
Swans:
Demons: N Jones (leg)
Umpires: David Harris (24), Shaun Ryan (25), Andre Gianfagna (27)
Originally published as AFL: Max Gawn says bombing into the forward line is costing the Demons