AFL Finals 2022: Mark Robinson on Melbourne v Sydney qualifying final
The Demons’ issues inside forward 50 makes it very hard to make a case for them to win another premiership, writes Mark Robinson
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Bloods culture has become Swans mania after Sydney put a sizeable hole in Melbourne’s premiership aspirations.
The Swans march into a home preliminary final, while the Demons limp into a home final against Brisbane, and despite their two heavy wins against the Lions in their most recent outings, this shapes to be different.
The Demons were ordinary from after the first five minutes of the third quarter.
They flexed muscle for that brief period, kicking three goals in five minutes, after kicking only five goals in the first 60 minutes.
From then, the Swans destroyed the reigning premier.
On a single, crisp night at the MCG, Melbourne lost its aura.
They are far from the juggernaut of 12 months previous, and only Steven May, Clayton Oliver, Max Gawn and Harrison Petty saved the Demons from total embarrassment.
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Rugged midfielder James Harmes is certain to miss through suspension, while Christian Petracca carried a lower leg injury which severely hampered him last night.
He had 24 disposals, which reads OK, but he went at 29 per cent by foot, which reads horrendously. His five score involvements were the second worst he recorded this year.
The margin of 22 points reads better than it was.
In the final quarter and a half, the Swans kicked 8.3 to 2.5, to go from trailing by 12 points to winning by four goals.
Sydney’s pressure factor of 200 wore the Demons down. They laid 82 tackles and kicked 70 points off turnover.
Their pressure inside 50 made the Demons jittery, and they kicked a season-high 57 points from forward half turnover.
In layman’s terms, it is the premiership model: Pressure, turnover, kick goals.
The Demons are shoddy.
Who are they? What is their consistent brand?
And once again, their inability to score was a major factor.’
Bailey Fritsch kicked three goals, Ben Brown one, Jake Melksham missed two goals and Kossie Pickett only touched it four times.
The unsung of the all the unsung heroes at Sydney was Robbie Fox, who was Pickett’s opponent.
Fox was the one who pressured and then smothered Charlie Spargo’s final foray for Melbourne in the final quarter. Fox epitomises the new-look but same grittiness of the Swans.
The first half hardly mirrored the second half.
It was immediately obvious in the first quarter – and slightly disconcerting – that the speed on the ball and 1v1 contests of the previous night would not be repeated at the MCG.
Players sat behind stoppage and there was the outnumber down the line, which meant flow was substituted for groundball combat, which is typical finals anyhow.
It was one goal apiece when a slight case of PTSD set in. Charlie Spargo kicked Melbourne’s second goal and, well, he thought it was a goal, and as he put his hand to his mouth to suggest it hit the post, the goal umpire called it a goal – but then called for a goal review.
It was definitely a goal, thankfully.
The first half was a mish mash of missed chances, bogged down footy and strange stats.
Melbourne lost clearance by eight, which was their second worst result of the season, Sydney took one intercept mark when May took five, Melbourne’s 29 inside 50s for only 5.4 was their second worst conversion rate of the season, and their pressure was 190, the second best of the season.
After all that, the Swans led by a goal at the main break.
If the first half was typical tight finals football, the third quarter was straight from the playbook designed by Chris Fagan and Damien Hardwick.
Run and kick brilliant goals, led by Tom Papley, Jake Lloyd, and then Sam Reid _ who has a touch of Joe Daniher about him, in that he could win you a final or lose your final _ got hold of the Demons.
Papley’s goal, a quick snap from 30m, was the first starter.
Callum Mills’ 11 tackles and Luke Parker’s 11 tackles would prove to be the fire stoppers.
The Swans are the best fourth-quarter team in the comp, and they made Melbourne look like one of the worst.
The Demons didn’t kick a goal in the final 30 minutes.
To rebound, the Demons must be Lions, and then play the winner of the Geelong and Collingwood in the preliminary final.
It’s difficult to back them.
Their best is good but they are sporadic. And the forward 50 issues hit you in the face more than the team hits the scoreboard.
From winning the first 10 matches, they have now gone 6-7 from their past 13 matches.
That’s not a premiership profile. That’s very average.
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Originally published as AFL Finals 2022: Mark Robinson on Melbourne v Sydney qualifying final
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