Ruckman Shane Mumford escapes sanctions for two separate incidents in a welcome boost for the Giants
The Giants have welcomed some positive news with two important cogs both escaping sanctions for separate incidents against Melbourne to be availalble for all-important St Kilda contest.
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Greater Western Sydney ruck Shane Mumford will be available to help his team’s finals fight against St Kilda on Friday after escaping sanction for two separate incidents on Saturday night.
Mumford was reported on the night for contact on Demon Bayley Fritsch, which was assessed but dismissed, and he was fined $1000 for striking Melbourne skipper Max Gawn.
The incident against Gawn was determined by match review officer Michael Christian to be careless conduct, low impact and high contact, which attracts the fine, while the Fritsch act was deemed not be a headbutt.
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“Fritsch makes high contact to Mumford, causing Mumford to go to ground,” Christian said in his statement.
“As he gets up off the ground, Mumford’s head makes contact with Fritsch’s body. It was the view of the MRO that Mumford’s actions did not constitute a headbutt.
“No further action was taken.”
Mumford’s teammate Brent Daniels was also reported for apparent high contact on Demons star Christian Petracca as the duo came in hard for a loose ground ball, but that report was also dismissed.
“The ball is loose in the centre of the ground … Petracca goes to ground as he seeks to contest the ball,” Christian said.
“As Daniels attempts to take possession of the ball, high contact is made to Petracca.
“It was the view of the MRO that Daniels was contesting the ball and had no realistic alternative way to contest the ball. No further action was taken.”
A further six charges were laid by Christian — to Bombers Jacob Townsend and Jake Stringer and Power’s Tom Jonas and Riley Bonner for engaging in a melee, and North skipper Jack Ziebell and Giants gun Tim Taranto for making careless contact with an umpire — attracting a total of $3000 should all enter an early guilty plea.
GOODWIN LAUDS DEFIANT DEES AS FINALS DREAM STILL ALIVE
Melbourne has kept its finals aspirations alive with a character-building five-point victory over Greater Western Sydney at the Gabba on Saturday night.
The Demons kicked four of the last five goals to come from 12 points down and scrounge an unlikely win against the Giants who must beat St Kilda at the Gabba on Friday night to reach the major rounds.
The triumph ended a two-game losing streak for Melbourne and reopens the door to finals, although that won’t be a fait accompli even if it defeats Essendon at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
There’s a log-jam for the last couple of spots in the eight, with percentage likely to be a determining factor.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said the challenge was to repeat that performance against Essendon next week.
The Dees made the preliminary final in 2018 before a disastrous 2019 when they won five games and finished 17th.
“I spoke last week about growing up as a football club and executing our roles and playing like we did in pressure situations,” he said.
“It was a step forward as a footy club.
“All we’ve done is give ourselves the opportunity to play like that next week”
He praised the work rate of rookies Kysaiah Pickett and Trent Rivers who both played pivotal roles in the victory.
Rivers bagged two goals, including the sealer.
“They’ve had outstanding first seasons,” he said.
“I thinks it’s great for their futures and their growth to be part of a pressure game like that.”
GWS ‘FUNDAMENTALS’ FALL APART
Giants coach Leon Cameron was left to lament what might have been had his side shown more composure at key stages of the game.
He said they fought back well from late in the first quarter until three-quarter-time, but couldn’t finish Melbourne off.
“Second quarter pleasing, third quarter pleasing, but in the end we weren’t good enough when it mattered,” Cameron said.
“We just lacked composure when it mattered.
“It wasn’t just the last quarter, they scored easy goals on the back of our fundamentals that cost dearly.”
The loss leaves the Giants needing to defeat St Kilda at the Gabba on Friday night to have any chance of reaching their fifth-consecutive finals series.
Cameron said it would be “absolutely” disappointing if they failed to reach the play-offs.
“It’s out of our hands. We have got to play a really good brand of footy against St Kilda,” he said.
“Absolutely (it would be disappointing), we’ve been (there) four years in a row.”
KOZZIE A RIPPER
Melbourne’s forward whippet Kysaiah Pickett played the best game of his fledgling career and provided one of the highlights of the game when he ignited a brilliant team goal from halfback midway through the first term.
The 19-year-old rookie absorbed a huge tackle before he sprung to his feet and charged through a pack to collect the ball.
He quickly dished out a handpass to Aaron vandenBerg who returned the favour with Pickett in full flight and steaming towards centre-half forward.
The pint-sized Dee then handpassed to key forward Sam Weideman, who in turn got the ball to Charlie Spargo who scored on the run.
But had Spargo looked up to his left he would have seen Pickett in perfect position to receive the ball to slot it through himself.
THE DRIBBLE KICK TO BEHOLD
Also expected to make the highlight reel for years to come was Giants forward Brent Daniels’ miraculous dribble kick.
Hard-up against the boundary line, some 45m out and hunted by Melbourne defenders, Daniels kicked the ball along the ground.
Like an Adam Scott putt snaking along the green at Royal Melbourne, the ball tracked wide before it started to curl and hunt the goal.
Towards the end of its run, it broke almost at right angles and eventually took its last breath as it fell over the goal line.
It was the first major of the second term and a telling moment as the Giants staged their fightback from three goals down to level the scores at halftime.
JETTA AT THE CROSSROADS
While Melbourne’s finals hopes were on the line, defensive hard-nut Neville Jetta, playing his first game since round eight and just his sixth for the season, was fighting to retain his spot.
He entered the fray about eight minutes into the opening term and was given the unenviable task of minding lively Giants small forward Toby Greene.
It was a big ask of the 30-year-old who has struggled to retain his place in Melbourne’s backline despite the team’s wavering fortunes, after coming off an injury-troubled 2019 when he was restricted to seven games.
It didn’t all go to plan, with Jetta taking a heavy knock in the final term which forced him from the ground with a possible shoulder injury.
IS MUMMY IN TROUBLE FOR DEMON STRIKE?
— Simeon Thomas-Wilson
GWS ruckman Shane Mumford could be in hot water for a swinging arm to the face of Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver.
Oliver was left on the turf for some time and looked dazed after copping the whack from the Giants veteran late in the first quarter of the clash that will be huge for both sides’ top eight aspirations.
The Demons midfielder had released the ball before copping the hit from Mumford and his Melbourne teammates were incensed at the knock Oliver copped.
Oliver had recorded eight disposals as the Demons made a strong start to the match against a Giants side that dropped captain Stephen Coniglio as coach Leon Cameron searches to stop the rot.
Demons assistant coach Alan Richardson said at the quarter-time break that Oliver was fine, but had the “wind knocked out of him”.
Regardless, Mumford’s hit will be looked at following the game.
SCOREBOARD
GWS GIANTS 2.3 7.5 10.7 11.8 (74)
MELBOURNE 5.2 7.5 9.6 12.7 (79)
GOALS
GWS Giants: Daniels 3, Lloyd 2, Williams 2, Perryman, Finlayson, de Boer, Cameron
Melbourne: Baker 2, Spargo 2, Rivers 2, Neal-Bullen, Hunt, Petracca, Pickett, Salem, Fritsch
BEST
Melbourne: Pickett, May, Langdon, Petracca, Oliver, Salem
GWS: Kelly, Green, Whitfield, Daniels, Mumford, Greene
VOTES
3: Pickett (Melb)
2: Kelly (GWS)
1: May (Melb)
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