AFL Melbourne v Geelong: Demons show why they’re most frustrating club in game with loss to Cats
The effort and workrate might have been there against Geelong, but is was the same old story for Melbourne, which won the clearance battle and had more inside 50s, but couldn’t capitalise on the scoreboard in another loss.
Geelong
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It sounded great in theory.
Melbourne had its biggest summer, was fitter than ever before, finally got some run on the wing, and a new firecracker forward in Kysaiah Pickett.
There was a lot to like about Simon Goodwin’s men coming into 2020.
But here’s the blunt truth. They’re the most frustrating club in the competition.
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As much as the effort and work rate was there against Geelong, it was the same old story for Melbourne which won the clearance battle and again had more entries but couldn’t convert and capitalise on the scoreboard.
Late goals to Tom McDonald and Angus Brayshaw, who pounced on a Mark O’Connor turnover, got the Demons to within four points in the final minute.
Paddy Dangerfield missed everything and then Adam Tomlinson’s 50m kick just went wide to leave the Demons three points short at the final siren.
It’s been the same problem for 18 months at least at Melbourne, and any attempts to try and sharpen this area over the pre-season and then the shutdown has only amounted to more frustration for Melbourne fans tearing their hair out.
Demons coach Simon Goodwin says his side is frustrated, but hasn’t lost faith in its ability to score, saying his new attacking mix needed time to gel.
“There is frustration, there is no doubt about that,” Goodwin said.
“Clearly we were inefficient forward of centre, and we didn’t do the basics well down the other end either. And we couldn’t get the ball off them for large chunks.
“(But) there is a lot going right. We have a new forward line, it has new personnel.
“We have one tall and a whole heap of mediums that we haven’t had available.
“But we need to get it better. It is a big part of our game to get right, but when we do, you know, look out.”
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For the bulk of this game, it was punishing to watch as Geelong played keepings off with a short-kick and possession game style. It was ugly but it worked.
Melbourne was admirable around the ball and held sway in the clearance battle easily at times but they too often botched it on a long entry.
In the third term Pickett looked dangerous with his electric fly and some Christian Petracca magic threatened to ignite the Demons when he swivelled and snapped wonderfully to kick one of the club’s four goals.
Pickett looks every bit a star in the making. Clayton Oliver and Angus Brayshaw also tried their backsides off in the contest.
But when Petracca and Pickett weren’t peering into their trick bag this was as dull and dreary as you could ever imagine. And undoubtedly maddening for the Melbourne fan base.
Not that Melbourne’s structure was helped when key forward McDonald was crunched by Jack Henry in a marking contest and taken from the field.
Geelong coach Chris Scott said the Cats had plenty to work on and praised the courage of some players including Tom Atkins (knee) and Paddy Dangerfield (jaw) who battled on through soreness.
He said the team wanted to be “smart” with the ball, racking up 112 marks to Melbourne’s 52.
“When you play Melbourne you don’t want to get done for territory at the stoppages and then give them a chance to win the ball back really quickly,” he said.
“Even though they didn’t have the year they would have liked last year they have shown over a period of time that they can be a high inside 50m team and in shortened games if the ball is up there for too long it can make it really hard.”
TACTICS
Chris Scott went spare in the rooms after the Cats’ shock loss to Carlton last weekend.
But there wasn’t a fire-breathing response.
Rather, what they produced was some of the most slow and deliberate ball movement we’ve seen in recent years, denying Melbourne any chance to inject a fast tempo into the game.
It was uncontested mark after uncontested mark from Geelong, helping the club chalk its 16th win from its past 18 matches against Melbourne. Dangerfield probably took the three votes but no one was keeping this tape on the bookshelf.
The crucial period in this one was in the third term when Cats put distance on the Demons as Sam Menegola hit Esava Ratugolea with a low bullet from 55m out.
The big man’s long-range goal could have been touched on the line but a defensive lapse allowed it to sail through.
A golden second effort from a turning Tom Hawkins then set up Luke Dahlhaus who handed off to a running Dangerfield to slot a second from similar distance.
Brendan Parfitt threaded the eye of the needle to make something out of nothing and Hawkins produced a signature clutch set shot in the fourth term to seal it.
BIG MAN BATTLE
On paper you thought Max Gawn could have a field day.
Without Rhys Stanley Geelong looked to five-gamer Darcy Fort to give his midfielders first look.
But the Cats’ big man made an excellent start, clunking a big pack mark deep in attack in the opening few minutes.
Jack Steven enjoyed his first win in Cats’ colours and was much better with 17 touches in the forward half.
Why is there a training cone on the field?! #AFLDeesCats pic.twitter.com/HuCsbJ0Kta
— Todd Davey (@ToddJDavey) June 28, 2020
TRAINING CONE
We all know the jokes about witches hats out on the field.
But it actually happened when one of the two clubs left a red cone out on the ground five metres in from the boundary near the 50m line.
A Melbourne player picked up and flicked it off the turf in the second term.
FIX THE CONGESTION WITH 16-A-SIDE
Scott says reducing teams by two players would be a simple fix for footy’s congestion woes.
The Cats coach said he was not personally pushing for the change and would rather the AFL make the call without any input from the coaches.
But the congestion problem is back in the spotlight after the 13-goal fizzer
As the debate about the aesthetics of the game re-emerged, Scott said the AFL could open the game up by reducing teams to 16-a-side.
“If your issue is congestion, and you want the ball to flow better and make it harder to defend, reduce the numbers on the field,” Scott said.
“Increase the numbers of rotations and the ball will ping around it and will be so hard to coach and so hard to defend.
“I’m not advocating for it, I’m just saying based on what I’ve seen, if that is your issue, then that is your fix.”
STEWART HURT
A little argy-bargy between Geelong and Melbourne gorillas Tom Stewart and Tom McDonald could leave the Cat on the injury list, long-term.
The two Toms were involved in some rather low impact bumping midway through the second term of their MCG clash when Stewart appeared to suffer a serious shoulder injury.
Collingwood legend Brian Taylor believed the 27-year-old had suffered a collarbone injury.
“Tom McDonald initiates a bump and the bang it pops out,” Taylor said on the Seven broadcast.
“Match review, I mean, they’ll look at it.
“For me, that’s just a football incident and no malice intended there at all.
“It will be interesting to see the way the match review look at these things.”
Former Bomber Jobe Watson said the All-Australian defender was “unlucky”.
“Both players (were) bumping each other … it was just part of the game, unfortunately.”
Stewart was ruled out of the match and the Cats will now wait on scans to determine the severity of the injury.
Lachie Henderson is a frontrunner to replace the All-Australian as the Cats prepare to celebrate Joel Selwood’s 300th and Gary Ablett’s 350th milestone games against Gold Coast.
SCOREBOARD
MELBOURNE 0.1 2.3 3.5 6.8 (44)
lost to
GEELONG 2.1 2.2 6.4 7.5 (47)
GOALS
Demons: Brayshaw 2, Fritsch, Petracca, Hunt, McDonald
Cats: Hawkins, Fort, Duncan, Ratugolea, Dangerfield, Parfitt, Guthrie
JAY CLARK’S BEST
Demons: Oliver, Brayshaw, Viney, Petracca, Pickett
Cats: Dangerfield, Guthrie, Blicavs, Selwood, Menagola
JAY CLARK’S VOTES
3 — Dangerfield (Gee)
2 — Guthrie (Gee)
1 — Oliver (Mel)
INJURIES
Demons: Nil
Cats: Tom Stewart (collarbone)
