Hawthorn defeats Melbourne by 50 points in Round 20 at MCG, Jarryd Roughead reported for tripping

HAWTHORN cruised to a 50-point win over Melbourne at the MCG, but the victory was soured by Jarryd Roughead’s report for tripping.

Warwick Green

3 min read

August 9, 2014 - 7:42PM

Round 20: Hawthorn v Melbourne

FORGET about all of this baloney about Melbourne being scarred by tanking talk.

That controversy was five years ago, and to raise it now simply smells of a club looking for excuses.

Consider that a decade ago Hawthorn had to endure whispers that it had raced to the bottom of the ladder in order to rebuild its list around high draft picks Jarryd Roughead and Lance Franklin.

But the Hawks simply rolled up their sleeves, moved on, and within five years had won a premiership.

The contrasts in how these two clubs go about it are massive, and were never more evident than on the field yesterday.

Jarryd Roughead took the lead in the Coleman medal with five goals. Pic: Michael Klein.

Hawthorn played with confidence and belief. At all times the Hawks were prepared to back themselves in and to do what was best for their teammates and the team cause. They were first to get across and make sure they had superior numbers at the contest.

Team leaders Jordan Lewis and Luke Hodge set the example, but all of the Hawks are disciplined and go when it’s their turn to do so.

Consider Hodge’s example when, late in the third quarter, with his team comfortably 43 points up, he backed courageously into a marking contest and wore a Mark Jamar knee in the ribs for his trouble.

Or Roughead, with five goals to his name, producing a wholehearted second effort after he spilt a mark in the final quarter.

Compare that to some of the tepid efforts put forward by Melbourne.

Shaun Burgoyne tries to fend off Colin Garland. Pic: Michael Klein.

If this had been local footy, you would have expected to hear a vocal fan sum it up in the first few minutes by yelling: “C’mon Hawkers, they don’t want it!”

That’s not to say Melbourne didn’t have players who were prepared to crack in and win the hard footy: Jack Viney, Daniel Cross, Nathan Jones and Dom Tyson all showed a willingness to win tough, contested possessions.

But the issue was that too many Demons too often simply looked like they didn’t really want to be out there.

They looked like they didn’t want to take the game on. When they had the ball they too often looked like they just wanted to retain possession rather than work out a way to turn it into their next goal.

Ryan Schoenmakers gets a handball away despite pressure from Jack Watts. Pic: Michael Klein.

Five of Melbourne’s first seven goals came from direct kicks to the space in front of the goalsquare, and yet that particularly option seemed the one they were least inclined to take.

Instead, there were numerous passages of play where Melbourne second-guessed itself. At one point in the second term Chris Dawes came streaming up the wing, marking beautifully on the lead. His first instinct was to then turn around and kick it 45 metres backwards, prompting booing from the Members Stand.

Hawthorn’s opening goal was another good example. Melbourne defender Colin Garland laid a brilliant tackle on Ryan Schoenmakers on the wing, then kicked wide to the boundary, where an unopposed Grant Birchall took an intercept mark. He instigated a chain of possessions that ended with Jonathan Simpkin kicked the ball into the path of Roughead, for a set shot from 40 metres.

Taylor Duryea takes a courageous mark in front of Chris Dawes. Pic: Michael Klein.

There were even instances where Melbourne players were in the clear within 30 or 40 metres of goal, and rather than taking the shot, they looked to handball to a teammate under even more pressure

Under Paul Roos’s coaching the Demons have certainly improved. They play with a semblance of system, are more accountable for their opponents and managed to break even in the second half rather than capitulating, as they so often have in recent years.

But there is much work to be done.

Paul Puopolo takes a spectacular mark over Bernie Vince. Pic : George Salpigtidis

Melbourne desperately needs to find a way to become more potent in attack. The Demons have averaged 60 points per match this season, the worst in the AFL. They also rank last at getting the ball inside 50.

This looks certain to be the first time since 1953 when they go through the season without managing at least one score in excess of 100 points.

Melbourne needs to look to the summer, while Hawthorn continues to show why it has every reason to look forward to September.