Melbourne Demons make history after brutal bloodbath display
A demolition job took place on Sunday evening with one AFL club achieving a feat they had never come close to in their history.
A premiership contender once again proved they’re a team to beat in 2023 as they made light work against a bottom of the table team.
The Demons locked horns with the West Coast Eagles, with Melbourne making light work of the contest as they ran away to claim a 63-point victory.
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After a dismal finals display in 2022, the Demons have bounced back emphatically in the opening month of the season.
A loss in the second round to the Brisbane Lions has been the only blight on the season for the club who sit third on the ladder.
It’s their three wins however that have seen them enter the record books in what have all unfolded into one-way contests.
For the first time in club history Melbourne have won three of their first four games by 50 points or more.
The club recorded 50 point wins against the Western Bulldogs in round 1 and Sydney in round 3 before carrying on their destructive path on Sunday against the Eagles.
Tom McDonald returned to the team and led the charge in front of goal, finishing the contest with four goals.
Christian Petracca and Bailey Fritsch each slotted three goals while Oscar Allen kicked three for the Eagles in a lone role up forward.
Eagles midfield star Tim Kelly produced a stellar display as he finished the contest with a game-high 36 disposals and two goals.
Brodie Grundy was at his dominant best as the Demons ruckman finished with 33 hit-outs and 22 disposals as he again showed why the club hasn’t missed a beat despite losing skipper Max Gawn.
For more than half of Sunday’s game, the injury-ridden Eagles kept Melbourne from kicking away.
Leading by just 24 points at halftime, Christian Petracca provided the spark the Demons and the game needed early in the third term, running onto a cross into the attacking 50m area from Alex Neal-Bullen. Keeping in stride, the 2021 Norm Smith medallist snapped and kicked a terrific goal to give his side a 29-point advantage.
That got Melbourne going and West Coast had no answers.
The Demons booted six goals in the next 10 minutes of play to go into the last term 49-points in front.
It could have been even worse for the Eagles, as Kysaiah Pickett, returning from suspension was a bit rusty in his finish, kicking 2.5.
An ankle injury to Jake Lever early in the fourth term is the potential cost of Melbourne’s win.
The key defender limped from the ground after laying a tackle on West Coast’s Connor West.
Before Sunday, Lever was the only player to have played every second of every quarter of the opening three rounds.
The Demons high profile defensive recruit averaged 92 per cent game time last season and didn’t leave the ground at all in five of those games.
- with Brad Elborough, NCA Newswire
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