AFL 2025: Josh Barnes analyses Geelong’s win over Melbourne

Melbourne persistently missed the target and the moment on Friday night against Geelong — and one of their flag heroes has seemingly lost his magic. Josh Barnes analyses the Dees’ demise.

Simon Goodwin put the heat on Bayley Fritsch this week, declaring the wayward forward was one of a host of senior players who need to lift.

But as he peppered the behinds on Friday night and the Demons slipped to a 0-4 start, September only looks more like a pipedream than a reality.

Pushed higher than usual against the Cats, Fritsch regularly found space but he kept making the wrong decision when his team needed the right one.

ANALYSIS: IS GOODWIN THE MAN TO MAKE DEES GREAT AGAIN?

Like his teammates, Fritsch tried hard, got to the right spots and found the ball.

He just blew it inside-50.

He finished with 0.3 and Fritsch’s plight, as a talented player who has seemingly lost his magic, sums up where these winless Demons are at.

Bayley Fritsch is struggling. Picture: Getty Images

The Demons may have said they were loved up to start this year but Goodwin’s team is not lucked up as its ambition of a September return slips further and further away.

Melbourne came to Geelong knowing it needed a lot to go right and most of it just didn’t.

As they pushed the ball forward through into the attacking arc over and over, Melbourne persistently just missed the target and just missed the moment.

On another day the ball may have fallen short into the arms of the Demons forwards in the goal square at least four times in the opening quarter, or it would have just bounced the right way.

When your season is sinking to its knees, you just need those breaks to go your way.

The Demons were just not quite good enough against the Cats. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s inches off from execution. Just dropping a mark, just missing a target. They are not far off,” Jason Dunstall told Fox Footy as another chance just slipped away in the first quarter.

As the final siren sounded, Dunstall summed up the Demons: “when they had opportunities to land a punch, it was an air swing”.

Perhaps it wasn’t all luck.

Every Melbourne fan has watched this team get the ball to half-forward and find a way to bungle it in the last few seasons.

Melbourne preached it was back together and back in love through pre-season but the forward connection remains like two ill-fitting puzzle pieces being mashed together in the desperate hope they will just work.

Christian Petracca remains a puzzle for the coach, too.

He was held deep forward for long periods in the first half and kicked two goals when he wasn’t pointing his arms and giving more directions than Steven Spielberg.

Petracca was possibly Melbourne’s best forward and dangerous enough when injected into the middle but he was beaten in the same role by counterpart Patrick Dangerfield, despite the Geelong skipper’s inaccurate kicking.

Patrick Dangerfield snaps a goal

With Clayton Oliver finding plenty of the ball but still searching for impact and Jack Viney getting quieter with every game, the Dees were sorely needing a second Petracca.

Goodwin also didn’t help himself out in the planning.

The clear pattern to Geelong’s game in its opening three games of the year has been obvious to all – when the Cats control the footy, they are nearly impossible to beat.

If you starve them they can run aground.

Max Gawn couldn’t get his Dees over the line. Picture: Getty Images

Well, the Cats chipped the ball around among themselves and dominated the outside game all night, ending with 83 more marks and 79 more uncontested possessions.

The Cats also had nine more shots at goal in what was generally a track meet of a game, going up and down GMHBA Stadium.

Melbourne tried hard but it planned poorly and didn’t have enough class.

Maybe they didn’t deserve the luck after all.

WHAT THE COACHES SAID

BEN CAMERON’S BEST

Cats: Dangerfield, O’Sullivan, Z Guthrie, Stewart, Smith, Humphries.

Demons: May, Petracca, Gawn McDonald, Pickett, Oliver.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: BEN CAMERON’S VOTES

3. Z Guthrie.

2. P Dangerfield

1. C O’Sullivan.

Originally published as AFL 2025: Josh Barnes analyses Geelong’s win over Melbourne