AFL Round 3 Melbourne v Gold Coast: All the news, analysis and fallout as Suns smash Demons
The Demons are in crisis mode after back-to-back smashings, but that won’t deter them from their goal of September footy, while also remaining confident one of their stars is going nowhere.
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Melbourne president Brad Green says the club’s aim is still to play finals and believes returning star Kysaiah Pickett will see out his contract as the Demons’ judgement day arrives against Geelong on Friday.
The Demons were obliterated by the emerging Gold Coast midfield with coach admitting the midfield which was once the club’s strength had become an area of weakness.
In a season where the stakes are impossibly high, the futures of contracted coach Goodwin and high-profile players Pickett, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca will all be up for grabs if the Demons replicate last year’s dismal season.
Melbourne breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday with scans clearing No.11 draft pick Xavier Lindsay of an ACL tear after he went down early in the loss to Gold Coast.
Football boss Alan Richardson said Lindsay had a medial ligament sprain which meant he was unlikely to take on Geelong, with a midweek assessment to “guide his likely return date”.
Pickett (suspension), Jake Lever (ankle) and Caleb Windsor (foot infection) will all return against Geelong.
Daniel Turner kicked five goals in the VFL and while Jacob Van Rooyen has kicked only three total goals in three games, Goodwin said the forward line was not the problem.
Instead he has put the focus firmly on a midfield that saw Clayton Oliver badly beaten and Jack Viney held to 19 touches.
Despite the horror start to the year, president Green said he believed Pickett would stay and paid tribute to the work done internally to turn Oliver’s life around.
Geelong’s midfield continues to struggle as they seek a strong-bodied inside midfielder, so their interest in him is unlikely to wane 12 months on.
“Speaking to ‘Kozzie’ at training yesterday, he and I have a great relationship and our members love him. I love him as a player and we have missed him as a player. Do I know where it sits? He is a Melbourne contracted player for three years and I still believe he’s going to be here playing for us,” he said on SEN.
“I am smiling watching ‘Clarry’ (Oliver) running around. We didn’t know where he would be 12 months ago. Where he is at the moment, some people in our footy club have got to take real credit. He is smiling, back playing good footy and I don’t think he’s even back at his best. Probably at 70 per cent.”
Green said of the club’s 2025 aspirations: “Our ambition is still to play finals. When you look at the side we picked (in round 1) with six different players, we are different to where we are to where we are going to get to, but we are always looking to play finals every year. You have two top 10 draft picks, still a senior core with Viney, (Max) Gawn, (Christian) Petracca, Oliver, these players who can win you games. But the competition is so tight.”
He said the club’s search for a new CEO was on track, with interviews with four or five excellent candidates continuing ahead of a decision in late April on Gary Pert’s successor.
GOODY ACKNOWLEDGES DEES’ PLIGHT AFTER ‘INCREDIBLE’ SUN RUNS RIOT
– Lance Jenkinson
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin lamented how his side “fumbled and bumbled” around the ball in a 58-point mauling from Gold Coast Suns at the MCG on Saturday.
A strong stoppage game has been a hallmark of the Demons in the Goodwin era, but it has been a weakness in the opening three rounds as the side slumped to a 0-3 start.
The Demons were smashed out of the middle, particularly by Suns star Matt Rowell, who had a game-high 13 clearances.
“Our contest method around the ball, not only at scrimmage, but at stoppage, just isn’t where it needs to be right now,” Goodwin said.
“It’s something that we need to fix pretty quick.
“That’s the starting point of the game.
“When you go down -18 at clearance, especially all between the arc, and your scrimmage contest method is an issue, too often they got out of there easily and we fumbled and bumbled around the ball, so we need to get that fixed.”
Goodwin is not laying the full blame squarely at the feet of the midfielders.
The Demons skill level across the board was atrocious at times against the Suns, leading to grumbles from the fans.
“We acknowledge that we’ve got too many players at the moment that aren’t in the form they need to be in,” he said.
“You could see just the basics of the game weren’t to the standard required.
“We got punished by a team that’s playing some pretty strong footy.
“We’re three weeks in and we acknowledge where we sit right now is not where we want to be and it’s not to the level and we’ve got to fix it.”
The Demons’ woes were compounded by a knee injury to rookie Xavier Lindsay.
Lindsay injured his left knee in a marking contest, but there is no definitive answer on the severity.
“It’s not quite clear from a medical perspective,” Goodwin said.
“Normally you get some pretty good information on that straight away, we’re unsure, so we need to go and get that scanned.”
The Demons should see an influx of experience in their line-up for Friday night’s crucial clash with Geelong Cats at GMHBA Stadium.
Key defender Jake Lever and midfielder Caleb Windsor are expected to return from injury, while goal sneak Kysaiah Pickett’s suspension from last season is complete.
Goodwin praised youngster Harvey Langford for his second-game performance against the Suns.
“I thought he was probably our best midfielder on the day, which probably says a bit about (him), to have a guy playing his second game and his first full game, to be one of our best players, I think is outstanding for him,” he said.
Dimma hails ‘incredible’ Rowell as Suns run riot
Gold Coast Suns coach Damien Hardwick believes winning is the key to keeping star onballer Matt Rowell in the fold.
Rival clubs have flagged an interest in prising one of the league’s best on-ballers out of the Suns and it is no surprise considering his red hot start to the season, including a scintillating best-afield display in the Suns’ 58-point mauling of Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday.
“He’s just an incredible player,” Hardwick said.
“We’re very fortunate to have him, we understand how important he is to us.
“We’ve got to make sure that we hold up our end of the bargain, we’ve got to win games of footy.
“He’s a winner, that’s what he wants to be a part of, so we’ve got some work to do in this space, we know that, we’ll back ourselves in.”
There were times when the Melbourne midfielders could not lay a finger on Rowell as he marched with confidence out of the stoppages with 13 clearances.
Rowell racked up 36 disposals, 396 metres gained, five marks and seven tackles.
Hardwick refused to understate Rowell’s impact.
“Great is very short, I reckon, with how well he’s gone, he’s been incredible,” he said.
“You look at this guy and what he means to our footy club, our fans love him, our coaches love him.”
The Suns snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Demons, beating them for the first time since 2014.
A perfect two-from-two on the road in 2025, the Suns have equalled their away wins total from last year, and it is just three rounds into the new season.
The rot set in early for the Demons, who slumped to a 0-3 start to the season.
The home side was riddled with errors and their midfield to forward connection was non-existent for the most part.
Injury pain
Making matters worse, a nightmare scenario played out with young star Xavier Lindsay injuring a knee just minutes into the game.
The No. 11 draft pick out of Gippsland Power is seen as an important piece in the Demons youth movement, but his debut season was put on hold when he collapsed in the middle of a marking contest.
The promising 18-year-old, playing in his third game, struggled to his feet, holding his left knee, and veteran Jake Melksham was immediately subbed in.
Melbourne’s other high draft pick, Harvey Langford, was a positive, showing his turn of foot and penetrating kick with 26 disposals, 15 contested possessions and a deserved 1.1
Big name Dees Max Gawn, Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca were kept in check for the most part.
Look out, Suns are coming
The Suns are coming and they seem to be serious this time after starting the season with two thumping road wins.
Five straight third quarter goals showed their potential to rip a game apart.
When the going was tough early, young mid-forward Bailey Humphrey led the way.
The 20-year-old looks set to explode in his third season, having built an impressive tank and showing his ability to cover plenty of ground centre to forward, allowing him to be a key conduit for the Suns.
Humphrey put in a spectacular submission for goal of the week, throwing the ball on his left boot from the pack and finishing with a backward roll that would have pleased gymnastics judges.
Suns attacking weapons
Ben King was superb at full forward for the Suns with four goals.
The Suns forward line has the potential to be one of the most damaging in the league with its mix of quality talls and smalls, physicality and finesse.
Demons fans are getting frustrated with their team’s lack of cohesion.
The Demons constantly turned the ball over under little pressure.
Their midfield-to-forward connection is non-existent at the moment and something that coach Simon Goodwin must solve if the Demons are to break through for their first win of the season.
The Suns quick transition from defence to attack was a feature.
John Noble, Will Powell and Sam Flanders relished the wide expanses of the MCG, running in waves and burning through the corridor.
Scoreboard
MELBOURNE 1.4 2.9 6.12 8.14 (62)
GOLD COAST SUNS 4.5 5.8 12.10 18.12 (120)
BEST
Demons: Bowey, Langdon, Rivers, Oliver, Langford, Salem.
Suns: Rowell, Anderson, Humphrey, Miller, Noble, King.
GOALS
Demons: Sharp 2, Bowey, Melksham, Petracca, Chandler, Langford, Van Rooyen
Suns: King 4, Miller 3, Graham 2, Walter, Noble, Humphrey, Anderson, Witts, Weller, Flanders, Read, Long.
Crowd: 24,506 at the MCG.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LANCE JENKINSON’S VOTES
3. Matt Rowell (Suns)
2. Noah Anderson (Suns)
1. Bailey Humphrey (Suns)
Originally published as AFL Round 3 Melbourne v Gold Coast: All the news, analysis and fallout as Suns smash Demons
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