AFL 2024: Melbourne claims first win of 2024, 109-64 over Western Bulldogs
The Dogs started hot, but when the Dees turned up the heat, they had no answer as Melbourne claimed their first win of the season, leaving the Dogs scratching their heads early in 2024.
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Marcus Bontempelli looked exasperated.
The man who has carried his football club on his shoulders for the past couple of years turned around to Lachlan Bramble and gave him a cook.
Bramble was on the charge through half forward at a crucial period midway through the third term and could have hit a wide-open Bontempelli at the 40m mark with an easy hit up.
Instead, the former Hawk went solo in a bid to impress, took a bounce and went for the long hero ball straight to Tom McDonald at the top of the square.
Bontempelli couldn’t believe it.
But probably not as much as substitute Caleb Daniel who despite being one of the best ball users in the game had somehow lost his spot in the 22 to a host of newcomers at the kennel in the lead-up to round 1.
And moments later, it was debutant Ryley Sanders who torched the ball with the direct turnover resulting in Kade Chandler’s third goal.
Just like that, the brief bit of momentum the Dogs had generated at the start of the third term to cut the margin to 11 points was extinguished.
And Bontempelli headed to the bench shortly after shaking his head.
Melbourne skipper Max Gawn had a field day dominating Tim English in the ruck and Clayton Oliver was back to his brilliant best in the Demons’ comfortable 45-point win under bright sunshine at the MCG.
After a slippery and tough loss to Sydney Swans last week, Melbourne flicked the switchblade to show how it can score more goals playing a more direct and aggressive game plan going through the corridor in 2024.
They were a much more efficient and dangerous football team as Oliver reminded the competition that he was one of the best players in the game despite a turbulent summer.
Gawn might have lowered his colours to Brodie Grundy last week but he bounced back as he promised, after overcoming a bug last week.
But the connection problems which have been a huge issue and major talking point for Melbourne over the past couple of seasons were a Bulldogs’ headache on Sunday when Luke Beveridge’s men blew their chances in the third term.
Beveridge has rolled the dice at selection again for Round 1, playing new faces Bramble, Sanders, James Harmes, Nick Coffield and Harvey Gallagher over Daniel and Jack Macrae who was left out.
We know Sanders will be a star, Bramble had some nice moments racking up 21 touches, Bontempelli was brilliant in the first half and Buku Khamis played the best game of his career intercepting across half back.
But after a bright start early in the first term on Sunday, the Dogs were easily brushed aside and would have loved to have Daniel hitting targets in the third term when their chances presented before he was subbed on.
But they are the risks Beveridge has shown he is willing to take on the selection front.
So the pressure which was threatening to ramp up on Melbourne if they lost this one on Sunday will intensify on the Dogs if they can’t stop Gold Coast from surging to a third-straight win in Ballarat on Sunday. And hard nut Sun Matt Rowell looms as one of the most in-form players in the competition.
In 2021 it was Melbourne which triumphed in the Grand Final to lift the trophy, while the Dogs have not won a final since and narrowly missed the eight altogether last year.
The club is presented with a soft draw to start 2023 with the Suns, Eagles, Cats and Bombers to come. They’re teams who all missed the finals as well last year.
It’s the Dogs’ chance to build momentum in their season early, and unlike Sunday in the third term, they can ill-afford to blow it over the next month.
MELBOURNE 4.4, 8.5, 10.8, 16.13 (109)
BULLDOGS 4.3, 6.5, 7.7, 9.10 (64)
BEST
Demons: Oliver, Gawn, May, Petracca, Billings, Viney, Chandler, McVee.
Bulldogs: Liberatore, Treloar, Bontempelli, L.Jones, Khamis, Bramble.
GOALS
Demons: Chandler 3, van Rooyen 3, B.Brown 2, Neal-Bullen 2, Pickett 2, Viney, Petracca, Billings, Salem.
Bulldogs: Ugle-Hagan 2, Naughton, Lobb, Gallagher, Bontempelli, Weightman, Bramble, West.
UMPIRES Gavine, Findlay, Toner, Adair
44,100 at MCG
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
RONNY LERNER’S VOTES
3 Clayton Oliver (MELB)
2 Max Gawn (MELB)
1 Steven May (MELB)
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Originally published as AFL 2024: Melbourne claims first win of 2024, 109-64 over Western Bulldogs
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