By Barry Kennedy, AFANA Reporter in Melbourne
The MCG has fast emerged as an unhappy venue for the opponents of the relentless Melbourne Football Club in 2006. The Demons have won 8 straight at their spiritual home. On Sunday it was time for the Western Bulldogs to take on the tough Demons. Many thought the Bulldogs' distinct style of game, combining exceptional foot speed and slick foot skills, honed under the roof of the Telstra Dome might be the type of game to stretch the Demons.
That was not how the game panned out. Melbourne laid the foundations for their day with four of the first five goals. Neitz was at the end of a centering kick from Davey before 250-gamer Adem Yze found the ball on the ground and sent it through. Matthew Whelan and Aaron Davey added others. Davey’s goals are usually pulsating and this was no exception, the blistering runner sweeping on a ball in dispute and sprinting away from four would-be tacklers before steering it through.
If Melbourne’s early assault was an affront to the Bulldogs, then their response was definitely appropriate, particularly in the running and passing department. Ryan Griffin again showed his immense potential with spearing and weighted kicks into the path of Bulldog forwards, while Jordan McMahon was also getting a lot of quality ball. Matthew Robbins and Brad Johnston got an early goal each, while Daniel Cross managed two. With West busy and Chris Grant clever as always, the Bulldogs hit the front and took a seven point lead to the break. One clash that seemed crucial to the continued form of the Bulldogs was that of their savvy forward Brad Johnson on Demon champion Cameron Bruce.
Melbourne found another level in its intensity in the second quarter and like a 1500 meter runner with a lap to go moved surged from the pack. Only four goals were scored for the quarter – all by Melbourne. Neitz got the first early in the piece. A few forward thrusts later form half forward Byron Pickett went down with a hamstring injury.
A time of flux ensued with the Bulldogs finding it hard to break free of the in close attention of Daniel Ward and Brock McLean who were getting tons of possessions. For its part the Dees were finding the floods of the Bulldogs tricky to bridge.
Finally first gamer Nathan Jones hit McLean handing the Demons the lead back. Ben Holland added another before Yze stretched the lead to 17 with his second.
The Bulldogs were breaking down at half forward despite the good efforts of Adam Cooney and West. One factor that seemed to have a disproportionate effect on the Bulldogs was a strict umpire interpretation enforcing the 15 meter kicking rule, despite many kicks appearing to travel more than the required difference. The approach weighed heavily on the Bulldogs with their reliance on clever short kicks.
Inspirational skipper Neitz slotted home the first for the third successive quarter after a fine kick from Simon Godfrey. Davey then cleaned up a sloppy Matthew Boyd handball to run away again from the Bulldogs and slot through another crowd pleaser. Moments later Yze almost pulled off the goal of the year after a desperate James McDonald had kept the ball in play in the Demons half back line.
Unfortunately, Yze was already pumping his fists as the goal umpire signaled the ball had hit the post. Yze got a chance to make amends later in the quarter via another instinctive shot on goal, this one going through. The fist pumping was reenacted with interest on a day quickly getting hijacked by Melbourne. That effort took Melbourne to a 33 point lead, the same as the three quarter time margin.
Clint Bartram kicked the first of the last, effectively sealing the result. Yze managed two late ones to make it five for the day while Robertson and Bate each kicked one. Minson and Nathan Eagleton added late consolation goals for the Bulldogs.
Over the match the Demons showed a greater ferocity all over the park. Daniel Ward and Brock McLean backed up their hardness with big possession games while the strategic victory of Bruce over Johnson was huge in the context of the match. Travis Johnstone was a clever user of the ball as usual while Yze demonstrated what the Bulldogs were missing with Johnson held. The Bulldogs lost plenty of centerline contests despite good matches from Cooney, Boyd and Griffin. McMahon and Matthew Boyd were also respectable out of the backline.
Melbourne moves to third with the win and is now eyeing the chance to move to second and guarantee a home final. That might be a reality if they can overcome the Blues next round and rely on St Kilda accounting for the Eagles in Melbourne. The Western Bulldogs are now in seventh with their exciting season on the skids. They have St Kilda and Adelaide in upcoming rounds and despite a two game break on teams outside the eight will need to keep on their mettle if they are to participate in the finals this year. A win against Richmond next week however would make the finals much more assured.
Melbourne’s season has a synergy about it in 2006. Many big milestone games have coincided with home games and the likes of Neitz and Yze have had top matches to help celebrate their historic milestones. Sensational half forward duo Davey and Pickett both suffered hamstrings injuries on the weekend, but with a three week recuperation should be right for the last few matches. New players just continue to blend in, (Jones looked a ready made AFL player just as Bartram and Bate has in their first AFL seasons. Even the biggest distraction for Melbourne fans, the snow has been little sighted this Australian winter (it’s a common joke about Melbourne supporters especially when there at matches supporting their team that they are at the snow). With all this in place Melbourne supporters have an exciting spring to look forward to.
Melbourne 5.2 9.5 13.9 18.11 119
Western Bulldogs 6.3 6.7 7.12 9.14 68
Goals: Melbourne: Yze 5, Neitz 3, McLean, Davey, Robertson 2, Godfrey,
Holland, Bartrum, Bate 1.
Western Bulldogs Cross 2, Johnson, Smith, Robbins, Ray, Grant,
Minson, Eagleton.
Best: Melbourne: McLean, Yze, Ward, Bruce, Johnstone, Davey, Whelan
Western Bulldogs Cross, Griffen, Cooney, Boyd, McMahon
Injuries: Melbourne: Pickett (hamstring), Davey (hamstring), Dunn (flu) replaced
in selected side by Jones
Western Bulldogs: Nil
Umpires: James,Head,Ellis.
Crowd 34,466 at MCG
Article last changed on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 11:20 PM EDT
