April 21, 2009

Round four Melbourne vs Richmond...

THIS was the most important game of the round.
Both teams had opened with three losses and hadn’t looked like winning yet. But it had to change today. The best thing about the lead up to this game during the week was that the media were all talking about how bad Richmond were. Terry Wallace was under extreme pressure after being talked down by all Richmond people. A win here for the Demons could just about cost Wallace his job. Turn the clock back to round 12, 2007. That was when the Tigers beat the Dees to destroy Neale Daniher’s coaching career, and there was no reason the Melbourne Football Club couldn’t destroy Wallace’s.
I felt confident about the game that confronted me. Why shouldn’t I? This was our biggest chance to win. I had fearlessly tipped the Demons and I turned up for this game with a spring in my step.
It was our third away game in a row, so that meant sitting top level Olympic stand. I took my seat, a row in front of where I sat two weeks ago against Collingwood (E1 opposed to F1). On the screen was Melbourne v Richmond from Round 22 last year. Why not show a better game, like the one in 1998 where Melbourne beat Richmond when the Tigers were playing for the finals in front of a big crowd at the G? But as soon as I saw the replay of the game last year, I remembered it because I had taken a mark in the crowd from a Brett Deledio goal in the last quarter (I didn’t see myself on the replay). I turned my mind back on to the game today, and when Melbourne came out to train, I noticed that Paul Johnson and Colin Sylvia both had freshly shaved heads. Why did this matter? Both players had played horrible games last week, and it added to the list of already shaven heads in Jones, Petterd, Warnock and Miller along with the balding heads of McLean and Newton (who I thought shouldn’t be in the team this week).
The umpire (Matthew James I think) held the ball aloft of bounced it. That’s how a normal game would start, but not this one. A stupid free kick given away by Warnock, I think, gave the ball to Mitch Morton at the 50. He kicked truly, and Melbourne had begun the game in the worst possible way. Richmond kicked another two behinds (one from Richo, of course) before Melbourne had their first shot on goal. Nathan “Nugget” Jones hit the post to put Melbourne on the board. Nathan Brown kicked a goal for the Tigers and the margin was 13 points. Not a very good start, but we needed to reply. We did reply, not in goals, but in behinds (or more correctly, posters) despite a good goal from Brad Green from 50 for our first on the board.
Disaster struck later in the quarter, for Green and all Melbourne people, when he came off never to be seen again. It was later revealed that he had broken his jaw and would be out for six-eight weeks, and he would be sorely missed. Three more posters were kicked, one from Moloney, one from Jetta, and one from Michael “Juice” Newton before Miller found the sticks and kicked a well-needed one to give the Dees a three point lead at the first break, 2.6 (18) to 2.3 (15).
It was apparent already that Richmond were terrible. They were turning the ball over, they were being second to the ball, they couldn’t hit a target and the Demons were capitalising on their mistakes. Jordan McMahon was being criticised all day by some Richmond supporters behind me, and for a good reason too. The Melbourne hierarchy delivered in the second with some brilliant goals. Jetta – Goal. Sylvia – Goal. Miller – Goal. Petterd – Goal. Sylvia delivered again. He had played a great game so far, reassuring his spot in the side. It all happened quickly. We were back in the glory days of 2006 and before (with some gaps in between). The 34-point lead evaporated as Richmond strung a few together. Richo kicked one, and then set up two for debutant Andrew Collins. The yellow and black filth squad, to the left of me, were all set up with their Richo banners and posters, every time the number 12 did something worthwhile. Goals from Dunn, Bate and Miller, who kicked his third just before the siren, and at half time it was a 31-point lead to the red and blue.
The third quarter was played on Melbourne’s terms, and although Richmond crept the margin back to 28 points at three quarter time I thought it would be enough to win the game. It was clear that if the Demons lost from here, the end result wouldn’t reflect on the game itself. I wasn’t to be worried, as Richmond kicked themselves out of the game, courtesy of M. Richardson. The Demons missed a couple of chances too, Juice Newton was the main culpret, but he did enough in the end. Richmond had endless chances, and endless turnovers, and in the end lost by eight points. The Melbourne cheer squad, to the right of me, were in full voice, when the siren sounded, erupted. We were home. Melbourne supporters walked past me and talked to me like they had known me for their whole life, talking about the win. It was a great feeling. All the Demons were together as one. Aaron Davey was, yet again, best on ground for the Dees. John Meesen had become a rucking revelation, and Paul Johnson had played a solid game.
As for the yellow and black squad to the left of me, they were sad and angry with their horrible team, as they dragged their oversized floggers back to their cars, and looking for other things to do outside the ground. The Richmond cult figure had not done enough for a Tigers win, with a return of 4.5.
What a win.
Richmond 2.3  5.6  9.7  13.14 (92)
Melbourne 2.6  10.7  13.11 14.16 (100)
GOALS Richmond: Richardson 4, Brown 2, Collins 2, Morton, Moore, McGuane, Deledio, Nahas.
Melbourne: Miller 3, Newton 2, Sylvia 2, Petterd 2, Bate, Dunn, Green, Davey, Jetta.
BEST Richmond : Bowden, Foley, Richardson.
Melbourne: Davey, McLean, Miller, Sylvia, Moloney, Jones, Jetta, Dunn, Petterd, Martin, Meesen, Newton, Rivers, Warnock, Johnson, Bruce, Frawley, Morton.
My Votes: 3. Davey, 2. McLean, 1.Miller
Umpires: James, Wenn, Findlay, McLaren (replaced Wenn during the game)
Crowd: 40,763 at the MCG.

• Melbourne's Jamie Bennell, Neville Jetta and John Meesen sing the club song after the AFL round four match between against Richmond at the MCG. Photo by David Callow. The Slattery Media Group

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