May 05, 2009

Melbourne vs Geelong round six...

NINE seconds had elapsed in this game and it was already apparent that Geelong had the game on a string. The story of the game could have been told in the blink of an eye.
I watched in disgust as the Brownlow favourite stormed through the middle, without a Demon in sight. He sprinted up to the 50 and kicked the first goal of the game into the Geelong faithful at the City End. The No.29’s bald head reflected the afternoon sun. Horrible images came into my mind, ones similar to those in Round 19 last year. But it wasn’t to be this time.
The Dees tried the “tackling plan” that the Pies had used against the Cats last year and all was well after the Ablett goal. Ablett was being tagged by McDonald initially but then Bartram had a shot and did a great job,  applying pressure well and forcing the champ to work for his touches. A great first quarter was constructed from the Dees, but for the third week in a row they couldn’t capitalise on first quarter efforts.
The long-awaited return of Robbo was the story of the day, but he too missed an easy one in the first quarter. Our back line was up and running, with the likes of Matt Warnock, James Frawley and Stef Martin steadying the ship with some great defensive work and spoiling. Petterd kicked the first for the Dees and the fire had set alight, and the question now was whether the Demons could keep applying that pressure. Cale Morton put his foot on the pedal and weaved through the centre and kicked a magnificent goal, putting the Dees in front and bringing the supporters around me on to their feet. Addam Maric was struggling with his first game for the year, after a huge hype from Demon supporters in previous weeks. Maric gave away a goal to put the Cats in the lead with a terrible handball under pressure, gifting Cam Mooney his second goal of the quarter. Geelong held a five point lead at the first break, but signs were still great for Melbourne.
The Dees continued the pressure throughout the second term; I also noticed they were developing a cluster through the middle. The Cats eventually broke away through goals from Varcoe, Rooke, Stokes and three from Steve Johnson, one of which was a toe poker where the ball and his foot were clearly over the line. The fans booed at the decision but cheered loudly after Robbo kicked a goal (his 400th) later in the quarter. PJ (Paul Johnson) kicked another but the Cats still held a comprehensive 32-point lead at the half.
Geelong came out in the third and dominated, but couldn’t put it on the scoreboard, kicking five behinds to begin the quarter (three from Max Rooke) but Jimmy Bartel and Paul Chapman kept delivering the ball back into the 50. When the ball came down Melbourne’s end it was used effectively, with Robbo kicking two goals in a row, the second a great one set up by Stef Martin, who had moved forward. Robbo’s celebrations may have been a bit over the top, but the margin wasn’t. It was only 31 points and I was happy with the performance so far, but Geelong extended the lead to 46 points at three quarter time.
Great substance was shown by the Dees in the last quarter, and we ended up winning the last quarter by half a kick. Miller kicked a couple and Bennell kicked a great one, but in the end the Cats run out victors by 43 points in front of 36,932 people. Melbourne’s back line and midfield looked strong with great games from Davey, Moloney, Frawley and Warnock.
The debut of Jack Watts still awaits, news has gone around saying he will debut in Round 12 against the Bombers at the Dome. The day before Jack had showed his potential, kicking three goals against Coburg the day earlier in a seven-goal win. He will now play for his school (Brighton Grammar) in the upcoming week.
The final margin of 43 points seemed about right for the game, with both the Cats and Dees showing periods of ineffectiveness at different stages of the match. Geelong had set the disposal record with 498, breaking the record of 490 set by them last week. The Dees face the Eagles next week in Perth; the Cats play the Swans down in Geelong.
Oh yeah, and Ablett injured his groin.

Melbourne 2.4  4.6  6.7 10.8 (68)
Geelong  3.3  9.8  12.17  15.21(111)
Goals
Melbourne: Robertson 3, Miller 2, Morton, Johnson, Bennell, Petterd, Sylvia.
Geelong: S.Johnson 4, Mooney 3, Varcoe 2, Rooke 2, Chapman, Stokes, Ablett, Hawkins.
Best
Melbourne: Davey, Morton, McLean, Frawley, Warnock, Jones.
Geelong: Chapman, Bartel, S.Johnson, Enright, Corey, Selwood, Mackie, Mooney, Rooke.
Votes:  3. P.Chapman 2. J.Bartel  1. A.Davey
Umpires: Kennedy, S.Ryan, Dalgleish      Crowd: 36,932 at the MCG

•Melbourne's Russell Robertson celebrates his 400th goal in AFL football during the AFL round six match against Geelong  at the MCG. Photo by David Callow. The Slattery Media Group

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