When i read the post of you saying ' About time, a Melbourne Story...'
So I assumed
Good work my friend
It's A Grand Old Flag: [FFX]
- Thread starter blake
- Start date
Good work my friend
blake
School Cricketer
Don't think OffCutters has quite worked out how sarcasm works on the internet yet. Ah well.
Anyway, I'm too gutted to post up the match after the game today. Maybe tomorrow.
Anyway, I'm too gutted to post up the match after the game today. Maybe tomorrow.
OffCutters
International Coach
This might make me look even more stupid, which part of this was sarcastic? 
blake
School Cricketer
Sunday 13 April, 1:10PM
To all of our viewers - here's the pre-match review, just in case you missed it.
Richmond Tigers vs Melbourne Demons - Round 4 Preview
And now that's out of the way, let's get down to the action!
It's 19 degrees celsius down here - the sky is looking rather patchy, maybe we can expect some rain - and there is a good crowd of 31,498 people down here. It looks set to be a cracker. Let's get down to the match.
1ST QUARTER
Richmond had the first chance after the bounce just a minute or so into the play as Kayne Pettifer managed to find the ball on a tight angle. However, the shot proved to be too tough for him and his shot curved to the near side, never in danger of finding the goals. Richmond maintained their attacking pressure though and continued to force the ball back into their own forward 50.
Liam Jurrah soon had his first touch on the footy, much to the delight of the Melbourne fans who had turned up in numbers, however his handpass was ineffective and the ball was locked in for a ballup. His next kick went out of bounds, and then the following kick inside the Demons 50 went straight to Joel Bowden. However, there were still many positive signs as he now had the second most possessions on the ground.
There were a rather few uneventful minutes after that with the ball spending much of his time being chipped around in the midfield by either side, until Shane Tuck had the chance to score the first for Richmond with a long bomb from 45 out with 13 minutes to play - however, his shot missed. The kickout almost resulted in another goal for Richmond, with Troy Simmonds stealing the mark to go back to take a shot directly in front - however, his shot also missed.
Finally, Richardson broke the hoodoo as he received a cheap free-kick just 15 metres out on a slight angle with just under twelve minutes remaining, and he made no mistake of nailing the set shot, as Richmond took a 9-point lead to start the quarter.
It was just 45 seconds later when Richmond scored their second goal - through the same man in Matthew Richardson. He received a beautiful sizzling pass from Nathan Brown on the chest and lined up the shot on a 45 degree angle, 30 metres out which he slotted casually. Things weren't looking great for the Demons early and they desperately needed to respond now with a goal before Richmond started to build a lead.
Yet still, Melbourne couldn't seem to move the ball with the effiency of the Tigers. The ball spent a lot of the time in Richmond's forward 50 which was not a good sign for the Demons as they were forced to concede a couple of rushed behinds, with the momentum swinging further Richmond's way. Bowden had a chance with 7 minutes left to nail the Tigers third from a stoppage, but his snap shot fell just offline, much to the disappointment of the yellow and black army in the crowd.
Bowden misses a disappointing shot
With that said, Melbourne were still thrown a lifeline in a way by Richmond's terrible sharpshooting. They continued to blaze away as Richardson missed two more shots in a row as the points column started to build. Despite that, it was better to be kicking a lot of points as compared to not scoring at all which was currently what Melbourne was doing.
Finally, Melbourne had their first chance as Liam Jurrah found Robertson right on the 50 metre line. The veteran made no mistake, kicking a superb goal to give Melbourne their first of the match. Jurrah would've been stoked after providing that superb pass and Robertson's confidence would be sky-high after that beautiful goal, and now the margin crept back to 14 points - Richmond 2.8.20 to Melbourne 1.0.6.
After Robbo's goal, Melbourne finished the quarter with the momentum but unfortunately, just as they were starting to get a move on, time ran out for them as the first quarter ended. Melbourne controlled nearly all of the footy, but Daniel Connors and Chris Newman worked superbly throughout the backline, and rebounded a lot of football late in the quarter to thwart the Demons attack on the goals. At quarter time, the margin remained still 14 points, and after a scrappy quarter it was Richmond coming out on top with a solid start against the Demons.
An interesting statistic to note would be that last week at quarter time, Melbourne lead Port Adelaide 2.8.20 to 1.2.8 - very similar circumstances to now. In that match, Port Adelaide fought back late but the Dees held on - how would it turn out this week?
Quarter Time:
Richmond 2.8.20
Melbourne 1.0.6
Richmond
Goalkickers: Matthew Richardson 2
Top Possessions: Brown 8, Newman 8, Bowden 7, Richardson 7, Connors 6
Player Watch: Nathan Brown has been lethal so far for Richmond, leading the way as an experienced player. He has won the ball a lot early out of the centre with three clearances, and he has provided five inside 50s. He also assisted Richardson in both his goals - a very good start to the match so far. Richmond will be hoping that he can keep this form up, for sure.
Melbourne:
Goalkickers: Russell Robertson 1
Top Possessions: Jones 9, Bell 7, Frawley 6, Whelan 5, Jurrah 5
Player Watch: Nathan Jones is the leading possession getter on the ground at quarter time, and he has been pushing hard for the Demons. Whilst he hasn't really provided a lot of rebounds or entries in regards to the forward 50, he is proving to be the link man through the middle of the ground as well as winning a lot of hard-ball, living up to his scrappy reputation.
Junior Demons: Jack Watts and Jack Grimes have both started solidly, winning 3 possessions each in the first quarter. Watts played out the full quarter whilst Grimes moved around from the back flank to the wing, playing just 11 minutes of the quarter - the second least amount of any Demon. Liam Jurrah has been good so far for Melbourne, winning 5 possessions including a goal assist after he found Robertson who later converted the goal.
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OffCutters
International Coach
Bad quarter by the Dees,good quarter by Nathan Jones though, 9 disposals in a quarter, good effort. Richo has been good up forward for the Tiges, with 2 goals and 7 possies.
Good update mate, hopefully the Dees`ll bounce back.
Good update mate, hopefully the Dees`ll bounce back.
dajesmac
Club Captain
Carn Dees.
10/10 for your story Blake, it's really really good so far.
10/10 for your story Blake, it's really really good so far.
I don't think the Dees can win this match. The Tigers have too much power in the forward line, with the likes of Richo, Pettifer and Browny, against some no name defenders.
Richmond to win by 25 points. Richo to kick 5
Richmond to win by 25 points. Richo to kick 5
blake
School Cricketer
Game Day - 2nd Quarter
Sorry guys - I finished the full match writeup, but my internet has gone down for the last couple of days. Here we go.
P.S. Roo - you should take up betting on guessing how many goals people will kick after watching just one quarter of the game. You might become very rich.
Back to the game now - it is Richmond leading by a comfortable 14 points at quarter time, although their accuracy on goals has left a lot to be desired. Melbourne will be disappointed after scoring just one goal late in the quarter, but it is still anyone's game right now. Let's see how the second quarter pans out.
2ND QUARTER
Melbourne started the second quarter with great intensity, quickly winning the ball out of the middle and pushing it into their forward 50. However, they couldn't seem to score with the Richmond defenders standing tall, providing some rebound for the Tigers. One of these rebounds turned out to provide a goal for Richmond - Newman ran it through the middle before handpassing to Morton who found none other than Richardson on the lead. Richardson quickly played on, swivelled and kicked a great goal - his third of the match as well as Richmond's third, as the margin increased. The Dees were in a bit of strife now and trailing badly.
The Tigers kept coming at the Demons and it wasn't long before their next goal of the match came. Mark Coughlan won the ball just a couple of minutes later and handpassed off to youngster Daniel Connors, who steadied himself and then delivered the goods with a searing drop punt that split the middle. Richmond were on fire and Melbourne didn't seem to have a clue.
With twelve and a half minutes later, Richmond were handed another gift after a soft turnover from the Dees, but Nathan Brown missed his chance to further stamp his impact on the match with a disappointing set shot. Still, the margin had now increased to 26 points - not good signs at all for Melbourne.
The Demons were starting to sink into a rut now and it wasn't long before Richmond added another major to the scoreboard. Graham Polak took a mark about 70 metres out, but that wasn't a problem as he played on, sold a great dummy and kicked a goal from fifty metres. Melbourne were looking unbelievably flat and their defence was currently shocking. At this rate it was looking like it might be a hundred point flogging.
But the worst was yet to come. Troy Simmonds was next to add to the pain after he slotted a simple goal to make the margin 40 points, and then just after Cale Morton limped off after a contest; terrible news for him and Melbourne. It appeared to be a right hamstring injury but the severity of it was not yet known - however, it was unlikely he would be able to run it off and return to the match.
With Richmond thumping the hapless Demons and Cale Morton hobbling off the field with a hamstring injury, things could only get better for Melbourne and thankfully they did, after an inspired Brad Green burst through a pack with the ball tucked under his arm before releasing it to kick a great goal on the run to at least get the Demons some respect back from their opponents. They still needed to do a lot more than that, however, but it was a positive start.
However, Melbourne's momentum was quickly snapped like a twig after some Ben Cousins magic added to Melbourne's pain. Cousins showed his class after winning the ball and blind turning out of the pack before snapping the Tigers fifth goal of the quarter with five minutes to play. The Tigers kept coming though - when they were on a surge it was not a good sign for the defending team. Kayne Pettifer showed the form which had seen him scoring goals all season after receiving a long handpass and then booting a goal.
One in a row wasn't enough for Pettifer though - just a minute later a Cotchin handpass found him in more space and he ran in to an open goal square to thump home his second in a minute as the margin increased further.
Trent Cotchin sidesteps before getting a handpass off to Pettifer
Thankfully Melbourne managed to peg one back in the dying moments of the second quater with Watts receiving a long pass on his own twenty metres out from goal. He quickly played on, thankfully kicking the goal to give Melbourne their third of the game. The signs weren't positive for them, but they would still take a goal before the half-time break.
Half Time:
Richmond 9.15.69
Melbourne 3.1.19
Richmond:
Goalkickers: Matthew Richardson 3, Kayne Pettifer 2, Graham Polak 1, Troy Simmonds 1, Ben Cousins 1, Daniel Connors 1
Top Possessions: Bowden 15, Newman 14, Pettifer 13, Brown 12, Connors 12
Player Watch: Joel Bowden carved up the Demons with a sizzling quarter as he delievered the ball to his forwards on more than one occasion to set up quite a few goals. He has 15 disposals alongside 5 marks and 4 inside 50s, and he is looking the real deal today. Whilst Nathan Brown was quiet in that quarter, Bowden stood up and delivered with a superb performance.
Melbourne:
Goalkickers: Russell Robertson 1, Brad Green 1, Jack Watts 1
Top Possessions: Jones 16, Bruce 16, Frawley 14, Bell 12, Green 12
Player Watch: James Frawley is fighting very hard in defence and working well for his team - a standout among the rest of the players. Frawley has picked up 8 marks and has had a superb 6 reboud 50s for his side at the half-time break - a superb stat for him. He is one of the Demons leading ball-getters and is the only backman showing true dedication. Furthermore, his opponent has been held to 5 touches and goalless, showing the true impact Frawley is having in the back-line.
Frawley handpasses to a teammate
OffCutters
International Coach
Rubbish quarter by the Dees, its gonna be a long day for you guys.
blake
School Cricketer
Game Day - 3rd Quarter
Well, with Melbourne a long way down it seems their chances of getting back into the match are unlikely with the margin 50 points at half-time. Anything can happen in AFL, but this one is looking like it's already over unless Melbourne can pull something out of the hat here to record one of the biggest comebacks of all time. Still, it's looking pretty safe with Richmond right now - perhaps the real question is whether or not Melbourne can contain the margin to within 100 points.
3RD QUARTER
The Demons had the opening chance with Russell Robertson stealing a Kane Johnson handpass to receive the ball close to goals, however he seemed to trip as he kicked the ball and it sprayed out of bounds, taking a bounce before it landed over the line. Still, the lack of a goal hurt the Demons - they needed everything they could get.
Just three minutes into the third quarter there was more bad news for the Demons. A frustrated Moloney lost his patience and struck out with his boot at Daniel Connors, kicking him in the gut. This was quickly noted by the umpire who plucked out his book and made some notes to the tribunal - not good news for Moloney, who would be now likely to miss a few games.
Still, things could get far worse for Melbourne, and they did with immediate effect, as Connors went on to steal the ball from a boundary throw in and kick his second of the match, adding insult to injury. Blake's talk at half-time had barely had any effect on the Demons - they still seemed as woeful as in the first half and their spirit was at rock bottom.
The Demons tussled against the Tigers for the next few minutes; trying to find some form or to at least score a goal. But the scoring shots - 25 to 4 in Richmond's favour said it all right now. Melbourne simply couldn't get the ball inside their own 50 effectively and it was costing them dearly - dearly as in by 56 points.
56 points soon became 62 points though, with veteran Richardson kicking his fourth of the match. If he kept up this form he could finish with a bag of seven or eight today - he was looking good and moving well through the field today, and when Richo is at his best he still has the potential to be a very dangerous player, and he was hurting the Dees right now.
Melbourne missed two simple chances in the following few minutes to further damage their team morale - Bell's kick from close range was touched off the boot in a lazy effort whilst Russell Robertson missed a long range bomb from 50 and then backed it up by kicking one from 25 out on the full. When things aren't going for you, you might as well just give up, and that seemed to be what Blake was doing in the coaches box.
A few minutes later the Tigers delivered the goods, proving that they were really going to be a title challenger or at least a top 4 contender this season. Their midfield reeked of class and as Troy Simmonds delivered a beautiful long bomb to the goal square where Adam Pattison kicked his first major, the Demons fans started to wonder just how good the Tigers were.
With just three minutes to play in the penultimate quarter (bet you haven't heard that term used for the third quarter before) Melbourne still hadn't scored a goal and the signs weren't looking good for them. However, they finally managed to counter Richmond's attack with a goal in the final couple of minutes through debutant Liam Jurrah as he stole the kickout and ran in to kick his first ever senior goal. He was congratulated by the players for his effort, but there wasn't much point in it now.
Liam Jurrah celebrates with Matthew Bate after kicking his first goal
Goalsneak Kayne Pettifer had two major chances to add to Melbourne's blues with two set shots late in the term but his accuracy was poor and he missed both of him. It didn't really matter but Richmond still would've liked to nail them, just to gain some percentage to move up further on the ladder. That turned out to be the last score of the quarter, and as Richmond jogged into the huddle they were leading by 61 points - dominating the weak Demons.
Three Quarter Time:
Richmond 12.17.89
Melbourne 4.4.28
Richmond:
Goalkickers: Matthew Richardson 4, Kayne Pettifer 2, Daniel Connors 2 Graham Polak 1, Troy Simmonds 1, Ben Cousins 1, Adam Pattison 1
Top Possessions: Richardson 24, Pettifer 18, Newman 17, Bowden 16, Polak 16
Player Watch: Matthew Richardson had a sensational quarter, picking up 14 possessions and kicking a goal to further damage the Demons. Richo has been inspirational this match, and currently has 10 marks and 22 kicks to his name alongside 7 inside 50s in a superb attacking effort. It goes to show he still has some run in his old legs.
Melbourne:
Goalkickers: Russell Robertson 1, Brad Green 1, Jack Watts 1, Liam Jurrah 1
Top Possessions: Bruce 27, Green 22, Jones 21, Frawley 18, Whelan 16
Player Watch: Brad Green lifted in the third quarter for Melbourne, winning a lot more of the ball and delivering it inside Melbourne's 50 a lot. He was excellent around the half-forward region, which showed on the statistics - he has 10 inside 50s to his name, well over a third of the team's total inside 50s. He is again showing his class and despite the rest of his team struggling he has been playing well today.
Brad Green has been Melbourne's best so far
hedger_14
ICC Chairman
getting flogged here. Green's had a pretty good game grabbing 22 possessions and a goal.
blake
School Cricketer
Updated first post with index, I've made 36 updates so far to this story if I counted correctly.
OffCutters
International Coach
Wow blake, after seeing the first post mate..that proves how much work comes in to this story. Seriously well done.
And bad game for the Dees, should play the last quarter for respect
And bad game for the Dees, should play the last quarter for respect
