It's A Grand Old Flag: [FFX]

[Roofrom50]

To be fair, North Melbourne are lucky to be only trailing by 21 points at the main break. If Melbourne had kicked straight, they would be about 40+ in front. Good to see young Ben Ross for the Roos starting to get into the action and impress his team with a goal of the year contender.

Wonderful read mate, looking forward to the next quarter, the premiership quarter.

 

[blake]

Game Day - 3rd Quarter​

The match continued, as the second-half began. The Demons led by 21 points - could they hold on to record a win in the first round?

3RD QUARTER

The third quarter started off evenly, with both sides wanting to win badly. It resulted in a good contest - neither side was able to get free goals from lazy defenders - each team was fighting hard for the football. Bruce and Green were dominating for the Demons - picking up a few possessions each in the first couple of minutes.

There was bad news though for the Kangaroos, as Sam Power limped off injured. Nobody knew what his injury actually was, but it was confirmed that he wouldn't take further action in the match.

Finally, ten minutes into the third quarter, Corey Jones delivered. It was a great bit of set play from the Kangaroos - a ballup inside the 50, a slight tap to Jones, and then a goal from 20 metres out.

Aaron Davey had the chance to counter for the Demons from just 25 metres out but he missed again in a woeful effort - the Demons skills had gone to waste now as they couldn't find the big sticks. They had now scored just 1.9 since quarter time and something was seriously wrong.

Finally, Melbourne managed to kick straight - and it was through none other than debutant Jack Watts. Watts took a superb one on one mark about 30 metres out, directly in front, and slotted it straight through the middle - showing his teammates how it is done. Watts was having a brilliant game so far, especially for a debutant.

As time ticked down in the third quarter, the Kangaroos badly needed another goal, but they couldn't seem to find a spark. With just seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, it was Melbourne leading by 24 points.

Lindsay Thomas had the chance to bring it back to three goals, but he missed a set-shot from a very tight angle. The Kangaroos were hurt further, as yet another injury hit their squad - Daniel Pratt going off injured. The Roos hopes were sunk further, as on the rebound of Lindsey Thomas' point, the Demons managed to score another goal, through ruckman Paul Johnson, as he took a great mark at the back of the pack.

An exciting third quarter still wasn't over, though. The Kangaroos seemed to be inspired as Corey Jones nailed a great goal from long-range. They won the ball out of the centre and captain Harvey had the chance to bring it back to a three goal margin, but his set shot missed - it was an easy chance, too. However, the Kangaroos were now inspired, and Drew Petrie managed to kick another goal for the Roos, through a great passage of play. It looked set to be an exciting finish. The Demons led by 19 points at three-quarter time, but the Kangaroos had the momentum and they were finishing strongly. Could the Dees hold on?

Three-Quarter Time:
Melbourne 9.16.70
North Melbourne 8.3.51

Melbourne
Goalkickers: Jack Watts 3, Russell Robertson 2, Cameron Bruce 1, Clint Bartram 1, Aaron Davey 1, Paul Johnson 1
Top Possessions: Bruce 33, Jones 26, Johnson 20, Davey 18

Player Watch: Nathan Jones is fighting very hard for the football, and he seems to be at the bottom of every pack for the Demons. He hasn't yet kicked a goal, but his 26 disposals, 5 tackles, 7 inside 50s and 2 clearances certainly aren't going unnoticed. He is really lifting his team's morale with a great fighting effort. The big question will be if he can hold on until the end of the game - or will the Kangaroos come back over the top of the Demons.

North Melbourne:
Goalkickers: Corey Jones 3, Ben Ross 2, Drew Petrie 2, Jesse W Smith 1
Top Possessions: Harvey 25, Simpson 22, Ross 21, Pratt 19

Player Watch: After a solid first half, captain Boomer Harvey found some form quickly, dominating the third quarter, doing a lot of work for the Kangaroos through the middle. Harvey is playing wonderfully - he has 7 marks, 25 disposals and has been the Kangaroos leading tackle-getter. Will the captain provide the spark that the Kangaroos need to beat the Demons? It looks set to be a thrilling encounter in the final quarter.

Missing In Action: Gibson dominated the first quarter, picking up 14 disposals. However, he picked up just 4 disposals in the second quarter and didn't even touch the ball once in the third quarter. Kangaroos fans are unsure whether he has picked up an injury, but he hasn't been anywhere near the ball like he was in the first quarter. His health is the lowest in the game right now - however with the Kangaroos lacking space on the bench due to two injuries, he will stay on the field. He needs to fire up and get back in the game.

Boomer Harvey taking a one-handed grab​

 

[hedger_14]

hmm, a fair few behinds for melbourne.

 

[Roofrom50]

hmm, a fair few behinds for melbourne.

Not just for Melbourne, but for both teams. Both teams are missing the incredibly easy shots at goal, 30-40 metres out, while they are kicking the difficult ones ie. Corey Jones from 50.

It's a good contest at the moment, but i think the Dees will just hold on, due to the fact that North Melbourne can't rotate heavily throughout this last quarter.

 

[blake]

Game Day - 4th Quarter​

Welcome back after the three-quarter time break - it is the Dees leading the Roos by 19 points in a very tight encounter. The last quarter will decide who will win the match - the Roos have been hit with two injuries which will work to Melbourne's advantage.

The atmosphere has lifted as the match begins for the fourth quarter.

4TH QUARTER

The Kangaroos got off to a flying start. Just 90 seconds into the final quarter, a brilliant bit of play from Daniel Harris gave the Kangaroos a goal. Hale kicked it down to the pack in the forward 50. Nobody marked the football, but Harris picked up the crumbs - sold a great dummy to Garland, and then snapped around and kicked a great goal from a tight angle. The Roos were right back in this now, and the Demons weren't doing anything.

Corey Jones could've made the margin just 7 points, but he missed his shot on goal. However, from the point kick-out, Lindsay Thomas found the ball on the 50 metre line after winning the crumbs, ran straight through the middle and slotted a beautiful goal from 40 metres out. There was now an immense amount of pressure - The Kangaroos trailed by just 7 points, and all of the fans had lifted. There was plenty of time left in the quarter - 16:21 remaining, but the Kangaroos had already kicked two goals. What an unbelievable start to the quarter!

Lindsay Thomas celebrates after kicking his goal, as a dejected Brad Green looks on​

The Kangaroos run wasn't over, though. A brilliant bit of play from Boomer Harvey found Lindsay Thomas on the chest, just 15 metres out, from a very slight angle. Now, Thomas had the chance to make the margin just 1 point - but he missed the shot. It was an unbelievable miss - skewing off the side of Thomas' boot to barely record a point. It was a shocking effort and nobody could believe Thomas has missed from so close to goals.

The Demons now started to slow the play down, attempting to halt the Kangaroos run of momentum. The clock started to tick down - with just 12 minutes remaining, it was Melbourne by 6 points.

However - the Kangaroos were dealt a major blow as Jared Rivers received a soft free-kick just 41 metres out from goal, on a tight angle. However, the pressure was too much for Rivers, and his kick faded away for a behind - the Dees leading now by 7 points.

At the half-way mark of the final term, it was still the Demons leading - but North Melbourne were all over the Dees, and it looked set to be a very close finish. The Roos were fighting hard - one man who had come back into the game for them was Josh Gibson. He was playing brilliantly and had picked up 6 touches in 10 minutes of football after touching the ball just 4 times in the second and third quarter.

The Demons weren't going to give up that easily though, and their defence was now playing with a bit of spirit. As the clock ticked down, the Kangaroos still couldn't get it inside their forward 50 without it being instantly rebounded - Garland and Whelan in particular were starting to lift their game. With just 7 minutes remaining - it was still the Demons leading 9.18.72 to 10.5.65.

There was still plenty of time left now - giving the Kangaroos a chance to get back into the match. However, suddenly, a superb Demons counter-attack gave Nathan Jones the chance to score from just 25 metres out on the run. As he kicked the ball, Matt Riggio managed to knock him off balance and his kick missed - one that probably should've been a goal. The Demons led by 8 points now - what a finish this would be.

The Demons were managing to lock it insde their forward 50 now - but the goals would not come. The Kangaroos rushed through behinds, and the Demons missed a couple of tough set-shots through Bartram and Moloney, but the match was still close. The Demons still led though, and the Roos momentum had suddenly stopped - they couldn't get it inside their forward 50. With Melbourne blazing away, the Kangaroos now required 2 goals to win, as the Demons led by 10 points.

Brent Harvey worked tirelessly through the midfield, putting it inside the Roos 50 time after time, but his forwards just weren't working hard enough - Garland and Morton were rebounding it consistently, and as the clock ticked down, suddenly it looked like the Kangaroos might not get over the line. The Kangaroos had lifted their intensity, but they still trailed by 10 points, and there was now just 2 minutes remaining.

As the clock ticked down, the Kangaroos still could not find the big sticks, and the match appeared to be lost. With just 32 seconds left in the game, Adam Simpson attempted to break through Melbourne's defence, but he was caught which gave the Dees possession. They worked down the clock, kicking one more point to win a thrilling encounter. Despite the Demons kicking 0.6 in the last quarter, they had held on against the Kangaroos - a scrappy yet gutsy win for the young Demons as they managed to contain the Roos.

That's all for today - hope you enjoyed the match.

Full Time:
Melbourne 6.2 7.10 9.16 9.22.76
North Melbourne 4.1 5.1 8.3 10.5.65

Quarter by Quarter:

Melbourne: 6.2, 4.7, 2.6, 0.6
North Melbourne: 3.1, 1.0, 3.2, 2.2

Melbourne
Goalkickers: Jack Watts 3, Russell Robertson 2, Cameron Bruce 1, Clint Bartram 1, Aaron Davey 1, Paul Johnson 1

Top Possessions: Bruce 38, Jones 34, Davey 24, Johnson 23, Robertson 20
Top Marks: Bruce 10, Johnson 9, Robertson 8, Watts 7, Morton 6
Top Tackles: Jones 6, Johnson 5, Robertson 5, Moloney 4, Bruce 4

North Melbourne
Goalkickers: Corey Jones 3, Ben Ross 2, Drew Petrie 2, Jesse W Smith 1, Daniel Harris 1, Lindsay Thomas 1

Top Possessions: Harvey 41, Simpson 33, Wells 26, Ross 26, Gibson 26
Top Marks: Petrie 12, Harding 10, Thomas 9, Harvey 9, Gibson 8
Top Tackles: Riggio 5, Harvey 4, Thomas 3, Wells 3, Jones 3

Man of the Match: Cameron Bruce deservedly won the Man of the Match award after lifting his team to an 11 point victory over North Melbourne. Bruce picked up 38 disposals, 10 marks and he had a staggering eight inside 50s for the Demons. Brent Harvey was his closest contender, but in the end it was Bruce who won the award, due to his superb work through the middle of the ground in the first half.

Cameron Bruce was the best on ground in his side's victory over North Melbourne. Bruce picked up a career-equalling best of 38 disposals.​

 

[hedger_14]

well kangaroos have only made 3 behinds but i agree that both teams are missing easy shots at goal.

 

[Roofrom50]

What a thrilling contest with the Dees just holding onto the victory. 0.6 in that last quarter it reminds me off the 98 Grand Final when the Roo's kept kicking points against the Crows.

A scrappy but yet convincing win for the Dees in round 1.

 

[blake]

Wednesday, 26 March, 2009​

After the Demons kicked their season off with an 11-point win over the Kangaroos, fans are starting to support new manager Blake - claiming he is leading their team in the right direction. Fox Sports caught up with a few fans after the game at the MCG to hear their opinions of new coach Blake.

One middle-aged fan commented, "It's nice to come to a game and see the Demons win for once, after we've had a rough few years. I am supporting Blake all the way and now I can start bringing my family to games if we are going to win more."

Whilst the Kangaroos aren't exactly premiership contenders, it was still an extremely valuable win. The coach of the Demons, Blake, has made no changes to his line-up that defeated the Kangaroos - feeling that everybody contributed well enough to keep their spots. However, he predicted there might well be a fight for selection as Austin Wonaeamirri returns to the side next week after missing the start of the season through personal-related problems.

Blake had this to say the media. "I was obviously pleased with our win against the Roos. It was a hard-earned, albeit scrappy victory, but I feel the boys really put their heads down. Our inaccuracy just showed how much we dominated by and we deserved to win by more, but I'm sure our goalkicking coach will sort out the problems. However, our work is just beginning. We have Collingwood this week, and it's obviously going to be a very tough game. We will be training hard in order to get maximum benefits against the Magpies, and we will definitely be bringing our best game to the Pies.

In other AFL news, Steve Johnson has been ruled out for a game after striking Brad Sewell in Hawthorn's 19 point win over Geelong, and Adam McPhee from Essendon will miss two games for rough play in Essendon's four goal win over Port Adelaide. There were no major injuries in the first round for any club, although Nick Dal Santo should miss one game through general soreness.

As the Demons prepare for their second-round encounter against a confident Collingwood side, here are the official stats and ladder after round 1.

West Coast lead the way after their 77-point thrashing of the Brisbane Lions

Brad Sewell leads the charts with 42 possessions, whilst Buchanan, Fevola and Richardson all have kicked 5 goals​

 

[OffCutters]

Good win for the Dees against the Roos, nice start to Blake`s coaching career in the AFL.

 

[Roofrom50]

I would also like to get on the Blake band wagon. Although i rekon Collingwood will give you a hiding this week. 50+ point thrashing. Good luck though

 

[hedger_14]

go collingwood. you can beat them demons.

 

[Covvy]

Good to see the Eagles on top. Your presentation is starting to get very good, keep it up

 

[blake]

Thanks for the positive feedback. It took me an unbelievably long time to make those ladders and stats - I strived for too much perfection when I should've just copied a clean one off Google. The logos took ages to do as well..

Anyway, thanks for your comments and there should be another update tomorrow - not a certainty, though.

 

[hedger_14]

well it shows that you want this one to look perfect then. keep it up mate

 

[Hooper]

Great story, I dont normally post in here but I do follow it. So keep up the good work!