They may not play the prettiest game, and can make a lot of head-scratching blues, but Melbourne are the real deal. The Demons became the first team to topple Geelong this year, establishing themselves as a genuine premiership contender along the way. There is little wonder the Demons theme song was sung with such gusto in the rooms for this was one of the most significant victories of the season. In a game worthy of a final, not necessarily in standard
but intensity, the Dees were headed by the Cats in the third and fourth quarters but found a way to salute the judge.
Their best players stood up when it counted. Max Gawn was excellent, draining a clutch goal early in the last, ending a run of three in a row for the Cats. Steven May and Jake Lever held firm in defence, as they needed to in a game set up to ensure defence ruled. The big moment came with three minutes left on the clock – and the margin at three
points – when Bayley Fritsch was rewarded for daring to win. Hemmed in on the pocket, Fritsch’s percentage play would have been to play for a boundary throw-in. Instead, Fritsch is now the clubhouse leader for goal of the year. With Jack Henry in pursuit, Fritsch dribbled one off the outside of his left boot, the ball gaining sufficient purchase in the dewy conditions to slide left to right.
