It was a special day for the Melbourne Demons, holding off a fast-finishing Port Adelaide Power to triumph by 23 points at the MCG in a performance that signals the Dees are finals bound in 2017.
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It looked like the Dees’ game to win from the moment Tom McDonald put through the first goal of the day in the first minute, and it proved a catalyst for a dominant Demons first half.
With Max Gawn dominant in the ruck, and Dom Tyson and Jack Viney roving his taps to perfection, the Dees blitzed through the Power’s midfield time and time again.
With Jesse Hogan and Jeff Garlett dangerous up forward, the Power were no match as the Demons piled on seven of the first eight goals of the game.
The Power bit back, however, with Travis Boak magnificent in kicking four second-half goals as the Power fought back from a 44-point deficit to reduce the margin to under three goals with plenty of time left. With Gawn hobbled by a calf injury, Paddy Ryder began to assert his dominance, and with Robbie Gray’s move into the middle taking effect, the tiring Dees looked like being overrun.
Only briefly, however, and herein lies the difference between this year’s Melbourne and the Demons of yore.
In the past, they have wilted in the big moments, allowing teams to come back and steam over the top of them, but today, they held firm.
For fifteen minutes they held a desperate Power at bay, denying them time and time again and chewing up time. By the time Jake Melksham put through the sealer with four minutes to go, time had already conquered the Power.
Once again, the Dees’ defensive setup was outstanding, with Sam Frost and Neville Jetta leading the way as one of the competition’s deadliest forward line was left effectively impotent all day, and Michael Hibberd and the returning Christian Salem providing the drive from defence that characterises the new, aggressive Melbourne.
An ankle injury to Chad Wingard in the third quarter would prove telling, and while he returned briefly in the final term before succumbing to the ice, the Power were never again able to truly threaten.
For the Power, though they will remain at least fifth by the end of the round, the questions over their ability to deal with the very best sides in the competition remain, and their tag of flat-track bully will only grow stronger after an abysmal first half.
The Demons’ pressure proved unsustainable, but in a finals-like atmosphere, it was the men who haven’t played one of them for over a decade that proved better suited to it.
There’s still a long way to go this season, but if a performance like today is any indication, the Demons are going to be a hellish match-up for any team in September.
Melbourne Demons 13.10 88
Power Adelaide Power 9.11 65
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