By Lynda Carroll
It was a game, much like any other, this Melbourne-GWS encounter. But it was yet another game in which one quarter, one string of minutes, one block of time, stood out, to be taken into the game’s memory. For seasons to come, there will undoubtedly be discussion around Melbourne’s third quarter and ten goals, kicked by ten individual goal-kickers.
You should have seen them, you, sitting there on Level 3, sauce on your hands, red and blue scarf snuggled around your neck.
You should have seen them, you, craning your neck from Level 1, trying to track down your younger brother, who’s landed on the other side of the ground and is wearing your Melbourne Premiership 2021 guernsey again.
You should have seen them, you small person running along the concourse, red and blue beanie bopping up and down, laughing because you’re a Melbourne supporter and you don’t know much else beyond your team winning the big cup and your favourite player being Maxy with the beard.
You should have seen them, everyone. It’s the kind of comment we make to release the personal disbelief and joy. Up in the MCC Library, there had been discussion before the game, with one supporter saying that her most memorable moment had been ‘the third quarter of last year’s Grand Final’. I hope she has added the third quarter of this game to the collection.
Melbourne had fairly dominated to half time, albeit with spurts of determination from the Giants after a scoreless first term. Less than 21,000 were in the stands, but what the red and blue dominated crowd lacked in numbers, they soon made up for in volume.
It all kicked off when James Jordon scored at the 1:01 mark. Nice, let’s keep this going.
At 7:30, Petracca – with typical exuberance, made his contribution. Two on the list. It’s looking good!
The Giants’ Hill kicked one, breaking the continuity, before Pickett popped up at 11:26, joyful as always, scoring one of his three for the night.
This was the start of a small procession, with Neal-Bullen snapping truly at 12:48, McDonald at 14:18, and Gawn at 16:22. It got to the stage where the echoes of celebration from one goal hadn’t died away before the next was kicked. It’s a wonderful problem if you can experience it.
The Demons’ run was stopped briefly by another Giants’ goal, courtesy of Flynn, but that was it for them for the quarter. There was still more Melbourne momentum happening – you should have seen it!
At 20:29, Fritsch kicked one of his four goals for the night, followed by Viney at 23:05 and Bowey – a mammoth kick from the youngster – at 32:03.
Then, it was all over bar the shouting, the siren and Sam Weideman, who put the icing on the rather substantial cake with his goal at 35:20.
It was magnificent. With another quarter to go, the result – a Melbourne win – was certainly not in doubt, but we could all sit back and revel in what we’d just seen. Moments like this are rare, and you grab them when you can. For the rest of the game – for another two Fritsch goals and a Spargo special on the way to a 67-point win – we could kick back and enjoy the experience with the glow of the third quarter special making it even more memorable. These are the times to remember, revel in and recall, with inevitable discussions about the best goal, the order in which they were kicked, and everything in between.
This, after all, in all its intricacy and simplicity, is what makes our game great. Long may it continue, or at least for another third quarter like Melbourne’s MCG triumph, Round 5, 2022.
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 0.5 3.6 5.8 7.11 (53)
Greater Western Sydney: Hill 2, Callaghan, Coniglio, Flynn, Himmelberg, Hogan
Greater Western Sydney: Green, Kelly, Ward, Bruhn
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
Greater Western Sydney: Jake Riccardi (unused)
Crowd: 20,791 at the MCG
It was a game, much like any other, this Melbourne-GWS encounter. But it was yet another game in which one quarter, one string of minutes, one block of time, stood out, to be taken into the game’s memory. For seasons to come, there will undoubtedly be discussion around Melbourne’s third quarter and ten goals, kicked by ten individual goal-kickers.
You should have seen them, you, sitting there on Level 3, sauce on your hands, red and blue scarf snuggled around your neck.
You should have seen them, you, craning your neck from Level 1, trying to track down your younger brother, who’s landed on the other side of the ground and is wearing your Melbourne Premiership 2021 guernsey again.
You should have seen them, you small person running along the concourse, red and blue beanie bopping up and down, laughing because you’re a Melbourne supporter and you don’t know much else beyond your team winning the big cup and your favourite player being Maxy with the beard.
You should have seen them, everyone. It’s the kind of comment we make to release the personal disbelief and joy. Up in the MCC Library, there had been discussion before the game, with one supporter saying that her most memorable moment had been ‘the third quarter of last year’s Grand Final’. I hope she has added the third quarter of this game to the collection.
Melbourne had fairly dominated to half time, albeit with spurts of determination from the Giants after a scoreless first term. Less than 21,000 were in the stands, but what the red and blue dominated crowd lacked in numbers, they soon made up for in volume.
It all kicked off when James Jordon scored at the 1:01 mark. Nice, let’s keep this going.
At 7:30, Petracca – with typical exuberance, made his contribution. Two on the list. It’s looking good!
The Giants’ Hill kicked one, breaking the continuity, before Pickett popped up at 11:26, joyful as always, scoring one of his three for the night.
This was the start of a small procession, with Neal-Bullen snapping truly at 12:48, McDonald at 14:18, and Gawn at 16:22. It got to the stage where the echoes of celebration from one goal hadn’t died away before the next was kicked. It’s a wonderful problem if you can experience it.
The Demons’ run was stopped briefly by another Giants’ goal, courtesy of Flynn, but that was it for them for the quarter. There was still more Melbourne momentum happening – you should have seen it!
At 20:29, Fritsch kicked one of his four goals for the night, followed by Viney at 23:05 and Bowey – a mammoth kick from the youngster – at 32:03.
Then, it was all over bar the shouting, the siren and Sam Weideman, who put the icing on the rather substantial cake with his goal at 35:20.
It was magnificent. With another quarter to go, the result – a Melbourne win – was certainly not in doubt, but we could all sit back and revel in what we’d just seen. Moments like this are rare, and you grab them when you can. For the rest of the game – for another two Fritsch goals and a Spargo special on the way to a 67-point win – we could kick back and enjoy the experience with the glow of the third quarter special making it even more memorable. These are the times to remember, revel in and recall, with inevitable discussions about the best goal, the order in which they were kicked, and everything in between.
This, after all, in all its intricacy and simplicity, is what makes our game great. Long may it continue, or at least for another third quarter like Melbourne’s MCG triumph, Round 5, 2022.
Results
MELBOURNE 4.0 6.2 16.4 19.6 (120)GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 0.5 3.6 5.8 7.11 (53)
GOALS
Melbourne: Fritsch 4, Pickett 3, Gawn 2, Petracca 2, Bowey, Jackson, Jordon, McDonald, Neal-Bullen, Spargo, Viney, WeidemanGreater Western Sydney: Hill 2, Callaghan, Coniglio, Flynn, Himmelberg, Hogan
BEST
Melbourne: Petracca, Gawn, Oliver, Viney, Pickett, Langdon, MayGreater Western Sydney: Green, Kelly, Ward, Bruhn
INJURIES
Melbourne: Lever (ankle)Greater Western Sydney: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Melbourne: Toby Bedford (unused)Greater Western Sydney: Jake Riccardi (unused)
Crowd: 20,791 at the MCG
Lynda Carroll is delighted to be watching Melbourne playing at the MCG in 2022. She spends most of her time in the MCC Library, researching, writing, working on a match day, and cataloguing books. The term 'reigning premiers' is still sinking in for her, but seeing the flag being unfurled in Round 1 certainly helped.