By Lynda Carroll
The number 64 is special to the Melbourne Football Club in a couple of ways, not least of which is due to this being the winning margin registered against the Brisbane Lions at the MCG in Round 15.
It didn’t seem that it was going to be that way at the start. Up in the MCC Library, the early response to Melbourne’s form after three weeks of losses was ‘here we go again’. Brisbane had made it to eight points ahead in the first quarter before Ben Brown landed a behind from a nearly side on angle for Melbourne’s first score.
There was a sigh of relief when this happened, followed by Sparrow kicking Melbourne’s first goal with just under eight minutes remaining in the first quarter.
By the end of the first quarter, even though the Lions were ahead, it was time to reassure those in attendance that the signs were good. May, Petty and Lever were holding firm, shaping the ‘Men’s Department’ in the backline, with Angus Brayshaw close by as an adopted member of the group.
Maybe, we mused, the reverse was happening to earlier weeks. So, we’d start slowly and finish off with a burst. Why not? The big loss was the captain; it was Max Gawn’s first absence since 2020, after forty consecutive games. But good captains create good teams, and good teams can succeed even when their captain is absent. Meanwhile, Jackson was holding his own in the ruck, and the entire team was rising to the challenge.
By the time the second quarter was well in progress, James Jordon levelled the scores with a lovely goal; although little to that stage could beat Harmes’ earlier effort, let go by two Lions to cross the line and be accepted on review.
Jordon’s goal marked the beginning of good things for the Demons, and the crowd responded accordingly. It was about now that the stats started to pile up against the Lions. They hadn’t played at the MCG since the first round of 2020, and hadn’t defeated Melbourne at the MCG for ten seasons.
By the time Neal-Bullen directed a bouncing ball goalward in the second quarter, the Demons had kicked the last three goals.
Bedford’s banana special then meant that the team had kicked the last four goals and the margin was out to sixteen points. When Brown kicked a goal, the margin was five goals in Melbourne’s favour, with six goals to one in the second quarter, and a thirty point lead at half time.
It was time to take a deep breath and enjoy the break, as well as admiring the efforts of Viney in the captaincy role. His strength was reminiscent of his father a generation earlier, with the determination to push through and persevere definitely a genetic trait in the Viney clan.
The atmosphere had distinctly lightened by the time the siren sounded to start the third quarter. It almost – after three losses – had an almost celebratory sound.
Always one to bring the joy to any game, Pickett’s pirouetting goal in the third quarter reflected the triumph taking shape on the scoreboard. The battle between first and second on the ladder was turning out to be an exchange of places, and in no uncertain terms.
The final quarter told the story of the game, and it was a happy ending for Melbourne, with 5.4 to Brisbane’s 1.4. From leading at the start of the term by 40 points, they made sure that the ‘Grand Old Flag’ was ringing around the game, courtesy of the beautiful margin of 64 points. After three despondent weeks, it was a welcome end to proceedings, with Melbourne a game clear of all opposition by the end of the round. Thursday night football; not always loved, but with such a win, it was something special indeed.
The number 64 is special to the Melbourne Football Club in a couple of ways, not least of which is due to this being the winning margin registered against the Brisbane Lions at the MCG in Round 15.
It didn’t seem that it was going to be that way at the start. Up in the MCC Library, the early response to Melbourne’s form after three weeks of losses was ‘here we go again’. Brisbane had made it to eight points ahead in the first quarter before Ben Brown landed a behind from a nearly side on angle for Melbourne’s first score.
There was a sigh of relief when this happened, followed by Sparrow kicking Melbourne’s first goal with just under eight minutes remaining in the first quarter.
By the end of the first quarter, even though the Lions were ahead, it was time to reassure those in attendance that the signs were good. May, Petty and Lever were holding firm, shaping the ‘Men’s Department’ in the backline, with Angus Brayshaw close by as an adopted member of the group.
Maybe, we mused, the reverse was happening to earlier weeks. So, we’d start slowly and finish off with a burst. Why not? The big loss was the captain; it was Max Gawn’s first absence since 2020, after forty consecutive games. But good captains create good teams, and good teams can succeed even when their captain is absent. Meanwhile, Jackson was holding his own in the ruck, and the entire team was rising to the challenge.
By the time the second quarter was well in progress, James Jordon levelled the scores with a lovely goal; although little to that stage could beat Harmes’ earlier effort, let go by two Lions to cross the line and be accepted on review.
Jordon’s goal marked the beginning of good things for the Demons, and the crowd responded accordingly. It was about now that the stats started to pile up against the Lions. They hadn’t played at the MCG since the first round of 2020, and hadn’t defeated Melbourne at the MCG for ten seasons.
By the time Neal-Bullen directed a bouncing ball goalward in the second quarter, the Demons had kicked the last three goals.
Bedford’s banana special then meant that the team had kicked the last four goals and the margin was out to sixteen points. When Brown kicked a goal, the margin was five goals in Melbourne’s favour, with six goals to one in the second quarter, and a thirty point lead at half time.
It was time to take a deep breath and enjoy the break, as well as admiring the efforts of Viney in the captaincy role. His strength was reminiscent of his father a generation earlier, with the determination to push through and persevere definitely a genetic trait in the Viney clan.
The atmosphere had distinctly lightened by the time the siren sounded to start the third quarter. It almost – after three losses – had an almost celebratory sound.
Always one to bring the joy to any game, Pickett’s pirouetting goal in the third quarter reflected the triumph taking shape on the scoreboard. The battle between first and second on the ladder was turning out to be an exchange of places, and in no uncertain terms.
The final quarter told the story of the game, and it was a happy ending for Melbourne, with 5.4 to Brisbane’s 1.4. From leading at the start of the term by 40 points, they made sure that the ‘Grand Old Flag’ was ringing around the game, courtesy of the beautiful margin of 64 points. After three despondent weeks, it was a welcome end to proceedings, with Melbourne a game clear of all opposition by the end of the round. Thursday night football; not always loved, but with such a win, it was something special indeed.
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.