Melbourne 16.8 (103) have beaten Hawthorn 10.11 (71)
The Demons have done it! They’re through to a preliminary final, and will face the tough trip to Perth next week to face West Coast. It was, strangely, as most people tipped, though Hawthorn finished higher on the ladder. To be honest the Hawks didn’t really look like a top-four side this finals series: they’ve been good and competitive but lacked that final edge. Melbourne had that. The Demons fought hard when Hawthorn pressed, and were damaging on the counterattack. Tom Mitchell was injured early for Hawthorn, and while he still picked up 24 possessions he was down on influence. In the end the scoreboard tells a lot of the tale: 21 scoring shots to 24, but Melbourne were much more accurate. Hawthorn could have put a lot more pressure on had they not wasted a few good chances.
Delirium for the Dees, they’ve done it tough for a long while, but they’ve built an exciting and determined team. It’ll be tough going next week, but you never know. Tomorrow we’ll have Collingwood and GWS fighting it out to see who joins Richmond in the other preliminary final. Join us then.
Goal! Hawthorn 10.11 (71) to Melbourne 16.7 (103)
Third quarter, 2:00 remaining. It’s celebration time! The ball tumbling into the pocket, bodies flying everywhere, but Spargo arrives at full tilt and snatches the loose ball to throw it on his boot before he meets contact. It’s a goal alright.
Goal! Hawthorn 10.11 (71) to Melbourne 15.7 (97)
Third quarter, 5:30 remaining. Roughead keeps his feet as the ball ricochets around the teeth of goal, and he’s eventually able to snare it and kick it under an attempted smother to keep faint hopes alive.
Goal! Hawthorn 9.11 (65) to Melbourne 15.7 (97)
Fourth quarter, 7:00 remaining. Surely it’s done now. Daniel Howe can’t escape the backline, the ball turned over on the half-back flank and comes back in to Jake Melksham. He marks deep in the pocket and kicks an excellent set shot.
Favourite moment of tonight: Bruce McAvaney unwittingly saying “Howe deep in defence.” (Is it like an ocean?)
Goal! Hawthorn 9.11 (65) to Melbourne 14.7 (91)
Fourth quarter, 9:59 remaining. Challenged. Answered. Petracca misses a snap for Melbourne, but the ball comes back after the kick-in, a long ball into the forward line, and McDonald takes a towering mark against two Hawthorn defenders. Had a good run at the ball thanks to the quick movement, and clunked it. He kicks his fourth, and the lead is back out to 26.
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Goal! Hawthorn 9.11 (65) to Melbourne 13.5 (83)
Fourth quarter, 11:40 remaining. Can the Demons withstand the pressure? Yes they can. They scrub it out of the centre. Brayshaw has recovered from his head knock enough to win the ball forward to Melksham, who picks it up at the 50 and... kicks a long goal! Snapped, bouncing, and through! This has turned into a cracker.
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Goal! Hawthorn 9.11 (65) to Melbourne 12.5 (77)
Fourth quarter, 12:10 remaining. The Hawks are within two goals. Wwwwwobbbles for the Demons now. The umpires are not helping. Roughead wins a debatable free kick for a push in the back as he fell over near the goalsquare. Slots the goal.
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Fourth quarter, 15:00 remaining. If the last call was a shocker, the next is even worse. Jordan Lewis inside 50 sees the bouncing ball, dives at it and puts his hands on it, then Gunston crashed into him and falls over the top of him quite deliberately. The umpire again pays a free for contact below the knee. But if Gunston is the heartbeat, he’s got a bit of arrhythmia tonight. Misses the chance for three in a row. It’s 58-77.
Goal! Hawthorn 8.9 (57) to Melbourne 12.5 (77)
Fourth quarter, 17:40 remaining. Two in a row for Hawthorn, and another grim moment for the Brayshaw family. Angus Brayshaw gets down on the ball in the centre square, I think it was Burgoyne arriving late, kneeing him in the head, and somehow winning a free kick for Brayshaw making contact below the knee. That is a deadset shocker. The ball goes forward and Gunston marks and goals from the pocket. He’s the heartbeat tonight.
Goal! Hawthorn 7.9 (51) to Melbourne 12.5 (77)
Finally it’s Hawthorn who gets the quick goal to start things off. Isaac Smith with a long launch from 50.
Three-quarter time: Hawthorn 6.9 (45) to Melbourne 12.5 (77)
It’s a 32-point lead to Melbourne at the final break. Can the Hawks find one late rally, or is the momentum just too much?
Goal! Hawthorn 6.9 (45) to Melbourne 12.5 (77)
3rd quarter, 0:20 remaining. How did he do that? It’s pinballing around on Melbourne’s half-forward line, with smothers and strips and scrambles. Viney ends up with it, destined to be gang tackled. But somehow he spins, steps, dodges, and in the end evades three Hawks, getting the ball onto his good left boot a split second before being crunched. It floats across the face of goal, Brayshaw backs into the contest, gets a hand up to slap the ball out of the air, then clutches it to his chest falling backwards. His set shot is home, and Melbourne might just about be home themselves. Are they in the preliminary final?
Goooooal! Hawthorn 6.9 (45) to Melbourne 11.5 (71)
3rd quarter, 3:40 remaining. Was that the sound of the dam bursting? Melbourne go forward again from the centre bounce, Mitch Hannan bodies McEvoy out of the contest, marks 20 out and kicks the goal. Suddenly the margin is 26 points, the biggest of the night.
Goooooal! Hawthorn 6.9 (45) to Melbourne 10.5 (65)
3rd quarter, 4:26 remaining. Gunston hits the post! On the run from 20 out! Hawthorn could have had back to back goals to get back in the game. The ball surged forward from Hawthorn’s defence, the kick forward cleared everyone running back, Gunston had the head start, it sat up for him, he gathered and hit the post. Then Melbourne surge all the way back the other way, quickly into their own 50, towards their own line, and Melksham is lurking in the forward pocket to slam the ball home! What a turnaround, 11 points in the end and Gunston is distraught.
Goal! Hawthorn 6.8 (44) to Melbourne 9.5 (59)
3rd quarter, 6:13 remaining. The immediate reply from the Hawks, with a centre clearance kicked to Gunston’s lead, and he nails the set shot from 45 swinging back from left to right.
Goal! Hawthorn 5.8 (38) to Melbourne 9.5 (59)
3rd quarter, 7:02 remaining. Melbourne was about to be done for holding the ball, but Charlie Spargo gets high contact in the contest and ends up winning the free instead. He’s in the left forward pocket, a tight angle, but he slots it beautifully, and a goal review finds that the ball crossed the line before being touched. Melbourne’s score is 9.5 - what a way to make a living.
Goal! Hawthorn 5.8 (38) to Melbourne 8.5 (53)
3rd quarter, 8:27 remaining. Schoenmakers keeps the Hawks close enough, marking Impey’s pass after Impey played a marking contest well on the wing, let the ball carry the pack and grabbed the loose ball. He ran away with it and hit Schoenmakers on the chest, and despite an awkward stuttering run-up, the ruckman sends a steepler through the middle.
Goal! Hawthorn 4.8 (32) to Melbourne 8.5 (53)
3rd quarter, 10:59 remaining. Salem finds vandenBerg with a composed pass across the face of goal, but vandenBerg hits the post from 40 out. It was Petracca who got the handball out to start that chain, then he’s central again in a passage of play on the wing. Tom McDonald marks close to goal and kicks his third. A couple of misses, but that one calms the nerves.
Goal! Hawthorn 4.8 (32) to Melbourne 7.4 (46)
3rd quarter, 13:30 remaining. Puopolo isn’t always the most reliable user of the football, but he does make things happen. This time it’s a goal. Pickpockets the ball in the right forward pocket, and kicks an underground ball, end over end, that spins and bounces the right way to dribble through the middle.
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3rd quarter, 14:59 remaining. Some fierce contests through the centre, and Melbourne fly forward again. Melksham looks for a target, kicks to a contest, Neal-Bullen roves the loose ball and snaps a point. The lead is an even 20. Hawthorn respond by trying to get their precision kicking game going again. They work it well enough to the half-forward flank, but the final pass isn’t there. Melbourne win it back, it goes coast to coast once more thanks to some clever footwork from Viney in defence to start that chain, and the ball ends up with Melksham marking. He kicks from 45 out, but drifts it wide. It’s 25-46.
Goal! Hawthorn 3.7 (25) to Melbourne 7.2 (44)
3rd quarter, 19:30 remaining. Again the quick start for the Demons! Oliver wins the free kick out of the centre bounce, pumps it forward, and Weideman peels off the back of the contest to mark it unopposed. He kicks it from 30, and the Dees are 19 points up. Their long-suffering fans might even be more nervous at being a genuine chance to win...
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Half time: Hawthorn 3.7 (25) to Melbourne 6.2 (38)
Gunston marks deep in the pocket with nine seconds left, the siren sounds, and his kick after it hangs to the near side of the goal. Hawthorn were on top most of the quarter, but Melbourne went from level to 13 points ahead thanks to Hawthorn’s wasted chances. Jordan Lewis delivers a dissertation on transition tactics to boundary rider Daisy Pearce as he comes off the field. Grab a cuppa.
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Goal! Hawthorn 3.6 (24) to Melbourne 6.2 (38)
2nd quarter, 2:44 remaining. A quick chain of possession through the middle: Jones, Spargo, Neal-Bullen, then the chip to Brayshaw 45 out, straight in front. He kicks low but truly, and totally against the run of play, the Demons have kicked themselves some breathing space. Four consecutive behinds for Hawthorn during their dominant period.
2nd quarter, 5:21 remaining. A scrappy five minutes for Melbourne as Hawthorn threatened several times, switching flanks, trying to get their short passing game going, but can’t find the final blow. It culminates with the ball flying over the top into an unattended Hawthorn forward line, Gunston having the box seat in the chase back, but Hibberd making up five or six metres on him in a desperate sprint to spoil him on the goal line.
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2nd quarter, 11:00 remaining. What was that! Somehow, Gunston holds off a player about 20 kilos heavier in Max Gawn, protects the drop of the ball, and reels in a one-hander stretching back. Brilliant, but then instead of kicking a drop punt like he did so well earlier, Gunston tries a J-curve running around the mark. Gawn is still his opponent, and with the ruckman’s long reach, he nearly gets a fingertip on the ball. The pressure is enough to make Gunston miss. Tactical misstep from the Hawk, you’d reckon.
2nd quarter, 13:22 remaining. Mitchell gives away a free kick in the middle of the ground by shouldering Clayton Oliver, who goes to ground. The free is paid downfield, giving van den Berg a shot from 50, but he only just sneaks it in for a point. 20-32.
Goal! Hawthorn 3.1 (19) to Melbourne 5.1 (31)
2nd quarter, 14:21 remaining. Paul Pupolo wins a free kick about 30 out but misses the set shot. Poor. The Demons crash through the middle, Jordan Lewis lining up one of his old teammates for a heavy hip-and-shoulder. Melbourne win yet another holding-the-ball call at half forward for them, but the advantage is paid and Nathan Jones runs out of options in the pocket. Hawthorn get it back, but Melbourne’s pressure again wins it back, and the ball comes forward for Weideman to mark straight in front. He nails the set shot.
Goal! Hawthorn 3.1 (19) to Melbourne 4.1 (25)
2nd quarter, 19:03 remaining. Perfect start for Melbourne. Viney pumps it forward for Max Gawn, and the big ruckman takes the mark and kicks the opening goal. Route 1 football.
Quarter time: Hawthorn 3.1 (19) to Melbourne 3.1 (19)
Viney is legged on the wing with eight seconds to go, but can’t get it forward fast enough to find an avenue to goal. It’s quarter time, all level, a good struggle. Melbourne will feel confident that they’ve stayed in the game against opponents with far more finals experience. The biggest story of that quarter, though, is probably that Tom Mitchell is in serious bother with that shoulder, having come off a couple of times in substantial discomfort. Time to take five.
Goal! Hawthorn 3.1 (19) to Melbourne 3.1 (19)
1st quarter, 1:37 remaining. Gunston wins the free for holding the ball, a bit dodgy after the Hawthorn man helps his opponent drag and hold it in. But he gets to line up from the pocket regardless, and slots a set shot on an angle. We’re all square.
Goal! Hawthorn 2.1 (13) to Melbourne 3.1 (19)
1st quarter, 2:20 remaining. The Dees hit back immediately! Get the ball to half-forward, Brayshaw wins a free for a hold, the ball spills free and advantage is paid, and Christian Petracca curls a running shot from just inside 50 through the middle!
Goal! Hawthorn 2.1 (13) to Melbourne 2.1 (13)
1st quarter, 3:20 remaining. Worpel a set shot for Hawthorn but misses. Tom Mitchell, the Hawthorn ball magnet, was on the bench for a while getting a sore shoulder checked after wearing a heavy bump. He comes back on and is immediately slammed into the ground in a tackle. Wins a free kick. Harms is the tagger making Mitchell’s life miserable. The name is apt. Hardwick, with his 80s rat-mullet making him stand out a mile, has been influential at half-back, three interceptions in the last few minutes. The last one lets Puopolo loose on the wing for a one-handed pick up and a sprint towards the forward line. His quick entry gives Worpel another chance, and from the open play situation, the forward kicks truly. Scores level.
Goal! Hawthorn 1.1 (7) to Melbourne 2.1 (13)
1st quarter, 7:20 remaining. Melbourne come back up towards the wing, nearly turn it over but win it back with a tackle, and three Demons can raffle the ball between them to surge towards half-forward. Jake Melksham runs to 50 and curls a little pass, which is kicked to Spargo in the pocket. He sees McDonald unmarked nearer the goalsquare and handballs over the top for an unopposed goal.
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1st quarter, 9:59 remaining. Mirra, the late Hawthorn inclusion, is brought down by Spargo in Melbourne’s forward pocket, but the umpire rules no prior opportunity. The ball comes outside 50 and straight back in, but Jetta just carries McDonald with a pass that was trying to thread the needle. Schoenmakers for the Hawks eventually wins a free kick and can clear defence. The Dees win it back on the wing, Salem pumps it forward, and as a scrum of bodies falls on the ball, there’ll be a throw. The Hawks finall clear, Breust sells some candy on the wing and streams forward, but the forward entry is awry again. Duryea eventually gets the loose ball, launches from 50, but his shot is marked on the line and Melbourne will clear.
1st quarter, 12:29 remaining. Harms wins a free at half back for a tackle, and releases Petracca, but his disposal going forward turns it over. McDonald cuts it off as the Hawks try to come back out. Gawn can’t mark for Melbourne at full forward, but Lewis marks in the centre for the Dees. On the third attempt forward, all three under no pressure, Jones kicks directly to the Hawthorn defence. The ball comes into the centre again, and will be balled up.
Goal! Hawthorn 1.1 (7) to Melbourne 1.1 (7)
1st quarter, 14:26 remaining. Coast to coast for the Demons, who want to go from Australia’s east coast to its west coast to play next week. A barrel from full-back lands in the centre square and is spoiled. Brayshaw tips it up to Clayton Oliver, who runs his measure and unloads into the forward 50. McDonald finds the placement is to his advantage, marks 30 out and goals from the set shot. The Dees are away, and the scores are level.
1st quarter, 15:10 remaining. Roughead has a flying shot at goal from the right pocket and misses. It’s 7-1.
1st quarter, 16:30 remaining. Christian Salem wins a free kick at centre half forward for call of holding the ball. He’s a nice kick of the football, but from 50 directly in front he can’t hold his composure and it fades left. Melbourne’s first score is a point. It’s 6-1.
Goal! Hawthorn 1.0 (6) to Melbourne 0.0 (0)
1st quarter, 18:30 remaining. A free kick out of the centre bounce for a hold. The ball goes into Hawthorn’s attacking territory, is marked by Melbourne at full back, exits the 50, then is turned over and poked back in. Schoenmakers has pushed forward and is able to find space in the pocket for the ball to land in his arms. He kicks truly from the left pocket.
We’re about to get underway. Some schmaltzy video montages in the lead-up, the national anthem so that various windbag politicians can bang on about who’s standing up and who’s sitting down. Give us a spell. And here we go.
Drop us a line
You may have been watching more footy this season than me, so by all means get in touch if you have something worthwhile (or ridiculous) to add. Email geoff.lemon@theguardian.com or hit the tweetybox via @GeoffLemonSport.
Teams
The Demons go in unchanged from their win last week.
The Hawks are missing Stratton and O’Meara through injury, and have dropped Ceglar. In come Duryea, Mirra and Schoenmakers.
Preamble
Evening all. Then there were six. And now we begin the process of trimming them down to four. A preliminary final against West Coast awaits the winner of tonight’s game between Melbourne and Hawthorn at a well-packed MCG. It was full to the literal rafters when Melbourne played Geelong last week, so you’d expect nothing less tonight.
Hawthorn are the team who ran the football land for a good few years, winning three in a row from 2013 to 2015. They were supposed to plunge back down the ladder in a rebuilding phase, but instead managed to scrap into a top-four spot this year, meaning they’re still alive after losing last week to Richmond in fairly emphatic style.
Melbourne have spent years in the doldrums, but have been building momentum the last couple of years, narrowly missing finals last year, and this year made it and are looking good.
What usually happens in these finals is that the top-four side that lost in the first week bounces back to win in the second week. The teams who finished between 5th and 8th spots usually don’t go beyond this week. But people are confident that Melbourne can flip that trend, given their high-scoring style and high-pressure game. We’ll see. Still plenty of wily old Hawks in the eyrie.
