Melbourne has broken the longest premiership drought in the AFL, kicking 16 of the last 17 goals of the season to record a huge 74-point win over the Bulldogs in the Grand Final at Optus Stadium.
The tears were openly flowing on the Melbourne bench in the final five minutes of the contest, as there would have been for long-suffering Demons fans at home and around the country who haven’t celebrated a premiership for 57 years.
It came on a night where Christian Petracca equalled the record for the most disposals in a Grand Final on his way to 39 and a Norm Smith Medal.
Despite the massive margin, most of the contest was a close game, but the Dees found one final gear that not even the Dogs could go with.
It’s hard to believe just how much happened in a bit under three hours in Perth, and despite all the goals and momentum swings, Melbourne were still able to triumph by the huge margin.
It was a hot footy early on, everything the Dees touching turning to gold. They looked dangerous every time they went inside fifty and had the composure to hit up their kicks.
The pressure from both teams was on, but while the Demons were able to pick their way through, the Dogs could do little more than dump the kick out of a contest.
Entering quarter time with a three-goal lead, Melbourne looked red hot and well in control of the contest. But we didn’t have to wait long for what the Dogs had in store, as the script was completely flipped in the second term.
Suddenly, it was the Dogs who would score every time they went forward. Adam Treloar and Marcus Bontempelli began to assert some influence both in the contest and on the scoreboard, while Caleb Daniel was everywhere to record 26 disposals in just a half of footy.
With little over a goal the margin in favour of the Dogs at the break, what looked to be game over at quarter time was well and truly game on with a half to play.
Picking up where they left off, Jason Johannisen and Bontempelli both had moments of individual brilliance that ended in goals early in the third.
With a 19-point deficit and having controlled the contest for a quarter and a half, Demons fans would have started to worry.
However, Bayley Fritsch got the Dees back into the clash, kicking two goals in a matter of minutes, before Ben Brown added a third shortly after.
The Demons had broken the game open with three goals in less than two minutes of game time, and if nobody saw that coming then they certainly didn’t predict what was next.
Three more goals in the final minute of the term saw the Demons enter three-quarter-time four goals up, the biggest margin of the match. In no more than half a quarter, the Grand Final had been completely flipped on its head.
Luke Beveridge had to not only pick himself up but get his players up for the biggest quarter of their career, after conceding six goals in the blink of an eye.
However, the bleeding simply couldn’t be stopped. Melbourne was off and gone with the prize, kicking nine goals to one in the final term.
A midfield duo got to work once again, we saw incredible momentum swings, and was Melbourne’s captain robbed of a big-time goal?
Here’s everything you need to know!
Melbourne’s midfield does it again
It’s certainly not a new narrative, but Petracca and Oliver have been a huge part of Melbourne’s premiership push, and once again they were a huge part of their Grand Final victory.
The duo have played their whole careers together and Saturday night was the epitome of their combination. Both stood up at different points throughout the contest when the game was on the line.
Petracca was so close to the first 40-possession player in an AFL Grand Final and in the end, the pair combined for 72 disposals and three goals.
They’re a duo that will no doubt go down in Melbourne history and look set to become two of the greatest Dees of all time.
A game of quarters
There wasn’t much of a wind at Optus Stadium, but there was well and truly a scoring end for the first three quarters. At the three-quarter time there were just five goals kicked at one end of the ground, while the other saw 17.
Melbourne had the run in the first quarter before the tables were turned in the second as the Western Bulldogs kicked strongly. Beveridge’s men had control halfway through the third before one of the most ridiculous score worms a footy fan will ever see, the Demons slamming home seven goals in the back half of the quarter.
The theory of a ‘scoring end’ was certainly shattered in the last quarter, as Melbourne added another nine goals on the opposite end.
However, it was certainly a game of momentum swings and drastic turnarounds which no punter could have predicted, and that’s what made it an epic Grand Final.
Gawn Behind
The Dogs were on a run early in the second, kicking the first three goals to narrow the margin to just a few points. Melbourne captain Max Gawn had a shot from the pocket to try and stem the bleeding right when his team needed it most, the match at a crucial point.
The kick was well struck and looked close all the way until the goal umpire signalled a behind.
Multiple replays showed the ball might have actually gone through the big sticks, but then again the goal umpire was in the best position.
However, Gawn wasn’t convinced, initially celebrating like a goal before realising the decision.
Either way, it was Gawn’s second behind in two quarters, and the Dogs would go on to kick the last three majors of the quarter to take the lead at halftime.
In the end, it didn’t matter, but it was certainly set to be a big talking point with the Dogs in control throughout the middle of the match.
FULL SCORE
Melbourne: 4.5, 5.9, 12.11, 21.14 (140)
Western Bulldogs: 1.2, 7.5, 9.5, 10.6 (66)
GOALS
Melbourne: Fritsch 6, Brown 3, Petracca 2, McDonald 2, Oliver, Brayshaw, Salem, Neal-Bullen, Jackson, Langdon, Sparrow, Spargo
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli 3, Treloar 3, R. Smith, Hunter, Johannisen, Naughton
BEST
Melbourne: Petracca, Fritsch, Oliver, Brayshaw, Salem, Gawn, Viney
Western Bulldogs: Bontempelli, Macrae, Treloar, Daniel, Liberatore
INJURIES
Melbourne: nil
Western Bulldogs: Wood (hand)
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