MELBOURNE hasoverrun Essendon to notch a stunning upset, holding on in the tense finalmoments to win by one point in one of the season's most memorable games at theMCG.
SubstituteChristian Salem kicked the winning goal with 19 seconds remaining and theDemons held on in their defensive 50m to win 12.6 (78) to 10.17 (77).
Bombersmidfielder David Zaharakis threatened to win the match off his own boot in thefinal minutes, kicking back-to-back running goals from 50m to turn aneight-point deficit into a four-point lead for the Dons, who had led forthree-and-a-half quarters.
Salem,however, playing just his seventh game, capped off a brilliant cameoperformance when Daniel Cross held his nerve streaming inside 50 and found the18-year-old 25m from goal.
Melbourne hadearlier fallen 33 points behind in the third quarter but kicked nine of thelast 12 goals to break the Bombers' hearts at the end of another difficult weekfor the club.
Dean Kent wasbrilliant for Demons, kicking two second-half goals. He gave his team the leadhalfway through the final term when he took possession on the wing and went ona three-bounce run to kick a team-lifting goal.
Co-captainNathan Jones was also outstanding, finishing with 27 possessions and eightclearances, while defender Lynden Dunn held the defence together with 29possessions, 11 marks and 16 rebound 50s.
"Theyshould have put us away, we certainly dodged a bullet," Melbourne coachPaul Roos said post-match.
"Athalf-time I think we only had 11 inside 50s and we were playing pretty poorly.
"Fullcredit to our guys, it could have easily been a 70-80-point loss.
"Theywere pretty stiff but we're pretty excited about winning."
In the newlandscape that saw Essendon players handed show-cause notices by ASADA onThursday, the show went on at the MCG and the club appeared on track for aspirit-lifting win in the third quarter.
They lacked atall forward presence in the second half, however, with Jake Carlisle playingin defence alongside Michael Hurley and Joe Daniher held to one goal.
Coach MarkThompson, who kept his players behind closed doors for 45 minutes post-match,said the Bombers had lacked discipline and their performance had nothing to dowith the off-field events of this week.
Asked whataspects of the game he was unhappy with, the coach said, "kicking,structures, stoppages, shots at goal, defensive skills, handballing –everything".
"I justbasically said, 'Stop doing this – if you're serious about what you do just doit properly'," he said.
"[They]know what they're doing. They know. You can do all the talk, all the reviews,we can treat them, train them, everything.
"In theend if they let themselves continue to do it then they'll play the same way andwe'll do it for a long time.
"Sosomething's got to change."
In theabsence of late withdrawal Dustin Fletcher (back) and captain Jobe Watson, whohas inspired the Dons when they've had their backs to the wall previously,Brendon Goddard skippered the team.
He delivereda lengthy message pre-game and then led by example with a strong midfieldperformance, finishing with 31 possessions and 10 marks.
The Bombersenjoyed a lopsided inside 50 count in the first half (38-11) against anopposition intent on retaining possession and minimising risk.
Once theDemons flicked their attacking switch after half-time, however, Mark Thompson'smen found themselves in a genuine contest and missed an opportunity to returnto the top eight.
ESSENDON 2.4 5.12 8.12 10.17 (77)
MELBOURNE 0.3 3.3 7.6 12.6 (78)
GOALS
Essendon: Zaharakis 4, Ambrose, Ryder, Z. Merrett,Chapman, Goddard, Daniher
Melbourne: Pedersen 2, Frawley 2, Kent 2, Watts 2,Jones, Grimes, Vince, Salem
BEST
Essendon: Zaharakis, Goddard, Dempsey, Carlisle,Hibberd, Ambrose
Melbourne: Jones, Pedersen, Viney, Frawley,Tyson, Cross, Dunn
INJURIES
Essendon: Nil
Melbourne: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Essendon: Jake Melksham substituted out atthree-quarter time for Elliot Kavanagh
Melbourne: Aidan Riley substituted out in thethird quarter for Christian Salem
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Hosking, Schmitt, Pannell
Official crowd: 44,622 at the MCG
