Melbourne captain David Neitz was tying up a record breaking season, and making a welcome return to finals football when the Demons took on the Saints. ‘I missed 2004 and 2005 through injury, so it was great to be back in action’, Neitz recalled.
The Demons’ stay in the 2004 and 2005 finals series had been short lived, so the hopes were high for longevity in 2006. The presence of the captain in what had been a huge season for him already helped to strengthen this ambition. With Melbourne’s most games and most goals already in his keeping, the Club’s longest serving captain - also well on his way to being the Club’s inaugural 300 game player - was a huge bonus.
Coincidentally, Neitz had kicked eight goals to help overcome the Saints earlier in the season - in the very game in which he had broken Robert Flower’s long standing 272-game record for Melbourne. ‘You could say it was a pretty big year’, said Neitz, honoured with a testimonial and hailed for his achievements throughout the season.
So, in front of 67,528 at the MCG on the night of 8 September 2006, the hope was there to continue the momentum. It was a slow start, not helped by Fraser Gehrig kicking three goals in a row for the Saints, before injury took him out of the action. St Kilda led by 20 points at the end of the first quarter.
Melbourne’s midfield steadily gained strength, with the 20 point balance remaining at half time. McLean, Jones and Bate were the main players, with the third quarter much tighter than the first half had been. Getting to within two points, the lead was still with the Saints as the term drew to a close - but it was down to nine points. The stage was set for a memorable last quarter.
And this was where the red and blue fire was finally lit. Kicking the final five goals of the game in a rapid burst, the support acts of Bruce, Green and McLean in the midfield - complemented by White in the ruck - held sway. McLean proved a particular highlight, kicking two goals - but the magic of the story was Neitz’s in this last quarter, when, after out-bustling Max Hudghton, he kicked the goal that gave Melbourne the lead for the first time in the game.
It was Melbourne’s time to triumph. With a three goal win, they were one step further along the finals road, with the only downside an injury to defender Matthew Whelan. Apart from this, coach Neale Daniher was delighted with his side, saying ‘We’ve got a number of games. We can win when it’s open and running, or when it’s in tight.’ Having emerged victorious against the notoriously tough Saints of the day, all credit was with the Demons for this, a memorable finals victory.
