A final-term fade-out has cost the Demons victory in their first round NAB Cup encounter with Hawthorn at Telstra Dome on Sunday.
A final-term fade-out has cost the Demons victory in their first round NAB Cup encounter with Hawthorn at Telstra Dome on Sunday.Melbourne led by 12 points at the final change but was unable to hold back the Hawks' surge in going down 3.11.17 (110) to 2.9.14 (86).Melbourne got excellent service from Cameron Bruce and Nathan Brown, who each had 29 disposals for the match, while David Neitz and Russell Robertson bagged two goals apiece.Lance Franklin was the architect for the Hawks bagging four of his five goals on the night in the last term, while Grant Birchall and Luke Hodge were also influential with 23 possessions each.The Dees got the better start after Robertson's opening goal, but the Hawks soon found their feet with Franklin bagging his first 10 minutes in and led by five points at the first break courtesy of Ben McGlynn's late goal.Jarryd Roughead extended that lead early in the second with his first, but that was to be the Hawks' only goal for the term as the Demons found their rhythm to go on a five-goal run and retake the lead.Skipper Neitz's second started the run and a bit of pure class from Bruce in traffic finished it with Melbourne holding a 16-point lead at the main break.Mark Williams had been unsighted for Hawthorn in the first half, but he burst onto the scene in the third quarter with two goals to narrow the margin.The Dees were equal to the challenge, however, and gave themselves some breathing space on the back of two supergoals to Chris Johnson and Brad Green. Johnson's goal came with a touch of controversy after it was initially ruled a six-pointer, but was later corrected to nine points at the three-quarter time break.Not to be denied, the Hawks quite amazingly struck back with two successive nine-pointers of their own - to Beau Muston and McGlynn - to trail by 12 points at the last change.That deficit lasted just two minutes though, as Franklin booted two goals to draw the sides level with Roughead soon putting his side back in front with his second.Jordan Lewis made a Melbourne comeback unlikely when a 50-metre penalty gifted him a supergoal and Franklin shut the gate with another two goals.MELBOURNE: 0.2.5, 07.6, 2.8.13, 2.9.14 (86)HAWTHORN: 0.3.4, 0.4.8, 2.6.13, 3.11.17 (110)NINE POINT GOALS: Melbourne: C Johnson, GreenHawthorn: Muston, McGlynn, LewisSIX POINT GOALS: Melbourne: Neitz 2, Robertson 2, Dunn, Brown, Bruce, Johnson, GreenHawthorn: Franklin 5, Roughead 2, Williams 2, Young, McGlynnBEST: Melbourne: Bruce, Green, Brown, McDonald, Jamar, C Johnson, WardHawthorn: Franklin, Hodge, Birchall, Crawford, Bateman, Lewis, TaylorINJURIES: Melbourne: NilHawthorn: Ladson (ankle)REPORTS: NilCROWD: 14,000 (est.) at Telstra Dome
Melbourne centre-half-back Jared Rivers believes AFL defenders will be forced to play entirely differently in 2007 in order to cope with the league's much tough