Summary
MELBOURNE recorded its second win on the trot in Round 3, running away from Brisbane by 39 points on Sunday afternoon.
Aliesha Newman got the Demons off to a flying start with the opening two goals of the match which handed Melbourne an early lead against the breeze.
And when the red and blue were given the chance to attack with the wind, they took full toll.
A five-goal second term saw the Dees take a 40-point lead into the main break, putting them in an unbeatable position.
The Lions hustled in the second half, but Melbourne proved too good with 12 more inside 50s and 52 more disposals for the afternoon.
Demon utility Bianca Jakobsson was instrumental for her side gathering 14 disposals and slotting two goals in the win. She recaps the Round 3 clash below.
The numbers
DISPOSALS: Paxman 24, Pearce 21, Newman 19, O’Dea 18, Jakobsson, Phillips 14, Hore, Scott 13
GOALS: Newman 3, Jakobsson 2, Cunningham, Paxman, Smith, Zanker
Second quarter dominance
“Brisbane brought the heat pretty early – we knew they were going to challenge us in the contested area of the game as that’s our strength. So I think in the second quarter our ability to play the game in our forward half was really important, and something that we wanted going into that quarter.
“Our ability to be composed around the footy, play that run and carry game, use our numbers around the footy and then get it in deep to our forwards was a really big difference in the second quarter.”
The standouts
“Harriet Cordner was hugely influential for us yesterday – she set the tone and had a big task on Sabrina (Frederick-Traub).
“The likes of Meg Downie and those backs were able to help Harriet out as well. We knew it was a really big task and we wanted to help her, but Harriet got the job done and really inspired us yesterday.
“It’s also really good to have Lozzy-P (Lauren Pearce) around the ground. With the work she’s put in on the track there’s no coincidence why she’s playing the way she is.
“She gives us first use of the ball and plays like another onballer really – her work on the ground and follow up is phenomenal. Her work inside 50 when she goes forward as well is a huge asset for us.
“Having her and obviously Karen Paxman and Junior (Elise O’Dea) around the ball getting it going forward for us was great.”
Attacking game
“We know that our offence will come off the back of our really good defensive work and work in the middle of the ground.
“We just wanted to play a really attacking game style, especially in the second quarter when we knew we had that breeze, so we just wanted to get it in deep and give our forwards the best opportunity to get to work and use their craft.
“We know they are as good as anyone one-on-one so we just want to get it into them as much as we can.
“We’ve got a lot of speed and a lot of versatility in that forward line, and players that can take contested marks.
“Having that pace in the forward line is a big focus for us and it helps our ability to score.”
Winning on the road
“We went up there and we knew we had a job to do – we weren’t shying away from it.
“We wanted to go there and get the four points – that was the sole purpose of the trip.
“All of that bonding comes off the back of that, but we were there to win and it was really good to get the job done on the road.
“I had never actually played in Brisbane, so it was really good to get up there.
“There was a good atmosphere, a big crowd in, and it was a really good ground to play at.”
Mick’s message
“He was really happy. We went there to get the four points and we got the job done.
“That’s off the back of a lot of hard work and all the little things we do during the week at training, so it’s no coincidence that it’s coming out game day.
“Mick was just really happy with our consistent four-quarter effort and playing our brand of footy. That’s really important for us going forward to keep making a statement.”
Looking ahead
Round 4 v North Melbourne @ Casey Fields – Sunday, 24 February, 4:05pm
“We’re certainly up for the challenge and really looking forward to it.
“We’ll look at North Melbourne later in the week, we haven’t delved into that too much as of yet, but we know it’s going to be tough.
“They’ve been going well and so have we, so we’re absolutely up for the challenge and we’re looking forward to getting stuck into them this weekend.”