The 2 Teams that are currently in the Top 5 Ladder of the League so far this season. Both Melbourne Demons and the Brisbane Lions had a really strong which one of them is best for defense and the other is for offense. The Match was hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground which is known as the MGG. One the battle of 3rd Place could be one winner in Round 18 of the 2023 AFL Season to be in the new current ladder while Collingwood is remained the top team of the league just behind Port Adelaide.
The match started with a goal from Alex Neal-Bullen which Melbourne took an early lead. Then Ed Langdon kicked it on the edge of the field to Christian Pentracca and kicked it to advantage the second goal. Pentracca had another goal in the 50 meter kick which they dominated in the first quarter. The Demons took charge and scores another goal from Ben Brown the key forward and took another 50 metre goal kick. The Lions couldn’t be pulled through the defense and had no chance of going front until more than 10 minutes left which Zac Bailey caught the footy on the mark and kicked it at the 50 metre line which give the Lions a goal. The Dees had another way to get a goal with a few passes from Jake Melksham to Ben Brown for a quick mark and quickly give it to Charlie Spargo and kicked it inside the goal square and expanded their lead. The Crowd was pumped that the Demons continued to play their part to stump the Lions. It took Brisbane a while to head themselves on the scoreboard with 2 behinds until Charlie Cameron got the footy inside the 50 metre circle and took the goal for the Lions. In the meantime, Kysaiah Pickett held the ball and then kick a high shot by the post and excitedly made it into which the fans went wild for the time of their lives. Joe Daniher of the Lions held the ball right before the siren sounded to wrap up the 1st Quarter which he was lucky enough to kick the footy up and went for the goal which the Brisbane Lions Fans were delighted to see them get closer but had plenty of time to make the effort. It was a splendid game for a Friday Night of Football.
The 2nd Quarter started with a Melbourne Behind but quickly became a goal from an interception from Conor McKenna of the Lions to Jake Bowey of the Dees who went for a powerful kick to help Melbourne resume their lead. Then Brisbane responded quickly to get more possession which give them help from Will Ashcroft and dodge a long kick to Oscar Mclnerney and ran a few steps to kick the ball near the goal square and the Lions woke the spirit to bring back their lead. Then the Lions each had the ball for a pass and give it to Ashcroft and kicked the footy on the edge of the field but managed to kick it out wide to the goal for a flying shot. When Melbourne was about control the backside of the field, Jaspa Fletcher intercepted the ball and ran all the way to the inside of the 50 metre circle and got a goal for Brisbane. Afterward, Jack Gunston helped the Lions get the lead for the first time of the night by a margin. It didn’t last when the Demons made some passes and give it to Christian Petracca who eventually regain Melbourne back their lead. The Lions had got some passes from Gunston, McKenna, and Mcinerney and handed them to Cameron who took the mark on the edge of the AFL TOYOTA logo outside of the centre square. So eventually, Dayne Zorko kicked it to Joe Daniher who took a long range to Zac Bailey and dive into the goal square which the siren sounded when it was about to go off to Halftime and Bailey took the goal advantage for the Lions. The Lions took the lead 8.3 (51) to 8.4 (52) by a margin.
3rd Quarter Hugh MccLuggage decided to keep the ball so he can hold it after the mark so he waited patiently and pass it to Blake Coleman. He then passed it to Lincoln McCarthy and caught it inside the 50 metre centre and got the goal for the Lions. Tom Sparrow was tackled by Ryan Lester and gives it to Jack Viney which eventually give it to Taj Woewodin and kick on a long range for a goal on the corner of the field which give the Demons a close spot to get back the lead. When the Refree toss the ball up, Lachie Neale ran the ball and gives it to Jack Gunston which got a goal to give the Brisbane Lions the extensive lead. The Lions took charge of the 3rd Quarter and Zac Bailey did a monstrous goal after going pass through the defense of Melbourne. The Brisbane supporters were going insane for continuing their lead. After a quick tackle, Jarryd Lyons kicked the ball inside the 50 metre circle and landed over the goal square which the Lions became powerful of this match. The Lions was on the back side of the field and ran a couple of passes outside the centre square and gives it to Keidean Coleman and kicked it to Jack Gunston and got the ball inside the circle which eventually got the goal for the Lions. After the point that Melbourne was down over 30, they quickly tried to catch up with a good roll and Kysaiah Pickett was able to help the Demons back to scoring opportunities. The Lions were able to find a quick response with a few passes and gives it to Eric Hipwood and kicked the footy in the corner field which he was able to get the goal and the Lions has almost reached to victory lane. Max Gawn of the Demons has flourished in the solo ruck role which he launched a powerful goal up for high elevation accuracy which Melbourne got a massive goal. His style of power performance is like a rainmaker. The Demons almost got their interception but Zac Bailey quickly handed the ball to Charlie Cameron and made a sharp kick to get the goal. There was traffic congestion while getting the footy until Christian Petracca got the ball and kicked all the way.
When the 4th Quarter started, the Demons were down by 20 points margin with the Lions having the lead with 15.7 (97) to 12.5 (77). Melbourne had to find new strategies to get themselves into a victory position. It started with Max Gawn with a behind and then Brisbane took advantage of the footy and key defender Steven May was caught for push and complained to the referee about the contact which allow the Lions to score another goal so Joe Daniher was able to take the goal for Brisbane and roared up the lead. Eventually, Pickett was able to catch the ball but quickly dropped it and rebounded with the run that he kicked it out to the goal and give the Demons hope to get a narrow victory. While both teams each got a behind Jake Melksham of Melbourne caught the ball on the edge of the field before going out of bounds. He eventually made a corner kick and managed to get in the Center which the goal stand for Melbourne to get closer. With more than 2 minutes left on the clock, the referee threw the ball up and heavy traffic of players tried to get the ball and Jack Viney spins out which he snapped off the goal and need one more goal to get the winning moment. The Melbourne fans were excited to see what they could accomplish if they can get the winning opportunity.
At the 2 minute warning, the Lions and Demons resumed the battle of getting the footy while both defenders took charge of it but Melbourne had more offense chances to keep the team going forward. Coach Chris Fagan of the Brisbane Lions was getting worried because the Lions ran out of confidence and kept their momentum going which the opportunity has faded away from the chance of lack of communication between players and the team itself. Coach Simon Goodwin of the Melbourne Demons had faith that the Dees could find some way to get the winning goal because of their power. The Lions and Melbourne has passed each other on interceptions until Deven Robertson kicked it out of bounds to give more pressure on the ball. The next play was a saved from Max Gawn with a clean pass to Angus Brayshaw who kicked a high shot from the left until Jake Melksham took a dive on the mark and the fans roared the energy that Melksham could be the hero. The Dees had a very strong run throughout most of the match including the 4 Quarter. Jake Melksham has kicked it inside the 50 metre circle and just put the Demons up in front by a 1 point margin with 33 seconds left and the Melbourne Fans were hyped up for the win which The Dees had one of the most amazing comebacks of the season. The Homestand went wild and the celebration was like a victory. After the celebration, both teams resumed the play and Melbourne won the ball which Viney did a giant kick 50 yards to Jacob Van Rooyen but let go of the ball while he tried to pass Melksham. The Brisbane Lions had one more chance to score the winning goal or a behind to tie the game. Ryan Lester tried to get the ball and tackle on the field but Christian Salem stopped the play and tackled Brisbane to avoid their winning triumph. In the final 12 seconds of the match, the Lions all teamed up to pass the ball and hoped the long kick would help them get a mark. The Key Defender Jake Lever intercepted the ball inside the 50 metre circle to avoid the kick after the siren which the Lions demanded a review which Melbourne got the ball first and the siren has alarmed that the match is over and the Demons took a victory by a margin. The Melbourne Fans were electrified with the result of the match and it was a great performance. The Demon Players ran into the field and give out hugs and celebrations around and it was one of the most memorable victories of the season and all around brought smiles for their tremendous achievements.
Overall both teams played well but Melbourne was happy with the outcome of their match with a 1 point margin and Jake Melksham was the hero of the Demons. Coach was very pleased that the Demons had been given their courtesy in the final few minutes with the hard work and refused to let the Lions get the chance to take advantage which the buzzer didn’t do enough pass Melbourne for their victory. The Lions would’ve taken a draw or a major comeback of the game which it would’ve been the most thrilling for them. The Dees were able to grabbed the footy before the siren sounded to wrapped the game. Some of the Lions players were furious at the referee that one of them caught it fairly but didn’t review the play which it wasn’t fully saved for a mark.
MELBOURNE DEMONS 6.2 8.3 12.4 16.9 (105)
BRISBANE LIONS 3.3 8.4 15.7 16.8 (104)
GOALS
Melbourne: Petracca 4, Pickett 3, Melksham 2, Neal-Bullen, Brown, Spargo, Bowey, Woewodin, Gawn, Viney
Brisbane: Gunston 3, McCarthy 2, Bailey 2, Cameron 2, Daniher 2, McInerney, Ashcroft, Fletcher, Lyons, Hipwood
BEST
Melbourne: Petracca, Gawn, Brayshaw, Viney, Pickett, Melksham
Brisbane: Daniher, McCluggage, Neale, Ashcroft, Andrews, Bailey
INJURIES
Melbourne: Petty (TBC)
Brisbane: Nil
SUBSTITUTES
Melbourne: Joel Smith (replaced Harrison Petty in the third quarter)
Brisbane: Deven Robertson (replaced Jarrod Berry in the fourth quarter)
Crowd: 38,030