Demons stay alive, Dogs bite the dust

Melbourne   109 defeated W Bulldogs   105

Melbourne has won its second thriller in a row to keep its finals hopes alive when they looked all but gone, beating the Western Bulldogs by four points at the MCG tonight thanks to a Jeff White goal in the final seconds.

The Bulldogs led by as much as 22 points during the final term and led right up to the final minute, before a controversial free kick against young Bulldog Wayde Skipper at a boundary throw-in allowed White to kick from 50-metres out on an angle.

White’s shot sailed through, and where 60 seconds previous it looked like Melbourne’s finals hopes were shot, it was the Bulldogs who will miss out on September action after this do-or-die clash that will rival Friday night’s Fremantle v St Kilda thriller for game of the season.

Russell Robertson was the hero up forward for the winners, kicking six goals to keep them in the game up to the last term, while Nathan Brown and Guy Rigoni were prolific for the Dees through the middle with 25 possessions each.

Brad Johnson and Robert Murphy booted three goals each for the Bulldogs, while Scott West collected 27 disposals and Jordan McMahon 25.

There was one late change for the Demons, with reliable small defender Matthew Whelan a late exclusion for tough backman Phil Read.

The game started with a bang for the Bulldogs, with Mitch Hahn bagging two goals in as many minutes, followed up by Johnson’s first to put the Dogs up by 18 points.

But the game evened up as it became a quick and slick contest, with accurate kicking and plenty of run the name of the game. This suited the fast Bulldogs to a tee, and they kicked four of the last six in the first term to take a 17-point lead into the quarter-time break.

With a finals spot up for grabs, Melbourne weren’t going to lie down. They slammed on the first four goals of the second quarter to take the lead, but the Bulldogs kicked the last two majors of the term through Murphy and Chris Grant to lead by seven points at half-time.

Rohan Smith had 13 disposals and two goals for the Bulldogs, and tough midfielder West had garnered 16 first-half possessions and constantly cleared the ball from the stoppages.

For the Dees, Robertson had four goals to his name on Brian Harris and Brown was working hard through the middle with 16 touches.

Melbourne started the third term as they did the second, booting the first two goals to regain the lead. But like the second term, the Bulldogs wrested back control when goals to Daniel Giansiracusa, Murphy (two) and Matthew Robbins put the margin out to 17 points.

Robertson’s sixth goal just before three-quarter-time saw the Bulldogs take an 11-point advantage into the final break, and with the two sides playing for sheep stations, it was going to be a tight and tough final term.

The two teams shared a goal each to start the term, before Robertson sprayed a shot on the full which would have brought the Dees within a goal. When Farren Ray and Johnson goaled to put the sons of the west 22 points in front midway through the stanza, it looked like Melbourne’s finals hopes were in tatters.

White kicked a goal that looked like mere consolation, but when he missed a shot and Lindsay Gilbee put his kick-in straight down Adem Yze’s throat and he goaled, the difference was nine points.

Giansiracusa missed a crucial shot on goal for the Bulldogs, and the ball swept down the other end for Ben Holland to kick the Demons within a goal.

From the resultant centre bounce the Demons got the ball forward, with the Bulldogs rushing a behind from a ball-up in front of the Dees’ goal. Adam Cooney’s kick-in was run over the boundary line, where White won his free kick.

The rest is history, as is the Bulldogs’ finals dreams without a miracle set of results. Melbourne’s fate is in its own hands, but as tonight proved, football is a funny game and Neale Daniher’s men will not be taking anything for granted.

Next week in the final round of the home and away season, Melbourne will try and seal their top eight position against Essendon on Sunday at the MCG, while the Bulldogs take on Collingwood at Telstra Dome on Friday night.

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