Usually, when you apply the phrase “bad kicking is bad football”, it only applies to one team over the other. However, in this contest, we could attribute it to both clbs.
Following on from their dramatic King’s Birthday clash, the Pies and Dees played out another nail biter at the MCG, with Collingwood coming from behind to once again send the Demons home without the four points.
Early on, the Pies squandered opportunities in front of goal, which allowed the Dees to find their feet and increase their own pressure. That pressure resulted in a narrow lead for Melbourne at the final change, as they seemed set to cause the boilover.
But the Footy Gods had some evening up to do.
The pressure was switched in the last quarter, with the Pies starting to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal, whilst the Demons missed shot after shot. A sense of panic seemed to set in within the Dees’ forward line, as they slammed the ball on the boot in the direction of the goals, and hoped they’d manage to snag one. Sadly, behinds were all they could manage. Actually, I lie – they also managed to kick a couple out on the full.
In contrast, the Pies finally got their eye in, kicking 4.3 in the final stanza to break Melbourne hearts again, and pick up a vital win in terms of how the top eight looks.
Heaps to get through in this one, including where the Pies go from here, how they’re looking heading into September, and what’s next for a Melbourne team that seem so close to being a solid team, but are missing one or two things.
One of them is composure. We’ll explore what the others could be.
Let’s jump into The Mongrel’s Big Questions.
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