Swans dent Dees’ hopes
YOU can put a line through Melbourne.
The Demons won’t be producing their version of a fairytale flag this season. How could they after yesterday? They require a win against West Coast (Optus Stadium) or Greater Western Sydney (MCG) just to make the finals.
After 21 rounds, the Demons have not beaten a single top-eight team. In fact, they are 0-7 against teams in the top half of the ladder and 12-1 against the bottom half.
Are they mentally tough enough? Is it a gentlemen’s club or a football club?
Yesterday they hosted a Sydney team with its bench halved by quarter-time.
The Swans lost All-Australian Nick Smith (hamstring) and in a deflating blow, fellow defender Alex Johnson (knee).
Minutes into the second term, the Demons led by 18 points. Then, whoosh. The Swans banged through seven consecutive goals — none of which came from superstar forward Lance Franklin.
It made little sense, and there were no excuses for Melbourne.
The Demons started the second half with Jordan Lewis as a loose defender, with Aliir Aliir playing the same role for the Swans.
Former Melbourne coach Paul Roos had doubts and urged the Demons to go 6-6-6 and back in their midfield. After all, they were roving to the game’s premier ruckman in Max Gawn.
Aliir got in the way an awful lot, taking 10 marks. Lewis did not.
In the final quarter, Isaac Heeney was the loose man.
He played the role of goalkeeper in a performance Mark Schwarzer would have tipped his hat to. The Demons simply couldn’t get it past him.
Heeney’s final intercept mark was fittingly followed by the final siren, and his earlier grab will win mark of the year.
Heeney soared over Jesse Hogan, much like Andrew Walker’s classic grab against Essendon.
For all Melbourne’s mistakes, the game was there to be won in the final quarter.
Angus Brayshaw had a simple chance to cut the gap to 15 points, but his set shot faded.
At that stage the Demons had 4.7 from set shots. It was unforgivable. Then Charlie Spargo had a shot for goal from 45m.
Heeney stopped it from scoring. Then Jesse Hogan had a set shot. Out on the full.
In the final term the Demons managed three goals from 19 entries. In fact, Dom Tyson, Clayton Oliver, Tom McDonald, Spargo and Hogan combined for 3.11.
It had Demons fans pulling their hair out. Conversely, young Swan Oli Florent’s ball use was exquisite. It was as if the two teams were kicking a different Sherrin at times.
Franklin — now 15-0 against the Demons — played as if he had opened a lolly shop. He spent the third quarter selling candy to Sam Frost, although the transactions were repeatedly followed by wayward shots.
After five straight behinds, Franklin put the Swans 28 points clear deep in the third quarter with a powerful set shot. The steely celebration showed the Swans were on. And suddenly, the Demons are just hanging on.