Demons stir the pot
MELBOURNE continue to impress under new coach Simon Goodwin, dominating Carlton by 54 points in their AFL pre-season match.
Young star Christian Petracca impressed with 19 disposals, six marks and four goals as the Demons won 0.17.14 (116) to 0.9.8 (62) at Casey Fields yesterday.
Adding to a tough afternoon for Carlton, ruckman Daniel Gorringe went off in the third term with a leg injury.
TV footage showed the former Gold Coast player bashed a dressingroom table in frustration and then slumped with head in his hands.
Gorringe, in his first season with the Blues, only managed four senior games last year because of injury.
The Demons upset premiers the Western Bulldogs last week and Saturday’s strong all-round performance was another good sign for the top-eight contenders.
It is light years from three years ago, when Melbourne MELBOURNE V CARLTON GOALS BEST hosted Hawthorn at Casey Fields and lost by 110-points.
While it was Carlton’s first match of the pre-season, they struggled badly.
Their workrate in particular would have concerned coach Brendon Bolton, with Melbourne winning the tackle count 56-45.
Ruckman Max Gawn also impressed for Melbourne, going forward and kicking two goals, while Bernie Vince helped set them up across halfback and key forward Jesse Hogan booted three goals.
Star recruit Jordan Lewis again slotted seamlessly into their midfield with 23 possessions.
Former Essendon player Michael Hibberd, in his first game since returning from last year’s doping ban, played well in Melbourne’s defence.
The Demons also cruised yesterday without key position player Jack Watts, who has been unable to force his way into the senior team so far in the pre-season.
Bryce Gibbs, who unsuccessfully sought a trade to Adelaide late last year, continued his strong pre-season at Carlton with a game-high 28 disposals.