Demons finally starting to burn

THEY say one week is a long time in footy — Melbourne has completely changed the course of its season in a fortnight.

Just over two weeks ago the Demons were labelled as having “trashed” the Melbourne jumper by president Glen Bartlett, and Simon Goodwin was under some serious pressure following an insipid display against Port Adelaide.

Now the Demons have won three in a row and are inside the top eight with a game in hand after claiming their biggest win of the season with a thumping 56-point win over Collingwood.

The critics, and those who can’t trust the Demons after what they have served up in recent years, will say the wins have come against winless Adelaide, North Melbourne and an injury-ravaged Pies outfit, but the Demons now have won five from their last seven.

Collingwood had given up the least amount of points in the competition going into the match, and just 37 and 41 in the last two.

With 5.37 before halftime at the Gabba, the Pies had leaked 52 points as the league’s tightest defence sprung leak after leak in the second half.

Yes, they are undermanned through injuries, and it was the

Pies’ fourth game in 14 days, but Collingwood’s defence — with maybe the exception of Darcy Moore — was seriously found wanting against a Demons side with a spring in its step.

The Demons have become calmer and more measured with their ball movement — against Collingwood they were deadly in front of goal.

The Pies defence helped at times, but the Demons kicked 7.1 in that second quarter which set up the big win.

The inside-50 count at halftime was even at 20 a piece, but when the Dees went forward they were clinical.

Ed Langdon drilled one home from 50m off just one step, and in the third Christian Petracca slotted one home from a tough angle with ease.

Brody Mihocek hasn’t missed a game for Collingwood since debuting in Round 11 2018. But the important forward became the latest Magpie to fall to the injury crisis at Collingwood in his 52nd match for the club.

The Pies’ leading goal kicker this year was involved in a heavy collision with Aaron vandenBerg in the second quarter and had to be stretchered off the field.

And then in the third quarter the luckless Ben Reid suffered a left hamstring injury and was done for the evening.

Pictures: AFL PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Melbourne’s Sam Weideman soars above Collingwood’s Darcy Moore during their AFL clash at the Gabba; Collingwood’s Steele Sidebottom in action; Demon Nathan Jones tackles Magpie Callum L Brown.