GIANTS CONSIGN DEMONS TO HELL

SHARING is caring, right? It is the secret to premiership success, after all. Think back to premiers of seasons past and often it is a spread of goalkickers that delivers the best results in September.

Harry Himmelberg cashed in yesterday with five goals as his GWS Giants proved too strong for a fast-finishing Melbourne at the MCG, just seven days after Jeremy Finlayson pocketed five of his own against the Blues.

Giants spearhead Jeremy Cameron also got in on the act yesterday, snapping a run of nine consecutive behinds across three rounds to finish with three majors.

What a stark contrast it was up at the other end with out-of-sorts swingman Tom McDonald leading a limp Melbourne attack, comprising Jayden Hunt, Jeff Garlett and Christian Petracca in spurts.

You wouldn’t blame Dees fans if they walked out at half-time yesterday. It was a sorry tale for Melbourne — a team many had pegged to be firmly in the premiership window. They had 1.3 at the main break. Even the most ardent of Dees fans, most of whom made up the lowly crowd of 20,023 yesterday, would be prepared to put a line through 2019 – just 10 rounds into the season.

Why did it take three quarters for Melbourne to wake up? That is the question which would have kept a deflated Demons coach Simon Goodwin up last night. They kicked seven goals to two in the final term. The damage had been done. It wasn’t the greatest spectacle but it was a win GWS Giants had to have at the MCG, having dropped 14 of their 16 visits there.

The orange team is firmly entrenched in the premiership breakaway group – Geelong, Collingwood, Richmond and West Coast – going into the mid-season block.

– Gilbert Gardiner

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