The Melbourne Demons complete a fairy-tale season defeating the Western Bulldogs 21. 14 (140) to 10.6 (66) by 74 points at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
The roar of the enourmous Perth crowd of over 61,000 fans perfectly marked the sweet occasion as the Demons ended their long wait for premiership glory.
Key Players
Christian Petracca (Melbourne Demons)
As he has done all season Melbourne midfielder Christian Petracca proved himself on the biggest stage. After a quiet, nervous start to the match, Petracca found his groove and finished with a record 39 disposals as well as nine clearances and two goals, including a clever soccer of the ground. Petracca’s 39 disposals was also a record equalling performance for the most disposals by a player in a grand final, becoming the first Melbourne Demons player to win a Norm Smith Medal in the process. (Best on ground in the grand final).
Bailey Fritsch (Melbourne Demons)
Bailey Fritsch undoubtedly saved his best game till last. He was a consistent target up forward for the Demons and converted when it came to splitting the middle of the sticks, kicking six goals from eight shots and 13 disposals.
Clayton Oliver (Melbourne Demons)
Clayton Oliver played a brilliant all-round game getting his hands on the ball all around the ground, helping Melbourne to transition smoothly out of defence but also find the best targets up forward. He finished with 33 disposals and 10 tackles.
Christian Salem (Melbourne Demons)
Christian Salem much like Clayton Oliver intercepted the Western Bulldog’s easy exits up the ground and assisted Melbourne in going forward, creating goal opportunities but also kicking one of his own. He finished with 27 disposals and a goal.
Luke Jackson (Melbourne Demons)
Melbourne ruckman Luke Jackson stood up when it mattered. After replacing Max Gawn in the ruck, he collected 16 hit-outs to set up three goals in four for Melbourne midway through the third quarter, changing the momentum of the game for the Demons.
Marcus Bontompelli (Western Bulldogs)
Western Bulldogs captain Marcus Bontompelli was again a standout performer for his team with 25 disposals and 3 goals. Two of his goals and 18 of his disposals came in the momentum-swinging second term for the Dogs.
Adam Treloar (Western Bulldogs)
Consecutive goals early in the second quarter from Adam Treloar (27 disposals, three goals) helped to breathe life into the contest.
Stefan Martin (Western Bulldogs)
Stefan Martin’s performance at centre bounces in the third quarter on his way to 18 hit-outs helped spark the Bulldogs run of three goals in four minutes and six goals in the third quarter.
The stories behind the flag
Petracca earns the Norm Smith
Former Melbourne Demon’s player Jay Kennedy-Harris has revealed the remarkable rise of Melbourne midfielder and now Norm Smith Medalist Christian Petracca.
Kennedy-Harris vividly remembers Petracca bursting onto the scene in 2014, after being picked up as number two draft pick by the Demons. He recalls players such as veteran and club great Nathan Jones recognising Petracca’s talent and skill early on in his career. Unfortunately, Petracca had to undergo a knee surgery after a training incident, ruling him out of the 2015 season.
However, this only added extra fuel to his fire. In 2016, Petracca finally made his debut. His relentless training regime, hunger to work hard and carefully managed work life balance from here on has been instrumental to the player he is today.
Viney’s long journey
Jack Viney’s story reflects on the Melbourne Demon’s journey as a team. He revealed that in his first game, back in 2013 the Demons lost by 80 points, then 150 in his second. This led to immense dissapointment from home fans causing them to throw objects such as scarves towards their players. In 2016 and 2017 Viney’s performances improved, he was also inducted into Melbourne’s leadership group during this time. Viney’s status as a player rose further after his strong performance in the Demons losing 2018 preliminary final, collecting 21 disposals. He can now happily reflect on the Demons remarkable rise to become 2021 premiers.
Can the Demons go back-to-back and create a Richmond-like dynasty? Let us know in the comments section.
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