Match

Melbourne vs GWS Giants

Commentary / 26 Aug 2018

Pre Game

00:00
The Giants have won 32 percent of their offensive one-on-one contests this season (ranked No.1), while the Demons have won 36 percent of their defensive one-on-one contests this season (also ranked No.1).

Quarter 1

00:00
Q1 is now underway.
00:49
Melbourne has taken a mark from 33 percent of kicks into the forward 50 by Jake Melksham this season, which is ranked No.1 of the top-75 players to have kicked inside 50. A kick from Melksham has set up the first shot at goal today for the Demons.
01:26
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Tom McDonald)
01:37
Some slick ball movement from the Demons created the opening goal of the game from a chain started in the defensive 50. Melbourne average a competition-high 18.3 points per game from such chains.
03:20
The opening goal for the Giants and star player Stephen Coniglio was also launched from a defensive half intercept. GWS average 23 points per game from such chains.
04:44
Demons Interchange - Dean Kent and is possibly out for the game.
05:32
The first 14 disposals of the game for the Giants have all been kicks. GWS has averaged 1.35 kicks per handball this season.
05:51
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Adam Tomlinson)
07:02
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
07:07
Both of the goals kicked by GWS have been launched by Phil Davis intercepts. The GWS co-captain has generated the third most intercepts in the AFL this season.
08:41
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Sam J. Reid)
10:56
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Rory Lobb)
11:12
GWS has generated four scores from just the five inside 50 entries to start the game. The Giants average a score from 48 percent of inside 50 entries (ranked No.1).
12:43
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
14:02
Melbourne averages a competition-high 71 tackles per game this season, but half way through the first quarter have recorded just the two tackles.
16:53
The goal to James Harmes was launched from a forward half intercept, which was only the second such intercept of the game. Melbourne is ranked No.1 for both generating such intercepts (31 per game) and scoring from this source (36 points).
18:34
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Aaron vandenBerg)
18:52
Melbourne is the No.1 ranked team at both centre bounce clearance differential and score differential from this source. It was a centre bounce clearance that launched the last goal kicked by Aaron vandenBerg.
22:14
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Tom McDonald)
22:27
The goal to Tom McDonald followed the fifth mark taken in the forward 50 by the Demons. Melbourne averages 15 such marks this season (ranked No.1).
25:08
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Jeremy Cameron)
25:42
The goal to Jeremy Cameron followed the first forward half intercept of the game for the Giants. GWS averages 27 points from 24 such intercepts this season.
29:07
An entertaining first quarter, with Melbourne shading GWS for time in forward half (59 percent) and contested possessions (32-25), but the Giants were able to launch three goals from defensive half intercepts and lead 41-32 in effective kicks.

Quarter 2

00:00
Q2 is now underway.
00:22
Both teams have now won five centre bounce clearances, but the Demons have scored 2.1.(13) from these opportunities, while the Giants are yet to score from this source.
02:01
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Harry Himmelberg)
02:11
The two teams have now each scored a very accurate 4.0.(24) from set shots at goal, with only two of these shots coming from within 30 metres of goal.
05:04
Oscar McDonald is currently the No.1 ranked Demon player on the ground for score involvements with four. McDonald averages only 1.4 score involvements per game this season.
05:28
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Jake Melksham)
06:26
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Jeremy Cameron)
08:21
Max Gawn has given Melbourne a 6-1 lead in hitouts to advantage and a 14-6 lead in first possession wins at stoppages, but this has only been converted into a 10-8 lead in clearances.
09:29
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (James Harmes)
11:49
Melbourne has a 22-8 edge in contested possessions this quarter, which is being driven by leads in groundball gets (14-5) and hitouts to advantage (3-0).
12:50
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Tom McDonald)
14:01
The Demons now lead 5-2 in forward half intercepts and 12-6 in points scored from this source following the last goal to Tom McDonald.
14:33
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Jeremy Cameron)
15:28
Harrison Himmelberg has been the target of six kicks inside 50 by the Giants today. Jeremy Cameron is yet to be the target of a kick inside 50 by GWS.
18:02
Demons Interchange - Dom Tyson and is possibly out for the game.
18:41
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
19:21
Melbourne currently has an 8-3 advantage in one-on-one contest wins, with Sam Frost winning all three of the one-on-one contests he has been involved in.
21:13
The Demons have won first possession at 12 of the 13 throw-ins, but have converted this into just a 7-5 edge in clearances from these stoppages.
24:41
Giants Interchange - Zac Langdon off due to an injury.
24:57
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Christian Petracca)
25:55
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Christian Petracca)
26:01
The territorial advantage is slowly starting to win out for the Demons who now lead 9-3 in forward half intercepts and 19-6 in points scored from this source.
27:59
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Callan Ward)
28:21
Greater Western Sydney has outscored its opposition by a total of 138 points in second quarters this season (ranked second), but has conceded this quarter to the Demons.
29:23
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Stephen Coniglio)
29:27
Melbourne got on top in contested possessions (38-28) in the second quarter despite GWS holding an 11-7 edge in clearances in this period. The Demons are the No.1 ranked team for contested possession differential and hold a 71-54 lead at half time.

Quarter 3

00:00
Q3 is now underway.
00:11
The Demons have outscored their opposition by a total of 124 points in the opening 10 minutes of third quarters this season (ranked No.1).
01:59
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Max Gawn)
02:23
A fast start to the third quarter for the Demons who have won the opening two clearances and have a 7-0 lead in uncontested possessions leading into the Max Gawn goal.
03:05
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Christian Petracca)
03:23
Melbourne has averaged 15 points per game from its centre bounce clearances this season (ranked No.1), and has today scored 3.1.(19) from this source.
06:15
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Christian Petracca)
06:30
Three scores from three inside 50 entries to start the third quarter for the Demons, who have also won four of the first five clearances and denied GWS taking any marks.
08:19
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Christian Petracca)
08:28
The Demons are now dominating in most areas, holding a 33-9 lead in scores from stoppages and have won 23 more contested possessions than the Giants.
11:54
Melbourne leads the clearances 9-1 this quarter and all of its third quarter scores have been generated from stoppages, with Max Gawn having a major impact on this game.
15:16
Greater Western Sydney has recorded a tackle efficiency of 68 percent this season (ranked No.1), but today has a tackle efficiency of only 49 percent compared to Melbourne 61 percent.
16:23
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Aaron vandenBerg)
17:14
The Giants have won the contested possession count by 10 per game this season (ranked third), but have found the Demons too strong in this area of the game trailing 74-97.
20:58
Six consecutive goals to the Demons and the Giants have not scored a goal since the two-minute mark of the second quarter.
22:15
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Alex Neal-Bullen)
22:43
Alex Neal-Bullen has forced the opposition to commit 88 turnovers as a result of his pressure acts this season, which is ranked fifth in the competition. Neal-Bullen was this time able to convert some pressure from team-mates with goal No.7 in a row.
23:27
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Rushed)
24:49
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Jeremy Cameron)
25:36
Angus Brayshaw has contributed game-highs for disposals (26) and metres gained (472), while he has also been involved in seven scores and laid four tackles in another strong performance.
26:20
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Jeremy Cameron)
27:23
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Rushed)
27:38
The Demons have recorded a tackle efficiency of 67 percent in their forward half of the ground this season (ranked third). Today Melbourne has a tackle efficiency of 95 percent in this area of the ground.

Quarter 4

00:00
Q4 is now underway.
00:34
The Demons have generated an inside 50 from 26 percent of their chains starting in the defensive 50 this season (ranked No.1). Today they have generated 11 inside 50 entries from 32 such chains and scored 2.4.(16) from these chances.
01:04
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Stephen Coniglio)
01:35
Stephen Coniglio has again been prominent for the Giants with team-highs for disposals (26), tackles (five) and score involvements (eight).
03:32
Clayton Oliver has averaged 7.10 disposals per turnover this season, which is the third-best rate of the top-100 ball-winners in the competition. Today he has just the one turnover from his 22 disposals.
04:33
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Sam Weideman)
04:46
Melbourne now leads 13-7 in forward 50 marks with eight different players contributing to this count in a potent and multi dimensional forward set up.
06:14
The Giants have averaged 36 points per game from their clearances this season (ranked second), with 26 of these points coming from around the ground stoppages. Today they have scored just two points from these stoppages.
08:27
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Zac Langdon)
08:41
Zac Langdon has been a good recruit for the Giants this season and has applied 34 forward 50 tackles this season, which is ranked third in the competition.
10:32
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Alex Neal-Bullen)
10:56
Melbourne averages 39 points per game from defensive half chains (ranked second). Today the Demons have scored 7.7.(49) from this source with the Giants struggling to disrupt their ball movement.
12:31
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Jay Kennedy Harris)
13:29
James Harmes has continued his emergence as a prime mover for the Demons. He has a game-high 14 contested possessions, a team-high six clearances and an equal game-high 11 score involvements.
17:20
SCORE GOAL - Demons (Jake Melksham)
19:13
Some excellent forward half pressure from Jay Kennedy-Harris led to the shot at goal for Charlie Spargo. Melbourne has now scored 4.2.(26) from just the 12 forward half intercepts, and average 36 points from 31 such intercepts.
21:31
Callan Ward has averaged 25.9 disposals per game across his career against the Demons, which is his second-highest return against any team, and disposal No.27 today provided the score assist for Finlayson.
21:45
SCORE GOAL - Giants (Jeremy Finlayson)
23:21
Greater Western Sydney has scored from 48 percent of its inside 50 entries this season (ranked No.1), but today has just the 16 scores from 48 entries with the Demon defence standing up well.
23:59
SCORE BEHIND - Demons (Nathan Jones)
27:29
SCORE BEHIND - Giants (Rushed)
28:13
Another impressive win for the Demons who had more contested possessions (139-111), tackles (60-46) and effective kicks (155-135), with Max Gawn again the star.