Gawn stars as Demons beat Eagles for third straight win
The Demons trailed by 12 points early in the third quarter of Saturday night's match, but they kicked nine of the next 10 goals to secure the 16.12 (108) to 11.10 (76) in front of 41,991 fans.
Melbourne's third win on the trot improved their record to 3-5, while West Coast (0-8) remain winless and on bottom of the table.
Gawn was the pivotal figure, racking up a career-high 35 disposals to go with 47 hitouts, nine clearances, 12 score involvements and a goal.
The 33-year-old also played match-winning roles in recent wins over Richmond and Fremantle, and he helped Melbourne win the clearance battle 48-26 and inside 50m count 59-43 against the Eagles.
Caleb was flying 🪽🪽 Wing-sor spreads his wings.#DemonSpirit | #AFLEaglesDees pic.twitter.com/5Vb7iI6Wtr
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) May 3, 2025
Demons forward Jake Melksham could be in trouble for his body shove on Jeremy McGovern that catapulted the star Eagles defender into a marking contest.
McGovern slammed into the back of Harrison Petty after receiving the shove, leaving him stunned and feeling his jaw.
The premiership defender was subbed out at halftime, and his absence was heavily felt by West Coast as the Dees dominated in the second half.
Melbourne also subbed out Petty at halftime due to concussion, possibly from the same McGovern incident.
West Coast debutant Bo Allan also faces a nervous wait for his swinging arm to the head of Jack Viney as the Demons tagger took a mark.
Christian Petracca finished with 29 disposals, eight clearances and a goal for the Demons in the absence of Clayton Oliver (personal reasons), while tagger Viney (18 disposals, seven clearances) restricted Harley Reid to just 14 disposals and no clearances.
Eagles midfielder Tim Kelly finished with just 14 disposals and three clearances.
West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen did some nice things in an under-siege defence, while Jake Waterman and Elijah Hewett kicked three goals apiece.
The opening quarter was a horror show of errors as both sides butchered the ball at critical moments.
Melbourne were at least a force at the clearances - winning the first 10 of the match - with goals to Petracca and Bayley Fritsch giving them a 14-5 lead at quarter-time.
The Demons continued to dominate the clearances in the second term but their wayward return of 1.5 came back to haunt them.
West Coast didn't score their first goal of the match until Jack Williams' set-shot shank floated through at the 17-minute mark.
It sparked a run of four consecutive goals - including a spectacular banana from the pocket from Jayden Hunt - as the Eagles finally brought the crowd to life.
Jayden Hunt with all the tricks and a karate kick 🥋#AFLEaglesDees pic.twitter.com/hf865gN4Hx
— AFL (@AFL) May 3, 2025
Demons coach Simon Goodwin was understandably frustrated that his team didn't have the lead at halftime.
They would have grown after watching Jamie Cripps kick the opening goal of the third quarter.
But with McGovern no longer there to fend off Melbourne's forays forward, the Demons finally cashed in on their clearance dominance, slamming through six goals for the term to take a 29-point lead into the final change.
Gawn, who had 0.7 to his name for the season up until that point, put the icing on the cake with a set shot goal in the final quarter.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'We know what is coming'
Australia captain Harry Wilson says his team will be better for the experience of their first Test defeat in Brisbane when they face the British and Irish Lions again in Melbourne on Saturday. "For a lot of us, it was our first time ever playing the British and Irish Lions and there was a lot of unknown, whereas this week we know what's coming," he said. The Wallabies' defeat in the series opener means they must win to keep the contest alive. However, Wilson believes that the pressure cuts both ways. "I'd say there's pressure on both teams," he added. "They want to wrap up the series and we want to keep the series alive. There's no doubting there's a lot on the line for both teams. "We want to impose ourselves physically. We want to back our skills and we want to go out there and start fast."
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Maro Itoje issues rallying cry to Lions ahead of second Test: ‘Not all games are equal'
Maro Itoje has warned the British and Irish Lions not to take the Wallabies lightly as they bid to 'do something special' in the second Test in Melbourne. The Lions are hoping to seal the series at the MCG on Saturday after beating Australia rugby in Brisbane last weekend to take a 1-0 lead after an excellent first-half performance. They are strong favourites to win in Melbourne and win the quadrennial affair with a game to spare, though are bracing for a Wallabies backlash after a slow start from Joe Schmidt's side a week ago. The return of Will Skelton, a former teammate of Itoje's at Saracens, and Rob Valetini are significant boosts for the home side as they bid to match the Lions physically. A crowd of 90,000 or more is expected at the MCG and Itoje believes his side have to be ready for both their opposition and the occasion. 'When you wear this jersey and represent the Lions you know it comes with huge honour and a sense of responsibility, and we know we are not playing a pub team.' Itoje emphasised. 'The Wallabies are a proper team, I played them last year in the autumn [with England] and we lost to them when we were supposed to win. They are a team that can punish you if you don't approach the game properly. 'When you spend time in Melbourne and speak to the locals, they hold the MCG in a really special regard. It's a real opportunity and privilege for us to play there in what will be an amazing stadium and crowd. If it reaches full capacity, it'll definitely be the biggest stadium I've played in. It's something we're looking to relish." The Lions were visited this week by Martin Johnson, who presented the Test side with their shirts having led the touring side on two tours. Fellow England lock Itoje has often saved his best for Lions series and World Cup knockout games, with the 30-year-old long established as a big-match performer. While this will be his 32nd start of a long season, the lock is ready to go again and admits that games like this bring another level out of him. 'As a professional athlete, there's always focus to what you do, but not all games are equal,' Itoje explained. 'Not all games mean the same thing. And this game, last week, these games aren't equal to normal games of rugby. They're special. So naturally, there's a higher level of focus. It requires a higher level of intensity and a higher level of diligence to what you want to do. 'I guess these sort of games are almost the reason why you want to play rugby. You want to play rugby and be a part of these huge occasions maybe a little bit of jeopardy on the line, but more so the opportunity to do something special, the opportunity to do something that lives long in the memory, and create special memories with your friends and colleagues and family.'
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nothing to lose for Swifts after finals 'nightmare'
Having survived a living nightmare, star attacker Helen Housby says the NSW Swifts' Super Netball finals fate can't get any worse than what has already happened. The Swifts will be out for redemption - and a spot in the 2025 decider - when the 13-times finalists host the Melbourne Vixens in a do-or-die prelim at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday. Housby and her teammates were left reeling after a disastrous 77-45 semi-final mauling to grand final-bound West Coast in the RAC Arena "dungeon". After a perfect 8-0 start to the season, NSW have lost five of their past seven games. This is where we belong! Lets Go Swifts, Lets Go! 🙌🎟️ | — NSW Swifts (@NSWSwifts) July 24, 2025 Meanwhile, the Vixens are riding high after sensationally ending Adelaide's bid for a third-straight title with a 58-56 win last week. The road to grand final glory works favourably for the Vixens, who will enjoy home-court advantage - despite finishing fourth - if they reach the decider. Despite the Fever finishing on top of the table, Rod Laver Arena will host the grand final on August 2 under Super Netball's controversial policy of selling hosting rights for the decider. NSW can't look that far just yet, with Housby saying her side was taking a nothing-to-lose approach against Melbourne. "It kind of feels like we've lived our nightmare but, in saying that, the sun came up the next day," Housby said. "I don't want to say it was a relief but to get that game out of the way but still have a game to play, it almost feels like it can't go any worse than what it was (against West Coast). "We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain going into this game." Housby has seen this movie before too, saying NSW have never had it easy on the way to a grand final. The Swifts were thumped 58-48 by Sunshine Coast in the 2019 major semi-final before rebounding to win the title. Housby also points to their 2023 run, where the Swifts eliminated the Fever by one point in the dying seconds. They later lost the grand final by one point to Adelaide. "It does feel like a bit of deja vu," Housby said. "It always seems like there's a bit of adversity in our wins and in our premierships, so I quite like that. "I love to be on the edge of performance. This group is itching for it. Just itching for another chance to prove ourselves and to show the netball world that that's not what we stand for." Swifts co-captain and mid-courter Paige Hadley is expected to return from a leg injury in a massive boost for coach Briony Akle's team.
