THE FAIRYTALE doesn't always come to fruition.
Comeback queen Chloe Scheer had a chance to win the game for Geelong after two years on the sidelines with injury, marking the ball 15m out directly in front, but her shot drifted to the right, handing Melbourne a four-point victory in the qualifying final.
Before that agonising moment, the storyline was: you never write off a champion.
The Dees were 28 points behind during the third term, having been shaky and spluttery and out of sorts all through the first half.
It was the 37-year-old veteran, Paxy Paxman, who booted what was ultimately the winning goal, just a minute before Scheer's shot, in what ended up being an 8.8 (56) to 8.4 (52) victory at Ikon Park.
It means the Cats will host the winner of Sydney v Western Bulldogs next weekend, while Melbourne has the week off and go straight into a preliminary final.
An inaccurate Melbourne didn't kick a goal until the final minute of the first half, coughing up straightforward shots – particularly in the first quarter, and struggling to find a clear mark inside 50 that wasn't being gobbled up by a Geelong defender.
The nerves were evident early. Tayla Harris loaded up from 40 and put so much into the kick that it drifted out on the full. Aishling Moloney hit the point post. Tyla Hanks kicked out on the full in her defensive 50. Alyssa Bannan's set shot from near-direct in front skewed wide.
There were smothers aplenty, with Rachel Kearns putting her body on the line time and time again. Eliza McNamara, in her first game back from a broken jaw, won herself a free kick early in the piece, with no hesitation evident, and it was the winger who finally capitalised for the Dees' first goal late in the second.
Punch after punch was thrown, but they were wild roundhouses from both teams, with little method or depth. So of course, amid all the chaos, it was half-back Becky Webster who broke through for the first goal, rather than one of the array of talented forwards on the field.
The windy conditions led to stray kicks from even the steadiest of boots, and the Cats opted for a quick handball game and long kicks out the back for their forwards to run on to.
The Dees were so out of sorts, they managed to line up with six forwards and four defenders at a centre bounce in the second quarter, earning a 5-6-5 warning in the process, and conceded a 50m penalty in the last seconds for running behind Jackie Parry in her protected zone, ensuring a major from the goal square after the half-time siren.
But Melbourne has been a perennially strong side for a reason. The nerves dissipated after half-time, and they came out with renewed composure, booting four goals – mostly from inside 20m, as Geelong's defence suddenly scrabbled at ground level.
The previously quiet Aishling Moloney bobbed up for a brace down the other end, and the Cats carried a 12-point lead into the final break, having held a 28-point buffer at one point during the term.
With skipper Kate Hore starting in the middle for the first time all match at the start of the fourth, Alyssa Bannan shook off her horror nervy moments to turn her defender inside out to kick the opening goal of the last quarter, cutting the margin to just six.
Tayla Harris cleaned up Nina Morrison with a fair bump, sending the Cats' co-captain to the bench, winded; Bannan kicked her second, and the Dees were firing on all cylinders.
Luckless Melbourne key back Saraid Taylor appeared to have suffered an ankle injury when her legs were caught underneath her in a tackle, but returned to play out the game, as did Cats ruck Piper Dunlop (knee).
Geelong co-captain Webster was superb in defence, often matching up against the dangerous Hore, as was first-year interceptor Evie Cowcher, while Georgie Prespakis' fine season continued with 34 disposals and eight clearances.
Liv Purcell steered the Dees home with 34 touches and seven clearances, while Tyla Hanks was a little more muted than her usual lofty output with 23 touches.
Bannan shakes it off, all the way to a prelim
The hard-running forward-wing had a nightmare first half. There was a shanked set shot, plenty of dropped marks, and just a general half-step off her game. But like her team, Bannan showed great composure after the main break, and was the key difference maker in attack, booting two integral fourth-term goals to help set up the win.
Chaplin's midfield stints
After trialling the All-Australian defender with a few short midfield stints last week against Adelaide, Tom Wilson opted to play Maeve Chaplin in the midfield at centre bounces, adding some size to the contest alongside diminutive duo Tyla Hanks and Liv Purcell. Chaplin would then drift back to defence once play got underway. It wasn't the most effective choice, with Georgie Prespakis getting off the chain through the middle regardless. Hore was moved into the middle to start the last.
Up next
Geelong will face the winner of Sydney and the Western Bulldogs, hopefully at GMHBA Stadium after the Kardinia Park precinct was unavailable this week due to a prior Superbikes booking. Melbourne has a week off, with one of Gold Coast, Hawthorn, Carlton and North Melbourne set to be on its side of the bracket.
GEELONGÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1.1 5.2 8.2 8.4 (52)
MELBOURNEÂ Â Â Â 0.4 1.4 5.8 8.8 (55)
GOALS
Geelong: Parry 2, Moloney 2, Webster, Scheer, McDonald, Bowen
Melbourne: Bannan 2, McNamara, O'Hehir, Heath-Barker, Hanks, Hore, Paxman
BEST
Geelong: Prespakis, Webster, Morrison, McDonald, Bowen, Gunjaca
Melbourne: Purcell, Hanks, McNamara, Chaplin, Hore, Harris
INJURIES
Geelong: Nil
Melbourne: Taylor (ankle)
Crowd: 4,743 at Ikon Park
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