Heartbreak

A GAME of footy is decided over the course of an entire match, not just one kick.

But after 112 minutes of battle on Saturday night, Sam Weideman had the chance to win his side the four points.

As the remaining seconds ticked away, the 21-year-old’s kick went astray, and as a result, Adelaide ran out two-point victors at TIO Stadium.

The numbers

DISPOSALS: Oliver 34, Harmes 29, Jones 28, Gawn 25, Viney 24, Brayshaw 23, Hibberd 22, Baker 21, Fritsh 20

GOALS: Garlett 3, Brayshaw, Hannan, Harmes, Hunt, Jones, Oliver, Petracca, Smith, Weideman

Pre-game shoot around

After arriving at the ground, Sam Frost and James Harmes ventured out the back of the facility and found a handful of Indigenous kids playing basketball outside.

The Demon duo joined in on the action, shooting some hoops and giving the youngsters a moment to remember.

Late changes

Initially, Melbourne made just the one late change, with Marty Hore pulling out of the side with calf soreness, to be replaced by Jay Kennedy Harris.

But just minutes before the Dees ran down the steps and onto the field, Christian Salem withdrew due to illness.

The playing group cheered as Max Rooke told Weideman the news, giving the key forward an opportunity to pull on the boots, literally at the last second.

All-out attack

For three quarters of the contest in the Top End, Melbourne was the better side.

The red and blue played an exciting brand of footy, beating Adelaide on the inside and running the ball forward in waves.

Once again, the Dees created more chances to score than their opposition, with plus 17 inside 50s and a massive plus 11 marks inside 50.

Melbourne created eight more scoring shots than the Crows, but conversion was the issue.

An opportunity missed

Heading into the final quarter 16 points clear, the Demons seemingly had the match under their control.

But a wasteful last term saw an opportunity go begging, with just one goal converted with the game on the line.

While Weideman has copped much of the blame for his side’s loss, he wasn’t the only Melbourne player to miss a shot on goal.

The Dees kicked eight behinds in the final term and a wasteful 16 points for the night, handing an accurate Adelaide side the chance to steal the points; which they did.

The local fans

While the result in Round 11 was certainly flattening, the local fans weren’t too disheartened.

Instead, they were simply ecstatic to see their heroes in the flesh.

As the broken Demons players boarded the bus post-game, the Darwin community was lining up outside ready to catch a glimpse of the boys upon departure.

The fans roared with excitement and banged on the bus windows, farewelling the red and blue from their trip up north.

The standouts

The Dees had a good spread of players stand up in the Darwin heat, with Clayton Oliver leading the way.

The tough onballer had a second quarter to behold, with 16 disposals, seven contested possessions, six hardball gets, two clearances and a goal.

Much of the midfield dominance came on the back off Max Gawn’s craft, as the ruckman had 30 hit outs to go with his 25 touches and seven marks.

A word from Goody

“The coaches and the players are shattered,” Simon Goodwin told Melbourne Media post-game.

“We certainly played in a way that gave ourselves great opportunity, but in the end our accuracy cost us and that was the game.”

Looking ahead

Round 12 v Collingwood @ MCG – Monday, 10 June, 3:20pm AEST

Melbourne is clearly sitting in a tough spot at 3-8, but it isn’t about to give up.

The Demons players are desperate to respond from their disappointing loss and bounce back in front of a big crowd against the Pies on Queen’s Birthday.