Round 10, 2012
Essendon vs Melbourne
Saturday June 2
Venue: MCG
Attendance: 49,987
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final | |
| Essendon | 1.5 | 2.9 | 5.13 | 6.16.52 |
| Melbourne | 1.2 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 8.10.58 |
Melbourne win by 6 points
Goalkickers: Colin Garland 2, Mitch Clark 1, Jeremy Howe 1, Nathan Jones 1, Brent Moloney 1, Cale Morton 1, Colin Sylvia 1
Brownlow votes
3 - Jack Watts
1 - Daniel Nicholson
Milestones:
First win as coach
Mark Neeld (10th game)
Sent in as heavy underdogs at 0-9 against a team who had suffered just one loss by one point, the Demons pulled off the upset of the season to give Mark Neeld his first win after a tough start as a coach. It avoided Melbourne's worst start to a season since 1919.
In greasy conditions Essendon's disposal efficiency dropped off, and combined with their wasteful kicking for goal they kept Melbourne in the game despite an overwhelming lead in the inside 50 count. They were unable to take advantage on the scoreboard, leaving the door open for the winless Demons. In a poor, low-scoring game in greasy conditions, Essendon looked like doing enough to win. Melbourne steadied and coupled with more absymal goalkicking by the Bombers they got within two kicks at three quarter time thanks to a late Mitch Clark goal.
Another easy miss to open the last quarter cost the Bombers as they conceded thge next three goals, two to makeshift forward Colin Garland who had been sent forward by Neeld as an experiment due to the lack of tall targets up front. The Demons had just been denied a goal to Daniel Nicholson, with his shot judged to have been touched on the line without being sent for video review. Garland's goals put Melbourne in front, and then extended the lead to 11 points before Essendon hit back.
Garland had two more chances to seal the match, including one from a set shot 20m in front on almost no angle but the Demons held on for a famous victory. With the inclusion of two new teams into the competition it ranked statistically as the biggest upset in VFL/AFL history. Neeld said: "It feels really good", praising his team for fighting back after Essendon led by 15 points in the third quarter. He acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying "I'm also a big fan of being on the reality bus", nothing that the team had one win after 10 rounds.
Best were Jones, Watts and Grimes. Lynden Dunn replaced Sam Blease (groin) in the third quarter. Cale Morton was a late replacement for Rohan Bail.
Video
Media
Age - 03/06/2012