Montmorency has responded from last week’s disappointing performance with a convincing 43-point victory over Division Two premiers, North Heidelberg.
The Magpies were prolific in all areas of the ground, with new recruits Ben Kennedy and Matt White shining in the centre, while Ben Walton and Patrick Fitzgerald were again ominous up forward with three goals each.
Stephen McCallum, alongside young defender Sam Binion, was given the monumental task of playing on former North Melbourne superstar, Brent Harvey, and stifled his influence through the middle.
Although finishing his day with four late majors – two of which came in the final term – the efforts of McCallum saw the ex-Roo kept to just three touches in the first quarter.
Harvey proved early on how much of a threat he could be, getting the Bulldogs off to a perfect start with the opening clearance of the match, which ultimately resulted in the game’s opening goal.
As North Heidelberg added another to their tally, Montmorency adopted a six-on-six approach in the forward half, which brought success on the scoreboard and a six-point lead at quarter-time.
The Magpies retaliated with four goals of their own soon after, with a newfound dare at the forefront of their game.
With the game hot early and the intensity from both teams right up, Montmorency capitalised through their gutsy ball use and work rate, of which Joel McLellan embodied the best both in the ruck contests and as the tall target down the line.
The Magpies looked most dangerous when they moved the ball through the centre of the ground, with the run of James Brooker paving the way for repeated entries inside the forward 50.
Brent Fotheringhame similarly showed such courage, sitting under a high ball and taking a great mark before bursting through the centre of the ground to gift Patrick Fitzgerald a goal.
Yet the Magpies needed to widen their scopes, with nine of their 14 inside 50s for the quarter aimed at Fitzgerald.
The focus away from the powerhouse forward proved to be successful going into the second, with five individual goal-kickers for the quarter.
Luke Collins was the initial benefactor following some solid run from Jordan Steele on the forward flank, with the former also setting up two other majors for the Magpies in the quarter.
Although North Heidelberg refused to relent their aggression and defensive pressure at the kick-outs, the Magpies matched their intensity and surpassed the Dogs in all areas of the ground.
Everything seemed to be going the way of the black-and-white, with a fortuitous bounce from a forward 50 entry springing over the Bulldog defender’s head and landing into the lap of a trailing Fitzgerald who duly converted.
As Matt White added his name down to the goal-scorers, the Magpies looked close to unstoppable with fellow recruit Kennedy prolific with this speed and laser-like precision.
It looked as if Monty’s luck had run out when Walton was assisted off the field with a lower leg issue, but the faith was restored after the key forward returned to the field and snapped a goal from the back of a stoppage.
As Brooker put his run to good use – this time running into a vacant goal square to make it five in a row for the Magpies – Montmorency catapulted themselves to a 30-point advantage.
Although Harvey immediately hit back showcasing his own blistering pace, a 24-point lead at half-time was more than satisfying for the Magpies.
Going into the third term, Monty showed no signs of taking their foot off the gas, with Collins getting the first inside 50 for the term which ended in another Walton goal.
Disciplined, hard and focussed, another five-goal term for the Magpies ballooned the margin out to a game-high 38 points.
The effect of McCallum began to get under the Bulldogs’ skin, with added attention placed on the midfielder who had been dominating at ground level.
As a result, Montmorency intensified their attack, with tempers flaring after a dubious free kick was paid for a deliberate out of bounds which saw Harvey slot his second.
Despite the added heat, the Magpies channelled their aggression to great effect, with an excellent rundown tackle and subsequent 50m penalty rewarding Fotheringhame with his first of the night.
As Zac Beadle and Jackson Jones closed out the quarter with goals in the final minute of the term, the Magpies were on the verge of a stunning victory.
But the job wasn’t done yet.
The Bulldogs managed to secure the first two goals of the quarter, with Harvey utilising his zippy foot skills to evade several Magpies and boot his third.
Steele steadied the ship with a skilful set shot on the boundary, before Brooker once again proved his influence with his second.
Although Harvey clawed one back, it was too little, too late as three final majors to Walton, Fotheringhame and White saw the Magpies close out the game as 43-point victors – their goals capping off spectacular nights both individually and for the team.
Their first win on the board, Montmorency were nothing short of ecstatic following their sublime win over the Division Two reigning premiers.
Joel McLellan said post-match it was fantastic to get their first win on the board against the Dogs, particularly following last week’s defeat.
“It was a pretty good effort by everybody, it was a pretty physical game and there were some pretty tired bodies by the end; we had barely anybody on the bench that could actually run around,” McLellan said.
“It was pretty disappointing last week by the whole team really, there weren’t too many individuals that played well, including myself, so getting a response was on the track all week.”
The dominant ruckman praised the performance of Stephen McCallum, who quelled the influence of Brent Harvey, who was a major focus during the lead-up to the game.
“A player that holds such AFL records, you can’t ignore it, but Smacker [McCallum] did the job, and even though [Harvey] got a couple of late ones in the end, Smacker did really well throughout the day.”
McLellan dominated the ruck contests and gave his midfielders first use of the ball, a role he realises the importance of, particularly with coach Ben Haynes’ belief of if McLellan is firing, the whole team will be too.
“All the time I have to remember that’s my role, and last week I didn’t take it on myself to get us going in the middle, so that was my focus coming into this week," McLellan said.
"If I can do my thing in the middle, the rest of the boys can hopefully come with it too."
McLellan’s importance will undoubtedly be showcased next week when he faces off against Bundoora’s Matty Dennis, who the Monty big man says is close to the best ruckman in the league.
Montmorency will be channelling all their confidence from Saturday’s victory into their clash against Bundoora, which will be another game under lights at home.
MONTMORENCY 4.3 9.4 14.9 19.11 (125) NORTH HEIDELBERG 3.3 5.4 8.7 12.10 (82)
GOALS
Montmorency: P. Fitzgerald 3, B. Walton 3, M. White 3, J. Brooker 2, B. Fotheringhame 2, L. Collins, J. Jones, J. Steele, Z. Beadle, C. Dalgleish, B. Kennedy
North Heidelberg: B. Harvey 4, S. Harvey 3, M. Hill, B. Bailey, J. Jones, J. Tardio, B. Hogan
BEST Montmorency: B. Kennedy, M. White, J. McLellan, L. Collins, S. McCallum, B. Walton, P. Fitzgerald, J. Brooker, B. Fotheringhame North Heidelberg: M. Florance, J. Tardio, M. Hill, B. Harvey, J. Baddeley-Kelly, N. Matthews, K. McDonald
Comments