“In a dire situation: Devastating double setback mars Demons’ victory as star duo sidelined.”
Melbourne secured back-to-back wins by defeating Hawthorn 14.9 (93) to 5.8 (38) at the MCG on Saturday afternoon.
Despite coming off a Round 1 loss to Essendon, Hawthorn made no changes to their lineup for the game.
Melbourne, coming off a convincing 45-point win over the Western Bulldogs, made just one change, with Harrison Petty returning for his first game of 2024, replacing Taj Woewodin, who was omitted.
Hawthorn remained unchanged from its competitive loss to Essendon in Round 1 for Saturday twilight’s game.
Jack Gunston (Hawthorn) and Marty Hore (Melbourne) were named as the starting substitutes with no late changes an hour before the match.
North Melbourne champion David King highlighted Steven May and Jake Lever, the “Double Demon” tandem, as crucial to Melbourne’s success on Saturday. King emphasized the challenge of getting past these two defenders to score, calling them the greatest challenge in the game.
The scoring began with goals from Kysaiah Pickett and Bayley Fritsch, giving Melbourne an early lead.
Hawthorn dominated uncontested marks in the first quarter but struggled to convert them into scoring opportunities. Despite this, a brilliant goal from Pickett increased Melbourne’s lead to 19 points.
A strong but fair bump from Jai Newcombe on Clayton Oliver sparked a brief altercation, adding to the intensity of the game. Commentators Anthony Hudson and Gerard Healy noted the physical attention Oliver was receiving, particularly from tagger Finn Maginness.
Fritsch scored his second goal, followed by a major from Jack Billings, giving Melbourne a commanding 32-point lead at quarter-time.
Commentator David King highlighted Clayton Oliver as a target for Hawthorn, noting the attention he was receiving. Despite this, Oliver had a strong start to the game.
Hawthorn opened their scoring with a goal from Connor Macdonald early in the second quarter, but Pickett quickly responded with his third goal of the match.
The second quarter was relatively quiet until Mabior Chol set up Luke Breust for Hawthorn’s second goal. During this play, Steven May appeared to receive a knee to his rib area. Despite this, Melbourne maintained a 26-point lead at half-time, although Hawthorn showed more competitiveness towards the end of the quarter.
Commentator Gerard Healy expressed concern for May’s injury, noting that he was in discomfort and may have suffered bruised or even broken ribs. David King provided an update at half-time, confirming that May would not return to the game due to suspected broken ribs. May was taken to the Epworth for precautionary scans.
Marty Hore replaced May, and later, Jake Lever was assessed for a suspected knee injury after an awkward landing in the third quarter. King reported that Lever would not continue playing in the game due to concerns about his right knee.
Despite these setbacks, Melbourne extended their lead in the third quarter, with Kade Chandler scoring two goals. Hawthorn managed to narrow the gap slightly with Nick Watson’s first career goal. Melbourne held a 37-point lead going into the final quarter.
Fritsch continued to shine in the final quarter, adding two more goals to his tally, finishing the game with five goals. Harrison Petty was moved to the defense to support Tom McDonald in the final quarter.
