A FIRED up Melbourne stayed on track for an AFLW finals berth with a stirring 28-point win against Adelaide in cold, wet conditions on Saturday night.
The disciplined Demons dished up Crows-like pressure to dominate the contest 6.7 (43) to 2.3 (15) at Casey Fields.
Aside from Melbourne’s fierce tackling across every line, their midfielders – inspired by Tyla Hanks – were more than a match for the Crows elite onballer group led by Ebony Marinoff and Chelsea Randall.
Hanks was unstoppable with 19 disposals, five tackles and a goal, well supported by Eden Zanker, Lily Mithen and the consistent Karen Paxman in the crucial midfield battles.
Melbourne’s costly inaccuracy of previous weeks disappeared in a flurry of goals, with the dangerous Kate Hore bagging three among the impressive list of contributors.
It was a critical victory against a fellow top-six occupant as Melbourne finishes the home-and-away season with tough assignments against Fremantle in Perth and the Brisbane Lions at home.
With goals at a premium with a heavy ball and wet turf, the Demons found timely breakthroughs from Zanker and Hanks to set up a scoreboard buffer in the first half.
Zanker, who had contributed a dismal 0.5 in previous weeks, slotted a goal with a set shot from a tight angle in the first quarter and Hanks pounced on a loose ball to snap her first goal of the season early in the second term.
When ruck Lauren Pearce took a strong mark in the goal square from a Mithen centred pass, Melbourne had a handy 13-point halftime lead.
It was a matter of whether the Dees could sustain that team pressure, particularly in the back half, for the entire contest against an opponent renowned for those same relentless tactics.
That query was never in doubt as Melbourne players continued to fling themselves into the contests and steadily stretched the lead in the third quarter to put away the game by the final change.
(C) AAP 2021
MELBOURNE 1.2 3.3 5.6 6.7 (43)
ADELAIDE CROWS 1.1 1.2 1.3 2.3 (15)
Goals: Melbourne: K Hore 3 E Zanker L Pearce T Hanks. Adelaide Crows: C Randall R Martin.
Umpires: Nick Jankovskis, Nic McGinness, Leighton Rowe.
Official Crowd: 445 at Casey Fields.
