'What just happened?' Eight minutes spark all-time AFL 'heist' as ...

Melbourne has executed one of the great escapes with a thrilling one-point win over Brisbane on Friday night as the Lions’ MCG hoodoo rolls on.

The Demons kicked the final four goals of the match – including Jake Melksham’s match-winner with just 33 seconds to go – to seal the 16.9 (105) to 16.8 (104) win.

The match finished in controversy as Lion Eric Hipwood was adamant he took the mark on the siren to have a shot for goal.

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But umpires deemed Demon Jake Lever had enough of it for full time to be called.

“What just happened,” Fox Footy’s Garry Lyon asked on full time.

“Melbourne has executed one of the great escapes.

“It’s just heartbreak for Lions fans everywhere.”

Melksham said he was “rapt” to land the winning goal and ensure Melbourne’s top four hopes are still alive in 2023.

For the Lions, it means their MCG losing streak rolls on - not having won a home and away fixture at the ground since 2014.

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER MATCH REPORT

There were no late changes for either side, with Joel Smith (Demons) and Devon Robertson (Lions) named the starting subs.

An early misconnection between Lions Joe Daniher and Charlie Cameron ensured the ball bounced out of their front half and Demon Alex Neal-Bullen capitalised.

Melbourne had a second moments later as Christian Petracca snapped truly in a hot start for his side.

“This should have been cleaned up by Jack Payne,” commentator Matthew Richardson lamented of Petracca’s crumbing effort.

“Just a mistake.”

A bit of ‘trash talk” from Petracca resulted in an early push and shove, but momentum was clearly with Melbourne as the star added his second goal – this time on the run from 50.

“A lightning start here,” commentator Brian Taylor said.

“Petracca winding up the crowd at the MCG.”

When Ben Brown added his first – from a great from-behind tackle to catch Harris Andrews cold, Lions coach Chris Fagan was left looking perplexed in the box.

“He’s thinking, what is going on out there?” Richardson said.

“It’s the worst possible start.”

It took more than 15 minutes for the Lions to finally get on the board through Zac Bailey.

Demon Jake Melksham looked dangerous in attack, but hit the post with his snap after catching Lions’ defenders “guarding grass”.

When Andrews opted to leave his man to try and kill the contest at half-forward – and failed – it left the Dees with an extra man in attack as Charlie Spargo ran into an open goal.

“They are all at sea the Lions,” Richardson said.

Late goals to Charlie Cameron and Joe Daniher – his coming after the quarter time siren, gave the visitors something to take into the first break as they trailed 38-21.

It was a horror start to the second term for Brisbane when Conor McKenna missed his target kicking out and could only watch as Jake Bowey put it back over his head.

“Just a skill error – it was on!” Richardson said.

But the Lions didn’t drop their heads – instead finding avenues to goal through Oscar McInerney and young gun Will Ashcroft to close to within 12 points.

When Christian Salem was penalised for simply stepping over the boundary, Daniher couldn’t capitalise as he missed to the near side.

Jaspa Fletcher ensured it was a five-point game midway through the second term as Melbourne’s forward half dominance dried up.

Jack Gunston gave the Lions the lead for the first time in the night before Petracca added his third goal in what was becoming a shoot out.

With just seconds to go in the half, the Lions reclaimed the lead to take a 52-51 advantage into the main break.

The third term belonged to the visitors as the Lions piled on seven goals.

Lincoln McCarthy got the first to open up a seven-point lead for the Lions before young Demon Taj Woewodin was swamped by teammates.

Woewodin, the son of Brownlow Medallist and ex-Demon Shane, kicked a ripping goal on the run for his first in the AFL in heartwarming scenes.

The Demons dodged a few bullets midway through the third before Zac Bailey finally got the goal the Lions had pressed so hard for with their eight straight inside 50s.

“Melbourne have got to find some answers,” commentator James Brayshaw said as Brisbane’s lead grew to 16 points.

“It is raining goals to the city end (Brisbane’s).

“They have cracked this game open Brisbane.”

With Harrison Petty restricted by a back complaint and Max Gawn getting his knee re-strapped on the bench, the Demons were repeatedly opened up to stare down a 28-point deficit.

Petty was subbed out moments later as Kysaiah Pickett got a much-needed Melbourne goal.

Miracle hands from Pickett on the run set up Petracca’s fourth goal as the Dees kept in touch at three quarter time, 97-76.

And they were close enough if good enough.

Pickett brought the Dees to within 18 points in the final term with seven minutes to go to set up a thrilling finish.

And thrilling it was as Jake Melksham and Jack Viney edged Melbourne closer.

It was Melksham who then delivered the absolute steal to put the Dees in front by one point and they hung on in a frenzied final 33 seconds.

THE 3-2-1...

3. ‘OUTRIGHT HEIST’: THE MOST UNLIKELY EIGHT-MINUTE COMEBACK

That is a famous – and mightily unlikely – victory for Melbourne. An outright heist.

And it came from the most unlikely of heroes.

Down by 28 points midway through the third quarter and 24 points with just over seven minutes to go, the Demons were seemingly destined for a loss.

Cue the most incredible four-goal blitz that kept the Demons’ top-two hopes alive.

Goals to Kysaiah Pickett, Jake Melksham and Jack Viney put the Dees within a kick before Melksham took a terrific pack mark inside 50 with around one minute remaining on the clock.

Melksham, who’d shanked several shots at goal in the first quarter and probably wouldn’t have been in the team if it wasn’t for Bayley Fritsch’s injury, launched his shot with all his might. And it just had the distance for a goal, sparking wild celebrations.

The Demons then got the clearance to give them some breathing space before Jake Lever denied Eric Hipwood a set-shot at goal to seal a totally bonkers one-point win.

Melksham, understandably, was ecstatic post-game.

“We’re doing so much work on our goalkicking and it’s hard to emulate this at training. But Choco’s (Mark Williams) doing a great job with us,” Melksham said post-match.

“We’re putting ourselves in positions to win games form our set-shots. I’m rapt I put it through because I kicked three out on the full in the first quarter.”

The Lions on Friday night were seemingly destined for a second MCG victory in 15 games. They’d overcome a dreadfully slow start to blitz Melbourne and send a message to the Pies and Power.

Joe Daniher, who starred for the Lions and owned the MCG for most of the night, kicked a goal on the quarter-time siren - the first of a 10-of-12-goal run.

The Lions, who conceded six first-quarter goals, clearly refocused tactically at quarter-time. After taking just 15 marks in the first term, they had 43 in the second quarter alone as they showed patience with the footy and set up several attacking forays from their defensive half where their slick ball movement was on display.

The first 20 minutes in the third quarter was pivotal as the Lions kicked 5.3 to 1.0. They pressed hard, locked the ball in their forward half and piled on the pressure on Melbourne’s usually resolute defensive group. Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale was central to that with an eight-disposal third quarter – after only having six touches for the entire first half – to set up a 21-point lead at the final change.

Daniher kicked the opening goal of the final quarter and the Lions seemed home.

But Melksham and his Demons had other ideas.

“Eight minutes is a long time. You can’t panic when you get to that moment,” Melksham said.

“We didn’t go to our ‘win the game’ plans until the last minute … You’ve just got to execute, keep composed and stay in the game.”

2. DEMONS’ DELICATE BALANCE EXPOSED

It’s perhaps Simon Goodwin’s most delicate balancing act for the rest of the season – and probably beyond – how much time should Christian Petracca spend close to goal?

Because when the footy is in his vicinity inside, he’s one of the most damaging and dynamic players in the competition.

But the key word in that aforementioned sentence, though, is when – because when Petracca isn’t part of the Demons’ on-ball brigade, the ball doesn’t go forward as often.

From the opening minutes of Friday night’s clash, the Melbourne superstar was in an ominous, almost unstoppable mood as he created all kinds of havoc and chaos, with his first three kicks of the game all resulting in Demons’ scores.

It only took three minutes for Petracca to hit the scoreboard, pouncing on a loose ball with one hand, accelerating away from congestion and snapping a classy goal. Just for extra measure, he let Lions opponents Brandon Starcevich – who often lined up on Petracca when he played deep – and Darcy Wilmot know all about it.

Petracca backed it up minutes later, nailing a long-range goal on the run to give the Demons three goals in seven minutes. And he could’ve had a third a few minutes later, only for his snap from a superb forward 50 stoppage crumb to sail to the left.

Fox Footy’s David King cheekily tweeted after Petracca’s telling second goal: “I reckon Petracca forward goes ok …”

But as the Lions got the game on their terms around the coalface, it led to scoreboard dominance as they kicked 10 of the next 15 goals after Melbourne’s four-goal blitz to start the contest.

Petracca, according to Champion Data, spent 22 minutes in the midfield in the third quarter. Most of those minutes were in the back-end of the term when the Demons found a way back into the contest from stoppage goals. Coincidentally, one of those was kicked by Petracca.

“The Petracca debate is going to rage on and on and on,” Demons great Garry Lyon told Fox Footy. “He lit the place up and was extraordinary in the first 10 minutes – and then we didn’t see him for a while. That’s what’s going to happen.

“The sacrifice is if you’re not going to have him around the ground, but going to have him in this part of the ground (forward) … he was the dominant player on the ground. He kicked a goal late (before half-time) for his third, but in between he went a long, long time where he wasn’t able to influence the game at all.”

Fox Footy’s Nathan Buckley added: “Since Petracca has gone forward, Melbourne just haven’t had the same supply in the front half … He’s kicked goals, but they’ve had less inside 50s than they’re usually getting.”

The Demons, ultimately, had a good spread of goalkickers. Petracca booted 4.2 from 26 disposals, while Kysaiah Pickett kicked three and Melksham added two.

“We’re a dynamic forward line and we’re always giving different looks each week,” Melksham said.

“We’ve got depth … real dangerous.”

1. DEES’ ‘BEST 15 MINUTES OF 2023’ AS LIONS QUARTET EXPOSED

Blink and you would’ve missed Melbourne’s explosive start on Friday night that clearly left the travelling Lions shell-shocked.

After 10 minutes, the Demons had kicked four unanswered goals in an ominous blitz and firm response to their recent critics.

Christian Petracca kicked two of those goals, Jake Lever was controlling the backline, Kysaiah Pickett was having an impact on the ball and, most notably, Max Gawn was thriving as the sole ruck. In fact after 10 minutes, the Demons led the clearance count 6-0, while they were also +10 for contested possessions and led the pressure rating 190 to 160.

This was the definition of a hot Demons start.

“Melbourne had their best 15 minutes of the year, I reckon,” five-time All-Australian Garry Lyon told Fox Footy.

Four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis added: “Their first 10 minutes set up the quarter. They were electric … They were dominant, they were on the move, they were prepared to get in and under. But it was their transition from inside the contest, go forward and get out on the move to challenge the Brisbane defence.”

Conversely, it was the worst possible opening for the Lions – especially amid ample external chatter about their poor recent MCG record – as they ended up conceding six goals in a quarter for just the fourth time this season.

Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley pointed to four Lions first-quarter incidents that would’ve left coach Chris Fagan ropeable: A missed Jack Payne spoil that led directly to Christian Petracca’s first goal, a meek Jack Gunston bump that allowed Jake Lever to set up an easy attacking Melbourne foray, a missed forward 50 tackle from Eric Hipwood that allowed Harry Petty to clear danger and poor ruck contest from Joe Daniher that led to an easy clearance for Jacob van Rooyen.

“If I’m Chris Fagan, halfway through that first quarter, I would’ve had the iPad loaded up with some efforts (clips) from my experienced players,” Buckley told Fox Footy.

“He’s probably pumped the breaks on that given Brisbane was the dominant team in that last 15 minutes and got themselves back into the contest. But those efforts from those senior players early were just not good enough.”

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