AFL 2024: Melbourne Demons prove doubters wrong, Essendon Bombers edge ahead

However, the four-time club champion is not the only Demon on a path to redemption, and for varying reasons.

Out-of-contract, 30-something veterans Tom McDonald and Ben Brown were widely written off on season eve, with the former sent back to defence and the latter undergoing more knee surgery in January.

McDonald’s been mostly excellent since returning for round one and was particularly important on Charlie Dixon on Saturday night, with Steven May sidelined through injury. Brown also stepped up with a game-high three goals, including giving Melbourne the lead for good with seven minutes to go.

Jake Lever might be an All-Australian defender and elite interceptor, but the knock on him is he is a third-man-in specialist who can be exposed when he plays one-on-one. Goodwin backed Lever in when he needed swingman Harry Petty to bolster his attack from the start of the second half, giving him Petty’s job on Todd Marshall, who kicked just one goal thereafter.

Then there is former Saint Jack Billings, who had his quietest night so far in red and blue, in what has otherwise been a strong start at his new club after falling out of favour with Ross Lyon. But guess who dished the handball that released top-10 draftee Caleb Windsor for his brilliant 50-metre goal early in the fourth quarter?

Alex Neal-Bullen is guilty of nothing but being the game’s most underrated footballer, an elite in-game-runner, who had a miserable 2020 campaign – like many at the club – but has been hugely valuable since.

The tireless Neal-Bullen, a South Australian, played arguably the best match of his life, accumulating 24 disposals, 12 contested possessions, seven score involvements, six tackles and two goals.

His forward mate Kade Chandler deserves a mention, too, particularly for his clever tap-on to Neal-Bullen to set up his second major early in the final term, during a five-goal burst that resuscitated the Dees’ hopes after they fell 16 points behind.

There is a long way to go this season, and Melbourne performed well in the past two home-and-away seasons, too, before their finals failures, but they are proving their many 2024 doubters wrong to date.

Essendon edge-ing ahead

The media love a catchy line, and Bombers coach Brad Scott gifted us one with his “Essendon edge” comments last week that sparked an aggressive response from his players.

A tough-talking Archie Perkins doubled down during the week, warning that opposition teams could expect new toughness around the ball from the first bounce.

There was not the same vigour early in the first and second terms against St Kilda as there was in the Bombers’ previous game in Sydney, but their persistence could not be questioned – and staying within touch in the first half paid off later.

Zach Merrett is blossoming into one of the AFL’s best lead-by-example captains, while Kyle Langford stood up again with an equal match-high three goals in Peter Wright’s absence as he continues to prove his breakout season last year was no fluke.

Nic Martin’s 44 disposals from half-back were not always damaging, but he never stopped running, amassed almost 800 metres gained and had 12 rebound-50s.

Late inclusion Harry Jones showed promising signs up forward and Jye Caldwell’s numbers do not tell the full story of how influential he was in the four-point triumph, including his pass to Jake Stringer for the match-winner.

Stringer is a frustrating but rare talent. His magnificent 52-metre strike gave the Bombers their first lead inside the last six minutes and was his third goal for the night. Players such as Stringer do not grow on trees, and the Dons must re-sign him, even if he turns 30 in a few weeks’ time. He could still be a factor once Essendon are eventually purring.

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Allergic to drafting talls early

North Melbourne have not drafted a key-position player with a top-20 pick across the four years since their deep player cuts at the end of a wretched 2020 season.

The Kangaroos finished second-last that COVID-impacted year and never higher since, including wooden spoons in 2021 and 2022 – and almost a third in 2023 before a round 24 victory over Gold Coast.

Until selecting ruckman Taylor Goad at No.20 last year, then key defender Wil Dawson two picks later, the tallest player North had taken in national drafts between 2000-2023 were 190-centimetre pair Josh Goater and Zane Duursma.

The only other clubs not to draft a key-position prospect in the top 20 in that period were the Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Collingwood, Port Adelaide, St Kilda and West Coast, most of which are well-stocked in that regard.

The Kangaroos are not, but wanted their Roo-build to begin in the midfield.

North Melbourne had eight top-20 choices in the past four years, used on Will Phillips (No.3 in 2020), Tom Powell (No.13 in 2020), Jason Horne-Francis (No.1 in 2021), Harry Sheezel (No.3 in 2022), George Wardlaw (No.4 in 2022), Colby McKercher (No.2 in 2023) and Duursma (No.4 in 2023).

Phillips has been overlooked all season, such is the on-ball logjam.