Before half-time, the Demons were a frustrating outfit to watch. They chipped the ball sideways, backwards and made terrible errors by foot – which wasn't entirely exclusive to them with the Bombers also privy to remarkable turnovers. Their style of play saw them manage just 11 inside 50s for the half, which paled in comparison to the Bombers' 38. But in the third term, they used the corridor, kicked forward and moved the ball quickly, which resulted in four goals and some hope going into the last quarter. They continued this into the final stanza, which saw them claim the lead with eight minutes to go – and then win it back inside the last minute when they willed the ball forward and found Christian Salem, with the seven-gamer making his sixth AFL goal the most important of all to give the Demons a one-point lead with 19 seconds left. The contrasting halves simply showed the difference for the Dees when they go on the attack.   

 

No one was sure how the Bombers would start after yet another tumultuous week that culminated when a raft of players were served with show-cause notices following the 2012 supplements program. They were quick to shove aside any doubt regarding their focus when they had the run of the play in the first quarter with 14 ventures inside 50 before the Demons registered their first. While the Dees were their own worst enemy in front of goal with Daniel Cross, Cam Pedersen and James Frawley missing set shots, it was yet another opening term scalp for the Bombers at the MCG. So far this season, they haven't conceded a goal in the first stanza and added the Demons to the list already featuring Carlton, Collingwood and Richmond as teams that haven't managed a major before quarter-time against them.

 

The Bombers started well but faded in the last quarter and were unable to go with the Dees when they kicked two goals in less than 30 seconds to push ahead by eight points. Did an early surge of adrenalin wear off, allowing for the unavoidable mental exhaustion that comes with the type of week the players had to seep in? Only the players can answer that but it certainly looked possible given the their body language when the Demons hit the front. Credit to them, they fought it out with David Zaharakis kicking two goals in less than 30 seconds to reclaim the lead with three minutes left but they were unable to land the winning punch after the Demons goaled again. Chairman Paul Little said before the game the club asked ASADA to hold off on the issuing of the notices until after the game – and after they let the Dees back in after half time, you wonder if the timing made a difference. 

 

Last week, it was a runner - Nigel Lappin - who got in the way of play in Friday night's Carlton-Geelong clash. On Sunday, it was umpire Justin Schmitt who found himself in the line of fire late in the first quarter. David Zaharakis had kicked the ball to Courtenay Dempsey in the middle of the ground but Schmitt was right in the Bomber's way and caused him to be momentarily held up. It was enough for the ball to glide past them and be collected by the Demons, with Bomber fans making their feelings known with a chorus of boos and jeers when a free kick didn't come. The Demons held onto it briefly before it went out of bounds so there was no immediate impact because of the contact but it was a potential forward foray the Bombers lost in the process.

 

It's early days but the Bombers are optimistic captain Jobe Watson will play again this season. Watson had surgery on Tuesday to repair his torn hip flexor tendon, which he ripped against Greater Western Sydney last Saturday night. Chairman Paul Little gave an update on the skipper at the club's pre-match function and said the surgery had been successful and he was set for a full recovery. Watson was present at the game but declined an invitation to attend the lunch, leaving Little to tell fans the projected timeline now had the Brownlow medallist on a stationary bike in 2-3 weeks, having another scan in six and then back in serious training within eight if all things went well. "As we know there are 11 matches left in the year so we've got our fingers crossed there," Little said.

 

Twitter: @AFL_JenPhelan