IN one of the best matches of the season, it was Melbourne who prevailed in a tight affair. After being down by 17 points at the main break, Melbourne rallied to take the lead and the win. Brisbane had an opportunity to steal the win after the siren, but the kick from Greta Bodey ultimately fell short.

TALKING POINTS

The game was on Brisbane’s terms early

For the vast majority of the first term, the game was all on Brisbane’s terms. The ball was stuck in their forward 50 and their tackling and perceived pressure was so intense that the Melbourne players were rushing their kicks and just struggling to hang on to possession.

It was a tale of two halves

For pretty much the entire first half, Brisbane was dominant and in control of the match. Melbourne was just outplayed and just had no answers. Then, the second half came along and things dramatically changed.

The roles were flipped and before anyone knew it, the Dees were in control and looking like the much more dominant side.

Orla O’Dwyer is seriously underrated

Although not one of the more well known Brisbane midfielders, Orla O’Dwyer proved tonight why she is one of the most dangerous ones. Her speed and run and carry was causing all sort of headaches for the Dees early on and creating plenty of chances for her own side.

She went a lot quieter as the match went on, and that is thanks in a large part to Tyla Hanks, who did a superb job in quelling her influence.

It was a good lesson to learn for Brisbane’s opponents for the rest of the season. Do not underestimate Orla O’Dwyer.

Tayla Harris was unstoppable

As the game wore on, Tayla Harris became more and more unstoppable in the Melbourne forward line, and proving to be quite the headache for the likes of Shannon Campbell. She was taking strong marks, crashing packs and creating plenty of scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates. Harris has really got her confidence back this season and it is showing.

Short break? No problem

Brisbane is in the middle of a tough stretch, playing a number of games in a short amount of time. Despite the loss, Brisbane ran out the game like they had had a break of a similar length to Melbourne’s, not the four days they actually had.

Dees debutants stellar on debut

Melbourne had two debutants tonight that both had exceptional games.

Olivia Purcell was impactful through the middle of the ground, and created plenty of run and drive heading forward for the Dees.

Tahlia Gillard on the other hand proved herself as an excellent tall marking defender, and as someone as tall as she is, she is going to prove a headache for opposition forwards trying to out mark her.

NEXT WEEK

Melbourne id back at home on Saturday night against the Roos, while the Lions are off to Perth to face the Eagles on Sunday.