AFL 2025: Melbourne Demons cop huge whack after St Kilda melt down in record-breaking loss
Melbourne's leaders have been called out for their dying seconds 'panic' in the historic six-point loss to the Saints on Sunday.
When Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera kicked a goal to level scores with just eight seconds to play, the Demons coughed up a 6-6-6 infringement free kick in the middle of the ground.
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And what followed was pure chaos as Melbourne's players took off, only to be called back, before that man Wanganeen-Milera bobbed up again to kick the winning goal in a stunning 15.6 (96) to 13.12 (90) victory.
'There was a rush of blood to defend long and deep,' AFL great Dermott Brereton said.
'It was panic stations.'
In all the confusion, Max Gawn, Jack Viney and Kysaiah Pickett all returned to the middle of the ground in a move that ultimately proved costly as Wanganeen-Milera streaked forward, marked inside 50 and nailed the matchwinner.
It created history for the Saints, with the biggest three-quarter time comeback ever, from 46 points down.
The Demons' confusion was clear in the dying seconds of St Kilda's historic win.
Umpire Nick Brown asked for the field to be reset before paying a free kick to Rowan Marshall. Picture: Michael Klein
Two-time premiership Roo David King labelled the Dees' dying seconds brain fade as a 'cardinal sin'.
'Name me the leaders at Melbourne. They're all there. They've got (Christian) Petracca, Gawn, you've got (Christian) Salem behind the footy, (Tom) McDonald. They're everywhere there. They should have understood this situation,' King said on Fox Footy's First Crack.
'They should have understood the 6-6-6. Instead of getting confused here … why is Max back in the middle?
'I just spoke with (ex-AFL umpire) Ray Chamberlain, he said there is no rule that says Max has to go back in and reset. He should be the loose man.
'What the hell is Viney doing in the middle of the wing when his opponent has gone to the left edge to charge forward?
'So, as the fourth midfielder comes in no one is communicating. No one knows who's got who.
'Viney is thinking, 'I've got to get back to Wanganeen-Milera'. I'm assuming that's what he's thinking because he's not going with (Saint Anthony) Caminiti, who charges to the left.
'He clearly doesn't get there, he doesn't surge, now he doesn't know what he's doing and the rest of the Melbourne backs are all here.
'Why is Bowey out there? If he's all the way out there that's fine. Stay there.
Coach Simon Goodwin on the sidelines.
Arms were out all over the centre square ahead of the final play of St Kilda's historic win.
'He turns to correct and he's not organising Viney. He should be saying to Viney, 'Come back' … Bowey turns and he's not even facing the play.
'I don't understand how they've capitulated so poorly in the space of 30 seconds.
'They haven't assessed the situation.
'They haven't assessed the likely danger zones and they've allowed Wanganeen-Milera to charge unopposed into that dangerous area through a lack of understanding of what's going to happen and a lack of communication.
'This is on them and the details matter. This comes back to coaching, I don't care what anyone says.
'It comes back to learnt habits, learnt skills at training … They should have known these things. This is their profession.
'I'm disappointed with Melbourne because this is a game they played really well for three quarters and have just lost their minds.
'It's the dumbest thing I've seen this year.
'Viney standing, wrong side of his opponent 30 metres (away), giving a tall – a targeted player – he can contested mark this guy Caminiti, allowing him to go inside 50 unopposed is just a cardinal sin.'
Goodwin was seen looking bemused on the bench while their footy head of development Mark Williams was still counting players when the ball was handed back to Saints big man Rowan Marshall – who nailed the kick to Wanganeen-Milera.
'Pickett and Petracca didn't have to be at the circle,' Fox Footy's Leigh Montagna said.
'They could have been all the way back just inside the square because they knew it was St Kilda's free kick.
'Simon Goodwin was coaching from the bench … he wasn't giving instructions to his players at all. He was standing there watching.
Demons head of development Mark Williams was spotted counting players.
'If you're on the bench, that's one of the advantages you have as a coach is to be able to yell out to your players in that situation.
'Jack Viney, his vice-captain, would have been 40 metres away from him.'
Speaking after the one-goal loss, Goodwin described the defeat as 'unacceptable'.
'We won't shy away from it at all. We won't sugar-coat it,' he said.
'We'll just own it and do something about it and make sure it never happens again.
'Today is unacceptable. For all the good that was in the day, that last quarter was so far off.'
Originally published as 'Dumbest thing seen': Dees' huge whack after St Kilda melt down
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