WHILE the Demons entered Round 18 in second spot on the AFL ladder, there were questions around their form, dropping four of the previous six matches.
In what was a critical clash with Port Adelaide, Melbourne rose to the occasion and got some momentum back in season 2022.
“We knew what type of game it was going to be – it was going to be a challenge for us,” senior coach Simon Goodwin said on Sunday evening.
“I spoke during the week to our players about it’s time to really step up and challenge ourselves.
“I thought today we played a really strong brand of footy.
Five weeks out from finals footy, the Dees are looking to tinker with their game and regain some connection across the ground.
That started at in Alice Springs where the Dees were tough at the contest – an area Goodwin values highly – leading the tackle count by 15 and restricting the Power to just 10 goals.
“All we focus [on] is making sure our contest and defence is in check and we’ll get the opportunities on the back of that,” he said.
On the offensive end, Melbourne generated 23 scoring shots from its 49 inside 50s, with Kysaiah Pickett’s six-goal haul helping it to a 14-point victory.
“I thought today we capitalised on turn over, I thought we looked really dangerous ahead of the ball at times,” Goodwin said.
“If we can just get a few more entries, I think our forward line is looking better and better every week.”
To hear more from Goodwin post-game, watch the press conference below.
