DOM Tyson, with a game-high 31 disposals, and Max Gawn, who had a whopping 60 hit outs against the Gold Coast Suns at the MCG on Sunday, were critical in Melbourne’s nail-biting two-point win.

They were both fine contributors and among the best on ground.

But it could be argued that when Melbourne needed someone to stand-up at crucial moments, it had two players who genuinely put their hands up: Jack Watts and Aaron vandenBerg.

Or for the purpose of this column, it was ‘VW’ that was the driving force behind Melbourne’s win.

vandenBerg and Watts kicked three goals each, with their efforts in the second term, helping set up the win. vandenBerg landed two majors and Watts opened the second term to play a big part in Melbourne winning the quarter by 24 points.

It was that quarter that secured the match.

vandenBerg landed Melbourne’s only goal in the third quarter – after the siren – and Watts was outstanding in the final stages of the last term, when he kicked the match-winner at the 26-minute mark and then ran down to full-back and took the match-saving mark.

Their efforts were telling in Melbourne’s eighth win of the season.

For vandenBerg, playing a key role in attack was a role he relished, even if he hadn’t had a lot of experience in the area. It was also a significant step-up after an injury-riddled season.

“Naturally, I don’t play that position all that often and seeing as I’m doing that a lot now, I’ve been putting in a lot of work with Simon Goodwin and Brendan McCartney on my running patterns and on how to move as a forward,” he said.

“I’m hoping to reap the benefits of it now, but I’ve just got to keep bringing that forward.

“I’ve just got to make sure that I recover really well throughout the week and make sure my ankle can get up game to game and see the season out well. I just want to get some good games under my belt and then hit the pre-season with some confidence.”

As for Watts, it continued a fine season, which has seen him grow significantly as a player.

“It was good to see the boys get pretty pumped for me and pretty pumped for each other – it was a really good win that we needed,” he said.

He has kicked a career-best 34 goals and has been one of Melbourne’s best performers in 2016.

Coach Paul Roos spoke glowingly about Watts’ season – and how the 133-gamer had prospered this year.

“He was outstanding. I thought he was just the player on the ground who looked like he was going to break the game open. In the end, it was great reward for him to kick the winning goal,” he said.

“He was the standout player for us ... his game was exceptional and the difference for us winning or losing.

“In terms of where he’s come from and the criticism he’s got, he’s finally getting the recognition. We felt last year we had some real progress … but it’s great to see him enjoying his footy and it’s great to see him with a smile on his face.

“It’s great to see people rewarding him for the positives that he brings to the footy team – it’s fantastic. I love Jack, he’s one of the best people I’ve met in footy and to see him get the reward is really exciting.”