AFTER weeks of scrutiny, Melbourne has proved its strength up forward with an emphatic offensive performance.

The Demons defeated the Tigers by 32 points on Sunday afternoon, as the red and blue forward line dominated the scoreboard.

Harrison Petty (6), Jacob van Rooyen (4) and Jake Melksham (4) booted a combined 14 goals to help seal Melbourne’s four points. 

“It was one of our pleasing elements of the game, there’s no question about that,” Simon Goodwin told media following the win.

Melbourne faced a slight slump in scoreboard impact throughout the middle of the season, kicking an average of seven goals a game from Rounds 12 to 16.

But, through their determination and hard work, the Demons have improved their accuracy inside 50, Sunday’s match an example of this, with the team scoring 20.10 (130).

Goodwin praised the side's multiple goal-kickers, but also highlighted the work of the midfield group, in particular vice-captain Jack Viney (9) who led the team for entries inside 50.  

“Today, [it was] fantastic,” Goodwin said.

“Harrison [Petty], Jacob [van Rooyen] and Jake Melksham, they all looked really dynamic ahead of the ball and on the back of some pretty good supply, I think we had 71 inside 50s.

An unlikely hero of the match was Petty, who, despite having spent majority of his career in defence, kicked a game-high and career-high six goals.

After a short stint in offence this year, kicking four goals across three games, the 23-year-old was still working hard to prove his forward craft.

But after missing a couple games due to rib soreness, Petty returned with a point to prove – that he can kick goals, and plenty of them.

“In his last game before he got injured, he was really influential in the air ahead of the ball,” Goodwin said.

“So, we knew we had a good forward in us and today he’s shown his capacity to play in that area of the ground, which is really pleasing for us.”

As the Demons near their 2023 finals campaign, Goodwin said he was most impressed with the team's determination in-game and their mindset to compete at all times, something that will hold them in good stead heading into the remainder of the season.

“The way we respond under pressure, that’s becoming a hallmark of this team,” Goodwin said.

“We’ve been 20 points down in numerous games in the last month, and our ability to respond and find a way forward in a game, it’s the hallmark of a team that you want to be a part of, and that you want to coach.

“These guys have the enormous ability to compete at a really high level and they’re building.”