COACH Mick Stinear says the frustration of Melbourne’s inaccurate first quarter only came to light following his side’s five-point loss to Fremantle at Fremantle Oval on Sunday.
The Demons kicked 1.5 to nil in the opening term and it proved costly in the wash-up, particularly as they had 15 inside 50s to zip.
“At the time, nearly everything was going right,” he said post-match.
“It was just the ability to not convert on the scoreboard that was the issue in that first quarter. It shows that you do have to make the most of it.
“Even in the dying second, we were still a chance to sneak away with a win, but Fremantle deserved to win today and credit to them.”
Although disappointed with his side’s first loss of the 2018 AFLW season, Stinear said his team will learn from its first of back-to-back matches on the road.
“It’s the nature of the comp – it’s tough every week,” he said.
“I think we had our moments and our opportunities, but we just didn’t capitalise on them.
“The big thing for us is to get better every week and this week we’ll do that on the back of a loss. We’ll be a better side from what happened today and try and take it into next week.”
The Demons are set to host the Magpies in Alice Springs on Saturday and Stinear said it was another test for his players.
“Right now, it’s just about recovery and it’s about coming together after today’s game. We’ve got training on Tuesday night and we’re looking to keep improving,” he said.
“Nothing changes too much because our style of play works for us and we know the blueprint gives us success, so it’s just keeping on working towards that. We keep priding ourselves on the little things that make a big difference.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge and I know the group will respond.”
Stinear praised the performance of captain Daisy Pearce, who had a game-high 23 disposals against Fremantle.
“Her leadership under pressure has gone to another level,” he said.
“She’s really calm and composed during the breaks. Her communication is critical out on the ground – it’s not about how many times she gets her hands on the footy.
“She’s having a great impact on our group.”
With Cat Phillips suffering an injury during the second half, Stinear said it remains to be seen if the speedster will take her place at TIO Traeger Park next round.
“It’s a high ankle sprain, which is much as we know at the moment. We’ll see how she goes during the week, but it’s nothing too nasty and hopefully she’s right,” he said.
