WINNING the critical moments.
That’s what Melbourne’s Saturday victory came down to, according to senior coach Simon Goodwin.
The Dees travelled to the hostile environment that is Adelaide Oval to face Port Adelaide in Round 3.
After a tight tussle, with plenty of lead changes, Melbourne sealed its third win of the season by a narrow six points.
“We saw an absolute beauty of a game,” Goodwin told media following the match.
“High contest, high stoppage, we had to absorb a lot of entry…so if you look at the numbers, Port probably should’ve won the game.
“But we won the critical moments and that’s why I’m so proud of this footy team.
“They’re starting to galvanise together and win critical moments when the game was there to be won, we put on a performance we’re really proud of.”
Contrary to what people have discussed in the past with Melbourne’s football, its accuracy inside 50 was one of the key components to its win.
The Dees registered 15 goals from 21 scoring opportunities, in comparison to the Power’s 13 goals from 24 scoring opportunities.
“Quite often our footy club has spoken about a lack of efficiency, tonight was the reverse of that,” Goodwin said.
“We took our chances, we executed in front of goal and that was the big difference in the game – our ability to be a bit more efficient.
“Mark Williams has been doing goal kicking at our footy club for a few years now and we’ve been building.
“Last year we were heading in the right direction for most of the year and it was just the backend of the year that didn’t quite come our way.
“It’s about consistency in process and program and the boys being really invested in it.”
While it was a special night for Melbourne, with a win on the road against a high-quality opposition, the pinnacle of the game was the celebration of dedicated Demon, Jack Viney.
Viney played his 200th game in the red and blue, and was praised for his commitment to the club for over 12 years.
“He’s a star, Jack, he’s done so much for our footy club,” Goodwin said.
“When he came to the club, we needed someone to really raise the standards of our club and he was that.
“He wanted to be a competitor, lift the standards of how we train and prepare, and he’s done that throughout his time and he's brought a lot of young players along with him.
“To get to 200 games, with the way he plays the game, that typifies exactly what we want as a footy club.
“So to get a win in his 200th, with his family here, it’s just amazing for him.”
