MELBOURNE has secured a crucial 17-point win over Essendon, holding firm despite a few last-quarter jitters.

The Demons jumped out to a 41-point lead halfway through the final term, before the Bombers threw caution to the wind and kicked the final four goals of the match, just falling short in the 13.6 (84) to 10.7 (67) result.

Aside from the first quarter – and that nervy run in the final 10 minutes – the Bombers were unable to make any real headway in attack, struggling to move the ball with dare and pace, and didn't capitalise on Sam Draper's dominance in the ruck.

The normally disciplined defence of Melbourne was at sixes and sevens in the first term, getting caught too high up the ground with the Bombers taking their pick of free targets out the back. But they were unable to take full advantage, kicking 3.3 for the term.

The second term opened at the same time as the heavens as most of the quarter turned into proper, old-school wet-weather football.

The Demons thrived in the conditions – emulating acting skipper Jack Viney, they were tough at the contest, out-bodying their Essendon opponents and peppering inside 50 as Jake Melksham's smarts came to the fore in his second game back from a torn ACL.

Essendon rallied somewhat after the main break, managing to stem the flow of goals and evening up the contest, with Ben McKay holding firm across the half-back line for the first 10 minutes of the term.

It took a Kozzy Pickett shrug and spin around two tacklers to break the deadlock, spotting Melksham and eventual goalkicker Ed Langdon free in attack. 

Brad Scott made the call to inject the speed of Nick Hind into the game halfway through the third quarter, replacing Peter Wright, and as conditions dried, the move appeared to have breathed some life into the Bombers.

But an unlikely, skidding Melksham bomb from outside 50 put paid to any thought of Essendon overhauling Melbourne in the final term, and the Demons put the foot down from there, pushing out to a 41-point lead until the Bombers trimmed the margin.

After a very slow start (one disposal in the first quarter after starting on the bench), Clayton Oliver was a force around the stoppages in the slightly slower, wet conditions, while Melksham provided stability and smarts to Melbourne's attack, opening it up for the forwards, and Caleb Windsor ran the much taller Nik Cox off his feet on the wing.

Jordan Ridley took 10 marks in soggy conditions, while the versatile Nic Martin finished with four goals for the Bombers.

Gawn-less Dees make do
In the absence of a recognised ruck after captain Max Gawn's ankle injury ruled him out, somewhat maligned forward Harry Petty was given the unenviable task of containing Draper. The Don was far too strong in the first quarter, handing the ball to his midfielders on a silver platter as Petty tried in vain to wrestle him out of position. Throwing Jacob van Rooyen into the ruck in the second term seemed to break up the dominance, and the youngster increased his ruck minutes throughout the match. The Dons finished 15 ahead in the hitouts, but lost the clearances by 12.

No substitute for footy smarts
One passage of play encapsulated the speed at which Melbourne had adjusted to the heavy second-quarter rain. Kozzy Pickett – who had an eventful game 100 – knew he had a Bomber hot on his heels, dropping the ball from hand to foot at lightning speed. Melksham slid and picked up the ball on the half-volley, and crucially, waited. He could see Windsor charging off the wing towards him, gave the quick hands at the right time, and the youngster kicked truly to take the margin to 14. It was sublime play in soggy conditions.

Costly Bombers loss in September quest
In a round of upsets, Essendon blew a golden opportunity to shore up a spot in the top four, and possibly the top eight. It's one of the closest seasons in memory, and a win would have seen the Bombers finish the round in second spot, but instead, they could finish as low as seventh. Percentage is also an issue, dropping from 99.9 to 98.8, currently one of only two sides in the top 12 with a percentage south of 100.

MELBOURNE     3.2     6.6     8.6     13.6     (84)
ESSENDON        3.3     4.5     5.7     10.7     (67) 

GOALS
Melbourne: Turner 3, Fritsch 3, Melksham 2, Pickett 2, Chandler, Windsor, Langford
Essendon: Martin 4, Langford 2, Duursma 2, Durham, Jones

BEST
Melbourne: Rivers, Oliver, Langdon, Melksham, Windsor, Pickett
Essendon: Ridley, Martin, Merrett, McKay, Shiel

INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil
Essendon: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Melbourne: Taj Woewodin (replaced Moniz-Wakefield in the fourth quarter)
Essendon: Nick Hind (replaced Peter Wright in the third quarter)

Crowd: 52,866 at the MCG