AVERAGE in the contest.

That’s what led to Melbourne’s disappointing 50-point loss to Fremantle according to senior coach Simon Goodwin.

The Dees travelled to Optus Stadium on Sunday afternoon for a Round 19 match that resulted in the team’s second Dockers defeat for 2024.

“It was obviously very disappointing, it certainly wasn't the game that we wanted,” Goodwin told media post-match.

“We got beaten heavily around the ball, around stoppage and clearance.

“Their ability to win contest and get the ball to the outside made them get some really easy goals.

“I thought our ability to win the ball and get pressure on the ball was just average and led to them getting to the outside quite quickly. That was the game in a nutshell."

The Sunday afternoon loss saw a wash-up of stats that made it clear what the Dees had to focus on moving into its next challenge.

Melbourne was down 41 in the clearances, having not registered a single one for the duration of the first quarter.

But, with contest regularly a part of the Dees’ core strengths, Goodwin was optimistic in his side’s ability to get back to the level they knew they could be at.

“The competition, it’s so tight, that you can't ride the wave of just one performance, and we won't we, we'll certainly lean in and own the performance that we had today, because it wasn't anywhere near the level,” Goodwin said.

“But there's so much more to play for still.

“We've got six days playing the Giants at home, we'll just get back to work and work on our game and get our contest back.

“First and foremost, [contest] is the first thing that needs to come back and come back really quickly.”

Melbourne defender Tom McDonald was candid following the 50-point loss, explaining the impact of clearance restrictions on the overall game.

“It's just a really bad day when you’re smashed by 40 in the contest,” McDonald said.  

“It’s going to be tough to win any game when you play with that.

“Contest leads to clearances, clearances sort of lead to their outside game, and they just killed us with ball movement and getting guys out the back.

“We’re trying to play the right system, but when we get smashed like that, you get opened up pretty badly and that's what happens.”

Similarly to Goodwin, McDonald said the group would be able to turn their attention to Round 20, looking to fix the contest concerns when they take on the Giants at the ‘G.

"You just get right back into it, get right back to training and straight back to the game. It doesn't linger on," McDonald said. 

"Sometimes that's the best thing to happen after a loss, you just have to reset. 

"The last however many games are all against finals contenders, so it doesn't exactly get easy, and there's a challenge every week."