GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY has broken the hearts of Melbourne fans with a three-point victory at the MCG on a wet and wild Sunday afternoon.

The Demons led for large portions of the match, but a goal by unlikely hero Lachlan Keeffe with less than a minute remaining gave the Giants the lead, silencing the largely Melbourne crowd of 23,278.

With the Dees in front and the ball in their forward 50 as the clock kicked down, the Giants surged through the middle of the ground from a kick in, with some slick work in the wet from Finn Callaghan putting veteran Callan Ward in space.

06:02

RD 1 | Post-match Media Conference | Simon Goodwin

The media spoke with Simon Goodwin after Melbourne's round one loss to GWS.

Journeyman Keeffe, filling in for the injured Kieran Briggs, escaped from Dees skipper Max Gawn and snuck forward to take a crucial mark from Ward's kick before calmly slotting the winning goal with just 53 seconds remaining.

Keeffe had been well beaten by Gawn for much of the day, with the Demons skipper one of the best players on the ground.

Giants veterans Stephen Coniglio (three goals) and captain Toby Greene (three goals, 23 disposals) led the way, kicking three goals apiece to help seal the come-from-behind-win.

08:12

RD 1 | Melbourne v GWS | Highlights

Catch the highlights from Melbourne's vs GWS in round one.

Despite the loss, the Demons will walk away with their heads held high having competed with one of the premiership favourites for the four quarters.

The home side, who in the past has had its scoring woes, had nine individual goal scorers, with Christian Petracca and debutant Matthew Jefferson leading the way with two apiece.

Jefferson was one of six new Demons to run out for their debut in the red and blue, joining their first-round picks from last year Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay as well as mature-aged recruits Aidan Johnson and Jack Henderson and former Lion Harry Sharp.

00:42

New Demon takes just 15 seconds to kick his first AFL goal

Debutant Matthew Jefferson opens his account in a matter of seconds after fast work from the Dees out of the centre

The Giants were the talk of the town last week following their 52-point thrashing of Collingwood in Opening Round, but it was Melbourne who came out looking more dangerous, kicking the first goal of the game inside 15 seconds through Jefferson.

Seven-time All Australian Gawn capitalised on his match up with Keeffe, with Melbourne dominating hit-outs throughout the day. But despite Gawn's ascendancy, the Giants won clearances by 13; Tom Green (nine clearances and 35 disposals) was outstanding in the middle in his first outing for the year after returning to the side following a calf strain.

The Giants lead at quarter-time and half-time, but at the start of the third quarter the Demons gained momentum, kicking three goals in four minutes to take back the lead with Caleb Windsor, Tom Sparrow and Jake Bowey all hitting the scoreboard.

It looked as though the Demons were going to run away with the victory, but the Giants lived up to their team song to "fight until the end". They eventually clawed their way back, slowly but surely reducing the margin with goals to their stars Green and Greene.

Melbourne fans' worst fears were realised when Keefe took the mark inside 50 in the final minute, kicking truly and giving the Giants their second win to start the season.

03:03

RD 1 | Post-match Interview | Christian Petracca

We spoke with Christian Petracca after Melbourne's tough loss against GWS.

Keeffe's winning moment
It may not be your day, but it could be your moment and that could not be more true today for Giants ruckman Lachlan Keefee. The 34-year-old was dominated by Melbourne captain Max Gawn all afternoon, with Gawn having 24 disposals and racking up 46 hit outs to Keeffe's 14 and Callum Brown's 11. But when it mattered, Keeffe stood up for his side to kick the winning goal and steal the win with 53 seconds left on the clock.

Irish jig at the 'G
Melbourne today hosted its first ever 'Jim's Game' in memory of Demons champion Jim Stynes. The Demons ran out in a special edition guernsey with a green shamrock located on the front and green socks. After each Melbourne major, a violinist played a tune, which quickly became a fan favourite of Melbourne fans, particularly at the start of the third quarter.

Bizarre injury strikes again
Premiership defender Steven May was a late out for the Dees, with club officials confirming the two-time All Australian had fractured his larynx in an incident at training on Friday. Freakishly, May becomes the second Demon to suffer the injury in a matter of months, with captain Max Gawn suffering the same injury late last year. Gawn took six weeks to recover, however Melbourne believes May's injury is not as serious. May was replaced in the starting line-up by swingman Tom McDonald.

MELBOURNE       2.2   5.4    10.6    11.8 (74)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY       3.1   6.5   8.7   11.11 (77)  

GOALS
Melbourne: Petracca 2, Jefferson 2, Henderson, Sharp, Windsor, Sparrow, Bowey, van Rooyen, Johnson
Greater Western Sydney: Coniglio 3, Greene 3, Cadman 2, Wehr, Green, Keeffe

BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Petracca, Viney, Salem, Oliver, Langdon
Greater Western Sydney: Coniglio, Whitfield, Greene, Green, Callaghan

INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil
Greater Western Sydney: Daniels (hip)

LATE CHANGES
Melbourne: Steven May replaced in the selected side by Tom McDonald.
Greater Western Sydney: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Melbourne: Harvey Langford (replaced Blake Howes in the fourth quarter)
Greater Western Sydney: Max Gruzewski (replaced Brent Daniels in the third quarter)

Crowd: 23,278 at MCG