Summary

MELBOURNE headed into its clash with the Giants full of confidence on Sunday, coming off three strong weeks of form.

But the Demons were well off the mark against a top-four side, getting out played from the very first bounce.

Although the final margin was just 26 points, the Dees were flattered by a big last quarter and were never really in the hunt on a disappointing afternoon.

The numbers

DISPOSALS: Gawn 25, Harmes, Viney 23, J.Wagner 22, Stretch 20

GOALS: Baker, T.McDonald 2, Garlett, Hunt, Lockhart, Petracca, Spargo, Stretch

Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round

Round 10 marked Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round for the AFL, and Melbourne thoroughly embraced the fixture.

The Demons donned a stunning Indigenous Guernsey designed by Mary Young, and ran onto the field to the Melbourne theme song, sung in the traditional Woiwurrung language by Chenile Chandler.

Melbourne is proud to have five Indigenous players on its men’s list, and Jeff Garlett represented his culture by wearing painted boots during Sunday’s game.

Flat start

The Dees were sloppy from the first bounce and were outclassed by the Giants in all facets of the game.

GWS had 61 more uncontested possessions to half-time and used their skills to hurt Melbourne on the outside.

Although the margin was just 10 points at the first change, the Demons were never in the contest and the Giants eventually broke away.

Clayton Oliver had his work cut out as Matt de Boer applied the hard tag, while for the Dees it was Corey Wagner who was tasked with negating damaging Giants midfielder Lachie Whitfield in the first half.

A Giant run

The second quarter didn’t make for pretty viewing for the red and blue, as the Dees mustered just two behinds, scoring a total of nine points for the entire first half.

GWS piled on eight unanswered goals to bust the game open and take an insurmountable 57-point lead into the final change.

The late response

While the damage had been well and truly done, the Demons fought out the last term to take away a minor positive from an otherwise disheartening day.

Melbourne kicked seven goals from its 17 inside 50s in the final quarter, with a scoring efficiency of 53 percent – a vast improvement from the 25 percent first half effort.

Although the Giants had all but stopped, it was good to see the Dees play out the game, with second gamer Oskar Baker providing a spark with two second half goals.

Some brutal hits

The rain stayed away from the MCG, but it was still a physical contest, with a number of Demons finding themselves worse for wear late in the game.

Harry Petty, Tim Smith, Tom McDonald and Nathan Jones all found themselves down the race after crunching hits, but fortunately returned to the field in one piece.

Gawn leads the way

There weren’t too many standouts for the red and blue, but Max Gawn certainly delivered for his side.

The ruckman comprehensively beat Giant Shane Mumford with 35 hit outs, 25 disposals, eight score involvements and six clearances in a complete performance.

Defensive duo Josh Wagner (22 disposals) and Marty Hore (nine rebound 50s) were also strong contributors in the loss.

Undermanned side

There are no excuses for Sunday’s lacklustre performance, but Melbourne did field its youngest side of 2019.

The Demons had an average experience of just 68 games – the third youngest in the league for the weekend – with the likes of Baker, Hore, Jay Lockhart, Harry Petty, Charlie Spargo and C.Wagner all gaining valuable experience against a high-quality side.

A word from Goody

“We had our youngest team in for a long time and got beaten in the areas we really value – especially around the ball,” Simon Goodwin told Melbourne Media post-game.

“I really challenged the guys at half-time around staying connected. We have got a close group of players and they are working incredibly hard.”

Looking ahead

Round 11 v Adelaide @ TIO Stadium – Saturday, 1 June, 7:10pm ACST

Melbourne will be heading north next weekend as it takes on Adelaide up in Darwin.

With just three wins from 10 games this season, the Demons will be desperate to bounce back from Sunday’s loss and get the four points against the Crows.