MATT Burgan looks at the stories, stats and surprises in his weekly column.

Summary
Back-to-back victories ensured Melbourne got ahead of the ledger on the weekend, meaning the red and blue has now achieved one more win than it did at the same stage last year. The Demons won each quarter and produced a strong consistent performance against the Saints – only twice did St Kilda kick two goals in a row. Melbourne had 12 individual goalkickers and at the 22-minute mark of the final term, when Alex Neal-Bullen kicked truly, the Demons led by 51 points. Although the Saints pegged the final margin back to 39 points – it was still Melbourne’s biggest win of the season so far. In fact, Melbourne’s average winning is 34.5 points from four games.

How’s stat?
Melbourne has won its past four matches at Etihad Stadium – something it hasn’t achieved at the venue since round 19, 2000 to round five, 2002, when it won six in a row. After dropping a whopping 22 games in succession at Docklands, from round 10, 2008 to round 20, 2015, Melbourne has won six of its past nine at the ground, and five of its past six.

The number
10 – is the ladder position Melbourne finds itself after seven rounds. Interestingly, it was 10th on the ladder entering round eight last year, even though it had a 3-4 win/loss record.  

Experience differential
Games: Melbourne (1904) v St Kilda (1896)
Goals: Melbourne (931) v St Kilda (795)
Average age: St Kilda (24 years, 319 days) v Melbourne (24 years, 214 days)

Did you know …
Since round one, 2014, six of the past eight encounters between Melbourne and St Kilda have been played at Etihad Stadium. The other two games were at the MCG in round 17, 2015 and round 21, 2017. 

3 votes: Jesse Hogan
Continued his outstanding season, which was acknowledged by coach Simon Goodwin post-match, after he booted a game-high three goals and finished with 25 disposals. His ability to push up the ground and provide a genuine target in attack makes him one of the most valuable big men in the game.

2 votes: Clayton Oliver
Collected a game-high and equal career-best 36 disposals, and although 28 were handballs, his effort to set-up play with quick hands was once again pivotal for Melbourne. Has had the most handballs in the AFL this year with 135 – one more than Hawk Tom Mitchell. Phenomenal player, given he’s yet to reach 50 games, having made 42 appearances.

1 vote: Angus Brayshaw
Helped Melbourne get off to a strong start, winning 12 disposals in the opening term, before finishing with a career-high with 32 touches, including 10 in the final quarter. His fourth game of the season – his 40th overall – was arguably his best yet. He showed exactly why he was a highly-touted draftee.

Apologies to …
Max Gawn, Michael Hibberd, Nathan Jones, Jordan Lewis, Dom Tyson and Tom McDonald who all could’ve been among the votes.

Good to see …
Sam Weideman make an impact and build in confidence as the game went on. The young key forward/pinch-hitting ruckman kicked two goals, but continues to show progress.

Oppo’s best: Seb Ross
The 2017 best and fairest winner had a season-high 35 disposals, including 23 contested possessions. He also had 10 clearances, seven mark, five inside 50s and four rebounds.

Pic of the day


Fritsch flies to take a hanger! Be sure to get your vote in to help Bayley secure the Mark of the Week (Photo: Michael Willson)

Facebook post of the day

Instagram photo of the day

That winning feeling. #RaiseHell

A post shared by Melbourne Football Club (@melbournefc) on

Tweet of the day

Video of the day

In the mix
Co-captain Jack Viney (foot) and playmaker Christian Salem (thumb) are strong chances to return for round eight. If Viney plays, it’ll be his first match of the AFL season, while Salem was sidelined against the Saints. Casey had a bye last weekend, but emergencies Jeff Garlett, Cam Pedersen, Tim Smith and Josh Wagner will again be in contention for a recall.

Next round
Melbourne returns to Queensland for the second time this year, having defeated the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in round two. The Demons will play the Gold Coast Suns for the first time at the venue since round four, 2011, when Melbourne defeated the then first-year Suns by 90 points under former coach, the late Dean Bailey. Although Gold Coast has lost its past two matches, the Suns have shown some impressive form under new coach Stuart Dew and will be another test for the Demons on the road.

In the press box …
Pre-match, Melbourne media manager Matty Goodrope brought Jack Viney into the media box for a quick look around and g’day with the journos. He quickly had a chat with Tim Lane (3AW) and Roger Vaughan (AAP), before the Etihad Stadium barista checked in on the co-captain’s foot and whipped up a latte for the hard-as-nails midfielder. 

In the rooms ...
Nice to see youngster Harry Petty getting around some of his teammates post-match, including Christian Petracca, as the following video shows …

Song to sum up the match
The Climb - Miley Cyrus

Simon says...
"We're playing a more consistent footy across the four quarters. We're starting to play the right way for longer periods in games, and that's full credit to the playing group. Three weeks ago we had a really disappointing game against Hawthorn but in the last few weeks they're really starting to build some consistency in the way they play. The leaders have been outstanding through that period and the group's responded." – Simon Goodwin