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

Summary
It’s sure been one hell of a ride for the red and blue faithful since the end of 2006 – the club’s most recent finals appearance. But on Sunday, Melbourne gave its supporters something to really smile about, when it notched up its fifth consecutive win for the first time in 12 years. Not since rounds 10 to 15, 2006 – when Melbourne won six in a row – has Melbourne claimed five successive wins. And the Demons did it in emphatic style. Granted, Adelaide was missing several key players through injury, but entering the round, it was still a contest between third (Melbourne) and fourth (Adelaide) on the ladder – and it was widely viewed as a flip-of-the-coin game. In the end, it wasn’t. The Demons never looked in doubt, from the moment they piled on five unanswered goals in the opening 13 minutes to gain a 31-point lead. Add another 50 points and the final margin was a remarkable 91-point victory. Melbourne has now won seven of its opening 10 rounds this season – which is one better than 2006, when it won six of its first 10.

How’s stat?
Melbourne has now won 18 consecutive quarters – the second most in VFL/AFL history. The Demons have won every term since the third quarter of its round six clash against Essendon. Geelong holds the record for the most successive quarters won from rounds six to 11, 2010, with 21.

The number
200 – points is the combined winning margin of Melbourne’s past two victories. After defeating Carlton by 109 points at the MCG last round, Melbourne reached the double-ton against the Crows on Sunday. It was the first-time Melbourne has won two consecutive matches by 90 points or more in a VFL/AFL game.

Experience differential
Games: Melbourne (1956) v Adelaide Crows (979)
Goals: Melbourne (2266) v Adelaide Crows (1541)
Average age: Adelaide Crows (25 years, 277 days) v Melbourne (24 years, 322 days)

Did you know …
Melbourne is averaging 109 points for per game – the best in a season since it averaged 115 points per game in 2000, which was the club’s most recent Grand Final appearance.

3 votes: Angus Brayshaw
Played his best AFL match against the Crows, notching up a career-best 37 disposals, 14 marks and three goals, including one after the final siren. It was an outstanding display from the young midfielder, who has had to endure several setbacks in his emerging career. Continues to go from strength-to-strength after starting the season as an emergency.

2 votes: Jesse Hogan
The key forward has had an outstanding season and continued it with a equal season-best – and game-high – five majors in the Territory. Helped set the tone with two opening term goals, before booting one in each quarter. He is now third in the Coleman Medal race. His work in the midfield continues to be another fine string to his bow.

1 vote: Jack Viney
A fantastic second game back, after a testing period due to a foot injury, the co-captain notched up 35 disposals and had seven clearances. Not surprisingly, he had 20 contested possessions. Given he had missed so much football, it was an outstanding performance. A massive return for the team.  

Apologies to …
Max Gawn, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jake Lever, Tim Smith, Clayton Oliver, Michael Hibberd and Christian Petracca who all could’ve been among the votes.

Good to see …
Alice Springs turn on a magnificent spectacle. TIO Traeger Park achieved its best AFL crowd (6,989) and the atmosphere was fantastic. It was great to see the AFL and Channel 7 get right behind the event – it’s such a special place to visit and a must-do for any footy fan, if the opportunity presents, especially those of the red and blue variety. The fact that Melbourne won was the icing on the cake of a great footy day.

Oppo’s best: Matt Crouch
The star Adelaide midfielder missed round nine due to injury and bounced back to claim 34 disposals. He was one of the Crows’ best on an otherwise tough day.  

Pic of the day


Hugs all-round for Trac, Gus and Salem (Photo: Michael Willson)

Facebook post of the day

Instagram photo of the day

Maxy + Aussie

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

Tweet of the day

Video of the day

In the mix
After no changes were made for round 10, it’s more than likely the side will stay the same for the third consecutive week, save for any unforeseeable injuries. Cam Pedersen and Jayden Hunt were the travelling emergencies for the Alice Springs trip and they will again be pressing their claims, along with fellow round 10 emergencies, Jeff Garlett and Dom Tyson. Billy Stretch has been excellent for Casey in recent weeks and is knocking on the door. Tom Bugg, Josh Wagner and Joel Smith are also around the mark.

Next round
Melbourne returns to Etihad Stadium, where it kicked off its five-match winning streak over Essendon in round six and then St Kilda the following week. The Demons will be aiming for their fifth consecutive victory at Docklands, when they take on the Dogs this Saturday in what will be co-captain Nathan Jones’ 250th match. The Bulldogs went down to the Magpies last week, but will still be a test for the Dees, given it’s not even two years since they won the flag and they won three in a row from rounds six to eight.

In the press box …
Two open air ‘press boxes’ were set-up at TIO Traeger Park. And it was great watching footy close to the ground. Although it was a long way from the MCG Media area, it was yet another great way to watch footy in Alice Springs.  

In the rooms ...
James Harmes meets the crowd at Alice Springs


James Harmes gives a young fan a fist-bump on the fence (Photo: Matthew Goodrope)

Song to sum up match
Alice Springs – Coloured Stone

Simon Says …
"We've been in some pretty good form heading into this week and obviously we knew we were coming up against a strong footy team, so to put on a performance like that was really pleasing," – Simon Goodwin