CO-CAPTAIN Nathan Jones says it was a relief to hold on for a thrilling 13-point win over Adelaide Crows at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night.

After being denied the points last round, when Geelong won a kick-after-the-siren contest at the Cattery, Jones said he was delighted with his side’s ability to hold its nerve under pressure.

“Particularly after last week’s game, we spoke a lot all week about getting ourselves back in that position again and learning from what we did,” he told Melbourne Media.

“We knew they’d (Adelaide) come at some point, but there were a lot of good things executed, particularly in that last 10 or 15 minutes that we’d worked on all week.

“We’ve found ourselves in that position a few times throughout the year, so it gives a huge lift and gives huge confidence and massive relief to the group.

“We always thought we were capable, but it’s exposing ourselves to those situations and learning from them, so I couldn’t be prouder.

“After the disappointment of last week, to move on and get on the horse and learn as much as we did this week, and then to put it into plan and action – it’s a huge result for us.”

Jones praised his side for holding off the Crows, given they were making a strong charge late in the game.

“It was at their home ground in a hostile environment. It was not too dissimilar to what we faced last week at Geelong,” he said.

“They’re (Adelaide) a proud footy club and we knew they’d come at some point and we thought the game would go down to the wire.

“But, particularly when the rain came in, that made it a little bit more difficult for us, but from a fundamental point of view, and executing what we planned for, it’s a big step forward for us.”

Jones said Melbourne’s third term – when it kicked 7.4 to 1.2 – was instrumental in the win.

“We started [the match] really poorly. Our first quarter, we were leaking like a sieve and they (Adelaide) were scoring forward 50 stoppage goals and they were dominating us around the contest. We hung in there with our defence and we started to toil away,” he said.

“Towards the end of that second quarter, there was some real momentum shift in the game, and we really capitalised on that. We sensed that at half-time.

“The conditions helped us and the game really changed in the last quarter – probably five minutes in when it really started to rain.

“It’s a massive step forward for the group and now we look forward to next week … and keep moving forward.”

Jones also spoke glowingly of Jordan Lewis and Dom Tyson, who reached their 300 and 100-game milestone respectively.

“I always love playing milestone games … particularly in Lewy’s situation. What an absolute warrior of the league and the competition,” he said.

“It’s a real honour for all of the boys to be able to have played in his 300^th AFL game. He had such a decorated career at Hawthorn and the leadership, experience and guidance he’s offered our group [has been invaluable].

“What better way to celebrate with an on-the-road [win]. It was a terrific feeling after the game.

“To Domo, who has toiled away for a lot of the year … it was a real step forward for him and he’s going to be an important player for us, particularly as he rolls himself back into some really strong form.

“It’s always great to play in milestone games and winning’s even better, particularly when you can honour those boys and their contribution to the game and to our footy club. It was a great night for the footy club and I’m sure for those boys and their families.”