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

Summary
Hooroo hoodoo. That was the overriding story of the day, as Melbourne finally ended a losing 17-game streak against North Melbourne that stretched right back to round 20, 2006. Not since Nathan Jones’ fourth AFL game – he played his 242nd on the weekend – and Neale Daniher was coach had the Demons defeated the Roos. To put it further in context, John Howard was still prime minister, Melbourne held the Commonwealth Games and Daniel Craig played 007 for the first time in Casino Royale! Moreover, Melbourne overcame a slow start – North Melbourne booted the opening four goals – to kick 18 goals to nine for the rest of the match. In the end, the Demons broke away to record an impressive 37-point victory – a fine result, as the Kangaroos provided a genuine contest.

How’s stat?
Twenty-year-old Clayton Oliver – Melbourne’s youngest player in its win over North Melbourne on the weekend – was just nine years old when the red and blue last defeated North Melbourne, 12 years ago.

The number
4 – is the position Melbourne finds itself on the ladder after three rounds. The most recent time the Demons were fourth on the table was round two last year. Before that it, was round one, 2015 and then all the way back to round 21, 2006. The most recent time Melbourne was higher than fourth on the ladder was round 20, 2006 when it was third.

Experience differential
Games: Melbourne (2048) v North Melbourne (2067)
Goals: North Melbourne (1262) v Melbourne (1224)
Average age: North Melbourne (25 years, 124 days) v Melbourne (25 years, 67 days)

Did you know …
Melbourne’s score of 18.15 (123) was its highest so far under Simon Goodwin. It eclipsed the previous best of 18.14 (122) against Gold Coast Suns at TIO Traeger Park in round 10, last year.

3 votes: Jesse Hogan
Hogan backed up his outstanding five-goal performance against the Brisbane Lions, with another excellent display – albeit in a slightly different manner. Hogan collected a career-best 26 disposals, had seven marks and kicked a goal. His ability to push further up the ground, as well as play as a key forward, makes him invaluable for the Demons.

2 votes: Max Gawn
The ruckman has been in brilliant form this year, notching up 145 hit outs in three games. He had a season-high 50 against North Melbourne, while claiming 18 disposals and six marks. He easily won the hit outs against another All-Australian, Todd Goldstein, who had 15. Gawn’s influence has been immense.

1 vote: Dean Kent
The small forward made a welcome return – his first in the red and blue colours since he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against the Adelaide Crows in Darwin during round 17, last year. Kent booted three goals and had 20 touches to form an exciting ‘mosquito fleet’ with Tom Bugg (four goals) and Jeff Garlett (three).  

Apologies to …
Nathan Jones, Christian Petracca, Jordan Lewis, Tom Bugg, Jordan Lewis and Christian Salem, who all could’ve been among the votes.

Good to see …
Tom Bugg produce a fine game – his second for the season. The versatile small, who has found the forward line his home in recent times, kicked a career-best four goals. He was particularly important early, when he booted two of Melbourne’s three majors, as the Roos booted five goals in the opening term. It was a most encouraging display.

Oppo’s best: Ben Brown
Coming off a 63-goal season and Australian representation against Ireland, Brown again shone against the Demons. The key forward was his side’s best, booting an equal game-high four majors in a fine duel with an ever-improving Oscar McDonald. Brown has now kicked 13 goals in his past three appearances against the Dees.

Pic of the day


Tomas Bugg celebrates one of his four goals with Jeff Garlett (Photo: Darrian Traynor, AFL Photos)

Facebook post of the day

Tweet of the day

Instagram of the day

A little something to smile about.

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

Video of the day

In the mix
Although it could be hard to change a winning side, Cam Pedersen (26 disposals and 15 marks) and Mitch Hannan (three goals), who were emergencies against North Melbourne, pushed hard for recalls with top performances for Casey. Jayden Hunt and Corey Maynard will also be right in contention. Angus Brayshaw was also among Casey’s best and will be around the mark. Recruit Harley Balic booted six goals and young key forward Sam Weideman bagged five majors to put themselves in the conversation. But co-captain Jack Viney and key defender Tom McDonald remain sidelined for another five weeks with respective foot injuries.

Next round
Melbourne takes on Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday afternoon (3:20pm). It looms as a fascinating contest as the Demons aim for two in a row and the Hawks look to bounce back after falling 13 points short against reigning premiers, Richmond, at the MCG on Sunday. Melbourne’s past three encounters against Hawthorn have been fascinating. The Demons went down by three goals in round 11, 2016 and then snapped a 13-game losing streak with a fantastic 29-point victory in round 20, 2016. But in their most recent encounter, the Hawks took the honours by three points in round seven last year. Two arch-rivals, particularly from the late 1980s to mid-1990s, are set to battle out what looms as a cracking contest. It’s another genuine test for the Dees and one worth watching.  

In the press box …
You’ve got to hand it to Eddie McGuire. One of the game’s biggest names was engaging and in great form with other members of the footy media pre-match. And he was genuinely thankful and chatty to the barista for making his coffee, and a couple of others for his Fox Footy colleagues. He joked: “I better not drop Browny’s coffee”, as he picked up three. He added: “I’m still getting coffees. I did this when I was 14.”

In the rooms ...
Great to see the co-captain Nathan Jones enjoying a much-deserved moment – his second win over the Roos – post-match. He was completing a rest and warm-down when his kids, Bobbi and Remy, ran up to him for cuddles and play time. He might be a tough-as-nails leader for the Demons, but Jones is a great dad and it was a lovely moment.

Song to sum up match
Edge of Seventeen – Stevie Nicks

Simon Says …
“We addressed it because that was the reality. The reality was they had won 17 in a row against us. There was an opportunity to change that. Our supporters have gone through 17 losses and I’m just rapt for our supporters. We’ve been able to change the narrative before with Etihad [Stadium] and St Kilda and now to change the narrative [against North Melbourne] is something we’re proud of.” – Simon Goodwin