MATT Burgan looks at the talking points, facts and moments from Melbourne’s 22-point loss against the Adelaide Crows at the MCG on Sunday …
1 – Melbourne pushes to the end
Although Melbourne went down by almost four goals, the red and blue didn’t give up. At the 22-minute mark of the final term, Melbourne still had a fleeting glimpse, when James Harmes kicked truly, reducing the deficit to 16 points. But when Mitch McGovern booted the final goal of the match for Adelaide, the margin was 22 points.
2 – An outstanding second term
After trailing by 17 points at quarter-time, Melbourne hit back with an outstanding second term, booting eight goals to three, gaining an 11-point advantage at half-time.
3 – 10 goals from three forwards
From Melbourne’s 15 goals, 10 of them came via three players: Garlett (four goals), Jesse Hogan (three) and Jack Watts (three).
4 – Jeffy jumps back
After being left out for the past two matches, Jeff Garlett hit back in outstanding fashion, booting 4.2 to be among Melbourne’s best. He earned strong praise from Roos after the match. “We saw Jeff Garlett come back after a couple of games in the seconds and he played an absolute cracking game and he didn’t have as many opportunities. They’re good signs, when guys are prepared to go back [to Casey], play well and do the hard yards and come back in and play really good footy.”
5 – Another Bluey for Jonesy?
The form of Max Gawn and Jack Viney has been duly noted this year – they remain genuine All-Australian prospects. But what about the form of skipper Nathan Jones? His form, in particular since round six, has been outstanding. He was again one of Melbourne’s best with a game-high 33 disposals (including 16 contested possessions) against the Crows. He already has three Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophies – could he add a fourth this year?
6 – Some good numbers emerge
Melbourne was right in the contest with several key stats. The red and blue had 404 disposals to 370; 160 contested possessions to 145 and one fewer clearance (38 to 39) and were just edged in inside 50s (48 to 53). But it fell away in the tackles, losing 100 to 74.
7– Six in a row for Crows
Adelaide’s win over Melbourne was its sixth win in a row, meaning it is the most in-form team in the competition. Paul Roos praised the opposition post-match and said Don Pyke’s team was even across the board. “They’re good in all areas of the game. They’ve got an experienced team and a team that’s played a lot of footy together, and that’s often the formula to being a top four team. When the whips are cracking, the teams that don’t have a lot of injuries and the experienced teams are generally around the mark. I like the way they go about their footy and I like the balance that they’ve got. They’re not relying on any one or two players to play well. That’s probably the difficulty coaching against them. Eddie [Betts] will bob us, Taylor [Walker] will bob up, Rory [Sloane] will bob up, along with the Crouch boys (Brad and Matt) and [Scott] Thompson is still a great player. They’re a well-balanced team that doesn’t rely on any one or two stars. I love the way they’re playing and I think they’re going to have a pretty good season.”
8 – A big three weeks
One of Melbourne’s big challenges for the season happens in the next three weeks, when it plays in Darwin, then Etihad Stadium and then Perth. The clashes against Fremantle, St Kilda and the West Coast Eagles will be important contests for the red and blue.
9 – Six-day break comes to the fore again
Six-day breaks remain a talking point in the competition and were recently raised at Gill McLachlan’s dinner party with the AFL coaches. With Melbourne set to play Fremantle in Darwin on a six-day break, Roos said it was simply part of the game. “The draw’s a big point of discussion on the back of North [Melbourne’s] two six-day breaks. It was definitely brought up with Gill [McLachlan], when we spoke as a collective. But it is what it is.”
10 – An interesting week at selection
Selection was incredibly tough for Melbourne entering its clash against Adelaide and looms as another interesting one heading to the Top End, as Roos explained post-match. “We want to pick a fit team, a healthy team and that’s all we can do. The reality of footy – that’s just the way it is. Our seconds won by two points and our match committee this week was as hard as we’ve had, in terms of who we could’ve picked. There is not as much margin for error in our team now, when there is a down performer. We’re just trying to pick our best, fittest, healthiest team, based on our VFL game and our AFL game – that’ll be our objective. There might be a bit of gut feel, in terms of some of our young guys, and maybe when they’re getting a little bit tired. That’s a lot harder to do.”
