GAME analyst and education coordinator Craig Jennings says this Sunday’s clash against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium is a great opportunity to break another cycle.

Jennings said there were a handful of matches late in the season where Melbourne could end its losing streak against certain clubs. And the clash against the Saints was a key one.

“It’s interesting because we’ve had a really big turnover of the list, but the reality is that we haven’t been able to get the job done against St Kilda in the last 13 encounters and we’ve only won one [of our past] 24 at Etihad,” he told Melbourne TV.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to break some of these historical cycles.

“We’ve got Hawthorn coming up, Port Adelaide and West Coast and it’s been a while since we’ve beaten some of those teams. We’re going to plan really well for them and attack the end of the season … and hopefully get the job done.”

Jennings said last round’s win over Fremantle in Darwin was a strong one for the club.

“It was a great win up there. We went up there with a really good plan and anytime you can beat a Ross Lyon [coached] team, you take it,” he said.

“We only had a six-day break, so I thought the boys did a really good job.

“We’re really educating their habits at the moment, so to prepare for a game in six days, in that heat and get on top by six goals and maintain that lead all night was a really satisfying win.”

Jennings said an eight-day break allowed Melbourne that extra bit of preparation after travelling back from the Top End.

“We come into an Etihad [Stadium] game and we know that they are super-fast and we’re playing a really speedy team this week in St Kilda, who probably ran us a little bit ragged the last time we played them,” he said.

“That extra day is going to hold us in really good stead.”

Jennings said Melbourne’s challenge was to even the ledger this round.

“[After the St Kilda game] we could be eight and eight with a 50 per cent win/loss record, which would be a great result for the players and the coaching staff that have been here for the last few years,” he said.

“To have that record would be [great], but we’re just planning for that one game each week and that’s all we’re focusing on and we want to keep training the good habits into the boys.”