Dees produce fourth best performance for the year

Taking into account Melbourne’s two wins for the season, the 31-point loss against the Sydney Swans was its ‘fourth’ best result for the year. Although that’s far from a flattering statistic, the fact that it lost by a touch more than five goals, when in the first half of the year the average losing margin was 77 points, is a considerable improvement. Given it was also against the Swans only adds weight. Although the Demons still have a long way to go, their effort couldn’t be questioned against one of the best in the business. For the record, Melbourne’s previous ‘best’ loss of the year was by 28 points against the Brisbane Lions in round five.    

Demons outscore Swans in second half

When the Demons entered the final term trailing by 43 points, the margin had the makings of a blow out in the last quarter. But the Dees showed some character, booting 5.2 to 3.2, and reducing the eventual deficit to 31 points. Overall, Melbourne won the second half 8.5 to 7.7 after trailing by 35 points at half-time. The Demons kicked the opening two goals of the final term, and the last three of the match. Jack Fitzpatrick booted his third to finish the match.

Fitzpatrick plays his best match yet

Fitzpatrick’s three goals, 17 disposals and eight marks resulted in his best performance for the Demons. It was a first-class performance from the big man, who has produced two strong efforts in the past two weeks. Coach Neil Craig said the forward/ruckman had done everything in his power to play for Melbourne. “He’s come from really good, solid, consistent form at Casey Scorpions. [Casey coach] Rohan Welsh has done a great job with him down there. So Jack, through his performance, earned the right to play in this side and he’s continuing to earn the right to play in this side.”

Terlich continues to push his B&F claims

Terlich vied with Fitzpatrick as Melbourne’s best player against the Swans. He was Melbourne’s leading ball winner with 27 disposals, and never stopped trying from defence. Terlich, who was a Sydney rookie in 2008 and played against his former side for the first time, also had a team high 10 marks, 10 contested possessions and six rebound 50s. His consistency has been a feature of his game in his first year, and his form has been such that he could now be right up there in Melbourne’s best and fairest. But regardless of where he’s placed, Terlich’s efforts at Melbourne, since being claimed at No. 68 in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, have been nothing short of impressive. 

And now for something not completely different …

After producing a solid effort against the fourth placed Swans, the challenge continues for the Demons in round 16. Melbourne heads to Simonds Stadium to take on Geelong, which sits second on the ladder. It will be yet another encounter Craig will be eager for his charges to take on. Already, the Melbourne leaders can’t wait for the opportunity.

Co-captain Jack Grimes said the fact that it had Sydney and then Geelong was timely for the group. “For our club, it’s a great opportunity to play against a quality team like that, which came off a quality win [against Hawthorn],” he said. “We’re really looking forward to that one and we learned so much off the best, like [we did against the Swans], so we’ll go down there and go at them.”

Vice captain Nathan Jones echoed Grimes’ thoughts. “It’s going to be another massive task for us, but at the same time, we’re going to run into it head on,” he said. “The boys are excited about that challenge, and we were excited to take on the Swans and really try and test them with our offence. They showed us up in a few areas, so we’ll go back to the drawing board and try and rectify a few of those little things this week and tinker [with them]. It’s going to be another big one against Geelong … because they’re one of the top teams on the table.”