COACH Simon Goodwin says he was delighted with his midfield – particularly after it produced a brilliant third quarter, which helped set-up Melbourne’s 50-point win at the MCG on Saturday.

Melbourne kicked seven goals in 12 minutes during the third term, and Goodwin said the connection between ruckman Max Gawn, and midfielders Angus Brayshaw, Clayton Oliver and James Harmes, was what pleased him the most.

“It was really great to see what a ruckman can produce – and Max produced,” he said.

“It was exciting and you always enjoy seeing your team get on one of those runs, but you know they’re not sustainable for long periods of time as well.

“I thought after half-time, we really ramped it up and got the game the way we wanted it. I thought the guys’ ability to enjoy the battle … stay calm and get back to the way we knew [we wanted to play] was outstanding.”

Goodwin said his half-time message was “pretty simple”.

“[I told the players to] get back to playing the way you’ve been trained – around the footy, around our clearance work, around our stoppage work and around our contest work. That was a huge shift in the game,” he said.

“I thought James Harmes did a great job on [Jack] Macrae in the second half, keeping him to 10 disposals.

“Our leaders have been terrific in staying calm, especially under pressure – and actually understanding what the game means. [Jordan] Lewis at half-back really started to command how we play behind the ball.

“They were really calm and they knew what they had to do – and they delivered.”

On Brayshaw, Goodwin said the 49-gamer had “improved a lot this year”.

“He’s matured a lot and really embraced the defence we’ve worked [with him] on, in his game,” he said.

“He’s got a lot of power around the footy and he’s continuing to improve.

“He’s investing a lot into his game and he’s still got a huge amount of upside in his game.

“He’s about to play 50 games [next round] – that’s normally a real growth period, the first 50 games – so he can now really start to emerge in the competition.”

Goodwin was also delighted with Jay Kennedy Harris’ performance in his first match of the season.  

“He’s had to wait his time, Jay,” he said.

“He’s been doing that at VFL for the last five weeks. It was no surprise to us that he came in and produced that pressure.

“I thought especially his second half – himself and Charlie Spargo – they really set the scene from a tackling and pressure perspective. I was rapt to see Jay get those rewards today.”