COACH Paul Roos has praised his team’s first half against the Western Bulldogs, but says it was poor after the main break.

Speaking after his side’s seven-point win at Eureka Stadium in Ballarat on Saturday, Roos said it was a tale of two halves, after Melbourne led by 52 points at one stage.

Despite Melbourne squandering a sizeable lead, Roos said there were several positives from the match, including its ball movement, which he added had been a key focus over the pre-season. 

“The first half was the way we want to play our football and we showed some of the real improvement we’ve made – or tried to make over the break – with our ball movement,” he said.

“The first half was really good, but probably the last 40 minutes was poor.

“But that’s pre-season footy – you’ve got to take the positives and work on the things that you need to improve on and we know we’ve got to get a lot better in a lot of areas.”

From Melbourne’s eight quarters played so far this year, Roos said there had been “five really good ones”. The rest, he added, were “not so good or thereabouts”.

“We’re certainly starting to get there and we’re really pleased with how we played early in the game,” he said.

Looking ahead to next Friday night’s clash against Essendon at Etihad Stadium, Roos said he wasn’t perturbed about the opposition’s undermanned side.

“There’s a lot for us to be gained – no matter who we play against,” he said.

“I generally believe you need three games as a player – not three full games – to get ready for the season, particularly with the bye before the season starts.”