MATT Burgan looks at the key stats, moments and stories to emerge from round 22

Freo’s flying start earns four points

The first term was a frustrating one for Melbourne. The Demons showed genuine grit in the opening term, but Fremantle simply had too much class and booted five goals to zip. But perhaps the most disappointing part of Melbourne’s game was the first 11 minutes of the second term, when Freo kicked five goals to nil. It was in this period that Freo looked like running away with a 100-point-plus victory and Melbourne looked overawed. Fremantle ended up booting 10 goals to zip from the start of the first term until midway during the second term, before Jeff Garlett halted the run. Melbourne’s inability to convert opportunities in the first term and a really poor start in the second quarter ultimately cost it the match.

Melbourne shows character

When Tendai Mzungu kicked truly at the 11-minute mark of the second term to put Fremantle up by 60 points, it was a case of how far Freo? But when Garlett kicked Melbourne’s first at the 15-minute mark of the second – and his first of two goals – it was the start of a major improvement by the Demons. Melbourne kicked eight of the next 12 goals to get back to within 35 points at the nine-minute mark of the third term, which was helped by Jack Grimes’ major. But when Freo kicked the last three goals of the match, the final margin was back out to more than 50 points. Interestingly, Melbourne only lost the second half by 11 points and ended up kicking 8.4 to 7.4 after Garlett opened the red and blue’s account in the second term.

Subi still a tough hunting ground

Perth hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for many teams over the years and that continued for the Demons, when they lost their 16th game in a row at Domain Stadium. For the record, Melbourne’s most recent win at Subiaco was round 11, 2004.

Well done skip!

It certainly wasn’t Nathan Jones’ fairytale milestone that he wanted – he was subbed out due to an ankle injury and didn’t play in the second half – but the captain still achieved an important milestone, notching up his 200th game. The three-time best and fairest winner also became the 25th Melbourne player to chalk up the double century – an outstanding achievement.

The ‘Big O’ shows plenty of promise

Oscar McDonald became the 1320th player to represent Melbourne, when he made his AFL debut against Fremantle. The younger brother of Tom handled the occasion well, notching up 15 touches and showing some encouraging signs along the way to show he has a promising future.

Cross notches equal career-best numbers

Daniel Cross keeps on keeping on. The veteran notched up an equal career-best 39 disposals, which he also achieved playing for the Western Bulldogs against Hawthorn in the 2008 second qualifying final. Cross was one of Melbourne’s best in its loss to Freo.

Viney continues to shine

The hard-at-it youngster again shone with 30 disposals – his second best in an AFL match – and a match-high 12 tackles. He continued his outstanding form, after fighting back from a six-match absence earlier in the season, due to a fractured fibula.

Grimes makes most of opportunity

When Nathan Jones was subbed out due to an ankle injury, Jack Grimes came on quicker than expected, after starting as sub. He produced a strong performance, winning 22 disposals and displaying some courageous acts.

The quote …

“We had a lot of opportunities early and they (Fremantle) took advantage of theirs. In the second half we showed that once we control the footy better [we play better]. We slaughtered the footy early, which didn’t help us and we did have a lot of opportunities to score and we had a lot of inside 50s, but we didn’t create anything from them. We were really, really competitive after [they kicked] 10 [goals to] zip – Paul Roos post-match.

One more to go

The Demons will finish their 2015 season against GWS at Etihad Stadium next Sunday. It looms as a fascinating match. It’s a winnable match for the Demons, but it certainly won’t be easy against the much-improved Giants. It may not mean anything in terms of finals, but it’s a massive opportunity for the Demons to finish the season on a positive note. Melbourne must make the most of it – we’ll wait with anticipation to see how it fares.