Frawley, who worked tirelessly on superstar Lance Franklin, conceded it was a tough night at the office, with Hawthorn peppering the scoreboard regularly. Only the brown and gold’s 15.25 inaccuracy in front of goal saved a greater margin.
“We probably didn’t play on quick enough, and we were probably a bit slow kicking out,” Frawley said post-match.
“He (Franklin) missed a few shots tonight, but he’s a good player.
“We’ve just got to get better on the training track, and as a group get better hopefully sooner rather than later.
“We’ve got targets down there and we’ve got structures set up, and sometimes it breaks down and sometimes it breaks through.”
Coach Mark Neeld praised Frawley as a vital part of the team long term, but indicated that the 2010 All-Australian still had areas to build on in his game.
“He’s got some pace and he’s really good defensively and giving him the responsibility to kick out comes from me,” he said.
“I certainly think it’s an area he’s improving on, but I think for us to get better, getting him to rebound and quality rebound by hand or foot is important. That [directive] is coming from me.
“[But if] the one thing I was concerned about is James being a little bit slow to kick the ball in - I would’ve taken that before I drove in, I reckon.”
Frawley said his kicking had been a strong improvement in his game.
“A big improvement area for me is my kicking,” he said.
“I was probably rated as an average kick and I just kept working on it, but it’s a responsibility for the backline players to get it out and have a quick play.”
Neeld said Melbourne’s defensive aspect - across the board - was one of the most important areas it needed to improve.
“We don’t defend naturally. That’s fairly obvious and we’re working fairly hard on that,” he said.
