1. Melbourne carry on their winning ways
The Demons haven't lost to Gold Coast since 2014 and that trend continued tonight with a big 69-point win at the Gabba. The Demons dominated early but were wasteful in front of goal, and for a quarter and a half at least the Suns were in the contest. But Melbourne put its foot down and kicked away, particularly in the last quarter when it scored eight goals to seal its third win a row. Whether it was the Suns' travel-weary legs or just a Melbourne purple patch that accounted for the blow out, it was a promising finish for the Demons and a poor fade-out from the Suns.
2. Tom McDonald leads from the front
When the game was close early and Melbourne was wasting chances in front of goal, it was Tom McDonald who kept the Demons ticking over on the scoreboard. The big running forward kicked two steadying goals that quarter, to make it four goals from four shots heading into half-time. His accuracy in front of goal while the Demons' were generally wasteful early set the platform for the Demon's win. He added a fifth in the third quarter to round out another strong performance for the Melbourne tall.
3. Demons equal the inside 50m record
If it felt like Melbourne had a lot of ball inside 50m, you'd be right. With 83 inside 50s, the Demons are now equal record holders with North Melbourne, who reached the tally against GWS in the Giants' first season back in 2012. Early on Melbourne wasted the amount of ball it had in its forward line with inaccuracy in front of goal, and the scoreboard didn't truly reflect its dominance. Thankfully for Melbourne fans their team corrected in the second half, capitalising on their dominance in the forward 50 to finish the match with 21 goals.
4. Another umpire-touching incident
After all the attention Tom Hawkins' suspension for touching an umpire received during the week, you'd think all the players across the competition would be warier around the officials. But not Gold Coast co-captain Steven May. Protesting after he was penalised for giving a downfield free kick way in the goal square, May lowered his head and appeared to make contact with the umpire. While it appeared incidental, it wasn't the best week for May to remonstrate that effusively to the umpire.
5. Harmes adds his name to impressive Melbourne midfield
The Melbourne midfield boasts some impressive names with Clayton Oliver, Nathan Jones, Christian Petracca and Jordan Lewis all leading lights. You might have to add James Harmes to that list shortly, with the 22-year-old putting in a great performance, racking up a game high 33 possessions. He was particularly impressive in the second quarter when the game was close, strolling at ease across the Gabba corridor to collect 13 possessions. While disposals aren't everything, in the end he surpassed his previous best of 26 and demonstrated he is building into a strong asset for the Demons.
