MELBOURNE’S missed opportunity for back-to-back wins, its best score of the season and its much-improved competitiveness were just some of the stats to emerge from Melbourne’s 16-point loss over the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night in round eight’s ‘By the numbers’

- Melbourne missed the opportunity to win back-to-back matches for the first time since rounds 13 and 14, 2011, when it defeated Fremantle and Richmond respectively.

- The Demons kicked their highest score for the season: 12.11 (83), eclipsing its previous best of 12.9 (81) in its round four win over Carlton

- Melbourne has lost its six games this season by an average of 33.5 points per match. Taking away its one shocker against the West Coast Eagles in round two, when it lost by 93 points, Melbourne has lost its other five matches by 21.6 points. It’s a massive improvement from last season, when the Demons won just one game from their opening eight rounds and lost their seven matches by an average of 72 points.

- Melbourne booted 5.1 in the third quarter – its best third term for the season and its second best quarter overall in 2014. It’s previous best quarter was its final term against Gold Coast Suns in round five, when Melbourne kicked 5.2.

- The Demons had one more kick than the Bulldogs (184 to 183), but 15 fewer disposals (310 to 325).  

- Aside from last year’s win over the Bulldogs in round 14, when Neil Craig guided the Demons to victory, Melbourne’s disappointing run against the Dogs continued. The Demons have now won just one of its past eight matches against the Dogs since round two, 2008.

- Dom Tyson had an equal game-high 27 disposals, including 15 contested possessions and two goals. He also had a match-best 11 clearances and nine inside 50s.

- In his first match against his former club, Daniel Cross had 23 disposals against the Bulldogs. When he played for the Dogs, Cross averaged 25 disposals against Melbourne.

- Ruckman Mark Jamar had 53 hit outs – two shy of his career best 55 against St Kilda in round five, 2012.

- Christian Salem started as substitute for the third successive week in his third AFL match. The Demons have now used just three starting subs this season: Jay Kennedy-Harris (rounds one to three), Michael Evans (rounds four to five) and Salem (rounds six to eight).