BREAKING any cycle is a challenge; it’s no different in football.

In Melbourne’s case, losing has been the norm in recent years, with the past two seasons producing just six wins. Comprehensive losses have also been an unfortunate recurring theme.

To suggest Melbourne would all of a sudden transform it’s a side every red and blue supporter wants to see would be folly to say the least. Unfortunately, the climb up the ladder won’t be as quick as a possum running up a Yarra Park tree.

Having the belief to break that losing cycle – and the confidence to know how to win – will be one of Melbourne’s more immediate challenges, following its round one loss to St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night. And it was this key message that came out of new coach Paul Roos’ post-match media conference.

Roos – one of the game’s greatest figures and a two-time Grand Final coach, including the 2005 Sydney Swans premiership – has genuine belief in his new group. He has the confidence that change will happen, but he knows it will take time. 

“I try to tell them all of the time – that I think they’re a much better team than what they believe they are,” he said.

And he added that guidance and not berating was the key to building belief.

“We’ve got to be teachers and you can’t be smashing these guys. There [can’t be] the expectation that the coach is going to jump on me again,” he said.

“You’ve got to teach them how to win, and you could see there were times when we played some great footy and we played really well. But there were times where we just dropped off dramatically within a game.

“[When your] percentage is just 54 per cent [from the previous season], you’re pretty much only playing 60 minutes a game really, so you’ve got to get that 60 minutes up to 120 minutes – it’s a really big jump. It’s [about] remaining positive and just trying to reteach and reprogram.”

Although it was a disappointing loss – the Demons fell short by 17 points – it was far from a disaster.

It was the closest Melbourne has got to a round one win since 2005 – save for a draw in 2011 – and there were several compelling statistics that reinforced it could’ve (or should’ve) won the match. For example, if Bernie Vince and Cam Pedersen converted almost half of their scores – they booted 1.7 combined – the game could’ve been different. And the fact that St Kilda had just one fewer scoring shot, yet booted 7.3 to 2.9 in the second and third terms, was telling.

The Demons also had 60 more disposals, nine more inside 50s and three more scoring shots overall (21 to 18) in the wash-up, highlighting the missed opportunity.

Structurally, both teams were hit hard. Melbourne’s forward line was depleted of big men, with Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes and Jesse Hogan absent. The Saints missed their top end midfield talent in Lenny Hayes, Leigh Montagna and Jack Steven.

In the wash-up, the difference was a key forward – and not just any – a generational player named Nick Riewoldt, who finished with 23 disposals, 12 marks and three goals.

It was also interesting to note – and certainly no coincidence – that St Kilda’s top four ball winners – Clint Jones (39), Farren Ray (25), Riewoldt (23) and Sean Dempster (22) – were all part of St Kilda’s tilt that went agonisingly close to premiership success in the Ross Lyon era in 2009-10.

They’d all tasted finals success and been part of strong winning teams in recent years and knew what was needed to drag their revamped St Kilda side over the line.

In time, and as part of Melbourne’s reeducation under Roos, that will happen.  

Had the statistics been horrendous, the match a blow out and few positives occur – which has been the case too often in recent years – then it would’ve been a major concern.

Jack Watts in his new midfield showed plenty to like about his game. He accumulated 27 disposals – his equal second best effort in an AFL match – as new recruits Dom Tyson (a career-best 32 disposals) and Vince (28 possessions) combined for 60 touches.

Co-captain Nathan Jones, who was arguably Melbourne’s best with a career-high 38 disposals, said having the confidence to win was still a key issue for the Demons.

“We’ve got to build the belief. It’s funny how you can see it on the ground and you can see the players’ fluctuate, believing that we can do it and then we mess up a few bits of play in a row or miss an easy shot,” he said.

“It’s something that we really have to work on and [we have to] believe in what we’re doing, because we had some success over the pre-season, but it steps up again when you face a team in round one.

“When the Saints put the pressure on, we gave the footy back to them too easily and in the end it cost us the game and credit to them – they took advantage of our turnovers and scored.”

So what now for the Demons?

It’s one game down of 22. It’s minute in the big picture.

Roos has stated all pre-season that no magic formula will work for the Demons – only sheer hard work. It will take time, remembering the club is coming off its fifth worst season since 1897.

“I’ll be at work on Monday and that’s just the message to the footy club and the supporters,” Roos said.

“You can’t run and hide, you know where you are and you know where you want to get to and you know the gap’s huge.

“I just hope the players understand that I’ve got faith in them … but they’re coming from a long way back and we’ve just got to keep teaching and working as hard as we can.”