COACH Neil Craig says the Demons can draw inspiration from Australian cricket sensational Ashton Agar in the lead-up to Saturday’s clash against Geelong Cats at Simonds Stadium.

Agar, selected for his left arm spin, created cricket history on the second day of the First Test against England at Trent Bridge on Thursday, when he hit 98 on debut – the highest Test score by a No.11 batsman.

His remarkable effort drew plaudits from around the world, especially his home nation, which urged him towards his maiden ton. Although the 19-year-old missed the magical three figures, Agar’s feat was simply stunning, given he was also a surprise selection.

Agar and Phil Hughes, who finished with 81 not out, also created a Test record for the highest final wicket partnership (163). Given Australia was 9-117 when Agar came to the crease, chasing England’s 215, the pair guided its country to 280, which was nothing short of astonishing.  

Craig said Agar’s achievements showed that anything was possible in the sporting arena.

“That’s a young kid coming into an international level sport with no limitations,” he said at AAMI Park on Friday.

“No one’s putting any limitations on him [and said] ‘you’re not allowed to be good until your fifth test or your 20^th test, so just be a bit careful with what you do’.

“I love that sort of thing, where he comes in and takes the world stage by the scruff of the neck, so it’s just another example of what’s available to anyone, who’s got a really fierce mindset.”

Craig said he often talked to his players about “a whole range of sports”, highlighting the feats of teams and individuals.

“That one’s (Agar) fairly new of course, so I haven’t had a chance to talk to the players,” he said.

“But the coaches were discussing it [Friday] morning.

“Similar concepts operate in AFL footy, absolutely, and it’s always good to take it from another sport. Sometimes a story from another sport becomes a really good analogy to use.”

With the Australian cricket team going through a transformation of its side and former coach Mickey Arthur departing for Darren Lehmann, Craig was asked if it was a similar situation to Melbourne.

“You could draw that bow if you wanted, but there are always good stories around the world to use to your own advantage,” he said.

Still, Craig said it was a great chance to play the brilliant Geelong this round.

“They’re (Geelong) in a similar ilk to Sydney and Hawthorn. They’ve been there for a long period of time and have been a successful club for a long period of time,” he said.

“We need to – and we will – embrace the opportunity that we get to go down to Geelong and play a fantastic footy club.

“We only see that as a positive for us.”

Craig said it was best for the players to forget about what happened at Geelong two years ago, when Melbourne lost by the second greatest losing margin – 186 points – in VFL/AFL history.

“I haven’t asked them [about it] and I’m not really that interested,” he said.

“What I do know is that this group is a very resilient group.

“In this industry, if you’re an AFL player, you need to have the characteristic of being able to handle adversity and to be able to be resilient.”

He said the ‘nothing to lose’ approach was not one Melbourne would take to Geelong.

“I don’t like an attitude of nothing to lose,” Craig said.

“This club’s got plenty to lose, so we won’t be going down there with an attitude of nothing to lose.

“We’ll be going down there to test ourselves with the mentality that we’re going down there to play with a winning attitude. When you play with a winning attitude, you’ve got lots to lose.”