COACH Mark Neeld says Melbourne’s 25-point NAB Cup loss to St Kilda at Casey Fields on Saturday was “another indication of where we’re at”.

Speaking post-match, Neeld said his side’s second term – when St Kilda won the term by 46 points – was simply “non-competitive” and if it continued to produce those quarters “it will cost us the game”.   

“When you’re playing against good, experienced sides … you can, in our case, drop your work rate and [the opposition will] take advantage. The Saints were really, really good at taking advantage of that in the second quarter,” he said.

“From our boys’ point of view, you can have all the systems in the world, but if you drop your work ethic, they don’t count for anything.

“And we did that in the second quarter and that was the negative, but the positive was that I thought we fought back into the game pretty well. But eventually, honourable losses, you get sick of them.”

Neeld was asked about the impressive form of forward/midfielder-turned-defender Lynden Dunn, who was good down back.

He also delighted the crowd with a barrel from a kick-out, which landed in the centre circle. 

“Lynden was competitive and he seems to be enjoying his footy – he’s a competitive guy,” Neeld said.

“One of the things that we’re pleased that he’s doing is that he’s really working on his defensive part of his game. The backline is very new for him.

“We know that he kicks the ball extremely well, so if he can continue to work hard on his defensive aspects, he could be a real plus for us there.”

Neeld said several spots remained up for grabs in the lead-up to round one, but he was pleased to see a few players show some encouraging signs in different positions against the Saints.

“Two or three times a week, most coaches write down what they think their best side is and that will change from day to day. Then you play a game and someone bobs up and plays really well in a different position,” he said.

“We used Daniel Nicholson and Dean Terlich in different roles today and that certainly gave us something to think about. David Rodan spent more time on the ball than he has in the first couple of weeks, so that changes things a bit.

“Daniel certainly has a great ability to run and carry the footy and if we can find a role that harnesses that and is positive for us, we’ll look at it.”