COACH Neil Craig says Melbourne learned a valuable lesson in its dramatic three-point win over the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Saturday night. 

Speaking in his post-match media conference, Craig said he was “really pleased” with his team for three quarters, but added that the side was “poor” in the final term, except for the final moments.  

“They (the Bulldogs) were fantastic in the last quarter. I thought we were really good for three quarters in the contested part of the game, so it was good for our guys to be able to feel the power of that and for our supporters to see the power of it,” he said.

“But we also felt the power the other way, clearly, so we lost total control of the game, in the ruck work and the stoppages. [Will] Minson and [Ryan] Griffen got on top – two of the form players in the competition, really. We weren’t able to handle them.

“To the guys’ credit, I thought the last minute and a half they remained really calm, when we sent numbers behind the ball. There was good direction and there was good communication. Sometimes, you can actually totally lose it all.

“The result does matter … absolutely it does for us and it does for the Western Bulldogs as well, but it was probably more the experience of being very good for three quarters and being so poor for the last quarter.”

Craig said Melbourne gained belief from being able to execute its game plan for three quarters, which he attributed largely to his predecessor, Mark Neeld.

“With all the work that Mark’s been able to do with the squad, that was exactly the sort of football that he was wanting and coaching to play, so hopefully he’s got a smile on his face as well,” he said.

“We made some inroads with our ball movement - we need to continue that and we want to be an aggressive club defensively and offensively.”

Craig said there wasn’t panic in the coaches’ box, but he said it would’ve been a far different feeling out on the ground, after the Bulldogs kicked the last seven goals. 

“That’s a big turnaround, so when you’re a player out there, that would’ve felt like an avalanche coming at them. To just hold their nerve for the last 90 seconds was really good,” he said.

Craig confirmed the speedy Sam Blease had an ankle injury, which forced him to be substituted for Shannon Byrnes.

“I’m not sure how bad it is, so we just need to check that one out,” he said.

Craig said it was important the club celebrated its second win of the season for the following 24 hours, but added that next Sunday’s clash against the Sydney Swans at the MCG was a reality check.

“That’s great and the club needs to celebrate it. Use the 24-hour rule, but they need to feel good about themselves, because we’ve got a lot of work to do to change perception,” he said.

“It doesn’t get any easier for the Melbourne Football Club next week, does it? But what a great opportunity for our players to play against a really professional, hard nosed AFL side [against Sydney Swans].”

Asked if Melbourne’s nail-biter had added any fuel to the fire of wanting to coach it next year and beyond, Craig was measured in his response.

“That’ll unfold, that situation,” he said.

“[The club is deciding] what type of coach they’re looking for. My challenge is to do this for the next nine weeks now to the best of my ability, which I will.

“I will give it my absolute best - that’s no different to what we ask of the players, and then there'll be some more information on the table for all parties.”

Meanwhile, Craig praised the efforts of Jesse Hogan, who booted six goals for Casey against Northern Blues earlier on Saturday. 

“He’s a young man playing in a man’s competition, and doing what he’s doing consistently will give him great confidence to go into a pre-season when he becomes available to play AFL footy,” he said.

“It will give our supporters a lot to look forward to in terms of the future.

“We all have visions at some stage of Chris Dawes, [Mitch] Clark, [Jesse] Hogan and Jeremy Howe. It’s a great grounding for Jesse at the moment.”