AT THIS stage of a turbulent season, with a long list of injuries and up against a group with an average of 55 more games experience per player, Melbourne found positives in the 25-point defeat to St Kilda.
 
The Demons won two quarters, yet conceded four goals in succession to start the game and then eight goals without an answer from early in the third to early in the final quarter.
 
That second bad patch turned a four-point deficit into a 56-point margin. During that time Melbourne could not win the ball and was outran. It also lacked height up forward.
 
But the Demons did not give up, holding true to their word from midway through the season to keep battling away and their continued effort saw them kick eight goals in the final quarter.
 
Melbourne coach Mark Neeld knows a lack of experience is one factor why the team fades in and out of games like a car radio on a country highway.
 
The Jamaican relay team would be handy too.
 
But he also sees progress in those representing Melbourne and is gaining confidence that the [mostly] young group driving standards on and off the field will eventually deliver. He saw the game as another glimpse into the future.
 
Sam Blease stood out. He kicked five goals and put in a four-quarter effort that pleased the coach.
 
Although Blease doesn't lack for confidence joked Neeld, the coach is very pleased with the progress he has made since the start of the season.  He said Blease is going to be a very good player with another couple of pre-seasons behind him.
 
"In round one out at Casey (Scorpions) in the VFL, I remember having a chat to Sam about some of the defensive things and he looked at me and I thought I was speaking another language and so did he, so he has come a fair way," Neeld said
 
Young co-captain Jack Grimes was very good too in his 50th game. He managed 29 disposals, including 10 contested possessions, playing in the midfield. He started and finished the game with intensity and played like a great leader of the future.
 
He said his current patch of good form is a function of being able to play game after game after game. After 32 games in his first four years, Grimes has played 18 this season and the benefits of such continuity are starting to show.
 
However, there was some stark reality to contend with too. The game was scrappy, mistakes plentiful and the Demons overused the ball at times, although the coach said he could live with that because their intent was good.
 
At least, as an observer, you could tell the mistakes were made while trying to create rather than protect.
 
Neeld said they toyed with putting Jared Rivers or Colin Garland forward to solve their lack of marking power up front, but when they looked at what that move would do to the backline, decided against it.

As was a microcosm of the dilemmas the team faced all day - their inability to solve a problem without creating another - it was a good representation of why the Demons found positives in the loss but were realistic enough to know such efforts won't wash forever.
 
"You take those guys out of the backline then you go 'hang on, who is going to go down there and play on, in particular Koschitzke?' We [have] got what we've got and that is why we were so pleased with the effort," Neeld said.

"It is not sustainable clearly to rely on little Sammy (Blease) to dart around to be your leading goalkicker but there is a fair bit positive stuff there."
 
One negative was last year's best and fairest winner, Brent Moloney, who was subbed off after gaining 10 possessions in the first three quarters. While Moloney's effort is there, he is having little impact.
 
The only advice Neeld could offer the midfielder was to keep working hard while reminding everyone that opponents such as Lenny Hayes, Nick Dal Santo, Leigh Montagna and Brendon Goddard never make it easy for anyone.
 
"He is going to just have to keep working hard," Neeld said.
 
It seems the Melbourne mantra.