MELBOURNE coach Dean Bailey says a slow start and a lack of tackling pressure cost his side the chance to claim an unlikely victory over Collingwood on Monday.

The Magpies kicked the first three goals of the game before drawing with the Demons, who trailed at every change before kicking four goals to three in the final term. Matthew Bate's second goal gave the Demons a six-point lead at the 21-minute mark of the quarter, but Collingwood veteran Tarkyn Lockyer secured a draw with a set shot four minuter later.

Bailey said the 32-7 tackle count in the first quarter was evidence of Melbourne’s lack of pressure early on.

“Two points was a good result for us if you look purely at the stats," he said.

"The tackle count was way out of synch; that is not good enough. At the end of it, you look at the three quarters after that and we seemed to hang in there,” he said.

“They missed a couple of opportunities, but we kept hanging in there and that was the pleasing thing. When we went inside 50, we looked like we were going to score. We certainly wanted to go inside 50 more than 38 times, (but) it would have been nice to pinch one by a point to be honest.”

The two sides played a contrasting style, with Collingwood working the ball around the boundary line while Melbourne played through the corridor. Bailey admitted afterwards that playing through the middle placed pressure on his team.

"I think we got caught being a little too corridor-focused," he admitted.

"We had some options on the side which I don’t think we took. When we did take it during the game, I think we moved the ball quicker by kicking it rather than handballing it.

“The intensity they brought forced us into a lot of handballs during the game. When we kicked the ball better to players coming out of the backline, I think we were able to move a lot quicker and flow a lot better.”

Collingwood had 31 scoring shots to 21, and Bailey praised his team for its fighting spirit despite not winning some key statistical categories.

"The game was there to be won," he said.

"We worked our way back into it. Yes, they didn’t take their opportunities. I keep coming back to the theme that we just hung in there. We got them by a fingernail and we tried to hold on as long as we could."