A SOFT game (not), a poor conversion rate, a three quarter hoodoo broken, the rejuvenation of Matthew Bate and the moving tribute for Jim Stynes were among the key points to emerge in round four

The game is far from soft

Anyone who ever says the game is soft has rocks in their head. This round, the AFL showed what a brutal game it was (and that’s just on the ground!) Port Adelaide’s Robbie Gray (knee) and Sydney’s Gary Rohan (broken leg) suffered nasty injuries, while the game’s best player in the eyes of many, Gary Ablett, hurt his knee. But there were others including Andrew Carrazzo, Chris Yarran, Michael Hurley, Bernie Vince and Jarrod Harbrow, who suffered injuries. And then there was Demon Mitch Clark, who almost usurped Gray and Rohan for the nastiness, when he landed head first into the ground and looked to have suffered a serious neck injury. Clark remarkably got to his feet after he initially looked in genuine trouble. He had scans to be assessed and hopefully he will be right. But it didn’t look good, like so many injuries this round - and to some high quality players in the competition. Yep, it’s a soft game eh? 

Poor conversion proves costly

The Demons had one fewer scoring shot than the Bulldogs for the match and fell 21 points short. Melbourne’s first term proved costly in the wash-up, when it registered 1.5. And, in the final quarter when the Dees were in reach after Cale Morton put his side within 16 points at the 15-minute mark, behinds to Colin Garland and Lynden Dunn followed, and it was a case of what might have been. Still, Melbourne’s persistence couldn’t be questioned throughout.

Melbourne breaks third quarter hoodoo

Up until this round, Melbourne had kicked just four goals in three third quarters this season - a poor statistic, which has contributed to the hat-trick of defeats entering round four. And although Melbourne didn’t overcome the Bulldogs, it did manage to boot four goals and level the third term with 4.2. The Demons even managed three in succession via Matthew Bate, Rohan Bail and Jack Watts. Progress was made in this area, which was a positive.

Bate rejuvenates

The rejuvenation of Matthew Bate took another step forward against the Dogs - coincidentally, the team that was linked to him in a possible trade deal last year. But coach Mark Neeld showed faith in Bate, who claimed two top five best and fairest finishes in his first four seasons, and wanted him to remain a Demon. After playing just 22 matches in the past two seasons, including seven last year, Bate has bounced back, and has made encouraging steps. Either as a midfielder or forward, Bate has played with confidence - although he has played a couple of matches as a sub this season. He collected 20 disposals and kicked two goals against the Bulldogs, and showed he still had plenty to offer at the highest level.

We were again moved by Jim

It wasn’t the grand final and it wasn’t the biggest crowd of all time, but the pre-match tribute to the late, great Jim Stynes was genuinely moving. David Bridie managed to hit the right note and strike the right chord for the occasion, and to see the many and varied past Melbourne players on the ground was a highlight - it was interesting, for instance, seeing the likes of another great in David Neitz chatting with Shane Burgmann on the ground, when the cameras panned around (Burgmann played one match for Melbourne and held Neitz out of the final round in 1992). Other former Melbourne players now based at opposition clubs, such as Greg Hutchison, turned out to celebrate Jim’s life. It was great to see so many there, particularly Jim’s much admired family. Coach Mark Neeld ensured the players understood the significance of the day and the players were treated to some moving footage pre-match. Jim may not be here in body, but his spirit will always live on at Melbourne.