DESPITE going down to St Kilda by 35 points at Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening, speedster Jamie Bennell believes Melbourne will reflect back on this match as a key learning experience.
The second-year utility said playing against a genuine premiership contender only reinforced how much Melbourne needs to improve.
“They’re (St Kilda) a two top side, so you’re going to learn a lot of things from those sides,” Bennell told melbournefc.com.au.
“Losing by the amount we did (35 points) wasn’t too bad, but we certainly learned some things.
“We’ll actually get a lot more out of that game than what they will.”
Bennell said the team was pleased with its first quarter - Melbourne kicked 3.3 to 3.4 - after its opening terms had been an issue in recent weeks.
“We started off a bit better today, which was a good thing,” he said.
“After half-time, we came out flying in the third quarter and then Grimey (Jack Grimes) went down with a hamstring, so that put us back a bit.
“The boys kept working hard and we were still in the game, but it was just that last quarter that let us down a bit.”
The Western Australian conceded the loss of Grimes made it tough for Melbourne in the wash-up.
“It does make a difference with rotations, but the boys just pushed through and got on with it,” he said.
Bennell, who kicked an outstanding goal from the pocket during the third quarter, said the opportunity to play on a range of players and gain further exposure on a ground other than the MCG will only benefit his development.
“It was a good experience to be playing on different opponents,” he said.
“They’re not a big defending side, because they’re a really attacking backline, so you’ve got to be aware of their different opponents and how they’re going to play.
“It was also a good experience to play on a different oval, because we’re almost always playing on the MCG, which is great, but it was good to experience this as well.”
It was just the third time Bennell has played on Etihad Stadium in his 28 matches.
The second-year utility said playing against a genuine premiership contender only reinforced how much Melbourne needs to improve.
“They’re (St Kilda) a two top side, so you’re going to learn a lot of things from those sides,” Bennell told melbournefc.com.au.
“Losing by the amount we did (35 points) wasn’t too bad, but we certainly learned some things.
“We’ll actually get a lot more out of that game than what they will.”
Bennell said the team was pleased with its first quarter - Melbourne kicked 3.3 to 3.4 - after its opening terms had been an issue in recent weeks.
“We started off a bit better today, which was a good thing,” he said.
“After half-time, we came out flying in the third quarter and then Grimey (Jack Grimes) went down with a hamstring, so that put us back a bit.
“The boys kept working hard and we were still in the game, but it was just that last quarter that let us down a bit.”
The Western Australian conceded the loss of Grimes made it tough for Melbourne in the wash-up.
“It does make a difference with rotations, but the boys just pushed through and got on with it,” he said.
Bennell, who kicked an outstanding goal from the pocket during the third quarter, said the opportunity to play on a range of players and gain further exposure on a ground other than the MCG will only benefit his development.
“It was a good experience to be playing on different opponents,” he said.
“They’re not a big defending side, because they’re a really attacking backline, so you’ve got to be aware of their different opponents and how they’re going to play.
“It was also a good experience to play on a different oval, because we’re almost always playing on the MCG, which is great, but it was good to experience this as well.”
It was just the third time Bennell has played on Etihad Stadium in his 28 matches.
