IT WAS reasonable for Melbourne coach Mark Neeld to call for a bit of time to determine the real answer as to why his team was unable to match Richmond early in the game on Saturday afternoon at the MCG.
 
After all, several problems arise in trying to make a snap assessment of the contest.

Finding a pattern was not easy.
 
The Demons did not score in the opening 26 minutes as the Tigers took hold of the game early.
 
In that period Melbourne's players did not follow the plan set out for them during the week and could not withstand the early Richmond onslaught. The Tigers had a 23-point lead before the Demons scored.
 
Then Sam Blease kicked the Demons' first goal - from the boundary - starting the Demons on the path of outscoring the Tigers from that point on 78 points to 77.
 
But even that figure came with an asterisk as Richmond kicked 23 behinds for the day, having 36 scoring shots to Melbourne's 23.
 
Yet the Demons' internal 'one-percenter' measures were quite reasonable.

That's confusing enough to start in a somewhat confounding encounter.
 
The problem for Melbourne was that when it gained momentum, it would falter with a kick or a handball that missed its target or found, perversely, an opponent.
 
In reality both sides kicked like they were on their wrong foot all day.
 
But the Demons' turnovers were punished more often.

And their defensive pressure matched Richmond's for three, rather than four, quarters.
 
What Melbourne also lacked in the end, apart from the marking power of injured forward Mitch Clark, were more than a couple of midfielders capable of getting 25 possessions a game and supporting Nathan Jones and Colin Sylvia on the spread from a contest.
 
"We're working through that, where to run, how to run and that sort of stuff, so we thought as the game went on, that got a little bit better," Neeld said.
 
Also missing was an answer to why the players weren't able to execute the plan hatched in the lead-up. Finding a solution to that is something everyone will be expected to attend to.
 
"[We] had a bit of a chat about the information that was given during the week and the manner in which that was delivered," Neeld said. "Did we get that right? We discussed that as a group of coaches and players and we'll tease that out a little bit further as the review process unfolds."
 
The basic plan as Neeld explained was to have an extra running player through the middle, using last year's club best and fairest winner Brent Moloney as a substitute in the hope that the extra player could be found wide of the contest to give them some run through the middle.
 
Hearing that plan explained made it easier to understand why the Demons often went for one too many tight handballs, when width or a kick was needed.
 
In the end Neeld partly put it down to the opposition's pressure.
 
"Richmond's start was outstanding," Neeld said. "They put us under a lot of heat with their ball movement and their defensive pressure. That's frustrating."
 
There were also some positives to be found during the day.
 
Neeld felt the team improved their effort in tight when compared to the previous week and he praised Sylvia for the improvement he was showing.
 
"He has now played four weeks in a row in the midfield, [his] disposal count [is] up, [his] defensive pressure [is] good so we are starting to see the things that Colin can deliver when he has consistent footy," Neeld said. "He just needs a fair run at it."
 
Sylvia is a class player who used the ball better than most other players on the ground.
 
Along with Sylvia, Jones and Howe, many players battled hard. Even inexperienced ruckman Jake Spencer got going in the second half after a shaky start. His effort was admirable. James Frawley tried to match Jack Riewoldt and Jared Rivers influenced the contest whenever it reached him up forward.
 
But again it was not enough for the four points.
 
And Neeld was left to bemoan another missed opportunity.
 
"They had a lot of energy and we made some basic errors," Neeld said.