“Both” was how Matthew Bate summed up Melbourne’s 21-point loss to Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Sunday.
And that’s a fair and considered assessment.
“It was definitely competitive, but we don’t like losing and we’ve got to hate losing, so we’re not happy with that at all,” Bate told DeeTV.
Teammate Rohan Bail agreed with Bate, saying the performance was “definitely a move in the right direction”, but he too was frustrated to lose.
“With the effort that the guys put in, it was disappointing to have lost … because we had heaps of desire indicators [in our favour],” Bail told melbournefc.com.au.
“It was more of a four quarter performance than what we’ve done previously, especially in the third quarter.”
Whichever way you look at it, there’s no denying that Melbourne’s round four performance was its best for the season.
At the 21-minute mark of the final term, Melbourne trailed by 14 points and was not without a chance.
But in the end, the Demons remained winless and the Bulldogs notched their first win for the season.
Melbourne’s endeavour couldn’t be questioned, however. This was reinforced by coach Mark Neeld, who said that that particular measurement needed to be permanent.
It was another area that indicated Neeld’s desire to get things right from the outset.
For example, he revealed in his post-match media conference that Colin Sylvia, who suffered a back injury in Melbourne’s final NAB Cup clash against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, could’ve returned against the Dogs.
But that was halted, as the midfielder/forward still needed to serve a one-match suspension from a post-season indiscretion. As a result, Sylvia was forced to watch round four from the sidelines.
Neeld suggested it could have been easy to bring back Sylvia straight away and forget about the penalty, given he was already on the sidelines.
The coach said Sylvia will play this week, but whether he returns via Casey or straight back into the senior team remains to be seen. But, when he does return, he will be an important addition to the red and blue.
Sylvia could’ve made an impact against the Dogs, but Neeld has instilled standards and expectations from the outset. He wants to get the “building blocks” right, as he said in his post-match media conference.
“The last thing [we will get right] is consistent scoreboard pressure, and it’s all the things that come before that,” he said.
“You can’t jump in this game; you have to have solid foundations. You’ve got to be able to prepare at an elite level, and we have to be able to train consistently at an elite level.
“Both those things are coming along quite well.”
Which again raised the question post-match: how long will it take for Melbourne to rise up the ladder?
Again, Neeld hinted it was akin to the question: how long’s a piece of string? He added that it’s not worth putting “yourself under fire”.
“I don’t know how long,” he said.
“That’s reality. No one knows how long that takes.”
What was realised against the Bulldogs was Melbourne’s advancement in its “one percenters”, according to Neeld.
“We got to our highest level,” he said.
“I wasn’t sure if we’d get there within four weeks, but we have.
“I’m not sure of the other stuff … things take time.”
And they will.
But the building and progress has started.
