MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin says it was a mix of defensive efforts and execution errors that led to his side’s one-point loss with Adelaide on Saturday night.
The Demons held a 16-point lead with five minutes remaining on the clock but fell just short in the dying moments at Adelaide Oval, recording their first loss of the 2021 AFL season.
And while Goodwin praised the work of the Crows, it was the defensive structure that was the difference for him.
“I thought Adelaide were fantastic. They were tough in the clinches and it was a good game of footy in that regard,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“But we’re disappointed with our game and how we defended, especially in the turnover game. They probably got us in that phase of the game.
“There are little things late that you’d like to do better, from a game state perspective in tight games.
“We’ve been in a lot of games this year where we’ve had to reset, find a way, get the lead, which we did again tonight.
“But just under pressure, with five or six minutes to go, we just didn’t execute the things that we would’ve liked to have done.”
Having triumphed in its first nine games of the season, Melbourne had all the momentum heading into enemy territory and were in a prime position to maintain its unbeaten record.
When questioned on whether the result was one for good measure, Goodwin was quick to shut down any mention of an honourable loss.
“We hate losing as a footy club. Every time we take the field, we take the field to win. There’s no such thing as a good loss,” he said.
“We want to be competitive in every game we play. If we lose, we want to make sure we learn from it and there’s so much to learn from tonight.
“I know our supporters will be disappointed as they’ve got that winning feeling, as we have.
“We’ve got to lick our wounds and come back next week. How we handle this defeat as a club, what we learn from it and how we come out next week will be really important.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Clayton Oliver was a standout in the narrow defeat.
He finished with 38 disposals, including 27 contested, 13 clearances and three goals – a performance worthy of recognition.
“He’s having a sensational season, and again tonight, his ability to win the ball at contest areas and have impact forward of centre was really strong for us,” Goodwin said.
“He just backs up, every week and plays the same way – he plays with the competitiveness.”
The Demons will now turn their attention to a Friday night clash with the Western Bulldogs, in what is shaping up to be a highlight of their fixture.
The match at Marvel Stadium will also kick off this season’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round.
