SATURDAY was quite simply the one that got away for Melbourne.
It was a heartbreaking loss, and as coach Paul Roos rightly summed up, it was “a frustrating game”.
“We won in every category, but their experience at times [won out] … and there were key moments in the game. [Our] inaccuracy – 3.6 the third quarter – makes it really difficult,” he said post-match.
“But we’re a young team and to come over here on a six-day break and play against a team like that and win in every category – we should’ve won the game.
“From our point of view, it’s a harsh lesson for the guys and hopefully they learn from it.”
It’s hard to remember a team being so dominant in so many statistical areas, yet lose – certainly from a Melbourne perspective.
The inside 50 differential was a case in point.
Melbourne had a whopping 66 inside 50s to West Coast’s 37.
But ultimately, it was on the scoreboard that Melbourne let itself down, with 12 behinds coming from 20 registered scoring shots.
The red and blue kicked 8.12 to West Coast’s 10.6 and in the end, a six-point victory went the home side’s way at Domain Stadium.
“I felt we did enough to win the game, but it was just the key moments and the execution of kicking for goal in the third quarter,” Roos said.
“Even Wattsy’s (Jack Watts) one that hit the post and Dawesy (Chris Dawes) missed one completely.
“So it really hurt us.”
The fact that Melbourne hadn’t got within six points at Subiaco in the past 12 years unlined the improvement shown, according to Roos.
“For us, it is definitely. We would’ve loved the game – there’s no doubt,” he said.
“But part of analysing the game – you have to take a little bit of a look away from the scoreboard on days like this.
“Contested ball we won, we had 90-something tackles and we [won] uncontested possessions and inside 50s.”
And considering Melbourne entered the match having lost its past eight encounters against West Coast by an average of 68.25 points per game – at the MCG, Subiaco, Etihad Stadium and in Darwin – it reinforced Roos’ point against last year’s grand finalist.
“Really, all the key stats we won, but their experience and some free kicks in the last quarter – [proved costly],” he said.
“I remember round two in my first year [at Melbourne], we lost by 90-something points at the MCG and two years ago we did well for three quarters.
“It’s a huge step forward for us and hopefully the young guys and the players learn from it.”
For youngster Christian Petracca, it was a game Melbourne “should’ve won”.
“It’s disappointing, but we’re a young side and we’re going to have those lapses in games. West Coast is a good team – we would’ve loved to have beaten them on their home deck, but we’ll bounce back,” he said.
