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It did not have quite the emotion of last weekend’s victory for Jim Stynes, but that was one of the reasons Melbourne coach Dean Bailey was so proud his side upset AFL finals aspirant Port Adelaide at the MCG.
The 15.11 (101) to 13.12 (90) win over the Power delighted Bailey because his players again produced the type of intensity that enabled them to down West Coast last Saturday.
While the Demons had always expected to be at fever pitch against the Eagles, just days after learning club legend Stynes was battling cancer, Bailey said reproducing that effort a week later, once emotions had settled, was important.
“It was always going to be a test whether we could work hard for each other without that external stimulus,” Bailey said.
“I thought they did it for most of the game, our tackling was still there, our pressure was really good.
“That was the easy thing for us to target from last week, what we did well last week and it was good the players replicated it.”
Defensive pressure was far from the only positive.
Exciting Aboriginal forward Liam Jurrah announced himself as a potential star, kicking four goals in just his fourth AFL game.
That included three majors in the first quarter and two spectacular high marks in the first half to spark the Demons and excite the fans.
Fellow forward Ricky Petterd was less flashy but just as effective, also snaring four.
They included the Demons’ only two majors of the final term, to hold the Power at bay after they had cut a 32-point margin midway through the third quarter to a seven-point gap midway through the last.
Other stars for Melbourne included hard-working midfielders Brock McLean and Brent Moloney, while veterans Cameron Bruce and Brad Green won plenty of ball and used it very well.
Importantly, it was the first time the Demons had notched back-to-back wins in Bailey’s tenure, the last time being in in rounds 10 and 11, 2007.
It was enough to lift them off the bottom of the ladder, edging Fremantle on percentage, and Bailey said it would do wonders for their morale.
“Once you get a win then you train well and get another win, there’s a confidence that grows amongst them,” he said.
“I talk about the fact that everyone becomes teammates, then the sooner they can move on to be mates, that’s the real gelling of it.”
Power coach Mark Williams lamented his side’s lack of intensity and disposal errors in the first half, saying they were lucky not to fall further behind, and the job was left to too few.
Captain Domenic Cassisi and midfield colleague Kane Cornes worked hard against the tide, defenders Toby Thurstans and Jacob Surjan rebounded well and returning star Chad Cornes lifted his side in the third term, after a poor start, but Williams could find few other notable performers.
“Our supporters will be very embarrassed by that result for us and that’s very justified,” he said.
He also rued the absence of suspended key defender Troy Chaplin, with Michael Pettigrew spending time on Jurrah and then Petterd, who both did well against him.
The loss dented Port’s finals chances, leaving them a win and percentage adrift of the top eight, although with a fairly kind draw to come, Williams rated them still a reasonable chance.
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