Despite only winning two games so far, Melbourne is making a case for being the most improved team in the competition.
The Demons only managed two unimpressive wins last year, so they have already matched that effort and based on recent performances they will win a few more before the season is out.
They have been competitive in every game other than the West Coast debacle in Round 2. Paul Roos’ mantra at the start of the season was all about not getting thrashed, which happened way too often in 2012 and 2013.
He taught them how to hang onto the ball better, even if it meant it was ugly to watch, and improved their defence by making the contest a scrap.
That was his game plan when coaching the Swans, and we know how successful that was.
The Demons, in a short space of time, have become hard to play against, with the win over Adelaide the highlight.
They were able to restrict the Crows’ run-and-gun style, while at the same time Adelaide were complacent. The Demons got them on the counterattack, utilising Chris Dawes as a target man.
The Demons have always had an abundance of tall forwards and defenders, although injuries to Dawes and exciting youngster Jesse Hogan coupled with the retirement of Mitch Clark haven’t helped them in attack.
The midfield was very thin, but they have addressed that for this season, bringing in Bernie Vince from the Crows, Western Bulldogs veteran Daniel Cross and Dom Tyson from the Greater Western Sydney Giants.
Tyson was a number three draft pick in 2010, but didn’t settle with the fledgling team and suffered a knee injury. He has been a revelation this year, averaging 26 touches a game. Preseason criticism of Melbourne’s decision to trade pick two to GWS for Tyson and pick nine, where they snared Christian Salem, no longer exists.
It now looks like being a win, win, win for all parties, with the Giants’ pick two, Josh Kelly, also showing that he should be a star.
Roos has moved All Australian defender James Frawley forward, and that has worked at times. He’s also swapped high flying forward Jeremy Howe into defence to make him a more rounded player.
Co-captain Nathan Jones, after consecutive best and fairest awards, seems to have improved, helped of course by those experienced bodies in the midfield.
This year was all about respect, and the Demons are quickly regaining that. As Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney said after the win over Melbourne on Saturday, Paul Roos’ teams are always ready to play and hard to play against.
I am sure other teams will be taking note of the Demons’ improvement and know that they will be in for a hard day at the office from now on.
Winning on a regular basis might take time, but the Demons are no longer an embarrassment, nor, as their CEO Peter Jackson stated last year, an impediment to the competition.
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