CHRIS Dawes says James Frawley simply “has to stay” at centre half-forward, given the All-Australian defender claimed 24 disposals, took 14 marks and booted two goals in Melbourne’s first win of the season over Carlton at the MCG last Saturday.
Dawes said Frawley’s performance against the Blues was too good to shift him back into defence, where he has made his name as an AFL player.
“He has to stay up there in the short term – that’s for sure,” he said.
“With Frawley, what we know now is that not only have we got a gun All-Australian standard full-back – if he keeps this form up, we’re also going to have a gun centre half-forward.”
“Having that flexibility can only be a good thing.”
Dawes said the efforts of Frawley and Lynden Dunn in attack had been a pivotal move by coach Paul Roos.
“It was their second game, playing up forward, for a long time and they looked like star forwards,” he said.
“I reckon, if anything, my presence down there, helped them give a starting point to work off.”
With the Demons aiming for two in a row this Sunday against the Gold Coast Suns at the MCG, Dawes said consecutive wins was what players should expect, but he conceded it had been a while since Melbourne had achieved that and it would take another strong effort to achieve it.
“The focus going into this week is going to be the same as what it was last week, which is stick to our task and what our game plan is. [We’ve got to] put ourselves in a winning position and then when we’re in that position, we don’t change things – we stick to what we’ve been doing,” he said.
Dawes didn’t believe he contributed a great deal in play, but added that he gave the team a reference point. Still, he undersold his importance, as he also kicked two goals and played a key part, with a smart deft tap to a running Rohan Bail, who kicked truly.
But he added that last week’s win can be a line in the sand for the rest of the season.
“It can be a springboard to a climb back up the ladder,” he said.
“It can also just be a win among losses, if we let it be, so what that tells me is that rather than thinking about what this win is actually worth, we’ve just got to learn from it and keep winning – and keep winning consistently.”
Dawes said the review of Melbourne’s win over Carlton showed that it simply “persevered and persisted” with its game plan. He added that the confidence that had been garnered from the victory was quickly evident.
“There’s a few smiles and giggles at recovery on Sunday morning and I think the guys that have played a few years here and not experienced too many wins, there is a bit of a sense of relief and a bit of confirmation to ourselves that ‘hey, we can play at this level and we can be a pretty competitive team’,” he said.
But Dawes said the Demons had to be on their game this week, given the Suns had been smashed by Hawthorn last round.
“To be beaten by 99 points really stings, so I’d say they’ll come out wanting to redeem themselves,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dawes was confident teammate Jack Trengove could bounce back strongly from a serious foot injury, which will keep him out for the rest of the year.
“It’s disappointing for the club, because he’s a good player and it’s shattering for him, although speaking to him already, he’s taking a typically mature and sensible approach to it,” he said.
“He’s saying ‘I’ll look for the positives’. It’s upsetting, but he’s determined that he’ll work through it and come back better and refreshed. That speaks volumes about his character, rather than dwelling on it or sulking about it. He’s just going to get on with it and get himself right.”
