COACH Paul Roos says two of the key positives to come from Melbourne’s otherwise disappointing 68-point loss to Fremantle at the MCG on Sunday were the performances of Jeff Garlett and Angus Brayshaw.

Roos said Garlett’s ability to kick three of Melbourne’s six goals, and often against a couple of opponents, plus Brayshaw’s effort for a fifth gamer – especially one contest against superstar Fremantle midfielder Nat Fyfe – were a couple of things to take away from the game.   

“I thought Jeff Garlett's game was outstanding, given that he was competing against two or three opponents [a lot of the time],” he said post-match.

“Brayshaw’s marking contest against Fyfe late in the game – when he won the contest – was terrific.

“So you’re learning about guys from a positive sense and a negative sense as well.”

Roos said Brayshaw, who was the third player selected in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, possesses “a lot of talent and some real grunt”.

“He still can’t play as an AFL midfielder, because he’s a young kid coming in [from the TAC Cup],” he said.

“That’s why I talk about the gap between the TAC Cup and AFL consistently. He would’ve been used to running 10 or 12km consistently last year in the TAC Cup and national championships.

“All of a sudden, he’s got to be asked to play on midfielders who run 13 or 15km consistently and do it at high speeds.

“But when he’s fresh, he’s a terrific player and he showed some really good signs. He’ll get fitter and probably go through ups and downs through the season and get fitter [next] off-season. But it’s exciting for Melbourne and the way he goes about his footy and the way he plays.”