JAKE Melksham says playing top of the table Adelaide, without several key personnel, in the humid Darwin conditions were not the reasons for Melbourne’s 46-point loss at TIO Stadium on Saturday night.
Instead, Melksham was adamant that the team simply went away from its game plan.
“We knew going into the game that if Adelaide won they’d stay on top and if we won we could creep into the top four,” he told Melbourne TV.
“We’ll still take confidence putting 22 out on the park next week against Port Adelaide, knowing full well that a few of our key players will be back in a couple more weeks. We’ve just got to stick tight, stick to the game plan and listen to the coaches and hopefully things will come our way.
“It was really hot in the first half – the weather and also the speed of the game – and it was pretty dewy. There were a fair few fumbles and people slipping over. It was challenging, but in the second half, the game slowed up a little bit and they were able to exploit us on the outside and up forward. The conditions weren’t too bad.”
After defeating Adelaide by 41 points at Adelaide Oval in round eight, Melksham said his side’s second outing against the Crows was a frustrating result.
“It was pretty disappointing. We did well to get back in the game in the second half. We got within three goals, but if you look back on the game, our inconsistencies throughout was what let us down,” he said.
“In the first quarter, they scored 40-odd points, so when they get a kick-start like that – it’s really hard to claw back from.
“There’s a few things we addressed as a group, [like] our will to win and our desperation … we’ll look at that during the week and fix them up.”
Melksham, who booted three goals, all in the first half, felt he had a mixed game.
“The first half was good. I made the most of my opportunities, but I was really disappointed in the second half,” he said.
“I think I had a few more opportunities as a forward, which I didn’t take, which was disappointing.
“You kick a few goals and it’s always nice to do that, but I’ll assess the game during the week and fix up a few things I think.”
