CO-CAPTAIN Nathan Jones says his good mate Max Gawn shouldn’t feel responsible for Melbourne’s three-point loss to Geelong Cats at the MCG on Sunday, even though the ruckman felt as though he should.

Speaking post-match, Jones said there were a host of moments Melbourne could pinpoint for its close loss, rather than hone in on Gawn’s missed set-shot for goal.

“It was hard. Speaking to him after the game, it’s almost like he feels the brunt of the responsibility, when you have an opportunity like that,” the three-time best and fairest winner told Melbourne Media.

“I said to him after that game, and rubbed him on the head, ‘just keep it in perspective mate, it’s unfortunate’. We don’t want to leave it up to a moment in play like that.

“Unfortunately he didn’t kick the goal, but … Gawny will grow from this – there’s no doubt about that. He’s always a star player for us and a terrific leader for us and they are moments like that that make him.”

Gawn looked set to be the hero of the match, when he took a brilliant contested mark in front of the pack during the dying stages of Melbourne’s season-opener.

But his set-shot for goal, after clunking a fine pass from teammate Cam Pedersen, missed and went through for a behind, from roughly 25 metres out.

Gawn, who had 20 disposals, 47 hit outs and kicked a goal, was one of Melbourne’s best, and was critical when Melbourne came back in the final term.

Jones said Gawn’s form showed he would be a formidable player this season “despite what eventuated in the last part of the game”.

“He really lifted after half-time,” he said.

“I really loved his follow-up around the ground and he really started to dominate in the air. He’s a first-class player for us and it’s good to see him back at his best.

“I would’ve loved to pump his tyres up even more, but he’s a great mate of mine and I’ve got no doubt that the feelings that he has right now are only going to make him even stronger.”

Jones conceded the loss to Geelong was “the one that got away”.

“But I think it’s a huge opportunity for us to learn from that, particularly that patch in the second quarter and how we got the game back on our terms,” he said.  

“We probably manufactured that a little bit ourselves, but the trick’s going to be learning from that and being able to make that shift quicker.

“It’s disappointing, but to the boys’ credit, we showed a lot of grit and fight. There was plenty of heart there, but executing some fundamental things let us down in periods of the game, and Geelong is fundamentally a very good side. It was a close one in the end.”

Jones said Geelong, who finished top four last year, remained one of the competition’s best. 

“They’re a very good team and we’ve still got a long way to go and a lot to learn,” he said.

“I liked a lot of stuff I saw from the boys today and we’ve got another opportunity in six days – I think we’ve got to keep it in perspective.

“It’s round one and we’re frustrated – we all have great expectations over the pre-season period and unfortunately we didn’t win today and we got beaten by a better team. We’ll go away and educate ourselves on that performance, and learn and grow from it.”

Jones, who finished with a team-high 29 disposals and was one of Melbourne’s best, said it was a tough game to return to after a recent back niggle.  

“After the first quarter and a half, I felt like I was running around with no lungs and they were burnt out – I was cooked and I think everyone was like that,” he said.

“It was an interesting pre-season period for me – I learned a lot. Credit goes to some of our stuff behind the scenes that have worked tirelessly and educated me about different things I’ve got to change and do as I get a bit older.

“Fundamentally, I found pretty sound today and my body felt good, and I’m pretty confident with my form at the moment. It’s a long year and I’m pretty excited about the opportunity that’s been created out of the disappointment of this game.”