RUCKMAN Mark Jamar says his team wasted a golden opportunity against a quality opposition, after St Kilda defeated Melbourne by 25 points at Casey Fields on Saturday.
The Demons started in impressive fashion, leading by 22 points during the first term, before entering the opening break with a 15-point lead.
But a poor second term by Melbourne, when St Kilda won the quarter by 46 points proved costly in the finish.
“It’s really frustrating that we let ourselves down for that one quarter, because who knows what the result could’ve been if we didn’t? So we’re very disappointed,” Jamar told melbournefc.com.au.
“We showed that we can compete with a good side, but we just need to make sure it’s for four quarters – not just for three quarters.
“It was pretty evident that our second quarter cost us. No one is happy with that, so we’ve got to learn from that and eliminate that from our game.”
Jamar said coach Mark Neeld gave a “much deserved” spray to the Demons at half-time.
“We shouldn’t have to wait for a rocket from the coach before we actually do something about it,” he said.
“We need more leadership on field, as far as recognising it and acting on it straight away. We shouldn’t have to wait for the coach to go off at us, until we do something about it.
“There were a lot of guys who didn’t lay a tackle in the second term – and I was one of them – but we shifted our focus in the third term. Everyone came out and put their head over the ball, tackled hard and we got the result that quarter.”
For the record, Melbourne won the third quarter by 11 points.
Reflecting on his performance, Jamar said he was reasonably pleased with his efforts against the Saints, which included 35 hit outs.
“I had a go in the ruck, competed hard and was able to get a couple of grabs, but I need to be able to take the ones that came my way. That’s the next focus for me,” he said.
“But overall, I’ve had a full pre-season and I’m ready to go.”
Looking at some of his new teammates, Jamar was impressed with the likes of Jesse Hogan, Matt Jones, Dean Terlich and Jimmy Toumpas against the Saints.
“I like the way Jesse goes about it. He’s only a kid, but you can see all the signs are there. He’s going to be someone who works hard for us, and will be really good in the air,” Jamar said.
“Matt’s got really good pace. He spreads hard and knows how to run. He’s got a really good work ethic and he’s going to win a lot of the footy, if he keeps attacking games like that.
“It was good to see Terls (Dean Terlich) play well, and young Jimmy Toumpas, so we’ve got a good crop coming through.”
Jamar said Melbourne’s pre-season had been tough, but positive in building on the foundations laid by Neeld last year.
“I think we’re all starting to get on the same page, whereas last year, we were all trying to adjust to the game plan,” he said.
“We’ve had some really extensive sessions, where we’ve worked on knowledge and structures and what’s expected of us.
“But we’ve had a good pre-season as a group and hopefully we’ll get a win next week, which will set us up for the [premiership] season.”
