SENIOR coach Mick Stinear says his group can take confidence out of Saturday’s win, despite things not going completely to plan at Casey Fields.
The undefeated Demons were tightly locked with St Kilda for three quarters on their home deck, with a drop in fundamentals and heat around the contest contributing to the tussle.
But with a final term blitz, that saw them kick six goals to none and run out 41-point victors, Stinear acknowledged both the positives and opportunities to learn.
“It was good to get the outcome and good to see the girls open up and get going, but no doubt frustrating for our fans,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“That’s credit to St Kilda taking our game away from us.
“Certainly today, I thought our fundamentals could’ve been better at times, and that was largely because of St Kilda’s pressure, but we will learn a lot and hopefully we’re better for it.
“We walk away pleased with the outcome but know we’ve still got plenty of work to do.”
The Dees finished the day atop of most on the stats sheet but clocked up 22 fewer tackles than their opposition.
This pressure from the visitors, mixed with some wayward shots in front of goal, led to an even scoreboard at the final change, making for an interesting battle heading into the last.
For Stinear, it was all about getting back to the basics and taking the game on.
"It probably started with our contest work,” he said.
“We went to ground a lot and didn't really help ourselves [throughout the first three quarters], but then our mids were able to be clean and go from the inside to the outside a bit quicker.
“From there, we got some genuine one-on-ones ahead of the ball."
Off the Demons’ nine goals, key recruit Tayla Harris managed to convert three of them, and genuinely kept her side in the hunt at times.
The 24-year-old, who was joined by Tyla Hanks, Kate Hore, Megan Fitzsimon, Lauren Pearce and Daisy Pearce in hitting the scoreboard, proved crucial up forward and impressed her coach along the way.
“We didn’t get great delivery to our forwards today, so to have someone like Tayla able to compete and bring the ball to ground or those take contested marks [was really beneficial],” Stinear said.
“She’s such a unique player and her aerial work is quite remarkable.
“She’s been a great addition to our team. I love the way she’s going about it and the girls are really enjoying playing with her.”
The Demon faithful came out in force for Melbourne’s first home game of season 2022, braving the hot and windy conditions in a show of support.
The venue was filled with red and blue – along with plenty of colour in support of Pride Round – and added to the special atmosphere.
“We love being back here at Casey today and really thankful for the Casey community coming out and supporting us, and our members and supporters as well,” Stinear said.
