WHILE the dust has settled on Melbourne’s 54-point win over Richmond, we’re taking you back to last week, as the Demon midfield prepared for their ANZAC Day Eve match.  

From meetings, to training, to game day, see how the Dees engine room spends their five-day break in the lead up to Round 7. 

TUESDAY | Review Meeting  

Two days after the side’s defeat of the reigning premiers Brisbane, the midfield group’s Tuesday morning saw them meet to review the win.   
 
As expected, midfield coach Nathan Jones led the meeting. Prior to watching vision, Jones made a note of the calibre of midfielders that they faced and where they executed well in the game.  
 
“They’re the No.1 ranked midfield in the comp,” Jones said.  
 

“Last week, we focused on the ruthless element of it, so chat to the guy next to you and discuss what you did during your week that brought your ruthlessness to life in your game.” 

Below are some of those key reflections from the group: 
 
“Harvey had an emphasis on his running power, and I thought that came out in the game. I thought he looked explosive, quick and particularly with his work in defence,” Tom Sparrow said of Harvey Langford. 
 
“I discussed my focus of treating training like it’s a game and making sure I’m getting the most out of it,” said Caleb Windsor.  

“Putting massive key goals and focuses on the trainings we had, the benefits you can get from that are amazing,” Max Gawn echoed Windor’s training emphasis.  

“Jai had a really clear focus going into the week, around fast feet and being aggressive in that area, so then he took that really clear focus into main training, making sure to execute on that,” Jack Viney said of Jai Culley.  

WEDNESDAY | Main Training  

With Round 7 just around the corner, the team is working through a five-day break between games and just one main session for the week.  

Midfielder Tom Sparrow was mic’d up for the training, which was a combination of both team-based drills and line-specific drills.  

As a young leader of the side, Sparrow encouraged communication throughout drills, reminding his teammates to remain vocal.  
 
Off the track, the midfielders headed into the gym to finish their strength and conditioning before completing their recovery.  

THURSDAY | Preview Meeting  

As is typical for the day prior to a game, the midfield group met to preview their ANZAC Day Eve opponent in Richmond.  

Having previously played the Tigers in a pre-season practice match (well, half of one), Jones took the players through some previous footage.  

“This is last time we played them,” Jones said, gesturing to the vision on the screen. 

“We had a terrific start to centre bounces against these guys last time, so it’s a big part of the game for us where I think we can gain huge momentum and opportunity.” 

Following the preview, Jones encouraged the midfielders to connect through a casual (but of course, competitive) game of FIFA. 

FRIDAY | Game Day 

Game time. 
 
After a tight first half, Melbourne was up by just 21 points at the main break.   
 
Jones had his full faith in the group to ramp up their game in the second half, reminding them to come back to their midfield process.  

“They’re defending the ground really well,” Jones said.  
 
“But there is so much to like [with how we’re playing]. Respect what they’re bringing around the ball, and then we go in harder, be harder on yourself with your craft, your timing, your footwork, your speed. All of that together, we can be dangerous. We’re up and going, so let’s finish it here.”  

 And a strong finish was on the horizon.

A number of Demon midfielders spurred the side on to a 54-point victory, including the likes of Kysaiah Pickett and Sparrow. Pickett had 29 disposals, six clearances and four goals, while Sparrow produced a career-best outing of 28 disposals, nine clearances and eight tackles. 

It's a new look midfield for Melbourne this year, with young faces, new talent and developed experience, but it looks like its a group that's shaping up to compete with the best.