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4 Points: Free-scoring Dees continue to excite

Melbournes win over Carlton was emblematic of their season. Beating a poor side by a big margin lifted them to third on the ladder.

Melbourne is in the top four, but in one sense there remains uncertainty over how good they are because their wins have been against bottom dwellers – only North Melbourne would be considered a victory of merit – but when they have won, they have won big.

In a period where defence prevails and kicking three-figure scores is a bridge too far for many clubs, Melbourne is winning by three-figure margins.

Too easy: Melbourne's Jesse Hogan, Christian Petracca and Tom MacDonald had a field day against Carlton.

Photo: AAP

So while Melbourne only beat a lowly side they did so in a manner that reflects their great asset, for the Dees possess an offensive capacity that is arguably stronger than any team in the competition, or at least the equal of Richmonds.

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Even when they lost to Hawthorn they actually did a lot right. They had only one fewer inside 50s than Hawthorn that day, (53-54), and kicked a wayward six goals twelve.

Critically, Tom McDonald did not play those early rounds when they lost to Geelong, Hawthorn and Richmond. His return has coincided with their more aggressive assault on the scoreboard.

McDonald improves Melbourne's structure as much as Max Gawn. He begins on a wing and presses forward, where he provides a far more threatening presence than he did in a calming defensive role. He gives Jesse Hogan the freedom to push high up the ground or play from the goal square.

But equally, the arrival of Jake Lever, and his own brothers steadiness in defence has enabled his shift. He is the equal of any swingman in the competition at the moment.

Jake Melkshams move to the forward line has been a clever shift as he is strong enough overhead, demands respect near goal, but also has the 'hunt the man' discipline when playing as a defensive forward.

Christian Petracca is being used like Jordan De Goey at Collingwood as a goal-kicking medium forward who can shake a mismatch by rolling through the midfield.

Blindsided: Carlton's Nick Graham launches into a tackle on Jack Viney.

Photo: AAP

Arguably Melbourne has more talent on its list than any other team outside of the Giants. The question is whether they are ready to do something the Giants havent, and turn potential and talent into performance (back to back prelim finals is not a pass mark for their list).

This might appear a generous assessment of their list based on their inability so far this season to defeat a good top eight side but it is a fair analysis. Their spread of talent enables them to play an offensive game that is a point of difference to confront the orthodoxy of defence-first football.

Melbourne might argue they play defence-first football too, but their game has more potency to it than other teams.

There is a sense Melbourne can get on a roll with the players they have, and the style of their game which backs them to take it on and hurt on the scoreboard. If other teams games, predicated on limiting scoring, fail to limit the opposition then it puts it back on them to match Melbourne in attack.

Next week against the fourth-placed Adelaide Crows now presents as one of the biggest games of the year – the equal of yesterdays West Coast-Richmond game for being season-shaping – and it will be played off Broadway in Alice Springs.

This is the game Melbourne must win for their sake of their bona fides. Winning heavily against poor sides is not enough, winning well against a top four side is essential.

They have the Bulldogs and then Collingwood on Queens Birthday in the next two weeks after the Crows, so could turn at the bye 9 and 3. They need to be at least 8 and 4 at the break.

Saints go marching into China?

With Trump-like hyperbole the AFL declared the Port Adelaide versus Gold Coast game was the biggest TV event in the history of the world …. of AFL football.

Biggest television audience ever. Broadcast on multiple free-to-air stations in China, it had the reach of no game before it. Of course it was a dead ordinary game so we can assume the remote controls across Guangdong province got a solid work out.

Gold Coast have said now that two games there is enough and they dont want to go back to China next year. But someone will. Initially reluctant, the AFL has been persuaded about the merit of the game by the TV numbers and the scope for new advertisers and sponsors, so someone else will be dispatched to Shanghai next year.

The Victorian Government has said they are behind the idea of continuing games there, and would likely throw in some funding to give the idea added impetus. The Federal Government will not have been displeased that the game provided a thaw for frosty international relations.

As a football match it was more trade mission than game.

We can assume then a Victorian team will play Port Adelaide there next year. There are no end of Melbourne teams reliant on the AFL drip-feed, but presently none more so than St Kilda. Last year they received as much in their AFL distribution as clubs in the expanding markets. Logically it looks like the Saints in China next year.

Bombers bounce

Essendon has finally had the reaction they were after. Will it prove a correction or (pardon the pun Geelong) a dead cat bounce?

This was the sort of reaction teams often offer when a coach is sacked. Surely this response and change in game was not meant as a comment on the influence of Mark Neeld.

Don good: Kicked from pillar to post all week, the Bombers responded by soaring to a stunning win over the Cats.

Photo: AAP

This felt more like the aggressive response of a team that endured a week of turmoil and pressure. Essendon finally looked galvanized and played with a desire to be aggressive in their ball movement that has not been seen all year.

John Worsfold has said all season the team had not been playing how he had wanted them to play, and that it was not his preference for them to defend from so deep in their backline rather than applying heavy forward pressure. Saturday was clearly more akin to what he wanted.

The game thus simultaneously drew praise for the fact Essendon turned itself around, but also damned them because it begged the question of where that game has been all year?

The fact is that a top-eight team of 2017 has been playing well beneath itself. Worsfold is plainly insulted at the commentary on his team and what has happened at the club this year, but the simple truth is that this is a performance-based sport and his team was playing badly and losing to sides they should beat.

De Goey showcases his skills

Jordan De Goey offered Collingwood the good and bad news on Saturday night. The good news was he kicked six goals and was again the match winner in a game that could have slipped away from his team.

The bad news was also that Jordan De Goey kicked six goals and was the match winner in a game that could have slipped away from his team.

Leading light: A dominant Jodan de Goey booted six for the Pies against the Saints.

Photo: AAP

De Goey, if you need reminding, is out of contract but talks will open between the club and his manager mid-year. His performances are doing his value no harm.

That he played this way against St Kilda was perhaps the most pertinent point of his performance. De Goey played well – even allowing for some easy goals in the goal square – and he also fed out handballs in packs to others. This against a side that is screaming out for an A-grade player like De Goey, and who have money in the bank to spend. A player like De Goey is exactly what St Kilda needs.

A cashed-up St Kilda is not good news for the Pies, but the Saints will not be the only side making enquiries. Entering the fourth year of his AFL career De Goey looks like the best player from his national draft year.

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Michael Gleeson

Michael Gleeson is a senior AFL football writer and Fairfax Media's athletics writer. He also covers tennis, cricket and other sports. He won the AFL Players Association Grant Hattam Trophy for excellence in journalism for the second time in 2014 and was a finalist in the 2014 Quill Awards for best sports feature writer. He was also a finalist in the 2014 Australian Sports Commission awards for his work on Boots for Kids. He is a winner of the AFL Media Association award for best news reporter and a two-time winner of Cricket Victorias cricket writer of the year award. Michael has covered multiple Olympics, Commonwealth Games and world championships and 15 seasons of AFL, He has also written seven books – five sports books and two true crime books.

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