The Numbers Comparison
Clearances Difference compared to Opposition
Gold Coast same (Ranked 9th)
Melbourne -14 (Ranked 18th)
Contested Ball Difference compared to Opposition
Gold Coast -1 (11th)
Melbourne -6 (13th)
Tackles Difference compared to Opposition
Gold Coast +5 (4th)
Melbourne -4 (15th)
Kick Efficiency% For, Average for Season
Gold Coast 58.7% (18th)
Melbourne 66.2% (7th)
Inside 50's For, Average for Season
Gold Coast 51.5 (8th)
Melbourne 42.5 (17th)
Key Playmaker
Nathan Jones (Capt)
A shining light in a bleak period, winning back-to-back best and fairests (and best team man in 2013) and elevating his game to another level, performing under a heavy tag most weeks. His consistency has been impressive, playing a lone hand at times.
In 2014 he averages 16 kicks and 13 handballs a game and in Round 1 collected 38 disposals in the team’s narrow loss to St Kilda.
Last Round
Melbourne 12.9.81 def Carlton 7.16.58 @ MCG
Best Players
Nathan Jones run with vs Carlton captain Marc Murphy.
While accumulating a lot of possession individually he restricted Murphy to 18 touches
James Frawley played as key forward, finishing with 24 disposals, 14 marks & 6 Inside 50's
Rohan Bail 14 disposals, 10 tackles 4 inside 50s & 2 goals
In the Media
GC SUNS senior coach Guy McKenna in the lead-up to Sunday’s match against the Demons.
"Clearly the side we played last year (and beat twice) will be vastly different to the one we play this year," he said.
"They're coming off a win, differently coached, a lot more intelligence on our boys because of Ben Mathews … they're certainly going to be a handful that's for sure."
Melbourne senior coach Paul Roos said the round five fixture would be a measuring stick for his young and developing side.
“We had a good game against Richmond in the NAB Challenge and we played pretty well against Geelong and then it fell apart the following week against the Hawks,” Roos told melbournefc.com.au.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing the team play and hopefully they can play with the effort they did and with the adherence to our game rules that they did on the weekend.”
