Too little way too late for sorry Demons

SEVEN last-quarter goals can't hide the ugly truth after the Demons stumbled out of the blocks and only fell flat on their collective faces at the MCG on Sunday.

That is the question that will keep a deflated Demons coach Simon Goodwin up tonight.

Melbourne has the guts and grit to rattle teams at the coalface, with hard-nosed contested ball-winners Jack Viney, Angus Brayshaw, Nathan Jones and James Harmes, and yet on Sunday the Dees waited until the game was beyond reach to hit the scoreboard.

After booting three goals in as many quarters, the Demons rattled off seven goals to two in the final term to close out a forgettable and frustrating afternoon's work.

The Giants, it should be said, were their own worst enemies too, adopting a more expansive style after racing to a 10-goal break at the final change, to gift the Dees some cheap goals and invaluable momentum.

And Toby Greene might have a case to answer from AFL match review officer Michael Christian after whacking Clayton Oliver off the ball.

HOORAY FOR HARRY

Sharing is caring, right? It is the secret to premiership success, after all.

Think back to premiers of seasons' past and often it is a spread of goalkickers that delivers best results in September.

Nathan Jones under pressure from Giant Adam Tomlinson.

Harry Himmelberg cashed in today with five goals, just seven days after Jeremy Finlayson pocketed five against the Blues. Jeremy Cameron snapped a run of nine consecutive behinds across three rounds to finish with three majors.

What a stark contrast it was up at the other end of the MCG with out-of-sorts swingman Tom McDonald leading a limp Melbourne attack, comprising of Jayden Hunt, Jeff Garlett and Christian Petracca in spurts.

DEE-FLATING

Season over? Not officially, but it might as well be for Melbourne.

You wouldn't blame Dees fans if they walked out at halftime. It was a sorry tale for Melbourne, a team many had pegged to be firmly in the premiership window. Even the most ardent of Dees fans, most of which made up the lowly crowd of 20,023, would be prepared to put a line through 2019 just 10 rounds into the season.

The Dees stumbled out of the blocks and only fell flat on their collective faces. Veteran broadcaster Peter Donegan nailed it in one: "If they do put this (game) in a time capsule hopefully nobody ever finds it."

MALTHOUSE: WHAT PETRACCA CAN LEARN FROM DANE SWAN

Co-captains Jack Viney and Nathan Jones barely touched the ball in the first quarter, and Angus Brayshaw didn't until he was gifted a kick on the siren. Christian Petracca did nothing of consequence, while goalsneak Jeff Garlett went into halftime with one kick.

Only Max Gawn and Marty Hore could walk away from the MCG able to look teammates in the eyes. Just two nights after Brodie Grundy stamped his All-Australia ticket in Sydney, Gawn replied in kind with another superb performance. Had it not been for Gawn the Dees could easily have been 10 goals adrift - not five - at the main break.

DROUGHT BREAKER

It wasn't the greatest spectacle, but it was a win the Giants had to have at the MCG, having dropped 14 of their 16 well-spaced visits.

The Giants had not won on the hallowed turf since Round 2 last year when they defeated Collingwood by 16 points, but on Sunday was nothing but a statement game from the expansion team.

After engaging Melbourne in a sluggish and scrappy affair early, the Giants put the hammer down with a six-goal third term to put the game beyond doubt. It's hard to get a clear gauge on the Giants' prospects given the timid opposition, but the orange team is firmly entrenched in the premiership breakaway group with Geelong, Collingwood, Richmond and West Coast going into the mid-season block.

MELBOURNE 1.1 1.3 3.6 10.8 (68)

GWS GIANTS 2.5 6.8 12.9 14.10 (94)

GOALS

Melbourne: Baker 2, T.McDonald 2, Hunt, Garlett, Petracca, Lockhart, Stretch, Spargo

GWS: Himmelberg 5, Cameron 3, Whitfield 2, Taylor, Finlayson, Coniglio, Kelly

BEST

Melbourne: Gawn, Hore, Viney

GWS: Kelly, Himmelberg, Taranto, Haynes, Whitfield

INJURIES

Melbourne: Salem (concussion) replaced in selected side by Spargo

GWS: Nil

Reports: Nil