Agree- in part. But remember we are still learning how to win, big scores will be a by product of becoming more confident.

A small forward would help greatly, also an unchanged team that can gain some continuity.

And confidence. Saturday night was a great leap forward in that regard.

Also think about this- doesn't matter what we score if we can keep the opposition's score lower than ours. Big numbers don't necessarily do it for me. 4 points do.

My god sloonie I think you have nailed it!

Sorry to be a smart arse but you led with your chin

PS your avatar is a gem please do not change it

If you look at St Kilda's seasons in 2009 and 2010 most of their key games against fellow contenders saw them winning kicking 8-12 goals, and their finals scores from those years tell a similar story. Some teams play a brand of footy where the most important element is defensive pressure keeping their opponents score low so they don't have to kick high scores. Some play an offensive brand where they try a shoot out approach where they will score alot, but so will their opponents. The best teams have a blend and the ability to do both depending on the night. I would think long term that is what Neeld would be wanting, but he knows that alot of these players are good offensively off the leash, what he is building, and what Saturday night will reinforce, is that a strong defensive approach can grind out the tough wins in conditions where loose, off-the leash, Bailey style football saw us losing badly. When/If the two come together we will contend with the big boys.

edit:grammar

If you look at St Kilda's seasons in 2009 and 2010 most of their key games against fellow contenders saw them winning kicking 8-12 goals, and their finals scores from those years tell a similar story.

Of the Saints 20 regular season wins in 2009, only 3 of them had them kicking between 8-12 goals. One of those was round 1 in a comfortable win, one of them in a very low scoring game against us and one against Hawthorn in Tassie.

You're right about finals. They kicked, 12, 9 and 9 goals.

In 2010, of their 16 regular season wins 5 of them they scored 12 or less goals.

Tellingly, in all of their losses (except one) over the two years, they kicked less than 12 goals.

I suppose that's often the case, if sides are unable to score they are in trouble. St Kilda played a dour game style in general, but you couldn' deny them when they had the footy and they could often score nearly at will.

My issue with a purely defensive gamestyle is that often in game you are in control of, you can remain only a few goals ahead with the other team in touching distance. Great, premiership sides are built on defense, but you need to be able to score and have a system in place that allows you to do that.

As the players are becoming more confident, attacked the hard ball, speading into space better and moving the ball in uncontested spaces we're seeing that we have more attacking options. This will only continue to grow as, I hope, our defensive work begins to show the reward for effort that the backmen have put in.

I truly believe it starts in the middle. Let those guys get the footy or at least breakeven and the tide will turn quicker than many expect IMO.

I agree, yes in the conditions and circumstances it was good, but if Essendon converted more of their easy opportunities it could have been very different.

On a side note, another positive for me was seeing Garland run straight at the ball carrier, not to a pocket. I don't think I've seen a Melbourne player do that since Neitz.

The good old days of a out and out power forward. Clark leads to the pockets far too much for my liking, its as if he doesnt want to lead right at the ball carrier because we will more than likely turn it over. Such a true comment though!

I know its all positive at demonland atm, but how many games will 8 goals win, we still have major problems, we need more goals where are they comming from, does the game plan allow more goals, we cant win like that very often, we need goals and more goals.

Jurrah & Travis Cloke will assist the lack of goals issue.

The Swans won the 2005 Premiership averaging about the same amount of goals.

My god sloonie I think you have nailed it!

Sorry to be a smart arse but you led with your chin

PS your avatar is a gem please do not change it

lol yes football 101- score more than your opponent. It's groundbreaking stuff really. Think I should have been a coach:P

Apologises for curtness, but I couldn't give a toss how we win a game. Just win it.

d the tide will turn quicker than many expect IMO.

well the diffence in performace of 7 of our last 8 quarters vs the 32 quarters before that is phenomenal, and proves to me that any form is only temporary