Source: Melbourne Football Club
COACH Paul Roos has praised his charges to come back from a 33-point deficit in the third quarter to claim a stirring one-point victory over Essendon at the MCG on Sunday night.
Roos said Essendon played “as good a footy as teams have played against us this year” in the first half, and acknowledged his side was “fortunate” to win. But he added that Melbourne’s work rate got it back in the contest – and ultimately the four points.
“To come back and really compete and give yourself a chance to win – I think that was a significant step forward,” he said.
“To win was real exciting.”
With seven-gamer Christian Salem kicking the winning goal at the 29-minute mark of the final term, Roos said he was confident the classy young Demon would seal the deal.
“He’s got a really good reputation as a nice kick for goal and he seemed really settled,” he said.
“He seemed pretty confident and he’s got a really compact kicking style – there’s not a lot of moving parts.
“Even though I was confident, I was still setting up the zone – I was telling the runner to set up the zone. So you’ve got to have a bit each way, in case he misses.”
Paul Roos is exclusively managed by The Fordham Company.