Photo Credit: Michael Willson/AFL Photos
Melbourne coach Tom Wilson was certainly all smiles on Thursday night after Melbourne defeated Hawthorn by 19 points to get its season off to the perfect start despite facing some stiff Hawthorn resistance.
Reflecting on the match while chatting to the media afterwards on Thursday night, Wilson was pleased the side had got the win but also mindful that things did not go completely Melbourne’s way.
“I thought we started the game really strongly, and then clearly Hawthorn were able to get some assertiveness through the middle part of the game, and then our ability to finish off was pretty strong” Wilson said.
“Enough to like, but lessons learned as well.”
Despite the strong start and end to the game for the Dees, they did drop off during the middle two quarters, which Hawthorn certainly took advantage of.
Wilson certainly had some ideas as to why this occurred, noting “I think my initial reaction is probably our ability and the way that we defended the ground.
“We probably went away from things that were working for us really well in that first and ultimately in the fourth quarter, which then fuelled a little bit of Hawthorn’s offense, and then they got some momentum, and then when you give Hawthorn a team like that some momentum, they can be hard to stop.”
One of Melbourne’s most key players in the win was new recruit Mia Austin, who made the move across from Carlton in the offseason and absolutely shone on club debut, kicking four goals.
Wilson did not anticipate expect Austin to shine as much as she did on debut, but he certainly was not complaining either.
“It’s an interesting one, I probably haven’t thought about it that much” Wilson explained, when asked whether he anticipated Austin would shine the way she did.
“I knew that the way that she set herself up from a pre-season point of view, that she was going to be in a position to compete really strongly.
“Ultimately, the reward of four goals is nice for her and nice for us, but I think the body of work that she’s done over the pre-season allowed her to go out and perform.
“But yeah, four goals on a club debut, we’ll take that.”
Olivia Purcell also shone for the Dees in her first game back from an ACL injury, picking up 32 disposals and three clearances in the win.
“I think it probably speaks to her ability and the work that she’s put in place, and credit to our high performance team to get her in a space where she can perform at the level that she did tonight” Wilson said, speaking on Purcell’s ability to return with such strong form after being out for so long with injury.
“But ultimately, you see how important she is for us, and having her out last year was fairly significant. To have her back in, we’re welcoming her back with open arms.”
There was also plenty of praise for some of the more senior members of the team, namely the likes of Tayla Harris and captain Kate Hore.
“I thought Tay was really strong” Wilson said.
“She started the game really well, and she’s had a bit of an interrupted pre-season with a calf, so for her to come out and compete the way she did, I thought was really impressive. And then to be able to go and absorb some minutes in the ruck as well, I thought was really strong.
“Kate, like she… you know, the footy world understands who she is and what she can do on the field. I think we’re in the privileged position of we get to see the person and the competitor and the individual that she is inside the four walls as well.
“There’s probably not enough words to describe Kate, but we’re just really lucky and privileged that she’s wearing the red and blue.”
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