ONE of the most consistent clubs across the history of AFLW, Melbourne has finally broken through to its first Grand Final this season. There are countless stories in this Demons side - footy icon Daisy Pearce finally making a Grand Final, head coach Mick Stinear bringing up his 50th game, Tayla Harris' reinvention in a new guernsey - but most significant is the on-field adjustments. 

They have won the second-most games in AFLW history and made each of the past three finals series but faltered at key moments each season. Coming into this Grand Final, however, the side has won its last seven matches, including a tight preliminary final over reigning premiers Brisbane off a three-week layoff. Melbourne has never been better prepared to take on a big game. 

True firepower 

Melbourne is the second-highest-scoring team in the competition this year, averaging 45.7 points per game and trailing only Brisbane. This includes the highest score in AFLW history, and it is the only side to kick more than 100 points in a game. 

Of Melbourne's 72 goals kicked to date this year, Daisy Pearce and Tayla Harris are responsible for 43.1 per cent of those, kicking 13 and 18 respectively. 

Despite this, the Demons still average the third-most average goalkickers this season with four per game and are the only side to boast four players with 10 or more goals to date this season: Pearce, Harris, Kate Hore and Alyssa Bannan. No other side has had more than two. 

Much of this has been thanks to improved accuracy in front of goal. It is averaging 45 per cent goal accuracy - the highest in Melbourne's six seasons - and is scoring a goal 21.4 per cent of the time it goes inside 50, better than any other side this season. 

This is because of not only individual improvement across its forwards, but the way it has chosen to move the ball into attack this season.  

Making clever use of the corridor has been essential to Melbourne's more efficient ball movement into attack: 83.1 per cent of Melbourne's score this season has come from the corridor, and the side has made a concerted effort to avoid taking shots from wider angles, at times sacrificing distance for more comfortable angles. 

Position of scoring shot	% of total score
<30 metres	57.3%
>30 metres	40.8%
Corridor	83.1%
Boundary	14.9%

 

Straight out of the blocks, the Demons made this evident, expertly moving the ball through the middle of the ground as they picked apart the Western Bulldogs. 

Shifting momentum 

Few sides in competition history have been as malleable within games as Melbourne has this season. Not for the first time, it was the side's ability to shift gears and adjust strategy between quarters in Saturday's preliminary final against Brisbane that ultimately saw it prevail. 

Throughout the first half, the Demons were looking to get the ball long in to Harris, in the hopes that if she was unable to mark it, the ground level forwards could get to work, but Brisbane had gone to work on this style of play after Harris dominated in round seven. It wasn't going to be that simple. 

Instead of continuing to try the same strategy for the remainder of the game in the hopes of getting a different result, they made a change. Their forwards looked to get high up the ground, creating a mass of space out the back and put runners like Alyssa Bannan and Eliza McNamara to work. 

Another clear example of the Demons flicking the switch this season was in round three against St Kilda. The Saints were pushing for the upset, using pressure and strategic positioning to force Melbourne to use the wings, not allowing it to switch into the corridor as it is wont to do. 

All square at three-quarter time, the Demons moved their focus to quickly winning the ball out of the middle and getting that ball into attack. It was less about neatly flicking it around and slicing their opponents open, instead it was a desire to play fast and control territory.  

Despite losing, this was also particularly evident when they faced Grand Final opponents Adelaide in round four. The Crows' pressure immediately had Melbourne on the back foot and trapped in defence. When it came to the final quarter, however, the side managed to find that direct ball movement through the corridor to pile on three final-quarter goals. 

Thanks to this willingness to adapt during games, Melbourne has also been able to pile on scores in short periods of time, kicking three or more goals in 25 per cent of its quarters this season, including a record seven goals in round nine against Fremantle. 

What happens when the pressure comes 

All this being said, Melbourne's biggest weakness this season has been high-pressure sides. Not necessarily always represented in the tackle count - although it conceded the most tackles on average this season with 76.6 - but more specifically those who efficiently close down space and worry the ball carrier into using it poorly.  

Teams used this strategy well, working hard to force the Demons out to the wings, block off their desired kick into the corridor and trap them into small pockets of space. 

This is something Brisbane executed well in their preliminary final, eventually falling by just four points.  

Not only did Brisbane trap Melbourne on the wing and in the back half for much of the game, it also only allowed the Demons to kick 57.6 per cent of their final score from the corridor - their lowest percentage for the season, well below their season total of 83.1 per cent. 

Adelaide's clever, high defensive structure is one that has bested the Demons once already this year and presents as a significant challenge if the visitors are to claim their first flag. A willingness to go direct and not play into Adelaide's intercept-happy hands will be vital.