ON FRIDAY night Melbourne was caught on the back foot. In a qualifying final against heavyweight foe Adelaide, the Demons were down by three goals at quarter time and had conceded the fastest goal in AFLW history just 19 seconds into the game. 

Only once before has Melbourne been down by 18 or more points at quarter time, in round seven 2019. The Demons lost that match by 60 points in what remains their biggest loss in history. Their opponent that day? Adelaide. 

But what the Demons were able to do on Friday - win back control of the game to ultimately win by 21 points - was a sign that they have mentally steeled themselves this season. They can make specific decisions and retain enough hope to fight back in a way rarely seen from the side in the past. Much of this, driven by the midfield unit, was thanks to the footy smarts and guidance of former Rising Star Tyla Hanks. 

The fast start 

In the opening quarter Adelaide was hard at the contest, winning it at the source and playing direct footy through the corridor. All three of Adelaide's first quarter goals came from the corridor - between 15 and 40 metres, directly in front of goal. 

At stoppages Adelaide was attacking the ball with a real aggression and dominated the clearances and contested ball, taking away one of Melbourne's key assets. The Crows won the contested possession count by 15 in that first term - a far cry from a Demons side that has won the metric in all but one game this season. 

Ebony Marinoff was a big driver of that attack, registering six disposals - five of which were kicks - four tackles and two clearances in that first term alone. 

Melbourne won the disposal count, but its use of the ball was panicked and rushed, often playing into the hands of Adelaide's leading interceptor Chelsea Biddell and three-time All Australian Sarah Allan, instead of the considered, thoughtful ball movement the side has become known for this season.  

Melbourne's changes 

To start the game Melbourne coach Mick Stinear had chosen some very deliberate matchups. Shelley Heath, two weeks after shutting down Essendon star midfielder Maddy Prespakis, was sent to the dangerous Anne Hatchard, while Tyla Hanks was largely sitting off the back of stoppages to be the outlet for hard ball winners Olivia Purcell and Eliza West. 

With the Demons unable to get first hands on the ball to make use of Hanks out the back, they came out in the second quarter having changed things up. Hanks was no longer the outlet, instead she was tasked with a dangerous Crow at the contest - typically Marinoff. Lily Mithen also moved from the wing to inside the contest for extended periods with Lampard sliding up into the wing role. 

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Purcell and West were afforded more space at stoppages, using speed to go through the contest to change up their attack on the ball and given one key goal: win the footy. The Hatchard matchup was also tossed out with Heath instead playing on Danielle Ponter in defence. 

It is a testament to Melbourne's flexible list and Stinear's willingness to change that such swift - and effective - adjustments were made. 

The flow on effect 

Purcell came out in the second quarter and won 11 disposals and had six handball receives - Melbourne's key performance indicator - thanks to those adjustments and the Demons got their attacking, contested ball game going for the first time of the evening. 

By winning the contested possession count for the final three quarters, Melbourne was able to get back to its dominant game style of weeks past. This was led by Hanks, who went without a contested possession in the opening term but finished the game with 10 - the second-most for the Demons. 

With the game back in control, not only was Melbourne able to play its own way, but it was also able to take away Adelaide's assets. 

Key playmaking Crows - Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard - were each held to just their third sub-20 disposal count of the last two seasons, and on top of that were forced into a disposal efficiency nearly 25 per cent lower than their respective season averages. 

Without the drive of Marinoff and Hatchard out of the middle, Adelaide was able to send the ball forward just 11 times after quarter time, despite registering 10 in that first term onslaught, leading the Crows to a score of just 1.1 (7) to Melbourne's 7.4 (46) over the last three quarters. 

But it all started with the Demons' changes in the middle, and the willingness of Tyla Hanks to sacrifice her own game to create opportunities for her ball winning teammates.