THE RETURN of Liv Purcell from a serious facial injury has not only provided Melbourne with a high-quality midfielder, but also given teammate Tyla Hanks a serious boost.
Purcell played her first game for the season – complete with a Batman-style mask – against St Kilda on the weekend, and the Credit to the Girls team feels it's no surprise that Hanks was also back to her best.
It took Hanks until her sixth game of the season to record a total of 12 clearances, as she adjusted to life without Purcell, Eliza West (Hawthorn) and injured ruck Lauren Pearce, and she had an equal-career high 12 against St Kilda alone on Sunday.
Melbourne currently sits in 11th, and while equal with eighth-place St Kilda on points, the Dees sit 42.2 per cent behind the Saints
"I'm still worried about that percentage, but if they win their last three games (Richmond, Hawthorn and Collingwood), they might not need to rely on percentage," Gemma Bastiani said.
"Their clearances were most obvious. Liv Purcell coming back in makes such a difference to the way Tyla Hanks plays. We know Tyla Hanks is a star, we know what she can do, but when she has to be 'the one', it's a bit too much for her, because no one should be relied upon to be the one-wood in the midfield, (and) she's 157cm.
"She had 12 clearances on the weekend because she had that extra bolstering. Grace Beasley obviously did the job a little bit earlier on (in the season) and then got injured.
"It's been hard for Tyla, but I think she was outstanding on the weekend, and she's an example of why Melbourne has improved in the way it has.
"Against the Saints on Sunday, the way they were able to play much more of a front-half game off the back of that surge, which has been the big change in the way they want to play forward pressure.
"I think Alyssa Bannan's been in a really nice bit of form, Alyssia Pisano has been in really good form as well. Those little things have been clicking for them as well, and it's just making them so dangerous."
