With the team 19 points down and unable to win the ball, a turnaround was, to most, as unlikely as the revelations that came on Thursday night - that the Demons club doctor Dan Bates, who has since stood aside pending an investigation, and controversial sports scientist Stephen Dank had allegedly been exchanging text messages during the pre-season about a supplement program for Demon players.
Almost.
While Melbourne coach Mark Neeld refused to comment on the ASADA and AFL investigation, he did say the news had not upset the team's preparation.
"I'm really confident in the people that run that side of our footy club and the processes we've got in place," Neeld said.
"We support the investigation through ASADA and the AFL ... let's wait for their findings, and go from there.
"I doubt it (will cause a distraction to players and coaches)."
However it had turned the already shining spotlight up, in Spinal Tap terms, to 11.
Certainly Neeld would have been wondering whether, at the last break, this was the end of his senior coaching career, with some Demon fans making it clear they weren't happy.
Crisis fatigue was surely setting in among Melbourne staff.
Realistically, it was now or never for the players to show their wares.
The Demons needed to beat Greater Western Sydney to stop more dirt being thrown on top of those sitting in one of the deepest holes a club has been in for a long time.
Despite protestations to the contrary, the pressure for the club to act on the coach would have been enormous.
The coach, thought, kept his nerve heading to the huddle and emphasised five things: style, training, spirit, fitness and supporters.
The theory said Neeld, is that if you go beyond five key messages everyone stops listening.
Only a fool, however, would have stopped at four.
He told the players they had "30 minutes to dig deep".
Under the circumstances, Neeld would have would been entitled to shake and carry on and tear his hair out in a style reminiscent of a thousand coaches before him.
But he practised what he preaches and kept calm.
"As far as keeping calm, competitive sport is not for emotional decisions," Neeld said.
One wonders whether the coaches' box would have stuck to that principle throughout as the Giants' lead stretched to 19 points at three-quarter time.
Only Shannon Byrnes, the experienced recruit from Geelong, with three goals and some run through the middle, had kept the Demons in it.
He needed support and in the last quarter the experienced players rallied.
Colin Sylvia, Col Garland, Mark Jamar, the two Jacks: Trengove and Grimes, and Nathan Jones attacked the game.
Max Gawn also showed some energy in his first game for nearly two years.
Melbourne kicked the first three goals of the quarter and the crowd started roaring.
Then Aaron Davey, Michael Evans and Jeremy Howe showed their class around goal.
Evans kicked three in the last quarter, Davey kicked two and Howe two from the boundary as the Demons piled on 12 goals to score 74 points in the quarter.
It topped the previous highest score in a quarter of 73 points set against Carlton in round four, 1991.
Neeld enjoyed the second round of the theme song sung behind closed doors among staff and players. It was just the fifth time he had heard it as coach, with three wins coming against GWS.
They are not out of the hole but they have shown they can dig deep. For now that was enough to put a smile back on a few people's faces as the song rang through the rooms for a second time.
Momentarily anyway.
"I then had to remind the assistant coaches that Brisbane were playing North Melbourne at Etihad, so get in your cars and get there because we've got them (the Lions) next week," Neeld said.
