THERE was a moment during the last quarter of Saturday's game against St Kilda where Sam Blease took a mark running towards the goals.
 
He had an opponent on his tail and was running diagonally across the goals but he had momentum…and a decision to make.
 
The week before against Gold Coast faced with the same situation Blease kept going, ran himself into trouble and kicked a behind.
 
The coach noted after that game, harnessing that impetuosity was something Blease was continuing to work on.
 
This week the 21-year-old stopped, went back for the set shot and kicked a goal.
 
Improvement noted.
 
Blease ended the productive day - just his 18th senior game - with five goals next to his name, 20 possessions (nine contested) and three tackles.
 
He said whatever was happening on the field now was a result of the work he was doing off the field to improve his game, whether that be hitting the front of packs at pace, running defensively when not in possession or merely honing his pre-game preparation.
 
He described kicking five goals as "an added bonus".
 
"[I] put it back to the preparation and having the consistency of playing footy non-stop," Blease said. "I haven't missed a game this year which has been good."
 
Blease ran to find space all game and seemed to connect well with Neville Jetta - a youngster playing just his 33rd game who showed he had courage with an attack on an aerial ball in the last quarter - inside 50.
 
Melbourne coach Mark Neeld knows Blease can play and looks forward to his continued improvement as he gets fitter after another couple of pre-seasons and understands each and every aspect of the game better.
 
One thing the coach won't spend time worrying about is Blease's confidence.
 
"He has been to the shop where you get confidence," Neeld joked. "He's already stocked up there."
 
Now he's starting to stock up a reputation too, his pace and diligence making him another bright spot as Melbourne builds towards the future.
 
"I'm loving my footy," Blease said. "It's great turning up each week with all the blokes you hang around with day in day out. It is just a shame we haven't had much of a result this year as far as win-loss ratio."