MELBOURNE'S midfielders are confident they can cover for injured teammate Jack Viney after a much-improved performance against Hawthorn on Saturday.
The Demons' onballers took the points against the decorated Hawks, rebounding from a disappointing effort against Port Adelaide in round 10 but ultimately falling 18 points short.
Without Viney, who could miss up to four matches with a hand injury, the Dees still won the contested ball (171-147) and clearances (51-39), earning high praise from coach Paul Roos.
Click here for all the details and stats from Hawthorn v Melbourne
Classy midfielder Dom Tyson, who was arguably best on ground with 32 possessions and nine clearances, said the group had set itself for a big week.
"It felt like we matched it with them in the contest, which was a big focus going in and an area we weren't great at last week against Port Adelaide," Tyson told AFL.com.au.
"We felt like that was an area of strength for us and has been all year, so we wanted to get back to what we've done well.
"It was a chance to test ourselves and it was good to have some good numbers in there, but it doesn't really equate to much if we can't win the game."
Tyson, Bernie Vince (36 possessions) and Nathan Jones (31) all had season-high clearance numbers, combining for 28 of the team's 51 and effectively covering for Viney, who has been the Demons' No.1 stoppage player.
Tyson said they all needed to lift their game to fill the hole left by Viney, who was seen as a Brownlow Medal contender before pairing his injury with a one-match suspension last week.
"He's a massive loss and he's been in unbelievable form, so we all acknowledge that we've got to step up and that's not a one-man job," Tyson said.
"We feel like today we had a good crack in there, so it's a good opportunity for us next week, because the Pies have a good midfield as well."
Roos was thrilled with Tyson's form on Saturday and admitted the 22-year-old might have returned from illness prematurely against the Power last week.
Loss to Hawks 'a pleasing effort': Roos
He said the Dees were well aware of the former Giant's quality in his third year at the club.
"We rate him really highly as a player and I think today he bounced back from a disappointing game last week," Roos said.
"He's been pretty consistent this year. Last year he battled through a lot of injuries, the year before he was second in our best and fairest.
"He's been a fantastic addition and is really learning to play good, consistent AFL footy.
"I thought our midfield was really good today and was able to look really accomplished at times."
