MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos says he needs to accept responsibility for not picking enough experienced players in Saturday's 45-point loss to Port Adelaide in Alice Springs.
Despite Max Gawn dominating the ruck with 48 hit-outs, the Demons' midfield lost clearances by one against the Power's hard-nosed midfield.
"They're big bodies around the midfield. That probably showed when you're putting in smaller, younger midfielders against seasoned (players), the taps probably don't mean as much," Roos said post-match.
"I thought their craft was really good. Their size, strength and speed around stoppages was the difference in them being able to clear it."
With a six-day break from the win over the Brisbane Lions, Roos said the Demons didn't take the chance to bring in some more battle-hardened players.
TALKING POINTS: Melbourne v Port Adelaide
"I've got to take responsibility, we said we were going to do that after last week and we didn't do it," Roos said.
"That's really poor by me and with a six-day break we had an opportunity to do that and we didn't take the opportunity. Certainly we've got to do a better job at picking the team on a weekly basis.
"It's something I mentioned last week and something we spoke about at match committee we didn't do, so we've got to take responsibility as much as the players.
"Next week we play Hawthorn, another experienced team, so we certainly need to have a look at that."
Disappointed Demons walking off after their loss to Port Adelaide. Picture: AFL Media
The Demons' attacking flair was curbed by the Power, who restricted Roos' normally free-flowing side to just 76 points when they'd been averaging 108 per game.
On the flipside, the Power repeatedly found a way out the back of Melbourne's defensive zone.
WATCH Paul Roos' full press conference
"It was too easy for them to score, I think that was probably the biggest difference in the game," Roos said.
"A lot of indicators were pretty good, but we couldn't stop them for scoring in enough patches.
"Every time we got to within two or three goals we'd give away an easy goal or they'd go coast-to-coast.
"We were terrible defensively. It's been a trend in our losing games.
"Young players get energised by scoring and then they forget about the other aspects of the game.
"Everyone's excited by how much we're scoring, which is great, but I think there's only one indicator of success that's been consistent over the last 20 or 30 years and that's the top defensive teams win premierships.
"For us, it's about pulling it back and balance, but that's obviously a work in progress."
Roos said defender Colin Garland would be assessed for a potential fractured cheekbone, but the Demons escaped without any other injuries ahead of Saturday's clash with the Hawks at the MCG.
