HIGHLIGHTED in Geelong's devastating first-half efficiency against Melbourne on Sunday was the uncomfortable start to Jake Lever's life as a Dee.

Lever, regularly compared last year with Alex Rance, had dual All Australian Daniel Talia, Kyle Hartigan and even Alex Keath, on occasion, as cover in defence at the Crows.

That released the 22-year-old to thrive as a 'third-man-in' specialist in 2017, averaging 3.6 intercept marks per game – ranked second in the competition.

Fast-forward to round one, 2018, and Lever was one of only two key defenders in red and blue, alongside 38-gamer Oscar McDonald, Tom Hawkins' minder for the afternoon.

He hauled in just one intercept mark against the Cats, finding himself manning a series of opponents, most commonly debutants Esava Ratugolea (44 minutes), Tim Kelly (14) and Lachie Fogarty (12).

The Demons shelled out a pair of first-round picks and reportedly $800,000-a-season to lure Lever to Gosch's Paddock with the hope he joins the game's elite.

But Geelong's coaching staff cleverly plotted his downfall and the players made a point of targeting forwards in his vicinity in the opening quarter.

Ratugolea twice marked in front of Lever – the first with him trailing well behind – and Daniel Menzel later elevated above him before setting up a James Parsons goal.

They were three of the Cats' 10 inside 50s in the first term for eight scoring shots, including five goals.

Geelong piled on 12.8 (80) by half-time, to Melbourne's 8.5 (53), despite entering its attacking 50 only 24 times.

Former Demons coach Paul Roos put it simply on Triple M: "That means only four times in a half have Melbourne been able to bring the ball out of their own defence."

The Cats' 83.3 per cent scoring conversion rate on their inside 50s ranked fourth all-time in an opening half, behind their own league-leading 88.9 per cent against Hawthorn in round one, 2009.

They transformed a 10-point second-quarter deficit into a 27-point lead at the main break – winning the term 7.5 to 2.4 – to continue an unwanted Demon trend.

Geelong had 29 marks to the Demons' nine in that period, as well as an extraordinary 75 uncontested possessions to 34.

Melbourne lost eight quarters last year by at least 30 points (resulting in seven defeats) and 14 by 20 points or more, so the problem persists.

The Demons were ultimately only an accurate Max Gawn set shot from winning the match, but his miss placed them in an extreme minority.

Teams recording 20 or more inside 50s than their opponents (Melbourne led 64-41) won 121 out of 133 matches between 2015 and 2018.

The Demons' edge across inside 50s, clearances (44-36), contested possessions (155-149), tackles (72-45) and hit-outs (51-30) should also have been match winning.

Instead, they were just the ninth side in 78 games to lose in that scenario.

As for Lever, how his situation plays out will be fascinating because Melbourne must decide whether it needs to bring in an extra key defender to free him up.

The problem? Tom McDonald and Sam Frost lost the highest percentage of one-on-one defensive contests of the top-50 players in that category last year.

Behind them are 191cm Joel Smith (three games) and 18-year-old draftee Harrison Petty (zero), the No.1-rated key defender at the 2017 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.

Lever's one-on-one numbers last year paint a clear picture of his style: he won 40.8 per cent of them (ranked fifth), but lost 36.7 (70th) and neutralised only 22.4 (75th).

Figuring out a greater balance in aerial contests, and fitting into his new system, could provide the missing piece in the Demons' complicated puzzle.

The amazing Ablettwood

Gary Ablett's celebrated return to the Cattery reignited one of the best one-two midfield punches in the modern era.

Ablett and Joel Selwood, playing his 250th match, each won 39 disposals in Geelong's three-point win over Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.

It was the 16th time the champion pair have won at least 30 possessions in the same game, with the Cats losing only two of those contests.

How does Clarko rate Mitchell?

Lost among the bluster about Tom Mitchell's 54-touch effort was his coach Alastair Clarkson's answer to how he rates a good game from his All Australian onballer.

"Whether he's involved in (scoring) chains and how many of those possessions he actually is … the catalyst for us to be able to score," Clarkson answered post-match.

For the record, Mitchell's nine score involvements were the equal-20th most in the opening round and his two score launches were tied for 48th.

The former Swan's overall scoreboard impact (his own and scoring assists) was seven points, which gave him a share of 115th.

Mitchell ranked 27th, 70th and 189th – all ties – in the three categories last year.

Blues bag a big(ish) score

Carlton's six-goal opening-quarter explosion against Richmond on Thursday night – including the clash's first five – had the Blues' faithful welcoming their new-found offensive abilities.

But, in reality, Carlton kicked the same number of majors in the third term against West Coast in round 21 last year and its streak of sub-100-point games has now stretched to 34.

The Blues also kicked five goals in a single quarter eight times last year, including twice in the same game against North Melbourne in round 10.

Carlton's 15.5 (95) total in round one would also only have been their third-highest in 2017.

Gibson's streak ends

New Crow Sam Gibson's impressive pre-season had him on track to extend his streak of games from his 2012 debut, which was at a League-leading 130.

But the former Kangaroo developed hamstring soreness after training on Thursday and was a late scratch, finally bringing an end to his run.

Geelong defender Zach Tuohy now boasts the AFL's longest active streak at 116 matches, ahead of Tiger Brandon Ellis, evergreen Hawk Shaun Burgoyne (106) and Port's Justin Westhoff (102).

Tuohy's fellow Irishman, the late Jim Stynes, holds the all-time record of 244.