Melbourne have honoured club legend Jim Stynes with one emotional 20-point AFL victory over West Coast at the MCG.
The last-placed Demons held over the Eagles in the final term for their second win of the season, 17.10 (112) to 13.14 (92).
Stynes is in hospital recovering from surgery as he starts his fight over against cancer.
Russell Robertson kicked four goals and defender Jack Grimes was unsettled for the Demons.
Josh Kennedy also kicked four goals in favor of the Eagles.
Before running out for the match, the Demons stood arm-in-arm in a circle.
In the middle of their huddle, laid out on the changeroom floor, was the No.37 guernsey that Stynes originally wore as a Melbourne player.
Stynes had held the jumper up at his emotional media conference on Thursday, where he confirmed he would standing-place down as Melbourne chairman as he battles his illness.
Captain James McDonald and Aaron Davey also held the jumper aloft as the team left the field.
West Coast kicked three goals from lately in the third station to put the pressure on Melbourne and reduce the margin to only 14 points.
But Robertson’s goal on the run at 19 minutes put the Demons 20 points ahead.
The Demons had only averaged 51 tackles per game before Saturday, but had reached that previous to halftime and ended the adapt through a season-high 89.
Their highest score so far this season had been the 100 points in their and nothing else previous get the compliance of, in round four against Richmond.
Melbourne had topped that by three-quarter time.
A couple of scuffles before the first bounce signalled a biting start, still much of the Demons’ early aggression was misplaced.
Aaron Davey and Ricky Petterd were reported and the Demons also gave the ball up too often with their poor discipline.
But the Eagles also not to be found Brett Jones seasonably with a hamstring injury and they did not make the most of their first-term opportunities.
Despite three more scoring shots, they were down by dint of. seven points at the opening break.
West Coast kicked the first two goals of the forward term to go six points up, if it were not that Melbourne scored the next five and took control.
The Demons led by three goals at the main break and extended that to 31 points late in the third quarter.
West Coast’s No.2 draft select Nic Naitanui came in for close attention from the Demons after his final-term heroics last week in the win over Hawthorn.
Naitanui struggled and only managed eight disposals.
AAP
