Steven May's importance to Melbourne's structure was underlined in its first defeat of the season.
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After the All-Australian full-back was concussed early in the game and fellow defender Harrison Petty was hampered by an injury to his left knee in the second half, it was no coincidence Melbourne conceded too many contested marks inside Fremantle's forward 50.
During their 17-game winning streak, the Demons have been fortunate with injuries and would be as vulnerable as any team if they lost key players such as May or skipper Max Gawn for an extended period.
While the Demons won't admit it, they would rather suffer a heavy loss midway through the year than later on. They will learn a lot and reset for the second half of the season.
The Dockers restricted the influence of Melbourne's key playmakers. Sean Darcy outpointed Gawn in the ruck and was instrumental in Fremantle's second-half comeback, while James Aish did a marvellous job on the prolific Clayton Oliver.
The Demons sorely missed the run created by wingman Ed Langdon, while Christian Petracca was suffering the effects of gastro and clearly should not have played.
Although May will miss this Saturday night's encounter against Sydney, the Demons' defence should be strengthened by the return of several players, including Langdon, James Harmes and Tom McDonald.
Injured half-back Christian Salem is also close to returning, so there is no need for panic and it would be far too premature to write off the Demons after one defeat.
Tigers angry, but umpires show common sense
By the letter of the rule, Richmond should feel aggrieved a 50-metre penalty was not paid against Sydney's Chad Warner in the final second of their game.
The Tigers' angry reaction to the controversial finish was understandable, but it was refreshing to see the field umpires finally exercise the common sense sadly lacking in their decision-making this season.
With only six points separating the teams and supporters at fever pitch, it is conceivable Warner did not hear the whistle before kicking the ball into the SCG stands as the final siren sounded.
If he had been 50m closer to goal, Richmond midfielder Dion Prestia almost certainly would have converted his free kick and levelled the scores, rather than having a set shot from 65m that fell well short.
Unsurprisingly, the AFL backed the decision, noting the same discretion was often used around the ground when umpires did not believe a player had heard the whistle and kicked the ball.
The two premiership points the Tigers would have earned with a straight kick could be the difference between grabbing a finals spot or missing out.
But as coach Damien Hardwick pointed out post-game, they should not have been in that position, having given up a 33-point lead late in the second quarter.
Before the final decision in Prestia's favour, the umpires had paid a whopping 60 free kicks (30 apiece) for the game.
With the dissent shown by several Tigers, notably Jack Riewoldt, towards the umpires at not receiving the 50m penalty, they were lucky the free kick was not overturned.
Let's hope we see more common sense and less interference from umpires as the season progresses.
Kangaroos' fight for survival
North Melbourne is at its lowest ebb for more than 50 years, with its on-field stocks and prospects likened to Fitzroy before its extinction in the mid-1990s.
The Kangaroos' season from hell continued as they slumped to 1-10 with their loss to St Kilda, raising the inevitable questions about the club's direction in the short and long-term.
In the short-term, the Roos are in the embryonic stages of a rebuild. Their long-term viability becomes an issue as their on-field fortunes are in decline, given they are not in the powerful financial position as others at the foot of the table, such as West Coast and Essendon.
The Kangaroos have struggled to attract free agents and losing good players such as key forward Ben Brown has not helped their cause.
North Melbourne's on-field woes have been compounded by off-field troubles. Despite a public show of support from CEO Ben Amarfio, David Noble's position appears tenuous in his second season as senior coach while the recent resignation of three key members of the Roos' list management team heightened speculation of turmoil within the administration.
Much to the chagrin of their hardcore supporter base, the Kangaroos are always first in the firing line when there is discussion about a Victorian club merging or relocating.
Although North Melbourne maintains a link with Tasmania by playing four home games in Hobart this season, those connected with the state's proposed bid for an AFL licence are adamant they will not accept a relocated Victorian club and the new club must have a distinctive Tasmanian identity. As if it isn't hard enough for clubs to win a premiership with 18 teams in the competition, the AFL wants to add another two.
The Kangaroos have been determined to stay in Melbourne and resist tempting offers to merge/relocate, but the question remains, can they survive?
Relocation to Sydney worked out for the Swans with two premierships - the Northern Kangaroos might be the perfect fit for Darwin or even Canberra.
Has Howard got it right? Email: howardkotton11@gmail.com; Twitter: @hpkotton59