West Coast handed Melbourne a 93-point belting at the MCG, but the game was over much before then

WHEN West Coast led Melbourne by 83 points in the third quarter discussion turned to whether a mercy rule was required.

Paul Roos asks Jeremy Howe for more. Picture Wayne Ludbey.

MERCY was the buzz word doing the rounds at the MCG.

And it wasn’t the fact that a switched on West Coast was showing Melbourne absolutely no mercy.

The discussion was the introduction of a mercy rule when the Eagles lead Melbourne by 83 points at the 20 minute mark of the third quarter.

The Demons had failed to score a goal in the opening quarter, managed one through Shannon Byrnes in the second quarter and he provided the Demons with their second goal of the game in the third quarter.

Paul Roos asks Jeremy Howe for more. Picture Wayne Ludbey.

Always keen to tinker with the rules to help the game, the AFL could perhaps look to the Western Region Football League.

It’s mercy rule, in the Under 11s, gives possession to the losing team from the centre for every goal kicked by the commanding opposition if they lead by 60 points at half of three quarter time.

Paul Roos at the three-quarter time huddle. Picture Wayne Ludbey.

Under that junior system, Melbourne would have fallen two points shorts of the mercy rule being introduced at half-time when they trailed by 58 points, but it would have been in place for the final term when the Demons had fallen behind by 78 points at three quarter time.

It was coach Paul Roos’ biggest losing margin of his career, surpassing the 73 point thrashing of the Sydney Swans which ironically came at the hands of Melbourne at the MCG in 2010 under the late Demon coach Dean Bailey. Roos stepped down as Swans coach at the end of that season.

Mark LeCras is chased by Jack Grimes. Picture Wayne Ludbey.

Despite the 93 point thrashing handed out to the Demons, Roos was in control of his emotions as he carried out his duties on the boundary level where he was close to the action.

And as former North Melbourne champion Wayne Carey pointed out, the Demons were up against hot opposition and won’t get a gauge as to improvement until they meet teams at the lower end of the ladder which will start next Sunday when they meet Greater Western Sydney away.

The improving Giants were rewarded with the wooden spoon for their one win last season, while the Demons finished just above them with two wins.

Since 2007, Melbourne has won only 34 of its 156 games.