MELBOURNE:   1.3    6.6    7.10   9.12  (66)GOLD COAST:  3.3    4.6    6.8    9.10  (64) 

By WILL ZWAR

Melbourne secured a last-gasp two point win against the Gold Coast Suns on Sunday, as Suns key forward Tom Lynch’s after-the-siren shot fell short of the mark.

Melbourne’s Jack Watts was instrumental in the win, kicking three goals, including the final major to put the Demons ahead on the scoreboard.

Watts took a daring mark in the final moments of the game in the defensive goal square as he delivered superbly at both ends of the ground.

Watts also took 10 marks and had 18 disposals, proving that Melbourne’s patience with the 2008 number 1 draft pick is well and truly starting to pay off.

Max Gawn was also influential for Melbourne with 60 hitouts, while the Suns amassed just 21 as a team.

Earlier, Gold Coast came firing out of the blocks, kicking the first three goals of the game through Tom J Lynch, Jarrod Garlett and Nick Malceski, before Watts kicked Melbourne’s first goal 23 minutes into the first period.

Melbourne took control in the second quarter with five goals, led by Watts, Aaron Vandenberg with two and Dom Tyson (31 disposals), as the Dees took a 12-point lead going into half time.

In a very scrappy affair, Gold Coast’s kicking efficiency dropped to 48% in the second quarter while a total of 84 clangers were made over the course of the afternoon between the two teams.

The Suns hit back in the third term however, as Brandon Matera and Matt Shaw goaled and the Suns looked to hold all the momentum.

However Vandenberg’s third goal of the game after the three-quarter time siren extended the Dees’ lead to eight points, as they minimised the damage of the hard-working Suns leading into the final term.

An intense final thirty minutes saw all players making mistakes and failing to capitalised, with neither team able to maintain clean possession.

Melbourne skipper Nathan Jones’ pressure was immense (eight tackles), while youngsters Jack Viney (8 tackles) and Angus Brayshaw (eight tackles) followed in their captain’s footsteps by showing true grit.

On the other side of the coin, Touk Miller (nine tackles) and Jesse Lonergan (eight tackles) were fearsome for the Suns, despite clear signs of exhaustion showing through the team.

The Suns looked home and hosed after ex-Bulldog Jarrad Grant kicked a clever goal from the forward pocket, however Watts would not let the Demons be denied of victory.

Watts’ final goal came with just minutes to spare, before a wayward kick from the Dees’ Bernie Vince gave Lynch the chance to win with a set shot after the siren 45 metres out, tight on the boundary.

However his shot sprayed across the face of goal before falling short of the line, with the Dees prevailing by just two points.

Next week, Melbourne will play ladder leaders Hawthorn at the MCG, however will need a great deal of improvement if they are to provide a challenge to the reigning premiers.

Meanwhile Gold Coast will play Greater Western Sydney, who they have not beaten since 2014.

Twitter: @zwar_w

THE WRAP-UPGOALSMelbourne: Vandenberg 3, Watts 3, Dawes, Kent, PetraccaGold Coast: Lynch 2, Garlett 2, Matera 2, Grant, Malceski, Shaw  BEST Melbourne: Watts, Gawn, Tyson, Brayshaw, StretchGold Coast: Day, Rosa, Miller, Lynch INJURIES Melbourne: Hogan (Left knee)Gold Coast: Shaw (Left ankle) REPORTS: Nil UMPIRES: L Fisher, S Margetts, R O’Gorman OFFICIAL CROWD: 20,627 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground