56 inside 50s. "Poor execution".
It seems to be a consistent theme for Essendon.
On Saturday, the Bombers missed a pivotal chance to push for a top-four spot, instead, they fell back among the other contenders vying for a finals appearance.
Essendon are ranked fourth for inside 50s (56.1 per game) on the season and yet sit ninth for goals (12.2) and 10th for shots at the big sticks (25.2).
The lack of connection has been a real issue for Brad Scott's men, who get plenty of opportunities but not in a meaningful way.
"We had some defensive lapses, on a night that just called for pretty simple footy," Scott said following the loss to Melbourne.
"We conceded some transition goals which are hard enough in these conditions, but we got beaten by what we knew, which was the first time I've said that in a long time.
"Poor execution, didn't adapt to the conditions well early โฆ even though it was pretty much going OK for us, we conceded some soft, poor goals.
"It was that sort of night, ball on the ground, slippery, get across to the contest, and they did that better than us, which was really disappointing.
"The method we wanted to move the ball inside 50 given the conditions, we just didn't adhere to. It was the most disappointing part of the night for me, because it should have been pretty simple, and we just didn't do it. That's the first time I think I can say that in 18 months (in charge)."
"Melbourne played well, but we still generated 56 inside 50s (to 49), we still generated enough opportunity, but still conceded pretty ordinary goals and really didn't get the game played like we wanted to till the last 10 minutes, and it was all too little, too late."
The Bombers were also unable to capitalise on the absence of Max Gawn, losing the clearance (44-32) and contested possession counts (142-135).
"I'll have to break down the clearance numbers into a little more detail. They won the pre-contest ground ball, but then we won it post-clearance, the ground ball. It wasn't their inside players, it was more their peripheral players who were clearing the ball," Scott said.
"But the big part of the game for us was (while) we had ruck dominance, it wasn't first possession that was the issue, it was more when the ball spilled around the contest, they were first to it."
The loss puts Essendon in fifth position, which could slide to seventh pending wins from Port Adelaide and Brisbane.
Scott and the Bombers return to Marvel to face Adelaide in a must-win clash on Friday night.
