BOOKMAKERS refused to take bets at half-time, believing the result such a formality to even consider taking money for nothing from the gullible. Then Melbourne staged the second biggest second-half comeback in AFL history to turn around a 50-point deficit and record their first win of the season.

It was a champagne moment but one in need of sober consideration for the dour Melbourne coach Dean Bailey, who was as concerned with having trailed in the first place as he was pleased with the monumental 10-goal turnaround.

Were he a man of words he might have referred to it as a victory for the true believers, but that comment never did much for the man who uttered it, either. As it was, Bailey praised the crowd of 19,423.

"At half-time when you are, what, 50 points down? For the Melbourne people today to stick it out to see the end result was a real credit to them," Bailey said. "I couldn't believe … what was there, 20,000 here? It sounded like 70,000 in the last quarter. I know they helped us get them over the line. There is no doubt about that."

The stony-faced coach had stood quietly at the rear of the change rooms with an amused expression on his face as the circle of players was surrounded by an even larger, raucous circle of trainers, officials and board members, and as the chairman loudly sang the club song for the first time.

TAB Sportsbet's Gary Davies said they had closed the books at half-time with the result all but known. Others were offering $95 late in the second term on a Melbourne win.

"We still made mistakes in the first half. To get that far behind was disappointing but it was the handball and the skill level that let us down," Bailey said.

"The second half, we made a few mistakes but didn't make as many and they didn't cost us, and our intensity and our tackling and our chasing came to the fore …

"We were able to get the ball in the forward line and we could actually find a target in the second half but you can't win many games playing half a game of footy.

"I am happy that the club has won a game. I don't think there is any doubt about that, but the players have really stuck together."

Melbourne appeared to be following a familiar script in the first half, when they went into the main break 50 points down and seemingly heading for another large defeat. But 14 goals to four in the second half turned it around in a manner previously unseen from them this year.

"The players determine whether you win or not. You can put parameters out there for them but the players are the ones who deserve a pat on the back. To think I had something spectacular to say at three-quarter time to turn it around - the players turned it around," Bailey said. He added that the coaches remained acutely aware of the deficiencies in the side that caused them to trail in the first place.

"I have said from the start we will continue to work on our skills, our execution of our skills," Bailey said. "That is what has let us down - we know what we have been doing poorly - and today it was the reverse in the second half. When we got on a roll we tried to keep the momentum going and the players were able to keep the intensity at such a level that we gang-tackled and did all the things you should do."