MELBOURNE has won just two games this season. For a few brief moments in the last quarter against Essendon yesterday, it looked like that tally was about to become three.

Mark Jamar, tremendous in the ruck all afternoon against the competition's in-form big man, David Hille, won a free kick and goaled, pulling a 27-point margin back to 21. Then exciting youngster Cale Morton struck twice.

A couple of minutes after Jamar's goal, he got on the end of a pass from Brad Green and converted. The Demons were running harder, looking a little fresher. They were also starting to look like winners when Morton calmly stepped, feinted and slotted one home on the run.

The margin was now just nine points, the Dons fading fast. But an error here or there when you're down the bottom of the ladder can be like a punch to the solar plexus. And sadly for Melbourne and Colin Sylvia, who largely had a great afternoon as an undersized key forward, it was he who made it.

Essendon had pushed forward, Sylvia taking what should have been a saving mark near the 50-metre arc. But for some reason he kicked not only across the face of goal, but an up-and-under to rival any rugby "bomb". It landed with Matthew Lloyd, who promptly banged the ball back over Sylvia and the Demons' heads with interest for what would prove the decisive goal of the game.

It was one of those days for the Bomber captain. He covered enormous territory across half-forward. Chased. Took what is quite possibly to this stage the mark of the year, an absolute "hanger" over teammate Sam Lonergan. Oh, and kicked eight goals, just like the old days.

Essendon needed his heroics, too, because the midfield, which had propelled it to five wins from its past six games was right down yesterday, Jobe Watson curtailed smartly by Lynden Dunn, Hille beaten by Jamar, Brent Stanton also much quieter than usual.

Adam McPhee and Angus Monfries were great lead-up forwards for the Bombers, Paddy Ryder, Dustin Fletcher and Henry Slattery good rebounding defenders, but the Dons didn't have the same spark about them yesterday, as much a tribute to Melbourne's determination as any flatness from Essendon after five wins from the past six games.

If the Demons do end up winning the wooden spoon, they're going to be one of the more competitive teams to do so, and one with at least something to hang their hopes on for the next few seasons.

Morton has had some sizeable raps on him already, but they'll only get larger and louder now after a real classy display which ended in 26 disposals and three goals. Cam Bruce and Brad Green turned the clock back a couple of years when the Demons were regular finalists with nearly 50 cool-headed disposals between them. Jamar didn't just huff and puff aggression, but actually translated it into something more tangible, doubling Hille's hitouts and collecting enough of the ball around the ground besides.

And Sylvia and the equally undersized forward target Matthew Bate were real triers, five goals between them, plenty of contests, and had the off-the-boil Austin Wonaeamirri not had an ordinary day, quite possibly the architects of many more scoring opportunities.

No team down the bottom of the ladder likes being patronised with "defeat with honour" cliches, but the Demons have gone down thus regularly for some time now. It's certainly far preferable to the beltings they copped at the start of this year. Which looked likely to occur again early yesterday.

There was an ominous feel about this match after only four minutes, by which time Lloyd already had two goals on the board.

At least the Demons were prepared to hang in there. It paid off initially when Paul Wheatley banged a long ball near goal and Addam Maric gratefully snaffled the mark and converted. Clint Bartram kicked his first, Morton, Sylvia, and by the time Simon Buckley banged one through, Melbourne was in front.

It wouldn't stay there for long. But the Demons are a lot closer to the rest of this competition than many feared only a couple of months ago.

ESSENDON 3.1 9.6 14.8 19.10 (124)
MELBOURNE 2.2 7.3 11.5 17.6 (108)

GOALS Essendon: Lloyd 8, Monfries 3, Lovett 2, McPhee 2, Atkinson, Jetta, Reimers, Slattery. Melbourne: Morton 3, Sylvia 3, Bate 2, Maric 2, Bartram, Buckley, Davey, Green, Jamar, Johnson, Wonaeamirri.

BEST Essendon: Lloyd, Peverill, Monfries, Slattery, McPhee, Ryder. Melbourne: Morton, Sylvia, Dunn, Bate, Jamar, McDonald.

INJURIES Essendon: Reimers (hamstring). Melbourne: Davey (bruised heel), Garland (hamstring).

UMPIRES Fila, Kennedy, Sully.

CROWD46,334 at MCG.

THE UPSHOT Essendon has won six of its past seven games and finals are still within reach, while Melbourne's 16th loss and fourth in a row makes it increasingly difficult for the Demons to get off the bottom of the ladder.

TALKING POINT Matthew Lloyd rose so high over a pack in the third term he brought rain. The Essendon skipper sent the crowd into raptures with a mighty mark in the goal square and capped it off with his sixth goal.

HOT AND COLD Lloyd was on fire, kicking two goals in each term and leading by example. The veteran forward booted eight goals from nine scoring shots and looks like he's got plenty left to offer, while teammate Mal Michael, who had nine touches, looks closer and closer to the end.