Melbourne "the real deal" says Frawley

Former Richmond coach Danny Frawley believes Melbourne is “the real deal” in 2018 and capable of anything.

A missed shot at goal from Max Gawn is the only reason they’re not undefeated after three rounds and Frawley is on their bandwagon.

“I think they are (the real deal). Jack Viney’s not in the team at the moment, Tom McDonald’s not in the team at the moment, they’re probably in their best six to eight players so you throw them in,” Frawley told the AFL Nation pre-game show.

“You’d be a brave man to say Melbourne’s not going to play finals this year.

“You’ve got Hogan who’s an endurance beast, their backline is great – he’s done a great job Simon Goodwin.”

Frawley said the inclusion of Gawn after the ruckman missed most of last season changes the dynamic of the team.

“He’s back in All-Australian form, you can tell the shedding of four or five kilos really helps him move around the ground,” the former St Kilda captain said.

Adam Cooney was especially happy with Clayton Oliver’s ability to deal with Ben Jacobs’ tag.

“I think the most impressive thing from yesterday was the way Clayton Oliver got through the heavy tag from Ben Jacobs yesterday,” Cooney said.

“It was really smart the way he went about it, he wasn’t his usual prolific self in the midfield, but he just kept trying and working and when you’re a young player it’s hard mentally to deal with a tag and he just showed great maturity.

“That’s what Aaron Hall didn’t do at the Gold Coast yesterday, he raised the white flag as soon as Bailey Banfield went to him.”

Oliver won 20 disposals and kicked two goals, while Hall only had five disposals for the day against Fremantle.

More in AFL