NEVILLE Jetta had no right to win that contest.

With one minute and 27 seconds left on the clock, the Melbourne defender launched himself over Carlton’s Dale Thomas and brought a high kick crashing to ground.

The only problem? As Jetta hit the deck, Thomas stayed on his feet, with the ball bouncing perfectly into his outstretched hand.

Thomas took off, with Jetta’s teammate Sam Frost busting a gut to force the Blue out wide. In the space of that second, Jetta recovered, rolled to his feet and took off in pursuit of Kade Simpson, who was sprinting to provide an option for Thomas.

Round 18

As Thomas handballed in front of Simpson, Jetta willed himself past the Blues veteran, outmuscling Simpson, taking possession, then leaving him in his wake.

Jetta handballed to Frost, who provided the long, clearing kick that Christian Petracca would rove, then chip to Alex Neal-Bullen inside 50.

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The Demons wouldn’t lose possession from there, with Jordan Lewis going on to kick the sealer.

Through sheer persistence, an almost certain goal scoring opportunity for the Blues became the game sealing moment for the Demons.

That entire passage of play — from Jetta contesting the aerial ball with Thomas to Neal-Bullen marking — took 22 seconds. Jetta’s involvement — from contest, to fall, to recovery, to winning the ball and dishing it off — took just eight.

Levi Casboult of the Blues and Neville Jetta. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

It’s this type of remarkable recovery that has defined the Demon in recent years.

After all, he had to produce such an effort to save his career in 2013.

On the brink of his delisting, Jetta produced a superb shutdown effort on Bulldog Luke Dahlhaus, with his performance enough to convince incoming senior coach Paul Roos and the Demons to give the former small forward a second chance on the rookie list.

He seized his chance with both hands and has since played 68 of a possible 81 games, with only some issues with concussions and minor suspensions holding him up.

Over the past two seasons, Jetta has played 37 of a possible 38 games and taken his game up another notch. This year, he’s elevated it again.

The 26-year-old has made his mark with his combination of smarts, skills and toughness, becoming a consistent steadying presence for the Demons across half back.

With Tom McDonald thrown back, Melbourne has relied on Jetta, Michael Hibberd and Bernie Vince to be the cool heads down back.

And Jetta has excelled under the responsibility.

According to Champion Data, across his clear match-ups this season, Jetta has conceded less than 1.5 goals on average per game.

Against Fremantle (Shane Kersten/Cam McCarthy), Essendon (Josh Green/Orazio Fantasia) and the Western Bulldogs (Mitch Honeychurch/Caleb Daniel), Jetta didn’t concede a single goal, while on six occasions this year, he’s conceded just one.

Dale Thomas and Neville Jetta contest. (AAP Image/Julian Smith) Source: AAP

Sunday was one of those occasions, with Jetta giving up just one goal in a game where he spent time on both Jack Silvagni and Matthew Wright.

He also stood out in Melbourne’s monster win over Adelaide back in Round 8, when he kept Crows star Eddie Betts to two goals and minimal influence.

But Jetta’s impact now goes beyond his role as a lockdown defender.

This season, the small defender has averaged 13.6 disposals per game — a relatively modest number of touches when looking purely at the basic stats.

But it’s how he impacts the play that matters.

Jetta has averaged 1.7 intercept marks per match — rated elite for a half back — while he’s notched up an average of 5.9 intercept possessions across his 15 games.

But the small defender’s job isn’t done when he cuts off the opposition attack — he knows how to use the ball too.

Neville Jetta is seen in action. (AAP Image/Julian Smith) Source: AAP

This season, Jetta has the seventh-best kick rating of the 265 players to have recorded 100 kicks this year.

Remarkably, since 2010, Jetta has the third-best kick rating of the 400 players to have recorded 500 kicks. The two players with higher kick ratings? Bulldogs skipper Robert Murphy and games record holder Brent Harvey. Not bad company at all.

Essentially, Jetta is elite at winning the ball back — and just as good at ensuring the Demons retain possession when he gets it. It’s the type of composure that every half back line needs — and the sort of effort that’s had Jetta’s name floated in this year’s All-Australian discussion.

And on Sunday, it proved to be the composure that saved the Demons.

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