Melton's hopes for a grand final berth were washed away amid Saturday's mud and slush as it fell behind after scoring the opening try and never regained the lead.

Eltham took an 18-5 lead to half-time, but Melton threatened again, scoring the opening try of the second half only to be outdone as the teams went score for score.

Rebeau Munro was the stand-out for the Warriors, but assistant coach Charles Stenberg said the team on the whole lacked belief that it could overcome the Eltham opposition.

"They (Eltham) had a good strong breeze behind them in the first half and played a smart kicking game. The conditions were atrocious; it was like a soup," Stenberg said.

"I thought the mud would suit our team with stronger forward play, but unfortunately they failed to go out there and activate the game plan we'd worked on.

"Two of Eltham's tries came from kicking and the player running onto the ball. We were slow to react and a couple of their second-half tries also came from kicks. On occasions they were able to run straight through us."

Melton's elimination final win against Wyndham City had broken its losing run to finish the home-and-away season, but the upturn in form did not last for a second week of the play-offs.

"It was a bit of a shame, really. In some ways I think the team lacked the belief they could win it.

"It's frustrating to have a team with so much capability that doesn't realise its potential. As a coaching staff you don't feel like you've achieved much when your team doesn't rise to the occasion."

The news was far brighter for Melton's under-14s, who won the grade by defeating Melton at the weekend.

Read more about the Melton junior premiership in next week's edition.