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Another year, another disaster for the Melbourne Demons. The Dees could only manage two victories in a 2013 season marred by uncompetitive efforts on the field and administration instability off it.
Melbourne’s continued poor on-field performance was enough to get Mark Neeld sacked by mid-June.
Team effort should increase significantly in 2014 with the club hiring ex-Sydney Premiership coach Paul Roos for two seasons in a bid to restore some respect on the field.
But now let’s look back at what has been yet another disastrous season for the Melbourne Football Club.
What went right
Basically nothing, except for two contrasting victories during the year – one each under Mark Neeld and interim coach Neil Craig.
The only sign of fight they showed all season, prior to Neeld’s dismissal, was against Greater Western Sydney in Round 4.
The team found itself 19 points down at the final change. Unlike past performances, where it was typical of the Dees to just give up in the final quarter, they actually made a charge and came back to deny the Giants what would have been a historic victory at the MCG.
The team scored 12 goals in the final quarter, marking the best ever quarter of football in the history of the club – even if it was under the tutelage of a man who could only manage five AFL victories in his senior coaching career.
The other notable victory was in Round 14 against the Western Bulldogs, by a margin of just three points.
It was the only victory under Craig’s brief tenure, but it was a significant victory given what the Dees had been through.
Unfortunately, the Demons would not build on that victory and that would be the last time that they triumphed in 2013.
The club, though, did put in a competitive effort in the final game of the regular season. They lost to the same Bulldogs side by 20 points, one poor quarter costing them what would have been their third victory for the season.
The performances of Jeremy Howe continued to thrill.
In that final game against the Bulldogs, he took a late contender for Mark of the Year, and could become the first man to win the honour two years in a row after taking a massive screamer against Sydney (in a massive loss) in Round 8 last year.
And finally, the appointment of coach Paul Roos to the club.
The Demons had gone through two untried coaches and neither made it through to the end of their contracts, so the club will be hoping that the decision to hire Roos, who will then pass the clipboard to a senior assistant coach in 2016, pays off.
What went wrong
Everything from the top down, from the tanking scandal to a 148-point loss to Essendon in Round 2.
The club’s season began off the field, when it was found not guilty of tanking. But two of its key personnel, Dean Bailey (sacked in 2011) and Chris Connolly, wtre found guilty of acting in a manner that was prejudicial to the competition.
The club was then fined $500,000 and other key personnel, including Cameron Schwab, departed.
On the field, performances ranged from wildly dismal to just plain disappointing.
Widely expected to win its first round match against fellow 2012 strugglers Port Adelaide, given the influx of experienced players it had lured to the club, the Dees were beaten by 79 points.
But that would only set the precedent for an even worse performance the following round.
On that Black Saturday night in April, the Dees copped a whopping 148-point thrashing at the hands of Essendon – a loss which clouded the future of Mark Neeld and scarred the team psychologically.
Other notable defeats included a pair of losses to the Gold Coast Suns, the first of which was a 10-goal loss at home, and also being the only victims of Greater Western Sydney in Round 19.
Following the loss to Collingwood in Round 11, the club lost its patience with Mark Neeld and relieved him of his duties after just five wins from 33 matches.
The sacking should serve as a lesson to the Melbourne administration board – do not chase an assistant coach at a club which has had success in recent times.
Neeld came from Collingwood, who had won the 2010 premiership, while Bailey came from Port Adelaide, who won the premiership in 2004 when he was at the club.
The future
Although the future does not look bright for Melbourne in 2014, head coach Paul Roos will look to restore some competitiveness and respect within the playing group.
Already he has let his intentions clear that he will not tolerate another season of under-performance from the club. He’s cut five players from the list and also sacked two assistant coaches while also luring Brett Allison, one of his right-hand men when the Sydney Swans won the flag in 2005, to the club.
Roos is an experienced coach and apart from his achievement of winning the Swans their first flag in 72 years, has also only once failed to make the finals in a completed season – in 2009.
Questions that people will want answered in 2014
– How will the Roos era unfold at the Melbourne Football Club?
– How will the players respond to his appointment, and can they get better?
– Are we about to see a brand new era at the Melbourne Football Club?
And last but not least…
– How many games will the Dees win in 2014?
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