On face value many people would look at Melbourne in 2014 and say it was another disappointing season. Four wins for the year and a 17th-placed finish does not exactly scream success.
But deeper analysis shows the Demons made strides under new coach Paul Roos and further gains in the off-season should lead to improvement again in 2015.
In 2013 Melbourne lost 12 games by 10 goals or more, which is a disastrous stat.
This included losses of 148 points to Essendon and 125 points to North Melbourne.
Coach Mark Neeld did not see the season out and caretaker coach Neil Craig took the reins from Round 12 onwards after Melbourne’s 83-point loss to Collingwood.
Perhaps the turnaround at Port Adelaide in one year with Ken Hinkley gave people an unrealistic expectation of how quickly Melbourne could rise up the ladder.
Paul Roos was certainly under no illusion when he took the job at the end of 2013 declaring “Melbourne are coming from a long way back”
The first things Roos appeared to identify was Melbourne needed to improve the defensive side of their game. This has been the most significant improvement.
An average losing margin in 2013 of 64 points down to 33 in 2014. As a result Melbourne was more competitive in more games for longer; in fact in 10 games they held leads during the last quarter. On average the opposition are scoring six goals less a game.
Roos also identified the need for ball winners in the middle of the ground and experience. Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson and Daniel Cross joined the club in the off-season and all three had significant impacts.
Importantly Melbourne also appeared to draft well which has plagued them massively in the past. First year players Christian Salem and Jay Kennedy-Harris both showed enough to suggest they have positive careers ahead.
The major criticism of Melbourne in 2014 was their lack of scoring power. They were ranked last in the league for points per game and inside 50s.
Obviously the defence first mindset from Roos played a role but now Melbourne will be looking to increase their scoring output. A lot of responsibility fell onto the shoulders of Chris Dawes, who also had to battle with his fair share of injury concerns.
Melbourne will be hoping keeping him fit and providing some much needed support will help spread the load. The great hope is obviously Jesse Hogan who after battling injury last year is ready to show why he was the key forward the Demons invested so heavily in with pick two in the 2013 draft.
Melbourne continued to perform well in the off-season giving their fans more optimism for 2015.
The succession plan for Paul Roos solved with Simon Goodwin joining the club as assistant coach from Essendon. Melbourne also added more experience to their squad with the additions of Heriter Lumumba, Sam Frost, Jeff Garlett and Ben Newton.
Some questions were asked about the addition of Lumumba, but a premiership player and All-Australian player who is 28 years of age provides much needed leadership and leg speed for the Demons.
Sam Frost provides another key defensive option and perhaps allows Roos to experiment more with Jeremey Howe up forward and potentially Colin Garland. This also helps off-set the loss of James Frawley who has joined Hawthorn.
Jeff Garlett gives the forward line some much needed bite and defensive pressure, and Ben Newton who struggled to break into an impressive Port Adelaide line-up ready to show his ability after a great SANFL season.
The main negative in the off-season was the ACL injury to Melbourne’s first draft pick Christian Petracca. Most experts thought he certainly had the capability to make an instant impact at AFL level so this has dampened spirits.
However, Melbourne have added some quality to their list in the draft with Angus Brayshaw and father/son pick Billy Stretch.
Playing finals is perhaps too far away in 2015 but expect to see Melbourne take another step in year two under Paul Roos.
Certainly getting quality people into the club is important to breed success. Not only does Roos provide that, Simon Goodwin brings a wealth of experience not only as an assistant coach, but as a multiple premiership player.
Brendan McCartney is another quality addition and goes back to a primary development role which was so important in the success Geelong had while he was at the club between 2007 and current day.
While many clubs are confident they have had a great pre-season, this seems extremely accurate for Melbourne. Players such as Jimmy Toumpas completing his best pre-season at the club and ready to show why he was so highly rated in the 2013 draft. Cam Pedersen had a breakout season last year and Jack Watts showed signs he is ready to become the player Melbourne need him too.
The Dees have been cellar dwellers for a long time – maybe, just maybe the tide is starting to turn.
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