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Melbourne chief executive Peter Jackson has savaged the culture on and off the field at the ailing AFL club.
In a broad-ranging interview about the Demons’ deep-seated problems, Jackson said on Monday night that the team lacks resilience and the administration lacks skill.
Jackson also has not given up on trying to recruit Paul Roos as their senior coach for next year, while strongly implying that for now Rodney Eade and Mark Williams were the two main candidates.
Speaking two days after North Melbourne smashed Melbourne by 122 points, Jackson said the result was awful but not surprising.
He said the team had been on an emotional high since Neil Craig replaced Mark Neeld as coach and the players were bound to suffer a letdown.
“There’s no real substance underneath it in terms of resilience as an AFL club and AFL players,” Jackson told Fox Footy’s On The Couch.
“I don’t think Melbourne have understood what it takes to be a very strong, ruthless AFL professional sporting organisation.
“These things happen when you’re not like that.”
Jackson said since he took over in April, he had a sense that the club had relied too much on early draft picks, rather than focusing on developing players.
“We don’t have leadership in the locker room – we made decisions two, three, four years ago that took the leadership out of the locker room,” he said.
Jackson was asked about long-time Melbourne figure Chris Connolly, who is serving a suspension after an AFL investigation into allegations of “tanking” at the club.
Jackson did not speak directly about Connolly’s future, but made it clear he thinks the Demons have suffered because of not bringing in enough good people from outside the club.
“One of the things I would say about Melbourne, at the risk of upsetting a few people, is sometimes the club has gone back to too many people who have red and blue,” he said.
“I know I’m being harsh … but we have to get really good people.”
Asked about Roos, who was sitting alongside Jackson during the interview, the Melbourne boss said he remained a potential candidate.
Roos continues to say he is unlikely to put his hand up for the job.
“Of course he’s still on the list … until it’s over, it’s not over is it?,” Jackson said.
Jackson added there was no chance Melbourne would go with an untried coach next year.
“I don’t believe we can take a risk on an untried coach,” he said.
“There are a couple of guys out there (Eade, Williams and also Roos) who have a pretty good track record.”
Jackson said he had spoken to former Collingwood football director Geoff Walsh, who resigned suddenly last week, as the Demons also search for their own football department boss.
But he added as far as he was aware, Walsh genuinely wants a long break from football.
“Everyone tries to read these things into it, but I just take him on face value,” he said.
Jackson said he would have to consider Walsh if he became available, given his track record.
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