Can Melbourne exorcise their Demons?

As it turns out, you were right. GWS and Brisbane the other way around, though (Lions 15th, Giants 16th).

I have a hard time taking in the fact we have constant injury lost seems like the team looks good on paper amd has very good potential as a best 22 but seems as though a key line either forward midfield or defence is missing due to injury or inexperience. Most say time will tell but wouldnt you think after ao long something somewhere would show? What does the club have to show after 11 years? I remember a Melbourne witha soild line up from forward to back line where did that team go? Players with excitement I cant watch an exciting YouTube video on Melbourne that isnt at least 7 years old with players like jeff farmer, jeff white and david nietz. I wamt to get excited and behind the club I always have but I find faith slipping. I wont give up but I want something anything to hold on too something to be excited about. At the end of the day its there job to preform at the best of thier ability like any other in the work force and if you don't do your job you get the sack!

Melbourne need to get this right for the sake of football in general and for the history of the club.

BOTTOM FOUR... CATS BOMBERS PIES & .... BLUES ( THE HAWKS BUNNY RABBITS )

Lions will finish above GWS with Brown being nursed through his last season. Merritt staying fit & at the back is the big question, he's the glue that binds the defence together. I have the Lions at 13 & reckon they'll step up in some of the big games they're not expected to win. Their big problem is the games they are expected to win. Got a few ready made seniors in Aish & West who'll play from round 1. Hope they get value from Moloney & Staker this season.

I don't think they'll get close to 8 wins. But what I do think we will see is a drastic reduction in losing margins and sustained periods of real competitiveness within games.

bottom 4 for 2014 would be 15.west coast 16.gws 17.stkilda 18.melbourne

Paul Roos is unproven. AFL history is full of coaches who've won premierships at one club but struggled at their next club. Think Pagan, Blight, Jewell and Joyce. The club that Roos has moved to is no better than the clubs that those blokes moved to, Melbourne currently has no obvious future elite players, and if none emerge in 2014-2015, it's possible we could see another damaged, grumpy coach depart in two years time. But all footy supporters are hoping the Dees can regain respect in 2014. Good luck Roosy.

TomC – I think that both of the clubs have built depth in the midfield, great is probably too strong a word, maybe they have reasonable depth. They both have competent defensive ends with Melbourne lead by Frawley, Garland, and Grimes and GWS lead by Davis, Mohr and Gilham and have added Shaw and Hunt. In the Ruck GWS have the edge with Mumford and Giles compared with Jamar (out of form for at least 2 seasons) and whoever the Dees use to back him up. From a forward line perspective it basically depends who gets off the chain. Cameron is the stand out of the six players I mentioned above going on most recent form of 2013. Patton has been injured for the better part of 2 years and Boyd is new. They won’t lack confidence paying against the Dees compared with say Hawthorn or Geelong. With the Dees they have Clark who has been injured for the better part of 2 years, Dawes who has lacked form and suffered injury every year since 2010 and Hogan who is new. It will be an even battle when the two sides meet, they are pretty even all over the ground, however GWS have the stand out player of the two sides in Cameron. GWS also have far more upside than the Dees in my opinion, they have a younger more talented team.

All things being equal, I'd expect more of an instant improvement from mature players coming in and back from injury rather than from youngsters developing, so I'm not convinced that GWS are likely to improve more than Melbourne from 2013 to 2014. So many variables though I can't believe anyone could pick one side over the other with any great amount of confidence. Must say I don't agree at all with SFM that both teams have great depth in the midfield, nor that it comes down to the forward lines.

TomC and Ian, I don't think that Melbourne will beat GWS twice this year, if at all. Both teams have made gains in the offseason: Melbourne's was mostly midfield related - Cross, Vince, Michie, Tyson, Salem etc GWS was to address key areas – Mumford (ruck), Shaw and Hunt (defenders), Lamb (midfield), Boyd (forward) I think that both teams have great depth when it comes to the midfield so it will come down to the forward lines. GWS of Cameron, Patton and Boyd v Melbourne Clark, Hogan, Dawes. Also you can’t put a price on confidence that GWS gained last year by gaining their solitary win over the Dees. It will be really interesting to see the two teams climb the ladder in the coming few years (I wrote and article on the Dees a couple of weeks ago) and the chase that they put on the Suns who have now skipped well ahead of both these teams.

TomC, Agreed. The relative improvement of GWS' third year players makes things even worse for the Dees.

I strongly disagree with that analysis, Ian. Clark, Vince and Cross are all much more accomplished players than Patton, Lamb and Addison. Of course, GWS would expect that the bulk of their improvement in 2014 will come from the youngsters entering their second and third years, rather than the new recruits. I'm sure we'll see them stay competitive for longer periods as the kids mature physically, but I don't think that will translate to a lot of extra wins just yet.

The big out for Melbourne was Clarke, and he was a loss - but so was Patton for GWS. I'm also missing Lamb and Addison as additions for GWS, but they weigh about the same on the scales as Vince and Cross.

Yeah I'd say 5 is a better goal

Vince and Cross to the Dees as well. I don't know if Kelly to GWS signifies much just yet. I'd back Melbourne to finish ahead of GWS. I think you might be underrating how much the Dees battled with injury last year. I don't know if they'll beat them twice, but if they do it won't be the biggest surprise of 2014.

" But I think the Demons would be hopeful to win at least eight games this season." Right. For this to happen, Melbourne have to get two wins against GWS. Last year, the teams split the games, with Melbourne looking beaten at the MCG before the best quarter the Dees have played since the days of Robbie Flower, and GWS comfortably winning at Skoda. OK, lets look at offseason changes. Melbourne get Hogan, while GWS get Boyd - thats a wash. As far as midfielders go, Melbourne get Tyson, while GWS get Kelly. Minor advantage to Melbourne, but Nathan Jones and Jack Viney dont match Ward, $cully, Shiel, Coniglio and the under-rated stopper Whiley. As far as rucks go, GWS got Mumford. Advantage GWS. As far as defenders, GWS got Shaw. Advantage GWS. So Melbourne got a bit better in the offseason, but not as much as GWS did. Melbourne arent beating GWS twice, and that means they arent getting eight wins.

AR – pretty much exactly the way I see the bottom of the ladder playing out. Saints will be lucky to get 3-4 wins, Dees probably in the same boat. I think that both Brisbane and GWS should be looking at 6 wins; however I feel like GWS MIGHT almost get up to 8. The Giants won’t be the easy beat that they have been for the past 2 seasons. I will add the Western Bulldogs to your list at 14. I will add however that I believe that this year is arguably going to be the most competitive we have seen since the introduction of the two new teams. Apart from Sydney, Hawthorn and Fremantle who will make up the top 3, all the following teams will be fighting for positions 4-8: Geelong, Collingwood, Essendon, Port Adelaide, Richmond, Carlton, North Melbourne, Adelaide, West Coast and Gold Coast. Cannot wait for the season to start.

My bottom 4 for 2014 is: 15. GWS 16. Brisbane 17. Melbourne 18. St Kilda

A club can rebuild and become competitive within a few years if they get their off field structures in order. Roos is capable of getting Melbourne set up to be competitive. In hindsight, it was probably a mistake not to appoint Sheedy when they had the chance. Perhaps a few people back then felt that their positions were under threat if Sheedy came in and cleaned up the mess. I'm sure some footy careers have ended prematurely or haven't developed at all because of being in the sub standard Melbourne environment.