Remember when Melbourne was meant to have a dynasty?
Melbourne’s media-determined dynasty was ephemeral to the point where you can be forgiven for missing it.
Now, if you do support Melbourne, you’re left wondering what all went wrong, so save yourself the hassle and just read on.
This club is at a crucial juncture in its history and this is coming from a club which has faced crippling debts and a merger claim and Mark Neeld.
It cannot be stressed enough how crucial this off-season is because Melbourne cannot waste yet another year where the club’s key players are in their prime.
There’s a lot of apologists in the Melbourne corps who have pointed to the fact there’ll be an internal review at the end of the season, that coaching changes have been made already and the fitness department is being overhauled.
Simon Goodwin. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Let’s be clear; this is a team which didn’t watch or review its preliminary final loss to West Coast because it was an ‘aberration’.
With the benefit of hindsight, it was not an aberration but rather it was or at least has become the norm.
To be entirely truthful would be to say Melbourne lacked the conviction to call itself to task and be ‘ruthless to be better’ as Simon Goodwin has cultishly repeated during his tenure. Now we’re expected to watch as they do an internal review?
They didn’t want to watch the preliminary final because it hurt too much. Because they couldn’t see that other sides had them figured out.
Because they were arrogant enough to think that they were very good at football when in all actuality, they’ve strung together one decent season of football in the past decade.
How can you be trusted to review yourself now when you couldn’t one year ago?
Also, why is it an internal review? If you are a premiership contender, rated by Champion Data as the best list in the AFL prior to the season and you walk away from that season sitting just above the Gold Coast Suns, who were tipped by some pundits to go winless this season after seeing a bevy of talent leave them, not one employee should be tasked with reviewing an elite sporting club.
What happened to the Demons? (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
You should be tasked with taking a really hard look at yourself, wondering how you can justify that you’re competent at your job.
After that you should be forced face the music by someone who won’t be seduced by how ‘tight-knit’ the club is, because the AFL doesn’t give out awards for being the ‘matest mates who ever lived’, they give out a premiership for consistent performance in a cut-throat competition which involves playing the most physically demanding sport on earth.
Melbourne cannot be trusted anymore. They’ve burnt that bridge and while that trust has been tested in recent years, you could rationalise it because Melbourne was rebuilding and unlike The Block that can’t be completed in 12 weeks. Nowadays, they’re meant to be good and they’re so far from even being AFL standard, it is something of an achievement in itself.
Melbourne is now facing the prospect of another rebuild because while the rest of the AFL has transitioned to pursing quality forward entries rather than quantity, Melbourne’s decided to be beholden to numerous who lack basic fundamental disposal skills and any semblance of efficiency up forward but hey, they compete.
Being a ‘competitor’ is hard to quantify because by dictionary definition if you are on the field, you are a ‘competitor’ but peculiar to the Melbourne niche, they just run around a lot without touching the ball.
When they do, they turn it over (Melbourne ranks third worst for disposal efficiency) and by a divine miracle, if it gets up forward, they miss (Melbourne ranks 4th worst for goal efficiency).
Simon Goodwin has assured us all season long that it’s okay, to the point where we should be concerned if he’s stuck in a trance – because it isn’t okay, it’s woeful and it hasn’t improved in the slightest.
This potential rebuild would come after the renovation project by Paul Roos which came after Mark Neeld’s demolition job which came after Dean Bailey was tasked with the original rebuild.
So, when exactly, do we get to kick back and enjoy a competent football team?
That might seem alarmist but consider this: if you support a team which in the past 13 seasons has won five games or less in seven of those seasons and lacks any drab of winning culture, would you believe more in their ability to turn the ship around or feebly submit to being mediocre again?
You know it’d be the latter.
Hopefully, when it comes time to conduct the review, Melbourne actually does it. Their words about wanting to be better don’t match their actions so they’ve deservedly cultivated a lack of trust amongst their supporters.
They can rebuild it if they want too but it’s time to put away the brash, over-confident, faux-bravado and just put in the hard work.
If not for themselves, or their teammates or because they should want success, do it for the fans, they’ve suffered enough.
R.
Guest
Im not sure the Dees nessesarily over acheived in 2018 nessesarily, they made an elimination final and came up against an opponent that has developed a history of not performing in finals, followed by a semi against a team that really did over achieve in the Home and Away season to finish 4th, thus putting them in the mix with a top 4 they just wernt in the same class as just yet. 2019 they drastically under achieved due to many fixable factors... poor fitness, poor form, lack of the correct personal in key areas and coaches seemingly deployed in the wrong areas. They have addressed the coaching, brought in two wings, now if they can keep Lever, Jetta and May on the park and Tom McDonald can recapture a bit of form they are back to mid-range. Another season and pre-season of development from Weederman plus a few lesser players like Spargo and Neal-Bullen get their mojo back suddenly the Dees are better than the rest of the "mid range" such as Port, Essendon and Adelaide and they are in finals again... with the age and experience of their list that rights the ship with room to improve again. Dees back in finals next year, genuine contenders from 2021 to 2026... not saying they will win a flag but you need to be in the mix first and thats where they are headed.
R.
Guest
Everis football writer in the country is now salavating at the prospect of Melbourne winning multiple flags in a short amount of time - just to use thst word in a headline lol
Lou Mackenzie
Guest
Hit the nail on the head without a doubt...definition of insanity, doing exactly the same thing again and again and expecting a different result :-( Love my Dees but enough is enough!!
Jack
Guest
I’ve supported the Ds since 1960 I fully expected them to slip back this year because that is what they have done again and again for better than 50 years. There seems to be a culture of players being happy to be AFL players but not happy to obsessively improve skills to stay ahead of the pack. Not you Jonesy but most of the rest. There’s also the curse for treating Norm Smith so badly. To overcome this the whole team has to visit Norm’s grave as a group and say sorry.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
Another season like this and I’ll be exploring my options under the new euthanasia legislation
Paul D
Roar Guru
Melbourne are a real bugbear of mine. Every time someone complains about how crap the Suns are doing I look squarely at all the resources that got sunk into propping up this pathetic old boys institution in the heartland of a city that is already gung ho mad about AFL. The AFL could get rid of the Dees without losing any coverage or national spread, and instead have a team in Tasmania for example, but no, we have to put up with this spineless bunch of drips being subsidised to phone it in and waste everyone’s time who isn’t a MCC member. Joke of a club. If they get further assistance in the next few decades it will be too soon
TomC
Roar Guru
I agree in that their poor performance this year reflects some internal issues, but I don't agree that culture can't be fixed. Look at Collingwood. I think they've struggled to deal with disappointment, but that's something you often get better at.
Adam Daunt
Roar Guru
Totally agree. The Joel Smith story has been under-reported because even to a novice, playing an injured player in JLT seems like poor management. Burgess becomes key to get Smith and VandenBerg back to form but add in a Karl Amon, Ed Langdon, Noah Anderson trifecta that would give Melbourne's list greater balance. It's an interesting few months ahead.
Adam Daunt
Roar Guru
Haha I wanted to roll out a 'deesgrace' in there but resisted the urge.
Adam Daunt
Roar Guru
I know I am a bit biased but with Melbourne, this season isn't a reflection of their capabilities but it is a reflection of their culture and there isn't anything which suggests they can turn it back around or that they've learnt or are willing to learn from their mistakes and I think that is quite an indictment.
Tony Tea
Roar Rookie
"Remember when Melbourne was meant to have a dynasty?" No. At least you didn't write Deenasty.
sammy
Guest
Anyone asked his lordship...or did he head to the snow weeks ago
asd
Guest
they will get better next year
TomC
Roar Guru
It's so weird that we all take the most recent season as being the true reflection of a team's capability. I did the same with Adelaide a couple of years ago so I can hardly claim superiority, but it always seems strange when it's someone else. Anyway, when Melbourne made a preliminary final they weren't a top four team, but a mid table team having a good year. Now they're only barely avoiding the wooden spoon they're not a bottom four team, but a mid table team having a bad year. They'll learn a lot from this season and if things go right they still have the list to play finals in 2020. They probably have a bit of work to do before challenging for a flag.
Footy Nerd
Guest
What Melbourne need is midfield pace, they have a lot of tough nuggety hard nut guys (Vandeberg, Brayshaw, Oliver, Jones , Viney, Harmes), but they need pace, an elite runner. They also need someone who kicks the footy well and has a high kicking effinciency and another depth key forward. They key forwards are Joel Smith (OK) , Tom McDonald (Sometimes good) and Sam Weideman (Improving slowly), Preuss ( Ruck Forward), if you look at the eagles they have Oscar Allen, Jake Waterman, Jarrod Brander, Josh Kennedy, Jack Darling.
Michael Shaw
Guest
I think they can turn it around. Smashed really hard by injuries, pre season and during the season. Will reserve judgement until a few rounds in to 2020. Horrible horrible year.... please let it end.
jennifer bensemann
Guest
well said. the current coach and most of the team, apart from Max Gawn , would be lucky to play and win an amateur match
AD
Guest
I'd like to think that it's an internal review because everybody external capable of reviewing a football club is already getting roped in to conduct an external review of the Crows. Sadly that's not the case - it'll be comfortable, safe internal reviews that don't rock the boat and produce a few mealy mouthed platitudes and comforting pats on the head. Both of these clubs are among the most self-deluded, under-achieving, mediocre clubs in the competition, and until they admit it then neither will change. The first step is admitting you have a problem, after all. Bottom 4 for both next year, I think.