Analysis Is Melbourne in a proper crisis?

[Bunk Moreland]

No, not about coronavirus.

The footy club.

I get they’re a smaller club that don’t really get the headlines, but jeez.

Last year was obviously a complete disaster.

They went with the whole “hell and back” thing.

The signs this season aren’t much better though.

They’re 1 win from 4 games in a 17-round season. And that win was by a point.

There’s so much focus on Adelaide, but they at least kinda look like they’re rebuilding and are implementing a new coach’s plan. Melbourne clearly aren’t and I don’t think they even have a first round pick this year.

The key planks in their defence look very solid and Gawn is obviously a great player, but that aside... is there much to write home about in the midfield and forward line?

Richmond were shot with injuries in the last qtr and Melbourne at one stage kinda looked like challenging then... nothing.

You can write off one season, but what if they don’t turn it around this season? Was late 2018 just a flash in the pan?

What the bloody hell has happened?

 

[Brend81]

1 word Goodwin, worst coach in the AFL 2018 was a fluke we have had the same issues forward for 18 months and he can’t fix it, time for a new coach unfortunately the idiots in charge signed him to a 5 year deal

 

[Veer Right]

Remind me of St Kilda under Richo trying to implement what the coach wants while killing any natural flair. The dees are just so bland when moving forwards and when inevitably they need goals to win they work incredibly hard for little return. Can't seem to buy easy goals. Also how many of the playing group seem to have gone backwards since Goodwin took over?

 

[Turnover]

Ask Paul Roos?

 

[banzai]

Apparently last year they were only bad because their whole squad missed preseason and were underdone.

 

[StillAtLarge]

The Gary Pert effect. How on earth did Melbourne end up with that moron running their footy club?

 

[Bazza97]

It's not looking good with the way things are going. I like Goodwin, but I feel that he's lucky his contract runs until 2022. We should be doing a lot better. It's rather pathetic that we haven't played a convincing game since 2018. Not confident at all that we can turn it around under our current regime. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Headless]

Yes, perpetually.

It's really quite something.

 

[Bend_It_Like_Brown]

First Crack on Fox Footy talked about them tonight for about 20 minutes. Since the 2018 Prelim, they have won something like 6 out of the last 26 and those wins coming against (Carlton x 2 ,Gold Coast, Freo, Hawthorn, Sydney). None of those wins were convincing either.

Teams have worked out Oliver, let him handball and he won't do any damage.
Brayshaw is half the player he is from the back end of 2018. What is his ideal position?
What is the point of keeping Nathan Jones and not playing him?
Viney. Absolute Bull at the football but disposal efficiency is major issue. Is he overated?
Pectracca has improved and started to show his potential. Big tick this season.
Weidman hasn't developed as they would have liked.
Too many passengers who are not up to it.
Lever (I know he has done his ACL twice but very one dimensional)
What has happened to Jetta?
Also they don't have a first round pick this season either.

If you go through their list, they should be so much better.
If this continues in the hub, then I would not be surprised if the Melbourne board give Ross Lyon or favourite son Adem Yze a call.

 

[Anja_Nees]

I think when you’re in a perpetual state of crisis people just get used to it.

 

[Cleavy]

yes, every year since 1964

 

[The Nostradamus]

Lucky they have pick 2... oh wait

 

[citizen-erased]

I can't remember a Dees side with a truly elite midfield in my lifetime.
Defence, Forward, Ruck - plenty of times i've seen them recruit/develop well.

A wise move would be to go hard and add some elite quality to that midfield while Gawn is in his prime.

 

[Slysh]

Unfortunately yes, the list isn’t perfect don’t get me wrong but it is under performing massively.

They need another key forward and they need more players with good foot skills/ X factor but they have more than enough to be a top 8 contender at least!

What on earth has Happened to Lever and May. McDonald is a shadow of what he was and Brayshaw looks like nothing more than a bog average player.

I said it when they re-signed Goodwin early it was stupid, no one was going to poach him. Now they have to decide they either have a terrible list and need to start over or the coach is the issue and pay him our during a massively hard time financially.

 

[AjsGuns]

They are ruining Oliver, kid was tracking to be a great. Genuinly thought at the end of 2018 he was going to be a top 5 midfielder by the end of 2021.

Only players they have who are good are Gawn, Trac & Oliver.

WTF is with with their defence, it's putrid and they have May, Lever, Jetta, Salem, Hibberd etc - On paper it looks fantastic.

 

[Brunswick Trap King]

Lucky they have pick 2... oh wait

What did they trade their first for?

 

[The Nostradamus]

What did they trade their first for?

Traded for norths first last year where they took pickett

 

[sobrave]

Simon goodwin and Mark ricciuto the dream duo. Ex teammates and both currently killing their clubs

 

[Cadillac]

Traded for norths first last year where they took pickett

Pickett would have been awesome for north to be fair.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Pickett would have been awesome for north to be fair.

I’d back a top 5 pick we get from dees this year to be better

 

[Cadillac]

I’d back a top 5 pick we get from dees this year to be better

Didn’t you draft Davis-Uniacke top 5?

 

[markm106]

I think it’s a Goodwin issue presently. I still think last year was heavily influenced by the injuries. But we have failed to come up with any meaningful game plan. Particularly going forward. And many players especially Oliver is playing like a player bereft of confidence. Whilst we haven’t been too bad defensively we are absolutely wasting Lever. He needs to be released to actually intercept.
Up forward? What a shambles. If we insist on playing a bombing in long brand then play another key forward.
There is talent in this list and it’s currently being wasted. Guarantee Ross Lyon would have us playing finals.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Didn’t you draft Davis-Uniacke top 5?

Yep hoping we get someone high caliber like him, to join him in the mids

 

[The King!]

this could be an old thread bumped from when Norm Smith got the arse

 

[JayJ20]

It's football's biggest mystery at the moment. The weirdest thing about Melbourne's fall is that they've literally had no impressive wins since the 2018 SF.
All of Melbourne's improvement over the years completely vanished. With such a talented list, something is wrong.