What's gone wrong with Melbourne in 2019?

[Scotland]

People say they miss Hogan but he didn't play finals last year and has done nothing for Freo so far.

I reckon they'll bounce back next year. They have talent.

 

[amazingjoshy]

They do miss Hogan imo. McDonald isn't a natural fwd, can have his patches but cant hold it down for a whole year, doesnt have enough tricks.

They beat up on two cooked teams (at that time last yr) in the first two weeks of finals last year.

Midfield is way too one paced. Need to move Jones on, harsh call has been an absolute warrior but simply too many of the same type in there and the others are all young.

 

[CrowInFiji]

missing from best 22 today:
- may
- salem
- lever
- melksham
- vandenberg
- hore
- jetta
- joel smith

and then further depth:
- lewis
- kolodjashnij
- anb

terrible run of injury but compounded by ghastly skills and game plan

we play an outdated style of game - crash, bash, hope for the best and smash it forward - that is found out by teams with decent skill and speed

we are very slow and poorly skilled

Yeah but we had no Matt Crouch, no Sloane for 3 quarters AND our fwd line only shows up 1 qtr per game so beat that.

 

[Simon_Says]

They’ll rebound next year, similar to the way Richmond came back after an appalling 2016. Not making flag projections, but more a case of a good team needing a bad year to uncover some obvious deficiencies and re-calibrate their game plan. That being said there’s few teams that look as strong as them when they’re linking up through the middle.

They need some more viable targets inside 50 too. Weideman will be a good player with some experience and confidence, Spargo I rate but is still developing, Garlett is a good player, but they need at least another avenue. Still don’t think they should have traded Hogan, as he was a great target for them in 2018, and his presence in the team often meant McDonald got free.

Their list is strong IMO, and I think they’ll capitalise eventually, but it won’t be for at least a few years.

Also really helps having one of the best ruckman and one of the best inside midfielders in the league, plus a host of very, very good players in Brayshaw, Viney, McDonald and Lever. Harmes has gone to another level this year too.

They’ll be alright.

Its not like we wanted to trade hogan, he wanted to go home.
Thought off we could get something that benefit us at The same time, would b a win-win. Obvisouly didnt go how we planned

 

[00Stinger]

There was an article in the age with games missed from every clubs best 22 for the year. Melbourne had missed 89 games, second worst in the league was high 50's.

Add in that 16 of our 22 from last years PF team missed a part of the preseason from post season surgery.

That and we have kicked ourselves out of quite a few games this year.

But you are right, this is bigfooty so it is drinking their own bathwater and softness!

Sent from my SM-A505YN using Tapatalk

 

[Headless]

We're the best team in the comp and will win the next five flags, including this year.

Bookmark it.

 

[Lolbert]

Yeah but we had no Matt Crouch, no Sloane for 3 quarters AND our fwd line only shows up 1 qtr per game so beat that.

They literally couldn’t

 

[Cudi_420]

Granted we have played poorly but we've been without May, Lever, Hibber, Jetta, Salem for chunks of the year, our entire backline. Throw in no Hannan, Vandenberg, players like Fritsch forced to play out of position due to injuries, costing much needed winger run, and first year players like Hore having to take command of the backline, and your issues start piling up.

If anything it's a reflection of the list's lack of depth. We've literally gone games with 7 of our best 22 missing, almost exclusively from our backline. I guess you could also include Lewis, and Viney for a few.

Yeah they've been disappointing af but let's also remember that outside of Gawn, the club's best players are 21, 22 years old. They will bounce back, if not this year then definitely the next.

We definitely lack depth though and I think Goodwin and his team will really start earning their coin in the pre season.

That said last night was a disgrace and disappointment. Adelaide were 2 down and they outran and were accurate. We dropped marks and missed goals from directly in front.

 

[Punts]

There goal now is a top 3 pick and a good draw fir next season.

Joke of a club

 

[emuboy]

It's an odd year.

Melbourne don't like odd years. They have made the finals only once in an odd year - 2005 - since 1991 and were quickly send packing by the Cats. Melbourne were well noted for their strange season form in the late 1990s and early 2000s when they went from last in 1997 to 4th in 1998, back down to 14th in 1999, runner up in 2000, slipping to 12th in 2001, back up to 6th in 2002, 14th in 2003 and 7th in 2004.

Good news for the Demons - next year is not only an even year but a leap year too. The Dees like leap years, winning the 1900, 1940, 1948, 1956, 1960 and 1964 premierships, while their only grand final appearances since 1964 have been in 1988 and 2000, both leap years. Maybe next year Melbourne will finally break a premiership drought of 56 years?

 

[Sweetback]

May and Lever haven’t delivered on investment.

 

[JT_the_Man]

I don’t think they are as bad as the W/L suggests.

But yeah, still a massive WTF.

 

[Gavin Excell]

It must be profoundly frustrating and agonising being a Melbourne supporter

 

[LeverPuller]

Forward structure appears to be a monster issue. We compensated last year by loading the midfield so when it came out we just smashed it back in til it worked. 6-6-6 and the more open game style have cracked that open and we haven’t recovered.

 

[FISTO]

Hey they've played 10 games so I think we're officially allowed to create "where are they at" threads

 

[Damon_3388]

Wait, people actually considered Melbourne to be flag favourites this year?! Why?! I didn't expect quite this kind of drop-off, but I thought they'd be lucky to make the top 4/Prelim level again in 2019.

This all has a similar feel to when the Demons made the prelim (from 7th place) in 1994 with a young-ish squad, got smashed by eventual premier West Coast in Perth, then injuries and general malaise hit in the years that followed, and they won 20 games total in the next three seasons (1995-1997).

I'd like to see how they do with a fit and ready Lever at CHB, and May at FB. This season is a bit of a write-off for those players and the team, though.

 

[random260]

No team has ever just bounced back in recent time (very rare). They are done. Windows shut

Think

1. Western Bulldogs
2. Wce 2016
3. Fremantle
4. Crows 2018
5. Port

No excuses. You can't just reset and blame it on injuries. Every team listed blamed it on injuries. The games evolved. New style is needed for them no such thing a magic switch.

 

[VicBased]

We broke them.

Yes....and Goodwin is not the man to rebuild them. To soft and has turned them into a team that has to much doubt.

 

[Freoforever86]

When Lever and May get themselves right and in form, Melbourne will Improve a fair bit.

Playing Brayshaw back inside would also help

 

[its free real estate]

The forward line is an abomination.

This.

 

[its free real estate]

People say they miss Hogan but he didn't play finals last year and has done nothing for Freo so far.

Our forwardline has however got a lot better.

Having a key forward the opposition takes seriously always helps, even if the forward isn’t in the best form.

 

[Jibroni]

Our forwardline has however got a lot better.

Having a key forward the opposition takes seriously always helps, even if the forward isn’t in the best form.

And our forward line is worse off without him; Tom MacDonald is nowhere near the player of 2018.

Yes I agree Taberner, Waters, Hill, Matera and Co seem to play better with Hogan in the team.

 

[Brasher]

This is the Melbourne of old under Daniher....one year up and so close and then, well....wash, rinse, repeat.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

who comes up with this nonsense? how can an afl team get completely humiliated in a prelim, go away thinking it was a successful year, and next year the run to the flag will be even easier? it doesn't make sense. I reckon that their season is a perfect shitstorm; gamestyle more negatively effected by 6-6-6 combined with lots of players out of form or injured. don't forget they weren't a great team last year, barely scraped into finals with 2 unexpected wins in r22-23 then won 2 finals on the trot. hardly a flag favorite or minor prems like some had picked.

*shrug*

Richmond 2001 under Frawley, won 15 games in the h&a, finished 4th, got demolished in a pf, thought they were almost there, topped up and backed it up in 2002 with 7 wins and finished 3rd bottom, 2003 with 7 wins and 4th bottom and rounded it out in 2004 with 4 wins, the wooden spoon and Richard Tambling.

 

[Tap Tap Tapperoo]

Midfield has mostly dodged the injury plague, and this is reflected in stats such as clearances and inside 50s.

Defence has been hit the hardest, was terrible early, but has picked up a bit thanks to decent form of the likes of Frost and Hore.

Forward line is an absolute joke. Tom McDonald looks like his legs are made of concrete. Melksham is the only winner, so it hurt even more once he went down. Delivery not helping either thanks to a midfield that is too inside heavy.