Preview of Melbourne 2017
2016 in Review
One of Melbourne’s best seasons in the past 10 years, Melbourne’s fans will be optimistic about the season ahead for the first time in many years. Whilst the Demons didn’t make the finals, they finally showed progress and the development of young players that had been lacking for so long. Paul Roos’ time at the club appears to have paid off, the club now has a positive culture and game style and it leaves new coach Simon Goodwin with a platform to launch an attack at the finals this year. One disappointing thing about last year was their inconsistency — following up big wins with lacklustre losses, including losing to Essendon the week after beating GWS, and beating Hawthorn and Port Adelaide before finishing the season with losses to Carlton and a 100-point loss to Geelong.
Key changes to personnel
The Demons were relatively inactive in the trade period, happy to rely on their improving list whilst adding some experience and depth. They traded Lynden Dunn, who was probably surplus to requirements in the backline, to Collingwood, and delisted former captain Jack Grimes and tall forward Chris Dawes, amongst others.
Their biggest change is the new coach, Simon Goodwin. Although he has been at the club as an understudy to Paul Roos, this year he has the full responsibility as head coach. He has actually coached one match as a head coach before in the AFL — taking over from James Hird at Essendon when Hird was suspended for 12 months at the end of the 2013 season. Goodwin is highly regarded as a coach, and has had increasing responsibility over the last two years under Roos, so the transition won’t be too difficult for him or the players.
The Demons added four-time premiership player Jordan Lewis to bolster the experience and quality of their midfield group. At only 30, Lewis should have another few years of football in him and has been very durable at Hawthorn — playing at least 22 games in his last 7 seasons. Lewis has been vice-captain at the Hawks and is immediately a part of the leadership group at Melbourne. His wealth of experience is sure to be just as important as his on-field performance, which is also impressive — he was an All-Australian just three years ago. Michael Hibberd will add extra depth to the midfield and backline at Melbourne. Whilst only 84 games into his career, he emerged as a promising midfielder and running half-back during his time at Essendon. Having not played last season due to the WADA ban, it may take him a while to regain match fitness, but he will be itching to play football again. Jake Melksham is another banned player from Essendon who will return to football this year at Melbourne. Whilst not at the same level as the former recruits, he will bring pace to the midfield and forward line and will make competition for places in the team even more difficult. Melbourne also traded in former GWS forward Pat McKenna, who will add depth to the forward line.
Melbourne had one of the quietest draft days the club has had in recent memory. Selecting just two players — 22-year-old forward Mitchell Hannan (pick 46) and small forward Dion Johnstone (68). They also selected Lachlan Filipovic, Tim Smith and Declan Keilty as rookies.
Melbourne’s Draw
Melbourne’s matches against other teams vying for a spot in the eight will be crucial this season. They play St. Kilda, North Melbourne, Collingwood and Adelaide twice — all teams that will be fighting for the last couple of spots in the finals. They also play Carlton twice and will hope to beat them on both occasions to exorcise last year’s loss that denied them a chance at the finals.
Looking forward to
The Demons have an incredibly exciting, talented, young list. It is easy to draw comparisons with their midfield and the premiership-winning Bulldogs because of their abundance of small players who can play in the midfield as well as back and forward. Melbourne are approaching the ‘premiership window’ with the bulk of their players in the 22–27 year old range and playing around 100 games. However, they also have experienced heads in Nathan Jones, Jordan Lewis and Bernie Vince, who all possess fine leadership qualities and will help the younger players put out more consistent performances during the season. The younger midfielders have the potential to be genuine stars of the league — Christian Petracca has enormous hype and looks likely to take his game up a notch this season, whilst Clayton Oliver is also a tough-nut midfielder who will only improve as he gains muscle and experience. Angus Brayshaw is another tough, young midfielder who will continue to develop this season.
The forward line is shaping up nicely, with Jesse Hogan one of the budding stars of the competition. Jack Watts will surely play in the forward line as well, despite missing in the preseason. They also have quality small forwards in Jeff Garlett and Ben Kennedy as well as midfielders who will rest in the forward line and pose a threat.
Another strength is the Demons’ small defenders, lead by Bernie Vince; players such as Hibberd, Hunt and Salem will be key in shutting down opposition players and transitioning from defence to offence.
Worried about
The loss of Colin Garland for the season will hurt the Demons — he was their most experienced defender, and they may struggle against teams with strong key forwards as a result. Tom McDonald is a quality defender, but is at his best when he doesn’t need to lock down on a player and has the freedom to leave his man and intercept opposition kicks. However, without Garland, McDonald is likely to have to play on a key forward each week. Young key defenders Oscar McDonald and Sam Frost will need to step up this year to cover for Garland, but with a combined 57 matches between them, are unlikely to have the same ability to neutralise opposition forwards.
Last season the Demons were excellent on their day, but on off-days, they could still put out performances that were reminiscent of their pre-Roos days. If they want to make the finals this year, they can’t afford to lose games against bottom teams like they did against Carlton and Essendon last year. It remains to be seen whether the combination of an extra year of experience in players, recruited leaders, and the new coach can eliminate these dismal showings and the team can be more consistent.
It’s a big season for:
Jack Viney: Last year’s best and fairest winner and now co-captain of the club, Viney is set for another big season. As leader of the club, he will be vital in setting the tone as to how Melbourne play each week — he will want to help his team become more consistent and challenge for the finals. A young captain, at only 22, he will help players of a similar age around him and should complement the older leaders well. There was some controversy surrounding his appointment, Melbourne has previously experimented and failed with co-captains in the past. However, he should benefit from sharing the captaincy with the more experienced Nathan Jones and other older players will help lighten the load, meaning this year he can settle into the captaincy and make it his own for years to come.
Max Gawn: The dominant ruckman in the league last year is set to become even more influential this season. Entering his prime at 25 years old, he averaged a massive 42 hitouts per game last year, and this should only increase with the abolition of third man up in ruck contests. Having played as a lone ruckman in the side all of last year, he will be a nightmare for opposition teams that will struggle to contain such an imposing figure that can compete all day.
Jesse Hogan: After two impressive seasons in the AFL, Hogan is now ready to take off and stake his claim as the premier forward of the competition. He is a classical key forward who can take a big pack mark, but is also dangerous at ground level for his size. His accuracy was a little concerning last year — kicking 41.33 compared to 44.19 the year prior, and hence he will be hoping to make the most of his opportunities this year. If he can flourish, then Melbourne will go a long way to breaking their finals drought.
Jack Trengove, Dom Tyson, Tomas Bugg, Jack Watts, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta: This core group of players will be vital to Melbourne’s finals chances this year. All are between 23 and 27 years old and have 71–137 games experience; they are in the prime age where they will be playing the best football of their careers. Whilst these players are not necessarily the best players at the club, the club’s fortunes will depend on these players improving their output from last year and ensuring the team is more consistent. If these players all have consistent seasons, then Melbourne should play in the finals.
Expectations
Melbourne has not played in a final since 2006, and this season is probably their best chance to do so since then. With a midfield bursting at the seams with young talent, they can beat any team when they are playing well. Melbourne is approaching an exciting stage of development, and have a good mix of youthful exuberance and older, experienced heads. The biggest concern for new coach Goodwin will be whether they can play consistently throughout the season and win enough games to make the eight. This year they will hope to both claim scalps of teams above them, and also stamp out disappointing performances against lower-ranked teams. Melbourne are certainly one of a number of teams battling for that final spot in the eight, and should be right in contention come September, but it may take another year before they finally break the drought.
Predicted finish: 9th
