Melbourne 2016 report card: Demons’ improvement undone by poor finish to season
MELBOURNE’S improvement under Paul Roos continued apace in 2016 but a poor finish to the season shows the club still has a way to go.
Melbourne
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PAUL Roos said the Round 23 win against GWS in 2015 lit the fuse for a productive summer.
Well, if that’s the case the Demons would want to work their butts off after the uncompetitive end to 2016.
Playing for a September finish, Melbourne won just one of the final eight quarters as Carlton and then Geelong embarrassed the long-running laughing stock.
But the Demons fielded a younger side than its opponent in 21 out of 22 games and beat Hawthorn, Port Adelaide (away) and had West Coast on toast in Perth.
HOW DID THE DEMONS FARE IN 2016? VOTE AND HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW
The Demons also kicked eight goals in a quarter against Adelaide at the MCG — an impressive feat — and continued to bed down off-field stability.
Jack Watts and Tom McDonald re-signed and new coach Simon Goodwin will lure Michael Hibberd from Essendon. They unearthed four Rising Stars - Jayden Hunt was stiff not to win a fifth - and Jack Trengove’s return boosted morale.
Now, can they sign Jesse Hogan as he enters the final season of his contract?
Fail to do that over the summer and ‘Goody’ will have one almighty sideshow distracting his team as he moves the magnets for the first time in 2017.
2016 SNAPSHOT
WINS: 10
LOSSES: 12
DRAWS: 0
LADDER POSITION: 11th
PERCENTAGE: 97.6%
LAST YEAR: 13th (up two spots)
WHAT WENT RIGHT
More goals, more wins and more confidence. The third year of the Paul Roos-rebuild should be regarded as a success. The fact the Demons were in finals contention with two games left in the season should not be overshadowed by the team’s performance in those two games. Yes, there is some way to go but the development of young stars Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Oscar McDonald and Jayden Hunt points to a bright future. Add in super years from Max Gawn, Jack Viney and Jack Watts plus Jack Trengove’s return from serious injury and Melbourne fans can start lining up for 2017 memberships.
WHAT WENT WRONG
The year certainly ended with a whimper when finals were a possibility - albeit at long odds - and Paul Roos didn’t hold back when he said there was still a long way to go for the club. Losses to Carlton and Geelong are sure to keep Simon Goodwin cracking the whips when his first pre-season as senior coach kicks off. Veteran defender Heritier Lumumba struggled with concussion for much of the year and Jake Melksham didn’t step foot on the ground due to the Essendon supplements suspensions. Off the field, Jesse Hogan remains unsigned and his future could have a major say in how the Demons’ 2017 season unfolds.
RECRUITING DEPT REVIEW
Draft picks: Clayton Oliver (4), Sam Weideman (9), Mitch King (42), Liam Hulett (46), Josh Wagner (rookie), Viv Michie (rookie), Joel Smith (rookie)
Trade/ free agency acquisitions: Jake Melksham (Essendon), Ben Kennedy (Collingwood), Tomas Bugg (GWS)
Melbourne pulled one of the biggest surprises of last year’s draft when it selected Clayton Oliver with pick No.4. But the gutsy call paid immediate dividends when the powerful inside midfielder earned the first Rising Star nomination of 2016. The club was also bold during the trade period, giving up its first pick in the 2016 draft to Gold Coast for another first-round selection to secure key forward Sam Weideman. The Dees gave him a taste of senior action late in the season to help fast-track his development. Josh Wagner played 14 games after he was elevated off the rookie list and should get a permanent spot in the senior squad next season. Former Giant Tomas Bugg and ex-Magpie Ben Kennedy added depth to the list, while Jake Melksham didn’t play because of his drugs suspension but will be an automatic selection in the best 22 next year.
HIGH AND LOW
The Demons ended a 10-year drought against Hawthorn - 13 consecutive defeats - with a resounding 29-point victory in Round 20 that put finals on the agenda. Not only was the win Melbourne’s best this season, it was arguably the greatest under Paul Roos. And it was done without star forward Jesse Hogan, who was a late withdrawal, but his replacement Sam Weideman made a brilliant start to his senior career with two goals. Losing to Essendon was embarrassing, but that didn’t hurt as much as the defeat to Carlton in the penultimate home-and-away round when finals were still a faint possibility. On the back of three straight wins, the Demons were expected to win comfortably but were lacklustre from the opening and never looked like beating the Blues, who has lost their previous nine games. Yes, the Geelong game the following week was a deflating way to end the season but such a performance is human nature when there is nothing left to play for.
THE COACH
Former coach Paul Roos’ first 64 games proved a hearty success. The final two? Not so much. But the methodical evolution will stand a winner — in 2014 the defence was tightened, in 2015 the contested footy lifted and in 2016 scoring power was unleashed. Over to you, Simon Goodwin.
YOU SAID IT
“It’s a terrible way to send (Roos) off. We are not losing sight of what we have achieved this year, but the results show that we have got a long way to go.”
- midfielder Jack Viney
BEST-AND-FAIREST
Jack Viney, the little midfield bull, or Max Gawn, the tall tyrant? Viney finished runner-up by one vote (327 to 328) last year but could prevail by a similar margin in 2016. Viney ranked top 15 in the AFL for tackles, contested possessions and centre clearances. The engine room heartbeat. Gawn was the man feeding the ever-improving Melbourne midfield and finished No.1 for hitouts and hitouts to advantage and seventh for contested marks in the AFL.
B&F Count: Tuesday, September 6 at Crown Palladium
SUPERCOACH STUD
Max Gawn burst onto the scene late last year and never looked like slowing down in 2016. Rather than try to describe why the big Demon is the best ruckman in the competition, let the numbers do the talking. An astonishing 15 tons in 21 games, with seven of them above 140 - including monster scores of 174, 172, 168, 167, 160, 151. His 118.6 average ranked him No.3 in the competition, behind Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield and Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury.
SUPERCOACH DUD
Defender Tom McDonald ended 2015 as a premium defender however he was unable to reach those heights this year as his average dropped from 95.9 to 89.7 this season. Positively, McDonald rediscovered some form late in the year with six of his seven tons coming in the last eight rounds, including a team-high 121 in the final match against Geelong. He is one to consider for your team in 2017.
THE LIST
ELITE: Max Gawn, Jack Viney, Nathan Jones
BIG IMPROVERS: Jack Watts, Jayden Hunt, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta, Dean Kent
GONE: N/A
GOING, GOING: Chris Dawes, Lynden Dunn, Cameron Pedersen, Dean Terlich, Ben Newton
TRADE BAIT: Jack Grimes, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jay Kennedy-Harris
ON THE BLOCK
Free agent and former captain Jack Grimes will likely pursue opportunities elsewhere while Chris Dawes will likely seek a third club as the Demons look to fast-track Sam Weideman next to Jesse Hogan. Dean Terlich, Viv Michie and Ben Newton could all be moved on.
WHAT THEY NEED
A back-up ruckman is a must – Jack Watts performed that role at times during the season but that puts him at risk of injury against the big-bodied rucks and the team is better served with him up forward or down back. The Demons are banned Bomber Michael Hibberd’s club is choice and he fits their need for an attacking half-back. They could also do with more outside speed in midfield.
PREMIERSHIP CLOCK: 7pm
Paul Roos is certain success is coming, but the graph with such a youthful team isn’t linear. Patience — perhaps until 2019 — is still required.
STATS
(Source: Champion Data)
Originally published as Melbourne 2016 report card: Demons’ improvement undone by poor finish to season
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