Ross Lyon defends Melbourne president Glen Bartlett’s brutal assessment of ‘soft as butter’ Demons
Ex-AFL coach Ross Lyon says Melbourne president Glen Bartlett had every right to label the Demons “insipid” for their horror performance against Port Adelaide. He argued the criticism should “galvanise” the team.
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Ross Lyon says Melbourne president Glen Bartlett has earned the right for his “soft” broadside at his Demons even if it puts more pressure on coach Simon Goodwin.
Former St Kilda and Fremantle coach Lyon again made clear yesterday he was “highly unlikely” to coach again after being linked with 2021 roles if a coach was sacked this year.
He said coaches deserved some kind of “alibi” after the disrupted season, but has no doubt Goodwin and the Demons players will be “galvanised” after the presidential spray.
Bartlett said the Demons “trashed” the jumper in their loss to Port Adelaide ahead of clashes against Adelaide and North Melbourne in coming games.
“You are feeling a little bit of heat (if you are Goodwin), you are on notice,” he said.
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“But what I liked about it is it wasn’t just directed at Simon.
“It was the coaching panel and the list and I think when you go that wide, it should galvanise them and they should respond.
“I don’t mind it. You are the apex of the club (as president).
“We all answer to the president and board. He has never done it before, he has been supportive.
“He has said, ‘now is the time, get working’. I don’t mind it.”
Lyon said on Triple M on Sunday he believed he had a two-year shelf life in the media but was less likely to return to the AFL coaching ranks than likely.
“(It’s) highly unlikely. I just think I am very protective of coaches, you want them to have the best opportunity,” he said.
“There has been enough disjointedness in the season to give coaches some level of alibi.
“Melbourne has been pretty good in the previous two weeks but now the president is coming out, his expectation is higher.”
Ex-Melbourne midfielder Jordan Lewis told Fox Footy he had no doubt Bartlett could voice an opinion that strong as the Demons president.
“I certainly think he has the right to. He is a voice to the members purely from the football club and that was his assessment. And I don’t think we can disagree with him,” he said.
“It was a hard game to watch and the players would be disappointed with their performance and the coaches would be disappointed as well.
“It just shows that everyone in football, whether you’re playing or not playing or part of the board, everyone hurts when you put out a performance like that.”
DEES PRESIDENT LABELS TEAM ‘INSIPID’
Melbourne president Glen Bartlett says Demons players embarrassed the club’s jumper in their loss to Port Adelaide after a performance he labelled “soft as butter” and “insipid”.
In an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun on Friday night, a livid Bartlett demanded an immediate response from a playing group that he said let down the Melbourne colours.
“It was disgraceful. When you pull on a Melbourne jumper, we don’t give them out in Weeties packets,” he said.
“You have to show respect for the jumper and the fans, and apart from a few blokes last night, it was an insipid performance. It wasn’t Melbourne-like and it won’t be tolerated going forward.”
In a withering broadside on a group that was seen as a premiership contender, Bartlett said the Demons players had “trashed” the Melbourne jumper with their performance.
Melbourne dropped to 3-5 in a horror performance that will heap pressure on coach Simon Goodwin and the entire playing group ahead of clashes against Adelaide and North Melbourne.
Bartlett has been an extraordinary supporter for Goodwin and the club’s football program and rarely been critical of the club’s rollercoaster performances.
Former Demon Bernie Vince said Melbourne players would be “filthy” with the president’s comments.
“I haven’t spoken to any of the players yet, but I am sure they would be filthy about that,” Vince said on Triple M on Saturday.
“I would be filthy as a player. That’s not his role. He shouldn’t be saying those sort of comments.
“It is up to the coaches and coaching staff to give you feedback about how you play.
“I have no doubt they would be very disappointed. That is not the chairman’s role.”
Bartlett said he had spent the day speaking to Demons people and was still furious by day’s end.
“The coach and the footy guys need to address it. I am sure they had tough review but we just can’t serve up that kind of rubbish for our fans and supporters and for footy in general.
“We pride ourselves on a tough, competitive brand of footy and on providing entertainment in the way we play. We were on the right track in the last three weeks and that was as soft as butter.
“Not everyone (was soft) but it’s a numbers game and I was scratching my head as to what I was watching as I am sure were so many Melbourne fans. It was so un-Melbourne-like and I never want to see that again.”
Asked if it was the worst loss in his tenure at the club, Bartlett didn’t pull his punches.
“It’s right up there, for sure,” he said.
“Because I rate the list, I rate the work that has been done, I felt like we were back on a good path so it was just inexplicable.
“I have defended our footy department, our coaches and players my whole tenure but I can’t defend that, How can you defend that?
“I said at the start of the year we are absolutely going to be a club of no excuses. I don’t want any excuses. I started to hear about a four-day turnaround … Well we have been talking about how fit and ready we are. Don’t talk about that, even as supporters.”
Asked if his comments were a reflection on coach Simon Goodwin, he replied: “Well, we just keep to the program”.
“The immediate thing now is we don’t panic. We react. It’s an emotional game but that was not acceptable at any level.
“It’s a very quick turnaround, and so disappointing on the back of two good wins and pushing the Lions in a game where we should have won. I can’t even put into words how I feel.
“The players understand what it means when you wear the Melbourne jumper and we have done a lot even over the last few weeks on that. They completely trashed it last night and they need to address it and they need to take ownership of it. I can’t play full forward. Perty (Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert) can’t play centre half back. There is no excuse for anything but results.”
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LYON LASHES DEES AFTER TRAINWRECK EFFORT
– Simeon Thomas-Wilson, Glenn McFarlane
Melbourne players copped it from a “p----d off” Simon Goodwin after being smashed by Port Adelaide and they completely deserved it, Demons defender Steven May said.
The Demons put in a woeful performance against the ladder leading Power at the Gabba on Thursday night, losing by 51-points, which led to Goodwin apologising to fans post match for what he said was the club’s most disappointing performance of the season.
Goodwin and the Demons players reviewed the game almost immediately after, and May said the Melbourne coach had some choice words for them.
“The boys are pretty embarrassed with their performance. We got out played everywhere on the field, outworked and our fundamentals were not up to AFL standard so it was a pretty bad night all round,” he said.
“We had a good chat about it after the game we do have a six-day break and the boys want to get out there asap and play because that wasn’t good enough, every area of the field was not up to AFL standard.
“We copped it from the coach, which we should because our performance wasn’t good enough.”
The drubbing at the hands of the Power came four days after the Demons got close to flag contender Brisbane.
May said the break couldn’t be blamed for the Demons not showing up and now they had to win back the respect not only of fans but of Goodwin.
“The performances we have dished up in recent weeks have been good enough and up to AFL standard but that for whatever reason we didn’t turn up and copped a fair whack,” he said.
“So he should be (angry at the team), he set up a method and the coaches have put a game plan together that is good enough to compete.
“But you can have the best method in the world and not hit basic fundamentals and not go hard at the ball and you face a team like Port who are top of the ladder you are going to cop what we got and we got smacked.
“So yeah he should be pissed off, he backed us in and we just didn’t prepare right for whatever reason.”
Goodwin wasn’t the only one frustrated with the performance.
Melbourne great Garry Lyon unloaded on the club after the match.
Lyon lashed out at the misfiring Demons, labelling them “pathetic”, “embarrassing” and “shambolic”.
He added that the heat would come on coach Simon Goodwin this week.
“The coach will be copping heat … Alastair Clarkson has just taken a deep breath … the heat is coming for Simon Goodwin on the back of that performance,” he said.
Lyon’s anger boiled over at halftime after the Demons had managed only one goal to their opponents’ six, a lamentable first half which included a report for midfielder Clayton Oliver for an errant elbow on Port Adelaide’s Peter Ladhams.
Ladhams was able to continue the game, which will likely mean a fine for Oliver.
The Demons are sitting at 3-5 this season and will go into the clash with the bottom-of-the-ladder Crows with their confidence dented.
Melbourne seemed destined to go through a half of footy without kicking a goal before Christian Petracca saved them further embarrassment with a major with only a minute remaining in the second term.
The Power led by 33 points at the main break.
Lyon was livid at halftime, saying: “They (Port) put pressure on a side that is flaky.
“Where was the fierce, ferocious competition we were expecting from the Melbourne Football Club?
“The disappointment off the back of that (game) is profound.”
Herald Sun footy analyst Mick McGuane agreed with Lyon’s assessment, tweeting: “Spot on, Garry. Someone has to call it the way it is.”
Spot on Gary. Someone has to call it the way it is https://t.co/uqXsYb9UP0
— Michael McGuane (@MickMCG34) July 30, 2020
Goodwin said there were no excuses for the effort.
“It is a compressed season, but it is no excuse for our players to put on a performance like that and for the club to put on a performance like that.”
I am so disappointed for our supporters. Tonight was just nowhere near the level.”
He said the club’s season was on the line against the Crows next week.
MATCH REPORT: PORT BOUNCES BACK
- Adam Curley
Port Adelaide has responded perfectly to being overrun by St Kilda last week by dismantling an insipid Melbourne by 51 points at the Gabba on Thursday night.
While Power coach Ken Hinkley saw a much-improved four-quarter performance from his men, his counterpart Simon Goodwin cut a frustrated figure from the opening bounce.
The Power kicked the first six goals of the game and never looked like being caught, winning 12.11 (83) to 4.8 (32).
Karl Amon did as he pleased on a wing for Port, with Travis Boak and Ollie Wines both powerful through the midfield.
Melbourne’s skill level was well below par both in general play and from set shots again, and the season looks in serious trouble ahead of next Wednesday’s trip to Adelaide to face the Crows.
GRAY COURAGE SUMS UP POWER
The Power set up their win in the first quarter but it was an incredible contest in the last quarter from star Robbie Gray which summed up their performance.
The game was well out of the reach of the Demons when Gray attacked the footy ferociously, as Demon Christian Salem did the same coming the other way.
As the two bodies bashed into each other, Salem got up and continued to play, while Gray was on all fours in agony.
Thankfully for Hinkley and the Power, Gray was only severely winded.
Hinkley praised Gray’s inspirational act.
“It was amazing, really, we were up by about 10 goals I think, and I saw Robbie Gray put his body on the line incredibly well,” he said.
“I saw Sam Powell-Pepper really attack the very next contest straight after it, so I was really pleased.
“I made comment in the box that they were my two favourite edits of the game.
“They were still doing it late in the game when it was under control.”
“It didn’t take mine (breath) away, but it took Rob’s away. He’s pretty tough over the footy and that’s when he plays his best footy when he’s like that.”
RUCK DOMINANCE GOES BEGGING
Goodwin lamented his side’s failure to capitalise on Max Gawn’s ruck dominance against Brisbane last week, and while they improved that area in the first term, the effort didn’t last. Melbourne held a 10-5 advantage in the clearances at quarter-time but by the next break, it trailed 17-15.
It’s hard to fathom how a team with Gawn at the helm, and players like Christian Petracca, Jack Viney and Clayton Oliver at his feet, can’t gain consistent control of the stoppages, especially given Gawn is almost always giving his teammates first crack at the footy.
Port were smashed by the Saints in the same area last week but hit back strongly in the final three quarters against the Dees.
WINGMAN SOARS
Karl Amon isn’t the biggest name in Port’s midfield unit, but he was the man who torched Melbourne the most in the first two quarters at the Gabba.
Stationed on a wing, mostly opposed to Nathan Jones, Amon gathered 17 possessions to go with two clearances before the main break.
He left boot was damaging and he rarely wasted a disposal, then took a good old-fashioned hanger to give the small crowd in attendance something to cheer.
Some his best work came when he worked into defence to help out and used his lethal kick to set up another Power attack.
TALL ORDER
Melbourne went for a different mix inside 50 against the Power with three tall targets, but the addition of Tom McDonald alongside Sam Weideman and Luke Jackson didn’t help the team score.
Petracca snapped his side’s opener with just over a minute left in the first half.
Getting it in there wasn’t a problem, it was the way it went inside 50 that killed the Demons time and again.
Some extremely talented players missed targets, made poor decisions, and sometimes did both.
Goodwin was left perplexed in the coaches’ box and his leading forwards probably felt the same sort of anguish.
WESTHOFF STEPS UP
Talented tall Todd Marshall has been a consistent performer for Port this season, and his loss for an extended period with a finger injury was seen as a blow for Ken Hinkley’s set-up.
However, it was veteran Justin Westhoff who stepped up in Marshall’s absence.
With Charlie Dixon well held by Steven May, Westhoff gave his midfielders a strong target playing as a deep forward, booting two first half goals.
It was an important contribution for Westhoff who was dropped a couple of weeks ago, before earning a late reprieve.
The 33-year-old has a huge opportunity over the next few weeks to cement his spot in Port’s best 22 while Marshall is on the sidelines.
SCOREBOARD
PORT ADELAIDE 3.2 6.6 10.9 12.11 (83)
def
MELBOURNE 0.2 1.3 3.5 4.8 (32)
GOALS
Melbourne: Weideman 2, Petracca, Melksham
Port Adelaide: Georgiades 3, Westhoff 2, Rozee 2, Wines, Dixon, Mayes, Farrell, Boak
ADAM CURLEY’S BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Salem, May, Petracca, Oliver
Port Adelaide: Boak, Wines, Amon, Georgiades, Mayes, Houston
INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil
Port Adelaide: Nil
REPORTS
Clayton Oliver (Melbourne) reported for striking Peter Ladhams (Port) in the second quarter.
ADAM CURLEY’S VOTES
3 – Travis Boak (Port)
2 – Ollie Wines (Port)
1 – Karl Amon (Port)