Long year ahead for the Melbourne Football Club
As I continue my thoughts on each sides chances for the 2008 AFL Premiership Season, today’s focus is on the Melbourne Football Club. In what was a very disappointing year for the Demons they finished 14th on the ladder only above Richmond and Carlton. This year I am tipping that the Demons are going to struggle again.
Let’s take a look at who has gone and who the Demons have picked up.
ADDITIONS:
Exchange period – received: John Meesen (Adelaide)
Rookie elevation: Jace Bode
NAB AFL Draft: Kyle Cheney (North Ballarat Rebels), Jack Grimes (Northern Knights), Adam Maric (Calder Cannons), Tom McNamara (South Adelaide), Cale Morton (Claremont)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Clint Bizzell, Nathan D. Brown, Byron Pickett
Exchange period – traded: Travis Johnstone (Brisbane Lions)
Delisted: Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Heath Neville, Daniel Ward, Daniel Hayes (rookie), Daniel Hughes (rookie), Shane Neaves (rookie)
Where do I start with the Demons, well simple they don’t get enough of the football and they don’t have the firepower to kick a winning score. The Demons were 14th on the list of kicks per game and 12th for handballs. They were also ranked second last in the league for points scored in 2007 which highlights these facts. I just don’t see where they are going to generate that goal kicking power in 2008? David Neitz is on his last legs, a great player he is but I just don’t see him being able to carry the burden of still being the Number 1 big man in the forward line. Russell Robertson was their leading goal kicker last year with 42, even the Tigers leading goal kicker had more than that. But it is the fact they fall away after that which is an issue as well, you have Neitz second with 26 and then Aaron Davey with 24. Just not enough if they want to be competitive on the scoreboard.
Ruck Dominance
One area that the Demons need to be trying to capitalise on is their dominance in the Ruck. The Demons big men in Jeff White and Mark Jamar are forming quite a formidable combination, they were ranked 4th in 2007 for the most hit outs per game. This may be great for those two but the Dees just don’t have the talent in the midfield to use this. Cameron Bruce and Brad Green are probably their best ball getters but they just have 
got to much responsibility, players like Brock McLean and Colin Sylvia need to take the next step and start getting the ball and hurting the opposition. Now that Nathan Jones has had another year he needs to step up another level again this year, he is a hard tough player and looks like he will develop into the Demons main man in the middle. They have decided to let Travis Johnstone go, probably the Demons most gifted and polished midfielder so someone needs to take that mantel now and provide some class through the middle.
Inexperienced Backline
The Melbourne backline is a very inexperienced one, and they are going to need to rely on Ben Holland to give the direction down there. But as Holland is heading towards the latter part of his career if they need to rely on him to hold up their defence then the Demons may be in a bit of trouble. I read a quote from Holland the other day where he said this about new coach Dean Bailey
“He has stripped things back to the bare essentials and is almost starting to teach us all again, even with handball technique and kicking technique and things like that,”
Now if that needs to be done at this stage, although I am no AFL Footballer, that doesn’t sound all that good for the Demons heading into the 2008 season.
Melbourne Football Club Captaincy
On the captaincy issue, they are still yet to decide who will lead them into the 2008 season. I have stated before that I think that if the Melbourne Football Club is going to take the next step in the club’s history they need to appoint a new captain while David Neitz is still at the club and playing, similar to what Essendon did with James Hird and Matthew Lloyd. A young captain will then have the experience of Neitz to draw upon as he learns the ropes.
Granted, the Demons had a horrid run with injuries last year but even still with their full compliment of players on the park I don’t think they will up to the standard required to play in the Finals in 2008, in fact I think they are odds on for the dreaded Wooden Spoon.
Ladder Position: 16
Hi could you please tell us how many finals appearances has Melbourne been in since 1988. This will help us settle an important bet. Thanks