“It’s a fail by any stretch.”
These strong words spoken by Melbourne great and Fox Footy commentator Garry Lyon on Monday night will be a statement the Demons will ponder over the off-season.
Simon Goodwin’s team bombed out of the finals in straight-sets – the first time a reigning premier has done so since Hawthorn in 2016.
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The Demons looked primed to defend their premiership title with ease at the beginning of the season, winning their first 10 consecutive matches. They also had a representative on every line in the All-Australian team to showcase their talent and a game plan that looked like it would stand up in the heat of battle again.
After failing to handle the heat against the Swans and not being able to capitalise on their first half dominance against Brisbane, the Dees bowed out in disappointing fashion.
“It pretty much encapsulated their entire season within four quarters of footy on Friday night,” five-time All-Australian Nick Riewoldt told Fox Footy’s On The Couch.
In unpacking what went wrong for Melbourne after being undefeated for the first two months of the season, Riewoldt pinpointed “an element of selfishness that started to creep into their game”, highlighting several moments when players chose to ignore the better option.
Legendary Hawthorn goalkicker Jason Dunstall spoke about potential “chips in the culture”. He also referred to Melbourne’s inability to “take their opportunity” throughout the semi-final, with the Demons scoring 3.6 from 15 inside 50s in the first quarter.
“You have to have the ability to hit the scoreboard when the game is on your terms,” he said.
Dunstall also highlighted moments throughout the semi-final where key defensive pillars and All-Australian duo Steven May and Jake Lever “weren’t seeing eye-to-eye”.
“These two guys weren’t on the same wavelength. There was plenty of lifting of the arms going: ‘Hang on, whose fault is that?’” he said.
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The Dees’ ball movement issues were also highlighted by the panel, with their defensive 50 to inside 50 transitions falling from first in the competition throughout Rounds 1 to 10 to 16th overall from Round 11 to the semi-final loss.
Riewoldt suggested the Demons “have to fix their issues forward of the ball” to regain their best form in 2023.
In the final three quarters against the Lions, Melbourne kicked the ball inside its forward arc 33 times for a return of just three marks, further highlighting its seemingly dysfunctional forward set-up.
Lyon referred to the team’s ball movement forward of centre as a “malaise throughout the course of the year … that was not addressed”. Riewoldt viewed it as a key reason for the loss.
Harrison Petty, who was involved in three scores in the last quarter of the semi-final as a forward, was flagged as a potential solution to the problem.
Lyon lamented the scoreboard advantage Melbourne had given up throughout the season. While the Demons spent more time in front in games this season than any other team (71%), they lost seven games after leading by at least 14 points.
The ex-Melbourne captain also pointed out the Dees conceded 90-plus points in the last four games of the season alone. Last season, they only gave up 90-plus points once.
With only Geelong and Sydney winning more quarters for the season, Lyon hinted it “has to be something else” that is plaguing the Demons as “their best footy is good enough”.
“It’s either hunger, game style, some of their key players that weren’t able to get there in the end,” he said.
“Their backline, which was the cornerstone of what they did last year, ended up giving up scores.”
Riewoldt added: “The fall from grace has been stunning.”
These are all questions Melbourne will have to come up with answers for in its pursuit for a 14th premiership in 2023.
