The anguish on Christian Petracca’s face said it all.
This was not the hell of the last two weeks when Melbourne did not give a yelp, but in a way it was even more revealing.
Christian Petracca and his Demons team mates look dejected after losing to Geelong.Credit: Getty Images
The Demons hung on grimly for three quarters, teasing the thousand or so supporters who drove down the highway into dreaming of a stirring season-reviving victory, only to lose their grip in the final term.
All they had to show for their endeavour and spirit was a 39-point defeat – 12.13 (85) to 6.10 (46) – that showed they well behind a Geelong side, who themselves are a margin off the early competition pacesetters.
A despondent Petracca could barely contain his emotions after the final siren. If they were tears he wiped away from his eyes, they were tears of frustration.
The club’s pin-up boy in their drought-breaking premiership year, Petracca remains the face of the club in defeat. These were not the images that will have Dees fans confident Petracca, a figure of discontent last year, will play through to the end of his contract in 2029 in the red and the blue.
These are difficult times for both player and club. Premiers four years ago, Melbourne are 0-4 start for the first time since the dark days of 2012 when they finished above only expansion clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney in their embryonic phase.
At the age of 29, coming off a life-threatening internal injury, Petracca would need all the mental strength he can muster to believe he can return to his match-winning ways from the start of this decade.
He booted the Dees’ first two goals of the game. From thereon, he was a mere cast member than the leading act.
“He’s a winner. He’s determined. He’s proud,” Goodwin said. “He’s like everyone. He wants to really start to get some positive results. He’s a proud leader of our footy club. All our leaders are like that. Of course he’s going to be disappointed.”
Disappointment is becoming commonplace at Melbourne. That they have been a contender as recently as late 2023 fuels hope the first month of this season is a blip, but the reality is they are no longer a good team.
Since they beat Geelong on the first weekend of May last year, the Dees have won just five of 19 games – the win-loss record of a bottom-four side.
The problems which cruelled their premiership bids of 2022-23 remain. Their forward line and delivery inside 50 is still a mess, only now they no longer have a dominant midfield or a miserly defence living their mantra of contest and defence.
They lost the contested ball again. When you take that out of Melbourne’s game they have little else to threaten opponents.
Jack Bowes of the Cats is tackled by Caleb Windsor of the Demons.Credit: Getty Images
The vaunted trio of Petracca, Clayton Oliver and Jack Viney were rarely at the centre bounce together, if at all.
Max Gawn won his duel with Rhys Stanley on points but in previous years it was one of the defining match-ups of the game.
Bayley Fritsch is a shell of the player that booted 50-plus goals in 2021-22.
Kysaiah Pickett was the Dees’ most dangerous midfielder, but his spark was needed inside 50. They are robbing Peter to pay Paul, but both Peter and Paul remain poor.
“First game back, I thought he contributed really strongly,” Goodwin said. “He’s done a helluva lot of work to get involved in that midfield group and he’s going to be a huge player as the year goes on.”
Geelong’s total of 165 marks, and the differential of 83, is the most the Dees have conceded under Goodwin. The lopsided count was not necessarily reflected on the scoreboard but defending saps energy, and by retaining the ball it prevented the Dees from entering their preferred contest mode.
Goodwin was more concerned with what Melbourne did with the ball than without it, but his counterpart Chris Scott spoke with the satisfaction of a man who had seen a plan bear fruit, even if the final number surprised him.
“If you kick it to [Steven] May all night, you’ll have a difficult night, that’s probably the crux of it,” Scott said.
“As the game went on we felt it got better for us. We thought we were playing pretty well early on, just didn’t get the gap on the scoreboard that we thought we should have – that always makes you a bit nervous.
“The players’ willingness to really commit to the style we were after, we were impressed by.”
Seventeenth with a percentage that betters only Richmond and West Coast, the Dees are giving their rivals a big start. Hawthorn and Brisbane recovered last year, but Melbourne’s game is not in good order.
“I thought we saw a real spirit tonight, a real determination for a week,” Goodwin said. “The message is stay calm, we’re four weeks in. Stay calm but get urgent – that’s been the message.
“We’ve got work to do. Get urgent with that work but stay calm and know things can turn pretty quick.”
They need to.
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