TRUE BELIEF

by Whispering Jack

Former Saint Nathan Burke wrote in his Inside Football column last week that it was only on a handful of occasions during his long and illustrious career that he went "into a season with anything like true belief". The reason was that he played for a club that was "mired in mediocrity" so that it rarely had the necessary ingredients in its makeup to achieve the ultimate success in an elite competition.

Burke's blunt assessment applies not only to his Saints. A similar picture can be painted of the Melbourne Football Club over the past four and a half decades. During this period, even when the Demons were at their best, they never really threatened; they were thrashed in their grand final appearances of 1988 and 2000.

It was not all that long ago that Melbourne was the highest placed of all Victorian teams (2006) but that "honour" wasn't enough to merit even an appearance in a preliminary final and today, they seem further away than ever from achieving the dream.

Now, after two dismal seasons that have netted their team just eight wins and the 2008 wooden spoon, Melbourne fans are wondering whether there can be any true belief about their team's prospects for the coming year. They fared so poorly in terms of most performance indicators last year that it is difficult to see how the gulf between them and the leading sides in the competition can be bridged any time in the near future.

Whether it was the goal kicking, Brownlow votes, All Australian representation or a raft of team and individual statistics, the signs were worrying in 2008. Examples include the fact that Melbourne managed a meagre 23 winning quarters won and the lowest level ever recorded of inside 50 entries. The club fell well short of acceptable standards across the board pointing to weaknesses in most divisions, in particular a systemic weakness in the midfield.

Coach Dean Bailey has indicated some of the innovations on the club's website melbournefc.com.au that he and the football department have brought in over the summer months to give the club a start in the mammoth task of turning this around. We've seen another round of major changes to the team lists through the drafts and an extensive pre season campaign to bolster the team's fitness and skills.

With all those things in mind, what do we expect the club to get out of the remainder of the pre season, the NAB Cup and other practice matches and what do we make of yesterday’s intra club practice match?

Firstly, the older and more experienced players in the group are needed to show leadership on the park. The equivalent group virtually disintegrated last year as injuries and diminished form saw a number of them "phased out" as the season wore on.

Then, the players within the club's middle age range need to show they can step up and play greater roles with the possibility of one or two rising to elite level.

The next tier of players include those who can be expected to start coming of age in the 21 to 23 years of age bracket when they are expected to blossom and to start making important contributions to the team effort.

The club will also will be looking for signs that its youngsters are progressing and that its new recruits have been chosen well and have the attributes that the recruiting people saw in them when he made their selections.

At the playing level, supporters will be looking for a coherent "game plan" in place that the players are capable of carrying out to full effect and for signs that the group is fit and confident following their pre season. These aspects are important because, even at this stage of the season, a lift in this area can give a club the momentum to carry it forward well into the season.

The trip to Casey Fields was somewhat surreal as a reddish irridescent smoke haze from the week's tragic bushfires still covered the skies. The facility itself continues to be a revelation and it must be extremely pleasing for the coaching staff and players to be playing on a lush green surface after seeing other AFL clubs struggling on sub standard surfaces last weekend in their intraclub hitouts. The game was covered here and here in the media.

Only one injury of note – to Jared Rivers who rolled his ankle early in the game. The injury was declared "not serious" and let's hope that it's not. Rivers is one player who, if fully fit, has the capacity to rise to elite status. His influence on the team was emphasised against Fremantle at the MCG last year when a half fit Rivers played the role of general of the back line and was one of the players instrumental in the club's come from 51 points behind miracle.

Here's the way I saw the various category groups fare –

The "veterans" group (28 years and over: Russell Robertson (Achilles) and Paul Wheatley (calf) are injured. James McDonald, Cameron Bruce, Matthew Whelan and Brad Green all did what was expected in a first up practice match without being over-extended.

The all important "middle aged" (23 to 26 years): Aaron Davey was rested and Mark Jamar is carrying a foot injury. Rivers' appearance was brief. Brock McLean and Brent Moloney were being eased in after being injured in the latter part of 2008. Brad Miller stood out as a key forward with three goals. Paul Johnson and Mattthew Warnock were workmanlike while Daniel Bell had his moments. Colin Sylvia who, from all reports, has been burning on the track, had an average day but might do better in the forward role which he slotted into well at times last year. Stefan Martin and John Meesen come into this age category. The former was very impressive, the latter showed some glimpses but nothing to suggest that he might replace Jamar or Johnson in the club's first choice ruck combination. All in all, there was nothing to enthuse about from this group and no suggestion that one of its members might emerge as a genuine "superstar" in 2009. Perhaps, the NAB Cup might tell a different story.

The next group (21 and 22 year olds) produced some more promising signs: Four of the club's 22 year olds featured strongly with Matthew Bate, Simon Buckley, Lynden Dunn and rookie Shane Valenti giving indications that they have worked hard over the summer and are bound for improved seasons. Only Michael Newton disappointed – he was well beaten by Colin Garland early but one suspects that Garland will towel up many a forward as his career progresses. The 21 year olds were the icing on the cake as far as I was concerned. Garland continues to make giant strides forward and Ricky Petterd and Austin Wonaeamirri (4 goals) contested for best on the ground honours. Both have stronger body shapes this year and both were lively throughout proceedings. Clint Bartram, James Frawley and Nathan Jones all contributed with Frawley underlining the emergence of the club's depth in key defensive positions. Recruits Rohan Bail and Liam Jurrah also fit into this age category. Bail was impressive from the word "go" and he should get a run in the NAB Cup next week. Jurrah isn't ready to play yet but I saw him run onto the ground during a break and he looked impressive, although a little light of frame.

That leaves us with the "younger brigade": There's plenty of room for optimism here even though the cream of the club's latest recruiting in Jack Watts and Sam Blease are being eased into the rigours of elite football (along with Jurrah) on programmes that will not see them in match situations for a few weeks at least. Addam Maric (recovering from a hip injury) and Tom McNamara missed out. Kyle Cheney was excellent all day in defence, Jack Grimes showed some of the form that made him a first round draft selection in 2007 and rookie big men Jake Spencer and Trent Zomer surprised with their contributions. It's hard to believe that Cale Morton is just 19 years of age. He's still lightly built but he can find space and was persistent in his attempts to capture the football. James Strauss showed sublime kicking skills and Bunbury pair Neville Jetta and Jamie Bennell showed outstanding all round skills that promise lots of exciting times for Demon fans in the coming years. It would not be a surprise if both went to Launceston next weekend for the NAB Cup opener against Hawthorn.

When all is said and done, Valentine's Day 2009 was just a practice match. There was more than a glimpse of improvement in system, style, fitness and skill but my feeling on leaving the ground was that "true belief" is still a way off. I didn't see anyone at the ground who looks like a sponsor (but then again, I don't really know what they look like) either .

Next week might tell us a little more.

THE ABOVE PHOTOS ARE BY PETJUD. FOR MORE PHOTOS SEE FLYING CLOUD'S PIX