Win at all costs

I appreciate the club’s intention to build a club that can have “sustained success”. However, I am seriously concerned about the off-field ramifications of bringing the club down to expansion club levels.

I for one refuse to accept that when fully healthy this team is 10-goals behind GC. Even if statistically they are, it is not something we as fans or the clubs should accept.

In the second half of the year, the Dees play the Bulldogs twice, the Saints, Suns and Giants, five very winnable games that should be “win at all costs” games: forget about the long-term goals in developing players. It should simply be a matter of taking the game on, and demonstrating that the club has some glimmer of hope. The players need to have the confidence to take risks, make mistakes and take the game on. That encouragement needs to come from the coaching department.

IMO rounds 13-23 will be better indicators of Neeld’s coaching ability. Consider that in the first 10 rounds Melbourne has played 6 finalists, and 2 potential finalists in GC and Port. That’s 8 of 10 games against teams in the top tier of the competition. They lost by 5 goals against the Lions in what was a frustratingly winnable game, and also were in winning positions against the Tigers. 100-point losses to the Hawks, Eagles, Dockers and Bombers are hardly surprises. Not acceptable, but not surprising.

Unfortunately this club does not have the flexibility of a GWS or GC to slowly build up something, because Melbourne is in an aggressively competitive market, one that resents a lack of competitiveness and refuses to back down on scrutiny. People on this forum point the finger at the media. We should be pointing the finger at the club: where there is smoke (media) there is fire.

Change isn’t just about restructing the suits from the bellows of the MCG. It’s about standing for something and showcasing that you don’t accept what’s happening. We’ve sat through utter garbage for 10 weeks. The Pies game is a write-off.

Neeld is coaching for his career from June 22.