Work Rate is not good enough at this level

[Mongrel Dee 56]

This group of Melbourne players do not work hard enough, it is that simple. Forget ability and just focus on work rate.

All the top 8 teams and in particular the top 4 work very very hard during games. Our list including our high draft picks do not run hard, do not chase hard and almost without exception are always second to the ball.

I do not know what the answer is, however things will not change unless the work rate increases ten fold.

The harder you work the more successful you will become. As a spectator of this team, I have had a gut full of getting belted by teams who work harder than our mob does.

[The Song Formerly Known As 6,479]

i think our work rate has picked up immensely, we just have some gaping holes in our list and many players who just aren't AFL standard.
We try hard but if you ain't got the cattle, you ain't got the cattle.
Bring on the trade/draft period this year!

[s-t-i-n-g-a 439]

We can't capitalise on the work we do.

[deanox 10,059]

Or work rate ha picked up in defence bit it lacks when we have ball in hand.

We don't run hard enough to create an uncontested possession option ie lead for a chip kick.

[Chook 15,026]

I think it's less our workrate and more our positioning. Mark Neeld's ultra-defensive game-plan required our players to take the defensive position at all times, which means we're almost always second to the ball. We then need to work way too hard to get the ball back all the time, and so when we have it we're too stuffed and out of position to do anything constructive with it.

[Redleg 42,053]

We can't capitalise on the work we do.

That is it as far as I am concerned.

Yesterday 2 of the cats first 3 goals, came from ridiculous short passes in the wet, in our backline. How hard did the Cats work for those 2 goals. Two players were out of position and we kicked it straight to them in front of goal. that was absolutely pathetic. One of them came from our captain. My under 9's were told never to do that and generally they didn't.

Another couple of goals came from long kicks bouncing through, while a few of ours went the other way to the points. A couple of others came from simply playing in front on a wet day when the ball falls short.

I thought we selected a dumb team and played dumb football. Craig didn't impress me yesterday at all.

Our effort has improved for an obvious reason, but our failure continues to be a lack of ability to keep the ball until we score. We just give it away and the other teams score.

[praha 11,253]

I found it damning that from around half-way through the 3rd, the work rate dropped off significantly, whereas Geelong's seemed to grow. Players were giving up on contests once a bit of a flow-on began, and even when Melbourne had the flow players weren't working hard enough to stream and offer an option, hence so few inside-50s.

[Mongrel Dee 56]

Just watch the Stevie Johnsons of this world and how they go after the football. The just work their butts off the complete opposite to many on our list.

The will to win by the best sides is a pleasure to watch, the half fluffed efforts at this club are painful to watch.