WANTED: A PLAN FOR ALL SEASONS

by Scoop Junior

Melbourne started the season in disastrous fashion at the MCG on Friday night when it went down to St Kilda by 31 points and in the process lost gun midfielder Brock McLean to an ankle injury. In a performance as disappointing as last year's opening round loss to eventual wooden-spooner Carlton, the Demons were simply no match for a more desperate and structured Saints outfit.

Probably the most disheartening aspect of the match was the systematic dismantling of Melbourne's game plan.

If what we saw was the unveiling of a new game plan for this season it needs to be re-examined because it simply was not allowed to work. The players were made to look like a bunch of amateurs with absolutely no idea where to run and where to deliver the ball. While full credit must go to the Saints for placing enormous pressure on the ball carrier, it's really no excuse for the brand of footy Melbourne played. Very little seems to have been learned from the mistakes made in executing the plan during the four pre-season matches.

In any evernt, you would rarely see an AFL team play with such little conviction and drive. The use of handball was diabolical. Even junior footballers know that the handball is used as an attacking weapon to draw players towards you and to feed team mates running past in better position. For some strange reason, Melbourne continually handballed to players standing still, which always puts pressure on that player. Too often the team linked up with a chain of handballs but only proceeded to run directly into a wall of three or four St Kilda players. Handball can be an effective tactic if used properly; but it's a high-return high-risk policy and the Dees totally bombed out in this regard.

The signs weren't great early, especially with the kick-outs. Melbourne struggled to clear the ball from defensive 50. Frequently, they went sideways, chipped up the line, then backwards to the goal square, then switched to the other side, then back to the middle again and eventually turned the ball over. The Dees could not penetrate through the midfield and this gave the forwards little chance. St Kilda did not allow free men through the middle so the Demons could not chip their way forward, and when they tried to run and carry the ball forward, the result was inevitably a holding the ball decision in the Saints' favour. With Melbourne's complete inability to string passages of play together, the result was a paltry 21 inside 50's to three quarter time.

A disturbing aspect of the game was the turnaround in efficiency. Last year, the Dees were a very efficient side and despite not generating high possession totals, managed to engineer sufficient inside 50's and scoring shots to win games. Last night, Melbourne overused the footy and racked up meaningless possessions. Again, credit must go St Kilda's tactics. They locked down the Demons’ most dangerous user in Travis Johnstone and allowed less skilful players such as Ben Holland to find the footy. However, too many Melbourne players froze like deer caught in the headlights when they had the ball and this highlighted not only St Kilda’s excellent pressure, but also a lack of confidence in the game plan.

Another intriguing part of the game was the latitude given to Fraser Gehrig. The big forward was making a mess of Nathan Carroll, yet was allowed to play one-out for most of the night. Very rarely were the Dees able to get a third man up or at least create a pack contest. In stark contrast, the Saints players ran harder to crowd David Neitz who at times appeared the only avenue to goal. This work rate was replicated in midfield where the Saints were just too hard and prepared to run offensively and defensively. Melbourne was simply lazy and did not show the same level of commitment.

Given the way the game panned out, the forwards were given little chance. Neitz and Russell Robertson battled manfully against the odds, with both players kicking three goals, an excellent result given the lack of quality supply forward of centre. Brad Miller was quiet and just does too many things in a game of football that are not up to AFL standard. He is a worry.

Aaron Davey was pitiful. Adem Yze came off the bench and had an impact. He certainly wasn't one of the worst, but a really poor effort on the wing in the last term when he overran the ball by failing to fully commit to the cause and put his head over it was further confirmation of a disturbing downhill trend in his game.

Down back, the defenders were swamped. Having said that, though, none could really hold their heads high. Gehrig took Carroll to the cleaners, Daniel Bell made mistakes and generally struggled and Holland made some comical errors but did work hard. Daniel Ward provided some dash and at least tried to take the game on, while Matty Whelan's early injury finished his night off.

But clearly it was the midfield that let the side down. Having been talked up all pre-season, the Melbourne midfield was pathetic last night. Senior players Cameron Bruce, Brad Green and Johnstone did not play at the levels they need to given their roles in the team. Bruce only had six kicks; probably a good outcome given his propensity on the night to resort to helicopter punts. Green had little impact while Johnstone butchered the ball far too often for a player of his talent. In a game where the side has no system, Johnstone will always turn the ball over because he is constantly looking for a way to break the game open and will take risks in the process. I commend this part of his game, but he does need to be a bit smarter in his ball use when the pressure is on.

James McDonald battled hard and was one of a few players who played with the requisite hardness. Another was Brent Moloney, who was probably the best midfielder. Beamer showed glimpses of his 2005 form and will need to step up again given McLean’s absence. Before his injury, Brock seemed all at sea and clearly suffered from a lack of match practice. He was just a few seconds behind the speed of the game and this contributed to his injury when he took far to long to dispose of the ball.

The midfield youngsters didn’t have great nights. Chris Johnson was unsighted in the first half before picking up a few touches later in the game, while Matthew Bate looked out of sorts. The big redhead can look a bit robotic at times and just needs to be more aware of what is happening around him. He clearly suffered from the strangled midfield tactics applied by the Saints. Nathan Jones worked hard but had little impact after quarter time. Like all other midfielders, he just could not find space to work in. I thought Jeff White was a gallant contributor and played a fair game but his back up in Jamar just went. The ruck combination continues to be a concern.

The only positive news is that it's only Round 1. Sydney was smashed by the Dons in Round 1 last year and made the top four. Carlton beat Melbourne and finished bottom with only two more wins. The season is indeed a marathon and one loss in the first game is definitely not the time to slash wrists. The Dees are clearly a much better team than what they showed.

However, they will want to improve drastically on their game style. Last night was the performance of a team with no structure and no conviction in the game plan. While it is early in the season, a few more performances like that will not only dent confidence but will place enormous pressure on the top four aspirations of the club. To make the top four, you probably can't afford to lose more than eight games. With plenty of difficult assignments to come away from home, the losses will come, so it’s imperative not to drop too many early in the year.

Melbourne 4.2.26 6.3.39 6.5.41 9.8.62

St. Kilda 2.7.19 7.7.49 11.12.76 13.15.93

Goals Neitz 3 Robertson 3 Bruce Green White

Best Moloney Neitz Robertson White McDonald

Injuries McLean (ankle) Whelan (neck spasms)

Reports Nil

Umpires McBurney Stevic Meredith

Crowd 49,490 at the MCG