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Apologies if this has been posted, commented on elsewhere already. I had a look around and couldn't find on here yet. Below article from Caro published on The Age this morning: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/melbournes-finals-miss-burns-in-the-players-guts-nathan-jones-20170828-gy5rno.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Melbourne president Glen Bartlett has described the collective "shock and disappointment" still reverberating around the club after missing out on the finals "after a season that promised so much." A shattered Bartlett said it was too soon to take a publicly analyse what had gone wrong for the Demons following Saturday's upset loss to Collingwood but that he hoped the disappointment would "galvanise us as a club." "It's pretty raw at the moment," said Bartlett. "We're very disappointed. We're very disappointed for our members and for our fans after a season that promised so much. We played some first class footy and so much of it was fresh and it was exciting. "It shouldn't be the end it should be the beginning. I hope that things like this would galvanise us as a club." Melbourne was placed fifth after round 14 but the Collingwood loss was its fifth in nine games and the club ultimately missed finals by 0.5 per cent. Having required only a win at the MCG on Saturday to play a role in September the club expected this week to have provided a launching pad into their first finals appearance in more than a decade. Instead Melbourne players were conducting exit interviews with coach Simon Goodwin and planning a more sombre version of 'Mad Monday'. Bartlett said the pivotal West Coast victory was witnessed by some groups of players, officials and coaches while others deliberately chose not to watch. "Our players and supporters were pretty emotional for the season to end like it did and speaking personally it's just a feeling of shock and disappointment." Melbourne co-captain Nathan Jones blamed their agonising miss on a season of inconsistency. "It's obviously a pretty bitter pill to swallow," Jones said. "The players are hurting as much as our supporters would be livid when the opportunity was there and we let it slip. "It's a culmination of results ... rather than just the first-quarter performance against Collingwood (that) has led us to this position. "Hopefully it burns in the players' gut over the pre-season." Sidelined by a leg injury, Jones was by himself on Sunday as he watched their finals spot snatched from them. "I locked myself down and sat on the couch," he said. "It's one of the more nerve-racking situations I've been in ... frustration and anger." Despite the agonising near-miss, Jones is bullish about their future. "We're well aware of where we sit in our journey, there are going to be ups and downs," he said. "That can be quite frustrating at times, particularly to our supporters who have been through such a range of emotions and such a downward spiral over the past decade. "To see us on the improve ... with hope and the opportunity that was there for this season, to see it slip like it has, is a bitter pill to swallow. "But hopefully it leaves us in a better position as a footy club and as a playing group for the experience.".