1 day Ago By Rohan Connolly
I've been debating the past few days which feeling is worse; the moment immediately following a golden opportunity lost, or the later realisation that there won't be any more such opportunities? or signup to continue reading Bottom line, of course, is that they both suck. And why this train of thought? Because while they'd never admit it publicly, I reckon there would be plenty of people around the this week doing the double whammy of disappointment. It's not total despair.
After all, the Demons did manage to break a 57-year premiership drought in spectacular fashion back in 2021. But it's also unquestionable that Melbourne had the talent to turn that one flag into at least a couple, if not more. And also seemingly now beyond dispute that the chance to do so with this generation of players has passed.
Melbourne is 0-3. And on Friday night, it heads down the Geelong road to take on a Cats' line-up no doubt smarting from two narrow defeats in succession, having won at the Cattery just three times in its past 25 visits. It's not just the Demons' 0-3 scoreline that has sounded the death knell about the immediate future, though.
After all, just last year, Brisbane was able to recover from a 0-3 start and a dismal 2-5 record after seven games to win a premiership. But the manner of Melbourne's thrashings at the hands of a youthful North Melbourne then an up-and-coming Gold Coast must really have the alarm bells ringing for coach Simon Goodwin. Even when it has struggled to convert a plethora of inside 50 entries, and that has been a recurring theme for the Demons for years beyond a small window in the back half of their premiership year, a midfield supreme at the contest has kept it in constant contention.
Melbourne was second for contested ball differential in 2021, and first and second again the following two campaigns, when each time it finished top four but crashed out of the finals in straight sets. But even that reliable metric tanked during a disastrous 2024 as midfield superstar Christian Petracca was seriously injured and out for half-a-season, and Clayton Oliver struggled to overcome personal issues and a poor pre-season preparation, Melbourne ranking a lowly 13th in the same category. That star pair are now back in harness, but even that hasn't been enough to arrest the contested slide, Melbourne thrashed in the statistic by both North Melbourne and the Suns and the Demons now consequently a dismal 13th in the category.
And what's becoming increasingly obvious is that without that old reliable indicator, Melbourne doesn't have many other strings to its bow. Yes, like most sides, it has some promising up-and-comers, the likes of Judd McVee, Jacob Van Rooyen and Caleb Windsor, and latest additions Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay. Yes, led by Steven May and Jake Lever, its defence is still elite, Melbourne, despite its lowly finish of 14th last season, still ranked No.
1 in the competition for restricting opposition scores from inside 50s. But aside from late 2021, when import Ben Brown hit a purple patch and helped straighten up the Demons' forward structure, cobbling together a competitive score has been far more about sheer volume of forward 50 opportunities than clinical efficiency. And with the midfield group now patently struggling to either win the ball in dispute or even prevent opposition scores from stoppages, not to mention looking decidedly leaden-footed in comparison to some rival clubs' on-ball speedsters, Melbourne is even more vulnerable than it was during the back end of 2024.
The Demons are the fourth-oldest list in the AFL, with nine players 30 or older, and another seven who are 29. The top two in last year's best and fairest, Jack Viney and Max Gawn, are 30 and 33 respectively, and third-placed Alex Neal-Bullen is now an Adelaide player. If Geelong, as expected, wins on Friday night, with those facts acknowledged and the win-loss record a prohibitive 0-4, only a brave person would say an era is not at an end.
Which makes the "what ifs" even more galling. Melbourne after its 2021 flag (which perversely for a long-suffering fan base was won only on the other side of the continent) finished second on the home-and-away ladder in 2022 only to lose a qualifying final to Sydney and a semi-final to Brisbane after having led by 28 points. The following September, it finished fourth and lost by just seven points to Collingwood (kicking 7.
11 after racking up no fewer than 32 more inside 50s), then by a heartbreaking two points to Carlton after a tragically inaccurate 9.17. Between 2021 and 2023, the Demons won 49 and drew another of 67 home-and-away games, a strike rate of nearly 74 per cent.
They boasted several of the best handful of players in the competition in Gawn, Petracca, Oliver and May. But three years of sustained excellence in the end amounted to only one premiership. True, even that is more than some unlucky outfits can muster from their tilts at the top.
Take Ross Lyon's St Kilda of 2009-10 for example. But it's hard to swallow missing out when you know you were good enough. And as Melbourne is doubtless experiencing now, then swallowing a second bitter pill when you realise there won't be any more chances of making amends.
Rohan Connolly is one of the most experienced and respected sporting journalists in the country, particularly passionate about football, and with a 40-year track record of observing it at close quarters in print, online, and on radio and TV. Rohan Connolly is one of the most experienced and respected sporting journalists in the country, particularly passionate about football, and with a 40-year track record of observing it at close quarters in print, online, and on radio and TV. Daily Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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