Belief is high at Demons says Goodwin despite fourth loss in six games
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin is adamant belief remains strong at the Demons despite being dislodged from the top of the ladder after dropping their fourth game since round 10.
In the lead up to the game, Goodwin admitted the match would provide the club with an audit on their season, and he left knowing they have plenty of areas to fix.
Melbourne have now dropped four of their past six games.Credit:Getty Images
Against the Cats they were mauled at the clearances by 18 and centre clearances by eight in a worrying development as it had been their explosiveness in this area that has been their strength.
They also struggled to move the ball out of defence which becomes a major problem when the clearance battle is being lost.
However, Goodwin tried to relay a sense of calm despite their poor record against top eight teams in 2022.
“This is the time of the year where you are still gathering information on your team about how you best operate. We are no different to a lot of teams,” Goodwin said.
Simon Goodwin is the Demons coach.Credit:Getty
“We have still got enormous belief in the way we play. We are still in an amazing position for this back half of the year to really launch ourselves into what is ahead of us.”
The Demons only recorded 46 inside 50s and scored just 63 points having failed to get over that score in their losses to Fremantle, Sydney and Collingwood.
They now face Port Adelaide, the Bulldogs, Fremantle, Collingwood, Carlton and Brisbane in a testing run home that ensures they will have to earn a spot in the top four.
“We’ve got some challenges coming up but we’re looking forward to them,” Goodwin said.
They also have challenges off the field with Luke Jackson looking increasingly likely to return to Western Australia to play with Fremantle in 2023 while Angus Brayshaw remains unsigned.
He said midfielder Clayton Oliver’s thumb was just bruised while Max Gawn is expected to improve on his first game back from a syndesmosis injury.
Cats coach Chris Scott said they were evolving as a team with the move of Tom Atkins into the centre transforming a group that includes the in-form Cam Guthrie and fresh Patrick Dangerfield.
However, he has been here before admitting the result won’t mean much later in the season if the two teams meet again.
“We won’t get carried away with the win. It won’t make us the best team in the competition because we beat them at home but what it does say to our players is the things we have been working on can stand up against the very best teams.” Scott said.
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