‘Insanity’:
Evil spirits burnt for ‘boring’ strategy that’s reverse discharges ‘on repeat’
They may be the ruling AFL premiers but the Evil presences have been encouraged to settle a “boring” strategy that undermines to crash their season.
Melbourne has been encouraged to alter a stressing slant and rediscover its assaulting energy ahead of its must-win clash against Brisbane on Friday night.
The Devils claimed a exciting five-point win over Carlton on Saturday night much appreciated to a last-gasp objective to Kysaiah Pickett.
It was a pivotal result for Melbourne and sets up a blockbuster diversion against the Lions at the Gabba.
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The Evil presences and Lions are two of four groups break even with on 60 focuses heading into the final circular of the season and chance lost out on a twofold chance in finals in case they lose.
That would be a fiasco for Melbourne, who begun their prevalence resistance with 10 successive wins but have fallen back to the back in the moment half of the season.
But the Demons’ ball development from protective 50 to forward 50 has been positioned the moment most exceedingly bad out of all groups since circular 16 and has come beneath genuine examination.
Within the final quarter against Carlton, guard Steven May selected to kick to the cleared out side of the ground or along the boundary line from all four of his kick-ins and one other field kick. Christian Salem and Michael Hibberd did the same.
Fox Footy’s Jordan Lewis, who played three seasons with the Dees, portrayed May’s strategies as “insanity”.
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When they were challenged in the last quarter and Carlton were coming at them and were a little bit inaccurate in front of goals,” he told news.com.au.
“When Melbourne had the chance to kick the ball in, I look at it and go, ‘Are they really challenging the opposition?’.
“They didn’t once change up what they did out of a kick-in, they went to exactly the same spot on six occasions.
“So for me, it’s really the definition of insanity isn’t it, if you try the same thing over and over again and expect a different result, that was frustrating to watch.
“Why don’t they try and choose different avenues towards goal, why do they just keep going back to that same position?
“I would like to see a little bit more imagination when they kick the ball in, which I think can help their ball movement and better inside 50 connections.
“But that last quarter, it was on repeat and really the reason why Carlton had so many opportunities to go back inside their own forward 50.”
Lewis wasn’t the only one to criticise Melbourne’s conservative ball use when the game was on the line.
Leigh Montagna told Fox Footy’s First Crack “teams have gone to school” on the Demons.
“They play skinny, they play one side of the ground. Steven May goes to the same spot every single time on a kick out,” he said.
“You can start to overcommit numbers and it makes it harder for Melbourne to go through when there’s some extra density on that one skinny side of the ground.
“They do have to maybe mix it up a little bit.”
Kangaroos great David King added: “I think this is their biggest challenge right now. They are not a threat with the ball.
“They’re doing other things really well and their contest game is hard to stop. But until they get out of this boring rut with the ball, I just don’t know where I sit with them.
“There’s so many good things but they’ve lost a couple of weapons.”
But Lewis praised Melbourne for grinding out the victory against Carlton and is backing in the Demons to beat Brisbane and secure a top four spot.
“To look glass full, Melbourne found a way to win when realistically they shouldn’t have late in the game,” he said.
“Can they play better? Absolutely they can play better. But sometimes you just need to win a little bit ugly.”
“It’s a huge contest,” Lewis said of the Melbourne’s match against Brisbane.
“By their own admission, if they (the Demons) were to miss top four this season, primarily Melbourne, it would be a let-down after that start they had.”
