MELBOURNE
Grade: A
Record: 14-8, 4th on ladder
What went right?: At their peak, Melbourne played some of the most attractive and damaging attacking football of anyone in 2018. They made the finals – for the first time since 2006 – and they won two, losing horridly in a preliminary final to West Coast in Perth. Christian Petracca took another step toward becoming an elite midfielder, Clayton Oliver was a force to be reckoned with all season and Tom McDonald became an ominous forward target. That they made the finals and won two was arguably worthy of an A+ mark, however, it is hard to grant them that given the manner of their elimination.
Max Gawn celebrates against the Hawks during the Demons semi-final win.
What went wrong?: Three key injuries hampered their season – Jack Viney (who returned for finals), Jake Lever (ACL in round 11) and Jesse Hogan (missed finals). The Demons should have made the top four, although it is unclear if that would have helped them qualify for a grand final. Meager losses to Hawthorn and St Kilda, for example, would have ensured a higher finish. Same goes for their after-the-siren loss to Geelong.
Likely best and fairest: Max Gawn. He was a colossus throughout the year and when he was firing so were the Demons. Gawn’s aerobic capacity was awe-inspiring, which aided his ability to take intercept marks in the defensive 50 when Lever became injured. Will be interesting to see how he is used when Lever returns in 2019.
One thing they need: Some outside run would absolutely make Melbourne a stronger side. Andrew Gaff would take them to the next level in that respect. At their worst, the Demons had too much of a contested focus and were smoked on the outside. Could Jayden Hunt get more of a run now that Bernie Vince has retired and Jordan Lewis’ future is up in the air? He would also help them, and would give Neville Jetta a chop out when it comes to defending smaller forwards.
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