Melbourne midfielder Jack Viney has confirmed the club has addressed concerns surrounding the body language of a number of veteran players and leaders during the Demons' heartbreaking six-point loss to the Western Bulldogs last Sunday.
Key forward Jake Melksham was seen giving a pair of young guns a spray during the game, while Christian Petracca directed frustration towards rising star Harvey Langford after he ignored him inside 50, despite Langford's disposal resulting in a goal for Kysaiah Pickett.
Viney highlighted that the frustrations from these club leaders stem from their desire for the club to succeed, but admitted there is a time and a place for the instances of emotional feedback.
"We've obviously got some pretty competitive and passionate individuals, which, at times, can boil over," Viney told media on Friday.
"We've addressed it internally, and it's something that we've spoken about throughout the season, because we believe it impacts the next play. For that split second, it takes us away from playing the game, so it's something that we've addressed."
However, Viney believed it's something the team isn't expected to eliminate completely as two Finals-like contests remain on the fixture, with games to come against Hawthorn and Collingwood.
"Being passionate and competitive humans at times, it can flare up again," Viney said.
"It's kind of a natural reaction in times of frustration, but it's something that we don't want to see too much.
"We do think the quicker we can move on from mistakes [the better]. Football is by no means a perfect sport, so there's going to be plenty of mistakes out on the field. The quicker we can move and stay involved in the play, the better and more consistent we'll be as a team.
"It's something we've addressed, but we know it's going to flare up from time to time."
The concerns surrounding Melbourne's culture have plagued the playing group throughout their 2025 campaign as they've struggled to rebound from a disappointing 2024 season, winning just seven games so far, resulting in the sacking of premiership coach Simon Goodwin.
However, the Demons have made progress in finding their next senior coach, with the club releasing a statement on Thursday announcing the panel of selectors, which includes Essendon great Jobe Watson and former St Kilda coach Alan Richardson.
Viney said the group is "rapt" with the panel and has placed his full confidence in the six members to make the right decision.
"[The panel] is a big step in the process of finding the new head coach. All the players are rapt to see that progressing and hopefully we'll have one sooner rather than later," Viney said.
"I'm putting a lot of trust in the panel to make the best decision for the football club. So, I'm really going to put my trust in those guys and try to finish this season off strong and focus on my role this last couple of weeks."
While Viney wouldn't label any candidate as a preference, the 31-year-old expressed his admiration for Nathan Buckley, one of the favourites for the job.
"I don't think there were too many people who weren't a fan of 'Bucks' growing up," Viney said. "Obviously, [he was] a terrific player. I loved watching him growing up."
