Melbourne president Glen Bartlett has defended his football department and is hopeful the club can turn its disastrous season around.
Bartlett claimed the club did not need to undertake a review of its football department, despite the Demons' 3-9 start to the year.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, Bartlett believes the last 10 games of the season will be a test the club's personnel will relish.
“There is definitely no panic. I am really confident we will turn it around,” he said.
“It is frustrating not just for our supporters but everyone involved, including myself.
“Particularly the last four to six weeks where we have played the kind of footy we can we are just not getting the results for effort.
“But I have spent a bit of time in the footy department, which I hadn’t before, spent a day down there and they are working hard every day to get better. I am confident things will turn.”
Melbourne will be making several calls in the coming weeks to uncontracted players, including Nathan Jones, Jay Kennedy-Harris and Jeff Garlett.
Alongside these decisions, new AFL statistics have highlighted some worrying signs for the Dees.
Tom McDonald and Jack Viney are both in the top five players to have the biggest drop in form, in comparison to last season.
McDonald’s AFL player rating dropped by 52 per cent, whilst Viney’s rating dropped by 40 per cent.
Bartlett is confident McDonald can turn his fortunes around.
“It happens to everyone at points of your career. It is a numbers game and if the more pressure goes on to fewer it has a knock-on effect.
“It happens to all great players, he will work through it and come back strongly.
“It’s a great test for us. You find out a lot about people when we are getting tested the way we are at the moment.
“As far as I am concerned the year is not over. We have 10 games left and we expect to put our best team out on the park every week and maximise what we can out of this year, and until it’s mathematically impossible to make it. Even then the philosophy is the same, we want to finish as strongly as we can and have an influence as to who makes up the top eight.”
The Melbourne president continues to show faith in coach Simon Goodwin and believes he is still the right man for the job.
“Categorically from the board across the club we are 1000 per cent behind our footy program and Josh and Goody and it’s a real test now to really respond,” he said.
“It’s a ruthless competition and these things happen. We will come through it and we will be stronger and better for it.”
