CAPTAIN James McDonald says key forward Brad Miller will be pushing strongly for a recall this round, after he booted 10 goals for Casey against Gold Coast in the VFL on Saturday.
But McDonald hinted it would be difficult to select this Sunday’s side against Hawthorn at the MCG, due to Melbourne’s winning form and its growing depth.
“He turned it on against Gold Coast at Casey,” he said from AAMI Park on Monday.
“We’re in a really good position, which we haven’t been in for a while, where we’ve got a lot of pressure on spots at the moment.
“We’ve got a lot of good players - Matthew Bate, Brad Miller and Cale Morton - who didn’t play on the weekend. And Jack Grimes and Brent Moloney were still out of the side [through injury].
“So it’s an indication that we’re starting to get a bit of depth to our side.”
Midfielder Brent Moloney is a chance to return, after he was a late withdrawal against Richmond on Sunday, forcing him to miss his third match in succession with a thigh problem.
“We’ll just have to see how he gets through training, but I’m pretty sure if he can get through training that he’ll probably be a good chance to come in,” McDonald said about Moloney.
But the skipper is now starting to regain some match fitness, after playing the past two matches in a row. McDonald missed much of the second half of the season with a hamstring injury.
“I got a bit cold through June and July, so I just put the feet up and let the young fellas do the work,” McDonald said with a laugh.
“The hamstring is pretty good now, so every week I’m getting a bit more match fit and it’s coming along really well.”
With the emergence of the team in recent weeks, the 33-year-old was always optimistic about tasting some of the spoils.
“I always hoped to [be around to the see some success]. Obviously it’s taken a while and that’s the path we’ve gone down and we’ve invested a lot in our young players through draft picks,” McDonald said.
“All you can do is try and speed up the development of these players and hopefully I’m still there to enjoy some of the success.
“I know Dean always said, when he first got to the club, ‘never put any limits on young players, because you just don’t know what they’re capable of’.
“But to be honest, we’ve still got a lot of work to do and we’re a long way off the Geelongs, St Kildas, Bulldogs and Collingwoods, so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.”
Meanwhile, McDonald indicated video technology for goal umpires could be the way forward, given some decisions came under the spotlight in round 19.
“It’s probably been a pretty big issue this year with a lot of goals … it’s probably something the AFL has to look into, but I don’t know what the answer is,” he said.
“The speed of the game and a lot more pressure is on now, so maybe there is an opportunity to bring in some video reply, because you’d hate to see a grand final decided by a human error.
“Maybe a video? Something like the cricket, where you can have two challenges or something throughout the game, where you can use it. I’m pretty sure the AFL will be able to work it out.”
But McDonald hinted it would be difficult to select this Sunday’s side against Hawthorn at the MCG, due to Melbourne’s winning form and its growing depth.
“He turned it on against Gold Coast at Casey,” he said from AAMI Park on Monday.
“We’re in a really good position, which we haven’t been in for a while, where we’ve got a lot of pressure on spots at the moment.
“We’ve got a lot of good players - Matthew Bate, Brad Miller and Cale Morton - who didn’t play on the weekend. And Jack Grimes and Brent Moloney were still out of the side [through injury].
“So it’s an indication that we’re starting to get a bit of depth to our side.”
Midfielder Brent Moloney is a chance to return, after he was a late withdrawal against Richmond on Sunday, forcing him to miss his third match in succession with a thigh problem.
“We’ll just have to see how he gets through training, but I’m pretty sure if he can get through training that he’ll probably be a good chance to come in,” McDonald said about Moloney.
But the skipper is now starting to regain some match fitness, after playing the past two matches in a row. McDonald missed much of the second half of the season with a hamstring injury.
“I got a bit cold through June and July, so I just put the feet up and let the young fellas do the work,” McDonald said with a laugh.
“The hamstring is pretty good now, so every week I’m getting a bit more match fit and it’s coming along really well.”
With the emergence of the team in recent weeks, the 33-year-old was always optimistic about tasting some of the spoils.
“I always hoped to [be around to the see some success]. Obviously it’s taken a while and that’s the path we’ve gone down and we’ve invested a lot in our young players through draft picks,” McDonald said.
“All you can do is try and speed up the development of these players and hopefully I’m still there to enjoy some of the success.
“I know Dean always said, when he first got to the club, ‘never put any limits on young players, because you just don’t know what they’re capable of’.
“But to be honest, we’ve still got a lot of work to do and we’re a long way off the Geelongs, St Kildas, Bulldogs and Collingwoods, so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.”
Meanwhile, McDonald indicated video technology for goal umpires could be the way forward, given some decisions came under the spotlight in round 19.
“It’s probably been a pretty big issue this year with a lot of goals … it’s probably something the AFL has to look into, but I don’t know what the answer is,” he said.
“The speed of the game and a lot more pressure is on now, so maybe there is an opportunity to bring in some video reply, because you’d hate to see a grand final decided by a human error.
“Maybe a video? Something like the cricket, where you can have two challenges or something throughout the game, where you can use it. I’m pretty sure the AFL will be able to work it out.”
