We went into the pre-season wanting to improve our fitness and our skills, particularly our kicking - we've spent a lot of time on that. Our statistical information suggests we're stronger and fitter than last year.
Outside some of the long-term injuries we've had, our soft-tissue injuries have been pretty low. That's a reflection of our pre-season. But we're last at this point in time, but I think we've shown better passages of play than last year.
We've played at a higher level for longer, whereas last year we showed glimpses. We haven't won enough quarters, but we've showed at times we can move the ball reasonably well. That'll certainly be a focus for the next 11 weeks.
We'll just back our skills and fitness, try and take the game on, rather than playing a completely defensive game. The game is about being good decision makers between the arcs and we've got to make better decisions so we get a better result inside 50.
"Competitive" has been a word used in your time as coach. Aside from three poor matches (two against Collingwood and one against Port Adelaide), do you believe the team has been competitive in the other eight matches?
Yeah, I think so. We let ourselves down against Port Adelaide and certainly the two Collingwood games - we played poor halves against them. That really hurt us with the ease they did it - that was disappointing.
Last year we gave up a lot of easy goals. This year we've given up less, but we're still giving them up. Those three games in particular, we coughed up easy goals.
Those three were disappointing, but the rest of them, we've hung in there this year and been more competitive than last year - I've got no doubt about that.
Most people understand where Melbourne is with its development. But the team received some criticism after the Queen's Birthday loss to Collingwood in round 11, particularly in last Saturday's Herald Sun. What was your reaction to that?
It's got nothing to do with any criticism - it is what it is. Youth and inexperience is no excuse for a competitive attitude. The game doesn't know how old you are.
We've gone down the path of developing, so we have a core group of players who are playing a lot of footy together. From our stats, research and analysis, that's the best way to do it and we think that's the only way we can do it.
Along the way we're going to get criticised. I don't take any exception to constructive criticism that was put forward - not at all. We are where we are. We've won one game, so we're not hiding from anything.
We've been fairly open with where we intend to take the group. Along the way, people are going to question and query. It (the article) was described as 'Under the Radar' and maybe because the attention was on the other clubs, we were just in the background.
And people have said: 'We know where Melbourne is at'. So they've left us alone to some degree, but it is part of the game and people are under the microscope - so be it.
Aside from Sam Blease, who is out for the rest of the season with a broken leg, do you expect Liam Jurrah, Rohan Bail and Tom McNamara - three players who have spent most of the year in Casey's senior team - to play in the second half of the season?
Liam's form in the last couple of weeks has been pretty good, so he's obviously under some consideration for this week.
Tommy Mac has been a bit up-and-down. He's had a few injuries, but he's shown some really good signs. Tommy fell into the draft by a couple of days when he was the youngest drafted in 2007. He's got a really good footy head on him.
Tommy was just starting to show some true form in the VFL, but he got injured and needs continuity in his training and playing. If he can prove that, form will determine if he plays.
Bail played in the pre-season. He's got a big motor and we needed to give him a taste early, so he could realise how far away he was. At the moment, he's had a couple of really good VFL games, but he's still a work in progress.
It'll be based on form for all three of them, but if they can play well consecutively for two or three weeks in a row, they'll be considered for selection. But at the moment, we've got a lot of players available to pick from.
With Shane Valenti and Jake Spencer upgraded for long-term injury duo Colin Garland and John Meesen, will Jordie McKenzie or Daniel Hughes be looked at as one of the eligible rookies to play seniors now?
Again, if their form warrants it, we'd have to look at them. They're like the other blokes: if they're playing really well and they deserve the chance, then we'll seriously consider them.
Now that Jack Watts has played his first AFL match, how do you look back on his debut and the build-up that came with it?
We thought he did enough sessions and physically we thought he could handle playing AFL footy. It happened to be Queen's Birthday and a big game for us, so he got that experience, which I think is invaluable - his first game was spent on the MCG in front of a big crowd. That'll challenge where he's at and challenge him to get better.
He's very competitive and has a real inner drive, so I reckon it was a great opportunity for him and I reckon it's going to hold him in good stead. He'll play against the Bombers on Friday night.
Again, it's always been about management, because he's just turned 18 in March and he's got a very busy life. His school and football are important to him. We've got to manage him on a week-to-week basis.
Sam Blease (leg), Simon Buckley (groin), Colin Garland (foot), John Meesen (foot) and Austin Wonaeamirri (knee) are sidelined with varying timeframes. How are they progressing in their rehabilitation?
Blease is out for the year. Sammy's injury was just an accident at school and although it was disappointing - we would've loved to have had the opportunity to play Sam at some point this year, if his form and body was up to it.
'Bucks' has had a really disjointed season. He's showing some positive signs in his training, which is really good. I'm not sure how far away he's going to be, until his body starts to progress. He's really a week-to-week basis, without putting a timeline on it.
I doubt Col will be able to come back and play this year. It would be a huge effort from him, but it's a matter of whether we put that pressure on him. He's out of the moonboot and he's starting to swim.
Meesen is out of the year, which is disappointing, because he was showing some good signs for a couple of weeks there, which was great.
Aussie has had terrible luck. He tore a lateral meniscus and at the moment, he's still rehabbing, so he's probably another three or four weeks away from training and playing. From round 16 onwards, I'd like to think he'd be available. It's disappointing because we've missed out on putting 16 or 17 games into Wonaeamirri this year. Just before the Hawthorn NAB Cup game down in Launceston in February, Aussie was flying and had set himself up for a fantastic year, but he had a hamstring injury and now this. It was going to be a promising year from what he had built on last year.
With the second half of the season, comes talk about the draft. Melbourne's situation could result in a priority pick at No.1 and already names are being bandied around. How will the club deal with draft speculation in the period?
We've got 11 games to go and our intention is to try and pick a team that'll give experience to young players and still give us a chance to win the game. You coach to win and players play to win - that's not going to change, hasn't changed this year and it's not going to change in the future.
In many respects, next season will be your greatest opportunity to put your stamp on the list, as you inherited the list with several players contracted for 2007-08. Do you expect to make many list changes at the end of the season?
We'll certainly keep that in-house, when we're talking about players, contracts and futures. That'll be done between the club, the player and his manager. It'll be done as professional and openly with those players and managers as we can.
We'll sit down at the end of the season and decide how many draft picks we really need in this particular draft and that'll determine how many players who may or may not be moved on. I certainly won't be going into any names.
It's just over a year since Jim Stynes became president. How have you found the new board and the direction the club is taking?
With Jimmy and the people he was able to canvass onto the board, they have all been very, very successful people. They all have the same passion as the last board had - they'll all trying to help the Melbourne footy club.
Jimmy has brought a lot of trust back into the club. Cameron [Schwab] has also come in and not only built on that trust, but also tried to reposition the footy club for the future with Casey, the MCC and the development of the Melbourne Olympic Park Trust.
There are a lot of good things happening at the club, which is certainly looking towards the future and not just living in the past. We need to develop our own future and our own area. 'Schwabby' has been fantastic with the strategic direction he's taking.
The club has got a really exciting future, but we're starting from a very low base. To attract 31,000 members is great - it's unbelievable support and I'm sure we'll get the same support this year with the 'Debt Demolition'.
31,000 members are saying: 'We want to come along for the journey, we want to be with you and we want to support you'. We know there are going to be some hard times ahead, but after this period, we know there is going to be some success.
To have that supporter and membership base is phenomenal. The Melbourne supporters and members I've met are incredibly passionate and very loyal to the club. It's fantastic to have that support and the players appreciate it, particularly the times that we're in.
And finally, how are you finding the role, almost two years since your appointment?
I really enjoy what I do. I get to work with young players and a really exciting football department. I've got no complaints.
The only thing we strive for at the moment is improvement. I know where the list is at and I know where we can get the list. As long as the players and morale develops and the application and attitude towards developing each other improves - then we'll get there.
There is a really nice jelling among the players. When you become a teammate, that's great, but the really good teams develop mateship - and they are good mates. When your teammates become really good mates, you can build a really strong bond among them and anything is possible.
I'm enjoying the challenge - it's a great challenge to take the club from where it's at and as far as we can. I enjoy coaching the players so it's easy for me to be very positive about it.
But at the end of the day, we've got to show that improvement. We've got to show our members, our sponsors and our future members. We've got to give them a reason to buy a membership and come and watch us play.
That's in the development stage, but we need to continue that … so we can get people to come and watch us play, because players love playing in front of big crowds.
