MELBOURNE'S decision to abort a planned SAS-style training camp won't hinder its effort to build a team mentally and physically tough enough to contend for finals in 2018, coach Simon Goodwin says.
Goodwin has vigorously defended the club's handling of the cancellation of the December camp after critics slammed the club for not going through with it.
The call to scrap the camp provided plenty of fodder for talkback radio after Melbourne's lacklustre finish to last season, when it missed the finals by just 0.5 per cent following a crushing loss to Collingwood.
Goodwin said the criticism that he and the club had copped was perplexing.
"I've been surprised with the attention that it's gathered. We build programs together as a footy club and our players are a really important part of that," Goodwin said.
"For a long time now we've been working on building people who are hard-working, competitive, resilient and that happens daily.
"So two days in a camp isn't going to define the Melbourne footy club and it's certainly not going to define how we go this year."
The cancellation of the camp came after players voiced their concerns about their wellbeing following the injuries sustained by Dom Tyson (dislocated knee cap) and Christian Salem (concussion) at the same camp the previous year.
Some players went directly to the AFL Players' Association with their concerns, while others told the club's leadership group of their anxiety about the plans.
The camp was cancelled just a week from its scheduled start.
"The timing could have been better," Goodwin admitted.
"We would've liked to have known earlier but in saying that, as soon as we found out, the leaders were fantastic and they brought it to the footy club's attention and my attention.
"We build programs together. We put it to bed really quickly and we moved on."
Goodwin said the importance of winning the footy at the contest had been a primary focus during the Demons' pre-season.
The Demons were ranked second in the competition for contested possessions in 2017, averaging 153.2 per game.
However, Goodwin said the club had noticed a distinct drop-off in that area in the back half of the season.
Melbourne will travel to the Sunshine Coast for its pre-season training camp in Maroochydore starting next week and begin its preparation for AFLX and the JLT Community Series.
"We certainly value the contest incredibly high and that's one thing that dropped away as the year went on," Goodwin said.
"We're focused on all phases of our game but that's something we need in our game, so that's been a really big focus for us throughout the summer and will continue to be as a footy club."
The Demons announced a three-year partnership with insurance company Zurich on Monday. Zurich will become the club's new front of jumper sponsor.
