The Melbourne Demons thought that by hiring now-sacked coach Dean Bailey four seasons ago, that they would be on the upswing, heading towards that most sought-after of prizes - an AFL Premiership Cup. Fans had every right to be positive, with the club boasting a young list solidified by some veterans, and it seemed that the 'premiership window' was starting to crack open, and would soon be wide open.
After Saturday's 186-point loss to Geelong at Skilled Stadium - perhaps the worst moment in the proud history of the Melbourne Football Club - it is with resounding finality that the football world has universally declared the Demons' premiership window slammed shut. There is a great possibility that the window will not reopen for many years to come. Make no mistake, the club is in a lot of trouble.
Saturday's display by the Demons was horrible in every respect. There were no redeeming features about their effort. Almost to a man, they failed to run, chase, tackle, kick. They failed to do much of anything, really - except allow themselves to be taken out to the proverbial woodshed by a highly-professional and very ruthless football team. It was an embarrassment on national TV, the very worst kind of embarrassment. Everyone saw it, and everyone who saw it will remember the surgical way in which the Cats cut up the Demons.
In this era of professional seven-day-a-week football, there should be no 186-point beatings. Teams should not capitulate in the way that Melbourne capitulated. Geelong won far too easily. It was a painful thing to see, especially when you consider the Demons list and realise that they are nowhere near as bad as their losing margin on Saturday suggested. In fact, before being humiliated at Skilled Stadium, they were just four points out of the top eight. Those two facts make the loss that much more devastating. If ever there was cause to sack an entire team, the coaching staff and the football department, perhaps this was it.
Perhaps the only thing worse than the on-field turmoil is the off-field drama. There is so much politicking and too much back-alley wheeling and dealing amongst the administrators, and it is directly affecting the running of the football club. It's no surprise to hear stories emerge, stories that have many of the senior players, disappointed with the way former players were unceremoniously let go, and unhappy with the football department regime, CEO Cameron Schwab and his football advisor Chris Connolly. There were rumours, aired recently in newspapers, that senior players went to club president Jim Stynes to voice their concerns - apparently, there were many, and they were varied - about the Schwab-Connolly alliance and the future of the club with them in charge.
It looked for a long while after Saturday's defeat that Schwab would be the first casualty. Then, suddenly, the man in charge of the club's football fortunes was handed a fresh contract, at least one year, and, instead, it was Dean Bailey who was shown the door. What had been a tough weekend became much tougher for the Demons players, who had stoically rallied behind their coach when his relationship with Schwab and Connolly reportedly became a serious issue at the club.
Bailey's press conference yesterday included thinly veiled suggestions that some of his Demons teams of the past few years had tanked in order to receive the much-sought after priority draft picks. It is most certainly a revelation that the AFL, who are spending numerous media minutes each year denying that teams tank for better draft choices. Bailey's words, certain to not endear him to his old club, perhaps represents the first solid proof that tanking exists in the league.
Into all of this comes club legend Garry Lyon, who says he will reluctantly step into the role Football Director if Jim Stynes asks him to. Lyon was a part of the group who recommended Bailey as the next head coach at the club. Now, if the rumours are correct, Lyon was part of the group trying to undermine Bailey. And the sacked coach's reply of, "Ask him," when that very question about Lyon makes you wonder some more. It is a toxic environment at the moment. Lyon's complete role in this situation may never fully be understood. One thing is for certain, as a proud Demons man, he could not have been happy with what he saw on the field on Saturday. In fact, he was probably sick to his stomach.
Something strange happened over the weekend. Senior players and coaches apparently travelled to Geelong, believing, for whatever reason, that Schwab was on the way out. Instead, in the chaotic aftermath of the disastrous loss to Geelong, the CEO was given a new contract and it was Dean Bailey who the Demons chose as the scapegoat figure. And Bailey is now gone, with suggestions of tanking as his final 'present' to the club.
This afternoon comes the news that caretaker coach Todd Viney doesn't wish to pursue the role full-time, that he was only taking over for the remainder of the season as a favour to Stynes. So the Demons must look for a new head coach...and hope that the stories arising from their massive loss to Geelong do not scare the best candidates off.
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