With an injury-free list and a 57-year premiership monkey off their back, Melbourne is aiming to create an AFL dynasty, with the desire to be a “great” team driving their pre-season.
Multiple premierships are the requirement and since the turn of the century the Brisbane Lions, Geelong, Hawthorn and Richmond have achieved that to put them firmly in the great team category.
A 74-point flogging of the Western Bulldogs in the 2021 grand final in Perth was just the start according to premiership-winning Demon Alex Neal-Bullen, who said he and his teammates weren’t shying away from the challenge for greater glory.
“The language we’re using … there’s a desire to be a great Melbourne team,” Neal-Bullen said on Wednesday.
“That’s something we’ve got front of mind. It’s going to be a hard challenge, but it’s one we’re willing to step in front of.
“There’s no way I’m sitting here now having one good season (and being satisfied).
“I’m a competitor. We’re all competitors out here. The time in the game is short, you want to make the most of it.”
Melbourne is laying the perfect platform for a 2022 assault on back-to-back flags with no injuries among a playing group that knows now it has to step up another level to stay ahead of a hungry chasing pacxjmtzywk.
Adam Tomlinson, one of the hardluck stories in 2021 after suffering an ACL injury, is back in full training and will inject another level of leadership for Melbourne.
The Demons have all acknowledged what it took for the three-peat Lions and Hawks, and Richmond’s three flags in four years, to keep the challengers at bay.
“We feel like we’ve got a good handle of what we’re good at, but we want to take that to another level,” he said.
“One thing they all did is they respected the game and how hard it is each year.
“That‘s something you have to have a real balance with each season, coming into a new season and understanding everyone is at the start line.
“We are now a team who have had success, so teams will definitely look at coming at us.”
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has backed his youthful list to go again, picking up only former St Kilda midfielder Luke Dunstan during the trade period late last year while bringing in a new crop of draftees, including Talk Woewodin, the son of former club champion and Brownlow medallist Shane.
Neal-Bullen said it was about taking last year’s standards up a level.
“The way we have led with our actions coming back from Christmas, many boys were running PBs (personal bests),” he said.
“For us, it’s about understanding what we have done in the past but coming back with the mentality to continue to improve. That’s on all levels.
“That’s something we have noticed from day one in our actions and our language around how we can improve this footy club to do what we did in 2021 but on another level and against different challenges.”
