MIDFIELDER Jordie McKenzie says his side’s 79-point loss to Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night was a reality check.
McKenzie, who played his first NAB Cup match of the season after battling an achilles injury, said Melbourne needed to regroup quickly after a disappointing performance.
“Hawthorn is obviously a good side, and we expected them to play well,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“We probably didn’t encounter them as what we prepared for.
“It was a bit of a wake-up call to see where we’re at. We’ve got to realise the areas we’ve got to improve on, if we’re to match it against sides like Hawthorn.”
McKenzie said Melbourne’s poor start proved costly in the wash-up.
“If you give a team a six-goal jump, it doesn’t help,” he said.
“We were chasing tail early and we got it together at times, but nowhere near consistently enough.
“There are a lot of areas we need to work on before the season starts, so we’ll be doing absolutely everything to sharpen up.
“Just to get on the ground was not too bad. I played the second half, so it was good to get out there with the boys.
“I’ve got a lot of areas to work on, but I’ll get them mapped out and get back out there and work on them.”
On a personal note, McKenzie, who managed an equal team-high six tackles despite only playing in the second half, was pleased to get through unscathed after a tough summer.
“It’s been a very frustrating pre-season. It always is, when you’re watching the boys and you’re not training,” he said.
“But that’s part of footy - you learn to know your body, and hopefully I’m getting on top of it now.
“But it’s definitely been a frustrating pre-season.”
McKenzie said that game time and match fitness were now his priorities leading up to round one.
“I’m just now back into full training, and I’m trying to get in as much work as I can and get up to speed with the rest of the boys,” he said.
“So I’ve still got a bit of work to do.”
Meanwhile, McKenzie said the events surrounding teammate Liam Jurrah during the week didn’t interfere with the team’s preparations.
“It’s obviously been an indifferent week, and you’ve just got to put all those things aside and concentrate on preparing for the weekend,” he said.
“All the boys did that well, but we obviously didn’t carry it out tonight.
“But, as far as our preparation went, we didn’t let it sidetrack us, so it was a pretty professional approach from the boys. That’s what you’ve got to do at the top level.”
McKenzie, who played his first NAB Cup match of the season after battling an achilles injury, said Melbourne needed to regroup quickly after a disappointing performance.
“Hawthorn is obviously a good side, and we expected them to play well,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“We probably didn’t encounter them as what we prepared for.
“It was a bit of a wake-up call to see where we’re at. We’ve got to realise the areas we’ve got to improve on, if we’re to match it against sides like Hawthorn.”
McKenzie said Melbourne’s poor start proved costly in the wash-up.
“If you give a team a six-goal jump, it doesn’t help,” he said.
“We were chasing tail early and we got it together at times, but nowhere near consistently enough.
“There are a lot of areas we need to work on before the season starts, so we’ll be doing absolutely everything to sharpen up.
“Just to get on the ground was not too bad. I played the second half, so it was good to get out there with the boys.
“I’ve got a lot of areas to work on, but I’ll get them mapped out and get back out there and work on them.”
On a personal note, McKenzie, who managed an equal team-high six tackles despite only playing in the second half, was pleased to get through unscathed after a tough summer.
“It’s been a very frustrating pre-season. It always is, when you’re watching the boys and you’re not training,” he said.
“But that’s part of footy - you learn to know your body, and hopefully I’m getting on top of it now.
“But it’s definitely been a frustrating pre-season.”
McKenzie said that game time and match fitness were now his priorities leading up to round one.
“I’m just now back into full training, and I’m trying to get in as much work as I can and get up to speed with the rest of the boys,” he said.
“So I’ve still got a bit of work to do.”
Meanwhile, McKenzie said the events surrounding teammate Liam Jurrah during the week didn’t interfere with the team’s preparations.
“It’s obviously been an indifferent week, and you’ve just got to put all those things aside and concentrate on preparing for the weekend,” he said.
“All the boys did that well, but we obviously didn’t carry it out tonight.
“But, as far as our preparation went, we didn’t let it sidetrack us, so it was a pretty professional approach from the boys. That’s what you’ve got to do at the top level.”
