HARD-at-it midfielder Brent Moloney could be in doubt for next Sunday’s clash against Sydney Swans at the MCG, but skipper James McDonald and young gun Jack Trengove are chances to return.
Moloney suffered a corked thigh, courtesy of a collision with Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands, during the opening stages of Melbourne’s shattering 11-point loss to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.
“He got a bad cork in the thigh and he'll probably stay overnight [in Perth],” coach Dean Bailey said at his post-match media conference.
“Junior [McDonald] might be a chance [for Round 17] and he was very close before he got sore in the hamstring again at training. Whether that's back related or not we aren’t sure, but we weren’t prepared to take the chance. Hopefully he can get through a week of training and be back.
“Trengove will probably be 50-50 next week. It just depends on whether or not he can manage his load well enough and get through training. [Jordan] Gysberts might be a chance to play [after a back injury], but he's more likely to come through the VFL if available.”
Reflecting on Melbourne’s defeat, Bailey said that, in a nutshell, the loss was due to a disappointing start.
“You just can't excuse our effort in the first quarter,” he said.
“That is the underlying reason that we had to fight back from being behind. That is because we were really disappointing in the first quarter, and they took their chances by kicking some good goals.”
Bailey said Melbourne’s inconsistent starts were frustrating, when it has proven it can take it right up to the likes of Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and now Fremantle.
“You need to be consistent and at the moment we are inconsistent,” he said.
“We got beaten today and only won one quarter. I've often said that we need to win more quarters and today we only won one. People look at the 10 points, but we only won one quarter and you can't win too many games doing that.
“If take our chances early when travelling interstate, it doesn’t get much simpler than that. Unfortunately the script that we were expected to follow didn’t happen in the first quarter and a half.”
However, Bailey did praise the efforts of key defender James Frawley on Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich, and the midfield work of Jordie McKenzie.
“Pav is an outstanding footballer and we don’t have too many guys his size who can be dominate in the midfield and go forward to be a real target,” he said.
“I thought Chip [Frawley] competed well against him, and his contribution for the whole four quarters was pretty good.
“And Jordie is a kid who works really hard and his performance during the game was pretty good.”
Moloney suffered a corked thigh, courtesy of a collision with Fremantle giant Aaron Sandilands, during the opening stages of Melbourne’s shattering 11-point loss to Fremantle at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.
“He got a bad cork in the thigh and he'll probably stay overnight [in Perth],” coach Dean Bailey said at his post-match media conference.
“Junior [McDonald] might be a chance [for Round 17] and he was very close before he got sore in the hamstring again at training. Whether that's back related or not we aren’t sure, but we weren’t prepared to take the chance. Hopefully he can get through a week of training and be back.
“Trengove will probably be 50-50 next week. It just depends on whether or not he can manage his load well enough and get through training. [Jordan] Gysberts might be a chance to play [after a back injury], but he's more likely to come through the VFL if available.”
Reflecting on Melbourne’s defeat, Bailey said that, in a nutshell, the loss was due to a disappointing start.
“You just can't excuse our effort in the first quarter,” he said.
“That is the underlying reason that we had to fight back from being behind. That is because we were really disappointing in the first quarter, and they took their chances by kicking some good goals.”
Bailey said Melbourne’s inconsistent starts were frustrating, when it has proven it can take it right up to the likes of Collingwood, Western Bulldogs and now Fremantle.
“You need to be consistent and at the moment we are inconsistent,” he said.
“We got beaten today and only won one quarter. I've often said that we need to win more quarters and today we only won one. People look at the 10 points, but we only won one quarter and you can't win too many games doing that.
“If take our chances early when travelling interstate, it doesn’t get much simpler than that. Unfortunately the script that we were expected to follow didn’t happen in the first quarter and a half.”
However, Bailey did praise the efforts of key defender James Frawley on Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich, and the midfield work of Jordie McKenzie.
“Pav is an outstanding footballer and we don’t have too many guys his size who can be dominate in the midfield and go forward to be a real target,” he said.
“I thought Chip [Frawley] competed well against him, and his contribution for the whole four quarters was pretty good.
“And Jordie is a kid who works really hard and his performance during the game was pretty good.”
