SIMON GOODWIN has expressed his frustration on his side’s clearance inconsistency after a disappointing 51-point loss to the Dogs on Friday.

In what is a skill the Dees have dominated in previous years, strength at the contest has become an area of improvement for the Melbourne side in recent weeks.

06:33

RD 21 | Post-match Media Conference | Simon Goodwin

The media spoke with Simon Goodwin following their disappointing loss against the Dogs.

“The start was incredibly disappointing, to be on the backfoot like that. They dominated us around the ball and were able to score way too easily,” Goodwin said.

“[I’m] incredibly frustrated with how we started the game, and in patches we were able to bring that back.

“But overall, [we were] just nowhere near the level required to beat a team that’s in very good form.”

The Dogs managed to win the first 10 clearances of the match, leaving the Dees chasing the home side’s tails from the opening bounce.

Goodwin vowed that the Dees would have contest as a clear focus, improvement a necessity with three rounds of the home-and-away season to go.

“Our clearance game hasn’t been anywhere near the level for a period of time now, especially against really dominant midfield groups,” Goodwin said.  

“We’ve seen a lack of our ability to win clearance, pressurise the opposition to a level, get the game back into a scramble which is really important around contest areas. It’s a big part of our game we need to work on moving forward.

“To lose ten clearances in a row, you’re giving up a lot of territory on the back of that, and that puts you under enormous pressure.

“We acknowledge it, we put our hands up…we need to get that part of our game better.”

03:52

RD 21 | Post-match Interview | Max Gawn

We spoke to Max Gawn after Melbourne's disappointing loss against the Western Bulldogs.

Max Gawn, one of the Dees’ best afield at Marvel Stadium with 44 hitouts, 23 disposals and nine marks, reiterated Goodwin’s observations.

“That was as tough of a first five minutes I’ve seen for a long time,” Gawn said.

“What’s been a pattern of ours this year with our stoppages is that we weren’t able to even it out in that first quarter until the back end of that quarter.

“We put our backs under a lot of pressure, so that’s very disappointing.”

While it was a frustrating night for the playing group, Gawn emphasised the importance of representing the red and blue jumper and how the team can do it justice in the future.

“We wrestled momentum a tiny bit through the middle of the game in the second quarter, but the second half was something that doesn’t represent a Melbourne jumper at all, and that’s very disappointing,” Gawn said.

“I still don’t think it’s bigger picture, it’s all about putting some respect back in the jumper, showing our members and supporters what it means to be a Melbourne player, what it’s like to play for the Melbourne Football Club, and the bigger picture will take care of itself.”