THERE were no surprises at Melbourne’s training session on Wednesday morning, with the boys taking plenty of shots on goal.
The Demons’ inaccuracy cost them victory against Adelaide in Round 11 and Michael Hibberd acknowledged it’s an area that requires instant improvement.
“We do a little bit of goal kicking every week, but I guess after the weekend’s missed opportunities, we thought we’d put a bit more time into it and it looked like the guys were kicking a bit straighter,” Hibberd told Melbourne Media after training.
The playing group spent a portion of the session lining up the goals, ensuring their routines were back on track.
While the Demons were clearly off target against the Crows, Hibberd is confident some good results aren’t too far away.
“We are playing some decent footy,” he said.
“There’s always room for improvement, but we’re getting a lot of opportunities forward of centre.
“As long as we capitalise and focus on the things that we talk about in the meetings and in the vision, we can get some more wins.”
The red and blue will have to be at their best on Monday when they face last year’s grand finalists, but Hibberd thinks his side’s form line will stack up.
“I think Adelaide are a really good team and obviously West Coast a few weeks ago, we played some really good football against,” he said.
“Collingwood, as well, are a great outfit. We just need to make the most of our opportunities and put the score on the board.
“You’re starting to see the brand of footy that we like to play – contested, like you saw a bit last year – so this weekend we’re ready to go.”
With a nine-day break between games, some injured Demons will be given every chance to play in the Queen’s Birthday match.
Steven May looked at full fitness out on Gosch’s Paddock, while Christian Salem and Alex Neal-Bullen also completed the entire session.
Harry Petty was running laps as he hopes to return from a knee injury, while Jake Lever (ankle) and Marty Hore (calf) will be pushing their case for selection when they join in with the main group on Friday.
