COACH Paul Roos has hosed down expectations on draftees Christian Salem, Jay Kennedy-Harris and Jayden Hunt for 2014.

The three players were claimed in the November NAB AFL Draft, with Salem taken with Melbourne’s first pick at No.9, Kennedy-Harris next at No.40 and Hunt at No.57. But Roos was adamant that anything other than the trio simply adapting to AFL standards was a bonus in their first season.

“My expectation of the new guys coming in is that they’ve just got to fit in and they’ve got to learn some good habits and they’ve got to train hard,” he told Dee TV.

“I think the pressure comes from their peers who have come before them. There is a lot of talk about drafts now and what picks they are [taken at]. There is so much pressure on the kids coming into footy … my view is completely different. If you played one game in your first year, that’s a bonus.

“If we’re a good organisation and a good team, young players find it very hard to get into really good sides, so we want to be a really good side, where young players – no matter what [number] they’re drafted at – struggle to get a game.”

Still, Roos didn’t totally rule a line through his first-year players.

“Having said that, if they go through the stages – have a good pre-season, don’t get injured, get some good habits and work to the game plan, then there’s no reason why they can’t play.

“But certainly my expectation in year one is that they’ve got to develop some good habits and it’s really year two that they start looking at becoming a senior player.”

But Roos said experienced ball-winning recruits Daniel Cross and Bernie Vince had already made a significant impact on the rest of the Melbourne squad and would play a key role in 2014.

Although the pair has yet to play a match for the Demons, the former Bulldog and ex-Crow have made their presence felt out on the track and around the club, according to Roos.

“They’ve really added to the group – there’s no question about that. It’s not an old and experienced group as we know,” he said.  

“To get a 28-year-old and a 30-year-old, at most clubs, people would be going ‘why are you doing that?’ I think everyone understood why we were doing it here and both players have vindicated the early faith we’ve had in them.

“They’re good guys to have around a footy club. They train really hard and train really well.”  

Another key addition – young-gun Dom Tyson from Greater Western Sydney – was also making strong progress after a hamstring injury interrupted the start of his pre-season. 

“He’s starting to join in to ball work and he’s one that when you watch him train, you can see why he was an early draft pick,” Roos said.

“He’s a really smooth mover and he uses the ball well and he’s a good decision-maker. His Christmas period is important, just to get some miles in the legs … [so he can] come back and give himself a real chance to have a good season.

“His last [few] sessions, [before Christmas] have been really good.”

Roos said two younger midfield recruits – former Fremantle player Viv Michie and ex-Crow Aidan Riley – were also progressing well, although they were in different stages.

“We knew when we got Aidan that he was going to be recovering from the broken leg. There wasn’t a lot of pressure and he’s a little bit ahead [of schedule],” he said.

“I spoke to him and said ‘don’t get too ahead of yourself [because] we know there is a fair way to go’. The tendency when they go away from the club is that they try and do too much, so he’s just got to pull himself back.

“Viv’s last month has been really good, but his Christmas period is really important as well – just to get some miles in his legs and some game running. He’s a natural footballer and probably the one area he needs to improve on is his running and he knows that as well.”

Meanwhile, Roos said the prospect of experienced tall forwards Mitch Clark and Chris Dawes, combining with young-gun Jesse Hogan in his first AFL season, after he trained with the club and played with Casey last season, was another tantalising prospect for 2014.

“Mitch and Dawesy have had a lot of injuries and that’s probably a big part of the focus, just getting them through to round one next year,” he said.

“Hoges is a little bit different. He’s a young kid who’s pretty bouncy and resilient and wants to do everything. He looks like a really high quality talent and his training habits are really good. Being in the system for a year has been really important for him, understanding what it takes – he’s been super impressive.

“We’d love to get all three available for round one and if that happens, it makes us a much better team.”