ON A NIGHT where Melbourne shifted its focus to 2020, Simon Goodwin explained to the members how last season can be used to help his side grow.

No one was expecting the Dees to fall to 17^th on the ladder in 2019, but in spite of the struggles, the senior coach insists there are positives to take.

“Some will say 2019 was a wasted year. From a results perspective, there’s no question, it was,” Goodwin said.

“But you never have wasted years in AFL footy.

“Our players, coaches and staff now have another example of what’s going to be required to be great and how hard this competition is.

“It’s now how we use this to build something special.”

While the Dees failed to meet expectations this year, there is no reason why they can’t bounce straight back next season.

“Many clubs have used adversity to build something special, and that’s the plan here,” Goodwin said.

“We have the foundations.

“It’s about using the learning from 2019 and building something really special and something you can be really proud of.

“What I’ve seen in the off-season is something that’s really encouraging.

“I’ve seen a playing group come together and train like they’ve never trained before.”

The full Demons playing list returned to the club on Monday for the start of pre-season, but the boys started their preparations for next season much earlier.

Goodwin has been impressed by the commitment he has seen from his players, as the entire football department knows exactly where they sit leading into 2020.

“We’re certainly unhappy with where we’re at, but we certainly have some perspective,” he said.

“There’s no doubt at the end of 2019 we all needed to take some accountability.

“It was myself, it was the players, it was everyone involved in our footy department – and that’s taken place.

“The players started that process well before the season finished, and the coaches have continued that on through the off-season.

“And we also know that it’s not just going to happen next year. We’ve got a lot of work in front of us.”