MELBOURNE has rejected a report claiming disharmony in the coaches box on match day is the reason defensive coach Brendan McCartney has returned to a role on the bench.
McCartney had spent the first four rounds of the season sitting alongside senior coach Simon Goodwin in the box, but he will now return to bench to help fix communication breakdowns the club has identified.
The former Western Bulldogs coach had been the conduit between the coaches box and the bench over the previous two seasons.
Demons football boss Josh Mahoney said there was no friction between McCartney and the other coaches.
"(The move is) purely about the communication on the bench and utilising someone's skill, and that's the reason we've made that decision," Mahoney told SEN on Tuesday morning.
"After four rounds (the club) took the opportunity to look at all different things about what is happening with our team on the field, what's the operation look like, and how's communication.
"One thing we looked at was communication from the coach down to the bench … Brendan McCartney had been on the bench for the last two years and we thought he did a terrific job done there, so that's basically been the change.
"Rather than him being in the coach's box, he's going back down to the bench."
The Demons need to bounce back after last week's poor showing against Hawthorn, and Tuesday night's Anzac Day Eve clash against Richmond gives them a massive stage to do so.
Young key forward Sam Weideman is one several inclusions to the team, and Mahoney says 20-year-old has deserved his spot after some promising form in the VFL.
Taken with pick nine in the 2015 NAB AFL Draft and with 10 senior games to his name, Weideman will help Jesse Hogan in attack and relieve Max Gawn in the ruck.
"The most important thing is he's been playing games at VFL level, he's put on some size over the pre-season and he has an AFL body after putting on seven kilograms," Mahoney said.
"What we love about him is that he launches at the footy as a key forward, and that's all you want.
"The players can look up the ground and kick the ball to him, he's been in good form at VFL level and he's going to create a contest up against really experienced defenders for Richmond."
