KEY RECRUIT Chris Dawes says Melbourne’s training is elite and compares to when he played in a premiership with Collingwood in 2010.

Speaking post-match after Melbourne’s 95-point loss to Hawthorn at the MCG on Sunday, Dawes, who took a career high 12 marks, said the team was on the right track despite its disappointing results this year. 

“The training standards are elite - I can say that confidently, having been at a premiership side,” he said.

“The leadership is developing and [with the] recruitment, time will tell.”

Dawes said one of the biggest reasons why the pressure had been building externally was because of the efforts of the players.

“They haven’t been up to standard,” he said.

“That’s the nature of footy. The media and supporters – they’re instantly going to ask questions of the head coach, but anybody with a football brain and anybody involved within the club can see that it’s a mess that the players have got us into.

“We’re starting to take responsibility for that now - tonight (Sunday) was one of the first steps [to rectify it] and while the scoreboard doesn’t reflect it, our one per cent count – [showed] there was genuine care … I reckon you could see that too.”

Dawes said Hawthorn showed Melbourne the standard that it needed to reach.

“The effort’s been poor at times … but part of that has been basic skill errors, which we can’t afford, especially when we’re a young group,” he said.

“Sloppy errors undid us and Hawthorn, a quality side and a likely top four side, made us pay.

“That’s the standard we’ve got to get to.”