Speaking post-match after Melbourne’s 88-point loss to Collingwood at the MCG, Bailey said players performing strongly at Casey would be pushing for a call-up.

“We’ll look at the team for next week,” he said.

“On today’s performance, you’d think there’d be a couple of changes.

“The guys who played well in the VFL last week - we’ve been pretty consistent in rewarding guys who have been in good form.”

Bailey said turning over the team and upping the ante on regular players would help find the answers to Melbourne’s inconsistent issues.

“We’ll just keep making a few changes to the team and keep challenging the guys who are in the team from last week who played today and they’ve got to lift their work-rate,” he said.

“It comes down to work-rate most of the time - work-rate off the ball, when you don’t have it, to work-rate when you’ve got it, to being predictable to each other.

“You’ve got to give Collingwood [credit]. They’ve set a benchmark in the last couple of years and the biggest lesson out of today is how far we’ve got to get to be able to compete with the reigning premiers and a team, which is going to be around for a number of years yet.” 

He now expects his players to rebound “very strongly next week”. 

Bailey also backed the efforts of defender Jared Rivers, who endured a tough day at the office on Collingwood forward Travis Cloke.

He said the vice-captain’s job was made difficult because of the lack of pressure from his midfield teammates.

“On a couple of occasions, it was more the lack of midfield pressure or the speed that Collingwood was able to win the turnover in the middle of the ground that gave them an easy inside 50 kick,” Bailey said.

“I thought our backs were let down by the lack of midfield pressure and we didn’t have enough midfield pressure to at least give the opportunity to compete.

“A couple of them got him over the back, but the delivery or the lack of pressure through the middle of the ground really showed … and that’s what happened really.”