MELBOURNE CEO Gary Pert has deemed the Demons’ on-field consistency as the key to Finals’ success.

Speaking at the club’s annual Member Forum on Thursday night, Pert addressed Melbourne’s woes of recent years, outlining the areas of focus for 2021 and beyond.

“When I talk about consistency on-field, I’m talking about two aspects of that, that came through very strong in the review,” he told members in the online event.

“It’s the consistent performance within a game – I don’t have to remind members that there were quite a few games where we would win two quarters, maybe even three quarters, but then there’d be a 10-minute period where if our performance wasn’t maintained, teams were able to kick enough goals to get over the top of us.

“It’s the inconsistency between games too.

“There were plenty of times you would see us play one of our great games and feel like we were really getting a program together that was going to take us forward.

“But just too often, a week or two later, between our best performance and what was delivered [was not good enough] – these are the opportunities for us to get better.”

Melbourne’s unpredictability proved frustrating for the club and supporters alike in 2020.

From a lacklustre performance against Port Adelaide to the debacle that was Cairns, the differentiation was stark – and ultimately led to a failed mission.  

“When you have a season where you finish one game out of the finals you start to see how that inconsistency can have a very big impact,” Pert said.

“We see this as the difference between the top six teams and us and where we sit.

“We see our best football as good as a Geelong or a Richmond that play off in a Grand Final, but our drop off in a game or a drop off between weeks is what sets us apart from those teams.”

And if the Dees want to be up there with the best, they know exactly what they need to do.

“The best teams are the ones that can execute consistently – this real commitment to standards and disciplines,” Pert said.

“While its driven through the whole football program, it will be a very big focus and it’s a priority of our program, of the players taking real ownership.

“They’ve got to own it, they’ve got to drive it, they’ve got to hold each other accountable.

“These are the consistent elements that can make a difference.”

Hear more from Melbourne's CEO below.