Ex coaches slam Melbourne's coaching decisions

Former Western Bulldogs coach Terry Wallace believes Melbourne is beating themselves as much as anything at the moment.

The Dees have dropped from third on the ladder before Queen’s Birthday Monday to hanging onto the top eight by a thread three weeks later.

“They’ve written their own ticket Melbourne, they deserve whatever they get now,” he told the AFL Nation pregame show.

“They’ve got a pretty easy draw in the run home now, so I still expect them to make it.

“Tom McDonald’s fitness, all week we knew he possibly wasn’t going to play, if they say he’s right, why was there no movement when their backline got slaughtered?”

Former Richmond coach Danny Frawley agreed, saying Melbourne took far too long to swing McDonald into defence when the Saints were opening them up in the first half.

“St Kilda forced those Melbourne defenders, Jordan Lewis, Christian Salem and Michael Hibberd, they forced them to be lock down defenders and that was a telling point,” he told SEN Breakfast.

“That’s why he needed to go back. Tom McDonald is their best defender, I’ve got no doubting that.

“We know he’s been a revelation playing forward, but he had to go back at some stage yesterday. I thought he may have been able to stem the flow.”

Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney wasn’t happy with the Dees not adjusting their forward line after St Kilda defender Nathan Brown went off with a hamstring injury.

“I don’t know why Jesse Hogan was playing so high up the ground, he needs to play deep. Especially when Nathan Brown went down with a hamstring,” he said.

“Plant him in the goal square and let him go to work there, he’s almost turned himself into another midfielder, I’d love to see him stay deep.”

Frawley believes Melbourne’s inability to sustain their best footy is what’s hurting them right now.

“They just can’t be trusted at the minute, Melbourne,” he said.

“They’re a very good team, but they’re inconsistent. What you see, isn’t what you get.”

The Dees will travel to TIO Stadium to take on Fremantle next Saturday night, where both teams will have a point to prove.

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