Melbourne’s general manager of football operations Josh Mahoney has given some insight into the thought process behind the club’s pre-season documentary series.
SEN’s Kane Cornes questioned Melbourne’s pre-season activity and the reasons for releasing To Hell and Back after coming off a disastrous 2019 campaign.
Mahoney insists the story does not only stop at the Demons’ rise to the 2018 preliminary final and subsequent fall the very next year, but it will also give a first-hand look at the club as a whole beyond what’s occurred in the past 24 months.
“The objective of the documentary is just showing the story,” he said on SEN Afternoons.
“To think about To Hell and Back is not just about last year. It’s about where the club has been for a long period of time.
“I know the club has done a lot of work with research with our supporters about how they view the Melbourne Football Club and that will dictate a lot of the work we’re doing this year.
“This is a feeling of all the supporters around the place. It’s about we’ve been through a long period of hell, if you like.
“It wasn’t all about last year it was actually for a long period of time and we’ve been working really hard over five or six years to get this club back to where it wants to be.
“And that’s to be the powerhouse that it was a long period of time ago now. It’s been a long journey, it’s really about taking our supporters along that journey.”
Mahoney also explained what the Demons have been focusing on this pre-season in a bid to quickly to arrest the subpar results and disappointment of 2019.
“It got to a stage last year where the brand of football we tried to play was unrecognisable,” he added.
“We tried to change a number of things through the year and didn’t have much success.
“So it’s about re-establishing our brand, the way we want to play and getting our players playing roles and working hard.
“Ultimately, it’s about winning games of footy and that’s what we’re all focusing on. It’s an important February and March for us.”
The Demons kick off their Marsh Community series campaign against Adelaide at Casey Fields on February 22.
See the To Hell and Back teaser below: