A FRUSTRATED Tom McDonald said it is up to him to turnaround an early season form slump as Melbourne tries to figure out how best to navigate a winless start to the season.
McDonald has booted just one goal from two games, while Sam Weideman has dobbed two majors as the Melbourne forward line adjusts to life without Jesse Hogan.
FULL FIXTURE Every round, every game
Hogan's departure to Fremantle, plus the unavailability of Mitch Hannan and Jeff Garlett due to injury, has had a key impact on Melbourne's scoring power. Underlining that point, the Demons are ranked 17th for points for after two rounds.
McDonald has put the onus on himself to lift to help his team to get back on track, starting Friday night against Essendon.
WHO MAKES FINALS? Do the 2019 Ladder Predictor
"I'm a fair way off the mark at the moment," McDonald told AFL.com.au.
"I'm not having a big impact on the game at the moment so I'm just trying to find some form and work a little bit better with Sammy Weideman this week.
"I'm not where I want to be."
FULL INJURY LIST Who's ruled out and who's a test?
Melbourne's forward efficiency has been a major talking point, particularly after it kicked six goals from 72 forward 50 entries in an 80-point thumping at the hands of Geelong.
"It's not a very good ratio, six from 72. We went and watched the vision and without even trying we found eight or nine instances where blokes would have had certain goals where we've either fumbled or not seen a teammate, who is completely in the clear or just butchered it somehow – almost comically sometimes," McDonald said.
"The good news is that you see how simple it could be to clean up.
"We know where we need to get better. It's not going to happen in one week or one quarter, it'll take a little while, but I think we understand what we need to do and it's about using each other a little more and bringing others into the game without thinking you've always got to kick it long to a contest all the time."
FREE AGENTS LIST Who is in this year's pool?
With injuries to key players in attack, Melbourne has had to expose a number of inexperienced players to roles in the forward line. That has led to inconsistent performance, but McDonald said the issues were greater than just personnel.
"It's more that we're just not playing well, really. It's not about the types of players, it's just that we're not playing that well which everyone goes through and it sucks and you just wish you could click your fingers and you have that confidence back and you're feeling really good," McDonald said.
"It'll take a little bit of time, but it'll come. We'll be right."
