CHANGE is coming at Melbourne this off-season, and Friday night's drubbing by Sydney showed it is every bit necessary.

The 53-point defeat, in front of a paltry 23,700 fans at the MCG in the primetime slot, was another dagger in a disastrous season for the Demons and came at the hands of the 15th-placed Swans. 

If nothing else, the loss highlighted that Melbourne cannot just write off 2019 as an anomaly.

Coach Simon Goodwin has plenty on his plate after a horror season. Picture: AFL Photos

The Demons will overhaul their off-field set-up. Darren Burgess will start as the club's new fitness boss, key assistant and strategy man Craig Jennings will depart, as will former Western Bulldogs coach Brendan McCartney, a long-time assistant at Melbourne.

They are speaking to ex-St Kilda coach Alan Richardson about a coaching position, one of a large number of people the club is in conversations with according to coach Simon Goodwin.

SWANS DISMANTLE DISMAL DEES Full match coverage and stats

The changes won't end there. The Dees are considered frontrunners for Fremantle wingman Ed Langdon, and could also attempt to lure his Dockers teammate Bradley Hill, if they can fit in the sizeable contract he would warrant. 

The Demons' slow, stuttering and laborious ball movement this season has lacked a killer punch, and the Freo runners are link-up line-breakers who offer something Melbourne has lacked. The Swans' overlap run was far too strong for the Demons, a constant trouble throughout this year.

Melbourne will also be back at the top of the NAB AFL Draft, with the loss to the Swans locking the Demons in for pick No.2 (or No.3, if a priority pick is given to Gold Coast). The talent the Dees take there – be it one of highly rated trio Noah Anderson, Caleb Serong and Hayden Young – will make an impact at AFL level next season.

But trading in players and the draft are only part of Melbourne's solution. The Dees must also look within to unlock the issues that have plagued their season. There are countless to be mulled over during the pre-season. 

Let's start where every game starts: in the centre. How do the Dees make the most of having Max Gawn in his prime?

The Melbourne ruckman will win the club's best and fairest this season and again towered over his direct opponent, Aliir Aliir, against the Swans. But the Demons again failed to capitalise on his dominance in the ruck, losing clearances 37-38 and centre clearances 9-10.

Big man Max Gawn has lacked support from his teammates in 2019. Picture: AFL Photos

What's their ideal forward set-up? Melbourne's scoring power has vanished and the Dees haven't been able to fill the hole left by Jesse Hogan in attack, with Tom McDonald struggling to back up last year's heroics (he's kicked 18 goals compared to 53 last season) and Sam Weideman not yet a consistent key forward option.

Both have had season-ending injuries in the second half of the year. Would it be worth the Demons looking at out-of-favour Crows goalkicker Josh Jenkins as a ready-to-play option if Adelaide paid some of his salary?

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Why not turn Christian Petracca into a permanent midfielder? Petracca has had the most consistent season of his career this year, averaging 18 disposals and a goal a game. He has booted 22 majors for the season, making him Melbourne's leading goalkicker.

But he is a victim of Melbourne's other midfielders not being as flexible and versatile as him, so he has been used more as a half-forward than powerful and explosive clearance specialist, where his class lies. 

Would Christian Petracca be better served by playing as a permanent midfielder? Picture: AFL Photos

How do you get Angus Brayshaw back to his 2018 form? The 23-year-old has been used everywhere this season, in inside roles in the midfield, on the wing and even as a tagger. It hasn't clicked.  

What's their best mix of key defenders? Goodwin had high-priced backmen Steven May and Jake Lever together for only four games this season, so building that chemistry was near on impossible. Both need uninterrupted pre-seasons so the Dees know what's the ideal fit with Sam Frost also there.

What happens with Nathan Jones? The veteran Dee is yet to sign on for next year and although a one-year contract extension is likely, he has been shifted out of the midfield onto half-back. If he does play on, it's uncertain whether he would retain the co-captaincy.

But the last question might override the rest. How much has 2019 hurt? From premiership fancies to the worst-performed side in the competition apart from Gold Coast, the Demons' drop is unfathomable. There will be no club more closely watched this off-season.