Dees lack strong leaders: Watts

The Demons trudge off the MCG after being thrashed by Port Adelaide. Source: Getty Images

Cartoon by David 'Macca' McArthur. Source: Herald Sun

MELBOURNE defender Jack Watts says his club is suffering from a lack of leadership and a losing culture.

Watts, 22, lamented the absence of a senior key figure, such as Geelong's Joel Selwood, who could help steer the team out of on-field trouble.

The Demons were thrashed by Port Adelaide on Sunday, prompting soul-searching talks among playing and coaching ranks.

Watts, a No. 1 draft pick, said that after years at the bottom of the ladder the team crumbled when things got tough.

"A lot of it is to do with confidence (and) mindset. We've been losing for so long now and it's 'what can you do?' " Watts said.

"You look at the good teams like Geelong and Hawthorn and Fremantle and those kind of things. You've got guys like Selwood, Joel Corey, Stevie Johnson, Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis - they stand up and they don't accept that (losing) for their club.

"We don't have anyone like that today and that's the kind of thing that we need to work on.

"That sort of culture and that grit to be able to turn those things around when momentum goes against us, because at the moment we just crumble."

Demons leaders Jack Grimes and Nathan Jones will today front the media before a closed session at Casey Fields, desperate to atone on Saturday night against Essendon.

The Dees tackle heavyweights West Coast in Round 3, followed by a clash against a young Greater Western Sydney side.

Sportsbet.com.au yesterday slashed the Dees' wooden spoon odds from $12 to $3.50 second-favourite.
GWS at $1.50 is favourite to finish last.

Watts told the club's website the Demons had to show they weren't a basket case.

"We're going to have to cop whatever we cop and we get another opportunity ... to prove ourselves that we are not a laughing stock of the competition," he said.

"We need a few blokes to stand up - myself included - and get us going the right way."

Furious fans have vented their disappointment at Melbourne's continued poor form and Watts said the club's supporters deserved better.

"They have stuck by us for this long through all of the crap that we've been through and we are going to have to change something," he said. "We are hating it just as much as everyone else.

"It is painful at the moment, but if you stick through the toughest times, the good times will be a lot more rewarding, so what can I say? Stick with us and we are doing everything we can to repay your faith."

Watts said the Round 1 hiding caught everyone by surprise.

"The feeling from the players is that we really turned a corner just with our training over summer," he said.

"That's probably the reason why it really cut us deep because it came out of nowhere and we didn't expect it at all."

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