Demons up for the challenge

MELBOURNE is determined to get better rather than bitter, coach Simon Goodwin has declared, after a week in the firing line.

Former star David Schwarz labelled the Demons “irrelevant” in a scathing assessment of the club’s 1-3 start to the season, having won just five games from their past 26.

Goodwin conceded that the “noise” had “filtered” its way to Manly, where the club is based, but is adamant that his players are “up for the challenge”.

“They’re not getting bitter, they just want to get better,” he said. “We understand the position that we’re in, that there’s going to be noise. It hasn’t been short of an opinion from across the board, from past players, to past coaches, to experts of the game about what should be happening.

“All I’ll say is we’re not sitting around here saying ‘woe us’. We know we need to get better, but we’re up for that challenge.

“We’re working really hard, and we want to do really well. We’re 1-3 — there’s plenty left in this season.”