COACH Mark Neeld says the club must work together to work its way back from a shattering 148 point loss against Essendon at the MCG on Saturday night.

Neeld was stunned with his side’s performance – on the back of a dismal 79 point defeat in round one – adding that the club’s third greatest ever loss was the furthest thing that he ever expected. 

“I thought we’d get closer to the Bombers … but the scoreboard is the scoreboard and that’s the last thing you see – we understand that,” he said.

“To go back over the initial period in the game – that’s how we want to play consistently, and that’s what it looks like. There were certain plays in that period of the game that were quite reasonable and then as the game wears on – the intensity has dropped the last two weeks.

“We just asked a couple of questions of coaches and everyone as well – just to reinforce that everyone’s in it together. Everyone’s working smart and spending enough time and are working their backsides off to improve the place. There’s no easy way out – that’s clear.”

Neeld said the Demons were combative early, but it didn’t last long enough. He said Essendon defeated his side “in every facet of the game”.

“They were extremely good and they were also very, very good against Adelaide in round one, 14 days ago,” he said.

“They continued their form, and our boys couldn’t hold it and lacked confidence just after half time, and away they went.”

Neeld acknowledged his side didn’t have the running capacity to run out matches.

“Not consistently over four quarters, we know that,” he said.

“Our midfield is at the very true essence of the words ‘they’re in a development phase’.

“Nathan Jones is a very good AFL player – he carries a lot. And the other bloke we do rely on has played his second game with a rolled ankle in the first quarter, so we’re aware of that. We can do what we do, until the boys get going.”

Neeld said he hadn’t lost patience with his players, and added that co-captains Jack Grimes and Jack Trengove were the right players in the job.  

“They’re the best leaders at the Melbourne footy club,” he said.

“They are the best equipped players at this football club - you need leaders and they are the best leaders that we have.”