Neeld is sure he can mend a down club

Melbourne Football coach Mark Neeld is taking steps towards rebuilding the Demons. Picture: Andrew Henshaw Source: Herald Sun

Melbourne coach Mark Neeld has high hopes for former Port Adelaide star David Rodan and believes his finals experience will benefit the club. Picture: Andrew Henshaw Source: Herald Sun

DAVID Rodan is a short man with a long job description at his new employer, Melbourne.

The Demons want him to win contested ball, break the lines, add some pizzazz . . . and in his downtime become a father figure.

Melbourne has been criticised in some quarters for a scatter-gun recruiting approach, but coach Mark Neeld is adamant Rodan and others were targeted for a reason.

"One of David's roles will be to take Jack Viney under his wing and give him a little bit of support on and off the field," Neeld said.

Viney, Melbourne's prime father-son pick, will be carefully managed and not rushed, with Neeld delivering more than a passing hint that the club got it wrong with another glamour pick, Jack Watts, four years ago.

"We want to do it correctly. We don't want unrealistic expectations," Neeld said.

"The role David will play with Jack we see as really important.

"There's a couple of examples at our club where there's been some unrealistic expectations on some guys and they're still battling through it now four years into their career."

Rodan, offloaded by Port Adelaide, is often derided for being a human highlights reel without a team-first mindset, but Neeld is adamant he will be an invaluable addition to a developing list.

"Why we were keen on someone like a Rodan is his experience. He'll be our most experienced player . . . he's played in finals . . . a Grand Final," Neeld said.

"When we sat down and chatted with David we acknowledged there are still certain things in his game that he needs to improve.

"We made it very clear these are the reasons we want you . . . experience, very good in contested ball, very good in clearances and you've got that dynamic speed that simply we don't have.

"There's very few perfect players, I get all that. It is his third AFL club, we're across that. We just need to make sure we're getting the balance right."

Like Rodan, other high-profile Demons newcomers Chris Dawes and Shannon Byrnes have played finals and Grand Finals. It was a key criteria when the club went hunting.

"I was really keen to get some players in who had been in really good footy clubs and had played finals or Grand Finals," Neeld said.

"There is a lot of internal leadership that can be built within a group.

"I've had finals and Grand Final experience in coaching teams. I can tell them. Leigh Brown, Dave Misson and Neil Craig the same thing . . . but it is more powerful if it comes internally from the players."

A year after recruiting Mitch Clark to be the deep forward, Dawes will be the man to play closer to goal this season, allowing Clark to roam further up the ground and help out in the ruck.

"The role we want Dawesy to play is the stay-at-home forward. I was involved with Dawesy at Collingwood when he played that role really well.

"Mitch (Clark) has got great agility and between he and Cam Pederson they will share the second ruck role. It allows Mitch to get on his bike a bit more and we're keen for that."

Neeld indicated it would have been irresponsible of the club not to chase Dawes.

"You've got a 24-year-old key position player on the move . . . the right thing for our footy club to do was go and ask the question," Neeld said.

"We're rapt. He is a minimum 100-game key position player for us."

Bringing in so many recycled players has led to questions about Neeld looking for a quick fix - a respectable seven to eight wins next year to escape the heat.

But he said self-preservation was never a factor.

"I maintain strongly that the role of a senior coach is every decision you make needs to be for the betterment of the footy club, otherwise you've got the wrong role," Neeld said.

"All the decisions we make are for three, five, 10 years down the track. I'm really big on that. I see that as my role."

Neeld said nobody should be shocked at the turnover, saying it would become more common with free agency and a tendency to more closely mirror player movement in US sports.

"In my experience (at clubs), 10 to 12 list turnovers is normal," Neeld said.

"What I can gather from the reaction of the Melbourne supporters is that's not the norm here.

"I'm really clear on the type of footy we want to play, we're really clear on the type of training we want to see and we're really clear on the type of people we want to build a culture we think will take the club forward. All the decisions we made were based around that."

Matthew Bate and Ricky Petterd were delisted, Brent Moloney and Jared Rivers walked under free agency and Cale Morton left in a fire-sale trade to West Coast.

Neeld was typically pragmatic about the exits of Moloney to Brisbane and Rivers to Geelong.

"Brent's decided with what he wants to achieve and the way he goes about it, it is best suited elsewhere. That's OK," Neeld said.

Asked if his relationship with Moloney became strained, Neeld said the pair continued to talk.

"We had regular conversations. No doubt, he must have been thinking 'Hang on a minute, this is not the way it's supposed to pan out'," Neeld said.

"Brent didn't have -- and I hope this is not seen as dumping on Brent -- he didn't have a great year."

The departure of Rivers was about the opportunity to play finals.

"He believed this was going to be his last contract, and he wanted to, if he could, ensure himself that he could play finals immediately," Neeld said.

"That's one of the reasons free agency was pushed so hard by the AFL Players' Association. That's OK."

Morton was given every opportunity, but did not fit the Neeld mould and "the Eagles offered him the opportunity to move back to Perth and continue playing footy there".

Neeld said it was an era of "more mature conversations" between players and coaches and out of all the talk it was clear Melbourne was not the best fit for Morton right now.

Asked if the prodigiously talented but frustrating Morton had the ability to bite the Dees on the backside, Neeld said: "I don't look at it like that. Everyone hopes he does do well."

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Izzy 'had no idea' about AFL: Black

Lions' Simon Black tried to give his rival Israel Folau some helpful onfield tips but Izzy just did not catch on. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail

Israel Folau excelled in rugby league but struggled to make the transition to AFL. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail

AFL great Simon Black has revealed he tried to coach Israel Folau during a premiership game last season.

But he said that even with direct instructions on how to earn possessions, his rival ``had no idea".

Late in May, the Brisbane Lions were on track to record a 100-point victory against Folau's Greater Western Sydney.

The hulking rugby league experiment was out of breath. He had had only two kicks by the fourth quarter and Black sympathised with his unrewarded efforts.

''I remember playing against him earlier this year at the Gabba, we were up by 70 and I was confident we would win.'' Black recalls.

''The ball came into Izzy's forward line so I told him where to run. I said to Izzy '... `mate, run over there and you will get the ball'. But he didn't. He just had no idea."

The Lions eventually won 132-40 and Folau finished with two kicks and five disposals.

Black's unsuccessful attempt at in-game coaching is the crux of why the State of Origin star's bold cross-code foray failed.

He simply never got it.

Folau was born in western Sydney and grew up in the Polynesian-centric Logan, near Brisbane.

AFL was not even mentioned, let alone played.

Black, Giants coach Kevin Sheedy, premiership-winning coach Mark Williams, fullback of the century Stephen Silvagni and Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton all tried to make Folau a regular first-grader.

They failed.

Sheedy tried him as a defender, a key forward and even a ruckman, which looked to be his most natural position as he did not need game sense to prosper.

When Folau received the ball, he was solid but he could not position himself to receive it.

''This saga just shows that if you have not played the game before it is very hard to come in and play it at the AFL level," Black said.

''You don't have a feel for it.

''You have a lot of good kids coming through there at GWS and Izzy might not have got a game next year.''

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss said Folau's potential in the game was hampered because he played a key position as opposed to the flanking role of fellow code-hopper Karmichael Hunt.

''It was always going to be harder for Israel,'' Voss said.

''It is harder trying to adapt to a key position where you have constant attention all the time.

''It is not just the game itself, it has to do with where you play.''

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We're not chasing Buddy yet, says Freo

MARKED MAN: Lance Franklin is set to spark interest from rival clubs as a potential restricted free agent next off-season. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

FREMANTLE has denied it is already amassing a war chest aimed at luring Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin through free agency at the end of next season.

Dockers CEO Steve Rosich left the door open to joining what is expected to be a frenzied fight for Franklin's services if he delays signing a contract extension with the Hawks.

Franklin, 25, becomes a restricted free agent at the end of next season.

Hawthorn hopes he will sign an extension as early as possible to avoid a Travis Cloke-style contract saga, potentially providing a distraction next season, but the club is yet to reach an agreement with the WA product, who is arguably the most marketable player in the AFL.

Franklin, who enjoys the Melbourne lifestyle, said he hoped to be a one-club player, but the longer this draws out, the more speculation will mount over his future.

Rosich said Fremantle could not formulate any plans for next season's free-agency period until the upcoming drafts were completed.

"Once we go through the national draft and the pre-season draft  and I think there's a possibility we could be have a live pick there - then you start to reassess and address your strategy for 2013," Rosich said.

"This would include free agency and potentially looking at experienced players, maybe former West Australian players and key position players.

"But there's a lot of things to be done and executed prior to that and they clearly impact our ultimate strategy."

Earlier this year, Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said the biggest stars in the AFL were worth $1.5m a season and that he would be prepared to offer the massive figure to lure Franklin to the Dockers.

Commenting on reports Greater Western Sydney were preparing a war chest to prise Cloke from Collingwood, Lyon said he believed the figure was realistic for select players.

"I'll tell you what, I'd give Buddy Franklin $1.5m tomorrow," a lighthearted Lyon said in Esperance during Fremantle's community camp in February.

West Coast's ability to make a genuine bid to bring Franklin home may depend on the playing futures of champion veterans Darren Glass and Dean Cox.

Glass and Cox are both out of contract at the end of next season and are among the Eagles' highest-paid players, so their retirements would free up space in the salary cap.

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Hirdy has Bombers off and running

Essendon's Michael Hurley is enjoying the club's switch to a more run-based pre-season. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

ESSENDON'S Michael Hurley has backed the switch to a more run-based pre-season, saying it could have a big impact on his aerobic effectiveness.

Speaking before he left for a training camp in Colorado, Hurley said the evolution of the game meant pre-seasons would always change.

And Essendon's decision to move away from its weight-building plan, which came in for criticism after a wave of soft-tissue injuries in 2012, sits fine with the key position Bomber.

" 'Hirdy' (coach James Hird) touched on those things that we can do, some longer distance-type running, that can harden the body and might help," he said.

"That's an area that I would like to find in my game."

The 22-year-old said a greater aerobic capacity was important to the game now as it was "non-stop".

Hurley maintains faith in the club's fitness staff to adapt and do the things required to ensure the club does not fade away as it dramatically did in the second half of 2012.

"We've got full faith in the (fitness) guys," he said. "And we are lucky enough to have the chance to go to America for three weeks, which is a new challenge.

"It (the camp) will be about fitness for starters, but also a bit of leadership as well. The leadership is coming over as well as the core midfielders."

Hurley will join nine other Bombers for 18 days on the fitness and bonding trip.

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Freo fans in rush for memberships

LINING UP: The success of Nat Fyfe and the Fremantle Dockers has sparked plenty of membership inquiries at the club. Picture: Phil Hillyard Source: The Daily Telegraph

FREMANTLE could be forced to cap its seated membership and create a waiting list for the first time in its 18-year history.

Dockers CEO Steve Rosich hailed the early interest in memberships for next season as "extraordinary" following Fremantle's gutsy finals campaign in its inaugural season under new coach Ross Lyon.

"We've got bold aims - on and off the field," Rosich said.

"And that includes being a very big footy club and that's important for us as well, because we prepare for a new stadium in 2017/2018.

"We will unashamedly give priority and preference to our current members at the new stadium, and that's an important aspect of people continuing to be a member of our footy club and becoming a member of our footy club."

Rosich said he believed it was possible the club could break its 2008 membership record of 43,654 next season and that any need for a cap on seated membership would be assessed in December.

"At this stage we're all but at the 20,000 member mark, which is extraordinary, given it's early November," he said.

"It's tracking ahead of where we thought we'd be. It's ahead of this time last year, and also ahead of our targets."

Interest was spurred this week by the release of the AFL fixtures for 2013, with Fremantle hoping to sell out its first four home matches.

The Dockers host West Coast in a Round 1 Western Derby, before Subiaco clashes against big Victorian teams Essendon, Richmond and Collingwood.

The games against the Bombers in Round 3 and Tigers in Round 5 will be played on Friday nights and telecast live on free-to-air television into the east by Channel 7.

The club's strong membership outlook is also a coup for Lyon, whose game plan was criticised as negative and one that would drive away fans by some onlookers early last season. Membership of the Eagles has long been capped because demand outstrips the small capacity at Patersons Stadium.

The club offers an "In the Wings" membership, which places fans on a waiting list for when a seat becomes available.

Any cap on seated membership is likely to present the Dockers with another problem shared by the Eagles; that of fans being locked out of games, despite thousands of seats being left empty due to members not turning up.

Despite having a membership of close to 43,000 this season, and nearing the limit of seated members of about 40,000, Fremantle's average home crowd was just 33,386.

Meanwhile, Fremantle defender Dylan Roberton has been offered a new contract by the Dockers and could yet remain at the club next season.

Roberton, 21, requested a trade back home to Melbourne for personal reasons but no deal was done during the recent trade period.

It is believed the Dockers, who understand Roberton's desire to return to Victoria, genuinely tried to offload him for next to nothing but there was little interest in his services from the Melbourne-based clubs.

The Dandenong Stingrays product is still a Fremantle player.

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Hinkley primed for coaching debut

Rival coaches Ken Hinkley and Brendan McCartney at The Oval ahead of tonight's London exhibition match between Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs. Source: Getty Images

THEY planned premierships together, but today on the other side of the world two former clubmates will be the public faces of the AFL's return to Britain.

Ken Hinkley and Brendan McCartney were part of the coaching panel which engineered two premierships in three years under Mark Thompson at Geelong.

Today Hinkley will be in charge of his first game as Port Adelaide coach, while McCartney will start his second year in the job at the Western Bulldogs in the opposing coach's box at The Oval.

"He is a lot more competitive than he gives up," McCartney said about going up against his former colleague.

"We have both known each other for a long time, we're both competitive people and we want our boys to play well on the weekend.

"We are a bit different and we used to box on a little bit at the old place. He loved some things that I didn't care so much about and things I really like he'd just say that's just part of it."

Hinkley has had a whirlwind introduction to the main gig, being introduced to his players at a training camp in Italy before arriving in London for the exhibition game.

"To get away with the boys to spend some time in Milan and now here in London, it's just a great opportunity to get to know them and your first week of coaching I think the first thing you do need to do is get to know the players that you are going to work with," Hinkley said.

"To be honest, between trying to work out if I was sleeping or standing it has been a bit hard. But we had a training run yesterday and for the first time it felt like I was coaching my team."

Both clubs will field inexperienced line-ups, with Shaun Higgins the Bulldogs' acting captain and Hamish Hartlett tossing the coin for the Power in the 16-man-a-side game.
 

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Hunt free to walk: McKenna

Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna says he would not stop Karmichael Hunt from returning to rugby league if he wanted to. Source: Getty Images

SUNS coach Guy McKenna has revealed he wouldn't block Karmichael Hunt from returning to rugby league if he ever lost interest in AFL.

McKenna, who masterminded Hunt's shock defection from the Brisbane Broncos, conceded he would be disappointed, but would not hold anything against the former Origin star if he had a change of heart.

Hunt has publicly declared his intention to remain in the AFL.

"I would try talk him out of it, but why talk him out of it if that was the case and his heart wasn't in it?," McKenna said.

"Once you've made your mind up its hard to turn them around, but I don't think that is going to happen (with Hunt), that's for sure."

McKenna said Folau's decision to leave AFL demonstrated just how monumental Hunt's rise was.

"K represented Australia (in rugby league) and won titles at the Broncos," McKenna said.

"He was elite at that sport and he came back to be the 700th player in the AFL and has had to work his way through.

"I know we finished 17th last season, but he was in our best midfield most of the year and it's a great testament to his drive and coachability."

McKenna said it was often under estimated how difficult it was to change codes.

"At times I think we do take it a bit for granted what they have to go through," he said.

"You look at K and (Sydney's) Mike Pyke is the same.

"We shouldn't see this lightly and it's massive for these blokes who haven't grown up in the sport."

Hunt has been one of the Suns' strongest performers during a pre-season altitude camp in Arizona.

McKenna praised Folau's decision.

"Only speaking from afar, I take my hat off to him to realise that he has had a go at it and he is more the man to make that courageous decision," he said.
 

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Door still open for code-hoppers

Lions coach Michael Voss says AFL will quickly move on from Israel Folau's return to rugby league. Source: Getty Images

BRISBANE Lions coach Michael Voss says the AFL should not shut the book on raiding rival sports for athletes, despite the failed Israel Folau experiment.

Folau is set to return to rugby league with the Parramatta Eels after two unsuccessful years playing AFL, where he kicked two goals valued at $1.5 million each.

Voss said the AFL's costly punt on Folau was not necessarily a failure and any move to grow the game in an expansion market was welcome.

"It has been an experiment that hasn't worked, but it could work in the future," Voss said while announcing the Lions' new major sponsor was insurance company Vero.

"Anything that reinforces our emerging markets is a good investment.

"This area is growing significantly and it must continue to grow.

"Any investment in this region is critical to AFL's expansion plans.

"Him moving back to league is highlighting that it really takes a passion for the game to make a success of it.

"Just because one doesn't work, doesn't mean another won't."

Voss stuck up for his code yesterday and said Folau dumping AFL was just a "mossie bite" the game would easily overcome.

"If it was Chris Judd or Jonathan Brown it would hurt," he said.

"Our code will carry on. It is bigger than one person.

"There's no black eye. A blemish, a mossie bite maybe."

Legendary AFL coach Mick Malthouse said Folau's stint in AFL had enhanced, rather than diminished his reputation as a footballer.

As the focus of Folau's early exit from Greater Western Sydney turned to the clamour between his prospective new employers, the premiership coach argued that the code-hopping Queenslander was now a fitter, and perhaps more skilful athlete.

"I don't think anyone's a loser out of this," Malthouse said yesterday at the Queensland leg of his book launch at the Aspley Hornets football club.

"Kevin (Sheedy) is an old teammate and an adversary of mine and he said (Folau) wasn't fit enough.

"By the end of the season he certainly was. He'll take a very strong fitness element back to the code he takes on.

"The win situation is that he had a go at (AFL). I take my hat off to him for having a crack."

Malthouse: A Football Life sheds light on Carlton's new coach and reveals some critical moments from those closing days at Collingwood, including Malthouse heading off a 2011 player revolt.

In the biographical book, Christi Malthouse wrote about her father hosing down a player petition that wanted him reinstated as head coach at the Pies for 2012.

Christi enjoyed the experience of interviewing her father for the book, insisting she learned much about the wily AFL survivor.

"No subject was off limits. It was very honest," she said.

"I found out a lot more about his upbringing, and I learnt a lot more about the way he thinks about football and what makes him tick."
 

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Port's first game without McCarthy

Port Adelaide Power footballer John McCarthy in action. Picture: Sarah Reed Source: adelaidenow

PORT Adelaide midfielder Hamish Hartlett has revealed John McCarthy's tragic death has "galvanised" the playing group.

 Set to play their first match since McCarthy's shock passing in September, Power players will be permitted to honour their former team-mate against the Western Bulldogs in London tomorrow morning.

While the exhibition match at The Oval isn't an official commemoration for McCarthy, Hartlett says the talented utility's spirit remained strong at Alberton.

"There's no doubt," said Hartlett, when asked if Port players would be sparing a thought for McCarthy before their clash with the Dogs.

"The guys have been thinking about him a fair bit. Not a day goes by that one of us isn't thinking about him in some capacity. There's no doubt it has galvanised the group.

"If players want to wear armbands or make a tribute to him they are certainly able to do that."

Charged with being Port's acting captain, Hartlett - embarking on his first pre-season without off-season surgery - is eager to make a good early impression on new coach Ken Hinkley.

"Ideally I would love to get up the ground a little bit more," said Hartlett, who played as a playmaking half-back this year.

"But to play a role, no matter where that is, I'm happy to swing in any of those lines whether it be up forward, in the midfield or in the backline."

Now with 46 AFL games under his belt in four seasons, Hartlett recognises the time to take the next step has arrived.

And by getting a head-start on summer training with team-mate Matthew Lobbe, the 22-year-old is giving himself every chance to deliver on his enormous potential.

"I've spent two or three weeks over here prior to the rest of the team getting here with Matt," Hartlett said.

"He's unbelievably diligent in his training and is fantastic to have around. It's been a frustrating first two or three years. The last couple of years have been a little bit better in terms of being able to get on the park a bit more. But not only for myself, there's a whole bunch of guys in the same category, wanting to take the next step."

Port has named a youthful 23-man squad, with recruits Angus Monfries, Jack Hombsch and Campbell Heath all set to don a Power guernsey for the first time.

Forgotten midfielder Ben Newton, who has struggled with soft-tissue injuries in his two years at Port, will be given plenty of chance to shine while Nick Salter (foot) and Cameron Hitchcock (hamstring) have an opportunity to prove they've recovered from persistent ailments.

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Hird takes aim at slow Ryder

Essendon's pre-season is underway with the Bombers focussing on fitness this summer after fading badly in the second half of the 2012 season and missing the finals.

Dustin Fletcher, Paddy Ryder and Scott Gumbleton during their 2km time trial. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

ESSENDON ruckman Patrick Ryder has already found himself in the crosshairs of coach James Hird after the Bombers yesterday reported for time-trial duty.

Hird, desperate to arm his players with a greater aerobic base this pre-season, was left unimpressed by Ryder's performance at Princes Park.

The 24-year-old finished dead last in one 2km run, despite starting with the lead group in front of several teammates.

"You've got a lot of work to do," Hird told Ryder within earshot of onlookers.

Hird was half-joking, but his intent was clear, even going on to suggest that the pair should swap jobs.

Essendon training this morning. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

One player who didn't need that message was Brent Stanton, who again proved the man to beat.
The endurance machine posted the best times in back-to-back 2km time-trials before declaring the Bombers were "on a mission" to make amends for their dramatic slide this year by returning to the finals.

Hit by a crippling injury list, Essendon lost eight of its last nine games to slip out of the top four, finishing 11th.

Stanton said there was a clear resolve among the players to turn things around next season as they kicked off their pre-season campaign this week.

"We were pretty disappointed in how we finished," Stanton said yesterday.

"We don't stand for that as a football club.

"We felt like we took a few fairly big steps this year, but it's now about maintaining that for 22 rounds rather than 15."

Essendon players hit the pavement this morning as pre-season begins. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun

Stanton's vow came as Hird revealed the Bombers would ditch their controversial weight-building blueprint in favour of a more running-oriented program.

"It's their third pre-season with us, so we can put a bit more work into them," Hird said.

"The game changes a little bit; we might go with a little bit more of an aerobic focus."

After starting pre-season training on Thursday, Stanton said he was hoping to set the foundations for a strong pre-season when he headed to Colorado today for a three-week altitude training camp.

The Bombers are sending 10 players, mostly midfielders and including recruit Brendon Goddard, to the camp.
They will assess if it is an option for the whole group next year.

"We've never done it before, so it's going to be a good experience," Stanton said.

"It is going to be a good trip to see what benefits that we do get out of it."

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