2½ MONTHS

[Demonland 73,139]

2½ MONTHS by Whispering Jack

Time flies. 

It's close to 2½ months since the 2011 season ended for the Demons and, for the fans, this period has been dominated by two major sets of stories, one negative and the other positive.

The first has been the fallout from the disappointment of a season that went decidedly pear-shaped for the Melbourne Football Club. The team, with its young list was expected to continue its trend of improvement in 2011 and a finals appearance or two was not considered out of the question. That never happened. Instead, the club laboured under the strain of injuries, poor form, question marks over the game plan and the dark grey cloud of the Scully saga. 

Ultimately, Dean Bailey was sacked, the team limped into 13th place and Scully, as predicted by most in the football world, accepted a lucrative offer to join the AFL's new franchise, the Greater Western Giants.

All of these issues have resurfaced in the past 2½ months. The MFC board's sacking of Bailey and the extension of CEO Cameron Schwab's contract continue to be questioned in some quarters from time to time and, in the case of the Scully saga, the young man's credibility over comments he made during his last season at the club was significantly damaged by further revelations including those surrounding his father's employment as a recruiter and the AFL's decision to include his remuneration as part of that club's salary cap. The state of Scully's injured knee which limited him to just ten games in 2011 also continues to come under scrutiny.

Indeed, the Scully situation degenerated into farce with various media pieces including comments from the youngster, some of which contradicted statements made by him early in the year ("I know my future's here and I anticipate I'll be here for the rest of my career") while others, such as the Age article Courage under fire published on Remembrance Day, border on absurdity.

The suggestion made on this of all days, that it took courage for a 20 year old to accept a playing contract that will reportedly see him collecting $2m next year while his father also gets paid between $100,000 and $200,000 is risible and an insult to the intelligence of readers.

Still, life goes on, Scully is now the property of another club and that club continues to have major problems of its own as it prepares for its debut season in the AFL.

On the other hand, the really big story of Melbourne's off season so far has been the seamless way in which Jim Stynes' reluctant deputy Garry Lyon has made every post a winner in restoring stability to the club after the firestorms of July and August. This has led to a total overhaul of many of the club's structures, in particular the troubled football department, the appointment of new coach Mark Neeld and a bevy of new assistants,  new football department head Neil Craig (invaluable with his coaching experience and sports science background) and the club's head of strength and conditioning David Misson.

Neeld set an instant example with his proactive role in securing Mitch Clark in the club's first major recruiting coup in over a decade. The way in which this was achieved demonstrates that Neeld is a man who gets things done.

Neeld and Misson were  both lured from Collingwood and St Kilda respectively - two clubs that have featured strongly in recent grand finals. They know what it takes to win premierships and, as this article by Mark Stevens in today's Herald Sun suggests - Mark Neeld's hardline approach to lift Dees out of the doldrums - they have literally hit the ground running in their quest to raise the standards of their young list to those required to achieve success in the elite form of the game. The same message appears in today's Melbourne Age article by Michael Gleeson entitled  "Neeld's blank canvas".

Neeld is giving the place a much-needed shake up and no player will be immune from his direct approach. He swiftly laid down the law with Colin Sylvia over that player's recent late night activities and has made it clear at a number of levels that past reputations mean very little to him as he sets about "challenging people, respectfully".

This is the good story of the off season to date for the Melbourne Football Club and one which should pale thoughts of the departed Scully to the oblivion where they belong.

The many young, talented players on the club's list are being challenged as they never have before and we can expect some major changes in both body shape and attitude from many of them. Some, like Rohan Bail and rookie Dan Nicholson who have hitherto been very much unheralded, are thriving at early pre season training sessions. Others are finding out just how tough life will become under the new regime.

The Stevens article mentions that it will be imperative for Liam Jurrah to work "as hard defensively as when a goal is on offer". Neeld's stern advice to number one draft pick Jack Watts has also been noted - Lift your game Melbourne Mark Neeld tells Jack Watts.

The player whose progress I will watch closely is Cale Morton, taken at No.4 in the 2007 draft, but whose development seems to have stalled in the past two seasons. The impression gained from watching him on the ground is that he lacks confidence although he clearly has talent and ability. When I met him at a dinner attended by some club supporters and a handful of young Demon players (including Scully) late in the season, I found him to be anything but the shy and reserved person I was expecting and, indeed, he came across as the most impressive young man of the group. 

I hope that he takes up his coach's challenge head on along with his many talented young team mates as Mark Neeld's canvas begins to take shape and colour.

Another in the gun is the talented Cale Morton, who was taken at No.4 in the 2007 draft, but is yet to fulfil his potential.

"It was a similar message to Jack [Watts]. Get to know the conditioning staff and the strength staff really well. You've got four months to put yourself in the picture to play senior footy," Neeld said.

"Good luck, have a go at it, see how you go.

"I have had a chat with Cale and asked him where he thought he could play . . . and I think he told me any position except for the ruck, so that's a positive."

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