Listening to the Jacks talking at the Foundation Heros Dinner and the key word was how HARD this year had been. The training has been HARD, the season full of losses has been HARD, the compliance to the new elite performance requirements has been HARD, etc...

And as the season has unfolded, it seems to have become evident that for some players the new elite performance requirements have simply been TOO HARD. I don't say this to belittle the players involved, it's OK to recognise that you don't have the hunger, focus or belief to put yourself through something really HARD, repeatedly. Especially if your time is limited.

For the older players they are faced with another really HARD pre-season knowing that they are unlikely to enjoy the finals success this HARD work is leading to. So we see Green retire a year after being captain of the club and two years after being All Australian. Aaron Davey will have to dig deep and work really HARD over the pre-season to regain his place in the team and the respect he deserves. Kudos to Aaron.

For other players the HARD nature of compliance with the new elite requirements combined with injuries has tested their commitment to footy and hunger to do what is required to succeed. LJ, Lawrence, Gysberts and I am sure others, have struggled to bring it week in, week out. So we see Lawrence walking out, Liam taking a time out (totally understandably) and Gysberts realising that talent without HARD work won't take him where the club needs him to be.

For others still they may not believe in what all this HARD work is about, and despite not minding working HARD, their enthusiasm for the game and the club has waned as the new focus on elite this... and elite that ... has spread throughout the club. So we see our B&F winner from last year Brent Moloney languishing and seemingly on his way elsewhere.

So while us fans have done it HARD these past years, I'd like to offer my thanks to and acknowledge all the effort and angst endured by the players this year, especially the older ones.

Footy has always been a tough game, but this year, at the MFC, it also became a HARD game.

Edited August 23, 201212 yr by PaulRB

Geez, that was HARD work to read......

I guess you're calling us a bit SOFT, then?

Where did all this stuff about Gysberts not being HARD working come from?

Personally i think it's BS and I've not heard it anywhere other than certain posters on Demonland.

Also, I think Davey was a lot better this year than the last couple so maybe he likes the HARD stuff.

Where did all this stuff about Gysberts not being HARD working come from?

Personally i think it's BS and I've not heard it anywhere other than certain posters on Demonland.

Also, I think Davey was a lot better this year than the last couple so maybe he likes the HARD stuff.

It started with the clubs feedback pre season. The reports from the club were that he was consistently at the rear of time trials, he was a fait way of the fitness level required and was struggling with the demands. To be fair though that doesn't indicate he hasn't worked hard this year, it might just mean he hadn't in previous seasons.

The club said similar things about Blease early on, but have also publicly praised his effort a few times in the last few weeks. I haven't heard them say something similar about the Gys, even giving him a slight backhander i thought after bringing him in for one game and then dropping him. But again to be fair Gysberts has a wretched run with injuries, something the club has acknowledged.

It started with the clubs feedback pre season. The reports from the club were that he was consistently at the rear of time trials, he was a fait way of the fitness level required and was struggling with the demands. To be fair though that doesn't indicate he hasn't worked hard this year, it might just mean he hadn't in previous seasons.

The club said similar things about Blease early on, but have also publicly praised his effort a few times in the last few weeks. I haven't heard them say something similar about the Gys, even giving him a slight backhander i thought after bringing him in for one game and then dropping him. But again to be fair Gysberts has a wretched run with injuries, something the club has acknowledged.

Just think Gys has HEAPS of talent and really think the things Neeld brings to MFC could/should turn him into an absolute gun.

Just think Gys has HEAPS of talent and really think the things Neeld brings to MFC could/should turn him into an absolute gun.

I agree, i'm a fan. The Gys will be a really good test of Neeld ability to develop younger players i reckon. Of course Gys will have to do the work but finding a way to motivate young players to do the work is part of the job of a coach - and it is worth noting that Neelds ability to develop players was one of the strengths the club highlighted (and presumably a key reason for his appointment).

I agree, i'm a fan. The Gys will be a really good test of Neeld ability to develop younger players i reckon. Of course Gys will have to do the work but finding a way to motivate young players to do the work is part of the job of a coach - and it is worth noting that Neelds ability to develop players was one of the strengths the club highlighted (and presumably a key reason for his appointment).

Great stuff. That kinda info gives me much more hope than a lot of the other stuff we hear.

If, as I have been told, he was behind the rapid rise of Pendlebury, then hopefully we'll see the same with the Gys.

A full pre-season and an injury free run will tell us a lot.

Dale Thomas and Wellingham have also spoken highly of Neeld and his influence in helping them take their game to another level. The man can clearly coach. I've been pleasantly surprised at Nathan Jones's superb form this year. He'd been a decent player for us, but not quite the player we'd hoped for when we drafted him. Now, he's just showing every sign of being an elite AFL midfielder in the next couple of years. I reckon Neeld's appointment (apart from Jones's hard work) has been the driving factor behind his massive improvement as a player.

I'm guessing that the 3km time trial and the beep test will be a good guide to the sort of midfielders we'll be looking at come draft time. I think Tom McDonald was given gametime early on mainly due to his terrific performances in offseason running/time trials, and he's also thrived. I'm surprised by how far off the pace some of our early picks have been in the running department. Whatever the case, it seems as though elite endurance is now mandatory for anyone wanting to rotate through the midfield.....as it should be.

Why do people keep repeating Green was All Australian?

On a similar note, or the other side of the coin, the three blokes that were leading all the endurance/fitness trials in the pre-season every week were Jones, T McDonald and Howe. Arguably those 3 have had the best, most consistent season out of everyone. Nicho was also up there and also has developed well this year.

Signs of hope, on the right track etc...

Let's hope a lot more can have a pre-season like those guys.

Yep, that's the correlation I would make.

They don't fatigue as quickly under a more physically demanding gameplan, so they tend to make less mistakes. I think McDonald's been somewhat unfairly pegged as having poor disposal by some. He's a 19 year old kid who's getting exposed to senior football earlier than he might at a better performing club. He makes skill errors at times, but i've also noticed numerous instances where he makes great decisons under pressure and uses the ball well. I reckon his disposal efficiency will improve as the team gels and they become a bit more predictable to one another. Was impressed with him the first time i heard him interviewed just after the 2010 draft, sounded like a really intelligent, switched on kid.

Yep, that's the correlation I would make.

They don't fatigue as quickly under a more physically demanding gameplan, so they tend to make less mistakes. I think McDonald's been somewhat unfairly pegged as having poor disposal by some. He's a 19 year old kid who's getting exposed to senior football earlier than he might at a better performing club. He makes skill errors at times, but i've also noticed numerous instances where he makes great decisons under pressure and uses the ball well. I reckon his disposal efficiency will improve as the team gels and they become a bit more predictable to one another. Was impressed with him the first time i heard him interviewed just after the 2010 draft, sounded like a really intelligent, switched on kid.

And importantly, those blokes that did well with endurance work in the preseason have generally done well injury wise (soft tissue). Their body appears less likely to tire early, fatigue and get hurt.

Why do people keep repeating Green was All Australian?

Who's been saying that?

And importantly, those blokes that did well with endurance work in the preseason have generally done well injury wise (soft tissue). Their body appears less likely to tire early, fatigue and get hurt.

This is why a new coach has to have at least a couple of years before judgements are made. A new game plan requires a different type of preparation, and to some extent, a different type of player. A concentration on contested footy (as opposed to the more open footy of Bailey) requires a higher level of endurance, which can easily produce lower quality disposal and a higher rate of injury in those who are not suited.

Until Neeld assembles the squad he wants, and gives them a couple of preseasons, we won't know what he, and his team, is capable of.

On a similar note, or the other side of the coin, the three blokes that were leading all the endurance/fitness trials in the pre-season every week were Jones, T McDonald and Howe. Arguably those 3 have had the best, most consistent season out of everyone. Nicho was also up there and also has developed well this year.

Signs of hope, on the right track etc...

Spot on. Also i reckon these 3 players represent what Neeld is after. Hard working, gut busters who are prepared to take on board advice and are looking to improve. He has taken every opportunity to pump these boys up.

Instructive that Nicholson is straight back into the side this week after a few weeks out with a broken jaw. Neeld is making a statement on what will earn a spot in his teams. Talent isn't the key criteria - work ethic is. Which is why Sellar and MacDonald are walk up starts.

King Cutherbston i also reckon you're spot on about McDonald. Yes his disposal is sometimes not great but he has clearly been encouraged to go for it and take risks. For a young fella he shows an amazing confidence in his own ability and i love his preparedness to take the game on and run and carry. He has cemented his spot and is one of the first picked. Not one Demonlander would argue with that - which was not the case at the beginning of the year.

Think of the players he has been asked to mark this year - arguably he has been a more influential defender than Frawley (an AA no less) For my money his development is the biggest positive for the dees this year and Neeld should get cudos for his role in that development

Edited August 24, 201212 yr by binman

Yep, that's the correlation I would make.

They don't fatigue as quickly under a more physically demanding gameplan, so they tend to make less mistakes. I think McDonald's been somewhat unfairly pegged as having poor disposal by some. He's a 19 year old kid who's getting exposed to senior football earlier than he might at a better performing club. He makes skill errors at times, but i've also noticed numerous instances where he makes great decisons under pressure and uses the ball well. I reckon his disposal efficiency will improve as the team gels and they become a bit more predictable to one another. Was impressed with him the first time i heard him interviewed just after the 2010 draft, sounded like a really intelligent, switched on kid.

spot on the money. one thing about mcdonald is that he is different to 19 year old kids. doesn't seemed to have tire out like most do come towards the end of the year. i guess that just comes with is amazing fitness levels.

i will bet my left nut he will be in the leadership group within two years! his maturity is unbelieveble for a teenager. he reminds me alot of tom harley.

this year will give him such great confidence heading into next year.

Who's been saying that?

Well, PaulRB for a start:

So we see Green retire a year after being captain of the club and two years after being All Australian.

My mistake.

He's a AAA "Almost All Australian"