The club announced it this afternoon.  http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-01-29/melbourne-launches-david-neitz-academy

The Academy is for our 1st and 2nd year players and honours our wonderful captain and MFC games record holder - Neita! 

MFC: “....it’s the behaviours that he (Neitz) displayed throughout his entire career that we want our younger players to emulate. His attitude towards training, his attention to detail and his selfless attitude are things we want all our young players at the Melbourne Football Club to value.”

Gosh we missed all those attributes when he retired.    

This goes some way to 'right the wrongs of the past' where some senior players were retired/let go without much dignity or respect.  Slowly but surely the club is embracing them again.  

I'm glad the club has found an appropriate way to honour Neitz.

Edited January 29, 20178 yr by Lucifer's Hero

Great initiative. Nice tribute for a club legend.

Be nice to see Neita back in a couple of years...

I think that is what this is all about, do we still have the James McDonald award that PJ instigated?

As an All-Australia in both key forward and key defender roles, you'd think he'd be an ideal support for young talls coming through those first few frustrating years of suddenly not being bigger than everyone else. I hope he gets cheerfully involved over time.

 

42 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

The club announced it this afternoon.  http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2017-01-29/melbourne-launches-david-neitz-academy

The Academy is for our 1st and 2nd year players and honours our wonderful captain and MFC games record holder - Neita! 

MFC: “....it’s the behaviours that he (Neitz) displayed throughout his entire career that we want our younger players to emulate. His attitude towards training, his attention to detail and his selfless atti

He came into Acland Cellars where I did some shifts in December 2005. He was as humble a guy you'd ever care to meet. He confirmed his German background, spoke about his Tassie days and said he was looking forward to 2006. He was upbeat but not all that confident. 

He was a great player to watch, always committed and keen to get the ball. His loyalty to Daniher was heart-warming as well.

1 hour ago, dieter said:

He came into Acland Cellars where I did some shifts in December 2005. He was as humble a guy you'd ever care to meet. He confirmed his German background, spoke about his Tassie days and said he was looking forward to 2006. He was upbeat but not all that confident. 

He was a great player to watch, always committed and keen to get the ball. His loyalty to Daniher was heart-warming as well.

The great man loved The Vineyard in St Killy as well. He was in on a "few" occasions and would have a few of the boys along too. The bouncey walk.

Liked this bit:

“Being removed from the club, I’ve extended an olive branch for any of the guys to contact me or I might pop down occasionally, if they want me to add a different voice from their normal voices coming through their development and line coaches."

Isn't he a Assistant coach for Hawthorn now though?

So, he can come down here and hug Hawthorn's ex best player whenever he wants, in fact all the more reason to come...

 

55 minutes ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Isn't he a Assistant coach for Hawthorn now though?

Yup, as always dazz on the ball. 

I feel like we've had academies or a curriculum for our young players for years now? Seems to change with every new development coach yet alone every senior coach.

I do like the coaching team we have in place there now with Matty Egan, Rooke, Plapp and still having McCartney around. And some off field advisers with teaching backgrounds in Jennings and Nichol. 

Really like honouring Neitz as well. 

All up I'm hoping this is the time we've got it right.

 'I’ve extended an olive branch . . . '   ?

9 hours ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Isn't he a Assistant coach for Hawthorn now though?

Along with Cam Bruce, Adem Yze and Clarko! Plenty of opportunities to reminisce about old times at the Dees!

12 hours ago, Cards13 said:

The great man loved The Vineyard in St Killy as well. He was in on a "few" occasions and would have a few of the boys along too. The bouncey walk.

Liked this bit:

“Being removed from the club, I’ve extended an olive branch for any of the guys to contact me or I might pop down occasionally, if they want me to add a different voice from their normal voices coming through their development and line coaches."

If you look at the way Neita walks it's always on the balls of his feet, I was trying to work out what it was that made him bounce and noticed that it was this, have a look at an old video one day.

Glad to have Neita back at the club in this capacity, he is a great guy and as some have said, he's so humble and reluctant to talk about himself.

 

11 hours ago, Skuit said:

 'I’ve extended an olive branch . . . '   ?

An odd choice of words indeed. Either there was a serious breach in the past, or Neitz got himself into a verbal tangle. Hopefully the latter.

11 hours ago, sue said:

An odd choice of words indeed. Either there was a serious breach in the past, or Neitz got himself into a verbal tangle. Hopefully the latter.

I get the feeling that he wasn't overly impressed with how many of his teammates were moved on during the red and blueprint era. The breach wasn't as deep as it was with Junior because Neita's body had packed up by the time he retired. However, I don't think he was thrilled by how others were treated.

25 minutes ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

I get the feeling that he wasn't overly impressed with how many of his teammates were moved on during the red and blueprint era. The breach wasn't as deep as it was with Junior because Neita's body had packed up by the time he retired. However, I don't think he was thrilled by how others were treated.

David stayed and worked at Melbourne he was the face of Melbourne 's business network,  then he left to be a part time forward coach at the hawks, he was the face of the business for a few years,  u don't work for the club after u retire if u were angry at the club. 

Just now, don't make me angry said:

David stayed and worked at Melbourne he was the face of Melbourne 's business network,  then he left to be a part time forward coach at the hawks, he was the face of the business for a few years,  u don't work for the club after u retire if u were angry at the club. 

Fair enough. It was an odd choice of words however to say 'extend an olive branch'. Maybe he misused the expression?

14 minutes ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

Fair enough. It was an odd choice of words however to say 'extend an olive branch'. Maybe he misused the expression?

He is working at the hawks so at the moment he is the enemy, so that's why he said it, 

Not a lot of detail in the announcement as to what is actually new - if anything - about this so-called Academy, other than its name.. 

12 hours ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

Fair enough. It was an odd choice of words however to say 'extend an olive branch'. Maybe he misused the expression?

</derail> Misused expressions are the norm in AFL.  I particularly like the marking one: 'he takes it at its highest point' when what is meant is that he takes it (the ball) when he is at his highest point.  Bloody hard to take the mark at the balls highest point except for very low short passes. </endderail>

1 hour ago, sue said:

</derail> Misused expressions are the norm in AFL.  I particularly like the marking one: 'he takes it at its highest point' when what is meant is that he takes it (the ball) when he is at his highest point.  Bloody hard to take the mark at the balls highest point except for very low short passes. </endderail>

<pointless>Your xml would not parse</pointless>

I'm a member of the Ponds Institute.

43 minutes ago, Biffen said:

I'm a member of the Ponds Institute.

Bahahahaha!!

2 hours ago, sue said:

</derail> Misused expressions are the norm in AFL.  I particularly like the marking one: 'he takes it at its highest point' when what is meant is that he takes it (the ball) when he is at his highest point.  Bloody hard to take the mark at the balls highest point except for very low short passes. </endderail>

For example, "The coach has the Board's full support" and "It was just  a love-tap"

On 31/01/2017 at 11:20 AM, Biffen said:

I'm a member of the Ponds Institute.

?

 

23 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Bahahahaha!!

?