It wasn't unreasonable to doubt his value to the team, after all he was asked to look for opportunities elsewhere at end of 2019 2020.

To his enormous credit he turned his game around and now there is no doubt about his value to the team.  Received a contract extension and is now, one of the first picked.

Edited March 28, 20223 yr by Lucifers Hero

Very proud of ANB. He has made himself a good footballer with hard work. 
and he can run hard all day

Don't undersell ANB's leadership qualities either. He is a player with a 'team first' ethos which has been the making of the current team and he keeps others focussed on the task at hand when the game is still to be won. He's been through the real hard times, improved his game to another level and, though he'll have a quieter game, he never throws in the towel.

In the GF ANB,at least twice in the 4Q, ran up to players after a goal was scored to give advice/instructions/boost etc as a leader would and they acknowledged his actions.

Has always been value. Why the club asked him to consider his options at the end of 2020 is hard to fathom but maybe there were other unknown trades that could have been made if he left. Who knows? But there seemed to be no hesitation to keep him on the list in 2021.

2 hours ago, Lucifers Hero said:

It wasn't unreasonable to doubt his value to the team, after all he was asked to look for opportunities elsewhere at end of 2019.

To his enormous credit he turned his game around and now there is no doubt about his value to the team.  Received a contract extension and is now, one of the first picked.

Whasn't it end the of 2020 with Tmac both were in same boat and look at what transpired last year and now.

2 minutes ago, tiers said:

In the GF ANB,at least twice in the 4Q, ran up to players after a goal was scored to give advice/instructions/boost etc as a leader would and they acknowledged his actions.

Has always been value. Why the club asked him to consider his options at the end of 2020 is hard to fathom but maybe there were other unknown trades that could have been made if he left. Who knows? But there seemed to be no hesitation to keep him on the list in 2021.

Because he was contracted I reckon.

3 hours ago, Lucifers Hero said:

It wasn't unreasonable to doubt his value to the team, after all he was asked to look for opportunities elsewhere at end of 2019.

To his enormous credit he turned his game around and now there is no doubt about his value to the team.  Received a contract extension and is now, one of the first picked.

You are probably right, but I thought it was at the end of 2020 hw was asked to look at order options?

 

1 hour ago, 58er said:

Whasn't it end the of 2020 with Tmac both were in same boat and look at what transpired last year and now.

 

39 minutes ago, binman said:

You are probably right, but I thought it was at the end of 2020 hw was asked to look at order options?

 

Correct 2020.  Lost track of time.  No biggy re the subsequent complimentary point that was being made.

I'll edit it so no one else is tempted to post it was 2020.

 

1 hour ago, tiers said:

In the GF ANB,at least twice in the 4Q, ran up to players after a goal was scored to give advice/instructions/boost etc as a leader would and they acknowledged his actions.

Has always been value. Why the club asked him to consider his options at the end of 2020 is hard to fathom but maybe there were other unknown trades that could have been made if he left. Who knows? But there seemed to be no hesitation to keep him on the list in 2021.

He hasn't always been value. His form was fairly terrible for nearly 2 whole seasons. We didn't have much of a choice but to play him in 2019 as we had so many injuries. He played 7 games in 2020 and was asked to find another home for a reason. 

His turn around has been amazing and I tip my hat to him.

 

1 hour ago, binman said:

You are probably right, but I thought it was at the end of 2020 hw was asked to look at order options?

 

It was 2020. 

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/946353/against-all-odds-neal-bullen-earns-contract-extension

There's plenty of stiff competition at the moment, but a top 5 finish in the BnF isn't out the equation if ANB maintains his current form. 

One of our most reliable kicks and decision makers at the moment. We saw flashes of his ability back in 2018 when he kicked 25+ goals and, but his growth as a player over the last year has been immense. 

Edited March 28, 20223 yr by Demon Jack

Gotta love his work rate and endeavour , pretty fantastic career considering where he individually and the team have come from. 

He could and should have kicked two fantastic team goals one in each game , especially against the dogs it would have prob been the sealer and sent the fans into a frenzy 

Edited March 28, 20223 yr by DaveyJones'sLocker

ANB has always had the work ethic, team ethos & stamina to play his role in the team.

The single biggest difference in the last 18 months - 2 years (and I'm with @Clint Bizkiton this).

Clean hands.

He was a fumbling machine, up there with the likes of Simon Godfrey & "Tackles" McKenzie. The times I've sat in the stands wishing for a sniper rifle as ANB turned potential scoring chains into turnovers as he failed to take the ball cleanly ! Fumbles invite pressure and at the speed at which AFL footy is played, the split second it takes you to recover the ball means you're tackled. Or your disposal is rushed & inaccurate. Or an option downfield is covered. Or the next link in the chain has run forward of where you can get the ball to him.

So I can't pay enough credit to Nibbler for turning this around. He must have put an unbelievable amount of work into his skills to become a "one-touch" player.

ANB is brilliant.  I don't know how he does what he does seemingly without breathing through his nose. I am serious!  Imagine his stamina if he could correct this.

Agree with all that's being said here.  in addition I think he speaks incredibly well as seen by his interview / press conference in the last few days.

While you don't have to be a solid media performer to be a good player, it helps to have a few good communicators in the side.  Was very impressive I thought.

Agree DFA another polished performance from Nibbler, as his performances have grown so has his confidence and we have all witnessed a massive improvement in Nibbler going from feather duster to peacock, his skills are now elite. Well done ANB and MFC.!!!!

Love the way this guy goes about his footy, a vital cog that makes it all work.

Yes I was a doubter in the past too. 

1 hour ago, layzie said:

Love the way this guy goes about his footy, a vital cog that makes it all work.

Yes I was a doubter in the past too. 

Same including his dubious shots at goal which he has totally turned around.

 

On 3/28/2022 at 5:47 PM, binman said:

look at order options?

For lunch or dinner?

Limited athletically but always been a player with nous, has learned to play to his strengths and within his limitations.

What do you mean by limited athletically? ANB can run all day and he is not slow by any means. Before he became a footballing asset to us many branded him as just a fit athlete. The guy can match Langers in fitness and stamina. Like Langer he can run all day. Maybe you had tongue in cheek with your 'limited athlete' comment. Please explain what you meant.

On 3/29/2022 at 12:04 PM, Deebymistake said:

ANB is brilliant.  I don't know how he does what he does seemingly without breathing through his nose. I am serious!  Imagine his stamina if he could correct this.

The wide open mouth is actually a key to his running ability, endurance and repeat efforts. I'm pretty sure it's a technique used by a number of elite athletes to increase their O2 intake. If you watch him closely the harder he is working the wider his mouth gets.

As others have pointed out, he doesn’t fumble any more and has very clean hands. He also doesn’t turn back into play once he gets it. He now runs in straight lines. 
He has been coached very well.

10 hours ago, fattysback said:

As others have pointed out, he doesn’t fumble any more and has very clean hands. He also doesn’t turn back into play once he gets it. He now runs in straight lines. 
He has been coached very well.

I assume this is correct, because it's otherwise hard to explain the reason for how much better he has become. He also needs to be credited with having put in the hard work necessary to be better. It doesn't matter how good the coaching is if the player doesn't do the work.

15 hours ago, Bobby McKenzie said:

What do you mean by limited athletically? 

The only thing that I can think of is his lack of explosiveness or high end pace. Other than that, he is one of our best 2-way runners with a fantastic tank and great defensive efforts.

Sure his disposal isn’t ‘elite’, but it’s still pretty good. He regularly bobs up for a goal or 2, and loves applying physical pressure. An extremely valuable role player that allows the likes of Trac and Clarrie to be more offensive and hurt the opposition. A great leader that continually drives the standards.

I might be wrong, but i think he was drafted as an inside mid. Now playing a very different role, probably the hardest role in AFL footy and he is very good at it. Just a bit of a shame his good mate Billy didn't make it.