Bailey said Neitz has the job of captain if he wants it - deecision day next week.

I will be very disappointed ( and surprised) if he doesn't take us in to our 150 th anniversary.

Simple fact he deserves it and he is the best man for it

the fact its taken so long.... could there be a surprise. if Neitz doesnt Bruce will.

the fact its taken so long.... could there be a surprise. if Neitz doesnt Bruce will.

I'd say Green is next in line. He is more media savvy than Bruce, and he showed in 2007 that he goes harder on the field.

David Neitz deserves to lead Melbourne into it's 150th year.

neita is argueably our greatest footballer ever.

however, a captain should be selected according to the aspired values of the team and the club as a whole - the captain should best embody those values.

media savvy, should have [censored] all to do with it.

for example - if the sole aspired value of the team and the club was to work hard, then you would pick the person who works hardest to be the captain.

neita embodys everything the club should aspire to be - hard working, skillful, a team-player, an inspiration and an all round legend.

if he wants to be captain it should be his.

if he doesnt - the person who best embodys the clubs values should be selected. in my opinion this would be brock or jones.

neita is argueably our greatest footballer ever.

Well no! Sure he's a great player but I would suggest that over the past 150 years we've had a few greater players than David.

However given the importance of the year ahead (and the symbolism implied), Neitz should have the honour of leading the club again. So I hope he stays on as captain for one more year.

And after that - well I also hope there are enough players in the team who are considered 'captain' material for there to be a bit of a fight for the job!

neita is argueably our greatest footballer ever.

...

He'd make the bench of our best 22 at best.

I am concerned that Neitz has waited this long to determine if he wants to be Captain in 2008. He has been a very good leader at the Club over the 8 years in the job but I think its time for a change and for Neitz to focus on getting the most out of his final season with the Club. Whether its the 150 year or not, MFC has to look beyond the ceremonial and look to the next generation of leaders.

If Neita doesn't captain then who does?

Bruce and Green no thanks, Mclean is a year away, McDonald would be good but only has a couple of seasons left in him.

Neita has one more year then Brock for the next decade.

well, since i said arguably our greatest player ever, ill argue it.

David Neitz Awards Honours

Melbourne

Best First Year Player 1993

Most Consistent Player 1995

Best Clubman 1995

MFC Leading Goal Kicker 1996, 97, 99, 2002, 03, 04

Best Team Player 2000, 2001

Best and Fairest 2002

Goals Record Holder – Round Eight, 2006 vs Hawthorn (547th goal) (now 600+)

Games Record Holder – Round 10, 2006 vs St Kilda (273rd game) (now 300+)

AFL

Rising Star Nominee 1993

All Australian 1995

Coleman Medallist 2002

Representative honours

Vic State Rep 1994, 1995

International Rules Series 2002

ok so he hasnt won a brownlow. does that mean woey is a greater player?

16 years of AFL football.

id argue that he is certainly in our best 22.

that is an awesome record.

excluding robbie flower, hed be our best player since we last won a flag as well, easily.

the other thing is, he doesnt have a superstar profile... but he deserves one.

Neita has one more year then Brock for the next decade.

Jones is infront of McLean at the minute.

well, since i said arguably our greatest player ever, ill argue it.

It looks pretty hollow against players that were dominating the competition when Melbourne was in its golden era. You obviously dont go back that far. For mine he was a been a wonderful servant of MFC over a long period but has never dominated his role during that career compared say members of the Team of the Century. I cant see him displacing anyone on the forward line of

Mann, Warne Smith Lyon

Mueller, Smith, Beames

He certainly would not displace Hardeman who was brilliant and underrated CHB.

He is on the bench for mine at the expense of Viney. FWIW, I would have had Ridley and Wells ahead of Viney in the Team of the Century.

Jones is infront of McLean at the minute.

I think McLean has a lot to prove this year both on the field and off it before he has any claims.

*Ducks expecting a missile from Jaded.*

I think McLean has a lot to prove this year both on the field and off it before he has any claims.

*Ducks expecting a missile from Jaded.*

I actually agree with you about proving himself off the field. I think he'll be just fine on the field and that last year's performance was due mainly to injury.

I don't however agree that Jones is ahead of him, as Brocky suggested. Jones needs to back up his great 07 season first.

Having said all that, I would be thrilled if both of these boys made it into the leadership group this year as they are both natural leaders.

I actually agree with you about proving himself off the field. I think he'll be just fine on the field and that last year's performance was due mainly to injury.

I don't however agree that Jones is ahead of him, as Brocky suggested. Jones needs to back up his great 07 season first.

Having said all that, I would be thrilled if both of these boys made it into the leadership group this year as they are both natural leaders.

there's only one captain for this our 150th year... DAVID NEITZ. Even if it wasn't such an important year, no one else is ready . Another year then maybe a change.

Neita by a mile !!!

It looks pretty hollow against players that were dominating the competition when Melbourne was in its golden era. You obviously dont go back that far. For mine he was a been a wonderful servant of MFC over a long period but has never dominated his role during that career compared say members of the Team of the Century. I cant see him displacing anyone on the forward line of

Mann, Warne Smith Lyon

Mueller, Smith, Beames

He certainly would not displace Hardeman who was brilliant and underrated CHB.

He is on the bench for mine at the expense of Viney. FWIW, I would have had Ridley and Wells ahead of Viney in the Team of the Century.

ah well my first dees game was the game when longmire kicked about 15 million at the g back in 89...and i was in prep back then.

i would argue this, simply because its harder to truely show your class when you are surrounded by muppets. a good player in a great team becomes a great player, and a good player in a [censored] team becomes a lesser player. neita has achevied his fantastic record throughout 16 years of average or sub-average teams. for example, blake caracella. average player in a great team, and therefore made to look fantastic in 2000. imagine if neita had an all-star midfield to give the ball to him on a plate at fullforward and he kicked 90 goals every year. would we be discussing this if that was the case?

having said that, i wouldnt have him in that line up myself - although i never saw any of them, bar lyon, play. and i would still say that neita has a better record than lyon.

i guess this is where our definitions come in - i said greatest, not most talented.

still, im getting #9 put on the back of my 150 jumper, i do love the guy, haha

How anyone could want Bruce or Green to be our captains a head of Rivers, McLean and even Davey is beyond me. Skills doesn't necessarily mean captaincy. Bruce is a "give it to me" player and Green has been disappointing this year. Neither, imo, have ever shown the capabilities of being a captain. They don't have enough influence.

ah well my first dees game was the game when longmire kicked about 15 million at the g back in 89...and i was in prep back then.

i would argue this, simply because its harder to truely show your class when you are surrounded by muppets. a good player in a great team becomes a great player, and a good player in a [censored] team becomes a lesser player. neita has achevied his fantastic record throughout 16 years of average or sub-average teams. for example, blake caracella. average player in a great team, and therefore made to look fantastic in 2000. imagine if neita had an all-star midfield to give the ball to him on a plate at fullforward and he kicked 90 goals every year. would we be discussing this if that was the case?

having said that, i wouldnt have him in that line up myself - although i never saw any of them, bar lyon, play. and i would still say that neita has a better record than lyon.

i guess this is where our definitions come in - i said greatest, not most talented.

still, im getting #9 put on the back of my 150 jumper, i do love the guy, haha

Good on you Benno for getting right behind David Neitz. He has been an awesome player over his long career. However while he has not played in a premiership team he has played in sides that have made the finals (including 1 GF) in seven of the years he has been playing. Its a better record that many other teams. Not the greatest ...but not the worst.

If you want to focus on a player who was class of the highest order amongst muppets look no further than Robbie Flower who is the only true star I have seen at MFC since the late 60s. Debuted in 1973 but only got to a play finals in his final year in 1987. He was a diamond. Its no wonder that he was named VC in the Team of the Century and kept a six time premiership wingman in Frank Adams on the bench. It was a travesty that Keith Grieg was named ahead of Flower in the AFL team of the century. If you think Neitz is good speak to supporters of an early vintage and asked them about how good Flower was. He is peerless.

When you talk of great teams...ask yourself why are they great and what makes them great? Its not good players. Its their best five or six that stand them out and make them great and make more mortal players look better. Just because it was another era, dont deride or cheapen the players in the teams that won five flags in six years (it was an act of thuggery that stopped it being six in a row). Six in a row. A great team with a swag of great players. Brisbane won 3 in a row and look how people worship the Voss and Co of that side.

David Neitz has been a very good player for MFC over a long period. But there have been better and have been greater as well. Not a slur at Neitz, but a recognition of the calibre of champions that went before him

Good on you Benno for getting right behind David Neitz. He has been an awesome player over his long career. However while he has not played in a premiership team he has played in sides that have made the finals (including 1 GF) in seven of the years he has been playing. Its a better record that many other teams. Not the greatest ...but not the worst.

If you want to focus on a player who was class of the highest order amongst muppets look no further than Robbie Flower who is the only true star I have seen at MFC since the late 60s. Debuted in 1973 but only got to a play finals in his final year in 1987. He was a diamond. Its no wonder that he was named VC in the Team of the Century and kept a six time premiership wingman in Frank Adams on the bench. It was a travesty that Keith Grieg was named ahead of Flower in the AFL team of the century. If you think Neitz is good speak to supporters of an early vintage and asked them about how good Flower was. He is peerless.

When you talk of great teams...ask yourself why are they great and what makes them great? Its not good players. Its their best five or six that stand them out and make them great and make more mortal players look better. Just because it was another era, dont deride or cheapen the players in the teams that won five flags in six years (it was an act of thuggery that stopped it being six in a row). Six in a row. A great team with a swag of great players. Brisbane won 3 in a row and look how people worship the Voss and Co of that side.

David Neitz has been a very good player for MFC over a long period. But there have been better and have been greater as well. Not a slur at Neitz, but a recognition of the calibre of champions that went before him

Good post Rhino! I really admire Neita but Flower has had every Demon player since the early '70's covered. I used to turn up to Under 11 footy training with the No 2 on the back of my Demons jumper (the royal blue version) in the late '70's. He was the only Melbourne player other teams supporters knew. The only Demon who could have come close was Schwarz pre the knee injuries. Some of his footy in 1994 was as good as Carey- especially his first two finals. I was convinced he was the genuine superstar we so badly needed and then it all finished. He was a good player when he finally made it back but he could have been sensational. Neitz has been a great warhorse - in fact I would rate him very similarly to Roger Merrett from Essendon and the Bears (maybe without the hit man bit). A very serviceable player, great utility and inspiring. Talent not as great as some but worked hard to get everything out of himself. I'm glad he played for us!

Good on you Benno for getting right behind David Neitz. He has been an awesome player over his long career. However while he has not played in a premiership team he has played in sides that have made the finals (including 1 GF) in seven of the years he has been playing. Its a better record that many other teams. Not the greatest ...but not the worst.

If you want to focus on a player who was class of the highest order amongst muppets look no further than Robbie Flower who is the only true star I have seen at MFC since the late 60s. Debuted in 1973 but only got to a play finals in his final year in 1987. He was a diamond. Its no wonder that he was named VC in the Team of the Century and kept a six time premiership wingman in Frank Adams on the bench. It was a travesty that Keith Grieg was named ahead of Flower in the AFL team of the century. If you think Neitz is good speak to supporters of an early vintage and asked them about how good Flower was. He is peerless.

When you talk of great teams...ask yourself why are they great and what makes them great? Its not good players. Its their best five or six that stand them out and make them great and make more mortal players look better. Just because it was another era, dont deride or cheapen the players in the teams that won five flags in six years (it was an act of thuggery that stopped it being six in a row). Six in a row. A great team with a swag of great players. Brisbane won 3 in a row and look how people worship the Voss and Co of that side.

David Neitz has been a very good player for MFC over a long period. But there have been better and have been greater as well. Not a slur at Neitz, but a recognition of the calibre of champions that went before him

yes, i do wish i had seen flower play.

i also wish id been around in the 50's. i certainly didnt mean to deride or cheapen those players! im simply saying that 5 or 6 great players in one team makes life easier for eachother and for themselves, and thats why teams do win flags, because they have 5 or 6 great players. but remove 4 or 5 of those players, and you are left with just one great player, and suddenly the team becomes mediocre - no matter how good the player is. skipper certainly hasnt been surrounded by 4 or 5 other great players during his career, and still we love him so. i guess i was a bit hasty and rash to say he was our best player ever though...

If you want to focus on a player who was class of the highest order amongst muppets look no further than Robbie Flower who is the only true star I have seen at MFC since the late 60s. Debuted in 1973 but only got to a play finals in his final year in 1987. He was a diamond. Its no wonder that he was named VC in the Team of the Century and kept a six time premiership wingman in Frank Adams on the bench. It was a travesty that Keith Grieg was named ahead of Flower in the AFL team of the century. If you think Neitz is good speak to supporters of an early vintage and asked them about how good Flower was. He is peerless.

Nice work, Rhino.

I started choking up reading the above.

A true champion. He was a diamond.

The only Demon who could have come close was Schwarz pre the knee injuries. Some of his footy in 1994 was as good as Carey- especially his first two finals. I was convinced he was the genuine superstar we so badly needed and then it all finished. He was a good player when he finally made it back but he could have been sensational. Neitz has been a great warhorse - in fact I would rate him very similarly to Roger Merrett from Essendon and the Bears (maybe without the hit man bit). A very serviceable player, great utility and inspiring. Talent not as great as some but worked hard to get everything out of himself. I'm glad he played for us!

Absolutely agree on Schwartz. I have always wondered how he would have gone without the crippling knee injuries. Gerard Healy said when Schwartz turned on an exhibition at the Gabba in 1994, "This is the player you build premierships around". He was good for his first few years when he came back. His performance in the 2000GF was embarrassing and his game deteriorated in 2001 and 2002 and his demeanor soured. I would have rated Allen Jakovich as more talented. A freak of a footballer with a number of attitude and personal shortcomings.

Interesting comparison with Merrett. Less of a hitman but more of an athelete than Merrett. Doesnt use his knees as much as Roger.

yes, i do wish i had seen flower play.

i also wish id been around in the 50's. i certainly didnt mean to deride or cheapen those players! im simply saying that 5 or 6 great players in one team makes life easier for eachother and for themselves, and thats why teams do win flags, because they have 5 or 6 great players. but remove 4 or 5 of those players, and you are left with just one great player, and suddenly the team becomes mediocre - no matter how good the player is. skipper certainly hasnt been surrounded by 4 or 5 other great players during his career, and still we love him so. i guess i was a bit hasty and rash to say he was our best player ever though...

If its any help Benno, family members who followed Melbourne during the 50/60s used to comment that they got sick of winning all the time. Imagine that! In a great team ordinary players do seem better when there are 5 or 6 great players around because the ball winning and usage ability of stars give other players a better opportunity to play to their best because they get to use of the ball to their best advantage. Also a star ability to win a large % of contested ball makes ordinary disposers of the ball look better. For example, Robbie Flower made other teammates look like capable footballers when in most cases they were duds.

I dont think your decision was rash as he is the best player you've seen.

How anyone could want Bruce or Green to be our captains a head of Rivers, McLean and even Davey is beyond me. Skills doesn't necessarily mean captaincy. Bruce is a "give it to me" player and Green has been disappointing this year. Neither, imo, have ever shown the capabilities of being a captain. They don't have enough influence.

there's only one captain for this our 150th year... DAVID NEITZ. Even if it wasn't such an important year, no one else is ready . Another year then maybe a change.

Neita by a mile !!!

Neitz is the Captain as advised by the club today in an email on the red and blue army.