The skipper ... time to drop him?

[the fork 357]

The Mfc has experienced a tremendous amount of change in the last 12 months. Continued change, given our current circumstance, is more justified than ever.

I am not suggesting for a moment that change will immediately improve our current team or the results it will achieve. I am suggesting however, it will begin to prepare us for the future this club needs to survive.

Neitz should retire (soon), move on gracefully and allow this re-build to officially begin. He deserves to bow out on his terms so he will be remembered as the great leader he has been for the majority of his career and not for performances like today.

[Miracle 89]

Seriously, what do we do with our Captain

I have loved him as a player but now find him to be an embarassment. He is also a liability

to the team.

We cannot drop him or ask him to retire

I have no ideas does anybody

[trumperdero_21 0]

That's a foolish title for a post Occo, and foolish comments that follow it. He is one of the most selfless players the club has had, and if he was such a selfish captain he would have accepted the post immediately rather than taking the whole pre-season discussing it and doing what is best for the club. Selfless is kicking to robbo in the goal square when you are getting bagged out for not kicking enough goals. Stupid comment and you should be bagged out for it, you rodent.

[Ewok 9]

...you rodent.

Hahaha. Go Trump!

[trumperdero_21 0]

He is playing poorly, but he has so few oppurtunities to play himself into form as there is such poor delivery to him. I'd suggest that we just need to cool off a little and judge him in games when we are playing well. The only way i'd ever see him playing at Sandringham is if he was coming back from injury. I can't see the bloke retiring when we are at the lowest point, what example does that set the young blokes. He'll keep fighting on, and he has earned that right.

[gOLLy 401]

Hi my name is occo and i like to get blotto

Go have another beer

[Gorgoroth 13,017]

Neitz has given more to this club than any other player in the last 10 years, No one else on that list deserves to have the captaincy, he moves like an old man at time due to all the batterings he has taken whilst proudly wearing the red and the blue.

[DeeM 42]

That's a foolish title for a post Occo, and foolish comments that follow it. He is one of the most selfless players the club has had, and if he was such a selfish captain he would have accepted the post immediately rather than taking the whole pre-season discussing it and doing what is best for the club. Selfless is kicking to robbo in the goal square when you are getting bagged out for not kicking enough goals. Stupid comment and you should be bagged out for it, you rodent.

here here

couldnt put it better my self

If he was in a hawthorn jumper he would be kicking bags of 4+ still.

He is the leader of our club and a superstar

[The Fergburger 0]

Maybe up back. He's a waste of space up forward

[Face Your Demons 175]

I would give him a go in the back line,

[Harry Manback 2]

The Mfc has experienced a tremendous amount of change in the last 12 months. Continued change, given our current circumstance, is more justified than ever.

I am not suggesting for a moment that change will immediately improve our current team or the results it will achieve. I am suggesting however, it will begin to prepare us for the future this club needs to survive.

Neitz should retire (soon), move on gracefully and allow this re-build to officially begin. He deserves to bow out on his terms so he will be remembered as the great leader he has been for the majority of his career and not for performances like today.

Agree with everything said in this post.

Neitz has been a champion of the MFC, but is no longer showing any of the qualities that once made him so great. His contribution to the MFC should never be questioned, however, his decision to play on this season has every right to be.

I'd like to believe that he feels as leader of the club that this would be the worse possible time for him to jump ship with the team in complete disaray, which would explain why he is still currently running around out there. However, surely in his heart of hearts he would admit that he is a shadow of the player (and leader) that he once was, and him playing on is not helping to fix the problem, but rather, a major part of it.

If Neitz really wanted to help the club move forward, he would swap his on-field role for an off-field one. I could see huge benefit in someone like Neitz stepping aside from match day duties, yet continuing to train with the playing group and nurture those coming through the ranks for the remainder of the season. He could teach and pass on so much to the young forwards such as Bate, Newton, Dunn, Garland, Maric and the likes through active partcipation with them on the training track, and then allow them to further develop these lessons and skills learned out there on the ground, without being overshadowed by his presence or him taking a position on the field that would be better served by an up-and-coming young forward.

I understand that such a scenario would require extreme selflessness on the part of Neitz, as he would be doing all the hard yards without the 'reward' (for lack of a better term) of playing a game. However, at the minute it would be in the best interests of the club for him to retire from playing, yet somehow retain his experience that he has gathered along the journey. This would be one way of fulfilling both interests, and whilst would no doubt be a tall order, if David Neitz's contribution thus far to the MFC is anything to go by, he would be the one person to do the right thing by both himself, and the club.

[demonique 314]

As far as I'm concerned, nobody can lead the club at this point, so David deserves to keep his captaincy.

I repeat, he is not the future.

They have heavily relied on Neitz for far too long and now look and see what has happened, cannot continue the huge mistakes of the past by playing players because of reputation ala ND

[kramer 0]

Neitz has given more to this club than any other player in the last 10 years, No one else on that list deserves to have the captaincy, he moves like an old man at time due to all the batterings he has taken whilst proudly wearing the red and the blue.

yer, yer, yer, but at the end of the day his job is to kick goals and he aient doing that so that tells me its time he gave it away

[Hellaintabadplacetobe 4,294]

Yes , No one has stood up for the Club as much as Nieta in the past 15 years. Couldnt agree more. Still, he looked all at sea out there today and his body is obviously hurting with every contest. He needs a week off folks maybe two, no doubt whatsoever. He has had about as much impact as Garland and Weetra had before they got dropped and a 6 goal haul at sandy just might give him some confidence back. He seems to have zero at the moment .(Well, make that the whole team). Pains me to say it but he is currently a liability and I reckon if you asked him he would probably agree!

[dreamin' man 0]

in normal circumstances, i reckon neitz would have the class to retire. but surely the symbolism of deserting a sinking ship would hang heavy? robbo is the one who has to go, starting now, well, can't believe he's survived this long. things are so bad that i reckon we can reassess the neitz situation in a few weeks or mid year.

[Rogue 585]

Plenty to drop before Neitz, and unless we drafted a new bloke last week, I don't see any FFs in waiting right now.

He would be SLAUGHTERED in the back line these days.

^

[Redleg 41,429]

That "injury" could be the basis for ultimately giving reason for an early retirement as his body can no longer stand the strain of AFL.

I love the big fella but he has been just a passenger this year with little leadership evident on the ground.

For the good of the Club, its members and supporters and for the good of the game, it needs to be handled respectfully and sensitively.

Despite some of the bile directed Neitz's way by supposed MFC supporters, this one situation where I think the Club owes one to the magnificent and loyal service of our longest serving player and captain.

Absolutely correct. If we are to emerge as a strong club from the rabble we presently are, the handling of this situation is critical.