TODD Viney says that the process of son Jack joining Melbourne via the father/son rule in the near future is progressing well.
The Melbourne great has just returned to the club in the newly-created position - general manager of player development. But he said negotiations to acquire Jack in the lead-up to the 2012 season were still taking place.
“It’s fair to say he’s had some ongoing discussions with the club through Chris Connolly, Barry Prendergast and Cameron Schwab,” Todd told melbournefc.com.au.
“Cameron has been very proactive in sending over a Melbourne jumper a couple of years ago, just to make sure he didn’t forget about the family heritage through the club.
“So he’s certainly had those discussions with Melbourne, and they are ongoing.
Hopefully he keeps developing, and there can be a relationship - if he’s good enough - to be part of the Melbourne footy club.”
Jack was a standout in this year’s NAB AFL under 16 championships and is widely regarded as one of the best young talents in that pool.
Todd said he is proud of his son’s efforts so far, but also couldn’t believe he was getting close to AFL eligibility.
“He’s certainly starting to make some strides,” he said.
“He’s getting to that age now where he’s 16 and turning 17 in April, so it’s amazing to think that he’s that old. He’s just got his driving license in Adelaide.
“He’s growing up and he’s starting to play some pretty exciting football - he was lucky enough to be captain of the South Australian under 16s team in the national carnival. They won the competition and he had a reasonable carnival, so he started to attract some reasonable interest.”
For Todd, it is somewhat of a romantic feel coming back to the club, which he captained in 1998-99, and where he played 233 matches.
“It certainly feels like there has been a lot of emotional investment as a player. I played for 13 years here and I developed friendships through the Melbourne footy club,” he said.
“Andrew Daff, the doctor here, has been here virtually when I started. He was with the under 19s when I started and he’s still the club doctor here. So there have been some great relationships built.
“When you go away from the club, you forget about the closeness of the relationships that you built here. But for me, emotionally, it feels like I’m home. It’s been an amazing feeling.”
He said that, since returning to Melbourne, it has only reinforced - and reignited - his passion for the club.
“A lesson I learned really early in life was that you’ve got to be passionate about what you do to be successful,” Viney said.
“You’ve got to put in an emotional investment. You certainly want to give back to the club.
“Those emotional attachments have been really strong and every second I’ve been here so far, feels like I’m home. It’s not like work really - it’s like being at home.”
The Melbourne great has just returned to the club in the newly-created position - general manager of player development. But he said negotiations to acquire Jack in the lead-up to the 2012 season were still taking place.
“It’s fair to say he’s had some ongoing discussions with the club through Chris Connolly, Barry Prendergast and Cameron Schwab,” Todd told melbournefc.com.au.
“Cameron has been very proactive in sending over a Melbourne jumper a couple of years ago, just to make sure he didn’t forget about the family heritage through the club.
“So he’s certainly had those discussions with Melbourne, and they are ongoing.
Hopefully he keeps developing, and there can be a relationship - if he’s good enough - to be part of the Melbourne footy club.”
Jack was a standout in this year’s NAB AFL under 16 championships and is widely regarded as one of the best young talents in that pool.
Todd said he is proud of his son’s efforts so far, but also couldn’t believe he was getting close to AFL eligibility.
“He’s certainly starting to make some strides,” he said.
“He’s getting to that age now where he’s 16 and turning 17 in April, so it’s amazing to think that he’s that old. He’s just got his driving license in Adelaide.
“He’s growing up and he’s starting to play some pretty exciting football - he was lucky enough to be captain of the South Australian under 16s team in the national carnival. They won the competition and he had a reasonable carnival, so he started to attract some reasonable interest.”
For Todd, it is somewhat of a romantic feel coming back to the club, which he captained in 1998-99, and where he played 233 matches.
“It certainly feels like there has been a lot of emotional investment as a player. I played for 13 years here and I developed friendships through the Melbourne footy club,” he said.
“Andrew Daff, the doctor here, has been here virtually when I started. He was with the under 19s when I started and he’s still the club doctor here. So there have been some great relationships built.
“When you go away from the club, you forget about the closeness of the relationships that you built here. But for me, emotionally, it feels like I’m home. It’s been an amazing feeling.”
He said that, since returning to Melbourne, it has only reinforced - and reignited - his passion for the club.
“A lesson I learned really early in life was that you’ve got to be passionate about what you do to be successful,” Viney said.
“You’ve got to put in an emotional investment. You certainly want to give back to the club.
“Those emotional attachments have been really strong and every second I’ve been here so far, feels like I’m home. It’s not like work really - it’s like being at home.”
