GARRY Lyon, Russell Robertson, Anthony Ingerson and Paul Hopgood speak about their former teammate and great mate David Neitz …
How would you describe David Neitz as a player and a person?
Garry Lyon
The qualities that make him such a fantastic footballer, make him an outstanding person as well. From a leadership and a captain’s point-of-view, one of the great comforts was knowing that David was behind you, following you down the race. You knew, irrespective of the state of the game, irrespective of the opponent, and whether or not Neitzy was in form – more often than not he was in great form – you knew he was going to give his all. The platitudes can be expansive and the words can be nice and flowery, but Neale Daniher once paid me the greatest compliment on my retirement when he said that I had tried hard. I think that’s the most underrated phrase that you can have in footy, and David Neitz tried his guts out every time he took the field for the Melbourne Football Club – and that’s all you can ask. When you add all of his undeniable talents on top of that, you end up with a pretty special package. As a person, he had all the same qualities. He was in everything, he got to our footy club at a young age, he was happy and willing to jump in with both feet and into everything we were into, on and off the field, which always made him great company.
Russell Robertson
It’s pretty easy to describe David Neitz as a footballer – an absolute champion, the best player I played with, the best player that all of us guys played with, and we say it all the time.
In a word, he’s just strong. His strength in the contest. It’s one thing to see it from the stands, but to be out there right next to it – you actually feel it and his opponents feared playing on him. I just know that if we as a team had been even better every single year, it would be scary to think what he could’ve done – he’s just an absolute superstar.
Anthony Ingerson
We always call him the big German, because he always has a big smile on his face, he’s always happy, he’ll come and give you a big hug. The thing that I love about him is that he’s consistent. He’s always the same and effervescing and I love being around him – he makes me smile every time I see him. As a player, his courage, endeavour and determination [stood out] and he was always there. To be the player that played more games than anybody [for Melbourne], captained more games and kicked more goals – it was fantastic for him to be part of my life and I love every time I see him.
Paul Hopgood
It’s a great scenario for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. As a player, his record speaks for itself over a long period of time and he’s been one of the greatest Melbourne players to ever play the game. As a person, I think he’s an even better bloke than he is a player and he’s consistently shown that. That hasn’t changed from the day I met him as a 14-year-old coming through the under 19s with David Schwarz.
What are you favourite highlights or memories of Neitz?
Garry Lyon
There were many on-field highlights. Broadly, I loved the fact that he could go back and forward and dominate matches at both ends of the ground, which is a really rare quality. [I remember when he played against] Hawthorn at the MCG on a hot day, a young fella by the name of Luke McCabe had the grave misfortune of getting in his way. We felt it from wherever we were watching the game. The snap was a given and we were just hoping that the kid would get up again. In one split second he (Neitz) just demonstrated what a great leader he was.
Russell Robertson
My favourite highlight, like most guys, would be when he broke McCabe’s collarbone. That was a regular occurrence, not breaking collarbones, but he would always lift us as a team when we needed it. When we were behind, he would try to take someone out or do something – and that’s football – you have to do something at any given time when things aren’t going your way. It’s easy to do things when they’re going your way and be one of those fair-weather players, like I was, but when things aren’t working out that’s what a leader is. Neita was the consummate leader in that regard. He would just say “come on boys, this is what we’re doing”.
Anthony Ingerson
The highlight for me was seeing him run out and crash into the Hawthorn player [McCabe]. He came tearing out from full-forward, grabbed the ball and just crunched him – the guy got absolutely splattered. He (Neitz) turned around and kicked the goal. It was a big inspiration because at the time Hawthorn were probably due to beat us, but we came from nowhere and David inspired the whole team.
Paul Hopgood
There’s plenty of highlights and memories of Neita. I could go on for a while about that. The key highlight for me, thinking about him and his career, was probably his first game of under 19s footy. It was at the SCG and Neita was picked as a 14-year-old, just turning 15 and he was picked on the interchange bench. He was brought onto the ground and ran straight at the footy as hard as he could and cleaned up a Sydney Swans player, knocking him out. As a young fella, playing four years below his age group, he’s cleaned up this player before he’s even touched the footy. This was a measure of the man, the courage, the toughness and the strength he had as a young kid – proving that all the way through his footy career.
What does Neitz mean to the Melbourne Football Club?
Garry Lyon
David Neitz embodies everything that’s good about footy and everything that’s great about the Melbourne Football Club. He was a young kid who got to the footy club as a raw talent and played senior footy pretty much straight away. As an 18-year-old he was playing as a key position player, and he played key position every game he played until he retired. We hadn’t had a 300-game player until he rolled along and we hadn’t had a Coleman medallist until he won that as well. His place within the records of the Melbourne Football Club will be forever recognised as one of our great players.
Russell Robertson
David Neitz means a lot to the Melbourne Football Club and to its supporters, because he really does bleed red and blue. Everything he did when he was captain of the Melbourne Football Club was for the betterment of the Melbourne Football Club. He would go out of his way [for people] and it wasn’t necessarily for any of his own gain – he was the perfect choice for captain. Our skipper and our ultimate leader in Neale Daniher, we as players looked at them, and knew that we were being led well. They were our two captains in charge, steering the ship and we felt comfortable. Away from the football club, he (Neitz) went over and above – he always went over and above for us as players. Behind closed doors, when we needed help, he would come and see us. He is a good person and he’s a kind-hearted person. I say to kids when I do clinics or leadership forums that you just need to be a good person first because people just want to be involved with good people and good culture. Neita was that every single day – he’s just a terrific bloke and I’m so blessed to have him as one of my great friends.
Anthony Ingerson
I think just about everything. I think to have played more games than anybody, kicked more goals than anybody, captained more games than anybody – what does he stand for? He’s part of the Melbourne Football Club. There’s probably been better players, maybe been better captains and maybe been people, who in one particular instance did something, but the thing about David is that he was consistent. He was always there and always giving his best. There were times where some of his brilliance was better than anyone else. I’ve played with some great players, like Jim Stynes, Garry Lyon, Stephen Tingay, Adam Yze, all these kind of guys, but consistently David Neitz did it week-in, week-out.
Paul Hopgood
I think Neita is the heart and soul of the players – and his footy career and the records speak for itself. To be the longest serving captain, have kicked the most goals and played the most game – it does speak for itself. I think it’s the things he does off the field that has really contributed to his overall impact on the footy club. He’s helped plenty of past players out in their times of need. Even now in what he’s doing with his work outside of football, helping and supporting the ‘Fight MND’ campaign with Neale Daniher is just a credit to the man himself.
What’s your funniest moment involving Neitz?
Russell Robertson
There was nothing that ever happened with Neita and myself on the footy field of any note or funniness – except this one time. It was a very small thing. I merely tried to get a little bit of blood off the back of his neck. In hindsight, I wish I never did that – it was probably poor timing. He was a raging bull. I think it was against Fremantle, and they were all trying to fight him, and he would’ve killed them all if he could. He needed to chill out and I had some frigid, ice-cold water and I thought this was the perfect thing to use to chill him out. I thought it was a smart thing to do when someone was in that state – throw water on them.
Anthony Ingerson
I have many funny moments. One that I think about a lot is a game that we played against Carlton at the MCG in 2000, I think it was the second semi-final. It was a really intense time for my career. I was coming to the end and the coach had actually given me a fair spray before the game. It was a really emotional day. We won and Andrew Leoncelli kicked a goal in the last quarter and Brucey (Cameron Bruce) kicked a goal. We had come into the middle of the ground – it was David Neitz and David Schwarz and I – and Schwarter goes ‘I love you Ingo, I love you Neita’. It’s something I talk about all the time.
Paul Hopgood
There’s plenty of funny moments. I think one of them in particular was a pre-season training at Wesley [College]. There were a couple of young blokes coming through the under 19s, and training with the senior group. Todd Viney had given me a hard time at training, proving our worth and testing the young fellas. In the criss-cross handball drill, Rodney Grinter ran through David Neitz and knocked him out. He got stretchered off from training, which he struggled to live down over the period of time.
Where does Neitz rank in the players you’ve seen play for Melbourne?
Garry Lyon
He may have not been the most brilliant or talented, but for longevity and consistency, and playing with the responsibility that comes with playing centre half-forward, centre half-back and full-forward, then he was probably the best. There have been more talented football players I’ve played with, more spectacular, more flamboyant, but in terms of sustained excellence over a long period of time, [he’s] number one.
Russell Robertson
Jeff Farmer, Adem Yze, Jeff White, David Schwarz, Garry Lyon, Jim Stynes and Stephen Tingay – I’ve played with some absolute superstars, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone better than those guys. But David Neitz is the best player I’ve ever played with – 300-plus games, Coleman medallist, All-Australian centre half-back – he had everything. He could play in the forward line and win games off his own boot and he could do some special things. It was more his character, than his leadership ability – it wasn’t something that just came naturally to Neita. He had to really work on that, and he worked so diligently and so hard to be the best leader he could be for the rest of us players out on the football field – and he was. We knew we were being led well when we had David Neitz out there on the field and we were lost without him.
Anthony Ingerson
In my time, I’ve played with some great players but consistency, heroically, courageously – I don’t think there were any better players than David Neitz. He won games for us, he did tackles, he did everything that you wanted in a player. He’s a big man, but he did everything he could possibly do for our club and that’s what we absolutely love about David Neitz.
Paul Hopgood
I think his record speaks for itself but he’s right up there. I think he’s a little bit underrated in certain areas because of the roles he has played along the way and how he’s played them over a long period of time, but I don’t think we’ve had any All-Australian that have played at both ends of the ground. Neita was an All-Australian centre half-back as a young fella. Wayne Carey said he was in the top two players that he’s ever played on, along with Glen Jakovich, so that’s a credit to him. Then to move forward and be the greatest goal kicker the club and be an All-Australian forward, just shows his versatility, his adaptability and his preparedness to do whatever it takes for the Melbourne Football Club. He wanted it to be as successful as it could. He would be up there with players like Jimmy Stynes, Garry Lyon and Stephen Tingay. David Neitz is at least the equal of all of them.
