WHETHER as past player, coach or sports scientist, and taking into account his appreciation of the game’s heritage, Neil Craig’s experience in the game is multi-layered and set to serve him well as he embarks on a new adventure at the Melbourne Football Club. His is a remarkable story, one of many that make up the game he loves.
Your playing career
Your playing career
“I’m very proud of having played over 300 games in the SANFL. That basically says that you’re up for the journey. As an individual you get faced with different scenarios, both good times and bad times - a general snapshot reveals that you take the challenge with the test of time. That’s stood me in good stead in terms of coaching and talking to players about perseverance.”
“I played for three different clubs in the SANFL, which was fantastic for getting exposure to a range of club environments. I started at Norwood, played for Sturt, finished at North Adelaide, then returned to Norwood to coach - three clubs that gave me a range of experiences, but when I finished at North, I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. Going back and coaching Norwood, where I started out, gave me a sense of belonging.
“I was at the South Australian Sports Institute, in combination with the Australian Institute of Sport, as a sports scientist, specifically working with the physiology of cycling. It was by chance!
“When the South Australian Sports Institute started, their first full time coach was a guy called Charlie Walsh, and I happened to be the first full time sports scientist. That was a fantastic relationship. I got to work with a highly experienced coach, who taught me so much about being - hopefully - a good sports scientist. I spent fifteen years in that program, and travelled the world, World Championships, Olympic Games, seeing a variety of environments, from really poor to world’s best. It was good to be exposed to that. Interestingly enough, it’s also held me in good stead for my coaching career.”
Drafted by Footscray
“I played for three different clubs in the SANFL, which was fantastic for getting exposure to a range of club environments. I started at Norwood, played for Sturt, finished at North Adelaide, then returned to Norwood to coach - three clubs that gave me a range of experiences, but when I finished at North, I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. Going back and coaching Norwood, where I started out, gave me a sense of belonging.
“I was at the South Australian Sports Institute, in combination with the Australian Institute of Sport, as a sports scientist, specifically working with the physiology of cycling. It was by chance!
“When the South Australian Sports Institute started, their first full time coach was a guy called Charlie Walsh, and I happened to be the first full time sports scientist. That was a fantastic relationship. I got to work with a highly experienced coach, who taught me so much about being - hopefully - a good sports scientist. I spent fifteen years in that program, and travelled the world, World Championships, Olympic Games, seeing a variety of environments, from really poor to world’s best. It was good to be exposed to that. Interestingly enough, it’s also held me in good stead for my coaching career.”
Drafted by Footscray
“1981 was the first year of the draft - I woke up one morning and picked up the Adelaide Advertiser, and saw that I was drafted to Footscray! You didn’t nominate then - they simply selected you.”
“In 1981, I was at university, doing a Masters degree in Sports Science, my wife had just commenced teaching, and I was still playing for Sturt, so when I weighed all those up, I decided not to come to Melbourne to play. I did come over, and I remember going to Footscray, and I remember spending some time at Carlton with a Shane O’Sullivan, who’s been in the game for a long time, and has had a great influence on many AFL players and support staff. I really enjoy catching up with him. So, this is the first time - with the Melbourne Football Club - that I’ve actually come to Melbourne. That’s why it’s exciting to me.
“I understand how parochial Victorians are about football - when you come to Melbourne, you sense that it’s nearly a religion in this city. But, unless you’ve lived in Perth or Adelaide, you wouldn’t appreciate how strong those competitions were. Back in the days of State of Origin, the closeness of those games should give an understanding of how good those competitions were. I really enjoyed myself in the SANFL, and I know that people sometimes say ‘you haven’t played VFL or AFL’, but that’s irrelevant. I’m lucky enough to have been able to stay in the game and do a range of things - the game’s been absolutely fantastic to me. It’s imperative that I treat it with respect.”
History of Melbourne
“In 1981, I was at university, doing a Masters degree in Sports Science, my wife had just commenced teaching, and I was still playing for Sturt, so when I weighed all those up, I decided not to come to Melbourne to play. I did come over, and I remember going to Footscray, and I remember spending some time at Carlton with a Shane O’Sullivan, who’s been in the game for a long time, and has had a great influence on many AFL players and support staff. I really enjoy catching up with him. So, this is the first time - with the Melbourne Football Club - that I’ve actually come to Melbourne. That’s why it’s exciting to me.
“I understand how parochial Victorians are about football - when you come to Melbourne, you sense that it’s nearly a religion in this city. But, unless you’ve lived in Perth or Adelaide, you wouldn’t appreciate how strong those competitions were. Back in the days of State of Origin, the closeness of those games should give an understanding of how good those competitions were. I really enjoyed myself in the SANFL, and I know that people sometimes say ‘you haven’t played VFL or AFL’, but that’s irrelevant. I’m lucky enough to have been able to stay in the game and do a range of things - the game’s been absolutely fantastic to me. It’s imperative that I treat it with respect.”
History of Melbourne
“It was founded in 1858, its home is the MCG, it wrote the rules, and those rules are still in place and those sort of things are important for me. When I walk around the stadium and look at the honour boards, I see ‘Checker’ Hughes, Norm Smith and lots of other famous Victorian footballers. I have a great affinity with coaching and what it can do for people.”
“When I see Ron Barassi’s name, who coached Melbourne, North Melbourne and Carlton ... I saw an induction video and when I saw and heard Ron Barassi talking about his father; well I loved that stuff, but that’s me.
“I didn’t want to coach any other AFL club other than Adelaide, and I’m pretty clear on that.”
Away from football
“When I see Ron Barassi’s name, who coached Melbourne, North Melbourne and Carlton ... I saw an induction video and when I saw and heard Ron Barassi talking about his father; well I loved that stuff, but that’s me.
“I didn’t want to coach any other AFL club other than Adelaide, and I’m pretty clear on that.”
Away from football
“I love high performance sport. I love high achievers. How lucky am I? I’m sitting next to the Melbourne Storm. I’m next to Melbourne Victory. I had a strong relationship with Ernie Merrick. I know Ernie is no longer there, but I’m looking forward to catching up with people like Ernie in this city. He’s a highly successful high performance coach.”
“You’ve got the MCG adjacent to AAMI Park, so you can come and watch live footy on the weekend, whereas in Adelaide, you don’t get to watch live footy.
“You’ve got the MCG adjacent to AAMI Park, so you can come and watch live footy on the weekend, whereas in Adelaide, you don’t get to watch live footy.
“You’ve got the Australian Open tennis, the President’s Cup golf - so I’m in heaven. I love sport and I love high performance sport. I love people who want to achieve and get the best out of themselves. High performance people in highly motivated environments are great to work with and in.”
Coaching
Coaching
“We all coach for different reasons, but because of the demands, you have to be clear about why you coach.”
“I was comfortable coaching the Adelaide Football Club because of the connection I have with South Australia in general, and Adelaide Football Club in particular.
“Adelaide Football Club was formed from a combination of 10 SANFL clubs. So it was formed out of a competition which I grew up in, and it represents the SANFL. It’s also a very influential club in Adelaide and it can have a great influence on the psychology of Adelaide people.
“I had a great emotional attachment to the football club. That was one of the reasons I came to the Melbourne Football Club, because of what it stands for and represents; it’s the Melbourne Football Club in the city of Melbourne and because this club started the competition.”
Mark Neeld
“I was comfortable coaching the Adelaide Football Club because of the connection I have with South Australia in general, and Adelaide Football Club in particular.
“Adelaide Football Club was formed from a combination of 10 SANFL clubs. So it was formed out of a competition which I grew up in, and it represents the SANFL. It’s also a very influential club in Adelaide and it can have a great influence on the psychology of Adelaide people.
“I had a great emotional attachment to the football club. That was one of the reasons I came to the Melbourne Football Club, because of what it stands for and represents; it’s the Melbourne Football Club in the city of Melbourne and because this club started the competition.”
Mark Neeld
“I’m still getting to know Mark, and vice versa. He knows what he wants - he’s pretty clear in his thinking, which is fantastic, and imperative for any coach, let alone a new coach coming into the job. The more I talk and work with Mark, the more the relationship builds, and it needs to be a really strong working relationship. I have an obligation to make sure I play my part in that, and I will. I’m really looking forward to it, because I like what I see with Mark, and I think in terms of character and high integrity, it fits in with what the Melbourne Football Club’s about.”
Several offers
Several offers
“Those discussions were conducted with a degree of confidence and confidentiality, so I owe that back to the football clubs.
“What I will say is that I was very humbled by the number of clubs I was able to talk to - it was a great professional development for me to talk to different football clubs.
“All of them were slightly different in terms of what was on offer. But I find myself at Melbourne and once again I find that the industry has been fantastic to me. That’s why I need to respect this industry and make sure that I contribute and leave a legacy to the Melbourne Football Club and the game”
“What I will say is that I was very humbled by the number of clubs I was able to talk to - it was a great professional development for me to talk to different football clubs.
“All of them were slightly different in terms of what was on offer. But I find myself at Melbourne and once again I find that the industry has been fantastic to me. That’s why I need to respect this industry and make sure that I contribute and leave a legacy to the Melbourne Football Club and the game”
