COACH Mark Neeld says Tom Couch hasn’t put a foot wrong since he started pre-season training with Melbourne on 31 October.
Neeld said Couch deserved his opportunity on an AFL list, after he kept a close eye on the son of 1989 Brownlow Medallist Paul when he played for Collingwood’s VFL team.
“Tom’s been training with us since day one pre-season. He’s done everything right. He’s trained really hard. He’s contributed in the meetings, from a game plan point of view, so he deserves his chance, no doubt,” he said.
“Tom has a mature-age AFL body. He’s got a well developed body that can come in and play AFL footy straight away, if required.
“He’s terrific around the stoppage, and he’s got an outstanding work ethic and a really good aerobic tank, so he fits the bill of what we wanted. He’s put his best foot forward in pre-season training.”
The first-year senior coach was also pleased to add another VFL player - Sandringham’s James Magner - to the list.
“James is similar to Tom - he’s an inside mid. He’s a terrific stoppage player, and has been dominant in the VFL in the last couple of years, in terms of his clearance rate and tackling in particular,” Neeld said.
“Again, he has a huge tank and a great work ethic, and similar to Tom, he can step up and play AFL footy, if required, immediately.”
Neeld also kept tabs on Geelong Falcon Jai Sheahan, who the Demons nabbed with their first pick in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft.
“Jai has been training with us for about a fortnight. He’s a fantastic height at just over 195cm and he runs really well. He’s a key position prospect, and won the Geelong Falcons best and fairest last year,” he said.
“He was coached by Aaron Greaves, who is a member of our coaching staff, so we had a bit of inside information there, which was great.
“Jai, in his two and a half weeks here, has done everything right.”
And Neeld was also impressed with forward Leigh Williams, who was Melbourne’s most recent ‘train-on’ player.
“Leigh has been doing a terrific job [since training with the club],” Neeld said.
“Barry Prendergast and the recruiting boys have got a number of train ons - we had seven and all of them acquitted themselves very well.
“Leigh has a big body, and he’s a terrific mark for his size. He’s shown in the couple of weeks that he’s been training with us, a desire to make it at AFL level. We believe he’s got the characteristics and the attributes to come off the rookie list and give it his best shot. So he’s another player who deserves his chance.”
Neeld said Couch deserved his opportunity on an AFL list, after he kept a close eye on the son of 1989 Brownlow Medallist Paul when he played for Collingwood’s VFL team.
“Tom’s been training with us since day one pre-season. He’s done everything right. He’s trained really hard. He’s contributed in the meetings, from a game plan point of view, so he deserves his chance, no doubt,” he said.
“Tom has a mature-age AFL body. He’s got a well developed body that can come in and play AFL footy straight away, if required.
“He’s terrific around the stoppage, and he’s got an outstanding work ethic and a really good aerobic tank, so he fits the bill of what we wanted. He’s put his best foot forward in pre-season training.”
The first-year senior coach was also pleased to add another VFL player - Sandringham’s James Magner - to the list.
“James is similar to Tom - he’s an inside mid. He’s a terrific stoppage player, and has been dominant in the VFL in the last couple of years, in terms of his clearance rate and tackling in particular,” Neeld said.
“Again, he has a huge tank and a great work ethic, and similar to Tom, he can step up and play AFL footy, if required, immediately.”
Neeld also kept tabs on Geelong Falcon Jai Sheahan, who the Demons nabbed with their first pick in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft.
“Jai has been training with us for about a fortnight. He’s a fantastic height at just over 195cm and he runs really well. He’s a key position prospect, and won the Geelong Falcons best and fairest last year,” he said.
“He was coached by Aaron Greaves, who is a member of our coaching staff, so we had a bit of inside information there, which was great.
“Jai, in his two and a half weeks here, has done everything right.”
And Neeld was also impressed with forward Leigh Williams, who was Melbourne’s most recent ‘train-on’ player.
“Leigh has been doing a terrific job [since training with the club],” Neeld said.
“Barry Prendergast and the recruiting boys have got a number of train ons - we had seven and all of them acquitted themselves very well.
“Leigh has a big body, and he’s a terrific mark for his size. He’s shown in the couple of weeks that he’s been training with us, a desire to make it at AFL level. We believe he’s got the characteristics and the attributes to come off the rookie list and give it his best shot. So he’s another player who deserves his chance.”
