Although the Demons have changed significantly since last year, in terms of off-field personnel and game style, Neeld said they could still take lessons from last season’s 33-point win.
“We’ve had a look at that game - not from an emotional point of view or anything like that - just to learn a little bit about the Essendon players and part of their style,” he told the ‘Coach’s Office’ on Dee TV.
“But there’s also been significant focus on having a look over the last three to four weeks and the way that Essendon has played - who has been their better players, what their style of play is.
“Those sorts of things don’t change, irrespective of the opponent. But we’ve had a bit of a look at last year’s game, as it just increases our knowledge base … just learning as much as we can about the opposition.”
Looking back on Melbourne’s past two weeks - its 101-point loss to Sydney Swans at the SCG and its 58-point defeat against Carlton at the MCG - Neeld said there had been some key findings from both matches.
He said it had been “a disappointing week for the club” following the return from the habour city and in the lead-up to round nine.
“The review that we did [against the Swans], individually and then as a group - there were some confronting things, but all done from an educational point of view,” he said.
“So we went through that, and then had some changes at the selection table, which there always are - and that needed to happen.
“The way that our leadership group dealt with some of the issues during the week I thought was outstanding. Their development as leaders and what we were seeing during the week is setting them up to be strong AFL leaders for years to come. I’m really pleased with the way that that’s working.”
And although Melbourne still lost heavily to Carlton last Sunday, it was the red and blue’s final quarter, which frustrated Neeld most.
“It was pleasing [for three quarters], but again, it fell away in the last quarter. In general terms, when the Blues applied some heat, we were unable to stand up, which is an area that we’re obviously working on and doing as much work as we possibly can,” he said.
“We felt that in the first three quarters our ball movement went well. Our inside 50s were equal at three quarter time, but we weren’t able to always capitalise on our entrances, so we’re working through that as well.
“The amount of time that we were able to turn the ball over from our defensive pressures has significantly increased, but the last quarter was disappointing. It was a final quarter fadeout, which we’re working really hard to rectify.”
When reflecting on the way the game is being played in 2012, Neeld said that while its forever evolving, “some things in footy never change”.
“Right now there’s a lot of talk about differentials in contested possession, tackling and clearances. If you can get those three things in your favour, you’re going to win far more games than what you lose,” he said.
“We’re in the fortunate place that we’ve got a lot of offensive talent, and in the last quarter the Blues, to their credit, they were very, very good and very solid in the areas of contested possession, clearances and efficient tackling - and we fell by the wayside. So we’ve got a lot of focus on those three areas in particular.”
An area that has contributed heavily towards Melbourne’s disappointing season this year has been its injury list. Although Neeld was not using it as an excuse, he remains hopeful of having some key players up and running this round.
“Injuries are part of the game, and all clubs need to manage it. We have 46 players on our list - all AFL clubs have between that and 50, depending on their list status. That’s just part of being an AFL footy club. No one ever has all their 46 or 50 players available - that’s just a part of AFL life. It’s just a part of it,” he said.
“James Frawley, Brad Green and Clint Bartram ... all did part of the main session, and part of an individual program, and those three will be given as much time as they need to prove their fitness.”
With the mid-season break approaching and the football industry turning its attention to the NAB AFL under-18 championships, and clubs looking at list management strategies, Neeld said he would be heavily involved in these areas.
“We’re learning more on a daily basis about our own players, and about our own player list, and we firmly believe that there’s a lot of development within our own list,” he said.
“Our desire is to keep as many of our current players here as we can, but we all know that the AFL system really dictates that you need to turn players over, because we all go to the draft, and then all clubs will go to the rookie draft.
“So there’s a need to turn the list over, so we need to make sure that we are learning as much as we can about all our players.”
Neeld said he was already meeting regularly with the club’s recruiting staff about the young talent coming through the ranks for the post-season period.
“In terms of the kids who will be available in the draft, you’ll find that there’s weekly, sometimes twice weekly, sometimes three times a week meetings, and Melbourne is no different,” he said.
“We have quite an extensive recruiting team in place now, and they’re out and about, learning lots about the potential draftees, and meeting with them, meeting with their families, meeting with school teachers, and watching them play football as often as they possibly can.
“[The ranking of players] always changes after the national championships have finished. People will stick their hands up and others will go back a little bit. It takes time for the recruiters ... who may be available, what type of roles they play - it’s quite an extensive business, and one that’s extremely thorough.
“With the extra money that’s been spent in our recruiting department, we’re really well placed to make the most of the picks that we get.”
Neeld said the introduction of free agency would add another dimension to the post-season recruiting activity.
“Free agency certainly presents a new frontier to the AFL,” he said.
“We’d be similar to most clubs. We’re sitting down, trying to come up with a policy or a strategy that we believe best suits us and free agency. We’ve been through the list, just like everyone else, and there are 80-odd players who are on that free agent list, so we’ll have to look at some.
“There are certain criteria that we want in terms of age, in terms of games experience, roles that can be played and character, that we think is the best fit for our club.”
