COACH Mark Neeld says several key Demons will play for Casey this weekend as they strive to prove their match fitness for the start of the premiership season against Port Adelaide at the MCG on Sunday, March 31.

Speaking after Melbourne’s 25-point loss to Gold Coast at Southport on Saturday, Neeld said “it’ll be interesting” to see how Melbourne lines up in its season opener, given that at least half a dozen important players didn’t play against the Suns.  

“It’ll be a tough time at the selection table, because there are a few boys we expect to run around at Casey next week – Mitch Clark, Chris Dawes, Jack Trengove, Jack Viney, [Sam] Blease [and] Tom McDonald,” he said.

“These players are going to get another hit out next weekend, so we’ll have to wait and see how they play and how they pull up, before we make any final decisions.”

Reflecting on the loss to the Suns, Neeld said the contest was a “fitness tune-up for round one”, but he acknowledged there was still “a little bit of work to do”. 

“We were able to hang in there and stay really competitive and not get blown out of the water, which in terms of the score was always a risk. We felt our boys were pretty good,” he said.

“The boys had to dig deep, given that we had three rotations to the Gold Coast’s five, and that’s OK, because we chose to go down a different path.

“All the numbers, disposals and contested possessions, inside 50s – they were all quite comparable, but in 30 degree heat, we felt it was a little bit hard for the boys to compare the scoreboard at the end of the day.

“A four-goal defeat, in terms of what we wanted to get out of the game, was pretty good.”

After playing several youthful sides in the pre-season, Neeld said he saw genuine improvement and progression towards round one.

“We’ve got some work to do, as all teams do, but we’re going into the season relatively pleased with the format and four month NAB Cup campaign,” he said.

Neeld said there was a “great deal of excitement around the club” given its Commencement Dinner will be held this Thursday night, and given that it is fewer than two weeks until the season proper.