COACH Mark Neeld says he gave an update on the club’s playing list and spoke about “a couple of other things” when he fronted the board at Monday’s much-scrutinised meeting at the MCG.
Speaking for the first time since the meeting, Neeld said he outlined where his squad was at during the regular monthly meeting, which attracted intense media scrutiny, given Melbourne’s disappointing season so far.
“It was a scheduled board meeting. Neil Craig, Todd Viney, Josh Mahoney and I went over [to the MCG] and presented snapshots, as we do all the time,” he told The Coach’s Office.
“Yesterday (Monday) … we had a lot of questions about our player list and the development, and how they’re progressing and how we are going to progress them further.
“We sat around and presented a bit of information on that and there were a couple of other things [we went through]. We were going through a number of our players – especially the ones who are somewhere between that 20-plus game mark. There was a bit of concentration on those and then the younger ones, because the majority of our list is there. That was pretty much what we spoke about at length yesterday.”
Neeld said the packed media throng, which eagerly sought an answer on his coaching future outside the MCG and AAMI Park, was a remarkable experience.
“I understand that everybody has a job to do in the industry, but I must admit yesterday (Monday) there was an occasion where I thought I did commit quite a serious crime, when I stopped at a red light and the car was surrounded by about 15 or 20 people,” he said.
“I didn’t quite know what to make of that.
“Apparently, it is what it is and people do what they do.”
Reflecting on last round’s 95-point loss to Hawthorn at the MCG, Neeld said he found some positives from the loss, despite being frustrated by the result.
“We were pleased with the way we continued to attack the game,” he said.
“But it doesn’t matter where you sit in terms of experience, you hate [losing] and it really gets at you when you get done by so much.
“There was a fair bit to learn, but the Hawks are a side that are up and running and have heaps of experience.”
Looking ahead to Monday’s Queen’s Birthday clash against Collingwood, Neeld said he was eager to take on his former opposition, along with former Magpie Chris Dawes, who will be playing against the Pies for the first time.
“It’s a big week for Dawesy and a big week for me as well,” he said.
“That’s part and parcel of the AFL system, people move from club to club and coaches and players do so on a regular basis.
“[We’re] enemies for the week, and after that we move on.”
