Speaking on The Coaches’ Office on DeeTV, Neeld said the Demons are preparing for a tough contest against the Ross Lyon-coached Fremantle.
“I went over to Perth and had a look at Freo play - [they play a] very solid, disciplined brand of footy,” he said.
“Ross has got them all on the same page. Their game style is a really good, and they’re a hard working side.
“We know we’re in for a really strong contest … so we’re preparing for that.”
Reflecting on last round’s loss to Richmond, Neeld said Melbourne’s challenge this week was to “turn a poor start into a good one and then maintain competitiveness for longer”.
“It was interesting that both coaches were disappointed with the disposal efficiency,” he said.
“Some of it can be put down to the defensive pressure of both sides - there’s no question, but there were a couple of basic skill deficiencies, which hasn’t been our issue.
“Sometimes when those issues bob up, it can be a little bit frustrating.
“We really need to put some scoreboard pressure on. On the weekend, we had the opportunities, but couldn’t nail it.”
But he also praised some individuals for their performance against the Tigers.
“There were some strong performances again - consistent performances again from Nathan Jones, who missed a week with a leg injury and carried on where he left off.
“We think that Colin Sylvia has had a really good impact on the team in the last month, so credit to Colin, and Daniel Nicholson, and there is a bit of a glimpse there.”
Neeld has been particularly impressed with Jones’ work ethic since his arrival at the club. He added that Jones’ dedication to the cause was commendable.
“He wants to be a serious AFL player,” he said.
“His training effort over the summer - that’s what we’re seeing in the game.
“He’s making every effort to improve all of the time. He’s good to talk to, is Jonesy, because he goes to every training session with the attitude of ‘right, I’ve got an hour to improve something here’. He’s got a great attitude.”
