MELBOURNE coach Dean Bailey has lauded the careers of Adem Yze and Jeff White, saying both had special qualities and had endured the most difficult 12 months of their careers.

Bailey acknowledged the professionalism of the pair since he was appointed senior coach last year, even though they have spent time in the VFL in 2008.

"They've both had to battle being dropped and they've both had to battle going back to Sandringham and both have performed well," Bailey said at the MCG on Tuesday.

"Their integrity and dignity is beyond reproach.

"They're outstanding people and they've been outstanding players for the Melbourne Football Club.

"The last 12 months have been tough for them, but through it the Melbourne Football Club has been at the front of their mind and we really appreciate that – not only from a coaching point of view, but also from a playing point of view.

"Their leadership from within the club has been outstanding, considering the circumstances of how they've held themselves has been remarkable.

"I feel very honoured and privileged to have at least coached them for 12 months – even if it is in the last 12 months of their career at Melbourne.

"They're going to leave a legacy for the Melbourne Football Club in years to come."

Bailey added that Yze and White were enormously respected, speaking from his previous perspective as an assistant at Essendon and Port Adelaide.

"The difficulty in coaching against 'Ooze' was that he could do the absolute spectacular thing when you least expected him to do it – he just had that," Bailey said.

"There's not too many players in the AFL who can do that often – every now and then there might be a flash of brilliance – but over Adem's career, it's certainly been a very difficult thing to stop.

"Adem was always a player who was a very good ball-user and a really good decision-maker. To play that many games, you've got to be good in that area and you've got to have something that's just a little bit special about yourself and he certainly has that."

Bailey said White's achievements were enhanced because he regularly conceded size to his opponents.

"He always had a great leap and his mobility through the ground was always a difficult thing to coach because that was his great strength as well," Bailey said.

"For 195cm, Jeff took that position and made it unique, but his strengths meant that he could play at the highest level and not only be competitive at it, but dominate the centre bounce."

However, Bailey said the direction of the club was bigger than any individual, which was why the veterans will not continue at Melbourne in 2009.

"It was a very tough decision, when you've just coached them for 12 months … but we had discussions about it, 'Connolls' (football manager Chris Connolly) and myself," Bailey said.

"You've got to understand, they too have the best interests of the Melbourne Football Club at heart and they both want to play.

"This is a game that when it gets in your blood at this level … it's going to be there for the rest of their lives. I think it's a great thing that they still want to play [because] the love of the game is more important than anything else."

Melbourne president Jim Stynes said White had been "an ornament to the game and particularly this football club", while he added that Yze's feat to play 226 consecutive matches from 1997 to 2007 was amazing.

"It's obviously sad for the two boys, because they've given so much to the club, but they'll play their final game together out on the 'G."