AND SO MELBOURNE’S 2012 season has come to an end.

It’s been a bloody tough one for all who bleed the red and blue.

It’s been one helluva initiation for Mark Neeld, who has had to contend with one of the most extraordinary first seasons handed out to a first year senior coach in the modern era.

In his own words, he said the year had “been a challenging one - no question”.

“There are some realities, and experience plays a massive part in AFL footy. There have only been three games this year where we’ve fielded more games than the opposition, so that’s to be taken into account,” Neeld said.

“We’ve certainly improved our competitiveness in the back half of the year - that’s really important.

“We’ve done some things internally, and there has been a massive overhaul of the players within the leadership group. We’re led by some inexperienced players, which although challenging and tough this year, will - in the end - turn out really good for those players. They’ve been confronting a couple of issues, especially early on, and I thought they did that really well.”

Although Melbourne’s four wins and 16th placing on the ladder was disappointing, the red and blue did face some remarkable off field happenings and a host of injuries along the way.  An inexperienced playing squad also resulted in frustrating performances.

But several positives emerged - think Nathan Jones’ outstanding year, the injury free and subsequent fine full season from co-captain Jack Grimes, Jeremy Howe’s second year, Tom McDonald’s season down back and the recruitment and form of Mitch Clark before injury - as examples.

Now the attention turns to post-season and then pre-season.

Hope will quickly emerge for the Demons.

Neeld flagged the notion following his last post-match media conference for 2012, after his side went down to Fremantle by 61 points at Patersons Stadium on Saturday.

“We’ve got the opportunity now to be ruthless in our analysis of our own list, plus any other players who we think can come in and help us move forward,” he said. 

“And that’s where we’re at.”

When Neeld was probed further about where the club needed to be “ruthless”, he said: “Just everything.”

“Successful footy clubs play good finals footy and maintain a solid culture to stay in the finals race - they’re ruthless clubs and that’s something that we want to turn our club into.

“It’s certainly something that does not happen overnight - that’s obvious and it takes a little bit of time. But we’ve got an opportunity to make some ground on that now, and we’ll take it.”

Neeld said he was “unable to make definitive answers now” about Melbourne’s list, but it would be further scruitnised by the club’s list management group - as it has been all year.

“Ten sides finish up this weekend and we’re one of those and everybody realises that there’s free agency, there’s trade and there’s the draft - if you want to change your list,” he said.

“The footy world is also well aware that there are five or six new coaches who have just finished their first year. You get your initial opportunity to make a stand about the type of players that you want at your club.

“I’m in the same boat as those other four or five [new coaches], so we’ll have a look at that.”