Speaking on the Coach’s Office on DeeTV, Neeld said he is hoping to see several players add flexibility to their game in the second half of the season.
“I, along with the rest of the coaching group, need to be confident that we know as much about our current playing list as we possibly can,” he said.
“A part of that may well be asking them to play in different roles. It’s not as if we’re throwing the magnets up and playing them wherever they land.
“Jared Rivers and Col Garland are a case in point. They are both very competitive players and good one-on-one and they’re competitive and competent in the air. They’ve got the capabilities to play forward, and Riv also showed on the weekend that his conversion rate is good.”
Neeld said he had also been pleased with James Sellar and Jack Watts, who have switched from the forward line to down back in recent weeks.
“We’ve been really pleased with the manner in which those boys have grabbed their opportunity and James Sellar also went back and Jack Watts has gone back for a little while, so that enables us to do that,” he said.
“The minute that one of the boys shows that they can’t play their new role, it changes a whole heap of things.”
Meanwhile, Neeld said Melbourne faces a “massive challenge” against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Sunday.
“They were really good on the weekend against the Bulldogs and two weeks prior to that they knocked off West Coast up there, so they’re in really good form and it’ll be a great challenge for us,” he said.
