Green, who played his 250th match and became just the eighth Demon ever to reach the milestone, said Neeld didn’t mess about when he addressed his team at the final break, after Melbourne kicked 2.0 to 6.4.
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Five things we learned in round 18
“At three quarter time - it was a blunt message,” he said.
“He basically put it to the boys and said ‘it’s about time this club stood up and was counted for something’. And to their credit, they responded a little bit in that last quarter.
“In the third quarter, it wasn’t AFL standard and he bluntly told us that at three quarter time.”
Green said Melbourne didn’t apply the required pressure on the Roos in the third term.
“North Melbourne just moved the ball too easily,” he said.
“These indicators that we look at as a club - those indicators show that we didn’t put pressure on them.”
Reflecting on his personal achievement, the humble Green said it was a feat he would look back on at the end of his career. But his continued quest for team success remains at the forefront.
“I’m proud of the achievement of course,” he said.
“But I said to the boys before the game in the huddle ‘it’s not about me - it’s a team sport and all I can ask from you today is that you give it your best and you play your role and go out there and give it your all’.
“We need everyone contributing and 22 players need to contribute on the day - that’s what I asked them to do, and that’s what you need in team sport. It’s not about me. I can look back on this when I retire.”
