The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

We're on right path, says Melbourne AFL boss

Roar Guru
30th May, 2012
0

Melbourne AFL president Don McLardy says the Demons are breaking their necks to improve their on-field performances and he insists they’re on the right path to future success.

McLardy has kicked off a series of meetings with supporter groups to brief them on what he calls the facts, rather than the newspaper headlines about the club being in crisis after an 0-9 start.

Melbourne won eight-and-a-half games in 2011 and are widely regarded as having gone backwards this year, although McLardy says this will only inspire the Demons to prove people wrong.

“No doubt some of the papers will again run with something that we’ve got a crisis meeting,” McLardy said on Wednesday night.

“It was the first of probably a series of five or six meetings.

“We’ve done this because we’re a little bit tired of all the incorrect information that is put out about our football club.

“Pathetic and disgusting, that’s what’s on the back page of the paper about our footy club and our supporters read that and we highly object to it.

“So we’ve just started a range of meetings with all our key supporters, foundation heroes, coterie groups, to bring them in over the next six to eight weeks.

Advertisement

“We’ll put me, along with (chief executive) Cameron Schwab, the coach (Mark Neeld) and (sports performance director) Neil Craig in front of them.

“They can ask us whatever they like and we’ll detail them on what our plans are, how we’re going about things and why we think we’re on the right path.

“If last night is anything to go by, it will be a great thing to do and we got some great support out of it.”

McLardy said he wasn’t dismissing what has been happening on the field.

“We are breaking our necks and working as hard as we can to fix that,” he told Radio 3AW.

“Clearly we have significant issues on the ground. I am not putting my head in the sand over that.

“What is happening is absolutely not acceptable.

Advertisement

“It was a very open and honest discussion and I think everyone left feeling a lot better.

“We have a plan going forward which is revised all the time.”

McLardy said the Demons had worked closely with the AFL in the past four years to rebuild Melbourne from a financial embarrassment to a strong, credible football club.

One of the major criticisms levelled at Melbourne has been the decision to appoint 20-year-old Jack Trengove as co-captain.

“His form’s not very good so everyone’s going to say `it’s the captaincy’,” McLardy said.

“Time will tell.”

close