We're on the right track, Dees boss insists

Updated May 30, 2012 21:06:22

Melbourne president Don McLardy says the Demons are breaking their necks to improve their on-field performances and he insists they are 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 is 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.

"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 was not 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.

"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."

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted May 30, 2012 21:06:22

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Lake back on track for Bulldogs

Updated November 30, 2011 22:56:01

Full-back Brian Lake is on target to regain the form that made him an All-Australian according to Western Bulldogs assistant coach Brett Montgomery.

The 29-year-old had a season to forget in 2011, hampered by injuries to his knee, groin and shoulder.

But at preseason training on Wednesday, Lake - who is still in the rehab group recovering from knee surgery - joined team-mates for part of their running session.

Montgomery liked what he saw.

"His improvement in his running gait is remarkable," he said.

"There was a massive limp there last year. He's improved on that."

Montgomery praised the way Lake had dedicated himself to his rehabilitation and said he was having "a real crack".

"The way he's thrown himself into his rehab, the way he's thrown himself into the education sessions ... he's trying to lead from the front, something he probably hasn't done for 12 months for a number of reasons," he said.

The Bulldogs' draftees Clay Smith, Michael Talia, Tory Dickson and Daniel Pearce were unveiled at the training session at Whitten Oval.

Montgomery said their first choice, midfielder Smith, was among a group of players who would fight to fill the vacancy left by Callan Ward's departure to Greater Western Sydney.

"We've got young (Mitch) Wallis, Libba (Tom Liberatore) - there's guys that are deserved of a crack," he said.

"They'll just go into the mix with Clay and fight it out for those spots."

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs announced they had delisted small defender Jayden Schofield.

The club said the 19-year-old, who had played seven senior games since his debut midway through the season, would return home to Perth to deal with "personal matters".

AAP

Tags: australian-football-league, sport, footscray-3011, vic, australia

First posted November 30, 2011 22:56:01

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Off the beaten track with John Harms - May 14

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John Harms looks at footy from a different angle, taking us off the beaten track every Saturday morning.

This week John Harms took us off the field and into the scoreboard, telling us about poet and writer Vin Maskell, who is putting together a gallery of country scoreboards.

We also found out about Broken Hill favourite son Taylor Walker's 21st birthday celebrations, and how the local league moved their fixture so everyone could come down to Adelaide to celebrate.

And he introduced us to Ted Hopkins and the language of stats.

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Off the beaten track with John Harms - April 16

 John Harms looks at footy from a different angle, taking us off the beaten track every Saturday morning.

This week John starts by sharing the story of Elcho Island, a place off the coast of the NT which has a participation rate of males aged between 12 and 35 years of age of 92% playing in it's footy league.

He also looks at Willaston in the Barossa League, investigates some of the big scores registered in the opening weekend of the Hills League and visits some key results in the Great Southern Football League.

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