Mark Neeld has been dumped as Melbourne coach after serving only half of his three-year contract for a sorry return of five AFL victories from 33 games.
Neil Craig – who was head coach at Adelaide for 166 games before leaving the Crows late in the 2011 season – will take over as interim Melbourne coach until the end of the current campaign.
The Demons are set to chase an experienced coach to replace Neeld on a fulltime basis from 2014 onwards, with Mark Williams, Rodney Eade and Paul Roos among those likely to be sounded out by the Demons board.
John Worsfold would also be in the frame if he and West Coast part ways at the end of the season.
As the heavy losses mounted, Neeld’s position had become increasingly untenable, with Melbourne’s only victory so far in 2013 coming against winless Greater Western Sydney.
The decision to remove the coach was made after Demons powerbrokers, led by new chief executive Peter Jackson, met the AFL Commission on Friday, where they requested financial assistance to help rebuild the club, which has finished no higher than 12th on the ladder since 2006.
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Seventeen of Melbourne’s 28 losses in Neeld’s tenure were by more than 50 points and four of the five victories were against expansion clubs Gold Coast and the GWS Giants.
His payout is expected to cost the club $600,000.
Craig had been assisting Neeld as the Demon’s director of sports performance and will take over for the rest of the season.
The move follows a meeting between the club heirarchy and the AFL Commission last Friday to negotiate a rescue package for the beleaguered club. Shortly after that meeting Melbourne president Don McLardy resigned.
It had already lost chief executive Cameron Schwab who was sacked earlier this year.
Neeld had been the subject of intense speculation with the side winning just five matches since his appointment at the end of 2011 and many by big margins.
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The Demons are currently led by new chief executive Peter Jackson and interim president Peter Spargo.
Jackson informed Neeld at 8am on Monday that his time as Melbourne coach was up.
“From the board’s perspective and my perspective, the results just aren’t acceptable,” Jackson said at a media conference at AAMI Park on Monday.
” … I came in about eight weeks ago saying we needed to give everyone clean air to see how they contributed to this football club.
“I think I’ve done that and we’ve made the decision accordingly.”
Neeld said his main emotion after learning of his sacking was one of disappointment.
“It’s certainly been a rollercoaster ride for the last 18 months,” said Neeld. Jackson was told by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou on Friday that any financial support for Melbourne was conditional on the composition of the new board and of Jackson staying on as CEO.
Neeld said he was boosted by the presence of the entire Melbourne playing list and the football department at Monday’s media conference.
“They’re good people,” he said.
“… they have probably got the hardest job in all of this.
“In five days’ time they’re off to the MCG to take on St Kilda.”
When asked to describe his time as Melbourne coach, Neeld replied: “We had a crack. In the end it didn’t work out.”
